Tag: techno

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Senitom Teams Up with J. Moriarty on a Melodic, Deep House Banger

Travis Stewart is an electronic music producer and sound designer., best known as Senitom. With Senitom, Stewart creates melodic techno/deep house that sees him pairing organic melodies with aggressive synthesizer work and driving bass.

Stewart’s latest Senitom single “Time In Your World” feat. J. Moriarty is remarkably accessible banger centered around glistening synth arpeggios and a relentless motorik groove paired with Moriarty’s plaintive crooning that sounds — to my ears, at least — as though it were inspired by Balaeric house.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

London-based DJ and producer Jimmy Verschoyle, best known as Jimmy V, has developed a reputation for being “DJ’s DJ,” cutting his teeth playing the clubs and bars of the Bristol scene, before becoming a London underground scene mainstay. His highly-respected status as a tastemaker and selector gradually earned his slots across the global festival scene, including Burning Man and Glastonbury’s The Rabbit Hole, as well as clubs across the UK and States.

Jimmy V further exploded into the scene with his debut EP No Way Back. Building upon the buzz surrounding him, the London-based producer and DJ released a remix of Della Zouch‘s “Rebel” and “Lose My Mind” feat. Liz Cass.

His early releases caught the attention of San Francisco-based electronic label Smoke-n-Mirrors, who signed him and released his most recent singles “Amasonica” and “Yukon,” which have received widespread attention in the international scene: Those tracks landed on TraxSource‘s Top 40 and Beatport‘s Tech House’s Top 20.

https://open.spotify.com/track/7ikxriQICFkW0w2mDJrNZY?si=d72a652bcdb844fd

The London-based producer and DJ’s latest single “Orinoco” is a genre-defying, globalist banger that pairs tweeter and woofer rocking thump, Afro-Colombian percussion, Iberian-influenced groove and a looped horn-driven hook that sounds as though it could rock clubs from Berlin to São Paulo, Medellin to Miami, London to New York.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Tobin Bradstreet Shares a Sultry and Expansive Banger

Tobin Bradstreet is a Rotterdam-born, Leiden-based electronic music producer and artist, who has developed an impressive discography that has seen create a unique an intricate sound that blends elements of melodic techno, hi-tech minimalist and progressive house.

Bradstreet’s sophomore album, last year’s Incoming saw him making major strides forward as an artist and producer with the album being praised for its “futuristic touches and nuanced productions.”

The Dutch producer’s latest single “Dream of Me” is an expansive bit of house music centered around glistening synth arpeggios, skittering, tweeter and woofer rattling beats paired with a soulful vocal sample. Sonically “Dream of Me” brings Between Two Selves-era Octo Octa to mind, with Bradstreet’s latest single possessing a sultry, come hither sense of longing.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Mark Pompeo is a prolific New Jersey-based electronic music producer, best known in EDM/techno circles as Mark Wise. And since the release she this solo debut, 2018’s Blizzard EP, Pompeo has recorded and released club bangers that feature a unique blend of minimalist techno, progressive techno, house and increasingly metal, which has received support from the likes of Marco Carola, Richie Hawtin, Cristian Varela, Spartaque, Lisa Lashes, Phaedon, Vikthor, Illario Alicante, and DJ Dialog. 

Pompeo began the year with the release of the Rumble in the Jungle EP. The EP featured the crowd-pleasing expansive banger and EP title track “Rumble in the Jungle,” and the Guilia and Paxtech remix of “Rumble in the Jungle,” which retained the original’s melodic breakdown while pairing it with relentless tweeter and woofer rattling thump and a trippy, cosmic sheen.

The New Jersey-based electronic producer then released the two-track Heavy Metal EP. The EP featured “Heavy,” a high energy, crowd pleasing banger that found him firmly establishing what he has dubbed “heavy metal techno” with the song centered around scorching synth riffage, tweeter and woofer rattling beats and trippy cosmic squeals. “Metal,” the second and final single pushed the heavy metal techno concept even further with the song featuring a seamless synthesis of thrash metal, goth, industrial techno and acid house — while being equally crowd pleasing.

Continuing a remarkably prolific period, Pompeo’s latest release Riff Machine sees the New Jersey-based producer further honing his heavy metal techno concept. Centered around power chord-driven synth guitar riffage, skittering techno hi-hat, rock ‘n’ roll-like drum fills, explosive cymbals and deep low end, the EP title track “Riff Machine” is a high energy, industrial headbanger that pairs arena rock bombast with euphoria-inducing hooks. (EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a radio edit that clocks in a little over five-and-a-half minutes; the full song, which is also on the EP clocks in at a little over seven minutes.)

