DJS: MOST CHARTED - TECHNO - MOST CHARTED IN JANUARY 2013

Review: The 13th release for France's Syncrophone Records sees Strength Music boss producer DJ Qu step up for three tracks of seductively deep techno. The A-side sees "Undescribed 1 (Multi)", consisting of little more than a brushed kick and hi-hat combo which slowly moves into a breathy combination of abstract vocal and swirling dub chords. On the flip, "Undescribed 2 (Blank)" provides a more driving number, combining a hypnotic bass pulse with rustling percussion and subtle piano flourishes buried within, while "Undescribed 3 (Execute)" provides the record's finest production, a tracky combination of cut-up stabs and subtle marimba tones guaranteed to set any floor alight

Review: It's here! Levon Vincent graces us with his first 12" of 2012 just as the year approaches closure. Announced in customary fashion with little prior fanfare, the centre piece of this seventh Novel Sound release is undoubtedly "Stereo Systems", an early stripped back highlight of the Berlin based producer and DJ's mix for Fabric earlier this year. Lifted out of context of his Jedi style mixing there, the track sounds all the more remarkable in isolation, a deathly kick drum offering sole forward momentum before an ever daunting array of beautiful crystalline synths rain down in a manner you feel could slip into infinity. Complementing this are two face down unreleased DJ tools, rubbing the rough and rugged percussive stomper "Together Forever" against the playful loop driven house of "Specks Jam".

Review: This year has seen the music making enigma otherwise known as Terrence Dixon return to the production game with admirable gusto; in addition to his stunning From The Far Future 2 album on Tresor we've seen original and reissued EPs on Knotweed Records, Delsin, Rush Hour, Harbour City Sorrow and Chronicle. Here we see three heavyweights tackle Dixon's 1995 cut "Minimalism" for Thema; Mike Huckaby's version ploughs a bleak, linear terrain reminiscent of Jeff Mills, while Silent Servant is back at his wall rattling best on his version. By contrast DVS1's effort is soaked in colour, making full use of the synths used on the towering original version that nestles happily alongside it on the B-Side.

Review: New label Latency launches itself with Hakim Murphy and Ike Velez's Innerspace Halflife project and their Post Industrial EP. "Crown Vic" takes up the entirety of the A-side and hums with analogous fuzz, eerie electro electronics and Chicagoan jack. On the flip "Edo Tenei" and "Sink Monster" maintain the same analogue production ethic with the former geared more toward the dancefloor as a funked out bassline draped in dusty reverb heaves over drawn out chords. The latter "Sink Monster", ventures deeper into house territory barely using a kick drum in the process. The EP also comes with nicely crafted black and white booklet offering insight into the upstart labels aesthetic.

Review: With an ever-widening presence in the modern vanguard of militant techno, Shifted once again sidles up to his regular haunt of Mote Evolver to hammer home some inescapable truths about monochrome dancefloor physics. On all four tracks, there's an unrelenting urgency borne by the steadfast arrangements of rhythmic devices, all locked in so tight the notion of individual elements seems irrelevant. "Razors" grinds and crackles with precision, while "Over" frays into fractals at the edge of its looping drums. "Bloodless" operates a lone acid sentry while "Trouble" hunches down into a mechanical whirr, but all these cuts will do the damage when it counts.

Review: Swedish hardware heroes Skudge's eponymous imprint went from strength to strength in 2012 with releases from themselves, MRSK, Rivet and Fishermen and remixes from many others, and they look to continue the momentum throughout 2013 with a massive release schedule. First on the list is Detroit producer Jared Wilson, whose deep acid tracks on labels such as Dolly, Dixon Avenue Basement Jams and his own 7777 imprint have turned him into a cult figure amongst enthusiasts of acid techno. Skudge spare no expense in spreading these four tracks across two 12"s; the title track sees a rough 303 loop and skittering hi-hats skating over searching pads while "Grave Stalkin" is more driving affair that sees darker acid touches moving deep into a wormhole of blacked out reverb. The second 12" leads with the stupendous "Hastings '95", a furious piece of 134bpm techno that sounds at times like a runaway steam train, while the flip contains the more sedate "Detroit Tracks 1 (Analog mix)", where a thick, sub-aquatic 303 line flows through a heady cocktail of swelling chords and abstracted diva vocals. Whether you're familiar with Wilson's acid mastery or not, this double pack is essential!

Review: Linux, Dettmann's second EP for 50Weapons, tones down the techno abrasion of his previous missive for the label, with the results considerably easier on the ears. The Berghain resident opts for kooky and linear housey-techno instead, a sound frequenting many of his DJ sets of late. A constant kick drum and croaky bassline lasts the entirety of "Linux" and acts like a revolving door - greeting and chussing various hi-hats, claps, rides and rimshots. On the flip, Dettmann's love for Depeche Mode and Human League synths is clearly evident, as a basic, but slightly varying synths roll through a similar drum machine sequenced arrangement.

