Back in stock: Techno (All)

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged, record slightly warped***


Primal percussions mix with burring, masc voices and telecom synths on Luke Alessi's 'After Five', a wonderful debut 12" by the Melbourne native. Going in, we're asked by the artist to picture a riotous cocktail party gone a little roguer than polite society usually may ordain, and while, of course, Barry White sultrily hoarsens in hushed baritones down below. In fact, the opener of this record samples Love Unlimited Orchestra's 'After Five', a star track from the side project which White led. Much like White's symbolic identification with sensual, smooth lovin' in the West, 'After Five' follows white's tip that 5AM is the threshold between day and night, and that, after having crossed it, any given raver should expect no less from their fellow revellers than behavioural alterity. Two remixes from Pablo Bozzi and Aldonna go on to "en-trance" the first track, implying baggy-eyed comedowns, while the wild A2 hears us emerge on the sands of a tropical atoll, where coconut castanets and foreshore marimba await to greet us.

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


Polish sensation Charlie delivers the instrumental mix of title track, 'Spacewoman,' on Wrong Era. It is a real gem that features powerful percussion and mesmerising, infectious arpeggios that stay true to her authentic Proto-Italo style. Charlie's mysterious vocals craft an esoteric narrative with lyrics like "I fly where infinity expands" propelling listeners deeper into her universe and the euphoric chorus offers a transcendental experience that only adds to the interstellar journey.

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


On Rave On Time, her third EP of 2020, Charlotte De Witte giddily pays tribute to the throbbing, warehouse-ready techno sound of her home city of Ghent - and particularly the intense, mind-bending brand particularly associated with R&S Records in the early 1990s. De Witte sets the tone via the razor-sharp and insanely heavy title track, where ragged acid lines and spiky synth stabs leap above a stomping techno groove, before opting for drums, drums and more drums on the restless 'There's No One Left To Trust'. Acid techno is the order of the day on 'The World Inside' and 'Common Era', while triple-time closing cut 'Wahr Ist Sie Dann' is an odd, alien-sounding treat.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Record slightly warped***


Dynamic Forces are indeed on show in this slamming new slab from Arts. There is a real sense of control to the opener 'Lyra' despite its forward motion and punchy kicks, while 'Vaulting' gets much wilder and looser with its manic synth lead and raw onset of percussive pressure. Switching up things once more, 'Parallel' is a dubby techno tool and 'Shimmer' reverts to the careful tweaking of a deft lead synth over incendiary beats. 'Radiant' and 'Meraki' bring more raved-up and bouncy peak-time techno fun. This is a very useful and varied 12".

Review: For those who crave dark, detailed, and tightly tuned techno, check this one out from Stephan Hinz. He lands on Odd Even with four cuts packed with tension, immersive atmosphere and precision-crafted sounds for peak-time floors. 'Beneath The Roses' begins with potent kick drums tightly stacked under sizzling synth work and 'Everything Is Illuminated' and 'Still, The World Is Dark' ring more dark, grainy moods for the dead of night. On remix duty, Andre Kronert flips 'Everything Is Illuminated' into a relentless, stripped-back roller that locks you in from the first bar. This one's built for heads who like their techno raw.

Review: Emily Jeanne launches her new label Quynh with a bold debut that explores psychedelic club music and deep percussive rhythms. Named after a nocturnal flower, Quynh reflects new school talent Emily's authentic late-night sound and a move toward more experimental territory. Opener 'Wet Skin' dives in with pounding kicks and burrowing deep techno intensity while 'Count Me Out' brings sparse, agile drum & bass textures. 'Do Son At Night' shifts into a dreamlike flow of loose percussion and swirling synths that rise and fall with grace, while closer 'Gone Water' embraces polyrhythmic psychedelia to end what is a thrilling, unconventional statement from an artist pushing boundaries.

Review: Fierce electronic mavericks LNS & DJ Sotofett deliver a thrilling two-tracker that's built for serious warehouse action. The A-side is a teeth-clenching, bassline-driven beast that is raw, gritty and euphoric with static rhythms, stabbing synths and a halftime arpeggio breakdown that erupts into dreamy pads. On the flip, DJ Sotofett's 'Buzzy Breaker' starts minimal with just kicks, stabs and dubs, then morphs into a breakbeat monster with polyrhythmic tension and soaring pads underpinned with jungle-inflected drops. Both tracks harness deep, hypnotic repetition while sounding bold and system-ready so make for techno with real weight but also edge and purpose that results in high class DJ and dancer tackle.

Review: Silias Records welcomes Marko Nastic, a venerated DJ and producer from Serbia who could rightly claim to be one of his country's biggest underground electronic music exports. He brings peak time renegers here with tracks rooted in techno and tech such as 'Sour Pie' with its mechanical drum loops and rickety rhythms run through with blasts of electricity. 'Circuits' is smoother, deeper, more rounded in design and jazzy in melody. 'Que Rico Enrigo' is packed with well-designed sounds and a hint of Latin flair in the vocal sample and 'Clockworksx' shuts down with a thudding, persuasive and chunky tech sound with clattering percussion adding some texture.

Review: Swayzak is a micro house, minimal and techno duo, aka James S Taylor and David Brown from the UK, whose name alone will get many older dancers hot under the collar. Their craft was second to none during their peak and here we get a reminder of that with a new outing on Rawax. 'Floyd' is a jazzy dancer with live claps, spinning hi-hats and louche grooves all topped with synthetic synths that never quit. 'Doobie' is a more deep sound with late-night headsy vibes. The drums are supple, the synths squeal and spoken word mutterings add a human touch. Two well-realised and effective cuts from Swayzak.