Some weeks ago I slid into the DMs of one of the most acclaimed Slovenian DJs in search of one of his more obscure records from the turn of the millennium which isn’t accessible anywhere online. To my surprise, he immediately messaged me back, and a discussion ensued on how he owns neither a vinyl nor a WAV file of that specific record. From today’s perspective, it seems surreal to think an artist wouldn’t have access to their own work. But that was the reality. Countless times I’ve come across a YouTube comment that reads something like: ‘Hey, I produced this like 25 years ago, haven’t heard it in a while.’
Two decades or so later, most of the records from that period are still inaccessible to the public, except via Discogs sellers and good-willed private record collectors who’ve uploaded them online. Compared to the pioneering 80s and early 90s, eras that have been lauded and historicised ad infinitum, with countless compilations, reissues and digital remasters, the early new millennium era is still relatively uncharted territory. The large majority of labels from that period perished and are now long forgotten, their catalogues rarely revisited. But listening to current mixes across the DJ circuit, there’s currently huge hype around the aesthetics of 00s techno and house. If someone decided to put some of these catalogues on Bandcamp, I predict they’d see plenty of traffic.
I’ve discussed the importance of private YouTube channels and personal vinyl collections before, but this tweet prompted me to revisit this topic. If it wasn’t for those people who simply decided to digitise their record collections and upload them online, we wouldn’t have access to this music. They are, consciously or unconsciously, doing archivists’ work, and offering younger generations a way to build our understanding of the aesthetic trajectories and historical intricacies of that specific era.
Some channels might have 50 uploads, all gold, while others may feature thousands of tracks, requiring hours of listening. As an aficionado of dance music history, you simply can’t find better wormholes for digging up old music. What makes them special is that they differ from various official playlists found on streaming platforms, and also from cult DJ mix compilations and V/A releases from that period. Why? Because they are not attempts at creating a canon, but merely a pure reflection of personal taste. All hail the YouTube record collectors!
Andy MartinLa Creación De Las AvesDiaspora Echoes
Despite the general absence of ‘traditional’ techno releases in my column, I’ve been trying to stay up to date with the genre, particularly in relation to discourse on social media. One thing I fail to comprehend is why anyone would be arguing that good techno is still being made. Isn’t this obvious for any genre in any given period? The seasoned Mexican-Jamaican producer Andy Martin, whose discography includes a collaboration with the late Lee “Scratch” Perry, recently dropped one of my favourite techno LPs of 2024 so far. Inspired by the Spanish surrealist painter Remedios Varo, the album takes cues from a specific strain of the Berlin sound in the vein of veterans such as Kangding Ray and Mike Parker. In true dub fashion there’s a lot of emphasis on depth and space, with multilayered arrangements and shimmering psychedelic textures, such as found in the track ‘Superposition’, which likely sounds jaw-dropping on a Funktion One sound system. There are also some noticeable rhythmic qualities associated with Latin-American musical traditions, as heard in the superb track ‘Codex Borgues’ and the uptempo roller ‘The Gurdjieff Movements’, but his deterritorialised sound is more global than heritage-driven. Minimalistic, stark, psychedelic and infused with urban melancholy, it’s the kind of hypnotic techno that puts atmosphere before intensity while also retaining a forceful drive.
Black DotLove At GlanceItalo Moderni
The EBM generation of the 1980s was defined by a strong political consciousness and the posture of an agent provocateur. Since their debut in 2022, the Slovenian-Croatian duo Black Dot, consisting of producer Alleged Witches and singer/producer Le Chocolat Noir, have become important representatives of the neo-EBM and contemporary wave scene – not for any right-wing-leaning psyops or public scandals, but mostly for their high-fidelity approach to the original aesthetic and politically-charged lyrics. Their artistic direction is unashamedly retro-futuristic, inspired by 80s trailblazers like the Yugoslav EBM duo Borghesia, who put Ljubljana on the European electronic music map. The two also inject some much needed freshness. Following releases on Mechatronica White, Osàre! Editions and KRI Records, their latest EP heralds their strongest release to date, and includes a solid remix by Marcel Dettmann. Apart from the sinister, darkly sensual arpeggios and skeletal machine drum pulses, it’s the commanding, cold and detached vocals that capture the listener’s attention, particularly in the track ‘Obey’ with its slight references to BDSM. It’s not really about its strength or resonance, but more about its specific colour, coming across like the voice of an interstellar overlord from an obscure sci-fi B-movie from behind the Iron Curtain.
