Octave One
‘Revisited Series 5’
(430 WEST)
A killer of a package from well known label 430 West. This time we get two remixes from Luke Slater and one from Japanese sensation Ken Ishi. All three tracks are knock-out but it’s the Luke Slater remix of ‘Greater Good’ that truly shines. A memorable bassline gives way to side chained white noise – but not in the typical in-your-face way. The key about Slaters productions is always subtley – where sounds come in and vanish without you consciously noticing. The pad is the first break is stunning and the drive here is electric. 9/10
Alexey Volkov
‘Dust EP’
(PLANETE ROUGE)
If the artists Pfirter, Adam X or Cio d’or mean anything to you then you need to get your grubby little mits on this EP. Industrial-inspired deep techno with a plethora of metallic clonks and clanks that poke through the mix and endeavor to dig up your back garden. Abrasive textures and tones fly at you from all angles, meaning you better come prepared with a hard hat if you’re going to survive this one. All-in-all a great package from little known Alexey Volkov. 9/10
Christian Wunsch
Magnetic Changes
(POLEGROUP)
Christian Wunsch is a veteran when it comes to techno and this EP shows us his uncanny ability to reshape himself and his sound at every turn. ‘Planetary Alignment’ is a heavy, unstructured clash of dings and dongs with a perfectly placed open hi-hat that carries this track to a thrilling conclusion. ‘Seismic Waves’ is more of the same but the final ‘Pole Shifting’ track is worthy of note, especially for its diverse beauty and pad-textures. 8/10
Secluded
Hidden EP
(SLEAZE)
Anything with a ‘Shifted’ remix on it immediately gets my attention. Of course Shifted’s remix is great here – the ride cymbal is such a perfect addition to the mix! However, it’s the first track ‘Hidden’ by Secluded himself that scoops the top prize with a kick drum that sounds like you’re bashing the side of a bath with a rubber mallet. There’s a lot to this mix – a deep drone gives way to an in-ya-face Basic Channel dub-style sound, culminating in another ride cymbal for maximum power. 8/10
Voidness
Borealis
(ORIGAMI SOUND)
Opening with a rather cheesy sounding vocal intro, you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you let this one run its course. Intended for late-night behind-closed-doors play, this is after hour’s electronica that fits perfectly on your iPod after a night of heavy techno darkness. There’s a clever thoughtfulness that has gone into all the tracks here – a total of (wait for it…) nineteen! You’ll be hard pressed to single out the best ones, as the album gels together like chicken and soup (that is, providing you like chicken soup at 6am in the morning!). Radiant music with a beautiful message – just avoid track one! 9/10
Cari Lekebusch
You Are A Hybrid Too
(HYBRID)
If you’re not aware of the techno master that is Cari Lekebusch, you really need to be. One of if not THE founding father of the Swedish techno sound in the 90’s, this is a man whose discography is probably longer than the dictionary itself. This album on his own Hybrid imprint – which he has been working on since 2010 – is the perfect introduction to his wizardry – a full 14 tracks of sound that take more twists and turns than a demented caterpillar in a washing machine. It’s all peak-time techno action and if you can’t find something in here for your Saturday night record-box then you really shouldn’t be reading these pages. Truly inspiring techno. 9/10
