quête:dr low tech

After the first successful record, Danish label front man Gaze ill pursues another excursion through the ever-growing Dubstep-spectrum. He returns to his own physical outline of Cue Line Records with four hefty cuts that surely make up another stellar record, however he s not alone. Last time it was his partner in crime RDG, this time its frontline support from the Dutchman & bass mammoth TMSV , who s given Space-Time a completely different spin.

CLV002 opens up with a serious wobbler: one that is reminiscent to the golden days of the fundamental Dubstep sound, but housed in a completely different straightjacket. It swiftly sets the pace, as the wobbles escalate into the leading element of the destructive Space- Time . The second cut by the Danish producer adds the step to dub music so to speak and lively resembles King Tubby on a Dubstep flex. Watch out for that naughty second drop, which holds
nothing but booming vibrations that ll hang fans upside down. Spirit Of The Forces unveils an equally refreshing take on bass music thanks to the creative structuring of both low-and-high melodies. This allows listeners to take flight
easily and fly away from what we call reality an excellent track for both spring and summer time. TMSV s spin-off is as bright as its forerunner, but far more up-tempo and hypnotic. Utrecht s producer instigates a spacious stepper that defeats time & momentum by incorporating his raw remix techniques. The right remixer for the right record: Cue Line Records at its best!

The return of Brain Machine, with their Peaks album, was one of the highlights of last year for Emotional Response. Juan Tripp (aka Jon Tye of Seahawks), Guido Zen (Vactrol Park) and Kyle Martin's (Spectral Empire/Land Of Light/Vactrol Park) acclaimed kosmiche opus is followed up with 2 remix EPs featuring some of the best proponents, peers and friends of deep electronic music.
Remixes One is given over to a quartet of trusted hands including man of the moment, Tolouse Low Trax, ambient visionary Gigi Masin, afro-techno-dub specialist Harmonious Thelonious and stalwarts Ronny & Renzo.First Detlef Weinrich shows his mastery of a unique percussive sound that has seen his identity become as respected outside of his native Dusseldorf as he is in it for his role as one of the founders and curator of Salon des Amateurs. A brooding, propulsive culmination, the original's haunting ambience is retained for a subtle, driving rework that hits the mark.
Surprise of the EP is Gigi Masin's remix of Crystal Clouds. Eschewing the original's celestial soundscapes, scattered percussion interplays with sub-bass to change the context, giving a rhythmic dimension while retaining the shimmering guitar and arpeggio infused cohesion.Starting the B-side is another Dusseldorf elder statesman, in the afro-visions of Harmonious Thelonious. Solo, as well as one third of The Durian Brothers, Stefan Schwander, has carved a distinct sound. Chrematistic percussion is matched with an atmospheric, dub-techno feel that perfectly fits the EP. Play loud for full understanding.
Finally, Remixes One concludes with the return of Ronny & Renzo. Long time associates of Brain Machine, their 10 minutes plus remix takes the glacial original's ambience to a darker plain, fusing rhythmic pulses with alluding acid intent.

Circus Company and The Mole have long been making eyes at each other across the same crowded dancefloor. Colin de la Plantes primary project is synonymous with the off-kilter corner of house music we like to spend our time dancing in, and the labels he releases on are close cousins of the Circus troupe. From Wagon Repair to Philpot, Musique Risquee to Perlon, its a wonder that we havent worked together previously, but finally thats been put right with Little Sunshine. Stripped back, understated disco grooves have always been the bread and butter of The Moles sound, while infectious, cyclical melodic patterns are equally important in making his unique version of house music. On the title track, those elements are presented with full force, but in between the driving rhythms linger the most gorgeous keys, bringing a mellow introspection to the track as a neat counterpoint to the energy of the drums and arpeggios. Compared to the clean lines and peppy tempo of Little Sunshine, Discotheque Airplane is an audacious swerve into low and slow territory, where dusty samples rule the day and the bass swells in and out of earshot with a truly mesmerizing effect. Its a moody affair loaded with tension, mystery and funk in abundance. As if that wasnt enough proof of the variety in The Moles repertoire, on his collaboration with Dutch hero Tom Trago for Down The Hallway we find the pair exploring lean, focused techno, where the simplest of rhythms propel a haunting, distant vocal lick. Its the drum sounds that make this a special cut, championing warm, natural percussion instead of the methodical drum machine hits found in most contemporary techno. Rounding the EP off in a beautifully mysterious style is Aardvarck, whose remix of Down The Hallway take

New Leipzig label Kontra's inaugural record presents a richly diverse collection of music that spans from world music infused house in the vein of many Sex Tags releases to break ridden, hard hitting, low-fi techno through to considered ambient music. Despite the variation Kontra is held together by a unifying underground style that every track shares. An excellent first release from a label that's sure to become a major underground player.

