O/V/R - Interior

Interior may not be as extreme as either producer's back catalogue, but it does expertly use some of the sounds and many of the production techniques that are common to their work. The title track has a measured pace, but its panning, repetitive groove is underpinned by heavy kicks that give it an edge. Likewise, panel beating drums and raw acid licks provide the clubby "Fallen Night" with an unspoken sense of menace.
"Rapid Eye" shows again that the devil is in the detail; its deep, dense, unrelenting rhythm populated by bursts of steely percussion guarantee the end result is dynamic rather than monotonous. Interior is nothing revolutionary, but at a time when the re-emergence of harder techno threatens to be railroaded by big room bluster or, worse still, trance indulgence, the dark side is safe in these veterans' hands.

The Subliminal Kid - To the South

Peder Mannerfelt has been releasing music since the late '90s—initially as Markus Enochson and more recently under this guise—but "To the South" ventures further back in time. Inspired by the period when Chicago house and Detroit techno started to cosy up to European rave, Mannerfelt's interpretation of early '90s elements using modern production techniques is not just impressive, it sounds unlike most contemporary techno.
At a time when many producers are trying to imbue their work with a sense of dread and squeeze every drop of bass-heavy darkness from the studios, "South" wears a big smile as spacey rave riff encircles raw, 303-tinged drums and sharp, hissing percussion. That's not to suggest that Mannerfelt has opted for pastiche or has merely sampled the hell out of a Network or Nu Groove compilation; a rolling, pulsing groove underpins his creation, its understated presence nonetheless providing the impetus for DJs to play it.
Label owner Matt O'Brien's remix follows the same logic; while his dubby, rolling beats are even more submerged, they are also undeniably propulsive and power a darker, dramatic riff that recalls rave luminaries like Cubic 22 and Set Up System. Here's hoping that "South" enjoys the same long shelf life.

Italoboyz - Bla Bla Bla

Italoboyz have a formula. And in music—like math—each time you plug a different number in, you're going to get an entirely different result. Take the two sides of the duo's latest for Mothership: "Bla Bla Bla" takes advantage of the formula, while "Skandito" falls victim. It's a fine line, of course, but in listening to their previous work you can easily hear how it works—and irritates.

Maetrik - Envy

Minimal techno is all about moments. The addition of a bass kick here, a snare tick there and, in Maetrik's case on "Envy," a little bucephalus bouncing ball finding its way down a staircase over and over and over again. Minimal may not be the best word to describe "Envy," as there's a lot going on within its self-contained world. Malformed pieces of static, cavernous kicks and, in between sharp intakes of breath, a voice repeating the title. Like label owner Jeremy P. Caulfield's work, it's exceptionally tight, resolutely mechanical and impeccably arranged.
"Envy"'s effortless groove is paired up with the almost awkward stomp of "Sweet Lovin'." The track is once again full of the same sonic odds and ends of its predecessor, but here they're employed in the service of an unfunky beat. Relief comes in the form of a massive bassline, but despite the lovely hook and ascending synth that sidles up alongside it, it ultimately fails to transcend the lacking rhythm that undergirds it.

Ahmet Sisman - Esraj EP

Sisman's devotion to acoustic instruments and tribal minimal is reminiscent of Vakant, but the Turkish-born producer is much more straight-forward in his sound, preferring overt hooks over ones that you have to dig for. Call it Vakant pop, but there's something to be said for "Saire" or "Loune" where you can actually coming away whistling the tune afterwards. (Good luck with that, though.) The latter is a vinyl exclusive and it's a stunner, with ominous strings playing up against their pizzicato counterparts in its final moments, making the ten minutes it takes to get there well worth the wait.
"Uzak" is the other bomb here, holding two steady vocal samples throughout as the pounding drums and various sound effects play out over top. Like the other three tracks here, it's as much the journey as it is the destination: Sisman like his Vakant peers are crafting worlds in which to live that are as rapidly changing, slightly disorienting and utterly beautiful as our own.

Freund Der Familie - The Sark Remixes

 

After some pressing plant delays, the new Freund der Familie single finally hits the stores in glorious white 10-inch vinyl. If you're lucky enough to get the numbered special edition, that is. But don't let the aesthetics distract you from the quality music inside: Both Sven Weisemann and Marko Fürstenberg apply some serious atmospheric pressure to the dubbed out original with stunning results.

