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Polegroup
Review: Norbak brings a wave of Portuguese prowess to Polegroup, showcasing his position as one of the most adept music producers hailing from outside of Spain. In this latest EP, the opening "Regra" captivates with dynamically filtered stab sequences that evolve into a powerhouse groove. Norbak's qualities lies in the unique arrangement, where fundamental elements weave a constantly twisting and changing sonic tapestry. "Ferramenta" ups the tempo, introducing filtered elements that progressively give way to hysterical sequences, while expertly crafted drones and ambiences add a floating dimension to the beat. Moving on with "Amarante", Norbak impresses with expertly processed rhythms, complex chords, and some deeper sound design for that extra dynamic. The final tune, "Nota" applies a stripped-down approach with a solid kick drum leading the way, accompanied by a metallic FM-like synth lines and Norbak's expert drum programming.
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POLEGROUP 071
19 Jan 24
Techno
19 Jan 24
Techno
Review: Following releases on Mord, Soma and his own Faut Section - home to the recent Manner Of Death album - Lewis Fautzi drops this four-tracker on Polegroup. "Total Absence" kick-starts the EP to the sound of robust drums and a growling bass, with Fautzi adding in rasping percussion. "Ground State" is a rolling affair, where the dense drums are populated with tonal bleeps. "Paranoia" sees Fautzi go down a more hypnotic route, as layered tones unfold over a throbbing groove. It's only a temporary distraction, and "Uncertainty" is a peak-time track that resounds to powerful, sweeping filters and a relentless groove.
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POLEGROUP 070
10 Nov 23
Techno
10 Nov 23
Techno
Review: Ribe makes a triumphant return to the sonic mothership with the mesmerizing "La Penumbra EP," a testament to his prowess in the realms of intelligent techno and intricate sound design. Fresh off the heels of his acclaimed album, Ribe once again takes us on an otherworldly journey through modular madness that reaffirms his mastery of the craft. The EP opens with "La Penumbra," a track that lives up to its name by immediately conjuring images of darkness and elusive shadows. A lone bass drum sets the stage, accompanied by a symphony of drones and ambiences that intertwine and evolve throughout the arrangement. This sonic canvas paints a portrait of enigmatic realms, drawing listeners into its captivating obscurity. "El Metodo" follows suit, with repetitive modular bleeps float gracefully over a bass-heavy groove, while additional percussive elements gradually make their entrance, culminating in a hypnotic climax. while "Las Raices" delves into a heavier, rawer soundscape. Closing the EP with finesse, "Bajo el Olivo" presents a liquid and elastic journey with resonant bubbles bounce asymmetrically atop the rhythm, adorned with occasional percussive details.
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POLEGROUP 069
25 Aug 23
Techno
25 Aug 23
Techno
Review: Fresh from appearances on a swathe of compilations and multi-artist EPs, Kessell pops up on Polegroup with his first solo single since 2021. The long-serving Spanish producer sets his stall out with opener 'Nothing Left To Say', a fuzzy and forthright chunk of lo-fi techno hedonism designed with dark, strobe-lit rooms in mind, before opting for an even bigger, more unsettling and impressively intense sound on 'All That Matters'. Industrial-strength lo-fi techno is the order of the day on the aptly named 'Descending Darkness', while 'Cyclical Nature' is a loopy, acid-fired slab of early morning hypnotism, and 'Inside Trauma' sounds like a tribal, mind-mangling take on Vatican Shadow's more dancefloor-centric work.
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POLEGROUP 068
19 May 23
Techno
19 May 23
Techno
Review: Mulero returns to his Polegroup label with a release that traverses the techno spectrum. "Flujo Fatal" is based on stripped back, stepping beats, which provide the veteran producer with a platform to conjure up a blanket of searing analogue textures. It's an intense, atmospheric piece. On "Nueva Y Oscura Era", Mulero's approach focuses on percussion; it sees him deliver a skeletal, rolling rhythm punctuated throughout by searing hi hats. In contrast, "Noches De Menta" is a straight pulsating workout that is reminiscent of Mike Parker's sub-tonal experiments. Mulero is to be lauded for keeping the listener guessing, and "Dos Esqueletos" is a wonderfully layered, dubbed out track.
