Somewhere between Detroit and Far Away Galaxies, Exploration brings you three pieces of electronic music. The title track is a hypnotic stomper for the peak time, designed for these magic moments on the dancefloor. The b-side contains two deeper cuts, full of raw grooves, synth riffs and sound research!
There’s some serious ruffness to this breakout four track compilation from the shadowy Vanguard Sound collective. The Detroit roots of the label shine through, not least on Amir Alexander’s tough, haunting jacker “Violence”. Militant samples and scuffed arpeggios scream Motor City from the off, much like the stripped sci-fi techno of Chris Mitchell. DJ Spider’s “Tribal Mechanism” creates an industrial nightmare out of a rootsy percussion premise, and Hakim Murphy excels with a stalking slice of stripped down menace, capitalising on a broken kick pattern to deadly effect.
Strong debut release of this new label. Epic techno tracks with energy and great tension that manage to keep a nice the energy high without loosing the nice groove.
Peter Van Hoesen’s last solo output on Time To Express dates back from March 2010 with his seminal Entropic City album. After a string of remixes and collaborations Peter provides his own label with a new solo EP. The Transitional State EP presents four brand new tracks, each distinctly different from what has come before.
Deeplab by Luke Hess comes with this split release that sees Jeroen Search on the A-side with Ball Masque, a raw and analog soulful dancefloor monster. On the B-side Isaev brings a futuristic masterpiece cut from his home in Russia.
Roberto Bosco is back for his third offering for Figure SPC, with a future-classic 4 track techno EP, intelligent and sensitive. Easing us into the thick of it, ‘Charming Noise’ takes humming, rumbling bass tones and a metallic clang as its themes. Slow burning and readily effective, its a brooding monster for the late hours. ‘I Just Can’t Breathe’ pushes the adrenalin up a few notches in a screaming, white noise attack on the senses. Bosco’s trademark heavy bass rumble and crisp percussion layers hold their own in this reduced killer. We’re then ready to embark on an emotional voyage as the masterful ‘See The Light’ emerges from the depths with its pushing acid bass and beautiful atmospheric melody. Classic strings and synths swirl and build in a tender and heartfelt piece of timeless techno. Closing the EP, ‘I Was Lonely’ takes the vibe into more reduced, after-hours zones with Roberto’s cool and low-slung take on the smoother sound of future-deep house.
G-Man returns with Robert Hauck aka Rob Strobe to bring forth Acrophobia. A three track dancefloor burner of chord driven pumping techno, the purist Sheffield / Detroit techno kind mixing classic styles of techno into the contemporary field of where techno is at in the present.
The latest Token release sees the label mainstay Phase at the helm for two typically fierce and unrelenting productions. Essentially presented as two “Processes” of the same “Binary Opposition” track, Phase demonstrates his unerring talent for crafting deeply effective techno filled with detailed and wall shaking drum programming and subtle yet devastatingly effective rhythms.
New Geeeman release on Jack For Daze sublabel. Proper jacking tracks firmly rooted in the good old Chi-town history of raw and banging house tracks.
Voices from the Lake is an intensely personal project borne out of the long-standing friendship between two Italian DJ/producers, Donato Dozzy and Neel. The project extends and deepens their explorations of ambient techno, with an emphasis firmly placed on the ‘techno’ component. Listening to Voices from the Lake is an immersive experience, as the textured beats and carefully crafted rhythms have a deeply hypnotic effect. The open, fluid structure of the music gives it an organic, natural feel, transporting you to more peaceful surroundings. With the music of Voices from the Lake there is a completely natural progression and flow, nothing is forced or hurried. The sounds develop and unfold at their own pace, creating a powerful sense of tranquility.The genesis of the Voices from the Lake album can be found in the mountains of Japan, where they made their live debut at The Labyrinth festival in 2011.
Rivet puts a lot of effort in his sounds and his production. This is not another copycat. First out on the EP Amid the Roar is Metrist, a sexy march that blends the stiffness 80-ties disco with techno from the future. On the b-side Marcel Fengler takes his turn on Metris. He keeps the string of the original, chops up the bass and creates a dancefloor monster with a big anthem alert stamp on it. Amid the Roar ends with what might be the strongest track on the ep.
Functional Deep Techno from Mowar’s recent conscript, Searle, backed with a wicked slomo remix from Claro Intelecto. Searle’s original cuts strike upon aquatic acid with ‘Mind Transfer’, hypnotic, industrialized bleeps on ‘Succubus’ and driving acid Techno for ‘Unauthorized’, but the highlight has to be Claro’s gripping, beatdown remix of ‘Mind Transfer’, draggign the tempo down while opening up the space above, while still managing to create the sort of driving intensity you don’t usually feel at this pace.
The fourth release by Unbalance, energetic & trippy Berlin-styled techno tracks straight from the unknown.
Music Man just released ‘Conducted’, Marcel Dettmann’s new mix-cd.The track here is exclusive and comes with a remix by Answer Code Request aka Patrick Gräser.
Unit Moebius arise from dwelling in “the Hague sewers” for five fingers of dark industrial techno on the fledgling Chan imprint. Across the five untitled tracks on Perambulator One all the signature Unit Moebius sounds filter out with twisted glee – with the A Side traversing through lolloping machine sludge that will appeal to STL fans, tunnelling tape saturated techno inspired by the paranoia of 1950’s Martian invasion cinema and what can only be described as ambient industrial break core. Flip over for exercises in insular stripped down Detroit electro embellished by insect like ambient textures and stretched out machine funk that pounds your very essence at a dizzying pace.
