Review: There's lots to get your teeth stuck into on this new and blistering collection of electro from Adepta Editions. And don't let the title fool you - it's not all accessible summer festival fare, in fact none of it is. It is all head down and serious tackle. 7053M4R14's '4 N3W HUM4N' is a driving, dark, visceral sound with raw breakbeats powering through the cosmos. Rec_Overflow offers a moment to catch your breath with some slower, dubby rhythms on 'Pocket Dial' and Pauk explores twitchy future synths capes and post-human transmissions on 'Shiawasena Fukushu'. Promising/Youngster shuts down with a sense of optimism and hope with the airy melodies and slithering electro drum patterns of 'Arbey.'
Review: Certain parts of Canada's proximity to techno birthplace Detroit means the country has always had its own fresh take on the sound, right back to the early Richie Hawtin days of minimalism. Over a quarter of a century of releases now, Aquaregia has kept up that tradition. Behind this latest missive is 747 who opens with lashings of acid and coarse, chattery percussive over jacked-up drums. There is a more psychedelic edge to the loopy synth patterns and softer acid of 'Suffocating In Stardust' then 'Iron Tears' gets gritty, tense, and douses you in melodic fireworks. Last of all, 'Deep Space Opera' takes a more widescreen approach with misty-eyed synthscapes and soft, gently pitch-bent acid.
Tactics Of Bass - "Big Hips Blue Gloves (No Dubs)" (7:48)
Tactics Of Bas - "Tactics Of Bas" (7:59)
The Ron Honey Experience - "D66" (7:14)
Quadruplex - "Sky Wave" (7:01)
Quadruplex - "Robot Rotate" (5:30)
Quadruplex - "G-Hop" (7:24)
The Secret Garden - "Rough Diamond" (3:24)
Review: A special white vinyl edition of a stonker of a UK techno LP. The legendariness of The 7th Voyage's Return Voyage LP is said to outstrip that of others, with the short-lived label and artist moniker of one Joe Smilovitch locking in a "lost album" compiling works by fellows Tactics Of Bass, The Ron Honey Experience and Quadruplex for gem-hunters. That's the cherry on top of two already-wonderful single-EPs from the Smilovitch himself, 'The Predator' and 'The 4 Point', both from 1996. Pariter deem it "an exceptionally rare issue of a highly sought-after classic", and we can vouch for that. Wicked tunes all round.
Review: Acida Dominga makes their debut with 'Imagination Creates Reality', making their intentions clear: "(this) is my very first track, my very first EP and debut project as music producer, transforming music into a multi-sensory holistic journey." As she strikes a candid pose on the front cover, we're left puckering our lips at the pH levels on this one, with 'State Of Consciousness' and 'Lost Highways' sounding off raspy acids, while theming them after a psychedelic, hyperstitious consensus reality. Closer 'Coin Of Heaven' ends things on a wild harmonic layering over the acid sixteenths, with Twilight Zone radio murmurs swirling over the machinations.
Review: Acid Sessions Vol. 3 is another white-knuckle journey into the world of acid with five top talents in the field all pushing their own limits. Acidulant opens with "Serpentacid' featuring hypnotic 303 grooves and relentless energy, then Sarufaromeo & Papaverhof deliver 'Acid Nihonshu' which blends atmospheric depth with chaotic acid vibes. G303 takes you beyond with 'Live Long and Prosper,' an interstellar anthem filled with cosmic acid and resonant grooves. Paul Renard closes with 'SO36' which is all about the fat rhythms and powerful dancefloor drive. Long live acid is what we say.
Review: This new solo outing from Aussie talent Ad Nauseaum has it all - acid, rave, techno, hardcore and more. 'Omega System' sets a pretty brutal tone to get things underway with filtered synths and blazing acid lines searing about the mix over raw, hard, flat drums. 'Alpha System' is even quicker and brings serrated synth madness to video game motifs and slamming kicks. Last of all is 'Always Acid,' a track that was made back in 2004 but doesn't sound in any way out of date. It's another one to blow the roof off any party.
