Our favourite vinyl-only labels

Ahhh, the sweet smell of fresh wax.

Vinyl's making headlines quicker than HMV can sell turntables (ie. one a minute over the Christmas period) these days, so we thought the time was right to run down our favourite vinyl-only labels.

There's a wealth of house and techno below, so get stuck in and use this list as an excuse to redeem those Boomkat vouchers your Aunt gave you on Boxing Day. Lovely.

All Caps shows astounding diversity in its releases. Co-founder Bake has been described as a kindred spirit to expert selector Ben UFO, and the label is run exactly as you would expect from that high praise, with the Glaswegian collective seeking out and releasing the music they love without being bound by genres.

Latest release 'Phenomena' sees Florist take a sample from a song famed for its breaks – Lyn Collins' 'Think' – in order to construct the nostalgic, sun-soaked house track 'Marine Drive'. The wider discography ranges from Kowton's grime-infused techno on 'TFB' to the acid-flecked ambience of DJ Guy's '20 (1996)' EP, which was excavated from SoundCloud anonymity by Bake.

Releasing vinyl-only is deeply ingrained into the core principles of the Beste Modus collective. They value their music and they want you to do so as well, and a nice slab of wax creates a much deeper connection than any .mp3, or even .flac, file ever could (in their opinion).

The crew make soulful deep house informed by Chicago, but with clear influence from hometown Berlin surging through their grittier moments. It's a sound that struck an instant chord: every copy of debut release Beste Modus 01 featuring all five core members Cinthie, Diego Krause, Albert Vogt, Ed Herbst and stevn.aint.leavn was snapped up within 48 hours, and each record since has followed suit in selling out. Don't sleep on the next one.

Although Deconstruct only has four releases to its name, the label boasts one of the most destructive club weapons ever made in Levon Vincent's 'Solemn Days'. That titanic-sized foghorn completely tears parties to pieces when it's belted out of a system.

The other three records bang nearly as hard. DJ Qu's dizzyingly original 'Party People Clap' features an all-star cast of remixers in Levon Vincent, Anthony Parasole, Fred P and Jus-Ed; Joey Anderson's 'Earth Calls' relentlessly builds with spooky and squelching synths; and Vincent's debut contribution features the muscular epic 'Woman Is The Devil'.

Listening to Giegling releases is like simultaneously floating on a cloud and plunging through the deepest depths of the Pacific; the music harmoniously conjures feelings of total seclusion and profound unity. Track title 'The Colour (Sad Sad Euphoria Breakbeat Mix)' from integral label member Traumprinz working under his DJ Metatron alias sums up this transcendent aesthetic nicely.

The label is packed with tears-on-the-dancefloor productions, like Metatron's hauntingly beautiful 'State Of Me' from his Giegling Mix 07 or the emotive 'Drama' from two of the label's founders working as Kettenkarussell. It's an essence that has captured many a heart and mind, helping serious techno bros surrender to their emotions.

Detroit may be the birthplace of techno but its heritage in house music runs almost as deep, with the Michigan metropolis producing some of the genre's best work.

KDJ only puts out music by Motor City producers and has clocked up releases from a number of its finest artists in Rick Wilhite, Theo Parrish, Alton Miller and Andrés.

The star of the label and the man responsible for the majority of its output however is its owner and namesake Moodymann aka Kenny Dixon Jr. The honcho has contributed some truly classic house records since founding KDJ in 1994, such as the blissful Chic sampling 'I Can't Kick This Feeling When It Hits' and more recently the lust-fuelled Andrés collaboration 'Lyk U Used 2'.

Announcing yourself onto the scene with a track as irresistibly danceable as Palms Trax's 'Equation' is right up there among the best debut releases. It was clear immediately that Lobster Theremin was primed to establish itself as a label with serious staying power, but we're not sure anyone could have foreseen the extent to which LT has blown up since.

After closing out 2013 with the one and only release to its name, the Jimmy Asquith owned imprint hit a staggering hot streak the following year. A whopping seventeen releases arrived in 2014, with highlights in the form of blistering basement techno from Manse and the genre-splicing stylings of Daze.

Sixteen further releases landed in 2015. When a lot of labels struggle to put out just one or two records a year, no one does quality and quantity quite like Lobster Theremin.

While digital tracks are available, we included the label because its releases generally only become available online afther the vinyl pressings have sold out, and it's all done independently on Bandcamp ensuring some digging has to be done to seek them out. You won't find any Lobster Theremin on Beatport.

As you can probably tell from a label that releases music carrying titles like 'Golden Garden' and 'Starcave' from artists with names such as Slow Riffs and Dream Carpets, Vancouver collective Mood Hut produces house music of the most blissful variety.

Mood Hut tracks are evocative of kicking back on warm summer evenings, luxuriating on soft grass as rays beam down and saturate your surroundings with a comfortable glow.

