It's been a while since the last column and even though the run up to Christmas and New Year is a time when people focus on spending their money elsewhere, this hasn't stopped labels dropping some fantastic material over the last couple of months.

Jason Fine is one of a few artists that first got his break on Omar S' FXHE label, and just like Jus Ed and Kyle Hall - moved on to other labels. In Fine's case it is the Swedish Kontra-Musik label, who've housed him ever since. After the brilliant remix double header "K-M-Mixes ...

Reissues and respect.

It has been an interesting year in music for the cities of Detroit and Chicago. While they may never reclaim the lofty positions they once held in the eyes of the general music enthusiast, a mixture of reappraisal of old works and a smattering of new(ish) producers have meant that they aren't been shrugged off as nonchalantly as they once were.

In Detroit's case, it is mainly house music that has shone this year. Who would have thought this time last year that a new M. Pittman record would sell out in a matter ...

Traxx steps up to the plate.

With a name like Melvin Oliphant III one could be forgiven for thinking that this Windy City native is more lord of the manor than lord of the jack. But you would be wrong. More commonly known as DJ Traxx, Mr Oliphant is one of the new(ish) breed of house producers who are rewiring the early sounds of Chicago for their own means. Playing records for the guts of 20 years and producing since 2000, Traxx's take on house music is as raw and abrasive as it gets.

His style - which he ...

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 ...

Kenny Hanlon on the art of the revival.

That one of the biggest releases of this year is the re-issue of Robert Hood's seminal ‘Minimal Nation’ long player could be construed as a comment on the state in techno in 2009 - but in truth, it wouldn't really matter what year it is. Techno has rarely been so precise, effective and inspiring as Hood's 1994 masterpiece. As Surgeon once said, “It was like a bomb went off” - the aftermath of which is still seen in techno (and beyond) today. That re-release also coincides with the re-emergence of his ...

Kenny Hanlon goes Dutch via Chicago and Cork in his latest round-up.

As we pass the half way point of the year, it’s maybe not a bad time to take stock of the opening six months. Has it lived up to expectations? Or did we even have any expectations? This would be an easier exercise if there wasn’t such a bombardment of great music hitting the shelves (or, eh, websites) every week. No sooner have I managed to sit through one new batch then the credit card is out and I'm clicking ‘Buy’ on another bunch of ...

Italo Disco is one of the more obscure and perplexing sub cultures within dance music, inducing a fanatacism that can, to outsiders, seem somewhat odd. After spending years on the fringes, the last decade has seen a slow but sure revival in this late 70's/early 80's Italian style. Italo’s influence on the emerging scenes in Chicago and Detroit was overlooked for some time but has enjoyed a recent renaissance thanks to artists and DJs from the Netherlands channeling its sounds into their sets and productions.

Not too much of a surprise then that the upcoming Italo ...

Kenny Hanlon gets his freak on - for the most part anyway - at Movement in Detroit.

I can't say I'd ever heard of Memorial Day Weekend until around 10 years ago when the first Detroit Electronic Music Festival took place on a late weekend in May. But since then – for a certain breed of electronic music fans – one has become synonymous with the other. We touched on some of the changes at the event in the last decade already – so how does it look in 2009?

Saturday

The first thing that hit me as I walked into the downtown ...

This weekend the Detroit Electronic Music Festival, now known as Movement, hits its tenth anniversary. Over the last decade there have been many changes to the festival, some good, some bad, but in terms of representing dance music to a nation still not quite sure what to do with it, it's one of the biggest of it's kind. Ironically, of course, Detroit is one of the home towns of modern dance music but over the last 10 years the festival has moved away from purely giving a stage to local heroes and instead has focused more on getting ...

Every now and then Irish people - and the press - like to get overly excited about Irish music.

Sometimes it's unjustified and sometimes it seems like it's only us paying attention - but every so often the rest of the world actually takes notice.

Two of the more talented Irish producers of recent times, John Daly and Donnacha Costello, have had little problems getting attention. Both are back with some great new releases. First up, John with a couple: an original 12’” on Drumpoet Community, ‘This Is A Lonely Beat’ and a remix of ‘Volcano’ by legendary early 80's ...

Before getting into any new music, some recent festival-related activity worth mentioning.

First up, last weekend saw the return of the quickly-becoming-legendary BLOC Weekend, where a 5000-strong rave-hungry rabble descended on Minehead’s Butlin’s Holiday Camp for a three-day barrage of techno, electro, dubstep and Italo. After three years of steady growth, the festival doubled it capacity and aimed for a broader appeal with the likes of Lee Scratch Perry and Afrika Bambatta stepping up alongside more traditional Bloc fare such as Rob Hood, DMK Krew and Surgeon.

The event certainly continues to hold its own as one of ...

The first few weeks of any year can are a quiet time in the world of new releases. Not a bad time to reflect on the year passed and equally, to what awaits us in the next 12 months.

Everyone likes to second guess what will take precedence in the record bags and hard-drives of DJs as well as that of the general listener. One major pointer at the moment to what’s hot in the “underground” is the peerless BLOC Weekend.

Now in its third year, the 2009 line-up is certainly broader and more eclectic than before – with Italo ...