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: A collaboration between Bristol's Shall Not Fade and London label/clothing line Handy here titled Keep It In The Family. SNF tapped 9th House & Berlin-based Italian Ruff Stuff for some wicked techno tracks, and it's all about the latter doing his best Aril Brikha impression on 'Still Dancing'. Representing Handy we have Bobby Cazanova serving up some bass-heavy sci-fi fantasies on the electro number 'Big Eden' and a collab between Arthur Dudley and Retromigration who serve up some smoky, late night deep house on 'Moodyknight'.

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: B 2DEP'T were a curio of the early wave of techno in Japan in the 90s, releasing a handful of cassettes and mini-albums but remaining a cult concern rather than breaking through to major success. For those in the know, their productions were way ahead of their time, and Junki Inoue seems absolutely hip to this as he signs them up for a release on his archival label Saisei. If you enjoy the boundaryless exploration of the early techno boom and prefer brightly melodic motifs to match, you'll love this record. It's brimming with oddball personality and it's more than punchy enough to cut it with modern club fare.

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: Haws is heading towards a quarter of a century of releases and does so in style with this fine blend of techno and prog sounds from B From E. 'Ootheca' is one that turns our ear with its mid tempo drums and future cosmic chords layered up next to lush arps and plenty of swirling sci-fi details. 'Symetrix' is a more intense cut with psychedelic overtones and subtle waves of euphoria washing over you. Last but not least is 'Prophecy' which is a more deep and heady vibe but still one lit up with widescreen synth work and nice neon colours.

Review: The next entry in Tresydos' tenth release series features another four sterling slices of contemporary minimal tech house trance fusions, leading in with B Love's 'Video Soul', which samples a television interview with legendary talk box funker Roger Troutman. Arnic follows that with the brooding synth construction of 'I'm Into You' before Neik's 'New Age' cools things down with a rolling, warm-up-friendly groove. Atree's 'Augmented Reality' is a spikier affair to end the record on an uptempo note, maintaining the playful energy which binds the whole record together in a burst of catchy baselines and cheeky samples.

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: Party starting outfit Bizarre is back with another offering of leftfield club cuts. The A-side of this one has been carefully curated by founding members Felon5 & B.Love. Their cosmic house excursion starts with the playful robot funk of 'The Talkbox Track' and then takes in the silky space tech of 'M Is For Muff' which is effortlessly cool. Jhobei & Oliver R then step up with 'What's On Then' which is another mix of warped bass and neon synth lines over popping tech funk and then Love & Charleze conspire to send you home on a nice warm hearted disco tech vibe with their 'IC3D' featuring some super synth expressions.

Review: Picnic tends towards flaunting the eclecticism of the British underground, standing in stark opposition to conformity. B Love, Rokko, Mathijs Smit and Herra come through for their latest V/A here, each with their own unique style and flavour to the four-way table - whether they work in deep house, techno, or the cheekier side of speed-garage-ambient. As 'Thumb Milk' says in the pre-drop moment of pause: "do what you feel, when you feel like it". Such is the exact feel of this EP, from the idyllic chordwork of Rock's 'Sunset Frequency' to the organic organry of 'Going Backwards'.

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: Baasmal showcases his skills as a superb arranger and master of smoothly seductive grooves here on a fresh 12" platter for Kanja. 'Mekong' flows like the river it is presumably named after with fluttering snares and supple basslines, then 'Kilauea' has a slightly more gritty texture but balmy pads still take the mind away. 'Kilimandjaro' has crisp drums and kicks with mind-melting synths warbling away up top with a mind of their own. A Vern remix shuts down with perculating synth magic over serene and polished metal drums.

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: 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: 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: 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: Bad Boy Pete and Errot head up the heat on this rough and ready hard techno drop for Chris Liberator's ever essential Maximum / Minimum label. Considered a more experimental alternative to the Stay Up Forever output, don't be misled as Pete and Error prove this is still about pile-driving techno with a playful edge. Richie Five Alive and Sam DFL are having a right old time of it on 'Deeper' while Nori brings some serious funk and a freaky pitched down rap without diluting the hard edge of the record and then Pete returns to round the record off with a more hypnotic roller shot through with a touch of dub techno.

