DJS: MOST CHARTED - TECHNO - MOST CHARTED IN JULY 2013

Review: Paradise sees minimal Detroit techno icon Robert Hood exploring the Floorplan concept in more expansive style. The Floorplan project was founded in the mid '90s, as Hood looked to merge his minimalist approach with elements of house, disco, funk and gospel. Explored intermittently over a six year period, Hood put it to one side and it was a reissue of the Floorplan debut by Rush Hour that inspired him to revisit the project in 2011, scoring a bonafide gem in "We Magnify His Name". Explored in album format here, Paradise is a mixture of all new material and tracks culled from these recent M Plant 12" releases, lending the album a sense of continuity. It's all the more impressive when you consider the fact Hood's been releasing one highly conceptual album a year since 2009.

Review: With the 303-heavy sounds of their "Paris Dub 1" still ringing in our ears from last summer, the anonymous Paranoid London outfit return with the fifth release on their eponymous imprint, aptly named Transmission 5. Once again hooking up with vocalist Mutado Pintado, the track sees a sinister spoken word vocal laid over a subtle acid line, complete with raw drum machine manoeuvres, while the flip sees a straight instrumental. Stripped back, but deadly as the last - don't sleep on this one...

Review: Founded last year, Anthony Parasole's label The Corner has seemingly not been content with sticking to one style thus far, covering deep house from DJ Qu, hip-hop from Nor'Easter, and techno from Parasole himself, Phil Moffa and a recent industrial turn from Shawn O'Sullivan. This latest releases sees the label return to the deeper echelons of the East Coast underground with the BQE EP from the man Fred P which fits in with The Corner ethos by covering a variety of styles. Opening track "Splitting Particles" is the most surprising cut here, running through robust, hi-resolution techno of the Ostgut Ton variety, though the improvised keys of "Tube Compression", hypnotic backdrop of "Storm Clouds" and mid-tempo bounce of "State Of No State" will please dedicated fans of Peterkin's style.

Review: Continuing his foray into the pitiless world of pitch-black techno, Oscar Mulero brings the pressure on this latest EP for Developer's Modularz imprint, stepping up to the label's remit for forward-thinking industrial styles. "Rotula" falls slow and heavy, somehow achieving grace even as the unforgiving bottom end thuds out and the hats shudder with nervous energy. Truncate brings a remix that plies a more compacted trade in cyclical techno, less booming but more pointed than the original. On the flip, Mulero's "Transversal" does the damage with a scant list of ingredients, largely dominated by a stuttering square wave bass stab bringing the doom to great effect, while Sleeparchive reacts with a version that brings everything you could want from a Sleeparchive cut; a bleak soundscape devoid of human warmth with a central bleep the only source of light.

Review: Having firmly established one conceptual series in the shape of Acid Test, Los Angeles label Absurd Recordings have signalled their intentions for further expansion with the launch of Avenue 66 - an offshoot dedicated to "left of centre house and techno". The sense of curation and concept that went into Acid Test lends a certain degree of audience investment with Avenue 66 and who better to launch the endeavour than Joey Anderson. There's a sense that 2013 is the year where Anderson ascends from rising talent of the East Coast Deep House scene to fully fledged star and Above The Cherry Moon highlights his diversity. "Above The Cherry Moon" is the epitome of abstraction, with a jagged analogue lead pulsing with agitation over a thick bass drum whilst Anderson himself and vocalist Ebony Ugo add a further sense of unease with their foreboding utterances. An accompanying remix from Vakula flushes the track with a glistening sense of calm and will prove a set starter for many, along with supplementary B Side cut Auset.

Review: Following some standout solo releases from Rodhad and Recondite, the Dystopian camp take the various artists approach for their fourth release. First on the list is Alex Do, a young DJ who has evidently found kindred spirits in the Dystopian crew, and this EP provides the chance or them to showcase his debut production, "Concrete", a minimalistic combination of rigid kicks and claps, together with eerie morse code bleeps. Dystopian regular Rodhad returns with "The Wall", a fairly epic track which revolves around a slowly swelling tide of monotone synth horns which grow to monolithic proportions. However, the EP's standout moment belongs to Felix K, who leaves the experimental D&B stylings of his usual releases behind for a clattering 4/4 roller filled with his usual blend of tough beats and gentle ambience.

Review: SHXCXCHCXSH don't make things easy. Not only does the Swedish duo have a tongue-twisting disregard for vowels that renders each track name unpronounceable, they also seem to care little for convention and form. While the former is an inconvenience, the latter is rewarding and it means that while their debut album STRGTHS is a demanding listen, it is also a deeply satisfying experience. Each track on the album is an experience where the listener does not know what is going to happen from one bar to the next. That's not to say that STRGTHS doesn't have its share of dance floor techno tracks, "LTTLWLF" and "PCTSTSS" stand out in this respect. However, the really memorable tracks are the ones realised out on the fringes where rules are discarded, such as album opener "LDWGWTT" which moves from grinding riffs into an eerie soundscape before embracing searing acid, as beats run in and out of time in the background. STRGTHS is uneasy listening music of the highest order.

