Back catalogue:

Review: Assembler Code and Jensen Interceptor are bass and electro-loving fusionists who once again join forces for a banging new EP from Down Under. NRG LVLS on TRUST features the title track first off and is a twisted number with wiry electronics and bumping electro rhythms. 'Scream' is another dark and intense sound with eerie synth leads and coruscated drums and 'Neuromancer' flits across the stereo field with real electro turbulence. 'Funk Spitter' shuts down with a jittery and full-blooded workout.

Review: Assembler Code & Jensen Interceptor are one of electro's most devastating duos right now. Mechatronica welcome them for four more hard hitting jams after their "Vapour Waves" EP on this label got plenty of people talking. These are tunes with an old school feel that will blow up your bass bins and tear apart your tweeters with their mix of low end heaviness and bright melodic patterns. Superbly urgent drum programming sweeps you off your feet and races you through astral skies on "Noise Theory", "Otherwise" has a raggedy-ass broken beat and "Day 1" has a blistering bassline of the highest order.

Review: Some serious peak time weapons for the main room on offer here, from the ever reliable Swedish label Drumcode. Usual heroes of the label such as Luigi Madonna, Sam Paganini and Joseph Capriati step aside for some other equally reliable staples. On the A, side label boss Adam Beyer teams up with Enrico Sangiuliano on the evocative and life affirming "Preset Heaven" which takes its cues from early trance with its amazing chord progression. It is something more typical of the label next, on the pummelling warehouse stomp of "Muzik" by Bulgaria's Timmo. On the flip, there's more trance nostalgia on offer again - this time from legends Pig & Dan on the hypnotic/melodic bliss of "La Bruja" which we could imagine melting the minds of festival crowds well into the new year. Finally they save the best for last with French peak time specialist Julian Jeweil, serving up the furious, tunneling and strobe-lit ultraviolence of "Nasa" which will have your adrenaline going from the first beat. It has been a stellar year for the powerhouse label, with great releases by Moby, Dubfire and newcomer Layton Giordani.

Review: Third part of the compilation celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Milanese record shop. This collection is entirely composed of previously unreleased music, exclusively produced for the occasion by many artists of great relevance in the worldwide music scene, who supported the store over the last ten years. The artists who produced the music for this compilation are Egyptian Lover, Ellen Allien, Thomas Brinkmann, Neil Landstrumm, JD Twitch, Matias Aguayo, San Proper, Tolouse Low Trax, Jay Glass Dubs, Dj Marcelle, Jorge Velez, Tamburi Neri, Fabrizio Mammarella, Heith, Itinerant Dubs, Timeslip89, Kreggo and Intersezioni Ensemble. The entire work is composed of 4 x 12", plus a bonus EP.

Review: Berlin's Cocktail d'Amore and Tokyo's Ene Records have come together once again to present the music of Solidair. The duo of Cocktail alumni Luigi Di Venere and Jules Etienne present three tracks aimed to induce a dance floor hypnosis. Orgonite (Riding the Waves) does just that, a slow build awash in the ebb and flow of acid tinges, just enough to wet your whistle on a Saturday night. The original mix keeps the skeletal support but throws in a life preserver of 8 bit gaming synthesis. Frisky arps call and respond to each other before making way for sinewy pads to lift off. Tiger's Eye sets itself onto cruising speed incorporating elements of late 90's acid techno with the sleek and smooth clubbing aesthetics of modern day Berlin.

Review: The cultured ESHU label has pulled other some more tasteful talents for this four track 'Conrexture' EP. It opens up with Julien Fuentes's 'Jah Justice' (Klaridub Ambient mix) which is a nice atmospheric opener with some conscious dub mutterings and sci-fi pads. Jocelyn & Yasin Engwer then kick on with some watery, sub-aquatic minimal dub tech bliss in the form of 'Sticks & Stones', Voal gets even more dark and dirty with some grubby dub basslines on 'Eight Ball' and Ivano Tetelepta/Christine Benz layer up watery droplets, melodic whistles, static electricity and rubbery rhythms to mind-melting perfection on 'Supreme.'

Review: Released back in 1996, Test Pilot Vol 1 has remained a highlight of the Viewlexx label ever since and has been one of those records that command regular calls for a repress. Kudos to I-F then for finally heeding these shouts and presenting a remastered edition for the masses. For the uninitiated, this 12" features classic Hague cuts from I-F and Jungian Archetype, another alias of the Viewlexx boss, with all four perfect for introducing a sense of bedlam to the dancehall. "Who Are You...?! (Theme From Paranoid Stranger)" in particular will bend many an unprepared mind. If you don't own an original edition, grip this remastered version and hold tight for a brand new second volume of Test Pilot featuring Gesloten Cirkel and Roberto Auser!

