Back catalogue: Techno (Alles)

Review: Swedish producers Alexander Johansson & Mattias Fridell get back to the drafting board - Blueprint Records - for a third release, following their 2023 EP 'Geometriska Strukturer' and the 'Marvatten' EP the year before. Active collaborators since the early 2000s, the pair have steadily contributed their precision-honed techno to labels such as Symbolism, Audio Assault, ARMS, XXX Records and H. Productions, alongside their own imprint, Lomsk, since 2022. Their latest 'Bentik Zone' comprises three hot, mode-choked techno tesla coils, themed after the topical Benthic zone: the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake or stream, where deep-sea crustacean dwellers known as benthos lurk.

Review: Italian duo Mathame return with a new single, which they wrote to embody the essence of summer through its energetic melodies and uplifting vibe. It was created during their 2024 tours across Mexico and Asia and was refined through live performances in New York City and Ibiza. It has all the hallmarks of a summer anthem, frankly - the sentimental dance-pop vocals, the big synth waves, the happy melodies and the big, bold, accessible drums. It's well produced, bright and shiny and is easy to sing back when dropped on vast festival stages.

Review: Copenhagen's finest duo deliver deep, hypnotic dub techno, straight from the source. 'Wind' strikes us zephyrously with tizzy stabs and harder grooves, whilst 'Stylus' impresses with a relatively minimal flick of the pen, making for a quick and effective intra-vention. 'Viper' and 'Garth' run with this sense of freedom, unburdening themselves with gaseous headrooms, ample spaces in which to let the reverse hits and tonal whacks breathe. A worthy debut for the French fabulists over at Syncrophone, though Merv are hardly new to the game.

Review: The French duo Minimum Syndicat land on Dutch label Zodiak Commune with a double-barrelled dose of mind-altering machine funk. 'Knowing That We Know Nothing' opens with a cold-blooded electro crawl, all dystopian pads and twitchy circuitry, while the G303 remix rips it wide open with slamming kicks and acid phrases that slither like live wires. On the flip, 'Disclosures' ups the BPMs in collaboration with fellow Parisian Voiron, its militant acid techno groove sharpened into a peak-time burner. G303 returns to mutate that track too, saturating it in overdriven 303 squelch and off-grid snare flurries. Raw, unrelenting and brilliantly engineered i this is the kind of record that weaponises philosophy for the dancefloor.

Review: Cultured dub technician and minimal man Sebastian Mullaert returns with K-Files, a vinyl-only label launched in collaboration with longtime ally Ulf Eriksson of Kontra Musik. He says that each release centres on one track reimagined through multiple distinct versions, thereby offering DJs and deep listeners tools for exploration, mood and transformation. The debut is a spacious, dub-infused trip that demands patience and full immersion, from the gauzy chord texture of 'Track 1', to the loud, smeared leads of 'Track 2' via the more propulsive drum rumbles and tumbling percussion of 'Track 3'. The final interpretation is a heavy ambient soundscape dense with melancholy.

Review: The Clergy Ten Year anniversary celebrations continue with a fourth special instalment of their various artists series. It's packed again with the sort of high-functioning techno that DJs always need to construct powerful sets, and that dancers will respond well to thanks to its detailing. Norbak opens with the moody minimalism of 'Sinto', Sciahri explore a more uptempo sound with grainy, gritty loops on 'Antartide' and Phara's 'Faint' gets more twisted with hellish effects and caustic textures all getting you on edge while the pummelling drums bounce out their muscular rhythm. These are evocative cuts for techno storytelling.

Review: This four-track compilation draws a tight line between warehouse muscle and emotional lift, delivering techno that's as moving as it is functional. Each cut brings a distinct perspective, yet they all share a sense of cinematic build and focused production. Gregor Tresher starts with 'Bonegrinder', a slow-burn builder that creeps forward before erupting into a peak-time workout. The groove is tight, the progression deliberate and when it hits full stride, it lands with impact. 'Cascade Rips', a collaboration between Works Of Intent and Voltaire, brings a different mood entirely. Its rolling bassline sits beneath a futuristic synth lead that feels both suspenseful and strangely touching. There's emotion under the surface and it simmers just right. On the Side-B, Marco Bailey drops 'Arcane', built around raw drum machine sequences and electro pulses. It grooves hard with a throwback vibe, nodding to early rave with metallic melodies and vocodered snippets that recall Kraftwerk without mimicking. The closer, 'Perditae' by Tom Hades and Soren Aalberg, floats into a more euphoric space. Its rising melody and ghostly vocals feel like they're beamed down from the heavens. A smartly curated collection of peak and soul.

Review: After 2024's 'The Stranger', a new, impressionistic techno-electronica record from Oscar Mulero betrays in the Madrid artist an honest naivete, as titular techno cosmic impressions contrast a homespun, motion-blurred front cover. Can we hear the wood for the trees? 'New Horizons' and 'Invisible Star' would certainly seem to suggest not. We're always in the thick of it, even as intergalactic wow-signal comms traverse repetitive aeons, light-year, and as we travel further and further 'Outside The Time Zone', further and 'Further Away'. A cool, armrest-clenching continuation from the Spanish fave.