Alex Pervukhin
Tysk Problem EP

British tour de force Rene Wise is an exciting talent synonymous with hair-raising and hard-nosed Techno. A name that's been confidently claiming its stake in common lexicon with a passion for polyrhythms, forward-looking frequencies and kaleidoscopic beats. It's the mind-expanding potential of his favourite genre that forms the basis of his new vinyl release on Bassiani Records. Drawing on personal experiences of the psychedelic sort, he also cites the role of atmosphere and spatial configuration in the making of his sound, in his own words: 'the space that the music is presented in, is hugely important and there are some very unique and special spaces in the world that capture the true essence of how techno music should be experienced. Bassiani is one of these places.' Well that praise goes both ways, it's hard to imagine a more fitting EP for the club. This four track release is both an homage to the Bassiani floor and a powerful dive into a trippy realm of Techno Wise has spent his years as a musician diligently exploring. A third eye journey across oscillating soundscapes and sonic horizons from the trailblazing techno wunderkind.

The first release of the Apolo records label marks the grand debut of the Scienza X duo composed by Portuguese talents Nuno Carneiro and Rowan. First word of advice: don’t be fooled by the debut stamp, Rowan is a celebrated producer and Nuno has been doing the rounds behind the wheels of steel from Europe to Latin America for a long, long time, and this is clear from the outset. Both “Evil Laugh” and “17” have their distinct identities. The first track harnesses an energy not far from the sounds of Uruguay made popular by artists like Z@P, Nicholas Lutz and DJ Koolt. As for 17, it’s certainly no filler, either a reflective opener or a closer to entwine the audience (this is a dance record!) on their way out of an early morning in Café Barges or Ibiza. The mixes are a blessing overall for the record, each adding layers and use cases that make this a something of a buy-on-sight tool. From Dan Ghenacia’s full on dancefloor-driven interpretation of 17 to Snad’s thumping version of Evil Laugh to Wareika’s… well… how do you describe his sound? If you know, you know. This debut on the label named after his first son was conceived with a lot of work, lets just hope that if he’s going to father any more projects in the future, they sound this good.

NTFO are behind the 22st release of AKU with a groovy four tracker perfect for the dancefloor. Illustration by Pierre Poux.

Repress45 RpmProduced by G. RandazzoBesazio productions

The first solo excursion on Half Grand Records comes from label boss, Jon Doppler. Clocking in at 37 minutes, this collection plays more like a mini album than a 12”. The Artifact is full of the cavernous electro vibes that Doppler hinted at on the previously released compilations from the label. And if this record is an Artifact, it belongs at the bottom of the Mariana Trench with its alien percussion and deep, fluid bass.It’s hard to pick a favorite as any one of these tracks would add atmosphere and color to a set. “Sapphire” sounds like it would perfectly underscore the discovery of an ancient Atlantean civilization. While Tar Like Gold’s driving, arpeggiated basslines and vocal samples “tomorrow holds the key” look to the future. Take a listen and see for yourself, there’s a lot to love on this one. For fans of Morphology, CPU records, Versalife

Hailing from Seoul but now firmly based in Amsterdam, Naone delivers a superb EP on Warning, mixing her emotional background with her more contemporary roots, the perfect bridge between both worlds, Asia and Europe, or perhaps between her inner self and the outside world. Starting with Perfectly Harmless, the mysterious track develops into deep feelings that really unfold and expand in Hondon-Ui Kaosu (Chaos of Chaos), where the electro breakbeat responds to a melody with hints of pop consciousness.On the flip side, the Korean artist unleashes her passion with the deep psy-trance infused enigmatic techno groover Haengjin (Marching), followed by a sensitive downtempo acid closer aptly titled What's Happening. Ultimately, this is about the process of making music, channelling emotions and perceptive energies to create a balanced representation of past emotions and memories.