Search:whilst

Hopeful, defiant, effusive, and ecstatic, Radio!! Radio!! is the 20th album from Erasure, one of pop’s most beloved songwriting partnerships.

The record finds Andy Bell and Vince Clarke continuing to refine and deepen the pop edifice they’ve been building over the past 40 years with a set of 10 songs about love, loss and injustice that speaks, powerfully, to our empathy-starved times.

A uniquely personal album, it was shaped by a period of profound grief. When the duo got together to write the album, it was as much in the spirit of uplifting an old friend as it was work – you can hear this thread of warmth and mutual care throughout.

The album that transposes the dazzling hugeness of the duo’s best work onto avowedly more personal, more reflective songwriting. Bell acknowledges that it would be easier, perhaps, for he and Clarke to go on autopilot, 40 years into their career. But how would that pass as Erasure? “It’s a two-person brain, and everything that we’ve gone through comes into it,” he says. “We have a sense of responsibility. We couldn’t ever do something throwaway.”

Radio!! Radio!! is rooted in Erasure’s unique synth-pop palette with some key augmentation: when working on the sound of this album, Clarke was unusually drawn to piano, as well as acoustic guitar. The use of these instruments adds drama and depth to their sound whilst leaving room for the kind of glassy synth pop that Erasure made their name on.

Hoffnungsvoll, trotzig, überschwänglich und euphorisch: Radio!! Radio!! ist das 20. Album von Erasure, einem der beliebtesten Songwriting-Duos der Popmusik.

Auf dem Album entwickeln Andy Bell und Vince Clarke das musikalische Pop-Gebäude, an dem sie seit 40 Jahren arbeiten, konsequent weiter und verleihen ihm zusätzliche Tiefe. Die zehn Songs handeln von Liebe, Verlust und Ungerechtigkeit und treffen damit auf eindringliche Weise den Nerv unserer Zeit, in der es so oft an Empathie mangelt.

Es ist ein ausgesprochen persönliches Album, geprägt von einer Phase tiefer Trauer. Als sich das Duo zum Schreiben der neuen Songs traf, ging es dabei ebenso sehr darum, einen alten Freund wieder aufzurichten, wie um die gemeinsame Arbeit. Diese Wärme und gegenseitige Fürsorge ziehen sich hörbar wie ein roter Faden durch das gesamte Album.

Das Album überträgt die schillernde Größe der besten Arbeiten des Duos auf ein bewusst persönlicheres und nachdenklicheres Songwriting. Bell räumt ein, dass es für ihn und Clarke nach 40 Jahren Karriere vielleicht einfacher wäre, einfach auf Autopilot weiterzumachen. Aber wäre das noch Erasure? „Es ist wie ein gemeinsames Gehirn zweier Menschen, und alles, was wir erlebt haben, fließt darin ein“, sagt er. „Wir verspüren eine gewisse Verantwortung. Wir könnten niemals etwas Belangloses machen.

“Radio!! Radio!! ist fest in Erasures unverwechselbarer Synthie-Pop-Klangwelt verwurzelt, erweitert diese jedoch um einige entscheidende Elemente: Bei der Arbeit am Sound des Albums fühlte sich Clarke ungewöhnlich stark zum Klavier und auch zur Akustikgitarre hingezogen. Der Einsatz dieser Instrumente verleiht dem Sound zusätzliche Dramatik und Tiefe, lässt aber zugleich genügend Raum für jenen glasklaren Synthie-Pop, mit dem Erasure berühmt geworden sind.

Hopeful, defiant, effusive, and ecstatic, Radio!! Radio!! is the 20th album from Erasure, one of pop’s most beloved songwriting partnerships.

The record finds Andy Bell and Vince Clarke continuing to refine and deepen the pop edifice they’ve been building over the past 40 years with a set of 10 songs about love, loss and injustice that speaks, powerfully, to our empathy-starved times.

A uniquely personal album, it was shaped by a period of profound grief. When the duo got together to write the album, it was as much in the spirit of uplifting an old friend as it was work – you can hear this thread of warmth and mutual care throughout.

The album that transposes the dazzling hugeness of the duo’s best work onto avowedly more personal, more reflective songwriting. Bell acknowledges that it would be easier, perhaps, for he and Clarke to go on autopilot, 40 years into their career. But how would that pass as Erasure? “It’s a two-person brain, and everything that we’ve gone through comes into it,” he says. “We have a sense of responsibility. We couldn’t ever do something throwaway.”

Radio!! Radio!! is rooted in Erasure’s unique synth-pop palette with some key augmentation: when working on the sound of this album, Clarke was unusually drawn to piano, as well as acoustic guitar. The use of these instruments adds drama and depth to their sound whilst leaving room for the kind of glassy synth pop that Erasure made their name on.

Hoffnungsvoll, trotzig, überschwänglich und euphorisch: Radio!! Radio!! ist das 20. Album von Erasure, einem der beliebtesten Songwriting-Duos der Popmusik.

Auf dem Album entwickeln Andy Bell und Vince Clarke das musikalische Pop-Gebäude, an dem sie seit 40 Jahren arbeiten, konsequent weiter und verleihen ihm zusätzliche Tiefe. Die zehn Songs handeln von Liebe, Verlust und Ungerechtigkeit und treffen damit auf eindringliche Weise den Nerv unserer Zeit, in der es so oft an Empathie mangelt.

Es ist ein ausgesprochen persönliches Album, geprägt von einer Phase tiefer Trauer. Als sich das Duo zum Schreiben der neuen Songs traf, ging es dabei ebenso sehr darum, einen alten Freund wieder aufzurichten, wie um die gemeinsame Arbeit. Diese Wärme und gegenseitige Fürsorge ziehen sich hörbar wie ein roter Faden durch das gesamte Album.

Das Album überträgt die schillernde Größe der besten Arbeiten des Duos auf ein bewusst persönlicheres und nachdenklicheres Songwriting. Bell räumt ein, dass es für ihn und Clarke nach 40 Jahren Karriere vielleicht einfacher wäre, einfach auf Autopilot weiterzumachen. Aber wäre das noch Erasure? „Es ist wie ein gemeinsames Gehirn zweier Menschen, und alles, was wir erlebt haben, fließt darin ein“, sagt er. „Wir verspüren eine gewisse Verantwortung. Wir könnten niemals etwas Belangloses machen.

“Radio!! Radio!! ist fest in Erasures unverwechselbarer Synthie-Pop-Klangwelt verwurzelt, erweitert diese jedoch um einige entscheidende Elemente: Bei der Arbeit am Sound des Albums fühlte sich Clarke ungewöhnlich stark zum Klavier und auch zur Akustikgitarre hingezogen. Der Einsatz dieser Instrumente verleiht dem Sound zusätzliche Dramatik und Tiefe, lässt aber zugleich genügend Raum für jenen glasklaren Synthie-Pop, mit dem Erasure berühmt geworden sind.

Released independently and on her 30th birthday, "Water Baby" is Giorgia-May's stunning debut album. Spanning over 8 tracks & recorded live at The Famous Goldwatch Studios in Berlin, Giorgia collaborates with some of Berlin's finest musicians to enhance her craft at putting emotions into songs. Each track highlights something different in her ability to channel pain, desire, lust and heartbreak, all whilst (most of the time) making you want to dance & smile.

Stemming originally from Brighton (UK), Giorgia-May has been pursuing a musical career through the means of travel. Now based in Berlin, she combines sensual lyrics, mesmerising tones and exciting arrangements which draw upon her personal experiences of love, loss and coming into womanhood. Blending soulful melodies with jazzy chords and hints of RnB, she takes influence from writers such as Olivia Dean & Amy Winehouse.

