New releases last two weeks: Techno (All)

Review: Corsican label Isula Science drop a fresh brooder of previously unknown electro knowns, this time from label founder Flash FM alongside HDV, Sweely and Man/ipulate. Spanning vertiginous dark acid, then moving on through to dreamatic neon breakbeat and expedient Italo - 'Vol de nuit' especially makes signature use of a classic slap bass synth - they've got us entirely covered here. Enticing bumps in the night from the exquisitors.

Review: Techno tachyons Midi Mode, based in Ireland, provide a home for "warped and twisted" sounds and those who create them. After five vaporwave-tinged, reality-bending debut EPs from the likes of Ikeaboy and Power, they now present their very first selectors V/A EP on a gooey green wax edition. It's quite the assembly of Eireann techno royalty, with a host of seasoned players lead by probably the country's most esteemed DJ, Sunil Sharpe, as well as Kerrie and Wexford's Lee Holman. Quality is, naturally, at a consistently high label - with closer 'Phase-One' proving an especially computational, objectivist, mad, pitiless track.

Review: Detroit's Brian Kage is back with more Motor City goodness, this time as a remixer alongside a fine selection of peers. It is his Timeless Times album that gets reworked here and for his remix of 'Nordhouse' he works with fellow Detroiter and dub techno don Luke Hess to cook up a warm, shuffling sound. Elsewhere Delano Smith brings his signature smoky loops and plaintive keys to 'Detroit Techno City', Milton Jackson steps up with a buddy deep house roller and 'Galaxian' gets an electro remix from Max Watts to make this a classy, quality collection.

Review: The Martian's 'The Long Winter Of Mars' marks a triumphant return, celebrating 30 years since Red Planet 5's original release. This reissue spotlights two iconic tracks, each occupying a side of the EP, and serves as a potent reminder of Detroit's techno legacy. Side-1 features 'Skypainter,' a track that transports the listener to uncharted sonic territories. It's beautifully layered, with an emotional depth that keeps the energy constant from start to finish - Detroit techno at its most expressive. On Side-2, 'Season Of The Solar Wind' delivers a powerful punch. This track is a prime example of dynamic Detroit-style techno, with a rhythm that captures the raw energy and innovation that defined the genre. This reissue from Red Planet, Underground Resistance's legendary sublabel, is an essential piece for anyone who reveres the Detroit sound.

Review: The Martian's Ghostdancer, reissued by the iconic Red Planet label, is a true gem in the world of Detroit techno. This record radiates a warm, soulful funk, blending vintage Detroit sounds with a unique twist. Side-1 kicks off with 'Medicine Man,' a track steeped in classic Detroit vibes, followed by 'The Vanishing Race,' both tracks reflecting The Martian's mastery in crafting timeless techno. Side-2 brings an intriguing contrast. 'Windwalker' is an uplifting, jazzy piece that exudes happiness, while 'The Talking Rocks Of Mars' ventures into darker, rougher territory, offering a captivating divergence from the other tracks. This contrast on Side-2 highlights The Martian's exceptional production skills, showcasing both depth and versatility. As Red Planet begins reissuing its catalogue for the first time, Ghostdancer is set to be in high demand. For any Detroit techno enthusiast, this release is essential, a standout from one of the genre's most influential artists.

Review: In signature cinematic melodic techno style, Mind Against and Cay bring 'Cant U Hear Me / Trust', laying thick a hi-tech fusion of soulful house and synthetically squeezed sound-energy. The thrumming heartbeat of UK club culture is heart sifted through a harsh cyborg grate, reducing things to a metallurgic, pulmonary pulp. Crystalline percussion, cascading synths... 'Trust' makes particularly pristine use of untainted pluck design, with peaking plucks wriggling in the mid-high layer like buds on a mecha-euphoric flower (just look at that front cover).

Review: Urgent electro from adept producer and DJ Munir Nadir. His third outing for a new favourite label, the Italian outfit Odd One Tape, this sawtooth croaker is an especially squelchy dance record, drawing on tail ends of minimal techno and noughts electro house, and with perhaps a tad of skweee thrown in too. 'Give Me A Second' and 'Paratoxical' use conspicuous reverb tails and flex-gurgled vocals to spoken and spelt-out effect, while the B-side's 'Sniper' is as wilfully minimal and baleful as it gets, working in a monster of a ghostly vocal underbeat. Finally, 'Flying Ladder' rounds off on a matchingly minimal euphorizer in the 4x4 vein.

Review: Coorreente Belgium delivers a compelling slice of modern techno with 'Interlink', a four-track compilation that dives deep into rhythmic exploration and sci-fi atmospheres. Each cut offers a unique perspective, yet together they create an excellent and cohesive experience. Orbe's 'Jaxa' kicks things off with a spacey, melodic groove. The track's sci-fi techno aesthetic is underscored by rhythmic intricacies, creating a sense of forward momentum through the cosmos. It sets the tone with a blend of dreamlike melodies and pulsing beats. 'Refraction' by PTTRNRCRRNT follows, venturing into tribal territory with creative, off-kilter rhythms. Alien-esque warning sounds weave through the mix, adding a sense of unease and mystery that keeps listeners on edge. On Side-2, Deluka's 'Axis' plunges into subterranean techno with a deep, hypnotic vibe. Elements of trance filter through crisp production, guiding the listener on a spacey, introspective journey that feels both grounded and ethereal. Jorge Flukso's 'Synaptic' closes the EP with a nod to classic underground techno. Its dynamic, brooding build recalls the raw energy of Surgeon's warehouse bangers. The track's evolving layers and relentless drive create a late-night atmosphere perfect for dark, crowded dance floors. 'Interlink' is a well-curated snapshot of techno's diverse spectrum, balancing the cerebral and the physical with finesse. If you are one that thinks techno has been over-saturated the last decade and that there is no good techno coming out anymore then I would check this EP out.

