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.
Life In Patterns welcomes Amsterdam-based live act and producer VNTM for his debut appearance on the label with “Ostbahn”, a five-track EP arriving on vinyl and digital formats on 24 July 2026. For VNTM, Ostbahn marks a departure from his usual creative process. While most of his productions are conceived and developed within the familiarity of his studio, every track on this release originated elsewhere — each one tied to a specific place, encounter, or moment beyond its walls. These external sparks became the foundation for a collection that feels both deeply personal and unmistakably geared towards the dance floor. Across the EP, VNTM explores the intersection of emotional depth and physical intensity. Dark, immersive pads and melancholic atmospheres are woven into powerful techno frameworks, driven by heavy low frequencies, tightly locked grooves, and a precise sense of movement. The result is a body of work that balances introspection with impact, equally suited to peak-time systems and solitary listening. Based in Amsterdam, VNTM has established himself as one of techno's most distinctive live performers, appearing at major festivals and clubs worldwide with a hardware-focused setup dedicated entirely to his own productions. His sound combines harmonic exploration and narrative-driven composition with distorted percussion, futuristic sound design, and a constant embrace of emerging synthesizer technologies. Beyond his performances, VNTM is the driving force behind the acclaimed Mindscape events at Amsterdam's Lofi, where he has hosted artists including Len Faki, Kangding Ray, Sterac, Âme, Recondite, Polygonia, Luigi Tozzi, Vril, and JakoJako. Recent highlights include his debut on the Awakenings Festival Mainstage, an all-night-long live set at Lofi Amsterdam, and a sold-out debut performance at Refuge in New York City. With “Ostbahn”, VNTM delivers a compelling first chapter on Life In Patterns — a release shaped by experiences beyond the studio, translated into hypnotic, emotionally charged techno built for deep immersion and maximum physicality.
Brutkho strikes back on Goldmin Music with his very first vinyl release. A first physical release is always something special and exciting, So of course, it had to be a very personal and deeply touching package of music. Horvath Tamas alias Brutkho is actually one of the artists we feel since the first listen of his music. This hungarian producer has the power to play with the unexpected, to build captivating structures without losing sight of the essential simplicity this music needs."Now & then", his first ep on Goldmin Music and "Magic 32" on the compilation were already authentic demonstrations of this guy's assertive personality and aspirations but he definitely pushed the process further on this record.
Gabriella and Coleman are two massive deep-techno stompers focused on the atmosphere, the texture, the immersion which will play with your senses from the beginning to the end and fool your previous certainties without any doubt.Tel-Aviv based producers Deep'a & Biri who recently joined Derrick May's Transmat agency and who deliver some of the finest dub techno cuts of today catched the original track delicious pianos and dropped them into their sumptuous cinetic industrial groove.French producer Jan Hendez drives it into a pure rhythmic and organic piece of music unbound by usual genre limits. Menacing, very cold yet still deep and sexy remix that reminds both his first releases and his newer strictly atmospheric and mental approach.That's exactly the point with this record. It's a meeting of spontaneous artists who never stop their musical research, who don't mind about fleeting trends and who push boundaries further on every single track they do.
Goldmin Music label founder Romain Lanteaume alias EinKa meets Detroit minimalism master Terrence Dixon aka Population one for a truly conceptual techno 12".. Terrence Dixon is one of our favorite artists and biggest inspiration.. Detroitborn artist released his first 12" back in 1994 followed by several quintessential records and 2 epic albums "From the far future" on legendary Berlin-based label Tresor. Terrence is not only a great techno producer who makes subwoofers roar in clubs, he is a man obsessed by a concept, an idea that he's following from the very beginning.. "Minimalism" in the reaaaaal sense of the word.. For example, when thousands producers are wondering what's eventually missing in their new track, Terrence is rather wondering what's useless, what could be removed and that's definitely what he gets to share on his own "Reduction" imprint. After the release of Terrence's track "Steve Austin's mile" on Goldmin Theme Lp, Romain got to meet him in Detroit during summer 2014. The aim was to make an abstract record that could still be linked to a feeling or a situation.. A1 The edge track is probably a good example as it's designed and built to make you feel like you get closer and closer to the edge while the track is slowly growing until you fall.. Can you feel it :) As for the other tracks, there is also a special idea behind them but we better let you interpret it your way
EVPHORIA is not just a record. It’s a trigger.
140 BPM of tension, ascent and release — engineered to push the dancefloor into collective hypnosis.
Balancing power house propulsion, techno pulse and large-scale emotional lift, the track transforms a strangely familiar sensation into something raw, direct and uncompromising. No nostalgia — only forward motion. A rise that refuses to come down.
The original version unfolds as a sustained euphoric surge: driving percussion, insistent hooks and controlled repetition built for peak-time unity.
The edit version distills that energy into a tighter DJ weapon — immediate, sharp, floor-focused.
On the B-side, Inflammable Noise appears in its instrumental form — pure club mechanics, no vocals, no distraction. A stripped version that amplifies tension and turns the track into a true dancefloor weapon. Already tested in demanding environments, it notably detonated a peak-time moment when Chloé Caillet played it at Berghain — a point where the room tipped over.
EVPHORIA moves freely across scenes — from house floors pushing tempo to techno basements and high-intensity dance spaces — built for DJs chasing the rupture point.
Pressed in a strict limited edition.
Vinyl only — no digital release.
Created under the EVPHORIA imprint by Hardrock Striker — dancefloor architect and driving force behind the Skylax universe — this release stands as a physical, autonomous club statement.
Sleeve artwork by H5 (Daft Punk, Air, Étienne de Crécy, Logorama, Kanye West / Adidas), reinforcing EVPHORIA as both a sonic and visual manifesto.
EVPHORIA doesn’t ask permission.
EVPHORIA triggers.
A record for the moment the room tips over.
Strong international support from Richie Hawtin, Arnaud Rebotini (Black Strobe), Kristian Beyer (Âme / Innervisions), Dax J, Ilario Alicante, Chris Fortier, Michel Gaubert, DJ Mag, KEXP Seattle, Byte FM, Tsugi, Waveform Transmitter and many more.
Outstanding reactions included: "This is just perfect... one of the best things I've heard in recent weeks. Supported!" (Club Furies), "Great release! Adding to Waveform Recommended." (Ste Knight), "Excellent work here! Will play on my show." (Fly Radio 104 FM), "Great – will play." (Radio Reverb), "Energetic and ethereal club energy." (CJSW Canada)
Sciahri and Sublunar are proud to welcome Spanish artist Vilchezz to the family. Known for his releases on labels such as KEY Vinyl and Vault Sessions, he makes his Sublunar debut with the powerful EP Deadlock, showcasing his unique ability to seamlessly blend contemporary sound design with timeless techno aesthetics. The release opens with the title track, "Deadlock", a highly groovy cut driven by sophisticated sound design and a compelling rhythmic flow. It is followed by "Ghost In The Code", where refined textures and carefully crafted elements create a hypnotic groove that remains effortlessly engaging. On the flip side, "Lamina" explores darker territory, delivering deep, shadowy atmospheres and a more intense energy. Closing the vinyl edition is "Room101", the deepest track of the EP, a versatile and timeless tool capable of creating memorable moments at any stage of a set. With Deadlock, Vilchezz demonstrates an impressive range of moods and sonic approaches, confirming himself as one of the most exciting and versatile artists emerging in today's techno landscape.
Logout Record Shop Firenze is happy to present its first official release: LGT 001, signed by Novosti Kulturi. Known for his raw blend of electro, raw synth and underground industrial textures, Novosti Kulturi has been active within the darker electronic circuit through the Waveform community — a cult underground platform and party series connecting artists and dancefloors across Europe and beyond. Alongside connected to legendary German coldwave label Kernkrach, Berlin-based cassette label Detriti Records and London’s Meta Moto. Widely associated with contemporary electro, dark disco, techno and EBM-oriented dancefloors, Novosti Kulturi continues to shape a personal sonic language balancing cold machine-driven rhythms with saturated synth pressure, cinematic atmospheres, tape saturation and distorted nocturnal nostalgia. Built around classic TR drum machines, VCO and DCO synthesizers, 12-bit sampling and tape recordings, Novosti Kulturi operates like a transmission from an unidentified place — where past and future dissolve into raw sonic waves and frequency distortions.
This debut EP delivers five tracks moving across sharp electro rhythms, stripped techno structures and darker EBM-infused territories. Cold machine grooves, industrial tension and late-night melancholia define the release, balancing dancefloor functionality with a distinctly cinematic approach. Influences from electro-industrial, new beat and dark synth-driven club music emerge throughout the record’s sonic palette. With LGT 001, Logout Record Shop introduces a vision centered on artistic identity and storytelling, embracing a broad sonic spectrum rather than a fixed aesthetic direction. The label’s first release reflects this approach through Novosti Kulturi’s personal language — crossing styles, moods and textures while keeping a strong connection to modern underground dancefloors.
X-Coast unveils 9-track 2xLP The Riviera Collection on his label Riviera Records.
Hot on the heels from remixing instant dance hits such as Shygirl's '4eva' and DJ Gigola's 'La Batteria' and spotted in the studio with adored vocalists Eartheater and Miss Bashful, Serbian-born, NYC-based DJ/producer X-Coast returns with a collection of signature tracks that feel like the lost treasure chest of his dance island.
X-Coast is your favorite DJ's favorite producer, whose tracks you’ve undoubtedly danced to, whether on a massive festival stage or at an intimate, underground rave. Over the past decade, he has quietly but consistently shaped the pulse of dancefloors worldwide, with a distinctive style that traverses genres like house, techno, electro, drum and bass, and trance. This rare versatility has led X-Coast to release on the likes of Mall Grab’s Steel City Dance Discs, Diplo’s Higher Ground, Anetha’s Mama Told Ya and DJ Haus’s Unknown To The Unknown, to name a few.
What sets X-Coast apart is not just his ability to move fluidly between styles but the unique character embedded in every track. His productions have an undeniable warmth and authenticity, often evoking the raw, euphoric spirit of the 90s and 00s rave era. This nostalgic yet forward-thinking approach makes his music feel timeless, effortlessly blending old-school rave energy with modern production techniques. It's a quality that has made him a go-to for DJs across the board, whether they’re playing peak-time techno sets or deep, groovy house sessions.
On The Riviera Collection, released on his own label, Riviera Records, X-Coast opens the vault to reveal a diverse range of tracks that showcase his deep connection to multiple eras of electronic music. This collection reflects the breadth of his eclectic DJ sets, where various sounds and styles converge into a cohesive journey. Each track feels like a contemporary reimagining of a classic moment in dance music history.
From the early 2000s tribal influences layered with X-Coast’s signature chord work on ‘Neapolis,’ to the soaring, synthetic trance energy of ‘Desert Storm,’ and the infectious, camp vibe of the diva house ‘Hold Me Baby,’ the collection takes us on a nostalgic trip back to the origins of rave culture. It echoes a time when DJs crafted a journey through genres, playing everything from house to trance to techno in one seamless night.
The collection’s first hidden gems and long-awaited singles are “Da Boing Boing Trak” and "Put Your Hands Together". Both staples in his sets at iconic venues and festivals like Pitch Music & Arts, fabric, Circoloco, AVA Festival, Melt!, and Intercell, this track has been in high demand among fans, finally seeing its release. With The Riviera Collection, X-Coast continues to cement his status as a versatile producer capable of bridging the gap between past and present, while delivering music that moves crowds everywhere.
On Board Music returns with its next remixes package. Following the "Point C Remixes" in 2024, the Rotterdam based label now revisits four tracks taken from its charity compilations "The Meaning of Time" and "The Meaning of Time II" - all reimagined by fellow On Board artists. Born during the global health crisis of 2020, "The Meaning of Time" series explored the shifts, fractures, and altered perceptions of time experienced during that period. This new remix edition not only reshapes selected pieces through the vision of close label affiliates and takes them closer to the dancefloor, but also sees all tracks freshly remastered by Neel. The four tracks were given a new life in two different ways - by remastering and reinterpretation. Luigi Tozzi treats Polygonia's aquatic ambient piece "Magnetic Force" and pushes the track deeper into dark and hypnotic late night territories. Vera Logdanidi's emotionally charged arpeggiated electronic work "Water bubble Floating In Space" receives a peak-time reinterpretation by Non Series head Psyk. Swedish artist Dorisburg reworks Human Space Machine's "Danz7" into a dreamier and more percussive journey. Closing the release in true deep On Board fashion is label head Laura BCR, who reinterprets Bas Dobbelaer's "T2310" in an earthy and textured manner, while keeping its ambient techno & dubby spirit vividly alive. Photography by Marius Renard.
After shaping a strong identity through our first three releases, this new record marks a tighter and more assertive expression of our influences through new sonic explorations.
This EP reflects the journey Triple Phase has taken so far. Inspired by one another, our music has grown denser and now moves toward something more physical, rawer, and more club-oriented.
More frontal and rooted in the dancefloor, these new tracks explore a palette where techno, breakbeat, and tech house intersect. Spirits captures the spirit of three passionate producers: each track retains its own strong character, while the connection happens through the energy that runs across the record as a whole.
Triple Phase is finding itself and falling into alignment. A new statement, still driven by the same desire: to create music that feels free, inhabited, and deeply alive.
Pressed in a limited edition, TPH03 is made to be played, passed on, and kept in circulation.
WRWTFWW Records announces the return of Louisiana-based composer and producer Jammin’ Sam Miller with A Link To The Past Tribute, his homage to the music of Zelda (A Link To The Past). His remake of the classic video game score is available as a limited edition green vinyl LP with artwork and sticker sheet by French illustrator Pierre Thyss, as well as an obi strip.
Originally composed by the legendary Koji Kondo, the epic 1991 Zelda soundtrack for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System is one of the most celebrated pieces of video game music ever, a sound that will automatically bring fans to a complete state of pixelized nostalgia bliss.
Jammin' Sam Miller entirely remade the soundtrack from scratch, note by note, without sampling any of the original audio. He recorded his cover versions by finding the original equipment used to create the score, translating the MIDI into a modern studio context, adding his keyboard sounds, and re-mixing and re-mastering the whole soundtrack with modern techniques. The result is a new experience of vintage Zelda music in full HD uncompressed glory and blessed with the beloved Jammin’ Sam Miller touch!
The third release in the Remastered series brings together material from across the S.B. Project catalogue. It features three tracks from The Primitive Streak, three tracks from Cultural Co-Operation, all presented with continuous locked-groove endings, alongside six lock grooves taken from The Primitive Streak Redefined. Recorded under Steve Bicknell’s S.B. Project pseudonym and originally released on Clubtracks between 1998 and 2002, these productions define a distinctive grey area between House and Techno—functional, stripped-back, and built for DJ use. Release date: 17.06.2026. Vinyl and Digital Mastered by Peter Van Hoesen at Memento Mastering. Art, Clara González. Written, produced, and mixed by Steve Bicknell. Published by Mute Song. Distributed by Triple Vision.
Based out of Brighton, UK, Murmurations have been steadily carving their path as an essential label for distinctive dancefloor moods. The fourth record on the imprint is the launch of a new series titled 'Flock', focusing on bringing different artists together who share similar visions and tastes. Volume one features Evasive frontman Rob Pearson with Paul Donton and label founder Leo Christopher on the A-side. On the flip, you have rising Manchester talent Huw Shipps and Bubble resident The Adventures Of Dogman. This amalgamation of producers has materialised into a record that focuses on nostalgic tech house textures, infused with modern elements and deep, dub tones.
First up is Rob Pearson & Paul Donton's excursion, 'Ideas Abstract'. Slinky drums pave the way, as pensive vocals circulate around the distinct and perky drive of the track. The aptly named 'Underground' from Murmurations boss Leo Christopher teases a more mysterious energy, with pulsating bass in combination with tight drum arrangements. The emerging producer Huw Shipps kicks off the B-side with a playful outing; quirky elements splash in and out throughout the track. Finishing off the release is dancefloor heater 'Cruising Around On A Pair Of Naughty Pennies', chunky and driven as it moves, ready to do the damage, keeping the club locked in.
The Murmurations curation thus far has seen each release shine bright, with timeless music for the club, no-nonsense, heads-down action, and long may that continue.
Micro Driver III is here back again, from a large period of such as an hybernation status. As previous targets: the combination and compilation from several electronic music producers are shown in this series to enhance and spread the sonic spectrum of the label.
So we are also proud of this release for a particular reason: A nice moment of having on board two of the greatest veteran electronic music activists from Madrid City, Roberto Gemelin with his aka Groof and Luis Rozalén with his HD Substance moniker gives to this 12" an exclusive meeting to show the most electro side of both producers after their long careers producing and creating full of different electronic music alias and stuff.
In the other hand, sharing the vinyl we are pretty excited by the music of Spectrum Data Forces the Electro alias of the well established techno producer C-System, with his high-energy, powerfull and tigh Electro. And the last but no least track of Emulador with a minimal and futuristic Düsseldorf/Detroit vibes to accomplish this compilation.
This four spanish artists are definately full of talent with four different styles and visions of Electro. Micro Driver is a series compilation from several artists of the Electro community.
For the third release on Patent, Gockel invited some friends into the studio: HXTC, Marco Wachs, Plug Trax and Dying & Barakat.
Four tracks, four collabs, one shared vibe: deep, dub-infused, Detroit-inspired techno.
Each track brings its own flavor, each collaboration its own twist - together they make a playful, powerful, and unmistakably journey. Raw, detailed, and full of character - exactly how we like it at Patent.
Limited run of 300 copies.
Pressed on purple colored vinyl, hand stamped, hand numbered, including stickers.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of one of the most iconic tracks in the Italian techno scene, the
legendary Era Vulgaris classic “Bastard Ben” returns on vinyl.
A special release created for collectors, DJs, and true club culture lovers, featuring 4 different
versions packed with the energy and spirit of a track that marked an en2re era.
Among them shines an absolute gem: the unforge4able “Bambolina Mix”, made 2meless by the
voice of the legendary Franchino. An emo2onal and visionary journey that became part of the
history of techno music and the memories of a whole genera2on of clubbers.
A truly incredible vinyl release filled with nostalgia, adrenaline, and pure dancefloor magic.
Moving Pressure 03 lands as Rene Wise's third release on his imprint. With a refined approach to rhythm and restraint, the artist once again distills techno to its purest form: hypnotic, percussive, and propulsive. Across four tracks and in line with the label's essence, MP03 thrives on movement-low-end mastery meets tightly coiled grooves, while textural elements shift and evolve with subtle precision.
A1 'Relax' sets the foundation with a mighty sub-base, rolling forward with effortless force. Chopped-up claps ricochet through the mix, while a funky, disembodied vocal repeats a single command: "relax". Then comes 'Chomp Chomp', a denser offering in Wise's sensorial arsenal. Layered with gritty textures, his signature percussion builds a soundscape that is both tactile and weightless, evoking a kinetic dream state where groove and space are in constant conversation. On the flip, 'Cave' plunges into murkier terrain. Swathed in fog and sinister atmospherics, it unfolds through an eerie blend of sci-fi surrealism and grounded physicality. Bleeps hover like distant signals, their sharpness softened by a cavernous, smothering embrace. It's a study in tension-hypnotic and unsettling in equal measure. Closing the release is 'Deep Under', a track that embodies its name with subterranean mystique. The soundscape is rich with detail, an ecosystem of sonic fragments shifting beneath the surface. It's immersive yet elusive, like catching glimpses of something just out of reach-a mirage that flickers between the tangible and the ethereal.
This is minimalism with intent, built for deep immersion. Less, here, is infinitely more.
Darwin Chamber is a veteran of the prog game, and now that sound is very much back en vogue, it's no wonder new generations are falling for the American's sounds. Back in March, he dropped this EP which was inspired by a San Fran acid trip, and it became an instant classic that meant the initial translucent yellow vinyl edition, limited to 303 copies, soon sold out. Now it reappears on black wax and obviously it still bangs. 'The Acid Test (DJ Spun mix)' is a heavy, raw jam with plenty of trippy details, warped pads and vocals that come and go so subtly you can't really be sure they're there. 'Never Coming Down' is a deep and dark workout with cold analogue hits and paranoid vocals, then '25th Century Acid Cat' is a little brighter with its synths but no less of a mind-fuck. 'Get Down' is gurgling, coruscated, sleazy and mid-tempo acid techno for the freaks. Brilliant.
Jhobei has been on a constant ascent in the last couple of years, and he's worked with some of the most credible labels in the game in that time, from Fuse to Picnic to Semi Delicious. Now he steps up to Burnski's Pilot with four absolute nuggets. 'Pulse Reflex' is amped right up and ready to go - tightly circling synths, buoyant beats, garage shuffle and slick fills that all demand you bust out some moves. 'Believe' dials things back into a more heady, deeper dub tech vibe and 'Cannei Getcha (To Feel)' brings crispy electronic synths and pensive pads to a future groove before 'Synthetic Symphony' closes with buffed neon pads and smooth progressive chords that ride clean, meticulous drums.
The next release in M-Plant's Perpetual Masters series is Robert Hood's "Invincible" EP, freshly remastered for 2026 by Thomas Heckmann.
Originally released in 2001, "Invincible" stands as another defining example of his stripped-back, approach to Techno while still radiating tough funk and groove. Released during a period when Hood was refining the minimalist aesthetic he helped pioneer, the record balances mechanical precision with emotional intensity. The tracks unfold through subtle shifts in percussion, looping synth patterns and driving basslines, to create a meditative momentum that sounds just as fresh today. "Invincible" draws its power from restraint, demonstrating Hood's belief that minimal elements can produce maximum impact on the dance floor.
Each track will be released digitally in May, followed by the full vinyl EP in July.
Rhythm Cult welcoming back UK house stalwart Huxley for a focused three-tracker that lives up to its name. The 7th Cycle finds the producer in confident, unhurried form, threading together the dusty warmth of deep house with the propulsive edge of tech house in a way that feels both timeless and floor-ready.
Unheard Music returns with its second release, delivering a hypnotic and club-driven Tech House package by Malandra Jr. and pizzaaftersex.
