Back catalogue: Techno (All)

Review: Basel-based experimental labels Amenthia Recordings and A Walking Contradiction join forces for their first collaborative release here in the form of the Flash Crash/Hack Crash EP. Both labels are known for pushing boundaries within their close-knit creative circles and this one features Agonis' heavy stepper and Konduku's whirlpool of low frequencies on the Amenthia side, while Lemont continues the low-end, tripped-out vibe. Varuna represents A Walking Contradiction and delivers swampy, slow-motion sounds in their signature style. This release embodies both labels' commitment to daring, unconventional electronic sounds.

Review: Fearsome techni-techno through the Swiss futurists ENMODA, whose modus operandi is to actively promote and advocate for the local Swiss scene. With chilling textures and an ear for material, sonic grit, a cloister of ten producers are heard going full Eski-mode here, for the first instalment in their yearly compilation, Alpine Express Volume 1. Aptly described as a set of "dancefloor hurters", this is a record that proves the mid-European enclave still have their ears to the ground: pree the classic trance-techno of Marcism's 'Echo' or Ermatik's 'Funk Alt Delight', The Chronics' restlessly fight-or-flight revenant, 'Sonic Memory', and/or TIS' closing jit-tech piano weapon 'I Don't Mind'.

Review: The wonderfully idiosyncratic DJ Sottofett is back with more of his leftfield magic alongside Ronny Nyheim, Zarate_Fix and LA 2000. This outing on WANIA is a special release with alternative mixes and non-album tracks from the upcoming WANIA mk1 double album. 'Dubquartz' opens up with rattling dub techno, 'Dub State Looped' is a slow motion and heavyweight dub with rusty chords and then comes a seizes of loose for adventurous DJ fun such as the scratchy vocal of 'My Spirit Is Looped' and frosted hi-hats of 'Hats Loop 1'. '1st Wave Fusion' is the standout with its cinematic synths and widescreen grooves.

Review: Short Attention Records makes a welcome return here with a new drop of wax that fits the label head into its roots in deep techno sound worlds. This one takes the form of a various artists' EP crafted with an intake feel for cosy floors and who better to kick off in that vibe than the revered Lawrence whose 'Hawser' is a groovy and melodious track. Next, New Jersey don Joey Anderson sets a slow and deep tone with 'Human Kind' which has moody vocals and Japanese artist Takuya Matsumoto follows with 'Three Flowers', a more potent and driving cut with a fine acid bassline. Rounding off the EP is 'Desired Spring' by R/K, a loop-driven deep house gem designed for both listening and dancing.

Review: Who doesn't love it when new Legowelt music drops? The Dutch is one of the most prolific producers in the game but he never sounds the same from one record to the next. This time out he lands on Hotmix with a two-track 10" that kicks off with 'DRUMCOMPUTER GLORY.' It's a warped track with acid tinges, mirky synths, weird vocal samples and jacked-up drums that are raw and proudly old school. On the flip side is 'CASIO CTK630 HOMEKEYBOARD', a snaking groove with hissing hi-hats and more smeared, smudgy synths that make for an unusual but alluring atmosphere.

Review: French producer Lingo launches their imprint Lingo Tools with a decisive helmer, 'Lingo Tools 001'. Landing somewhere squarely between breakbeat, hip house and jam-out acid propulsions, we're first met with 'Push Da' System' - which brings a finger-on-the-button, Beastie Boys-styled vocal line to a stabbing rave blow-cutter - while 'Never Say Never' moves straighter and buzzier. B-sider 'The New Sound' finds confidence in transitory quadruple claps and injunctions to usher in the new sonic world order; finally, 'Moonwalk Like Me' prostrates itself on an astral geyser of sound, with a central arp-ing, melodic tessellation showering off the tune like meteoric detritus.

Review: Rawax's Motor City Edition series is back with more tech from Detroit and this time it is Los Hermanos at the buttons. Gerald Mitchell opens up the 12" with 'Two Feet Up' which brings warm and soul-infused techno vibes and some lush strong stabs. 'Remember Detroit' is a just as deep cut with slick drums and sci-fi melodies rippling throughout the arrangement and then the flipside ups the energy levels with the more twitchy and synapse-firing 'Central Nervous Systems' complete with plenty of busy melodies. Things chill out a little for the closer, 'Path Of Tranquility', which showcases some lush melodies and serene synth strings.

