Back catalogue: All genres

Review: It's been a while since the Albion stable graced our platters, but they're back in style with more of that on-point house music voodoo for the heat of the night. This single is a vessel for the various sides of Tommi Vicari Jr, who rolls out his Czevski alias to deliver a bruising remix of "57 Hertz" by 76-79. It's a reverb-soaked, dubbed out affair with a rock solid rhythm section and plenty of trippy FX tweaking on top. On the flip it's a different story with a similar feeling as we get the straight up Tommi Vicari Jr material in the shape of two killer tracks crafted for transcendental moments of dancefloor hypnosis.

Review: Since its emergence in 2011, Shifted and Ventress's Avian and Mira labels have become outlets for like-minded producers to express themselves in different creative manners, some choosing to work anonymously (Bleaching Agent) and others not (Burma Camp, 440PPM). A Vision Of Love falls in the former category, with the producer surfacing on Avian earlier this year with the first in a series of a series of self-styled "S & M techno tools" under the banner of Lessons In Hate. With the true identity of A Vision Of Love still very much under wraps, Part Two of the Lessons In Hate series now arrives with chiselled techno drums traversing squalling, savagely equalised electronics crafted using vintage gear and driven by a passion for classic second wave Detroit techno, whilst further alluding to A Vision Of Love's basic themes of S&M.

Review: Instra:mental's Nonplus imprint are set to unleash US based producer ASC's debut album, Nothing Is Certain next month but first deliver a three track taster of this highly anticipated LP. "Phobos" sets industrial noises and sparse, dramatic tones as its backdrop but entwines electronic grooves and micro samples over the top to create his unusual but wholly captivating sound. "Oort Cloud" drops out into some cosmic, downtempo atmospheres of weightless space before "Matter of Time" explores wind-like sounds and melodies, deep oceans of bass and his intriguing use of Oriental sounding percussion. Once listen to this will have you holding your breath for July's LP.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Torn sleeve otherwise in excellent condition***


Grand River's always-illuminating One Instrument label reawakens with a new album from Martin Sander and Michel Isorinne's Bandhagens Musikforening project. Having previously appeared on Northern Electronics and Semantica, now these two advanced synthesists place all their attention on a select few studio pieces to see how far they can take them. First up is the Roland System 100, which affords them plenty of tonal possibilities for the pulsing, kinetic 'Nedgravd I Naturen'. With the Yamaha DX-7 they create a towering ambient piece of FM synthesis, while the Roland SH-101 gets applied to a dense and detailed slice of obtuse leftfield techno. The Oberheim Matrix 6R becomes a vehicle for cinematic melancholy, and the Waldorf Microwave teases out an immersive swirl of ambience as you might well expect from the One Instrument series.

Review: Following the critical success of last years mini-LP The Last Tortuga, Black Deer is back on Emotional Response with a 4 track remix EP featuring friends and alumni Nacho Patrol, Luke Wyatt, Sad City and Valet. William Burnett returns to the label in the form of a remixes EP that takes his original productions and hands it to a broad selection of today's finest electronic producers, plus a rare outing from one of the label's favourite pyschedelic experimentalists. While Danny Wolfer's Legowelt project needs little introduction, it was only right that his inclusion on the label came from a more cosmic outlook. With must have EPs and a long player offered, his afro-infused Nacho Patrol moniker is a must check. In Circle Dance the original is taken by the hand down to an afro-tech-funk'n'breaks basement for one of his best remixes to date and rightly so for one of his old buds. Luke Wyatt follows with an uplifting and warped retake on Meditation. The kraut influence of the original is built on with fuzz guitar and a solo that builds across the track to a higher peak. Play this at sunrise for reaffirmation of life itself. Next is a big favourite of the label, catching the ear from his first release on Underwater Peoples
and a lush follow up for Phonica. His pure ambience of a remix strips everything back and lets the 4th World shine. With a 2nd EP due on Phonica, look out for something on this label soon. Finally, one of the main influences on the label when it started a few years back. Valet aka Portland multi-instrumentalist and mum, Honey Owens offers a deep, beautiful and haunting retake, adding whispers, drones, guitar, toms, keys and intonations to swallow you whole.

Review: Boy Pablo continues his mission to make us all nostalgic for our younger years with a track taken from this year's bubblegum album, Wachito Rico. 'Leave Me Alone' is enough to tell newcomers what they can expect from the full length release. Uptempo, melodic and polished to a fault, it's a timeless, chart-friendly, indie pop sound that has won over a huge following with its unabashed positivity, albeit the sentiments are apparently tied to the feeling disappointment when his parents suddenly making him leave a birthday party early.

