Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Founded in 2023, Category 1 Music (C1M) builds on deep roots in house music, focusing on soulful house vocal productions on a fine international scale. Beyond digital releases, they're now diving into vinyl with a series of exclusive drops; the first is a Category 1 Music Sampler, a 12" of four standouts by Terry Dexter, Michael Gray, Dr Packer, Richard Earnshaw, and DJ Spinna. Organic but still well cooked Ibiza house predominates the set menu, whether by way of the ultrasoul wateriness of Terry Dexter's 'You Saved Me' or the tighter but still dreamy entreaties of Shawn Christopher's 'He's Got It', both translated in exquisite mashup form by the likes of Gray and Packer.

Review: 40 years have now passed since Larry Heard made his first record. Heard is, of course, without peers when it comes to deep house - he pretty much drew up the blueprint after all - though he does occasionally invite other producers to bask in his reflected glow. That's the case here, as he and Memphis-based Michael Kuntzman (an artist who has previously released music on Heard's Alleviated imprint) deliver a notable collaborative 12". Guest performer Maddaline whispers, sings and vocalises her way through the dreamy, richly electronic and sonically pristine 'Between Us', which is accompanied by a typically gorgeous 'Instrumental Dub'. There are two versions of 'Reel It In' - also featuring Maddaline - too: the deep tech-house shuffle of Heard's'Fingers Mix' and the back-to-Chicago-87 flex of Kuntzman's 'Summer Acid Burn' take.

Review: Minnesota's Shaun LaBelle returns with two collaborative cuts that shimmer with West Coast class. On 'Mon Cher Amour', Maysa's effortlessly fluid delivery rides plush piano chords from Bobby Lyle, whose presence elevates the arrangement with vintage jazz-funk elegance. Lyle's involvement i rare and usually reserved i speaks volumes. Flip to 'Your Love Kept Calling My Name', a slower burn that shows off LaBelle's syrupy synth bass and clean guitar touches, anchored again by Maysa, this time joined by Stokley. The track's groove is thick but graceful, helped along by contributions from Jeff Lorber, Patrick Lamb and Maurizio Metalli. While there's a polish that veers towards the adult contemporary side of soul-jazz, both tunes have the kind of melodic strength and studio richness that make sense of their Billboard and UK Soul Chart success.

Review: Kero Uno has been kicking for almost two decades, credited with reviving jazz sensibilities in hip-hop almost three decades since it, unfortunately, fell out of fashion around the turn of the century. K1 introduces city-pop and jazz-hop to two of Kdots biggest tracks, 'Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe' and 'Love', the former of which was put on SoundCloud almost a decade ago now and created nothing but buzz. K1 skyrocketed to fame, having his album crowdfunded by excited fans and catching the attention of Kendrick's own mix engineer Derek Ali. The 'Don't Kill My Vibes' mix flips the 2012 hit into a vibraphone-led synthy jazz slice of heaven, while the 'Love' flip, 'Vinyl Love', is a chill, wavey city-pop banger, with subtle brass and airtight percussion coming together in perfect matrimony.

Review: Planka Records continues to lay out its musical agenda with a fourth EP that takes the form of a forward-thinking compilation that blends fresh talent with trusted names. Hypnotic rhythms, shimmering textures, and fearless experimentation define this release, creating a soundscape that's equally suited for deep club immersion or solitary reflection. House, electro, and techno influences blur seamlessly, crafting tracks that transcend time and genre. Each cut pulses with enigmatic energy, pulling the listener deeper into Planka's evolving sonic universe. With PLNK004, the label reaffirms its role as a tastemaker-consistently championing innovation while staying true to its raw, underground roots. An essential, boundary-pushing listen.

Review: Jacopo Latini returns to Altered Circuits with a four-track EP that sharpens his minimalist approach while maintaining his signature melodic touch. Focused squarely on groove, each track explores subtle yet impactful progression and opener 'Sharp' sets the tone with eerie atmospheres, vocoded vocals and fluid 303 squelches. 'Impulse' rides a hypnotic FM bass and sharp percussion for a dramatic yet refined journey. 'Bright Sound' balances modulated leads and deadpan vocals with euphoric touches and closing track 'Rave Harvey' bursts with '90s trance energy which marks a bold shift toward high-intensity club euphoria and minimal design with maximal impact.

Review: The legendary David Holmes returns under his new alias The Light Brigade, with a brilliant outing on Mystic Arts, which follows up his appearance on the Sounds From The Flightpath Estate compilation. Side A, 'Shuffle The Deck,' was made with electro don Keith Tenniswood of Two Lone Swordsmen and is a fiery, bass-driven sermon laced with gospel, acid loops, Arthur Russell-style cello and a sample of the late great Andrew Weatherall reflecting on rave as spiritual ritual. On the B-side, 'Only Love Can Save Us' is an expansive, kosmische-inspired collaboration with Michael Andrews that is chiming, soaring and deeply emotional. A moving and transcendent tribute to dance music's past and future.

Review: This heavyweight 12" delivers fresh French-produced roots reggae straight out of the unlikely region of Brittany in the North West. It unites the talents of producers William Spring and Arthur Dub Dealer with sought-after Jamaican vocalist Aza Lineage and results in 'Give Thanks For Life,' a spiritually charged anthem carried by Aza's commanding, conscious delivery over a deep, meditative rhythm. William Spring serves up his own riddim, and the B-side offers a delicious dub version from Dub Dealing that strips the rhythm back and recooks it with echo-drenched finesse. Benyah's 'Badman Horns' is tipped with some ska-adjacent brass to make for a meeting of modern roots energy with enduring messages of uplift.

Review: A potent ongoing collaboration between two techno heads lands on a legendary label, delivering four cuts that span the spectrum of classic and contemporary dancefloor energy. Side-A kicks off with 'ClickClickClick', a tech house burner that lives up to its name as it is bouncy and rhythmically addictive. Its catchy loop play gives way to deeper, murkier textures midway through, maintaining its infectious swing while offering DJs a perfect mid-set curveball. Following it is 'Gearbox', a slick, electro-informed groover with a low-slung, funky bassline. It's high-energy yet controlled, laced with head-nodding bounce and shimmering detail that make it ideal for peak-time dancefloor action. On Side-B, 'Destination 909' is pure nostalgia with a modern polish, bringing in 90s techno grit, trancey atmospherics and a post-rave euphoria that's all tight kicks and laser-focused execution. The production is clean and sharp, but there's an intentional vintage flavor that pays tribute to the roots. Closing things out is 'Reach Out', a hypnotic, dub-leaning track infused with a raw vocal loop preaching unity and rave authenticity. It's spacious, meditative and subtly anthemic. The kind of track that creeps up on you in the best way. All in all, a cohesive, floor-ready EP.

Review: Big up to northern powerhouse Burnski for steering his Constant Sound label to the not-so-insignificant feat of release number 50. More importantly, the sounds remain as vital as ever and always evolve into subtle new sound worlds. The mantle for this one is taken by Locklead who brings some fine drum patterns to 'Backup' and pairs them with sliding hi-hats and bubbly synth motifs. It's garage-infused but utterly fresh. 'Wizzord' is a darker tech house with searching lead synths and plenty of pent-up energy, and 'Motherland' brings nice jazzy chord work and atmospheric samples. 'Pink Skies' is a bright closer with contrasting synths - some farting, some smooth - and more high-speed, catchy drums that span house and tech.

Review: Two standout tracks from Priori's This But More get a stripped, emotional rework from Loidis, which is of course the introspective alias of Brian Leeds aka Huerco S. and Pendant who is known for his minimal, textured approach. Here, Loidis stretches the originals into hypnotic, slow-burning explorations. The rhythms remain intact but feel deeper, warmer, like echoes from a distant rave. It's dancefloor music in slow motion: eyes closed, head lost in the groove. These extended versions don't just remix, they reimagine while blurring lines between ambient and club, motion and stillness. It's a compelling fusion of restraint and rhythm, perfect for late nights and deep-listening sessions alike.

Review: Glispy Records makes a strong vinyl debut with a four-track showcase of Georgia's deepening electronic talent pool. Tbilisi producer Reshio opens with 'Electronic Mind', a high-octane blend of punchy electro and precise sequencing, setting the tone with clinical flair. Toke follows with 'System 32', a rolling groove machine laced with dubby atmospheres and smart modulationiweighty but agile. On the flip, DJ Astrobee injects some swagger into proceedings with the rugged, percussive funk of 'Elvis The Gator', full of low-end heft and filtered bite. Label co-founder Levan Grdzelidze rounds off with '84 Slave', an acidic slow-burner that builds intensity through tightly-wound layers. A confident and well-curated start to the Glispy vinyl era.

