Bestsellers This Week

Review: The incognito A Sagittariun returns for their third outing on Elastic Dreams, and it's the best EP from the producer yet. "Wind Tunnel" is a hypnotic cut, as sizzling leads rise and intersect from the murky ether, while "Cyrannus 247" takes a good three minutes to get started, throwing organic percussion over a slick arpeggio, before morphing into something much deeper. "West Of Ophiuchus" and "Somewhere In Montpelier" both see the producer deliver their own warm take on early Detroit techno, as sci-fi pads go against loose, punchy drums.

Review: Len Faki is no stranger to Ostgut Ton having mixed the label's third and possibly hardest sounding Berghain CD back in 2009. Whilst the Berlin fixture has remained resolutely busy since then, Faki has remained absent from the OSTGUT catalogue numbers. Basement Trax Vol 1 signals Faki's return to Ostgut colours in impressive and diverse fashion. Lead track "Btx1" is dominated by the heavily processed treatment of some orgasmic sounding female vocals submerged deep in the mix and smeared greedily across the channels chased by whipcracking percussion. The flipside accompaniment "Btx2" is a tougher version with the tribalistic percussion gradually consumed by the vastness of Faki's string arrangements, while the final version "Btx3" sees Faki present a swirling mass of ambient calm. How good would it be to hear this at 2pm on a Sunday in Berghain?

Review: Machinedrum, Blawan, the collaborative Third Side project and new name Kobosil remix tracks from Barker & Baumecker's brilliant debut LP Transsektoral. Up first is Machinedrum, who replaces the broken beats of "No Body" with a bassy four-to-the- floor hum-drum, starry synths and a compatible resonance that successfully maintains Barker & Baumecker's previous garage vibe, and upstart Kobosil removes any melodious element from the original "Silo" and reworks the drums suitably for peak time Berghain action. Blawan's re-command of "Crows" sees ritualistic drums swagger clumsily in and out of time to orc war-horns that sound like they're rung in the midst of battle, while Third Side then turns "Schlang Bang" inside out by buckling down on a single looped-up sample. Sometimes remix additions can be a little underwhelming, this ain't one of them.

Review: As the disco dust settles from his album last year, veteran electro peddler Zombie Nation serves up a whole wealth of LP remixes. Can they match his trademark surprise-laden motifs? Of course they can. And they do it with a distinctive techno snarl. JoeFarr gives "Sweepy" a big Detroitian loop-massage, Zoo Brazil highlight the undiluted hypnosis of "Suede" and Popof morphs "Momplays" into a rolling tech-tease that's not dissimilar to the sound of early Gigolo. Elsewhere Modek and TWR72 remix "Pony" with sprightly breakbeats and clangy loops respectively while J Tijn takes "Meathead" to the planet of timeless techno.

Review: Since arriving just a few short years ago, Scottish outfit Clouds have quickly risen to the top of many a big DJ's chart, and have garnered much praise while doing so. Once again released through Tiga's esteemed Turbo Records, their latest release seems to mirror the label's recent moves into deep techno. Title track "Consciousness" is a relentlessly linear slice of percussive-led techno that harks back to the big rooms of the 90s. Ireland's Sunil Sharpe delivers a pounding, warehouse-friendly remix that goes to town on the old 303 to great effect and London hot-shot Randomer turns the tune into a blisteringly raw, breaks influenced banger. Finally, "Sonic Swamp", changes the tone slightly, opting for a cool hip-house vocal atop sparse beats.

Review: Collecting together some of the enormous remixes to have sprung from Tiga and Zombie Nations' ZZT project over the years, this new Turbo collection is simply faultless and a must-have for fans of the most fearless electro-tech of the last five years. From Julio Bashmore's tranquil take on "ZZafrika" to Justice's disco-destroying remake of "Lower State of Consciousness", via contributions from Proxy, Erol Alkan, Gesaffelstein, Duke Dumont and Clouds, this is a simply indispensable revisit through some hands-down classics.

Review: The first of two samplers heralding the forthcoming Nonplus label compilation Think and Change arrives bearing two heavy hitting tracks not to be found on the compilation proper. First up, Boddika & Joy Orbison's Sunklo hit "Mercy" gets the VIP treatment from Boddika; the result is a peak time tool which strips the original down to its barest components but still maintains the juggernaut-like quality of the original. It's joined by a fresh Kassem Mosse track in the form of "Broken Patterns", a typically tough production from the Bosse which combines and endlessly stomping 4/4 rhythm with cascading string plucks and rattling synth textures.

