Back catalogue: Minimal/Tech House

Review: Following the success of his 'City Smile' EP, Aleqs Notal is back with more ear-piquing goodness in the form of this latest boundary-pushing vision. The EP is said to be unified by a central theme of self-acceptance and covers plenty of ground, from the deep and meditative essence of Chicago-inspired 'Pain Of Truth' to the more loose 'Talk' Em Down' with its snaking bass and eerie chords. 'Crushin'' sits somewhere between the two, with analogue textures and a firmly rooted groove forming the foundation for percussive and synth layering. 'Instant' has brilliantly pinging 909s and humid chords. This is Aleqs Notal at his most expressive.

Review: Juuz out of Hungary continues to break new ground as it lays out its sonic identity with another tasteful various artists EP that roam free across the minimal world. Silat Beksi & Fedo get things underway with the heady but also playful and cheeky sounds of 'Porque Tu' before Minube's '909 Things' is a textural blend of found sounds, great sound designs and perfectly rubbery, dubby drum kicks. Daniel Broesecke's 'No Name' then gets more dark and down and dirty with a stripped-back mix of caps and bass that is pure backroom. Chris Llopis shut down its trippy sine waves and spinning hi-hats from the classic school of minimalism on his 'Manipulator.'

Review: Kiria Records drops a sleek EP here from Romanian DJ and producer Direkt, who keeps it refined with minimal grooves and deep vibes. The title track, 'Vintage A,' opens with classy synth work and crisp percussion, setting a hypnotic tone and Cally's remix follows with a stripped-down, razor-sharp rework ideal for subtle transitions and after-hours sets. Flip to the B, and 'Best Kick Forward' lives up to its name and is driven by bold basslines and forward-moving momentum. Closing track 'Fragments' floats on airy textures and intricate rhythms, so it leaves a thoughtful and lasting impact. A polished, versatile EP built for selectors who like it deep.

Review: REPRESS ALERT!: Few labels do minimal as well as Trelik and in terms of artists, Edward is also as good as they come right now. This perfect pairing opens up with the deeply alluring 'Time' with its woozy pads and smeared chords over warm and rubbery drums. It's a hypnagogic affair then 'Vacuum Tube' has a more menacing air thanks to the wispy and unsettling synth details and clunky hooks. 'Watch Out' brings a more spangled and rubbery rhythm that has colourful details peeling off the beats and last of all, 'Stream' ups the ante with some thudding deep house and widescreen ambient synth work.

Review: Three Es would be some trip, and EEE also symbolises guaranteed good times in the club. The mysterious label and eponymous artists keep on rolling out essential tech and minimal cuts that are smartly designed and authentic, but also with anthem potential. Maybe that's why each one is a one-sided 12", to really allow the tune room to shine. In this case, dusty drums with a hint of garage swing and shuffle are paired with melodic baseline motifs and colourful synth patterns. It's a good time groove with plenty of heart.

Review: New label klaxon! Jus De Rose mergers form the ever-fertile Romanian scene with a first EP from George Gavanescu aka Floog, a minimalist who has put out some 24-odd EPs in less than a decade. His very firm grasp of dacenfloro dynamics is laid bare here with 'Not A SOS' kicking off with a soot-black post-punk energy, rugged bassline and slapping drum funk. 'Talo Bisco' twists cold wave and synth energy from 80s Eastern Europe into a slapping tech house workout and 'Intamplarea Din' is a more stripped-back thumper with a warped bassline and hurried drums that will lead to plenty of weirded-out moments. 'OMB 3' is another proto-techno experiment with cold analogue drums, 80s synths and dehumanised vocals.

Review: The good early work of the Third Stream label carries on with this seventh missive and it's a various artists affair featuring some top talent. Alex Font gets things underway with 'Keep Moving', which is aloof, rolling minimal tech defined by a billowing lead which does what it wants. Kyle&Sam's 'Chapter 36' is an ice-cold and deft, steel-plated tech cut a la Melchior's best and Altarf & Backhauser -keep the synthetic, abstract aesthetic going with their occult machine whirs and loopy drum funk on 'Yeah.' Dumi & Nopau's 'Time Measurements' is like a long-lost Ricardo Villalobos cut from his most famous album.

