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Review: 's been a while since a single-sided record hit our shelves, and for the first time in yonks we can thank Toronto house legend Abacus for breaking that spell. Following a string of killer releases on local labels like Prescription and Guidance, we're more than taken by this swirly s/s sizzler. 'Lausanna' is a track for deep house DJs of all sizes, easily bridging laid-back freshness with bassy hard-hittingness. Thanks Innermoods!

Review: Private Society is the new, limited run, vinyl only, hand stamped white label series from the one and only master of the deep, Fred P. The American has been operating in this mode for many years but always finds great new territory, as he does again here. 'On The Beach' is a downbeat cut with jazzy cymbals and the sort of lush pads and heavenly vibes the artist is best known for. A short reprise is provided for jobbing DJs while the flip features two versions of 'Mystical Sunshine.' One is a colourful and synth laced jam and the other is heavier and more dubbed out.

Review: No retreat, no surrender! The legendary foundation jungle label Kemet welcome Uneak. Armed with a sound and style that's straight out of 93 (and a birth certificate to match too by the looks of things), Uneak is proof you're never too old to breakthrough with a slamming debut. All four of these cuts hit with clarity and breakbeat authenticity as we bubble and bump to a range of flavours; 'Roll Thunder' hits like an old V release circa 94, 'No Retreat' would have burnt Roast down, 'Wicked Jungle' is all about the sunnyside horns while 'All Be Free' brings the euphoric hurricanes. A highly accomplished debut release.

Review: Philadelphia-born singer and songwriter Tony Drake is best known for his super hit and Philly classic 'Living In The Footsteps Of Another Man,' That tune was a hit for Eugene Record who re-sung it with the Chi-Lites and had earlier written the 'Suddenly' tune for Drake in 1970. It was a hit, eventually, and is not in hot demand as copies are hard t find. Here it gets a vital reissue on 45rpm next to, for the first time on the format, Gene Chandler's Sublime 'My Baby's Gone.' Tow real soul classics that are short but devastatingly sweet.

Review: Rebirth serves up the first in a mini-series uncovering hidden gems from Italian house music's recent past, after the popular Ciao Italia Generazioni Underground compilation they recently presented. Bonus EP Uno features the deeply emotive 'Secret Doctrine' by The True Underground Sound Of Rome Ft Stefano Di Carlo with its Marc Kinchen style vibe, which was the A side highlight. Over on the flip, you've got Francesco Montefiori's Keytronics Project with the low slung mood music of 'A Little Piano In My House' followed by the mesmerising, kalimba-led island dream of 'Music All Night' by The Montego Bay Experience - aka Carlo Troya & Stefano Tirone.

Review: RECOMMENDED
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are one of those rock 'n' roll bands that defy expectations. You're not that likely to run into a die hard fan on the street, or in any given bar, but turn up to one of their gigs and the level of reverence they command will be only too clear. A fusion of grit, riffs, sweat, drums, walls of sound, and thick bands of rhythm, we challenge anyone not to leave fully infected by their spell.

Released in 2010, Beat the Devil's Tattoo is BRMC's sixth studio album, and certainly up there with their moodiest offerings. It's scuzzy, it's downtrodden, but also hopeful and experienced, with tracks like 'The Toll' offering a break from the leather-clad, red-lit cacophonies that sandwich its rousing chorus and melodic harmonicas.

Review: It's hard not to feel you're misusing words like 'auteurs' when talking about art. Nevertheless, for some artists and acts the term applies perfectly. And many people would likely agree that Mogwai are one for that list. After 25 years in the game, putting out ten studio albums including As the Love Continues, not to mention scores of EPs and more than a few movie scores, you can spot their signature a mile away, with just a hint of their sound.

As the Love does nothing to disprove that point, and all the better for it. It's a woozy mixture of sorrowful epics and life-affirming crescendos built from post-rock foundations, but divergent enough to send us into a hundred directions without really veering from that course. A sound bigger than most mountains, we hope they never get exhausted from the climb.

Review: Any Omar S release is worth checking, but when it also features Detroit funk godfather and Motor City legend Amp Fiddler, as well as Andre Foxxe of Parliament-Funkadelic, then it's pretty much buy on sight. You never know what you're gaping to get with the FXHE boss, and never was that more true than here on this sweet little 7". A-side 'The First One Hundred' is a loop of Omar S's trademark dusty drums and a deeply buried bass guitar riff that is super funky, and 'Dance Your Blues Away (feat Amp Fiddler)' sounds like Prince making house music in Omar S's studio. They are short, but oh so sweet.

