Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Mysticisms imprint strides purposefully into 2025 via a multi-artist extravaganza that touches on many of the label's regular musical themes. To kick things off, Utopia Records main man Alex Bradley offers up his take on Elements of Life's 1996 jam 'Are You With Me Love', reimagining it as a deep and spacey roller rich in languid trumpet motifs, metronomic synth bass and intergalactic pads, before Norwegian veteran Oyvind Morken asks 'How Bleep Is Your Love' via sprightly analogue synth sounds and jacking, sweat-soaked machine drums. Over on side B, Eirwud Mudwasser and Romansoff join forces on the deep, dubby, steel pan-sampling early morning tribalism of 'Cherrie', while N-Gynn treats us to a spot of deliciously deep acid house ('Es V edra TB Deluxe').

Review: Portugal has always had its own thriving scene right back to the days of 90s rave and techno. But in recent times it seems to be having a wider cultural impact with the arrival of plenty of great artists, labels, radio stations and collectives getting proper recognition across the global underground. Just over the Tagus river from Lisbon comes this new label oDYSea from the Caparica coast, and it's headed up by Penelope. GNMR's 'Zen' kicks off with cosmic tech and snappy kicks then Pakzad's 'I Could Never Imagine' is a mid-tempo and warped tech cut with hissing hi hats and psyched out colours. Eversines's 'Randomized Controlled Trial' is taught and trippy techno then Oscillator Man's 'Turning The Mix Up A Bit' is an acid-laced sleaze-fest.

Review: With more than two decades of output behind him, French producer Okain continues to carve his own path through the deeper ends of dance music. On this latest EP, he folds elements of acid, sci-fi and Goa trance into a rich and forward-moving four-tracker. The experience leans much more toward interstellar techno exploration. 'Acid Spin' kicks things off with propulsion. It's not overly fast, but the drive is undeniable. Electric squiggles and sharp synth lines dart across a steady rhythm, giving the track an urgent yet sleek atmosphere. 'EPR Paradox' is just as tightly produced, letting its groove build gradually with layers of texture and restraint. On the 2nd side, 'Wavefunction' drops into a swirling, cosmic descent. It feels like tumbling through a wormhole, where the lines between gravity and sound begin to blur. 'Computing Force' rounds off the journey with a deft hybrid of Goa trance energy and techno structure. The melodies shimmer with a nostalgic rave glow, yet everything remains clean, spacious, and functional. Altogether, the EP is a bold statement from a veteran still pushing boundaries. It's deep, physical, and built for futuristic dancefloors. This EP could change minds when it comes to what psy-trance is...

Review: You might think that Yassin Omidi is a newcomer, but in fact it is the new-coming of an already accomplished and respected head who now delves deep into the world of dub techno on Steve O'Sullivan's Mosaic. The beatless 'Sluder Dub' is coated in heavy fog and static with conscious vocal musings and the roomiest of chords landing with great drama and tons of echo. On the flip is another analogue sound that features buffed metal dub chords, classic effects and a shapeshifting ambient hiss. It's dramatic despite being such a minimal piece.

Review: Back in February, East End Dubz launched a new label, Rhythm Traxx - an imprint which the London producer intends to use as a vehicle for "timeless house music with an emphasis on raw energy and infectious grooves". For release number three, he's turned to newcomer Oncho - a producer with little or no online footprint. Title track 'Paradigm' sets the tone, with fluid synth motifs, sampled vocalisations and glitchy tech-house sounds riding polished beats and a deep, weighty bassline. 'Goes Like This' joins the dots between vintage UK tech-house and the alien, bass-heavy sounds of bleep techno, while 'Get Back'is a dirty, acid-fired slammer and 'Thorough' is a TB-303-powered slab of deep tech-house. Closing cut 'Dreamin', meanwhile, is - unsurprisingly given the title - dreamy, glassy-eyed and hypnotic.

Review: Groovin Italy break from their responsibilities in issuing contemporary neon-trailed Italo for a reissue of The Ones' 'Flawless', the standout 1999 debut by the electronica trio. "Just like perfection, flawless, needs no correction, flawless" is its instantly recognisable choral hookline, and the sinker is its sharpened post-Talo synthwork, heard further honed by remixers Phunk Investigation and Low Steppa. Though the original track gained broader traction when George Michael sampled it for his 2004 single 'Flawless (Go to the City)', the pop phylogeny of the song is lent little credence here, as both remixers emphasise the glitzy modern potential of in the track: Phunk's is neo-futural-funk incarnate, while Steppa's is a real treat for DJs: sinister, seedy-casino underworld speed garage, portraying the rather flawed underbelly of apparent flawlessness.

