After a brief hiatus and creative refresh, Radiant Records returns with a bang, courtesy of Belfast house aficionado Cromby. A producer who needs little introduction, Cromby delivers the label’s ninth release, showcasing exactly what he does best: colourful, groove-heavy house music built for the dancefloor.
Ignition kicks things off with winks and nods to post-Y2K UK breaks and electro house. The title track’s boshy bassline and driving drums provide the backbone for an irresistibly stomping peak-time cut with summer written all over it.
Pumping the tempo up, A2 Psy Op is a rapturous floor-filler that draws from dance music’s most playful corners without ever sounding pastiche or revisionist. Undulating basslines, infectious vocals and flirtatious synth hooks combine to create something that feels both nostalgic and strikingly fresh.
Taking things in a slightly toolier direction, B1 Money is classic Cromby. A nifty little dinger packed with razor-sharp percussion, “house” vocals, tightly wound subs, timeless stabs and an impeccable arrangement, it’s a hot tip for DJs and dancers alike.
On remix duties, Adonis resident and legendary legend Hannah Holland zeroes in on Ignition’s electro parts and dials the mood up to 11. The result is a Detroit-leaning electro banger that highlights her versatility as a producer and rounds off a highly playable return to the fore from Radiant Records.
Det Gode Selskab continue their quest as they call on Berlin-based Italian artist Busso. An artist who continues to express himself through a multitude of vibes and sounds, fitting perfectly with the free-flowing DGS ethos. ‘Anna In The Jelly’ wanders between four different cuts, teasing animated deep house energy combined with stripped-back minimal flavours. A reflection of Busso’s versatile taste, he encapsulates four sure shots for your summertime record bag. A tale for the sun worshipping dreamers, soundtracking the warmer months.
Diving straight in with ‘Sexual Desire’, Busso delivers perky and playful peak-time action, with a clean-cut, feel-good energy from the word go. A vintage feel emerges through the vocals and crisp drums, working in sweet harmony. Slick hi-hats lead the way in ‘Don’t Be Afraid’ before you are confronted with a killer elasticated groove synonymous with the Italian’s sound. Beautiful chords appear at the midway point, spiralling into paradise.
The B-side kicks off with the title track, constructed in a distinct chunky manner. Squelchy mechanical tones manoeuvre around the mysterious drive of the track. Moody as it moves, it’s one for the darker nights on the road. Last but not least is ‘Red Print’, tightly packaged and incredibly detailed, with quirky obscurities flashing throughout. A steady motion perfectly sets the tone as you start to build the floor.
This record cements an exciting future for the label, as they look to continue elaborating on their catalogue, ever-evolving and expanding their width of sounds with one of the most exciting prospects currently in the German capital.
Following the success of Under Tangled Silence last year which peaked at number one in the Dance Albums charts and peaked at 9 on the Albums Chart staying in for 21 weeks, DjRUM returns to Houndstooth with a 15 minute continuous EP pressed to side A and a custom etched picture disk on Side B.
Felix (DjRUM) was a child prodigy as an instrumentalist and his advanced musicality has always been prominent in his music, but here he has put himself front and centre as a composer. And this sense of exposure as a performer interweaves with an unflinching emotional openness too. Where sometimes electronic production as advanced as this can use intellect and techniques as shields from soul-baring, this is the sound of someone who can boldly say “I feel things, I cry all the time, and I'm not afraid to say it or show it in the music.” But this doesn’t mean there’s a move away from the soundsystems and dancefloors where Felix made his name as a uniquely innovative vinyl DJ, this EP encapsulates his musical upbringing weaving in percussive elements across the stereo field to create a truly mesmerising listening experience.
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.
Der legendäre Euro-Disco-Klassiker „Slice Me Nice“ von Fancy erscheint als exklusive farbige 12“ Maxi Single in einer besonderen Edition für Sammler und Fans des kultigen80er-Jahre-Sounds.
Neben den beliebten Originalversionen enthält diese Veröffentlichung eine Auswahl brandneuer, moderner Remixe von renommierten Produzenten und DJs wie Pulsedriver, Brave, Flemming Dalum, DJ CON-T und Neospace. Die neuen Interpretationen verbinden den unverwechselbaren Charme des Originals mit zeitgemäßen Dance- und ClubSounds und machen diesen Klassiker fit für die Tanzflächen von heute.
