Techno News

Andreas Tilliander released his first album as Mokira at the very turn of the Millennium on almighty Raster Noton. 11 years later, the latest Mokira album Time Axis Manipulation was issued on Ulf Erikssons Kontra-Musik and now it's time to pick up where we left off with 'Chill Out'. There's an air of happy retrospect and light solemnity surrounding the new album - enhanced by the fact that it marks Kontra-Musik's 50th release. With 'Chill Out', Mokira attempts to bring back the dreamlike state from those magical late nights of his youth spent in front of MTV's Chill Out Zone; to go back to his ambient roots using contemporary techniques and perspectives. The result Well, imagine Lee Scratch Perry and KLF enjoying an episode of Stranger Things on a crappy vintage TV after being hard at work burying old tape recordings in Perry's tropical garden. Imagine them sitting together totally at peace in a big, cosy sofa while a heavy haze is building up in the room, pleasantly affecting the eerie images on the screen. We always knew Kontra-Musik's 50th release had to be something quite out of the ordinary. As expected, Mokira didn't disappoint us one bit. The vinyl LP is accompanied with a download code for a mixed version of the album, containing almost double the amount of tracks. The mixed version makes it easy for the Chill Out listener to just sit back and let go of reality for a while, just like Mokira did 25 years ago in front of his old TV.

Science Cult presents the Kinetic Series: A limited edition of Picture Discs with kinetic artwork crafted by Chris Dowding. First up are Odd Oswald and Stephan Barnem with their “Horror Haus” EP, an homage to 1980’s Horror movies accompanied by a funky electro remix from Jensen Interceptor. Unique moving artwork is present on both sides, including markers for track start and end points.

The second instalment in the Titrate series marks the debut of Pagan Red. This 180g vinyl album, housed in 350gsm reverse board print packaging, contains three experimental compositions featuring subtly enveloping drone, weightless percussion and immersive tonal resonance. Field recordings interweave with the synthetic, sparse rhythms emerge and dissolve, absorbing textures layer and evaporate. Exploring the symbiosis between the natural and the nonmaterial, Materia guides listeners on a journey across the threshold.

Spanish artist PWCCA continue rising his profile around a prolific but solid discography. 'Cultura' is his addition for Semantica inprint; a first 12" shaped by reminiscent of techno purity, minimalism and hard education.

Strictly from Turin, another smashing EP from DJ and producer duo Seven Sins and mysterious German producer San Quentin, each one of them carrying a bit of rave culture and hypnotic rhythmics for the perfect sequel of the previous "Planet alliance Vol.1". Psychedelic beats, fast electro breaks, raw synth sounds from Roland and Korg gears: this is Planet alliance vol 2 Distributed worldwide by Clone.

Michael Paradinas aka Tusken Raiders with a new album! Beautiful printed gatefold sleeve. Limited copies.

2022 Repress

The Next Release In The 303 Series Is Here. These 'unknown' Artists Have Put Their Legendary Roland Tb-303's To Good Use. The Results Speak For Themselves: 4 Driving Acid Bangers. Pressed On Transparent Vinyl.

A - The Prophet
Drenched in a thick haze of layered synthpads, "The Prophet" builds up from muted, dissonant percussion and little drum-fills. A few vocal-snippets recorded on the street give way to a slowed down jungle-jam, that winds down before things intensify for the rollout. One for the twilight hours.


B1 - Meatpie
Clearly the thug of this bunch, "Meatpie" is a mean technostomper, driven by distorted drums and a thick underbelly of call-and-response basslines. Midway through, rather unsubtle tribal drums switch things up and introduce a dramatic pad, before the carnage resumes. Supported by Violet (Naïve), Peach, Imre Kiss, JASSS and ASOK (Lobster Theremin) amongst others.

B2 - Contadini
You fool around with some classic old samples, finish the tune for a laugh, it works great but in the meantime a dozen other tracks come out with the same break. What to do Sleep on it for way too long and finally stick it on the runout of your B-Side, that's what you do. Go have fun with this!
All props to the Vicks-crew.

Clear Vinyl

More new mysterious yet sleek heat from The Orphanage camp. Four more teethgrinding and "not for the faint-hearted" stompers ready for action!

