Private Dancer (feat Iron Curtis - extended) (5:42)
The Night (Moves On) (extended) (4:38)
Patterns Everywhere (extended) (4:18)
Follow The Strings (2:54)
Squeeze Me Tight (extended) (4:31)
Review: German mainstay Johannes Albert returns after a six-year hiatus with his third club album, Private Dancer, and it's worth the wait. As expected, it is a deep dive into refined house music full of maturing production, warm textures, subtle grooves and emotive undertones. The standout title track features longtime collaborator Iron Curtis, and together they craft a hypnotic blend of classic deep house with modern minimalism. Highlights include the gentle grooves and percussion of 'L'Chaim', the steamy nocturnal soul of 'The Night (Moves On' and 'Follow The Strings', which is a more punchy heater. It's the sound of a seasoned producer delivering understated dancefloor gold.
Review: Scotland's jazz elite negotiate a past-present equity merger, dispatching one of its most influential bands for a fresh spin on The Blue Nile's classic 1989 album Hats. The Blue Nile are in turn a sophisti-synth band pinup, whose proto-trip-hop moods and svelte wardrobe heard to an indelible mark on the present pop landscape. The Colin Steele Quartet now reinvent tracks like 'Easter Parade', 'Heatwave' and 'Let's Go Out Tonight', layering trumpet melodies over new jack-jazz phrases, mirroring the nighttime vibe of the first. Steele's trumpet, often compared to Paul Buchanan's understated vocal style and even Miles Davis's phrasing, adds warmth and subtlety throughout. Recorded in a single session at Castle Sound Studios, where The Blue Nile made their records, the project also nods to Buchanan's solo work with a rendition of 'Mid Air'.
Review: Mark de Clive-Lowe's Six Degrees was first released in 2000 and now returns as a vital reissue to mark its 25th anniversary. It's a still-groundbreaking fusion of jazz-fusion, Afro-Cuban rhythms, jungle, hip-hop and broken beat that chronicles de Clive-Lowe's musical journey from Havana to London to Tokyo. With Rhodes, synths and MPC at the core, he blends live musicianship and electronic beats into soulful, genre-defying tracks like 'Roundtrip,' 'La Zorra' and 'Day By Day.' It is thoroughly personal and inventive and harks back to a pivotal moment in future jazz's evolution while the reissue reaffirms its place as a seminal early electronic-jazz hybrid.
Review: Japan's Envy created one of the most respected post-rock screamo albums of all time with this third album of theirs. Originally released in 2001 on Japense punk label H.G. Fact and again as a limited released in 2003 on Dim Mak Records in the U.S., with not many physical copies printed they've been scarcely available. Thankfully, that's all about to change now that this enduring masterpiece of foreboding post rock and blisteringly powerful screams is getting repressed. Envy's strength lies in their ability to flip flop between introspective atmospheric passages and intense guttural aggression within a track and for it to be cohesive. That said, where they don't relent, like on 'Invisible Thread', the adrenaline really kicks in and it's a palpable reenactment of the atmosphere at their live shows.
Review: Master drummer and producer Alexander Flood debuts his rhythmic first record on Atjazz, following up the sumptuous first single 'Life Is A Rhythm'. A truly exciting record on foliate green vinyl, this LP packs a production paradox, bringing both boomy bodyweight and a shape-cutting, 2-stepping sense of ease at the same time. With extra layers of perc in the rhythm section, with Brazilian percussionist Aduni on congas and Cuban percussionist Alexander Scull Castillo on bata, it's actually really the dance-flooring production that grabs us here, heard best in the plum chords and erratic pianos of 'Don't Wait For Me', and/or the live bruk ghost dance 'Sidestep'.
Review: Ghostface came out swinging on Supreme Clientele, his second solo LP; with wild, free-associative flair - he was by then a standout MC even amid Wu-Tang's crowded barracks. Now. a decorated verbal bombardier, he earned the Killah badge with this one: built in close collaboration with RZA, who ammunised the record's beats while conscripting JuJu, The Hitmen, and Hassan on versal lookout duties, the album lands like a continuous reel of grainy street cinema, warped soul loops, and cryptic one-liners. Written largely after a trip to Africa and through a stint at New York prison Rikers Island, the album steps away from mafioso cliches and fixation on brands, folding in a looser, more surreal energy. Singles 'Apollo Kids' and 'Cherchez La Ghost' cut the ears with raw, slice-thru charm, but it's deep cuts like 'Nutmeg' that cement it as of the sharpest solo turns in the Wu-Tang catalogue.
