Juno Recommends Minimal / Tech House:July 2022

Review: REPRESS ALERT!: Trelik returns with a repackaged edition of one of the catalogue's most treasured releases. "Overcome" and "Lady Science (NYC Sunrise)" need little introduction, and now come sporting the new TR11:11 matrix number. Written and produced by Thomas Melchior and Baby Ford aka Soul Capsule, these tracks came from one of the many sessions recorded at the West London Ifach Studio in 1999. On the A Side "Overcome" is stripped back and energetic, driven by rolling and shuffling garage style beats, tight bubbling bass and atmospheric synth pads. The intermittent vocal samples and the release's signature organ set you up for the flip, "Lady Science (NYC Sunrise)". Possibly one of house music's most emotive pieces, the track builds slowly with the introduction of each part building a story of soulful optimism based around a sparse palette of deep synths, uplifting keys and warm analogue bass. The understated beauty of the main vocal riff never seems to grow old or tired with the track lending itself perfectly to either main room, peak-time play or after-hours sessions alike. Remastered by Rashad at D & M.

Review: REPRESS ALERT!: Margaret Dygas may be based in Berlin but her unique sound can't be tied down to any one city or scene, as she proves on her latest 12" across three tracks for the consistently exciting Half Baked label. Not that there's anything half done here, of course, with A-side tune 'Butterfly Effect' a prime slice of groovy. resonant techno that's understated and restrained enough to gain comparisons to Jaydee's 'Plastic Dreams' classic. 'CC Is 33' is warmer, with nicely slidy, jazzy organ chords and itchy technofunk rhythms, with the most minimal of the three tracks, the static-infused, atmospheric 'Subliminal 20A7', coming last but by no means least. A great showcase for a great, original talent.

Review: For the next edition of Mosaic's LTDX series, label boss Steve O'Sullivan invites a trio of artists to lay down some seriously infectious beats on 'Rhythm Method Vol.5'.

Kicking off proceedings with '3 Days Cooler,' from Cologne based Hidden Sequence, you'll find yourself instantly locked into the groove. One of those simple yet effective stripped back jams that balances rhythmic effervescence with subtle evolving elements, steeped in that all important dubby twist.

Next,Berlin based Yorkshireman Fletcher steps up with the robotic twinge of 'From Somewhere' - fusing electro styled drum programming with a heavy dose of psychedelics, the sort of thing you'd expect from Romanian minimalist party starters. A powerful rolling and intoxicating brew, this one will find favour among the sound purists.

Last but not least, trusted Canadian talent Jay Tripwire pairs up with newcomer JayBee with the heady, off-kilter throb of 'Cookie Maschine' - a punchy, incessant ride that just keeps on coming back for more as spatial overtones rise and fall.

Review: Following up releases on Kaluki Music and Nothing Else Matters, Peterborough native Alisha joins the Eastenderz family to present the awesome Visions EP. The title track is proper UK flava with its roaring speed garage style sub-bass that's underpinned by a swing-fuelled rhythm, followed by the equally bass-driven and druggy late-night vibe of 'Hallucinate. On the flip, 'Burnen' is a minimal number that takes a wonkier direction yet still very much in-line with the label's style, and ending with the tough rolling main room tackle of 'Offenn'. All killer, no filler on this one - tip!

Review: Cardiff-born producers Tom Churchill and 2Sox deliver a 12" slab of five choice techno cuts, evoking the moody atmospheres endemic to wandering round the west coast of Scotland, a pastime Churchill is partial to. Made exlcusively on headphones, these tracks are tricky and nuanced, with the intro-er 'Stickler For Detail' telling you all you need to know on that front. Churchill's first release since 2002, it's minimal, dreamy and catches the listener off-guard, subtly.

Review: Founded by Dave Seaman & Steve Parry, Selador Recordings showcases the best house and techno, plus all the flavours in-between. The third installment in its Magic Black Plastic series best exemplifies this, with contributions from some of the scene's top names. Viennese veteran Joyce Muniz kicks things off with her mesmerising rework of Just Her & Kieran Fowkes 'On The Low', followed by Luke Brancaccio & Gai Barone's entrancing and uplifting house journey 'J'aime L'amour'. Over on the flip, German veteran Andre Lodemann takes things into deeper territory on his remix of Carlos Barbero & Dom Fricot's vocal number 'Closer To Closure' and finally Adam Ten & Dor Danino get deep, dark and dirty on the sweltering 'Zurnita'.