Review: AgainstMe makes a powerful debut on 47 with four tracks of deep, spiralling techno rooted in Berlin's famous underground energy. The Greek producer showcases his signature multi-dimensional sound design well here as he fuses dynamic rhythms and immersive atmospheres with great precision. Each track builds on a foundation of undulating basslines and intricate textures, which takes you on a trip through shifting sonic terrain. From hypnotic momentum to cavernous depth, there is a balance between raw propulsion and detailed production that makes for a bold, immersive statement that positions AgainstMe as a key rising voice in forward-thinking techno.
Review: There is a murky underworld feel to these new techno sounds from Ireen Amnes. They come on the cultured KR3 label and soon hook you in as 'Images Of Us' is both deep and moody but dynamic and impactful. 'Surrounded' flips the script with more industrial drums and an unsettling sense of urgency then 'October' daisy it back to cavernous dub 'scapes with lonely vocal musings. 'KTO' brings lithe broken beats and 'I'd Rather Be Sleeping' is a suspenseful ambient sound.
Review: Amorphic and Tensal hook back in to the machine to dialyse their crafts once more, with 'Highland Frequencies' offering up four, machine-numbered atoning lambs to our mech overlords, following up the equally arrayed 'Distant Landscapes' EP (2024) on Blueprint. Now bringing their distinctive cataloguing system to the discographic vanitas Mord, four more 'AT' tracks make for an irresistibly well-layered, synthetically one-of-a-kind release. Only 'AT4' gets a subtitle, 'The Sleepwalker', where a sandman's slumbrous, lollygaggling beats somehow, at the same time, betray a subconscious, paradoxical restlessness.
Review: ANAZANAUT is a time-bending audio artefact stitched together from decades of disparate sonic moments. With recordings spanning from 1984 to 2024, the techno project feels like a cosmic scrapbook-fragmented memories reborn through meticulous remixing and remastering. From the icy atmospherics of 'Voice on the Air' to the vintage grit of 'Poacher Path (Extended Mix),' these tracks vibrate with echoes of past lives stitched together by a logic only time understands. ANAZANAUT doesn't follow a linear path; it loops, folds, and bends with compelling grooves and myriad occult sounds adding character and curiosity.
Review: Formerly run by both Michael Wollenhaupt and Conrad Protzmann, the Ancient Methods project is now run solo by the former producer, an artist who is clearly intending to keep the sound of the project going strong. This EP, however, launches the new Parsephonic Sirens label, and the sounds are very much grounded in something altogether more surreal. The opening "Remember Me" is a chilly, frost-bitten ambient affair, whereas "Born Of Ashes launches with a mean, fiery techno blow that sounds like the inside of a jet engine. On the flip, "I Am Blazing Sound" rolls out its deafening techno punch with melodies reminiscent of something Middle-Eastern, leaving "Now Come Closer" to offer a more traditional 4/4 stance in the most poignant of German fashions.
Review: Chiwax welcomes Andrew Red Hand here for his third outing on the revered house label. We're told it is one of his most intimate and personal releases and there sure is plenty of deep and pensive energy to 'In The Cemetery (part III)' with its snappy electro rhythms but long-sustained and introspective chords. 'Summer Nostalgia' is raw, punchy techno and 'Autumn Nostalgia' gets more banging with a brazen bassline and celestial synth glow. 'Sorrowful Joy' closes down with a celebratory air in the happy chords but the betas remain heady.
