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Review: Acid For The Grandma's fourth release is another boundless trip into warped rhythms and surreal soundscapes with acid liquid textures that make for a psychedelic experience that sparks the imagination while pulling you into otherworldly dimensions. 'Login Beat' casts you adrift amongst circling snares over jacking beats and 'Biancone Interno' then cuts loose with freewheeling arms and sci-fi motifs that leave long neon trails. 'Strobe Transforms Thinking' taps into more taught dub tech with sinewy leads and last of all, 'Light And Illusion' places you in a colourful world of refracted rhythm and slivery tech house drums sent back from a distant planet.

Review: On Club Tounsi, Tunisian producer Sofyann Ben Youssef, aka AMMAR 808, brings the raw rhythmic power of Mezoued-the folk music of Tunisia's working class-into a bold electronic future. Fusing pulsating synths, distorted textures and TR-808 beats with traditional instruments like goatskin bagpipes, hand drums, and the ney, he reimagines iconic Mezoued tunes for a new generation. Vocalists from classical, Sufi and Mezoued backgrounds also feature to add human soul and mean the album captures the genre's emotional depth while transforming it into something cinematic and club-ready. This LP is a bridge between past and future, tradition and innovation and one that makes you want to move.

Review: Chicago house newcomer Arsene's 'Jack Shit' is guaranteed to detonate on impact, because its 7" release back in February has already done plenty of damage and got shouts from Luke Solomon, Moodymann and Danny Krivit among more. Now the Chicago upstart finally unleashes the full EP with three other, equally fresh cuts of raw, tracky Windy City house. Crunchy drum machines, hypnotic basslines and that unmistakable Chi-town swing are all present and correct here, with dark undertones but persuasive atmospheres all packed with Arsene's own urgent spark. No weak imitations here - this is a familiar analogue grit with future intent.

Review: Hamilton Bohannon's debut Stop & Go, first dropped back in 1973 and is a raw and essential slice of early 70s funk. Though maybe more known for his later disco hits, here Bohannon delivers something earthier-looser grooves, soulful vocals and inventive arrangements that simmer rather than explode. This album offers a deeper, more nuanced sound compared to his polished, high-energy disco work and highlights include the blissed-out 'Singing a Song for My Mother,' the deep funk of 'Happiness,' and the widely sampled 'Save Their Souls.' A crate-digger favourite and funk connoisseur's gem, Stop & Go is a percussive, spiritual, and downright nasty record that holds up start to finish.

Review: Landing with a curbstomp the year before their debut full-length Matando Gueros, 1992's iMachetazos! served as only the second 7" EP (of what would become a lengthy discography) from drug cartel death metal outfit Brujeria. While performing with their faces covered and under gangster pseudonyms, anyone within the scene knows the collective alumni boasts (or has at one point) Fear Factory's Dino Cazares and drummer Raymond Herrera, as well as Billy Gould (Faith No More), Nicholas Barker (Cradle Of Filth Dimmu Borgir) and Jeff Walker (Carcass). Lyrically touching on tops of Satanism, torture, gang violence and drug dealing, all united through Mexican imagery and gangster aesthetic; when coupled with the band's extreme form of death metal imbued grindcore, the resulting menace is akin to waking up in a mosh pit during Sicario.

Review: Originally released in 1983 on the B-side of a House of Music 12", 'Stop' is a raw and iconic Italo-Disco anthem that helped define an era. Now, four decades later, Stop 4 Remixes breathes new life into the cult classic with four dynamic reworks. Woody Bianchi delivers a masterclass in mixing with 'Pushed Up' while Danilo Braca (aka Danyb) offers two deep, expansive edits tailored for discerning dancefloors. Dirtyelements & Drunkdrivers bring the fire with their 'Acid Re-Solution Remix' that's full of passion, precision and some nice wild energy. These are great tributes to a track that helped launch the Italo-disco movement into orbit.

Review: Italian techno heavyweight Claudio PRC's fifth album, Self Surrender, is a meditative dive into self-acceptance that comes on Amsterdam's long-running and always top-notch Delsin Records. Claudio delivers a fluid narrative across an exploration of tasteful ambient, dub, minimal house and deep techno here, and it opens with some absorbing introspection before gradually shifting into more kinetic territory. It is driven by pulsing kicks, dreamy textures, acid flourishes and ghostly strings as a refined blend of techno and house sounds all coalesce with the signature depth Claudio has honed over years of his craft. Self Surrender closes on an ethereal note, which encapsulates its core message of letting go.

