quête:drum machine

Hard Times welcomes back Alex Arnout and his BLACK LOGIC project, following their recent ‘Pull Up’ EP with a second installment of new music from collective - The Illusions EP.

Hailing from West Yorkshire, Arnout spent his formative years on the Hard Times dancefloors, absorbing the beats and vibes that would later shape his own productions. His journey with the label reignited when he was invited to remix Michael Watford’s classic 'Love Change Over' and Steve Silk Hurley’s fresh hit 'All I Need'. Now, he returns with something truly special.

“Black Logic was born out of the pandemic,” says Arnout. “I wanted to move away from drum machines and synths, getting back to sampling jazz and the deep house sounds of the ‘90s - taking inspiration from artists like Bugs in the Attic, Jazzanova, and Ernest Saint Laurent.”

What began as a solo project soon evolved into a collective effort. Bassist and guitarist Alan Riggs, a former member of Delta 5, joined the sessions, bringing warmth and groove to the productions. Vocalists Tempo O’Neil, Anthony Beckford, Mariana Orsho, and Sophie Barker added their distinct voices, completing the vision

Across four tracks, The Illusions EP pulls us deeper into Black Logic’s rich, live-wired universe. The title track pairs Tempo O’Neil’s vocal with a grooving, low-slung bassline, whilst “Dusty” drifts in on brushed snares and ghostly Rhodes, its saxophone lines curling through the mix like smoke. “Chasing Daze,” analog synth shimmer and Tempo’s velvet tones, is a track suspended between head-nod groove and astral lift.

The curtain falls with “Disco Down,” a jubilant ensemble of Hammond organ, flute, guitar, bongos, and horns locking into joyous conversation.

The Rituals series rises again, a fresh strike carved deep into black wax. RITUAL12 summons an international assembly of techno insurgents from the OMEN roster, each delivering their own sonic rite. Across two sides, the intent is absolute: raw, unfiltered power pulled from the shadows and unleashed on the dance floor.
RITUAL12 is not a compilation, it’s a convocation. Forged in analogue heat, drenched in distortion, and aimed directly at the heart of the floor, this record demands full surrender. Step in. There is no turning back.
SIDE A
Swarm Intelligence – Inexorable
Berlin’s Swarm Intelligence ignites the record with precision-tooled percussion and fractured basslines. Polyrhythmic tension winds tighter with every measure, industrial grit locking into a cybernetic march toward total hypnosis.
B.A.R.K – Shikijitsu
A bone-rattling invocation of distorted low-end and ceremonial drums. B.A.R.K drives forward like ancient machinery grinding to life, a Japanese primal energy sharpened to a deadly edge.
Axkan + Duellist – Resilence
Mexico meets Scotland for a brutalist assault: hammering kicks, serrated synth textures, and walls of analogue saturation. No safe passage here, only forward momentum into the heart of chaos.
SIDE B
EAS – Honored One
From Los Angeles, EAS delivers a tense, ritualistic construction where a subterranean EBM bassline pulses through metallic drones. Hypnotic, uneasy, and charged with controlled dissonance.
Ha†elove + Ogmah – Hanged Bodies
A dark ceremonial groove, heavy with ritual percussion and spectral synth chants. The layers rise to a fever pitch, blurring the line between transcendence and collapse.
Crystal Geometry + Axkan – Kratom
France’s Crystal Geometry joins Axkan for a militaristic strike of modular chaos and pummeling drums. EBM infused basslines drive beneath razor-sharp synth fire, rallying the midnight faithful to the front lines.

Joaquin Joe Claussell readies the ‘Raw Tones’ LP on Rekids this June.

The first LP since 2008’s ‘Corresponding Echoes’ on his Sacred Rhythm Music, Joaquin Joe Claussell arrives on Radio Slave’s Rekids for ‘Raw Tones’, a nine-track excursion through the sound of his exquisitely soulful house music.

Originally released on uber limited cassettes, the music within ‘Raw Tones’ caught the ear of Radio Slave, aka Matt Edwards, who messaged Claussell, a friend since remixing Edwards’ Machine project in 2012, and convinced the legendary producer that the music needed a wider audience and, so, ‘Raw Tones’ the LP is here.

Introspective opening cut ‘Lock Down’ draws for breathy strings and swirling pads, followed by the hypnotic and low-slung ‘The Blame Game (Table Top Idea)’, which sees jazzy keys float around carefully crafted dubbed-out ambience and subtle, whispered vocals.

