Techno Releases Out Now

For ordering info

Prices are in Canadian dollars (which is around 60% of US money).

All descriptions in "quotes" are from press/wholesale releases or other sources. Mixes and formats often change without notice.
Statements not in quotes are my opinions/reviews, or are facts verified by me.


µ-Ziq
Brace Yourself
Astralwerks US CDEP/12" @ $14

8 trax, 33m. New trax and remixes, some as selected by his fans at the Astralwerks website. Sweet melodies, drill 'n bass rhythms and some orchestrated Michael Nyman-isms on "Losers March". Fewer tracks on 12".
1. "Brace Yourself (Remix)"
2. "Kubba"
3. "Vaken Bolt"
4. "Losers March"
5. "Summer Living"
6. "Intellitag"
7. "Abmoit"
8. "Brace Yourself (Reprise)"

µ-Ziq remixes Mogwai
Mogwai Fear Satan Remixes
Eye Q UK CDEP/12" @ $12

Techno with industrial-style guitar samples.

µ-Ziq remixes Tipsy
Flying Monkey Fist
Asphodel US 12" $11

Third single and first new material since the full length. "4 tracks with one new one and remixes from U-ZIQ and curd duca."

µ-Ziq, Aphex Twin, Autechre remix Cylob
Previously Unavailable On CD
UK CD $34 LP $TBA

13 trax, 74m. Chris Jeffs presents a collection of sought after tracks he recorded under Cylob & Kinesthesia monikers. First time on CD for these previously vinyl-only tracks, including from the Stop It anti-nukes 12" and remixes by Aphex Twin, µ-ziq and Autechre. "Bittersweet Techno mutations on the Richard James/µ-Ziq tip."
>from Empathy Box Remixes: #1/9/10/11
>from Kinethesia Vol 1: #3/5/6
>from Industrial Folk Songs: #4/13
1. "Flick Life (Cylob Mix)"
2. "Quadrephlex"
3. "Kobal"
4. "Flad"
5. "German"
6. "4J"
7. "Plouth"
8. "Lave Trader"
9. "Flicklife (µ-Ziq Mix)"
10. "Sang (Autechre Mix)"
11. "Triachus (Aphex Mix)"
12. "Sixed" from Mururoa Project anti-nuke 12"
13. "Durftal"

Aphex Twin's Rephlex label:
DMX Krew
17 Ways To Break My Heart
UK CDEP/12" @ $12

5 tracks of nu skool electro. 4 on 12"

Dynamix II
Electro Megamix
UK CD $35 4LP $44
"Miami electro duo who've been recording since 1985 with continuous DJ mix on CD and exclusive quadruple vinyl collection."

Global Goon
Cradle Of History
UK CD $35 LP $tba

2nd album from Richard James' flatmate, Johnny Hawke. Melodic electronic ditties like Aphex or µ-Ziq w/ odd vocals.

Leila
Like Weather
UK CD $35 LP $26

Debut album from Bjork's former keyboardist. A mix of funky tunes and weird electronica.

Astralwerks' Brian Vick aka Red Cell
Those That Can Dance
Derailed US 12" $10

"This track is produced by Astralwerks recording artist Brian Vick and it is a pure whammy of a track that made of uncompromising Breakbeats laced with criss crossing 303 acid loops! On the B Side "Lo Fi" and "Breaking Down" keep the breaks slamming away in punchy manner with cool synth pulses & sharp acid touches."

Mark Broom
Drift
Mosaic UK 12" $12

"3 tracks of atmospheric dancefloor techno-house"

Clear label:
Lithium Project
s/t
UK CDEP/12" @ $12

New band on Clear, who have remixed Reflection.

Dan Curtin
New World Order EP
Sublime UK CD $23 2x12" $23

classy Detroit tech-house tracks

Death In Vegas' Richard Fearless remixes Indian Vibes
Mathar
Virgin UK CDEP/12" @ $12

Brithop and hip hop mixes of cover of Dave Pike's funky sitar hit. Also mixes by Primal Scream, Paul Weller and Brendan Lynch.

