Back catalogue:

Review: The fourth edition in Original Gravity's Down In The Basement series, which gathers instrumental soul and swing cuts onto worthy 7" slabs, resounding the fervent 1960s decadal gap in which mod reigned supreme. With juleps flowing and kneecaps knocking, Abramo & Nestor bring newfangled electric pianistic swing with 'Dig It!', while a twinned "hit it!" injunction is heard from Floyd James & The GTs on the reissued 'Work That Thang'; James' voice is tubed and speed-delayed to terrific effect, achieving a sprung intonation. Curtis Baker brassifies the bonanza with the lively 'Fried Fish 'n' Collard Greens', while The Native Yinzer's exiting excitation 'The Hip Strip' quilts our ears with a mnemic, down-feathery Hammond-breaks bit.

Review: Get yourself geared up for festival season with some fierce party starters certified with the Glitterbox stamp. Melvo Baptiste leads the charge with 'Sweat', a sizzling disco house stomper with Dames Brown giving the biggest diva energy on her show-stopping vocal. Lovebirds bring unbridled joy on the Philly string swoon and slinky b-line funk of 'Burn It Down', while Art Of Tones & Inaya Day keep it peak time on the sassy strutter 'Give My Love'. Young Pulse & Fleur De Mur complete the set with 'Smooth Sweet Talker', another bright and bold vocal cut par excellence.

Review: A modern lunar take on jazz and disco, Jazz On The Moon hears Italian producer Paolo Fedreghini moonwalk backwards through live horns, bass, synth and guitar for a crisply produced six-track EP. Opening with original NASA-issue intercom vocals from the 1968 moon landing, 'Interstellar' crafts a moonscape of Harmon-muted trumpet and avant-garde growls, while expansive electro-funk opens out on the title track and 'Distant Planet', by which point a tonal shift is underway. The vibe is increasingly P-funky, erring desolate on the interluding 'Outer Space', before we wind up purblinded by the light side of the mood on closers 'Groove Odyssey' and 'Cosmic Funk'.

Review: Calling all locked-groove stickerers, needle twisters, and/or tonearm weight worriers, prepare your ears and needles for a wonderful trove of breakbeat bullion, ripe for the looping and the zealous hunching over. This modern rare groove emulation by Florence, 'Funky Song', lays down a phantasmically funky original breakbeat, fleshed out and swollen unto the most maximal of proportions. Then, don't forget, there's 'Let's Dance', which reworks Jimmy Bo Horne's 'Dance Across The Floor' for a rare and never-edited-before take on the perseverant, provocative hip roller of a track.

Review: This Record Store Day, Fo’ Clips Eclipse’s 1995 G-funk gem 'Just Be Thankful' resurfaces with a limited-edition 7-inch pressing on blue vinyl - the first time that the title cut and 'Can You Feel Me' have been on wax in some 30 years. Originally produced by Compton legend Tweedy Bird Loc, they blend smooth synths, soulful hooks and streetwise lyricism that epitomises the West Coast sound. 'Be Thankful' notably samples William DeVaughn’s 1974 classic to add a nostalgic touch and confirm the tune as a real bit of cult classic hip-hop history that remains influential decades later.

Review: This release delivers a nostalgic nod to classic hip-hop with its two tracks, both reflecting different eras of the genre. Side A, featuring Def Jef and Grandmaster Caz, revives the spirit of 80s park jams with a laid-back yet funky vibe. Fokis's production and DJ Grouch's cuts make this a true ode to old-school hip-hop, brimming with energy and authenticity. On the flip, 'Let's Be Clear' teams up with Staten Island's UMC's for a 90s-inspired posse cut, with Pro.Grade's uptempo production and rapid-fire rhymes delivering a dose of lyrical firepower. A solid release for hip-hop enthusiasts.

Review: The Treasure team keeps up the momentum of its early release with another fruitful dive into the annals of house history. This time, they have dug up more nuggets from FR and have refined them for contemporary floors. 'ET Is Coming Home' (vocal) is a slow and dubby cut with percolating live bass and muted horns next to some Ubiquity style vocal soul. The instrumental allows the superbly loose-limbed and live drums room to really shine, and then comes an epic, 10-minute-plus jazz-drenched house odyssey that's alive with swirling cosmic radiance and busy chords and synths. A real trip for proper music heads.

Review: Before making it big with Maze, Frankie Beverly was the man behind Raw Soul, a heavyweight, politically conscious band whose fuzzy, full-throttle sound sat somewhere between the J.B's and Sly & The Family Stone. The band's most famous moment was 1975 single 'Color Blind', which was originally recorded as 'What's The Color?' Here that never-before-heard recording is finally issued. Rich in fuzz-soaked horns, crunchy drum-breaks, weighty bass and clipped funk guitar licks, the track features some superb, James Brown style lead vocals from Beverly. Brilliantly, there's also a chance to savour the unheard Raw Soul instrumental version, which features an extended, DJ-friendly drum solo midway through. A slice of history that's well worth picking up. As played by DJ Koco....

