Browsing Tag

techno

JBRRMUSIC produced the visceral ‘Feeling of XTC’ in his latest EDM hit

Posted on 9 March 2024

JBRRMUSIC refused to follow in anyone’s footsteps with his latest hit EDM single, Feeling of XTC, which brings everything that it says on the titular tin.

The EDM track which unravels as equal parts progressive house pop and euphoric techno follows a series of critically acclaimed and relentlessly playlisted and airplayed hits from the rising UK EDM producer who always thinks forward and takes his fans into the future of electronica with his innovative approach to alchemising aural ecstasy.

Feeling of XTC broke the EDM mould with its short and exhilaratingly sweet 2-minute duration. The succinct whirlwind of massive beats, build-ups so intense you may forget to breathe, and gravity-defying crescendos created a kinetically electrifying platform for the crystalline-with-soul female pop vocals to allude to the immense power of falling in love.

If anything can come close to the feeling of surrendering to someone completely and the subsequent addiction to the way that person makes you feel, it’s this monolith of an earworm which carries endless cross-over appeal. The sporadic tumultuous touches to the production became an efficacious sonic visualisation of love’s capacity to shake you to your core, leave you head over heels, and out of touch with gravity.

Feeling of XTC was officially released on February 23; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Darth Athena took us into the depths of techno’s shadow with ‘Black Mojo’

Posted on 25 January 2024

Dark Athena’s tempestuous latest release, Black Mojo, plunges into the depths of techno’s shadow. With its monochromatic palette, this piece from the Atlanta-based producer is a bold foray into the heart of darkwave electronica, where precision and chaos dance in a delicate balance.

Darth Athena, the architect behind this auditory odyssey, weaves a tapestry of sound that reflects his eclectic musical upbringing. From the pulsating beats of EDM to the haunting echoes of darkwave and the rhythmic complexity of jazz and R&B, Black Mojo is the culmination of a lifetime spent in the company of diverse genres.

The track’s progression is a masterclass in tension and release. Each beat is meticulously crafted, ebbing and flowing with a rhythm that seems to sync with your heartbeat. For seven minutes, you are lost in a world where time bends to the will of the music. The laser-like strobes and sci-fi motifs add a layer of dynamism, yet it’s the relentless, hypnotic beats that anchor you in Darth Athena’s universe.

Black Mojo will do more than just fill dancefloors; it will command them. It’s a siren song for the night, calling out to those who find solace in the pulsating heart of techno. As the final beat fades, you’re left with an insatiable hunger for more – a testament to the enduring power of Darth Athena’s musical alchemy.

Black Mojo was officially released on January 19; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

IDN synthesised an electrifying electronica hybrid in his sophomore LP, Voyager

Posted on 21 January 2024

IDN’s LP “Voyager” is an electrifying escapade into a realm where electronica melds with a kaleidoscope of genres. Each of the 14 tracks on this LP is a crucial fragment of an intricate cosmic voyage, transcending the norms of conventional electronica with audacious flair.

IDN, an LA-based queer Iranian-American polymath, infuses his diverse inspirations – from video games to sci-fi and psychedelia – into a groundbreaking sound. This LP is a unified interstellar journey, which pulses with life, intertwining industrial, dub, and psytrance into a hybrid tapestry of sound.

The genius of “Voyager” lies in its seamless blend of hi-fi sophistication and lo-fi rawness. This juxtaposition creates a soundscape that feels both futuristic and deeply rooted. With glitchy breakbeats and dub-infused electronic twists leading the listener through a labyrinth of auditory discovery, you will want to grab your passport to the 5th dimension before delving in.

The Voyager LP landed on January 12; embark on it via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bitvert oscillated doom through his harbingering experimental deep bass track, Distress Signal

Posted on 4 December 2023

Bitvert’s experimental deep bass single ‘Distress Signal’ is an scintillating foray into the realm of underground electronica, seamlessly merging dark textures and tonalities with an omnipresent sense of impending doom. More than just a composition; it’s an experience, an auditory journey through the depths of electronic music’s more shadowy corridors.

Distress Signal starts the transmission with a harbingering sense of doom that is immediately palpable, it pulsates through the oscillating basslines that forge the spine of this musical beast. To evoke a primal response, enthralling and unsettling in equal measure, Bitvert bolstered the resonance in the bass which exhibits his reverence for the DIY ethos of punk.

The sharp cuts of the snares in Distress Signal add a layer of urgency to the track; they are meticulously crafted to cut through the deep bass, serving as a stark contrast that enhances the overall texture of the piece. This percussive element lends the track a glitchy trip-hop nuance, further diversifying the auditory palette.

When you hit play on the filmic, almost Lynchian ingenuity, you are more than a passive recipient of sound, you’re transported to a dark, brooding and intensely atmospheric realm. It’s an auditory odyssey that pushes the boundaries of electronic music and leaves a lasting impression.

Distress Signal will be transmitted on December 4th; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Melancholia spills into the cosmos with Sub Caesar’s melodically progressive tech house cocktail Into the Oblast (When Will You Be Home) ft Brunetti

Posted on 4 November 2023

Some EDM anthems drop, others make a collision that will make an ever-lasting impression; Sub Caesar’s latest orchestration, Into the Oblast (When Will You Be Home) ft Brunetti, is luxe enough in meaningful momentum to scorch the airwaves on its arrival.

The dark and melancholic anthem, which is drenched in enough yearning and desperation for security and sanctity that it spills pensiveness into the cosmos, pulls together with a cohesion that makes it impossible not to surrender to the mellifluous instrumental layering and the searing soul in Brunetti’s glassy vocal lines. If her timbre sounds familiar, you may have heard her in her tracks featured on Netflix shows, including Selling Sunset, Love is Blind, and The Circle.

