Review: The much-anticipated fifth studio album from Rufus Du Sol, known for blending organic and electronic sounds, sees the Grammy-winning trio once again delving into familiar themes like love, heartbreak and euphoria across 15 tracks. This new record, featuring previously released singles 'Lately' and 'Music Is Better', marks the band's first new material in three years. Their latest single, 'Break My Love', shows the band's signature style, where smooth vocals from Tyrone Lindqvist weave into a hypnotic electronic backdrop. The track evokes hope and emotional depth while maintaining the group's dreamy, electronic soundscape. The accompanying retro-inspired music video, directed by longtime collaborator Katzki, adds a playful twist with a heist-themed storyline, reflecting the band's creative evolution. Inhale / Exhale represents a new creative phase for the trio, who describe this era as focusing on the joy of creation in the present moment. Fans can expect a mature sonic journey that carries forward the emotional highs and lows that have made RUFUS DU SOL a beloved force in the global electronic scene.
Review: First released in 2020, Live From Joshua Tree is a live album and film shot deep in the Californian desert. It marked something of a major milestone and turning point in the Aussie band's career and took them to their next level of fame. They remain now one of the most in-demand live acts in the game with a fresh take on deep house with indie stylings and plenty of meticulous hooks and grooves. This is the first time this album has been available on vinyl so is a great way to savour this special moment in the band's evolution.
Review: We've been waiting on this one since "J&W Beat" six years ago; there's something about Floating Points sound that instantly lends itself to full-length album immersion. It's clear he feels this way too; using the album to delve deeper into electronic deconstructions and delicate ensemble arrangements. At its most adventurous and contemporary classical "Argente" is up there with Frahm, at is dreamiest and jazz-influenced "For Marmish" is a deeply cosmic affair with disparate chords making more sense than they perhaps should. At its most traditional Floating Points we hit the finale "Perotation Six" where the brushed drums are buried under layers of sound and elements in a way that's not dissimilar to Radiohead. Well worth the wait.
Review: Originally released digitally in 2013, Pink collated a series of 12" releases from Kieran Hebden issued over an 18 month period on his Text label. Hebden and record club and subscription service Vinyl Me, Please have teamed up to give Pink a double vinyl release for any Four Tet fans that weren't quick enough to nab those 12"s at the time. There is plenty of classic Four Tet to be had here too. "Jupiters" experiments with swung garage beats in an unmistakably UK Bass style, while "128 Harps" is a whipcrack MPC workout given his light melodic touch and "Peace On Earth" is a beatless 11 minutes of analogue kosmische. But it's the centrepiece of Hebden's Fabriclive mix, the brilliantly moody "Pyramid", and the loose limbed jazz-house of "Pinnacles" that really set this album apart from his other long-playing efforts, two examples of timeless dance music which demonstrate why after nearly 15 years in the game Hebden is only improving with age.
Review: Moon B's next mini-LP offering to PPU, entitled III, is a varied affair. The a side offers up the older taped track "Realms", a semi-muted yet chuggy number for the dance floor overwrought with moon-roasted synth progressions that coat the ears. "Neither Here Nor Where" is an ode to forgotten spaces and places, wrapped tightly in synth bazz and creamed pads that emanate from Moon's favorite synth, the Alpha Juno 1. Flip the record to find Moon's most "instro-spective" offerings to date. "Art Direction" bottomed out tempo conjures up images of 1984 Prince replacing Appalonia with Inga Copeland as his motorcycle passenger after a neon lit love-making session. "Moonda"'s slow fluctuation and linn drum echoes paired with sorrowful yet hopeful chords attempts to warm you in the coldest of polar vortices. "Polywarp" rounds out the affair with syruppy vacillating instrumentation paired with unforeseen wobbly bits and foreign percussive hits. -
Jeremy Kyle's Righteous Indignation Silences Us All
A Public Service Announcement
I Seen You Through A Crowd (She's So Cool)
Evening Coming Down, On A Hill Above The Town
Cheers Curtis! (Thx mix)
Talking At Right Angles
Jolly Dillon (Happy Autumn Drinking With Friends)
Review: Ireland's Automatic Tasty (AKA Wicklow-based producer Jonny Dillon) seems to be getting better with age. Having skirted round the edges of analogue techno, deep house and electro since 2008, he really came of age with a pair of inspired singles on Lunar Disko back in 2012. Here, he delivers his fifth full-length, a delightfully fuzzy saunter through good old-fashioned electronica, 8-bit electro, melody-driven analogue iciness and low-key alien funk. There's naturally much to admire, from the Mr Fingers-goes-acid deepness of "Cheers Curtis! (Thx Mix)" and vibrant ZX Spectrum-house feel of "Talking At Right Angles", to the rush-inducing bliss and delightful vintage synthesizers of "I Seen You Through a Crowd (She's So Cool)".
