Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Balear-y-eyed city pop from contemporary singer and pop musician Xiaolin, continuing her cover version releases on Bless You with another knife-edge crossing into dream pop. Having already covered 'Plastic Love' by Mariya Takeuchi and Prudence Liew's 'Afterwards', Xiaolin's is now revered as a deft rerubber of golden classics. Now comes 'Half A Dream', a version of Tina Liu's 1897 lead single, hailing from the urbane City Girl album. South Korean producer Mogwaa may back up the B-side with a remix, but for us, it's the doozy pads and laggard sample-pack hits on the A1 that make this one; the whole track sounds like one long hypnopompic awakening, as we blearily embrace the day, breathing in the downtown air.

Review: Following the success of her cover of Mariya Takeuchi's 'Plastic Love' on BLESSYOU0021, Xiaolin returns with a new reinterpretation of Prudence Liew's 1990 hit, 'Afterwards.' This latest release showcases Xiaolin's impressive studio skill and the tune provides a dynamic backdrop for her powerful vocals. The package is rounded out with a dub version and two remixes by Tornado Wallace and Androo. It's a great and varied offering that blends nostalgia with fresh takes from some top talents.

Review: Originally written and produced by Japanese power couple Tatsuro Yamashita and Mariya Takeuchi in 1984, 'Xin Ai' stood out as one of the quintessences of Japanese city pop at the time. Later in 1991, it was covered with new Cantonese lyrics by Anita Mui; and now, over three decades later, yet another cover version surfaces again in Cantonese by Anita Mui, lending the song a completely fresh bedroom pop aura. Still retaining something ineffable of that 80s drum-machinic stuttery steeze and yet also recalling the decade's cusped interest in video game music as trailblazed by YMO, 'Xin Ai' comes in the form of a club mix and a karaoke version, and continues to push a well-documented stylistic yoke.

Review: After their debut album, 'Na Lagoa', was released in 2021, the Brazilian duo Xique-Xique asked some of their friends to remix their favourite tracks from the project. The result is this rather gorgeous 12" remix EP, which breaks down every genre from downtempo to rave and boils it on the stove that is left-of-field experimentation. Informed by dub techno and tech house as an aside, highlights include Zoe Reijue's remix of 'Preludio' and Niko Schwind's glacial version of the title track.

Review: Say the words 'pre-teen pop' to most people and they'll make for the hills faster than you can say "be afraid, be very afraid". In the case of X-Cetera, though, the presumption of garbage is inaccurate, albeit the underlying feeling of something being off i perhaps even unsettling i remains. Self-recorded in a very different time and a very different world, on the cusp of a new millennium and all its promises (lol), Jessica Hall, Ayden Mayeri, and sisters Janet and Mary Washburn give a wonderful example of how talented kids can be on Summer 2000. It's also a strange and weirdly i accidentally i trippy ride from beginning to end. Marrying elements of trip hop, r&b, indie, sugarcane pop and acoustic, the sickly sweet and naturally childish lyrics and delivery leave a macabre air lingering. Like the nursery rhyme in a horror movie, sort of. Once filed under chart hopeful, now avant garde.

Review: In keeping with the DIY roots of independent music, X Or Size producer Josiah Wolfson is a one-man production factory who not only makes and produces his music, but also handles his own record design and project presentation. It's a formula he's used successfully on two albums for Good Morning Tapes, as well as this fantastic third full-length missive. Deep, immersive, lightly off-kilter, sample-rich, effects-heavy and expressively atmospheric, the six tracks on show blend immersive sound design and collage style construction with nods to ambient dub, pitched-down lo-fi house, trip-hop, out-there ambient techno and the kind of huge-sounding-but-soft-focus ambient experimentalism so beloved of the Astral Industries label.

Review: Xavier Fabre and Bibiana Graeff aka Xique-Xique unveil their first album after a number of inventive deep house EPs. The record was written over the last three years between Istanbul, Bangkok and Heliodora in Brazil, which means it has a world but tropical feel. The humid grooves are detailed with distant bird calls and jungle sound effects, such as on the gorgeous 'Na Lagoa.' It is the varied sound sources and non standard synth designs that stand these languid, meditative grooves apart. 'Senhor Carangeju' has nice percussive touches over a bubbling beat, while 'Tapete Voador' is shamanistic and sounds like an ancient ritual.

Review: X.Y.R.'s latest offering delves into the depths of human experience, exploring themes of escapism, introspection and the search for meaning in a world that often feels chaotic and unfair. The album opens with the expansive 'Lost Horizon', setting the tone for a journey into introspective soundscapes and contemplative melodies. 'Melting Shapes' continues the exploration of inner worlds, with its shifting textures and ethereal sounds evoking a sense of fluidity and transformation. 'Despair' confronts the darker side of the human psyche, its melancholic melodies and haunting sounds reflecting the struggles of those who feel lost and disconnected. The B-side features the epic 'Invisible Lifeforms', a twenty-minute odyssey that delves into the hidden realms of consciousness. With its blend of ambient textures, tribal rhythms and meditative sounds, it creates a truly immersive experience that invites deep listening and introspection. X.Y.R.'s music is both calming and unsettling, offering a sonic reflection on the complexities of human existence.