Back catalogue: Techno (Alles)

Review: Utter wildness ensues, and the dancefloor is left tarnished. After the success of their last release together, 'Mirazh', Thomas Schumacher and A.D.H.S. reunite for a potent follow-up, both bottling and jarring the essence of Berlin techno. Simplicity abounds on 'Ex Machina' - perhaps alluding to the portentous Alex Garland film of the same name whose artificially intelligent omens will never leave us - as repetitious carnival drums blend madly with a semaphoric, high-octave melody. 'Umbra' and 'Morbida' are of course wicked techno accompaniments to boot, but in our view, it's really the A that risks most for the biscuit; we're sure you'll love it.

Review: Amorphic and Tensal hook back in to the machine to dialyse their crafts once more, with 'Highland Frequencies' offering up four, machine-numbered atoning lambs to our mech overlords, following up the equally arrayed 'Distant Landscapes' EP (2024) on Blueprint. Now bringing their distinctive cataloguing system to the discographic vanitas Mord, four more 'AT' tracks make for an irresistibly well-layered, synthetically one-of-a-kind release. Only 'AT4' gets a subtitle, 'The Sleepwalker', where a sandman's slumbrous, lollygaggling beats somehow, at the same time, betray a subconscious, paradoxical restlessness.

Review: Alt-dub never quite found its mainstream moment, but for those attuned to its intricacies, it remains a defining undercurrent in electronic music. Unlike its dubstep cousin, which relied on aggressive basslines and in-your-face drops, alt-dub takes a more measured approach, focusing on subtlety and complexity. It's about crafting a vibe, not smashing through it. San Francisco-based artist Federsen has been a pivotal figure in this niche for over a decade, using vintage tape delays and analogue gear to build immersive, textured soundscapes. His work with labels like Silent Season, Greyscale, Lempuyang and Ohm Series perfectly embodies how dub's elements of space, decay and resonance can be transformed into hypnotic, dancefloor-driven rhythms that unfold slowly. Tracks like 'Dub Trail' and 'Silent Whispers' reflect Federsen's signature approach: slow, deliberate builds, where the bassline is felt more than heard, and the subtle shifts in atmosphere draw us into the groove. It's not about immediate impact, but rather about crafting a space where the music breathes and where the transitions are felt as much as they are heard. 'Echoes In The Void' pushes this idea even further, with its dense, evolving layers of sound, while 'Lunar Dub' offers a more stripped-back, meditative experience. Through Federsen's work, the genre stands as an exploration of depth and atmosphere, where every moment of silence and every drawling transition plays an integral part in the experience.

Review: Drei Vinyl launched back in 2023 and has slowly but surely amassed a respectable catalogue of various artists' releases. This sixth outing is the most straight-up techno offering yet and it opens with one of Spain's finest in Eduardo De La Calle. 'Deva5Vyasa' is heady and otherworld loop techno perfection with synth daubs and conscious vocals peppering the rubbery kicks. DJ Shufflemaster brings more texture to the raw, percussive madness of 'Axiom' and Tensal layers up unsettling and anxious synth murmurs with rising drum tension on 'Thermal Cycler.' Pergo's 'Lume' is a brash, industrial closer full of urgency.

Review: Berlin's Exit Strategy began their 12"s game releasing EPs in browned sleeves, shortly before branching out into digital-vinyl combo releases with original artwork in the 2020s. Now with over ten years of experience under their belts, they welcome five new artists for a playful bricolage in deep and minimal techno, privileging elite, razor-sharp additive sound design and future-soulful vocal tasters. Ivory's opener 'Rain' epitomises this, while Jimi Jules squelchifies the same formula, and Aera's 'Future Holdings' rolls out the same logic to its ultimate conclusion, veering towards complex, 3D-graphic melodic techno composed entirely of climbing saws.

Review: The fact that this is the 13th release in the Ohm series catalogue need not impede the assurance of quality by way of superstitions about unlucky numbers. New ones from Modernism, Tim Kossmann, Bec Kaczor and Kirill Matveev work through gassy textures that rasp against negative, membranous moulds, be this on the understated, unassuming 'Love Goes' or the neurotransmissive 'Deserve Rage'. Bjarnar Jonsson has a good radar for talent, and does a bang-up A&R job on this resistant, reactant techno comp.

