Back catalogue: Techno

Review: In June, Actress delivered an RA mix that was nothing short of surprisingientirely new, unheard material from Darren S. Cunningham himself. Asked if it was an album, he called it "a collage -Braque," leaving interpretation open. This CD edition captures the essence of Actress's sound: fluid, shape-shifting, and unconcerned with traditional definitions. Whether a mixtape or sonic collage, it's unmistakably Actress, offering listeners a raw, evolving soundscape that resists labels and challenges boundaries, making it an essential piece for fans of his ever-innovative style.

Review: "It's like painting with button and sliders... Melting and dripping, seeping yourself liquid into the machinery." So said Darren Cunningham when discussing the creation of R.I.P, his long awaited follow up to Splazsh. It's a compelling image that works in practice too. R.I.P creates microcosmic sound worlds within each track: "Holy Water" for instance tumbles in on itself in a melange of shimmering sine wave droplets, while the pitch shifted waves of "Tree Of Knowledge" seem to inhale and exhale like a living being, crumpling inwards on itself to repeat the same motion ad infinitum. And although it uses much the same, occasionally abrasive sonic building blocks as Cunningham's been developing for many years, the pastoral tones of "Uriel's Black Harp" and the Alva Noto styles of "Jardin" make R.I.P a surprisingly graceful album. It may not be techno as many will know it, but Cunningham has never made techno in the traditional sense anyway - and it's clear on listening to R.I.P that he's only just beginning to realise the musical forms that have been swarming inside his brain for years.

Review: Black Truffle's tenth-anniversary reissue of Oren Ambarchi's Quixotism brings renewed attention to this monumental 2014 release. Originally recorded with collaborators across Europe, Japan, Australia, and the U.S., Quixotism unfolds as a single, long-form piece split into five sections. Anchored by Thomas Brinkmann's steady, double-time electronic percussion, the piece gradually evolves from orchestral depth and subtle piano motifs (courtesy of John Tilbury) to a striking polyrhythmic shuffle, culminating in the final passages with U-zhaan's masterful tabla. Throughout its journey, Ambarchi weaves guitar textures that shift from clipped, sparse tones to lush, reverberated layers, creating an expansive yet cohesive sonic landscape. The interplay of acoustic and electronic elementsiranging from the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra's grandeur to Crys Cole's intimate contact-mic texturesiguides the listener through an otherworldly audio experience. Influenced by Cologne techno, Eliane Radigue's long-form compositions, and the fluidity of improvisation, Quixotism shifts in subtle, dreamlike transitions. Remastered by Joe Talia, this edition offers a clearer perspective on the album's intricate sound design, reaffirming its relevance while pointing forward to Ambarchi's future works like Hubris and Hence.

Review: Some 25 years after delivering his debut 12", Richard D James hasn't lost the ability to thrill or inspire. By his obtuse standards, the material that makes up the surprise Cheetah EP is actually rather laidback and melodious. "Cheetah2 (LD Spectrum)", for example, sounds like a slow house jam written by robots, while the even deeper "Cheetah7B" shuffles along in a metronomic fashion, seemingly oblivious to the increasingly aggressive World at large. Of course, those trademark skittish IDM rhythms are present and the Cornishman has thrown in a couple of hazy ambient cuts for good measure.

Review: Back in 2002, the Detroit Electronic Musical Festival concluded with something rather special: a rare live performance from the Aux Men - an expanded and upgraded version of legendary Motor City electro outfit Aux88. This must-have CD presents that performance, complete with the original introduction from Eddie Fowlkes and DJ Bone, from start to finish. Full of spacey synth sounds, heavy beats, weighty bass, it's effectively a whirlwind trip through the history of both electro and Detroit's contribution to electronic music history. Thus, we get killer versions of 'Planet Rock', 'Shari-Vari', YMO's 'Computer Games', tons of Kraftwerk classics, a breathtaking interpretation of Art of Noise's 'Moments in Love' and rip-roaring takes on foundational tunes by Cybotron and Funkadelic..

Review: Second time around for B12's superb sophomore set, the dystopian, sci-fi themed "Time Tourist". On its initial release in 1996, the album was marketed as a 22nd century "educational soundtrack" to the "primitive past" (I.E the late 20th century). It's a theme entirely in keeping with the original ethos of Detroit techno, and it's no surprise that the accompanying music offered a typically "Artificial Intelligence"-era slant on the Motor City sound, re-imagining the work of the Belleville three as a killer suite of ambient techno, intelligent techno and dreamy ambient cuts. This edition has been expanded by the addition of four previously unheard tracks that originally missed the cut, all of which are as breathtakingly good as those that did. In a word: essential.