Built around the infectious pull of Your Retreat, this EP captures that late-night tension where groove, atmosphere, and repetition lock into one fluid movement. The original mix sets the tone with a stripped yet emotionally charged framework, balancing rolling percussion, subtle pressure, and a strong sense of floor-focused depth.
Sa Pa launches Dub Techno For Life: a dedicated outlet for the artist’s more dancefloor-focused material - work that has largely sat outside the conceptual frame of his previous releases.
The label’s first release, Girls on Tour EP, opens with “Mokira Ultra Dub”, a 10-minute club rework of Mokira classic “Manipulation Musik”. Originally produced alongside an ambient version commissioned for Kontra Musik’s 2016 Kontra X compilation, the dancefloor mix was ultimately shelved until now. With Andreas ‘Mokira’ Tilliander’s blessing, it finally surfaces as a standalone Sa Pa production. A track too banging to go unreleased.
“Waiting For You” traces back to Sa Pa’s orbit around the giegling ecosystem via FORUM. Once lined up for an official release on the parent label before plans stalled, the track slipped into the archives. Buoyant and disarmingly pop by Sa Pa standards, it finds its place here as the A2 - tuned to the collective memory of mid-2010s German house music.
Harnessing the spirit of Chain Reaction from the abandoned patches and borrowed machines of a rainy night’s recording in Taipei, the B-side’s “Modular System” captures a late-night, one-take modular jam. A broken yet hopeful “World Saving Banger” closes the EP with some raw and IDM-leaning force, showcasing Sa Pa’s new label - and the Girls On Tour EP - as a space for neo dub techno ideals to take shape.
Jay Denham is the US techno mainstay behind Fade To Black and now his 1990 EP 'In Synch' gets reissued as the second outing from the Tape & Disc Control crew. The original often fetches close to three figures on the second-hand market and was an early blueprint for rugged analogue techno with plenty of bounce, not least in the title cut. 'The Calling (reprise)' builds through classic Detroit machine soul with surging chords and feathery light percussion dancing over the groove. 'Insistent Rhythm' has boom and swing in equal measure while 'The Calling' is rich in old school techno funk and plenty of wiggy electronic lines. 36 years old but still utterly futuristic.
The Gravitate label is back with a new drop from an artist who has chosen to remain anonymous. The EP is anything but, however: it's the sort of characterful garage, minimal and tech melange that is going to announce itself in any setting. 'Track 1' builds with layers of percussion and a rolling bassline that becomes more sleazy on 'Track 2' with retro stabs and soulful pads harking back to early US garage days. 'Track 3' is another gritty bumper with plenty of details that make it pop before the closer flips the vibe with a more wavy slice of comically inclined space tech for smooth late-night cruising.
Mit "Adonia" erscheint ein außergewöhnliches Werk zwischen elektronischer Avantgarde, Progressive Rock und kosmischer Klangforschung. Entstanden 1978 in Paris, vereint das Projekt um Hervé Picart musikalische Vision, literarischen Anspruch und technische Innovation zu einem beeindruckenden Gesamtkonzept. Gemeinsam mit Richard Pinhas (Heldon) und Schlagzeuger François Auger entwickelt Ose einen Sound, der sich zwischen Berlin School, Kraut-Elektronik und klassischem Prog bewegt. Analoge Synthesizer wie das Moog-System treffen auf dynamische Gitarren und präzise Rhythmik. Inhaltlich verbindet das Album Mythologie und Science-Fiction: Der imaginäre Planet "Adonia" wird zur Projektionsfläche für eine Klangwelt zwischen organischer Wärme und elektronischer Weite. Erstmals 1978 veröffentlicht und bis 1979 international auf Vinyl erschienen, blieb das Album über Jahrzehnte hinweg ohne offizielle CD-Veröffentlichung zugänglich. Adonia entwickelte sich so zu einem faszinierenden Dokument einer kreativen Übergangsphase - visionär, atmosphärisch und stilistisch einzigartig.
At the cusp of a new millennium, British electronic music was rapidly changing. Jungle and garage had broken into the mainstream, but were running out of creative gas – what fresh movement would next captivate the underground? On the outer edges of London, a small group of bass lovers had the answer. Through a new strain of subloaded beats that stripped jungle, rave, techno and garage for parts, this scene returned to the dub roots, prizing the fundamentals of soundsystem culture: bass, space and togetherness. They called it dubstep.
In Aftershock: The Seismic Impact of Dubstep, seasoned music writer Lauren Martin charts the origins of one of the 21st century’s most innovative music genres in an oral history format. Through the testimonies of its architects and an immersive array of photography, flyers and unseen scene history, Aftershock chronicles the rise of artists like Skream, Mala, Coki, Loefah, Horsepower Productions and Rusko, as well as labels and parties such as Hyperdub, Tempa, DMZ, FWD>> and Skull Disco.
Together, this movement shook the British underground, exploded onto the internet and, within a decade, had rocked global music at unprecedented scale. Through first-hand storytelling, Aftershock is a testament to how the imagination and persistence of a few can transform culture.
Quotes
“Written via interviews with 28 leading scene figures from London and beyond, Lauren Martin’s oral history of dubstep is a landmark document of British club culture. This heavy, asymmetric music, informed by Jamaican soundsystem culture, garage, grime, breaks and more, could only have mutated in the UK, and Martin’s cast of characters take you back to the Croydon record shops, Shoreditch clubs and online forums where it came together. Amid funny tales of infighting and the inside stories of classic tracks, the artists’ pluck and passion are what shine through brightest, and make this such an inspirational read.” – Ben Beaumont-Thomas, Editor at Guardian Music
Solid Groove founder Aubrey returns with a definitive EP that throws it back to the 90s with a collection of tracks from his Cheap Knob Gags label that he headed up with Josh Brent aka Schatrax. 'At The Crack Of Dawn (1999) Knob 5' is hot, humid, muscular house with tight synth loops and dusty layers of texture, then 'Bell Ringer (1999) Knob 5' slows it down with a more pensive and dubby groove. Flipping it once more, 'Does He Rent It Out (1995) Knob 1' is a speedy and tightly coiled rhythm with techno synths, tribal percussion and nods to free-tekno. 'Getting Your Palm Read (1995) Knob 5' is an unhinged and manic tool for the freaks and true to the ADHD nature of this EP, 'Manhole (1999) Knob 6' then slows into jazzy loops before 'Manhood 1996 Knob 2' takes off at full throttle once more. Wonderfully mad.
Following a nine-year hiatus, Willie Burns' WT Records imprint is back in business. To kick off a new era, the New York producer has chosen to reissue sometime L.I.E.S man Entro Senestre's hard-to-find 2016 EP 'ES'. It remains one of the producer's greatest moments. For proof, check deep, emotive opener 'Rosegold', where cascading pianos and melancholic chords ride tough house drums and a moody bassline, and the techno-tempo deep acid shuffler 'DOHC'. 'TriState' sees him go deeper still on a hybrid ambient/deep breaks flex, while 'Sb Dauntless' fixes similar ambient sonics to an experimental, oddly swung, lightly UKG-influenced beat.
Grey Echo Recordings launches with its debut release, a four-track EP that lays the foundation for the label’s sonic identity. Crafted by AeFe, the record delivers four distinct interpretations of groove-driven techno, each with its own character while remaining connected through a shared vision of hypnotic rhythms, timeless energy, and old-school influence.
From deep and immersive journeys to more driving and peak-time-focused cuts, the EP explores different shades of techno while maintaining a strong focus on movement and functionality. Hypnotic sequences, rolling percussion, powerful low-end grooves, and subtle atmospheric details combine to create tracks designed for both demanding dancefloors and dedicated listeners alike.
As the first release on Grey Echo Recordings, this EP serves as a statement of intent: authentic, uncompromising techno inspired by the genre’s roots while looking firmly toward the future.
Broadcasting from the Portuguese interior, SARaMAGO returns to Carpet & Snares with four more cuts of deep and streamlined technoid house. ‘Flowing’ matches a jacking beat to addictive 90s organs and acidic accents, while the moody, metallic ‘Inner Peace’ evokes the classic UK techno of Stasis or Luke Slater. On the flip, the pulsing bassline and robot vocoders of ‘The Blackbox’ evoke Belgian body music, but housed in a contemporary groove. Saramago closes out the EP with the quirky electro-funk banger ‘Smile’, which is sure to raise exactly that on the dancefloor.
Kaizen is a Japanese philosophy that means “continuous improvement.”
The new Lisbon-based label is built around a vision of constant evolution in groove and rhythm. The label’s debut release comes from its founder, Stan Yaroslavsky, delivering a deeply personal project that reflects his artistic growth throughout years of musical exploration and production.
The 4-track EP showcases different sides of his musical identity, with each track representing a unique approach to sound, groove, and atmosphere. Blending elements of House and Tech House with subtle minimal influences, the release captures both movement and progression while staying true to the label’s core philosophy of continuous change.
New Source gladly welcomes Bruno Sugga aka Borrego Matrix, a DJ and producer from La Paz, Uruguay, with over a decade inside the local electronic scene. Trained by pioneer DJ Koolt, his sound has always moved through house, techno and minimal with a clear focus on groove and dancefloor connection.
Source 05 captures that same language in four tracks — introspective, raw and organic, with the coherence of someone who knows exactly what they want to say.
Constantly pushing his studio craft into unexplored realms, Pugilist returns to Samurai with a fresh clutch of innovative hybridised meditations transmitting from upper tempos. The versatility in Alex Dickson's approach is proven by the broad spectrum of labels he releases on — as comfortable shelling down for Shall Not Fade as he is tearing out on Rupture London. As the Melbourne / Naarm-based producer opens up the Triads EP with 'Rune', he hones in on a dynamic fusion of insistent technoid propulsion and brooding bass snarls with a mysterious portent. 'Pyre' swiftly turns up the percussive intensity with bludgeoning kicks and whipcrack snares that evoke classic electronica as much as D&B. For all the sharp attack of the drums, though, Dickson manages his ingredients with ruthless restraint, creating a fierce kind of meditation in the process. 'Woven' allows a rich variety of snaking synth lines to take centre stage as we tunnel into the second half of the EP, relishing the space for dynamic modulation and slowly evolving, cinematic pads that offer a glacial foil to the twitchy pace of the snappier elements in the mix. 'Machiavellian' plays the consummate closer in its lead in, playing a patient game in ritualistic drums before the herald of rave tropes rear up in some pronounced, choppy snare science. Yet again, Dickson opts for a softer approach where you might be expecting an explosive drop, allowing the skittering drums to roll on until they become a mesmerising texture in the track. In the end, it's an expert flourish demonstrating the energetic possibilities that lie in the spaces beyond more obvious peaks and troughs. Across four brilliantly original, highly advanced rollers, Pugilist nails the balance between subtlety and impact and proves himself a worthy advocate for the path less travelled.
Returning to Samurai Music following last year's Between Veils, Sciama opens up a new portal of exacting sonic exploration with Wave Interaction. Moving through dense drone shrouds, steely sound design and tense, taut rhythms, Michael Watters lays out a manifesto for waveform resonance within the half-time D&B tempo range. Wave Interaction is the precursor to a forthcoming album that will lay out a purposeful study of the interaction between machine-made sound waves and human perception, inspired by the teachings of early electronic music pioneer Daphne Oram. As an opening statement, 'Cele' maximises on a patient, spacious arrangement that allows the carefully sculpted layers of waveforms to resonate with minimal distractions. Far from minimal, it's a dense and evocative sound world Watters builds up. 'Excitation' brings more detailed percussive sequencing into the mix, teasing pin-prick snatches of breakbeats and designer ripples that dart around the psychoactive tonal elements in the mix. 'Intermodulaton I' opens the second half of Wave Interaction on a crisp, stepping beat more than ready for the club. As ever, functionality is only one part of the picture as further uncanny sheets of ambiguously tuned synth work unfurl across the austere framework. 'Shifting Formants' has a knottier, tunnelling quality that joins the dots with techno hypnotism, made all the more immersive by the harmonic overtones radiating off the vibrant lead lines that give the track its distinctive character. Guided by a clear intention and a finely honed studio practice, the return of Sciama hails an impactful addition to his considerable catalogue and tees up further compelling exploration on the impending long player.
After his 2024 sold-out debut 12" "Selective Attention", which was praised by many artists like Karotte, Jamie Jones, Michel de Hey, Stefan Weise, Sam Paganini, Slam, and more, Blauert releases his new 4-tracker for the episode of 2026. Four deep dub and house-influenced techno tracks!
Written and produced by Dominic Jabs
Mastered by Emanuel Geller at Salz Mastering
Joves, the alias of Joseph Tagliabue, arrives on space•lab with Escape — a beautifully constructed four-track journey through deep techno, minimalism and acid.
Escape (Into The Forest Mix) sets the tone with brooding atmospheres, hypnotic rhythms and intricate textures, unfolding into a deeply immersive opener. Morphosis strips things back into leaner territory — a rolling minimal groove built around subtle movement, tension and alien electronics.
On the flip, Escape (Acid Space Mix) pushes forward with driving energy, fusing resonant acid lines with propulsive drums and clinical sound design for a powerful late-night workout. Closing track Aurora Lunare brings the EP to an emotional finish, combining melodic flourishes and euphoric harmonics.
Featuring rare- and first-on-vinyl tracks from beloved producers such as 2000 And One, Stasis, and CiM. Remastered by DMX Krew and with an accompanying online essay by Oli Warwick.
Across eight carefully selected slices of starry-eyed machine soul, Cold Blow presents an exquisite tour through backroom techno and downtempo electro. With a focus on thematic flow and an immersive listening experience, the London-based label explores works from leading lights of the 1990s and previously unreleased cuts that celebrate the human heart that can be discovered in synthetic sound practices. The development of techno in the 1990s saw the music evolve in different directions across the world. From the expressive blueprint laid out by the Detroit pioneers, a wide range of tempos and energies emerged. Techno's evocative synthesis and intricate drum machine programming was especially potent for deeper explorations away from the dancefloor. Documents Of A Different Reality casts back to when technology was steering quantum leaps in communication and creativity and the future was shot through with naive optimism. It was also a time when the media and industry hadn't caught up with the music to box it into distinct categories. As such, there's a sense of creative freedom that informs the older tracks on the album, from 2000 And One and Sandy Huner's sparkling example of early Dutch techno to London-based LA Synthesis' detailed take on braindance and the majestic night sky vision of cult legend Stasis. There's also space for rare, late 90s machine funk from Icelandic outlier Thor alongside Connective Zone's charmingly fractured bleep dream and a more contemporary offering from Barcelona-based duo Permutation. Meanwhile Mind Control and CiM both capture the spirit of stylistic fusion with twitchier rhythms that take influence from hardcore and jungle as much as techno. With an atmospheric through-line of melancholic pads and harmonious leads, this small but perfectly formed collection naturally follows on from previous, equally thought-out compilations on Cold Blow, and adds a distinct perspective on the history and continuing legacy of pioneering early ambient techno.
MASK Records founder ZentaSkai joins forces with Berlin-based creative Laura Merino Allue under the name Cuddling Monsters, a project centered on analog processes and tactile sound design. Debuting in March 2024, the project explores Detroit-infused House, dub Techno, and minimal soundscapes shaped by raw texture and spatial depth. Working exclusively with analogue instruments, the duo prioritise warmth, imperfection, and presence over polish. Alongside her music work, Laura Merino Allue is also a graphic designer, bringing a strong visual identity to the project’s wider aesthetic.
‘Cuddling Monsters' is inspired by real-life experiences — the raw, imperfect, beautiful moments we move through. We believe in staying present, feeling everything deeply, and embracing the analog flow of the now. It’s about living the moment fully — and like a cuddle on the dancefloor, creating a space where sound holds you, warmth surrounds you, and even the wildest monsters feel safe enough to soften.’ -
Cuddling Monsters
The Cuddling Monsters ‘Vol. 3’ EP opens with ‘Bubble Bloom’, a melodic house track featuring warped, filtered synth tones that set a hazy foundation before a dub-leaning beat settles in. It’s layered with aquatic, bubbly textures and fragmented samples, adding warmth and movement. ‘Warm Waves’ shifts into a lighter, more atmospheric space, increasing the tempo slightly while maintaining a restrained, ethereal character. The B-side closes with ‘Secret Signal’, a long-form techno piece stretching over ten minutes, where evolving synth lines gradually merge with soft, dubby drums and analogue percussion, building steadily without excess before easing out.
A shared studio session in Detroit led to this focused techno collaboration between heavyweight talents Luke Hess and Thor. Recorded over several intense days inside the DeepLabs studio, the EP reflects a meeting of two distinct approaches. Hess brings the warm, soulful pulse long associated with Detroit techno, while Thor contributes a stripped-back minimal sensibility shaped by his Icelandic roots. Analogue machines and rare samples give the music a tactile edge and form the crisp but deep drive of 'Induction' to the subtly uplift and smoky soul of 'Samruni'. This is a restrained yet powerful record.
There are records that do not so much belong to an era as they pass through it, leaving traces rather than statements, circulating in the margins where function outweighs discourse. World Cup, written at the end of the 1990s by Kiko, emerged in precisely that way — as a techno track whose presence was felt less through promotion than through repetition, carried from booth to booth, absorbed into the working vocabulary of DJs who recognized in it something immediate and self-evident. Its architecture is minimal yet insistent, driven by tension and release, a form of clarity that resists ornament and instead privileges duration, pressure, and movement.
When it resurfaced in 2006, it did not return as a revision but as a continuation, reaffirming its role within the ecology of the dancefloor. The same internal logic remained intact, allowing it to re-enter circulation without friction, as though it had simply been waiting to be picked up again. In both instances, the track operates less as a fixed object than as a tool — something to be used, extended, and recontextualized in real time.
Bringing together these two versions alongside Tainted Life, the release traces a subtle but telling trajectory. If World Cupdefines a certain techno functionalism, Tainted Life reveals another dimension: a proto-Italo sensibility that gestures toward what would later coalesce as electroclash, not through stylistic declaration but through texture, tone, and attitude. Long absent from digital circulation and largely confined to obscurity, it appears here not as a rediscovery, but as a piece whose relevance has simply remained latent.
Nothing has been added, nothing has been altered beyond what was necessary to restore presence. The recordings are allowed to exist in their own continuity, detached from the temporal markers that might otherwise confine them.
The artwork, conceived by H5, extends this approach into the visual field. Its restraint is not aesthetic minimalism for its own sake, but a form of structural clarity, where composition and absence articulate a space in which the record can be encountered without interference, as if resurfacing from a parallel timeline that never fully closed.
Inweys is the new project from Scottish musicians Conal Blake (Feedback Moves, Domestic Exile, Infant Tree) and Murray Collier (Dip Friso, Grim Lusk, Real Landscape). Their debut self-titled 12’ was recorded in the summer of 2024 at La Chunky Studios in Glasgow.
They asked Fielding Hope of Counterflows Festival to write a short summary of the record:
“Inweys debut release arrives as four pieces of broken body music. Lurking, barely human fragments brought into the present. Using a short drum-machine improvisation as core material, the pieces are formed from a processes of mining and re-mining for small details, with each fragment zoomed in on and turned into new pieces. There’s a transformation taking place, but one that doesn’t obscure the materiality of the recording tapes as sticky, corrosive matter. On skewed and stretched fabric they enact their palimpsestic play, sketching and altering the grid with itchy technologies. What their edits and improvisations don’t say they let space say the rest, with vacuum aerated frames for bass to diffuse and beats to wriggle. More King Tubby than Cage, more Mantronix than Reich: minimalism with molten tips.
Both Conal and Murray’s past work has embraced malleable and iterative technologies; music whose feeliness figures itself out in space in a messy precomposed/improvised dialectic. This is the sort of thing most “new music” experimentalists (or anyone who spends most of their time obsessively manipulating tapes in expensive studios) often can’t achieve; a liveness, birthed from learning in situated play. Like the lore of Phuture’s Acid Trax, a poverty of material is at the heart of this, rendering the work with an abortive conviction: a corpse waking to consciousness becomes amphibious. Instead of the composer we have a relation, two people navigating the awkward spooling between the two reels of tape. Inweys is scots for “inwards”, and in their working process this is what they do. But the result is circular motion. Until the tape runs out, all in ways move out.”
Christian Prommer – producer, drummer, DJ and multi?instrumentalist best known for his work with Trüby Trio, Fauna Flash, Drumlesson, Voom:Voom (with Peter Kruder), Prommer & Barck (with Alex Barck), and as the producer of DJ Hell’s Teufelswerk – presents his new album Rhythmic Nocturne, spanning spiritual deep house, jazz, balearic trip?hop and hypnotic rhythm explorations. A must for fans of St. Germain, Floating Points and refined grooves at all speeds.
This album distills ten years of Berlin into a twilight drift between order and abandon. Daytime studio sketches are pulled apart at night, reshaped by shifting perspectives that swing between jazz harmony, textural experimentation, and the heavy gravity of techno basslines and analog drums. Intimately close-mic’d piano, drums, percussion, cello, and strings are constantly recontextualized—dropped into new rooms, resonances, and imagined spaces—so their meaning keeps mutating. Room noise, human breath, and accidental sounds are folded into the pulse, turning spill and imperfection into rhythm. Even a piano lid thudding shut on “Dark Matter” is claimed as part of the beat, underscoring an album that embraces freedom, spontaneity, and the beautiful lack of accountability that defines this city at night.
Coming off the back of what could only be described as ‘THAT’ CBRK001 track, we are thrilled to welcome Lindsey Herbert back to circuit|breaker with our first full length artist EP. Lindsey presents four highly effective, stripped back weapons - displaying her artistry in style. ‘You and Me’ opens the A side, perfectly encapsulating the essence of Lindsey’s signature peak time sound. An unfolding journey, leading with a wonky, yet sinister synth on top of driving percussive elements. As we begin to explore the world of the A1, the track is elevated once more, with a homemade vocal cut, paired with some expertly engineered percussion, giving us a greater sense of depth and flow through call and response techniques. Up next is ‘Tunnel Vision’ - a minimalistic tool injected with a thumping low end, dense rhythms and metallic textures, exhibiting a unique atmospheric restraint
with the dance floor in mind. As the track progresses we are introduced to a murky bleep sequence, keeping the track grounded for those deeper moments on the floor.
