Various – Echocord Jubilee Compilation review

by Juno Daily on 14.04.2011 at 12:09pm.
Last edited: 19.04.2011 at 16:18pm.

Kenneth Christiansen’s label celebrates its tenth year in business without any fuss or the whiff of the understated marketing campaigns that underpin some of Echocord’s peers. Indeed, it is reasonable to say that the key to the Danish imprint’s longevity has been to focus on the deeper, dubbier side of techno, without worrying too much about what all around them are doing. Put simply, Echocord was releasing textured techno for the head and the floor before and after it was trendy to do so. Unsurprisingly, the Echocord Jubilee Compilation manages to capture these two spheres.

It opens with the ethereal, wistful “Tides” by Fluxion, which slides into the shantying “My Safe Harbour” by Quantec. By the time that Deadbeat’s contribution appears, the tempo has gradually gone up thanks to the Canadian’s trademark tribal drums and Onmutu Mechanicks’s contribution turns the mood slightly more menacing as “Calyx” marches to the beat of metallic drums and teems with foreboding chords. This being Echocord however, reflective and evocative sensibilities are never too far away, and Luke Hess’s “Kratos”, although based on clipped drums, boasts breathy, shimmering melodies. Christiansen also proves that he has a keen ear for potential crossover tracks, and Intrusion/Echospace producer Stephen Hitchell’s “Fox Convextion”, with its pulsing bassline and uplifting hooks, could propel this label into the spotlight that so many lesser, hype-driven labels occupy.

Richard Brophy

Dark Side of the Tune: The Abstract Techno Resurgence

by Juno Daily on 21.03.2011 at 16:35pm.
Last edited: 05.04.2011 at 11:54am.

By Richard Brophy:

DJ Hell was the first to sense it coming. Speaking to this writer in 2006, the Gigolos boss claimed that “the chill out concept still exists … this music is not so popular anymore, but I hear it here and there and hope it comes back”. Hell made his own contribution to this revival on the second rambling, Heroes/Low-era Bowie-inspired CD of his 2009 album Teufelswerk and last year’s mix for Get Physical, which offered transgressions from the dancefloor with music by Klaus Schulze and the Balanescu Quartet. However, the Gigolos boss was only partly right: there is a left of centre resurgence going on in techno, but it doesn’t focus on beatless tracks full of whale mating noises and isn’t fronted by silver suit-wearing zippies like Mixmaster Morris urging listeners to lie down for their rights.

Rolando – 5 To 8 EP review

by Juno Daily on 21.01.2011 at 11:59am.
Last edited: 24.01.2011 at 11:47am.

Berghain and its residents may be the epicentre of the techno and house universe right now, but they never forget to acknowledge who and what they have been inspired by. Indeed, while Ben Klock’s mix CD for sister label Ostgut Ton last year showcased new school talents like Martyn, Jonas Kopp and Roman Lindau, it also featured a long-lost Tyree classic as well as giving tacit recognition to Detroit’s influence on modern-day Berlin techno with contributions from Rolando.

While the “Knights of the Jaguar” creator has focused his efforts in recent years on house music, “De Cago” sees him re-explore the middle ground between these styles and fittingly, there’s a solemn vocal intoning ‘Detroit…Chicago’. This is a familiar trick and one that has gained currency as a lazy crutch in recent times. Thankfully though, in Rolando’s hands it becomes an effective weapon as he filters it in DBX-style and it also helps that he underpins it with a dense, drummy groove and chilling, atmospheric chords.

“Junie”, which provided the outro to Klock’s mix, opts for a radically different approach. Like Carl Craig’s more introspective work – “Landcruising” springs to mind – Rolando favours a mid-tempo arrangement, with the somnambulant pace providing the ideal backdrop for orchestral strings and a sombre bassline. The sum of these parts proves yet again that Detroit artists still have the ability to surprise and inspire, 25 years after the city birthed techno.

Richard Brophy

Moritz Von Oswald Trio – Restructure 2 review

by Juno Daily on 17.12.2010 at 13:09pm.
Last edited: 20.12.2010 at 10:43am.

