Best Albums

October 2021

- Tresor
  Various - Tresor 30
  
  One of the most important techno labels of all time marks three decades with a compilation that highlights not only its variety but the potency of the ongoing Berlin-Detroit connection—and how important Black artists are to the history, present and future of the genre.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Domino
  Tirzah - Colourgrade
  
  On this heartfelt tribute to motherhood and friendship, Tirzah's vulnerable songwriting speaks volumes in near-whispers.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Acid Test
  Various - Ten Years Of Acid Test
  
  15 brand new cuts from the label helping to redefine acid house and techno in all its shapes, sizes and moods.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Kranky
  Grouper - Shade
  
  Gathering recordings from over the years, some moth-eaten and others startlingly clear, Shade is one of Liz Harris's most beautiful and devastating records.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify
- Rakya Records
  Charonne - Innervoice
  
  The French duo showcases a dazzling new vision for filter house and tech house on this groovy and often goofy LP.
  
  Listen:
  Soundcloud
- Dark Entries
  Various - Back Up: Mexican Tecno Pop 1980-1989
  
  An essential collection of Mexican post-punk, synth pop and proto-techno that sheds a light on an exciting but overlooked scene that stretched from Tijuana to Mexico City.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Clone Records
  Aleksi Perälä - Spectrum Analysis
  
  Perälä takes inspiration from minimal techno on this massive triple-pack of tight grooves brightened up with the cheery and often alien melodies of his Colundi Sequence.
  
  Listen:
  Youtube
- Peak Oil
  Hoavi - Invariant
  
  The upstart Russian producer infuses ambient jungle with footwork and dub techno for a gorgeous and rhythmically dextrous record.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify
- 2MR
  Kedr Livanskiy - Liminal Soul
  
  Kedr Livanskiy makes techno-informed pop with the gleeful brightness—and lyrical cleverness—of old-fashioned fairy tales.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Hausu Mountain Records
  Fire-Toolz - Eternal Home
  
  Where jazz fusion, vaporwave and black metal meet for a four-part meditation on the nature of being and existence.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- West Mineral Ltd.
  Pendant - To All Sides They Will Stretch Out Their Hands
  
  Huerco S's latest ambient record is an exploration of harsh, almost nightmarish textures.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud

Best Singles

October 2021

- Ninja Tune
  Anz - All Hours
  
  On her massive Ninja Tune debut, Anz tells the story of a night out on the town through 2-step, jungle, electro and pop.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- ANTI-MASS
  Authentically Plastic & Nsasi – DOXA
  
  Hard-as-nails polyrhythmic techno infused with the heaving sway of gqom from Kampala's queer underground.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Soundcloud
- Love On The Rocks
  Paramida - Dream Ritual
  
  Paramida's first-ever EP channels the bliss, ecstasy and funkiness of her DJ sets with two effervescent house tracks (and two killer remixes).
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- NDATL Muzik
  Claude Young - The Knife
  
  The Detroit techno head delivers deeper-than-deep house for Kai Alcé's label.
  
  Listen:
  Soundcloud
- CWPT
  Rog'e - Body Fidelity feat. Tanya Stevens
  
  A rare Chicago gem, available again on Palms Trax's new label and sounding as fresh and sensual as ever.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Klockworks
  Stef Mendisidis - Klockworks 33
  
  The rising techno producer delivers one of the year's all-out techno anthems—and three other tracks—on an EP that highlights how strong Ben Klock's label remains to this day.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Coloring Lessons
  musclecars - Shelter (Building It, Still)
  
  The New York duo incorporates spiritual jazz and R&B influences into a distinctly American style of house music that glows with love and warmth.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Houndstooth
  Anastasia Kristensen - Volshebno
  
  Dynamic, emotional and powerful techno that hits hard in all the right places before pulling back to a more ethereal place again.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Naive
  Hassan Abou Alam - It Spills
  
  The Egyptian producer puts his own spin on breaks-heavy UK dance music for a splashy debut on Naive.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Scuffed Recordings
  Ayesha - Potential Energy
  
  The exciting New York producer makes me what she calls "body over mind music"—a fierce and fearsome fusion of techno, electro and East Coast club music.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Freedom School
  Julion De'Angelo - DJ Series Vol. 4
  
  Raw, high-tech jazz flourishing from within the Detroit house tradition.
  
  Listen:
  Mother Tounge Records
- Time Is Now Records
  DJ Pantha - Cheese & Bun
  
  Bassline tracks new and old that highlight the physicality and undeniable catchiness of the long-running UK genre.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp / Apple Music / Spotify / Soundcloud
- Shelter Press
  Claire Rousay - 17 roles (all mapped out)
  
  Spine-tingling ambient that blurs the lines between poetry, sound collage and more traditional instrumental arrangements.
  
  Listen:
  Bandcamp

Best Mixes

October 2021

- Shanti Celeste
  Daisychain 196
  
  Two hours of dreamy, propulsive tracks from Shanti Celeste, spanning from Peach to Maara to a highly-intriguing Solange remix.
- OL
  Terraforming (Vowel)
  
  Russian leftfield lynchpin Oleg Buyanov eschews beats in favor of rich, varied textures on his new mix for Ultrafog's vowel label.
- Mesmé
  Boiler Room LA: Lights Down Low
  
  This Boiler Room set from LA's Mesmé is full of hard-hitting drums, arena-sized atmospheres and a sense of pacing that's more honed than many headlining DJs.
- SHE Spells Doom
  The "Shine A Light On" Mix
  
  Lusaka's SHE Spells Doom shows off his unique and scene-crossing sound—focused on all kinds of swing and bounce—on this The Ransom Note mix featuring tracks from Air Max '97, Bakongo, Color Plus, Martyn Bootyspoon and more.
- Edge Worker DJ
  Butter Sessions Mix #115
  
  An exploration of the early Italian progressive sound from Australian DJ and musician James Tom, AKA Edge Worker DJ. It's the second in Tom's three-part "Mediterranea Progressivo" series for Butter Sessions, comprising 100 minutes of tripped-out and obscure cuts.
- Bored Lord
  c-: saying it could even make it happen
  
  We're used to breakbeat bangers and audacious edits from Bored Lord, but this c- mix offers a look at her more chilled-out side, featuring plenty of funky downtempo and woozy grooves, like the opening set for a particularly trippy club night.
- sophiasaze
  Tresor Berlin x Radio Campus
  
  Sophia Saze marks the release of Tresor's 30th anniversary compilation with a session on Radio Campus featuring the kind of propulsive, psychedelic techno she (and the label) are known for.
- Mediumship
  SWEAT MIX 024
  
  Mediumship—the DJ duo of Addison L and Seance Michael, behind Buffalo queer party Ghost Stories—have put together a stomping mix of funky, break-driven techno and house (and beyond) for Sweat Equity.
- Baby T
  Live At Naked City Festival
  
  B.Traits showcases the wild and often retro sounds of her Baby T alias with this rollicking set recorded live at Naked City in London last month.
- DJ Nobu
  NTS Radio 08/10/21
  
  There's no special occasion or theme to this mix—just an hour of sublime, perfectly-mixed techno from one of the world's best DJs.

Best Albums

October 2021

Best Singles

October 2021

Best Mixes

October 2021

OL

Edge Worker DJ

Mediumship