Review: Rant & Rave Records have secured another fine EP from the highly touted Andromeda here. She has made waves as a resident at London club FOLD and with tunes on outlets like Ear To Ground, Natural Selection and Raw Quarter that all explore the outer realms of techno with nods of appreciation for the 90s sound. The title track unfolds a brooding soundscape of ominous synths that steadily rise in pitch and complexity, mirroring the vast, mysterious expansion of the cosmos. 'Lost Planet' follows, driven by hypnotic leads and an unrelenting rhythm section and 'Black Hole' has razor-sharp stabs and deep, resonant bass. Closing with 'El Abismo', Andromeda descends into darker sonic realms and offers an unrelenting force, where intricate synth patterns collide with commanding percussion and a relentless kick
Review: Delivering two boundary-pushing deep house cuts that fuse Detroit influences with global rhythmic elements, this little 7" packs a punch. Side-1's '9 1391919 21' rolls in with deep bass and a laid-back yet funky groove. The Detroit foundation is undeniable, but the infusion of world-inspired instrumentation adds a rich, cultural texture, making it both smooth and dynamic. Flipping over, '17151425' shifts into high gear with an uptempo, warehouse-ready energy. Sci-fi atmospheres swirl around tribal drumming, creating a hypnotic, alien-like rhythm that feels raw yet futuristic. A forward-thinking release from a producer deeply connected to both underground traditions and global sounds.
Review: Re:discovery has got a superbly illusive reissue eon its hands here with 1993's Clouds Over Europe EP from Aquarian Atmosphere, 39626 and Unit 2. It is a cosmic deep tendon voyage that tingles all of your sense as you ride on the gloriously serene synths of opener 'White Clouds'. It is one of the three tunes from Aquarian Atmosphere, the others being 'Floating On Boyne' a dreamy downtempo number that leaves you gazing at the stars and also 'Rhiannon', a thinking melodic masterpiece. 39626' 'Elixir Of Life' is an intense mix of synth modulations and minimal rhythm and Unit 21s' 'Clubtraxx' (Movement 1 - unreleased version) is pure Detroit techno goodness.
Review: No whimpers, all bangs... Monika Kruse's Terminal M brings another four Richmonds our way, as the label celebrates its silver anniversary (25 years) of releasing. Ignacio Arfeli and Kaspar bring Portuguese fire and German glaciations to a unipolar techno A-side each, with 'Never Look Back' shooting a hideous glower at Orpheus especially with a "don't you ever look back" jet-breakage of the sound barrier, precipitating a massive techno drop, of course. A felt sense of continuation is heard on the strobing 'Masterpeace' by Chris Bekker, before 'Alhalma', where Drumcomplex and Frank Sonic lead us to a cruddy close.
Review: This is the first in a new collaborative series between Derailed Records and Planet Rhythm who have teamed up for a new vinyl series that launches with Rotterdam's ARKVS. 'Sonus' rumbles with low-end threat and fizzy static that locks you in the moment. 'Deviate (feat Ronald Nels)' is more sparse with claps echoing out to an event horizon as supple acid tones linger in the air. 'Amphibian Velocity' layers up gurgling synths and pent-up drum tension and 'Crashing Rhythms' is a punchy but deep closer and a fourth and final evocative and sophisticated offering which gets this series underway in style.
Review: The ASHPPE series has been nothing if not unhurried. It started several years ago but always results in essential outings when they do come. The fourth transmission from the techno talent emerges from subterranean shadows with three tracks aimed squarely at the club. 'Judge' is tightly looped and edgy without letting you settle and 'Deeper' then brings muscular broken beat patterns, glitchy textures and raw hits into a futuristic techno soundscape. 'The Box' brings bright and shimmering synth smears to more contorted and twisted drum patterns that demand your more inventive moves.
South Of The Clouds Part 2 (Gregor Tresher remix) (11:25)
South Of The Clouds Part 2 (Extrawelt remix) (6:23)
South Of The Clouds Part 2 (2025 remastered edit) (5:53)
Review: Aural Float's 'South Of The Clouds' first evaporated, then fell as rain in the form of a two-parter progressive trance track released on a wider EP out on Elektrolux Records in 1995. Said to have effortlessly captured the feel and fervour of the Frankfurt trance zietgeist, the creative trio of Alex Azary, Gabriel Mastichidis and Pascal Dardoufas were over the moon to have heard their EP opener claimed as a scene favourite. Now after almost 30 years of cloud residence time do we hear two further precipitations of the already 26-minute (in total) track, by Gregor Tresher and Extrawelt respectively.
