Back catalogue: Techno (Alles)

Review: Crazy guitars and vocoder. This is proof that MB Elektronics is a label full of surprises, new sounds and creative, mind-blowing music.

Review: To coincide with the twenty-fifth anniversary of Berlin club Tresor, Juan Atkins and Moritz Von Oswald have released a second Borderland album together. It begins in ominous mode, with the title track's brooding bass tones casting a long, dark shadow, but the pair soon find a way to break away from the gloom with the mesmerising chords and heavy rhythm of "Lightyears" and the wonderfully spacey Detroit techno of "Riod". Both "Odyssey" and "Merkur" push the tempo back down but keep an emphasis on hypnotic, woozy textures, snappy drums and jazzy tones, while "2600" shows that Van Oswald hasn't lost his ability to craft dub-heavy, dreamy techno.

Review: Second time around for B12's superb sophomore set, the dystopian, sci-fi themed "Time Tourist". On its initial release in 1996, the album was marketed as a 22nd century "educational soundtrack" to the "primitive past" (I.E the late 20th century). It's a theme entirely in keeping with the original ethos of Detroit techno, and it's no surprise that the accompanying music offered a typically "Artificial Intelligence"-era slant on the Motor City sound, re-imagining the work of the Belleville three as a killer suite of ambient techno, intelligent techno and dreamy ambient cuts. This edition has been expanded by the addition of four previously unheard tracks that originally missed the cut, all of which are as breathtakingly good as those that did. In a word: essential.

Review: B12's 1993 debut album, Electro-Soma, has long been regarded as one of intelligent dance music's "must-have releases". Offering a decidedly intergalactic blend of otherworldly techno, ambient and deep space electronica, it remains a brilliant piece of work. Here, Warp Records give it the reissue treatment, packaging the peerless original album with a second disc of early B12 rarities and hard-to-find cuts recorded during the same period. There's naturally plenty to admire on this bonus disc, from the shimmering electro bustle of "Transient Pathways" and Motor City futurism of "Debris", to the intoxicating ambient brilliance of "Go With The Hiss". That this material is every bit as good as the tracks included on Electro-Soma is testament to the (then) duo's rarely matched brilliance.

Review: Reissue of long lost minimal classic from the acid house godfather.

Review: Legendary minimalist and UK underground cult hero Baby Ford has found a box of these CDs in storage and decided he would share them with the world. Headphoneasy Rider was his fourth studio full length and it was last reissued on CD back in 2008 but soon sold out. Musically it finds Ford blending together the two contrasting approaches of his Ifach and Trelik labels into something both heady and hypnotic but driving and physical. Plenty of dub, synth craft, abstract designs, intricate rhythms and glitchy tech beats all colour these still superb and fresh-sounding grooves so do not sleep on this recently discovered treasure.

Review: Marco Bailey's fifth full-length - his first set of all-new material for some five years - has been described by the man himself as the best representation of his sound and a "permanent snapshot of his live shows". It's certainly an arresting and largely club friendly affair - the odd ambient intro or interlude excepted - with Bailey serving up throbbing techno cuts that variously doff a cap to pitch-black Roman techno, Teutonic minimalism, the producer's largely forgotten trance roots, warehouse-friendly rhythmic psychedelia and, in the case of the organ-sporting "Reboot That Advice", the spiritually-inspired Detroit techno of Terrence Parker and Robert Hood.

Review: Amazingly, this is Marco Bailey's first album in seven years. Coming out on John Digweed's Bedrock imprint, it sees the veteran Belgian flex his production muscle with a set of tracks that defy easy categorization. There are a number of sublime downtempo cuts U some ambient, others rooted firmly in trip-hop U alongside Bailey's usual tough dancefloor workouts. Even within the techno/tech-house tracks on display there's plenty of variety; think rubbery main-room funk ("Rubber Band"), twisted acid freakery ("Beaming") and Moroder-ish hedonism ("Bom Bang!"). The album's real outstanding moment, though, is "Bill The Trumpet Player" U a deliciously jazzy stomper that recalls Garnier's "The Man With The Red Face".

