Review: After releasing some non-club music on his own label The Yellow Zone, Lenny Mailleau steps into the dancefloor world with his first solo record for High Ends France. Known for his work as Zendid on High Ends, he returns to the French label with three tracks that mix up dubby house and techno. This release marks a new chapter in Mailleau's journey and showcases his versatility and skill in crafting infectious rhythms designed to move a crowd. 'Intense City' is a dubby one with lithe synths, 'Papiers Ciseaux' is icy and abstract dub and 'GGG' brings a melancholic and percussive touch.
Review: Antoni Maiovvi returns to Cosmic Club with an EP destined for classic status. Drawing from 15 years of experience, his fusion of disco, synth beats, and Italo influences shines. 'Lucidario' opens with Moroder-esque grandeur, cinematic and mesmerising. 'Cenotaph' echoes Legowelt's spirit, blending pop sensibilities with intrigue. 'Cyberia' closes the Side-1, mysterious and alluring. On the Side-2, 'Ghosted Again' ignites the dancefloor with dark Italo-disco energy, while 'Levitation Technique' explores ethereal realms. 'Today Is Yes' brings a satisfying conclusion to the album in an impressive way. Each track is a sonic journey, showing Maiovvi's diverse influences woven into a coherent whole. His work resonates alongside Gesloten Cirkel and Dopplereffekt, solidifying his future classic status.
Review: The Berlin-based 432HERTZ crew kicks on here with a new various artists 12" packed with electro heat. Rinaldo Makaj gets things underway with the serene grooves of 'Computational Universe', which has some of the nicest snares we've heard in some time. Rickie's 'Mesosphere' is a nice off balance sound with thumping kicks and melodic bass, then it's time to get sleazy and more than a little ghetto with the raw Electric City jam 'Escape From Reality.' Pumio Space brings a little colour and playfulness to closer 'Mario's Juice'.
Review: Having made his Opia bow in 2018 on the label's second release - where he shared vinyl space with Steve Marie - it has taken Luis Malon a fair old while to return to the London-based imprint's loving embrace. The good news, though, is that he's delivered a genuinely memorable, melodically bold and pleasingly imaginative collection of cuts. Compare and contrast, for example, the spacey, percussive and far-sighted tech-house bounce of opener 'Des Antenna', and the cut that follows, the bleep-and-bass-meets-intergalactic-deep-house loveliness of 'Nines'. Over on the flip, he does a bit of sci-fi soundtrack daydreaming on the cheery melodies-meets-dark bass excellence of 'Travelling Across', before wrapping fizzing, mind-mangling electronics and twisted acid lines around a crunchy breakbeat on 'Fly Or Die'. Impressive!
Review: Milan-based 'multi-disciplinary' project Opal looks to countryman Marco Maggi, aka Mama, for a new techno investigation that finds the producer heading into new territory. There is still a real focus on the dance floor here but rich sound designs make these tunes more than just functional fodder. 'Demo35' has a nice rugged and loopy rhythm which is paced well and marked with spooky synths. 'Demo39' is more snappy with alien motifs bringing the beats and swollen bass notes to life. 'Demo29' keeps the deep rhythm going, this time with some bright back-lit synth glows and 'Demo21' shuts down with a more physical broken beat and late night urban intrigue.
Review: Griffe launches its own new split series here with Mama and Torrent kicking things off. Mama goes first with a pair of potent techno cuts. 'Electric Pjack' opens up with some acidic lines spraying about a tightly assembled groove with sliding hi-hats and well-syncopated beats. 'Cyber Pjack' then gets a little darker with a more menacing low end and snappy drums keeping the beats upright. Torrent's two cuts keep the future feels alive with the mechanical grooves and malfunctioning sounds of 'Stay In The Loop' and 'Ex Machina' shuts down with some frazzled synths adding texture to the metallic drum sounds.
