Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Caleto Records's eighth outing takes the form of this various artists compilation featuring exclusively Polish producers. The Etat Cru duo of Olszewski and Pawlescu kick off with the wire and sinewy synths and tech house pomp of 'Jasmina' then Jerry M offers two cuts. 'Gutek' is a nice spaced-out tech cruiser with flashy astral pads and 'Gondin' rides on well-designed breakbeats with an old-school bassline. Robsessive's 'Look After You' is a deeper, dubber, grittier cut for late-night vibes and SIM ON's 'Brudas' is all glitchy and dystopian urban landscaping. Poland sure has plenty of talent based on this EP.

Review: Rocksteady Disco welcomes Dennis Liber & Lex for a standout debut here. Their four-tracker captures the magic of musical nights spent down in Mexican hotspot Tulum with organic and airy grooves aplenty. 'Una Sera D'Estate' (feat Max Giovara) exodus late-night warmth and loved-up vibes with its melodic bassline and disco-tinged house drums. 'End Of The Line' is more lively but is no less direct with its big drums and pointed bass phrasings. Liber then goes solo for the dreamy, Italo-tinged yet tropical 'Playa Eden' and wonderfully escapist closer 'Hidden Island' complete with Balearic beats and the sound of singing dolphins.

Review: Milo Raad is back on Rotterdam's finest, Mord Records, with a fine follow-up to his last outing, the 'Blood Pressure' EP. This one opens at pace with 'Bushido' and its rushes of synth and hi hats, which sweep you off your feet in an instant. 'Flash Point' has a more stripped-back sound with a hypnotic meld of drums and kicks that makes for perfect 5am escapism. The deep techno of 'Yawara' is run through with eerie, searching synths that describe a desolate urban scene and 'Detour' is a final assault on both head and heel with its unrelenting drum pressure.

Review: Reborn Italo-disco label Fulltime Production's ongoing remix series, in which contemporary producers tackle gems from the vaults, reaches its tenth instalment. Da Lukas steps up first, re-imagining Rainbow Team's lightly funk-fuelled, string-laden 1982 disco jam 'Bite The Apple' as an action-packed disco-house anthem, before long-serving Italian producer Massimo Beradi turns Michael Baker's 1983 workout 'Don't You Want My Loving' into a hybrid boogie-soul/deep house treat. Over on side B, Souls Groove successfully 're-vibe' Say When's 'Save Me', an early house era European synth-pop anthem (and yes, you'll know it), while GAMM regular Black Truffle's take on Ma Gi C's 'Shampoo' is a gritty disco-funk delight.

Review: Italian artist Recut is back with a new four-track outing that comes steeped in the lovably mad energy of acid, the enduring rawness of the Chicago underground and the drum sounds of New York. He has been active since the 90s so has a great through-line to these foundational styles but makes them his own here. Interestingly he started producing with turntables and mixers after being inspired by DMC champion so brings a real live feel to his sounds. 'Narcotic Tango' is a full-throttle pumper, 'Acid Street' layers undulating 303 lines into silky and elastic drums and 'Jack O Acid' gets more intense and in your face. 'Feel The Heat' shuts down with some trippy synth colours.

Review: Prelude is the don when it comes to the dubbier end of disco in the 80s. So many of its releases were staples of the key New York City scene at the time and they have kept their charm over the decades. 'Beat The Street' from Sharon Redd is one of them - a track doused on echo and reverb with dancing synths layered up over analogue drums, cold claps and with her fine vocals soaring high and bright. The vocal is where it's at but the paired back instrumental is also a fine groove for some retro feels.

Review: Originally released in 1968, this debut 45 from the Reggie Sadler Combo would soon go on to become a verified bona fide Northern Soul classic in the UK. Fronted on vocals by the lesser-known but multifarious talent Reggie Sadler - variations on the Combo name also include the Reggie Saddler Family and the Reggie Sadler Revue - 'Hear My Song' is a pacey master-classic case study in effortlessness and penitence, in which the narrator begs for his baby's return to him. The star of the show, in our opinion, is 'For The Love Of Hunice', which offers a comparatively mellow, instrumental Hammond organ purr set to funk. Now available again thanks to this reissue by German label outcropping Tramp.

Review: 'Thermae' feels like a track that's more about the spaces between the notes than the notes themselves. Featuring Andy Baxter on guitar, bass, and drums, along with Jim Piela on saxophone and Francesca Uberti on piano, it's a laid-back, almost meditative piece that brings to mind the warm, smooth vibes of Khruangbin and Glass Beams. The track is sparse, but not in a way that feels emptyithere's a certain tension in the way it unfolds, with each instrument carving out its own space. The saxophone, in particular, stands out with an FX-laden part that evokes the mood of Robohand's 'Palms' LP from 2023, adding a touch of depth and atmosphere that lingers in the background. There's a nice balance between the organic and the electronic here, which shows in how the track was recorded between London and New York. It's all mixed and mastered with care by Sean Woodlock and John Webber, ensuring that each element, no matter how subtle, shines through in its own time. It's a reflective piece that doesn't demand attention, but invites it when you're ready.

Review: Rolling Recordings from Antigua makes its debut here with a first release under the guise of Rock Star Heroes who offer up a couple of hard-to-find and previously unreleased funky disco influenced club bound instrumentals of out and out rock classics from one of the worlds best known stadium bands. These are perfectly designed for the club and collide rock, funk, disco and more into fresh forms. Opener 'Undercover Of The Night' popular with the likes of DJ Harvey and is a slice of raw, hard-hitting groove magic with organic percussion and live drums laden with funky guitar riffs and lively chord work that brings the whole thing to life. On the flip is an instrumental version of 'Miss You' which still has all the swagger of the iconic original with sultry harmonica luring you to the floor where the masterful drums and guitars will keep you moving.

