quête:pro tech

Next up on Toolroom’s 4-track vinyl sampler series is 4 killer cuts from our latest repertoire.

Kicking off with another straight up, dance floor weapon, Essel lands back on the label with brand-new single, ‘Sweat’. Her toughest sounding record to date that captures the post-rave moment, cementing herself as one of the hottest new talents to emerge in the electronic music scene.

Next up, Parisian born and US based tech house producer Shiba San debuts on Toolroom with a seriously wonky affair alongside studio buddy, Ayarez, aptly titled ‘Twist It’.

Up next on the sampler, is the return of longstanding label favourite Friend Within with his rolling tech house banger ‘Pilka’. Having landed 2 of the hottest tracks on Toolroom last year with ‘Monkey Bars’ and ‘Bring It Down’ which saw sweeping support flood in from across the scene, including Paul Woolford (Special Request) Salute, LF System, Dom Dolla and many more, friend within is officially back for 2023!

Completing the EP, we welcome sola regulars and one of the freshest, most exciting dance music duos to come out of the UK in recent years, Maur who lock horns with chart topping US based Westend, for a label debut set to become 2023’s festival anthem - ‘Over’.


DJ support from Danny Howard, Annie Mac, Mistajam, Pete Tong, Charlie Hedges, Kraak & Smaak, Maxinne, Todd Terry, Alex Preston, Full Intention, Gw Harrison, Dj Rae, Rudimental, Alaia & Gallo, Illyus & Barrientos, Johan S, David Penn, Sam Divine, Riva Starr, Claptone, Nice7, Dario D’attis, Mousse T, S-Man, Huxley, Kc Lights, Friend Within, Dombresky, Gorgon City, Chris Lake, Format:B, Pirupa, Tcts, Alan Fitzpatrick, Low Steppa, Mat.Joe, Raumakustik, Eskuche

Welcome back to sublabel Trix Trax, our series dedicated to sharing the Techno side of things.

After a little hiatus Trix Trax is back with a stacked four track VA, Technotations Vol. 1. Blending techno, IDM and breaks this releases showcases some of the many styles and energies the genre has to offer.

Starting off the VA, we have the track ‘Losing’ from Japanese producer MAGPOST. This loopy, hypnotic groover will add a layer of intrigue and mystery to your deep and moody sets!

Next up we have ‘Rise’ from JD Typo who’s debut EP, started off the Trix Trax series. This speedy techno cut will cause mayhem on the dance floors, nourishing souls in its wake with ethereal lush pads and vocal chops that creep in as the track progresses!

On the flip side we have a sobering track from Ukrainian producer Taras Vinnichenko called 24.02.22. Created the day Russia invaded Ukraine, t’s an auditory diary of Taras’ reaction to the unfolding of events. The crunch of the bass and breaks audate the panic and disarray on the ground.

Closing off the EP we have a unique groover from US producer Mr. Projectile who recently released an album on Wex sub label, La Luna. This crunchy and jittery cut takes you on a bass heavy, boom-filled journey of speedy techno and IDM!

On the sleeve, Sonia Malpeso delivers another whacky custom design on the front sleeve as well as a beautiful typographic showcase on the back and inner sleeve!

Regardless of where you’re from, it’s where you at. These wise words are some that the Watch Patrol wants you to remember as we all trying to find and stay on our path..

These wise words start off the A side and prepare us for a funky and synth fueled, cow bell-ing journey.

Next we head into Trial & Error, a bouncing tech which has already been proven to bring some big energy on the dance floor.

The B side contains the breaks you’ve been waiting for. Two big tunes that have been deliciously dialed in to spread groove and funk on the dancefloors. Trance, breaks, arpeggios, chopped up vocals, and special effects that will get you to keep this one in the bag at all times.
Limited copies as always, be quick!

Mella Dee Presents RYAN, a new project from one of the UK’s most prolific electronic producers. Exploring a darker, experimental side of the mastermind behind ‘Techno Disco Tool’, the new project sees RYAN take things underground with new track ‘Static Movement’. Alongside the track, RYAN has announced his forthcoming EP Connected Experiences, a 4-track collection of essential club tools due for release on August 11 via DJ and Body Movements co-founder Saoirse’s imprint trUst. The landmark release will be the first time the label head has featured another artist's music and is testament to the direction of Mella Dee’s new musical project, RYAN.

