B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged and dirt on sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition
Space Rock (9:33)
Give Contact (5:57)
Deadline (7:50)
The End Of Rain (5:39)
Sputnik (9:16)
Eyes In The Sky (10:58)
Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged and dirt on sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition***
Next up on Outer Place Records is the fifth installment coming from the vault of Meister Bert Ashra, a veteran from Berlin's '90s underground scene who is still active in the city today. His solo project B. Ashra has existed since 1993 as a live act, DJ, composer, sound designer and mastering engineer. He's been known to delve into ambient, experimental, soundscapes, trance and techno, as well as deep house and electronic jazz. Much of the aforementioned is explored on the Eyes In The Sky EP: from the deep 303 swing of 'Space Rock', the chill downtempo electronica of 'Give Me Contact', to the heady acid house of 'The End Of Rain' and the hypnotic techno of 'Sputnik'.
Review: Hardanger is a collaboration between Mariska Baars, Niki Jansen and Rutger Zuydervelt. Named after Jansen's Hardanger fiddle, the album expands on Baars and Zuydervelt's established chemistry after beginning as Jansen's improvisations with Baars adding vocals and guitar, all later shaped by Zuydervelt into two long-form tracks-one an electro-acoustic collage, the other more meditative. Baars blends ambient and folk and is known for collaborating with artists like Peter Broderick, while Jansen is a folk violinist and Zuydervel's prolific output as Machinefabriek is well worth checking as are his film scores and collabs as Piiptsjilling and Fean with Baars.
Review: Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, the enigmatic steel pan group from Hamburg, made waves in 2024 when their cover of 50 Cent's 'PIMP' was featured in the Oscar-winner film Anatomy Of A Fall. The track played a key role in the movie's success and led to the first-ever steel pans in the orchestra pit at the Academy Awards, further boosting the band's saliency. And yet despite global recognition, 'PIMP' is just a glimpse of their catalogue, which is already rather extensive. Since signing with Big Crown in 2014, Bacao've released four albums and numerous singles, and Big Crown Vaults Vol. 4 flaunts many of these dishings-out, with covers of Bob James' 'Nautilus', Khruangbin's 'Maria Tambien', and the uptempo original 'Kaiso Noir'. It serves as a tantalizing bud-whetter, too, before their oncoming fifth studio album.
B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition
Tough Victory (3:11)
Space (2:32)
Raise It Up (2:37)
My Jamaican Dub (2:40)
I Need Somebody To Love Tonight (4:01)
Dirt Off Your Shoulder (2:53)
Getting Nasty (3:04)
Blow Your Cover (2:34)
Represent (3:23)
The Healer (2:50)
Les Fleur (3:20)
Squaring The Circles (3:29)
Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***
The latest must-cop record from the good people at Big Crown is a real summer special. Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band serve up some seriously soul-enriching grooves, with the impossibly warm and good time vibes that come from steel drums on each and every one. The beats are rooted in funk, with fat bass and expressive horn work bring each one to life. There are sojourns into dub, disco and jazz, and the whole thing bris with so much character and personality that it cannot but put a smile on your face.
Review: At the start of 2024, BADBADNOTGOOD channeled their renewed creative energy into the Mid Spiral series. Fresh off a string of international tour dates and collaborations with artists like Daniel Caesar, Charlotte Day Wilson, and Turnstile, the Canadian trio - Al Sow, Chester Hansen, and Leland Whitty - returned to the studio with a vibrant sense of purpose. Joined by touring member Felix Fox-Pappas and key Toronto jazz musicians Kaelin Murphy, Juan Carlos Medrano, and LA's Tyler Lott, they embarked on an intensive recording session at Valentine Studios in Los Angeles. The result is the Mid Spiral series, initially released digitally in three parts - Chaos, Order, and Growth - and now available as a double LP and CD. These suites mark a return to their instrumental jazz roots while seamlessly blending elements of hip-hop, neo-soul, psychedelic and funk.
