Review: The Vendetta Suite returns in early 2025 with a stunning pair of singles on Hell Yeah, blending acid acerb, house heat, disco d'oeuvres and a Balearic bliss. Long thought by some to be Belfast's best-kept secret, the Suite has garnered well-deserved traction for his genre-spanning productions, fusing ambient, post-rave, dub and psychedelic. First up, 'The Jam Answer' reinvents acid house with dusty analogue drums, hypnotic 303s, and cosmic cantatas; then the flipper 'Island Hill Microdot' drifts over into dreamy Chicago house and IDM, offering a lusher, tuned bamboo percussive pelagi-scape.
Kenny Gabriel, Rafi Muhammad, Tauffan Wirzon, Dennis Junio & Zakari Danubrata - "Lunchbreak Session" (3:26)
Littlefingers - "Everything Starts Here" (4:30)
Komang - "Mango Tree Replant" (3:57)
Greybox - "Holmwood" (3:36)
Tommy Pratomo - "Astramayay Arsa" (4:11)
Review: Lamunai Records present an 11-tracker spotlighting the more innovative currents permeating Indonesia's contemporary jazz landscape. Curated by Daniel Adisumarta, it recognises such standouts as Batavia Collective, We Are Neurotic, and Littlefingers, reflecting the diversity and depth of the archipelago's groove-driven output. The tightly woven breaks of Moon Pedestrian's 'Nothingness' contrast its offhand mood of spirituality, while Celetre's 'Mindspiel' presents a wonderstruck imaginarium of broken beaten woodwind jazz. As curator Chandra Drews puts it, "Indonesia's modern groove scene (is) filled with soaring breaks, introspective chord progressions, jaw-clenching grooves, and soul-soothing tones."
Review: On a new compilation tracking the performances of various mouth organ groups in the region, Sub Rosa head Guy Marc Hinant levels a timely critique at the commodification of southern Chinese traditional styles native to Guizhou Province. Though he uses the term Miao here, he also reflects on the label's unfortunate popularisation as a product of global market economisation, a trend which between 2006 and 2013 he witnessed first hand, having lived in the area of Dali, Yunnan. This arresting eight-track compilation follows Hinant's very real effort to champion authentic, non-commercial musicians over and above ethno-touristic copycats and recuperators, resulting in this reverent, on-the-ground collection of wedding dances and travelling songs.
Eleanor Grant - "Lovin' Your Good Thing Away" (5:43)
Jackie Moore & Wilson Pickett - "Seconds Of Your Love" (Satril 12" edit) (6:53)
The Fantastic Aleems - "Get Down Friday Night" (feat Leroy Burgess - 7" mix) (3:55)
Sandy Kerr - "Thug Rock" (Logan dub) (5:17)
Review: Catawba Records celebrates 40 years of influential music with The Lowdown: A Catawba Records Story. Founded by industry legend Richard Mack who helped launch icons like Earth, Wind & Fire and The Jacksons, this curated compilation from the label highlights Catawba's rich legacy in disco and soul with standout tracks from Maurice Starr, Dutch Robinson and The Fantastic Aleems. It takes in all manner of infectious grooves with throwback analogue drums sounds, brilliant keys and smooth vocals with plenty of rare edits, unreleased gems and more well-known but still timeless cuts. Favourites for us include the lithe and leggy Silk jam 'Somethin' 'Bout The Way' and the soul-drenched funk-disco of Jackie Moore & Wilson Pickett's 'Seconds Of Your Love'.
Mahmoud Al Sandidi - "Ana Mish Hafwatak (I Won't Let You Go)" (part 2) (4:06)
Abu Bakr Abdel Aziz - "Al Bint Al Libya (The Girl From Libya)" (5:24)
Sheikh Amin Abdel Qader - "Al Layl Kolo Makasib (The Spoils Of An All-Nighter)" (2:54)
Abu Saber - "Ya Allah Inty Ziana (Oh, God, You Are Beautiful)" (4:16)
Reem Kamal - "Baed Al Yas Yjini (After Hopelessness, He Comes To Me)" (4:09)
Review: This remarkable compilation revives the raw, defiant sound of Bourini Records, which was a short-lived but vital Libyan label active from 1968 to 1975. Far from Cairo's polished pop mainstream, these recordings capture a gritty shaabi hybrid sound that emerged from Egypt's more marginalised regions. Featuring 15 mostly Egyptian artists, including standouts like Sheikh Amin Abdel Qader and Abu Abab, this essential collection showcases striking contrasts such as growling vocal theatrics, haunting laments and minimalist instrumentation that come with an outsider energy that found Bourini's artists voicing the struggles and spirit of the everyday. Over 50 years later, this music is still brilliantly urgent and honest.
Review: Adrian Younge's latest in the Something About April series is a stunning analogue opus that blends a 30-piece orchestra with breakbeats, synth work and Brazilian psychedelia. It has reportedly been years in the making and is the culmination of Younge's sonic vision as well as being his most expansive and experimental work to date. Brazilian vocalists, fuzzed-out drums and lush orchestration evoke MPB greats like Verocai and Os Mutantes and hip-hop kings Wu-Tang in equal measure. Tracks like 'Nunca Estranhos' and 'Nossas Sombras' are richly cinematic and deeply soulful standouts. More than a closing chapter, this record cements Younge's legacy as a visionary composer.
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