Back Catalogue

Review: The nature-loving German producer delivers one of his most diverse releases yet. "Die Blaue Sekunde" is the most typical Eulberg track on offer here, with glitchy percussion fused with a melancholic bassline and ponderous synths to create a trancey sound that is as colourful as a walk in Bavaria during late autumn. The title track also features glitchy percussion, but on this occasion, it underscores a low-slung rhythm, and huge blasts of psychedelic synths emerging from the tangled rhythmic wreckage. Offenbach also reveals Eulberg's more mellow side, and both "Mikrorogasem im Morgentau" and "Als Er Den Gleissenden Rand Seines Schattens" are gloriously mellow pieces, fashioned using neo-classical piano lines and laid back, wooden beats.

Review: London based DJ and producer Earl Grey has tried his hand at numerous styles over the years, most notably house, techno and electronica, without finding his true calling. Here, he may have found his sound. Not Everyone's Cup of Tea is built around the sort of sharp, alien synths most frequently found in synthwave and leftfield electro-pop productions. Throughout, there are used to good effect on tracks that veer from ice-cold, slo-mo synthwave (see the delightful, vocoder-clad "Through The City") and drifting atmospherics ("Jus Clap"), to stylish nu-disco ("Pong") and skewed synth-funk (the mascara-boasting "Regent's Park"). Impressive stuff, all told.

Review: The German label has always had a reputation for signing promising new acts, and the fact that they've snapped up Ross proves that they still have that golden knack. The title track is a rolling club groove, featuring hissing, skittish rhythms, reverberating filters and most crucially, a soaring bassline. Less euphoric than Booka Shade or MANDY, it will nonetheless send tingles down spines and re-instates GP's love of powerful low ends. "Witchcaft" is less immediate, and its rolling, rattling rhythm houses more subtleties, like infectious filtered vocals, but once again, it's the soaring, insistent bassline that moves through the arrangement which really impresses.

Review: Texan EDM popsters Eleven:Eleven open up their steaming sweat-session "Electric Sex" to all manner of reversions, each of them with heaps of dancefloor appeal. Both Paulo Trip and Audio Art opt for soften, sensuous tech a la early Get Physical. MooZ (IT), meanwhile, heads for an angular sun-kissed sugar-sweet vibe. Elsewhere we find Fabry Carrasco getting all deep and shufflesome, Lucas Keiszer dropping the tempo for a deep hypnosis experience and Renato Trevizan serving up a funky-yet-trippy number. Electrifying and sexy - what more do you need?

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: Edu Imberon dips his toes into the waters of pop music on "Inside". The bassline is lazy but somewhat malevolent and is supported by thundering claps and a sweeping synth that divebombs in over the arrangement like a hungry flock of seagulls. Yet despite this resolutely underground backing, Imbernon makes space for Triumph's breathy, androgynous vocals and a trippy synth that oozes melodies. The remixes push "Inside" to a poppy place; Kellerkind's version contains a fluid electro bassline and some spacey synths, with the vocal turned into an effortlessly narcotic experience, while the Niko Schwind version has a distinctly 80s flavour thanks to its 808 drums and new romantic synths.

Review: Wily party promoters Electric Minds have secured the services of another talented new producer. There's no information about who Endian is, but this release is up there with the finest deep techno and house productions. The title track centres on a throbbing, raw bassline that reflects a series of shimmering synth lines - and sounds like Efdemin jamming with Omar S. "Doze" opts for a different tact, but is just as good. Built on a techno-cenric rhythm and hissing, nagging percussion, billowing chords unfold over tumbling dubby drums, and in the process makes the majority of so-called deep techno producers sound redundant.

Review: Dial Records are really on a roll these days. After recently releasing a beautiful album by Pawel and their remarkable 10 year anniversary compilation, they come back at us with the long awaited second album from Efdemin, Chicago. Berlin-based Efdemin (aka Phillip Sollmann) has been associated with the Hamburg-founded label since its inception a decade ago. His self-titled debut in 2007 was a stunning affair that resonated deeply with both the house and techno communities. After three years and several singles in between, Efdemin has finally graced us once again with nine new soul-striking tracks that combine the beauty and deepness we have come to associate with his productions. "Cowbell" starts things off with a vocal snippet, warbled organs and slow drum rolls as a prelude to "Shoeshine" which kicks things into higher gear with its tough drums and precise high-hats. All tracks seamlessly flow into each other, a concept many artists tend to overlook when making a full length album. This overall sense of flow makes it pleasure to listen to uninterrupted. Instead of finely balancing the line between house and techno, Chicago has more of a jazz-induced feeling to it- which is not to say that it's light or too refined, but rather more intriguing and textured than your standard fare of straight up deep house or deep techno. Oh, and there's even a Homer Simpson sample hidden in there.

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.