The Sound of the Oresund Part I. The Oresund area, sometimes known as 'Greater Copenhagen' is the area both sides of the Oresund strait. Famous for its bridge between Sweden and Denmark, the area is also a hotspot for electronic artists. In this series we aim to present some of the best underground and leftfield Acid, Electro and Techno artists the area has to offer. We start the compilation with the dystopic sound of Dungeon Acid and his track 485aCid (an obscure reference to a pantone we are told) either way, the track is pure evil genius and as usual Dungeon Acid delivers his unique take on things. Next up is Brutal B's founder Nimam with a track called 'Baffighars Nest'. It's an fm bass trip with a sound somewhat reminiscent of early techno with his own slight industrial twist. On the flip we start out with another electro infused futureacid jam from Dinsync and Nimam, otherwise known of course as Helltown Acid Militia. The track 'Pearl' has pounding 909 kicks and spaced out synth stabs, backed as usual by less than obvious 303 lines. Finishing up the cut and between DJ'ing and writing texts for Borft releases we are finally happy to welcome Joakim Cosmo to the label (he's been hanging around the office a lot lately) with his italo flavored 'Guilt Free'

This compilation is a research project commissioned by Urvakan with the support of the Goethe-Institut. It archives a selection of recordings contributed by some of the artists from post-Soviet countries who were meant to play at Urvakan 2020 - a festival that never really happened. The artists were asked to explore the idea of "collective memories" in sound by using aural techniques capable of evoking reminiscences in the subconsciouses of people from fairly different locations, but that are in some ways similar in their cultural codes. The submissions we received were not only inspiring, but also quite accurately fell in line with Urvakan's declared focus on "hauntological" music practices, referenced in the festival's name itself - "urvakan" is the Armenian word for ghost, phantom, or spirit.

Superb little jewel !
Pumpin to hardtek with a solid sound. pure pleasure coming with a GIANT STICKER !! at Vinyl sleeve side as an insert !! Excellent !!!

Mental hardtek, progressive. Never repressed. Ltd 500. Totally mint. Virgin vinyl.

German label Bondage Music delivers the tenth instalment of its ‘Bondage Games’ series. Another vinyl only release, this time with four fresh tracks from Dachshund, Sascha Dive, Pornbugs, Markus Homm and Alex Ranerro.

The ufo has landed for another time to bring you the rawest
electro sounds to earth. Vaust is the name of our alien
brother from cologne. A real 'Tausendsassa' when it's about
music. Three breakdance/subway party banger to make
windmills on and on. Includes a geniusly produced IDM
emix by Dust Control. The perfect record to bring celestial
vibes into your dance§oor.

Two absolute Vince Watson classics from the late '90s and early '00s, that show just how accomplished a producer he is. A double dose of some of Watson's most cherished, ethereal, Detroit-channelling cuts, that have caused euphoria on countless dancefloors since.

Re-edited and remastered for the VW20 Introspection album that celebrates Watson's first 20 years making music, this is also the first outing for 'Moments In Time' on a 12 inch.

Amelie Lens' erste Mix-Compilation erscheint auf Fabric. Der DJ/Produzentin aus Antwerpen gelang in den letzten 3 Jahren ein rasanter Aufstieg in den Techno-Olymp, begleitet von ihrer enorm populären "Exhale" Partyreihe und ersten EPs auf Label wie Second State, Lyase und Elevate, der ihre Followerzahlen in den Sozialen Netzwerken explodieren liess. Berüchtigt für ihre Vollgas-Gigs, zeigt sich Amelie auf Fabric nuancierter. Ihr 74-minütiger Mix aus vollständig exklusivem Material von ihr selbst ("Solitude Tool") und ihren Lieblings-Acts, darunter viele Breakthrough-Techno-Künstler, beginnt mit atmosphärischen Snippets, bevor die Banger und Hi-Energy-Synths loslegen. Nach weiteren einschlagenden Beiträgen gipfelt der Mix schließlich in einem spektralen und tief zufriedenstellenden Finale. Die DJ-freundliche 2LP enthält 14 der 19 Tracks plus einen Download-Code zum CD-Mix.

BufoBufo (Klasse Wrecks, Dream Ticket, Cabaret) and Qeta (Further Electronix, Wave Function, brokntoys) join forces for an eight track split LP, diving into aquatic synths, sliding breakbeats and amphibious atmospheres. Moving from the galactic leads and drum & bass tempo of BufoBufo’s ‘Caloris Basin’ to the dreamy melodies and trip-hop beats of Qeta’s ‘Art II’ , it ends on the expansive, horizon-gazing tones of their collaboration ‘Gloaming’, all shimmering interwoven bleeps and hefty breaks.

Michael Diekmann from Morphology, here under his CRC alias with a high quality acidic breakbeat EP. Limited copies and printed sleeve.

Legendary German IDM trio drøn appear on Science Cult with a stunning 2x12 album full of previously never before heard of IDM gems spanning over 20 years.

If you can judge an artist's quality by the company they keep, then FaltyDL is up there with the best of them. The label history of the producer known to his friends as Drew Lustman reads like a "who's who" of 21st century electronic music imprints - Ninja Tune, Unknown to the Unknown, Planet Mu, Studio Barnhus, the list goes on.

