Techno & Minimal

[Erezblm]

Welcome to the modern electronic music.

O.k its very sad there will be no more of Hallucinogen "Twisted" or Infected's "The Gathering" or Logic Bomb's "Headware", but look outside, look on the roots of electronics music's tree are evolving, and we have some thick huge roots.

I learned the art of electronic music on this forum and I want to share with all of you a bit of the finest techno minimal stuff. I know at the moment you read the words techno minimal and also electro the association of mainstream garbage just popped in your head, and I won't lie to you there are tons of garbage out there in this genre. But the truth is that every genre have it's garbage stuff and the quality, and the psy music isn't really at it best time. It's really a bummer to search for fine psy music and find a lot of Full-on lack of meaning and some modern goa that I won't say what I think about because it would be rough. After I understood that beside of simon posford's stuff I can't find normal modern psy I looked for other genres, and this is what I found.

The techno minimal music is rising and we can find a lot of amazing art pieces out there (especially by the germans somehow).

Anyway I wrote three albums reviews. Those are the three best artists I found in the techno music (and they all germans…). Each one of them has it's own unique talent and sound.

ALL YOU NEED IS TO OPEN YOUR MIND!!!!

 

 

Extrawelt-

Extrawelt are Arne Schaffhausen and Wayan Raabe they have two more music projects which I didn't really heard (very heavy stuff).

IMO the far best techno music out there.

Usually when a person has a brilliant idea, he won't just throw it on the air and leave. Well that just what extrawelt use to do all the time. They're music just throw some amazing sound or melody at your face and just leave, giving you the reason to return, hear the track again and again until it burns in your mind. The music of extrawelt exposes you to some new energetic world of creepy heavy baselines and melodic rhythm (the wild snares! =]) that no one makes better than them.

Extrawelt considered as techno but it has so many elements from the psy, the D&B, minimal, electro so it pretty hard to determine.

To hear extrawelt's music you have to be patient and attentive, because in the while your speakers are dancing extrawelt are broadcasting you natural art right through your mind.

 

Extrawelt – Schone neue (2008)

1. One Tree Hill – the intro track starts with some "extraweltish" terrifying synths. The real deal here opens only at the 5:00 minute, letting you get to know with extrawelt's style and patience is the key over here. Totally worth the waiting to the kicking bass and the low synths. Great intro track, giving you the taste of what's coming next. 8.5/10

 

2. Dark Side of My Room – this is exactly what it is, and it super dark. What an amazing intro environment to the amazing melodic baseline coming at the 1:30. very deep, extraordinary melody and the environment filled with hardcore rhythm as expected to extralwelt. At the 3:45 comes exactly what I talked about before. The low synths coming along with the rhythm are telling you about the upcoming: This quarter second melody, that comes maybe 6 times all the track, one time high and one time low. And that melody give all the meaning for the track. This quick brush on the keyboard, that what's lead this all amazing environment. Quick throw by extrawelt and we have a complete winner. 10/10.

 

3. Wippstreet - Bumpy intro with fast rhythm and squeaking hihats leading you to what seems like a funky track and appears to be a scary one (not surprising). I still can't understand how those two geniuses make such a blocked rhythm and yet so energetic. And again the main melody comes at 3:31, lasts for a second, returns maybe six times at all the track, and yet builds the whole track. Very energetic one. 8.5/10

 

4. Messy Machinery – a real dance floor destroyer this one. Superb baseline, and this is all this track needs, no more no less. Not a lot to say about this track but I bet I could cry hearing this track live. 9.5/10

 

5. Must Attack – some Drum & Bass and a lot of dubstep (on 2:56) influence dominate this track. Very aggressive and it really does attacks all over it. Great melody on 5:04, just love it, and the rumbling synths after it blasts. Awesome track. 9.5/10

 

6. Trummerfeld – all the blocked sound and rhythm, all the energy, all the short while melodies and the patience they learn you to suffer; all of those all over the track. And those just blast at your face with the amazing rising at 3:30, and it's not over without the extraweltish melodies right after. Mind blower!!! The energy over here is just massive. A huge one by extrawelt. 10/10

 

