Review: There's lots to get your teeth stuck into on this new and blistering collection of electro from Adepta Editions. And don't let the title fool you - it's not all accessible summer festival fare, in fact none of it is. It is all head down and serious tackle. 7053M4R14's '4 N3W HUM4N' is a driving, dark, visceral sound with raw breakbeats powering through the cosmos. Rec_Overflow offers a moment to catch your breath with some slower, dubby rhythms on 'Pocket Dial' and Pauk explores twitchy future synths capes and post-human transmissions on 'Shiawasena Fukushu'. Promising/Youngster shuts down with a sense of optimism and hope with the airy melodies and slithering electro drum patterns of 'Arbey.'
Art Fact - "Rain In The South" (Francesco Farfa & Hamsa remix) (7:17)
Hamsa & Luca Piermattei - "Mystic Perc" (6:05)
Roberto Manolio - "Blue Yes" (6:40)
Review: Musek return for another V/A release, flaunting their artists' variegated hitmaking capacities. Fronting the release is a wonderful rework of Stockholm trio Art Fact's 'Rain In The South' from 1989, to which Francesco Farfa and Hamsa bring extra electronic-bodyweight to an originally dripping synth tune. A mystical mood is continually proferred across 'Mystic Perc' through to 'Blue Yes' by Roberto Manolio, traversing chime tinglings, acid breaks and dreamy vocals: "pretty blue eyes... you're mesmerised... don't look to hard... you may never come back from that..."
Review: Bjork and Rosalia team up for the limited marble vinyl edition 12" double-sider, 'Oral', now coming packed with a stunning remix by Olof Dreijer from The Knife. The record is described by its releasers OLI as not just a single release but a "call to arms", with 100% of the profits being funnelled directly to AEGIS, the Icelandic charity dedicated to eradicating intensive fish farming in the country. 'Oral' itself is now a staple of the latest incarnation of Bjork's ever-mutant career, consummating her and Rosalia's recent rapport; a sabre-wielding, purblind aesthetic - befitting also of another of Bjork's collaborative contemporaries, Arca - fits seamlessly with the elegiac reggaeton of the song. Dreijer's remix is rabid and wonky by comparison, its draggy, morphemic rhythms belying Bjork and Rosalia's equally wetted vocals, producing a wacky litany of faunal electronics and whizzing FX.
Review: Inhale Exhale will have you doing just that at a fair pace once you've dropped the needle on their latest record. It's a sweet trip into the depths of house and disco with seasoned artist Eddie C igniting the dance floor with a disco-infused anthem sure to set your hips swaying. Tilman crafts a delectable nu-groove track evoking the essence of the 90s with 'Forevermore' and then debuting on vinyl, Julius Renner embarks on a soulful journey to the heart of the dancefloor. Fresh talent Toomy Disco offers a funky, introspective bomb, Ron Brown serves up a deep, Latin-infused organ piece brimming with melancholy and optimism. Last of all, Meeshoo delivers a soul-stirring fusion of strings and disco brilliance.
Review: Jesse Rae's back catalogue is rather an epic one and now we're treated to some key tracks from it with this new and limited 12" via Pace Yourself. The title cut opens up with some coy, playful funk that is sure to win over any newcomers. 'Virtual U' then flip the script with a lo-fi and downbeat sound, scratchy melodies and distant prog guitar licks all topped with some smoked word and soulful musings. 'Rusha is another esoteric sound that's a bit like George Clinton on acid doing house music. 'Switch Tae U' is an 80s throwback jam with swaggering Soul II Soul-style grooves and carefree vocals.
Review: Raji Rags brings his unique brand of melodically infused breakbeat to new label OTIH. His Congratulations EP makes its debut release and after the amusingly titled 'Obligatory Ambient Intro' comes the exotic synth charm of 'Kiran's Bike' and kinetic drum workout that is 'Making Love To A Ghost.' 'Bullet Train' (feat Sonia Calico) is more dark and dirty with busy synths panning about the mix and last of all is 'Enchante', which merges celestial synths with vulnerable string sounds. It all adds up to a unique EP.
