Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Alektra is a new project featuring the combined talents of long-serving European nu-disco and house hero Daniel Monaco and rising star John Noseda. As debut singles go, 'Shake Your Body' is a genuine treat - a throbbing, high-octane trip into mid 1980s Hi-NRG hedonism rich in sequenced, arpeggio-style bass, heavy machine drums, razor-sharp synth riffs, glassy-eyed female vocal samples and oodles of sweat-soaked male muscularity. It's basically a peak-time dancefloor anthem in the making. As well as the original mix (side A), we're also treated to a handy instrumental take shorn of the distinctive female vocal samples, and an effects-laden acapella for DJs who like to get imaginative in the mix

Review: On 'Heavennnnnn', Detroit vocalist and producer Deon Jamar evinces soul salacity like no other, following up his last Altars LP with a three-tracker of shimmering thymic neo soul, tempered by electronic smoothening and fine motor skills from recording to fine-tuning. Again released on the experimental and newly inaugural Black Music label - conceived as an "art exhibit, concert, and party series founded by Deon and Brian Oscar" - these are soul stopovers to contrast the earlier three-parter's drastic Detroit breakdowns. The title track has a Rhodes line to die for, its trembling amplitude constructively interfering with any sense of forestalled time we might've brought to the listening experience beforehand; 'Salvation Steps' and 'Little James Birthday' provide further versatility over understated percussions and G-funk slapping radio leakage. A promising continuation in sound by a label you'd best keep your eye on.

Review: In 1979, the Washington-based Janice Lakers Quintet recorded this fetching demo, beloved for its formal attending to the joy of making music together. With Lakers on vocals, Dick Cady on piano, Mike Edwards on woodwinds, Larry Turner on bass and Fred Taylor on drums, the group delivered two unique covers, each worked into their own signature style. Their take on Seawind's 'He Loves You' strips back the funk, replacing it with a light, effortless glide. Taylor's whisking drums and Turner's steady bassline lay an airy foundation, while Edwards' clarinet and Cady's piano inject bursts of energy mid-song. On the flip, 'Shaker Song' bridges Spyro Gyra's instrumental and Manhattan Transfer's later vocal version; richer in texture, it offered Lakers a chance to explore her vocal range, closing with lively scatting.

Review: Born and raised in Chicago, Durty Truth Records founder Darryn Jones delivers a couple of corkers for North-East England re-edit imprint Hot Biscuit Recordings. A-side 'In The Bush' is a thrillingly heavyweight jam - an Afro-funk meets Afro-disco version of a track made famous by US disco and boogie outfits, which Jones has expertly extended and rearranged in all the right places. B-side 'In The Know', meanwhile, is a take on a more classic-sounding slab of Afro-disco that boasts a superb "walking bassline", extended electric piano solos, sultry strings and a fine male lead vocal.

Review: Jori is Jori Hulkkonen, the long-time Finnish artist who has mastered dub techno depths many times over. Here he gets more minimal and tech-inclined with the seance outing on Gorin, but very much keeps his signature dubbed out low ends. 'Chroma' is masterfully smooth and silky, with deft hi hats and lithe synths making for sweet and seductive loops as some nice synth work layers in the narrative. 'Quelle' is another impossibly cool and breezy deep tech glider with hints of old school West Coast tech. 'Citrone' is the final original and another super stylish deep minimal tech fusion. The Track & Trace New Friends mix reworks the drums to land with extra pillowy softness.

Review: There is no questioning Jovonn's deep house credentials. Smooth groves have long since oozed out of the American master and now comes another flow of goodness on the Next Moon label's first foray into vinyl. 'Back In The Dark' has it all - the spoken word consciousness, the glowing jazz chords and the cuddly beats. 'Moov' Sphere' gets more dark with bleeping synth sequences and what sound like wind sounds all darting about the mix and then 'Keep On Dancin'' lands nice and heavy of dusty drums with swinging hits and Roy Ayres-style melodic goodness. Last of all is the most raw and evocative of the lot with a spoken word sermon making 'Jessie's Speech' really cut through.

Review: Joyhauser revisit one of their breakthrough tracks with the 2025 version of 'Elements', out again through Terminal M; first released in 2019, the track helped cement the Belgian duo's place in the upper ranks of festival-ready techno, driven by towering synth leads and seismic drops. This new version sharpens the original's impact: percs are is tighter, basslines sling lower, and structures come re-mixed for optimal tension and release, tailored to high-cap systems. Kos:mo's flip offers a contrasting take, dialling back the aggression in favour of a moody, slow-release suspender. Both versions prove the power of a certain musical preservative instinct, when harnessed with intent, that is.