Ob für DJs, Vinyl-Liebhaber oder Italo-Disco-Fans – diese 12“-Maxi bietet die perfekte Mischung aus Nostalgie und modernen Beats und ist eine unverzichtbare Ergänzung für jede Sammlung
“Environments 3” is one of ‘the great lost albums’ by The Future Sound Of London and these sessions have taken on almost mythical status with the group’s fan base. It was initially due for release after the 1993 release of the UK Top 10 album hit “Lifeforms”, but that didn’t happen. Instead, much later in 2010, it came on CD and download. Only now is it being released on vinyl for the first time..
This release also comes after the success of the first two installments which have sold steadily across the different volumes over the years and still climbing. This third volume is a sparse, highly minimal, and vivid departure from their dense 1990s period, and cited as one of the standout ambient releases of its time with FSOL in fine creative form. Reviewers at the time noted he complete absence of the heavy, spacey atmospheres of Lifeforms or the dark chaos of Dead Cities with delicate textures and moody variety throughout. While mostly calm and meditative, certain cuts evoke a desolate, lonely, or gently industrial feel.
The first new material from Krash Slaughta since last autumn finds our man dropping a tuff 45 featuring two dope ATCQ remixes. And what else to call that but ATCK a.k.a. ‘A Tribe Called Krash’! First up is Scenario which gets a gritty guitar-led new beat making it sound closer to something by Gravediggaz at their noisiest (or even DMX) than the Afro-centric jazz-hope vibes of Native Tongues. Over on the flip, a co-production with, and tribute to, the now sadly departed Del the Soul Condor, takes Low End Theory’s Buggin’ Out and sticks with the jazzy vibes but swaps Buggin’s minimal double-bass dominated shenanigans for something rather more Latinate and Bonita Applebum-esque. Naturally these are as cheeky as they come so it’s a strickly limited affair. Don’t sleep…
Digital Sting returns after a bit of a hiatus with an across-the-globe collaboration featuring two of contemporary electronic music's most mysterious and prolific figures. Berlin-based, UK- born Low End Activist meets British Columbia-based, Philippines-born SeekersInternational for a seamless merger of their distinct but eclectic styles. SKRSINTL's woozy abstracted dubwise and dancehall psychedelia drips in, pooling and merging into Low End Activists minimalist and precision delivered bass bin pressure. Both artists' music spends some of its time in the hazy edges and ambience between sounds with hints of the activity,
atmosphere and noise of the larger world present in the individual sounds themselves. An aspect of this record rides like a distilled essence of a merger between vhs era soundtracks, dusty live sound system tapes and classic era grime instrumentals but avoids the trap of obvious nostalgia. What is created through collage, deconstruction and refinement is in its whole very now. Like all things SKRSINTL and Low End Activist the continuum is honored and the momentum is always pushing forward.
The records come in double sided silk screen printed DJ Jackets, with Obi Strip style stickers and hand stamped white labels printed and assembled by Digital Sting.
The artwork for this release was created in collaboration between SKRSINTL and Digital Sting.
Mastered by Alec Ness and Greg Reierson. Vinyl run of 330 copies.
Out soon via Heads In The Clouds - H004 - Josh Wink & DJ ESP - Stairway To Headphones (12") Re-issue from 1995
Communique Records re-issues an classic by Josh Wink & ESP aka Woody McBride on the sublabel "Head In The Clouds"
from 1995. All tracks are re-mastered and re-recorded from original DAT.
Highly recommended!
Jamaica meets South Korea -- following his two BLESSYOU EPs, Turquoise and Journey Home, the Seoul-based artist returns with another stellar contribution, revisiting his early appreciation of reggae music: a 4-track EP by Korean producer and multi-instrumentalist Seungyoung Lee aka Mogwaa, immersing the listener in a rich blend of lovers rock, dub and reggae. The EP combines dreamy, dubbed-out atmospheres with warm basslines, lovers rock rhythms and subtle vocoder textures. Mogwaa approaches these Jamaican influences with a refined and distinctly personal aesthetic, creating a spacious and warm sound that feels both nostalgic and contemporary. Crucial for any contemporary music lover's record collection.
We’ve always been careful not to call Balmat an ambient label, because we like having the freedom to move, to drift, to morph. But with our 11th release, we turn our ears—proudly, blissfully—to a strain of ambient at its most timeless. The appropriately titled Dreams & Whispers comes from Warsaw’s Bartosz Kruczyński, who has recorded under a number of guises, Earth Trax, as well as his own name. Over the years, he’s touched upon deep house, breakbeats, acid, techno, electro, IDM, and more; often, the throughline running through a given album is simply the refusal to remain in any one place for long—well, that, and his unusually nuanced ear for harmony and texture.
