Tapping into a shared affinity for early trance as in short for transcendental Function and Nastia Reigel come together on Dekmantel with Devocion. Bridging the past and the future, this partnership draws deeply on brooding, melancholic early-90s sounds and supercharges it with the immensity of modern techno. The project began when Nastia Reigel shared a series of discoveries with David Function Sumner records rooted in the rave-leaning edge of the era, spanning labels like R&S, FAX and EXperimental. He responded that this was precisely the music he had been absorbing while coming up in the thick of New Yorks club and rave scenes and beginning his journey into DJing. The excited exchange of deep digs around this niche of dance music history naturally led to a conversation about collaborating on music in this vein, and Devocion is the result. Familiar genre touchstones are everywhere, from the plaintive bleeps and understated breakbeat roll of 'Eternity' through the sad-eyed arpeggios strafing on the edges of 'Reverence' and on to 'Flowstate's blue-hued acid lines and 'Orion's sky-scraping gated pads. But Reigel and Sumner deploy these strongly coded elements with poise, feeding into a richly rendered production that feels anything but old-school. The emotive streak is wielded with care, spelling out the mood without losing the steely, shadowy sensibility that tracks through their respective catalogues. In a perfect demonstration of honouring the past while embracing the present, Devocion EP lands as a distinctive artistic statement on its own terms.

In a sharp-angled, fiercely inventive reflection on the nature of club culture and digital fatigue, Simo Cell and Abdullah Miniawy reunite to deliver their new album, Dying is the internet, to Dekmantels UFO series. French producer Simo Cell has blazed a singular path from his dubstep-influenced origins to become a leading light in contemporary leftfield club music, twisting up adventurous rhythms and flamboyant production in pursuit of a perpetual freshness for the floor. Egyptian singer, poet, producer and composer Abdullah Miniawy has become equally omnipresent in the past 10 years, straddling the arts world and leading with his piercing Arabic lyricism while maintaining an eternally curious spirit that leads into open-ended, experimental music from the abstract to the propulsive. Following up on their 2020 EP for BFDM, Kill Me Or Negotiate, Miniawy describes their sharply focused new album as a playful prophecy about the triggers of a new global revolution. Cell considers the title, Dying is the internet, to be a mantra about how the internet lost its soul, becoming less about sharing ideas and more about surviving in a digital business ecosystem. Deliberately at odds with the reel-ready two-minute attention span of the average social media surfer (i.e. everyone), the pair set out to make an album that takes its time to reveal nuanced ideas and expressions. Rather than one-note despair for the modern malaise, Cell and Miniawy offer a philosophical reminder that this present moment in the human experience is a temporary phase, no matter how overwhelming it feels. Dying is the internet finds Miniawy experimenting with auto-tune across the record, while Cell has developed his voice design chops and compositional instincts, moving closer to fully realised song structures without losing the fundamental clubbiness of each track. The result is a cohesive, wildly original kind of heavyweight dance music that slings out hooks left right and centre, from Miniawys laconic trumpet looming through low-slung Reels in 360 and Travelling In BCC to the persistent handclaps that bring Living Emojis to life. Miniawys poetry explores the power of insistent, repeated phrases in a break from his more typically structured form. Kenyan powerhouse Lord Spikeheart adds extra snarl to stripped-back, slow-burn opener I See The Stadium, but otherwise Dying is the internet is purely the work of Miniawy and Cell casting their considerable chops out into unexplored territory. The results are electric, bound together by a consistent economy of sound that burrows into a shroud of bass-heavy minimalism barely masking Cells incredibly detailed studio flex. Even the beatless flourish of the Miniawy-produced Tear Chime comes loaded with physicality a sensory rush at the mid-section of the album bookended by some of the most idiosyncratic club music in recent memory. Both Simo Cell and Abdullah Miniawy have already proved themselves as fearless innovators across different fields. The strength of their partnership lies in their ability to make space for each other while letting their distinctive sonic identities ring loud and true. Dying is the internet has immediacy and physicality to translate over a soundsystem, but its intricacies are purpose-built for repeat visits and contemplation, unveiling hidden dimensions the deeper you dive into it.

