Just came across a greate example of a new, slower track (128BPM) but which keeps a good, strong Techno vibe to it:

PatrickDSP - Adam Jay - Codes (Patrick DSP Remix) - SoundCloud

It's definitely possible to stay dark, hard and Techno, without going to the old 140BPM speed limits. Perhaps a difficult thing to get right every time, but a push towards a more "Techno" sound is definitely a move in the right direction. I have high hopes for the Tonal Path project , as I understand that to be their aim, so gonna keep my eye on it!