Review: Banyek is next up on the prolific Lithuanian label Greyscale with Alue, a new album that marks the imprint's 37th full-length overall. It is a typically expansive and immersive listen that takes inspiration from cities like Riga and Espoo. Dub techno, ambient and experimental all infuse the sound waves and the intricate craft of Banyek means you're always hooked onto some small detail as the gentle rhythms flow over you. There are stark melodies and more airy atmospheres, minimalism masterpieces and calming sounds a plenty as this most super exploration of tone, time and texture plays out.

Review: Still-rising new electronica artist Ben Bohmer shares his first new studio album in three years, Bloom. Coming off an ambitious world tour in support of his previous album, Bohmer made a point to take time to himself afterwards, returning to the peace and quiet of his studio; the return would also help him process the heartbreak and grief that drove the inspirations of the record in equal measure. The artist embraces his imperfect journey thus far on the forthcoming album's first single, 'Best Life', featuring Berlin-based singer-songwriter duo JONAH. "Life is short and fast," JONAH remarks on the track. "You try, you fail, and sometimes we lose a special person along the way who is irreplaceable, but the memories stay with us, shaping who we are. 'Best Life' is all about that rollercoaster ride of trying, failing, and a reminder of the importance of living each moment to the fullest." The album features a swathe of styles and tempos that earlier tracks in his career feel like breadcrumbs to.

Review: With a name like Global Underground, we're left starry-eyed at a fanciful idea: a vast, interconnected network of tunnels, reticulating every nightclub in the world. Who wouldn't want that? While the possibility of such a thing is most likely inexistent in our human lifetimes, the eponymous international record label at least aim to make a "global underground" real in spirit with their City Series of mixes. Their latest full-length from Montreal native Joseph Capriati captures this fervent mood: with the initiate DJ repping the jubilant Canadian city, the mix segues between Ame, Len Faki, Deetron and Louie Vega highlights, and is a modern house and techno showstopper.

Review: The fully mixed version of Confidence Man's debut Fabric mix record is here on CD. In contrast to the selectors' LP version - also sold by us - this full version is a seamless, singular slab of optical laser-read musical licence, espousing the central vibe-theme of Confidence Man's message: have confidence. Well, except for want of a receiving ear, we find ourselves tentatively able to confide in Confidence Man's Fabric mix ("better than therapy" joke happily dodged) as a substitution in the meantime; for it too shows us that real, authentic, and boundless confidence can, believably, indeed, be found in bouncy dance exclusives available on CD only. Among these are Patrick Prins' kitsch chipmunk banger 'Fiesta Conga' and Cygnus X's steezy-cheesy trance stutterer 'Positron'03'. With both many a throwback and a present promo in tow, Confidence Man dice up and dole out a small slice of their huge stash of their patented auricular confidence dust.

Review: Marie Davidson's sixth studio album finds her collaborating with Belgium bossmen Soulwax - previously responsible for the massive rework of her 'Work It' track - and Pierre Guerineau. It follows her fiery single 'Y.A.A.M. (Your Asses Are Mine)' and the intense club track 'Contrarian' and marks a return to the dance floor but reimagined with the artist's signature sense of evolution. Blending the techno punch and spoken-word edge of Working Class Woman with the melodic pop structures of Renegade Breakdown, City of Clowns delivers a striking sonic fusion that is inspired by her pre-pandemic roots yet shaped by fresh antagonism, all while Davidson confronts a new foe: Big Tech.

Review: Some 24 years into his career, we know exactly what to expect from Scott Monteith AKA Deadbeat - namely trippy, off-kilter techno heavily informed by dub, underpinned by rhythms that frequently eschew the obvious. Inspired dually by the "five stages of grief" and "the act of speaking one's thoughts aloud alone by oneself", Kubler-Ross Soliloquies - his first solo set in five years - has a defined structure and purpose, within which Monteith giddily goes in all manner of different but loosely connected directions. Compare and contrast, for example, the moody, twisted steppers-techno of 'With Grand Trepidation (Acceptance I)', the hypnotic, spoken word-sporting deep dub techno of 'Huey Lewis Voters Dub (Negotiation)', the skittish headiness of 'Tough Love (Anger I)', and the polyrhythmic, Livity Sound-esque 'The Double Bong Cloud (Denial I)'.

