Review: Juuz out of Hungary continues to break new ground as it lays out its sonic identity with another tasteful various artists EP that roam free across the minimal world. Silat Beksi & Fedo get things underway with the heady but also playful and cheeky sounds of 'Porque Tu' before Minube's '909 Things' is a textural blend of found sounds, great sound designs and perfectly rubbery, dubby drum kicks. Daniel Broesecke's 'No Name' then gets more dark and down and dirty with a stripped-back mix of caps and bass that is pure backroom. Chris Llopis shut down its trippy sine waves and spinning hi-hats from the classic school of minimalism on his 'Manipulator.'
Review: Alt-dub never quite found its mainstream moment, but for those attuned to its intricacies, it remains a defining undercurrent in electronic music. Unlike its dubstep cousin, which relied on aggressive basslines and in-your-face drops, alt-dub takes a more measured approach, focusing on subtlety and complexity. It's about crafting a vibe, not smashing through it. San Francisco-based artist Federsen has been a pivotal figure in this niche for over a decade, using vintage tape delays and analogue gear to build immersive, textured soundscapes. His work with labels like Silent Season, Greyscale, Lempuyang and Ohm Series perfectly embodies how dub's elements of space, decay and resonance can be transformed into hypnotic, dancefloor-driven rhythms that unfold slowly. Tracks like 'Dub Trail' and 'Silent Whispers' reflect Federsen's signature approach: slow, deliberate builds, where the bassline is felt more than heard, and the subtle shifts in atmosphere draw us into the groove. It's not about immediate impact, but rather about crafting a space where the music breathes and where the transitions are felt as much as they are heard. 'Echoes In The Void' pushes this idea even further, with its dense, evolving layers of sound, while 'Lunar Dub' offers a more stripped-back, meditative experience. Through Federsen's work, the genre stands as an exploration of depth and atmosphere, where every moment of silence and every drawling transition plays an integral part in the experience.
Review: Breakbeat wizard Fanu returns with another multi-genre mash-up diving deep into the sounds he's mastered over the years: jungle, drum & bass, hip-hop and beyond. His rhythmic versatility and fearless approach to production is present and correct once more from the off:' 'Strobelight' is a tightly programmed workout with dark bass blasts offset by heavenly vocal coos. 'Ether' is even more involving with a lurching rhythm and snappy hits, and 'Free Fall' then casts you adrift in the cosmos, floating on the swirling pads with a more airy, spacious atmosphere. 'Coma'(feat Arcologies)' is a blissed out closer with more gentle but still dynamic drums. Ether shows Fanu's still pushing the envelope, one break at a time.
Review: Originally hailing from Washington DC, Father's Children were one of the capital's most promising funk outfits in the late 70s. This new 7" reissue on South Street Soul revives two prized tracks from their Mercury Records era, produced by Wayne Henderson of The Crusaders. 'Hollywood Dreaming' is a breezy, rolling slice of mellow soul-funkithe sort of elegant groove that turns up on late-night radio, all gentle clavs and cruising vocals. Flip it and 'Shine On' turns up the energy, driven by a snapping slap bassline, crisp brass jabs and a slick group vocal arrangement. Both cuts originally appeared on their 1979 LP, but the original 45 has long been a holy grail for collectorsifetching triple digits. This reissue not only preserves the format but delivers on fidelity and style, giving DJs and heads alike a long-awaited chance to spin these Washington-grown grooves without fear of shelling out a fortune.
Review: Irish techno legend Sunil Sharpe makes his debut on the Posh End Music label here with a pair of signature gems. 'Cahersiveen' kicks off with buoyant and bouncy broken beats that constantly recoil through a warm, fizzy rush of Detroit-inspired synths. 'The Oasis' is his other contribution, and this one rides a little slower but with some serious low-end heft and the same textured synth craft. In between, two cuts from Fear-E. 'Dalleagles' is a manic one with stark, hard-assed low ends and anxiety-inducing pads and 'Gael Force' keeps up the intensity with loopy madness that twists you inside out.
Reel It In (feat feat Madaline - Fingers remix) (5:53)
Between Us (feat Madaline - instrumental dub) (6:40)
Reel It In (feat Madaline - Summer Acid Burn) (5:49)
Review: 40 years have now passed since Larry Heard made his first record. Heard is, of course, without peers when it comes to deep house - he pretty much drew up the blueprint after all - though he does occasionally invite other producers to bask in his reflected glow. That's the case here, as he and Memphis-based Michael Kuntzman (an artist who has previously released music on Heard's Alleviated imprint) deliver a notable collaborative 12". Guest performer Maddaline whispers, sings and vocalises her way through the dreamy, richly electronic and sonically pristine 'Between Us', which is accompanied by a typically gorgeous 'Instrumental Dub'. There are two versions of 'Reel It In' - also featuring Maddaline - too: the deep tech-house shuffle of Heard's'Fingers Mix' and the back-to-Chicago-87 flex of Kuntzman's 'Summer Acid Burn' take.
