Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Amygdala, the forthcoming LP from DJ Koze holds the dual title of being one of this year's most keenly awaited long players as well as the album with the most bizarre cover art. Quite why the producer is riding a reindeer hasn't been made clear yet, but this two track 12" does clue us in to to the possibility the album will hold up to such high expectations. "La Duquesa" is one of the few tracks on Amygdala not to feature a collaborator and stripped bare of any outside distractions finds Koze on sublime form; equal parts tender, refined, casual, serious, deep and euphoric. When those strings hit is a joy to behold. In contrast "Burn With Me" is dark, druggy, delicious and decadent.

Review: Pampa has called in the big guns for on this second installment of the DJ Koze Amygdala Remixes series, with Roman Flugel and Robag Wruhme providing two typically intoxicating revisions. Flugel steps up first, delivering a dreamy, lucid and melodic take on "Amygdala" built around restless cymbals and liquid house rhythms. While hardly tropical, the melodies and chords certainly doff a cap to classic 1980s new age recordings. Wruhme reworks "Nices Wolkchen", delivering a typically loose, atmospheric and engaging tech-house interpretation that seems to float from the speakers. It makes an already beautiful track almost implausibly wide-eyed.

Review: Whenever we get wind of a new DJ Koze 12", we're hooked. Few artists are as left of centre and loveable as Stefan Kozalla, the Pampa Music boss who has recently worked with Roisin Murphy on her essential new album. Here he is in solo mode on 'Wespennest' though Sophia Kennedy features on what is a dreamy and deep house cut awash with fizzing synths that radiant the same heat as a summer sun. 'Candidasa' is a more intense and dense sound with myriad different melodies all interweaving tightly. Two interesting cuts, as you would expect.

Review: Every year one of 'those' records comes along that you hear everywhere; big DJs drop it, small DJs cherish it, radio plays it. You get the picture. XTC by DJ Koze looks to be one of those records. The PAMPA boss is renowned for a talent at wrenching optimum levels of emotion from electronic music and "XTC" is a fine example of how well DJ Koze does it. Some eight minutes of deep house every bit as immediately consuming as, say "Beautiful Life" by Gui Boratto, are complemented by the appearance twice of a pitched down vocal (that sounds remarkably similar to Maggie Thatcher) discussing the popular drug that informed the title. Complementing this, Koze indulges in some superb cut up filter house with "Knee On Belly".

Review: The latest Pampa twelve sees label boss DJ Koze share the vinyl with Border Community don Nathan Fake and as you'd expect from two such esteemed knob twiddlers it's a very good look. Fake takes the A Side with the festive sounds of "Xmas Rush" which is perhaps the first Christmas themed descent into brilliantly twisted techno freakout in history. Inherently psychedelic and filled with plenty of acid reflux mind f*ck potential, there's also a warmth to the track that makes it quite special. On the flip DJ Koze presents an equally twisted but totally different dedication to Jamaican left anarchist dub poet Michael Smith, tragically beaten to death by political opponents in 1983. Covering Smith's signature track "Mi Cyaan Believe It" Koze drops a highly pressurized rough minimalist techno beat with added throb potential via the droney melody which presents itself as the perfect backdrop to Smith's distinctive tones (check the track at 33RPM for added freakout potential).

Review: 24 years into his career as Lawrence, Peter M Kersten continues to deliver devilishly deep house workouts that somehow manage to be both effortlessly immersive and percussively propulsive. There's plenty of examples of this trademark style on the Gravity Hill EP, which marks his return to Smalleville after a nine-year absence. Check first the title track, where soft-focus pads, poignant piano motifs and deep bass ride a rock-solid house groove, before turning your attention to the dusty, opaque, slowly unfurling dancefloor beauty of 'Beaver'. Kersten opts for a warmer, drowsier and more hypnotic deep house sound in the similarly gorgeous 'The Swamp', before he doffs a cap to Green and Brown Album-era Orbital via the looped intergalactic synth sounds, analogue synth-bass and swinging house beats of 'Stargazer'.

Review: Lawrence's Epiphany Remixes, a release from the German record label Giegling, presents four distinct interpretations of the title track. Each remixer brings a unique approach to the original piece, resulting in a diverse and captivating soundscape. Zoe Polanski's version transforms the track into a crystallized melody, creating a cold yet beautiful atmosphere. Lowtec's remix explores deep techno, delivering a smooth and dreamy ambiance with a touch of sadness. M Pittman Ladder's interpretation adds a gritty, chunky bassline, while Tobias' remix elevates the tempo, creating a pulsating and mechanical percussion elements. These remixes showcase the versatility of Lawrence's original composition, demonstrating how different artists can reinterpret and reshape it to create new and engaging experiences.

Review: Short Attention Records makes a welcome return here with a new drop of wax that fits the label head into its roots in deep techno sound worlds. This one takes the form of a various artists' EP crafted with an intake feel for cosy floors and who better to kick off in that vibe than the revered Lawrence whose 'Hawser' is a groovy and melodious track. Next, New Jersey don Joey Anderson sets a slow and deep tone with 'Human Kind' which has moody vocals and Japanese artist Takuya Matsumoto follows with 'Three Flowers', a more potent and driving cut with a fine acid bassline. Rounding off the EP is 'Desired Spring' by R/K, a loop-driven deep house gem designed for both listening and dancing.