Review: As usual, prolific dub techno producer Rod Modell has spent much of the last year collaborating with long-term studio buddy Stephen Hitchell under the Echospace alias. Even so, he's still somehow found time to ready another solo album for Soma (his fifth in total for the esteemed Glasgow imprint). This CD version is presented as a continuous audio journey, with tracks seamlessly segueing into each other to create a hazy and hypnotic sound soup. As you'd expect, it's a hugely atmospheric and attractive affair that dozily drifts between meditative ambience and texture-laden dub techno. Pleasingly, much of the material is more melodious and positive in feel than some of Modell's work, which can often tend towards the dense and claustrophobic.

Review: Functional Designs is the newest album from Detroit-based Deepchord, who has long been a mainstay of Scottish techno label Soma. It is full of late-night sounds and the artist's signature designs and is a fine return to the label after five years since his last album. Each track pays out like a nighttime walk through his urban local with field recordings, holographic synth tones, cosmic sounds and the hiss of electric wires all colouring the grooves. This rich, lush techno with an electroacoustic aesthetic that makes it glisten a bit brighter. Add in heavy bass and beats and you have a modern classic.

Review: Swiss-born Deetron (aka Sam Geiser) unveils his debut album 'Twisted' on Belgium's esteemed Music Man imprint. As proven by his constantly expanding catalogue of productions, Deetron is capable of creating tracks that sit happily within the context of a DJ set (something he understands very well), whilst avoiding landing in the often throwaway category of 'DJ tools'. As with many of the more dynamic turntablist-styled techno and house DJs, Deetron took his early cues from hip-hop, before being won-over by the early sounds of Chicago and Detroit. His DJing - then still in its infancy - followed this influence, steering his 'career' in a more 4/4 direction - eventually landing him a resident spot at reputed Zurich club, Trax. Deetron's production career developed in tandem, as is often the case. Early work for labels such as Phont and Intec through the late nineties and 2000, saw Deetron finding his audience (including a string of International club jocks) and developing his own sound. In the last few years, Sam's production touch has graced labels including Cosmic (as Karakter), Ongaku (the 'Lorraine EP'), SLS and the classic Detroit styled 'Miss Suave' on Intec which has become a dancefloor anthem all over the world. Born in Bern, Switzerland, music was a constant in the Geiser family home. Sam's father's activities as a jazz musician ensured that he was surrounded by music from a very early age, sewing the seeds of his own musical interests. But it was hip-hop that encouraged this to flourish into an active involvement in music, during his teens. Sam soaked-up the music of Gangstarr, A Tribe Called Quest and Prince Paul like a sponge and was quick to realise the role of the turntable within this context, taking up DJing in 1992. Early hip-house producers, such as Todd Terry, also captured his attention and Sam began to make the transition to more 4/4 orientated sounds - picking up on the now classic output of Chicago and Detroit based electronic musicians and introducing this into the sets he was, by now, playing around his home town, and further a field in Switzerland. A meeting with Stefan Riesen, head of the fledgling Phont music, led to the release of Deetron's first single - as Soulmate, in 1997 but possibly the most fruitful partnership of his career so far is that with Belgium's Music Man label. Beginning with the 'Dolls For a Diva' 12" in 2001, and including several more 12"s and a superb mix CD that acts as ample testament to Sam's skills behind the turntables, Deetron now releases his first artist full length album. Combining Sam's love of house, classic techno, electro, Latin and jazz influences, 'Twisted' is a beautiful journey through an electronic landscape littered with orchestral sweeps, delicate pads, sublime Robert Owens-esque vocals, dancefloor beats and heart tugging strings. Featuring guest appearances from Subject Detroit's DJ Bone, LA based singer Ovasoul 7, vocalist and guitarist Justin Chapman, who is also one-half of the Atlanta-based DJ/production duo KemeticJust and the one and only Paris The Black Fu from the Detroit Grand Pubahs 'Twisted' is a dancefloor journey from beginning to end. From the opening bass rumble of 'Twisted Memories' to the old school Chicago vox stylings of 'Life Soundtrack' and the Drexciyan wiggle of 'Isotope' to the demented refrains of 'The Afterlife', Deetron shows us that techno can still conjure moments of beauty whilst still keeping us on the dancefloor.

Review: Celebrating 25 years of Der Dritte Raum, pioneering producer Andreas Kruger presents 25 EINS, a collection of classics and hits, all reconstructed (except "Plasmatica," 1992). This release marks the first in a series of anniversary albums, set to continue with ZWEI. Released on Sven Vath's iconic Harthouse label, 25 EINS captures Kruger's signature blend of techno, trance, electro and house. With timeless tracks and modern productions like "Polarized Echoes," Kruger's distinctive sound continues to captivate generations of ravers worldwide.

