Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Many Hands is a fresh label helmed by Jona Jefferies and Kava that here kicks out an eclectic EP with four tracks from various members of its musical family. Dan Aikido opens with '0800 TXT4 Herb,' a smooth fusion piece that builds a laid-back groove, blending fretless bass, jazzy keys and soulful vocals all reminiscent of Rare Silk's 'Storm.' Ernie Ruso's 'Stroke It' offers slow, sensual r&b infused with P-funky wah-wah effects while DJ Nomad's 'African Boy' brings upbeat pop house next to funky organ and a female reggae MC.Jefferies' closer 'A Change Will Come' samples Dr. Martin Luther King Jr with a rave-inspired beat and soulful piano. Cracking stuff.

Review: Granada's Cosmic Tribe know the definition of "electro" in its broadest sense; their new Xtrictly Electro comp keeps the dystopian sound endemic to the genre's most present incarnation, but refuses to restrict itself to one tempo: the standard 130-ish that has sadly infected the otherwise genius genre as a necessity. An international splinter cell of spec-ops and mercenaries are recalled from retirement here, as we hear Calagad 13, Nachtwald, EC13 and many more mechanoid ilk lay down all manner of slick utilities, making up a morbid multi-tool. 5zyl brings further lasery Lithuanian steeze on 'Vilnius Bass', whilst Spectrums Data Forces betrays the existence of a sinister corporate entity, whose business model works towards the object of instilling 'Darkness In My Head' through giant, killer mozzy basses.

Review: Menacing EBM and dark synth billows from a Netherlands hinterland; our heralds speak of an esoteric encampment by the name of Espectro Oculto, said to be the remote incantators of an unstoppable curse in sound. Six shadowy emissaries have been sent to spread the pestilence; Trenton Chase, Martial Canterel, DJ Nephil, Exhausted Modern, Fragedis and Happy707. Clearly, the faction have recruited only the best, trusted and yet most nefarious of spies from as far-flung regions as Czechia and Argentina in the administering of such a sordid sonic plague. We're left most quivery at the centrifugal doom drones of Exhausted Modern's 'Fear Of Focus', across whose breakdown banshees are heard wailing and snarling, and Fragedis' 'Landing In Reality', a lo-fi techno freakout and sonochemical anomaly, channeling militant two-way radio samples and hellish FM synthesis.

Review: The Ebonys' debut single, 'Back In My Arms' showcases their rich vocal harmonies and the soulful production that would define their future work. Recorded in 1968 and released in 1969 under Raymond Waterhouse's Avis label, this single may not have charted, but it laid the groundwork for the group's later success at Philadelphia International Records. Both tracks reflect the distinct r&b flavour of the late 60s, blending heartfelt lyrics with lush arrangements by the late Roland Chambers. 'Back In My Arms' features a yearning narrative, highlighting the group's emotional depth, while 'I Can't Help But Love You' brings a smoother, romantic vibe that perfectly showcases their vocal prowess. Now remastered, this edition brings fresh life to a long-overlooked gem, allowing listeners to appreciate the foundation that led to The Ebonys' future hits.

Review: What would it take to universalise disco so that every brain sandwiched between two ears could hear and take to the sound like glue? Eddie C and Keita Sano continue a protracted research study in the pursuit of an answer, bringing three new dream-heaters to contrast to their original two in the series' debut, 'Disko Universal' and 'Joy Joy Joy'. Here, 'Not This Time' stands out among a trifecta of well-doused house rousers, steeped in the attenuated, bubblier deep end of a soulful disco-garage-house tradition.

Review: Leipzig-based Eira Haul takes his tech house sound forward with a fine outing on genre-specialists RAND Muzik here. 'Pocari Sweat' manages to combine the stuff, compelling drums of tech with more balmy and silky synths that bring great dynamics to the groove. It's spaced out and pacey then 'Tectona' kicks on with some bouncing bass and kick combos, sci-fi motifs and smart vocals worked in to bring the soul. 'Root Synergy' zips along with a sense of cosmic space travel that can easily get you locked in and zoned out and then 'Beach Haze' shuts down with a more heady, deep vibe, tropical synth details and a steamy atmosphere for late-night back rooms.

Review: The electrifying return of El Combo Batanga. The Afro-Cuban band and Ubiquity Records favourites descend upon us once more in a sallying storm of Isthmian lightning, bridging the spirit of classic Fania and Tico Records releases, and whipping them back around and through gales of Latin funk, son, timba and boogaloo. "Batanga" refers to the traditional Cuban instrument heard throughout their records, if you listen closely: new A cut 'La Cuota' brings an urgent, hyperbolic funk, while 'Darling' contrasts with nixie moods, a heart-burning Latin soul lament.

