Techno powerhouse Alan Fitzpatrick teams up with Reset Robot to deliver a varied, impactful release. "Feel The Rhythm" is a tough track, with the duo layering a repetitive vocal over pounding kicks and rasping hi hats. In contrast, "Phantom" sees the pair go deeper, with melancholic hooks unfolding over a similarly weighted rhythm track, while on "Moon Bird", rickety percussion is fused with lush synths without the signature Fitzpatrick drums losing their dance floor lustre. Label owner Marco Faraone also delivers a remix of "Rhythm", which sees him toughen up the drums and add a layer of driving percussion to the original arrangement.
A Sagittariun has made it his mission to release distinctive dance music, and he continues that journey with Strange Brew. Opening track "The Mind Blanks At The Glare" is a wonderfully woozy break beat track, smothered in warbling acid and featuring evocative keys. "Don't Look In The Freezer" sees the UK producer venturing once again down an unexplored path - rave samples and dubbed out chords are combined with trippy 303s to create a mesmerising track. Rounding off this release is the aptly named "Cosmic Trigger": more dance floor-focused than the other tracks, its tingling melodies and growling bass mark it out as another idiosyncratic A Sagittariun jam.
La Collectionneuse is David Lieske aka Carsten Jost's third artist album on his Dial imprint, and it sees him continue to map out an understated but distinctive vision. All ten tracks are numbered and named after the release, with "La Collectionneuse 1" and "4" both led by stripped back grooves, and "2" and "3" venturing into deeper, US style house thanks to their shuffling drums and reflective textures. Jost's long-documented affinity with techno's more esoteric side is also audible here - "7" is a slow-building affair punctuated by subtle claps and shimmering melodies - while showing his flexible production skills, on "9", the German producer brings atmospheric sounds to bear on a warbling electro rhythm.
Hot on the heels of her collaboration with Posthuman on Super Rhythm Trax, Lauren Flax drops this old school bomb. "Sweat (Techno Mix)" is a stripped back, jacking track, powered by a purring bass and gurgling acid bleeps, while Flax delivers a more frenetic interpretation of this sound with the wonky tones and high-paced jack of "606Xox". The release also showcases Flax's appreciation of electro - the aptly named "Sweat (Electro Mix)" resounds to rolling 808s - while there's a more experimental side to her approach represented, as "She Can Get The Strap" features a slowed down minimal rhythm and New York house style vocal samples.
WSNWG showcases collaborations between label chief Rodhad and a variety of like-minded artists, all recorded in the warm creative environment of his Berlin studio. This release sees him team up with modular synth extraordinaire JakoJako for a full-length titled In Vere. Whether it"s the dreamy IDM of "Helonias" or the evocative ambient soundscape of Orchis, this release is largely experimental much unlike the label"s previous output. However, the duo make room for some dancefloor oriented material, such as the pummelling main room cut "Lilium" or the deep and linear minimal techno of "Passeri" (Floor mix).
Giorgio Gigli follows his 2019 Space Whales album with Bichord on Planet Rhythm with another set of collaborative works. Working with Paul Ritch, Gigli delivers pulsating, throbbing grooves, shot through with ominous, acid-led menace on "1", "2" and "3". Through his collaboration with Francesco Visconti aka VSK, Gigli then proceeds to turn his focus on more dubbed out aspects of his dark techno sound, which results in the building chord intensity of "Silent Age" and "Hidden Conspiracy", with the partnership culminating on the mesmerising "Memories of an Unconnect Era". The final part of this collaborative work is with Ness, and here the release takes on a deeper aspect, with the evocative "Erosion" impressing most.