Skint Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Superb Greatest Hits compilation. The 2LP includes greatest remixes with new remixes added of Fatboy's classic tunes.

Review: Superb Greatest Hits compilation. The 2LP includes greatest remixes with new remixes added of Fatboy's classic tunes.

Review: Superb Greatest Hits compilation. The 2LP includes greatest remixes with new remixes added of Fatboy's classic tunes.

Review: Lairy electro rock precision-tooled to make your indie dancefloor go into meltdown.

Review: Lairy electro rock precision-tooled to make your indie dancefloor go into meltdown.

Review: The idea behind the "Change EP" is simple. It sees Hercules & Love affair main man Andrew Butler join forces with new studio partner Alex Storey (best known as Second Storey) to breathe new life into a trio of classic cuts from his back catalogue. 2008 cut "Raise Me Up", featuring the iconic vocals of Anthony Hegarty, is re-imagined as a metallic, bass-heavy fusion of post-electro drums, woozy horns and angular electronics, while "My Offence" is dragged towards stuttering acid house territory. Best of all though is the dreamy, life-affirming new mix of "Are You Still Certain?" As if that wasn't enough to set the pulse racing, Butler has also included a brand new cut, the deep acid house throb of "Change", in which he provides a suitably atmospheric spoken word vocal.

Review: In early September, Roisin Murphy will release her first album in four years, "Roisin Machine", a set of stellar songs produced by long-time collaborator Richard Barratt AKA Crooked Man. Before that, she's decided to finally treat us to a vinyl version of recent single "Murphy's Law" - an ultra-sweet slab of groovy deep disco smothered in rich instrumentation, all topped off by one of her near perfect lead vocals. Barratt's warm and tender original mix proudly sits on the flipside, with a superb Cosmodelica Remix on the "A". This is a brighter and breezier affair, with squelchy synth-bass and springy old-school house piano parts being joined by Murphy's addictive vocal and selected instrumental snippets from Barratt and studio partner Dave Lewin's album version.

Review: Having done the rounds digitally for what feels like an eternity, Roisin Murphy's Crooked Man-produced anthem finally returns to vinyl (it was originally released, with no credits, on Bitter End in 2018. For the uninitiated, the A-side original mix is a near perfect fusion of memorable boogie bass, echoing deep house chords, snappy drum machine beats and clipped guitars topped up with a weary, lovelorn vocal from Murphy that's one of her most impactful and memorable to date. The flipside "Crooked Man Part 3 Mix" is a little less than a total transformation. It sees the Hathersage-based former Bleep & Bass producer place Murphy's care-worn vocal atop a sparse mixture of wonky techno electronics, weighty sub-bass and snappy machine drums.

Notes: Fatboy Slim is one of the biggest dance artist of our time, loved by millions around the world. 'Why Make Videos' contains all of his celebrated and much loved videos plus a plethora of extras. Released to coincide with the recent smash hit collection 'Why Try Harder - The Greatest Hits'. Contains 'Weapon of Choice' (voted Best Video Of All Time by VH1 viewers) featuring Christopher Walken and 'Praise You' (voted Best Video Of All Time by MTV viewers) plus a fantastic new video for 'That Old Pair Of Jeans.'

Review: Having provided dancefloors with a string of anthems "back in the day" - "Lazy", "Muzik Xpress", "Muzikizm" etc - X-Press 2 would be forgiven for putting their feet up following a 20-year career. Rocky, Diesel and Ashley Beedle have not lost the desire to create floor-friendly house (or "epic bangers", as the PR blurb puts it), so here present their first album of new material since 2006's Balearic-flavoured Makeshift Feelgood. For those with a love of accessible, floor-friendly house, it's a decent collection, variously touching on vintage tribal, darting 90s-isms, soulful grooves and straight-up club tracks. For those looking for more big room thrills, there's also a bonus CD of remixes featuring notable rubs from Darren Emerson and Kink.

Review: Rocky, Diesel and Ashley Beedle have been away for a while, sweating in the DJ trenches, frequenting international clubs aplenty, trapped in the studio with Sixties sunshine-pop LPs, wrangling vocal stars from far and wide. But four years after they - and David Byrne - swaggered to Number Two in the charts with 'Lazy', then waltzed home with an Ivor Novello Award (how proper is that?), the X-Press 2 three are back. 'Makeshift Feelgood' is a stunning record, more song-oriented, and featuring more vocal contributions than it's predecessor. Frankly it is more of an album. As Rocky puts it, 'the new album has moved from only sounding good at three in the morning - we'd like to think that it sounds pretty good at three in the afternoon too.'