Back catalogue: All genres

Review: To keep it in the family is to imply things stay pure and untainted, but the irony with the Keep It In The Family 12" series is that every record sounds raw and unsheltered. So, although 'Feel' and 'Move This Way' cycle through unperturbed and dreamatic sounds, their finish is rough, suggesting a well-wrought processing chain, the music having seen through many a prodigal battle. Retromigration's 'Fret' and Cem Mo's 'Rushmore' continue the mood of vintage deep raspiness, with one-up arpeggios closing out the final track with special glee.

Review: The eighth instalment in Running Back's playful Hits! series arrives with a globetrotting batch of quirky dancefloor charmers, spanning interstellar disco, Italo throwbacks and Berlin School eccentricity. Kicking things off, Skatman leans into sleazy synth funk and smoky melodrama with 'What I Am Feelin'', a crooning synth-pop number pitched somewhere between space cabaret and Metro Area. Baron Von Traxian Australian prince of peaktime pompibrings glitzy melancholy with 'If I Only Knew', layering ascending Italo arps and soft pads over a chugging disco pulse. Janis Zielinski and Sowhy3 (both Berlin-based) turn in 'In Your Eyes' twiceifirst as a vocal daydream of euro-pop yearning, then as a sleek instrumental. Morphena's 'Venus Underworld' dials up the noir with icy stabs and new wave propulsion, while Zoe Zoe's 'Palikau Dzemperi' signs off with a Tangerine Dream-style glide repurposed for the club. There's no unifying concept, but as with earlier volumes, that's the point: a polychrome snapshot of Running Back's curious, cosmopolitan world.

Review: Zarkoff taps into myriad different sources for inspiration here - there are swirling vocals that remind of Bowie, chilly synths from Depeche Mode and lithe beats from the contemporary underground. It's all crafted from melancholic synths as the heavenly voices soar up top and hypnotic drum machine beats lock in the groove. It makes for music that is both suited to more cultured club sets but also home listening sessions. 'Bureau Degradation' is our favourite for the slightly speedier beats and more pained vibes of the synths. A brilliantly original EP, wherever you look.

Review: Very few producers in the game can hold a candle to Zed Bias when it comes to exceptional garage sounds. He has helped shape the genre many times over and now comes through on the IFG label with another gem. This one features Abstract Sonance and Amber Prothero and is deep, cuddly, dubbed-out mid-tempo garage with long-legged drums and mystic melodic leads next to a spine-tingling vocal. The Zed Bias 4x4 remix bumps a little more directly with fizzing static marbled the beats and some nice wobbly bass finishing it in style.

Review: Eddie Santini and Matthieu-F are have poured years of dedication into Resilient Recordings. Now their second addition to the catalogue appears as a split side shared between Zero Days and Acerbic, two newcomers to the scene, but freshly cut and spruced by their patrons nonetheless. 'War On Drugs' with Casey Hardison hears an expansive likening of the USA's war on drugs to a "war on mental states", suggesting an illiberal attitude which sows a repressive, anti-revelrous hell. Hardcore techno reaches its apotheosis on 'Neurotypical Consciousness', meanwhile, whose stuttering sixteenths and mega-compressed mix brings a decisive ploughing forth.

Review: Z.I.P.P.O's return to Setaoc Mass's Berlin-based SK11 imprint hears the Italian producer break out from biostasis, stretching his/its tendrils out across four world-devouring tracks. 'Eleven' trades formula for feeling, its pseudopodial tempos binding to high-suction mechanics. Mournful synth phrases grate against a heavyweight pulse, as 'Hypernova' submerges into swung drum programming and murky mellifluous atmospheres. Flip it over and 'Kaus' introduces tribal momentum and swelling chords that slowly tilt the record into trance-adjacent territory; closer 'Replication' tightens the screws, bringing the most propulsive moment of the set with its warped detailing and hard-edged groove.

Review: Increasingly vital Brazilian artist Zopelar is back with more of his twisted house concoctions, this time with plenty of 909s and 808s defining everything from samba jack to Chicago swing. 'Fornix (feat Martinelli)' is a caustic, acid-laced sweat-box tackle, then 'Conga Master' is more dubby and roomy with fizzy cymbals almost acting like ASMR. 'Gon Hard' is a proto-house scuzz-fest that morphs into zoned out depths and 'Zwing' is a collision of drum loops and hits, balmy pads and fuzzy pads that fires many different feelings at once. '909 Samba' is just that and is a clear standout and 'Do It Wild' is raw and dusty house with detuned synths bringing an eerie edge to the party.

Review: Pellegrino & Zodyaco's skillfully intertwine Neapolitan disco, funk, jazz and world music while channelling a spirit of creative escape of this new album, which is inspired by Henri Laborit's 'Eloge de la fuite'. It explores conscious escapism as a return to authenticity and seeks a "common language" through sound by merging Mediterranean melodies with global rhythms, vintage instruments and ethnic percussion that all bridge past and present. Four years after his last outing, Morphe, Pellegrino is still in top form here with a soulful, genre-blurring portrait of modern Naples that reflects the fact that, in the city, musical traditions meet modern experimentation.

Review: Ziggy and the extended ZFEX crew return with their most ambitious project yet, a double album that dives deep into the tension between creative instinct and artistic intention. Spanning 15 tracks recorded between Berlin and London, the record sees the collective pushing their signature fusion of jazz, funk, and electronic influences into bold new spaces, with a fresh embrace of disco and highlife grooves. Throughout, vintage synths and off-kilter percussion meet the addition of electric guitar, adding a raw, expressive edge to the band's evolving sound. 'Astras Theme' sets the stage with a swirling, cinematic introduction, while 'Radicalise' brings a frenetic energy, driven by tightly wound rhythms and razor-sharp instrumentation. Elsewhere, 'Shine Your Light' channels a cosmic funk sensibility, balancing the album's introspective moments with sheer dancefloor exuberance. With contributions from a diverse lineup of forward-thinking musicians across Europe, the UK, and Australiaiincluding appearances from Oscar Jerome and Tom Driesslerithis record stands as the most dynamic and exploratory incarnation of ZFEX to date. It's a project that refuses to sit still, capturing the restless spirit of a band constantly evolving yet always deeply rooted in groove.

Review: Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk reimagines the war film as a tense, near-wordless "single-take" experience. Set during the 1940 evacuation from the beaches of Dunkirk, the film captures the claustrophobic chaos faced by Allied forces encircled by German troops. German composer Hans Zimmer's score centrally shapes the film's pressure-cooker atmosphere, as a ticking motif sampled from Nolan's own pocket watch circumvolves a Shepard tone, never ceasing to up the audiovisual tension. This limited edition release of 500 hand-numbered copies on dark green vinyl includes liner notes from Nolan himself, offering insight into the film's sonic and structural design. More than just a soundtrack, Dunkirk was marked out as a landmark in psychological intensity through sound, precision-engineered for immersive listening.

Review: Zy The Way's debut album, Then and Now, skilfully merges ancient Chinese poetry with jazz, improvisation and global musical inspirations. Drawing cues from the Shijing, China's first poetry anthology, this adventures record connects historical themes with contemporary sound nd features collaboration with scholar Dr. Annie Luman Ren. Aong the way, the artist explores timeless concepts having already earned two Global Music Awards and gaining international acclaim. Notable tracks like 'Blue Collar' and 'Agile' shine brightly and, additionally, remixes by Mark de Clive-Lowe and DJ Spinna offer new interpretations to add even more richness.