New releases last four weeks: All genres

Review: The Beatles' EP From Us To You #3 captures a 1964 BBC session that encapsulates the band's early charm and infectious energy. Featuring a whopping ten tracks, it was recorded in the BBC's Paris Studios in Regent Street, London and fact fans will note that 'Honey Don't which was later included on the album Beatles For Sale and sung by Ringo, here features John on the vocals. Elsewhere the EP captures the band's irresistible melodies and tight harmonies with three of the tunes originally penned by the band's favourite rockabilly star Carl Perkins. Each song is a testament to The Beatles' enduring influence on popular music and overall serves as a timeless reminder of the band's unmatched creativity which continues to this day with new AI-produced singles that the much talked about one earlier in the year.

Review: Random Factor's 'On The Air' EP is a hugely sought-after classic by those who know. It came on Ralph Lawson's ever-reliable 20/20 Vision and now, as it turns 25 years old, he has decided it is the right time to get it remastered and reissued. 'On The Air' is first up on this fine EP from Carl Finlow and it has serene synths that bring to mind Detroit techno soul over pulsing bass and slick drums. 'Lockdown' has a raw vocoder vocal over punchy drums and twitchy synth stabs and 'Undercurrent' is another weapon that has more than withstood the test of time as it bumps along on funky drums and is overlaid with more playful synth patterns. 'Disconnect' is a crunchy and 8-bit closer with pixelated synths and screwy acid lines. Superb.

Review: Los Angeles-based ASHRR are back with a new cut which comes from their forthcoming Sunshine Low album which they have re-interpreted as their ASHRR Soundsystem alter ego, while System Olympia also steps up with a remix on this fine new package from 20/20 Vision. In the hands of the latter, 'What's Been Turning You' is a remix with plenty of hi-fidelity cosmic details over mid-tempo deep nu-disco drums. The version from ASHRR is a chugging and Italo-tinged classic with loose-limbed and jumbled drum funk and plenty of bright, shiny arps. A great collection then.

Review: The dynamic duo Octave One starts off 2024 with a new EP that features new versions of two of their own classics and a brand new song. 'Price We Pay' has two remixes featured here, with the both being massive main stage crowd pleasers. 'Mirror Image' is a slick downtempo track that shows the pair's creativity for making great dance music. Last, the new version of 'A Better Tomorrow' is updated to be more futuristic and spacey. Messages From The Mothership Volume 1 are a great sign of things to come as Octave One explores more of their long and impressive discography.

Review: Old muckers Mr G and Duncan Forbes drop their fourth collaborative project 'Cosmic One'. It comes in the form of four creative flips of one stroboscopic deep house banger, with the two taking the source material and reworking it into a further three prime-time club missiles. 'Cosmic Three' is our pick of the bunch, with syncopated claps opening up the track, and allowing the bubbling chords and shuffling b-line room to shine through the gaps in the texture. Bound to light up any self-respecting dancefloor, this one.

Review: Adrianne Lenker's run of mesmerising wyrd folk work continues apace with her latest album on 4AD. There's always been a fragile, old-world quality to the American singer-songwriter's work, whether solo or in Big Thief, but the process is foregrounded on bright future thanks to the emphasis the label put on the album's all-analogue recording and production process. It's an approach which absolutely chimes with the charming delicacy of the songs contained within, guided by Lenker's distinctive countrified twang. What makes Lenker's music novel in the long and winding tradition of country and folk is the subtle surrealism you can hear scattered amongst the tradition - just listen to the guitar treatment on 'Fool' for all the proof you need.

Review: The fourth studio album from '90s pop-punk-ish alt rock band Del Amitri, Twisted followed 1992's Change Everything, and amounted to a classic among the greats in their discography (though it was the last to feature the guitarist David Cummings). The album's bright, car-mixed songs - 'Roll To Me', 'Never Enough', 'Start With Me' - heard the band retain their omnipresent melodics, though it also marked a shift towards an even sunnier and heartfelt direction than the preceding album, not to mention serving as a sonic companion to the nascent Britpop craze, albeit not directly influenced by it.

