RW044

Recycling Wax is traveling a loooong way.

Robin Tasi
May 14, 2026

Hey there,

Today we’re mixing everything up. I’m currently sitting on a train from Munich to Dortmund on a Sunday (what could be better) and thought I’d use the time to write this newsletter from here. It’s 1:41 PM right now, and I’ll arrive at 5:29 PM. Enough time to write. But let’s start from the beginning again:

But first, let’s begin as usual, as follows:

Recent Cuts - Fresh vinyl and digital releases worth checking out.
Essential Oldschool - Records from the 90s and early 2000s that still matter today.
Behind the Booth - Personal stories, lessons, and perspectives from life as a DJ.
Community Pick of the Week by Unknown - One favorite from the community.

1. Recent Cuts - Fresh vinyl and digital releases worth checking out.

#1 Augusto Taito - The World Can’t Live Without Lies Part II: I think I use this word a lot in this newsletter already, but nowhere does it fit as perfectly as with this release: UNCOMPROMISING. Four tracks that are all different in themselves, yet exactly the kind of techno that keeps pulling people into clubs all over the world again and again. Augusto Taito knows exactly how to sum up 30+ years of techno history within just one EP. While the A-side reminds me of basements, strobes, lots of fog, steel, and concrete, with very repetitive, less percussive, and extremely focused structures, the B-side dives deeper and deeper into 90s-influenced techno. Especially the B1 really gets me and reminds me of old Takaaki Itoh records. Beautiful distortion in there. I’d personally prefer the B-side, but this record is an absolute MUST-HAVE, insanely well-produced, and four tracks that will completely rip people’s shoes off.

#2 Wax - 11110: When it comes to dub techno from the early 2010s, this label was probably one of the leading ones in the world. Alongside UNKNOWN, it was probably also the most influential dub label of that era. I’m really happy that Shed still sticks to this label and continues releasing music there. And even though the focus on WAX isn’t what it used to be in the 2010s, these releases are in no way inferior to the old ones. Two absolutely beautiful tracks, probably another handstamped white label, no gimmicks, just good music. Absolute recommendation.

BANDCAMP
DEEJAY
HHV

BANDCAMP
DECKS

#3 Detroit In Effect & Alden Tyrell - Present The Greys II: The name has always said it all. Detroit, as a city and its artists, is not only the founder of techno, but they’re also insanely good at electro. And Detroit In Effect absolutely cannot be missing from that conversation. I honestly don’t think there’s a single bad track from this project. Sadly, Odell Perry passed away in 2022, so Williams, aka DJ Maaco, is holding it down now. Together with Alden Tyrell from Holland, two legends joined forces here. And the whole thing came out on Clone. Massive record with so many great tracks on it.

#4 Lost Trax - Said Principles: It’s dub time, people. But now it gets really interesting. Because I’m definitely hearing Detroit influences here, too. And that combination is just ultra exciting. Damn, I’m such a fan of the B2 track. How can a song be this deep while still pushing so hard? Just like the last three records I mentioned here, this is another absolute “No Filler Only Killer” release.

BANDCAMP
CLONE
DEEJAY

CLONE
DEEJAY
JUNO

#5 Ottagone - Selected II: Saving the best for last, right? Holy shit, I don’t even know what to say about this record. The A-side gives us loose dub techno tracks that instantly make you crave summer and a great night out. Then the B-side suddenly gets super rough and shows where the night can eventually end up. I think I already wrote about Selected I before, but this record is honestly killing everything right now.

BANDCAMP
DEEJAY
JUNO

2. Essential Oldschool - Records from the 90s and early 2000s that still matter today.

#1 HMC - Scientific Funktions EP: I was in Budapest this weekend, and of course, naturally, I went record shopping too. I ended up at Akt Records, and they had a small used records section, unfortunately without turntables for listening. But I still found some really good stuff. That somehow sounds negative. But it isn’t, although it still costs money, haha. Anyway, first of all, it’s insanely difficult to leave behind a DJ HMC record — the Australian with the sickest 303 down there. So I absolutely had to take this EP from 1993 with me. Three groovy, funky tracks from A1 to B1, and then suddenly it turns ambient, which I really didn’t expect from him. Interesting. But still a wonderful record. “Proxima” sounds so good, definitely check it out!

#2 James Ruskin - Point 2: A record that’s been on my wantlist for a long time. I never wanted the remastered version; I wanted exactly this one. Because somehow it sounds even dirtier. I honestly don’t think any other track gives me goosebumps like “Detached” does. Such a beautiful tune. BUT: I also discovered something new. Because I had never heard “From Over The Edge” before. What a beautiful, beautiful track. Since Budapest was so emotional for me (but more about that in Behind the Booth), this track naturally hit me the hardest. And I think I’ve been playing “Coda” in every set for about two years now simply because it pushes so hard. Absolute MUST-HAVE!