Andre Lodemann – You Never Know EP

 "You Never Know" has more in common with Radio Slave's "Bell Clap Dance" than any fluffy deep house you might hear Charles Webster (remixer of Lodemann's "Searchin'") offering up. And, indeed, if it weren't for the powerful piano chords late in the game, we might have had a dead ringer for "Bell Clap Dance"'s endless build/slightly watery clap template. As it stands, I wouldn't play them back-to-back unless you wanted to make the crowd want to skin you alive (or kiss you all over) for teasing them so horribly.
According to the press sheet, Lodemann says that "Where Are You Now?" mixes well with Ricardo Villalobos' "Uli, Mein Ponyhof" mix of Carl Craig & Moritz von Oswald from late last year. It's unclear at the beginning how Lodemann ever connected the two, but once the simple bass and drum groove is interrupted by seemingly incongruous swarms of bees hidden inside his synths, all is revealed. I'm still not sure if this thing hangs together exactly, but Lodemann's force of will here is much like DJ Koze. You may not believe what is happening when you first hear it, but you also might find yourself too busy picking your jaw up off the floor to care.

Tony Lionni & Radio Slave - Berghain 03 Part I

Lionni's "Found a Place" rubs two loops up against one another for three minutes—one of disembodied vocals, the other a catchy piano. He fades out the piano loop halfway through, brings in another and then loops that for another two minutes while the vocals and a simple house beat pound away unawares. Needless to say, it's brilliant. Radio Slave's "Neverending..." is similarly striking, but focuses its sights on—per usual—the hypnotic power of one loop stretched out into infinity. At nearly 12 minutes, it's almost criminal that this man can hold your attention with a tiny descending bassline and the sound of a steampipe being hit with a velvet hammer. But that's exactly what he does. Two masters of minimalism in one place? Count me in.

Kevin Gorman - Elements Part 1

Released as the first in a series of three concept EPs, Kevin Gorman's Elements Part 1 is practically a call to arms. Comprised of three original tracks alongside all their constituent parts (arranged comprehensively into fourteen tools), it's a bewildering collection of sounds, some interwoven, others bare and isolated. As a reviewer, I'm tempted to narrow my focus simply to three discrete tracks on display, each representing a different shade of deep, club-minded techno somewhere in the vicinity of Audion and Function, the most rewarding of which is the hypnotic, undulating "Cyclic," which seems custom-made for those still going on a Sunday afternoon.

Robert Hood - Shonky In The Hood

The original—released back in 2002 as part of Hood's immense Point Blank LP—is an absolute stunner, and reason enough to pick up this record. A breathless piece of sleek, hydraulic techno, it conjures up utopian images of a mechanised, post-industrial future rid of today's grubby historical small print. Coming out at a relatively dry time for the genre, it reeked of class, and still does.

But what of Shonky's version? Quite frankly, it's a harmless, Ibiza-friendly update; nothing more, nothing less. The aforementioned samples—a glossy vocal and a swooping aircraft, both mildly inane—keep enough with the original to steer clear of trouble, whilst the housified percussion, fit with obligatory congos, lends the track a pleasantly bouncy feel. Drama is provided by a couple of tidy, well-placed drops, and the whole thing sticks together in a satisfyingly restrained fashion. All in all, it's a solid rework that (quite rightly) makes no attempt to supersede its master. For that Shonky deserves credit. As they say: if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Dominik Eulberg - Sensorika

With a joint EP with frequent partner Gabriel Ananda in February and now this latest Traum EP, Sensorika, thankfully Eulberg's returning to his prolific ways. A-side "Aurora" is another of his crafty summons of dawn, a bit of slow-growth house that opens simply enough with dubby bass and pinpoint rhythms before revealing hidden pockets of melody. Eulberg's always made a virtue of patience, often building incrementally for six or seven minutes before unveiling its true center, and "Aurora" is no exception. As its fan-whirr synths and sturdy beat expand, he clears the air suddenly with a beautiful, Cathedral-top synth line and a melody that reminds me, briefly, of the sound UFOs emit in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, left alone in a brief ascent.

