October chart 2017

Review: German producer Martin Matiske has been sporadic in his appearances dating back to 2002, but when he releases a record he makes it count. Following previous turns on International Deejay Gigolo and Stilleben, he now brings his fulsome electro sound to Vivod sounding fresher than ever. "Die Nibelungen" draws on a fine tradition of German electronica while using that mechanical melancholy you might find in a Bochum Welt track. "Bayerischer Wald" is a cheery synth-pop celebration, and "Virtuosic Mechanic" is a more snappy club track with plenty of Bunker-friendly darkness packed into its bones. "Kammermusik" cools things down with a lovely meander through plaintive bleep lines and plastic synth leads.

Review: Having crept out of the tape undergrowth and respected haunts like Clan Destine and Always Human to earn more civilized recognition on BANK Records NYC and Bliq, Strahinja Arbutina makes the move to Vivod for yet more of that edgy, leftfield techno business that keeps mothers awake at night from worry. The grit, noise and distortion has been faithfully carried through from the cassette-based roots of Arbutina's sound, but these tracks are more than ready to do the damage in the dance (where you're less likely to find a tape deck). Hold on tight as the likes of "Way Ahead" give the sound engineer a fright when they think the system has overloaded.

Review: Ali Renault's ever on-point Vivod label welcomes UK techno stalwart Tobias Schmidt to the table for a return to a time when techno could be slamming, witty and downright fun at the same time. "Higher" is loaded with funk, riding some kind of bassy lick with tightly wound drums and off-kilter synth warbles, but then "Glass Walls" ramps up the madness with a lead line that will stop people in their tracks before making them freak out with gusto. "Pink Milk" shows no let up in the energy, although the parping trumpet lines that lead the track give everything a jaunty, upbeat feel compared to the darkness of the A side. "Play People" is a true tribute to the wonky techno scene Schmidt came up with, all skronky swing and lopsided synths for all the true techno freaks out there.

Review: Master of minimal wave sonics Alessandro Parisi has spread his full-bodied synth wares around such esteemed labels as Slow Motion, Charlois, Giallo Disco, Lux Rec and more besides, and now he slides up to Vivod with an EP of noirish fantasies you'll be hard pushed to resist. "Crossfire" is the more uptempo cut, but "Ravens" paints a more vivid picture of retro-fetishistic club music in dangerous places. "Praying Sages" goes all out on the soundtrack vibe, but not before it's been remixed by Mick Wills, who casually threads a driving techno undercarriage into the track to create a strangely transcendental slab of cathedral-ready body music.

Review: Since coming through a few years back for labels like WT Records and Argot, Pittsburgh techno producer Chase Smith has dropped nothing but bombs on our shelves and, in the process, has contributed to the growth of several independents such as the present Apartment label, out of Ireland. The tenth chapter of the imprint's catalogue is made fiery and punchy by Smith's tight roll, starting with the nutty loops of "Mariana", before crafting up some wacky electro on "Sending You Some Lungs". On Side B, "1-900-909-CREEP" is an utter monster, a techno chest-burster with all sorts of nasty percussion loops spilling out of its innards, and by the time the instrumental cut to "Sending You Some Lungs" comes by, we're all a little saner.

Review: Spanish producer Jasss it seems is closely affiliated with Mannequin boss Alessandro Adriani; often supporting him at his label nights in Berlin in addition to carving out a name for herself in the city as a fine selector playing everything from electro and techno through to industrial. It's all those influences that are brought together as a cohesive whole on her debut album m: Weightless for Swedish noise cognoscenti Ideal. Featuring many of the tracks as previewed during her electrifying live show at Berlin Atonal 2017, it runs the gamut from moody and brooding imaginary soundtracks ("Every Single Fish In The Pond") through to body bashing analogue noise terror ("Oral Couture"/"To Eat With Dirty Hands"), to mesmerising exotica ("Danza"), free jazz ("Cotton For lunch") and new wave EBM mutations. A riveting listen from start to finish and a cohesive effort. Recommended.

