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Review: Here's something guaranteed to ensure a rush of excitement in deep house heads everywhere: a brand new album from much-loved U.S producer Fred P. It's the first under the previously unused F.P-Oner alias, and his first studio outing since 2013's Black Jazz Chronicles set, Codes & Metaphors. Unsurprisingly, the simply titled 5 is as inspired, sumptuous and melodious as you'd expect, with gentle dub house, jazz and - in the case of the wonderful "Infinite Love" - Detroit techno influences. While much of the album is slinky, sensual and ultra-deep (see the fabulous "Visions of You" and "Sleepless in Shibuku"), there are a couple of thrillingly percussive moments to get the pulse racing, including the African-influenced tribal workout "The Realm of Possibility".

Review: 2023 was a knockout year for Portuguese artist Temudo, taking in techno totems like Blueprint, Klockworks and Hayes in pursuit of his driving, sharply-focused sound. Now he lands on Italian label Sublunar with more of that refined, precision engineered gear for the wormhole crew. 'U Where My Second Choice' is a taut, edgy workout with a nagging synth hook, but 'Asset 2' ratchets down to a pure, heady locomotion which will take you tunnelling deep into the night. '2029' has a restrained funk which will work the body good and proper, and 'Affection' simmers down to a minimal palette peppered with pointed blips moving in expertly sequenced formations - smart techno at its finest.

Review: Marcus Lambkin aka Shit Robot has been closely tied to DFA since forever. His work embodies the label as much as anyone's and it's always nice to hear something new from him, which is what we get here. The diehard Dublin raver turned adopted New Yorker then semi-retried inhabitant of Germany serves up his first new music in some time and it's all perfectly heavy and chubby for those sweaty back rooms. The machines are raw, the vocals dark and the synths strobe-lit, just as they always were.

Review: Hilltown Disco have been nurturing their own micro scene up in Dundee, bringing a punchy, gnarly strain of electro to the Scottish city and creating a strong community around it. Now that community comes out in force to celebrate five years of the label and club night, presenting a cast of underground operators singing from the same hymn sheet. Whatever stripe of electro you're into, you're sure to find something to sink your gnashers into here. Keep an extra attentive ear out for the opening track from W1BO, the sadly departed Wibo Lammerts, who the five-track release is dedicated to.

Review: Don't get it confused; this isn't just a simple reissue of Neu!'s first album, but rather a tributary collection box of the krautrock pioneers' first four albums. And that's not to mention all the new reworks of the debut LP's tracks from various bands whose members double up as megafans - including Mogwai, The National, and Idles. A stonking, lead double-time EBM remix of 'Hallogallo' comes from Stephen Morris and Gabe Guernsey, and sets an impressive-progressive tone for the album to follow.

Review: 500 releases deep... Hospital celebrate a significant moment in their discog with this epic collection of originals and remixes from the widest rainbow of talents imaginable. From Enei to Makoto, the full range is flexing here. Highlights galore but attention needs to be paid to the fantastic futuristic funk link between Rohaan & MRSA (AKA Mat Zo), Hugh Hardie & Stay-C's space-aged swooper 'Impala', the brazen rudeness of Unglued Lens & Whiney's 'Lazy Hardcore' and the sweet jazzy subtleties of Winslow's 'Spaced Out'. Here's to the next 500.

Review: Soul Supreme is a master keyboardist best known for his covers of classic hip-hop songs by the likes of Mos Def, MF Doom and A Tribe Called Quest. Here side-steps his covers duties to handle remix productions for two of his contemporaries in the Netherlands neo-soul scene - Gallowstreet, LYMA, Shamis and Rebiere. The A side lends a wonky future house feel (a-la GoldLink, Crackazat) to '52 North', Gallowstreet's ode to the city of Amsterdam. The B tune strips it back to a lo-fi soul bapper, fleshing out its theme of loneliness in parenting.

Review: killer new heat from Omar S on his FXHE label featuring Desire on vocals + backed with an instrumental mix.

Review: After 20 years of a restful sleep, the legendary Icelandic Thule offshoot house label 66 Degrees has been resurrected. Three deep cuts exhibiting what is in store for the year 2022.

