JP Enfant with a crafty, uplifting, highly effective 1990s Detroit Techno futurism schooled EP on a.r.t.less.
detroit techno
Q3A – Deva Station EP [126DSR]
Route 8 back to his techno project Q3A dropping some heavy grooving tracks. The talented Hungarian producer is back with four more cuts of techno and electro excellence, club tracks that ooze atmosphere and intriguing details. The Nameless Place kicks off with a tense and tangled techno track that is urgent and slick as is hurries on through damp underground caverns. The Very End of You completely flips the script and is a slow motion bit of dub. With only sparse kick drums, the focus is on the cavernous pads that smear in huge arcs as watery droplets and heavenly chords add to the brain soothing effect. Temple of Retribution is back to techno, this time with loose, jumbled percussion and clipped drums cantering along at high speed. Again it’s roomy stuff with no real edge, the Deva Station drops into house mode, wriggling drums and distant vocal cries finished off with some classic Detroit keys. It’s a high tech, soulful track that closes out a diverse and devastating EP.
Echelon – Echelon 002 [ECHELON002]
The Echelon is conceived in total secrecy. Embedded deep in the contemporary landscape, its sole purpose is to function as an anonymous observer, translating its findings into music and movement.
Jeff Mills – Lost In Space [AX075]
The five-track EP will be the first material from Mills’s latest electronic-classical project, Lost In Space, which is a collaboration with Orchestre National Du Capitole De Toulouse. Following the 12-inch, Mills will release a Lost In Space album at some point in 2018 and perform live alongside the orchestra on April 5th and 7th in Toulouse. “Lost In Space” is an exotic music excursion into the unknown – discovering the sectors of Outer Space and encountering unexpected occurrences which is to be the objective, narrative and attraction. Like the architecture and habitation structure of a jungle, life exist and persist everywhere, but only by the degree of our 5 basic human senses.
Artefakt – The Radiant City [DSC013]
Artefakt come from the deepest branch of techno. The partnership of Robin Koek (Cyspe) and Nick Lapien (Metropolis, Rhine) have explored subterranean caverns, dense forests and unknown lands on labels like Prologue, Field and Delsin and their latest three track expedition on DSC continues that journey into the beyond. “Raid” is a near nine minute odyssey, a trip into shimmering cymbals, acid growls, placid lakes and ritualistic rhythms. The flip finds a breaking in the dense foliage: “The Radiant City”, a sanctuary of soaring strings, soothing pads and entrancing harmonies. “Lichtspiel” writes a different tale. Muted tones are ruffled by an industrial edge, the hand of man and the rise of the machine blended with a natural and organic warmth.
Lost Trax – The Saturnian System / The Sequel [DSR-X11]
The Delsin re-issue arm turns its attention to Lost Trax. This EP features four cuts taken from two different EPs, The Saturnian System and Lost Trax 2 from 2006 and 2010 respectively. Saturnian System opens the EP with some acid laced electro slickness. Fluttering snares and spacey synths carry it away into the cosmos, then The Sequel gets much busier. Scurrying lines dart about in manic but funky fashion, with serene pads off setting the high energy drums. Self Destruct Sequence then drops into an urgent, slippery electronic groove riddled with squelchy sounds and rubbery bass all perfectly orchestrated. Last of all, Birth is a nimble electronic house cut with plaintive synths and kinetic drums that wiggle and wriggling through the night sky. This is an EP stuffed with timeless sounds and is another essential reissue from Delsin.
Jaime Read – Relief Sevensixty [MC014]
Jaime Read is something of an unsung UK legend. ‘Relief Sevensixty’ is a collection of Read’s rarer tracks that have appeared in a roundabout way, on a legendary Chicago label in a tale that has by now been widely documented. Across 4 tracks this EP shows what a dynamic producer Read is, the music contained within has a depth and maturity and of course it’s some funky as, futuristic, space Techno that sounds like it’s just escaped the warp drive and landed here on earth and implanted itself in our eardrums.
John Shima – Contact EP [INST007]
Jeroen Search – Continuum EP [ODDEVEN012]
Andre Kronert’s Odd Even welcome one of the most authentic techno producers and veteran. Known for his genre defining inimitable sound, and energetic performances, Jeroen Search is today where hes always been, at the very edge of contemporary techno.