With a soaring, emotionally-charged sonic signature all his own, Sam Goku returns to Dekmantel for his latest four-track EP, Bliss Drift. As Sam Goku, over the past few years Robin Wang has edged into the beating heart of the contemporary house and techno scene with a rejuvenating sound that reaches from peak time maximalism to immersive introspection. Across a run of acclaimed albums and EPs including 2024's Radiants on Dekmantel he's balanced the heavyweight impact of his rhythms with mesmerising melodies and swirling atmospheres. It's precisely this blend he brings to Bliss Drift, writing and recording from the heart and accurately capturing what he describes as a sense of blossoming "a renaissance into something new yet familiar." Make no mistake, this is music to make you move. 'Rhythm Drift' and 'Bliss Drift' lead on rock-solid rhythms as springboards for Goku's ascendant tones. Airy, mysterious pads and sampled choral voices meet with glistening chimes that soften the tough edges of the drums a quintessential demonstration of how to make a tender banger. 'Warm Soils' strikes a deeper, more meditative note enriched with haunting flutes and a heads-down roll to the percussion, while 'Infinity Keys (Sina's Song)' lets rich layers of melodic sequencing dictate the pace in a poised demonstration of techno composition at its most expressive. Catching the mood as the Northern Hemisphere heads out of the winter months, Goku's unique energy hails a return to the light via four distinct twists on the house and techno tradition.

With a soaring, emotionally-charged sonic signature all his own, Sam Goku returns to Dekmantel for his latest four-track EP, Bliss Drift. As Sam Goku, over the past few years Robin Wang has edged into the beating heart of the contemporary house and techno scene with a rejuvenating sound that reaches from peak time maximalism to immersive introspection. Across a run of acclaimed albums and EPs including 2024's Radiants on Dekmantel he's balanced the heavyweight impact of his rhythms with mesmerising melodies and swirling atmospheres. It's precisely this blend he brings to Bliss Drift, writing and recording from the heart and accurately capturing what he describes as a sense of blossoming "a renaissance into something new yet familiar." Make no mistake, this is music to make you move. 'Rhythm Drift' and 'Bliss Drift' lead on rock-solid rhythms as springboards for Goku's ascendant tones. Airy, mysterious pads and sampled choral voices meet with glistening chimes that soften the tough edges of the drums a quintessential demonstration of how to make a tender banger. 'Warm Soils' strikes a deeper, more meditative note enriched with haunting flutes and a heads-down roll to the percussion, while 'Infinity Keys (Sina's Song)' lets rich layers of melodic sequencing dictate the pace in a poised demonstration of techno composition at its most expressive. Catching the mood as the Northern Hemisphere heads out of the winter months, Goku's unique energy hails a return to the light via four distinct twists on the house and techno tradition.

Tapping into a shared affinity for early trance as in short for transcendental Function and Nastia Reigel come together on Dekmantel with Devocion. Bridging the past and the future, this partnership draws deeply on brooding, melancholic early-90s sounds and supercharges it with the immensity of modern techno. The project began when Nastia Reigel shared a series of discoveries with David Function Sumner records rooted in the rave-leaning edge of the era, spanning labels like R&S, FAX and EXperimental. He responded that this was precisely the music he had been absorbing while coming up in the thick of New Yorks club and rave scenes and beginning his journey into DJing. The excited exchange of deep digs around this niche of dance music history naturally led to a conversation about collaborating on music in this vein, and Devocion is the result. Familiar genre touchstones are everywhere, from the plaintive bleeps and understated breakbeat roll of 'Eternity' through the sad-eyed arpeggios strafing on the edges of 'Reverence' and on to 'Flowstate's blue-hued acid lines and 'Orion's sky-scraping gated pads. But Reigel and Sumner deploy these strongly coded elements with poise, feeding into a richly rendered production that feels anything but old-school. The emotive streak is wielded with care, spelling out the mood without losing the steely, shadowy sensibility that tracks through their respective catalogues. In a perfect demonstration of honouring the past while embracing the present, Devocion EP lands as a distinctive artistic statement on its own terms.

