Wobbly electronics and loping electro pop from Kelpe and his remixer, Fulgeance. 'Beaks Of Eagles' bumbles along content in its cute pastoral bubble with wibbly boogie synth lines and dusted jazz drums. Fulgeance locks the groove down to a more rugged shuffle laced with a virulent electro lead and lovely pads.

Bright-eyed new single - their first on Electric Voice, away from the Weird camp that nurtured them - from cold wave perennials Xeno & Oaklander, eschewing the stygian atmospherics they normally peddle in favour of sunny if faintly melancholy synth-pop that sounds like Saint Etienne by way of Vince Clarke. As ever, Martial Canterel's impeccable sequenced basslines and zig-zagging arpeggios will prove irresistible to 80s retro-fetishists, and Liz Wendelbo's vocals have moved away from robotic affectlessness to channel not only Sarah Cracknell but also Virginia Astley, Angela Conway and other… Read more

Agoria, Robag Wruhme, Will Saul & October line up to remix German dancefloor celeb, Michael Mayer's 'Mantasy' trax. Frenchman Agoria plays to the big rooms with a sweeping, uplifting Sunlune mix of 'Good Times', Robag Wruhme does his curvaceous, whirring, melodic tech-house thing with a Paavo And Veita Rehand of 'Baumhaus', and Will Saul & October drop the bassline of 'Mantasy' to bowel worrying levels in a ruggedly minimalist, hollowed out swingjack killer.

Regular as clockwork, Yorkshire bleep survivors TBD mount their latest effort in an ongoing crusade against "the bland compliant mainstream." The followup to their recent pair of 'Darkhaus' 12"s for Ostgut's 'Unterton' offshoot and their own Dust Science label revolves 11 tracks intended as unique components in a machine-like body of work connected by five "bolts", in their own words, "small bits of music that help or disrupt the transition between tracks." Collected, it documents the ongoing refinement of their sound rooted in classic Detroit techno and arcane UK synth music in key wi… Read more

Hard-nosed yet playful experiments with dancefloor rhythm from Japan's Aoki Takamasa, recommended if you like Mark Fell, NHK, etc. Despite its forbidding exterior and opaque, joyless track titles ('Rhythm Variarion 01', 'Rhythm Variation 02', etc), Takamasa's computer constructions are very lush indeed, with luminous, melodically advanced synth patterns and skippy, club-ready rhythms that variously invoke Skam's North-West b-boy roll, Sensate Focus's juddering Chi-house-derivations and, on the awesome 'Rhythm Variation 04', a space somewhere between hip-hop, techno and 2step garage. 'Rhythm Var… Read more

New skool D&B in effect: Alix Perez links with three MCs and vocalists on his most substantial release in years. Plate 1 contrasts the hi-tech road roller 'Blueprint' with Metropolis with the smooth, dark soul of 'Playing Games' with D. Ablo; Plate 2 measures out the jaw-clenched hardstep of 'Shadows' with Strange U's crack alien vocal and tips out with the fiercely nexx level tech-step editing of 'Burn Out' featuring production assists from Phace and Misanthrope.

Review to follow shortly…

'Time Wave Zero' is the debut album by Stuart Argabright (Ike Yard/Black Rain), Mark C (Live Skull), and Kent Heine (The Holy Ghost) as o13. It follows their early incarnation on the 'Vandal Tribes' EP with Vex'd/Kuedo's Jamie Teasdale and their live score to JG Ballard's 'The Atrocity Exhibition' with a full fledged blend of moody post-punk bass, streaking sci-fi synths and gothic futurism. Argabright's signature deep, sinister and monotone vocals crop up on a diverse suite of songs and instrumentals, at their best in the motorik spirals of 'Witchfire' and the steppin' sorrow of 'Vaporize', all recorded in NYC, 2012.

Gloomy tech-house from Raudive with Steve Moore and Al Tourettes & Appleblim remixes. 'Last' runs swinging bass and bleeps in a noirish sci-fi vibe; 'Dumb' carves up chunky industrial clanks on a throbbing techno pulse. Al Tourettes & Appleblim lend some funk to 'Last' and Steve Moore rescues the whole thing with a proper '80s Giallo techno remix of 'Dumb'.