‘Break Free’ ups the energy, bringing a wonky bassline under decisive, machine-like drum hits while both spoken and sung vocals interplay throughout. ‘You Mutha Fuka’ brings rock-solid drums and thick bass underneath delayed vocals before the dreamy chords and twinkling keys of ‘Way Back Then’ close out the B-side.

The gorgeous ‘Air We Breathe (Revisited Cassette Demo)’ marries rolling percussion across live bass and softly drawn-out pads, followed by an instrumental version of ‘Break Free’. The final side of vinyl sees the extended trippiness of ‘If It's All In Your Mind Let It Out’ lead into the floaty low tempo closer ‘Hallucinations Ejaculations’.

Joaquin Joe Claussell, co-founder of Body & Soul with Francois Kervorkian and Danny Krivit, continues to run his Sacred Rhythm Music record label and curate the Cosmic Arts community centre in his hometown of Brooklyn, NYC.

Next up on Bosconi, the ever-persistent Italian outpost helmed by DJ sorcerer Fabio della Torre, comes a bold new chapter from label mainstay Lapucci—a familiar name to heads who remember his trippy debut Levitated Sensor Detector (LSD).

With Level of Control, the Florence-based Burbi Dub dubplate conjurer delivers a four-track EP that travels across moody electronics, psychedelic grooves, and off-world rhythms.

Kicking off the A-side is “Radio Controller”, a dark and melodic new beat jam with deep ‘80s roots—think obscure synths, rolling drum-machine funk, and a haunting vocoder line that crackles like forgotten transmissions.
Next up, “Einstein”. This one’s a jacking electro-techno burner, all drive and tension—built for those peak-time moments where things feel like they could go off the rails. There’s a cinematic sense of anticipation here, a nod to the cosmic weight of relativity and dancefloor gravity.

Flip to the B-side for “Level of Reality”—a trance-soaked electro weapon, laced with a screaming guitar-like lead and a soaring, emotional melody. It’s peak-time power with sunrise sensitivity—equal parts rave and revelation.
Closing things out is “Irabijanti”, a stripped-back, hypnotic afterhours tool with a fresh, effortless groove. Subtle nods to Middle Eastern scales and rhythms give it a dreamlike, drifting feel—like getting lost in the dunes of some alien desert.

Another must-have from the Bosconi mothership—Lapucci pilots us further out, not with a bang but with a slow magnetic pull into somewhere weird, warm, and wired.

WVLT is the newest sonic addition from WNDFRM (Portland-based, Tim Westcott), an album of eight distinct explorations exploring the many facets of experimental IDM.

Tim Westcott’s practice is rooted in an acute, nearly forensic attention to sound. Subtle tones, sculpted drones, and lean percussive gestures, always pursued with a patient ear and obsession with sound design. 

With previous releases on Prologue, Home Normal, and Dragon’s Eye Recordings, and several live performances at Mutek, a new album from Tim is a rare yet welcome occurrence. The conceptual approach for WVLT began in 2021, mixing synths with drum machines and granular processing. Lightly arced structures slip between gates of rhythm, shifting pulses, translucent washes, and disquieting residue. There’s a precision to the hesitation and an insistence in the space between notes, a deft balance of raw improvisation and sculpted quietude.

An exercise in immediacy and response, each track builds and unspools, like form in fleeting motion, driven by the moment’s tonal contrasts, micro‑rhythmic interplay, and slight gestures that alter entire planes of listening. It’s minimal without sparsity, intense without density.

Emotional Response is delighted to present the debut EP of Aaron Coyes (Peaking Lights / Leisure Connection) new project, as Exotic Gardens. An additional music universe as his love of dub expands to include new wave, goth and acid psychedelics across 5 catchy, bass heavy songs.

While the continuing journey of his duo band, Peaking Lights, with his wife Indra, earns plaudits and fans alike, his early years as a one-man lysergic music polymath that saw his youth in punk and hardcore bands, expanded during a mid-90s burst of “living in San Francisco” creative expansion, devouring music, genres, and influences for life.

Started as a sub-project to Peaking Lights and his personal dub excursions, Exotic Gardens pollinates a rich tapestry. Recording through the pandemic in their then home in Amsterdam, before being archived, assembled, and completed following the move back ‘home’ to the West Coast, California.

Re-embracing that love of his inner goth, the analogue warmth is all there, now featuring Coyes’ dub-languidity of stripped drum machines, widescreen bass, haunting guitar lines and an almost idle voice to peddle true, raw songs.

