New releases last eight weeks: House

Review: BT Gate X-138 returns to Greyscale with Gravitational Grooves, deepening his relationship with the label following 2023's kV Pylon. Ten sousing sonorities hear him reshape his signature dub techno sound with growth-mental finesse, emitting foggy atmospheres and slicing percs. 'Inertia' leans into soft chords and faint crackle before giving way to the stripped-down shuffle and understated melodic turns of 'Gravity', while 'Orbit' builds over and delay-heavy phrasing; 'Float' offers a breather with its ambient drift, while an embossed 'Mass' sears the ears with churlish mood-texture. Touchstones such as Konigsforst and In Moll are alluded to most subtly.

Review: A decade has now passed since long-serving British DJ Pete Tong joined forces with arranger/conductor Jules Buckley to create covers of classic dance anthems with the help of the latter's expansive Heritage Orchestra collective. Since then, there have been countless concerts and albums - the latter frequently featuring vocal performances from high-profile artists. This tenth anniversary 'best of' collection is therefore welcome. There are some new standalone 'edits' of tracks previously featured on medleys - see 'Finally' (featuring Jessie Ware), 'Man With The Red Face', 'Yeke Yeke' and the sweeping, soaring 'Cafe Del Mar' - but otherwise you're getting fan favourites and familiar anthems, including tasty versions of Orbital's 'Belfast', Adamski's 'Killer' (featuring original singer and now superstar Seal), Joe Smooth's 'Promised Land' and Robert Miles' 'Children'.

Review: After spending much of the last five years confined to the United States, Ron Trent is off on tour this year. As a way of re-introducing himself - not the deep house legend needed to do that of course - he has partnered with Rush Hour to release Lift Off, a fresh double album of previously unheard music. More defiantly dancefloor-centric than his previous album, the decidedly cosmic and downtempo 'What Do The Stars Say To You' (as WARM), the two-disc set sees the Chicagoan combine his usual percussively-layered grooves, warming basslines and colourful synth sounds with nods to all manner of musical influences old and new. The results are uniformly superb, with our picks of a very strong bunch including the spacey future-boogie of Leroy Burgess collaboration 'Let Me See You Shining', the spaced-out, slow-motion epic that is 'Woman of Color', the AM radio-friendly Balearic pop of 'Just Another Love Song' and the undeniably gorgeous 'Street Wave'.

Review: Karl Hyde and Rick Smith continue to offer-up remastered CD reissues of gems from Underworld's vast back catalogue. Here they return to 1996's Second Toughest In The Infants, a set - co-produced with then third member Darren Emerson - which cemented their growing status as one of British electronic music's true headline attractions. While not as admired as its predecessor, it remains a fantastic full-length excursion - an inventive and frequently inspired collection of peak-time-ready epics that borrow liberally from progressive house, techno and spacey drum & bass (see 'Banstyle/Sappy's Curry'). It also contains a number of genuine stunners, not least the bustling 'Confusion The Waitress', the acid-fired insanity of 'Rawla', and the trance-inducing early morning hypnotism of 'Air Towel'.

Review: Recorded and released after the crossover success of 'Born Slippy [Nuxx]', Beaucoup Fish remains Underworld's most commercially successful album. The third and final set to be recorded with then third member Darren Emerson, it has fewer rough edges and in-your-face grooves than its predecessors whilst still retaining the band's rave-igniting sound of the 1990s. Now remastered and reissued on CD for the first time since 2017, it's a set that has aged well. For proof, check the woozy slipped deep house of 'Cups', the breakbeat-powered, acid-fired peak-time insanity of 'Shudder/King of Snake', the rushing release of 'Push Upstairs', the heady ambient bliss of 'Skym' and the drum & bass-influenced warmth of 'Something Like Mama'.

Review: Given that much time has passed since the original nu-rave and, ahem, 'indie sleaze' days of the noughties, it was perhaps inevitable that we'd get a celebratory compilation sooner, rather than later. Two Piers has done a pretty good job of marking those movements - or the 'nu-rave' end of it at least - on Strobes In Space. There are plenty of bona-fide crossover anthems of the period present - Justice v Simian's 'We Are Your Friends', New Yong Pony Club's punk-funk inspired 'Ice Cream', the Jacques Lu Cont revision of The Killers 'Mr Brightside' and LCD Soundsystem's 'Tribulations' included - alongside genuine underground club classics and tracks that undoubtedly deserve another airing (see Simian Mobile Disco's 'Hustler', Tiga's 'You're Gonna Want It', Playgroup's genuinely brilliant 'Make It Happen' and Soulwax's 'NY Excuse').

Review: A nostalgia-packed journey through one of pop music's most exciting years, featuring an impressive lineup of extended and remixed tracks from the decade's biggest stars. This four disc collection brings together a mix of chart-topping anthems, cult classics and dancefloor staples, each in its extended 12" glory. Things start with Wham!'s infectious 'Freedom' (long mix) and keeps the energy high with Culture Club's politically charged 'The War Song' (Ultimate dance mix). New Order's 'Thieves Like Us' and Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder's 'Together In Electric Dreams' add a synth-laden sheen, while Eurythmics' haunting 'Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)' is a bold statement piece. As the tracklist moves on, iconic tracks like Frankie Goes To Hollywood's 'Relax' (New York mix) and Duran Duran's 'The Reflex' (dance mix) capture the decade's indulgent soundscape. Meanwhile, softer gems like Talk Talk's 'It's My Life' (extended mix) and Echo & The Bunnymen's 'Silver (Tidal Wave)' provide balance. Closing with Paul McCartney's heartfelt 'No More Lonely Nights' (extended) and the ever-catchy 'Somebody's Watching Me' by Rockwell, this compilation offers a comprehensive snapshot of 1984's pop brilliance. Having these extended versions together in one set is more than a greatest hits package - it's like having all the maxi singles together like an experienced DJ ready to rock a party.