Review: 'The Omega Sessions' is a five-song EP recorded by Bad Brains in 1980 and released in 1997. The tracks were recorded and mixed at the original Omega Recording Studios in Rockville, Maryland, and overall, the EP contains early versions of songs which eventually appeared on later releases, including a revamped reading of 'I Against I.' This reissue marks the seventh release in the remaster campaign that is now upon us, re-launching the Bad Brains Records label imprint. Just five incendiary originals screamers, all the way through to the inimitable sass-monster that is 'Attitude', are enough to turn our brains mushy once more.

Review: Bad Taste's Bad Company have got an absolute wealth of stone-cold killer cuts in their arsenal and this next remix package is no different. It kicks off with a lush remix by Insideinfo of 'Torpedo' which has a bouncy, fleshy groove with garage-style snares up top and a nagging soul vocal that tugs at the heart. On the flipside is 'Spider' (Optiv & BTK remix), which is a totally different proposition - the bass is dark, the breaks come hard and fast and the mix work adds menace to an already monstrous peak time banger.

Review: Mojuba is a real stamp of quality when it comes to more traditional house sounds with a heavy US bent. This new EP is another standout in that mood with Chicago original Bernard Badie behind the beats. It's a fiery one to start thanks tot he yelping female vocals that busy out of the mid tempo house drums. After that party-starting opening gambit comes the more wonky 'Bounce' with its tanging sound effects and taught bass. 'This Track' explores a slightly garage-tinged sound with scraping hits and swinging drums and last of all is 'Open Up' which is a heads down gem for the afters.

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: Just as they were likely originally intended, two of Calibre's said-to-be most coveted productions come remastered fresh from the vaults, and reissued on black vinyl via the sonic conservationists over at Signature. First comes the 2001 remix of Badmarsh & Shri's 'Signs', to which Calibre lends an extra rolling signification, its no-nonsense industrial break and tensing, two-note pads doing most of the legwork here. Then there's the original 'Soul 80', a unique fusion of dub-delayed chipmunky vox splices, modular synth piques, and a massive, untechy breakbeat.

Review: There's an abundance of crafty, ear-snagging gear coming out on Telomere Plastic these days and the steady stream of VA releases are a handy window into some of the freshest operators in the more creative ends of minimal tech house. Baenglund is having a jolly time of it tweaking out the freaky synth riffs on 'Funk Inspector', while Aspetuck creates a teasing, strung-out after hours sound which tips towards electronica on 'As The Fog Rolls In'. Anderson brings a little trance influence to the crooked groove of 'Aquabound', and Watch Patrol softens the edges with an acidic bubblebath on 'Wandering In The Garden'.

Review: Italian artist Ricardo Baez brings his EBM influences to a new and dazzling post-disco EP on Bordello A Parigi that mixes up elector, new wave, synth pop and Italo. First up is dark disco dons Curses to remix 'On & On' and do so with rugged synth lines and jacked-up angular drums. The original is only subtly different and a touch smoother then 'Sfida Notturna' takes off on big stomping drums with bright synths and retro-future 80s feels ringing out proudly. 'Dietro L'Orizzonte' closes down with a more Balearic sound for the afters.

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: 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: Marco Bailey and Sigvard's serve up some certified techno gold here on nice clear red vinyl via the Fundaments label. This collaborative EP opens up with the retro-sounding goodness of 'Faded Game' and its marching bottom end. It's an all-out raver that never quits. 'Live For Yesterday' is deeper, with a more nuanced atmosphere and layers of drums and synth that rise up though the mix. 'Smooth Mind' ups the ante with more loopy and strobe-lit synth energy and 'Out Of The Past' closes with more buffed metal loops and rolling drum machine sounds.

Review: Marco Bailey is a Belgian DJ and producer who's remained active since the late 90s - his commitment to a hard and assembly-liney industrial techno sound has seen him lend his chops to the likes of Drumcode, Intec, and MB Elektronics in later years. 'Wild Out' is an EP brought to Fundaments, and best represents the artist's latest headspace: wild as ever. Highlights include 'Careless Spectrum', which isn't afraid of indunging higher-end, leady trance tropes, and 'Royal Resistance', which once again mixes bright bursts of stabbing sheen into a gritty techno backbone. The latter track hints at developing the motif more, but smartly pulls back, leaving us panting, begging for more.