Review: Samosa Records delivers another funk-fuelled feast with Vol2, a double-vinyl delight bursting with disco grooves. Dirty Elements & Drunkdrivers open with 'Koko,' which is a clavinet-driven, string-laced dancefloor gem and then Macchianera's 'Gotta Dance' gets the De Gama re-groove treatment-soulful, brassy and endlessly playable. Niels F.'s 'Trying To Love' grooves with filtered strings, brass and a slick vocal hook that is nicely enhanced by De Gama's re-drums. MP Soundworks closes with the Afro-tinged 'Gotta Get It,' a tribal-infused banger powered by looped vocals and a bouncing bassline. This is a very useful collection that underlines Samosa's fine ear for cutting talent.

Review: When English producer Sam Yamaha emailed Dixon, crediting his early beats as inspiration, Magic, Alive! began. Intrigued by the mail, Dixon met Yamaha in London and unearthed a trove of beats that fit his evolving vision. Then, back in Richmond, Virginia, in mid-2024, Dixon built this resulting album from those sounds after teaming with past collaborator Koff and a vibrant crew including the likes of Anjimile, Pink Siifu, Reggie Pace, Eli Owens and more. Together, they sculpted a dreamlike world of hooks, horns and flowing interludes. Following the emotional depth of For My Mama... and Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?, Magic, Alive! is a fine sonic reinvention that's playful, surreal and defiantly alive.

Review: Multi-genre acrobats and 70s American rockers The Doobie Brothers are back with more silky smooth signature harmonies from their home base in California with Walk This Road, a ten-tracker that unites core members Patrick Simmons, Tom Johnston, John McFee and Michael McDonald. It was produced by John Shanks and does a fine job of working each member's unique songwriting style into a cohesive collection. Themes of recovery, reflection and spiritual awakening run throughout, with Simmons describing it as "waking up to see the important things you've been missing." The title track has the legendary Mavis Staples and stands out as a fine soulful anthem of unity and hope that will resonate in any era.

Review: Details on the good Dr Ray are thin on the ground, but both here tunes suggest that whoever they are, they have a love or raw, classic hip-hop and rap. 'Speaking On Death Row' has big Hammond organ chords that speak of a gospel sermon but they soon make way for big, raw drum breaks and hard-hitting bars. Jumbled percussion fleshes out this old-school gem. 'Lyrical Rec Room' is more stripped back with a raw boom-bap low end, rhythmic bars and synth stabs to inject the energy. Two ageless, time-worn sounds that are as authentic as they come.

Review: The SEVEN label has an 'in-between house and techno' ethos and next to tap into that is Berlin-based Tal Fussmann with some 90s-tinged prog house that radiates feel-good energy. Blending genre fluidity from the off, 'No Disco' is percussive and freewheeling but with a rebounding low-end and a clear dancefloor focus. 'Release' taps into driving techno territory and is infused with shimmering machine soul warmth, 'Sunset Falling Down' is a clubby broken beat with real poppy intensity and 'Is It Real?' Is a buoyant, arms-in-the-air house closer. The 12" is elevated by a standout remix from Swiss maestro Deetron, who brings some trademark depth.

Review: Following 'Happy Lovers' just over six months ago, Leo Gibbon returns with another inspiring collection. While the last EP flung its arms wide open to embrace the worlds of house, garage and soulful categories in between, this time we find him zoning in on the 140 grime vibe as he links with Trim for two exceptional messages. 'Orbit Step' is a woozy spacious stepper that gives plenty of space for Trim to flow out some ridiculously smart 16s. 'Danny & Darren' carries much more of a harder edge as Trim gets guttural and unleashes his inner yardman wisdom. Complete with instrumentals and acapellas, Leo and Trim have delivered something really special and super versatile right here.

Review: Lenxi's debut album, Did You Get the Dream I Sent You?, is a cultured blend of IDM, indie pop and techno that is laid out across 10 deeply personal track. The London-born, Amsterdam-based producer channels a period marked by heartbreak and isolation into the music, which means the album emerges as an emotional escape shaped by paintings, sketches and synth lines all crafted in studios from London to L.A. It balances vulnerability with resilience while weaving nostalgia and hope into the mix. Ultimately, Lenxi transforms pain into empowerment here and takes you from sounds of solitude to the dancefloor with a powerful, dreamlike narrative.