Review: This new VA from the young Swiss label Covered compiles four forward-thinking artists pushing sonic boundaries in their own way but united by detailed sound design and refined instrumentation. Olivier Romero opens with bold, wave-driven rhythms while Luise brings intricate sequencing and crisp minimal percussion. Maik Yells follows with atmospheric depth built from lush pads and ghostly harmonies, weaving a moody narrative. OneKnock closes with a hypnotic blend of shifting rhythms and sub-heavy foundations. These tracks form a nice listen when played together and are rooted in rich texture, tone and subtle storytelling.

Review: La Ruka is a prominent artist from Colombia's Pacific Coast. She blends hip-hop, salsa, Afro-Colombian roots and urban Latin genres in her music even though she is now based in Barcelona. Her live shows are always high on energy and tunes of hers like 'No Quiero Marido' and 'Todo Es Plata' are some of many standouts from the last 20 years. Her lyrics often focus on Afro-descendent women and life in Buenaventura and this new EP is another injection of Latin rhythms direct to your soul. Each one is sun kissed and percussive with irresistible production from the likes of JMoney, Village cuts and Lanzapro.

Review: Brooklyn-based trio Lake Ruth return with a luminous, concept-driven suite that interweaves 60s baroque pop, celestial science fiction and the aching aftermath of cult tragedy. Anchored by Allison Brice's delicate yet penetrating vocals, this release draws narrative inspiration from the Heaven's Gate cultiparticularly survivors and bereaved relativesiwhile also channelling Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time and Walter Benjamin's interpretation of Paul Klee's Angelus Novus. Tracks like 'Potalaka Listening Station', 'Take Me With You', 'From Erika' and 'To Erika' articulate a deeply personal lyrical tapestry, reframing grief as a spectral presence across space and memory. The sound design is equally deliberate: bright organs, skittering drums, ripple-toned guitar, and a nostalgic production palette that feels both 1967 and timeless. Despite the thematic weight, there's lightness hereidelicate rhythms evoke tropicalia, and Brice's voice threads it all together like constellations across the dusk. This is Lake Ruth's most affecting and ambitious work yet: rich in imagery, bold in its emotional scope and glistening with intelligence.

Review: Kendrick Lamar aka. K Dot is hip-hop's all-time crown-bearer for the 2010s. Last time we checked, the same was true for the 2020s too. Bridging both decades came To Pimp A Butterfly, which saw mammoth success upon its 2015 release. Though perhaps prematurely slapped with the "classic" label all too soon (and though this wasn't wrong), one good index of an all-time great album is the prevalence of affectionate initialisms among diehard fans: in no time at all, it became known as "TPAB". The Compton rapper had had a firm social conscience ever since the release of Section 80 and Good Kid, Mad City, and TPAB would continue to restitute the many racial and consumeristic ills of American society; unforgettably, a White House mutiny is depicted on the original front cover. Songs like 'I', 'Sing For Me, I'm Dying Of Thirst', 'King Kunta' and 'Institutionalized' revolutionised rap through every motif from G-funk bounce to freeform jazz. Now, after a recent Super Bowl Halftime Show backed by vexingly ironic American flags and pyrotechnics, we hear a newly emerged butterfly: Kendrick's meliorative flows and butterfly-effect cogitations resound with the utmost clarity on this grey UMR edition.

Review: Celebrating the tentth anniversary of a release that redefined the possibilities of hip-hop both as music and message, UMR share a brand new edition of Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly. Though a tanked camo butterfly now takes centre stage on the front cover, the tracklist remains unchanged; an unusual move for anniversary editions indeed, though perhaps the observation should be made that the sheer stylistic variety Kendrick offered us back in 2015 should keep us grateful well into the 21st Century. Besides, who'd want to tamper with the tracklist of a 10/10 record? They sure know how to keep the purists happy. From the explosive urgency of 'The Blacker the Berry' to the introspective poetry of 'u' and the cultural rallying cry of 'Alright', Lamar's vision remains as urgent and layered as ever.

