Minimal / Tech House Recommendations November 2016

Review: From a strong start on Robsoul to moving over to Apollonia, Alci is a young producer going places with his distinct variation on minimal house. The EP leads off with "Anotherone", a richly detailed groover with playful noises errantly pinging over a rock-solid undercarriage. "3rd Eye" meanwhile gets more skippy with its rhythms, but the emphasis is still very much on wayward (albeit subtle) synth sounds in the mix between the drums. "Floating" may indeed remain within this philosophy, but it still manages to be expressive in its own unique way thanks to some gorgeous touches of melody that chime through the sparse soundscape.

Review: Berlin minimal hero Germann Nguyen aka Binh returns to Perlon for a full length LP, following up highly lauded releases previously for the label, as well as putting out some impressive grooves as part of Treatment (with Oner Ozer), collaborating with DJ Masda on his Cabaret imprint and with his own brilliant Time Passages label. On the Noah's Day LP, Binh shows us that he's one of the best at merging classic electro sensibilities with minimal house; a current trend that's sweeping the Berlin underground at present. Fast tempo rhythm patterns reminiscent of early Detroit and UK techno come into the fold, as well as obvious nods to the classic reductionist sounds of DBX and Pantytec. This guy's one of the most exciting producers of the moment and this could well be one of the year's best releases.

Review: In the lead up to the release of their debut album early next year, Mandar has decided to out a trio of 12" samplers. This is the first of the three, and contains two fresh new cuts from the four-man outfit. On the A-side you'll find "La Bocca", which craftily works dub-influenced textures and fluid electronic motifs around a bold, bumpin' and bass-heavy groove. The inherent dreaminess of their productions can be further admired on flipside "Lawed Mack". It's notably deeper and hazier than its' predecessor, with a groove that shuffles, rather than bangs, but retains a percussive solidity that suggests it would sound fantastic over a decent sound system.

Review: "Deeper" was originally featured on Matthew Herbert's Part Two EP, way back in 1996. Since then, that particular 12" has become something of an in-demand item, with the lead cut naturally attracting the most attention. This issue of "Deeper" contains Herbert's original in all its glory - think loopy, low-slung, jazz-flecked hypo-house with woozy, early morning breakdowns - and a fresh remix from label-hopping producer Stuart Li under his familiar Basic Soul Unit alias. He subtly beefs up and speeds up the track, adding some Detroit-influenced keys and fizzing new percussion. The result is a tasty techno revision that pays due reverence to Herbert's thrilling original.

Review: The FUSE London crew are back everyone, look out! Bringing the sound of their legendary daytime raves to us again and getting straight down to business on Enzo Siragusa's third edition of 5 are label mainstays Rich NxT (with the rolling and adrenalised "Badass") and the always impressive OdD aka Damian Daley & Danny Dixon joined by newcomer Rossko (making his production debut) on the rolling hypnotism of "Jabba The Hut". On the flip is Moscow Records boss Archie Hamilton (another mainstay of the label) with the woozy and tripped out after hours deepness of "Cirrus" and the Deep End Soundsystem affiliated Sam Bellis with the gutsy acid driven "Solstrole".

Review: Jamie Jones' esteemed tech house imprint returns to wax! This time it's courtesy of Solardo; the UK duo of Mark Richards (MRK1) and James Eliot who have appeared previously on Madtech, Viva, Kaluki and Lost. On the Tribesmen EP, the title track showcases the tribal leanings that the title may suggest. This dynamic track's stripped back and percussive driven tendencies start off nicely, until that rolling bass and exotic chant soon comes into the fold. On the flip, the charmingly titled "Psycho Girlfriend" is more representative of the London label's sound on this downright funky, totally bumpin and undeniably druggy stomper that just reeks of late night hedonism.

Review: After a quiet 2016 thus far Och's Autoreply label is finally back in action with a frankly fantastic selection of workouts from Mark Broom. In keeping with the style Broom has been exercising in new Perbec jams with Baby Ford, this is more restrained than the muscular techno Broom can also be known for. Instead, you get expressive, satisfying house tracks such as "18.2" and the neatly pumping "10" with its killer array of synths to satisfy the dancefloor and the mind in equal measure. Avoiding unnecessary fireworks in favour of perfectly chosen and shaped elements, this is a glittering demonstration of Broom's cool-headed approach in the studio.

Review: Exciting Bristol imprint Banoffee Pies are back with the second edition of their new Black Label imprint and we're certainly eager to hear what they have in store this time around. Starting off we've got Romanian Hansel! with "2-16" and it's everything you'd expect really: rolling, ethereal and hypnotic. Following up this, Unknown Artist delivers some dusty and smoked out breakbeat house on "Bet Your Life". On the flip, KOKO & Niccolo Borgi present some lush minimal house deepness on "Nor Girl" (which is reminiscent of Baby Ford) while Swede in Sydney Adam Stromstedt delivers oddly hypnotic sounds on "Rent" as similarly heard on his great Lyssna imprint of late.

Review: Four years on from the release of Glacial's debut album - a favourite of Ricardo Villalobos, who clearly appreciated its blend of electronic minimalism, dub and woodwind instruments - co-producer George Laimos has decided to get some remixes done. This time round, he's turned to Dutchman Ion Ludwig, who delivers a trio of long, winding interpretations. A-side "I" is a 12-minute exploration of intertwining saxophone solos, clarinet lines, and jazzy textures, underpinned by a sparse but solid techno groove. He explores Glacial's dub influences a little more on the darker, chunkier "II", before rounding things off with the smoky saxophones, sustained note chords and hypnotic grooves of "III".

