Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Acid Sessions Vol. 3 is another white-knuckle journey into the world of acid with five top talents in the field all pushing their own limits. Acidulant opens with "Serpentacid' featuring hypnotic 303 grooves and relentless energy, then Sarufaromeo & Papaverhof deliver 'Acid Nihonshu' which blends atmospheric depth with chaotic acid vibes. G303 takes you beyond with 'Live Long and Prosper,' an interstellar anthem filled with cosmic acid and resonant grooves. Paul Renard closes with 'SO36' which is all about the fat rhythms and powerful dancefloor drive. Long live acid is what we say.

Review: Burnski's high-quality Constant Black is back with more essential club-ready sounds. Donnie Cosmo and Pascal Benjamin step up for one side of action each. Cosmo's 'Holo Glitch' is first and pairs balmy synth work that is colourful and silky with some punchy tech drums and rolling bass that pulls you in deep. 'Echo Drift' is another lithe and lively one to get you on your toes while the groove flows and 'Airplane Mode' is another stylish mix of lush synth design and great rhythm. Benjamin's trio on the flip is a little more gritty with industrial-space-tech many the most fitting way to describe these curious cosmic cuts.

Review: Drei Vinyl launched back in 2023 and has slowly but surely amassed a respectable catalogue of various artists' releases. This sixth outing is the most straight-up techno offering yet and it opens with one of Spain's finest in Eduardo De La Calle. 'Deva5Vyasa' is heady and otherworld loop techno perfection with synth daubs and conscious vocals peppering the rubbery kicks. DJ Shufflemaster brings more texture to the raw, percussive madness of 'Axiom' and Tensal layers up unsettling and anxious synth murmurs with rising drum tension on 'Thermal Cycler.' Pergo's 'Lume' is a brash, industrial closer full of urgency.

Review: Floorbound body-occupiers from Papa Nugs and The Trip for Tessellate, blanching wildstyle hip electro and irky rave sounds. With the A-side totally taken up by 'Keep Rocking' in two versions, we've a modish street style version in 'Casa Nova' form and a 'Hip House' breakbeat rendition. Then come the underside dread ones: 'Fearsome' tilts in the direction of ever more raviness with tuned, sandstorming stabs and gated voxes, while 'All Night' takes a dash of speed garage to the mishmash, air-raid sirens sounding through held chords all around.

Review: Cut in Detroit in the late 1960s, 'I'm Gone' and 'Love You Baby' document the best of Eddie Parker's energies, at a time when soul took on a bluish yet backbeat-propulsive hue. Heron-like vocals strike a bold pose, representing an exeunt subject matter, as Parker consummates the experience of heartbreak with a belt-driven goodbye, at the climax of which we hear an incredibly intense pick progression in an eighth note pattern. 'Crying Clown' changes the subject entirely, capturing a subversion of expectations with the line "fame and fortune belong to me, but a happy man i'll never be..." Parker's self-concept as a 'Crying Clown' hears him end up lampooned by his own backing singers, whose high register is mocking, almost infantile in its (self-) depreciation.

Review: Long-serving Italian producer Marco Passarani continues his newly minted Studiomaster label project with its second instalment, serving a quintet of typically floor-focused jams on 'The Temple' EP. Arguably best known for being one half of the looped-up disco duo Tiger & Woods, Passarani is also known and loved for the more techno-tilted offerings he turns out from his hometown of Rome. His latest work sits somewhere in between his two trademark sounds, starting with the throbbing sleaze of opener 'The Empty Temple', with its purposeful bass, paranoid synths and dirty vocal whispers. The fierce, snare-driven rhythms of 'Night Walker' power grubby bass and glistening synths, while the descriptively titled 'Rotten Disco' offers a brilliantly wonky glimpse of future Italo. The distorted percussion and jagged bass of 'Dirty Hands' are aimed squarely at the floor, while the storming closer 'Cheater's Smile' bangs as hard as nails to complete a suitably stirring and tightly produced set.

Review: Hard techno bastion Perc has invited a bunch of peers to remix some of his own tackle for his Perc Trax label and the results are as abrasive and arresting as you might expect. 'Full Goblin (Mac Declos remix)' is a fast-paced cut with industrial decay and growling machines keeping you on edge, Peder Mannerfelt remixes 'Static' into mechanical, electro-tech loops with a jarring but beautiful harp loop up top. 'UK Style' gets a Million remix that takes the drums into overdrive and last of all is the big, brash techno throb of a Bad Boy Pete remix lit up with ravey stabs.

