summary 
Thursday, 02 May
Classy, fresh but timeless deep house from one of France's finest. Squared up for summer rotation, 'Extensions Of Yesterday' projects seven electronic soul-infused grooves ranging from beatdown shufflers to driven dub-chord riders and funked-up nods to Detroit.
**Housed in spot-gloss printed digifile case** Over ten years since its original release, Deadbeat hauls up his debut album for re-appraisal on his still young Blkrtz label. Originally appearing in 2001 it was evidently indebted to the (then) recently established legacy of Basic Channel/Maurizio, yet as with the likes of his future collaborator Robert Henke aka Monolake, or Detroit's Echospace, he stamped his own subtle watermark on the stripped down and purist dub techno style thanks to a taste for gloaming drones and a serious fascination with rugged bass weight. And it's exactly that fact… Read more
*Featuring Mark Arm (Mudhoney), Clem Burke (Blondie), Scott Kelly (Neurosis), Caleb Benjamin, Trevor Dunn (Fantomas, Tomahawk), JG, Thirlwell (Foetus), Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys), Kevin Rutmanis (The Cows) & Tom Hazelmyer (Halo of Flies)* The Melvins return with a 13-track covers album titled "Everybody Loves Sausages,", giving people a peek into the kind of things that influence us musically," explains Buzz Osborne. "We REALLY like all of these songs along with the bands who actually wrote this stuff because first and foremost we are HUGE music fans." In a decidedly Melvins approach… Read more
Deep house might be Dial’s stock in trade, but the Hamburg crew have always had a fetish for elegiac post-rock, slowcore and bedsit indie miserabilism - they once released a Momus track for chrissake! But by far their most convincing entry in that area to date (Momus excepted, of course) is this, the debut album from New Yorker Scott Mou, operating under the name Queens. You may remember Mou as one half of Jane, his shortlived duo with Panda Bear (their 2006 LP Berserker is a wee classic); if so, you’ll warm instantly to the elongated, crepuscular drone-folk he showcases on End Times. Opener ‘Yellow P… Read more
CD // £15.99From a rupture in the disco-pop space-time continuum, Gruff Rhys and Boom Bip re-enter their Neon Neon project with a conceptual suite inspired by the life and times of Giangiacomo Feltrinelli - author of Dr. Zhivago, and The Leopard. Theirs is now a flawless melange of vintage Giallo synth intrigue and acute indie-dance-pop hooks at its cheekiest in the AM-friendly ditty 'Dr. Zhivago' and the camp '90s New Order styles of 'Mid Century Modern Nightmare'. Stars guest appearances from Sabrina Salerno, Asia Argento, Cate Le Bon, Josh Klinghoffer.
SEDAYEH DEL
Funk, Psychedelia And Pop From The Iranian Pre-Revolution Generation
Pharaway Sounds
CD // £13.99
Cat. Number: PHS010CD
Pharaway's excellent series of Iranian psych-funk and pop returns with a brimming third volume spanning unimaginably exotic party sounds from the Persian '70s. The lead cut, Zia's 'Helelyos' may well be recognised by any Finders Keepers freaks - it was versioned by RD Burman as 'Heleh Maali' - but we'd daresay this original is way better - check that nutty bit of scat on the intro - while Farrokhzad delivers the fruity pomp of 'Avazekhan Na Avaz', and the legendary composer and "ladies man" Shamaizadeh gives two highlights with the glamoro… Read more
"Metro Detroit frisky/risky dreamer DJ Coyote Clean Up serves up a heart n’ hardbody emotional saga with 2 Hot 2 Wait, his deep-debut full-length on 100% Silk. Hot-under-the-collar horniness (a woman simply counts to three on “Zebra Go Seek” and you start to undress), headphone-house grain (the fuzzy gut-bump on “The Least U Could Feel” is like warm breath whispering in your ear), skrewed RnB Freestyle strip-hop (stuttery layers give hopeful, life-affirming energy to the lover-lost “Awesome Luv”) and out-of-time mash-ups (“Double Dip” is a memory overlapping, with a classic ’95 dial-tone … Read more
Featuring Aus remixes of Tujiko Noriko, The Declining Winter, Cokiyu and more.
