Review: Four Tet is back with a new album of shimmering wonderment on his own Text label. As ever, it's the way that Kieran Hebden tugs at the heart strings so artfully that makes him so well-loved, and he's not holding back one iota as "Sixteen Oceans" opens up with the ineffably pretty "School". There's some advanced garage ruminations on "Baby", classic ambience on "Harpsichord", and so the eclectic and extremely soul-cleansing vibes continue across three sides of wax. In addition to this wonderful new album, Hebden has also held back the fourth side for a bunch of locked grooves so satisfying you could get lost in them all day.
Review: These days, we're all familiar with Jan Jelinek's trademark brand of dusty, dubbed-out, jazz-sampling downtempo explorations. That wasn't the case when Loop Finding Jazz Records, his acclaimed debut album, first appeared back in 2001. It has since become an in-demand item, making this reissue more than handy. It remains a fine album; a blazed shuffle through a sonic world where dub techno, ambient, minimal house, jazz and downtempo grooves and seductive vinyl crackle merge into one intoxicating hybrid sound. It's not showy and over-the-top, but rather becalmed and subtly seductive. In other words, it's still a brilliant album and if you don't own already own a copy, you should add this to your cart sharpish.
Review: If you've ever got a few hours to spare, check out Legowelt's discography - the Dutch analogue fetishist is astonishingly productive (and, of course Legowelt is simply one of Danny Wolfers' many pseudonyms). Here, he adds another label to the growing list with a surprise appearance on Andrew Morgan's Washington D.C-based Peoples Potential Unlimited imprint. Unsurprisingly, Wolfers explores many of his favourite themes on Puzzles in Life, merrily skipping between melodic, bubbling deep house (the excellent title track), slo-mo Detroit futurism ("Video Phone To Space"), super-slo stargazing boogie (the superb "Cruise Till The Sun Shines") and woozy, intergalactic ambience ("Los Alamos Motel"). In many ways, this is an unusual turn from PPU, but it's a calculated gamble that's more than paid off.
Review: The latest 12" from long-running Sahko offshoot Keys Of Life is the first of two split 'Balearic' releases from Sex Tags man DJ Sotofett and SUED co-founder SVN.. Sotofett's "Current 82" is a thing of rare beauty; an ambient house inspired chunk of lucid, mid-tempo dreaminess full of fluid chords, subtle, loved-up melodies and early Italian deep house bottom end. SVN continue the deep theme whilst doffing a cap to techno on flipside "Dark Plan 5". Their chords and pads are every bit as life-affirming as Sotofett's - even if they are a touch on the bittersweet side - but the accompanying up-tempo rhythm has a more ready-made dancefloor feel. Either way, both tracks are superb.
Review: London-based label For Those That Knoe returns with a terrific release by underrated Slovenian producer Vid Vai. He's been slowly yet steadily honing his craft over the last 12 years with releases on respected labels such as Assemble Music, Tvir, Gilesku and Oskar Offermann's White to name but a few. Laminar Flow also happens to be his first full-length, taking in a wide variety of moods and grooves along the way. From the evocative and acid-laced flow of 'Incubation Theory', the sci-fi electro of 'Oort Cloud' to the sublime ambient offering 'Dusk By The Bay' and the saucer-eyed sunrise breaks of 'Shifting Sands' - the result is a timeless piece of liquid-smooth sonic art.
Review: Peter Kersten, better known as Lawrence, is the veteran deep house producer and gallerist who many of you may know as chief of Hamburg's Dial Records and who made external outings previously on Japan's Mule Musiq where he released several lauded long-players. His latest one comes courtesy of Berlin's Sushitech entitled Earthshine, a 3XLP featuring 12 tracks written and produced by Kersten over the last five years. All in all it's a diverse selection put together by one of the scene's most highly regarded artists.
Review: After a run of reissues and a boundary-blurring fusion of classical music and electronica (January 2021's Angel's Flight), Norwegian ambient veteran Geir Jennsen AKA Biosphere has gone back to basics on Shortwave Memories. Ditching software and computers for analogue synths, drum machines and effects units, Jennsen has delivered album that he claims was inspired by the post-punk era electronics of Daniel Miller and Matin Hannett, but instead sounds like a new, less dancefloor-conscious take on the hybrid ambient/techno sound he was famous for in the early 1990s. The results are uniformly brilliant, making this one of the Norwegian trailblazer's most alluring and sonically comforting albums for decades.