Review: Jori is Jori Hulkkonen, the long-time Finnish artist who has mastered dub techno depths many times over. Here he gets more minimal and tech-inclined with the seance outing on Gorin, but very much keeps his signature dubbed out low ends. 'Chroma' is masterfully smooth and silky, with deft hi hats and lithe synths making for sweet and seductive loops as some nice synth work layers in the narrative. 'Quelle' is another impossibly cool and breezy deep tech glider with hints of old school West Coast tech. 'Citrone' is the final original and another super stylish deep minimal tech fusion. The Track & Trace New Friends mix reworks the drums to land with extra pillowy softness.

Review: In the mid-90s, DJ Steve aka Pasquale and Luca Lozano, bonded over skateboarding, East Coast hip-hop giants Mobb Deep and boombox freestyles, long before clubs and synths took over. Decades later, a chance reconnection before lockdown reignited their friendship and sparked a new musical adventure. Studio sessions turned shared memories into the sonic fusion that is Closed Circuit, a raw blend of electro grit, B-boy swagger, Warp-inspired house and dusty vocoders. Roman Flugel adds his own sharp remix, while the sleeve features nostalgic photos from Lozano's early 2000s London rave days. Proper tackle, this.

Review: A Beautiful Place label founder Noha (who is also head of Panick Panick) opens his new True Mirrors EP with its title track, which blends airy atmospheres, shimmering stabs and a buoyant bassline with crisp percussion into a vibrant, dancefloor-ready groove. Next, 'Royal Objects' dives deeper, layering ethereal pads, swung drums and processed spoken word into a richly textured composition. On the flip, 'Ghost Life' delivers warm, resonant synths, dubbed-out vocals, sweeping chords and saturated drums for a late-night feel. The EP closes with 'Over and Over' channelling early 2000s microhouse with raw, minimalist drums, deep sub-bass and warped synths. It's a pensive trip.

Review: Plasticity Records launches with a bang on its debut release, which is a various artists offering with our fierce and floor-ready tracks. Nulek & Roto open with 'Eternal Space,' a shadowy techno-electro hybrid laced with eerie vocals, then Flhez follows with 'Study Nights' stylishly channelling Uruguay's deep-rooted rhythmic heritage through gritty analogue texture. On the B-side, Mar.C drops 'Not Normal,' a pounding EBM-inflected banger built for dark rooms and late hours. Closing things out, Acid Charlie brings warped percussion and twisted structure on 'Nuclear Era,' which makes for a fractured, futuristic workout. A bold first statement from a label with serious potential.

Review: After a short hiatus, FA>lE Records is back with a new offering that reminds us what made the label so vital. Podime is behind it and makes a heartfelt nod to the early 2000s UK tech house scene by channelling the spirit of pioneers like Nathan Coles and Terry Francis. Each track brings tight grooves, swung percussion, and deep, funk-laced energy that defined the golden days of Wiggle and The End. 'Idnina' is a nice early evening cruiser, while 'Sonouede' brings a party vibe with its soul samples and shimmering synths. 'Fiasco' is a more triable tinged effort with layers of jumbled percussion and 'Sample Abuser' strips it back to late night dreaming with undulating drums for the heads. Proper UK flavours.

Review: Norm Talley's Detroit label Upstairs Asylum comes through with another various artists gem here: Gari Romalis kick off with the sort of smoky house depths you always expect from this imprint. 'Electronix (I'm Ya Dancer)' is dubbed out but dynamic, then G Major's 'Metro To Downtown' brings an injection of soul warmth and percussive looseness. Chuck Daniels & Hazmat Live's 'I Want You' is a darker, more heads down affair with freaky vocals and digital synth patterns over gritty, US garage styled low ends. Max Watts then cuts loose with the undulating dub techno depths of 'Velocity' to round out a varied EP.

