Fireground – Smile As One [IT072]

August 3, 2025July 31, 2025 hipodromefireground, ilian tape, technoLeave a comment

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.

Marco Zenker – Challenge [IT070]

April 4, 2025April 3, 2025 hipodromeilian tape, marco zenker, technoLeave a comment

Marco Zenker is back on his own Ilian Tape label out of Munich. He brings heavy but soulful drum patterns to ‘909D’ with its fizzing hi-hats and restless energy sure to sweep you up. ‘RC24’ then has skittish snares skating over a broken beat while smeared chords infuse it with warmth and ‘Mango Tango’ then gets prickly with clicky beats and bass. ‘Process Dub’ shuts down with more sheet metal sounds wrapping and wafting between tight drums and backed by a nice diffuse synth glow.

ctrl x Ilian Tape @ Control Club 05.04.2025

March 26, 2025March 26, 2025 hipodromeclub control, dario zenker, dyl, fireground, ilian tape, marco zenker, zenker brothersLeave a comment

Operator – Cala Serena [IT069]

February 28, 2025February 28, 2025 hipodromeilian tape, operator, rich jones, technoLeave a comment

Rich Jones is the man behind Operator and he’s been making increasingly potent waves with his own label Gnosis Records as well as outings on Singular Records. This outing on Munich’s Ilian Tape is a great example of his sound: ‘Mall To Beach ’80’ is vamping chords and hammering hits over hunched up drums, ‘Deliberate’ cuts more loose but is still a brilliantly loopy workout and ‘Wanderer’ brings thrilling, high-speed tech that skates on daddy drums and is wired up with electricity. ‘Sector Seven’ shuts down with more airy and floating rhythms.

Fireground – Spin [IT066]

October 20, 2024October 18, 2024 hipodromefireground, ilian tape, technoLeave a comment

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.

Field of Mist – Biospore Farmers [ITX030]

February 25, 2024February 23, 2024 hipodromeambient, ambient techno, breaks, electronics, fields of mist, ilian tapeLeave a comment

Munich label Ilian Tape has another entry in its fine ITX Series here called ‘Biospore Farmers’ from Fields of Mist, describing it as “Sunrise Beams Through Orbital Mist.” In less abstract terms, it is a gorgeously hazy and lo-fi electro-exploration. The first two cuts are slow, doleful and reflective with grainy pads and deep space ambiance swirling around nice rough-edged broken beats. The B-side picks up the pace with the brilliantly kinetic bounce of ‘Astral Projection Spores’ and then the skittish and celestial trip that is ‘Orbital Mist’.

Dario Zenker – Reflection LP [ITLP17]

October 24, 2023October 23, 2023 hipodromealbum, dario zenker, ilian tape, technoLeave a comment

Ilian Tape co-founder Dario Zenker has consistently served up some of the label’s best releases and now he goes long on this double album, Reflection. He calls it “a Reflection through wild times channeled into 63 minutes of machine funk” and we call it 12 tracks of devastating techno on both an emotional and physical level. His tracks often fix with wispy synth lines that bring subtle light to the dusty drums and muggy atmospheres and on the likes of ‘Da Conducter’ he offers up thumping house with grainy lo-fi pads and muffled leads that hook you in deep. The vast rhythmic variation and switch-up in tempos and moods throughout this album is what keeps it so fresh.

MPU420 – BPM1 [IT057]

September 14, 2023September 13, 2023 hipodromedetroit techno, electro, ilian tape, mpu420Leave a comment

Releases on the Ilian Tape label are nearly always two things – a) shrouded in mystery, and b) a little unconventional. Given that the painter who created the artwork gets a credit on the 12″s label but the musician or musicians themselves get no mention, it’s fair to assume a) has been fulfilled. The music itself fulfils b) too, as hard edged rhythms clocking in closer to electro than techno provide a vehicle much softer, more sensitive musical flourishes. ‘WantU’ is probably the overall highlight, with its crystal clear arp riffing and Kraftwerk-esque bumping, but ‘Chiemgau606’, the rawer ‘OSC’ and ‘Sinister808’ should all appeal to those who like their grooves esoteric and full of personality – but ultimately still dancefloor slaying.

MPU101 – MPU101 [ITX022]

August 14, 2021August 12, 2021 hipodromeambient techno, drone, experimental, ilian tape, mpu101Leave a comment

MPU101 - MPU101

Ilian Tape presents the debut of MPU101. Poetic hovering synth tinkerer on 180g heavyweight vinyl out of the heart of Bavaria.

Zenker Brothers – Cosmic Transmission [ITLP07]

October 18, 2020October 17, 2020 hipodromealbum, ambient techno, dario zenker, ilian tape, marco zenker, zenker brothersLeave a comment

ZENKER BROTHERS - Cosmic Transmission

The Zenker Brothers present their second album “Cosmic Transmission”. In their own words: “In another time it felt like, only an unpredictable extreme event could change the way we choose to live together. Now it feels so crazy, it can be overwhelming, but always remember we are just a tiny micro spaceship traveling through a gigantic universe. When nothing is safe, all is possible. We are one – one love. M&D”

Surgeon – Europa Code [IT045]

October 7, 2020October 17, 2020 hipodromeanthony child, ilian tape, surgeon, technoLeave a comment

SURGEON - Europa Code

Surgeon is back in the Zenker Brothers Operating Room slicing up four deep and moody techno cuts with the surgical precision he is known for.

