Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Ten EPs in under this name and the German producer uses his background to land an important EP with this highly revered techno label. These four tracks hit with urgency but never feel one-note. There's real movement and contrast throughout, keeping things charged without being too fast. The opener, 'Fast Process', comes out swinging. It's all steam and steel, driven by a stomping kick and razor-sharp percussion. But just above that intensity floats a swirling melodic line, adding a ghostly presence that hangs over the chaos. 'Miami Nights' digs into a different groove. The low-end rolls heavy, while tough chords and tribal elements give it a more grounded, earthy energy. It's relentless but rooted. On Side-B, 'Clap Your Dubby Hands' explodes with percussion. It feels wild and physical, the kind of track that could lift a set straight into overdrive. There's a rawness here that nods to his early schranz days without feeling stuck in the past. 'Ultra Eight' pulls back just slightly, going deeper and more spaced out. It's colder, more introspective, like the soundtrack to some strange, distant city. Together, these cuts hit hard but leave plenty of air to breathe.

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


Volume One of a label retrospective of pioneering early 90s Prog House label Interactive Test Compiled by Alex from Utopia Records and enigmatic Interactive Test founder Franco Falsini. Falsini, responsible for many of the underground classics on the label he founded in Florence in 1991 was first known for his 70s Italian Prog / Cosmic group Sensations Fix. A trailblazer who continued to push the boundaries of electronic music two decades later with Interactive Test, accompanied by the up-and-coming talents of Trance hero DJ Miki the Dolphin, his brother Riccardo and an host of cult Italian music producers. Here we start with 5 tracks from the archive, all highly collectable, remastered for DJs and psychedelic music enthusiastic alike from the best sources possible. Authentic and original dance sounds still hitting the spot in our times.

Review: Happiest of birthdays to Super Spicy who celebrate half a decade in the game with an EP of irresistible tunes. Phunque kicks the party off with an old school vibe that pairs a superb male vocal with crisp, effective drums. Bob Musella brings sample magic on 'Baby Hot Stuff' and Ysheso, Ralo keep the disco-tinged house feels flowing with a percussive monster. After the smoother sounds of Ghosts Of Venice, the flip side brings a trio of funked-up and guitar-laced house grooves that take it back to the glory days of New York.

Review: Recorded in collaboration with Nils Frahm at Berlin's Leiter Studio, Ganavya's fourth album is destined to carve its own path to recognition due to its unique quality. A follow-up to last year's acclaimed Daughter of a Temple, which drew praise from many music outlets, Nilam - probably best known her for her appearance alongside Sault at their recent live show - continues her journey into music as devotion, meditation and memory. Born in New York and raised in Tamil Nadu, she moves fluidly between traditions, channeling pilgrimage trails, harikatha storytelling and jazz improvisation into something uniquely her own. Her voice is unhurried, intimate and full of clarity, conjuring stillness even in motion. It's a sound that invites stillness but never feels static, where every breath carries the weight of generations and each silence says as much as her lyrics. The songs on Nilam feel distilled from years of lived experience, shaped by years of live performance as tracks like 'Sees Fire' blend Eastern tonalities with meditative jazz, fusing introspection with emotional firepower. The album traces the patterns of gratitude, loss and rootedness meanwhile anchoring the listener in a place beyond the physical. Rather than chase genre, ganavya reaches toward essence. Nilam isn't just an album, it's a moment held in reverence. A sonic altar where memory, spirit and sound meet. In her hands, song becomes a ritual of listening.

Review: Some 13 years have now passed since Mississippi Records started reissuing private press albums by Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru, an Ethiopian Orthodox nun, pianist and composer whose naturally religious-inspired works frequently took spiritual music to fascinating new places. Here the label turns its attention to 1972's Church of Kidane Mehret, notable not only for being recorded live in various churches across Jerusalem, but also for the use of harmonium and pipe organ as well as Emehoy's beloved piano. The original album, which in line with her other album features intricate and mood-enhancing solo translations of orthodox liturgies, has here been expanded via the inclusion of two further piano pieces from 1963's ultra-rare Der Sang Des Reeres - a set of which only 50 copies were ever produced.

