Back catalogue: All genres

Review: &Me and Black Coffee make for something of an Afro house dream team here. The latter has long been this sound's pin-up and has gone from playing in South African townships to producing with Beyonce and winning Grammy Awards over the last decade. Now deep in his latest Ibiza season, he unveils collaborative track 'The Rapture' (Pt III), a deep rolling cut with spine-tingling chords and a rich atmosphere. &ME then goes solo for 'LIFE', a shuffling percussive groove with spoken words and enchanting chords to make for a classy two-tracker.

Review: 7th Wonder - "Daisy Lady" is such a special and in-demand tune that no matter how many times it gets reissued it always sells out. This latest pressing on Breaks & Beats is a hand-numbered and limited edition 7" that is backed with Blackbusters's 'Old Man'. It's a cosmic funk workout with some great synth magic drawn out and weaved into funky breaks with all the bells and whistles (literally.) But really that 7th Wonder jam is the one here with its pumping drums and lavish horn sections all making for a colourful and vibrant wedge of irresistible funk.

Review: After their last outing 'Atomic' sold out, Acid Jerks are back on Refuge with more of their 303 fuelled madness. They have a tried and tested sound by now but who will ever grow tired of ragged acid house? 'I Get To Know' has it all - the prickly acid squelch, the splintered and wooden drums and the dark and menacing vocal over the top. It's perfect warehouse music. Dutchman Alden Tyrell then roughs it up a little more with his Chicago-indebted remix and Dick Johnson adds a little bounce to the drums and layers in some slinky hi hats for a more undulating sound.

Review: AcidLab serves up more innovative findings from their hard techno research operations courtesy of an array of uncompromising talents on this new various artists release. Acid Steve kicks off with 'Working In An Acid Lab', a straight-ahead banger with bristling percussive loops and slamming drums. Chris Liberator & Sterling Moss & Athar then combine forces to fire futuristic acid techno out of a machine gun and across the dancefloor and BadBoyPete vs Shnootz's 'Tekno Sound' is amped up and urgent drum funk. Noise Frequency then shuts down with dark distortion in 'Lost Humanity.' This is only a second drop from this new young label but one that again establishes it as a vital imprint.

Review: There's a delightfully celebratory feel about this debut volume of Cititrax Tracks, a new 12" series from Minimal Wave offshoot Cititrax. As beautifully presented as we've come to expect, Tracks Volume 1 boasts a quartet of dancefloor-ready smashers from a blend of new faces and label stalwarts. Amato (aka The Hacker) kicks things off with the glistening EBM funk of "Physique" - all restless synth refrains and pounding bottom end - before LIES affiliate Tsuzing go all dark, psychedelic and twisted on the thrillingly intense, acid-flecked "King of System". An-I go all DAF (with a touch of Front 242) on the fuzzy and dystopian stomper "Mutter", before Cititrax regulars Broken English Club delivers a storming chunk of industrial-tinged analogue funk ("Glass"). Bravo!

Review: French label D3 - which when pronounced in French sounds like their word for Detroit - is a decade old and celebrates the milestone with a special three-part EP series. As has always been the case over that 10 year period, the sounds it serves up are deep and housey. This various artists affair kicks off with AsTreJinkins' slow and propulsive 'Terror' before some nice airy and live sounding broken beats from New Digital Fidelity. Moroka picks up the pace with some hi-tek soul that sounds straight from the Motor City and Byron The Aquarius shows off his mastery of the keys again with a dreamy deep cut 'Tua Su Ra'. Nico Lahs shuts down with a heavyweight beatdown in the form of 'It's Spelled BARI.'

Review: After two recent intriguing V/A releases (006 & 007) the Picnic crew get back down to original business with an EP from B.AI. Carefully curating her path since 2021 with previous stellar releases on labels such as Sequalog, Fresh Tunez and Pleasure Club, her latest effort encapsulates the signature sounds that have made her a standout performer since. Fusing elements of house, techno, electro & electronica, it's an EP with tracks full of intention and captivating moments further solidifying B.AI's reputation of having a style completely of her own.

Review: Fresh deep garage house stylings from B From E, who's able to demonstrate they know how to do it just right. The Danish producer/DJ is evidently a treasured fixture of their label Happiness Therapy, who specialise in this kind of stuff, but rarely find so much talent or passion for the styles condensed into a single six-tracker. Topping up the label's 'Just At Night' series, cuts like 'Nirvana' and Niles Cooper's remix of 'Just At Night' and are shuffly piano-housers on the emotive side, recalling the tearjerking and dub-dued feelings of early house artists like the Wamdue Kids, but with an arguably much defter 4x4-garage flair.

Review: Silkybeats - a brand new imprint with a specific vision in tricky-shuffly dance music - debut their first ever V/A release here, providing a smashing debut and a taster for increasingly sumptuous things to come. Selected by one Velvet Velour, the producer and curator here invites three of the smoothest operators around - B.Love, Bowyer and Astral Wayne - to help cook up a selection of abstract, minimal breakstep and microhouse.

Review: The basslines might be big, but Berlin collective Cheap Fast Worldwide are keeping budgets tight with their brand new vinyl concern. Already an established podcast mix series, now a fully-fledged label, this launch release lays down everything we need to know as we flip and fly between the flavours. Cats like Lou Raw lay down golden woozy UKG skippery, B is all about the lo-fi flavours and warm and warping house and Olli Oski and EE bring the EP to a wonderful psycho dub finale. What an entry EP.

Review: Mr. Ultrafino sent out a message with this new album which explains that Darryl Baalki is a super private person. He grew up just with his mother and his father's music collection. He believed it contained the entirety of the history of recorded music and went about making new sounds using samples of it. Whether that is true or not we don't know, but the music is quality. It's spiritual, deep, enchanting, jazzy house with a broad spectrum of emotions. There are late-night lullabies like 'Louis The Third' and more bumping but still cuddly cuts like 'Hear Me Up' amongst many highlights.

Review: It's over 25 years since Baby Ford decamped to the studio with, alternately, Mark Broom and the late Ian 'Eon' Loveday to re-examine the depths and possibilities of collaborative underground techno. The result, as we now know, was a giant step forward into a new sound, with a new label, Ifach, that would go on to define the blueprint for a more minimal sound it would take others a decade emulate. Monolense, four bittersweet, emotional, stripped bare explorations of techno has long been sought-after, commanding high prices on the secondhand market, and is finally getting a re-release. This is not just a moment in time, but a bookmark in UK techno history.

Review: Seminal reissue alert! Baby Ford had already been a chart-baiting acid house superstar by the time he launched the PAL SL label in 1996. He'd left behind the major label scene and moved firmly back into the underground with exploratory techno releases on Ifach and collaborations with Mark Broom. This new label marked a shift for Ford though, setting him up for the trips into minimalist club tracks that have been his bread and butter for decades now. From the machine soul trysts of "Slow Hand" to the woozy techno thrust of "Tall For His Height" and the atmospheric house wriggle of "Kez", this release is a classic through and through. Beat the sharks and nab a copy of this long out-of-print gem.

Review: A repress for four prime slices of classic Baby Ford minimal tech gear, from the rhythm-centric drum machine fest 'Very', the resonant bleepy tones of 'Test', the sparse and spacious 'Down' and the subtle acid undertones of 'Percy'. Baby Ford is finally getting his props as one the UK acid and techno scene's true innovators and pioneers, and these four very mixable tracks are four more reasons why this is only right.

Review: Legendary minimal - and acid house before that - pioneer Baby Ford very much set the blueprint for the genre back in the late 90s, both solo and with The Ifach Collective, who featured Ian Loveday, Mark Broom and Thomas Melchior (amongst others). Now they are reminding us of the greatness of that work with the first in a series of reissues coming in 2023. These tunes were originally put out back on the legendary Klang Elektronik in 2000. First up is 'Tea Party' by Eon, M-Core, and Baby Ford, an ice-cold rolling dub. 'On The Floor' with Mark Broom gets more percussive and then comes a solo cut from Baby Ford, 'The Healing' which is as heady as can be and finally 'Word For Word' featuring Cheru Amadi layers up slithers of silvery percussion and cuddly bass into dubbed-out tech heaven.

Review: Powerful belters from soul supernova Baby Huey. The only solo 45s he cut for Curtom Records before he passed away aged only 26, this was released posthumously and OG copies regularly go for over 200 pounds. Now reissued on Soul Brother, the two sides give you the full fat Huey; "Hard Times" hits with a raw Lee Fields style gravelly, story-telling delivery while "Listen To Me" shows Huey's deft ability to band-lead an all-out rock jam. Raw and emotional, Huey left this world far too soon.

Review: Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band is an enigmatic steel pan collective from Hamburg that has a hardcore fan following around the world and a new album on the way that is superb. They are loved for their covers of hip-hop classics and last year served up a version of the Stranger Things theme tune but this time out we get 'Love For The Sake Of Dub' of 45 rpm. It is another pair of funky tunes with the signature brass sounds front and centre as the fat bottom rhythms roll deep and fleshy. Another gem from this leftfield outfit.

Review: The Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band has become the latest jewel in the Big Crown. Lead by Bjorn Wagner, they have stopped several essential recordings not he label, all defined by their famous steel pan sound. Often they turn to covers of the classics such as they did back in March and this time around they take aim at the much loved and low slung hip-hop classic 'Nuthin' But A G Thang' by Dr Dre. In their hands it becomes something else entirely but still delightfully low slung and sleazy. This one is backed with 'How We Do' which is another loveably fresh sound.

Review: Still scorching from the heat of their debut album 55, Hamburg's mysterious steel pan handlers return with a dope little 45 that features one of the excellent covers from their album plus an exclusive that we guarantee will drive your next floor crazy... Dennis Coffey's "Scorpio" takes the lead with its instantly distinctive break and pace. Flip for Sugarhill's "8th Wonder" that's riddled with confidently swung drums, smoky trumpets and a groove so funky you might just have to drop it twice. Give the drummer some.

Review: Bjorn Wagner's Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band have put out several fresh albums and many great 7"s on Big Crown and 'Hotline Bling' is another one. The mysterious Hamburg outfit brings their famous steel pan sound and reaches new heights here as they again cover songs that span genres and range from mega-hits to album cuts. Their own unique approach is to mix up the traditional sounds of Trinidad and Tobago with the original source material to leave you ready to dance all night long.

Review: Big Crown is one of our favourite labels here at HQ. The funk and soul they serve up is perfectly aged yet never overly nostalgic and this new one is another case it point. It's the latest from the Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band and features two singles take from their latest and greatest album Expansions which landed back in June. As always they bring their own unique steel drum sounds and tropical Caribbean vibes to funk music. 'Raise It Up' is a deep cut joint with big horns and rippling steel drums puddles while 'Space' is a more lumpy groove with the drums more front and centre.

Review: They're best known for covering hip-hop classics in their unique, funk band plus steel pans vibe, but Germany's Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band show there are spookier arrows in their quiver when the time of year demands it. Two special halloween themed cover versions grace this 7", the first a rendition of the theme from TV show of the moment 'Stranger Things', the second their version of the title theme from the film 'Halloween', originally penned by the master soundtrack maker himself John Carpenter. Both have a slightly cheeky, quirky and rather joyful atmosphere, tending more towards the cute rather than the spooky side of all hallows, but don't let their lack of scariness put you off, they're both delightful.010920

Review: The always excellently go slow and tropical sounds of Big Crown now look to Bacao Rhythm and Steel Band for covers of two classics. Up first is Grace Jones' nightclub classic "My Jamaican Guy" while on the flip is Erykah Badu's tribute to the legendary J Dilla, "The Healer". Both retain the essence of the original but come with loose hand claps, shimmering steel drums that bring coastal breezes, sand and sun into the equation and leave you laying horizontal. These are fine interpretations of top notch source material.

Review: Master minimalist Thomas Melchior is back with a new release on his Aspect Music imprint under the alias Back In Black. Although this is only a single sided release, there's all you need right here. The eponymous release features all the hallmarks of Melchior's singular sound: from its rich tapestry of ethereal - almost arcane- tapestry of elements reaching near spiritual moments, underpinned by meditative and clipped rhythm programming. Be prepared for yet another altogether magickal experience from the legend.