Review: Roman Flugel's 'Geht's Noch?' turns 21 with a box-fresh batch of remixes on Running Back, reminding everyone how a stray bleeper from a Cocoon comp in 2004 wound up as a schoolyard ringtone and dancefloor detonator. Originally championed by Sven Vath, the track bridged minimal's precision and electroclash's snarl, even sneaking in as a proto-Dirty Dutch blueprint. DJ Gigola ramps up the chaos with a seismic kick and Morse-code bleeps; Luca Lozano delivers two flips, a cowbell-packed 'Technocs' tweak and a 'Gehts Garage Remix' that reimagines it via UK funky; Peder Mannerfelt wrings pathos from its absurdity, while Aasthma (with Par Grindvik) pushes it into glossy rave fantasia. Finally, The Steve Angello vs Who's Who version, long a crossover weapon, finally lands on vinyl. Flugel's oddball juggernaut still refuses to sit still.
Review: Rotterdam producer, vocalist and DJ, Skyes (Mike Everling) is one of Fokuz's favourite upstartists, this being his third contribution to the label after a brilliant opening Minos collab 'Looney Tunes', then followed by an equi-tastic toon jungle four-tracker from 2024, 'Never Say Never'. This time he's got a 'Jazz Hangover', with 'Holding Back' bringing crudely resampled bloops and vocal ohs, and 'Send Away' enlarging the junglist massive through filtered dub triggers and rousing brass. Don't sleep on the B-sides either, where the title track sobers us with a dose of breaks mechanisation following an implied overindulgence in jazz humanity.
Review: The good early work of the Third Stream label carries on with this seventh missive and it's a various artists affair featuring some top talent. Alex Font gets things underway with 'Keep Moving', which is aloof, rolling minimal tech defined by a billowing lead which does what it wants. Kyle&Sam's 'Chapter 36' is an ice-cold and deft, steel-plated tech cut a la Melchior's best and Altarf & Backhauser -keep the synthetic, abstract aesthetic going with their occult machine whirs and loopy drum funk on 'Yeah.' Dumi & Nopau's 'Time Measurements' is like a long-lost Ricardo Villalobos cut from his most famous album.
Review: Albion Collective's new dance-focused sublabel, Gold, launches with a fierce three-track EP from debut artist Adel Force. Though new as Adel Force, the Estonian producer is no stranger to the scene, having spent 15 years crafting essential cuts as Bisweed. The 'Twirl' EP is a smart evolution in which he impresses by delivering experimental yet dancefloor-ready dubstep. The opening track, 'Is This What You Want,' perfectly captures Gold's mission to ignite crowds with bold rhythms and killer bass, and that only continues through the rest of the Ep, which comes with unique gold-embossed artwork to reflect Albion Collective's DIY ethos and commitment to originality.
Review: FoxBam Inc returns with its fourth EP featuring a powerful mix of floor-shaking productions. The release includes contributions from Gez Varley, best known for his work with LFO and classic tracks like 'Quo Vardis' alongside Italian acid producer Vikkei and label founders Foxtrot and Egebamyasi. This new one opens with the acid-heavy 'Battle Scars' while Vikkei delivers the hard techno 'Hip 'n' Crack.' Egebamyasi explores bass-driven wobbly dubstep with 'Mandubchester' and Varley's 'Saturn One' brings cinematic vibes to his signature techno style. Launched in 2023, FoxBam Inc is already becoming a key player in the underground.
Review: For real! Described by releasing label Treasure as another treasure chest among bluffing crates full of false sonic pyrite, FR's crafts a marine prospector's dream on 'Treasure EP 9'. 'Kuldn't Luv U More' leads with what sounds like an obscure Tracey Thorn flip, while 'Consciousness' furthers the effort at obfuscation with a shaken-down, blunted-to-a-blur kick and hook loop from a glimmering midnight disco cut. 'Insatiable' on the B redoes Thick D's speedy 'Insatiable' by with a saunified overload, pouring hotter water on a ready-heated stove of sultry New York house, while 'I'm Outta Love' does the same to Anastacia's less identifiable but still findable soul belter. Real stumpers on the sample front at first, but we found 'em!
