korpus 9 records kicks off with a brand new ep from dubspeeka, featuring four tracks of high impact and atmospheric techno. korpus 9 records is a brand new techno label from russia managed by kwazalski. the main aim of the label is to release fresh and innovative material, not only digitally, but also on vinyl. all the imagery and influences of the label come from an abandoned research station that is deep underwater, where unusual events are happening around it on a constant basis. charged with the first release is shadowy bristolian producer dubspeeka, who has put out his music on drumcode, senso sounds and get physical, runs skeleton recordings and has a fierce techno sound. the opener here is garrison, a driving number with heavy drums and a warm but edgy mood. garrison 2 is more spaced out, with celestial pads baring a feeling of suspense above the firmly rooted drums. garrison 3 then has lumpy drums that bob up and down, as acid lines, water sounds and metallic hits all add atmosphere to the cavernous groove. last of all, garrison 4 is an eerie dub techno track with real drive but also plenty of thoughtful emotions. it closes out a brilliant first ep on this exciting new label.

brendon moeller offers up his set in motion ep on echocord sub-label echo echo this september, comprising three originals from the dub techno veteran. south africa, new york based producer and dj brendon moeller aka beat pharmacy/echologist has long been respected as one of the pioneering figures in ethereal, dubbed-out techno with regular appearances at global hot spots like fabric, berghain and cielo as well as releases on labels like third ear, kimochi, neovinyl and echocord. here though we see moeller joining the roster of the latter’s sublabel echo echo, marking its fourth release. title-track set in motion leads with brendons signature murky synth textures at its core whilst lumpy low-end tones, shuffled hats and spiraling dub echoes fluidly undulate amongst one another throughout. eastern beach follows, and as the name would suggest, nods towards brighter sounds with airy pads, soft bell chime synths and pulsating subs driving the composition alongside swinging, heavily reverberated percussion. economy then closes the package, stripping things back to gritty dub stabs, dusty 4/4 drums and billowing noise sweeps.

echocord’s colour sub-label returns early june with a four- track ep from eindhoven’s albert van abbe in the shape of ‘klangbilder’. dutch techno artist albert van abbe has nearly two decades of experience under his belt in various forms of musical and visual expression, releasing on his own vanabbe imprint, figure jams, semantica and no comment, as well as playing live and djing at hot spots across the globe such as berghain, tresor, dgtl and awakenings festival. ‘klangbilder 1’ leads with a robust rhythmic drive, employing bumpy toms, shuffled hats and lumpy kicks at its core as vacillating synths, tension building drones and menacing pizzicato strings develop throughout. ‘klangbilder 2’ takes things deeper next, retaining the dusty drums sound of the previous cut whilst stirring in airy ethereal pads and choppy, resonant stab sequences. ‘klangbilder 3’ kicks off the b-side with modulating synth whirrs, emotive organ tones and a muted drum tones throughout before ‘klangbilder 4’ closes the package, taking things beatless and cinematic via emotive synth leads, droning subs and expansive echoes.

2017 saw cesar merveille & ryan crosson deliver their second long player in the shape of cerulean, drawing on their modern classical, jazz, ambient and abstract influences to create yet another unique listen featuring collaborations with a classical pianist, trumpet, guitar and double bass players. here we see those original parts eschewed into something entirely fresh from friends and close associates of the duo. leading on the release is cadenza boss lucianos sous le sol interpretation of arp, which twists and turns through the hypnotic chimes and emotive piano chords of the original whilst stirring in luciens signature modulating and intricately evolving rhythmic style. following is a collaborative rework from new yorks phil moffa and seth troxler which employs ethereal synth drones and stuttering vocal cuts alongside a bumpy percussive drive and pulsating subs. perlons bruno pronsato steps up next to remix even tides, delivering his typically raw and emotive style via glitched out, mind-bending percussion, elongated bass drones and cleverly reshaped cuts of the originals cinematic elements. l.as clovis then closes the package with his remix of nordic bummers, employing shuffled hats, lumpy subs and crunchy claps at its core whilst horn swells and aiy atmospherics ebb and flow throughout.

mikkel metal returns to copenhagen’s echocord this may with his new mini lp ‘just enough light’, comprising six originals from the danish artist. copenhagen based producer and dj mikkel metal has been a beacon of light in the danish electronic music scene and further afield for nearly two decades now, with the dub techno imprint from his hometown, echocord, being the predominant home for his output, whilst also releasing material on cologne’s kompakt, tartelet, semantica and avant roots, a telling sign of the quality embodied in his work. here though we see mikkel deliver a mini album concept in the shape of ‘just enough light’ and opener ‘awake’ perfectly sets the tone with emotive, dynamically unfolding atmospherics, tension building bass drones and spiraling dub chords subtly easing us into the project. ‘bregnan’ then stirs in some classing dub-techno tropes with billowing stab sequences, lumpy subs and off beat high hats carrying the hypnotic groove for six and a half minutes. ‘jech’ then strips things back to an almost beatless amalgamation of murky chords and modulating synth whirrs. opening the flip side of the release is ‘include’ which embraces a brighter feel via ethereal pad swells, jazztinged synth melodies and bumpy 909 rhythms before ‘konkin’ edges back into the eerie, brooding aesthetic with bubbling echoes, broken drums and menacing bass swells at its core. ‘restore’ then closes the package on a stripped-back vibe, laying focus on an ever- eveolving singular dub chord to ebb and flow around thunderous subs, kicks and bright hats.