Review: At least one person has described Scythe's work as "expertly modulated space blues and isolationist architectures." First emerging from the ether (or at least that's how we like to think of it) through a series of clandestine cassette releases on Low Company in 2019 and 2020, Head X'Change almost feels like the culmination of all that has come before. A weird and truly wonderful place to spend time. A collaborative project between David West and R.A. Jones, elements of kosmische intermingle with a kind of earthy ambience, DIY electronics leading into white noise moments or new age melodies. At times it's so joyfully opiate you wonder if there's any way of getting back up off the pillow. In other moments, there's tension, eeriness, and uncertainty. Once you're in, it's a wild ride indeed.

Review: Unchained is the longstanding solo project of Nathaniel Davis. Gabbeh is his latest offering to the world, a suite of blissfully introspective tracks that envelop the soul in a blanket of soft, delicate moods, their sole purpose to comfort aching heads. Remarkably, dedicated fans will know you can trace the artist's lineage to noise mix tapes on CD-R, although more recent excursions into Bossa nova influenced tones perhaps help bridge the gap between then and now. Recorded at home over a three year period, from 2020 to 2023, Grenoble, Switzerland, played a big part in end results here. "I think certain songs reflect, in ways, Grenoble's natural surroundings. 'Drac' is named after the river that flows from the mountains down to the city - 'Dru' is the name of a well-known peak near Chamonix," Davis has explained. That as may be, nevertheless there's something more transportive than that here - songs feel as though they would be at home anywhere green, slow and thoughtful.

Review: Colin Dunkerley, aka the artist Lapsed Pacifist, navigates the world as a sound engineer by day and leaves little time for his own music. He has plenty of accolades for his work from a niche audience for his productions under the alias Negative Neutron but for years wanted to pursue a more dark ambient route. Finally, he has made time to indulge his own music-making endeavours and now presents Hypatia, an album that materialised over an extended period. It features field recordings and audio loops processed through his modular setup and takes inspiration from Marco Polo's imaginary cities and rather mirrors Dunkerley's creative journey as it evokes memories of cold, distant places and the emotions they stir.

Review: A Strangely Isolated Place continues to be a vital source of intrigue in the broader sense of what ambient music can be in the modern era. Here they present the debut album from Liz Qun Wong, a classically-trained cellist and composer who has been releasing and recording as Lihla for nigh-on ten years. As you might well imagine, there's a strong electro-acoustic bed to the sound on this mesmerising full-length, but one of the real distinctions with this album is Wong's storytelling, which gently rests atop the nuanced, textural compositions and guides us into some intriguing, cinematic places.

Review: The present face of IDM is here heard occupied by dream duo D'Arcangelo and Karsten Plum, whose latest joint effort for Acid Avengers bowls us over with its acid tweezings, pangs, twingings, twangs, thrums and flits-past. The pH scale skyrockets to the point of insanity on Pflum's side, with 'Hornfish Acid' and 'Aroe Acid' jointly corroding the full length of the Earth's core with their snippy but incisive sizzles and 'ows, until we reach a forbidden underworld uncannily reminiscent of Oz - except the faces of the protagonists are horribly twisted into a yellow, illegal-raved rictuses. D'Arcangelo's 'Gawain' does equally as much with its eerie sprung-verbed chroma-chords and muted but moving melodies; so too does 'Walker Two' raise the tempo to silly speeds, coming as a veritable velociraptor of Druqks-y breaks and drill bits, all let loose from the barrel at a surely illegal rate of fire.

Review: A year after dropping his acclaimed album 'Billy Valentine And The Universal Truth' with Flying Dutchman and Acid Jazz Records, Billy unveils a fresh take on a soul classic. Recorded at LA's prestigious Henson Recording Studio, alongside producer Bob Thiele Jr. and a stellar band including Larry Goldings, Pino Paladino, Jeff Parker, James Gadson, and John Philip Shenale, he introduces three new tracks. His rendition of Gil Scott-Heron's 'Lady Day & John Coltrane', debuted on Gilles Peterson's BBC6Music, mesmerising live audiences. This special edition 7" includes a unique edit of 'Home Is Where The Hatred Is', not previously available on vinyl.

Review: Due to persistent demand and soaring prices for the original pressing, this reissue of 'Why Don't You Go Home' on striking red transparent vinyl could not be more essential. Featuring the dynamic vocals of Diane Ward, the title track delivers a powerhouse performance echoing the King and Federal r&b sound. On the flip side, 'Cocktail De Medianoche' serves up a delightful blend of Boogaloo and Northern Soul, a cherished favourite among aficionados of Latin grooves and Uptempo Soul. With two phenomenal tracks, this reissue promises a perfect double-sider experience! for lovers of soul.