Review: Formed in Edinburgh in the early 90s, Fresh & Low helped define the UK's take on deep house with a dusty, groove-led sound that bridged warmth and restraint. This reissue digs up a lesser-known 1997 session and restores it with fresh mastering. 'Sea of Desire' sets the tone-loose, late-night and dubby, with floating pads and barely-there vocal textures. 'Espresso' picks up the pace with more rhythmic bounce and filtered chord work, while the B-side doubles down on mood: 'Where The Wolves Once Roamed' and 'Where The Wolves Return' feel hypnotic and half-submerged, tapping into that same smoked-out headspace as early Chicago or Prescription. One for fans of deep simplicity done right.
Review: Hungarian electronic music producer Laurine Frost's Cabaret Nord lands as the debut release on Spanish label Andermedt, and it's nothing short of a radical statement. A vault of unreleased material over five years in the making, it's a return to Frost's 4/4 roots but filtered through his signature lens of dark mysticism and surreal funk. Earth-shaking drums, warped grooves and grotesque theatrics unfold like a ritualistic performance in each track as he twists techno cliches into something deeply personal. As such Cabaret Nord blurs lines between satire and sincerity, rhythm and poetry. It's not comedy-it's an avant-garde theatre of sound and a mind-bending triumph that demands immersive listening.
Review: The SEVEN label has an 'in-between house and techno' ethos and next to tap into that is Berlin-based Tal Fussmann with some 90s-tinged prog house that radiates feel-good energy. Blending genre fluidity from the off, 'No Disco' is percussive and freewheeling but with a rebounding low-end and a clear dancefloor focus. 'Release' taps into driving techno territory and is infused with shimmering machine soul warmth, 'Sunset Falling Down' is a clubby broken beat with real poppy intensity and 'Is It Real?' Is a buoyant, arms-in-the-air house closer. The 12" is elevated by a standout remix from Swiss maestro Deetron, who brings some trademark depth.
Review: Montreal producer Jesse Futerman returns a refined sound that has carefully developed since the early 2010s. With past support from BBC Radio 1 and 6 Music champions like Gilles Peterson and Benji B and collaborations with the legendary Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Futerman is a real contemporary favourite. These four cuts blend swinging vocals and organic live drums with introspective downbeat bliss outs like 'Velvet Glove' and 'The Case of The Lost and Found' marries the sort of life-affirming piano lines and persuasive Balearic grooves that will light up more mature parties. 'You Are All The World Of Hero' is a delicate dub with fluttering percussion and hand drums lending it great intimacy.
Acid Charlie - "Nuclear Era" (orchestral mix) (6:51)
Review: Plasticity Records launches with a bang on its debut release, which is a various artists offering with our fierce and floor-ready tracks. Nulek & Roto open with 'Eternal Space,' a shadowy techno-electro hybrid laced with eerie vocals, then Flhez follows with 'Study Nights' stylishly channelling Uruguay's deep-rooted rhythmic heritage through gritty analogue texture. On the B-side, Mar.C drops 'Not Normal,' a pounding EBM-inflected banger built for dark rooms and late hours. Closing things out, Acid Charlie brings warped percussion and twisted structure on 'Nuclear Era,' which makes for a fractured, futuristic workout. A bold first statement from a label with serious potential.
Review: MoBlack Gold work both as appraisers and minters of quality Afro House. This record, once again, attests to the fact, clocking in as the label and music-making house's "XII-th" release. Jamek Ortega, MoBlack, Armonica, Samna Soundsystem, Peaty and Faros all stop by the dancehall in a confident move of jitting, shimmying surety, extending out from an extended version of Ortega's 'Voices' to a closing, kwaito-deep quaalude by Faros, 'Feeling You'.
Review: What time is it? It's Skankoclock. The label is small but already well-formed and this sixth outing offers up a fresh roots reggae gem from Rapha Pico, whose 'Treat You Wrong' delivers rich vocal vibes over a heavyweight riddim. It is then Far East's smooth melodica version that take sober and lulls you into more deepness that mixes classic energy with modern warmth. Guru Pope and Handyman round out the lineup with deep instrumental contributions that add more layers of rich musicality, all of which gets pressed in a vibrant full-colour skanking sleeve for superb toots with soul, melody, and pure sound system flavours.
Jauzas The Shining X Foreign Sequencer - "Enter The Body" (4:03)
Teslasonic - "Chubby Bee" (5:13)
Igors Vorobjovs - "For One" (4:40)
Review: Gladio Operations continues to bolster its catalogue with an international five-track set showcasing both label newcomers and trusted affiliates. Protocolo Sysex, the new alias of Madrid's Fabio Vinuesa, sets the tone with 'NotTheFuture'ia dense, adrenalised workout packed with rugged basslines and twitchy sequences. It's a fierce opener that signals the label's club-facing intent. Sinitsin, hailing from Russia, debuts with a moodier, machine-led cut, its melody work striking a balance between precision and drama. Jauzas the Shining returns alongside Foreign Sequence, offering a cold-blooded, cinematic highlight with shadowy synths and detached vocal fragments. Teslasonic's 'Chubby Bee' acid-kissed electro is quick and wiry, while Igors Vorobjovs brings the EP to a poignant close with a brooding IDM coda rich in ghosted textures.