Review: Overmono have become real techno darlings in the last two years. And rightly so - they have served up a fine run of EPs in that time which now brings us to their debut album Good Lies. They are also an award-winning live act who have brought new energy and invention to techno as well as a next level grasp of sound design. As such the pair are two of the most revered artists in the UK with a hardcore fan base who pack out their every gig. They will find plenty to love here on an adventurous record that features all the hallmarks you would expect of this duo as well as plenty of freshness.
Review: Second time around for David "Move D" Moufang and Benjamin Brunn's first full-length collaboration, a set of unsurprisingly deep, minimalistic house, techno and ambient workouts that first appeared in record stores way back in 2006. It's one of those albums that's arguably best listened to while flat on your back in an intoxicated state, despite the presence of such hypnotic, early morning club workouts as "On The Magic Bus" and the dreamy and delightful "O". You see, the majority of the album's eight tracks are spaced-out in the extreme and all the more alluring for it, as Moufang and Brunn expertly showcase their ability to create impeccable slices of hushed, otherworldly electronic minimalism.
General Electrik meets Andy Rantzen - "Leather Lover" (5:50)
Jandy Rainbow & Adrenalentil - "I Will Go" (7:19)
Sobriquet - "Is This Your First Time?" (Artificial remix) (4:03)
Blimp - "Yellowgold" (4:33)
Inner Harmony - "Da Lub Club" (3:03)
Maroochy Barambah - "Mongungi" (dance mix) (6:39)
Third Eye - "Behold The Angel Of Frequency" (5:08)
Tetrphnm - "Track 11" (3:59)
Screensaver - "Eliminated" (3:55)
Review: Efficient Space's latest essential release sees Andras and Instant Peterson take a trawl through the darker, lesser-visited corners of Australian electronic music. According to the label, the pair lifted material from "local 12" singles, CD-Rs and the archives of community radio station 3RRR FM". Highlights come thick and fast throughout, from the acid-flecked, "Nude Photo" style Detroit fun of FSOM's "Resist The Beat" and chiming, trumpet-laden bliss of Ian Eccles-Smith's "The Slaughtering Eye", to the jaunty, mid-90s New York style bounce of Blimp's "Yellowgold" and the ultra-deep ambient techno pulse of Tetrphnm's "Track 11". Check, too, the enveloping dreaminess of Screensaver's drifting ambient closer, and the jazzy dancefloor depth of Inner Harmomy's "Da Lub Club".
Review: Tom Middleton and Mark Pritchard created a landmark of ambient music when they released 76:14 back in the 90s. Their Global Communication project was never just about ambient though, and it also coursed through deep house and more besides. In the spirit of progress, Middleton has returned to thinking about the project from a contemporary perspective, stepping forth as GCOM with the epic scope of E2 XO. From stirring orchestral suites to high octane DSP, it's an expansive listening experience that shows Middleton pushing himself into new terrain in the studio. Whether you tie it back to the prior material or not, it's a towering piece of work from an elder statesman of UK electronica.
Dim Dim (Melchior Productions LTD Reconstruction) (6:55)
Redeem (Soulphiction Reconstruction) (7:48)
Stabilize (Leonel Castillo Reconstruction) (7:38)
Stabilize (Mark & Matt Thibideau Reconstruction) (7:22)
Review: Sushitech presents the last part of its 15th anniversary reissues series. Timeless reworks of Paul St. Hilaire & Rhauder's now classic 2018 release 'Reconstructed', featuring legendary producers such as Rominimal heroes Amorf who provide a typically hypnotic reinterpretation of Control, Dutch minimal house maestro Ion Ludwig retains the dubby elements of the original on his rework of 'Stabilized' and likewise Steve O'Sullivan remains in glacial and cavernous territory on another sublime perspective of 'Control'. Elsewhere, Thomas Melchior serves up a typically arcane venture into the deep on his version of 'Dim Dim', while the much missed Soulphiction provides the perfect majestic backdrop for St. Hilaire's amazing vocals play centre stage on his version of 'Redeem'.
