Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Utter wildness ensues, and the dancefloor is left tarnished. After the success of their last release together, 'Mirazh', Thomas Schumacher and A.D.H.S. reunite for a potent follow-up, both bottling and jarring the essence of Berlin techno. Simplicity abounds on 'Ex Machina' - perhaps alluding to the portentous Alex Garland film of the same name whose artificially intelligent omens will never leave us - as repetitious carnival drums blend madly with a semaphoric, high-octave melody. 'Umbra' and 'Morbida' are of course wicked techno accompaniments to boot, but in our view, it's really the A that risks most for the biscuit; we're sure you'll love it.

Review: Few recordings capture the easy intensity of a summer afternoon like 'Everybody Loves the Sunshine'. Released in 1976 and wrapped in slow-drifting synths and soft falsettos, the track became a touchstone not just for Roy Ayers, but for 70s soul and beyond. Born in Los Angeles, Ayers helped define the jazz-funk crossover, placing the vibraphone at the centre of a sound both hazy and sharply detailed. The original vocal take on the A-side still melts under its own warmth; the instrumental on the flip uncovers the careful architecture beneath. Issued here on 7" black wax following Ayers' recent passing, this reissue feels like both a keepsake and a quiet honouring of an artist who shaped a whole way of listening.

Review: Roy Ayers at his most transcendent. 'Everybody Loves the Sunshine' is more than a summertime anthemiit's a spiritual moodboard that's shaped jazz-funk, soul, r&b and hip-hop for nearly 50 years. Ayers, born in Los Angeles and raised in its fertile fusion scene, places the vibraphone at the music's heart, coaxing heat-haze tones from sparse chords, synths, and that honeyed chorus. Flip it over and the instrumental version unlocks a deeper layer: stripped of vocals, it becomes a pure groove, drifting and hypnotic. What lingers is the balanceibetween melancholy and bliss, rhythm and release. A rare track that feels entirely unhurried yet quietly radical, now preserved in a limited pressing that looks as golden as it sounds.

Review: Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but currently based in Amsterdam, Augusto Taito debuts on Renegade Methodz with a fierce techno EP that cements his rising status. Taito brings the intensity and rawness here with pounding rhythms that build on solid previous releases on Mord and Tar Hallow. Opener 'Rampage' is all tom-laced techno pressure that never quits, 'Endless Flow' twitches with sci-fi edge over thudding drums and 'Intuitive Force' gets dark and menacing. 'Arena' is bold, stripped-down, and built for dark rooms and heavy systems. With a sound that's unmistakably his, Taito delivers techno at its most uncompromising here.

Review: Talking Drums return with Volume 8, another leftfield disco delight from the Manchester-based crew known for their genre-hopping, floor-filling edits. This latest 12" twists vintage grooves into fresh, club-ready energy, blending Euro-NRG, deep disco cuts and Balearic euphoria with their usual offbeat charm. The A-side, 'Fever Dreams', is a full-throttle, sweat-dripping workoutisequencers throb, horns wail and twin basslines drive the track forward with an unrelenting urgency. A cheeky vocal and a breakdown primed for peak-time chaos make this one irresistible for late-night mischief. On the flip, 'Too Hot' dials down the BPM but keeps the heat on, its laid-back disco strut laced with silky strings, funky breaks, and shimmering Rhodes keys. Then there's 'Maximum Balearic Dancer', a sun-soaked closer that takes a fragment of Swiss fusion and transforms it into a hypnotic, flamenco-tinged groove, complete with breezy synths and a soaring piano solo. With their latest releaseiexpect this one to become a secret weapon for DJs who like their edits playful, punchy and a little bit unpredictable.

Review: Tape Pack aka. Nick Dobbs first set about this relatively new d&b alias after finding inspiration in the so-called "tape packs" exchanged among friends in 90s playgrounds, many of which can still be found in book and record exchanges today. After 2024's 'World Unknown' now comes 'Light Years', an EP of equal heft made up of readily tractable beats (that 'Funky Mule' break is a real highlight). 'Antares', meanwhile, does not use the OG autotune tech in it as far as we know, as it is bereft of vocals, but it is the most heavenly track. The best things in life come in small packages, and the same can certainly be said for the latest Tape Pack.