Review: Lewis Beadle aka El-B was highly influential in forming the dubstep genre via his seminal dark garage productions, which creates an interesting contrast here where he inaugurates new label Majikal, with the playful and groovy deep house track 'All The Colours'. Over on the flip, the 2-step shuffle of his previous output creates the perfect backdrop for the cavernous and icy dub techno aesthetic that is a prevailing theme throughout 'Southbank Slide', while '5am In Vauxhall' is a more evocative and hypnotic expression in minimal house. Tip!

Review: Since returning to action in 2016 after a seven-year break, 1990s techno survivor Lee Renacre AKA 100 Hz has released some of the best music of his career. This fine four-tracker marks the long-serving Londoner's first outing on Romanian imprint Amphia, who are best known for serving up sparse, minimalistic tech-house. As you'd expect, there's a slightly fuller sound here, though sonically it's as pleasingly druggy and mind-mangling as much of the imprint's output. Renacre brilliantly flits between trippy, arpeggio-driven, house-tempo techno (the otherworldly 'Machines of May'), dubstep-influenced UK bass/techno fusion ('Gadget', which echoes the ethos of his early 100 Hz releases with James Chapman), intergalactic tech-house ('Dark as Night'), and frankly filthy low-end wobblers ('Swiss').

Review: There's been a deservedly renewed interest in the work of Brian Cavender aka Seafoam in recent times. The Denver-based producer was most active in the early noughties, with some now highly sought after releases on seminal imprints such as Los Angeles' Guidance Recordings and Straylight, as well as San Francisco's Lo-Rise Recordings. Several years back, Paris-based Rue De Plaisance began to reissue some of Cavander's work for a new generation of diggers. Now fellow Denverites Deep Club present brand new material by him on the Swing Set EP, with three deep, dubby and hypnotic minimal house cuts, all delivered in his idiosyncratic style. Absolutely perfect tackle for the afterhours, with a remix on the flip by Berlin-based Snad.

Review: Having taken their time to strike the right balance of sounds that represent their label on its first VA outing, the second edition from Manchester label Distinct equally highlights their diverse tastes, with more standout cuts displaying their own distinct flavour. Paul Rudder channels the best of '90s Stateside house on the groovy 'Belatedly', Den Haas goes deep into the afterhours on the dubby minimal house of 'Parlez Pas' (feat Camikazy Uzi), while Adam Nahalewicz returns with a another hypnotic excursion through swing on 'Suite You, Sir' and Sy's 'Desire' is a bass-driven tech house stomper aimed squarely at the main room dancefloor.

Review: Like the melting smileyface man in a pink morphsuit astriding the back of a thousand-yard-staring horse - as depicted on the front cover of this new EP - Ashee's 'Country Classic' really is as weird as it gets. Two speedy house cuts with plenty of woosh, oomph and oi, 'Country Classic' and 'Rampage' are about as odd and derealized as 4x4 dance music can get.

Review: Following the release of last year's excellent The Sound of Limo (TSOL) compilation, Gene on Earth's Limousine Dream label has started issuing EPs under the TSOL banner. Here, Salt Mines co-founder and sometime Craigie Knowes and Lost Palms contributor Rudolf C delivers the third volume in the series, aiming to impress as much as the previous instalments from Sweely and James Andrew. He makes a solid start via the bleeping, thickset, analogue-rich techno hypnotism of '504 Open Space', before opting for a more percussive, intoxicating and sub-heavy sound on 'Totally Refracted'. Over on side B, 'Claymine' sits somewhere between deep techno and heady European tech-house, while 'Mind User' is glitchy, bass-heavy, off-kilter and pleasingly druggy.

Review: Aussie outback dwelling sculptor/producer DJ Chrysalis now delivers his debut EP proper for Public Possession, after appearing on their Chill Pill series. Strong spiritual vibes and ancient cosmic visions aplenty across five tracks on What Came First & Why Does It Matter. Whether it's the dusty acid trip of 'Melodie', the mesmerising title track which levitates into beatless downtempo territory, to the off-kilter deep house of 'Spag East' and the emotive atmosphere of closing track 'Algi' that's perfect for those heads-down moments on the dancefloor.

