DJS: MOST CHARTED - TECHNO - MOST CHARTED IN AUGUST 2013

Review: With their first team-up on Wild Oats still on heavy rotation, the Funkinevil pairing of Kyle Hall and FunkinEven return for another quartet of tracks combining some of the finest young minds of Detroit and London. Following an arpeggiated intro that sets the scene with its vocoder vignette, "Ignorant" provides a heavy-set piece of machine funk with some serious swing in its step; "In The Grid" meanwhile injects some serious Motor City soul into proceedings with a combination of sweeping pads and raw drum machine beats, leading into the enveloping analogue wash of "Outro". More fire from the Funkinevil guys - don't sleep.

Review: Paradise sees minimal Detroit techno icon Robert Hood exploring the Floorplan concept in more expansive style. The Floorplan project was founded in the mid '90s, as Hood looked to merge his minimalist approach with elements of house, disco, funk and gospel. Explored intermittently over a six year period, Hood put it to one side and it was a reissue of the Floorplan debut by Rush Hour that inspired him to revisit the project in 2011, scoring a bonafide gem in "We Magnify His Name". Explored in album format here, Paradise is a mixture of all new material and tracks culled from these recent M Plant 12" releases, lending the album a sense of continuity. It's all the more impressive when you consider the fact Hood's been releasing one highly conceptual album a year since 2009.

Review: Madwoman makes for a suitably chaotic Downwards debut from William Bennett's Cut Hands project. Bennett has been making music as Cut Hands since 2011, introducing the world to the project with the album Afro Noise I, a confrontational record that joined the dots between African rhythms, the percussive minimalism of Steve Reich and the industrial techno of Regis. Last year saw Cut Hands grace the like-minded Blackest Ever Black with Black Mamba, a two track 12" that was the precursor to a second album of the same name released later in 2012 on Bennett's own Susan Lawly label. Having featured on Karl O'Connor's label previously in the form of a remix of fellow sonic terrorist Russell Haswell, Madwoman fits right in with the current Downwards direction; the title track is a particularly potent example of the point where industrial music and techno merge chaotically.

Review: That steely girder of crisp techy grooves Mr G is back on Rekids, except this time he's reaching into his sizable back catalogue to serve up some old gems on a chunky reissue compilation. This 12" deals in just three such jams compared to the 21 on the CD, but as you would expect they're three essential cuts from a master of heads down DJ-friendly bombs. "Songs For My Cantor" is the deeper of the selections, dealing in ambient pads and keys in a positively dreamy context, while "Lights (G Out Dub)" heads straight for the jugular with some filtered heat treated house. "Moments" is equally fiery, although more hooked on an insistent loop refrain for its own brand of dancefloor dynamite.

Review: Following essential cuts from Jared Wilson, Marquis Hawkes, Vernon and O.D.D, Dixon Avenue Basement Jams present their first various artists release, the self-explanatory DABJ Allstars Vol 1. Two unheralded names share the billing for this one, TX Connect and CT Trax; the former delivers "TX Acid", a tuff 303 jam for sweaty basements, and "Ghetto 972", a slamming piece of house with its eye on the more raucous end of the 90s, while CT Trax presents "Redline", a driving techno belter filled with phased synths, and the standout "Jack Attack", which distils classic Dance Mania down to its most primal rhythmic elements. Probably the most ferocious missive from the Buckfast loving crew yet - essential!

Review: Special Request was launched in earnest in March of last year by Woolford as a creative outlet for "vinyl only releases with no boundaries", and has drawn from a palette of booming basslines and expertly edited classic rave breaks across the four 12" releases thus far. The Hardcore EP sees him stepping up to Fabric's Houndstooth label in advance of a full album later this year, and it's just as rude as the material thus far; "Wall To Wall" sees Woolford adopting a techno framework, with evil vocal samples rattling between heavy, bouncing kicks, and "Broken Dreams" sees more rambunctious jungle, with heavily filtered breaks and clattering snare rolls tethered to a hardcore bassline. The remixes don't mess about either; Anthony Naples turns in a spectral remix of "Mindwash" that keeps the rhythmic ferocity but somehow makes it maudlin and downbeat, while Lee Gamble reworks "Capsules" in a highly experimental, tripped out end of the night style. Big recommendation on this one...

Review: Hakim Murphy and Ike Release have had an impressive year thus far as Innerspace Halflife, dropping some worthy releases for French labels Latency and Syncrophone and now the Chicago duo arrive on the Skudge White operation. Founded by Swedish duo Skudge in an effort to unearth fresh and undiscovered talent, the label has done just that thus far scoring twelves from rising Swedish pair Fishermen and English Sebastien Tellier look-a-like Koehler. Whilst Innerspace Halflife's discography arguably means they can't really be viewed as 'undiscovered', the Chicago pair don't really get the public props their output merits. The four tracks on their 1000 Years Of Acid show why they're so under-rated, traversing Detroit influenced house, techno and electro, while dabbling with '90s rave basslines and sequenced drum machines programmed to the duo's rhythmical and home grown Chicago jack.

