Staff Picks: 15th January 2021

Review: To say that Drunk Tank Pink is a step in a different direction for South London pack Shame would be as misleading as mentioning how the record is a surprisingly quiet outing for a group that only ever had one foot in the 'post' bit of 'post punk'. Nevertheless, it is an altogether more thoughtful and weirdly delicate affair compared to previous outings, like thugs revealing themselves as easily bruised.

'Water In The Well', 'Great Dog' and 'Alphabet' offer some counterpoints - raucous, pulsating and sweat-soaked in equal measure. But on the whole this is as much about vulnerabilities as it is raw knee-jerk emotions. File next to, or at least in the vicinity of, Killing Joke and PiL, but expect a few shades of early Talking Heads and you won't go far wrong.

Review: Sometimes known as Inokasira Rangers, Park Rangers are a Japanese band who have spent much of the last decade releasing inspired but unlikely instrumental reggae covers of massive rock, pop and disco hits. This 7" single boasts two of their most popular covers, starting with a ridiculously cheery and almost hilariously cheeky version of Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'. Built around a 1960s style rocksteady riddim, it's instantly recognisable thanks to the band's choice to track the tune of Cobain's lead vocal (which naturally isn't present) with a Hammond organ solo. On the flip you'll find a deep reggae-disco cover of Kool & The Gang classic 'Summer Madness'; it's good, but nowhere near as fine as the surprising A-side.

Review: The 11th in Del Gazeebo and Aldo Vanucci's much loved Soul Flip Edits series has been long delayed. Djar One is behind it - and thousands of other releases in the last year, it seems, with more to come, reportedly. The tunes here are high speed, hard hitting funk and breakbeat reworks with tempos well over 145 and 135bpm respectively. The a-side is Mary Wells' northern soul banger 'Can't You See You're Losing Me' remixed with extra bump and on the reverse is a re-souled Astors gem 'Uncle Willie Good Time.' These are as hard and fast as they are great.

Review: Blazing out of the blocks with a sound fully charged for the breakbeat revival, Yosh inaugurates Vivid with this appropriately vibrant set of UK bass music belters. Taking the best elements from jungle, garage and more, lead track "It's Over" bursts forth in a cascade of rolling drums before the moody sub bass stylings of "We Rewind" takes over. Things get a little more aquatic on crafty tripper "Slow Down", and then the drums come right to the forefront of the mix on crisp and deadly EP closer "Pick Up Roll On." With impeccable production values and a liberal dose of UK rudeness, this is an essential fresh grip for anyone wanting some fresh jungle derivatives in their lives.

Review: Burnski's Instinct label is back and coming correct for the new year with another salvo of bassweight rudeness for the UKG revivalists. This various artists 12" welcomes Holloway back to the label with the technical, nuanced flair of 'Acme' and Ease Up George's eerie, nerve-jangling 2-stepper 'Wicked'. On the B-side, Daniele Temperilli brings an edgy, looped up energy to his wayward stepper 'Smog', while Raynor smooths things out with the refined, heads-down roller and dub techno-speckled 'Round Off'. Demonstrating the exciting new pathways the current wave of garage is opening up, this latest Instinct 12" is a must.

Review: Anna Wall's The Bricks label continues to be a fine outlet for contemporary house, techno and breaks with this new missive from Inner Zone. It's his debut on the label and is a dreamy and nostalgic EP that looks back to a post-rave era and reimagines the beats of the day through a modern lens. Opener 'JV Sports' is pure Orbital bliss, 'Reality Grid' is a deeper and more introspective take, with crunchy beats and warped bass and then 'The Last Arpy' again takes off for another dimension with its far sighted chords and sleek hi hats. An Alec Falconer Madge E mix closes out with real drive and cosmic insight.

Review: Porter v Brook was a classic welterweight boxing match up in 2014, and Porter Brook the producer brings a sound that is just as powerful and action packed as was that world title fight. This Groundwork release is the second on the label and is techno workout of the highest order. 'True Belief' is an eerie broken beat with misty sound design and grainy synths, then 'Deliverance' again locks you in a mystic world of churning synths, lo-fi textures and cavernous grooves. Closer 'Avec' is the sound of a warehouse in decay, a post-apocalyptic landscape once all human life has left and the machines are starting to take over.

Review: The latest essential EP from Partial Records takes us back to 1996, mining a now sought-after EP from Jah Warrior and soulful vocalist Naph-Tali. In its original vocal mix form, 'Pollution' sits somewhere between Melodica-laden roots reggae, '90s digi-dub and the up-tempo, hard-edged UK steppers sound, albeit with a distinctive percussive shuffle full of military-band style drum fills. It's rather good all told, with the accompanying dubs - the second of which wasn't released first time round - delivering sizable bass-weight, echoing percussion hits and hazy late-night textures aplenty. The EP-ending 'False Locks' version is a dub style revision two, with Jah Warrior subtly paying tribute to the similarly raw, weight and digital effects-laden productions of fellow UK scene stalwart Mad Professor.

Review: The Practical Rhythm crew are back with a third vital new release here. It's another trip back to the old school days of 90s garage but with a sufficiently stylish modern update. Sky Joose & DJ Perception are two of the scene's finest players and both come through here with a new single each. Sky Joose's 'Skin Teeth' is a dry, stripped back and minimal cut with darkened bass that becomes even more naughty with the Interplanetary Criminal SPZL remix. Perception then brings some light to the EP with his 'Oh Yes', a soulful cut with a magic lead and loose, tumbling drums. DJ Jason then flips it with some smeared, reversed bass and skeletal perc.

Review: Vinyl plays from the inside out.Place the needle on the Inside of the record and watch it spin to the Outside!

MAY NOT BE COMPATIBLE WITH AUTOMATIC TURNTABLES (when the tonearm lifts at the end or places the needle at the start of the record automatically)

Review: This 1989 album by Haruomi Hosono is a pivotal one from the emergent world music scene of the late 80s. It incorporates sounds and scenes from all over the planet including Arab and Latin American music, folk, Japanese ambient and plenty more. A masterpiece of electronic pop, it takes you on a world adventure all from the safety of your own home and now it is finally pressed to vinyl outside of Japan for the first time with cutting by Bernie Grundman, on a clearly slab of wax, and with a full insert booklet.