Review: Although often robust and wide-eyed, Marco Bailey's particular brand of techno-inspired electronic music owes as much to classic progressive house, ambient and modern tech-house as it does to Dave Clarke or Detroit futurism. This musical melting pot - born, we can only assume, from nearly two decades of music-making, gives High Volume, his latest full length, a vibrancy sometimes missing on previous exercises. There's much to admire, from the bongo-laden assault of "Summer Madness" and early Black Dog-ish "Grolzham", to the shuffling trip-hop sweetness of "The Airport Lounge" and classical sweep of "She Leaves".

Review: "Live At Ageha" captures Marco Bailey in the moment when the crowd noise is filling his sails as he mixes up a storm in downtown Tokyo. Following 2005's studio based "Positive Disorder" we now get a live snapshot direct from one of Marco's exhilarating DJ sets. Splicing and dicing his way through tracks from Deetron, Detroit Grand Pubahs, Phil Kieran, Johannes Heil, Aril Brikha, Q'Hey, Samuel L. Sessions, Tekel, Tom Hades and himself we get Marco in full on party mode as Japan's capital gets down to his techno induced funk. A great release on MB Elektronics.

Review: Marco opens up a more minimal groove on CD1 before building the tempo on CD2, finishing in his more recognised pumping style of techno.

Review: Parisian producer Bambounou has long been part of the 50 Weapons family, having offered up a series of well-received singles and a debut album for the label since 2012. Centrum is his second LP, and sees him in a typically inventive mood, offering up a range of techno tracks blessed with curiously off-kilter rhythms, crackly found sounds, tumbling melodies and jumpy electronics. While there are dancefloor moments - see the Detroit-influenced, outer-space grooves of "Fire Woman", spiraling psychedelia of "S.A.C" and the kickdrum-propelled thump of "Excluding Natalia" - many of the more potent moments are far more influenced by IDM and ambient.

Review: Across releases for Sound Pellegrino, ClekClekBoom and Youngunz, Bambounou has shown himself to be one of France's brightest new talents in the crossover world between techno and bass music - his debut album for Modeselektor's 50 Weapons stable has been keenly anticipated, and thankfully, it doesn't put a foot wrong. As well combining the raw bass physicality of producers like Objekt and Digital Mystikz in tracks like "Any Other Service" and "Capsule Process", the broken techno rhythms of producers like Shed in "Data" and "Splaz", the bright UKF hybrid styles of DVA and Champion and footwork inspired sampling on "Mass" and "Let Me Get", Orbiting offers a uniquely French take on bass, with "Great Escape" and "Challenger" even giving the palette of 90s French touch a contemporary spin. Easily the best 50 Weapons album this year, which in a year that has seen Shed and Addison Groove provide long players for the imprint is no mean feat.

Review: The most important tunes released on different 12" vinyls on a CD as an anthology. Pure Banditos sound !! Wicked for all techno lovers! The whole is completed by a DVD on which the sound is an extract of Banditos live show in Spain in 2005, the video is realised by Yann Richet.

Review: Banyek is next up on the prolific Lithuanian label Greyscale with Alue, a new album that marks the imprint's 37th full-length overall. It is a typically expansive and immersive listen that takes inspiration from cities like Riga and Espoo. Dub techno, ambient and experimental all infuse the sound waves and the intricate craft of Banyek means you're always hooked onto some small detail as the gentle rhythms flow over you. There are stark melodies and more airy atmospheres, minimalism masterpieces and calming sounds a plenty as this most super exploration of tone, time and texture plays out.

Review: Alongside regular studio partner Andreas Baumecker, Sam Barker has released a swathe of admired singles and a couple of on-point albums on Ostgut Ton. Here he returns to the much-loved German imprint with his most significant solo release to date: a debut album of drowsy, sun-baked electronic positivity that expertly melds elements of hazy ambient, dub techno, off-kilter electronica and the classic kosmiche synthesizer soundscapes associated with Tangerine Dream. It's a lot less dancefloor-focused than much of his previous material, but that's not a criticism: indeed, the fact that it's warm, opaque and prioritizes fuzzy, slowly shifting musical movements is the album's greatest strength.

