Back catalogue: All genres

Review: ukuoka-based band MuchaMuchaM, known for their breakthrough debut album Qantikala, returns with a collaborative EP featuring Malaysian singer-songwriter Zee Avi. After performing together at The Creators' Co-Write stage in 2023, the two artists have crafted a unique sound that blends their distinct Asian influences. The EP features the modern acoustic track 'Day By Day', a cover of 'Sad and Unfulfilled' and the Asian dance number 'Oyasumi na Sayang', sung in Malay. The EP's cover artwork, inspired by Borneo, was designed by Fukuoka-based illustrator TOYAMEG, further enhancing its cross-cultural appeal.

Review: Zopelar's 'Horizonte' is a captivating exploration of soulful house and jazzy influences, blending rich melodies with upbeat grooves. The title track, 'Horizonte', delivers a jazzy Detroit house vibe, setting the tone with smooth rhythm and deep bass. 'Let It Live' brings an uptempo energy, with a soulful saxophone that adds a distinctive layer of warmth. On the flip side, 'Pure Heart' strikes a perfect balance between house and techno, nostalgic yet fresh with its groovy, melodic appeal. 'Venus' stands out with its dreamy 90s-inspired piano, uplifting spirits and evoking an emotional connection. Closing with 'Serena (feat PR.A.DO)', the EP ends on a high note, leaving a lingering sense of euphoria. Each track blends beautifully crafted melodies with rhythmic intricacies, making 'Horizonte' a standout for anyone craving jazzy, soulful house with a modern twist.

Review: Returning some 25 years after its original release on the beloved IDM label deFocus, these three refreshed takes on the skittering melodic gem of the genre are something to behold. The original 'Arrest' shines with jittery beats and intricate melodic patterns, embodying and example of the best of early 2000s. Nuron's remix keeps the track's kinetic energy but envelops it in lush textures, creating a perfect balance of rhythmic complexity and ambient depth. Voyance's remix pivots toward organic instrumentation, introducing drum sounds that ground the track while maintaining its melodic evolution, a satisfying balance between the original and a fresh, dynamic new feel. Mike Golding's ambient techno rework is a standout, blending his vintage touch with the original's core elements, a sublime, paradisiacal soundscape that recalls great memories of this golden era of challenging new melodic music. A project that succeeds on so many levels, artistically and creatively.

Review: Label affiliates Mytron and Zongamin make a combined return to the ever-on-point Canadian stable Multi Kulti, delivering an extended selection of typically off-kilter, genre-bending sonic mastery. In what appears to be a match made in the leftfield heavens, the duo join forces to explore dance-ish music's outer reaches, blending tribal motifs with 8-bit sampling and all manner of wonkiness. From the blissful bells of Conjunction With Reality to the bass-heavy throb of GHX, there is unsurprisingly plenty to savour here. Opening cut '08932168' blends enchanting lead melodies with rolling polyrhythms and dubbed-out effects before the equatorial percussion of 'Calliope Omniglot' makes way for the wiggy atmospherics of the collection's title track. Highly recommended.

Review: Frank Zappa once told KPFM-FM Radio that 'Sinister Footwear' is "a ballet about a guy who designs the ugliest shoe in the world and then all the things that happen before you get to wear it. And the shoe has been designed and I just saw like about ... twenty pairs of it, sitting around this place, it's really great." Ever the enigma, 'Sinister Footwear' could refer to the Frank Zappa track itself, 'Theme From The 3rd Movement of 'Sinister Footwear', or 'Sinister Footwear II'. Or this album, which collects highlights from his legendary New York City broadcast on 17th November 1981. A spectacular artefact from the height of his creative expression, at least some of the atmosphere, energy and creativity that captivated back then have survived onto this recording.

Review: Not to be confused with Zoot Allures, the 22nd studio album by American rock enigma Frank Zappa - released in 1976 - but purposefully confusable with that record, Zoot Alloors is just one artefact from the artist's critically acclaimed and technically astounding broadcast from New York City in November 1981. Like everything else Zappa, this mini-LP is part of a wider universe he constructed for himself before inviting fans to exist in it with him, and his inimitable performances style is captured here beautifully. Even the recording does its best to suck us right in there and leave us to explore. Tracks aren't so much tracks, but jumping off points for intense rock & roll, jazz, blues, glam and psyche jam movements that are invigorating, captivating and disorientating. A true original.