Seattle producer Steven Ford is a man of many monikers. Primarily known for his work as Bruno Pronsato, Ford has also released music as Public Lover with French artist Ninca Leece and through his experimental house outfit Others. Additionally, he’s worked alongside Sergio Giorgini (he of Benoit & Sergio fame) in the duo NDF, who released their Villalobos-remixed debut EP Since We Last Met on DFA Records back in the sun-kissed spring of 2010. Since relocating to Berlin in 2006, Ford has also regularly released EPs with veteran Sammy Dee under the guise of Half Hawaii, with the pair’s latest offering, All Over, dropping at the back end of last year on Zip’s hallowed Perlon label. Now, Ford is focusing on a new project, which naturally involves a new mantle, one worthy of a DC comics superhero: Archangel. Diehard readers of this column – a group that apparently includes Minneapolis’ finest technophile, DVS1 – will note that the maiden Archangel EP dropped back in November, and included a dark and droning cover of Gary Numan’s ‘Metal’. Details have since emerged about the debut Archangel album, The Bedroom Slant, which will drop in early April. Ford himself provides vocals throughout the LP, while his brother David has contributed bass guitar. Love Of Life Orchestra’s Peter Gordon, double bassist Yonatan Levi, Orac Records head honcho Caro and pianist David A. Power all have guest appearances on The Bedroom Slant, which was recorded during early morning sessions in the Prenzlauer Berg studio that Ford shares in Berlin with Benoit & Sergio. The resulting album is said to explore Ford’s love of pop, rock and post-punk influences and feature more live/organic (read: non-electronic) instrumentation than much of his previous work.

Highly regarded by those in the know, German DJ Mareena will headline the next 4our event on Saturday March 8 at an intimate warehouse venue. The 4our crew has carved a niche in Sydney’s underground scene by showcasing international DJs who aren’t the subject of the insufferable ballyhooing that pervades much of the EDM scene, but rather, who are rated highly by those who go out to sweat and dance while immersing themselves in visceral house and techno soundscapes. A dedicated vinyl-pusher, Mareena has supported many renowned DJs during her residency at the Tresor club, and also has her own night, New Faces, which is dedicated to highlighting new talent from the underground scene. Mareena has played all over Berlin – yes, that includes Panorama Bar and Berghain – and has a reputation for being equally adept whether playing peak time, warm-up or after-hour sets, with her sound described as incorporating “intelligent eclecticism” and “bold elements of surprise”. She’ll have an opportunity to display her full range in the cozy warehouse confines, with residents Trinity and Magda Bytnerowicz offering the local support.

This week’s column will end by spotlighting a few new and forthcoming EPs that are well worth a listen. First off, we have Stefan Goldmann’s upcoming offering, a four-track EP entitled Signs Taken For Wonders that will drop next month on the Macro label that he co-owns together with Finn Johannsen. Macro has been touted as “the leading avant-techno label”, and while Goldmann’s last album 17:50 was somewhat of a mixed bag, ‘Signs Taken For Wonders’recaptures the form and flavour that made the dancefloor abstraction of Goldmann’s earlier offerings, collected on his Transitory State album, so compelling. One of the last genuine analogue men in an age of digital producers, Goldmann has never been afraid of taking risks in his productions, but this EP strikes a perfect balance between off-the-wall techno dadaism and accessibility, and is worth investigation by DJs looking to give their sets that essential edge. I’m aware we live in an age of instant gratification – home delivery food, the internet, Tinder – so will now turn to an EP that you can grab right away: Radio Slave’s latest, Repeat Myself, which is out now on his Rekids label. The punchy rework from Berliner Rњdhad, who toured Australia for the first time not long ago, is particularly noteworthy, as it refashions the original into a chugging acid-techno stonker that gradually ascends into a rip-roaring behemoth that will do business on late night dancefloors. With the rumour mill abounding with whispers that the Rekids label may be closing down, this EP is a reminder of the supreme quality that permeates throughout the label’s discography. This author would happily argue that the Rekids back catalogue is a match for that of any other renowned techno label over the past decade in terms of consistently delivering pulsating house and techno that does the business in the nightclub realm.

LOOKING DEEPER

Saturday February 22

Damiano von Erckert

The Civic Underground

SaturdayMarch 1

Redshape

The Civic Underground

Sunday March 2

DJ Harvey

Oxford Art Factory

Saturday March 8

4our ft DJ Mareena

Warehouse Party

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