Bestsellers This Week

Review: Jon Convex returns to 3024 with a lead track that twists the trend of modern electro smartly with a smooth vocal turn from DBridge. The beat and synths growl and prowl in a thoroughly sinister fashion, keeping things simple and deadly, while the vocal lifts the taut atmosphere without ever cheapening it. "Zero" takes things down a house route with a punchy beat and muted synth deployment, making a functional beast that exists in the same world of urban dread that characterises "Lied To Be Loved". "Stay" is the outsiders choice here with a softer complexion in its 4/4 bone structure and more application of synths to bring a glow to the cheeks.

Review: Ben Sims's label delivers a diverse but hard-hitting three-tracker. The label boss is first up and "Bite This" sees him sever the links with his loopy past. It's still a repetitive track, but as its basis Sims deploys a pulsing electronic groove and firing percussion, while a malevolent riff makes the transition from jarring and abrasive to atmospheric and eerie. Ritzi Lee travels a similar path on "Reverse Processed", where snappy percussion and a nagging bassline underpin metallic stabs and jarring riffs that reach out into the darkness. By contrast, Paul Mac's "Dry Run" is a more soulful experience. Despite the proliferation of spiky, metallic drums, it's the screeching, slightly deranged male vocal that stands out.

Review: The UK techno veteran twists and teases his machines to the point of exhaustion on Air Rage. "Move In Time" is a grimy rhythm that spews forth nightmarish, ghoulish riffs, but then leads into a spacey filter. "The Parade" is of a similar disposition, but it's the grungy beats and glitchy percussion that remain in focus. "Machine Funk" sees Sims deliver a more upfront, slamming approach, its tunnelling, filtered riff swirling above the terse metallic framework, while the title track takes the prize for most intense track. Powered by hissing percussion and propulsive drums, it's the grinding air raid siren that powers in overhead that makes it so memorable.

Review: Hiroaki Iizuka starts this EP with the insane tempos of the title track. Sounding like Woody McBride jacked up on angel dust, Blue Box was probably made on analogue equipment, something that becomes apparent as the unpredictable sequencing gives way to wild acid lines. By contrast, "VC7" very much defines measured, controlled precision; based on broken beats and steely drums, its robotic swing is as impressive as the hard-sequencing unpredictability of Blue Box. However, the most impressive track here is label owner Exium's remix of "VC7". Moving from relentless broken beats into dark, metallic rhythms, its analogue percussive licks mean that the Spanish producer has adeptly united the best of both worlds.

Review: The mighty Kontra has an impeccable catalogue and these remixes of Jonsson & Alter maintain the label's high standards. Swedish duo Minilogue's take on "Kyrka 2" completes their transformation from a melodic minimal act to a fine purveyor of tripped out techno, with swirling chords and trippy builds swathing the lithe accompanying rhythm in a psychedelic glow. Trailed by an acidic arc, it is one of the few techno tracks deserving the title 'epic'. In contrast, the Dorisburg version of "Djup House" is clanging and glitchy, as metal on metal grinds and glistens. Finally, Donato Dozzy takes on "Acapellan"; instead of droning techno, the Italian drops a deep house reshape, fuelled by rasping percussion, heavy beats a warm, sensuous bass and the most seductive 'ooh ooh' vocal since One Dove's Dot Allison strutted her stuff.

Review: Given his history of twisting D&B and dubstep into new shapes, we shouldn't really be surprised by anything Darren 'dBridge' White offers up musically. Even so, the two tracks showcased on this Convex Industries release see him far from his comfort zone. "Passing Encounter" is the real killer, a decidedly fluid offering that sits somewhere between contemporary deep house and two-step garage. Its bittersweet chords and weary female vocals deliver an emotional richness that's hard to ignore. "Scarlett", meanwhile, sees White in techno mode, offering a grungy groove full of clandestine atmospherics and snappy percussion.

Review: Dutch house powerhouse Kraak & Smaak drop a favourite from their recent album "Electric Hustle", which features the rugged-yet-soothing vocals of house legend Romanthony. While their original is a quiet storm of minimal drums and classic house stabs, Roach Motel drop two fleshed-out revisits that lend the tune a building, club-happy vibe. Psychemagik flip the tune too, creating an Italo-leaning beauty with Romanthony's detuned vocals giving it an epic quality.

Review: Attempting a summary of sorts for Illum Sphere's career to date, Fat City have drafted in this raft of remixers to reinterpret the maverick producers output thus far. Kidkanevil turns "Agent White" into a half-step bleepathon which erupts into jungle without so much as a warning. Dabrye brings some crisp, linear funk to "An Old Escape", with a chunky bass line to die for. "Chasing The Midnight Moth" becomes a silken blur of UK Funky-meets-G Funk in Ikonika's hands, while Om Unit creates an atmospheric dread with his version of "Never Lie Twice". Scumbag rounds things off with an organic yet shattered take on "One For Dimlite".