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstay LutchamaK Shares a Detroit Techno-Inspired Banger

Over the past couple of years of this site’s almost 12 year history, I’ve managed to spill quite a bit of virtual ink covering the prolific French electronic music producer and JOVM mainstay LutchamaK.

LutchamaK began this year with a remix effort that featured remixes of Threshold album single “Bitrate Scale” by three artists, who liked his work and wanted to create their own takes. 

  • DNMK‘s deep house-leaning take on “Bitrate Scale” that features a brooding, murkier air than the original
  • Haalleyck‘s trippy and cosmic take on “Bitrate Scale” centered around thumping kick and glistening and oscillating synths that feels more like a complete rework of the original
  • Darbinyan‘s uptempo, deep house take on “Bitrate Scale” centered around oscillating synths, skittering, tweeter and woofer rattling beats, glistening synth arpeggios, robotic vocodered vocals D euphoria-inducing hooks 
  • LutchamaK also contributed his own murky and brooding remix of “Bitrale Scale” that retained the thumping kick of the original but while pairing it with oscillation synths and vocodored vocals

Continuing upon his long-held reputation for being remarkably prolific, the French JOVM mainstay’s latest EP, the five-song TERMusik was released last month. The EP’s latest single “100 Miles” is a slickly produced Detroit techno-inspired banger that recalls Kraftwerk‘s Tour de France and Computerworld centered around skittering, twitter and woofer rocking beats, oscillating synths and lyrics delivered with a hip-hop swagger.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: ADULT. Return with Techno-influenced Banger “I Am Nothing”

Throughout their 25 year history, acclaimed Detroit-based multimedia and electronic music production and artist duo ADULT. — the husband and wife team of Adam Lee Miller and Nicola Kuperus — have a sprawling catalog of material released through  Mute Records, Ghostly International, Thrill Jockey, Third Man Records and a list of other labels that has seen the duo obscure and blur lines between genres and styles in a cohesive fashion within the album format. 

“but for this we wanted something that’s falling apart.” Becoming Undone, ADULT.’s ninth album reportedly sees the duo explicitly aiming for that goal, while simultaneously rejecting and reflecting the planetary discord that inspired and informed it. Written between November 2020 and April 2021, Miller and Kuperus kickstarted the creative process through additions to the rig: a vocal loop pedal for Kuperus and Roland percussion pads for Miller. They also reconnected with some of their earliest influences including Test Department and Throbbing Gristle’s 20 Jazz Funk Greats, which helped spark a series of fruitful and frenetic sessions, centered on themes of impermanence and dissonance. “We weren’t interested in melody or harmony since we didn’t see the world having that,” ADULT.’s Miller bluntly reasons. 

While there are still plenty of the dance floor bangers the duo is known for, Becoming Undone is also informed by deep, personal loss: Kuperus’ father died during the height of the pandemic, just before the duo were about to start working on the album. As his hospice caretakers, she and Miller faced the banality of finality, surrounded by objects drained of meaning — “the joy of having a body, but also the drudgery of having one,” they say. 

The end result is an album that crackles with revulsion and dissent, and it seemingly equal parts exorcism and denunciation, centered around a breadth of vocal effects: Kuperus at times sounds alternately indignant and possessed, decrying the crimes, fears, and failings of a deluded, broken world. “Humans have always been pretty terrible,” Kuperus explains. “But every year the compromises of culture just accelerate.”

Late last year, I wrote about Becoming Undone single “Fools (We Are . . .)“, a glitchy and uneasy banger centered around stuttering beats, dense layers of arpeggiated synths paired with an unhinged and desperate vocal performance by Kuperus, who sings lyrics describing the sensation of being hopelessly stuck in a seemingly endless and foolish loop of the same ol’ banal, things while everything else around them collapses.

“I Am Nothing,” Becoming Undone‘s second and latest single is an abrasive yet accessible industrial techno banger, centered around arpeggiated synths, tweeter and woofer rattling thump, metallic clang and clatter paired with Kuperus’ desperate howls inspired by Detroit techno between 1992-1995, Suicide‘s Alan Vega, Swans‘ Micheal Gira and Malaria!‘s Gudrun Gut.

