DJs: Most Charted - Techno - October 2011

Review: Delsin drop an illuminating hint at what to expect from Conforce's forthcoming album, with the Dutchman handpicking a quartet of tracks from it for this Dystopian Elements EP. Don't be put off by the title though as the trademark analogue warmth is present here at times, with "Luminous" setting the tone, icily emerging from the ether and spreading deep sythns across heavily atmospheric textures and a restrained groove. A fractured, murky contrast is provided on the most beatless stutter of "Desolate Ground" with abstract textures morphing with downtrodden robotic ambience. On the flip, Boris indulges in some spectral acid manoeuvres on "Lonely Run" with the rumbling lysergic bass line dominating amidst rasping percussion and haunting waves of sound. "Vacuum" ends this excellent release in sprawling style, steadily growing from the ethereal fuzz into a rattling techno thrust.

Review: The mystery that surrounds Shifted, erm, shifts up a gear with the introduction of another alias in the form of Pacific Blue, with a debut release on the imprint of the same name offering up two clacking wall shaking excursions. The A Side is reminiscent in its bucking rhythmic intent to the recent and vastly under rated "Piper" from Sir Shake Shakir, though proceedings here are on a much more heads down vibe. The cavernous chord stabs accrue devilish intent as the track progresses whilst layer upon layer of pounding drums are intricately melded with rasping 808s. On the flip, Part 2 operates on a more guttural level, implementing similar bucking drums and chord splurges but on a downward trajectory. Pressed on clear blue vinyl and accompanied by a screen printed insert, this comes highly recommended.

Review: The second Shangaan Electro/BBC remix package from Honest Jon's to arrive this week (the first featured Anthony Shake Shakir and Oni Ayhun - chec it) boasts two remixes from Mark Ernestus, the Basic Channel man with a long running affiliation to the West London label. Indeed it was Ernestus who curated the Shangaan Electro compilation for the imprint last year along with HJ's own Mark Ainley. Here he is employed to remix South African outfit BBC, with two wonderfully sparse, stripped back techno versions that bounce around your headphones in a hypnotising manner befitting of one of electronic music's most revered producers.

Review: Anthony Shake Shakir and Oni Ayhun serve up two superb remixes of tracks from Honest Jon's 2010 Shangaan Electro compilation that showcased the more frenetic sounds of South African dance music. You probably won't be surprised to learn that both remixes are splendid, although Shakir's reimagination of BBC probably just shades it - a beefy, positively booming bass drum bristles beneath traditional percussive elements and lazer beam synth stabs. On the flip the enigmatic producer Oni Ayhun adopts a broken drum pattern, with all manner of curious sonic elements warped and twisted in the Swede's idiosyncratic style. Stunning stuff all round.

Review: Metrolux Music boss Kosta Athanassiadis, aka XDB, joins perennially underrated Danish imprint Echocord for the first time with the deep and dub tinged Apari EP. Collecting new elements as its title track speeds along, "Azari" sheds its seemingly simple beginning as it gathers reverbed synths and filtered bleeps for a trippy and captivating techno journey. Sven Weisemann takes up remix duty with his "Systolic" mix that has simply stolen our hearts here at Juno. Tense and mysterious, Sven's mix strips and re-builds with slow hazy drums, dripping samples and a gorgeously dark atmosphere. Lastly, "Black Pin" follows a heavy electronic path with swelling synths and an evolving percussion section. Essential.

Review: Skudge return with the latest installment of their remix series, in which Berlin's Substance (aka Peter Kuschnereit) is paired up with Bristol's finest, Appleblim & October. Substance's remix of "Overture" takes the hypnotic quality of the endlessly looping original and runs with it, adding some high frequency stabs that cut through the mix. On the flipside October & Appleblim bring some Bristol influence to Skudge's much straighter approach. Isolating the ghostly 808 cowbell of the original and adding some welcome percussive swagger, it nevertheless maintains the straight groove of their recent collaboration on Schmorgasbord, complete with liquid synths which create an interesting contrast to Skudge's warehouse sound.

Review: British techno icon Karl O'Connor returns with In A Syrian Tongue - his first solo EP under the Regis moniker in 10 years - via London-based imprint Blackest Ever Black. Following the recent The Sorrow Of Two Blooms EP from Tropic Of Cancer (aka Camella Lobo and Juan Mendez), the fourth release from BEB again delves into the rich vein of talent contained within the Sandwell District collective. In A Syrian Tongue features two solo tracks, namely "Blood Witness" and "Blinding Horses", and a third, live edit of "Blood Witness" produced in collaboration with Mick Harris (aka Scorn). "Blood Witness" is sprawled across the A-Side, all splintered, frenetic break beats and sinister drones. The result is a throbbing, tense slab of abrasive, yet utterly hypnotic music. Flipping over, the MJ Harris/Karl O'Connor live version once again pounds the pavement with rugged broken beats, as groaning electronics twist and bend like creaking metal, before the hypnotic sway of "Blinding Horses" rounds off an essential 12" - those who get in quick can pick up the printed sleeve version, too.

Review: Big return to the Clone Basement fold for Mike Dehnert - with four tracks that continue to play with preconceptions in a fashion similar to his recent Bricolage EP on Fachwerk. "Plonger" commences this release in gritty experimental fashion, with Dehnert disregarding traditional kick drum rhythms in favour of a sloping, fractured procession of alien machine funk textures and intermittent percussive elements and gargled vocal scratches all aligned to a gloopy syncopation. "Oblique" is just as impressive, gradually building from a low reaching dirt encrusted rolling groove of odd percussive clicks and forceful bass fuzz. The incongruous introduction of hushed vocal harmonies and chords tinged with colourful lightness bring a sense of conflict to a mostly dark track. "Sonderbar" sees Dehnert cram all manner of strangely beguiling percussive rhythms together, with nervous sounding (and unnerving) effects jaggedly reverberating in between. "Briser" brings some respite for those seeking the more traditional techno thump, though the hissing, stripped down rhythms are constantly surrounded by an escalating sense of machine built paranoia.

Review: Kiko has been ruling the underground French scene for some years, his influential sound going as far back as electro-clash in the nineties and through just about every facet of electronic music since. The Panasonic EP, out on his own imprint Signature by Kiko, features three pieces that showcase his unique and experimental sound. Kicking off with the title track, Kiko guides us through dark, eerie sound tunnels and into corners of inescapable rhythm and swing. On the flip, "Glowing In The Sky", has an all together different vibe; simple, straight forward techno. Last up is "Together"; minimalist in its detail, house driven in its groove and tech strong in its looped stomp - impressive stuff as always!

Review: North West techno talent John Heckle offers an intriguing insight into the direction of his forthcoming long player for the Mathematics imprint with this rather good, and at times mental, full debut for the Tabernacle imprint. Heckle was involved in the inaugural release from Tabernacle last autumn, and since then his stock has risen thanks to a selection of raw wall rattlers for Jamal Moss' label. The four tracks here continue to demonstrate Heckle's mastery of drum machines and synthesisers to create a slant on techno that is infused with roughness and ear shattering potency. "R136" messes with your senses from the off, somehow managing to dice up vocal loops and loose drums in a drunken fashion yet retain rhythmic urgency, whilst drowning the expanses in wide washes of Motor City emotion. In contrast "My Only Hope" exposes Heckle's more experimental side, with heavy reliance on freeform synths muddily spraying around the dirt encrusted drum patterns. The title track withholds the aforementioned mental streak, with an army of percussion, jagged arpeggios and concrete bass quite battering your senses into submission.