Charles Fenckler - Diving From The Void (2016)

Despite being only in his early 20s, Charles Fenckler has produced one of the finest techno albums of the year. Void follows on from a brace of Eps for Slam's label, and serves as the strongest showcase yet for his talents. What sets Fenckler apart from his peers is his ability to veer from classic to modern styles without compromising his sound. "Immersion" is a breathy, melodic workout with echoes of early 90s UK techno, while "Frozen Room" is a Dave Clarke Red-style banger, replete with sirens and dramatic stabs and the full on acid of "Stellar Acid" completes Fenckler's interest in that era. Similarly, this young talent also has a modern outlook; there's the tumbling tribal drums of "District 2" and the atmospheric, broken beats of "Subject X103", which has echoes of Perc and Randomer. It's an assured, confident release that belies his youth.