mono junks dum records has been dictating trends in the world of minimalistic techno since the 1990s, and its 34th release is as special as any. this one comes from label boss kimmo rapatti aka mono junk vs mesak, who is better known as fellow finn, tatu metsätähti, aka one half of mr velcto fastener and someone who has released on dexter & steffis klakson. together the pair serve up three mixes of their jam and an additional track. title track deep in my mind is a paranoid techno cut with freaky vocal riffs repeating the title as gurgling synth lines and sleek drums rumble below. twitchy synths and high pressure perc add to the hypnotic effect, and overall its easy to see this one making for some perfectly weird dance floor moments. the mix by mono junk is completely the opposite: in his hands it is a beat-less, serene and beautifully styled electro cut that takes you deep into brain soothing space. the electro mind version is then a full on electro jam, with plenty of aqueous synths and fluid lines all squiggling along in classic detroit style. final track sysdrum is back to the raw, with angsty drum lines, crisp and slapping snares and oodles of reverb all making for a brain frying trip.

kim rapatti a.k.a mono junk presents the second volume of finnish electro all-star on his dum records imprint – active since 1992. the new release is the latest chapter of mono junk collaborating with friends, recently with mesak and freestyle man. the a-side of finnish electro all-star (dum-040) features collaborations with top finnish electro duo morphology, who recently released an outstanding album on firescope label. electro por favor is a pulsating driving electro track with a killer bassline and vocals by rapatti – electro at its best. raw, apocalyptic, solitary remix by mono junk follows the original. the b-side features collaborations between mono junk and a very special guest: goner a.k.a. martin maischen, who is known from many hot releases as the other half of german electro act sandbenders. they were at most active around the millennium and made releases for force inc. music works and science city. the two included tracks are deep electroid techno excursions made last year in berlin – very cool stuff.

finnish techno icon mono junk aka kim rapatti joins forces with berlin based freestyle man aka klas sasse lindblad, known for his productions on classic labels like sähkö and moodmusic. pata ep starts with the hard hitting techno title ‘not a love story’, haunting vocals, simple synthline, slicing percussion and deep bassdrum, all u need to make an effect, this must be heard in a big sound system. following with ‘need your lovin’ the ep takes a more electro approach, mesmerising love story with jupiter-8 bassline and 808 beats accompanied with vocals on this track too by mr rapatti. the ep ends with ‘stella polaris’, a production which started as a jam in 2007 in berlin at sasse’s blackhead studios and was finished 10 years later in 2017 in the same location. reminiscing of early 90s electronica time when everything was pure and gold and when these fellows also were starting their careers. ‘stella polaris’ leaves no one cold with emotional themes of analog synthesis and depth of the bass.

mono junk’s cult label dum records is back with a new five track various artists ep that again packs a vital punch. he appears himself along with some fellow legends of the scene. first up, morpholgy is a consistent performer who has continued to serve up quality electro since 2009 and here serves up a hot new piece. ‘vector plant’ is busy and industrial, slick and metallic as it unfolds and burrows deep into your veins. then comes the a2, irwin berg featuring freestyle man (aka finnish moodmusic boss sasse aka klas lindblad) with a track made in 1995 and never released before. this pair worked together and made a cult electro record for sähkö recordigs in 1998 and this one is just as impactful. it is frosty and frazzled, slow motion but high impact and full of distorted lines and heavy drums. next is mr velcro fastener who were the first kings of electro to come out of finland and between 1999 and 2006 were famous all over the world. their brand new cut ‘almost there’ is a deep one that is riddled with bleeping melodies and has smeared chords bringing a sci-fi feel. then it is mono junk’s turn to dive into the vaults with an unreleased track from 2005. ‘feeling or destroy’ is a physical number with crashing hits and snaking, gurgling bass that is dark and dystopian. last of all comes irwin berg with mono junk as new york city survivors. says the dum boss, “our unreleased track here was made after the new york city survivors – static light cd 2002” and it is a turbo charged track with screwed up grinding bass, icy hi hat rhythms and menace in its grooves.

finish techno pioneer and dum records boss kimmo rapatti aka mono junk and melody boy 2000 is back with another fine ep of some of his greatest tracks. all three have been released before now, but never all together on the same ep. a1 sound stealer was released in 2007 under the melody boy 200 alias and since then has been hugely sought after, often fetching high prices on discogs. it is a high impact techno track with racing drums and chattery percussion that will take any floor by storm. a2 all alone, again as melody boy 2000, has only been released on cd before now, as part of a label compilation back in 2002. this one is deep and rubbery, spaced out and elastic and is full of moodiness and melody. both b-side tracks were written as mono junk and both were written in 1992. first up, apache acid came on vinyl own music man and is a face melting, hundred miler per hour banger with manic 303s buried within. finally, ‘beyond the darkness’ was a key early techno track to come from finland and has previously been released on dum010. says the artist of the track, “an ensoniq asr-10 arrived on the market and studio engineer perttu bought it right away, but i never liked to use sounds that someone else had made. we sampled the track’s bassline, strings and others from my jx-3p separately and mixed it all together.” the result is an atmospheric track with swirling pads, icy synths and form drums that will make people march, no doubt.

after releasing brand new material on dum034, dum records are dipping into the label boss’s production archives for the next one: it is a reissue that features tracks from a number of classic mono junk releases. two came on trope records, one in 1995 and one in 1993, and the last pair of cuts come from 1996 when they were released on plug research. arguably some of the influential finnish producer’s finest work, all of the tracks here emphasize how long he is operating on the top of his game already.

dum-033 is another dum records reissue with new 13 minutes mono junk remix of detroit diesels classic acid track dimension.

after one new ep from coopers kim rapattis dum records is re-releasing some of his biggest classics on this douple a-side release. mono junk’s channel b was first time on vinyl on trope records 1995 and melody boys monotone fantastique on dum records 1994 (dum-014). never ending grooves for you pleasure.

mono junks label dum records is back! in 1994 an untitled 12” ep emerged from helsinki, finland. it was produced by an unknown duo called coopers and released by dum records. that particular squelchy sounding piece of wax helped to establish the sound that was later to be known as finnish minimal techno. alongside sähkö recordings, dum was one of the mainstays of gloomy northern electronics until its death in 2007. after an extremely long hiatus both dum records and coopers have now resurrected and instead of their trademark minimalism they offer now a 3-piece ep full of techno maximality! * indian acid* is a wonky excursion in repetition topped with roland corporations classical tr-727 congas, * ixam* takes you back to the soundscapes of 90s dreary finnish acid and * maximal fun* is a 12-minute trip to the electronic kraut techno madness of the coopers. play loud and preferably in dark. coopers are back with a vengeance!

just a classic

cool atmospheric old schooling electro tunes by mono junk (styrax leaves, sähkö, trope)

greatest old school electro trax incl juri hulkkonen remix

new york city survivors aka irwin berg and kim rapatti (yellow, bunker).. incl remixes by mesak and ted field