Extensive independent European tour in August & September 2026 through the following cities: Berlin, Paris, Bilbao, Porto, Lisbon, Valencia, Barcelona, Marseille, Cannes, Milan, Lake Como, Zurich, Luxembourg, Brussles, Cologne, Amsterdam and more ...

After some hiatus, Texas' pioneering Uni.Form records label owner, Jake Childs, returns with "Then & Now": a compilation of tracks spanning 20 years of visionary musical production.

Forever exploring the boundaries of house and techno, "Then & Now" showcases Jake's pursuit for unity whilst playing soundtrack to a personal narrative.

DJ Support: Rocky, Yogi Haughton, Nick Welton, Chris Sweet - Northern Soul Rave Patrol, Dean Smith, Dave Hill

'Ghosted Edits Vol 2' the emphasis has been on the less obvious. 'Two Wings' on the initial 'Ghosted Edits' was a superb disco jaunt, whilst 'Follow Him' opted for a swaying jolly down groove with a nice soulful sound. If you dug 'Follow Him' I can guarantee that 'Save The Children' and 'Beautiful People' will be essential purchases for all you disc jockey types, and those of you who jus' like vibes that you can melt into a chair with or sip on yer long drink and spectate from the side of the dancefloor as the DJ builds the room. A stroke of genius from Moton too as they opt to release this latest couple of jams on a seven, and we all know how much the soul boys and gals love a seven.

Bahamadia’s 1996 debut album Kollage is rightly regarded as one of the greatest rap albums of the 1990s. For the first time ever, Be With present the definitive double LP version of this eternal hip-hop classic, including the legendary "Path To Rhythm" which never appeared on the original LP or on vinyl, anywhere. An indelible VIBE from start-to-finish, Kollage presents Bahamadia's swirling rhymes delivered with an irresistibly butter flow and razor-sharp assuredness over a steady slew of smoothed-out, jazzed-up, blunted beats. Achingly cool and effortlessly funky throughout, it's an absolute must for true 90s hip-hop fanatics.

The entire Kollage project was recorded at D&D Studios and the ties to Gang Starr are keenly felt, with DJ Premier producing five tracks in addition to the killer songs Guru had already produced with her. Working with the cream of the mid-90s East Coast sound, Kollage is, accordingly, a record that demonstrates a varied musical taste with disparate influences, as Bahamadia has previously stated: “The title Kollage was a reflection of my state of mind. I first got interested in music from playing my parents’ and grandparents’ records, as well what I heard on the radio. I wanted Kollage to reflect that diversity both lyrically and sonically."

With intelligent, poetic lyricism and a laconic verbal style bursting with both warm texture and deceptive energy, Bahamadia’s flow was as inspired by Aretha and Nancy Wilson as it was Q-Tip, Schoolly D and Lady B. Swaggering out the gate, "WordPlay" finds Bahamadia confidently showcasing her considerable old-school battle-rhyme skills over a Guru beat that utilises an infectiously bouncy bassline with splashes of sultry jazz horns and a Jeru vocal snatch for the hook. Up next, the quietly shimmering and ruggedly beautiful "Spontaneity" is one of the most alluring on the record, Da Beatminerz crafting a brilliantly soulful and jazzy soundscape for Bahamadia's effortless vocals to float across. It's followed by "Rugged Ruff", where the rapper carefully constructs a swift off-beat flow over Premier's raw jazzy fire.

With smooth spacey synth vibes overseen by former Geto Boys producer N.O. Joe, "I Confess" is, without question, a fly love song and soothing (p)-funk groove. "UKNOWHOWWEDU" is an airy, chilled tribute to her hometown. Produced by Ski Beatz & DJ Redhanded, it rides a gloriously mellow break. It's a true Philly anthem, shouting out a who’s who of the entire city’s scene. Early banger "Total Wreck" follows, presenting a murky Guru instrumental elevated by jazzy horns. Bahamadia invokes the title's suggestion, firing her brilliant bars more aggressively than we’re accustomed to. More Beatminerz-brilliance comes in the way of "Innovation", an opportunity for the MC to invoke Freestyle Fellowship in her forward-thinking and literary verses. "Da Jawn" features hometown buddies The Roots, with Black Thought gliding into a back-and-forth with Bahamadia over ?uestlove’s warm, snapping percussion. With the strut club banger "True Honey Buns (Dat Freak Sh*t)", DJ Premier provides some laidback vibrant boom bap for Bahamadia to share a wild, cautionary tale about a night out with her girl, Kia.

Fan favourite "3 Tha Hard Way" is a hypnotically sinister cut, with Bahamadia, K-Swift and Mecca Star taking star turns to coast over DJ Premier’s raw beat whilst the tender "Biggest Part Of Me" is a heartfelt stunner dedicated to her son. Incredibly, only the European and Japanese CD versions of Kollage was released with the brilliantly breezy “Path To Rhythm”, featuring Ursula Rucker. Whilst ostensibly a "bonus track", it's anything but, to our ears. Very much in sonic conversation with KRS-One's stretched-out sleeper classic "Higher Level", it's absolutely essential so we had to include it, appearing on wax for the first time here, exclusively. Quite a coup.

Somewhat predictably, whilst Kollage was released to significant critical acclaim, it suffered from disappointing sales. In the intervening years - and for far too long - it was a criminally underrated record, an increasingly hidden gem. We hope this double LP reissue - which looks and sounds amazing - will go some way to correct this. This 2024 Be With double LP re-issue has been mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis, cut by Cicely Balston and pressed at Record Industry. It's too bold and beautiful to remain overlooked and underserved.

DJ Support: Mousse T, Todd Terry, Young Pulse, Angelo Ferreri, Melvo Baptiste, Richard Earnshaw, Micky More & Andy Tee, Dr Packer, Hatiras, DJ Rae, Mark Picchiotti, Birdee, Shaka Loves You, Yasmin, Saison, Michael Gray, DJ Spen and Hatiras

A Touch Of Love goes from strength to strength with EP8 in the vinyl series. Label boss Seamus Haji reps the A side with his latest faves ‘Fire’ with his good friend Mike Dunn serving up the unmistakable vocals on a funk fuelled Firestarter followed by his collab with the New York diva Kathy Brown over the sexually charged disco chugger ‘Dancing’. On the AA side new kid on the block from Barcelona Osner hit big with his outing ‘It’s Good’ with a nod to the 70’s with a modern twist for peak-time dancefloors whilst Italy’s fast rising underground hero Gledd continues the theme with the blues & soul injected thumper ‘Move Me’.

p:m is delighted to welcome Kumarachi to the fold - a Nottingham-based artist with a deep catalogue steadily built over the past 11+ years. For the label’s first 10” vinyl cut, Kumarachi teams up with his old friend, the wonderful Liam Bailey, for some rudeboy pressure on the a side, while flying solo for the b.

Tracklist:
A. On Sight: snappy snares, snarling bass, and shifting percussion meet the dulcet tones of Liam Bailey, who turns in a different kind of original dancehall style vocal that gets people skanking and swaying.

B. Cast No Shadow: a heavy-hitting track of pummelling breaks and beats, heavy bass, dub fx, and synth stabs, reminiscent of Star Wars’ X-wings in space.

