On this 60s flavoured trip back to music’s good old days that’s a bellbottom away from being recorded in black & white, ‘Eanie Meany’ dedicates its following of fashion to a great line that all schoolboy scamps should practise every day. ‘Tell Me What To Do’ throws the same shapes and ‘Tower of Love’ waltzes prettily from ballroom and bandstand.4 Out Of 5Reviewed By: Matt Oliver...

This duo from Antibes in the south of France has been bubbling under for some time and could well hit it big soon. An astute collage of wall-of-sound guitars, fragile electronica and strong melodies (kinda My Bloody Valentine sleeping with Boards Of Canada and New Order) their tortured yet graceful tracks really stand out amongst the electronic indie production. Lifted of the band’s third album ‘Before The Dawn Heals Us’ (out in the new year) the instrumental ‘Guitar And A Heart’ is abrasive pop...

Scuzzy moustachioed synth-punk zigzags going for the weird vote with a scoffing, get-away-with-this attitude and an enjoyment factor that’s ‘Basic’ at best, especially the breakdown directly taken from a nervous overload. ‘Turning Ugly’ is a little more forgiving, peddling a wide range of digital sleaze jutting out in all directions, presumably recorded from the dingiest of debauchery dens.2 Out Of 5Reviewed By: Matt Oliver...

WOW, this is one of my favourite tracks of the year. A mammoth soundclsh of ragga vocals and hooks blended with an ’In yer Face’ onslaught of bass and breaks. If you can imagine the best of the Congo Natty releases mixed together with one of say, Fresh’s best tunes and you have it... Guaranteed to get the laziest dancefloors heaving, only make sure you play it as your last track as it is almost impossible to follow it up. Essential !!!5 Out Of 5Reviewed By: Dave Cridge...

As part of Warner’s on going campaign to re-issue classic twelves in their original format it’s the original D.A.I.S.Y. ager’s (Da Inner Sound Y’all) genre-defining hip-hop releases from the late-‘80s that are remastered and packaged in their striking Day-Glo sleeves. Regardless of your age or musical preference you’ll know these releases note-for-note. All timeless standards of wordplay and deft rhymes built on a groovy philosophy. And don’t forget the B-sides: the freewheeling endof-innocence ...

He’s slimmed the guest spots to Pharrell, Sean Paul and his usual colleagues, trimmed the market-demanding R&B crossovers, yet also culled much of his quick gangstafied wit. What’s left is tough life/iced out tales grinding themselves flat, and beats, Just Blaze’s ‘Breathe’ aside, needing a hiney-pointed boot in a mass of heard-befores from a cast of ‘who are theys?’ and The Neptunes’ half-finished recycling. One thing the Maybachobsessed Fabo hasn’t mastered since ‘Ghetto Fabolous’ is manag...

After a strong opening excitedly looking for loving clinches and a socket to plug himself into, Miser prioritises safety first (that’s being Dido’s tour DJ for you) and does his best to take the steam out of obvious talent. The workload also making softly shaded funk & soul (“just a man with a 4-track and a stack of vinyl”) diffuses the early buzz and want to hang onto every word of PM’s J-Live comparable skills. Paired with a less miserly (had to be said) producer and fans of the storytelle...

A new label to the blends / mash-up scene, seemingly with a plan to make as much muthafuckin’ noise at the party as possible. Jay-Z’s "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" goes head-to-toe with uber-anthem "Bigger Than Hip-Hop" by Dead Prez. The resulting mind-meld is predictably off the scale - there won’t be a still body in the house. It’s actually a very polished production as well. If that wasn’t enough, there’s Beat International’s "Dub Be Good To Me" (an evergreen DJ favourite) locked to Latyrx’s "Lady...

Taking a leaf out of Yam Who’s remix book, stylistically at any rate, Red Rack ’Em vary the pirate soul template by reaching back to the classics and bringing Yvette Michelle’s searing street soul classic "I’m Not Feeling You" smack bang up-to-date. They use a loop from Love Unlimited’s "Midnight Theme", creating a mid-tempo disco delight that just builds and builds, part 1980’s good-time boogie, all 2004 sass. Bazza’s strings sets off Yvette’s singing to such damn good effect you’d swear this w...

Well no surprises here but lots of delights – there isn’t a bum track on the LP. The sound is still what they call IDM (intelligent dance music) or Aphex Twin fan-club (ambient division) meets Autechre in a gentle techno stylee. Everything is quiet and pretty with soft, deep strings, the odd psychedelic burble, ticking beats and digital burrs. Gnayse (somehow a very annoying title) doesn’t get mean or experimental but locks onto the old Kraftwerk mantra of keep it minimal, graceful and glacial. ...

