Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Argentine electro-cumbia innovator Chancha Via Circuito (Pedro Canale) has a truly strong sense of give and take. His debut movements saw to Bienaventuranza (2018), a critically acclaimed album deep-setting his role in a gauzy downtempo reshape of the global music idiom. A full remix EP of the record followed, spewing forth fresh interpretations by echelonic music masters, including Euro-techno titan Nicola Cruz on 'Alegria', and Spanish producer Baiuca. Now, finally, comes the third in a three-step movement of remixes, this time hearing Chancha Via Circuito himself offer his own remixing hand to several of said very same artists, the works of El Buho, Nickodemus, and Lagartijeando also in tow. Deep, earthy tunes, full of natural oud harmonics blended with chanting, understated downbeats.

Review: Nearly half a century after The Glow Of Love lit up dancefloors from Bologna to New York, Change return with Embrace: a sleek continuation of their post-hiatus revival, carrying the modern Italo dance group's name after early designs to release it as a Tanya Michelle Smith solo project. Produced by Stefano Colombo with input from founding maestro Mauro Malavasi, who also oversaw the title and artwork, the record builds on 2018's Love 4 Love with a dozen tracks folding disco, soul, and modern boogie into a freshly polished polygon of sprightly designer disco. While just 500 copies of the vinyl edition exist, the CD edition here exists in droves, and is sure to set any missed trick right.

Review: Bologna, 1979: Change begins as a studio braintrust linking Mauro Malavasi, Paolo Gianolio and Davide Romani, with production steered by Jacques Fred Petrus. Nearly half a century on from their debut LP The Glow Of Love, cut between Italy and New York - blanketing the mean dancefloor in Euro-import modishness - we're now met by the sweet sonic hug that is Embrace, carrying the group's name after early plans to release it as a solo project of Tanya Michelle Smith, longtime vocalist member of the band. Maruro Malovasi's tender hand is given most productive airtime here, building on but reworking many of the same elements heard on 2018's Love For Love, and enlisting a sneak remix of 'Sunrise Forever' by Michael Gray, already a Traxsource chart-topper. Just 500 copies of this one, so hold tight before it's gone in a neon flash!

Review: While he may well be best-known for his nostalgic, synthesiser-powered Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan project, Gordon Chapman-Fox has also put out some fine music under his given name - not least 2023's ambient opus on Castles In Space's 'Subscription Library' offshoot. On Very Quiet Music To Be Played Very Loudly, Chapman-Fox delivers four expansive ambient soundscapes. He sets the tone with the Vangelis-esque synth suspense and spacey creep of 'Components', before opting for sustained, almost neo-classical sweeps and delay-laden electronic string sounds on 'Fringe'. 'Emphasis' is immersive and quietly picturesque, while closing cut 'Singular' is dark, moody and quietly paganistic - a kind of imaginary soundtrack to a 21st century folk-horror movie.

Review: Pearl Charles presides over the true with Desert Queen, her most refined work yet: a bittersweet set recorded in Joshua Tree with producer Lewis Pesacov and mixed by Michael Rault. Drawing on the velveteen textures of classic Stax sides, the album drapes Charles's crisp songwriting in brass, strings and soft grooves, caught somewhere in the smoky control of Karen Carpenter and the group swagger of Memphis session royalty. This is west coast country-soul at its most elegant, with a light touch and a lingering warmth.

Review: Formed in Kirby in Liverpool in 1979, China Crisis are a band with some of the most devoted fans, with even long time admirers Vampire Weekend taking them on the road for support spots as late as last year. This album brings together a reworked selection of their greatest hits and fan-favourite deep cuts, and the the tracklist reads like a love letter to the band's legacy. 'Animals In Jungles' is a cult favourite from one of their most cherished albums, 1983's wonderfully titled Working with Fire and Steel - Possible Pop Songs Volume Two. 'Wishful Thinking' i a top ten UK hit no less i remains an enduring classic too. Other highlights include the atmospheric 'Arizona Sky' and the smooth, heartfelt ballad 'You Did Cut Me', a gem from their 1985 catalogue. 'Black Man Ray' and 'King In A Catholic Style' show the band's ability to balance pop sensibilities with lyrical depth. Arranged by Jack Hymers and mixed by Grammy-winning engineer Mark Phythian, the reworking of these tracks breathes new life into familiar songs with lush arrangements and warm production.