“The meaning of ‘nothing’ in the context of this song is not in regards to worthlessness, but of being lodged into something we can not understand and yet somehow accept it / or not accept it,” the acclaimed Detroit-based duo explain. “We are collectively living in liminality. And personally, we are more content currently to be in a state of nothingness.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Prolific, New Jersey-based electronic music producer Mark Pompeo is best known by his stage name Mark Wise. And since the release of his solo debut, 2018’s Blizzard EP, Pompeo has released material that features a unique blend of minimal, progressive techno, house and even heavy metal, while receiving support from the likes of Marco Carola, Richie Hawtin, Cristian Varela, Spartaque, Lisa Lashes, Phaedon, Vikthor, Illario Alicante, and DJ Dialog. 

Pompeo began the year with the release of the Rumble in the Jungle EP, which featured the crowd-pleasing, expansive banger, EP title track “Rumble in the Jungle,” and the Guilia and Paxtech remix of “Rumble in the Jungle,” which retained the original’s melodic breakdowEarlier this week, n and relentless tweeter and woofer rattling thump while placing it with a trippy, cosmic sheen.

Continuing his long-held reputation for being prolific, Pompeo recently released the two-track Heavy Metal EP. Earlier this week, I wrote about EP single “Heavy,” a “heavy metal techno” banger featuring scorching synth riffage, tweeter and woofer rattling beats, trippy cosmic squeals within crowd-pleasing, high energy techno.

“Metal,” the second track off the EP pushes the heavy metal techno concept even further. Featuring scorching synth riffage, skittering thump, “Metal” is a wild yet seamless synthesis of thrash metal, goth, industrial techno and acid house centered around a crowd-pleasing accessibility. Play loud, and jump into a mosh pit!

ck, “Metal,” really lets the rock n roll influence shine and brings a screaming faux guitar lead to the forefront with an arrangement that’s just like a rock band – only guitar, bass, and drums!! (The part around 3:08 is pretty epic!)

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Mark Pompeo is a New Jersey-based electronic music producer, best known by his stage name Mark Wise. The New Jersey-based producer emerged into the electronic music and techno scenes with 2017’s Loco Motive EP, a collaboration with Mike Stein. 

His solo debut, 2018’s Blizzard EP was released through Reflekt Records. And since Blizzard EP‘s release, Pompeo has been remarkably prolific, releasing material that found him crafting a unique blend of minimal, progressive techno, house and lately, heavy metal, while receiving support from the likes of Marco Carola, Richie Hawtin, Cristian Varela, Spartaque, Lisa Lashes, Phaedon, Vikthor, Illario Alicante, and DJ Dialog. 

Pompeo began the year with the release of the Rumble in the Jungle EP, which featured the crowd-pleasing, expansive banger, EP title track “Rumble in the Jungle,” and the Guilia and Paxtech remix of “Rumble in the Jungle,” which retained the original’s melodic breakdown and relentless tweeter and woofer rattling thump while placing it with a trippy, cosmic sheen.

Continuing his long-held reputation for being prolific, Pompeo recently released the two-track Heavy Metal EP. EP single “Heavy” sees the New Jersey-based producer exploring what he has dubbed “heavy metal techno,” a sound that features scorching synth riffage, tweeter and woofer rattling beats, trippy cosmic squeals paired with crowd-pleasing, high-energy techno. Play loud, rock out — and maybe mosh a bit, too.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Giulia and Paxtech Give Mark Wise’s “Rumble in the Jungle” a Slick Remix

Mark Pompeo is a New Jersey-based electronic music producer, best known as Mark Wise. Pompeo emerged into the electronic music and techno scenes with 2017’s Loco Motive EP, a collaboration with Mike Stein. 

The New Jersey-based producer’s debut 2018’s Blizzard EP was released through Reflekt Records. And since then, Pompeo has been remarkably prolific, releasing material that sees him blending elements of minimal, progressive techno, house and heavy metal while receiving support from the likes of Marco Carola, Richie Hawtin, Cristian Varela, Spartaque, Lisa Lashes, Phaedon, Vikthor, Illario Alicante, and DJ Dialog. 

Continuing his prolific streak, Pompeo begins this year with the Rumble in the Jungle EP, which was released this week through Beatport, YouTube, and SoundCloud with a Spotify release on January 16, 2022, along with remixes from Giulia & Paxtech and Sisko Electrofanatic. Yesterday, I wrote about EP title track “Rumble in the Jungle,” an expansive banger that saw the rising New Jersey-based producer meshing elements of trance, techno, jungle house and deep house in an accessible, crowd pleasing fashion.

The digital release will also feature, a remix of “Rumble in the Jungle,” by Giulia and Paxtech. While retaining the original’s melodic breakdown and relentless tweeter and woofer rattling thump, the remix places in a new context — trippy high energy, acid techno with a subtle cosmic sheen paired with sampled vocals.