New releases last eight weeks: Techno

Review: Nowhere does techno as proper as Planet Rhythm. This latest 12" is another no-frills banger with rusty synth and menacing drum loops all perfectly intertwined. There is a hurried sense of funk to 'Formation' that really keeps you on edge, while 'Basel' is turbocharged with video-game style synths. 'Romance' gets more edgy and brings some industrial percussion and automation to the beats while 'Here' slips into thumping and loopy house territory of the sort that reminds us of the one and only Floorplan.

Review: Rotterdam label Planet Rhythm has snapped up some searing tech from relative newcomers Dynamic Forces here. The electrifying duo are one again not mucking about here as they serve up some pumping techno bangers that have a playful heart and plenty of great designs buried deep in their unrelenting grooves. 'New Set Up' for example is backlit by a nice heavenly synth glow and 'Plague' is a real head wrecker with twisted leads and super sized hi hats. 'Tango' is a minimal number that moves like a cat on a hot tin roof and seems to get ever quicker throughout.

Review: Gunjack, one of Planet Rhythm's techno veterans, enchants with his bold, hard techno style in Footprints. The EP opens with 'Fat Lady Sings', a high-energy track that merges intense techno and euphoric house chords over a relentless beat. 'Body Memory', true to Gunjack's prowess, showcases his intricate percussion. It's a dancefloor anthem with a relentless driving force, destined to ignite crowds. The title track, 'Footprints' is a prime-time dancefloor weapon, its infectious stabs and galloping technocracy creating an unstoppable groove. The EP's last track, 'Iceman Cometh', echoes Basic Channel's iconic chord stabs, infusing acid elements to deliver a captivating finish. With its masterful blend of pounding rhythms, exciting movement in the percussion, and relentless energy, 'Footprints' solidifies Gunjack's status as a quality techno producer.

Review: One of the most successful and enduring techno labels has been the Dutch based Planet Rhythm Records. For over 30 years now the label has helped launch and propel the careers of some of the biggest names in the genre. One such name that the label has helped grow is Muzmin and 'The Bulb' EP is his fifth release for them to date. These heavy, grooving rhythmic tracks have just the right amount of percussive elements to give the tracks some melodic moods, 'The Bulb' itself having an eerie, sci-fi mysterious feel to it giving us Purpose Maker impressions. On 'Yuklem', the loopier underlying is particularly sick. 'Kran' also does a great job of feeling aggressive yet reserved in some aspects. This gives the track an excellent laid-back sound or a very heavy one depending on what you want to hone in on listening. That is a hard balance to have in heavy techno so we give Muzmin major props for having that experience and skill to pull off. This is no nonsense techno that fits perfectly into the fabric of the sound that the label has fostered.

Review: Planet Rhythm has been one of the premier hard techno labels for over 30 years now. Exploring some different avenues in the last decade, the label recently launched a series of heavy dub techno related records identified as DUBWARS. Volume two features four different artists this time with each submitting a new piece to the label focus. Fans of Basic Channel's 'Phylyps Trak' should quickly head to OFF/GRID - 'One Stab Ahead' for that main room filler. Gunjack's 'Memory Man' is another upbeat killer in its own right adding a bit of acid along with the melodic chord progression. For the second side, Antic Soul's 'Mandalore' stirs in a bit of house culture to the hard dub techno sound to great effect. Lastly, Lenny San bring's the party to their feet with 'Hedonist'. Heavy techno heads should really enjoy this packed 12"

Review: Following a string of well-received EPs on Planet Rhythm - five in total since 2021 - Red Rooms returns to the storied Dutch imprint with his hotly anticipated debut album. What's on offer is, by and large, full-throttle peak-time techno, where clandestine aural textures and short melodic motifs ride weighty, locked-in basslines and breathless, kick-drum-driven grooves. It's a formula that the Berlin-based producer has not only mastered magnificently, but also excels at delivering. Highlights include the rave stab-sporting big room panic of 'No Turning Back', the alien drum-funk of 'Transcendency', the ghostly and intoxicating allure of 'Unidentofied Objects' and the slipped Robert Hood-style minimalism of 'Cypher'.