Back catalogue: All genres

Review: The latest from the Joe Gibbs label features a powerful roots rockers reinterpretation of The Sensations' classic rocksteady tune 'Everyday Is Like a Holiday.' The new version from Ruddy Thomas brings a different kind of energy while honouring the soulful essence of the original. It's packed with plenty of mad mixing desk effects and endless echo while warm vocals and deep basslines lock in a steady, hypnotic rhythm. On the B-side, Joe Gibbs & The Professionals deliver 'Holiday Style' which has happy horns and melodies that sparkle in the hot summer sun. Real roots authenticity and dub mastery make this another vital 7".

Review: Caleto Records's eighth outing takes the form of this various artists compilation featuring exclusively Polish producers. The Etat Cru duo of Olszewski and Pawlescu kick off with the wire and sinewy synths and tech house pomp of 'Jasmina' then Jerry M offers two cuts. 'Gutek' is a nice spaced-out tech cruiser with flashy astral pads and 'Gondin' rides on well-designed breakbeats with an old-school bassline. Robsessive's 'Look After You' is a deeper, dubber, grittier cut for late-night vibes and SIM ON's 'Brudas' is all glitchy and dystopian urban landscaping. Poland sure has plenty of talent based on this EP.

Review: 'Everyone Has Got to Go' is a powerful 1976 roots stepper by Jamaican-Canadian singer Prince Robinson aka R. Man Prince. Born in Rockfort, Kingston, Robinson auditioned at Studio One in his teens but didn't record until a decade later. After moving to New York and Canada, he returned to Kingston in 1976 to record two iconic roots anthems at Joe Gibbs studio: this one and the rare 'Funny Dream.' Joined by The Soul Foundation and top session musicians like Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, the track's mix by Ernest Hookim and Barnabas features a haunting dub version.

Review: Milo Raad is back on Rotterdam's finest, Mord Records, with a fine follow-up to his last outing, the 'Blood Pressure' EP. This one opens at pace with 'Bushido' and its rushes of synth and hi hats, which sweep you off your feet in an instant. 'Flash Point' has a more stripped-back sound with a hypnotic meld of drums and kicks that makes for perfect 5am escapism. The deep techno of 'Yawara' is run through with eerie, searching synths that describe a desolate urban scene and 'Detour' is a final assault on both head and heel with its unrelenting drum pressure.

Review: Intime Anthem is a new label that makes a suitable impressive debut here with a various artists offering that explores a leftfield disco sound. Ramozel's 'Nomentum' has deadpan indie vocals and stark mechanical drums with cold wave synths. Parker Bjoske wars monads with twisted synth modulations and slow, purposeful kicks on 'Tempo.' Naimer then switches the mood with a more playful and 80s-inspired sound, bright retro synths and euro-dance grooves on 'Wildejoe.' There is a supple acid-laced majesty to Ivaj Odnode's closer 'Atillol,' which makes this as vital as it as varied.

Review: Motion Potion Records returns with a second release from the Australian label founded by Jono Xidias, Mehmet Alpdogan, and ritmiq. This collaborative project sees ritmiq teaming up with Lewba and Louis for the 'Signals' EP, a heady exploration of spacey club sounds. Standout track 'Transmitting From Space' (with Lewba) glides through cosmic synths, subtle breaks and hypnotic melodies so is sure to become a certified late-night burner. On the A-side, Louis and ritmiq deliver 'Interplanetary Prisoner' and 'Parallax,' which are both rich in mood and groove. ritmiq's solo cut 'Nebularae' closes the EP with high energy and dancefloor heat. Signals is a stylish, cosmic journey worth taking.

Review: Get ready for The Electro Guilde's fifth volume, another invitation to get lost at the heart of the rave. This time Zodiak Commune Records enlist Robodrum to kick off with the relentless synth slithers of bleeps of 'Call Me Bitch' before Redjack's 'Call The Monster' layers up mad analogue cowbells, blasts of distorted bass and a sense of intergalactic tension. Baka's 'Flux' dup shootings up with some visceral acid and he also takes care of the closer, 'Androids Hate Marching' a warp-seed, neck-snapping electro terminator with future synths and hiring sounds all spinning your mind into a fenny.