Review: OMEN Recordings's next release is a big one that unites Axkan and Duellist on the same slab of wax. They take care of one side each and we're told the inspiration for their sounds was making a "shared response to the turmoil of global conflicts." Duellist kicks off and suggests with his offerings that he is anxious, unsettled and in fight mode because 'Oxidative Stress' is front-foot techno with monstrous bass energy. 'Stains Of Time' is another one with brash drums and perc and plenty of tension, then Axkan offers the hypotonic loops of 'Warfare' and broken beat menace of 'Thermobaric.
Review: Planet Rhythm bring a high-energy, percussion-driven EP from this hot new Brazilian producer. Side-1 launches with 'Latin Hot Sauce', a tribal-infused, mysterious techno cut that rides on rolling drums and deep, hypnotic grooves. 'Small Talk' follows with relentless, loopy energyidriving, hard-hitting and built for peak-time chaos. On Side-2, 'Locking Collar' dives into darker territory with subterranean bass and pounding beats, creating some heady atmosphere. Closing things out, 'Overcharged' brings a playful, high-voltage energy, balancing intensity with a sense of movement that keeps dancefloors locked in. A dynamic ride through modern techno's heavier side, built for DJs who thrive on pushing momentum forward.
Review: A relentless techno workout from a veteran American producer with deep ties to both commercial music and underground dance culture. Across five tracks, the artist distills decades of dance music history into high-powered club weapons designed to shake any sound system. 'New York Is Dead' kicks things off with a raw, crunchy groove, its distorted percussion and searing synth stabs embodying the city's chaotic energy. 'Black Hole At The Disco' takes a futuristic disco turn, weaving shimmering melodies through a heavy, hypnotic bassline. 'Last Song Before Sunrise' taps into electroclash nostalgia, its rapid-fire beats and sharp synths evoking neon-lit hedonism. On the Side-B, 'Break Your Back' delivers a punishing mix of acid-laced bass and brutal drum programming, an industrial-tinged club destroyer. Closing track 'Mind Control' leans into retro techno aesthetics, its hypnotic synthwork nodding to 90s warehouse rave euphoria. Heavy, propulsive and fiercely dancefloor-driven, this is a techno monster ready to turn heads at every listen.
Review: We shall never apologise for our love for the work of Steve O'Sullivan. His contributions to the world of dub techno are second to none. They are also mad consistent both in style and quality which means they never age. Here he steps up to Lempuyang with his Blue Channel alias alongside Jonas Schachner aka Another Channel for more silky smooth fusions of authentic dub culture and Maurizo-style techno deepness. Watery synths, hissing hi-hats with long trails and dub musings all colour these dynamic grooves. They're cavernous and immersive and frankly irresistible and the sort of tracks that need to be played loud in a dark space. In that context, you'll never want them to end.
Review: It's been a while since we heard from London's bass innovator Brassfoot. In fact, this is his first new EP since a great album back in 2022 and it offers up trippy electronics of the highest order. 'Cat Riddles & Ginnels Juice' is a murky world of lo-fi sounds, scratchy drums and wiry sonics that is pure scuzz. 'Double Speak' is another caustic and rusty melange of rhythmic motifs and fuzzy synth decay while 'Kinda Vicarious ' is all twisted church bells and otherworldliness. 'Earthiopia' is hyperdriven experimental minimalism and 'A Nation, No Flag' closes this most avant-garde EP with more eerie urban electronics. A truly out there EP.
Review: Analogue pressure from Bufobufo, who stops over in Japan for Cabaret Recordings after earlier international stints with Art Of Dark, Partout and Furthur Electronix. His second single for the label, founded by So Inagawa and DJ Masda, proffers a hypnotic blend, binarising the mood with the sliding melodes of 'Watercourse' and 'Armour Plated' with comparatively sparse and gritty perc-slaps of 'Wood Ant' and 'Cinnabar'. That strange but difficult-to-nail split between of hypnotic intrigue and immediacy is well and truly nailed.