DJ Morpheus Vs Bassbin Twins
The Future Isn't What It Was
SSR Bel 12" $14

"4 tracks of samples and breakbeats"

Dot label:
Various
Endlessnessism
Swe 2CD $40 Ltd 4LP $TBA

Very good collection of exclusive tracks of funky techno and trip hop. "ENDLESSNESSISM could be described as the musical equivalent of chinese whispers or an olympic relay race. One track is taken as a starting point and is then remixed by each artist in succession until all 16 artists have completed their tracks. Track 16, the last track, will then become the starting track for Endlessnessism Vol 2 (out March 99). Endlessnessism consists of 16 exclusive tracks by all the Dot knights and handpicked guests that together have created the world's first neverending remix race."
CD #1 8 trax, 48m. 1. Sarilou - Compactism - junglish beat and spacey synths
2. Quant - Quantasm - jazzy hip hop w/ electro-funk bassline
3. Bedouin Ascent - Spasm - Plaid-ish fungle
4. Bowling Green - Deja Vuism - techno-funk w/ old school drum machine pattern you'll recognize...
5. Ian O' Brien - Ianism - tribally breaks and backing organ/synths
6. Endemic Void - Coffeyism - mellow, funky jungle w/ xylophones
7. Roupe - Somnabulism - slow synth wipe and tribally rhythms
8. Nonplace Urban Field - Fryedism - lounge-y mellow
CD #2 8 trax, 49m
9. Spacer - Endlesspaceism - film soundtrack-style synths and orchestra bytes w/ various drums
10. As One - As Oneism - string synth backing, acid-y techno and electro-funk bassline
11. Funki Porcini - Chrashism - slow, dreamy jazzy hip hop w/ acoustic bass
12. Bullitnuts - Schism - congas, low bass groove and uptempo funky drumming, with spacey synths
13. Argonort - Onanism - low-slung jazz-funk w/ metal percussion counter-rhythms
14. Jimpster - Antidisestablishmentarianism - mellow jazz-fusion
15. Hab - Realism - dreamy, techno-y jungle
16. Friend - Mannerism - jazz-funk w/ lively-er drums and moog solo

Eye Q label:
Freddy Fresh
Down For The Count
UK CD/12" @ $12

"4 more tracks of funky looped beats and clever samples"

F Comm label:
Move D remixes Frederic Galliano
Plis Infinis No 4
Fra CD/12" @ $14

Remixes of jazz techno track before the release of the album Espaces Baroques. Very cool chilled jazz mix by Move D (David Moufang from Deep Space Network). Also mixes by Aqua Bassino (house) and Nigerian percussionist Tony Allen.

Frederic Galliano
Espaces Baroques
Fra CD $27 2LP $30

Should be great jazz techno from French DJ who's eclectic sets are a melange of jazz, African, Brazilian, hip hop & house.

Chaotik Ramses
Second
Fra CDEP/12" @ $14

"3 tracks of Jeff Mills-style dancefloor-friendly Detroit techno" Chris "Chaotik Ramses" is a resident DJ of the Rex Club in Paris for the ĪD-club parties influenced by the sound of Detroit.

Fax label:
Dada
Drum Machine Circle
Ger CD $32

"C.U.E. & Jason Rivera are back with a well-crafted title that's made up of smooth chilled drum machine programming awash in swirling sliding synth soundscapes. Techno tales of Aliens, Interdimensional travel. Imagine technological shamans converged around a glowing campfire, Roland drum machines geared to put Chunky Hip Hop beatz over lush enviro electro!"

Pete Namlook & P Prochir
Miles Apart
Ger CD $32

"Pete Namlook & Peter Prochir will amaze you on this new release that's got everything from deep dreamy ambient tracks to more Drum & Bass grooves to futuristic chilled out spacey soundtrack qualities. A recording completely in the field of FAX's Drums & More definition of beat oriented music. Cool fusion with environmental ambience, set in the twilight hours."

Ferox label:
Various
Further Adventures In Techno Soul
UK CD $34

w/ Mark Broom, Carl Craig, Stasis, Rue East, Max Brennan, 4th Wave, Dan Curtin, Ian O'Brien and others

Freaky Chakra
Black Light Fantasy
Astralwerks US CD $24 LP $20

Daum Bentley's 2nd full-length release from Astralwerks is one of the best American discs released so far this year, as he adds the new funkiness he previewed on a Oxygen Musicworks label single, to the harder rhythms heard on last year's soundclash with Single Cell Orchestra. Like that release, the beats on Blacklight Fantasy are non-stop, as the tracks run into each other DJ-style. The opening cut "Downspace" starts the album in high gear with upbeat techno-funk rhythms and a cookin' bass-synth bassline. Things switch to a house feel on "Dreams" which features the psychedelized spoken word of Toni Halliday from Curve (with whom Freaky Chakra is touring, starting March 26th in Toronto). The space-y house sounds continue on the first single's title, "Year 2000" which swings to a jazz-funk bass-synth melody (and is remixed by emerging producer Charles Webster on the 12"). Entertaining from beginning to end, Blacklight Fantasy will work with the lights on or off.

