New releases last four weeks: Breakbeat

Review: Planet Orange Records' fifth release is a four-tracker from the legendary minds behind Alien Recordings, aka A2 and Stopouts, who take one side each. From the opening moments, the Beyonders EP weaves a thread between the halcyon days of tech and minimal from the 90s but with forward-thinking energy. A²'s 'Glider' is a happy, piano-laced celebration to start with ,then 'Let's Get It Together' cuts loose with lithe pads and more mid-tempo drums. Stopouts steep up for the flip and soon melts the mind with some tightly woven acid and cosmic tech on 'Sin City' and 'Kartwheel' then brings a more freewheeling and loopy groove with some neon colours dripping down its face.

Review: Bassland Prophecy was a Southern California music collective featuring Alex Xenophon, Stuart Breidenstein who is ex-Skylab 2000, vocalist Alissa Kueker and Maxx Vaxx of Euterpre and Butterfly Garden. Their 1996 tracks 'Nine/Deeper' and 'Blue and Purple Starship of Trust' were thrilling genre collisions that have since become hard to find. The originals were long thought lost but have, in fact, turned up and been remastered and reissued by Bristol's Sex Tapes From Mars. Their sound was crafted using gear like the Juno 106, Yamaha FB-01, Roland S330 sampler, Sequential Circuits Pro-One with external MIDI, and various guitar pedals, all tools that helped forge their distinctive, otherworldly prog house sound.

Review: Bristol producer Borai (Boris English) and London's Denham Audio (Peri Ashwood) pulled off a remarkable feat with 'Make Me/No Good', an unequivocal release put out on Higher Level Records in 2019. Repurposing the unmistakable hookline from Donna Allen's g-funk jacker 'Serious' from 1986 into a fully re-recorded sample all their own, 'Make Me' set alight the feet of the breaksy raver, striking serious gold in the classic formula of easily-recognised old-school-soul vocals and sculpted tearout heft. As anthemic as its original B-side, 'No Good', the original latter half of the record now comes substituted by Big Ang's Rave To The Grave mix, whose blooping trooper sound design and mains-hum Reeses provide an ecstatic alter. A can't-go-wrong reissue by the Room Two camp.

Review: Originally released as part of Dub Narcotic Sound System's Dub Narcotic Disco Plate series, 'Fuck Shit Up' has stood the test of time as a raucous blend of garage soul punk. The track made waves upon its 1994 release, with its genre-defying energy gaining instant admiration from artists like Beck, Chemical Brothers, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (who later covered it), and Make-Up. "We loved this piece of ramshackle punk funk when we first heard it on 7" in 1994 and we still love it now!" said The Chemical Brothers in 2025. Still a staple at underground dance parties, the track has amassed over 100,000 YouTube streams, so for the first time, it's now available digitally, paired with a fresh remix by Hifi Sean, best as former singer with C86/baggy heroes Soup Dragons.

Review: London's Mysticisms label spill valorous guts in issuing this new dub and breakbeat crossover record from Dub Specialists. Having emerged from te potent 1980s-90s fallouts that enshrouded the pioneering digital roots label Conscious Sounds, Dub Specialists tracked the storied meeting-of-minds that was and still is Douglas Waldrop, Piers Harrison, and Stuart "Chuggy" Leath. This time, the trio are heard teaming up with DJ Millie McKee and studio brain Matt Bruce to formate yet another splinter cell, as missionaries of Conscious Sounds' digital mission: to explore samplers and videogame sounds in dub and funk. Using an Atari 1040 running Cubase and armed with a Soundcraft mixer, this latest iteration hears drum loops and reggae basslines played over funk samples and layered with Petter's chords, crafting a series of short, DJ-worthy heaters. The result is unhindered by expectation and breaks many calcified digidub moulds, as on 'Funkin Dub', where speak n' spell garblings meet downtown funk licks and sonorant snare whacks.

