Back catalogue: Balearic/Downtempo

Review: Following up last year's production with Baltimore techno legend Maurice Fulton on 'Jigoo', the next release on Gudu is the first of two songs by label boss Peggy Gou that she will release over the coming months. Her first single in over two years, it translates to 'Butterfly' and is another collaboration. This time with fellow Korean sensation OHHYUK who is the lead singer and guitarist in the band Hyukoh. 'Nabi' is a downtempo, pop-inflected number said to be inspired by '80s synth classics and '90s Korean songs that Gou's mother used to play at home during her childhood.

Review: The days are drawing out, the temperatures are rising, the sounds we all want to hear are getting much more tropical, exotic and sunny. Enter this fantastic new record from Earthly Tapes after a nearly 2 year gap since the second chapter. This third chapter is packed with brain boggling new musical excursions from six new artists to the label. Jean Dasso AKA Yeahman is Orso on the first tune, a rhythmic cut with UK breaks influences and Afro dance vibes. Balam's 'Ensueno' becomes more dubby and deep and on the flip are highlights from DJ Raff with his conga and tom splattered rhythms and Kusht's slow motion pumper, 'Small Town Rebellion.'

Review: The latest addition to Night Dreamer's series, Direct To Disk Sessions, sees Turkish downtempo specialist, Islandman, iconic percussionist and Don Cherry collaborator, Okay Temiz and contemporary saz player Muhlis Berbero?lu joining forces for the very first time. Recorded in just one take, the session captures a one-off melding of the trio's distinct styles. Islandman's signature balearic sound gives new force to Temiz's fiery percussion, reframing Berbero?lu's Anadolu folk influences into a distinctly dance-ready sound. Stand out track 'Fidayda' eases us into the trio's expertly improvised soundworld with an alluring, oscillating saz riff. When Temiz's percussion enters the mix, it arrives with a controlled unpredictability capable of leaving listeners in a trance. While Islandman's production subtly centres the piece, mapping out a pathway from which the organic instrumentation can unfurl. Future-folktronica at its very best

Review: Denmark's Agnes Obel is no ordinary folk singer-songwriter. Her music always carries something beautifully strange along with it, and this latest album, which has the strangely fitting name of Citizen Of Glass, might well be her most daring work to date. What is particularly special about this album is its production process; Obel has told the press that this extended piece of music consists of layers upon layers of different tracks, blended together to create something new, fresh and compelling. But, that's not all. The duets that you can hear throughout it aren't even human. She's brought to the foray a new technique that involves recording her own voice as a male cyborg, essentially creating the idea that she's singing along to a non-human version of herself. If you're thinking it's all hype, you're wrong; this album is a magnificently executed piece of melancholic pop music that pushes the boundaries of what has become a largely predictable genre as a whole. It's different, captivating and recommended...

Review: Ninja Tune's Odesza return with a brand new album as well as a massive world tour to match. 'The Last Goodbye' is another record to heighten the band's their long-held standing in the progressive and ambient house netscene they occupy. Every end of musical history is traversed in this emotive future downtempo release which sinks you into deep to its mellifluous world of sound. The title track is emblematic of this as it straddles, samples and licenses an incredible old recording of soul vocalist Bettye LaVelle against a funking, flourishing instrumental backdrop. It is one of the many gems that make this so essential.

Review: Ninja Tune's Odesza return with a brand new album (and not to mention world tour), 'The Last Goodbye', owning their long-held standing in the progressive, ambient house netscene they occupy. Every end of musical history is traversed in this emotive future downtempo release; the title track is emblematic of this straddling, sampling and licensing an incredible old recording of soul vocalist Bettye LaVelle against a funking, flourishing instrumental backdrop.