Flip it and you find the laidback, smooth, R&B vibes of 'Be With Me', a song that didn't make it onto the LP itself but certainly would not have sounded out of place if it had. Cascading guitar harmonies and a stepping, shuffling beat, it owes plenty to the lo-fi electronic sexiness that has been pervading downtempo beats for years, but is far from a cheap knock-off.

Review: Having announced his new Jon Convex endeavour with two slices of formidable futurism for Martyn's 3024 imprint, Damon Kirkham returns to the familiarity of Non Plus with a double clutch of equally essential productions. Fans of cult TV might recognise the snatch of Badalamenti strings that announce "Radar" in such ominous fashion, though it's they way this element is weaved amidst ever groaning insect like bass and murderous strains of dystopian acid that truly impresses. And of course the brittle click clack of drums that always threatens to smash to pieces. In contrast, "Vacuum States" offers a more optimistic slant on the sci fi electro poise, gradually letting loose a succession of kaleidoscopic synth flutters over the stripped down kick thrust and glooping bass.

Review: Cedric Dewkowski and Felix Reifenberg have long been associated with Frankfurt collective Hardworksoftdrink, with the pair's 2017 collaborative full-length L'Album still the only LP that the label has released to date. Typically, the artistic imprint has not offered up much information about Dedicated to Uwe, their latest joint 12". Regardless, it's well worth a listen thanks to the pair's love of far-sighted synth sounds and firm grasp of mood and melody. A-side 'Herzogen' is particularly enjoyable, with the duo peppering a gentle electro rhythm with sun-bright keyboard stabs, squelchy acid bass, starry chords and cheerful melodies. There's a similar blend of sounds at play on flipside 'Vondekloties', which reminded us a little of the colourful, retro-futurist IDM of Birmingham-based synthesizer fetishists Plone.

Review: Al Kent takes on Japan’s answer to Vince Montana for another extended disco mix, with the emphasis - as always - on disco! Judging by the popularity of the pair’s last outing this release should once again please those DJs and music lovers with a penchant for the percussion, strings and traditional instrumentation that underpins the best disco music, bringing it up to date with one eye firmly on the past.

Review: Legendary turntablist and acclaimed beat maker DJ Yoda is back with a new album Prom Nite this month. Just before the full-length drops comes this single from it on essential 7". It follows on from the well-received 'Feel Like Home' 45rpm last month and this time offers more well-conceived and carefully sought-out fusions. The a-side 'My Energy' features Eva Lazarus. It is a lovely soulful slow jam that has a breakup melancholy to it and lovely doo-wop vibes. Completing this package is the flip side 'Lesson 1956' (feat Jamie Cullum & DJ Woody) which is another great revisiting of Americana.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Torn sleeve & record has light surface marks/scratches, otherwise in excellent working condition***


It's been a while since we last heard from Kinfolk, but the broad-sweeping label with cosmic chuggery in its bones is back with this powerful dose from Ess O Ess and Saulrichards. "Totem" is an epic track that rolls around in the muck somewhere between shoegaze extravagance, post-rock heaviness and psyched-out electronics. The "Swamp Crawl" version of the track keeps the guitars bedded deep within the mix, but there's space for more expressive synth work. Hardway Brothers take the track on a similarly rockist journey, but take their time building up to a climax. Otologic wrap things up with a deadly dub that will have low tempo trippers rubbing their hands with delight.

Review: 20/20 Vision are exiting planet Earth once again with the latest in their perfectly formed series of electro explorations, as Extrawelt leads the charge with an illustrious slice of braindance-tinted funk titled 'Hail The Whale (Coexisting Mix)'. Djedjotronic follows that up with a bold blast of mammoth synth work which hits pretty damn hard without being pointlessly brutal. Ste Roberts takes a break from his self-titled label run to offer up a freaky foray into acid-speckled territory, and Ivna Ji gets expressive with a rich palette of synths moving in harmony around a sharp and snappy beat.

Review: Carl Finlow has produced an astonishing catalogue of music over a career spanning three decades, with his discography including hundreds of releases and remixes under a variety of monikers. 'Desequence' is the latest edition to Finlow's expansive productions and a masterclass in electronic music.