Review: Despite not releasing all that much in 2018, Canadian nu-jazz combo BADBADNOTGOOD's reputation continued to rise. That was in no small part due to their eye-catching collaboration with Little Dragon, which resulted in the digital release of "Tried" back in September. Now the track has been given a deserved seven-inch single release by Ninja Tune. With LD lead vocalist Yukimi Nagano doing her best to channel the spirit of Minnie Riperton, "Tried" has a similarly languid, jazz/folk/soul fusion feel as some of the best works by Rotary Connection. BADBADNOTGOOD's admiration of the Charles Stepney-produced band comes through loud and clear through the choice of instruments and arrangements. For further proof, check the accompanying flipside instrumental mix.

Review: Certified Chicago house authenticity: Mojuba revive Badie's 1995 EP "Bernard Badie Volume IV" just in time for summer. Still shining with pure positivity, each cut slaps with jacking soul from the lolloping fretless bass and jaunty pianos of "Groove In You" to the dreamy stutters, bends and glitches of "Que" by way of the staccato bass and punctuated keys of "Stand Alone" and looped vocal hypnosis of "Stressed Out". 22 years deep and still sparkling.

Review: Drum n' bass picture discs are a rare treat, and a sensitive medium at that. Laying our grubby hands on one of these could be like touching a fortress made of feathers, but it's all worth it for the music contained therein. Suburban Base welcome four pushers both old and new to their latest V/A EP here, opting for dry, jump-up drum n' bass emphasising clean subs, filtered guitar lines and summer-of-soul vocal licks.

Review: Kris Baha had a big year in 2019 with the release of his debut album on CockTail d'Amore and an EP on Pinkman, and now the Australian body music man in Berlin is back with a high-pressure heater for [Emotional] Especial. "Barely Alive" is the kind of sinewy proto-industrial cut that will appeal to fans of Ministry's earlier work, when the synths reigned supreme and there was pop to match the noir. Especial then call on a cast of remixers to interpret the track in different ways, from Timothy J Fairplay amping up the dystopian disco tropes to Das Ding creating a sleek electro-funk twist with the original's gothic undertones intact.

Review: Some high-grade re-edit action here, as dusty-fingered Chicagoan crate diggers Sadar Bahar and Marc Davis join forces with pal (and credited mixer) Rahaan on two fine tweaks of suitably obscure tracks. A-side 'Disco' is a groovy, funky, horn-heavy affair; a sumptuously string-laden, orchestrated blend of righteous gospel-soul, Philadelphia International style proto-disco and grooves reminiscent of those frequently employed on Steely Dan's most up-beat moments. 'Beat Down' meanwhile is a jaunty, percussive and sun-soaked slab of dancefloor-ready Latin jazz that speeds up as it goes along. The jazz dancers will love it!

Review: If you go to the sort of quality dances where you might hear old sound disco then there is a good chance you will have lost your shit to this one at some point the past. It is a disco gospel 12" curated and edited by Chicago pair Sadar Bahar and Marc Davis. First, they up the energy levels on the joyous Fountain Of Life Joy Choir Under The Direction Of Kevin Yancy tune 'I'm So Happy' which is high speed, high spirit and life-affirming goodness. Then they tweak Rev Charles H Nicks Presents The Baptist Assembly Of Free Spirit Mass Choir's 'Optical Illusion' with swirling big band energy and magnificent organ chords.

Review: Afro 45's / Mr Bongo show no signs of stopping their tireless run of form and, 7" after 7", they just keep on producing the goods. There's yet more '70s goodness with this new little scorcher: the A-side is 1973's "Tessassategn Eko" by Bahta Gebre Hiwot, a pensive Ethiopian pop hit for all sorts of music fans to enjoy, but "Ayalqem Tedqem" by Alemayehu Eshete on the B-side is where it's at... just listen to that bass and you'll instantly recognize this wonderful little cover.

Review: This glorious package of remixes of the BaianaSystem band draws together contemporary Brazilian sounds with plenty of modern dance floor flourishes. A?gua is the standout track from their 2018 LP and is a poem to the bands native Bahia people with the legendary Antonio Carlos & Jocafi. It is perfect material to rework for different settings and deep house don Jimpster does that with his fat bottomed, tropical remix then stripped back dub. Brazilian producer Diogo Strausz joins forces with RNT boss JKriv on the flip for a more drawn out and cosmic exploration that pumps up and down on weight bass and that lovely loose jumble of percussion.