Review: Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru's deeply spiritual music has long remained a hidden gem and this release offers a rare chance to experience her most poignant works. Recorded in churches across Jerusalem, her performances on piano, harmonium and pipe organ transcend genre that blends Ethiopian Orthodox liturgy with the technical sophistication of her classical training. There's a serenity to these pieces, particularly in 'Ave Maria,' where her piano's crystalline chimes fill the sacred spaces, while 'Spring Ode - Meskerem' brings new life to familiar melodies, played through the rich drones of the harmonium. The collection moves from meditative to dramatic, with 'Essay on Mahlet' offering a slow, introspective journey as Emahoy translates the free verse of Orthodox liturgy into a delicate piano composition. The inclusion of 'The Storm' provides a moment of intense contrast, its stormy narrative unfolding through sharp, thunderous piano lines. Emahoy's ability to blend devotional themes with emotional depth is most apparent in 'Via Dolorosa,' where the music mirrors the weight of the stations of the cross with breathtaking gravity. Her music, though niche, stands out for its seamless fusion of Ethiopian spirituality with the grand traditions of Western classical music, feeling entirely distinct in its expression. The recordings, originally made in 1972, show a stark simplicity and restrained power that speaks directly to the soul. It's a rare treasure and an essential contribution to the world of spiritual music.

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


Five years after its first release, Emotional Response is serving up this welcome reissue of Alexis Georgopoulos and Jefre Cantu-Ledesma's classic Fragments of A Season. They came together after five years of superb releases and reached new highs here even though they aren't necessarily household names. It saw them turn in some wonderfully expressive compositions played out across all manner of organic instrumentation. The richness of the production and the highly developed ideas embedded within this gorgeous LP should resonate for a long time to come, not least because the pieces are all so easy on the ears.

Review: Indiana singer-songwritern Lisa Germano's 1994 moody dark indie rock masterpiece has been remastered at Abbey Road Studios in London. This expanded edition - released as part of 4AD's Record Store Day spread - includes 'The Mirror Is Gone' and the five-track EP 'Inconsiderate Bitch', making it a bumper version of one of the key albums of the 90s. Germano's voice is a thing of wonder with lyrics that cut through the noise. The sonics underpinning her voice are often sparse and atmospheric, allowing us listeners to really feel the intimacy of feeling. It's no wonder the likes of Eels, Bowie and Iggy Pop called her in to guest on their records.

Review: Jean Grae and Quelle Chris come together brilliantly here on Everything's Fine, a sharp, satirical and refreshingly non-toxic hip-hop album from two of the genre's most unique voices. Superbly blending Jean's razor-sharp lyricism with Quelle's introspective wit, the project takes aim at societal absurdities with intelligence and humour and comes with notable Cameos from comedy heavyweights like Nick Offerman, Michael Che, John Hodgman and Hannibal Buress who all add an extra layer of punch. Politically charged, deeply self-aware and sonically adventurous, this is essential listening for fans of boundary-pushing rap, and it comes on a stunning tri-colour vinyl that is as bold as the music itself.

Review: Recorded at Portland's Type Foundry studio i where American instrumental experimental rockers Grails' earliest records were born i Miracle Music is the band's 12th long player and weaves acoustic and electric guitars, synths, brass, woodwinds, percussion and samples into an expansive, cinematic tapestry. Drawing from early industrial textures, classical elegance and psychedelic ambiance, the album crafts a heavy yet ethereal mood. Tracks like 'Silver Bells' pulse with vintage electro urgency, while others invoke a sense of reflection and grandeur. This balance of boundary-pushing intensity and airy melodicism reflects Grails' quarter-century commitment to reinvention. As both a nod to their origins and a bold step forward, Miracle Music stands as one of Grails' most personal and profound releases i a key to their ability to transform eclectic influences into something singular and deeply moving.

