Meteora is a smooth blend of dark and melodic house from the Danish duo Baime. Detuned synths protrude from a rolling bass line surrounded by glitchy percussion.
Baime - Meteora is out now on Blindfold Recordings [BUY]
Originally released in 2015, Detroit's Poetry by France-based K-Zan resurfaced this week on a compilation album. This track nicely rides the line between the minor key synth stabs of minimal tech with a distorted 909 kick. The off-key string line that comes in in the final third is a quirky choice that just about works.
K-Zan - Detroit's Poetry is reissued on LW Recordings [BUY]
This month's best slow tech in a one hour mix.
Ryan Hogan - Crazy Bear [BUY]
Oblomov - Rocket Steam
Quick Like Bunnnies - Ghostlore
Malik Faquir - Nas Tranquilitas [BUY]
Noevol - Femtastic [BUY]
Caldera - Akman's Rhythm [BUY]
Randstad - Brockwell [BUY]
Amato - Puissance Industrielle [BUY]
Quick Like Bunnies - Deus
Quick Like Bunnies - Minic
Panik Pop - Violent [BUY]
Facy Sedated - Aphrodite
Miraklis - Check New York
A simple but effective track from Niban combining a filtered 16th note bass line over a sparse drum pattern. Switching up the bass riff in the final third is a nice touch.
Niban - Deathwish is out now on Interplanetary [BUY]
I love the trippy breakdown in this rattly 113bpm cut of techno.
Just 9eorge & Tek.Ka - Indio Manu is out now Atrezzo Records [BUY]
A spooky slice of dark minimal tech from Estonia-based producer Mnmlzt.
Mnmlzt - Hdcnyt is out now on KLNQMZK [BUY]
Does Acid need more cowbell? New York Haunted's label boss thinks so.
Drvg Cvltvre - Trapped in a Fit of Malaria [UNM] is out now on Polybius Trax [BUY]
Anyone who has spent some time trawling through the new releases on Beatport will notice the endless supply of budget compilation albums, all with stock-image artwork and usually with "Ibiza" in the title, that rebundle old tracks from lesser-known artists. The quality is, uh, variable but occasionally they surface some interesting stuff. Ryan Hogan's "Crazy Bear" was originally released in 2016 but resurfaced recently on one of these compilations. There are some production quirks (most of the sounds seems to be panned slightly to the left) but I like its tech-house vibes which you rarely find down at this tempo (118bpm) and its wonky synth line.
Ryan Hogan - Crazy Bear has been out since 2016 on Dream Vision (and about a dozen other labels) [BUY]
(n.b. I'd love to understand more about the business model of endless rebundling low-cost tracks on compilations, get in touch if you know more!)
I now know what its like to be trapped inside a pair of maracas thanks to this dark rattly French techno.
Ekors - Sequoia is out now on User Experience [BUY]
Randstad is Dutch producer and BAKK co-founder Thomas van Linge. His debut solo EP 'Stranded' contains six great tracks of EDM retro wave cuts, but it's the 113bpm roller 'Brockwell' with its syncopated buzzy synth hook really hits the spot. I also love that an industrial track involves, what can only be described as, a key-change.
Randstad - Brockwell is out now on Pinkman [BUY]
A nice slice of dark disco from Leipzig's Panik Pop that mixes filtered arpeggiated synths with a recurring reverb-y vocal hook.
Panik Pop - Isolated is out now on Grain Audio [BUY]
Spanish producer Adrian Oblanca returns to Spliced Vinyl Records with some hard-hitting techno in "Raincoat". Since QLB is all about the slower, dirtier side of things, it's the Optimal Chill State remix that stands out. It takes the synth line of the original, slows it down and turns it into a slice of hypnotic acid disco. Watch out for the fake-out ending two-thirds of the way through!
Adrian Oblanca - Raincoat (Optimal Chill State Remix) is out now on Spliced Vinyl Records [BUY]