Spatial Cues is a series of split singles sounding out main(void)'s and Kon Janson's shared musical space. Operating out of Berlin and London, the two artists join forces to showcase their mutual vision of techno music.

CUES003 explores the darker side of the series with a focus on low frequencies, echoing percussions, and vast spaces, evoking a deep introspective motion.

Diffracting a manifold of sounds around its massive kick drum, CUES003 A builds and releases tension through a dramatic sequence of smooth swells and intense surges.

Grounded by its captivating groove, CUES003 B evolves around the sinister funk of fierce FM bass stabs, leading up to a powerful break that introduces a razor-edged hi-hat.

New York's P. Leone is back with the second release on his newly launched E-MISSIONS imprint featuring Work Them Records founder Spencer Parker on remix duties.Born and raised in Brooklyn, where he discovered the legendary Storm Rave parties run by Frankie Bones and Adam X, P. Leone cut his teeth DJing in the Lower East side of Manhattan before making techno himself. Before long the producer dropped his first two releases on Work Them Records, joining a roster spanning Radio Slave, Spencer Parker, Young Male, Anetha and Physical Therapy. E-MISSIONS was then launched in early 2017, acting as a platform for co-founders P. Leone and CAIAZZO with more exciting artists soon to be announced.'Discipline Signals' is dark and robust from start to finish, with 'Functions of Discipline 1' inaugurating the package with resonating kicks, trippy elements and industrial synths. 'Functions of Discipline 2' follows a similar aesthetic but heads into a deeper direction with its cavernous atmospherics and glitch inspired effects, making way for 'Laced' with its sinister drones and tantalising melodies. Spencer Parker then remixes 'Laced', concluding matters with rugged drums, energetic hi-hats and a rumbling low-end.

Copenhagen's Echocord Colour returns this August with Stephen Brown's 'Power Factor' EP, featuring three originals from the UK Techno stalwart.
Scottish producer Stephen Brown is a name synonymous with Techno across the globe having been releasing material since the mid nineties on imprints such as Derrick May's Transmat, Subject Detroit, Skudge Records, Ben Sims' Theory and Holland's Djax Up Beats amongst many more.
Here we see Brown join the roster of Echocord's sub-label Colour, slotting him in alongside the likes of Mike Dehnert, Nick Ho¨ppner, Luke Hess and Deadbeat in the back- catalogue.
Up first on the release is 'Sandtext', a stripped-back dubbed out opening cut fuelled by a robust kick and minute percussive hits running alongside a sturdy sub bass drive and spiralling dub stabs before 'Wet' takes things even deeper via muted kicks, shuffling shakers and delayed synth chords. 'Back Stroke' then rounds out the release with an amalgamation of airy reverberated stab hits, rumbling low end pulsations and a thunderous kick drum to once again create an understated, hypnotic composition.

''Noir Jungle Part II'' finds the Italian producers 'Cardace & Perazzini' once again demonstrating originals and exciting modes of expression, not to mention the extraordinary level of detail in their music. It rounds the project off, with yet more unpredictable diversions of their immersive sound design to paint a vivid and unique landscape at its most dynamic framework. 'Swinging Plans' places the drums at the forefront of the mix, using incredible layers of brushed, rolling an expressive live recordings to create a truly thrilling experience that speaks to the deepest human instinct for rhythmic sound. 'Internal N.5', intensify the Techno-influenced energy as it races ahead on a tightly wound rhythm, adding a rich array of sounds into the mix to create a focused and detailed trip loaded with cinematic tension. 'George Is There', takes rich chords running through delay and reverb while maintaining a pronounced house groove with perfect and subtle touches of jazz into the track, invigorating sonic experience aimed at both, the mind and the dancefloor. 'Below the Earth', This is a perfect example of Cardace & Perazzini's exercise of restraint, keeping the mood simmering while still displaying their love for ear-snagging samples in between the folds of the track. 'Really Low Mind' sets a thrilling tone straight away with a rolling drum beat taking the lead and subtle tonal sweeps filling in the space around. It's a testament of skills when sequencing drums, not least when it peaks after a tantalizing breakdown. 'Night Train' sits easy on the ears but there is a deep level of production at work that reveals itself as the heavily processed samples of instrumentation starts to unfurl halfway through the track.

