RIVERSIDE Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Polish prog rockers Riverside have seen some things in their time, and stuff. Now in their third decade, the outfit have borne witness to seismic changes in their homeland. 30 years ago, it was just emerging from half a century of dictatorial Soviet rule. Skip to today, and the country is part of the EU - more than can be said for some - and, until the invasion of Ukraine at the hands of Vladimir Putin, was one of Central-Eastern Europe's stronger economies in the Covid era.

Suffice to say, a lot has changed even since then, and ID Entity can in many ways be taken as a record that bookends different periods. Yes, the outfit have always had one foot in a retro-hued synth-guitar sound, but here that's expanded on, with lyrics worthy of the Plain English Campaign's Crystal Mark. A record made to encourage reflection - both of oneself, and the wider world.

Review: It's been a while since we last heard from former Ubiquity Records modern soul starlet Jeremy Ellis. Despite his mid-2000s success, the man with the golden tonsils has been off the radar since 2010. He's sounding as smooth and soulful as ever on this surprise return to action, lending his impeccable tones to a chunk of lilting deep house from Sandman and Riverside. Kai Alice handles remix duties on the A-side, delivering a tactile chunk of heavily electronic deep house with fluid chords and extended solos aplenty. That musical fluidity comes to the fore on the flipside KZREKchampa Club Dub, which peppers a shuffling, glassy-eyed groove with selected snippets of Ellis's brilliant vocal.