Back catalogue: House

Review: Given that he's been active as a producer since the dawn of the 90s, it would be fair to say that Sven Vath is well worthy of an authoritative, expansive retrospective. That's certainly what we get here on this quadruple-vinyl mix of classic productions and fresh, eye-catching remixes. It's the latter that dominate the early stages of the collection - see Adam Port's hypnotic, didgeridoo-sporting revision of 'Ritual of Life', Speedy J's acid-fired stomp through 'Ballet-Fusion' - before Vath showcases some of his choice cuts. There's naturally to set the pulse racing, from the twisted, sub-heavy thump of 'Cala Llonga' and the tactile hypnotism of 'Sounds That Control Your Life', to the electroclash-meets-Kraftwerk flex of 'Dein Schweiss' and the ambient techno excellence of 'The Day After', a 21- minute epic from 1995 produced alongside Steffen Britzke as Astral Pilot.

Review: Few electronic music producers can claim to have made quite as big an impact as Arthur Baker. During the 1980s the New Yorker was involved in creating (or mixing) a string of ground-breaking electro, freestyle and proto-house records, before becoming one of the most in-demand remixers on the planet. This vast box set, which includes six weighty slabs of vinyl and an informative insert, celebrates his legacy, offering up a mixture of pioneering productions (Afrika Bambaata and Soulsonic Force's 'Planet Rock', 'Walking On Sunshine' by Rockers Revenge, 'Confusion' by New Order), dancefloor anthems (Freez's 'I.O.U', his enormous rework of Fleetwood Mac's 'Big Love') and a string of essential but lesser-celebrated revisions - all presented in full-length, DJ-friendly form. In a word: essential.

Review: Anja Schneider has been at the heart of the Berlin underground for decades. Famously she headed up the Mobilee label which was a powerhouse of, well, house, and now she revisits her sizeable back catalogue for a bumper triple album of remixes, works and updates. If nothing else this collection shows what great range she had as all styes are covered from dark and driving tech to more blissed out deep house. The likes of 'Turning My Head' show great percussive flair and 'Dubmission' (Julian Muller remix) is quick and slick, stripped back minimal. Vocal delight 'Rain' is a real classic amongst many here.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged and slight surface marks but otherwise in excellent condition***


French touch has been one of the cornerstones of the European house scene for decades. It's a singular sound with lots of filters, fuzzy funk and feel good house grooves that were pioneered by the likes of Bob Sinclar, Daft Punk and Alan Braxe. This new collection cerebrates the genre from 1994 onwards with Sinclar featuring alongside the likes of Cute B, Salome De Bahia, Reminiscence Quartet and many more. It's a colourful and vibrant three-box set that will bring inescapably good vibes to any party. Must cop.

Review: French touch has been one of the cornerstones of the European house scene for decades. It's a singular sound with lots of filters, fuzzy funk and feel good house grooves that were pioneered by the likes of Bob Sinclar, Daft Punk and Alan Braxe. This new collection cerebrates the genre from 1994 onwards with Sinclar featuring alongside the likes of Cute B, Salome De Bahia, Reminiscence Quartet and many more. It's a colourful and vibrant three-box set that will bring inescapably good vibes to any party. Must cop.

Review: If you ever need to demonstrate the queer foundations of dance music, just reach for this authoritative compilation - case closed. Demon Music Group have gathered together a mighty 24 tracks of seminal hi-nrg, synth-pop, proto house, Eurobeat and more besides to paint a picture of the vibrant culture which set the tone for house and techno to come. There are some monster hits in this four-vinyl set including Whitney Houston's 'Love Will Save The Day', Frankie Goes To Hollywood's 'Relax' and Dead or Alive's 'You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)', all presented in their finest extended mix forms. There's also more than enough deep cuts to satisfy the more seasoned diggers out there and the artwork is on point, making this a fitting tribute to the 80s gay nightlife which incubated a new kind of dance music.

Review: This compilation features music from artists who perform regularly at the Diane's Hunting Club annual gatherings. Heavily inspired by and indebted to the influence of the natural world and open spaces, this is music for motivation, movement, and meditation. Conoley Ospovat (Kimochi Sound) begins with a breezy slow-house theme, followed by some similarly slow but a much more tangled webs by sug (Hausu Mountain). Lokua contributes a melodic deep-space techno roller, Area (Kimochi Sound) offers gentle ambient rhythms, Mukqs (Hausu Mountain) produces a shimmering sunshine beat, and K-rAd closes out with an vast dub house journey. Enter the zone.

Review: Frost and Einzelkind's Pressure Traxx captures the evolution of minimal tech house over the past ten years, as the rigour of functional 4/4 gave way to different rhythms and motifs from the wider dance music lexicon. It was a smart move which helped reinvigorate the scene, and while they didn't do it on their own they absolutely fuelled the fire. Ten years in, their label is certainly due a retrospective which stretches out over eight sides of next-level workouts for long blends and marathon sets. The cast of characters hardly needs explaining - from Tobias and Villalobos to Edward and John Dimas, the quality never lets up and in one smartly arranged box set you're going to be gifted with the finest minimal in recent circulation.

