Back catalogue: All genres

Review: After two recent intriguing V/A releases (006 & 007) the Picnic crew get back down to original business with an EP from B.AI. Carefully curating her path since 2021 with previous stellar releases on labels such as Sequalog, Fresh Tunez and Pleasure Club, her latest effort encapsulates the signature sounds that have made her a standout performer since. Fusing elements of house, techno, electro & electronica, it's an EP with tracks full of intention and captivating moments further solidifying B.AI's reputation of having a style completely of her own.

Review: This release is a story of serendipitous stars aligning. Having released Bala Desejo's anthemic single, 'Baile De Mascaras', back in May 2023, Mr. Bongo could sense that they had a summer classic on their hands. The label always thought that it had the potential to find fans in a dance music audience; and in a further twist of fate, the sensational DJ, producer, and radio presenter Jamz Supernova recently graced their Great Escape in-store event with a phenomenal DJ set. After some feverish digging and emailing to her team, Bongo discovered that she was a fan of the original song and had made a personal edit to play in her DJ sets. Gilles had heard Jamz spinning the edit and asked for a copy, and by sheer coincidence and good fortune, it all fell into place. The track is a beast of an edit that gets heavier and deeper as it progresses.

Review: Stevie Wonder's 'Pastime Paradise' has thus far been less recognised as an original soul wonderwork, and more so as a sample by American rapper Coolio on the derivative 'Gangster's Paradise'. Though still having been covered by many artists over the years, Major Keys records highlights this enduring 1981 cover of Wonder's 'Paradise' by Latin percussionist Ray Barretto as among their favourites, if not their absolute favourite. Now the label reissue the gem, flaunting its up-to-date, nigh timeless feel; it's the opposite of a miracle that this has never before been released on a 12" single record, despite the fact that it is a favourite on the floors of jazz and soul rooms the world over. It also flips it with Barretto's own 'La Cuna' and 'Mambotango', taken from the same 1981 LP.

Review: The Bayara Citizens dropped the original 'Ju/Ru Music' 7" on Joe Clausell's Sacred Rhythm label back in 2006. It has become a rather pricey little 45 prm that now gets reissued as two different, dubbed out Afro rhythms with swirling guitar licks. The Afrikan Art opener on the a-side is full of sunshine and Latin vibes thanks to the superbly plucked strings and shuffling groves, while the flip is the Afrikan dub Drum Drums version - darker, more percussive more moody. Both sides bring something different to any dub set.

Review: Sweden's mash-up maestro Beatconductor returns with six tracks of masterfully cross-pollinated bangers on this hand-stamped white label. On tap we have edits of the likes of Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder, Elvis et al., indicating a worthy breadth of knowledge of both classics and non-classics - but all classily recontextualized in ways only the Beatconductor himself can manage. Set to heavyweight 12" wax on two sides, we're certain this one'll serve you well for drunken Saturday dancefloors and upmarket, warmly-lit Sundays alike.

Review: Founding Bees members Paul Butler and Aaron Fletcher recorded the original Sunshine Hit Me on the Isle of Wight in their own home garden studio which they called The Shed. A year after release in 2003 it got recognised with a Mercury Music Prize nomination and spawned some big singles. Now, 20 years on, it arrives once more but in an all-new and dubbed-out fashion. The six cuts include three which have never previously been released in any physical format and bring a fresh dimension to the originals.

Review: People Of Earth strides into the New Year with a new project called The Elements Series. Part one welcomes some serious names, not least Detroit's ambient and techno master John Beltran who kicks off with 'Nuyorico' a joyous, chord-laced house groove laden with organic percussion. Javonntte's 'Tropical Feelings' is another of his textbook deep house cuts with whispered vocals bringing a spiritual vibe. Atlanta's main man Kai Alce does his do with the jazzy synth energy of shuffling house cut 'Benefit' (NDATL instrumental mix) then Byron The Aquarius pairs things back to dusty drums and humid chords on 'Sun Gods'. This one is only for the real heads.

