Qnete’s back in the building for a third X-Kalay release and it’s an anticipated return for the prominent purveyor of prog. Four diverse but coherently related tracks with pit stops in deep house and electro territory.

We open proceedings with a dose of the lysergic sound that has become his trademark since debuting on the label in 2021. Evoking ritual and ceremony, ‘Going Short‘ commences with choral pads that beckon to the altar. A slo-mo exercise in dancefloor hypnosis with trace echoes of bleep.

Where ‘Wrapped’ takes a turn toward mellow, ‘Stepperals’, like its A1 counterpart, recalibrates trance tropes into something more chugging and restrained. Another example of Qnete smudging his third eye on a tunnelling, wormhole flex.

And finally, the Leipzig native signs off with a nod to the American Midwest. Opening cerebral gates in a way that recalls classic Detroit In Effect, closing track ‘Circuit Friends’ taps into the futurist utopia imagined by Detroit electro’s pioneers. More

R.A.N.D. Muzik Recordings welcomes good friend Qnete to the label for his first full length EP of House and Progressive dance music. More

Cutie Qnete is back with four sublime works of house music
tinged with a drop of acid and a gentle touch of electro giving
you pieces of his mind, body and soul. More

Hello Leif Mueller on shtum. Pleased to meet you. Especially with such a strong debut release. Everything is starting with the no-nonsense-Techno track TELESHOP which is designed for big room pleasures. On WO IST MEINE PLAYSTATION 4? things get a little more psychedelic without losing the straightness you need to get lost in the dance tunnel. CAIRO is a lesson in keeping goose bumps alive with its up and down galloping synth stabs. To cool things down, the Stuttgart based producer drops NIGHTCLEANER, a quietly starting Ambient affair that evolves into a little Acid monster More

The new shtum comes from Planet Underground, a veteran Dresden resident who already contributed to the fact that the city was called "Little Detroit from the East" back then in the middle of the nineties. Since then, he has constantly been producing stripped to the bones tracks mainly for his own Elektrokuehlung label in his legendary place of retreat in Dresden-Striesen. Recorded between 1996 and 2010, the four tracks oscillate between raw Acid, classic Basement House and artful distortion. Bouncing and scrappy stuff at the same time. "Elektromat" was previously released on an obscure Dresden techno compilation and it took a while to find the master tape in the dust of the past. More

Once again, Perm has turned just the right knobs to give you the perfect soundtrack for your personal journey into Techno wonderland. The Leipzig based wizard simply knows how to leave dancers both dizzy and beatific. When those strings in "03-VIII" come together to its climax you're more than ready to embrace the night. The focus in "03-IV" is more heavy on the drum work with just the right amount of subtle tripping hazards. "03-III" builds and builds without ever bubbling over while the mighty "03-VIII" comes with a Boom-Tschak-Electro feel to it. The artwork comes courtesy of Carl-Johannes Schulze. More

Dresden's Lockertmatik starts his engines for the first time on shtum and delivers a string of tracks that seem to come from a not so far away dystopian future. Here are four tracks that are unpretentious but elaborate, effective... [more]

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The first compilation on the Dresden based label shtum unites three label regulars and one newbie with four tracks suitable for rampant basements. "Motorcity Racers" has been on rotation for quite some time amongst the label heads and is the first sign from Poland's Chino on shtum. It floats somewhere between dirty Detroit and the rough corners of the Netherlands. Leibniz delivers the "Real Life", a relatively straight follow-up to his latest EP, while Jaures hit their drum machines like there is no tomorrow. Perm's cut is all loopy and succeeds in creating an irresistible atmosphere with just a few elements. The artwork comes courtesy of Carl-Johannes Schulze.


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Leibniz takes no prisoners for his return to shtum. His new EP sees the Leipziger by choice in best form. Harsh but fair. ''Grind'' is a masterpiece in the matter of building up tension with only few but proper elements. Amen to that drumming and when the strings come in the dance floor is probably already burning. ''Foolish'' is no less effective with its ultimate kick drum action and the way the pads are manipulated. Romantic Leibniz. On the flipside you get the vibrant ''This Is'' in two versions. The ''Brecht Mix'' screams RAVE in capital letters with the bleepy synths and hard snare drum while the ''Scuff Mix'' trawls through dark and unearthy Techno territories. No-nonsense music. The artwork comes courtesy of DJ Shape and Carl-Johannes Schulze.
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Leipzig's Perm delivers a fine quality Techno EP on shtum with a nice versatile selection ranging from harder and jacking to deep and atmospheric. Especially Track 1 and Track 4 are worth a special mention.... deep Acid driven Techno tracks that will stand out in big dark basements with a (probably) unconscious link to classic techno on labels such as Probe. All the ingredients for a good night out in 1 record! The artwork is created by Julia Dichte.

