Review: Delsin sublabel Mantis explores the deeper and more hypnotic fringes of techno. On their seventh missive, Tammo Hesselink (Melatonin Man/The Invariants) takes a 'granular approach to techno, using space as a vital ingredient to expose the fine detail in each rhythmic impression and passing texture'. Whether it's the atmospheric polyrhythms of "Danaba", the cerebral minimalism of "Fixed Distance" or the foggy and sinister slo-mo tribal of "Lifted" - this is experimental techno at its most downbeat.
Review: Following 2020's collaborative 9719 release with Wata Igarashi, Voiski aka Luc Kheradmand returns to Delsin with this solo effort. "Blazing Star" sees him wrap soaring synths and insistent bleeps around a pulsating rhythm, while on "Unreality", he uses a similar approach - this time he combines gurgling acid lines with a throbbing electronic groove and shuffling drums. "Ideodelika" favours a more heads-down approach, with the arrangement moving into peak time mode thanks to its insistent, doubled up claps and buzzing 303s. "Hazy Suns" marks a return to the kind of tranced out territory that "Blazing Star" occupies, with Voiski dropping a trippy acid groove, coupled with lush strings.
Review: When Sterac's Secret Life of Machines was reissued in 2012, it did not contain some of the key tracks from the pioneering 90s long player. Now Delsin has stepped into the breach to put out what are arguably the album highlights on one EP. In contrast to much of Secrets, "Hydroxy" is an understated electro workout - but its common bond with the rest of the album is its sense of melancholia. This sensibility also shines through on the reflective, string-soaked "Draghixia", while Sterac takes melody and depth to spellbinding new heights on the soaring electronic soul of "Satyricon" - one of the greatest tracks of its generation.
Review: Delsin re-ignites its Inertia club series with a fine EP from Lennart Wiehe. Unlike many dance floor techno releases, Amb-Kombat is a sophisticated affair that covers a range of styles. It moves from the breathy, sound scapes and understated back beats of "30C Weisse Waesche" to "Golf", where Wiehe drops a dense tribal workout powered by dense kicks and loose percussive patterns. "N-Kombat" sees him go deeper again, but this time in a more dance floor direction, as chiming chords are combined with powerful, steely drums. Rounding off the release, the German producer heads back towards a percussive techno approach on "Rauchen", where he combines layered drum patterns with repetitive bass tones to create a killer club track.
Review: What a year it's been for Delsin. Apart from reissuing classics like the peerless techno of Sterac's "X-Tracks", the label has also cast its gaze far and wide when it comes to releasing new music. This approach has yielded the icy ambience of Vril's "Alte Seele", Artefakt's bubbling, downtempo techno groove "Iridescence" and the hypnotic, mid-tempo drums of Dino Sabatini's "Lewa". On a different tip is Jason Wynters' frenetic electro workout, "The Hunted", while Claudio PRC's "Orakle" pushes Delsin into a somewhat darker direction than usual, courtesy of its murky rhythms. Of course, it wouldn't be a Delsin compilation without some deeper sounds, which are in abundance here courtesy of two other fine reissues - the chiming chords of Parallel 9's "Helix" and Connective Zone's dreamy "Seed".
Review: The mysterious Lost Trax collective follow up 2019's Surface Treated on Delsin with this dance floor-focused release. "Bring You Back" is a full-on acid track, led by bleeding 303 lines and crashing snares. Meanwhile, on "In Pursuit", they explore a similar approach, this time with 303s accompanied by mysterious synths and cavernous effects. "Under A Spell" represents the other side of Lost Trax and sees them focus on a pared back rhythm, with steely hi hats underpinning bleary synths, and "Mind Over Matter" is similarly esoteric, with frequency shifting tones unravelling over a wiry Detroit groove. It's another exemplary release from one of techno's most inspired acts
Review: Few acts make electro as evocative as Boris Bunnik's Versalife project, and Shape Shifter 2 is no exception. The release moves from the metallic, outer space rhythm and ghostly textures of "Phosphorescence" into a more dance floor-friendly style on "Hybrid Form", where Bunnik uses a throbbing bass and robust drums as the backdrop for subtle melodic flourishes and acid-laced samples. The release takes a turn in a menacing direction with "Instinct", where an ominous sub-bass is combined with rickety drums to conjure up a nocturnal mood. In stark contrast, there's
"Cone of Silence", with Bunnik setting evocative pads to a bubbling groove that oozes machine-designed soul.