The b-side, "Sansula (oder der letzte Grund)" is a bit more utilitarian unfortunately. Atop a porch-front bell pattern and steady 4/4, Eulberg stalls after the first flickers of light. It's a reversal of method for the producer: its focal point emerges early, bound in the tight-wound castanets. For a producer so fingertip savvy in his construction of narrative, the track feels knuckled out, brute-fisted, for its delicacy on the surface, though the throb increases and the volume grows. Still, "Sensorika"'s worth seeking out for "Aurora" alone; few producers are so capable of sudden revelations, of brief glimmers of story and tale and detours concealed in seven thudding minutes of exposition.

Various Artists - Delsin 2.0 Remix EP 1 & 2

There are few labels that manage to maintain high standards for a few years, but in Dutch label Delsin's case, quality has been its byword since 1996. Although inspired by Detroit techno and electro as well as Chicago house, the imprint's strength lies in its roster's ability to reinvent these benchmark sounds. That roster is the other reason: Delsin has never been shy about welcoming new artists to the fold—and this remix project is a case in point. While veteran Dutch producer Steve Rachmad delivers a version of Quince's "For My Mr" that recalls the airy chord melodies of his Sterac project—underpinned by an electro bass and a rolling rhythm—Delsin has recruited new-generation producers Shed, Redshape and Quince for the other interpretations.

Quince's take on Taho's "Energy Field" is a dense dub techno track with the doubled up beats adding to the sense of claustrophobia, while Shed's take on the same track is a linear dubstep/techno shuffler, but Redshape steals the glory. Remixing Newworldaquarium isn't an easy task at the best of times, but the masked man defies expectations: opening to the sound of someone doing a spot of DIY in the background, the happy jazzy chords that follow suggest that Redshape's in a less menacing mood than usual—but then he lets loose one of his droning, grinding basslines and once again plays to the label's strength of mixing the classic and new.

Frozen Border - Frozen Border 01

The trend for techno anonymity continues as a new series, Frozen Border, follows in the footsteps of the Wax, Equalized and Ancient Methods releases. Delivered in a black sleeve—the author has even forgone the ubiquitous hand stamp beloved of Hardwax-affiliated labels—the presentation compels the listener to focus solely on the music. Thankfully, this proves to be an entirely rewarding experience. The A side (or is it the B side?) is based on brutal bass tones underpinning ferocious hi-hats and pounding, grainy beats that are cut in and out of the arrangement to achieve maximum effect. Sounding like a combination of '90s Hood-style repetition with visceral Djax techno, the use of new production technology means that the end result is more polished and playable.

On the other side, the producer delivers another classic techno-inspired track. The ominous, menacing bass and soaring chords come across like Basic Channel jamming with Robert Hood and Claude Young's Missing Channel project. Hopefully though the slower pace, combined with its repetitive nature will endear it to house DJs looking for the ultimate tool.

Peter Van Hoesen - Attribute One

Few upcoming producers have as high a strike rate as Peter Van Hoesen. The Belgian artist's Time 2 Express label might as well come with a "buy on sight" sticker, and his releases for Lan have been of a consistently high standard. What's most impressive about his music is his ability to sound utterly distinctive and forward thinking while using what sounds like just a few elements. Sure, there have been comparisons to the Berghain sound—the residents regularly chart his work and Norman Nodge even delivered a superb remix of Van Hoesen last year—but in understanding and appreciating his work, it would be as instructive to point to Peter's sound design work for theatre and mixed media as well as his deep understanding of techno's past.

Theorising aside, "Attribute One" builds on all of these influences and even makes a nod to the dubstep shuffle. A moody bass that seems to constantly ebb and flow, sometimes more intense, often less so, is joined by skipping percussion and a fragile melody that remains in the background throughout. "Below 30" is straighter and more focused on techno functionality, but here too, Van Hoesen's rumbling bass keeps changing, fluid but always visceral. MLZ provides the remix of "Attribute" and decides to go for the jugular. While it could be argued that it loses some of the original's subtle nuances, the truth is that the spiralling filters, jack-knifing hi-hats and evil acid sequence augment the original production. "Attribute" is more proof that 2009 is Van Hoesen's for the taking.

Mutant Clan - Mutanism

Future Beat Alliance - Dark Passenger

Mark Broom - Deal Or No Deal