Review: JR Disc has already become a firm part of the Detroit new school with his two previous outings on this label. Once again here he shows off his raw but emotionally poignant style and knack for a catchy groove. 'Bust' has rusty hi-hat sounds and deep, cavernous bass with rough edge drums a la Omar S. 'Wonder Traxx 1' then picks up the pace with heavy but inviting kicks that are again all frayed and dusty while some jazzy melodies bring a cheeky and playful twist. Pure Motor City gold if you ask us.

Review: Gladio Operations continues to bolster its catalogue with an international five-track set showcasing both label newcomers and trusted affiliates. Protocolo Sysex, the new alias of Madrid's Fabio Vinuesa, sets the tone with 'NotTheFuture'ia dense, adrenalised workout packed with rugged basslines and twitchy sequences. It's a fierce opener that signals the label's club-facing intent. Sinitsin, hailing from Russia, debuts with a moodier, machine-led cut, its melody work striking a balance between precision and drama. Jauzas the Shining returns alongside Foreign Sequence, offering a cold-blooded, cinematic highlight with shadowy synths and detached vocal fragments. Teslasonic's 'Chubby Bee' acid-kissed electro is quick and wiry, while Igors Vorobjovs brings the EP to a poignant close with a brooding IDM coda rich in ghosted textures.

Review: LowMoney unites fresh global talent for another big serving of their signature club sounds. Ukrainian producer Rustam kicks things off with 'Happy Comby,' a gritty acid-tinged groove built on deep, dreamy basslines. On A2, Jordan Lakofski delivers 'The Heat,' which is a nostalgia-soaked roller with a punchy 8-bit synth and infectious bassline. Glasidum nails the warm-up vibe with his trippy, groovy and perfectly deep opener on the flipside. Closing it out, Dutch duo MASI serve up a lush, introspective house cut that floats into the sunset. From acid edge to dreamy depth, this four-tracker has got something for everyone, which makes it a hugely useful 12" from the LowMoney camp.

Review: Interdance impressed with its first couple of forays onto wax and now its third release packs in more fresh talent from South America's underground. On the A-side, Buenos Aires' Vinz delivers two standout tracks: 'Instinto,' a raw, trance-tinged techno trip straight from 1992, and 'Transradio,' which is a cinematic journey with pounding drums and acidic synth lines burrowing deep. Flip to the B-side for Uruguayan producer Juan Dairecshion's deeper, more hypnotic sound on 'Rebel Rebel,' which rides a steady four-on-the-floor pulse, while 'UR Love' dives into murky, Detroit-inspired territory with eerie vocals and twisted melodies inspired by the group name-checked in the title. A bold, mind-bending four-tracker built for serious late-night floors.

Review: British keyboardist, producer and songwriter Matt Johnsonibest known as a longtime core member of Jamiroquaiand no relation to the The The lynchpin isteps out once again under his own name with a second solo album that channels cosmic jazz, 70s funk and a renewed sense of purpose. Built around the symbolic narrative of Greta Thunberg's 2019 solo Atlantic crossing, the new record balances personal reflection with the energy of vintage groove music. With over 20 years' experience as Jamiroquai's co-writer and keyboardistihaving co-produced albums like AutomatoniJohnson now synthesises that foundation into something even more expansive. Aided by guests like Cory Wong, Will Lee and jazz fusion great Jeff Lorber, he crafts instrumentals that are warm, exploratory and fluid, rich with analogue synths and lyrical progressions. His YouTube community of 140,000 keyboard fans will find much to love here, but it's just as inviting for those new to his solo work. This is music that stares into the storm, yet sails through it with colour and clarity.

Review: First released in 1981 in the wake of Ian Curtis's death, the compilation Still served as both an epilogue to and archive of Joy Division's brief but seismic existence, beginning in 1980s Manchester. A one-of-a-kind compilation, its uniqueness stems from two non-album wranglings, 'Dead Souls' and 'Glass', which precipitate a revelatory ream of studio outtakes, before a raw, emotionally freighted live set from their final show at Birmingham University. That concert also captured the only time the band played 'Ceremony' live; the tune would later reappear, reshaped, on the other side of Curtis's death, as New Order's debut single. An unusually passable idiosyncrasy consists in the fact that Curtis' vocals are barely audible on this version, as was often the case with every live performance of the song. Now reissued, this has to be one of the most comprehensive four sides of formative post-punk supersession ever to hit the shelves.