A taster for the trio’s forthcoming third album, Horizontal Structure, this single sees Von Oswald and collaborators Max Loderbauer and Sasu Ripatti (aka Vladislav Delay) further explore the notion of merging dub techno with other, previously unconnected styles. “Restructure 2” is a swirling, atmospheric piece, its languid, low-tempo groove accompanied by some tastefully spacey guitar playing and mellow jazzy vibes. It sounds like what would happen if late-stage Velvet Underground were to happen upon Charlie Parker in a wormhole and decide to decamp to modern-day Berlin to do cover versions of Burial Mix. It’s understated, studied and about as far removed from Maurizio’s “Ploy” as one can get, but yet it still retains much of the same cavernous production sound.

The choice of remixer, Mala, is also surprising as it eschews Von Oswald’s techno habitat in favour of dubstep. That said, the Digital Mystikz producer has a credible string of releases for DMZ, Tectonic and Soul Jazz, and like the Basic Channel producer, fully understands the power of the bass. There is also some subtle referencing to the time that Van Oswald first rose to prominence through the use of ‘Intelligent Techno’-era melodies and the ambient outro, but Mala’s remix is all about the tumbling drums and tribal, swinging rhythms.

Richard Brophy

Resoe – The Black Void Of Space EP review

by Juno Daily on 10.12.2010 at 16:43pm.
Last edited: 17.02.2011 at 14:11pm.

Denis Bog makes the transition from the relatively obscure Baum label to underground staple Echochord. Like the rest of the Danish outlet’s releases, the overall mood here is evocative and introspective, but Bog belies the notion that the dub/ambient end of techno is incapable of providing unsettling sounds.

Drawing more on Biosphere’s legacy than Basic Channel’s back catalogue, Bog presents “Minus & Plus” against a backdrop of tight, rolling drums and prowling chords. Like a radar tracking unknown bodies in space, every pulsing wave brings with it a sense of foreboding and menace. “Demoon” is less eerie, and it finds Bog in a mood approaching playfulness, as slow motion grooves underpin an undulating groove and the kind of wistful dub shanty sounds that’s audibly inspired by Tikiman and Rhythm & Sound.

It only proves to be a brief respite from the prevailing mood however; Hot Flush artist Sigha’s take on “Minus & Plus” reverts to the sense of menace found on the original, while pushing it towards the dancefloor. A sinister, panning rhythm is the centrepiece, but the cold, almost detached percussive twists and sinister bleeps make this an unusual, eerie pleasure. Approach this release with caution and you’ll have a great time.

Richard Brophy

Delta Funktionen – Setup Two: Fusion review

by Juno Daily on 07.12.2010 at 14:33pm.
Last edited: 07.12.2010 at 14:53pm.

Delta Funktionen caused ripples of excitement with his Setup One: Decorum release a few months back, and here we see the Dutch producer return with his second Setup 12″ on Delsin sub-label Ann Aimee, entitled Fusion. It’s tough, raw and unrelenting – in other words everything you’d expect from a release bearing the name of Niels Luinenburg. Once again packaged in sublime artwork, “Devolution” kicks things off with some robust, industrial-strength bass, the result sounding similar to Karl O’Connor’s “Haiku” track on Sandwell District a couple of years back under the Kalon pseudonym. “Evolution” maintains a more linear progression, almost like early 90s Detroit techno recorded at a tempo palatable for 2010 ears, with a thumping, granite hard kick drum underscoring gurgling mechanics and tense snares interspersed by robotic bleeps.

B Side opener “Theatre” offers plenty of thrills, with beatless interludes building swathes of tension before dropping back into a rock solid banging throb, while “Conflict Data” rounds off the 12″ with on a more playful, spacey note, taking its cue from Jeff Mills’ Something In The Sky series and bathing it in a shuffling sunrise groove. He may still a relative newcomer to the production game, but make no mistake, Delta Funktionen deserves to be held up there with the big boys.

Aaron Coultate

Petar Dundov – Distant Shores review

by Juno Daily on 06.12.2010 at 12:48pm.
Last edited: 07.12.2010 at 09:26am.

