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Review: Manuel Darquart is actually a couple of Kiwis named Louis Anderson-Rich (aka Louie From The Club) and Sean Whitaker, who nowadays live in London. They are back on local imprint Wolf Music after their debut for the label last year with this 10' featuring a couple of nice reworks of the track 'Keep It Dxy'. On the A side, we have got Italian Don Carlos' remix which takes the track into sunny balearic territory, while over on the flip you can enjoy the low-slung broken beat swing of Manny D's Sleazy Sunday mix.

Review: Sister Candy's lost gem 'Keep Bubbling' has been dug out from some forgotten vault lost in time, and we're here fort. The killer jam was originally released 1984 on Raiders Records. It's that one which has been remastered here under special licence from Sir Lloyd and Sister Candy. It's got the flabbiest of bass ends you can imagine with great ragga vocals up top. The version is a real head twisting, filter heavy workout and the a DJ Sports remix brings a mad jungle breakbeat to blow your speakers apart and end the EP in style.

Review: Emotional Rescue looks to the newly rebuilt but still very much culturally separate East and West Germany of the 1980s with this new EP. It's dub reggae through a post-punk and alternative lens by Hanover artists Felix Holter aka Dubvisionist. All these cuts have a very live, improvised feel because father way he worked from rhythms first and jammed endlessly before adding the vocals. They are taken from their 1987 release 10 Tracks Of Reggae & Dub Music which was inspired by the great Adrian Sherwood label On-U Sound label, and you can hear that clearly.

Review: It's pretty hard not to fall in love with Macadam Mambo at first contact. The French label represents the cream of Lyon's underground, a city that has for some time now been a quiet powerhouse of electronic and dance music, developing a reputation for strange, leftfield floor-filling sounds spanning slow burn chug, experimental tropicalism, Balearic and cosmic house.

Enter Axel Larson to prove our point with real precision. L'Ete Noir is an incredible EP, packing a generous six tracks on its wax, all of which are awesome. From the knife-edge atmosphere of poised and percussive rumbler 'Hygiene Du Squelette', to the downtempo joy of a track that feels like it's built largely on the sounds of dripping water and reversed rave keys ('Le Pyromane Du Chateau Rouge'), there are so many layers here you'll be busy for days.

Review: There is no messing when it comes to the techno served up by Umwelt's essential Rave Or Die. Over the course of 14 previous EPs the label has dropped rib-rattling, brain boggling bangers aimed squarely at the floor. This time out the boss himself steps up with Ancient Methods with each providing one solo track. This one comes on limited 10" picture disc so is an extra special one to add to the collection Ancient Methods's 'Accept Light' is a harshly textured industrial banger and Umwelt's 'Shades of Security' is just as caustic and hard edged.

Review: Roy Ayers staked a bold claim by flaunting the fact that he had 'Reach[ed] The Highest Pleasure' back in June '77. Unfortunately for us back then, this lifetime hedonistic milestone - documented in instrumental funk form - was shelved for reasons unknown beyond simple artistic oversight. As said, this slick solo instrumental for drums, bass and vibraphone is a perfect soul-jazz, chillout trifecta, one for the rarities collectors.

Review: The Advisory Circle (Cate Brooks) is a central cog in the machine that is Ghost Box, one of the most compelling labels to operate in the genre of hauntology in modern times. Brooks' too-perfect muzik is uncanny, reflecting on the grey memories of attempted architectural utopias and 80s library music for TV. These are slow instrumental electro ballads that inspire something of a failed sense of wonder in the listener, and they form a perfect addition to Brooks' extensive catalogue.

Review: Velour's much loved album on Wolf Music gets the full remix treatment here. Four of the cuts get reworked by label associates old and new and it is mainstay Hulk Hodn who goes first. His take on 'Tom's Garage' is a noodling chords and late night seduction. South London's Footshooter then brings some big broken beat work and swirling synths to a floor facing jam, and Frits Wentink follows up his big recent Dekmantel release with a high energy stomper that bubbles with dreamy vocal charm. Last of all is super cool and jazz heavy 20/100 remix of 'Luminate' that is space age, Detroit tinged, sunset house.

