Back catalogue:

Review: The esteemed gang at Dark Entries have been hard at work on another one of their always eye opening compilation. This time they turn their focus to Mexican new wave and post-punk on the 10-track Back Up: Mexican Tecno Pop. None of the tunes here have ever made it to wax before and they come with a 12 page magazine that is packed with extra context, lyrics and bios about the artists. The tunes all shine a fine light on the flourishing DIY scene that was present in 1980's Mexico when much of the world's focus was on the more well documented synth pop and obscure electronics from Europe and the United States.

Review: Global groove trotters and world renowned compilers Analog Africa are back with another gem for your collection, this time looking deep into the sounds of the golden age of Mexico City's mobile soundsystems. Super Disco Pirata - De Tepito Para El Mundo 1965-1980" is a musical adventure with no fewer than 23 red hot jams of topical greatness all ready to get asses shaking and floors full. They have been taken from "the finest and strangest pirata LPs" and they all shine bright from Enrique Lynch's bright and brassy 'La Quinta Sinfonia De Beethoven' to Gabriel Meza Y Su Organo Chevere's 'La Luna Y El Pescador' with its rather haunting organ melodies and shuffling samba rhythms. A real treat for world music lovers.

Review: Another work of Soul Jazz curatorial gold: Nigeria Soul Fever is a detailed gatefold trip into one of Nigeria's richest chapters in music. Heavy trade restrictions allowed them to develop their own style without too much US or European influence and the result is an array of national talent who largely remained legends within their own borders. The range is mesmerizing; the sinewy synth and playground vocal Q&A of Benis Cletin's "Get Up & Dance", the ballroom disco soul of Tee Mac's "Living Everyday", the soulful afrofunk folk of Jimmy Sherry's "Nwaeze", the gut-punching power of Arakatula's album finale "Wake Up Africa". This is a treasure trove of unreleased gems that capture a truly unique time.

Review: Mr Bongo Record Club's Volume 7 presents a meticulously crafted mix of classic favourites and exciting new finds spanning a broad array of genres, including Brazilian, Latin, soul, disco, gospel, cosmic, dancehall and downtempo. This series has fans of the label excited about each volume that comes. With standout tracks like Os Panteras' Brazilian funk, the underground disco vibes of Claude Jay, and the soulful melodies of the Danish duo Gitte & Inger. Truth & Devotion's gospel soul and Chain Reaction's infectious grooves further illustrate the diverse range of influences at play. This volume particularly emphasises Brazilian music, diving deeper into folk and Afro-Brazilian sounds with selections from As Sublimes, Romeu Fernandes, and Conjunto de Percussao Dora Pinto. These tracks offer a refreshing shift from earlier volumes and showcase Brazil's rich musical heritage. A highlight is the exclusive 'Spring Has Sprung,' a collaboration between legendary Asha Puthli, the inventive band SOYUZ, and Swedish producer Sven Wunder. This track exemplifies the high-quality productions Mr Bongo Record Club is known for. Volume 7 blends Brazilian depth with dancefloor-ready hits, such as The Shades of Love's 'Come Inside.' This collection celebrates both timeless and contemporary music, reflecting the enduring allure of diverse and dynamic sounds.

Review: A thrilling journey into the golden age of Peruvian cumbia with 28 tracks from the vaults of Discos MAG. Spanning 1964 to 1987, the compilation sees the evolution of a genre that blends Colombian and Cuban tropical rhythms with western influences like 60s beat and psychedelic rock, enriched by indigenous Amazonian and Andean melodies. The result is a kaleidoscope of sound that pulses with life and energy, seamlessly bridging tradition and innovation. Electric guitars intertwine with echoes of orchestral styles, reflecting the influence of figures like Hugo Blanco and Lucho Bermudez while maintaining a distinctly Peruvian identity. Tracks from iconic bands such as Los Diablos Rojos, Los Ecos and Los Demonios del Mantaro highlight the genre's diverse textures, from upbeat anthems to hypnotic grooves. It's a definitive showcase of Peruvian cumbia's enduring vibrancy and cultural depth.

Review: Strut introduces the highly anticipated third volume in the Disques Debs International series, diving deeper into the archives of one of the greatest French Caribbean labels, Disques Debs, based in Guadeloupe. Founded by Henri Debs in the late 1950s, the Debs studio naturally doubled as a record label and ran for over 50 years, releasing more than 300 7" singles and 200 LPs, cementing it as one of the foremost record labels to prize Caribbean music history. Not just limited to Guadeloupean musicians but also Martinicians and Parisians, the likes of Jocelyn Mocka, Mariz, Dominique Parol, Christian Yeye and Alex Rosa make this a thixotropic record, mercurial and restless as it is rooted in forms of zouk, biguine, gwoka and, of course, the nascent electronica. This third volume flaunts the label's dynamic latter-day period, as it interpreted the analog electronic dreams of the 1980s.

