February: 19 techno releases you need to hear this month

FJAAK 'FJAAK' (Monkeytown)

FJAAK are a deadly trio who’ve impressed us over the last couple of years. Consistently pushing out incendiary, hugely enjoyable cuts, they’re adept both in the studio and on stage. Needless to say, then, their self-titled album ticks all the boxes, then makes a few more of its own boxes and ticks them, too… twice. The whole thing is wrapped up in a warm, analogue blanket which is surprisingly cosy at times. The previously released single ‘Wolves’ makes the cut, and there are also collaborations with Modeselektor and Rødhåd, the latter of which is actually one of the more chilled tracks on the LP (together with the dreamy trip into the cosmos of ‘Snow’). Later on, ‘Gewerbe 15’ takes us back into slamming territory with hard-hitting beats and spine-tingling organ keys. By the time the album comes to a close with bleepy opus ‘Fjkslktr’, we’ve experienced darkness and light, the beauty and the beast; everything you could have expected, and much more besides. What an absolute treat of an album.

9/10