WithIn the Wake of Wolves, we can now add Central Processing Unit to this illustrious roster. The Sheffield label joins the party at a notable juncture - while FaltyDL has kept up an impressive clip of releases throughout his career,In the Wake of Wolvesis both the NYC-based producer's first LP for two years and his first full-length release away from his own Blueberry Records for almost a decade.

In the Wake of Wolvesproves to be both a great match for CPU and also further evidence of the label's burgeoning sonic palette. While CPU has built its reputation on top quality electro joints, recent releases have delivered adventurous electronica experiments (Proswell'sPeople Are Giving And Receiving Thanks At Incredible Speeds), hard-wired breakbeat techno (Baby T'sI Against I) and golden-age synth explorations (twenty-fifth anniversary reissues of Bochum Welt'sDesktop RoboticsandFeelings on a Screen, both of which first emerged via the legendary Rephlex Records).In the Wake of Wolvestakes things further still - this is a brilliantly genre-voracious record, one which marries the rhythmic cut-and-thrust that we have long known FaltyDL for with all manner of adventurous stylistic choices.

Those familiar with the FaltyDL experience will recognise the trademark blend of synthetic grit and harmonious softness in album opener 'I Need You'. This could pass for Four Tet or even Hannah Diamond at points, the steady build of pulsing synths and looped vocals recalling a more mysterious version of the PC Music sound. 'I Need You' stands shoulder-to-shoulder with any of FaltyDL's other great atmospheric album openers - no small feat given the competition. 'Further', the following number, is yin to 'I Need You's yang. This is a pulsating track which gleefully skitters between machine-funk, tubing darkside bass and breakcore-adjacent drum programming, all of which is peppered with some genuinely beautiful work in the higher synths.

'Further' sets the scene for several of the more club-facing cuts here. 'Minds Protection' similarly features all manner of strange percussive sounds to surprise the ear, and it also boasts a thrilling mid-section in which the bottom falls out the track to incorporate a short snippet of blown-out junglism. With its tunnelling low-end and clattering drums, 'Full Spectrum' kicks off a delightful run of grime-influenced joints which take cues from Mr. Mitch, Logos and many of those other producers who took the Eski sound to exciting new places in the 2010s. 'Forget Me Not', the album's longest track which is placed three spots from the end, feels like the record's climactic point - a pitter-patter post-house joint that has a hint of Caribou in its DNA, it'll take the clubs by storm.

But as much as FaltyDL may consistently bring the heat in terms of the beat programming, the thing which has long marked Lustman out as a special talent is the musicality of his compositions. No matter how much drums clatter or bass bangs, FaltyDL always hooks the ear back in with a sonorous synth or pleasing nugget of melody. Nowhere is this more apparent than onIn the Wake of Wolves' more weightless numbers, each startling in their prettiness. 'Half Spectrum' is a new-era beat track packed full of ear candy; the keening keys of 'GasGas' are potent with feeling; and on the album's closer, the evocatively-titled 'Mila Stans In A Meadow For The First Time Eating Strawberries', we get a gorgeous synth vignette that joins the dots between the modern mastery of Yung Sherman and the most emotionally affecting moments of Aphex's Twin's catalogue.

At once wistful and hopeful, archival and futuristic, FaltyDL's brilliantly unpredictableIn the Wake of Wolvesis a feather in the cap for both this seasoned producer and the Central Processing Unit label.

RIYL: AFX, Bochum Welt, Mark Fell, Mrs Jynx, Boards of Canada

stompy raw techno cutz by a mystical source...

Since his first album, Labelle has been dovetailing the techno that so captivated his imagination as a teenager, with traditional Maloya music - native to the French overseas department where he grew up and still lives.

His new album submerges itself in the darker recesses of the psyche. NOIR ANIMA is a reflective portrait of a soul enshrouded by the darkness of night, inching towards a euphoric morning.

Over the last decade, the Réunion Island-based composer has made a name for himself exploring syncretic religion and philosophy throughout his work and, for his fifth studio album, his search for truth has turned inwards. On NOIR ANIMA, we are offered a glimpse into the emotional state of the artist making this extraordinary and dynamic music.

French duo Nabil Vortex is back with fresh sounds! This new record blends hard electronics, acid, and bass music with traditional and popular Algerian music. This EP highlights these underground pioneers, turning their unique style into unforgettable dancefloor bangers.

On behalf of re:discovery records, it is with great excitement that we announce the 2nd EP in the 3 part series that highlight the music from the 1990's Norwegian electronic act Neural Network. Picking up from where EP #1 left off, the A-side features the title track from their first album 'Brain-State-In-A-Box'. Originally, this was actually an edit from the 30+ minute live version that was played in 1993 where Keith Flint and the Prodigy crew gave them the thumbs up for being a great opening act for them to take stage to. A pinnacle UK rave track in all the essence, give this one a proper go. All 16 minutes of it! The B-side features our favorite ambient cut from Neural Network's 2nd album 'Modernité'. Titled 'Part 3' it is a deep, emotional and moving ambient track. Goosebump material to those that knew it orginally. All 3 of these EP's come with notes from the band on those special early days of their music and their inspiration. All these tracks are on vinyl for the first time with excellent artwork from UK's Grid Pattern. Bring back the Chill Out Rooms!

