Review: Many Hands is a fresh label helmed by Jona Jefferies and Kava that here kicks out an eclectic EP with four tracks from various members of its musical family. Dan Aikido opens with '0800 TXT4 Herb,' a smooth fusion piece that builds a laid-back groove, blending fretless bass, jazzy keys and soulful vocals all reminiscent of Rare Silk's 'Storm.' Ernie Ruso's 'Stroke It' offers slow, sensual r&b infused with P-funky wah-wah effects while DJ Nomad's 'African Boy' brings upbeat pop house next to funky organ and a female reggae MC.Jefferies' closer 'A Change Will Come' samples Dr. Martin Luther King Jr with a rave-inspired beat and soulful piano. Cracking stuff.
Joe Gibbs & The Professionals - "Calico Suit" (3:43)
Review: Althea & Donna combined to beautiful effect on the Joe Gibbs label here with a tune that very much remains an iconic reggae anthem. It was originally released in 1977 and effortlessly captured the spirit of Jamaican music of the day with its irresistible blend of ska, rocksteady and reggae influences. Althea & Donna's stylish vocals are paired with expert production that is full of catchy hooks and neat riffs. The clever lyrics and upbeat rhythm mean it still sounds like a hit as it did back when it did well on the UK charts.
Review: Emerald's 25th outing takes the form of another superb compilation with four artists who have already released on the label and plenty of new names making an equally good impression. ANNE kicks off with the deep, thudding kicks of 'Coral Reefs' complete with lush hits to smooth the groove. There is more weight and intensity to the oversized hi-hats ringlets on Mike Konstantinidis's 'Apocalypse', DJ Plant Texture layers in plenty of gritty and grime to his gritty 'Swingers' and Jarrod Yeates goes for a twisted after-party vibe on his intense and unrelenting 'Sesh Gremlin', with many more highlights besides.
Review: Brooklyn is not often somewhere you think of when it comes to minimal, a sound more usually associated with European artists these days, unless of course, you're talking about early US originators like Dan Bell and Robert Hood. This release suggests that view is wrong with a trio of classy cuts. Mike Berardi's 'Helicopter Ride' is lively and jazzy and rides a nice broken beat. Samuel Padden's 'String Theory' is more icy and paired back to a minimal cosmic trip and Jay Tripwire's 'Floorboards' a wonky late-night charmer.
Review: The well regarded Umwelt introduced Raverbreakerz as a dynamic new series on his label Rave Or Die earlier in summer. This massive compilation shows what it is all about with four hard-hitting tracks from genre specialists Blame The Mono, Jadzia, Ghost In The Machine and Umwelt himself, Seamlessly blending techno, breakbeat and dark, intense sounds design to captivate and energise the floor in equal measure, each artists contributes to what is a versatile arsenal for DJs seeking powerful sounds with a distinct style. On this evidence, Raverbreakerz is going to be a crucial new series.
Review: Matasuna Records, based in Berlin, kick off their 2025 with a ladling of fresh soul soma food, this time by Barca's finest one-girl band The Blaxound (Marta Roman), in collaboration with singer John Vermont. Building on irreverent, vintage 60s pop from Spain, whose sound is categorically fiendish to replicate, the two artists have nonetheless managed a close hewing here. 'No Es Por Ti' showcases Vermont's throaty singing, lyrically playing out the eternally relatable breakup trope of "it's not you, it's me." Then 'Qu Ms Te Da?' follows with an affectingly syncopal rhythm, with a tightened snare played only on the 4, heightening the erotic tensity of the scene, driven by shuffling hats alone, whilst the artists' respective cools are kept.
You Could Be More As You Are (Super Disco mix) (5:07)
You Could Be More As You Are (Bleep mix) (2:59)
Review: For the unaware, Saada Bonaire's 1984 gem 'You Could Be More As You Are' is the very definition of a cult classic. Known for offering a chugging blend of new wave, leftfield synth-pop and post-disco dancefloor nous, it was produced by an obscure German DJ and fronted by two female vocalists. Those singers have now joined forces with producers Jens Mahlstedt and Ralph 'von' Richthoven to deliver a 2025 remake. It's presented in two distinctively different forms. On the A-side, we get the 'Super Disco Mix', a driving, bass guitar-driven affair that mixes replayed elements of the 1984 original (including some of the spellbinding synths) with clipped disco guitars and freshly recorded vocals. The flipside 'Bleep Mix' is not an early Warp style re-build, but in fact a slightly more electronic-sounding dub disco version.
