Beard Man At Juno Download

Review: Beard Man started life as an outlet for Marc Broom's own releases and as this release under his Lighter Thief moniker demonstrates, the affable producer has been able to attract some of the other key UK techno players to his enterprise. In its original form, "Like Dat" is a rolling club techno groove, featuring soulful vocal samples and jarring riffs. It has an unmistakable old school feeling and recalls loop techno before it veered down a one-note cul de sac. Kirk Degiorgio delivers an awesomely trippy take that recalls the dark bleeps and dense beats of the New Religion label, while Ben Sims drops two peak-time rollers, powered by siren riffs, surging basslines and stomping beats.

Review: If you're looking for serious Mills/Hood-inspired techno, then "Time" is for you. Over chiming bells and a complex metallic rhythm, Lighter Thief allows a deep, dramatic chord sequence to build, climax and then start all over again. Veteran UK producer Paul Mac follows a similar trajectory on his remix, but he also makes reference to a distinctly UK version of techno, as screeching riffs dive-bomb over a rolling, loopy groove. Chris Finke's version also makes a nod to the past, but in this instance it's back to the early 90s rave as euphoric, slightly detuned keys dominate a hissing percussive backing track.

Review: If there was a dedicated techno dictionary, there is no doubt that "Redial" would feature under the entry marked 'big room'. While Broom has made a wide range of electronic music over the years, his focus is now firmly set on putting out peak time tunes for cavernous clubs. The title track is an upfront jacking affair, with reverberating drums underpinning screeching sirens, walls of jarring effects and visceral claps. "Mist" is even more over the top, with a rolling rhythm and filtered metallic riffs leading to an insane crescendo. It may not have the subtlety of his A13 work, but it's certainly effective. Recommended.

Review: Veteran UK producer Mark Broom proves once again that diversity is key to remaining relevant. While most of his peers have faded into obscurity at best, Broom's both versions of "Satellite" sound as fresh as the day that he first started fiddling with a sampler. Combining the old with the new, both versions are underpinned by contemporary-sounding dense beats and snappy percussion, but also feature panning, nagging acid lines that are reminiscent of vintage Plastikman. Broom also makes nods to the recent mnml explosion with hissing percussion descending into bursts of white noise - but he does it with such style that it sounds fresh. Here's to another 20 years.

Review: Broom has making techno for twenty years, but as Silenced shows, he retains the golden touch for dropping killer club tracks. "Silenced 1" features heavy tribal beats and a Hoover bass belching through the speakers, accompanied by a searing acid line. The second instalment is even more visceral; it begins relatively sedately, with deep chords setting an atmospheric tone, but soon enough, ferocious, hissing hats and a churning filter increase the intensity levels. "Part 3" features more of the same bass pressure, this time motoring along to sick acid lines and heavy clicks. Finally, "Part 4" relies on bursts of white noise and a scuffling rhythm to drive home the message.

Review: When he launched his Beard Man label, UK veteran Mark Broom decided to take ownership again of his releases. Now he's steering his music again and this time it's back to the old school. "48" is an inspired combination of modern white noise bursts and tribal drums that lead into a massive filtered breakdown, while "Fever" is reminiscent of the stab-heavy, acid-tinged techno Broom used to deliver with such aplomb for Pure Plastic. Best of all though is the title track: featuring the distorted beats of DJ Rush and Ben Sims' insistent discoy loops, it is both familiar and fresh.

Review: Given that two of UK techno's most experienced techno producers feature on "Night Nurse" you could be forgiven for thinking that it might turn into a lesson in dance floor intensity. However, while "Pigeon" is based on a solidly jacking rhythm augmented by firing hats and insistent, stabbing riffs, that only tells half the story. Midway through, it veers into a Chain Reaction-style chord sequence that subsequently morphs into a dreamy outro. It's the musical elements that Norman Nodge's remix centres on - the stomping backing helps too - while the title track isn't all sturm und drang either, its broken beats providing the basis for chilling strings and mysterious pads.