Helena Hauff
Multiply Your Absurdities EP

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.

At what point does a new tool or technology become so integral to a process as to be intrinsic? And what happens if that technology starts to subordinate its user?By reflecting on these questions Machine Alliance, the new EP by Irish producer Kerrie on Tresor Records, connects her music to the sci-fi origins of techno and electronic music in general.With inspiration from classic books and films of the genre such as The Machine Stops, The Matrix, and Blade Runner as well as modern explorations in art and philosophy like Free Your Mind and Technopoly, the EP’s title takes on two opposing but intersecting meanings.One, based on the potential for machines to take over or replace humans, is a key idea of sci-fi that seems closer to reality with the arrival of machine learning and real artificial intelligence.The second has a much more positive view, one where the “alliance” is between the artist and machine to create the music, a process she places immense value on, being both cathartic and therapeutic, whilst also being a vehicle of addition and expansion: “I feel that it’s a collaboration…the machines are precise in their timing and I add the human touch (literally) in the live performance which adds natural imperfections, so we both provide something the other can’t. There’s also an element of growth; the machines get updates and so are always expanding in terms of their musical capabilities. And the more I push my own technical abilities I feel we are growing together in a constant synchronised dance.”This “dance” results in four tracks (plus three digital-only bonuses) of classic machine funk which combine the aforementioned ideas in sci-fi with a deep lifelong affection for techno. Tracks like Ode to the D, and Technopoly Dream display this love through her choice of sounds and structure, both intentional and subconscious, while Replicants, and Human in the Loop project into other genres to fully round this release off as a contemporary example of music rooted in both past and future.

Brian Harden is a second generation Chicago House head, starting in 1995 under the wings of Glenn Underground, being part of the legendary Strictly Jaz Unit. His work on Detroit's Mike Grant and his Moods & Grooves label should also be noted.One of his most famous works is his second EP on Cajmere's Relief Records, originally issued in 1996. The EP contains some of the most prolific drum machine action ever committed to vinyl and stands for the sound that brought Chicago House on top of the underground Music map in the mid 90s.All four tunes have been carefully remastered from the original material for maximum club performance!

Love Exposure Records showing up with Chinichi’s baddest House Music.

One Eye Witness turns its gaze to South America with WITNESS06. The Amsterdam imprint continues its growing number of VA EPs with 4 brooding creations from Uruguayan artists Molen & Nahuel, Michelle, Z@p & Latress. While punchy and hard-hitting, each track carries a subtly menacing energy, prodding darker corners of the dancefloor with undeniably satisfying echoes of 80s EBM. Molen & Nahuel’s enticing bassline and brassy synths lead the charge on opener “Modus Operandi”. Rising talent Michelle then pushes at a sense of paranoia with “Last Cello”, its elastic bassline providing the footing for clever percussive trickery. Things take a heady turn on “Ignorance” as Z@p weaves a po-faced speech into psychedelic synth work. Latress opts for a more introspective take on final cut “Perseverance” — pensive harmonies and glassy tones round out this collection of seductive, hypnotic tracks. Ready for Industriehallen worldwide!

Simone de Kunovichand Pancratio collaborate on the 'Memory Card EP,' a three-track release that blends exuberance with a hint of nostalgia. The duo drawsinspiration from the early days of video gaming, using samples from obscurePlayStation 1 adventuresand a minimalist sound design that evokes 32-bittextures. Be it the mellow early morning hours or the intensity of peak time, thesetracks offer DJs the right tools to electrify thedancefloor.