Review: Machinedrum, Blawan, the collaborative Third Side project and new name Kobosil remix tracks from Barker & Baumecker's brilliant debut LP Transsektoral. Up first is Machinedrum, who replaces the broken beats of "No Body" with a bassy four-to-the- floor hum-drum, starry synths and a compatible resonance that successfully maintains Barker & Baumecker's previous garage vibe. Upstart Kobosil removes any melodious element from the original "Silo" and reworks the drums suitably for peak time Berghain action. Blawan's re-command of "Crows" sees ritualistic drums swagger clumsily in and out of time to orc war-horns that sound like they're rung in the midst of battle. Third Side then turns "Schlang Bang" inside out by buckling down on a single looped-up sample. Sometimes remix additions can be a little underwhelming, this ain't one of them.

Review: News of Surgeon and Blawan working together as Trade for the fifth Works The Long Nights release was unexpected, though hardly surprising given how supportive the former has been of the latter and his fellow UK techno producers in recent times. Unsurprisingly given the calibre of the artists involved, the results pretty spectacular, even taking into account the fact the genre is in something of a purple patch at the moment. "Half Nelson" sees frazzled synths dragged kicking and screaming across savage kickdrums and incomprehensible vocals, while "Positive Neckline" pairs ripcord bass and relentless stabs stabs with frenetic hi-hats. On the flip, "Touch This Skin" dangles its rattling drums like a flayed man hanging from the gallows while "I Notice You All" combines acidic bass with a mechanical rhythm that nevertheless seems irregular in its makeup. While Surgeon's solo material has always hit hard, it's always been characterised by a cleaner sound, but with Blawan in tow things are as rough around the edges as the latter's Karenn material, and it's something very welcome indeed.

Review: ** Repress ** Thriving in his emergent Trevino moniker, Marcus Intalex makes a prominent step further up the chain with an appearance on Ben Klock's label Klockworks, further cementing his authority as a producer of techno means. "Forged" has no doubt had plenty of test runs at Berghain with its stalking, growling bassline and ever-pressing forward momentum, crafted out of immaculate elements to do all the right kinds of damage. "Uptight" is a more tripped-out affair, with minimal drums and an acidic pulse hovering just below the surface where you have to submerge your head to catch it. "Doldrums" meanwhile shimmers and shudders with a Reese-sized bassline and intricate percussive ripples to create a hulking beast of track.

Review: For their sixth release, deep house doyens Bliq present something a little different in the form of Space Culture Volume 1, the label's first compilation 12". The A-side is given over to the dub techno of Audio Atlas, whose track "Finland" is a suitably chilly excursion into mid-tempo 4/4, its steady pulse and icy chords seemingly inspired by a wintry Scandinavian forest at dusk. On the flip, Pietro Tangianu's "Frabaer" is a similarly laid back production, but one that thaws things slightly with its warmer, housier chords, and swung rhythm though its subs are as deep as the A-side. Finally, Matti Turunen's "Nocturne" offers something entirely different, a sparse electro track whose minimal 808 rhythms and thick bass are contrasted with melodic pads and brittle diamond-like textures.

Review: Inigo Kennedy's last record for Token was a definite record of two halves, with one track providing severe, Berghain ready techno, and the other providing ghostly melodies with echoes of Aphex Twin. It's a similarly engaging story on Cathedral, with the title track providing a fierce breakbeat together with a cavernous harpsichord melody, and though it may not seem like the most obvious of combinations, its pulsing bass undercurrent ensures Kennedy's usual power is not diminished. "Chamber" plays things slightly straighter, providing a more forceful dancefloor cut imbued with gentle hints of dub techno that bristle with the producer's usual freshness, while "Accordion" completes things with another subtly melodic cut filled with unpredictability, as stuttering drums are surrounded by synths that seem to fade in and out of view. Kennedy has gone from strength to strength with each release and this record is no different.

Review: It seems incredible to think that despite his nearly 20 years of prodcution experience, Dave Sumner hasn't released a full Function album until this year. Thankfully Incubation proves it's been well worth the wait with the Sandwell District member really stretching his legs out for one of those techno albums that is most definitely an album experience. This nine track set bristles with great ideas and murky atmospherics, combining dystopian sci-fi soundtrack textures with the precision techno he's become known for. There are robust dancefloor tracks - see the murky acid techno of "Against The Wall" and sweaty "Modifier" - but also moments of intense, melodic beauty, from the crystalline bliss of "Counterpoint", to the dreamy hypnotism of "Inter (album version)".