7. Wolkenbruch – this is the calm one on this album. Just close your eyes and listen to those stirring sound. Delightful track I can listen to it for hours. The melody sound dramatic, like Something is over but not for the best. I can interpret this track to thousands of meanings. Real floater this one. 10/10

 

8. Added Planet – baseline sound is chilly, yet it's melody and rhythm are energetic. On 2:00 there is great entrance, and super amazing vocals. This track is like a continuation of the previous one. Like something that have been destroyed now is on building process. Those vocal's bass make me an amazing feeling. Short and another amazing track over here 10/10

 

9. Kurt Curtain – it's wrote as a skit track, I don't know what it's meaning but it just as it is, a skit. No rate no feeling, it is what it is.

 

10. Daten Raten – this track built of one melody that getting clear on the 2:00 (the 2:00 minute is very common "making things clearer" area in this album). The melody just building itself during the track, and extrawelt are just showing us what they can do with one melody for 6:30 minutes. The changes aren't exposed to the consciousness for the first hearings but the feel of the melody becoming clearer is obvious. Another great one 9.5/10

 

11. Lost In Willaura – this time extrawelt satisfied with the baseline melody and the environment. Even though this one doesn't have a short melody or something to complete this track, it's enough just to hear the extrawelt sound, That include the environments samples and the rhythm. The entering at 3:20, sound a bit like too much techno form. Outside this album this track would called as a good track, but in this extraordinary album I would have to call it a fair track. 7.5/10

 

12. Homing – I believe if someone try to associate this track to any genre it would be something like, ambient electro. Very unique this track. This is exactly a track for the ending of this album. Like a very big question mark. What it supposed to mean? And I just can't ignore with those guys work on the vocal samples. Great ending track. just like the intro one. Both not blasting, but feats exactly the intro give you taste for the next and, and the outro leaves you with a big question mark for the next release. 8.5/10

 

In summary – this album is a masterpiece. Every track over here is in a new color, and the ideas are running all over this album. I think this album gives the techno a name that would never be forgetten, and it also grow another roots, and directions for new artists who don't know how they can continue the legacy of the electronic music tree.

At all IMO, best techno album ever.

Overall rate – 10/10 (the specific track rate are compared only to the others tracks of this album).

 

Stephan Bodzin-

Well Stephan is not anything like extrawelt. Stephan Bodzin's music is all about techno and minimal. He took all of his experience with techno and minimal and made it the best way someone can do IMO. Stephan twists all of what you thought about techno. If you thought you can predict whatever coming in the next bar in techno, you'll be sure to understand that you've never heard Stephan Bodzin's work. This man definitely had prove that he can take two simple notes in full track, make it the lead melody, and make the track twisted in a way even the best meteorologist on earth can't predict it. He uses a blend of original melodies throw them right in your face, fearless. Don't except hidden truth or big question mark, and that's why IMO his music is comparable to electro because he a through the answers on your faces. He's tracks are all about honesty, and he doesn't afraid to break bars as much as he can, and reveal what hidden on this maniac's head.

Welcome the dancing floor destroyer.

 

Stephan Bodzin – Liebe Ist (2007)

1. Mondfahrt – hardcore minimal over here. The lead over here is the rhythm. Some of you may see the track as hard to listen, but it supposed to be the light one. It sound like a demonstration of what techno should sound like. Well it's not the best of the album but it has some great, energetic rhythm. 7.5/10

2. Planet Ypsilon – that's exactly what I talked about. Stephan is taking three notes melody and building whole 6:14 track out of it. He uses every tools he's got to make it chill, psychedelic and jumpy. He shoot the same melody from every corner he can, and it works. Everything around is changing except those three notes, and it hard to understand what we're hearing. This track shows us Stephan's enormous skills. 8.5/10

3. Liebe Ist – here we start to hear the bass filters on action. Everything possible is happening on this track. He doesn't break bars, he vanquish them. The experience of this track is hard to explain on words. The line between the baseline and the melody is twisted. This track is a one huge allien mess, organized precisely to a human ear. 9/10

4. Fahrenheit – great baseline. Nice break every second loop, it make the track sound original. The track doesn't have any big target, it doesn't have a meaning or a big entrance, but the groovy bass, the broken bars melosy, the space environment melody and those hihats do the job just fine 8.5/10

