Over the last 5 years Finders Keepers has been on a relentless mission to unearth largely unheard gems from across the musical spectrum. Expertly curated, conceived and executed by Andy Votel, Dom Thomas and Doug Shipton, the label has methodically sunk its teeth into disparate cultural and historical strands, from the 'Anatloian Invasion' of Selda, Ersen and Mustafa Ozkent, to the incredible widescreen arrangements of Jean-Claude Vannier, the electronic experiments of Bruno Spoerri and the myriad Welsh-language gems compiled on the two 'Welsh rare Beat' collections . Even a young Vangelis has made an appearance on the label in… Read more

Airhead and James Blake on a dope 10" for Brainmath! Riding a crest of adulation and praise for his 'Air & Lack Therof' 10" and a remix of Untold's 'Stop What You're Doing', James Blake pits his electro-acoustic enhanced and jazz-informed approach with Airhead on two efficiently sparse and clever tracks. Both 'Pembroke' and 'Lock In The Lion' take cues from the early dubstep minimalism of Loefah, Kode 9 or Pinch whilst also mirroring the loping hiphop/IDM swing considerations of Slugabed or Mount Kimbie. They create a brilliant slow-fast tension from achingly well-placed drums and a deft use of silence that even reflects more a… Read more

The rate of expansion and mutation in Techno today may not be as virulent as it was 20 years ago, but things happen more incrementally nowadays, with producers constantly refining and reducing the formula to a sleek and well-oiled rhythmic machine designed to provide a gymnastic and mental release for thousands of dancers everywhere, every weekend. Tracks from Sigha, Frozen Border and Function-Regis signify the assimilation of garage and house swing, while the talented Horizontal Ground encourages fresh electro-acoustic experimentation and Van Rivers and Delta Funktionen uphold the essence of purified, synthline-driven traditio… Read more

Spiralling cosmic hiphop jet fuel from Casio Blaster and 99 Mistakes. 'Paradise Rings' is their first drop for Team Acre, a label who are really zoning off a whole side of the electronic hiphop and wonky rhombus right now. The title cut burns up disco samples and fluttering electronic synths over killer lop-sided kick/snare beats, nudged and gritted with enough ruff bite to keep our attentions. But even more successful is 'Saturn Race' on the flip. An arpeggiated lead synthline bobbles through sci-fi samples, zig-zagging through the rhythm buffeted by clipped handclaps and sluggish drums for that dancing-into-a-cosmic-headwind-… Read more

First product from the new Badawi and Dave Q-curated Index imprint is one of Raz Mesinai's finest, backed with a brilliantly gloomy Shackleton reinterpretation. In his Badawi guise, Mesinai has flirted with the dubstep scene via brilliant remix hook-ups with Kode 9 and that stupendous remix of Shackleton's 'The Rope Tightens' (a true Skull Disco essential!) on the limited 'Soundboy's Gravestone Gets Desecrated By Vandals' LP. With the Jodorowski referencing 'El Topo' Badawi creates a desolate scene with dry, emaciated percussion and hollow bass counting the time while towering, repetitive riffs cast an ominous shadow of psyched… Read more

Tectonic's 'Earwax testing ground rolls out the nuclear-sexy dubstep of Ginz and Kool Money Kwame's 'Wet Wipe Riddim' and 'Oreo' double header. Both cuts are a testament to the welath of talent in Bristol, with 'Wet Wipe Riddim' almost toppling Joker for sheer radioactive exuberance and outright filthy effect. That mutant soul sample and breezeblock beats should certify this cut on the floor for a while to come. Flip over and we get the ragged funk grind of 'Oreo', setting a staggered halfstep rhythm with Afro-lilting melodies and rudely off-kilter chords to make us wile out big time. In comparison to Ginz's polished beats with… Read more

Blazing tunes from Donaeo and Skream for Digital Soundboy. We've been fully infected with Donaeo's original mix of 'Riot Music' which manages to sidestep expectations with a 130 bpm amen roll-out jammed with sirens, soul chords and his distinctive vocals. The is the sort of cut you reserve for special occasions, those times when your 4/4 house set needs a half-timed junglist party injection! On the flip Skream steps out of his usual tempo setting with a 150bpm hardcorejunglist exercise, building up a sweat with punishing breakbeats and a juicy purple synth breakdown to ensure brukkin' effect in practically any situation; rallies, raves, fêtes, funerals, any-f*ckin-where!

Having spent last year recording collaborations with Maher Shalal Hash Baz plus Barbara Morgenstern, Stefan Schneider and Annie Whitehead, Bill Wells kicks off his 2010 working alongside Swedish minimalist post-rockers Tape. Wells always seems able to make the most of his joint projects, and Fugue doesn't buck the trend. Here the Scottish composer seems to slot alongside the Berthling brothers and co. with the utmost synergy, playing the piano, Rhodes and melodica parts as well as co-writing the music. Gently circulating melodies open up through the beginnings of 'Fugue 1', establishing a tentative and ambiguous tone that build… Read more

Over the last two years the productions of Roska, aka Wayne Goodlitt, have helped define the rhythmic make-up of UK dance music in the early 21st century. His ruggedly syncopated riddims on the Roska Kicks & Snares imprint and a slew of prominent remixes for artists from Martyn to Ghosts On Tape have ensured his ubiquity in underground circles and an increasing profile further afield with DJs like Kode 9, Cooly G and Bok Bok spinning his tracks worldwide. The tracks in this selection span his two alter egos, from the tuff house programming of his Roska beats to the more percussive and Afro-tribal influences of the Uncle Bakongo… Read more

One of Kranky's longest standing artists, Scott Morgan returns for a fifth album for the label, and it's quite superb, even by Loscil's already high standards. Regular Kranky followers will no doubt find themselves suitably bewitched, but this music's equally likely to appeal to followers of BJ Nilsen, Stephan Mathieu, Kyle Bobby Dunn and Celer. Endless Falls is bookended by recordings of rainfall, something which mirrors the droplet-obscured sleeve. This sort of imagery is a handy visual metaphor for ambient music of this variety: in the photograph a form of interference displaces the content of the picture as its true subj… Read more

Jack Sparrow ups his game with the 'Terminal' 12" for Tectonic. All well tuned ears should be hunting down the the title track, Shackleton-inspired fusion of spooked atmospherics and gloomy bass with tribal percussion for the dancefloor shakers. On the flipside 'Torment' skulks on a halfstep tip with overcast industrial ambience and crushing halfstep beats. One for fans of Ramadanman or Skull Disco heads.