Review: The Crue label comes through with two huge remixers on this lovely marled 10". On the A-side is none other than Wild Oats label boss and Detroit innovator Kyle Hall. He kicks off with a frazzled analogue synth and crisp, raw drum grooves before layering in more dreamy and warm hearted pads. Distant vocals add the detail which allow this one to roll and roll and keep you locked. Running Back boss Gerd Janson then steps up with another punchy deep house cut, this time driven by a bulbous bassline and huge, oversized claps. It's an immediately classic cut.

Review: Vade Mecum welcomes Soft Traffic for a debut release here and it is one that suggests the producer has a soft spot for the warm, deep and heady end of the dubbed out techno spectrum. Those are certainly all the words you would use to describe the quiet brilliance of opener 'Find Ya' (feat Prince Morella) which is icy cool and hypnotic. On the flipside, 'Night Drive' is another sublimely soft focus and supple techno roller with infinite horizons and milky pads that dissolve your soul. A superb debut.

Review: Fresh from his mind-melting album Terraform on Yuku late last year, Tenebre returns to his heavier breakbeat roots with this killer dancefloor dispatch on WNCL. Going in hard on the breaks both 'Half Stab' and 'Full Stab' go all-in with no compromises. Both armed with big distorted, bruising basslines, the former is characterised by dubby echoes and shattering breaks while the latter eases up on so many of the bouncing bass hits lets the breaks do more of the talking.

Review: You can trace the roots of Fu Manchu back to the disaffected wastelands of mid-1980s US suburbia. Specifically Palm Desert, California - at the time, a quite unlikely focal point of a loose 'scene' defined by interferential rock & roll, drawing lines between early grunge, psyche, punk, metal and blues, the movement gave us Masters of Reality, Sleep, and, of course, Queens of the Stone Age. Stoner-leaning Fu Manchu were very much at the centre of that, and are now ready to celebrate 30 years since they emerged from the dry heat and bong water of the period, they've been putting out episodic 10" vinyls on limited pressings to mark the occasion. Musically, this is familiar territory, as hard and gnarly as it is exploratory, funky and infectious, which can only be a good thing when you're celebrating a big one.

Review: Vladislav Delay can manipulate sound like few others. Where he gets his ideas from is anyone's guess but we're presented with a laid more of them here in the first of five EPs in a series. This one finds the man born Sasu Ripatti deconstructing his soundscapes into whirring machines, metallic textures and chopped dup dubs. It is sound art as much as club music but will still work on the more adventurous dance floors out there. 'Three-Room Problem' in particular is an eerie and unsettling piece but one that leaves you wanting more.

Review: While there's no doubt the Middle East has stepped into the electronic music limelight in recent years, catalysed by good (a rebalancing of media focus within dance culture) and bad (controversy surrounding events like MDL Beast and the media's desperation to keep 'breaking new territory' in a world growing smaller by the day), Fatima Al Qadri is not part of this wave. A Senegal-born Kuwaiti, the US-based artist has been doing very good things for well over a decade (2010's 'Muslim Trance' mix is a must hear), creating everything from music exploring meeting points between Arabic traditions and contemporary synth work, to sound installations for renowned galleries. No stranger to Kode 9's Hyperdub, her third outing on the imprint since 2014 puts dark, atmospheric ambient out on the streets of Dakar after dark. Or something like that.

Review: Ghanaian/UK outfit Isaac Birituro & The Rail Abandon won plenty of fans with the first two albums Kalba and Small Small now return with this seven track opus. It explores the traditional West African roots of their sound but also adds some freshness in the form of Birituro's xylophone as well as Sonny Johns' folky touches and the powerful vocals of Ghanaian songstress Wiyaala. You might well have already heard some of this on 6Music and will likely hear much more because it is hugely appealing and accessible music with devastating soul.

Review: WNCL is back to provide more high grade dance floor explosives here in the form of a potent 10" battle weapon from Skin Teeth. Up on the A-side is 'Void 93,' a terse mix of busted breaks, heavy bass hits and jungle energy that's run through with dark vocal snippets. It's a hard-ass cut that will fill the club with a caustic sound. On the flip is 'Knuckle Bone' with more dub-wise vocal elements and heavy, tumbling drums and neck-snapping hits. It's as physical and uncompromising a beat track as you could imagine.