Review: CyberindustrialEBMwavepost-punkIDMmutantelectro. No commas, no punctuation, just one throbbing, convulsing, dystopian mass informed by the bleakest visions of a sci-fi future we deserve but definitely don't want. Originally hailing from Australia, but long-since relocating to Berlin's eastern ends, Kristian Bahoudian, AKA Kris Baha, has clearly absorbed his surrounds, grown through them, and learnt how to channel that brutalism into something truly potent. It's also narratively driven, with the titular spirits in the system a reference to humans in the age of advanced artificial intelligence - beholden to dictatorial codes that rob us of our essence, vitality and individuality. An awakening among a select few means a small number of people become self-aware, again, and can begin pushing back. And this point of tension, between human and machine, plays out sonically. Talk about painting a vivid picture.
Review: UK soul and funk band The Baker Brothers have been delivering their signature grooves since bursting out of Bournemouth in 2000. Formed by Chris Pedley and brothers Dan and Richard Baker, their love for funk and soul has led to a dynamic career spanning 13 albums, including their latest, The Next Last Party. This new collection marks a return to their roots with tough, bass-heavy tracks like 'Sunrise' (featuring Hannah Williams), 'Heartbreaker,' and 'You Are The One'. Balancing fiery funk with soulful respite, further standout moments include 'Western Morning' (with Frankie Connolly) and the mellow closer 'All The Time'. This is another superb album full of timeless funk and soul fusion for many different moods.
Dennis Coffey & The Detroit Guitar Band - "Scorpio" (4:03)
The Jimmy Castor Bunch - "It's Just Begun" (3:41)
BT Express - "Energy Level" (3:46)
James Brown - "Get On The Good Foot" (4:06)
Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force - "Planet Rock" (6:26)
Manu Dibango - "Soul Makossa" (4:24)
Esther Williams - "Last Night Changed It All" (4:23)
The Mohawks - "The Champ" (2:38)
Herman Kelly & Life - "Dance To The Drummer's Beat" (4:13)
Spanky Wilson - "Sunshine Of Your Love" (3:40)
James Brown - "Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose" (6:11)
Candido - "Soulwanco" (4:12)
Arthur Baker - "Breaker's Revenge" (4:53)
Manu Dibango - "The Panther" (2:29)
Abaco Dream - "Life And Death In G & A" (2:19)
The Jackson 5 - "Dancing Machine" (3:29)
Mongo Santamaria - "Cloud Nine" (5:42)
Edwin Starr - "I Just Wanna Do My Thing" (5:18)
Badder Than Evil - "Hot Wheels The Chase" (3:01)
Review: Curated by the legendary producer Arthur Baker, Breakers Revenge is a comprehensive compilation of original funk, soul, Latin, disco and electro tracks from 1970-1984. These tracks, ranging from well-known classics to hidden gems, have become legendary in the world of breakdancing. Featuring seminal tracks like Dennis Coffey's 'Scorpio', The Jimmy Castor Bunch's 'It's Just Begun' and Afrika Bambaataa's groundbreaking 'Planet Rock', this collection embodies the essence of breakdancing culture. The percussive breakdowns and infectious beats of these tracks have not only been the soundtrack to countless block parties and park jams but have also been sampled by numerous hip-hop artists and producers. With extensive liner notes and track-by-track breakdowns, Breakers Revenge is perfect time capsule for fans of breakdancing, hip-hop and music enthusiasts.
Review: Now working under the alias Balaphonic, long serving Manchester artist Danny Ward steers his ear for percussion into something warm, rhythmically rich and hypnotic. He opens with 'Sunflowers in Dub (Deep Summer Mix)', where sitar, harmonica and fluttering keys glide across a humid dubscape, then folds in sun-dappled samba on 'Disorganics (All Strings Mix)', all brushed guitars and delicate groove. 'Six Fingers' leans deeper into Afro-Cuban melancholy, while 'Udders' chops South American drums into psychedelic loops, teasing out low-end heft. A standout collaboration with Ocean Waves Brasil, 'Oxum' blends gentle acid with dreamy textures and Afro-Brazilian swing, before closer 'Bloco Manco' lets off the brakes-delay-lashed, bass-heavy and totally locked-in. It's music built for dancefloors, but with the patience and touch of a drummer who knows when to let things breathe.