Review: Originally issued on revered UK label Emoticon back in 2002, Qwerty finally gets a much-needed reissue on Delsin. Straddling deep techno, electro and abstract influences, it's not hard to understand why this four-tracker has remained a deep electronic classic for the past two decades. "Dude" is based on a gentle back beat and warm bass tones, providing the basis for floating synths, while "Seed" sees Connective Zone combine warbling acid lines with ghostly pads and skipping drums. The title track leans more towards electro thanks to its broken beats, while "Sea Breeza" rounds off the release with a pulsating bass and steely kicks, delivering a masterclass in deep techno.
Review: Delsin welcomes Claudio PRC to the fold. Known for his work on Prologue, Semantica and his own TGP label, he delivers a mesmerising techno release for the Dutch imprint. "Mana" bubbles and trickles along slowly, with Claudio using acid gurgles and shuffling percussion to create a tripped out slow burner. On "Tonal", he edges slightly towards the dance floor; powered by hissing hats and tweaked tones; the combination makes for an understated but effective techno track. The Italian producer remains in club mode for "Orakle", but once again, doesn't follow a typical path, with a shuffling groove resounding to a series of tonal builds and drops.
Review: Originally released back in 1995, Parallel 9 is a side project from techno innovator Steve Rachmad, and this two-tracker is the first material that he released under this pseudonym. Re-issued on Delsin, both tracks have really stood the test of time: "Helix" is a rolling track with a hypnotic, dubby rhythm at its heart and swathed in swirling synths. Meanwhile on "Gnosis", Rachmad opts for a tougher approach: led by barrelling beats and doubled up claps, it makes for a more clubby version of the dub techno that Basic Channel were pioneering around the same time. Hopefully this re-release will ensure that Rachmad enjoys the same type of adulation that the output on Moritz Van Oswald's label commands.
Review: With releases on Ornate and Don't Be Afraid already in his catalogue, Jayson Wynters opens his account for Delsin. At times favouring a darker approach on the release than the label's deep style, this is nonetheless an expertly crafted EP. Wynters drops the high-paced, steely rhythm of "The Hunted" and opts for a more linear sound on the moody, tribal "Crypto". Peppered with moody blips and tones, it's a real heads-down, peak-time affair. On "Trace Minerals", the UK producer invokes the spirit of Delsin's in-house style, with a pulsating bass underpinning atmospheric strings and eerie synths, while "Tehutis Law" charts a similar trajectory, powered by a wiry, Motor City bass.
Review: Simon Walley aka CiM was instrumental in introducing a new, left field slant to techno during the 90s. This compilation, which is culled from his archives, shows why he continues to be an influential force in electronic music. Unselected oscillates between home-listening tracks like "Metric" and "Throughput" into more dance-floor focused compositions like the Detroit nuances of "Accent One" and the early Black Dog hues of "Example". Even when Walley operates in more abstract spaces, as he does on the dissected drums and tonal blips of "Jex Fill" and the frenetic "Crash", his work maintains a soulful, machine-led undercurrent, marking him out as a truly pioneering producer.
