CD Album Recommendations April 2016

Review: Given the length of his career, it's rather surprising to find that Starring XXVIII is the New York house veteran's debut solo album. As the title suggests, it's an all-star affair, with each of the 28 tracks - stretched across two discs - featuring a guest vocalist or collaborator. After fusing P-funk and house with the help of Funkadelic, the Masters At Work man rolls through organic, Latin-tinged deep house, Nuyorican Soul style goodness (with a little help from former Soul II Soul singer Caron Wheeler), intergalactic dancefloor soul (alongside Viktor Duplaix), boogie-house brilliance (a tasty version of Leroy Burgess and Convexion's "Let's Do It"), jazz-funk, and luscious downtempo grooves ("Stop On By").

Review: Since launching his Roar Groove label a couple of years back, Graeme Clark has become increasingly prolific. Almost a year to the day from the release of his first album of original productions, Love That Will Not Die, the Glaswegian presents the follow-up, Intimate Connection. Throughout, there's an emphasis on Balearic-minded deep house, with picturesque synth lines and toasty chords stretching out over rich and groovy deep house rhythms. Of course, there are darker turns along the way - see the Red Zone influenced bump of "Answerman", and the warehouse friendly "Noturningback" - but these still bristle with tactile, loved-up intent. A trio of previously unheard "live dubs" of cuts from Love That Will Not Die completes an excellent package.

Review: To date, Djebali's reputation has been built entirely on the quality of his vinyl-only releases. Ideal Juice actually marks his first release on a digital format, and gathers together brand new versions of material previously released on wax (thus sidestepping potential complaints from those that copped his 'vinyl only' 12" singles). Predictably, there's much evidence of the trademark brand of dancefloor-ready basement funk that has made the Parisian one of deep house's most name-checked producers in recent times. Highlights are plentiful, and include the U.S garage swing and French Touch loops of "This Ultimate Dare", the tipsy synths and low-slung pulse of "O'riginal Rude Boy", and the eyes-closed deep house-soul of "Hunting Back".

Review: A few years back, Dutch IDM producer Kettel was beginning to build up a head of steam. He's been a little quieter in recent times, devoting most of his time to composing music for video games. Wingtip is his first album for three years, and reminds us what we've been missing. It's a colourful concoction, full of tracks that doff an oversized cap to the likes of Plaid, Boards of Canada, Biosphere and Aphex Twin. These 1990s inspirations are fused with a broader palette of influences, including neo-classical (see the superb "Here Comes The Gang"), movie soundtracks, twisted acid, and - on the standout "Mousefort" - fuzzy trip-hop and dusty jazz. The resultant set is distinctive, kaleidoscopic, and impressively widescreen in scope.

Review: DJ Nomad and Dirk Leyers' Africaine 808 project has been responsible for some of the most inventive and enjoyable music of the last few years. It's little surprise, then, to find that the Berlin-based outfit's debut album, Basar, is rather special. Built around their now famous polyrhythmic, Afro and Latin influenced drum machine programming, it begins with a touch of snaking jazz, and climaxes with a dense, rising, uplifting Afro-gospel workout that should leave listeners thrilled and breathless. In between, you'll find 21st century broken beat, delicious downtempo torch songs about break-ups, Juke-influenced Cajun blies bangers, and hard-to-define - but thoroughly engaging - dancefloor wig-outs.

Review: While most ambient and drone producers seem to knock out a new album every few months, Max Wurden prefers to take his time. Thus, Transit is only his fourth album in 14 years. Such infrequency suggests a high quality threshold, and there's pleasingly much to admire. The album's five long pieces are as atmospheric and dreamy as you'd expect, and variously doff a cap to classic IDM, crystalline electronica, dub techno, and the kind of melodious, hypnotic, pop-influenced techno promoted by fellow Cologne residents Kompakt. Standout "Metropole" spits, throbs and pulses magnificently, with its' drawn out grooves and clandestine melodies recalling great ambient techno epics of yore, while closer "Vesper" is little less than an early morning ambient masterpiece.

Review: Last year, Warp Films commissioned Chris Clark to create a score for The Last Panthers, a crime serial aired on Sky One in the UK. While Clark has always capable of creating atmospheric, mood-shifting music, it was still something of a surprise. Here, Clark has shaped that music into a 48-minute album that seemingly tells its' own dark, weary tale. As dark and intense as the series itself, The Last Panthers rises and falls; one minute, you're listening to a creepy tribute to Erik Satie, the next an evocative fusion of alien electronics and mournful strings. It's this fusion of neo-classical intent and unsettling ambience that strikes the greatest chord, ensuring that The Last Panthers ranks amongst Clark's most striking work to date.

Review: Since releasing his first album for 14 years in 2013, Dutch techno veteran Orlando Voorn has been almost unstoppable. This is his third album in as many years, and may well be his strongest set to date. From the start, it's a blindingly colourful, vibrant and melodious affair, with distinct tropical, jazz, new age and heavy electro influences adding extra depth and interest to his Motor City techno template. Highlights are pleasingly plentiful, from the spacey, bittersweet depth of "Chicago By Night" and hip-hop influenced IDM bounce of "In My World", to the spine-tingling beauty of "Anti Political", and warehouse-friendly carnival warmth of "Goon Entire Kickless".