Review: When it comes to heavy chug, Multi Culti has always known exactly where to strike to make the most memorable or - more accurately - inescapable impact. Thomas Jackson's 'Slow Train' is just the latest case in point, then, drawing dancers and listeners alike in with its warm-hued, hypnotic synth lines, stabs and warbles in all the right places to ensure that while not that much happens, you'll be stomping about like everything was going on at once. Far from a one-track-wonder, Calypso Cult II is the label setting out all its stalls with aplomb. 'Jungle Tungle' is a strange, somewhat shrill, constantly building and percussively dominated workout that's tough and yet not actually that tough. 'Big Plastic Room' is peak time acid meets Kraut oddness, while 'Hipocampos' brings things to a beautiful close with beguiling, downtempo sludge.

Review: The Jaffa Kid is a pseudonym from long-serving braindancer Daniel Pringle, who also released a lovely 12" as Qeta on La Beaute du Negatif last year. His recent output on Bandcamp has been a lot to catch up with, but he's also snuck out releases on Deeptrax, Obsolete Future, Utter and Pulse State. Now he comes to Cold Blow with another six divine drops from unheralded dimensions, spanning a spectrum of energy levels from the feisty thrust of 'Itled' to the sad-eyed somnambulant electronica closer, 'Dolt'. Grabbing hold of melody with two hands and creating his own variation on the braindance theme, The Jaffa Kid once again proves himself to be a leading light, appearing on a label which is buy on sight.

Review: Glaswegian producer Jai Dee made a big impact with his first release on the 1O Pills Mate label and now he lands on that home of all that is excellent, Lobster Theremin. The assured producer mashes up plenty of old school rave, jungle, techno and breakbeat sounds into tracks that are as emotionally powerful as they are physically moving. Opening track 'Coming Up Again' has shiny electronics and bustling breaks with a yearning vocal cry, 'Tears In Your Voice' is a hardcore piano banger and 'We Can Have It All' is pure hands in the air tackle. 'Hold Love By The Hand' is the big, unashamedly emotional and E'd up closer.

Review: In 2018, unknown artist James Infiltrate dropped an album of smart electro tunes that get everyone talking. It turned out to be an alias of James Burnham aka Burnski aka the Constant Sound boss aka Instinct, who is one of the most visible and prolific artists of recent years. Now some of the cuts from that album get choice remixes - AlexJann flips 'Flash' into a caustic electro banger with bright synths and twisted bass. Stojche goes for a lurching, loopy, scintillating and loopy remix of 'Isolate' that takes you to the stars and the flip offers up an acid laced electro cruiser from Sound Synthesis and Relpek mix of 'Reconnect' that is melodic and mysterious.

Review: The mysterious Jase inaugurates new label Off The Map with some quirked-up and glitched-out microhouse on the Out There EP. On side A, you can properly get weird at the afterhours with the cheeky blip, blurp, bleep of 'You Wanna Get Real', while over on the flip you've got another reductive jam reminiscent of mid-noughties mnml on 'Whispers' - all atonal sounds and clipped rhythm programming to keep the paranoid dancefloor vibes going well into Monday morning. Tip!

Review: Kalahari Oyster Cult sub label Mineral Cuts returns this week with a new release in conjunction with Oklahoma City's Fixed Rhythm by debutante Jdotbalance. The Chicago-based via Texas producer serves up four tracks here full of a futuristic mix of sexy, raucous club and fast techno propulsions.From the full throttle peak time energy of 'Let's' on the A side, to the mind bending B -ide cut 'Willin' which is as off-kilter as you like and 'Whippit'. Tip!

Review: Sydney's Jensen Interceptor comes through after a productive and successful 2017, that saw him follow up his material for Boysnoize Records with a killer 12" on the infamous Central Processing Unit. The electro newbie lands with yet more previous industrialism on the E-Beamz imprint, a truly hyping label that is on a non-stop roll at the moment. "Hydro Systems" is a gnarly, headstrong bombshell that's all hands on decks thanks to its wild and fiery percussion, and "Automate" follows up on that with a dark, bleeping wormhole of sonics. The B-side kicks off with "Bubble Boy", a bubbling whirlpool of FX-heavy bass tones, and "Horner Acid" breaks out the techno guns with its twisted, interlinked layers of low frequencies.

Review: The all-new Akka & BeepBeep label from the US has dropped its two first EPs simultaneously and Joradesilver features on both. The other is a collaboration with Eddie Logix and this is a solo outing, Social Moment. It is a four-track electro exploration that kicks off with 'Who Want Me', a spacious funk workout with smeared synths and driving bass. The title track brings hints of Detroit to the arrangement and 'Mad Dog Mood' brings lashings of acid and techno to a pulsating low end while closer 'Find Another' rocks back and forth on feathery drums with fizzing melodica leads.