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POLEGROUP 066
02 Dec 22
Techno
02 Dec 22
Techno
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Review: Norbak aka Artur Moreira has released on a slew of underground labels including Soma, Axis and Mord. Now he brings his tough, club-focused techno to Polegroup. "Tell Me I'm Wrong" sets the scene for the EP, a rolling, metallic groove powered by doubled up claps and reverberating filters. Meanwhile on "Amongst Them", Moreira goes farther down the rabbit hole, with volleys of utilitarian percussion providing the backdrop for a series of filtered peaks and troughs. Despite its title, "Pure & Faithful" is a dense, grimy track that resounds to layered textures and sharp hi hats, while on "Unbearable Lightness", he follows a darker path, as insistent, bleak tones are supported by furious bursts of percussion - a dystopian end to this intense release.
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POLEGROUP 065
21 Oct 22
Techno
21 Oct 22
Techno
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Review: Following a release on Warm Up last year, Alberto Pascual aka Ribe drops an album's worth of mind-bending club techno. The title track is a trip to the outer limits of the form, with pinprick bleeps and microscopic drums prevailing, while on "Grandes Valles", Ribe opts for a denser take on esoteric underground music. "Anomalia" marks a shift in mood, with Pascual dropping robust drums while on "Melancolia" intensity levels are pushed into the red courtesy of noisy, gritty kicks. However, ethereal sensibilities are never too far away on Las Noches; "Diverso", while based on powerful drums, has a spaced-out aesthetic at its core and the driving "Sucubo" also resounds to neo-classical strings.
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POLEGROUP 064
08 Jul 22
Techno
08 Jul 22
Techno
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Review: Lewis Fautzi returns to Polegroup with a four-tracker that covers some of techno's most underground tropes. "Induced Pulse" resounds to booming broken beats and is swathed in dense textures and dissected vocal hooks - a nod to the signature sound of label owner Oscar Mulero. On "Undirected Differential", Fautzi pushes in a more linear direction: powered by grimy kicks and unflinching percussion, it's an effective, stripped back track. "Intense Mechanism" continues farther down this path: soundtracked by eerie filters, powerful bass drums and wiry percussion, this combination makes for a crafty peak time workout. "Stimulated Desorption" is the most intense track on offer here though, with the Portuguese producer dropping a pulsating, throbbing peak-time groove powered by waves of percussive crescendos.
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POLEGROUP 062
10 Sep 21
Techno
10 Sep 21
Techno
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Review: The Exium partnership emerges from the pandemic with a coruscating new EP. "Ascendo", with its chain mail percussion and stepping rhythm, sounds like an abrasive take on Regis' rolling techno. On "Atheris", the duo again deploy non-linear patterns, but the sound here is deeper and more layered, sounding like it was recorded in a wind tunnel. Exium return to their abrasive selves with "Cyclotron": favouring a straighter approach, its noisy analogue rhythm sounds inspired by Neil Landstrumm. Then there's the title track, where swampy beats and layered sound scapes come together for a fittingly industrial finale to the latest chapter in the Exium story.
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POLEGROUP 061
04 Jun 21
Techno
04 Jun 21
Techno
Review: PoleGroup celebrates the 60th milestone in its catalogue with a superb three-track release from label owner Oscar Mulero. The title track resounds to billowing, filtered chords and chain mail percussion, with these contrasting elements underpinned by a lean rhythm. "Espectro Rojo" is more visceral and sees the veteran Spanish producer draw on the extreme end of Jeff Mills' canon to craft a loopy, linear affair. Rounding out this dance floor-focused affair is "Gradiente De Voltaje". More understated than the other tracks on the EP, its menacing, snaking bass and rolling, steely drums will still have the required impact.
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POLEGROUP 060
08 Jan 21
Techno
08 Jan 21
Techno
Review: Selecci?n Natural, a collaborative project between Spanish techno veterans Oscar Mulero, Exium and Reeko, serves up another visceral EP. A taster for their forthcoming debut long player, it draws on classic influences such as Mills and the catalogue of New York label Synewave but also features the contributors' stream lined approach. This is audible on the title track, where scuffled kicks and distorted kicks are underpinned by a rolling, filtered rhythm. On the flip side, "A New Description of Hell" offers an even more brutal take on this style; upping the tempo, the trio drop pounding drums and waves of electronic riffs that keep on building.
