Juno Classics

Review: Arthur Russell and Nicky Siano... You'd donate a crucial limb to be in the studio when these were conjured, right? Expertly extended with full emphasis on the groove, Sleeping Bag have treated the heritage with the utmost respect. The guitar and horn noodles and dynamics of "Tiger Stripes" are given heaps of space to do their thing while the percussive groove takes on an even more hypnotic edge. Meanwhile on "You Can't Hold Me Down", the scratchy, unrelenting guitar rhythmic backbone remains the main focus while more attention has been paid to the drums, most notably the weightier kicks. A very respectful revisitation.

Review: Ah yes "Do It To The Music", one of those '80s disco cuts that any discerning selector should have in their collection. Crown Heights kings Raw Silk gave club land this classic back in 1982. It's influenced more records than you have in your collection and has been sampled about as many times, too. Iconic vocals, soaking wet synth bass, a groove that glitters brighter than gold AND a full dub mix... Don't just do it to the music, do it to THIS record!

Review: It's almost five years since the immense Hyph Mngo announced the talents of Joy Orbison to the world and a lot has changed in this time - not least the musical direction of Scuba's Hotflush label. One of several early Hotflush releases that have been granted a timely repress, the first thing that hits you listening back to "Hyph Mngo" is 'did it ever get revealed how to pronounce it?' We jest, actually it's amazing how powerful a production it still is, and arguably one of the tracks that helped bring about the shift from traditional dubstep to what many now refer to as UK BASS. B Side "Wet Look" can still cause a bit of dancefloor commotion too, you know! A must for those that never got this 12" first time round.

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.