Van Abbe / Pantone 32 – No Comment 9001 [NOCOMMENT9001]
Van Abbe’s fresh No Comment release presenting 2 originals, a remix by The Exaltics and a debut track by Pantone 32.
Echoplex – The Solar Experience [SOLAR001]
Solar Phenomena is a brand new label on an exciting astral crusade. The take-off pilot for our virgin mission is none other than decorated Polish producer Echoplex with an excellent remix by A Made Up Sound.
Trap10 – Three EP [ARTLESS2182]
Mojuba sub label a.r.t.less presents the second 12 by Munich Techno Duo Trap10. Three cuts of high quality Detroit influenced no nonsens Techno, ranging from heavy peak time action to subtle emotion ladden deepnes. Classy, driving, mid 1990s Detroit school reminiscent Techno.
Technical Onslaught – The Calling [RJB001]
Rawax welcomes Mr. Joey Beltram to the Family, with a timeless masterpiece from 1990, Technical Onslaught “The Calling”.
J.C. – The Record for Keka [CBR009]
Sawlin – Motion Keeper [DSR/C11]
The Delsin c-series welcomes Sawlin for a new EP that finds him in a housier mood than you might expect. He has become known as a techno producer, but this proves he can do much more. Opener ‘Motion Keeper’ is a deep underground affair with swirling pads adding scale to the heavy, churning drums. It’s soaked in ethereal pads and will suck you right in when played on a large sound system. ‘Easiness Supplier’ gets a little more trippy, with mastery synth droplets dancing about above busted, frazzled drum loops. It’s edgy and tense builds to a seriously weighty groove over time. Last of all, ‘Wired Evening’ is a dark, gritty dubbed out house cut with snaking hi hats, gurgling synths and menace in the air. This is shadowy and physical house music at its finest.
Derek Carr – Distant Systems[FS008]
The EP entitled Distant Systems is a musical adventure for a quest for a new home land, a new planet, a new start, It is proper techno; proper melodies , beats and pads for this adventure. Derek Carr is a master at creating thoughtful emotive and simply wonderful techno that fits in so naturally on FireScope Records.
Colophon – Pattern Formation EP [LWRC002]
Lowercase Life returns with more melancholia out of machines made in the past. Detroit and 90’s UK vibes brought to present time in three originals and a killer electro remix by Orson Wells.
VA – Soma500 Slam Remixes [SOMA500]
Soma500 is a very special release that sees label heads Slam visit two memorable tracks for them over this past anniversary year. The duo of Stuart McMillan & Orde Meikle rework Robert Hoods, The Bond We Formed – taken exclusively from the Soma25 compilation and a track that has featured highly in countless sets, a unique Slam rework of Carl Craig’s interpretation of Delia Gonzalez & Gavin Russom’s Relevee.
Blue Maxx – Private Life EP [DRIVE001]
DRIVE001 sees us step back to 1998 and into the hands of the duo of Damon Wild and Mederic Nebinger, recording together as Blue Maxx they quietly unleashed some of the finest futuristic widescreen Techno and Electro to emanate from NYC in the late 1990’s. Utilising a small sub-label of Wild’s seminal Techno imprint Synewave called Deja Vous the pair embarked on a slew of EP’s released over the space of a couple of years with ‘Private Life’ being one of the last. Across 3 tracks ‘Private Life’ opens up a new sound world, from the driving, tool-like qualities of the A-Side cut – all swinging drum programming, synth stabs and deranged metallic percussions to the deeper, more clandestine leanings of the B-Side tracks, mining a more musical and Electro infused vein, the whole EP stands out as something truly original. A hallmark of the Blue Maxx sound. This is the first time ‘Private Life’ has been reissued, almost 20 years has passed and somehow Wild and Nebinger’s style remains utterly fresh and contemporary.
Detromental – Move [CPU00110001]
Ahead of their 5th anniversary CPU announce 50th release with rebuilds of 2 rare bleep techno tracks from 1990. Originally released on white label, ‘Move’ was written by Dean Marriott aka D.Ramirez and Lloyd Douglass and recorded in Sheffield in 1990. Only a small run were pressed which is reflected today by their high price on discogs.
