Search dance music

Review: Kaiserdisco bring some big room techno energy to the one label in the world that is most synonymous with that sound - Adam Beyer's Drumcode. Opener 'In The Music' is a dark and driving cut with an acid tinged bassline over hard, hammering, flat footed drums. Add in a dark vocal hook and you have a real monster. 'Error In The System' on the flip is another moody techno pumper for the main room with hefty drums, eerie siren sounds and of plenty squelchy designs. It's a real headwrecker to close out a big 12".

Review: Befitting of the label's name, Drumsauw aka. Joseph Sutherland keeps to the Code with a fresh three-tracker of megatechno heaters. Starting things off with the entraining but no less driving dreamer 'Focus', we're met with riveting sixteenthy knocks and dour breakdowns, a formula devoutly followed throughout; the B offers up two further alarmist pummellings of the third kind, with 'Set Back' repeatedly jabbing the podiatric floor with pressurised weight-kicks and offhand "push it" voxxes, and 'Escape' continuing to sound said alarm while insisting that we "escape" the laboratory, now quarantined to sift out those hesitant to dance.

Review: Adam Beyer's notable techno label Drumcode seems to be as busy as ever of late. The label here rolls out a fourth part of its ongoing A Sides series, which is now up to volume 12. Though the Swede himself doesn't feature, some of his trusty sidemen do starting with Chris Avantgarde who brings big room, hard techno energy to 'The Last Time'. Bry Ortega keeps it just as intense with the machine-gun like synth fire of 'Discover 9', Massano brings some brighter synth loops to the stomping 'Betraya' and Spektre shut down with a mix of hardcore, trance and techno potency on 'Too Far Gone.' Some great DJ weaponry here, for sure.

Review: Adam Beyer seems to be in a superb run of late and this is his second vinyl outing in as many months. Desert Queen is pure Beyer, and pure Drumocde - drum-led techno for the main room with sweeping synths and grand vocals that are designed to impact crowds of thousands. The A-side actually brings a touch of trance energy and hard techno funk with its slamming, flat-footed drums, coarse synths and brightly lit arrangements. 'Soulful' then flips the script with a more funky groove that rocks back and forth and has funky basslines and a pitched up r&b vocal that works strangely well in the unusual context.

Review: The big room techno don that is Adam Beyer is back with more potent techno weaponry on his own Drumcode label, this time with part two of the 12th volume of his A-Sides series. His 'Take Me There' is first up in remix form and Carl Cox flips it into a surging peak time roller. Matt Guy's 'Give Me What I Want' is an emotive banger with big synth energy and reverberating vocals while ADHS's '2STEP' hits hard with its flaming drums and trance-y synths. Kaiserdisco then brings dark, stomping warehouse energy to their raved-ready 'Get On The Dancefloor.'

Review: Adam Beyer's Drumcode is one of techno's most iconic outlets and it deals only in big room tackle for blowing minds. This sub-series no hits volume seven and welcomes new schoolers Marco Faraone, Eli Brown and Layton Giordani for a pair of punchy new cuts. 'Emergency' is a blast from the off with brain-frying synths and big, boisterous drums. On the flip, 'When I Push' is just as driving and driven, with rising synth tension and rolling snares over the solid kicks. Another winning slab from Drumcode, then.

Review: Strap in for another rollercoaster ride through the Drumcode tech-scape as we get an authoritative workout from four essential new talents. First up is Mha Iri, whose 'Bel' centres around a catchy vocal hook and darkly seductive synth snarls, before Marco Faraone nods back to some classic Wildchild and locks it to a steely pulse. Balthazar & JackRock offer up something epic on the B-side with the towering electro house synth touches of 'Andromeda', and LO'99 links up with Ray Foxx to round the record out with the playful vocal hiccups and undulating big room groove of 'Skydance'.

