Back catalogue: Techno (Alles)

Review: Fletcher's arrival on Ausblick brings another fine selection of techno sounds that tend towards the more deep, heady and minimal end of the spectrum. 'Blurred Lines' kicks off and is a sublime fusion of rubbery drum loops and shuffling percussive sounds that lock you into a mindful state that's eventually heightened by some dreamy little synth sequences and lovely dry hits. On the flip, 'What's It All About' is more abstract and sparse, a late-night sound full of intriguing little details to trip out the after-party crew.

Review: Rolling into the spring of 2022, Mosaic turns to Berlin based Yorkshireman and co-founder of Tact Recordings, Fletcher, for Mosaic LTDX6 .

Following his impressive "Mechanical Garden" debut LP on Mosaic DTL, 'Violet Shift' focuses on Fletcher's ability to weave magic for the dancefloor with DeepChord's Mike Schommer adding a contrasting touch of class on the remix.

Title track 'Violet Shift' is a trip into the light fantastic: centring around a delicate fusion of deftly programmed beats and continuously shifting filtered chords. Brought together with muted pulses of sub bass and splashes of effects, it's a masterful exercise in restraint and a true delight with repeat listening.

Taking it the other way, Schommer's remix focuses on a four to the floor journey: adding tribal elements and tight percussion that inject more urgency into the mix. A tough but fair take, you wouldn't expect anything less.

Last but not least, the dawn chorus of 'BOHTS' eases you into the mood with a trimming of airy optimism and brushy bounce to the beats as warm chords sweep their way through.

Review: Last year's superb Pura Lempuyang album has been pulled apart and served up on a couple of separate 12"s and this is the second one. It comes on limited turquoise vinyl and offers four cuts of stylish deep dub and techno. Fletcher's 'It's A Virtue' goes first with taught, twanging bass and grubby basslines then Mike Schommer's 'Kingmaker' offers liquid dub funk with watery pads and hissing static. Nicolas Barnes picks it up a little with a darker but still warm dub techno roller in 'Sonic Dial' and Redrop's 'Genesis' is the more driving of the lot but again exists right on the ocean floor.

Review: For the next edition of Mosaic's LTDX series, label boss Steve O'Sullivan invites a trio of artists to lay down some seriously infectious beats on 'Rhythm Method Vol.5'.

Kicking off proceedings with '3 Days Cooler,' from Cologne based Hidden Sequence, you'll find yourself instantly locked into the groove. One of those simple yet effective stripped back jams that balances rhythmic effervescence with subtle evolving elements, steeped in that all important dubby twist.

Next,Berlin based Yorkshireman Fletcher steps up with the robotic twinge of 'From Somewhere' - fusing electro styled drum programming with a heavy dose of psychedelics, the sort of thing you'd expect from Romanian minimalist party starters. A powerful rolling and intoxicating brew, this one will find favour among the sound purists.

Last but not least, trusted Canadian talent Jay Tripwire pairs up with newcomer JayBee with the heady, off-kilter throb of 'Cookie Maschine' - a punchy, incessant ride that just keeps on coming back for more as spatial overtones rise and fall.

Review: Steve O'Sullivan invites a trio of artists to lay down some serious head nodding beats for 'Rhythm Method Vol.4'. Calling on one of Canada's trusted talents and solid purveyors of deep grooves Jay Tripwire leads the charge with 'Mung Bean Medley'. There's simply no messing: pushing through a taught rhythmic workout, incessant toms and metallic tones etch deep into the mood - awash with dubbed out atmospherics and crafty touches that more than a give a nod to the dark house dubs of yesteryear. On the flip, 'Hidden Sequence' inject their creative flex, demonstrating the all important art of minimalist bounce with 'Synchro'. The kind of fully swung beats and tripped out twinges that brighten the groove more often than not when 7am comes calling. The svelte bustle and soothing tones of 'Makka' from Fletcher by contrast, soothe the mind and leaves plenty of room to kick back as weary limbs take their toll: a fine tonic indeed.

Review: Mosaic main man and peerless UK dub techno titan Steve O'Sullivan has paired off against Fletcher for this latest heavyweight 12". As ever the foundations are solid on the opener 'Passenger' - smooth drums and bass perfectly sit with one another, but this one really comes alive with the most impossibly subtle but inescapably uplifting little chords that suggest that no matter what shit you have going on in your life, things will be OK. It's a classic amongst many on this label. 'With That' is another tight, compelling and tech tinged dub roller with real bite and drive, and 'Treading Water' then blisses you out with its liquid chords and sense of endless infinite groove.

Review: REPRESS ALERT!: Fletcher and Steve O'Sullivan have often worked or appeared together in the past so it makes sense that the former now invites the latter to be the first person to release on his newly minted and always sure to be worth checking Social Currency imprint. They take the reins together across floor-focussed cuts that are marbled with deep pads and introspective sounds. 'Cold Calling Blues' is warm and airy with smoky vocal sounds and precision dub techno drum loops, 'Midnight At 1:30' hits a little harder but is still zoned out and serene and 'Shatner's Groove' takes on subtle deep space moods with deft pads and spoken word additions.

Review: Steve O'Sullivan's Mosaic label is back with a second volume of its dubs series, this time on nice yellow vinyl with Sub Basics and Fletcher given one side each to shine. Sub Basics goes first with 'Mediterranean', a lovely liquid dub with bottomless depths and perfectly smooth, frictionless drums. Lovely soft melodies drift in and out as the echoing hits and icy hi-hats help oil this most heady of grooves. On the flip, Fletcher offers up 'Sludge' which is a little more tense and menacing, with darker bass and more texture as well as distant groaning pads that keep you guessing and on edge.