Review: Niels Van Gogh's Pulverturm (ANNA Rework) on Belgium's Epoque Records is a powerhouse techno ready for the mainstage. Side-1 features the ANNA rework, transforming the original into a heavy club anthem with a rolling bassline and catchy vocal. This deeper, heavier version reinvents 'Pulverturm' into a techno monster. Side-2 offers the more vintage-sounding original, characterised by its melodic and trance-inducing qualities. A great builder in its own right, this version will fit great into any trance or techno set. This release showcases two distinct yet compelling takes on a classic, making it a versatile addition to any techno collection.
Review: Belgian-born, Vietnam-based innovator Peter Van Hoesen returns to the fore here with a daring four-track EP that dives deep into experimental techno. Known for his precision and intensity, Van Hoesen lives up to that as he crafts a cerebral yet visceral journey through chaotic structures and abstract rhythm. From the hypnotic disarray of 'Definition by Absence' to the stormy turbulence of 'Variables Edit 1,' each track embraces unpredictability without forgetting the floor. 'Prime Directive' disorients with anti-club energy, while 'Morphology' offers a slightly more grounded groove that gives form to his conceptual explorations. Fearless stuff as ever from big Pete.
Review: A powerful exploration of dynamic techno. Side-1 kicks off with 'On Point', featuring a stomping beat paired with jazzy techno elements. The track is loopy and hard-steppin', bringing a fresh energy that's both invigorating and hypnotic. On Side-2, 'Request Another Dream' takes listeners on a trip into a sci-fi techno realm. The track's eerie, alien atmosphere builds a sense of mystery, creating a vivid soundscape. Closing the EP, 'Open Sea' delivers a melodic, Detroit-inspired groove with deep, soulful beats that push the track to the next level. It's a smooth, introspective journey that adds depth and complexity to the release. This blend of hard-hitting beats and emotive, melodic elements, shows Van Orton's ability to balance raw energy with thought-provoking soundscapes and we're sure experimental and deep techno fans will really enjoy this.
Review: The second release from ISOTOOP features Vand's solo venture across three introspective tracks, each of which is drawn from his live repertoire. They all explore various facets of the dancefloor with 'Futureshock' starting with a solitary groove that sets a foreboding yet self-assured tone. 'Gaze' combines sharp snares, wobbly atmospheres and shadowy bass to create a minimalist dub vibe and the final piece, 'Trialism,' blends gravity with grace atop a syncopated drumline. Natural.electronic/system's remix of this closer enhances it with loop-based hypnosis. Very useful EP, this one.
Review: French techno alchemist Vardae is the latest artist to feature on German experimental drum & bass label Samurai Music. Vardae has dabbled with 85/170bpm speeds before, most notably on his excellent 'The Kaipos' EP. This time we get a full EP's worth of deep techno-influenced drum & bass, a sound that is familiar to anyone following recent trends in the deeper scenes of techno: acid lines, forest drums, mystic vocals, etc. The opener 'The Light Motion' is a halftime groover with fluttering percussion propelling it forward. The second 'Chaeming Your Soul' has a more recognisable drum & bass rhythm underneath, bringing to mind Overlook and UVB-76's back catalogue with powerful acid washes over the top. 'Voices Of Depossesion' has a conventional four-to-the-floor beat but at a blistering BPM and 'Flaming As A Cloud' ends with an excellent drum & synth-ony. One for fans of Marco Shuttle, Pessimist, et al.
Porter Brook - "Three Things You Can Watch Forever" (5:58)
Ayu - "Light & Reflection" (4:51)
Atavic - "Subconscious" (5:30)
Tammo Hesselink & DYL - "Accent Award" (5:10)
Plebeian - "Gowanus" (5:05)
Review: Aaron J's Sure Thing kicks on towards its tenth release with a superb new 12" packed with fresh techno jams. Myriad different mods, grooves and tempos are on offer here starting with the puling rhythmic depths of Vardae's 'Pahlevan' then moving on to Kick21's 'Bright Interface', a dark and haunting low-end wobbler. Atavic's 'Subconscious' is a heady one with ambient cosmic pads over deeply hurried, supple rhythms then while Tammo Hesselink & DYL combine to mesmeric effect on the carefully curated broken beat brilliance of 'Accent Award.' A forward-thinking EP for sure.
