Welcome back to the Sputnik’s most irresistible democratic feature!

Digbox Ten is T for TECHNO, which is fortunate because the science is finally beginning to show that techno is the only good genre, and we are able to deliver a high-profile TIE-IN with Sputnik’s Build-an-Album Competition. Run by bop chieftain Sinternet, the tournament sees a number of users go head-to-head with one another, jumping through a pernicious set of hoops to produce the perfect playlist for a range of randomly-selected genres. Starting on an apparent high with techno, Round 1 laid down the following criteria for song selection:

No tech house

Neither the artist nor song title may contain the letter “E”

This gauntlet wreaked havoc among the unfortunately techno-phobic ranks of the competitors (many of whom managed to produce excellent submissions all the same), but in order to get the scoop on no-E / no-house techno, Digbox decided to investigate further and is happy to present the following set of killer tunes you should listen to from based+qualified enjoyers of the genre. Enjoy!

Aril Brikha – “Ottil”

Despite being born in Iran and now residing in Sweden, Aril Brikha is a pivotal contributor to the formation of Detroit Techno in the vein of Jeff Mills or Robert Hood. The supposed simplicity and repetition of his tracks act as major positives here as I’m transported back to my early childhood days where using my dad’s Windows 98 at his office felt like I was taking a vacation. The song Otill here is a perfect example of that Detroit Techno sound. Synth washs with a bit of what appears to be a phaser effect, a little simmering synth lead that’s high octave occasionally, and of course that quiet acid sounding bass just pulsating away underneath. It’s mixed so clearly and sounds sparse and empty, the kind of stuff you can listen to both proactively for its nuances and in the background. It’s the kind of music you’d hear off a CD-ROM game from the 90’s which is what gravitated me to it.

— Mindleviticus

Carl Craig – “Dominas”

Sometimes, after I feel particularly annoyed and tired about something, some part of my mind synthesizes two distinct, annoying voices which start going back and forth in some kind of quasi argument about what’s wrong with me. Begin reenactment: “I mean surely other people wouldn’t feel this fucked off over such little, but I try so hard and no one knows how hard I try, but I’m no better if I’m just going to spend all my time complaining about it blah blah blah….” This has happened enough times that I know the drill: techno to the rescue. I put music on, turn my brain off, and spend some time pulling it together. The music is something I can latch onto for a few minutes while my mind sorts itself out. Concentrate as hard as I can on the beat and by the end of the song I’ll feel right as rain. It starts as a simple distraction from the murky thoughts that have spent quite enough time rotting in my brain. Once I’m more or less taken away from those, new thoughts start coming in… which is when I start thinking about the song in earnest instead of whatever shit was previously distracting me. And if it’s a good track, I end up really liking it and using it again and again every time I feel like shit! So, the tracks that are really good at being these mind refreshers turn into something akin to little shiny charms I keep in my pocket. Some last awhile before they stop working, some have never stopped working, it is what it is. In conclusion, I’m glad that there are people out there who have had the urge to make something that can be such a helpful soothe to my brain. The icing on the cake is that I feel like the desire to make such things comes from a similar urge that they have, to have that comforting feeling. I mean, I guess they also have that feel like shit problem. Viva art!

— myri14

Cousin – “Disting”

Cousin is a fixture of the electronic music underground down undah. Yeah, you read that right–Australia, a locale many here associate with psych rock (and maybe kangaroos?) has been leading the techno pack for a few years now, with its bustling community of producers and DJs pushing adventurous, peculiar sounds.

Far flung from the 4×4 kick drum, Cousin’s dubwise take on the genre emphasizes drum-led sound design and organic texture with a steadfast devotion to the hypnotic, synth-friendly sound of techno. And while broken beat is by no means a new concept in techno, he has plenty of new things to say with the style. His sonic expressions are as exhilarating as they are unpredictable, and must be heard on a properly tuned sound system (but a pair of headphones will do the trick!).

“Disting” will satisfy fans of bass music and trance, but, like much of Cousin’s music, remains true to the ethos of techno.

For fans of: Left Field Techno; Broken Beat Techno//Livity Sound, Timedance, Trule

— normaloctagon

Kangding Ray – “Thar”

Here’s one of Kangding Ray’s biggest bangers. No Es, no house influence, just relentlessly pounding techno with something always moving underneath the surface. If I heard this in the club I’d be running for my life, because this tune could probably reduce a building to rubble.

— Avagantamos

Sa Pa – “Womb”

would be great as a wind-down if you made this playlist for me, not sure about sinternet?

— Havey

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Thanks for reading and thanks to all who participated! Please post your own techno picks in the comments below.

The Digbox is where you post your digs – and that means you!

If you’d like to write a dedicated Digbox, please get in touch with johnnyoftheWell (shoutbox okay Discord okay) at your convenience.

Dig it!