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POLEGROUP 56
08 Sep 19
Techno
08 Sep 19
Techno
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Review: Seleccion Natural is the third EP to mark the milestone of Polegroup's 50th release - and it's a thrilling affair. Seleccion Natural, the techno super group comprising Oscar Mulero, Exium and Reeko, starts the release with the atmospheric broken beats of "Necton", before taking the tempo up with the dense "Prokaryotic", which is still led by hammering kicks. On "Replicant Isolation", the trio shift the focus again back to broken beats, but this time the filters are more powerful and the drums steelier. Rounding off the release is "Transmutation": different to the preceding tracks, it's underpinned by a menacing, ebm bass and firing, razor sharp percussion.
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POLEGROUP 0502
14 Sep 18
Techno
14 Sep 18
Techno
Review: As its title suggests, Digital Bonus is an EP designed for non-vinyl fans of Seleccion Natural, the techno super group comprising Reeko, Tensal and Oscar Mulero. The good news for digital DJs is that this is not something that has been rushed out or released as an afterthought. "Negative Selection" catches them in full flight, with tough, steely drums and pounding kicks delivering the kind of killer, punchy techno that they are best known for. "Struggle for Existence" is better still, with Seleccion Natural combing surging chord sequences with a murky, meat bass that will level sound systems. Overall, it's a great digital selection.
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POLEGROUP 0501
02 Jul 18
Techno
02 Jul 18
Techno
Review: To mark the 50th release on PoleGroup, its owner Oscar Mulero has teamed up with Exium and Reeko to create the Selecci?n Natural project. Beginning with the stepping rhythm and bleak acid of "Expression Gnt", this release defines everything that the Spanish label stands for. There's the pile-driving tribal beats and swooshing filters of "Molecular Genetics", while on "Hox Genes", the trio veer into dense broken beats and wild, psychedelic reverberations. "Biological Fitness" is a straighter, more industrial groove, while a reminder that the Spanish label is nothing if not diverse comes in the shape of banging, tranced out peak-time "Random Mutations". Here's to 50 more releases.
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POLEGROUP 050
01 Jun 18
Techno
01 Jun 18
Techno
Review: Pole Recordings, as it was known back in 2014, was one of the first labels to release material by Kwartz aka Mario Campos. Fast forward three years and a number of EPs later, and the Spanish producer returns to Oscar Mulero's renamed imprint. "A Tragic End" starts the release in somewhat reflective mode, as Campos brings together atmospheric textures with a dense, stepping rhythm. There is no musical element on "Right Discipline", where a rolling, hammering groove and metallic drums collide. The release takes an intense turn on "Dissociation of Body and Mind", where waves of electronic fury unfold over a rough, mangled rhythm and pile-driving percussion. By the time he reaches the relatively serene "Theory of Emptiness", Kwartz's fans will be craving its dubbed out nuances.
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POLEGROUP 047
06 Oct 17
Techno
06 Oct 17
Techno
Review: Mind is Fautzi's third album and follows two long players for Soma as well as a brace of EPs on Figure, Warm Up and Pole. It's a mysterious, textured affair that begins with the ambient noise of "Psychopath" before moving into the eerie sound scape menace of "Entering". The Portuguese producer then shifts his attention towards the dance floor - "Subconscious" is a stripped back, minimal groove laden down with eerie soundscapes, while on "Defracted" and "Rentless", he veers down a tunnelling, acid soaked path, like a murky, visceral version of Sandwell District. "Seasick" is darker and more droning, led by a Mike Parker-style bass, but no matter what style he tuns his hand to, Mind demonstrates that Fautzi is a master.
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POLEGROUP 46
16 Jun 17
Techno
16 Jun 17
Techno
Review: Berlin-based Refracted has released on a range of labels, including Silent Season and Slow Life, but no matter where he puts out material, the result is the same - hypnotic, mesmerizing techno. This debut on Polegroup is a case in point; "Expedition 1" takes its cues from Mike Parker and even Hawtin's FUSE project, but Refracted uses 303s to build and build over a fathomic sub-bass and hissing, lean percussion. "Expedition 2" uses a similar approach, as Refracted substitutes the pulsing acid with chiming chords. On the third "Expedition", the sound is more earthy, with heavy kicks providing the backing for Refracted's percussive bursts, while Exium's take on the first "Expedition" completes the release with dubby effects and a cavernous bass.
