Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Watergate, the cult Berlin club known for its riverside location and legendary LED ceiling above the dancefloor, is also a reputable tech house label that deals in fresh names only. Here it is 8Kays that makes a debut with Falling Down, a selection of superb collaborations including 'Matematica' with Glowal which is tense and electric tech with indie vocals and with Juan Hansen he cooks up the medically hopeful 'Falling Down' which then gets two remixes. Colyn & Beswerda make it into a moody and deep groove, Chris Avantgarde brings some peak time prog energy and solo cut 'Lyra' has a warm, paddy broken beat to cruise on through the stars.

Review: Legendary label Le Disque celebrates its 35th Anniversary with this new various artists EP offering up the sort of sumptuous sounds it is so well known for. Cosmic legend Daniele Baldelli gets first with the driving Italo techno-disco of 'Promeni' while GNMR bangs the box with his leggy 909 drum pings and heady synth swirls on 'Modulo Rmx Downtempo V1.' On the flip, Tagliabue's 'Sogno Cosmico' is a deep and pulsing techno cut that roams at a slower tempo but is no less effective, then Simone Bauer's 'Gigantomachia' is a hyperactive and cutting edge rhythm piece that never sits still and is dark as you like in its ritualistic dance manoeuvres.

Review: Nation of Jak offshoot Dirty Blends was established by label chief Melvin Oliphant as a vehicle for "interpretations" and "homages" - in plain-speak hush-hush reworks, tribute tracks and those that sample liberally. The label's latest release is a compilation of sorts, featuring as it does cuts from a trio of artists. The Falcon steps up first with title track 'Sound The Alarm', a raw, jacking, bouncy and positive mind-melding blend of lo-fi synth stabs, sweat-soaked beats, fire alarm noises and restless drum machine fills. Over on side B, Grizzly Knuckles' 'Mad Bell' - a breathless, house tempo techno workout built around a nagging synth-bell loop - is followed by label regular The Jak's 'Aftermath', which sits somewhere between jacking lo-fi techno, UK funky and stab-happy Soca-house.

Review: Jason Garcia, A Garcia, and M Kretsch all get the nod on this new 'Family Values EP from the Cryovca label. The techno trip finds some superb common ground in uncommon sounds here with 'Stuck In Purgatory' kicking off in urgent fashion with bumping rubbery drums and eerie pads. 'Iichabod' then slips into deep and rolling dub techno territory and 'Rock The Dance Bah' brings some playful bass guitar loops to a snappy rhythm. 'Stillgar' shows yet another look - gritty, subterranean techno full of suspenseful pads. There is plenty of real innovation across these four fantastic cuts.

Review: Dima Gastroler delivers a potent blend of heavy techno drums and dynamic acid lines here while also expressing his reflections on global imbalances through his music. Mixing up melody, emotion, and ambiguity, Gastroler's sound is a tribute to classic electronic music that melds vintage equipment with contemporary production techniques. With a penchant for experimentation and transcending genre boundaries, Gastroler prioritizes the emotional resonance of his compositions. For him, music is a medium to evoke genuine feelings and emotions, driving his creative process beyond mere sonic exploration. To sum up - emotive techno with vintage vibes.

Review: The most sought-after release from the entire Sounds catalogue, Gemini and Unit T's 1995 release, 'Sideburns', finally gets a much-needed reissue. A1 track, 'Trip', is a prime example of deep house if there ever was one. An infectious, encircling melody meets the deep groove of the bassline to create a finished product that is in equal measure sun-soaked and cosmic. 'B Trip', the A2 track, is a gloriously shifted, off-beat reimagining of A1, pummeling percussion reverberates across the track, left alone to enjoy moments where everything is stripped back, before the body of the track returns. On the B-side, 'Mystery Tones' arrives with the kind of groove that instantly makes its way across dancefloors - a unifying track that feels precise in its simplicity, whilst still retaining exactly the right degree of looseness to get a crowd moving. This is a must-have record for any deep house aficionados, and you can now save yourself the hefty Discogs price tag!

Review: Russian label Samizdat follows up its notable first release with a second 12", this time from Genning. It is classy and sophisticated outing all the way with this one as opener 'Stair To The Sky's Rooftop' soon sets you off on a trip to the stars with its slick rhythms and glistening celestial chords. 'Window To The Dub' follows more of a tech house template with loopy drums and bass that rumble up and down and 'Summer Lighting' then zones you out on some lovely pads and frictionless drums. Last off all is 'Mystic Lakes' which takes off on balmy pads and plump, cuddly but dynamic drums.

Review: Drumcode's Elevate series hits a third instalment here and this time it is a three tracker with solo cuts from three big names. Tini Gessler kicks off with 'Nothing Expected' which is a teeth-gritting and white knuckle techno roller. Marie Vaunt serves up monstrously large and slamming kicks on 'Technology' and then runs them through with brutal synth lines that spray about with their own dark energy. It's a truly edgy cut before BEC's 'Humanoid' layers up hard tech drums that slam down firmly with a warped lead which leads you late into the night. A trio of high impact weapons, for sure.

