Sonic sci-fi techno album reminiscent not just of early Plaid, Black Dog Productions, Boards of Canada or Luke Slater´s 7th Plain project, but also classic dancefloor classics by the likes of Surgeon, Regis, Dave Clarke or Jeff Mills that knew how to keep a crowd entertained. Bringing to mind the flavor of 1994 without losing the sense that we’re into 2013 as of now. This is dance music with conviction and an album straight and beautiful.
Dutch Techno label from the Audiosculpture crew with some hot remixes by Eduardo De La Calle and Area Forty_One. These long time techno heads based in the Randstad area start with some fresh new tracks on this trilogy called “Return to Form”. Sculpturism is delivering a fresh track for each release together with some of their favorite artists remixing their back catalogue. For the first EP, Area Forty_One delivers a killer techno remix for Dusk taken from Audiosculpture 5. Eduardo De La Calle takes a whole different approach. He turns Dusk into a deep and hypnotizing trip which takes you into oblivion. Some limited copies on special white vinyl edition.
Paul Boex’s Dynamic Reflection imprint is continually growing in calibre with each release. Time & Perception Part 1 is the labels 16th title and fifth for Abstract Division, a collab between Boex and Dave Miller. The EP opens with “Fierce Tension”, which sees the duo bury their siren-sounding synths into a condensed wall of sinister force, while Shifted’s booming and reverb heavy remix annihilates much of the originals musicality, it unrelentingly bores a war path of linear techno championed by the likes of DVS1. On the flip, “Comprehend” is like being caught in a wind storm of flying bolts, rust and ripped roofing, while the EPs ambient track “Collision” squeaks and gurgles like a alien trapped at the bottom cave in a Ridley Scott film.
Spherical Coordinates is the new project by Oscar Mulero and Christian Wunsch. “They join software and hardware to explore the deeper side of techno, heavily inspired by space and futurism, focusing on liquid textures, harmonic sequences and classic drum machine sounds, yet preserving the danceable feeling.”Mike Parker and Reeko on a deep tip on the B-side.
Still fresh from his debut full length Traces last year, Delta Dunktionen is back with his first EP of the year. As well a new track, it features a special Karenn remix of ‘Onkalo’, a track previously released on Traces, as well as ‘Challenger’ from the same album. The first original is ‘Sun Storm’ with its tumbling Chicago drums, chattering claps and sci-fi swirls all adding up to something that’s as heady as it is futuristic. ‘Challenger’ – previously cd/digi only – on the other hand sounds like a much more calm and serene trip through the cosmos, with slowed electro stylings and plenty of occult details coming over like the soundtrack to a film as much as a darkened dancefloor.
Hexagon Cloud RMXD celebrates the diverse influences of Erika’s solo release Hexagon Cloud on Interdimensional Transmissions Marcellus Pittman remixed the hypnotic Tow Ride from Erika’s debut Solo album with a stated goal of making it darker and ”more evil”. Canadian electronic music duo Orphx, remixed Hexagon Cloud, resulting in an immense, impeccable production. BMG, Erika’s mate in Ectomorph, also shares his vision of her track, A Cellular Meltdown.
Noleian Reusse is back with his second EP, Airborne, on his own imprint Black Tekno. Three modern techno tracks that reflect Reusse’s own style, while echoing the rich musical history of his hometown, Chicago
Following on from his increasingly essential work as Innerspace Halflife, Ike Release steps out on his own for a new three tracker on MOS Deep that finds the Chicago producer in a bullish mood. Opener ‘Cosmic Supreme’ is a moody march across the surface of a planet far from here – typically raw, bobbling drums set the tone as a frazzled and drawn out synth line winds right through its core from start to finish. ‘Spells’ is backlit with an ethereal synthy glow as another thick analogue line takes the main focus of the track, all the while as nebulous percussion floats about like a cloud of dust in the background. Finally, ‘Westview’ is a little more propulsive, driven as it is by a lashing, rubberised bassline that sprays about freely, contained only by the itchy and more regimented hi-hats that slice up and down around it. Despite there being a sonic denseness to all three tracks here, a certain emotional gravitas always lurks with in: be it one of introspection or reflection, they are difficult to ignore.
The latest offering from San Francisco’s Icee Hot label finds the young imprint officially welcoming another artist to its gradually expanding roster, the Michigan-reared, New York-based producerContakt. Particularly on “Nobody Else,” Contakt’s flair for big-room melody remains intact, but he takes notes from classic KMS, filling out the song’s cresting synths with a full-bodied bassline, a hooky vocal sample and a sturdy rhythmic underpinning. “Tessera 04” goes deeper, channeling Maurizio while delving headlong into a dense cloud of synths and maintaining a steady sense of forward momentum. Remixes by Ghosts on Tape and Robert Hood.
The new release on Echocord Colour comes from Mike Dehnert, featuring 2 powerfull Techno-Tracks, typical stripped down Mike Dehnert sound, perfect for the peak time dancefloor. The remix comes from Mike’s colleague Sascha Rydell, a monster flowding powerfull track.
Sistrum proudly welcomes the return of Mr. Kosta Athanassiadis, aka XDB, back to the fold with the deep, hypnotic electronics of the Frocks EP. This three track EP features Patrice Scott on remix duties. This is another quality installment in the revered Sistrum catalog.
Sandrow M with his solo debut for the Dresden based label Uncanny Valley and it ended up being a hell of a record full of diversity. Everything starts with the edgy beats of ”Prayervan” that are quickly flattered by one of those catchy melodies typical for Sandrow’s synths play. This is great Pop music, even more when Sandrow M starts to sing. ”Facerunner” however, is a club tune with its ever rising beats that are accompanied by a superb synth pad. The flipside starts with the catchy anthem ”Gonna Make”. You cannot defend yourself against this sample that will stick in your head for a long time. And once again it’s his synth work that makes the difference. Not to mention the funky solo. ”Schnaubi” rounds things up in a more unpolished way with its stuttering drum work. But here again this is refined by those irresistible harmonies out of Sandrow M’s keys.
Mixing elements of Dance Mania and Relief Records sprinkled with Detroit Techno, Black Boxx’s final EP of the series delivers 4 more solid dancefloor destroyers.
The Hipodrome Of Music 