Modularz US Schallplatten & CDs

Review: You'll be hard pushed to find a producer as dedicated to his cause as Modularz boss Adrian Sandoval; instrumental in the development of LA's techno scene, Sandoval's tireless production ethic as Developer has seen him release over 30 records in the past six years so it feels like we are due an album from the man. Unsurprisingly, In Pure Form runs deep with tunnelling DJ tools with the full digital version of the album packing a rather impressive 25 tracks. This second of three 12" samplers for the album covers "In Pure Form" through tracks five to eight and does show that Sandoval can implement a lot of sonic diversity to the functional techno track.

Review: There's always been a bit of a "no frills" feel to Developer's output. The Los Angeles producer specializes in the kind of functional, no-nonsense techno that comes into its own when played over booming club sound systems. The four tracks featured on this latest EP fall into the same bracket. With the exception of the melodious, chiming closer "The Sphere", what you get from these Dispatches From L.A is thunderous, in-your-face beats, unsettling looped riffs, snaking modular electronics, pitched-down vocal snippets, and occasional mind-altering acid lines. In other words, this is straight-up club techno for concrete-clad warehouses, dark and dusty basements, and wayward mornings after.

Review: Developer is back on Modularz with more steel-clad techno machinations for your toolkit. "Jive Kept Me Live" has a stern cyclical core, but there's a rich spectrum of tonality pulsing around this rhythmic focus to keep your brain twitching as heartily as your feet. "Over Cold Seas" centres around a particularly unsettling synth hook that sounds as though it's trying to punch through from another plane of existence, and "Headhunter" brings some more overtly melodic themes to the forefront. "Savage Nights" closes things out with the kind of unnerving techno incantations that you might expect to hear from Terrence Dixon - anyone who knows their techno knows that's high praise indeed.

Review: Developer heads up the Modularz label and now returns to it with some increased BPMS and sounds that are more dark and driving, tribal and funk-infused than before. This hugely prolific producer has put out more than 100 records in the last 10 years and always finds new sonic territory to explore each time. 'Hexican 75' kicks off with some blisteringly quick deep techno rhythms, 'When They Come Knocking' is glitchy and dubby and 'She Says She's Good' then taps into more mind-melting synth and drum tapestries before 'Black Oceanz' goes sub aquatic with heavy, rolling drums and shards of light pairing the ocean surface.

Review: Developer is a core part of the LA underground not just known for his work as a DJ and producer, but also his vital events which have breathed fresh inspiration into the scene. He also heads up the Modularz label and returns to it here with four more future-facing sounds that take techno into new realms. 'Ethnicanz' is rife with eerie synths that have an impish spirit. 'Modetrex' marries firmly rooted and ice-cold drum loops with more evocative synth motifs that lure you in for the chase. 'Viamont' is dense, like being trapped in the midst of a swarm of squawking birds, then 'Panotronix' completes this chilly retro-future offering with more stark synth loops that are unresolved and keep you on edge.

Review: Modularz' commitment to straight up yet intricately textured techno continues, with part 2 of its tenth entry featuring label head Developer joined by another two kindred spirits in the form of Ascion and Elyas. Developer takes up the A-side with two tracks; "Mover Of The Mercury" combines linera, tribal drumming and bleak, distant drones, while "Gaining" is imbued with a surprisingly funky character a la Gesloten Cirkel, as dark synth horns snake around precision drums. On the flip, Elyas' "Camberwell" may seem to take its name from one of South London's more picturesque locations, but the slamming techno stabs and granite drums are anything but polite, recalling Shed's Equalized material; Ascion rounds things off with the trippiest cut on the record, as savage waveforms twist themselves around abstract atonal beeps.

Review: US label Modularz returns with another split 12" boasting a remix from Sandwell District don Silent Servant. The Revisited EP opens with the wonderfully unhinged techno of "Revister" by Modularz regular Developer. This vies for your attention on an A-Side boasting a remix of Developer's "Edificio" by the aforementioned Silent Servant, which chugs along with rasping hats and cavernous low frequencies. The last time we heard Fanon Flowers the American producer was TCB on a sumptuous EP for the Sect imprint, and here the producer maintains that form with the moody late night jack of "Prado Obscuro". This is accompanied by the thick loopy melodies of Developer's "More Seduction", rounding off another killer release from a label that is fast gaining a place in Juno's affections.

Review: As his Modularz series continues unabated, Developer drafts in another two friends for some diverse techno excursions. The man himself kicks things off with the creepy and cavernous "The Ring For Madness", using a menacing melodic loop to cycle over booming kicks and gaseous hits. NX1's "MZ2" is a thoroughly strict affair, with a lonesome kick running to catch up with hats whispering in the far, far distance, in a similar fashion to the equally hard boiled minimalism of Developer's "More Matter". Adriana Lopez warms things up, relatively speaking, with a melodic chord that pulses like a lighthouse through the middle of an equally reverb drenched grey and stormy techno workout.

Review: Creeping ever closer towards their third year of existence, Modularz have remained steadfast in their aesthetic approach, deftly combining the dynamism of straight up techno with an intricately textured approach that has proved enduringly rewarding. Label boss Developer once again features prominently on this Part One 12" of their tenth entry, contributing two A Side cuts to the face down contributions from Psyk and Rhomb. The expansive bassline to the opening track "Sequence 85" practically consumes you, with Developer's subsequent production "Sequence 88" is markedly sparser, allowing the rigid percussion and booming kicks centre stage. Last seen on Mote Evolver, Spaniard Psyk adds further balance with the subaqueous dub techno of "Transito" whilst the unknown quantity Rhomb is on electrifying form with the Mike Parker-esque "Reboot".

Review: For the second instalment in Developer's July emissions, there's four more po-faced techno workouts to be enjoyed for those who want their 4/4 focused and unforgiving. "Dirty Drive" sees Developer stretching to work a melody into his machinery, coming out with a metallic dub chord drowning in its own echo, while "Dirty Drive 2" adds some complexity to the musicality and creates an utterly engrossing hook in the process. Shifted's remix keeps a careful distance between the clean beat and the murky textures of the dubby elements, but for a real lesson in refined techno composition head straight to Stanislav Tokachev's "Building Peaks". Simplicity doesn't come more captivating than that synth line.