Review: This compilation shows that there is more than a direct link between Detroit's soul past and its house and techno present. In fact, In The Dark suggests that producers like Amp Fiddler and Rick Wilhite offer a continuation of the sound developed by Motown. In Amp Fiddler's case this is audible on his reshape of Courtney Jackson's "Every Body". There, a rippling double bass and gloriously spacey synths provide the backing for her soulful tones. Wilhite meanwhile, contributes two tracks - the first is the playful seduction of "City Bar Reopen Live Dancing", while "Cosmic Jungle", a collaboration with Sherard Ingram's Urban Tribe project, sees lush strings unfolding over an eerie, brooding bassline.

Review: Fast on the rise and seemingly everywhere at the moment, Trevino shifts from the snappy electro of his [NakedLunch] release to two crisp and punchy analogue house cuts that sport the same tendency for strong atmospheres and subtly modulating synths. As with the last release though, it's the clarity of the beats that make the tunes, particularly on "Backtracking". Up next, "Juan Two Five" is no less stark in its lavish production, as a sticky pad washes around the rigid jack and deadly bassline. The old skool house march goes on, and the ideas still keep on coming for fresh ways to interpret a classic sound.

Review: After his sterling turn on Untold's Hemlock label last year, Guy Andrews follows many of his peers in graduating to the dizzy heights of Hotflush with this new EP. "The Wait" is a taut stomper, featuring more of those dense rhythms that got people taking notice in the beginning, while measured dub techno chords pace underneath. It's a moody track throughout, but immaculately produced so that every nuance of percussion shines through. "Hands In Mine" opts for a more broken beat, with some gnarly stabs of melody and a steady pad underneath the myriad elements.

Review: Labour Division takes inspiration from industrial culture is evident in both its title - surely a contender for a great, missing Swans LP? - and on detached, fuzzy synth tracks like "Ident" and the menacing tones of "TTH", or the eerie textures and understated percussive hiss of the Regis-in-experimental-mode that is "Metal Image". But what is more interesting about this album is not its re-activation and presentation of existing narratives as they were, but its wholesale attempt to redefine their own vision for techno. It's a mightily ambitious objective and whether intentional or not, Walker and Matthews achieve this in places. "Mandate" is a relatively standard broken beat track, but is delivered with a rubbery bass and layers of grungy upbuilds, the sonic equivalent of a sack of soot and grime emptied over a glass table. Of more importance however is the fact that Labour Division proves that Forward Strategy Group don't preach sonic austerity because they have nothing else to say. "Nihil Novi" is a stripped back, crackling metallic groove combining the accessibility of Factory Floor with Ben Klock's rhythmic dexterity, "TTH" fuses the atmospheric textures that were audible on "Metal Image" with lithe back beats and "Cultivar", though set against a darker sonic backdrop, relies on similarly agile rhythms. At a time when all around them are marching to the death paced drums of Gothno, Labour Division sees FSG tease new ghosts and fresh horrors from their machines - as the eerie soundscapes and clinking chains on the supernatural "Fading Centres" so ably demonstrates.

Review: There is no room for ambiguity on this release, with Dead Sound targeting the peak-time dance floor. "It's Over" sets the tone for most of the EP, with crunchy beats underpinning a rolling rhythm with a tracky flavour. "Split Blood" is more uptempo, with Dead Sound's heavy drums riding a rolling, filtered groove and "Looking at You" features climaxes to the sound of screeching, coruscating riffs, smart filtered drops and bizarrely, a sample of someone coughing - all set to a rolling backing. Bas Mooy's remixes introduce some variety to the release: the first version is a mid-tempo industrial groove, while the second take is more club-friendly, albeit against the backdrop of a chugging groove and static percussive hisses.

Review: Steadily working his way up with a sumptuous deep house sound, Monty Luke, Carl Craig's right-hand man at Planet E, appears on his own fledgling imprint with some surefire party rockers. "Yesterday & Today" ticks away in all the right places, using an urgent vocal to create tension while the same relentless bassline keeps hammering away at your dancing organs. "Tomorrow" is a stranger affair, taking an unconventional approach to beat-mapping which calls to mind the earliest drum machine workouts of the early Detroit forefathers. With pads to match, it's clearly a nod from Monty to those that came before him and he makes it work a treat.

Review: The third release on Komisch sees the mysterious producer deliver his trademark warehouse techno sound, but with a twist. Lead track "The Escape" reveals a more musical side to SP-X than usual, with eerie riffs and robotic bleeps creeping in over his razor sharp percussion and thumping drums. SP-X also makes reference to musical elements on the title track, with an epic chord sequence building over a slamming, piledriving rhythm and in the background an eerie synth lingers. However, any such concessions disappears promptly on "Attack Pattern': as his relentless drums build and build, he lets loose with a gurgling acid line that brings to a head SP-X's most merciless track so far.

