Matthew Hartshorn & Jay Gadian
From The Outside

Okain returns to Talman Records with a four-track EP, offering a glimpse into his two-decade journey as a producer. Continuing his legacy of providing DJs with robust dance floor material, this EP stays true to form.Opening the EP is "Wake Up," a tribute to early 2000s tech house, featuring crisp percussion, sharp stabs, and haunting vocals. Following is "Take Me Up," capturing the essence of UK garage with its thick Reese bassline and distinct vocal hooks.Turning to the flip side, the EP ventures into darker realms with "Secret Science," blending dub-inspired synths with a weighty sub bass, perfect for late-night atmospheres. Closing the journey is "Swing Theory," a groove-driven track fusing minimal house elements into its infectious rhythm.

This dancefloor-centric release boasts five tracks designed to captivate with their powerful beats and deep vibes, perfect for the summer season. The EP showcases resident artists Nicole (Satz) and Carriego (Over think, Lirica Archives, Cosa Nostra), as well as Italian artist Mariiin (Pleasure Club), Uruguayan artist Alfalfa (Mephis Records), and French artist Sekance (3Mâts Records).

Four killer tracks of high grade electronic soul from James Baker AKA REKAB. A fantastic EP showing both breadth of style and respect for the roots and traditions of the music from this artist.The first, Locked on Dodge, is a driving deep Detroit techno track with a hypnotic arpeggiated lead and filtered atmospherics to lose yourself inside. Don’t get too comfortable though, it’s capped with a surprise electro switch in the breakdown to keep the floor on their toes! The second track, We Need to Care, delivers a cool clear synth sound design over Chicago influenced house tempo beats and lush pads. Simultaneously groovy and comforting, this is a track for those special moments. Jacking with your eyes closed and a big grin on your face.Third we have a clear tribute to Drexciya with In Search of the Deep Sea Dweller. Tough 808 beats and laser zaps punch through a bed of evocative strings whilst a filtered single note loop rises and falls like the tide. An abstract robotic voice presides over the track, adding atmosphere whilst giving it a sense of mysterious machine driven intelligence.Lastly, Too Much Time gets its space boogie on. Electro funk beats jump round staccato synth chords and a simple but effective Moog-like bass line. Once the scene is set, a writhing 303 joins the proceedings accompanied soaring pads and beautiful melodic leads that make you feel like you’re being lifted into the cosmos.----------ReKab aka James Baker from the UK started Djing in the early 90’s. Later on he started playing around with music. Finally the ReKab sound was established in 2019 with his first release on Where We Met records. Other releases followed soon on Móatún, Withhold, Intellitronic Bubble, We’re Going Deep and Fourier Transform.His music is very deep and full of emotions and influenced by his love for Detroit.

Welt Discos' latest delivery is the debut solo record from DJ/producer/radio host Stephen Howe. The Mimesis EP gives us a convincing introduction to his highly musical sound: spontaneous yet tightly arranged, referential yet idiosyncratic, and not afraid to take the odd left turn. From 80s electro dynamism to loopy techno deepness to broken introspection, this is a diverse and surprising set of dancefloor grooves brought together by Stephen's knack for harmony, counterpoint and tone.

2024 RepressWriting about techno is quite difficult without falling into cliché: there are only so many ways that you can say something about a music whose core elements are forged on deliberate repetition; where real talent is attributed to those who can find the perfect groove where nothing needs added or subtracted to hold the listener’s attention for upwards of five minutes.Such tracks are the hallmark of Tresor’s catalogue, and this joy in repetition can be found in works from Detroit, Berlin, Birmingham, Edinburgh, and more. And it is through this lens that Parisian artist, UFO95, focuses his output, resulting in Backward Improvement, an EP that sits perfectly in the spectrum of techno found in the Tresor chronology.The title itself makes an abstract reference to the influence of the classics of the genre, inspiring him to take a distinct less-is-more approach to production for this collection of stripped-down yet unrelenting techno chiselled from the live set which has fixed UFO95 as one of the next holdfasts for the future of the scene.Perhaps it is the fact the UFO95 only performs live that had led to such crisp and focussed studio productions.; each of the tracks showcase the artist’s burgeoning talent for creating the essential foundations of techno; perfect, looping, instinctual grooves that are counterbalanced by an apprehensive tension from off-key tones.Backward Improvement marks the addition of a new name in the list of techno’s best producers and proves that while the genre may now be in its 40th year there are yet sonic explorations to be made and variations that are worth unearthing.

Viewtiful Joe (Casa Voyager, mindcolormusic, Fundamental) continues his run of sublime electro EPs with this joyful 5-tracker for Welt Discos. Futuristic in sound yet harking back to the heyday of breakdance in the early-to-mid 80s, these battle-ready boogie jams explode with wiggly slap bass, soaring pop melodies and the funk to make you jump. Lock in and freak out!