Review: Jordan GCZ is having a hell of a year. He's already delivered two sublime albums (his debut solo set and one created in collaboration with Detroit legend Terrence Dixon) and here drops another must-check EP, his first for Rawax. 'Making Me Dizzy' sees the Amsterdam-based producer add gorgeously ambient lead lines, lilting TB-303 motifs and funky bass to a classic Motor City techno groove, with the accompanying 'Dub Mix providing a heavier, sweatier and more intoxicating alternative version. 'Tongue Twister' is jazzier and even more intergalactic, sitting somewhere between blissed-out Move D deep house and melodious techno. The dub that accompanies it is pleasingly deep, out there and effects-laden, escorting us even further into deep space. Tip!

Review: Juju & Jordash's imprint Off Minor are back. Their tenth release follows up a great one by Downbeat boss Jose Rico. The Urgence EP features Jordash aka Jordan GCZ in collaboration with the mighty Dave Moufang aka Move D - for the first time since 2015's Live In Seattle album on Further Records. On the A side, we have the blissed out down-tempo groove of "Urgence 1" its sparse and skeletal rhythm patterns, warm bass pulsations and cosmic synth textures awash in a haze of smoke and tape saturation. It is an equally as chilled affair on the flip with "Urgence 2" but it's definitely got more groove and funk about it on this minimalist slow burner that would be perfect to use as a tool; to merge with other tracks or great on its own, or for cool down moments for its sparse and hypnotic effect. Recorded live in Amsterdam.

Review: New Omar S 12" featuring John FM!

Review: Back in 2018, previously unheard artist James Infiltrate impressed via a punchy EP of club-focused electro numbers. It later emerged that the mysterious producer was none other than Constant Sound founder Burnski. Here he dons the alias once more for a full-length excursion three years in the making. It's a fine album, too, with the long-serving producer delivering a winning combination of punchy, club-ready beats, sci-fi fired synth sounds, moody Michigan bass and the kind of authentically spacey atmosphere that has long been associated with the greatest electro records. There's also enough subtle variety in terms of tempo and style to guarantee that you'll not get bored of it any time soon. Highly impressive, but did we really expect anything less?

Review: Marking over 16 years as an artist, Robert James unveils his debut album Battle of The Planets. A milestone in any musician's career, the LP illustrates the breadth of Rob's tastes and influences, exploring the rugged terrain of planet electronica. Ranging from breaks and electro to house and techno, Battle of The Planets was made during lockdown, a period of creativity and isolation for many artists around the world. Across 10 skillfully produced cuts Rob takes us on an intrepid adventure into the cosmos, where mysterious atmospheres and uplifting melodies sit side by side with captivating dance floor rhythms. Many shades of his personality come through on this album, all tied together by his unique sonic identity; informed by his years spent on the dance floor, behind the decks and in the studio. On Battle of The Planets Robert James presents a distillation of his extensive knowledge and experience into one succinct, highly engaging body of work.

Review: Canadian minimal veteran Tomas Jirku has been a little quiet of late, but now he makes a welcome and unexpected return with something quite different for Silent Season. You can hear echoes of his earlier work in the soundscapes he's sculpted across Touching The Sublime, as high-definition sonic manipulation draws on his experience and eye for detail in wielding music technology, but rather than creating pointillist rhythmic structures, he's more concerned with billowing clouds of ambience. It's easy to draw parallels with the likes of Tim Hecker, but there's space for more techno-oriented productions in the midst of the maelstrom. Epic in scope and powerfully rendered, this is an album that will feed your head for a long time to come.

Review: Justice's original soundtrack for A Cross The Universe, the 2008 documentary film charting the French house duo's rise to just power. Lady justice smiles on Romain Gavras and co.; classics such as 'D.A.N.C.E.', 'We Are Your Friends', and 'Genesis' all appear, complementing isolated yet dreamy moments captured from the band's 2008 tour.

Review: If there was ever a duo with the bombast and flair to pull off the 18-minute electro-rock-opera, it's surely Justice. Gaspard Auge and Xavier de Rosnay created Planisphere in the wake of conquering the world with their debut album Cross, initially for use on the catwalk but subsequently shared on their MySpace. Of course such releases now attain a kind of cult mythos, and Planisphere is no exception. In the Ed Banger era of dirty French touch, this is a fans dream come true - the gnarly monster that keeps on giving, now pressed up on a single side of vinyl for continuous listening, with a classy etching on the reverse.