Review: Veteran producer Sikora delivers his fourth album in as many years for Harthouse. As one might expect from an artist who has explored many sonic avenues over the years, Shootout is a varied affair. It features the dreamy, Kompakt style shuffle of "Their Own Disillusions" as well as the driving, acid and rave-tinged techno sounds of "The Second Only Makes You Wonder" and "The First Cut Won't Hurt At All". Remaining in techno mode, Sikora drops the clanging, metallic rhythm of "Eye To Eye". In stark contrast, there's the dubbed-out beats of "Blow By Blow", while he takes a leaf from Dial's book for the hazy deep house of "The Third Will Have You On Your Knees". Sikora also deserves extra kudos for naming each track from the lyrics of Propaganda's "Duel" - one of the 80s greatest synth pop tracks.
Review: Straight up techno burners here from Co-Fusion with the Captivate EP on Harthouse - delivering three undeniable bangers for your arsenal. Kicking off with the title track, it's a mean kick and bass combo that does the business here, allowing for some industrial percussion and off kilter synths stabs too boot. "Stone Steel" opts for a grungier body music vibe thanks to its punky bassline, while "Hexagon", in its syncopated and dubbed-out rhythm, goes full boar warehouse techno.
Review: This 2024 reissue of an all time and much love classic Raumgleiter by Der Dritte Raum presents an exceptional concept trance album that remains ahead of its time, defying the stigma once and sometimes attached to the genre. Highlighting tracks like "Hale Bopp" and "Polarstern," which made waves in big rooms at the time, the real gem lies in "Lava," transitioning seamlessly from acid builds to progressive trance, which then leads perfectly into "Hale Bopp." Der Dritte Raum's hypnotic beats and catchy melodies went far to transport listeners to other dimensions back in the day, and a fresh 2024 re-up does the same thing- groundbreaking stuff for trance enthusiasts.
Review: Following two Eps, Humantronic returns to Harthouse with Desidero. It starts with the epic "Lost Machines", where strings sweep in over ominous bass and rolling electro drums. A similar mood is audible on "Eliza Says", with Humantronic weaving acid elements and understated vocals into the arrangement. "Dark City Angels" sees him pivot towards techno, with a fusion of building chords and gently spiralling acid lines creating a subtle climax. "Rabeg" is a more heads-down affair, with a focus on a linear rhythm and intense synth stabs. That shift towards intensity continues on "Obsolete 2.3", where splurging bass is woven into a dense, driving rhythm. It makes for a stellar collection of tracks.
Review: Rico Puestel follows a string of EPs on Harthouse with this diverse long player. "Affection" kick starts the release in celebratory mode with uplifting vocals unfolding over an undulating house groove and niggling percussion. In contrast, "Four Fifty-Six" sees him venture down a more linear path. Underpinned by a lean, rolling groove and niggling percussion, it builds to a noisy crescendo.
In other instances, Puestel channels more euphoric sensibilities: the energetic, building synths on "Eichwiesen" wouldn't sound out of place in Dominik Eulberg's catalogue. Irrespective of the approach, his assured production style means that no matter whether he's dropping hypnotic chuggers like "That Day In June" or the ambient soundscapes of "This Is The Water", each track is 100% Puestel.
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