Freddy Fresh aka Invisible Man
Still Fakin' Da Funk
Sugar Spliff US 12" $11

" On this cool clear vinyl release he keeps the rhythms on a great Trip Hop tip, spicing things up with some old school analogue wizardry with the TB303, funky meandering keys, down tempo drums."

Hardkiss labels:
Hawke
Namquadisco
Sunburn US CD $25

"Gavin Hardkiss takes the listener on a quite an aural journey that blends a moist concoction of Electronica & live instrumentation. 10 luscious tracks in all!"

David Holmes
This Film's Crap...
Polygram UK CD $26

reissue of 1st album of techno - which was not released in Canada

Jedi Knights
New School Science
Evolution UK CD $34

Limited repress. Fantastic electro release! Buy it before George Lucas destroys them all... The Jedi Knights are on an intergalactic mission to return techno to it's electro-hip hop roots. The English duo (otherwise known as Reload and Global Communications) were break dancing, grafitti-spraying youths, ready to funk in the early 80's, under the influence of the Afrika Bambaataa and the word from the Beat Street films. Since then "electro" inspired Detroit techno, which mutated into the tougher, less syncopated strains of noisy hardcore and furious gabba. When the Knights released their Zapp-sampling back-to-electro track "May The Funk Be With You" on a 1995 Clear label single, little did they anticipate the "revival" they heralded. Other artists had talked about the lack of funk in 90's techno but the Jedi Knights' chunky grooves so resonated with memories of Tommy Boy and the Soul Sonic Force that every indie producer turned their studios into shrines to the Zulu Nation. Now on their full length debut the Jedis continue the retro-grooves of "May The Funk..." and the curiously-titled "Noddy Holder" (after the singer from Slade) with the Chic-ish "One For MAW" and the mechanical breaks of "Science Fiction". They've taken their surprise success with a sense of humor, evident in the Monty Python-sampling "Dance Of The Naughty Knights" and the ironic X Files-bytes in "The Truth". Also features the great lounge hip hop track "Solina (The Ascension)" 11.04.

Kerosene
Teenage Secret
Caipirinha US CD $24

On his own Kerosene produces an ez-sleazy film noir pseudo-soundtrack that swings from downtempo electronica to low-slung jazz. Teenage Secret is a pleasant surprise after his tech-house releases on Force Inc and the mashed beatz of the tracks on his own Pharma label. And like the new South American sounds of Atom Heart, Kerosene even cuts a Latin rug with the genre-inventing "Mambo Of Terror"! The techno Kerosene will be on tour in the US in May.

Kraftwerk
Traffic Jam On Autobahn
Heinz CD $60

Excellent audience recording from Birmingham, Hummingbird, July 15th 1991. The best from that tour that I've heard. Includes nice speech about Sellafield in the intro to "Radioactivity". The recordist was very close to the pa, but got some conversations heard. CDs are picture discs.

Carl Lekebusch aka Mr Barth & AD
Knocking Boots
Svek CD $35

w/ Alex Delano

Lo Recordings label:
Various
Altered States Of America
UK CD $32 12" $13

UK collection of American techno w/ Canadians David Kristian, Solvent and Lowfish. Also ltd 6 track preview 12".
1. Space Wurm "Mogue" from Vinyl Comm, California
2. Solvent "Half Eaten Drum Machine" from Suction, Toronto
3. 8 Frozen Modules "Sand Bubbles" Trance Syndicate
4. Lowfish "It Has Much Grain" from Suction
5. Lesser "President Of The Folk Song Isn't Fanclub" from Vinyl Comm
6. David Kristian "Luau III"
7. Kundalini "Walking Sun" from Carpet Bomb Records, NY
8. Chessie "The Last Lie I Ever Told" from Drop Beat, Cali
9. Textile Sounds "Micro Macro Hold" from Drop Beat
10. Microstudio "Cubensis" from Carpet Bomb
11. Slicker "Cnimmus" from Hefty Records, Ill
12. Matmos "Lunaire" from Vague Terrain, Cali

NovaMute label:
2nd Gen
Against Nature
UK CDEP/12" @ $12
UK's answer to Digital Hardcore. 4 tracks of noise and industrial strength beats.

Peacefrog label:
The Sun Children Project
The Flow
UK 12" $12

3 trax from David Alvarado and Kenneth Graham.

Plastikman
Consumed
NovaMute UK CD $35 3LP $33

New subtle evolution of Richie Hawtin's minimalism, as he subtracts the beats from their effects-created soundscapes. Look for my interview in June's Exclaim.