Joe Gibbs & The Professionals - "Runnings Irie" (4:31)
Review: If you are reading this you will already likely know that Dennis Brown is a reggae don. Even amongst his rich and vital catalogue, 'Money In My Pocket' is a quintessential track produced by the legendary Joe Gibbs and backed by The Professionals. This one really captures Brown's smooth vocal delivery and signature soulful style over an effortlessly catchy, rhythmic groove that takes elements of roots reggae and infills with accessible, polished sound. The lyrics focus on struggles and aspirations so resonate on a deeper level and make this one a long-standing and beloved anthem.
Review: The Distorsion camp offers up its first sampler as a way of teasing you with the sort of quality sounds and artists it has on its roster. First up is a three-way collab between Citybox, Hankook & Orebeat whose 'Dangerous Changes' is an intense breakbeat workout for the peak time. Orebeat & Alex Clubbers keep the energy levels high and inject early 00s video-game style synths, Orebeat & Citybox keep it dark and raw with 'Gangsta' and Orebeat & JottaFrank laced up their thrilling breaks with acid lines and sleazy vocals on "Noche De Paris.' This is potent stuff for strobe-lit floors.
Club Mayz - "Fantasy In This Uncaring Void" (4:05)
Bizarre Billy & James Rod - "El Capron Patron" (6:21)
Ricardo Baez - "Non Dimenticarmi" (4:00)
Seth Booth - "Interzone" (4:20)
Review: For those seeking neo-Italo-disco and synth-heavy dancefloor sleaze, Bordello a Parigi's 'Diamonds in the Night' series has long been a must-check affair. Naturally, there's plenty more previously unreleased gold to be found on the latest edition, volume six. Club Mayz kick things off with 'Fantasy In This Uncaring Void', a cheery, all-action affair that sounds like a long-lost early 90s synth-pop/Italo-disco instrumental, before Bizarre Billy and James Rod doff a cap to Bobby Orlando's productions for the Flirts on the superb 'El Caparon Patron'. Turn to the flip for 'Non Dimenticarmi' by Ricardo Baez, a throbbing and melody-rich slab of Hi-NRG revivalism and the intergalactic excellence of 'Interzone' by Seth Booth.
Chris Coco - "Yawa Ze Asfos" (instrumental) (4:02)
Jake Slazenger - "168B" (3:47)
Global Goon - "Untitled" (4:39)
Ruckus (4:47)
Jodey Kendrik - "Thanx" (5:56)
Gavin Masih - "Unknown Track 1" (6:55)
Monika Subrtova - "Alata" (7:08)
Review: Furthur Electronix's first two Furthur Journeys Into compilations tune plenty of heads and shift plenty of copies. The third one keeps the quality levels high with more explorations around the periphery of underground electronics. Chris Coco opens with a soothing synth sound before Jake Slazenger brings crystalline synths and abstract modulations to the mid-tempo '168B.' There is more pace and twisted acid energy to Global Goon's untitled contribution and then old school jungle comes to the fore on the super stylish and atmospheric Gavin Masih cut. Monika Subrtova's 'Alata' is a serene and widescreen ambient synthscape that brings things to a suitably poignant close.
Review: Makin Moves pull another funny on us; their multi-volume exclusives series is called "Unreleased", despite each release in the series, by taut definition, constituting a release. But to call a track "unreleased", when it decidedly now isn't, does, we admit, help mythologise it to the extent that it makes it more desirable; the proviso here being, of course, that the tracks in this series are relegated to vinyl first, with no promises made as to a potential future digitisation. So do New Yorker Conway Kasey and fellow artist Johnny Melek deck out the final-vinyl front side with 'Jazz Fest' and 'Myrrr', the latter especially thrilling us with a formant-shifted Juliet Mendosa on vocals. On the other hand, Reggie Steele and David Harness enter into a nice remix interplay with 'Vulnerable', piggybacking on the original 2024 release's establishing anodynes.
