Back catalogue: House

Review: In alignment with London clubbing institution Fabric's 25th year, the huge figural techno head Laurent Garnier joins on for the former's Fabric Presents mix series, which selects artists to record different stylistic kinds of DJ mixes - separate to the longtime, peaktime, and often drum & bass-oriented Fabriclive series. Among the shortlist of artists drawn up, Garnier's name stuck out like a sore thumb, not least since those who are inevitably chosen had to have risen to fame in roughly the same timeframe as the Farringdon nightclub did. Fabric make the following promise: Laurent's mix, released here in the form of a deluxe CD compendium, will not only pay homage to the club, but also showcase his own mastery of genres and the diversity of his genius. The release will drop physical-only as a deluxe vinyl collectable and on CD and it'll also feature a new original four-track EP from Laurent.

Review: Harmonics, the new album from Hot Chip founding member Joe Goddard, is a warm, instinctive, and empathetic journey across 14 tracks of left-of-centre dance music. The album explores UK garage, house, hip-hop, pop, and disco, featuring a diverse array of collaborators. Eno Williams of Ibibio Sound Machine shines on the afro-house groove of 'Progress,' while UK rapper Oranje delivers on the starry-eyed boom-bap track 'When Love's Out of Fashion.' Former Wild Beasts frontman Hayden Thorpe brings his unique vocal to the low-slung house track 'Summon,' and Goddard's Hot Chip bandmates Alexis Taylor and Al Doyle appear on the gleaming half-step ballad 'Heal Your Mind.' Additional guests include Tom McFarland of Jungle, Bronx-raised singer Fiorious on 'New World (Flow),' Guinean vocalist Falle Nioke, and UK jazz musician Alabaster DePlume. Available with a mini gatefold, a 16-page booklet, and a signed Polaroid, 'Harmonics' neatly captures Goddard's inclusive and collaborative spirit.

Review: It's been a long time coming, but there's a genuine buzz about Peggy Gou's long-anticipated debut album, I Hear You. It delivers an accessible, entertaining and well-executed journey in which Gou's rarely discussed pop instincts are balanced out by music that nods to current club trends and nostalgia for the 1990s and earlier acid house era. So while opener 'Your Art' is weird, trippy, psychedelic and chugging and '1=1=11' is a Balearic neo-trance workout of the sort Salt Tank used to knock out in their sleep, 'Back To One' sounds like a lost '90s NYC dance-pop anthem, '(It Goes Like) Nananana' is an insanely infectious and piano-heavy slab of rave nostalgia, and 'I Believe In Love Again' (with Lenny Kravitz) sounds like a long-lost, hip-hop tempo Red Zone remix by David Morales.

Review: The impeccable Lithuanian label Greyscale is a real leader when it comes to dub techno and already they are racing into 2024 in fine style with a first full-length of the year from label head Grad_U! The sublime and immersive Sustain has eight larges ambient soundscapes that are detailed with field recordings from another planet. Each one is alluringly empty and beautiful, intriguing and unsettling to make for an escapist trip to another dimension. The way the producer manages to conjure up what feel like familiar emotions in such a faraway world is second to none and will leave you wanting to do it all over again the second it ends.

Review: To celebrate 15 years in the game and coming via Lithuania's Greyscale label, Gradient delivers Dub Stories, a two-CD masterpiece that focuses on his evolution. CD1 opens with 'Dub Story 1,' setting a vibrant tone that flows into the airy 'Dub Story 2.' Tracks like 'Dub Story 3' and 'Dub Story 6' pay homage to classic dub roots, while 'Dub Story 4' and 'Dub Story 8' push creative boundaries with dynamic melodies. CD2 continues the journey with the deep, evocative 'Dub Story 11' and the celestial 'Dub Story 13.' Tracks like 'Dub Story 16' offer serene, minimalistic breaks, while 'Dub Story 19' delves into deep, contemplative layers. The album closes with 'Dub Story 20,' a grand finale that leaves a lasting impression. Dub Stories is a fitting tribute to Gradient's legacy and a shining example of quality in the dub techno realm.

Review: DJ and producer Tim Green comes through to the esteemed Balance mix series, for a whopping 19-track mix blend through techno, house, ambient, breakbeat and electro. Erring towards the ethereal and atmospheric - with all tracks carefully selected for their naturalism - this one marks a return for both label and artist, as the series hasn't put out any new ones prior to this in five years. Meanwhile, it also contains four new exclusives from Green, highlighting his talent at straddling the techno trunk's adjacent branches of minimal, textural and melodic.