'Desequence' kicks off the record with a heavy dose of integalactic funk with interstellar beats rockin' over squelchy bass lines and razor sharp glitches. While 'Downstream' delivers a warped groove wrapped up in Finlow's intricate programming.

'Guttural' is an overwhelming assault of rapid fire elements, forming complex off kilter breaks littered with robotic licks and served over deep, low end bass. 'Wavefront' closes yet another impeccable addition to Finlow's highly accomplished works, with an off planet adventure through extraterrestrial soundscapes.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Record has light surface marks/scratches, otherwise in excellent working condition***


Rising Greek producer G.U.S. steps up on Equivalence with some pumped up vintage techno sounds that take more than a few cues from the UK. "Shelf Cloud" strikes a fine balance between tough and dreamy, using a twitchy set of drums moving at a decent pace and flooding them with atmospheric pads and a slice of vocal that forms a central hook to the track. "Halo" goes even deeper into British territory with its chopped up breakbeat funk calling to mind the dexterous sample magic of Stasis, and then "Haze Phenomenon" heads into deep tech house territory riding a pumped up shuffle beat and swooping pads.

Review: Club Night Club is a new Brooklyn label born out of an event series, and they're positioning themselves squarely in the leftfield of the contemporary techno scene with a wild EP from the lesser-spotted Herron. The Manchester-based artist has slipped out a few scattered releases over the past six years, from EPs on the meandyou label he helps run, and one big drop for Peder Mannerfelt's label. This fierce return to the fray shows the producer pushing a tough yet supple strain of mutant, stepped techno with soundsystem blood pumping in its veins. It's ludicrously high-end, swimming in needlepoint sound design and yet still rough as hell, and it comes very highly recommended.

Review: Following on from last year's impressive Redlight debut, Scott Hess is back on his Adeen label with another selection of warm and inventive house cuts splashed with colour and analogue wobbles precision-engineered to catch your ear. Lead track 'Sirius City' leans on a harmonically rich lead line and plenty of off-kilter wriggles to appeal to those who want some cheekiness in their tunes. 'UFO' sports a tasteful acid tweak running in between plush pads and snappy drums, while 'Call Me, Acid' plays around with telephone tropes to make a bleepy jam that will have the ID requests flying in. 'Stars' offers something sweeter to complete the set, spacing out the beats to leave the synths plenty of room to cavort around a celestial name-checking session for deep house dreamers.

Review: Strap in for this potent new 7" from Killa B which brings the energy across to fizzing new dancehall cuts. The a-side 'Speedy Love' sounds quite a bit like an early Missy Elliott production but reworked into a dance hall framework. The vocals are menacing and delivered with a snarling edge over snappy snares and hefty bass. On the flip is a version called 'Blow You Mind' that is only subtly tweaked - the vocals take on different characteristics but the rhythms remain punchy and compelling.

Review: D. Tiffany presents the third installment in Planet Euphorique's Tiny Planet series, with four choice cuts. First up are Canadian life collaborators Mutually Feeling (Ariana Molly & Pulsum) with the slo-mo hardcore of 'Gutted Honeydew' accompanied by an evocative vocal. Next up, fellow Montrealer Pascale Project brings the totally loved-up vibe of 'Fly Zone' which also features a talented singer. Things take a much darker turn on the flip, with some of the label boss's cohorts from Vancouver taking charge. First is Jodie Overland with the mental overdrive of 'Are You Done Yet?' followed by local minimal wave/industrial duo Sigsaly going out all guns blazing on the hard dance mayhem of 'Carve'.

Review: It's been a long time between drinks for Outer Space, a Barcelona based six-piece who last appeared on wax in 2019 via a private press edition of their 2017 set Into The Unknown. You'll be delighted to hear that they're in fine fettle on this Rocafort Records-released "45. A-side 'Not Even Light' is a languid but floor-friendly affair, with ear-catching electric guitar melodies, jazz-funk flourishes and snaking horn lines rising above a chunky, loose-limbed funk break. Over on the flip Catalonian singer Gemma Humet handles lead vocals on 'Dead Planet', a filmic affair with subtle jazz overtones that's as atmospheric as they come.

Review: A tasty pair of chunky, beefed and dubbed up disco delights courtesy of the Cardiology label and every bit as likely to get the heart rate pumping as the name would suggest. The Owl's 'Groove Engine' steps up to the breach on the A-side, the slightly slower of the pair but blessed with a thumping framework of four-to- the-floor sturdiness on which funky keys and an almost Afro vibe are tastfully and decoratively hung. Flip track 'I'm Gonna' by C Da Afro is constructed from more archetypically traditional old skool disco ingredients, from the Sister Sledge-esque female vocals to the shooting, strings. There's a nice amount of dub behaviour via the desk, enough to elevate it into orbit but not so much that the song elements of the track are obscured. Nice work all round.