Hidden Sequence - "Synapse" (Bluetrain Special edition dub) (8:55)
Review: Dub techno don Steve O'Sullivan's Mosaic label is back with a new dubs series and vol 1 kicks things off with a real doozy on lovely red wax. The boss himself offers up a Bluetrain special edition dub of Hidden Sequence's 'Synapse' which is all icy lines and liquid rhythms which make you think of some frozen lake on a misty morning. Sub Basics (Temple of Sound, Lion Charge Records) opens up with a fresh dub laden track with rippling chords, tons of echo and rolling drums on 'Quarters.' Both are timeless dub outings, as you would expect from this label.
Review: Bristol's cultured Innate label is back with a first outing of the year and it returns to their various artists format with a mix of talents all making their mark. UK veteran Tom Churchill opens up with 'Unknown Unknowns (Edit)', which brings plenty of fuzzy and lo-fi aesthetic to jacked up drums and spaced-out pads. Rai Scott then shows her class with 'Suasion' that sinks down deep into immersive drums and is subtly lit up with simmering strings. Innate co-founders Owain K and Gilbert then hook-up under their brand new alias Curved Space and showcase their love of electro with 'Reverie,' a dreamy cut that glows with nice celestial melodies and will have dance floors in a zoned-out state. Last of all it's Lisbon mainstay Jorge Caiado who debuts with the chord-laced 'Floating Without Lifting,' a sophisticated and serene jazz-techno cut that takes you to the stars.
Review: As evidenced by the cover of this latest EP, Belgian house artist Hermanez has his head in the clouds. Similarly, if we were to liken the weight of his productions to a cloud, it would probably be a dense cumulonimbus, ready to pour it all down on us. That's because every track on this bit has extra-special, nuanced attention paid to its drums, all of which are backed up by immense, emotive bassweight to boot.
Review: Linkwood clearly enjoyed the process of recording his 2021 album Mono, which was created in a week in the Athens of the North Studio in Edinburgh, as he's repeated the exercise on Stereo. It's an impressive sequel all told, with the long-serving producer delivering an even deeper, warmer and more evocative excursion informed by his love of analogue deep house, classic sci-fi techno, the 80s compositions of Jan Hammer, intergalactic electro, drum machine-driven synth-funk and star-gazing ambient music. It sounds like it was primarily made with vintage synthesisers and drum machines, which when combined with his impeccable sound design and judicious use of outboard effects results in an enveloping, immersive and highly atmospheric sound that rewards repeat listens. In other words, it's another fine album to get lost in.
Review: Fresh, cruddy electro dreamatics from mysterious production outfit Lazer Worshippers here, joining the Atmosphere label to stake their claim to their very own 'theme'. A name like Lazer Worshippers gives off vibes of a apparent machine cult with a penchant for building sonic monuments to our AI-mech overlords. The music is similarly vaunting and numinous, with its synthetic choirs and trilling arps dancing between the left and rights like heavenly visions of a mechanized future. B-siders 'On A Rise' and 'Free Flight' are just as teary-eyed, yet bleepy, recalling the entrancing, oldskool breaksy trance work of Spooky or Digital Justice.
Review: Kosmogonik offers up a top debut album here packed with fresh ambient, techno, house and electronic deepness. Polyverse has nine exploratory cuts that take you on a real trip through the cosmos, right from the suspensory opening chords of the prelude. After that come the lean and elegant Detroit techno lines of 'Oscillating Grids' and the far-sighted cosmic bliss of 'Orion'. 'New Ground Galactica' is about as delightful and wondrous as electro gets and lovers of breakbeats will find plenty to get excited about on 'Astronomicon' with its smeared chords and colour alien details. A gorgeous album of well-crafted electronic escapism.
Review: 'PULSE 01' is the first release in PITP's new series, which is an ongoing exploration of ambient tech, while offering a more structured display of beat-driven ambient music. Pulse 01 features brand new tracks by SYNE and Influx.
SYNE is Dennis Huddleston from the UK, who is most recognized for his ambient work as 36. He returns to his SYNE alias for the first time in nearly 5 years, with only his second record since his 2017 self-titled debut LP.