Review: After their hair-dropping debut LP Latin Freaks, Funkool Orchestra keep the stovetop hot with a high-energy 7" vinyl, bridging the delta between their first and second albums. A Maledetta Discoteca production, 'Tengo Che Ffa' blends Mediterranean funk, disco, and Neapolitan groove into an allusive proto-P-funk prance, especially if, at least, the B-side's title is to be believed. The latter alternately named 'Dance With Pezz', we hear them pick up the pace with a clav-spiced, conga-crammed number. Take it from us: the record is a clavi-net good.

Review: It was on October 20th in 2009 that then-rising Fresno rapper Fashawn made waves with his debut album, Boy Meets World. The project showcased heartfelt storytelling as well as skilful lyricism and soulful production exclusively handled by Exile. Fashawn's audio biography remains as relatable and fresh today as it was upon release and so to celebrate its 15th anniversary, Dirty Science Records and Coalmine Reissues present a special edition reissue of this timeless LP. Limited to 100 units, the black double album comes with hand-numbered hype stickers while Frank DeMaria redesigned the artwork and layout using original photos by the legendary B+.

Review: This collaboration between Fashawn and Little Vic is a gritty yet sophisticated journey through life's trials and triumphs. Fashawn, hailing from the streets of Fresno, California, brings an unapologetic realism to his verses, detailing his path from struggle to success. Little Vic, with roots in Long Island, New York, provides a sonic backdrop that perfectly complements Fashawn's storytelling, his production seamlessly blending hard-hitting boom bap beats with live instrumentation. Tracks like 'One Eyed King' and 'Victim' showcase the raw energy and lyrical prowess of Fashawn, while 'Autumn In New York' and 'Spaghetti Western' offer moments of introspective beauty and cinematic atmosphere. With its diverse soundscapes and powerful lyricism, this album is a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of music.

Review: The Loneliest Punk was Fatlip's debut solo album and was originally released in 2005. It now returns on vinyl as it has remained a cult classic that captures the Pharcyde MC at his most raw and introspective. Produced by J-Swift of Bizarre Ride II and Squeak E. Clean, the album fuses quirky hip-hop drum patterns with sharp lyricism and features standout collaborations with Chali 2na from Jurassic 5 and the late Shock G aka Humpty Hump. Long out of print, this latest reissue revives a hidden gem of underground hip-hop that deserves as much spotlight as it gets.

Review: Lance Ferguson's work with The Bamboos and Menagerie has been critically acclaimed, but he is just as essential as a solo artist.This new release is a freshly scored soundtrack for the 1981 French film of the same name. It was a romantic thriller directed by Leroi Alarie that was once thought lost until a 35mm print was recently discovered. Alarie was dissatisfied with the original score so asked Ferguson to compose new music for the film ahead of its restoration and re-release. Ferguson's dreamy, instrumental funk sound does a great job of capturing the film's sun-drenched atmosphere and subtly infuses it with 80s vibes next to more contemporary sounds. It's fair to say that the soundtrack very much enhances this rediscovered European arthouse gem.

Review: It's rare that an artist is able to craft a sound so unique that it feels like it's pulling from a completely different world. FKA twigs does just that on this release, where the beats are dark and hypnotic, underscored by her ethereal voice that somehow cuts through with precision. There's a cinematic quality to the production, a sense of space that makes each moment feel significant. It's both jarring and beautiful, her experimental approach pushing boundaries without ever feeling out of place.

Review: A total departure from her last album Magdalene, Grammy-nominated British multidisciplinary artist FKA Twigs is firing on all cylinders on Eusexua. The slogan "Eusexua is a practice. Eusexua is a state of being. Eusexua is the pinnacle of human existence" can be found everywhere online and in London right now, even sprayed onto the pavement in places - what Eusexua actually is though is anyone's guess, which is half the fun I suppose. While 2019's Magdalene was a heartwrenching collection of string-led ballads covering extremely morbid topics, with the sensational and fun 'Caprisongs' in 2022 bridging the five year gap, Eusexua is going all in on techno sensibilities, helmed by Koreless, Two Shell and a host of other high-class beatmakers. The title track, released in tandem with a teaser for 'Drums of Death', is an Opus III style trance/techno slow-burn that erupts into a thumping bassline towards the hindlegs of the song. Twigs seems to be styling herself predominantly after Kirsty Hawkshaw during the 'Mind Fruit' era, both in the bold choices of hair and going so far as to cover 'It's A Fine Day' at a Vogue Word event. Garnering a cultlike status, Eusexua is a blend of eclectic influences with the finest talent at hand working on it, tied together with Twigs' personal experiences living in Prague and falling in love with an underground techno scene without borders. The only question remaining, really, is what does Eusexua mean to you?

