Techno News

Juan Atkins, Richard "3070" Davis, & John "Jon 5" Housley welded Detroit funk & post-industrial electronics into a sound that shaped the foundation & evolution of techno, & the electro funk music of the 1980s. F/alternate remix + vocal/instrumental mixes

After a quarter century of nearly nonstop activity, dystopian Detroit synth-punk institution ADULT. have perfected a strain of stylistic cohesion in the album format, "but for this we wanted something that's falling apart." Becoming Undone, the 9th official full-length by cofounders Nicola Kuperus and Adam Lee Miller, explicitly succeeds in this aim, simultaneously rejecting and reflecting the planetary discord that inspired it. Begun in the latter half of 2020 against a backdrop of unprecedented flux and seismic isolation, the duo kickstarted their muse by sourcing fresh additions to the rig: a vocal loop pedal for Kuperus and Roland percussion pads for Miller. Reconnecting with legacy influences like the politicized industrial percussion of Test Department and the queasy miscreant synthetics of TG's 20 Jazz Funk Greats sparked a series of fruitfully frenetic sessions, centered on themes of impermanence and dissonance. Miller's rationale is blunt: "We weren't interested in melody or harmony since we didn't see the world having that." From the tense technoid blitz of "Undoing / Undone" to the twitchy EBM of "Fools (We Are_)" and "I Am Nothing," the sides bristle with strident acidic revolt and black leather sequential circuits, unhinged and unforgiving. Elsewhere, slower tempos of purgatorial unraveling ("Normative Sludge," "She's Nice Looking") showcase a breadth of vocal FX, Kuperus sounding alternately indignant and possessed, decrying the crimes, fears, and failings of a deluded world. Throughout, the band's chemistry crackles with revulsion and strobe-lit dissent, equal parts exorcism and denunciation. "Humans have always been pretty terrible," Kuperus explains. "But every year the compromises of culture just accelerate." Becoming Undone is also freighted with a more personal pain, as Kuperus' father passed away during the height of the pandemic, just before the album took root. As his hospice caretakers, she and Miller faced the banality of finality, surrounded by objects drained of meaning, "the joy of having a body, but also the drudgery of having one." The record's bewitching closing track, "Teeth Out Pt. II" - which happens to be the first ADULT. song in the group's history without drums - speaks to this sense of doomed corporeal mass and the looming, lightless unknown that binds us all. A seasick haze swells and subsides in slow, low waves, flickering with ring modulation, above which Kuperus sings in a dazed, brooding, transcendent state, as if having finally glimpsed beyond the pale: "Some day / some day I will be silent and free / of this relentless gravity."

Rob Amboule and Harry Wills fire up their BeeDeeBeeBee alias for The Return.

(DJ Ghost, Santini & Quatretemps, O.R.B. remixes) Bonzai All Stars shake off the lockdown blues to deliver their latest nu rave classic – Poncho Girl, on Bonzai Classics, which comes backed up with three top-notch remixes. Christian Pieters aka DJ Fly and Laurent Véronnez are the creative minds behind this BAS production. With the nu rave classic sound gathering momentum, we keep it old school with a cut onto glorious vinyl for the die-hards out there

Recorded in mid- 2010 and released in January 2011, this split record between Dave Smolen and hair_loss marks the formative stage of what would later become metasplice. Up to the point of this record both artists had previously released solo material and toured together under the uniting banner of Malleable Records- a short lived but strong representation of the electronic music scene in Philadelphia circa 2007 - 2009.

The record displays the artists' ability of integrating previous compositional ideas within a more rhythmic spectrum that had always been at the root of their playing styles, yet never fully realized with the strength of this record. The final track 'B' is a cut from the very first metasplice session and served as a catalyst for their consistent collaboration to the present day.

Jauzas The Shining (Shipwrec, Last Known Trajectory) returns to New Flesh Records, this time accompanied by his compatriot Eliot Forin aka Foreign Sequence (D.KO Records, Concrete Collage). The unexpected duo delivers four unreleased killer cuts of high caliber for your own pleasure. Very Sci-Fi-esque "Talking Machines" takes place in a dystopian future and brings together a collection of powerful electro tracks incorporating elements of rawness, acidity, and melancholy at the focus of this intent.