Review: Through aliases like Mohalo and Multicast Dynamics circulating the realms of dub techno and ambient, Samuel van Dijk's VC-118a alias has always been the producer's safe harbour for electro. Keeping his beats dubby and atmospheres deep in Spiritual Machines, VC-118a's fourth album for Delsin (and first following Inside from 2019), presents a distinct connection with glitch, crackle and pop, with transmogrified vocals peppered throughout the LP. By creating his own complement of sample banks, software racks and devices in making the LP, van Dijk was able to work with a hybridised analogue-digital system purely of his own making and the results are abstract, downtempo and hugely atmospheric. Dubbed-out ambient electro with a newfound glitch. Quality.
Review: Mantis 06 is an inspired meeting of minds, as Dino Sabatini teams up with Delsin. Sabatini was one of the architects of hypnotic Italian techno during the early 00s, and this release shows that he has lost none of the flair that characterised his earlier work for Prologue. "Dakarai" revolves around a gentle, organic groove, while on "Afra", he embarks on a darker approach: tribal drums guide the arrangement, which is punctuated by dark textures. "Lewa" follows in a similar vein, as eerie hooks are realised over a hypnotic drum patterns. Meanwhile, "Akanke" is on a totally different tip, with Sabatini dropping hyper active break beats.
Review: Despite being released a quarter of a century ago, Steve Rachmad's Asphyx release has not grown old. Rachmad was one of the first European producers to make the Detroit template of soulful melodies and dynamic rhythms his own. "Pacifica" and the title track see Rachmad tweak that blueprint to add bubbling, tranced out textures, while on "Darkness In My Life", he articulates a near-perfect fusion of dreamy introspection and rolling drums. But Rachmad reaches nirvana on "X-Tracks" (which for years was mis-titled "Asphyx"), where those unmistakable, swirling melodies will melt even the coldest heart. If you don't already own Asphyx, now is the time to make that change that.
Review: Nick Lapien & Robin Koek's Artefakt project returns to Delsin with a largely ambient LP spearheaded by two experimentally driven beat numbers in "Iridescence" and the skizzy, dubbed-out sounds of "Terraforming". A continual force in exploring various strains of techno and electronica, Days Bygone presents Artefakt with a third studio album cushioned with drone, textural ambience and classical refrains of pianos and ethereal strings. There's percussive and synthwise elements to explore in "Cambium" and "Orinoco Basin" too with tracks like "Half Speed Tape" and "Wolf Number" venturing deep into the watercolours of landscape music.
Review: Hot on the heels of the magnificent 2020 Florence retrospective on Delsin, Stefan Robbers drops some brand new material for the label. Drawing on the deep Detroit techno sound that inspired him throughout his storied career, the veteran producer stamps his own signature style on these tracks. There's the spiky rhythm and offbeat drums of "Sonomatic"; while on "Sunset Route", the breezy synth melodies that have become Robbers' stock in trade are abundant. "Magic Potion" represents the clubbier side to Robbers' work, with a pulsating groove and clicking percussion underpinning niggling acid lines, but it's only a temporary divergence and "Voices From The Moon" is another atmospheric, off-centre affair.
Review: After a prolific 2020 with releases on Bad Manners and a collaboration with Rodhad on his WSNWG label, Vril returns to Delsin. The Dutch imprint was one of the first outlets to release his material, so his return is timely. The title track is a brooding, atmospheric piece with celestial synths and low-tempo bass pulses at its heart. Delsin has tapped some respected names to remix the track; Voiski sticks to the original track's tempo, with a mid-tempo rhythm underpinning the emotive, textured sounds. Meanwhile, Vril teams up with Bad Manners boss Marcel Dettmann to drop slinky break beats and euphoric synths on their version of "Seele", while the His Master's Voice remix is the most intense version, led by a booming bass and pounding broken beats.