Those qualities come to the fore on Dreams & Whispers, which might be the most focused encapsulation of Kruczyński’s atmospheric sensibilities to date.. Across 14 stripped-down tracks for shimmer and pulse, Kruczyński evokes overlapping styles in ambient—warm vibraphones, taut arps, massing strings, lonesome delay chains —but always with his own twist. Fitting the album’s title, the album is loosely divided into two distinct moods: The A-side, “Dreams,” is charged with subtle movement, rhythms spreading out like rings around skipped stones, while the B-side, “Whispers,” plunges into a zone of shadows and hush. The two complementary moods flow into one another like the faces of a Moebius strip, yielding an album that’s intuitively shaped and rich in emotion.
Manticore.system introduces MNTR001 – the label’s first vinyl-only transmission, bringing together CT Kidobó and Kvrk for a four-track split EP.
Moving between cinematic electro, progressive trance, hypnotic techno and psychedelic club territory, the record shifts from retro-futuristic synth work and nocturnal atmospheres into darker, peak-time pressure.
Four tracks connected by warped electronics, hypnotic basslines and a distinctly psychedelic edge.
Fort Romeau debuts on Rekids with the ‘Lovin’ U’ EP.
The British producer's three-track release lands this September. London-based DJ and producer Fort Romeau arrives on Rekids with the ‘Lovin’ U’ EP, releasing 11th September 2026. Opening the release, the title track beams sunshine through 8-bit melodies and a repeating, hypnotic vocal shot through with tasteful echoes, all underpinned by a tight drum groove. ‘No Limit’ dives into more of that endless depth, its vocal sample floating over the groove as delectable piano keys bring the party. Closing things out, the Trip Mix of ‘Breathe’ eases the pace, snappy rhythms laying the foundation while dubby chords spring through a track built for daydreaming.
Fort Romeau, aka Michael Greene, has spent more than a decade shaping a sound that blends deep house, hypnotic techno and ambient influences. His productions have appeared on labels including Ghostly International, Running Back, Live at Robert Johnson, Cocoon and Permanent Vacation, alongside more than 100 remixes for a wide range of artists. As a DJ, he's contributed mixes to BBC Radio 1's Essential Mix, the Resident Advisor Podcast and Circoloco Radio, while his latest EP for Rawax became one of Juno's bestselling records of 2026.
Children of Zeus return with their third studio album ‘As The World Burns…’
Five years on from their highly-acclaimed sophomore album ‘Balance’, Manchester’s kings of hip hop soul, Tyler Daley and Konny Kon, bring us a brand new 16-track opus.
Sonically the duo continue their story where they left off; crafting an amalgamation of street soul, alternative r&b and boom bap hip hop, with a sprinkle of flavours taken from their original multi-genre pirate radio influences, and a dash of forward-thinking new sounds, ensuring all tracks are destined to become future classics.
The features are sparing but powerful, enlisting the talents of revered UK rapper Knucks (‘Before We Drown’), Colorado-native Young Old Soul (‘Dopamine’), MCR family K S R (‘Do You Want To Get High’, & Australian/Mauritian up & comer Anieszka (‘Water & Vibes’).
As with previous projects, this album is largely produced by the duo themselves, though there are guest productions from previous collaborators too, including Grammy Award-winner Beat Butcha, Grammy-nominated Teo, and broken beat pioneer K15, along with an assortment of new players making moves in the underground neo-soul & beats circuit.
Conceptually, this project continues on with the story to date. An eternal search for sunsets and soulfood, as a respite to the anxieties of the modern world; personally, professionally and globally. Assertive swagger is matched with brutal but sincere candidity. As ever, it encapsulates the rough with the smooth, with reflections on where they’ve been, where they’re at and where they’re headed. There’s no preaching to be found here; just an acceptance of things as they are, an embrace of the environment and people they were nurtured by, and a celebration of some of the finer things in life; slow jams, weed & rum, water & vibes. Raps for listeners, blunt heads, fly ladies and prisoners. All packaged together as another perfect sonic love letter to sound system culture. 50 minutes of big people music.
Since the release of their anthemic debut single ‘Still Standing’ a decade ago, to the subsequent EP ‘The Story So Far’, and their critically-lauded debut album ‘Travel Light’, the duo have received numerous accolades, including nominations for AIM Awards & Worldwide Awards both, along with tons of ‘Album of the Year’ nods care of Clash Magazine, Bandcamp, Complex, Wordplay and many more. This along with huge swathes of support from DJs, radio stations, press outlets, tastemakers, luminaries & fellow artists across the globe.