5. Turbine – you can see that along with the progress of the album the melodies are starting to rule the tracks, and the album starts to change a phase. This track's structure reminds me a bit of the second track, but somehow the tracks are giving me no feeling of repeating after themselves. On 5:23 comes the melody that changes the whole phase of the album and Stephan is going to show us about his creative skills. 7.5/10

6. Luka-Leon – now that's what I waited for. The original broken melodies of Stephan. The track starts with an amazing intro melody that getting in only at 3:20. two melodies are being played over here, one is the overdrived one that escort the track all the way, and the other are the synths that getting blend with the baseline. Like Stephan likes, there is a very thin line between the bass to the synths. Quite a track this one. All of this track is about this thin line and how it blends with the overdrive melody, simply amazing how he get to those ideas. 10/10

7. Kerosene – super hardcore intro on this one. Most of the track structure made from noises rhythm, and it conquering the melodies. Not one of my favorites, but nice combination with the guitar. 7/10

8. Sonnewind – and again Stephan did it. Only two notes are holding this track on his legs, and those legs are flying. Again he twist that melody and this time he does it the best way I ever heard someone can do with two notes. That track is a masterpiece. Unstoppable rising all over the 7:26 minutes and the melody just recreating itself over and over for eternity. Masterpiece 10/10

9. Meteor – awesome space environment. I love this track. it feels more like in an emergency room when the meteor is about to land on the surface. The sound is very robotic. Great blend of sounds all over this track, and the two sounds melody building this track kicking and alive. 10/10

10. Leuchtraft – great lying entrances on this one. The bass is furious and kicking wildly and the rhythm is cruel. All this track built with thousand of rising melody, that suppose to go somewhere, but it lying at your face until you get to 5:46 and than you can rest in piece. Another masterpiece that one. I get the feeling like the melody is running after me and every time it get a bit close I am evading it at last second and than in the end I get the chance to kill it. According to the rough baseline and the angry rhythm it suppose to be one evil melody =] 10/10

11. Vendett – here we got to the last track. This is the best track in the album. I listened to it thousand times and until now I didn't figure what's going on this melody. This track is the cherry of all the techno music. It's got everything. Strong bass, Amazing start (the noise is doing the job), constant change with the rhythm but still tuned, long cryptic melody and the best entering on the history of electronic music on 5:02. that track will stay with me until I die. 10+/10

In summary – Stephan Bodzin's skills are spread all over this album. On the start he shows us his skills with rhythm, and he showed us how to break bars marvelously, then he tuned up the bass, and then he let us chill with his creative melodies. Stephan just shows us that he got everything. This guy was born to make electronic music.

Overall rate – 9.5/10 (the specific track rate are compared only to the others tracks of this album).

 

Boris Brejcha –

Boris Brejcha is nothing like any other techno minimal artists. He has he's own unique style, using he's own killer sound. He didn't fit to any genre so he decided to call he's music hi-tech minimal. Boris is the architect of techno, he is the master of tracks structure. Unlike Bodzin and Extrawerlt, Boris doesn't like using rhythm to lead, so he's using a variety of instruments and original melody, and a killer baselines melody that would rip your system. Boris also plays sometimes as "Anna", his dark side artist. Playing as Anna, Boris can allow himself more freedom to release whatever in his twisted mind. Boris is holding a ton of releases, and every time he managed to surprise me with his creative mind. His last album "My Name Is" was a bit of a fall IMO. It seems like most of the modern artists, Boris is on the road back to the mainstream. I really hope his next releases won't be as boring as the last one was. It would be a shame to see such a talent with a massive creative ideas going for the money and leaves his quality music aside.

Boris Brejcha specialization made of bar breaking on the entrances in the right accuracy, groovy original baselines, and variety of unique sounds that would fit only to Brejcha's music.

