New releases last four weeks: Techno (All)

Review: Smiling Phases returns with its second outing and hands it over to Parisian producer Arve, who clearly has a deep understanding of many different genres as the two tunes he serves up go way beyond the predictable. Opener 'Pyroclast' is a fast and physical one that blends radiant house grooves with deep, disruptive rhythms and myriad cosmic synth lines that swirl around the mix. 'Tephra' is another busy workout with pumping drums and an array of different synth textures spraying around the groove. On the B-side, 'Pyroclast' gets a remix by Belgian producer DC Salas, who takes it into retro-future 90s trance-techno territory and Italy's Paolo Mosca, who injects warmth and depth as well as a little cosmic mystery.

Review: Polish label FOMO_ debuts with the first in its news Spectral series, and who better to kick off with than the ever innovative ASC. He is a master of musical tension and abstraction and shows that with four tracks that build up the pressure and never let it go. 'Calm Under Pressure' is soothing up top with its smeared, spectral pads, but there's pent-up tension in the low end that keeps you on edge. 'Dark Arches' soundtracks an underground cavern with haunting pads and icy, watery droplets and 'Maelstrom' gets more direct with jostling broken beats, hissing trails and unsettling deep space mystery. 'Torsion' is the most maximal of the lot - an in-your-face collage of loopy, snappy drums and sordid synth sludge.

Review: French label Cairo Xpress debuts with a first-ever vinyl outing and a fine one it is too, with six stylish house outings from an array of fresh talents. Wilt's 'Beoyon' has lovely gloppy drums and bass looping under harmonic chords - it's simple but effective. Hermit gets more full-bodied with his textured 'Who Dunnit' and DOTT strips it back to bumping drum track workouts on 'Twitching Softly.' There is more irresistible bounce to Lucho's 'Mesh', Artphorm layers in some old school pianos to 'Daown' and HATT D shuts down with maybe the best of the lot, 'Contrasts In Life,' which is a broken beat, analogue sound with celestial energy.

Review: Brazilian Jesse "Dreams" Pimenta has been roaming around underground circles for a decade plus. He has a stylish sound that is about heady excursions into deep rhythms. 'Losing Control' opens up with a warped and flabby baseline over buoyant drums for peak time deployment. 'Dangerous When Wet' is a tightly programmed and kinetic cut with flappy drums and snares, aliens in the machines and psychedelic vocal swirls. 'XTC Messenger' then hits hard with thudding kicks and hints of 90s tribal techno. Last of all, 'Pressure Points' flips out with broke beats and dubby undercurrents.

Review: Italian turbo talent Earwax brings his techno perspective to this new one from the Dolly TS series. 'Upstairs Downstairs' soon sweeps you up with its buoyant and bouncy techno drums and wavy cosmic synth lines. 'Protection' then gets more dark and heads down with a menacing low-end throb and increasingly edgy percussive through-line. There is comic tension and turbulence to 'Key Of Life' with its unsettling and eerie synths and banging drums, and last of all is 'At The Door', which races on with hints of original 90s techno rawness. Very useful, high-functioning techno.

Review: Multiple Angle Distortions (M.A.D) is the second of two EPs previewing The Future Sound of London's upcoming 2025 album. It dives into darker, more percussive terrain than before and blends acidic 303 textures with brooding orchestral layers as the cult FSOL continue to expand their sonic palette. Grammy-nominated Daniel Pemberton guests on the striking 'Improvisations,' which is a live recording from a London fashion show, while closing track 'Northern Point' showcases FSOL's own custom-built synths. The result is a heady fusion of house, electronica and techno with an experimental edge that is both cerebral and immersive. M.A.D affirms this outfit's legacy while still pushing boundaries decades into their career.

Review: GiGi FM's Virgo Space Acid is another mystical techno odyssey. Channelling "2025's energy," she fuses acid textures, reworked 909s and mantra-like vocals across four transformative tracks that range from the hypnotic opener 'Calibration' to the soaring tension of the title track and the emotional dubscape of 'Floresta.' Each cut explores healing, intuition and self-empowerment through sonic minimalism as GiGi refines her craft into a deeply expressive language that merges an urge to move with real moments of introspection. This is not just club music-it's ritual and release from the forefront of experimental techno.

Review: Konerytmi is mad prolific, as you probably know - as well as this EP, there is also one dropping on Bordello A Parigi this month - but quality levels always remain high. This 'Megapikseli EP' is a high-definition dive into electro-funk with vintage video game soul. Opener 'Kirsikka' delivers laser zaps and crisp 808s, while the title track brings fog-lit chords and mind-bending percussion, followed by Fleck ESC's cinematic, abstract remix. Side B begins with 'Mikropikseli,' a sun-soaked cosmic journey filled with playful effects and radiant leads, and closing track 'Puro' oozes late-night electrosoul, acid basslines and shimmering melodies perfect for anyone who likes groove-rich electro inspired by the golden age of gaming.