Review: Belgium's Materia flaunt a preference for bracing techno angles on the new split release from Christian Varela and Marco Bailey, proving new, crisply produced motor city heat need not indulge banality or sameness. Bailey, the apparent lynchpin of the label, straddles three sides of wax with 'Wraith', 'Freal' and 'Shadowed Path', with neatly rounded and resolved chords interleaving about gutting kick chugs. Varela occupies takes up only a quarter of the groove space with 'Lac Operations', a baseline undercurrent of neural flows and rapid apparatic responses.
Review: Omni is an aptly named celebration of over a decade of Blue Hour Music, capturing the label's diverse and enduring musical journey. Across nearly 50 releases in various formats, remix series, and sub-labels, Blue Hour has navigated through evolving trends with unwavering commitment to quality. The Omni compilation series showcases the label's broad spectrum of electronic music, ranging from techno to trance and breaks. Like Blue Hour's own artist output, the compilations defy easy categorization, offering a blend of hazy atmospheres and dynamic textures. It's a testament to Blue Hour's ability to carve out its own niche in a rapidly changing landscape, embracing musical diversity while maintaining a distinct sonic identity. Omni invites listeners on a stunning trip through Blue Hour's lush and vibrant world, reflecting the label's enduring impact on the electronic music scene.
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Review: Acid Cuts is only young but already has amassed an impressive discography of contemporary techno. The sixth outing comes from Varonos and starts with mind-melting acid-laced techno stomper with thunderous stabs adding to the tension. After the even more raw Beats version comes 'Caliber' which is more minimal and loopy but soon builds inescapable tension that disorientates your mind from your body. 'Hordes' then cuts loose with visceral acid lines and the sounds of a spacecraft taking off over sizzling beats.
Review: Greek producer Stelios Vassiloudid has been making techno moves since the turn of the millennium under a range of different aliases. Here he appears as himself with four supercharged dub techno cuts for Dubwax. 'Lie In Wait' is a really tight, taught affair with pinging kicks and icy hi-hat ringlets. 'MIA' is more warm and vibes with a soulful core and underlapping bass waves. There is a more minimal and abstract sound to the curious dub bumps of 'Reverse Engineer' that encourage you to be at your most fluid. 'Grains' shuts down with grainy lo-fi pads, vinyl crackle and sparse kick that soundtrack an underwater jaunt. There is plenty of subtle variation to these rhythms which makes it a dead handy dub EP.
Review: Midway through 2021, Sven Vath delivered his first single in well over five years, the squelchy, warming and melodious goodness of 'Feiern'. Here he begins 2022 in style via a two-track missive that's every bit as rushing whilst opting for a more abrasive, angular and foreboding sound. 'Mystic Voices' is particularly potent, with its combination of panicked TB-303 acid motifs, throbbing electronics and emotive chords recalling the majesty of Orbital circa the Brown Album. Flipside 'Butoh', meanwhile, is a much more hushed affair, with long, atmospheric ambient build ups dropping into dark techno grooves, pots and pans percussions and more high-register, Orbital style electronic flourishes.
Review: Pomelo is one of the longest serving pillars of the ever inventive Austrian techno/electronica community and the fact It's never had the profile of a Cheap or Mego doesn't mean it's not responsible for some of the country's most exciting and most maverick material. Austria's trademarks are a general and laudable ignorance of current fads, an irresistible groove-ability and an indefinable flair in executing their ideas and the four cuts have all three of those properties in heaps. The newest addition to the Pomelo roster is Spanish talent Vedelius, who delivers the late night burner 'The Crypt' here before turning it over for a rolling breakbeat version by Phosphene, jacking techno by Lodig/Dibek and a dubbed out electro-techno stepper by Lok44.