Making a welcome return nine years on from his last outing on Dekmantel, Makam offers up a generous helping of wayward grooves that take his curious spirit even further into unmarked territory. With a strong dub sensibility grounding his rich tapestry of percussion and instrumentation, Guy Blanken follows his own path to arrive at an album that embodies house music as a launchpad for experimentation. Blanken says himself he was determined to approach his first Makam productions in years from a place of total freedom Its not a single direction, but rather a landscape of sounds, moments, and textures. TARP feels like a new beginning, a free project that just had to happen naturally. The steady pulse of the club remains a guiding principle boldly manifested on heads down roller Static Shade, but even in the lilting organic loops and tumbling percussion of Forgive there is a funkiness thats beholden to continuous movement. At times the direct thump of 4/4 disco juts out as a call to dance, not least on Flying Birds and La Tuna, but elsewhere the rhythms are more slippery. Dub In Loen plots a delicate path through dub techno and Lummel Spirit casts off into pattering Balearic bliss. The pervasive dub mood of the record comes to the fore on expertly crafted stepper Diagonal Rain and crooked album opener Clear Skies. Jackie B lands as a love letter to quintessential deep house, and yet still theres a left-of-centre charm that gives the track a personality that is pure Makam. Exuding warmth and imagination at every turn, TARP is the perfect example of how to make a groove-oriented album a rich home listening experience. There are ample moments primed for the spectacle of the dancefloor, but the mellow hue and broad sweep of approaches make Makams welcome return utterly compelling from end to end.

In a sharp-angled, fiercely inventive reflection on the nature of club culture and digital fatigue, Simo Cell and Abdullah Miniawy reunite to deliver their new album, Dying is the internet, to Dekmantels UFO series. French producer Simo Cell has blazed a singular path from his dubstep-influenced origins to become a leading light in contemporary leftfield club music, twisting up adventurous rhythms and flamboyant production in pursuit of a perpetual freshness for the floor. Egyptian singer, poet, producer and composer Abdullah Miniawy has become equally omnipresent in the past 10 years, straddling the arts world and leading with his piercing Arabic lyricism while maintaining an eternally curious spirit that leads into open-ended, experimental music from the abstract to the propulsive. Following up on their 2020 EP for BFDM, Kill Me Or Negotiate, Miniawy describes their sharply focused new album as a playful prophecy about the triggers of a new global revolution. Cell considers the title, Dying is the internet, to be a mantra about how the internet lost its soul, becoming less about sharing ideas and more about surviving in a digital business ecosystem. Deliberately at odds with the reel-ready two-minute attention span of the average social media surfer (i.e. everyone), the pair set out to make an album that takes its time to reveal nuanced ideas and expressions. Rather than one-note despair for the modern malaise, Cell and Miniawy offer a philosophical reminder that this present moment in the human experience is a temporary phase, no matter how overwhelming it feels. Dying is the internet finds Miniawy experimenting with auto-tune across the record, while Cell has developed his voice design chops and compositional instincts, moving closer to fully realised song structures without losing the fundamental clubbiness of each track. The result is a cohesive, wildly original kind of heavyweight dance music that slings out hooks left right and centre, from Miniawys laconic trumpet looming through low-slung Reels in 360 and Travelling In BCC to the persistent handclaps that bring Living Emojis to life. Miniawys poetry explores the power of insistent, repeated phrases in a break from his more typically structured form. Kenyan powerhouse Lord Spikeheart adds extra snarl to stripped-back, slow-burn opener I See The Stadium, but otherwise Dying is the internet is purely the work of Miniawy and Cell casting their considerable chops out into unexplored territory. The results are electric, bound together by a consistent economy of sound that burrows into a shroud of bass-heavy minimalism barely masking Cells incredibly detailed studio flex. Even the beatless flourish of the Miniawy-produced Tear Chime comes loaded with physicality a sensory rush at the mid-section of the album bookended by some of the most idiosyncratic club music in recent memory. Both Simo Cell and Abdullah Miniawy have already proved themselves as fearless innovators across different fields. The strength of their partnership lies in their ability to make space for each other while letting their distinctive sonic identities ring loud and true. Dying is the internet has immediacy and physicality to translate over a soundsystem, but its intricacies are purpose-built for repeat visits and contemplation, unveiling hidden dimensions the deeper you dive into it.

