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: Colkin from Raw Soul and Mauke Club sets the tone on this new FUTUR compilation, which has been curated by Benedikt Meger with a spherical acid house meditation. Peter Seiler's track, a standout from the reissue of his debut album Flying Frames, features Sheryl Hackett's soulful vocals and merges song structure with jazz improvisation. Eoism from Pulse Drift, Undersound, and Inch By Inch delivers low-swung electro flavours perfect for sunset vibes while the B-side opens with Voertuig of Tonal Oceans and Cobra Club who presents a seriously raw acid jam followed by an experimental, jazzy piece, reminiscent of the 90s downtempo era. 'Eoism' closes things with a floating, futuristic banger, going to make a well rounded (in more ways than one) and ultimately very useful piece of vinyl.

Review: Newly signed to Ninja Tune, Ebbb debuts with a five-track EP that shows great intent. Emerging from the same London avant-garde live scene that birthed black midi and Black Country New Road, the band has quickly developed a unique sound in just a year. Their music blends pulsing rhythms, immersive electronic production, sparkling melodies, layered vocal harmonies, and beats that range from ambient to industrial. Described by the band themself as "Brian Wilson meets Death Grips," the EP is experimental and unpredictable yet deeply considered and precise with an idiosyncratic hybrid of sounds that showcases Ebbb's innovative and tightly crafted music.

Review: It's time to don your leathers and strap in for another ride on go-slow master Eddie C's Read Motorbike. This time out the Canadian deep disco specialist kicks off his latest 7" with 'D8 With The Rain.' As always it is a super smooth groove that is smartly embellished with dusty old samples that tug at the heart. 'Sweet Honey' is a sunny one with plenty of joyous little chords and a carefree groove that flaps and slaps away down low. Easy to love, hard to pull-off grooves once again from the evergreen Eddie C.

Review: NuNorthern Soul's 2021 Record Store Day offering is something of a treat. It's a fresh reissue of an impossible-to-find promo 45 first issued to promote Flamenco legend El Turronero's 1980 disco album, EL Hondo. It features two tracks that have long been regular features in the sets of many dusty-fingered Balearic selectors, especially globe-trotting cult leader DJ Harvey. On the A-side you'll find the cosmic, driving, synth-laden brilliance of 'Las Penas (La Cana) - a genuine "everything but the kitchen sink" affair topped off by El Turronero's distinctive vocals - while the more exotic 'Si Yo Volviera Al Nacer', where synths and Sitars accompany the Flamenco-disco grooves, resides on the flip.

Review: It's a match made in Balearic heaven. Ela Minus, Colombia-born, Brooklyn-based artist, best known for building synths, placing agitational statements between her carefully woven ambient melodies and her Acts Of Rebellion album, meets fellow New Yorker DJ Python, he of the hypnotic dembow stylings, for a bumper value-packed six track EP. Ghostly vocals float across stark beats and sometime gloomy, sometime edgy but cheery dayglo musical textures on the three vocal versions, and there are three instrumentals for those who prefer their grooves that way.

Review: Following a surprisingly extended hiatus of three years, the admirable Earthly Measures imprint is ready to unleash the fourth volume in their Earthly Tapes series. This time round, they've not only chosen to showcase the work of more female artists, but also producers and musicians with "native roots connected to five countries in South America and Europe". Musically, it furthers the label's "electronica plus nature" ethos, flitting between deliciously dubbed-out ambient chuggers (Manu Ela), Latin-tinged slow motion dub disco (Barda), percussion-rich wooziness (Shigara), locked-in low-slung house hypnotism (Sahale & Samarana), tropical house sunshine (Carla Velenti) and chugging Balearic dreaminess (NoN Project).

Review: 'Money Talks' by En to End is a street and soul disco classic from the end of the 80s. It's a real favourite here at Juno HQ and so whenever it reappears we're glad to see it. Right now Backatcha Records has got two versions available with a yellow label edition and this straight black label edition with slightly different versions. The tunes stand up, however, they are presented - two delightful slices of dance floor action with oodles of romantic vibes. 'Money Talks' (Sean P Special mix) is doused in vocal harmonies and glowing keys and on the back is the deeper, more sentimental 'Are You Gonna Be' with instrumentals of both on the flip side.

