Review: Claudio PRC follows 2022's Challenger Deep on Delsin with another psychedelic take on techno. "Celotex" starts the EP in hypnotic mode as tripped out acid lines are fused with atmospheric, sweeping synths. "Opaque" sees him explore similar territory. The gurgling 303s are audible again - this time they unfold over nickel-plated percussion and a throbbing groove. "Monotex" is more pared back. It sees the Italian producer lay down a linear rhythm that acts as the basis for steely hi hats and a tranced-out melody line. Shifting tempos, "Latent" is a dubbed out, chugging groove that resounds to angelic synths.
Review: For almost a quarter century, Delsin has been putting out some of the world's best electronic music. That situation didn't change in 2023. As this compilation demonstrates, the label still has an unerring knack of releasing music from the more esoteric end of the spectrum. Reedale Rise and VC-118A both deliver atmospheric strains of electro. On "Late Night Kyiv", Yan Cook pushes towards the dance floor to deliver an emotive tribute to his hometown. The compilation also consolidates Delsin's connection to Dutch artists. Steffan Robbers' Terrace project yields the emotive "Model A", while Eevo Lute co-founder Wladimir M drops the understated pulses and mysterious vocals of "Zie Het Onder Ogen / Y Faire Face". And Steve Rachmad shines as always, with the seductive Detroit techno of "Teknitron".
Review: Yan Cook was responsible for the tenth edition of the Inertia series in 2022, and he follows it with this eleventh instalment. In keeping with his signature sound, Collateral Damage is a hard-edged four-tracker. "Balance Point" resounds to insistent, steely percussion and a galloping groove. Meanwhile on the title track, Cook ups the pace. Led by a pulsating, clanging rhythm, a succession of drops and builds ensure that it will have maximum impact. "Pulsar" sees the prolific producer go down a hypnotic rabbit hole. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel - and "Late Night Kyiv" is a deep, Detroit-style workout, replete with dreamy pads.
Review: Alongside his own Transcendent imprint, Delsin is the other label that Boris Bunnik releases most of his Conforce material on. However, while he returns to the Dutch imprint once again, the approach he deploys on Sins Of Synthesis is different. The esoteric ambient textures that typify Conforce releases are still there but they are articulated within a darker framework. That sound finds its form on the angular, steely rhythms of "Paralaxx". He goes down a darker route for "Sector", where waves of growling bass are fused with rolling drums. "Fragile" is also more stripped back and menacing than typical Conforce material, as melancholic synth stabs are fused with a splurging low end.
Review: Following on from last year's collaborative long player with R?dh?d, Vril flies solo on this return visit to Delsin. United by deep sound design throughout, the long player shifts effortlessly between styles. From the cavernous dub techno of "Love Rollout" and the shimmering chords of "Boom To The Moon", to the gritty electro swagger of "Terraformink" and "Zukunftsstrasse", Animist is a flawlessly executed work. That's not to suggest that Vril has produced a work that is too glossy or stylised; "Unwelt" resounds to gritty percussion and drums, while the sub-bass tones of "Anomal Beta" bristles with a sense of menace that would be hard to find in a dub techno record.
Review: More than a quarter century after it was first released, Steve Rachmad's Q under his Parallel 9 alias get reissued. Back in the mid-90s, dub techno sound was still an emerging form, with only the Basic Channel-Chain Reaction axis and a few other outliers like Iceland's Thule focused on this style. Across three tracks, Rachmad demonstrates how, during this early period, he weas able to translate this sound to the dance floor. The extended "Quanah" resounds to dubbed out chords and an insistent organ, while on "Quantico", the Dutch producer fuses enveloping dub textures with a rolling, looped groove. "Quadrus" is the most understated track, with Rachmad fusing ghostly chords with an insistent electronic bass and nagging hi hats.
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: 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: 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 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: 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: 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: 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: 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.
Review: The mysterious Lost Trax has been responsible for some of the landmark electro and techno records of recent years - check "Saturiun System" in case you are in any doubt - and Surface Treated adds to this catalogue of exceptional music. On this occasion, the focus is on Detroit techno; "Interstate (Halfway Home Mix)" is led by sweet melodies riding a snaking groove, while the title track is tougher, as acid-seared hi hats and an ominous sub-bass collide. There is some reference to their electro style on "Still", but in the main this is a techno record, as the dubbed "De Laye" demonstrates.