Big Strick & Generation Next - "The Ride" (feat Tony Coates) (5:25)
Generation Next - "Mo' Money" (feat Don Q) (6:08)
Generation Next - "Full Of Life" (5:49)
Generation Next - "Flynn's" (6:49)
Generation Next - "Ypree" (6:01)
Review: Big Strick's latest full-length offering on his own 7 Days Entertainment label is a family affair, mixing tracks from the veteran Detroit producer with similarly deep and woozy jams from his 16 year-old son Tre Strickland, AKA Generation Next. The father-and-son team's approach to house - wringing atmospheric soul from bubbling rhythms, warm chords and blazed melodies - is surprisingly similar, as shown by the two deep, jazz-flecked collaborations showcased here. Elsewhere, both impress with their individual contributions, with Strickland Junior's slap bass-infused deep head-nodder "Flynn's" and sweet, winding "Mo Money" standing out.
Eduardo De La Calle - "Together" (Fallen Angel edit)
Julius Steinhoff - "Downtown"
Fred P - "Electric Bridge"
DJ Jus Ed - "Something Sexy"
Review: Mule Musiq boss Toshiya Kawasaki has pulled out all the stops for the sixth installment of the label's popular I'm Starting To Feel Okay compilation series. Whereas previous editions issued on sublabel Endless Flight have been restricted to single CDs and 12" samplers, this sixth round of Okay arrives across a double CD and two double pack vinyl editions. Furthermore it's packed to the rafters with exclusives and unreleased tracks from the label's stable of like-minded deep house producers. As you'd expect, this first part has plenty to enjoy from the hypnotic, Detroit-influenced pulse of Julius Steinhoff's "Downtown" and Axel Boman's woozy, picturesque "Anytime Is Fine" (which seemingly features a riff inspired by an obscure boogie classic), to the sinewy strings and bustling rhythms of Johannes Brecht's "London" and Fred P's typically musical "Electric Bridge". Classier than San Diego bruv.
Review: The second part of Omar S' You For Letting Me Be Myself album in vinyl form sees another 8 tracks across four sides of wax; aside from the '80s inflected sounds of the album's title track, the 303 workout of "Ready My Black Asz" finds itself with the dubbed out loops of "Messier Sixty Eight". As a bonus for those who already have the album, this part contains two vinyl exclusive tracks; the soothing deepness of "She's Sah Hero Nik" and the delayed organ weirdness of "Broken Bamalance Horn" - both more than worth the price of admission alone.
Review: Moon B takes it back to the old school that is PPU! Atlanta-based analogue funkateer Wes Gray made his debut proper as Moon B back in 2012 on People's Potential Unlimited, and has since found further acclaim with a killer EP for London label Going Good and releases as Vaib-R and Sean Sanders for Nous and Hot Mix. Andrew Morgan's PPU has always been something of a home base for Moon B material however, with several other cross format releases in recent times. The suitably titled II is the second Moon B long player and pulls eight tracks from the home studio recordings of Wes Gray made over the past few years with that signature "slank rhythms and cutting basslines you've grown accustomed to" present and correct!
Review: Described as a "deeply personal and a reflection of the journeys I've taken-both literal and musical," by its creator, veteran producer Brian d'Souza, Auntie Flo's latest travels from Nairobi to Mexico City, Havana and Waiheke Island and celebrates migration, freedom, and connection. Free is certainly the word you'd used to describe his groovy, instinctual but hard to classify sound, fusing the electronic with the organic on the sound palate and utilising everything from loose deep house grooving to Afrobeat, jazz and most things in between. From the YMO-esque 'Nighthawk' to the lush, jittery synthpop of 'Bird's Eye View', the juddering groove of 'Walk DF' - imagine Kraftwerk with an African lilt to the rhythm section - it's varied, quality-packed and transformative.
Review: Since delivering his debut album on PNN a decade ago, Matt Kent AKA Matt Karmil has proved adept at adapting the club-focused sound of his EPs to the long-playing format - as his inspired and wonderfully atmospheric sets for Idle Hands and Smalltown Supersound prove. He continues this notable run of form on this Studio Barnhus released set, crowding ultra-deep, dusty grooves in opaque chords, cut-up sample snippets, lo-fi crackle, hazy ambient textures and nods towards a myriad of ear-pleasing electronic styles and sounds. Highlights are plentiful, with our picks being the dubby, mind-altering late-night hypnotism of 'Still Something There' and the becalmed, meditative ambient deepness of superb closing cut '15 Mins' (which, confusingly, is just 13 minutes long).