Review: Funk and soul album don't come much better than this. Chocolate Milk's Action Speaks Louder Than Words is a 1975 classic and an essential piece of New Orleans music history. Discovered and produced by the legendary Allen Toussaint, the band's debut blends tight grooves, sharp horn lines and socially conscious lyrics with the rich musical heritage of their hometown. The standout title track is a rare groove classic still sampled and revered decades later. With polished arrangements and undeniable rhythm, this album firmly established Chocolate Milk as a force in 70s funk and remains a superb boogie-infused release that is as vital and infectious today as ever.

Review: The soundtrack for Risk of Rain 2's Seekers of the Storm, is here making its vinyl debut, and it's an edition fans won't want to miss. Composed by Chris Christodoulou, with a special contribution from Stavros Markonis, this release brings some atmospheric and powerful music to life on a stunning looking record. The vinyl itself is a visual treat, featuring a striking blue, white, dark green, sky blue, and black marbled design. This soundtrack is housed in a beautifully crafted gatefold sleeve with artwork by Daniele Giardini. Christodoulou's compositions delve into new, unexplored territories with a blend of intense and emotive pieces. The use of a seven-string guitar adds a new layer of depth to the music, delivering some of the most elaborate and heavy tracks ever written for the series. Markonis' contribution introduces a fresh sound, seamlessly integrating into the Risk of Rain universe while also bringing something unique to the table. The recent uptick in soundtracks released on vinyl have really shown that fans love connecting with the music of many movies and TV shows. Even if you may not know the series, this is one the best in recent weeks for you to enjoy.

Review: Cicciolina. Now there's a character. Disco-pop singer, porn star, politician, and ex-wife/muse of legendary shiny balloon artist Jeff Koons i it's fair to say the Italo-Hungarian icon has worn a few hats over the years. Perversion features a selection of reissued tracks from her 80s heyday, including the magnificently titled 'Sexy Porno Shop', which in itself renders the record worthy of consideration. If you hadn't already guessed from the preamble, the music is kitsch, to say the least, with bubblegum vocals, earworm synth lines and generally pulsing tempos. But there are hidden gems: the (ahem) innocent vocals and twinkling melodies of 'Goccioline', the rousing congas and inspired 'no drugs, I love sex, much more sex' vocal of 'No Drugs', and the brilliant cover of the Rolling Stones' 'Satisfaction'. Echoing far, far simpler times, it's either politically incorrect nostalgia or pioneering, sexually liberated abandon. Either way, it's bags of fun.

Review: Ambre Ciel is a Montreal-based composer and singer known for her dreamy, spacious soundscapes. Drawing from impressionism, American minimalism and contemporary classical music, her work blends layered violins, piano and ethereal vocals in both English and French so is a sophisticated and stylish sound. Coming from a family of artists, she began with violin at six, later experimenting with pedals, loops and harmonies. Her debut album Still, There is the Sea marks a delicate yet bold entry into her sonic world and is a deeply personal, atmospheric journey shaped by strings, acoustic textures and voice. It's an imperfect beginning, as she calls it, but one brimming with intention and beauty.

Review: Civic frontman Jim McCullogh apparently likes the idea of his band being more of a "mind set" than a group per se. Each record adds another layer to that perspective, like the evolution of a character rather than the trajectory of a troubadour troupe. In this case "one of the main objectives for this album was to make a drastic turn in our sound. Break the mould, melt the steel." Of course, there's still that heavily post-punk influenced Civic sound coursing through the rhythms here, and it's as gritty as ever. But it's also full of curveballs and unexpected twists, at times punting for a more jangle-y atmosphere, in other moments something resolutely muscular and main stage. Either way, it's going to hit you in the face and refuse to apologise.

