Techno

Featuring heavily on most of Drumcode’s shows due to his impeccable DJ’ing, Bart Skils is back with a new EP flexing his signature rolling sound and hooks. Caressing from one track to another, the use of pads in this EP and using uneasy sounds to build tension in each track. The swelling bass within each track manoeuvres the tracks into dark after hour’s territory with the help of the subtle percussion.

Bart Skils - Lost Boys - Drumcode - DC143

Bart Skils - Blue Nile - Drumcode - DC143

Bart Skils - Dark Days - Drumcode - DC143

Bart Skils - The Sweep - Drumcode - DC143

Alan Fitzpatrick makes a triumphant return to the scene-leading imprint this August. The typically bombastic three-tracker of explosive, crowd-moving techno opens with ‘Love Siren’ packed with all the power and punch required to knock over festival crowds as it systematically builds and drops, this is one for the big open air stages. ‘U Said U’ is a massively hyped track that has been the subject of huge fan-demand since it first featured on Beyer’s Drumcode Radio in January. ‘Rumours’ wraps things up in slightly more understated but non-the-less effective fashion with its drawn out, tension building intro mushrooming into a crescendo of sleazy chords and sparking melodies.

Alan Fitzpatrick - Love Siren - Drumcode - DC144

Storming his way back onto Drumcode Luigi Madonna closes off the Summer with a four track smasher that will see him welcome in Autumn with a bang. Each track contains the solid, raw drums that are the backbone to each track Luigi has conjured up. With a brooding undertone, the simplicity found in each track gives the lead lines and ideas more space to breath, which overall creates a unique and charismatic submission that can only be found from the Italian.

Luigi Madonna - Trust Me - Drumcode - DC146

British producer wAFF has been making waves in recent years, reflecting on a diligent 2015 spent playing across the likes of Europe, Africa, Asia and the States, when not making routine appearances at Paradise, Ibiza. As a producer he’s dropped several lauded releases on Jamie Jones’ Hot Creations imprint, not to mention Matthias Tanzmann’s Moon Harbour and Sven Väth’s Cocoon, with his next outing landing on renowned Swedish label Drumcode run by techno titan Adam Beyer.

Laying down hard hitting kicks from the off, ‘Holographic’ churns out an undulating synth combined with shuffling hats and a cavernous low-end, before ‘VibrationZ’ employs a low-slung groove fashioned from a sultry bassline, floating chords and sinister vocal. Tying it together, ‘Syncronistic’ is on a more heads down tip with whirring atmospherics, crunchy snares and subtle 303 squelches for a lengthy and mesmerising piece of production.

wAFF - VibrationZ - Drumcode - DC147

Following on from the success of Capriati’s album Self Portrait, 4 tracks have been hand selected by some of techno’s hottest producers. Dubfire, Coyu, Julian Jeweil, Luigi Madonna have each incorporated the same feeling that Joseph laid out in his original productions, but have added a unique twist that breathes a new lease of life into the tracks.

Joseph Capriati - Awake (Julian Jeweil Remix) - Drumcode - DC148

Joseph Capriati - This Then That (Coyu Remix) - Drumcode - DC148

Kaiserdisco are back on Drumcode with 3 brand new tracks including the heavy hitting ‘Black Light’, that has been championed by Adam Beyer in recent sets. ‘Black Light’ uses old school stabs that weave up and down to create a roller coaster of a ride. ‘SQ 80’ and ‘Manley’ are groovy numbers that really show Kaiserdisco’s versatility.

Kaiserdisco - Manley - Drumcode - DC149

Kaiserdisco - Black Light - Drumcode - DC149

Mark Reeve presents his second release on Drumcode, ‘Run Back’, a four track EP crammed with heavy hitting kick drums and his signature big basslines. The dark sounds and heavy textures are typical of Reeve and he’s showing no sign of slowing down yet. Four tracks of brooding techno, this EP is one not to be missed.

Mark Reeve - Exposure - Drumcode - DC151

Butch’s newest offering ‘Retechno 2’ is a bass-heavy, dark, two track techno delight. The kick drums are intense, the samples interesting and the synths apparent – Butch’s quirky style of production can be heard throughout. Magnetic, holding a futurist edge with it’s spaceship sounds, cuts a deep groove with eager crescendos and heavy drops. Antimatter is packed with energy, a driving bass line and fierce drops. Butch’s productions are raw, powerful and robust - a release not for the faint hearted.


Butch - Magnetic - Drumcode Limited - DCLTD17

Dense & Pika’s latest Drumcode release comes in the shape of a heavy four track EP, ‘Calf EP’. The four tracks showcase Dense & Pika’s signature industrial and dynamic style, each track bringing its own unique sound to the release whilst being unified by the sledgehammer intensity throughout. The release is laden with sporadic vocals, clanking samples and serious kick drums throughout - another heavy hitting, ear whipping release from Dense & Pika.

Dense & Pika - Calf - Drumcode - DC155

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. 

Techno

Maxime Lvg