November: 8 electro releases you need to hear this month

Altern-8 'Full On... Mask Hysteria' (Network / Blech)

The influence of early 90s rave and acid can be felt in today’s dance music more so than at any other time. Legendary 90s pioneers Altern-8’s classic album ‘Full On... Mask Hysteria’ was arguably the genesis for great British exports such as The Chemical Brothers, Orbital and Underworld to go out and take over the dance world. Marking 25 years since its first release, the masked midlands duo (aka Mark Archer and Chris Peat) have given the influential record a 2016 spit and polish, and it still sounds just as devastating as it did when it was first released back in 1992. The screeching airhorns, noodling acid lines and stodgy basslines of hypnotic cuts such as ‘Move My Body’, ‘E-Vapor 8’ and ‘8’s Revenge’ ensure they all still cut the mustard, despite the passage of time. Then there’s a host of remixes to further sweeten the deal, too: Shadow Dancer flip ‘Activ 8’ into a neon-clad acidic monster, while KiNK delivers a tripped-out minimal mix of ‘Armageddon’ that’s full of gooey melodies, chopped vocals and bleepy melodies. As far as remasters go, this is a must-buy release for any true dance fan.

9/10

Kölsch 'Speicher 93' (Kompakt)

In recent years, Kölsch’s genre-bending output has tended to occupy the space between house and techno, but every so often he likes to throw us an electrifying curveball. On his latest EP ‘Speicher 93’, the Danish producer is on imperious form with two contrasting tracks, but it’s acidic b-side ‘KIR’ that’s most potent. It begins with thickly set kicks which are then wrapped around complex cascading synths, before the whole track is brought to the boil for a fine finish. It’s one of his most memorable cuts yet.

9/10

Surrender! 'Voyage EP' (La Bombe)

Having released their excellent (if slightly lopsided) self-titled debut album almost fours years ago, Turkish production outfit Surrender! return to Sharooz’s La Bombe imprint with three tracks of dazzling French electro. The whole EP hits like a howitzer, with ‘Gynoid’ doing the damage early on. It’s full of driving 80s attitude and dripping with lush, neon melodies, intricate sampling and slamming drums lines. ‘Wild Dancer’ is equally as enthralling, combining jagged synths with chopped vocal samples and fractured drum patterns. And last but not least, ‘Centaur’ is all twinkling top lines and sweeping, doughy pads acting as the perfect cleanser to finish off a highly impressive EP.

9/10

Zeta Reticula 'EP5' (Electrix)

Umek returns to his early 2000s electro moniker, Zeta Reticula, with a new four-track EP. Returning to Billy Nasty’s Electrix label with a handful of cuts that range from ear-bleeding electro to lumbering techno, ‘EP5’ picks up where ‘EP4’ left off back in 2003. ‘Electric Blood Compete’ sees melodies slam into intricate sample work and vocal chops, while ‘Euphonious’ is easier to pin down: an airy cut of progressive electro, its sci-fi melodies rub shoulders with rat-a-tat rave stabs for a more melancholic cut. ‘Encroach’, conversely, is all stodgy techno rhythms and flashy percussion, while ‘Radiate’ goes for a brisker, more techy focus but is weighed down by its choice of synths, which are bleaker than an evening at your local Wetherspoons.

8/10

Carl Finlow & Dez Williams 'Split EP' (Bass Agenda Recordings)

Bass Agenda Recordings unites two of the UK’s most respected electro producers, Carl Finlow and Dez Williams, for this aptly titled split EP. Finlow is, of course, one half of 20:20 Vision alongside Ralph Lawson, and hia opening contribution ‘Bleem’ rides along on a bed of scattered top lines, grizzly bass tones and caustic leads. ‘Chemical Bonds’, however, goes for the jugular with excitable stabs and discombobulating basslines. Williams, on the other hand, delivers a tour de force of warehouse fodder that unites acid, breaks and rave across ‘Interference Pattern’, ‘Dayzov V1.1’ (which really ups the ante) and ‘Whitey’.

8/10

Wolfgang Voigt 'Apodiktische Gewissheit' (Kompakt)

Kompakt co-founder Wolfgang Voigt continues the label’s hot streak with this new two-track EP of esoteric psychedelia. ‘Apodiktische Gewissheit’ (don’t worry, we can’t pronounce it either) comes in both vanilla and arp versions, with each of them 16-minutes long. But while both tracks repeat the same musical phrase and are almost identical, the noodling melody is so well constructed it doesn’t really ever get boring, as Voigt’s nuanced approach draws you in further down the rabbit hole.

7/10

Luxus Varta 'Rosenhan Experiment' (Intramuros Records)

Emeric Di Paolo, aka Luxus Varta, makes his debut on newly minted Parisian label Intramuros Records with four slabs of futuristic electro that’ll quickly transport you to another planet. Opening track ‘Wenn’ sets the tone as Varta combines breakbeats with melodies as catchy as velcro before club weapon ‘Lizzy’ raises the temperature even higher with its impressive synths and brain-melting top lines. ‘Losquato’, on the flip, sees Varta employing Paris The Black Fu for a rambling monologue interspersed with punchy kicks and eerie tones, while ‘Tempsun’ dials its sci-fi influences up to 11 for an Orwellian cut of electro.

7/10

Struction 'Gefüge' (R&S Records)

Joining R&S’s storied musical heritage is mysterious producer Struction, who has already got the electro world’s tongues wagging as to whether they are a legitimate newcomer or actually just a well-known producer experimenting under a different alias. We’re just as in the dark as you are (although our money would be on the latter), but what we do know is that all four tracks here exhibit that classic R&S sound: a mixture of scything cymbals, pulsating rhythms and unrelenting kicks. ‘Kreen’ twists on a bed of breakbeats and slick 808 kicks, but ‘Warrior’ is darker and more disorientating as waves of washed-out tones try, and fail, to lighten the mood. ‘Ai’ finds Struction delving further into his mechanical-sounding palette for a warehouse cut that thrums along, while ‘Dolly’ is the perfect parting shot as the pace quickens with its hypnotic FM bass polyrhythms, scything cymbals and icy strings.

7/10