New releases last two weeks: All genres

Review: More than just a school concert, 1975's Rocking Grass was a sensation. On one fine estival day, The College Andre-Grasset auditorium overflowed, leaving hundreds spellbound. Registering its impact, Jean-Yves Quesnel and colleagues immortalised the show into a recording, transforming Rocking Grass into Phono Grass.Sessions at College Edouard-Montpetit's studio captured the energy of a shifting musical landscape in Quebec; and pianist Benoit Sarrazin, unknowingly recorded mid-performance, later became a professional musician. The album's original songs, 'Le Roi Muffe' and 'Bright Moments', embodied the era's creative freedom, with the latter later sampled by DJs and featured on Canadian Racer. Originally pressed on a 500-copy run, 1001 est Cremazie become a prized collectible; now it's much more readily available.

Review: Last summer, Soul Clap Records giddily introduced their first ever singings from the UK, 2Fox, via digital-only vocal house number 'Elevation'. Nine months on, that track has finally made it onto wax, accompanied by the best remixes from the expansive digital EP. In its original extended mix form (A2), the track is a sublime slab of warm, tactile, nostalgic and gospel-tinged deep house excellence with superb lead vocals by Laville. Masters at Work man and all-round NYC great Louie Vega delivers a fantastic, lightly tooled-up soulful house take to kick off the EP, label bosses Soul Clap add tech-house style synths and attractive electronics aplenty, and New York veteran Tommy Musto leans further into 'Calling Your Name' style gospel-house joy.

Review: Dr. Dre's The Chronic gave rise to such heavy-hitters as 'Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang' and 'Let Me Ride', but what about its many "reimaginings" over the years? With The Ghronic, released in 2023, West Coast rappers 38 Spesh and Conway The Machine can't be said to have laid down their own version more so than they did treat the Dre touchstone as a starting point, dropping a nine-track array of similar G-funk whistling lowrider bumps, readapted for the contemporary New Yorker, and yet with fresh lyrical themes and subject matters. Reissued two years later on green vinyl, after an initially white-sleeved run, the productions are ever clean and the flows lackadaisical. Features from Lloyd Banks, Che Noir, Benny The Butcher and Elcamino cement the bluffing rep of a brag-heavy machine duopoly.

Review: On the long-serving deep house label's latest reissue, Large Music takes us back to 1997 and one of the most beloved (and these days, hard to find) EPs by Washington, D.C duo 95 North (AKA Doug Smith and Richard Payton). As it did first time around, the EP contains four contrasting versions of 'Jazz Ascension'. The EP-opening 'Red Soul Mix' lives up to its name by wrapping breezy flutes, syynths, pianos and spoken word samples around a bumpin' bassline and classic-sounding US deep house beats, whilst the 'Red Dub' delivers a stripped-back and groove-focused take on the same musically expansive mix. Over on side two, the slightly darker and more bass-heavy 'Hard Dub' compares favourably to the then contemporaneous work of fellow Washington, D.C-duo Deep Dish. A handy, spoken word 'Washapella' rounds of an essential reissue.

Review: A&A aka Anton Kubikov and Artem Rudakov, share a groovy, Detroit-influenced casualiser of an EP, bouncing between slipstreams of rubbery bass and slick, soulful chord voicings. Whatever said "blue transfer box" is, we're unsure whether it's wise to ask what exactly said box is transferring, or simply leave the mystery be. After all, it sounds great. And besides, we've also a 'Slow Disco Smoke Machine' to marvel at, one which wafts effortlessly between dreamboats of blue pad smoke and acidic stabs, facilitating the necessary headspace for 'Deep Thought'.

Review: Phonogramme is in the middle of a fine series of releases that highlight the great work of legendary US deep house don Abacus. Analog Stories Vol 3 opens with the lush depths of 'It's Bubbling (Short Stories)' then gets more busy with 'Beautiful African Girl' which features humid pads and jazzy keys with dense percussive layers. 'After The Disco' (Submariner edit) sinks back into smooth grooves with light sprinklings of percussion and nimble drums and last of all 'Take A Trip' (feat Keitajuma) closes out with ambient laced and late night sounds.

Review: After years of silence following the loss of Sonny Knight in 2017, former Lakers members Blair Krivanek and Cy Pierpont return with their new project, Ace Box Shift. The duo have made plenty of standout contributions to the soul revival scene before now and here they debut on Secret Stash Records with another pair of fiery instrumental cuts that work exceptionally well for DJs and dancefloors alike. They find Krivanek's jazz-infused guitar work meeting Pierpont's pounding rhythms with raw, funk-driven results that make for a bold, high-energy comeback that pays tribute to their roots while also moving things onwards.