Combined, the pop layer of hooks and tight grooves instantly catch you. Opener and EP title, Drugs & TV is the perfect anthem for the Exotic Gardens sound, before the “dubwave” of Last Of The Light and Tonite shimmer that yearning melancholy of youth.

In the almost 10 minute dub house opus Organize Your Movement an appreciation and understanding of the psychoactive properties of the Roland 303 and 909, they also hark to a love of Industrial / Noise bands, a lineage from the death pulse of his cult project Rahdunes through to Sound Design and Sound System culture to the pop-dub psychedelics with Indra, now melded here to include a dark assault, whispering invocations and pulsing pads.

To close, Turn It On is a roaming multi-genre evocation, an exotic end from this constant troubadour, cassette junkie, record dealer, sound system builder, always looking to get back on the road, to live to roam.

“I turn it on, you lose your mind’.

Do you remember Cush?
A nod to the enigmatic Danakil warrior from Corto Maltese — wise, fierce, and fiercely free. That spirit is back, and this time, it speaks through sound.

Welcome to Cush — a bold sonic territory where the elegance of myth meets the urgency of noise.

Across 14 tracks, this power trio delivers a raw, immersive journey that bends genre boundaries and stirs the imagination. A soundscape emerges, somewhere between dystopia and liberation: windswept grooves, fractured brass, buzzing machines, explosive drums. Think improvisation at its most daring, textures at their most tactile, and themes that haunt like echoes from the future.

Cush is a cry. A rebellion. A pulse.
It’s where musique concrète collides with free jazz and industrial atmospheres — and something new is born.

For listeners drawn to Pierre Henry’s audacity, Alain Damasio’s visions, industrial ASMR, or sonic voyages à la Corto: this is your next deep dive.

Unbuckle your seatbelts. You’re in Cush territory.
An album that demands to be heard — and experienced — live.

Grandbrothers are internationally regarded as one of the key acts redefining the intersection of modern classical and electronic music.
Elsewhere is their fifth studio album and marks their most transformative work to date.
The album sees a bold creative evolution: expanding beyond their signature grand piano sound into analog synths, drum machines, and a more physical, rhythm-driven aesthetic.

WE THE NORTH is Swedish musician Johan Hansson who has been active in the dark electronic music since the early 2000’s with his project Cyanide, then Unitary, and also exploring dark metal with his project Mondocane. Johan defines his music created in WE THE NORTH as Nordic Noir “with an intentional and deliberate blending of the old with the new a melancholic hopefulness is created from the dark seasons of life in Scandinavia.”

“Love + Death” is WE THE NORTH’s fourth album and the first on NADANNA after contributing a remix of Tobias Bernstrup’s track “Private Eye” in 2021. The songs on “Love + Death” are birds of a feather, brimming over with melancholy and melody, yet driven by a hammering sixteenth note synth bass and sounds from the Roland TR-707 drum machine, and melancholic lyrics in English or Swedish.

This album is a combination of Detroit techno, dub techno and ambient.
Some tracks are 'one takes', all made on classic 80's/90's synthesizers and drum machines.

2026 Repress

Samurai Music heralds a new seam of spacious, rhythmically curious exploration with the launch of the Saibai sub label, opened in mesmerising fashion by Brendon Moeller.

The overarching premise of Saibai is to nurture a more delicate, meditative inversion of Samurai's physical, dense sound, leaning less on the dynamics of the dancefloor while holding true to the intricate drum play and dubby principles that bind the label's sound together.

In this open-eared, inquisitive environment, Moeller is the perfect fit as an artist with decades of diverse offerings across all kinds of dubwise manifestations. On SAIBAI1, the US-based, South Africa-born producer stretches out with a live-sounding drum palette and exquisitely rendered synth work loaded with detail, character and organic flourishes. It's a light-footed approach with plenty of air flowing through the mix, but there's considerable weight in every notch of the production, not least the imposing channels of sub bass coursing beneath the frequency range.

SAIBAI1 is a feast for the senses, wholly immediate and front-loaded with fascination, setting the perfect tone for Saibai as a platform for charming, immersive electronics that take a fresh diversion from the fundamental core of Samurai's sharply defined sonic focus.

Loz Goddard steps into new sonic territory on his Physical Education debut—delivering four machine-driven cuts rooted in analog hardware sounds, with high-energy rhythms and dancefloor intent. Leaving behind the sample-heavy textures and live instrumentation of previous releases, this EP leans more into synthesizers and drum machines, channelling the pulse of classic club gear with plenty of added bounce. Subtle nods to the sounds and moods of 90s and early 2000s video games add a nostalgic digital sheen—balancing playfulness, drive and warmth in equal measure.

