The October 2018 Mix - Part 2

This mix has multiple personalities, no doubt due to the many different styles selected during this latter half of October. Including deep, melodic, clubby, funky, hard, scary and downright weird techno tunes, this is a session that covers a lot of ground. 

BEC - No Regrets (2000 and One Remix)

BEC is a new face in techno coming from the UK, whose new track No Regrets gets remixed by Amsterdam techno stalwart and 100% Pure Records owner 2000 and One. True to his in-your-face style, this rework packs a mean punch that keeps you on your toes.

Ken Ishii & Drunken Kong - Shift

Visionary techno legend Ken Ishii joins hot new talent Drunken Kong in the studio to produce the Fatal Error EP, on Tronic Music. Two blistering tracks that combine the otherworldly style of Ishii with the raw energy of Drunken Kong, featuring opener Shift´s steamrolling bass and funky beats.

Juliet Fox - Robotic Mode

Robotic Mode is truly reminiscent of a cold, detached world of machines thanks to its tight marching beat, soulless voice samples and simple, hypnotic synth stabs.

Truncate - Dial (Heiko Laux Remix)

Truncate is by now a name associated with underground techno, focusing on the percussive elements of the style while instilling them with uncompromising and unexpected twists and turns that set his sound apart. Remixing his tracks should be a daunting undertaking, one that German producer Heiko Laux tackles with gusto, further enhancing original track Dial with a jacking groove and swinging attitude.

Alex Mine & Binaryh - Pandora

Italy meets Brazil in this collaboration between Alex Mine and Binaryh, resulting in a sprawling, cavernous and chilling track, combining Mine´s penchant for dark beats and melodies with Binaryh´s more theatrical tendencies. Out of the Prometheus EP on Comade Music.

Yan Cook - Time Bend

This Ukraine producer is a non-stop factory of thick, booming tracks, sometimes hard and grinding and others, like Time Bend, driving and mysterious.

Reset Robot - Aposiopesis

Reset Robot returns to We Are The Brave with his Aposiopesis EP, featuring a title track that carries a solid beat among ethereal synths and voice samples.

Forward Strategy Group - The Beast Uncaged

What better place for Forward Strategy Group´s mechanical, industrial techno than the label Mord, home to some of the scariest sounds you´ll find on the harder edge of the style. The Beast Uncaged is raw, twisted and dirty, with cold, dank breath, you can hear the whip scream on its back, and it doesn´t stop until it´s all over.

Tripeo & Cadans - Rave Tune

Tripeo & Cadans´ Rave Tune starts with a dramatic intro that seems to rise from the abyss to become a driving techno tune, including string melodies all throughout. Part of Rekids´ Special Projects series.

Florian Meindl - Free Fall

Versatile as well as prolific, Florian Meindl is a producer that is able to keep the groove no matter the style he tackles, as he shows in Free Fall, the title track off his new EP on Flash Recordings. Techno and breaks shape and transform each other into a deep and intense ride.

Randomer & Cadans - Anchor (Len Faki Hardspace Remix)

Len Faki continues his remix-oriented series on LF RMX 010 with four tough remixes, of which we´ve selected the drifting, sparse version of Randomer and Cadans´ original tune Anchor.

JoeFarr - Dedicate (Emmanuel Remix)

Wonderfully off-kilter, JoeFarr´s Dedicate is a testament to this producer´s unique view and style when crafting techno music, fusing all kinds of different elements to surround the catchy melody that leads the track. ARTS label owner Emmanuel gives the original a run for its money, delivering a solid remix that seems to drift in and out of consciousness.

Spektre - Without Warning

Tough, dark and melodic, Spektre´s Without Warning is techno as its most hypnotic, thanks to a thundering beat, heavenly synths, and enough reverb to drown a cathedral. Released as an EP by Voltage Records featuring two remixes by D-Deck and Thomas Schumacher.

Chymera - Noise Tool

Irish producer Chymera brings us Noise Tool, his latest release on Maeve, featuring a progressive, slow burning title track, which opens with a subtle kick and then builds up to become an all- enveloping monster.

VSK, Symmetrical Behaviour and Conrad Van Orton - Deformation Gradient

Deformation Gradient, the chilling second cut of the Distorting Influence EP from VSK, Symmetrical Behaviour and Conrad Van Orton, is a dark, grinding track that threatens to fall apart, only to come back stronger, with an impending feeling of doom heightened by the spectral sounds in the background.

Christian Smith & John Selway - Royal Movement

The long-standing collaboration between two of techno´s most respected names, Christian Smith and John Selway, continues in full effect and power, as attested by their latest EP on Tronic Music, Count Zero Part II. Royal Movement, the second cut, carries so much weight in its blanketing synths that it creates its own gravity.

The October Mix, Part 1

This first October session focuses on the melodic side of techno, with some hard tracks peppered in for good measure. We´ve selected 15 great tracks over the first half of the month, and I hope this mix does them proper justice. Enjoy!