In Kumarachi’s own words: “On Sight was just a loop when I sent it to Liam, then arranged and built around his vocals. I played it to a couple of people for feedback and to test out, it luckily found its way to DJ Flight via Sweetpea, so a big thanks to her too. Both myself and Liam felt play:musik is the perfect label for On Sight, with what Flight stands for musically and culturally, there’s a definite alignment within the lyrical content aswell. It’s a perfect fit. Cast No Shadow was written later and specifically for this release to contrast and complement the flip. It actually came together quite quickly - referencing classic combinations, whilst hopefully sounding fresh for 2026.”

4/5 Mojo review: ‘Sparse, hypnotic big-room techno that builds from the bass drum up

Double LP is released on 140gm black vinyl in a transparent gloss foil sleeve, artwork and design by Ian Anderson for Designers Republic. Circuitry Electronic launches with a release that stands as a statement of intent - an artist with few true peers within English electronic music, with an album that jumps out of the speakers and slaps you around the chops. G-Man is Gez Varley - one half of Sheffield pioneers LFO, and thirty years into his solo career, with his first vinyl album release since Avanti on Force Inc way back in 2002. Speaking to DJ magazine in 2014 Gez recalled his early days working with Mark Bell as LFO: “We were influenced by groups like 808 State. Unique 3, Nightmares On Wax and also stuff like Kraftwerk, Detroit techno and early electro. So when we first hooked up and made tunes together we just wanted to rock the dancefloor at our local club The Warehouse”.

Their eponymous track ‘LFO’ – a classic of the bleep and bass techno movement – was one of the first releases on the Warp label, gate- crashing the UK’s Top 20 whilst annoying Simon Mayo along the way. Having worked with the likes of Richie Hawtin, Karl Bartos, Laurent Garnier, Art of Noise, Radiohead, YMO and Alan Wilder, in addition to the LFO output, you'd expect Gez to know his way around a techno dancefloor rhythm and drum pattern, and this is an inventive funk-filled journey that never veers too far into experimental territory yet avoids the cliches and generic tropes that too often lose the listener when techno manifests in album form.

UK bass music mainstay and SK1 Records co-founder, Synkro, links up with composer and sound design specialist, Tom Jarmey, for their debut combined effort on Of Paradise, minting their new musical alliance with North Star, an emotionally charged and lushly melodic collection of detail-driven club cuts.

Deftly joining the dots between drum 'n' bass, jungle, and trip hop, the duo serves up three original numbers, backed by two exquisite remixes from none other than Pugilist and label co-founder Silent Era, who meticulously distil the source material to produce a mixture of swirling breaks, dub techno, and atmospheric ambient stylings.

Available as a limited edition 12” and digital EP, North Star sees Synkro and Tom Jarmey combine to lethal effect, pooling their diverse influences together to fashion a trio of wide-eyed, hypnotic, and high-grade gems that give a nod to the most potent of ‘90s gear whilst being 100% future proofed.

On this release Dying in Beauty delves into harder, EBM infused tracks on the A-side, whilst the flip-side offers a more groovy and upbeat set of tracks to accompany your journey into the excesses of pleasure.

2026 Repress

Ten years after it was first released, the eponymous debut EP by M.O.O.N gets a re-release in the much sought-after picture sleeve alongside the follow-up collections, Particles EP and Day/Night EP.

The EP has found fans in DJs such as Andrew Weatherall, Peggy Gou, and Jacques Renault, whilst the appearance of all four tracks on the soundtrack for cult game Hotline Miami the EP ensured a cult following, racking up millions of plays on streaming sites.

All tracks have been remastered by Brendan Zacharias aka Assembler Code giving the EP a new level of punch in the club and on home hi-fi.

Using the original stems, Aroop Roy turns this MJ classic into a unifying dancefloor moment.
The arrangement is key here, building the suspense with an infectious disco/house groove, that will gradually pull in each person on the dancefloor. The raw proto house organs from the original get their moment to shine, before breaking down to euphoric horns and an anthemic vocal drop.
'Badstrumental' maintains the drama of the A side, whilst leaving the vocals to the imagination. The alternate mix saves the vocal for the very end.

Carrier’s debut album features eight elegantly rude arrangements that dance in negative space between Photek’s frictional syncopations, Rhythm & Sound’s dubwise minimalism, and Torsten Pröfrock’s fractured dynamics, bolstered on two tracks by contributions from Voice Actor and Memotone, summoning a noirish, jazzier frisson to his signature metrics and temporalities.

Since hard-snagging our ears and feet in 2023 with 12”s for FELT and his own eponymous label, Guy Brewer’s Carrier has become the go-to project for anyone who had almost given up on chasing these sorts of ultra-subtle but vitally distinctive new permutations in dance music. For the past two years, his unpredictable variations within a style have kept us all tip-toed and seat-edged with organisations of a finely chiselled percussive palette and smouldering ambient noise that distils the salient aspects and spirits of D&B, dub techno, electro-acoustic music, and trip hop with unique traction. In effect, he’s enacted a clear leap of imagination from previous work issued as part of Commix and solo as Shifted that only continues to reveal hallucinatory psychoacoustics on this first album detail.

»Rhythm Immortal« sees Brewer tilt the project into slower, resoundingly more atmospheric realms, better to luxuriate in the instinctive guile and integer-stepping style ’n’ pattern of his incredible sound. At the album’s poles, a vocal cameo by cult gynoid Voice Actor follows from Gavsborg’s on a preceding 7” single to ideally model his sound’s mutability and compatibility with trip hop forms, and Memotone helps seal the deal with a hovering glow lent to »Offshore«, whilst Carrier jostles the reins throughout with masterful control of his thing, crisply purposed to the album canvas. In that context, it’s perfectly adaptable to bodies both supine or in motion, ushering a hypnagogic sway with »A Point Most Crucial«, and hingeing around the slightest interplay of 16th-note hi-hat ruffles and recoiling reverbs on »Outer Shell«, or blissfully stepping on knife-edge 2-step on »Wave After Wave«.

The album conveys a deeply personal pulse and spiritual devotion to that kind of all-tension-no-release mode typical of so much music we love – from Kode9’s earliest re-factoring of Prince to Photek’s »Ni-Ten-Ichi-Ryu«, from T++/Dynamo and Traktor’s asymmetric dynamics to Burial’s shockout debut – refactored with a rare conviction in its unspoken powers to activate the eyes-shut imagination.

Having tirelessly contributed to shaping the UK dance music over the past decades, Special Request needs no introduction. From the underground and resurgences of Jungle all the way through to major Pop music projects, this man can do it all. Timedance welcomes Paul Woolford's infamous alias for the first time here, unleashing the devastating “Uncanny Valley”. Woolford combines his signature comb filter rave synths alongside cavernous breaks for ultimate mindf*ck peak time energy, anticipation has been huge for this one since Paul showcased the track on his social media last year to a huge response.

Alongside the original “Uncanny Valley” comes alongside remixes from two of maddest breaks scientists in our address book. Timedance stalwart Metrist nods to his love of hi-tech neurofunk with devestating technicality and flair, whilst gyrofield adds a more hypnotic and psychedelic angle, leaning into the eeriness of the original.

Proper dancefloor wreckage here from a real power trio.

2026 Repress

This relatively new Stockholm duo have been making waves with their latest vinyl output. This EP conveys their love for the disco house sounds of Chicago, spearheaded by the likes of DJ Sneak. ‘Spoon Bait’ leads the way using an almost dreamlike vocal hook over a deep bass led groove with dub effects to boot. ‘Tuborg Translate’ picks up the tempo, chopping up a Philly style hook, underpinned by crisp beats and otherworldly space effects. Title track ‘Silja Line Superstar’ keeps the peak-time action going utilising warm emotive strings and brass whilst ‘Kenneth Knaster’ bounces along on a sublime disco ride bringing the EP to a close.

