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After a long-awaited break from the format, Smokin’ Sessions returns to vinyl with a very special limited-edition pressing of Rowl’s Signal EP.

Since launching in 2007, Smokin’ Sessions has built a reputation for deep, bass-driven music and a vinyl catalogue that has become an important part of the label’s history. After quite some time away from pressing records, SMOKE046 marks the label’s return to wax — presented on limited-edition transparent blue vinyl.

At the centre of the release is longtime Smokin’ Sessions and Deep Heads artist Rowl, returning with four cuts rooted in the deep 2-step, garage and bass sound that has defined both his own productions and the label over the years.

Opening the record is Versa & Rowl – “If You (Rowl’s Grey Skies Remix)”, a weighty reworking of an unreleased Versa & Rowl dub. Raw, swung drums, deep sub pressure and a distinctly old-school UK garage atmosphere run throughout — a sound described in early feedback as a “future retro garage classic” with that early deep dubstep / 2-step crossover feeling. The remix has also picked up support from Mat The Alien, BunZer0, Deep Tempo and Richard Dorfmeister, amongst others.

“Signal” follows — a heavy, stripped-back 2-step roller built around swinging drums, commanding low-end and Rowl’s unmistakably deep production style. The track represents the classic Smokin’ Sessions sound while pushing it forward with the precision Rowl has developed over more than a decade of production. The track has received strong DJ support, including J:Kenzo, who called it a “Great track”, Synkro, BunZer0, Mat The Alien and others.

On the B-side comes “Sierra” featuring Bristol lyricist and vocalist P.A.B MC. Written and recorded together in Bristol, Sierra takes things into warmer territory: chilled two-step garage rhythms, dubstep-weight low-end and an almost astral atmosphere underpin P.A.B MC’s melodic, conscious vocal delivery. It sits somewhere between soundsystem music and reflective storytelling — equally suited to a late-night system or headphones.

Early response to “Sierra” has already included Synkro, who described the track simply as “Killer”, alongside further underground DJ support.

Exclusive to the vinyl is the instrumental version of “Sierra”, giving the full production room to breathe and making this pressing an essential version of the EP for DJs, collectors and anyone wanting to hear the depth of Rowl’s production without the vocal.

Rowl first appeared on Smokin’ Sessions in 2011 and has remained closely connected to both Smokin’ Sessions and Deep Heads ever since. His catalogue includes collaborations with Versa such as Lunar, Jupiter and Solstice, alongside his 2013 Cosmic Visions EP. His music has previously received support from Don Letts on BBC Radio 6 Music, Tim Parker on NTS, Synkro and J:Kenzo.

For the physical release, no corners have been cut. The record has been vinyl cut and mastered by Beau Thomas at Ten Eight Seven (Ten Eight Seven Mastering) — one of the most respected engineers in UK bass music and someone whose experience with low frequencies and vinyl makes him the perfect choice for a Smokin’ Sessions pressing.

Following up 2007s well received X-dub was the Phalaenopsis 12inch that came out later that year. A track selection that came from the same hyped mysterious MySpace track folder, but now transmitted through Frustrated Funks subsidiary, the now defunct Frantic Flowers imprint that was emerging through the early Clone channels. Signing there, without the staffs knowledge of the producers identity, further muddied the waters. Exploring a more housy dub-techno vibe and diving deeper into experimental dub territory. And with it deploying an even bigger smokescreen around Ovatows real identity. Both Phalaenopsis versions re-appear now, for the first time after almost 20 years, fully retouched and remastered, together with an unknown unreleased track (edit) called So It Goes. This is the second in a series of Ovatow work, revived for the heads that appreciate the foggy deep of the Undacurrnt.

Budapest based concept label Blue Sun arrives with the 3rd edition of their annual VA series, showcasing a colorful taste of the local underground music scene, with some international sidenotes.

Following up on the label’s customs, the 19-track selection is not only released digitally, but also on a limited 200-piece cassette series. Curated by the label heads, the tracks follow Blue Sun's listening-oriented concept without genre restrictions with downtempo, trip-hop, jazz, dub, balearic, ambient, experimental, and electronica as highlights, with pieces that are more difficult to classify.

As before, instead of the usual A-B markings, the two sides are divided by the label's colors: “ORANGE” contains more organic and high-energy music, while “BLUE” contains more pensive and experimental tracks. Moreover, the selection has been carefully curated so that it can be listened to as an endless loop: the end of a side always resonates with the beginning of the other, wherever the listener begins.

The list of contributing artists this year are truly various and just as impressive. From uniqe debuting local artists to internationally recognised performers, it gives a taste of how the Hungarian underground scene sounds like atm. Important to note, that the release marks another debut: the label’s new visual identity by Blue Sun’s new designer, Péter Tóth.

Boulderhead arrives on Haŵs with ‘Sunshine’ — four cuts that blur the line between club functionality and sonic experimentation. Twisting delays, playful FX work and endlessly shifting textures give the record a voice that's unmistakably his, pushing familiar forms into stranger territory without ever losing sight of the dancefloor.

The title track ‘Sunshine’ opens proceedings with a heads-down trip anchored by a cheeky, tongue-in-cheek vocal hook, swung grooves, and hypnotic momentum. Jorg Kuning steps up on remix duties, gently reshaping the original at every turn. His hardware-led approach keeps the groove in constant motion, each subtle shift revealing another layer without ever breaking the spell. Flip the record and ‘Moonshine’ strips things back into classic Boulderhead territory, while ‘Practice’ closes the EP on a deeper note, pairing lush synth work with beautifully detailed percussion for one final slow burn.

Never too serious, always full of character. The kind of record that keeps giving something new back with every listen.

London duo Kassian trade darkness for daylight on Gradients, their third EP for !K7 Records

The EP arrives as a bridge between last year's debut album and a new live show and sophomore LP, due in 2027

As Kassian, Warren Cummings and Joe Danvers continue to sit apart from any one scene. Their fruitful relationship with !K7 has spanned eclectic and global club cuts, including the spatial breaks and bass of 2024's best-selling Supercontinent EP. 2025's debut album, Channels, emerged from lockdown so leaned slow, downtempo and introspective, but this new EP points toward a clubbier, more physical direction that will carry through into album two.

Crucially, the record was written and played live on an array of studio gear rather than assembled piece by piece in the box. It's a way of building towards their first fully live show in 2027 - a hands-on, jam-first approach that leads to "happy accidents" and the unpredictable textures that hardware throws up and no amount of in-the-box planning can replicate.

Gradients is built for the floor without playing to trends and marks some of the duo's most melodic work to date. Rather than sitting purely in heads-down territory, the EP folds in hooks and vocal fragments that lift you out of the smoke and the shadows of the club. The low ends are still rooted in techno with potent drums and bass, but deft vocal hooks and subtle melodies bring a brightness that deliberately steers away from the darker, meaner aesthetic dominating much of dance music right now.

Vocal touches throughout nod to what's going on in the wider underground without tethering to tried and tested tropes. Opener 'Blush' rides warm, soft yet bold melodic riffs, looping in arcs over a hunched, speedy tech house groove. 'Ritmo' is a muscular bouncer with spring-loaded bass, 'Inner Dance' has lurching drums and a cavernous rhythm with vocals that make a playful nod to sound system culture. Last but not least, 'Sweat' is the brightest and most bubbly cut on the EP, with a tight techno low end infused with a velvety whispered vocal.

The Gradients EP is a bright, hardware-built prelude to Kassian's next chapter and a typically well-crafted four-tracker that pairs physical weight with classy emotional release.

Josh Ludlow - one half of MAKE A DANCE - one of London’s most beloved duos - steps out on his own for a rare solo outing on legendary London imprint Rhythm Section International.

A late contender for EP of the year - the record meanders menacingly across four tracks of mind-altering, dissociative Brain Music, precision engineered to transport a listener and hypnotise a crowd without losing any dancefloor impact.

Interestingly, Bradley Zero (RS label boss) and Mr. Ludlow have a connection dating back to the late 2000s, when they were both drummers in rock and roll bands...almost 20 years later - a shared love of experimental electronic music has brought them back together, resulting in this spellbinding EP.

Channelling a much darker, heads down, aggressive sound than the uplifting house M.A.D have become known for, the record begins with 'Brain Music’, which serves as a Detroit techno-inspired wormhole of a track, guiding us into a parallel, inner dimension.

Time Upside Down is next up and it becomes apparent we have entered another realm entirely. The introductory bars of the song feel like a long journey down a dark tunnel. The sound design and acoustic backdrop are so evocative you can almost see it. Obnoxious bass notes reverberate through the space created by the track, slowly giving way to flurries of high-pitched, resonant acid lines - the sum of which escape easy classification. It would be lazy to call it house music, misleading to call it techno - but it’s definitely not tech house. Elements of disco, electro, post-punk, balearic and Weatherall-esque chug are all in the mix but essentially, this is its own thing - this is Brain Music.

The record continues to the penultimate track “The Kettle”, which starts off in more familiar upbeat, bongo-house territory before the calm is betrayed by a hovering intensity which grows out of nowhere before making space for a humungous bass synth melody - so big in fact that it has never once failed to elicit club-wide bass-face; which for a mid-tempo track is no mean feat. We round things off with ‘Mean Mother’, the most playful of the bunch: a Chicago house-indebted workout reminiscent of Paranoid London at their most visceral. The track feels familiar and almost safe until the synth-work is cranked up to 11, creating a cacophonous SH-101 build-up into a disco-esque drop that would get even the most reluctant raver jumping up and down for more.

Besides all the theatrics and acoustic world building, the evocative sound design and the insatiable, no-nonsense grooves - the thing that makes these tracks stand out is the attention to detail. No two fills are alike, every embellishment is EQ’d and polished to perfection - yet no immediacy is lost. The tracks feel alive, intentional and constantly evolving. Hyperbole aside - we have a serious, generational talent on our hands whose mastery of the equipment, understanding of the dynamics of the dance and unabashed
playfulness is being harnessed into something that stands out head and shoulders above the crowd.

Modeight returns with four new cuts from label head Silat Beksi, moving across broken grooves, stripped minimal house and hazy after-hours moods. A1 "Belpaese 3000" opens on a loose summer feel, built around off-centre drums, elastic funk phrasing and a surreal vocal line that feels half-sung, half-invented. Sampled folk details and a crunchy acid twist in the breakdown give the track its own oddball tension. A2 "Alpha Style" keeps things tighter and more direct, locking into a pumping minimal house flow with clipped modular stabs, warm female vocal phrases and light atmospheric drift. It is playful, controlled and built with the floor in mind. On the flip, "For The Heads" goes deeper into late-night territory - reduced, driving and sharply focused, with a rolling pulse and enough pressure to carry a room without overstatement. "Soft Collapse" closes the record on a softer axis, layering blurred vocal tones, textured percussion and a gentle after-hours motion that stretches naturally from the first warm-up hours into the early morning.

Dutch artist Maurits Verwoerd, aka Nachtbraker, makes his first outing on Up The Stuss with ‘Bodu Imchi’, a four-track collection that highlights the breadth and curiosity that have long defined his work. Drawing from a world that stretches from ambient and cinematic music to dub, jazz-inflected electronics and house, the Amsterdam native has developed a sound that can feel both deeply considered and completely instinctive. Releases across Aus Music, Peach Discs, Heist Recordings, Dirt Crew and his own Nachtbraker and Quartet Series labels have established him as one of the more distinctive voices within the Dutch house landscape, with support from artists including Jamie xx, DJ Seinfeld, Raresh, Shanti Celeste and Axel Boman.

Across ‘Bodu Imchi’, those influences come together in a record that feels fluid, slightly strange and constantly alive. Warmth sits alongside subtle unease, hypnotic grooves give way to more playful rhythmic ideas, and intricate melodies drift through low-slung foundations without ever becoming overly polished. There’s a sense of late-night discovery throughout, the kind of music that rewards close attention but still carries enough physicality to move a room and keep packed dancefloors moving with a locked-in approach. Four tracks, one evolving atmosphere, and a meeting of musical worlds that feels right at home on Up The Stuss. It’s a release that finds character in the fine details: unexpectedtextures, subtle rhythm shifts and elements that seem to appear out of nowhere before then disappearing again. It’s an EP that moves between heads-down focus and hazier hours, capturing the curious, nocturnal spirit that runs through his work.

Ltd pressing, Widespine, black paper inners.

Tectonic Recordings presents Tectonic Sound: Vol. 2, the second instalment of the various artists series curated by label founder Pinch. Following the first Tectonic Sound collection, released in 2025 to mark the twentieth anniversary of the label, the series continues Tectonic’s forward-facing approach; bringing together artists from their wider family and connecting dots across the underground.
Longstanding figures of the UK Bass scene such as J:Kenzo and Roska sit alongside a new gen of artists including Ehua, Manami, Cimm, Denham Audio, Henry Greenleaf and SHXCXCHCXSH. Beatrice M. also returns following the release of their acclaimed debut album Sinking earlier this year, while Jay Carder and Sir Hiss make their first outings as solo artists on the label, after both appearing as collaborators on Sinking.
Pinch says: ““As Tectonic enters its third decade, the spirit and passion behind the music hold true to its roots. I love every single track on this compilation and how it shows off the various corners of the label's sound. Each artist has delivered something truly special!”
Each artist arrives with a distinct sound and history of their own, but across these twelve original tracks there’s a shared understanding of what Tectonic represents. Different strains of the UK bass continuum come together, creating a space where sounds collide, and new forms take shape. 
Pinch leads the charge with ‘Hold On!’, an upfront, high-definition 4x4 propulsion tool that pairs rolling momentum with seismic bass pulses. Manami enters with ‘Turning Point’, further solidifying her newer direction, leaning into deep, dubbed-out territory with a sound that feels both vast and exploratory, while remaining heads-down and locked in. Henry Greenleaf steps in with ‘Whist’, an ominous and otherworldly offering, reminiscent of early dubstep productions that fell somewhere between the lines of dark garage, 2-step and grime.
Elsewhere, SHXCXCHCXSH’s ‘NexxxD’ and Sir Hiss’s ‘2TUFF’ form a middle climatic point of pure chaos, with Sir Hiss serving up a raw slab of gnarled grime waveforms and cascading claps. Beatrice M. & Cimm bring things back down with ‘Pad City’, a cool, meandering cut of shuffling house, while Lorem closes the compilation with ‘Console Corners’, exploring the outer rims of sound manipulation and deconstruction before tying it all together.
Since its formation in 2005, Tectonic has been a trailblazing force in electronic music, helping to define and continually redraw the boundaries of dubstep and its surrounding sounds. The compilation arrives in the middle of a serious run for the label. Earlier this year, Tectonic released Beatrice M.’s debut album Sinking, a major moment for the label that was embraced across the electronic music community. Pinch has also continued his long-running creative relationship with legendary grime MC Trim this year, following their joint 2025 EP No Caller ID, with recent single Striker.
Across Tectonic Sound Vol. 2, those different strands of Tectonic’s history and present day meet head-on. The music moves between familiar forms and stranger territory, with rhythms and frequencies refracting across the collection. It’s a record that feels cohesive without being uniform, reflecting a label whose sound has always been defined by forward movement.

Reptile Mob is proud to present 'Lost N Found' EP opening the vault to a long-awaited archive collection of unheard garage house tracks from Darlington-born and London-based producer Highrise. Unearthed from old hard drives, this EP captures a raw, unfiltered moment in UK garage, true to its name. Highrise is the alias of Dinn Warde, a name jungle heads know well as Dwarde. While he's been making increasingly large splashes on the jungle scene, his garage output as Highrise on labels like Practical Rhythms, Vibesey Records, Shuffle & Swing, and Fresh Milk Records has been equally on-point. Lost no more, found at last. The 'Lost N Found' EP is yours to discover.

After ten years 12 Inch Lovers has become a household name not only because of their parties but also because of the fantastic vinyl samplers they released over the past few years, which were sold out in no time and have become true collector's items.

They now continue in the same vein and once again bring a fresh and contemporary mix of hard to find, original house classics or even classics that never had a vinyl release.

These samplers should therefore not be missing from any 12 Inch Lovers collection.

Sampler 5 begins with the breakthrough record from Norwegian producer "Finnebassen". "If You Only Knew" was a big hit for him in 2012, the record was best known for that hypnotic Aaliyah sample used throughout the entire track. A2 brings the very rare remix of this uber classic "The Sound Of Violence" by "Cassius". The "Franco Cinelli" remix is a very successful approach to this classic.

On B1 we find a real anthem. "World Cup" by "Kiko" is a delightful classic from 1999 but to this day it is impossible to imagine today's DJ sets without it. B2 then brings the delicious "Still In The Groove" from "Reckless", of course in that famous "Def Offenders" remix.

"Phil Fuldner" is still very active as a DJ and producer today. You can find his dreamy "Lights Off" from 2010 on C1. And speaking of dreams. "Winter" by "Aril Brikha" is another incredible classic that should definitely not be missed in your collection.

On D1 we find the Australian and headstrong singer "Sia" with her classic "The Girl You Lost On Cocaine", but in that fantastic and hard to find "Stonebridge Vocal" mix.

Last on Sampler 5 we dive back into the nineties with the memorable club classic "Closer" by "Liquid" on D2.

Frenzy steps back into the warehouse fog for FRNZYREC012, marking the arrival of Mees Javois with the Eyes Without A Face EP. This six-track collection functions as a raw blueprint of the early hours, where the steady pulse of hardware meets a stripped-back, mechanical soul.

Already turning heads in the underground circuit, Mees brings a fresh yet timeless approach that feels equally suited to intimate basements and peak-time dance floors. His debut on Frenzy introduces an artist with a clear vision and a deep understanding of club music's darker edges.

FRNZYREC012 is a singular vision of the dancefloor, a deliberate sequence of sound that balances cold precision with a visceral human touch.



c A3: Mees Javois - Reflection Matrixxman Remix

Jungle by Night Speaks Out on their latest full length album, Bar Dancing: An Ode to Friendship, the Dance Floor, and the Voice

Since their teenage years, the Amsterdam-based groove collective Jungle by Night has been conquering music venues and festivals with their ever-expanding mix of styles—krautrock, nu-disco, electro-pop. After six largely instrumental studio albums, the group—now consisting of six musicians—changes course on their seventh long-player. On Bar Dancing, set for release in early 2027 via the Amsterdam-based Rush Hour label, the band does something they have never done before: they sing.

Where brass, percussion, and synths previously told the stories, lyrics and vocals now demand their space as well. It gives the band room to put words to the topics that occupy their minds: the pitfalls of digital addiction, the dark sides of fake news, toxic masculinity, and the connection they experience while touring together.

The title Bar Dancing captures the essence of the album. It is an ode to friendship, connection, and the night. The record radiates the atmosphere of a pub where you sit at the bar discussing life, only to find yourself dancing in that very same bar moments later. Analog and warmly produced, the album builds on influences from '80s pop, krautrock, and Neue Deutsche Welle. Think of the playfulness of Talking Heads, the dub influences of UB40, the electronic layers of Air, and the tight "computer love" of Kraftwerk.

Band member Hy Tienson explains: "For the first time, we are literally giving a voice to our thoughts. It makes the music more personal, more direct, and more layered, without losing that signature, uplifting Jungle groove."

With Bar Dancing, Jungle by Night delivers an album that invites both listening and dancing. It marks a new phase for the band, taking another step forward with a renewed sound and their own lyrics.

Sometimes the title of an album tells you everything you need to know. Laurence Pike’s Possible Utopias for Jazz Quintet is like that: The music within represents a search for freedom, potentiality—liberatory strategies that transcend the ego and the solitary, atomized figure.

But in this case, the album title is also a red herring, because there is no jazz quintet here—just Pike, his drums, and his machines, not so much an ersatz ensemble as a purely notional one, a thought experiment equipped with drumsticks, circuitry, and the desire to go beyond hardwired limits.

And the results, strictly speaking, aren’t really jazz, though they incorporate the vocabulary of jazz, along with that of ambient, electronica, and post-rock. They are some other thing, cognizant of genre but never beholden to it. Again, we’re talking about a search for freedom here.

The Sydney-based musician has a long history of coloring outside the lines, not just in his solo recordings—including four albums for the Leaf label between 2018 and 2024—but also in the trio Pivot (later PVT); Szun Waves (alongside saxophonist Jack Wyllie and Border Community’s Luke Abbott); Triosk, which recorded an album with Jan Jelinek in 2003; and even post-punk titans Liars, whom he joined in late 2018.

Of his first album for Balmat, Pike says, “My loose concept was: What does music sound like when the expectations of late capitalism are removed from it? How might a jazz musician from an idealised culture of the future, or even another world, utilise musical language when the conventions of style and marketing are no longer a factor in music making?”

That inquiry, he says, connects to his “guiding principle: that the purpose of music is to access something bigger than the individual, and reveal a sense of possibility and freedom in the world to the listener. To create an understanding that the future can be something other than what we imagined or expect, even unconsciously.”

Heady ideas, but plug into his stream-of-metaconsciousness flow and you may start to intuit what motivates him. There is a deeply lyrical expression in these pieces—in the ruminative piano of opener “Guardians of Memory,” for example—but also a sense of exploded perspective, of ideas approached from more angles than any one mind could dream up. Of a collectivized consciousness, of mycelial networks branching across tone and rhythm and timbre, of ideas articulated in distributed fashion, nodal points dancing across drum heads.

Pike’s imaginary quintet is hardly without precedent; it’s a continuation of concepts floated across Jan Jelinek’s Loop-Finding-Jazz-Records, Burnt Friedman’s many guises, and much of the recombinant improv of the International Anthem roster, not to mention the far corners of ECM’s catalog in the late 1970s and 1980s, which Pike says have been integral to his development since he was a teenager. Possible Utopias for Jazz Quintet is a point in a continuum, a voice in a conversation, a question with no obvious answer: How can the search for otherness in music manifest something true about ourselves?

AE Productions in association with Sure Shot Recordings and In Effect Recordings are pleased to announce a 10 Year Anniversary Edition of the critically acclaimed Phill Most Chill and Paul Nice album as the Fabreeze Brothers.

The hugely successful first edition which was pressed on colour vinyl and supplied in double fold out sleeve sold out in only 2 weeks from release date and then the 2nd pressing black vinyl edition sold out a little while later but has for years been out of print but is increasingly requested by shops, via email, social media, AE Productions website back in stock requests, etc…

As it has been 10 years since original release back in 2015 at the time of proceeding with manufacturing, it was the perfect opportunity to do a 3rd pressing to mark the anniversary but we had to pull out all the stops for a 3rd run of this incredible album and also make it subtly different again in packaging design from the 1st and 2nd pressings so that each has it’s own particular feel and quality.

With help from the original designer and all-round vinyl artwork supremo Mr Krum we have found some nice adjustments for the gatefold sleeve where the detail from the insert sheet found in the original issues is incorporated into the inside panels of the sleeve. We have also tweaked the hype sticker to mark the 10th Anniversary Edition and updated the vinyl labels so as to work better with the new Splatter vinyl which follows the original red and yellow vinyl but each splattered with the opposite colour.

For something a little extra we have compiled a Limited Expanded Edition Double Cassette Box Set that includes the original album and also a ‘Bonus Tape’ which features all of the remixes, alternate versions, Original Versions of album cuts and bonus tracks found on B-sides of the array of singles and we included for good measure 2 tracks that only appeared on the promotional only LP sampler that ended up being different on the final release. This is limited to cassette just for the non-vinyl heads as all of these tracks already appear on vinyl. The outer box is A5 card in black with gold foil Fabreeze Brothers logo and comes with discography booklet.

‘The Bonus Tape’ from the box set is also available as a standalone cassette release with alternate j-card art work so that it has it’s own flavour and so that anyone that purchased one of the original run of cassettes that sold out before we could even ship any copies, did not need to purchase the main album again unnecessarily and to make it noticeable from the Expanded Edition Box Set version.

This version also has an alternate shell design in keeping with the clear shell with dark liner that was commonplace back in the 90’s and the cassette geeks may note the red text on the spine as was also a common design back then – giving this a pseudonym of ‘the 90’s tape’ during the design process.

We couldn’t stop there so we also have an extremely low quantity Limited Edition Mini Disc version which is the main album plus 8 of the bonus tracks from The Bonus Tape – only missing the 2 least significant alternate versions but clocking in at just a few seconds under 80 minutes – the absolute maximum for the format! Mini Disc???!!! You’re probably asking – yes!

While looking into the cassette duplication options we realised that the duplicator also offers Mini Disc production so we thought that it may be worth doing a very small run just because not only are professionally manufactured Mini Disc’s rare in Hip Hop, they are rare within the entire music industry as they never really took off as a medium to purchase music but ended up as the choice for home recorded Walkman and car use. Indeed, AE boss Mr Fantastic still has his main machine, portable and old discs. Amazingly also, the sleeve artwork transferred brilliantly to the Mini Disc template. They are manufactured using high quality Sony discs using ATRAC 4.5 codec.

All releases are supplied with unique free download codes on cards that are included inside the packaging but also with the Expanded Edition cassette and Mini Disc having 2 cards – 1 for the main album and a 2nd card for ‘The Bonus Tape’. The free downloads are supplied direct from Phill Most Chill’s Bandcamp page keeping it independent.

Spandau20 delivers its eleventh various artists release, a sonically rich and future-facing blend of broken grooves, spatial moods and modern Detroit romanticism. Four tracks, four new angles on the dancefloor. ANNA Z sets the tone with 'Kabeljau', an eclectic, IDM-flirting workout. On the opening track, elastic rhythms stretch and snap while ethereal pads drift overhead, punctured by sudden turns and glitchy surprises. Moody, weird and beautifully unpredictable. Dajusch continues with 'Fallout', diving into shimmering Detroit-inspired chords and pristine production. Clean yet full of soul, its dreamy propulsion moves with effortless optimism. It's a track that lifts heads and hearts without ever losing its club focus. Flip the record and FJAAK welcome you into a breakbeat-infused haze. 'Your Time' pairs groovy percussion and airy atmospheres with those unmistakable powerhouse vocal chops, a warehouse anthem with a gentle cosmic touch, driving yet deeply emotional. Closing the EP, Claus accelerates the pulse. 'Moist Logic' is a faster, more urgent exploration of the techno continuum. Machine funk encoded into a forward-thrusting groove, a sleek atmosphere swirling around a sharp, kinetic core. With SPANDAU20 011, the West-Berlin collective celebrates a hybrid future that is rhythmically adventurous, melodically rich and rooted in the love for the dancefloor. This record combines Berlin grit with dream-state techno, balancing rough energy and refined emotion across four cuts that leave their mark on the floor.

Efficient Space honours trailblazing Australian imprint Volition Records with Volition Cuts Vol. 1. Evolving from Andrew Penhallow’s time at GAP Records, which smuggled Cabaret Voltaire, The Fall and the Factory catalogue into the region, Volition shifted focus to homegrown talent over imported sounds. Echoing its precursor’s blend of indie friction and electronic curiosity, the label wired itself into the pulse of club and rave culture, linking city scenes and amplifying them for the mainstream. With retina-scorching design, uncompromising packaging and top-tier remixes, Volition consistently bent the major label machine to its will.

