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: 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: 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.
The Emanations - "Rhythm Is Easy" (feat Janet Planet - Che Luca Lucid Rave mix)
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: 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: 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.
B-STOCK: CD case damaged but otherwise in excellent condition
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: 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: 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: Imperieux - or Alper Durmush to use the Bulgarian-raised, Berlin-based producer's real name - is not one to follow the crowd, as his debut CD on the always excelling Macro label testifies. He's clearly versed in a number of electronic sub-sets, from breakbeat to techno and bass music, but the ten tracks here follow very much their own path. Not that it's some way-out-leftfield experiment. Durmush clearly knows how to construct a decent groove - see the gliding opener 'Fo Pio'. Our favourite? Possibly the choppy breaks of 'Almost Had It', or the sheer hypnotics of 'Phase Rotation'. But there's no weak links here, just a producer well versed in the spectrum of dance production and, even more importantly, how to make it work for him.
Aero Dynamik (Alex Gospher & Etienne De Crecy Dynamik mix)
Aero Dynamik (Francois K Aero mix)
Aero Dynamik (Intelligent Design mix By Hot Chip)
La Forme (King Of The Mountains mix By Hot Chip)
Tour De France (Etape 2)
Review: Everyone's favourite robotic pioneers have embraced the art of the remix plenty over their lengthy career. As well as taking fresh approaches to their own material, they've invited others to mess with the legacy of one of the most important electronic acts of all time. It's no mean feat to remix a Kraftwerk track, but as such the roll call on this compilation is reliably heavyweight. As well as their own 'Kling Klang' remixes of tracks like 'Robotnik' and 'Expo 2000', you can find legends like DJ Rolando, Orbital, Francois K and Hot Chip tackling classic and some lesser known tracks across three slabs of wax.
Review: Route 77, the third album from Mirror System, Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy's chillout project, offers a serene sonic journey through spacious, dreamy soundscapes. A mellower counterpart to their work as System 7, Mirror System's music blends soft tech-house rhythms with lush electronics and Hillage's signature guitar. With a travel theme inspired by the vast American Southwest, Route 77 is rich in atmospheric grooves. The album features contributions from The Orb's Alex Paterson, Dan Donovan and Marv Brookes, adding to its laidback yet intricate vibe. Standout moments include reimaginings of Manuel Gottsching's 'Sunrain' and Ry Cooder's 'Paris, Texas', which fit seamlessly into the album's flowing textures. The closing track, 'Sonora Desert Edge (The Abyss)', incorporates a poem by Allen Ginsberg, creating a vivid, immersive auditory experience. Route 77 is an engaging blend of ambient trance and chillout music, perfect for deep relaxation or reflective listening.
Review: Nitechord is an enigmatic ambient-tech duo that makes a striking debut here with Lume having previously released only two remixes. It was a demo tape from 2022 that impressed the Past Inside the Present label with its raw allure and it is that work which appears here nearly unaltered but for mastering from James Bernard. The opener unfolds with atmospheric guitar loops anchored by a steady kick and bass, 'Near' brings a hint of twang to expansive guitar tones and in 'Dim,' layered drones and melodies rise and fall like petals. Add in the suspensory sounds of 'Absent' and 'Carry' which blooms into a full orchestral swell and you have an immersive, introspective suite of sonic bliss.
Review: Orbital's debut and self-titled album (also known as the green album) is a classic example of the UK rave sound in 1991. Featuring the hits 'Belfast' and 'Chime', this important piece of electronic music gets some loving attention in the form of being remastered for the first time since release. But that's not the only thing - this CD edition also comes with a bonus CD featuring rarities and remixes from the time. What better way to celebrate 25 years of this amazing band and its cherished history for their role in helping create the sound of techno.
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: Kelly Lee Owens' highly anticipated fourth studio album Dreamstate offers a liberating, euphoric sound, reflecting the emotional growth she apparently experienced following a significant romantic breakup. It's a record full of release and renewal, urging listeners to find their own freedom. Owens collaborated with heavyweights like Bicep, Tom Rowlands from The Chemical Brothers and George Daniel from The 1975 to craft this immersive soundscape. Dreamstate is also her first release on the newly launched dh2 label, part of Dirty Hit, spearheaded by George Daniel.