Blacker (The Marden Hill Sweet Green Jam mix) (4:39)
Jam Jah (5:16)
Divine Fact (Blacker 2)
(5:01)
Goodvibes Goodnight (3:28)
Anti-Gun Movement (3:08)
Review: The Ballistic Brothers were behind a great many infusion of breakbeat, jazz and Afro house during the 1990s, smashing onto the scene with the Junior Boy's Own twinkler of an EP, 'I'll Fly Away' (the lead track on which works just as easily at drum & bass speeds as it does at tapper-out tempos) as well as the complementary debut album, London Hooligan Soul. The Eccentric Afros were an early, assistive alias, used by an intermixing but not exhaustive list of some of the same producers involved in TBB before they assumed the latter name proper: Ashley Beedle, Rocky & Diesel (X-Press 2), Uschi Classen and Dave Hill. This second edition of "lost tape" reissues rediscovers some of the trio's best and most esoteric breaks-plates, which would've been heard on heavy rotation in the amalgamate days of the 90s London clubbing scene, yet not all of which have been put out properly until now.
Review: The Ballistic Brothers are back with another reissued nine-track dose of bare but big breaks belligerents. This cult '90s supergroup emerged from the steaming manhole covers of the London hip-hop underground - as the saying goes, "if you were part of any clubbing tribe in the early/mid 90s, you will have danced to the Ballistic Brothers". Made up of Darren Rock, Darren House, Ashley Beadle, David Hill and Uschi Classen, the bulk of their fame wafted forth from a swathe of surreptitious vinyl releases that took the record-digging community by storm at the time, yet which also invited much speculation as to their original membership (the wonders of the internet weren't so readily available back then). A variegated selection of tracks culled from many a different EP, we're compelled to recall a golden time when breakbeats weren't so brash, and in fact served as rhythmic accompaniments to a set of otherwise beauteous atmospheres. Cases in point include 'Save The Children', which combine trippy pan-pipes and funky organ with a theme of charitable concern, and 'Blacker 94 EQ', which impresses us yet more with its acid jazz breakouts and electric piano solo and which makes stark use of the suspenseful string line endemic to the sound.
Sounds From An Unforgettable Place #1 (UV remix) (2:48)
Unspeakable Visions (3:48)
Review: Dutchman Banabila's second studio album on Knekelhuis once again affirms his status as a boss-level operator among ambient music fans. The eleven-track record explores soul-stirring, krautrock-tinged, and avant-garde electronic landscapes that are all rooted in emotive expression. His compositions feature ethereal voices in the form of fictional characters chanting in a language of their own creation, resonating with a captivating essence that transcends linguistic boundaries. The record also showcases Banabila's mastery of sonic textures as he weaves a narrative of layered complexity and emotional depth while some tracks like 'Rattles' hark back to his earlier work on Knekelhuis.
Review: Toby Marks aka. Banco De Gaia is one of the foremost producers to ever operate in the crossover of breakbeat and 'tribal'. That pairing of associations might seem naff to some music fans now, but no performative dismissal on the grounds of any connotative problematic can ever detract from the inpourings of ardour and talent gone into his albums. Trauma is Marks' first record in nearly ten years, following on from The 9th Of Nine Hearts, and hears the esteemed trance-gressor continue to eke a sound rooted in the oblique, yet inspirationally powerful themes of global sufferance and idealism, both of which find their expression in the weighty, acidic dreamworlds of 'War' and 'The Dying Light', which are complex in mood and express a real ambivalence through their concurrent use of deep stereo padwork and poignant vocal sampleage. Far from indulging a mood of pure resignation, Marks crafts a dance-musical dreamworld that demands analysis, through which Trauma refers not to a wound, but to a dream.