Already doing damage in the club circuit with support from the likes of Ben UFO, Shanti Celeste, Midland and more, ‘Static Movement’ sees RYAN. go back to basics with a drum machine and analog synths, ending with an infinite groove. Speaking on the track, RYAN. explains: “Trust the process. My name is RYAN. This is a collection of music I wrote for the purpose of dancing. Those moments we can all get lost together and connect through experience. trUst is a label built on love and connection. I just want to thank Saoirse for the trust she has shown and the love she gives.”

Label boss Saoirse adds: “This is the first time I've invited another artist to release on trUst and I'm so delighted it's from my close friend the absolute don from Doncaster - Mella Dee. Tracks I've been playing in every set over the past year with Static Movement being one of my most ID'd tunes ever. Once I heard it I knew this had to be the first track released on the label from someone else. Ryan is one of the best producers I know, completely and wholly committed to the dancefloor and I'm thrilled I will be releasing the first of his new project under 'Ryan'. I had complete trust in him to deliver a solid EP.”

Real name Ryan Aitchison, Mella Dee reached international notoriety with his anthemic 2017 single ‘Techno Disco Tool’, reaching number 1 in BBC Radio 1’s Dance Music Chart as well as one of Annie Mac’s ‘Tracks of the Decade’ (and was even played during her final show on Radio 1). A year later, the Warehouse Music label head won ‘Best Breakthrough Label’ at the DJ Mag ‘Best of British’ awards and he was also named one of Mixmag’s ‘Stars of the Year’, cementing himself as one of the most sought after names in dance music. Since then Mella Dee has delivered his debut Essential Mix for the legendary BBC Radio 1 series, curated a mix for Resident Advisor’s prestigious Podcast series, performed a debut Boiler Room set to rapturous acclaim, toured North America multiple times and joined the elusive Circoloco family for a summer of shows at DC10 and their momentous festival in Thailand. Ryan has also curated tours for his own Warehouse Music label, taking over illustrious venues all over Europe including his hometown at the infamous Doncaster Warehouse.

Mickey Nox is back with his latest original EP 'Strictly Commercial'.
Four new hammers all hand made by his Ghost Producer (Read credits). After testing 'Lines' successfully on his 2022 tour. It then kicked off the rest of the production once he returned back in the studio. Techno Tourist. A piss take done well that will blow the doors off. Slammer and Corruption & Lust come in more typical Nox Fashion. Still No fillers though. Own it on marble pink wax. #f*&kinghammers only

As we get ready to say goodbye to the Telomere Plastic series, we are excited to present Telomere 020.1, aka the first part out of 5.
Each release will have four different artists, making it a compilation of twenty different artists who will deliver unique, juicy and eclectic frequencies that will keep your telomeres bopping for the rest of time!

This first VA, features producers, ESB, Synaptic Voyager, Vinaya and Vonsuck.

A1, Fancy Organ from Vinaya, is a sexy deep and house cut that is guaranteed to bring smiles all around the dance floor. Arpeggios and groovy bass lines galore. Prepare your piano hands because you will find yourself playing that sweet air organ on this one!

A2, Self Destruct Sequence from Synaptic Voyager (aka Telomere 014’s Illuminators), is a very emotional cut. Originally released digitally on Frame Of Mind, we were overjoyed to be given the green light to put this beauty on wax. Deep pads, tommy drums, hints of IDM and techno, and soul striking arpeggios pave the way for a special sonic journey. Close your eyes and melt away with this one!

B1, Keio Acid from ESB. We are always delighted to share more ESB with you. Elan’s love for analog and tape give off a raw and authentic energy that is hard to come by. This deep, jazzy and loopy cut will keep you on your toes from start to finish. We can only dream of being on the dance floor as this one plays out!

B2, Unemati from Vonsuck, is a deep and dubby cut that beautifully blends the three genres dub techno, house and techno. Dark rooms and dark skies are recommend for this one here, even though we could see these frequencies accompanied by a pink and red sunrise bringing waves of energy and nostalgia to your soul. Its a real treat to have Vonsuck aka Galaktlan on the Telomere series!

Very limited black copies as always with a few colored copies available via the Wex bandcamp, be quick!

Sider is back on the day by day series with this 4 tracker featuring an upbeat A side mixing breaks & techno and a psychedelic and tribally filled B side!

Following a standout contribution to the ‘Elevate’ compilation, Mha Iri steps up for her Drumcode EP debut. Continuing Scotland’s grand techno tradition, the Edinburgh-based DJ/producer is one of 2023 breakout artists.

‘Never Go Back to Sleep’ marked her exhilarating maiden offering on Adam Beyer’s label back in March, with the cut spending a mighty two months in Beatport’s techno chart after peaking at no.4, putting her square on the radar of the Drumcode faithful in the process.