In overture of the A-side, gloomy "Death By Fuzz" offers an epic collaboration between the two artists: the song fully illustrates the analog brilliance and dancefloor dazzling that they are able to. This heading jam picks things up with solid metallic drums while punishing percussions lift the track even higher until the end. Brainwashing "Painful Headaches" instantly following sees Foreign Sequence in a brilliant solo exercise where he unleashes the acid whereas a solid rhythm leads you to the dancefloor for some robotic and insane movements!

Side B opens with eponymous track "Talkin' Machines", a pulsating journey into processors and computer drivers from the French pair. Characterized by unhealthy melodies, pounding beats and cyborg noises, the cut merges fascinating sequences and dark atmospheres. With its astral pads, Jauzas The Shining's final song "Colombia" takes you on a cosmic trip, traveling at light speed through time and space thanks to mighty distorted FX. A rough ride, deep and intricate to destination unknown, the perfect future funk soundtrack for an no return exploration.

"Talkin' Machines" celebrates the collision of two worlds, two artists with strong universe and personality to become one entity. Rush on it!

Swiss artist Morphing Territories returns to his self-titled label with four tracks of laser-cut techno precision. He channels tension and energy into the Paper Brain EP, letting some sounds breathe with unpredictable life and nailing others to the floor with booming 909s or rolling basslines. Hypnotic techno doesn't get much trippier.

Uit De Hoogte challenged himself to make 100 tracks in 10 genres in 10 weeks time during the winter of 2020. A selection of these intuitive hardware jams were then pressed on a limited 100 copies of vinyl.

Stunning 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Boxset, 12x12” 180g Vinyl Silver Pantone + Foil on Ultrablack Board, 16 page booklet , Download Card, Double-sided 90x60 Poster, Sticker Pack. (Non-Returnable)

Since 1991, Tresor has provided a home for artists to germinate their ideas for advanced new sounds and broadcast them to the world. The pioneers that first traversed the Detroit-Berlin connection and were at the forefront of a new cultural movement gave to Tresor its original and continuing mission: community, resistance and reshaping the world to come.

The Tresor 30 compilation represents a major land- mark in this continuing history of electronic music. This unique collection of music profiles some of the artists that gave the previous three decades of Tresor its sound and foundation, but it also casts its gaze forward. Writing new postcards from the future, this collection brings new artists who main- tain a connection to that original mission to the fore, charting ways in which this ethos can contin- ue to build bridges and break walls in the next 30 years.

Bringing together 52 essential tracks - both clas- sics and exclusive commissions - each of the 12 records in this box-set charts a unique line of flight from those artists that helped define the shape of this new music to those who continue to pattern its landscape further.

The future is bright and it’s now.

In 2006 the now defunct BaseLogic label released the first in a triad of EP's entitled 'Fixxy', produced by the enigmatic British artist Ed Chamberlain. These EPs left many electronic music lovers scratching their heads, having heard something genuinely different. It represented a new generation of IDM reminiscent of The Black Dog or Plaid, melancholic electro with a meticulous nuanced palate that immediately transformed Chamberlain into a revered figure. Fifteen years on Lapsus Records, as part of its 'Perennial' series, will release Ed Chamberlain’s superlative productions across 2 x 12", entitled '03/06'. The lavish 12” double pack will feature a sizeable part of the ‘Fixxy’ material, along with additional tracks created during the same period of time, 2003 – 2006, including 'Zarathustra' and 'Does Ape' -the latter released on vinyl in 2008 by Madrid label Semantica-. For this special release all tracks have been re-mastered and will be pressed and packaged in a deluxe edition format.

Nigh/Tmare's most recent EP, entitled 'Hypnagogia' on Thrènes Records, is the perfect example of the artist's uncompromising attitude. The integral work on this project is the perfect sublimation of experimental overtones, rugged beats, and techno punch, making for a candid, outstanding, and diverse approach with a lot of edge.

