Acid – Mark Neenan

Welcome to my Techno review corner of Zone magazine. I’ve been a DJ and producer for nearly 30 years, driven by a deep passion for all shades of techno, while still holding love for breaks, electro, acid and old school sounds.

Along the way, I’ve launched the digital label Filth Infatuated (which hit its 100th release last year), co run unforgettable parties with my good friend MC DJ Ribbz, and held residencies with the amazing Collide and my Filthcast radio show is now on DI.FM, one of the longest-running global techno stations, after a great run of 8 years on the wicked Fnoob station (RIP).

From underground raves to major UK festivals, Amsterdam to Warsaw, I’ve lived and breathed the scene, and this page is where I share that same energy through music reviews.

Submissions – markneenanpromos@gmail.com

10/10 – Top Release –

TARKNO & REMCO BEEKWILDER – SKETCHES EP PART 2 (EMERALD)

Huge fan of both these artists and the label and I absolutely rinsed Sketches Part 1, so if that set the blueprint, Part 2 certainly delivers on it in full. Ten tracks of stripped back, percussive techno that pull no punches and make no concessions to trends.

The Sketches series has always been exactly what the name suggests – ideas captured raw and direct, fat trimmed, groove left to do the talking. Locked rhythms, driving percussion and no frills underground energy that feels increasingly rare. Each sketch hits its mark and moves on. If I had to pick a few favourites I’d have to say Sketch #10 with its deep rumbling bass and twisted nautical synth work, Sketch #12 which is a pounding relentless rattler and Sketch #15 with its lush Detroit melodic vibes.

Ten pounding and highly energetic tracks in and the duo show no signs of running out of ideas. Essential for fans of classic hardgroove techno and anyone who prefers their dancefloor music mean and purposeful.

Superb Sketches!

9.5/10 – BENJAMIN MULL & THE ADVENT – CURSED EP (H-PRODUCTIONS)

Class Swedish label H-Productions have been on top form lately, and new Co-Manager Benjamin Mull (Joel Mull’s younger brother) has teamed up with the awesome Cisco Ferreira to deliver 2 class tracks.

Title track ‘Cursed’ is bloody awesome, with a hypnotic groove built around a burrowing, bleepy synth hook that lodges itself firmly in the skull. Brooding background drones add depth and tension, whilst the raw rumble bass drives it along.

‘Source 004’ is a rolling 909 workout at its core, the track keeps things tight with crisp, snapping hats and a subtle percussive bongo makes it a floor focused tool that trusts the groove to do the work.

On remix duties for both the tracks is H-Productions main man, the legendary Cari Lekebusch, with his rework of ‘Cursed’ being my pick, taking the evolving and hypnotic synths to new levels, with almost a psychedelic feel, But still maintaining that brooding techno underbelly.

Excellent release!

9/10 – MAKABRE – PRAY EP (UKR)

MaKabre (Danny Haigh) returns to Roman Zawodny’s fearsome UKR imprint with four superb tracks that do exactly what you’d expect from him, and then some! The ‘Pray EP’ is a dark, focused collection that moves between brooding industrial rollers and tough percussive workouts, tied together throughout by the seedy hypnotic synth work that’s become his calling card.

There’s a grim atmosphere running through the whole thing. These aren’t tracks that ask for your attention, they demand it! Each one locks in and pulls you under, the kind of material that sounds best in a dark room with the volume up. Of the 4, it’s the quirky ‘Fake Reality’ with its wonky and entrancing de-tuned synth action that stands out most for me, followed by the relentless and screaming synth bleeps of ‘Cybernetic’.

Four tracks, all killer, no filler. Exactly what UKR was made for! (Look out for the Makabre Remix of my latest track ‘Panic At The Afters’ too, which is due out soon on Filth) 😉

Makabre keeps on delivering!

9/10 – THEORUM – LABYRINTH (THEORUM RECORDS 001)

Here we have a Brand new label and collaboration between Portugal’s A.Paul & North Wales’s Lisa Oakes, titled Theorum. Two of underground techno’s most focused minds join forces for ‘Labyrinth’, which is also the debut release on the accompanying label also called, you’ve guessed it.. Theorum.

The EP blends joint productions with solo contributions from each artist, painting a consistent picture throughout. For the Collab tracks ‘Labyrinth’ & ‘Tension’ you get Dark, percussive, rolling techno laced with metallic synth work that coils and tightens as each track builds. Really class productions here, tonnes of movement and quirky noises accompanied by a dark machine funk groove! Top Dutch artist Ramon Tapia’s remix of the title track adds another dimension, bringing a driving reinterpretation that deepens the hypnotic pull without losing the EP’s underground edge.

The 2 solo offerings from both Lisa & Paulo are also excellent cuts and both bring there own unique sounds to the EP, The heavy rumbling sounds of A.Paul’s ‘Rustico’ and the mesmeric synth work and eerie pads of Lisa’s ‘The Serpent’

I am looking forward to Playing alongside Paulo again in Portugal this May for Sunset On The Hill and Lisa in Bristol on July 25th for our Filth Infatuated Yard party (check my socials for info)

A very strong debut from a project worth watching closely.

