Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Granada's Cosmic Tribe know the definition of "electro" in its broadest sense; their new Xtrictly Electro comp keeps the dystopian sound endemic to the genre's most present incarnation, but refuses to restrict itself to one tempo: the standard 130-ish that has sadly infected the otherwise genius genre as a necessity. An international splinter cell of spec-ops and mercenaries are recalled from retirement here, as we hear Calagad 13, Nachtwald, EC13 and many more mechanoid ilk lay down all manner of slick utilities, making up a morbid multi-tool. 5zyl brings further lasery Lithuanian steeze on 'Vilnius Bass', whilst Spectrums Data Forces betrays the existence of a sinister corporate entity, whose business model works towards the object of instilling 'Darkness In My Head' through giant, killer mozzy basses.

Review: Urgent electro from adept producer and DJ Munir Nadir. His third outing for a new favourite label, the Italian outfit Odd One Tape, this sawtooth croaker is an especially squelchy dance record, drawing on tail ends of minimal techno and noughts electro house, and with perhaps a tad of skweee thrown in too. 'Give Me A Second' and 'Paratoxical' use conspicuous reverb tails and flex-gurgled vocals to spoken and spelt-out effect, while the B-side's 'Sniper' is as wilfully minimal and baleful as it gets, working in a monster of a ghostly vocal underbeat. Finally, 'Flying Ladder' rounds off on a matchingly minimal euphorizer in the 4x4 vein.

Review: Two Balearic musicians with no relation beyond chemistry, Kiko Navarro and Pere Navarro debut as a duo with three tracks that stitch together house and jazz with an intuitive ease. Kiko's Mallorca-honed sense of deep, groove-led house is given new colour by Pere's nimble trumpet work, rooted in his training and practice across Ibiza's jazz and club scenes. 'Byrd's Groove' opens with dusty swing, its crisp drum programming softened by Pere's sunny phrasing and melodic asides. 'Keepn On Loving Me' is the standout, built on a chunky low-end and looped vocal that moves like classic New Jersey house, with trumpet lines that smoulder and lift. 'Blown Flow' closes on a dubbier, more headsy tip i less peak-time, more sunrise session i giving a stylish finish to an impressively coherent first outing.

Review: Are NewDad your favourite contemporary Irish rock band? If the answer is no, w want to understand why. 12 months or so ago they blessed us with the woozy, late-afternoon-in-the-park-cum-6AM-walk-home jangle of Waves, a stunning EP that cemented their status as one of the few truly authentic sounding indie outfits we have right now. So good it's still on the office playlist, Safe follows that up with another spellbinder. This time there's definitely more gnash and snarl, discordance and strained noises that should sound harsh but have been so beautifully used they only make the whole thing sound more joyful to weirdos. Or at least that's opener 'Entertainer'. The title track lets no side down, keeping that whirlwind of cacophony vibe, while 'Puzzle' and 'Be Kind' double down on melodies without lightening the mood. It's perfect.

Review: Kohei Matsunaga has spent over three decades dismantling and reconstructing the boundaries of experimental music. Born in Osaka and originally trained in architecture, his approach to sound is methodical yet unpredictable, reflecting a fascination with structure and abstraction. Across releases for labels like Raster Noton, PAN, and Skam, his work oscillates between dense rhythmic frameworks and fleeting bursts of sonic chaos, shaped through collaborations with the likes of Mika Vainio, Sean Booth, and Merzbow. His latest release continues this restless exploration. 'Filled With Vacuum' sets the tone with jagged percussive sequences and warped atmospherics, while 'Ancient Behave' layers hypnotic pulses with eerie tonal shifts. On the flip, 'Same Point Different Coordinate' pushes further into spatial disorientation, before 'Formulated Rhythm 4s' closes with a fractured yet intricate groove. It's another entry in Matsunaga's ever-expanding sonic architectureiprecise, disorienting and entirely his own.

Review: Owen Ni invites us on a sonic exploration with this ten-track release, a journey through the realms of ambient electronica and deep listening techno music. 'Beyond Flyhigh' sets the tone, its expansive soundscapes and hypnotic rhythms drawing the listener into a world of introspection and wonder. The Raytek remix injects a pulsating energy, transforming the original into a dancefloor-ready odyssey. Elsewhere, tracks like 'Mover' and 'Arqs2600' delve deeper into hypnotic textures and intricate sound design, creating a sonic experience that's both arrestting and thought-provoking. 'We Are Here' and 'S7lverbox' offer moments of quiet contemplation, their delicate melodies and atmospheric soundscapes inviting a sense of peace and reflection. The release closes with 'Epilog', a fitting conclusion to this immersive journey through sound and emotion, leaving the listener with a lingering sense of wonder and possibility.

