14 days

Review: Warp's Boards of Canada reissue campaign reaches Geogaddi, perhaps the duo's most expansive (if not their most popular) record, presented here on a 3LP gatefold edition. Considerably darker than its predecessor Music Has The Right To Children, the claustrophobic sounds of "Gyroscope" and sampled spoken word in tracks like "Dandelion" and "Energy Warning" present a somewhat dystopian setting, filled with unsettling sounds, such as the light but eerie melodies of "Alpha & Omega" and "1969". Undoubtedly one deserving of reappraisal.

Review: Bohren and Der Club of Gore has always been one of Germany's most intriguing and out there bands - a group rooted in grindcore and doom metal whose hard-to-pigeonhole output draws on a myriad of intriguing influences outside those intense styles. "Patchouli Blue", their tenth studio set since forming in 1992, is another moody and atmospheric gem: a challenging and experimental set that pits angst-ridden guitar textures against hallucinatory, David Lynch style cinematic sounds, hypnotic electronics and smoky, off-kilter jazz expressions. It's not a great departure from their previous albums, but when your sound is so distinctive - and inspired for that matter - why tear up the (Patchouli) blueprint?

Review: File Under Disco have amassed some serious respect in house and new disco corners. Check these glittering grooves from Maffia Club's Rocca and you'll understand just why: "Pizza On Wednesday" struts and sways with beautifully rounded Prelude-style bass run, soft sexy vocals and charming flute parps. Elsewhere we hit "A Magical Day", a seriously spaced out, stripped back nodder that's peppered with bubbly FX, staccato synths and a muscular bassline. "Love Power", meanwhile, is as authentically disco as it gets: big strings, cheeky synth squiggles on the fills and, above all, a big old stomping groove. Feel the love!

Review: 'Mordechai is another blissed-out record from Texan party-chill-psyche trio Khruangbin. It's also among the outfit's most defined and driven, a smooth, sticky hot funk odyssey made for hazy afternoon soirees. Leader Laura Lee is, as ever, unfathomably siren-like on vocals, her bass grooves aiding the process of seduction no end. Even at the most upbeat and anthemic, 'Time (You and I)', it's hard not to feel woozy and intoxicated by the pared-back breaks and guitar lick combination. Dance floor ammo for sure, as is Pelota. Overall, though, it's an album best savoured slowly, allowing you to fully appreciate every lackadaisical moment of opiate goodness, with tracks such as 'Father Bird, Mother Bird', 'One To Remember' and 'Shida' summoning stunning sticky, heavy, deep atmospheres.

Review: These days we're used to obscure dance records from around the world getting the reissue treatment. Even so, this previously CD-only Egyptian release from 1991 is a particularly deep pick. Happily, it's well worth the reissue treatment, particularly the breezy, colourful and deliciously groovy opener "Mabsouta", a bubbly and breathy synth-pop cover of Suzanne Vega classic "Tom's Diner" that wraps Simone's Egyptian vocals and sparkling pianos around a stunning synth bassline. You'll find more summery, almost Balearic synth-pop on the flip via the cheeky Hammond organ riffs, glistening guitars and dewy-eyed chords of "Al Eih". To round things off in style, Castro-Moore offers up a brilliant "Bonus Beats Chant" version of sparse but heavy drum machine and synthesizer jam "Rekka".

Review: As it approaches the end of its' first decade, Claremont 56 continues to lead the way when it comes to atmospheric, sun-kissed Balearica. This latest chunk of horizontal goodness comes courtesy of Essex-based Statues, a trio who caught label boss Paul 'Mudd' Murphy's attention after submitting a string of impressive demos. "Alaula" is a softly spun delight, with Grant Carruthers' impassioned vocals weaving themselves around alluring acoustic guitars, rich bass, twinkling Rhodes lines, and Robin Lee's immaculate cello parts. Murphy delivers the obligatory flipside remix, serving up a delay-laden dub built around intricate percussion, life-affirming pianos, and Lee's wonderful strings.

Review: U.S label Light In The Attic has previously served up compilations exploring various Japanese takes on Western music, most notably folk, rock, ambient and new age. Here they switch tack, curating a brilliant double-album set that showcases the best Japanese synth-pop, AOR and boogie recorded between 1976 and '86. The quality threshold remains impressively high throughout, from the blue-eyed-soul breeze of Taeko Ohnuki's "Kusuri Wo Takusan" and the Chaz Jankel-meets-Thompson Twins style throb of Haruomi Hosono's "Sports Men", to the talkbox-sporting late night AOR-pop flex's Hiroshi Satoh's "Say Goodbye" and the glistening, Latin-influenced jazz-funk brilliance of Masayoshi Takanaka's steel pan-sporting "Bamboo Vender".