On “Distant Shores”, Petar Dundov continues his transformation from hard-edged, austere techno producer to a purveyor of soft-focused, melodic dance music. Like much of his 2008 Escapements album, this new release sees the Croatian producer substitute force for warmth. From the outside, there isn’t much to “Distant Shores”; a pulsing, electronic bassline, borrowed from Italo disco but sped up to cater for the needs of modern dancefloors, provides the basis for a chord sequence that peaks, ebbs and climaxes over a near 13-minute cycle. It’s reminiscent of the early 90s trance of labels like Eye Q, but thanks to Dundov’s assured production, has been copper-fastened to a rhythm that is both ear-catching and DJ-friendly.

Some assessments of “Distant Shores” have posited the theory that in making this track, Dundov was inspired by the craggy Croatian coastline or the country’s barren landscape. Having visited and holidayed in Croatia every year for more than a decade, this writer feels that Dundov’s inspiration goes far, far deeper than such lazy claims. Ignoring both his physical surroundings and the musical environment – Croatia is both a haven for hard techno in the cities and party/disco house on the coast and the islands – Dundov has tapped deep into the country’s psyche to capture the collective warmth and melancholia of its inhabitants.

Richard Brophy

Inigo Kennedy – The Darkest Valentine review

by Juno Daily on 02.12.2010 at 15:40pm.
Last edited: 03.12.2010 at 14:04pm.

Who better to soundtrack the final days of 2010 than Inigo Kennedy? The UK producer’s music has always been more complex and challenging than most of his contemporaries’ work, and on The Darkest Valentine, he retains his skewed, angular approach. Indeed, while this release on Belgian label Token sees him striving for – and succeeding in – attaining a more accessible end result, the underlying aesthetic is undeniably and 100 per cent Inigo Kennedy. “Obsidian” starts off with creepy, droning textures, ushering in a spiky, staccato rhythm and a filter which lends the track a conventional effectiveness. Despite this, “Obsidian” is unsettling and vaguely disturbing thanks to Kennedy using some child-like melodies – it sounds like a techno version of The Exorcist.

The mood is just as eerie on “Quagmire”; Kennedy makes some nods to contemporary techniques – especially with the arcing bleep sequence that surges through the arrangement – but for the mot part, he’s happy to go his own way. Dramatic strings sweep in over a firing, militaristic rhythm, accompanied by jarring analogue riffs. By any stretch of the imagination, it’s not music that could be described as seductive, but if you’re looking for techno with an eerie, almost otherworldly feeling, then you’ve come to the right place.

Richard Brophy

Lucy readies debut album

by Juno Daily on 01.12.2010 at 11:00am.
Last edited: 01.12.2010 at 15:39pm.

Stroboscopic Artefacts label chief Lucy – aka Italian producer Luca Mortellaro – will release his debut album next March, entitled Wordplay For Working Bees.

Demdike Stare – Voices Of Dust review

by Juno Daily on 30.11.2010 at 18:39pm.
Last edited: 03.12.2010 at 12:31pm.

In a year when the more adventurous minds have conjured up the term ‘witch house’ to differentiate between a generation of bedroom producers with a penchant for internet unfriendly symbols, Demdike Stare have provided more than a genuine scare or two with a sonic fog of unease wrapped in mysticism integral to their every moment.

Voices Of Dust sees the Lancastrian duo of Sean Canty and Miles Whittaker deliver the final and much anticipated chapter in their trilogy of albums for Modern Love this year. Arriving in strictly limited quantities and adorned with suitably cryptic artwork from Mr Andy Votel, this is a collection of tracks that chill and delight in equal measures. Proceedings commence in suitably menacing fashion with creeping drone frequencies twisted into the unnerving three minutes that make up “Black Sun”. This seeps into “Hashshashin Chant”, a frenetic collision of eastern discothèque percussion, heavily treated chants, fractured metallic abrasions and cold war submarines. If Maya Arulpragasam did a career swerve towards dub techno it might sound like this.

“Repository Of Light” represents this album’s longest arrangement at eleven minutes, and with it Demdike Stare provide perhaps the most fulfilling moment. Senses are lifted with gratifying ease out of the preceding viscous sonic mist of all encompassing claustrophobia to a delightfully floating point via the gradual ascent to prominence of crystalline Detroit synths that shimmer with ethereal intensity.