Review: The Acid Jazz label recently celebratedits 35th year in business and, despite having an entire genre named afterit, has been very influential in supporting various genres, with its roster like a who's who of downtempo music. One of the newer artists that has received much critical acclaim has been New Street Adventure, their urban street soul with a modernist cool and insightful lyric have set out from the crowd. This reissue of 'The Big AC' on 7" features for the first time, the original version by the late Noel McCoy, taken from their standout 2015 album No Hard Feelings.

Review: Dee C Lee has been singing and performing for over 40 years now, perhaps most famously with Paul Weller's Style Council although teaming up with Guru on his Jazzmatazz. This amazing soul singer has now released her most recent album Just Something which his her fourth album overall and her first since 1998. The tracks that are getting wide play and buzz include the beautiful and soulful single 'Walk Away'. Also, last year's double sided single with the positive and wonderful 'Don't Forget About Love' along with the more funky 'Be There In The Morning'. Each song is strong in their own right. Kudos to the Acid Jazz label for releasing this on vinyl for us to enjoy.

Review: British soul singer Dee C Lee started her career singing backup for Wham and the Style Council, before embarking on a solo career that included an early release on Mo Wax. By the late 90s, she'd pretty much stepped back from music though - making this new album for Acid Jazz a genuine surprise (it's her first new release for over a quarter of a century). It's rather good, too, with Lee's sublime and emotion-rich vocals soaring above 'heritage soul' style tracks that variously offer nods to bossa-nova ('Don't Forget About Love'), disco/jazz-funk fusion ('Be There In The Morning', with its excellent horns and fluttering flutes), and Motown-style stompers (the uplifting excellence of 'Walk Away').

Review: The now ten year old 'Acid Test 09' sees a special tenth Anniversary Edition repress with a new vocal mix of the track 'Test 3'. The original EP, released in 2014, saw acid nomad Tin Man team up with techno dreamweaver Donato Dozzy for three slices of deep acid and dubby, bleepy ambient; this special anniversary version adds a surprise new vocal mix on the A2, with either Dozzy or Tin Man himself gracing the beats with a set of carefree, moony phonic impressions, lyrically concerning the object of his affections looking oh so good on the dancefloor. We already know and love the rest; it's up to you to put the new addition to the test.

Review: Back in 1991, PT House's debut album Big World introduced Soweto rapper Nelson Mohale (who was later known as Dr House) to South Africa's burgeoning house and kwaito scene. Collaborating with producer Danny Bridgens, known for his work with Yvonne Chaka Chaka and Margino, the newly formed pair fused US and UK hip-house influences with local flavours and always imbued their music with a positive outlook for the future. Now reissued for the first time on Afrosynth Records, the small but well-formed four-track record remains a bold testament to their vision and has more than stood the test of time with its vibrant energy and forward-looking spirit.

Notes: 104hp wide with two 3U rows and a 1U row.
Powder coated aluminum construction
VESA mount compatible (100mm x 100mm)
Plastic handle for easy mobility
Metal feet can be installed to support multiple angles of jamming.
Secure latching lid with enough depth to keep your patches patched

Expandable

Lid - when you're ready to add more space, the lid can be expanded to be another 104hp x 7U. You can add another set of rails, power supply and power jack and double your available space. (Kit available)
Metal feet - The metal feet can have a pair of rails and rack mounted power added to support another 3U row of 104hp. (Kit available in future)

Connectivity

Audio jacks - set of four jacks for stereo in and stereo out.
MIDI jacks - DIN jacks to support IN, OUT, and THRU MIDI.
USB power - can be used for a lamp to light your case or to charge your phone while recording your set.

