Back catalogue: DJ Tools

Review: Private Stock Records serves up a treat for DJs and turntablists with a new 12" packed with beats, scratches, and skipless tracks. Four skilled DJsiBig Once, Cutso, Double A, and Nick Bikeicontribute their skills to this collection, offering a diverse range of flavours for scratching and beat juggling. Each DJ delivers a 'Scratch Sentence' and a selection of beats at various tempos, providing a versatile toolkit for creative routines. The inclusion of skipless tracks adds another dimension, allowing for seamless blends and extended mixes. With its focus on functionality and quality, this release is a must-have for any serious turntablist or DJ looking to expand their arsenal of sounds.

Review: Following a vibrant summer festival tour, South London Samba now releases their debut EP, Tempo!. Led by Adam Ouissellat, the band's five new tracks showcase a rhythmically rich sound influenced by Brazil and the African diaspora. Celebrating their tenth anniversary, these tracks were recorded at Midi Music Company, where the band has rehearsed since 2013. Captured in single takes by Ahmad Dayes, Tempo! reflects the raw energy of their live performances which are an explosion of samba rhythms with carnival vibrant spirit. Drawing inspiration from the Caribbean, Dutch brass bands, and Latin America, South London Samba pushes plenty of rhythmic boundaries here.

Review: French house duo Cassius are undersung stars of the genre. Their cuspate millennial smash 'Cassius 1999' marked out well the fervour of the time, fizzing against our ears with its liminal "don't" vox, creep-in bass, brushup rides and stinger Morricone chords, which all build to a laggard but crucial French house wahher. A full-length album followed, exploring the same themes: and now the duo share a new "tool" version of the record, which pares the each of said debut LP's tracks to their barest bones. An "homage to our early experiments with endless loops", 1999 DJ Tool celebrates the long-form, live set cutup approach necessitated by their many European tour dates during the early noughts.

Review: Aldebaran Records presents Murder Patternz, the brainchild of legendary DJ D-Styles, renowned for his contributions to turntablism with groups like Beat Junkies and Invizibl Skratch Pklz. This quadrilogy of battle tools kicks off with volume one, featuring skipless effects at 100bpm on the A-side and a 133 bpm rendition on the B, encouraging the exploration of ultra-pitch techniques. With only 300 copies available, this limited edition release promises to delight turntablists and scratch enthusiasts alike. D-Styles' mastery of the craft shines through in every track, showcasing his unparalleled skill and innovative approach to scratch music. Murder Patternz is not just a collection of breaks but a testament to the enduring influence of DJ D-Styles on the world of turntablism. Whether you're a seasoned scratch artist or a newcomer to the scene, this quadrilogy is a worthy addition to your collection, offering endless inspiration and creative possibilities.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve slightly damaged, records slightly warped***


William Tramontozzi aka. DJ JS-1 first released this battle tools compendium as a DVD-r edition sometime circa 2000. Scratch Roulette aimed at one goal and one goal only: to compile all the best slices of samplerific sass onto one medium. Now reissued via Ground Original in 2xLP form, we're now met with several hundred sound effects, phrases, hits, drums and tones on wax. There are no redundant loops or beats here: only scratch sounds and phrases (if you want drums, go sift them out of a record like the best DJs used to do). Time-capsuling an era into a distinct sonic bottle, this one's yet another compendium proving that certain genres aren't just made by form, tempo or rhythm alone; it's often the embellishments, the specific sounds used, that make a classic a breaks, hip-hop, or garage classic.

Review: Woodwurk serves up a record here that is purely for the adventurous and dexterous hip-hop DJs who might be out there: It is a series of apparently skip-proof scratch loops from DJ Robert Smith. It takes the form of several short scratch words and phrases as well as full sentences split across 39 tracks all under a minute in length. These ultra-pitch tools are ripe for experimentation and will bring some undeniable old-school hip-hop cool. This useful long player comes with a cool illustration by skate industry legend Mark 'Fos' Foster.

Review: Roughneck Jihad and Symatic are back with their first full-length album, The Decomposition Ray. After their 2022 Simon Bar Sinister EP and the 2018 lathe-cut 7" Wonder, the duo continues to evolve their unique mix of experimental beats and unconventional lyrics. Crafted with a loop station, tape echo, and Cut & Paste Records scratch tools, the instrumentals were passed to Roughneck Jihad for lyrical infusion. The album's artwork is hand-printed by Bethanien's Dust in Belfast, while each of the 150 vinyl records is splatter-pressed with a unique design, making each copy a true collector's item.