Back catalogue: Techno

Review: Heavyweight quattro-techno from A Paul, DJ Dextro, Red Rooms, Ramon Tapia and Arkvs for Planet Rhythm. Each track serving as merciless hoisters in the vein of 'Rough' techno, the A1 is deserving of the name, bringing scraping hi-hat blurs and gulping knocks to a mean mix. Deadened, unfeeling, callous calculation follows on the follower 'Binary Codes', while Tapia tabulates a 'Ratio' on the algo-rhythmic bleeper that ensues on the B1. Finally, 'Decoration Drugs' brings a prime movement, its facelessly numbered breakdowns and shuffles assuring us that there is indeed no end to off-planet production processes such as these.

Review: Techno powerhouse Planet Rhythm is back with more vital transmissions, this time thanks to Aero. Up first is the no-messing, direct-to-dance-floor banger that is Straight From The Shoulder' with its scintillating percussion and driving kicks. 'Come Again' is even more high octane with taught bass and thundering kicks. 'Lurching' keeps it a little more funky with glitchy sounds and broken beat patterns and 'Crutch' is a final assault that is minimal in design but maximal in effect.

Review: With over half a dozen releases on the techno instituion that is this label, Spanish producer Toni Alvarez continues to perfect his ability to craft tracks that resonate with both energy and depth that are ideal to represent the label. The title track, 'Groove System', kicks off with looped melodic chords and immaculate production, creating an irresistible rhythm that captures the essence of modern techno. 'Jingo' follows with a pounding beat, tribal undertones and a primal energy that veers into sci-fi territory, making it perfect for adventurous DJs. On Side-2, 'Magalenha' dives deeper into tribal elements, delivering a thunderous groove that commands the dancefloor. Closing the release, 'Land Of Nowhere' offers hypnotic loops and hard-hitting percussion, seamlessly blending upbeat energy with an entrancing rhythm. With this EP, Alvarez not only reinforces his status as a Planet Rhythm mainstay but also continues to push boundaries, delivering tracks that are as functional as they are engaging.

Review: Planet Rhythm's back with its special series and the third instalment is another techno trip into another dimension. Toni Alvarez is the man on the buttons and for the opener 'The Renegade' he pairs panel-beating 90s techno drum loops with classic 90s dance samples to make for something equally intense, nostalgic and futuristic. 'The Jam' is expertly designed techno with pristine hi-hats and hurried kicks all superbly well defined, smooth yet powerful, with another 90s vocal dropped in for some extra throwback fun up top. Two brilliant bangers.

Review: You always know what you're gunna get with Planet Rhythm and that is classically inclined techno that is economical in design but never less than high impact. Antic Soul contributes to that fine legacy with this new EP which opens with the high speed and dubby techno lushness of 'Crd Expression' before 'Borderlands' gets more raved up and injected with some raw textures and wobbly stabs. 'Fallout' is wall-rattling, panel-beating dub techno and 'Serenity' is more icy and nimbler, with bouncy drums and stabs all making you move your body at the whim of the machines.

Review: Arkvs presents his latest record for Planet Rhythm, 'Moment To Breath', capturing the essence of the function of the human lungs in a short, waxen pulmonary burst. The emotive range of techno lends it many capabilities: for example, it can either provide the sense of filling the space, or it can provide a kind affective vacuum in which people might chill; Arkvs knows this instinctively to be the case, fusing the titular breathing room with a nonetheless extended motive to dance. 'Moment To Breath' (not breathe, apparently) plays up the purely roomy under-movements of techno, leaving much headroom for our excesses of somatic energies to fill the gaps; 'Conditions' carries out some of this work, working in a comparatively percussive modular drum sequence; 'Exodus' is the most jam-packed, but still conserves its 'breathing room' with thoracic stabs and bronchitic bursts. Is it possible to relax while dancing? Yes. Take a breather, but don't stop moving.

Review: Planet Rhythm is back once again, this time with a wicked split EP featuring two top techno talents. ARKVS takes care of the A-side with the low-key and deep techno buzz of 'Endorphine' and then the floating drum loops and minimal sound designs of 'Forever Is Never'. Edit Select keeps similar quiet but potent styles alive with his sparse and moody techno roller 'Quatro' while last of all is 'Loophole'. This one has rattling train-on-track style percussive sounds and deeply buried sub-bass all making for a journey as heady as it is physical.

Review: Planet Rhythm has been one of the premier hard techno labels for over 30 years now. Exploring some different avenues in the last decade, the label recently launched a series of heavy dub techno related records identified as DUBWARS. Volume two features four different artists this time with each submitting a new piece to the label focus. Fans of Basic Channel's 'Phylyps Trak' should quickly head to OFF/GRID - 'One Stab Ahead' for that main room filler. Gunjack's 'Memory Man' is another upbeat killer in its own right adding a bit of acid along with the melodic chord progression. For the second side, Antic Soul's 'Mandalore' stirs in a bit of house culture to the hard dub techno sound to great effect. Lastly, Lenny San bring's the party to their feet with 'Hedonist'. Heavy techno heads should really enjoy this packed 12"

Review: The Between Two Seconds EP on Planet Rhythm delivers four dub-heavy techno tracks primed for war on the dancefloor. Side-1 begins with OFF/GRID's 'Between Two Seconds,' a hard-hitting percussive dub techno track that sets a robust tone. Following is Antic Soul's 'Free From You,' a high-energy banger with intense chord work. It's a peak-time track designed to bring down the house. On Side-2, DBFB's 'Murky' embodies its name with an underwater dub groove that delves into deep, subterranean soundscapes. Gockel's 'Night Mute' closes the EP with a powerful chord progression and an old-school piano breakdown that blends seamlessly into a frenzy of techno madness. Between Two Seconds EP is great for those who appreciate the darker, more intense sides of dub and techno.