Children of Zeus have performed sessions for COLORS, Soulection (Apple Music), DJ AG, Boiler Room, BBC 6 Music and at the infamous Maida Vale studios for BBC 1Xtra as well as touring across Europe, Australia and South Africa. This is in addition to collaborating & touring with Mercury Award Winner’s Ezra Collective, including a Wembley Arena show. Other collaborations over the years have included Shy FX, Juls, Goldie, Black Milk, Kofi Stone and the late great Lenzman.
From the Broke ’n’ English / Hoodman-era, to the present day, Children of Zeus have been omnipresent in the fabric of British black music. Proud ambassadors of Manchester music, and of UK soul, it really is “Zeus to the world”.
Children of Zeus have been adorned with plenty of flowers over their career. The unbridled quality and poignance of the music and the message on display throughout this project will see the algorithmic needle move some more. It’s undoubtedly set to be a Zeus Summer. As the world burns…
Available on all digital platforms and physical formats, Friday September 4th 2026.
t 07: Do You Want To Get High? (feat. K S R ) - Children of Zeus03:26
t 07: Do You Want To Get High? (feat. K S R ) - Children of Zeus03:26
[t] 07: Do You Want To Get High? (feat. [ K S R ]) - Children of Zeus03:26
[t] 07: Do You Want To Get High? (feat. [ K S R ]) - Children of Zeus03:26
[g] B3 | Do You Want To Get High? (feat [ K S R ]) - Children of Zeus03:26
Kraak & Smaak formed in Leiden in pursuit of a particular blend of funk, disco and electronic soul, and over two decades and seven albums, Oscar de Jong, Wim Plug and Mark Kneppers have sharpened a sound that's unmistakably their own: warm, analogue, and always twisting old soul into something new. That sound has carried them from small European clubs to Coachella and American late night TV.
Their 2025 album Velvet Seas was written between Leiden and Los Angeles, and it shows: Californian light and a touch of psychedelia sit easily alongside deep funk and a cinematic reach. The record leaned on a wide circle of guests, among them IVAR, Berenice van Leer, Izo FitzRoy, Butter Bath, The Undercover Dream Lovers, iogi, Kosta G and Kainalu.
Velvet Seas Remixed hands the album's best moments to a curated set of international producers. British disco heritage, classic French touch, Brazilian disco funk, Melbourne club music and homegrown Dutch groove all take a turn, with each producer bending a familiar song toward their own instincts while keeping the album's character intact. Longer, extended versions and alternate mixes round out the full release, letting several of these tracks land in more than one form.
DiG Records’ latest release is a reissue of one of the most remarkable Russian electronic albums of the 90s. Available on vinyl for the first time, 100 Photography Lessons is the 1993 debut album by the duo Block Four, with a rich sound spanning a wide range of genres, from downtempo and experimental electronics to trance and techno.
Block Four was formed by Oleg Salkhov and Konstantin Smirnov in the early 1990s at Moscow’s SNC Studio. Salkhov was the studio’s first recording engineer, working with bands including Moralny Kodeks and Megapolis, while Smirnov came from Nikolai Kopernik, where he had already been experimenting extensively with electronic instruments.
The album is built around sampling, experimentation, and a broad range of influences. Block Four drew sounds from jazz, classical music, rock, hip-hop, folk and electronic music, as well as films, VHS tapes, and radio broadcasts, gradually assembling their own extensive library of samples and loops. Combined with synthesizers, samplers, drum machines, unconventional rhythms, and harmonic ideas, the duo brought all these elements together to create their own distinctive sound.
100 Photography Lessons captures a brief but important period when Russian electronic music was still developing its own language. Freely blending sampling, electronic instruments, and influences from a wide range of musical traditions, Block Four created an album that still sounds compelling more than three decades later.
Three years on from the release of his critically acclaimed second album as Tambores En Benirras, Graham Newby returns with album number two, a glorious celebration of the mystical, magical and life-affirming musical meditation on stretched-out sunrises and the breathtaking beauty of dawn.
Newby has more reason that most to cherish picturesque and soul-enriching sun-up moments. During the process of making second set Onda Horizontales, the long-serving Cumbrian DJ, crate-digger, beat-maker and producer’s sight deteriorated to such a degree that he was certified ‘registered blind’. As a result, new working methods were found, with Newby delivering widescreen Balearic visions as much from muscle memory and feel as the visual environmental cues that once fired his imagination.
Third album Alba Amba – ‘amber dawn’ in English – finds Newby in dawn-ready mode, serving up music to soundtrack stunning sunrises and those clear early morning moments where anything seems possible. It’s a simple idea, beautifully executed, with the artist once known as Gripper conjuring up a meditative and mesmerising mix of slow-burn aural colours, tactile textures, gradually unfurling chords, and heady melodic motifs.