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With the sixth record, shtum continues to introduce fresh artists with different perceptions on what Techno is about. After Jaures debuted just recently with an EP on Oliver Hafenbauer's label Die Orakel, the Uncanny Valley sub label is more than happy to welcome the two Berlin based boys on board. ''Detitled'' starts a trip to the dirty corners of your city. The track is loaded with punchy drum attacks and despite its dusty basses and synths, it doesn't lose its slightly melancholic vibe. ''Davos'' runs in the same vein with Jaures squeezing floating sounds out of their machines for a wild ride through the urban jungle. On the flip side ''Nascent'' starts gloomy and uncompromising before it builds up slowly until Jaures' rusty trademark synths are revealed. Finally, you'll get a ''Reprise'' to highlight all their sound research elements. Once again, the illustration on the B-side label is by Aram Ha ydeyan.


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Another new face for shtum but certainly not for all the Techno aficionados out there: Jacob Korn makes his debut on Uncanny Valley's sub label to celebrate his old but not forgotten love for dark and bleepy Techno. The tracks' origins date back to the 1990s when Jacob used to work with a MS-DOS based software sequencer called FastTracker. Imagine programming beats with Excel and look at the graphic interface on the A-side label of the record to get an idea of the workflow back then. Nevertheless, the tracks did not loose any of its intensity. "Backstar" comes with a straight Gabba-like kick and sharp synths before it freaks out with tight drumming and powerful bass line action. "Tribal" is even darker and will work at every Techno dance floor and FreeTek-Party. On the Flipside you'll get "Robot ?s Life Cycle". Merciless synth-stabs, the stuttering bass drum and one of those early Jacob Korn-pads join forces for a textbook example of a k iller dance floor cut. At last, "Komputermukke" is as simple as it is effective. This one is for all the heads who love their Techno neat and bleepy. The illustration on the B-side is by Sebastian Huber while Carl Suspect aka Carl- Johannes Schulze is responsible for the graphical tribute to FastTracker on the A- side.

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shtum strikes back with another fresh talent straight from Leipzig's basements. With only two releases so far, Leibniz' sound is already pretty forward thinking. On "shtum 004" he explores beats between dusty House, his Hip-Hop roots and off-the-grid drum patterns. The record starts with "YouAndMe" which showcases dirty percussion work and a cracking sample over an unstoppable piano melody. "Feli" is a House killer track through and through. And when that chord changes hands are up! Based on spooky synths "PukPukPuk" sounds like nasty Ambient with heavy beats. That tune surely cuts its own path on the dance floor. Finally, "Stumm" feels like one single Rave build-up. But with understatement it denies the climax. Once again, the illustration on the B-side label is by Aram Haydeyan.

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Having already released records by Monomood and Kryptic Universe, shtum continues its trip through dark and gritty territories with its third record by Yor. And what he delivers is pure Techno-bliss. "Nachtwache" starts things off rather groovy with its Tom-heavy beats and rising synths. Following up, "Ritus" is driven by a hypnotic chord delay and makes an advanced Techno-track you can't resist on the dance floor. On the flipside it gets even more bewitching. "Agony" develops a never ending suction over its 8 minute length. This is music to get lost into. Finally, "Under The Influence" is no less mesmerizing but more playful Techno. It's a track that feels like a storm is coming. Once again, the illustration on the B-side label is by Aram Haydeyan.

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Turn on the strobe lights and the fog machine. shtum returns with its second record, this time by Dresden's very own Kryptic Universe. His EP comes with five cuts full of dark and gritty Future Jazz. His Techno Funk is playful as it is evocative. Just listen to the bass line in "A Light In The Box" and the appropriately titled "Critters Funk". Not to mention the crazy piano in the title song and the rather hard-hitting "Dark Sky". On top we got the mighty XDB on remix duties and his take on "Signals". Again, the illustration on the B-side label is by Aram Haydeyan.

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Psst! shtum is the new sublabel of Dresden's Uncanny Valley and it is created for proper techno and raw house tracks, music best listened to in a room full of strobe light and fog. Right at the start you'll get Monomood with three dark and powerful tracks. Parameter One is one of those Techno stompers you can't help but fiercely nod your head to. The lyrics in The Crafter might suggest it but actually nobody is afraid of the dark. Not even after hell breaks loose with unrelenting chords. Also, Vault takes no prisoners while keeping the cellar door shut with its nasty acid lines and raw drum work. The musical concept has been interpreted visually by Aram Haydeyan and Uncanny Valley artist Jacob Stoy.

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