Review: Shut Off Notice welcomes Teakup - a local Columbus, Ohio DJ and producer born Lauri Reponen and known for his stylish techno - for a second outing on the label. 'Forest Bed Moss' kicks off with dusty mid-tempo breaks and deep basslines full of soul, while 'Mhm' is a mechanical groove with dubby undertones and nice chopped vocals. 'Rain Groove Revisit' is a deep, percolating and stumbling rhythm with a smattering of percussion and bubbly feel infused with cooing female vocals. Finally, Teakup remixes Rew's 'Fragile Abundance' into a deft and lithe minimal dub for the small hours. Sophisticated stuff once more from Teakup.

Review: Disco Tape 4 is a compelling collection that navigates the full spectrum of disco's evolution, seamlessly blending house and late-night techno grooves. The Mechanical Man's 'eyes supreme' stands out with its melodic hook that gradually intensifies the energy. It's a slow-burning groover featuring soulful disco lyrics, creating an atmosphere that's both beautiful and entrancing. 'with you' by Just Guess and Tecam takes a funkier route, with a vibrant guitar riff and a soulful house vocal reminiscent of the best Naked Music releasesiideal for setting a warm, inviting vibe. Other great highlights include the other Mechanical man track 'Space Exploration,' a track that dives into deeper techno territory. Its wicked atmospheric groove adds a layer of sophistication, perfect for those late-night moments when the dancefloor craves something more introspective. Closing out the highlights, Ohn De La Noise's 'good afternoon' offers a smooth deep house sound that blends late-night disco into house, creating a seamless transition that's both elegant and satisfying. A very well-rounded record, expertly capturing the diverse influences of disco's enduring legacy.

Review: TNT Rap Classics are a ghostly rap reissues outfit, operating in the shadows, but they've churned out a truly solid ream of stadium/megastar rap reissues on 7" for several years now. After lookbacks on Nelly and Beyonce they now pay due deference to Eminem, placing special attention on the rapper's early-noughts Slim Shady era. 'Without Me' was the whimsical, cheekily intoned lead single from The Eminem Show, finding Eminem lampooning pop culture, the media, and his critics. 'The Real Slim Shady', meanwhile, came before, with biting critique of the pop cultural fascination with authenticity: "Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?"

Review: Detroit vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Javonntte is contracted by Marcel Vogel and Tim Jules for the smooth, disco-splashed house cut 'Just Because', now hearing a long-awaited 12" release on Lumberjacks In Hell, the clav-loving label named after the 2018 Vogel release of the same name. Known for his deep musicality and effortless brio, Javonntte's soulful touch now drops anchor on the original's groove, letting open the possibility for the three distinct remixes by Floyd Vader, Lyma and Stefan Ringer to follow. There come etched a future-leaning electro r&b cut, a Portlandian Yoruba house hitter, and a complementary post-boogie bust-up respectively.

Review: Kent Soul continue in their efforts to 100% faithfully replicate the works of old soul greats from the 60s and 70s, sustaining the everlasting flame of Northern soul and its various splinter hubs across the UK. Now Cincinnatian blues legend Albert Washington gets his due: a highly productive recording artist, active from the 60s all the way through to the 90s, Washington's 'I'm The Man' seizes the a short window moment in which a new spinster might be met with an opportunistic proposition after a bad breakup. "You don't have nobody to call your own / darlin', I'm the man / I share your pain, I do / I can make all your dreams come true / now, come on / yessir, you need me..."