Review: Chicago has had a strong re-edit culture since the days when Ron Hardy and Frankie Knuckles were defining house music culture in the mid 1980s. Rahaan, who has been one of the more storied members of the global re-edit scene for the last two decades, is undisputedly the Windy City's current scalpel-edit king - as his ongoing series of reworks on Hot Biscuit Recordings emphatically proves. Here he adds two more fine revisions to his bulging discography. A-side 'For Dancing & Singing' sees the veteran DJ/producer apply his Midas touch to a vintage 60s funk jam, making most of the sampler-ready breaks and groove, while flip side 'The Galaxy' - our pick of the pair - is a soaring and spacey 70s disco workout piled high with percussion, jaunty piano motifs and suitably intergalactic synth sounds.
Review: Rahaan is one of Chicagos finest exports - he can do it all from edits to disco, dusty house to soul packed delights. He shows that again here by kicking off a new label, Gospel One, with a double 12" of cuts that all draw on gospel. The opener is a raucous and funky cut with belting vocals and noodling basslines, while elsewhere there is fleet footed groove and live sounding drums to 'Message In Our Muzik' that are topped with a superb female vocal. 'Don't You Worry' ramps up the tension with more fast and funky beats and 'He Can' gets down and dirty with some sleazy basslines and call and response vocals. A passionate package for sure.
Love Is The Message (feat Nipsey Hussle, Planet Asia, Louis King & Snoop Dogg) (5:04)
Review: Hip-hop icon Rakim is son to return with a new album G.O.D.'S NETWORK (REB7RTH), but before that come some teaser singles and this one of them. 'Be Ill' perfectly sets the tone with Rakim's raw rhymes and head-nodding production complemented by standout features from Kurupt and Masta Killa. On 'Love Is The Message', the American great slows it down with soulful vibes and enlists the late Nipsey Hussle plus Planet Asia, Snoop Dogg and more for a heartfelt anthem. This single and the ensuing LP celebrates Rakim's enduring hunger as an emcee and producer and proves that many years after he made his mark, he still has the skills to pay the bills.
Review: London underground night train riders Deadbeat Records prioritise techno-breaks handmade for late night and early morning dancefloors, times when both the best and worst comes emerges from each of us. Their inaugural Deadbeat Breaks compilation hears six out of ten full digital curations brought to a shadowy, space-invaded black vinyl truncation, with modern talking synth vomits from Olly Rant, booty bass hups from Hunter Starkings, hackney parroting hurtles from Rnbws, and a closing breakstep broil from Hooverian Blur.
Top Of The World (feat Barrington Levy & K-oS - FNJ 7" edit) (5:00)
Gunfinga (feat Kardinal Offishall) (5:01)
Review: FlipNJay Records is in a fine run of form right now and here it keeps that going with the first-ever 7" vinyl release of the Rascalz's timeless anthem 'Top of the World' featuring Barrington Levy and K-os. This Canadian hip-hop classic from the late '90s is paired with 'Gunfinga' featuring Kardinal Offishall on the B-side. Both tracks, produced by DJ Kemo, highlight the golden era of Canadian hip-hop and come housed in original artwork by Dedos that reflects the vibrant spirit of the time. This tune takes you to the heart of Rascalz, Kardinal, K-os and '90s Vancouver and Toronto hip-hop.
Review: Rasco's The Unassisted was a pivotal release in 1997, helping to put independent rap on the map with its raw energy and standout production. Taken from his Time Waits for No Man LP, this 12" single, produced by Fanatic with cuts from D-Styles and Peanut Butter Wolf, quickly became an underground classic. Rasco's sharp delivery and gritty lyricism, paired with that unmistakable 90s sound, solidified his place in the scene. Over the years, Rasco has collaborated with hip-hop heavyweights like Phife Dawg, Evidence, Jake One and Roc Raida, releasing albums with Stones Throw and gaining international recognition.
Review: Flip N Jay is back here with new beats from Redlife which arrive on 7" vinyl for the first time. Emerging from Toronto's thriving underground, Redlife delivers streetwise lyrics that draw on the raw essence of the city's various neighbourhoods. Their hard-hitting sound and authentic storytelling have earned them a strong reputation within Toronto's hip-hop scene and here they collaborate with local legends including Saukrates on the iconic 'Yagga Yaw Yaw'. A must-have for hip-hop enthusiasts, this release cemented Redlife's status as one of T-Dot's finest and this 45 preserves the spirit of Toronto's streets and Redlife's undeniable legacy.