Newby sets his stall out with the smouldering, pre-dawn bliss of the jaw-dropping title track, where reverb-laden female vocalisations and twinkling electronics usher in a golden dawn, before reaching for shimmering, sun-bright melodies, heart-stirring chords and undulating TB-303 lines on the ambient acid chug of ‘Bucanero Acido’.
Newby’s instinctive grasp of mood and texture comes to the fore on the drifting, soft-focus ambient dub head-nod of ‘No Se Me Pasa’, where strummed acoustic guitars, echoing vocal samples and weighty low-end warmth catch the ear, while his history of dusty downtempo beat-making – originally explored on his early 2000s releases for Grand Central Records – informed the dancehall-meets-trip-hop fusion of ‘Batalla De Etiquettas’.
With its epic, head-turning ambient intro, raw electronic bass, effects-laden hand percussion and slow, restless build, this triumphant closing cut signals the moment the sun has well and truly arrived above the horizon. It’s a genuinely stunning conclusion to a soul-stirring set.
Alleviated Records is proud to present the new Mr. Fingers EP. After many years of the moniker being dormant and a long journey trying to get back into a creative mindset, we have a new offering. First up, "Outer Acid" delivers up a Minimal-Space-Acid flavor. Next, "Qwazars" continues the Space motif with a Minimal-Tech touch. "Nodyahed" moves toward a Dark Club Bounce with a dash of Tribal flavor. "Aether" offers up a more late-night Ambient-Space-House flavor. Hope you enjoy these selections at the club and at home for a long time to come. Musically Yours...
Anton Ivanchenko aka Light The Fuse and Ivan Moskvin (who is half of Fankin) met while judging Red Bull's beatmaker battle back in 2021, but it took years before they actually made music together. Decades of vinyl digging and a knack for sampling weird, unexpected fragments turned into studio jams, then into their debut album, Ghettoblaster Twins. There's no forced concept when they work together - they let the music happen naturally and it shows: breezy, curious, over before you know it. Source material ranges from obscure jazz to a Soviet film theme, all floating between funk, hip-hop and breakbeat, laced with a warm, nostalgic pull. A lovely debut, hopefully with more to come in future.
A two-way Italian/Mexican stand-off here, as Saint Wax founder Gledd (real name Eduardo Barbi) and Kaninchenbau label chief The Funk District (Fernando Mendoza) deliver their first joint EP since 2022. The latter steps up first with two solo workouts- the Clavinet-splashed nu-disco-goes-bluesy deep house shuffle of 'The River Bends Back' and the Rhodes rich deep house disco of 'Got To Be Alright' - before the duo combine on two collaborative cuts. 'I Said' is a gospel-powered slab of ever-building disco-house hedonism, while 'Down The Middle' is deeper, more bass-heavy and topped off with classic soul vocal samples. Gledd then takes over, following the infectious piano house bounce of 'I Said' with the colourful, acid-flecked excellence of 'Blessin'.
Those who’ve followed the career of Aussie disco don Dr Packer should be familiar with the Surgery Edits name – it was the series of mostly self-released re-edit EPs with which he launched his career back in the 2010s. Wax Digits boss Fingerman has not confirmed that this double 12-inch is the Australian’s work, but since he has released previous instalments in the series, it is likely to be. Either way, there’s plenty to set the pulse racing throughout, from a lolloping and loopy disco-house style rub of Chewy Rubs ‘Future Freak’ and a similarly chunky, house-style rush through V’s ‘Muzik Got Me’ (itself a take on an early 80s NYC classic), to the chugging, organ-rich disco-goes-deep house re-tweak of BO’s ‘Nites’ and a peak-time-ready bounce through the disco-funk edit excellence that is BC’s ‘Shake’.
American Joe Babylon has been steering his Roundabout Sounds label through calming deep house waters for a decade or so. He has recently focussed on assembling this ongoing All Hands series (the name may be a nod to the analogue gear the tunes are made on? Sound-wise, it checks out) and volume three features another fine quartet. First up is DJ Honesty with a fine label debut in the form of the synth-laced swirler 'Walking Down Gratiot,' then label friend Mr. Hazeltinee aka John Tejada layers comic pads into an upright house rhythm on 'Zanzmatic'. San Francisco and more specifically Bay Area man Federsen offers super lo-fi and reserved deep house cuddle 'Sequential' while Babylon himself drops the slow burn shuffle of 'Play It By Ear'.