Tracklist:

1.- Kevin de Vries - Aratak

2.- D-Deck & Alex Mine - New Odyssey

3.- Ron Costa - Touma Perception

4.- Juxta Position - Bad Folder

5.- Maxim Dark - Freedom Action

6.- Lewis. - The Resurrection

7.- Sian - Paper

8.- Metodi Hristov - Sofia

9.- Ilija Djokovic - Helix

10.- uhnknwn - Starlight Unit

11.- ANNA - When I Am Only A Dream

12.- Victor Ruiz & Thomas Schumacher - Wonder

13.- Tom Hades - Cloned

14.- Par Grindvik - Layday (Mark Broom Remix)

15.- Noir - Undone

Juxta Position - Bad Folder

Juxta Position takes us on an expedition to the deepest realms of techno in Bad Folder, part of Figure Jams 005, his split EP with Pablo Mateo on Figure. With a driving, stomping beat, the track layers on bouncing stabs that play off each other, in a sort of call-and-answer fashion.

Victor Ruiz & Thomas Schumacher - Wonder

With four tracks that range from grinding acid to symphonic techno, Victor Ruiz and Thomas Schumacher´s Apollo II EP showcases the duo´s versatility at the studio. Opening the B-side of the record is Wonder, a tough yet melodic cut that takes the booming beats to a higher level, thanks to a dramatic string breakdown.

D-Deck & Alex Mine - New Odyssey

D-Deck and Alex Mine join forces once again, this time to produce the Icon EP, out on Phobiq Recordings, with three tracks of dark, intense techno. Closing the EP is New Odyssey, a track that feels like a chilling gust of wind thanks to stormy, enveloping synths.

Par Grindvik - Layday (Mark Broom Remix)

UK Techno label Sleaze Records celebrates its 10-year anniversary by releasing an EP with four of its most notorious tracks remixed by top producers. Among remixes of originals by Rebekah, Bas Mooy and Flug, there´s Mark Broom´s take on Layday, a 2014 track from Par Grindvik. Equal parts melodic journey and jacked-up techno workout, this remix is sure to keep you guessing right up to the end.

Metodi Hristov - Sofia

Metodi Hristov crafts a powerful and melodic sonic landscape in Sofia, the title track of his latest EP on Terminal M. A jumpy bassline and flying hi-hats provide the bedrock that anchors the floating synths above, bringing both the fury and the drama.

Ron Costa - Touma Perception

Ron Costa is a name associated with deep, fat grooves that make his tracks stand out in the techno scene. He now turns out the Touma Perception EP on Octopus, in which the title track provides the fun with very satisfying and melodic beats.

ANNA - When I Am Only A Dream

ANNA keeps hammering out the beats in her own unique style, this time in Kompakt Extra´s Speicher 105 EP. Two trippy versions of the original track Remembrance open the record, while When I Am Only A Dream provides a straighter-edged techno banger with lots of small details to watch out for.

Tom Hades - Cloned

Hard, grinding beats are what´s in store for us in Tom Hades´ Cloned, the opening track of his latest EP on Elevate. An abrasive sound dominates the track, piling on the intensity until it all comes loose in its latter half.

Ilija Djokovic - Helix

Serbian DJ and producer Ilija Djokovic has been climbing the international techno ranks, gaining support from some of the most respected names in the scene. In his Epica EP, on Filth On Acid, he gives a taste of his melodic and enveloping sound, which takes a harder edge in second cut Helix, thanks to an unrelenting rhythm and overpowering synths.

Maksim Dark - Freedom Action

Maksim Dark´s unique electro - techno style has become his unmistakable trademark, as well as the darkness evoked in his productions, which nevertheless keeps evolving and adding new elements with each new release. On Freedom Action, he lays on a jungle-type bassline that blankets his martial rhythms and gives the track a well-cushioned back end.

Kevin de Vries - Aratak

When it comes to melodic, progressive techno, Afterlife is the place to go, as Aratak, the latest EP from Kevin de Vries, proves, especially in its title track. Synths laden with effects carry the tune while a solid and robust rhythm section provides a steady base from which to fly off.

uhnknwn - Starlight Unit

uhnknwn is a fresh new face in techno of whom we have absolutely no idea where he comes from, or even how he looks like, but, judging by his Alpha In The Warm EP out on We Are The Brave, it´s likely we´ll be hearing more from him anytime soon. Third cut Starlight Unit is a slinky, dark and funky little ditty worth checking out.

Sian - Paper

Sian kicks off the new Warehouse Series from Octopus Records with a 5-track EP full of huge kicks and expansive sounds that should fill any warehouse quite nicely. Closing the EP is Paper, a dry, piercing, rock-hard slice of techno.

Lewis. - The Resurrection

Berlin imprint Dense Audio continue their streak of great techno releases with The Resurrection, an EP from producer Lewis., featuring two original tracks and a remix by Brian Gros. First cut is the title track, which ambles along quite nicely thanks to fat, dense grooves and washed-out voice samples.

Noir - Undone

Noir is one of the hardest working men in techno, a producer, label owner and international DJ who keeps exploring the boundaries of the style, especially in its darkest corners. With Undone, he brings the acid into techno, while maintaining a sub-surface vibe throughout the tune.