Spectrums Data Forces - "Darkness In My Head" (6:04)
EC13 - "Profundo" (Interludio) (0:49)
Wicked Wes - "X1000" (feat Space Frogs From Saturn) (5:48)
Review: Granada's Cosmic Tribe know the definition of "electro" in its broadest sense; their new Xtrictly Electro comp keeps the dystopian sound endemic to the genre's most present incarnation, but refuses to restrict itself to one tempo: the standard 130-ish that has sadly infected the otherwise genius genre as a necessity. An international splinter cell of spec-ops and mercenaries are recalled from retirement here, as we hear Calagad 13, Nachtwald, EC13 and many more mechanoid ilk lay down all manner of slick utilities, making up a morbid multi-tool. 5zyl brings further lasery Lithuanian steeze on 'Vilnius Bass', whilst Spectrums Data Forces betrays the existence of a sinister corporate entity, whose business model works towards the object of instilling 'Darkness In My Head' through giant, killer mozzy basses.
System Check (Melchior Productions LTD remix) (10:18)
Destino Caminante (Flabbergast remix) (6:42)
System Check (Flabbergast remix) (5:51)
Review: Minimal house legend Thomas Melchior and Montreal's Flabbergast duo bring their skills to remix Calcio Club's cool System Check EP. Melchior is one of our favs when it comes to silky, deep, minimal house and here delivers a remix that retains the original's groove while smoothly transitioning into lush synth vibes. Flabbergast's Guillaume Coutu Dumont and Vincent Lemieux have a sound just as distinctive and offer two remixes that push micro-house's limits. Their tracks feature mind-bending effects, Moog-style synth hooks and a burst of percussion that all lead the remixes to a new level of dance floor ecstasy.
Review: Tom Carruthers returns with a fresh drop on Syncrophone Records, comprising the fresh analogue jams 'From Within', 'Zone', 'No Frequency' and 'Malfunction'. All hitting hard with an old-school, sequencer-happy flavour, one which requires no second-guessing, our faves here have to be the basal FM roller 'Zone' and the brash, trashyard B-fronter 'No Frequency', both of which make deft use of the same bassline, yet each to drastically different effec.
Review: Rico Casazza is Italian-born but currently based in Prague. Here he returns to the Moving Pictures label with another new electro and techno exploration full of his trademark sound designs and high-speed grooves. 'Climax' opens with deep, dobby drums and fizzing static that snakes around the mix while chords bring melancholy and 'Remind Me Pls' twitches with acid deftness and more optimistic chords. Moving Pictures founders Roman Rai and Taino step up with their own remixes. The former flips 'Climax' into deep space trip with lush layers of silky synths and emotive breakdown,s then Taino reconfigures it as a hot stepping house cut with choral vocal swirls and a rubbery bassline that brings the bounce.
Happy707 - "Where Does That Noise Come From" (4:28)
Review: Menacing EBM and dark synth billows from a Netherlands hinterland; our heralds speak of an esoteric encampment by the name of Espectro Oculto, said to be the remote incantators of an unstoppable curse in sound. Six shadowy emissaries have been sent to spread the pestilence; Trenton Chase, Martial Canterel, DJ Nephil, Exhausted Modern, Fragedis and Happy707. Clearly, the faction have recruited only the best, trusted and yet most nefarious of spies from as far-flung regions as Czechia and Argentina in the administering of such a sordid sonic plague. We're left most quivery at the centrifugal doom drones of Exhausted Modern's 'Fear Of Focus', across whose breakdown banshees are heard wailing and snarling, and Fragedis' 'Landing In Reality', a lo-fi techno freakout and sonochemical anomaly, channeling militant two-way radio samples and hellish FM synthesis.