Review: Back Pluwatsch, or simply Bajka, is an Indian-born, South-African raised singer with diverse catalogue of music, and an equally compelling set of vocal chords. Her voice was first picked up by London's Jazzman circa 2005, and has travelled across other like like Ubiquity, Raw Tapes, and even on NYC house-techno conglomerate, Ibadan. Philophon feels like a much more natural place for her music to prosper on, a label that's been on our radar since day one, and always comes heavily recommended. "The World" is a true pearl of a song, charged and catapulted into the ether by a deep, raw percussive sway and, of course, Bajka's singular voice. "Invisible Joy" is a similarly deep and tropical, but here the tone is much more jazzy, reminding us of Sun Ra in places. All in all, this is some pretty killer material.

Review: Original Gravity have been carrying Curtis Baker and the Bravehearts for the past few years, slipping out a clutch of his hot and heavy blues tunes and covers. On this latest single, he's tackling the mighty 'Spoonful', originally written by Willie Dixon and first made famous by Etta James, Howlin' Wolf and eventually Cream. Baker more than does the track justice, hitting a note somewhere close to The Doors' groovy kind of psychedelia, locking in so hard it has to stretch over both sides of the 7".

Review: Original Gravity serve up yet two more contemporary soul tracks; sides A and B on this latest 7" are shared by Curtis Baker & The Bravehearts and Floyd James & The GTs respectively. The A's 'By Hook Or By Crook' recounts the all-to-relatable feeling of stopping at nothing to get what one wants, while 'The Switchback' ups the big beats and big halls for a roomy guit-funk come mod romp. Yet another delight to add to the OG Newtonians' pile.

Review: For a classic 7" that makes you wish you could have experienced the rock and roll and blues heyday, these two dusty gems by Lavern Baker and Jackie Wilson are a great start. Taken from 1960, "Bumble Bees" by Baker is a chiming, doo-wop sing-a-long love song with a tastefully disgruntled character, while Baker & Wilson provide the excellent and X-rated "Think Twice", which sings about taboo topics like cocaine, pussy and reefa. It also boasts lyrics like 'son of a bitch', 'I aint gonna kiss your ass no more' and 'I've had enough of your shit' - not to mention the other out-there obscenities for the time which include references to oral sex. Lil Kim and Khia - eat your heart out!

Review: Kalita Records are proud and honoured to announce the first ever official reissue of the four choice tracks from Randolph Baker's privately pressed sought-after 1982 disco album 'Reaching For The Stars', plus an unreleased instrumental take of 'Party Life' sourced from the original 24-track analogue master tapes.

Originally recorded at Jim Morris and Rick Miller's Tampa-based Morrisound Studios, 'Getting Next To You' features both a mixture of both local Florida talent plus jazz superstar Nat Adderley and bassist John Lamb at their finest. Originally pressed in a limited run of just one-thousand copies, with no distribution and most copies being sold in the local city and on Randolph's own merchandise table at the back of live gigs, original copies have long been sought-after by both collectors and DJs alike, acknowledged as a true grail and masterpiece in the disco scene and deservedly demanding extortionate figures to those lucky enough to find their own.

Here, in collaboration with Randolph, Kalita Records have chosen to re-release the four choice tracks from the album: 'Getting Next To You', 'Jazzman', 'Callin' Me' and 'Party Life'. The former is an in-demand horn and chant-filled disco masterpiece, which, as Randolph explains, concerns unity and "everyone on the same level in other words, everyone just loving life". It is arguably the song that Randolph is most well-known for in the disco and funk scene and perfect for the modern discerning dance floor. 'Jazzman' is an instrumental track with prominent trumpet and saxophone solos working with funky basslines to produce a truly great jazz-funk groove. It was "a tribute to Nat Adderley and Duke Ellington's bass player, John Lamb, for being so generous and saying yes to the project". 'Callin' Me' is a soulful disco number featuring the lead vocals of Laurie Erickson and is "about being on the road and ensuring loved ones that you will always come back home no matter what. It was like a promise to ensure loved ones they didn't have to worry". Lastly, 'Party Life' is a joyous disco track with a strong funk bassline and horns. As Randolph recalls, it "was the joy like after an actor finishes a movie. There was nothing but joy. It's finished; let's celebrate big time. Where everyone in the studio yelled at the top of their lungs - The End!" Here, with access to the 24-track master tapes we have been able to include the original version plus an unreleased instrumental take, allowing us to focus on the infectious bassline and make it even more ready for the modern dance floor.