Her debut EP on the label, is a tantalising prospect. ‘The Unexpected’ plays with her trademark light and dark motifs, mixing up sharp percussive elements with ethereal melodies, before a ripping bass drop takes the energy up a notch. ‘Let the Good Times Roll’ is a slick accompaniment, as atmospheric techno gets supercharged via a punchy rap vocal and laser-kissed chords. Both tracks were highlights of Mha Iri’s memorable set at Rave The Planet, attended by 300K people in Berlin.

Cocoon Recordings' next 12” vinyl comes from a well-known face. No introduction needed as nobody less than Gregor Tresher once again delivers a superb and surprising pair of tracks.

“Black Halo” is down-the-line and perhaps one of the catchiest tracks by Gregor Tresher.
The wobbling driving bassline builds up a rising tension that increases through the vast, detuned, and powerful string parts appearing to extend out to light years, reaching far beyond. Zaps drive the rhythm forward while rushing cymbals push the groove and weld everything together to absolute unity. For Gregor, techno and club culture have certain transcendental qualities, “Black Halo” is concerned with these sentiments and tells an ambivalent story. The onset of bliss oscillates between melancholy and hope, making it an exuberant roller coaster of emotions. A classic Gregor Tresher track, which perfectly represents Gregor’s signature sound!

“Phantom Dancer” literally pulls you onto the dance floor. Discharging beats, which hit you heavily but pleasant. The atmosphere violently evolves with a twisted noise-like signal sound and gets even more brute through the low-pitched filter vocals. An exceptionally deep techno production by Gregor Tresher, which will definitely come to full fruition in the clubs at peak time.

Banana Club is without doubt one of the top new labels on the Breakbeat scene today. Led by the young and highly prolific Cadiz artist, FM-3, it was set up in 2020 with a strong identity and powerful, effective dancefloor grooves inspired by English bassline and 2step/garage and a touch of funk.

On this first vinyl release by the label, entitled Funky Beats, FM-3 kicks off his musical discourse with One for Me, a track which showcases the characteristic quality and forcefulness of his groove. This is followed by the album eponymous track Funky Beats, a collaboration with the multiple Spanish and World Scratching Champion, Jose Rodriguez, who dazzles with a number of superb passages in which improvisation and funk come to the fore.

The B-side opens with Panorama, featuring Orak. This fascinating, highly-experimental track offers a fusion of breaks and tech house and an elegant acid line which acts as a common thread and brings cohesion to the whole idea. The record closes, as you would expect, with a collaboration with Bowser, another of the label regular artists, entitled Bubbling.

A classic bassline dancefloor filler, it will take you back to the best tracks of the late nineties and early noughties. The classic black 12", mastered and cut by Simon, a veteran sound engineer at the Exchange Vinyl in London, has achieved a sound which is quite simply brutal.

Echonomist’s synthesizer-driven productions have often circled the fringes of electronic pop. The Greek producer born Petros Manganaris pushes this further on his latest full-length offering Secret Places. Featuring guest musicians Alexandros Miaris, Avangart Tabldot, and Nadia Ali, Secret Places displays Echonomist’s unfiltered and open-eared approach to building songs. The LP moves through gauzy ambient, high-spirited techno, and iridescent indie-electronica to conceive a prismatic world of divergent textures, crystal-clear in melody.

The latest by New York-based producer Lamin Fofana further refines his cinematic dialect of fractured soundscapes, displaced rhythms, and tectonic unease. Unsettling scores aptly describes itself: grainy, bristling, and bruised, rippling with dread disguised as grandeur. The collection emerged from an extended reworking of his 2016 composition, “A Symbol of the Withdrawn God,” mining deeper into the piece’s “unvoiced fragments, shards, and utterances.” Other tracks were inspired by recent readings on climate emergency and its “specific implications for Black life, from hurricanes in the Caribbean to mudslides in West Africa.”

Fofana has spoken of his music as part of a “legacy of resistance,” spanning the roots of Detroit techno to the outer reaches of contemporary sound art as championed by his labels, Sci-Fi & Fantasy and Black Studies. His work here vividly embodies that spirit, seven hyper-textural transmissions of rumbling lament, shifting sands, and restless innovation, tracing jagged silhouettes of indeterminate futures: “The instability is worldwide.”

ZentaSkai unveils stunning, high-concept house album on Mask Records.