“Of Decay & Ecstasy” marks a swift plunge back into the machine made mist of unease which seeps into proceedings on the flip with the spectral fog of “Rain & Shame”. A concluding descent towards the darkness of finality is heralded by murky nebula of distant horns that punctuate “Leptonic Master”. By the time the coarse grains of “A Tale Of Sand” reach the run out groove, you are left with the thrilling sensual juxtaposition of craving more despite yourself.

Tony Poland

Traversable Wormhole – Single #4 review

by Juno Daily on 29.11.2010 at 17:20pm.
Last edited: 30.11.2010 at 09:28am.

It’s testament to the regard with which Adam X’s side project is held that it can attract the calibre of artists that have remixed Traversable Wormhole material to date. However, perhaps the most positive outcome from the hook-up with Chris Liebing’s label is that it gives a wider public the chance to hear the original tracks. Certainly, the Traversable Wormhole music on this release is essential listening. “Exotic Measures” manages to effortlessly combine the abstract and the real. Like the space motif the artist name references, the track features a black hole of abstract noise, given dancefloor appeal thanks to staccato percussion and drums. The end effect is like tapping on the window of a space station as a meteor shower approaches.

“Spacetime Symmetries” is more immediate and upfront, with Adam’s avalanche of dark sounds met head on by swathes of rippling sub-bass. Despite the fact that they are compelling piece in their own right, maybe they needed a more defined dancefloor sound, and on this front both Terence Fixmer and Tommy Four Seven’s respective takes on “Exotic Matter” and “Spacetime Symmetries” deliver. Fixmer’s remix owes a debt to Plastikman’s classic remix of System 7, its droning rhythm panning to infinity to beyond, while Tommy brings the package back to earth with splurging granite beats – but also makes a nod to TW’s ethereal leanings by finishing the remix with a few minutes’ worth of eerie, dead-paced ambience.

Richard Brophy

Soma get ready for 2011

by Juno Daily on 25.10.2010 at 14:52pm.
Last edited: 26.10.2010 at 11:43am.

Esteemed Scottish techno label Soma has unveiled plans for the Soma 2011 compilation, which will feature the likes of Silicone Soul, The Black Dog, Joris Voorn and label chiefs Slam.

Commix – Re: Call To Mind review

by Juno Daily on 13.10.2010 at 18:01pm.
Last edited: 14.10.2010 at 13:12pm.

Oxford Dictionary have just confirmed that the new definition of heavyweight is simply a photo of this ridiculously impressive Commix remix album. Both Metalheadz and the Cambridge duo deserve a golf clap for selecting the cream of the techno and dubstep crop to rework tracks from their seminal album Call To Mind. Burial’s remix finally sees release after two years of lurking in the Metalheadz archives, but the droning atmospherics of his rework is more than matched here. Kassem Mosse drops a heavy techno throb atop the oscilatting rhythmic stutter of “Strictly” whilst Steve Spacek’s voice is married to abrasive half step syncopation that punches through the mid frequency bass of Pangaea’s remix of “How You Gonna Feel”. Dave Huisman delivers another superlative turn as A Made Up Sound transforming “Change” into a mind bending industrial techno/dubstep cross pollination. Underground Resistance equal this in the impressive stakes with a remix of “Satellite Song” that ripples with futuristic menace. Essential!

Tony Poland

Reality Or Nothing – Reality Or Nothing 1 & 2 review

by Juno Daily on 12.10.2010 at 16:47pm.
Last edited: 14.10.2010 at 14:57pm.

Reality Or Nothing is the surreptitious (and now defunct) side project of UK techno dons Regis (Karl O’Connor) and Female (Peter Sutton). The duo slyly released their material through Chicago’s mysterious Housewerk Records in the late 90s, and here a piece of previously unreleased material sees the light of day, both in its original form and remixed by the current Sandwell District stable. Sprawled across the A Side here is a fantastic stepping reshape of “Reality Or Nothing” by Female, whilst the opening B-Side cut is a remix of “Kalon 08” by the Sandwell District collective, which boasts wonderfully raw drum pads that shift in and out of focus as the track progresses. The 1998 original version of the title track is included for good measure, and arguably still stands as the best of the lot – it’s moody and tough as hell, with a soft analogue crunch chugging along beneath the distinctive bleeps so loved by the Sandwell stable.