The B side launches into ‘Fluctuations’, once again presenting us with a classic peak time slammer. Carrying the track, a huge funky swinging hook, enticing the listener into its trance, feeling like it will never let you go. Amongst its energy, there is a sensation of playfulness that will invite the listener into its groove and functionality. We cap off the release with ‘Fragments of Light’ - a stripped back, potent cut, indulging into a more textural approach and allowing the track to breathe through subtle atmosphere, moments of low end resonance and percussive exchange. A detroit-esque dub hitgives the track a soulful offering and reminds us of the nucleus of techno.
First EP from new Australian label Royston Park Records is straight out the gate with five heavy tracks from High Priestess - Raw Loops For The Heads. Drawing inspiration from tech-house, electro and more!
Low-key Detroit producer, Aubrey Hoermann, gained notoriety with his Odic Force label launched in 1998 (home for his own minimal techno productions until 2002).
2001's 'The Dance Flo-Funk EP' is widely considered his most iconic release - a minimal percussive journey and the perfect DJ tool. Stripped to the bone. A sound that echoes the late 90s Detroit movement.
Hugely sought after, now reissued for the first time from the original tapes and remastered with love
After the success of Made in the Emirates – Volume 1, which documented a wide spectrum of the UAE’s independent music scene, the series returns with its second installment.
Made in the Emirates – Volume 2 shifts focus to the country’s electronic underground, bringing together 8 original tracks spanning deep house, breaks, techno, and experimental club sounds. A snapshot of a thriving scene, built by artists shaping it on their own terms.
The compilation brings together a cross-section of artists shaping the UAE’s electronic underground today:
- Tarik Omar opens the record with Sample Sunday, reflecting his deep-rooted approach to rhythm and sampling.
- Adam Rahman delivers K Lock, a tightly wound club tool driven by percussive precision.
- Sons Of Rhythm revisit their catalogue through a Rhythm Plate Italo 90 Remix, bridging classic house influences with a forward-facing Italo touch.
- Megadon Betamax - a co-founder of boutique imprint Voyeurhythm Records brings Maha Monastery, an atmospheric funk-infused cut that leans into experimental yet groovy electronics.
- Curator Shadi Megallaa contributes Word Jazz, reflecting his long-standing role in shaping Dubai’s underground through Ark to Ashes and The Flip Side.
- OHFFF a project born from spontaneity, sonic curiosity and sequencer experiments. Dwelling is a club-friendly.
- Tacit presents The Lakritze Suite, a multi-layered, hard beat composition that moves between abstraction and industrial structure.
- Closing the record, Nasrawi’s Intention Dub channels deep, and dubby, grounding the compilation in a reflective, low-end driven finale.
- Curated and compiled by Shadi Megallaa (Ark to Ashes / The Flip Side, Dubai).
Aubrey is Allen Saei, a UK techno veteran who shaped the early scene as a DJ and record shop worker, but also with his influential label Solid Groove. It launched in 1991 and burned bright for 13 years with fans including Derrick May and Terry Francis. In 2026, it returns with a brand new EP from the boss himself, following a major studio upgrade. His sound harks back to those golden early days but in subtle ways: 'Timing Shock' has booming kicks and wispy synth details bring a future feel. 'Complex Vortex' is a trippy wormhole, 'Spinning Gravity' is deep, Detroit-style machine warmth and 'Cracker Jacker' burrows into a distant cosmic abyss. A fine return from Aubrey.
Red Deviil returns to X-IMG with their first ever vinyl release titled “Tesoros Infernales” featuring five original cuts of their uniquely sinister Techno Body Music topped off by three exquisite remixes by distinguished veterans of the underground dark electronics scene. The LP consists of forty minutes of sinister, brooding, groovy & cutting edge tracks with a bonus digital track included with the attached download code. Remixers include Filmmaker, Arnaud Rebotini & Mind | Matter. This release follows their incredible first X-IMG debut album from 2023 titled “Tendencias Ocultas”.
Red Deviil is the project of Guni Ca & Blak G hailing from the deceptively picturesque town of Tuxtla Gutiérrez in Chiapas Mexico. They are based out of their Astro Bar headquarters & event space where they host regular nights of underground electronic music, cultivating the local scene in Mexico while inviting and performing alongside international acts. The pair’s thick & heavy dark electronic music output contrasts heavily with their idyllic surroundings where they play a key role in developing the local underground community.
Raving Molecules, a record label and events collective focused on promoting the underground electronic music scene from Iasi, Romania, make their debut on wax with Creeptoid EP, signed by the resident artist and label curator Jo Creep.
The tracks featured on Creeptoid EP evokes the oldskool Tech House sound of the early 2000s and could be wrapped up and mixed between a maniac eclectic melancholy and a frantic unsettling ensemble of emotions carrying you effortlessly from one sound trip to another.
Applying the solid structures of floor-focused Berlin techno to the expressive space of introspective electronica, Answer Code Request returns to Delsin with his first album in eight years. Halo finds Patrick Gr?ser broadening his sound palette more than ever before, matching atmospheric synthesis with dynamic beat constructions true to his impressive legacy while breaking new ground. Across Halo, smoky clouds of pads and chords lend the album an introspective quality in the grand tradition of ambient techno. In front of these haunting melodic forms, Gr?ser is free to explore all manner of rhythmic directions. There are fractured, downtempo micro beats and angular fractals on the likes of 'Fading Shadows' and 'Refraction' that take their cues from breakbeat -- finely detailed drum sequences constantly evolving into new arrangements. A pointed nod to D&B rears its head on the aptly named, hard-edged 'Fracture' and you might hear a firmly submerged hint of ravey acid coursing under 'Sublith'. Elsewhere, the firmer kick-anchored pulse of the classic Answer Code Request sound manifests for more forthright techno excursions such as 'Halo' and 'Bliphar'. In the context of the album, though, these tougher tropes are channeled into mesmerising soundscapes that soften the attack without diminishing the potential for club impact. In this era of his craft, Gr?ser moves instinctively through the sounds and approaches that inspire him, and the end result is an album that feels natural and open, all the while steadily progressing the ongoing evolution of Answer Code Request.
Chlar returns to his Primal Instinct label with 'Modern Survival'
Following the widely praised Funk Assault (Chlar & Alarico) 'Minimum One Post A Week' EP, which kicked off the Primal Instinct label last summer and won the support of the likes of Rodhad, Tasha, and Luke Slater, as well as routine plays from Sarah Story on BBC Radio 1, Chlar now returns to his imprint with solo venture 'Modern Survival'. While the first Primal Instinct release saw references to artist urges and behaviours on social media, this next instalment explores a modern recontextualisation of humanity's hierarchy of needs in yet another high-concept EP.
First up, 'Internet Soulmate' boasts a crunchy bassline as its drum work chugs along the track playfully. The groove twists and turns before the hypnotic and tribal 'Supermarket Hunting' continues with sounds of nature, loopy rhythm and syncopated bleeps.
On the B-side's 'Body Control Officer', human-made grooves intertwine with machine-like thrum, synths whirring and zapping, while 'Competitive Influencing' takes off with rolling percussion, subtle whistles and distorted vocal one-shots. Closing out another stellar offering from the Primal Instinct frontman, Chlar brings the dark 'Scout My Algorithm', a brooding slow-burner offset by smooth arpeggio snippets and warped slices of digital noise.
"In an era where technology entwines our everyday existence, where the virtual realm shapes our interactions, and where the pursuit of influence takes centre stage comes an EP that delves deep into the modern tapestry of human existence. 'Modern Survival' is not merely a collection of songs and visual clips, but a poignant reflection on the intricate dance between our primal instincts and the brave new world we navigate today. The EP invites listeners on a journey of self-discovery and reflection, prompting them to ponder the fundamental essence of our existence in an environment of fast-paced technological evolution." - Chlar
Connecters Vol. 1: Original Recordings, 1992-1999 ist die erste Veröffentlichung von Larrison, dem Pseudonym des bildenden Künstlers und Musikers Larrison Seidle aus dem Mittleren Westen. Larrison komponierte, programmierte und nahm alles komplett auf einem Casio CZ-5000 auf, während der guten alten Zeit der selbstgemachten Experimente und Entdeckungen in den frühen 90ern. Er lebte in einer Traumwelt, die er selbst erfunden hatte, mit Soundtracks aus Space-Age-Pop-Vignetten, gespickt mit hypnotischen, überschwänglichen, vielschichtigen Synthesizer-Melodien. Mit 26 Tracks, die alle neu restauriert und aus den Originalquellen gemastert wurden, erfindet sich Connecters Vol. 1 Song für Song neu, überwindet die Zeit und trotzt der vorbestimmten Vergessenheit dieser brillanten, diskreten Musik, die vor drei Jahrzehnten entstanden ist. Larrison Seidle wuchs in den 70er und 80er Jahren in Greenwood, Indiana, einem Arbeitervorort von Indianapolis, auf. Er stammte nicht aus einer Musikerfamilie, aber aus einem Haushalt, in dem Musikalität gefördert wurde. Sein Vater kaufte eine elektrische Orgel, in der Hoffnung, dass Larrison und sein älterer Bruder das Instrument lernen würden. ,Am Ende saß mein Vater einige Abende an der Orgel, improvisierte und spielte immer wieder dieses eine Lied, von dem ich mich noch an die ersten Takte erinnern kann", erinnert sich Larrison. Möglicherweise war es in diesem Moment, in dem es zwar keine formale Ausbildung gab, aber viel Ermutigung und Entdeckungsfreude, dass der Künstler seine ersten musikalischen Experimente machte. Diese Erlaubnis, sich auszuprobieren, sollte seine kreative Arbeit in den folgenden Jahren deutlich prägen. Während in Larrisons Elternhaus klassische Rockplatten leicht zugänglich waren, lieh sich sein Vater 35-mm-Dokumentarfilme aus der Bibliothek aus, um sie im Wohnzimmer zu zeigen, die alle mit skurrilen Instrumentalstücken unterlegt waren. Als Teenager nahm er John Carpenters und Alan Howarths Endthema aus ,Die Klapperschlange" mit einem kleinen Kassettenrekorder neben dem Fernsehlautsprecher auf und liebte Tangerine Dreams Beiträge zu Ridley Scotts düsterer Fantasy ,Legend". Seine Faszination für diese weitgehend textlosen, synthesizerbasierten Kompositionen führte zu einem eigenwilligen Verständnis davon, wie Musik nicht nur das ergänzt, was wir vor uns sehen, sondern auch das, was wir in den Tiefen unseres Bewusstseins erleben. 1985, als er dreizehn Jahre alt war, überzeugte Larrison seinen Vater, ihm ein Casio CZ-5000-Keyboard zu kaufen. Wie zuvor die Orgel war auch dieses Instrument eine Neuheit im Haushalt der Seidles. Erst nach seinem Highschool-Abschluss 1991 und dem Beginn seines Studiums an der Herron School of Art in Indianapolis entdeckte er den in das Casio integrierten Sequenzer und begann, seine Kompositionen auf Band aufzunehmen. ,Das CZ-5000 und sein 8-Spur-Sequenzer sind die einzigen Musikinstrumente, die ich benutzt habe. Es hat eine fast unbegrenzte Funktion zur Erzeugung neuer Klänge", erklärte Seidle. Während seiner Zeit an der Herron School of Art freundete sich Larrison mit seinem Kommilitonen und Klangkünstler Michael Northam an, den er bei einem Konzert auf dem Campus kennengelernt hatte. Nachdem Northam Larrison für die Musik von Severed Heads, Throbbing Gristle und Roger Doyle begeistert und damit seine Zuneigung und sein Vertrauen gewonnen hatte, überredete er ihn, nach Austin, Texas, zu ziehen, das in den frühen 90er Jahren für seine lebendige Kunst- und Musikszene bekannt war. Die beiden wohnten zunächst bei Northams Freund Daniel Plunkett, dem Herausgeber und Verleger von ND, einem einflussreichen Magazin, das sich von 1982 bis 1999 mit DIY-Musik und Tape-Trading beschäftigte. In seiner Blütezeit hatte ND Tausende von Lesern, und Plunkett verschickte die Ausgaben weltweit. In den letzten Monaten des Jahres 1993 und Anfang 1994 schrieb und nahm Larrison mit begrenzten Mitteln und grenzenloser Intuition eine Reihe von Songs mit seinem CZ-5000 in einer kleinen Wohnung nördlich der Innenstadt von Austin auf, bastelte eine farbenfrohe, illustrierte Beilage, in der einige Songtitel durch Linien oder Pfeile dargestellt waren, und gab sie an Plunkett weiter, damit er sie für ND rezensieren konnte. Diese einzelne Kassette mit dem Titel Connecters sic war eine von 1200, die im Laufe des Bestehens der Publikation bei ND eingereicht wurden und die Jed Bindeman, Mitbegründer von Freedom To Spend, 2020 erworben und fast wie durch ein Wunder entdeckt hat. ,Ich hatte große Schwierigkeiten, mir die Kassetten in dieser Sammlung anzuhören", gibt Bindeman zu. ,Aber dann legte ich Larrisons Connecters ein und dachte sofort: ,Wow! Was höre ich da?' Die Kassette war von Anfang bis Ende einfach fantastisch." Mit Musik von genau dieser Kassette und anderen Aufnahmen aus Larrisons Experimenten in den 90er Jahren ist Connecters eine Übersicht über Instrumentalmusik, die sowohl durch vielfältige konzeptionelle Strategien als auch durch spielerische Neugierde geprägt ist. Seidle arbeitete unter Bedingungen, die viele Musiker als Einschränkung empfinden würden, und entwickelte technisch innovative Ansätze, um die Klänge und integrierten Effekte des CZ-5000 zu modifizieren. Das Gerät ermöglichte es ihm, die Wellenform, die Hüllkurve und die Tonart von Klängen mithilfe der Phasenverzerrungssynthese zu verändern und so im Grunde genommen Instrumente zu schaffen, während er Songs komponierte. Die Tracks zeichnen sich durch eine durchdachte impressionistische Vielfalt aus, die mal lo-fi, mal symphonisch klingt. Inmitten der Zerlegung und Verstärkung der Fähigkeiten des CZ-5000 gibt es auch einen geschmackvollen Rückgriff auf eine kindliche Interaktion und Erfahrung von Klang. Vielleicht ist es diese Erfahrungsqualität, die es so schwierig macht, Larrisons Projekt einfach als Ambient oder Elektronik zu verstehen. Sein Wille, die ihm zur Verfügung stehenden Werkzeuge zu transformieren, hebt die daraus resultierenden Kompositionen auf eine persönliche Ebene und verleiht der Musik einen bezaubernden Sinn für Mystik. Connecters ist ein Beweis für eine künstlerische Vision, die sich nicht durch Grenzen einschränken lässt und keine Angst vor Informalität hat. Diese Aufnahmen, die dreißig Jahre nach ihrer Dokumentation auf magische Weise an die Oberfläche kommen, zeigen, wie personalisierte Produktionsmittel die Zeit ausdehnen und verkürzen können. Larrison lädt die Zuhörer ein, sich auf die Wunder der auditiven Vorstellungskraft einzulassen - eine Brücke zwischen visueller Erinnerung, emotionaler Resonanz und der grenzenlosen Möglichkeit, mit den uns zur Verfügung stehenden Mitteln Musik zu machen. Larrison's Connecters Vol. 1: Original Recordings, 1992-1999 wird am 3. April 2026 von Freedom To Spend als Vinyl- und Digitalausgabe veröffentlicht.
Ring Noord and Anetha connect on Everything Is Still To Come EP for Mama Told Ya
Ring Noord return with a five-track EP on Mama Told Ya, marking their first collaboration with Anetha and their first release on the label. Developed between studio sessions in Groningen and sustained time in the club, Everything Is Still To Come places their work in a broader context, moving between bass music, techno and rave, where instinct-driven writing meets a more direct sense of physical function.
Dieses Jazzensemble ist durch und durch skandinavisch. Schlagzeuger Emil Brandqvist stammt aus Schweden, Pianist Tuomas Turunen aus Finnland und Bassist Max Thornberg ist ebenfalls Schwede. Seit etwa drei Jahren bilden sie das Emil Brandqvist Trio – mit großem Tatendrang und großem Erfolg. »Falling Crystals« heißt ihr drittes Album.
Auch ihre Musik ist typisch skandinavisch: geprägt von unaufgeregten, meditativen Klängen und nordischer Melancholie.
Und obwohl man von einem Trio, das nach seinem Schlagzeuger benannt ist, eigentlich das genaue Gegenteil erwartet, zeigt Emil Brandqvist auf »Falling Crystals« ein weiteres Mal, wie gut musikalische Zurückhaltung klingt. Das hat er bereits mit seinen beiden Vorgängeralben »Breathe Out« (2013) und »Seascapes« (2015) bewiesen, für das der Schlagzeuger unlängst für den Echo Jazz 2016 in der Kategorie »Instrumentalist/in des Jahres international Drums/Percussion« nominiert wurde.
Neben all der Leichtigkeit und Stille des neuen Albums, darf aber nicht vergessen werden, dass es sich dabei auch um herausragende, starke Kompositionen handelt, in dessen Zentrum das Klavier steht.
Beim Emil Brandqvist Trio treffen technische Finesse und punktgenaues Zusammenspiel auf bildhafte, berührende und vor allem eingängige Melodien. »Falling Crystals« bleibt also lange im Gedächtnis – wie der letzte Skandinavienurlaub.
Rezensionen
»Emil Brandqvist scheint ein ausgeglichener Mensch zu sein, der mal ausgelassen und fröhlich daherkommt, aber auch seine nachdenklichen, leiseren Seiten hat. Jedenfalls versteht sich der Schlagzeuger darauf, mit seinem Trio heiter, schwungvoll, aber auch bedächtig aufzuspielen. In „Through The Forest“ hüpfen die Töne von ihm, dem Pianisten Tuomas Turunen und dem Kontrabassisten Max Thornberg so fröhlich, als hätten sie sich durch Hits von ABBA zu einem Tänzchen inspirieren lassen. Mit „Shine“ hingegen bringen sie eine kleine Melodie zum Strahlen, und die Ballade „Longing“ gewinnt durch ausdrucksstarke, stellenweise an Frank Sinatras Intonation erinnernde Klaviermelodien und ein klares Fundament von Bass und Schlagzeug Ausdruck. Zu dritt oder im Quartett mit dem Perkussionisten Martin Brandqvist verzichten sie auf virtuose Hochgeschwindkeitspassagen – ihre Stärken sind einerseits das gelassene Ineinandergreifen von Piano und Begleitung und andererseits die Fähigkeit, kurze und einprägsame Melodien abwechslungsreich auszugestalten. Mal greifen sie dabei auf minimalistische Variationstechniken zurück, mal setzen sie Brüche, gliedern in Abschnitte, setzen einzelne Segmente hintereinander. Im Eröffnungsstück „While We Are Here“ und dem abschließenden Epilog „The Oak Trees“ und „Early Spring“ unterstützt sie das Sjöströmska String Quartet mit flächigen Klängen und aufgefächerten Akkorden, während das Trio in „The Sea Begins To Freeze“ eher auf die Tradition der Minimal Music zurückgreift. Die im Titel angesprochenen Kristalle fallen nicht nur, sie funkeln auch.« (RONDO, Werner Stiefele, 12.03.2016)
»Die wahre Schönheit zeigt sich hier nicht an der Oberfläche. Brandqvist, Turunen und Thornberg sind wahre Meister darin, elaboriert-komplexe klangliche Architekturen mit einer fein gezeichneten Gradlinigkeit zu entwerfen…Wunderschöne freigeistliche und anrührende Musik.« (JazzPodium)
»Waren schon die beiden vorherigen CDs (s.u.) wertvolle Kostbarkeiten in Sachen Piano-Jazz, so kann das Album Falling Crystals noch mal einen draufsetzen. Ein dermaßen relaxtes, zeitloses und Musikliebhaber aller Couleurs ansprechendes Album hat man selten gesehen.« (sound&image.de)
»Falls Ihnen der Name bekannt vorkommt: Vom schwedischen Emil Brandqvist Trio haben wir schon mehrfach geschwärmt, das wunderbare ›Seascapes‹ Ende 2015 gar zu einem Album des Jahres gekürt. Nun folgt mit ›Falling Crystals‹ der nächste große Wurf. Wieder gelingt es den drei Musikern, ganz simple Ideen zu Stücken von zerbrechlicher Schönheit und anmut zu formen. Mal klingt das Trio fast wie Popmusik, mal erweitert es sein Klangspektrum durch ein Streichquartett. Dann scheint die berühmte nordische Melancholie noch etwas stärker durch die beührenden Melodien.« (Stern, 31.03.2016)
»Dem Schlagzeuger Emil Brandqvist gelingt mit seinem Jazz-Trio nun bereits zum dritten Mal ein gar nicht mal so einfaches Kunststück: hinreißend schöne, cineastisch ausgreifende Melodien zu schreiben.« (dpa + Focus)
»Typisch romantische Brandqvist-Art: Eine eingängige Popmelodie wird von schwebenden Streichern unterstützt, fern von darüber gezogenem Pathos.« (Jazz thing)
»Die klangmalerischen Landschaftsbilder des Trios …entwickeln einen hypnotischen Sog.« (Hörzu + Gong)
»Erstklassiger Piano-Jazz.« (In Music)
»Eine stilvoll und -sicher arrangierte Kreuzung aus Pop-Jazz und eingängiger Kammermusik.« (Nordische Musik.de)
»Dieses Trio besticht durch herrliche Melodien, welche tief ins Herz gelangen. Sounds welche man so schnell nicht vergisst. Es scheint als würden die Musiker ein Gemälde von unsagbarere Schönheit malen. Dieses Album sticht aus der Masse deutlich heraus.« (Jazzdrummerworld.de)
»Um es vorweg zu nehmen, mit Falling Crystals liefert das Emil Brandqvist Trio sein Meisterstück ab. Bereits in den letzten Jahren hat sich der Göteborger Schlagzeuger Emil Brandqvist auf vordere Ränge des europäischen Jazz gespielt, sein Trio steht für unaufgeregte, bildhafte und berührende Melodien und Sounds, die lebhaft in Erinnerung bleiben.« (Medien-Info.com)
Konzert-Reviews
Poesie- und Literaturfestival Bad Homburg – Lesung mit Max Moor:
»Unterbrochen werden seine Sequenzen vom Emil Brandqvist Trio, einer virtuosen großartigen finnisch-schwedischen Band, die mit magischen und häufig melancholischen Klängen, mit Jazz ganz eigener Prägung, den Inhalt der Geschichte aufgreift, intensiviert und weiterführt. ..« (Taunus Zeitung)
»Mit ihren besonderen Klangreisen hinterließen sie ein andächtiges und zugleich euphorisches Publikum, das die einzelnen Songs lautstark beklatschte…Einfach exzellent…mit seiner raffiniert gewürzten Lyrik des Nordens. Dieser teils magische Jazz bleibt in Erinnerung.« (shz.de)
»Klassisches Maß und große Kraft.« (HNA)
»In die Musik des Emil-Brandqvist-Trios kann man sich wunderbar versenken und sich darin verlieren…« (Haller Tagesblatt)
After more than a decade shaping dancefloors and curating sound, ROOTS steps into a new chapter with the launch of its vinyl imprint: ROOTS LTD, a platform dedicated to exploring the essence of “the sounds of Roots.”
