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In a career of myriad highlights Nightclubbing remains the high water mark of Grace Jones's imperial years with Island Records. It is indisputably the album on which her musical legacy rests, and rightly considered one of the greatest albums of all time. A sophisticated melee of sound, blending post-punk cool with a hot Caribbean vibe and a catwalk Studio 54 sensibility, it's a perfect example of artist and musicians working in complete accord.

It contains the all-time Grace classics in "Pull Up To The Bumper", "Walking In The Rain", "Demolition Man" (written by Sting) and of course the Bowie / Iggy Pop-penned title track. There is magic in its every groove. In keeping with its reputation as one of the best sonically sounding albums of the '80s and for the first time since its debut in 1987, Nightclubbing has been comprehensively remastered using the latest studio technology.

2008 was a heady time for the third wave (or was it the fourth?) of deep house, and this is a tune from Swedish Markus Enochson that was hugely popular at the time, with big dawgs like Dixon, Dean Da Costa and Jimpster all finding ways to work it into their sets. 'These Won't Put Me Down' pairs supple and broad bass with zippy synths that energise and enliven the mix without getting too main room. If you really like things pair back to the most sultry, candlelit essential,s then the Charles Webster Dub is one of his many classics. Marku& Enochson & The Subliminal Kid then combine for a second rework which layers in some filtered vocals for that woozy, blurry late-night vibe.

The first time ever on vinyl for these 1964 Rudy Van Gelder recordings for Blue Note; and astral strides beyond the flat highlife cuts originally issued. With Donald Byrd, Hubert Laws and Elvin Jones stretching out breathtakingly amongst resplendent Nigerian drumming, and anticipating the vibes of classic Pharoah and Alice Coltrane. Around thirteen minutes each side.

Kenny Gino and Big Mike a.k.a. the Solid Gold Playaz both started playing records in the late 70's/early 80's. Having family from Chicago, who were DJ's and down with some of the big guys at the time, "heavily influenced our music and production styles" both say. "Living so close to the city, we could go down to all the legendary night spots. The Rainbow and the Warehouse, the Box, the Shelter... places where you could just feel the vibe. And you could hear guys like Farley Funkin' Keith, Ron Hardy, and Jammin' Gerald (the Chicago DJ/producer who is Kenny's cousin) play these incredible records". They both were hooked on the house sound, and would bring it back to their home, a small city named Racine, Wisconsin, located about an hour and half north of Chicago. They continued to develop their DJ and production skills into the 90's, but musically, weren't taking things very seriously until they met Chicago producer Louis Bell. He introduced them to many of the people who were building the mid-90's Chicago sound. "Louis gave us access... access to places we hadn't been before. He took us into the offices of Cajual/Relief Records and Underground Construction, and suddenly we were face to face with guys who were doing what we wanted to do... Cajmere, Paul Johnson, Glenn Underground... showing us that we could do this too. We did a few releases just to get our name out, and soon we had some pretty big named DJ's playing our music. We had DJ's actually looking for our records, and telling us how much they liked our sounds... that just blew us away, especially with very little promotion and in the limited numbers we were pressing... our music just started to build a name for itself."

Paris player Le Loup and Pura launch their new label Shadow Play with a four-track collection of avant-garde house music delivered boxfresh from the studio. As a solo artist, and one half of Hold Youth, Le Loup has cultivated a nuanced sound that is steeped in soulful jazzy influences, with a nod to the future and plenty of soul. On this first EP we're presented with a showcase of this sound, and a hint at what's to come on the brand new label... To get things rolling we have the very first track 'The Ancient Ways', which is quite laid back and minimal in its composition. There's breathing space for the beats and bass, with an eerie atmosphere pervading throughout. 'Ygam' is next up with a wobbly bassline, cosmic death rays and sinister effects lurking in the background - it feels like the soundtrack to a deep space thriller.

On the B-side things get ravey with 'Acid Surface'. Retro breakbeats and stuttered toms support a dangerously alluring symphony of effects and pads. At the heart of the track is a deep subby bassline, transmitting an ancient, yet cosmic vibe.