The second 12” comes replete with three new remixes of the title track, plus a demo version of the original which is steeped in melodic atmospherics. Function, CH-Signal and Silent Servant all chip in with remixes in what serves as a must-have for Sandwell District completists – the Function version in particular brings the big room vibe to the table. The Silent Servant remix is probably the most hypnotic, with frantic ping-pong percussion sitting alongside a mildly thunderous looped kick drum. These 12”s have been released at an opportune time, and serve as a mouth whetting appetiser for the debut Sandwell album, due to hit the shelves this month.

Aaron Coultate

Marc Houle – Drift review

by Juno Daily on 11.10.2010 at 17:25pm.
Last edited: 12.10.2010 at 17:31pm.

Minus Records mainstay Marc Houle returns with his new full-length album, Drift, and continues to refine his sound. Written in Berlin during the bleak winter months of 2009, Drift stands apart from anything Houle has released to date. He’s stripped away much of the wackiness and playfulness that has become his signature, opting instead for a dark and cold aesthetic. Houle’s sound has never been one that is easy to classify, as he’s always been a bit left of centre when it comes to techno — he doesn’t just write dancefloor bangers and/or head-bobbing numbers for home listening, yet his music always fits comfortably both in and out of the party.

With tracks “Seeing in the Dark” and “Drift” one envisions the darkest Berlin club — an abandoned warehouse in a cold grey industrial neighbourhood, or a claustrophobic basement rave in a dilapidated building in Detroit— where night has long since switched over to morning, but the kids seem compelled to continue as long as the party allows them. Those tracks and the 7-minute “Melting” are perhaps the moodiest compositions on the album, driven by Houle’s subtle use of analogue synths and rumbling bass. Drift all but abandons the quirky use of 8-bit sounds that Houle seemed to love so much in his earlier releases, yet what is interesting with this album is that he has replaced those sounds with guitar. Opening song “Inside”, which we imagine would be an amazing track for driving on the Autobahn, as well as “Sweet”, “The Next”, and “Hammering”, feature processed guitar lines that hint at new wave and dark wave and are a great addition to his sound. By the album’s last track, “Hammering”, there seems to be some light in the grey winter, the sun has peeked its head after months of absence, and the old playful Houle peeks his head out as well, closing with a guitar-based track that is funky and jazzy and reminiscent of Tortoise. Drift is undoubtedly a cold and dark album, but Marc Houle is as hot and bright as ever. Check it.

Matt Leslie

Marcel Fengler – Enigma EP review

by Juno Daily on 04.10.2010 at 16:47pm.
Last edited: 05.10.2010 at 11:18am.

For whatever reason, Marcel Fengler does not yet enjoy the same international profile as his Berghain colleagues Ben Klock and Marcel Dettmann. Hopefully, Enigma will help to change that situation, with Fengler showing diversity that his more purist peers lack. This is evident on “Rapture”, where an insistent techno rhythm leans towards the loopy approach of the late 90s/early 00s. Naturally, Fengler resists the urge to go into full-on ‘party’ mode, and tempers the arrangement with filtered jazz licks and eerie riffs appearing and disappearing at random. “Razkaz” is the most typically Ostgut track on “Enigma”, a dense, repetitive track based on granite beats and steel girder percussion, but woven between these somewhat austere elements is a playful ethno sample. It could seem out of place in such an austere environment were it not for Fengler’s adept arranging. Finally, the title track delivers what this writer feels is Fengler’s finest moment to date: “Enigma” snakes and pulses fluidly with nods to electronic disco, but the eerie strings and those typically dense Ostgut percussive drums give it the requisite dance floor rigidity. Caught somewhere between human spontaneity and machine-led precision, Marcel Fengler’s latest release proves itself to be enigma wrapped up in a techno riddle.

Richard Brophy

Sandwell District unveil debut album

by Juno Daily on 04.10.2010 at 11:37am.
Last edited: 04.10.2010 at 13:12pm.

Techno collective Sandwell District have unveiled details of their debut album, which will be released later this month.

Perc – Vertigo Part 2 1909 review

by Juno Daily on 01.10.2010 at 12:17pm.
Last edited: 04.10.2010 at 11:59am.