CHARLIE POOLE WITH THE HIGHLANDERS
The Complete Paramount & Brunswick Recordings 1929
TOMPKINS SQUARE
CD // £13.99
Cat. Number: TSQ2875
"From 1926 to 1930 one of the most popular rural string bands on record was Charlie Poole & The North Carolina Ramblers. Through their 78 RPM discs and their various performances, Charlie Poole was second only to Gid Tanner and His Skillet Lickers. Poole's uniquely syncopated three finger banjo picking style coupled with his Piedmont vocal inflections eventually colored and defined much of what we consider "old-time" music. The classic configuration of banjo, fiddle and guitar with vocals was encouraged by the main label that promo… Read more
Review to follow shortly…
Wednesday, 01 May
Thursday, 25 April
Mark Nelson's cherished Pan American quietly slip back into our consciousness as a band proper, now adding the estimable talents of Steven Hess (Cleared/Haptic) and Nelson's former Labradford bandmate, Robert Donne to the project. While Nelson assuredly handles all production, the live feel is definitely more prominent, folding in the patter of Hess's percussion and Bobby Donne's languid bass at the centre of seven beautifully diffuse soundscapes bordering on the frontier lands of post-rock, dub techno and ambient electronica, yet never clearly falling within any one sector. Every el… Read more
Cosmin TRG further refines his house and techno tastes on 'Gordian' two years on from his debut album, 'Simulat'. Packaged in the sort of grown-up tip-on gatefold slipcase you'd more expect from Stephen O'Malley's Ideologic Organ imprint, both the titular, conceptual inference to ancient myth and the sleekly developed brand of techno within imply a carefully considered development of the Berlin-based Romanian producer's ideas. Proceeding to jettison any tangible connection with rave and dubstep in favour of a buttoned-up, earnestly focussed conservatism, Cosmin Nicolae offers, "The title references … Read more
*'Four Piano Studies' is the first release on Ryan Teague's own 'King Tree' label* "Following the success of last years full length album Field Drawings, composer and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Teague offers up this contrasting EP of beautiful and poetic solo piano pieces. Combining Minimalist, Impressionist and Romantic influences, Four Piano Studies conveys a modern take on an age-old format whilst still conveying a sense of real originality. Short and concise, these compositions performed by Semra Kurutaç (Piano Circus) strike an immediately haunting tone in the listener and provide another insight into the range and breadth of Ryan's output."
CLR collate the most recent five volumes from Adam-X's killer Traversable Wormhole project together with a 73-minute composite mix. Adored by everyone from Chris Liebing to Dominick Fernow, this collection is the place to go for proper darkside techno thrills, especially if you like your rhythms churned off-the-bone and synched with that shark-eyed New York swagger. Pushed to pick highlights, we'd direct you to the shuddering roil of 'Paradoxical Consequences', the tunnelling, minimalist funk of 'Negative Energy Density' or the droning 4/4 beast, 'Worldline', but it's probably best experienced as a whole package, mix included.
