December: 19 techno releases you need to hear this month

Charles Fenckler 'Diving From The Void' (Soma Records)

As soon as the opening track has sprinkled its cosmic dust all over you, Charles Fenckler’s album on Soma Records continues to ease you in with its second track, the aptly-named ‘Immersion’. It’s an album that involves a lot of moods, from the understated to the outright raucous, each one thoughtfully placed next to the other so as to create a loose narrative. From ‘Immersion’ we glide into ‘Stellar Acid’, which conjures up images of a psychedelic trip into far-flung galaxies, before introducing the harmonious rumblings of ‘Estrange’ and the unsettling ‘Anxiety’. Fenckler steps outside of the all-out dancefloor a few times, which keeps the LP varied though consistent. Watch out for the walloping rave stabs on ‘Frozen Room’, too, which has done really well as a single release thanks to its warehouse-inspired chunks of analogue. This is a classy collection of music with enough variety to make it worth buying the whole thing, and plenty of dancefloor crushers to keep the DJs happy.

8/10

iO (Mulen) 'zxy22' (Apollonia)

Here’s a track destined to be played at the end of many a discerning DJ’s set. Delicate keys set this one off, together with an insistent, though not overpowering, kick. There’s an an analogue riff seemingly lifted from those early experimental days of techno. too, while bright pads sit up top and unfurl slowly to add some serene beauty to this masterpiece. This is serious music from a producer who is truly starting to peak.

9/10

Mathew Jonson & Sebastian Mullaert 'Pollen 4 Life' (Hypercolour)

Emotionally-charged acid bleeps combined with goosebump-inducing strings and a sombre low-end make this a certified winner for us. It must be said that Mathew Jonson and Sebastian Mullaert could only ever have been a match made in techno heaven, and they prove it with this special piece of music. Stretched out across almost 12 minutes, it’s a delight with just the right amount of progression and bulbous kicks set against ambient atmospherics and a deeply hypnotic rhythm.

9/10

Enzo Siragusa 'Flexin' (Fuse)

Tight, minimal and potent: three words that sum up the music on this hot new EP from the head honcho at one of London’s most respected Sunday parties, Fuse. Enzo’s two-tracker epitomises the sound of Fuse events: deep and driven by the kind of sub bass that’s so heavy it feels like tectonic plates are romping right below you.

8/10

Ricardo Villalobos & Umho 'Por Suerte' (Drumma Records)

Experimental business here from the original livewire himself, Ricardo Villalobos, and his old Chilean friend Umho. The two men appear to have dissected a relatively ‘normal’ piece of music and put it back together in the wrong order: there’s a consistent beat and the various effects are in time, but it’s pretty far from being a peak-time banger. We listened to it several times and couldn’t help but be charmed by its oddball chirps, fizzes and bleeps.

8/10

747 'Ammon' (Aquaregia)

Get your diving gear at the ready, because this one is a super-deep scuba dive into the analogue depths way down below where the light is, a place where LED-covered sub-aquatic life forms roam. Tantalising pads drift over the smooth beats and acid licks frolic with the percussion, before a slight lapse gives the pads room to breathe and then continue with more of a 4x4 beat. Uplifting music from one to watch.

8/10

Roberto 'Dreams Of A Solo' (Arts LTD)

At the foundation of this beautiful slice of engaging techno is the kind of 90s organ you might hear on an old MK remix. Here, it’s utilised expertly by one of our favourite producers, Roberto, who places it beneath tough beats, a repetitive vocal clip and a jovial set of slightly higher organ keys. It makes for a ruddy good track which we can imagine being played at an outdoor techno festival like Dekmantel.

8/10

David Morales 'Don’t Go' (Head High remix) (Rekids)

Rekids is a label that has been reppin’ solid throughout 2016 and continues to put out some superb techno cuts. Imagine if Head High was let loose on a David Morales Red Zone classic? Nope, we couldn’t manage it either, but it’s happened and it’s bloody brilliant. Shed’s alias maintains some of the original’s vibe, while dropping in gully beats and kicks to give it some oomph.

8/10

Stranger 'Granaatappel' (Ressort)

Cor blimey, this is the polar opposite of P Leone’s track: it comes at you from point-blank range and goes straight for the jugular. Rave synths squeal as pumping beats and razor sharp snares combine to lift the energy sky-high. If this doesn’t end up crushing every dancefloor it’s played on then there’s something seriously wrong with the world. This one’s potent and an absolutel riot, from start to finish.

