Search results: Sabrina

Review: Norwegian indie talent Girl In Red kicked off her musical journey by sharing her home-recorded tunes as a teenager back in 2017. She has since become renowned for her raw lyrics and for delving into the everyday struggles and intricacies of relationships and has won a legion of fans, not least among them Taylor Swift,who invited her out on tour. Her breakout moment came with the viral sensation 'I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend,' followed by the enchanting 'We Fell in Love in October' in 2018. Fast forward to 2021, she unveiled her debut full-length album and soared up the charts. Now she is back with I'm Doing It Again Baby which comes on limited gatefold red vinyl and is full of more of her guitar-driven melodic indie-pop sounds and singalong hooks.

Review: Is there any producer who has broken through as spectacular and made such an impressive mark in the last year than British producer Fred Gibson aka Fred Again? As well as producing plenty of high profile projects for other artists, his own diary-like albums have brought plenty of freshness to dance music. This was the first of them, back in April 2021, at the time an outlet for him to explore "a year of finding love and mourning its loss".

Review: ZYX's Italo Disco romance has been on going on for many years and across several key compilations. The biggest of them all was this one from 1989 which comes across four slabs of wax (or four CDs, if you prefer) and with a bumper tracklist featuring all the most vital names. Plenty of the formative years sounds are here to check out - many of which went on to be championed by DJs like Ron Hardy and the Hot Mix 5 in the early days of house. Doctor's Cat 'Feel The Drive' is a perennial favourite as is he pop tinged 'Dolce Vita' from Ryan Paris, and the exotic synth sounds of Lee Marrow's 'Shanghai', while Joe Yellow's electro on 'Lover to Lover' sure is infectious.

Review: French label Heavenly Sweetness France delivers a compelling fusion of jazz, funk, and electronic sounds on this new collection, Victoire De La Musique, from French jazz-funk heroes Cotonete. Across the album, the outfit showcases their virtuosity and creativity, blending intricate melodies with infectious rhythms and plenty of rousing horns, cosmic synths and nods to 70s fusion sounds. The compositions are dynamic and engaging, drawing listeners into a world of musical exploration where, soul, innovation and a certain musical playfulness all freely coexist. Victoire De La Musique is well worthy of a top spot in the contemporary jazz-funk landscape.

Review: NOW's ongoing 'Yearbook' series reaches 1988, a year in which pop music was becoming increasingly influenced by the saucer-eyed rise of dance music culture. The four discs contain a wealth of chart-bothering hits from the period, dashing between 'imperial phase' period Pet Shop Boys ('Heart', 'Left To My Own Devices' and the Seventh Wonder gem they wrote and produced, 'I'm Not Scared'), Hacienda-inspired remakes of classics (New Order's 'Blue Monday '88'), manufactured pop cheeriness (Bros, Bananarama, Rick Astley and Jason Donavan), dancefloor classics (Inner City, S'Xpress, Bomb The Bass, Salt N Pepa), OTT rock and metal (Iron Maiden, Bon Jovi), pop-reggae (Aswad), novelty singles (the KLF's Doctor Who-themed outing as The Timelords), and much more besides.

Review: South African producer and Atjazz label staple Jullian Gomes makes a move away from his regular home to drop this new album Bruno & The Birds on World Without End. It is an adventurous one that gets well beyond the dance floor and comes with plenty of meaningful melodic hooks and well-crafted songs. Guess help bring some fresh vocal charm to his pure beats and crystalline synths with 'How?' (feat Sabrina Chyld - edit) being a highlight. Future house, soulful house, pop house, call it what you will, this is a refreshingly new school take on the age-old sound and one that shows there is plenty of life in the form yet.

Review: Flashback 80s is a nostalgic trip to the decade of synth-pop, dance and new wave. The compilation features 12 iconic songs from artists like Imagination, Bronski Beat, Kylie Minogue and Sabrina. Whether you want to groove to 'Just An Illusion', sing along to the classic 'Venus' or relive 'One Night In Bangkok', this album has something for everyone who loves the magical era. Released by Wagram Music, this fabulous collection is part of a series that spans music from the 50s to the 90s. A must-have for retro fans.