Mama Told Ya 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Mama Told Ya is French DJ & producer Anetha's own record label, where for its fifth release she presents the creme de la creme of global talent. Indeed, L'eau Repousse Les Feux Agressifs covers the many shades of contemporary techno: from austere and strobe-lit warehouse bangers like that of label staple UFO95's 'Naturbath' or MDR alumnus Ryan James Ford's 'Snake Bitter' (1999 mix). X-Coast and Isabella channel the early '90s heyday of rave, on the breaks-driven energy of 'Mutation' and 'Impresia' respectively. Elsewhere, the more experimental fringes of the genre are covered as well, courtesy of Varg2TM who collaborates with Posh Isolation's Croation Amor on the sonic contortions of 'Bully', while EMMA DJ veers off into hyperware territory on 'Extremely Urgent'.

Review: While the heads continue debating where techno has gone in the last few years, with a new generation of ultra-hard, ultra-fast artists and DJs threatening to break through what remaining walls of sanity were still propping up warehouse parties, Use Your Difference to Make the Difference drops and proves it couldn't give a shit about labels or categories, and nor could those behind the record. Words like 'tough' don't really cut it when it comes to stuff like this. Tracks like 'Gabba Masta' might sell some down the wrong path, though - it's heavy and pounding but stops someway short of gabber itself, actually offering some of the most serene harmonies on the record before exploding into its full throttle, stripped back drum-riff-off. And nothing here really lets you off those kind of hooks. But, in a world of nuances, why should they?

Review: Anetha's Mama Told Ya label has given the French techno provocateur the perfect space to shape out her particular vision of techno in the 21st Century. It's a taut, sexy kind of peak time with plenty of space for rhythmic intrigue and bold curveballs, as perfectly demonstrated on the MTY series of compilations. This third entry brings together a whopping 22 different artists across four slabs of wax, taking in some heavyweight talent from Zoe Mc Pherson to Benjamin Damage, Boys Noise and way beyond into the cutting edge of the modern techno scene.