May 2026 marks the arrival of TYGAPAW (aka Dion McKenzie)’s first full-length album on Tresor Records, entitled Together You Gather All Power Applied Worldwide. An acronym of its creator’s name, TYGAPAW’s third studio album is a deeply personal collection of music building worlds where Black queer and trans siblings can thrive, while unifying dancefloors worldwide. A proposition that collective wisdom liberates us from the matrix of domination we live within. The album unfolds as the latest chapter in TYGAPAW’s ongoing techno opera opus, continuing to center the voices of Black women, which surface as layered incantations rather than lyrics - powerful, haunting, sensual, activating.
With the process of creating the album starting in 2023, as TYGAPAW (Dion McKenzie) was in the first year of their transition, the music reflects the intensity of that period, where they were experiencing deplatforming as a response to the shift in their physical appearance: Tracks like ‘M32 Riddim’ and ‘Helicopter hovers over my Crown Heights Apartment’ feature high-paced rhythms intersecting with intense siren-like synths to form demanding compositions echoing a heightened sense of alert. Yet throughout the album, relief comes in the form of TYGAPAW’s vocal features, co-conspirators, and chosen family, whose voices are treated with reverb and echo, a sonic fingerprint that leads back to the pioneers in the legendary studios of TYGAPAW’s native land, Jamaica, an important reminder that the past will always inform the future. It is an album for dancers first and foremost, where joy, defiance, and integration with the natural body coexist, and every drop feels less like a climax than a transformation. Expect a bass that permeates your soul and melodic synthesized sequenced phrases echoing the dancehall eras of TYGAPAW’s youth, reshaped into hypnotic melodies that glow over industrial kicks designed to command attention, reasserting Jamaica's pioneering yet often overlooked contribution to electronic music.
In the opening track, ‘Can I Live’, Precious Okoyomon’s words feel like the beginning of a ritual; setting the intentions for the rest of the proceedings. As McKenzie puts it, their “work is about regeneration, resetting, getting integrated into nature, and about rebirth. That’s the tone I wanted to set at the outset of the album.” Ms Carrie Stacks continues this thread of support in ‘Don’t Panic’ with heavily processed vocals on top of a beat that takes inspiration from another important ingredient in the antidote to the oppression of isolation: Ballroom culture. “ I feel like I found my queerness in Ballroom, that’s why this track is very important to me.”
Echoes of NYC Black queer nightlife scene also permeate in the energetic drums of ‘Exorcise the Language of Domination’, in which Julianna Huxtable’s spoken performance complements the various movements and tones of the music. “My producer brain thought this was the one that Juliana’s vocals would be best suited for. I hinted: ‘what do you think of this one?’ She just went into her notes and picked some passages to go with the first section of the track. From there, it was a year-long process of development. It required time and space for this thing to evolve, but I think it’s one of the most powerful tracks on the album.” London’s SUUTOO contributes the album’s only musical collaboration on ‘B2B’, a track that emerged from sessions in McKenzie’s New York studio where the real objective was to connect and have fun; a time out from the demands of life outside.
The album closes out with a double hit of emotion in the form of ‘Effects of Resistance and Black Trans Masculine Experience’. The former features South African scholar Khanyisile Mbongwa drawing connections that exist between Africa and the Black diaspora, whilst looking to the future and calling for a shared sense of community.
The latter piece, an instrumental version of the piece which featured on the IMMIGRANT E.P. of 2025 is a gentle and deeply affecting end to the record, a place of peace and acceptance. This end-of-cycle tone is mirrored in the sleeve photography, which also ties back to IMMIGRANT by finally revealing what was hidden: a portrait of the artist fully self-actualized; a step towards true inner liberation. TYGAPAW is sonically defiant across this album; bass frequencies feel tactile — less heard than inhabited — infectious lead synth melodies remain with you long after the track ends. An overall sound that leaves asserting an urgent need for connection. From Detroit to New York to Berlin to Jamaica, despite geographic distance, this album reminds us that we remain in solidarity, recognising that meaningful world-building requires collective input and action, both personal and communal, if we are to move toward liberation.

"After being praised as one of the best releases of 2025 by multiple platforms, the highly praised debut album from Obeka lands on vinyl via YUKU.

The rhythmic dynamics and emotive attitudes of A World No More captures the density of soundsystem culture in Obeka's ancestral roots. YUKU presents the Bermudians debut album capturing a Neo-Colonial dystopia, protest and Afro-Futurism hyperextended through decaying sonic structures of a dark past and its grievances which very much exist today.

Growing into adulthood within the walls of British and European Colonial systems meant the disconnection and lostness in a new country hid me from the world at a young age. Unlike London's vast and culturally engaging migrant communities, the industrial milling town of Stockport introduced a coldness towards people from other countries I experienced in my first year after relocating from Bermuda. I couldn't understand why. Whether cold words thrown towards me or actions upon other people who look like me, it has shown to be a dooming societal virus with no cure. The most comfort was found through what was familiar - drums and rhythmic spirituality of my homeland. It was a safe-haven, a place to empty the anger and confusion. It's been 15 years since relocating and as my sound evolved, it seems classism, racism, oppression and civil control of ethnic peoples has become worse - even now more legalised and normalised. Ogun (a powerful Yoruba deity associated with anger, justice and war) acts as the opening sequence of the record and its symbolism. Using distorted bass frequencies and dissected Regga-Dub immersed in live-sampled ghostly voices of the lost ones. This sonic exercising is also applied in Drillaman - a stampede of industrial framework and metallic instruments wielded over moody Dancehall MC'ing, magnifying two parallel worlds in cocooned evolution. The resurrection of Transatlantic African cultures and identity have never been silenced, rather carried elsewhere through trade routes of enslavement, which was pivotal when composing and completing the album upon returning home to the Caribbean for the first time ever. After reconnecting with my heritage my blurred vision of what's wrong in the world became so clear. Guidance in empty plains seek truth throughout the pain - A statement of finding oneself expressed on the poetic closing track A World No More.

On Fawohodie (A West African Adinkra symbol that represents independence, freedom, and emancipation stamped on the album cover) the motive and atmosphere begins to change. Afro-Caribbean idealism which refers to the philosophical concept that emphasizes the interconnectedness of individuals and the importance of community, often contrasting with Western individualism, begins to take shape in a new universe. We can co-exist. The track framework uses machine-led software forming frequencies we have no control over, then manipulated through decomposing soundscapes, scattered hand-drums and human-made weapons of control - exposing the hidden disparity that's been carried over generations whilst balancing hopeful and musical foundations towards equality and peace. On Pressure and Kuduro! the writing direction attempts to wake people up. Not settling for a composed approach like in past projects, quite the opposite. A call for native sonic awareness, dismantled vocals of protests, eroded percussion using chains, gears and motorised harmonies sculpted in challenging abstract behaviors far outside my comfort zone. A direct abrasiveness and weight I want people to feel, whilst finding hope and solace through enchanting choirs and hypnotic basslines in complete synchrony.

"Purity in sound manifests when you least expect it. The smallest memory or feeling grows from a seed into a sonic language that you, and only you can interpret and release back into the world." "

Gap Mangione's monumentally influential Diana In The Autumn Wind. AKA BEWITH200LP. And, without question, Be With's White Whale.