By exploring the most elemental trappings of melodic house & techno and progressive house, Sub Caesar produced an evocatively energising Tour De Force, which should necessitate the removal of the ‘sub’ affix from his moniker.

The independent Dutch producer, Sub Caesar, said:

“The inspiration for this track came from one of these heart-breaking clips of soldiers returning home, hugging their children. Amongst all the terrible news and images of war and war victims, his clip touched me deeply. A strong emotion is a good basis for music! The word ‘Oblast’ means region or province in Ukraine. In this track, it stands for any harm a loved one could be in while also being far away from home and the anxiety and special kind of longing that this causes. Having said that, yes, you can hear the actual Kiev air siren in there, pitched down a semitone to match the musical scale.”

Into the Oblast will officially be released on November 3rd; hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

UK-based house/techno legend Hugo Ryder helps us get back into the zone with In To Focus

Posted on 8 July 2023

Hitting the right notes and sliding on that awaiting dancefloor like an OG who knows what the crowd wants, Hugo Ryder is in no mood to mess around and has dropped something to party with all night long on In To Focus.

Hugo Ryder is a UK-based founding member of the famous Professional Misconduct sound system and an absolute legend in the techno and house scene.

Thundering in with something rather intensely vein-popping, Hugo Ryder is on absolute fire and shall summon the best vibes within and slice away all bad juices that serve no purpose.

In To Focus from the UK-based house music producer and DJ Hugo Ryder is a rather scintillating entry into our hearts when needed most. There is a thrilling energy to filter through into our awaiting souls, by a skilled pro who knows how to push our buttons rather sweetly.

If you like powerful music with a buzzsaw-like aura to cut through the nonsense outside, this is the winner you have been looking for.

Listen up on SoundCloud.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

DJ CoolRex grooved through the depths of desire in his tech-house debut, I Want

Posted on 8 June 2023

After the debut single, I Want, from DJ CoolRex, it is safe to say tech-house has a new iconic architect. While encompassing the epitome of desire, the techno kicks and basslines punctuate the soul-soaked house synthetics to create an authentically immersive atmosphere that electro heads will want to drench themselves in time and time again.

His future-ready flair, noted through the bass-drenched deep cuts, effortlessly set him apart from his contemporaries and the tech-house pioneers Laurent Garnier and Carl Cox. DJ CoolRex may be new to the scene, but on the basis of this deliciously strong debut, the Ohio-born and raised innovator has exactly what it takes to make his ascent from the underground an ephemeral trip.

Check out the DJ CoolRex debut by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Good Head: Astrotrain feels the previous romance collapsing on Dead Weight

Posted on 1 May 2023

Taken straight off the newly minted 3-track EP called Lilium, Astrotrain feels the wrath of someone who wants access without actually doing anything on Dead Weight.

Created by Jørgen Tonvang, Astrotrain is a Norwegian electronic house/techno music producer who makes the kind of dynamic releases which will warm up even the coldest souls.

“My goal for this track was to take the listener on a journey where the soundscapes and melodies combine with the vocals to create an experience that you want to return to many times.” ~ Astrotrain

Simply superb. Astrotrain rails up our minds and turns up the speed on this quality song made for cinematic use. This is an outstanding song which will inspire many to rid themselves of something which isn’t real anymore.

Dead Weight from Norwegian electronic house/techno music producer Astrotrain is a breaking-away-from-someone-who-didn’t-care-enough message and anthem. Layered with so many intricacies and pushing the highest standard possible, we find something rather special.

Pulling off the plastic which isn’t helping growth, this is a rather tremendous single worthy of any playlist.

Listen up on Spotify.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Supa G Swift has launched his dark, dirty, and droning techno debut, Take You to Attica

Posted on 8 April 2023

Take You to Attica is the debut dark, dirty and droning tech house hit from the up-and-coming artist Supa G Swift. Taking their listeners far beyond earth’s banal and predictable atmosphere, this helter-skelter ride through the cosmos treats you to funked-up surging electro-electricity by the smorgasbord.

The Cork, Ireland-based artist, DJ, and producer initially set out to take over the hip-hop scene in Cork before entering DJ battles in Ireland and relocating to Canada, where he became one of the most notorious and revered DJs in Vancouver.

For the past seven years, his upcoming debut album, Enter Infinity, has been his labour of love; it promises to be a psychologically expansive high-energy ride. On the basis of Take You to Attica, we don’t doubt his ability to deliver exhilaratingly trippy hits that could lead to a dancefloor frenzy.

Take You to Attica released on April 3rd; entrance yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Hebreo & K Perez put a reggae tech twist on the Peurto Rican EDM tonal palette with DiPutaDa

Posted on 4 April 2023

Running under the label SJB, the revered Puerto Rican producers, Hebreo & K Perez have dropped their debut 13-track studio album, Los Gatos Scarface, which showcases a fresh new fusionist sound that is brimming up from the Puerto Rican underground and spilling into international waters.

The standout single, DiPutaDa, is a rhythmically adrenalized amalgam of arrestingly bright tech house beats and intuitively placed reggaeton vocals that bring a smorgasbord of flavour. Nothing is lost in translation in this bass-riding modernist twist on the definitively Puerto Rican EDM palette.

EDM fans the world over have already started flocking to the tantalisingly infectious tempo of DiPutaDa. If you want to splice some kaleidoscopic colour onto your playlists, jump on it while the hype is hot.

Check out the original mix of DiPutaDa, which dropped on March 24, via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast