Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Hot since day, Girls Of The Internet have widened the eyes and perked the ears of many a squabbling listener since 2017, deploying many a nu-disco nutcracker through imprints such as Drab Queen and Palm Recs. The duo now stop by Athens Of The North, surveying a wide polar acropolis of deep repetition and strung sampledelia. 'Somewhere Someone' delivers peak energies crafted about a mystery sample, while the flipper, 'Where Is Your Love', hears a roomy linkup with James Alexander Bright, straining the A's comparatively full, gluey mien into a much stringier slice of vocal disco minimalism.

Review: Berlin's Exit Strategy began their 12"s game releasing EPs in browned sleeves, shortly before branching out into digital-vinyl combo releases with original artwork in the 2020s. Now with over ten years of experience under their belts, they welcome five new artists for a playful bricolage in deep and minimal techno, privileging elite, razor-sharp additive sound design and future-soulful vocal tasters. Ivory's opener 'Rain' epitomises this, while Jimi Jules squelchifies the same formula, and Aera's 'Future Holdings' rolls out the same logic to its ultimate conclusion, veering towards complex, 3D-graphic melodic techno composed entirely of climbing saws.

Review: Jambonne is the studio alias of Another Taste, and here he returns to Space Grapes with a double A-side scorcher following the underground buzz of 'Carpet Ride.' This new 45rpm delivers two no-nonsense disco-funk jams primed for peak-time play an packed with infectious grooves, tight rhythm sections and vintage production that ensures both of them are instant dancefloor essentials. There's no filler here, just pure, unfiltered funk energy which means that fans of Space Grapes' analogue aesthetic will have plenty to enjoy while newcomers will quickly understand the hype. This is raw, modern boogie at its best.

Review: Emily Jeanne launches her new label Quynh with a bold debut that explores psychedelic club music and deep percussive rhythms. Named after a nocturnal flower, Quynh reflects new school talent Emily's authentic late-night sound and a move toward more experimental territory. Opener 'Wet Skin' dives in with pounding kicks and burrowing deep techno intensity while 'Count Me Out' brings sparse, agile drum & bass textures. 'Do Son At Night' shifts into a dreamlike flow of loose percussion and swirling synths that rise and fall with grace, while closer 'Gone Water' embraces polyrhythmic psychedelia to end what is a thrilling, unconventional statement from an artist pushing boundaries.

Review: To keep it in the family is to imply things stay pure and untainted, but the irony with the Keep It In The Family 12" series is that every record sounds raw and unsheltered. So, although 'Feel' and 'Move This Way' cycle through unperturbed and dreamatic sounds, their finish is rough, suggesting a well-wrought processing chain, the music having seen through many a prodigal battle. Retromigration's 'Fret' and Cem Mo's 'Rushmore' continue the mood of vintage deep raspiness, with one-up arpeggios closing out the final track with special glee.

Review: Haggerston-based production wizard Jeigo kicks off the year after a standout 2024 by serving his own label Fleurella Records' first release. For the occasion, he reissues his track 'Pearl Leaf' which sits in between the worlds of Bicep, Sasha and UKG. It has floating pads and airy, organic beats that carry you away on a melancholic mood with deeply buried vocals adding a blurry, heart-tugging hook. On the flip are two new and unheard jams. 'Headpains' is full of a flurry of breaks but is also laden with introspective emotion in the vocals and chords and 'The Days You Were Here' is a more downtempo cut with shimmering pads, pitched-up vocals and languid bass.

Review: Jordan GCZ brings a unique jazz-infused approach to techno on his latest release, which is a third for the good folks at Rawax. He has a complex sound but one that always remains buttery impactful in the club and pairs cerebral ideas with physical grooves, and all of it's crafted with an array of outboard gear and vintage synths. The opener blends melodic nostalgic charm with dusty house beats, while 'Timbit Acid' is an off-kilter acid workout and 'Beaver Tail' weaves together a tapestry of intricate synth patterns and glistening pads. Last but not least, 'All Dressed' offers a soul-infused take on mid-tempo techno that is deep, groovy and compelling.

Review: Across four artists and four versions, Original Gravity present 'Woolly Bully', a woollen repackaging of the longtime Sam Sham & The Pharoahs classic. Laid down in 1964, this terpsichorean prancer kept to a 12-bar blues progression, and made for the first American record to sell a million copies during the storied British Invasion. Its mixture of skiffly British rock and Mexican-American conjunto was an intentional blend, and a succesful one at that. Its enduring impact is now felt in these rollicking cover versions from Junior Dell, Donnoya Drake, Luchito & Nestor Alvarez and Curtis Baker, all roomy, costume vintage retrofits of the original. Listen closely to the lyrics for strange talk of a mythical creature: the original song's lyrics were so strange that some radio stations banned it for fear of popular befuddlement.

Review: System warmongers Moonshine Recordings brew their own methanol murder beats, this time enlisting master home brewer King DuBear and toaster/taster Junior Dread for an apocalyptic system smasher, of epidemic proportions. In characteristic throaty baritone, 'Keep The Faith' hears Dread caution his fellow youngers against folly - "stay away from they food and the lies dem a spread" - while snares and noir bubbles come ensnared in intense, pop-out reverb. The dub goes surprisingly in on Dread's vocals, hamming them up with extra preamp body.

Review: Coorreente Belgium delivers a compelling slice of modern techno with 'Interlink', a four-track compilation that dives deep into rhythmic exploration and sci-fi atmospheres. Each cut offers a unique perspective, yet together they create an excellent and cohesive experience. Orbe's 'Jaxa' kicks things off with a spacey, melodic groove. The track's sci-fi techno aesthetic is underscored by rhythmic intricacies, creating a sense of forward momentum through the cosmos. It sets the tone with a blend of dreamlike melodies and pulsing beats. 'Refraction' by PTTRNRCRRNT follows, venturing into tribal territory with creative, off-kilter rhythms. Alien-esque warning sounds weave through the mix, adding a sense of unease and mystery that keeps listeners on edge. On Side-2, Deluka's 'Axis' plunges into subterranean techno with a deep, hypnotic vibe. Elements of trance filter through crisp production, guiding the listener on a spacey, introspective journey that feels both grounded and ethereal. Jorge Flukso's 'Synaptic' closes the EP with a nod to classic underground techno. Its dynamic, brooding build recalls the raw energy of Surgeon's warehouse bangers. The track's evolving layers and relentless drive create a late-night atmosphere perfect for dark, crowded dance floors. 'Interlink' is a well-curated snapshot of techno's diverse spectrum, balancing the cerebral and the physical with finesse. If you are one that thinks techno has been over-saturated the last decade and that there is no good techno coming out anymore then I would check this EP out.

Review: Passing Currents aims to stand out from the predictable by offering a deeply human touch in its music. This five-tracker backs that up by melding academic expertise with dancefloor intuition and the A-side features txted by Phil Moffa remixed by Yamaha DSP coder okpk after they met during doctoral studies, they flip technical mastery into bass-driven energy while Atrevido' fuses California warmth with analogue electro, Josh Dahlberg's rediscovered 2009 electro gem, 'Ass On The Floor', still bangs and Detroit's Kevin Reynolds delivers hypnotic grooves before Hazmat Live pushes boundaries with a sound rooted in soulful, experimental innovation.

Review: Sensory Blending hears Finnish artist Jimi Tenor and Italian group Aura Safari team up for an impromptu studio shebang in Perugia, Italy, after Tenor's storied but clandestine performance at a Hell Yeah party. Despite no prior connection, the musicians quickly found common ground, forging a vivant fusion of jazz-funk, tropicalia and soul. Tenor's psychedelic style gelled Aura Safari's faster, intuited approach, resulting in such tracks as 'Bodily Synesthesia,' 'Bewitched By The Sea' and 'Lunar Wind', each of which connect seductive grooves and ghost noted keys. Possibly performed live at select events later in the year, the record is a perfect storm of recorded "live feel" Balearica.

Review: German pair Markus Guentner and Joachim Spieth rightly got plenty of acclaim for their 2023 ambient album Overlay and now it gets revisited with a top selection of remixes that breathe new life into the original compositions. Prominent ambient and experimental artists such as Hollie Kenniff, Rafael Anton Irisarri and Pole all show their class while newer names like Abul Mogard smears synths into a misty wonder on 'Scope', Galan/Vogt layer in angelic vocal tones to 'Valenz' and Leandro Fresco brings a lightness of touch that fills with optimism on opener 'Apastron. Guentner and Spieth themselves provide two alternate versions of their originals that bring new emotional and sonic depth.

Review: Released in 2000, Poison is the third studio album by Swedish singer-songwriter Jay-Jay Johanson, having earned his place as a stalwart figure thanks to his melancholic vocals set to perspirant trip hop. From 'Believe in Us' to 'Colder,' not to mention the toxicologist's favourite 'Poison,' we're met again with Johanson's signature downtempos and experientially charged lyrics. Sophisticated atmospherics abound, bridging the all-to-intimate gap between sexuality and the unknown.

Review: An essential snapshot of late 60s British jazz, Off Centre snaps pianist and arranger John Cameron during a rare small group session, capturing a uniquely vivid, rhythmically complex album. Renowned for his soundtrack and library music work, Cameron brings that same cinematic flair to these tracks: 'Off Centre', 'Troublemaker' and 'Omah Cheyenne' are rowdily rich in texture, yet never overworked. His collaborators include the extraordinary Harold McNair, whose flute and tenor sax playing bring a kinetic energy that nods to his Roland Kirk influences, but with a cooler, more spacious edge. There's a strong modal undercurrent throughout, bringing the session a searching, propulsive edge, reflecting the sonic gemstone gleams that music magpie Gilles Peterson helped champion on his storied Impressed compilations.