Back catalogue: Disco/Nu-Disco

Review: You can always rely on Optimo Music to serve up the leftfield goodies. And that's exactly what we have here with this new EP from Gaeg entitled Anarcho Disco Vol 1. It is a trio of innovative tracks starting with 'Merpa' which is a jumble of rhythms, the sounds of spacecraft taking off, ghoulish laughter, dubby bass and wire electronics that will lead to madness in any set. 'Hi-Land' is another richly layered with twanging bass guitar, sci-fi signifiers and vocals that ramp up the pressure. As the title suggests, this really is an outing of anarchic disco.

Review: Belgian DJ and producer Gratts have joined forces with London-based vocalist Mr. Beale to follow up on to success of their well-received 'Sun Circles' release last year. Here, on the sublime 'Submerge Me', they are in fine form once more with a brooding sound that features the uniquely mesmerising mantras of Beale and plenty of raw, compelling and percussive grooves that full lock you in and get you going. Versatile Records' own Gilb'r then steps up on the flip and manages to take things even deeper with some fine liquid dub excursions to complete a top 7"

Review: Merwyn and Inkswel's latest is a refreshing blend of deep house and leftfield flair. The title track, 'Eternal Freedom', kicks off with a broken beat groove and a powerful vocal delivering a message about liberation, fusing deep house with an inventive rhythmic style. 'Cloud Eaters' follows with a soulful vibe that channels early 80s funk, creating an uplifting and nostalgic energy. 'Skyline' rounds out Side-1 with its own unique twist on house, pushing creative boundaries in style. On Side-2, Linkwood's remix of the title track injects a spacey disco vibe, layering a deep house groove with subtle funk elements that feel both classic and fresh. Gb's remix takes the track in a different direction, dialing back the energy with laid-back, 80s-inspired electro textures, offering a relaxed and introspective vibe. Together, these tracks deliver a dynamic and nuanced listening experience, perfect for fans of eclectic, message-driven house music.

Review: Bringing melodies, percussions and textures of the sort which we never thought bringable to techno, Saudi-Irish artist Moving Still wows with his latest EP for Bordello A Parigi. This is an artist whose Pangaean taste spans a wide range, born of both musicality and maturation between nations. The distinctive hum of bedouin traditional music intermixed with notes of Irish reel and abound notably on 'Close To The Shams', where melo-maniacal motifs of each are blurred. 'Bang Of Luban' brings breaksy 4x4s and acids to longing synth reeds that bear a quick glissando, and the titular 'Zaman' of course steals the show with its happy, homegrown metallic percs, against which a cheeky mizmar melody makes do against solar blankets of emotion.

Review: After an 18-month hiatus, the admirable Orange Tree Edits series returns via a first re-edit outing from former Nail Shop artist Moving Still (real name Jamal Sulaimani). Like many of the label's releases, the four reworks on show are undeniably exotic, with Sulaimani delivering revisions of exotic Arabic and Middle Eastern dancefloor workouts from the '80s and '90s. Check for example the raw, Italo-style analogue electronics, jacking machine beats and drifting Arabic synthesizer lines of "I'll Tell Ya For A Tenner", or the melodious, life-affirming Middle Eastern synth-pop bliss of head-in-the-clouds gem "Ah Stop". Arguably best of all though is opener "Bint Al Sa7ara", a druggy stomper where snake charmer style leads lines and North African vocals ride a seriously druggy, arpeggio-driven groove.

Review: Mystic Base do the lucky honours of filling out Rezpektiva's 30th Anniversary vinyl release. Also known as Ziggy P, the producer and label owner first released 'The Darkness Behind The Tree' in 1992 on Dusseldorf's Boo Records. All trax here are weird to say the least, with '1' packing in a full-on cacophony between indeterminate kicks and whispery snarls, and 'Deep In The Woods' comparatively paring things back somewhat, yet still unnvering with its dripping sound effects, hollow synth progs and snap-snares.

Review: The mysterious Medieval Man is joined by Thomass Jackson, Mytron & Ofofo and Barry Sunset on this new split EP from the fledgling Culted label. Their edit series tackles plenty of interesting dark disco source material with beguiling results. The freaky future sounds of Mytron & Ofofo's 'Machinenhimmel' opens up with phased bass and spooky leads. Barry Sunset's twisted sci-fi disco stomper 'Hit The Drums' then takes off to the cosmos and Thomass Jackson twists and turns on loose, jangling percussion that is underpinned by fat bottomed bass. The brilliantly entitled 'Humble Frodo' is a weird and wonderful closer.

Review: Label affiliates Mytron and Zongamin make a combined return to the ever-on-point Canadian stable Multi Kulti, delivering an extended selection of typically off-kilter, genre-bending sonic mastery. In what appears to be a match made in the leftfield heavens, the duo join forces to explore dance-ish music's outer reaches, blending tribal motifs with 8-bit sampling and all manner of wonkiness. From the blissful bells of Conjunction With Reality to the bass-heavy throb of GHX, there is unsurprisingly plenty to savour here. Opening cut '08932168' blends enchanting lead melodies with rolling polyrhythms and dubbed-out effects before the equatorial percussion of 'Calliope Omniglot' makes way for the wiggy atmospherics of the collection's title track. Highly recommended.