Review: Baby Ford's long running Trelik label enjoyed a more prolific year in 2011 than at any time in the past decade, and Whalesong is a fitting end to a glorious 12 months. If you've been following Och's releases, then you'll know what to expect here. The title track sees the mysterious producer drop dubbier, full blooded beats and billowing chords over a surging groove, while the use of shuffling drums and a stuttering vocal lend the track a memorable signature. "Blind Is The Wind" is an unusual ambient affair thanks to the inclusion of a confused vocal, but Och returns to his natural habitat on "Last Chance Saloon", which features more of the same pumping beats and dreamy chord sequences.

Review: While the physical version of this valuable Carl Craig reissue contains timeless tracks like the dense house grooves of "Chicken Noodle Soup", the sensuous deep techno of "Elements" and "From Beyond" - one of the most irresistibly gloomy Carl Craig compositions - the digital version offers even more. There's "Please Stand By", where rough and raw breakbeats are teased out - like hardcore on a handful of downers - and the super deep and reflective "It's A Shame" and "How The West Was Won". Finally, the aptly named "Sleep" ends the compilation, its sombre ambience providing a soothing outro for Carl Craig completists.

Review: It's always difficult to strike a balance when remixing a pioneer like Carl Craig. Change the original material to make it sound radically different and you get accused of messing with their genius; make only subtle alterations and you get criticised for taking the money in exchange for little effort. Thankfully, these versions of Craig's 69 project manage the difficult feat of making the original sound good without stealing its magic. Prolific Dutch artist Rod turns "Poi et Pas" into a pumping, hissing percussion stomper, its intense chords building and dropping continuously. There is also an 'unreleased' version, which trawls through broken beats and emotive electronic riffs to create an abstract yet emotive track.

Review: The Versatile main man and one half of Chateau Flight doesn't drop as many singles these days as he used to, but at least when he holds off he can come correct with some firepower for the floor. Sizzling hats and a solid disco beat set the tone for "Transpiration" while the meat of the track comes in the form of a nasty old-skool rave stab. It's a monster tune that should get sweat pouring from anything in a five-mile radius. The title track is a pacey, Italo flavoured cut that seems to intentionally challenge the demonic moniker, while "Jah Menta" opts for a deeper shade of disco. Highly recommended.

Review: A few years ago when the focus shifted from mnml to the classic 90s-inspired sounds of Berghain, Berlin-based artist Roger Semsroth did the unthinkable - he took a hiatus from techno. It seemed Semsroth had diverted from the record-release-tour-earn money model that is pervasive in all forms of contemporary music. However, the man behind Sleeparchive had merely taken a brief break - and it is quite obvious that for Semsroth, someone who will be around when most of his peers are back doing day jobs, three years is indeed a shortish period. At a time when all around him tried to outdo one another in the sincere techno stakes, he focused his efforts on making the most wilfully noisy, experimental racket possible. Semsroth brings that sense of experimentation to Ronan Point, his comeback techno record. Great waves of noise underscore the rivers of viscous bass and titanium-plated drums that are at the heart of these arrangements. Fused with the kind of austere bleeps that made releases like "Hospital Tracks" such classics, this combination makes a potent dance floor fusion on "Point Two". "Point Three" is less detailed and its rhythm is inspired by Detroit minimalism rather than the Finnish variant, but bookending this excellent comeback are "One" and "Four", which present the listener with impenetrable walls of dense, frazzled abstraction. Welcome back you brilliantly awkward bugger.

Review: Third Ear continue their fine form by giving us a remastered reissue of two remixes which have inspired just about everyone in the game. Both versions of "Falling Up" are given an ante up by Stefan Betke and although there isn't really a way to make these tracks any better, the man does a fine engineering job indeed! Carl Craig's take on it is almost too much of a classic to be described into words - if you haven't heard it then shame on thou! Theo Parrish has similarly created a timeless infusion of atmospheric broken beats and deliciously placed sample snippets. Oh my, we've fallen in love all over again at Juno HQ!