'Dystalgia' is a 12 minute opus, spread over 3 movements. Soaring pads and razor sharp percussion combine for a dynamic, emotionally charged journey in sound. Showing love to the Detroit greats, but recognising the distinct UK influence which made him fall in love with Techno in the early 90's, it's a surprising pivot in Dennis' sound and one which all lovers of beautiful, melodic ambient techno should enjoy.
Influx is the techno/acid/trance moniker of James Bernard. With his first release in 1993 (Braineater EP on Sapho Records), Influx is no stranger to techno and acid. This project had been in hibernation for nearly 14 years until his 2021 remixes for his collaborative album with 36 and awakened souls (The Other Side of Darkness). Revel Dub is a dub-techno excursion with sprinkles of ambient and psy-trance rounding out the frequencies. The Slow Version dials back the tempo to half-time and travels to more ambient dub territories.
Review: Here's a genuine slice of history: a rare recording of a live jam from ambient techno explorers The Irresistible Force (AKA legendary chill-out room DJ and shiny space suit enthusiast Mixmaster Morris) and Ramjac Corporation (AKA Paul Chivers), which took place at gallery, shop and intimate acid house venue The Brain in Soho, way back in September 1990. It's a brilliant time capsule of a time when the template of ambient techno was yet to be fully fleshed out and sees the two performers take it in turns to combine immersive ambient synth sounds and hallucinatory electronics with oddball samples and, more significantly, basslines and drum machine rhythms inspired by the Chicago House and UK mutations of Detroit techno. An important and entertaining musical time capsule.
Review: This record is named after Vedanta, an ancient philosophy based on the Vedas, the sacred scriptures of India. The music, originally composed and produced by Joseph S Joyce and later remixed by Sebastian Mullaert of Minilogue, was greatly inspired, after reading commentaries from Swami Rama Tirtha's biography "The Scientist & Mahatma" - Chapter 1 - Vedanta and The Secret of Success. Now, some nine years later, it gets served up as a remix EP. There's a dark El Choop Reconstruct, a gorgeous ambient version from Sebastian Mullaert, a minimal headscape from Van Bonn, Federson SF goes warm and dubby and then a crisp, tech-edged vibe from Paul 90 ends the EP in style.
Review: LILA mainstay Ayaavaaki and ambient veteran Purl speak different languages but used a translator to convey ideas to one another as they made this record. And they very much foment their own unique musical language on Ancient Skies, an album that blends ambient, drone and space music into richly layered soundscapes that are constantly on the move. Each piece is meticulously crafted and suspense you up amongst the clouds, hazing on at the smeared pads and swirling solar winds that prop you up. It's a record that would work as well in the depths of winter as a bright spring day such is the cathartic effect of the sounds. Beautiful, thought-provoking and innovative, this is as good an ambient record as we have heard all year.
Review: For those who value digging deep into the folds of original UK tech house, Mark Ambrose has been a cult favourite for a long time. Now, as the sound continues to enjoy favourable conditions amongst those who like to play long and winding sets stretching out into infinity, Repeat are doing the right thing and combing through Ambrose's considerable back catalogue from the late 90s to piece together some of the most sought after gems. Sharks be damned, now we can get our hands on some of these prized items, like the wall-shaking, dubby as hell 'Zulu Groove' and sumptuously groovy sunriser 'Free Your Mind'. No matter how much tech house gets made these days, they don't make it like they used to.
Review: While Vince Watson's 2002 classic 'Moments In Time' certainly stood the test, the Scottish producer and DJ has now revisited the theme with his very own sequel to the project, 'Another Moment In Time'. Though it gives modern breathability and flair to his long-established atmospheric techno oeuvre, it hardly renders the music glossy or sheeny as one might expect. Instead, the very same wondrous jazz-flavoured sound is conveyed once again, and with just as much potency, through the two awestruck burgeoners 'Rendezvous (Finale)' and 'Whispers'.
