Back catalogue: Techno

Review: Detroit dub techno don Luke Hess says that this is his "most eclectic and techno-driven album to date" and that it blends together his signature subterranean sounds with his indelible Motor City touch. It again works well on cultured dance floors but is also a deeply spiritual album that will have your mind wandering to some lovely places. From the opening moments of 'Dokimion' you're sunk into widescreen soundscapes that pair painterly synths with immersive low ends. Cuts like 'Stoicheo' bring serene melodies and closer 'Hiketeria' is a misty, foggy cut that oozes late-night intimacy.

Review: Canadian-born, German-based producer Ash Luk is best known for his work in Minimal Violence, a band that used electronics to create raucous, vivid punk-rock style live experiences, as well as his role as one half of 'doom electronic' duo S.A.T.I.N. alongside Ireen Amnes. Under the Infinity Division moniker he's created more impressively dystopian sonic adventures that channel a suitably wide array of extreme music styles, from isolationist ambience at the start of 'No Reason' - which then twists into industrial junglist madness - to breakbeaty Sisters of Mercy-style coldwave on 'Weather Prophets'. Fans of Alec Empire's notorious Digital Hardcore Recordings label and its output should find this entertainingly terrifying and twisted up musical vision very much up their street.

Review: Dutchman Danny Wolfers aka Legowelt is one of the most prolific artists in the game. He has several aliases which all explore ambient, synth, house and techno, but this is his most well-known. Synths Below Sea Level is another singular long player packed with his signature machine-made sounds and vintage synth textures. There are intergalactic acid odysseys like 'A1200 The Valley Energy', brilliantly lo-fi deep house mediations like 'Maybe You See Them Fly' with melodies so meaningful they bring a tear to your eye and forward-thinking cosmic techno bangers like 'MKS100 CZ Reference Pod 9' which bend space and time. Another gem with artwork by the man himself.

Review: As pioneers of underground techno and co-founders of Soma Records, the Scottish duo continue to redefine the soundscape with Dark Channel, their eighth full-length album. In a world fractured by division, Slam offer a raw, uncompromising tribute to the dancefloor as a space of unity and release. Opening with the tribal pulse of 'Use It, Lose It', the album wastes no time setting a fierce, driving tone. The title track, 'Dark Channel', leans into dissonance and texture, hinting at the relentless energy that permeates the record. Tracks like 'Parametric Factor' and 'Glide' are synth-fueled voyages, the latter embracing a classic Slam percussive intensity. 'Morganatic' plunges into shadowy territory, while 'Infinit Spaces' weaves in trippy FX and lively synth hooks. 'Kuture Version provides a moment of introspection before the pounding rhythms return. 'Ghost Dancer' rides on deep sub tones and eerie modulations, creating a dense, brooding atmosphere. As the album approaches its finale, 'Beat On The Drum' delivers a full-force rhythmic assault and 'Irregular Object' closes with a hypnotic, contorted energy. Dark Channel is both a reflection of turbulent times and a powerful celebration of techno's enduring spirit, proving Slam's contribution is as vital as ever.

Review: This 2025 reissue of the British duo's 1995 breakthrough offering captures the raw energy and genre-blending brilliance that made it an instant classic. Still revered for its fusion of techno, house, and ambient with a distinctly industrial edge, the album's resonance continues to define electronic music today. Tracks like 'Dark & Long' and 'Surfboy' showcase their ability to create expansive, atmospheric soundscapes that are both tough and emotive. The low-end drive of 'Cowgirl' and the serene tones of 'River of Bass' reflect the duo's mastery in blending dancefloor-ready beats with intricate textures. Hailing from the UK, the duo pushed boundaries with their dark, melodic sensibility, crafting a sound that remains influential. Their influence on modern electronic music is undeniable, and this reissue serves as a vital reminder of how they redefined the genre back in the 90s, keeping the core of their vision intact while inspiring new generations of listeners.