After well received editions for Mister Saturday Night Records and Well Rounded Individuals, New York's jazz/house/'tronica trio have coined their own label to issue these four groovers. Coming off like Falty DL's music school cousins, their 'Sly Gazebo' EP blends richly layered instrumentation with limber house grooves , taking in the almost Reichian freshness of 'Avocado Roller' featuring Becca Stevens and the bustling shuffler 'In The Room' on the A-side, backed with an extended, jazz-wise electro-stepper titled 'Sly Gazebo' and the nimble neo-classical meets IDM arrangement of 'Nancy's Library' feat. 5150 Sound on the flip.

Soft Metals set the scene for their highly anticipated 'Lenses' album with this eerie electro-disco gem. Fluttering arpeggios burst into chromatic discord around Patricia Hall's perfectly detached vocal, pushed forward with a Carl Craig-like sense of automatic night drive elan. Tipped!

Review to follow shortly…

Seminal Detroit House album remastered and reissued! Under the aegis of Paperclip People, Carl Craig birthed this ultra-classic in 1996, giving life to the likes of 'The Climax' and 'Throw', which are, of course, included on this edition.

Mark Ernestus presents his swingeing Jeri-Jeri collaborations with a griot clan of Sabar drummers from Kaolack in Senegal. Starring some of the greats of Senegalese music - octogenarian legend Doudou Ndiaye Rose and Youssou N'Dour guitarist, Baaba Maal, among others - produced by the Berlin legend, '800% Ndagga' showcases the breathtakingly complex and infectious talking-drum polyrhythms of Mbalax to a whole new audience. The project was conceived in early 2011 when Ernestus took a trip to Senegal and the Gambia and became hooked on the region's unique style. Through a… Read more

Serious techno session from Shed in his EQD guise! These two tracks are the sound of a man working ever deeper into his artform, toying and tweaking the kinks in timelessly functional fashion. The A-side is driven by humongous kicks and offset with microscopically tooled, insectoid syncopation designed to enhance your body movements with the streamlined precision of a catamaran engineer. The flipside offers some melodic respite with hypnotic Detroit/Berlin chords while the razor-sharp shuffle uncompromisingly carries out it's purpose in style. Heavyweight DJ tools!

Lethal Techno trax from René Pawlowitz aka Shed in EQD mode. Once again we're floored by the ferocity and hard-nosed discipline of his productions, from the monstrous modulations and Industrial-edged transmission on the A-side thru the unrelenting peak of the B-side. This guy's defintiely not f**king around - Strongly recommended.

The first 12" from the mysterious Equalised crew outta Berlin caused much speculation as to the identity of the unnamed producer, a timeless game of guessing and worng footing ensued until those with a keener ear were able to discern that the styles were quite obviously that of ****. The second 12" in the series comes from the same pair of hands, with a familiar drum palette this time reworked into one of the most elegiac and genuinely soul stirring breakbeat hardcore styled cuts of recent times. We really can't stress to you how good this track is (especially when you know the producer at work… Read more

Highly effective techno rollers from Shed in his EQD guise. The A-side is a killer piece of Rob Hood-esque Berlin-meet-Detroit styles, replete with burning organ refrain for your Techno soul, while the flip is a grinding, heads-down romp with shades of of late 90's Surgeon. Both do the job in fine style. TIP!

We've been after these bad boys for a while now. Emanating from the Hardwax production line in deepest Berlin, Equalized is a new label dedicated to no nonsense club goods from some of the crew's finest button pushers, with EQ'D 1 coming from the trusted hands of one of their most skilled operators, who shall for now remain nameless. Side A is a steadily upbuidling techno tool with percolating Detroit vibes and electric bassline over booming kicks, while the B-side is the real floor melter with hard filter and EQ treatments on some devastating dub chord driven techno that sounds unreal on a big rig. Dettmann, Scion and Shed heads take note, it's an absolute winner!

Shed keeps it 'Burning' on an old skool Power House tip with his 3rd Head High single. The title choon comes in rollin' 'Keep Calm Mix' with classy keys for the debonaire raver, and a more rugged 'Keep It… Mix' for the whistle posse, both built to deliver the vibes proper. 'Keep On Talking (Dirt Mix)' is craftier, cutting into that early '90s no mans land between US and UK rave styles nodding to Mark Archer and Kevin Saunderson classics.

