Back catalogue: All genres

Review: US dub crew Park Heights has got a real gem on their hands here with this latest 7". It is a killer jam from the mid-1980s that was made at Aquarius Studio. The 'live digital' tune has never before been released which is a wrong that is rightly corrected here and is even more special as it has Errol Dunkley on the rhythm even though it is not his usual style. It is a heavy stepper with loopy drums and hits that echo off to infinity as he drops his loved-up vocals over the. It of course comes with a superb dub on the flip.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve torn & record has light surface marks/scratches, otherwise in excellent working condition***


Given his chosen moniker for this project, you'd expect the music on Robert Dietz's DJ Discipline records to be stern, aggressive and angry. This particular EP - his second under the name for Osman - is certainly tough, but it's actually far funkier, melodious and considered than you might expect. For proof, check out opener "Hysteria", where busy, bouncy beats come cloacked in starry synths and supersonic synthesizer motifs, before admiring the glacial, deep space shimmer of the analogue-rich, hybrid electro/techno number "Just Some". Dietz flips the script on "Merry Crisis", which cleverly wraps bleeping melodies reminiscent of The Age of Love's "Age of Love" around a loose-limbed electro-breaks beat, whole closing cut "Nu Leaves" is a dashing slab of retro-futurist sci-fi techno rich in chiming melodies and ear-pleasing riffs.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Berlin's Cocktail d'Amore and Tokyo's Ene Records have come together once again to present the music of Solidair. The duo of Cocktail alumni Luigi Di Venere and Jules Etienne present three tracks aimed to induce a dance floor hypnosis. Orgonite (Riding the Waves) does just that, a slow build awash in the ebb and flow of acid tinges, just enough to wet your whistle on a Saturday night. The original mix keeps the skeletal support but throws in a life preserver of 8 bit gaming synthesis. Frisky arps call and respond to each other before making way for sinewy pads to lift off. Tiger's Eye sets itself onto cruising speed incorporating elements of late 90's acid techno with the sleek and smooth clubbing aesthetics of modern day Berlin.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


The Avidya label arrives with a bold new concept that sees it push itself to "step out of comfort zones to release a series of EPs of broad, challenging and deep music." The first affair is a fine one from four artists, the first of which is Lyon based procure A Strange Wedding from the Worst label. His slow trance locks you in and then Gothenburg trio Datasal come through with a prog rock and post funk and dance fusion. 84PC's contribution is peak time gold and Barcelona's Iro Aka arrive with another debut to round out this fine offering.

Review: Recorded in 2022 for the BBC's Gideon Coe show, 'Christmas In Atlantis' is the Portland, Oregon band's first Christmas track; released just in time to battle it out for a Christmas Number 1. Ahead of their fourth LP, for which they will be touring in 2024, the song comes to us as a heart-rending slow funk number, with the sultry, up-close, and breathy vocals of Amy Boone retelling a complex tale of sorrow, conspiracy, casinos, and a restored faith in the Christmas spirit, in spite of it all. The single features two other exclusive tracks that will also not feature on the next album.

Review: Numero Group has another of their superb soul gems here from former Mind & Matter bandmates James "Jimmy Jam" Harris and Michael Dixon. The duo teamed up in 1978 for this gospel-boogie banger which first came on the private Mad label, so is now mad hard to find. 'You're Everything' is a classy dancer with a big heart and those Good worshipping vocals taking things to new heights. The flip is no slouch either and keeps the grooves coming with 'You're All I Need' another timeless classic that will improve any set and record collection no end.

Review: Dimas Garza made his breakaway from The Royal Jesters in the mid '60s. His solo career was something of a reinvention under the new alias Dimas III and saw him record three singles for Clown, a label run, ironically, by The Jesters. They have all since become very hard to find and expensive records that are much sought after so it's great they now make it back to press courtesy of Numero Group. 'So Funny' and 'I Won't Love You Again' are both posse dup dee on this fine 45rpm and make for some steamy Southern soul. Somehow, Garza never broke out of his own locale but he did leave a great musical legacy.

Review: This is an exclusive for independent stores only this Record Store Day and a fine one it is too from the one and only welder turned reggae kingpin that is Bob Marley and his Wailers. This is a vital one for the collection that has been pressed in limited quantities and is a non-album 45rpm that he recorded for legendary producer Bunny Lee at Randy's in Jamaica. This 7" single has a Custom Gorgon label and features the happy-go-lucky dub of 'Mr Chatter Box' with Bob's smoky but smooth vocals and a version on the flip.

Review: Motor City mainstay and former Slum Village associate DJ Dez Andres has many skills up his sleeve from mad scratching to vibrant Latin flavour mixes that draw on his Cuban heritage via dusty house rollers and deep hip-hop gems. Here he mixes all that up on a new EP for Beretta Music that is now available on purple vinyl. His sunny and delightful melodies are present and correct in each cut, as are his signature slouchy and hip-hop-inspired drums. All four of the tunes hit the sweet spot but the funky boucle of 'Back To Nature' is one that really stands out here.

Review: Confounding critics (and, to a lesser extent, fans) has long been one of Dexy's calling cards, though even by Kevin Rowland and company's standards The Feminine Divine is a surprising set. The surprise lies not in the fact that it exists at all (Rowland publicly exclaimed that he was "done with music" back in 2016), but the sound of the music on show. Alongside the kind of horn-heavy 1970s soul that delighted fans in their early 80s heyday, The Feminine Divine also includes Serge Gainsbourg-esque spoken word vocals, Prince-inspired electrofunk, slow-motion breakbeats, hands-in-the-air house pianos and nods towards the kaleidoscopic, saucer-eyed rush of Ibiza-inspired Balearica. It's hugely entertaining and, for all the welcome musical surprises, still very much a Dexys album.

Review: Legendary US hip hop outfit De La Soul will always be most well known for their Three Feet High and Rising album but they penned plenty of others that are just as good. De La Soul Is Dead was the follow-up LP to that one and it saw them again work with Prince Paul on production duties. The daisy age themes of their debut remain but with more skilled rhyming flows. The record has plenty of standouts such as 'A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturday Night', 'Keepin the Faith' and 'Ring Ring Ring' which set a new standard for the next generation.