Dimensions
557mm x 334mm x 169mm
74mm depth for 1U and bottom 3U row
52mm depth for middle 3U row

Power
+12V - 3A (with plenty of allowance for in-rush current)
-12V - 3A
+5V - 3A (shared with USB power)
36 shrouded power headers

In The Box
Main case
Lid
Metal feet
Power adapter 20V at 6A

Notes: Expand the lid from your case to be another powered rack. This set includes:

Rails
Handle and handle supports
Powered bus board
Case wiring
AC/DC power adapter
All hardware and thermal tape to complete the conversion

Review: To date the vinyl wing of Afterme have carried releases from the likes of Ki.Mi, Son Kota, Lorik and Suave amongst others, and now they welcome Teskera with a set of sublime minimal house workouts which bring personality and flair to the genre. 'It's Not Here' toys with what sounds like a theremin - an incongruous element which stands out amongst the swirl of smoky synths and slinky drums. Superlounge then remix the track and make it into a smoother, warmer confection for precisely the kind of executive suite they've dedicated their project to. 'Redemption' features a reflective sound palette replete with bell chimes and melancholic vocal-like treatments, and 'Leap In Space' rounds the record out in a brooding, detailed excursion into minimal electro.

Review: An exact dozen Bollywood musical gems, expertly curated to reflect a multitude of styles and sounds within the full spectrum. Tracks from movies such as Blackmail, Apradh, Junglee, Priya, Bhoot Bungla, and Sholay all make appearances, many of which are names that should be familiar to fans of 'world cinema' - for want of a less lazy label - even if the soundtracks themselves are not. Spanning the later mid-20th Century, everything here was recorded between 1958 and 1984, and as such Bollywood Nuggets can be taken as a window on how tastes and demand changed during that time, while certain totems remained. Featuring artists such as Mohammedd Rafi, Kalyanji & Anandji, P Susheela & SP Balasubrahmanyam, and RD Burman, it's a fantastic overview and a fascinating deep dive.

Review: Alex Puddu is a versatile multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer renowned for his collaborations with luminaries like Edda Dell'Orso and Joe Bataan, and here he presents a debut double single that is sung in Italian. With tracks 'Pullover Grigio' and 'Texas Blonde,' he introduces a fusion of Italian funk-pop from the late 70s and early 80s and melds the with the pop and indie melodies of contemporary Italy. Also drawing on influences from soul to disco, Puddu's unique production style shines through with its most tender chords, seductive vocals and sunny sounds.

Review: Jonny Drop working with Andre Ashong is not a collab you might have seen coming, but it is one you will be glad has happened. Puzzle Dust is reportedly an album that was four years in the making and it comes on a lovely blue slab of vinyl. Musically it is a work that fuses soul and psychedelia with stripped-back broken beats, dusty drums and lo-fi rhythms peppered with earthy percussion. At times sunny and upbeat, at others stoned and horizontal, Ashong's hazy vocals colour the tracks with his signature smoky soul. A fantastic coming together of two diverse but quality artists.

Review: With both tracks now coming out for the first time on 7" vinyl, the 'Liquid Love' and 'What's The T?' 7" single is a must get for all Roy Ayers fans and serious music collectors, not least as 2023 witnesses Roy's final ever tour of live dates. This release is a fitting tribute to the career of one of the most influential musicians in global Black music history and each track represents his virtuosity as a vibesman and his versatility across genres. 'Liquid Love' is taken from the 2015 BBE released album of Roy's unreleased material, Virgin Ubiquity II and is a wicked mid-tempo track where Roy's vibraphone complements an amazing female vocal arrangement to create harmonies and melody over a tough-as-you-like breakbeat, bassline and keyboard riff.

Review: Mystery surrounds the story behind this edit-style two-tracker - and, indeed, the identity of Baggy Leggins and Duke Hobo themselves - but there's much to admire about it. Check first A-side 'Keep Marching', where a lightly beefed up and housed-up semi-acoustic groove offers a platform for sweet, bilingual female lead vocals, jaunty guitars and simmering strings. It's a genuine dancefloor revision, but one that will suit Balearic DJs and confirmed party starters as much as dusty-fingered crate diggers and selector sorts. 'Shuffleupagus', meanwhile, sees the mystery artist cut up and tool up a vaguely familiar Latin workout with predictably energetic and party-starting results.

Review: Alleviated's Larry Heard reissue series has previously brought us the rough and tough acid of Gherkin Jerks and, more recently, the intergalactic downtempo grooves of his largely overlooked Alien LP. Here, they revisit one of Heard's later aliases, Loosefingers, dusting down and reissuing tracks from 2003's Glancing at the Moon EP. All three tracks are deep, warm and melodious in typical Heard fashion, with the title track delivering a sultry blend of wide-eyed chords, darting electronics, Latin-influenced percussion and tactile keys. "Deep Inside" delivers a hazy, sun-kissed take on soulful house - all jazz bass, sensual chords and gentle vocals. Best of all, though, is the tougher, synth-heavy "Lamentation", which rolls along at a near techno-tempo and is blessed with thrilling bleep melodies.

