Review: Two techno knights in shining armour, Joseph Capriati and Indira Paganotto, rise to a collaborative challenge on their latest split vinyl single. Brought to their resident Artcore Records, 'Ananda' and 'Mantra' are spiritually intoned yet no less hard psy-tech towerers. Paganotto is said to have laid down the exotic vocal chops on 'Ananda' directly and the final product hears these laced through a blossoming, emu-synth rising action and a stuttering pre-drop. Perfect fits for the larger club or festival stage, these twin tracks work the careful balance of grave and utopian sound.
Review: Shout out to Greek powerhouse Kinesthetik Recordings for making it all the way to a half a century of releases there. They celebrate in the best way they know - with more tranced-out sounds from artists in their orbit. Giorgio & Andreas open things up with 'Nice One' and its thudding tech drums and cosmic synth lines. Diskinesia gets much more raw and moody with the edgy drums of 'Back & Forth' and Interphase then drops a pair of industrial tech thumpers. Giorgio & Andreas reappear with a raw, roughshod and deep groove and Marcelino Sanchez's 'Motive One' offers dub techno to close.
Floating Against Time (Wata Igarashi Shimmering mix) (5:45)
Ceremony Of The Dead (Michael Mayer mix) (7:01)
Abyss II X Darkness (Philipp Stoffel Fusion mix) (4:57)
Review: Known for his meticulous sound design and trippy, psychedelic approach, the Japanese producer gets key tracks from his 2023 Agartha album remixed with contributions from Kompakt veteran Michael Mayer and rising talent Philipp Stoffel. Opening the selection, 'Agartha (Wata Igarashi Sorcery Acid Mix)' plunges into heavy analog territory, channeling old-school acid trance with pulsing basslines and swirling synth layers. It's a trip that maintains a relentless and hypnotic momentum. In contrast, 'Floating Against Time (Wata Igarashi Shimmering Mix)' leans into atmospheric techno, unfolding with a celestial, meditative quality. The track's ethereal pads and evolving textures create a sense of weightlessness, staying true to Igarashi's deep, transportive aesthetic. Michael Mayer steps in with his version of 'Ceremony of the Dead', infusing it with an upbeat vintage techno feel. His remix brims with Kompakt's signature warmth, blending ravey elements with a steady, driving groove. Closing the set, 'Abyss II X Darkness (Philipp Stoffel Fusion Mix)' picks up the pace with rolling basslines and dubby, melodic layers. Stoffel's take is fast and fluid, balancing deep, introspective elements with club-ready energy. A refined touch for floor or sofa alike.
Review: Japanese techno producer Toru Ikemoto returns with a kicking new EP on Conundrum Records. Ikemoto has an uncompromising style which finds him boil things down to the bare essentials and dive deep into dark, hypnotic then worlds with hey low ends and a real sense of urgency. His three new jams here all foment that signature style, from the pulsing bass throb of 'Don't Play 171' to the more percussive loops of 'Don't Play 162.' 'Don't Play 170' is pure heady and linear techno bliss and a remix from Lindsey Herbert shuts down with some sub-aquatic rhythms.
Review: EC Underground is back with more inquisitors of low-end heavy sounds on Bass Scene Investigation vol 1 and again digs deep into the worlds of electro, techno, breakbeat and IDM. The compilation kicks off with the skittish percussive patterns of Illektrolab's 'Making Heads Dip', then heads into moody ground with ADJ, Pablo Funk brings some menacing synth work and Errorbeauty gets all weird and trippy with some mad electronics. Francois Dillinger offers a dystopian electro sound full of irresistibly jacked-up drums. A fine investigation indeed.
Review: In 1997, the Spanish CD compilation Calambre Techno featured a track called Utopia, created by the electronic duo INTRO, which was brothers Francisco and Nacho Sotomayor. Originally released in 1994 as part of an EP, the track is a simple yet perfect techno-trance anthem that is retro-psychedelic but ahead of its time. Now, UFC reissues this classic on vinyl accompanied by new remixes. The MFA's '94 On The Floor Remix' blends IDM and experimentalism while Promising/Youngster's 'Electric Shock Remix' fuses powerful electro with IDM. Brassica's 'Psytalo Remix' mixes techno, breaks and psychedelia, and R.I.P. Bestia's 'FutureCosmicalAscension Mix' leads to euphoric heights.
