Back catalogue:

Review: Those two little letters GU are always enough to get us excited. They are of course an alias of Glenn Underground, the masterful Chicago house producer, musician and DJ who still has a much lower profile than his talents deserve. Here he adds a Mix Mashup to Bobpstar's 'Mayday/Captured Restless Soul Mixes' and the result is a bubbly, mellifluous deep house cut with warm and liquid synths, chopped-up vocal fragments and a gooey sense of romance. It is another crucial offering from the Windy City mainstay, even if it is a one-sided 12".

Review: ukuoka-based band MuchaMuchaM, known for their breakthrough debut album Qantikala, returns with a collaborative EP featuring Malaysian singer-songwriter Zee Avi. After performing together at The Creators' Co-Write stage in 2023, the two artists have crafted a unique sound that blends their distinct Asian influences. The EP features the modern acoustic track 'Day By Day', a cover of 'Sad and Unfulfilled' and the Asian dance number 'Oyasumi na Sayang', sung in Malay. The EP's cover artwork, inspired by Borneo, was designed by Fukuoka-based illustrator TOYAMEG, further enhancing its cross-cultural appeal.

Review: Jazz-funk twosome Zamie (Jadie Kiggundu AKA Ziggy Funk and pal Jamie McShane) impressed with their recent album, Fortuitous. On this EP, two of the set's most potent cuts have been given the remix treatment with club dancefloors in mind. Incognito main man Bluey handles side A, offering up a smooth, groovy and musically detailed take on 'Smash N Grab' that peppers a slap-bass-propelled groove with spacey synth pads, jammed out Rhodes stabs and all manner of life-affirming electric piano solos. Over on side B, Glaswegian veteran Al Kent takes 'Wildfire' down the disco, turning in a near 11-minute, Tom Moulton style rub rich in punchy synth-horns, snaking sax solos and spacey synth solos aplenty. Colourful, grown-up disco with a jazz-funk flex... more please!

Review: ZAN's latest album is currently 26 in the UK soul chart s it's no wonder the label it came on has pressed up this 12" with a couple of mixes of one of its standout tunes on as well as a new jam. The first is an extended mix of 'Follow My Heart' that has timeless synth soul and lush boogie disco drums with wet claps and cowbells a plenty. Then comes Bangsy's 808 disco mix which is a little more blissed out and low-slung with funky guitar riffs and lovely vocal hooks. Also included is the new cut 'Everlasting' which is a dubbed-out, reverb-drenched street soul stepper with retro keys to melt the heart.

Review: Brand new promo pressure from veteran label Right Tempo, hailing from Milan. Pushing acid jazz and downtempo since 1993, they here continue to demonstrate just how it's done exactly with Attilio Zanchi's 'Mingus Portrait' and their remixes by their very own resident DJ Farrapo. Forfending brasher breaks or whackout jazz - in favour of a set of much steamier, downtemporal distillations - Zanchi's originally, already romantic takes on Charles Mingus' sonic world are lent an even slinkier feline essence by the remixer. Ever further realising Zanchi's dream of honing Mingus' essence, the best of the bunch has to be the slow burner 'For Harry Carney'.

Review: Zapatilla, better known as Louis Hackett, is a founding member of Brownswood 's Owiny Sigoma Band and key collaborator on Eska's Mercury nominated debut album, but has a neat side hustle making house music with one foot in the gentle melodies of Balearic beat and another in the irresistible energy of Afrobeat. It's a recipe that he continues over onto this fine four tracker, which opens with the smoothly grooving but lively 'Like Dat' before 'Zimzimmer' builds up around a gently frenetic Afro guitar riff. On the flip, 'Disco Facial' is slower and more retro, with a synth line that could be from a lost John Carpenter soundtrack. 'Self Isolated' completes the package in its most esoteric fashion, another synth work rooted in the past, this time perhaps echoing the approachable experimentalism of Jean Jacques Perry.

Review: Zopelar's 'Horizonte' is a captivating exploration of soulful house and jazzy influences, blending rich melodies with upbeat grooves. The title track, 'Horizonte', delivers a jazzy Detroit house vibe, setting the tone with smooth rhythm and deep bass. 'Let It Live' brings an uptempo energy, with a soulful saxophone that adds a distinctive layer of warmth. On the flip side, 'Pure Heart' strikes a perfect balance between house and techno, nostalgic yet fresh with its groovy, melodic appeal. 'Venus' stands out with its dreamy 90s-inspired piano, uplifting spirits and evoking an emotional connection. Closing with 'Serena (feat PR.A.DO)', the EP ends on a high note, leaving a lingering sense of euphoria. Each track blends beautifully crafted melodies with rhythmic intricacies, making 'Horizonte' a standout for anyone craving jazzy, soulful house with a modern twist.

Review: Returning some 25 years after its original release on the beloved IDM label deFocus, these three refreshed takes on the skittering melodic gem of the genre are something to behold. The original 'Arrest' shines with jittery beats and intricate melodic patterns, embodying and example of the best of early 2000s. Nuron's remix keeps the track's kinetic energy but envelops it in lush textures, creating a perfect balance of rhythmic complexity and ambient depth. Voyance's remix pivots toward organic instrumentation, introducing drum sounds that ground the track while maintaining its melodic evolution, a satisfying balance between the original and a fresh, dynamic new feel. Mike Golding's ambient techno rework is a standout, blending his vintage touch with the original's core elements, a sublime, paradisiacal soundscape that recalls great memories of this golden era of challenging new melodic music. A project that succeeds on so many levels, artistically and creatively.