Review: Peel Seamus is the stage name for Delsin owner Marsel Van Der Wielen, and the label started back in 1996 with a cassette release from this project. Since then, Peel Seamus releases have been few and far between, so Susurro is a timely reminder of Marsel's talents. It is all the more remarkable given that these tracks were all recorded around 2000. On "Valve Pod" and "Absence In Reality", he delivers beautiful broken beat jams, while "Strawberry Hills" is a gloriously deep slice of techno soul and on "Head Over Heels" he drops a spine-tingling dance floor groove, lit up by the type of wide-eyed keys that prevailed on Derrick May records.
Review: Samuel Van Dijk aka VC-118A follows 2016's Shift Register with another effortless, elegantly executed artist album. Moving from the frazzled dub techno of "Tide" - a sound more commonly associated with his Mohlao alias - into sleek electro jams such as "Pcb" and "Dither" and eerie ambient passages like "Metric Spaces", the Dutch producer's third long player shows that he is one of modern electronic music's most versatile producers. While most of Inside adheres to an understated sensibility, there is also a playful undercurrent here, audible on the stepping rhythm and frazzled acid of "Fm", while "Hiss" ranks among his most dance floor friendly techno output.
Review: Delsin has put out some great reissues in recent years - including benchmark work by Lost Tax and VC-118A - but their latest reissue project is the most impressive one yet. Repeat was a collaboration between Mark Broom and Ed and Andy from The Black Dog and Repeats was their sole artist album, released in 1995. Given the calibre of the artists involved in this project, it is no surprise that it veers in tone and sound from the IDM of "End Up" and "G-Thing" to the beats-y "Tuesday's Hot Hit" and "Lilt A" - always a thing with Broom - into beautiful Detroit techno tracks, such as the hyper speed "Hurrican Felix" and the break beats of "Drifting Sounds". Repeats is an essential release for any electronic music fan.
Review: Legendary and highly sought after EP by Midwest trio Indio, originally released on British imprint Rhythmic Tech in 2008, after a terrific debut on Derrick May's seminal Transmat imprint in 1999. Comprised of Detroit innovator John Beltran with shadowy Chicago producer Steve Mcqueen and vocalist Seth Taylor, the Inca EP features some of the trio's finest moments. Whereas the original featured three versions of the title track, only the main version appears here - an energetic serving of good ol' fashioned hi-tech soul. In addition is the sensual deepness of "Winter Long" and its intricate syncopated rhythms, and the absolutely timeless and emotive "Blue Fantasy" - undoubtedly the EPs highlight. You just don't hear techno like this anymore. Props to Delsin for finally making this essential release available to all once again.
Review: Classic Norken EP from 2000 repressed on Delsin. Lee Norris went by alises such as Man-Q-Neon, or Nacht Plank and particularly became known with his releases as Metamatics - through the now defunct Clear label and is now running his label Neo Ouija. This EP features four tracks continuing the style of his previous releases as Norken, consisting of soulful and broken techno sounds like on opener "Home" through to gorgeous minimal deep house on "Walk" or "Fern".
Review: Originally released on cassette on Giegling last year, Anima Mundi, Vril's second artist album, now gets a full release. Tracks like the expansive, rolling "Statera Rerum" and the more low-tempo but equally seductive "Haus" guarantee that Mundi is a dub techno lover's dream. However, it would be wrong to assume that this is all that Vril is capable of. "Manium", "Ilojum" and "Riese" are glacial ambient tracks that shimmer effervescently, while the title track and "Infinitum Eternis Anime" are pitched somewhere between these spectrums, their stop-start rhythms and dubbed out sound scapes showing that when it comes to atmospheric electronic music, few modern artists can rival Vril.
Review: Following Delsin's timely re-release of Saturiun System, comes Lost 2. Comprising tracks released on the Lost Connection and Lost Machine EPs issued on Tabernacle back in 2011 and 2012, it demonstrates again what a unique act Lost Trax have always been. "The Eye" is a magical, melodic electro affair, led by warbling interstellar bleeps and brittle rhythms, while "The Forest" is an introspective arrangement. On "Pulp", the mysterious act up the tempo for a frenetic, percussive groove, underpinned by a grainy bass, but soon enough, they revert to their atmospheric, Detroit-inspired sound for the squelchy, eerie "B01". If you didn't pick up these tracks first time round, don't miss out on this reissue.
