Jeigo dropped a thrilling debut album Cerulean back at the end of 2022, worked in a tune with Elkka for her DJ-Kicks mix and also dropped a mix for Bicep not long ago. Now he follows all that up with a firing four-track EP on Tread Records that again collides different club sounds, great samples and hooky melodies. 'Hatchet's Cave' is hands-in-the-air house euphoria with blistering drums and warped pads, then 'Move X' is a gritty tech bouncer and 'Compulsions' is a bubbly one with crisp hits. Nervous Horizons label boss Anunaku remixes the title track into a bass-heavy banger too.

We're never short of new Ricardo Villalobos material and he's generous with his time as a mixer, but this project offers something different from the Chilean mad scientist of minimal. A Mountain Of One are a duo who deal in Balearic-leaning pop with a subtle charm and an adventurous spirit, and they initially approached Villalobos for a single remix of one of their tracks. As a fan of their sound, Villalobos ran with the project and it wound up as a full remix album of seven different versions. On the earlier tracks Ricardo takes a surprisingly light touch, while the later stages find us knee deep in the mesmerising roll of his minimal house, shot through with dubbed out ingredients from the original songs. It's surprising and satisfying in equal measure, showing Villalobos at his best and quite the scoop for A Mountain Of One.

Long-cherished underground stalwart Claus Voigtmann finally serves up his long-awaited new album Life Miles after many years of essential sounds on labels like Assemble and Intermission. He really shows his range here with a record that draws on his experiences of playing around the world in all sorts of different settings. 'Pinfire' and 'Transitory Moments' open up and take you to the heart of fabric, a club he has played so often, while 'North of the Sun' heads off into space on sleek electro rhythms while the likes of 'Abundance' bring cosmic melodic fun to a lively and inventive rhythm. Elsewhere there is the high-speed electro-funk of 'Flight Of Fancy' and the introspective downbeat trip 'Send Love To The Future' making this a varied and vital affair.

Having stepped back from the Phantom Island label he helped establish, Alex Storrer returns with his first album as Lexx in four years. In keeping with his Balearic roots, Home Away From Home is a genuinely gorgeous, sun-kissed affair that prioritises mood and melody. Rich in evocative field recordings, organic instrumentation, widescreen electronics and yearning instrumental flourishes, it plays like an album to be listened to - preferably horizontally - from start to finish. Highlights are plentiful, from the gentle acoustic guitars and languid jazz guitar solos of 'Here & Now' and the twinkling, slow-motion beauty of 'Pure Love', to the Johnny Nash-esque warmth of 'Ultramarine', the dubby neo-Balearic shuffle of 'Rising Tide' and the saucer-eyed ambient lusciousness of 'Leap of Faith'.

Muriel Grossmann is a prolific and prodigious talent. She plays sax, sings and composes and has penned plenty of albums, themes recent of which was Universal Code in summer 2023. Now the contemporary spiritual jazz maestro makes her debut on Jack White's U.S.-based Third Man Records label and once again comes some musical evolution. The name is inspired by her experiences of devotion resulting from her Buddhist meditation practice. It features plenty of extremely talented musicians and is a jazz album for the 21st century and beyond. This is a limited "sun & moon" orange vinyl version.

Tiki Tumbao keeps up the early pressure of their first few releases with a fine debut from The Swizzlas. This raw mix of soul and funk speaks of the group's deep roots in Southern Florida and New Orleans. It brings upright bass, crunchy drums and myriad funky riffs that never stop percolating and keep you on your toes. That's the exquisite A-side while on the flip you get the short but sweet 'Dippin Deux' which is a rolling instrumental with organ chords and neat riffs.

London's vital Phonica is a store and record shop of great repute amongst underground music fans. It is now a mighty fine 20 years young and to mark the occasion has put together a series of fine samplers that explore the sort of varied and vital sounds it deals in. This first one kicks off with the evergreen Nya and bouncy piano house bumper 'Broken Needs'. Ninos Indigo's 'Luna' then gets a nice future-facing electro rework from Shanti Celeste that gets you on your toes and Dam Swindle then bring some loopy and feel-good house vibes to 'Allright (Just A Tribute)', a real nod to Chez Damier's early sound. System Olympia's 'A Mezzanotte" is twinkling nu-disco with Italo arps to get lost in.

Backatcha are rolling out the jams right now and Chain Reaction's 'Hogtied' is the latest. It comes with another cut which is also taken from the outfit's debut album which was recorded in September 1975 in London. The group consists of Bruce Ruffin, Bobby Davis and Dave Collins, all former Techniques singers who have also worked with several other groups. Stanley Pemberton of Congress Productions produced the A-side and it's as silky and soft as soul comes with 'Quicksand' on the flip slowing things down to a romantic crawl.