Review: With the 303-heavy sounds of their "Paris Dub 1" still ringing in our ears from last summer, the anonymous Paranoid London outfit return with the fifth release on their eponymous imprint, aptly named Transmission 5. Once again hooking up with vocalist Mutado Pintado, the track sees a sinister spoken word vocal laid over a subtle acid line, complete with raw drum machine manoeuvres, while the flip sees a straight instrumental. Stripped back, but deadly as the last - don't sleep on this one...

Review: Founded last year, Anthony Parasole's label The Corner has seemingly not been content with sticking to one style thus far, covering deep house from DJ Qu, hip-hop from Nor'Easter, and techno from Parasole himself, Phil Moffa and a recent industrial turn from Shawn O'Sullivan. This latest releases sees the label return to the deeper echelons of the East Coast underground with the BQE EP from the man Fred P which fits in with The Corner ethos by covering a variety of styles. Opening track "Splitting Particles" is the most surprising cut here, running through robust, hi-resolution techno of the Ostgut Ton variety, though the improvised keys of "Tube Compression", hypnotic backdrop of "Storm Clouds" and mid-tempo bounce of "State Of No State" will please dedicated fans of Peterkin's style.

Review: Until now, FunkinEven's Apron imprint has been used solely as an outlet for the Eglo artist's own productions/edits, chief amongst them the beautifully wrapped Chips & Sweets 12" from last year. Sometimes talent is too good to pass up and FunkinEven's opened the Apron stable to welcome the unheralded production chops of 19 year old Miami based producer Greg Beato. This three track release presents Beato as the latest US producer to join the Stateside ranks of grimy hardware house exponents and it makes complete sense that he's also been lined up for a release on LIES later this year. Lead cut "Respect The 78" sees crunchy kicks rain down on heavily filtered arpeggios and thunderous synths, whilst "Let Em Know" rips right into a powerful locked groove that occasionally feels like it's tripping over itself. Final track "3" heads down the abstract Motor City techno route and feels as vital as anything to have come from the likes of Naples, Huerco S or Delroy Edwards in recent months.

Review: ** REPRESS ** Forbidden Planet launched in fine fashion last month, securing some original material from Nation and Creme artist D'Marc Cantu that was complemented well by an accompanying remix from DVS-1. The Montreal label demonstrate they are equally capable of uncovering unheralded talent with this second release from the rather search engine unfriendly Breaker 1 2. Allegedly hailing from Florida, Breaker 1 2 seems inspired to use the same lo fi house template of his fellow North American contemporaries but take it to a much weirder place. Lead track "2" is the straightest production here, despite the unpredictable hi hats that skitter throughout and it doesn't quite prepare for where Breaker 1 2 goes on the flip. The synth tone that roars into action on "DMT" is an unexpected delight whilst "Estonia" mutates swiftly from hazy insouciance into full on dark room techno.

Review: Continuing his foray into the pitiless world of pitch-black techno, Oscar Mulero brings the pressure on this latest EP for Developer's Modularz imprint, stepping up to the label's remit for forward-thinking industrial styles. "Rotula" falls slow and heavy, somehow achieving grace even as the unforgiving bottom end thuds out and the hats shudder with nervous energy. Truncate brings a remix that plies a more compacted trade in cyclical techno, less booming but more pointed than the original. On the flip, Mulero's "Transversal" does the damage with a scant list of ingredients, largely dominated by a stuttering square wave bass stab bringing the doom to great effect, while Sleeparchive reacts with a version that brings everything you could want from a Sleeparchive cut; a bleak soundscape devoid of human warmth with a central bleep the only source of light.

Review: Pennyroyal's fourth release sees label owner Untold call upon two of the UK's most seasoned techno producers in Ben Sims and Paul Mac. The two make their full debut as Fokus Group, who to date have the one credit to their name with a remix of Mark Ambrose's Floorplan-esque "Shooting Stars". File the four track self-titled EP under party techno, as it sees Sims and Mac match the rigid techno force of Pennyroyal's previous releases, while also incorporating the label's signature bass and rave aesthetic.

Review: Over his long and prolific career, Eduardo De La Calle has released for many disparate labels - Restoration, Modularz and even Cadenza - alongside his own Analog Solutions imprint. Now he makes the logical step to Semantica, bringing his minimalist brand of techno to Svreca's label; as is to be expected, De La Calle brings some of his trippiest, most hypnotic material to bear on the Rather Than Deep EP. "Stripped Denominator" comes with a bewildering array of blips and scuffed, offbeat hi-hats, while "Skeletalism" rolls forward with a subdued urgency. "Reliable Sources" elects to let pure tone do the work, with a quavering nasal lead and pushed along on a steadily surging bass, but it's "Quasi-calligraphic" that delivers the EP's killer moment, with a pitched house-inspired chord and rubbery stabs combining to make a track that sounds like Maurizio on downers.

