Track Of The Day: DJ Compufunk - Beyond Mind (Beltran's from Detroit with Love Mix) (Vibes & Pepper Records)

 

DJ Compufunk is a Japanese producer from Osaka whose reverence for deep house, and particularly Detroit, runs deep. And in order to crystallise that devotion, who better to enlist for a remix than John Beltran. The analogue warmth is tangible, as is the evocation of that timeless techno ambience that here nods heavily to the type of emotive machine funk that was augmented by a host of British producers throughout the nineties. The label art nods to that of the Underground Resistance ‘Interstellar Fugitives’ releases that straddled this century and the last. And an embellishment of the vintage electronic ambience on show here comes in the form of a spoken word vocal that lifts the track into the realms of some of the best on the DNH label. Lovely stuff.

Track Of The Day: Metal Urbane - Paris Maquis (Rough Trade)

 

Metal Urbaine were standard bearers for French punk, and with ‘Paris Maquis’ they give a great account of themselves.They also have the distinction of this track being the very first release on Rough Trade. The catalogue number is 001, so I suppose it must be? Anyway, ‘Paris Maquis’ is a great ;piece of work. The guitars sound great. Loads of fuzz, and a drum that sounds like it’s being hit with balsa wood. The group were relatively ignored in France, with arguably a bigger audience in The UK. They also used a synth, which was pretty unique at the time. This probably contributed to a wall of sound approach. Sounds great through headphones. 

Track Of The Day: Fusion - Jack The Voltage (Ferox)

 

Ferox, a label that never released a bad tune. Some are better than others, obviously, but quality control was high. And this one comes in from Fusion, aka label boss Russ Gabriel. A great track that predates the minimal boom of around ten years later and, for the most part, surpasses most of it. The exact type of track that I used to love to play out and layer with complexities. More than just a whiff of Dan Bell about it. Lovely stuff!

Ticket Memories 1

Finding this on the floor of my wardrobe prompted the previous post. A trip into nostalgia, a simpler life and one which was probably my happiest time. I have been told on good authority that the other DJs were Andy Wevvers and Adrien Sherwood. I remember nowt unfortunately.

 

Track Of The Day: The Soup Dragons - I'm Free (Big Life)

 

One of the stand out records of 1990, no matter how underground your tastes were. It was impossible not to like this cover of a Rolling Stones song from Out Of Our Heads.’ And while it definitely surfed the poppier edge of taste, it summed up a lot about why that year was so ace. Lacking the bite of The happy Mondays, but in reality not that different from ‘Step On’, another cover resurrected for the No Alla Violenza generation. Always a positive touch to get some proper vibes courtesy of Junior Reid in as well. 

Track Of The Day: Drexciya - Bang Bang (UR)

 

I don’t think electro gets any funkier than this. A slo-mo beat enveloped by hi-tec effects. It’s the sonar, subterranean soundtrack to deep sea exploration. Going down the Mariana Trench with this playing in your dodgy sub bought from the back page of a 1970s Marvel comic, along with a health supply of sea monkeys. Either that or its a slow glide through the Detroit boondocks during a hot and humid night. In a large car. Sansibar and Reptant have recently paid homage to this ‘Sansibar - My Boom (Reptant’s Lizard Tech Mix)’. It’s not the same but you get my drift I think.

Voyage de Lux w/ Alex Downey 24.06.26

 

1BTN · Voyage de Lux w/ Alex Downey 24.06.26

Coyote Bodega (Hot air mix)

 

isitbalearic..? · Coyote Bodega (Hot air mix)

HATE Podcast 493 HATE, Andrey Pushkarev

 

HATE · Andrey Pushkarev — HATE Podcast 493

Track Of Yesterday: Module One - Animation (Luck Of Access)

 

This is taken from the latest release on Andrei Pushkarev’s Luck Of Access, and it’s a banger. As much as dub techno can produce bangers, then this is one. Comes on some sort of cloudy black vinyl, which makes me thin that whoever pressed it offered the label a sloppy seconds deal. Anyway, it’s great. All dub techno needs momentum, otherwise it’s just dub innit? This belts along nicely, eschewing the need for eqing and farting about with the mixer. Just let it play. It’ll blend itself. Tracks like this need to be used strategically, underlaying something more idiosyncratic in order to make it more palatable. And we’ve all bought tracks like that!

Track Of The Day: Hal - Parallax Attractor (A.R.T.L.E.S.S.)

 

This lovely, deep acidic journey arrived at my house a few days ago. Hal is a new name to me, but on the strength of this release I’ll be checking his other stuff. One quibble. It needs to be pitched down. It just sounds better. Funkier and warmer. It’s personal preference of course. I think that all of the Wiggle releases, as well as associated croydon-based house labels, used to put out great stuff but would all have benefitted from dropping the bpms somewhat. Anyway this is great. Almost Jean Michelle Jarre like in its analogue feel. And as I was at Hardwax this time last week. TIP!

Track Of The Day: Nate Krafft - Mirror / ɿoɿɿiM (Musique Pour La Danse)

 

I’ve only recently come across Nate Krafft. He’s probably one of this names that I should be able to confidently throw at electric music nerds and geeks in conversations about real techno. So better late than never. This is from his album which has just been released on Musique Pour La Danse, a label that has it’s own section in Hardwax no less. (I know because I was there last weekend). ‘Mirror’ is a great cut. To be honest the whole album is great, so this is a bit random. It feels like a pinnacle of sorts for the genre. Very emotive and deep, but eminently danceable as w3ell. He had a handful of releases in I think the mid nineties, two of which appear to have been rereleased on MPLD. Some lovely electro on there as well. Buy it! 

Manfredas | Sound Metaphors TV | June 25, 2026

 

More Than Mixing - Move D | HÖR - June 23 / 2026

 

Track Of Yesterday: Stojche - Granada (Convextion Remix) (Syncrophone)

 

This came out a few years ago and, as far as a Gerard Hanson remix is concerned, slipped under most people’s radars. However, on yet another day when the June temperature record looks set to be broken in The UK, I’m here to remind you that this isn’t just another piece of looped techno. No. There’s a lot of hidden detail and nuance in this track. What drives it more than any other element though, is Hanson’s love of the deep crescendo. This is more subtle than your general “in your face” euphoria. Because as already eluded to, this doesn’t feel like a particularly sophisticated track. Stick the headphones on and go for a ride with it and journey deep into its psyche. Ten minutes passes by in an instant and you’ve been to the Kuiper Belt and back.