Joe Gibbs & The Professionals - "Golden River" (3:33)
Review: Whether or not it is a coincidence that we are fast approaching 420 and ever more weed-related 7"s are dropping we do not know, but nor do we care. Culture's 'Callie Weed Song' is going to bang whatever day of the year you drop it, so long as you play it loud. It's got carefree keys and ganglier guitars accompanying the traditional reggae groove and some super stoned-sounding vocal musings on top. Joe Gibbs & The Professionals then appear on the flip with something just as summer, laid back and seductive in the form of the great 'Golden River.' Let's not get into what that title may or may not refer to.
Review: After years spent serving up tasty, digital-only singles, Polish imprint That's Right Dawg Music finally makes its vinyl bow via a six-track mini-album featuring some of their most-checked catalogue cuts. Demarkus Lewis kicks things off via the carefully crafted disco-house release of 'TGIF', before Federfunk slams down the jazz-sampling peak-time punchiness of 'We Keep It Groovin' and Jazzmik offers up the funky deep house bounce of 'Get Him Outta Here'. Over on the reverse, Oggie B cannily combines mind-mangling electronic stabs, pumping beats and orgasmic vocal samples ('Steady Old Foot'), Makson makes great use of vintage rap and disco guitar samples on the energy-packed house thump of 'Last Man Standing', and Casserta and Jonny C join forces on the bass-heavy garage-house bump of 'Party #1'.
Review: Mark Grusane presence on Disctechno brings with it a compilation of five unique house tracks from Chicago and Detroit-based producers, as you will probably have guessed from the title. The A-side features DJ Slush's synth-driven 'Memory Blank' and Deon Jamar's bass-heavy 'AYYYO' which offer different but both killer sounds. The B-side opens with Jordan Zawideh's reverb-drenched 'Axolotls' followed by Grusane's intense, atonal 'The Recoil' and concludes with Thomas Xu's groovy 'School Street.' All of these are the sort of off-kilter sounds you would expect of these revered and enduring electric hotbeds. Raw, stripped-down and authentic, this is the contemporary Midwest underground.
Review: All Right Fresh serve speciality brews of West and East Coast nu-funk, soul and hip-hop. Here they welcome DJ Spinna and J Rocc for the very latest edition in their Wrecka Stow Edits series, which hears two further majestic remixes of classic r&b reelers. First up is Spinna's version of Prince's 'Starfish & Coffee' with the renamed 'Maple Syrup Jam', which strains and thins Prince's already prickly granules to provide that extra ophiuroid zing. Then J Rocc follows up with 'Re Purple Music', also a remix of a Prince cut, 'Purple Music', providing ever further filtrated disco-funk panache.
Review: Part one of Refuge's new La Decima V/A 12" series hears select tunes from select artists, all of whom have made significant contributions to the label's catalogue over the years. Spanning everything from firmly driven nu-disco to scratch n' sniff garage house to Chi-style stompers, we're more than enthralled by this well-rounded resonator. The best of the bunch has to be Demuir's 'Vibez High', which moves unabashed and stringy, its clawing claps, freeze-locked funk licks and scraping open hats painting a vivid street scene set outside the house.
Soulsearcher - "Can't Get Enough!" (Dr Packer remix) (6:34)
The Shapeshifters - "Lola's Theme Recut" (Dr Packer remix) (6:35)
Johnny Corporate - "Sunday Shoutin'" (Dr Packer remix) (6:49)
Cleptomaniacs - "All I Do" (feat Bryan Chambers - Dr Packer remix) (6:49)
Review: UK disco sensation Glitterbox light the touch paper on another fizzy summer with four gossamer smooth edits of four seminal house classics. Gliding us through time to soulful house's golden era with a sassy, loose groove shine to each edit; Soulsearcher's 96 anthem "Can't Get Enough!" gets respectfully plumped, Shapeshifter's 2003 sing-along bomb "Lola's Theme" is stripped back to a stark funk groove while Johnny Corporate's 2000 hit "Sunday Shoutin'" gets flipped into slinky bassline wriggler. Finally one of the best covers Stevie Wonder has ever had gets a luxurious rub down as Cleptomaniacs' 2000 swoon-fest enjoys the full Packer treatment. Summer starts here.
