"Mirror Phase, is undoubtedly one of Efdemin’s richest works to date—simplified to foundations of acid techno and yet exceptionally effective on the body."
Nothing in techno’s history tastes as good as a tune that has Detroit smeared all over it. Raw pulsating energy, drum machines darting in tight repetition, acid oozing over the edges, basslines that tremble low in the chest, liberation in the peripheral vision. The birth of a lost soul’s rehabilitation.
And ever since, big and small corners of the globe have gleefully ingested themselves with the viral Techno fever from Detroit, causing the genre itself to mutate far too many times and each strain emerging with renewed potency. Yet, even decades later, a new record arrives every once in a while, eagerly stripping back mutant techno to its origin, reviving its core principles and serving it fresh to a starved audience so the purpose is clear once again. This time the delivery comes from one of Techno’s prolific acts, Efdemin, with his Mirror Phase EP for Dekmantel.
The elusive German producer has never really had a dull record in him. His run on Dial and Ostgut Ton alone has had a slew of heavy hitters like New Atlantis or Poly, and the dark-mysterious, euphoric rhythms have reverberated across the halls of Berghain more than once, teaching ravers how to submit themselves to the dance floor.
In 2026, Mirror Phase keeps Efdemin’s track record consistent. The 4-track EP is all packed in sweltering heat. It’s refreshing in the way it cares so little about swaying away from the fundamentals, there is no disguise, just straight techno—one that is deeply pleasurable, exhilarating and hypnotic. With immediate effect, it moves the body before the brain can catch up, no time wasted whatsoever.
The opening track, also the EP’s namesake, ‘Mirror Phase’ is a classic club roller with electrifying bleeps shooting across the field, while the bolstered drums keep things moving forward. Only tunnel vision remains as a woman’s voice moans over the electronics, “Lets take a trip, a trip not in body but in spirit , we are transmissions from deep space, carrying messages from path beyond” playing voice at the back of the head.
On ‘FS1R’, acid synths take on an otherworldly trip with ruptured, completely disfigured vocal samples speaking space-time dialect. By the time the EP lands on the closing track ‘Slip’, it has gone down a proper wormhole. Scratchy synths, crackling textures and a faster, more urgent pulse push the track further into the abyss, pursuing a narcotic high towards the finish line.
Although an ephemeral EP, Mirror Phase, is undoubtedly one of Efdemin’s richest works to date—simplified to foundations of acid techno and yet exceptionally effective on the body. One for the fans of the original sound of Detroit. Get dirty.
Mirror Phase EP is out now via Dekmantel. Listen to and buy a vinyl copy from Inverted Audio Record Store.
TRACKLIST
A1. Mirror Phase
A2. FS1R
B1. Unity Grain
B2. Slip