Review: This new collaboration between Swedish producer Civilistjavel! and Lebanese artist Mayssa Jallad is both a conceptual inversion and a sonic ghost of Jallad's original record. Refracting material from her Beirut-focused album through sparse dub techno, Civilistjavel! transforms narrative-rich compositions into abstract, often beatless forms where Mayssa's voice floats disembodied in a fog of delay and reverb. Tracks like 'Baynana (Version)' and 'Holiday Inn (March 21 to 29) (Version)' feel haunted by memory, with structure hinted at but rarely resolved. It's a remarkable shift in context, but one that remains emotionally aligned. Civilistjavel!'s production avoids spectacle in favour of slow erosionivocal fragments hover, dissolve, re-emerge. Even more rhythmic moments like 'Kharita (Dub)' maintain an eerie restraint, built on slippery grooves and shimmering decay. Both artists are working far from their geographic homesiMayssa in Boston, Tomas in Uppsalaibut the result sounds uncannily unified. It's a record that holds grief and beauty in the same hand, illuminating the quiet force of Mayssa's voice and Civilistjavel!'s deft minimalism. Not so much a remix album as a parallel reality: austere, spectral, and deeply moving.

Review: Italian techno heavyweight Claudio PRC's fifth album, Self Surrender, is a meditative dive into self-acceptance that comes on Amsterdam's long-running and always top-notch Delsin Records. Claudio delivers a fluid narrative across an exploration of tasteful ambient, dub, minimal house and deep techno here, and it opens with some absorbing introspection before gradually shifting into more kinetic territory. It is driven by pulsing kicks, dreamy textures, acid flourishes and ghostly strings as a refined blend of techno and house sounds all coalesce with the signature depth Claudio has honed over years of his craft. Self Surrender closes on an ethereal note, which encapsulates its core message of letting go.

Review: Clifford Jordan's dynamic live set At Condon's was originally recorded in 1990 and is now reissued on vinyl for the first time. The tenor saxophonist's deep, bluesy tone shines through in this 16-piece big band setting and it has been captured by Maple Shade Records' audiophile-grade production. The session features standout performances from jazz luminaries like Dizzy Reece, Benny Powell and Junior Cook with classics like Ellington's 'Don't Get Around Much Anymore,' Gillespie's 'I Waited for You' and Jordan's 'Third Avenue' all adding up to an album that is a thrilling document of late-era brilliance. Jordan was truly spiritual jazz innovator and one of the most expressive saxophonists of his time.

Review: Cola Boyy tragically passed away in March 2024 so Quit to Play Chess is his final album. He was well known and loved for his unique blend of neo-disco, funk and innovative musical styles and gained fans worldwide from Coachella to Paris. Following his EP Black Boogie Neon in 2018 and debut album Prosthetic Boombox back in 2021, this album is his grooviest yet as it blends hip-hop, r&b and drum & bass while featuring collaborations with Andrew VanWyngarden of MGMT, Jared Solomon and Nate Fox, who has worked with Chance the Rapper. These 12 inventive, passionate tracks are a fitting, boundary-pushing farewell to Cola Boyy's musical legacy.

Review: Funk legend Bootsy Collins drops his rather indelible 23rd studio album at the age of 73. Despite the advancing years, Bootsy remains a restless innovator and tireless blender of funk, punk, rock, r&b and futuristic sounds. This latest concoction album features collaborations with icons like Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, and Dave Stewart alongside fresh talents such as October London and Fantaazma. Bootsy embraces his role as mentor here and ensures that his singular grooves are embellished with new school energy. Beyond music, he's also launching the Bootsy Collins Network, a streaming hub for live shows, tech and gaming that could well be worth a look.

Review: "Random, tense, scary and compulsively fascinating". That's how Chris Connelly describes the period in which the tracks on this album were originally written. As the main man behind some of the most iconic and influential industrial bands in history - Ministry, Revolting Cocks, Murder.Inc... - he's definitely well placed to make this kind of judgment. And it comes across even more understandable if you grasp the fact he's meaning all that in a good way. Throbbing Gristle should need no introduction, having pretty much written the blueprint for industrial musick in the nuclear age. A sound that screamed "get us out". Combine that oeuvre with this guy, then, and you have something which is uncompromisingly explosive and effective. Not to mention fitting, given half the people on the street seem convinced we're rushing headfirst into another atomic standoff, if not something much, much worse.