Review: Pierre-Alexandre Busson, a producer known for his multifaceted talents in both music and photography, steps further into his Destiino alias with a darkly ambient collection that stretches across downbeat house, industrial electronica and melancholic disco. Having made his name in the world of French electro, Busson's transition to Destiino was marked by an exploration of improvised compositions following his participation in a sound installation at the 57th Venice Biennale in 2017. This shift from his previous styles allowed him to dive deeper into moody, atmospheric landscapes. The current project, released under CHLOE's Lumiere Noire imprint, comes as a continuation of this artistic exploration, breaking from the dancefloor-driven energy of his past work to embrace a more introspective and expansive approach. Opening with 'Yokohama,' Busson sets a pensive tone, layering soft synths over a minimalist beat. 'My Crush' follows with a reflective yet upbeat mood, while 'Somlake' (feat. Inigo Vontier) weaves light, meditative textures. 'Transe Has No Speed' dives into dense atmospherics and 'Imagery' introduces a rhythmic, bodily groove. The second side offers 'Musique Electronique Repetitive,' using looping motifs to create a trance effect, while 'La Houle' brings fluidity and 'Morning Routine' soothes with its gentle vibe. 'Pulsar' (feat. Inigo Vontier) pulses with cosmic rhythms, and 'No Pain' closes with a melancholy, reflective note.
Review: Fatima Yamaha is one of several aliases used by Dutch musician and producer Bas Bron, who is best known for the anthemic 'What's Girl To Do'. but who has so much more in his locker. This album proves that. It was recorded over a five year period after his 2015 album Imaginary Lines and draws together electro, p-funk, Detroit techno, Chicago house and plenty of in between styles. 'Drops In The Ocean' is a fantastic opener with potential to become another huge hit while the mix of hooky vocals and melodies with underground beats pervade tracks like 'Day We Met' amongst other highlights.
Review: Leon Vynehall long again made the transition from decent tune maker to revered and unpredictable electronic artist. Now he proves why he holds that status one again with a follow up to his critically acclaimed debut long player Nothing Is Still. This time out he distils everything he has done so far in to a record with few comparisons. It is ready for dance floor deployment but never just functional. There are cavernous ambient pieces next to grainy, heavy, dubby rhythms with grand but lo-fi synth architecture as well as moments of intriguing experimentalism.
Mu Ziq - "Twangle Frent" (Special Request rework) (5:52)
FC Kahuna - "Hayling" (Special Request mix) (3:19)
Special Request - "Elysian Fields" (5:31)
Review: The last few years have really seen Paul Woolford reach the top of his game in many different ways. Be it bowel emptying rave as Special Request, festival baiting piano house tunes or chart topping pop dance crossovers under his own name, the man is proving himself to have a real golden touch. He sure does crank out all these tunes at a prolific rate, too, but you still feel he does everything with meticulous precision. This DJ Kicks is a case in point. It touches on all the many different facets of his sound from glossy and feel good house to early Chicago classics, post-rave dreamscapes to brutal jungle breaks. What a legend.
Review: Roman Flugel is back with his seventh full length titled Eating Darkness. The nine tracks were created during the coronavirus lockdown of 2020, and are testament to the Frankfurt legend's penchant for mixing elements of pop with sounds of the underground - a scene he has been affiliated with since the early '90s. A variety of moods and grooves are all delivered in his idiosyncratic style: from the woozy and broken slow burner 'Chemicals', to the majestic and spellbinding dancefloor drama of 'Wow' or the raw hardware acid jack of 'Jocks And Freaks' which harks to his days as Alter Ego. Elsewhere, there's the heartfelt and bittersweet ambient house of 'Cluttered Homes' and the downbeat bliss of closing epic 'Charles'.
