Back catalogue: Techno (Alles)

Review: Acid Sessions Vol. 3 is another white-knuckle journey into the world of acid with five top talents in the field all pushing their own limits. Acidulant opens with "Serpentacid' featuring hypnotic 303 grooves and relentless energy, then Sarufaromeo & Papaverhof deliver 'Acid Nihonshu' which blends atmospheric depth with chaotic acid vibes. G303 takes you beyond with 'Live Long and Prosper,' an interstellar anthem filled with cosmic acid and resonant grooves. Paul Renard closes with 'SO36' which is all about the fat rhythms and powerful dancefloor drive. Long live acid is what we say.

Review: Mord has put together a bumper collection of 17 searing techno cuts as part of its Herdersmat compilation but is also seeing up four at a time on individual 12"s. There is no messing with Part 41 which opens with DJ Shufflemaster & Go Hiyama's ear-splitting, brain frazzling 'Salasa Geometric'. Bartig Move opts for a much more minimal and roomy sound on the rolling 'Asistencia' then Tensal picks up the pace once more with the rusty loops and broken beats of 'Esbar'. Aocram's 'Dreams In NYC' is a swamp, depraved closer for late night mischief.

Review: Stingray's Micron Audio carries the clout of its CEO, meaning you know you're going to get only the most uncompromising updates on the electro template. Galaxian is exactly the kind of artist you want to tap up for such duties, and he's sounding on fierce form letting the metallic tones ping around 'Overshoot' with glee. Loka has a captivating, jacking sound which somehow also manages to be supremely deep cover despite its fierce beat. CTRLS, who have enjoyed previous outings on Micron, bring a dense and knotty kind of machine funk to 'Transfer', and 6siss brings a dense maelstrom of synthetic energy to bear on 'React'.

Review: Gilmer Galibard has made waves on labels like Lobster Theramin via the sub-label Mork and now steps out with his own new self titled label. 'Novaturient' (Rainforest Spiritual dub) is a deep and hypnotic dub roller with squidgy bass and rubbery drums. It's perfect for those zoned out 5am slots lost in the moment. On the flip is something just as heady, with more alien sound effects panning across the groove, ambient pads drifting up top and the slippery bass forming puddles down below. A truly meditative EP for sure.

Review: It has been a while now since Gilmer Galibard minted his own self-titled label - back in June 2020 was the debut release in fact. Thankfully the man who has also dropped heat on the likes of Lobster Theramin via the sub-label Mork is now back with a trio of quite different but equally effective cuts. 'Anam Cara' is all sludgy sounds, muffled rhythms and distant suggestive darkness, while 'Henko' (Tapasya mix) is a bright, trippy and progressive techno tunnel that leads you into the next dimension. 'Henko' (Ethereal Reshape) then takes a more dark, hypnotic approach and is full of unsettling synth mystery.

Review: After the much loved Delano Smith remix of Gigi Galaxy's 'Interview With An Alien' turned so many heads, Det 313 label has secured three originals from the Detroit producer otherwise known to as Gary Martin. Each shows he has a unique approach to the art of groove making, with 'First Night In Lemuria (DET313 version)' slower and more restrained than many in the game - almost like a Sheffield bleep anthem pitched down and augmented with a delightful, prodding bassline. 'Spirit World' is the big room pleaser of the trio, with a bubbling acid arpeggio slowly degrading and re-building throughout and some lovely sci-fi synthery going on. 'Inevitable' is the cheekiest and cheeriest of the three, all sharpened hi-hats and swirling electro beats and breakdowns that reveal its simple but damn effective musical heart to all and sundry. Nice work all round.

Review: Carl Hardy's Animals On Psychedelics label doesn't rush things. It has taken several years to get to release number seven, but you won't find us comparing. It is a prime example of quality over quantity and here again with have another timeless, mind-melting release designed for whacked out dance floors at 5am. Vladimir Gnatenko is back once again after previous impressive outings and both his cuts are molten affairs with liquid synths and neon colours over supple drums. He also collaborates twice with Kai Noob on a pair of similarly tripped out techno wormholes.