No Volition retrospective would be complete without Sisters Underground’s intergenerational anthem ‘In the Neighbourhood’. Otara teenagers Brenda Makamoeafi and Hassanah Iroegbu brought their Pasifika perspective to Proud (An Urban-Pacific Streetsoul Compilation), a commercial success that platformed NZ rap and R&B with a clarity that outshone its overseas counterparts. The quiet architect of Volition’s sound, producer prodigy Robert Racic flipped the classic as a hip-house dub before his untimely passing in 1996.

Its A-side companion comes from Brisbane synth-pop unit Boxcar, who signed to Volition after frontman Dave Smith handed a cassette to Tom Ellard of Severed Heads during a school newspaper interview. That unlikely handoff led to their 1990 debut Vertigo. Here, their ritual-laced, body-jacking industrial is retooled by Miami freestyle maverick Tony Garcia.

Further cherry-picking from the VOLT vaults, Sexing The Cherry unleash a bleep-addled meltdown from Brisbane’s Edwin Morrow and Cherryn Lomas. ‘This Is A Dream’ was recorded exclusively for High (A Dance Compilation), the first all-Australian V/A to top the ARIA charts, propelling the local movement into national consciousness.

Closing the sampler, Sydney’s Single Gun Theory joined Volition as they moved from post-punk abstraction and electronic collage toward downtempo, sample-based mysticism. Their 1994 ambient-pop reverie ‘Fall’ is reimagined by Stuart Crichton and Apollo 440’s Norman Fisher-Jones as full-throttle Goa trance, a final surge that channels the label’s relentless push into new terrain.

Volition Cuts Vol. 1 is dedicated to the loving memory of Volition’s visionary founder Andrew Penhallow, and key contributors Robert Racic and Edwin Morrow.1

Amsterdam natives Maarten Smeets and Lars Dales, aka Dam Swindle, unveil their third long-player with the release of a new track, the first to be shared from the upcoming album, ‘Open’ - out on 30 May 2025 via Heist Recordings.

The new album sees the acclaimed duo dive far beyond the deep sonic waters they’re most known for, exploring lower tempos, synthwave, hip-house, and ambient across fourteen tracks. With a gestation period that traces back several years, ‘Open’ is their most intimate and personal body of work thus far, birthed during a time of self-reflection away from touring and personal transformation as individuals.

“We felt the need to tell a very personal story through our music as a translation of our personal development in the past years. We also wanted to make music without a specific goal in mind; We simply wanted to create. By taking away the grid of dance music and any expectations of what a Dam Swindle song should sound like, the creativity started to flow naturally with songs in many different styles and tempos. The result is an album that feels refreshing and uplifting and still very much true to the heart and soul of our sound.” - Dam Swindle, January 2025.

While the trademark Dam Swindle four-to-the-floor beats are still ever-present on tracks like ‘The Present Is Always Perfect’, ‘I Need You’, and ‘Is This Love?’, it’s the gentle waves of synths on opener ‘Home’, the contemplative piano chords of ‘Bloom’ featuring Joep Beving, and the lo-fi ambience of ‘It’s Okay, I Can Wait’ that showcase a melancholic, ethereal sensibility previously uncharted by the duo. Collaborations with vocalists such as NYC’s Haile Supreme on ‘Not Enough’ and Neo-soul singer Faye Meana on ‘Girl’ expertly find room in between the dancefloor and home listening sessions, and a clear standout on the LP is the title cut where message-heavy rapped vocals from UK artist Samson ebb and flow amongst iridescent grooves.

Under the helm of Maarten and Lars’ adept A&R, their Heist imprint has become a beloved home for house heads of both schools old and new, platforming some of dance music’s biggest names from Cinthie to DJ Sneak as well as the musical dawnings of artists such as Kassian and Makèz. The Dam Swindle alias has achieved house music royalty-like status across a storied 15-year career that includes two critically lauded full-lengths, collaborations with the likes of Tom Misch and Kerri Chandler, and a globetrotting touring schedule. This album stands as their most profoundly personal work of art to date, and they can’t wait to share it with you.

Repress!

Mint Condition - A record label focused on excavating the outer fringes of classic House and Techno. Unreleased mixes, classics, overlooked gems and never heard before material, mined from the last 30+ years of contemporary dance music are the order of the day. From Chicago, Detroit and New York to London and beyond. Mint Condition have got their digging hats on to bring you exclusive heat and those rarer than rare jams that have been in your wants list for years. Dig in....

Tobias Menguser, AKA Leon De Winter, was a very influential figure in the 90's Frankfurt techno scene, releasing around 100 records under various aliases, including collaborations with Ricardo Villalobos, but it was his Leon De Winter alias that really caught the ears of legendary London label Eukahouse, who originally releases this 12" all the way back in 1997. A one-off, it is not only unique in its sound design but also genre defying, spanning deep house, tech-house, techno, electro and breaks.
A-Side 'Apollo Jazz' is truly that, sounding like it was composed from a freeform jam on a trip to the Moon. Opening with emotive chords, the track lifts off and builds, melodies effortlessly twist and turn, superbly pulling together a variety of well crafted synths, bass and percussion whilst keeping the energy to the fore. Over to the B-Side, 'Metamat', is bold and more playful in its execution, more sonic trickery abounds as the opening riffs and breakbeat percussion give way to a solid 4/4. The bass is as memorable as it is quirky, but again it's the strength in the way all the elements build and combine that creates some real tripped-out musical moments without ever losing its dance floor appeal.

This is one of Tobias's most sought after releases and it's no wonder his collaborative work with Ricardo Villalobos is legendary. The tracks themselves have remained exciting and relevant, achieving cult status amongst the most discerning DJs, record collectors and music heads alike. Legitimately re-released with the full involvement of Tobias Menguser, lovingly remastered by London's Curve Pusher from the original DATs especially for Mint Condition. 100% legit, licensed and released. Dug, remastered, repackaged and brought to you by the caring folks at your favourite reissue label - Mint Condition!

ReKaB drops another strong four-track EP, rooted firmly in the Detroit sound with a nod to the soulful techno styles that shaped the UK underground in the 90s. His second EP for Cologne's YORE Records. The production, as always, is spot on—sharp, detailed, and endlessly listenable. While the tracks carry the weight of tradition, they’re not stuck in it. There’s a fresh, forward-facing energy here that keeps things exciting.

My Inspiration opens with classic metallic strings and a tight, robotic square bass that locks you in straight away. Just when you think you know where it’s going, the vocal drops—a bold touch that shifts the track into more human territory, giving it an emotional pull without losing its edge.

Soul Brother is a late-night cruiser. Rhodes chords, rolling bass, and lush strings set the scene for a proper cityscape vibe. It’s smooth, it’s warm, and it glides effortlessly, all while keeping enough groove to move.

Future Times kicks things up a gear with more tempo and bite. Acidic basslines and a writhing lead sit alongside deep chords, making it equal parts hypnotic and urgent. It’s the kind of track that turns heads in the club—direct and effective without being predictable.

Wrapping it up, Random Fragments pulls things back into a more reflective, dubby space. The layers are rich but restrained, with chirps and analogue echoes drifting through a hazy atmosphere. It’s introspective but not sleepy, the perfect comedown to round off the EP.

ReKaB’s consistency is something else—each release feels like it’s levelling up, pushing his sound forward without losing its roots. This EP is no different. It’s a tight package of ideas, all executed with precision and style. One for the heads, no question.

The Stallions compilations have become a benchmark of Bosconi's position as one of the leading house and techno labels operating out of Italy. This third instalment marks a shift in sound which also comes full circle to the music that first inspired founder Fabio Della Torre as a DJ and producer around the turn of the millennium, when punchy electro production was driving European house and techno into new zones.

All the artists featured on Vol. III are Italian, holding true to Bosconi's commitment to supporting local talent from Florence and across the country. Amongst the familiar faces is Della Torre's own Minimono collaboration with Ennio Colaci, which indulges a proudly manic palette of tweaked bleeps and dirty low-end. Elsewhere, recent additions to the Bosconi fold include veritable legends Alexander Robotnick and Marco Passarani, who infuse their unpredictable approaches to electro-techno and italo disco with ear-snagging synth-pop and driving analogue box jams respectively to create vibrant, impassioned dancefloor monsters.

The Mechanical Man is an alias from Nicola Altieri, who leans in on a classic Italo arpeggio to create a seductive club sound which builds on his recent Bosconi EXV EP, while Cixxx J switches from the mood of his own Bosconi appearance for a new alias Queen Of Coins and a pivot towards heads-down electro-techno-trance with a whiff of International Deejay Gigolos. Lapucci builds on the promise of his 2021 Bosconi 12" with a sentimental fusion track which lands somewhere between old school Italo house, the snappy pulse of EBM and crisp 00s-era electro house. Meanwhile modern day Italian techno legend Lucretio of The Analogue Cops makes his first appearance on Bosconi with the playful video game stylings of 'Gradius'.
A great deal of space on Vol. III is given over to emergent talent, ranging from Miguel Herr's twitchy detroitian synth-pop braindance and Twovi's vocoder-charged electro funk to DJ Rou's jacking ghetto house flavour. Giammarco Orsini and Jacopo Latini appear as Data Memory Access and deliver an emotive, punchy strain of machine soul. Feel Fly rounds the compilation off in bombastic style with an epic, cinematic workout which draws on Moroder-inspired drama without losing the forthright peak-time focus which binds the whole collection together.