Review: Across five tracks, Belgium's own Phara lifts the lid on a formerly sealed jar's worth of feeling, indulging a new outlet for much of the same ideas explored his longer-standing alias In Glass. Here dub techno atmospherics riffle against the vitrine pulse of his main alias; 'Unfold' builds patiently, layering filtered pads and gently rising energy, while 'Flow' rides a rip-tidal groove and seafoamy chords. 'Wave To Wave' drifts out yonder to early techno terra firma, while 'Solitude' prefers a sixteenthy chord teething. Phara's evolution is patent - always in dialogue with his roots, yet never static.

Review: UK-based Jules von Daniken is Phase O'Matic and he takes charge of the third outing from Reheat with his typically assured hand. 'Access Denies (K9 mix)' is warped cyborg tech with gremlins in machines, gurgling acid and flat, firm drums making for a marching beat. 'Plastic Memory' has a more electro-feel to it with some snappy kick and hits retro 80s synth nostalgia. 'Recollect' is a sci-fi techno stomper with reverb-heavy bass and 'There's More Of Them Than There Is Of Us' closes with another intergalactic techno sound that comes from a distant planet with rueful pads and chugging low ends.

Review: Priori's 'Pareidolia' EP proved a big hit so it makes sense that the Midgar label now drops a selection of remixes of it. The hi-fidelity master Forest Drive West delivers two remixes, including one mesmerising half-time twist up of 'Hazard' and a more slow, wonderfully murky techno workout. Montreal's Maara transforms 'Memory Palace' into a dub techno delight that will have you floating above the floor while Notte Infinita adds a seductive drum & bass vibe to the title track. Last but not least, Amsterdam's Upsammy brings a typically innovative and playful touch that makes 'Glass Shards' a lively rhythmic workout.

Review: Lisbon's Hubble Recordings present their sixth release so far, keeping firm to their artist-specific EPs approach following brilliant releases from Kaesar, Costin RP, Miroloja, Octave and Alex Pervukhin. The latest is from tech house hurler Sublee aka Stefan Nicu, whose flight-booking impulse is as strong as ever, here having stopped over from far-flung Romania. After a string of both digital and vinyl stopovers, 'Personal Universal' appears as the pendular follow-up to 2024's Rawax debut 'Simple Two', bringing hugely doubled vocal cantata to a fervent acid build on the title track, while ensuers 'Simple One' and 'Laculesdesample' bring fidgety synth double bass and unorthodox percussions. A personal universe we'd never want to leave!

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.

Review: Dan Piu and Grant's Theory of Movement project has served up gold for lovers of heady tech and minimal. After something of a hiatus, it is now back on When The Morning Comes with more of the sort of tuneage that is going to quickly sell out and soon become the ID request du jour at your favourite underground parties. These are of course sophisticated sounds from the silky house bumps of 'Now & Then' with its seductive vocal allure to the throwback 90s sounds of 'Over Time' (Acid Mix). 'Basis' (Foundation mix) is another immediately classic house sound with analogue and dusty drums and zippy melodies next to more smooth chords. 'Motion Of Objects' shuts down with a more zoned-out vibe and widescreen melodic architecture for late nights.

Review: Passing Currents aims to stand out from the predictable by offering a deeply human touch in its music. This five-tracker backs that up by melding academic expertise with dancefloor intuition and the A-side features txted by Phil Moffa remixed by Yamaha DSP coder okpk after they met during doctoral studies, they flip technical mastery into bass-driven energy while Atrevido' fuses California warmth with analogue electro, Josh Dahlberg's rediscovered 2009 electro gem, 'Ass On The Floor', still bangs and Detroit's Kevin Reynolds delivers hypnotic grooves before Hazmat Live pushes boundaries with a sound rooted in soulful, experimental innovation.

Review: Underground Resistance reissue 'The Final Frontier', one of many lesser-spotted records to emerge from the many subterranean bore-holes they'd dug under Detroit, pre-1995. Produced under the UR namesake by the momentarily errant Mad Mike Banks, 'The Final Frontier' opens with a titular acid skipper, not long before a mathematically-minded ascender *avant la lettre*, 'Entering Quadrant Five', hears blooping, arpy, archic counterpoints arise, layer on layer, as if we'd taken flight aboard a starship, and now find ourselves accelerating against the flow of a cosmic cataract. The B offers a vision of meanwhile, beaming us down to 'Base Camp Alpha 808', which hears a comparatively Promethean fusion of hand drum and drum machine.