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

HISS A.K.A. Rove Ranger has developed his sound for over 15 years. Together with some colleagues, he joined Vison Ekstase back in 2019, a techno collective with its roots planted in Stuttgart, Germany. They’ve created successful events, art, and music by breaking the rules and exploring new ground. From the influences of EBM and industrial to the likes of today’s modern techno, his rough, dirty, uncompromising rhythms coupled with hypnotic melodies stand out as hallmarks of his stripped-down, minimalist ’90s techno.

Like most Enemy Records releases, Ecclesia perhaps shines brightest in a late-night after hours setting. “Hostie” evokes the sensation being caught in the spin cycle of a washing machine. A constantly changing focus showcases different spatial resonances prevalent within the intertwined shuffled claps and hat rhythms. “Stained Glass” brings a more upbeat spatial amalgam to the room with 360-degree-panned pads, stabs, and verb pulling the mind in many directions.

Rounding things out, “Confess” takes tenured listeners back to the stripped-down, classic minimal they grew to love throughout the ’90s and beyond, covering ground with swirling pads and hypnotic whisps of subpattern spacious pings rolling through the background. Last up on the EP, “Vaults” is a minimal train ride with hypnotic bass rhythms sure to roll into the back of a venue.

Ecclesia embraces everything we’ve come to love over the decades with an ambisonic stereo image created using today’s technology, delivering robust minimal compositions that will satisfy any techno enthusiast’s palate. The album is available in digital format via Enemy Records Bandcamp.

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

In August 2019, Dutch duo Abstract Division released the Nobody is Anywhere EP as a form of sonic commentary on the indecision they felt techno artists faced at the time. The Anybody is Nowhere EP sees them close the symbolic loop on that sentiment. The four-track EP released in digital and vinyl format via their own Dynamic Reflection imprint on October 22nd.

“Emergence” introduces the EP with a hypnotic techno motif that conjures cosmic imagery before a remix by Anthony Linell adds a layer of tension to the source material. “Discharge” offers grittier textures and suspenseful lead synths, and “Polarise” closes out the effort with more of the serene, aquatic sound design that ushered it in.

Abstract Division Revisited

Boasting a combined 25 years in electronic music, Paul Boex and Dave Miller formed Abstract Division 10 years ago with the advantage of being able to mix and master their own tracks. The same period marked the launch of their record label, Dynamic Reflection, through which they have released the lion’s share of their discography.

The duo have also put out records through Labrynth, Spectral Rebel, and Figure Jams just to name a few. Meanwhile, Dynamic Reflection has given a home to music by the likes of Yan Cook, Stefan Vincent, Jonas Körbl and Linear Search.

Purchase the Anybody is Nowhere EP in digital or 12-inch vinyl record format via Dynamic Reflection Bandcamp.

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

Out on his own MATERIA imprint is the latest EP by Belgian techno figurehead Marco Bailey. Consisting of four minimal techno cuts, the Dart EP arrived on October 22nd. It’s available in both digital and vinyl format.

Arguably the most accessible track of the EP, “2020” introduces the effort with a catchy bass line and dubby lead synths. The title track and “Nightlife” answer with hypnotic minimal techno subtlety, each a deliberate marriage between tone and timbre. “Unconstrained Move” closes out the Dart EP with classic, vaguely Detroit-reminiscent flavor.

More on Marco Bailey

Over the past 30+ years, Marco Bailey (real name Marco Beelen) has risen to become one of the foremost personalities associated with Belgian techno. Having first discovered dance music in the late ’80s, his career now encompasses not only DJing and music production but also label boss duties.

2001 saw Beelen launch MB Elektronics, an imprint which provided a platform for his own releases as well as those from the likes of Cristian Varela, Luigi Madonna and Filterheadz. 2017 marked the debut release via MATERIA: Beelen’s own three-track Return Of Ryuu. Since then, releases by KAS:ST, Yotam Avi and Kyle Geiger have found a home on the label.

Purchase the Dart EP in digital and 12-inch vinyl record format via MATERIA Bandcamp.

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

The latest release out on Manuel Anós‘ Non Series imprint is a four-track EP by Italian DJ and producer Luigi Tozzi. Almost Blue, as it’s titled, encapsulates a sublime range of the deep techno spectrum. It released in digital and vinyl format September 24th.