Bogdan Ra's Love Affair label is still in its infancy, but thus far has yet to make a misstep. On his previous EP for the imprint, the Lisbon-based artist explored his love of TB-303 powered acid house insanity; here, he drops a much more diverse but no less impressive five tracker. He begins with 'Tour De Acid', a punchy electro-meets-acid house workout featuring nods aplenty to Kraftwerk, before blurring the boundaries between formative acid house, bleep and deep nu-disco on title track 'Light Boom'. 'Take Your Time' and 'Manic and Cool' are both peak-time ready slabs of peak-time-ready house nostalgia, while closing cut 'Strictly Business' is a brilliant blend of bass-heavy breaks and acid-fired dancefloor psychedelia.
No apologies needed once again from the Sorry We Play Vinyl crew as they roll out a seventh slab of wax that's packed to the edge with club heaters, but all of them quite different. 'EDIT19' kick off with a tribal steaminess and yelping vocals, oversized organic drums and scraping hits. It's controlled chaos that will demand wildness on the floor. 'EDIT20' flips the vibe with jazzy fingers dancing over an old-school disco groove that slides and slinks its way into your affections and 'EDIT21' then does another about-turn and heads into mean minimal territory with a militant rhythm, synths that roam like prison searchlights and a darkness that is all-consuming.
Intriguing Siberian B-Boy roots informed Anton LTF's first solo album last year and its mix of funk, hip-hop and early turntablism influences really worked. He's back now with a tidy two-tracker on Soul Service Sabrosura that leans into Latin funk. It's raw, direct and charged up tackle for once again getting under the skin of b-boys and girls thanks to the killer breaks. 'Garra' is lit up with shuffling percussive keys and rhythms and big brass horns, while 'Aroma Sunset' is more pared back and loose. There's a celebratory vibe that's smoother and more languorous, with sunny flutes leading the way and irresistible Latin charm in the ways the keys dance.
Tokyo Riddim Band continue their journey striding across times and cultures, this time with their colourful keyboardist and frontwoman Mimi Kobayashi breathing new life into a song she originally penned in 1981. ‘Lazy Love’ first featured on Mimi’s highly sought after Coconuts High LP, which she recorded in LA recruiting top session players to play alongside her. It was also included in Time Capsule’s 2024 compilation of Japanese reggae - Tokyo Riddim 1976-1985.
This soulful pop tune turned deep dub cut retains the romantic charm of the original, whilst the tasteful performances of the Tokyo Riddim Band and Ras Tavaris combined with Prince Fatty’s studio magic give the song a newly found depth.
London based Tokyo Riddim Band is a unique fusion of cultures, bringing together the vibrant energy of three generations of Japanese female musicians with the eclectic sounds of London. Their dynamic performances blend reggae drums, funky bass lines, and the smooth City Pop guitar, all magically dubbed-out live on stage. This is not just music; it's a cultural phenomenon, offering a fresh and exciting take on the reggae scene.
Psyché is an eclectic project rooted in the Neapolitan music scene. Conceived in 2018, the project includes Marcello Giannini (Nu Genea Live Band, Guru, Bassolino, La Famiglia), Andrea De Fazio (Nu Genea Live Band, Parbleu, The Funkin Machine), and Paolo Petrella (Nu Genea Live Band, Fratelli Malibu). They were recently joined by Roberto Porzio (Parbleu, Fitness Forever, 24 Grana, The Funkin Machine).
"Hurriya (We Must Resist)" is a sonic bridge crossing the Mare Nostrum, connecting the shores of Naples and Tunisia.
At the heart of this fusion is the voice and soul of Tunisian musician Ziad Trabelsi, whose Arab roots intertwine with the psychedelic, Mediterranean sound of Psyché.
In this track, Afrobeat and Arabic sonorities meet to create a hypnotic journey, one where Ziad's oud weaves an evocative groove that gallops like horses in the desert.
The song carries the echo of the ancient dominations and cultural exchanges that have shaped Naples—a millennia-old crossroads of civilization—where traces of Arab and North African influences continue to resonate in its streets and, most notably, in its music.
"Hurriya"—the Arabic word for freedom—is an anthem of resistance and resilience, a dialogue between East and West that dissolves the rigid boundaries of geography and politics. It is a collective song for the freedom of all peoples, against oppression, abuse, and injustice everywhere in the world. As Psyché emphasize: "Even if life tests us severely, and we often feel like giving up in the face of injustice, we must resist. We must refuse to disappear."
The single is available digitally and physically, on January 23rd, as a 7" vinyl. The B-side of the physical release includes an exclusive, extended version of "Hurriya (We Must Resist)", available only in this format.
