Back catalogue: Techno (Alles)

Review: There's lots to get your teeth stuck into on this new and blistering collection of electro from Adepta Editions. And don't let the title fool you - it's not all accessible summer festival fare, in fact none of it is. It is all head down and serious tackle. 7053M4R14's '4 N3W HUM4N' is a driving, dark, visceral sound with raw breakbeats powering through the cosmos. Rec_Overflow offers a moment to catch your breath with some slower, dubby rhythms on 'Pocket Dial' and Pauk explores twitchy future synths capes and post-human transmissions on 'Shiawasena Fukushu'. Promising/Youngster shuts down with a sense of optimism and hope with the airy melodies and slithering electro drum patterns of 'Arbey.'

Review: EC Underground is back with more inquisitors of low-end heavy sounds on Bass Scene Investigation vol 1 and again digs deep into the worlds of electro, techno, breakbeat and IDM. The compilation kicks off with the skittish percussive patterns of Illektrolab's 'Making Heads Dip', then heads into moody ground with ADJ, Pablo Funk brings some menacing synth work and Errorbeauty gets all weird and trippy with some mad electronics. Francois Dillinger offers a dystopian electro sound full of irresistibly jacked-up drums. A fine investigation indeed.

Review: The Fourier Transform label outlay an arresting sonic journey on their debut release, bringing together breakbeat, ambient IDM, ambient techno, and prog house under a single banner. Opening with Inkipak's 'Betwixt', we're met with sonorous low-mid square waves and machine-gun-fire breaks, recalling the breathtaking, verging on apocalyptic expanse of a warehouse rave turned laser light show turned warzone. We break from this warring weir with 'Omnicron Acid' and 'City Of Tomorrow' by Gimmik and Brian Kage respectively, which lowers the intensity and sonic flow via spacious atmospheres and dudding percussive pops. Finally, the perfect fusion of the former two moods is achieved on 'Corrosive Tongue', the lead synth on which sounds like just that.

Review: Simone de Kunovich and Pancratio join forces on the 'Memory Card EP,' a captivating three-track release that marries retro video game nostalgia with cutting-edge electronic music. Inspired by early PlayStation 1 adventures, the duo masterfully weaves samples from obscure games into their compositions, crafting a sound that is both minimalist and evocative of 32-bit textures. Whether it's setting the mood in the mellow early hours or energising a peak-time crowd, this EP equips DJs with versatile tracks that promise to electrify any dancefloor. With its unique blend of exuberance and nostalgia, the 'Memory Card EP' is a must-have for enthusiasts looking to add both depth and dynamism to their sets.

Review: The second release from Alex Egan's Utter sub label Quoth finds a link-up between Pearl River Sound and The Horn - two outlier operators with plenty to say when their machines collide. Pearl River Sound has been scattering outstanding releases on Further, Seagrave and Further Electronix amongst others, while The Horn comes from serious Devon techno heritage having cut his teeth on Evolution back in t'day. This is all about upfront material though, with a tendency towards microtonal braindance that veers from the self-explanatory collaboration 'Modular Grime' to solo forays into off-kilter, acidic electro funk. Nowhere near as derivative as a lot of current braindance, this is real freaked-out electronics for those with discerning taste.

Review: Fear-E's Posh End Music celebrates its tenth release with an EP of ceiling-shakers by musical wizard Ben Pest. 'Worst Behaviour' is a restless splurge of overdriven but still tasteful energy, moving through five ultimate wompers of a kind of electrified techno we rarely hear. Ben Pest's style, honed since 2009, is entirely his own. First there's the VIP version of 'Strict Saws' and the follow-up 'Beta T', both of which reserve ample mix space for an overwompy kick drum, Pest's trademark stinger. The former track especially clips the zero level, hearing said kicks bleed out the sound around it, flooding it into a fully crunch-steeped stupor. 'Withoutta Moa' and '1996' follow similarly pressurific principles, the latter of which commands a special sort of apnea, resembling a strangled French house. Then 'Weight For It' closes on notes of maximised squelch and crossrythmic evac alarm sounds, as we're dragged into successive states of terrifying suspense.