Review: Having previously made a splash with their "Candyflip" and "A Murder of Crows" singles, vest-wearing techno separatists Sam Barker and Andy Baumecker step forth with their debut full-length. It's a typically Teutonic kind of set, mixing crackly moments of murky dancefloor techno ("Silo", "Buttcracker") with downbeat electronica ("Tranq"), garage-techno fusion (see the excellent "No Body"), dub techno ("Databass 133 1/3") and occasional forays into subdued but anthemic upbeat territory. It's these that really hit the spot, with the Detroitian hypnotism of "Trans It" and breathlessly beautiful "Spur" standing out.

Review: Berghain regulars Sam Barker and Andy Baumecker impressed with their 2012 debut album, Transsektoral, but have been noticeably quiet since then. While that album gleefully fused stripped-back Teutonic techno with elements of UK bass music, Turns is an altogether more cerebral affair. It begins with a pair of becalmed, mood enhancing ambient cuts, before stepping towards the dancefloor via the undulating, analogue techno pulse of "Club Entropicana". It's a pattern that continues throughout the album, with spaced-out, experimental interludes making way for more percussive, modular-driven club fare. Highlights include the dub techno warmth of "Nocturnal", and creepy closer "Statik".

Review: Neatly summarizing the sound of Magazine co-founder and occasional Comeme contributor Barnt has always been tricky. This belated debut album - seemingly an exercise in oblique track titles - is a good case in point. While there are forays into sparse synth-scapes, otherworldly ambience and crusty, clandestine electronics, Barnt also doffs a cap to hypnotic, lo-fi techno ("All The Alts I'm Holding Are Hurting"), Kompakt-ish instrumental ambient pop ("Wiggett: So We Know That Hexog ****") and jaunty, simply produced sci-fi influenced techno ("22:25" and "Cheery Red"). As a result, Magazine 13 is an album that keeps listeners guessing throughout.

Review: Off The Record sees German label Bureau B offer up a wonderful presentation of music from ex Kraftwerk member Karl Bartos. Apparently originally conceived whilst Bartos was part of the iconic group, these twelve tracks have been fully developed from the musical diary he kept all those years ago. What was initially a secret collection of rhythms, riffs, hooks, chords and melodies have been reconceived and re-contextualised by Bartos in a modern setting and Off The Record should make for compelling listening for the legions of Kraftwerk completists out there. "The Binary Code" stands out, a swooping array of 8bit arpeggios unfurling and taking your senses with you whilst "Musica Ex Machina" is the sort of chugging, busy vocoder led machine funk you'd feasibly hear in a Weatherall back to back set with Smagghe

Review: The decision to make a live-album from his last booking in Munich's Harry Klein Club came to Richard Bartz immediately after his performance: "A live-gig like that doesn't come around every day. The people were crazy. They always wanted more. So I just played wilder and wilder. At the end it was obvious to me: that was so unusual, it has to be released." Now it's finally arrived in the form of a collaboration between Kurbel and Harry Klein Records. Entitled "Richard Bartz Live At Harry Klein", this dual disc album features A CD side and a DVD side.

Review: Phenomena is a rather incredible 39th full-length album from the pioneering Lithuanian dub techno label Greyscale. Like all those that went before it, it is a captivating excursion into cavernous sounds. In particular, this one delves into the wonders of nature - meteor streams and starling murmurations - and flips them into immersive soundscapes. In mixing up vintage and contemporary styles, Basicnoise navigates deep emotional depths with technical finesse. 'Midnight Dub' has lush and organic chord progressions, 'Sakura Season' pays homage to Detroit techno's smooth, futuristic spirit and 'Reduxtion II' delivers crisp production and powerful frequencies. These are just some standouts along the way of this profound musical odyssey.

