Back catalogue: Psych/Garage Rock

Review: Madrid-based collective Danzon El Gato channel the city's restless creative energy into a vivid fusion of jazz, funk and roots music. Formed within Madrid's experimental scene, the group revolves around Javier Adan and Santiago Rapallo, longtime collaborators whose past projects range from jazz fusion to avant-garde film scores. This latest release sees them sculpt a kaleidoscopic sound, pulling from North African, Latin American and Mediterranean traditions while staying locked into the groove with a rhythm section indebted to 70s library music and golden-era hip-hop. Across the record, they explore an array of moods and textures. 'Ronda' pairs intricate guitar lines with a propulsive swing, while 'La lucha'ifeaturing Marina y su Melaoileans into percussive Latin jazz. 'Twangy Morocco' lives up to its name, weaving surf-rock guitar into an East-meets-West instrumental, whereas 'Chapoteo' ripples with aquatic, freeform interplay. 'Amambay' and 'Fuimos invencibles' showcase their knack for evocative storytelling through sound, shifting effortlessly between cinematic tension and unbridled release. Danzon El Gato craft music that reflects Madrid itselfidense with influences, rich in movement and ambiguousiin the best way. Their sound captures a city in flux, where past and present collide to create something unmistakably fresh.

Review: Viaje Sideral is a cosmic journey led by El Leon Pardo and his ancestral instrument, the kuisi, which is a pre-Colombian flute that traditionally symbolises resistance and survival. This second album from Pardo explores humanity's connection with the stars by blending Caribbean percussion, analogue synths, deep bass, electric guitars and the distinctive sounds of kuisis and trumpets. The tunes channel the tropical psychedelia of the 70s and 80s while incorporating ambient and electronic influences from artists like Terry Riley and Kraftwerk. Viaje Sideral is a great mix of dreamlike astral sounds with tropical rhythms that mean both the earthly and the cosmic are explored.

Review: If you don't know (well, even if you do know it is still true), Californian multi-instrumentalist Brian Ellis is Egyptian Lover's keyboard player, and is also a member of Campus Christi with Peanut Butter Wolf. He steps out alone here with a new and outlier funk album that shows off his idiosyncratic style. It is a raw and dense sound that mixes up bold funk and gritty psychedelic soul while embracing the darker edges of both styles. Along the way, Ellis explores themes of truth, authenticity and the pitfalls of wealth while reflecting on the cost of giving away one's heart. Tracks like 'The Real Deal' and 'Money Drives Me Crazy 'capture these ideas with unfiltered emotion.

Review: California multi-instrumentalist, Egyptian Lover's keyboard player and experimental producer Brian Ellis follows up his Quarantine Tapes with his first full-length solo album in four years. Unfortunately, we'll never have a lifetime supply of Brian's music, although that's forgivable since recorded music media also incorporates the genius invention that is playback, which means even one purchase can last for a lifetime as long as you keep your record in good nick! This one is a swirling bomb of bombast funk and dodgy-output psychedelic soul, one that is unafraid of the murkier ends of each sound. Ellis muses on the nature of truth, authenticity, dirty money and the consequence of leasing one's heart out, as on 'The Real Deal' and 'Money Drives Me Crazy'.