Review: A key figure in Brazilian jazz-funk and a founding member of Azymuth, Conti merges deep house, samba and jazz-funk into a seamless experience. His signature percussive style is on full display, effortlessly blending electronic elements with organic instrumentation. His fourth solo album returns with a much-needed reissue, highlighting his ability to craft intricate rhythms and dynamic grooves. 'Bacurau' is a raw exploration of rhythm, built solely on Conti's percussion and electronic textures, bridging Brazilian dance music with African influences. The title track takes a deep dive into 1970s disco, its bassline and shimmering synths channeling both American and Eurodisco flavors. 'Jemburi' leans into late-night jazz, exuding a cool, laid-back vibe, while 'Ecos Da Mata' evokes the cosmic fusion of Sun Ra meeting a Brazilian dancefloor. With production assistance from Daniel Maunick and additional contributions from keyboardist Fernando Moraes and bassist Alex Maheiros, the album pulses with energy, balancing electronic experimentation with soulful, dance-driven grooves. A timeless work, it effortlessly connects the past and future of Brazilian jazz and dance music.

Review: American guitar legend Ry Cooder's 1985 score remains a defining example of minimalist film music, built almost entirely around sparse motifs and slide guitar. Recorded for Wim Wenders' feature set in the American Southwest, the ten-track sequence avoids orchestration entirely, opting instead for open-ended cues that feel improvised but never unfocused. 'Paris, Texas' opens with the recognisable main theme i a slow, resonant guitar line set against silence. 'Brothers' and 'Nothing Out There' follow similar patterns, with minor variations in phrasing and tempo. The inclusion of 'Cancion Mixteca', sung by Harry Dean Stanton, adds one of the only vocal moments on the set, grounded in traditional folk. The remainder of the tracks i including 'No Safety Zone', 'Houston In Two Seconds' and 'Dark Was The Night' i continue the pared-back approach, prioritising tone and atmosphere over melody. Some 40 years since its original release, the material hasn't dated i not because it sounds modern, but because it was never trying to. It remains quietly influential, especially in the way it reframed narrative scoring through reduction.

Review: Detroit rock monster Alice Cooper's band hit their stride in 1971 with this raw, swaggering major-label breakout, now reissued on Rhino's high-fidelity imprint. The set blends garage rock grit with theatrical flair, laying the foundation for what would later be called shock rock. Powered by Bob Ezrin's debut co-production, the groupiAlice Cooper, Glen Buxton, Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway and Neal Smithideliver hard-edged anthems laced with surrealist angst and proto-punk snarl. Tracks like 'I'm Eighteen' - the track that John Lydon auditioned for the Sex Pistols with - and 'Caught In A Dream' balance noise and nuance, while deeper cuts like 'Sun Arise' and 'Is It My Body' play with form and stagecraft. A new interview with Ezrin offers insight into the sessions and his early relationship with the band. Recut for audiophile listening, it's a vital snapshot of early 70s US rock, reissued with care and context.

Review: Throbbing Gristle co-founder and all round British experimental electronic institution, Cosey Fanni Tutti returns with 2t2, a new full-length set for release through her own Conspiracy International label. The new nine-tracker extends the tracked terrains of 2019's Tutti, blurring personal reflections on years of loss and upheaval into prosthetic electronic soundscapes. The record unfolds over two contrasting halves, one beat-driven, the other more introspective, yet it also keeps anchored to a certain ground point emphasising resilience and focus. Lead cut 'Stound' features overtone chanting, which Cosey describes as a way to channel inner strength: "allowing the sounds to permeate and soothe as well as create a sense of power."

Review: Flexing the full spectrum of roots music and featuring vocals from an epic range of singers from Omar to Liam Bailey, Nia Chennai to Tills; Green Lanes is the debut album from Jamie Rodigan and Aaron Horn's impressive Crate Classics project and it sounds every bit as fresh as it did when it landed digitally last year. Here on long-awaited wax it's been given a new coat of arms by way of some exceptional remixes from three artists who have spectrum flexing tenures themselves. Originator Congo Natty brings the teachings, pioneer Potential Badboy goes old testament on 'More Time', 'Missing' keeps it dreamy and soulful while Tyke get ruff on 'Westside'. An essential accompaniment to the full narrative.

Review: A four sided selection of remixes of the goth kingpins' widely acclaimed and long awaited latest album Songs of a Lost World. From the moment Paul Oakenfold's 'I Can Never Say Goodbye' rework opens proceedings i lush strings, half-submerged vocals, and a cinematic pace i it's clear that curation, not just contribution, has shaped the form. Orbital turn 'Endsong' into a glistening spiral of sequencers and tension, while Sally C's raw house take on 'A Fragile Thing' ups the pulse without disturbing the gloom. Smith i still unmistakably the same outsider from Crawley, West Sussex i guides things with restraint, letting the space speak louder than the noise. Four Tet's version of 'Alone' closes the first disc like a forgotten lullaby, cracked and glinting. You don't get every remix i the more textural, post-rock turns are gone i but you do get a sharp cross-section that keeps faith with both atmosphere and momentum. It's the kind of record that feels designed for the night: not to lift it, exactly, but to sink into it willingly, track by track.

