El Choop makes a welcome return to Echocord this March with the ‘Closing Motif’ EP, Deadbeat and Luke Hess step in on remix duties. Hess delivers a typically classy interpretation, taking the core of the original and twisting it into an IDM tinged cut via crunchy broken drums and shimmering synth textures.
Channelling his own explorations in search of the soul inside the machine, VRIL draws from the deep well of his live performances to present his third LP for Delsin, Animist. Inside lie 12 pieces which seem to probe at the unknowable distance between tangible consciousness and the astral plane, imbuing even the most seemingly synthetic of materials with a living essence. Given his illustrious back catalogue, it’s no surprise to hear VRIL conjure explicitly electronic music with such loaded emotional impact and seemingly organic animus, but in the process he also toys with the idea of how far the technology’s spiritual potential can reach.
Third Ear presents a new Brendon Moeller project … Ultra Random Analog Orchestra. The project kicks off with 13 tracks released on vinyl over 3 individually released 12″ and a digital album with 16 tracks. The music ranges from deep, wide-screen Techno to Ambient and beatless, that pushes the limits of the sonic palette. Brendon says, “the ability to sculpt an audio collage in realtime employing techniques of randomness is one of my favorite pursuits using a Eurorack modular system.”
Vade Mecum presents the debut release from Soft Traffic, a new project by -Samon K. The tracks were carefully crafted using only analog equipment and mixed with live techniques, showcasing a deep appreciation for the classic dub sound. The first track of the release features the captivating Prince Morella, a new artist who has already collaborated on vocals with some of the most accomplished producers in the scene. This release perfectly captures the classic, 90s-inspired sound of dub techno and is a nostalgic nod to the early days of the genre. It is sure to be a standout addition to the Vade Mecum catalogue.
Three more iconic Parallel 9 dub-techno classics from the Steve Rachmad archives re-issued on the Delsin Sterac series. Originally released in 1996 on Prime, now re-mastered. Track order is shuffled a bit, as it turned out the full 10 minutes version of Quanah was shortened in 1996. It was through the preparation of this re-issue Steve found out now 25 years later they had shortened the track by four minutes back then for some reason. 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.
Mysterious Echo Ltd. continue to distil dub techno into what can only be described as it’s very minimal quintessence. Here, however, on their fifth release, they go above and beyond by niftily combining tropes from 4×4 dub techno with traditional dub – most tracks on this curious little mini album features an acoustic snare on every third beat of the bar.
Detroit’s deep techno master, Deepchord, makes a more than welcome return to Soma after 5 years. With a brand new album dropping, Rod Modell delves deep into his ethereal sonic world to bring ‘Functional Extraits’. Built in a way that only Deepchord can, he transports you to different realms with lush soundscapes and perfectly processed electro-acoustics giving you an insight to the mind of the unique artist.
J.S.Zeiter is one of those alluringly mysterious artists whose music keeps on drawing us in. Here they kick off the new Maastricht based label Mosae with a serious of deep techno bubblers. There are archetypal dub chords rippling their way over a sublime techno rhythm on opener ‘Sentinel’ while things remain just as war, cavernous and cuddly on the widescreen dub techno delight that is ‘Inflection.’ It all comes to a heady end with ‘Horizon’ which will have you taxing off into the distance lost in your own thoughts.
Luck of Access, Andrey Pushkarev’s tastemaking label, is back from a year’s hiatus with a new release from an iconic name. No stranger to the world of the finest dub-techno, a Mancunian producer about whom we still don’t know much, J.S. Zeiter delivers three elegant tracks that connect the dots between Detroit-dub and ambient. On the A-side, you’ll find “Scatter” — a rolling and intriguing journey through melancholic and enigmatic dub techno that’s enhanced by drifting delays, gentle forthright drums and crisp percussion. Over on side B, you’ll meet an impressive duo. “Silent Running” is the epitome of surreal broken beats and could become a perfect set-closing track. “Absence” reveals epic and immersive soundscapes that give you a glimpse of what a dystopian future may sound like.
25 years ago, one of the most essential deep & dubby techno projects put forth its roots in the form of the ‘JS’ and ‘MCMLXV’ labels. Two decades later the consistency & quality of James’ output is as solid as ever. The aptly titled Universe EP showcases the breadth of his talent; from the atmosphere-skimming feel of ‘Refracted’, to the melodic vibes of ‘Cyclic’. The flip sees more familiar territory in the abrasive ‘Gravity Waves’, and the expansive & soaring ‘Blueshift’ has future classic written all over it.
Sure Thing welcomes two new additions to the label with a long-distance collaboration between Seattle’s Archivist and Berlin’s Claudio PRC. Two original productions from Archivist recall dense, billowing fog and the gentle shimmer of waves, each re-imagined through Claudio PRC’s exacting lens into novel forms that spiral with steady, monolithic intent. Brought together, an expansive double vision, an exploration of the compelling nature of movement and air each within the other.
Vade Mecum returns with yet another amazing release by Matt & Mark Thibideau. This record is dedicated to Mike Huckaby and his love for the Waldorf Wave synthesizer.
OHM Series continues to round up some of the best and the brightest within the dub techno scene. Side A features Federsen and Roger Gerressen, while the flipside we find grad_u and Merv.
Conforce signs ”Wavetable” to Sungate – an energetic and diverse four-track EP produced using mostly wavetable synthesizers. These chord-driven tracks showcase a sophisticated danceable approach with proper groove. Rotterdam techno in its purest form.
The musical exchange between Paul Rose (Scuba) and Luke Slater began last summer when the Hotflush boss put his touch to Slater’s 1997 classic ‘Love’, dedicating it to London’s Kings Cross raving institution Bagleys, where he first heard the track. Slater’s gift back to Scuba is similarly stirring, taking his hand to the glistening This Is For You’, an early 2020 highlight. The ‘Luke Slater Long Version’ serves as a proper electronic jam session charting a course from dubby techno climes, to ecstatic string-laden builds, jazzy introspection and dreamy pads over a thrilling 22 minutes.
For the fourth edition of the Serum series Hypnus Records shares three pieces of deep dubbed out techno by Mohlao (aka Multicast Dynamics, VC-118A). The record is then completed by an atmospheric tribal interpretation by Dorisburg.
Vril returns to Delsin with a cinematic ambient score. Backed with a remix pack of close friends featuring Voiski’s driving dub-techno, rattling breaks by His Master’s Voice and a thumping 808 electro take in collaboration with Marcel Dettmann.
The latest installment in Delsin’s deep-diving Mantis series comes from Varuna. As a core fixture in the Basel, Switzerland-based amenthia crew, this secretive production collective have quietly issued compelling excursions into dense, immersion-chamber techno. Varuna gift Mantis three subtly sublime, long-form pulsations that evolve slowly but purposefully, drawing the ear and mind further into a place of intense meditation.
Vade Mecum returns with yet another amazing release, bringing forward four fresh tracks signed by Icelandic artists Ohm & Octal Industries. Titled See You At Dawn EP, the 12 is designed with deep and spacious dub techno rhythms, perfect for introspect’.
The Hipodrome Of Music 