Impact (30 Years Later & The Earth Is Still Burning mix)
Satan (30 Something Years Later mix)
Chime (30 Something Years Later mix)
Halcyon (30 Something Years Later mix)
Belfast (30 Something Years Later mix)
The Box (30 Something Years Later mix)
Are We Here? (Dusky remix)
The Girl With The Sun In Her Head (Floex remix)
Halcyon & On (Logic 1000 mix)
Belfast (ANNA Techno remix)
Impact (John Tejada remix)
Chime (Octave One remix)
Halcyon & On (Jon Hopkins remix)
Are We Here? (Shanti Celeste remix)
Belfast (Yotto remix)
The Box (Joris Voorn remix)
The Girl With The Sun In Her Head (Joris Voorn remix)
Impact (Rich NxT remix - edit)
Chime (Eli Brown remix)
Belfast (David Holmes remix)
Review: A double CD celebrating the iconic award-winning UK electronic duo's 30th birthday, featuring reworks and remixes from the deep Orbital discography, as well as the well-known live improvisation tracks, featuring techno, acid house and electro contemporaries such as ANNA, Eli Brown and Shanti Celeste to name a few. With the actual 30th birthday delayed by the pandemic the duo concocted a physical compilation release with highlights all over the track list, especially Shanti Celeste's rendition of 'Are We Here?' and Eli Brown's update of the classic track 'Chime', lending the track more traditional house sensibilities. You can even find Professor Stephen Hawking lending vocals on CD1s hardcore techno banger 'Where is it Going?'. This compilation is a one stop shop for fans of Orbital's three-decade career, and the perfect starting point for those unfamiliar.
Review: Following excellent appearances from the likes of Roger Gerressen, Thor and Alessandro Crimi, the OHM Series continues to explore mellow threads of techno from emergent talents and established craftfolk in the outer reaches. This new release kicks off with Soela offering up a slender, seductive trip through dubby moodscapes before Dawn Razor digs into a hooked groove coursing underneath big swathes of icy ambience. Stelios Vassiloudis creates a heavy stomp around 'Live In Fear' without losing the delicacy which has defined the OHM Series to date. Semitone Cycles completes the set with 'Elusive', an elegant tripper with one eye on the wooziest end of the after hours.
Review: Jay Tripwire has popped up a lot recently, which is always going to be good news for fans of those freaky late-night tech sounds that he is so well known and loved for. He kicks off Serenity's fifth release here alongside Jehr on 'Magic Man', a deep cut underlapping drum funk and lots of whirring machine sounds. Parisian space techno talent Cyberduck then takes care of both tunes on the flip - firstly 'Arzach', a deep and dynamic cut that hurriedly scans a vast cosmic world with silvery drums and lush melodies. Then 'Cerclon' gets a little more edgy, with dark and nagging baselines moving up through the mix as the crisp, well-swung tech drums power along.
Review: DJ Tennis's Life And Death label has always done its own thing and served up its own sounds from across the spectrum. This new drop from Alan Dixon offers some of its rave-iest and most peak time sounds yet. 'Take A Trip' is an all out 90s workout with frazzled and thumping drums overlaid with prickly percussion, epic pads and lashings of acid lines. Once that one has worked you into a proper old school sweat, then flip it over for the Ambient version which is somehow almost as intense but less propulsive.
Review: 'PULSE 01' is the first release in PITP's new series, which is an ongoing exploration of ambient tech, while offering a more structured display of beat-driven ambient music. Pulse 01 features brand new tracks by SYNE and Influx.
SYNE is Dennis Huddleston from the UK, who is most recognized for his ambient work as 36. He returns to his SYNE alias for the first time in nearly 5 years, with only his second record since his 2017 self-titled debut LP.
'Dystalgia' is a 12 minute opus, spread over 3 movements. Soaring pads and razor sharp percussion combine for a dynamic, emotionally charged journey in sound. Showing love to the Detroit greats, but recognising the distinct UK influence which made him fall in love with Techno in the early 90's, it's a surprising pivot in Dennis' sound and one which all lovers of beautiful, melodic ambient techno should enjoy.
Influx is the techno/acid/trance moniker of James Bernard. With his first release in 1993 (Braineater EP on Sapho Records), Influx is no stranger to techno and acid. This project had been in hibernation for nearly 14 years until his 2021 remixes for his collaborative album with 36 and awakened souls (The Other Side of Darkness). Revel Dub is a dub-techno excursion with sprinkles of ambient and psy-trance rounding out the frequencies. The Slow Version dials back the tempo to half-time and travels to more ambient dub territories.