Review: Jersey City-based Jorge Velez has long been one of the US underground's most revered figures to those in the know. Largely predating the current fascination with lo-fi analogue productions, something shown on the excellent MMT Tape Series compilation which delved into his early archives, his work as Professor Genuis on Italians Do It Better and Thisisnotanexit was followed by the conceptual Hassan LP on L.I.E.S. which provided a soundtrack to an imaginary film based on a shadowy Middle Eastern cult formed in the 11th century. Here Velez return to Ron Morelli's stable with Territories, a six-track LP that passes through "menacing drones to EBM influenced floor tracks to Sakamoto-esque melodic experiments," with a "distinct atmosphere suitable for home listening or adventurous club play." Even for those who are familiar with the odd structures Velez creates with his hardware, this is a wild trip worthy of much closer inspection.
Review: The ever-versatile Dutchman that is Versalife returns with more of his artfully crafted techno fusions, this time for the Spanish label Apnea. 'Colorvi' kicks off with a jumbled of glistening synth lines, tumbling arps and bristling drums that awaken every sense in your body. 'Omen Observer' has a darker underlying bassline but still gets lit up with sparkling keys that dart about the mix. 'Prophetic Traces' keeps the energy levels up with more fresh broken beat workouts and glowing, pixel-thin synths while 'Out Of Ether' shuts down with a fourth and final electro-techno fusion with an acid and squelchy bassline.
Review: Versalife is one of the many aliases of prolific Dutch producer Versalife. It is where he explores electro in meticulous detail and this new Technofeudalism 12" is as good as it gets. 'Cataclysm' kicks off with a deft and broken beat rhythm, celestial chords and eerie little melodic details that keep you on your toes. 'Intrusion' is darker and more direct with a menacing bassline. 'Syndicate War' ups the ante once more with more energetic rhythms and jagged synths flashing across the face of the tune while 'Axon Terminal' is a moody closer with bittersweet melancholic in the pads.
Review: There's long been debate about the definition of "deep house", with different DJs, producers and labels offering their own interpretations of what "deep" means musically. In our opinion, you'll struggle to find better examples of pure, properly deep electronic music than the tracks released by Bristol's We're Going Deep label. Here's Exhibit A, the Facebook group-turned-label's sixth multi-artist EP. It begins with a wonderfully spacey, sci-fi-fuelled chunk of intergalactic deep house/deep electro fusion from Versalife and ends with the Larry Heard style stargazing of Morthen Kiang's 'Enter The Dream'. In between, you'll find the softly shuffling, deliciously dreamy deep electro of Mariska Neerman's 'Twin' and the deep, acid-flecked house hypnotism of 'Counterpoint' by Analog1.
Review: Achingly Responsive is the label run by UK-based Vertical Cat. Amazingly, it started in 2002, but put out only two EPs in the next two years. After one in 2020, now it is back once again with some stunning new material from label head Dan Arthure which again has us swimming in deep house, acid, downtempo, dub and techno waters. His silky sounds take in the high speed techno catharsis of 'Parole', crunchier bumps of 'Luna' and warm, progressive styles of 'Papaver' while 'Moss (Electro Origins mix)' closes in dreamy deep space electro fashion.
Review: Vertical67 makes a striking debut on Mechatronica with a powerful lineup of hypnotic, melodic, and darkly futuristic club tracks, weaving through electro, techno, breaks and acid. Each cut on this release pushes boundaries, balancing hard-edged rhythms with entrancing atmospheres that keep the energy high yet immersive. This selection is as much a journey as it is a dancefloor experience, showcasing Vertical67's knack for blending genres into a dystopian yet deeply engaging soundscape.
Review: Vid remains one of the most prolific and inspiring artists operating in the Romanian scene these days, able to turn his hand to forthright groovers as much as more experimental, subliminal sounds within the minimal blueprint. On this record for Rawax he's seeming particularly open, bringing a bugging kind of funk to consummate club tool 'Genesis' before flipping the script for an airy, resplendent broken beat excursion fittingly titled 'Captain Hope'. It's an achingly melodic piece which does away with club moodiness to reach somewhere more explicitly emotional instead. 'Time Shuffle' resets the co-ordinates back to the heart of the night, unfurling one of those elegant, finely detailed grooves Vid makes his own.