With almost 40 releases to its credit and few creative slip ups along the way, there can be little doubt that Ali ‘Perc’ Wells’s imprint is one of the UK’s great modern techno labels. What sets Perc Trax apart is that its owner allows his artists to explore a range of creative avenues without losing sight of the label’s adherence to what defines it: techno music. Unsurprisingly, like most Perc releases, these remixes of “1909” are utterly distinctive: Millie’s version combines wobbly sub-bass and eerie atmospherics, in one fell swoop capturing the essence of two great UK electronic music traditions – the lurching swagger of bass and the menace of industrial. Perc’s own reshape sounds intent on achieving the same, but this time stepping rhythms are fused with bursts of droning noise and distorted, grainy drums that evoke memories of classic noisenik Landstrumm. By contrast, the original version seems restrained, but there is no doubt that the titanium drums and bad-ass bass will worry even the most resilient sound system. Finally, Perc welcome a transatlantic guest as New York DJ Derek Plaslaiko, who is due to release original material on Perc soon, drops a mangled, distorted bass over straighter 4/4 beats and steely rhythms. Forget the fads and hipsters – this releases shows UK electronic music at its most inspired.

Richard Brophy

Planetary Assault Systems – GT (remixes) review

by Juno Daily on 27.09.2010 at 09:49am.
Last edited: 27.09.2010 at 14:03pm.

After a long period in the wilderness, Luke Slater’s return last year under the Planetary Assault Systems guise was one of most inspired techno comebacks of recent times. The fact that his new output, including the Temporary Suspension album was audibly influenced by harder European techno that had in turn been influenced by earlier PAS work gave his reappearance the kind of perfect symmetry that is coincidentally replicated here. And so to this latest remix package: James Ruskin’s take on “GT” weaves filtered percussive stabs over a morass of dense, rolling bass, and Function & Sydenham’s version is a faultless Sandwell-style deployment, its niggling acid line insinuating itself among the resonating kicks and epic claps that have ‘main room at Berghain’ written all over them.

Despite these inspired efforts, it’s Slater’s own remixes as PAS that impress the most. Surprisingly though, the “Drone” version is not quite the full-on assault we may have expected, its barely contained menace tempered by bursts of feedback and its pulsing groove coming across like a distant cousin to PAS’s “Surface Noise” on Peacefrog. However, Slater has no problem bringing out the heavy artillery, and the two ‘Rhythm & Beats’ versions distil the original down to the essence of techno functionalism. The second one is a relentlessly grainy rhythm track caked in six inches of black dance floor sludge, while the first take is centred on heavy, industrial drum patterns that is guaranteed to annihilate anything – speakers, crowds and venues – it comes into contact with. Chose your weapons wisely…

Richard Brophy

Terence Fixmer – Comedy Of Menace review

by Juno Daily on 24.09.2010 at 09:50am.
Last edited: 27.09.2010 at 09:43am.

French producer Terence Fixmer rose to prominence nearly ten years ago during the height of electroclash with releases on Hell’s International Deejay Gigolos. This was despite the fact that his searing, electro-techno had little to do with that scene’s one-note fixations. Thankfully, on Comedy of Menace, his latest studio album, Fixmer sounds more in sync with the prevailing mood in electronic music. “Dark Line”, the album opener, is a jacking Chicago-style affair, the doubled up kettle drums and brooding acid riffs climaxing together, while “Things are Over” also makes use of the 303, its squelchy lines underpinning a doomy vocal. Other influences surface on “Impakt”, which sounds like a contemporary techno interpretation of CJ Bolland’s “4th Sign”, as huge, reverberating claps accompany wild industrial stabs to its logical, brutal conclusion.

Echoes of modern-day labels like Sandwell District and Traversable Wormhole can be heard elsewhere too: “Drastic” is a panning, hypnotic trip through the unknown waters Adam X often explores, while the throbbing rhythms and insistent bleeps on “Drastic” and “Alert” sound like a more malevolent take on Function’s “Isolation”. That said, Fixmer does stamp his own identity all over “Menace”; while modern-day bleeps ‘n’ subs are also audible on “My Experimentation” and “Dance like Paranoid”, they are delivered with a primal ferocity that recalls the Fixmer & McCarthy collaborations, with the French producer grabbing the listener’s attention through the use of pounding industrial rhythms. When it comes to menacing the dancefloor, few do it as convincingly as Fixmer.

Richard Brophy