Review: The studio of Harry J's in Jamaica has turned out another pair of belters here. This limited edition and hand-numbered 7" features two killer 1969 tunes. The first is a bittersweet roots tune with a lead trumpet that does all the work. It's in conversation with the organ below and as they to and fro, expressing their pair, the bass rumbles and the percussion jangles. As well as that standout from Richard Ace, the flip-side has a super rare tune 'Candy Lady' by Hugh Black & George Ferris. It's another earthy tune with lovestruck vocals.

Review: Max Santilli is an Australian multi-instrumentalist who is maybe best known for his work with Jacob Fugar in Angophora. He seems to like to put out one new album a year, and we like it too. Last year's In Circles really helped get us through lockdown and now he appears on Germany's Growing Bin with more of his mega soothing sounds. Rooted in Balearic sounds but with lovely acoustic guitar work, soft shakers and sway grooves that make it feel as if you have been cast adrift on a raft, it is so much more than that. There is beautiful melancholy in every track that makes a lasting impression, much like with all Santilli's records.

Review: Given 'Africa' has been the soundtrack to university athletics union night's out for the last 40 years or so it's safe to say Toto are a band that really deserve more in-depth attention. As this mind-blowing soundtrack to the cult science fiction film Dune goes to show, there's a lot more to the outfit than the chart-friendly glam-riffdom of their most famous single.



Brian Eno's name gives a sign of how arty things get, but in truth he's only responsible for a fraction of this adventurous listen, which is packed with movie soundbites to set the scene among fantastical landscapes, rather than realism. From classical overtures ('Leto's Theme', 'Trip To Arrakis'), through tense incidentals ('The Box') and crystalline synthdom ('Prophecy Theme'), it's only really on the credit-worthy 80s pop balladry of 'Take My Hand' that we get the stadium payoff Toto fans are used to, completing an epic journey.

Review: RNT welcomes Brooklyn-based band 79.5 to the family with the first single from their forthcoming eponymous LP. Soulful and psychedelic, the haunting melodies of Club Level float above a steady strutting rhythm section, punctuated by moaning baritone saxophone and drenched in washy reverb.

NYC mainstay Eli Escobar crafts a masterful remix that leans into 80s nostalgia, with a soundscape and arrangement nothing short of perfection.

Review: Isaac Prieto is Mexico-born but Detroit based and that is presumably where he hooked up with the Motor City's assured house auteur Javonntte. The pair take a trip through scuffed-up deep house brilliance here with the chattery claps and blurting bass of spaced-out opener 'One Take' before 'Brothers In Rhythm' is a more dance-y cut with pinging kicks and detuned synths stumbling about the mix to make for a brilliant sense of mechanical funk. 'High Energy' brings edgy chord stabs over busted beats and bass and 'Lost & Found' is more kinetic analogue madness with hurried techno hi-hats, spangled pads and punchy kicks all bringing an utterly fresh type of sound.

Review: There's something undeniably tactile about Japanese composer Ikeda's Ultratronics which here comes as a special Japanese Edition on CD. The bass is metallic and dense, the grainy and glitched-out synths ringing out in a mathematical tempo on tracks like 'ultratronics 05'. There's a philosophy of high art, a scene that Ikeda has dabbled in before with installations and exhibitions, that is a hallmark of Japanese electronica composers old and new. The album has just as many pared-back moments (like in 02 and 07, scattered throughout vocal samples of rocket and space radio transmissions) as it does hardcore electronic industrial thrashing (06 and 14 spring to mind for mind-blowing explosions of synths).

Review: Philadelphia band Stereo League (which is comprised of childhood friends Alex Savoth and Dan King) always looks to discover new genres whether working alone or with like-minded collaborators. This latest 7" is another on the synth and soul label Eraserhood Sound and features two more timeless sounds. The opener 'Operator, Please' a delightfully seductive and reminiscent of 70s soul and funk, while on the back, 'Seasons of Trouble' layers in the Philly soul, with fancy funk sounds and classic yet compelling grooves.

Review: Once the leader of iconic and legendary Japanese New Wave rockers EX, Shigeru Umebayashi's Music For A Film compilation showcases the better-known work (in today's terms at least) of this multifaceted and multi-talented composer. 21 tracks of absolute beauty, all of which are taken from his 30-strong-plus oeuvre of movie scores, built over time since he first began writing tracks for screens in 1985, after said band called time.
Opening with what may be his most famous work of all time, 'Yumeji's Theme' (title piece from Siejun Suzuki's critically acclaimed 1991 movie, Yumeji) the playlist here really showcases the vision and musicality Umebayashi is renowned for, and removed from the context of movies the work is elevated to new heights. Classical, choral, quiet epics, and romantic mini-overtures rarely sound so good.