Review: This London-based Italian producer has just a handful of releases to his credit, but has already developed an ability to creatively fuse existing sounds and styles. The title track is a good example: rich, warm chords surge and flow over a stripped back, razor-sharp minimal rhythm, equal parts inspired by Rob Hood and Basic Channel. On "Armadura", de Angelis teases out dubby techno over scuffled, juddering beats that are coated in spine-tingling acid lines. Gynoid has also chosen the remixers wisely: Advanced Human lends his breezeblock beats and metallic percussion to his version of the title track, while Mattias Fridell pushes "Armadura" into a tunnelling groove.

Review: Carl Craig slips into a new guise, Carls Davis, to deliver a release that's radically different to his big-room sound. Delivered in six instalments, "Sketches" harks back to the era of Landcruising and beyond. The first track in the series sees broken drums and eerie synths lead into a dramatic build, while the second one sees Craig revisit Detroit's electro past to the sound of shuffling 808s and surging, acid-flecked basslines. Craig goes off on a further tangent on "Part 3", where wild guitar solos unravel over a menacing 303, while "Part 5" is inspired by Chicago, deploying kettle drums over a menacing ghetto rhythm.

Review: It's hard to believe that Sweden's Drumcode has been going since 1996, but Adam Beyer's imprint celebrates its fifteenth birthday this year, and as part of the celebrations the label have released this essential 28-track compilation. Instead of looking to the past, as is usually customary with this kind of collection, 15 Years of Drumcode focuses on the newest work of the label's current roster alongside new material from some well known names from the label's past and special contributions from some bonafide techno legends. Highlights come in the form of Slam's powerhouse "Temperance", and the percolating, acid tinged textures of Jesper Dahlback's "No Control", the pulsating robo-techno of Patrick Seich's "Structure", and the dubby atmospherics of Mauro Picotto & Riccardo Ferri's "Asteroids".

Review: Soul:R boss and all round drum and bass legend Marcus Intalex becomes the latest producer to test out new musical waters for the consistently excellent [Naked Lunch] imprint. The Trevino moniker has been used previously by Kaye on a split release with Instra:mental for Martyn's 3024 label, but the two tracks on this purple ten inch are much more in line with Al Bleeky's material for [Naked Lunch] adopting a rhythmic poise and sound palette that leans heavily on the mid 90s bass heavy techno sound of LFO. "Buried" is the deeper of the two, building nicely from sparse percussive beginnings into a fully formed procession of warm, kaleidoscopic chords and bubbling analogue undercurrents. Those craving something darker will revel in the heady jacking brilliance of "Derelict" which betrays his D&B history via the deviant bassline twist.

Review: Despite a long and fruitful career, there's been little for fans of Justin Robertson to get excited about lately. It turns out that this is down to the time he's been spending in the studio, adding finishing touches to the debut EP from his new alias, Deadstock 33s. Stranger is an excellent EP, featuring tracks that mine many of Robertson's influences. There's the warped, acid-laden vintage techno pomp of "Stranger" - all analogue drums, weird noises and original Bugged Out strut - and "The Sound Face & Mind", a curious but rather brilliant fusion of '80s electro rhythms and cascading synths. For the most part the remixes are great, too, with Eskimo Twins 303-attack and Daniel Avery's deep electro standing out.

Review: It would be easy and unforgivably lazy to lump Claro's work in with the great unwashed of deep/dub techno. While Reform Club does sparkle and shimmer with epic strings, ghostly reversed chords and dreamy synths, it's the interplay between these elements and Stewart's unpredictable rhythmic dalliances that make his third album so rewarding. "Reformed" is a case in point: glassy percussion and sensuous string passages suggest an adept take on classic Detroit techno, but the underlying, resonating bass depicts an artist highlighting flaws and imperfections. In a similar vein is "It's Getting Late", where evocative chords unfold over a quirky bassline and the raw, Aardvarck-esque beats and breathy melodies of "Scriptease". But it's the tracks where Stewart appears to be sharing his own personal experiences that have the greatest impact. The atmospheric, chiming synths of "Still Here" has the same underlying sadness that Stewart articulated so beautifully on Metanarrative and the whistling sounds and serene ambience of "Quiet Life" elevate Stewart to the same level as great musical storytellers like Mark Hollis and Ian Curtis. The fact that be can bare his soul and document deeply personal topics without resorting to words makes his voice all the more powerful.

Review: Totem is proof that Adam X's A&R skills are as sharp as ever. Diagenetic Origin come from Sweden, home to Adam Beyer and Joel Mull, and at times, this release sounds inspired by those 90s producers. The title track, with its driving, rolling rhythm and bombastic drums, could be a tribute to old Drumcode releases, while "Blossom" provides an update on that approach, with its snapping percussion and jarring, industrial beats. But the EP is well-rounded and "Sacred" sees Diagenetic Origin veer into broken beat territory, with eerie soundscapes unfolding over fractured rhythms. Meanwhile, "Landet" sees a lowering of the tempo but no sacrifice in intensity, with concrete beats and whiplash percussion prevailing.