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: Madrid's Oscar L and Sofia's Metodi Hristov come together for a heavyweight two-tracker that stretches the Drumcode sound between two distinct techno poles. 'Gravity' crashes in with brute-force energy: jagged hoovers, a fluttering chopped vocal, and thick industrial textures square up in a storm of distortion, like two machines locked in dissonant conversation. It's cinematic, dark, and demanding. 'Up & Down' keeps the pressure on, bursting forward with piston-fast percussion, cavernous reverbs and a flickering synth motif that teeters between menace and euphoria. A spoken male vocalistark and monotoneigrounds the track with a cold-eyed edge. Techno as terrain: Madrid's pulse meets Sofia's shadow.

Review: This new VA from the young Swiss label Covered compiles four forward-thinking artists pushing sonic boundaries in their own way but united by detailed sound design and refined instrumentation. Olivier Romero opens with bold, wave-driven rhythms while Luise brings intricate sequencing and crisp minimal percussion. Maik Yells follows with atmospheric depth built from lush pads and ghostly harmonies, weaving a moody narrative. OneKnock closes with a hypnotic blend of shifting rhythms and sub-heavy foundations. These tracks form a nice listen when played together and are rooted in rich texture, tone and subtle storytelling.

Review: With a title inspired by the utterances of The Oracle of Delphi, a cult of female priestesses who reportedly "changed the course of civilisation" by inhaling volcanic vapours, it's clear that Lee Burtucci and Olivia Block's first collaborative album is rooted in paganistic visions and experimental mysticism. It's comprised of two lengthy tracks, each accompanied by edited 'excerpts', and combines Burtucci's experimental synth sounds and tape loops with Block's processed vocalisations and hazy field recordings. Dark and suspenseful, with each extended composition delivering a mixture of mind-mangling electronics, creepy ambience and musical elements doused in trippy effects, it sits somewhere between the charred "illbient" of DJ Spooky and the deep space soundscapes of the late Pete Namlook.

Review: As they prepare to squabble, rock out and reprise their infamously hooky riffs at a series of sold-out reunion shows, Oasis have decided to reissue their official best-off collection, 2010's Time Flies...1994-2009. Now presented in remastered, souped-up form, the two-disc set showcases all 27 of their UK singles (including non-album cuts 'Whatever' and 'Lord Don't Slow Me Down') as well as a hidden bonus track ('Sunday Morning Call', which appears two minutes after the final cut on disc two). While plenty of high points and fan favourites are missing, it does a great job in reminding us that Oasis were, at their very best, an iconic indie-rock band - as highlights such as 'Supersonic', 'Cigarettes & Alcohol', 'Some Might Say' and the epic 'All Around The World' emphatically prove.

Review: UK soul hero Omar steps up with his ninth studio album, bringing the depth, clarity and control that have typified his uncompromising and deeply rooted musical journey. The songwriting is tight, the grooves are locked, and the arrangements leave space for the music to breathe. His voice is as expressive as ever i warm, precise, unmistakably his. There's a strong sense of shape to the album, from the clipped funk of 'Research' to the more open, reflective tone of 'There's Much Love in the World'. Strings, samples and live instrumentation all sit together naturally, with nothing overplayed or overstated. The ensemble guest appearances i India Arie, Giggs, Paul Weller, Raheem DeVaughn among them i add some masterful flourishes to an already engaging set. Always good to hear new music from the one like Omar, a man who will never be underrated by those in the know.

Review: There's a strong argument to be made that 1993's Orbital II, popularly known as 'The Brown Album', is the Hartnoll brothers' finest single album - a sublime fusion of bustling breakbeats, heady vocal samples (many provided by then unknown vocalist Alison Goldfrapp), twisted acid lines, memorable melodic motifs, and rush-inducing breakdowns. Here reissued in remastered and expanded form, the set - which includes fan favourites 'Lush 3', 'Halcyon' and the superb 'Impact (The Earth is Burning)' the album sounds as fresh and forthright as ever. This time round, it includes a second CD featuring key cuts from the two-part 'Raddicio' EP (including two takes on the Scott Walker-sampling 'The Naked & The Dead') and superb revisions of Lush 3 by Underworld and Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia.

Review: Italian pair Orion return with more of the by now signature warmth, this time on Dutch label Far Blue. Orion's deep passion for their craft shines through here with sumptuous sound designs and gooey grooves sinking you in deep. The EP opens with 'Her,' which is a whimsical, calming track filled with immersive percussion and uplifting grooves. Its slow, cosmic pace offers a reassuring sense of well-being that will create a moment of peace amidst the chaos of everyday life. The rest of the EP showcases their full range from the refracted melodies and booming kicks of 'Teen Dreams' to the skittish and light footed rhythms of 'Akkadian.'