They said it could never be done. And with good reason.

We've spent the past 12 years trying to license this legendary 1968 recording from Gap and, after much work, it's finally here. Remarkably, this is the first ever vinyl reissue of Gap Mangione's Diana In The Autumn Wind, produced with the full and extensive participation of Gap. An exceedingly rare album, it's been coveted by funk, soul, jazz and hip-hop sample fiends for decades.

It's unarguably *the* most sought after album for J Dilla / Madlib sample collectors. It has also been brilliantly sampled by A Tribe Called Quest, Large Professor, Ghostface Killah, Kendrick Lamar and Talib Kweli.

But this record is so much more than a sample-spotters curio. It's solid gold throughout. Bursting with killer funky-jazz grooves and tracks adorned with warm electric piano, the release is notable for featuring some extremely significant players at the very outset of their careers; Tony Levin, at 21, whose superb playing on both acoustic and electric bass was the harmonic mainstay of the trio and Steve Gadd, at 23, one of the greatest drummers of his generation.

With acceptable copies of this holy grail changing hands for $400, to call this reissue "much-needed" underplays just how vital it is. Gap's story is told in his words alongside rare photos across a sumptuously designed 2-page insert and, to augment this deluxe edition further, its all wrapped up in a beautiful, no-expense-spared luxury tip-on sleeve, as per the original hens-teeth release. And, while we're talking packaging, just take a look at that cover - a work of art in and of itself.

The tracks are short but complex, with that extraordinary rhythm section backing the beautiful piano, organ and electric piano work of Gap. It's like the best ever library funk breaks record you never heard - but all your favourite golden age rap producers were all over it, long ago. It's a stunning blend of the vibrant, driving music of the Gap Mangione Trio coupled with the sensitive composition and superb orchestration of Gap's legendary brother, Chuck Mangione, who helmed an amalgam of seemingly disparate elements – rock, big band jazz, solo improvisation and "classical" music - into a spectacularly cohesive whole that has aged wonderfully well. As Gap himself notes in the liners, "with this group I was able to explore and add new and exciting elements from rock, Brazilian and then-current pop music."

Opener "Boy With Toys" triumphantly swaggers out the gate, all big band horns, flutes and dextrous organ work. The synthesis of everything going on is nothing short of stunning. When one wise YouTube commentator called this tune "old school superhero music", Gap agreed. Rap luminaries did, too, amongst them Talib Kweli, who rapped over DJ Scratch's chopped up intro for "Shock Body" on his Quality album back in 2002.

You've barely recovered from that incredibly affecting opener when you get hit over the head with the exquisite title-track. And now you see how two of the greatest beats of all time emerged from one single track produced nearly 50 years earlier. Unforgettably utilised by Dilla for Slum Village's heartbreakingly good "Fall In Love" and then Madlib for his "Official" beat for Dilla to rap over, on the Jaylib record. Regardless of the records it went on to spawn, this is just a staggering tune in its own right. Be beguiled by the flutes and the flutter tonguing, the counter-melody from the trombones, the soprano sax solo. All of it. Simply beautiful.

The questing organ and horn workout "Long Hair Soulful" deserves a lot more attention, overshadowed somewhat by the opening two monsters but no less fantastic. It swings, it grooves and Gadd and Levin truly cook. Up next, Gap's wonderfully percussive, mellifluously piano-heavy cover of "Yesterday" by some fellas called The Beatles. It's a subtly arresting gem. "The XIth Commandment" is damn fine, with thick, gorgeous electric piano and snappy drum work underpinning chaotic soundtracky horns. To close out the side, "St. Thomas" showcases the "fourth" member of the Gap Mangione Trio, conga drummer Dhui Mandingo. Having performed with the Trio since 1965, Dhui‘s African-based and jazz-latin-influenced style amazed listeners and its way to hear why.

Opening the B-Side, standard "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You" breezes along in the late-night jazz club fashion before things get super deep with the outstanding and - up to now - un-sampled "Pond With Swans". It's simply heavenly, and how its moody, melancholic intro has yet to be pilfered is anybody's guess. It oscillates between gentle, sombre movements and bombastic grooves, equally hypnotic and joyous. The rendition of "You Are My Sunshine" is yet another showcase for Gap's virtuoso playing and Gadd's mastery of the pocket. Indeed Gadd's drumming on "Free Again" is nothing short of neck-SNAPPING! Ghostface took it for not one but two "Iron's Theme" tracks across his seminal Supreme Clientele. It's got that Galt MacDermot "Coffee Cold" feel. Suuuuuper cool. The frantic "Dream On Little Dreamer" hurtles along and must've surely had the whole room absolutely swinging from the chandeliers back in Rochester in the late 60s. The album closes with the magnificent Graduate Medley, featuring memorable renditions of "Scarborough Fair", "The Sounds of Silence" and "Mrs. Robinson". The warm electric piano lines of the former were sampled by The Ummah (Dilla again!) for Tribe's "Pad & Pen" from their reappraised final album, The Love Movement, as well as by Large Professor on his much-loved "The LP (For My People)".

Under the watchful eye - and extremely attentive ears - of Gap Mangione himself, the audio for Diana In The Autumn Wind has been carefully remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, with a few much needed tweaks here and there, according to the artist's wishes. At the prestigious Abbey Road Studios, Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at the always stellar Record Industry in Holland. The artwork restoration has taken place here at Be With HQ and has that drop-dead gorgeous cover artwork popping like new. Buy on sight!

"Melodic, dreamy bedroom pop with a nostalgic sheen" is how Tom Davies, creator of brand new dream-pop artist Flopsy's dream, describes this charming little album.
Some of you may know him as GeoWizard; the mad British adventurer/YouTuber who travels in straight lines, but here you get to see or indeed hear a completely different side to him - one that sings in soft, tuneful tones reminiscent of Damon Albarn or Ray Davies, builds ethereal, layered harmonies that wouldn't sound out of place on a Fleet Foxes track, and crafts gorgeous guitar and synth parts that could easily have come straight out of John Frusciante or Kevin Parker's handbook.
Written in a young Davies's bedroom between the years of 2008 and 2014, the songs themselves are far from brand new, but with the help of his good friend and writing partner Liam Rhodes (with whom he played in Birmingham Psychedelic outfit "Kinds of light"), Davies has brought these sentimental tracks to life whilst keeping them bang in line with their original vision.
The result is an album that doesn't really fit into any specific genre, in fact you could argue it's just regular old generic pop, but there's an innocence and a playfulness in there that disarms the listener and transports them to a simpler time when melody ruled supreme.

Glasgow’s Fortified Audio returns after at least a ten years long hiatus (No pun intended) and now returns to the world of bass with a full length album from local music firestarter Ten Years Lost. Modern day trap instrumentals at its core whilst sub-consciously giving hints of Drexciya, Moroder and the Memphis & Croydon bass music regions alongside some real deft sampling but still remains Glasgow at its core!

Stevie Cox and Ansboy: two powerhouses of the Glaswegian club scene join forces for their collaborative debut EP on Rhythm Section INTL- ‘Twice Like Rice’. It’s a weighty four-track EP designed for the dancefloor, taking in myriad influences from dub techno, breaks, trance and good old fashioned house music. The Ep is full of deep, pulsating rhythms, lush textures and emotive peaks - all road tested in Stevie’s Iconic home turf: Sub Club.

