Juno Recommends Minimal / Tech House August 2020

Review: The mystery of the Botanic Minds Sunset Series continues to unfold with another bout of surreal and sensual club tracks that balance tweaked minimalism with a warm and hazy atmosphere. "Track001A" is packed with intricate rhythmic interplay, but it's the fluttering guitar licks and displaced vocals that give the piece its unique vibe. "Track002A" is a remix credited to Eastenderz regular Lizz, and it's a particularly spellbinding jam shaped out with lingering chords and a wistful mood. "Track001B" hunkers down around a low, throbbing bassline, but there's some sweet keys hovering up top to keep things from getting too dark. Barut is on hand with a remix for "Track002B", where trancey undercurrents meet with expansive piano and ethereal ambient swells, all strapped to a sturdy minimal house groove.

Review: The latest collection of wayward floor heaters from Nuances De Nuit takes us once more into a colourful headspace where the possibilities are wide open to make house music with personality. Californian shining star Liquid Earth is up first, although he's better known as Urulu. 'X-Form' is a bubbling metropolis of futuristic synth squiggles with starry-eyed wonder in its heart and vintage techno smarts up top. Huerta follows up that sterling start with the enchanting electro incantations of 'Legwork', which build wonderfully on the sound laid out on his recent debut album for Voyage Recordings. On the flip, DJOKO brings a smart shuffle and some shimmering synth work to the forefront for a seriously smart twist on the tech house template, while T. Jacques opts for space age machine funk with a splash of boogie poured in for good measure.

Review: Ted Amber first surfaced with an impressive 12" on minimal lynchpin Botanic Minds back in 2018. Now he's back on Romana with a new joint that maintains a seductively deep mood throughout, but still knows how to jack where it counts. The undulating synth tones of "808" get carried through to Magnus Asberg's ranging, steady building remix, while TIJN creates a delicate and detailed tapestry out of the ingredients to complete the set. For classy and consistent variations on a warm, mellow house theme, look no further than this deeply satisfying drop from the Romana crew.

Review: A couple of months after inaugurating the Outban imprint with a vibrant EP of mind-altering retro-futurism, Bakked returns with a speedy sequel. He first joins the dots between early '90s bleep techno and purist tech-house ("433"), before opting for a deeper and more ghostly take on the same bleeping futurism on "4111". "399" sees him switch tack and offer-up a breakbeat-powered romp laden with warehouse-ready riffs and New Jersey organ licks, while "444" adds sunrise-ready dreaminess to a vintage Detroit techno inspired rhythm track. Arguably best of all though is closing cut "Pullupthetune", a deliciously intergalactic tribute to the more spacey end of mid-'90s drum & bass.

Review: With wind in his sails following a surprise outing on Djebali, Nik Prunk returns to the good ship PIV Limited and sets a course for peak-time tech-house dancefloors. It's plain sailing from the off, with ear-catching opener "Office Gossip" cannily joining the dots between warm, bass-heavy West Coast dub house and the kind of future-focused tech-house hedonism that was once all the rage at pioneering UK club Wiggle. The attractively toasty retro-futurism continues on "Through The Walls", a soul-flecked vocal number that adds a little percussive crunch to a San Francisco style deep house cut. Scene stalwart JT Donaldson delivers a superb remix of that cut focused on jazz-funk bass, spacey chords and pitched-up drums, while "Femme" is the kind of groovy, bumpin' and Rhodes-laden deep house jam that Dubtribe Soundsystem used to knock out in their sleep. In a word: essential.

Review: Earlier this year, Bruno Schmidt and Robin Ordell rekindled their Asper Bothrop production partnership after two years away. Their comeback EP on Spinning Plates was well-received, and this speedy follow-up on Domesticated is likely to be greeted by a similar level of praise. There's certainly plenty to set the pulse racing throughout, from the swinging, bass-heavy shuffle of "Everybody Just", where glitchy electronics and ghostly chords ride a thickset tech-house groove, to the crunchy, stargazing electro bounce of closing cut "Body Movement". Sandwiched in between you'll find the warm, spaced-out haziness of "Jumpin' Jack Flash", and "Trenor", a slightly pitched-down tech-house box-jam for those who like to get busy in the mix.