Review: Mutek Recordings and Musique Risquée proudly present the first solo album by Montreal based DJ and sound artist Stephen Beaupre, entitled "Foe Destroyer". Representing the culmination of 3 years of work accomplished amidst a rigorous international touring schedule (as one half of the duo Crackhaus), the album's wildly varied sonic tableaux aptly reflect the vivid imagination, sharp wit, and keen sense of humour of the gentle giant responsible for it's creation. Stephen Beaupre is a master sampler. To his ears any sound source is fair game, any noise a potential instrument. In the Buddhist tradition, the term "Foe Destroyer" refers to a student who has abandoned all delusions of worldly importance, through training on the path to enlightenment. Fittingly, Beaupre strips his sample sources of all but the most fleeting remains of their origins. He then weaves them into complex percussive networks, and imbues the results with a wide array of personal reflections and memories. Described in this way, Beaupre's creative process seems closely related to the manifestos of Akufen and Mathew Herbert, associations which, during "Foe Destroyer's" danciest moments, will be clearly audible to discerning ears. In contrast to the work of the aforementioned sampling savants however, commitment to process seems to take a back seat to reveling in the diverse emotions of life's many twists and turns in Beaupre's work. His meticulous editing clearly shows he can splice and filet his samples with the best of them, easily overcoming the worn out clichés of what too often gets passed off as intelligent dance music. Somehow though his songs always seem closer to one-of-a-kind handicrafts then well oiled future music machines; his rhythmic structures more a kin to a house of cards then a Tokyo sky scraper. It is exactly this sense of fragility, the feeling that each song might collapse upon itself at any moment that marks "Foe Destroyer" as a unique creative vision. The disc begins with "El Gato", a mid-tempo tech house affair which invokes the double-edged images of a 1930s travelling carnival with it's playful melodies and dark undercurrents. "On Shy Moon", Beaupre strips away all but the most essential elements to create a chugging, blues fuelled late night special, set against the warm backdrop of a crackling fire. "Alcahuaz" was, in Beaupre's own words "Inspired by a rainstorm in the Elqui Valley in Chile, a place of incredible beauty with it's contrast of arid mountains sealing in a lush valley. This place marked me as one of the most beautiful spots that I have ever visited." "My Old Lady Silhouette" is a tongue-and-cheek, endearing dedication to his partner of many years and soon to be co-parent...break out the cigars! On "Keep Your Hands Off", Beaupre sends the album running for the dancefloor with an infectious bassline and schizophrenic melody running circles around the title's mantra. "Les Filles" on the other hand combines the most basic of male confessions with a dirty little bassline to form this album's certifiable floor filler. "Plump City" keeps spirits high with a disparate array of a oddball effects and noises configured into a stumbling break. On "Jacaranda", Beaupre offers a modern soundtrack for locking, popping, and big time b-boy floor moves, while "Sacrilegious", inspired by many a debauched night in Berlin and Zurich delivers the album's most infectious rubber bassline. Finally "Dark Water" was draws on the experience of swimming out to the middle of a lake and "The mysterious beauty and fear that one feels being at once supported and engulfed by water, both embraced and vulnerable with the immense depths beneath." A fittingly tranquil ending for what is most certainly a promising sign of things to come from one of Montreal's finest electronic music composers.

Review: Can a duo be a supergroup? You could certainly argue that Belief ticks that box, given that it's a collaboration between two titans of the experimental electronic music scene: LEX Records stalwart Bryan Hollon (Boom Bip, Neon Neon) and Warpaint drummer (and frequent sticks-woman for hire) Stella Mozgawa. Interestingly, they've chosen not to explore the challenging end of their output, but rather deliver a set of "improvisational techno" that draws inspiration from the early '90s work of 808 State, LFO and the like. That means wiggly TB-303 acid lines aplenty, alternately dreamy, dubbed-out and futuristic melodic motifs, sci-fi sounds aplenty, and beats that veer from throbbing four-to-the-floor energy to sweaty breakbeats and off-kilter post-electro grooves. The results are uniformly imaginative, impressive and entertaining.

Review: Tresor is proud to present Daniel Bell in his first-ever DJ CD-mix, having previously featured in the "Globusmix" series Detroit's Blake Baxter and Berlin's own Rok and Mitja Prinz. The mix works an excellent blend of the Daniel Bell and DBX flavours, stripped-down and minimal with a relaxed tempo overall, but an irresistible and thorough groove capturing the deep-evening flavour of Bell's own club sets. Beginning with stark techno structures, crisp in texture but still warm with emotion, and building with dry tension and contrast, the soundscape evolves into sensual house with sweeping melodies of synth and vocal work.