Review: Devoted to acid sounds, London based label Abstract Acid drops the six track retrospective Downtown Dirt #2 EP. Elec Pt 1 opens with "3030303", a first-rate sequence of looped drums, thrumming toms, a dirty 303 bass line with explanatory vocal to match. Takeshi Kouzuki potentially does away any compression in "Missing", allowing busy drums to lay a solid foundation for minimalistic acid plods and an electric lead. Crime Scene undoes the B-side with a trippy slice of acid tinged and abstract house music while Etcher gets dirty acid-electro with "Pelican Nebula". Takeshi Kouzuki'a second track for the EP employs yet another smouldering 303 drive, backed by hardworking drums. For fans of Disco Nihilist!

Review: Having found his way into the bags of Ben Sims, Norman Nodge and Rolando among others with his first release, Tripeo returns with a second 12" of heavily textured, hypnotic and puristic techno. An alter ego of Holland-based producer Darko Esser, Tripeo eschews the eclecticism of his other project Onionboy for "niches and purism". This is clearly evident on the A-side, where a functional kick drum combines with diamond-like hi-hats and a lone glassy synth to create a purist techno experience that borders on the psychedelic. The B-side is even more sparing but no less striking, with a broken techno rhythm that is interrupted by a trippy mosaic of morphing synths on a 90s tip.

Review: Creeping ever closer towards their third year of existence, Modularz have remained steadfast in their aesthetic approach, deftly combining the dynamism of straight up techno with an intricately textured approach that has proved enduringly rewarding. Label boss Developer once again features prominently on this Part One 12" of their tenth entry, contributing two A Side cuts to the face down contributions from Psyk and Rhomb. The expansive bassline to the opening track "Sequence 85" practically consumes you, with Developer's subsequent production "Sequence 88" is markedly sparser, allowing the rigid percussion and booming kicks centre stage. Last seen on Mote Evolver, Spaniard Psyk adds further balance with the subaqueous dub techno of "Transito" whilst the unknown quantity Rhomb is on electrifying form with the Mike Parker-esque "Reboot".

Review: The final release of the year on Will Bankhead's excellent label The Trilogy Tapes comes from Detroit-based producer M GUN. The man otherwise known as Manuel Gonzales has already impressed us in 2012 with 12?s for Wild Oats and Don't Be Afraid, The Near Future EP is possibly our favourite release from the producer yet. Those expecting the kind of raw Detroit techno he's become known for will be all over tracks like the deep mid-tempo cosmics of "2?, the rippling percussion and growling bassline of "The Race" and the tracky Millsian jack of "Tiles", but the real surprises come in the form of "Walk With Me", an edit of what sounds like some dusty 60s psychedelia, and "Flutter's Brother", a track which sounds like a knackered, decayed old Green Velvet demo.

Review: Given the particular slant on straight to tape, jacking house music brandished by John Heckle across numerous fine releases for Mathematics, Signals and Tabernacle, its little surprise to now find the Liverpool native arriving on the excellent Creme Organisation. Equally lacking in surprise is how quality The Last Magic Maker is, containing five of Heckle's most powerful and diverse productions to date and further heightened by the vivid, striking nature of the cover art from Godspill's Mehdi Rouchiche. Proceedings commence with the jackhammer Italo of the title track, where cosmic strains are fed through the Heckle mangler whilst piston style drums lock into their deathly groove, whilst some smart, intermittent edits slip in throughout. Following this, proceedings see the contemplative, expansive house of "Short Arms & Long Rockets" sandwiched between two sketched arrangements whose length is consumed by potency before ending on tropically flavoured bumper "On The Fields".

Review: Since launching his own Exploration imprint, Johannes Volk's output has hit a confident stride which allows him to continue extolling the virtues of creative, imaginative techno in the classic sense of the word. With the colourful flair of earliest Detroit, "Submarine Funk" makes this point the clearest, but certainly there are rich melodies and weighty rhythms to be enjoyed across all three tracks. "Aquanautic Tales" is a more stripped and brooding slow burner, while "Newborn" glides on a thick bed of synth, but it's the last track that brings all the elements together for a sci-fi jam that Juan Atkins would be proud of.

Review: The sporadic Paranoid London imprint returns with another single from the outfit devoted to championing acid tracks with old school production values. The A-side features "Paris Dub 1", a bass heavy example of understated 303 manipulations complete with snappy 808 percussion, which is complemented by an instrumental version on the flip for those who like their acid pure. Rounding out the 12" is a cut recorded and improvised entirely live at Manchester's Warehouse Project in 2008, but sounding like it could have been lifted from the mixer of an acid party from Chicago in '85.

Review: Through sheer force of anti-personality matched with an unforgiving release schedule, Truncate has well and truly made his presence felt over the past twelve months and drops another sure fire batch of gritty techno stompers that display a wonderful diversity. "Modify" is rawest bleep techno that revels in a dry beat, a repeating melodic phrase and an undulating vocal hook, devastating in its simplicity. "10th" however opts for a dub techno approach, letting a plush chord pulse in and out of the action while the beat remains a muted but driving kind of techno. "30" ends on a curiously tropical note, working an exotic flavour into the rolling construction through some crafty handling of hand claps, rounding off a sterling EP.