Review: Back in the autumn of 2023, Bedrock co-founder John Digweed delivered Futuro, a four-disc mix made up entirely of new and unreleased music. On this two-disc sequel, 20 of those tunes get the remix treatment, with Digweed presenting them via a pair of typically smooth, evolving journey style DJ mixes. It's typical Digweed/Bedrock fare all told - think deep, immersive and gently melodic blends of 21st century progressive house, tech-house, deep house and (whisper it quietly) colourful neo-trance. There are some surprises though, such as the dub-flecked, tops-off techno hyonotism of Digweed and Nick Muir's rework of David Morales' 'Diridim', Spencer Brown's gorgeous and tactile revision of 'Alraegadir' by Rodriguez Jr, and Loz Goddard's progressive breaks re-build of Digweed and Muir's 'Futurascent'.

Review: ***B-STOCK: CD case damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Seven arresting, original new exercises from E-Saggila aka Canadian producer Rita Mikhael. She wears her love of dub on her sleeve - see the slow motion skank of 'Amnesiac' aming others - but not in the usual reassuring, bubbling echoes of dub techno, aiming for something much more angular and alarming. "Breaks remain staccato hammers," says the blurb, with maximum accuracy, "and kicks are cast to negate cardiac systems," while the rhythms veer from off kilter to nailed down and the sonics vary from the lush to the caustic. This territory to the left(field) of electronica is over saturated with identikit productions, but Mikhael does it like you've never quite heard before.

Review: Seven arresting, original new exercises from E-Saggila aka Canadian producer Rita Mikhael. She wears her love of dub on her sleeve - see the slow motion skank of 'Amnesiac' aming others - but not in the usual reassuring, bubbling echoes of dub techno, aiming for something much more angular and alarming. "Breaks remain staccato hammers," says the blurb, with maximum accuracy, "and kicks are cast to negate cardiac systems," while the rhythms veer from off kilter to nailed down and the sonics vary from the lush to the caustic. This territory to the left(field) of electronica is over saturated with identikit productions, but Mikhael does it like you've never quite heard before.

Review: Floating Points' new album, Cascade on Ninja Tune pushes the cult producer's sound into all new territories. The eight tracks, each up to eight minutes long, allow his to explore sounds and grooves in full form while a subtle homage to Manchester runs through the album. Tracks like 'Afflecks Palace' featuring harp melodies and electronic bleeps, and 'Key 103,' named after a beloved local radio station, is another delight. Nearly a decade after his debut Elaenia, Floating Points has masterfully integrated his experimental ventures beyond club music into these expressive dance floor creations and remains in a class of one as a result.

Review: Athens dub techno producer Fluxion debuts their latest LP on Vibrant Music, riffing on his earliest days as a member of the trailblazing Chain Reaction crew whilst also bringing said early pioneering stirrings into the present moment. Recorded between 2023-24, this record plays back like an impression of back-roomed delirium; blackout moments in intra-club corridors, where one's sense of time is lost. Louder music may pump away in the room next door, but that's OK, because nothing comes close to this affective hotbox. Branching out from "dub techno" in its strictest sense, 'Touch' adds superluminal, vacuumed Whammy guitar to a swelling, motionless chord repeated throughout the track, and bluesy dub crackler 'Reflections' indulges mournful piano above a scape-squinting mix; 'Desiderium' is the third highlight of ours, powerfully evoking the sense of something irrevocably lost.

Review: In recent years, David Sumner's music as Function has tended towards the dark, lo-fi, industrial and minimal. "Existenz", his first solo album in six years, is an altogether more melodious, thoughtful and ear-catching affair. Of course, there are still some suitably mangled, mind-altering club cuts on show - see the buzzing, shape-shifting heaviness of "Ertrinken", the spaced-out hypnotism of "Kurzstrecke" and the Berghain-ready "Vampire" - but these largely play second fiddle to more playful and tuneful expressions of electro, Detroit style techno, dreamy fusions of deep house and early UK style tech-house, and ambient cuts so lovely you'll want to bathe in them. He even makes room for a couple of vocal collaborations with Robert Owens. It all adds up to a stunning set that's undoubtedly one of the most instantly arresting techno albums of the year.

