Stream: Jon Gurd – Birth Right Ep

The return to music by Jon Gurd (reportedly after a spell in Broadmoor, according to Tonka…) is a hugely welcome one. The groove-infused techno that this man builds rolls forward, swift, determined, and meticulously arranged. The crackling bass echoes like far off thunder under the offbeat, surging cymbals on 'Tomorrow Is' , while 'Promised' is uneasy and less forceful, slowed and peppered with a paranoid synth back-and-forth melody. 'To No One' completes the phrase and is acts as a sweet, more optimistic end note, with dreamy, washed out synths ascending and acid twangs drifting past, lazy and casual.

Strong remixes come from big names in the techno game – Dave Clarke puts in a version of Promised which ups the tempo and frenzy, turning paranoia into hysteria, whereas Ancestral Voices, the new project from Liam Blackburn (Indigo, half of Akkord), reinterprets To No One as a huge, chilly, dubbed out wanderer.

It's out on October 2nd through Derelicht and is well worth your time.