Tags: Industrial Techno

Review: There's a delightfully celebratory feel about this debut volume of Cititrax Tracks, a new 12" series from Minimal Wave offshoot Cititrax. As beautifully presented as we've come to expect, Tracks Volume 1 boasts a quartet of dancefloor-ready smashers from a blend of new faces and label stalwarts. Amato (aka The Hacker) kicks things off with the glistening EBM funk of "Physique" - all restless synth refrains and pounding bottom end - before LIES affiliate Tsuzing go all dark, psychedelic and twisted on the thrillingly intense, acid-flecked "King of System". An-I go all DAF (with a touch of Front 242) on the fuzzy and dystopian stomper "Mutter", before Cititrax regulars Broken English Club delivers a storming chunk of industrial-tinged analogue funk ("Glass"). Bravo!

Review: Earlier this year Minimal Wave offshoot provided one of this year's most visceral dancefloor weapons in Kino-I, the debut from Doug Lee's new An-I project. Taking inspiration from techno, jack, industrial and punk, An-I successfully drew a line under some of the Berlin-based artist's previous disco-flavoured endeavours. And then some! If you like the Kino-I 12" you will love the new triplet of An-I productions housed on this appropriately titled Gutz 12". The title track alone should come with a health warning; such is the furious onslaught of machine funk it contains, whilst the unnerving "Rut" is the most schizophrenic production you will hear this year. Best of all id closing track "Save Us" sounds like a cross between in Aeternam Vale and Silent Servant. Pressed on a rather thick and dashing slab of magenta orange vinyl!

Review: French DJ and producer Gesaffelstein has a renowned penchant for all things dark and heavy handed when it comes to his productions. For Turbo's 106th release the habit sticks and the three track EP is strewn with menacing arp'd synths and cutting drum wallops. Kicking off with "Viol" and its horror movie style sound pockets, tension is rife across the throbbing bass with screeching off-key samples leading the fear. Moving on, B-Side opener "Opr" maintains the theatrical swagger as winds sweep through pitch black tunnels and into creepy underground raves - not for the faint hearted! Finally, "Conspiracy Origins" takes on a more cosmic feel with electric glitches and bleeps galore that build and weave slowly through atmospheric downtempo moments.

Review: BOOM! Our favourites, Cititrax, roll the third editions of Tracks out onto our shelves, and the results are unsurprisingly strong on this excellent various artists comp. It's a mixed bag of skills, as per usual, and the sounds are those of a new NYC, fuelled by a new sort of post-industrial sensibility. Amato Y Mariana open with the tight beats and groove of "Queires Bailar", followed closely by the ominous compositions of the EBM-flavoured "Montgat" from The Sixteen Steps. On the flip, His Dirty Secrets bleeps out some morphed acid on "Structures", and "Another Stranger" from Further Reductions churns out a slow, mild-mannered house experiment with its roots clearly planted in the coldest of waves. Sick.

Review: Legowelt is a master of electronic music. He coaxes more feelings and emotions and originality out of his machines in one record than many people manage in a whole career. He has made millions (probably) of them in his time but it is still always worth checking in with what he does next. In this case, it's a new album for New York punks L.I.E.S. called Like A Song From Your Dream which comes with one of his own cover art illustrations. Musically it finds him in electro mode, layering up squelchy synths, kinetic and ice-cold rhythms and plenty of sci-fi motifs with inescapable cosmic energy. It is yet another doozy from the man who never misses.

Review: An-i is the alias of Berlin-based Korean-American Doug Lee, an artist with over two decades in the game already under several different monikers. This is the third EP to come under this name since debuting it in 2015 and finds him in an even more bold and adventurous mode than ever. Opener 'Rabble' is controlled techno chaos, a flurry of whirring machines and unrelenting drums that will frazzle your brain. 'Rubble' is just as intense, a big wall of rusted synth work and industrial noise mangled into something rhythmic and futuristic. 'Chapel Perilous' on the flip then offers up a spaced-out journey deep into the inner psyche. A welcome return from a truly singular artist that comes on fluorescent yellow wax.

Review: The already well-travelled 'I Am a Dancer' cut that was originally produced by Marc Romboy and C.A.R. and debuted on Kompakt's acclaimed Total 21 album now undergoes some vibrant transformations with three new mixes. Marc Romboy & Sinisa Tamamovic goes first and make it into a steamy, weighty but deep and pulsing track that drips with sweat and lust. The Skatman remix is much more for the big room with its grinding low ends and epic breakdowns and Dense & Pika then bring some unstoppable and rolling waves of techno power to their version. Cheers.

Review: Producer Light Blue File shares their debut release 'Have I Lost My Face?' on Nila's Quest, laying down a unique gothic cyberpunk vision through the faithful funnel of electroclash. The titular question is a valid question to ask, not least since we really do know what he's getting at, at least when it comes to mid-dancefloor losses of facial feeling, either drug- or music-induced. Haunting, spine-tingling electro flagellations purr, ooze and sputter throughout this EP, and evidence Light Blue File's continued ability to shapeshift around whichever stylistic need befits; 'Louise Ciccone' throws a closing curveball through minimal rims and FMmy knocks.

Review: Moderna's arresting debut album on her own Brave New Rave has been in the works for seven years and was written across sessions in Berlin and Mexico City. It is an exploration of Berlin's influence on techno, dark disco and queer culture that takes in a diverse array of influences and inspirations from the music of Prince to a collaboration with post-punk artist Skelesys via electro, dark wave and more. The tracks are all raw, dancefloor-focussed cuts with rugged basslines, layered and well-treated vocals and a futuristic sense of sound that draws you in deep and keeps you locked.

Review: Anetha's Mama Told Ya label has given the French techno provocateur the perfect space to shape out her particular vision of techno in the 21st Century. It's a taut, sexy kind of peak time with plenty of space for rhythmic intrigue and bold curveballs, as perfectly demonstrated on the MTY series of compilations. This third entry brings together a whopping 22 different artists across four slabs of wax, taking in some heavyweight talent from Zoe Mc Pherson to Benjamin Damage, Boys Noise and way beyond into the cutting edge of the modern techno scene.

Review: The icy techno sounds of Cologne's Barnt make their way across Europe here to Studio Barnhus's Swedish bunker. Across five fresh cuts, he brings plenty of experimental flair but also some playful rhythms to a forward-thinking EP that sounds like little else. 'Aqua Melopella' is an unsettling opener with glistening synths scurrying like ants over a sparse rhythm, 'Aqua Breeze' establishes a marching beat and 'Aqua Bass' brings twanging synths and frosted loops that keep you on your toes. 'Millennium Silver' is another tune blend of dystopian synth sounds and distorted lines that speak of human destruction and last of all 'Millennium Melopella' offers moments of ambient reflection.