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#1 Skee Mask - ISS012: Expect the Unexpected. I don’t think you could describe an artist more accurately with one sentence than Skee Mask. The guy from Munich, now based in Berlin, really knows how to surprise people over and over again. And what’s even more impressive is how he constantly reinvents himself while still staying true to his artistic direction. Just amazing. Another great EP, simply gold. BIG TIP!

#2 Various Artists - 5 Deadly Venoms: Scorpion: A diverse various artists release, exactly my taste. Especially Kid Kun and Volpe deliver the punch, both taking track two on side A and B, respectively. Overall, really nice tracks, refreshing, harmonious, well put together. The first tracks on both sides shouldn’t be underestimated either, straight kicks with some drum and bass influences.

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#3 Regent - Arcane EP: I think I talked about Regent, the rising star of the techno scene, last time, right? Well, nothing has really changed. Still delivering solid output, still dreamy, still straight and emotional techno. Very nice

#4 Hertz - Timballe: A classic, but let’s start with Timballe. I think the tribal phase is fading a bit right now, less samba, more depth. But Hertz was one of the early flag bearers of tribal techno. There’s also a Coyu remix, which doesn’t really elevate Timballe to a new level but feels more like a tasteful edit that adds a bit of modern touch. The B side is more playful and less straight, and I really like that too.

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#5 Lomi / Dornen - A Sudden Burst Of Noise: My friends from Cologne created something special. Brutalism has stood for high-quality sound from Cologne for over a decade. Not just deep techno, but experimentation across all sound dimensions. Now their second experimental record is out. What fascinates the label is brutalism itself, just like the name suggests, especially in architecture. They host concerts in a brutalist church with visuals and matching music. It looks absolutely breathtaking and is highly recommended. Lomi and Dornen take you on a journey into brutalist techno spheres. MUST HAVE!"

#6 Vince Watson - Eminesence: One of my favorite artists is back, this time with a beautiful house EP featuring a rework of Eminesence and a mix of Reach For The Sun. A really nice repress of tracks originally released around 2015. BIG TIP.

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#1 Polyvinyl - AB019: Yeah, guys, back in the day, aliases were everywhere and defined an artist across many different facets of music. The same goes for Umek. While it’s well known who is behind Recycled Loops or Zeta Reticula, Polyvinyl is much less recognized. But it’s also Umek behind it, which you can actually hear right away, or can you? Kathi played in New York two weeks ago and spent a few days there. She really wanted to bring me back a record from a record store. After she didn’t find anything, she instinctively went back to a shop she had already visited. And there it was, a Dance Mania record right in front of her, which she brought for me. But during our video call, I asked her to go through the crates for me. There were only two crates, so it was pretty quick, I guess. And boom, there it was. Polyvinyl, recently added to my wantlist, with only one seller in the US. Yeah lol, it wasn’t even from the store Kathi was currently in, but for 5 euros, you really can’t complain. Amazing record, four solid tracks on it.

#2 Alien FM - Alien FM: Black Plastic recently bought another great collection, and I had the privilege of being the first to dig through it. With the condition: don’t take all the best records. Fair enough, but still, there are always a few records I can pull out with a clear conscience. In a larger collection of over 500 records, the nine records I take out don’t really stand out that much. Anyway, this collection was full of Detroit techno and electro. Right now, I’m really getting back into electro, even though it hasn’t been as present for me in recent years. But I absolutely needed this record. Between experimental sounds, sometimes tracks without a kick, and really nasty electronic sounds. That’s exactly how you can describe Alien FM. MUST HAVE and worth every cent for the record. The full album is on YouTube. My favorite Journey’s (In Dub).

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#3 Tektrax - Tektrax Volume 1: Let’s move on to a hidden gem, Chris McCormack aka Tektrax. I pulled this record as a white label with no markings at all from one of the crates mentioned above. I always listen to every single white label out of pure passion, because I’ve always had great luck with them. And the same thing here. Every single one of the four tracks is a banger after banger. Even the electro track is simple, but it still hits hard. And the best part, it’s still reasonably priced and available. If I were you, I’d buy this record, unless you already have it in your collection. Now you know hehe.

