Techno Recommendations September 2011

Review: ** Repress For The Hood Fans ** This much anticipated EP on his own M Plant label sees Detroit legend Robert Hood continue to develop to his Floorplan alias after the recent Living It Up single. The A-Side explores euphoric 90s house tropes in "We Magnify His Name", a peak time piano driven anthem which is as religious an experience to listen to as its name suggests, complete with uplifting gospel vocals. On the flip, Hood explores his darker techno tendencies over two tracks. "Baby Baby" relies more on a cut up vocal sample and a slightly wobbling Motor City leaning bassline and a Model 500 style funk swing to it, provided in no small part by a particularly great guitar lick, while tension and release is offered in spades by a well placed horn sample. "Basic Priciple" meanwhile is a druggier affair propelled by its murky sub bass and techno stabs, the only melody coming from a particularly sinister two note organ line.

Review: The mystery that surrounds Shifted, erm, shifts up a gear with the introduction of another alias in the form of Pacific Blue, with a debut release on the imprint of the same name offering up two clacking wall shaking excursions. The A Side is reminiscent in its bucking rhythmic intent to the recent and vastly under rated "Piper" from Sir Shake Shakir, though proceedings here are on a much more heads down vibe. The cavernous chord stabs accrue devilish intent as the track progresses whilst layer upon layer of pounding drums are intricately melded with rasping 808s. On the flip, Part 2 operates on a more guttural level, implementing similar bucking drums and chord splurges but on a downward trajectory. Pressed on clear blue vinyl and accompanied by a screen printed insert, this comes highly recommended.

Review: Our award for runout groove ingenuity of the week was always going to land at the feet of Ryo Murukami and the Baud crew, and the thick expanses between tracks utilised for shout out purposes is just one aspect of an all round impressive release. Within the smartly printed outer sleeve in which Underworld is presented, the veteran Japanese producer brandishes a quartet of oh-so deep excursions into the moods and tones that sit between the lowest recesses of house and techno. The title track draws you in, its frosted melodics oscillating outwards over the most delicate of rhythmic heartbeats, the stripped back rhythms accruing a heart warming dubbed out sensation as it progresses. In contrast, "Nightdew" takes less time to settle, drawing out thick lines of driving twilight chords over multifaceted programming from the off. It is however the ever twisting direction the track takes, first introducing twinkling keys over deep pads, before later implementing rough key stabs that truly captivates. The doom laden mood of the suitably titled "Fog" which closes this release is a thrilling finale to a release that could easily see daylight on Ethereal Sound or Millions Of Moments.

Review: Ever a dazzling and surprising upstart in the UK scene, Lone once again slaps his multicoloured hand across your chops with a loose and funky take on the wonkier side of house music. Wigflex is certainly the right label to be dropping this kind of track, being particularly adept at knowing a cheeky dose of silly but slick party fodder when they hear it. The beats bump hard on this tune, but really it's the loping lead melody that makes this the kind of jam that will stop the dance in its tracks and cause mass-hysterical body popping.

Review: Berlin based Tommy Four Seven and Chris Liebling's CLR label have become inseparable buddies over the last couple of years, their partnership now clocking up one album and four single releases since 2010. Celebrating the label's 50th release, an impressive package for Tommy Four Seven's "Verge" featuring Robert Hood and Sigha on remix duty is now out. The original is a tech heavy and driving piece, fuelled by its rapid kick, mirrored bass and swelling synth bed. UK Sigha takes "Verge" to even beefier levels on his mix, bringing forward the drum to dominate the stomp. "Track 5", taken from Tommy Four Seven's release earlier this year, gets treated by certified ledge Robert Hood with a simple, cosmic and clearly Detroit techno sounding cut.

Review: Frenchman Terence Fixmer continues his prolific ways with Le Terrible, released on his own Electric Deluxe imprint. Tense, ticking percussion and rattling drums are splayed across the A-Side, with a cavernous low end throb marking this out as a prime slab of intricately produced machine funk. Flip over, wind it back to 33rpm and let the Millsian paranoia of "Concept C" invade your senses with its addictive blend of creaking metallics and a killer drum loops. Finally, Berghain resident Marcel Dettmann is called in to remix "Dance Like Paranoid", the results being every bit as good as you'd imagine, the dense throb of the bass drum serving as a hypnotic back drop to swirling bleep-ridden atmospherics and crackly late night vocals. Highly recommended.

Review: We live in an age of represses, reissues and, well, regurgitation. But when it was revealed that Underground Resistance were to reissue five of its most seminal releases, the news was met with almost universal glee. Here, the awesome Electronic Warfare EP has been repressed, with four tracks showcasing Mad Mike Banks' razor sharp brand of outer galactic electro. These tracks still sound as raw, heavy and vital as they did the day they were released. For our money you can't look past the tearing synths and panting robotic vocals of the now seminal title track. Any attempt to stress the importance of UR on the contemporary musical landscape in such a short review is an exercise in futility. Instead, we'll simply suggest you listen for yourself.

Review: Birmingham based producer DJ Skirt returns with her nightmarish form of icy, brooding techno for a second 12" on Frozen Border sub-label Horizontal Ground. Spread across the A-Side is a remix of "In The Meadow Under The Stars" - which was released on Skirt's HG debut in its original form - from beat scientist T++, aka Torsten Profrock. The sparse 4/4 original is dipped in a paste of swampy, almost impenetrable atmospherics and jangling broken beats by the German producer, the result being one of the most riveting pieces of electronic music we've heard in 2011. Flip over for two eagerly anticipated Skirt originals, with the ghoulish synth sweeps of "Racing The Sea" a particularly scary highlight!

Review: French DJ and producer Gesaffelstein has a renowned penchant for all things dark and heavy handed when it comes to his productions. For Turbo's 106th release the habit sticks and the three track EP is strewn with menacing arp'd synths and cutting drum wallops. Kicking off with "Viol" and its horror movie style sound pockets, tension is rife across the throbbing bass with screeching off-key samples leading the fear. Moving on, B-Side opener "Opr" maintains the theatrical swagger as winds sweep through pitch black tunnels and into creepy underground raves - not for the faint hearted! Finally, "Conspiracy Origins" takes on a more cosmic feel with electric glitches and bleeps galore that build and weave slowly through atmospheric downtempo moments.

Review: Silent Servant is best known for his work as part of the Sandwell District collective and, more recently, as one half of synthwave duo Tropic of Cancer. Other than Historia y Violencia, no other label has had a look in when it comes to Silent Servant material, until 2010 when Semantica put out the El Mar EP. Returning to the underrated Spanish imprint, this time with two remixes from Svreca, El Mar takes on a new identity. "Remix 1" plays with Silent Servant's post-punk obsession, twisting basslines tighter and pushing kick drums harder for a more dominant cut. Taking "El Mar" to even further levels, "Remix 2" plays with fierce electronic twitches and menacing basslines for a proper rave remix.