Review: Amongst Larry Heard's many, many celebrated achievements in the field of pioneering house music, the Gherkin Jerks tracks have a certain magnetism thanks to their downright nasty rawness. The original late 80s 12"s have been revisited in the past, but now the bonus tracks originally released on a comprehensive 2013 compilation get their own outing, cut to wax for the first time to serve all those who love their foundational house as rough as it comes. 'Psychotic Fantasy' is a dissonant masterpiece of gnarly acid, while 'Rezynator' has a slightly more melodic demeanour alongside its own grubby brilliance. The 'Original Full Take' of 'Ecstasy' is a slow-burning monster of needlepoint 303 tweaking and bludgeoned beats which jacks out for a full eight minutes.

Review: The talented Greek duo Artificial DRM - already renowned for their contributions to Koslif, De Stijl and Semantica Records - come through for the sixth Alpengluhen release. 'Enigma' is a curious experimental, IDM and ambient release, neither settling for out-and-out categorisability nor giving up the danceable ends of things and happily resting in the crosstalk between genres. All circling around similar tempi but with some variation therein, these four unnamed tracks reveal themselves, together with their textural details, only as slowly as a desert landscape might reveal itself to a parched wanderer; only through somatic repetitions, such as endless walking, panting, and squinting - compare these to deep listening and/or uninterrupted turntable playing - might we make out the mirages or fata morgana through the horizontal heat haze.

Review: Container is a long-running project from Ren Schofield but he has hasn't released anything since back in 2021 when he delighted techno heads with his Creamer EP. His manic sound has recently taken him to some sold out shows around the world and now comes Tacker, a new album that fuses rock with electronic stylings on Alter. Nirvana's 'Oh, The Guilt', Mindflayer's album 'It's Always 1999', and the Rah Bras song 'Sooop Toe Pump Girls' have all been given as points of inspiration for this most brain-fizzing, hardcore collision of worlds.

Review: Two towering labels, Alternative Tentacles and Crispin Glover, break the mould for a momentary merger on this artistic collision of rogue planets: a new split reissued 7" housing that infamous syncretic, Patrick Fitzgerald, Motorpsycho and Jello Biafra, and their twin versions of Fitzgerald's original song 'Punch'. Fitzgerald is best known as a pioneer of folk punk, famously channelling his sardonic wit into a fleeting, light but somehow also epical sound. 'Punch' first surfaced in 2009 as a one-off single released under Crispin Glover's remit; it's now heard once more in both versions, tracking incendiary denunciations of politics on Fitzgerald's part, amid a suicidal, guitar-driven ascension into the air.

Review: Announcing a reunion run of festival dates not five years on from their supposed farewell tour, what better time to revisit a truly under appreciated latter day gem from thrash metal titans Slayer? Originally released in 2006, Christ Illusion would serve as follow up to 2001's critically acclaimed God Hates Us All, while marking the band's first full-length with original drummer Dave Lombardo since 1990's Seasons In The Abyss. Somewhat shrugged off upon initial unveiling, in the near two decades since the project has amassed a legion of followers, mainly due to the work ultimately serving as one final effort from the original line up before guitarist Jeff Hanneman's untimely passing, followed by Lombardo's second departure.

Review: Analog Africa has repressed the highly valued and long since sold-out Congo Funk! Sound Madness From The Shores Of The Mighty Congo River: Kinshasa/Brazzaville 1969-1982. It is a compilation that superbly shows off the raw energy and funkiness of the Congolese rumba scene. This is the country that spawned such as legendary bands as African Jazz, OK Jazz and African Fiesta and it is said that the concert ahead of the legendary Rumble in the Jungle boxing match between Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman is what really set young hopefully musicians on their paths, after they saw James Brown play live. The story of those artists and the labels they released on in the ensuing years is what is told so well here across four sides of vital wax.