B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition
Reconnect (6:08)
Reconnect (Reboot Outahere rework) (7:48)
This Is My Ticket (7:00)
This Is My Ticket (Johnny D remix) (7:36)
Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***
Francesco Mami and Julien Chaptal deliver a compelling deep house experience with their 'Reconnect' release, blending smooth minimalism and melodic tech house grooves. The title track, 'Reconnect', is an addictive mix of fluid rhythms and rich melodies, striking the perfect balance between sleek production and dancefloor appeal. Reboot's 'Outahere Rework' of the same track deepens the vibe, adding a fun, groovy energy that's primed for late-night sets. Side-2 shifts gears with 'This Is My Ticket', a standout deep tech house cut that pairs intricate production with a memorable, catchy drive. The track's hypnotic layers create a textured soundscape, ideal for dancefloor workouts. Johnny D's remix of 'This Is My Ticket' ups the tempo, injecting high-energy beats and an infectious bounce that transforms it into a peak-time anthem. Each version bringing a unique energy while remaining cohesive. It's a well-rounded EP for dance music fans.
Review: Francesco Mami and Julien Chaptal deliver a compelling deep house experience with their 'Reconnect' release, blending smooth minimalism and melodic tech house grooves. The title track, 'Reconnect', is an addictive mix of fluid rhythms and rich melodies, striking the perfect balance between sleek production and dancefloor appeal. Reboot's 'Outahere Rework' of the same track deepens the vibe, adding a fun, groovy energy that's primed for late-night sets. Side-2 shifts gears with 'This Is My Ticket', a standout deep tech house cut that pairs intricate production with a memorable, catchy drive. The track's hypnotic layers create a textured soundscape, ideal for dancefloor workouts. Johnny D's remix of 'This Is My Ticket' ups the tempo, injecting high-energy beats and an infectious bounce that transforms it into a peak-time anthem. Each version bringing a unique energy while remaining cohesive. It's a well-rounded EP for dance music fans.
Review: Berlin-based Equilibrisme keeps up the fine early work here with a third vinyl release. It continues its tradition of delivering a masterful fusion of deep minimal techno, lush chords and dubby grooves that slowly but surely bring a dance floor under their control. A collaboration between Berlin-based Uruguayan producer Martin Teysera 'Oniric' opens up with seven sublime minutes of leggy, reverb heavy dub swing, Canadian dub techno legend Altitude, aka Matt Thibideau offers the more bright and textural 'Liquid' and Man-L goes it alone with the delicate melodic delights of 'Animal Crossing.'
Review: Fabric Originals releases the collaborative EP of Irish-born DJ, producer, and label owner Mano Le Tough and electronic musician and DJ Perel. This EP marks the second release in the label's new series, 'Future Memories,' which pairs a "legendary" producer with fresh talent, with the aim of safely bridging the ideas of generations (heaven forfend the new generation reject the old ideas!). 'Entertain Us' brings progressive house synth eighths to wonderstruck female vocals, while Perel and Tough share respective solo contributions on the B-side: 'Homage' is the self-described electrance love song written for a secret love object, while 'Infinite Scroll' indulges the contemporary screen-mirror percept, with sloshing sound effects and slow-burn builds suggesting that an embrace of the impending technological infinite need not necessarily amount to a doomscroll.
Alexander Wirth - "Another Round" (feat Mantsche) (8:03)
Review: Leap hit double figures and over the nine previous releases has managed to establish a signature sound that has found favour with cultured techno heads. The Foundation EP is a various artists affair that opens up with a mix from Dutch deep smith Reshape. His usual dusty and grainy aesthetic colours the mid-tempo dub drums and eerie synth work. 'Creation Dub' is a little lighter and brighter with rippling chords and undulating low ends. Anton Kubikov then lets in yet more light with his lush synth smears and subtly funk house drums on 'Power Under Your Skin.' It's pure heads-down tackle from Alexander Wirth who closes out with 'Another Round' (feat Mantsche).
Review: MarcelDune returns with a fierce new outing on Intrepid Skin. Based in London and rooted in Athens, MarcelDune's musical DNA spans jazz, opera and punk DIY so he is known for creating a sound that champions resistance, authenticity and liberation. This release embodies that ethos with euphoric energy, heavy drums and unrestrained fun all butting out of the beats. The title track opens with serrated industrial grooves, while 'Remedy for Evil' brings bouncy, relentless rhythm. 'Tell Me Who They Are' features ricocheting vocal chops and angular percussion and 'Romantic and Other Fantasies' closes with pounding beats and a whirlwind of effects.
