July: 8 electro releases you have to hear this month

The Hacker 'Propagande' EP (Stilleben Records)

Twenty years is a long time for any producer to still be in the game; for many, the lure of TV and film work (and actually making money) becomes all too appealing. But not French veteran The Hacker, real name Michel Amato, who’s still finding plenty of mileage in the dark and grisly end of the electro spectrum. Here, he serves up four cuts that fall somewhere between deep, slithering EBM and Italo-flecked electro. Highlights include the heaving title track, which pops off with all the grace of an overweight hippo. ‘Still’, in contrast, is harder and more purposeful, as swelling basslines do battle with scorched synth work. B-side ‘La Marine’ lightens the tone a little with some playful Italo influences, before closing with a secondary version of ‘Propagande V2’.

9/10