Back catalogue: Rock (All)

Review: Limited edition, hand-stamped white label 12"s from Smoove, reworking as though each of its remixed originals were axiomatic expressions of sonic perfection. 'Dance', for example, has a well known 80s classic reworked to stomping, heavyweight perfection - stretching its vocals to breathy ecstasy. Meanwhile EWF's 'Can't Hide Love' and 'Playing Your Game, Baby' by a certain Mr White, unite over a similar subject matter; there's no point in hiding your love. All aboard the underground love train.

Review: Montenegrin-French composer, arranger, conductor, keyboardist, percussionist, vocalist and producer (nuff skills!) Janko Nilovic & The Soul Surfers have already turned our ears this year with a super 7" on Funk Night. Now they're back with another limited bit of 45rpm heat on Broc. Noth sides of this one makes for impossibly funky listening, with skilled instrumental solos getting deep under your skin and making you move. They are packed with charm and mark another noteworthy outing for this outfit.

Review: Osei Korankye hails from Accra, Ghana and is a talented musician known as one of his homeland's last remaining seperewa musiciana. These tracks throw it back to the heyday of the sound in 1970 but were recorded in Brooklyn, NY as well as Accra when Korankye linked up with Super Yamba bandleader and drummer Daniel Yount for a few gigs in New York City in 2017. It was an effortless collaboration that resulted in some super psychedelic funk tunes that are designed for carefree dancing.

Review: Shango is the name for the Yoruba 'Thunder God' in Nigeria and Ojo Okeji, the leader of the Shango Dance Band was all about injecting military power and warlike energy in his own strain of Nigerian highlife and afrobeat. However, apart from all of Okeji's cult-like stories involving him and his part in the Nigerian army during a time of civil unrest in the late 60's and through to the 70's, and his often troublesome relationship with the great Fela Kuti, the truly special aspect of the Shango Dance Band album is that it was never properly released following its production in 1974. Comb & Razor have done the right thing here and, without them, this magical LP would still be locked away in the never-ending vaults of Nigerian music. This is very personal, incredibly singular African jazz-dance with a raucous psychedelic edge that lifts it high and mighty above the competition. A truly special album - DO NOT MISS IT.

Review: Ace Records continue their series of compilations from Saint Etienne's Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs, tapping into unique niches of British music culture under titles like English Weather and The Tears Of Technology to arrive at this latest joint, Fell From The Sun. This is a specific trip into the downtempo, after hours sounds prevalent in 1990-1991, as the acid house wave broke and Balearic selector ethics seeped into studio practice. The selections are absolutely on point, from The Orb's majestic remix of Primal Scream's 'Higher Than The Sun' to Saint Etienne's own moody roller, 'Speedwell'. It's bouncy and boundlessly optimistic as well as being supremely chill, absolutely of its time but still ringing with an eternal charm that feels ready for a revival. Let this compilation be your guide.

Review: Did Steely Dan go Bisto on us and save the best for last? Maybe, just maybe. While Pretzel Logic didn't mark the end of all things The Dan, it was the final album to feature the full lineup - Walter Becker, Donald Fagen, Denny Dias, Jim Hodder, and Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter (prior to the latter joining The Doobie Brothers). It was also the last to be released while the group were actively touring, and as such can be seen as something of a swan song. Perhaps Magnus Opus is a more appropriate turn of phrase. Critically acclaimed at the time, the record sees the jazz rockers opt to tone down the instrumentals that had cost them radio play with preceding LP, Countdown to Ecstasy, and instead focus on shorter, more direct and certainly catchier tunes. That's not to mean throwaway, mind, with praise lauded on the release at the time, when it was reissued in the late 1980s and remastered a decade or so later. Back again, it still has the same impact.

Review: Suede first released Sci-Fi lullabies 25 years ago. This special 25th Anniversary Edition comes on 180 grams of nice clear wax and stands as the band's definitive collection of vital B-sides. As many music lovers know, white often the flip side jams are the best on any record, even if you don't know it at first . As well as the b-side besties and fan favourites like 'Suede', 'Dog Man Star' and 'Coming Up' are 'Europe Is Our Playground', 'My Insatiable One', and 'Killing Of A Flashboy' amongst others.