Review: Pancratio's A Run of Streams delves into the "state of flux"-those moments when everything flows effortlessly. Blending downtempo, deep house and acid house elements, it's a raw, unfiltered expression of the artist's journey that encourages you to connect with your own moments of spontaneity. Each track is crafted in real time using Pancratio's signature hands-on, organic production style and this method fosters natural emotion and spontaneity so gives the album a distinctive warmth and authenticity. A Run of Streams is a deeply physical and immersive listen that shows off Pancratio's unique sound.

Review: When it comes to wresting maximum emotion and energy from analogue electronic instruments, few artists can match acid revivalists Paranoid London. They've certainly made their machines sing on Arseholes, Liars & Electronic Pioneers, their third full length excursion. Kicking off with the EBM-meets-acid growl of Joe Lewis hook-up 'Love One Self', the set includes such gems as 'People (Ah Yeah)' (an ambient acid number featuring Bobby Gillespie on vocals), the hard-wired acid trippiness of 'Up Is Down' (with DJ Genesis), the squelchy and spacey excellence of 'Start To Fade' (with Josh Caffe), the acid-electro brilliance of 'GRINDR' and a genuine future anthem in Mutado Pintado collab 'The Motion'.

Review: We really can't find out much info about pdqb but the producer behind the name is said to have gone mad after being possessed by an alien parasite, and his whereabouts are unknown. Synaptic Cliffs however has a bunch of music to release from him starting with this. The tracks "were created with the NCO6.27 for test subjects with brain implants" and the music combines dark, playful techno, electro, industrial, chiptunes, IDM and electronica into moody cuts with a unique energy and clout for the club.

Review: After debuting on Hospital Productions in 2017, Scanning Backwards was the sophomore album from Phase Fatale back in 2020 on Ostgut. To mark its fifth birthday it gets reissued here and still sounds as good as new. Payne blends post-punk, noise and shoegaze influences into broken rhythms and slow-burning, textured soundscapes that merge sonic warfare with functional dance music. This album drew from historical and fictional narratives to explore sound as a form of power and Each track reflects Berghain's influence as both a space and instrument. It's powerful stuff in more ways than one.

Review: Plant43 is the alias of Emile Facey, one of electro's most tireless innovators. He has a vast discography that never fails to prove he can speak through his machines more ably than just about anyone in the game, and certainly within the genre. Luminous Machines comes on his own label and is an album, his eighth in all, of cinematic and futuristic jams written before a gig at Tresor in April this year. 'Haunting The Depths' has an icy minimalism to it, with crisp drums and snappy hits all underpinned by textured bass. The title cut is a restless affair that pings about the stereo field with squiggling lines and loopy breaks and 'Fixed Point Rotation' has a more dark and menacing feel. These are just some of the highlights of another standout collection.

Review: When it first hit stores in 2007, Kushbush - the fourth album by industrial noiseniks turned psychedelic techno twosome Plateau (AKA Skinny Puppy's Kevin Compton and studio buddy Phil Western) - was only released on CD. This, then, marks the set's first appearance on vinyl. In keeping with the duo's chosen themes of "altered states and introspection" (the project was initially inspired by their love of cannabis and desire to see it legalised in their native Canada), the album sees the pair blend the growling intensity of Nine Inch Nails (and Compton's other industrial punk band, Download) and the full-throttle dancefloor assault of acid-fired techno with snapshots of picturesque melancholia, the far-sighted futurism of 1990s IDM, and the wide-eyed, tripped-out electronic psychedelia of ambient techno.

Review: PRZ's debut on Sync 24's Cultivated Electronics comes in the form of a magnificent new double album, Lost Art. As a producer, DJ, and co-founder of Chateau Royal already known for a unique style that merges intricate rhythms with ethereal melodies, he builds on a sound he has been honing for a decade on prestigious labels like Clone West Coast Series and Hilltown Disco. This work is a cohesive one starting with the atmospheric 'Introvert' and then going on to feature more playful tracks like 'Lazerton' and the title cut alongside darker electro tunes like the corse 'Velocity Shift' and retro funk of 'Back From 89.'