Review: Rebirth kicks off its 2024 with a remix EP that serves as "a tribute to the Brescian music scene in its many facets and declinations." The full original project is a complete 12-track album that brings together many different sounds, scenes and generations, with the best bits now assembled on this new 12". The revered deep house master Fred P opens up with some texture spiritual synth depths, K-Lone brings some nice house swing to his version of 'Paline' and edit maestro Rahsaan also keeps it paired back and late night on his soulful take on 'Scent Of An Old Life'. A great reimagining of some moving musical adventures, then.

Review: With over 50 years of experience dating way back to the early 70s with the progressive outfit Zebra, Joan has left quite a discography that is still being discovered and enjoyed. This EP - Joan Bibloni's second appearance on the label in total - features three versions of 'Badia Onirica', two of them being language versions and then the instrumental. Overall, the song is a track fitting for the Cafe Del Mar sound - a mix of folk, electronica, house with a Latin and folk influence and versions in Spanish and Catalan. An EP for watching the sunsets, dreaming on the beach and remembering life's great time with friends and family. NuNorthernSoul continues to honor the chill out legacy.

Review: Mule Musiq has been an ever-present in the electronic underground but has never gone out of favour in the way so many labels do after their initial rise to the top. This new outing for the New Year puts Kasper Bjorke together with El Agua Es Profound for two originals that come with two remixes. 'Pau' is the sort of elegant elecrtronic sound you expect of this label - serene synths and nice clean drums with subtle hooks. The Bella Boo remix bliss things out even further and then 'Andrea' brings some cheery piano chords to a breezy and sunny groove that is perfect for open air dancing under wispy clouds. There is some extra pace to the Longhair Offshore dub for busier dancefloors.

Review: Blue Hour is very close to a quarter of a century of releases but just ahead of that notable milestone the label daunter and eponymous techno project step up with two bangers on a nice limited 12". 'Dimensions' is a brilliantly unbalanced techno workout with distant church bells bringing some unusual chaos to the high-speed drums and prickly percussion. It's a great one that will cut any floor loose. 'Sun Dogz' on the flip gets even quicker and fires lasers out like bullets. High octane stuff that is pure fire for the club.

Review: House doesn't get much more Chicago than when made by Boo Williams. The big man has been turning out the jams for decades, always with an irresistible sense of low-end bite and top-end fun. This outing on the French label Phonogramme comes on clear wax and is another crucial 12". 'Melodic Groove' is just that, with rolling drums and soft melodies perfectly intertwining while 'Nite Vision' is a more broken beat and percussive affair with swirling pads up top. 'Artificial World 2023' (feat Jamiel Patton) gets your head amongst the stars with its bright, lush keys and skipping soulful drums and last of all is another heady and cosmic house roller in 'Song & Dance' (feat Jamiel Patton - Planet mix).

Review: Defected's vinyl series continues to commit the label's biggest digital releases to wax for the first time, and this special twentieth edition has been created in partnership with Shelter, the housing and homeless charity. Together, in July 2023, the label and charity launched 'From House To Home', which pioneers an ingenious idea; taking 'house music' to its utmost logical conclusion, deploying reworks classic house tracks as fundraisers for helping secure actual housing for the homeless. On this latest edition to the series, Germany's Jonathan Kaspar remixes Breach's revered deep house anthem, 'Jack'. Then comes the bubbling Mason Collective and Bipolar Sunshine collab 'People In Love', shortly followed by the recent pop hit by Arielle Free, 'Feels So Good', before a round-off in the form of a generational collaboration between production pioneers Bob Sinclar, A-Trak, and Mele with 'Deep Inside Of Me'.

Review: Bread & Souls is a new project dreamt up by Italian entrepreneur and music lover Franco Fusari. For this he invited Mark de Clive-Lowe to direct and produce his roving vision: a series of collaborations with the cream of boogie and jazzdance's best performers and instrumentalists, including the likes of Bembe Segue, Vanessa Freeman, Paul Randolph, Rich Medina, Tommaso Cappellato and more. Under the banner of Bread & Souls, these eight originals and six remixes hit hard yet smooth, sliding down the proverbial aural gullet like a well-made Manhattan.