Review: Analogue is the Greek label which takes no prisoners in its pursuit of pure techno perfection and that's abundantly clear on this latest Various Artists drop, as Dax J kicks into gear with the searing, pummelling intensity of 'Ares'. It's a proper fist-shaker which sets you up for the hi-octane rumble of Kaiser's 'Kal' and ANFS' industrial jackhammer 'Amete'. That leaves Jerm to clean up with another weapons grade sheller driving ever-downwards in the ultimate ticket to peak time submission. This is techno in the toughest sense of the word - a very specific sound executed perfectly.

Review: The debut solo album by David Crosby of Crosby, Stills & Nash fame, If I Could Only Remember My Name is an ironic title for an artist first striking out on their commercial own. But despite its faux-amnesiac title, this freak-folk opus is actually a striking claim to, not a loss of, personal musical identity. Following the success of 1970's Deja Vu with Stills & Nash, Crosby sought to expound on that album's methodology - hard psychedelic drugs, brushes with insanity, copious studio time - to produce a crisp, profound and multifaceted vision on the intersection of blues, folk and collective music-making, with every legend from Neil Young to Joni Mitchell to Graham Nash in tow. The highlight has to be, above all, 'Tamalpais High (At About 3)'.

Review: The prolific and influential John Coltrane comitted many a seminal recording to vinyl across his career. His 1961 work My Favourite Things is one such album and it now gets a special new pressing as part of the 75th anniversary celebrations of Atlantic Records. The landmark album came from the same sessions as Coltrane Plays The Blues (1962) and Coltrane's Sound (1964), but marked something of a shift in his career. His playing is exploratory and innovative, unforced and naturally stylistic across gems like 'Everytime We Say Goodbye' and more.

Review: The classic 1977 album Aja by Steely Dan gets a deluxe reissue treatment from Analogue Productions, reminding us once more of its stellar jazz-inspired arrangements, complex harmonies, and impeccable composition. Known affectionately as a 'studio is an instrument' album, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker were meticulous and uncompromising at the time of its crafting. It's for these reasons alone that Aja remains a masterpiece, in which titles such as Peg, Deacon Blues and Josie resounding again with blues-pop-rocky flair.

Review: Released in 1960, Giant Steps was a watershed album for John Coltrane, solidifying the saxophone legend's reputation as one of the most influential and innovative musicians in jazz history, as well as delivering jazz to an increasingly mainstream audience, while garnering significant critical acclaim. Although this was John Coltrane's debut for Atlantic, he was concurrently performing and recording with Miles Davis. Within the space of less than three weeks, Coltrane would complete his work with Davis and company on another genre-defining disc, Kind Of Blue, before commencing his efforts on this one. Coltrane (tenor sax) is flanked here by essentially two different trios. Recording commenced in early May of 1959 with a pair of sessions that featured Tommy Flanagan (piano) and Art Taylor (drums), as well as Paul Chambers - who was the only bandmember other than Coltrane to have performed on every date. When recording resumed in December of that year, Wynton Kelly (piano) and Jimmy Cobb (drums) were instated, replicating the alternate non-Bill Evans lineup featured on 'Freddie The Freeloader' on Kind of Blue, sans Miles Davis of course. At the heart of these recordings, however, is the laser-beam focus of Coltrane's tenor solos.

Review: A beautifully made package that presents Coltrane and his ensemble exploring a softer, more introspective side of jazz. The quartet, featuring McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass and Elvin Jones on drums, delivers a captivating performance characterised by sublime improvisation and profound musical expression. Across the album's tracks, including classics like 'Say It (Over and Over Again)' and 'It's Easy to Remember,' Coltrane's saxophone weaves intricate melodies with a soul-stirring resonance, Tyner's piano work adds rich harmonies and delicate textures, while Garrison and Jones provide a solid rhythmic foundation that anchors each composition. Ballads shows Coltrane's ability to convey a wide range of emotions through his music, from tender vulnerability to profound introspection. The quartet's impeccable musicianship and intuitive interplay make this album a timeless treasure in the world of jazz..

Review: Nat Birchall is a prolific artist and someone who has proven he can do all forms of jazz from spiritual to contemporary to dub styled. This newest album from him finds him join with an expanded Unity Ensemble to cook up six original compositions featuring the likes of cult UK tenor saxophonist Alan Skidmore and guest percussionist Mark Wastell. They all came together initially at a John Coltrane tribute concert at London's Cafe Oto last year and soon found they had a common creative group so decided to get in the studio together. That early synergy shines through here on a lush five track record that is expansive and uplifting and rich in celestial melody.