Review: Sao Paulo's Junior Dread brings his world reggae excellence to this latest gem from Red Peak Sound. The collaboration began when J.Brenner met Junior at Minneapolis' Word Sound Power Festival back in 2022 and soon after they began making music and it led to two powerful tracks act were finely crafted through extensive mixing and testing. On the A-side here is a slow, heavy stepper evoking a vision of resilience atop Babylon's heart, paired with a dubwise mix that strips the rhythm to its core. The B-side offers a meditative one-drop rhythm and uplifting lyrics and is also accompanied by a swirling dub version that transcends space and time.
Review: The latest release from Peckings Records features two classic tracks that exemplify the golden era of reggae. On the A-side, Alton Ellis and Phyllis Dillon deliver a heartfelt rendition of 'I'm Just A Guy,' showcasing their harmonious vocals and timeless appeal. The B-side presents Joya Landis's 'I Love You Baby,' a soulful tune that complements the A-side's emotive tone. This 7" single is a must-have for collectors and reggae enthusiasts, offering a nostalgic journey into the rich musical heritage of the genre.
Review: NeoAcid returns with another EP of uncompromising techno, a sonic assault that's sure to leave a lasting impression. Flkn's 'The Jam' sets the tone, a relentless barrage of distorted kicks and acid lines that feels like a descent into a chaotic, industrial underworld. Collaborations with Jacidorex and Vcl push the boundaries further, their twisted soundscapes and distorted rhythms creating a sense of exhilarating chaos, like a runaway train hurtling through a dystopian landscape. On the flipside, Pisapia takes the reins, offering a slightly different flavour with hypnotic grooves and infectious melodies that add a touch of dark energy to the mix. A headfirst dive into the depths of techno, a sonic thrill ride that will leave you disoriented and exhilarated.
Gettoblaster & Terry Mullan - "Armando's Ghost" (5:09)
Gettoblaster - "Is's Bangin'" (feat Joe Smooth) (5:03)
Gettoblaster & Chip E - "Time To Jack" (edit) (5:15)
Review: This new 12" on Aliens On Wax declares that Chicago Jack Is Back and we are fine with that. The raw, early, street wise sounds of the Windy City are still some of the best house has ever given rise to and that is encapsulated across four new cuts from Gettoblaster and two collaborators. First it's Baggi on 'Throwin' Down' (feat Chip E) then it's Terry Mullan on 'Armando's Ghost'. The flipside has the solo cuts though both feature house legends Chip E and Joe Smooth making this the most authentic package of jack you will have heard in some time.
Girls Of The Internet - "Someone Somewhere" (6:35)
James Alexander Bright & Girls Of The Internet - "Where Is Your Love" (6:54)
Review: Hot since day, Girls Of The Internet have widened the eyes and perked the ears of many a squabbling listener since 2017, deploying many a nu-disco nutcracker through imprints such as Drab Queen and Palm Recs. The duo now stop by Athens Of The North, surveying a wide polar acropolis of deep repetition and strung sampledelia. 'Somewhere Someone' delivers peak energies crafted about a mystery sample, while the flipper, 'Where Is Your Love', hears a roomy linkup with James Alexander Bright, straining the A's comparatively full, gluey mien into a much stringier slice of vocal disco minimalism.
Review: It's worth noting this is a pretty impressive 125th EP from the Bristol label Shall Not Fade. The shine has not come off this always eclectic label in that time and next up to move things on is the dream team pairing of Lawrence J and J Peacock. 'Too Far To Come Back' opens up with some celebratory Daft Punk-style, hands-in-the-air and festival-sized house. 'Everything I've Got' keeps it a little deeper but filter synths still take centre stage with a balmy twist and 'Brother John' slows to heavy beatdown house with rapturous chords and vocals all swirling around to great and uplifting effect.
