Back in stock: Breakbeat

Review: Analogue pressure from Bufobufo, who stops over in Japan for Cabaret Recordings after earlier international stints with Art Of Dark, Partout and Furthur Electronix. His second single for the label, founded by So Inagawa and DJ Masda, proffers a hypnotic blend, binarising the mood with the sliding melodes of 'Watercourse' and 'Armour Plated' with comparatively sparse and gritty perc-slaps of 'Wood Ant' and 'Cinnabar'. That strange but difficult-to-nail split between of hypnotic intrigue and immediacy is well and truly nailed.

Review: DJ Deviant's 7" single is a nod to classic hip-hop with a modern twist. 'The Rhythm' on Side-1 is a funky, horn-laden track layered over B-boy breaks, delivering a sound that's sure to get the party started. On the flip side, 'Make Em Bounce' offers a mid-tempo groove with '90s hip-hop vocals, horn stabs, and boom bap drum breaks, creating a vibe that will make you move. This single is great for DJs and 45 enthusiasts, blending nostalgia with contemporary beats in a way that's both familiar and fresh.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve split at the top but otherwise in excellent condition***


The man best known as Convextion assumes his ERP aka Event Related Potential alias for four more next level cuts that find him pushing his electro electronics ever more into the future. 'V/Eight' opens with a melancholic bassline under busy drum programming to get things going. 'Equiponderance' is more complex with squirming electronics, more hefty bass notes and serene background pads adding a third dimension. 'Engine Vibration' is a more gritty mix of busy analogue machinery and star-gazing chords then 'Enfield' closes with optimistic sonics and propulsive bouncy bass to end this cosmic cruise on a high.

Review: Japanese heavyweights HHV continue their ongoing trawl through the back catalogue of long-serving hip-hop producer, DJ, record collector and self-styled King of Diggin', Muro. Here they present the second part of the dusty-fingered hero's turn-of-the-millennium Pan Rhythm series of 12" singles, this time presenting it on a tidy seven inch single. 'Hip-Hop Band' is a weighty, floor friendly, horn-heavy re-make of the Stetsasonic song of the same name, with local mic man Boo delivering tweaked versions of the U.S crew's verses in his native Japanese. While jazzy, the bombastic backing track - which can be heard in full on the flipside instrumental version - is forthright and club-ready, making the single a must-have for working hip-hop DJs and those who love the more up-tempo end of the rap spectrum.

Review: Funk maestros Rockid Sound Machine returns with yet more of their timeless and seductive instrumental funk sounds. They have turned out tons of it over the years on a steady and always high quality basis. This double A-side kicks off with 'Scorpio' featuring tight drums and wah-wah guitar smudges next to big horns. The track blends funk with soul and merges old-school vibes with modern energy. On the flip side, 'Stardust' ramps things up with prickly drumming and percussion, wet cymbal crashes and more bendy guitar work that brings psyched-out 60s vibes. Another great outing for Rockid Sound Machine's signature bristling beats.

Review: Philadelphia producer and DJ Sweater makes a blistering debut on New York's BLKMARKET MUSIC with five cuts that blur the lines between breakbeat, tech-house and low-slung electro. It's a sound rooted as much in dusty record bins he works the counter at Impressions Philly as it is in the warehouse circuits that forged this connection back in 2021. 'The Answer' opens with choppy drums and cosmic static, before both versions of 'Twilight Zone' spin the same eerie motif into sleek machine funk ('Space Mix') and woozy stepper ('Broken Mix'). On the flip, 'Better Ask Somebody' dials up the groove with bumping mids and a ghosted vocal chop, while 'Contact In The Zone' sends things into sludgy, broken-rhythm hypnosis. A bold first outing that speaks in riddles but hits with intent.