It begins with "Can Ride", a neo-disco anthem from former resident Justin Simmons. Nifty groove with an acid-bassline - topped with all the razzle and dazzle that is needed to get the dancefloor moving.

The flipside starts with a remastered Raresh secret weapon, a proper minimal percussion-driven groove from Kate & Joan, a side-project of Dole & Kom from the renowned label BCC music. The Detroit-influenced dub house anthem will, without a doubt, be a useful tool for any DJs to get the crowd going.

The second cut on the B-side is from a Reykjavik-based beatmakers Oh Mama. Its wild style sample-based approach caught the label's attention and the result is a worthy debut vinyl release. Hypnotic, sexy and groovy - with a big and dirty bassline.

Review: Iceland's Thule offshoot label 66 Degrees was a vital label back in the day. After a 20-year hiatus, it came back strong in August and now follows up quickly with a second superb EP. This one is a carefully curated various artists collection that pulls together some local house anthems new and old. Ozy's 'Sequential Dub' is a super smooth deep house number with lush chord work. Sanasol brings heavier, more raw house drums and grinding bass that will get floors in a sweat. Oz Artists mixes up a raw, mechanical groove with balmy, dreamy pads up top to make for something utterly compelling on 'Atomox; while last of all Terry Cummingz pays homage to dusty Windy City house on his perfectly lo-fi 'Cherry Bon Bon. Classy business for sure.

Review: The undisputed godfather of Australian techno Cam Bianchetti aka DJ HMC has enjoyed a deserved second coming under his Late Nite Tuff Guy guise but this is where it all started with these two classics. First track "6AM" originally released in 1996 is a true mid-nineties zeitgeist that could have been spawned during an evening at the Packard plant in Detroit, but actually conceived in Adelaide. It's overdriven acid backed by the pounding kick and metallic hiss of a 909 just like Plus 8 Records were doing back in the day. What can be said about 'Marauder' that hasn't already? It's resurgence as a Berghain anthem in the last few years is well deserved. This rendition being a much more serious and restrained version than the 2001 version. Get your hands on this timeless piece of history.

Review: Starting 2020 like they mean to go on, West London's 2000 Black crew serves up an essential four-tracker created during jam sessions between regular collaborators Kaidi Tatham, Akwasi Mensah, Matt Lord and Dennis "Dego" McFarlane (Ranks). As with their previous collaborative releases, its' four tracks variously join the dots between deep house, bruk, jazz-funk and mellower flavours. As usual, the beats are tight and weighty, the musicianship exceptional (Kaidi's keys-playing being a particular highlight), the chords deep and the lead lines memorable. While all four tracks are excellent, our picks are the rubbery bruk-up bliss of "Return of Pastor Shadrach" and the sun-kissed broken house warmth of "Life After Subway".

Review: Mother Tongue's Patrick Gibin is the man behind the fourth drop form the Sounds Familiar label's 7inch Nails series. He kicks it off with 'Real Talk,' a low slung and funky number with disco energy, withering sci-fi synths and dusty sound design, while bright boogie stabs and a fat bassline finish it perfectly. On the flip side of this high grade weapon, 'Joint Purpose' ups the ante with squelchy basslines and chattery house claps all run through with some mysterious synth pins and warmer background chords.

Review: A double album of sumptuous, expansive downbeat luxury written by Pete Woosh - one half of the celebrated duo Digs & Woosh and Nottingham's DIY collective - with Andy Riley (Toka Project, Inland Knights) during the illness which would eventually claim Pete's life. Given the background of its creation, it's a blissfully peaceful and optimistic sounding collection.

The chilled disco/house hypnotism of 'Keep Yr Shape' and 'For Your Love', all slinky, hazy vocals and headnodding back room hedonism, are obvious highlights, but more reflective moments like 'Piano Fades' make this into a varied and enduring 'proper album' listen rather a mere collection of tracks.

All profits will go to the Spirit Wrestlers foundation, founded in honour of Pete's memory and devoted to good causes in his hometown of Nottingham.

Review: Brooklyn-based band 79.5 make music right now, rather than being some long-lost acts from the 80s as you might expect from the cover. The group consists of singer, songwriter and composer Kate Mattison, singer and rapper Lola Adanna, drummer Caito Sanchez, bassist Andrew Raposo and sax player and flautist Izaak Mills. Their self-titled album comes on Razor-N-Tape and captures the sound of New York City perfectly with soul and psychedelic melodies that are hard to match. From 70s underground disco to acid jazz to and sweet pop sounds, they draw on it all for this fine concoction of dancefloor gems, which also serves as a protest at the often all too male dominated world of dance music.