Review: Nicole and Troy's latest collaboration sharpens their vision for Cath Records, the Berlin-based label they launched as a home for boundary-pushing techno. Their stripped-back but potent style thrives on precision, drawing from deep club lineage while keeping an eye on the future. 'Out Of Control' is a lean, tunnelling workout, its tension amplified by Z@p, the Uruguayan producer whose percussive, swing-heavy take on techno has earned him a cult following. His remix reshapes the track with a ghostly, skipping momentum. 'Woo Woo' flexes a rubbery, low-end groove, built for peak-time propulsion, while 'Fractals' twists through warped, off-kilter sequencing. A sharp, high-pressure release that reinforces the duo's deft touch.

Review: The third in Exitus Records' lightyear spanning V/A series, we again hear six new, boundary-pushing new ones from six satellite artists of the present day Berlin techno scene. Opening chord cascade 'Figure Eight' by Pink Concrete contrasts sharply to tunnelling techno-body suite 'The Dream Of Motion' by Krow, signalling several more tuff propulsions to come: most notably Sayid K's 'No Lights', a balmy nightscape from the newcomer, where digital zaps initially double up as hi-hats.

Review: Glispy Records makes a strong vinyl debut with a four-track showcase of Georgia's deepening electronic talent pool. Tbilisi producer Reshio opens with 'Electronic Mind', a high-octane blend of punchy electro and precise sequencing, setting the tone with clinical flair. Toke follows with 'System 32', a rolling groove machine laced with dubby atmospheres and smart modulationiweighty but agile. On the flip, DJ Astrobee injects some swagger into proceedings with the rugged, percussive funk of 'Elvis The Gator', full of low-end heft and filtered bite. Label co-founder Levan Grdzelidze rounds off with '84 Slave', an acidic slow-burner that builds intensity through tightly-wound layers. A confident and well-curated start to the Glispy vinyl era.

Review: Three South American artists - SV3, Trajano, Sebastian - converge alongside French maestro TC-80 on a new, gung-ho vinyl release from Coqueto. Reflecting a para-militant mood, from 'Armament Belico' to 'Hipnosis Global', hi-tech metanoia is balanced with a crude militancy here, reflecting an aggressive permutation of trance. Closer 'Desapariciones' (from Spanish, "disappearances"), we round out on a scathing but ghostly judgment call, with gasping transitions and tanky poundings.

Review: Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but currently based in Amsterdam, Augusto Taito debuts on Renegade Methodz with a fierce techno EP that cements his rising status. Taito brings the intensity and rawness here with pounding rhythms that build on solid previous releases on Mord and Tar Hallow. Opener 'Rampage' is all tom-laced techno pressure that never quits, 'Endless Flow' twitches with sci-fi edge over thudding drums and 'Intuitive Force' gets dark and menacing. 'Arena' is bold, stripped-down, and built for dark rooms and heavy systems. With a sound that's unmistakably his, Taito delivers techno at its most uncompromising here.

Review: Talla 2XLC and German composer, producer and songwriter Torsten Stenzel (who is still best known for his work as YORK) revive the 1997 trance classic 'The Wave' by Sosa with a big new remake that realigns it with contemporary sounds. Landing on bright coloured vinyl via Technoclub Retro it has two extended mixes that reignite the energy of the original with brilliantly euphoric flair. On Side A, York's 'Back to the Roots Extended Mix' has already been getting heavy plays in clubs and on festival stages around the world with its high-octane melodic rush an utter thrill when played nice and loud. Side B brings an exclusive new remix by Talla 2XLC that is only available on this pressing.