 

Boris Brejcha - Die Maschinen Kontrollieren Uns (2007)

1. Wellenreiter – very Boris alike intro. Starting with noise kicks, hard clicks, along with the rumbling synths, and then the baseline open the track, and make it chilly. And on 2:51 comes the calming melody. Very light track, suits to start of album. On 4:51 he enters some aggressive synths, preparing you to what's coming next on the album.Very delicate. 8/10

2. Brainstopper – Boris isn't waiting. He blows us right on the second track. Aggressive melody, and a massive baseline getting evolve with great rhythm, and all lead to scary melody. On 2:42 the track changes a phase. The track is running sort of like a video game. Lot of bar breaking on the road, and on 4:03 the scary melody is coming back, and lead the way. Hard baseline, great rhythm, and intimidating synths. 9/10

3. Das Model – I really love the start. Bars are breaking to pieces. Very groovy start you can't just hear without moving. On 1:48 you start to notice the twisted mind of Brejcha. This is the organized mess I like so much at his tracks. Always something leading the whole track to it's ending, but everything around is getting filled with thousands of melodies and ideas. Every rise in a brand new color. Amazing track 10/10

4. Die Maschinen Kontrollieren Uns – the overdrive rule this track. Nice baseline, keep the track organized. I like the overdrived entrances, and again Boris breaks bars as much as he can. The rhythm on 2:39 is amazing. Vocal samples pop up anywhere. Ninety percent of the instruments are overdrived flawless. 9/10

5. Schlachtfest – five elements are holding this track: the baseline, the low synths, the farts, the drop and one more thing I don't know how to call it. I don't know german, but I'm sure the track name is related to bathroom, and it sound like a rough one. Great combination of sound I like it. 9/10

6. Die Maschinen Sind Gestrandet (second edition) – weird samples also over here (peew =]). On 1:24 all the track goes one level lower. Simply amazing section. Seems like the track repeating itself, but Brejcha knows how to hold a track alive, with continuously breaks, vocal samples ,weird noises and the 4:32 minute; amazing stuff over here. It's usually fits Anna to just came up with the melody that summarize the whole track, just out of nowhere and without an early warning. This part the crowns this track to the best track on this album IMO 10/10

7. Outer Space – new direction in this track. Space elements are dancing over this track. Only can make an alarm sound to stay all along the tracks. The melody is not the brilliant melody of this album, but it definitely gives this track great character, and the bells make it more stable. Psychedelic stuff. 9/10

8. Ich Zeige Es Euch – this is the most hardcore track I ever heard by Boris. Thousands breaks, aggressive kicks are running. This track has 3 official entrances each gives you something else to handle with. First at 1:16, the melodic snares, and at 3:13 the buzzy bass and then the melody at 4:30. and the combination of all of those together is very rough. Super aggressive one. 10/10

9. White Snake – very simple track and the baseline sounds unstable. Yet this track is a kicker. I like only because two things. One is the loud synths that just kicking out of my spearkers, and the other thing is the main lead that you just can't ignore it. Great flanger. 9.5/10

10. Die Lustgrotte – well at start I liked that track. The breaks are great. But I had enough of it pretty fast. This reminds me a little of the new album; at start it sounds insane and after four listens you can't hear it anymore. What I did like in the breaks that he usually start the break and than close it fast, before I could enjoy it, and toward the ending starts to open the breaks from time to time. The melody lifetime is short. 7/10

11. Wir Leben – Boris over here is trying to make an ambient techno track. Well I personally didn't bond with it. What I did like that he tries to explore other worlds. I wish he would do something like that on his new album. The phaser here is flawless. I don't understand how he gets to that phaser sound. 7/10

 

In Summary – this album releases the real Boris Brejcha's twisted mind to the fresh air. This is Boris with balls. He's not afraid to present variety unusual samples and sound and mix them all together to compile 11 amazing tracks. I hope we could see more albums like that from him. I've been on two parties that Boris played in. The first one he played his tracks with balls and it was brutal, and the second he played some of his new tracks, and it was pretty blocked. It seems like he is going toward mainstream style. This album is a full time experience of amazing sounds and, recommended for everyone.

Overall Rate – 9.5/10 (the specific track rate are compared only to the others tracks of this album).

 

Check samples for the albums on Beatport:

http://www.beatport.com

I hope some of you took something from those reviews, because it took me some time to write it.

There are many others techno minimal artists worth hearing:

Oliver Huntemann – best sound producer I ever heard in electronic music.

Moonbeam – amazing original melodies they got.