Review: London bass house specialist Mickey Pearce returns to Loefah's Swamp 81 with a new collection of floor pulverisers; the sort of tunes that make trends and break necks. "Warm Barzz" itself is on the docile side, but "Loop W" rapidly enters the abyss in what is surely one of the oddest drum loops we've heard from the man. "Sticky Fingerprints" is a lo-fi kinda number with eerie background sonics but still a prime cut for the dancefloor, while "Loop X" is completely broken, a mass of percussion held together by the darkness below it. Large.

Review: James Francis Marion Jones was a Black American religious leader whose movement turned into the Church of Universal Triumph, Dominion of God. During the fifties, he hosted his own weekly television shows in Detroit on a Sunday afternoon, making him the first black preacher to do so. His late night sermons were full of passion and power, and half a century on they are as fascinating as ever. On each side of this reissued 12", extended live recordings of two speeches are presented, meaning those who want to hear them won't have pay upwards of L800 on second hand sites, as they would have up until now.

Review: Joey Quinones and his band Thee Sinisters deliver a retro new one, testifying their ability to operate masterfully in an old style of soul while releasing new music all the while. This split 7" 45 finds the LA falsetto lending his services to lo-fi reggae on the A side (There Myst Be Something'), before giving in to the bittersweet past on the B-side ('Love Me Like You Used To'). Expect a pleasing foray through hurt, tripletty slow-jam soul.

Review: Los Angeles-based electronic and alt-r&b duo Rituals Of Mine draw on some very dark personal experiences and harrowing times on this captivating new EP. That lends the music a dark and foreboding sense of emotion even without digging deep into the lyrics. "Burst" is edgy and paranoid, "Heavyweight" is more empowering with its hall of mirrors feel and hallucinatory synths, and "Bad News" ends with tender chords and lurching bass that tugs at your heart. Fans of Kelela's Take Me Apart are likely to fall for the charms of this one.

Review: Earlier this year Buchla synth expert and sometime Nine Inch Nails band member Alessandro Cortini delivered one of the most surprising and rewarding long players of 2014 in Sonno for Dominick Fernow's Hospital Productions. The Italian pulls off another surprise move with a new project called Skarn on Shifted's Avian label, swerving from the majestic textures of Sonno into droning techno experimentation. Some three tracks long, Revolver finds Cortini toying with droning tones with the title cut a superb exercise in slowly building up a wall of oppressive, brutalist wave of noise over minimal beats. With material due on Panzerkreuz too, it's clear Cortini is currently enjoying an unpredictable chapter in a long and illustrious recording career.

Review: First he asked us to follow him, then he asked us if we wanted to find to find him. Now he's asking us to move closer... Steve Spacek's Eglo series has been a remarkable trip so far as he continues to illustrate unseen pictures with far-out, unbounded sounds and arrangement. "Mov Clsr" is the steamy dreamy soul number while "Garage Days" unravels the usually tightly wound two-step into a much spacier, dreamy affair, "Boo Boo Step" is a trip into the heart of an old BBC Micro computer while "Nano Nights" closes on a flighty 160BPM step session where lights twinkle and cascade with fluorescent fun. No one makes music like Spacek. Beautiful.

Review: J. Dugdale returns under his Sumgii alias for Swamp 81 again with some meditative and minimalist rollers. Judging by the pic on his Facebook page, he definitely likes the green, and the collection of tracks featured on Who Is Genre Anyway are perfect for getting blunted. It's total fire on the A side, from the deep, down and dirty grime of 'Absurd' followed by 'Chunks' and it's bouncy wall of sound. On the flip, things get more hi-fi on EP standout 'Skanker' before deconstructing nefarious techstep sounds of the late '90s on the fittingly titled 'Dark Side Burns'. The jagged and off-kilter bass experiment 'Wollop' closes it out.

Review: Hot on the heels of 2021's stellar release of The French Connection's "Speechless" LP, Balance head honcho and legendary producer and DJ Chez Damier teams up again with Camille and Adeen Records for another trip around the the world with Lima, Peru's Surco's Groove, "The Lima Project." This beautiful release titled "What Is Love?" delivers hard hitting versions of the track in the original, dub, instrumental, and an acapella with stellar remixes from Snad and German producer Damien Rausch. Be it France or Peru, Balance and Adeen knows how to take you on a musical journey. We can't wait to see where they go next!

