Odd Even Germany 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: This duo is not from Massachusetts, rather Turin, Italy and focus on psychedelic / acid / techno vibes according to their Soundcloud profile; quite an apt description. They have appeared on labels like Involve and Enemy previously and now Germany's Odd Even for the Oblivion EP. "Nightcall" has a taste for the acid life that pushes that 303 to it's full limit like an Acid Test record over a tough beat, but it's the title track which really nails it: this is droning and hypnotic techno further fuelled by a well-executed acid snarl and a ferocious and shuffling rhythm. On the flip "Split String" sounds like a fierce Jeff Mills 909 live drum solo but then that chiming synth melody comes through with those claps on the kick, sounding more like a Rodhad cut. Great stuff!

Review: Following a succession of standout releases on top labels such as BPitch Control, Involve and Enemy, Northern Italian duo Sergio Pace and Vincenzo Ferramosca aka Boston 168 return on Andre Kronert's Odd/Even imprint with another fierce collection of techno weaponry. The second installment in the Oddysee series features the mental and droning peak time cut 'Oddworld', followed by the title track over on the flip that will mesmerize you with its rich tapestry of melody. Finally there's classic '90s rave tropes aplenty on the intense 303 madness of 'Telephatic Acid'.

Review: Andre Kronert's ODD/EVEN label is billed as "a wide open space and blank canvas for friends and peers to release music that Andre himself will include is his DJ sets." Stepping into that open space for this one is Boston 168 with a trio of uncompromising techno cuts. The opener 'Oddworld' has booming bottom ends and percussion that grows ever more persuasive and raw while the acidic synths are tight and taught and tense. 'Oddysee' is less tightly controlled, with the synths spraying about the mix over more brutal and rusted metal drum loops. 'Telephatic Acid' closes out with some wall-rattling techno swing. Lovely stuff.

Review: Australian techno don Eddie Hale returns to Odd Even for another excursion into powerful, Detroit-inspired machine soul for dedicated futurists. 'Bad Sector' is a stunning, expansive track which heads spacewards and doffs its cap to the most beautiful traits of Motor City techno without sacrificing impact. Ken Ishii then jumps on for a slamming remix of the track which turns the heat up for the biggest kind of crowd. On the B-side Hale gets to explore some more, creating dense sci-fi spectacles and edgy Millsian loops alike, leaving room for more of that rich, melodic bliss that makes the EPs lead track so immediately inviting.

Review: From the glacial dub techno experiments of Berg Audio through to the surefire warehouse weapons on offer via Odd Even, Andre Kronert has you totally covered. Next up on the latter imprint are German scene stalwarts Johannes Heil and Markus Suckut - with some fierce peak time energy on the rather biblical allusions of Gospel 9 to 12. Best be assured that there's nothing holy about this bunch of killers: from the pumping percolator jack of "Gospel Nine", to the bouncy pressure funk of "Gospel Ten" and its use of a rather familiar first wave Detroit sample. Suckut then lends a hand on two stompers, dragged straight off the factory floor: the steely and austere madness of "Gospel Twelve" being our favourite of the two.

Review: Berlin-based American John Hester has released some great music over the years, much of it on Matt 'Radio Slave' Edwards' REKIDS imprint. He has also released on legendary Detroit techno imprint Transmat, too, which makes perfect sense given the stargazing, sci-fi-seeped sound of many of his greatest techno productions. We can hear the Motor City influence on his latest EP, a first outing on Odd Even. For proof, check the spacey synth loops and far-sighted melodies of hypnotic, locked-in A-side 'Nonstop', the increasingly percussive and at times breathless 'Pace' (where jacking drum machine fills and chiming melodies catch the ear), and the early morning delight of 'Sustain', which sounds like a techno head's take on Detroit house legend Chez Damier's after-party-friendly classics of the late 1990s.

Review: Andre Kronert's vision in techno is so crunchy, it'll make it sound like your headphones are clipping to high heaven. That's cos 'Purpose', and the tracks contained therein, are as brutalist as ever, sounding like the repeated scrapings of an exoskeletal factory on overdrive, emitting pleasingly repetitive noises as it scrapes and grinds away, marking its territory on a dismal block of flats. Jokes aside, this is also an incredibly immersive EP, with the pads blending neatly with the vinyl-crackled kicks on 'Babylon', and Fossil Archive's remix going in just as hard.

Review: Andre Kronert's ever reliable Odd Even returns this week with a new one from Argentinian scene hero Pfirter, with the second installment in the Imagery series. Austere sonic artillery is certainly provided for on this one; from the mental overdrive of opening cut 'Dungeon' which leads into the hypnotising rapid-fire polyrhythms of 'Form' that's properly geared for trancing out under the strobe lights. On the flip, he brings the peak-time adrenaline on the frenzied 'Distant' and closes it out with the Birmingham-influenced mechanisms of 'Attack'.

Review: No one makes minimal as idiosyncratic and weird yet wonderful as Robag Whrume. Here though on Odd Even it is Andre Kroner who is stepping up to remix the German's 'Wadd Bodun' tune. First he lays down gritty lo-fi drums and warming dub undercurrents to make for a back room early evening warm up sound. Then his Straight Back remix is more techno-leaning, with big, icy and oversized hi-hats all serving to work you into a state of hypnosis. Two classy new takes on the original, for sure.

Review: Few artists in the techno sphere make music as oddball and intriguing as Robag Wruhme, which makes him a great artist to remix. So it is that Andre Kronert steps up here with not one but two new twists on the German's 'Wadd Bodun' track for the Odd Even label. His first remix is a gritty one with unresolved loops and grinding stabs that bring a raw texture to the rolling tech house beats. On the flip, the Straight Back remix is a little more late-night and woozy, with balmy pads leading gooey trails as echoing hits that disappear off into the distance. Perfect for 5 am zone-outs.

Review: Odd Even have previously served up great releases by dub techno expert Andre Kronert, emerging Italian duo Boston 168 as well as Berlin techno legend Johannes Heil. Now it's over to Markus Suckut of SCKT and Exile fame who serves up a bunch of tough and functional techno tools that you can depend on. Starting off with the stripped back and densely layered jack of "Your Legs", he's then into some classic acid techno throwback sounds on "Your Head". On the flip, it's more like the Suckut we know with the pummeling factory floor sounds of "Your Arms" while "Your Body" sees the man from Dortmund try his hand at a more heady and hypnotic techno strain: is there anything this guy can't do?