EMI Vinyl & CDs

Review: Kings of new school drum & bass Chase & Status made another triumphant return with 2 Ruff Viol 1, which is jam packed with fresh new wave jungle anthems for those who like it energetic. The chart topping duo knows a thing or two about crafting big bangers and massive anthems and that's what they do here as they follow up their last album What Came Before with more massive moments. Plenty of guests help them along the way here such as IRah & Flowdan & Trigga & Takura on the massive 'Baddadan' and Avo & Horrid1 on 'On The Block', a collar with Mosey which is also devastatingly large.

Review: A quarter of a century on, Chemical Brothers' second studio album returns to stores in expanded form. The original album remains the high watermark of the (now often derided) big beat movement - a bolshy, thrill-a-minute ride that races between funk-fuelled, break-heavy hits ('Block-Rockin' Beats'), rock-tinged heaviness (the title track), fuzz-fuelled post-techno hedonism ('Electrobank'), La Funk Mob-influenced trip-hop ('Piku'), heady ambience ('Loft in the K-Hole') and riffs on the Beatles' 'Tomorrow Never Knows' ('Setting Sun' with Noel Gallagher and the incredible 'My Private Psychedelic Reel'). The second disc on this bonus edition boasts a quintet of previously unreleased tracks and alternate versions, with our highlights including the opioid pulse of 'Cylinders' and the slamming techno breathlessness of 'It Doesn't Matter (alternate mix)'.

Review: Following the more contemporary r&b, neo-soul and psychedelic funk flavours of 2023's Red Moon in Venus, a set in which she sung almost entirely in English, Colombian American artist Kali Uchis has decided to return to her roots on fourth full-length Orquideas. That not only means vocals in Spanish, but also a varied sound palette that draws on a wide variety of Colombian and wider Latin musical styles - think reggaeton, demblow, bolero, salsa, Brazilian MPB and bossa-nova. It's a superb, expansive and evocative set all told, with a fine supporting cast of high-profile guest performers including Karol G, Peso Pluma, El Alfa and JT.

Review: Sixth months after it first dropped on streaming platforms, the expanded 'deluce' version of Kanye West's 10th studio album finally drops on CD. Less over the top and strutting than its predecessor, Jesus is a King, the double-disc set continues the iconic artist's infatuation with blending cutting-edge contemporary hip-hop (and nods to his musical roots in the '90s rap scene), R&B and his beloved gospel, resulting in a grandiose and entertaining set that makes use of a huge roll call of guests and collaborators *Lil Baby, Lil Durk, Lil Yachty, Roddy Ricch, Young Thug, Jay Electronica, Travis Scott, The LOX, Kid Cudi, Fivio Foreign, Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine, Playboi Carti, Jay-Z, Shenseea, DaBaby, Pop Smoke and Andre 3000 all feature). It's basically stadium hip-hop blended with reflective soul and R&B; given that nobody else does it quite as well as Kanye, it's no surprise that Donda hits home hard.