The Third Room Schallplatten & CDs

Review: As the title suggests, this "Fundraiser Compilation" from Essen party series The Third Room aims to raise money to keep its founders, resident DJs and regular venue in business during the clubbing crisis caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. A stellar cast of artists has been assembled to help out, with highlights coming from Dax J, whose "Dezine" is a surging and throbbing slab of EBM/techno fusion, Ellen Allien, whose alien-sounding "C19 Bitch" is a twisted and mind-altering delight, and robust acid-techno adventurers Obscure Shape & SHDW (the hard-as-nails, TB-303-fired insanity of "Die Veruteillen").

Review: The Stone Techno Series from The Third Room aims to pay homage to the historic coalmines at the Zollverein, Europe's largest complex of the sort. Techno's links to heavy industry are often duly noted in the press, but the likening of techno to the extraction of raw materials is not so much - which is what lends the music on this compilation a special character. With contributions from the likes of Perc, Lokier, Kink, James Ruskin, Luke Slater and Adiel, techno is lent a softer and more natural-mineral edge - as if the fast pummelling of the kick drum were caused by repetitive geological processes, not heavy pistonry or machine tools. That's all thanks to its use of samples recorded directly at the mines at Ruhr. All this complements an upcoming festival at the site, at which many of the featuring artists will play.

Review: The Third Room concludes its so far excellent various artists series with a third and final instalment of yet more future-facing and heady cosmic techno. Justine Perry kicks things off with the deep space synths and paired back hypnosis of 'Diversion' while Hadone then bangs a little harder with 'Strain Relief' which has twitchy synth motifs and hard, hammering beats. HWRD's 'Mirage' is a buoyant techno bouncer with loopy synth ringlets all interacting with each other to mind-melting effect and Quelza's 'Domino' dips into deepest of dub techno territory to shut down a nice diverse EP.