Arts 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: From THEM to REKIDS and now on Arts, Berlin-based Ukrainian producer Chontane has covered a lot of ground in the few years he's been releasing music, arriving at a hi-octane sound that doesn't sacrifice depth and atmosphere in the process. 'Tiama' is a fierce and energised juggernaut bolstered with thick waves of dub tech chords that swirl and surge like a volatile storm cloud about to burst. 'Moellex' creates a similar mood with a different set of tools, using less conventional percussive elements and getting knottier in the groove. There's also bomb-blast garage-techno devastation on 'Apeth' - the kind of heavy-duty gear you could picture Objekt having some fun with.

Review: The no-nonsense Arts Collective is back with another of its potent techno 12"s, this time from Deas who got our attention good and proper with his first outing of the year on Bau Muzik back in April. He is in scintillating form again herewith the urgent percussive clatter and bleeping synth madness of 'Format'. 'Burning Space' then has wispy synths peeling off the train track grooves and booming low ends to rattle any warehouse to bits. 'Focus' is a classic mind melter with sonar blips looping ad infinitum over rumbling drum funk and 'Vortex' then ends in in a swirling blizzard of frenzied synth intensity.

Review: When are your golden hours? Last thing at night, first thing in the morning? Or is it THE golden hour - that 60-minute period as the sun sets and the warm daytime rays make way for a cooler evening and a lovely hazy hue comes over the landscape. Ecilo is out to soundtrack whichever of those you pick with his new Golden Hours EP on Arts. It's artful and elegant techno that is in a hurry to lock you into a hypnotic state with pummelling drum programming that's warm and fulsome, sleek synths that bring the soul and generally well-designed sounds that are always going to make a mark.

Review: Next up on Emannauel's ever reliable ARTS imprint is Japanese DJ/producer Hiroaki Iizuka with the Recall EP. Featured on this fierce four-tracker is the powerfully moving title track which recaptures the zeitgeist of late 90s techno's glory days, while the hypnotic loops of 'Mystique', also on the first side, entrance you by way of its tumbling and broken beat and vocal chants in the vein of classic Oliver Ho. Over on the flip, 'Kura' goes for more of a Motor City hi-tech funk vibe, followed by one more peak-time style workout in the form of 'Behind The Frame'.

Review: The influence of trance on techno continues to grow throughout Europe. Introversion embraces that on the first track on his new 12" for Arts. It's build on classic techno drums but overlaid with bright chords that are subtle yet infused with euphoria. There is a similar sense of heart on sleeve emption to 'Heavy Heart' which makes an art form out of high speed melancholy. The title track brings more fizzing texture and trippy synth patterns that bring their own sense of tension and 'Error' closes down with the most paranoid melodies of the lot. It all adds up to a captivating and emotive take on techno.

Review: Berlin-based techno devotee Julius Debler follows up on a run of releases for Artscore with his first drop for Arts' main imprint, bringing an assured, mature sound along with him. The title track on Nostalgia conjures precisely the feeling the name implies, using plaintive melodic phrasing over a solid techno thrum to create an introspective peak time weapon. 'Mania' is a more tightly-wound, pensive kind of workout, using nervy, interwoven arps to eke out the tension in the track. 'Burden' switches stance for a more sentimental, breakbeat driven approach which is closer to sad-eyed electronica than techno, until SAMA turns in a remix which locks the track down to some dungeon-ready 4/4.

Review: If you're looking for fresh sonic experiments which nonetheless hold fast to the dancefloor-worthiness of contemporary European techno, look no further than Rotterdam's Arts collective. Flaunting their selective prowess, the label here present a four-track release from producer Off/Grid, who impressively nails that coveted sonic tension many producers can only grasp after; a sound suspended between dreaminess and forcefulness, a mesmeric militant fist that first packs a punch, but then unclenches to sprinkle magical sand in our eyes. 'Strobe Light Memories' pins this down best; a behemoth of a beat jostles for the attention of our ears, all front-and-centre, only to give way to a cosmically faint breakdown, before returning once again.

Review: The highly respected and busy ARTS label has released their latest What Will Remain When We're Gone by Paul Roux. The title track is a melodic burner that succeeds triumphantly with heavy percussion, anthemic crescendos and at a blistering pace. Amazing! 'Burning' is a fantastic as well. Dramatic and engaging, we love the way it favors melody over the supporting rhythm giving it a more atmospheric sound. On the B-side, 'Maybe It's Love' adds some soft-spoken female singing to it giving us strong 2000s era flashbacks. This is a really strong and perhaps underrated 12". Give this the opportunity to play through and you will want to revisit these often. ARTS continues to come through with excellent techno.

Review: Next up on scene-leading techno label Arts is a single from VNTM, otherwise known as Dutch DJ and producer Thomas van de Ven. This is the first vinyl outing for the breakthrough artist, who manages to edge subtlety and dynamic range into the big room techno sound. His sound design approach is refined, not least on the dub techno-tinted workout 'Breaching', but things can also still get rough and knotty on 'Dissonance Is Bliss'. If you're headlong into the sound of monolithic techno but crave some sophistication, this EP will be of great interest.