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Review: Here's a cover which can't fail to please a huge crowd, as Betty Black takes on Eurythmics' eternal 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)'. Black has been hitting her stride as a modern day soul diva after moving on from her accomplished roots voicing some iconic UK garage tunes, and her cover of 'Cry Me A River' is no joke either. Backed up by The Family Fortune and bringing an undeniable 60s sass to her performance, she makes the track her own. As well as the full vocal version on the A-side, the B-side has the slightly edited, dubbed out 'Work Out' version for when you want to work up a sweat.

Review: Another credit to the edit by one of the true masters of the art here. Danny Krivit adds another worthy resplice to his long running series on Most Excellent Unlimited out of New York City. This one features Rotary Connection's "I Am the Black Gold of the Sun" which was originally released in 1971 and most famously covered by Masters at Work back in 1997 under the Nuyorican Soul moniker. Krivit's edit is respectful as always, simply tightening it up and remastering it on 45 for the first time. Over on the flip, you've got a version of Steve Wonder's 'Pastime Paradise' which just adds a subtle intro that uses the tambourine rhythm to lead into the body of the song - perfect!

Review: The Roulade label is doing things right - not only is the music they are serving up superb, but so to do this second 12" comes with great and original artwork. Its neon glow and diffuse light capture the vibes of the synths on the opening cut 'C'est Party' perfectly. It's a melodically rich tech house cut with rubbery bass and great spoken words from a world disco dancing competition. Occibel's 'Give 'Em Some Rest' is busy and dense with whirring sci-fi synths, funky Prince riffs, thudding house beats and plenty of colour. Add in two more equally vibrant and characterful cuts from Hearthug and Wooka on the flip and you have one of the most unique EPs we've heard in some time.

Review: WAREHOUSE FIND!: OZY is an electronic musician and dj from Reykjavik. In the early years of his career, OZY released a series of influential records on the Icelandic dub techno label Thule Records, paying homage to the Berlin dub sounds and the abstract shuffle rhythms of Cologne techno. In 2002, the legendary Force Inc./Mille Plateaux label released OZY's debut album Tokei, bringing Ozy to the attention of a wide international audience. Orignialy released in 2000 The release "No Undo" is yet another step further, in fusing techno with new and fresh elements of drum&bass music, making the music incredibly dark and funky. The outcome is a wicked concept of futuristic tribal techno, designed strictly for the dancefloor:

Review: A work that surely needs little to no introduction, 'Repeater', was the seminal debut full-length from post-hardcore visionaries, Fugazi. From the demise of emo pioneers, Rites Of Spring, and hardcore punk godfathers, Minor Threat, came the enigmatic pairing of Guy Picciotto and Ian MacKaye, with the latter's burgeoning artistry left fully untethered to conjure a work transcendent of post-hardcore or alternative rock. Mapping out the blueprint for punk and alternative music throughout the nineties, even predating the likes of Nirvana's 'Nevermind', or Pearl Jam's 'Ten'; few projects have stood the test of time or been cited as such an integral influence by a dynamic range of artists from Rage Against The Machine to The Dillinger Escape Plan to American Football. Aggressive, expansive and highly critical of issues still plaguing our world today, from drug abuse to greed and privatisation, the ethos of, 'Repeater', (quietly referencing The Beatles' 'Revolver') has only swollen with time.

Review: DJ Nobu and Wata Igarashi and two of the finest techno talents in all of Japan right now. Their knack for sound designs is seance to none - the latter having a background in that for computer games helps, of course. They have a deep sound that is utterly hypnotic and so to have them together on one record is a treat. It is London's Fabric that has made that so here with them both offering up once cut each. 'Flares' from Nobu goes first and melts the mind in the usual fashion while Igarashi's 'Abuku' is more percussive but no less subversive.

Review: Peggy Gou has long since broken out of niche dance music circles out on to the wider world thanks to her pro and well crafted DJ sets and earned ties with plenty of high-end fashion brands. Including this, she does have some fine music making credentials as her hit single '(It Goes Like) Nanana' shows - its an inescapably catchy house cut with an iconic hook that is easy to sing along to. It now arrives, having first come via her own label, on XL which will only make it reach even higher levels of ubiquity. All hail the Gou!