Bordering on downtempo, the subdued rhythm of hypnotic cuts like “Black-Eyed” and “Narcoleptic” leave ample room for the undulating leads overhead. The title track differentiates itself with crystalline atmospheres suited well for an ambient set. “Flesh Mechanics” closes out the EP on a relatively abrasive note – a reversal of the trope common to techno tracklists of late.

Luigi Tozzi Revisited

By the time Luigi Tozzi debuted with 2014’s Myrmidion EP on Dynamic Reflection sub label Digital Reflection, a growing audience for techno’s subtle side received his meditational signature sound well. The next couple of years saw flurry of releases on such imprints as Hypnus Records, Mental Modern and Outis Music.

Now an international staple, Tozzi has graced the decks at nightlife institutions throughout Europe. Most notably, he held down a residency at Tbilisi club Khidi before the COVID-19 pandemic upended the events industry.

Almost Blue is sold out in 12-inch vinyl record format. The EP is available for purchase in digital format via Non Series Bandcamp.

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

In late 2020, Bulgarian producer, DJ, and singer Gabriella Vergilov‘s “The Love Anthem” was released as part of Northern Parallels‘ Gradual Landscapes compilation to much acclaim. Now, four remixes for the track have been released, each one bringing with it a unique and exciting take on the original. In addition to Lindsey Herbert, Ray Kajioka, and Mike Derer, Vergilov has also put forth her own alternate version of “The Love Anthem” as part of the remix package.

Herbert, who hails from San Francisco, kicks things off with a driving, hypnotic techno spin that employs Vergilov’s vocal samples as a rhythmic element. She repeats them in sync with the rolling bass line and percussive elements to create a perfect peak time atmosphere. Kajioka’s remix highlights syncopation in the drums with a sizzling off-time snare and ride cymbal that change the groove of the track, as it builds toward an airy, pad-laden breakdown that mirrors the melodic elements of the original.

Subdued drums give way to a distorted synth lead in Derer’s minimalistic rework, giving the track room to underscore the vocal samples in a dreamlike fashion. Vergilov herself rounds the release out with her “Acid Bang Remix,” which lives up to its name with a playful arpeggiated synth that evolves throughout the song as a dirty kick drum punches through. The remix is entirely different from its ethereal original, trading in a soothing atmosphere for a more upfront and aggressive approach.

With the help of three skilled techno compatriots in Herbert, Kajioka, and Derer, Gabriella Vergilov’s latest offering only further progresses an already impressive catalogue that includes releases on Enemy Records, PALINOIA, Suara, and more in addition to her previous offerings on the Northern Parallels imprint.

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

Little has been made public about the producer who goes by MØLLER. What’s known so far is that he’s Greek, favors analogue synthesizers, and purports to release exclusively on Lost Episodes and Be As One Imprint. The artist’s debut EP, Audio Operator [BAOX12], arrived by way of the latter label’s exclusive roster in digital format on July 1st.

MØLLER’s penchant for modular synthesis translates into a tasteful flavor of minimal techno in tracks like “Hyper Connection” and “High Voltage.” Meanwhile, “In The Chaos” accomplishes about as much but breaks up the repetition with a dissonant flourish sure to elicit crowd response during a DJ set. “The Man With No Face” brings a measure of funk to the EP, which closes out with the ominous, experimental tension of “UFO Coming.”

Israeli DJ and producer Shlomi Aber founded Be As One Imprint in Tel Aviv in 2006, but it is now headquartered in Barcelona. In 2017 he launched Lost Episodes – the other label on which MØLLER is an exclusive artist, according to his Instagram bio.

In addition to Aber’s own music, Be As One has given a home to over 100 releases by the likes of DJ Rolando, Deetron, Moggli and Mark Broom. Lost Episodes, on the other hand, has only put out a handful of EPs: one by Aber, and three others by VIL, Suicide In Paradise, and DisX3.

Purchase Audio Operator in digital format via Be As One Imprint Bandcamp.

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

Techno stalwarts James Ruskin and Mark Broom have followed up last November’s Basement Jams with a sequel. The former artist’s Blueprint Records is the proud home of Ruskin & Broom‘s Basement Jams 2. The five-song EP released June 9th in digital format.

The bouncy verve encapsulated in Ruskin & Broom’s preceding effort is alive and well in Basement Jams 2. Tracks like “Latch,” “Zone” and “Arc” fuse rubbery acid techno leads with rapid-fire rolling kick drums. The bleeps and bloops of “Twister” set it apart as arguably the most abstract song of the bunch, and “Drive” brings a measure of groove to an otherwise robotic EP.

