Back catalogue: Library/Archive

Review: A new spate of Tele Music library classics reissues from the 70s houses this one from 1976. Once more, legendary composer and drummer Pierre Alain Dahan hears his timely work reissued - this time in collaboration with his eternal guitar colleague Slim Pezin, a many-timed collaborator with Dahan. Contrasting to Dahan's many more experimental works, such as the prototypical 'Rhythmiques' album (which is far more out-there, almost primordial-sounding) 'Neo Rhythmiques' is an absolute killer of scorching, uptempo jazzy soul-funk, demonstrating what humanity as whole has achieved since, by harnessing said rhythmic primordium for its own funky ends.

Review: All Bad Boy & All Good Girl is a fascinating mixtape, first released in 2022, documenting the few and rare radio broadcasts that propagated a now-elusive, but decade-long, Mancunian form of street soul. Lasting from at least the mid-1980s to the mid 1990s, this exciting ream of 'extracts', here on the vinyl version coming as a playlist of nine, transports us right back to this scratchy, no-holds-barred chuggers' sound. Featuring DIY cassette recordings of bands such as Broadway, Stereo Dan and Soul Control playing live at dances and blues parties in south & central Manchester from 1988 through to 1996, Death Is Not The End do a stellar job as ever of compiling the most exquisite forgotten tracks in the style, as though they'd been beamed into the present through a trans-temporal airwave. Packed with the radio phase distortion, hiss, vocal and SFX interjections, dub sirens and delay-outs, this is much more than just a functional soulful soundclash.

Review: DJ Muggs brings his latest instrumental hip-hop tinkerings to Madlib and Egon's Invazion Music Library Series, which allows the two beatmaking legends' friends the opportunity to experiment with the form in whichever way they choose. Taking after the mood and feel of library music pieces, Silver Cloud adds to the many additions to the label to pay homage to the Piero Umilianis and Alan Hawkshaws of yore, albeit through a hip-hop lens. From 'No Time' to 'Calm Down' to 'Fast Arp', Muggs takes a functional approach to beatsmithing, crafting everything from tempo-synced, two-tone moody piano expositions to full-blown lo-fi whackers.

Review: Japan's revered DJ Muro has put together his first ever compilation for BBE. Diggers Dozen is a real gem with 12 tracks of Japanese jazz-funk and Latin-jazz goodness that fuse traditional instrumental with traditional melodies. These tunes were originally made for the 70s for Nippon Columbia by legendary composers of the time such as Kiyoshi Yamaya, Tadaaki Misago & Tokyo Cuban Boys, Kifu Mitsuhashi, Toshiyuki Miyama and more. Finding these cuts on their original pressings is rare and expensive so don't sleep on this real collector's essential.

Review: Demon Records presents the complete narrated TV soundtrack of Doctor Who: The Crusade on double 140g green and yellow translucent vinyl. This release offers fans the chance to experience the classic 1965 story, with William Russell providing linking narration. Set in 12th Century Palestine, the Doctor (William Hartnell) and his companions find themselves in the midst of a conflict between English Crusaders and Saracen forces led by Saladin. When Barbara is captured during a Saracen ambush, the group encounters historical figures such as King Richard the Lionheart, played by Julian Glover. Though only two of the original four episodes survive, this vinyl edition captures the full audio experience, bringing the adventure to life once again. The release includes beautifully illustrated sleeves with Radio Times-style billings for each episode, offering a nostalgic touch.