Review: It comes as a surprise that brothers Tom and Ed Russell - Tessela and Truss, together known as Overmono - are set to release their debut album. That's because their names are synonymous with a certain bleak UK techno sound, following the trend of imagery associated with the likes of St. Etienne, Mt. Kimbie or Real Lies, plus their music and live sets have seen to a wealth of stonking tracks over the years. They're arguably the popularisers of live techno for the next generation, so in 2023, we're floored by the Mandela-effecting notion that they haven't put out an album before. Thankfully, 'Good Lies' is their magnum opus, blending elements from emotive UK soul (the St. Panther feature on 'Walk Thru Water'), future garage (spot the Tirzah samples on 'Is U'), and pirate radio chatter and crud (basically every other track). Nu-school ravers rejoice; this is your defining album.
Review: Lawrence's Epiphany Remixes, a release from the German record label Giegling, presents four distinct interpretations of the title track. Each remixer brings a unique approach to the original piece, resulting in a diverse and captivating soundscape. Zoe Polanski's version transforms the track into a crystallized melody, creating a cold yet beautiful atmosphere. Lowtec's remix explores deep techno, delivering a smooth and dreamy ambiance with a touch of sadness. M Pittman Ladder's interpretation adds a gritty, chunky bassline, while Tobias' remix elevates the tempo, creating a pulsating and mechanical percussion elements. These remixes showcase the versatility of Lawrence's original composition, demonstrating how different artists can reinterpret and reshape it to create new and engaging experiences.
Review: We have long been fans of the specific sort of techno that Spanish label Semantica deals in. It is always artful and superbly well-designed and this new Artefaklt record totally fits in with that vibe. It finds Dutch pair Robin Koek and Nick Lapien layering up hypnotic drones and linear deep techno drums to perfectly escapist and heady effect on 'Diorama', while intricate sound designs add the sort of details to 'Natura' that make this miscue as suited to home listening on headphones as losing it in a club. 'Natant' is another undulating mix of electronica, ambient and techno that casts your mind free. 'Floodplain' is a heavenly closer.
Review: After being commissioned to produce several 'interlocking' ambient pieces for an art gallery piece in LA, Brian Foote and Sage Caswell decided to take the concept of 'audience crossfading' to the next level, creating an entire ambient album using a particular sonic technique. Over five long pieces from 'Waterwheel' to 'Smiley', their aim was to evoke the feeling of bodies moving in thoroughfares. The tracks are long-exposed movements captured in ambient space, blending rhythms and soundscapes for chillout rooms that exist only in memory now.
Review: Two key pushers of New York tactile ambient-techno, Anthony Naples and DJ Python, here present a fittingly named compilation (and the third in the series) curating only the best found in that style and scene: 'Air Texture VIII'. Spurred on by a cost of living crisis in Manhattan, areas further afield in neighbouring Brooklyn have become much more central to artists such as Beta Librae, Downstairs J and 5AM, spurring their rise and that of producers like them. Don't miss this important chronicling of the scene, which still unfolds in real time.
Review: 1990s electronica duo Neural Network - renowned for their contemporaneity with the likes of Biosphere and Autechre - are currently seeing a large reissues campaign at the label Re:discovery. These 'Excerpts' highlight the bulk of their work made from 1993-1997, which, unlike their albums, didn't gain label / distributor traction at the time. This EP focuses on the lattermost year, compiling four wobbly, bubbly, depth-plunging and serene cuts - all with 808s or 808-ish snares mired in serendipitous pads - into a neat EP.
Review: Contemporary tastemakers Geilgling return with a set of remixes of material from Leafar Legov's recent album, Mirror. First up it is German minimal maestro Isolee who flips 'Fade' into some of his signature sounds - smeared synths and abstract designs all weave together over a minimal beat to make for something seductive and late night. Polish loop master Jan Jelinek then flips 'Fade' into a slow motion shuffle with bright, celestial shards of melodic light and downbeat, melancholic vocals over a chugging beat. Last of all is a mix of 'Jing' that is all broken loops, chopped vocal fragments and hallucinogenic synths.
