June: 8 electro releases you need to hear this month

Maelstrom 'Her Empty Eyes' (RAAR)

Hailing from the ancient French harbour city of Nantes, Maelstrom was brought up on a strict diet of techno-filled warehouses. His debut album ‘Her Empty Eyes’ (released via his and Louisahhh’s own RAAR Records imprint) is dripping with industrial sensibility. It kicks off in suitably acrid fashion with ‘The Murder Of Jose Robles’, which boasts a groove that pushes forward with all the grace of a freight train, while the more rhythmic ‘Battle of Jarama’ sounds like 90s rave filtered through a jet engine. Standout club cuts are actually few and far between; instead, Maelstrom looks to explore the emotional resonance behind his influences, from the eerie drone techno of ‘Hotel Florida Room 108’ and chilling ambience on ‘Respite In Albacete’ to the unsettling soundscapes of ‘Where Is Nin’. ‘Her Empty Eyes’ might not be for everyone, but there’s a certain poetic beauty in the way Maelstrom finds emotional resonance inside of his bleak influences.

7/10

Kölsch 'Push' (Kompakt)

Kölsch burst onto the scene in 2010 with his debut release on famed Cologne imprint Kompakt. Since then, he’s released two albums, been inducted into the Radio 1 family and has a touring schedule that rivals the very best. His hot streak continues with this new two-track offering as part Kompakt’s ‘Speicher’ series. ‘Push’ is the real standout here: it’s a banger backed up with lashings of stirring strings and bulbous brassy hooks that explores the space between prickly electro, romantic techno and cinematic house.

9/10

Vertical67 'Positive Vibes' (Magic Waves)

Berlin’s Vertical67 makes his debut on Casionova’s Magic Waves label with four-track EP ‘Positive Vibes’. It wastes no time in getting your pulse racing with the acid-tinged electro of ‘Clacid’, which combines 303 squiggles around foreboding pad work. The mysterious Berlin-based producer then turns to Italo for inspiration on the rasping ‘Back In The Groove’, which is all chintzy melodies and clacking percussion. ‘Let’s Dance’ changes the timbre once again, as he indulges in some retrofuturism with a cut of 16-bit-inspired synthwave that sounds like it could be a long-lost track from famed video game composer Barry Leitch. Finally, ‘Into The Night’ rounds off the EP in style with a leftfield cut of Aphex-inspired electronica.

6/10

Various 'Ombra International 002' (Ombra International 002)

Ombra International is a vinyl-only imprint from New York-born, Berlin-based Luca Venezia, better known as Curses. For the imprint’s second release, Venezia has persuaded Cannibal Ink, Dawn Again and K-Effect to join him on an EP of experimental goodness. ‘Intro’ gets the ball rolling with dreamy synth chimes and a catch of a movie sample, before Curses kicks the EP off proper with a downtempo cut of electroclash ‘Nue Dimension’, which sees the New Yorker wrap guttural basslines around guitar licks before they make way for the track’s chugging groove. K-Effect’s ‘Semantic’ follows a similarly chuggy timbre via the medium stuttering arps and low-slung drums, as emotive strings and swirling atmospherics add even more fuel to the nostalgic fire. Cannibal Ink’s ‘La Haine’ is a more mellow affair led by subtle synths, echoing guitar chords and crunchy percussion, before Dawn Again’s ‘Burning Jungles’ rounds off the package on an acid tip as he combines squelching 303 basslines with noodling synths and raw, dynamic rhythms.

7/10

Marlon 'MT001' (Midnight Theme)

Marlon Hoffstadt mints his new Midnight Themes imprint with a four-track EP of original material. With releases on Retrograde and DJ Haus’ Hot Haus, ‘MT001’ represents a chance for Hoffstadt to strike out on his own. While the EP effortlessly flicks between swirling cuts of house and shimmering ambient, the real electro meat comes in the form of the propulsive retro-futuristic acid of ‘The Power Of Now’ and the grating rhythms of ‘Chemical Romance’, the latter of which is all contorted percussion and golden-hued pad work. ‘Mutual Desire’ then rounds out the EP on a smooth, ethereal tip.

7/10

Cornelius Doctor 'Myths Of Adulthood' (Hard Fist)

France’s Cornelius Doctor presents the first release from his newly minted Hard Fist imprint — and it’s one of the most impressive debuts we’ve come across this year. ‘Kutter’s Transmissions’ is all about the stodgy drums and a monstrous lead synth. ‘20 Something’ is equally enthralling as the Doctor blends subtle breakbeats with throwback vocals and rave atmospherics for a proper club workout. ‘Sparkling Plasma’ effortlessly flips between heavy tribal rhythms and chanting vocals before transforming into a chuggy cut of acid, while ‘Animal Sexual Diary’ utilises a disco-tinged groove to close an assured debut.

9/10

DJ Hell 'I Want U' (Marcel Dettmann remix) (Gigolo Records)

Having scored Tune Of The Month honours earlier this year, DJ Hell’s comeback single ‘I Want You’ is now set for a trio of remixes from Marcel Dettmann, Romina Cohn and Terence Fixmer. The pick of the bunch is almost certainly Dettmann’s electro-sounding remix, which finds him delivering a propulsive interpretation of the original. The German don combines his love of early techno with a rasping electro backbone for a standout remix, as he brings the track to the boil with driving drums lines and snatches of cyborg-like vocals.

9/10

Lee Lawrence 'Back Down On My Knees' (Safer At Night)

Safer At Night’s co-founder Lawrence Lee continues the label’s vinyl-only series with a four-track EP of techno-tinged electro. ‘Back Down On My Knees’ sets the pace with a percussive-fuelled opener that’s all snapping top lines and cascading drones. ‘I’m Amazed’ is the polar opposite, though, as Lee combines field recordings with a tender piano solo for a melancholic interlude. The EP regains its club footing with the off-kilter drums on ‘Rubber Jam’ before Lee delivers the EP’s most devilish cut, the aptly named ‘There Will Be Blood’, which combines zapping leads with clunking drum work and throbbing basslines.

7/10