Four forward-thinking jams from a seasoned producer.

Limited vinyl pressing coming soon on Baldo’s Physical Education label.

Originally dropped in 2016 on Aiwo Rec., Forum's self-titled EP became one of those secret weapons whispered about in after-hours corners. It's a hazy blend of dusty drum machines, rolling 303s and dreamy breaks that bottled the spirit of Germany's late-night underground at the height of the so-called "outsider house" wave. Now back via WARNING, this reissue keeps everything intact, from the tropical drift of 'Yucatan' to the sheer groove hypnosis of 'Space Train.' It's an EP that moves between house, breakbeat and sunrise euphoria with a knowing hand. A modern cult classic reborn.

Bailen Records presents “Planet Juno EP” by Rene Sandoval, a vinyl release where the swing and energy of tech house define the character of the record.

Raw drum machines and analogue sounds build a direct and functional sound designed for the dancefloor.

There is something cosmic in the momentum of the EP: mechanical rhythms moving with precision, bright sounds expanding into space, and a constant sense of motion. The result is tech house that feels elegant yet physical, deep yet direct.

The energy recalls certain golden moments of European 90s house: hypnotic grooves, warm harmonies and that perfect balance between club functionality and timeless musicality.

French producer Berzingue appears with a remix that pushes the material into a more modern club territory, reinforcing the harmonies of the original track and the overall dynamics of the EP.

Active in London’s electronic underground since the late 80s, Paul Hierophant has long worked in the space between techno, ambient, and dub, preferring atmosphere, tone, and slow-burn tension to obvious dancefloor tricks.

The Elder Gods finds him further out on the fringes of electro, where the synths loom large and the delay and reverb units are given a proper workout. The result is widescreen, ominous, and immersive.

The title track is a monolithic slab of rhythm where corroded synth pressure and ritualistic percussion feel less like a groove than some ancient machine grinding slowly back into life.

Titans stalks forward on a cavernous half-step pulse, all foggy bass weight and fractured metallic vocal echos, like dub techno that has wandered into darker mythological territory and decided to stay there.

The Hydra coils around a lurching low-end spine, its tentacular FX flickering and mutating while the groove stubbornly regenerates.

Works and Days rounds things off with a standout alien vocal loop drifting through pulsing bass and drums, lending the track a meditative feel that works just as well for late-night headphone sessions as it does in the deeper end of a DJ set.

This is an EP for selectors who like their electro expansive, slightly strange, and built for proper sound systems.

With the title "Treatise On A Narcissist" hinting at the EP's thematic exploration, the four originals by Shaleen are a masterclass in atmospheric, driving techno-built on powerful basslines, intricate percussion and an unnerving emotional intensity. This formidable body of work is then subjected to four distinct and high-calibre reinterpretations, each pushing the originals into new sonic territories.

Fiedel delivers a masterclass in raw, functional Berlin Techno. His "Treatise on a Narcissist" Remix builds on a foundation of caustic percussion and echoing metallic textures to create a journey into the machine's heart, powered by monolithic kick drums and pulsating, hypnotic sequences. This is peak-time, strobelit intensity-a dark, unforgiving lesson in rhythm and propulsion.

Mareena's sophisticated version of Shaleen's "Treatise On A Narcissist" strips the original back to its essential hypnotic core. It locks into a precise, relentless rhythm with characterizing sharp hi-hats, a focused, pulsating kick drum and creates a sense of deep,
foreboding atmosphere by utilizing subtle, filtered synth drones and echo effects.

Rosati's Remix of Shaleen's "Nymphomaniac" layers hypnotic elements, leading to a massive, euphoric breakdown and creates a captivating, almost obsessive mood. This track demands movement. It's an unrelenting sonic journey characterized by a hard-thumping rhythm section that maintains relentless forward momentum.

JakoJako steps up to deliver a nuanced and immersive re-imagining of Shaleen's "Fused in Desire". Moving away from high-impact euphoria, this remix focuses on dark, driving Techno.
The textural soundscape features a powerful low-end as well as lush, evolving pads and shimmering, modulated synth textures that create a vast, emotional space to establish a profound, steady pulse. Designed for total immersion, this track serves as both a
high-energy peak-time weapon and a hypnotic journey for early-morning dancefloors.