Take Jack J's 'Looking Forward To You' release with a bassline so groovy it could get the shyest club-recluse up dancing the jitterbug, backed with the exceptional 'Something (On My Mind)' on the flip with sax smoother than Morgan Freeman's narration.

From the tunes down to the musical note featuring logo stamped on each record, every aspect of the label effuses charm.

Jeremy Underground wasn't lying when he named his label. Armed with an ear for killer tunes, the crate-digging extraordinaire has shown unparalleled passion in reviving the 90s underground house sound, bringing forgotten brilliance to the fore and keeping things fresh with modern sounds from newer producers.

For the label's first release he plucked James N. Tinsley back from the depths of obscurity to revive his The Nathaniel X Project alias with smooth house sounds on 'The Resurrxion EP'. A first ever release of Lost Cuts from Jerzzey Boy followed, along with a re-issue of a classic Teflon Dons release.

Don't go thinking MLIU is stale though, the label focus is now firmly on the contemporary, with Tristan De Cunha and Brawther leading the way. Their output is more update than throwback: see the thumping groove of Brawther's 'Don't Go' or his work as Paris Underground Trax.

A label comprised entirely of Levon Vincent releases is a stamp of assured quality like no other. Levon's dedication to the vinyl format is so strong that rather than have his debut album released digitally he just gave it away for free on WeTransfer.

The New York producer has put out some of the most mind-bendingly powerful records in the house and techno spectrum on Novel Sound. There's the hypnotic layered textures of 'Impression Of A Rainstorm' and '1000 Miles From Home', the thumping bass underscoring the certified floor wreckers of '???' and 'Woman Is An Angel', and the whirring synth of 'Man Or Mistress' that is hands in the air huge.

The imprint is also home to surely the cutest track title in techno: 'For Mona, My Beloved Cat. Rest In Peace.' Aw.

While Perlon has released a few longer compilations and albums on CD, it remains staunchly non-digital and its incredible run of over 100 EPs and singles are vinyl only so we've seen fit to include the imprint on this list.

Helmed by minimal masters Zip and Markus Nikolai, the pioneering label pushed its abstract, micro sound into prominence with a multitude of groundbreaking releases that sound as fresh now as the day they were created. Get Perlonized parties are famed for being state altering club experiences, characterised by these disorientating records.

Perlon's discography features more legends than Medieval folklore, with the likes of Ricardo Villalobos, Herbert, Luciano & Mathew Jonson, Soul Capsule and Cassy providing innovative productions. More recently the label has showcased sounds from forward thinking artists such as Margaret Dygas, San Proper and Shackleton.

Brotherly duo Sex Tags, comprised of DJs Sotofett and Fett Burger, received an esteemed co-sign from straight-talking producer Omar S in a 2009 RA interview when he listed them as two of only three non-Detroit artists he enjoys: "I like Donato Dozzy … Sex Tags … Scott Grooves. Theo Parrish. Kyle Hall, and that's it."

Listening to the output of Sex Tags UFO, it's not hard to see why they made the grade. While the label only formed in 2010, it's one in a long line of Sex Tags affiliated imprints that showcase some of the funkiest takes on house and techno going. The quality of release has been unwavering since its energetic debut from Skatebård 'Way Out'.

Bossman Fett Burger has turned in his best work for UFO, combining infectious guitar licks with a stomping beat on 'Discro Tre' and utilising perhaps the best slap bass we've heard since the 70s on DJ Speckgürtel collaboration 'Speckbass'.

Stripped & Chewed made its first three releases available digitally, but since then has moved exclusively to wax. We'll overlook the youthful exuberance because since the move to vinyl only S&C has produced some slammin' jams straight outta the home of house Chicago.

Latest release '2000 (And We're Still Here)' is a re-issue of a classic Merwyn Sanders record, featuring the updated 'Mimi Likes 2 Dance' which has been an omnipotent dancefloor hit of late with its smooth vocal line and added xylophone chimes. Other label highlights include The Black Madonna's euphoric slice of piano house 'Exodus' and the magical funk of Ka§par's 'Missin' You Feat. Mr White (Philosopher's Stone Dub)'.

White Material rose to prominence at a meteoric speed. Co-founder Young Male stamped the debut release of atmospheric techno 'All R' with the slogan "Working Man's Techno" in reference to his job in a tool factory funding the label's inception. By the time WM002 dropped, fellow label head DJ Richard's 'Leech2' featuring the brilliant fuzzy stomper 'M.D.W.B', the pair sat atop the helm of the hottest new property in underground dance music.

Galcher Lustwerk joined the party for its third outing 'Tape 22' providing his signature seductive take on house. Already riding high on his own wave of hype following the sublime '100% Galcher' mix for Blowing Up The Workshop, this meeting propelled the label even further into the spotlight. Its limited-run records began appearing on Discogs for inflated prices pushing the £50 mark. Calls to go digital rang out, but the label stayed vinyl-only and has begun repressing alongside new releases.

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