Back catalogue: Funky/Club House

Review: Inhale Exhale bring six full new circular round-trip breaths to the fold, focusing on heartwarming and soulful summer deep house tunes. Intended mostly for outdoor disco BBQs, 'INEX 017' packs a fruitful punch. Opening proceedings on the A come 'Make It Right', 'Understand U' and 'Tears Of The M1', a power-of-three intro tracking a vibeful descension from crystalline waters, synth organs and high string samples down to the chillest of vinyl-crackly, primal mini tech moods. Then there's the unmissable mirror image on the B, podding 'Everytime', 'Clyde' and 'Keep The Stabs', the last of which is an especially delicious, refractive groove.

Review: Golden-era hip-hop legend DJ Marley Marl continues his adventures in house music, and this time he's got soulful house royalty - specifically Kenny Bobien and Lady Alma- in tow. 'Joy (Hallelujah)' is as righteous, uplifting and life-affirming as you'd expect: a horn, organ and piano-heavy slab of hands-in-the-air brilliance topped off with some sublime gospel lyrics and vocals from Bobien and Alma. We'd argue the track is best in its full vocal 'Extended Mix' form, though the accompanying instrumental is still superb - and arguably more suitable for those who are uncomfortable with the (admittedly joyous) religious messaging within the lyrics. Testify!

Review:  Zy The Way hail from Taiwan and are recognised as pioneers of the jazz scene in Asia. Their signature style is to infuse their work with ancient Chinese poetry and their first outing 'A Different Destiny,' reimagined 3,000-year-old poems curated by Confucius and earned them plenty of plaudits. Now, they unveil two EPs as a prelude to their upcoming album. Collaborating with renowned remixers who operate at the jazz-electronic crossroads, they present 'Ten Acres' with a remarkable remix by Mark de Clive Lowe. Maintaining jazz's essence while igniting the dancefloor, this EP bridges East and West, past and present and shows Zy The Way as a transformative musical force who are pushing boundaries.

Review: To mark the 20th Anniversary of the American Life Mix Show Mix, this new album brings together eight songs that also honour the life and work of Peter Rauhofer, a notorious remixer who did many such great works for Madonna for over two decades. Six of these tunes are brand new edits of Madonna's top commercial and promotional remixes from the 'American Life' era that have never been released before. The two others are a superb Ralphi Rosario House Vocal Mix of 'Love Profusion' and Deepsky's Home Sweet Home Vocal Edit of 'Hollywood.'

Review: Magic Number is Ross Hillard, a downtempo and orchestral composer whose engineering and bass playing can be heard on an array of releases, most notably for the likes of his own house favourites including Louie Vega, DJ Spen, Kerri Chandler, Lay-Far and Atjazz. Now debuting his first record on the latter artist's eponymous label, Badly Written Songs sounds like a slice of humble pie, but it's actually well-thought out title: in Hillard's own words, "(it's) a tongue-in-cheek reference to how transient electronic music can be." Thus, writing songs in this genre might not have been the most sensible and sustainable idea - but we all love house music, so we put everything into it, hoping that people don't discard it too soon. True to an engineer's tastes, the album is ultra-dynamic and bright throughout, serving up a consistent guest-vocal steeze reminiscent of Charles Webster or Herbert's gravitas.

Review: Fifteen years after its original release, Guns Don't Kill People: Lazers Do by Major Lazer remains a genre-defying triumph. The duo, made up of Diplo and Switch, threw dancehall, reggae and electro-disco into a blender and created something entirely unique. Tracks like 'Hold the Line' (featuring Mr. Lexx and Santogold) and 'Cash Flow' stand out, blending Jamaican influences with forward-thinking production. Now reissued on clear vinyl with stickers, this gatefold 2xLP edition brings back the raw, energetic essence of one of the most eclectic dancehall albums ever made.

Review: Following on from two previous EPs here in 2019 and 2022, Peter Matson now serves up a wonderful full-length on the storied Bastard Jazz. Hotel PM is a psychedelic exploration of disco and modern electronica from the Brooklyn-based musician and co-leader of Underground System. His signature attention to detail, songwriting and world-class musicianship all shine through next to collaborations with the likes of Pahua, Kendra Morris, Toribio, Phenomenal Handclap Band, Sly5thAve and members of The Rapture, Ibibio Sound Machine and Poolside. Between them, they delve into themes of time, memory and disenchantment with modern technology with a mix of lush strings, tight brass and analogue synth basslines. It's a journey of dance floor delight and more introspective moments with plenty of catchy hooks and retro-future charms.