Review: Los Hermanos returns with 'Remember Detroit,' a stellar addition to the Rawax Motor City Edition. Los Hermanos is known for creating big Detroit hits like 'Quetzal' and 'Birth of 3000'. 'Two Feet Up' is a straightforward Detroit techno anthem, big and emotional with soaring strings. A truly amazing track. 'Remember Detroit' captures the city's whimsical spirit with class and fun. 'Central Nervous Systems' channels Inner City's upbeat house energy, bringing pure, dancefloor joy. The EP's highlight might just be 'Path Of Tranquility,' a jazzy, mellow track that exudes smoothness and bliss, rounding off a diverse and complete release. Los Hermanos expertly encapsulates Detroit's rich musical heritage while pushing forward with fresh, invigorating sounds.

Review: Reality Hacked Part 2 collects three more heavyweight remixes of key tracks from Lost Souls Of Saturn’s most recent album Reality. Among such jewels are the serene vocal lilts and trembling percs of UNKLE’s ‘Click’ remix, on which Lvv Gvn soars across the track in awestruck wonderment, and the playful wibbles and stark rhythms of Hessle Audio’s Pangaea on his version of the same. This second 12” in the Reality Hacked series rounds off on a heavy-set dubby take on ‘Scram City’ by Echologist.

Review: Frustrated Funk is one of the very many labels out of the Netherlands that offers up house and techno music with a through line to the Chicago and Detroit foundations. It is top tackle with a timeless edge and that proves to be true again with this one from Lost Trax. '23' is both dreamy and cancerous but groovy. 'And Or' is more wonky with mad acid, 'It's All Good' is a downbeat synth interlude, 'Grib' is lo-fi and experimental with Omar S style aesthetics and 'The Watcher' closes with more dusty and brilliant depths.

Review: One year after dropping back in 2023, Jennifer Loveless's bonafide anthem 'Pleasure' is back in the form of three thrilling reworks and a dub mix which expand its appeal into new realms. Parisian maestro Bambounou kicks things off with a jackin' remix bursting with energy while Lisbon-based veteran and Ibiza favourite tINI follows and offers up a bass-heavy electro-inspired rendition nodding to old-school vibes. Jennifer Loveless and label heads Sleep D close the EP with an 'Indubm-3ntal mix' which is a hypnotic, dubbed-out techno journey layered with deep and atmospheric textures. Together, these fresh interpretations are primed to ignite dancefloors once more.

Review: The second release - and second compilation - from this label dives into the realms of spacey, futuristic techno, delivering a riveting journey across four distinct tracks. On Side-1, Lucretio opens with 'Crystal Maze', where a deep, grooving bassline anchors a melody that feels both otherworldly and futuristic. SELA's 'Sex Work' follows, unfolding a sci-fi-inspired soundscape with eerie, ominous tones that create a haunting atmosphere. Side-2 shifts into heavier territory. Lostlojic's 'Telekinesis' merges deep sub-bass hits with a fusion of bass techno and trance, crafting a track that feels both powerful and hypnotic. Peshka's 'Hard Pressing' rounds out the compilation with a broken-beat techno groove, layered with alien-like textures that push boundaries. A bold and forward-thinking exploration of techno brimming with innovative, space-infused sounds.

Review: DJ Nobu's avant-garde Bitta label looks to fellow Japanese great in Osaka-based Erik Luebs for its next trick. As always with this fine imprint, the sounds are about balancing transcendental synths with deep tech rhythms. They are masterclasses in economical arrangement and on the surface don't do much, but when you tune in properly, they are mind-melting trips, starting with the mystery of 'Granite Monolith'. 'Irradiated Body' has loopy synth sequences unfolding at great pace with pristine accuracy and 'Coming Up For Air' gets a little more extroverted with dubby kicks and the sound of overloaded AI machines getting ever more frenzied. 'Facing The Horizon' is a flickering, optimistic and mildly euphoric sound for dropping when the sun peaks through the blinds and you celebrate getting through another night of darkness.