Review: Nightlife Unlimited was a Canadian disco project active from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s, spearheaded by key members Tony Bentivegna and Johnny D'Orazio; their curious sound blent lo-fi and hi-fi, carefully construed for maximal-minimal dance floor confounding. 'Peaches & Prunes' first surfaced as a B-side on the Uniwave 'Just Be Yourself' release in 1980, and it would seem that licensing loopholes lay behind its continued bootlegging and reissuing over the years, not to mention its auspiciously magic sequencing and sound design - DJs have snaffled it up over the years for its prophesied 4x4 mixability, achieved far before "quantisation" was even thought a thing. Ron Hardy lays down a tribute, evidencing his awareness of the record's lo-fi vocal charm, though boxing and springing out the mix to lend the record a further reaching, lowly textured agape.

Review: Spiritmuse Records presents Journey to Nabta Playa, the dialogic result of Angel Bat Dawid and multidisciplinary artist Naima Nefertari, as they team up to honour the ancient Nubian astrological site of the same name. An ancient Neolithic site in Egypt's Nubian Desert predating Stonehenge, Nabta Playa incorporates a stone circle whose lithic configuration aligns with celestial events. Fittingly, then, this clash-of-titans record astrologises celestial electronics and divines ancestral predestinations, sewing a starry sonic tapestry - in Bat Dawid's terms "this is not just an album, it's a constellation". Picking up where Don and David Ornette Cherry left off with 'Bishmillah', and carrying out such further original, summative sonic burial and resurrection rites such as 'Black Stones Of Sirius' and 'Procession Of The Equinox', we hear a dance of featuring flute, clarinet, and vibraphone, and enraptured voice.

Review: A second joining of forces from two celebrated Chicago acts, blending deep, organic rhythms with a minimalistic electronic pulse. With the novel but logical addition of Jason Stein on bass clarinet, the collaboration stretches even further, pulling together the spiritual fluidity of Natural Information Society and the electronic minimalism of Bitchin Bajas. The first single, 'Clock no Clock,' is a deep dive into hypnotic rhythms, with guimbri grooves intertwining seamlessly with electronic bursts, flutes and organs. The other three tracks are equally compelling, the music unfolding like a living organism, constantly shifting but always grounded. Expansive, intricately woven sonic delights.

Review: Nazar, the nom-de-guerre of an anonymous Manchester-based producer, presents their sophomore album Demilitarize, following his acclaimed 2020 debut Guerrilla, released amid the pandemic. Nazar's first album securely firmed the artist's name within and beyond the Hyperdub diaspora, thanks to its unique melding of Angolan kuduro music with rough textures, field recordings, and media clips, retelling the story of his family's exile from the Angolan Civil War. Nazar is the son of Jonas Savimbi, a former general of the Angolan independence movement; after Angola's emancipation from Portuguese colonial rule, Nazar relocated to suburban Brussels. More recently, he fell seriously ill with tuberculosis contracted in Angola; battling mortality, the new album reflects a mix of introspection and blossoming love, which contrasts the warring rawness of his debut. Demilitarize is dreamier, with Nazar's submerged, mantra-like vocals at the forefront, evoking artists far-removed from the crumby, unedifyingly rough kuduro that characterised his first EP 'Enclave'. Nazar explains, "I wanted to create something almost metaphysical, inspired by the cyberpunk anime Ghost In The Shell." The sound is delicate, with relatively sculpted rhythms enveloping his own recorded voice throughout.

Review: In 1984, Gary Numan launched Numa Records and started a new phase in his career with the release of Berserker. This album introduced a harder-edged digital sound into his canon while maintaining the analogue textures of his earlier work. It's a testament to the fact that Numan's creative evolution never stopped and blends both personal and fictional narratives into haunting tracks like 'My Dying Machine,' 'This Is New Love' and 'Berserker.' The remastered double vinyl edition includes the original album with bonus tracks that add extra perspective to this pivotal period in his career.

Review: An ambitious, thought-provoking collaboration that merges radical improvisation with meticulous songcraft. Inspired by Francisco Goya's Los Caprichos painting, the album interrogates modern anxieties through a fusion of classical composition and lyrical introspection. Mark Springer, known for his spontaneous, real-time piano compositions, crafts haunting pieces performed by the Sacconi Quartet, while Pet Shop Boys singer Neil Tennant 's unmistakable vocals lend a poetic depth to the work. Recorded across multiple locations in 2023istrings in Surrey and Tetbury, piano in Brussels and vocals in Londonithe album benefits from its layered, almost collage-like construction. This fragmentation mirrors the project's thematic preoccupations: the disjointed state of contemporary society, the corruption of truth and the divisiveness of social media. Tennant's lyrics, shaped by Goya's grotesque and satirical visions, meditate on deception, power and the erosion of collective trust. The interplay between Springer's expressive piano and the Sacconi Quartet's controlled precision is key to the album's success. Tracks move fluidly between moments of stark beauty and eerie unease. Tennant's vocal performances are restrained yet evocative, delivering lines that echo both personal reflection and broader cultural critique. The arrangements are elegant yet unsettling, reinforcing the album's central tension between order and chaos. Sleep of Reason is not an easy listen, nor does it aim to be. It is an intellectual and emotional work, one that rewards deep engagement. In blending classical refinement with pop craftsmanship, Springer and Tennant have created an album that is an eloquent response to a world teetering between enlightenment and darkness.