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POLEGROUP 045
14 Apr 17
Techno
14 Apr 17
Techno
Reeko / Various
Review: Oscar Mulero's Polegroup label closes the year with a mammoth compilation that defines the current state of the techno nation. As Unknown Landscapes shows, it is a diverse place. There's droning ambience from Daphne RXX, while Reeko, Reggy Van Oers and Mike Parker deliver bleep-heavy, hypnotic groove that draw on the influence of F.U.S.E and Sandwell District. Heads-down loopy fare is also catered for - with the spiky percussion and bleak filters of Jonas Koop's "Fu Factor" standing out - and the form also revisits the rough, analogue sound of the 90s thanks to Karl Bult and American scene veteran DJ Hyperactive's contributions.
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POLEGROUP 42CD
09 Dec 16
Techno
09 Dec 16
Techno
Played by: Juno Recommends Techno
Review: Hector Sandoval's Tensal has been brewing the brood since 2014 and he's played a significant role in shaping the current aesthetic of Developer's Modularz label in recent years. Closely aligned with Modularz is Oscar Mulero's formidable Pole Group, and now Tensal brings his aggression to the label for the first time. The EP provides two "Cause" and two "Effects" tracks with both halves definable by their sound; "Cause 1" is cold and bleepy, Cause 2" a little warmer and electronic, while "Effect 1" is some serious heat for the Tresor vault. But for us all roads lead to "Effect 2", a bombastic wave of techno terror with a deathly arpeggio of staccato synths. Bomb.
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POLEGROUP 039
05 Aug 16
Techno
05 Aug 16
Techno
Played by: N-TER
Review: It's been a few years since Christian Wunsch last released on Polegroup, but Mutation shows that he has lost none of his potency. "Organic Molecules" is a dense, drum-heavy workout with little else than clicking, steely percussion joining the monstrous kicks. "Cosmic Radiation" is equally dense, with rickety slivers of percussion bouncing off a central bass and drum combination of concrete weight. By contrast, "Chemical Reactions" has a loose, almost organic rhythm, like the straightest, most clubby iteration of Cosmic / Lost Recordings. Finally, "Microorganisms" sounds like Wunsch has been listening to a lot of Mike Parker, with pneumatic bass and dark bleeps prevailing.
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POLEGROUP 038
10 Jun 16
Techno
10 Jun 16
Techno
Various
Review: Oscar Mulero's other label celebrates its fifth anniversary with this mammoth compendium. For fans of the Spanish imprint's club techno there is no shortage of material to get excited about; the Lewis Fautzi remix of Exium's "Nucleoid" is a hypnotic groove par excellence, its confluence of acid and droning pulses arcing to a tantalising climax, while Christian Wunsch and Exium once again represent the tough industrial and dub-meets-noise sound of the label on "Emission Lines" and "Biolag" respectively. However, there is also a more musical, reflective side to Poelgroup's sound. In this regard, 5 Years delivers most impressively with the chilling strings of the Architectural project from Reeko as well as the Spanish producer's cinematic, break beat-led reshape of Jonas Kopp's "M31".
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POLEGROUPBOX 1
09 May 16
Techno
09 May 16
Techno
Review: Spanish techno veteran Oscar Mulero goes deeper than usual on Second Skin. The title track is underpinned by a typical Mulero stepping rhythm, but has he added feature of chords flowing and churning overhead. In a similar vein is "Rotar". Based on a straighter arrangement, firing percussion and a rumbling groove underpin synths that soar and swoop like autumn leaves in the wind. The mood changes for the darker with the remixes. Architectural's two versions of the title track are characterised by jagged percussion and intense acid burns, while Tensal's takes on "Rotar" are spring-loaded with churning filters and tough kicks.
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POLEGROUP 037
11 Mar 16
Techno
11 Mar 16
Techno
Review: Spain's Reeko returns to the dance floor for his latest excursion on Oscar Mulero's label. Tough, tribal beats, rolling grooves and insistent rhythms are on offer across these four tracks. However, to describe Reeko's music in such simplistic terms is to do it a disservice. Each track on this release has an extra layer, an added dimension that makes it stand out from the increasingly crowded tough techno scene. On "Empty Streets", this manifests itself in the form of niggling percussion, the title track is characterised by its tough tribal beats and best of all, "Dishonest Thoughts" resonates to gut-wrenching sub-bass.