Review: Hakim Murphy and Ike Release have had an impressive year thus far as Innerspace Halflife, dropping some worthy releases for French labels Latency and Syncrophone and now the Chicago duo arrive on the Skudge White operation. Founded by Swedish duo Skudge in an effort to unearth fresh and undiscovered talent, the label has done just that thus far scoring twelves from rising Swedish pair Fishermen and English Sebastien Tellier look-a-like Koehler. Whilst Innerspace Halflife's discography arguably means they can't really be viewed as 'undiscovered', the Chicago pair don't really get the public props their output merits. The four tracks on their 1000 Years Of Acid show why they're so under-rated, traversing Detroit influenced house, techno and electro, while dabbling with '90s rave basslines and sequenced drum machines programmed to the duo's rhythmical and home grown Chicago jack.

Review: Dave Miller and Paul Boex's Abstract Division project has been increasingly impressing with its approach to warm, enveloping deep techno, and this third instalment in their series on Dynamic Reflection serves only to bolster that reputation with further forays into the undulating hinterland of dubbed out constructions. "Modal Realism" is all nervy chords and confident bass throbs, while still kicks it tough and dependable, while "Solitude" invites you in with the glow of delicate pads over whispering beats in a decidedly mellow situation. Psyk's remix leans towards a fuller, more pristine production level that surges forth with techno intent for a thoroughly floor friendly weapon.

Review: The latest Parassela release is a real all-star hardware techno affair, as the usual gang of The Analogue Cops and Blawan are joined by the latter's Karenn partner Pariah for the opening track of the Home Alone EP, complete with Macauley Culkin-referencing artwork. With four such characters on the buttons A1 is expectedly big, with the Cops' usual vocal snippets chirping amongst the Karenn duo's booming kicks and squealing industrial textures. The remaining tracks are just as heavy even without Pariah's involvement; A2, climbs to a crescendo of analogue noise and breaks out into a twinkling, tunnelling groove, B1 provides a frenzy of abrasive analogue sequencing and B2 a combination of disembodied yet soulful vocals interacting with acid and '90s house tropes.

Review: Under his #4.26. alias, Dario Zenker steps up to the anonymous UK techno label Frozen Border with a milestone fifth submission. Slightly overdriven kicks and a rough bassline set a gritty tone for the EPs A-side "Mages", which is offset by an icy and clean dub techno chord. Basslines reappear as the centre piece on "Together R2", as discombobulated bells quietly chime in the background, later met by tubby bass drums played like a Shaolin monk. The final of the three tracks "Runnin" begins as a chirpy loop, but unrelenting exposure to the sequence creates a disorientating repetition of circus like techno; perfect for the late night dancefloor.

Review: Staffan Linzatti debuts on Balans, the sub-label to Dark Esser's Wolfskuil, with an EP of loopy, chord distorted techno. First up is the frenetic bounce of "Opening" which relentlessly threatens to push too far into the red, while "The Contraption" weaves, wobbles and bleeps like Jeff Mills at the controls of an out of control U.F.O. A reverby title track moves the EP into Frozen Border techno territory, while the ghostly and alien bleeps in "Control" create a spooky and atmospheric tension. Haunted DJ tools.

Review: Brace yourselves for another descent into the unknown with the seventh release on Ancient Methods self titled label. Resurfacing for the first time since that deadly Ugandan Methods drop with Regis last year, the Seventh Seal arrives on sleek clear green vinyl and finds the now solo operated Ancient Methods project ease up on the ear serrating sonics of those early releases that garnered such critical praise. These four tracks still pack some notable industrial weight however; lead cut "Nights & Bishops" has a certain concrete funk to it, whilst "Kings & Pawns" is a standout, very much schooled in the same class of alien textures as Mike Parker.

Review: After compiling one of this year's best mix CDs in Where Dancefloors Stand Still, Terre Thaemlitz' second compilation for Mule Musiq this year will be a retrospective remix package of his own work entitled Queerification And Ruins. The first of the 12" releases features DJ Sprinkles' Ambient Ballroom mix of Oh, Yoko - a folky-ambient project by Rie Mitsutake and Will Long - which first appeared as a B-side to the 2012 single "Seashore". Sprinkles adds a soft-thumping kick drum and tittering percussion to the breathy original, giving the tracks washy synths and wispy tones a delicate structure, while also embedding life inspiring vocals into mix. On the B-side is Sprinkles' Deep Breath Mix of "Exhalation", which was first released on a remix package for Thaemlitz' own Comatonse label in 2006. A little heavier on the drums, claps and percussion than the A-side, its combination of belly thumping tablas, unusual oriental vocals and dream-like synths make it one for the Buddha Bar compilation

