DJ Tools charts

Review: Private Stock Records serves up a treat for DJs and turntablists with a new 12" packed with beats, scratches, and skipless tracks. Four skilled DJsiBig Once, Cutso, Double A, and Nick Bikeicontribute their skills to this collection, offering a diverse range of flavours for scratching and beat juggling. Each DJ delivers a 'Scratch Sentence' and a selection of beats at various tempos, providing a versatile toolkit for creative routines. The inclusion of skipless tracks adds another dimension, allowing for seamless blends and extended mixes. With its focus on functionality and quality, this release is a must-have for any serious turntablist or DJ looking to expand their arsenal of sounds.

Review: Talk about a time capsule. While the obvious nostalgists out there scour and share their cassette eight packs, desperately converting the mixes they contain to digital files before the inevitable unspooling renders the original recordings obsolete, here comes Death Is Not The End - a record label that lends its name to (well, hosts) a show on NTS Radio - with the ultimate trip back to a time many weren't lucky enough to live through.

As the name suggests, this is literally a collection of no less than 40 radio adverts that appeared at some point or other on London's once-plentiful pirate radio stations between 1984 and 1993. Many are poor quality in terms of production, a good number use samples from some of the biggest dance tracks of the day, loads namecheck some legends of the UK rave scene, and every single one would be loads of fun to drop into a mix or use as a sample for productions. Not that we're recommending doing anything without license.

Review: Hip-hop head and dizzyingly dexterous DJ J Rocca is back with another musical celebration of the exit from office of the worst president in the history of the United States of America. This is the 6th such volume of 'Impeach' and it is a tight woven tapestry and skilful mash-up of no fewer than 14 flips of surely one of the most sampled songs in the history of hip hop. Masterfully mixed together and limited to 500 copies, this is a strong sonic statement that will stand the test of time.

Review: 'The Acapellas You Never Got! On 45' is a collection of rare and classic acapellas from various hip-hop artists, released by a uniquely accapella-focused record label, Acappella US. Fittingly put out on 7", this one contains nine tracks that span the different eras and styles of hip-hop - fantastic source material for any producer wanting to spice up their sounds with a transitional, recognisable vocal shout or two, or for any DJ wanting to add just a hint of chanted spice to their mix. It also builds on an old school tradition of putting out entire acapellas on wax - we hope it stays strong.

Review: Following a vibrant summer festival tour, South London Samba now releases their debut EP, Tempo!. Led by Adam Ouissellat, the band's five new tracks showcase a rhythmically rich sound influenced by Brazil and the African diaspora. Celebrating their tenth anniversary, these tracks were recorded at Midi Music Company, where the band has rehearsed since 2013. Captured in single takes by Ahmad Dayes, Tempo! reflects the raw energy of their live performances which are an explosion of samba rhythms with carnival vibrant spirit. Drawing inspiration from the Caribbean, Dutch brass bands, and Latin America, South London Samba pushes plenty of rhythmic boundaries here.

Review: On vinyl only comes the new Knockouts compilation, laying down six acapella utilities to add to the collective turntablist's belt. The Kunming, China label - owned and run by Sausage Fingaz - flaunts an unmatched hip-hop diggership, compiling six un-pass-uppable classics, including those of Mary J. Blige's 'Family Affair', LL Cool J's 'Mama Said Knock You Out', Eminem's 'My Name Is' and Run-DMC's 'Peter Piper'. Specially designed for mashups and remixes, these are exclusively sourced vocal grooves, always to be cherished and celebrated.

Review: French house duo Cassius are undersung stars of the genre. Their cuspate millennial smash 'Cassius 1999' marked out well the fervour of the time, fizzing against our ears with its liminal "don't" vox, creep-in bass, brushup rides and stinger Morricone chords, which all build to a laggard but crucial French house wahher. A full-length album followed, exploring the same themes: and now the duo share a new "tool" version of the record, which pares the each of said debut LP's tracks to their barest bones. An "homage to our early experiments with endless loops", 1999 DJ Tool celebrates the long-form, live set cutup approach necessitated by their many European tour dates during the early noughts.