Review: Robert James already made a splash with releases on Hot Creations and Viva Music before launching Body Movement last year. Now he's back on his own label with a various artists 12" that widens the scope of the project, leading in with a collaboration from the man himself and Jack Michael - the dynamic and twisting electro funk of "B2A". Lvca & Sidd take body-popping machine music in a more minimal direction with the sleek "Chroma", while Frazer Campbell kicks off the B side with the uptempo pulse of "One Armed Bandit". North Phase flips the script with some dynamic, electronica-infused garage styles on the system-ready "Zone 1".

Review: Pathway Traxx's diffusion label OFFPath returns with its fourth installment, featuring four heroes of the minimal house underground curated by label boss Niko Maxen. We have Londoner Adam Monti (4plae) up first with the sunny tech house of "Camberwell Blues", then Dudley Strangeways & Tijn close out the A side with some deep afterhours boompty business. On the flip, Rising star Josh Baker out of Leeds delivers more of his reliably hypnotic and slinky groove action on "Rewriting Old Methods" and Shacklo's "Bermuda" channels the very best of Todd Terry style classic house.

Review: Before making his name as St Germain, French producer Ludovic Navarre released music under a number of other aliases. One of these was Deepside, originally a 1992 collaboration with Sub System partner Guy Rabiller that quickly became a Navarre solo project. The "Tolerance EP" (1993) was Navarre's first solo Deepside release and has long been considered something of an under-discussed European techno classic. As this reissue proves, it's lost none of its allure. The EP's undisputed highlight remains A-side "French", a glistening, sun-bright chunk of foundational tech-house positivity shot through with Motor City style machine soul and luscious chords aplenty. Elsewhere, "IL" is warm, soft-touch deep techno at its very best, while "111" is a stripped-back acid box jam.

Review: Shockingly, it's been 30 years since the Age of Love's eponymous debut first started ripping up dancefloors. Made by a pair of veteran Italian producers, the original 1990 version cannily combined the kind of dreamy, new age style melodic themes that were then dominating Italian house, with a bombastic, techno inspired groove that bore all of the hallmarks of the style that would become known as trance. This 30th anniversary reissue omits that original version, instead pairing Jam & Spoon's brilliant, mind-altering 1992 "Mix for Stella" version - a proto-trance classic that has been reissued numerous times since - with Solomun's heady, piano-sporting 2017 tech-house re-make. The latter incorporates many of the track's most familiar elements whilst giving it a new 21st century groove.

Review: The enigmatic r.hitect returns on their eponymous imprint for its fifth release. Rumoured to be an alias of an already established producer from Romania's fabled minimal techno scene, whoever they are sure delivers some powerfully dubby and hypnotic main room tackle on the 'Immersion' EP. From the sublime rolling drama of the title track, through to the moody and strobed-out tunnel vision of "Zero Gravity" - the A side cuts are perfect for getting weird during the morning hours. On the flip, there is a collaboration with scene hero Barac (Moment/Shamandrum) on the groovy afterparty minimal funk of "Confluence" to keep the party going well into Monday.

Review: Default strides with confidence into its third release with a cast of underground operators orbiting what might once have been called the minimal scene. Label boss Exander is up first with the warm and throbbing "Enigma", while Chad Andrew makes a welcome return after many years of silence with the smooth and undulating "Elemental". Cerec gets a little bouncy and trippy with the melodically adventurous "Shinobi", and Avidel keeps things neat and tidy with the pitter-patter percussion and pin-point lead lines of "Aguamenti". If you're seeking out refined, musical tech house suited to extended dancefloor sessions, this is just the record for you.