Review: Oskaa-born but truly otherworldly producer Daichi Furukawa, aka Ground, is back with a new album that is here to bend your mind and distort your reality with his fourth world follow-up to 2018's cult favourite Sunizm. This experimental odyssey truly defies genre, logic, and linearity as it assembles a chaotic yet mesmerising fusion of organic samples, synthetic textures, tribal rhythms and cosmic noise that are fantastic and freaky. Yaoyorozoo is one of those records that feels both ancient and futuristic as it taps into beautiful and unsettling, inviting and disorienting rhythms and sample sources. Across 73 minutes, it mutates like a dream-always shifting, never settling, so it makes for a cerebral collage for wide-open minds and ears only.

Review: Goyard Ibn Said marks Ghais' debut album arrived following two self-released mixtapes. Released under Fat Possum, this concept album introduces Goyard as a fictional anti-hero, guiding listeners through a narrative split into two acts. Act 1 celebrates the glamour and wealth of mainstream hip-hop stardom so is filled with ambition and triumph. However, Act 2 takes a somber turn as it delves into the personal struggles and tragedies faced in the pursuit of success. The album's compelling storytelling is heightened by Ghais' intricate production so offers a rich and evocative exploration of fame's darker side and marks a strong debut in the hip-hop scene.

Review: UK rapper Sonnyjim and producer Giallo Point deliver a cinematic masterclass in street rap on their new collaborative album. Sonnyjim's razor-sharp wit and sardonic charm cut through every bar of No Vi$ible Means of Income 3 while weaving tales of crime, luxury and survival with grit but also lyrical elegance. Giallo Point crafts lush, noir-inspired backdrops full of moody strings, dusty loops and crisp drums that feel ripped from a gangster flick. The album stays proudly UK-rooted with top-tier guest spots from Jehst, P4VAN, Juga-Naut, Farma G and Beny Laylo, all of whom help make an immersive world of suspense and swagger. British hip-hop at its most refined and raw.

Notes: Existing for a few short years (1984 - 1988), El records was perhaps the most 'cult' of the UK so-called 'indie' labels. El records was created in 1984 by Mike Alway. Alway was A&R man for Cherry Red, signing artists such as Everything But the Girl, The Monochrome Set and Felt. Alway left Cherry Red to help run Blanco Y Negro (an offshoot of WEA) but soon felt constrained by the conservativism of the commercial music sector and left to set up his own label. El was once described as 'the most innately English record label there has ever been' and yet had a global appeal. Alway must be the only record label boss to have had four songs written about him.

Alway's mercurial approach was to take complete control of the repertoire, the philosophy of the label's releases and even the titles of songs in the manner of pop impresarios of the past. Alway became a curator, selecting, shaping and overseeing the records issued on El. He employed songwriters proficient in classical pop techniques such as Nicholas Currie (AKA Momus) and Philippe Auclair (AKA Louis Philippe) who in addition to issuing their own records wrote, arranged and performed for other el artistes and used creative talentssuch as photographer Nick Wesolowski and designer Jim Phelan to create the El "look".

El had a unique flavour eschewing the traditions of rock and indie music of the mid 1980s, exhibiting instead a taste for 1960s bubblegum and chamber pop, the European chanson tradition, Latin rhythms and film scores (one of El's key players was child prodigy Simon Turner who wrote music for the films of Derek Jarman).

The ethos of the label was decidedly un-macho and many of El's key artists were female. El's first single "I, Bloodbrother Be" by Shock Headed Peters was an uncompromising gay anthem. Alway saw El as a celebration of elegance and beauty, in his own words, "a pop world beyond leather jackets and jeans". While record sales were disappointing, this unique blend was critically acclaimed in the UK and popular in America and mainland Europe while in Japan El had a profound effect, directly influencing the Shibuya-kei phenomenon that included Pizzicato Five, Cornelius and Kahimi Karie.

Bright Young Things is the first book to tell the fascinating story of El, one of the most influential indie labels of all time.