Review: Ray Colino's steady hand on the tiller at Kalahari Oyster Cult has led to it becoming one of the finest, most distinctive labels operating in the wider techno-sphere. Notching up its 40th release in only five years, the collective energy of the cult doubles down on its spiritually-charged trance leanings with this righteous 18 track sermon featuring an impressive cast from close family members to headline acts. Whether it's the acid bubblebath of Volodymyr Gnatenko or Maara & Priori throwing down some deadly hand drum tech for the peak time, your sets are about to get a serious re-up of wiggy wonders. At a time when the early techno-trance sound has become so en vogue, Kalahari's clarity of vision and commitment to the vibe marks it out as a true scene leader.

Review: This vibrant 4-LP collection is a love letter to the music that defined queer dancefloors from 1980 to 1989. It offers an eclectic mix of diva, high energy, Europop, house, alternative and pop classics that celebrate the diversity and innovation of an era when clubs were crucibles of creativity. The tracklist is a masterclass in curation, balancing iconic anthems with deeper cuts. Highlights include Eartha Kitt's sultry 'Where Is My Man', Sylvester's electrifying 'I Need You' and Jean Carne's soulful 'Was That All It Was'. Divine's campy 'Native Love' rubs shoulders with Ryan Paris' shimmering 'Dolce Vita' and Laura Branigan's enduring 'Self Control'. On the experimental edge, New Order's 'Sub-Culture' and Visage's 'The Anvil' bring post-punk energy, while Grace Jones' 'Love On Top Of Love' epitomises avant-garde sophistication. Production giants like Trevor Horn, Larry Levan and Stock, Aitken & Waterman leave their unmistakable mark, ensuring the music pulsates with the era's pioneering spirit. The collection also reflects the bittersweet reality of the time, a period of immense joy and boundless creativity shadowed by the AIDS crisis. This set is more than nostalgiaifull of artistry and the enduring influence of queer club culture during one of its most transformative decades.

Review: Rhythm Section International turns ten this yearia whole decade since Bradley Zero started what seemed like a modest project, spinning out of those infamous Peckham pool hall parties. But modest it was not. In those ten years, Rhythm Section became more than just a label. It became a pulseia defining force in London's music landscape, rippling out across the globe. To celebrate the milestone, Rhythm Section has pulled together something that's as much a reflection as it is a bold step forward: a three-part compilation titled PAST, RE-IMAGINED AND FUTURE. Six discs, 30 tracks, spanning the label's evolution while pointing toward its next era. The first two discs? A dive into history, with one track from each year since 2014ia walk through the archives that pulls out deep cuts and forgotten classics. Then we get into the RE-IMAGINED part, where artists from the label like Ruf Dug, Session Victim, and Private Joy reinterpret past tracks in their own styles. No gimmicksijust raw, playful creativity that breathes new life into the old. And finally, the FUTURE: two discs of brand-new material for 2024. Artists like RONI, Gayance, and Jordan Rakei under his Frank Liin alias step forward to show where the label's heading, blending genres and moods seamlessly. What's special about this release is that it never feels like it's trying too hardiit's a reflection of the organic growth that's made Rhythm Section what it is today. Ten years in, and the label's as forward-thinking, alternative and grounded as ever.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Box damaged, split sleeves, product in perfect working order***


You can always rely on the Cocoon compilations to bring you a high level of quality control and an authoritative overview of the state of techno around the time of release. This mammoth six-LP set will give you a lot of music to work with, and it's featuring a dizzying cast of high-end operators starting with the mighty Stephen Brown. Each track gets a side of vinyl to itself, serving as a kind of statement for how much faith the label put in each of these 12 tracks. Amongst the best on this top-drawer comp are Daniel Avery's metallic, spellbinding 'Your Future Looks Different In The Light' and Carl Finlow's lithe electro workout 'Surface Control', but as you might well expect each track is one you'll turn to again and again to give your mix some spice.

Review: Innervisions is one of those house labels that has become synonymies with a certain lifestyle. It has a distinctive sound - emotional, synth-laced house, always with an artful edge. It always offers up well-crafted sounds, never more so than in its on going Secret Weapons series. This 16th volume is a bumper collection across four slabs of wax that takes in the deep, dramatic, rising tension of Ivory's 'Could You Feel The Love?', the more grizzled broken beats of David Kochs & John Falke and Hardt Antoine's slow burning synth house epic 'Inside Your Mind' as well as much more besides.

Review: We're told that inspiration for this bumper new double album of super fresh techno from the young New Palm label came in 2023 when the artists met up on the LA River armed with "a couple of generators, a Klipsch system, turntables, and a modular rig, for a day into night of music centred around various forms of dub." The results are superb, with Charles Edward opening up with the sparse, laid-back dub of 'Bogus August', Lena Deen keeping it deft with the ambient soundscapes of 'Either Ore' and Berndt's 'Solstice' exploring widescreen minimalism dub, with plenty more to love in between.