Review: Original live techno duo, System 7 stamp their mark on the dancefloor once again with their new single on A Wave, 'Space Bird', lifted
from their forthcoming album, 'Phoenix', which opens the label's musical account in 2008. Just starting to escape on promo, this buzzing
atmospheric instrumental sees System 7 push the envelope for a minimal sound that embraces trance in truly hypnotic dancefloor style.
'Space Bird' is the first of the two Jam El Mar collaborations on the new album, and straight out the trap is man of the moment, Dubfire's
excellent minimal trance and brooding tech house remix. Liquid Soul toughens it up with a charged, stripped-down affair that rocks the floor,
fuelled by spacey loops; and rounding off is the original version. Its chunky beats underpin the seductive musical loops building into a
full-on floorfiller that's about to start ripping up floors in Europe.
System 7 continue to defy constraints of the 'trend' side of the music scene, having appeared live at a large number of festivals this year.
Highlights include playing twice at Tokyo's Nagisa Festival, this year with Derrick May and Joaquin Joe Claussell; another mighty appearance
at the Glastonbury Festival West Dance Tent in June with A Guy Called Gerald & Trentemoller; the Main Stage at the Glade Festival with
Longrange, Digitalism & Richie Hawtin; as well as Italy's Sonica festival, Harmonia Festival in Spain and Devon's Waveform event with
Eat Static & Banco De Gaia.

Review: Acid Waxa take a break from carrying Roy's mind-warping rave gear to bring you the deep donking, hardstyle hype-up of 'The Kingdom Of Scotland' by Romeo Taylor. You may have already heard the track bouncing around the odd mix or two for those with a penchant for full-fat hard dance with a wry comedic edge. On one hand it's a patriotic pelter, on the other it's a neo-rave laff which will comfortably lodge itself in your brain, more than ably backed up by some more wayward ravey gags and headsy gear (watch out for the simmering, heads-down wave-splashed techno of 'Keep Him On The Line'. Roy Of The Ravers is on hand to deliver a more direct remix of 'The Kingdom Of Scotland' on the B side which blows the original out into a wigged out, spooked up acid gurgler. oot!

Review: Thomas Xu tends not to release much music, but when he does it tends to be musically rich, rhythmically complex and very, very good. That's certainly the case with "Places In Time", his second EP on Steady Flight following an inspired 2017 debut on Theo Parrish's Sound Signature imprint. There's much to set the pulse racing across the EP, from the heavily analogue, synthesizer-powered, intergalactic jazz-funk looseness of "Easin", and the slipped 21st century instrumental space-jazz of "Tired A Being Tired (What Are We Here For)", to the densely layered, piano-driven ambience of "Promise 2", and the hard-to-pigeonhole eccentricity of closing cut "Let's Go See Roy".

Review: The second release on Lempuyang comes courtesy of Tomoki Tsukamoto. In the late 90s Tomoki put out releases on Gez Varley's G Records, i220, and of course ran his own Metrojuice Records imprint; putting out some of the most sought-after deep & dubby techno records under his alias W-Moon. After a hiatus of over 20 years he now returns with four new tracks under his own name, still retaining that deep signature sound.

Review: My Own Mirror To Stay is a brand new and first-ever compilation from the Sure Thing label. It finds them carefully curating six new artists and welcome them to the family, each with their own personal reflections of the dance floor. Lukas Urban kicks off with supple, seductive and stripped back techno while Soreab layers up prickly percussive layers and Sanguine sinks you into a dream state with his lush ambient pads and skeletal rhythms. The flip side features three more elegantly designed and meticulous bits of techno sound sculpture. The always exceptional Neel has mastered this one too.

Review: Carcass Identity are Matthieu Levet and Ernesto Gonzaalez, two heroes of the Brussels underground for over 10 years. Following up their 2018 debut for Bologna-based label Random Numbers, the duo present their next collaboration for Glasgow's Phase Group which once again infuses dub electronics with cosmic and psychedelic influences. Tracks such as 'Things To Forget' explore freefall tribal trance, while the contorted techno derivatives heard on tracks such as 'Freedom Principle' or the meditative polyrhythmic futurism of 'Desultory' were highlights. Highly recommended for fans of slo-mo ritual techno in the vein of Black Merlin or Vactrol Park - tip!