Friday Afternoons, Op 7: A New Year Carol (part 2)
Challengers: Match Point
Compress/Repress
Review: When Italian film director Luca Guadagnino commissioned long-term collaborators Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to write and produce the soundtrack for Challengers, he had a clear idea in mind: music rooted in Berlin techno and 90s rave'. Reznor and Ross undoubtedly delivered, creating heavily electronic music that veers between guitar-laden nu-rave ('Yeah x10'), throbbing peak-time workouts (the Moroder-goes-to-Berghain flex of 'Challengers'), tech-tinged nu-disco ('The Signal', 'The Points That Matter'), pitched-black EBM-techno fusion ('Brutalizer') and acid-fired insanity ('Pull Over'). There are occasional nods to more classical movie soundtracks - see the choral versions of Benjamin Britten's 'New Year Prayer' - but for the most part it is a thrill-a-minute ride through deliciously heavy rhythms, basslines and electronics.
Review: A poignant and triumphant new chapter for the legendary Brum techno icons, hot on the heels of the reissue of their seminal 2010 album Feed Forward and a year of live shows and archival releases. Its creation is rooted in the tragic passing of Juan Mendez, aka Silent Servant, in early 2024. A founding member and visual artist for the group, Mendez's influence resonates throughout the record, with the title End Beginnings serving as a tribute to his enduring legacy. The eight-track album, crafted by Regis and Function alongside collaborators like Rrose, Rivet, Simon Shreeve and Sarah Wreath, embodies a balance of cinematic depth and dancefloor impact. Tracks like 'Dreaming' weave layered rhythms with atmospheric melodies and elastic vocals, while organic elements peek through Sandwell's signature grit. Rrose's contribution to 'Self-Initiate' amplifies this intensity, with low sirens and urgent percussion creating a bubbling, hypnotic effect. 'Hidden,' is a warehouse anthem, drenched in acid-drenched lines and crisp, menacing percussion. Its dark energy and meticulously fine-tuned production signal the collective's evolved direction while honoring the spirit of innovation and rebellion central to their ethos. End Beginnings is more than an album; it's a moving tribute to Mendez and a new start to Sandwell District's enduring commitment to techno as both an art form and a source of joy.
Review: Four years ago, Jon Linksey brought his Sectra project to Tectonic to the first time, serving up an impossible-to-pigeonhole set that combined his love of abstract noise, drone, industrial, techno and warped dancehall. The producer expands on these ideas on Through The Static, his first album to be released on anything other than cassette. In some ways it was designed with the CD format in mind, with the 13 'official tracks' - decidedly dystopian, angular and frequently intense affairs full of mutant rhythms and flashes of genuine musical emotion - being joined by a five-track bonus EP that can apparently be heard "through" the sound of static bolted onto the end of the EP. It's an interesting and unusual idea, but it's the adventurous and experimental qualities of the main album that makes it such a vital listen.
Review: 'The Cosmic Memoirs Of The Late Great Rupert J Rosinthrope' is an obscure rarity by a short-lived alias of Drexciya member James Stinson, Shifted Phases, which is now getting the full, refocused reissue treatment by German clubbing giant Tresor. Having remained out of print since its initially tiny release for over two decades, this bubbly yet grim electro album reflects an epistolary concept expressed musically rather than in written form. Rupert J. Rosinthrope is a mysterious character, but these cosmic memoirs hopefully shed at least some light on "his" misunderstood memory.
Review: The creative partnership between Tiga & Hudson Mohawke expresses a mutual love of "hardcore romance," a liminal state where the bounds between euphoria, melancholy and the raw power of friendship disintegrate completely. Recorded in Los Angeles from 2019-2023, these commonalities ebbed and flowed through various recording sessions, culminating in their debut album - L'Ecstacy - the sounds in which "all come from the same place, the same musical universe," in Hudson Mohawke's own words. Referencing the album's locus of bouncy elasticity and cinematic gloss - "we're building a particular kind of zone where it all fits together. A place lost in time." With guest appearances by luminaries like Abra, Channel Tres, and Jesse Boykins III, as well as album artwork by Wolfgang Tillmans, the result is delivered with "no apology, no cynicism, no irony, no winking."
Review: Marseille's IOT Records is the home for Azu Tiwaline's latest dubbed out and dreamy pads and manipulated field recordings. It's her second album and is another one that stands up to her reputation for being a true innovator. Following on from Draw Me a silence in 2020, Teh Fifth Dream is an hour long session that veers from reverberating and bass heavy steppers to next level synth-scapes. Field recordings made in the desert of her native El Djerid, in South Tunisia, feature heavily as do tombak drums and modular synths from Franco-Persian spar Cinna Peyghamy.
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