Stevie Cox has long been a name long ruminating on everyone's lips, as a resident DJ of the iconic ‘Sub Club’ with an ever-growing tour schedule and back catalogue of releases via the likes of Klasse Wrecks and Optimo. Whilst the name Ansboy may be new to some, it is a fresh alias for the grammy nominated producer and mixdown engineer Robert Etherson who has long been a staple in the Scottish scene with an international touring repertoire under his belt.

The two friends met in their hometown of Glasgow and began their musical journey together last year after Robert taught Stevie how to do mixdowns. The pair clicked effortlessly, quickly discovering they shared the same passion for emotive, deep and progressive dance music. Their first track together - which took shape in the form of ‘Drift’ - a high-energy synth led anthem, came out with a special selection of tracks curated by Bradley Zero for his exclusive SHOUTS Summer sampler in 2025.

For the Twice Like Rice EP, their work evokes all corners of the dancefloor, kicking things off with ‘GC’ - a peak time breaks-infused trancey-heater - a master class in building dancefloor tension which gives way into a searing crescendo. Things spin towards a darker percussive focus on the more intense ‘Twice Like Rice’.

On the b-side things return to blissful euphoria with ‘Virgil’ - a warm up dub-techno ballad, before the emotional release of ‘Subculture closure’ inspired ‘Carter21’.

Diversion Ends EP highlights the classic sound of chicago acid house, whilst yet emerging into a much deeper and experimental lane of electronica. With three original tracks and an intellectual yet pumping remix from Berlin’s Cinthie, the EP is prepared for the most exciting club playing DJ’s - those who love a curveball yet appreciate a strong, consistent groove.

Lulah Francs has played some of the most respected venues and festivals in electronic music. Her DJ sets have spanned iconic institutions like fabric London, where she’s shared lineups with leading international talent, and she’s played at major events such as Gottwood, Lost Village, and La Terrrazza Barcelona. In addition, Lulah champions grassroots culture through her own event series sub:terra, a collective and club night inspired by the spirit of early acid house, having invited selectors such as Niks, Jaye Ward, etc and taken over strong institutional rooms such as Fabric Room 3.

Whilst considering the “Hutson Sevens” series, there was a LeRoy Hutson record that stood out like a sore thumb for us when sifting through the amazing LeRoy Hutson portfolio to identify which pieces of music had not yet been made available on 7-inch vinyl. Many of you will know the story of LeRoy Hutson and Donny Hathaway being roommates at Howard University and together writing the legendary rare groove track "The Ghetto". In 1974, LeRoy Hutson used his artistic licence and adapted the track to feature on his album "The Man!" and subtly retitled the track "The Ghetto '74".
Home of The Good Groove Records are delighted to include this magnificent track on 7-inch vinyl for the very first me.

We are always trying our best to compliment each side of the 7-inch records we are releasing in the "Hutson Sevens" series. For the A-side on our third release we have chosen an outstanding track, which again is previously unreleased. Recorded at the Curtom studios in April 1977 "Thank You" is a fabulous “easy to the ear” piece of smooth soul music that has the classic Hutson groove. One for the soul music lovers, and a possible future sing along favourite to end a night of dancing.

DJ Amir takes another deep dive into the back catalogue of Detroit's legendary Strata Records to curate a 2nd volume in his Strata Records – The Sound of Detroit compilations. Whereas volume one took in the soulful edge of the Strata canon this volume, as Amir says, 'leans into the label's groovier, funkier edges whilst still celebrating its bold, avant-garde spirit.' DJ Amir's relationship to the Strata label has resulted in the release of the long lost Charles Mingus live 'Jazz in Detroit' box set released on BBE Music along with re-issues from The Lyman Woodard Organisation and re-imaginings of Strata's genre defying music by Berlin based DJ and producer collective, Jazzanova as well as remixes from Kai Alce, Wajeed, Henrik Schwarz, re.decay and DJ Amir himself and, of course, volume one of The Sound of Detroit. Featuring music from The Soulmates, Fito Foster, Keith Boone & Janice Coombs and The Contemporary Jazz Quintet amongst others, The Sound of Detroit volume 2 absolutely exemplifies the importance of Strata Records in the history of innovative Black music as well as its place in the cultural landscape of Detroit as a powerhouse city for art and music. Released by BBE Music in collaboration with 180 Proof Records as a triple vinyl LP and high res. digital download DJ Amir presents Strata – The Sound of Detroit volume 2 really is a gem of a compilation to grace any serious music head's record collection.

For their fourth release, Australian label Lunatic Music welcomes Chris Stoker (UK) and Jamie Blanco (UK born, AUS based) to the fray for a dubbed out analogue synth workout that is indisputably Ess O Ess.
Fusion unfolds in Simply Nothing. Analogue synths intertwine with exquisitely programmed percussion and George Humes' chorus-drenched, draped in a veil of spectral vocals by Sarah-May Brown. The result is a retro-futuristic sonic whirlpool that is as memorable as it is delicate.
A waterfall forms in The Lotus & The Banksman. An otherworldly mutant breakbeat techno floor filler. Ethereal pads and dubby textures ripple across the surface whilst the resonant bassline churns below. Gentle currents give way to surging momentum as the percussion kicks in wth the repetitive chant of Time Travelling Man throughout, again by Sarah-May Brown.
On Remix duties, Hybrid Man applies their refined proto-trance formula to Simply Nothing, drawing out its hypnotic core.
Mayurashka fractures The Lotus & The Banksman, sifts through the pieces, and assembles a mind-melting, wonky techno drum work-out from the fragments.

The breakout underground star of the past year, the deservedly hyped Thought Leadership returns with another X ideas: the deck this time chooses the suit of Cups. This new collection is closer to the Post-Punk tonality of Pentacles, than the breezy Balearic Jazz of Swords. Gone are the brushed drum samples and airy synths and in their place are BIG guitars, 808 thumps and a decidedly more prominent use of bass as a melodic device.

As the suit of Cups reflects the emotional heart of the Tarot, presented within are a further X pieces, this time displaying the full range and fervour of Thought Leadership.

You know the drill by now. Originally out on cassette only, we present the first ever vinyl issue. It's a hideously limited pressing of 300 for the world, so don't sleep on this.

Side A explores the emotional levels of consciousness; angst, joy, love, sorrow, relief, regret – they are all represented across the first seven tracks, and often within the same piece. XXI kicks us off with a huge tumbling D minor passage, layers and layers of guitar front and centre, whilst the drums pound away in the distance. Release is provided with a gorgeous G Dorian section, where we hear the bass take flight with a high melodic line.

We’re still in familiar Durutti Column meets Dif Juz territory here, but things switch up with XXII. This piece showcases a darker, more angular palette of guitars; think Alan Rankine (The Associates), or Deb Demure (Drab Majesty) in the unexpected harmonic shifts, knotty arpeggiated patterns and heavy, goth-adjacent modulation. A real love letter to 45+ years of darkly inclined guitar heritage.

XXIII enters the fray with tight, thumping 808s and Marr-esque guitar figures; and again, the bass providing heavy melodic counterpoint to the guitars. Enter chiming, lyrical lead phrasing, reminiscent of the eternal opening to "Everybody Wants To Rule The World". Another accidental perfect pop moment from the Thought Leader. Whilst on the topic of Tears For Fears, XXIV comes swinging out of the gate with some serious Sophisti-chug; we’re reminded of "Shout" in the A section, before being beautifully juxtaposed in the B section with more Vini-eqsue patterns, reminiscent of his timeless classic, Another Setting.