10/10 – VARIOUS ARTISTS – OUR TIME IS NOW – 23 YEARS! (GETAFIX RECORDS)

23 years in and Bad Boy Pete still hasn’t got the memo that acid techno is supposed to be a niche interest. Instead he’s gone and assembled what amounts to a who’s who of underground royalty to help celebrate, and the result is exactly as unhinged and brilliant as you’d hope.

Eight tracks spread across two slabs of wax, each one a collaboration, each one a reminder that the Getafix extended family operates by its own rules. Sterling Moss and Bad Boy Pete kick things off with ‘Forever Rebel’s, a title that doubles as a mission statement. Zyco The Acid Commander then lives up to every syllable of that name on Kommand – Not Kontrol. Perc drops the characteristically blunt ‘Massive’ which is Bloody MASSIVE!, Chris Liberator joins Pete, Acid Mutant and Jack Wax for the gloriously titled Acid Liberation + Special Message (apparently the special message is ‘ACIEEED’) Geezer, Biri, Miro Hardparty, Errot & Johnny Piras all collaborate with Pete too, the whole package is deadly! But D.A.V.E. The Drummer’s track alongside the Badboy called ‘Human Rebel’ is really bloody special and features the same female voice from his Human Animal track on Fine Audio years ago, proclaiming ”this is a time for rebels, for human animals who don’t give up when the going gets tough” & ‘’we are all rebels, this is the time to be a rebel’ alongside some dark and razor sharp acid lines. Tassid & Acid Steve’s track with Pete is also an absolute weapon called ‘Forever Hard – Forever Real’ and this does precisely what it says on the tin, ‘Hard’ relentless acid techno from the ‘Real’ underground!

Each of these artists bring their own flavour to the party, while the Getafix DNA holds everything together. The artwork is sick too, designed by Dj & artist Dan Fraser, who I met at a gig In Bristol last Month and designed the wicked Annaghatek Jumpers we both happened to be wearing 😊

This is Limited to 300 copies, one of which comes in green vinyl for free, because 23 years of anarchy deserves a bonus round. Grab it while it exists.

8.5/10 – VARIOUS ARTISTS (ELECTRO WORLD NATION) – HUMANOID EP (PLANET RHYTHM)

I can’t help it, but yet again I’m including Rotterdam’s Planet Rhythm in my reviews, this time the label steps into electro territory with the Humanoid EP, a slick five tracker that gathers some sharp names under the ‘Electro World Nation’ banner and lets them do what they do best.

Kodama opens with the title track ‘Humanoid’ a futuristic, atmospheric slab of electro that sets the tone early, and then lending it to one of my favourite artists JSPRV35 for a remix that tightens the screws further and ups the ante to a dancefloor locked weapon. Dawn Razor and Confluence add their own flavour with Spring Tube, while Marco Effe & Dario Mass bring a more cinematic quality whilst keeping the heavy beats intact with ‘The Light Was Silent’ Beautiful track!. JSPRV35 rounds things out solo with Scarf, keeping the heavy machine funked beats locked and purposeful throughout.

Five tracks of slickly produced, forward thinking electro from artists who clearly have one eye on the dancefloor and the other on something altogether more futuristic.

Planet Rhythm continuing to prove they’re not a one genre operation.

9/10 – CARL SHORTS & 909 RIOT – MAD WOW EP (RESILIENT RECORDINGS)

Eddie Santini’s consistent Resilient imprint serve up another corker, this came in literally on review deadline day. Carl Shorts and 909 Riot combine to deliver a tightly focused EP that wastes no time establishing its intent…. Modern hard techno with teeth!

The title track, ‘Mad Wow’, is all about restraint and impact. Built around marching percussion that locks in and refuses to let go, it strips the music back to its functional core, a relentless rhythmic machine designed for peak hour punishment. Pounding beats, marching percussion and plenty of energy!

‘Suit Yourself’ brings a more sinister edge to the EP. Beneath the hard techno drive, an acid line writhes and contorts, It’s slippery and unpredictable, cutting through the mix like something that doesn’t quite want to be tamed… Where the title track marches, this one stalks. The groove is still relentless & pounding, but there’s a coiling energy running through it with that lovely acid line. I’m Big fan of Carl & Dan’s work and this is solid from start to finish.

Resilient Recordings yet again on top form!

9/10 – NEBULA CIRCUIT – COLD STREAM EP (BLADE)

Nebula Circuit is a new artist to me, after a bit of digging it seems he is a Spanish based producer focusing on a fusion of EBM, Techno and Electro. Well he arrives on Seville’s Blade label with a debut transmission and wastes no time announcing his intentions. Four tracks of raw, dystopian electro that feel less like a release and more like a warning signal from somewhere deep in the machine!

Jagged breaks hit with mechanical precision while cold, industrial textures bleed in from the edges, creating something that feels both engineered and unsettling. There’s a cinematic quality running through it all, ‘Underwater Ruins’ and ‘Aqua Void Sequence’ are deep and mysterious, whilst my 2 picks are more dancefloor orientated ‘Coral machine’ mixes elements of old and new school electro with a deep rasping bassline along with twisted up female vocal hits and clanking percussion. ‘Subsea’ is a rolling bleep heavy and modern cut straight from space, with a delightful arpeggiated synth twisting is way through the track, hypnotising the listener and dancefloor alike.

Four tracks, no filler, all edge, Nebula Circuit, you have a new fan!