Review: Eya continues to be a hotbed of cheeky club energy as they welcome the power duo Thoma Bulwer and Anna Wall to lay down some nasty grooves after they last collaborated for Serenity in 2021. 'Liquid Wiggle' is a sassy slice of contemporary acid house shot through with trippy FX and catchy tech house motifs, while 'TNT' is a boxy beat down with rubbery electro bass which slots in perfectly on Eya. On the flip, the mighty Radioactive Man steps up with a remix of 'Bovine' which is heavy on atmosphere and his trademark electro flair before the original version closes the record out in a burst of dazzling electro house.

Review: A decade or so after making his debut, Greek producer Lee Burton is rightly revered as an artist with a trademark sound and a variety of rock-solid EPs to his name. Chris Stussy has long been a fan, hence bringing him to his Up The Stuss label for the first time. Burton has delivered, giddily skipping between sub-heavy, acid-laden peak-time hedonism ('Sinewaves'), rolling deep house funkiness smothered in intergalactic melodies and spacey chords ('Burning'), deep and acidic techno (the big room ready headtrip that is 'ITICF'), and the kind of immersive, loved-up and acid-flecked house goodness that's tailor-made for those light moments just before dawn ('Love Motion').

Review: Bobby Byrd comes strutting on posthumously through to Sedsoulsociety with 'Never Get Enough'. This ineluctable treat was first released on Brownstone Recordings sometime during the early 70s funk heyday, and was produced and arranged by none other than that ingenious titan, James Brown, together with the beautiful 'My Concerto'. We usually wouldn't forgive the removal of the latter track from any reissue, but we're making an exception here, for the fact that an even greater treat lines this B-side reissue: a formerly unreleased instrumental of said James Brown classic production. Funk completists hardly need to be told not to sleep on this one.

Review: Byron The Aquarius (Byron Blaylock), from Birmingham, Alabama, debuts his latest EP for French Synchrophone sublabel Phonogramme, 'Dey Know Vol. 1'. Topping up an already hugely impressive backlog of releases on the label recently - from the likes of Abacus, Steeve O'Sullivan and Vitess - the producer and water carrier adds to their catalogue for a varied scrubdown of the more militant ends of techno's sonic politic. An impressove sense of variation is achieved on the expositionally minimal 'Black Is Black', which contrasts greatly to the ensuing space-quagmires of 'Dr Devil' and then the crude, bleepy and frank analog sonics of 'Real MF From The Avenue'. Dreamy narrations of local life abound, precluding the closing 'Rock That 808!!!', a track that is far more sophisticated and well-developed in sound than its wilfully blase title might suggest.

Review: House music doesn't get much more storied and authentic than that served up by the iconic New Jersey label Nu Groove. It very much shaped the clary sound of the 90s and still has fans excited today whenever reissues drop. This is not that, however, and is in fact a new set of recent cuts from veteran Swiss producer Deetron and underground mainstay Bruise. The sounds are inspired by the soulful techno and house that emerged in the Mid West and build on solid drums with silky loops that look to the future. 'AM_909' in particular is a lush and warm cut of epic proportions.