Review: A Berlin native with Ukrainian heritage, Chontane returns with his third release on his own TANE label. This four-tracker showcases his favoured sense of rhythmic intensity and intricate groove work, all imbued with raw percussion, hypnotic basslines and evolving textures that make for subtle but impactful techno weapons. 'Magallanes' opens with chunky drums and builds into a dense rhythmic crescendo, 'Turn the Tables' amplifies things with more hurried drum patterns and deep bass that twists and turns to keep things moving then 'Cycle Break' explores tribal grooves and metallic textures. 'Set A Dot' delivers a relentless forward motion with skittering percussion and sharp synths for those moments when you're utterly lost in the rave.
Chris Coco - "Yawa Ze Asfos" (instrumental) (4:02)
Jake Slazenger - "168B" (3:47)
Global Goon - "Untitled" (4:39)
Ruckus (4:47)
Jodey Kendrik - "Thanx" (5:56)
Gavin Masih - "Unknown Track 1" (6:55)
Monika Subrtova - "Alata" (7:08)
Review: Furthur Electronix's first two Furthur Journeys Into compilations tune plenty of heads and shift plenty of copies. The third one keeps the quality levels high with more explorations around the periphery of underground electronics. Chris Coco opens with a soothing synth sound before Jake Slazenger brings crystalline synths and abstract modulations to the mid-tempo '168B.' There is more pace and twisted acid energy to Global Goon's untitled contribution and then old school jungle comes to the fore on the super stylish and atmospheric Gavin Masih cut. Monika Subrtova's 'Alata' is a serene and widescreen ambient synthscape that brings things to a suitably poignant close.
Review: Concept Werkstatt is an experimental project, not defined by identity but by pure sound and vision. It offers a space, say the eponymous producer behind the beats, where music exists for its own sake, free from ego and expectation. The first transmission is a useful one that taps into tool-like techno. The opener is in a hurry to get you under its spell with dusty drums and fluttering percussion. 'Stahlwerk 102' is more raw with unsettling vocals beaming in as if down a badly tuned radio and two flip-side cuts keep things wonderfully weird.
Review: Bristol label-turned-blog Innate launches a new sub-label, Innate Editions, which it says is dedicated to timeless UK techno, IDM, electro and ambient music, and it'll all come on heavyweight vinyl to boot. The first release revives Connective Zone's Palm Palm, a millennium-era cult classic and Ben UFO favourite that first came out on Mark Broom and Dave Hill's Unexplored Beats in 2001. Now, this long-out-of-print, expensive and hard to find gem has been remastered by Jamie Anderson and so sounds superb with many lavish electronic layers, richly emotive melodies and dynamic drums that lean on UK techno, IDM, and deep electro. Sounds as good now as it ever did.
Review: Patrick Conway is back on ESP Institute for a third time and the returns are as brilliant as the first two outings with plenty of emotional depth on display. Opener 'Loss' sets a melancholic tone with a repeating high piano note guiding a poignant chord progression, angelic voices and a modulating synth all sinking you in. That contrasts with a gritty rhythm section made from corroded dancehall elements all bathed in saturation for added authenticity. On the B-side, 'Silencio' explores negative space and rhythmic dialogue using anthemic synth stabs to unify the more meandering melodies. When chaos and order synchronise with force like this, there is fun to be had.
Ora Che Non Ho Piu Te (Benny Benassi club mix) (5:01)
Ora Che Non Ho Piu Te (Deborah De Luca remix) (5:47)
Ora Che Non Ho Piu Te (DJ Ralf remix) (8:37)
Ora Che Non Ho Piu Te (Samuele Sartini - Nicola Zucchi remix) (4:41)
Review: Amasser of over 100 million streams in 2024, 'Ora che non ho piu te' ('Now I No Longer Have You') was one of Italy's top electropop hits of 2024. Attracting a panoply of remixers for use in their own DJ sets, Mondo Groove now commit four of the choicest of said redoings to a vinyl press, enlisting such first magnitude stars as Benny Benassi and DJ Ralf. Progressing through fine layers of burbling synth and cooing sentiment, we're most taken, however, by Samuele Sartini's closer, which the roar of crowds into descending synth beneficences, causing all heaven to break loose.
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