Even the artwork on Vol. III serves as an opportunity to celebrate Italian creativity, as pioneering crypto artist Niro Perrone builds on his accomplished work in the field of NFTs and a background in music production to respond intuitively to the vibrant, synthetic sound of the compilation. For all the futurism in the music though, there remains a strong sense of human feeling which has marked Bosconi out since the beginning. The label remains as inspired and inspiring as ever, celebrating the fertile crossover when people manipulate technology to express themselves in an honest, playful way. Independent of wider trends or fashions, Bosconi remains true to its own idiosyncratic passions, and so Bosconi Stallions Vol. III stands proud as a compilation like no other.

For this uniquely personal retrospective spread over twelve vinyl discs, Sven Väth takes us back to the early days of his DJ career. On What I Used To Play we meet great pioneers of electronic music, gifted percussionists, obscure wave bands, and innovative producers of a bygone 'new electronic' era. Rough beats and irresistible grooves from the identification stage of house, techno, and acid remind us not just how far electronic music has evolved over the past four decades, but how great it was to dance to EBM, techno, and house for the very first time.

If there is one protagonist of the electronic music scene who has remained curious, innovative and at the very cutting edge of music for over four decades, it's Sven Väth. His multi-layered artist albums and Sound of the Season mix compilations have been defining the genre for over two decades, and even today, he is constantly on the lookout for the next top tune to add to the highlights of his next set. At least, that's the case when he's not producing them himself as an artist or remixer. "Actually, it's always been part of my DNA to think ahead," and nothing had been further from his mind than looking back at his past, but when in spring of 2020 the international DJ circuit had to be scaled down to virtually zero, the 'restless traveler' suddenly had time. Time to stop and reflect on "how it actually was back then, at the very beginning of my career..."

"It was a great trip and with every track, beautiful memories came flooding back".
In the London apartment, he had just moved into, Sven has set up a "little music room", where he cocooned himself for several days, "to look way back for the first time and review my musical journey through the eighties, so to speak."

The interim result was six thematically oriented playlists with a grand total of 120 tracks from 'early 80s' to 'Balearic late 80s', together with excursions into afrobeat, European new wave, and EBM sounds and a few epochal techno/house tracks from the USA in between. From these 'Best of Sven Väth's favorites', the project What I Used To Play crystallized. Sven remembers how the Cocoon team reacted to his proposal: "They found the idea of making a compilation out of it MEGA from the beginning and everyone said 'Sven, go for it', but then, of course, the work really started, namely, to clear the rights and to get clean sounding masters of the up to 40-year-old tracks. There was also disappointment, of course. We couldn't clear certain titles because the rights holders in the USA had fallen out with each other or simply disappeared from the scene. In short, it wasn't easy, but now I can safely say we got the most important tracks."

Finally, after two years of research, curation, design, and administrative fine-tuning, the "little retrospective" from 1981 to 1990 is available. The exquisitely packaged, and three-kilo heavy box set is not only physically impressive, WIUTP is also the definitive record of Sven Väth's musical development. On each of the twenty-four sides of vinyl, you can trace track by track, what influenced him during which phase, and how he took off as a DJ from his parents' Queen's Pub straight into the spotlight at Dorian Gray. There and at Vogue (later OMEN), Sven became the style-defining player in the DJ booth that he still is today.




1981 - 1990: Future Sounds of Now

In the early eighties, the crowd in clubs like Vogue and Dorian Gray danced to what nowadays we call 'dance classics' - mainly disco, funk, soul, and chart pop. It was up to a new generation of DJs, including Sven Väth, the youngest protagonist in the Rhine-Main area at the time, to create their own club-ready music mix. Good new tracks and potential floor-fillers were rarities that had to be sought out and found, in order to prove oneself worthy.
Without MP3s, internet streaming, or other digital download possibilities, music didn't just gravitate to the DJ, instead, it had to be tracked down. In well-stocked record stores in Frankfurt and Wiesbaden or even in Amsterdam, London, or New York, Sven and friends sourced the material for countless magical nights. On WIUTP we can follow Sven's very personal journey through this wild, innovative era in which synth-pop, funk, hip-hop, and disco were successively replaced as 'club music' by house, techno, acid, and breakbeat. By the end of the decade, it was clear to see that these once exotic 'fringe' phenomena would soon become 'mass' phenomena.



Early 80s

Dirty Talk by the Italian-American duo Klein & M.B.O. represents the most innovative phase of the Italo-disco genre in the early eighties like no other track. Mario Boncaldo (I) and Tony Carrasco relied entirely on the original synthetic drum and percussion sounds of the Roland TR-808, coupled with the raunchy vocals of Rossana Casale and guitar accents of Davide Piatto. Of course, other tracks from this period were also influential in style, most notably Unit by Logic System, which worked as the perfect soundtrack to the laser lighting system at the legendary Dorian Gray club. With stomping beats and robotic rap interludes, Bostich by Yello also belongs on Sven's eternal playlist - after all, it caught the attention of Afrikaa Bambaataa, who invited the Swiss duo to perform at the Roxy in New York in 1983.



EBM Wave - Mid 80s

From today's point of view, the almost ten-minute-long, downtempo track Giant by Matt Johnson's band project The The, would probably not be considered an obvious club classic. However, a closer (re)listen reveals the rhythmic intricacies of the percussion overdubs by JG Thirlwell (aka Foetus) on Johnson's composition, and it becomes clear why this exceptional piece of music is one of Sven's absolute favorites. Other classics from this phase include Kaw-Liga by the mysterious The Residents, the hypnotic-synthetic Our Darkness by Anne Clark (and David Harrow), and last but not least, the somber, monotonous anthem Where Are You? by 16Bit, one of Sven Väth's projects together with Michael Münzing, Luca Anzilotti from 1986.



US House - Late 80s

You certainly can't talk about Chicago house without mentioning Frankie Knuckles. The resident DJ at the Warehouse not only gave the name to an entire genre, but also produced epochal floor fillers on the Trax label like the timeless Your Love, sung (and moaned) by Jamie Principle. Acid house protagonists Phuture also hail from Chicago, and on We Are Phuture (also released on Trax) we hear the chirping acid sounds of the legendary Roland TB-303 in full effect. Another featured classic is No UFO's by Detroit's Model 500 aka Juan Atkins, who is rightly considered the 'Godfather of Techno' even if the genre-defining track from 1985 still breathes with the spirit of hip-hop and electro from the first breakdance era.





Afrobeat

Le Serpent, by Algerian-born Abdelmadjid Guemguem, is a track that sounds completely different from everything else on WIUTP. Made in 1978, it's a monumental, rousing groove created without bass or synths, just with five congas! Even though Guem sadly passed away in 2021, his immortal, acoustic beats are understood all over the world and will continue to enrich many thousands of DJ sets for years to come. Another classic that not only Sven appreciates beyond measure is Hugh Masekela's Don't Go Lose it, Baby. In addition to being one of the most important jazz pioneers, the trumpeter and freedom fighter from Johannesburg was very experimental, integrating electronic sounds into his music in later years, in a similar vein to Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock. Dutch jazz pianist Jasper van't Hof's afrobeat project Pili Pili has also aged well. The trance-like, almost sixteen-minute-long track of the same name, manages to fill a whole side on the seventh of twelve vinyl discs in the WIUTP box.



UK-US-Euro - Late 80s

Time for a change of scene, in the truest sense of the word, and from a musical perspective, this section is like landing on another planet. First up is Andrew Weatherall's classic remix of Primal Scream's Loaded, featuring the iconic Peter Fonda sample (lifted from the 1966 biker film Wild Angels) that came to personify the mood triggered by the British Second Summer of Love in the late eighties: "We wanna be free to do what we wanna do, and we wanna get loaded...". This period also saw the emergence of M/A/R/R/S whose only single, 1987's Pump Up The Volume, became a club classic with support from DJ legend CJ Mackintosh. In this most eclectic of sections, we also encounter New York house and reggae producer Bobby Konders and his seminal Nervous Acid.



Balearic - Late 80s

Those who know him, know that Sven had already lost his heart to the 'magic island' of Ibiza as a teenager, so with that in mind, the WIUTP project couldn't end without a Balearic chapter. Inspired by Manuel Göttsching's E2-E4, the immortal, eponymously titled Sueño Latino belongs in there without question. Equally popular on the island was, and still is Break 4 Love by Raze, which thinking about it, would also fit perfectly into the house chapter. Last, but not least, there's an overdue reunion with Sven Väth himself, in his role as frontman of the successful Frankfurt trio OFF. Together with Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti (later of Snap!) this 'Organization For Fun' created the off-the-wall club hit Electric Salsa in 1986 which incidentally turned into an international chart smash, putting Sven in the enviable position of having to decide between pop stardom and a DJ career. Well, we all know how that decision turned out and the rest, as they say, is history. A not insignificant part of his story is What I Used To Play. Enjoy!