Lost Girl (Marc Hype & Jim Dunloop Late Night rework) (3:32)
Special Technique Of Love (Jim Dunloop Shaolin Soul edit) (3:08)
Review: The mighty Dusty Donuts return to Queensbridge where they encounter a 'Lost Girl' featured on a legendary mixtape by one of QB's finest. This bouncy, choppy Marc Hype & Jim Dunloop Late Night Remix is sure to ignite any gathering. On the flipside, the vibes shift from Queensbridge to Staten Island and bring a special sound to work the crowd - this heavy soul classic arrives in true Shaolin style with choppy, dark soul chords and classic hip-hop beats. It's a track that commands attention with the drums but also locks in head and heart.
Review: Toolroom's Fool's Paradise offshoot has done a good job in offering up fresh, disco-inspired material, but it also acts as an outlet for key crew member Michael Gray's 21st century reworks of classic disco cuts. On this 12", the long-serving Essex producer puts his slant on Inner Life's boogie-era gem 'I Like It Like That', a 1982 Salsoul single fronted by a then young Jocelyn Brown and produced by Leroy Burgess and Patrick Adams associate Stan Lucas. Gray begins with a lightly housed-up - but suitably reverential - full vocal remix, ensuring plenty of space for the studio band's squiggly synths, bold pianos and dextrous bass guitar. Arguably even better is the B-side 'Dub', which alternates between heavy groove sections, extended breakdowns and effects-laden showcases of Inner Life's piano, bass and synths.
Review: Berlin's Exit Strategy began their 12"s game releasing EPs in browned sleeves, shortly before branching out into digital-vinyl combo releases with original artwork in the 2020s. Now with over ten years of experience under their belts, they welcome five new artists for a playful bricolage in deep and minimal techno, privileging elite, razor-sharp additive sound design and future-soulful vocal tasters. Ivory's opener 'Rain' epitomises this, while Jimi Jules squelchifies the same formula, and Aera's 'Future Holdings' rolls out the same logic to its ultimate conclusion, veering towards complex, 3D-graphic melodic techno composed entirely of climbing saws.
Review: The world can always do with more love and J Diggns delivers that on the A-side if this new jam on Digger's Delight with a refreshing remake. Blending the iconic Skull Snaps drumbeat with a melodic summer vibe, this track revisits a Bush Babee's classic from 1996 featuring Mos Def. At 93 BPM, it's a perfectly paced treat for classic hip-hop lovers. On the B-side, J reimagines the '96 Coolio remix with an "Atomic Dawg" vibe. Infused with classic samples and dancehall twists, it pays homage to "one nation under a groove" while delivering hard-hitting beats for the streets.
Review: In a rare backwards castling and killer checkmate, Friendly Records boldly re-press one of J Dilla's most beloved cuts, 'Geek Down', which appeared on his landmark Donuts LP. Known for its sample of the 2001 dark funk tune 'Charlies Theme' by The Jimi Entley Sound, this indelible, ringed hors d'oeuvre was essential for the critics' collective assessment that the 2005 LP was his magnum opus. Trailing pink sprinkles behind it, 'Geek Down' made Dilla's name. Sadly, the title would seem predict the artist's death just three days after the record's release. Dilla was a true productive geekazoid, and it shows in this track, with its untameable, above-the-law Western guitar wahs and tense, lilting strings keeping the goosebump hairs stood aright. The originally sampled track appears on the B, still only part-revealing the magic trick.
Review: OG business! Majik and his label Infrared have been charming the dance since the very roots and he's back once again with this superb trio that originally ran last autumn. Fresh to wax, 'Ghost Train' charges along with real old school hardcore vibes, especially with those booming detuned synths. Things get deeper as we skip further into the EP; 'Above The Clouds' is goes all icy and introspective while 'July' closes with a nod to Detroit. Powerful.