Review: Rolling Recordings from Antigua makes its debut here with a first release under the guise of Rock Star Heroes who offer up a couple of hard-to-find and previously unreleased funky disco influenced club bound instrumentals of out and out rock classics from one of the worlds best known stadium bands. These are perfectly designed for the club and collide rock, funk, disco and more into fresh forms. Opener 'Undercover Of The Night' popular with the likes of DJ Harvey and is a slice of raw, hard-hitting groove magic with organic percussion and live drums laden with funky guitar riffs and lively chord work that brings the whole thing to life. On the flip is an instrumental version of 'Miss You' which still has all the swagger of the iconic original with sultry harmonica luring you to the floor where the masterful drums and guitars will keep you moving.

Review: Seasons Limited made a welcome return in 2024 and now keeps up that good momentum with another big single from French house mainstay Franck Roger with some fine vocals by Paul B. It's a super smooth sound with drum swaying back and forth, molten synth adding late night and tissue soul and the tender vocal adding intimacy and late night romance. Rocco Rodamaal steps up for remixes and first of all he pairs things back to a sedate, seductive deep house roll then fleshes out the drums with some dubby weight to finish.!

Review: Berlin's Tobias Rosin aka Roseen makes a strong debut on the a.r.t.less label with four raw, club-focused tracks that channel classic Detroit techno energy. Each one delivers relentless rhythms and deep grooves, but with an all-important stripped-back sci-fi atmosphere that feels at once classic and forward-thinking. 'Re-Calibrated' is one that stands out with its broken kick patterns and shapeshifting synth filters that suspend you above the 'floor. 'Toxic Glitch' is more frenzied and 'Hyperdrive' doesn't let up either. This release also includes an endless loop and a locked groove and the X-side also features a rare 'parallel cut', a technique pioneered by Detroit legend Ron Murphy.

Review: Following 2023's When A Worm Wears A Wig, Robin Stewart returns with Crinkle and delivers a set of warped dub techno tracks that apply advanced dub logic to precise, pointillistic rhythms. Channelling influences like Peder Mannerfelt and Rrose, Stewart revives classic genre tropes with a fresh perspective that dives deeper into the physicality of sound and focuses on bass throbs over aggressive kicks. Standout tracks like 'Stomach' surprise with lolloping off-grid beats soaked in lysergic textures while 'Compact' delivers a more traditional peak-time vibe with innovative processing. The title track brings everything together with mind-bending spectral rhythms.

Review: In celebration of 50 years in the performing arts, Idris Ackamoor presents Artistic Being for Record Store Day 2025-a powerful blend of jazz, spoken word and activism. Featuring the voices of acclaimed actor Danny Glover and stage legend Rhodessa Jones, this record captures highlights from the Underground Jazz Cabaret, which was performed during Black History Month 2024 at The Lab in San Francisco. Co-produced by Ackamoor's Cultural Odyssey, the release fuses poetic storytelling with evocative musical textures while reflecting on social justice, identity and resilience. Artistic Being is a profound statement from a visionary artist.

Review: Grand Central Records founder and Manchester mainstay Mark Rae is back with New Town Ghosts, a powerful novel four years in the making that is set during the sweltering summer of 1976. This emotionally rich coming-of-age story is told through the eyes of ten-year-old boys navigating friendship, responsibility, and growing up and is paired with a nostalgic soundtrack of ten original songs performed in four-part harmony with strings, horns, choir and live instrumentation. The music evokes the warmth of a radio playing in a sun-drenched garden with themes of nature, wheels (ie via skateboards, wheelchairs and prams) and youthful rebellion echo throughout.

Review: Recorded at the legendary Eglise du Saint-Esprit in Paris, Blue Veil is the very first time we've been given a record fully dedicated to the incredible solo cello work of Lucy Railton. A spectacularly talented composer who is a master of the world's most mournful-yet-beautiful instrument, this is as much of a heart-stopping performance as it is a concept work of art. In many ways, Blue Veil is an experiment in resonance. If it were synthesised, we might refer to it as drone, although by nature the label infers a level of dullness. Here, we're talking about the natural refrains of an orchestral sunrise, the ebb and flow of contemporary classical tides. We're invited in, hypnotised, lulled and then let go. Free to wander back into the world after a brief respite from its relentless pace.