On-trend and frequently exhilarating dancefloor machinations from Slava , RIYL Jam City, Rushmore, Machinedrum, L-Vis, MikeQ et al. At once more savvy and more stripped-down than last year's mellifluous post-footwork fever-dream, Soft Control, the tracks that make up Raw Solutions were all recorded in single takes on a Korg Electribe ESX, and it shows - tracks like 'On It' go right for the club's jugular and are shorn of all the fussy/flashy production tricks that plague most club music in 2013. The Russian-born, Brooklyn-based producer cites "pop, R&B, hip-hop, vogue house, British Bass and ambien… Read more
Yu Aseda aka Ena invites us into the Tokyo underground with debut album, 'Bilateral' for France's 7even Recordings. As with his RA mix and prior 12"s for 7even, he presents a well rounded and individual sound taking inspiration from dubstep, techno and electronica to shape detailed, etheric rhythmscapes bristling with finely rendered textures and probing tonal dynamics. The ghosts of Berlin, London and Jamaican dub are omnipresent, manifesting in the King Tubby or Burial-esque concrète-carving of 'Inutility', whilst 'Unplug' has a midnight electro-jazz effervescence redolent of Jan Jelinek of DJ Krush. T… Read more
ORCHESTRE POLY-RYTHMO DE COTONOU
Volume 3 The Skeletal Essences Of Voodoo Funk
ANALOG AFRICA
CD // £14.99
Cat. Number: AACD073
**CD and super thick booklet of liner notes, photos and lyrics** Analog Africa roll us back to Benin between 1969-1980 for a killer third volume of Orchestra Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou heat. 'The Skeletal Essence Of Afro-Funk' once again exposes the genetic roots of Vodou groove, a well trodden mash of rhythms - Jerk Fon, Afrobeat, Pop Fon, Jerk Sakpata, Cavacha Fon, Pachanga and Afrobeat - anchored by the deadly combo of drummer Leopold Yehouessi and bassist Gustave Bentho and funked up with dual vocals and the slinkiest electric guitar accent… Read more
**First CD issue of this obscure 1981 post-punk obscurity with wicked elements of minimal wave, raucous punk and worldly influence. Includes bonus tracks not heard on the original LP** "An errant project of suburban Los Angeles art collective World Imitation Productions, Monitor was the sonic outlet of four young artists grappling with their terror and amazement in the convergence of the late 1970s punk scene and Southern California's consumerist decadence. As with the collective's visual artwork and events, Monitor blends archaic influences with modern technology into one of the era's most curious alb… Read more
VARIOUS / SOUNDWAY
Nigeria Special: Modern Highlife, Afro-Sounds & Nigerian Blues 1970-76
Soundway Records
2CD // £15.99
NOW: £9.99
Cat. Number: SNDWCD009
As this compilation on Brighton's Soundway label adeptly illustrates, Nigeria in the 1970s was a melting pot of different cultural influences, both from African sources and the wider influence of music from other corners of the world - most notably jazz and blues. This double-disc sized compilation draws together 26 tracks that have never before been reissued, offering a unique slant on how we think about Africa's contribution to what has previously been termed world music. As we'd hear on tropicalia recordings from Brazil in the '60s … Read more
**Gatefold card slipcase** Crafty, melodic IDM taking in layered ambient composition ('Forum'), alongside complex techno abstraction ('Serialiser'), intricate drumfunk epics ('At sixes' and '…And Sevens'), and pirouetting electro ('Kirly's Dreamband').
CD // £12.99*New edition with a new colourway on the sleeve* A 3rd titanic Kraut/Psyche-rock face-off from Manchester's bonglords, Gnod, and New York's space cadets, White Hills. They first met under the light of seven moons on 'Aquarian Downer' in 2008, followed by the first 'Drop Out' album for Drug Space Records in 2009, whilst the intervening years have seen a flurry of individual rituals occurring on NNF, Blackest Rainbow and Thrill Jockey, to name a few. It's difficult, and probably pointless trying to figure out who contributes what, because it's all just one mass of energ… Read more
