Lead track “Reach a Climax” does just that. It features a dark, syncopated beat with an atmospheric backdrop and humming alarm call to the dance floor. “Weak Spots” pulses forward, squishing the rhythm through the peak-time soundscape. Coming from the depths of the underground is “Cleverest Demon,” evoking a damp, cave-like vibe.

Album artwork from Reeko borders on the semi-creepy. Crystal Clear features a peeled-open eyeball superimposed with crystalline shapes obscuring deep scratches. It’s an appropriate visual that complements the track collection.

Operated by techno artist Leiras, the Berlin-based techno imprint Ownlife gave Reeko the spotlight for its 23rd release. Label mates include Joey Beltram and Tensal.

Selector’s Sounds series follows a procedure that puts music quality before status or industry relationships. Learn how it works.

Set to release on February 18th is the new Mata Disk EP, Surrounder. Nous’klaer Audio, a Rotterdam-based label and news source since 2013, has previewed two tracks online ahead of digital and vinyl offerings.

Also from Rotterdam, Mata Disk (F.K.A. Ice Viper) keeps in step with the label’s local focus. It has been a challenge for the past five years to hone in on a sound worthy of release. His style and tastes changed frequently until finally Surrounder took shape.

That shape is breaks-centric experimental techno, and he’s on a mission to convince listeners it’s ready for prime time. The title track starts with heavily syncopated, high-flying loops mostly anchored by its core melody. Bass and a four-on-the-floor beat pick up halfway through, making this a good transitional track from a breaks-to-techno set.

“Chooser” is the other preview offered, with a similar vibe and structure plus bigger, sustained beats. Spacey melody floats overhead for a quick couple minutes of introspection.

Preorder Surrounder in digital or 12-inch vinyl record format via Nous’klaer Audio Bandcamp. 

Selector’s Sounds series follows a procedure that puts music quality before status or industry relationships. Learn how it works.

Johannes Kolter has moved away from his DJOKO alias to deliver the inaugural release on fledgling label PILOT under his KOLTER moniker. Went Too Far sees the Cologne producer explore a broad swath of sound between UK garage and breakbeat. It releases in vinyl format March 26th.

The title track leads the effort in with a futuristic, electro-tinged breakbeat groover. “Get Into It” and “Selectoor” each infuse hip-hop flair into dance floor-ready garage rhythms, the latter track especially standing out for its sublimely smooth bass line. “Illumination” closes the effort out on an introspective note with tranquil pads and vocals ringing out over a broken beat.

Johannes Who?

Johannes Kolter’s debut release as DJOKO was the 2016 EP Solace Rhythm on which he collaborated with Luca Secco. His first few offerings exuded the same throwback sensibility of Went Too Far, but the project eventually settled into a Perlon-esque minimal house sound.

He introduced KOLTER with two tracks on last year’s Doppelleben EP on Talman Records, which also included entries credited to DJOKO. The former alias would appear to be a return to the original sound that he championed in the early years of the latter.

Went Too Far is available for preorder in 12-inch vinyl record format via deejay.de.

Out as a free download via Leeds label Musty Head Records is an indelible slice of breakbeat bliss by CLJL. Little is known about the artist by the label bosses, but “System Research” arrived as the second installment of their Top Shelf Series on January 25th.

Subtle syncopation in the percussion line of “System Research” sets an introspective tone early on, with electro-reminiscent sound design overhead. Reminiscent of nu skool breaks a la Uberzone or Adam Freeland, the song would fit equally equally well in a minimal house set as a temporary respite from the otherwise unrelenting four-four beat structure.

Musty Head Records launched in January 2020 and inaugurated the following month with a two-track Milieu EP by a duo called Ambient. The same duo released a single titled “Woioi” on the imprint, and then they kicked off the Top Shelf Series with “Thought Process” by Jamie Leather.

“System Research” by CLJL is available as a free download via SoundCloud.

Selector’s Sounds series follows a procedure that puts music quality before status or industry relationships. Learn how it works.

For her first release of 2020, Octo Octa has encapsulated her eclectic range of sound in the She’s Calling EP. Comprising three tracks that seamlessly blend influences like house, techno and breakbeat, it’s due out February 5th via her and Eris Drew‘s record label, T4T LUV NRG.

The lead single of the She’s Calling EP is the shapeshifting “Find Your Way Home,” which transitions from breakbeat to deep house to minimal without losing the listener along the way. “Goddess Calling” offers a more fixed breakbeat motif that still undergoes inventive changes of its own. The effort closes out with “Spell for Nature,” whose tranquil melody and hypnotic spoken-word sample contrast somewhat with the lively elements in the songs preceding it.

Octo Octa Revisited

Maya Bouldry-Morrison has released music under the Octo Octa alias since 2011, beginning with the EP Let Me See You via 100% Silk. She has released numerous works on the same label since then, in addition to adding outfits like Honey Soundsystem, Technicolour and Shewey Trax to her résumé.

In 2019 Bouldry-Morrison and Eris Drew inaugurated T4T LUV NRG with the latter artist’s cassette mixtape, Raving Disco Breaks Vol. 1. Bouldry-Morrison followed up the release with Resonant Body in 2019 and Love Hypnosis Vol. 1 in 2020.

At the time of writing, the She’s Calling EP is sold out on Octo Octa Bandcamp.

November 2nd marks the inaugural release of UFO Series: The Heat EP by Future Motion. The four-song effort explores a sublime spectrum of sounds between minimal house and nu skool breaks. Little is known about the artist, but the EP is compelling enough to whet any music lover’s appetite for more where it came from.

The title track and “Could Be” pair upbeat grooves with retrofuturistic synth work while still adhering to the four-on-the-floor format. On the flip side, “Diom” and “On The Run” take the EP in a syncopated turn. Contemplative chords and intelligent beat structures make for Adam Freeland-reminiscent concepts that mesh surprisingly well with the songs on the A-side.

UFO Series is the brainchild of Honne Music label boss Dieru. In the new venture, he hopes to explore futuristic sounds while still paying homage to ’90s classics. Breakbeat, garage, electro and acid house are among the styles that will find a home on the fledgling label.

Future Motion’s Heat EP is available for purchase in vinyl format via deejay.de and Juno Records.