Review: DMX Krew on Hypercolour? You bet! The UK electro don serves up his trademark style for the tech-house institution who seem to be broadening their horizons: can only be a good thing! Things start off in spectacular fashion with the cute and upbeat "Spiritual Encounter" before settling into some funky and mysterious electro with "Bombay Mix". Hard Copy is reminiscent of the early Hi NRG vibes of Bobby Orlando or Gino Soccio but "Woolly Hat" and "Parallel Universes" are funky, fun loving 4/4 electro grooves that are more typical of the DMX sound. He saves the best for last though, with some darker excursions such as the high octane, Telex sounding "Computational Paradigm Shift" and the smack electro closer "Black Poppy". With electro making an obvious comeback, thank goodness we've still got this legend to show us how it's done. An outstanding effort!

Review: Baltimore house legend Karizma steps forth with his debut album as Kaytronik, which continues his long running association with UK label R2 Records. At 17 tracks long, Thee Album is somewhat conservative compared to Chris Clayton's last Karizma outing, 2013's 39-track Wall Of Sound, but canvasses the full spectrum of his widely lauded production talents. Leading out with some vintage string heavy boom bap, the Kaytronik sound unfolds to encompass classic US house, tougher DJ tools, jagged brukked up rhythms, jazzy beatdown and everything in between. In simple terms Thee Album is a true master at work. Don't Sleep!

Review: Some six years after delivering their first single, EDM-jungle fusionists Delta Heavy has finally got round to recording a debut album. As you might expect, Paradise Lost is a bombastic and in-your-face affair, with the London-based duo fusing blistering breakbeats, punishing basslines, mind-altering electronic stabs and razor-sharp synth lines in an endless quest for dancefloor perfection. Unsurprisingly, there are plenty of potential anthems amongst the 14 tracks, from the grandiose vocal cut "City Of Dreams", and R&B-dubstep fusion "White Flag", to the mind-bending late night wobble of "Pathways", and the frankly filthy, hard-to-pin-down "Oscillator".

Review: Once Underworld dealt exclusively in the sweaty intensity of rave culture. These days, they're older, mellower and, presumably, wiser, and their music tends to reflect this. Certainly, Barbara Barbara, We Face A Shining Future is an altogether deeper, groovier and more atmospheric set than their shouty 1990s fare, with genuine moments of heartfelt melancholy ("Motorhome") and Balearic bliss (the Arabic influences and Flamenco guitars of "Santiago Cuatro") amongst the tactile deep house, and woozy European tech-house grooves. Interestingly, there's no standout "anthem" - something at which they've always excelled - and instead a lot of melodious introspection.

Review: For his latest full-length excursion, veteran bossa and jazz-dance revivalist Nicola Conte has found himself a muse. While it's Conte's composition, production and pitch-perfect playing that provides the canvas, Natural sparkles more than some of his albums due to the vocal presence of Stefania Dipierro. The Italian singer's breathy, sweet and hugely atmospheric delivery - seemingly in a trio of languages - sits somewhere between classic jazz and Astrud Gilberto, a stylistic trait fully in keeping with Conte's jaunty, sun-kissed instrumentation. As a result, Natural sounds like a long lost Brazilian classic - all lilting bossa, sprightly samba, with a sprinkling of summery soul-jazz - despite its' contemporary Italian roots.

Review: The back catalogue of this mystical and mercurial German collective, numbering Messrs Moebius and Roedelius from Cluster as well as Neu's Michael Rother in their ranks. has always been frustrating only in its brevity, and with that in mind this live material from their heyday is as manna to krautrock enthusiasts - these at once meditative and exploratory voyages through inner space bear all the hallmarks that made their two studio efforts such evergreen portals to a fertile age of experimentation and inspiration, and an inspration to Eno and Bowie amongst a legion of others - Sehr kosmisch, indeed.

Review: Amazingly, No Fantasy Required is Tiga's first album for seven years, and sees him switch from long-time home Different to Ninja Tune offshoot Counter Records. Those who've followed his career to date will immediately feel at home, as he delivers a set of stylish, attractive songs that variously tip a wink to Gary Numan, Kraftwerk, Junior Boys, Chicago acid, Visionquest, Visage and, of course, his electroclash past. While the references are obvious, Tiga is smart enough to put his own spin on them, resulting in an album that expertly tiptoes the fine line between radio-friendly accessibility and his broad palette of underground club influences.

Review: Over the last three decades, Primal Scream has proved more than adept at re-imagining their sound. It should perhaps come as little surprise, then, to find that Chaosmosis - their first album for three years and 12th studio set in total - is an eclectic, scattergun affair. After doffing a cap to the loved-up bagginess of Screamdelica on opener "Trippin On Your Love", Bobby Gillespie and company sprint through a variety of moods, grooves and sounds. So, there are big, concert-friendly dance-rock sing-alongs ("100% Of Nothing"), folksy ballads ("Private Wars"), a vintage Depeche Mode tribute ("When The Blackout Meets The Fallout"), and a string of synth-pop influenced moments.

Review: Given the recent proliferation of new releases doffing a cap to both new age music and ethnic sounds from around the World, this reissue of Finis Africae's 1990 set Amazonia seems rather timely. A solo production by long-serving main man Juan Alberto Arteche, the album's ten tracks blend traditional Amazonian instrumentation, tropical birdsong and gentle rhythms with the new age synthesizer refrains with which the Spanish act made their name. From a historical perspective, the album originally appeared at the same time as the ambient house explosion was gathering pace in the UK, and it's easy to draw parallels between Arteche's compositions - as ethnically-minded, jazzy and occasionally experimental as they are - and the work of The KLF and The Orb during the period.