Review: FKA twigs delivers Eusexua, her latest and hotly anticipated new album, and the latest to follow 2022's Caprisongs. A strong and determined directional shift away from Caprisongs' cutesy sensibility (we see it as no surprise that her last album was released under Atlantis, while Eusexua comes via home slices on her home turf, Young), Eusexua hears the artist formerly known as twigs take up a futuristic grey, suited, officiated and incorporated style, informed by a roundabout notion of "eusexua", her own coinage: "a feeling of momentary transcendence often evoked by art, music, sex, and unity." Themes of disconnected embodiment run rampant throughout the album, showing no signs of ambivalence where others might flinch in the face of greyness or techno-uniformity. Twigs' vision reclaims abundant but still currently dubious themes of hard work, grist and prosthesis, and as ever resounds in palates of glistening, glossy mecha-r&b, inheriting Bjorkish chameleonics and contrasting said spikiness with no less impassioned tales of her enjoying the underground techno scene in Prague, among other sources of inspiration.

Review: Fly Anakin is a multi-talented rapper and producer from Richmond, Virginia, with more than a decade of experience in the hip-hop game that has established him as a sharp lyricist and soulful producer. Anakin's collaborations with artists like Freddie Gibbs and Pink Siifu have shown his mastery of both classic and pioneering sounds, and this new album, The Forever Dream, is a marked shift that explores unorthodox and experimental approaches with executive producer Quelle Chris. The project is built on unconventional beats and represents a new phase of freedom for Anakin. After years of refining his craft, Anakin remain one of the purest and most direct rappers in the scene.

Review: This new album marks a bold new chapter for Franc Moody that offers a window into their evolution into a more mature, reinvented outfit with an intriguing sound. This album dives deep into the duo's creative depths and finds them breaking their own musical rules. Partly recorded at LA's 64 Sounds Studio and Damon Albarn's Studio 13 in West London, the album draws heavily from Albarn's unique synth collection including rare Russian models. Influenced by live performances from Massive Attack and LCD Soundsystem, the record shifts away from disco towards a grungier, grittier and more attitude-driven sonic palette so has a raw and experimental essence unlike their previous releases.

Review: London-based duo Franc Moody is made up of Ned Franc and Jon Moody and thesis their third studio album. Chewing The Fat marks a fresh chapter for the duo and is packed with unusual and interesting sounds made with mellotrons and drum machines. Across the course of the disco odyssey, it captures themes of adventure and enchantment and reflects moments of excess before recognition of being grounded by reality. In other words, it is a great summation of life's highs and lows in musical form.

Review: Following a pair of well-received albums on Juicebox Recordings (not to be confused with A Guy Called Gerald's 1990s label of the same name), self-styled "nu-funk" duo Franc Moody have transferred to Night Time Stories for the release of new album Chewing The Fat. Like its predecessors, it blends a left-of-centre, Hot Chip style sensibility with colourful and nostalgic synth sounds, disco strings, good grooves and nods aplenty to both 21st century electronica and the Halcyon days of synth-funk in the 1980s. The results are frequently superb, with highlights including the throbbing-but-sparse 'Square Pegs In Round Holes', jaunty opener 'Driving On The Wrong Side of the Road' and the blissful, tactile and string-laden nu-disco bounce of 'Bloodlines'.

Review: Frank Popp Ensemble returns via its fourth studio album, recorded and produced in Spain throughout 2024. Known for their sleek combos of flared orchestration with retro soul motifs, Popp once again brings in a wide array of guest vocalists: Gerard Love, formerly of Teenage Fanclub, on the strings-laced rework of his own deep cut 'Save' from 2004; then Nicke Andersson (The Hellacopters, Entombed, Imperial State Electric) on 'Caught In A Web', a high-energy Northern soul workout reproduced in full Magic Touch style. An impeccably done cinematic indie soul rouser, wrestling the nubby essence of a sound to the ground.

Review: After more than a decade, Phili star Freeway reunites with Seattle super-producer Jake One for their second full-length collaboration. Known for his timeless, versatile beats that always somehow resonate with both underground and mainstream audiences, Jake One's production provides the perfect backdrop for Freeway's gritty lyrics here. Next to those two, the record features an impressive lineup of guest appearances including Black Thought, Jadakiss, Conway the Machine, Sauce Walka, Peedi Crack, Scholito and Symba. Together, they deliver a powerful, cohesive project that highlights the enduring chemistry between Freeway and Jake One with hard-hitting beats and sharp, memorable rhymes.