Review: Originally released in 1999 and now reissued, Beaucoup Fish captures UK techno icons Underworld at their peak popularity. Karl Hyde, Rick Smith and Darren Emerson were just coming off their Trainspotting movie fame due to their legendary track 'Born Slippy'. Following Dubnobasswithmyheadman and Second Toughest in the Infants, this record feels heavier and more restless, mirroring their ambivalence toward their growing profile. Where their previous albums flowed like introspective night drives, Beaucoup Fish often barrels forward with full-throttle energy. Tracks like 'Push Upstairs' and 'Kittens' tear through at blistering tempos, merging techno heft with psychedelic texture. 'Shudder / King of Snake' is the album's pounding centerpiece, a kinetic beast built on a mutated 'I Feel Love' bassline and layers of frenetic percussion. Yet it's on 'Jumbo' and 'Cups' that Underworld tap into something deeper, more elegant and melancholic for solitary moments on packed dance floors. Hyde's cryptic, associative lyricism are half preacher, half poet that add a compelling edge throughout. His stream-of-consciousness delivery turning even the most muscular tracks are very introspective. Beaucoup Fish may reflect a band conflicted about their identity, but it's also Underworld at their most refined, striking a potent balance between euphoria and alienation, bombast and subtlety. It remains a hypnotic artifact of late-90s rave culture, vivid in both its unease and its ecstasy.

Review: Underworld's sixth LP A Hundred Days Off heard them wean their sound down to a finer but still full Brit-rave sound, not to mention a readiness on their part to break the charts compared to their earlier, yet by all means more esoteric, studio projects such as Dubnobasswithmyheadman. Praised by Uncut as a "beautiful and baffling enigma", the record gave birth to such wonders as 'Two Months Off', 'Trim', 'Ess Gee' and 'Dinosaur Adventure 3D', tracks whose long-form structures and brutalist trance ballistics would continue to prove lactic boons for the stylistic milking. Sheffield art collective The Designers Republic were commissioned to design the iconic balloon-head cover by label V2, also enshrining a spectacular modern art and modern music crossover in this ingenious record.

Review: After the chart-topping A Hundred Days Off (2002), what was to come next for the albums arm of Underworld, aka Karl Hyde and Rick Smith? Clearly, it was to be a return to gritty chillout rave schematics - now tapering into ambient dub and progressive - that defined their earliest works, in stark contrast to their mid noughties crowd electrolysers. Oblivion With Bells (2007) saw mixed critical receipt, the aesthetes among us referencing to the record's pull towards directionless absurdity (mirrored in track titles like 'Cuddle Bunny vs. The Celtic Villages'), but its nurturance of highlights like 'Crocodile' and 'Ring Road', and their increasing use of flamboyant post-rock theatrics onstage, still make this moment a stellar one in our books.

Review: This 2025 reissue of the British electronic duo's 2010 release revisits a moment when their sound was at its most refined and expansive. Tracks like 'Bird 1' and 'Always Loved A Film' have an almost trance-like quality, drawing listeners into a rich web of pulsating rhythms and repetitive motifs that feel both hypnotic and unsettling. In contrast, songs like 'Diamond Jigsaw' and 'Moon In Water' offer moments of clarity, their crisp melodies and infectious hooks cutting through the layers of sound with a bright, shimmering energy. The duo's ability to shift between moods is strikingi'Hamburg Hotel' brings a brooding weight, while 'Between Stars' provides a lift, its airy textures pushing against the track's grounded pulse. This reissue feels less like nostalgia and more like a timely reminder of their ability to blend pop accessibility with experimental edge, marking their unique place in the electronic canon.

Review: In a smooth flying saucered descent, Solara Melfera continues the WSNWG: Back to Zero journey, adding a new dimension to the label's evolving sound. This compilation unites eight carefully selected tracks curated by German producer and DJ Rodhad, fusing nighttime prowler moods and subtle celestials. With a cover artwork bathed in golden, sunlit tones, the music has an eclipsing mood, juggling strong shades of light and dark. Kicking off with Ignez' 'Passion Overdrive', we're met with a brooding techno number with overdubbed lyrics by the artist, recounting the artist's rather libidinally charged dream from the previous night.