Review: One of two Nana Vasconcelos works to be rereleased on Altercat lately, Africadeus is a landmark album of Brazilian music that reveals the genius of the titular artist - regarded by many as one of the most innovative percussionists of all time. Above all, the album flaunts Nana's mastery of the berimbau, a Pan-African instrument that he essentially claimed as his own over the course of his career, and which he thus transformed into a bursting vessel for expression. A solo classic berimbau performance, 'Africadeus', appears on the A, while the B-siders 'Aboios' and 'Selecao De Folclore' are much more energetic pieces that celebrate the rich folkloric and pastoral culture of Nana's homeland.

Review: Hot Casa has always been a proverbial hot pot of international sounds from across several rhythmic and cultural worlds. The New Year starts off on a strong footing for the French crew with a new album from Afro funk collective Vandou Game. It finds them reaching outside their usual Togolese confines to take inspiration from across the Atlantic. The record was made in the legendary OTODI studio with Peter Solo on hand to add his expertise to a bunch of feel-good, horn-laced workouts that are laden with percussion, have endlessly catchy rhythms and plenty of soulful, authentic vocal charms.

Review: The Milano Undiscovered series has been expertly overseen by Fred Ventura and now clocks up a third installment. It again delves into Milan's dynamic techno and house scene between the years of 1988 and 1992. Unveiling a trove of unreleased demos, it highlights the city's burgeoning underground culture during this period. Influenced by the pioneering sounds of Chicago, Detroit, London, and Sheffield, Milanese producers embarked on a creative journey, crafting their own distinct interpretations of electronic dance music. These demos offer a glimpse into the innovative spirit and diverse sonic landscape that defined Milan's contribution to the global dance music scene during this transformative era.

Review: Promised Land is the long-awaited debut album from contemporary showstopper Vintage Culture. Enlisting the help of peers NomBe, Maverick Sabre, The Temper Trap, and Elderbrook, the album marrks the producer and DJ's seguing from progressive house to electro, evincing a globetrotting, jetsetting sound that hardly ever fails to hold back on emotion. Including prior singles 'Come Come' and 'Fallen Leaf', alongside newer, angelic progressive cuts like 'Weak' with Sabre, this is a stark debut from the Brazilian creative force.

Review: Jonas Visti introduces a new project, Visti's Vinyl Collective, blending diversities of Afrobeat, soul, house, jazz, boogie and pop, crafted with a motley crew from Denmark's jazz scene and international guests. Along with William Winding, Visti infuses electronic elements with instrumental Balearic-esque contributions from fellow musicians Emma Sehested Hoeg, Dawda Jobarteh and Markus Artved, whom all add their voices and instruments. Visti's vision is to create a freeform, genre-defying project, tracking experiences alongside other artists and a connoisseur's intel, built up as he's developed his Visti's Vinyl radio show.

Review: Favorite Recordings presents Voiciii, the third album by Voilaaa - the nom de plume of Bruno 'Patchworks' Hovart. It features guest vocalists such as Pat Kalla and Lass who he has worked with previously, but also new ones such as David Walters, Rama Traore and Ayuune Suule. There's also the addition of saxophonist Boris Pokora. The LP is a tribute to major artists of influential African sounds, such as Fela Kuti and Manu Dibango: from the empowering groove of 'Women Can Do', the late night boogie-down antics with a message on 'Water Get No Enemy' to the spiritual life music of LYMYE-A' - a delightful album from start to finish.

Review: For nearly a decade and three albums, Voilaaa has carved out a distinct niche, blending African rhythms with Disco dancefloor vibes and funky arrangements. Their Afro-Tropical journey, led by producer Bruno "Patchworks" Hovart, has produced hits like 'On te l'avait dit', 'Spies Are Watching Me', and 'Ben Bene La', along with global tours and festival appearances. Collaborations with artists such as Lass, Pat Kalla, Sir Jean, Ayuune Sule, Rama Traore, and Fouley Badiaga have been a hallmark, with Badiaga making a notable return on two tracks of their latest album. With C'est tout, Voilaaa sticks to their winning formula while infusing Latin and Caribbean elements, inspired by Hovart's travels in South America. Introduced with the spring release of a maxi single, this album delivers one hit after another. Tracks like 'Fache' featuring Pat Kalla showcase their signature sound: energetic Afrobeat horns, woozy chords, and funky clavinet licks over a dub disco-meets-Afro-boogie groove. The album's 14 tracks are largely composed by Hovart, with standout covers like Ebo Taylor's 'Love and Death' featuring Joao Selva's vocals and a unique rendition of Jamiroquai's 'Too Young to Die' with Olivya (Dowdelin).

Review: Two years ago, Volcov set our pulses racing with From The Archive, a superb selection of killer cuts from the depth of his notoriously impressive record collection. Volume 2 is equally as inspired, though the focus is a little different. Whereas Volcov previously chose to concentrate on soul, funk and disco, this edition is far more widescreen in scope. So, we get soaring soul-jazz bliss (Collective Peace's "Let The Music Play"), head-nodding hip-hop soul (Eric Lau remixing Ruth Koleva), futurist jazz-funk (Ron Trent's wild but brilliant "Ori Space"), soul-fired broken beat (Volcov's own re-edit of Xantone Blacq's vintage remix of Intuit's "Planet Birth"), impeccable soundscape jazz ("Lawra" by Tony Williams) and much more besides.

