Back catalogue: Electro

Review: It has been a rather remarkable three years since Yuko dropped its first release, but finally, they are back with more. It is co-founder Emo Omar who features both solo and in collaboration with Luje from Club Pizza while two exciting new French talents Chud and Vivant also make their mark. 'Pollen' is a bright and hooky melodic electro sound then 'You & Me' gets more percussive, with old school cow bells staying busy next to all sorts of wonky synth work. 'Tomorrow's Made Of Breaks' is built on rigid funk and trippy synth bleeps and 'Zeus' shuts down with some retro-future vocoder vocals. This is a great return from a label we hope now pushes on.

Review: Two And Half Records make the decision here to try and rid the A and B-side distinction on records that we are all very familiar with and instead they refer to each face of their latest 12" as 'dance' and 'listen.'' It makes sense frankly and is often how things go anyway. Swiss duo Quismi kick off this one with twitchy and narcotic tech house with an old school bent. French artist Groenogen then gets wild with bright melodies and grinding synths, r&b vocals and high speed tech funk on 'Twinkle Dance' while ILyes offers the tech silkiness of 'Starting Now.' On the flip is a trio of less direct, more experimental sounds that sure do offer plenty to get lost in on headphones.

Review: Hidde Van Wee hails from the Netherlands but clearly has a respect for electronic styles from these shores, not least classic UKG and tech house. They are both to be heard in these cuts on HOMEGROWN Records, starting with 'Channel 4' which is a big energy beat with wiggling bass. The space-tech sound '5th Avenue' has already had big club plays from the likes of ROSSI. and Chris Stussy and 'Early Riser' then hooks you in with psychedelic colours and trippy motifs over new school tech drums. 'Far Out' shuts down with gritty, stripped back drums, a turbocharged bassline and celestial melodic outlook. Lovely stuff.

Review: Jersey City-based Jorge Velez has long been one of the US underground's most revered figures to those in the know. Largely predating the current fascination with lo-fi analogue productions, something shown on the excellent MMT Tape Series compilation which delved into his early archives, his work as Professor Genuis on Italians Do It Better and Thisisnotanexit was followed by the conceptual Hassan LP on L.I.E.S. which provided a soundtrack to an imaginary film based on a shadowy Middle Eastern cult formed in the 11th century. Here Velez return to Ron Morelli's stable with Territories, a six-track LP that passes through "menacing drones to EBM influenced floor tracks to Sakamoto-esque melodic experiments," with a "distinct atmosphere suitable for home listening or adventurous club play." Even for those who are familiar with the odd structures Velez creates with his hardware, this is a wild trip worthy of much closer inspection.

Review: The ever-versatile Dutchman that is Versalife returns with more of his artfully crafted techno fusions, this time for the Spanish label Apnea. 'Colorvi' kicks off with a jumbled of glistening synth lines, tumbling arps and bristling drums that awaken every sense in your body. 'Omen Observer' has a darker underlying bassline but still gets lit up with sparkling keys that dart about the mix. 'Prophetic Traces' keeps the energy levels up with more fresh broken beat workouts and glowing, pixel-thin synths while 'Out Of Ether' shuts down with a fourth and final electro-techno fusion with an acid and squelchy bassline.

Review: Versalife is a master of the deep and one of many aliases from the Dutchman born Boris Bunnik. From dub to techno to the electro he explores here, his grainy sound is impossibly atmospheric. 'Copepods' opens up with far-sighted and sustained chords that speak of a future metropolis and 'Ultraviolet' then rides a lush broken rhythm and has melodies that glow like fireflies. 'Counter-illumination' gets more turbulent with its edgy lines and rubbery reverberating bassline and 'Vortex Storm' is like a reflective hall of mirrors with tension and eeriness in the air.

Review: Versalife is one of the many aliases of prolific Dutch producer Versalife. It is where he explores electro in meticulous detail and this new Technofeudalism 12" is as good as it gets. 'Cataclysm' kicks off with a deft and broken beat rhythm, celestial chords and eerie little melodic details that keep you on your toes. 'Intrusion' is darker and more direct with a menacing bassline. 'Syndicate War' ups the ante once more with more energetic rhythms and jagged synths flashing across the face of the tune while 'Axon Terminal' is a moody closer with bittersweet melancholic in the pads.

Review: Viikatory teams up with Source Material for a new 12" that builds on her recent work with Mechatronica, UTTU, and Trust. This time out she delves deeper into electro, techno, and beatless tracks and showcases a knack for laying down intense kicks and extreme bassline modulations. 'Leave' is a crisp and punchy opener with ghoulish synth energy, but the more wonky and roomy 'Deceptive Mind' with its low-slung and sleazy beats is a standout for us. A fine EP overall that is ready to rock the club.

Review: Viikatory and Manao's Alt Frequency EP showcases a captivating blend of styles, with two dreamy electro tracks on the A-side and two dynamic percussive techno tracks on the B-side. 'LQS' opens up with rising arps and percolating drum funk, while 'Target' has reverberating dub chords and a floating broken beat. 'XOXO' (Viika cut) ups the ante with thumping rhythmic intensity and some warped acid lines while the 'Manao cut' is a more lithe broken beat sound. Additionally, a fifth track is included as a digital download exclusive and each record is hand-stamped and comes with stickered artwork on the sleeve.

Review: Memento Records presents this gem from French producer and DJ Voiron who is a rising talent in techno. The new EP showcases a vision for blending acid, rave, hardcore, ghetto and hard house influences. This one opens with the energetic title track with driving acid sounds, while the 90s-inspired 'Voiron Mania' takes you back to the old school, the breakbeat-heavy 'Donjon Et Voiron' is for the peak time and the dreamy, experimental 'D'Or Et De Voiro' offers a nice different sound. Fun fact, alongside Voiron's work as a producer, he is also a cartoon designer.

Review: Orlando Voorn's back catalogue is up there with many of his arguably more trendy American peers. This sixth outing from the "Classics" division of Nocturbulous Records backs that up by offering some such gems. 'Tronics' and 'Hydrotech' have been remastered and ew repressed for the first time here while 'Alien Interferences' and 'Need For Speed' have never before made it to wax. All four showcase the Dutchman'sstylish blend of supple techno drums and soulful machine sounds. 'Need For Speed' in particular is a fantastically warped stepper with myriad trippy sonics raining down the face of the broken groove.

Review: Mikko Mattlar, a walking encyclopaedia of Finnish electronic music, has been responsible for some killer compilations over the years, but 'Black Hole', his latest collection, may be the best yet. It focuses on exceedingly obscure 'culth synth disco music' produced in his home country between 1979 and '91 - mostly in the early-to-mid-80s - with every track either being an unreleased oddity of a genuinely uber-rare private press record. It's both eye-opening and extremely entertaining, with the included tracks doffing a cap to heavy disco-funk, underground gospel disco, bedroom-made late '80s synth-disco and quirky Scandinavian electrofunk.

Review: Master compilers ZYX outta Germany have pulled off another masterstroke here. The fourth edition of their
80s Electro Tracks Vinyl Edition collection comes on wax and is packed with gems you will know, and some you won't. All of these tunes very much defined the 80s electro era in their own way and plenty have all kept their edge and energy 40 years on. From catchy synth-pop ditties to the more edgy and experimental beats via several infectious rhythms and retro vibes, this is a time capsule back to this most wonderful decade.