Accompanied by extensive interview-based liner notes and never-before-seen photos.

Review: Georgian IDM artist Gacha Bakradze commands a loyal fanbase for his enchanting emanations in the style. The latest example comes in the form of 'Forget', his most recent contribution to Turkish pushers of the craft, Oath. Fluid movements of electro clankings and modular groovework extend far and deep into a gaseous, sulphuric unknown, while airier explorations of spirituality are laid down on the vocal-sample-led 'What You Say' and the wonderfully three-chord-backboned janker, 'Form'. 'Forget' isn't a project for shallow listens; take it slow.

Review: This release is a story of serendipitous stars aligning. Having released Bala Desejo's anthemic single, 'Baile De Mascaras', back in May 2023, Mr. Bongo could sense that they had a summer classic on their hands. The label always thought that it had the potential to find fans in a dance music audience; and in a further twist of fate, the sensational DJ, producer, and radio presenter Jamz Supernova recently graced their Great Escape in-store event with a phenomenal DJ set. After some feverish digging and emailing to her team, Bongo discovered that she was a fan of the original song and had made a personal edit to play in her DJ sets. Gilles had heard Jamz spinning the edit and asked for a copy, and by sheer coincidence and good fortune, it all fell into place. The track is a beast of an edit that gets heavier and deeper as it progresses.

Review: Tropical Disco Records rolls out more of their sun kissed goodness on an impressive 21st volume of their self-titled series. As always there is a devious selection of disco dons taking charge of the course cuts, with Dominic Balchin getting the party started with big trumpet stabs and soul train grooves. Da Lukas slows things down and goes for a more deep, swinging cut with his 'Get Disco Vibes' and then scene veteran Moodena's 'Who Got The Keys?' gets more jazzy, with some fantastic keys and funky bass. Toby O'Connor closes out with a steamy and romantic slow jam, and in doing so rounds out an EP packed with the sort of positive vibes we all need right now.

Review: Coolly stepping out like a white-suited player on a Miami club strip, the high expectations set by any mention of Italian disco pioneer Daniele Baldelli are easily matched by the opener and title number. And things really only get better from there.
'Massive Birth' is an intelligent, freeform outing on a half-time, DJ Rocca's ever-tight drum programming clearly having some influence on the complex percussive patterns. On the flip, Mind Fair have their way with that original, turning it into a more grounded four-four workout if you listen beyond the top layer of rolls and snare crashes. For many, though, this one will be all about the Warehouse Preservation Society remix of 'Taylorpo', which puts Italo right back at the top of the disco agenda, sounding at once space age yet nostalgic, and unquestionably, unstoppably danceable.

Review: Two sides of mega-minimal, textural minimal and a dash of drone here, shared equally between friends Bastian Balders and Anton Kubikov. The producers bring a sophistication to the tech, reflecting the huge variation in the emotions they indulge. Something between ecstasy and horror is heard on Balders' 'Machinery', while Kubikov's 'Introland' is comparatively hopeful and tearjerking, with its delayed piano refractions and filtery-in-and-out strings.

Review: Barcelona mainstay Baldo originally released 'Ride The Night' as part of digital single Saturdays Come And Gone on Permanent Vacation in 2022. As a fierce and fabulous homage to Hi-NRG, it showed the most muscular, nocturnal side of Baldo's sound and the track took on a life of its own. Now the label have decided to give the track more prominence with this heavyweight vinyl remix package, which kicks off in style with a suitably throbbing workout from Red Axes before switching to the strutting big room style of Alex Neri. Jennifer Loveless zeroes in to the sensual heart of the track with a thrumming low end and a powerful command of the tension in the track, leaving it to Baldo's original to close the EP out in style.