After an impressive label debut in March this year, Swedish pair Patrick Siech & Sandra Mosh re-link for a multi-faceted follow-up. Inspired by the '90s production ethos of broad-minded genre agnosticism, the EP spans a trio of dreamy, yet functional cuts, displaying the producers’ fluid production arrangements. A fourth track bucks the sonic trend, ‘PPMV1’ a tribute to a pigeon the duo rescued but ultimately succumbed to the virus of the same name. In contrast the track is a punchy bass-led weapon, simultaneously deliciously disorientating and immersive.

Siech has been a symbol of quality in the Swedish underground techno scene going back more than a decade, collaborating with the revered Sebastian Mullaert and releasing on Minus, Parabel and Break New Soil, among others. Sandra Mosh, similarly, is deeply respected by those in-the-know, gaining wide recognition with a show on Swedish national radio P3, playing festivals and clubs including Sónar, Berghain and Kazantip and running her own label MOSH Muzik.

***
I entered the world
once more,
drove down the hill,
past the houses,
full and empty
of people.
***

This release is dedicated to Ricky Montanari, one of those Djs whose impact has influenced my journey as an artist

David joins the Kontakt family under his Small Solar System Body moniker with two powerful uptempo dub-grooves. The Skudge treatment is a repetitive driving dub workout which will send you straight on the floor.

2023 Repress

More 303 madness from the likes of Tik Tok feat. Lady Reload on the A-side and Mobile Dogwash on the flip!

tradition was born from two individuals forging an identity in the studio that consisted of a heads down approach and a love of machines.

Taking inspiration from their ‘live run’ studio recordings, the duo of Matt Domino and Norris Raider have built a sound that resonates on many levels and is rooted in a ‘hands on’ approach to creativity, traditionally speaking of course.

‘Slip’: adventuring into vintage Detroit systems with razor arps, dubbed out chords, insistent bass and heavy acid hypnosis.

‘Switchblade’: emerging from the underworld ready to slash and scar with scuttling beats and contorted bass that may have you dancing, or hiding behind your hoodie.

There is a certain type of weird effect that is generated by strange, repetitive loops. Ultrastation, the new project of Utrecht veterans Cosmic Force and Nuno Dos Santos, know this well.

The two have teamed up to deliver '4723 EP' and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have them on board, joining our Discos Atónicos family.

Expect four slabs of intergalactic pounding, cosmic modulations, deep resonances, repetitive bleeps and strange atmospheres: a kind of 'technoide soundtrack from outer space'.

Let's dance outside the laws of gravity.

Repress

One of the very first releases out of the mighty Space Teddy's catalog established in the early nineties by Dr. Motte already founding member of the global recognized event The Love Parade.

"When You Feel It/Pump The Bass" is a four-track EP with two original versions plus two additional remixes of the same tracks, written and performed by DJ Jonzon and Cosmic Baby both seminal DJs of the German underground scene and musicians fascinated the synth-style of Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream.

The reissue is fully restored from the original source.

Brown Vinyl

Electro, EBM and experimental wave are brought together on the upcoming STRD release. Coming from the thriving Zurich music scene, XINDL manifests an analogue yet very familiar sound and delivers a nostalgic 90s feeling on its debut album “11”.

The post-industrial Ruhr-Area has been an indisputable part of Germany's techno landscape since the very beginning. More than 30 years after techno's golden era and after a manifold challenging pandemic, the scene and its sounds are blooming like never before. Ahmet Sisman and his project The Third Room can be described as key factors for both the area's ongoing, sustainable dedication to electronic music and its current success, being more and more embedded in cultural contexts and society overall.

It's unsurprising that the first album of Ahmet Sisman, the multitalented artist and man of action, is a well-considered mix of familiar and pioneering sounds, enriched by countless influences within and beyond technos constantly evolving sub-genre scenery. With a sophisticated 50/50 mix of four on the floor strikes and innovative breaks, Sisman manages to hit a sweet spot between raw but groovy, experimental but subtle nostalgia, melodious but noisy.

All this is already worthy of a listen, but placed in context, it perfectly fits the musical approach of the Ruhr-Areas biggest transcendental techno project - The Stone Techno Series and Festival. Like the bound-breaking release series of the last two years, 'The Third Space' maintains the metallic and fierce sound vision of a coal mining tradition with everlasting impact. The time travel through industrialization and renaturation continues here with T3R008 and gains a whole new dimension from Sisman's skilled handwriting.