Andreas Hannenberg – dark stuff.

Max Cooper – amazing sounds, and insane hihats

And many others…

 

All you need is just to open your mind, and look outside. There is a great world filled with variety of electronic music genres, each have it's own unique artists.

You all are welcome to hear some of my amateur music (I'm just learning):

http://soundcloud.com/blueman

[grimoire]

definitely some good stuff out there!

will read them tomorrow

 

I think you'll also like

Aril Brikha - Ex Machina

[DreamWalker]

Petar Dundov's Escapements is one of my favorite recent Techno albums. Class stuff.

[KozmikTentacles]

Monolake

 

Yagya

[Laserflip]

Pantha Du Prince is one of my favourite artists from the "Minimal" genre.

 

I like his most recent album the most:

 

 

 

 

His remix of Animal Collectives "Peacebone" is also nice:

 

http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrQDzpWjeiI

 

 

 

 

I recently discovered Robert Babicz and he has become another favourite of mine.

His music isn't limited to minimal only and most of his tracks are some kind of cross-over.

 

 

Here's a small collection of his best tracks:

 

Acid House with some nice pads.

Awesome melody with a sad and happy feel to it (sounds weird but I don't know how to describe it a other way)

Robert Babicz - Pink Trees reminds me a bit of some 80's stuff...

Beautiful Downtempo/Breaks track.

Melodic Tech/Breaks Track.

[Laserflip]

+

 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoAKlkbxAZw

[Laserflip]

Minilogue is also one of those quality Artists, but I think most of you know them anyway

 

The evolution of their music is very interesting. Their first tracks released in 2002 was some kinda progressive house/trance mixture (

) and till 2006 they continued with some melodic tracks (Certain Things Around You, Leloo. After that they got more influenced by tech house/minimal but still kept their melodic elements (Leopard,

,

). With their Album "Animals" they also changed their style a bit (apart from their ambient CD), getting more groovy and tribal (Doiicie A, Snake Charmer, Mr Mustafa, My Teenager Gang). From 2009-2011 their tracks (mostly remixes) got softer, longer (over 15 min. sometimes) and more atmospheric (

,

,

).

[WillyTheSquid]

Some fantastic acts that I haven't seen mentioned are:

 

Octave (truly psychedelic fusion between minimal and psytrance... lots and lots of little touches like simulating a CD skipping, staggering attention to detail).

 

VX (Virgil Enzinger & Xavier "Prime Suspect" Morel): Nachtstrom's Schallplatten wunderkinderen).

 

Brian Burger (does a lot of work with Enzinger/VX. Highly recommended, he really knows how to keep things interesting.

 

Max Pollyul (if you like Burger, you will like this guy. Period.)

 

AnGy KoRe (Italian minimal trippy psy/tech/house. Not everything is good,)

 

Cisco Arias (check out The Hole or Tetraktys. All around solid dancefloor grooves.)

 

Alejandro Trebor (great minimal techno stuff that meshes well with the psytech sound.)

 

Worakls (French psy/tech/house. Their track "Future Echoes" is wobbly dancefloor dynamite. Equal to Fuzzion/Extrawelt in diversity of tracks and production skills.)

[Laserflip]

Octave (truly psychedelic fusion between minimal and psytrance... lots and lots of little touches like simulating a CD skipping, staggering attention to detail).

 

Alejandro Trebor (great minimal techno stuff that meshes well with the psytech sound.)

 

 

Nice suggestions! Thanks mate

[Laserflip]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf-gVdHfzAY

[Laserflip]

Boris Blenn made some nice minimal tracks:

Boris Blenn - Resonation

http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DTOgJr5n00

[Maxx]

Hi,dont know if this is the right section to post this,but maybe someone can identify what tune Marco carola is playing in this live set?

 

 

Thanks...

[Laserflip]

First track is "Butch - Amelie (Format B remix)"

 

Third track is "Seth Troxler [feat. Matthew Dear] - "Hurt" (Martinez Dark Soul Remix)" or Original Mix.

[Maxx]

Ok cool, thank you very much Laserflip.

[Maxx]

Laserflip(or anyone else),you know what track this is?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwVhyKwh4dE

 

Thanks...