Techno News

Following sporadic appearances on compilations and unreleased tracks popping up in the arsenals of multiple heavyweight selectors, SLOW1 - ‘Hole' is the full debut record of Ufaze, and Slow Process. A frantically paced, unrelenting sensory assault from start to end, featuring a very special appearance by DJ Stingray 313 on remix duty for the title track.

This record will likely be filed under “electro”. But there's much more to be found below the surface here than in the usual type of safe, bland assembly line fare cranked out nowadays within those stylistic boundaries. This one truly stands apart, bold and original, whilst paying due respect to pioneers and present day visionaries alike.

Including wanted vinyl tracks by Tiësto, Nalin & Kane, Chicane, Blue Alphabet, Marco Bailey, Tomaz vs Filterheadz, The Mackenzie and The Moon.

Galaxian's "Golden Armageddon" on Natural Sciences pulls at the virus that is lodged deep within the collective consciousness of mankind.

A record challenging our ideas of bounty and material wealth by placing the human race in the palms of blood-sucking cultural institutions. Institutions such as big pharma, religious mega-structures, consumer trends and tax schemes which have worked to reduce human behaviour to fetishised objects and de- humanised masses. It's a record that pulls away the shackles, asking for a new trail of thought through de-programming.

Electro pulses for enlightenment. Get woke.

Wheez-ie's uncompromising rave anthems get a wild ride of remixes from Tim Reaper, VTSS, DJ Stingray 313, Aura T-09 & Cardopusher

An of-the-moment remix EP full of bold, dark, and relentless warehouse thrillers.

On January 14, L.A.-based producer Matt "Wheez-ie" Mauldin follows up October 2021's Horizons release on Evar Records with an of-the-moment remix EP that's cathartic, riveting, uncompromising and altogether powerful. Wheez-ie gathers together an all-star cast of dancefloor iconoclasts who reinterpret his singular '90s-referential rave visions to thrilling affect – this is all killer, no filler warehouse music for those who are brave enough to take the ride.

London's jungle modernist Tim Reaper reworks "Horizons" – a Summer of Love-ready breakbeat epic with cinematic, near gothic overtones – into an homage of sorts to early LTJ Bukem, cutting up Wheezie's melancholy synths into a twinkling fairyland that dances atop a weighty ton of chopped amens and classic jungle subs.

Detroit icon DJ Stingray 313 trades in the punishing techno vibes of the original "Anon" for something equally fierce – a versatile 139 bpm slab of expertly-machined industrial electro that pairs perfectly with the sample "You think you know me, you don't," which could well be a rallying cry for Wheez-ie's unexpected musical stylings.

The surprises continue on the remix of "Pressure," tackled by Evar Records label head Aura T-09 with the wildly eclectic Barcelona-based Cardopusher. The duo transform Wheez-ie's aggressive free-festival hard trance into a cheeky and modern riff on early Paul Van Dyk/Tiësto/Love Parade anthems. Gossamer layers of Aura T-09's angelic vocals and tunneling Acperience arpeggios are offset by a wildfire of hacked breakbeats and Dominator synth stabs, revealing Cardopusher's rich breakcore past.

Rounding out this fully mental and totally unexpected remix pack is a nasty, naughty fingerblast from the Berghain dark room via Polish-born, Berlin-based VTSS. Where other remixes add the breaks, the fast-techno goddess strips back the early '90s breakbeat hardcore onslaught of the original and replaces it with an equally relentless industrial 4/4 beat – the entire tune is a masterclass in the intensity for which she's known.

Uncompromising and utterly of-the-moment, the Horizons Remix EP explores new shades of the themes that infuse Wheez-ie's original: dystopian futurism, uncertainty, dark beauty and rave catharsis. Don't sleep!

Early support by Alienata, Cyan85, Laurent Garnier, Marcel Dettmann, Swarm Intelligence, SLAM, OM Unit and many more!

As VOITAX enters its eighth year as a label, co-founder Christoph Siegert aka Masha Motive steps up to the plate with his first solo material - "The Imponderable Bloom". Having played a highly in uential role in whittling the label's established signature sound, the German producer chose to take his time to hone in on his craft, before dropping any production of his own. The result - a studiously crafted expedition filled with dominant breaks, dense bass and swelling ambience, flirting between the realms of jungle, dubstep and down tempo.

An Avrin returns to Scuffed Recordings with four new originals and a remix from Sonia Calico.

An Avrin has been a firm favourite of the UK label since his 2019 appearance on the Scuffed Presents Vol.3 compilation with the track ‘Cave People’, which saw heavy rotation from DJs like Ross From Friends and rRoxymore. Returning to Scuffed the following year with the ‘Clodhopper’ EP, the London-based producer further developed his wobbly, esoteric sound, which draws extensively from a range of electronic influences.

Since then, An Avrin’s catalogue has become a go-to for under-the-radar club heat, with a string of self-released EPs and an appearance on Bristol’s Slippery Sounds marking him out as a vital name to watch.

The ‘Parisian Pitstop’ EP is his second release on Scuffed, and sees An Avrin building on his previous work while also expanding his horizons into different tempos and styles.