Review: Following his recent impressive release for Animals On Psychedelics,2 is the second appearance of rising Ukrainian talent Volodymyr Gnatenko on Treviso, Italy's Where We Met. It opens with the moving twilight breaks of 'Een' on the A-side, followed by the evocative slo-mo beats of 'Twee'. Over on the flip, Gnatenko finally ups the tempo on the tranced-out euphoria of 'Drie', with 'Vier' following in equally elevating and psychedelic fashion that will have you reaching for the lasers.
Review: While no two Mr G EPs sound the same, the veteran producer definitely has a trademark sound. That style - heavy, rough, stripped-back, smoky and fearlessly dancefloor focused - is naturally evident on his latest four-tracker for the Phoenix G label he founded a few years back as a vehicle for his productions. The Doin' Nothin' EP is pleasingly forthright and fiendishly heavy, with plenty of nods to his stomping techno past (he was, back in the 1990s, a member of heavy techno duo The Advent). For proof, check the throbbing, warehouse-ready nastiness of 'Sing It Loud', the razor-sharp intensity of 'Got My Groove On', where pulsating alien-sounding bass and jacking machine drums catch the ear, and the deep techno hypnotism of 'Been a Minute'.
Review: Canadian artist Mathew Jonson has always rather been in a class of one. His proper jazz grounding combine with the genuine mastery of his synths means his electronic music is a cut above the rest. His melodies mean that much more and once again he proves that beyond doubt with a new sonic journey on this latest 12". It comes on Mexico-born label Kilometro 4.5 and opens with a nine-minute epic in 'Into The 5d' which is driven by pulling rubbery kicks and has majestic, ever-shifting leads that take you to the stars in sublime and serene fashion. On the flip is a space dub that is exactly that, a dubbed-out cosmic odyssey.
Review: This stunning selection of ambient house cuts from the new one-off outlet My Dear brings together both the Goliaths and Davids of a heartfelt local music scene. Named after the party series held in the Gewolbe club in Cologne, the V/A celebrates its best exclusives heard both within the club and elsewhere on the transnational dancefloor. The likes of Rising Sun, DJ Koze and Robag Whrume are interspersed with closer-to-the-ground names like Proskauer Slide, Pom Pom and Wassermann and all tracks are specially selected for their dreamy, soft quality. Perfect for heartbreaks (and makes) on a clandestine floor.
Review: Boulderhead's I Need Space to Dance EP marks a significant expansion of his sonic horizons, taking in everything from contemplative dub moments to glistening rollers and a psychedelic tour-de-force. Tracks like 'I Need Space' featuring Overnite Oates and 'Dance and Dance Again' deliver shuffly spoken-word tech vibes, sure to become club favourites. Unified yet diverse, the EP appeals to fans of tech-house, prog, broken beat, and minimal techno alike, while Boulderhead, aka Henry James, exhibits the kind of top-tier production skills that hint at the potential for a full-length album.
Review: Ilian Tape have tapped up Jichael Mackson here for a double album of expressive and forward thinking electronic sounds. The atmosphere generally futuristic and intriguing, with tracks like 'Shangri La' riding on gentle breakbeats amongst air pads, 'Banana Jazz (Quartett)' is a high speed and live sounding jazz-breakbeat workout, 'A Jichalicious Something' is dubby and IDM inflected lushness and 'Good Morning Sunshine' is an interplanetary trip with distant cosmic pads and organic piano chords soothing mind, body and soul.
Review: Jordan GCZ is back on Rawax in quick fashion after the Dizzy Dizzy Dizzy release from earlier in 2023. The machine-jamming maestro is at his best dealing in cosmically-charged techno, and that's exactly what he delivers on this latest record. 'Polyphonic Glide' is swathed in mysterious pads and soulful leads which offset the steady-trucking drive of the drums beautifully. 'Why So Serious' is a subtly bumping cut with a hazy, after hours atmosphere, while 'Sunny Side Up' deals in squashed funk and sparkling arps before 'Undercurrent' takes us home on a bed of celestial synth tones and submerged rhythms. The consistent feel of the record makes it a true delight to melt into - a techno record for sure dreamers.
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