XXV gives us welcome pause to take stock midway through the A side. No drums this time, but instead a heartbreaking conversation between two guitars; think Kevin McCormick and David Horridge’s masterful Light Patterns, or perhaps even the early solo-Bill Connors mid-70s cuts for ECM. The moment of quiet reflection passes, and is quickly shattered by the thudding march of XXVI – this piece comes across like The Associates playing "Wicked Game"; heavy, moody, and utterly compelling. XXVII ends our journey across Side A with more Marr-inspired playing; one for the heads and already featured on mixes, this one is real testament to the vision of Thought Leadership.

Side B again takes us on a trip through three long-form semi-improvised pieces. XXVIII is like those classic Jonny Nash, early Melody As Truth releases, slowly unfurling, additional details introduced deliberately piece by piece, this idea builds across 7+ minutes culminating in some utterly joyous ebow fireworks at the end – well Balearic.

XXIX again, like XXV before it, dispatches the drums with a focus purely on melody and mood. The piece feels like a lost Save Room Theme from the Resident Evil series, pure golden age Capcom Sound Team vibes. Unadulterated aural nostalgia for hours spent with a PS1 in haze of hash.

XXX completes this majestic voyage with another Modal exercise; this time the Thought Leader has opted for the Lydian Mode. Beautifully dreamy, undeniably Soundtrack-y, and arguably the most concise distillation so far of everything this project stands for; drum machines, guitars, pedals, one-take improvised solos – XXX has the lot, and is surely destined for greatness.

So, another X epic statements for guitar, homespun with the humblest of means, for all the dreamers out there. The first ever vinyl release of IV Of Cups has been carefully remastered by Be With's engineer Simon Francis to ensure it sounds better than ever after its initial tape release. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut at Abbey Road Studios whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry, in Holland. The original tape cover artwork, so crucial to Thought Leadership's striking visual aesthetic, has been rejigged for vinyl issue here at Be With.

The last 2 LPs flew. You have been warned.

Detroit original, Terrence Dixon, returns to Tresor Records to kick off 2026 with ‘When Stars Remember’. Despite his thirty-year career, Terrence has always managed to keep a lower profile than his peers; he has given few interviews, preferring instead to speak through his music, with cryptic song titles hinting at the thoughts swirling around their creation.
However, ‘When Stars Remember’ finds him stepping forward. “I wanted to get closer to the dancefloor. I consciously made this one feel louder…made with Tresor specifically in mind.” And the EP does just that: whilst many of the hall marks of a Terrence Dixon production are present, the drums are more forward; the synth arpeggios so bold that ‘monumental’ seems a better descriptor than ‘minimal’.
“I put three or four sounds together on the same track, layering to make something bigger”, he says of opening track ‘Mono Collapse’, though the statement could apply to any of the music appearing on the release as all four pieces fold in sonics to create something hypnotic; more than the individual parts: “If you stick with the same layered tones, and repeat it over, after a while your brain changes it on its own; you hear a lot of things: things that you didn’t notice at first, things that maybe aren’t even there.”
The absence of things is another main theme of the EP, especially what Dixon sees as ‘The Forgotten’, a group of fundamental principles like common sense, trust, loyalty, honesty and respect that are missing from modern life. “This world is different…the love is gone. But I love everybody, man. I think, secretly, everybody love everybody, but they just don’t know it.”

Just when you thought Kevin Richard Martin's music couldn’t go any slower, lower or deeper, Sub Zero emerges. A slow-motion excavation of drug-tech, dub, dreamy noise and frozen ambience, the album gradually mutates into hypnotic pulsations and melodic melancholia. It is arguably Martin’s most striking release to date under his given name.


Originally released digitally on Bandcamp only in the depths of winter 2022, amid the final year of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine, this desolate epic went on to become KRM's best-selling digital album on the platform. With persistent demand for a vinyl pressing and a full DSP release from fans, Martin thought the time was right for Sub Zero to finally surface in its full glory: remastered and paired with fresh new artwork.


Unnervingly, the album is as beautiful as it is solemn, as glacial as it is relentless, and as subtle as it is terrifying. A trip into a sonic abyss, with a tour of a philosophical void, it’s to my ears, KRM’s most seductive work yet, and also his most emotionally resonant. Martin expertly balances tear-jerking motifs with heavier than hell rhythmic weight. With its melodic fog, eternal drones and eerie atmospherics, the peripheral throb of distant kick drums, the heartbeat punctuation of cavernous subs and the snowstorm blizzard of fuzz absolutely envelopes the mind, whilst crushing the soul.


In terms of lineage, Sub Zero might recall a more paranoid Porter Ricks, a dystopian GAS, or a brutally dubbed-out Pan Sonic. Most fitting, however, is its kinship with the deepest dub terrain Martin previously explored on In Blue, The Bug’s acclaimed 2020 collaboration with Dis Fig for Hyperdub, where he obsessively probed subaqueous pulses and low-end modulations.


Sub Zero is possibly the most minimal, desolate, and deviant dub record yet released on Martin’s PRESSURE label. It marks the point at which dub disappears into its own effects trails. Dub music capturing frozen moments in time. Dub as an addictive painkiller, that sounds both sacred and ocean deep.

Sounds Over Seas is ready to release its very first LP by label founder Julian Bainbridge. The album covers aspects of the Deep House genre in its classic definition, pushing certain boundaries, whilst maintaining the spirit of the genre through feeling and utilising melodies and rhythm to evoke emotions which go beyond the dance floor. Keeping it raw throughout the nine tracks, each one incorporates different elements of the music spectrum. Implementing jazzy tweaks, minimalistic rhythms, haunting melodies as well as ambience and global sounds in a full dancing and listening experience.

The latest Hayes release introduces Lewis Fautzi to the label with a body of work that aligns naturally with the label's vision. The EP showcases his modern, cerebral take on the genre whilst firmly rooted in contemporary club culture.

This EP aims to positively boost your subconscious thoughts while your body is captured by ravey energy. You wanna loose your skin and become a Mental Mamba? Than you should sometimes mirror your thoughts, and not only your body...

DJ Tjizza’s latest inception has been crafted to positively boost your subconscious state, whilst your body is captured by ravey energy

Rekids' latest signing Peggy Gou serves up two subterranean slices of quality with L.I.E.S. producer Terekke providing a remix.
The South Korean artist, who was raised in the UK and now resides in Berlin, kick started 2016 for Rekids with her 'Art Of War' release. She now returns to Radio Slave's imprint with a sequel. 'Jen High' boasts a heady bassline whilst quivering synths make way for serene key melodies. 'When Round, They Go' then deploys robust kicks as ebbing pads join acid licks, before Germany's Terekke provides a floating rendition comprised of soaring atmospherics and jazzy aesthetics.