Review: Continuing their permeance into contemporary techno culture Delsin Records outta Amsterdam bring together a refined selection of stalwarts and newcomer artists this annual compilation. Scour down the list and you'll find bonus numbers from the likes of Forest Drive West with his classic rhythmic style to headliners like BNJMN, Natural & Electronic.system and WAV, aka Wata Igarashi & Voiski! Intrigues include amethia recordings purge Varuna, all time classic John Beltran (in "Euphoric Dream Ocean") and cosmic broken beat experiments from Wladimir M (think Planet E and Evo Lute). Furthermore, find tracks from electro wizz CiM and go deeper into italian-style techno variations with VC-118A's "Crunch" and of course some OG electro from Delsin legend Versalife. To 2021 and beyond!
Review: Hot on the heels of CiM's recent Series Two reissue comes another evergreen re-release. Service Pack originally appeared on Delsin back in 1999, and pretty much wrote the blueprint for what is sometimes referred to as IDM. There are glitchy, squelchy abstractions sketched out on "Comfort Control" and "Friends I've Made", while on "Shift" CiM effortlessly fuses dreamy Detroit textures with rickety rhythms. "Recursive" sees him segue into As One-style ambient techno stylings and "Nissan" is a gloriously lopsided deep groove. With clubs set to remain closed over the coming months, Service Pack is a timely reminder of the power of home listening electronic music.
Review: Simon Walley aka CiM originally released Series Two on the revered Headspace imprint back in 1999 and now it gets a timely reissue on Delsin. Despite the passage of over two decades, these tracks have not aged. The gentle melodies and bubbling groove of "Soft Rain" is the type of deep techno-house you'd associate with labels like Dial, while on "Bias", fragile bells and emotive synths are wrapped around an faster rhythm. "View 91 Fill" sees Walley deploy an electro arrangement to deliver wide-eyed, uplifting hooks, while on "Edit Micro Tune" and "Factory Preset One", CiM's glitchy, broken beat sound comes to the fore.
Review: Boris Bunnik follows the Manifold long player from earlier this year with another fine Versalife release. Over four tracks, Shape Shifter sees the Dutch producer deliver the type of expansive electro that the project has become synonymous with. There's the warm, rumbling bass and eerie synth lines of "Synapse", where the Versalife project sounds at its most cinematic, while in contrast, there's the stripped back, frosty "Fractal". On the title track, Bunnik lays down metallic kicks and ticking percussion as a basis for wild, acid-led bass licks, while he rounds off this exemplary release with the eerie, layered sound scapes and glitchy percussive ticks of "Novelty".
Review: For the latest chapter in the Delsin saga, tracks from BNJMN's 2018 album Hypnagogia get remixed by some of electronic music's most respected producers. First up is Dial mainstay Efdemin, who turns the title track into a deep techno affair, with swirling pads unfolding over a pulsating groove. Luigi Tozzi's take on "Indub" is also from the deeper end of the spectrum, but the Italian producer uses steely drums and ticking percussion to create an atmospheric but effective arrangement. rRpxymore's take on "Atoms Speak" ventures in a different direction, with snappy kicks underpinning clipped percussion and detuned, warbling synth lines.
Review: The time is now for John Beltran, a much loved Detroit producer and too often unchampioned legend of the ambient melodica garde. A marquee artist on Delsin for some years now, The Season Series presents a collection of motif-tipped and colorful compositions that draw on beatless atmospheres that on two occasions blissfully trip through classic Detroit house in tracks like "Lustrous Orb" and "Sunflower". Elsewhere, the LP focuses on beatless bleep and melodica in "Euphoric Dream Ocean", "You Interalize Them" and "Lose You", to the almost Enya-like "I Can Chase You Forever". For John Betran fans, this is a must.
Review: For anyone with a passing interest in 90s European techno, Stefan Robbers' work as Florence is an essential project because while it was inspired by Detroit techno it is shot through with his unique perspectives. The Analogue Expressions reissue on Delsin shines a light on his benchmark Florence Eps for the Eevo Lute Muzique imprint. Ranging from mellow and mournful tracks like "It's In The Hands" and the utterly timeless 'The Vineyard' to the kind of insistent grooves so beloved of Robbers - check the snaking bass and swirling psychedelic synths on "Analogue Expressions" itself - to more hyperactive steely futurism as articulated on "Robotica", this is a truly stellar collection of electronic tracks that still shines brightly after three decades.