Review: Italian techno label Void+1 Recordings' newest release, 'Convergence Chapter 1', is one for those who like their techno extreme. Four tracks from artists not known for techno of deep introspection. These tracks are minutely produced, influenced by EBM, breakcore & harsh electro. The first cut, 'Loose Fit (Tensal remix)' is a fast-paced, four-to-the-floor rocket of a remix by prolific German techno artist Tensal. The next track by Australian CTSD sounds like a dark, modern interpretation of early 2000s breaks. Serbian hard techno artist Scalameriya's track 'I Am Soloing Your Egregores' mixes a cut-up beat with harsh feedback noise. The last track by Japan-based Cam Lasky sounds like techstep slowed down, No U-Turn meets Ancient Methods.

Review: TLM celebrates its 50th vinyl-only release with an exceptional offering of jazz-lounge house intonations. Legendary Canadian Mike Perras knocks down the first domino with 'Life Goes On', a jazzy house cut driven by a captive Rhodes groove. Craig Bratley follows with a deep houser featuring Tim Hutton on trumpet, while Mark Turner honours the legacy of Blaze on the A. The AA, meanwhile, introduces DFRA Experience Jazz Band from Argentina with 'Isolation', a smoothened pure jazz cut composed by Diego Ruiz and featuring Pablo Raposso on piano, Hernan Cassibba on double bass, Gonzalo Rodriguez De Vicente on sax, Joaquin Muro on trumpet, and Bruno Varela on drums. 'Sober' by Markus Enochson closes things out on a double bass boomer 'Sober', effecting a truly loose bonhomie.

Review: dO iT nOw Recordings makes its debut in the world of vinyl with a various artists' sampler that shows just what they are all about. First up is Pigsie's wonderful 'Silk' which sets a fine tone with lush jazz-inspired keys, dreamy pads and intricate drum work that make it well suited to those late-night sessions. Wearing Shoes then offers 'Finding Your Words' with buttery Rhodes licks and looped vocals over fat bass, and the B-side begins with Michael Oberling and his deep jazz grooves, trumpet solos and swinging drums. Massive R closes with the lovely, jazzy house of 'This Feeling' complete with snappy drums and a catchy piano hook.

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


A mesmerising blend of organic textures and synthetic precision, delivering a fresh take on techno and house. The title track, 'Upside Down', kicks things off with a clever nod to the glitch and microhouse era of the very early 00s. Its gorgeous melody and intricate layering make it both nostalgic and forward-thinking. 'Eyes Between Letters' follows with a deeper bassline and spacious, intricate production. Side-2 opens with 'Beyond Light & Shade', where Asian-inspired melodics weave seamlessly with a balanced blend of techno and house, offering a richly textured and emotive piece. Closing the EP, 'Complementary Senses' delivers profound depth, bringing an introspective quality to its lush production. A unique release tailor made for fans of innovative, boundary-pushing electronic music.

Review: DBH welcome Mihai Popoviciu & David Delgado the the Pleasure Zone series with the 'Evolution' EP. Bringing jazzy, sloshy, jerking flavours to the tech house palette, 'Evolution' and 'Shifting' evolve and shift, convoking a delegated moot of propulsive chords and forward-driving janks, conveying the mood of a finely tuned closed clockwork system chugging away like the central engine of a wider contraption. Closer 'Black Light' operates more readily in the lower regions of things, proving unafraid of sounds that lean towards the more peripheral and umbral.

Review: In the mid 1990s, Kent Soul uncovered Joe Evans' master tapes and were thrilled to discover the unreleased gem 'A Broken Heart Cries' by The Pretenders - note, no relation to Chrissie Hynde and co. The track quickly caught the attention of Crossover DJs, who picked it up from Kent Soul's CD release, precipitating an avalanche of demand. This soul quartet is mostly recognised these days as but a wooden limb on Evans' everlasting music-mogul marionette, but their brilliance spans many an exquisite 7" and 12" released during the late 60s and early 70s, mostly on the Newark label Carnival Records. The boy-girl group commanded loose but masterful drumming and vintage, summery harmonies, with the A-side especially seeming to reflect a mood of hidden satisfaction in heartbreak. Now seizing the opportunity to bundle it in with the group's equipotent ballad 'For The Rest Of My Days,' Kent Soul do well to support both songs' first-ever UK vinyl release.