Review: Orlando Voorn is an important figure for the techno and house scene since the early 90s. Along with a few other key names like Steve Rachmad, Orlando is a key link from the Detroit lineage to the Netherlands. Master 2 is a follow up to the 2021 full length album Master. There are not very many who can blend house and techno as well as Orlando can. Master 2 is on a jazzier tip then previous albums in his catalogue and we don't mind a bit. When you have tracks as amazing as 'Jazz Hoppin', you really lose sight of any particular guidelines and you just enjoy the music. We can't say enough great things about this record. Check out the amazingly cool sounds going on in 'Venus' and 'Aquarius' for example. This could rival any house album this year for best of 2024. It's that good!

Review: In 1976, seven Cabo Verdean musicians going by the name Voz Di Sanicolau gathered in a small recording studio in Rotterdam where they laid down an album of fearsome coladeira songs inspired by the music of their home island of Sao Nicolau.

The album took only a few days to record, which may explain the unexpected urgency that fires each track. Treble-soaked electric guitar lines snake back and forth through percussion-and-cavaquinho driven rhythms rooted in the sound of the islands established by the previous generation of Cabo Verdean emigres; subtle keyboards wash through the background, and the vocals, traded between Joana Do Rosario and To-Ze, alternately push the music forward and soar above it. The resulting album is both deeply felt and fiercely executed, and in its grooves one hears the sound of some of the finest Cabo Verdean musicians of their era locked in complete unity of purpose.

It should have been the beginning of something extraordinary; but the pressures of making ends meet forced the musicians back to their day jobs, and Voz Di Sanicolau vanished as quickly as they had appeared, leaving their lone album, Fundo de Mare Palinha, as sole proof of their existence. Forty-four years later the album sounds as fresh as it did the day it was recorded. It is unknown if dutch sound engineer Frans Rolland, who oversaw the recordings, knew he was helping to make history: during these sessions, Joana Do Rosario, whose majestic vocals were crucial to the sound of Voz Di Sanicolau, became the first Cabo Verdean woman ever to appear on a long playing record.

Review: Leon Vynehall long again made the transition from decent tune maker to revered and unpredictable electronic artist. Now he proves why he holds that status one again with a follow up to his critically acclaimed debut long player Nothing Is Still. This time out he distils everything he has done so far in to a record with few comparisons. It is ready for dance floor deployment but never just functional. There are cavernous ambient pieces next to grainy, heavy, dubby rhythms with grand but lo-fi synth architecture as well as moments of intriguing experimentalism.

Review: Laurant Webb, Dave Coker, Justin Bailey, and Dave Pine were the key figures behind Strange Weather Studios, which was a creative hub in Southeast London that helped shape the very early sound of tech house in the capital. Collaborating with friends and partners on several projects, they produced a number of influential records that defined the genre including under aliases such as Housey Doingz, 7th Voyage, and Space Bunny. This release on Sushitech, which always does a fine job of offering up the best tech house past and present, pays tribute to the studio and its collaborators with representative tracks carefully selected by Laurant Webb and label head Yossi Amoyal. Restored and remastered from rare DATs and pressed up to no fewer than six sides of vinyl, it's a great look at a significant moment in the evolution of tech house.

Review: Working with various collaborators, Laurant Webb, Dave Coker, Justin Bailey, and Dave Pine produced influential records under aliases like Housey Doingz, 7th Voyage, and Space Bunny at the influential Strange Weather Studios. Those records very much helped to define the early days of the tech house genre. This Sushitech release comes on clear vinyl and honours their legacy, with tracks handpicked by Webb and label founder Yossi Amoyal. They have all been remastered from rare DATs and across three slabs of wax make for an essential deep dive into an important phase in the earliest days of tech house.

Review: Every so often, a compilation comes along and delivers a snapshot of a city's underground music scene at a given moment in time. That's what compilers Rick Wilhite and Delano Smith have achieved with Parabellum Detroit, an expansive and predictably high-quality collection of cuts from some of the Motor City's finest producers. They naturally provide a couple of collaborative cuts of their own - the spacey, late-night techno hypnotism of '11 Minutes of Funk' and the intergalactic deep house drift of 'Neo Solaris', while there are also top-notch contributions from Javontte (the warm, soul-flecked deep house of 'Late Night Love'), Marcellus Pittman (beatdown chugger 'Everybody Party'), Gerald Mitchell AKA Soul Saver (the incredible 'Kaori'), the Moodymann Kenny Dixon Jr ( 'I'm Goin' Back') and Omar-S (a tidy Godson remix of 'VAT 69').

Review: Parisian based crew Hedzup have been cultivating an infectious sound through their events and releases, with WLAD reliably steering the ship while developing his own production style. It's a style which comes into sharp relief on this album KISS - an opus of warm, bouncy and playful minimal tech house with a heavyweight cast of collaborators. Oden & Fatzo and THEOS and Kong lend their talents to the seriously soul-slicked 'Korean BBQ', while Luca Donzelli keeps things shimmering and swinging on 'SeNor Espresso'. The production is gleaming throughout this record, so if you take your minimal house seriously then don't sleep on this one.