Risa Taniguchi keeps up the pressure on her latest pouding techno effort

Capping off a busy production year for Risa, with powerful releases on imprints including Red Rum and Second State, she returns to Dense and Pika's Kneaded Pains label with a typically fast-paced three-track EP of raw techno heat. Once again, she illustrates that she's well and truly in the mood to strike hard.

We've kept a close eye on Taniguchi's work since premiering her 'Sodium' track in July this year. Though a classically trained musician, her production sound favours stripped-back rhythm and dark aesthetics over harmony or melody. Aimed squarely at creating carnage on the dance floor, her music offers an uncensored window into the harder edge of Tokyo's renowned techno cauldron. Risa refined her skills while playing at the city's premier clubs, including Vent, Contact and Womb. It's easy to imagine her tough cuts powering from the immaculate sound in these venues while she graces the turntables, and this perhaps offers a clue as to what motivates her distinctive sonic perspective.

Her latest effort comes just two months after her 'Psycho' release dropped, and comes to us via the Kneaded Pains camp – who've previously given us work from the likes of Eats Everything, Charlotte de Witt, Egbert, and Dysart. The title track 'Rockim' is built over a spoken word sample, with hard acid, fierce drums and noise sweeps charging over a stirring tempo. Hypnotic, driving and uncompromising, there are no frills on show here – this is designed with the sole purpose of tearing up clubs. The murky mood continues on 'Enclosed', with its sparse textures, eerie vocal effects and pounding drums. 'Wobbel' shares the nocturnal characteristics of the preceding tracks. Effected snares soar over a relentless acid lick while unearthly vocal effects float in the distance. The arrangement builds, drops and bursts back into life to ensure that dancers are kept on their toes. With 12 accomplished releases in just over two years, Taniguchi is well on her way to cementing her status as one of the shining lights of Tokyo techno's new wave of producers.

Risa Taiguchi 'Rockim EP' is out now on Kneaded Pains, you can buy it herehere