Review: Pleasure Zone continues to be an inspiring force in the European minimal tech house scene, and they've really pulled the stops out with this essential new release from Boutiq.808 and Tom Marvin. We're not hip to who these cats are, but their music says it all as they skip through snappy rhythms and bold synth forms with the kind of flair you might find on a Spacetravel record. If you appreciate your quirky minimal played out with a live immediacy and some of that Perlon-esque sauce, this record will be well up your street.
Review: Astonishingly, 18 years has now passed since Gilles Aiken - probably more celebrated these days for his work under the alternate Desert Sky alias - first offered up off-kilter tech-house tracks as Edward. Last year, he impressed with a wonderfully deep and unctuous EP on deep house imprint Smallville; here, he makes his bow on another must-check label, Kalahari Oyster Cult. In keeping with the imprint's love of all things trippy and otherworldly, opener 'Tentacle' sees him wrap chiming lead lines, psychedelic synth motifs, weird noises and layers of percussion to a chunky, locked-in house groove. Aiken then goes off piste via a skewed, druggy and at times dreamy tech-house remix of Trybet's 'Moodsetter'. Arguably best of all though is impossible-to-pigeonhole flip-side 'Dr Octo', which is immersive, unsettling, tactile and eccentric in equal measure.
Review: Berlin's Exit Strategy began their 12"s game releasing EPs in browned sleeves, shortly before branching out into digital-vinyl combo releases with original artwork in the 2020s. Now with over ten years of experience under their belts, they welcome five new artists for a playful bricolage in deep and minimal techno, privileging elite, razor-sharp additive sound design and future-soulful vocal tasters. Ivory's opener 'Rain' epitomises this, while Jimi Jules squelchifies the same formula, and Aera's 'Future Holdings' rolls out the same logic to its ultimate conclusion, veering towards complex, 3D-graphic melodic techno composed entirely of climbing saws.
Review: Cologne's Hoove label makes a welcome return here with more fresh and contemporary house offerings from a range of interesting names. The always reliable Kolter is up first with 'U Make Me Feel' - a nice and inviting, well swung and mid tempo tech cut with some astral pads. J. Feierabend & Rami's 'OK, Captain!' is just as smooth a cruise through space and Thalo Santana then offers something a little different with a more drum led sound - 'Duradura' has pristine kicks and snares with incidental melodies unfurling up high. D&J's lovely 90s throwback deep house sound 'So We Danced' might be the best of the lot.
Kirill Matveev - "Never Losing That Track" (Genning remix) (7:00)
Tm Shuffle - "Artist" (6:00)
Nicolas Barnes - "Outro" (7:50)
Review: MixCult Records' latest release offers an atmospheric journey through deep and dub techno, featuring standout artists like Eric Louis, Kirill Matveev, Genning, TM Shuffle and Nicolas Barnes. Eric Louis's 'Voice Memo' opens the compilation with a haunting blend of soft bass pulses and ethereal vocals, setting a reflective tone. Kirill Matveev's 'Never Losing That Track (Genning Remix)' layers sweeping synths over a driving beat, creating a euphoric yet wistful energy that's perfect for early-morning dancefloors. On the B-side, TM Shuffle's 'Artist' dives into the dub techno world, its solid groove grounding listeners. Nicolas Barnes wraps things up with 'Outro', an ambient masterpiece that fades into introspective calm.
3lias, Erick Navas, Clock Poets, Nagual - "Good Not So Bad" (10:06)
Triptease & Greg Paulus - "Dreg Gong" (7:25)
Fabrizio Siano - "Indahood" (5:49)
Review: Bulgarian crew We Or Us have assembled a fine various artists release here for their next 12". 'L'interpretazione Dei Sogni' features an opening cut from The Mole in the form of the loose -limbed 'Groovy Foodbag. 3lias, Erick Navas, Clock Poets & Nagual all combine for the brilliant 'Good Not So Bad' which is gritty minimal tech house, and Triptease & Greg Paulus offer the more organic depths of 'Dreg Gong' which is all busted bass and muffled vocal swirls. Fabrizio Siano's 'Indahoo' shuts down with some wonky rhythms invention, spooky spoken words and DIY percussive details.