Plug Research label:
Mannequin Lung
The Art Of Travel
US CD $22 2LP $22

American producer John Tejada into intelligent techno-house and Atom Heart-style techno-funk. "An excellent foray into deep and quirky forms of Techno with plenty of strange and unique textures from producer Allen Avanessian. Along the lines of Palette or Pure Plastic type tech-house."

R&S's Diatomyc label:
Mikael Delta
The Picture
Bel 12" $14

3 trax from Greek producer.

Ex- Renegade Soundwave aka Subsonic Legacy
Revolution
Disreplicant UK 12" $12

'female vocals with a d&b tempo, reworking of "Bring The Noise"'

Selway & BPMF
Split EP
Serotonin US 12" $11

"Excellent repress! On first side BPMF's "resonance" has a long spacey intro with ambient mood that gradually drops into beautiful deep lush Electro rhythms. On the other Side John Selway presents "Ion" which slams out funky electro beatz, decayed hats, smooth gliding synths. "Nova 2010" undulates with powerful kicks, crunchy rhythms, twisting tones! A gem."

Skint label:
The Lo Fidelity Allstars
Vision Incision
UK CD/12" #1/#2 @ $12

CD and limited 12" with Midfield General remix.

Synapse aka John Selway & BPMF / Auto Kinetic
Split EP
Seratonin US 12" $11

Another repress. "On the 1st side 2 trax by Synapse: "Bubble" opens with gorgeous trancey chords and Electro rhythms. "Gas" is rough around edges with cool Old School Electro groove going on. On the flip are 2 more choice trax from Mike McClure aka Auto Kinetic. "Mr Quashie" has funky breaks and synthetics, 303 loops while "Salibury Steak is bleepy and bumpy!"

System 7
777
Hypnotic US CD $22

US version of their 2nd cd - one of their best. With guests The Orb, Lewis Keough and Youth.

Two Lone Swordsmen's Keith Tenniswood aka Brood
Rascal Dub
Kingsize UK 12" $14

3 trax. AA "Rascalclot" A monster bassline distinguishes this stark jazzy-hip hop track with touches of d&b rhythms and dubbed percussion. This would sound great in a club!
Ai "Rascal Dub" avant vibes are added to the above, as a funkier bass synth bassline drops to challenge any club system.
Aii synth noise added to the beats on this short cut

Sven Vath
Fusion
Virgin Ger CDEP/12" @ $12

Single release for title track of upcoming album with remixes by Fila Brazilia and Doctor Rockitt.

Warp label:
Boards of Canada
Music Has The Right To Children
UK CD $34 2LP $32

Boards Of Canada are a Scottish duo who named themselves after seeing one too many Canadian Film Board flicks at school. The audio side of their multi-media work has created a buzz amongst the 'intelligent dance music' scene since they were discovered in 1996 by Autechre's Skam label (who released this highly recommended album jointly with Warp). BOC have inherited Autechre's love of moody ambience, while not following that duo's journey into the far reaches of rhythmic abstraction. Instead they use hip hop breaks, scratched bytes and the snappy snares electronic beats to keep their atmospheric vibes flowing. Their best feature is the strangely nostalgic keyboard colours and melancholy melodies they come up with, which will appeal to fans of µ-Ziq or Black Dog. Play the shamefully short "Roygbiv" to anyone who thinks electronic music is emotionless and fight for music's right to be switched-on.

Claude Young
Golem Craft
Fracture UK 12" $12

New label from Blueprint/Surface with "4 tracks of real techno in a Derrick May-vein with Sakamoto-type bits". Very cool Detroit techno ep with moody, ambient title track.

Various
Beats By Dope Demand Box
Kickin UK 3CD $45

Best of Kickin's Beats By Dope Demand series

Various
White Trash Gangsta Trance
Bottom Heavy US CD $24

11 trax, 71m. Moonshine's Bottom Heavy imprint starts a new compilation series for more club-friendly big beatz and funky acid-trance. Danny Saber leads off with the sitar-based big beat track "Indian Summer," which shows why Black Grape's Shaun Ryder didn't panic when his rappers quit, leaving him and the hot producer to go on with the show. A second Saber track, the NASA-sampling "Lift Off," will also funk-up any dancefloor. Another sure bet is Control-X's "You Better Work It Out", whose funky bass drum/conga/drum machine interplay is hosted by the 700 Club's unlikely MC, Pat Robertson. And further out, at the meeting of dub and funky drumming, are three strong tracks: Ghettoelectro's sonar-bleeping "www.dubmarine.com", Supersoul's stepping "Rhythm Culture" and their Run DMC-sampling "Botanical Blipz".