Review: The pairing of Antonio Giova and Valerio Gomez de Ayala have only a few releases under the Natural/Electronic System alias, and originally rose to prominence with their expansive, fluid DJ sets. They apply this approach for their debut record on Delsin; "Marea", with its undulating, stripped back groove and dreamy synths, inhabits the same space as XDB, while on "Rituale", they change tact with a stripped back, drum-heavy workout. On "Insecta", the pair picks up the pace for a more dance floor-focused but still deep groove, while this fine, far-reaching release concludes with the atmospheric broken beats of "Vespero".
Review: Mantis is a new sub-label from Delsin, and it launches in style with a release from Joe Baker aka Forest Drive West. Fans of the UK producer's idiosyncratic releases for Livity and Whities will find much to love here. "Hidden Places" stars the EP in ominous mode, with evocative, swirling shapes floating up over a muscular, sinewy bass and spine-tingling percussion. On "Invisible", Baker heads towards the dance floor with an eerie rhythm bolstered by surging bass that supports haunting textures. It's only a temporary flirtation however, and by the time he reaches "Radiance", a murky soundscape guides the listener towards a subdued finale.
Review: 9719 is the work of an inspired hook-up: at one end of the world there's Wata Igarashi, who has released on Bunker NY and Time 2 Express, while at the opposite end, there's Voiski with a catalogue that includes work for L.I.E.S. and Dolly. The fruits of their collaboration is just as far-flung; it moves from the dreamy, bubbling groove of "Pronom" into "Pomme", a pulsating slice of peak-time hypno-techno track that would not sound out of place on a Mike Parker EP. " Regex" is also an uptempo affair, but here they use tranced out synth riffs to accompany the pacy rhythm. "Riff" is another irresistible piece, bolstered by a throbbing acidic groove.
Review: Artefakt launched their own label, De Stijl, last year, but they now return to their spiritual home, Delsin, for this widescreen EP. "Ganzfeld Effect" is among their most expansive compositions to date, with dreamy synths and droning textures unravelling over subsonic bleeps. On "Vapour", they use rickety, staccato drums as a basis for their ghostly synths, while "Delphic" sees them travel down a broken techno route, accompanied by atmospheric textures. The title track is the most dance floor-friendly affair but even here, Artefakt don't break a sweat, instead focusing on dubbed out drums and a shuffling rhythm as a basis for the track's dreamy melodies.
Review: Dutch powerhouse Delsin bunkers down for another year with a choice selection of tracks taken from the label's marque artists, regulars and newcomers. The compilation showcases the label's tastemaking approach to embracing a somewhat unidentified strands of dub electro, a new and developing sound harnessed it seems by Delsin this year. Claro Intelcto slathers his track "Two Thousand" with more of the obscene basslines we love the British artist for (with a lighter alternative to be found on "Messages") while Conforce plays with pixelation and subtle subsonic electro pulses in "OI". Gunnar Haslam rivals Porter-Ricks-deepness in his track "Cacique De Poyais" while label boss Peel Seamus warms things up with Detroit-styled keys and synths to offset the deeper, melodic and shimmering dub of new talent His Master's Voice.
Review: Inspired in name by the EMI series but not in sound, His Master's Voice delivers a wide-ranging debut for Delsin. Transition moves from the atmospheric ambient soundscapes of "Fire Red" and the jittery deep techno as mapped out on "Eve" into something far darker on the title track. There, the author takes his audience on a trip through the nether regions of underground electronic music, guided by a rattling, steely rhythm and militaristic snare rolls that underpin mysterious chords. Maintaining this nocturnal mood, Vril delivers a moody break beat-led version of "Eve" that resounds to eerie bass and crackling percussion - not one to listen to with the lights off.