Review: Joey Beltram has always released great techno songs, but this album has all his great classic songs on (hence the name). From "Mentasm" to "Sub Bass Experience" this album is pumping with superb techno from Joey Beltram.

Review: In an era when considered eclecticism is all the rage, Hessle Audio founder Ben UFO still stands out. He's long been considered one of electronic music's more interesting DJs, seemingly able to weave together disparate sounds and styles into a logical, entertaining whole. This contribution to the FabricLive series shows him at his masterful best, utilising the simple pleasures of rhythm to weave together 28 thrilling and thoughtful selections. In the space of 70 minutes, he somehow manages to fuse sparse electro with classic acid house, murky post-dubstep techno with tribal African rhythms (and sharp '80s proto-house synths), Mr Fingers with Shackleton, stripped analogue techno with tactile futurism, and locked grooves with crystalline electronica. Truly, it's a tour de force.

Review: The Beneficiaries is an all-new collaboration between three of Detroit's finest - techno pioneers Jeff Mills and Eddie "Flashin" Fowlkes, and poet artist Jessica Care Moore - and this debut album is nothing less than a touching, whole-hearted tribute to their home city and its rich cultural history. Musically, it's intoxicating, far-sighted and otherworldly, with Care Moore adding a variety of ear-catching spoken word vocals to backing tracks that veer from acid-fired alien techno (epic opener "Metallic Stars", "Star Children of Orion"), percussive, dubbed-out late night murkiness ("People"), sun-bright analogue ambient melodiousness (the sparkling "When The Sun Loves You Back"), dark and moody electronica ("The X"), and heady, bongo-powered hypnotism ("The Crystal City Is Alive"). In other words, it's as great as we expected, and then some.

Review: It's fitting that Benjamin Damage is the last artist to release an album on 50 Weapons. Apart from owners Modeselektor, he was also one of the first to feature on the label. Obsidian sees Damage straddle a fine line between the melodic and the atmospheric, the dance floor-heavy and the visceral. This is audible on the title track, where spacey chords are introduced over a rolling rhythm and on "Monolith", an arrangement that sees Damage fuse tribal beats with fragile, angelic hooks. Even though much of the album revolves around this interplay, there are also moments when the balance tips in the favour of the esoteric, and the lithe break beats and sensuous ambience of "Pulse Width" and "Shimmer" bring an end to Damage's relationship with the label in fine, introspective style.

Review: The inhabitants of Swansea have a lot to shout about these days. Not only is their football team riding high in the Premier League, but the city also boasts the originators of a sound dubbed "deep rave" - a suitably warm, muted fusion of old skool rave influences, deep house, UK funky, tropical and murky Berlin techno. Here, said pioneers - hometown heroes Benjamin Damage and Doc Daneeka - deliver their debut album for the mighty 50 Weapons imprint. They Live! is a suitably deep and lovable collection of bass music given their distinctive twist, with extra warmth provided by vocalist Abigail Wyles. Deeper, headphone-friendly moments ("Halo", "Juggernaut", "Battleships") are offset by a string of robust, peaktime bombs, not least a fine version of scene anthem "Creeper" and the eye-popping "Deaf Siren".

Review: The 9th installment in this successful double mix CD techno series is a 2 CD mixed by one of the biggest global techno players: Adam Beyer. Adam brings a full on mix like you would expect it from him in the club or at a big party on CD1 and a softer more sophisticated mix on CD2 with tracks from labels such as Warp, Sender etc. Besides exclusive tracks by Adam himself such as Beyer feat Tiga, this CD boosts some of the biggest names in techno around: Alter Ego, Speedy J, Chris Liebing, Marco Bailey, Gaetano Parisio ,Umek and many more. Both CDs deliver a banging upfront mix of some of the hottest tracks around. Again a real gem for all fans of good high quality techno!