#4 D.J. Naughty - G Style EP: A record to fall in love with in every way. The German producer with Italian roots knew exactly how to impress DJ Hell. And yeah, what can I say? Dani und ich is simply a masterpiece for me. Sure, it doesn’t sound polished at all and more like a 64 kbps MP3 version, but that’s exactly what gives the track its charm. Just driving and good. MUST HAVE!

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#5 Sterac - Skreel-Ah / Nemec: I’m not sure if I’ve already written about this record before. But anyway, it’s definitely worth writing about again. What the Amsterdam-based Steve Rachmad has done under his alias Sterac is hard to beat. He is known for minimalist techno, but Nemec pulls me in every single time. Of course, released on M Plant, the label of labels when it comes to high-quality minimal techno.

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#1 Mutual Rytm: Run by Marco aka SHDW and also curated by him. Marco puts a strong focus on recurring design elements, a very well thought-out logo, and above all, quality. Whether it’s tote bags, T-shirts, or the records themselves. Die cut sleeves, colored inner sleeves. Everything fits and shows that someone really cares. Marco once told me that he even creates the designs himself. The music, however, comes from all kinds of producers from around the world, whether completely new or already established. But there is always a focus on DJ tools, on very reduced tracks, on synthesizers that are not constantly running, and on harmony. What really defines the label is that it is powerful and expressive, but not overloaded with drums. Less is more here. And above all, this is a very emotional label. There is not only a lot of love in the details, but also in the music. This is not a generic label; this is a well-thought-out label that has, in a short time, become one of the leading ones.

#2 TH Tar Hallow: A label by Thanos Papadopoulos from Rotterdam. Not only does Thanos work at Triple Vision, but he is also a point of contact for many labels that work together with Triple Vision. That’s also how I got to know him, and we had a chat over a cigarette when I visited Triple Vision. And honestly, with this label, I can buy records blindly. It really doesn’t matter who releases it. One thing is very clear here: there is a direction. And that direction is techno. Raw, hard, deep, and incredibly high quality. I think I really buy every Tar Hallow record for Black Plastic, because it’s exactly the kind of sound that is not only current, but absolutely timeless. This label will still be talked about by techno lovers decades from now.

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#3 Kilotoni: I can’t and don’t want to say this too rarely. My absolute favorite label at the moment. Kilotoni is a label from Helsinki in Finland, and Kilotoni always releases Kilotoni. There is absolutely no information about the artist or the label of the same name. You can pick up records at OK SOUND Helsinki during specific opening hours. Otherwise, the label is distributed by WORD AND SOUND Medien GmbH in Germany. There is an email address and a fax number. That’s it. So mysterious that, of course, rumors have already started. It is said that the tracks on Kilotoni were actually recorded back in the 90s. I have no idea. What I do know is that every release hits hard. And tomorrow, the fourth record is coming out, which I will also buy. Vinyl only. So good.

#4 Self Reflektion: Let’s stay in the Netherlands. Originally from Rotterdam, now moved to The Hague, my friend Mitchel aka Stranger aka TAFKAMP is behind Self Reflektion. This label exists without a big Instagram presence, but with really fresh and great sounds. Almost tribal at times, it shows the joyful side of techno. While other techno labels tend to be darker and more minimalistic, Self Reflektion feels much more upbeat and comes with a smile. I also really like the consistent artwork. Simply a top-notch label that always sells well in our store.

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#5 Sublunar: Finally, we come to the label by Sciahri and Dagdrom from Italy. Started in 2017, I already loved the Devotion Parts back then. Cold, uncompromising, and at times very bleepy techno. But above all, the label stands for an extremely clear and self-defined direction. Not only do the artworks speak for themselves, but the label has also always stayed true to its sound while subtly evolving. A label that is far away from any kind of sellout and focuses on both its own productions and external artists. Between 2017 and 2022, not that much happened compared to the period from 2022 until now. The label has really picked up the pace when it comes to releasing records. Clear recommendation.

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