Back catalogue: Electro House

Review: Black Key recruit the consistently excellent Dan Piu for their nineteenth vinyl release, laying out three tracks of sophisticated deep house. Opener, "Venus Agenda" (which Piu claims is one of his all-time favourites), builds with reverb-soaked claps and the faintest hint of acid in the bass line, before skipping hi hats and lush pads move us in a deeper direction, soon making way for a haunting, yet beautiful lead - this one really is a thing of wonder. "Mother's Love" immediately heads in a different direction, with sublime keys and a subtle, yet highly effective bass line, and a sparsely used vocal sample heightening the mood when it appears. Finally, "Altarf" again takes us to new territory, with the opening, pacey 45 seconds quickly making way for dreamy pads and a perfectly crafted bassline, underpinned by a broken beat kick and expertly programmed hi hats. This package firmly shows why Piu is in such high demand with some of the best labels in the business.

Review: So, after all the hype, social media arguments and YouTube parodies, here it is: the most talked about dance album of 2013. By now you should all know the story: Daft Punk do old-fashioned disco-pop with the help of a legion of high profile guests and collaborators. So is Random Access Memories any good? Certainly, it's a fine pop album; lavishly produced fare with an authentic, organic swing that benefits enormously from Chic man Nile Rodgers' distinctive guitar work. At it's best, such as on the goodtime disco rush of "Get Lucky" and "Lose Yourself to Dance" (both featuring agorgeous vocals for Pharrell Williams), or the quirky but brilliant "Girorgio by Moroder", it's impeccable.