Otik continues his streak of innovative, club-shaking productions with 'Retrograde' and 'X-Dream' on Aus Music, showcasing his signature blend of atmospheric depth and bass-heavy impact. 'Retrograde' is a prime example of his attack on the genre, pairing swirling melodies with pounding techno rhythms. Its bassline is pure destruction, rumbling beneath ethereal synths that add a hypnotic, cinematic feel. 'X-Dream' takes a different route, fusing a stomping beat with delicate classical piano notes. The contrast is striking--raw energy meets elegance, making for a truly unique listening experience. Otik's ability to merge heavy, club-ready basslines with unexpected musicality is on full display here, ensuring both impact and emotion. With 'Retrograde' and 'X-Dream', Otik proves once again that his music isn't just functional--it's forward-thinking, deeply creative, and designed to create special moments in any set.
Mika Vainio's 1994 debut as Ø, Metri, stands as a cornerstone of minimal techno. Arriving the same year as his debut with Pan Sonic, this album captures Vainio's singular vision--cold, precise and deeply hypnotic. Unlike his contemporaries refining Detroit and Chicago's blueprints, Vainio stripped techno to its barest elements, forging a sound that remains both cerebral and visceral. The defining moment here is 'Lasi', a stark, skeletal composition where crisp hi-hats, clipped claps, and ghostly bleeps form a spectral groove--haunting, yet undeniably danceable. Tracks like 'Kuvio' and 'Twin Bleebs' reduce rhythm to a mesmerising interplay of shifting tones and pulsing bass, echoing the optical illusions of Op Art in sonic form. Elsewhere, 'Radio' delves into murky ambient textures, while 'JL-CSG' and 'Erit Samat' flirt with pure sound experiments. Vainio's music was never about conventional club functionality; it was about distillation, tension and atmosphere. Metri remains an essential artifact of minimalist electronics, a testament to a visionary artist whose influence still reverberates decades later.
exican producers The Jonjo and Max Kracer - known collectively as Damo Mementto - describe their music as a blend of indie dance, electronic rock and Italo disco, while Anna Forest, according to her biography, "loves to fuse indie dance with psychedelic, driving, acid frequencies". Put the two together and you get 'Futturo Desconocido', a track that SOOO wanted to be made in 1983 it's just not true. Choose from the unabashed 80s Euro stomp of the Original mix, a darker, more techno-inspired pass from Damon Jee or - the pick to these ears - a slinkier, groovier, progressive house-leaning rub from Rigopolar.
Secret Teachings, Crosstown Rebels' founder Damian Lazarus's more adventurous and off-kilter imprint, has offered up some genuinely brilliant and frequently hard to pigeonhole material since it was founded in 2022. The label has chosen to kick-start its 2025 campaign by offering up a debut single from La Pointe, a hybrid Swiss/American trio with roots in Zurich's techno clubs of the 1990s and New York's after-hours scene. In its original form, 'Umbra' is deliciously hard to describe and pigeonhole - like a spaced-out, 21st century take on New York punk-funk legends Konk mixed with elements of psychedelic nu-disco and A Love From Outer Space style low-tempo chuggers. It comes backed with two contrasting reworks: a twisted, effects-laden, IDM-informed rewire by Nathan Fake, and a hypnotic, locked-in, dub disco-meets-Arabic-acid tweak by the effervescent Jonny Rock.
Ben Sun's latest work delivers a varied exploration of house music, blending warmth, rhythm and introspection. 'Bootstand (Strange Oil)' sets a tranquil mood, weaving soft, atmospheric textures with delicate piano touches. Its serene energy makes it perfect for reflective moments. 'Ten Thousand Shells' brings a brighter tone, with uplifting house grooves that radiate positivity, creating a sense of introspective joy. Meanwhile, 'The Khan's Reverie' shifts the energy, infusing tribal rhythms and a more vibrant pace, giving the track a dynamic edge. For a more laid-back vibe, 'Living Things' shines with a sunny disposition, offering smooth, deep house tones ideal for relaxed settings. Wrapping up the highlights, 'Autumn Phase' channels a Balearic spirit reminiscent of early 90s house, providing a chilled and nostalgic feel. Each track flows with personality, offering a versatile collection that moves effortlessly between reflective and upbeat moods. Fans of relaxing, atmospheric house will find something to savour in this finely crafted selection.
Laurent Garnier loves an expansive collection of DJ mixes. Back in the early 2000s, he released an epic, multi-mix affair, Excess Luggage, featuring a mixture of live recordings of him at different venues, his legendary 2002 mix for BBC Radio 1 and a more chilled mix referencing his radio shows. Two decades on, Fabric has given the French legend the chance to do it again - though this time round each of the four mixes he's compiled are available as digital compilations of unmixed tracks. 'On The Way Home' is Garnier in atmospheric, post-club mode, offering up a genuinely brilliant blend of heady ambient jazz (Aja Monet), dusty jazz-tronica (Adriano Koch), future dub (Dialog), blazed neo-soul (Selassie), immersive soundscapes (Niecy Blues), DJ Cam-esque jazzy trip-hop (Phiorio), fractured electronica (Duckett), folktronica (Loma) and much more besides.
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