Matching vivid world-building with a full house of kinetic rhythms, Polygonia delivers her latest album to Dekmantel as an invitation to experience 12 different dream scenarios. As Polygonia, Munich-based Lindsey Wang has established herself as a constantly inventive, omnipresent operator within the modern electronic landscape, exploring varying shades of ambient and deep techno while increasingly spreading into downtempo and leftfield electronica with a playful yet mysterious spirit. Dream Horizons is an instructive title Wang approached her new album as a collection of different dream scenarios, with all the creative freedom the concept implies. From oceanic calm to artful propulsion, she was free to shift gears from track to track while relishing the strange and beautiful atmospheres her inspiration pointed towards. A multi-instrumentalist as well as a producer, Wang recorded her own voice, saxophone, flute, violin and percussion to inject organic, human vibrancy into the surreal spaces she was shaping out, capturing the uncanny sensation of alien and familiar that hangs over the places we visit when we sleep. There are pointedly direct techno workouts on the album, from deft beatdown Soul Reflections to shimmering ear worm Set Me Free, and Twisted Colours relishes shifting blocks of flute around a sprightly, footwork-tickled framework. Elsewhere, theres space for softer expressions on pearlescent opus Crystal Valley while elastic rhythms and tactile textures slither around at a lower tempo on Flakes Flying Upwards. In between, Wang plays with fractured beat patterns and sharply sculpted sonic matter with a staggering level of detail and intention. Gate To Amygdala is the perfect example of the bold scope of her expression the midpoint track thrives on nervous tension and a dislocated sense of momentum without anything like a conventional techno trope. Mindfunk equally pushes and pulls at sensory perception with an off-kilter, awkwardly looped synth phrase that relishes the opportunity to skew dance music conventions within the flexible rules of the dream world. For all the smart production and knowingly experimental approaches that form the basis of the albums sound, its also a record charged with the full range of emotions you might expect to experience on a break away from consciousness. Whether its the melancholic impressions that smudge into incidental pauses on Metaphysical Scribbles or the mantra-like breath and sax combination of Essential Breath that closes the record, Polygonias heart bursts out of the albums vibrant form as brilliantly as her exacting, studio-synced mind.

Dekmantel Trance (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic)

Dekmantel Ambient / Experimental

With a soaring, emotionally-charged sonic signature all his own, Sam Goku returns to Dekmantel for his latest four-track EP, Bliss Drift. As Sam Goku, over the past few years Robin Wang has edged into the beating heart of the contemporary house and techno scene with a rejuvenating sound that reaches from peak time maximalism to immersive introspection. Across a run of acclaimed albums and EPs including 2024's Radiants on Dekmantel he's balanced the heavyweight impact of his rhythms with mesmerising melodies and swirling atmospheres. It's precisely this blend he brings to Bliss Drift, writing and recording from the heart and accurately capturing what he describes as a sense of blossoming "a renaissance into something new yet familiar." Make no mistake, this is music to make you move. 'Rhythm Drift' and 'Bliss Drift' lead on rock-solid rhythms as springboards for Goku's ascendant tones. Airy, mysterious pads and sampled choral voices meet with glistening chimes that soften the tough edges of the drums a quintessential demonstration of how to make a tender banger. 'Warm Soils' strikes a deeper, more meditative note enriched with haunting flutes and a heads-down roll to the percussion, while 'Infinity Keys (Sina's Song)' lets rich layers of melodic sequencing dictate the pace in a poised demonstration of techno composition at its most expressive. Catching the mood as the Northern Hemisphere heads out of the winter months, Goku's unique energy hails a return to the light via four distinct twists on the house and techno tradition.