There are flashes of excellence on this record, the work of a former model Carmen Hilestad, which is styled very much after post-grunge alt.rock, from Beat Happening through to Murray Street-era Sonic Youth, but approaches it with a contemporary Scandi-pop sensibility, a bit of early MTV / AM radio swagger and crisp production befitting its home on Smalltown Supersound. If there's a criticism to be made, it's that it never quite settles down in to one thing or the other - Hilestad doesn't seem to know if she wants to be Kim Gordon or Chrissie Hynde, Carrie Brownstein or Lykke Li. This indecision… Read more
SERGE GAINSBOURG
EL RECORDS
2CD // £10.99
SOUNDTRACKS / LIBRARY / EARLY ELECTRONIC
Cat. Number: ACMEMD246CD
**Double disc, 66-track collection housed in card slipcase with excellent booklet of liner notes and photos including excerpts of interview with Antoine de Caunes** The legacy of France's late premier provocateur and songwriter, Serge Gainsbourg circa 1958-1962 is perfectly summed up in this 66-track compilation. Charting his early years of emergence as a mature artist when establishing himself as one of the coolest, moodiest, sexiest blokes ever, 'Intoxicated Man' is a uniquely Gallic dose of pop whose influence has been translated into myriad musics by everyone from Tricky … Read more
**Dudes from Grails and Om on a dusty-fingered, Madlib-styled plunderphonic trip!** "Lilacs & Champagne, the project of Grails’ Emil Amos and Alex Hall, is built on warped samples and scorched guitar solos, creating a playful, psychedelic take on damaged funk and pop. The duo’s 2012 self-titled debut suggested a template for a new kind of psychotic mood music, and the follow up, Danish & Blue, manages to be both darker and more ambitious. “Lilacs & Champagne was created to be a direct tribute to the musical outsiders of the past” says Hall. Made up of sounds sourced from Scandinavian porn … Read more
**Massive, comprehensive collection of 62 soul roots aces including 28-page booklet of liner notes written by Robert Pruter, author of 'Chicago Soul'** "Part of the 'History of Soul' series but a pleasure in its own right, this CD bears witness to the creation of a distinctive, smooth soul sound made in Chicago in the early 1960s that we associate with such legendary figures as Curtis Mayfield, Betty Everett and McKinley Mitchell. Black music was transitioning between R&B and soul at this time, and vocal groups were introducing a new gospel sensibility into their so… Read more
Fat-assed triple disc compendium of John Morales unreleased exclusive disco mixes of underground NYC anthems. Includes very handy extended mixes of anthems such as Arthur Russell's Loose Joints zinger 'Is It All Over My Face', Barry White 'Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up', Teddy Pendergrass 'If You Know Like I Know', Loleatta Holloway 'Hit And Run', Raw Silk 'Do It To The Music', Marvin Gaye 'I Want You' among others.
Collecting seventeen unreleased exclusive instrumental John Morales edits of New York disco and soul classics. Includes very handy extended instrumental mixes of anthems such as Arthur Russell's Loose Joints zinger 'Is It All Over My Face', Barry White 'Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up', Teddy Pendergrass 'If You Know Like I Know', Loleatta Holloway 'Hit And Run', Raw Silk 'Do It To The Music', Marvin Gaye 'I Want You' among others.
Thursday, 18 April
The most keenly awaited entry in Fabric's mix series for a while is finally here. It's over a year since Karl 'Regis' O'Connor, Dave 'Function' Sumner, John 'Silent Servant' Mendez and Peter 'Female' Sutton called time on their Sandwell District collective and label, but Function and Regis continue to use the name for their DJ/live incarnation - and it's the sound of that battle-hardened tag-team which is captured on Fabric69, a 30-track rinse-out of high-torque techno broadcast from their bunker in Berlin. The first half of the disc feels like it belongs to Regis: his def… Read more
VARIOUS / CLEKCLEKBOOM
Paris Club Music: Volume 1 (plus Bonus Singles)
ClekClekBoom Recordings
2CD // £13.49
Cat. Number: CCBCD001
**Includes a bonus disc selection of ClekClekBoom singles from the archive** French Fries' Clek Clek Boom label shows how they do in Paris with tracks of his own bundled with bass-wise Chi-house hybrid exclusives from Jean Nippon, The Town, Manare, Ministre X, and Coni. CD1: The bossman tosses his stepping, holo'd-out 'Southside' and c*nty consideration, ''Yo Vogue VIP' to the 'floor beside The Town's deft, dust-scuffed 808 dip and roll on 'Dice'; Jean Nipon goes grimy with the brass stabs and slicing syncopation of 'Coming At You', Coni locks down to a… Read more
