London’s Fabric nightclub and the CD series it has spawned continues to be at the forefront of dance music culture without compromising its musical integrity. Who could believe the series would make it to 31 – quite a feat given the culture of music downloads we live in.

Marco Carola is a well respected DJ and producer from the techno end of the spectrum, so expecting hard, driving and brutal techno (as that is what I had heard from him last), Carola here surprisingly presents a selection of the more minimal tech and electro sounds, many of which are being pumped out of Germany and dominating much of the underground dance music scene at the moment.

The Italian’s mixing is meticulous and what you’d expect from a DJ that has made a name out of three deck excursions. What’s really great is many of the tracks and artists are none of the usual suspects, so this CD is a great way to discover some new talent and artists in the minimal techno scene. There are obvious old school familiarities such as Hawtin’s Minus and Plus 8 and Scotland’s burgeoning Soma, however there are stacks of new and less prominent labels too.

It must be exciting for acts such Hawtin and Carola who have been around for about a decade see a resurgence and evolution in the techno scene, and the gaining of new relevance and audiences. In what could be utter boredom for some, this mix will be a well of utter joy for those into minimal. Filtering, glitches and seamless mixing – it’s all there for techno freaks.

If you enjoyed Michael Mayer’s recent sets at Earthcore then you should probably check out this release.