Review: German producer Acid Pauli drops a vinyl-only double-header aimed squarely at the hips and the heart. It's a new release, limited and loud, bringing together the long-sought-after 'Marvin' with the all-new 'Roger' i two deeply soulful cuts that swing between heat and haze with effortless touch. 'Roger' opens with a nod to Minneapolis i a slinky, synth-laced burner full of funk-inflected restraint, powered by a groove that bears Echonomist's unmistakable weight. It's slick but loose, landing somewhere between low-lit house and late-80s slow jam futurism. On the flip, 'Marvin' returns with its smoky textures and deep, melancholy pulse still fully intact i all soft pads, subtle tension and an undeniable sense of movement. It's soul-drenched and floor-ready, made with care but designed to move. This one's for dancers who like their records tactile, timeless and just a bit mysterious. Don't sleep i it won't stick around long.

Notes: Based on the ADDAC501 Complex Random module, the 511 expands the concept to become an even more powerful random/stochastic voltage generator. Four channels, all capable of being used for envelopes, modulation sources, sequencers and much more.

Supplier's Notes:
This module greatly expands on the principles of the ADDAC501 Complex Random from 2013.

This is a fully fledged 4 channel voltage generator capable of all things random, with quantization, probability, distribution, interpolation, time control, clock, states and a 32 step sequencer.

The module operation relies on its screen for all parameter editing, each button accesses one single page where parameters can be changed allowing a fast and fluid workflow across all settings.

Long presses on all buttons have a secondary function allowing fast Channel selection plus Mute and Hold functions.

The combination of having 2 Encoders with Push buttons allow swift navigation and editing across all pages and their settings.

Tech Specs:
20HP
4.5cm deep
200mA +12V
100mA -12V

Review: Utter wildness ensues, and the dancefloor is left tarnished. After the success of their last release together, 'Mirazh', Thomas Schumacher and A.D.H.S. reunite for a potent follow-up, both bottling and jarring the essence of Berlin techno. Simplicity abounds on 'Ex Machina' - perhaps alluding to the portentous Alex Garland film of the same name whose artificially intelligent omens will never leave us - as repetitious carnival drums blend madly with a semaphoric, high-octave melody. 'Umbra' and 'Morbida' are of course wicked techno accompaniments to boot, but in our view, it's really the A that risks most for the biscuit; we're sure you'll love it.

Notes: Bartender is the centerpiece of the mixer system. Four stereo channels, with two stereo aux send and two stereo returns. Each channel can be used in a mono mode where both channels are mixed. If you want to do eight channels of mono, you can put the channels in stereo mode (I know it feels backwards) and then use the pan control to control the crossfade between each channel, and then take the mono output. There is a built in cueing system so you can monitor channels in your headphones and control the blend with the main output. You can expand a Bartender with both a Barback and/or another Bartender. When connecting two Bartenders, the main level control on the 'expander' Bartender acts as a group control.

Review: It would be fair to say that great Italo-disco albums are few and far between. Ago's 1982 debut album, "For You", is undoubtedly one of the rare examples of an Italo-disco artist getting it right across an entire LP. As this timely reissue proves, the artist (and his production team) was more heavily influenced by U.S disco, boogie and early electrofunk than many of his synth-pop and new wave-loving peers, giving the set an authenticity and warm instrumental feel often lacking in similar Italian exercises. You may find the accented vocals a touch tongue-in-cheek, but the choruses are great, the instrumentation brilliant and the production spot on.

Review: Originally formed in 1983 in Los Angeles, Alcatrazz are one of the pioneering metallic-tinged hard rock acts of the decade of change and cheese. Often noted for once being the musical home of an at-the-time unknown Yngwie Malmsteen who served as lead guitarist for a year, before being replaced by Steve Vai, in the later years, the band have become somewhat comically known for their splitting off into separate factions of the same group, both performing under identical monikers since the release of 2020's Born Innocent with lead vocalist Graham Bonnet embarking on his own version of the band complete with Nevermore mastermind Jeff Loomis, while guitarist Joe Stump, Jimmy Waldo on keys, Gary Shea on bass, and Mark Benquechea on drums have remained united. Released as part of Record Store Day 2025, All Night Long In Japan 2019 originally arrived a year prior to all of this internal conflict, showcasing a series of shows unlike the band had ever done before, featuring two sold out nights at TSUTAYA O-EAST in Tokyo on 28th & 31st May 2019, with night one including their classic debut album No Parole From Rock 'N' Roll performed in its entirety in the intended track sequence the band originally wanted to be released back in 1983, while night two would include Graham Bonnet's Rainbow era 1979 album Down To Earth performed in full by Alcatrazz.

Review: The 5th release from this Barcelona-based electronic label delivers a compelling mix of minimal and tech house with futuristic flair. 'Loving Matter' on Side-A starts things off with an electro groove, layered with techno elements and a touch of EBM. Its cool, dark vocal adds a layer of intensity, perfectly capturing the track's atmospheric edge. On Side-B, 'Whisper' has a trance-infused techno vibe, flowing smoothly with its subtle, hypnotic energy. The final track, 'Slowtrance', boasts a deep bassline and a fusion of retro trance and progressive sounds. The bouncy rhythm still carries an ominous tone, keeping the energy dynamic while leaning into darker, more introspective territory. This release is a masterful combination of old-school and modern electronic elements, with enough depth to impress fans of both techno and trance.

