Great deep techno on this collaborative split release between XDB and Kryptic Universe! They’re bringing 2 of their favorite cuts onto the table. C.O.N. and Cloud Riders do dive deep and relentlessly into dub techno territory.
Macedonian-in-Berlin Stojche continues his faithful exploration of deeper strains of techno with this entry for esteemed French label Synchrophone. It’s the first time the Tangible Assets artist has appeared on the label, and he does so with the statement drop of just one original tune, the frankly epic ‘Granada’. Laying down a swirling dream of synth strings and fluttering Rhodes, the core of the track is a soothing balm driven by bouncy, strident 909 kicks, but the real magic comes from the switch up as the pads give way to fast-paced, classically informed techno rush right up there with the best of Detroit. Meanwhile, the B-side is handed over to Gerard Hanson aka Convextion, who delivers a version which submerges the broad sweeping pads and focuses on building the forwards momentum.
Derek Carr has been pretty untouchable in the last couple of years. His work in the fields of deep house and deep techno has been consistently innovative and captivating. He takes care of the eighth EP on the Trident label now with more of his serene sound designs and dynamic grooves. ‘Allez’ heads off into the cosmos with balmy pads and smooth drums then acid lashes about the mix of ‘I Want You’ which rides a nice tight, clipped, locked-in drum line. Things get more loose and star gazing on ‘Revival’ while ‘Typhoon’ closes with playful synth patterns tumbling down over invitingly warm deep house drums.
Axis Expressionist Series is a collection of vinyl and limited digital releases, curated by Millsart, an alias of Jeff Mills, of his most eclectic and transcendent compositions that derive from his Every Dog Has Its Day project as well as new unreleased works. “Inner Eye” and “That Voodoo You Do” were originally released in digital as “Every Dog Has Its Day vol.12” (2020). “Nocturnal Moves” was originally released in digital as “Every Dog Has Its Day vol.9” (2020).
Konduku makes his first appearance on DJ Nobu’s label Bitta, presenting four highly energetic, deep hypnotic cuts. It’s the perfect collision between their characteristic practices. Konduku’s two immersive techno works, in the form of ‘Hayal’ and the atmospheric ‘Yakamoz’, compliment Nobu’s powerful and uplifting mountain-valley sound. Balancing out the EP are two proper mind-benders: ‘Damla’ perfectly represents Konduku’s take on twirling half-tempo rhythms and ‘Zifir’ is a freaky heavy-hitter in the low sub territories.
Bordello Travels presents the second volume of ‘Buone Vacanze’ with your tour guides Ali Renault, Señor Chugger, Back From The Wave & Umatik and CT Kidobo.
Two stoic nomads in sound, united in difference, emerge on Deep Cover with a brace of cranium rattling reanimations.
Vuta is back on Mélopée Records with an incredible body release. “Crystal Hero” & “Aerie” are two italo body tracks, perfectly representing the current dancing Italo. “Filta Poly” is a sweet track, more sensisitive, but always keepin’ the dancefloor bubbling. Includes a trancey remix by Plexi Glass and an EBM remake from Brazilian artist Neurotiker.
An intriguing and revealing hypnotic immersion from the enigmatic duo JUNA. “Archetipo” explores the landscapes of the unconscious. The word “persona” in Latin means mask: thus the personality, the scenery of the ego, is transformed into a theatre of archetypal images, merging word and music, like a rhetorical figure, a synesthesia. The aesthetic-musical research is a poetic-sound journey into the psyche, to tell and celebrate it.
The decade of the 80s is revived through recordings like “Eyes” that allow you to travel through the music and trigger those old emotions of innocence, joy and adventure. “Eyes” by Clio contains all the emotions that a dance-pop song should contain plus the essential element of mystery, a kind of magic that takes place between the chorus and the bass line, a shot in the dark drizzly night of the Italo-Disco.
Next up on Slow Motion’s ‘A UFO’ free edit series is Radondo’s rework of Art Fine’s arcane Italo gem ‘Dark Silence’. Careful to retain the original’s elusive energy, he re-arranges the track’s structure to focus on the dark, stormy lows. Building to the infectious synth line of the original, Radondo incorporates a few of his signature atmospheric tones and synth Arps, culminating in a respectful homage to the brilliant ‘Dark Silence’.
Black smoke coming from the chimney; we have a blast off! Intergalactic Gary launches massive 4 tracker from his his lab.
Polish Electro/EBM duo Pleasuredome FM, contributes to Barcelona based imprint Italo Moderni with a masterpiece EP with a collaboration with Silky Oolong. Selecting 4 pieces on a convulsive breaks and bleepy motifs, with a special Electro punch for club and with a few emotional sequences.
This fifth EP in the Steve Rachmad re-issue series contains a colorful combination of three tracks from different releases. Side A brings the sought after track ‘Teknitron’, originally released on his 3rd EP, originally released under his short-lived alias Black Scorpion back in 1995. ‘Transpose’ is taken from his first Sterac EP from 1994, while the last tracks ‘Alastria’ comes from his second album Thera, originally released in 1998. All tracks are re-mastered of course. Steve Rachmad’s richly melodic strain of techno has resulted in a huge body of work he has been growing since the early 90s. His sound is the perfect distillation of machine soul – dubby atmospherics and crisp, danceable dynamics balanced in perfect unison. Amsterdam’s Delsin Records gathers together some of the Dutch techno figurehead’s most important, sought-after works in a new EP series, all remastered from the original DAT tapes from Steve’s archives.
With Augustus Williams, Juan Atkins’ newly signed artist, Metroplex Records welcomes one of Detroit’s new generation of electro and techno explorers to the label. His debut, titled ,,Increaser EP” offers four tracks of celestial funk, deeply indebted to the classic sound of Metroplex. The EP starts off with ,,The Hook-Up”, a bouncy yet minimal electro permutation built around a propulsive bassline and a percolating synth arpeggio. On the other three tracks Williams flexes his techno muscle and shows his keen sense for deep and focused techno-soul with a futurist edge that has any dance floor heaving with energy. – most notably in the noisy abstractions of ,,Submission”.
Berlin-based American Jon Hester presents some fierce-driving techno tracks on his latest release on Odd Even Records, with a clear Motor City influence.
Josef Tumari is an artist from the Sublimation collective from Tashkent, Uzbekistan. He produces a mix of breaks, electro and techno with oriental influences at times. MAQOL98 is his most substantial work up to now.
Curtis Electronix reaches its 10th drop presenting the second album from his owner and founder CEM3340, “Macchine”. The double 12” draws together 8 new tracks all made and recorded using only hardware. Spanning from pumped up machine-led cyber-funk beats, to darting powerful techno out-kilters, but always maintaining a stable focus on CEM3340 personal signature, it explores those ravines where techno and electro collide. ”Macchine” is pure dedication to the machines. With no compromise.
Entering the two-digit era, Clear Memory presents this carefully curated compilation. Oscillating between Dark Acid Rain and L-Town-(Ultra)-Funk. Six surprises, six boxes of pandora, six welcoming arms, six uncanny offers.