LoidisOne DayIncienso
Brian Leeds, AKA Huerco S., dropped his first album under the long-dormant Loidis moniker in the first days of August, describing it as “the next step in minimal emo tech sound”, and Techno Twitter immediately turned it into a competition for the best description (my favourite was “snakeskin knitwear cover, micro-echospace music”). He finished the record in a single day following an extended creative block, opting for a lo-fi-but-not-really, peculiarly compressed sound, with almost “submerged” frequencies – as if the speakers were covered with a special frequency-modulating slime. Leeds’ production is muddy, technically flawed in a way, and thus sounds very special. His loopy infectious grooves, a masterclass in patient micro modulations and infinitesimally small changes, absorb the listener in a strange state of flow. The results are quite rewarding, whether consumed vertically on headphones after a long night raving, or on a rainy summer afternoon. The weird frequency spectrum, classy character, and delicately psychedelic tones also make it a perfect afterhours treat. In true emo fashion, it makes me sad that summer is almost over while also reminding me to make the best of it. If you have a soft spot for trippy textures, micro house vibes à la John Tejada and deep minimal in the Shinichi Atobe mold, One Day is right on the money.
Still SharpPost-Match Ice BathCloudCore
The London label and online community CloudCore has built a strong presence on Discord, forging a uniquely UK-ingrained sound – a high-tech, pop-infused and sound-design-heavy vision of club music that doesn’t shy away from saccharine melodicism, pitched-up vocals and teary-eyed euphoria. I really rate their consistency and curatorial approach, focusing on single releases available for regular prices for a week before they jump to £999, and later become accessible only via their website with a valid “CloudKey” (learn more about the process here). This creates a sense of urgency and limited access, something our instantly-gratified generation is unaccustomed to. As much as I’d like to get a hold of a WAV file of one of the most outstanding productions this year, Airdrop’s brain-melting earworm ‘⑈’, I accept the fact that I was simply too late to discover it. The label’s penultimate release, made by the still completely anonymous producer Still Sharp, is just as exceptional, sounding as if Lanark Artefax and Two Shell had a baby. I’ve never tried an ice bath, but I believe the soothing effect of Still Sharp’s crystalline, high-resolution, intricately detailed production might be comparable.
Anonymous Artistsuu010unknown – untitled
unknown – untitled is another ingenious concept label employing new, or rather old and repurposed, strategies for presenting and distributing music. Run by the eponymous producer, his aim is simple – putting music first. He’s found inspiration in the white label culture of the 90s and early 00s (blank records without any information on the music), leaving the listeners to make up their minds without any additional context. The concept is tried and tested, but looking at the otherwise rather formalised way in how labels nowadays operate (social media promo shots, PR campaigns, mixes for the biggest platforms etc.), it is also somewhat innovative. I see it as a genuine attempt to lessen the impact of the social media-PR apparatus in our persona-driven cultural landscape. The label’s latest V/A compilation presents six unequivocally UK-flavoured productions from the realms of mutant bass, dancehall, electro, breakbeat, d&b and grime. The low slung introductory track ‘a1’, my top pick on here, is an absolute beast of a set opener, a nervous tension-builder that will make ravers go berserk. Another stunning tune is ‘a2’, a Detroit-flavoured electro cut heavily indebted to Drexcian sonic vocabulary. The hi-tek d&b roller ‘b1’, revolving around grime-adjacent vocals, demonstrates just how eclectic unknown – untitled can be, without ever losing hold of its aesthetic trajectory.
The new collaboration between CCL, a specialist for liquified rhythmic and melodic matter, and Ciel, who’s made a name for herself with rhythmically innovative and structurally quirky club tunes that have no parallel, is a special strain of peak-time dance music for the introverted dancer. On the title track, the pair bring forth their film buff personas, centering it on Tilda Swinton’s speeches from the obscure comedy/sci-fi film Teknolust (2002). It’s a repetitive, groove-driven, restrainedly melodic, braindance-y tune, lacking any in-your-face vocals or gargantuan synthlines. And yet it’s marked by an inwards-bound energy. ‘Goblin Mode’ showcases a similar approach, though it’s less floaty and uplifting, and more darkly psychedelic – even evil – its hoover synthline kicking the sensory receptors hard. ‘Spiral Drive’ finds the duo in their take-no-prisoners final boss mode. A devastating IDM-via-psytrance tune reaching above the 160-BPM limit, it creates the illusion that it’s constantly speeding up due to its freaky synth modulations and hyperactive drum programming. Priori’s more straightforwardly proggy flip of the title track and Yushh’s atmospheric re-envisioning of ‘Goblin Mode’ through a Bristolian lens only add to what makes this EP exceptional.
Pavel MilyakovEnthropic VisionPsy X
Be it hallucinogenic minimal acid, abstract industrial soundscapes, woozy experimental techno or pseudo-choral music, experimental producer Pavel Milyakov is the uncontested master of uncanny vibes. I’ve always considered his music somewhat devotional, entrenched in a Tarkovskian spiritual tradition, although the object of devotion remains subject to debate. It emanates the same alluring, transcendental aura that was typical of the Russian auteur’s cinema, evoking elusive feelings of longing, hope, regret and faith. In recent years, Milyakov has also become a frequent collaborator, and his latest release includes four guest appearances.