2026 Repress

Throughout 2025, Tresor Records will reactivate Detroit house and techno originator Blake Baxter's vast Tresor catalogue digitally in chronological order, starting with 1992’s Dream Sequence, closely followed by his 1995 album, Endless Reflection. To inaugurate and celebrate this retrospective of one the genre’s true founders, an artist whose connections to Tresor go back to the very beginning, the label announces a special 12” release, Dream Sequence X, featuring remastered tracks from the early days and highlighting the harder side of his output.
Initially inspired by post-punk and funk, Baxter started making music as early as 1985. By 1991 he had already released several seminal records on classic labels like Underground Resistance, KMS, and Incognito, as well as providing multiple tracks to the groundbreaking UK compilation Techno! The New Dance Sound of Detroit, which was many European listeners’ introduction to the genre, solidifying the term techno, and launching the international careers of many of the contributors.
1992 saw Baxter make the first trip to play Tresor, on the first UR Europe tour ever, thereby pioneering the now legendary Berlin-Detroit Connection. This visit led to a long and fruitful partnership with the club’s new-fledged label beginning with Mills', Banks' & Hood’s X-101 and Baxter’s Dream Sequence, from which the first four tracks on the new 12” come.
Whilst he would become more renowned for his signature seductive vocals and a smoother music style closer to house music, these early tracks are heavier, classic 90s techno, revealing the influence of industrial, post-punk and pop of the time. Indeed the collection is something of a time capsule: jacking 909 drums, intense, ravey synth stabs, samples from classic soul breakbeat and the Speak & Spell voice synthesizer; classic sounds and styles of the era all make appearances on the record. All tracks have been remastered by Manmade Mastering breathing a new vitality and sharpness for the modern dancefloor.
In a world where longevity is difficult and superlatives are too easily deployed, it is still difficult to overstate the long-lasting influence that Blake Baxter has had on modern music. His visionary output can be heard across modern electronic and pop to this day and with this series of remasters, there has never been a better time for the world to hear it at source.

I first found out about Dope On Plastic from a remix they had done of a track by Ontology (who has released previously on this label) & then later found out more about them when they had been sending tunes to Pete Dev/Null, which I would hear him playing on our radio show on Jungletrain.

Soon after that, whilst touring North America, I'd meet Dope On Plastic in person whilst I was in New York, get to hang out with them and visit their home studio. They showed me a tune at the time they were working on (which ended up being Odyssey) and it sounded sick, like something that I would definitely release on Future Retro London.

When they finished it and sent it over to me, along with some other music they had made around that time, there was more than enough to work with for a full EP & Life Energy is a collection of my favourite tracks of theirs of what they had sent me. Big up to Luca (Dope On Plastic) for their work on this EP, keep an eye out for more music from them in the future!

"Next up in Mr Bongo's Groove Merchant Records reissue series, we present the only solo album saxophonist Ramon Morris recorded as a bandleader. Having cut his teeth playing with the iconic band Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers and working with other jazz greats, including Reuben Wilson, Shirley Scott, Rashied Ali Quintet, and Woody Shaw, 1973 saw Ramon take the step into solo territory. The resulting album Sweet Sister Funk became a certified classic and a landmark showcase of the cherished ‘70s jazz-funk sound, later sampled by the likes of DJ Premier, The Alchemist and DJ Shadow.

Originally released on Sonny Lester's iconic Groove Merchant record label and produced by Lester himself, Sweet Sister Funk is a jazz-funk masterclass. It features a slick line-up including Cecil Bridgewater on trumpet, Mickey Roker on drums, and Albert Dailey on electric piano. Rich and beautiful, the seven songs ebb and flow in energy, fusing jazz funk and soul jazz with style and swagger. There are bags of groove with Ramon and Cecil trading off on sax and trumpet in an effortless conversation throughout the LP, supplemented by brilliant solos from the rest of the players.

A gold mine of sampling material, the album includes a sublime cover version of The Stylistics' much-loved 'People Make The World Go Round', which was sampled by DJ Shadow on Blackalicious's 'Swan Lake' in 1994. Elsewhere, the percussion and bass intro of the opening track 'First Come, First Serve' is a sampler's delight - a deep, heavy groove with a fine saxophone workout by Ramon. Head to 'Don't Ask Me' and you’ll find the swinging horn intro that formed the basis of 'You Came Up' by Big Pun featuring Noreaga from 1998, whilst 'Wijinia' has echoes of ‘70s indie jazz by labels such as Strata East & Black Jazz.

Here at Mr Bongo, we are proud to be delving into the vaults of Groove Merchant Records once again, reissuing this iconic LP from Ramon Morris."

2026 Repress

Belgian based Phara makes a huge debut on Soma with The Great Attractor EP. With his fast, raw and energetic sound, Phara's ascent has been quick off the mark and this latest release has the young producer stretch himself farther with cleverly produced and exciting tracks. UK Techno don, Setaoc Mass backs up this already masterful EP, lending his own prowess to the title track.

Great Attractor leans on 90s, spaced out techno vibes as fast paced 909s fire against the backdrop of rapid, modulating synths. Setaoc Mass' remix comes up next, offering a deeper more restrained affair. However, as usual, the adept nature of his productions deal out devastating effect. On the flip, Mission 3,2,1 delves into dubbed out synth work whilst retaining drive and groove. Further dub explorations are found on closing track The Andromeda Manoeuvre. Spacial synth work and atmospherics ebb and flow as Phara's hard hitting and relentless percussive work deals the final blow.

Limited Edition Transparent Black Vinyl Version - 500 Units Only

There are few people across the globe, who will have not been touched by the work of Frankie Knuckles. Forever regarded as ‘The Godfather of House’ for his unrivalled contribution to the house music we know today; what started as an underground movement in Chicago has grown to international heights thanks to Frankie. His records earned him recognition on a global scale, allowing him to work with some of the globes biggest names including the likes of Diana Ross, Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson.

Five years ago, Frankie passed away in Chicago on 31st March 2014 leaving behind one of the greatest house music legacies spanning almost four decades. Now he is commemorated by long time writing and production partner Eric Kupper. Eric, himself a seasoned DJ producer and writer, has worked on over 116 Billboard #1 Dance Records and played a pivotal role in a many of Frankie’s productions. Having both worked together for many years they established themselves at ‘Director’s Cut’ from 2011 and set about producing original releases and remixes based on the classic ‘Def Mix’ sound while sharing equal credits for their creations.

Together they re-produced and re-purpose classic cuts for modern dancefloors, with reworks including tracks from Marshall Jefferson, Ashford & Simpson, Artful & Ridney and The Sunburst Band, alongside Frankie Knuckles originals. These releases have now been brought together by Eric to feature on special album called ‘The Directors Cut Collection’ on SoSure Music. It includes the Director’s Cut reworks of Frankie’s classic cuts such as ‘Your Love’ and ‘Take You There’ with Jamie Principle, alongside Frankie’s first #1 single - ‘The Whistle Song’ on which Eric shares writing credits.

Within a multitude of classic reworks, highlights include a previously unreleased version of Ashford & Simpson’s ‘Bourgie Bourgie’ and a huge Director’s Cut Retro Signature mix of Marshall Jefferson’s The House Music Anthem (Move Your Body) featuring Curtis McClain.

The Director’s Cut Collection is a fitting tribute to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Frankie’s passing whilst giving Eric a platform to tell his side of the creative story. This album is to be released in collaboration with The Frankie Knuckles Foundation who work to continuing Frankie’s legacy well into the future.

The Tuff Fluff EP from Joe Koshin channels the spirit of classic Tech House while pushing it somewhere new. Bouncy and full of groove, each track brims with fresh ideas and details that give the EP its own unique character. Born from a shared musical connection between Joe and label
head A for Alpha, Tuff Fluff began taking shape a few years back. After patiently waiting, the record now arrives feeling more relevant than ever - vibrant, groovy, and timeless all at once.
Marking the first release on Alpha’s Trip in two years, Tuff Fluff also celebrates the label’s relaunch, complete with a fresh new look crafted by the legendary Pointless Illustrations. It’s the start of an exciting new chapter for the imprint, setting the tone for what’s to come. Rounding out
the release is A for Alpha’s remix, a darker, moodier take built around the unmistakable sound of the Roland SH-101 bassline, whilst lifted with floaty, luscious pads - the perfect counterpoint to Joe’s bright and bouncy originals.