With a soaring, emotionally-charged sonic signature all his own, Sam Goku returns to Dekmantel for his latest four-track EP, Bliss Drift. As Sam Goku, over the past few years Robin Wang has edged into the beating heart of the contemporary house and techno scene with a rejuvenating sound that reaches from peak time maximalism to immersive introspection. Across a run of acclaimed albums and EPs including 2024's Radiants on Dekmantel he's balanced the heavyweight impact of his rhythms with mesmerising melodies and swirling atmospheres. It's precisely this blend he brings to Bliss Drift, writing and recording from the heart and accurately capturing what he describes as a sense of blossoming "a renaissance into something new yet familiar." Make no mistake, this is music to make you move. 'Rhythm Drift' and 'Bliss Drift' lead on rock-solid rhythms as springboards for Goku's ascendant tones. Airy, mysterious pads and sampled choral voices meet with glistening chimes that soften the tough edges of the drums a quintessential demonstration of how to make a tender banger. 'Warm Soils' strikes a deeper, more meditative note enriched with haunting flutes and a heads-down roll to the percussion, while 'Infinity Keys (Sina's Song)' lets rich layers of melodic sequencing dictate the pace in a poised demonstration of techno composition at its most expressive. Catching the mood as the Northern Hemisphere heads out of the winter months, Goku's unique energy hails a return to the light via four distinct twists on the house and techno tradition.

In a sharp-angled, fiercely inventive reflection on the nature of club culture and digital fatigue, Simo Cell and Abdullah Miniawy reunite to deliver their new album, Dying is the internet, to Dekmantels UFO series. French producer Simo Cell has blazed a singular path from his dubstep-influenced origins to become a leading light in contemporary leftfield club music, twisting up adventurous rhythms and flamboyant production in pursuit of a perpetual freshness for the floor. Egyptian singer, poet, producer and composer Abdullah Miniawy has become equally omnipresent in the past 10 years, straddling the arts world and leading with his piercing Arabic lyricism while maintaining an eternally curious spirit that leads into open-ended, experimental music from the abstract to the propulsive. Following up on their 2020 EP for BFDM, Kill Me Or Negotiate, Miniawy describes their sharply focused new album as a playful prophecy about the triggers of a new global revolution. Cell considers the title, Dying is the internet, to be a mantra about how the internet lost its soul, becoming less about sharing ideas and more about surviving in a digital business ecosystem. Deliberately at odds with the reel-ready two-minute attention span of the average social media surfer (i.e. everyone), the pair set out to make an album that takes its time to reveal nuanced ideas and expressions. Rather than one-note despair for the modern malaise, Cell and Miniawy offer a philosophical reminder that this present moment in the human experience is a temporary phase, no matter how overwhelming it feels. Dying is the internet finds Miniawy experimenting with auto-tune across the record, while Cell has developed his voice design chops and compositional instincts, moving closer to fully realised song structures without losing the fundamental clubbiness of each track. The result is a cohesive, wildly original kind of heavyweight dance music that slings out hooks left right and centre, from Miniawys laconic trumpet looming through low-slung Reels in 360 and Travelling In BCC to the persistent handclaps that bring Living Emojis to life. Miniawys poetry explores the power of insistent, repeated phrases in a break from his more typically structured form. Kenyan powerhouse Lord Spikeheart adds extra snarl to stripped-back, slow-burn opener I See The Stadium, but otherwise Dying is the internet is purely the work of Miniawy and Cell casting their considerable chops out into unexplored territory. The results are electric, bound together by a consistent economy of sound that burrows into a shroud of bass-heavy minimalism barely masking Cells incredibly detailed studio flex. Even the beatless flourish of the Miniawy-produced Tear Chime comes loaded with physicality a sensory rush at the mid-section of the album bookended by some of the most idiosyncratic club music in recent memory. Both Simo Cell and Abdullah Miniawy have already proved themselves as fearless innovators across different fields. The strength of their partnership lies in their ability to make space for each other while letting their distinctive sonic identities ring loud and true. Dying is the internet has immediacy and physicality to translate over a soundsystem, but its intricacies are purpose-built for repeat visits and contemplation, unveiling hidden dimensions the deeper you dive into it.