Review: Emmanuel's ARTS is a Rotterdam-based indie techno label that quietly pushes at the boundaries. Introversion has released here before with his 'Hush' 12" back in 2022 and since then has landed on the likes of Fundaments and Makatoo, always adding to his reputation. This one opens with 'Laeddis', which is cantering, full-throttle techno funk with big, oversized hi-hats. 'Found Footage' is a scruffier cut with underlapping kicks and muffled trance chords up top, then 'Tesseract' gets slicke and turbocharged for a fresh future assault. 'Signs' closes with supple, mind-melting synth patterns that intertwine with wispy percussion and thudding rubber kick for pure techno perfection.
Review: Leibniz's return was always going to be interesting given previous work and so it is. Each of the five news cuts exemplifies the power of simplicity with grimy, hypnotic mantras that showcase Leibniz's mastery of the genre. Stripping away unnecessary details, he focuses on what truly matters to cook up a minimalist sound that hits hard. These sounds really emphasise the notion that less is more, with each one full of refined technique and ability to cut through the noise. It's a masterclass in minimal techno that proves what to ignore is just as important as what to keep.
Review: By now a very well-recognised trailblazer of the minimal house and techno circuits, iO Mulen (Aleksandr Voznichenko) shares his third album, Rock Like This, through his own Mulen imprint. Refusing to fall back on heavy-handed press notes, the eight tracks on this perfect composite storm are enough to bewitch us of their own accord. These house and techno retrofusions play out like the kind of sounds that the impossible dangling contraption depicted on its front cover might generate; 'Rock Like This' throws back to Chicago deep house and jankout acid trance, magicking up a shockingly good fusion of disparate styles in a bionic mode, while the rising actions of 'How Do You Say' and 'Emergency' teem with twin enjoyments of and reverences for 90s Euro and acid techno. There are cosmic-trancier subplots on there too, such as 'I'm Waiting For', which selects its constituent sounds with an aesthete's ear, striking a difficult balance of the raw and the fine. Voznichenko refuses to privilege one referent genre over another, and it results in a respectfully done, carefully made and truly exciting dance record, unafraid of cheese nor sophistication, and reconciling the two.
Review: Manifest drumcode signee Mha Iri shares her latest 'Neon Storm', where geometric blitzes and "get-down" vocals excoriate the dancefloor. The lead track screams with colossal, sinking-feeling synth design, as though a War Of The Worlds tripod were heard stomping on skyscrapers a city away, and that this could possibly an exciting, not terrifying experience. 'Moving Machines' firms the bio-mechanoid vibe, with its added chord crimps, glottal mids and ultra-processed kick centres.
Review: Marcello Giordani, known as Italo Deviance, returns with a two-track release that captures his decades of dance music expertise. Side A delivers a vibrant blend of house and disco, bursting with infectious energy and a nod to vintage Italo grooves. On the flip, acid influences seep in, creating a hypnotic, mind-bending experience driven by crisp production and dynamic rhythms. Mastered by Francesco Salvadori at Sweep Audio in Berlin, this release is a testament to Giordani's ability to craft tracks that balance nostalgia with forward-thinking sound design, making it a must-have for discerning selectors.
Review: Berlin's Exit Strategy began their 12"s game releasing EPs in browned sleeves, shortly before branching out into digital-vinyl combo releases with original artwork in the 2020s. Now with over ten years of experience under their belts, they welcome five new artists for a playful bricolage in deep and minimal techno, privileging elite, razor-sharp additive sound design and future-soulful vocal tasters. Ivory's opener 'Rain' epitomises this, while Jimi Jules squelchifies the same formula, and Aera's 'Future Holdings' rolls out the same logic to its ultimate conclusion, veering towards complex, 3D-graphic melodic techno composed entirely of climbing saws.
Review: Giammarco Orsini and Intheismah join forces on a release that melds hypnotic techno with progressive and electro-EBM influences. Shadowy textures and haunting rhythms lay the groundwork, while immersive melodies thread through each track, creating a deeply atmospheric listening experience. The fusion of genres feels deliberate and powerful, with a clear intent to captivate the dancefloor. This is a soundtrack for the season's darker moods, where subtle shifts in rhythm and texture keep the energy simmering while hinting at the after-hours spirit that defines the best of contemporary techno.
Review: The second full length from this Croatian artist's been highly anticipated and it's already won favour from the heavyweights likes of Rodhad, Stephanie Sykes and Nastia for its high-energy bangers and experimental melodies. Full Disclosure shows Insolate's evolution as she embraces creative openness in her artistry. Tracks like 'On Your Knee' and 'Stand Strong' deliver powerful dub-infused rhythms and sharp vocals and, collaborating with guitarist PEP on 'The Proof' brings forth top techno with intense arpeggios. 'Full Disclosure' pulses with glitchy sequences while 'Big City' offers haunting melodies. A fine album from a venerated veteran.
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