Favorite Releases from June 2026
Summer has officially taken over. Much of Europe is baking under relentless heat, and the Northeastern US has decided to join in. The hottest hours of the day leave little choice but to seek shade, stay hydrated, and move as little as possible. Fortunately, June arrived with plenty of records perfectly suited to that pace.
Some releases seemed tailor-made for slow afternoons. The Efflorescence III compilation on Project Indigo became one of those records we kept returning to whenever we couldn’t decide what we wanted to hear. Every revisit revealed a different side of it. GiGi FM’s fabulous atmospheric jungle EP brings just the right balance of weightlessness and rhythm, while Ayami Suzuki’s latest for Students of Decay, Eustress on Kino Disk, and Daniel[i]’s beautiful album for Fleur Sauvage all pair wonderfully with a fan, an icy beverage, and absolutely no intention of rushing anywhere.
Once the sun disappears, the mood changes. Forest Drive West’s new album on Mantis became our soundtrack for those hours. It comfortably inhabits that fascinating territory between techno and drum & bass, where broken rhythms, dub textures, and hypnotic repetition constantly reshape the landscape beneath your feet. Grabaciones Perpendiculares explore a similarly rewarding grey area on their latest various-artists compilation, while the collaboration between Polygonia and Rødhåd offers another reminder that techno still has plenty of unexplored territory left. Doltz. continues exploring his own corner of techno, balancing propulsion with a distinctly cosmic outlook that never loses sight of the dance floor.
Lemna’s fabulous trilogy gets a nice remaster treatment. It opens with Storytelling #1: Reminiscences Of Inner Scenery, perhaps the most demanding listen on this month’s list. This isn’t background music. It asks for your full attention, rewards patience, and leaves plenty of space for your own imagination to complete the story.
Forest Drive West - Mantis 1920
[Mantis]
Daniel[i] - Escapist
[Fleur Sauvage]
Various Artists - Efflorescence iii
[Project Indigo]
Lemna - Storytelling #1: Reminiscences Of Inner Scenery
V.A.03
[Grabaciones Perpendiculares]
Eustress - Exit
[Kino Disk]
DOLTZ. - Final Trace
[Bitta]
GiGi FM - Shelter Our Time
[Sea~rène Records]
Polygonia & Rødhåd - Mauvier
[WSNWG019]
Ayami Suzuki - Remnants
[Students of Decay]