It's been almost a year exactly since the debut CJP Band 12' was released, Landing just in time for a few nausent plays at We Out Here 2025.
12 months and two more well received 12's later, Most notably of course by festival founder Gilles Peterson, the band find themselves making the short trip from their New Forest homes to the Tomorrow's Warriors stage on Saturday night for their We Out Here debut.
What better way to mark the occasion and round of the (calendar) year of releases with a tasty 7' that perfectly encapsulates festival vibes wherever they might be.
Taking the foot of the gas, For one release at least, Freedom delivers two sides of blissed out summer soul. Heavy drum breaks and the funkiest basslines of course still come as standard with a sweet vocal from guitarist Geoff Lai.
On the flip those trademark CJP strings glide over a stripped back instrumental version for the aptly named String Dub.
A seasoned DJ and producer with a long-standing presence in New York’s underground dance community, Olive T has steadily built a reputation through her genre-fluid sets, productions and affiliations with key institutions like The Lot Radio and Nowadays. With past releases on labels like Nervous Records, 2MR and Permanent Vacation, her sound is deeply rooted in classic house traditions while consistently pushing forward with contemporary flair.
Following her contribution to Creaked’s 20th Anniversary compilation in 2024 with the hypnotic track "Salt Reflection", New York-born, Geneva-relocated artist Olive T makes a full return to the label with a proper debut release, Light On. This 4-track EP encapsulates her deep understanding of house music’s rich lineage while illuminating fresh sonic perspectives, complete with a standout remix from Swiss luminary producer Deetron.
Active Systems' debut EP, The Red EP (Split Lip Records), finds beauty in chaos and strangeness in the familiar: drawing from 90s/00s experimental grooves and stark electro (Underground Resistance, Boards of Canada, μ-ziq, Aphex Twin's Rephlex label) to create something rooted in the "dust, dirt and nostalgia" of underground electronica, Detroit techno and weirdcore. A genuine debut rather than an established alias, the four-track release moves from familiar patterns into unexpected new emotions, from the glacial hip-hop beat and starlit melancholia of "Gabbol" to the skippy rhythms of "Itsover" and the clock-shop funk of "Avoid”. This year, Active Systems has been invited to perform at Superbooth Berlin by Sequentix, played a debut show in Lost's much-hyped Club Room and closed Houghton Festival's The Warehouse stage on theopening night.
Mack Loenz delivers his debut album From The Heart on Maceo Plex’s Lone Romantic imprint, expanding his razor-sharp, cinematic sound through analog synthesis and retro-futurist design.
Across its ten tracks, the album moves through a palette that is both nostalgic and forward-facing, with glistening arps, soaring pads and growling basslines shifting between physical club function and emotional extremes of melancholic yearning, romantic tenderness and futuristic intensity. ‘Follow Me’ opens with shimmering arpeggios and driving bass building to a euphoric crescendo, while ‘Switching My Flow’ pushes into heavier territory with gritty hoover synths, skittering vocals and chest-rattling subs. Elsewhere, ‘It’s Complicated’ brings a more tender, melancholic edge with rolling drums and expansive, symphonic synth work, and ‘Trust Issues’ leans into a nocturnal, romantic yet dystopian mood carried by sweeping leads and pitched vocal splicing. ‘Waiting Game’ moves into darker, industrial-leaning tension, before ‘Back To The Stars’ closes on a reflective, emotional resolve.
Shaped by a vision to push electro into a more expressive space, From The Heart carries a clear emotional core throughout. As Mack Loenz puts it, “In a time where there is a lot of darkness, this album is about bringing light, spreading positive energy, and creating moments that people can feel both on the dancefloor and within themselves.” That sentiment runs through the record, shaping a cohesive statement that balances club functionality with atmosphere, emotion and forward-facing electronic production.
Antivenom is the fourth album from Portland melancholic dark alternative trio Darkswoon, refining their blend of darkwave, post-punk, and shoegaze into a focused and emotionally charged statement.
Built on a hardware-driven electronic foundation, the album pairs cold mechanical textures with an intimate human core, carrying Jana Cushman’s ethereally soaring vocals as they con-front themes of loss, anxiety, fear, and inequality with unflinching honesty. Norah Lynn’s melodic, gritty bass lines weave through Rachel Ellis’ propulsive rhythms, while Cushman’s guitar creates a dense sonic web that occasionally drifts into more expansive shoegaze territory.