The inaugural release comes courtesy of Gojnea76, delivering a refined four-track EP built with the dancefloor in mind. Drawing on the spirit of ‘90s tech house and memphis rap, the record blends solid basslines, groovy vocal cuts, and rolling pads into a cohesive and timeless journey.
With his unmistakable signature, Gojnea crafts a debut that feels both nostalgic and forward-thinking, a statement piece to mark the beginning of ROOTS LTD.
A decade into life, Secret Society marks this notable milestone year with a release that stays true to its ethos of depth and groove. Ewan Jansen started producing in the early 90s in Perth, often with the same hardware he used in his live shows. He's back on the label with two driving cuts built squarely for the dancefloor: 'Hydroid' is bright mid-tempo techno with pixelated synth charm, and 'Bodywash' is a deeper, more syrupy sound for late-night cruising. Alongside them sits a more introspective collaboration with Italian producer Luca that trades peak-time punch for texture and restraint. On remix duties, John Dimas adds his trademark crisp momentum and understated flair, a fitting choice given his long-standing connection to the camp.
The Komudo series is about "exploring the past and future of trance-infused techno" and this second volume looks to the origins of those styles with French producer and live performer Sindh at the helm. He kicks off with a lithe blend of kick and bass infused with wiry electronics and spoken words that bring a psychedelic edge. 'Kulkan' is bolder and more textured, with well-swung kicks and darker bass, while 'Atm Venom' has a mix of deft clicks and subliminal bass and more prominent synths blowing in the wind. It's a pared-back but impactful style that is endlessly lively. '2058' closes with deep space ambient pads, glassy daubs and distant details that make it brilliantly mentally nourishing.
This release represents the musical union of two friends who, despite the distance, have always found in music the place where they stay close. This EP is the proof that when the connection is real, sound becomes common ground - a space to share moments, ideas, and energy beyond geography.
Both artists have been devoted to physical formats from the very beginning, especially vinyl. They have always been record collectors, and that passion shapes the intention behind this project: a work conceived with the depth, respect, and materiality that only vinyl can convey. This EP is more than music; it is a cultural object that preserves a way of understanding techno.
Creatively, Truncate and Pushmann set out to merge their sonic identities. The result is an EP charged with strength, built for the dancefloor, and defined by a clear aesthetic: raw energy, firm rhythm, and a contemporary reading of hardgroove and jackin. These are intense, direct tracks - the kind that emerge when two visions complement each other effortlessly.
In a scene often driven by speed and overstimulation, this release stands out for its authenticity. It is fast, funky techno, yes, but crafted with soul, intention, and emotional depth. It does not chase trends; it delivers groove, substance, and a recognisable sonic character from the first bar.
Inspired by rave culture and the pure roots of hardgroove, this EP offers a journey that blends functionality, sensitivity, and force. A project that reinforces LILA's philosophy: preserving the essence of techno and supporting those who create it with passion.
New 4-track Ep From Austin, Texas Analogue Hardware Enthusiast Bill Converse. Immersed In The Early Days Of The 90s Midwest Rave Scene, Bill Began Djing At A Young Age In Lansing, Michigan. Luminaries Such As Claude Young, Traxx, And Derrick May Were Key Early Influences. Techno, Noise, Ambient And Tape Processing Are All Part Of His Uncanny Sound Palette. His Debut Album 'meditations/industry' Was Released On Cassette In 2013 And Edited For A Vinyl Release On Dark Entries In 2016 Followed By Two 12' Singles 'warehouse Invocation' And '7 Of 9' The Same Year. In 2017 Converse Released His Second Album 'the Shape Of Things To Come' Followed By The Double Ep 'salt Of Mars'.
'hulled' Is A 25 Minute Journey Spread Across 4 Tracks Of Glacial Abandon. All Tracks Were Recorded Directly To Tape With No Overdubs, Made At Converse's Home Studio. Bill Says These Tracks Represent 'ocean Waves In Stormy Conditions, Dark Grey Blue Water, Or More Generally Speaking Something Ominous And Beautiful.' The Songs On This Album Reveal A Sublime Influence From Detroit Techno, Idm, And Acid. Built Around Vintage Synthesizer Lines And Gritty Drum Machine Percussion, The Tracks Ebb And Flow Like The Effect Of Sun Shimmering On Water, Woozy, Gauzy And Ephemeral. All Songs Were Mastered For Vinyl By George Horn At Fantasy Studios In Berkeley.
Each Ep Is Housed In A Die-cute Jacket Designed By Eloise Leigh With Peachy Pink Patterns Landing On An Alien Water Planet And Seeing Mysterious Playing Forms Under The Turquoise Water. Each Copy Includes A Postcard Featuring Photo Of Bill With Notes.
'Electronic lullabies and folk songs from Ethiopia! A landmark recording from Ethiopia’s vibrant cassette era of the 1980s, Resonance of Time features pioneering composer Wesenyeleh Mebreku reimagining Ethiopian folk melodies through the humble circuitry of an early Casiotone keyboard.
'Historically, the works featured on Resonance of Time (የጊዜ ቃና Yegizie Kana) stand as quiet documents of Ethiopian musical memory. Many of the original songs included in this release emerged during important moments in Ethiopian history when music carried the collective emotion of the nation - love, loss, resistance, dignity, and hope. By arranging these pieces from Ethiopia’s musical heritage instrumentally, Wesenyeleh Mebreku aimed to preserve their essence while protecting them from being confined to a single era or performance style. In doing so, his preservation of Ethiopia’s musical heritage became a contribution to his country’s musical legacy itself, as Resonance of Time serves as an important musical milestone of this composer’s innovative recordings and musical developments in the prolific era of Ethiopia’s 1980s cassette tape culture.
'On Resonance of Time, Wesenyeleh made use of the first Casio electronic keyboard - the Casiotone CT-201 - to arrange and perform Ethiopian folk songs in his own unique style. Implementing the soulful, lo-fi character of the keyboard, Wesenyeleh’s interpretations of these works take on a life of their own. Charming analog tones interpret swirling sounds of organ and piano in kignit modality to the beat of a nostalgic rhythm machine while twinkling synthesizer sounds carry the melodies drifting out of time. The recordings reflect a watershed moment in Ethiopian musical history - when traditional melodies started being interpreted on electronic keyboards, and the advent of cassette tape recording allowed for music to be transmitted more accessibly than centuries-old oral traditions. During this time, Ethiopian musical modes were syncretized with new technology and budding musical experimentation, and Wesenyeleh’s interpretations on Resonance of Time are a landmark recording of this era, following in the tradition of reflecting upon and re-interpreting historical Ethiopian music for a new generation.
'Featured on the release are timeless Amharic folk songs and lullabies, Tigrinya love songs, Gurage and Oromifa popular songs, and even works closely associated with performers from Ethiopia’s 1970s popular music era such as Tiz Alegne Yetintu (ትዝ አለኝ የጥንቱ) which was famously performed by Tilahun Gessesse. Each piece, thoughtfully chosen by Wesenyeleh, is beautifully transformed into instrumental music of his own style - allowing these worlds of song to echo into the future while they are synthesized with the electronic innovations of the 1980s and Wesenyeleh’s own musical history.
'Wesenyeleh says this about his musical approach - ”Instrumental music, for me, is a space of reflection. Without words, the listener is invited to remember, imagine, and feel freely. In Resonance of Time, I hear my own musical philosophy: respect for Ethiopian kignit, careful dialogue with Western harmony, and a deep trust in melody as a storyteller.”
'Each piece performed on Resonance of Time speaks to a time when Ethiopian music was shaped by oral transmission through live performance and communal listening. In today’s fast-moving musical environment, revisiting these works is an act of cultural responsibility. These works remind us that melody once traveled slowly, settling deeply in the listener’s heart. The instrumental format allows these works to cross linguistic and generational boundaries, making them accessible to audiences who may not know the original lyrics but can still feel their spirit.
'Resonance of Time also reflects a broader historical dialogue: the meeting of tradition and adaptation. Ethiopian music has always evolved while holding onto its core identity. These arrangements affirm that evolution does not mean abandonment. Instead, it can be a form of safeguarding - ensuring that the musical wisdom of the past continues to resonate in the present and inspire the future.
'In this sense, the album is both personal and collective. It carries Wesenyeleh Mebreku’s own musical fingerprint, shaped by decades of practice, but it ultimately belongs to a wider cultural continuum. It is the artist’s contribution to keeping time audible so that memory, history, and sound may continue to speak to one another.'
Few names carry as much weight in German techno as Alexander Kowalski. A producer and live performer since early 90, his work has shaped the sound of an era, from his early days at Tresor through to releases on Kanzleramt and MORD, and a live reputation that has held firm across three decades on stages worldwide.
Now Kowalski opens his own imprint. Cycles Music launches with Live II, and the choice of format makes perfect sense. Two sides, two cuts, no detours. Techno built from the same instinct that has made his live sets a benchmark in the underground for as long as most people can remember.
CYC001 is not an introduction. It's a continuation, and a clear statement of what Cycles Music is here to do.
DTM011 features Jani Ho, a Detroit Techno Militia RECON:313 artist from Melbourne, Australia. Jani’s “All killer. No filler” approach to his live performances is elegantly reflected on his debut release on DTM. Unapologetically tough, and unapologetically soulful.
As one of the most Sought after artists of the recent years, there is no doubt that "Alarico" is on the front line of the new generational techno movement.
After recent releases in labels such as Klockworks, Token and Mutual Rytm, The Milan Based producer taking the gloves off and Debuting his first solo EP on his Co owned label "Primal instinct" alongside Chlar.
The anticipated 5 tracker release "Carnal Fever", is an impeccable showcase of Alarico's ability to push his musical aesthetics even further and keep developing his signatured modern minimalistic textures into new levels.
In certain circles, this is a record that would easily be called „eternal“. Back in 1996, when it was originally released, it sounded like nothing else - and still does. The sixth record of Frankfurt’s soon to be imperial Playhouse label and Losoul’s first outing on the label, it hot-wired many things at once: house and techno, US roots and European fruits, grittiness and wittiness, high tech funk, the expansion pf playtimes and the concept of minimalism in dance music. Elegance met effectiveness.
A composition that hooked you and also caused a stir elsewhere. Daniel Bell licensed it to his Elevate label and commissioned a very young Theo Parrish to remix it, Michel De Hey did the same with his EC Records and treatments by Gerd among others.
Here you finally get both of those carefully restored, remastered and reissued next to the originals. Amply placed on a double 12“, it also features the previously unreleased D1. Stemming from the same time and era as Open Door it rings and feels like a compact lost brother. Addictive as on the very first day and here to stay.
Field Records proudly presents the first complete vinyl edition of Monolake’s seminal excursion into experimental dub techno, Hongkong. Originally released on the now-classic Chain Reaction label in 1997, this collection of early singles by Robert Henke and Gerhard Behles has gone on to become a vital listening experience in its own right - a genre classic alongside the other groundbreaking works from the likes of Porter Ricks and Vladislav Delay.
The tracks which make up Hongkong were made while Henke and Behles studied computer science and immersed themselves in Berlin’s techno scene. Their early forays into computer-based music production were enabled by the use of the Max/MSP programming environment, forming a backdrop to the landmark work they would undertake in developing the Ableton Live DAW. Henke and Behles travelled to Hong Kong in 1996 to attend the annual International Computer Music Conference, and while there recorded extensive field recordings. These recordings became the glue that pieced together their collaborative tracks into a fluid listening experience for a CD-compilation at Chain Reaction’s request.
While absolutely rooted in the embryonic sound of European dub techno, Monolake’s early work possesses a back room, headphone-ready demeanour which lends itself to the album listening experience. In the cascade of rhythms created by precision engineered delays and subliminal, expansive spatial world building occurring throughout Hongkong, the stage is set for a full and thorough immersion. Before the Monolake sound progressed into a more pointillist form of computer music as Henke’s solo project, Hongkong presented a gritty, grainy sonic still tied in some way to the traditional methods of techno production, even as the artists’ ideas were sending the sequencing and arranging in exciting new directions.
Remastered and presented for the first time as a complete double 12” package, this is the definitive edition of an essential work in the evolution of experimental techno. As Henke himself explains, “twenty-five years later, this record still holds immense value to me in many ways.”
ORANGE - Limited Edition! SPANDAU20 returns, bridging Berlin and UK lineage, with new material from Mr. G, Elli Acula, FJAAK and Dajusch, continuing to showcase the many shades of contemporary club music through its forward-facing approach. On its 12th release, the Berlin label presents a record that reflects individual artistry as much as the unmistakable identity of the SPANDAU20 sound. Opening the release is Mr. G with 'I Came To See You'. The track is a true embodiment of his distinctive production style, unfolding through bouncing basslines, swinging percussion and hypnotic looping vocals and capturing the raw spirit of old-school dance music with fresh spirit. Sitting somewhere between house and techno, it sets the tone with a particular kind of hypnosis, taking the listeners deep into the endlessly circling groove. Elli Acula follows with 'Take One Higher', a fierce and uncompromising techno track that perfectly reflects the label's hallmark aesthetic. She channels the raw energy of the 90s through a modern lens, pairing rough edged stabs, cavernous kicks and gritty percussion programmed with unfiltered dancefloor intensity in mind. The result is a high-pressure track designed to fully consume the room. On the flip side, FJAAK unleash 'Drip Code', showcasing the duo's signature blend of powerful low-end pressure and analogue grooves. Having spent over a decade shaping Berlin's techno landscape through their machine-driven approach, the pair deliver crisp percussion, huge open hi-hats and teeth-rattling drum machine combinations, while racing chords and looping vocals propel the track forward. It is a direct and highly effective example of the energy that has come to define the SPANDAU20 universe. Closing the release is Dajusch with 'Tongue In Cheek'. Deeply influenced by the foundational sounds of Detroit and Chicago, the classically trained producer leans into warmer, more uplifting territory. The track combines grooving basslines, saturated 909 percussion and piano-led melodies with disco-tinged vocal loops that glide effortlessly across the arrangement. This closer highlights Dajusch's refined understanding of groove, texture and atmosphere, rounding off the release with a distinctly euphoric touch. SPANDAU20 012 is another example of classy production skills merged with genuine dancefloor purpose. As ever, the label lets the music speak for itself. The many shades of sound are on full display, bound together by the singular identity that has made SPANDAU20 one of Berlin's most distinctive voices in the electronic music landscape.
SPANDAU20 returns, bridging Berlin and UK lineage, with new material from Mr. G, Elli Acula, FJAAK and Dajusch, continuing to showcase the many shades of contemporary club music through its forward-facing approach. On its 12th release, the Berlin label presents a record that reflects individual artistry as much as the unmistakable identity of the SPANDAU20 sound. Opening the release is Mr. G with 'I Came To See You'. The track is a true embodiment of his distinctive production style, unfolding through bouncing basslines, swinging percussion and hypnotic looping vocals and capturing the raw spirit of old-school dance music with fresh spirit. Sitting somewhere between house and techno, it sets the tone with a particular kind of hypnosis, taking the listeners deep into the endlessly circling groove. Elli Acula follows with 'Take One Higher', a fierce and uncompromising techno track that perfectly reflects the label's hallmark aesthetic. She channels the raw energy of the 90s through a modern lens, pairing rough edged stabs, cavernous kicks and gritty percussion programmed with unfiltered dancefloor intensity in mind. The result is a high-pressure track designed to fully consume the room. On the flip side, FJAAK unleash 'Drip Code', showcasing the duo's signature blend of powerful low-end pressure and analogue grooves. Having spent over a decade shaping Berlin's techno landscape through their machine-driven approach, the pair deliver crisp percussion, huge open hi-hats and teeth-rattling drum machine combinations, while racing chords and looping vocals propel the track forward. It is a direct and highly effective example of the energy that has come to define the SPANDAU20 universe. Closing the release is Dajusch with 'Tongue In Cheek'. Deeply influenced by the foundational sounds of Detroit and Chicago, the classically trained producer leans into warmer, more uplifting territory. The track combines grooving basslines, saturated 909 percussion and piano-led melodies with disco-tinged vocal loops that glide effortlessly across the arrangement. This closer highlights Dajusch's refined understanding of groove, texture and atmosphere, rounding off the release with a distinctly euphoric touch. SPANDAU20 012 is another example of classy production skills merged with genuine dancefloor purpose. As ever, the label lets the music speak for itself. The many shades of sound are on full display, bound together by the singular identity that has made SPANDAU20 one of Berlin's most distinctive voices in the electronic music landscape.
Detroit meets the West Coast! DJ Maaco (Detroit in Effect) and Alden Tyrell commanding you to get on the dance floor. Resistance is futile against the Grays...
Pappenheimer – Stolen Memory Pt. 1 + Pt. 2 (Vinyl) bringt die rohe Energie und kompromisslose Klangästhetik des deutschen Techno-Acts Pappenheimer auf den Punkt. Diese Vinyl vereint beide Teile der Stolen Memory-Reihe und liefert treibende Beats, düstere Atmosphären und präzise produzierte Sounddesigns für den Club und darüber hinaus.
Mit druckvollen Rhythmen und hypnotischer Intensität steht diese Veröffentlichung für modernen, kraftvollen Techno – ideal für Sammler und alle, die elektronische Musik am liebsten analog und in voller Tiefe erleben
Dave Mech presents Berlin Seite on 12" vinyl and digital. A powerful LP featuring 10 tracks loaded with robust and elegant Techno. The first four tracks deliver modern Techno sounds, with celestial pads that wrap around you from the very first beat. A record that will become a permanent piece in your DJ bag. The release is completed with six additional digital-only tracks, recorded live in different clubs across Berlin, capturing that raw and untouched magic.
Much like the fusion resulting in the output of light and heat within a star, the last seven years for Dave Sumner, aka Function, have been defined by immense change and an outpouring of creative energy. What began in late 2016 as a period of burnout from a relentless touring life became a catalyst for the most prolific recording era of his career. At the time, the studio became the only viable escape, a space to transmute exhaustion into a gestalt work.
Aeternum (Existenz) serves as the missing element in this creative arc. It acts as the final chapter of a cycle, that began with the 2019 album Existenz and moved through Subject f (Transcendence), Awakening from the Illusory Self, and Green EP. Drawing inspiration from the seven stages of alchemy, this mini-album represents a cathartic process; a natural end point of a psychological cycle and the beginning of a new curve.
Across the six tracks on the mini-LP, recorded 2016-2019, Function builds a unique world, one which underlines his place as one of the luminaries of contemporary techno. Opening track, Ascent, traverses the space between ambient and techno; second track City Of Luz almost fades into itself across its twelve minutes before Transmutation brings around a reawakening with a beat that would not have sounded out of place on an early Rephlex or even a Sähko release. Final track on the 12”, Growth Cycle is fittingly a re-version/re-vision of a track on the Existenz LP; Robert Owens’ soulful vocal now Stefanie Parnow's floating Siren-like voice with music that feels reborn: fresh, strong and insistent. The digital pack contains two further tracks, the deep electro of November 29, as well as Rubedo, a spacial ambient track that feels like the final glowing red embers of a fire turning to ash as the sun rises to reveal a new, golden dawn.
Aeternum (Existenz) is the final chapter of the soundtrack to Function’s spiritual awakening, the closing of a door and the clearing of a path. It’s a sonic manifestation of the Magnum Opus completed, a moment of total integration, where the leaden weight of the journey is finally perfected into the incorruptible gold of the spirit.
It is dedicated to John Mendez, aka Silent Servant, Sumner’s dear friend and lifelong collaborator.
Bosconi Records is thrilled to announce a distinctive vinyl release that harks back to berlin 2000’s good old days
The featured track of this release unveils Console’s , known and active as Acid Pauli, reinterpretation of a track that gained fabio’s attention during his stay in Berlin in 2000. Fabio Della Torre, the owner and A&R of Bosconi Records, stumbled upon this hidden gem during his year in Berlin as many djs in the city were spinning it. Finally his quest to uncover the origins of this track led him to a CD release on the label of Angelika Köhlermann. The track in question is Console’s reimagining of “Let’s Rock Baby” a composition by the independent musician and video artist Anne Laplantine, who adopted the Japanese-sounding alias Michiko Kusaki. This version was originally released alongside a series of remixes by artists such as Dmx krew, Felix Kubin, and Adult, all featured on Angelika Köhlermann’s label.
Today, Bosconi Records is thrilled to bring this iconic track to light again on vinyl, accompanied by fresh interpretations. It’s important to note that these reinterpretations breathe life into Console’s work, not Laplantine’s original track, making Console’s version the centerpiece of this release. We have a banger version from German electro luminary The Exaltics which his typilcal electro techno trademark sound. The Exaltics had just released his new album on Clone and has been featured by Helena hauff in her Fabric Mix compilation. Italian producers Voodoos & Taboos, known for their homonymous label and with an recent “banger” on Bordello a Parigi with an electro playful version. The vibrant Queen of Coins have breathed new life into Console’s track, delivering a fresh new-beat acid ebm burner, giving the track a new and personal perspective.
