Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Arriving almost exactly three months after its predecessor, HiFi Sean and David McAlmont's third collaborative full-length is lightly a conceptual flip side to 2024's Daylight - a "dusk till dawn" night drive sequel, as they put it. To provide a distinctly different sonic sheen to the album that preceded it, the duo has reached for slow, soft-touch grooves, dreamy textures, bubbly electronics, strobe-lit synths and musical motifs forged in darker, if still colourful, tones. Add in McAlmont's honeyed, effortlessly soulful vocals, and you have another genuine gem from the 1990s survivors. Highlights include Blessed Madonna collaboration 'The Comedown', the tactile bliss of 'Goodbye Drama Queen', the huggable wooziness of 'High With You' and the heartfelt sweep of 'Star'.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged and slight surface marks but otherwise in excellent condition***


French touch has been one of the cornerstones of the European house scene for decades. It's a singular sound with lots of filters, fuzzy funk and feel good house grooves that were pioneered by the likes of Bob Sinclar, Daft Punk and Alan Braxe. This new collection cerebrates the genre from 1994 onwards with Sinclar featuring alongside the likes of Cute B, Salome De Bahia, Reminiscence Quartet and many more. It's a colourful and vibrant three-box set that will bring inescapably good vibes to any party. Must cop.

Review: French touch has been one of the cornerstones of the European house scene for decades. It's a singular sound with lots of filters, fuzzy funk and feel good house grooves that were pioneered by the likes of Bob Sinclar, Daft Punk and Alan Braxe. This new collection cerebrates the genre from 1994 onwards with Sinclar featuring alongside the likes of Cute B, Salome De Bahia, Reminiscence Quartet and many more. It's a colourful and vibrant three-box set that will bring inescapably good vibes to any party. Must cop.

Review: Alga Marghen has been long renowned for its dedication to avant-garde and experimental sound art and now it ventures into new territory with Formalibera, a label devoted to free jazz. Its inaugural releases feature never-before-heard archival recordings by saxophonist John Tchicai, which were originally created in Copenhagen during the 1960s and '70s. This second album from the crew showcases two stunning performances: first is 'The Education of an Amphibian' with Shahib Shahab and then comes 'Beautiful United Harmony Happening' with Don Cherry. These landmark releases offer a rare glimpse into Tchicai's groundbreaking career and free jazz's radical evolution.

Review: For the first time, experimental saxophonist and composer Jimi Tenor finds Norweigan dance powerhouse DJ Sotofett, both teaming up for a collaboration: 'No Warranty Dubs'. Completing the trifecta is Berlin ensemble Kabukabu, the five-piece Afro-jazz-funkers whose original recordings - many of which were overseen expertly by Tenor himself - now come redistilled through a dubwise filter paper. The loose-limbed, lackadaisical energy of Kabukabu's live instrumentation merge fully with Tenor's genre-blurring composites, as Sotofett recasts fifteen tracks into rhythm-driven, bass-heavy versions. The original free jazz and Afro-influenced elements remain present, but they here serve as rawer material for layered studio treatments, channelling echo-drenched edit work and hypnotic repetition, where nothing ever rests to the point of complacency.

Review: This eight-track release plunges listeners into a world of sci-fi techno, where melodic interludes meet deep, atmospheric edges. Side-1 opens with 'Fukaeri', a track defined by its broken deep beats and ambient drift, evoking a sense of floating through a distant galaxy. 'The Increasing Past' follows with gentle IDM beats, rich colo, and masterful productioniperfect for deep, immersive listening.'Tela' delivers a serene ambient experience, holding the quiet beauty of a rising sun with its delicate textures and evolving warmth. 'Gyeon' shifts into a slow breakbeat with a gentler, deeper approach that feels both introspective and expansive. 'We Are Not Alone' closes the side with cloud-like ambient soundscapes, hazy and airy, as rising vocal arcs add to its otherworldly aura. Lush, cosmic soundscapes and intricate beats create a masterful blend of ambient and techno elements, perfect for those seeking both depth and escapism.

Review: Gillian Welch and David Rawlings' latest album Woodland is a beacon to their enduring partnership and unwavering consistency. Named after their long-standing studio, which survived two tornadoes, the album reflects the duo's resilience and creativity. With a mix of lush yet sparse arrangements, the ten tracks are beautifully recorded by Rawlings, emphasising vocals and guitar. The songwriting is at its peak, with lyrics that resonate deeply, evoking a sense of both melancholy and warmth. Highlights include 'What We Had' and 'Lawman,' where their harmonies are so tight, they sound like siblings. Woodland is a meticulously crafted album that rewards careful listening with Welch and Rawlings at their best.

Review: Gillian Welch and David Rawlings' Woodland is their first album of original material together, blending the warmth of folk and the richness of country. After years apart from recording new songs, the duo reaffirms their connection, centering the album on their intertwined voices and delicate guitar interplay. Themes of love, loss, division and reconciliation are explored with tender care, weaving personal narratives with broader societal undercurrents. The album's sonic landscape expands beyond their usual acoustic guitar base. Tracks like 'What We Had' feature strings that complement Rawlings' high, Neil Young-like vocals, while pedal steel and slide guitar add emotional texture to songs such as 'The Day Mississippi Died' and 'North Country'. The arrangements are understated yet rich, enhancing the mood without overwhelming the subtle beauty of their storytelling. Lyrically, the duo draws from classic folk traditions, nodding to influences like Guy Clark and Bob Dylan, while addressing contemporary issues with timeless resonance. Songs such as 'Hashtag' blend humor with reflections on modern life, while 'Empty Trainload of Sky' and 'Lawman' evoke vivid imagery of life's fragility and the persistence of hope. Welch and Rawlings' ability to craft intimate, poignant songs that feel timeless, rooted in tradition yet alive to the present. It's an album that rewards close listening, as each layer reveals deeper emotional truths.

Review: Dumb Type Theater have been at the forefront of Japan's performance art landscape since 1984, although the years between then and now have seen some significant changes - culturally and in terms of the group. The death of Teiji Furuhashi, one of the central members, is just one example. A pivotal player in performances, he was often tasked with translating the instrumentation and arrangements of musician Toru Yamanaka into on-stage directions. Removed from that context, Yamanaka and Furuhashi's sounds still work incredibly well. There are aspects of Plan For Sleep that evoke the US avant garde of the time, perhaps reiterating the fact that the late-20th Century saw a closing of distances and a shared vision of where the future was heading among broad communities. Sound art, in the most musical and listenable sense.

Review: It's not hard to see just how ahead of their time Dumb Type were. And still are. Founded in Kyoto, Japan, in 1984, the artist collective looked to interpret and portray the changes they could see beginning to happen around them in society - specifically the start of the (information) technology age. Presenting work that took a dark and cynical view of the increasing importance and prevalence of equipment and digital in the every day, they do this though art exhibitions, performances and publications. Audiovisual installations have always been particularly prominent, and Every Dog Has His Day - one of two Dumb Theater albums previously only available on tape, now issued on vinyl for the first time - makes it clear music was never an afterthought. Credited to Toru Yamanaka, who wrote much of their heard work, and the late Teiji Furuhashi, who translated that onto stage, it's an avant garde essential.