Crate Digging is a monthly roundup of top-tier tunes you might have missed from across the electronic music spectrum. From obscurities uncovered during trips down Bandcamp rabbit holes to the latest releases from legendary artists, Crate Digging is here to keep your collection up to date.

1. Gino – Detroit Receiving [Dark Heaven]

Gino blends tight, rolling techno grooves with gnarly sound design on “Detroit Receiving,” creating a dance floor-ready yet intricate track.

2. Ulysses – Recreational Genetics [Science Cult]

“Recreational Genetics” is the title track from Ulysses‘ latest full-length album, and it’s some of his weirdest and most challenging work to date. Wonky, otherworldly electro meets IDM by way of improvised analogue noise.

3. Lewis Fautzi – DNA [fautsection]

Hypnotic techno aficionado Lewis Fautzi surprises with “DNA.” A downtempo, low-slung electronica trip, it retains his dark, brooding aesthetic while exploring new sonic frontiers.

4. The Miller – Hi Tech [ANAØH]

Hardgroove techno is well and truly back, and The Miller is leading the charge with cuts like “Hi Tech.” This is everything that makes the sub-genre great: funky, percussive, energetic and relentless.

5. WeTurnToRed – The Machinist [Cosmic Resonance Records]

6. Bodhi – Edge of Blue [Hotflush]

Some of the hardest-hitting output to date from Bodhi. “Edge of Blue” is perfectly at home on Hotflush with its thunderous drums, rapid-fire vocal samples, and high-impact bass stabs.

7. Casual Treatment – Distorted Reality [Symbolism]

“Distorted Reality” sees Casual Treatment carve out a tunnelling, hypnotic groove comprising of shiny sci-fi atmospherics and a tough, pulsing, low end.

8. QphoriQ – Wonch Like Woo [Diffuse Reality Recordings]

QphoriQ challenges genre conventions with “Wonch Like Woo.” This raucous, percussive breakbeat cut combines crunchy drums and growling bass with floaty, warm chords and heavily reverbed vocals.

9. Chris Moss Acid – Izbla 7 [Chris Moss Acid]

Unusually downtempo and melancholy compared to Chris Moss Acid‘s usual output, “Izbla 7” is a beautiful, ethereal journey. It’s just one of many highlights from his magnum opus Izbla, an album eight years in the making.

10. Zemög – Babuna [Danza Nativa]

“Babuna” is Danza Nativa‘s modus operandi epitomized. Colombian producer Zemög induces a meditative state with earthy textures, quirky effects, and heady rhythms.

11. Shed – Time [The Final Experiment]

Shed‘s legendary album Towards East gets a digital rerelease, and “Time” still stands out as the finest cut on the effort. A deep, spacious and emotive soundscape, it slowly unfurls and draws you in with each passing moment.

12. Dave Clarke – Zeno Xero [Skint Records]

After decades of fighting to get the rights back to the tracks from his seminal Red series of EPs, Dave Clarke finally owns the music again. To celebrate, Skint Records are remastering and rereleasing these classics, starting with rave-infused breakbeat techno stomper “Zeno Xero.”

13. Bruno Belissimo – Everybody Loves Dancing [Polyamore]

No-nonsense, dance floor-ready disco vibes from Bruno Belissimo. It’s true that “Everybody Loves Dancing,” and when you’ve created a groove this charming, can you blame them?

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Science fiction scholar Darko Suvin popularized the term “novum” to describe fictional technology with a certain degree of real world plausibility. In that sense, it’s a concept that perfectly fits Blocaus Series‘ techno compilation series. Its second installment, Era Novum II [BLCDS003], released in digital format July 30th.

Respected producers in the techno undercurrent feature heavily on the 16-track album – with remarkably little redundancy. The savage syncopations of singles by Tapefeed and Casual Treatment contrast with the industrial leanings of those from Headless Horseman and Alessandro Adriani. Henning Baer and Takaaki Itoh even bring the tracklist in electro and experimental territory, respectively. Collectively they all make a statement, demonstrating that there’s still room for imagination in techno.

The Blocaus Series Continues

Based in Paris, Blocaus Series launched in 2016 as an extension of an event brand by the same name. The label inaugurated with Leftover Love, a four-track EP by their resident DJ, Anetha.

The first edition of Era Novum released in July 2020. Surgeon, Oscar Mulero, and Vith were among the artists who appeared on its tracklist.

Purchase Era Novum II in digital format via Blocaus Series Bandcamp.