With the sound of Drumcode’s 15 Year anniversary still ringing in the ears of those who attended one of the labels special tour events or bought the commemorative compilation, Adam Beyer’s seminal Techno label dusts down the bunting and rolls out the party banners once again this month to celebrate the labels landmark 100th release. With such longevity being a mark of the consistency that has come to define Drumcode’s output over the years, it is highly appropriate that this milestone occasion be marked by releasing two new Adam Beyer tracks, The Color Out Of Space and Lovecraft, a collaboration with Ida Engberg, that follows up her Blue Yonder EP from September 2011

Drumcode mark their landmark 100th release with a two-track EP that comes directly from the heart of the label’s operation. Just as with the label’s first release sixteen years ago, Adam Beyer positions himself at the controls, unleashing the shimmering ‘The Color Out Of Space’ with its euphoric melody riding on the back of nagging chords and booming kick. A product of Beyer’s studio collaboration with Ida Engberg, ‘Lovecraft’ takes its place on the b-side, cutting a trippy journey through distinctive chord patterns and undulating melodies that bounce around in the mix, underpinned by a heads-down groove. 

DC100 - Adam Beyer & Ida Engberg - Lovecraft - Drumcode

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Adam Beyer’s Drumcode juggernaut attracts more fans and critical plaudits with each passing year. Holding firm on its future facing ethos, techno’s number one label presents a new volume in its acclaimed A-Sides series with 20 prime tracks to signify its 20th anniversary. 

Such is the volume of quality music Adam Beyer receives throughout the course of the year, releasing all of it would be impossible. Enter the blue chip A-Sides series: a chance for the quality-obsessive label head to issue a collection of outstanding tracks that couldn’t fit in their regular EP release schedule. 

With an eye on future talent, as much as the label’s established roster of heavy-hitters, the compilation showcases the full breadth of Drumcode’s multifaceted techno sound, equal parts inspiring and functional.
 
Led by the stealth techno funk of ‘Nine of You’, Beyer’s deft collaboration with Mark Reeve, the compilation takes in exciting highlights from big guns such as Alan Fitzpatrick, Dustin Zahn, Bart Skils, Pleasurekraft, Luca Agnelli, Jay Lumen, Kaiserdisco and Gary Beck. 

The rich vein of form displayed by emerging techno talent is similarly given prime position. Rising DJ/producer Boxia makes his Drumcode debut, fresh from a well-received warm up set for the crew at the hugely successful Junction 2 festival in London, while the likes of Enrico Sangiuliano, Juan Sanchez, Ian O’Donovan and Timmo also drop fire, establishing their credentials as some of the most promising talent breaking through the ranks in 2016. 

Reinforcing the global scope of the label, artists such as The Junkies from Toronto and Layton Giordani from New York, prove techno is winning a place in the heart of the new generation of artists coming out of North America. 

Adam Beyer & Mark Reeve - Nine Of You - Drumcode - DC159

Drumcode returns with its 6th installment of the internationally celebrated A-Sides series. Renowned for fostering a shared space between industry tastemakers and rising talent alike, the careful curation that goes into each volume is a fine example of why Beyer’s brand continues to go from strength to strength.

Techno titan Adam Beyer has grown Drumcode into a force to be reckoned with; the label has become synonymous with forward-thinking, functional techno and even after 20 years, Drumcode continues to find new boundaries to push, and ways to solidify its legacy as the world’s number one techno label. 

2017 is no exception, with Beyer’s imprint hosting it’s first stage at Tomorrowland, not to mention the expansion of the critically acclaimed Junction 2 where the Drumcode stage is the centrepiece and Adam plays the key role of festival director. The Drumcode phenomenon continues to grow each week, chiefly fuelled by Drumcode Radio, Adam’s radio show that’s broadcast in 57 countries via 86 stations and to a global audience of 16 million techno fans per week. 

The A-Sides series acts as a perfect vignette of Drumcode’s cutting-edge sound; functional yet inspired techno, all tracks tried and tested by Beyer himself. Vol. 6 continues this tradition with a collection of 16 multi-faceted cuts from a mixture of both emerging artists and experienced label friends. 

The heart-throbbing bass in Amelie Lens’ electrifying piece ‘In Silence’ sets the tone for the dark and dance-floor-ready energy that Vol.6 carries the whole way through. Other standouts include Mars Bill’s rough’n’ready ‘Mohave’. Pulsating and precise, ‘Mohave’ has highlighted many of Beyer’s sets recently as has Wehbba’s monster track ‘Fake’, which fans have been anticipating the release of all year. 

Label-favourites Dense & Pika also feature on ‘A-Sides’ Vol. 6 with their hard-hitting ‘Just a Beat’ and a huge track from Beyer himself who has joined forces with Enrico Sangiuliano to bring us their undeniably infectious ‘Preset Heaven’. 

