Back catalogue: Techno

Review: For this new 2xLP mini-record for Mord, British music producer Rich Jones aka. Operator slips off the surgical gloves and wriggles his way into a set of special occasional, crusaders' gauntlets. Only a pilgrim or knight's hand could wrangle this much grit and hate from the techno production process. As we listen, we digest the accompanying, deathly mysterious poem - "the transmutation of the shadow, an ingress of novelty, under austere skies, the spirits of the city awaken" - and we're left to wonder just what collective spirit Jones may be getting at. 'Running From The Man', 'Evasions', 'Bottom Of The List'... it's almost as if the combo of technocracy, urbanism and austerity is too much for the average person to handle, and that there's a latent rebellion in us all somewhere! But despite the prophetic theme and title, Jones prefers to fight fire with fire: his sound design is barky, scientific and at times trancey ('Watashi No Gyangu' has a particularly amazing drone undercurrent to it), suggesting urban denizens must harness, not run from, the means of its own oppression.

Review: Rotterdam label Mord is back with a bumper selection of techno treats here from a range of new school producers. Across an incredible eight sides of vinyl, all shades and rhythms are explored, starting with Radial & Bas Moot's loopy, dark, sludgy 'Jacht' and going on through Temudo's silky and stripped back minimal prowler 'Leaving The Old Flesh,' Rommek's industrial and edgy 'Vaporized' and Roll Dann's twitchy, paranoid 'Human Furniture'. Elsewhere Shaney & Zadig offer up unrelenting pressure with 'Downwards' and Mathys Lenne's 'The Road Is Wider Than Long' is all about sparse techno atmospherics from a dystopian world.