Review: After a decade since his last release on Planet Mu, Drew Lustman aka American rhythmic innovator and vibes man FaltyDL returns with the accomplished Neurotica. In the interim, he's run Blueberry Records, worked with Mykki Blanco and become a father. His daughter's playful influence is said to have ignited a fresh creative energy in his music. Neurotica bears that out - it's a sugar-rush of high-speed bounce blending energetic euro-pop and childlike vocals into something urgent and fun. Drew crafted it quickly, with tracks written in half a day, and shaped with Planet Mu boss Mike Paradinas' guidance. It's a joyful, refreshing album that resonates across generations and captures the essence of fun, movement and simplicity. A return to form, for sure.

Review: Hungarian electronic music producer Laurine Frost's Cabaret Nord lands as the debut release on Spanish label Andermedt, and it's nothing short of a radical statement. A vault of unreleased material over five years in the making, it's a return to Frost's 4/4 roots but filtered through his signature lens of dark mysticism and surreal funk. Earth-shaking drums, warped grooves and grotesque theatrics unfold like a ritualistic performance in each track as he twists techno cliches into something deeply personal. As such Cabaret Nord blurs lines between satire and sincerity, rhythm and poetry. It's not comedy-it's an avant-garde theatre of sound and a mind-bending triumph that demands immersive listening.

Review: This one hits like a love letter to the raw energy of early warehouse nights. From a UK producer who's been around the block more than a few times, the EP drips with old skool DNA but never feels like a copy-paste job. It's gritty, sweaty and awesome. 'Moved (part 2)' kicks things off with a pounding rhythm and a melody that instantly pulls from the golden age of rave. There's something serious in its tone, dramatic even, with a warped vocal sample urging you to move. Think late nights with strobe lights, where records like 'Energy Flash' or 'Testone' were gospel. 'What Is Houz' flips the mood but keeps the intensity. This one rides a low, tracky groove, dipping into minimal and funky acid touches that feel tailor-made for a dark room dancefloor. Turn the record over and you're tossed straight into the breakbeat jungle with 'Satisfaction'. It's all rattling drums, big vocals and classic rave swagger. No subtlety here, just full-throttle. 'The Prowl' closes things out on a moodier note, with acid lines creeping through a dark, melodic structure that echoes vintage Belgium techno. It's the sound of someone who's been through every era and still knows how to light the fuse. This isnt a copy cat trip down memory lane. This really makes you feel like a movement could happen again with these vintage sounds.

Review: After last year's standout 'E2-E4' rework, in-form producer Alex Kassian returns to Test Pressing Records with the next instalment in the series i this time turning his attention to Spooky's 'Orange Coloured Liquid', taken from their 1993 debut album Gargantuam. Alongside acts like Underworld and Leftfield, UK duo Charlie May and Duncan Forbes helped shape the early 90s progressive house sound under their Spooky moniker. Now, decades later, Kassian delivers two versions designed to serve dancefloor and sunset respectively, with the rolling breaks of Part I beautifully complemented by the ambient swells of Part II. John Beltran dons his Placid Angles alias for a sumptuous remix pitched somewhere between the two, while the still-fresh original rounds out an essential EP i no surprise, given the calibre of those involved.

Review: Pilot is one of the many labels in the orbit of the irrepressible James 'Burnski' Burnham. Its next outing is from M High who perfectly slots into the label's classy minimal and tech sound world. Things open up with 'Same Routine' which is a turbocharged sound with frazzled bass and thumping kicks. 'On My Own Supply' has a touch of the old school to it with the unbridled joy of the dancing piano chords and big, bulky beats. 'Same Routine' then gets a space-tech rework from Wodda and Hatori's live Bass remix brings some lush cosmic synth swirls and bumping drums.