Review: Saturnian System. Clearly inspired by Underground Resistance and Juan Atkins, the shadowy pair's first outing contained the Model 500-sounding "Self-Destruct Sequence". More impressive though was the title track, which sounded like a slightly more esoteric take on UR's epic Final Frontier, as Lost Trax navigated a path between acid bliss and ghostly synth lines. Now Delsin is re-releasing both tracks together with the dreamy pulses of "The Sequel" and the brooding "Birth", both from their second EP, Lost Trax 2. For fans of Detroit electro and techno, this is an essential and welcome re-release.
Review: Nthng has just released his debut album on Lobster Theremin, but that hasn't affected his productivity as he debuts on Delsin. Like his long player, Gaia shows that he is adept at covering a range of styles. "Oralage" is a lean, linear affair, led by ticking, steely percussion and tough drums. It's atypical for the Dutch label, but soon afterwards, the Amsterdam producer moves into more familiar dreamy ambience on the expansive "A Souls Search". The most impressive track is "Gaia" itself: revolving around a chugging groove, dense, metallic drums and cavernous sound effects, it feels like Nthng has effortlessly reinvented the Basic Channel dub techno blueprint.
Review: Periodically, labels get a little fascinated with reissuing material from certain previously overlooked scenes. Recently, that's meant a surprising re-focus on the Icelandic dub techno scene of the late '90s early 2000s. The chief beneficiary of this has been Arnvidur "Exos" Snorrason, whose pioneering 1998 12", Q-Box, recently resurfaced on Thule. Here, his 2001 album My Home Is Sonic gets the reissue treatment on Delsin. Sat somewhere between hypnotic German minimal, the relentless loops of Robert Hood, the dubwise Berlin antics of Rhythm & Sound, and classic Motor City futurism, the album remains a timeless example of dub techno at its' very best.
Review: Since adopting the BNJMN guise, UK producer Ben Thomas has graced a fairly impressive list of labels with his intricately sculpted brand of techno, and there's a definite sense that his best work is done when aligned with a Dutch label. After all, it was Rush Hour's excellent Direct Current series that brought BNJMN to wider attention with the classic Plastic World album from 2011. Having previously contributed a production to Delsin's 100DSR compilation series last year, the now Berlin-based BNJMN is granted a debut proper with the six track EP Coil. Spend some time with the EP and you'll come to the conclusion it's a confident assessment of everything BNJMN is capable of producing, with the pulsing, mind bending techno of the title track followed by more contemplative moments and some good old fashioned wall-shakers.
Review: Herva made his debut on Delsin in 2013 with the What I Feel EP after breaking through on the Bosconi label (and don't forget last year's immense Technology Fail As A Birth Control For Unnecessary Recordings 12" with Mass Prod for Kontra). Instant Broadcast is Herva's second album and features 12 tracks said to shun the usual Chicago and Detroit reference points, instead conjuring up a truly idiosyncratic style that puts Herva in a class of his own. The album itself is all over the shop, ranging from muggy sessions of sampled, lo-fi piano ambience to pressured, discombobulated disco, house and techno, to other Actress-like sounds and beat downs. One of this year's most unique LPs.
Review: Launching late last year with Seawash at the helm, Delsin's dedicated Electronica series gathers pace with their second release What I Feel, a label debut for Herva. The Italian producer, Herve Atse Corti, has already established himself as somewhat of a talent for crafting soundscapes informed by house, techno tropes with what was once called IDM on last year's Meanwhile In Madland album for the Bosconi label. The four tracks here sees Herva develop that approach further; lead track "Paranoid Thinking" displays a dizzying mastery of layering heavily textured sounds in a rhythmic manner that replaces the necessity of standard beats. "Crocodile Tears" pairs crackling samples with clicking, squelchy percussion and reconstituted piano sounds, whilst "Gorilla's Machine" is lopsided approach at Border Community techno, caked in tape dirt. There's echoes of Actress's techno deviations in final track "Snow & Clouds" which pleasingly shifts the direction of it's rhythmic momentum throughout.
Review: Detroit producer Terrence Dixon hadn't released any material in years and withing the space of the past few months he has issued put out a new album and a brace of Eps. Strictly speaking however, Hours isn't new material, and dates back to the mid-90s. The release's provenance is audible on the title track, where a slamming rhythm and moody bass provide a home chattering, relentless percussion. On "Two Sides to Every Story", the hats are looser and more hissing, the drums shuffle and the arrangement has a stomping rawness that is all to absent nowadays. It may be a cliche, but they don't make them like they used to.
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