On "No Deal To Seal", Play Pal boss Teniente Castillio blends techno with guitars and acoustic drums. Distorted buzzes and delayed guitar stabs play over a atonal drone that weaves itself throughout the track.
The fantastically-named next track on the EP, "Life Is Showing You A Dialogue That Needs Your Attention", feels like a companion to "No Deal To Seal" by using a similar palette of sounds and upping the tempo a little.
Teniente Castillo - No Deal To Seal out now on Play Pal Music [BUY]
A dubby bassline and filtered claps drives this early-set roller from Colombian producer Mauro Diaz. The off-beat crash creates tension against the solid bass pattern and tight production makes this track a worthy addition to your set.
Mauro Diaz - Glitch, is out now on Lame Insults [BUY]
Dirty kicks and metallic percussion punctuate a rolling 115bpm bassline on this track on the Corruption of Form EP from veteran producer Rhys Fulber (Front Line Assembly, Delerium, Conjure One) and Blush Response. Watch out for hard left turn the track makes halfway through: holy heck a key change! With a delicious bass stab on the turnarounds and broken kick patterns in the last third, this is a standout track on the Corruption of Form EP.
Rhys Fulber and Blush Response - Dissipate. Out now on Sonic Groove [BUY]
This slab of percussive techno mixing ping pong synth plucks and metallic strikes is my favorite track on the new album from the London-based, space-bar-avoiding Eamon Allen.
The rest of the album is patchy. The opening track 'Newphone' is a nice minimal tech groover but the other tracks didn't quite stick for me. While I applaud the wide variety of styles on display, veering from industrial to deep house to dubstep doesn't make for a cohesive listen in an album.
Eamon Allen shows inventiveness and creativity here but could benefit from a little more editing when choosing tracks.
Eamon Allen - 24HrService (EUROPRESSEDMIX) out now on Kundry Music [BUY]
Halo is the stand out track on the six-track Halo EP from Concret & Tyu, out now on Trafico Music. Concret are the Mexican/Italian duo Diego Angelico Escobar and Q-pha. Joining them is Tyu, a producer from Mexico whose 2015 brain-warping track Moto A is worth a spin.
In Halo, Concret & Tyu skillfully blend a dub techno vibe, polyrhythmic tuned percussion with shimmering pads. The track rides the line between simple and complex. It juggles half a dozen very different elements but never allows them to get overwhelming. I like the details; such as the marimba that is introduced playing a static pattern but then comes back after the breakdown in a triplet pattern that never quite resolves mirroring the bass line.
The remixes add a fresh take on the track but for me it's the original mix that shines.
Croncret & Tyu - Halo EP out now on Trafico Music [BUY]
The Squirrels On Film co-founder puts out their first EP on the San Francisco-based label. A retro bass arpeggio is the solid foundation for all manner of distorted bleeps and zaps. Acoustic toms and rim clicks nicely set off the otherwise electronic production. While this track is the highlight, the whole EP is and enjoyable mix of synthwave and industrial noise.
C.L.A.W.S - Slug Bait out now on Squirrels On Film [BUY]
Dissonant strings and ethereal male vocals over a dirty drone bass give make this track stand out. Slightly more melodic than the usual tracks on this site but still dirty enough to easily fit into a set. This is great ‘change of direction’ track to cue up the audience that things are moving on.
Originally out on BluFin in 2018 but now rereleased as part of a compilation Nobody Listens to Techno 7.
Vision of Tomorrow - I Follow You [BUY]