Review: Back in the mid-90s, Rednex dropped their global smash 'Cotton Eye Joe' as part of their album Sex & Violins and it topped plenty of charts. It was also a school disco favourite that paired euro-dance beats with country melodies and redneck vocals as well as the very singable chorus. Now it comes with a series of edits, instrumentals and remixes by the likes of Madcow on this new 12" from the ZYX label who have pressed it up to limited orange vinyl. It is still silly but lots of fun so why not cop this ultimate edition.
Review: Dubstep longtimer Rednote presents his very first LP, also marking a first for the New Zealand label Iron Shirt. The story goes that only after a fecund period touring the Leeds underground scene, followed by a period of respite clawed out during lockdown, did Rednote catch the breath in which to hone his craft in LP form. With a title like Sanctum, we catch glimpses of the producer in a sanctified enclave, away from the deathly intrusions and bustles of the relatively Babylonian scene, all too easily seen to be a haven for musical responsibility shirking. There's something ever so ineffable or subtle about Rednote's sound, a sound that is mostly seen on display here. It persists in the drums and atmospheric tensions as a softened but no less hard-hitting mise-en-scene; the emphasis isn't on just bassweight or incitements to dance, but more on realising the otherwise unwrought possibility of crafting highly visual scenes - shady back-alleys, unscrupulous markets, nighttime wastes - out of the dubstep form.
Review: Label regulars Roberta and Trilaterals are back on Worldship Music to take part in the latest Herald Tarccs instalment. Reelsoul is a new name to join the fun and pens up with 'La Costa' which is a throwback disco house sound with wild melodies and big horn leads vying for attention and getting hands skyward. Trilaterals bring plenty of percussive funk and jumbled drum brilliance to 'Flo Jo' and Teflon Dons taps into a Philly sound with the string loops of 'DONTWANTU2GO.' Roberta's "Hang Back' is a classy little jazz-house number.
What The World Needs Now Is Love (Silent Dream version) (4:32)
Review: Reggae Disco Rockers are Japan's leading reggae and lover's rock band. They have been active since they dropped their first ever single way back in 1996 and since then they have put a steady stream of sounds including six full albums and many more singles. This one is a cover of an absolute soul classic. 'What The World Needs Now Is Love' here becomes a slow, weighty dub with splashy cymbals, nice incidental melodies and a re-sung vocal that conveys the same emotions. Flip it over for a more steamy, sax-laced Silent Dream version.
Review: Timmy and South African songstress Toshi Tikolo, who hails from Kwalanga Township in Cape Town, collaborate on this powerful Afro House track that showcases a deep, spiritual side of the genre. Known for its impact on Shelter Heads and beyond, the instrumental mix alone packs a punch. Joaquin Joe Claussell elevates things with his signature and sacred style that transforms the original Afro roots into something entirely unique. His remixes, including the wonderful Cosmic Arts Afro and Drum Gathering versions, add plenty of depth to an already captivating original. This is as authentic as Afro house gets.
Review: Earlier in the year, James Baker brought his long-running ReKaB project to Andy Vaz and Alessandro Vaccaro's long-running Yore imprint for the first time. This speedy sequel is similarly assured and quietly impressive. He begins by wrapping vintage drum machine beats and an angular, LFO-style bassline in unfeasibly spacey chords, bubbly electronics and woozy vocal samples ('My Inspiration'), before treating us to a warmer and more melodious slab of analogue deep house loveliness ('Soul Brother 88'). Over on the flip, 'Future Times' sees Baker pepper a hypnotic deep house beat in intergalactic, Motor City-influenced synth sounds and bubbly acid motifs, while title track 'Random Fragments' is another classy, far-sighted deep house-meets-deep techno number rich in superbly spacey sounds. Music for the head and the feet!
Review: To celebrate one year of Lirica, the young but impressive label is starting a new sub-series that kicks off with a special reissue of this highly sought-after album by UK duo Relative Progress. This edition has been remastered and features a fresh design that still honours the original aesthetics. Musically it is a timeless tech house infused with elements of dub, techno and minimal. Opener 'New Horizons' wastes no time in getting going with fizzing pads and crisp drums, and other highlights include the lithe rhythms and deft chords of 'The Onlookers Chant' and the deeper cosmic melodies and dubby beats of 'Heart 'N' Soul'.