Review: The Detroit veteran and "cousin to Omar-S" known as Leonard "Big Strick" Strickland returns with the follow-up to his well-received 2011 long player, Detroit Heat. Where that largely stuck to deep house, this set casts the net much wider, offering a mixture of sparse, melodic techno, hypnotic tech house and even ambient moods (check the luscious "Days Gone") alongside Strickland's simple-bit-effective deep house. Check, for example, the classic Detroit revivalism of "Reese Cup", the chiming melodies and jackin' beats of "Code 1" and the curious piano jazz of "Slow Ride". There's also a track written with friend Omar-S, the wonderfully deep and fluid "Family Affair".

Review: Geir Jensson's debut album under the now familiar Biosphere alias, Microgravity, has long been considered something of a classic of the early '90s ambient boom. First released in 1991, it offered an icy but suitably atmospheric mix of chilly ambience, British-style "intelligent techno" and crystalline IDM. To celebrate 25 years since it was recorded (it was released a year later, in 1991), Geir Jensson has re-mastered it and, with the help of a successful crowd-funding campaign, pressed it onto a double CD minus the cross-fades and sound effects featured on the original pressing. Happily, Microgravity has lost none of its' allure, and the superb re-mastering ensures

Review: Closely affiliated with Nina Kraviz's trip label, Icelandic maverick Bjarki has managed to carve out a unique identity for himself in the hustle and bustle of contemporary electronic music. Following three full-length releases back in 2016, he now appears on !K7 with a new album that shows off the depth and breadth of his idiosyncratic vision. From curious ambient excursions peppered with rich sound design to spooked out boogie and deconstructed techno, sometimes within the same track, Bjarki has ably cemented his reputation as one of the scene's most intriguing operatives. Just take a trip on the fractured breaks and looming pads of "AN6912" and marvel at the originality.

Review: Some 20 years after the release of seminal debut Temple of Transparent Balls, a landmark British techno set, Ken Downie (with long term sidekicks Martin and Richard Dust) is ready to unleash his 10th full length. Given that Downie arguably did more than anyone else to define the "intelligent techno" sound, it's pleasing to find that Tranklements is full of the kind of bubbling, melodic, off-kilter fare with which he made his name. While there are true dancefloor moments - see the sweaty "The Pay Crash I" and "II", or the spine-tingling hypnotism of "Cult Mentality" - the album's finest moments are those that cut a more considered figure; the Artificial Intelligence-era IDM of "Internal Collapse" is particularly impressive.

Review: The legendary Black Dog return with more immaculately designed and forward thinking electronics on their own Dust Science imprint. Nowadays comprised of Ken Downie and Martin & Richard Dust, they've certainly still got it, and this is testament to it! The album goes from dreamy soundscapes and imaginary soundtracks ("Phil 0114" and "The Frequency Ov Thee Truthers") to even Autonomic style drum and bass on tracks like "Phil 3 to 5 to 3" but there's straight up techno later on in the album as heard on "Self Organising Sealed Systems" and "Commodification" and the absolutely mental "Hollow Stories, Hollow Head". Great song titles, that's a given. Essential listening.

Review: Initially released a track at a time over lockdown and later reworked into a "proper album", Fragments sees electronica veterans and UK techno pioneers the Black Dog rolling back the years in impressive fashion. Long-time fans will hear echoes of their inspired Artificial Intelligence-era work scattered throughout the set, alongside mesmeric, often rhythmic forays into minimalist ambient, slow-motion techno, decidedly cinematic compositions (see the gloriously positive and widescreen 'Black Smoke') and fractured drone soundscapes that provide hazy, atmospheric relief. With this CD edition also including a range of bonus tracks not available on other versions, it should be essential listening for those with even the slightest interest in the iconic, Sheffield-based trio's work.

Review: While Black Dog founder Ken Downie has rarely been one to talk candidly in the press, his current studio partners, Martin and Richard Dust, have been known to deliver angry missives on a variety of topics. It's perhaps unsurprising, then, that the trio's latest album- their first for nearly three years - appears to have been inspired by the current state of politics and the media. Full of knowing track titles, melancholic refrains, frustrated rhythms, dystopian soundscapes and angry motifs, the album's thought-provoking intent is rather overshadowed by the quality of the music on offer. You'll find bustling electro, end-of-days ambient, rushing cinematic techno, IDM and the kind of hard-to-pigeonhole fare that inspired then NME journalist Mixmaster Morris to come up with the now familiar "intelligent techno" tag.

