Filter
ARTS
Browse the latest digital releases on ARTS
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Review: Benjamin Damage has been out of the limelight for the past few years, but he returns with an impressive new Ep for ARTS. Focused mainly on the deeper side of his sound, it still manages to pack a dance floor punch, thanks to the rolling, Plastikman-esque snares of "Infinite Machine". "Skywave" is also clubby, and revolves around a stuttering rhythm, but Damage layers shimmering melodies around the arrangement, lending it real depth. "Alien Friends" follows a relatively similar path - this time the kicks are more insistent and synths swirl dramatically. The release's most esoteric piece is "Release", where sombre pads unfold over a glorious, dubbed out backing.
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Review: Hector Sandoval slips into Tensal mode to deliver this club-friendly release for ARTS. "Recall Damage" gets the EP off to an intense start, with pummelling kicks and a searing analogue rhythm recalling the more visceral end of the loop techno sound. In contrast, "Back to Birmingham" is a hypnotic affair, with Sandoval layering cavernous filters over dense kicks, while on "Emperor of Senses", he weaves niggling tonal blips into a rolling, percussive workout. Returning to the intense aesthetic that opened the release, "Huracan" sees the revered techno producer drop a peak-time, industrial banger, led by grimy, pounding drums and peppered with incessant riffs.
Played by: Paul Langley
Review: The latest release on ARTS comes from newcomer Human Safari, who delivers four expertly executed tracks that are inspired by late 90s techno. "White Collar Addict" resounds to thundering drums and dreamy synths, with these elements supported by rickety percussion. On the title track, Human Safari ups the pace to deliver a dense, rolling track, powered by spiky hi hats - with the arrangement gradually moving into a synth sequence that raises the intensity levels further. In contrast, "Eskap" is a woozy, percussive track that sounds inspired by Baby Ford and is led by swinging drums and a shuffling rhythm. "The Night of the Owl" sees Human Safari focus on a tougher approach again, with robust drums and a muscular bass prevailing.
Played by: Salat
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Review: While some techno producers use the album format to explore ideas beyond the dance floor, Yan Cook does not share this thinking. The producer's latest album is designed explicitly for club play, an approach that is audible on the bleep and string-heavy "8 Bars". "Grooveyard" sees him opt for a different approach, with a frazzled bass and atmospheric synths riding a pulsating groove, while "S4" is a firing, visceral banger. That said, Cook also displays deeper sensibilities on XXX: "Exhale" resounds to dramatic synth lines, while the combination of rolling, steely drums and shimmering melodies show that when it comes to crafting dance floor techno, Cook is one of the very best in the business.
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Review: It's been four years since Tim Tama's debut on ARTS, and in the interim, his profile has continued to rise, with acclaimed releases on PRSPCT SSSPCR and Dreamscape. "Essence" kickstarts the EP with epic synth lines and hypnotic break beats, a compelling combination of big room techno and 90s trance. The title track follows a more linear path, with Tama dropping a dense, looped groove and slick percussion, with these elements providing the basis for emotive, filtered builds. "Yowoja" is deeper, as the Dutch producer veers towards cinematic soundscapes, supported by resonating kicks, while "Temperance" is a melancholic, mellow techno jam in the Border Community vein.
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Played by: Frank Maurel
Review: Yan Cook is one of modern techno's most consistent producers, hitting the target with tough, impactful tracks. This release on ARTS is no exception, and gets under way to the sound of the title track's hypnotic pulses and atmospheric synths. "Infrared" is tougher, resounding to rolling tribal drums, insistent filtering and understated vocal samples. "Olympus Mons" sees Cook go deeper, with warm synths, outer space bleeps and crisp claps to the fore, but it's only a temporary divergence: "Shapeshifter" places the Ukranian artist at the very heart of the dance floor, with menacing, Mike Parker-style tones unravelling over heavy kicks.
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Review: Paul Roux takes leave from his Memorial Home project with Jeremy Pinchasi to deliver this mesmerising release. It starts with the emotive Detroit techno influenced "The Truth", where Roux fuses heart-rending melodies with a wiry, snaking rhythm. "Transform Mode" sounds like has opted for a more stripped back approach; tough tribal drums and a grungy bass prevail at the outset before he slips into soulful synth sounds. "On Reve" marks a radical departure from Roux's deep dance floor sound, with a funk bass underpinning a spaced out groove littered with vocal samples. The release concludes with another curve ball, the title track's broken beats and sun-kissed melodies.
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Review: ARTS has recruited Ecilo for its latest instalment of club-primed techno, and he delivers in style. "Bugi Minimalist", with its insistent chord builds and pounding kicks, sounds like a harder, contemporary version of Ian Pooley's evergreen "Chord Memory", while on the title track, Ecilo chooses a deeper approach, with swirling synths unravelling over hammering drums. "Lorong Hitam" follows in a similar vein, but it sees Ecilo focus on more ominous elements - think the darker side of Technasia - and firing percussion. That same nocturnal element is also audible on "Jiwa Maraenism", where Ecilo fuses a driving rhythm with murky filters and eerie synths.
Various
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Review: 2020 was a particularly difficult year for electronic music, with clubs worldwide shuttered, but as the latest compilation from ARTS demonstrates, the techno community has no shortage of creative energy. This ingenuity and creativity is audible in all areas, with Rave Culture platforming new and established artists. MRD and Alfredo Mazzilli both deliver pulsating electronic bangers, while Raar's "Collider" is a moody break beat affair. At the other end of the spectrum, label owner Emmanuel's "Camouflage" is a rave-influenced peak-time roller and I Hate Models drops the stomping but atmospheric "Intergalactic Emotional Breakdown", while other established names, Benjamin Damage and ASC, deliver forceful, musical workouts.
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Review: Vinicius Honorio outta Brazil slips out a fourth release for the year on the impenetrable ARTS label following stints on Drumcode and Planet Rhythm among others before that. Going hard as f*** on industrial acid tracks like "Stardust", percussive, dub techno and warped tribal elements push through to the surface on "Le Boi". Groovier, almost housed-up rhythms hit the beat in "They Are The Same" with its narrative vocal and storytelling, with a burning rhythm-track and warehouse groove sealing the deal in "Ebb & Flow". It's ARTS, it's techno.
Played by: Trecci
