Back catalogue: Techno

Review: Amorphic and Tensal hook back in to the machine to dialyse their crafts once more, with 'Highland Frequencies' offering up four, machine-numbered atoning lambs to our mech overlords, following up the equally arrayed 'Distant Landscapes' EP (2024) on Blueprint. Now bringing their distinctive cataloguing system to the discographic vanitas Mord, four more 'AT' tracks make for an irresistibly well-layered, synthetically one-of-a-kind release. Only 'AT4' gets a subtitle, 'The Sleepwalker', where a sandman's slumbrous, lollygaggling beats somehow, at the same time, betray a subconscious, paradoxical restlessness.

Review: Milo Raad is back on Rotterdam's finest, Mord Records, with a fine follow-up to his last outing, the 'Blood Pressure' EP. This one opens at pace with 'Bushido' and its rushes of synth and hi hats, which sweep you off your feet in an instant. 'Flash Point' has a more stripped-back sound with a hypnotic meld of drums and kicks that makes for perfect 5am escapism. The deep techno of 'Yawara' is run through with eerie, searching synths that describe a desolate urban scene and 'Detour' is a final assault on both head and heel with its unrelenting drum pressure.

Review: Dark, hard techno producer Tensal brings a heathen, cultic mood to the arc of techno orthodoxy with his latest record 'Perpetual Survivor'. With its ominous heraldic symbol on the 12" inner label, and a four-track sonic palette portraying the seedy underbellies of religiosity, this is a record that recalls the Brum-school solemnity of Downwards Records or the post-Catholic heresies of Vatican Shadow. Opener 'Sonic Particle Rain' claps back with a status-quo-shattering barrage of sonic madness by way of 16th-note stutters and squelching lows, while 'Ethos' breaks from the horde with a personal, textural reflection on what it means to follow one's own ethical code. Meanwhile, 'Perpetual Survivor' and 'Nemesis' strip things down to barer bones, amounting to something of a puritan Reformation in sound; the gilded ornamented of their clerical predecessors are contrasted starkly here by the B-side's electric, merciless and sparse sound.

Review: Viels' Pensieri Ricorrenti EP offers four intense and high-powered explorations into deep techno, each track delivering its own distinct energy. Side - opens with 'Wujhca,' a blazing sci-fi journey with aggressive, percussive elements that feel dangerous and futuristic. This track sets a fierce tone, capturing the listener with its high-tech edge. 'Effetto Bilaterale' follows, a hypnotic banger that pulses with relentless energy, drawing you deeper into its rhythmic trance. On Side-2, 'Pensieri Ricorrenti' brings a tech groove that is compelling and seamlessly blends intricate layers of sound. The EP closes with 'Magnete Permanente,' a menacing track reminiscent of Jeff Mills, with its dark, powerful beats and a relentless drive that leaves a lasting impact. Pensieri Ricorrenti EP is for techno lovers seeking tracks that push boundaries and deliver intense, deep techno experiences.