Feels Just Like It Should (Promo Sampler version - CD)
Dynamite (Promo Sampler version)
Seven Days In Sunny June (Promo Sampler version)
(Don't) Give Hate A Chance (Promo Sampler version)
Black Devil Car (Promo Sampler version)
Review: Cosmic disco and spaced out Brit funk and pop fusion outfit Jamiroquai celebrates 20 years of their landmark Dynamite with a new limited edition reissue of what was their sixth studio album. Originally released in 2005, the album fused their signature funk, disco and electronic flair into smash radio hits like 'Feels Just Like It Should,' 'Seven Days in Sunny June' and '(Don't) Give Hate a Chance.' This anniversary edition comes pressed on exclusive coloured vinyl and also included is a replica promo CD sampler featuring pre-release single versions, an extended mix of the title track, and 'Black Devil Car.'
Review: San Fran-born Ben Kweller is a former member of post grunge band Radish, who were signed to Mercury Records in the 90s and count the mighty Nils Lofgren as a fan. His solo output, however, is a lot more prolific: this is his seventh studio album. Poignantly, the album is written in honour of what would have been his late son Dorain Zev's 19th birthday. This is Kweller's first release since Dorian's tragic passing in 2023. The album is blessed to have some incredible guests, Waxahatchee, The Flaming Lips and MJ Lenderman all lend a hand. And musically Kweller's power as a singer-songwriter is in potent condition - 'Dollar Store', which is two vocals and a guitar for the most part needs nothing more to captivate. That it then bursts into a distorted, soaring finale is just a bonus. It's no wonder the most talked about newcomers in America indie wanted to be involved with this album.
Review: Adapted from the Premio Strega-winning novel of the same name, penned by Antonio Scurati, M - Son of the Century is an ambitious performance piece about the political rise of Benito Mussolini, directed by BAFTA-grabber Joe Wright. As for the soundtrack, one half of The Chemical Brothers, Tom Rowlands, delivers a spellbinding, raw and truly emotional electronic epic which translates a tense and uneasy tale into sounds. "A lot of this original soundtrack was built around playing old acoustic instruments using modern electronics; working in that way helped me reference the past yet still create something fresh and dynamic," Rowlands has said of his efforts. A thoroughly unique and masterful series of compositions which could only have been created by a master of the craft.
La Tortura (feat Alejandro Sanz - alternate version) (3:36)
Hips Don't Lie (feat Wyclef Jean - En Espanol) (3:34)
Don't Bother (Jrsnchz radio mix) (4:20)
Illegal (Ali Dee radio remix) (3:44)
Review: Colombian pop icon Shakira's second English-language album returns on opaque bone vinyl, 20 years after it helped cement her global status. Packed with theatrical pop-rock and Latin-inflected radio hits, the reissue pairs familiar standouts with deeper cuts and remixes. 'Hips Don't Lie (feat Wyclef Jean)' remains irrepressible-part brass-driven anthem, part carnival chant-while 'Illegal (feat Carlos Santana)' and 'Don't Bother' draw from her rockier instincts. Tracks like 'Timor' and 'Animal City' tackle political themes with surprising sharpness, while 'The Day and the Time (feat Gustavo Cerati)' and 'Your Embrace' lean more atmospheric. Bonus cuts like the Spanish version of 'Hips Don't Lie' and the radio remix of 'Illegal' round off a package that captures the ambition and stylistic reach of Shakira's mid-2000s peak-a restless blend of Latin pop, angsty ballads and sleek crossover hooks.
Review: This ten-year anniversary reissue revisits the 2015 release from Brooklyn MC Skyzoo, a deeply reflective and narratively rich project that explores the worldview of a 13-year-old growing up in his neighbourhood. It's a concept-driven record that still stands out for its lyrical clarity and storytelling, with production that balances polish and grit thanks to contributions from Illmind, Thelonious Martin and Seige Monstracity. Guest verses from Black Thought, Elzhi, Jadakiss and Bilal never overshadow Skyzoo's vision, but add depth and texture to his meditative tone. 'Luxury' remains a standout i a sharp, swaggering track that also marked Westside Gunn's first major feature i while cuts like 'The Moments That Matter' and 'Money Makes Us Happy' frame coming-of-age questions within lived detail. Not just a nostalgic reissue, but a reminder of how much weight Skyzoo carries when he stays close to home i thoughtful, precise and full of earned perspective.
Mathys Lenne - "The Road Is Wider Than Long" (5:26)
Time Traveler - "Astaroth 4" (5:18)
Review: Rotterdam label Mord is back with a bumper selection of techno treats here from a range of new school producers. Across an incredible eight sides of vinyl, all shades and rhythms are explored, starting with Radial & Bas Moot's loopy, dark, sludgy 'Jacht' and going on through Temudo's silky and stripped back minimal prowler 'Leaving The Old Flesh,' Rommek's industrial and edgy 'Vaporized' and Roll Dann's twitchy, paranoid 'Human Furniture'. Elsewhere Shaney & Zadig offer up unrelenting pressure with 'Downwards' and Mathys Lenne's 'The Road Is Wider Than Long' is all about sparse techno atmospherics from a dystopian world.
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