ZentaSkai undertook a period of research into the underlying structure and organisation of the human brain before writing ‘The Architecture Of The Mind’. The Berlin-based artist then took what had been learned and kept it in mind when writing the music that marks Mask's first album release. It comes with extensive background notes on each track, and an operational manual of sorts - notes from the artists as to the effects each piece will have on those who hear them.
"The message conveyed by this album is that life itself is filled with music, but our egos often prevent us from being in harmony with this symphony. Inner chaos and silence can be challenging to bear, leading us to seek solace in external noise. We have constructed a barrier between our inner and outer worlds, causing us to lose touch with the rhythm of harmony. However, by embracing the illusion of separation and dancing to good music, we can rediscover harmony with ourselves and our environment. To fully experience the essence of the album, it should be played loudly on a proper sound system or high-quality headphones. By immersing themselves in the music, individuals can engage with its transformative power and potentially find a deeper connection with their own minds and surroundings." - ZentaSkai.

The gorgeous 'Mind Mapping' opens up with deep and dubby drums and lush harmonies that soothe you to your core, '030' then has more raw, heavy drums with many layers of glowing synths, glassy melodies and organic found sounds. 'Fügung' keeps the deep and introspective moods coming before the crisp tech of 'Flow Dreaming' ups the ante with more drive and layers of vocal whispers, hi-hats and smeared dub chords.


Elsewhere the likes of 'Quiet Reflection' lean into the groove with swirling pads and one-word vocal sounds drifting through the air over propulsive drum loops, and 'Boiling Range' suspends you in deft synth loops amongst the stars over a prickly house beat.
The superb synth craft and well-designed grooves continue through the dusty deep house of 'Karl-Marx-Allee' and minimal dub of 'Dynamic System' before the elegant melodic techno of 'Apeiron' and dreamy synthscapes of 'Parallel 30' close the album in a reflective fashion.


This is a deeply evocative album with a fully realised concept that is as thought-provoking as it is immersive.

Mekanika Recordings from Sofia, Bulgaria is a techno label ran by Stevo Kurt aka DJ Steven the main resident of Metropolis events that have featured the likes of Sven Vath, Ben Klock, Len Faki and Ellen Allien amongst others and and Svilen Dzhonev - Ziggy - A & R of the label.

MKNK002V is the second of a limited vinyl series consisting of 100 copies.

Spas Tzvetkov aka Asymmetrik is a fellow Bulgarian who returns to the label for a four-track EP following remixes of Stevo Kurt on MKNK002. As a producer, Asymmetrik has an album on Steve Parker's MUTED rec in Portugal, Bulgaria's Hivemind, and Spain's Subsist, among others.

Asymmetrik is unbalanced. Asymmetrik is unconventional.
Asymmetrik is unsettlin

RAWAX proudly welcomes Mr. Joey Beltram to the Family!
We're very honoured to present you Technical Onslaught "The Calling"!
A timeless masterpiece from 1990. Re-mastered and vinyl only!

Charles D unveils his debut Drumcode EP, following three excellent releases on the label.

Ever since the New Yorker shared his remix of ‘Your Mind’ with Adam Beyer, which would go on to become only the second officially released remixes of the legendary track, we knew we were onto a special talent. A strong single on A-Sides Vol.11 ‘Traction’ was to follow, proceeded by another superb remix, this time of Mike Macaluso’s ‘Final Chapter’, reinforcing his skilled studio touch.

Now a year on from his first appearance on Beyer’s label, he steps up for a richly deserved debut EP, ‘Don’t Stop’, which encapsulates all the stylistic facets of his productions. The title track is fun and driving, brimming with ‘90s rave stabs and peak-time fizz. ‘No Escape’ is a pulsating stomper fusing together percussive techno and melodic elements to form a track that will work in a variety of environments. ‘Choir’s Palace’ is a dreamy tool and perfect for shifting the momentum during a peak-time set.

The third installment of our four-part 12" series features our favorite artists from around the world.

Melbourne's Pugilist opens the gates with 'Flip Trix.' It's a dub-drenched, broken techno hybrid with earth-shattering low-end throughout. This lengthy 130bpm track, with foggy breaks and frosty pads, smartly concludes on a 4x4 beat to ensure a smooth exit. 'Flip Trix' is certainly a future percy for all.

Next, we have Bristol-based Henry Greenleaf, a music producer who provides jaw-dropping moments throughout his work. 'Stopper Knot' starts off with a murky low growl and soon evolves into a fully-fledged UK techno beast with ups, downs, twists, and turns. It's like the soundtrack to all of existence captured in 4 minutes and 37 seconds. An absolute tune.