Review: We're always stoked to hear a new 12" from K15. The London beat maker has plenty of tricks in his box, from lush deep house to jazzed-out synth music, collaborative projects that fuse the two and plenty more. Here the deep thinking producer layers up cosmic synth work with jostling broken beats and far-sighted pads that speak to Detroit. That's the case on the heady A-side 'Demo of Heart' at least, while things get more funk and energetic on 'Tomorrow's Promise,' a perfect coming together of London beats, sun-worshipping synths and jazz invention.

Review: Sounds Familiar return for the second release on its newly inaugurated 7 Inch Nails label with two tracks of simmering London boogie heat from UK-based producer and multi-instrumentalist Dego. Following long-time collaborator Kaidi Tatham in releasing his first 7" on the label, Dego keeps things cool on 'Drop it now! Pick it up!' - all shuffling drums, sparse synths and boogie-funk swagger. On the flip, Dego picks up the tempo for deep house roller 'Too Humid', dancing a liquid baseline between clipped synth stabs in a nod to the warmer times ahead.

Review: Looks like we have another Digwah white label in this week. The label first appeared on our radar several years ago with its second release 'Something Else' by an anonymous artist who threw down a sublime vocal by Cuba Gooding over a pumping acid tech house groove. Fast forward to DIGWAH 07, the formula remains the same and is still rather effective. In this case, the vocals are taken from a rather legendary early '90s pop collaboration over a hypnotic, bass-driven minimal house groove aimed squarely at the afterhours dancefloor.

Review: Ron Trent will forever be a behemoth of the deep house world having pioneered the second wave sound alongside his pal Chez Damier and their labels Prescription and Balance back in the 90s. His sound remains impossibly humid, spiritual and timeless as he brings ambient and jazz elements into his deep and dusty drums. This latest outing comes on silver vinyl 12" via Electric Blue and is subtitled 'Tribute To The Energy Of Frankie Knuckles', It first came out almost a decade ago and remains a classic of the genre with an extra special emotional impact because of who it was written for.

Review: Both a fan of the number and the machine, Michigander Music boss Brian Kage has always related eight to the paths we take in life - and being on the right one. For the label's eighth release, Kage pays homage to electronic music's futuristic past by bringing it up to speed with the present, including reimagining one of his own releases from when net labels were a thing.

Review: Clearly, downtempo was a thing in Japan before it was ever a thing in Brighton - or wherever the hell Bonobo was given credit for inventing it - and it shows in this new repress of some of Takuya Matsumoto's earliest works. Ha, you were fooled! This one's actually new, but it's simply made to appear like each crafty cut here was made between the years 1985-88. Infectious, FM-oody, and laden with pitched-down coke-crazed vocals, this one charts the earliest era of house and its sound, emulating it to a T, except without any 303. Gee!

Review: Introducing a brand new label from Reba and Yunus, Transarctica is a special place for fusion, cross-pollination and intercontinental collaborations and experiments. Traversing classic rave, breakbeat, minimalism and jungle, '858 ASS' is a wide-armed and deep-diving exploration... 'Azimuth Circle' is a pristine technoid roller with shimmering percussion and hypnotic momentum, 'Orissarre' is a stark slice of jungle futurism, 'Inslandsis' takes us back to the halcyon early 90s acid house era while '5AM At Circle K' hits with bassline fire and dynamic, sparse ice. An exciting mission statement for what the French platform has in store moving forward.

Review: On-point Japanese producer Takuya Matsumoto returns to Clone's Jack For Daze label with a follow-up to his brilliantly executed 85-88 EP. He's not discovered a shoe-box of DATs under the bed, but rather is purposefully paying tribute to the early days of house and techno with specific explorations of particular eras and their attendant sounds. This time around we're taken to the early 90s, with some wonderful, varied results. There's lush, FM-embellished deep house on '01 90' and edgy, jackin' techno wormholes opening up on '02 91'. Meanwhile '03 92' retains a healthy bounce and some lush washes of synth, and '04 93' tips towards the kind of garage house you'd find on a Strictly Rhythm record 30 years ago. Crucially, it's all shot through with tonnes more personality than most 90s soundalike records, so full credit to Matsumoto for spelling his intentions out and delivering the goods.