DISCOGS

#3 Craig Walsh - Sabotage EP: We’re continuing exactly where “Recent Cuts” left off. Today, no record gets under my wheels that contains even a single weak track. Craig Walsh and his Sabotage EP deliver four absolute weapons, with the A1 being my personal favorite. Whenever I see a Primate record in a store, I instantly have to grab it. I honestly think there are very few labels where I have to think so little before buying, like with Primate. You can always buy them without hesitation, but always check for doubles, hehe!

#4 Bryan Zentz - Kingdom Of The Selfish EP: Well, yeah, this one was sitting right behind the Craig Walsh record. Had to grab it too, especially when it comes to Bryan Zentz. This guy gets me every single time, wraps me in his musical cocoon, fills my heart with new life, and then lets me go again. I honestly can’t describe a more comforting feeling metaphorically when listening to his music. Absolute dancefloor bangers, no other way to put it. Same thing here, and then on a 2x12”? We’re taking that, no question.

DISCOGS

#5 F.U.S.E. / Texas Audio - F.U. / Assassin: Well, alright, do I really need to say much about Richie Hawtin? Or about Plus 8 Records? Nah, I won’t. Just listen to it if you somehow don’t know this record already (which I highly doubt).

DISCOGS

3. Behind the Booth - Personal stories, lessons, and perspectives from life as a DJ.

Well, people, this weekend was highly emotional for me. I met part of my family in Budapest. I got to play at AETHER Club there on Friday. Since I absolutely hate flying, I first took the ICE from Dortmund to Munich on Thursday and stayed overnight at a hotel there. Then the next day I took the train from Munich to Budapest. Already 13 hours for the trip there. Important detail: Deutsche Bahn arrived 15 minutes EARLIER on Thursday from Dortmund to Munich. That has literally never happened to me in my entire life with DB. By the way, I’m currently writing this on the way back to Dortmund from an ICE train that is, of course, how could it be otherwise, delayed. Still, I have to say: next week I’m playing the lottery. This is definitely a sign.

In Budapest, I had 4 hours between the train ride, a small video shoot, and the artist dinner to meet my family. That was like balm for the soul. And generally speaking, you visit Budapest so rarely, even though you feel so connected to the city. As a child and teenager, I always found the language horrible, and even today, I wouldn’t exactly call it beautiful, but unfortunately, I still only speak it brokenly and have quite a few moments where I struggle to understand things. But nowadays, I actually don’t think the language sounds terrible anymore. It sounds so soft and somehow completely different from German. German sounds so rough, while Hungarian is like music to your ears. But people in Hungary still seem to have a little issue with personal distance, considering how loudly they talk on speakerphone inside quiet train compartments. That’s honestly unbelievable. But well, maybe I’ve just become a proper German “Karen” already hahaha.

Budapest itself always overwhelms you with its architectural wonders. The streets glow and shine in golden-yellow light. Everything is so beautifully clean everywhere, and the best thing: Orbán was not re-elected. Politically, things are still far from perfect, but they’re improving. With this dictator being voted out, at least the first step has been taken.

I had a really great time at Aether. A club above a restaurant with a capacity of around 200 people. Upstairs, people were dancing salsa, and downstairs, there was techno playing. Completely wild and funny combination. The club was around 50%-75% full, which I honestly really liked. There was enough room to dance and create an atmosphere without the place being completely packed with people. As a DJ, of course, I want my reach to attract as many people as possible and help the club have a profitable night. That’s pressure I put on myself, but it would be nice. And which DJ really thinks “whatever, as long as I get paid”, except maybe people for whom the scene itself isn’t that important and who are more ego-driven and self-focused.

Aether has a Funktion-One sound system that was tuned incredibly well. But the club itself is basically square-shaped, which definitely makes tuning easier. The ceilings aren’t particularly high, and the club mainly consists of LED strips running around the entire room. It definitely looked funny, even though it’s not necessarily my favorite visual style. But it doesn’t have to fit my taste, right? Apart from that, the crowd was very grateful and really celebrated the old-school sound that we all love so much.

It’s now 2:58 PM while I’m writing this. In the intro, I think I mentioned something around 1 PM. So I’ve already been working on this for one and a half hours, and in another two and a half hours I’ll be in the arms of Kathi and with the two cutest cats in the world. I’m really looking forward to that. Because one thing needs to be said: DJing is fun, but traveling can also be exhausting. Coming home is always the best feeling, even if Dortmund isn’t exactly the prettiest city.

4. Community Pick of the Week by Unknown - One favorite from the community.

Unspecified Enemies - Multi Ordinal Tracking Unit: No text in the mail. Only sound. Enjoy!

DISCOGS

A train ride is long, a train ride is beautiful. Especially when the internet keeps dying all the time. And now we’ve already reached the end. Thank you for choosing this Deutsche Ba… no, choosing this newsletter. Hehe. Take care and see you next Thursday! :-)

And don’t forget: keep sending me your favorite track or record. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be the one curating the next pick in the Community section.

Simply reply to this email or comment here with a link to your favorite E.P.

Keep it spinning,
Robin Tasi @ Recycling Wax

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