Review: ** REPRESS ** Forbidden Planet launched in fine fashion last month, securing some original material from Nation and Creme artist D'Marc Cantu that was complemented well by an accompanying remix from DVS-1. The Montreal label demonstrate they are equally capable of uncovering unheralded talent with this second release from the rather search engine unfriendly Breaker 1 2. Allegedly hailing from Florida, Breaker 1 2 seems inspired to use the same lo fi house template of his fellow North American contemporaries but take it to a much weirder place. Lead track "2" is the straightest production here, despite the unpredictable hi hats that skitter throughout and it doesn't quite prepare for where Breaker 1 2 goes on the flip. The synth tone that roars into action on "DMT" is an unexpected delight whilst "Estonia" mutates swiftly from hazy insouciance into full on dark room techno.

Review: Audio Injection's David Flores dons his Truncate mantle to teas up with fellow Droid Recordings stalwart Luis Flores. Compared to their other works, the Ratio EP is rather timid...well minimal. An ultra-light and clacky "Ratio 1" sets the tone for the EP, as does the following "Ratio 2" which is cut from the same cloth and builds in strength like a boxer that's moved from lightweight to middle-weight. On the smudgy stamped reversed-side of the white-label, Luis Flores adds sprockets of alarmed synths and ghoulish chords to his remix of "Ratio 3"; a production desperate to be heard at Berghain. Like the others, "Ratio 3" pulsates with minimal force, as percussion walks up and down its arrangement like a drunk cabassa player falling in and out of time. Proper minimal techno.

Review: Seeming to have hit a particularly prolific point of late with scores of releases dropping, Terrence Dixon is back once again to kick off the Reduction label with some fittingly restrained techno excursions. The first track is a masterclass in unresolved tension, with nothing but a kick anchoring the pacing pair of synths that fret and fritter around one another in an endless loop and yet sound utterly engrossing from start to finish. "Track 2" has a more diverse sound palette, taking in grainy samples and letting a decidedly electronic hat tick away alongside the kick but still the emphasis is on holding back rather than letting go, even if there are ebbs and flows to be had in this particular workout. "Track 3" gets into more bugged out Dixon territory, the jerky nature of the synths within constantly straining against the insistent tick of the hat for a positively woozy end result.

Review: Positively brimming with otherwordly activity in the realm of techno, the latest Field brings together five hearty visions from artists that avidly embrace the experimental remit of the label. Roswell Return is an intermittent project that excels in ambient music of a less fluffy, more tense kind. R-A-G by comparison is decidedly direct, even if his reduced house comes laden with emotional baggage, and Delta Funktionen again notches the pace up with a peculiar kind of acid squelch over utterly straight-ahead drums. On the flip Artefakt gets into a perfect Artificial Intelligence reverie, while Metropolis bliss out on a bed of anchorless synths.

Review: Claro Intelecto, Gerry Read and Unbroken Dub feature on the first 12" in a series of five from Dutch label Delsin primed to celebrate reaching 100 releases. Founded back in 1996, Delsin have undoubtedly slipped past this number if you factor in all the reissues, one off releases and their rejuvenated Ann Aimee sub label, but everyone loves a special edition release so lets not nit pick. You can expect material from Sawlin, Conforce, Redshape, Mike Dehnert, Delta and Newworldaquarium on subsequent 100DSR/VAR drops and the series is inaugurated in fine style here. "Fighting The Blind Man" is classic scatterbrained Claro Intelecto, whilst "Granny Bag" demonstrates that Read's wild side has not been tamed by his swift rise in popularity over the past year or so. Siberian producer Unbroken Dub manages to sound both calming and slightly foreboding on the excellent final cut "Spacing".

Review: Techno producer-cum-performance artist Dasha Rush appears once again on her own Fullpanda imprint with a murky techno mantra across three tracks that further establishes her as a formidable force in the darker corners of the scene. "Rodrigues Avant-Garde" is stuffed full of ranging drones, nagging hats and forlorn bleeps built to scare the wits out of a dub techno head, while "Dream N 68" also plots a bleak path into the most sinister kind of echo chamber. "Les Six" may have the same nerve-jangling mood, but the broken pattern and clearer mix lean towards dystopian electro than apocalyptic techno.

Review: With as much of a poised, soundtrack aspect to their productions as there is techno, Metropolis come at an apt time with their canny combination of the two disciplines that makes for arresting cuts, not least on the A-side. Dark, industrial pulses come cascading down over a bottom end with a strong presence and a relentless 4/4 intent that would nicely slide some colour into more po-faced techno parties. The B-side is, by contrast, a much more experimental effort that revolves around a steady delayed melodic formation while all kinds of textures and pads feed in around for an enchanting ambient alternative.