Review: Lips & Rhythm cruises into Summer 2024 with a new EP by Residentes Balearicos. Based in Ibiza, Alessandro Doretto and Luca Averna craft sun-drenched dance music from their island studio. The title track, 'Paraiso,' merges slowed-down Acid and Flamenco guitar with claps, creating a timeless vibe. 'Polvo Mineral' offers mystery with ethereal pads, robust drum fills, and chanting. 'I Wanna Dance' pays homage to the Italian Dream House era with lush chimes, driving synth lines, and pitched-down vocals. Gaspar Muniz, with roots in Brazil and New York, remixes 'Paraiso' into a breaky electro track perfect for late nights in Rio De Janeiro...or whoever you are so long as you shut your eyes and dream.
Review: Rhythm Rhyme Revolution, alongside DJ Tabu, delivers a fantastic EP with Summertime / Sunshine Girl. 'Summertime (nuacidfunk)' gradually escalates into a disco crescendo, enriched by Dan Lipman's jazz flute/sax and Gareth Tasker's steaming sitar riff. On the flipside, 'Sunshine Girl' boasts a slinky Afro percussive groove, with DJ Tabu's vocals celebrating love in the sunshine, complemented by Barrie Sharpe's infectious hooks. The ensemble work, featuring Kenny Wellington's jazzy trumpet and vibrant guitar, creates a dynamic sonic landscape. The EP also includes the original version of 'Summertime,' reminiscent of Motown classics. Sharpe's masterful tease and impeccable mood-building make this record a touch of class, leaving listeners thoroughly enchanted.
Review: Irish-born producer and DJ Rhythms Of Prescott steps up to Phonica Am with an EP that is steeped in the sort of quality that makes Pepe Bradock and Derrick Carter such legends in the game. 'Beat Heat' is hot and steamy, percussive house music that locks you into a rickety rhythm. 'RGRT' brings more scruffy drums and curious pads next to the sounds of water droplets and 'The Instigator' is a disco-licked closer with warm synths smeared throughout the mix and filtered percussion brings a psyched-out feel. This is another accomplished outing from this promising new school wizard.
Review: Pedro's House swings open its doors again for another joyous party soundtracked by the label founder himself, Pedro Ricardo. He has a well-crafted brown beat style that draws great energy from the sun and gives it back in the form of loose-limbed and well-worked grooves. 'Solway System' is a busy, kinetic opener and '28 Or 5 To 4' then luxuriates in smeared pads. 'In The Attic' brings some Detroit soul to cuddly but heavy kicks and 'Knockup Stream' adds a little swing into the mix. 'Maracuya Matanzas' is the big finish with wonky chord work.
Helicopter (feat Terry Francis - Eddie Smooth Landing mix) (6:03)
In The Van (7:35)
In The Van (Fractured mix) (6:42)
Review: Repeat Records are currently embarking on a multi-part series of longtime DJ Eddie Richards' earliest tracks, and this second journey - that's right - follows up the first waxen time capsule to appear so far. Richards' behind-the-booth adventurousness is often credited as one of the instrumental factors in the spread of house music in the UK, and doesn't 'Time Travel' show it. Lesser known as a producer but still much respected in said niche, several choice slab-grooves from Richards' early noughts numbers are selected here: track two from 2002's 'The Dark' EP, 'Underskopje' from that same year's Kubrickian tech house hurler 'Open The Pod Door' EP, and a legitly deep cut from the AA2 side of Richards' Othersound debut 'Dope'. One for early tech house heads, when the genre was still innocent and real experts reigned supreme.
Review: A genuine UK acid house, techno and tech-house pioneer, 'Evil' Eddie Richards boasts a catalogue rich in rare, hard-to-find and overlooked gems. The ever on-point Repeat Records, who previously offered collections of rarities by Terry Farley, Jay Tripwire and others, have spotted this - hence this first instalment of what they promise will be a series of Richards retrospectives. There's much to enjoy within the eight tracks stretched across two slabs of wax, from the rolling, deep house influenced early tech-house excellence of 'Joetwo' and the bouncy brilliance of 'Open The Red Door', to the spacey smoothness of 'Old Klang Road', the immersive early morning hypnotism of 'Heat' and the head-nodding downtempo excellence of closing cut 'Madness'.
