PIAS Vinyl & CDs

Review: Aside from Coldcut's incredible 'Journeys By DJ' mix, we can think of few mix albums that have been quite as celebrated as Soulwax's 2002 outing as 2ManyDJs, 'As Heard on Radio Soulwax Part 2'. While of its time in terms of some of the track selections - it was the era of fuzzy electro-house and electroclash - the album's genius lies in its' breathlessly brilliant eclecticism and the no-holds-barred, party-starting insanity that marked out the Belgian duo's DJ sets at the time. Out of print for many years but now back in stores in limited quantities to mark its 20th birthday, the mix remains a peerless advert for creative DJing, with the Dewaele brothers giddily mashing together acapellas, tracks, grooves and song snippets in a breathlessly brilliant, endlessly entertaining way. If you missed it first time around, you need this edition in your life.

Review: It would be fair to say that Melanie de Biasio may not be single-handedly keeping Belgium's jazz tradition alive, but she's certainly spearheading a revival of sorts. This third studio set arrives some four years on from her sophomore set, and 12 months after her most adventurous work to date, the 25-minute Blackened Cities. It's a largely upbeat and hugely atmospheric affair, mixing her usual Nina Simome style jazz workouts with drowsy, piano-laden torch songs, evocative accapella interludes and, in the case of the brilliant "Gold Junkies", dubbed-out, four-to-the-floor fusions of trip-hop and dark soul. Throughout, her superb voice provides a stunning focal point.

Review: Jurassic 5's Quality Control album from all the way back in 2000 is a sonic manifesto that embodies their signature blend of old-school hip-hop vibes with a fresh twist. The album showcases the group's tight-knit chemistry and impeccable flow, delivering razor-sharp rhymes over hypnotic beats that are now well-known as their signature. With its infectious groove and insightful lyrics, Quality Control is a testament to the group's mastery of the genre and their commitment to delivering high-calibre music that is also full of timeless tunes that not only celebrate the art of hip-hop but also serve as a reminder of the importance of staying true to one's craft.

Review: Sheffielder Matthew Relton - initially known as Kidnap Kid, but now releasing as Kidnap - has been on quite a musical journey since first emerging as a boisterous garage and UK bass producer early last decade. His first full-length, 2020's Grow, showcased his maturation as an artist by focusing on songs and instrumentals that tended towards the tactile and picturesque. On this follow-up, he's leaned further into the "artist maturing" theme via a blend of picturesque songs (voiced by regular collaborator Ian Stannard, Gabrielle Apin and others') and ambient instrumentals shot through with yearning, oblique nostalgia, delicate instrumental arrangements and plenty of sweeping, cinematic chord sequences. It's not pop, per se, but it is hugely accessible with tons of crossover potential. Expect to see him on festival stages in the months and years ahead.

Review: Erland Oye and Eirik Grambek Boe have a lengthy history together. Long before they formed Kings of Convenience the pair were in the same class at school, writing comedic raps about their teacher then founding Skog ("forest"), their first joint stab at 'serious' music. Today, the duo have a string of gold and silver certified albums behind them. This is one. Originally released in 2009, 15 years on Declaration of Dependence still sounds as calmly breathtaking as it did back then. Quiet, soft, gentile, yet anything but twee, the sound straddles the line between indie pop and indie folk, and also represented the start of a new era in music distribution - getting its initial release as an exclusive for subscribers of a certain streaming platform, but that's another story.

Review: A number of the many great full lengths penned by alternative pop star Roisin Murphy are currently being reissued and here we have Take Her Up To Monto!, a bold and adventurous exploration of electronic pop from 2016. It is another one that showcases Murphy's fearless creativity and boundary-pushing approach to music where distinct vocals, coupled with innovative production, create a dynamic and immersive listen. There is an infectious energy to 'Mastermind' and dreamy allure to 'Ten Miles High,' amongst a wide mix of influences from other genres and experimental soundscapes that confirmed once more than Murphy' is a true visionary.

Review: There's no better example of a follow-up LP this week than Nation Of Language's 'A Way Forward', which brings up the rear and engulfs 'Introduction', the band's 2020 debut. Put simply, this album is krautrocky, whereas the last one was closer to synthpop. This subtle change came as a result of Ian Devaney, Aidan Noell, and Michael Sue-Poi attempting to "trace the roots of their sound", "hoping to learn something from the early influences of our early influences", from big names like Can through to Laurie Spiegel and Cluster. Recorded through the past year's lockdowns, a long-form mood of relentless melancholy is the result, blending driving drum machines with intense reverb and yearning male vocals - 'The Grey Commute' and 'Former Self' being emotive highlights. Keep an eye for the limited red and blue split vinyl version of this one.

Review: Alongside fellow Belgians Front 242, The Neon Judgement are widely regarded as pioneers of electronic body music (EBM), a synthesised slice of underground noise that incorporates elements of electro and industrial to often disorienting and intense effects. Led by Dirk Timmermans and Frank Vloeberghs, the pair combined synth pop and post punk with more abrasive tones, unusually, for EBM, bringing guitar work to the fore. Marking 40th years of the Play It Again Sam (PIAS) imprint, a veritable institution in its own right that has itself influenced many bands and scenes, some of TNJ's most triumphant efforts and attempts at pushing the boundaries of genre and style forward are collected here. A selection of tracks that showcases exactly what they were about very well indeed, and why their legacy is so significant, albeit subtle.

Review: Will Holland is Quantic and with this project he has explored myriad different musical worlds, has traversed many different areas, most notably immersing himself in many aspects of Latin American music culture, often through collaboration. He's switched it up for this new record after first starting out with some experiments that soon turned into a love letter to disco which has long been a powerful emotional tool. He brings his own sense of percussive energy to the genre and has again worked with an array of talented mates including Connie Constance and Rationale plus vocalist Andreya Triana.

Review: The Slow Show are probably the least-Manchester Manchester band we know. Rolling back the years to our first encounter, the mesmerising White Water, we recall stopping dead in tracks as the powerful, somber, and utterly inimitable voice of Rob Goodwin sung out in mournful verse. Love at first sight, anyone who has ever experienced anything even close to loss would have found it impossible to ignore. That was then and this is now. With four albums already under their belt, Subtle Love lands as perhaps the groups poppiest and lightest effort to date, although it is still very much their sound. Minimalist yet epic, summoning elements of northern brass bands, opera, and journeyman blues-rock, tracks here manage to be soft yet commanding, spellbinding and deep enough to dive into and never come back out.

Review: Frankfurt's Gregor Tresher returns with his first album in eight years. The 16-track LP offers up his famously dynamic techno sound and rich synth designs with element of dance floor clout underpinning each tune. From his beginnings in Frankfurt's 90s techno scene to collaborations with icons like Depeche Mode, Moby and Extrawelt, Tresher's career has been marked by critically acclaimed releases and False Gods is one of his most ambitious projects yet. It's an accomplished and introspective journey through modern electronic music enriched by collaborations with some notable friends.