The French G-Prod brothers debut on Fluid Electronics with the lavish, Detroit-flavoured “One Trice” EP. True to the Motown house scene’s idiosyncratic engineering of raw throb and velvet touch, this four-track slab pays tribute to that classic sound which still infuses far and wide in today’s musical landscape. On the menu, two original hot cakes from the Gaugain siblings complemented by a pair of remixes courtesy of Irish vibist Derek Carr and UK-based deep grooves manipulator, John Shima.
‘Other Dimensions LP’, Terrence Dixon’s latest work and the new adventure in 30D’s ExoPlanets sublabel, comes for the very first time released in full length format, split in two sides, showing Terrence’s two faces. As everyone knows, words can not describe the music of this Detroit visionary, but we’ll try. Futuristic, avant-garde-esque, mesmerizing, trippy and minimalistic / reduced techno funk as expected in A side, but highly emotional and evocative, as only he can do. On the flip side, Terrence redefines and takes to another level the concept of dark, experimental, abstract, atmospheric, alienated and dystopian music, a true musical trip (perhaps a nightmare) to dive into. An extremely personal and intimate album.
It’s not every day we see a new release from John Beltran’s alias Indio. With releases previously only on Transmat and Rhytmic Tech some 10 and 20 years ago, Detroit Dancer presents his new EP called Phoenix. Phoenix is a full on Detroit dance floor belter with warm strings and comes with strong remixes from E.R.P. and Stryke.
Premium solo material from Jordan CGZ (Magic Mountain High, Juju & Jordash). An unbounded trip around the producers musical universe. Sounds ranging from icy futuristic soundscapes to crunchy melodica techno workouts, Other-wordly Jazz explorations to hazy Rhodes washed Deep house memories.
DJ Nobu’s Bitta welcomes Refracted. The Spanish producer delivers four expertly crafted cuts of his deep diving techno, fully embracing Bitta’s hypnotic and energetic approach.
John Shima makes his debut for Rawax with “Parallels EP”, featuring four deep Detroit techno tracks.
Australian Biz is back with another EP of serious grooves. He creates a vibe that seduces the soul yet also has the tough elements that work so effectively on the dancefloor. This is the fourteenth release on Biz’s own label cliq, founded in 2002.
Robert Hood presents the return of his Monobox alias with an album featuring seven tracks. For the return of Monobox, Hood has envisaged that the vessel has been lying dormant for 40 or 50 years and is now beginning to rise up again, or regenerate. The new Monobox album, ‘Regenerate’ creates an all-enveloping story from its opening chapter and the atmospheric ‘Rise’. Stripped-back tribalism ensues with ‘Blackwater Canal’ before the ominous ‘Wargames’, while ‘Angel City’ brings a lighter, sparkling touch. Disc two delivers the gritty ‘Exoplanet’ running at over nine minutes as it gradually draws you in, then flip over for the sweeping grooves of ‘Drydock’. The album closes on the album’s title track where vintage melodies sit alongside techno futurism.
Common Dreams bring a new 4 tracker from Mihail P, including a special John Shima remix. Electro breaks, synth basses and a cool pad to complete the perfect journey.
Planet E Communications releases ‘Electric Worlds’ LP by Francisco Mora-Catlett, marking Francisco’s first electronic album in celebration of 30 Years of Planet E. Francisco Mora-Catlett’s career spans decades, genres and astral realms, perpetually defined by the quest for survival and being free. The Mexican-American percussionist, composer, and producer makes his solo debut on Carl Craig’s renowned Planet E Communications with his first electronic music album, ‘Electric Worlds’. Whether pushing the limits of free jazz with the Sun Ra Arkestra in the 70’s, studying at Berklee College of Music and touring with Max Roach in the 80’s, or playing in Carl Craig’s “The Innerzone Orchestra” in the 90’s, Francisco’s passion has always been for the capacity that the music created by black and brown people has to free the human spirit.