These Weeds - The Ones That Do The Impossible (7:06)
The Same Is Different Every Day (3:44)
Saturated Memory Of A Rooftop (6:01)
M Net 103's Impossible Turn (13:37)
Review: "Instead of escaping somewhere else, this time I want to be here." We're not 100% sure if that's Fabiano or E35 Netherlands quoted, and woe betide anyone who thinks they can interpret such cryptic (not to mention borrowed) quips without asking the person who said them what they meant. Nevertheless, Landmarks very quickly presents itself as an ambient beauty born of this planet and nowhere else. At times the sounds are challenging - heavily textured tracks rather than the lush dreamscapes we often associate with the rather reductive 'ambient' label. Sometimes things are quite eerie, like the disquiet that materialises around halfway through 'Flowers On The Hospital Grounds', and the dense static waves of 'Saturated Memory On A Rooftop'. At other moments, tones invoke the mystery of night skies over Earth, or the rhythm of a world filled with enough life to mean we're still finding new species today.
Review: Popstock's latest Fall retrospective Singles Live Vol One 1978-81 captures Smith and his mighty co. in their rawest, fuzz-worthy phase. Whether it's the discordant organ furzes of 'It's The New Thing' or the snarled highway punk of '2nd Dark Age', this one's a great distillation of the Fall's sound at a select interval. Culled almost exclusively from the period spanning their Live At The Witch Trials era to the brink of the Hex Enduction Hour, the album compiles ferocious stage renditions of early singles, delivered by a revolving door of members as usual. Yet it was also born from frustration with how other Fall archival material has been handled, and how more recent lineups have been emphasised and represented as immutable over and above classic, yet more unusual suspects. Steered by ex-Fall members Paul and Steve Hanley, Marc Riley and Craig Scanlon, Popstock exists as a corrective, revisiting a pivotal moment with a twist.
Review: There's something timeless about the way this veteran UK singer carries himself and this 2010 album, now reissued on striking red vinyl, makes that all the more clear. It feels like a continuation of the Roxy Music legacy in spirit, mood and style, with that familiar air of suave detachment and immaculate detail, with a production styler that's lush and forward-thinking, bridging classic lounge-pop stylings with modern textures that still sound fresh over a decade later. The sleekness is no accident - every element is meticulously placed, from the glossy synths to the hushed guitars and orchestral flourishes. 'Shameless' is one of the more adventurous tracks, pulling in electronic flourishes courtesy of Roots Manuva. It's a bold move that actually works, blending suave vocals with a beat-driven framework that never feels forced. The real surprise, though, is the version of 'Song to the Siren' - a haunting, fragile take on the track made famous by Tim Buckley and This Mortal Coil alike, that shows just how much weight his voice can carry with minimal backing. Easily one of the most affecting covers in his catalogue. 'Tender Is The Night' rounds out the highlights with a melodic, romantic glow. There's an added layer of interest with Brian Eno - a Roxy member in its early days - contributing, creating a sense of full-circle collaboration. The sound of a seasoned artist evolving gracefully, without losing the qualities that made him magnetic in the first place.
Review: Carl Finlow, the UK electro auteur returns with Entangled, his latest full-length salvo that finds the electro luminary weaving a dense matrix of machine soul and synthetic introspection. Known for pioneering the sound of machine soul under aliases like Silicon Scally and Random Factor, here Finlow shifts focus toward slow-burning, emotionally rich electro that feels both intricate and intimate. 'Only Words' opens with misty-eyed pads and skeletal beatwork, while 'Entangled' itself glistens with neon melancholy and subtle rhythmic mutations. There's a softness in the sequencing, a kind of analogue ache that lingers long after closer 'Chirality' fades out. Fans of classic UK electro and contemporary cinematic hardware jams will find this one quietly devastating.
Review: Flunk bids a beautiful farewell with Take Me Places, their final album after 25 years of evocative music-making. The Norwegian quartet blends ethereal downtempo, trip-hop, folk and immersive electronica into 11 hauntingly beautiful tracks. From the brooding opener 'Capitalism' to the cinematic closer 'Omens,' the album captures dusk-toned stillness and dreamlike introspection. Flunk's signature melancholic warmth permeates originals like 'Trapdoor' and 'I Think I Like You' alongside stunning reworks of Massive Attack and Chet Faker. A poignant swansong, Take Me Places is a testament to the band's timeless artistry and an emotional, genre-blurring journey that leaves a lasting imprint on the soul.
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