James Ruskin and Mark Broom need no introduction among longtime techno enthusiasts. The former artist’s DJ career extends back three decades, and his recording career inaugurated with a 1995’s Shock Treatment / Snuff under his Void project. The same year marked the latter’s debut release under the Repeat project: the album Repeats via long-defunct U.K. label A13.

After a brief hiatus, Ruskin and Void collaborator Richard Polson relaunched Blueprint Records in 2009. In addition to Ruskin & Broom releases like 2010’s No Time Soon EP, it has provided a platform for music by the likes of Surgeon, Truncate and Rommek in the years since.

Purchase Basement Jams 2 in digital format via Blueprint Records Bandcamp.

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

April 27th saw L.A. producer Truncate and London’s James Ruskin release an anticipated collaboration. The two artists have delivered three minimal techno cuts for Sketch, which arrived by way of the latter’s Blueprint Records.

The tracklist of Sketch is numerically ordered, with each entry a namesake of the EP’s title. “Sketch 1” goes light on melodic elements, whereas “Sketch 2” hinges around dissonant chords and frantic harmonies. “Sketch 3” closes out the effort somewhere in between, showing off both artists’ ability to do more with less as far as production is concerned.

On Truncate and James Ruskin

Born in Croydon, James Ruskin is among the earliest U.K. artists associated with techno. He began DJing in 1991 and released his debut EP in 1995: Shock Treatment / Snuff, a collaboration with Richard Polson under the moniker Void. The two launched Blueprint Records the following year.

Truncate (real name David Flores) has been involved with the L.A. techno scene nearly as long, originally releasing as Audio Injection on such labels as Monoid, Stimulus and Droid Recordings. He launched his current alias in 2011, garnering support from the likes of DVS1, Ben Sims, Luke Slater, and numerous others in the years that followed.

Sketch is available for purchase in digital format via Blueprint Records Bandcamp.

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

2012 saw the “glorious death” of Sandwell District after its ten-year lifespan as an imprint of renowned Birmingham techno label Downwards Records. On April 23rd – nearly another decade later – cofounder Regis delivered three previously unreleased tracks from its archives.

A Hollow Moment EP encapsulates the slow-burning, industrial-tinged style of minimal techno Sandwell District helped popularize. The title track’s skittering percussion and diffused textures are stripped down to a handful of core elements in the dub, offering a more danceable incarnation of the source material. “The Empty Centre,” meanwhile, pairs an eerie atmosphere with static-like drum hits in regular intervals.

Sandwell District Revisited

Regis (real name Karl O’Conner) founded Downwards Records alongside Female in 1993, helping develop the “Birmingham sound.” They launched Sandwell District as a sublabel in 2002, furthering their track record as techno innovators.

“From my initial discovery of Sandwell District at local record shops in Berlin, their consistency has had a visceral effect on my appreciation of techno,” Nigerian DJ Jerome Sydenham told Billboard in 2013. “Hearing this fresh sound at the Berghain club really took me back to early moments at the Paradise Garage in NYC, and hearing a Marshall Jefferson or Fingers Inc. production for the first time against the other sounds of the day.”

A Hollow Moment EP is sold out in vinyl format. Digital purchases can be made via boomkat, Hardwax or Bleep.

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

Following the artist’s 2020 debut on Edit Select, Linear System‘s latest release has found a home on a venerated techno institution. The Extensive Research EP arrived by way of Dutch label Planet Rhythm on April 9th. The six-track effort is available in digital and vinyl format.

Linear System’s style of minimal techno expands further in the Extensive Research EP. “Inanimate Things,” which opens the effort, sounds akin to the atmospheric sound encapsulated in last year’s Space Exploration and January’s Further Exploration. The title track deviates with Jeff Mills-esque dissonance, however, with foreboding synths building up to visceral textures in “Mercury.” Meanwhile, cerebral melodies and sultry tension define “Thermodynamics” and “Accurate.”

Aside from the fact that the project is based in Girona, Spain, no information is available that would point to Linear System’s identity. Their releases on Edit Select and Dynamic Reflection have nonetheless garnered support from the likes of Laurent Garnier, Ben Sims, DVS1 and Slam, among others.

The Extensive Research EP can be purchased both digitally and as a 12-inch vinyl record via Planet Rhythm Bandcamp.