In a sharp-angled, fiercely inventive reflection on the nature of club culture and digital fatigue, Simo Cell and Abdullah Miniawy reunite to deliver their new album, Dying is the internet, to Dekmantels UFO series. French producer Simo Cell has blazed a singular path from his dubstep-influenced origins to become a leading light in contemporary leftfield club music, twisting up adventurous rhythms and flamboyant production in pursuit of a perpetual freshness for the floor. Egyptian singer, poet, producer and composer Abdullah Miniawy has become equally omnipresent in the past 10 years, straddling the arts world and leading with his piercing Arabic lyricism while maintaining an eternally curious spirit that leads into open-ended, experimental music from the abstract to the propulsive. Following up on their 2020 EP for BFDM, Kill Me Or Negotiate, Miniawy describes their sharply focused new album as a playful prophecy about the triggers of a new global revolution. Cell considers the title, Dying is the internet, to be a mantra about how the internet lost its soul, becoming less about sharing ideas and more about surviving in a digital business ecosystem. Deliberately at odds with the reel-ready two-minute attention span of the average social media surfer (i.e. everyone), the pair set out to make an album that takes its time to reveal nuanced ideas and expressions. Rather than one-note despair for the modern malaise, Cell and Miniawy offer a philosophical reminder that this present moment in the human experience is a temporary phase, no matter how overwhelming it feels. Dying is the internet finds Miniawy experimenting with auto-tune across the record, while Cell has developed his voice design chops and compositional instincts, moving closer to fully realised song structures without losing the fundamental clubbiness of each track. The result is a cohesive, wildly original kind of heavyweight dance music that slings out hooks left right and centre, from Miniawys laconic trumpet looming through low-slung Reels in 360 and Travelling In BCC to the persistent handclaps that bring Living Emojis to life. Miniawys poetry explores the power of insistent, repeated phrases in a break from his more typically structured form. Kenyan powerhouse Lord Spikeheart adds extra snarl to stripped-back, slow-burn opener I See The Stadium, but otherwise Dying is the internet is purely the work of Miniawy and Cell casting their considerable chops out into unexplored territory. The results are electric, bound together by a consistent economy of sound that burrows into a shroud of bass-heavy minimalism barely masking Cells incredibly detailed studio flex. Even the beatless flourish of the Miniawy-produced Tear Chime comes loaded with physicality a sensory rush at the mid-section of the album bookended by some of the most idiosyncratic club music in recent memory. Both Simo Cell and Abdullah Miniawy have already proved themselves as fearless innovators across different fields. The strength of their partnership lies in their ability to make space for each other while letting their distinctive sonic identities ring loud and true. Dying is the internet has immediacy and physicality to translate over a soundsystem, but its intricacies are purpose-built for repeat visits and contemplation, unveiling hidden dimensions the deeper you dive into it.

Dekmantel is proud to welcome Theo Kottis for an EP of snappy, melodically-charged house, techno and electro with a distinct 90s edge. Lighthouse marks a shift in focus for the London-based Scottish producer the result of a self-imposed creative reset which has seen him honing a more mature sound both in the studio and on the decks. The EPs title track has been on heavy rotation this summer from the likes of Ben UFO, Francesco Del Garda & Palms Trax, and its not hard to work out why. Lighthouse draws on all the best elements of club music and moulds them into a deadly, effective whole. From the driving low-end of the Reese bassline to the razor-sharp attack of the 4/4 drums, the swoon of the Motor City pads to the tweaked acid line, its a hybrid techno workout of the highest order. Following the inspirational flash point of Lighthouse Kottis built out the rest of the EP in a similar vein of characterful, impactful club tracks driven by iconic 90s sounds wielded with precision. Warp brings the 303 further to the forefront while Take Control digs into deliciously dirty lead lines and Distance takes a more explicit electro direction. He might be exploring a revitalised sound, but Kottis holds true to his flair for ear-snagging anthems evidenced on past releases for Permanent Vacation, Space Dust and DGTL amongst many others. As Kottis impact on the scene continues to grow, its a true pleasure to present some of his fiercest tracks to date on his continued upward trajectory.