The Spanish house don, who back in ’96 was responsible for Kadoc’s ‘Night Train’, is now best known for his Latin-tinged productions/mixes with DJ Chus. He, along with Portuguese vocalist Concha Buika, Ibiza’s DJ Pippi and New Yorker Tedd Patterson feature on this 2CD (mixed/unmixed) selection of pure Mediterranean hedonism. Made with long nights of partying and even longer days of soaking up the rays in mind, and this is perfect accompaniment.4 Out Of 5Reviewed By: Lewis Dene...

Nick Holder’s ‘The Other Side’ album is the basis for this CD, with a team of remixers giving him the once over. It works well, with Ian Pooley’s deep take of ‘On My Mind’ a good way to start, leading to an atmospheric ‘History In The Making’ from Harmonic 33. The superb ‘No More Dating DJs’ appears in two guises, a phat affair from Pete Rock and a solid house version from John Ciafone. With other contributions from Solid Groove, Chicken Lips and A Man Called Adam, this is a package worth openin...

The format may be ultra familiar, but Cream succeed more than most in evoking the right memories and picking the right tunes. It doesn’t always work in this second volume – Bizarre Inc into Way Out West isn’t a good one! – but CD2’s foray into early US house is a treat, as Frankie Knuckles, Ten City, Bucketheads and Sandy B all testify. MAW fans will enjoy the duo’s remix of Nu Colours, and the superb ‘Runaway’ under Nu Yorican Soul guise. Finally CD3 goes back to some cracking early 90s stuff, ...

The latest from the highly innovative series is another palatable selection of new versions of the old and familiar. The latest instalment includes covers of songs by everyone from the White Stripes to Burt Bacharach, Cameo to Nick Drake. Nearly half of the tracks exclusively recorded: Sara Creative Partners (Sly Stone), Waajeed from Slum Village’s Platinum Pied Pipers (Burt Bacharach), and Wall of Sound’s Shawn Lee (Nick Drake). Pride of places goes to LA’s the Rebirth for their apt and highly ...

Soul Of Man’s own ‘Shake ‘Em Down’ gets this latest Y4K album off to a flyer, a cracking start from which it never looks back. The mix is a blend of the new and reworkings of the less new – into whose camp Andrea Dorin’s remix of ‘Plastic Dreams’ and Basement Jaxx’s ‘Fly Life’ fall. The music is tough as old boots, with some reassuringly meaty basslines. Amongst the booming beats are excellent tracks from Smithmonger, Meat Katie, Lee Coombs and the Plump DJs. With such a formidable guest list, i...

One thing you can say about this man is that his musical taste is certainly varied; in fact it’s a multicoloured appetite, which, as he puts it, is a reaction against what a lot of house producers are doing at the moment. The angst gritty guitar strummed electro clasher opener ‘House Freak’, gives way to a reaffirmation of his punk roots with a strong cover of PiL’s ‘This Is Not A Love Song’ with Prince Julia doing her best John Lydon impersonation. But it’s not all punk-funk nostalgia, house do...

You gotta hand it to Ben Watt: he doesn’t let the grass grown under his size 10’s - just when we were starting to pigeonhole his label as the UK equivalent of MAW, and he flips the script from the smooth and polished to edgy and cutting edge. A record that could best be described as a female Streets delivered over a musical homage to vintage Chicago house productions from the ‘Promised Land’. Estelle breathes tangible depth to her nonchalant tale of shoplifting and rocky road that lies ahead for...

Dubbed by all as the next big thing Whitey’s experienced a setback when “Leave Them All Behind” his fantastic last single sank without trace. Cured from this furtive trip in major label hell Nathan’s back with a taster from his forthcoming album “The Light At The End Of The Tunnel Is A Train”. Both “Non Stop” and “Walk In The Dark” are probably a little too rocky to get much club play (132 & 172 BPM) but they nevertheless showcase once again the solid writing abilities of this important arti...

Underwater’s shyly venturing into electrohouse with this etched one-sided 10”. ‘Again’ doesn’t do a hell of a lot and is a tad slow at its original speed (114 BPM) but what is basically a catchy electro bass line and a couple of lifts and drops will work well in the drug clubs (particularly if pitched up at plus eight).4 Out Of 5Reviewed By: Jerry Bouthier...

The bootleg craze has given birth to a thousand tasteless mash-ups. However great records are still being made, only (the best) producers now tend to write brand new backing tracks under acappellas or song loops. Some even go further by fully covering tracks. This is what Tristan Da Cahuna (‘Livewire’ on Azuli) has done with ‘Wishing’ originally by eighties romo-pop band A Flock Of Seagulls, competent songwriters often ridiculed for their haircuts. At 124 BPM the new angle developed here is defi...