Terminal 313 favourites of 2023, with the focus on techno, electro, acid and more, the tracklist included. https://terminal313.net/wp-content/uploads//2024/04/Annual-Report-2023-Roadside-Mix.mp3 TRACKLIST [artist – track – release (label cat. no)]  Suss – Gallup AZ – SUSS (Northern Spy NS156) VC-118A – Glub – Waves of Change (Delsin 157DSR) Galaxy of Flesh – As We Travel – Galaxy Of Flesh OST (Ubocze Rec. 029) Dina Summer – Who Am I – Iptamenos Discotek Vol. 1 (Iptamenos Discos IDI015) Ancient Methods – The Third Siren (Persephonic Sirens 020) Sweater On Polo – Slap Box – Go Wild Harlem ..read more

On “Spektrum”, the Estonian artist Marko Sula aka Out-Or examines various sides of techno and IDM. By accommodating an array of styles into the album, he travels through different artistic identities, to bring us a diverse and well-crafted LP. At one moment, Out-Or is an eco-futurist in the Estonian homestead, serving a bowl of wild strawberries to an occasional visitor. Fine layers of “Fantasia” and liquid deepness “Shift” reflect such mood short of any rush. Then again, the artist puts on a White Sox baseball hat and parades under the urban lights of mid-80’s Windy City. A good example is 30 ..read more

Based close to Rovaniemi in Lapland, Detachment Records is one of the world’s northernmost labels. Despite the Arctic climate, it’s perfectly capable of bringing some heat to the floor. After debuting in 2019 with a self-titled EP by Sex Control, the label now follows up with a split EP. A master of acid infections, Finland’s Boneless One rolls out Eurodance piano chords over abyssal bass in “Track Mode (202 Bass Mix)”. Aptly titled “Freak House” climbs one level higher, when offering timeless programming with hi hats and bubbling 303. Real Motherfuckers Don’t Talk Shit!, a strikingly named pr ..read more

The French label Acid Avengers continues its program of caustic beats with a cross-European split EP. Under scrutiny of a flock of smileys, ProOne79 from Sardinia sets the mood with rave whistles and ‘acid’ yells in a classic 303 cut (“Grinder”). Then the Italian picks up a much-exploited theme (“Loosing Control”), where he succeeds in keeping the suspense and drive by means of stout bass, hi-hats and modulated vocal part. Inevitably, DBX is haunting through the whole eight minutes. Fear-E from Scotland furnishes the B-side with three acid manifestations. After teaching the basics with “Descen ..read more

Recently at the formidable Crevette record store in Brussels, I asked for tips about Belgian labels and a friendly guy at the counter was glad to help. While De:Tuned and Nightflight Records were familiar to me, Basic Moves was a new acquaintance, and its first 2023 release found a place in my bag. Behind “Basic Moves 17” is Reade ‘Truth’ White, who has been a techno’s pioneering force for about three decades. By reanimating the Fiction Life alias, previously used for a single EP in 1996, White lays out a diverse mini album for the label from Brussels. The six-tracker travels through various a ..read more

Eloquent deep house on a split EP. Detroit’s seasoned producer Derrick Thompson aka Drivetrain still runs on schedule with his Soiree imprint and drops two parts of “It Can Never Be The Same” on the A-side. Dub notes give a boost to the first part, while in the second half Drivetrain descends into jazzy daydreaming. Rennie Foster from Canada, who has often collaborated with Motor City artists and labels, returns to the center floor with “Guiding Light” that illuminates the groovy side of life, while piano driven and acid soaked “I Haven’t Forgotten” takes a step closer to deep techno. Reliable ..read more

My first contact with I-Robots was a compilation with 1980’s italo smashes like “Spacer Woman”, “Penguin’s Invasion” and others, which well substituted  a painstakingly expensive mission of acquiring the originals on wax. Behind I-Robots and Opilec Music is the Italian Gianluca Pandullo whose mission is to unite sounds from different corners of the music spectrum. The fifth “We Are Opilec” compilation reminds me of double CDs that were advertised many years ago on VIVA and MTV with keywords ‘techno rave’ or ‘underground explosion’ for a mixed bag of whatever sounded electronic. While tech ..read more

So much has been said about “Stakker Humanoid”, which was a symbol of the fledgling rave scene. I also remember from the MTV’s “Party Zone” how the video enjoyed heavy rotation, not to speak about the track’s regular appearances in numerous best-of compilations. Might be that the excessive presence of Humanoid’s most famous track led to certain saturation – about 10-15 years had passed from my previous listening, until Ruben Boons’ label De:tuned staged the classic’s comeback. Now in possession of a physical copy, I have to say that it’s not a superficial quick buck exercise as the remix pack ..read more

Billy Ray de la Haye, a studio artist with sketchy public CV, comes allegedly from Rotterdam and not from The Hague that was my initial guess, because of ‘la Haye’ of course. By sound, he could be unmistakingly located in the Dutch west coast, when disco riffs and vocoded lyrics are sweeping over the lands in the first (mini-)album. It’s a near-perfect soundtrack for early summer, keeping all troubles at bay with compelling melodies and infectious rhythms. Acidic Hi-NRG bomb “Beverly Hills” is placed under the sun of Hollywood, seeing stars and starlets waving from their dashing convertibles ..read more

***** Datafreq Vs. Hozerz (Paper+Sound Paplus6 – 2020) What sounds like a mystery entry from the catalogue of Definitive, Toronto’s nineties imprint with yellow labels, is actually a collaboration of Dave Rout, Kris Helstrom and Heiki Sillaste – all seasoned artists from the Canadian metropolis. When looking at the array of styles the artists have been dealing with, one could expect anything, from industrial to ambient. But Sillaste’s Paper+Sound label has summoned the three under the sign of smileys, Rout as Datafreq and the other two as Hozerz.  The trio has programmed two long cuts on ..read more