It s time for Lewis Fautzi to introduce his first album on Pole Group, a collection of ten tracks of cosmic techno, carefully crafted making a soundtrack of the future, deep, intense and scientific.

Psycho path is the intro, made of granular textures, subtle drones and ambiences, stepping into Entering, pulsating sub bass, continuous sinoidal sequences, pads and tension.

Subconscious starts with the beat, opaque bass drum, micro hi hats, atmospheres and monotonous sequences at a low bpm rate while Diffracted speeds the tempo a bit with electric synths, flanges and twists creating an hypnotic number. Rentless pain follows, with resonant bleeps starring until assymetrical sequences appear and the synth lines evolve in a hi pass filter galore.

Seasick is humid and liquid, gummy sounds, clean drum programming, spaced out sounds and a lot of room. Then we come into Furrow, aimed to the intelligent dancefloors out there, synthetic bubbles, rolling sub woofer action , bleeps and noises. Cyclic Human reminds to the best scifi techno with bell like sequences, digital clicks, jazz harmonies and abstract progression.

Number nine is Optic Chiasm a direct number based on an obscure drum workout and filled with hi pitched relentless sequences, intelligently arranged to create a mental feeling as well as inducing to dance. Album closes with The Brain Revolution, like an evolution of Entering, beatless but still preserving the tension and the movement.

A coherent and complete collection of precise, surgical and futuristic music to be enjoyed as a whole adventure..

After what can only be described as a storming start to their label, Luke Hazell, Ben Murphy and Elliott Owen continue the exciting evolution of their brand Music Related with their first vinyl release and it's nothing short of sublime.
This spring, Music Related makes its bold entrance into the ever growing vinyl market with a heavy dose of minimal and house cuts in the form of a 4 track Various Artists, EP. MRRV001 drafts in the talents of Salva Stigler & Dubquest, Pat Ondebaak, Duky and Manuel De Lorenzi, and it's easy to see why as these 4 artist each bring a unique flavour to this well rounded minimal infused record.
The listener is welcomed on the A side by Salva Stigler & Dubquest - 'Dead Men Tell No Tales', which teases dark techno elements with a rolling progressive baseline. Definitely a track for the later hours, this dance floor weapon is sure to send heads tripping with the dark eerie vocals taunting the equally as impressive clicky percussion.
A2 takes a more laid back approach from A1 as Pat Ondebaak's track Matter offers up a low slung dubbed out groove with a sprinkling of crisp skippy high hats and a highly seductive mix of low and high percussion elements setting deep in the mix.
As we flip the record, Deep Tech records head honcho Duky brings an absolute club banger in the form of 'It Takes One'. Built around an old school drum break this hypnotic hard hitting track seduces you with its repetitive vocal stabs only to find yourself slapped hard in the face with the powerful 4 or 5 note synth line. Built for the big systems this high impact track is a certified party starter!
Closing of proceedings we have Manuel De Lorenzi's slightly more house oriented 'Whole Night'. This deep groove conveys a sweet mix of bouncy baseline, heavily swung hats and rides with a spaced out mix of filtered chord stabs and pads. Manuel's warm up vibe really rounds off what is a brilliant entry into the vinyl market for Music Related.

Eric Fetcher has been given the honour of contributing to Invite's Choice and does so with a four-track banger for it's ninth output.

Kaissa s neurotic synth and wobbly bass combined with it s forceful hi-hat open this EP in a stripped-down fashion, which makes it perfect to build tension and make transitions in any dirfections while mixing. Mephisto continues on the path chosen with coherent and hypnotising synthesis, whilst keeping a funky kind of feel due to the very present kick and hi-hats, yet has a darker feel to it. Deep Blue on the B-side is a more four-to-the-flour track with a rousing synth and banging hi-hat, perfect for lifting up a crowd! Cray Blitz combines hypnotising bleep-like sounds and a mind-blowing string with droning low-end sounds. Hypnotising like the other tracks - but with more drive - this EP is closed down. Eric Fetcher showcases his take on techno which fits perfectly between both modern day and oldschool techno!