Review: Sweat It Out Records kicks off their tasty Sweat Sampler series with their first volume, cutting niftily across four exceptionally sweaty bops, spanning tongue-in-cheek deep tech reworks and downtempo disco delights. First off is the dream team of Cid and Havoc & Lawn, whom together deliver a hilariously effective house version of America's 'A Horse With No Name'; this is shortly followed by Saturday Love, Kon and Furious's 'Come Out', a rejigged nu-disco samosa packed with some rare vocal spices; then there's 'Give It To Me' by Marco Lys and Ben Miller, a bass-driven bouncer unafraid of lasershot winddowns, injunctive vocals and risers; and finally, there's Set Mo's 'Could I Be', the anthem of the bunch, whose buildup and drop is alarming, affecting, cumulatively awe-striking.

Review: It was big news this year when hip-hop legends De La Soul finally made all of their music available to stream on digital platforms. That move was backed up by them also dropping a load of reissues of their finest albums and now we have, for Record Store Day/Back Friday, this special coloured vinyl boxset featuring their most iconic LP, 3 Feet High and Rising, on seven individual 7"s, making them perfect for DJ deployment. The box set also includes a funky slipmat making this a perfect Christmas gift for the hip-hop head in your life.

Review: Kent Records have been doing a yeoman's job securing, collecting and releasing beloved and rare gems for a 7" reissue. Here, they collect two different recorded versions of the track 'My Little Girl'. The Bobby Garrett version from 1966 and offers a vintage soul sound while The Bob & Earl Band rendition is from 1970 and has heavy Motown influence in it. These rare soul reissues save the fans so much money versus buying an original copy. Thank you Kent!

Review: Acclaimed UK duo Jungle bring to Volcano the same sense of free-spirited energy that made their previous album Loving In Stereo such a hit. Much of this one was written while the duo was on tour, staying in an airbnb in Los Angeles, before they head to record it back in London at their favourite Studio B in Metropolis Studios. There is a wider variety of voices on this record with Erick the Architect as well as a reunion with Bas for 'Pretty Little Thing' who was last heard on the single 'Romeo.' As well as that, Roots Manuva, Channel Tres and Jnr Wiilliams also feature.

Review: REPRESS ALERT!: Styrax has the rights to a great reissue of some long-lost but enduring classic cuts from Merv here. Written in 1995 and 1998 they are archetypal dub techno rollers that draw as much from the European school of Basic Channel as they do the lo-fi depths of Detroit. 'Dust' opens up with warm and humid chords over elegant and rolling beats that cannot fail to sweep you up, then 'Melted Vein' offers a more driving but no less hypnotic sound, this time with sleek tech pads peeling over the airy hi hats and bouncing kicks to take you up amongst the stars. Perfect for those zoned-out, low-lit basement moments at 5am. Quality tackle.

Review: Return to 2001: Swiss brothers Shakedown drop an iconic house anthem that debunked the standard XXL funk du jour with a much spacier, synth-based 80s boogie sound. Still relevant and heavily played, Defected have commissioned three on-point artists for the 2018 contemporisations: Peggy Gou gets her acid tweaks on, Tiger & Woods pitch down the vocal and dust off the Street Sounds electroid feel and Purple Disco Machine cooks up an unapologetic funked up house jam that wouldn't have gone amiss on Classic back in the day. For good measure Shakedown return with their own signature Galactic Boogie version that pumps with strong Moroder tendencies. Good night.

Review: Vincent Fenton's FKJ project has been a delight to melt away in since first appearing some time back in 2013. His body of work has been measured but meaningful since then, with just his self-titled album to his name aside from a scattered selection of singles. The last we heard from the French artist was the Ylang Ylang EP, released in 2019 digitally on Mom + Pop. Given the EP's warm reception, FKJ has decided to put out a vinyl edition himself, and truth be told his smoky, soulful blend is perfectly suited to wax.

Review: BIG BRAVE's music epitomises what has been called 'massive minimalism,' with layers of textural distortion and feedback accentuating its weight and frayed edges. Their artistry blends traditional folk techniques with a modern deconstruction of guitar music, all of which is evident in the new album A Chaos Of Flowers, which is a follow-up to their fierce 2023 album Nature Morte. Lyrically, the songs delve into vulnerability, isolation, and co-existence in nature and guitarist and vocalist Robin Wattie drew inspiration from poetry by female-presenting artists, exploring alienation's impact on the psyche. This record is a testament to the band's ability to evoke intense emotions through minimalist yet powerful arrangements.