Review: Rick 8 is the techno alias of Italy's Riccardo Falsini, and here he revives the pioneering spirit of his iconic Interactive Test label with this early gem, which offers an essential slice of trance, techno and progressive house history. Known for reshaping genre boundaries, the label was a beacon of innovation, as this EP shows. Each track is a potent club tool, designed for transcendental dancefloor moments and sonic ascension from the chunky tribalism of 'Hypernotes Velocity' to the standout remix of 'C'Mon' by Sound Metaphors affiliate Trent, who injects progressive firepower. 'Born To Sinthetize' is a deeper, spiritual sound with flashy synth work married to loose drum loops.
Review: Highly curious, difficult-to-pin-down techno/Italo-ish stuff from Prince Of Takicardia and Rifeno, who here jointly assist Backward Futura in its mission to explore the sounds of 1980s and 1990s through the lens of the new Millennium. We find this aim to be something of red herring, since these tracks sound almost entirely new in their composition, and not necessarily of those times, not least since they were made in the 2020s; while taking obvious cues from those eras, the likes of 'Arte Del Sexo' and 'La Casa Del Ritmo' flesh enough out of their respective influences to sound untied from them. Through cinematic breaks and tropical bleep, Rifeno and the Prince portray their wild but no less at easse imaginations, bringing the sunned and stressless feel of the Balearic Isles to the darker worlds of EBM and industrial, making for a complex sonic flavour.
Review: Italo-disco enthusiasts, strap in for something special, as cult Italian label Disco Segreta celebrates its tenth anniversary with a touched-up, honest-to-time reissue of Cecilia Rizzoli's 'Cosi Non Va'. A priceless Italo disco classic long prized as a collectors' white whale, this unique number 1985 came as an ultra-limited edition of just 500 copies on Scarabes Sound and Discokkio. With hypnotic Juno synths, punchy Linndrum beats, and Cecilia's emotionally charged vocals - providing a glimpse into the Italian singer-songwriter's couth early days - offers melancholic Italo satiation. Remastered from the original analog master and featuring a fresh edit by Claudio Burgos (Mr. Fantasy), this one's a jackpot.
Review: Gigerian horror is evoked on Roi's new EP 'Six Nine' for Nachstrom Schallplatten. The German label specialises in producing these kinds of dark, otherworldly wax flying saucers, and new resident artist Roi, hailing from Spain, knows just how to replicate the mood sonically. This is techno extrapolated to its hardest, most humanity-jettisoning proportions. It also adds a neat idiomatic side-order to an otherwise sprawling discographic *table d'hote*, with Roi temporarily adapting his sound to suit the topic of cosmic horror. Never letting up, the record reaches its peak on the gnarly title track, the lead synth line on which snaffles up the surrounding texture like a mass-consuming beast.
Review: Techno legend Marc Romboy is back to kick out more of his electrifying jams on his own Systematic label, this time with Blake Baxter as his collaborator-in-chief. Their jam 'Freakin' is a playful cut with a rugged, coruscated low end and vocal chops that keep pumping the vibe. It comes alive with some bright, sharp acid liens and then gets a more experimental and distorted SID version. Last of all, German mainstay Robert Babicz remixes and turns everything up to 11 with his intense and irresistible rework.
Review: Acqua Di Sale, the debut mini-album by the enigmatic Rosa, captures the essence of boogielicious synth-pop from Napoli. Recorded at West Hill Studio and produced by the renowned Neapolitan team behind Mystic Jungle Tribe, this album inaugurates the Pegaso Series on Periodica Records. With its velvety funk bass, smooth saxophones, and Nigel Rodgers-inspired guitars, Acqua Di Sale effortlessly evokes the polished synth-pop sound of the eighties. Rosa sings enigmatically in the Neapolitan dialect, adding an air of mystery to the already seductive melodies. The album's six tracks are tastefully artificial, featuring drum machines and other quintessentially eighties elements, perfect for a sophisticated cocktail evening. The music feels timeless yet modern, allowing listeners to immerse themselves in a continuous loop of evocative soundscapes. 'Acqua Di Sale' is not just another nostalgic throwback but a fresh take on synthpop that honours its roots while embracing contemporary production. It's an album that invites you to experience the romantic and clandestine Napoli of the heart, where vivid emotions and forbidden desires intertwine seamlessly.
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