Review: The Space Trace label keeps quality high with this fourth outing on wax. Eric Os is on the button for this one with 'Underworld' first to lure you into its world with gently broken bets and moody pads setting an eerie tone. 'Stereophysical' is more jacked up with fizzing synth lines and warped pads over future house beats and 'Elusive' bringing some trance energy to its flashy, bright synths. 'Electrodreammachine' is a wonky electro workout with withering sci-fi motifs, puling synth sequences and raw hits. 'Feeling Real' and 'Cherry Red' complete the EP with more blends of house, electroclash and sleazy guitar riffs.

Review: After his recent releases on X-Kalay and Craigie Knowes, Melbourne's Escape Artist returns to Phonica where he has previously released his well-received Energy Breakthrough EP. Once again here he shows his love of serving up euphoric and energetic cuts with the A-side, 'Forgot Who I Was,' building great intensity with delicate melodies and a shifting bassline. The B-side, 'Remembering', offers a contrasting yet complementary vibe that keeps on with the previous track's two-step rhythm while evolving into a more uplifting direction with ambient techno elements and acidic breaks. It's potent stuff.

Review: Three new undiscovered species from sound taxonomist Eusebeia, spotted deep in the heart of the jungle. Described as "mind massages", Eusebeia leans further into his preferred mode: sculpted highs and caresser sound design. Sparking up the proceedings with pre-release single 'Zenith', we reach vicarious peaks of untrammelled 808 and sprightly sub-aqua pads. Emphasis shifts between cute, gamified pluck melodies and deeper persuasions, proving that surface and depth persist in necessary dialogue with one another.

Review: An experimental techno hexagram in LP form from Stockholm artist Evigt Morker. Without so much as a hint of context, the techno dark-shooter here drops his third LP for resident label Northern Electronics as a surprise, and the result is rather stunning. A bleary set of impressions, some tunes on this record clip the top edge of the mix, chinking our emotive armour. The effect is gastric, dehiscent, exuding bile: 'Hemilga Eldar' leaves us dumbstruck by its ambient eventidal winds and strangely sprawled drum shapes, while 'Sokaren Hittade' combines nyctophile cantos with electric twangs. The closer 'Det Blaser En Vind...' is a headland of humility, letting in much longer gusts of tuned air.

Review: Two more battle weapons handpicked from the eponymous UK armoury. Label motto ("You want this party started, right?!") and A-cut refrain ("la-di-da-di, we like to party"), converge in perfect sync here on this latest 7": the obverse samples Doug E Fresh & Slick Rick's 1985 mover, peppering slight but bright brasses over a punctuated beat mix. 'Tambou' on the B-side honours a historic canonical Swizz Beatz crunk bit with a re-edit of 'Tambourine', produced and released in 2006 for blase partystarter Eve.

Review: EC Underground is back with more inquisitors of low-end heavy sounds on Bass Scene Investigation vol 1 and again digs deep into the worlds of electro, techno, breakbeat and IDM. The compilation kicks off with the skittish percussive patterns of Illektrolab's 'Making Heads Dip', then heads into moody ground with ADJ, Pablo Funk brings some menacing synth work and Errorbeauty gets all weird and trippy with some mad electronics. Francois Dillinger offers a dystopian electro sound full of irresistibly jacked-up drums. A fine investigation indeed.

Review: Serious seriality from the OHM Series, an imprint and sole patent owner of the rare, aurally administered chemical known as Omega X. The alphabetic Greek letter ohm determines impedance / resistance in an electrical circuit, and so too do each of the dub techno tracks released on the OHM Series amount to tergiversating transductions, their chillout chord-knocks and hardened beats never quite letting us settle. Though titles like 'Innocence' and 'Downtime' persist here, the tracks perhaps inadvertently prove that flow is impossible without resistance: Separation's track is especially unorthodox in its strange reordering of phaser, pan and saturation effects on the pad-stab, which produces an unusual swirling effect.

Review: This special 12" sampler, part of the forthcoming compilation, taps into the timeless spirit of the Paradise Garage with two unreleased collaborations that showcase the late Frankie Knuckles' legacy. On the A-side, the final production from Knuckles, alongside Kenny Summit and Eric Kupper, delivers a soulful, uplifting remix of Lou Rawls' "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine." It's pure house brilliance that captures the essence of the Garage sound. On the flip, the trio reunites for "Loving You," a Motown-inspired anthem featuring Yasmeen's powerful vocals. These tracks, which have been staple spins for DJs like Cajmere and Sonny Fodera, form part of a larger collection that celebrates house music's rich history, with remixes of iconic tracks. The cover art, designed by Alexander Juhasz, adds an extra layer of cultural significance to this must-have release.