Dublin-born, thirty years an immigrant. That's the spine of henryohenry's debut, Apocrypha, not as a concept but as a condition. He's spent three decades in the United States working in the trades, absorbing the country's mythologies and building what he calls "an idiosyncratic American language" out of them, something closer to Whitman's vision than what he found. He is, by his own account, "formally and informally not a musician" — all but two of the songs were written on a $6 charity-shop guitar with a repaired headstock and strings that distorted unpredictably. It doesn't appear on the record. Produced by filmmaker Rick Alverson, the album is anchored by guitarist Eamon O'Leary and his son Ned Steves, recording together for the first time, without rehearsal. Erik Hall mixed and contributed overdubs; Emilie Rex of Lean Year lends harmonies to three songs; poet Callie Garnett appears on another. Album standout "There" captures something harder to name: how powerful feelings drive you to the page, and how the thing you make can outlast the feelings that made it. "It feels like a triumph over something," he says, "even if you're a bit embarrassed by some of the sentiment."


Apocrypha arrives as a debut but carries the patience of a life lived in full. For fans of John Cale, Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen.

Presenting the eighth edition of the Bizarre Trax wax series and the second solo outing from bare-knuckle beatmaker B.Love. A Shape You Can Feel EP marks a subtle but deliberate evolution in the producer's sound. While the groove-led, funk-infused records that first put his name on the map are still woven into his DNA, this latest four-tracker strips things back in favour of a more understated, headsdown approach. Leaner drums, weightier low-end and hypnotic arrangements take centre stage, with each cut built for long blends and late-night dancefloors. Across four rolling club weapons, B.Love explores a deeper, more refined sonic palette without losing the character that's become synonymous with his productions. Chopped vocal fragments, unmistakable sample work and crisp, polished percussion remain at the core, but are now delivered with greater restraint, allowing space, tension and groove to do the heavy lifting. Designed for selectors who favour subtlety over spectacle, A Shape You Can Feel EP is a confident statement from an artist continuing to carve out his own lane; proof that sometimes the smallest shifts leave the biggest impression

2026 Repress

Words by Costanza Acernese
MOVING PRESSURE 04 / Obscur
With its fourth release, Moving Pressure welcomes its first external artist: young Slovenian producer Obscur. With a signature sound that is driving and subtly psychedelic, his debut on the label doesn't stray from the core tenets of its sonic ethos. Obscur delivers minimalism with purpose-dynamic, intentional, and wholly physical.
'F135' opens the A-side with a sinister tilt-rubbery squeaks stretch and coil around a flickering, synthetic voice. It's tactile and strange, without losing movement. 'Soul Eater' follows with a slow-burn crescendo, nestling psychedelic inflections into a warm low-end. On the flip, 'Stockholm Syndrome' pares things back. Dry, stripped rhythms carry an atmospheric tension-it's austere yet playful, leaving space for darker hues to linger without fully settling. A precise, heads-down statement. 'Blasphemy' follows with a tighter percussive grip and Feral-esque, panning modulations. Highs slice through a foundation of finely textured grooves-functional at its core, but laced with enough detail to give the track a sharper, more intricate edge. The digital bonus, 'Diamond City', stretches the sonic palette even further. Not through layers, but through tone: steel blues and deep violets bounce off metallic bleeps with cinematic restraint, closing the EP on a reflective note.

Dirty Heads have built a career out of soundtracking the best moments of people's lives, and with '7 Seas' they're not slowing down. The RIAA Platinum Certified Southern California outfit returns with their much-anticipated ninth full-length album, building on their signature balance of carefree energy and reflective songwriting while inviting fans into their next chapter of freedom, positivity and forward motion. From sun-soaked, laid-back anthems made for a day at the beach to hard-hitting late-night bangers, the album moves fluidly across moods without ever losing the infectious Dirty Heads energy fans have come to love. With over 3 billion career streams worldwide and multiple #1 singles on alternative and rock radio, Dirty Heads have built a dedicated global following by seamlessly fusing reggae, hip-hop, alternative rock and pop.

The early 80’s in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, was hardly the place where music dreams came true. It had an amazing venue called Friars which was on the touring circuit, but very few local bands. There was the VICE CREEMS fronted by Kris Needs and there was the notorious yet terrible SORE WILLIES. EFFIGY came from the ashes of the SORE WILLIES and formed in 1983. EFFIGY came fully formed and instantly became popular in the local area, where they put on a weekly night at the Uptown Coffee Bar. The band hardly left Aylesbury though, and when they did it was to play in nearby High Wycombe and Bicester. They played bigger gigs with everyone from ALIEN SEX FIEND, BILLY BRAGG, UK DECAY, THE SCARS and SPIZZ. The band recorded one 5 track demo in October 1983 and it is simply unbelievable that it has never been re-released, but then again the bands legacy seems to have banished without a trace, with literally no mentions anywhere. Making their demo one of the hardest ones from 1983 to track down, or even hear, since it is not even uploaded on YouTube.

EFFIGY’s sound is so instant. It’s driving, tight female fronted post punk with hooks, style, and had it been released at the time would have made them a household name. Think a straight ahead version of SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES, early X-MAL DEUTSCHLAND, THE A-HEADS or the SKELETAL FAMILY but with a more pop edge. The songs lyrically were around the obsession with paganism and old black and white horror films, the name EFFIGY was taken from a book Roger was trying to write about witchcraft and the Pendle witch trials called Effigy of Isobel, which was never completed (due to his very low attention span) but a song on this recording did emerge.
The release comes with a lyric sheet, a new interview with the band and as much archive as we could dig out, which in this case wasn’t much.

London experimental spoken word and electronics duo BAG land on Phantom Limb with mesmerising new album This House is a Body, marrying visceral poetry with exploratory production to achieve beguiling, occasionally screwy and occasionally dreamy sonics.

“This album functions as a floor plan, a house in itself, collecting and containing the ecosystems of multiple rooms,” write BAG - Canadian artist and poet Jody DeSchutter and London producer Daniel Allison. “The roles we play can be defined by the room we are in; and it can be near impossible to tell what room we are in without looking from outside. This album maps out a number of rooms which hold such relations, memories, or experiences and builds them all into a single house, a single body.” Formed from Allison’s headspinning, depth-mining production for synthesis, field recording, and acoustic instrumentation, and DeSchutter’s lysergic and prophetic spoken word, the palette of This House is a Body can turn on a dime from claustrophobia and dread to hyperreal dream sequence, illuminated in sunstreamed glory in places and dripping with basement effluvia in others. Throughout, words, meaning, and imagery all dissolve into an architecture of alternately familiar and unknowable sound.

“Tako” means “octopus”, “kite”, and even “bunion” in Japanese. Bald men or men with shaven heads, as well as red-faced, staggering drunks, are also referred to as “tako”. It’s a word that appears in a lot of slang and sayings. Taco is also the name of an 80s music and performance collective whose performances were like nothing before or since. The Japanese band Taco, formed at the beginning of the 80s, is a loose group/collective of varying members that belongs to the post-punk alternative music movement. The network of members were all friends and acquaintances of Harumi Yamazaki, ex-member of Gaseneta and Taco’s central member.

Taco can be described as a band of guerrillas who, over the years, continued to connect, collect, interrupt, and scatter while sending out into the world music and sounds that can best be described as transient. Taco also performed without Harumi, and so it is as though the band is an anonymous group of mercenaries. Taco’s first album was released in 1983 and had a huge impact on Japan’s underground music scene as an anomalous and collaborative album involving various participating artists (the stars of Japan’s underground music scene!) and Harumi, who provided the lyrics. Although each track represents a reverberating conglomeration of sounds created by this transient local network, common to all the tracks are Harumi’s expressive lyrics. This has the effect of transforming all the tracks into a single powerful force which, in turn, spawns an “incident” which spreads like a giant ripple. However, because of another incident in which the records were recalled due to the scandal caused by some of the lyrics, only a limited number of people actually own a copy of the album. Taco’s second album (a 12” EP), released in 1984, features a live recording of a performance that was held at the end of 1982. Taco is a band of indeterminate members which only ever played one-off performances, but this is an album that reveals a unit whose performance was unusually musically coherent. This is an album which effectively conveys the power of Taco’s astounding and legendary live performances, as well as Harumi’s inflammatory, sensational, and masochistic presence on stage. Her mutterings and screams, which practically ignore the detached beat, confront the audience like an overwhelming groundswell.

The following is a description of Taco by one of its members following one of its live performances: “Taco’s like a project where the indeterminate participants fan each other’s heightened emotions of wanting to wreak personal revenge and retribution. It’s an ecosystem of tangible and intangible mouldy slime which accumulates in order for emotions to be acted out, both indoors in the studio, or outdoors on stage. That’s why the avenger can often end up being the victim.”

Nameless, March 1985

With Zera, Len Faki returns to Figure with a tightly focused EP that moves between raw, driving functionality and more open, atmospheric moments. Across five tracks, he explores variations in groove, tone and energy, balancing direct, floor-ready structures with a more fluid and spacious approach.