Review: Following a standout contribution to the 'Elevate' compilation, Mha Iri steps up for her Drumcode EP debut. Continuing Scotland's grand techno tradition, the Edinburgh-based DJ/producer is one of 2023 breakout artists; her debut EP on the label is a tantalising prospect, with 'The Unexpected' playing with trademark light-and-dark motifs, mixing up sharp percussive elements with ethereal melodies, before a ripping bass drop takes the energy up a notch. 'Let The Good Times Roll', meanwhile, is a slick accompaniment, as atmospheric techno gets supercharged via a punchy rap vocal and laser-kissed chords.

Review: Main room techno doesn't come any more authentic and impactful than when served up by Drumcode, which is a label that has long been dealing in exactly that. For this new dancefloor weapon, label boss Adam Beyer has called upon Oscar L for two of his finest. First up is the fizzing, texturally rich and overwhelming sound of 'Again' which is always on the rise and powered by slamming great big kicks. 'Driving Into Techno' is another purely physical and functional workout with some nice saw tooth synths bringing a little funk.

Review: Adam Beyer's Drumcode label is very nearly at its 300th release, which is a fine achievement by anyone's standards. Here he taps up Veerus for more of the Swedish imprints signature main room techno tackle and he doesn't fall short. 'Cycle' is full of the sort of drama you expect from this label - flat, driving drums, synths fired from a machine gun, strobe lit pads and frazzled textures to make for exciting and impactful experiences. 'It's Funky' on the flip is another big one with thunderous clasp and drums all sweeping dancers off their feet.

Review: It is a testament to Adam Beyer's enduring love for techno that he continues to serve up choice cuts from his long-running and influential Drumcode label on vinyl. He looks to the talents of Victor Ruiz and Modea for this new two-track 12". Firstly the pair hook up for 'Bloom', a cavernous techno sound that sweeps dancefloors off its feet and floats them amongst subtly uplifting chords while the drums toll on. There are epic melodic overtones to the flip side track 'Contrast,' too. This one will get heads held high, hands in the air and crowds fully taken in with its celebratory atmosphere - until the monstrous drums and acid arrive, that is.

Review: For big-room techno, there are few finer labels out there right now - or ever - than Adam Beyer's monstrous Drumcode. The boss himself dropped a huge EP not so long ago and now turns to Space 92 for the latest aural assault. The artist serves up just two tracks but both are hugely weaponised affairs, starting with 'Time.' It is lacerated by gurgling synth lines that fire across its face like lasers, while the rolling beats and edgy stabs all build the tension. On the flip is 'Voyager' which is an acid-laced pumper with non-stop drum funk and flat-footed kicks to make huge club rooms march as one.

Review: Mighty European powerhouse Drumcode rolls out more of its techno tsunamis here with part one of the 12th volume of its A Sides collection. The boss himself, Adam Beyer, offers up one of the biggest cuts - 'Heading South' is a surging, straight-up techno weapon rippled with deft synths that ever forever on the move. Danny Avila's 'My Crew' (feat Flowdan) is built on a foundation of earth-shattering kicks and rolling bass with hellish stabs and vocal fragments making for an intense atmosphere, and Simina Grigoriu's 'Flight Tracker' is the sort of quick-moving techno sound to lock you into a trance. Add in LAAT's 'The Age Of Juno' (oi oi!) and you have a very useful and high impact EP of contemporary techno.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Slight surface marks ***


Alan Fitzpatrick returns to Drumcode, marking his first appearance since late 2016 when he remixed Moby's hit "Porcelain".The release opens with "Brian's Proper Dun One", a track which caused a storm on his Twitter profile when he first started playing it last year. Loaded with sharp and pounding drums, this is a no holds barred, certified main room anthem! "Wait A Second" has been getting a lot of play on Drumcode Radio of late. This rave inspired track takes a raw, stripped back approach and delivers a killer blow. Alan sampled the vocals of MC r1bbz from an LTJ Bukem tape pack from the early 90s and the record tips its cap to early jungle raves around the M25. The release closes with "Trance, Init?" a homage to Fitzpatrick's days as a raver before he became a DJ. The breakdown is sure to be a hands in the air moment at festivals all over the globe this summer.