Review: The late great Whitney Houston has many hits in her back catalogue and plenty of them are ripe and ready for club-ready reworks. J& E Project do just that here by reworking her belting diva classic 'So Emotional'. First off they extend it with more drums for the dance floor, some 90s piano house chords layered in and splashy cymbals to make it all the more immediate. The vocal remains iconic and is sure to be sung back whenever this one gets played. A radio edit and instrumental also feature on this flashy pink vinyl.
Review: Spain seems to be turning out an ever more vital array of labels that delve into the vast world of electro. And here we have the grand arrival of another, Follow Your Mind, which offers up some nice cerebral styles from Samuel Jabba. 'Memorias Del Futuro' is raw and direct with frazzled pads and snappy drums, 'Retrospection' (Inferno mix) has a throwback sci-fi vibe with visceral synths firing across the linear drums and 'Lost In Space brings that nice sci-fi edge. Last of all is 'Vision Of U' with its silky arps and snappy drums all topped with some cool vocoder vocals.
Review: How many Italo disco records leave you saying, "now *this* is where it's at!"? Even many classics miss the chi-spot, but oh do ZYX Music know where to look for such satiate sounds. Originally released in 1986, JD Jaber's Don't Wake Me Up gleams in new citrusy light: the new 12" maxi single recirculates a genius work by Gianluca Bergonzi, whose clattery percs, rattly sweet melodies, and spandex stabs leave our breaths taken. The hard-to-find original versions feature on the A, while the B-side stirs up two new exclusive remixes mouth-to-mouthing new life into the track (and we're not talking CPR): Flemming Dalum's is steeped in retro finesse, while Dstrtd Sngl takes a more modern route, injecting darker textures and punchier dynamics.
Review: Released only a year on from Jacidorex's Unfaced, an acid techno tumbler of big proportions, now comes a new V/A sourced from many a peer in the upstart Belgian artist's orbit. First, we've the collaborative 'Midnight Express', a cleanly tenebrous slink through twinkling, bubbling, upstream synths and hypotense builds, before the hardcore-informed 'Krazchen' by Acidus serves to harrow dancefloors worldwide with evil banana slip synths and cavernous kicks. A melodic turn is marked thereafter on the call-to-dance 'Into The Floor' by Ansbro, while Mahtal 'All In This' continues this trend into hardstyle techno, with its especially clever use of pitched-up and resampled kicks.
Review: Cameron Jack returns to Crosstown Rebels with his first EP on the label, delivering a standout offering that showcases two collaborations with vocalist Liz Cass and two solo productions. London-born, Ibiza-based DJ/producer Cameron quickly rises in the house scene, supported by key figures like Damian Lazarus, Blond:ish and Lee Burridge. 2024 sees him sharing stages with Seth Troxler, Jamie Jones, and DJ Tennis, further solidifying his presence. On 'The Late Shift,' he explores his late-night sound with 'Dusk Till Dawn,' a track that blends deep grooves with Liz's seductive vocals, and 'Move Your Body,' which invites listeners into an infectious dancefloor moment. The solo tracks 'Get High And Dance' and 'Won't You?' round off the release, keeping the energy rolling with captivating rhythms.
Review: The Jackson Sisters are next up on the latest 45 from Tower Vinyl, which has in recent times done a superb job of serving up some timeless and effective vintage soul sounds from across different niches and eras. This one kicks off with the well high energy sound of 'Miracles' with its big vocals, bigger drums and raw horns that are well known to cinema goers everywhere. 'Boy You're Dynamite' is a more raw and emotive sound with a striped back rhythm but superbly gut wrenching vocal deliveries.
Review: Gideon Jackson and Eddie Richards are bona fide tech house titans who have more than helped to shape the genre since day dot and the All Rise EP sees three of their finer past glories gathered together and remastered and pressed on lovely red wax. The excellent 'Biscuit Barrel Blues' opens with exactly the sort of compelling drum work you would expect and it is imbued with some prying synths and sultry vocals. There is an irresistible glitch and dryness to 'Pull Tab 2 Open' and its smeared pads that make it perfect body music then 'Crying' (Gideon Jackson remix) brings a more heavy tech house sound with extra dub weight. Perfection.
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