Review: Dimi Angelis makes a fine statement with his 13th release via the ANGLS label and it is packed with raw, authentic beats across four robust tracks that are destined to captivate dancefloors. The A-side features 'Shadowland' which immediately ensnares listeners with its lasso-like loops and spatial nuances. Meanwhile, 'Intergalactic' ignites the dancefloor with its mechanical noise assault and superbly uses the 909 to build suspense with punchy rhythms. Flipping to the B-side, 'Crionics' plunges you into a deep sonic abyss where tension abounds and finally 'Ice Warrior' concludes the journey with abstract yet fulfilling frequencies. Dimi Angelis returns with his distinctive sound, primed to electrify floors from basements to warehouses once more.

Review: Aniara's white label number four delivers more techno goodness direct to the dance floor. The A-side features two of Arkajo's most compelling dance-floor tracks, with both offering a propulsive groove and warped and dubbed-out basslines. On the flip side, Dorisburg and Efraim Kent (who are here making their debut on Aniara) present the darker vibes of 'Data Smuggler' which rides on broken beats and has real menace in the airwaves. It complements the A-side with a more deep mood and hypnotic rhythm that will be pure dancing bait.

Review: Aniara's output has always been brilliantly designed for club deployment but could never really be considered as mere tools. The artists who appear on the Swedish imprint have a cultured sound and a knack for crafting maximum impact from minimal elements. Enter Mattias El Masouri who does just that with the sublime 'Time Dilation In Ultraviolet'. It's a hypnotic deep house cut with real drive that's down to the deft broken kick drum patterns, pulsing synth and heady pads that swirl above. 'Inre Dimension' is a 13-minute plus sonic daydream with paddy drums, drumming pads and perfectly airy hi-hats that anchor you in the heart and now as your mind wanders.

Review: Christopher Ledger continues to broaden the scope of his sound as a producer by bringing unabashed breakbeat acid into the folds of his broader tech house trajectory. There's still a pervasive deepness to 'Access Denied', no matter how big the beats or how wriggly the synth lines are. 'Nala's Groove' has a proggy tint to it, and 'From Above' rolls along in gorgeous blooms of synth work and deft percussion. Clearly the inspiration of classic 90s-styled beats worked their way into Ledger's production process, and he's made them his own.

Review: Adlas has a compelling signature sound - its quick and punchy but also seductive and funk. The opener on this new EP for Answer Code Request certainly fits that bill - Headland' has nice analogue drums and elastic bass down low with rich, smeared synths up top. 'Oscillation' gets deeper and rides on a rolling beat that rocks back and forth with ambient synths up top and a sense of mysticism in the air. 'Bluff' gets back to bumpy beats and dubbed low ends with some static-charged pads and 'Static' is the deepest of the lot - a subaquatic deep techno trip for the heads.

Review: Waxahatchee is emerging, butterfly like, from a cocoon that has kept her safe for most of her career. There was nothing ugly or hidden about Katie Crutchfield's older output. But it was intimate, quiet, thoughtful, vulnerable and, at times, almost a little nervous. At least some of those adjectives became irrelevant with the last LP, Saint Cloud, and now she follows up that ten-foot-tall 2020 triumph with Tigers Blood, continuing in a similar vein. Having significantly increased the size of her audience with the preceding, infinitely rousing record, Crutchfield simultaneously looks to please those newcomers and win even more over here. The tracks are similarly open armed, proud and accessible, but the razor sharp songwriting - dealing with everything from trying to stay still without being bored, to self doubt - has lost none of its impact, and the instrumental arrangements have arguably never been stronger.

Notes: A unique hardware synth, Aodyo's Anyma Phi uses physical modelling mixed with virtual analogue oscillators and filters, creating a versatile setup for sounds from resonant acoustic timbres to experimental hybrid sounds.

Supplier's Notes:
Explore and create your own sounds

Discover Anyma Phi, the essential physical modelling synthesizer. Your portal to creating new sound universes inspired from the real world, where objects collide, vibrate, and resonate.

The best of both worlds

Anyma Phi blends the classic ingredients of electronic music, like oscillators and filters, with physical modelling technology, allowing it to simulate acoustic sound sources, such as strings or reeds, as well as resonating structures, like wood, glass, or metal.