This project mirrors Bosconi Records’ commitment to exploring diverse dimensions of electronic music and featuring compelling compositions. The release looks to resonate with DJs and electronic music enthusiasts, offering a contemporary perspective on a timeless track.
Music springs eternal. Recognising the enduring power of timeless albums to guide us through life, Forever Records is a reissue series dedicated to rediscovering lost musical treasures from across the spectrum of head-feeding, heart-rending electronic music.
Established by Rush Hour co-founder Christiaan Macdonald and Delsin founder Marsel van der Wielen, Forever Records places heartfelt faith in a carefully curated sequence of seminal, largely forgotten records from disparate eras, scenes and spaces within electronic music history. Tipped towards the mellow and introspective, these are albums that stop time when the needle hits the groove, stirring only when it's time to flip over before you sink back into the experience. That's what albums were always meant to be about, back then, right now, always and forever.
The Release:
Striking the sweet spot between sampledelic downtempo and earth-rooted deep house, Fila Brazillia's Old Codes New Chaos is a maverick patchwork of grooves and soundscapes. Crafted in North East England in the vibrant period before chill-out was co-opted by advertising, Steve Cobby and Dave McSherry's sharp-eared funk formula remains a cult classic suite of exquisite productions spanning deep house, broken beat and ambient shot through with wry humour.
Last physically released in limited quantities in 2002, Forever Records are revisiting this 1994 gem with an extensive reissue led by a triple vinyl pressing. As well as a new LP edition of the album, there will also be a uniquely numbered, limited edition housed in a gatefold sleeve that comes with a bonus 10" featuring two previously unreleased tracks.
'Chemistry' and 'Rankine', plus an exclusive print of Catherine Brennand's watercolour painting that graces the front of the album. All editions also features liner notes by veteran music journalist John McCready.
Press response to Old Codes New Chaos:
"The album that made the world finally sit up and take notice of the avant funk grooves coming from Hull's immaculately stoned tech funk magicians." Frank Tope, Mixmag, UK 1994.
"This album… stands out a mile from most of its peers as a work of untouchable genius." Bill Brewster, DJ Mag UK 1994.
"Fila works because they fit into that no man’s land, the space in your record collection where ambient seems too much like wallpaper and house seems just too braindead for your bedroom " Frank Tope, Mixmag, UK 1994.
"Having already created the perfect desert island disc, "Mermaids" and explored the darker side of sub bass on the 17-minute extravaganza "Fila Funk", Fila Brazillia have just unleashed their moving debut LP, "Old Codes New Chaos", and to be quite honest, you'd be fool to miss out this time around." Mandi James, Melody Maker, UK 1994.
“Where Cobby and Man rip up the rulebook on the four to the floor and probably make the greatest afterhours house album in the word”. Tony Marcus, Mixmag, 1996.
When Spiral Tribe congregated in Berlin in the Winter of 1993, they found themselves squatting a series of trailers at Potsdamer Platz. In one of these trailers R-Zac was born. Musically the duo were transitioning from UK breakbeat techno as "The Spiral Tribe Liveset" into what would become R-Zac's signature hard psychedelic sound. This double LP marks the beginning of that journey.
UK Hardcore Techno badman Dolphin back on PRSPCT XTRM with a killer 4 track audio violent onslaught.
Nature is dying, Trump is in office, The whole Brexit charade, Hong Kong is screwed and this is just a tip of that insanely high iceberg of bullsh** that keeps building up in this world.
Simple fact: C**ts Rule Everything Around us so the title of this EP is not just meant funny as an ode to one of the most legendary hip hop groups to ever live. We are dead serious here. Just look around you. C**nts everywhere for as far as the eye can see.
So blast these protest bangers hard and give those c**nts a super sonic hard as nails punch in the face.
A decade of sweat, sound, and raw energy has led us to this: our 10 years anniversary various.
Six tracks, one vision, and zero boundaries.
From the deep textures of Dub and IDM to the groove of House, and the driving force of Techno, Break and Minimal, this record is a celebration of the eclectic sound we’ve been digging since day one.
Featuring the core family Antoine LV, Elhadji, Sebizarre, and NOCH, alongside special guests and long-time friends Camion Bazar and Wooka.
Planar Traits adds to the Spectral Bounce catalog with SPEC08: Distance EP. Since 2021 the Stockholm-based artist’s creations have combined evocative soundscapes with dancefloor functionality. Here he steps up with four hydrographic cuts spanning the groove-led, the mysterious and the cerebral.
Beginning the expedition with the type of psychedelic and lithe tech-house for which Spectral Bounce is known, the A-side is glistening with aquatic shimmer. “Variations in Hue” and “Distance” are club cuts embellished with mystical melodies and sonar pulses, both propelled by chunky drums and driving sub frequencies.
The B-side goes deeper, revealing a more contemplative zone in which soft echoes of Detroit (“Bloom”) are spliced with 1990s Artificial Intelligence sensibilities (“Never-ending Light”). A perfect soundtrack for living room transcendence, as much as pelagic immersion.
SPEC08 — Dive in!
Credits:
Words by Cameron Leaf
Art by Susanne Janssen
Mastering & Cut by Analogcut
For thirty years, Alden Tyrell has been at the forefront of electronic music. This analogue alchemist has concocted heady grooves that transmute genres: acid, disco, electro, house, italo and techno; no style left unturned. Under his Tyrell Corporation moniker, he returns to the Bordello with a sound forged for dancefloors. Midnight Machines is a warm embrace that melts electro‑disco with star‑gazing synthlines. “Midnight Machines Pt. 1” balances robust melodies and incising snares with soulful undercurrents and joyous breaks. Past energies are re‑channelled. Arpeggiators rumble as beats throb. Beneath it all, there is a greater consideration of the interplay of elements.
This focus pulsates through speaker cones on the needle‑drop of “Love in Decay.” Elated key changes and bright shifts are tempered by bittersweet moments, early‑morning light piercing fresh mists of grey. Tempos rise on the flip with “Midnight Machines Pt. 2.” Sci‑fi‑scored disco lifts ever higher as scaling notes untether themselves from the floor and soar above vibrant rhythms. Coy and alluring, the bright “Romance Obscura” closes the record. Cowbells and bending wavelengths open into an expansive, intoxicating melody where keys search the horizon as arms fold around celestial bodies.
In a dystopian universe where elites manipulate memory to control the population. Vibracid emerges as a technique of liberation through sound: a method for erasing induced memory.
THE RHYME marks the counterattack phase. The insurgents infect the system used by the elites for control and reprogram it from within: patterns, voices and sequences as active code.
Contemporary bass, electro, breaks, acid and rave converge as transmission vectors. Each track operates as a unit of intervention within this science fiction scenario.
At this stage, new signals are incorporated. Power, with a solid trajectory within the underground circuit, opens the EP in a forceful way, with an acid, surprising and spectacular impact. Exieve, a young producer from Chernihiv, continues the attack with a raw tension where vocals cut through the signal like sharp fragments. Alongside them, Lups Digga, Atix, Parand and Calagad 13 continue expanding the system’s reach.
Terrestrial Funk presents a piece of Detroit history. Born and raised in Motor City, Karl Fultz knew at the age of twelve that he wanted to be the most talented and successful DJ in the world. In 1999 he released on Juan Atkins’ Metroplex under the alias People Mover and in 2000 he released as Black Electric on Puzzlebox. Inspired by British synth-pop duo Eurythmics, Fultz says Black Electric was a way to get more women involved in the techno movement. Together alongside vocalists Tiffany Elliott, Kim Glover & Talena Fultz, Black Electric brought sex appeal to the scene. Their first and only release stays in demand and has become inaccessible until now. Terrestrial Funk’s reissue provides two fresh cuts on the new 12”; ‘Purple’ a chugging Detroit acid track describing soul modification to enhance intimacy and a proper bassed out club mix of the nasty electro sex song ‘Work That’, which was only featured as an acapella on the original release. The release also features updated mixes of both the title track and the half-time anthem 'Come To Me' alongside the original y2k mix of 'Colors'. Black Electric stands as a testament to turn of the millennia Detroit and the city’s undying devotion to expand our connection to music.
Newly launched label Thirty Ends introduces Corpus 01, the first release in a strictly limited series of 30 vinyl records, with no represses.
Built as both a conceptual and functional project, the label sets its tone from the start: raw, hypnotic and club-focused techno, designed for sound systems rather than algorithms.
This first VA brings together four artists from different corners of the scene, each contributing a distinct yet cohesive sonic identity:
From industrial textures to stripped-back grooves and immersive atmospheres, Corpus 01 delivers a focused selection of tracks aimed at DJs and late-night floors.
Pressed in 325 copies, the record is distributed through selected underground channels and available in limited quantities via the label.
Vinyl only. No repress. Digital release scheduled at a later stage.
The second release on Soil Trax is by the promising German dub techno producer Gockel. 4 tracks and 4 locked grooves. Pure driving dubbey vibes for festivals and clubs. Don’t miss out!
Techno architect Damon Wild returns to Sonic Groove with a masterclass in deep-space hypnotism. The Synewave founder bridges classic 90s grit with sharp, modern production across six tracks of driving, futuristic acid and mental, dubbed-out atmospheres. From broken beats to haunting vocal snippets, this is deep, spontaneous music from a true pioneer of the hypnotic sound.
Nizre debut to Be As One with “Detained,” a rumbling new 4-track EP built with deep and tense late-night driving grooves, hypnotic rhythms, and a raw industrial edge, showcasing Nizre’s signature balance between intensity and precision. Each track unfolds with dark atmospheres, pulsating basslines, and subtle tension, stands as a solid statement on the imprint, reinforcing both the artist’s vision and Be As One’s forward-thinking underground techno.
There was a regrettable time in Turbo's history when our email filters would prevent anything called Groovedeep from reaching our senior A&R braintrust. We felt we needed to shield their sensibilities and sanity from demos by acts like The Rhythm Pilgrims and Loop Addict, but it ended up costing us potential stars like SonicVisions and Beatweaver. Someone had to stand up and say no more.
With this benighted era behind us, Turbo is proud of itself for presenting you with this pair of decidedly modern bangers from international supergroup Groovedeep, comprised of Toronto's Ciel and DC's James Bangura and Jackson Ryland.
"Funk Solo" packs 145 beats into each and every minute of a delirious techno mindbeast, with remixes from icons such as Shed, Batu, and Mark Broom taking the vibe in all the right various directions. Meanwhile, the bottom of the B-side is a "Big Bass Mix" for those of us who are compelled to slather ourselves in bass-boost ultrasound gel and nestle into the club sub-woofer where the low frequencies massage our kidneys and sacrum and the twinned demons of treble and vision cannot touch us I mean not even close brother.
Anthoney J Hart continues to leave an indelible impression on the underground with his latest album as Basic Rhythm, returning to Sneaker Social Club after a string of incendiary EPs to deliver his definitive statement on 8 Bar Techno. The clue's in the name — a deadly fusion of grime sonics strapped to the pummelling locomotion of peak-time techno.
Hart's roots in pirate radio reach back to the 90s, forming a bedrock of uncompromising attitude that has permeated his work ever since. Between his work as Basic Rhythm, East Man and Imaginary Forces he's split the difference between incisive UK club sounds and experimental intention, applying artistic thinking to the physical impulses of grime, techno, D&B, drill and more. It's no wonder his work has been held aloft by labels as respected as Planet Mu, Metalheadz, Future Retro and The Trilogy Tapes.
On 8 Bar Grime Hart stretches out with a potent statement on his vision for club music in 2026. The thrust of the title track's opening 4/4 stomp is quickly interrupted by a none-grimier gun lock and load — an unambiguous thesis for the direction the album is heading in. The pressure stays high for the duration, barrelling through the distorted kicks and rabid wobble breakdowns of 'Weed Killer' before bringing the flawless flow of NyNy into the mix for half step sheller 'Vibez'. Elsewhere Lyrical Strally brings savage bars to 'Clutch' and Eklipse takes it deep and moody on 'Who, You'
In between the vocal spots, Hart maintains the flexibility to bend between styles with poise, edging a touch of UK funky's staggered groove to 'Teutonic' and wreaking havoc with a Drexcyian sound palette on 'More Pricks Than Kicks'. 12 tracks deep and without a moment of respite among them, the first Basic Rhythm album in five years finds Hart operating a peak strength, firing off neck-snapping payloads of ferociously infectious club gear for the more advanced kind of dance.
Berlin-based producer Red Rooms launches his new imprint ROT with a debut EP called Endurance that captures the full spectrum of his techno vision. From hypnotic minimalism to peak-time drive and closing-time euphoria, ROT001 delivers versatile tools for every moment of the night.
The record opens with Znakva, a mesmerizing ambient piece that sets the tone with atmospheric depth and introspection. Septima, Not Gonna Last Forever, and Disturbance bring the raw energy: pounding low-end pressure, whipping hi-hats, trippy synth lines, and gritty textures designed to ignite the floor. Closing the EP, Endurance lifts the mood with an emotive, uplifting finale -balancing intensity with a sense of release.
A statement debut, ROT001 introduces ROT as a label committed to deep, hypnotic, and dancefloor-focused techno.
Chami and DHAEUR step up for the first release on DIG Curated, the sub label of Dust in Grooves (DIG), a pioneering force in the world of vinyl techno, born in Berlin. This passion project, launched by Olivia Mendez and Chami, spotlights emerging artists who embody the essence of the imprint's signature style--sophisticated, timeless, and groovy. With each release, a new talent is endorsed by a seasoned digger from the scene, aiming to push forward undiscovered sounds and empower the community.
After years of refining his palette as a dedicated DJ and acoustics master, the Italian-born, Berlin-based DHAEUR
has developed his distinct creative vision rooted in sound quality and stylistic research. At the time of crossing
paths with Chami, DHAEUR had already produced a handful of immersive tracks, exploring unknown territories
while keeping things minimalistic, giving DJs the freedom to construct their preferred sonic environments. Four of these tracks are pressed on DIG Curated 001, marking the beginning of a chapter for the sub-label that brings forth the future sound of techno.
The opening track of the release SUBJECT ZERO is a cinematic, mental, elegant journey, playing with the
perception of built up anticipation. This boundless, loopy soundscape is designed to induce inner quests on the
dancefloor and is a grand point of departure to unknown adventures ahead. This interlude of primordial grooves sets the scene for a voyage through a not-so-distant world where dystopian visions and technology merge with hypnotic synths. Evoking human emotions and desires is the hot and groovy track MIN(E)D, with vocals that could be from a female replicant building her own sonic web3 through the soundsystem of a steamy dancefloor.
On the B side, things quickly gain power and intensity, with STEPS racing through pounding beats, enigmatic
pads, and unpredictable claps, only tamed by DHAEUR's impeccable acoustic design. The EP closes with the cryptic, mechanical sounds of HEX 1904d1, deconstructing old patterns and programming a new form of evolved consciousness--inspired by precision and a reverence for organic movements.
Holden's third release on SK_eleven, Dust, showcases a striking evolution of his signature dark, driving sound. Rhythms are as urgent and rooted in the dancefloor as ever, but melodies have grown more haunting and emotive. This release sees Holden charting new sonic territory with two ambient tracks to open and close the record. Opener "Dust" brings melody and harmony to the foreground to set the emotional tone for the peak-time techno tracks that follow, while the closing track, "Frost", ends the EP on a more hopeful note, its yearning melody disappearing into the mist beyond the sunlight.
The fourth work of art by Introversion on the label, is a mature take of what he is known for. Three years after his debut on the label this artist gave us only the best from a technical and emotional point of view, always being a step ahead. "REM" is the study of a vivid dream, an electrical & chemical activity, a deep dive into his consciousness and another confirmation of how this artist is able to effortlessly take us inside his world.
On his debut Feelin’, Ivory marries hi-tech sound design with the emotional pull of house for a collection of tracks shaped by a multitude of club music and R&B.
“Feelin’” is a dancefloor slammer, a healthy balance of tension and release that comes with an invite to conquer the floor. Followed by “I Need You Now”; a hulking warehouse cut built from barrelling, muscular kicks and a diced up diva house-esque vocal.
“Try” pulls the crowd back into room one for a huge, anthemic floor-filler underpinned by jagged synths. Ivory describes “Don’t Lose Control” as “one of the more emotional moments of the Record”; a track centered around dreamy pads, smooth house synth stabs and a disembodied post-human voice that sounds eerily poetic.
Somniac One's fourth EP for PRSPCT XTRM is a love song to hardcore of yore, featuring two nostalgic original tracks and a hellfire remix of Party In My Head anthem 'Kill Everyone' by the one and only Deathmachine.
Somniac One's intense atmospheres and sledgehammer kicks get a euphoric lick on 'The Grand Awokening', a tribute to the millennium hardcore sound this industrial warrior was raised on. 'Hard Synths '92' meanwhile takes cues from even further back down the timeline, marrying early rave stabs and sentiment with Somniac One's thoroughly modern sound design and identifiable signature.
Technically skilled and hard as nails, Deathmachine then breaks the back of Somniac One's much loved 2018 banger 'Kill Everyone', delivering a crossbreed mutant remix that's gonna slay dance floors all over again.
People Pleasers label head Shep' is back with a new EP while his last from July is still doing plenty of damage. Dealing in more of his lithe, trimmed down minimal tech, this one kicks off with 'Continental Beak Fest', a playful yet jacking groover with a charming personality driven by whimsical synth lines. 'Suburban Unicorn' features light but deep chords, dancing on a rubbery groove that's hooky as hell. Over on the flip, 'The Bullet Proof Fringe' assumes the more stern character usually associated with this sound, laced with an emotive vocal amid the darker grooves. Finally, 'Salad Spinner' on the B2 is back to the good times with celebratory vintage-tinged synths and cheery vibes. Refreshingly smiley tech.
West Coast tech house had long since taken shape by the time it made its way over to the UK at the turn of the new millennium, and that's in part because of the pioneering work of the Casa Del Soul crew. The "DJ-first, producer-second collective" was founded in Denver in 1999 by a bunch of artists including DJ Darrell Foxx, who put out several records that laid out the blueprint for this raw, gritty sound across several EPs. His debut, 'The Collective EP', was one of them - two live-session, warehouse-ready tracks of low-slung and stripped-back tech with swing in the drums and dust in the percussion. The original DAT tapes were lost in a blizzard, which meant original copies have become ever more scarce and pricey on the second-hand market... until now. This fantastic remaster brings them back to life with the same distinctive rawness that made them favourites with Doc Martin and Tyrant (Craig Richards and Lee Burridge) the first time around. Utterly essential.
UK dub techno heavyweight and Mosaic label head Steve O'Sullivan has explored plenty of fertile ground with Berlin-based Fletcher, and now they're back to do it again, but this time include Swedish artist and former Rubadub employee Sean Dixon in the team for the third part in the Mosaic versus series. 'Distance' (O'Sullivan vs Dixon) is a mid-tempo roller with clipped dub chords and swirling pads, while 'End To End' (also O'Sullivan vs Dixon) is more tight and direct, with kicks that sound like a bouncing basketball and implicit swing that immediately gets you hooked. 'Breakout' (O'Sullivan vs Fletcher) has a darker minimal dub edge and icy hi-hats over a warped bassline. A real hat trick of top dub techno weapons.
Featuring virtuosos of "Contemporary Armenian" music such as Bei Ru, Lara Sarkissian and Armen Ra, as well as shedding a light on the independent music scene in Yerevan, "YERAZ" is an exercise in ethnomusicology. Classical songs and instruments collide with the full spectrum of electronic-based music from ambient to techno and everything in between, building a mosaic inside of a specific cultural context. Whether you are looking to get lost in meditation or bring dynamic energy to a room, this record serves as a tool kit for all intents and purposes with a traditional touch. The double-LP is split between Angeleno artists (Sides A and B) incorporating folk instruments and melodies to reinterpret the "Contemporary Armenian" idea outside of the established pop landscape, and Yerevani artists (Sides C and D) emulating popular musical trends of the West through their native lexicons. Critique will be donating 100% of its net profits from sales of YERAZ to Kooyrigs, a non-profit organization providing resources for women and transparent aid to the Armenian homeland.
Known to many a canny Bandcamp digger through his excellent Lost Acid series of digital albums, Jim Thompson is a London based producer, skater & graphic designer. His debut vinyl release came last year on Ooze Records, run by Laurence, an estimable selector based in the excellent Palace Records store in Brixton.
The release caught the attention of System One head D. Howard who followed the trail & found High Score Table from Jim’s Glytek Audio album, a thoroughly captivating mid tempo acidic chug with aching pads & an old school charm; exactly the kind of track that needs to be played on vinyl at an after hours in a basement.
A conversation began, pints were downed & the idea was spawned; lets make a killer ep with another Glytek cut, The Hollow Tree, 2 phenomenal new cuts - the muscular sub acidic tweaker Cruiser and Numerology, a late night trippy gem - and 2 remixes including top tier Irish electro don, Cignol, who has made some of the finest cuts to grace the System One basement over the last few years.
An accomplished video producer, Jim has made videos to every track, stand by for these, the first one for the CIgnol remix drops May 22 & its a peach ! System One is a new label dedicated to soulful electronic music, late night grooves & intergalactic beats, drawing its inspiration from the early 90s techno & ambient sounds of Uk, Frankfurt, Detroit & beyond
BERLINCIAGAY launches its first vinyl release, welcoming DJ Beluga92 for a dreamy and twisted journey through house, tech and electro. Rooted in analog textures and emotions,
BCG001 captures a driving and cinematic side of Berlin nightlife while still carrying enough tension for the late-night hours.
Mastered and lacquer cut by Mike Grinser at Manmade Mastering and pressed by Matter Of Fact, the EP feels intentionally physical and warm, embracing the depth and movement of analog sound.
DJ Beluga92 recently delivered a live set at Rex Club Paris, which can also be heard through the BERLINCIAGAY #10 mix series. We are very excited to finally present this release on vinyl.
A1 “Rip Meine Maschine” is Labelheads Tom Peters’ absolute favorite from the EP. A twisted roller driven by a distinctive male vocal, hypnotic groove and restless energy. The track became a closing moment during Tom’s latest US tour, where he played BASEMENT’s Studio in NYC, Vice Underground’s warehouse party in Los Angeles and Midnight Service in Miami.
