New Jersey house don Kerri Chandler is rightfully lauded as a hero of the scene. He continues to pour his heart and soul into every record and imbue his music with real-world emotions that elevate his tunes. He is of course a master of a deep but driving sound that borrows from soul, funk and jazz in ignitible ways. The third volume of his Lost & Found EP series on his own label Kaoz Theory is packed with more gold, from the slinky depths of 'Let It (Give Me Back My Love)' to the soul staring vocal work of 'Another Dawn' via more paired back sounds on 'The Bassline' (Kerri Dark mix) and the percussive energy of 'The Breeze.' Yet another essential Kerri 12" for your collection.

Swiss producer and DJ Lea Lisa gathers together some of her favorite tracks to play out with in a double pack compilation for Favorite Recordings. As you might be able to tell from some of the artists and tracks on here, Lea likes her house music deep, tracky, sometimes soulful and verging on proper techno. Featured here are key tracks like 'Ekeyz' from Pure Science, the club mix of 'Be There' by Kerri Chandler and 'Blax Thanxs' by Abacus. One very desirable addition is the early 90s gem 'Emotional' by Think. This very strong gathering of deep house tracks may be one of the best this year. Act quick and grab a copy.

Balkan Vinyl has a strong resume of releasing excellent 90s inspired IDM and electro since the first release in 2010. Veteran producers Posthuman (Cousins Richard Bevan and Joshua Doherty) own and run the UK label. For this release they call upon a legendary friend Luke Vibert, to make a staggeringly great, joint EP. 'Still In Love' kicks off the record and brings Luke's familiar acid techniques to the party while sampling classic 80s and 90s dance tracks and samples within it. 'Android Webber' is quintessential sound Vibert is known for that balances a quirky IDM grit and a downtempo slow jam. For the B-Side, Posthuman offers the futuristic electro stormer 'Grad' followed by the sexy, slow burner 'Forever Circles'. A match made in acid house heaven.

PIV label head DJ Prunk identified Ruze as rising stars in 2023. Since then, they've soared with Beatport chart-toppers like Hardwire and Chapters EPs and their latest offering showcases their signature sound on a fine debut album. The title track introduces smooth house beats, deep yet dynamic. 'Trip' layers precise drums with soulful spoken words over vivid pads. 'Keep It Comin'' amps up the tempo with funky house vibes, while 'Mister DJ' delivers seductive late-night allure. 'Come Together' packs punchy beats and lively sax and 'Repetition,' 'FUTUR,' and 'In The Power' maintain irresistible house grooves, while 'Everybody' ends with a laid-back lounge vibe.

Drumcode supremo Adam Beyer has become increasingly more prolific in recent years, signalling a creative renaissance that recalls the undoubted quality of his work in the late 1990s and early 2000s. His first outing of 2024, which follows a quartet of EPs last year, is predictably strong and packed to the rafters with future Drumcode anthems. Fittingly, he starts with 'Let's Begin', where mutilated vocal loops, mind-mangling rave noises and unsettling melodic motifs dance atop a typically thunderous and breathless big room techno groove, before opting for a dirtier, acid-flecked groove, metallic noises and sped-up hip-hop vocal samples on 'Computerized' (hip-techno anyone?). To round things off, he goes darker and denser still on the loopy techno power of 'Red Room', which pleasingly also boasts the same Aisha vocal sample as the Orb's 'Blue Room'.

Originally released in 2005 as the follow up to the more accessible, melodious alt rock endeavour that was 2000's America's Volume Dealer, the seventh full-length from Raleigh, North Carolina stoner/sludge legends Corrosion Of Conformity, boasting the epic title In The Arms Of God, would take a half decade of introspection and self-reappraisal to materialise. Rediscovering their incomparable knack for hefty trudging riffs that displace the Louisiana bayou blues to caverns of beer-soaked sludge, for many the album signalled a return to form with both critics and avid fans celebrating the band's more corrosive elements once again. The only project not to feature drummer Reed Mullin as this was during his sabbatical from the group, while most notably being the final work with primary songwriter and overall mastermind Pepper Keenan until his glorious return on 2018's No Cross No Crown.

Few labels do minimal as well as Trelik and in terms of artists, Edward is also as good as they come right now. This perfect pairing opens up with the deeply alluring 'Time' with its woozy pads and smeared chords over warm and rubbery drums. It's a hypnagogic affair then 'Vacuum Tube' has a more menacing air thanks to the wispy and unsettling synth details and clunky hooks. 'Watch Out' brings a more spangled and rubbery rhythm that has colourful details peeling off the beats and last of all, 'Stream' ups the ante with some thudding deep house and widescreen ambient synth work.

Arriving almost six years on from their Grammy Award-winning eighth full-length Electric Messiah, Oakland, California stoner-sludge behemoths High On Fire return with the highly anticipated Cometh The Storm. Plumbing the depths of post-COVID woes, the increasing proverbial fire of the world at large, and our brittle purpose within the cosmos, these long-gestating beastly cuts offer up some of the most heaving tonal bedlam the trio have delivered in well over a decade, whilst simultaneously operating as their most sonically daring and expansive chapter yet by tapping into middle-Eastern influences and utilising Turkish instruments to craft a worldly, encompassing sense of global dread. When you absolutely, positively, require some of the most grooving, hefty, nihilistic sludge/stoner/doom available, you're always in luck when High On Fire rear their Cerberus heads.