Wagram France Schallplatten & CDs

Review: First put out back in 2007, Soundz of Freedom is a landmark album in Bob Sinclar's discography. The French man has long been a towering figure in the world of house music with many chart hits and a DJ diary that takes him on endless trips around the globe. This album helped get him there and is now being reissued for the first time as a double vinyl. It has already been certified gold and features collaborations with renowned stars such as Axwell, Tocadisco, Ron Carroll, Jamie Lewis and Mousse T. Between them they explore plenty of accessible house sounds from deep to vocal to Afro-leaning and they have all aged well enough to still do a job to this day.

Review: The Buddha-Bar series remains an electronische-musik cornerstone, fascinating listeners for decades with its signature fusion of global-esque sounds and beat-led hypnoses. Returning for a whopping 27th installment, Mauritian musician DJ Ravin again handicrafts a seamless blend of deep chill, house, and world influences, cutting a fine shape in Roman numeric elegance: Buddha-Bar XXVII. Transportive ambiances and interaural sensoria predominate on the likes of Tamer Elderini's 'Souq' and Majnoon's 'Hatiralar'. Whether setting the mood for a gathering or for use as a relaxant-enhancer, this latest comp offers an unparalleled auditory e-scape.

Review: Synthwave, or "outrun" as it is sometimes popularly known, is one of the defining micro-aesthetics of the 21st Century. Cornered then abrogated by filmmakers like Michael Mann and Nicolas Winding Refn, the style was expanded upon in the music imaginary sometime in the early 2010s (though seeds were sown much earlier). This Wagram compilation charts the earliest stirrings in the sound, from the circuit-breaking Moog experiments of Giorgio Moroder through to the nightridden vrooms of Kavinsky, and the fuzz-static analog snows set to sample-funked beats of VHS Dreams.

Review: The indomitable Rex Club first opened in the 1930s as an art deco style cinema, and was later converted into a nightclub space in the 70s. After a healthy dose of acid (house) hit the club in the late 80s, nothing was the same. Some ineffable juncture saw the club transition from house into breakbeat and drum & bass, serving partygoing Parissiennes only the best rollers via its A dedicated Audiotechnik soundsystem. These were dubplates that would've otherwise only been on rotation across the channel. Reopening after the pandemic, Rex now celebrate a return to good business with a 2xLPs' worth of solid breakbeat goodness, etching d&b contributions from Aquarian, Phume, Tek 9, Goldie and Hidden Orchestra onto the marble of French d&b history.