“Mauersegler,” the first track, sets the tone with a beat that quickly explodes into a complex soundscape of harsh grooves and dark synth sounds oozing with a self-assurance that demands the listener’s attention. Things rarely slow down throughout the rest of the LP’s four tracks, with each piece delivering new surprises thanks to Ferdinger’s unique ability to combine numerous sounds into something truly special. The entire package delivers a versatile, high-energy listening experience.

Palette by Ferdinger

More About Ferdinger

Originally from the south of Germany, Ferdinger has been producing techno in Paris, France since 2018. He founded his own record label, Life In Patterns, in 2017. The label focuses on cultivating dance floor-oriented techno tracks that walk the line between minimalism and dynamic versatility.

Life In Patterns currently has four releases under its belt, consisting of work created by Ferdinger himself. He has also released work on records labels such as ARTS and Ismus. Key elements of his works include variety and repetition while focusing on unique timbres, structural forms, and diverse sound textures.

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

Copenhagen DJ and producer Sugar has delivered a release whose proceeds will be donated to German NGO Sea-Watch. Not only that, but the four-track Eyes Cream EP, as it’s titled, continues to push forward his fast techno sound. It released in digital and vinyl format February 26th.

“Bright Side Of The Spoon” introduces the effort with big, industrial-tinged synths. The title track and “Try Me,” on the other hand, occupy a rare pocket of the techno spectrum where metallic resonances marry sublimely with artful distortion and white noise. “Once And For No One” rounds out the effort with classic-sounding atmospheres that evoke vivid mental imagery.

Sugar (real name Nikolaj Jakobsen) is one of the artists most closely associated with Copenhagen’s fast techno scene, which gradually came into its own over the past several years. In addition to founding the Fast Forward event brand in 2015, he has self-released a number of EPs since 2018 as well as landing on Copenhagen label Kulør.

100% of proceeds from the Eyes Cream EP will go towards Sea-Watch, according to a description. The organization works to save refugees stranded in the Mediterranean Sea while attempting to enter Europe.

Purchase the Eyes Cream EP in digital and vinyl format via Sugar Bandcamp.

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

For his first release on Planet Rhythm since November’s Iron Dreams EP, Regent has offered up more of his distinctive style of techno. The Obsidion EP comprises four fast-paced singles, each tempered with a tasteful measure of melody. It released in digital and vinyl formats February 19th.

The title track ushers in the effort with unrelenting percussion before melancholy lead synths feather in around the 2:00 mark. “Interpolate” offers a more dissonant motif, followed by the haunting yet high-energy “Forgiven.” The EP closes out with “Anti Depress,” whose ambient atmospheres leave things on an introspective note.

Regent Revisited

Regent has performed at clubs throughout Berlin, where he was born and raised, since 2013. Despite his relatively recent rise in the techno world, he derives inspiration from the genre’s ’90s releases, many of which often find their way into his sets.

In October 2020, Regent joined the Planet Rhythm family by offering up “Jaded,” which appeared on their Hourglass EP compilation. The following month he delivered his own Iron Dreams EP , which consisted of five tracks that cemented his signature sound.

Purchase the Obsidion EP in digital and 12-inch vinyl format via Planet Rhythm Bandcamp.

Showcasing a broad range of the Copenhagen fast techno spectrum is a fundraiser compilation by Fast Forward Productions. Comprising 10 tracks, Fast Forward Fundraiser Compilation 2 is a benefit for trans advocacy organization TransAktion. It released July 30th, 2020.

From trance-reminiscent cuts like “Die Anyway” by Ezy to such sterile soundscapes as “Changeable As In Liquid” by Peachlyfe. “Den Lange” by Sugar and Schacke – the arguable standout of the lot – leans toward the latter style. Crisp sonics and otherworldly atmospheres give the track high marks for originality.

For the Cause

100% of the proceeds from Fast Forward Fundraiser Compilation 2 will be donated to TransAktion, who are also based in Denmark. The organization follow “a depathologizing, devictimizing, norm-critical and intersectional approach and with a broad and inclusive definition of trans,” according to their statement. Recently, they have raised awareness of how COVID-19 lockdowns have put trans-specific healthcare resources out of reach.

The first installment of the compilation came out in September of 2019 as a benefit for Together We Push. The organization advocated on behalf of Muslim refugees detained in incarceration camps on account of “racist and xenophobic legislation” implemented by Danish politician Rasmus Paludan.

Purchase Fast Forward Fundraiser Compilation 2 in digital format via Shopify and find the full tracklist below.

1. “Dont Hurry, Be Snappy” – Sugar
2. “Flash” – Funeral Future
3. “Die Anyway” – Ezy
4. “Changeable As In Liquid” – Peachlyfe
5. “Little Star” – Repro
6. “Den Lange” – Schacke & Sugar
7. “Samodiva” – Vixen
8. “Temple Of Ignorance” – Schacke
9. “Gleaming Apparition” – Repro & Sugar
10. “Shatter The Perfect Design” – Rune Bagge