Review: Ten EPs in under this name and the German producer uses his background to land an important EP with this highly revered techno label. These four tracks hit with urgency but never feel one-note. There's real movement and contrast throughout, keeping things charged without being too fast. The opener, 'Fast Process', comes out swinging. It's all steam and steel, driven by a stomping kick and razor-sharp percussion. But just above that intensity floats a swirling melodic line, adding a ghostly presence that hangs over the chaos. 'Miami Nights' digs into a different groove. The low-end rolls heavy, while tough chords and tribal elements give it a more grounded, earthy energy. It's relentless but rooted. On Side-B, 'Clap Your Dubby Hands' explodes with percussion. It feels wild and physical, the kind of track that could lift a set straight into overdrive. There's a rawness here that nods to his early schranz days without feeling stuck in the past. 'Ultra Eight' pulls back just slightly, going deeper and more spaced out. It's colder, more introspective, like the soundtrack to some strange, distant city. Together, these cuts hit hard but leave plenty of air to breathe.

Review: Greyscale unveils its latest endeavour, the Spectrum Series, as a way to continue to evolve its offerings and this time it is with something that makes a vibrant departure from its traditional black-and-white aesthetic. The inaugural release features the iconic Lithuanian dub track 'Kasdienybes Sventykla' by grad_u & Eazystyle MC as a way of commemorating its 15th anniversary. It came as a double CD in 2011 but now gets a first vinyl pressing on a nice 10" slab of wax. The track itself taps into the earliest roots of dub in the 70s and traces a line through the 80s with its heavyweight drums and endlessly echoing bass topped by great mic work. A pared-back instrumental features on the flip of this latest crucial drop from the dub dons at Greyscale

Review: Strap in and prepare to go through the wormhole once you drop the needle on this new one from Gunjack. It taps into mind-melting 90s techno and Millsian synth work on opener 'Arson '78' which is a linear banger of the highest order. 'Plastic Horns' brings more unseating tension and anxiousness in the buzzy synth motifs and hammering hits, then 'Stormbells' is a perfectly entitled cut given the unrelenting bell loops and surging drums that sweep you off your feet. Last of all is 'Liquid Crystals' which is another tightly woven tapestry of malfunctioning blips, rippling synths and cantering drum funk.

Review: Off/Grid has impressed with his ability to cook up tracks that keep the tension going throughout. He's done it before on the likes of Rotterdam's Arts collective and more than once on Planet Rhythm. This one for another Dutch label brings plenty of texture to opener 'Down The Vaults' which has a fizzy lead prying between the sturdy drums. 'The Movement' is much more bouncy - one of those cuts that gets fists pumping and smiles on faces. 'Protect Ya Deck' is precision-tooled, acid-laced peak time gear for when the whole club is on the same vibe and the strobes are flashing, and 'Never Ready For This Shit' shuts down with some pent-up funk and brilliant syncopated drum work.

Review: Netherlands techno titan Planet Rhythm goes full percussive gas giant on their latest V/A, 'Friction', a motorsport motivator full of accelerometric elan - one of several V/As to grace their revving catalogue in recent times. Ramon Tapia leads the motorcade with 'Friction', a stabbing aerator full of overtop claps and rims, while Louis Lp's 'Radioactivity' unsettles with its seething high ringing and affectively isolated chord-stab-melody. Deas' 'Hard Dreams' nods to the real, unshakeably material core of dreams, with its rancorous full-tone acids, while Ramon Topia closes with 'Fear', a restless, chord-throttling, hard trancey, speed demonic rally racer.

Review: Richard Brophy's First Cut returns with Wait For One...Then Three Arrive, featuring a bunch of the very best homegrown talents. On the first side, Carlow-based artist Tr One serves up the hypnotic dub chord journey 'Fold', followed over on the flip by Lunar Disko's Lerosa who's in fine form as always on the dark techno soul of 'Crash 2'. Lastly, Giles Armstrong presents his third contribution on the Dublin imprint in the form of a strobed-out slow burner titled 'Deep Is For Dopes!'. Tip!

Review: Escape the grid to Elias Garcia's subterranean world of mutant techno and oozing sci-fi dub, forever lost in the drip with IDS Recordings. Big Tip!