Review: Breakbeat maestro Hooverian Blur returns for Triple Menace, an EP which, as the title suggests, spans choppy breaks and dastardly bleeps-and-bloops for a 2HKO wielding a stylistic drum & bass greatsword. A singular 10" record houses these twin audio-imps, with the titular 'Triple Menace' occupying older-skool junglist territories, and the latter bringing things forward in time to a future-soundsy rave minimalizer.

Review: This massive anthology box set compiles all five volumes of the Stereolab Switched On series: 94 non-album tracks and sought after deep cuts by the group. Beginning with the original Switched On compilation LP from 1992, the series that ensued - though entirely comprised of deep cuts - still makes for a comprehensive jaunt through the Anglo-French auteurs' oeuvre, which never once lets up on quality. Every track here could've appeared on a full-length, so it's a testament to the band's work ethic that they simply had this much material to follow up with. Warp's comprehensive new 8xCD includes experimental highlights such as the original weirdo-chanson 'Plastic Mile', an Autechre remix of 'Refractions In The Plastic Pulse' and the stripped back 'XXXOOO', among many other gemstones.

Notes: 3.5mm stereo mini jack plug to 6.3mm jack socket.

Review: Insanely funky business from Senegal's famous Orchestra Baobab (who are still touring and toiling 40 years later), "Kelen Ati Leen" is a really sweaty, heavy slab of funk that stares west for inspiration and a mild psychedelic Hendrixian sheen. "Souleymane", released three years after the A-side in 1978, takes more of a Latin influence as the horns get steamy over a rigid highlife spine to create a detailed and very physical groove.

Review: Legendary turntablist and acclaimed beat maker DJ Yoda is back with a new album Prom Nite this month. Just before the full-length drops comes this single from it on essential 7". It follows on from the well-received 'Feel Like Home' 45rpm last month and this time offers more well-conceived and carefully sought-out fusions. The a-side 'My Energy' features Eva Lazarus. It is a lovely soulful slow jam that has a breakup melancholy to it and lovely doo-wop vibes. Completing this package is the flip side 'Lesson 1956' (feat Jamie Cullum & DJ Woody) which is another great revisiting of Americana.

Review: It's five-up for Gooey Editz, the crazily named label that deals in crazy good reworks of disco goodness. This one finds Siggatunez at the helm with all eyes on the dancefloor and seven-odd minute opener 'Wonder' sure will fill it up with its bustling brew of big horns, la-la vocals and funk bass. 'Source Of Love' is a slightly more subdued and loved-up sound with plenty of sun-kissed percussive flair and 'Dance' then gets groovy on loopy bass and jumbled toms. 'G's Sax' closes down with another big assemblage of toms, hits, bass riffs and loose kicks that make you want to move all your limbs at once.

Review: Ornate Music has been serving up quality deepness since 2008 but it's been a while since we heard from them. Edinburgh based producer, Rai Scott, returns to Ornate Music, previously releasing on the imprint back in 2014. This long overdue followup to her Innershift EP brings ethereal atmospherics and hypnotising percussion. The opener is a dreamy and celestial vibe with gently rolling beats, while Version 2 is more defined by the smeared chords which spiral to the heavens. 'As Honest As She Lived' is another electric lullaby with well-crafted ambient pads and 'Nina' ends with layers of bells, glistening keys and shimmering melody that soothes the soul.

Notes: Stellar edition of the fantastic MicroFreak adds new features as well as a limited-edition paint job. Digital voices feed into the analogue filter to create a versatile hybrid sound engine.

Supplier's Notes:
MicroFreak Stellar is a hybrid synthesizer that combines digital oscillators, analogue filters, quirky modulation, a uniquely flat PCB keybed, and expressive sequencing with a subtly out-of-this-world aesthetic design.

Interplanetary synth explorer

Discover the same loveable hybrid beast that sent the synth world into a spin, but primed for launch and ready for an interplanetary sonic voyage. MicroFreak Stellar features the same inspiring, bonkers sound but embellished with a unique space-age design.

Digital, wavetable, sampling, granular...

Treat yourself to only the weirdest & most wonderful paraphonic synth sounds with MicroFreak's multimode sound engine. Choose from numerous algorithms, including Wavetable, Chord, 4 new Sample & Granular engines and many more, and immediately customize your patches with 4 intuitive con-trols and real-time visual feedback.