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: Shut Off Notice welcomes Teakup - a local Columbus, Ohio DJ and producer born Lauri Reponen and known for his stylish techno - for a second outing on the label. 'Forest Bed Moss' kicks off with dusty mid-tempo breaks and deep basslines full of soul, while 'Mhm' is a mechanical groove with dubby undertones and nice chopped vocals. 'Rain Groove Revisit' is a deep, percolating and stumbling rhythm with a smattering of percussion and bubbly feel infused with cooing female vocals. Finally, Teakup remixes Rew's 'Fragile Abundance' into a deft and lithe minimal dub for the small hours. Sophisticated stuff once more from Teakup.

Review: Dan Piu and Grant's Theory of Movement project has served up gold for lovers of heady tech and minimal. After something of a hiatus, it is now back on When The Morning Comes with more of the sort of tuneage that is going to quickly sell out and soon become the ID request du jour at your favourite underground parties. These are of course sophisticated sounds from the silky house bumps of 'Now & Then' with its seductive vocal allure to the throwback 90s sounds of 'Over Time' (Acid Mix). 'Basis' (Foundation mix) is another immediately classic house sound with analogue and dusty drums and zippy melodies next to more smooth chords. 'Motion Of Objects' shuts down with a more zoned-out vibe and widescreen melodic architecture for late nights.

Review: The rather enigmatic Tonearm is back with a new transmission that is clearly inspired by the ambient innovations of AFX. Innocent synth modulations, naive keys and thinking patterns all bring futuristic AI visions of peaceful utopia to life on 'Minerva', which is a beatless delight. 'Luminance' has a deeply buried rhythm and sustained chords that hum up top, then 'Isko' has cascading melodic rain and hurried rhythm suggestions way off in the distance. 'Ilthat' allows a moment of hope and joy with its brighter synth colours deftly looped and ever shape shifting. A quiet, impressive future sound full of nostalgia.

Review: Originally released in 1997, this underground gem gets a welcome reissue which suggests its impact hasn't dulled a bit. This is classic late-90s techno - from New York's Trebbi via an Italian label - at its most urgent and hypnotic, with enough character and raw drive to still hit hard in today's dancefloors. The title track, 'Control' is an Italian stomper through and through in a heady, trance-tinged banger with tight sequencing and a relentless pulse. It surges with a kind of controlled chaos with that turn-of-the-century energy where techno and trance often blurred lines. It sounds remarkably fresh with tight production and timeless structure. Side-B begins with 'Liquid Rain', diving into tribal techno territory with percussive swagger and a rolling, humid groove. It's a slow-burner, but one that pays off in deep, body-moving momentum. Closer 'Interface' strips things back into a proper warehouse tool i functional, fierce and full of grit. This reissue is more than nostalgia i it's a reminder of how enduring and versatile this sound can be.

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: Passing Currents aims to stand out from the predictable by offering a deeply human touch in its music. This five-tracker backs that up by melding academic expertise with dancefloor intuition and the A-side features txted by Phil Moffa remixed by Yamaha DSP coder okpk after they met during doctoral studies, they flip technical mastery into bass-driven energy while Atrevido' fuses California warmth with analogue electro, Josh Dahlberg's rediscovered 2009 electro gem, 'Ass On The Floor', still bangs and Detroit's Kevin Reynolds delivers hypnotic grooves before Hazmat Live pushes boundaries with a sound rooted in soulful, experimental innovation.

Review: Portuguese producer Trikk returns with a five-track suite that blurs the boundaries between emotional depth and dancefloor precision. It's a new release built for impact and flow, threading through tempo shifts, genre collisions and global voices while holding fast to a focused, tactile sound. 'Rigor' kicks things off with peak-time weight and carefully sculpted drama i chest-rattling bass and stabs of unexpected piano beauty. 'Raiva (feat MEUTE)' brings brassy propulsion into the fold, fusing live energy with Trikk's slick production touch. 'Fortuna', with Kenyan vocalist Sofiya Nzau, hits a lighter, warmer stride, evoking open-air euphoria. On the flip, 'Luxo' plays with friction i industrial textures balanced with bursts of melody i before closing track 'Sagrado' delivers a radiant, sunrise moment. It's the clearest summation of the release's intent: to move, to build, to glow. Rooted in club energy but alive with personality, this one shows Trikk at his most expansive and assured.