Back catalogue: Techno (Alles)

Review: Techno troubadour Yan Cook has a fine discography on some of the most respected labels out there. Now he heads to Ukraine's Cooked, a young but perfectly formed imprint, and kicks off his EP with 'Blades,' which is all melon twisted synths and driving techno kicks. 'Whistleblower' then slips into a deeply atmospheric groove with gurgling bass and watery effects and 'Grom' is all about the swing in the drums. Gritty textures and insistent claps add to the thrill of it all and 'Skyhigh' is a more frosty dub techno cut that leaves out breathless.

Review: Netherlands outfit Planet Rhythm continues to fulfil their stated mission to explore the boundaries of dance music, and to 'design the future', with releases from talents whose music testifies the idea that techno is too big of a concept to be limited to a single idea. Yan Cook is one such talent in their eyes; his latest for PR's limited black labels series hears four laconic, calculative and dark techno numbers play back in cold step, like a one-track space probe feeling its way through a planetary ring of ice. Cook's sci-fi theme is inhospitable, with his take on the presence of 'Antimatter' in the universe amounting to a kind of fearful metallic object grating away in an echoic chamber; and 'Exomoon', which conjures the image of said celestial anomaly via frigidly bleak pads and starkly reverberative yawps and drum machines. A chilling vision of an exodic space-faring future, perhaps once in which we've been stripped of our humanities entirely.

Review: Ukraine's Yan Cook is one of those low-key but highly skilled producers who have mastered the art of turning out consistently excellent techno cuts. It is Planet Rhythm that snap him up now for more of his linear bangers starting with the moody and paranoid opener 'Hydraulic', a pressurised cut that will bowl any dancefloor over. 'Null' then gets more gritty and textured as it rocks back and forth and 'Imla' (Red Rooms remix) takes a more subliminal and stripped-back approach to techno hypnosis.

Review: Yan Cook's 1310 EP takes listeners on an adventure through four intense and atmospheric techno tracks that delve into the depths of the genre. On Side-1, 'Rose' sets the tone with its deep techno vibes infused with a sci-fi mood, delivering a powerful and riveting experience. 'Freak Show' follows suit with its heavy, subterranean groove, immersing listeners in a cavernous sonic landscape that's both ominous and enthralling. Flipping over to Side-2, 'Quatro' introduces an alien tribal groove accompanied by eerie bells and accents, creating a beat with relentless energy. Closing out the EP is 'Loophole,' which delivers hard-hitting grooves that demand attention and leave a lasting impact. Each track on 1310 showcases Yan Cook's ability to craft serious techno that not only moves the body but also engages the mind.