Review: The debut album from Ukrainian collective Noneside unites musicians and visual artists under the inspiring words of poet Taras Shevchenko, who said 'Make love, o dark-browed ones.' Framed by a painting from contemporary artist Iryna Maksymova, the music explores the trance and tech house that is destined to bring souls together on the dancefloor this summer and beyond. Shjva opens with fresh and mashed bass and sleek trance pads that are subtle but effective. Lostlojic layer sup deep, bubbly techno drums and bass with an angelic vocal tone and Saturated Color's 'Trancia' is a speedy, scuffed-up tech groove for late-night cruising. Peshka and Yevhenii Loi offer two more future-facing trance-techno fusions packed with feels.

Review: Braulio Lam's latest record is a unique outing, spanning pensive ambient dub and trip-hop moods, and cherrying them with an added visual element in the form of a photography insert. Born on the border region of San Diego and Tijuana, Lam's repertoire works in an expressly brooding sound that threshes its inspirations from the close but separate apposition of these two cities. The sense of a polemic being is a central theme of Lam's work; this is not only evident in his practice, which drifts back and forth between music production and photography, but also in the sonic content of Close Up itself, which drifts between depth-scouring electronica and Pacific folk in quick step, revealing them to be dialectically adjoined. Our favourites here have to be 'Buena Vista Social Dub', a crystalline immersion in dub and vocal etherics, and 'Mirror', and 'Monika', which lends a seething tape hue to a slowly moving slice of Latin blues.

Review: Legowelt is absolutely an artist unto himself. He makes a wide array of music always with equal skill and style, mostly designs his own covers and quite often devices weird and wonderful new aliases to do so. Here he returns under his most iconic moniker for A Field Guide To The Void, a superb sonic trip packed with great craft and subtle innovations. As always it's a fuzzy and fizzing kaleidoscope of retro-futuristic melodies, compelling grooves and proud analogue lines that soundtrack a cosmic adventure with happy moments, more introspective grooves and plenty in between.

Review: Robert Leiner returns with Analog Days, a celebration of electronic craftsmanship released on De:tuned Records. Known for his influential work in the early 90s on R&S and Apollo, Leiner brings a fresh yet nostalgic sound with this ten-track album. Recorded between 2005 and 2015, Analog Days blends rhythmic complexity with serene atmospheres, showcasing Leiner's skill at balancing intensity and calm. Tracks like 'Echobox' stand out for their gritty, processed beats, while 'Session 0510' captures a more melodic side, almost touching on IDM. Fans of Leiner's classic Visions of the Past album will appreciate 'My Dream,' which echoes the ambient depth of his earlier work. The album flows effortlessly between dancefloor energy and introspective moments. 'Chords' is particularly radiant, its soaring harmonies evoking the spirit of 1993's golden era. This release is a well-rounded journey through electronica, perfect for listeners who appreciate both the past and the present of techno and ambient music.

Review: Stockholm sound architect Cari Lekebusch stops over on Lady Tazz's Mind Medizin with a four-sided EP of sleek, dark metallic, carbon-plated techno. Lekebusch's early outings on Drumcode and Planet Rhythm make for some of the best possible CV boosts you could add to such a document, and now 'XYZ' forms as the three-character update. Best among the tracks on this soon to be episodic EP series are 'Freakout' and 'Heritage', which are the two most abrasive onslaughts. Strategic sorties of sound, the tunes are placed in impeccable contrast to the relatively moving quellers 'Ninguno Es Uno' and 'Mind And Matter'.

Review: Los Hermanos' On Another Level, originally released on Submerge in 2005, gets a well-deserved remaster and re-press, reaffirming its status as a Detroit techno classic. This album stands as one of the most soulful and spiritual collections to emerge from the Motor City, blending techno with rich, emotive depth that few records can match. The new tracklisting is the real highlight, now including long-sought-after anthems like 'Birth of 3000', 'Quetzal', and 'Resurrection'. These tracks, which previously only appeared on a deleted 12", are finally available again, giving fans the full experience of Los Hermanos' finest work. However, one notable omission from this re-release is 'Lines Of Nazca', arguably the strongest track from the original pressingia loss that might sting for die-hard collectors. Still, On Another Level remains a vital piece of the Detroit techno canon. It's a testament to the staying power of the genre and its capacity for emotional resonance, even within its most mechanical frameworks. This remaster brings a renewed clarity to the album's sound, making it feel as fresh and impactful as ever. For anyone with a love for Detroit's deep, soulful techno, this reissue is not to be missed.