A2 “System Effect” moves into a more dreamy and emotional direction. Floating vocals repeating “this is the sound” drift through housy pads and spacious textures, creating a track that feels both euphoric and trippy at the same time.
B1 “GA_Entry after 7AM” rounds off the record beautifully with spacey atmospheres, analog synth work, echoes and reverbs. It feels like the afterglow of a long night, designed for the early morning hours on the dancefloor or the journey home afterwards.
BERLINCIAGAY is a statement. A different perspective on Berlin club culture. Less aggressive, less functional, more emotional, dreamy and intimate.
Compounding a reputation for his unique vision on techno with an uncompromising underground ethos utilising a fusion of deep and energetic electronics, Lee’s sound always creates a myriad of tension and construction which has seen him become one of techno’s elite, appearing in the most prestigious underground venues across the planet. His consistently original and dynamic productions, which have earned him much international ecognition, are frequent and in great demand. Appearing on many impeccable cutting edge and classic imprints over the years, Lee’s music has generated relentless plays and support from the brightest and leading connoisseurs in the underground techno scene.
Continuing with the ‘Limited As Fuck’ series of releases, on our fiercely independent techno label based in Scotland, we’ve got an electronic guardian of such resolute astral belief in how the purest of dance music should be relayed to the occupants of any Celestial City. You will believe in RIOT when we say “The ‘Sentinel’ has awoken.”
Featuring eight tear drops out of the smoke fuelled rain from a distant belt in the galaxy, no ‘Moonrunner’ will be able to surf the ‘Gravitational Waves’ this Motor-City inspired journey takes you on. Book yourself passage on the Starliner ‘Off-World’ for a stargazing extravaganza into ‘The Gates Of Orion’ and witness the brightest of glimmers ........... in the dark.
The full digital release also features one bonus spellbinding track so your mind can melt into the depths of
space and time.
WARNING: YOU WILL OBEY IN ORDER THAT RIOT CAN TAKE YOU ONE STEP BEYOND …………….
Credits:
Written by Lee Holman
Mastered by Joe Farr
Artwork by Alan D. Oldham & Nomad
OMEN's self-coined descriptor "broken cyberpunk ritual mechanical techno" could sound like hyperbole, that is, until you drop the needle on 'Inner Brilliance' and the rugged off-beat kicks and towering saw wave pressure back up the claim. Elsewhere, 'Paraphysics' descends further into claustrophobic industrial hostility, while 'Propensity' introduces alien electronics and futuristic vocal fragments that shift and mutate with unsettling energy. The remix package is equally formidable as ORPHX bring decades of techno craft to a fluid, timeless rework, while label heads AXKAN and DUELLIST deliver feral, heavyweight peak-time destruction. 'Void That Binds' closes with lingering mechanical unease. Uncompromising and brilliant.
Savor Music celebrates a landmark 15 years in the scene with a three-part compilation series. This first installment sets the tone, bringing together a powerhouse selection of artists that define the label’s sophisticated, groove-oriented sound.
Side A opens with a major debut on A1, as Christopher Ledger unveils his new alter ego, The Nolan Protocol. This track serves as a masterclass in production, delivering a fluid, terrace-ready flow that is perfectly tailored for those golden sun-drenched moments on the dancefloor. Following this, A2 showcases the refined artistry of Colombian producer Donnie Cosmo, who brings his signature classy, swinging vibes to the record. His contribution is characterized by a lush, infectious energy that keeps the groove effortlessly sophisticated.
Side B shifts into deeper territory, starting on B1 with minimal royalty Priku. True to his reputation as a hypnotic master, he delivers a driving number that showcases the technical precision and steady momentum for which he is renowned. Finally, B2 rounds out the EP with a hauntingly beautiful piece from Emu. Combining the creative perspectives of his Venezuelan roots and Belgian base, Emu weaves together melancholic electro vibes to close out this first chapter with profound atmosphere and emotional depth.
Curated by Brian d'Souza (aka Auntie Flo), Plants Can Dance is a forthcoming new compilation bringing together a global community of artists, exploring the creative possibilities of biosonification - transforming signals from plants, ecosystems and the natural world into sound. Out June 26th, the project marks the culmination of several years of d'Souza’s work across music, ecology and technology.
The album arrives at a time when more artists are turning toward nature as both subject and collaborator, such as Brian Eno’s Earth Percent, which formally recognises “Nature” as an artist. Plants Can Dance sits within a wider cultural shift, which is redefining the relationship between sound and the living world.
The project builds on several years of work by d'Souza, whose Plants Can Dance events have taken place across the UK, Europe, India and Africa, appearing in institutions including the V&A, Tate and the Design Museum. What began as a series of intimate gatherings has since evolved into a global platform, reflecting a growing appetite for work that reconnects music with the natural world.
The compilation features contributions from leading practitioners including Modern Biology (Tarun Nayar) in collaboration with saxophonist Zekarias Musele Thompson, OMMA (Olga Maximovam founder of Playtronica), Jason Singh, Dr Helen Anahita Wilson, Justin Wiggan in collaboration with celebrated Norwegian jazz musician Arve Henriksen, Lamine Touré, Bit Marten and Balam, alongside new work from d'Souza himself. Using a range of tools - from commercially available devices to bespoke modular systems - artists translate electrical activity, environmental data and organic processes into musical material.
The processes behind each piece differ - from interpreting plant biodata to translating wind patterns into compositional structures - and the results are as varied as they are compelling. The record spans ambient, jazz, electronica and modern classical, yet all pieces are unified by a shared intent: to reimagine music as a space of collaboration between human and more-than-human worlds.
At the core of Plants Can Dance is a question about how we define music, and how we choose to listen. Traditional musical forms, with their fixed tempos and predictable structures, give way here to something more fluid and less easily controlled. The listener is invited to surrender expectation and engage with sound as an evolving environment rather than a linear narrative. In this context, the compositions function as what d'Souza describes as “acoustic ecologies” - sonic systems shaped by biological, environmental and elemental forces unfolding in real time.
Accompanying the release is a printed zine offering reflections from each artist, and deeper insight into the ideas and debates surrounding this practice. Rather than presenting definitive answers, Plants Can Dance positions itself as an artistic exploration grounded in curiosity, experimentation and critical thought.
Ultimately, Plants Can Dance is less concerned with proving whether plants “make music” than with changing how we listen. By inviting audiences to engage with sound shaped by non-humans, it opens up new ways of perceiving the environments we inhabit - not as passive backdrops, but as active, dynamic participants in a shared ecological network. In doing so, it offers a quietly radical proposition: that by listening differently, we might begin to relate to the natural world differently too.
It’s a new day for DJ and producer Sami Yenigun, kicking off his solo label with a
Dreamcastmoe collaboration. Like the first Sami.Moe release on 1432 R, Sami.Moe 2.0 forges each artist’s sounds into club heat from club veterans. High-grade tech fuel, muscular bassline bombers, and make-em-cry house music, these four tracks herald new beginnings from old friends. A call from dingy bars, after-hours hangs and sunrise sets towards brighter days ahead.
Quantum Vacuum /ˈkwɒn.təm ˈvæk.juːm/ — The fundamental state of a quantum system, corresponding to the lowest possible energy level, in which no real particles are present but fluctuations of quantum fields persist, making the vacuum a dynamic state that is never completely empty.
Abo Abo’s first solo vinyl EP carefully assembles minimalistic techno structures pushed at pace, sci-fi rhythmic mutations and psychedelic pressure that refuse resolution. Synthetic sweeps rise and vanish, environments where form appears only to disappear. Nothing is static. Nothing is empty. Microscopic movements surface continuously from apparent void.
DR018 marks the eighteenth release on DE RIO and the label’s sixth vinyl output.
Written and produced by Daniele Carcassi
Mastered by K.O.P. 32
Artwork by Giuliana Diada
Design by Enrico Caldini
Ouragan’s first release, Clair Obscur, is an invitation to take time, to reflect, to wander. It was conceived as a shared story between distant landscapes: dreamlike, moving yet contemplative. A thread between closed eyes, through imaginary worlds that appear here – and elsewhere fade.
Despite their distinct identities, the four tracks share a sense of mystery. A warm tension characteristic of dub techno, no matter its form. Side A offers an introspective, dancefloor-driven vision of the genre; the flip side turns more meditative – emotional, melancholic, and beautifully touching.
Melodic Techno 2026 ist der eindrucksvolle Nachfolger der erfolgreichen Melodic Techno 2025 und präsentiert eine exklusive Auswahl moderner, melodischer Clubsounds. Gemixt von Seriös & Legendär sowie Little Duracell, verbindet die Compilation atmosphärische Klangwelten, treibende Beats und emotionale Peak-Time-Momente zu einem stimmigen Hörerlebnis.
Die abwechslungsreiche Track-Zusammenstellung vereint starke Originale und hochkarätige Remixe von etablierten Szenegrößen und spannenden Artists der aktuellen MelodicTechno-Szene. Zu den bekanntesten Namen dieser Ausgabe zählen unter anderem Resistance D, Alexander Bollinger, Klartraum und No Hopes.
Mit ihrer Mischung aus bekannten Artists, modernen RemixVersionen und zeitgemäßen Me
Biz has some serious techno credentials, having landed on esteemed labels like Transmat and Acquit Records before now, and here he is back on his Subjekt label with a third outing in his limited series. This is cerebral techno steeped in Detroit style but looking to the future. 'No Pain, No Gain' is awash with crystalline pads over a surging groove, 'Monozukuri' gets more prickly with metallic percussive textures and a forlorn lead. 'Manipulate' unhinges from reality with trippy synth cascades that remind of 8bit video games and the flip then has a more introverted sound across three minimalistic, deep rhythmic excursions.
COS 010 - Environmental Architecture A fusion of ambient, techno and IDM, often described as a form of “mental abstraction.” Created by Mark Cheney in a bedroom in Clapham, this release captures a moment defined by raw imagination and open-ended experimentation. It sits alongside artists of that era such as B12 and The Black Dog.
It stands as a perfect reflection of that era – raw, inventive and deeply evocative – leaving a lasting sense of nostalgia for those who experienced it. For the first time, this release has been remastered and cut by Mike Grinser at Manmade Mastering. Pressed on 180g vinyl, it sounds exceptional - rich, detailed and full of depth. Originally intended for home listening, it’s been cut loud so it can be played in a club setting.
Globally adored Spanish techno protagonist Indira Paganotto releases her debut album 'Arte Como Amante' via ARTCORE / PIAS Électronique. It brings together thirteen fearless tracks that stretch way beyond any one genre. It's high-pressure, high-energy, and deeply personal. A full-spectrum dive into the world of one of electronic music's most dynamic artists.
It follows a huge 2025. She debuted at Coachella. Played her first ever b2bs with Armin van Buuren at Sonar and Sara Landry at EXIT. She became the first woman to close Monegros. She held down her first Club Room residency at Hï Ibiza for 14 weeks, and even launched her own creative studio space, ARTOPIA, in Santa Eulalia. Her label ARTCORE the home of this special album also took their presence in the dance world to the next level with their own curated stages at Tomorrowland, Mysteryland and Dreambeach.
Now, she's telling her story. The title 'Arte Como Amante' means 'art as a lover'. For Indira, that's not just a phrase. It's her life. This album has been 14 years in the making. It began in Madrid in 2012, when she was 19, and was completed in 2024. She waited for the right moment. She lived life. She collected experiences. She built the sound. "I know to take 14 years to make an album seems crazy," she says, "but without living those experiences, how could I have made the music about them?"
The result is a diverse, adrenaline-fuelled body of work that hits hard and moves deep.
After a brief hiatus, Cosmocities returns in 2026 with Tech Rico EP, the final release from longtime collaborator, visionary artist, and producer Erik Rico. Completed shortly before his passing last year, the EP stands as both a creative evolution and a tribute to an artist whose influence crossed genres and generations.
Erik Rico first connected with Cosmocities founder Matt Soulie through Inkswel during the release of Cosmic Love Affair EP in 2022, leading to further collaborations including The Rare Groove Project. Following that release, Soulie encouraged Rico to explore a more techno driven sound, which became the foundation for Tech Rico EP.
The EP sees Rico stepping into new sonic territory while maintaining the rich musicality that defined his career. “Tokyo By Train” marks his first full dive into techno with driving rhythms and atmospheric textures, while “Afro Beatdown (Let’s Go)” blends Afro rhythms and broken beats inspired by the spirit of Fela Kuti. “Summer In Chi Town” pays tribute to Chicago house with warm synths and skippy drums, later reworked by Inkswel with additional vocals from Erin Buku and Marley Love into a soulful bruk infused remix. Closing track “Madrid or Manhattan” delivers a hypnotic house groove layered with trippy vocoder vocals.
A singer, songwriter, multi instrumentalist, producer, and DJ, Erik Rico spent more than two decades shaping a sound that bridged soul, house, hip hop, and Afrobeats. His career included collaborations with Tupac Shakur, Q Tip, Ladybug Mecca, and Jurassic 5, as well as scoring work for HBO, MTV, and PBS.
More than just a release, Tech Rico EP celebrates Erik Rico’s artistic spirit, fearless evolution, and the deep musical connections he built throughout his life. Cosmocities is honoured to share this final chapter with the world.
Veinyl returns with Decant Vol 1, the fourth release and the label's first Various Artists compilation. Rooted in the label’s philosophy of connecting sound, atmosphere, and the social ritual surrounding a good bottle of wine, this record unites producers from the deeper edges of house and tech-house. Much like wine, which brings people together and reveals different notes with every sip, Veinyl seeks to curate music that encourages listeners to savour the moment and discover new layers with each play.
Diego Krause opens the bottle with “Currents,” setting the tone with controlled momentum. Punchy kick and bass sync with swinging hats and airy pads as crystalline synths gradually expand in colour, culminating in sparse, darker echoes and an understated atmosphere in its final moments. Lescano’s “Illusion” uses a stripped-back tech-house palette of resonant dubby chords, vocal echoes, and funky bass stabs, all thrown into motion, ready for the dancefloor. On the flip, NVNDO & Until6’s “Donkey Long” brings a playful shift: bongo-driven percussion, rubbery grooves, and 90s-tinted house basslines and synthwork give it a hint of Balearic flavour without losing club weight. Skotsch closes with “Blood,” a dark, jacking tune where acidic basslines, razor-sharp drum programming, and teasing vocal fragments close the V.A. out with punch and style.
With Decant Vol. I, Veinyl distils its approach into four tracks that move between minimal house atmosphere and tech-house mechanics without losing focus on groove. It’s a compilation that highlights the label’s ear for subtle detail and functional design, pointing toward a catalogue shaped less by trends than by carefully curated underground talent and special dancefloor moments.
DMA & Friends returns with a four-track EP from Groningen-based producer Mathijs Smit, one of the most interesting names emerging from the new wave of the Dutch underground scene.
Known for his hybrid approach between modern techno, progressive influences and intelligent club-oriented dance music, Smit has been steadily building a strong reputation through releases on labels such Superlux, alongside appearances across the Dutch underground circuit.
Built around hypnotic grooves, soaring melodies and emotionally charged atmospheres, the EP creates a constant sense of tension and release while moving between modern techno pressure and progressive inspired dancefloor moments.
The 41st release on TECHNO Records marks a defining milestone: the first full- scale solo record by the label’s founder, Nastia, in her music career. It opens up a new depth of detail within the character and identity of both the artist and the catalogue.
Rather than making a loud statement, Nastia focuses on a restrained and functional approach to techno, shaped through subtle shifts in tension, texture, and rhythm. The tracks move with intention, avoiding obvious peaks in favour of gradual development and controlled energy—a familiar methodology and a direct analogy to the evolution of the label itself. Crafted with dancefloor energy in mind but not bound by it, the release offers a fresh perspective on the author’s persona, stripping away excess and overexplanation. It leaves ample room for the listener’s imagination and a versatile, expert application within a DJ set.
The trajectory of ascents and shifting attention in an artist’s career is the only honest path, providing material for reflection and the anchoring of values. This depth of experience cannot be replicated by overnight success or short-lived peaks—only decades of exploration, trial, and error can forge a work built to endure. Studio work becomes a new instrument for Nastia to build value capital, while her debut solo EP stands as an artefact marking a historic point for the author and the label.
TECH041
A1 “Indoctrinated” — a masterclass in rhythmic interplay used as a narrative device. It functions as a sonic manifesto: universally accessible yet distinctly individual. A process-driven track, its strength lies in its ability to repeatedly shift the listener’s focus. It serves as an ideal transitional tool, offering a calculated awakening from a hypnotic state.
A2 “Ignorance Is Keelleeng” — a structured dancefloor powerhouse built on a precise understanding of peak-time energy. Functioning as a set-defining anchor, it allows the DJ to pivot the mix in any direction without losing momentum. A true catalyst track that opens up new sonic horizons.
B1 “True Majority” — the most forward-thinking cut on the record, providing a definitive blueprint for the hypnotic techno sound of summer 2026. It presents a multi-layered, all-encompassing sonic tapestry that interacts with the listener while maintaining a strictly restrained narrative. A motif-driven track that subtly exposes an underlying tension.
B2 “Additive Integration” — best conceptualised within an extended set where the goal is to gradually establish the atmosphere and dictate the rules of the journey. A track built on anticipation, it conserves energy and conceals its inner mechanics until the final acts. It compels the listener to decode its sonic language for full comprehension.
Uncompromising Italian DJ/producer The Southern makes his vinyl debut on Mutual Rytm's sub-label, Spectra, with remixes from Alarico, Temudo and Sciahri. An EP marking an impressive label debut, Carmine Portarulo, aka The Southern, lands on Mutual Rytm’s sub- label Spectra with a powerful showcase of his much-loved sound. With the lead track featuring as one of label head SHDW's most requested IDs of the year so far, and packaged alongside outstanding remixes by close label associates Alarico, Temudo and Sciahri, the EP comes having established himself with a sound rooted in old school value and pure techno, favouring energy and authenticity over hype. The track’s backstory comes from the moment Carmine and his partner found out they were expecting a child and went for their first ultrasound appointment. Overwhelmed by the emotion of the moment and the beauty of what nature is capable of, he returned home and poured those feelings into the music. The result, ‘Ultrasound’, is an anthemic, punchy techno cut with euphoric energy rising up through the synths and its catchy lead melody. Joyful melodies sparkle amid vocal groans, adding a raw emotional pull as the warm, driving drums march on. Berlin-based artist Alarico is the first to remix on his return to the label, and his ‘Sad Mix’ has a more melancholic mood, with dark chords and tightly programmed drums that bring lo-key funk. Hayes Collective founder Temudo also returns and flips the vibe on his ‘Neuro Interpretation’ with a more psyched-out, twisted tune featuring trippy synths and booming drums for peak-time impact. Italo-Iranian Sublunar Records head Sciahri then drops his trance- inducing, hypotonic ‘Tunnel Vision Mix’, followed by two digital bonuses: ‘The Stripped Mix’, a bouncy workout with futuristic melodies, and Temudo’s ‘Neuro Interpretation 2’, which is raw, textured, and dark.
Techno House Connoisseurs are back with their 8th release by Bay Area producer Tranquil Elephantizer. This 3 track ep covers all the bases with equal parts tribal and acid culminating into that West coast sound you have come to love and miss. The A side starts off with the Silverwind Mix....deepish house music with flutes and mood for days teasing and drifting with tight percussion keeping the track grounded yet still dreamy. Long winded but in the best way. The 2nd track on side A is the Brother Lee Love mix which has a similar vibe but transitions into layers of crisp and subtle 303 acid lines all throughout. Wonderful end of night or middle of set escapism for side A. Side B has a lone track titled 5 Strobes mix that will get yours and the dance floor's attention. Panning and hypnotic with skipping percussion and spoken word....truly psychedelic west coast vibed out acid house.
The mighty Drumcode machine rolls on.. back again with the highly collectible DC4 Series now on its third volume. The DC4 series showcases a selection of four tracks from rising and established artists within the modern techno scene.
The EP features high-energy, peak-time techno tracks designed for dancefloors.
Pioneering NYC house label Nu Groove Records is proud to unveil a four-track EP of originals from fellow NYC house legend Jovonn.
After nearly three decades without a release, the cult house label relaunched in 2021 spearheaded by none other than Jovonn with ‘Random / Get Over It’. Following his ‘Funn Houze EP’ released earlier in 2023, the Brooklyn native is back with his ‘Blaque Katt EP’, a masterful display of innate musicality combined with an affinity for roaring '90s-inspired club music.
For the lead, ‘The Piano Fix’, Jovonn creates a dichotomy between the delicate nature instrument and the heavy, sweaty feel of the dancefloor. This is followed by a harder pianistic technique in both ‘The Piano Fix Returns’ and ‘Let Me Tell You Somethin’, showcasing the producer’s flair for harmony and melody.
Closing the immersive collection is ‘Drop That Traxx’, a playful track featuring addictive, syncopated hooks over a pounding four-on-the-floor beat. Throughout the EP, Jovonn displays his talent for gritty, hard music made with tender care.
Rebecca Goldberg presents the release of her debut full-length album, Night City, a deeply personal and expansive body of work that reflects a decade of artistic growth, exploration, and connection. Produced and arranged by Goldberg, this album captures the evolution of her sound through years of practice, travel, collaboration and mentorship.
Including 12 tracks across a 2x LP, Night City draws from the rich lineage of Detroit electronic music. Goldberg cites influences from dystopian cityscapes and futurism to space exploration and the possibilities of technology. The result is a forward-thinking genre-spanning collection.
The album features two notable collaborations: “444,” created with Jnn Aprl and recorded in her studio in Seoul, South Korea, and “Tunnel,” featuring Detroit techno artist Tiptonaires. Each collaboration adds a distinct voice and texture to the record’s immersive sonic world.
Night City was mixed and mastered by Andy Toth, with album artwork illustrated by Mark Sarmel. A limited run of vinyl is available for preorder now, pressed at Archer Record Pressing Co. in Detroit. The album will be released on Detroit Underground.
At its core, Night City is an offering shaped by experience and guided by curiosity, marking a significant milestone in Rebecca Goldberg’s musical journey.