Review: The Future Sound of London keep their fans busy with a steady dispatch of music via the fsoldigital.com label, but it feels like there's a sense of occasion around this new album. Rituals E7.001 is purportedly the first part in a trilogy, and it already highly prized by the devoted followers of Brian Dougans and Garry Cobain's music. It's not hard to hear why on listening to the gorgeous strains of 'Hopiate', which harks back to some of the duo's most iconic music (we'll let you guess which one we mean). FSOL have always had a particular touch in their exploration of electronica, ambient and outernational sounds, and it sounds rich with inspiration on this new, expansive album.

Review: Although his earliest LPs did contain plenty of dancefloor workouts, Laurent Garnier has traditionally used the album format to explore his full range of influences. It's rather pleasing, then, to find that his latest full-length excursion - his first solo set for some eight years - is a righteous and predictably impressive collection of full-throttle club cuts. It's naturally rooted in house and techno - he's a masterful producer of both - but there's still plenty of variety to be found across the album. For proof, compare, and contrast, the buzzing and hypnotic, arpeggio-driven trip of 'Tales From The Real World', the modular tech-house-meets-hip-house flex of 'In Your Phase', the spine-tingling moodiness of Alan Vega hook-up 'Saturn Drive Triplex' and the starry melodies and locked-in grooves of 'Liebe Grube Ausn Cucoron'.

Review: Wolfgang Voigt's groundbreaking project Gas returns with a definitive reissue of its self-titled debut album, originally released in 1996 on Mille Plateaux and now reintroduced by Kompakt on CD format. This release marks a long-awaited return to the foundational essence of Gas, as initially envisioned by Voigt. Gas unfolds across six expansive, untitled tracks that drift seamlessly, each a captivating journey of ethereal loops and rhythmic undercurrents. Distant echoes of classical motifs add to the album's enigmatic allure. This debut stands out for its airy, evocative atmosphere and its exploratory nature. Gas not only revisits a pivotal moment in electronic music history but also underscores Voigt's enduring influence and avant-garde spirit, setting the stage for the techno and ambient genres to unfold from his influence. There is quite nothing like the first four Gas albums.

Review: The impeccable Lithuanian label Greyscale is a real leader when it comes to dub techno and already they are racing into 2024 in fine style with a first full-length of the year from label head Grad_U! The sublime and immersive Sustain has eight larges ambient soundscapes that are detailed with field recordings from another planet. Each one is alluringly empty and beautiful, intriguing and unsettling to make for an escapist trip to another dimension. The way the producer manages to conjure up what feel like familiar emotions in such a faraway world is second to none and will leave you wanting to do it all over again the second it ends.

Review: To celebrate 15 years in the game and coming via Lithuania's Greyscale label, Gradient delivers Dub Stories, a two-CD masterpiece that focuses on his evolution. CD1 opens with 'Dub Story 1,' setting a vibrant tone that flows into the airy 'Dub Story 2.' Tracks like 'Dub Story 3' and 'Dub Story 6' pay homage to classic dub roots, while 'Dub Story 4' and 'Dub Story 8' push creative boundaries with dynamic melodies. CD2 continues the journey with the deep, evocative 'Dub Story 11' and the celestial 'Dub Story 13.' Tracks like 'Dub Story 16' offer serene, minimalistic breaks, while 'Dub Story 19' delves into deep, contemplative layers. The album closes with 'Dub Story 20,' a grand finale that leaves a lasting impression. Dub Stories is a fitting tribute to Gradient's legacy and a shining example of quality in the dub techno realm.

Review: This is a new CD version including bonus tracks of Hi Tech's self-titled album which comes here on Diners Club International but first landed on Omar S's FXHE. It is a full ghetto tech workout with pumped-up booty-bouncing beats that traverse a wide range of tempos. The high energy highlights come thick and fast with the likes of 'Big Prism' riding on juke beats, 'Milf Milo' bringing some lithe synth chords and raw claps and 'I Swear It's A Bop' (feat KAYY & ALLGIRLSALLOWED) featuring broken drum patterns, glistening synth stabs and r&b vocals full of soul.

Review: After its initial release on vinyl on Omar S's FXHE last summer, Diners Club International have put together a new CD version of Hi Tech's Dttwat album featuring some new bonus cuts. It's a stylish blend of Motor City beats, ghetto energy and r&b vocals that all get cut up and chopped and spliced into short, quickfire but potent tunes that make a lasting impact. A wide range of guest vocals come from Cheapskate Skutta, Dastardly Kids, Nlghind and many more so these beats brim with colour and character. With the added bonus cuts this is a must-cop CD direct from the D.