Review: Phaedra is the fifth studio album by German electronic group Tangerine Dream, recorded in November 1973 at The Manor in Shipton-on-Cherwell, England, and released in 1974 through Virgin. An icier, tempoless departure for a band otherwise better recognised for their sequencer-led, soundtrack-bred sound, this was a hidden moulin for frost-drone fanatics, and a deviant pupil of the otherwise strict Berlin School. Despite receiving little to no airplay, Phaedra gained significant traction through word of mouth when it was released by a rather more hippified Richard Branson's fledgling Virgin label, eventually reaching number 15 on the UK Albums Chart and remaining on the charts for 15 weeks. Its long-form pieces, such as 'Sequent C' and 'Mysterious Semblance At The Strand Of Nightmares', represent an indifference to constraints of timing, instead washing over the ears as diachronic, swirling, crisp ice ambient smirrs.

Review: Wilson Tanner steps on solid ground with Legends, a pastoral odyssey steeped in the rhythms of South Australia's Manon Farm. Swapping coastal breezes for the dusty toil of the vineyard, the duo channel the grit of farm life: dirt-crusted boots, crackling radios, and the far-off hum of summer crickets. Their previous works basked in suburban lethargy and nautical drift, but here, the focus is on the raw textures of agricultural labor, where ducks and dogs roam, tractors rumble past, and stainless steel tanks glint in the sun. Made entirely off-grid, the Manon sessions repurpose wind, brass, balalaika, and synth, rigged together with wire and tape. Legends distills the essence of natural winemaking into sound: feral, unfiltered, and alive with imperfections. Overflowing with rustic charm and irreverent humour, it's a heady swirl of folklore and fermentation, bottled straight from the land.

Review: An'archives introduce the debut from Tete de Chou, the quietly adventurous trio of Mark Anderson (Greymouth, Suishou No Fune), Kurumi Kido, and Arlo Wynks. Emerging organically from informal sessions and shared yakitori nights, their music developed in intimate settings; home shows in tatami rooms, improvised studio jams, long-distance collaborations. Sessions between Japan and New Zealand carried over the album's dialectic of place and movement, described by Anderson as "almost a travel diary." Dulcimer, ichigenkin, glockenspiel, reeds, and homemade electronics interlace like a five-ply plait, causing an unfixed yet deeply affecting effect.

Review: Tune-Yards return with their sixth album, and it's one of their most rhythmically infectious to date. Created by Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner in a post-pandemic haze, Better Dreaming embraces danceable liberation, self-love and anti-fascist joy and it is all inspired by a desire to move, both physically and emotionally. Grooves run deep here as lyrics confront modern chaos and encourage dancing through the dark and dreaming of better futures. The duo let songs flow with raw instinct and reconnect with their early drum-loop roots, meaning that the result is a fresh, funk-laced art-pop record that works on the body as well as the mind.

Review: The American musician and guitarist newest album is a collection of compositions that balance melancholia with quiet defiance. From the disorienting, tape-warped opening moments to the album's delicate final waltz, Tyler crafts an introspective instrumental landscape where the past and present converge. 'Cabin Six' starts with a hazy, found-sound texture, its distant hum of static giving way to Tyler's contemplative guitar. It's a track that feels suspended in time, evoking the isolation of its recording process. 'Concern', in contrast, unfurls a luminous melody atop warm strings, the steel guitar lifting the piece into a realm of understated grandeur. It's among Tyler's most affecting compositions, a quiet affirmation amid uncertainty. On 'Star of Hope', the album's spiritual centerpiece, an AM radio-sourced hymn weaves into Tyler's delicate loops, creating a ghostly, celestial resonance. The interplay between organic and electronic texturesitape hiss, processed echoesigrounds the track in a space both intimate and otherworldly. 'Electric Lake' shimmers with ecstatic drone, its weightless progression nodding to La Monte Young, while 'Howling' sways between ambient pastoralism and an undercurrent of discord, its background noise a restless specter. The album closes with 'Held', a sigh of relief wrapped in a gentle acoustic waltz. The ever-present tape warble lingers, a reminder of unease, but Tyler leans into beauty. Time Indefinite is a triumph of instrumental storytellingione of quiet reckoning, but also persistence, offering solace in its hypnotic, evocative swells.