Back catalogue: Techno

Review: Aniara's white label number four delivers more techno goodness direct to the dance floor. The A-side features two of Arkajo's most compelling dance-floor tracks, with both offering a propulsive groove and warped and dubbed-out basslines. On the flip side, Dorisburg and Efraim Kent (who are here making their debut on Aniara) present the darker vibes of 'Data Smuggler' which rides on broken beats and has real menace in the airwaves. It complements the A-side with a more deep mood and hypnotic rhythm that will be pure dancing bait.

Review: For the legendary label Tresor to put out a breakbeat record is something very rare. The ardent techno label for over 30 years is clearly telling us without saying, how good this music is. Tresor is always in touch with rave music though and it's not fully surprising that Tresor would support any music that is so reminiscent of the old skool days like Digital Entropy is. Datashader rises from the depths to give us their wicked debut. The EP is an audio onslaught that combines blistering breakbeat gems like 'Velocity 04.22' with eerie sci-fi pieces like 'Sync Out Off'. The AFX like 'Fong' and 'Sub Osc" are early favorites from those who have heard samples of this haunting record. It is rare to see the power of rave, breakbeat and IDM presented this well on one record.

Review: Analogue is the Greek label which takes no prisoners in its pursuit of pure techno perfection and that's abundantly clear on this latest Various Artists drop, as Dax J kicks into gear with the searing, pummelling intensity of 'Ares'. It's a proper fist-shaker which sets you up for the hi-octane rumble of Kaiser's 'Kal' and ANFS' industrial jackhammer 'Amete'. That leaves Jerm to clean up with another weapons grade sheller driving ever-downwards in the ultimate ticket to peak time submission. This is techno in the toughest sense of the word - a very specific sound executed perfectly.

Review: Shewey Trax welcomes California-based Delicate Instruments aka Delinstr for a pair of cosmic new cuts that he serves up as two different mixes each. Opener '2 Another Planet' (Superspace Breakdown mix) has sugary video game melodies raining down like old school Mario or Tetris over thudding deep house kicks. The Delisntr Speed Down mix brings some twitchy acid details while 'Solamente' (Problems mix) is another beguiling mix of 8-bit melodies and supple drums that tap out hypnotic patterns while floating through space. The final Synth mix of the same cut is a more widescreen and far-sighted take to close out a perfectly astral EP.

Review: DJ Agitated is an alias of a producer who we are told made an appearance on the superb remix album that reworked the best of Steffi's The Red Hunter. Now they join the Dolly TS series with some banging techno that surges along at high speed and never lets up. The Magic Overlooked EP is one that makes no concessions to current trends but instead taps into the essence of good techno no matter when it is made. The melodies are infused with plenty of soul from Detroit, the drums are well-designed and the moods are hard but uplifting.

Review: Everyone's favourite low-res poly-rendered rave organism DJ Plant Texture returns to their fave label Ilian Tape for their least forgiving, least fluffy and most wayside-thrown techno EP yet. Contrasting to their earlier lo-fi MPC workouts and electro freak-shows, the best of which were also released on the Amsterdam imprint, Plant Texture here switches things up, offering up four jackbooted 4x4 techno bits so menacing that they verge on a dastard take on the Brummy school. An obsession with rhythm and percussive texture rears its head; A-siders 'DDrumz' and 'Mechanical Bongos' are truly intrigued by the drum, revelling in pure, circular samply bongo and timbalero repetition; the theme continues on B-sider 'Dubbish', which only does so much as add a scopeout dub chord stab to the mix, yet still sounds sick; 'Let The Machine Speak (Jazz Mix)', finally, seems to hold the work of fellow techy rhythmusoidal geek Machinedrum firmly in mind, seeming to cleverly parody the artist's Ninja Tune/Vapor City IDM era with a jeering nu-footwork-jazz half-smile.

Review: The now ten year old 'Acid Test 09' sees a special tenth Anniversary Edition repress with a new vocal mix of the track 'Test 3'. The original EP, released in 2014, saw acid nomad Tin Man team up with techno dreamweaver Donato Dozzy for three slices of deep acid and dubby, bleepy ambient; this special anniversary version adds a surprise new vocal mix on the A2, with either Dozzy or Tin Man himself gracing the beats with a set of carefree, moony phonic impressions, lyrically concerning the object of his affections looking oh so good on the dancefloor. We already know and love the rest; it's up to you to put the new addition to the test.

Review: Seclusion debuts with its first vinyl release here and it decides to use the opportunity to showcase four remixes from three different techno titans. UK favourite Ben Sims goes first with his turbocharged take on Elyas/Anta's 'Real 13130 G's' and then Elyas offers the first two remixes. His version of Geto Mark and DJ Deeon's 'In This House' is seriously heavy, with rock solid kicks and muted acid spraying about them, then he remixes Player's 'Player Three' into a funked up and loopy house banger for the peak time. Mark Broom is the last to remix and goes for a fusion of smeared Detroit-style synth soul over hefty techno drums.