Review: Around 2008 The Black Dog landed on Soma with Radio Scarecrow. At this point the shape-shifting project was well-established as a separate entity from the early Warp years, as original member Ken Downie was joined by Martin and Richard Dust to extol a faintly gothic strain of electro-techno romanticism. 'Ripheadv9' is a fine case in point - a three-dimensional sound world shrouded in grey cloud but shot through with flashes of technicolour light. There's industrial pallor, synthetic melancholy and a heavy payload of atmosphere in abundance on this finely sculpted modern masterpiece, which has been revived with even greater detail thanks to this remastered CD edition on their own Dust Science label.

Review: Originally released in 2005, Silenced captures the essence of The Black Dog's enigmatic allure, transporting listeners to otherworldly realms with its lush, tuneful compositions and angular genius. Each track on the album is a testament to the group's unparalleled ability to surprise and entrance, evoking a sense of both unease and beauty. For fans of The Black Dog, Silenced serves as a welcome treat, while also serving as an entry point for those new to the group's mesmerising soundscapes. Definitelt one of their best full length albums yet to date.

Review: The Black Dog's Foucauldian 2009 CD opus hears an honorific remaster and reissue through Dust Science on vinyl, extending the trio's concern with Orwellian surveillance and state-capitalist intrusions into the present. "From billion-dollar corporate entities openly mishandling our data for profit to highly targeted and manipulative political propaganda campaigns, the misuse of our data and communications is far more sophisticated and devious than originally envisaged," says tBd's Martin Dust of the sinister side of today's sociopolitical climate. The tracks therein still elicit much emotion, with 'Northern Electronic Soul' especially charging our intensities despite moods of data scouring and electromagnetic hoarding and 'Skin Clock' co-opting even the more glamorous ends of modern techno-life.

Review: The belated release of New York industrial ambient crew Black Rain's early '90s soundtrack work in 2011 sparked something in founder Stuart Argabright. It inspired a belated return to the studio and this surprise album, Black Rain's first for 18 years. Given how long they've been away, Dark Pool is a pleasingly accomplished set. Like their previous material, it wades in dark waters, joining the dots between droning electronic textures, skittish, IDM-inspired rhythms, horror chic, industrial noise and bleak electronica. It's hugely atmospheric, of course, but also strangely claustrophobic. It's a brilliant set, all told, but one that shouldn't be taken lightly.

Review: Garnering attention as a purveyor of the finest minimal-house under his Portable moniker for ~scape records, Alan Abrahams (originally from South Africa but now a fully subscribed Europhile) has decided to magnify the dancefloor orientated aspects of his sound and bottle the nectar under the Bodycode appellation. Apparently borne from necessity when Abrahams found himself playing live and required some cuts that would fair better in a club environment, Bodycode sees a plethora of looped beats becoming incrementally corrupted through a seasoning of more loops and sonic flourishes - resulting in a record that is strangely hypnotic and doubly virulent. Kicking things off with 'Nanotechnology', Abrahams concocts an aural blast that wouldn't look out of place as a sand-blasted Prefuse reincarnation; as a sliced female vocal is consumed by steely beats and a ratchet inducing bass kick. From here we're delivered into the path of 'I, Data' wherein some claggy tech is given an aquatic undertow that recalls John Tejada's Plug Research output, before the epic 'Hands Free Computer Interface' gets nervous through some disrupted electro and skittering upper level. Elsewhere, 'Gene Patch' comes the closest to his Portable output, 'Bounce Back' is an appropriately rubber-coated bluster of metallic beats, whilst 'Equidistant' chucks everything into the mix and comes out smiling. Closing on the gymnastics of 'World Without End' (the kind of track stereo was invented for), Bodycode is a record that would sound great in a club, but has the strength to withstand headphone scrutiny.