Review: Had it not been for Prime Numbers there's every chance the world would have never seen the unlikely combination of Fred P remixing UK techno maximum Truss. In his remix, Fred P changes the drums to something more rolling and a drapes thick layer of filter over Truss' "Redbrook" - creating something typically deep and ethereal in comparison to the original. XDB supplies a murky, yet silky smooth remix to Massimo Di Lena's "You Better Hear", again taken from the PN17 EP. XDB does away with the original's vocal and makes the gurgle acid line the focus of his remix, mellowing things even further by introducing lighter chords and ambient pads.

Review: Brooklyn's Mister Saturday Night has been in operation for little over a year, and in that time that confounded all expectations with their varied roster and ability to uncover fresh new talent. Locally sourced Hank Jackson is the latest such producer, arriving with a rough and ready sound which sounds ever rawer than Anthony Naples' Moscato offering, referencing the kinds of sounds coming from L.I.E.S. and Opal Tapes. Lead track "Deposit" sees mucky acid-style synths buried under a built-up layer of grit, held together with little more than an insistent cowbell, while "Cole's Lullaby" is even more left of centre, consisting of little more than experimental synth tones forced through cheap distortion. "Shave" offers possibly the straightest track here, but it's still got the kind of kick drum driving its combination of thrift store percussion and rabid synths that Delroy Edwards would be jealous of.

Review: Swedish producer Abdulla Rashim has steadily been building a name for himself thanks to his impressive stream of self-released output and releases for Prologue and Concrete Music, and on the Alem Maya EP it's easy to see why. With a style that blends the monochromatic style of Sandwell District with the tribal percussive feel of Shackleton, "Alem Maya 1" manages that rare feat of creating linear techno with just the right amount of swing. "2" adopts a tougher approach, with steel-clad bass pushing minimal beats forward, while "3" continues along the same trajectory, with stacked layers of rigid percussion creating all manner of hypnotic effects.

Review: After some minor delays Klockworks celebrates its tenth release by introducing Ukrainian artist Etapp Kyle to the label. It's the young producer's first vinyl offering and it's likely he'll enjoy a similar spotlight of exposure to that of DVS1 did he debuted on Ben Klock's imprint. The title track "Astra" sees melodic arpeggios bleep over a solid four-four kick drum as a 909 drum machine is used percussively as much as it is atmospherically. Kyle keeps things tonal in "Drama" adding a subtle dubby edge, while "Aurora" sounds like a chime-filled take of Ben Klock's most defining tracks "Pulse" and "Subzero". Kyle caps his homage to Berghain's most famous DJ with more sweet blips and tough-loving drums that are surrounded by a crackling ambience in "Prizma".

Review: Berlin based internet TV station Studio r- expand operations with the launch of an eponymously titled label that aims to further disseminate their efforts to document modern club culture. Initial plans for the label centre around a series of split releases on vinyl pairing established names with rising talents and Studio r- have pitched it just right on their debut release. The A Side features a pair of New York to Berlin transplants in the shape of Fred P and Eric Cloutier, whilst the flip looks to bubbling electronic scene in Eastern Europe housing productions from well-regarded Russian talents Anton Kubikov and Korablove. Obviously the presence of Fred P is the big draw here and his cut "Moving Systems" is a wonderfully grainy slab of dub techno, but it's matched by what follows. Cloutier for example offers up his debut production "Adytum" and you can tell his years behind the decks at NYC club The Bunker have played some part in his new direction, whilst on the flip Kubikov offers a wonderfully smudged slice of deep house in "Jan4Bg". His compatriot Korablove signals a change in tempo to round out the record with the stuttering 6/4 beatdown of "Sea Son".

Review: Chris Mitchell returns to Plan B Recordings and does so with remixes from label bosses DJ Spider and Dakini9. An obese sine wave marks its territory from the very start of "Drone Warz", as insect synths turbulently buzz, hum and screech around the tracks flustered arrangement. DJ Spider swats the majority of the original's insect noises from his mix, keeping the one buzzing march fly trapped in a booming web of industrial sonics. On the flip Mitchell does away with bluster and focuses on maintaining a deeper groove in "E Must Go", which he lightens with a funky bassline. Dakini9's remix is stripped back - no funky bass - only she does add some cosmic pads of her own.

Review: Time To Express usher in the final instalment in their trilogy of Reciever remix 12"s themed around Pete Van Hoesen's excellent Perceiver LP, with Marcel Fengler and Neel stepping up and nonchalantly maintaining the standards set by Messrs Dozzy, SCB, Sigha and Phase. Adopting a reduced principle , Berghain resident has remixed "Inspection In Solitude" dropping swarming, buzzing riffs over a sinewy groove that gets right under your skin. In contrast to the ambient textural nature of Donato Dozzy's previously released remix, his Voices In The Lake cohort Neel offers a gradually building, densely filtered reshape of "Objects from the Past" that gets more intense with every few bars.