Cohesive yet urgent, Antivenom unfolds as an atmospheric whole filled with cautionary messages and the weight of words left unsaid, capturing a band confident in its evo-lution and singular voice within the dark alternative landscape
Aubrey has established Solid Groove has one of the more reliable outlets in the underground and now steps up with his own offering of fresh tracks recorded this year. 'Last Transmission' is a deep techno cut with a shimmering synth line and a subtle sense of hope folded into the futuristic outlook. 'Japanese Drift' is a brilliantly original sound built on a quickly stepping groove with soft electronics and synths infused into the mix. 'The Final Act' ramps up the energy a little more but still stays warm and soft around the edges before 'Diablos Debos' broods with a darker energy, but again stays contained and heady. A tasteful EP.
Luis Reich and Max Wurden's Reverence traverses superb ambient and electroacoustic territory with sustained tones, radio interference, fragmented speech and plenty of harmonies that shift almost imperceptibly. 'Sono' opens wide with drones meeting distant brass, before 'Lens' marries brooding bass pulses with floating brass top notes that pass by like half-remembered thoughts. The title track strips everything back to a sparse, suspended core and 'Horfunk' brings damaged broadcast noise to a textured soundscape. 'Studio Blue' closes out slowly and patiently with plenty of sonic decay. A subtly dramatic record.
"Once Turin-based producers Mattia and Massimo joined forces under the Voodoos & Taboos moniker, they quickly became a notable force in contemporary club music. A crafty take on house music, combining groove with sculpted production work and a bent for lush melodies, drawing from a wide range of influences - anything that borders on the electronic genres really, and beyond - fueled their own namesake imprint with 6 EP's and landed them spots on a variety of top-tier labels. We have been keen to work with these artists for a long time, and are thrilled this finally materializes with the release of ALT027. Title track "Sempre Sognar" immediately sets out the duo's floor-focused intentions. Breakbeat-laced drums gradually build momentum before a formant lead drops in. It trades phrases with an equally infectious organ that's eventually joined by a 303 pattern for the track's finale. Similar vibrating, buzzy leads thrust "Take Me" forward. Amid heavily delayed vocal samples, the proggy beat takes a more trippy turn however. Synthesized idiophone interludes create room for moments of repose, although not entirely unambiguous ones. A subtly detuned lead and more sleek acid lines are supported by the type of arp bass that characterizes Voodoos & Taboos' sound on the B-side's "Revolution". A collage of broadcast and war-movie lines alike not only adds color, but underlines the sense of indeterminate imminence that looms throughout the track. B2 "Afterhouse" sees the BPM drop a notch, yet the palette shows no signs of winding down; it is downright exuberant. As different arpeggiated melodies play call and response, tape-delayed chords, alarm-like risers, and sprinkles of guitar add extra flavor. This does not lead to excess, however. Everything is carefully measured and kept in check: after all, at the helm are two artists who understand that perfection lies in getting a great many small things exactly right."
DJ Support: Louie Vega, Joe Claussell, Danny Krivit, DJ Spen, Ron Trent, Don Carlos, Sandy Rivera, Emmaculate, Souldynamic and more…
Paolo Fedreghini is a key figure in the Italian nu-jazz and jazz-funk scene, also known, lately, for his FAM Disco project.
Paolo's latest offering, Jazz House Rituals, is more than just an EP; it’s a masterclass in organic production. A 4-track project that bridges the gap between sophisticated jazz arrangements and the infectious energy of the dancefloor. Recorded with a rich palette of live instrumentation—including saxophones, flutes, trumpets and organic drums—the project is a testament to Fedreghini’s ability to blend analog warmth with contemporary club rhythms. From the latin sun-drenched "Happy Feeling" to the nocturnal Deep vibes of "Smoking Area," this EP is an essential choice for lovers of Jazzy-house music.
72 pages, full colour, perfect bound, A5 Includes interviews with: DMX Krew, Italo Brutalo, Space Dimension Controller & DJ Beukeboom! FIGI wants to take you along on his journey to find the answer to: what is up with vintage samplers? By interviewing DMX Krew on using his MPC1000 in the studio and on stage, asking away about Italo Brutalo's workflow with his samplers and Space Dimension Controller's wall of vintage AKAI samplers, he's trying to find out why so many great producers are still doing it the ''old school'' way. Covering topics like making your own music come alive, how samplers work, how swing works and research into why the AKAI MPC2000XL actually sounds the way it does. Perfect for producers who are interested in old samplers and might want to use them too, or who want to learn how to create similar artifacts in their own DAW. A fun and hyper nerdy zine, perfect to dive into on your way home from a heavy weekend of clubbing?