Create Unique Sounds; sound design for all

The matrix provides a quick and easy way to explore your sounds by following a physical metaphor, with four macros for each of the five stages of sound generation: Excite, Vibrate, Resonate, Global, and Animate.

Infinite Possibilities; a semi-modular powerhouse

Beyond the matrix lies an insanely powerful semi-modular synthesis engine where you can harness a wide variety of oscillators and effects, and control them effortlessly using an impressive modulator system. Going so deep into sound design has never been easier before with such a small box!

Anyma Phi Editor; standalone, but well-connected?

The Anyma Phi can hold up to 200 patches, and everything you need to create them is right on the machine. You can also benefit from the large screen of your computer (PC or Mac) to edit, manage and share patches even more easily, in a streamlined environment that displays all the synth modules at once and their interactions in real time. Learn more about the Anyma Phi's Updates and Downloads.

MIDI Controller; In tune with its environment

With its small form factor, it can sit on your keyboard, or anywhere on your desk. You can control it using any MIDI controller, keyboard or sequencer, with first-class support for wind controllers, like Sylphyo. And it also shines with World and microtonal music*!

Just Tap and Scratch; the world is your oyster

With its stereo input, you can also use the Anyma Phi as a versatile effects processor for your other gear, or use any external sound to excite its resonators and other physical models. And you don't even need a mic to get interesting sounds: just tap and scratch directly on the case of the Anyma!

Technical specifications:

Hybrid monophonic synthesizer, with physical modelling components
Memory: 200 patches
Stereo audio outputs:
L-R 1/4" mono line jack outputs
1/4" stereo headphone jack output
Stereo audio inputs:
1/4" stereo jack audio input
Internal piezoelectric mic when external input unplugged
MIDI inputs and outputs via USB and DIN ports
Powerful digital semi-modular synthesizer engine:
3 oscillator slots (more than 40 types, including wind/string physical models, modal resonators, virtual analogue and digital algorithms)
5 effect slots (more than 30 types, including resonators, granular processors, and FM operators) along 2 serial buses (Main, Aux) + 1 mono reverb
16 modulator slots (more than 40 types, including envelope generators, LFO, curves, interpolators, slew limiters, sequencers, physical and algorithmic processes, etc.)
32 mapping slots (virtual patch cords), each allowing to control any synth parameter (including another mapping) using a modulator or a controller input, with sidechain input and min/max/curve/smoothing
Responsive to pitch, pitch-bend, velocity, breath control/expression, as well as 4 other controller inputs (with MIDI learn)
External MIDI CC control for the matrix and the entire patch (via NRPN)
World-class microtonal support: up to 8 custom tunings, 50 onboard presets, onboard editor, MTS import/export
Built-in arpeggiator: 15 patterns, internal/external MIDI clock sync, custom triggers
Support for up to 3-note paraphony when building a patch
External audio processors
Automatic random patch generation (optional)
Free software editor/librarian (Mac/PC)
225 x 120 x 70 mm (8.9 x 4.7 x 2.8") and 900 gr (2 lbs)
Included: Anyma Phi, 5V PSU and USB cable
Designed and made in France

Review: The Veiltail EP by 747 features two heavyweight songs: 'Veiltail', which is a driving, heavy cascading melodic track with bubbling acid flourishes and a touch of soaring trance influence, and 'Stairway', which is a more electro-slanted track that's nevertheless just as pulsating and dramatic as its predecessor, perhaps a touch of Rephlex-style aural radioactivity. The Canadian label Aquaregia continues to be a trendsetter in the very competitive genre.

Review: The highly respected and busy ARTS label has released their latest What Will Remain When We're Gone by Paul Roux. The title track is a melodic burner that succeeds triumphantly with heavy percussion, anthemic crescendos and at a blistering pace. Amazing! 'Burning' is a fantastic as well. Dramatic and engaging, we love the way it favors melody over the supporting rhythm giving it a more atmospheric sound. On the B-side, 'Maybe It's Love' adds some soft-spoken female singing to it giving us strong 2000s era flashbacks. This is a really strong and perhaps underrated 12". Give this the opportunity to play through and you will want to revisit these often. ARTS continues to come through with excellent techno.