Review: Vlad Arapasu's Kontent label is the latest in a long line of crews out of Romania to add their own spin on minimal tech house. After kicking things off with his own soon to sell out EP, the boss now enlists Macarie for three more killers. "Perry" is dark, synthetic, late night tech with plenty of kinetic energy stored up and ready to pass over into the crowd. The more playful "Low Paz" brings some colour and broken beat patterns as well as menacing acid to the mix, while "Papa Nicolau" is the most dark and haunting of the lot. A varied and vital EP overall, then.

Review: This superb split from Lemak gently sweeps you off your feet with the delicate percussion and airy pads of "Machines." by Seafoam, real name Brian Cavender. He's an artist with a back cat dating to the late nighties and including credits on Guidance, so oozes authenticity. His second offering "Fort A" is more techno leaning, with scintillating percussion and marching laser synths. Senator Bongwater is Urulu, aka Taylor Freels, aka Liquid Earth, a real master of minimal house and tech whatever alias he assumes. "Spastic Orgasmic" is another spaced out tech trip, while "Zoot Trooper" is a flurry of fantastic astral breaks.

Review: Depth Over Distance is an Amsterdam based label founded by old members of the SEKOIA Collective. Previous releases have come from McGregor, Eversines and Dieru and this latest one is by mysterious Romanian producer Bucurie, with a wide selection of moods and grooves on the Nostromo EP. From the glacial dub techno deepness of "Lights Will Guide You "to the mesmerising tech house thumper that is the title track - remixed by East End Dubs under his Viceversa alias. Final track "Visible Things" is exactly the kind of rolling and ethereal magic that nails that true 'Rominimal' vibe.

Review: After some great releases by the likes of Direkt, label boss Adrian Niculae and Dinu, next up on Atipic is newcomer Calin-Horia Dumitriescu. He's from Constanta, and after quite a few promising digital releases made available on his Bandcamp now makes his debut on vinyl. There are hypnotic vibes abound on ATIPICLAB 010, from the entrancing electro trip of A side cut "Lunar Eclipse", to the blissed-out tunnel vision of "Electrinsekta" on the flip - which would make even the likes of Cally and Sublee stand up and notice.

Review: Leipzig's Mbius returns for the sophomore release of Ethernal, the sub label of French deepness purveyors Daydream. As like last time, it's a largely minimal affair, harking back to the early noughties glory days of Force Inc and Playhouse et al. From the groovy and dubby afterhours microfunk of "Jose", to the reduced boompty business of "6th Sense" which has that Cabinet Recordings kind of feel, plus a slick UK tech house style rework by man of the moment Nick Beringer (Rubisco) - this one's the bomb!

Review: In the two years that have passed since his last EP on Kompakt, Jake Williams (that's Rex The Dog to you and me) has spent much of his time releasing his "secret weapon" edits as digital-only singles. Perhaps he intended them to be his swansong to the nu-disco scene, because both tracks here are far more driving and intoxicating than many of his previous releases. "Crasher" is a throbbing chunk of peak-time Euro-techno underpinned by a pulsating arpeggio bassline, echo-laden computer bleeps and waves of undulating electronics. Flipside "Hold It/Control It" sounds like an EBM lover's take on Paul Woolford classic "Erotic Discourse", albeit with the addition of some catchy cut-up vocal samples.

Review: Here's something to celebrate: a surprise joint EP from R&S regular Lone - a producer now best known for the colourful feel if his shimmering, retro-futurist workouts -and sometime Shall Not Fade contributor Kettama (real name Evan Campbell). Collaborative cut "The Way That You Feel" genuinely fuses the best of both producer's styles, with kaleidoscopic, neon-lit synth stabs and bubbly, eyes-closed electronic lead lines riding a busy bassline and 130 BPM techno drums that seem to fizz as much as they bang. They also contribute a solo track apiece. Kettama's "Anniversary" wraps gorgeous chords and restless, organ style melodies around a simple but effective groove, while Lone's "Dragonrush" is a rave-ready attack on the senses inspired by 1992 style hardcore hedonism.