Review: Yet another early Masters At Work proto-jungle cut gets released on the inimitable Kay Dee recs. 'Blood Vibes' (Demo Version) is a desirous gemstone whose best facets reflect reggae, hip-hop and party breaks, though each side can only partially bend the unmissable light that is Kenny Dope" Gonzalez's production touch. Built around elements of Junior Reid's reggae classic 'One Blood', 'Blood Vibes' came about amid the pose-striking ballroom craze in New York in 1991, and even now we can hardly prepare ourselves for the riot that ensues on the following B-side, 'The Madd Cry'.

Review: Mr Lode is back with more surgically designed breakbeats that are aimed both barrels at the heart of the dance effort. They come with plenty of retro stylings and old school stylings that will unite dancers from across the ages and first up is 'Journeys' which is unrelenting drum funk and retro-future samples. 'Rhythms Of The Night' ups the ante with some mad whistles and soulful pads, then 'Happiness' tapes into Latin energy with raw South American horns and tumbling, funky drum patterns. 'Revival' shuts down with more drum-led goodness, underpinned by fat bass and with some kooky vocal samples.

Review: Sometimes it really does seem like Perth-via-UK house mainstays Craigie Knowes, well... know! Emphatic of their own personal, cratebugging expertise, it would seem that their knack for tracking down and contracting brilliant yet not totally refined dance music talent stems from some unshakeable expert quality: perhaps some business-insider access to info about burgeoning underground artists we're not in on? Whatever the case, Berlin's Olsvanger is the next model musician to be called up, his former founding efforts of the likes of Tofistock and Powerpuff Tracks proving credential assets for the furthering of this aural arrester, 'The Core'. With two Kalahari Oyster Cult releases already under his belt so far, you know what you're in for: 'Goldman's Propeller' and 'Lava Luva' provide extra fishy aquamarine breaks and sexy sample-held step sequencings, perfect for lone raving over break-fast. Ptooey!

Review: Originally released in 1993, seminal UK duo Orbital's Brown Album marked a bold leap forward in emotional depth and sonic ambition for electronic music. Tracks like 'Halcyon + On + On,' 'Impact (The Earth Is Burning)' and 'Lush 3-1/3-2' showcase the duo's masterful blend of driving rhythms and lush melodic textures. It was hailed as an instant classic at the time and made Mixmag's Best Dance Albums of All Time list. It has endured well over the last 30 years and is now reissued on vinyl for the first time in a decade, with a half-speed remaster and new liner notes by Andrew Harrison.

Review: Although their debut single 'Chime' hit the UK top 20, it's the duo's iconic second album in 1993 that marks the moment when the Hartnoll brothers transcended the UK rave underground and became bona fide electronic superstars. This faithful reissue brings back a record that didn't just capture the spirit of the time i it helped shape it. The Brown Album takes Orbital's sound to a new level of sophistication and emotional depth. Tracks like 'Halcyon + On + On' are serene, dreamlike soundscapes that remain some of the most beautiful in electronic music history. Meanwhile, 'Lush 3-1' builds and blossoms with hypnotic layers, a masterclass in dynamic progression, a perfect balance between transcendence and tension. 'Remind' and 'Impact (The Earth Is Burning)' are pulsing techno beasts that dip and drive, blending rave intensity with atmospheric richness. Each track flows into the next with seamless ease, crafting a journey that feels both epic and intimate. The Brown Album isn't just a milestone in Orbital's career i it's a timeless work that continues to influence electronic music today. Essential listening for anyone who wants to understand the genre's evolution.

Review: Last year, the Hartnoll brothers gave their debut album, 1991's 'Green Album' (officially simply titled Orbital) the deluxe reissue treatment, offering an expanded quadruple CD edition backed with a detail-packed hardback book. They've now moved on to its similarly superb sequel (the 'Brown Album') from 1993. It gets a similar treatment, with a freshly remastered version of the original album (CD1) being joined by two discs of single versions, B-sides, remixes and 'Peel Session' cuts (including legendary Underworld and Psychik Warriors Ov Gaia takes on 'Lush 3', and the duo's own originally US-only extension of 'Impact'), and a fourth CD containing a previously unreleased live recording from the Limelight in New York in 1992. Oh, and a fine hardback book telling the story of the album. An early Christmas present for Orbital fans!

