Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Amsterdam collective Forsvarlig Arkiv is branching out with a new label that is going to represent what they are all about. This debut EP, 'Arkiv I', comes after many years of expert curating of their podcast series and welcomes four different, equally vital artists to offer up some fresh techno. Forest On Stasys kicks off with 'Sunken', a swamp and gurgling bit of mind-melting sound design, Zemog's 'A'te' then rides on silky, meditative loops with rising synth tension and Eyvind Blix follows a similar path with a more psychedelic edge. Biocym shuts down with 'Sabotage', a more percussive and edgy sound for late-night freaks.

Review: Black Label Society main man Zakk Wylde initially made a name for himself in the metal scene operating as Ozzy Osbourne's touring guitarist for many a moon, while most recently, he's currently filling the boots of the late great Dimebag Darrell on the Pantera reunion/tribute tour. In amongst the bearded shredder's hectic schedule is his Zakk Sabbath love-letter tribute act to the pioneering metal giants of a phonetically similar moniker. The trio, rounded out by bassist Robert "Blasko" Nicholson (Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Zombie) and drummer Joey Castillo (Danzig, Queens Of The Stone Age), are now set to unveil a 7" single of their cover of the iconic Paranoid closing track 'Fairies Wear Boots', which was originally intended as a touring exclusive but now will receive a follow up retail-wide distribution. Complete with an epic, faithful rendition of Master Of Reality deep cut 'Solitude' on the flip side, but peppered with enough sonic liberties to engage without invoking the ire of avid fans the world over, this is Sabbath worship done only the right way.

Review: Zakmina is Lukas Zeringis, previously spotted on Futureboogie and Minimood, with his classy take on the modern tech house phenomenon. 'For U' sees the up and coming artist link up with Bordello A Parigi and go all-in on the trance tip. Playing out like it's peak time at Amnesia, the A-side is full of sentimental bombast which will keep that summer spirit running well into the winter months. On the B-side, 'Take Me Back' dishes out more of the melodic charm with a sly shot of electro in the rhythm section for good measure.

Review: Thus spake Zaratustra, who clambered down from his mountain lair after ten years of brooding and solitude to let the people of the meadows and grasslands know of the true nature of reality; the overman, aka. Stolt. Nietzsche references aside, this new release by French disco artist Zaratustra, in collaboration with singer Stolt, is a riveting take on electro-disco-Italo; 'Uprising' is a ricocheting heater of immeasurable proportions, channelling the spirit of hi-NRG and new wave in its vocal shrieks, eighth-note bass runs and gated splashy snares. A veritably worthy addition to Skylax's LAX series.

Review: The cultured La Bella Di Notte label out of Italy has already won our hearts with an array of fine reissues and here comes another one to start off 2024 right. Zero Origin's 'New Life' came in 1996 and is the work of Nathanael Heres, who dropped only a handful of EPs between 1994 and 1996. This one, like most of them, is much sought after and fairly pricey if you can find it. It is a raw exploration of stripped back house, techno and dub with well swung drums with an original, Se Da remix and more breakbeat driven Planet Earth mix.

Review: White Peach maestro Zha is a regular member of the Naan label family and is back with another EP that follows up quickly from two previous efforts earlier in the year. As always he brings together grime, trap and dubstep into intoxication soundtracks that are full of mystery and intrigue. 'What Have You Done' kicks off with melancholic bass and moody melodic hooks then 'Let's Throw It All Away' further draws on Zha's heritage with another blend of plucked strings and lurching beats. 'Chup' ups the ante with more edgy and unsettling leads and 'Hiding Place' closes down with the most spacious sound of the lot.

Review: Relative but strong newcomer ZKY, lands their New Standards EP on the fantastic French label Bass Culture. The EP includes four house standouts that are reminding us of gems that you would find on Nu Groove or Strictly Rhythm. 'Zycho' is a spirited tech house track that is as exciting as it is deep while 'Floating Phonk' adds a robotic funk to the mixture of deep and fun dance music. For the second side, 'Sonar Train' is a more futuristic ride that becomes an addictive workout quickly. 'Feeling RG' wraps up the EP on a soulful mood with this strong end of the nighter. ZKY is making waves in the scene and should be a producer we can look forward to hearing more from. We really like these mid 90s house sounds - not to be overlooked.

Review: Brazilian producer Zopelar is a real wizard when at work in the studio. He has done disco-tinged full lengths, synth-laced house sounds, deeper than deep grooves and now steps up to Sudd Wax with another brilliantly musical EP. It opens with the shimmering pads and free-flowing keys of 'Papaia' which then gets a Byron The Aquarius Jazz Twist mix that cuts even more free and gets even more cosmic. 'Jazz Class' is a funky one with golden chords and astral pads and the flip brings three more house gems laced up with the sort of meaningful melodies you don't often hear in this genre.