Ekoplekz returns with his fourth album for Planet Mu, in the shape of 10-tracker "Bioprodukt". The unique lo-fi, woozy sound of Bristol's Nick Edwards stays intact while he veers towards the nineties for inspiration: the bleep and bass sound of the north of England is one touchpoint and the acid gurgles of the 303 are another. While the murky lo-fi production levels and evocative melodies remain, they are now bolstered by a more muscular rhythmic chassis. Snappier kicks and snares mingle with dense layers of percussion and deep undulating sub-basslines adding a funkier edge, as typified by opening track "Elevation" where playful beats interlock with breezy keyboard flourishes to create something uncharacteristically upbeat. Similarly, the gentle, fluid motion of "Slipstream" and "Calypzoid" represent some of the most appealingly chilled grooves in the Ekoplekz canon to date. But the darker-edged material remains. "Expedition" has a pensive, percussion-heavy feel whilst "Acrid Acid" is a dirt-encrusted slow-mo techno meltdown. "Transcience" displays the Ekoplekz trademark dub-fx in full flight over a driving lo-end, before "Descent" leads down to the final section, where the beats fade out, replaced by rippling layers of spectral ferric ambience on the epic "Low-X Over", before finishing with the radiant looped stasis of "Denier Daze". The albums shifting, mperfect patterns and muted colours are visually mirrored in the beautifully realised sleeve by the Print Project.

Apollo proudly presents the debut from Haramia Tapes, a new mysterious side project from renowned Hungarian electronic music producer Laurine Frost.
More usually known for his refined techno sensibilities, Frost has packed 'Pfunk' with deftly programmed rhythmic structures and infused it with low slung bass and jazzy textures that make for a sumptuous, enveloping listening experience, ideal for fans of Nonkeen, Jazzanova or Leftfield.
'Pfunk' contains seven unique beat sessions - smooth funk, crossed with unique broken rhythms, live drums, bass and found sounds - shot through with cinematic melancholy.
From the elegiac piano of opener 'I Am You' to the twisted drunken breaks of 'Pfunk' to the cooled out percussion and spaced atmospheres of 'Hail', or the moody spy-movie atmospherics of Farewell Four - this is an album that traverses a variety of moods and textures, effortlessly fusing traditional instrumentation with modern electronics and a perfect addition to Apollo's beguiling canon of mellowed out grooves.

Echoe returns for its first outing of 2017 and fifth release since starting in earnest last year. ECHOE005 marks the first remix package in the label's discography, offering up four stellar remixes of Francesca Lombardo's "Remembrance" song. A clear stand-out in the label boss's inimitable repertoire, "Remembrance" has been given the rework treatment by house and techno stalwarts: Cassy, Laura Jones, Jade and La Fleur.

Cassy offers up the first remix, focussing her reinterpretation around an enormous and insistent bassline, murky and dense in equal measure, that rolls from start to finish. Undulating hats inject further energy, doubling in pace strategically whilst complimenting the 4/4 groove. Utilising the originals' emotional resonance, Cassy creates soft textures and refined arpeggiated patterns, adding a further dimension to the track's impassioned narrative.

Laura Jones's remix comes in the form of a low-slung, jazzy drum work-out, adorned with sub-heavy kicks and a snarling low-end that offers much of the track's sonic weight. Gentle bell-like keys float alongside modulated synth stabs that filter in and out of focus, whilst Jones's drum programming becomes progressively more and more frenetic.

Jade's reimagining sees a broken beat take the reigns, leaving space for soft percussive rhythms and an earth shaking low-end that pushes the song into ghetto house territory. Hi-hat pick-ups and jittery vocal cuts provide further momentum before the groove lands on sturdy 4/4 terrain. Jade's deftly arranged breakdowns, punctuated by panned drum fills and granular FX, adds welcome tension to the track, making a return to rolling drum-patterns and buzzing bass-sequences all the more rewarding as they come back in.

The final remix comes courtesy of La Fleur who delivers the most peak-time, club focussed material on the package. Staying true to the original's hook, La Fleur brings melody to the fore, whilst deploying snappy drums alongside chilling atmospherics and tech heavy stabs, set to keep dancers moving into early hours and beyond.

Repress

After his warmly received digital release in our Aine Platform we are glad to introduce you the first solo Ep by Refracted in our label. This Berlin based spanish producer is a modular and analogue expert and this work is a perfect example of his scientific approach to techno.

Expedition 1 is the first cut: a tight drum kit and sub bass frequencies come along resonant sweeps and subtle drones in a non break arrangement that automatically leads to hypnosis.

The Exium duo takes over Expedition 1, reforming the frequencies, working wisely with drones and atmospheres preserving the pulsating feel below. extracting the mental spirit of the track in a continuously evolving structure.