Review: Since making his debut six years ago, Seb Zito has made quite an impression. Here, he christens new label Seven Dials following acclaimed outings on Fuse London, Rawax and, most recently, Hund Records. As the title suggests, much of the EP is inspired by dancefloor styles of the 1990s, though thankfully not the extensively mined hardcore and jungle sounds that have inspired rather a lot of producers of late. "95-96" is a swinging and bass-heavy affair, seemingly inspired by the darker end of U.S garage (think Tenaglia and David Morales' Red Zone dubs), while "Bubbling" offers a lighter and snappier take on the same core sound. Also worth a listen is Chris Greschwinder's re-make of "95-96", which adds a little two-step swing and suitably bombastic sub-bass.

Review: Notorious internet motormouth Thomas Cox dropped the first EP on his own new QED label back in 2020, but only now is the vinyl arriving with us. It was worth the wait, however, because as much as it would be fun to find the sort of faults in his music that he does in everyone else's, these are three raw as you like tracks that go direct to the soul. Detroit influences of course loom large throughout, with each cut layering up dirt and grime, dusty drums and rusty synths to hypnotic effect. The standout might be the unresolved loops and cosmic-gaze of 'Starry Ave,' but any of these will make an impact on the right dance floor.

Review: Guy J was making prog house way before it came back into fashion and likely will be doing way after it has passed through the hype cycle and out the other side. What that means is you get a certain quality from his work and that's evident again here. '94 Blossom' is his new one-sided 12" and is as broody and grandiose as you can imagine. The drums set the tone, rolling deep over a pulsing bassline with suspensory pads up top. The melodies eventually take over and sweep up to an infinite cosmos, leaving you looking on in awe.

Review: Since debuting on Bromance in 2013, Kaytranada has become one of the leading lights on the future R&B scene. Given his track record, it's understandable that there's plenty of hype surrounding 99.9%, his long await debut album. The 15-track sees him showcasing the depth and variety of his beat making, production and compositional skills. Thus, the string-drenched jazziness of "Bus Ride" is followed by the off-kilter R&B pop of "Got It Good", and the Onra-ish synth-hop soul of "One Too Many" sits side by side with the double bass, Rhodes and Latin-influenced beats of "Despite The Weather". It's pretty expansive, clocking in at 15 tracks deep, but the quality never dips throughout. Recommended.

Review: FXHE maintain their monthly heat emission for 2012, with label boss Omar S displaying all aspects of his production prowess (as well as skill for a humorous track titles) across four productions - one of which features the button bashing assistance of one Patrik Sjeren. There's something icily brilliant about the restrained "Income Tax Refund Dance" melding a dark piano riff with snapping 808 kicks and rippling lo fi rhythms which only further justifies the title of Omar S's killer 2011 LP. It's complemented by the far rowdier box jam "The White Castle Song" which jackhammers a simple yet highly flammable key riff over low rent percussion for FXHE's most potent ode to the perfect warehouse moment since the all conquering "Here's Your Trance..." Given the lack of additional info, we presume the Patrik Sjeren that produces the B Side "Untitled" track is the same Patrik Sjeren that released in the mid 90s under a multiplicity of aliases, and his contribution is every bit as incendiary as the track preceding it, whilst "3c 273" sees Omar S slip into pensive utopian electro mode with aplomb.

Review: REPRESS ALERT: After strong turns from buttechno and label founder Pavel Milyakov, RASSVET makes one of its most decisive moves yet with this crucial slab of dance-wrecking badness from Shadowax. The Russian artist made her first appearance on a compilation on Nina Kraviz's Trip label, and now steps forward with some seriously badass techno that will draw in curious trainspotters and head-in-the-clouds ravers alike. "A & B" is a cover of 90s Russian hip-hop crew Pyanstvu Boys, and Shadowax's version is pure fire, her voice poising eerily over a punchy off-beat and droning bass. Buttechno delivers a simple, savage remix, while the B side presents an alternative mix and an acappella that should see lots of action from remixers and creative DJs alike.

