Under the E.R.P. alias, Gerard Hanson has been making some of the finest intergalactic electro known to humankind since the tail end of the 1990s. His catalogue is meaty and some of his older, out-of-press records are now frustratingly hard to find - hence this tidy double-pack from Frustrated Funk. It includes all three tracks from Hanson's 2007 label debut, "Vox Automaton" - the body-popping brilliance of the title track, the Drexciya style underwater trip of "Nerve Play" and the deep electro lusciousness of "Parfume Persuasion" - as well as the trio of cuts originally released on the "Alsoran" from the same years. These are arguably even better, with the melodious, cinematic and futuristic title track, and wonderfully poignant "Irma" standing out. Exceptional.

Andres has always been out there doing his thing, but it feels like an age since he dropped "Andres III" on us. Finally, the Detroit hero is back with a splash on his regular home of Mahogani Music with a stunning follow-up that brings out the best of his many musical threads. There's Cubano style vibes on "Back In The Old Times" and hand-clapping gospel tinted house grooves on "Mighty Tribe", sweet and sexy downtempo jams like "I'll Wait 4 U" and mad heavy R&B beatdowns like "What's Ur Name Again" - that's just the first four tracks and when they hit like this, you know the rest of the record's just as strong and just as varied.

"Remember when you said / My love was like the rain / Not the sweet sound after the drought / But the pain of it hard on your back in the storm." Lapsley's return to the release schedule is thought provoking stuff. Leading on the four tracks here, "My Love Love Was Like The Rain" tackles the confusion and uncertainties that define adult relationships, the way we are attracted to those we don't understand and how, in turn, preconceptions direct the behaviour of that mysterious other. Intimate electronic pop which is followed by the stepping, garage-tinted "Eve", the lo-fi piano downtempo joy of "Ligne 3", with its looped lyrics on letting go, and, finally, "Drowning", the opening drums like the beat of a damaged heart before the rhythm gets into gear.

Moulton Records released veteran vocalist Lady Alma's collaboration with the Rainmakers, "Let It Fall", in the summer of 2018 as a digital-only single. DJ Spinna thought that it should make it out on wax, so he's snapped up their original version and reissued it on his label Wonderwax. You'll find that original mix - a wonderfully warm, dreamy and soulful workout that layers twinkling pianos, electronic bass, atmospheric organ chords and her superb vocals over a skipping broken house beat - on the flipside, with Spinna's brand new "Galactic Soul" revision on the A. He gives it a little more galactic flavour via squelchy synth-bass and futuristic electronic motifs, while beefing up the beats for a heavier dancefloor experience. It's a great remix, though we still prefer the smooth and sensual original version.

Expert reissue label Soundway look to 1980s Trinidad & Tobago for their latest rare gem. Two cuts of "Parang" - a sort of South American folk music originated from Venezuelan and Colombian immigrants and later infused with Caribbean rhythms, disco and soca vibes. As such both tunes are impossibly sunny, uplifting and loose groovers that will work dance floors into a spin at any time of year. Colleen Grant's take on the style is driven by a neat funk baseline coupled with her glorious vocals, while Sandra Hamilton's is more down and dirty with rump wiggling drums.

Although not widely known, Daniel Dimbas's 1985 album "La Diferencia" is regarded in some circles as one of the greatest Caribbean zouk records of all time, and certainly the heaviest. Rush Hour co-founder Antal is a fan, and here heads-up a double A-side of fresh edits of key cuts from the sought-after set. First up Antal expertly rearranges "Carnaval Soca", delivering a warm, humid and sweaty interpretation rich in driving soca-disco grooves, punchy horns, heady harmony vocals and mazy, Zouk style analogue synthesizer solos. Palms Trax takes a similarly light-touch approach on his edit of the breezier and more sun-kissed "La Musique", occasionally opting for filter trickery on an otherwise traditional style scalpel edit.

Apiento is back on World Building with another excellently soul infused deep house gem that builds on the much loved "Things You Do For Love" 7". Subtle acid flecked bassline snakes in and out of the crisp drums as buttery smooth, heartbroken lyrics up top get you where it hurts. It's hugely sophisticated and absorbingly understated. Apiento & Tepper's dubbed out version recalls the early work of the one and only Larry Heard before a beatless Padapella closes things out for those who want to really make a dramatic emotional statement pre, mid or post-set.

As time passes, the increasingly prolific partnership of Ricardo Villalobos and Max Loderbauer moves farther into the wilderness, both artists emboldened by their shared sense of adventure and peerless skill. Here, on this LP for Mana, they're shrugging off all shackles in an exploration of synthesis on a molecular level. What's so thrilling is that patterns and rhythms do emerge from within this primordial soup, winding up in some of the most gorgeous and beguiling works we've tripped on for some time. Otherworldly, but somehow grounded with an earthly instinctive-ness, "The Clouds Know" will take time to wrap your head around, but therein lies the beauty.