Tags: Dub

Review: The mighty Soundway Records label head Miles Cleret and DJ/collector Jeremy Spellacey turn their expert digging and curatorial skills to the Soca Dub & Electronic Calypso sounds of 1979 to 1998 on this bumper new triple pack. The 17 tracks touch on obscurities, instrumentals and dubs, vocal edits and all manner of roots, boogie, reggae, house, soul and disco gems. It makes for a never less than heart swelling collection that bring immediate sunshine to even the most rainy, cold days in the north of England. Highlights are plentiful, but our picks of the bunch are Bill Campbell's "Body Beat" which does exactly what it says on the tin, Adonijah's disco stomper ("It's Alright") and Levi John's "Soca", a lo-fi oddity with brilliantly loose drum work.

Review: Greek DJ/producer Lex has been part of the scene in his home city of Athens since the dawn of the millennium, though it's only in the last few years that he's focused more on making music. The results of his efforts, which were previously showcased on 12" singles for Leng and Samosa Records, amongst others, have been quietly impressive. His debut album, Waving, continues in the same vein, utilising a pool of musician friends to craft cuts that blur the boundaries between sun-kissed, sofa-friendly Balearic warmth and subtly funk-fuelled, dub disco-framed dancefloor shufflers. The plentiful highlights include the stunning, tropical-tinged opener, 'Punta Allen', the organ-sporting vocal squelch-along 'Window Spells', acid-flecked nu-disco-meets-cosmic disco workout 'Silver Peace' and high-octane number 'Down My Soul'.

Review: Heroic Nigerian drummer Tony Allen put out this landmark album in 1984, but the sounds bare all the hallmarks of his best 70s material. The grooves are super chunky and many say the title track here is one of Allen's best ever tunes. It has a punchy hook and political sentiment that really resonates while the rest of the tunes are not too shabby either. There wired up with electronics next to the trumpets, drums and percussion and have a super cool Celluloid Electric Africa vibe as a result. A regal and dub version is included of that title track meaning this reissue won't hang around for long.

Review: A fresh album from Maga Bo, the Rio producer has seen 20+ years of experience in the electronic music game, and has translated this experience to world-class Afro-Brazilian fusion club music. Since the project's inception, Bo's mission has been to search for "rhythmic common denominators with an Afro-Brazilian-centric focus", manifesting as crystal-clear bass music fusions of styles including samba, dub and cumbia. Through a relentless 19 tracks, there's both ancestral respect and future joy contained therein - not least thanks to contributions from an array of collaborators including Baianasystem, BNegao and Russo Passapusso.