Review: Robert Smith has always treated remixing less like revision, more like ritual i a habit that's followed him since his days in Crawley, West Sussex and then surfacing officially on the first Cure remix album, 1990's Mixed Up. This triple-disc release of reworkings from the band's latest LP Songs of a Lost World feels assembled with obsessive care, mapping out every possible mood lurking beneath the surface. There are club-ready flips, yes i Sally C, Danny Briottet and Gregor Tresher all push the rhythm forward i but they sit beside glacial pieces that feel more like haunted sketches than reworks. Mura Masa's take on 'All I Ever Am' is disintegrated almost beyond recognition, its vocal a flickering memory. Mogwai's 'Endsong' feels like the end of the world in slow motion. Even Chino Moreno turns in something striking i 'WarSong' morphs into a sludgy howl with heat-warped edges. But it's the sequencing that surprises: these aren't bolted together, but grouped in arcs, as though Smith were arranging the bones of an old idea into something still alive. Four Tet's version of 'Alone' is a high point i deeply textured but featherlight. Like all The Cure's output, what really matters is the feeling of being drawn somewhere, and Smith's hand never letting go.

Review: Captured during The Cure's seminal 1981 Picture Tour, this vital 13-track collection is a raw, atmospheric glimpse into a band deep in their post-punk ascent. Recorded while promoting their haunting third album Faith, the setlist draws from early classics like 'A Forest,' '10:15 Saturday Night' and 'Fire in Cairo' while darker cuts like 'All Cats Are Grey' and 'Play for Today' showcase the band's moody evolution from wiry, spiky songsmiths into epic goth pioneers. Stripped-down, urgent and undeniably magnetic, this live recording cemented The Cure's status as generational icons and even more years it, it is still resonant with intensity and vulnerability.

Review: This new live release from Californian hip-hop veterans Cypress Hill captures their full-scale collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra, recorded in July 2024 and reworking their landmark Black Sunday album alongside key tracks from across their catalogue. Conducted by Troy Miller, the performance adds sweeping arrangements and new sonic dimensions to classics like 'Insane in the Brain', 'I Ain't Goin' Out Like That' and 'Hits From the Bong', while tracks like 'How I Could Just Kill a Man' and '(Rock) Superstar' are reimagined with widescreen drama. The orchestra doesn't dilute the impact i instead, it sharpens it, with strings and brass accentuating the menace and clarity of DJ Muggs' original production. 'Dr. Greenthumb' and 'Illusions' sit particularly well in this new context, showing how elastic the group's material can be without losing its edge. It's a new release that avoids the usual crossover pitfalls i the arrangements are built with detail and respect for the original tracks, and B-Real's delivery stays sharp throughout. A rare example of a classical-meets-rap performance that feels earned, not novelty i and a reminder of just how deep this group's catalogue runs.

Review: On her ambitious ninth album, American pop queen Miley Cyrus delivers a genre-spanning collection that highlights her desire to constantly evolve and challenge convention. Something Beautiful blends soulful ballads, shimmering 80s pop and dancefloor-ready anthems, all pop which are anchored by her unmistakable, raspy vocals. From the emotionally rich title track to the high-energy sparkle of 'Every Girl You've Ever Loved,' the album brims with dynamic songwriting and bold sonic choices. While its conceptual aspirations sometimes feel abstract, the music is polished, confident and often euphoric. With strong collaborations, vivid production and a clear love for performance, the record reaffirms Cyrus as a fearless pop innovator exploring new emotional terrain.

Review: Marking the beginning of Austro-Bohemian romantic-era classical composer Mahler's deep engagement with themes of resurrection and transcendence, Symphony No. 2 stands as his first fully personal statement in the form. Claudio Abbado's recording with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra remains one of the most striking interpretations available; spanning the breadth of Mahler's vision, from the luminous serenity of the softer passages to the thunderous force of its climaxes. This new edition revisits the original four-track tapes, offering a freshly remixed and recut version.