Back catalogue: Techno (All)

Review: Watergate, the cult Berlin club known for its riverside location and legendary LED ceiling above the dancefloor, is also a reputable tech house label that deals in fresh names only. Here it is 8Kays that makes a debut with Falling Down, a selection of superb collaborations including 'Matematica' with Glowal which is tense and electric tech with indie vocals and with Juan Hansen he cooks up the medically hopeful 'Falling Down' which then gets two remixes. Colyn & Beswerda make it into a moody and deep groove, Chris Avantgarde brings some peak time prog energy and solo cut 'Lyra' has a warm, paddy broken beat to cruise on through the stars.

Review: Aubrey's Don Gardon alias was a one-shot decoy deployed in 1997 with the now highly sought-after "Textures" 12" on Aubrey's own Textures label. While the provenance of these new tracks is a little foggy at this stage, what you can be sure of is the grade of techno we're dealing with here. Aubrey's illustrious career speaks for itself, and so do these tracks in the first Textures release since 2001. "The Phase" is an effervescent, funk laced race to the stars, while "Vari Tube" takes a more intimate route through dusty house that wouldn't sound out of place in the Workshop stratosphere. "Slam Dunk" is a cheeky, jazzy affair while "Dons Slide" gets a little more freaky and far out in the finest tradition of B2 tracks.

Review: The most sought-after release from the entire Sounds catalogue, Gemini and Unit T's 1995 release, 'Sideburns', finally gets a much-needed reissue. A1 track, 'Trip', is a prime example of deep house if there ever was one. An infectious, encircling melody meets the deep groove of the bassline to create a finished product that is in equal measure sun-soaked and cosmic. 'B Trip', the A2 track, is a gloriously shifted, off-beat reimagining of A1, pummeling percussion reverberates across the track, left alone to enjoy moments where everything is stripped back, before the body of the track returns. On the B-side, 'Mystery Tones' arrives with the kind of groove that instantly makes its way across dancefloors - a unifying track that feels precise in its simplicity, whilst still retaining exactly the right degree of looseness to get a crowd moving. This is a must-have record for any deep house aficionados, and you can now save yourself the hefty Discogs price tag!

Review: This is record #7 for Generation Next on the 7 Days imprint and it does not disappoint. G. N returns with a powerful 4 song EP that bangs from start to finish. The title and artwork for the EP are inspired from the clothing brand The Pines Collective (@thepinesco), started by Generation Next and a friend in 2015. An energetic Dance Bitch starts off the project with a vocal sample from G.N; accompanied by vicious bass, drum tracks and psychedelic synths. Bundy is a more toned down piece that captures the essence of a pure underground dance beat. It is raw, rugged and ready to make your feet move. The start of side B is more of what we have come to expect from Generation Next, a groovy house track full of emotion and energy. Butterfly Effect throws you in an upbeat trance of melodic pianos, unpolished synths and calculated drum and percussion tracks. To close the 7th EP off is the loose and fun Now and Forever. It shows the ever so present versatility of now 25-year-old Generation Next.

Review: HOMO-CENTRIC Records continues to expand its early offerings with a fourth EP from the much loved Gideon who presents his own brand musical vision across a series of cuts that travel far and wide. Opener 'Hector's Revenge' is the house-leaning opener with its uptempo kicks and hammering hits all run through with some libidinous vocal sounds. 'Fridays' slips into more silky and vocal house full of r&b energy and plenty of dancefloor-friendly grooves. 'A Road Called Destiny' then brings a more playful sense of swing with disco colour and diva vocal energy.

Review: The small but already well-formed Innate label offers up a superb split EP for its sixth outing. Gilbert opens up with 'Low Flying Objects', a widescreen and serene bit of synth-laden tendon with more than a hint of Motor City soul over the dusty drums. 'Unknown Entities' is a brain-cleansing and celestial electro-styled cut with dreamy pads and cinematic deepness. Bristol-born, Welsh-rooted Owain K then steps up to the flip with equally painterly sounds. 'Corona Borealis' pairs deep and rubbery bass with crisp electro drum patterns and far-sighted chords. 'New Horizon' then closes out with some delightfully dozy deep house that's laden with wispy chords and undulating bass.

