Edsel Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Until he quit the music industry in the mid-1990s, Shep Pettibone was the most in-demand remixer on the planet - a position he'd held since the late 1970s. This four-disc compilation does a great job of showcasing some of his greatest remixes, all of which are presented in full-length form. There's naturally plenty of versions of big pop singles of the '80s - see the epic 'Mastermix' of Pet Shop Boys' 'West End Girls', as well as rubs of Duran Duran, New Order, Whitney Houston and Belinda Carlisle - as well as a sprint through his celebrated disco and boogie reworks (see disc four). In addition, you'll find versions of some lesser-celebrated gems from the freestyle-era, including heavyweight revisions of Sinammon, Alisha, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam and The Flirts.

Review: After launching the Dance Masters series with a much-needed trawl through the remixography of the great Shep Pettibone, Arthur Baker has now turned his attention to his own sprawling catalogue of productions and remixes. Stretched over four discs in order to present full-length, DJ-friendly mixes, the collection does a great job in showcasing Baker's immense achievements in the 1980s and 90s. Naturally, his most celebrated productions and remixes are present - see his versions of Fleetwood Mac's 'Big Love', which became Balearic anthems, Afrika Bambaata and Soulsonic Force's genuinely game-changing 'Planet Rock', Freez's 'I.O.U', Rockers Revenge's 'Walking on Sunshine' and New Order's 'Confusion' - alongside a swathe of forgotten, overlooked and harder to find revisions.

Review: Eddie Piller Presents The Mod Top 100 is a fulfilling four-CD set that revisits the golden era of 1960s mod culture through a meticulously curated selection of tracks. This collection, inspired by the original Mod Top 100 compiled by Randy Cozens, offers a rich mix of r&b, soul, jazz and beat music that was integral to the iconic dancefloors of London's West End. Piller has expanded upon Cozens' influential list, including additional personal favorites from the era. The result is a vibrant homage to the Mod movement, featuring soulful voices from Doris Troy, Betty Everett, and Bessie Banks, alongside classics from James Brown, Ike and Tina Turner, and Solomon Burke. Instrumental gems from Hank Jacobs and the Ramsey Lewis Trio further enhance this comprehensive set. The release not only showcases the era's diverse sound but also serves as a tribute to Randy Cozens, whose passion and dedication helped shape the Mod scene. With new sleeve notes by Piller and support from Cozens' family, this collection is a fitting celebration of a pivotal musical and cultural moment.

Review: Imagine you're in for a long car journey and can only take one Suede album, which one do you take? Well, this is the one, really. Reissued as an expanded 3CD set, it features all their best b-sides from the hallowed first three albums (Suede (1993), Dog Man Star (1994) and Coming Up (1996), plus a further 19 B-sides and extra tracks from 1999 to 2023. It's the extra, latter day era numbers that are getting a standalone release on vinyl for Record Store Day as Sci-Fi Lullabies Vol.2, but with this CD set you get everything lumped in together as a bumper package. The tracklist is ridiculous: 'The Sadness in You, the Sadness in Me' from 2022 is a power ballad that could stir the most stoic of hearts. 'Another No One' is a slow, achingly beautiful and melancholy number and 'Europe Is Our Playground' - clearly written pre-Brexit - celebrates a golden Schengen era: "From Spain to Camber Sands/Europe is our playground."