Fireground are a male/female duo with Neapolitan origins that – after appearances on labels as esteemed as Tresor, no less – landed on Illian Tape back in October 2024 and now return with more cultured techno that finds a perfect sweet spot between atmosphere and intent. ‘Marea’ opens with some jazzy melodies zipping about over dusty drums and classic deep house chords. ‘Harbour Walk’ then has fizzing synths overloading a cantering groove that fills you with rushes of warmth and ‘Gateway’ is a more direct techno pumper with deft percussion and grimy pads, making it primed for warehouse action. ‘Smile As One’ closes on a dubby, stripped back and heads down broken beat vibe for 5am sessions.

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Munich’s techno powerhouse Ilian Tape is back with a new EP which, as usual, features a quarter of direct and unmistakably functional tracks but the designs are top-notch. Fireground – a male/female duo – first offer us the big, bouncy, percussive banger ‘Glare’, before ‘Stand’ keeps it just as tribal and percussive and straight up. ‘Spin’ brings a little playfulness with some sleek machine soul sounds adding warmth and a bit of Detroit colour to the clattering drums before ‘Red Night’ shuts down with jazzy blend of smeared Rhodes chords and yet more bold drums and hits.

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