A stylish return from Blumoog Music with 4 tracks of pure Detroit style techno. Psychedelic sounds demonstrate, again, the great mentality of these two artists, loyal to old school underground techno. Terrence Dixon presents two minimalist tracks which will capture attention from everybody on the dancefloor; M.R.E.U.X insists with his unique style, distinguished by dizzying rhythms and pure energy.
Way back in the 1990s, Mark Hand, Neil Iceton & Jez Nicholl channeled their love of sci-fi-fired Motor City techno into a string of inspired releases under the alias Cubic Space Collective. After reuniting for a memorable machine jam at Freerotation festival in 2016, Hand & Iceton headed back into the studio for a one-off session and recorded ‘Holiday in Beta Centauri’, a musical love letter to Mad Mike and the rest of Detroit’s most militant futurist techno crew.
Second Phase (aka Joey Beltram and Mundo Muzique) are 2 legendary producers whose output shaped an entire generation of ravers, DJs and producers minds. ‘Mentasm / Mind To Mind’ is one such influential release, literally creating new styles, new directions and impacting on dance music for decades to come. Unique programming and fresh sounds made their records stand out head and shoulders above everyone else’s output. This is a quintessential techno record, a glimpse of innovation from back in the day. 1991 techno classics – repressed and reissued for 2021.
Lost Trax pops up at Delsin once more. It’s their second EP with new material on Delsin after their Surface Treated EP from 2019. On Mind Over Matter, Lost Trax steps in the world of old school pre-nineties jackin’ Chigaco and Detroit sounds. Four tracks filled with razor sharp 303s, bubbling FM-basses, jacking drums and offworldy emotive melodies, making this an excellent pack for the late nights.
In the last years the Berlin-based duo Ausgang got attention in the worldwide techno scene through releases on their own label Ausgang Records. Nico and Roseen show on their first LP a clear vision of taste and quality, coming from the true techno culture. Eight tracks moving from electro to techno, based on radical essential elements reflecting their 90ies roots. Both share the basic idea of techno: raw and gritty sounds with pounding rhythms. Made for darkened rooms with fog and strobe lights. Nothing more, nothing less.
Robert Hood is set to regenerate his much-loved Monobox alias with a new EP followed by an artist album. The ‘Forwardbase Kodai EP’ features 2 exclusive originals that will not appear on the forthcoming album, alongside a remix by Ø [Phase] and a blistering Robert Hood Re-Plant edit.
The 3rd release from Audition goes further into the sci-fi sound he is renowned for. “Irrational” invites you into a paranoid trance with its relentless synth line that seems to want to haunt you forever. Next up is “Tense” which, as the title suggests, creates a hard-hitting tension throughout the track supported by heavy syncopated rhythm. The EP ends with “Rumours” a beatless, brooding track that feels like you re entering a never-ending black hole.
Something Records lifts off ‘Lost in Musik’ by STL aka Stephan Laubner. On 17 tracks and an extended playing-time, this double vinyl comes in complete album feel, multifarious variations, and in STL’s full tonal trademark fit. STL attends the brains & ears in his magic discrete way with an unstoppable bucket-raining flow of fresh sounds, catching rhythms and aspirating music, like no one else usually does. An album to blow your minds, shake your bodies and touch your souls.
The Override Switch combines the talent of two Detroit natives: Jeff Mills and Rafael Leafar. The latter is a multi-instrumentalist with a strong affiliation to jazz music. Through Mike Banks, he was introduced to Jeff Mills, where the idea for “The Override Switch” began to manifest. “The Override Switch” gives control back to the musicians. Unrestrained and unshackled by the semiotics placed by conventional dance music, it looks to a frontier beyond what is conditioned by genre. By infusing the mercurial elements of jazz, it gives electronic instruments the avenue that it always had the potential to travel down; as an unrestrictive genre, exploring the boundless possibilities in which it is capable. It looks to innovation and transcends what has come before; it is a switch in a practical sense, overlooking its past before switching to the future. The album is a homage to artists like John Coltrane, J Dilla, Kraftwerk and those who inspire experimentation with what can be evoked through music.
The Hipodrome Of Music 