Back catalogue: All genres

Review: On Demuja's label Blueprint comes an milestone six-track EP made up of breezy, ultraviolet house tunes, celebrating the imprint's tenth anniversary in the form of a bite-sized sampler referencing a wider compliation LP. With both familiar and fresh faces in tow, we're gripped by the selection on offer: Hall's synthetic glam-funk jam opens proceedings with whistly synths, while Makez' 'Train To Saturn' accelerates towards ever-faster ends, and Basic Soul Unit's 'Souljourn' takes the B's cake with knocky, tactile *perpetuum mobile*.

Review: Neptune Discs specialise in progressive downbeat, upbeat and acid convections, and as a label theme themselves after forgotten marine kingdoms. Though Poseidon has thrusted his trident at us here, there's actually a fourth track/prong on this tenth edition in the Dutch label's V/A catalogue, adding extra implosive impact to an already power-packed depth charge. Standouts here, in our estimation, have to be the faster currents of the bunch, taking shape as Tifra's 'Headspace' - whose breath-of-life melodic sequencings and CPAP pads allow us mammals a moment to come up for air - and DJ Life's 'Carapax' - whose gnatty lead buzz is like a desiccant for contaminant waters.

Review: Hotmix deliver another two-track slaying from an aliased ambassador of the label itself, this time the first edition in the new 'Obscure Bad Dreams' series. An homage to Sauro Cosimetti (the Italian house and techno mastermind whose credits include releases on Frequenza, Natura Viva and Beatfreak), six acolytes of the artist bring six, discoic house hosing-downs to the table. Most exciting among the selections are the lively African trad chanter 'The Beginning', the dreamy soulful house 'Inflight' by Rohan Delano, and Montano Orchestra's freestyle-inspired dub-electro-disco 'Tribal Love Beats' version of their own 'Esto Parese Amor'.

Review: French funk lovers Acts of Sedition roll out another tasty double 7" here that features some massive joints from around the world. First up is the Latin heat of Rare Cuts's 'Amigo Bracno' with its big, bright leads, string lushness and percolating, percussive groove goodness all finished with a great Portuguese vocal. Monsieur Van Pratt Le Groove's 'El Rap Clap O' (Regroove) hits a little harder but with similar funk playfulness and some great chord work and Bully Boy then offers the raw and strident funk of 'Fear'n'Loathing In Funk Vegas.' Ben Jamin slows it right down with the sun-kissed late night bliss of 'Old Time Feeling.'

Review: Luv Shack's compilation style 'Disco Biscuits' series is the very definition of reliable, with each new EP delivering killer cuts aimed at the more cosmic end of nu-diusco dancefloors. Volume five in the series arrives with four more tried-and-tested workouts and little in the way of forgettable filler. Check first Rising Seed's 'Back For More', a driving slab of spacey dub disco/cosmic disco fusion in which intergalactic electronics and samples sitars ride a Prins Thomas-esque bassline and beats, before admiring the chugging and squelchy nu-disco shuffle of 'Suffering of K.P' by B.Visible. Over on the flip, Peletronic's 'Drifting' is a glassy-eyed slab of immersive deep house/nu-disco fusion, while Jon Gravy's 'When U Leave' is a stomping slab of peak-time house headiness rich in bustling beats, memorable melodies and hands-aloft riffs.

Review: Cristian Sarde (aka. Mamosato, Samo) teams up with fellow techno tussler Bakked for an off-piste non-label release, sharing inverse sides of a single furtive black label record. Veering minimal, moving, and moribund, both staples of the Italian dance musical underground share what is implied to be their deepest, darkest and most exclusive thoughts, strictly for heads only; 'Love Tea' is an unusual track, fusing an almost early-noughts dubstep wriggle against an otherwise taut house groove; a move we don't see coming. Bakked meanwhile brings 'Effect171', on which a raw MPC-style jam - pleated with analogue rimshots and backsliding chords - is sown as the underlying field line onto which a dreamy sampled vocal admission, "I don't mind talking about it", may be heard. Both artists sound to have indulged a weirder side to their crafts, hence the labelless aside, and we love to hear it.