Persian - "Morning Sun" (feat Hannah Small) (5:02)
Seekers International - "FurdaMurda" (4:31)
EBE - "Thinking" (6:13)
Gideon Jackson - "Taj-Mahal" (7:00)
Perpetual - "Awakenings" (6:46)
Mark Seven - "Crank" (5:23)
Paco Pack - "Slap That Bass" (3:05)
Cari Lekebusch - "Output 2" (7:33)
Pauline Anna Strom - "In Flight Suspension" (7:47)
Review: Sadly, there was no Love International festival this year, but the team behind it have given us the next best thing: a new volume in their superb "The Sound of Love International" compilation series from friend-of-the-family and beach stage mainstay Shanti Celeste. After opening with a typically spacey and dreamy new collaboration with her friend Saoirse - the intergalactic techno haziness of "Solid Mass", the Peach Discs co-founder treats us to a heady mixture of chunky, sunrise-ready breaks (Persian), drowsy ambient dub (Seekers International), deep space house and techno (EBE, Gideon Jackson, Carl Lekebusch), Barbarella's-ready peak-time fare (Perpetual, Paco Pack), angular late night dancefloor sleaze (Mark Seven) and weightless ambient bliss (Pauline Anna Stom).
Review: Born and raised on the dusty, baking hot island of Malta, Melchior Sultana has long been associated with a brand of warming, emotion-rich deep house that values head-soothing niceness as much as sturdy dancefloor chops. The producer's latest album, Self-Reflection, is naturally rooted in immersive, dreamy and pleasingly tactile deep house, but there's more than enough psychedelic acid lines, crispy analogue sounds and subtle musical variety to avoid accusations of being too "nice". Highlights are plentiful, from the wonderfully sun-soaked, Italian deep house influenced lusciousness of 'You & I' and the organ-splattered New Jersey revivalism of 'Dogma', to the pleasing peak-time bump of 'Remember The Floor' and the spaced-out acid-electro of 'Switch Up'.
John Rocca - "I Want It To Be Real" (instrumental) (5:12)
John Rocca - "Englishman In New York" (extended) (7:27)
John Rocca - "Move" (extended mix) (8:14)
John Rocca - "The Dream" (radio edit) (4:08)
Freeez - "IOU" (feat John Rocca - 7" version remastered) (3:51)
John Rocca - "I Want It To Be Real" (3:45)
Review: Freeez founder John Rocca made these cuts between London and New York City from 1982 to 1987. Once Upon A Time in N.Y.C is a pioneering compilation of proto-electro and house cuts that, for this reissue, come on nice splattered orange vinyl. As well as the six standouts on the original abut, there is also a bonus 7" with two extra cuts, one of which is the international hit 'I.O.U.' Elsewhere, jams like 'Englishman In New York', 'I Dub U' and 'I Want It To Be Real' all still bang as brilliantly now as they did almost 40 years ago.
Review: Less than 10 months have passed since the release of Matt Lord and Dennis 'Dego' McFarland's first collaborative album, but the long-serving duo have already readied album number two. The pair have been working together on-and-off for years and are clearly kindred spirits, at least musically. There's a warmth, looseness and pleasingly effortless feel about much of the material on show, which - like much 2000 Black crew material of recent years - adds luscious synthesizer and electric piano motifs to rubbery bass guitar parts and crunchy beats. It's naturally rooted in broken beat, but rhythmically also pays homage to jazz-funk, hip-hop, Azymuth-esque jazz fusion and boogie. It also includes an excellent, acid-flecked collaboration with mutual friend (and fellow bruk stalwart) Domu.
Review: Dana Kelley's archives continue to yield more incredible compilations from the Above Board-steered Guidance revival. Put together with the blessing and assistance of the late house producer's family, this second volume of Boston Boy goes even deeper into his archives, touching on the tough-as-you-like broken beat brilliance of 'Something About You', the sprightly, jazzy deep house of 'Trifling' and some heady unreleased DAT grabs which will have long-time devotees flipping out. Long may Kelley's incredible touch filter out into the global house music community.
Shinin' (feat Kj - MG & The Flying Bed remix) (5:29)
Light (feat UA - Mgob New mix) (5:52)
Labyrinth (feat Mitsushima Hikari - Mgob New mix) (5:09)
Time (feat Bird - Mgob remastered) (4:48)
Planet Tantra (feat Asuka Saito - Mgob New mix) (5:25)
Haruwa Towa Ni Mezameru (feat UA - version 1 - Mgob remastered) (6:21)
False Sympathy (feat Aina The End - Mgob remastered) (4:42)
One Temperature (feat Big-O - Big-O Extra Rises) (6:43)
Kemuri (feat Rhyme - Chillin' dub) (4:52)
Everything Needs Love (feat BoA - JP Re-new) (4:45)
Review: Japan's pioneering Mondo Grosso has assembled a collection of all this greatest hits for this special new two part collection. It takes in some new remixes, new mixes and re-edits and the whole thing has been newly remastered by Shinichi Osawa himself. Also included is a Japanese version of 'Everything Needs Love' with freshly record vocals. This is big room, soulful house music with plenty of Latin and jazz influences and some wild vocals. This tells the story of the last 30 years of this fine band and reminds us just what made them so popular.