Review: Tech-house is one of those genres that has been pulled in multiple different directions of late, with producers peppering typically glitchy, bass-heavy grooves with all manner of alien-sounding or pleasantly attractive musical elements. There's plenty of that kind of subtle eclecticism on Niko Maxen's latest EP, with the prolific producer bouncing between acid-fired tech-house funk (striking opener "Twist"), imaginative re-inventions of UK Bleep & Bass for the tech-house generation ("Bleep Test"), quirky, vocal-laden, Villalobos-influenced dancefloor eccentricity (the ace "Minimal Minds") and wonky, sample-heavy early morning jazziness (the hard to pigeonhole but undeniably impressive "Strung Out").

Review: Sentaku are back with their first release for 2020 by Marseille-based Mazargues Affair: a group comprising of producers Nicolas Timsit and Welwert, as well as DJs Geoffrey Battista and Laurent Zoubir. Of the title, this indulgent record is inspired by 'the Edo nightlife under the reign of shogun Tokugawa Ienari, a time where the senses were consumed by nothing but absolute pleasure.' From the ethereal electro bounce of "Ambidrive" and its flourishes of 303 squelch, to the Yorkshire bleep influence of the euphoric "Body Brainer" and the acid-inflected breakbeats of "Move To The Best Point" - this is quite the impressive debut from this new French collective.

Review: Cassy has largely been focusing on her own Kwench label in the past few years, exploring the crossover between pop sensibilities and underground dance music culture. She's carrying that through to her appearance on Pressure Traxx, while clearly nodding to her roots in the minimal scene with the elegant, spellbinding "Strong Sense", all underpinned by her subdued vocal. Tobias steps up for a remix on the B side which takes the track in a shivering techno direction that provides the perfect urgent foil to the cosy house demeanour of the original.

Review: The fifth instalment in Ouvert's anonymous artist series will no doubt fly off the shelves as quickly as last editions, which go for huge sums on the secondhand market - so don't sleep on this one either! As expected, Rominimal vibes are abound on '005': from the trippy and hypnotic Eastern tech house flavours on the A side (all sure to go down a treat on the main room dancefloor!) to the rolling, bass-driven and completely ethereal B-side cut - the definite highlight on here - which you could imagine the likes of Cezar or Cap belting out at six in the morning. Tip!

Review: K7 have assembled another crack team of remixers on this second set of reworks of tracks from Dominik Eulberg's excellent 2019 album "Mannigfaltig", a varied set we described as his most "coherent and listenable to date". First Anna wraps fluid, musically positive motifs around bustling beats and gnarled analogue bass on a fine revision of "Sechslinien-Bodeneule", before Recondite wrings maximum emotional impact out of Eulberg's hazy melodies on a shuffling, hypnotic tech-house version of "Vierfleck". Robag Wruhme is at his warming, wonky and otherworldly best on an impeccable minimalist remix of "Siebenschlafer" (check the yearning melodies and locked-in beats), while Donato Dozzy steals the show with a sublime ambient techno revision of "Einstagfliege".

Review: The levels of intrigue continue to run high around the rapidly developing Vigenere label, as the Malin Genie-helmed label continues to showcase lesser known talents operating in more adventurous corners of the techno domain. Yard One are a UK duo split between London and Manchester, and you can certainly here a rough n' ready soundsystem attitude and the ghost of classic '90s techno permeating the textured, knotty rhythms on opening cut "Sky Kings". "Cellular Entanglement" takes things in a more serene direction, but not at the expense of crisp beats to propel the twinkling synths along. "Unfurling" presides over the flip with a mystical atmosphere that should appeal to those who like their techno oceans deep and dubbed out to perfection.