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 sign of a truly great artist is that you can put on one of their records from some 15 years ago, as well as one out next week, and not tell which is which. Mr Pittman is one of those - a Detroit flag bearer with a raw, otherworldly take on house and techno that always sounds futuristic. 'The Midwest Advocates Part One' first dropped back in 2007 and is being repressed now and is just as good as ever with ramshackle and dusty grooves, wonky synths and eerie textures all getting you into a trance and keeping you there. Both cuts on this are standouts in his impressive discography.

Review: FaF's Marseille-based label Durite has assembled another Various Artists compilation full of global soundscapes inspired by Middle Eastern rhythms on one side, while the other blends psychedelic Japanese and Chinese samples into trippy, atmospheric cuts. Italian producer Nativo balances deep house and electro with worldly flair, French artist Pagenty keeps ting dubby and slow with snaking leads and hiccuping drums. Fellow Frenchman Blinkduus Dischetto sparkles with raspy synth leads and celestial keys and Crane De Poule then serves up 'Lucky,' the clear EP highlight with its hurried Eastern Melodie and vocal samples over a clipped and tight tech beat.

Review: The Clergy Ten Year anniversary celebrations continue with a fourth special instalment of their various artists series. It's packed again with the sort of high-functioning techno that DJs always need to construct powerful sets, and that dancers will respond well to thanks to its detailing. Norbak opens with the moody minimalism of 'Sinto', Sciahri explore a more uptempo sound with grainy, gritty loops on 'Antartide' and Phara's 'Faint' gets more twisted with hellish effects and caustic textures all getting you on edge while the pummelling drums bounce out their muscular rhythm. These are evocative cuts for techno storytelling.

Review: Riccardo's a master of dance floor grooves that blend minimal, techno and electro into always fresh sounding new worlds. This latest release arrives on El Milagro Records and has a distinct edge and introspective moods that adds up to a reflective journey of depth and drive. 'H Dimension' is a speedy space-tech sound with nostalgic synth work and evocative mid-to-high frequencies echoing the spirit of '80s melodies. 'Hologram' is wrapped in a mysterious, emotive atmosphere with smart synth sequences and snappy low ends and 'Die Ritme Vertel' is a mechanical rhythm with blurts of synth, neon colours and freeform drums. 'Cosmodanza' shuts down with soft acid lines lacing up a more dreamy groove.

Review: Shadow Child mints his new label TBC with a rave-ready release that taps into playful jungle influences with driving club rhythms that are likely to go down a storm over summer and beyond. Early support from heavyweights like Scuba, Horse Meat Disco and Gerd Janson mean you may have already heard some of these jams and also hint at the EP's broad appeal. Standout tracks are, well, all of them. 'The Street' is a nimble stepper with pruning basslines, 'In My Dreams' is a percussive fenny with another brilliantly old school low end, and an untitled gem brings rave-ready pianos and old school energy. 'Bubble' flips the script with a rugged bass-driven house workout.

Review: In January 2025, Al Wootton visited Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio, which is home to a rare archive of vintage drum machines. Once there, he recorded the unique rhythms and quirks of these machines and captured their raw character. Back in the UK, he transformed those recordings through processing and layering to create this new EP, Rhythm Archives. The result is a stripped-back but impactful exploration of rhythm that draws from industrial, dub, post-punk and proto-techno influences. The record stands as both a creative tribute to the iconic machines and their makers and a nod to MESS's mission of preserving electronic music heritage and making it accessible through public engagement and education.

Review: Adam Winchester and Laurie Osborne (probably still best known as Appleblim) are Wrecked Lightship and they have an inventive approach to dub, breaks and bass. Their work creates an immersive world full of rich, atmospheric textures and the latest example of that is Drained Strands, a new album for Peak Oil full of fragmented, genre-blurring sounds. The six-tracker is full of experimentation and new ideas from the off. 'Delinquent Spirits' for example is a jumble of jungle breaks and vast basslines with minimal percussion, 'Reeling Mist' is warm, blissed out dub and 'Somnium Sands' is an eerie and evocative world of synth designs and industrial decay.

Review: MCMLXV might be on your radar for its quality output in the realms of dub techno. This time out though it veers more towards club tackle and is less heavy on the dub via the work of label head JS Zeiter. 'Outline' stars in a deep, pensive groove with glistening hi-hats cutting up the smooth bass. 'Taken' is another mid-tempo plodder that comes alive with nice heady synth curlicues that add some scale. 'Navigate' keeps these serene vibes flowing with more deft and wispy pads colouring the rooted beats and 'Resistance' shuts down with more swaggering bass.