**Redshape and the repeat offenders.**

Enigmatic techno producer Redshape delivers his debut long player, the deep and sometimes off-kilter ‘The Dance Paradox’ this month. In a relatively short space of time, he’s managed to become of the most highly-respected (and well-liked) names in techno. His habit of combining his own eerie, clammy sounds with a side-order of Detroit and Chicago has certainly paid off. Some of the EPs to date have been brilliant, but can he make the leap to long player? Yes and no. ‘The Dance Paradox’ is a compact (on CD anyway – there are additional tracks to be found on the vinyl release) and coherent work that doesn’t overstay its welcome. But the problem is a bit more basic than any issues around filler tracks, which dogs so many LPs within this genre.

It begins well, with ‘Seduce Me’, followed by the expansive ‘Garage GT’, which set the tone for what’s to come. And therein lies the problem – it just isn’t as good as some of the earlier EPs. It peaks in middle with ‘Man Out Of Time’, which melds his unsettling strings with a funky, chopped breakbeat, but too often it just made me want to listen to some of his other tracks. He manages to keep the mood similar across the eight tracks, so it sure is consistent, but he has done better in the past and I suspect he will do again in the future.

A new German label caught my eye – Just Another Beat, specifically the second release, ‘Levitation’, by Jouem. Similar to Redshape, he wears his influences proudly, the drum beats and programming on ‘Day Lily’ come on like a claustrophobic Theo Parrish. Jouem also combines some vocal samples with some clanking dubby elements, giving the finished track something pleasingly different. The dub techno sound is being remade constantly – and pointlessly – at the moment, but the house-y crossover makes this noteworthy. The previous release, the first, from the dreadfully-named Prostitune, did something similar, but not as well on the a-side, ‘Money Nuggets’. ‘Lotions’ on the flip was the choice cut, a spine-tingling workout reminiscent of Omar S’s ‘Psychotic Photosynthesis’.

Some repeat Traxx:Files offenders next. First-up Tevo Howard with ‘Passion Sound’ on his Beautiful Granville label. This guy is coming very close to the ‘buy on sight’ group of artists. Emotive analogue house so simple and minimal it’s bizarre how effective and enthralling it is. With Howard, every single note matters – the title track reveals itself slowly over nine minutes, building on pacey drums and a simple piano motif. The two versions of ‘Dreamer’s Reason’ will leave you in a similar trance. Stunning.

Next regular is Delano Smith, the Beatdown-er back on his own Mixmode label with ‘Deep Fundamentals’. Lead cut ‘Nebula’ will be the pick for the deeper DJs, with a jacking rhythm combining well with some sublime pads, creating peak-time atmospherics. ‘Road To Knowhere’ is deeper and dreamier, before finishing on the uptempo and slightly non-descript ‘This Heart’.

Texan Disco Nihilist came out of nowhere a few months ago with a self-titled EP on Love What You Feel, which picked up props for its raw, deep and back-to-basics formula. He returns, debuting his own Construction Paper label with a collaborative EP with Daetron Vargas. The four-tracker isn’t as deep as his debut, with more electronic disco influences this time. The (untitled) A-side tracks will slot nicely into your trax/italo/house set, while the more acid-focused B-side shows just how effective stripped-down house music can be. My only problem? The kick-ass percussion that appears suddenly as the A1 cut fades out – why tease us?!

Last repeat offender is Ed Dmx, with ‘Tech No Rock’, under his Computer Rockers alias on Breakin’. He’s mining the ‘80s electro sound again (what did you expect?!), working some more highly entertaining synth-funk with suitably robotic voices. Mr Upton’s fans will not be disappointed.

Continuing the theme is a new label and artist, Matt Whitehead with ‘Beat The Heat’ on Rebel Intelligence. He’s spent his time doing his research – every track will rock your party like it’s 1984, with ‘Tuff City’ standing out. It’s not the most original release, but its strict adherence to to the sounds of the era it replicates means we’ll let it slide.

Amsterdam’s Rush Hour continues to keep the quality control up with BDI’s ‘City and Industry’ – a metallic, noisy, tech-influenced house release in two versions, with the searing melody scaling the octaves as the track progresses. Peppered with atonal noises, it gathers pace and drops, like repeated rushes of blood to the head. Not for the faint hearted.

Last up is the unearthing of some previously unheard material from disco legend Patrick Cowley, a collaboration with the singer Jorge Socarros. ‘Soon’ is the single from ‘Catholic’, out via Stefan Goldmann’s Macro, with remixes from Metro Area and Kink, plus a bonus cut, ‘Robot Children’. ‘Soon’ is a dark, lo-fi piece of experimental electronica featuring semi-spoken word vocals along with some falsetto BVs. Throbbing bass, odd synth sounds drift in and out as the grimy (not in the London sense) keep things moving. ‘Do You Wanna Funk’ this is not. Metro Area's take on it is the more successful, daring to add a little bit of funk to the overriding industrial feel. Kink attempts to make it into a slowed down AFX song, stretching and bending what it takes from the original, but the result is unimaginative and forgettable. ‘Robot Children’ is much more streamlined, an early new wave/post punk song, with killer lyrics: ‘Once you were into disco and now you're into rock, you left San Francisco and moved to New York’ – a delicious hint at the project’s inspiration: the vibrant NYC scene.

September Top 10

Tevo Howard ‘Passion Sound’ [Beautiful Granville]
Tevo Howard ‘Everyday House Music’ [Beautiful Granville]
Specter/Damon Lamar ‘The Tetrode Sessions’ [Tetrode]
Planetary Assault Systems ‘Temporary Suspension’ LP [Ostgut Ton]
Mobach ‘Metrobots’ [SD Records]
Hunee ‘Tour De Force’ [WT Records]
Patrick Cowley & Jorge Socarros ‘Soon’ [Macro]
Disco Nihilist & Daetron Vargas ‘Untitled’ [Construction Paper]
Matt Whitehead ‘Beat The Heat’ [Rebel Intelligence]
Johannes Volk ‘When We Lost Contact’ [Snapshot Records]