Review: Viels' Pensieri Ricorrenti EP offers four intense and high-powered explorations into deep techno, each track delivering its own distinct energy. Side - opens with 'Wujhca,' a blazing sci-fi journey with aggressive, percussive elements that feel dangerous and futuristic. This track sets a fierce tone, capturing the listener with its high-tech edge. 'Effetto Bilaterale' follows, a hypnotic banger that pulses with relentless energy, drawing you deeper into its rhythmic trance. On Side-2, 'Pensieri Ricorrenti' brings a tech groove that is compelling and seamlessly blends intricate layers of sound. The EP closes with 'Magnete Permanente,' a menacing track reminiscent of Jeff Mills, with its dark, powerful beats and a relentless drive that leaves a lasting impact. Pensieri Ricorrenti EP is for techno lovers seeking tracks that push boundaries and deliver intense, deep techno experiences.
Review: The seventh V/A release on Mary Yuzovskaya's Monday Off imprint lands on vinyl, with Viels, ORBE, D-Leria, and Yuzovskaya all contributing tracks. Each artist lending their tender efforts to a mutant techno march, Viels' 'Nero' and Orbe's 'Rigging' provide strong titular clues as to their muses; the first uses both the Latin word for "black" and the name of an ancient Roman emperor, suggesting might, militancy and nyctalopic mis-seeing in its dispatch of a blind sonic firestorm; the latter likens production to construction, with its central, low-sined wayfinder sound effect, and dusty hi-hat caroms, suggesting some vessels have windshields that truly can brave the storm. Yuzovskaya's 'Trouble' lands us in hot water, with its startled, far-off vocal snippets and knockout prattles in the left and right lobes; then there's B-leria's closer 'Battito', a living, breathing planetary entity, prone to emit eerily harmonic Close Encounters-style tones and whose atmosphere we dare not cross.
Review: Viewfinder returns to Rescan Records with their third release on the label, a four-track journey through house and techno. The A-side offers two straight-up house cuts, 'Solace' and 'Let Go', featuring infectious grooves, sampled percussion, and catchy stabs. Flip the record over for a techno turn, with 'Roxtone' pushing the BPMs higher and delivering a high-energy workout. Mihail P closes out the release with 'Natural High', a hypnotic blend of breaks, bleeps, and ethereal pads. With its diverse range of sounds and infectious energy, this release is a must-have for any fan of quality electronic music.
Review: Viikatory teams up with Source Material for a new 12" that builds on her recent work with Mechatronica, UTTU, and Trust. This time out she delves deeper into electro, techno, and beatless tracks and showcases a knack for laying down intense kicks and extreme bassline modulations. 'Leave' is a crisp and punchy opener with ghoulish synth energy, but the more wonky and roomy 'Deceptive Mind' with its low-slung and sleazy beats is a standout for us. A fine EP overall that is ready to rock the club.
Review: Portuguese talent Vil has established himself at the forefront of the scene with music on Hayes, Klockworks, and Planet Rhythm. Now he unveils his first full-length album on Dolly's TS series with 'Birds Of Prey' which serves up raw, percussive grooves, distinctive house and techno elements and refined Detroit-inspired elegance. Across eight tracks, Vil proves himself to be quite versatile while serving up an immersive trip to the heart of the dancefloor while transitioning between deep, melodic, uplifting moments and darker, boundary-pushing beats. Vil's ability to balance energy, emotion and innovative soundscapes really shines through here.
Review: To Rotterdam's Planet Rhythm comes rising producer Vilchezz with a Homeric white label hardcore techno release, one which really pushes the boat out in terms of what could potentially be classified under the name. Hoisting an impossible bridge somewhere between genre peninsulas of speed garage and hard techno, 'Sunken In Robus' and 'Supra' achieve a difficult-to-achieve contrast of light and heavy, one that might otherwise not work without the hyper-minimal textures otherwise indulged. The titular and star track 'Odyssey' marks a return to vibey 4x4 techno form, though it is no less arresting; so does 'Fiebre', concluding the EP on an experimental industri-stratospheric number with which we might start our day right.
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