Search results: Maya

Review: Celebrating two decades since they burst onto the scene with an era-defining album, Digitalism unleashes their Idealism Forever as a special 20th-anniversary edition. This milestone release encapsulates the duo's pioneering blend of electronic euphoria and indie sensibilities with plenty of scuzzy sonic filth. From the anthemic energy of 'Pogo' to the nostalgic charm of 'Zdarlight,' each track brims with vim and vigour and harks back to this unique time when electro, indie and dance music all collided. Remastered to perfection, the album's big beats and infectious melodies are sure to captivate both longtime fans and new listeners alike.

Review: You may have caught the striking quality of Ego Ella May and Theon Cross' lead single for Blue Note Re:imagined II, and now the full compilation has arrived. For such a long-standing, heritage label, Blue Note have recognised the renewed moment jazz is having and responded with an exciting look into those artists forging new paths. Given the importance of tradition and roots within jazz, it's fascinating to see how a new generation tackle totemic works from Blue Note's gargantuan history. From Nubiyan Twist to Conor Albert, Maya Delilah to Reuben James, the featured artists serve as a crucial primer of what's good in jazz right now, and the hit rate is high from start to finish.

Review: For the first of two specially commissioned compilations marking their 20th birthday, Fabric has asked a host of house and techno talents to deliver exclusive, unheard material inspired by the storied EC1 venue. The results are impressive, with the chosen artists including many who have a particularly deep relationship with the club. In terms of highlights, Sasha successfully cuts up Alison Goldfrapp style vocals over a hypnotic beat on "Comet Chaser", Steffi slams down some high-grade club electro and Call Super brilliantly slows things down on the dewy-eyed shuffle of "Echothread".

Review: The legendary NOW series is a real British music institution. Well, it is for those of a certain age - those who remember the compilations being timely snapshots of what was hot and what was not when it came to pop music. They branched out into all sorts of other niches over the years and now use their brand to offer up complete collections of various different genres. This particular triple vinyl release rounds up 20 years of popular music with tunes from anyone who was anyone between the years of 1993 and 2003. It is just one volume of three so be sure to check out them all.

Review: We are honored to release 'A Boy Alone', a double LP set from Manchester electronic music pioneer Eric Random. Best known for his early recordings for New Hormones and Les Disques du Crepuscule and collaborations with Pete Shelley (Buzzcocks), Cabaret Voltaire and Nico. As an original member of The Tiller Boys with Shelley, Random injected a healthy dose of Krautrock into the dour Manchester post-punk scene in 1978/79 before going solo the following year. Random's first 7" "Subliminal"/"23 Skidoo" was released in 1981 via Les Disques du Crepuscule and explored ominous sonic surrounds. That same year also saw the release of a second 7" single on New Hormones, "Dow Chemical Company"/ "Skin Deep". Both tracks offered bubbling, rhythmic sound patterns, and were the first to feature other musicians that would become know as The Bedlamites. Consisting of Lynn Walton on vocals, Ian Runacres and Andy Diagram of Dislocation Dance, and bassist Wayne Worm, aka Wayne Sedgeman. Their debut 12" single "Subliminal Seduction"/"Bedlam-a-Go-Go" was released in 1982 through Plurex, mixing arid funk textures and sparse melodies. That same year the group contributed proto chill-out track "6.55" to Plurex compilation 'Hours' and the highly filmic track "In Cassette Conference" to the Touch cassette package 'Feature Mist'. In 1983, Random spent several months in the Himalayas with a group of musicians from the Kulu Valley and studied non-Western instruments such as tabla. On returning to Manchester, Random convened a new group of Belamites including Walton, Sedgeman and drummer Graham Dowdall aka Dids of Ludus. They released the 12" single "Mad As Mankind"/"Dream Web Of Maya" in 1984 on Cabaret Voltaire's Doublevision, embracing electronic, industrial and dub styles. In 1985 they contributed the soothing "Pure Power" to Food Records' "Imminent Episode One" compilation. Our reissue also includes 4 unreleased bonus tracks from Eric's archives recorded between 1981-1984. The whole set adds up to 115 minutes of sinister, somnambulant Random music. All songs have been remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. Each copy is housed in a gatefold jacket designed by Eloise Leigh featuring a spread of ephemera, photos with liner notes by James Nice of LTM.

Review: Treading an eclectic path through a twenty year career that's taken in everything from Detroit techno to vintage French ye-ye, from breakbeat-driven floor-fillers to krautrock epiphanies, David Holmes has made his name predominantly as an exemplary crate-digger and aesthete, whether soundtracking Steven Soderbergh movies or dishing our albums of his own. Thus, it comes as no surprise that this compilation - marking something of a personal journey for Holmes - is reflective of his status as an exemplary man of taste. Whether dispensing classics by the likes of David Crosby or Buddy Holly, unreleased original solo material or killer obscurities from everyone from modular synthesis cultist Keith Fullerton Whitman to Hollywood legend Jeff Bridges, this stylish nocturnal travelogue puts the listener resolutely in safe hands.

Review: As the title suggests, this brand new compilation from the legendary jazz label Blue Note finds a wealth of the UK's most exciting new and young talents turn their hand at reimagining a selection of classic Blue Note tracks. The wonderful sax player Yazz Ahmed kicks off with her take on 'It' which his all alluring and deep, and across the other 15 cuts the likes of Brit Award-winning Jorja Smith appears with her own distinctive voice, the much hyped - and rightly so - Nubya Garcia also adds her own contribution and Aussie soul boy Jordan Rakei serves up some buttery sounds.

Review: Nigerian singer, songwriter and actress Nneka takes it independent for the release of her new album Love Supreme. It is a response to majors refusing to allow her the artistic and creative autonomy she wants. The record is packed with emotive ballads like the opener, impassioned tunes like 'God's Love' and the empowering 'Yansh'. Written during lockdown, the record "became about self-reflection, and seeing how connected our inner world is to the outer world." It's a poignant work with rich creativity throughout, infectious gospel energy in places and moody synth jams.

Review: Leeds-based jazz quintet Mu Quintet collide myriad inspirations from the avant-garde - fastening a difficult-to-place, but no less beautiful sound. Their latest 12-track album Summit is well-named, but its many movements evoke the feeling of climbing a great, hitherto insurmountable sonic mountain, and in so doing, conquering the sublime. We begin a cynic, wallowing inside 'Diogenes' Pot', before finding our 'Faith' at the summit of our internal, spiritual journey. An all-round remarkable resounder.