The A-side opens with the one-two of the title track - which is as good a primer on An Avrin’s sound as it’s possible to have - and ‘Stumbler’, both high-impact tracks with raucous breaks bouncing off warped vocals and relentless bass.

On the B-side is ‘Plata’, which builds tension with more melodic elements, before crashing into thunderous kicks and glitchy grooves. An Avrin ups the ante on ‘Is It?’, the last of the four originals on the EP, and the highest tempo of the bunch.

Taiwan-based producer Sonia Calico rounds off the release with her remix of ‘Plata’, a rowdy rework that pits grimey bass up against intense, rolling percussion.

Early DJ support has come from Surgeon, Emerald, Naina, Ciel, and Louise Chen.

People Plus are CZ Wang and Joli B., signaling from a studio and or Hut in some remote location. Their debut EP consists of three trips into time in just as many styles.

Side A belongs to 'Olympus Mons', a song as big as the mountain its named from. Snake charmer synth lines and vocal roars backed by the baddest rhythm section in a while... wait for the solo! The B side holds 'Work It Out', with broken 4-off-the-floor drumz and revving echo effects. taking the coveted B1 spot is the always dancefloor smashing 'Second Cycle' - A verified banger that opens up with ground shaking acidish filter bubbles, and closes somewhere way up above the clouds.

The music by Yan Kruau & Michele Ottini was first released in 2017 on 60 tapes only. Subject To Restrictions Discs makes them available on vinyl for the first time. Very raw, somewhere between darkwave and electro with soundtrack elements, the 6 tracks on “L’ultimo Di Noi” explore a yet not so common musical world. This release is limited to 200 copies.

Bunzinelli (Cosmic Tone) serves one up for Neubau - heated material!

E.L.I. returns to Soil Reocords with an ep of 4 tracks full of acid, and electro with EBM notes. These bombs in the form of songs will not let you shake their melodies leaving your neurons pushed to dance in an unconscious way, immersing you in an acid darkness from which you will not want to wake up.

First vinyl release for SYNTAX Electronix, 4 tracks are by Kör Boira, producer based in Berlin but of Valencian origin. It also includes two remixes, one by Hermeth and one by Detroit In Effect. Hybrid street sounds of electro, the ghetto and the essences of the street.

Welcome to the colorful and loony universe of the new Parisian label: Comics Trip Records. Each episode will highlight a multifaceted protagonist as he breaks free from the existing musical boundaries

Sam KDC presents the first Auxiliary 12" EP of 2022, entitled Shedding Skin, a varied four-track odyssey that goes far and beyond the conventions of techno and 170 bass music. The EP opens up with the ominous underworld tones of Silver Serpent. Menacing snarls of metallic synthesis set against the backdrop of frenetic hi-hats and slow pulsing heavyweight bass make this a surefire way to inject something unique into any DJ set.

False Idols then takes things a step further with its relentless percussive torrent, set against a sea of uneasy undertones that wash in and out of proceedings. Prophecy Unfurling introduces breakbeats to devastating effect, as the journey continues underground. Dystopian pulses of synths interacting with the breaks play off each other in a distinct fashion that has become a trademark of Sam's after 2019's Omen Rising LP on Horo.

Finally, Sam brings it all to a head with the uptempo frenzy of Bloodstone. It's been a while since Sam has toyed with this tempo, but Bloodstone shows just why he's revered as one of the true innovators of 170. An almost playful bouncing ring-modulated bass tone sets the scene for Sam's now trademark ominous dark palette to paint a truly captivating picture for the listener. Shedding Skin shows an artist at the top of his craft truly doing his own thing.

Limited hand stamped copies..

'Rave Age' is a ballsy firecracker of an album that showcases not
just a passion for big room electro smashers and electronica, but a
broad set of influences that stretch from punk and film soundtracks
to disco and indie dance. Vitalic has done away with the vocoder,
working with a myriad of talent to add diverse and sometimes
surprising influences to his distinctive sound. A body of work that
takes many twists and turns, exploring new directions and
absorbing genres while maintaining Vitalic’s trademark sound and
energy. Repressed on purple opaque vinyl.

X-Coast returns to UTTU with 3 tracks of old school rave revivalism with his trademark hot-haus touch - backed with a remix from Anetha.

Legendary Swedish outfit Frak for the 20th installment of Libertine Records Traditions series. Extraordinary, classy, and timeless music from recovered 80s tapes. From freaky Acid to New Wave, Electro and Industrial, high-quality standards for a future underground classic release!

Coordinate Records is back after a while with a new Ep signed by Alex Dima.

repress

The ever-potent duo returns to Mechatronica with a fistful of murky electro bangers, following up on their Vapour Waves EP released on the Berlin label last year. Watch your bins!

This absolute classic UK Techno milestone was originally released on R&S Records in 1991.

Being a solid favourite of Don’t label boss Jerome Hill, he then reissued and remixed it back in 2009.

Long unavailable with prices fluctuating wildly on Discogs, it has now been repressed and is available once more on a limited press of just 300 copies.