Opening cut Maschine Girl locks into a restless, forward-driving groove. Crisp percussion and a tightly coiled low end create immediate momentum, while sharp synth fragments and metallic accents add a nervous edge. The track stays stripped and efficient, letting its steady build and controlled tension carry the energy.
Kobold follows with a darker and more twisted tone. Warped synth figures weave through a heavy rhythmic backbone, giving the track a slightly mischievous character while maintaining a firm, heads-down drive. The interplay between tonal movement and grounded percussion keeps the groove dynamic without breaking its focus.
Closing the A-side, Maschine Girl (Version) revisits the opener from a different angle. Elements are tightened and subtly rebalanced, shifting the emphasis further toward rhythm and direct impact. More reduced and tool-like in nature, it pushes the groove forward with a sharper, club-ready feel.
On the flip, Zera unfolds with a broader sense of space. Hypnotic synth movement and layered atmospheres sit atop a firm low-end framework, gradually building intensity while maintaining a deep, immersive flow. The track thrives on its slow development, drawing the listener further into its evolving structure.
Rounding out the release, Zera (Hardspace Mix) reimagines the original with a heavier, more physical approach. The groove becomes more pronounced and the rhythmic pressure more direct, tightening the structure into a denser, floor-driven tool that emphasises impact and propulsion.
With Zera, Len Faki delivers a cohesive and wide-ranging release that connects raw, driving tools with more expansive, early morning-leaning grooves — further reflecting the breadth and versatility that has defined his output in recent years.

_NRV011 welcomes Romanian craftsman Firesc for a deep, stripped and deliberate three-track journey built for long blends and late-hour tension.

“Travelling Monk” unfolds across eleven patient minutes — a rolling, meditative groove anchored by subtle low-end pressure and finely detailed percussion. The arrangement breathes, evolves and locks into a steady hypnotic stride designed for extended transitions and heads-down floors.

“Resiclap” tightens the focus. Snapping drums and elastic rhythm work drive the groove forward with crisp minimal precision, balancing restraint with just enough swing to keep things playful.

On remix duties, Andrei Ciubuc reinterprets “Resiclap” with a darker, more driving edge. His version sharpens the rhythmic framework and reinforces the low-end weight, turning it into a focused, late-night weapon without sacrificing the original’s subtlety.

A refined, functional release that stays true to the understated aesthetic _NRV is becoming known for — built for selectors who value patience, space and control.

Expanded Edition Double Cassette Box Set including main album and Bonus Cassette with unique download cards


AE Productions in association with Sure Shot Recordings and In Effect Recordings are pleased to announce a 10 Year Anniversary Edition of the critically acclaimed Phill Most Chill and Paul Nice album as the Fabreeze Brothers.

The hugely successful first edition which was pressed on colour vinyl and supplied in double fold out sleeve sold out in only 2 weeks from release date and then the 2nd pressing black vinyl edition sold out a little while later but has for years been out of print but is increasingly requested by shops, via email, social media, AE Productions website back in stock requests, etc…

As it has been 10 years since original release back in 2015 at the time of proceeding with manufacturing, it was the perfect opportunity to do a 3rd pressing to mark the anniversary but we had to pull out all the stops for a 3rd run of this incredible album and also make it subtly different again in packaging design from the 1st and 2nd pressings so that each has it’s own particular feel and quality.

With help from the original designer and all-round vinyl artwork supremo Mr Krum we have found some nice adjustments for the gatefold sleeve where the detail from the insert sheet found in the original issues is incorporated into the inside panels of the sleeve. We have also tweaked the hype sticker to mark the 10th Anniversary Edition and updated the vinyl labels so as to work better with the new Splatter vinyl which follows the original red and yellow vinyl but each splattered with the opposite colour.

For something a little extra we have compiled a Limited Expanded Edition Double Cassette Box Set that includes the original album and also a ‘Bonus Tape’ which features all of the remixes, alternate versions, Original Versions of album cuts and bonus tracks found on B-sides of the array of singles and we included for good measure 2 tracks that only appeared on the promotional only LP sampler that ended up being different on the final release. This is limited to cassette just for the non-vinyl heads as all of these tracks already appear on vinyl. The outer box is A5 card in black with gold foil Fabreeze Brothers logo and comes with discography booklet.

‘The Bonus Tape’ from the box set is also available as a standalone cassette release with alternate j-card art work so that it has it’s own flavour and so that anyone that purchased one of the original run of cassettes that sold out before we could even ship any copies, did not need to purchase the main album again unnecessarily and to make it noticeable from the Expanded Edition Box Set version.

This version also has an alternate shell design in keeping with the clear shell with dark liner that was commonplace back in the 90’s and the cassette geeks may note the red text on the spine as was also a common design back then – giving this a pseudonym of ‘the 90’s tape’ during the design process.

We couldn’t stop there so we also have an extremely low quantity Limited Edition Mini Disc version which is the main album plus 8 of the bonus tracks from The Bonus Tape – only missing the 2 least significant alternate versions but clocking in at just a few seconds under 80 minutes – the absolute maximum for the format! Mini Disc???!!! You’re probably asking – yes!

While looking into the cassette duplication options we realised that the duplicator also offers Mini Disc production so we thought that it may be worth doing a very small run just because not only are professionally manufactured Mini Disc’s rare in Hip Hop, they are rare within the entire music industry as they never really took off as a medium to purchase music but ended up as the choice for home recorded Walkman and car use. Indeed, AE boss Mr Fantastic still has his main machine, portable and old discs. Amazingly also, the sleeve artwork transferred brilliantly to the Mini Disc template. They are manufactured using high quality Sony discs using ATRAC 4.5 codec.

All releases are supplied with unique free download codes on cards that are included inside the packaging but also with the Expanded Edition cassette and Mini Disc having 2 cards – 1 for the main album and a 2nd card for ‘The Bonus Tape’. The free downloads are supplied direct from Phill Most Chill’s Bandcamp page keeping it independent.

In the past, DVTR has definitely been shaking up the Canadian punk scene, racking up dazzling reviews, best of 2023 lists, soldout shows and some bootlicking awards for their first ever EP "BONJOUR". Somewhere between the B-52s and fast DIY punk à la Jay Reatard, Demi Lune & Jean Divorce's troublemaking duo pours out its bile on often surprising, sometimes awkward, and always salvatory soundscapes. Its unpredictable stage antics break all language barriers, already taking the band on stages everywhere from Mexico to the UK. DVTR is French-speaking, female-fronted, short and not sweet at all: it repeats, it repeats, it repeats - that's the only way to get the message across. Vasectomy for all, ACAB, Rhum coke and MDMA, etcetera, etcetera. A simple fuck off to anyone who'd need a reminder before everything burns? As the legendary magazine CULT MTL recently said: "This is a live band doing what great live bands do, live: entertaining, f*cking with people's heads, having fun, and showing what they've got - crazy licks - without showing off."

With Severance, IGLO returns to Figure with a focused yet exploratory EP that reflects his open-ended approach to contemporary techno. The release moves fluidly between restraint and expression, combining functional structures with subtle, unconventional elements that give the tracks a distinct sense of character. Rather than settling into a fixed formula, Severance highlights IGLO's curiosity and willingness to push his sound forward while remaining grounded in precision and control.

Connection opens the release with a restrained, heads-down groove. A firm low-end foundation and sparse percussion lock into a steady momentum, while understated melodic elements add depth without breaking the track's linear drive.
On Kauriraris, the energy tightens. Nervous synth motifs and crisp rhythmic details create a sense of urgency, pushing the track forward through constant micro-variation. It's a lean and effective tool built for sustained pressure.
Flipping the record, Blink Twice moves into darker, denser territory. Murky textures and a weighty groove unfold gradually, building tension through repetition and space. The track thrives on its slow burn, making it well-suited for late-night transitions.
Alive introduces a more open and flowing feel. Warmer tonal elements and a subtle swing soften the edges, while the groove remains firmly anchored and forward-moving.
Digital-only track Forlornly closes the EP with a spacious and introspective mood. Reduced rhythms and airy melodic layers create a calm, drifting atmosphere that rounds off the release with control and restraint.
With Severance, IGLO delivers a tightly structured EP that emphasizes clarity, tension and functionality - a confident addition to the Figure catalogue.

CAY unveils his personal side on Another Life, a debut album rich in melancholic euphoria

The expressive, multi-faceted 10 tracker comes on Mind Against's HABITAT label in January 2026

Cologne-born producer CAY explores beyond the dancefloor with Another Life, a debut album that trades peak-time pressure for an ambitious and artful exploration of self. Far from being rooted in one genre, the record weaves his own honest vocals with a wide range of powerful rhythms that pull from progressive, broken beat, techno and trance.

For CAY, making music has always offered refuge and a place to calm his mind, process life’s chaos and channel personal experiences into sound. His journey started in the clubs of Cologne, in illegal forest raves and with trips to Berlin to soak up big room techno. His search for more purpose, away from mental demons and the darker side of the party lifestyle, led him to production. DJing followed after a push from his brother turned Manager, and while those experiences around Europe shaped his understanding of dance floor dynamics, he was never in a rush to release his early experiments.

Instead, CAY took private time to evolve into an accomplished artist with his own musical voice. Label heads Mind Against were so impressed when they heard what he sent to their demo inbox, they both reached out to collaborate, and he has since released on their label HABITAT.

