Staff Picks: International Women's Day 2021

Review: Whether or not you've checked the mixed version of Avalon Emerson's contribution to the DJ Kicks series - and if you haven't, you should - we'd heartily recommend this unmixed vinyl version. There's so much high quality DJ-friendly material on show, from the bouncy, polyrhythmic Afro-techno melodiousness of Oceanic's 'Yellow Cone (Unison)' and the Detroit techno futurism-meets-acid-house brilliance of Lady B's 'Cruising Around The Motor City', to the breakbeat-driven brilliance of Waveform's 1998 gem 'Breakers In Space (D.A.T Remix), and the low slung disco-punk brilliance of Dirtcombs (a killer cover of 'Sharevari') and !!! (as remixed by Rub 'N' Tug). The collection also includes three tasy, previously unreleased tracks from Emerson, with dark Italo throb job 'Poodle Power' and weirdo acid electro number 'Wastelands & Oases' standing out.

Review: In keeping with both her recent output and the releases of Australia's LKR Records, the latest EP from Sophie Sweetland AKA D. Tiffany is drowsy, dreamy, hallucinatory and shot through with references to both vintage ambient techno and the more psychedelic end of the '90s IDM spectrum. There's much to admire across the four tracks, from the spaced-out, mind-altering haziness of melodious, off-kilter opener "Low" - all twisted, acid-inspired synth sounds, LSD-trip electronics and skewed electro rhythms - to the chunky ambient breaks business of "Cruel Trance" and the feverish, strangely-swung quirkiness of gently pulsing IDM number "4leaf".

Review: Charlotte De Witte has been threatening to break into the big time ever since her earliest releases on Tiga's Turbo label back in 2015. Following a prolific 2017 in which she released a string of acclaimed EPs, the Belgian producer makes her first appearance on Spanish imprint Suara. Check first the relentless, full throttle techno heaviness of A-side "This" - think foreboding voices, constantly building drum machine percussion and occasional creepy electronics - before turning your attention to the strangely beguiling "This Heart of Mine", where solo vocal snippets echo over another bombastic rhythm track. To round off a fine EP, Lewis Fautzi delivers an intoxicating rework of "This" that's in the same sonic ball park as Kowton's remix of Throwing Shade's "Chancer" on Happy Skull.

Review: LA-based producer Mor Elian has already scored big releases with her two previous transmissions, landing on Prime Numbers and Hypercolour, as her reputation rises in the field of dynamic deep house music. On this turn for Finale Sessions she lays down some of her strongest work to date, amping up the dubby tendencies on "Orionids" before heading into a propulsive techno dimension on the wonderfully airy "Light Pollution". EP closer "Echo Park" meanwhile fuses a disparate spread of electronic sounds into a mechanical yet strangely inviting construction for adventurous heads to get lost in.

Review:  2000's Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea is a lauded set that many critics still cite as one of the singer-songwriter's greatest works. Famously, most of the songs focus on love and relationships and were written while Harvey was living in New York City at the tail end of the '90s. It remains a fine album that has stood the test of time well, with highlights including soaring opener 'Big Exit', jangling sing-along 'A Place Called Home', the sparse and haunting 'Beautiful Feeling' and full-throttle, grunge-inspired rocker 'Kamikaze'.

Review: Following her knockout debut album Significant Changes, Jayda G is back on Ninja Tune with a new single that sees her expanding on her distinctive brand of soulful house music with a curious kink in the sound. "Both Of Us" packs in some breathless vocal turns, effervescent piano lines and a bass-loaded groove to sink into. "Are U Down" leans in on a snappy, tech-edged rhythm with a little Prescription-flavoured dreaminess hovering around the synth work. G's "Sunset Bliss Mix" of "Both Of Us" brings a more bruk flavour of drum magic and some dubbed out FX to the track, while the "Remix" of "Are U Down" subtly shifts the accents of the original with some nimble Rhodes fluttering in over the top of that deadly groove.

Review: REPRESS ALERT: After launching Brush & Broom with two solo releases, maverick German producer Kalbata keeps his followers guessing yet again with this collaborative release with the equally unpredictable Maayan Nidam. "The Town" is a surefire party starter made up of catchy bleep lines, quivering rhythmic flashes and lots of shimmering FX sends that suggest this was a live jam from two talented producers locked in the groove. "Chrome Moon" takes a deeper, more meditative approach without losing those heavy echo chamber washes, where the spring reverb and buckwild delay feedback rein supreme. Wonderful, free-tripping results from an unexpected meeting of minds.

Review: Canadian minimal veteran Tomas Jirku has been a little quiet of late, but now he makes a welcome and unexpected return with something quite different for Silent Season. You can hear echoes of his earlier work in the soundscapes he's sculpted across Touching The Sublime, as high-definition sonic manipulation draws on his experience and eye for detail in wielding music technology, but rather than creating pointillist rhythmic structures, he's more concerned with billowing clouds of ambience. It's easy to draw parallels with the likes of Tim Hecker, but there's space for more techno-oriented productions in the midst of the maelstrom. Epic in scope and powerfully rendered, this is an album that will feed your head for a long time to come.

Review: London-based producer Nite Fleit has been busy over the past couple of years slinging out rough and ready club cuts with bags of personality on labels like Unknown To The Unknown and Planet Euphorique. Now she returns to Steel City Dance Discs, the Australian label that provided her first break back in 2018, with a new EP, with some rabble rousing rave busters that span styles, gleefully cherry picking the feistiest ingredients to make surefire bangers. "All New Low" is particularly fierce with its massive monosynth bassline grind and ear-snagging sample hooks. Elsewhere there's plenty of electro punishment waiting - don't sleep on B2 belter "Little Monsters" in that regard.

Review: Katie Campbell AKA Roza Terenzi has been in fine form over the last couple of years, offering up must-check EPs on Dekmantel, Kalahari Oyster Cult, Butter Sessions and Bizarro. Here the Australian producer makes her first appearance on Klasse Wrecks, offering up the delightfully clanking, funk-fuelled analogue bounce of "Metal Glo"- a wonderful combination of Syclops style electronic refrains, loose-limbed machine drums and attractive melodies - and the even wilder and sleazier, acid-fuelled peak-time wonkiness of "Allstarz", whose dreamy chords offer a neat counterpoint to the ragged antics underpinning them. There are two tidy "Metal Glo" remixes, too: a deliciously glassy eyed, bleeping revision from label bosses Luca Lozano and Mr Ho, and a Morgan Wright and RP Remix that turns the track into a sweaty, off-beat treat.

Review: Vancouver Dj/producer Yu Su has previously impressed via occasional contributions to the Mood Hut-affiliated Libra Mix series. This is the DJ/producer's debut solo release and boasts two high-grade cuts on one single-sided People's Potential Unlimited 12". Opener "Infi Love" is typical of the hazy, dusty and spacey Vancouver deep house sound - all soft focus intergalactic chords, vintage drum machine percussion, cut-up female vocal samples and undulating analogue bass. The jazziness continues on "Soon (MOA Mix)", where wonderfully hazy trumpet samples and horizontal chords trickle down over a bossa-inspired beat. As you might expect, it's seriously evocative and atmospheric.