Review: There's a strong argument to be made that 1993's Orbital II, popularly known as 'The Brown Album', is the Hartnoll brothers' finest single album - a sublime fusion of bustling breakbeats, heady vocal samples (many provided by then unknown vocalist Alison Goldfrapp), twisted acid lines, memorable melodic motifs, and rush-inducing breakdowns. Here reissued in remastered and expanded form, the set - which includes fan favourites 'Lush 3', 'Halcyon' and the superb 'Impact (The Earth is Burning)' the album sounds as fresh and forthright as ever. This time round, it includes a second CD featuring key cuts from the two-part 'Raddicio' EP (including two takes on the Scott Walker-sampling 'The Naked & The Dead') and superb revisions of Lush 3 by Underworld and Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia.

Review: The iconic UK duo's equally recognisable second self-titled album i better known as the Brown Album i remains a towering achievement of early 90s electronic music. Originally released in 1993, it blurred techno, ambient and rave into a sprawling, richly detailed soundscape. This deluxe reissue, spread across four records, is the most rewarding edition into one of the genre's most enduring masterpieces. The remastered original tracks i from the shimmering melancholia of 'Halcyon + On + On' to the urgent pulse of 'Impact (The Earth Is Burning)' i still sound breathtakingly vital. 'Lush 3-1' and 'Lush 3-2' in particular benefit from the new half-speed vinyl cut, giving extra weight to their cascading synths and intricate rhythms. The real treasure for longtime fans lies in the bonus material including live recordings like the propulsive 'The Naked and the Dead' and the hypnotic 'Sunday'. Meanwhile, the lavish packaging i complete with a hardcover book, vintage flyers, and even a slipmat i reinforces how pivotal this album was in shaping Orbital's legacy. Sprawling yet intimate, futuristic yet deeply human, the Brown Album still feels like a world unto itself i and now, it's more expansive than ever.

Review: Unknown-Untitled are back, and primed to expand on their "music comes first" label concept, whereby (or at least, this was the case when the UK label first started) the artist info is revealed in the record sleeve and available to the listener only after purchase. The trademark approach seems to have relaxed a bit, with this 12th topup to their various artists series hears every name checked from the init, besides the artist behind track 2, who's simply billed as 'Unknown Untitled'. Otherwise, Son Of Philip catalyses a crisp start to a dutty night with proper hardstep intelligence on 'One Burn', while DJ JM responds with downwards kick impacts and self-surveilled textural swish on 'Shoplifting', and Ciel brings 'Memento Mori', a wonky 150ish jungle-juke flex to round off.

Review: Croatian producer Umbo makes a raucous return to Breakbeat Paradise with this two-tracker of throwback funk edits. A-side 'No Sugar' is a no-nonsense breakbeat soul cut, filtering vintage vocal hooks through crisp drums and rubbery basslines. On the flip, 'Saoco Root' cranks the tempo and energy, fusing jazzy brass, hype vocals and Beastie Boys swagger into a fast-cutting party tool. A continuation of BBP's long-running Toxic Funk series, this latest volume slots right into the label's wheelhouse: dusty, high-energy edits with bite.

Review: Yo Speed has been making moves on the likes of 83 and Distorsion Records, and after several standout EPs, now makes his full-length debut with Colores. Across four sides of vinyl he explores every facet of breakbeat, starting with the sort of emotionally, architecturally grand cut that has defined Sasha's approach to sound for many years. 'Fucsia' gets more down and dirty with howling basslines from drum & bass and soulful r&b vocal hooks. Elsewhere are gems like the sun-kissed and serene 'Esmeralda' and masterfully melodic, tightly sequenced arps of the potent 'Escarlata'. A real widescreen trip.