Review: Label affiliates Mytron and Zongamin make a combined return to the ever-on-point Canadian stable Multi Kulti, delivering an extended selection of typically off-kilter, genre-bending sonic mastery. In what appears to be a match made in the leftfield heavens, the duo join forces to explore dance-ish music's outer reaches, blending tribal motifs with 8-bit sampling and all manner of wonkiness. From the blissful bells of Conjunction With Reality to the bass-heavy throb of GHX, there is unsurprisingly plenty to savour here. Opening cut '08932168' blends enchanting lead melodies with rolling polyrhythms and dubbed-out effects before the equatorial percussion of 'Calliope Omniglot' makes way for the wiggy atmospherics of the collection's title track. Highly recommended.

Review: Following the success of their standout single 'Feel The Rush,' Zaimie returns with Black Velvet, a lush new long player that blends jazz, funk, soul and global rhythms that all expand on the group's signature sound while remaining rooted in groove and emotion. Each track showcases Zaimie's refined musicianship and evolving songwriting, from silky basslines to soaring melodies on 'New Life' to more horn-led celebrations like 'Weekender Breeze' and sunny vocal charmers like 'Can't Do Without It'. Black Velvet feels timeless and contemporary and makes for a confident step forward for Zaimie, who are ever more polished and full of soul.

Review: Zan's new album on BDQ Records is a refreshing blend of boogie, jazz, funk and soul. Known for her strong and sultry voice, Zan rose to fame in the 80s as the lead singer of Melbourne's I'm Talking, alongside Kate Ceberano, and her vocals on hits like 'Holy Word' remain iconic in Australian music history. Zan's musical journey includes collaborations with The Models and appearances in music films like Australian Made. Her diverse background, born in London with Sri Lankan heritage, has influenced her soulful style. Having lived in New York and London, Zan's experiences shine through in her music. Her self-titled solo album in the 90s and tours with bands like Mother Earth improved her career internationally. Back in Melbourne, Zan continues to enchant audiences with her live performances. Her new songs are steeped in 80s dance and pop flavours, re-capturing that feelgood factor from the era whilst bringing to it a new unique and contemporary.

Review: Ziggy and the extended ZFEX crew return with their most ambitious project yet, a double album that dives deep into the tension between creative instinct and artistic intention. Spanning 15 tracks recorded between Berlin and London, the record sees the collective pushing their signature fusion of jazz, funk, and electronic influences into bold new spaces, with a fresh embrace of disco and highlife grooves. Throughout, vintage synths and off-kilter percussion meet the addition of electric guitar, adding a raw, expressive edge to the band's evolving sound. 'Astras Theme' sets the stage with a swirling, cinematic introduction, while 'Radicalise' brings a frenetic energy, driven by tightly wound rhythms and razor-sharp instrumentation. Elsewhere, 'Shine Your Light' channels a cosmic funk sensibility, balancing the album's introspective moments with sheer dancefloor exuberance. With contributions from a diverse lineup of forward-thinking musicians across Europe, the UK, and Australiaiincluding appearances from Oscar Jerome and Tom Driesslerithis record stands as the most dynamic and exploratory incarnation of ZFEX to date. It's a project that refuses to sit still, capturing the restless spirit of a band constantly evolving yet always deeply rooted in groove.

Review: 17 years old and still sounding refreshing, light, breezy, soulful and smoky; the essence and vibe of Zero 7's debut album can never be repeated, but it can be repressed. Its first reissue since 2015, across two 12"s you can enjoy some of the best downtempo and poppy Balearica made by the duo Binns & Hardaker and a young Sia on vocals. Highlights, as always, include the dreamy lounge lapping jazz of "Red Dust", the fizzy Motown on mushrooms horns of "Give It Away" and the heartmelting yearns of "Distractions". Timeless downtempo gold, if this isn't in your collection now is most definitely the time.

Review: When It Falls is a timely but classic album from Zero 7, whose music by the point of 2001 had been firmly planted chiefly among the go-to repertoire for chillout music, before the chillout room itself was ousted from the average club. Sporting such popular singles as 'Home' and 'Warm Sounds', the record also features now-stellar artists Sia Furler and Sophie Barker, pre-empting their latter-day fame with an emphasis on talent alone. The overall sound is slinky and cadenced, daring to incorporate uniques from bossa nova and lounge in what would have otherwise been an incongruous soundworld of breakbeat, trip-hop and electro; this is achieved through as much acoustic instrumentation and as many tactile recordings as possible.

Review: Zero 7's LateNightTales debut, Another Late Night, was first released in 2002, shortly after the electronica duo had been nominated for a Mercury Prize in light of their debut record Simple Things. The inevitable vaunting of their music reached its peak when one well-known pundit described their music as "the Sistine Chapels of music in a sea of affordable accommodation." Unlike their expertly crafted originals in the vein of trip-hop, downtempo and acid jazz, their LateNightTales album is of course a selectors' DJ compilation, which to this day incites its invitees (usually musicians as well as DJs) to select and remix tunes only as though they were sleepwalking through the dream fantasies made up by their own musical influences. Here, Zero 7 share various musical traumata, manifest and latent interpretations of songs, by the likes of The Cinematic Orchestra, Quasimoto, Jim O'Rourke, Serge Gainsbourg, Don Blackman, The Stylistics, Joy Zipper, Slum Village and Da Lata, all of which, as we can patently hear, fed into their relatively unpeggable, interwoven chillout sound.