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 M-Plant label, the home of Mr Hood's latest, ‘Obey’/‘Resurrection’.

This is unmistakeably the work of the former Rob Noise, never diverting far from his minimal aesthetic. Not unlike his Hoodmusic series on Music Man, this release is less aggressive than some of his previous, but still displays his innate ability to create intensity and build tension with the smallest of adjustments. The unsettling ‘Resurrection’ is the pick of the pair, but this release is unlikely to be talked about in 15 years time. Still, even an average Hood release is still something to take notice of.

Hood's work has certainly been an inspiration for the Berghain massive. So it’s fitting that Ben Klock's ‘OK’ remix package contains his take on ‘Goodly Sin’, alongside reworkings by the increasingly popular Sandwell District (aka Regis and Function) and that other Detroit renaissance man, Kenny Larkin. Hood's surprisingly lacklustre effort is overshadowed by the other two contributors. Sandwell District continue with their dank/sparse techno, while Larkin supplies a funky piano/horns/strings-driven house cut, which will mostly likely prove to the most popular.

With Hood and Larkin getting increased recognition, it’s perhaps time Scott Grooves got some love too. Never one to keep a high profile - he performs his first gig in the UK in over 10 years in Fabric soon - he has quietly been working away in the shadows, releasing some sterling work in the last while. The most recent of these is his ‘Classic 909’ 12", part of an ongoing series of releases based around a specific piece of hardware (hence the title). Grooves ventures into the deeper realms of techno here, providing a timeless piece of floor friendly funk with simple, infectious melodies accompanied by some decisive 909 claps and snare rolls. If this sounds good, pick up the recent ‘Detroit 808’ record too.

Another Detroit elder statesman. Anthony ‘Shake’ Shakir, is beginning to enjoy some time in the sun, beginning with the long-awaited full release of ‘Levitate Venice’ on Morphine Records. If there is one thing that you can be guaranteed with a new Shake release it's that you'll have little chance guessing what it's gonna sound like. Here he fluctuates between straight ahead stripped-down techno, abstract funk, jazz, electro and deep house. There's more ideas going on here than many producers manage to muster up in a whole career. Take some time with it, the rewards are worth it.

One man who has made an unlikely leap from cult hero to something approaching mainstream success is Omar S. Never mind his divisive media profile, his music really does the talking. After the rough-edged ‘Blown Valvetrane’, ‘Still Serious Nic’ moves back into smoother territory with opener and closer ‘Flying Blind’ and ‘Flying Grogars’, two techy-house jams which aren't a million miles away from what Scott Grooves is at with his recent releases. It's that classic Detroit style which blends the uplifting with the melancholic. He picks up the tempo with the gospel-tinged ‘Lift Him Up’ – the vocal from Don Q is likely to divide opinions - backed with those trademark lo-fi house rhythms that first got Smith noticed. His ‘Just Ask The Lonely’ CD has also just been reissued so for anyone who missed out first time around.

Scott Ferguson, now a London resident, has returned with the first new Ferrispark on wax, ‘Warehouse Dream’, in some time. The two sides are somewhat contrastingt. It kicks off with the title track, a slow, gnarly acid house grinder before the flipside turns the mood on its head. ‘Uncle’, a stark ambient piece leads into ‘S.O.S.A.D’ which initially starts off with a lone piano before a jazzy shuffle makes way for a song with a certain amount of pop sheen - the rising strings and bouncing bassline carrying it through till the end. The B-side starts in despair but ends is full of hope. Before we depart from the 313, Reggie Dokes also returns this month on new-ish Belgian label We Play House. His recent high profile release on Clone, ‘Chicago Pimp’ along with the equally fantastic ‘Rain, Redemptive Love’ on Philpot last year means that this guy's profile is too on the rise after floating about around the edges for most of the decade. You really aren't going to mistake Dokes' work for anyone else's with his original fusion of the organic (or what at least sounds like it) and electronic. Like Shakir, Dokes' take on house can take a bit of getting used to but is as equally rewarding.

Moving away from the more established artists, Johannes Volk is a German techno producer who has emerged in the last couple of years with a couple of excellent releases on his own Lifeworld imprint, plus a prestige release on Axis. His latest, ‘When We Lost Control’ on Snapshot continues in his abrasive machine funk style, a five-tracker of club cuts which you can pick and choose between. It’s that strong. His style is more complex than that of the likes of his Klock or Marcel Dettman and ultimately outshines both, but hey, he doesn’t have a Berghain residency. His time should come.

W.T. records is a new New York label fronted by Will Speculator, the first release by $tinkworx and Kinoeye ‘Mkb’/’Mean Old World’ which I - for some reason - forget to mention here when I got a hold of a copy a few months ago. Anyway, the follow up by new kid on the street Hunee, ‘Tour De Force’, is just that. Kicking off with the breathy vocals, strings and handclaps of ‘Rare Silk’ before moving onto the dubbier, almost mnml sounds of ‘Cut Down Trees’ it finishes on the brilliant title track which melds not too deep house with some Prince-influenced synthesizers and electronic bass. As the old saying goes, this one's for the ladies. Two records down and W.T. is already a name to keep the eyes peeled on. Also, Hunee is also the man behind the latest 12" on John Daly's Feel Music, though on that case he does under the Hunch monikor with the ‘Travel The Earth’ two-tracker. Way to go about keeping a low profile!

Tevo Howard returned recently with his latest on Beautiful Granville Records ‘Everyday House Music’, the follow-up to the stunning ‘Without Me’, mentioned a few months back. Once again we're dealing with some superb, stripped down, raw deep house. ‘Less is more’ is a cliché, but Howard has almost perfected it here. It's alternatively close and expansive at the same time with a stark beauty not many can match at the moment.

The collaborative ‘Iron Man’ from Brandt, Brauer and Frick is a beguiling release on Danish label Tartelet. Composed around a simple piano riff that half sounds like it was recorded live in an empty room, it is accompanied by a brilliant percussive shuffle, double bass with some additional keys shoved in on top. It may sound a little confusing but it manages to come out the other end intact. There are two alternative takes – the second is the more successful for the floor, but loses some of the fun of the original.

Another man enjoying a revival is Kirk Degiorgio, still showing us how it’s done without having to dig into the back catalogue. Two great 12”s in the last while – ‘Jitter World’ and ‘Mass’, the latter on his revived ART imprint. This is techno on a somewhat grande scale, with a real sense of depth and scope not just in execution but in sounds. Degiorgio has always been influenced by Detroit but it's never been a carbon copy and it's no different on either of these releases. He never sounds like he's trying too hard, which can often be a problem when artists try and have a go at interpreting the Detroit sound. There are layers of synths, complex rhythms on show but it never feels cluttered. It also helps that Degiorgio is a more intuitive and personal producer to ever let his influences take too much of a stonghold. This is deep, dancefloor techno that should hopefully be reverberating from dark rooms for quite some time to come.