Review: Marco Bailey is a rising techno star, and his pal Sigvard is of a similarly sizzling stature. Both hailing from one of techno's many homelands, Belgium, their new EP 'Black Radion' indulges no nonsense in its establishment of a vinyl-ready, minimal and electric sound. Each track here effectively follows the simplest-ever formula of drums n' synth line; the wyvernal wafter that is 'Draco' builds its excitement using all but a ith a simple drum build and a zapping 'neow', while 'Attor' cuts a similarly machinic mood through slippery window-wiper leads and a muddy low end.

Review: Paul Bailey, known as Damage, proffers his sonic take on the concept of what damage is and could sound like in the abstract. Like a giant piston hurtling at us, and repeatedly crushing us from above, we're thrown menacingly into the sniffly wiggles of 'Hadal Zone' and the reinterpretive work of the likes of James Ruskin and Makaton. It's a worthy addition to the Brummy techno canon, and should be noted for its unique wonk-tech veer.

Review: The seemingly unstoppable rise of De:tuned continues, as they take a break from serving up sci-fi techno, IDM and ambient techno to deliver something a lot more intense: a surprise EP from original House of God Birmingham resident DJ Paul 'Damage' Bailey. Channeling the spirit of his friend Surgeon while offering up something fresh, the two original tracks on show are undeniably inspired. 'Hadal Zone' adds weirdo noises, bleeps and mind-mangling electronic pulses to a slipped Afro-techno groove, while 'Decompression' is a wonky, triple-time workout full of Ket-addled electronics and wayward loops. Makaton re-imagines that track as a locked-in late-night techno throb-job, while James Ruskin turns 'Hadal Zone' into a buzzing, industrial-influenced electro-bleep number.

Review: Constant Black and Josh Baker are two key parts of the current underground conversation and here they come together in perfect harmony here as the UK's hit maker Baker gets down and dirty with his signature blend of minimal and tech. 'Sometimes Cap' opens up with rolling, fleshy bass and light footed drums that get you hopping. 'Some Of That' brings muted acid lines and curious bell hits while the squelchy bass rolls deep. 'Repeat Business' keeps the pressure up with a bristling mix of snares and hits over slick drums that have plenty of drive. 'Cheshire Badger' shuts down with real urgency and dark tech funk that is perfect for strobe lit backrooms.

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: Time Is Now operates at the darker end of the garage spectrum, with menacing 2sep sounds and plenty of hefty bass sounds. Stepping up and stepping in with the latest offering is Bakey, a newly emergent artist in this genre and someone with considerable skill. 'Bring It Back' is a real bass bin botherer with rinsing jungle breaks and screw-face bass. 'Vibing Season' cuts loose on lithe bass with some hard bars from Slay then 'No Name' explores a silky soul on bumping beats. 'Reduced Vision' is a sublime glitch-step and 'Poison Dart' comes on heavy with the hyper minimalist jungle riddims.

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: Is there a more fun and hard-to-pin-down label than Studio Barnhus? The plaything of Swedish artists Kornel Kovacs, Axel Boman and their mate Petter Nordkvist it has done it all from trancehall to bubblegum house via pop edits and plenty in between. Now they look to Stockholm boys Ari Bald & CJ Scott once more for a new EP that bangs hard and has a great sense of character, much like their label debut here last year. All four of these house cuts are full-flavoured slammers with heartfelt vocal samples and lovely naive melodies that really make their mark.

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: Legendary label Le Disque celebrates its 35th Anniversary with this new various artists EP offering up the sort of sumptuous sounds it is so well known for. Cosmic legend Daniele Baldelli gets first with the driving Italo techno-disco of 'Promeni' while GNMR bangs the box with his leggy 909 drum pings and heady synth swirls on 'Modulo Rmx Downtempo V1.' On the flip, Tagliabue's 'Sogno Cosmico' is a deep and pulsing techno cut that roams at a slower tempo but is no less effective, then Simone Bauer's 'Gigantomachia' is a hyperactive and cutting edge rhythm piece that never sits still and is dark as you like in its ritualistic dance manoeuvres.

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.