Closing out the release, we have a very special track from Ebb, a resident of New Zealand's South Island. This tune comes with a Product Safety Warning. *We strongly advise never listening to this tune in small groups or while sitting down. 'GTAM' is a weaponized, peak-time, world-ending, acidic bass mutant designed for use only between 2 am and 4 am*. In true Ebb style, heavy and precise production.

Enjoy responsibly.

At times where technology inexorably infuses into humankind, Ammar808’s next adventures lays within the realms of Stambeli’s invisible creatures, an old genuine Tunisian tradition that has roots spreading out within the depths of the African continent.

Stambeli is a Tunisian musical therapeutic ritual that was implanted by afro-descendant communities. During the ceremonies, music, dance and chants are blended so as for some participants to reach the alternate state of trance while they are possessed by super natural entities. It is a syncretism between Islam and animist Yorisha religion’s voodoo beliefs, that has been disseminated during slave trade by Yoruba populations originating from current Benin’s gulf. Stambeli is a precious legacy the symbolizes the outstanding diversity and complexity of the North-African identity.

Using drum machines and analog synthesizers, he summons super natural creatures to visit our material world and taste human incarnations, form the audience’s collective experience. The album features vocals and gumbri from Bellassan Mihoub, who inherited his father’s knowledge and mastery, and currently embodies the avant-guarde of Stambeli’s revival. Two additional choristers round off the stage band, also playing the krekebs: these are pairs of large castagnet-like instruments oscillating in the limbo between binary and ternary rhythmic patterns. They breathe life and motion into this pagan communion, blessed by VJ Sia original visuals synchronized to the thundering music.

Super Stambeli is a contemporary interpretation of the Stambeli traditional repertoire, processed through a time-travel washing-machine, a parallel-dimension earthquake portal, that aims to echoes ancestral ceremonies through sub-harmonic speakers. It’s a dialogue between the wailing of the gombri, known to call for the spirits to descend into the bodies of the participants, but this time AMMAR808 directs them straight into the digital circuits of his clockwork-crafted machineries.

It’s been a few years since Captain Mustache took a ride with Kompakt – 2021, to be exact, when he released the “Everything” single, and subsequently made an appearance on that year’s entry in the Total series. But this visionary French producer has been busy, indeed fiercely productive, ever since, appearing on Helena Hauff’s Return To Disorder and John Digweed’s Bedrock, collaborating with Dave Clarke, Popof, The Advent, Paris The Black Fu, Keith Tucker from AUX88... and two beautifully eloquent albums, Tourbillon Nocturne and Indigo Memories. But with The Super Album, Captain Mustache returns to Kompakt with his most sublime collection yet. On The Super Album, the Captain soundtracks an imagined “whole day for party people.” He welcomes friends old and new on board: opening with the poetic club banger of “About Love”, with guest appearance from Speakwave (aka dynArec), The Super Album shifts gears into the lush, sunny “Shifting Basslines”, where Captain Mustache’s pulsing electro-disco is the perfect fit for a third collaboration with electroclash pioneers Chicks on Speed. After the deep techno pulsations of “Laser Me” and the glitzy pop shine of “Gimme Ya Mustache”, more guests arrive: Arnaud Rebotini of Black Strobe on the slinky “I Love Watching U”, and then a spoken cameo from the truly legendary French disco diva Amanda Lear on “Mustache Of The Universe”, a glitzy glitterball of a song that’s shrouded in ghostly synths. All those tracks appear on the 12” version of The Super Album – download the digital version and you get six more slices of Mustache magic. Here, the narrative turns more insular, more dancefloor focused – the party people have moved through the daytime and they’re in their element, diving deep into the night-time economy. The album spirals, beautifully, into stark electro, driving techno, with great moments of beauty and melancholy – see the pointillist arpeggios of “Everything” (which features Play Paul), the disco stomp of “Acapulco Citron”, and a breath-taking double-bill of stripped back psychedelic electro on “Pulsions Organiques”, and the layered, luscious, swooning “Clair-Obscur”. From there, it’s an astral glide into the Dopplereffekt-ish “Galaxian Symbiosis” before Foremost Poets join Captain Mustache to wave the night goodbye with the brittle, brilliant “Floorwax”. It’s a day in the life, but all in service to the pleasures of nightlife; the dancefloor is The Super Album’s beacon, your body the pliable material moulded into evocative new shapes by this dense, hypnotic, brilliantly pop album.