Review: null+void finally step up with their second release after impressing with the opening salvo from Shinra, and this time electro fans will be in a tizz to discover that Radioactive Man, Monoak and London Modular's Simon Lynch have teamed up for four utterly essential workouts that tickle the synapses just as much as wiggling your booty. "Tiger Stripes" is a tightly wound snake charmer with intricate rhythmic patterns offset by chilling pad sweeps, while "Fruitcake" gets even more frantic with its growling distortion and unrelenting tempo. "Land" cools things down to a minimalist techno mindstate on the B-side, and then "Aesop" teases out a more melodic kind of electro for the braindance crew.

Review: When it comes to creating chilly coldwave and new wave influenced dark electro, few producers can boast as impressive a discography as Brigitte Enzler AKA Beta Evers. She returned to action earlier this year following a six-year absence via a track on a split EP on Peripheral Minimal, and here delivers her first solo 12" since 2008. She begins with the sharp, horror-influenced synth motifs and bustling drum machine beats of "Don't Be Afraid", before exploring more aggressive and mind-altering territory on the sleazy "Move In My Body Rhythm". Flip for the creepy, triple time hustle of "Eruption" and the moody but clattering throb of "Destination".

Review: Few represent the new garde of Berlin's scene better than the Libertine crew. Their long parties upon the city's River Spree are now legendary and their eponymous label reflects the sounds on their dancefloor: throwbacks to classic Detroit techno and electro. Quite fitting then that they tap the Motor City legend Di'jital: former live DJ for Aux 88 and responsible for some innovative sci-fi funk since the late '90s on Direct Beat, Twilight76 and of course his own Di'jital Access imprint. It's straight up 313 business from the beginning with the relentless boom, snap and bleep of "Altered Groove" while "Coleco Vision" is electro-bass just the way we like it: executed with pure precision. On the flip, "Cyborg Jumper" could well be one of his unreleased jams from wayback; saturated in a lo-fi sheen, gritty and raw. Finally "Whispers" goes for that retro first wave feel that'd make even Magic Juan proud!

Review: The Dewaele brothers' Deewee imprint is on fire at the moment. The Belgian siblings, who produce or co-produce all of the label's material, have been churning out the hits this year. Klanken is one of the pair's lesser-known aliases, having been used just once before (on Deewee 12" number two, back in 2015). "Vier" is a chirpy chunk of alien funk, where stuttering drum machine hits, mind altering synthesizer melodies and moody industrial funk sounds combine to create a weird and wonderful dancefloor workout. It's hard to describe, but really rather good. On the flip they opt for a rough and raw approach, wrapping angular acid lines and twisted electronics around distorted machine drums on the thrillingly psychedelic "VJF".

Review: Of all DJ duos currently operating in British dance music, Belfast boys Bicep might be the hardest to pin down (Optimo aside, of course). Certainly, this debut album is not easy to pigeonhole, though it is an enjoyably cohesive listen. This is largely down to two factors; the frequent use of deliciously colorful and loved-up synthesizer parts, and the duo's innate ability to utilize beats tailor-made for dancefloor devastation. So while keen dancefloor historians may notice sly (and not so subtle) nods to '89 rave, U.S house and garage, Italo-disco, late '90s progressive house, jungle and early British hardcore, the album never sounds anything less than a fine set of Bicep tracks. Expect it to be one of the biggest albums of the year.

Review: Initially released back in 1993, M5003MB was an all-star collaboration between Detroit techno originator Juan Atkins, Rhythm & Sound man Moritz von Oswald and fellow Berlin techno stalwart Thomas Fehlmann. Predictably, the resultant three-tracker was rather special, as this timely reissue proves. Many Detroit techno enthusiasts cite A-side "Jazz is the Teacher" as one of the best examples of the style; an energy-packed Motor City romp full of jaunty, jazz-flecked drum machine hits, undulating synthesizer melodies and sci-fi intent. While superb, both of the B-side tracks - the acid-fired futurism of "Cosmic Courier" and post-bleep hustle of "Bassmental" are almost as good. In other words, it's an EP that every serious techno enthusiast should own.