Review: Originally released in 1978, Road To Ruin would serve as the fourth full-length from leather jacket-clad punk pioneers The Ramones. While a rejected, mitigated flop upon release due to the band's swing for the radio fences (or airwaves) complete with sonic elements at the time alien to the punkosphere such as acoustic guitars, lead guitar solos and 60s pop ballads, in the near five decades since release, the project has been reevaluated as a bold successor to 1977's iconic Rocket To Russia (although that album did place 50 places ahead on the Billboard 200 at the time of release). Marking (no pun intended) their first effort to feature drummer Marky Ramone, who replaced Tommy Ramone after his departure due to the inability to keep up with the rigors of touring and lack of residuals from their previous record; the album's glossy, clean production has slowly morphed from malaise to praise over the ensuing decades, while offering up some of their most timeless and essential bangers including 'Needles & Pins' and 'I Wanna Be Sedated' (which if Spotify metrics are anything to go by, is the band's most popular song after, of course, 'Blitzkrieg Bop').

Review: Ras Jammy from Suns of Dub has curated a special release for Trojan Records that celebrates the deep cultural and historical ties between dub music and cannabis, all rooted in Jamaican music and Rastafarianism. This album, which arrives just in time for the stoners' best day of the year, 420, features iconic tracks from pioneering dub dons King Tubby, Scientist, Dennis Bovell and Roots Radics. These are the legends that helped shape the genre and this compilation highlights how they did it and what influence they had on the development of dub music. So, when the day comes, light up a fat one and turn this one up loud.

Review: .Six years after their acclaimed Ten Thousand Lions, roots artist Ras Teo and Spanish producer Roberto Sanchez reunite for Soul Rebel, a bold new project blending Teo's conscious lyrics with vintage rocksteady riddims. Originally sparked in 2018 during sessions at A-Lone Ark Muzik Studio, the album grew from two standout tracks into a full-length record which is unexpected yet seamless. Between them, the pair evoke classic Jamaican duos with buttery smooth harmonies and persuade drums and guitars that mesh perfectly with the bass. It's a case of all killer and no filler here wherever you listen.

Review: What you see before you ranks among the most mythologised live albums (n)ever released. Like the title suggests, it was originally recorded in 1972 at Parisian rock institution Le Bataclan, a legendary venue which would later gain notoriety after a group of armed gunmen opened fire on a crowd in 2015, killing 90 people. But that grisly recent history belies its status as one of the most respected concert halls in the French capital, and this not-quite-Velvet Underground show has contributed to that legacy. Showcasing the stop-you-dead qualities of Nico's staggering (and unique) vocal timbre, the surreal, immersive qualities of the Cale and Reed's legendary art-rock tones, this time capsule had been bootlegged and bootlegged until 2004, when it finally got an official release. Now it's back.

Review: In 1962, a chance convergence of historical contingencies in Dartford, Kent, would set the stage for the formation of one of the world's best-known rock and roll bands, The Rolling Stones. After Mick Jagger and Keith Richards took inspiration from rock icons Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, not to mention the comparatively sentimental Chicago blueses of Brian Jones and Ian Stewart, the group's had laid the mac for their own sound. The Rolling Stones' love for early blues legends would define their success; this compilation The celebrates those roots, from Muddy Waters' 'Just Want to Make Love to You' through to Chuck Berry's 'Memphis, Tennessee' and Robert Johnson's 'Love In Vain'. Special bonus tracks include the jazz-infused 'Key To The Highway' by Jazz Gillum, further proving Jagger and company's far-reaching inspirations.

Review: Those with an intricate knowledge of the sadly cut-short career of the late, great New York experimentalist and leftfield disco specialist Arthur Russell will happily tell you that his most celebrated solo album, World of Echo, was not only developed over several years, but also utilised edited and chopped-up recordings of shows he performed in his home city in 1984 and '85. This release presents both of those performances in full, with Russell - performing songs to his own effects-laden cello motifs and little else - delivering sparse (but effortlessly emotive) early versions and 'sketches'. These are a mix of lesser-known songs and familiar favourites, including a haunting take on 'Let's Go Swimming', a medley of 'Hiding Your Present From You/School Bell', and the inspired 'Sunlit Water'.

Review: Dublin-based artist Rustal is Peter Sweeney and he has a deep sound that he now brings to New York's renowned BlackCat label. Three of these originals are recorded in one-take performances at BlackCat HQ in the summer of 2024 and one is a dub reggae jam made in collaboration with label boss Jack Russell and Sonuga. 'Angel Of Light' is a widescreen dub techno opener with fuzzy, fizzy synths ripping out to infinity over dynamic drums. 'Flower Brick' is more intense with the oversized hi-hat ringlets and 'Ukiyo' is minimal and sparse in its drums and pads but soon locks you in. 'Burn Down Babylon' is a late-night stoner soundtrack for full mental immersion.