Review: The second ever release from Discos Martos moulds another 45, this time from Rocksteady Romantics, who are committed to the timeless allure of rocksteady. Also keeping true to the label's analogue ethos, the record captures essences of Jamaican soundsystem culture with deep dub grooves and a fresh take on classic soul. The A's powerful dub with Tibstar is readymade for stacked soundsystems, its infectious, picante horn section skimming aplomb bass. On the B-side, the band offers a unique Spanish rendition of 'I'm Your Puppet', with Tito Ramirez's smooth vocals bringing a new dimension to the beloved soul classic.

Review: Deep house fans can rarely go wrong with the work of Praising mainstay Frank Rodger. He's on a good run of late and now he keeps the going with a return to Seasons Limited that again taps into his signature and timeless sound. A side 'Deep Squares' is one of those long and winding sounds that slowly but surely seduces you and sinks you into its deep, evocative groves. 'Sandton Skys' then brings heavy kicks and subtle pad work while rickety percussion brings off-balance goodness. The highlight might well come last with 'Come Together', which is playful and louche, smartly sampled and underpinned by a dusty deep house vibe.

Review: Franck Roger recently impressed with a vocal project alongside Arnold Jarvis and is now back on Seasons Limited with some of his signature house depths. Opener 'Don't Look Down' kicks off with louche, lovely drums and swirling pads and vocals that soon melt the heart. 'That's Alright' is a more thumping kick but is no less heartfelt with its warped bass and prickly hi-hats. 'Proscription' closes out with smooth, serene grooves that have your head in the stars and your heart locked into the romantic melodies. .

Review: REPRESS ALERT!: This new 12" on US label Seasons Limited brings together two of deep house's most accomplished and tasteful names in French legend Franck Roger plus Arnold Jarvis who he last collaborated with in 2007, while UK mainstay and Freerange label boss Jimpster remixes. It is one the label has been cooking up for a while but proves more than worth the wait. 'Living My Life' is the one original collab and is smooth, buttery deep house with lush vocal tones. Jimpster brings a little more bounce and a fat bassline on one mix, then dubs things out to prefect for the second. A timeless set of grooves that will level-up any collection.

Review: Seasons Limited made a welcome return in 2024 and now keeps up that good momentum with another big single from French house mainstay Franck Roger with some fine vocals by Paul B. It's a super smooth sound with drum swaying back and forth, molten synth adding late night and tissue soul and the tender vocal adding intimacy and late night romance. Rocco Rodamaal steps up for remixes and first of all he pairs things back to a sedate, seductive deep house roll then fleshes out the drums with some dubby weight to finish.!

Review: We're still a little way from summer but Franck Roger already has an eye on house music for the warmer months. His 'I Can't Wait' comes with a vocal from South African Ree Morris whose smoky tones bring classic deep house vibes to a nice smooth instrumental. Franck's Atlantic dubthrumental version is even more deep and cuddly then flipside joint "Goldstone 92' is a portal back to the 90s with bumping drums and humid chords that bring good vibes only.

Review: Back by popular demand comes this four track revisitation of the famous 80s synthpop classic, which emerged in December 2024 with the kind of slightly Euro twist in the vocal department you might expect from the Netherlands-based Random Vinyl stable. The Master Mix is perhaos the most poignant, given that its airy, lush pads were put together by the late producer Marc Hartman who very sadly passed away in August 2024 at the far too young age of 58. But all four show due reverence to this monolithic moment in electronic music history, without resisting the temptation to add a little new. Grey-t stuff.

Review: Chachi Romero's famously magic fingers are back in full force on the latest release from Open Air 72. This project dives into the nu-funk movement and do so by mixing up retro-funk vibes with futuristic synth sounds reminiscent of the likes of MoFunk, Zackery Funk Force and Dabeull. A-side jam 'Sunwave Space' rings endlessly nodding and funky basslines to withering sci-fi motifs and blissed-out vocal coos. It's a nice and catchy sound while 'Arm Candy' is a more deep and dusty house groove with libidinous vocals and rolling beats topped with some well-chosen vocal samples for an extra steamy allure.

Review: Two cornerstones of rare Amazonian (!) cumbia appear together on 7" for the first time, as Vampisoul resurrect these wildly sought-after versions of 'Sonido Amazonico'. On one side is a hypnotic, percussion-heavy take by Ranil Y Su Conjunto Tropical, first and only released on LP. Led by Raul Llerena, this Iquitos band helped forge the sound of psychedelic cumbia through Llerena's Producciones Llerena imprint, now a holy grail label for collectors of such trove-bound tropical rarities. On the inverse comes Los Wembler's de Iquitos - of equal stature as one of the genre's most enduring groups - bringing their stomping rhythmoids to the same track; it also just so happens to remain one of their most defining anthems. The UK's not the only "jungle scene" out there - just listen to these killer, understoried sonic forests.

Review: Goldie revives his genre-defining Rufige Kru alias for Alpha Omega, a new double LP on London Records. The record secures the first new release under the name since 2009. Though the proverbial kru once consisted in Goldie (Clifford Price), Linford Jones and Mark Rutherford, Price characteristically dominated it. Rufige finally came to with the seminal 'Darkrider' release on Reinforced Records: the track was a handed down later version of what started as a plundering of Japan's 'Ghosts Of My Life', giving the classic new wave title the mood of a broken-window metropolis, and it became the object of much cultural theorising for its influence on d&b's reflection of class politics. Now, Goldie faces the city of glass again, exposing the dirt behind the neon with longtime collaborator Submotive, enlisted to propel the project further into the "rufige": classic roots crusted by high-presh, concrete crud.