June: 19 techno releases you need to hear this month

Marcelus 'Vibrations' (Tresor)

Marcelus drops his debut LP with the label arm of renowned Berlin club Tresor. The Frenchman’s mastery of the techno genre has been proven time and again, and this LP is another step in his development and growth as an artist. Of course, an album provides an opportunity for a producer to explore and experiment with their sound, which is exactly what Marcelus does across these 13 tracks. Melancholy rhythms, gloomily muffled sounds, tough beats, rolling basslines, hypnotic atmospheres: they’re all here in abundance as he takes us on a trip into his fertile mind. Darkness-shrouded tracks such as ‘Transient’ channel that Tresor basement vibe perfectly, while ‘Multiply’ wiggles and squirms with a squelching bassline. Title track ‘Vibrations’ is a measured, eerie workout, and ‘Same Where, Different When’ dips its toes in the leftfield, making things slightly weird. However much Marcelus moves between dub, experimental and futuristic styles, ‘Vibrations’ remains cohesive and engaging.

8/10