Vinyl-only 7" dives deep into the PRINCE vault with two thick, funk edits. A-side mashes the PURPLE ONE with ANDERSON .PAAK, for an undeniable party starter. The flip strips it back to a raw drum machine workout, tailor made for boogie lovers. Tried and tested in clubs.

A central figure in Belgian techno, Border One's work has also been an international reference for consistency and direction since his early releases. An artist for artists with true commitment to his sound, Steven Petit's impact in the studio and behind the decks is admired by anyone who has done their homework. His music describes tight pressure under curious, modular-like sequences that stretch through the timeline of each track. The scale of minimalism remains key here, and the Belgian wastes no time when tunneling through his erratic tracks. Jazz-like dissonance drives his tension and although each element is carefully measured, the records truly command dancefloors. 'Inner Radiance' is no different. The Fuse resident takes his game one step further, pushing harmony to hysteria at every turn.

The EP skips foreplay and dives straight into the extremities of Border One's sound. In 'Reducing Valve', sustain is the key ingredient to this chaos. Slowly ripping the synth sequence into chords, Border one maintains a firm hold on the track's tension while remaining playful with the main theme. 'Sensory Reset' is more of a lurker with its shifting pad that spreads across the stereo image. This track is characterized by a grim urgency as opposed to its predecessor's progressive spiral. Keeping things low to the groove, the A2 swings about satisfyingly while Border One tinkers at his 909 constructions. Continuing his work on resonance, 'Transfigured' balances obscurity and surrealism. With a sequencer on the loose and a drum machine to emphasize it, the Fuse resident guides his audience into twists and turns at a constant pace. Here, we explore the dichotomy between the warmth and cold of a modular sound in techno, something frequently done but rarely mastered. Border One puts his years of experience to work to provide a combination of flair and balance to his tracks, something that is clearly translated in this EP. Of course, the final track - the title track - 'Inner Radiance' brings something very special to the table. The power of simplicity can never be underestimated and Petit knows just how to use it. With a strong core to an already sturdy track, the conclusion is spectacular. Emphasizing the electrifying nature of the record, Border One adds vintage chord stabs that fit right in with the sharp lead to create a powerful and memorable dancefloor experience. Not as much of a wind-down more than it is a gripping cliff hanger for his future releases, Border One provides once more an EP that underlines the true ethos of techno music.

San Dee, TMD - Watif EP - Command Center Records - CCRE001

Command Center Records operates as a unified collective, independent label, and boutique online shop that actively energizes the local Miami community. Launched in 2019, the brand champions multiple musical styles. curating a wide array of genres while amplifying dance music to the forefront.

San Dee and TMD team up to launch this debut vinyl effort, delivering a heavy-hitting release of deep, minimal house and breaks. Across four tracks, "Watif" engineers a landscape of floor-shaking groovers, fusing sub-heavy kicks and rolling bass lines with layering drum machine textures and analog synths.

House titan Adam Collins contributes TWO masterwork Watif remixes that incinerate peak-hour sets. With the first Remix, a deeper rhythmic breakbeat and slapping hi-hats that slightly varies from the original. The second remix, being the Top Down Mix, packs a groovy Detroit electro-house feel, that you'll find yourself cruising at high speed with the top down.

Rounding out the EP is “Listening Minds" which transports the audience through a cosmic soundscape, while a recurring voice instructs the room to "Listen."

A snapshot of UK tech house in its formative years, OLC002 finds Rob Pearson laying down the blueprint for a sound he’d continue to refine through Evasive Records. Released on Online Collective—the label arm of South London’s Online Studios—this EP captures a raw, forward-facing moment in underground dance music.

The title track Slipstream leads with intent: tight tech drums ride alongside a chopped breakbeat groove, underpinned by weighty sub bass and warped melodic textures. A fluid lead synth drives the track forward, locking into a hypnotic, evolving flow built for the dancefloor.

Vortex channels early Detroit techno through a South London lens—crisp edits, filtered drum machine rhythms, and a hypnotic vocal loop combine for a stripped, late-night roller with serious intent.

On Metaphor, Pearson taps into the spirit of early bleep and warehouse house, fusing it with late ‘90s tech house sensibilities—raw, swung, and deeply functional.

The Metaphor (Bonus Beats) rounds things off as a pure DJ tool, primed for layering and extended blends.

A sharp, authentic document of a pivotal era, Slipstream EP showcases Pearson’s early command of groove, texture, and dancefloor dynamics.