Review: REPRESS ALERT!: As Soul Capsule, Baby Ford and Thomas Melchior made some of minimal techno's most accomplished records. It has been many years since they stopped turning out new material - sadly - but their archive tracks are still in hot demand and undeniably relevant. While 1999's 'Lady Science' might be their most famous offering, this EP from 2001 on Aspect Music is no less vital and it will currently cost you well over L250 on second-hand markets. It is Ford's Trelik label who reissues it here in all its glory: the entirety of the a-side is taken up with 'Law Of Grace,' a delightfully deep and breezy minimal dub house roller with pensive chords draped over the frictionless drums. 'Meltdown' has a more experimental feel with brushed metal drums beneath a wordless vocal musing. The cult 'Lady Science' (Tek Mix) is also inched with the whole package being remastered by D&M to make this one utterly essential.

Review: REPRESS ALERT!: It's reissue time for one of the most in demand records from the Trelik catalogue, featuring Baby Ford and Thomas Melchior under their Sunpeople alias. The flip side's opening track 'Check Your Buddah' is probably the best known of the four tracks here, with its spacious echoes, mantra-like voices and heads down beats, but there's plenty to be said for the other three. 'Lovers Eyes' is an equally dubby techno affair, but pinned down by sturdy, infectious beats, 'Sungods Wedding' is blessed with churning, warm bass action and just a smidge of cowbell and 'Make It Right' is properly hypnotic 3am gear that's a dream to mix and draws in the listener with its imperceptible builds and three note bleep magic. Worship the Sun!

Review: Philadelphia-based producer Sweater lands on MME with four vividly imagined club tools that fuse house, electro and sci-fi atmospherics with a tactile, floor-focused energy. ‘Mighty Morphin’ opens with loose-limbed drums, soft chord flashes and a buoyant groove that glows with warmth and movement. ‘Body Scan’ follows in darker hues—ghosted vocals and a rubbery bassline orbit around crisp percussion and flickering synth detail. The B-side leans heavier: ‘Escape The Future’ dives into dubby, low-slung territory, rolling out a shadowy pulse designed for dim, smoke-filled rooms. ‘Hydro Pump’ closes on an electro tip—playful but tight, its blipping leads and darting textures skimming over nimble, broken rhythms. Smart, weighty and imaginative, it’s a bold step forward for both artist and label, primed for the more adventurous end of the night.

Review: Russian Tripmastaz is back with more devastatingly effective tech house that's infused with a touch of minimal, dub and garage. The prolific producer really knows how to tap into the dancefloor with his tunes and this one shows that from the off as 'Politics As Usual' sucks you in with a nice deep, loose groove that's lit up with singing leads. A dub mix pairs back some of the synths to allow the cavernous drums to shine and then 'Coffee Smack 4 Dat Azz' gets more raw and direct. 'Scarp' shuts down with physical drums and squiggly acid that bursts out of the speakers.

Review: Interdance impressed with its first couple of forays onto wax and now its third release packs in more fresh talent from South America's underground. On the A-side, Buenos Aires' Vinz delivers two standout tracks: 'Instinto,' a raw, trance-tinged techno trip straight from 1992, and 'Transradio,' which is a cinematic journey with pounding drums and acidic synth lines burrowing deep. Flip to the B-side for Uruguayan producer Juan Dairecshion's deeper, more hypnotic sound on 'Rebel Rebel,' which rides a steady four-on-the-floor pulse, while 'UR Love' dives into murky, Detroit-inspired territory with eerie vocals and twisted melodies inspired by the group name-checked in the title. A bold, mind-bending four-tracker built for serious late-night floors.

Review: The Fresh Tunez series continues its hot streak with drop number five and it comes from rising Italian producer Vithz. Over the past year, Vithz has made worldwide moves and played from New York to Shanghai and Milan to Melbourne, apparently while crafting this strong new release featuring four stripped-back tracks that weave house, Balearic vibes, breaks and minimal grit into a refined yet raw sound. 'Night Tales' is a humid, sweaty throbber for the basement, 'Break Me' spins out on spacey breaks with curious synth motifs and 'Que Haces' brings a more playful and funky twist to switch up the rhythms when you need a break from solid four-four. 'Intense' is a heady one with a low-key but intimate feel and nice frayed edges.