This week’s biggest release on Juno Download was undoubtedly the return of the mighty Girl Unit to the Night Slugs stable. Interestingly, the grimey element in his earlier output has been replaced by a screamingly loud electro influence, positioned in the kind of snappy funk favoured by EDMX and his Breakin Records posse. From “Ensemble (Club Mix)” to “Plaza”, the sharp edges of the synth work chafe against crisp drum machine workouts, leaving six cold crush bangers in their wake. It’s something of a departure for Girl Unit, but he’s absolutely nailed the target sound with tracks that will absolutely tear up the dance.

It was also a strong week for dark styles, as albums from Claro Intelecto and Shackleton – two of the UK’s most distinctive producers – entered the digital realm. Claro Intelecto’s Reform Club is undeniably one of the year’s best techno long players, and though it would be easy and unforgivably lazy to lump Claro’s work in with the great unwashed of deep/dub techno, Reform Club sparkles and shimmers with epic strings, ghostly reversed chords and dreamy synths, it’s the interplay between the dreamy synths, epic strings, ghostly chords and the producer’s unpredictable rhythmic dalliances that make his third album so rewarding. Shackleton’s latest should need little introduction, and though the digital version doesn’t convey the full brilliance of Zeke Clough’s artistic contribution in the manner the vinyl or CD versions do, it does allow you to focus fully on the music.

Meanwhile Bullion returned with an excellent EP on Deek, exploring a psychedelic, krautrock aesthetic that works with off-key drones and synth touches while the rhythm gets punched out by live drums and guitars. Bullion himself is singing with gusto, creating a sound that seems rooted in the 70s but drives itself ever-forward in a most interesting development for the producer.

Other strong releases came from Jack Dixon on the freshly relaunched R&S offshoot Apollo, a digital release for Theo Parrish’s Rotating Assembly album, and erstwhile Commix producer George Levings’ Nonplus debut as Endian, delivering some loose, dusty techno in the vein of Shed.