Review: 2Phargon is an alias from Lee Mortimer, aka Friend Within, Sawtooth Sucka and many more names. Mortimer's prolific output speaks to his skill in the studio, which is of course why he was picked up by the mighty Dirtybird for this 12" of appropriately quirky groovers catering to the vibe Claude Vonstroke et al have been championing all these years. 'Feel A Little Strange' is a big, bashy rave monster with buzzing rave synths upfront and chunky tech house backbone to the beat, while the vocal sample waves the freak flag high. 'Micro' harks back to the mid 00s minimal sound Dirtybird emerged from, with plenty of playful and heady melodic flourishes to send the vibe skywards.

Review: Discotech kicks off a new various artist series here on nice coloured wax. Each of the four artists offers their own fresh minimal perspective and first up is Politics Of Dancing with 'Right Thing.' It's a perfectly breezy tech joint with surging drums and solar synths next to crispy hits and deft and soulful vocal stabs. Cool as you like. Diego Krause gets for something a little more twisted and introspective and on the flip, Niko Maxen offers clipped and tight tech for marching dance floors. Carlo Gambino closes with low slung, dubbed-out tech cut 'Don't Take It Personal.'

Review: Facundo Mohrr is a staple of the Argentine prog house scene, and he has a considerable catalogue of digital releases behind him. In addition, he also has the pinnacle of his career to date - La Espere - under his belt for the All Day I Dream label. Four years on, he returns to the label for Deja Vu, a bright and bold step on for an artist who defines himself by his use of melody. 'The Morning Song' is a swooning, romantic piece of prog with anthemic leads and an arrangement carefully sculpted to take a big crowd skywards. 'Deja Vu' is just as catchy and emotionally charged, albeit with a slightly techier disposition, and 'Alone' features the vocal touch of Juan Hansen to add to the impassioned mood of the record.

Review: With two feet firmly planted in dance and indie respectively, Danish atmospheric group WhoMadeWho are wound up between two sounds and scenes, and flit between them effortlessly. This new album charts 13 originals, and without a theme or unified lyrical direction, still grips at something ephemeral, unique. Featuring minimal house legends Rampa and newcomer AVA4K, each track is a detuned nostalgic dream - certainly for fans of Howling or Rival Consoles, albeit with an updated sound.

Review: Following the Bowery EP from DubTape, Skip Audio returns to its various artists format with a tidy four-tracker taking an extended journey into the realms of psychedelic house music. Sublee leads the way with the smoky, subliminal sound of 'Shuffle Kings' before DubTape offers up a subtly crooked beat to carry the whispers of pad and errant machine bleeps of 'Ziggurat'. Cosmjn keeps things steady and seductive with the late night tones of 'Grun', and Andy Catana's 'Everybody Dance' toys with broken beats and acid tweaking to get limbs all juicy when you up to your neck in heady party people wanting to get deeper on the dancefloor.

Review: On Rotation rolls out its third seductive minimal and tech house EP here from a fine selection of artists. Anderson kicks off with 'Polymorphic Magic,' a psychedelic cut with slithering bass and bumping drums racing along into the night. Jamie Leather then steps up with 'Discovery' which is more bright and spaced out thanks to the slinky synths. The drums have a 90s feel as they race through the cosmos and lead on to Ed Hodge's more manic 'Atreides' which powers along at hyper speed with neon hued chords. Phazma's 'Arrakeen' then rounds out on a wave of ravey breakbeat goodness.

Review: Overlooking a tape collaboration with Oleg Buyanov on Gost Zvuk in 2020, Dream Farm is Berlin-based Denis Kaznacheev's first album proper. He's releasing it on his own Nervmusic label, which as any minimal head knows means one can expect a tidy collection of micro grooves with plenty of mixability and quirky flair. Quite a few of the tracks get a whole side to themselves, stretching out the run time and ensuring they're cut nice and loud, all the better to marvel at every rhythmic wriggle, bouncy sub and tweaked out sound effect. 'Feynman's Superfluidity' is a standout hit on the album, taken higher on a soaring synth that speaks to a particularly fruitful, fruity studio session.