Tapping into a shared affinity for early trance as in short for transcendental Function and Nastia Reigel come together on Dekmantel with Devocion. Bridging the past and the future, this partnership draws deeply on brooding, melancholic early-90s sounds and supercharges it with the immensity of modern techno. The project began when Nastia Reigel shared a series of discoveries with David Function Sumner records rooted in the rave-leaning edge of the era, spanning labels like R&S, FAX and EXperimental. He responded that this was precisely the music he had been absorbing while coming up in the thick of New Yorks club and rave scenes and beginning his journey into DJing. The excited exchange of deep digs around this niche of dance music history naturally led to a conversation about collaborating on music in this vein, and Devocion is the result. Familiar genre touchstones are everywhere, from the plaintive bleeps and understated breakbeat roll of 'Eternity' through the sad-eyed arpeggios strafing on the edges of 'Reverence' and on to 'Flowstate's blue-hued acid lines and 'Orion's sky-scraping gated pads. But Reigel and Sumner deploy these strongly coded elements with poise, feeding into a richly rendered production that feels anything but old-school. The emotive streak is wielded with care, spelling out the mood without losing the steely, shadowy sensibility that tracks through their respective catalogues. In a perfect demonstration of honouring the past while embracing the present, Devocion EP lands as a distinctive artistic statement on its own terms.

Dekmantel is proud to welcome Theo Kottis for an EP of snappy, melodically-charged house, techno and electro with a distinct 90s edge. Lighthouse marks a shift in focus for the London-based Scottish producer the result of a self-imposed creative reset which has seen him honing a more mature sound both in the studio and on the decks. The EPs title track has been on heavy rotation this summer from the likes of Ben UFO, Francesco Del Garda & Palms Trax, and its not hard to work out why. Lighthouse draws on all the best elements of club music and moulds them into a deadly, effective whole. From the driving low-end of the Reese bassline to the razor-sharp attack of the 4/4 drums, the swoon of the Motor City pads to the tweaked acid line, its a hybrid techno workout of the highest order. Following the inspirational flash point of Lighthouse Kottis built out the rest of the EP in a similar vein of characterful, impactful club tracks driven by iconic 90s sounds wielded with precision. Warp brings the 303 further to the forefront while Take Control digs into deliciously dirty lead lines and Distance takes a more explicit electro direction. He might be exploring a revitalised sound, but Kottis holds true to his flair for ear-snagging anthems evidenced on past releases for Permanent Vacation, Space Dust and DGTL amongst many others. As Kottis impact on the scene continues to grow, its a true pleasure to present some of his fiercest tracks to date on his continued upward trajectory.

Making a welcome return nine years on from his last outing on Dekmantel, Makam offers up a generous helping of wayward grooves that take his curious spirit even further into unmarked territory. With a strong dub sensibility grounding his rich tapestry of percussion and instrumentation, Guy Blanken follows his own path to arrive at an album that embodies house music as a launchpad for experimentation. Blanken says himself he was determined to approach his first Makam productions in years from a place of total freedom Its not a single direction, but rather a landscape of sounds, moments, and textures. TARP feels like a new beginning, a free project that just had to happen naturally. The steady pulse of the club remains a guiding principle boldly manifested on heads down roller Static Shade, but even in the lilting organic loops and tumbling percussion of Forgive there is a funkiness thats beholden to continuous movement. At times the direct thump of 4/4 disco juts out as a call to dance, not least on Flying Birds and La Tuna, but elsewhere the rhythms are more slippery. Dub In Loen plots a delicate path through dub techno and Lummel Spirit casts off into pattering Balearic bliss. The pervasive dub mood of the record comes to the fore on expertly crafted stepper Diagonal Rain and crooked album opener Clear Skies. Jackie B lands as a love letter to quintessential deep house, and yet still theres a left-of-centre charm that gives the track a personality that is pure Makam. Exuding warmth and imagination at every turn, TARP is the perfect example of how to make a groove-oriented album a rich home listening experience. There are ample moments primed for the spectacle of the dancefloor, but the mellow hue and broad sweep of approaches make Makams welcome return utterly compelling from end to end.