Review: Brazil's Marcio M shows that Latin America loves hard techno too, which is not something we necessarily knew before we heard this. His outing on Triple A is triple X rated from the off: 'Deja Vu' is a jacked-up hard techno slammer with snuggling acid lines, caustic pads and dark vocals all trapped in the relentless rhythm. 'GTFO' has undulating loops that lock you in the here and now and unleashes bright, flashy, raved-up mentasm stabs and 'Let's Go MTF' daisy it back to a more minimal but no less driving and destructive mix of drums and synths. 'The Voice' is the final guaranteed hell-raiser with its pacey drum patterns and rusty synth textures.
Review: Chris Liberator's experimental techno label Maximum/Minimum forms part of the Stay Up Forever Collective umbrella, which has been going for a heck of a long time (since 1995-ish), charting untouched terrains of teratological UK hardcore techno. An offshoot imprint dedicated to the "creative corruptions" of the Stay Up Forever crew, Liberator and co. would originally release these ones without catalogue numbers, that is until the market beseeched them to behave more conventionally. Now, well past their 65th V/A release, comes their latest, a decapitatory pummeller fronted by Sonico's 'Did You Say Acid?' and Zyco Seon's 'Citric Frequencies'.
Review: Medellin producer Marck D (Charlie Escobar) is a new Planet Rhythm poster child, though his digital releasing repertoire is nonetheless colossal even without them, his many affairs including Illegal Alien, Phobiq and IAMT. Shocker it is, then, that 'Dune' is Escobar's first ever 12"; the record brings ultraphonic chord slurries ('Behind The Chord') and federated, intergalactic-dynastic codes of techno honour ('Atreides'), riding the sand-wormed thematics of the Frank Herbert sci-fi classic.
Review: Mariiin is an Italian-born, London-based artist who first appeared on our radar with some KMAH radio shows years ago. They were tasteful explosions of heady techno and adjacent sounds and in her own work she now expertly navigates the powers of light and darkness. For that work, she has been celebrated by Craig Richards, which is some backing. Whether she's guiding audiences through musical journeys alone or alongside her partner Bobby, her sets create immersive atmospheres and now she does the same with her new EP 'La Notte' which offers up a distinctly dark take on techno for only the headiest of clubs.
Review: Serious seriality from the OHM Series, an imprint and sole patent owner of the rare, aurally administered chemical known as Omega X. The alphabetic Greek letter ohm determines impedance / resistance in an electrical circuit, and so too do each of the dub techno tracks released on the OHM Series amount to tergiversating transductions, their chillout chord-knocks and hardened beats never quite letting us settle. Though titles like 'Innocence' and 'Downtime' persist here, the tracks perhaps inadvertently prove that flow is impossible without resistance: Separation's track is especially unorthodox in its strange reordering of phaser, pan and saturation effects on the pad-stab, which produces an unusual swirling effect.
Review: The Martian's 'The Long Winter Of Mars' marks a triumphant return, celebrating 30 years since Red Planet 5's original release. This reissue spotlights two iconic tracks, each occupying a side of the EP, and serves as a potent reminder of Detroit's techno legacy. Side-1 features 'Skypainter,' a track that transports the listener to uncharted sonic territories. It's beautifully layered, with an emotional depth that keeps the energy constant from start to finish - Detroit techno at its most expressive. On Side-2, 'Season Of The Solar Wind' delivers a powerful punch. This track is a prime example of dynamic Detroit-style techno, with a rhythm that captures the raw energy and innovation that defined the genre. This reissue from Red Planet, Underground Resistance's legendary sublabel, is an essential piece for anyone who reveres the Detroit sound.
Review: The Martian's Ghostdancer, reissued by the iconic Red Planet label, is a true gem in the world of Detroit techno. This record radiates a warm, soulful funk, blending vintage Detroit sounds with a unique twist. Side-1 kicks off with 'Medicine Man,' a track steeped in classic Detroit vibes, followed by 'The Vanishing Race,' both tracks reflecting The Martian's mastery in crafting timeless techno. Side-2 brings an intriguing contrast. 'Windwalker' is an uplifting, jazzy piece that exudes happiness, while 'The Talking Rocks Of Mars' ventures into darker, rougher territory, offering a captivating divergence from the other tracks. This contrast on Side-2 highlights The Martian's exceptional production skills, showcasing both depth and versatility. As Red Planet begins reissuing its catalogue for the first time, Ghostdancer is set to be in high demand. For any Detroit techno enthusiast, this release is essential, a standout from one of the genre's most influential artists.