9/10

Chris Carrier 'Dark Poison' (Sound Carrier)

The ninth release on the prolific Parisian’s label carries on the theme of intergalactic adventure and stories from beyond the confines of our universe. What’s clear about this, and all of the Sound Carrier releases, is that Chris Carrier really enjoys himself with these outings. ‘Dark Poison’ combines bubbly bouncing beats with a deep, tribal bassline and perfectly executed melodies that add even more intrigue.

8/10

Sasha 'Rivaldo' (Nicole Moudaber remix) (Last Night On Earth)

Nicole Moudaber takes a euphoric deep-house cut from one of the UK’s most respected DJs and gives it a tough new shiny suit of armour. The insistent beat is powerful, and the way in which she utilises an invigorating, tension-building arrangement of pads and twinkles is masterful. This is a top quality rework which stays true to the original and envelopes you in its entrancing aura.

9/10

Damon Bell feat Afrikan Sciences 'Kinetic Energy' (Meda Fury)

Something a little bit leftfield, here, from Damon Bell. This track fidgets and squirms away with a stuttered bassline rubbing up against hollow percussion, the intro leading into a cacophony of sounds. It’s almost too busy at times, but Damon manages to shave away some of the excess as the track closes out, reducing it to a more palatable and hypnotic tribal workout. The vocal alone is enough to keep you captive.

7/10

Mister Joshooa 'Acid Truck' (My Baby)

Acid never seems to get tiresome; there really is something innately mystifying and alluring about that twisted 303 sound. On this stomper, Mister Joshooa slaps a comedic spoken-word sample over the acid foundation as the beats trundle toward an unseen enemy. As things move forward he switches up the rhythm and gives it a more jaunty bounce, twisting those knobs to give us a good old acid screech.

7/10

Ellen Allien 'Not Alone' (BPitch Control)

A long-serving techno connoisseur, Ellen Allien drops a new EP on her own highly respected BPitch Control label. It’s her first outing on the label for a little while, and it definitely doesn’t disappoint. ‘Not Alone’ has a brooding start, with tension building steadily and quite subtly. A distorted voice adds to the eerie quality of this track as it works towards a slight dip, after which she ramps up the energy levels with a devastating slice of anarchic techno.

8/10

Second Storey & Appleblim 'Gimme 6' (R&S)

Second Storey and Appleblim return to R&S roughly 18 months after releasing their debut LP with the legendary label. As you’d expect from this unpredictable pair, the EP veers slightly left-of-centre: ‘Gimme 6’ has the classic traits of a techno stomper spliced with the kind of sounds you might expect from a d’n’b killer circa 1999, thanks to its snarling analogue licks. Make sure you look out for the madness at the four-minute mark; it’ll make you grimace hard.

8/10

Hidden Empire 'Trident' (Trapez)

Here comes the melodrama with this booming hunk of moody techno, with spine-tingling synth lines that will get your spinal cord jiggling with raw energy. From the muted though potent beats through to the solemn bassline, high-pitched synths and horn parps, everything melds together to create a deadly symphony straight out of the depths of hell and on to the dancefloor.

8/10

FJAAK 'Wolves' (Monkeytown)

These guys are so ridiculously consistent when it comes to slinging raw yet original funked-up techno. Their arrangements and ideas just seem to be so different in comparison to so many of their peers, which is great to see. ‘Wolves’ is a perfect title for this track: there’s a kind of howling sound creeping up from the background as the main riff punctuates a mega breakdown that drops into a driller-killer second half. When those hats come in, together with the woofing synth, it’s game over.

8/10

Avalon Emerson 'Why Does It Hurt' (Spectral Sound)

Avalon Emerson closes out 2016 with yet another banging EP, this time with Spectral Sound. She certainly hit a purple patch this year, though we’ve been supporting her for at least a couple of years, now. Each song on this killer new four-tracker stands out in its own way, which made it very tricky for us to choose just one highlight.

In the end, though, we settled on ‘Why Does It Hurt’: here, what starts out as a seemingly morose and downbeat number suddenly acquires a bit of noisy distortion and comes alive, like Dr Frankenstein’s monster. Add a warped female vocal to the mix, and you’ve got a banger on your hands.

9/10