Review: We're always going to be down for some scuzzy, noisy, filth techno from the brutalist school of thinking. And Ghosts in The Machine serves up exactly that here on this brown marbled vinyl 12 for Genosha Basic's 9th outing. 'Just A Dream' is powered by hard-ass drum stomps with big walls of synth texture and blizzard-like pads up top. 'Somebody's Dream' is a linear head wrecker that grows in intensity and 'Uncut Scorpion' is back to angry techno stomping that is for the 3am teeth clenchers. 'Liquid Surrender' is out to trap you in its viscous loops and never let you go.

Review: The Remodel label is back with a second in its series and another four chapters from another fine selection of contemporary underground talents. We don't know who is behind which track here but we do know it's a limited pressing so move fast if you want to snap up the deep rolling and moody techno of 'Chapter 5' which gets things underway. 'Chapter 6' then gets more raw and lumpy, with woody hits and heady drum rotations locking you in before 'Chapter 7' takes you up amongst the stars with more trippy cosmic keys and floats pads, then 'Chapter 8' rounds out with more dark, subterranean techno moodiness.

Review: The small but already well-formed Innate label offers up a superb split EP for its sixth outing. Gilbert opens up with 'Low Flying Objects', a widescreen and serene bit of synth-laden tendon with more than a hint of Motor City soul over the dusty drums. 'Unknown Entities' is a brain-cleansing and celestial electro-styled cut with dreamy pads and cinematic deepness. Bristol-born, Welsh-rooted Owain K then steps up to the flip with equally painterly sounds. 'Corona Borealis' pairs deep and rubbery bass with crisp electro drum patterns and far-sighted chords. 'New Horizon' then closes out with some delightfully dozy deep house that's laden with wispy chords and undulating bass.

Review: Ellen Allien's label BPitch is one of Europe's finest and surely one of the most prominent labels to be headed up by any of the women in the scene. It is Gotshell behind this last 12" on the Berlin mainstay with four cuts of dark, artful techno from the Columbian that mark a welcome return to the label. He navigates between chaos and tranquility, blending disparate sonic elements seamlessly across the tracks starting with 'Forest,' which kicks off with misty dissonances and psychedelic pads over a driving kick drum. 'Who I Am' ventures into dubstep territory with echoey vocals and airy synths. 'Fluctuacion Paralela' delves into ambient realms, while 'Acid and Die' explores harsh acid coils. Sintaxis showcases Gotshell's unique aesthetic expertly.

Review: A label's first release is always a big one which hints at what to expect in the long term and for that reason Introspective debuts with this new five track compilation. They say that "Instinctive Senses is a compilation focusing on precise and cutting sonorities." We say it is a fresh techno offering with plenty of interesting details. Grafin drops 'Vespers' which is tightly looped and quick as hell then SDB & B2 get more dark, heavy and gritty on the twisted 'Reunite.' The flip side kick off with more rough and ready hard edged techno from Specific Objects, sleek tribal loops from Versus on 'Those Things' and Nano Rinnegato gets paranoid and revs up the sirens on 'Ghetto K.'

Review: Organic Analogue makes it to double figures with a sublime new split EP from HVL and Gacha Bakradze. The A-side is opened up with 'Infinitesimal', a stripped back and icy bit of minimal dub techno, then 'AgneffC01' gets more rhythmically physical with scattered beats and hits and 'Collective Genius' is tense, kinetic techno with a real sense of paranoia. 'Routes' is the first B-side joint with Gacha Bakradze bringing some direct but economical drum machine grooves under meticulous percussion and then 'Chain' layers smeared cosmic pads with twitchy details and 'Widow' ends with a heavy heart. No wonder, then, that a host of eminent DJs like Ben UFO are all over it.

Review: Mole Audio is a new label that kicks off with Andy Martin ft. Gavsborg's 'Plato & Caves' and some serious remixes of it which drill back to the origins of the dubstep sound. The featured guest here is a massive name in the Jamaican dancehall scene and a sample of his voice was the starting point for this cut. It has his full approval and is a renegade rhythm with real bounce, as is the Nit Yardman version. Dub War's legendary Bill Fuller steps up to remix fist on the flip then comes a dubby and minimalist house version from Martin to round out a solid first EP from this label.

Review: Just in time for Valentine's Day, System 108 from the Netherlands marks eight years of business with Eight Years Of Love Pt 1, a superb 12" packed with fresh house sounds from across the spectrum. Simple Symmetry & Lord Fascinator open up with 'The Search Continues', a thumping acid laced tech house cut with indie vocals while Cream Soda bring twitchy electronics and amped up drums. There's electroclash-style rawness from Kovyazin D, Lipelis & Cosmic G explore a more celestial sound that will place you amongst the heavens and Gleb Filipchenkow shuts down with slow, elastic, acid laced gurgles on his 'Mieux La' (feat Ode).