Review: Techno player Gary Martin was inspired by the 1963 album How to Belly Dance for Your Husband by the Sonny Lester Orchestra for this EP, which finds him transforming jazz and belly dance influences into modern techno. The release features two energetic techno bangers and one mesmerising track in 3/4 time which calls to mind his previous works like 'Casa Caugat' and 'Girlfriend.' By blending vintage inspiration with newer production techniques, he ends to his roots while never getting too fawning for what has come before.
Review: Like the orographic cloud formed around the hill on the front cover, Martinou's latest record is a restorative future garage via techno myst. Released through the German minimalists Fauxpas - who've confirmed their pride at having finally gotten to release with the Swedish artist - this vinyl edition contains an exclusive track on the fifth runout, 'Thoughtless'. But the fact is, all the tunes here are more than worthy for soundtracking a condensate moment of downtime and renewal. Paced blissfully, our faves are 'Woven' and 'Hold Then Release', both of which exculpate all our anxieties through burbling, filtered woodblocks and field-studied sonics, hand-picked to arrest and wow. A sublime new outing from the Sewer Sender founder.
Review: Martinou's 'Matter EP' delivers a stunning blend of atmospheric and melodic techno across four stunningly beautiful tracks. Side-1 begins with 'Solid Core', an atmospheric piece that draws you in with its tribal rhythms and dub-influenced elements. The production is layered and dense, creating a deeply textured soundscape that feels vast and otherworldly. 'Better Place' follows, offering an ethereal journey through techno. Its delicate, airy melodies float over a steady, driving beat, creating a sense of weightless movement that feels almost spiritual. Side-2 opens with 'Expanding', a smooth and wonderfully melodic track that shows Martinou's talent for crafting intricate, emotion-filled techno. Its subtle progression makes it both soothing and engaging. Closing with 'Reality Bends', the EP edges closer to trance territory but with a electro beat.. Overall, 'Matter' is a masterful EP for people that love deep emotional techno.
B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition
Solid Core (6:10)
Better Place (7:11)
Expanding (6:24)
Reality Bends (5:40)
Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***
Martinou's 'Matter EP' delivers a stunning blend of atmospheric and melodic techno across four stunningly beautiful tracks. Side-1 begins with 'Solid Core', an atmospheric piece that draws you in with its tribal rhythms and dub-influenced elements. The production is layered and dense, creating a deeply textured soundscape that feels vast and otherworldly. 'Better Place' follows, offering an ethereal journey through techno. Its delicate, airy melodies float over a steady, driving beat, creating a sense of weightless movement that feels almost spiritual. Side-2 opens with 'Expanding', a smooth and wonderfully melodic track that shows Martinou's talent for crafting intricate, emotion-filled techno. Its subtle progression makes it both soothing and engaging. Closing with 'Reality Bends', the EP edges closer to trance territory but with a electro beat.. Overall, 'Matter' is a masterful EP for people that love deep emotional techno.
Review: Fresh from serving up a superb set of off-kilter house cuts from Newcastle-based maverick Man Power, Timo Rotenen's Echocentric imprint has turned to regular Belters contributor Dominik Marz. The long-serving producer has delivered an EP of nostalgic, energy-packed delights that variously doff a cap to dance music sub-genres of the 1990s and early 2000s. For proof, check the gargantuan 'Honesty', where mind-bending noises and sharp, trance style stabs rise above stomping beats and deep, sub-heavy, bleep & bass style low-end pressure. Similarly excitable and mind-altering is EP-opening slammer 'Honesty'. Elsewhere, 'Only One' sees Marz pepper a stabbing bassline and hissing house beats with raw bleeps and nostalgic samples, while 'Never Use Quantize' is pleasingly wayward - like early Chicago house crossed with NYC freestyle.