Review: While he's not put out many re-edits of late, Luke Una has serious scalpel-job pedigree. Back in the 2000s, he and then DJ partner Justin Crawford released a series of largely disco-focused edit EPs on the hush-hush Electrik Souls series. Here he returns to the format with the first in a series of reworks focused on his popular, dusty-fingered E Soul Cultura project. He begins by teasing out and lightly toughening up a killer Caribbean cut from the 1990s, Ella Andall's 'My Spirit Is Music' - an insanely rare and hard to find number that the Sheffield-born DJ has naturally tweaked sensitively. Elsewhere, he emphasises the 'proto-house dub' feel of Slick Mission's early UK house number 'Time's Up', before going even dubbed-out and more percussive on Manu Dibango's lesser-known cover of Latin disco classic 'Jingo'.

Review: Rather significant as old-school house releases go, the chain of influences behind Masters At Work’s ’The Masters At Work (Keep It Comin’ Now)’ is an elusive one. In 1991, Louie Vega and Marc Antony remixed new jack swing titan Keith Sweat’s own ‘Keep It Comin’, a timeless B3 side to round out Sweat’s original Elektra Records release. The track was a snowballer indeed, as it evolved into a standalone B-side in its own right, complementing the garage house classic release ‘Ride On The Rhythm’ on Atlantic Records. Now promoted once again to an A-side, we hear three new and exclusive mixes of thee original dub as well as two variations: Latinesque backing fills and programmable melodics twaddle away in the background of One Take Tito’s mix, while Kenlou and Eddie Mood bring twin yogic, myofibril relaxations to an already contracted sound.

Review: Madrid-based collective Danzon El Gato channel the city's restless creative energy into a vivid fusion of jazz, funk and roots music. Formed within Madrid's experimental scene, the group revolves around Javier Adan and Santiago Rapallo, longtime collaborators whose past projects range from jazz fusion to avant-garde film scores. This latest release sees them sculpt a kaleidoscopic sound, pulling from North African, Latin American and Mediterranean traditions while staying locked into the groove with a rhythm section indebted to 70s library music and golden-era hip-hop. Across the record, they explore an array of moods and textures. 'Ronda' pairs intricate guitar lines with a propulsive swing, while 'La lucha'ifeaturing Marina y su Melaoileans into percussive Latin jazz. 'Twangy Morocco' lives up to its name, weaving surf-rock guitar into an East-meets-West instrumental, whereas 'Chapoteo' ripples with aquatic, freeform interplay. 'Amambay' and 'Fuimos invencibles' showcase their knack for evocative storytelling through sound, shifting effortlessly between cinematic tension and unbridled release. Danzon El Gato craft music that reflects Madrid itselfidense with influences, rich in movement and ambiguousiin the best way. Their sound captures a city in flux, where past and present collide to create something unmistakably fresh.

Review: Eroya is a Lagos-based collective bridging generations of musicians who trace Nigerian music from the 1940s to today's Naija grooves. Their sound weaves so called styles such as palm-wine, agidigbo, juju, highlife, Afro-funk and Afrobeat traditions. Key members include Sina Ayinde Bakare, son of juju pioneer Ayinde Bakare, juju legend Fatai Rolling Dollar, Afro-funk saxophonist Prince Eji Oyewole and Afrobeat pianist Duro Ikujenyo of Fela Kuti's Egypt 80. Highlights on this album include Alaba Pedro's soulful 'Ekaete', Tejebaby's hypnotic 'Africa', and Oyewole's flute-led 'Experience'. With its bubbling jazz textures and deep rhythmic energy, Eroya is a perfect tribute to Nigeria's enduring musical contributions.

Review: Ensemble Modern and experimental, Berlin-based music composer and sound artist Hainbach come together for Primer, an album sourced from their 2022 Checkpoint concert and reworked in the studio with bassist Paul Cannon. The record transforms their fine live performance into a rich, immersive home listening experience with Hainbach's signature use of nuclear research gear, tape loops and vintage electronics weaving haunting, ever-shifting textures throughout. As such the pieces pulse with a sonic spark that captures the spirit of experimentation and collaboration and is taps into plenty of avant-garde thinking in its approach to drone and ambient.