It's time to celebrate five years of Paryìa! From the heart of the label, this compilation brings together our two favourite genres, bridging house and techno. Showcasing different cultures and backgrounds, this compilation represents the many different shades the electronic music scene has to offer. Finding that sweet spot through diverse moods and tempos, each track reflects the individual vision of the artist while taking its place within a collective journey that embodies everything the label stands for.
Featuring contributions from Cinthie, Fireground, Toobris, DJ Babatr, DJ Maria, Isabel Soto, Nesa Azadikhah, and Zombies in Miami.
MAUROMUSICA first appeared in 1999, when DJ Maurizio Schmitz introduced the name as an underground party brand shaped by long nights, afterhours and a deep passion for electronic music culture. For almost two decades, the project lived through intimate events and dancefloors before eventually going quiet for a number of years.
Now, MAUROMUSICA returns - not only as a party series once again, but finally as the music label Maurizio had envisioned from the very beginning. A long-held dream, brought back to life through a carefully curated first various artists compilation.
The first release brings together six artists from different corners of the electronic music world: Egyptian producer Raxon, German/French duo RE-ST, Italian artists JA:CK and Fedele, alongside Romanian producers Radu Dracul and Sublee.
Moving between warm-up atmospheres, emotional techno, afterhour moods and timeless club sounds, the compilation reflects the musical vision behind MAUROMUSICA - honest electronic music with character, depth and longevity.
Artwork comes from internationally acclaimed artist Tobias Rehberger, while the label typography was kindly provided by Buero New York.
Special thanks to Sven Väth for his continuous support and for championing Raxon's "Based In Space" in his sets for more than a year.
P.S. The handmade coloured vinyl edition of Raxon's "Based In Space" - limited to 100 copies - sold out within less than two hours. The track is now exclusively available as part of this compilation.
MAUROMUSICA first appeared in 1999, when DJ Maurizio Schmitz introduced the name as an underground party brand shaped by long nights, afterhours and a deep passion for electronic music culture. For almost two decades, the project lived through intimate events and dancefloors before eventually going quiet for a number of years.
Now, MAUROMUSICA returns - not only as a party series once again, but finally as the music label Maurizio had envisioned from the very beginning. A long-held dream, brought back to life through a carefully curated first various artists compilation.
The first release brings together six artists from different corners of the electronic music world: Egyptian producer Raxon, German/French duo RE-ST, Italian artists JA:CK and Fedele, alongside Romanian producers Radu Dracul and Sublee.
Moving between warm-up atmospheres, emotional techno, afterhour moods and timeless club sounds, the compilation reflects the musical vision behind MAUROMUSICA - honest electronic music with character, depth and longevity.
Artwork comes from internationally acclaimed artist Tobias Rehberger, while the label typography was kindly provided by Buero New York.
Special thanks to Sven Väth for his continuous support and for championing Raxon's "Based In Space" in his sets for more than a year.
P.S. The handmade coloured vinyl edition of Raxon's "Based In Space" - limited to 100 copies - sold out within less than two hours. The track is now exclusively available as part of this compilation.
With “The Insanity Of Infinity” Hernán Cattáneo and Marc Romboy join forces for a deeply atmospheric and emotionally charged release on Systematic Recordings. The track brings together two artists with long-standing
international reputations and clearly defined musical identities: Cattáneo’s unmistakable sense for hypnotic, progressive storytelling and Romboy’s warm, driving and Detroit-influenced Systematic sound.
The original version unfolds with depth, tension and elegance, balancing melodic emotion with club-focused precision. Rather than relying on obvious peak-time formulas, “The Insanity Of Infinity” builds its own universe:
immersive, sophisticated and timeless, shaped by two artists who understand how to create music that works both on the dance floor and beyond it.
The release is completed by two strong remix interpretations. Frank Sonic & Drumcomplex add a powerful, forward-moving techno version with clear Systematic DNA, designed for darker club moments and peak-time
impact. Brian Cid brings his own hypnotic and progressive touch, expanding the emotional dimension of the original with a deep, atmospheric and cinematic interpretation.
Released as a strictly limited red colored 12” vinyl edition, “The Insanity Of Infinity” is a special collector’s piece and a strong DJ tool at the same time.
Berlin-based producer ZentaSkai returns with ‘Analog Assets Vol. 04’, a four-track vinyl-only EP focused on analog texture, dub-inflected atmospherics, and disciplined techno structure. Active since 1997 and operating Mask Records and its parent label, Zaijenroots, from his Berlin studio, he continues to refine a sound shaped by spatial control and steady, architectural pacing. Tracks unfold patiently, elements are introduced with intent, and nothing feels excessive.
Setting the tone with Cuddling Monsters’ partner, Laura Merino Allue, A1 features phased melodic textures and crisp percussion that gradually lock in the rhythm. A2 develops a filtered synth motif over a steady four-to-the-floor rhythm, revealing its full weight before pulling back. B1 is the most direct cut, driven by a firm, punchy beat and sharp rhythmic detailing built for peak-time focus, while B2 closes with rising string layers over a dub framework, balancing warmth and precision in a clean, measured finish.
With releases on Jerome Sydenham’s Ibadan Records and upcoming collaborations including Cuddling Monsters with Laura Merino Allue and a joint project with Thomas Grun for Rhythm Trax Austria, ZentaSkai’s work sits comfortably between minimal experimentation and functional dancefloor design.
Supported by artists such as Richie Hawtin, Joseph Capriati, Marcel Dettmann, Luke Slater, Laurent Garnier, and DVS1, he maintains a consistent presence within the underground without chasing trends.
Welcome back to a time when Bulletin Board Systems were the social media, it was too dark for influencers, hardware predated plugins, and a home studio was a cumbersome necessity in the absence of ghost producers.
The vinyl-only Kilotoni series returns with another faceless batch of radioactive techno from the previously unreleased tape archives.
A1 The classic acid techno anthem formula is utilized in its purest form for prime time main floor use. Steady build-ups keep the tension going in what is otherwise a simplistic live recording style performance.
A2 Compressed-to-death hard techno and a detuned lead that could have come straight out of late-90s Sweden. A rare cheeky vocal snippet from an old Trax record and submarine sonar pulses provide some relief from the pressure.
B1 Melancholic but funky acid house for warming up the dance floor in your local club basement. A bouncing bassline and flanging chords meet for the sweetest treat.
B2 Cruiserweight ghetto techno meets dubby, modulating chords — perhaps unexpectedly. The last sweat of the morning hours.
Alt Dub boss Federsen once again joins forces with cv313 and Echospace Detroit to deliver a second instalment in their ‘Altering Dimension’ series, once again merging hazy textural sonics with delicate dub leaning aesthetics.
Detroit’s dub techno lineage continues to evolve as cv313, Stephen Hitchell of Echospace, teams up with Federsen for Altering Dimensions Part Two, another collaborative EP set to land on Federsen’s Alt Dub imprint.
A defining figure in the genre, cv313 has long shaped its language through seminal works like Seconds to Forever and the Dimensional Space LP, fusing enveloping atmospheres with tactile rhythmic structures. Alongside him here,
Federsen whose music can also be found on Echospace Detroit as well as Grayscale, Synchrophone, Lempuyang and Avant Roots, has carved out a distinct voice rooted in precision and analogue-rich depth. Altering Dimensions Part Two again captures the intersection of these two perspectives, linking Detroit’s enduring sonic heritage with a refined, forward-facing approach to dub techno.
‘First Dimension’ opens the release, laying down heavy doses of sub bass, bubbling percussion and ever evolving, murky dub echoes amidst a crisp, stripped-down rhythm section.
‘Second Dimension’ follows and leans into vacillating atmospherics, a swaying bottom end groove and hypnotic, subtle evolution that’s synonymous with the cv313 sound.
‘Third Dimension’ kicks off the b-side next, further embracing this introspective and immersive style as textural elements shift and mutate atop intricately modulating percussive hits, bubbling synth tones and weighty low-end percussion.
‘Fourth Dimension’ then concludes the release, reducing things down to bare bones of hypntic dub, embracing a beatless construction the composition relies on spatial depth, nuanced delays and an underlying tension that decays
Originally released by Time Capsule in 2021 and long out of print, Stories From Another Time 1982-1988 returns in an upgraded edition following years of demand and rising collector prices on the secondhand market. Widely regarded as a modern cult classic, Mário Rui Silva’s visionary recordings blend acoustic folk, cinematic soul, spiritual jazz and saudade-filled Lusophone rhythm into a deeply timeless and universal work that transcends genre and geography.
This new edition features half-speed mastering cut at Metropolis alongside an expanded 4-page insert with a tribute essay and unseen photographs following Silva’s passing in 2024.
The roots of Angolan popular music explored in the meticulous guitar studies of Mário Rui Silva. For fans of Naná Vasconcelos, John Hassell’s Fourth World ambient, Eduardo Mateo’s psychedelic folk and Cameroonian electronic music visionary Francis Bebey.
Whether on mesmerising acoustic ballads or hypnotic groove-led tracks, the music of Angolan guitarist, researcher and intellectual Mário Rui Silva has a beguiling, melancholy quality, woven into the dynamics of his deft guitar playing.Rhythmically complex yet supremely effortless, the music collected here stems from three albums Mário released in Luanda in the 1980s that reflect his diverse range of influences, from traditional Angolan and West African rhythms to European jazz and classical instrumentation. It is united by a sense of low-key beauty, whether on the chugging opener ‘Kazum-zum-zum’, the jazz-funk keys of ‘Lembrança Dum Velho’, or the twinkling, late-night poly-rhythms of ‘Kizomba Kya Kisanji’.
Born in Luanda, Angola in 1953, Mário dedicated his life to Angolan popular music. His fifty-year career has seen him live between Angola and Europe, rub shoulders with Cameroonian musicians Francis Bebey and Ewanjé, record the seminal album Angola ’72 with fellow Angolan musician Bonga, and draw influence from Brazilian guitarist Baden Powell.
It was the teaching of Angolan legend and Ngola Ritmos co-founder Liceu Vieira Dias that Mário gained a technical, political and spiritual understanding of Angolan musical culture. In the hands of Liceu, the traditional Angolan semba and kazukuta rhythms of the 1940s and ‘50s helped create an emancipatory sense of national pride and collective agency that awakened its listeners to the racism and tyranny of colonial rule, underpinning the country’s push for independence in the process.
What might sound like the intonations of Brazilian influence are what Mário attributes to the “African rhythms taken by the slaves which gave rise to other musical cultures” around the globe. Instead, this music emerged from a collective instinct to assert a cosmopolitan Angolan identity free from the patronising falsehoods of Lusotropicalism.
“There was a need within me to contribute in doing new things,” Mário describes. “In the sense of solidifying the music of Angola that was the result of the meeting of two cultures, and wanting to value the Angolan part whenever possible.”A selection from Mário’s three 1980s albums, Sung’Ali (1982), Tunapenda Afrika (1985) and Koizas dum Outru Tempu (1988) have been compiled here as a 2xLP release by Time Capsule’s Sam Jacob and Kay Suzuki. Together, they provide a snapshot of one man’s journey to the core of his nation’s music, charged with the search for a culture uprooted by colonialism
Anthea and Oshana’s tandem label UNIT-Y is back with a steezy new output by Lucio. The artist’s music sounds like Dj Hell would accidentally start peak-ing from a very good designer dr*g at a dirty electro-tech-squat-party somewhere in Rotterdam in the early 2000’s … ruff stuff.
In an engrossing lattice of polyrhythmic beat science and deep atmospheric meditation, Samurai Music is thrilled to welcome Marco Shuttle to the fold for the Sumud EP.
Since his early years locked into the 00s London techno scene, Marco Sartorelli has developed as an artist entirely on his own terms. Through the rush of new ideas and cross-pollination that has characterised cutting-edge techno over the past 20-odd years, Sartorelli has travelled as Marco Shuttle from one considered stylistic concept to the next. On his own Eerie label and across expansive releases for respected outposts such as Spazio Disponibile, Incensio and Astral Industries, he's taken an exploratory approach to rhythm and spatial design while always drawing on intentional thematic frameworks, creating distinctive and immersive dance music in the process.
As Samurai Music continues to celebrate the rich seams of inspiration where deep techno and drum & bass intersect, Sartorelli's malleable, mysterious strain of drum work fits right in and sets a captivating tone for the label's operations in 2026. 'Sumud' is a steely drum mantra dealing in fractured patterns with the primal patina of the early Artificial Intelligence era, while 'Las Dunas de Taroa' leans on gently pulsing melancholia undulating at a half-time pace. 'Iso 50' taps into raw, analogue minimalism once more, evoking the sound of Roman Flugel's Ro70 records in their icy, alien formation. Completing the set, we're guided towards the tense electronica of 'Polylayering What I've Got', where uneasy melodic chimes interlock with intricately programmed drum machines.
There's a distinct sense of golden-era, mid-90s electronica coursing through Sumud EP, but Sartorelli shrouds the classic tools at his disposal in his subtle signature atmospherics, pushing towards a plain of expression that transcends time.
Luke Una introduces a new series of original, dancefloor-focused productions on his É Soul Cultura imprint, in partnership with Mr Bongo. True to the label’s ethos, the series pushes sonic boundaries into deeper, more expansive territories, delivering forward-thinking music for discerning dancefloors. The first release brings together UK garage royalty Zed Bias and the underground talents of MJK, as we’re served up a double hit of hypnotic, futuristic techno and house.
Zed Bias is an artist that needs little introduction. The main moniker of Manchester’s Dave Jones, over the past 25+ years he’s cemented himself as a crucial figure in UK garage and dance music as a whole. He’s remixed hundreds of artists including Whitney Houston, The Streets and Azymuth, been nominated for a MOBO award and, through his more experimental take on 2 step garage, helped lay the foundations for the development of bass music into dubstep. For this new release he teams up with Ghanaian-British producer and DJ, MJK. Earmarked as ‘One To Watch’ by DJ Mag, and similarly championed by Mixmag, MJK’s sound draws from the worlds of bass, grime, house and beyond.
Opening track ‘Keep On Livin’’ sees Zed Bias and MJK coming together in the studio. Passed to Luke by his manager If Khan, it’s a sonic alchemy rooted in black heart soul music yet seen through a prism of bass futurism. A heads-down cut of driving techno, with nods to Detroit, and firm UK foundations, that is both bass-heavy and otherworldly. It’s a simple yet effective, entrancing combination of percussion, bass, and keys, peppered with old soul samples that lock you into a groove and never let go. A track built for dancefloors big or small.
On the flip, MJK steps up solo with ‘Late to Camberwell’, diving into deeper, late-night territory. Known for his three-deck DJ mixing style, MJK has a real understanding of how to layer elements to keep people moving. A swirling cosmic feel reverberates through ‘Late to Camberwell’. Drum hits, shakers and synth loops are weaved together in style, creating a dose of deep, immersive rolling house. In Luke’s own words, “I found it very exciting to hear a new artist create such a beautiful sound that reminded me of Detroit and Artwork's late ‘90s techno alias Grain. It’s stripped-back raw house music of the highest calibre”.
Originally released in 2005 and now repressed due to high demand, Da Sunlounge's ‘1972' EP remains an underground classic 20 years later. The tracks continue to appear in deep house and tech house DJ charts and influential sets around the world to this day.
The track ‘1972' features a tightly crafted groove that blends tech house elements with a gritty, bumping house sound, enhanced by sampled jazz elements.
‘Elvis' is a playful, bass-driven deep house track that flows smoothly with rich chords and spoken word samples.
'Whore House' is a club-ready banger built around cheeky spoken word samples, gritty hooks, and a funky, bumping bassline!
Michael Forzza unveils Obscure, a two-track EP navigating the darker edges of atmospheric techno with precision and intent.
A) Obscure is a peak-time weapon built on powerful percussive drive and a commanding groove. The rhythm pushes forward with controlled intensity, locking the dancefloor into motion. As the track evolves, the rhythmic pressure gradually recedes, allowing a shadowed melodic atmosphere to emerge in the final moments, adding depth and contrast without losing its dark identity.
B) Torture ventures into a more industrial realm. Dense textures, mechanical tension and hypnotic repetition shape its core, creating a sustained rhythmic strain. Then, when the pulse finally withdraws, the structure opens into a striking melodic finale, transforming the track into a suspended, almost cinematic closing atmosphere.
With OBSCURE, Michael Forzza explores the fragile line between impact and introspection, pressure and release. A release crafted for intense peak-time moments and the shadows that follow.
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Michael Forzza dévoile Obscure, un EP deux titres qui explore les territoires les plus sombres de la techno atmosphérique avec précision et intensité.
A) Obscure est un véritable track peak time, porté par une puissance percussive affirmée et un groove implacable. La tension rythmique s’installe et maintient le dancefloor sous pression, avant de s’effacer progressivement en fin de morceau pour laisser émerger une atmosphère sombre et mélodique, apportant profondeur et contraste.
B) Torture s’aventure dans une dimension plus industrielle. Textures denses, tension mécanique et répétition hypnotique construisent une montée intense. Puis, lorsque la pression rythmique disparaît, le titre bascule vers une finale mélodique surprenante, transformant l’énergie brute en une atmosphère finale plus immersive.
Avec OBSCURE, Michael Forzza joue sur l’équilibre entre impact et relâchement, puissance et émotion. Un EP taillé pour les heures sombres et les dancefloors exigeants.
2026 RepressK S R introduces X, a brand-new series dedicated to various artist collaborations, presented exclusively as split EPs. The first release brings together Sev Dah and Decka, delivering stripped-down, fierce and powerful techno weapons.
The Austrian imprint Fortunea Records took a little break to fill up their batteries and comes back now this summer with a release by the Bavarian duo Decent Rides. They are around for a couple of years and are also the masterminds behind the label Interloot Records.
On the ‚Like We Do‘ EP they are your guides for a versatile house infiltrated tour. The title-track is an energetic floorfiller with modulated synth sequences and heart stomping drum patterns. Definitely the killer app on this wax.
The second track on the A-side features the tune ‚Mind Maze‘. A funky bouncing bassline, reverberant almost siren sounding tones, staccato vocal samples and high accentuated hats make you blister your feet from your high intensively dance moves.
On track B2, the duo adds further "Colours" to the record. This melancholic deep house tune exudes a beautiful, somber, and yet captivating atmosphere that is impossible to resist. This track could be very effective when played during sunrise or sundown.
And finally, they round off this release with cosmic dub sounds and shimmering chords. "Lembo" invigorates the senses. Every beat on this tech house track is an invitation to let go and feels you the pulse of the underground scene.
Go check this out!
Limited to 200 records. There will be no repress!
Mastering by Patrick Pulsinger.
Following the release of Chris Liebing's 'Evolver' album this spring, German duo FJAAK rework 'Higher Things' which appeared on the full-length, releasing via CLR on 29th May 2026. Long established as a formidable force within Techno, FJAAK are known for crafting high-impact, floor-focused tracks, often via their self-titled imprint, with the Berlin artists now joining a star-studded cast on Chris Liebing's latest full-length, including photographer and film director Anton Corbijn on photography, and collaborations with Charlotte de Witte, Luke Slater, The Advent, Speedy J, Terence Fixmer, Pascal Gabriel, and
Daniel Miller.
Their remix reshapes 'Higher Things' around a rattling dub techno framework, where molten chords soften the weight of mechanical kicks while resonant stabs and swelling textures steadily intensify. The result is a hypnotic yet forceful reimagining, balancing atmospheric depth with anthemic, warehouse-ready pressure.
The original version of Chris Liebing's 'Higher Things' appears on his debut solo LP, 'Evolver', released 27th March 2026 on CLR. Marking a distillation of over three decades at Techno's core, the album pairs introspective depth with immediate, floor-driven impact, bringing together contributions from the likes of Luke Slater, Charlotte de Witte, Speedy J and The Advent, while ultimately remaining rooted in Liebing's singular vision, channeling the raw, industrial energy of classic club spaces into a refined, forward-facing long player.
ALERT: BIG 90s ITALIAN RAVE COMP - a lot of very in demand tunes on here.
Navigators
Franco Falsini and the Interactive Test Universe
There are musicians who follow their time.
And then there are those who seem to move along a different trajectory—like navigators crossing sonic eras without ever truly belonging to any one of them. The story of Franco Falsini belongs to the latter. It is a story that begins long before raves, before techno, before the word “electronic” had even become a recognizable musical genre. A story that moves across continents, technologies, and sonic visions, eventually arriving at a small creative laboratory born in Italy in the early 1990s: Interactive Test. This compilation is a fragment of that universe. But as often happens with the hidden histories of music, understanding it requires going back. Far back.
The Beginning: Machines, Tape and Space
In the late 1960s Franco Falsini leaves Italy and moves to the United States. It is not merely a geographical journey—it is also a journey into a new idea of music. At the time, synthesizers are only just emerging from research laboratories. Multitrack tape recorders allow musicians to build entire sonic worlds on their own. Technology is still far from standardized: every studio is almost an experimental workshop. In Virginia, Falsini builds one of his own. Among cables, oscillators, electric guitars and reels of magnetic tape, a kind of music begins to take shape that resembles nothing else being made at the time. It is not simply rock, and it is not yet truly electronic. It moves somewhere in the space between the two. Out of these explorations emerges Sensations' Fix, the project through which Falsini releases a series of albums during the 1970s. Records that seem to come from a parallel dimension: cosmic landscapes, electronically treated guitars, synthesizers drifting like satellites. Many years later those albums would be rediscovered as visionary works. But at the time they were simply the result of relentless curiosity. A curiosity that would never fade.
The City That Never Sleeps
In the 1980s Falsini’s trajectory leads him to New York. The city is a sonic organism in constant transformation. In its clubs and recording studios something entirely new is beginning to take shape: music built from drum machines, sequencers, and samplers, created for the body before the living room. It is the dawn of modern dance culture. Falsini works as a sound engineer, producer and experimenter. From close range he observes electronic music transforming into a global language. Machines become more accessible, computers begin entering studios, and rhythm takes on an increasingly central role. Yet even in this phase Falsini does not simply follow what is happening. He absorbs. Observes. Reimagines. When he eventually returns to Italy, he brings back not only technical experience but also a clear vision: the conviction that electronic music is an open space, a territory still waiting to be explored.