Multi-mode analogue filter

Unlock truly unique hybrid tones by combining MicroFreak's digital sound engines with a crunchy resonant analogue filter, inspired by the classic Oberheim SEM. With low-pass, band-pass, and high-pass modes, you can make this 'Freak whisper, scream, or launch into self-oscillating orbit.

Modulation matrix

Quickly rewire MicroFreak's architecture and delve deep into complex sound design with its modulation matrix, offering up to 7 simultaneous destinations and 5 sources, including an ADSR envelope, cycling envelope, and 6-shape LFO.

Sequencing & randomization

Blur the lines between sequencing & arpeggiation and create spontaneous melodies, motifs, and rhythmic patterns on the fly. MicroFreak encourages musical exploration, expression, and evolution with its unique Spice & Dice randomization feature, ribbon controller, and 4 lanes of automation.

A unique keybed

Change the way you play and unlock fresh musical expression with MicroFreak's distinct PCB keyboard. It's flat, it's fast, and it's fit for everything from lightning-fast solos to instant arp creation; not only is it pressure sensitive, but it offers poly-aftertouch too!

What's in the box

Box content

MicroFreak Unit
Universal PSU
Registration card
2x MIDI port adapters

Instrument dimensions

Size : 12.2 x 9.2 x 2.2 inches (311 x 233 x 55mm)
Weight : 2.3 lbs. (1.02 Kg)

Review: American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey does what she wants. Each new album is something of a curveball even for the hardcore fan - and that's the sign of a truly great artist. She's done pop, folk, spoken word poetry and plenty more in her already rich but comparatively short career. This time out on Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, her ninth full length, the six-time Grammy nominated artist again sets her own narrative. In the past, she has brought melancholy, baroque pop, sad core and more to the fore and always with real songcraft.

Review: "Music is a borderless language"
This is our gargantuan motto at Fauve Records.

With this mission statement arose a new project called WEST & EAST,
born from the desire to link the world of the West & the East. The idea was to ask two artists/bands to collaborate on a split EP - with one original track each, and finally to remix each others' work.

For Volume 1, it is with a humble esteem that we present Mameen 3: the duo DJ soFa & Cheb Runner - from Belgium & Morocco - face to face with Indonesian future legend Dea. We are extremely happy to launch the new series with this extraordinary collection of retro-futuristic club music, filled with treasury oddities.

Review: Inspired by the slightly unlikely collision of the Thai music of the '70s and The Shadows, Khruangbin - the name means 'aeroplane' in Thailand - are purveyors of a deliriously mellow and beguiling form of jammed-out power-trio guitar music - far removed from standard notions of psych and dreampop, partly owing to its pan-global influences, its nonetheless both psychedelic and dreamy, not to mention possessed of an unhurried, reflective and spacious lilt that renders this Texan-London outfit a rare treat in an information-saturated age, taking on delicate soul and funk with exotic atmospheres and making the journey feel both blissful and effortless.

Review: In line with the timely reappraisal of all things R&S related, the resurgent Apollo have seen the opportunity to bring one of their most celebrated records back for another round. Aphex Twin's ambient recordings mature magnificently with age, sounding ever richer and more emotive as the rest of electronic music continues to play catch up all around. From the gentle breakbeats of "Xtal" to the aquatic techno lure of "Tha", the airy rave of "Pulsewidth" to the heartwrenching composition of "Ageispolis", every track is a perennial example of how far ambient techno could reach even back then. It's just that no-one quite had the arm-span of Richard D. James.

Notes: 3xMIA is a 6-channel attenuverting mixer/offset/scale/polarizer.

3 blocks of 2-channel attenuverting mixers, using dual concentric pots. Each channel can be switched to mix with the subsequent channel, allowing for 2-2-2, 4-2, 6 mix configurations.

With nothing plugged into an input, an offset is normalled to that channel. The inner knobs control the A inputs, while the outer knobs control the B inputs.

DC coupled, so it can be used for audio, CV, or both at the same time.

80 mA +12V
80 mA -12V
35 mm Depth
6 HP wide

Review: Stee Downes is one of contemporary house music's most prominent vocalists and here he lends his silky tones to Freerange, Defected and OM Records associate, Lovebirds for this new one on South Street. "Want You In My Soul" is a mix of old and new, where disco percussion and cosmic synths nestle alongside a mid tempo house groove with plenty of warmth. Downes' vocals are the loved up icing on the romantic groove cake. Flip over for the "Summer In London Edit" - a more stripped back and direct version, perfect for outdoor stages as the sun beats down.