Review: Although they only debuted a couple of years ago, Los Guapos Sensibles have become firm favourites with lovers of authentic international grooves and sounds like cumbia. Here they return with La Alicia bringing vocals heat on this double A-side. Leading with a digital dancehall flip of Vico C's classic proto-reggaeton banger, 'Bomba pa' Afincar,' it's got that island vibe locked down. On the flip, they dive deep with a bass-heavy, fresh take on the timeless bolero 'Sabor a Mi' by Alvaro Carrillo, which is where Puerto Rico meets Mexico in a sonic showdown. Raw, rhythmic and packed with swagger, this is the best of tradition warped into a modern groove for a bold, cross-cultural fun.

Review: Detroit electro investigator MICRO4CE delivers a no-compromise double pack here across two EPs packed with nine tracks of raw electronic futurism and imaging. It is all rooted in classic Detroit electro and so-called hi-tech-funk so the sound channels early 80s influences like Nucleus and Mantronix while carving out its own cyborg-driven edge. 'Bass Situation 313' gets underway with swampy low ends and far-sighted chords then the likes of 'Borg Fightz' bring unrelenting coruscated drums and 'The Greed' is a more minimal sound with zippy synths and dehumanised vocals. This is seriously high-grade electro for heads who like gritty, futuristic and fearless sounds.

Review: Haworthia Records is a new sub-label of Luzerna that kicks off with Nomad Soul, an artist from Marseille who has been making beats for a decade. He likes to tap into dreamy 'scapes but keep the feet moving, and here he also colours his sounds with some 80s and 90s nostalgia on the 'Transpace' EP. 'Dropped' has a raw drum groove that stands you upright, 'Soul Hacker' has warped and psychedelic pads and hallucinogenic vocals, and 'Equal' is a thudding trance-techno pumper. 'Dub Spaced' shuts down with plenty of deep space eeriness, weird sounds and a throbbing, dubby low end.

Review: Sleepdial's debut for West Mineral is a mesmerising dive into ambient dub that blurs the lines between vaporous texture and low-end weight. Across nine tracks, the producer crafts smudged soundscapes rich with submerged rhythms and fractal echoes while evoking the spirit of early Pole or Vladislav Delay. Tracks like 'Icarus Rising' and 'Blue August' balance sensual warmth with dubwise grit and maintain a steady pulse through dreamy abstraction. This vinyl-first release feels both aquatic and etheric, with dub used as a method of spatial exploration. It is seriously hypnotic and emotionally nuanced, so is a strong statement from a promising new voice in ambient electronics.

Review: Colombian producer JP Lopez aka Verraco delivers full-throttle techno gritted up with grime influences on his new 'Basic Maneuvers' EP for Tra Tra Trax, the label he co-founded. His offbeat, chrome-plated and heavy style has been heard on Blawan's Voam and Batu's Tiemdance before now and here Verraco blends Latin club energy with signature rhythmic invention. The title track drives with mind-melting techno and ragga-infused bass, while 'Total' fuses gqom and dubstep with holographic vocals inspired by Arca. The grime-tinged 'Sobe Sobe' features Ugandan MC Yallah over Orbital-like pads and gritty, Coki-style midrange. Verraco's genre-blurring mastery knows no bounds.

Review: Dutchman David Vunk returns to his Moustache label with the Backdoor EP, which is a powerhouse concoction of electro, EBM, acid and techno in true bunker style. The 12" features gritty, all analogue-produced cuts like the hefty 'Purple Light,' more bright and melodic stomper that is 'K2' and gurgling, swampy, depraved 'Tornado Acid'. 'Stop the Insanity' is a crackerjack of pinging toms and rickety drum machines backlit with synth warmth, all crafted in his basement studio by the harbour and mastered by the master, Alden Tyrell. These are sounds that are ready to storm speakers but do so with plenty of narrative and emotional nuance.

Review: Over two decades since their initial formation, Idag serves as the seventh full-length from Swedish occult rock/proto-doom metal legends Witchcraft, marking their follow up to 2020's sombre, acoustic dark folk, ironically titled Black Metal. Speaking on the project, founding guitarist/vocalist and sole original member Magnus Pelander states: "This album will reap souls and destroy wicked minds. And perhaps mend a couple of broken ones." Astute rock occultists quickly surmised the nod to Chicago psych rockers Coven's 1969 debut album, Witchcraft Destroys Minds & Reaps Souls, which marked the deepest foray into all things gloom and doom the rock scene had witnessed up until that point, even birthing the "sign of the horns", with Witchcraft doing their best to honour the pioneers with an all-encompassing work. From the monolithic, eight-minute opening title-track to the swaggery, 70s-indebted progressive rock and metal roots of 'Irreligious Flamboyant Flame', all underpinned with delicate folk pieces to provide vital respites, Witchcraft have ultimately delivered an awaited full accounting of who they are as a band.