Tuscany, Early 1990s
At the beginning of the 1990s something is happening in Italy as well. In clubs, abandoned industrial warehouses and clandestine parties, a new scene is beginning to form. It is rave culture: a spontaneous movement bringing together DJs, producers and listeners in a collective experience driven by rhythm, technology, and creative freedom. It is within this context that Franco Falsini, together with his brother Riccardo, creates Interactive Test.
The name almost sounds like a scientific experiment. In many ways, it is. Interactive Test does not emerge as a traditional record label. It begins as a laboratory—a place where ideas, sounds and musical identities can be tested and explored. Around the Falsini studio in Tuscany a small constellation of artists and DJs begins to gather, helping to shape the sound of Italy’s emerging electronic scene. Among them are Andrea Giuditta, Francesco Farfa, Gabry Fasano, Roby Mastelloni, Roby J and many others. Each brings a different musical sensibility. But they all share the same intuition: electronic music is not a genre. It is a language.
The Laboratory of Identities
One of the most fascinating aspects of the Interactive Test universe is its constant play with identity. Franco Falsini releases music under several different names: Open Space, Youth Wave, Agent Fylfoyt, Man Myth Magic. These are not simply pseudonyms.
They are different sonic perspectives, as if each project were a window opening onto a parallel musical universe. Open Space, for example, explores more atmospheric and visionary territories. Youth Wave moves between electronic groove and club-oriented rhythms. Other projects experiment with digital psychedelia or hypnotic techno textures. Interactive Test becomes something more than a label. it becomes an ecosystem.
Domestic Machines, Infinite Worlds
Looking back today at the technology used in those productions, one might almost smile. Many tracks were created on Amiga computers, MIDI sequencers and analog synthesizers wired together in home studios—tools that appear modest when compared to today’s digital possibilities.
Yet precisely these limitations became a creative force. Every sound had to be built, shaped and reinvented. Sequences developed slowly, almost like living organisms. The tracks did not always follow traditional dance music structures; often they felt like genuine sonic journeys. Music built from space.
A Hidden Constellation
Many of the records released by Interactive Test in the 1990s remained for years almost invisible objects, circulating quietly among DJs, collectors, and devoted listeners. Yet it is precisely this underground existence that helped preserve them. Listening again today, one perceives something rare: the feeling of music that does not fully belong to its own time. Music suspended between different eras. Perhaps because it comes from a vision that both precedes and transcends trends.
Continuing the Journey
Looking at Franco Falsini’s entire path—from the electronic psychedelia of Sensations’ Fix to the rave culture of the 1990s—a surprisingly coherent line emerges.
A line defined by exploration.
Each project, each pseudonym, each record appears as a new route within the same great sonic voyage.
Interactive Test was one of its stations.
A laboratory.
A community.
A creative platform.
This compilation gathers some of its traces.
Not as a simple archive of the past, but as a map of a musical territory that continues to expand even today.
Portal Replica welcomes cult Australian duo, B(if)tek, onto the label with a first-time-on-vinyl release of their debut album ‘Sub-vocal Theme Park’ released in 1996 exclusively onto CD. The 2x12” release includes the original album, plus additional never-heard-before 'lost' tracks from the pair. The album has been mastered by Rashad Becker at Clunk Studios (DE) and pressed to 180g heavyweight vinyl.
Kate Crawford and Nicole Skelty’s pioneering electro-femme outfit ‘B(if)tek’ can be traced back to 1994 in Canberra, where lack of blueprint blossomed their playful and bizarre experimentations in techno — ‘feminism with a wink and a bleep’. Thirty years on, the uniqueness and ingenuity of B(if)tek’s deep analogue exploration endures.
“Monstrous clowns dressed as princes whose role is to laugh at themselves and entertain outlandish beings, suffocated by etiquette, conspiracy and lies, bound by confession and remorse … and beyond that, the auto-da-fe and silence.” – Ferdinand (Pierrot), from the film “Pierrot Le Fou” .
Photography by Kate Crawford.
Design by Jesse Sappell.
Mastered by Rashad Becker at Clunk Studios, DE.
Borrowing from the melody of Rah Band’s “Electric Fling”, Stefano Breda’s cover version completely re-invents the theme into what came to be a “Afro Cosmic” classic. Not your average Italo Disco sound, the downtempo chuggy beat quickly got picked up by pioneering jocks in the cosmic scene. With plenty of silence in between transients putting the spotlight on the multiple percussive elements employed by the skilful drum machine techniques of Breda along with trippy electric wind instrument sounds, resulting in an overall aesthetic of highly unforgettable mediterranean dreaminess, take a deep dive into Breda’s instrumental bliss. This release is remastered and further embellished with yet another previously unreleased mix of “Electric Fling” which was recently alchemized by the artist himself — the “Long Afro Version” which goes in the bonus beat realm with another study in his percussive generosities.
A truly outstanding dub release and another beautiful chapter in the sound of Etui Records.With Early Reflections Pt. 1, Insect O. delivers a remarkably deep and elegant statement that moves effortlessly between Dub Techno, Dub House and Deep House. Released on the ever-reliable Etui Records, this three-track EP is a masterclass in subtle tension, warm textures and hypnotic groove, understated, immersive and incredibly effective.
A record that feels introspective and timeless, balancing dancefloor functionality. With Early Reflections Pt. 2, Insect O. continues the journey with the same quiet confidence and emotional depth that made the first chapter so compelling. Once again rooted in Dub Techno and Dub House, this second installment feels like a natural continuation, deeper in mood, even more immersive in detail, and beautifully refined in its execution. The result is a record that feels introspective and timeless, balancing dancefloor functionality with a deeply emotive listening experience. Insect O. proves once again that true depth does not come from excess, but from restraint, sensitivity and a strong understanding of space and motion.
Balancing dub techno depth, Detroit spirit and peak-time functionality with class and precision. Parallel 41 Records returns with P41005, a powerful statement built for the darker edges of the dancefloor. On Sakura EP, Manuel Di Martino lays the foundation with two hypnotic originals and remixes that move between stripped-back pressure, dub-soaked depth and raw Detroit-inspired drive.
LOS ANGELES—To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the celebrated Talking Heads and Jonathan Demme’s concert film Stop Making Sense, the set will be re-released as a 2LP and 2CD/Blu-ray set this summer.
Released last year, the sold-out Deluxe Edition of the soundtrack will return as a 2-LP black vinyl on Rhino and 2-LP crystal clear vinyl at retail. Both variants feature a 12-page booklet with liner notes from all four band members –Tina Weymouth, David Byrne, Chris Frantz, and Jerry Harrison—and band photos. The 2CD/Blu-ray version includes the entire 28-page booklet from last year’s Deluxe Edition and a Dolby Atmos mix of the complete concert, mixed by Jerry Harrison and E.T. Thorngren, who also mixed the original release. Both will be available on July 26. Pre-order now.
The band appeared together for a sold-out screening and Q&A last night at the Pantages Theater, the same theater at which Stop Making Sense was recorded. They were joined by Blondshell, who performed “Thank You For Sending Me an Angel.” Another special screening with the band will occur in Brooklyn at the King’s Theater on June 13, with the Q&A hosted by Questlove and The Linda Linda’s performing “Found a Job.” The two events cap off a banner year of celebrations for what many consider to be the best concert film of all time.
The inspiration for Stop Making Sense came when director Jonathan Demme saw Talking Heads perform during the band’s 1983 tour for Speaking in Tongues. Afterward, he approached them with the idea of making the show into a concert film. They agreed and worked together over the next few months to finalize the details. Ultimately, Demme filmed three shows at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater in December 1983 to create Stop Making Sense.
The concert film presents a retrospective of the band up to that point, with a performance that weaves together songs from all six of its studio albums. The show progresses methodically, opening with Byrne onstage performing “Psycho Killer” alone with a drum machine. After each song, he’s joined by a new band member until Weymouth, Frantz, and Harrison are all on stage with him. The group continues to grow throughout the concert as members of the stellar touring band are added: keyboardist Bernie Worrell, percussionist Steve Scales, guitarist Alex Weir, and backup singers Lynn Mabry and Ednah Holt.
The band performs 18 songs in Stop Making Sense, including its recent single at the time, “Burning Down The House.” That summer, the song was in heavy rotation on radio and MTV, helping the song become the band’s first top 10 hit in America. It was, however, a different song from Speaking in Tongues that was destined to deliver one of the film’s signature moments. Talking Heads would perform “Girlfriend Is Better” wearing the now iconic, oversized suit inspired by costumes worn in traditional Japanese theater. For good measure, a picture of David Byrne in the suit also graces the album cover.
Stop Making Sense focuses mainly on music by Talking Heads but does include a few songs recorded outside the band: “Genius Of Love” by Tom Tom Club, “What A Day That Was” and “Big Business” from Byrne’s 1981 album, The Catherine Wheel. Limited edition vinyl versions of both of these albums, along with Harrison’s The Red And The Black, were released for this year’s Record Store Day.
When it arrived in September 1984, Stop Making Sense was an artistic and commercial triumph. The film had people dancing in theatre aisles, and the soundtrack sold over two million copies. Just last year, the Library of Congress added Stop Making Sense to the National Film Registry in recognition of its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance.
Weymouth praises Demme as a collaborator: “…Jonathan was a very enthusiastic, highly adaptive, and imaginative guy who was just as good a listener as he was a talker and collaborator. From the get-go you just got the impression he was as flexible as he was disciplined. Being team players, that boded well for a great relationship and a great film!”
Harrison says the film still holds up today: “To me, Stop Making Sense has remained relevant because the staging and lighting techniques could have been created in a much earlier time period. For example, Vari-Lights, lights with motors to re-aim them, had just come into vogue. Had we used them, there would have been a timestamp on the film, and it eventually would have felt dated...The absence of interviews, combined with the elegant and timeless lighting, created a film that can be watched over and over.”
Byrne says it’s interesting that this album was – for many people – an introduction to Talking Heads. “We had done a live album before this, but coupled with the film, and with the improved mixes and sound quality, this record reached a whole new audience. As often happens, the songs got an added energy when we performed them live and were inspired by having an audience. In many ways, these versions are more exciting than the studio recordings, so maybe that’s why a lot of folks discovered us via this record.”
Frantz recalls the sheer joy surrounding the entire Stop Making Sense experience. “I’m talking about real, conscious, transcendent joy… I’m talking about what the Southern gospel people call ‘getting happy,’ which means ‘to be filled with the Spirit.’ That is what happened to us onstage every night, and from my seat behind the drums, I recognized that this was happening to the audience too. Joy was visible in front of me and all around me every night.”
Baby T is a space away from her work as B.Traits in which Brianna Price can lean more into the junglist, drum ‘n’ bass and hardcore sounds which she loves so dearly. With BSHEE02, the second drop on Price’s own Banshee label, Baby T delivers a darkside masterclass of an EP. This record is a quartet of system blowers which doesn’t let up for a single second from start to finish.
Opener ‘Times Up’ is urgent from the off - the initial strains of this joint find sirens wailing in the monitors over a twitchy kick/drum/hats combo. From here on it’s distilled raver perfection, the drums taking us on a wild Wipeout-style ride as the subbiest of bass skulks at the bottom of the mix. Imagine a more technoid take on the classic breakbeat freerides of Skanna and you’re not far off the ‘Times Up’ sound.
A remix of ‘Times Up’ from man like Aloka leans with devilish glee into the murky underworld that lurks beneath Baby T’s original. Aloka’s version is extremely eerie in a manner which makes you think of the darkest corners of a DMZ party. When things really kick into gear, driven by an irresistible kick dembow, the effect is hypnotic - think the dubwise junglism of the UVB-76 cohort.
BSHEE02’s B-side kicks off with ‘Coercive Control’. This is a cut which delivers on its title in spades, putting the listener in a trance with an interplay of low-slung bass, whirligig synth tones and more of those perfectly executed broken beats. The acid starts to kick in around the minute mark, and it turns out to herald a total earworm of a lead melody.
There’s plenty of dimly-lit malevolence to BHSEE02 closer ‘Dense Dickwood’s grinding atmospherics and gurgling bass throbs. However, Baby T opting for a half-time drum break here gives the cut a vibe not dissimilar to the weightiest jams of classic Massive Attack - that is, until an absolutely remorseless switch-up occurs halfway through, delivering volley after volley of intense drum hits.
With great pleasure we welcome on board ADSR. This is not a standard EP but more a collection of 5 tracks made in the years between 1989 and 2001.
“Kicked” (1989) rides a driving dance groove with subtle Depeche Mode–influenced melodies, fueled by rolling arps and crisp string plucks. “Unit 3” (2001) hits with tough basslines and hard pads over a relentless beat, nodding to mid-80s EBM in the vein of Nitzer Ebb, Skinny Puppy, and Front 242. “Unchained” (1990) drifts on a late-night 808 groove with glassy pads and house-leaning chord stabs, sliding into early techno territory.
The EP closes with two well known tracks but those versions of them have never seen the light before today. “Windswept (Desert Mix)” – 1994 is a pounding early-session track built on tripped-out SH-101 leads, evolving arpeggios, long sweeps, and a steady 909, made for getting completely lost in.“Suboceana (Early Version)” – 1991 serves seductive chord progressions and drawn-out, reflective melodies, a liquid journey for both listening and the dancefloor.
The "TRACK TRAX EP" is the new vinyl of the "Computer Controlled Minds"
The yellow vinyl clearly indicates the direction – ACID!
As the name suggests, it will be a fast-paced race.
On the A side, our track days start with a driving track, it quickly becomes clear that this will not be a leisurely Sunday ride. It's going to be a tough race. When approaching the apex, it is always important to remain seated and open the tap slowly.
The second track is a confession of love to Kerb, he wants to be loved and touched. But this love also harbors great dangers. If you drive too hard over the limit, the Kerb will pay back mercilessly.
With B1, the DOWNSIDER brings ecstatic acid acceleration to the slopes. If the braking point is exceeded, it can fall massively to the ground. The experienced technoracer has everything under control and brings the necessary momentum to the next straight.
As the race goes on, the strength dwindles and a clean line becomes more and more difficult, but at the same time it is the key to the thrill. The struggle with body and machine becomes clear, every action makes the body burn. Giving up is out of the question, the race is only over with the chequered flag. But now off to the bar!
Last but not least on the B-side, two short bonus sounds for all mix DJs
The Computer Controlled Minds show their clear roots, ACID and hard RACE.
TCCM can be booked as a live act via insta: __NEXT_DOOR__. You will never forget the race!
Dexstar recordings returns for its 4th release, with Acid techno legend DDR. Prepare you self for a journey through pounding dark acid techno finishing with a hard techno staple.
KiNK & Raredub launch new sub-label Raw on SHDW's Mutual Rytm with bold two-tracker 'You And Me', backed by a VIP remix of 'Time To Change' from Paul Woolford aka Special Request.
Following their standout debut on Spectra with 'Time To Change', Bulgaria's finest dance music export KiNK & Raredub return to the Mutual Rytm universe to launch the label's new sub-series: Mutual Rytm Raw. Their latest release, 'You And Me', marks the next step in their collaboration - two stripped-back yet anthemic cuts that embody their signature sound: "Rude Boy Techno", a fusion of techno's drive with the swing and grit of UK Garage. Both versions of 'You And Me' are built for the floor, combining sharp percussion, catchy vocal hooks, and powerful low-end pressure - minimal in structure but rich in character and groove.
Rounding off the release is a standout VIP remix from Paul Woolford aka Special Request - one of his infamous 'Variation in Production' versions - offering a stripped yet high-impact reinterpretation of KiNK & Raredub's previous single 'Time To Change'. Raw, rolling, and unmistakably shaped by his UK Garage-influenced style.
Sciahri and his label Sublunar are thrilled to present "VEIL OF ECHOES," a new project that brings together both emerging and established talents from the label.
This release showcases
a fresh dimension of techno and electronic music, celebratingf originality by combining timeless cuts from the past with cutting edge sounds of the present and future. The journey begins with "IIum" by Temudo, an entrancing track with hypnotic synths that seamlessly transitions into Troys Awakening, featuring an irresistible and cerebral groove. Neel takes over with Follow Me, pushing the boundaries with intricate sound design crafted to move your body, followed by Marcal's Ancient Swing, renowned for its unique sound and processed vocals. Kameliia's Insolitam then transports you to another dimension with its deeply immersive and mental vibes.
Kaiser kicks off the next phase with Fearless Attitude, a powerful yet refined track, while Roll Dann continues the momentum with "Area 24," offering a softer yet penetrating synth line.
On side D, Cirkle's "Mooree" showcases his talent for
creating minimalistic yet razor-sharp tracks, leading into Juri Heidemann's "Reger," a mysterious piece with a groove designed to carry you to another realm. The project culminates with Kerrie's Jump The Gun, featuring intricate synths and a mind-bending bassline.
With "VEIL OF ECHOES," Sublunar aims to share a visionary collection that encapsulates the essence of techno and electronic music, bridging past influences with future innovations.
The new 12" release, "Call and Response", by the enigmatic artist MD, is a masterclass in the resurgence of retro techno, bridging the gap between the raw industrialism of early 90s Detroit and a modern, high-fidelity punch. The A-side is defined by its massive, anthemic vibes, built around a thundering TR-909 kick and a soaring, crystalline synth lead that feels both nostalgic and startlingly fresh. What truly sets this record apart, however, is its intricate counterpoint structure; rather than relying on simple loops, MD weaves multiple independent melodic lines together in a rhythmic dance of tension and release. The "call" begins as a jagged, percussive stab that is immediately answered by a "response" of lush, interlocking minor-key arpeggios, creating a sense of constant movement and architectural depth. It’s a track that demands attention on a massive sound system, proving that the classic techno blueprint can still be expanded into something grand and deeply intellectual.
Continuing its faithful documentation of the early years of Monolake, Field Records proudly present the first-ever vinyl pressing of seminal 1999 album Interstate. In a kaleidoscopic lattice of micro-rhythms and exquisitely dynamic textural work, Robert Henke and Gerhard Behles fully collaborated for the final time on this record — and created an electronica landmark in the process.
Monolake's evolution from their earlier dub-techno-tinted works saw their exploration of Max/MSP go further out. The duo yielded greater complexity in the behaviour of their sound palette to achieve an organismic quality that remains an enduring influence on so many strands of experimental electronic music today. Interstate is a vivid record that builds up eight different ecosystems of sound and subtly threads elegant grooves through their root structures.
There's a house-like undulation to the low-end driving 'Tangent-I' and 'Tangent-II', but the infinitesimally detailed layers of sound on top swoon from techno synth shimmers to trickling waters, snaking delay trails and pin prick percussion. You can hear the unmistakable, snappy rhythmic thrust of drum & bass driving 'Ginza', but here it's used as an engine for the crispest array of designer percussion and dub-soaked synth chirrups. Across every track, Henke and Behles demonstrate a potent combination, both groovily instinctive and eternally fascinating to try and pick apart.
After Interstate, Behles departed to focus entirely on the development of Ableton Live and Henke steered Monolake towards a leaner — but no less pioneering — sound. Every Monolake record has its own unique context and sound, and the circumstances of Interstate could never be repeated. Capturing the leaps in progress that were being made in digital music production at the end of the millennium, it's an information-rich document of a moment in time that still sounds wildly futuristic 27 years later.
Network 23 Recordings proudly unveils its first full digital album release since its revival in partnership with Triple Vision Distribution. It will also release as 3 Vinyl EP's over the course of this year.
Better Than Drugs, the latest album from Crystal Distortion, delivers a high-impact sonic snapshot of both personal upheaval and the turbulent state of the world today. Framed by flashes of media soundbites old and new, the album tackles themes ranging from gentrification in Landlords Hooked On Crack (Breakbeat Version) to the right to protest in Got2StopThem, and the mass manipulation of society in The Chicken Strikes Back.
Launching with a hard-techno surge, the record moves fluidly through a spectrum of tough, mid-tempo rhythms, accented by breakbeats, electro-leaning syncopations, and bass-driven cuts like StepGPT-all while staying firmly rooted in dance-floor intent. Designed for movement and built for impact, Better Than Drugs is a versatile, high-energy release ready to ignite any setting.
Crystal Distortion is a pioneering force in the underground electronic music scene, known for fusing hard-driving techno, breakbeat energy, and improvisational live performance into a signature sound that helped define the European free-party movement. His work blends raw analog textures with relentless rhythmic experimentation, creating high-intensity sets that feel both chaotic and meticulously crafted. As a long-standing member of the Spiral Tribe collective, he has influenced generations of producers and performers, pushing the boundaries of what electronicmusic can be in both form and context.
We feel like Frank & Tony and Smallville have been on the same musical wave-length since forever. Our musical paths have crossed back and forth over the years and we have always shared a lot of the same values- steadily putting out quality music, that stands the test of time - growing consistently - never stop following our very own way - always not-following trends forever..
Frank & Tony is the collaborative guise of Scissor & Thread co-founders Francis Harris and Anthony Collins aka Grant. Both have long been staples of the underground with material under their own names and numerous other guises shaping the musical landscape of House Techno and beyond since the turn of the millennium. Both lived together in New York and as Frank & Tony the pair have delivered multiple albums and many EP’s on their own label, Tokyo’s Mule Musiq and Pacific Rhythm- now they are warmly welcomed onto the Smallville Records roster with their latest collection of works.
‘Ways Of Mine’ leads on the A-Side and showcases the pairs signature deep hypnotic house style via soft billowing pads cascading metallic chimes psychedelic spoken word and dreamy dubbed out keys floating atop a robust bouncy rhythm
section.To open the flip-side title-track ‘After All’ lays down a subtly blooming chord sequence shuffled drums and bumpy bass stabs at its core all subtly nuanced while the latter half introduces more dynamic rhythmic elements and intertwined melodic touches. ‘Dimension’ then concludes the release diving deeper with saturated ethereal pads and bubbling resonant arpeggio lines alongside heavily swung crisp drums jazzy keys and delayed vocal chants.
After All comes with a full cover artwork by Stefan Marx.
All tracks written & produced by Francis Harris & Anthony Collins
Mastering and Vinyl cut by Helmut Erler at Lathesville
![Dolphin - Cunts Rule Everything Around Me EP [full colour sleeve / incl. dl code]](https://www.deejay.de/images/l/8/7/945087.jpg)