Review: Blackmarket is a New York party that has always led from the front and been a rare underground haven for threads. The label reflects that similar mindset and here label boss Taimur and long-time Costa Rican friend Artro link up for a four-track techno trip. 'Know Your Friends (Vox)' is a percussive workout with sinewy synths reaching into the cosmos. There is more low-end heft to 'Machina' which is weighty and dubby. A second version of 'Know Your Friends' is surging and metallic and last of all 'Elements' brings a touch of high-speed funk to a techno framework.
Review: Anonymous label Tartan kicks off with two tracks that should pique the interest of anyone who seeks out unusual swerves to spice up their DJ sets. On the A side, 'Took My Heart Away' fuses uncanny sounds from rolling thunder to South Asian vocals, strapped to a brooding beat that should be compatible with the chugging crowd. On the flip, 'Sun' nudges up the tempo a touch and spaces things out considerably, creating a swirling deepest techno mood which might well herald the odd sunrise given half a chance.
Review: Shut Off Notice welcomes Teakup - a local Columbus, Ohio DJ and producer born Lauri Reponen and known for his stylish techno - for a second outing on the label. 'Forest Bed Moss' kicks off with dusty mid-tempo breaks and deep basslines full of soul, while 'Mhm' is a mechanical groove with dubby undertones and nice chopped vocals. 'Rain Groove Revisit' is a deep, percolating and stumbling rhythm with a smattering of percussion and bubbly feel infused with cooing female vocals. Finally, Teakup remixes Rew's 'Fragile Abundance' into a deft and lithe minimal dub for the small hours. Sophisticated stuff once more from Teakup.
Review: Columbus, Ohio DJ, producer and scene instigator Teakup aka Lauri Reponen is back with another EP that follows in the footsteps of local forefathers such as Titonton Duvante, Archetype and Todd Sines. His music blends perfectly the sounds of UKG, breaks, minimal and techno both past and present. 'Signal 23' is a quick-stepping dub tech cut with clipped and funky drum programming while 'Valve' is more rhythmically loose and playful in its elastic approach. 'Felopzd' has tightly wound melodic motifs and clattering percussion over a glitchy but swinging beat and 'Pad Thai Mystic' (feat Foi Oi Oi) closes out with some tense late-night minimalism.
Review: The word Teakup conjures up a most polite British image of sipping on a warm brew from one's finest china. There is nothing quite so charming about this third EP from the label of that name, however: it is deep and dubby techno to start with as 'Pillar of Light' layers up elastic bass and tightly stacked rums into a high-pressure wedge of body music. 'Interpreter' is a little more busy and frantic with more kinetic drums and squelchy synths while 'Plasma' also locks you in and closer 'Various Round Shapes' is another perfect reduced dub techno concoction with glitchy hits and deft pads all some flair. A tasty EP indeed.
Dusty Rugs (feat John Camp - Silverlining Swung dub) (6:58)
Dusty Rugs (feat John Camp - H Foundation remix) (7:25)
Review: Theoretical Speed is an alias of Ryan Crosson, the long time Detroit underground mainstay who runs this label and has always operated at the vanguard. This EP again finds him joining the dots between Detroit and Berlin with opener 'Take Me to Bed and Mix Me Forever' featuring a trademark Visionquest vocal with deep roaming sub bass. 'Dusty Rugs' is rich with cascading keys played by John Camp as the drums bump and hints of Thomas Melchior shine through. Underground veteran Silverlining serves up a 'Swung Dub' on the flip side while H-Foundation also put their signature stamp on another 'Dusty Rugs' remix.
