STEF MENDESIDIS Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Vault Records kicks off with its first release here from Stef Mendesidis who wastes no time in laying down some enthralling techno cuts that journey deep into space and time. This no-nonsense four tracker kicks off with 'The Suspect Zone', a paranoid and psychedelic cut that burrows deep into the next dimension. 'Crocodile's Grin' has gurgling acid lines running through the deep, heavy drum loops and 'Kraken' is an edgy one with unresolved stabs keeping you in suspense as 'Nisha' then shuts down with more Jeff Mills-style beep-techno minimalism.

Review: Five years have now passed since Russia-based Stef Mendisis first set out his stall as a maker of dark, intense, lo-fi and mind-altering club techno. In that time he's released just as handful of 12" singles, though all have been spot on. There's plenty to enjoy on the Greek producer's first outing on Mancunian label CLERGY, from the warehouse-friendly, stab-happy stomp of opener "Critical Ratio", to the similarly slamming surge of closing cut "Chroma", where hands-aloft riffs and short, looped female vocal snippets ride a booming, lo-fi techno groove. Sandwiched in between you'll find more rave-ready business, with the clap happy, organ-sporting peak-time sweatiness of "Memorex" standing out.