Review: The faultless Razor-N-Tape label has long been one to keep an eye on for fans of all forms of house, disco and plenty in between. This new one from Balearic man Max Essa with slow-motion maestro Eddie C is perfectly timed to arrive as days are getting longer and the sun is out more. It features four lush tunes that roll deep with languid chords, deft little funky guitar riffs and laidback vibes that douse you in all the feels. 'We Live In The Hills' is the standout for us with its fleshy synth work and a sprinkling of tropical percussion.

Review: Barcelona-based Italian label Dance Conmigo makes a bold debut with a four-track release that is fully aimed at igniting dance floors. The opener from Lukinsky sets the tone with a dreamy, nostalgic journey you won't want to let go of while Elgo Blanco raises the tempo, perfectly bridging day-to-night vibes. On the B-side, Flavio Folco's signature style shines on a track featuring a dynamic live bassline and energetic arrangement. Last but not least, the EP closes with a collaboration from Daryl System & Mr. Fantasy that delivers a warm 80s-inspired groove and cosmic harmonies that transport you to another dimension.

Review: Fusion Sequence is a new offshoot from the Mellophonia label that kicks off with a heavyweight release both literally - its 180g vinyl - and metaphorically. It features seven different artists offering up one track each on what is a widescreen exploration of fresh deep house. They are A Vision of Panorama, Eternal Love, Pool Boy, Wolfey, Laseech, Larry Quest and Jay Sound and between them everything from cuddly depths to more moody late-night deepness is covered on an EP that brings plenty of new perspectives. A fine inaugural 12", then.

Review: Glenn Echo and Daniel Meineck are back on Detroit label MotorCity Wine with their first new music in two years following their well-received Partly Cloudy album. What Happened to Yesterday? is, we are told, the first of two albums from the pair that will arrive several months apart. It finds the pair get super hazy and dubby, with psychedelic charm swirling around their absorbing grooves next to subtle cues taken from the diverse likes of DJ Premier and King Jammy. There is a superb Moog-based cover of De La Soul's 'I Am I Be', Afro-Carribean disco in 'Dancehall of Grandeur' and epic jazz-rock on Volcano Sound' so dig in and prepare to be wowed.

Review: Glenn Echo & Daniel Meinecke won plenty of acclaim with their last outing What Happened To Yesterday?! and now they quickly back it up with a third outing on MotorCity Wine Recordings What Happened To Yesterday? Vol 2 is another blend of heady, dubby sounds with cosmic dance vibes that span serval sub-genres with ease. 'World In My Head' kicks off with lo-fi and low-key depths, and further downtempo tracks like 'Explanation of The Funk' with Dre King's trumpet and DJ Stylus's cuts, and 'Three-Season Crank' with Raja Kassis's guitar further sink you into blissed-out beats. The flip side has dancefloor-friendly jam 'Off The Rails,' then moves into dubby, meditative territory and ends with the gorgeous 'Black Bird Dub' which allows Echo's eclectic production and Meinecke's keyboard mastery to shine.

Review: By the time they released "Amplified Heart" in 1994, Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn had spent a decade churning out admired but relatively commercially unsuccessful "lite-jazz" albums. Then, on the back of a string of on-point club remixes (Todd Terry's chart-topping version of "Missing" included), the set surprisingly became a runaway success. To celebrate the album's 25th birthday, "Amplified Heart" has been given the audiophile reissue treatment. It suits the album's gently breezy, emotion-rich feel, with Thorn's evocative, lovelorn vocals perfectly matching Watt's sunset-friendly blend of acoustic guitars, soft-touch double bass, trip-hop style beats and Balearic-minded electronics. It remains one of the duo's greatest albums and should be in every discerning listener's collection.

Review: Since turning his hand to music production midway through the last decade, XL Recordings owner Richard Russell has delivered a couple of predictably hard to pigeonhole, guest-packed albums as Everything is Recorded. Russell, of course, has an admirably bulging contacts book and as deep a knowledge of British music - be it hip-hop, grime, rave, jazz, experimental electronica or otherwise - as anyone. The depth of both is naturally evident on third album Temporary, with Russell and a dizzying list of guests delivering atmospheric, sample-rich fusions of head-nodding, hip-hop leaning grooves, field recordings-heavy sample collages, woozy dream pop, sub-heavy nods to UK bass, slow-motion neo-folk, blunted trip-hop, contemporary UK jazz, hazy Americana and much more besides. That it works as a coherent and sonically adventurous album is testament to Russell's increasing skill as a producer and standalone musical artist.