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POLEGROUP 033
31 Aug 15
Techno
31 Aug 15
Techno
Review: Exium continues his strong run of releases. As this four-tracker so ably demonstrates, what's really impressive about the Spanish producer is his ability to integrate existing tropes with his own sound. On "Monopoles", this approach sees him fuse a Function-style linear pulse with a repetitive vocal sample, while "Magnetic Flux" goes further and deeper into this direction, a dank, tunneling rhythm led by tonal bleeps and blips. On the title track, he changes direction again, with the kind of drones that one would associate with Hospital Productions fused with shaking percussion, while "Early Life" brings the release to a close to the sound of Mills-inspired, panel-beating drums.
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POLEGROUP 032
15 Jun 15
Techno
15 Jun 15
Techno
Review: Spanish techno stalwart Oscar Mulero trailed this fourth album in as many years with Dualistic Concept, a set of typically dark, hypnotic and ghostly remixes. That can be found on the second disc, and ties in neatly with the robust, forthright and atmospheric sound of the album itself. Muscle & Mind has moments of beauty, of course - see the blissful ambience of "Mental Causation" and enveloping chords and found sounds of "Unconscious" - but for the most part it's concerned with the power of rhythm. Few are better at wringing maximum intensity from loop-heavy jams, and Mulero's love of dusty white noise, trippy melodies and skittering percussion guarantees variety in the grooves throughout.
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POLEGROUP 031
20 Apr 15
Techno
20 Apr 15
Techno
Review: Oscar Mulero and Christian Wunsch's Spherical Coordinates collaboration may have a home away from home in Belgian techno titans Token, but their HQ will always be Pole Group. After two releases on Token, Mulero and Wunsch return to Spain for their fifth Spherical Coordinates record together and another masterclass in burrowing club constructions. Those techno selectors whose every weekend is spent in the booths testing the soundsystems and dancefloors of basements and warehouses will naturally gravitate towards these four cuts, where relentless drums and deep, ever evolving atmospheres rule at large.
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POLEGROUP 027
10 Nov 14
Techno
10 Nov 14
Techno
Various
Review: Oscar Mulero's label consistently puts out forward thinking techno - and this compilation is no exception. It may start with a surprise for some fans of the Spanish producer's broken beat sounds, with Reeko's "Miracle" delivering ghostly synths over a snaking bass line and Exium's "Mantra" featuring the kind of warbling trance melodies that one would associate with deep Detroit techno. Mulero's own "Tidal Acceleration" heralds a shift back towards more typical sounds as distorted, mangled drums support cold bleeps and a stepping rhythm, while Rolando drops a firing, percussive take on Exium's "Complex". Still, there is enough room for diversity as the skewed metallic rhythms and broken beats of Christian Wunsch's "Complete Surrender" demonstrate.
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POLEGROUPDC 1
20 Oct 14
Techno
20 Oct 14
Techno
Review: Spanish outpost Polegroup is the archetypal techno label, and Kwartz is a purveyor of the finest techno workouts. After having released artists such as the US' Developer, the nomadic Kwartz touches down on the label with two daring and sublimely bleak tracks for the midnight hour. Both "Form & Void" and "Breakage" are perfect Berghain tracks for the likes of Dettman or Klock, but that's not all - Reeko and Exium remix the former and the latter respectively, turning up the power considerably and making things that little bit heavier.
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POLEGROUP 026
15 Sep 14
Techno
15 Sep 14
Techno
Review: Oscar Mulero's Polegroup calls upon a storied cast of producers to remix Exuim's 2013 album, which begins with this EP's highlight: a fresh, post-punky - supremely techno sounding - Silent Servant remix to "The 12th Planet". Jonas Kopp's remix to "Nucleoid" is a deep vamp of circulating darkness for the warehouse set, while Oscar Mulero turns in a dubby, liquid-coated production of throbbing bass frequencies when reworking "Massless Particle". The digital version of this EP presents two bonus remixes and the first comes from Dark Esser's Tripeo alias with an edit of "Dronid". It's both booming and calm while Mulero provides a second subterranean option of "Massless Particle". Tripeo's official remix of "Parallel Computing" completes the EP with a combination of bleep and chime sequences wavering on top of watery basslines and industrial atmospheres. Something here for every techno DJ.
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POLEGROUP 025
21 Jul 14
Techno
21 Jul 14
Techno