Review: When this superb double-pack was first released in 1996, Bandulu had already spent four years finely tuning their trademark sound - decidedly spacey and subtly percussive take on techno that offered nods aplenty to Motor City minimalism and the dub-fired end of the Berlin techno spectrum. As a result, the eight-track set became the North London trio's standout release - an album in all but name that remains the purest and most finely crafted expression of their distinctive take on techno. Now reissued on vinyl for the first time since (and in remastered form to boot), its many highlights including the pounding deep space techno of 'Serial Operations', the dub techno masterclass 'Episode 7', the Regis-esque hedonism of 'Paranormal Channels' and the restless, delay-laden riffs of 'Advirus'.
Review: Acid jazz pioneer - and "acid jazz" coiner (!) - Chris Bangs returns with a brand new album for 2024, 'Dream World', which follows on from his early 2023 release 'Firebird'. Corralling his friends - Argentine keyboardist Luciano De La Rosa, Italian Massimo Morganti on trombone, Chile's Juan Pi Salvo on trumpet, and Fabio Tiralongo on sax - together for a supergrouped set of nine Bangers, Dream World hears the artist transcend borders in a mondialised fashion, in doing so paying homage to many of his inspirational greats such as the Mizell Brothers, Wayne Henderson and George Duke, whom together produced the joint groundwork for the latter-day genre.
Review: Barker's latest release is a masterclass in fluid experimentation, embracing unpredictability with a delicate balance of harmony and controlled chaos. Following his acclaimed previous work, this new collection of tracks finds him refining his craft while allowing for spontaneity to take the lead. Opening with 'Force of Habit', the project immediately sets a tone of shifting momentum, while Reframingithe serotonin-laced lead singleispirals through shimmering arpeggios, evoking echoes of classic trance before drifting into uncharted territory. Tracks like 'Difference' and 'Repetition' and 'The Remembering Self' showcase Barker's intricate layering, weaving together mechanical precision with an organic sense of movement. A deep dive into mechanical instrumentation lies at the heart of this work, with Barker exploring the possibilities of automation not as a replacement for human touch, but as a tool for new forms of expression. The result is a body of work that mirrors the uncertainty of its time, embracing change rather than resisting it. As the final moments of this LP fade out, Barker leaves us with a feeling of transformationimusic that adapts to the moment in which it exists.
Review: Mark Barrott's Everything Changes, Nothing Ends is a heartfelt journey through life, loss, and love. Released on Anjunadeep Reflections, the album follows his 2023 record Johatsu and sees Barrott channelling his grief into a meditative, moving collection of tracks. Written during his wife's illness, the album reflects the overwhelming sense of isolation and sorrow he felt following her passing in January 2023. "It became my way of coping," Barrott shares. "Coming back to an empty house after a day at the hospital, music was my only comfort." Across Everything Changes, Nothing Ends, Barrott weaves together orchestral, ambient, and jazz textures. Each track, like an audio diary, captures specific emotional moments from those final weeks. There's a tenderness to the arrangementsipeaks of intensity balanced by gentle, soothing passages. Far from simply wallowing in grief, the album embraces acceptance and gratitude, focusing on the beauty of life and its fleeting nature. The result is a deeply personal, genre-blurring record that showcases Barrott's unwavering creativity over a career spanning nearly four decades.
Review: Originally recorded in September 1982, September 23rd would likely not recognise the DUMBO neighbourhood of Brooklyn in which it was conceived. Post-industrialisation, the area became known as a hotbed for artists due to the inexpensive loft spaces up for grabs, but today has been gentrified thanks to its position - Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass. One thing that hasn't changed in that time is just how spectacular William Basinski's pieces are. Comprising two parts, original piano sections played by close friend and world famous drag artist John Epperson (AKA Lypsinka) were recorded onto a handheld cassette machine, before being fed through a Frippertronics loop and feedback loop tape delay system, with incredible results. Rich, strange sonic textures, beautiful but fleeting moments of melody and a depth that sounds like you can dive into it.
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.