Theo Parrish, Tony Allen & Eska - "Day Like This" (Molo remix) (3:47)
Donso - "Awakening" (Krazybaldhead remix) (4:34)
Tony Allen - "Afrodiscobeat" (Africaine808 rework) (9:55)
Review: The term Afro-house seems to be getting chukka bout ever more freely and ever less responsibly these days. This second volume of Afro Rhythms from Comet France does have some credible and authentic claims on the term though with source material by Afro beat legend Tony Allen amongst others getting some fine remix treatment. Ricardo Villalobos & Max Loderbauer go first with an elastic dub, Jeff Sharel layers in more minimal textures to his remix of Brighter Nights and on the flip is a standout from Ed Banger's Krazy Baldhead which is all tin-pot percussion, shuffling broken rhythms and off grid madness.
Review: This is Freestyle free from any style.
There is no need for the disembodied voice telling you THIS IS HOUSE.
It is simply felt and known.
{Every kick.
Every arpeggio.
Every bass note.
Experienced through the prism of now.
Ribs rattle from the heart center to the endless reaches of consciousness.}
The racks are stacked high beyond the heavens as the Filter Queen speaks of love without words.
Bound to no earthly constructs, beholden to no laws.
This is the joyous sound of overground resistance.
Review: Berlin via L.A. based Acid Test has a new one out this week on their Avenue 66 sub-label, which is focused more on leftfield electronics. It comes from esteemed German producer Jens Kuhn aka Lowtec, known for his releases on Out To Lunch, United States Of Mars and Playhouse who presents some rare and unreleased cuts from the vaults on Easy To Heal Cuts. As expected, there's dusty and understated fare aplenty on this one; from the contemplative night moves of 'Going Nowhere', or the low-slung mood music of 'Red Sparrow' (another alias of Kuhn's) to the bittersweet minimalism of 'Nature Thinks For You' and the sun coming through the blinds on Monday morning vibe of closing cut 'From Moment To Moment' - we're sure glad these tunes saw the light of day.
This Is Message To You (feat Nadine Charles) (4:01)
The Negative Positive (3:17)
What's Good For You (feat Obebewa) (3:27)
Recovered Memories (feat Samii) (3:05)
She Is Virgo (2:28)
What's An Inferiority Complex (4:15)
The Disclaimer (2:04)
Review: Over his long and illustrious career, Dennis 'Dego' McFarlane has made music in many complimentary styles, but it's been broken beat with which he's been associated with for the least two decades. Alongside his friend and regular studio partner Kaidi Tatham, he's developed a particular strain of "bruk" that incorporates elements of jazz, electrofunk, soul, boogie, jazz-funk and, more occasionally, hip-hop. It's this fluid, attractive, synth-heavy sound that's at the heart of The Negative Positive, his first solo full-length for two years. It's as well-made, soulful, slick and musically rich as you'd expect, with a series of stellar vocal numbers joining a swathe of similarly impressive instrumentals.
Review: Since debuting at the tail end of the 1990s, Frank Timm's Sound Stream project has provided us with some of the most memorable and impactful disco-house loop jams around. It's been five years since Timm's last outing under the alias though, making this expansive triple-pack of club cuts a genuinely notable release. Typically, it's a special collection of cuts too, with highlights including the sun-splashed gorgeousness of title track 'Disco Fantasy', the stripped-back drum machine jam 'Who Ist Die Eins', the suspenseful, tease-and-release brilliance of 'Give Me A C', the deep disco-house hypnotism of 'Off The Rack', the funky bassline-driven headiness of 'Just Stop It' and the string-drenched excitement of 'Pussycat Pool'.
The Last Transmission (feat London Grammar) (3:46)
Ultraviolet (4:36)
Review: It's been a long time since we'd heard about George Fitzgerald. Several years ago he was everywhere, appearing on all the top imprints at the time such as Hotflush, Hypercolour and Aus Music. After a long hiatus, Fitzgerald returns with his fourth full-length for Domino offshoot Double Six entitled Stellar Drifting. It's a wide selection of moods and grooves demonstrating the diversity within his sonic repertoire. The collaborations are particularly noteworthy, such as with Panda Bear on 'Passed Tense', with SOAK on 'Rainbows and Dreams' and teaming up with British outfit London Grammar on 'The Last Transmission'.
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