Review: Still-rising new electronica artist Ben Bohmer shares his first new studio album in three years, Bloom. Coming off an ambitious world tour in support of his previous album, Bohmer made a point to take time to himself afterwards, returning to the peace and quiet of his studio; the return would also help him process the heartbreak and grief that drove the inspirations of the record in equal measure. The artist embraces his imperfect journey thus far on the forthcoming album's first single, 'Best Life', featuring Berlin-based singer-songwriter duo JONAH. "Life is short and fast," JONAH remarks on the track. "You try, you fail, and sometimes we lose a special person along the way who is irreplaceable, but the memories stay with us, shaping who we are. 'Best Life' is all about that rollercoaster ride of trying, failing, and a reminder of the importance of living each moment to the fullest." The album features a swathe of styles and tempos that earlier tracks in his career feel like breadcrumbs to.

Review: Considering that they've put out nearly 500 releases in the last two decades, one 20-year Kompilation was never going to be enough for Kompakt. This second, two-disc trawl is perhaps better balanced than the first, including more of the label's eccentric electronic output - and, notably, more of their "techno-pop" and "ambient pop" - than the more dancefloor-centric first volume. Whether you're a seasoned label-watcher or not, there's much to enjoy, from the droning, kraut-influenced soundscapes of Walls and cosmic indie-pop of Whomadewho, to the glistening electronica of Coma and the chugging Italo-influenced electrofunk of Steadycam's "Knock-Kneed". As celebrations go, it's pretty special.

Review: The long running DJ Kicks serious has always been fascinating, offering as it does the chance for DJs and producers known for a particular style to spread their wings musically. Jazz-minded German techno combo Brandt Bauer Frick grab that chance with both hands on their instalment, showcasing an atmospheric blend heavily influenced by nu-jazz and smoky, jazz-flecked deep house. Along the way, there are numerous pleasing diversions, from the head-nodding analogue boogie of Inkswel and Moog-laden African rhythms of William Onyeabor, to the dense drum workout of their own "Brommel" and the winding synths and ultra-deep production of Fantastic Man's "Late At Night". They also make room for a bit of tech-jazz (Galaxy 2 Galaxy), and the booming late night moves of Cosmin TRG.

Review: In 1998 Aril Brikha reacquainted the world with deep techno soul, as his record "Groove La Chord" crossed generic boundaries. Is it techno? Is it house? Is it deep house? It was everything and nothing. "Ex Machina", out on Peacefrog, is Aril's new album, and it is amazing.

Review: Where others have looked towards the dub techno sound of Berlin for inspiration, Swedish-Iranian producer Aril Brikha has always been a Motor City man through and through - as this timely reissue of his 2000 debut album, Deeparture In Time, neatly proves. The Derrick May-championed set has aged surprisingly well - "Groove La Chord" and "On & On" in particular - and still offers a take on techno that's true to the melodic, futurist ethos of the scene's founding fathers. Here, it's backed by a second disc of unreleased Brikha material recorded between 1995 and '99. Packed with deep, melodic and forward-thinking techno moments, it offers a superb accompaniment to one of techno's finest albums.

Review: The "klick" revolutions are based on live sets, performed during the last two years. It was from the beginning work in progress, which changed every time. It's like one track, with different sideways. A locked box filled with structured noises, confronted with sounds which may turn on some reference systems. Includes an 18 page booklet revealing all locked-groove records Brinkmann used for the album.

Review: Few British techno acts are quite as lauded as British Murder Boys, the industrial strength collaboration between Regis and Surgeon. Throughout the early-to-mid 2000s, their distinctive EPs provided the soundtrack to many great moments in dusty basements, dark rooms and sweat-soaked raves. Whether you missed out first time around or simply want a trip down memory lane, this career retrospective should be an essential purchase. Alongside 12 hand picked tracks from the catalogue - the vast majority in their rolling, pounding, industrial strength style - the package also includes in-depth sleeve notes from Blackest Ever Black boss Kiran Sande, and a DVD of the duo's dystopian 2013 live show at Club Unit, Tokyo (excerpts from which were released on 12" last year).