Review: Cultures Of Soul have absolutely hit the nail on the head by getting Benjamin Ball on their side, and it's shed a light on one of South Africa's best boogie artists from the 80s. This is the sort of gear that'll make just about any decent collector jump with excitement, not only because of the quality of the music, but also because of its sheer rarity. The wonderfully loose "I Just Keep Dancing" is form Ball's debut LP Paulina, and it really is the sort of tune that'll please just about any sensible crowd. Ball's own vocal flex has enough funk in it to outdo the James Browns out there, and coupled with those snappy drums and raw electro bass makes means that this is the rarest of gems. Soul Clap's remix makes for a nice addition, but it's clear that no man can test the vibes of Benjamin Ball. What a killer!

Review: Open Channel For Dreamers have been exploring the old DAT archives of Ballet Mechanique and found a wealth of never before released material that dates back to the 90s. This is a third release of such treasures and it focusses on tunes from 1992-1999. It follows in the footsteps fo the first two EPs by highlighting the diversity and variety of sounds in Jeroen's production arsenal. There are rave bangers on the a-side filled with uplifting melodies and on the flip is IDM and electro fuelled by funk. Another superb EP for fans old and new.

Review: These previously unreleased tracks from Revelations member Phillip Balou were offered to Super Disco Edits by one-time British soul journalist David Nathan, who worked alongside the musician and band mate John Simmons at the tail end of the 1970s. A-side "Ain't Nothing Like The Love", a gospel inspired slice of sumptuous soul complete with jazzy guitar solos and an evocative lead vocal from Ballou, is undoubtedly the pick of the two tracks and well worth anyone's hard-earned cash. That said, deep and sugary flipside "For Real" - a thrillingly evocative slow jam full of gospel style choral backing vocals, sumptuous electric piano and sweeping, synthesized strings - is almost as good.

Review: Bambooman (real name Kirk Barley) is a London based producer who presents his fourth release on Matthew Herbert's Accidental imprint - which follows up last year's terrific long player, Whispers. His new offering is the trippy minimal techno kicker "Ricochet", with its sparse arrangement revolving around a stuttering bassline and nasty chord stabs awash in plate reverb. On the flip, the man himself Herbert steps up to deliver a wacky and glitched out remix in his own truly idiosyncratic style once again.

Review: For the latest release on their on-point Brasil 45s sub-label, Mr Bongo takes a trip back to 1977, and the early days of legendary fusion outfit Banda Black Rio. Both the cuts here are taken from the band's brilliant debut album, Maria Fumaca, and see them fusing Brasilian samba and jazz sounds with the righteous, dancefloor-friendly grooves of funk and disco. "Maria Fumaca" itself is a deliciously sunny and sweaty affair, with punchy horns, eyes-closed guitar solos and jazz-funk electic piano lines rising above a carnival-ready samba-funk groove. The U.S funk influence comes to the fore more on flipside "Mr Funky Samba", which sounds like Azymuth jamming with members of the T.K Disco, Philadelphia International and Salsoul house bands. Yep, it's that good.

Review: Banda Male was a collective that formed in a home studio in Salerno, one of the historic districts in the South Italy. It was the initiative of composer and keys man Peppe Maiellano and rapper, DJ and producer Tonico Settanta. The rest of the cast is ever rotating and the music they make is a lively mix of disco, funk and soul with signature Italo melodies. This new single is taken from their June 2021 album UFO Bar and is a low slung number with a steamy vocal and a somewhat sleazy bassline. 'Living Disco Club' (Tonico 70 Reloved) then slows it down further with even more twirling melodies.

Review: Grand River's always-illuminating One Instrument label reawakens with a new album from Martin Sander and Michel Isorinne's Bandhagens Musikforening project. Having previously appeared on Northern Electronics and Semantica, now these two advanced synthesists place all their attention on a select few studio pieces to see how far they can take them. First up is the Roland System 100, which affords them plenty of tonal possibilities for the pulsing, kinetic 'Nedgravd I Naturen'. With the Yamaha DX-7 they create a towering ambient piece of FM synthesis, while the Roland SH-101 gets applied to a dense and detailed slice of obtuse leftfield techno. The Oberheim Matrix 6R becomes a vehicle for cinematic melancholy, and the Waldorf Microwave teases out an immersive swirl of ambience as you might well expect from the One Instrument series.