Cocoon Germany At Juno Download

Review: Working with regular collaborator Lopazz, DJ and label boss Alex Flatner dropped "Make Your Mind Up" last year. Following on from that are four new remixes from some of the biggest names in tech house

Dave Ellesmere for example turns in a beauty, as does Swedish producer Jesper Dahlback, who leans toward more of a straight up Techno slant on this mix. German veteran Sebbo and Dennis Goekdag also have fun with the track, creating a Minimal backing that moves the original on in strides. The legend that is Steve Lawler as expected turns in something pretty dazzling, showing why he's still got one of the strongest reputations in dance music. There's not much to choose from in terms of the quality of these mixes - they're all worth hearing and all worth playing.

Review: On "Voyage", Berghain resident Andre Galluzzi and upcoming producer Dana Ruh bridge the gap between Berlin's past and present sounds. Featuring hissing percussion, an infectious rhythm and trippy tones popping in and out of the arrangement, on first listen, "Voyage" sounds like it is the sole product of the German city's house music boom. However, Galluzzi knows his history and the chiming chords are the byproduct of years listening (and playing) Basic Channel. There is no reference to Maurizio's catalogue on Agent, Vito and Danito's "Dopeman", but the tracky, percussive rhythm is shot through with acidic tweaks and sax riffs that call to mind Chicago and New York house.

Review: Those who may have been surprised at the appearance of Boys Noize on Cocoon last year were probably more surprised by the sound of that single, "Adonis" - swapping his trademark abrasion for a more delicate, hypnotic sound accented by rising synths. This remix EP continues with the surprises, as the master of mid-tempo grooves, Mark E is drafted in for two reworks of the track. His first remix creates a fractured take on the original, as warped synths fight through waves of compressed fuzz, whilst his "Acid Dub" is a darker 303 led take on the track. Djedotronic opts to subtly tweak the original and make a sustained buildup the focal point of the track, while Terence Fixmer creates a big room monster, isolating the vocal sample and adding seismic bass. Finally Patrick Kunkel turns in a chunky rework built around slamming kicks and razor sharp cymbals.

Review: Christian Burkhardt is perceived as belonging to the new wave of European house producers, but this release on Sven Vath's label shows that he isn't content to copy well-worn narratives. "Heart & Mind" is the most conventional track, but even here the beats are stomping and the accompanying vocal, 'once you open your heart, you forget everything', provides an unusual mixture of the grainy and the ethereal. On the subject of weirdness, the aptly named "Waffles" fuses heavy, steely drums with stoner vocal samples, but it can't compare to "22nd Century Drama". There, a time-stretched garage bass and fractured drums provide the backdrop for detuned synths and what could be a Chaka Khan sample lurking in the background.

Review: Confidence demonstrates that anyone who assumed that Daniel Stefanik is just about stripped back techno is mistaken. From the rolling disco house of "Rush" to the gloriously delicate melodies of "Keep On", this is a diverse, self-assured work. Stefanik's ability to create beautiful, catchy tracks is also evident on "Light On", where atmospheric, angelic hooks unfold over doubled up beats, and with "Dazed & Confused", where a soaring bass underpins his warm synth sounds. That's not suggest that Stefanik has forgone his love of clubby grooves and the German producer delivers the killer dum-heavy "Distillery" track and the atonal bleeps and hard funk of "Basement Vault".

Review: Of all the minimal producers who emerged from Germany during the middle of the last decade, Daniel Stefanik is the one most likely to break through to mainstream dance music. The reason for this lies in Stefanik's ability to translate his experimental touch to conventional structures. On "The Harlequin in Me", this is audible, as a dense percussive arrangement and spacey synths suddenly explode into a big room techno groove. "Silicon Garden" is more understated, its Middle Eastern samples contained by a dubby bass, but he shows his crossover appeal again on "Dirty Rhodes". Tougher and more driving, its combination of grainy bassline with thundering claps and intense Rhodes chords will rock any room it's dropped in.

Review: DJ D'Jedi, AKA Antoine Husson releases his second EP on Cocoon with three tracks of techno madness that bring the energy of early 90s rave to a more modern sound. "My Inner Colours" EP is an assault on the eardrums, designed to turn the clubs into a frenzied battlefields.

Following on from last year's debut for Cocoon, "The Devil's Star" EP, the Parisian producer keeps the tempo up and the beat pounding on his latest techno workout. Opening with "Crazy Purple," Electric Rescue demonstrates how quickly he can create a storm on the sound system. After an unassuming start, some steadily building and unforgettably crazy noise modulation begins to pierce through the beat and send the track into overdrive. Anything but unassuming by half way through, this is an electro tinged, techno monster that has the potential to make any club explode. "Bleu Electrique" is next up, serving as a bridge between Chicago-esque phuture sounds and the acid trance of twenty years ago. Although slightly more reserved than its predecessor, it still flexes the driving techno muscles of the entire EP. The Frenchmen returns to club madness for the finale, "Acid Rosso" Peppered with sounds of the acid era, the track is built on the foundation of a thunderously slo-mo basskick that fuels its mighty power.

Once more, Electric Rescue has been able to get the combination of modern rhythmic textures and noisy rave sirens of the 90s onto record. Whilst drawing on the sounds of modern techno he has also managed to keep a distinct acid flavour, bringing a welcomed slab of rave culture to today's techno scene.

Review: Extrawelt rose to prominence during the Kompakt trance boom, but to expect their latest album to merely contain storming, melodic club tunes would do the German duo a disservice. Naturally, there are moments on In Aufruhr where melodic techno reigns, like the epic hooks and fragile rhythms of "Schlusslicht" or the meaner, woozy synths of "Division Dunkel". But of greater interest are the contributions where Extrawelt push the sonic envelope further. "Herz Aus Blech", with its mixture of buzz-saw bass and subtle ivory tinkling, is one such example, while "Die Welt Ist Nicht Genug" and "Dumb Age" see them diversify into stepping, dubby rhythms with resonating sub-bass and shanty effects to the fore.

Review: Has melodic German techno found an unlikely new creative muse - Detroit electro? On Raum, the latest release by Extrawelt, aka Arne Schaffhausen and Wayan Raabe, this would appear to be the case. While the title track features a rolling, warbling bass and the tantalising melodies that veer from the dark into the dreamy, there is a different dynamic at play on "Herz Aus Blech". There, shuffling 808s and gurgling acid basslines provide the basis for the duo's crystalline melodies to soar and shine. There's a similar approach on "Zeitfuge", where a stripped back rhythm track supports a bouncy electro bassline. Nano Boogie's abstract take on "Zeitfuge" completes this unpredictable release.