Review: A new label out of Mexico, Short Attention Records launches its second release with a five track offering of proper melodic house & techno from Hector Ram with the word 'quality' stamped large upon them. 'Midnight Sounds' starts things off with the grand rhythmically-building 'Midnight Sounds', almost New Order-esque at times. 'For Our Small Parties' follows, old skool again in flavour, blending subtly employed breaks and a sturdy house framework, then 'Dear Dancefloor', probably the gentlest and most fragile effort here, opens side two. 'On The Road' boasts a more electro feel and Orbital-esque synths, and is deemed worthy of a second airing via a nicely throbbing remix from Detroit's Generation Next closing proceedings.

Review: Sanderson Dear's Stasis Recordings released the original Time Capsule compilation in 2020 - a 20-track exploration of ten different ambient techno artists exploring two ideas each in compact form for a box set of 7"s. Now the label has revisited some of the project's standout moments and offered a chance to enjoy extended versions gathered on a single 12". From Maps Of Hyperspace shaping out atmospheric halls of synth work on 'Beta' to Glo Phase offering some gorgeous, sparkling grooves on 'Fire Flies', there's plenty of ground covered on this release. Of course the mighty John Beltran is a big drawer too, and his typically stellar 'The Descendent' doesn't disappoint in its full extended version.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Record is slightly warped, otherwise in excellent condition***


Moxie Presents Volume Two Sampler is the first physical release from Moxie's compilation series of the same name on her newly conceived 'On Loop' imprint. The compilation was released for free via Moxie's Soundcloud page in January 2016, and was met with rave reviews and radio support from the likes of Benji B, Gilles Peterson, Annie Mac and Toddla T. This sampler features 3 tracks taken from the compilation and an exclusive Dub of Medlar's 'In Dreams,' the original of which was a highlight on the compilation.

Review: Upstairs Asylum Recordings is one of the many seminal Detroit labels run by local legend Norm Talley. It's right in the middle of a busy run right now with no fewer superb run with three new EPs all dropping in quick succession. This one is a split EP with US duo Solid Gold Playaz taking care of the a-side. As always with this pair, their sounds are deep and dusty house with exquisite melodies tugging at the heart. On the flip, Gari Romalis steps up with the slick percussive skip of 'Detroit After Dark' then 'Panties' from Brian Neal brings jacked up analogue groves that lean into techno with a big fat bassline.

Review: Roger Gerressen's previous album, 2017's Sushitech-released "Monoaware", did a fine job in delivering atmospheric slabs of dancefloor hypnotism that were variously inspired by tech-house, dub techno and the deeper end of the European techno sound. "Heading In A Backwards Direction" feels like a more open and expansive take on the same basic blueprint, with Gerressen quietly slipping between beat-free dub techno soundscapes (blissful opener "Fragil (Dub)"), sun-kissed tech-house/dub techno fusion (the ear-pleasing "Draxis"), deep house inspired dancefloor warmth ("Cerendipity"), heavier peak-time workouts (bass-heavy tech-house jack track "Don't Be Neutron"), crackling minimalism ("Continued Momentum") and hushed, sub-heavy goodness (closing cut "Holding Thoughts"). It all adds up to another impressively atmospheric excursion.

Review: South Korean star Peggy Gou continues her seemingly unstoppable rise by serving up her first ever DJ mix CD. It's a contribution to one of the longest running series in the business, DJ Kicks, and she's used the opportunity to showcase the depth and variety of the music in her crates. Beginning with the classic early '90s ambient of Spacetime Continuum, Gou flits between humid, mid-tempo Balearic house (her own "Hungboo"), acid-fired downtempo electronica, throbbing 1990 peak-time anthems (Weatherall's ace but largely forgotten remix of Sly & Lovechild), hypnotic techno minimalism, main room throb-jobs (Hiver), pulsating electro, classic breakbeat hardcore, post-dubstep, dark tribal drum jams and sunrise ready Motor City brilliance (Deniro).