Review: Belgian-Bolivian musician Susobrino delivers his debut EP 'NO', titling itself after a primal negation, and forged in the interplay of traditional South American percussion music with electronica. As if to curb his habit of collecting an (perhaps over-) abundance of percussion instruments, 'NO' hears Susobrino set a stark limit for both himself and the listener, bringing just three curt tracks to wax following a live-changing tour of his ancestral South America. Honorific of the traditions of SA percussive music, Susobrino nonetheless intones: "Mixing acoustic instruments and field recordings with electronics with the music software Ableton was my cocktail from the beginning". The result is a widescreen demo of ascendant percy jawns, equally suited for the curio club-goer as it is for the Bolivian folklorico fanatic.

Review: Andy Vaz shares a fresh Detroit-flavoured deep house EP, fenced through one of many production studio complexes lying in the heart of Cologne, Germany. With slurred streetwise vocals sounding spreadeagled over modal chords and bodying beatwork, this one hits different. A rarefied soul vibe emerges especially on 'The New Germans', which fleshes an immensity of feeling out of a simple kicks n' claps mix alone and 'Hometown CGN' does similarly with its trombone-esque lead parp and brain-fogged puff-around synths.

Review: Bobby Donny's ACE series is mostly a digital-only affair, though periodically the Dutch label will round up choice gems and stick them out on compilation style vinyl EPs. This is the third of those and contains six stellar cuts. There's much to admire, from the infectious, James Brown-sampling deep house bounce of 'Space Animals' by Bob Bonadis and the Kerri Chandler-esque excellence of Nanky Nimbo's 'Peony', to the hip-swinging intergalactic house retro-futurism of 'Nitro Bass' by ZZ Banks and the rolling New York house warmth of 'Clear Sky' by Wim Waldo. The EP also boasts a typically impressive collaboration between Frits Wentink and Malin Genie, the undeniably classy deep house excellence of 'Tongue Kiss'.

Review: The young but already well-formed Deep Inspiration Show label continues its dedication to quality deep house with a new EP that comes as part of their international artist series. Zarenzeit from Zurich and Roger Versey from Arkansas open with 'So Smooth', a blend of rich keys, soulful loops and dynamic vocals over a sensual bassline. Melchior Sultana hails from sunny Malta and follows with 'Nothing Like It Seems' which features silky chords and a shuffling rhythm ideal for late-night sets. On the B-side, Jan Kincl from Zagreb delivers 'Sugar,' a fusion of house and cinematic disco with organic drums while Spain's Barce closes with 'Stigma,' a melodic union of deep house and techno.

Review: Dennis Bovell's Sufferer Sounds compilation highlights a pivotal period in his prolific and diverse career, focusing on his work from 1976 to 1980. Best known for traversing reggae, dub, lovers rock, post-punk and disco, Bovell's production genius is evident throughout the album. Featuring deep cuts and lesser-known versions, the compilation includes works from his time with the Jah Sufferer Sound System, showcasing Bovell's ability to craft dynamic, emotionally resonant music. The CD version offers 15 tracks, including a rare dub mix of Janet Kay's iconic hit 'Silly Games', lovingly restored and remastered at Dubplates & Mastering in Berlin. This version features Bovell's intricate arrangements with a pristine sound, allowing the listener to fully appreciate the depth of his production. Accompanied by track-by-track notes written by Bovell himself, Sufferer Sounds offers fascinating insights into the creation of these tracks, bringing listeners closer to the mind of a reggae pioneer. This carefully sequenced collection showcases Bovell's versatility across reggae, dub, and lovers rock, making it an essential listen.

Review: Inquiri and bvdub's superb new collaboration A Life In Setting Suns on the excellent Past Inside The Present label run by zake reflects a deep-rooted connection to the golden era of electronic music in the 90s. Their project mirrors the layered experiences of rave culture and blends some nostalgia for that with distinct musical identities. Inquiri brings the energy of main rooms where trance-induced emotional highs, while bvdub represents the ambient, early morning deep house scenes. Their friendship and collaboration transcend time and geography and so together they explore the timeless, hypnotic soundscapes that defined the era and in doing so create a harmonious fusion of past influences that resonate deeply.