- A colourful compilation from the hardgroove-oriented techno label, featuring new cuts from Blawan, Dax J, ANNĒ and more.
- Producers like Ben Sims, Mark Broom and Paul Mac have been pushing hardgroove techno since the mid-'90s. Sims coined the term "hardgroove" in 1996, and in Resident Advisor's feature on the genre, he explained how it stemmed from hip-hop. SHDW—formerly one half of the German electronic duo SHDW & Obscure Shape—launched Mutual Rytm in 2022, and has since pushed old-school techno with a modern twist. On the third instalment of compilation series Federation Of Rytm, the label spotlights newer names, including ANNĒ, Chlär and SERA J, superstars like Blawan and Dax J, and veterans such as The Advent, all showcasing a hardgroove-influenced twist on their individual sounds.
Over 36 tracks, Federation Of Rytm III covers a wide range of techno aesthetics. There's bright and head-nodding hardgroove, abrasive, in-your-face industrial and spacey, cinematic techno that could have been pulled from Surgeon's discography. Take William Arist's track "Form." It's a stripped-back, loopy cut at 139 BPM, with twinkly momentum-building pads layered between '90s techno-adjacent drums. It's a tool, but not a boring one, thanks to those springy pads. The bouncy feel carries over to Steve Redhead's "Mizar," which starts with thunderous 909 drums before sweeping into a dreamy breakdown around the two-minute mark. It's a pleasant blend of airy and driving components. Raffaele Attanasio's "Pointbreak" is another propulsive one, combining a buoyant synth lead with snappy hi-hats. ANNĒ, who has become one of the faces of the hardgroove revival, delivers a gnarly, fast-paced number led by an acid-tinged melody and complemented by a woody, rimshot-like noise. These are solid, go-to techno tracks.
The compilation also features some curveballs. JakoJako's "UFO 1" sounds like a sped-up house tune (and that's a good thing) with its Hot Creations-esque vocal snippet and almost Balearic groove. Blawan's "Don't You Dare Squawk At Me" is strange but weirdly cosy, with its water droplet-like pads, squishy drums and misty soundscape. It feels like a warm hug on a winter night. But the leftfield tracks don't always land. The Advent's "Randomized" is a clunky melange of cowbells and crunchy percussion with little depth. It sounds as if the Portuguese producer hastily threw it together and forgot to add that one musical element—like a robust kick drum or an interesting melody—to bring it all together.
Then there are the dreamier tracks, like VILLA's "Watering Dead Plants," built on crackly percussion and a soaring synth lead. It's the perfect example of how techno can be scintillating and serene at the same time. On OFF \ GRID's "Distant Thoughts," a smattering of crisp hi-hats and a sleek, organ-like melody snakes through the atmosphere, making another contrasting but dynamic addition to the collection.
The producers on Federation Of Rytm III are at different stages of their careers and their mostly refreshing, high-quality takes on techno ties the compilation together. Some tracks sound contemporary, like LDS's trippy "Maxidub," with its galloping drums and psytrance tendrils. Lars Huismann's "Conductor" merges glitchy, modern sound design with vintage touches. While the idea of 36 tracks on one compilation might sound exhausting, SHDW pulls it off with class and consistency. Federation Of Rytm III exemplifies both Mutual Rytm's excellent output and proves that the hardgroove revival is in a healthy place. It's not fizzling out any time soon.
TracklistA1 Levzon - Intense
A2 Roll Dann - That Will Never Happen
A3 Hemka - Fragrance
B1 Chlär - Inside Us
B2 Alarico - Push To Select
B3 Glaskin - Cutta
C1 SLV - Liminal Space
C2 Lars Huismann - Conductor
C3 Selective Response - Reality Unfolds
D1 Dax J - Celestial Dub
D2 Colin Benders - Siren
D3 Alpharisc - Spiral Down
E1 Seelow - Instant Welfare
E2 LDS - Maxidub
E3 Blawan - Don't You Dare Squawk At Me
F1 Regent - Cyberian
F2 ANNĒ - Outrun
F3 Sera J - Machinery
G1 Chontane - Pyrax
G2 The Advent - Randomized
G3 Stigmata - Mortal Vados
H1 Gary Beck - Fold
H2 Non Cycling - Nothing Left
H3 Measure Divide - Lemm
I1 William Arist - Form
I2 Raffaele Attanasio - Pointbreak
I3 Sonic Propaganda - White Paper
J1 Invexis - Artefakt
J2 Jancen - Voluptuous
J3 Z.I.P.P.O - Broken Game