Expedition 2 is a more profound number, low filtered components, again drones and atmos as fundamental ingredient until shuffled hihats add the needed movement to keep things on place.

Expedition 3 fattens the bass, and has a more complex synth approach while preserving the ambiental factor, the elements come in and out of the game wisely creating a profound but still danceable track.

Written & produced by Roboknob. Mixed by Stefan Goldmann. Mastered by Rashad Becker. Info: We've said it before: techno's vanguard can be found in the East right now. Sofia's quirky techno underground is densifying. Evolving around the Diviat Slon parties (residents: StefaK & Stefan Goldmann), the Beton nights, the indoors offspins of Artmospheric festival and unannounced appearances of KiNK under his Cyrillic guise, raw and rave-infused techno is increasingly defining the city's sound of the small hours. Roboknob are part of this movement, and this is their debut EP. A live hardware duo, Yasen and Stanislav drop rugged, noisy machine jams around the Bulgarian capital and have been regulars at Artmospheric. The EP's tracks have been distilled from their live repertoire and mixed by Stefan Goldmann into sharply defined form with added bite. 'Dexydi' is Greek for acid - the corrosive liquid, not the music. Accordingly, its heavy-handed single-note bass attack will cut through anything. 'Spellbind' is more bouncy with frantic upward movements, distorted percussive fallout and a seasick bass foundation. 'Liulka' handles two layers of time rubbing off of each other: quirky and pushing high in the sky, against the bass drum mechanics down low. A suitable acoustic symbol for Sofia's state of techno.

Invite's choice continues with a coherent and versatile 4-track EP showcasing hypnotising techno.

Drafted has the honour of opening up the EP and does that with 'Isolator'- a 4-to-the-floor track dominated by the low-end. Nima Khak then takes over on the A-side with 'The Work Out', a stripped down and tension building track with droning percussive elements which suck you in right away. Qindek's input is found when flipping over the record and continues the hypnotic previous tracks whilst depending on an ever-evolving synth-sequence, yet this track makes a more aggressive impression due to the straight forward and present kick and percussion sequences. Pascual closes the 7th output of Invites Choice with a powerful and overwhelming track which conveys a lot of energy. The long stretched, slowly filtered effects and dominating shakers make for a repetitive closing of this EP. The four different artist on this EP take us on a tour through minimalistic modern-day techno's versatile approach on stripped-down techno and stand firm combined!

Blood Debts' is the compulsive debut album from Years Of Denial, the alter-face of London-based French musician/producer and DJ, Jerome Tcherneyan.

Though his formulative Marseille youth was spent exploring the darkest corners of post-punk, New Wave, not to mention Public Enemy and the inspirational Mille Plateaux and Basic Channel labels, Tcherneyan, already an extremely capable drummer, quickly extended his sonic palate toward and beyond the bass-heavy electronic isolationism, insistent beats and drone experimentation that's still very much prevalent in his work today.
One should not either pass over his integral contribution to the much-lauded, though stolidly underground "ghost-rock" unit, Piano Magic, which engineered sublime collaborations with Brendan Perry (Dead Can Dance), Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins/This Mortal Coil) and Alan Sparhawk (Low). Tcherneyan, always prolific, can also lay claim to impressive collusions with Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah (African Head Charge), Damo Suzuki (Can), 70's psych folk legend, Mark Fry to name but a few.
In 2005, Jerome founded and promoted the infamous 'Flesh' parties; guests including Andy Stott /Claro Intelecto/Edit-Select/James Ruskin/Kirk Degiorgio/Mark Broom/Oliver Ho/Sigha/Steve Bicknell and many more. These nights served as an invaluable education in Techno and Dubmixology; marathon sets played deep into the sunrise.
Skip forward a decade and the DJ bug is even deeper embedded, with Tcherneyan sharing the booth with, amongst many others, Orphx/Phase Fatale/Joefarr and London Modular Alliance.

Tcherneyan's muse and foil on 'Blood Debts,' his first for Oliver Ho's splendid and already essential new Death & Leisure imprint, is Maya Petrovna, an entrancing London-based vocalist, film composer and performance/physical theatre artist, whose voice perfectly evokes Billie Holliday, Diamanda Galas and all stations between.
There's a black neon heart at the centre of 'Blood Debts,' a fetishtic ritual of contorted flesh and altered states; a feverish, infectious paradox of primitivism and modernity. Years of Denial is the ghost in the machine.