Review: There is an awful lot of heat packed into this 10" from Room In The Sky, with six new tracks backed by the in-house Room In The Sky Riddim Force on an original called 'Fletchers Land'. Jah Walton aka Joseph Cotton opens up with 'Ganja Man' which pays homage to the weed smokers over fat drums. Goody Gap's 'I Smoke Weed' is another ode to the magical green herb and Michael 'Megahbass' Fletcher then steps up with a more stripped back and percussive dub. Ras Ranger, Ed Cubitt & Kodjovi Kush then feature on a trio of B-side gems.

Review: Whoever is behind these STEDIT drops is striking upon pure gold, bringing a legitimately underground techno crunch to the pop edit practice. Having previously tackled the likes of Brandy & Monica and Ultra Nate, now two of the biggest pop divas of all time are getting some low down and dirty reworkings which tread the fine balance between earworm familiarity and the heads down moodiness of a locked-in dancefloor. 'Slow' becomes a slippery acid abstraction peppered with all kinds of sonic freakery, while 'Justify My Love' becomes a brooding, steadfast workout tipped towards the minimal crowd.

Review: Oceanvs Orientalis and Ilhan Ersahin first entered each other's orbits by chance at a performance at Turkey's Cappadox Festival in 2018. Orientalis is renowned for his fusion of Eastern musical motifs and traditions with cutting-edge electronica, while Ilhan Ersahin has long plowed a unique path uniting assorted musical strains from around the world via an exploratory jazz-improv sensibility. Following two tracks ('Mesta' and 'Pire') co-written by Ilhan and OvO and released as collaborations, as well as two more Ersahin / OvO co-writes ('Revenge Of The Wankers' and 'Television') released under OvO's name alone, a fresh and exciting new song, '1980', now heralds a full-length collaboration slated to land in Spring 2024. The track's title hints at a certain nostalgic bent, all while still keeping its gaze firmly fixed on the future as it evokes sun-drenched, bygone good times. The 10" edition adds several extra versions, one of which spotlights the multi-instrumental mastery of Darkside's Dave Harrington, and the other the mesmerizing vocal stylings of Gaye Su Akyol.

Review: Effective communication relies on being succinct. Boygenius clearly know this given their track record for naming things. 2023 saw the trio - Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus - drop their debut album, The Record, and now, a few months down the line, we have The Rest: an EP made up of the other bits that didn't quite make said LP.

If you're completely new to the band, then let's start by saying these offcuts that didn't fit would put many a group to shame, which tells you just how good the full record is. Here, though, we have the lo-fi, dream-indie-pop crackle and fuzz of 'Black Hole', a track of huge emotional resonance, heartfelt, heartbroken yet hopeful semi-folk on 'Afraid of Heights', and the delicate, tender, and incredibly personal letting go balladry of 'Voyager', just for starters. Sublime confirmation Boygenius are your new favourite thing.

Review: A 10-inch vinyl release from the mysterious Jane in Palma - allegedly one of the many solo aliases of producer Julian Smith - who opens up a fresh series from the WMCL Recordings label. 'Arabs Version' and, on the reverse, 'Mixup Blender', are pair of heavy modern breaks and dubstep cuts respectively, with the former following the tradition of 'Hackney Parrot' or 'Trigger Finger' and the latter laying down a punkish, industrial steppers' forward-march, in which the satisfying shift of cut-up drum samples and vocal stop-starts are heard loud and clear.

Review: Hoavi (Kirill Vasin) lends his services to Ghost Zvuk to deliver a disordered series of IDM 'Phases', which are intentionally numbered incorrectly throughout the record, as if to suggest something got broken in transit. That being said, these are remarkable textural explorations for the synaptic and deep-thinking listener; 'Phase 10' is an incessant repeat ricochet, sounding like the internal workings of a plasmic ball bouncing around inside a supernatural lead pipe; 'Phase 5' is more beat-driven, with pressurised pink noise bursts sounding to escape the alloyed confines of a ritual dubbing chamber.