Whatever happened to my 4/4?

Nothing actually. I just realised I've been doing an awful lot of harping on about dubstep when there's been plenty of exciting things going on with house and techno. They may not be as young and hyperactive as dubstep but there's no shortage of great material still being produced since the minimal wave somewhat broke. It's just not as hip to talk about...

The Third Man - 'Clarion Call' (Ai Records) :
It surprises me that Ai isn't recognised more for it's greatness. Ever since it first appeared on people's radar the label has dispersed an almost flawless breed of electronic music that spans so many different pigeon-holes yet still retains that unique atmosphere that makes it an Ai record.

The Third Man carries the torch like he's been doing nothing else his whole life, mixing in splashes of classic electro, ambient and deep house and using the lot to paint an ethereal portrait of Detroit techno. The man undoubtedly takes his influence from the usual Motor City suspects (Carl Craig, Underground Resistance etc etc) but he manages to touch on so many classic points of reference and render them so richly, paying tribute rather than ripping off.

You can get 'Clarion Call' here

Moodymann - 'Freeki Mutha F cker' (KDJ) :
This is some essential Moodymann business here. I'm one of those people that flits around with Moodymann. Sometimes his tunes will hit me like no others, packed so full of loose, groovy soul and a rough-edged charm, and other times it gets a bit too loose for my tastes. This, however, is an absolute masterclass in pure, seedy sex music.

There's not much to the tune. A muted bass sample loops over endlessly, and a pint-sized beat ticks away in the background, but filling the void left by the rhythm section is Kenneth Dixon Jr. himself narrating his own peeping tom stint at the expense of the titular "freaky lil mama". He hits the tone just right - it is insanely creepy but with the briefest neon light let in by the occasional chord hits you can get completely immersed in the sordid late night vibe the man exhales.

There's some other good moments on the 'Det.Riot '67' double-vinyl release that dropped only recently, but nothing matches this for outright genius.

Most places seem to be sold out of copies of this bad boy so get over to Discogs and nab it there!

Kenny Larkin - 'Keys, String & Tambourines' (Planet E) :
One of the Detroit grandmasters that it has taken me ages to get round to, and this recent LP was the first time I'd been properly grabbed by his music. More than anything, this album is so much more fun than alot of "proper" techno full-lengths. Larkin uses the space to play around, taking much of his knack for detailed melodic business and applying it to some more unusual contexts.

There's a lovely broken beat stint on 'Vibin', some sublimely complex minimal techno such as 'Drone' and 'Bass Mode', quintessential Detroit house, creaky piano moments on the title track, but more than all these parts, Larkin has a crafty approach to composition, that certain indefinable kink that makes his tunes that little more unique.

Get 'Keys, Strings & Tambourines' here

Aaron-Carl - 'Crucified (Quantec Remix)' (Millions Of Moments) :
This tune has been around for about a year now, but it can't be passed over. I'm definitely into Quantec and the wider school of dub techno, but even it's biggest fans will be the first to tell you how it all sounds the same. Quite what makes it so appealing when it is arguably more generic than trance? Maybe it has something to do with the insane amount of delay and reverb that a simple chord gets, becoming a monolithic soundshape that you can almost feel rinsing through your head. It's nothing if not soothing.

Anyway, I digress. This remix of a classic Aaron-Carl tune takes the best element of dub techno (i.e that chord) and pares it down slightly to pulse under a real heartbreak of a vocal, a real soul job with not a diva tone in earshot. It's an absolute gem of a tune, one that can't fail to reach you if you have even an ounce of liking for deep, emotional electronic music.

Get 'Crucified' here

Petre Inspirescu - 'Sakadat' (Vinylclub) :
You know a tune is special when it simultaneously rips through and resonates with an entire after-party of heads that have spent the entire night dancing to house and techno and should have been in bed a long time ago. By 9 in the morning the tunes are slipping past peoples ears without a hope in hell of getting a foothold anywhere, and yet this absolute beast has the power to command attention no matter what time is it.

Starting off fairly dry, the straight beat gets thrown off course by a snare hit so wilfully out of place you would think a mastering engineer with a vendetta would have put it there. As soon as it registers you can see people bouncing off the inconsistency of it, before it becomes the most crucial part of the track. Just as that feels normal, a completely mind-melting synth comes flickering into the mix, again sporting the kind of non-conformist rhythm that should have everyone giving up on their last attempt at dancing. Casually winding itself up into a frenzy without ever getting hectic, 'Sakadat' is a marvel in it's singularity, it's desire to be weird and most importantly its groove.

Get 'Sakadat' here

Other rather pleasant musicians :

Trackleton: A mysterious producer who may already have a distinguished career in house and techno. His debut EP for Andy Vaz's excellent Yore imprint is an absolute tour de force of classic, acidic grooves with lots of colour and upbeat energy to get the most stale dancefloor rocking. Keep an eye out for this one.

Sven Weisemann : Crafts some sumptuous deep house tracks, as blue as blue can be without being plain old miserable. Check his output on Mojuba and other labels, or catch one of his killer DJ sets. In fact he'll be playing at Bristol's finest destination for electronic goodies, Under_Score. March 7 is the date and The Tube is the place, and all reports suggest his selections veer from prime cuts of deep house through to warts 'n' all garage, with plenty of stops en route.

Stereociti : Has a single coming out on Mojuba shortly, his approach is decidedly deep. The single has a perfect balance between party pace and horizontal mood. Lots of tasty notes make this another example of why it's not always a bad thing to look back to the good old days.