Cleopatra Us 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Biz Markie was one of the true titans of the early East Coast hip hop scene - a staple of Marley Marl's Cold Chillin' label with a cheeky demeanour which showed even the toughest hip-hop didn't have to be moody. 'Just A Friend' originally dropped in 1989 and became a mainstream hit in the US, breaking Markie to the world and ensuring the success of his second LP, The Biz Never Sleeps. Nearly a year since he passed away, Cleopatra have revisited one of his most enduring classics and given it a fresh airing on this tidy 7". If you don't already have it and you take your old-skool hip-hop seriously, don't sleep on this one.

Review: Biz Markie was one of the true titans of the early East Coast hip hop scene - a staple of Marley Marl's Cold Chillin' label with a cheeky demeanour which showed even the toughest hip-hop didn't have to be moody. 'Just A Friend' originally dropped in 1989 and became a mainstream hit in the US, breaking Markie to the world and ensuring the success of his second LP, The Biz Never Sleeps. Nearly a year since he passed away, Cleopatra have revisited one of his most enduring classics and given it a fresh airing on this tidy red 7". If you don't already have it and you take your old-skool hip-hop seriously, don't sleep on this one.

Review: Jay Wobble is the former bassist with Public Image Ltd of course, but is also a visionary in his own right. This new album finds him revisiting some old ground: it takes him back to influential PiL 1979 album Metal Box, which he wholly reinvents with a load of new and sophisticated dub takes with all new and mind expanding production. Alongside the original tunes are two bonus cuts which are new versions of originals from the first ever PiL album. It adds up to a timelsss fusion of new and old indie and dub from this masterful guitarist.

Review: It's hard to untangle this hopelessly sad anthem from the equally tragic death of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis, but if we had to put a bet on it we'd say it would still be hailed as the masterpiece it is now without those unfortunate events. Coming, as it did, after the two albums from the band, it's the perfect half way house between their powerful, guitar-powered sound and the futuristic synthesiser waves that informed New Order not long after. Plus, it's a heartbreakingly brilliant song with lyrics that have spoken to subsequent generations without fail.

Review: The truly special thing about a track like 'Tainted Love' is its malleability over time. The original elements touch on New Romanticism, New Wave, electro, and synth pop, creating a twisted and mutated version of the crooning troubadour that smacks of sticky dancefloor heat in subterranean haunts.

With that in mind a remix collection could pretty much go anywhere, and in many ways this one does. Presenting several interpretations of this timeless and iconic tune, these range from the not-so-different instrumental and the strikingly powerful but simple acapella, through to DJ Hell's typically growly stomper, and the groovier, wavier Jack Ford and Jaimieson Hill cut. Oh, and don't forget the very DIY sounding bonus track, 'The Hungry Years', which is a whole different story in its own right, so we'll leave you to discover that one.

Review: The Specials' ghostly pop-dub classic 'Ghost Town' resonated far and wide with international audiences ever since its initial release in 1981. First springboarded by the gothic ska/rocksteady group's song of the same name - with its gloomy meditations on destitution and winters of discontent around the time, manifested in statements like "all the clubs are being closed down" and "too much fighting on the dancefloor" - the ensuing album is similarly political, urgent and doomy. Classics such as 'A Message To You, Rudy' and 'Gangsters' appear once more on this stealth limited edition reissue.