Review: Joao Donato is one of the most well known and prolific stars of Brasil's MPB (which is short for "musica populera brasileira") scene. He has toped several highly sought of albums and is still turning them out today despite already having assured his legacy. A Bad Donato is something of a move away from his Brazilian bossa nova roots - instead the album, which was recorded in LA, is electric and eclectic with funk, psychedelic pop and groovy Fender Rhodes driven sounds. This reissue on Verve By Request comes on nice heavyweight 180g vinyl with classics like 'The Frog' and 'Lunar Tune' still sounding fresh.

Review: The blissful, heart wrenching, emotionally captivating Sufjan Stevens teams up with one of California's finest lo-fi indie artists, and a chap who has warmed up for him on a number of occasions; Angelo De Augustine. No doubt you can already picture in the mind's ear what this collaboration will sound like, and you'd be right. But it's far more difficult to figure out where they're coming from with this release.

Allow us to divulge, then. Beginner's Mind is a record at once inspired by some excellent movies, and then also some not-so-excellent ones. Each track on here owes something to the world's foremost visual culture (sorry, gamers), from 'Reach Out' referencing Wings of Desire to 'Lady Macbeth in Chains' nodding to All About Eve. In every case the link is nuanced, rather than direct, but this is only testament to the staggering songwriting at play.

Review: Baby Ford's Trelik label is as revered as they come in underground circles. Ion Ludwig is not far behind when it comes to his productions and so the two are a perfect match who reunite once more here. This fresh 12" kicks off with the brain cleansing minimalism of 'A Beladen Date 4 Ever', a silky groove doused in harmonic chords, with swirling pads and rubbery bass all tightly intertwining. 'Transport Fighter' is a more punchy cut with thudding kicks and heftier bass, but still a nebulous eco-system of pads and melodies swirling around up top. Two killer cuts. no doubt.

Review: For the latest edition in the label's superb Brazil 45s series, the Mr Bongo crew has decided to reissue one of their all-time favourite tracks, Os Devaneios' 'Embala Differente'. Situated here on side B, the track is one of the funkiest and heaviest samba floor-fillers going - a 1978 workout that adds punchy horns, disco-boogie bass, strong male lead vocals and mazy organ solos to an infectious and percussively dense rhythm track. A-side 'A Beleza E Voce Menina', a slightly later recording, is equally as impressive, with the obscure Brazilian band adding elements of soul, South American boogie and AOR to their funky-as-hell samba template. Another essential instalment in one of the most on-point reissue series around.

Review: Amongst minimal wave and alternative synth-pop enthusiasts, short-lived London band Shoc Corridor has an excellent reputation. Although they released a pair of albums and a gaggle of singles in 1983 and '84, it is '82 debut single A Blind Sign that gets collectors drooling. On this Dark Entries reissue, it's easy to see why. Flipside cut "Sargasso Sea", a fantastically spaced-out combination of heavily dub influenced post-punk bass, minimalist drum machine hits and liquid electronics, is particularly special, while "On Reflection" is a fine slab of swooning, near Balearic electronica. The title track, a Gary Numan-esque chunk of mutant synth-pop that bizarrely includes some jangly acoustic guitars amongst the arpeggio bass and twittering synthesizer melodies, is also inspired.

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: Originally released digitally in September 2022, Kreed's debut album A Brief History enjoys a much deserved vinyl boost. A veritable soundsystem odyssey featuring vocals and links with a remarkable cast of vocalists from Rider Shafique to Killa P, Jman, Gardna, Charli Brix, Catching Cairo, here the Bristol producer goes all-in with the dot-joining and genre fusing. The end result sits somewhere between dub, soul, bashment, hip-hop, garage and dubstep. Warm, hypnotic and loaded with twists and turns, highlights include the garage-style shuffles and flexes of 'Weeper's Lament' and the digi-dub bubbler 'Ashes'. Vibe overload. The rest is history.

Review: Few jazz saxophonists were as majestic as Hank Mobley. He had a unique sound that sat in between the rawness of John Coltrane and the smoothness of Stan Getz and released a number of now-classic albums. Soul Station has already had the Tone Poet Series treatment and next up to get remastered and come on new audiophile vinyl is A Caddy For Daddy. He had already been a But Note artist for some 10 years when he recorded this one in 1965. It finds him alongside a first-class sextet with Lee Morgan on trumpet, Bob Cranshaw on bass, McCoy Tyner on piano, Billy Higgins on drums and Curtis Fuller on trombone.