Dutch producer Torus contributes to the immersive, low-slung breaky trance tune ‘Eternal Break’. Richie Culver is the gravitational force of two hauntological spoken-word pieces: the Burial-esque ambient composition ‘Tesco’ and UKG-inspired tune ‘Drifting Off’. Polish musician Martyna Basta’s vocal performance on the cinematic dark ambient track ‘Moon Chant’, a siren song for the plenilune, hits all the melancholy buttons, and Yana Pavlova, who previously worked with Milyakov on 2021’s bluesy post punk tear-jerker BLUE, brings a masterful performance to the ethereal slowcore closer ‘The Thrill’ – think Dean Blunt and Joanne Robertson. It’s the devastating emo trance masterpiece ‘Gabba 17’ that really stands out for me, though. Hardly any melody has hit me as hard as its hypernostalgic synth motif, intertwined with distorted gabber kicks and ghostly vocals. Possessing an apocalyptic beauty, it makes me feel miserable and ecstatic at the same time.
Crespi Drum SyndicateBeatsIsla
It’s always satisfying to come across records that diverge heavily from current trends and seek inspiration from more obscure sources. This fresh collaboration between Miami residents Pablo Arrangoiz (AKA El Gusano among eight other monikers) and Jonathan Trujillo (Jonny From Space) represents just that. More of a two-piece band than a producer duo, Crespi Drum Syndicate deliver an intriguing study in rhythm science that builds on the legacy of krautrock, minimal proto-electronica, Latin percussion ensembles, dub wizardry and post-punk experimentalism, omitting melodies and harmonies for intricately interwoven grooves and spectral textures. Employing everything from a drum kit, bass, guitar, saxophone, a plethora of percussion, a Buchla and other synths, their sound palette emulates the fullness and complexity of a larger band. While not aesthetically related, it brings to mind outfits like Mark Ernestus’ Ndagga Rhythm Force and Nihiloxica, which centre their music on rhythmic ingenuity. The LP’s title is rather self-explanatory, but there’s much more to their multilayered compositions than just excellent beats. In true Jaki Liebezeit fashion, the two meld the funky and the cerebral in a most exciting way.
Another collaborative effort that captured my attention in the past weeks comes from the French-Australian alliance of DJ Plead and rRoxymore. The seed for the EP was already planted during their first encounter in 2019, but it only came to fruition recently after a few joint sessions in various parts of the world. Read Round City is a soothing musical endeavour with mellow Balearic undertones, typical of rRoxymore’s recent releases. But the touch of DJ Plead can be felt strongly as well. Their distinct personal sensibilities are distributed equally throughout the productions, the EP’s overall vibe optimised for warm-ups and more headsy morning occasions, with lush atmospheres and laidback grooves representing the core of their aesthetic. On the deep house cut ‘Celestial City’, DJ Plead’s crisp drumwork beautifully complements rRoxymore’s signature lush bassline and dubby chords. The main melodic motif and slick percussion in the understated and atmospheric ‘Read Wrong’ is like an uptempo spin-off from Plead’s 2022 track ‘Skittles’. I’d put my money on the deeply emotive closer ‘Round Echoes’ to make the most rounds in upcoming DJ sets. The sensually hypnotic central melody finds you halfway between bittersweet and uplifting. Like one the uncontested best sunset tracks of the year, Verraco’s ‘Si, Idealizame’, it has a comparably strong effect on my limbic system.
Hassan Abou AlamMesh MafhoomNerve Collect
At the vanguard of horizon-expaning bass music, Egyptian producer Hassan Abou Alam ticks all the boxes with regards to novel drum programming, mind-bending sound design (truly some of the best out there) and shiver-inducing vocal manipulations. He’s one of those artists whose new release always surpasses its predecessor, even though it was already first-rate. The nervous, high-energy bangers ‘3asabi’ and ‘Ghalat’ will spice up any peak-time set, propelling dancers into an all out frenzy. ‘Zein’ is one of those tunes for the wee hours, with gentle sine tones engineered to boost your serotonin reserves. Two of the EP’s centerpieces, though, are the vocal cuts ‘Basha’ and ‘Khalsana’. The former, featuring the trio Ziad Zaza, Ismail Nosrat and Aly, is a grimey, vocals-driven roller that’ll make any bassbin cabinet shake like an old washing machine. The latter takes us on a horizon-expanding 160-BPM trip centred on hallucinatory frequencies, violent rhythms and Zaza’s fierce delivery. As with fellow artists like Laksa, Verraco, Doctor Jeep and Batu, Alam has a special skill in hitting the right balance between head high and body high, intensity and intricacy, fidelity to traditional form and structure-bending.