With many more notable selections from the likes of Julian Jewell, Timmo, Tiger Stripes and Pig&Dan, A-Sides Vol. 6 is another impressive addition to the label’s prolific release roster and a testament to why Drumcode remains at the forefront of the electronic world.

Wehbba - Fake - Drumcode - DC178

Ramiro Lopez drops the electrifying follow up to his ‘Pretending’ EP from May this year. 

For almost a decade, Spain’s Ramiro Lopez has established himself as one his country’s leading proponents of techno, with strong releases across labels that include Suara, Intec, Octopus Recordings and Bedrock. He first debuted on Drumcode in 2016 with the rousing collaborative track ‘Clap Your Hands’ that ranked among one of the label’s standout tracks for the year. With one Drumcode release already under his belt in 2017 and a new label project Odd Recordings with fellow DC cohort Arjun Vagale recently launched, he’s enjoying another strong year.

His return to the label comes in the form of ‘Being Alone’, a powerful trio of cuts, all of which featured in Adam Beyer’s Awakenings Festival Day 1 performance. The title track is a multi-layered weapon, propelled by a dizzying vocal, swirling synth effects and pin-sharp percussion that build toward a smooth classy finish. ‘Dark Science’ is an effective stomper brought to life by a bell chime hookline and undulating synth melody ensuring its peak-time prowess. ‘Der Raum’ rounds out the EP, highlighted by Lopez’s deft drum work, proceeded by a driving, euphoric climax.

Ramiro Lopez - Being Alone - Drumcode - DC181

And he is back! After the successful last EP on Terminal M, Metodi brings us again a funky 4 track ep in his very own Hristov style. Enjoy. (Monika Kruse)

Metodi Hristov - This Is

Moby, The Void Pacific Choir - If Only A Correction Of All We've Been(The YellowHeads, Skober Remix)

FREE DOWNLOAD: Sam Paganini - Desire (Mark Rosso 'Let's Jack' Edit)

Wehbba collaborates with ghetto tech legend DJ Deeon, to deliver another superlative EP on Drumcode.

Since his debut on Drumcode in 2017, Brazil’s Wehbba has become one of the most dependable and impressive artists on the roster. Last year saw two standout EP’s ‘Eclipse’ and ‘Catarse’ drop on the imprint, alongside ‘Just’, his strong contribution to A-Sides Vol.7. He also made his mark playing Drumcode events at OFF Week, Resistance Ibiza and the much talked about double header in Manchester and Bristol when DC took over Warehouse Project and Motion respectively.

A true master craftsman in the studio, his first contribution for 2019 is typically impressive. A huge inspiration to Wehbba since his nascent raver days, ghetto tech icon DJ Deeon contributes a fierce vocal to ‘We Have Bass’, after a serendipitous hook up in São Paulo. A peak career moment collaborating with one of his original heroes and the artist responsible for the classic ‘Freak Like Me’, the resulting percussive-heavy cut kicks like a rodeo bull. ‘Third Wave’ is coffee geek Wehbba’s homage to his favourite brew, constructing the production to mirror the experience of a caffeine fix, as a loopy trance-inducing groove leads to powerful synth stabs that are heavy on impact. ‘Steamroller’ is a stripped back slice of techno driven by the Brazilian’s Korg MS-20 and found form after it initially begun as a studio jam inspired by Richie Hawtin’s ‘Minus Orange’. 

A Jean-Michel Jarre fan stretching back to his childhood, ‘Another Mistake’ was conceived after Wehbba saw the French legend in concert last year and was subsequently able to meet him backstage through a mutual friend. While creating the track, the producer imagined Jarre playing the main layers of the hook on his famous Laser-harp, eliciting an almost celestial quality with the melody. This is a stirring slice of techno fit for stadiums. The EP ends with ‘Purge’, the artist’s stream-of-consciousness expression recorded in one-take and a beautiful beat-less way to conclude the work.

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Wehbba - Third Wave - Drumcode - DC202

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UMEK - Managing the Moments

Christian Smith returns for his first solo release on Drumcode since 2016, re-contextualising a classic vocal work. 

The Sweden-born journeyman has been friends with Adam Beyer since dot one. In the rare instances he has released outside his own label Tronic, Drumcode has received the fruits of his studio labour. Besides the recent contribution to this year’s A-Sides Vol.9 compilation, we haven’t seen a stand-alone Drumcode release from Smith in four years, when his excellent ‘Force Majeure’ stood as one of the year’s label highlights.

‘Your Lovin’’ is his fifth release on DC, taking inspiration from a ‘90s D&B classic. Driven by a Minimoog bassline and hypnotic arpeggios, Smith, a renowned perfectionist, made six versions before settling on the final cuts. The original is stripped back and searing, perfect for late night moments as restrained vocal grabs add colour to the techno palette. The ‘Ombi Dub’ is a straight-up propulsive tool that hits you straight between the eyes.

Christian Smith — Your Lovin' — Drumcode — DC233

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