With Another Life, he is making music that is multilayered and rich in narrative, rather than defined purely by big moments. It is drawn from years of writing, with more than 60 tracks whittled down to one concise, impactful statement. "There wasn't one big concept,” says CAY “but there was direction. It's a big risk for me, but I wanted to introduce people who like club music to something deeper. I want the music to say something real.”

Because of that, Another Life introduces CAY the vocalist. For the first time, he sings on several tracks. The subjects are real, whether that's an important friend, a moment with his girlfriend or, on 'Runaway', the thought of giving up and escaping everything. The lyrics are honest but often slightly oblique, so they invite your own readings rather than spelling everything out.

Sonically, the album moves between optimistic grandeur and introspective reality. It's cinematic but personal and bridges the gap between dancefloor drive and vulnerable storytelling. There is a grand scale to many of the tracks, with arching synths reaching and heavyhearted drums anchoring a groove: you'll dance, you'll cry, maybe both at the same time.

Another Life is the sound of a producer granting himself permission to sing, turn inwards and risk audience expectations. It’s intimate without being insular, club-capable without being confined, and a compelling first chapter for an artist who has spent years building toward this moment of truth.

2026 Repress

Flickering in ultraviolet, there is an elusive place where blue pill meets red, ups become downs, and day merges with night. Those liminal spaces where anything is possible is where you’ll find Nightbus and their hypnotic debut album Passenger. Doom, uncertainty, and opportunity lurk in the shadowy corners of their murky existence with stops at disassociation, co-dependency, and addiction before reaching its final destination - a glimmer of hope.

The in-between of Nightbus’ own Gotham lies where Manchester’s city pulse meets Stockport’s outer realm. An audio-visual entity formed among a musical family of friends, freaks, and foes in messy mills and after hours on dancefloors alike, their sound bleeds from tension where collective creative forces are bound together and collide with the fallout of being torn apart. Before even playing a show, their So Young released single ‘Mirrors’ – a knowing nod of respect to some well-known gloomy Northerners - may have made old school indie heads shimmy at shows in Salford’s The White Hotel but also signalled the duo’s knack for offering listeners a Bandersnatch approach to hitchhiking their own personal Nightbus in whatever direction they choose to take. “Everyone can have their moment with our songs; the music is our response to who we are as young people, living in the city full of this energy right now,” they say.

Whilst reverb hefty melodies and dread-filled loops embody isolation from writing at each of their home studio set-ups, magic happens in the ether across 90s trip-hop, indie sleaze and electronica; Jake’s production layers Olive’s pop sentimentality with drums and samples whilst tales of a cast of faceless characters place Olive as puppet master; her severed self’s perspective manipulating their stringed limbs at arm’s length to see how their stories play out when scenes reflecting her own lie close to the bone. “It’s a bit fucked; like having this out of body experience with a made-up movie running through my head,” she says. “As I write I can see they’re all from a similar world, but they allow me to explore different feelings without giving away part of myself.”

Recorded at The Nave in Leeds with producer-engineer Alex Greaves (Heavy Lungs, Working Men’s Club), surprise and danger lies in every crevice. Brooding whispers turn to chants on 6-minute opus ‘Host.’ Improvised when performed live, its immersive shift in tempo leads to hefty dub courtesy of Jake’s pedals. Even then, you won’t know shit’s hit the fan until its mid-point reveal when ominous bass blasts a thunderous soundtrack as its protagonist defiantly walks away after committing the perfect crime. “It makes you wait, and more songs should have sirens,” Olive grins.

Leaning deeper into alter-egos via the video game-psychological horror of a Silent Hill dystopia, the band’s Fight Club moment ‘Angles Mortz’ turns its literal translation of death angles on its head as it reflects upon kink and internalised shame reincarnated as pride. Elsewhere the ice cool ‘Landslide’ is a Requiem for a Dream about the addiction of being in a band; ‘The Void’ explores co-dependency and estranged relationships; and carefully selected samples revive house track ‘Just A Kid’ from the band’s early incarnation. Passenger’s every direction is to face challenges head on. “That is what’s so great about horror; you can see through predictable patterns so when the unexpected occurs it's more realistic and uncomfortable… I want to own the dark stuff!”

As for Passenger’s first single, the pulsating ‘Ascension’ is a spiralling deep dive into death, suicide, and legacy around who or what we leave behind. A noughties club banger by way of NYC beats - ergonomically designed for those who like to stay out a little too often and too late - it throbs like a house party’s partition wall as the literal levelling up undergoes a neon transformation; blue glitching to pink, diffusing the white construct of the Nightbus Matrix. “It really does feel like the end of something and was purposely written that way,” they say, “the ascension is like a firework going off!”

With wheels in motion, Nightbus has become a movement surpassing sonic realms. Between shows from Porto to Brighton taking in The Great Escape, Rotterdam’s Left Of The Dial and Paris’ Supersonic; DJing; remixing; guesting (BDRMM’s Microtonic album); and even enlisting talented like-minds to craft a 3-part queer coming-of-age music video series which ties in with a new ‘hyperpop’ phase in the evolution of their popular Nightbus Soundsystem club night, heads are now being turned from sports brands to high-end fashion designers. “There are things we can’t reveal just yet,” tells Olive, “but we’re excited about the direction this beast we’ve created is heading.” As the album philosophises and asks one ultimate question; what does it truly mean to be ‘Passenger’? Nightbus may not claim to offer a definitive answer, but it might make you feel a bit better about those demons.

Spandau20 delivers its eleventh various artists release, a sonically rich and future-facing blend of broken grooves, spatial moods and modern Detroit romanticism. Four tracks, four new angles on the dancefloor. ANNA Z sets the tone with 'Kabeljau', an eclectic, IDM-flirting workout. On the opening track, elastic rhythms stretch and snap while ethereal pads drift overhead, punctured by sudden turns and glitchy surprises. Moody, weird and beautifully unpredictable. Dajusch continues with 'Fallout', diving into shimmering Detroit-inspired chords and pristine production. Clean yet full of soul, its dreamy propulsion moves with effortless optimism. It's a track that lifts heads and hearts without ever losing its club focus. Flip the record and FJAAK welcome you into a breakbeat-infused haze. 'Your Time' pairs groovy percussion and airy atmospheres with those unmistakable powerhouse vocal chops, a warehouse anthem with a gentle cosmic touch, driving yet deeply emotional. Closing the EP, Claus accelerates the pulse. 'Moist Logic' is a faster, more urgent exploration of the techno continuum. Machine funk encoded into a forward-thrusting groove, a sleek atmosphere swirling around a sharp, kinetic core. With SPANDAU20 011, the West-Berlin collective celebrates a hybrid future that is rhythmically adventurous, melodically rich and rooted in the love for the dancefloor. This record combines Berlin grit with dream-state techno, balancing rough energy and refined emotion across four cuts that leave their mark on the floor.

“Even a blind pig can find an acorn once in a while.”

Dialling up Bristol for a nearly-missed hard drive scoop from a moment back in the middle-distant past, Bruk proudly presents the sound of Blind Pigs. Snaffling up eight nuggets of open-format beats recorded over a 24-hour creative spurt, this record captures a moment in time and celebrates the magic that happens when seasoned heads cut loose in the studio without an Agenda.

The sound of Blind Pigs is steeped in many things, conjured as it is by two venerable wizards with all kinds of skin in the game. There are snatches of trap’ sharp contours, LA beat scene storytelling, grime immediacy, soundtrack atmospherics and the pervading influence of soundsystem-spirited low end. Those are all just hints really — the resulting spell is its own blend that manifests free of any conceit. The production is raw and impactful, cold to the touch but charged with emotional weight in the haunted polysynth shapes peeling out across the tracks. Re-discovered by chance and stripped of contextual baggage, Blind Pigs is what happens when music is allowed to happen naturally. No arch concept, no stylistic posturing, just properly crafted beats stumbled upon by chance from two real ones who maybe never entered the studio together Again.

Originally released in Feb 2011, next year it will be 15 years young and like every teenager it wants to make a racket. So, in February 2026 the band will be doing just that, with some very special shows celebrating their debut album. Tour Dates for 2026 : Exeter Cavern 12/02/26, Cardiff Fuel 13/02/26, London Lexington 14/02/26, Edinburgh Bannermans 20/02/26, Nottingham Rescue Rooms 21/02/26
"The gauntlet for best album of 2011 is being thrown down early!" Metal Hammer. // “Black Spiders are pure genius, AND, they go onstage on time!” Duff McKagan (yeah, him off Guns n Roses)..// “Their apocalyptic three-man axe assault is awe-inspiring“ Rock Sound..// “Another monolithic slab of thunderous rock. This Sheffield-based quintet have managed to harness the powers of Angus Young and priapic death punks Turbonegro and distil it into a brew fit for Odin himself” KKKK Kerrang. SONS OF THE NORTH was the much anticipated debut album by the United Kingdoms very own rock juggernaut BLACK SPIDERS. Quite literally ten tracks of galloping rock and thunderous roll, heads down, no nonsense, ear splintering, gut wrenching organic, melodic goodness. Classic Rock and Metal Hammer Magazines hailed them as ‘Ones to Watch’, Kerrang, Rock Sound, Big Cheese Magazines, Subba Cultcha and Thrash Hits all reviewed.