Review: The Live Band, a disco-soul/jazz-funk outfit helmed by bassist and vocalist Kenny Chavis, released a swathe of singles and a sole album on The Sound of Brooklyn in the early 1980s. Perhaps their most potent track was 'A Chance For Hope', an emotive, two-part plea for change that opened their 1982 debut album. On this first ever seven-inch pressing the order of the tracks has been reversed, with the swelling, scene-setting orchestration and atmospheric field recordings of the shorter 'Prelude' version appearing on the flip. That leaves the main vocal version, a superbly soulful chunk of boogie-era dancefloor soul rich in addictive grooves, sweeping strings and eyes-closed vocals courtesy of Chavis, rightfully nestling on side A.

Review: Long-time quality deep house operator Andy Vaz has a classically inclined sound that is infused with his own European perspective. Never has that been more obvious than with this EP on I'm In Love which assembled some of his best work. A Collection Of Trax Vol 1 is a limited 12" that opens with 'Only', a lively rhythm with jazzy chords and smooth vocal hooks, while 'Balances' strips it back to deep, warm, diffuse basement house. 'Deutz Motorcity (From The D)' channels the best of the Motor City with its balmy pad work and 'Little Acid' brings some raw 303 lines to a twisted house sound for the freaky after-hours.

Review: Heartworms are brand new outfit releasing under Speedy Wunderground - one of the few contemporary imprints giving fresh faces a fighting chance. Their debut EP 'A Comforting Notion' embeds the dystopian vision of one Jojo Orme into our minds - the frontwoman is a grandiose performer, giving tired tropes of delicate female bandleaders a run for its money through means like gritty post-punk and dark synth instrumentation, and a macabre sense of humour. The band's name references a heart-defecting parasite that is commonly found in dogs and is spread through mosquito bites - but don't worry, this EP will make your heart feel nothing but joy (permitting, at least, that you're a fan of bleak music!)

Review: Manuel Saharan is an Argentinian who has been playing the house music game since the turn of the last millennium. He has done it all in that near-quarter century in the game and now he heads to Austrian label fortunes for another fine and worthy outing. 'Dreams' is the sort of crunchy and disco laced jam that will bring some roughed up moves to the floor. 'A Daily Noise' is another raw and loopy outing and 'Hostages' brings some nice trippy melodic details, spaced-out pads and rickety yet timeless drums. A useful EP that covers plenty of club-friendly ground with real character.

Review: A Day of the Sun is a spiritual jazz masterpiece full of poetry by two geniuses of the Japanese musical scene. Masahiko Togashi and Isao Suzuki: pivotal figures in jazz, with a unique talent and sensitivity that transcends conventional jazz forms and styles. In addition to being skilled performers they demonstrate extraordinary compositional talent that transcends their sensibilities and wisdom of more conventional jazz. A Day Of The Sun is based on Togashi's drums and percussion and Suzuki's bass, with occasional changes to cello and piano/synths, and is skillfully performed by just the two of them, creating a unique worldview; a performance that far exceeds expectations. The mystical melodies of the East, earthy percussion and the sensibilities of the two intertwine to create a unique groove, resulting in a universal masterpiece that will never fade away and connects with today's sound makers and DJs. Top sound quality from original master tapes. Includes four-sided insert with a very interesting interview at the time with the two musicians regarding the record.

Review: Individuality, Harmony, Wit.
Originating from the heart of Asia - Taipei, Taiwan, Zy The Way is a fusion collective spear-heading a new musical movement in a digital age. As the offspring of a film director, entertainers and multi-genre musicians, Zy The Way aims to create artistic content that will rock your socks. We believe that true balance is achieved not through the uniting of different social groups, but when we come together with our stories as an individual. Voices and vision, musical styles, personalities, and our own beliefs, Zy The Way is the fabrication of our collective imagination, where no one is left out.