Vintage Warehouse wares from Shed under his Head High alias - the first EP from 2010.

The perfect stocking filler for any self-respecting Techno fan - nine tracks from Shed's five EQD 12"s collected in one set. It amounts to one of the most crucial dancefloor payloads of the last half-decade, each and every cut designed and executed to elicit helpless reactions in the right circumstances. And while precisely machine tooled for the DJs, these are anything but simple dancefloor productions, they're muscular works of functional art documenting the ongoing evolution of hi-end Techno. In other words; Essential.

More essential warehouse ruffage from the mighty Hardwax camp, this time with a well known berlin producer taking the reins to kick-start a beautifully anonymous imprint to keep you guessing. The A-Side is a bassline killer, with a Claro-style bassdrum and padded chords setting the scene for skittering percussion and a staggered bassline that just OWNS it. It's just mighty stuff. The flipside is even better, employing a similarly robust low-end spine but re-configuring surroundings for a woozy Basic Channel meets Claude Young style, complete with fuzzy white noise motifs and some serious head-spinning … Read more

Hey-O-Hansen and Shed remix the 3rd Wax 12". A-side D&M mastering and cutting engineer and producer Helmut Erler links with Michael Wolf as Hey-O-Hansen for a rumpy Alpine Dub version. Flipside Shed his-self reworks his own cut, reinforced with calamitous kicks and a deadly, offset percussive shuffle. Killer twelve!

Serious techno tools from Shed's revered Wax project. The previous installments have become staple fixtures with all the big techno jocks and this one is set to do the same. On the A-side we get a stripped and stylish New York style workout, all Latin shuffling hi-hats, cracking handclaps and a powerful yet liminal subbass deigned to stroke your ass into action. Over on the flip he cracks out the trusty organ stabs, fluidly dubbed for enhanced flow while the rhythm drives out in a funked up Techno motion with smothering subs and bold swinging syncopations. Basically indispensible. Recommended!

René Pawlowitz (Shed/EQD/WAX) coming on strong with two killer Power House workouts. As WK7, he rolls out super-robust bass and simmering chords with a kinky Jersey skip on 'Do It Yourself', while he reprises the Head High alias on the flip with a thunderous Dirt Mix of 'Rave' designed to bring the house down in deadly style. Definitely recommended for dancer and DJ!

For the first Wax remix session Shed invites two of his favourite dubstep producers to revise his '20002' 12". Pinch exceeds expectations with a truly masterful dubstep swing joint on the A-side, keeping the hard-swung rhythmic integrity of the original and augmenting it with growling subs, roaring lions and and a kinky Bristolian twyst. Elemental takes the flipside with another crafty re-calculation, flipping the original vibes into tightly tucked Breakstep motion with a triplet-synced breakdown. Deadly 12". Recommended!

WK7 is a pseudonym for René Pawlowitz aka Shed operating in pure early '90s Techno/Hardcore mode. Original copies of this coveted 12" were only sold through the Hardwax store in Berlin but you lucky ravers now have a 2nd chance to nab a copy. There's three cuts and they're all standardly heavyweight; from the chunky, kicking original to the flexing 'Hardcore PCK' mix on the flip. Don't sleep!

*Shed returns to his WAX project with his first new release for 2013* Shed's yearly dose of Wax action for 2013 is a relatively mellow, dubby affair compared with his previous techno tools. There's a blue and spaciously atmospheric stepper on the front - all gaseous chords and muscular subs sprinkled with decaying hi-hats in proper Berlin fashion - whereas the flipside carves out some laidback and dubby house swing accentuated with white noise snares and rumbling subs just how ya like it.

Of all the anonymous white labels to emerge from the Hardwax camp, two names have caused quite a stir; The Equalised and Wax imprints. Their limited nature and club-perfected rhythms have ensured they're some of the most in-demand bits of the black stuff from the last couple of years, and all but the deafest techno/house fan should be able to figure out who's behind them! Wax 20002 may well be the only 12" the label drops this year, but it's all about quality and certainly not quantity here. The untitled A-side follows 10001's lean and toned aesthetic with purified house rhythms strictly made for the d… Read more