Review: DFA Records prime mysterious new Brighton signees Proper Monday Number with a sure start, flicking the proverbial Rube Goldberg machine into gear with a banging remix of their otherwise unreleased debut track 'High Horse'. Here, of course, it's LCD Soundsystem / DFA's very own James Murphy at the remix controls, together with resident DFA DJ and "decent human" Matt Cash. Toolroom dance moods extend over a lusciously simple seven minutes, bringing home FM stabs and LinnDrum faceslaps aplenty. And the lyrics: "stop what you're doing now... you ain't got no crown! get off your high horse! turn this ship around!" In our day and age, we need more anti-stagnation, ego-teardown anthems like this, so we welcome the sentiment by the masked duo.

Review: Michael Prophet is a distinctive reggae vocalist with an emotive falsetto and conscious lyrics. Emerging in the late 1970s from Kingston, he rose to prominence working with legendary producer Yabby You, delivering hits that addressed social injustice, spirituality and inner strength. 'Know The Right' by Michael Prophet is one of those roots reggae gems that blends signature conscious lyrics with a smooth, hypnotic groove. His signature falsetto carries a message of wisdom and discernment that urges us to surround ourselves with positive influences. The rhythm section is tight and laid-back and on the flip is a dub for mellow moods and reflective moments.

Review: The best catalogue naming convention in all of music belongs to the Club U Nite label, and the beats they offer up ain't bad either. This latest blue 12" is the third volume in their Dee Tax series and brings an array of fine artists to the fore. The sounds are house with a traditional bent - Purple Kush's 'It's A Feelin'' is deep but jacking with jazzy motifs, Mellow Man keeps it classy with a garage swing on 'Touch The Sky', Manhattan Project taps into a 90s New York dub house vibe on 'Get It Right' and a second Mellow Man shuts down with seductive smoothness.

Review: Spanish Ethio-jazzers Pyramid Blue return with their latest 45 rpm rotunda on Discos Martos. Another one signalling the best of this rather recherche band's evolving sonics, they here team up with with Habiba Chaouf, a talented Arab singer deeply rooted in Spain's flamenco scene. Habiba's mesmerising vocals bring a rich layer to the A-side, where identifiably Arab melodies intertwine seamlessly with deep Afro-funk rhythms. 'Amal' means "hope" in Arabic, suggesting themes of longing, uncertainty, and soul-search. The B-side's 'La Esperanza', meanwhile, adds a touch of 70s film soundtrack bombast, combined with a whispered mid-record rap.

Review: Seasons Limited made a welcome return in 2024 and now keeps up that good momentum with another big single from French house mainstay Franck Roger with some fine vocals by Paul B. It's a super smooth sound with drum swaying back and forth, molten synth adding late night and tissue soul and the tender vocal adding intimacy and late night romance. Rocco Rodamaal steps up for remixes and first of all he pairs things back to a sedate, seductive deep house roll then fleshes out the drums with some dubby weight to finish.!

Review: Porcine quintet Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs laugh in the face of fate with Death Hilarious, a brutal and energetic offering of sadistically calculated aggression embroiled in knowingly self-destructive lyrics. The band have broken through the immersive approach basked in on 2023's Land Of Sleeper, now shredding any sense of hope for contentment held out for erstwhile. Allegedly inspired by an intense touring schedule, the band felt the need to reflect the superhuman biopower required of them in LP form: and in light of frontman Matt Baty's anxiety, the lyrics exorcise self-doubt, and critique neoliberalism and forced optimism in close step. Enlisting El-P of Run The Jewels on 'Glib Tongued', here's also a diverse mix of doom, noise rock, and post-metal, with surprise gothic synth solos garnishing an otherwise punishing mire of rock sludge.

Review: Celebrating its 50th anniversary, this iconic release - arguably one of if not THE msot famopus rock album of all time - gets an anniversary edition remastering, bringing its revolutionary sound into sharp focus while maintaining the spirit of its original recording. The remaster captures the depth and complexity of the band's vision, from the eerie pulses of 'Speak To Me' that lead into the tranquil yet ominous 'Breathe (In The Air),' to the iconic synth-driven chaos of 'On the Run.' The haunting 'Time' sounds even more immersive, its ticking clocks and swelling synths fully realised in this updated mix. And then there's the unparalleled vocal energy of 'The Great Gig in the Sky,' which now resonates with even greater emotional intensity. On the second side, 'Money' continues to provide that inescapable groove, its jazzy bassline never failing to captivate. 'Us and Them' brings with it a sense of melancholy and philosophical reflection, while 'Any Colour You Like' serves as an entrancing bridge before the chilling introspection of 'Brain Damage' leads into the album's climactic conclusion, 'Eclipse.' For both long-time fans and newcomers, this remaster offers an opportunity to hear the album as it was always meant to be heard, with every nuance and every note given the space it deserves.