With a soaring, emotionally-charged sonic signature all his own, Sam Goku returns to Dekmantel for his latest four-track EP, Bliss Drift. As Sam Goku, over the past few years Robin Wang has edged into the beating heart of the contemporary house and techno scene with a rejuvenating sound that reaches from peak time maximalism to immersive introspection. Across a run of acclaimed albums and EPs including 2024's Radiants on Dekmantel he's balanced the heavyweight impact of his rhythms with mesmerising melodies and swirling atmospheres. It's precisely this blend he brings to Bliss Drift, writing and recording from the heart and accurately capturing what he describes as a sense of blossoming "a renaissance into something new yet familiar." Make no mistake, this is music to make you move. 'Rhythm Drift' and 'Bliss Drift' lead on rock-solid rhythms as springboards for Goku's ascendant tones. Airy, mysterious pads and sampled choral voices meet with glistening chimes that soften the tough edges of the drums a quintessential demonstration of how to make a tender banger. 'Warm Soils' strikes a deeper, more meditative note enriched with haunting flutes and a heads-down roll to the percussion, while 'Infinity Keys (Sina's Song)' lets rich layers of melodic sequencing dictate the pace in a poised demonstration of techno composition at its most expressive. Catching the mood as the Northern Hemisphere heads out of the winter months, Goku's unique energy hails a return to the light via four distinct twists on the house and techno tradition.

Matching vivid world-building with a full house of kinetic rhythms, Polygonia delivers her latest album to Dekmantel as an invitation to experience 12 different dream scenarios. As Polygonia, Munich-based Lindsey Wang has established herself as a constantly inventive, omnipresent operator within the modern electronic landscape, exploring varying shades of ambient and deep techno while increasingly spreading into downtempo and leftfield electronica with a playful yet mysterious spirit. Dream Horizons is an instructive title Wang approached her new album as a collection of different dream scenarios, with all the creative freedom the concept implies. From oceanic calm to artful propulsion, she was free to shift gears from track to track while relishing the strange and beautiful atmospheres her inspiration pointed towards. A multi-instrumentalist as well as a producer, Wang recorded her own voice, saxophone, flute, violin and percussion to inject organic, human vibrancy into the surreal spaces she was shaping out, capturing the uncanny sensation of alien and familiar that hangs over the places we visit when we sleep. There are pointedly direct techno workouts on the album, from deft beatdown Soul Reflections to shimmering ear worm Set Me Free, and Twisted Colours relishes shifting blocks of flute around a sprightly, footwork-tickled framework. Elsewhere, theres space for softer expressions on pearlescent opus Crystal Valley while elastic rhythms and tactile textures slither around at a lower tempo on Flakes Flying Upwards. In between, Wang plays with fractured beat patterns and sharply sculpted sonic matter with a staggering level of detail and intention. Gate To Amygdala is the perfect example of the bold scope of her expression the midpoint track thrives on nervous tension and a dislocated sense of momentum without anything like a conventional techno trope. Mindfunk equally pushes and pulls at sensory perception with an off-kilter, awkwardly looped synth phrase that relishes the opportunity to skew dance music conventions within the flexible rules of the dream world. For all the smart production and knowingly experimental approaches that form the basis of the albums sound, its also a record charged with the full range of emotions you might expect to experience on a break away from consciousness. Whether its the melancholic impressions that smudge into incidental pauses on Metaphysical Scribbles or the mantra-like breath and sax combination of Essential Breath that closes the record, Polygonias heart bursts out of the albums vibrant form as brilliantly as her exacting, studio-synced mind.