Review: Earlier this month, First Word Records dropped an epic, digital-only compilation in which members of the label's large family of artists either collaborated with or remixed each other. This 12" boasts four of the collection's undoubted highlights. The EP begins with a simply stunning Kaidi Tatham remix of Allysha Joy's soul-jazz treat 'Better' - think deep broken beat meets liquid jazz-funk and sultry neo-soul - and ends with a fiercely sub-heavy and surprisingly spaced out K15 broken beat rework of Teotima's 'But I Can't'. Sandwiched in between you'll find a jazz-funk-goes-bruk re-wire of Takuya Kuroda's 'Fade' by KEARL (that's K15 and Darkhouse Family's Earl Jeffers) and a wonderful fusion of squelchy synth-jazz and broken beat courtesy of Quiet Dawn and Sarah Williams White.

Review: Bread & Souls is a new project dreamt up by Italian entrepreneur and music lover Franco Fusari. For this he invited Mark de Clive-Lowe to direct and produce his roving vision: a series of collaborations with the cream of boogie and jazzdance's best performers and instrumentalists, including the likes of Bembe Segue, Vanessa Freeman, Paul Randolph, Rich Medina, Tommaso Cappellato and more. Under the banner of Bread & Souls, these eight originals and six remixes hit hard yet smooth, sliding down the proverbial aural gullet like a well-made Manhattan.

Review: This new record from Automatic Tasty finds him move away from his usual pastoral acid sound and into a more DIY, bedroom pop realm with him on the microphone. It's a melancholic work that draws obvious parallels to Hot Chip, but with an extra air of curiosity and naivety. There is a dreamy vibe to the opener then a gentle party feel to 'A Happy Town,' lovely laziness to the bendy synths of 'Wake Up Dead' and more urgent feel to 'These Days'. This is utterly charming music that could have been released 30 years ago, today, or 20 years hence and still sound fresh.

Review: Originally released in 1982, A Flock Of Seagulls' eponymous debut album heard them burst on to the new wave scene with advanced songwriting and catchy guitar laps and lyrics. With Phil Spector hailing the album as 'phenomenal', perhaps for somewhat conforming to his wally production technique, the band ended up being venerated near-timelessly for their quasi-electronic synth tunes like 'I Ran' (clock the use of early electronic drum pads in its breakdown). This is new wave at one its best pop-centric peaks.

Review: Don't be fooled by the title of this compilation; this isn't just birdsong pressed to wax. Rather, each artist invited to contribute to 'A Guide To The Birdsong of Western Africa' was challenged to make an original song both using and inspired by an endangered bird from their country. The album, in its ingenuity, was produced to help fund the Nigerian Bird Atlas Project (NIBAP), a public initiative to encourage young Nigerians get into bird conservation, watching and atlasing. Standouts include Lamine Cissokho's kora imitate the 'Yellow-casqued hornbill', and the lilting call of the 'Nimba flycatcher' included in a warming voice-and-guitar bossa nova piece by Ruth Tafebe.

Review: Texas-based Thai funk and psychedelic trio Khruangbin are back with another much anticipated new album in the form of A La Sala. The record presents a mesmerizing blend of psychedelic rock, funk, and world music influences that showcases the band's signature hypnotic grooves. Each one is characterized by Laura Lee's funky basslines, Mark Speer's intricate guitar work, and Donald "DJ" Johnson's precise drumming. Tracks like 'Farolim De Felgueiras' and 'A Love International' exude a laid-back vibe, perfect for lazy summer afternoons, while 'Juegos Y Nubes' infuses Latin rhythms with a psychedelic twist. Overall, A La Sala is another rich journey through diverse musical landscapes that reaffirm Khruangbin's reputation as masters of genre fusion and purveyors of sonic bliss.

Review: A cult Brazilian band at their peak in the 1980s, Finis Africae represent the pinnacle of what post punk and its experimental offshoots reached for in South America. A lot of this compilation focuses on sprawling tracks that feature distant shapeless vocals, lightly pattering percussion and languid guitar, but cuts such as "Radio Tarifa" shimmy with the upstart angles of disco-not-disco at its finest, shot through with a salsa flair. Twisting and turning from child-sung folk to industrial-tinged instrumentals, through slow-pumping indie jangle and so much more besides, you'll find yourself pleasantly surprised at many turns discovering one of the hidden gems of the other side of the world.