julien sandre and mennie return under their jarau guise this january with the saturn system ep, set for release via visionquests special edition sub-label. julien sandre and mennie return under their jarau guise this january with the saturn system ep, set for release via visionquest’s special edition sub-label. france’s julian sandre and italy’s mennie have both individually carved out quite the career over the past decade with the former racking up releases on blindbox, franck roger’s home invasion and e wax amongst others, and the latter holding a residency at tenax club in italy and collaborating togheter on releases for poker flat and housewax of late, 2017 also saw their collaborative debut as jarau which came courtesy of the revered pleasure zone imprint. now returning for their second ep under this new guise the pair join the roster of visionquest special edition with saturn system and taking the lead is le voyage a snaking journey through billowing synth swells, jangling percussive chimes and organic drums before dubhe strips the vibe back to modulating resonant synths, shuffled stripped-back rhythms and lumpy sub bass tones. adrienne opens the flip side with the focus on a swinging drum groove as airy atmospherics ebb and flow throughout. hypnotize then rounds out the package and as the name would suggest relies on subtle nuances to draw you deeper and deeper into the intricately programmed percussion and smoothly blooming synth flourishes.

hell yeah is back with more beach ready and boat party styled summer tunes, this time from riccio. this italian producer has long been making essential edits, off kilter grooves and soul kissed house sounds that demand to be played loud and these new ones are no different. described by the label boss as balearic big beat, this ep kicks off with afro chemy, a scorching seven minute tune that builds on a bed of fat drums. the scattered percussion is loose and organic and when the funky bass and colourful xylophone sounds comes in you can t help but cut loose. add in a sexy trumpet line and you have the sound of summer distilled into seven sensational minutes. funky cave will get any party started with its old school drum breaks and cymbal splashes sounding like the ocean when you plunge in on a hot day. busted bass lines add a certain fatness and cosmic keys and steamy guitar licks make this another perfect outdoor anthem. last of all is the blissed out heather, one to drop at sundown after a long day s dancing. the beats are warm and lumpy, the synths smear out to the horizon like gently breaking waves and soulful leads really get your heart swelling. proper.

visionquest special edition returns this september with sakro s supersymmetry ep. edgardo alonso aka mexican producer and dj sakro has been rising up the ranks over the past few years with his raw, stripped-back approach to house seeing him release material with revered imprints in the field such as raum...musik, housewax, karlovak and fathers & sons. here we see the sakro joining the roster of visionquest offshoot special edition, the vinyl only imprint home to material from ricardo villalobos, craig richards, wareika and konrad black amongst others. up first on the package is lusyd , a shuffling percussion fuelled number featuring swinging snares, murky atmospheric pads and choppy sub bass hits at its core. jazz in mars follows embracing robust rhythms and an amalgamation of jazzy sample snippets alongside resonant synth swells to create a sturdy peak time workout. voices opens the b-side of the release with heavily swung drums, smooth ethereal chords and lumpy sub frequencies while a dark and brooding vocal ebbs and flows throughout the composition. title-cut supersymmetry then closes out the release with an energetic rhythmic drive, intricately modulating synth flutters and snaking pad lines.

luciano continue his newly launched basaec imprint with * saved & slaved*, a two-track release featuring collaboration with argenis brito. swiss-chilean producer and dj luciano has been at the forefront of underground electronic music for quite some time now, heading up the infamous cadenza imprint and releasing material for some of the industry’s leading labels such as perlon, desolat, cocoon and poker flat amongst many others. here we see luciano back on his recently launched basaec label, delivering some of his signature stripped-back, dynamic and emotive material ‘lost in lymbo’ takes the lead and sees luciano offer up a typically intricate twelve-minute excursion with subtly modulating and evolving percussion, spiralling synth swells, sporadic vocal chants and a smoothly unfolding aesthetic resulting in an archetypal and intriguing production from this forever forward-thinking artist. the latter half sees luciano paired with fellow cadenza artist argenis for ‘pato’s track’, stripping back the vibe to a raw cowbell and rim shot percussive-led state whilst lumpy subs, vocal murmurs and subtly unfolding flute like melodies ebb and flow throughout the composition.

berlin atonal is proud to pick up on a tradition begun in 1984 with the publication of two volumes of live recordings from the 1983 edition of the festival. those records bore witness to the most inventive, adventurous sounds of the festival, and therefore of their time, containing live bits from psychic tv, la loora and zev. berlin atonal vol. 3 carries this custom forward three decades with selections from four of the standout performances of berlin atonal 2014. of course cabaret voltaire’s lauded and historical ?rst show in over 20 years is featured, richard h kirk’s no-nostalgia and machinery driven set ?rmly putting the cabaret voltaire project in a future-facing direction. miles whittakers surprising and muscular live performance also contributes a cut, as does festival favourite fis with his characteristically lumpy, textural soundscapes.

after their departure to russia with ol meda fury head south west to holland and visit star in the making d-ribeiro, fresh from early releases on midlight, syncom data and finale sessions.