Surgeon – The Golden Sea [IT043]

February 24, 2020October 17, 2020 hipodromeanthony child, ilian tape, surgeon, technoLeave a comment

Precise rolling floor explosions from Surgeon on Ilian Tape.

VA – Bias Jams 3 Munich Edition [IT038]

October 1, 2018August 11, 2021 hipodromedario zenker, deep techno, detroit techno, ilian tape, kareem el morr, konrad wehrmeister, marco zenker, stennyLeave a comment

EL MORR, Kareem/DARIO Z/KONRAD WEHRMEISTER/MARCO/STENNY - Bias Jams: 3 Munich Edition

In 2012, the Zenker brothers introduced a new series on their Ilian Tape imprint: The Bias Tapes. We are now into the third edition come 2018 and it’s a great one. Like the name may suggest, The Munich Edition features some heroes of the local scene such as Kareem El Morr: who delivers the dark side electro bass of “Eros 404”, likewise label boss Dario Z. (ft. Maurice P.) goes down the same toute on “CEJ”. Elsewhere, dubby and cyclical warehouse techno in the vein of G-Man can be heard on Konrad Wehrmeister’s “CWS” and usual suspects Marco & Stenny hammer the message home in typically bold fashion with the emotive “Imcon”.

Zenker Brothers – The Schyren [IT033]

June 1, 2017August 11, 2021 hipodromedario zenker, ilian tape, marco zenker, techno, zenker brothersLeave a comment

ZENKER BROTHERS - The Schyren

Theatrical Loose Munich Vibrations from the two Zenker Brothers.

Roger 23 – Extended Play [ITX008]

June 26, 2016August 11, 2021 hipodromealbum, ambient techno, drone, electro, experimental, ilian tape, roger 23, roger reuterLeave a comment

ROGER 23 - Extended Play

Roger Reuter has only one previous album to his name, the woozy, edge-of-reason ambience of 2015’s Mensch 001. Extended Play is its’ follow up, and sees the experienced German producer appear on Ilian Tape for the first time. Rooted in his usual brand of unsettling, otherworldly ambience, the six tracks variously draw influence from early IDM, drone, dub techno, industrial and experimental film soundtracks. Despite these nods to familiar experimental styles, it’s an album that can easily be listened to in a variety of situations, and never drags. It’s strongest moments, such as the mournful ambient throb of “State IIX Interlude II”, are particularly beguiling.

Dario Zenker – Dedication [IT029]

December 5, 2015October 17, 2020 hipodromedario zenker, ilian tape, technoLeave a comment

2016 marks a decade since Dario Zenker released his first 12″, the Whatever EP on Balkon. Here, he returns to the Ilian Tape label he co-founded with brother Marco for a first solo missive since his 2014 turn on The Trilogy Tapes. There’s much to admire about Dedication, from the starburst synths and booming, broken techno rhythms of opener “There Is Hope”, to the Roman techno revivalism of “Gianluca Cazzeti”, and the skittish, funk-fuelled intensity of the Dave Clarke style “For Internal Use”. Arguably best of all, though, is “Spice Universal”, a delicious combination of dub-flecked loop techno and the undulating, far-sighted futurism of Detroit.

Zenker Brothers – Immersion [ITLP001]

February 11, 2015August 11, 2021 hipodromealbum, dario zenker, deep techno, ilian tape, marco zenker, zenker brothersLeave a comment

ZENKER BROTHERS - Immersion

“We are very happy to present our first album on Ilian Tape. At the beginning of 2014 we moved our two seperate bedroom studios into one and soon after started working on the album. All the tracks were made in about 6 months in our new Ilian Tape Space Studio in Munich. The time felt right to focus on this adventure, but without any pressure. Therefore the process became very natural and we felt free to go wherever the vibe led us. Our intention was to create a very personal and honest sound without any limitations or guidelines. It’s a reflection of all the years we’ve been growing up, working, traveling and playing together and it means a lot to us. But enough said music is not supposed to be described with words, so sit back, close your eyes, light one up and turn up the speakers!”

Marco Zenker – 2626 [IT026]

November 24, 2014August 11, 2021 hipodromeilian tape, marco zenker, technoLeave a comment

ZENKER, Marco - 2626

The Zenker Brothers and their Ilian Tape venture get stronger by the minute, and here Marco flies solo with this latest EP, sounding in utterly rude health with it. “Geezin” is a distinctive opener, ditching standard 4/4 propulsion in favour of an airy drum machine arrangement infected with the slightest flurries of hardcore breaks and offset by wistful synth patterns. It’s a curious combination that works magnificently, but for those wanting something a little more direct “Splifer” is on hand to deliver a more classically Zenker techno mantra. “Darai” brings the swing back in fine style, throwing down a chunky stomp to match the sizzling hats, and then “Lubiana” wrecks the surroundings with its magnificent pummel of low end percussion and gritty production values.

Andrea – Space Forma [IT025]

October 21, 2014August 11, 2021 hipodromeandrea, ilian tape, technoLeave a comment

ANDREA - Space Forma

Thrilling multifunctional space trips by Andrea on Ilian Tape. Blinding, effective, spaced out pure killer Techno EP.

Marcelus – Ilian Tape Podcast Series 013

July 30, 2014June 10, 2016 hipodromecedric bros, ilian tape, interview, marcelus, podcast, technoLeave a comment