Review: To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Dutch titan Armin van Buuren's legendary trance anthem 'Eternity,' Music on Vinyl has hooked up with his Armada Music label to release all four versions of the track on vinyl for the first time ever. Armin has remained a dedicated servant to trance even while it fell out of favour but it is now very much back in vogue so this one is sure to get back into heavy rotation again. Originally released in 2000, 'Eternity' is a joyous and uplifting sound with lashings of Ibiza sunshine, bright melodies and rushes of euphoria all making it irresistible.

Review: Bristol beatmsiths and remixing duo The Allergies have been hot since '16, quietly pushing the buttons, twisting the dials and raising the throw levers on their resident soul console, Jalapeno Records. This time, though they've not revealed their sources, the boys have once again delivered on their promise to scour the waxen depths of Philly filler-upper funk, with 'Bye Bye Baby' panning a mammoth breaksoul gold rush, and 'Heartbreaker' offering a counterpoint in longing body percussions and "please don't leave me"s.

Notes: AlphaTheta's ultra-low-latency SonicLink tech makes these flagship headphones some of the most versatile DJ cans on the market. Top quality sound and extremely durable build. (HP-TX01 SonicLink transmitter sold separately).

Supplier's Notes:
The HDJ-F10 is a new model of professional DJ headphones with ultra-low-latency SonicLink
wireless technology. By combining the headphones with the HP-TX01 transmitter, which can be bought separately or in a bundle, DJs can use the SonicLink connection to seamlessly deliver wireless audio to their ears. This means they can move freely in the DJ booth without ever tangling or pulling on a wire. The headphones also feature high-resolution, powerful sound, and outstanding insulation and durability. Bluetooth connectivity is included too, with Noise Cancelling and Transparency modes available.

Ultra-low-latency wireless communication via SonicLink*
The uniquely developed SonicLink technology in the HDJ-F10 headphones enables DJs to move around as they play, without the constraints of cables. When the HP-TX01 transmitter is connected to a DJ mixer, SonicLink transmits sound to the headphones with just 9 msec of latency - 20 times faster than the commonly used Bluetooth SBC codec so DJs will never notice the delay - enabling accurate monitoring and mixing. The transmitter is compact, lightweight, and easy to carry with other DJ gear.

High-volume playback and sound insulation for accurate monitoring
DJs can hear their music loud and clear, even in an extremely noisy DJ booth or onstage, when using the SonicLink wireless connection. The headphones can deliver high-quality sound reproduction at high volumes. And, thanks to newly developed earpads and housing structures, they achieve an outstanding level of sound insulation that's higher than even the Pioneer DJ flagship HDJ-X10 model.

Tight kick sound and wide-ranging audio
The HDJ-F10 is the flagship headphones model under the AlphaTheta brand, designed with a meticulous focus on sound quality. The newly developed 40 mm driver achieves a high-resolution sound, from low to high frequencies, where even the smallest details in the music can be clearly heard. The housing structure combines a bass-reflex duct and air chamber to ensure a high level of sound insulation while also expanding and enhancing low frequencies. This enables DJs to monitor crisp, punchy kick sounds, even in a loud DJ booth, and provides a studio-level monitoring environment for a wide range of situations, from DJing to music production and listening to tracks when preparing for gigs.

Ruggedness for professional use
DJs can rely on the HDJ-F10 headphones to handle life in any environment. They're highly robust and they've passed the stringent US Military Standard MIL-STD-810H shock test.

Bluetooth connectivity and Noise Cancelling mode to serve a complete DJ workflow
While preparing tracks, DJs can choose whether they want to reduce or let in the sound from the world around them when connected to a device via Bluetooth. In Noise Cancelling mode, ambient noise is shut out - even in a busy city - so DJs can immerse themselves in the music as if listening to it in the studio. With Transparency mode, external sounds are let in so it's possible to continue having in-person conversations while listening to music.

Long battery life for extended DJ sets
A full battery gives 9 hours' use with SonicLink or 30 hours' use with Bluetooth. DJs can also play with a wired connection.

*HP-TX01 transmitter enables SonicLink connection - available separately or in the HDJ-F10-TX bundle

Review: Gothenburg trio Amateur Hour is Hugo Randulv, Julia Bjernelind and Dan Johansson, and Gar I Kras is their fourth album. It builds on the expansive Krokta Tankar Och Branda Vanor from back in 2022, and though still experimental and out there, it might also be their most accessible and polished work yet. Dreamy lo-fi pop meets gritty electronics and sound collage throughout as damaged linger above humming basslines and grimy guitars underpin detached vocals. It's a haunting but beautiful soundtrack for outsiders who like music from the fringe but that retains a sense of human warmth and soul.