Back catalogue: All genres

Review: There's something unavoidably magnetic about the intersection between ambition and self-awareness and this release, by Charonne, Nemo Vachez, Umberto and T Oceans, knows exactly how to tap into that tension. With each track, there's an undeniable undercurrent of both vulnerability and swaggeriproducers twisting minimal beats into something far deeper, dragging you through shadows with a mix of melancholy and movement. You feel the weight of their collective sound but also their defiant lightness, straddling the line between introspective and dancefloor-driven music. It's a textured, driving release with an ever-present air of mystery.

Review: An EP that takes you through elevated 80s-inspired coldwave and synth soundscapes, matching nostalgia with modern production and featuring a seamless fusion of proto-techno, EBM and synth-pop. Side-1 opens with Deborah Sasson & MCL's 'Danger In Her Eyes' (Curses Revamp), a thrilling reimagination of new beat and synth-pop. The addition of vocal samples elevates its vintage essence, delivering a futuristic gem that's both haunting and danceable. Next, Andi's rework of 'Philadelphia Five's Not Leaving Without Jerry' injects energy with its uptempo groove, merging EBM rhythms with a dash of disco flair for an infectious, club-ready cut. Side-2 starts with 'House Fatale' (Curses Revamp) by JWB Hits The Beat, an ode to late 80s synth-pop akin to My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult. Chopped vocals and melodic synths create a hypnotic, era-defining vibe. Finally, Stockholm Syndrome AU's revamp of 'Voyou's Houseman' leans into heavier industrial and EBM tones, blending them for a powerful conclusion. This collection is a great example in reviving and reinventing vintage sounds, offering a fresh perspective on timeless styles.

Review: Snap, Crackle & Pop does the business once again as Berlin-based producer Curses steps up with the distinctly 1980s new wave stylings of "Another View". It's the kind of track that will have lovers of early The Cure, Sisters Of Mercy et al dancing in a hazy fever dream where early goth and indie meets with contemporary beats. "Together In The Dark" makes the point even clearer with a brooding trip through languid guitar, beyond the grave vocals and scuffed drums. Inga Mauer takes an entirely different tact with her remix of the latter track, conjuring up a particularly chilling acid daemon to jangle the nerves before The Golden Filter spook out "Another View" with heavy doses of reverb.

Review: Drop The Lime's housier project is enjoying some renewed attention from a producer more commonly enamoured with delivering tear-out hype-up electro business, although in this EP for Let's Play House you can still hear plenty of full-fat production tendencies working their way into the Curses sound. "Back in the Dark" may shuffle with a New York urgency, but there's a big-room European feel to the nagging synth stabs at the core of the track. Still it's a far more measured affair compared to the lairy bass sludge and manic bleep action of Naum Gabo's remix of the track. "Eyes On You" however shows a more sensitive side with its brushed drums and spooky keys, bringing some balance to the EP without diluting the wild ideas.

Review: This latest release from Curses is one you can only assume will appear regularly in Erol Alkan's sets right now, especially the title track - "Call The Doctor". It's dark, progressive, and something that sounds very similar to Daniel Avery's latest productions. "String Static" somehow stays on the cusp of disco territory while in other parts it sounds as tough as a Mike Dehnert tune. Riton slows and twists the title track into something that sounds like a mixture between Diplo, Truncate and Kowton, while "Pompopo" is the EP's dark happy track - with a slightly sinister glint - and some heavy sub bass.

Review: Institubes' latest record, "Hungry For Love", is a debut 12" coming straight from the deepest pit in Hell - Brooklyn. Curses is not a total rookie, though. Wrapped in this elegantly engineered cloak of mystery is bass heavyweight champ Drop The Lime. Under this new guise, he's all about reigniting the excitement of early nineties dance music. But he's so not retro. His peculiar brand of mutated house defies everything you think you know about "proper club music". He makes evil records that challenge you to play them out, loud, and then amply reward you for doing so.

Review: It's been a minute since we last heard something new from Luca Venezia's Curses! Project. In stark contrast to his work as Drop The Lime, Curses! is betrothed to minimal wave melancholy, and after he put together the awesome Next Wave Acid Punx compilation for Eskimo last year we finally have an outright new EP on Oraculo. Lead track 'Gina Lollobrigida' is a darkly romantic thrummer with washed out vocals from Cici, which then gets suitably ghoulish, club-ready remixes from Zero Call and Nabta. Venezia then finishes things off with 'Anni Fa', a steely piece of lo-fi wave with chilling piano and the toughest of snares.

Review: More seductive electro-noir from New Yorker in Berlin Luca Venezia aka Curses, on Jennifer Cardini and Noura Labbani's Dischi Autunno. Offering up some lo-slung punk-funk (with some sultry German vocals) on the lovely "Gold & Silber" here, which also receives a series of terrific reworks. Italian underground hero Fango's remix delivers his twisted take on the track, while not deviating too much from its original format. The Live At Robert Johnson affiliated Chinaski delivers two trademark neon-lit perspectives - the dark romanticism of the Painkiller bonus mix and the sexy Tech Noir remix going for more of an electro-pop vibe. Finally on the flip, we have Giallo Disco's Antoni Maiovvi with a majestic Italo derived reduction.

Review: Electro and dark disco heads will know that Curses aka Luca Venezia is one of the best in this area. He brings to his sound plenty of influences from his native Valencia and has already turned out plenty if class. Now he lands the fledgling Megabreakz label with some of his textbook brutal arps over drums that pack a real punch under some smart vocals. 'No Mercy' is a wild one to start and 'Untouchable' then gets dark and dirty before a pair of retro future gems on the flip. This one has been pressed to heavyweight green vinyl to make it even more special.

Review: Ombra International is a vinyl only series inviting artists from different cities from around the globe to contribute their rock and roll or post-punk influenced grooves via slo-mo disco and cold wave sonics. OMBRA INTL 002 is four tracks bringing together Cannibal Ink (Madrid) with the sleazy psych rock of "La Haine", Dawn Again from Sydney, K-effect (Toledo) and Curses in Berlin. Curses is the dark and romantic moniker from New York City native Luca Venezia aka Trouble & Bass main man Drop The Lime who serves up the awesome "Neu Dimension".

Review: Unlike the late night and early morning vibes of the accompanying Textures 4am and Textures 7am EPs, this installment in Concrete Music's ongoing series seems fixated with the idea of alfresco afternoon dancing. That's no bad thing, of course, and there's a sumptuous, sun-kissed breeziness to the cyclical riffs, shuffling drums and rising string stabs of San Proper's "Sweet Swing 3rd Thing". There's a similarly Balearic goodness to the cheery pianos, woozy soulful vocal samples and breezy beats of S3A's "Orme". Elsewhere, the beats, basslines, melodies and samples are somewhat bolder, suggesting Concrete's daytime parties are suitably raucous affairs