Back in stock: Progressive House

Review: Detroit dub techno don Luke Hess says that this is his "most eclectic and techno-driven album to date" and that it blends together his signature subterranean sounds with his indelible Motor City touch. It again works well on cultured dance floors but is also a deeply spiritual album that will have your mind wandering to some lovely places. From the opening moments of 'Dokimion' you're sunk into widescreen soundscapes that pair painterly synths with immersive low ends. Cuts like 'Stoicheo' bring serene melodies and closer 'Hiketeria' is a misty, foggy cut that oozes late-night intimacy.

Review: Carl Hardy's Animals on Psychedelics label doesn't rush things. It has put out a small number of relays over several years but each one is a classic. Swiss-Tunisian producer Ish is behind this next one and offers three mind melting jams. The epic adventure that is 'The Mind Is A Labyrinth' opens with sci-fi samples and warped basslines, trippy arps and silky pads that leave long tails in their wake. 'Humans & Robots' hits harder with hunched, thudding drum and more tightly looped synth phrases and 'Timewalk' has broken beats and swilling astral synths for mind, body and soul.

Review: Musek deliver a fresh V/A comp in the varicose veins of lively progressive house and dilly acid trance (ish), cycling through three originals whilst closing things off on a reimagining of a classic. First there's Joy Kitikonti and Hamsa with 'Tricks Of The Time', a burgeoning journey packed with metallic clanks and scraping basses; next it's Farfa's retouch of Hamsa's 'Overthinking', which does an impressive job at depicting overthought with rabbit-hole filtercut arps and manic calculative leads. Farfa and Hamsa return for the comparatively brooding 'False Cruelty', which peppers its on-a-mission pluckstabs with the odd spaceship UI blurt; and finally, the classic-remix in question is Hi-Ryze's brutal rendition of his Ubik alias' 'Command', the original version of which was released in 1991, and to which Ryze multiplies its deathly yet seductive vibe through madhouse chirp leads and doomy diminished chords.

Review: Lennart's latest creation, the With Love EP, is exclusively crafted for Skylax Records and showcases the Dutch producer's exceptional talent and versatility. Known for his impressive discography with releases on Ritmo Fatale, KopjeK Records, Italo Moderni, and Zonefocus, Lennart, now based in Berlin, delivers an excellent record for enthusiasts of Italo Disco, Dark Disco, New Wave, and Proto-House. The EP opens with the 'With Love,' featuring an arpeggio that enthralls the senses, reminiscent of Todd Terje's finest works. 'Traumwelt' follows with its immersive and ethereal atmosphere, while 'Roffa' delivers another electrifying banger. On the flip side, 'Chrome' bursts onto the scene with vibrant energy, 'Security' echoes the brilliance of Klein & Mbo, and the EP concludes with the enigmatic 'One Night at Wetrinsky,' a track bearing the unmistakable mark of Legowelt. Count on Skylax to continue to bring the masses great underground dance music.

Review: Italian producer Mennie lands on EYA Records here with an EP that hits plenty of contemporary touchstones: techno, retro synths, trance and faster rhythms. 'We Are Not The Plan' has a tech house edge but with cosmic pads and bright melodies, while 'Make It Easy' has playful top lines and a fizzing, textural synth bassline powered by crisp kicks. 'Engine' gets more physical with faster drums and snappy percussive layers, and 'The Story' grinds it out with mechanical stiffness and bleeping synth sequences that bring a retro-future flair. It's all perfectly colourful body music for knowing clubs.

Review: "Yeah, as I gaze upon you, I am overwhelmed by the fact that beauty is an insufficient phrase to describe you. You are the definition of pure perfection, and though many have tried and failed to get close to you, I run that walk into the flame." Echoing the seductive vocal soliloquies heard overlaid in much deep Chicago house - the work of the late Paul Johnson springs to mind - K' Alexi Shelby marks a terrific introduction to this new V/A from Cod3 QR. The label was long the subject of much speculative chinstroking; only in recent years was it revealed to be the brainchild of Laurent Garnier and Oliver Way. Here on this latest output from the label, we hear a mix of technical and tribal moods traverse across a mostly slow-burner sensibility, pinnacling on DJ Bone's bosomy chord viber 'DD'.