Review: Satoshi Tomiie and Tomoki Tamura present their latest EP 'Dream Sketches' for Berlin's Abstract Architecture label. A surreal blend of rattling dub echoes and beat crabs, the pair are seen sat in a recollective room of strange patterns, their skin greyed but facial expressions confident, matching the uncanniness of the EP, littered with both sonic funky foliage and dubious demurrals. 'Dream Sketches' and 'Bounce 60' sound like CAD explosions transposed into abstract sonic space, but theirs is an impossible architectural project, which makes cool noises nonetheless. 'Lost Keys' and 'Bahnhof 120' do rigidify things somewhat, but do not lose that trademark surrealism, that sense of jank.
Review: Canada-born, US-based Topology aka April Terry continues to carve out dark underground minimal sounds with this new single on VRNT. 'Vika' is a melange of ghostly vocal whispers and dreamy ambient pads, sci-fi sound designs and icy-cold hi-hats. The drums keep time with a hefty thud and make this one perfect afterparty tackle. The Maher Daniel remix ups the pace with some more silky and quick drums and smeared pads for a soft, sunrise feel when the first rays peak through the blinds.
Review: The DKTPS 03 EP by Trajano on Distrikt Paris serves up a blend of techno and house along with some nostalgic acid influences across five standout tracks. Opening with 'Don't Give Up', a collaboration with Villaca, the EP offers a catchy acid-driven groove with sparkling melodies and minimal techno undertones. 'X@k410' follows with a 90s Goa-inspired sound, reminiscent of the progressive house era, delivering a deep and trippy vibe. On Side-2, 'Scorpio House' takes a mystical turn, invoking early 90s trance with its mysterious atmosphere and enchanting rhythms. 'Crisalia' then kicks in with a wicked, techy beat that seamlessly bridges techno elements into the mix. Finally, 'I'm High', featuring Lourene, rounds off the EP with a nostalgic journey into early electronic sounds, offering a dreamy and reflective trip. This EP is a well-crafted exploration of techno and house's roots, with Trajano skillfully weaving retro influences into fresh, minimal, and progressive sounds.
Review: Jay Tripwire sits right at the most trippy and after-hours end of the tech house spectrum. His fresh and future sounds now pop up on The Other Side, where he works with Pheek on two new jams. 'Thirsty (feat Cimpian Mark)' kicks off and is an immediately compelling and atmospheric sound with smart sound designs and metallic snares cutting up the kinetic beats. On the flip is an equally minimal offering in 'L'Express' which lures you into its moody mist and keeps you there while occupying your mind with its many marvellous details.
Review: Manuel Tur's Intertextual release gets pulled apart and rebuilt here by some fine remixes for the Spaced Repetitions label. The first out of the blocks is 'Omina' (DJ Counselling remix) with its layers of sugary and crystalline synth over supple house drums. 'Flakon' (All Is Well remix) slows things down to a dubbed-out world of downtempo bliss, 'Slow White' follows a similarly slow-burning route thanks to Yuu Udagawa's poised and dreamy remix and 'Shadowgraph' comes live with some psychedelic synth swells over yet more mid-tempo and percolating beats, which are one again the work of Yuu Udagawa.
Review: A sleek, stripped down groove slowly takes shape as radioactive effects fizzle away and philosophers discuss the probability of the existence of God... That'll be the inaugural release on Audiomutz - a label founded to use electronic music as a vehicle for telling stories - then, from the hitherto unknown Turturu. Herck turns in a remix, that adds its own twist courtesy of deftly employed live drum edits, while 'Ratting Club Stories' completes the package with whispered vocals and a neat meshing of a chugging electro b-line and jazzy percussion. Mysterious but enticing, we want to know more. (Early support from Petre Ispirescu, Lizz, Bryz, Vlad Arapasu, Plusculaar)
Review: The Dirty Blends label is really on fire of late. It deals in stripped-back and raw analogue grooves that throw it back to the warehouse heydays and early Chicago house sounds. Zodiac steps up first with a low-slung killer that is sparse but atmospheric with sleazy vocals unfurling up top only adding to the rawness. On the flip there are more frenzied and techno-leaning sounds of The Jak's 'Itz In Ur Head.' It's a brain-frying cut with squealing synth textures and caustic melodies all bring a scuzzy vibe.
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.