Review: Phat bottomed Drumcode techno of grander proportions by way of festival favourite Massano. Following his stellar three-track EP 'Telepathic', the Simulate label head and future-thinker now offers us a stark mix of choppy leads and spitting, pressure-release snares here, in the form of 'The Lights'. His signature use of momentary 32nd notes, and a lasery lead line, functions as a nod to adjacent "big room" techno styles, while a modal swirling about a suspensory tonal centre offers much towards the way of a faintly Middle Eastern melody. As its many multilayered lead lines grow increasingly twinging and chaotic, so too does an atmoss of shocking tension grow in the rave-hangar.
Review: Now well over 300 rises deep, Swedish staple Drumcode is one of main room techno's mightiest ever imprints. Adam Beyer has stepped in though several sonic evolutions all while staying true to its original signature sound - namely drum heavy techno. Massano shows he has mastered that style with this new Telepathic EP. The title cut is lit up with video-style game synths that flash abut over acid touches and rolling kicks. 'Destructure' pairs whitings back and allows some freaky synths to entangle themselves around the drums and 'The Method' veers towards harder techno worlds with hints of trance.
Review: Afterlife is not just a label and party brand but a way of life for melodic techno lovers. It's headed up by Italian pair Tale Of Us and now welcomes back regular artist Massano following his exemplary debut EP, In My System. This one opens up with 'Shut Down' (extended mix) which has something in common with hard techno in the flat drums and trance-like synths, all of which are sure to get those hands in the air. 'Cybernova' (extended mix) then come son the flip and is more subbed and subtle in the way it builds towards a big emotional peak. Two epic tracks for main rooms all over the world.
Review: Amazing next-gen cyborg dance music from sibling duo Mathame (Amedeo Giovanelli, Matteo Giovanelli) , a self-described "audio project" working in ultra-clean progressive house sounds. 'I Will Find You' sounds like a progressive anthem from an Arcadian alternate timeline; think what might happen if Tiesto performed a DJ set in the Halo universe, to a stadium full of Super Soldiers. Its front cover model - a cyborg girl with an augmented plate face mask - is indicative enough of the sound you might expect, but the brothers Mathame's music touches on more than just futurity, with tautly squeezed vocals and "ouch" synths adding to an already impressive uplifter.
Review: German artist Martin Matiske's musical journey began under the mentorship of DJ Hell, who introduced him to the decks at Gigolo label nights in Munich in 1999. Inspired by pioneers like Kraftwerk and Jean Michel Jarre, Matiske started producing for International Deejay Gigolo Records and later for Frustrated Funk, Bordello A Parigi, and the Central Processing Unit. His new EP has already had support from Dave Clarke and Helena Hauff, including for the standout track 'Moments', which blends ice-cold snares with celestial pads and retro-future synths. Legowelt's remix of 'Moments' adds an astral electro vibe, while 'Dimensional Space Travel' and 'Analogue Being' explore cinematic electro with nostalgic, playful tones.
Review: 59 Bel is back with another transmission from its HQ in Paris and again it's an interesting take on techno. Ian Maur opens with a minimal cut that is urgent and hurried yet barely there. Deluka brings some sci-fi imagery to the loopy sounds of 'My Underground' and Louis The 4th takes off on dry, glitchy minimal beats on the serene 'Ongoing Motifs.' Model HZ's 'Render' is a more synth-laced bit of classically inclined techno and Askkin's 'Life Spectator'' comes full circle with another eerie, sparse sound for freaking out late-night dancers.
Review: Treptow is a brand new label looking to make waves in the techno underground and it sure has put plenty of effort into this first 12". It's a coloured vinyl but each one is different which means you'll get a nice surprise. Musically, this one is up to scratch too. Max is a German artist with a great grasp of tension and dance floor dynamics on this evidence. 'Geben Und Nehmen' opens with a low-key, drum-led intensity, 'Alle Gegen Alle' brings some trance including synth colours and 'Dream Loop' is a dubbed out breakbeat delight that Sasha would have loved in his peak prog days. 'Dessow' shuts down with brilliantly mellifluous synths over deep, thudding techno kicks.
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