Techno, house, and other club music genres are experiencing a massive resurgence in popularity. Many who initially got into EDM and more commercial genres years ago have gradually returned to the original forms of underground club music. With this resurgence comes an insatiable craving to keep up with the culture, news, and daily happenings in the scene. However, platforms like Twitter (cough cough, I mean X) can be overwhelming with casual conversations, and Reddit is often filled with a mix of based-opinions and uninformed banter.

For those seeking well-written, professionally crafted journalism, magazines are the answer. While print magazines may have become somewhat antiquated, a few select online publications still hold up. In this list, we’ll dive into the seven best techno magazines you should be keeping up with and bookmarking to stay in touch with techno culture and underground club music on a daily basis.

These magazines are highly curated, market-tested, and proven. Each one offers something unique, often with distinct editorial strategies and voices that resonate differently depending on whether you’re a casual listener, a DJ, a producer, or just someone obsessed with the culture. So, let’s get into our list of favorite techno magazines that you should bookmark and read regularly.

Magnetic Magazine

I’d be doing us a disservice if I didn’t start this article by mentioning our own platform, Magnetic Magazine. Magnetic Magazine emerged during the heyday of online dance music media in the early 2010s and is one of the few that has remained. It is guided by David Ireland, a notable figure in dance music media for over two decades. Magnetic took a more nuanced approach to covering underground dance music culture and the core genres like house, techno, etc.

What’s kept Magnetic alive, in my opinion, is our adaptability and ability to meet our readers where they are. As internet use has evolved over the past decade, we’ve adapted to continue providing value through production-related interviews, artist advice columns, and more. Since taking over Magnetic Magazine two years ago, we’ve expanded our offerings with more industry think pieces, artist guides, and production-based interviews that cater to techno music lovers and those deeply involved in the genre and sharing our knowledge about what’s worked for us as a team of writers, label owners, professional music producers, and more within the music industry.

While many other online sites have struggled or shut down, Magnetic Magazine’s trajectory has never been brighter. Our traffic continues to grow, and our respect within the industry is solidified month after month, year after year. Magnetic Magazine is a fantastic resource for all aspects of underground dance music, and it’s definitely something you should keep on your radar.

Decoded

Decoded Magazine is another legacy online news site that has managed to keep the lights on and remains a fantastic source of news for underground dance music. They cover updates on new synthesizers, spotlight emerging artists who are breaking new ground, and host a wealth of DJ mixes on their SoundCloud. This mix curation is a key strength of the platform, as it not only serves as a solid media outlet but also as a great curator of underground artists in the house, techno, and progressive spaces.

Although their upload cadence isn’t as frequent as it was during the peak of online dance music publication, they still consistently release new articles and updates while sharing music. This consistency is why Decoded Magazine stands out as one of my favorite online techno magazines right now.

MP3 Mag

MP3 Mag is an online media site founded and guided by one of the leading public relations gurus in the dance music industry, Franz Hilberath. While the magazine often features artists within his network, Franz works with some of the best talent in the game, so there’s always a stream of fresh, up-and-coming artists showcased on the site. These artists prioritize storytelling, which aligns with Franz’s main ethos: effectively communicating the story to wider audiences to build strong artist profiles.

Unlike many other sites, MP3Mag offers a quarterly or bi-yearly print edition that you can purchase, featuring the biggest stories from the website over the past few months. So if you’re looking for something tactile, professional, and story-driven, MP3Mag is the top choice. They have a great team, fantastic artists, and offer a killer experience.

Resident Advisor

Resident Advisor is one of the original, well-respected underground dance music media sites and remains one of the most reputable in the game today. They cover everything from local events featuring the hottest underground dance music in your city, including house and techno shows, to any other underground genres.

It’s a massive hub for events happening worldwide, with a rotating selection of news that highlights both smaller, independent underground acts in the house and techno scenes, as well as other niche pockets of the dance music industry. Resident Advisor is an essential resource for news, events, mixes, and culture, and it should definitely be on the radar of anyone who is into techno music and looking to stay current with today’s techno culture.

Disco Pogo

Disco Pogo is one of the few magazines keeping print alive in the techno and underground dance music scenes, fully embracing the old model of high-quality print. They feature some of the best names in underground techno, house, and more. Honestly, I see their issues as more of a collector’s item at this point, rather than just commentary on the current state of underground techno and house. The cover art is beautiful and often timeless, making each issue feel special.

The profile pieces they run feature some of the biggest names in the industry, like the Chemical Brothers, Daniel Avery, Bicep, and others. Disco Pogo is a true-to-form print magazine for anyone who loves underground techno, house, and similar genres. You can pick up both current and dated issues, which are more affordable than you might think, and they can be a fantastic collector’s item or gift for superfans of the artists featured in these magazines.

MixMag

MixMag, much like Resident Advisor, is one of the original media sites dedicated to underground dance music and its coverage. They continue to lean on similar models and strategies as Resident Advisor and have found a lot of success with it. MixMag features a variety of content, including mixes, daily updates within the dance music industry, and coverage of anything relevant to the spaces of techno, house, and other dance music genres.

They’re a great resource for catching up on artist interviews, and they serve as a local hub for dance music and techno culture. Much like Resident Advisor, MixMag offers a range of mixed media, including a series of great mixes, which helps round out their coverage. It’s definitely a site to keep an eye on, especially because of their established reputation in techno magazines, house music publications, and online dance music coverage overall.

Keyi Magazine

What I like so much about this magazine is that it is, once again, an online publication, but it focuses on the more auxiliary aspects of underground culture as well, including not only the techno music and underground house music and other genres of underground house music, but also video, audio, fashion, and more.

Most of the time, people who are deep in the techno culture are also super passionate about many of these other auxiliary lifestyle interests. KEYI Magazine really hits all of it. It’s a holistic cultural hub for techno and so much more, and it’s something that I can continue to go to.

I check up on it a couple of times a week just to stay in touch with some of the more avant-garde stuff that’s happening all around the scene, even if it’s not directly affecting and involved in the techno scene. It helps get that rounded, holistic vibe check on the techno industry overall.

DJ Mag

Good old DJMag—one of the original print magazines that focused on dance music and its culture, and they’ve been a major player in the scene for decades. While they’ve certainly shifted to cover more commercial acts and the Vegas-style EDM scene, moving a bit away from underground techno and classic house, they’re still a massive force in the industry. As techno experiences a resurgence and becomes one of the dominant genres in dance music, DJ Mag is naturally at the forefront of its coverage.

They’re a heavyweight in the scene, offering feature pieces, DJ mixes, coverage of new tech, festival updates, and more. If you’re looking for a comprehensive hub on what’s happening not just in techno but across the broader EDM and dance music landscape, DJ Mag is a solid choice.

They also still do occasional print runs and are perhaps best known for their DJ rankings, which list the top 100 DJs in the world. While the list may not carry the same weight as it once did, it still has an impact and can help elevate the profiles of more established DJs in the scene.

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