Review: Back in April, Jordan Magee delivered a confident debut 12" for Twig. This follow-up is similarly impressive. There's a bustling bounce underpinning many of Magee's tracks, as if he's an admirer of Matthew Herbert's classic house productions. That rubbery, cut-up feel is at the heart of low-slung techno/deep house bubbler "Clamshell" - all warped sub-bass, fizzing cymbals and epileptic electronics - while "Fluctuate" sounds like mid-noughties Swag fused with fluttering deep house. Elsewhere, Markus Sommer delivers a deep, hypnotic and otherworldly interpretation of "Clamshell", while "Lock Up" sees Magee subtly stroll towards vintage IDM pastures.

Review: Since launching back in 2007, Innervisions' Secret Weapons series has been consistently impressive. Its' various EPs and compilations feature tracks that have been doing the business in the sets of label chiefs Dixon and Ame, some of which have never previously been released. Part 8 is the most expansive volume yet, with 13 tracks stretched across four weighty slabs of wax. There's naturally plenty to enjoy, from the cinematic creepiness of Mosca's "In This Life or The Next", and the dreamy, slow-building wooziness of Prins Thomas' remix of Fred Und Luna's "Im Klanggarten", to the undulating, soul-flecked goodness of "Blind" by David, and the late night, broken techno brilliance of Culoe De Song's "Judgement Day".

Review: Synthetic Gold comes into being with a clear commitment to the finest stripped down grooves to be enjoyed in the current climate. Isherwood has already been turning heads for a little while, and brings a truly submerged, experimental mood to "Output 1-2", while Easy Changes ramp up the tempo and get quirky in the minor details of "Sviat Gepard". Nu Zau lays down a perfect crystalisation of the Romanian sound, while Tom Ellis delivers a crackling, electronic piece that edges away from his usual organic sound. It's a fitting final suggestion that this is a label intent on encouraging its artists to head off-piste when delivering a track for release.

Review: Sushi tech Records has always been a favourite of ours but, looking back at the entirety of its catalogue and more recent releases, we have too admit that we slightly underestimated the label over the last ten years. not anymore; each and every release that Yossi Amoyal drops is better than the last, and their most recent compilation is still proudly turning at 33RPM on our HQ turntable. It's a new two-tracker this time, led by Ion Ludwig and Monoaware, both interesting deep house producers who know the meaning of subtlety. The former delivers a fine, dubbed-out house tune called "Be Fifty Times Two" - most certainly one for the dub techno enthusiasts or fans of the Workshop latel - while the latter's "Side Stepper" takes a more minimalist approach in the same vein as the Villalobos school of thought. All in all, a masterful and beautifully executed EP.

Review: Underground, Romanian dance music has become shorthand for quality minimal techno these days. The Liniar imprint is just getting started in the game, and so are the Super Moon duo, made up of Adrian Niculae and Ionut Arapu. Their Liric EP is made up of three quality slices of hypnotic dance music and, proudly taking over the length of the A-side, "Track 1" offers a sleek, magnetic groove with a tight percussion swing, a funky little bassline, and a cinematic array of pads. "Track 2" strips the groove further still, and what is left is a glitchy minimal tool that'll sit perfectly next to just about everything, whereas "Track 3" drops in a hint of Chicago house through its punchy bass tones and relatively more slamming beats. A fine collection of cerebral house tunes - recommended for the Raresh fans!

Review: Steadily building up a prominent identity in the bustling minimal house and techno thoroughfare, The Untold Stories return with one of their signature various artist compilations to present some lesser known practitioners of the hypnotic groove. Jerome C gets a rugged angle on the swing to his beats on "An Intelligible Scrawl", while Volta Cab nods to a classic Tobias jam with "Street Knowledge". MD Wallholz's "Ein Bisschen Ruhe" is a shivering slice of experimental electro, and Jonas Sella brings an unhinged French flavour to proceedings, but truthfully every jam on this solidly packed release has its own distinct character that fits into the meandering tale the label is unfurling.

Review: Romanian rising star Funk E has recently devoted his efforts to his own imprint Great White Circle, being the sole artist to present work on it thus far. Now he presents debut artist BhikkhuJuno Re who does not at all disappoint on these three rolling and hypnotic grooves which indicate that we may have another star from Bucharest on the rise. The A side is completely given to the nearly 13 minute long epic "Ias1000", the kind of subtle and ethereal groove that you could imagine the likes of Cristi Cons playing out on a hazy Saturday afternoon at Sunwaves. On the flip, "Topless Is More" is the perfect kind of tripped out and drugged up reductionism that's perfect for the afterhours and what the Romanians are true experts at. Finally "Keep In Dutch" goes for that Petre Inspirescu style crossover from avant-garde and classical with reliable dancefloor dynamics.

Review: Since 2014, Spain's Park & Ride label have been offering a truly outstanding selection of collaborative releases from the finest talents of the deeper side of contemporary tech-house. This time, they return with the Paris compilation, driven by the sounds of some of Europe's finest. Among our favourites on here, we have the opener, Saverio Celestri's majestic "Interstellar", a hybrid trip between house and industrial electro that sounds as if it were cut straight from the machines through which it was conceived; "Rob In The Hood" by Seuil is another sublime slice of grainy, stripped-back dance music with a clear ode to the coldwave scene, and Alex Picone's "Sunday" provides a charming, graceful analogue house cut with a broken rhythm and some glorious background sonic manipulation. Yes.

Review: While Pheek may have been in operation for as long as anyone can remember within minimal house and techno, Cleymoore has been most productive more recently thanks to his Pluie/Noir label. Following on from last year's Seikou single on Xquisite, here Cleymoore and Pheek link up to deliver some densely packed, production rich jams that keep the spirit of mid-00s clicks and cuts alive. The beats themselves may be slender slices that carry the energy of the tracks, but it's all in the infinitesimal details in between that the true magic of this music comes alive.