Chapter

01

Best albums

September 2018

- Tim Hecker
  Konoyo
  Kranky
  
  The Canadian artist's latest full-length blends traditional Japanese gagaku with rich electronic textures. It may be one of his best LPs yet.
  
  Listen: Bandcamp / Apple Music / Soundcloud
- Specter
  Built To Last
  Sound Signature
  
  Could Built To Last be the year's best house LP? The Chicago DJ and producer's full-length for Sound Signature will be tough to beat.
  
  Listen: Soundcloud
- JK Flesh
  New Horizon
  Electric Deluxe
  
  A winning combination of dub, high-definition noise and '90s Birmingham techno from Godflesh's Justin Broadrick.
  
  Listen: Soundcloud
- Yves Tumor
  Safe In The Hands Of Love
  Warp Records
  
  Sean Bowie's Warp debut blurs the boundaries between pop, electronic and experimental music with spectacular results.
  
  Listen: Apple Music / Soundcloud
- Amnesia Scanner
  Another Life
  PAN
  
  This unique debut album draws from cyberpunk science fiction, distorted electronics and "avant-EDM."
  
  Listen: Bandcamp / Spotify
- Domenique Dumont
  Semblance
  Antinote
  
  A dreamy collection of Balearic jams that go down as easily as a cocktail by the pool.
  
  Listen: Bandcamp / Soundcloud
- Osheyack
  Sadomodernism
  Bedouin
  
  An addictive take on hardcore that incorporates industrial, techno and ballroom and leaves a crater-sized mark.
  
  Listen: Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Ratgrave
  Ratgrave
  Apron Records
  
  The latest project from Max Graef sees him team up with Julius Conrad for an album of dusty and dreamy funk.
  
  Listen: Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Caterina Barbieri
  Born Again In The Voltage
  Important Records
  
  The Italian artist enriches her melodic drones with cello and vocals, becoming even more distinctive in the process.
  
  Listen: Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Krikor
  Saudi
  L.I.E.S.
  
  A sombre soundtrack to a documentary about Saudi Arabia from one of the most versatile artists on L.I.E.S.
  
  Listen: Soundcloud
- Sarah Davachi
  Gave In Rest
  Ba Da Bing!
  
  For her latest album, the Canadian minimalist sought inspiration from cathedrals she visited on her European tour.
  
  Listen: Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud

02

Best singles

September 2018

- Mars89
  End Of The Death
  Bokeh Versions
  
  Grime, dancehall and Baltimore club collide on this gritty EP from the Japanese producer.
  
  Listen: Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Various
  DOYOURECORDS001
  Do You Records
  
  A well-loved NTS host compiles a record that's just as eclectic as his weekday morning show.
  
  Listen: Soundcloud
- Marcel Dettmann
  Test-File
  Ostgut Ton
  
  A reminder that the Berghain resident is more than just a purist techno producer.
  
  Listen: Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Ellen Allien
  Take A Stand
  NonPlus+
  
  A chance to hear the darker and more political side of an enduring voice in Berlin techno.
  
  Listen: Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Aphex Twin
  Collapse EP
  Warp Records
  
  After all these years, Richard D. James can still surprise and delight us, this time with an EP loaded with left turns and sonic wonders.
  
  Listen: Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Kilbourne
  Evnika
  Meta4
  
  Thunderdome-style hardcore from a young producer who's pushing the genre in new directions.
  
  Listen: Apple Music / Spotify
- Julia Govor
  Jujuka 01
  JUJUKA
  
  Julia Govor's style of big-room techno has an uncommon focus on small details and tactile textures.
  
  Listen: Soundcloud
- Shackleton
  Furnace Of Guts
  Woe to the Septic Heart
  
  Two ten-minute odysseys of winding melodies, tribal rhythms and stunning moments of beauty that stand out in Shackleton's already remarkable catalogue.
  
  Listen: Apple Music / Spotify
- Archetype
  Abstract Analogy
  Future Primitive
  
  We don't know when Ohio producer Charles Noel made these killer house tunes—20 years ago or 2018?—though it hardly matters when they sound this fresh.
  
  Listen: Soundcloud
- Steven Rutter & John Shima
  Step Into The Light
  FireScope Records
  
  Two generations of UK techno meet on an EP that highlights the past and future of Sheffield techno.
  
  Listen: Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud

03

Best mixes

September 2018

- DJ Storm
  Outlook Mix
  
  Dangerous golden era drum & bass selections from the Metalheadz MVP.
- John T. Gast
  UVC Roots & Destruction
  
  Druid dub, avant-drone folk and knackered riddims by the London enigma.
- Octo Octa
  RA Live Rainbow Disco Club
  
  Listen back to one of the most memorable performances from this year's Rainbow Disco Club festival in Japan.
- Wheelman
  CKFM.034
  
  Driving house, techno and electro from a Glasgow name worth keeping an eye on.
- 4142
  Lullabies For Insomniacs
  
  An intimate, ASMR-inducing ambient mix recorded on a Sunday afternoon in Bucharest.
- Flo Dill
  SANPO 121
  
  The NTS DJ comes through with a pitch-perfect Sanpo Disco mix: leisurely, lush and full of ace disco and downtempo cuts you've never heard.
- Waajeed
  Beats In Space #957
  
  The Detroit artist cruises steady with soulful house and disco, and shows off plenty of his own gems too.
- Clark
  Dummy Mix 517
  
  A bumpy ride through the adventurous UK artist's archive of unreleased originals, from emotional ambient to bouncy dance floor fare.
- Death Is Not The End
  Blowing Up The Workshop 95
  
  "A trip across the frequencies of Bristol's pirate radio stations via cut-ups of broadcasts, taken from the late 1980s to the early 2000s."
- FOOZOOL
  FACT mix 671
  
  Club music, Club Chai style: worldly, unpredictable and experimental, connecting dots you never knew were there.