Review: Mid 2010s hip-hop heads will be pleased to know that Kendrick Lamar's history-making third LP To Pimp A Butterfly, pet named "TPAB" by fans, is now being given a thorough reissue campaign via Interscope. Riddled with literary and contemporary influences relevant to racism, identity, hood politics and capitalist consumerism - all of which lie curdled but still active in the American psyche - To Pimp A Butterfly took its namesake from Harper Lee's literary staple of similar name, semantically substituting active murder of innocents (killing mockingbirds) for systemic manipulation of fundamentally free and beautiful people (pimping butterflies). The imago that emerges by the end of the record, especially on the penultimate, Isley Brothers-sampling psych-funk hit 'I', attests a resolutely healthy narcissism; a defiant riposte to centuries-long, systemic strangulation of Black selfhood.

Review: The latest Lindstrom album is so good that he appears to have dispensed with the spell-checker for the copy i but it's always such a terrific pleasure to hear new music from the Norse disco titan that even the most uptight proofreader will surely forgive him. Back in the noughties, he and compatriot Prins Thomas flipped the script with their immaculately crafted take on the meta-disco sound. And though the frequency of Lindstrom's output has slowed over time, the quality of his production retains its magnificent allure. Syrius Syntoms begins with a bang i glistening synths, snappy drums and pristine melodics on 'Crkl' i before taking acidic turns via 'Thousand Island Man' and drifting into dreamland on 'Moo)n'. 'These Are a Few of My Favorite Strings' adds a little NY house bump, with evocative keys and low-end groove, while the feel-good arps and bouncy bass of the title track are vintage Lindstrom i full of kitsch sparkle and joyous main room energy. Top marks.

Review: Little Simz continues her evolution with Lotus, her sixth studio album. Featuring sensitised singers Obongjayar and Moonchild Sanelly, the album builds on the prolific run Simz has maintained since 2022's No Thank You, which was followed by her first EP Drop 7, the stand-alone single 'Hello, Hi', and collaborations with Coldplay, Sampha and Wretch 32. Lotus explores transformation and resilience, with the lotus flower serving as a key metaphor: lotuses are infamously the only flowers to thrive even in muddy waters. Having described the lotus-like imagery as symbolic of the ability to create something "extraordinary" regardless of circumstances, Simz offers a profound depiction of resilience via the lead single 'Flood', which echoes 'Black Skinhead' era Kanye West with its deep, motile drumming and whispered, lyrical musings on the transfer of power.

Review: Since the release of her last full-length excursion, No Thank You, in 2022, much has changed in the world of Little Simz - both personally and professionally. These twin themes naturally shaped the sound of Lotus, not only her first album in three years, but also a first without her long-term studio partner InFlo - a producer she is suing for L1million in unpaid royalties. She goes in hard (lyrically, we mean) on her former partner on opener 'Thief', a cinematic and loose-limbed number that perfectly encapsulates the more stripped-back, often organic beats and surprisingly personal lyrics that mark out the album. Highlights are plentiful, with the post-punk/punk-funk fired 'Young', string-laden 'Free', heart-aching 'Hollow' and Afrobeat-inspired 'Lion' amongst the standouts.

Review: Hyperspace Communications drop a fresh remix package of cult US new wave trio Los Microwaves' debut LP, What's That Got To Do (With Loving You). Remixed by Kit Watson from the original 24-track analogue tapes, the release features two discs. Disc One is a 45 RPM dancefloor-ready EP with six reimagined cuts from Life After Breakfast, including 'deadpan vocals and punchy cold wave grooves Time To Get Up' and 'TV in My Eye.' Disc Two runs at 33 RPM and adds four instrumental versions tailored for film/TV sync and live remixing. It's a great addition for collectors or an introduction for anyone new to these California synth and techno-punk disrupters.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Icelandic experiment Low Roar heard Ryan Karazija, Leifur Bjornsson and Logi Gudmundsson indulge a transoceanic collaboration, extending many a riotous yet sensual sludgeoff between indie pop and post-rock until Karazija's death in 2022. Since this sad event, subsequent records have heard the band reuse loose elements recorded by Karazija in a posthumous fashion, and House In The Woods is a brilliant new example. Pressed to vinyl quickly after an initial digital release, the album blends typical Icelandic ambient-string work with sensuous background vocals and harmonium layers, and deals in a range of subjects from decrepitude to endless love, marked by a sense of sublimity throughout.