Layton Giordani - Black Mirror

With a synth riff that harks back to the glory days of rave, Black Mirror, from the Phase II EP,  Layton Giordani´s latest effort on Drumcode, is a moving track that recalls dark, foggy forests lit up by stroboscopic lights.

Doctor Boom - Shapeshifter

The mighty KMS Records brings us a slice of straight-on, banging techno from this Florida producer, DJ, label head and label A&R, carrying several layers of voice and sound that twist and turn giving it a mutating vibe, while keeping a heavy groove.

Maceo Plex - Mutant Robotics

Maceo Plex continues his Mutant series with the melodic Mutant Robotics, on Ellum. The producer has created a winning concept that has given us some of the best techno music of the year so far, and this track is no exception.

Pleasurekraft - Primordial

This producer duo continues on their quest for the crunchiest techno with Primordial, their latest release on their Kraftek imprint. The title track unleashes a ten-ton beat amid very unsettling synths, which are then all put together after the break thanks a a sinister voice sample.

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.

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 Saunderson Brothers - Under The Bridge

Dantiez and Damarii Saunderson carry more techno in their blood than a week-long squat party, and it´s because of two reasons: they´re natives of Detroit, the city that gave birth to the style, and they´re both sons of Kevin Saunderson, a part of the "Holy Trinity" of Detroit and of techno history itself. Released by the legendary KMS, their track Under The Bridge continues on the great legacy of their predecessors, with booming kicks, stabbing synths and an irresistible groove.

Ambivalent & Alden Tyrell - Dutchless

With a low frequency grumble sticking to the chugging rhythms and synth stabs washing over them like angry waves, Dutchless brings techno to the edge of darkness and light and peeks at the abyss, coming back with solid footing and firm determination. Featured in Ambivalent and Alden Tyrell´s Detente EP, on Cocoon Records.

Coyu & Green Velvet - The Last Generation

Hard beats and hypnotic vocals are the results of The Last Generation, a collaboration between Barcelona techno producer and Suara boss Coyu, and prolific Chicago dance music visionary Green Velvet. Both artists bring their A-game to this track and do not disappoint.

 

Shane Fontane - Mystic

Shane Fontane is a man on a mission: to craft psychedelic, mystical and deep techno tunes and release them on his San Francisco-based label A Deep Within. Mystic is a track that proves that Fontane is dead-serious about the hypnotic power of techno grooves: with uplifting synths and an irresistible beat, he draws us in and compels us to stay in his hazy domain.

Adam Beyer & Layton Giordani - Rome Future

Swedish techno hero and Drumcode label boss, Adam Beyer has been an ever-present figure of the scene since the mid-90´s. This time he meets with up-and-coming New York DJ and producer Layton Giordani to produce Rome Future, a deep, expansive tune that will draw you in thanks to its intense, thunderous breakdown. Part of the Space Date EP, which features an excellent track with Green Velvet as well.

Maceo Plex - Mutant Radio

Maceo Plex continues to impress with each successive release, his creative take on techno and house is apparent in Mutant Radio, part of the Mutant 2 EP on his own Ellum Black. A club-ready rhythm base is joined by disembodied, spectral notes that give it an unexpected otherworldly quality, while metallic synth stabs keep the groove going.

Assailants - Effort 8

Ben Sims and Truncate, two of techno´s most venerated producers, join forces to both create music together as Assailants and to start the Obscurity Is Infinite label to release their output under that name. Needless to say, their first EP Chase Sequences is a jackin´ powerhouse sure to wreak havoc on any dance floor. Effort 8 pairs a killer modulated bassline with distorted beats and a recurring vocal sample, using repetition to pound audiences into submission.

Person of Interest - Neurogenesis

Multi-faceted American DJ and producer Person of Interest is a hard to pinpoint artist, thanks to his unique approach to dance music. Neurogenesis is his latest release on L.I.E.S. and includes three tracks, of which the first two are quirky and weird explorations on sound while the title cut translates the weirdness to a steady beat and adds a whimsical melody, resulting in a completely different sound for a techno tune.

Octave One - Crank

Detroit techno is at the root of all the music reviewed here, since it´s the daddy of all techno that exists, has existed and will exist, no doubt about it. Octave One have been instrumental in developing and shaping this style, and after many, many years they keep being its true ambassadors, as evidenced by their latest LP, Endustry, on their on 430 West Records. A true master class on what techno should be, their unmistakable style is pumping, full of energy and second to none all through the album´s 8 tracks, and all we can do is shut up and listen (and dance). The industrial menace of Crank is a fine example of the brand of techno this outfit (comprised mainly by brothers Lenny and Lawrence Burden, but sometimes joined by their three other siblings) is able to churn out.

Maceo Plex - Mutant DX feat. Maars

Maceo Plex is back at it, after last years´ excellent Solar LP, and this time he brings his wife (aka Maars) for three driving, dark and hypnotic cuts of melodic techno. Released by German label Correspondant Records, this EP further demonstrates that this producer and DJ does not wish to box himself into any specific genre.