The opening track, 'Inside Me', perfectly encapsulates the dark, melancholic atmosphere and the robust dynamism we find throughout the EP. Operating a more technoid and ethereal approach on 'Without Believing', Nigh/Tmare successfully communicates his urge to express his dystopian feelings of loneliness and despair. The journey continues with "Deflagration of Hell", which comes as a daring lamentation from deep inside the darkness. Killawatt's rework on this one heads off a bit of the original and discharges its emotional intensity by offering a new audaciously powerful dynamic. Finally, 'Despite Everything' keeps the perfectly balanced feel of the EP; it offers a subtle touch of dreaming and a hidden optimism. The digital edition includes an exclusive track and a longer version of Killawatt's interpretation.

Set for release in both physical and digital formats on October 12th, Hypnagogia EP marks Nigh/Tmare's first EP for Swiss-based record company Thrènes (which takes its name from the Greek word for funeral lament) and are a label dedicated to the release of tenebrous electronica and techno.

5 Track EP of different styles from this wicked producer. TIP!
*all clips will be uploaded on the week of release*

"This pivotal release in Blawan's career is an evolution in his sound as he traverses syncopated polyrhythms, dark overtones, re-defining his discipline of auditory alchemy; openly acknowledging "Techno hasn't been inspiring me of late". Under Belly, the lead single, a chuggy disorientating dancefloor heater that will no doubt be sound-tracking the rave. Presented in XL’s iconic house bag, this release sees the mercurial producer arguably at the height of his powers and release some of his most riveting, genre-bending music to date.

Having released music for over a decade, Blawan aka Jamie Roberts is one of the UK’s most consistent producers. ‘Woke Up Right Handed’ signals a shift for the producer, one started by the pandemic, that sees him moving further away from the club and the touring DJ life of the previous ten years of his career and deeper into the studio, perfecting the sounds he’s always wanted to explore. Flexing a deep technical ability across all the tracks, the perfection of the production shines from every sound and arrangement. This is what confidence sounds like.

Going some way towards shedding the ‘techno’ box he has so often been put in, ‘Woke Up Right Handed’ makes a case for the future of music being completely fluid, further spelling the end of the ‘genre’."

A record made to make you sweat. Whether on a big sound system in the club or on your headphones in the gym, these beats will your make your body rock. 6 tracks of wet snares, hard kicks and deep basslines, 2 of them spiced up with hot vocals will test your stamina.

MSRG is back on Between Places. The setting is really positive, which is really refreshing. Bassline programming, melodies and beats fit perfectly together and give that special amazing vibe. One not to miss!

192 GmbH presents Cesare Muraca's debut EP "To Other Shores". For this first release, the Italian producer delivers an electro-infused melancholic journey oscillating between techno and house. 300 reptilian-friendly copies.

Repress

Veteran producer Thomas Feriero graces us with his first album in years and his debut LP as Maenad Veyl. Hosted inside a sleeve designed with Tomaso Lisca are twelve tracks made of the same contained abrasion we fell for on his EPs for Death & Leisure, Veyl and Pinkman. A full-on workout devoid of fillers, ambient interludes and other mindless garbage, 'Body Count' is as relentless as the name suggests.

A smokey hookah lounge lies nestled amongst Saturn’s outer rings - for those who know where to look. Its sole occupant for a thousand years, the being known as Planar Traits.

Lick the cosmic toad and strap yourself in for a fourth ride on the Magic Carpet. Propulsive breaks and mystical atmospheres send us crashing through the waterfall, deep into the velvet jungle beyond.

Repress

Introducing the second edition of our ceremonial covenant, 'Previously Undisclosed Rituals II'. This year we've been blissfully cursed by an all-star cast which includes December (Blackest Ever Black/Pinkman), Vaal (Pale Blue Dot), TV.OUT (L.I.E.S.), Instruments of Discipline overlords Operant, Lost Highway, human bulldozer Ayarcana and our very own Greek tragedy: DJ Loser. Adorned with abhorrent artwork by Tomaso Lisca and a hexed

Griffé is back in 2021 with a fresh release from the young and talented producer Vafa. For his very first solo EP on vinyl, this young producer from Marseille demonstrates his ability to produce tracks tailored for the dancefloor while creating a singular atmosphere. With a singular and precise rhythmic programming coupled with an intelligent use of samples and chords, he delivers 4 tracks with diverse atmospheres all having in common an unparalleled efficiency.