CIEL Vinyl & CDs

Review: Xian-born, Toronto-based musician Ciel kicks off a new series on Eris Drew's brand new Ecstatic Editions label that serves as an anthology of her work that has been previously unavailable. And that in a nutshell is the entire MO of this label - to make available music that hasn't been on wax before for various reasons. Across four sides of wax here we get hallucinogenic deep techno rollers full of sublime sound designs, cosmic synth scapes and perfectly smooth and compelling drums. It's a timeless trip through the back catalogue of a truly underrated artist.

Review: Charitable acts carry more significance than ever right now, and Needs are on hand with another instalment in their brilliantly curated series to give something to those in need while also presenting some wonderful, exclusive music. This one leads in with a truly uplifting blast of sunshine from Telephones before dropping into the edgy, swinging tech-funk of Ciel's "Faye Wong Plays The Strings". Al Wootton is on point with another of his fresh and dynamic twists on the soundsystem blueprint, with a dubby, percussive vibe that should appeal to those who miss proper dubstep. Eliphino completes the set with a squashed and feverish garage thumper that sounds like it has an iconic vocalist chopped up somewhere in the signal chain.