Review: Fool's Paradise is the exciting new label from Toolroom Records' Mark Knight. Coming straight from the heart, it's a natural progression from his hugely acclaimed 2021 album release, 'Untold Business', which saw Mark go back to his roots, paying homage to the more funky, soulful, and vocal house from the 1990s from where he came. With a focus on real instrumentation and production, coupled with great songwriting, this new Toolroom sublabel will be a platform for high quality house music designed to stand the test of time. Launching the new label with a mighty bang and delivering the first in our exciting new vinyl sampler series is head honcho Mark Knight, who joins forces with his Australian Toolroom labelmate, Sgt Slick, and British Soul sensation, Beverley Knight, on a dynamite cover of Prince's 1979 classic, 'I Wanna Be Your Lover'. Respectfully transporting the song onto today's dancefloors, Mark & Sgt Slick deliver a classy uplifting soulful house production, loaded with funky guitars, warm pads and sublime key performances. Adding the icing on the cake and putting her own stamp on things, Beverley belts out one of her signature spine-tingling vocals, garnished with lush harmonies and BV's that would indeed make The Purple One proud. Completing the vinyl package is dance music stalwart, Opolopo, and British soul icon, Jaki Graham, whom together bring the dancefloor heat with their new single, 'Fire'. Powered by a potent soulful house groove from Opolopo, loaded with warm piano hooks, emotive synth melodies and a sublime popping bass hook, 'Fire' see's Jaki flaunt her electrifying vocal talents with a show-stopping performance on this irresistibly catchy song.

Review: Here's a cool double pack 7" drop on Act Of Sedition which serves up some snappy edits of heady grooves from the broad church of funk and soul. A-side cut 'Condition' is a much-loved anthem these days thanks to Ken Rogers' original tune soundtracking the most psychedelic bowling sequence ever set to celluloid in The Big Lebowski, and this 'V Jagged Sky' version has some choice zippy effect to only enhance the trippiness. Lup Ino's 'I've Been Working' is a soulful disco house strutter, while DJ Steef's rework of Belenou's 'Sove Te-A' is a mesmerising slice of Afro groove with a rhythm section that'll hook you in hard. Bully Boy's 'Pasteurised' sits pretty on Side D in a subtly pumped up slice of high life goodness to lift the party's collective spirits in no uncertain terms.

Review: Slothboogie are back with more of that disco-fied deep house goodness courtesy of Ruff Stuff and Bress Underground, two Italian producers devoted to the classic approach to the genre. 'Foundations' is a slinky, funked up late night workout with a loopy, hypnotic feel, while 'Sliding Sine' has a more synth-focused, dub-splashed approach. 'The Community' is a rawer jam with tough drums that wouldn't sound out of place on a Chiapet record, while 'Something About It' is peak time garage house at its finest. If you need to work the floor good and proper, these jams won't let you down.

Review: For the whopping 12th instalment of their eponymous V/A series, the label known as Mindhelmet spews forth four new ones from Sweely, Nathan Pinder, Paradise City Breaker, Bobby O'Donnell and Reeshy. Rambunctious future dance cuts spanning everything from alarmist electroclash ('Space Bong') to minimal tech sputterings ('Via Lincoln Green').

Review: The Black Truth Rhythm Band is renowned for its Afrobeat fusion - a sound that very much epitomizes the vibrant spirit of 1970s funk and soul. Their iconic album 'Ifetayo (Love Excels All)' stands as a testament to their musical prowess and social consciousness. It has been fully remastered here with all its pulsating rhythms, infectious brass, and impassioned vocals transcending time to deliver a message of love and unity. Rooted in the African diaspora experience, the band's music serves as a rallying cry for social justice and cultural pride. Ifetayo remains a timeless work that still resonates with audiences worldwide thanks to its potent blend of groove and meaning.

Review: BBE has delivered something of a future classic here, as decorated Eastern European harpist Alinha Bzhezhinska and British tenor saxophonist Tony Kofi join forces on a picturesque full-length excursion dedicated to the memory of spiritual jazz maestro Pharoah Saunders. It's a genuinely unique and hugely evocative affair, with Kofi's meandering, mesmeric melodies and inspired improvisations snaking in and out of Bzhezhinska's dreamy harp motifs and melodic percussion instruments (think bells, marimbas, vibraphone, xylophone and so on). It's not a familiar musical palette, but it's one that consistently delivers - and then some. Our picks of a very strong bunch include lucid opener 'Tabula Rasu - Blank Slate', the exotic and psychedelic 'Audite Me - Hear Me', and the picturesque, meditative closing cut, 'Altera Vita - Another Life'.