Review: The seventh instalment of the Bangers series features a collection of club-primed workouts. On the reshape of his own "Computer Technology", Luca Morris teams up with Mozzy Rekorder to deliver a throbbing, pulsating groove, populated by stuttering vocals and rickety percussion. In contrast, the
DJ Dextro take on "Unbalance" follows a tougher approach, with insistent chord stabs unfolding over dense, pummelling kicks. Kaspar's "Dreams" isn't as frenetic, but it doesn't lack in intensity, with razor sharp hi hats guiding the listener through churning filters and brooding bass. Audio State (RO) opts for a different approach on "This Is The Way", with rolling snares and break beats combined to underpin a grinding, tearing bass.
Review: Following on from 2020's Headrush, outing Alex Stein returns to Terminal M with another impactful two-track release. Like the mythical bird that it derives its name from, "The Phoenix" rises gradually and then soars, with Stein fusing sweeping synths with ghostly vocal samples together and letting these elements play out over a throbbing, pulsating bass and well-timed snare rolls. On "Rise", he opts for a similar approach: using a rolling, menacing bass as the backdrop, the Berlin-based producer conjures up crystalline synth lines that build into euphoria-inducing crescendos. Both tracks are brilliantly arranged and executed and are sure to create dance floor mayhem.
Review: Monika Kruse deserves kudos for signing up this four-tracker from emerging producers Vikthor & Oscar Aguilera. Drawing on elements as seemingly disparate as 90s trance, Oliver Huntemann-style grainy club tracks and techno's deeper side, this dynamic new duo wrap all of these elements into rolling tribal grooves that are sure to work with a variety of DJs. In particular, the dubbed out "Still Dreams", which progresses seamlessly into dreamy break beats, is impressive. Meanwhile, at the other end of the intensity spectrum, "Set Your Free" - a solo effort from Vikthor - and the title track provide the kind of bass-led club techno that's intrinsically linked to Terminal M.
Review: Fresh from the release of their Where We Start album on Tronic last year, Drunken Kong deliver four dramatic tracks for Terminal M. "Dark Moon" is a rolling, peak-time affair, featuring trippy synth lines and a grinding bass, while on "In All Of This", the Japanese pair go down a tribal route, with a bubbling bass and hissing percussion providing the backdrop for a dystopian, sawtooth riff to insinuate itself into the arrangement. "Trace" sees Drunken Kong invoke the spirt of late 90s tribal techno but with a twist, as vocal snippets and recycled rave melodies are integrated with cavernous kicks, while "Detached" is a house-focused track, served up with psychedelic melodies.
Review: It's been a while since Aniello Federico aka Hollen appeared on Terminal M, and Interspace is a reminder of his capabilities. The title track is a bubbling, pulsating track, led by grainy electronic riffs and featuring highly-impactful breakdowns and builds. On "Out Of The Tunnel", Federico opts for a slightly more measured approach, with cavernous riffs and a hypnotic bass prevailing , while "Off The World" sees Hollen draw on house music for inspiration to deliver a tracky, disco-infused workout that has shades of DJ Sneak. "Anonymous" offers a different perspective, with Federico deploying sublime synths to conjure up a more evocative, Ibizan summer-style mood.
Review: Alex Stein follows last year's Rebirth release on Terminal M with a four-tracker that has already won support from Umek and Oliver Huntemann. It's not hard to understand why the latter producer is a fan of "Headrush": the title track is built on a belching, ominous bass and rickety percussion, with these elements providing the backdrop for a crescendo of synth builds. "Line of Sight" is more musical, with Stein weaving tranced-out melodic builds and tonal bleeps into his nocturnal, bass-led sound. Meanwhile, on "Had Matter", Stein veers into a more full-on sound, deploying a hoover-style bass and a moody vocal sample that spiral to a heady climax.
Review: Berg follows last year's Bright EP with another distinctive dance floor release. The title track revolves around the type of tribal techno that is Terminal M's stock in trade. However, it stands out thanks to the warbling acid and woozy bass that support a ponderous vocal sample that's woven through the arrangement. Factor in the track's epic breakdown and there is no doubt that it will achieve its desired effect. On "Hope", Berg delivers another unusual take on big room techno: populated by tranced out slivers and underpinned by a gnarly bass, it makes for another unusual club track. Label boss Monika Kruse delivers a more linear take on the title track without sacrificing the interplay between its most effective elements.
Review: There's no prizes for guessing the direction that this split release on Monika Kruse's label takes. Right from the get-go, Joyhauser sets the pace with the dark, rolling "Killer Queen", a heads-down affair led by a buzzing bass. On Patrik Berg's "Galactica", a more frenetic tempo prevails, with the Terminal M artist delivering a master class in warbled acid builds, which make for an intense peak time affair. In contrast, Teenage Mutants & Moonwalk draw from the legacy of electronic disco to help shape the epic synth-led builds of "Urania", before Skober brings the release to a rolling, hardcore riff-sampling climax on the aptly-named "Raving Ethos".
Review: Since first pitching up on Terminal M back in 2015, Metodi Hristov has become one of the Monika Kruse-helmed label's most consistent artists. Predictably, his latest effort ticks all the right boxes. The title track, in particular, is something of a throbbing late night treat, with the Bulgarian producer wrapping a forthright, arpeggio-driven techno group with creepy melody lines and trippy, Eastern European tech-house effects. Then "Sirius", a kind of "Plastic Dreams"/Romanian tech-house/8-bit videogame music fusion, and the thrillingly heavy and bouncy "Prometheus", whose echo-laden stabs and dubbed-out riffs help to create an infectious late night groove.
Review: Has it really been fifteen years already for Monika Kruse's Terminal M imprint? Gosh time flies but oh well; let's celebrate and commemorate in style. There's various moods and grooves on offer here. Anna's ?Where Are You Now?? is a dark and tunnelling techno number with enough funk for summertime dancefloors. Pig & Dan are still around and showing off their ever evolving style; this time teaming up with Mark Reeve for some sweet progressive house on ?Daydreamer?. Staying on the euphoric proggy tip also is Henri Matisse with the surefire ?Gear?. The power trio of Luca M, Just2 and Alex Rise gives us the sexy rolling tech house of ?No Obstacles? that you could imagine Richie Hawtin or Carlo Lio smashing out at peak time on the island.
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