Review: The King Rooster are practitioners of deep funk and now come back strong with more of the same on the Basel-based label Burning Sole. They kick this one off with 'Bush Drop' which is a hard hitter featuring some superb organ work and great wah-wah top lines played by James Forster. Mark Claydon and Ian Stevens' bobbing bass drives the whole thing along nicely. Flip it over and you will find 'Dirty Cop' which is one to keep the party vibes alive as it lays down killer breakbeats and 70s-tinged funk sound.

Review: Shall Not Fade has proven over the last five plus years that whatever sounds it turns its hand to it does with style. Mostly that is deep house and garage but here we have some warehouse-ready techno from Dasco. 'Powerful Woman' has mid-tempo drums that are run through with a supple and subtle acid line and repeated vocal phrasings that lock you into the trip. 'Acid Queen' jacks a bit more, with raw analogue drums and vintage cow bell sounds before the 303 takes over, then Johannes Volk really bangs the box with his hardcore house remix, full of splintered kicks and dusty hi hats. Chicago Skyway brings plenty of Windy City texture to his version.

Review: Emotional Rescue is at it again with another fully licensed and remastered offering, this time bringing to wax Mataya's Golddigger with a previously digital-only 'tape Mix.' Zimbabwe-born and later London-based Mataya "Clifford" Chewaluza was a core part of the vibrant West London music scene, using his songwriting, production and multi-instrumentalist skills on albums for RCA and Virgin. He also dropped a few 12"s and this one was released in 1988. It's a cult curio with crashing 80s production, disco-tinged grooves and plenty of subtle African rhythm which includes a standout dub mix from Jura Soundsystem.

Review: The sublime music of Kaoro Inoue is the subject of this essential new compilation on Mysticisms. Inoue describes himself as an "extreme music lover" and has been for more than 30 years. His Chari Chari alias is all about self-expression and the music here has previously only been available digitally. It fuses ambient, house and techno soundscapes across four sides of vinyl with a deeply spiritual outlook and soul-soothing sound. Organic percussion, traditional instruments and new age moods all colour the deeply enticing grooves.

Review: Innershades pays tribute to classic dance music sounds on 'Heritage Vol. 1', infusing his tech and progressive productions with distinct sounds rather than merely emulating them. Monolithic drum sequences and menacing melodies run throughout the EP. 'This Is Belgium' features a clear-cut rhythm structure that allows the bassline to glide against SH-101 leads, while 'Eternal Voices' employs a 303 to create chaos and the energetic 'Rave Signal' combines ever-modulating leads, silky string layers and solid bass. The EP showcases Innershades's contemporary palette and pays respect to the new beat genre.

Review: Fusion Sequence is a new offshoot from the Mellophonia label that kicks off with a heavyweight release both literally - its 180g vinyl - and metaphorically. It features seven different artists offering up one track each on what is a widescreen exploration of fresh deep house. They are A Vision of Panorama, Eternal Love, Pool Boy, Wolfey, Laseech, Larry Quest and Jay Sound and between them everything from cuddly depths to more moody late-night deepness is covered on an EP that brings plenty of new perspectives. A fine inaugural 12", then.

Review: Teno Afrika follows up his Amapiano Selections album from last year with a fine new long player on Awesome tapes From Africa. Lutendo Raduvha hails from Pretoria, South-Africa and on this record he mixes up electronic sounds with world, folk, country, Afro and house influences. There are two collabs with Diego Don and vocalists KayCee, Leyla and Style MusiQ all add their own flavours to what is a superb showcase of the fresh sounds coming out of the African continent right now. On this evidence, few artists embody that revolution more than Teno Afrika.

Review: You can always be sure of a hugely affecting trip when you tune into something from Sacred Rhythms. And so it proves with this new one from Slam Mode. These are four hugely involving and atmospheric tracks steeped in ambiance. 'Ogman' is humid, dusty and spiritual with its late-night bass subtleties and sustained chords. 'Mientra Duermes' (Reimagined) has a celestial melodic feel over ramshackle house drums and 'Monopole' gets heavy on cancerous and dubbed-out drums with more cosmic chord work serve ing to expand your mind. 'Modus Operandi' is a lush and jazzy deep jungle workout to close.

Review: LA's Ole Mic Odd certainly puts it about a bit - he's knocking the EPs out at very healthy rate and it seems there's a queue of eminent labels happy to put out the results too, with Zement preparing to follow this 12" with one of their own in January 2023. The title should give you an idea of what to expect, namely lots of vocodered voices and authentic sounding vintage electro swoops a la early Juan Atkins, over rock solid, sharpened beats. Kraftjerkz boss Kind Ginseng completes the four track package with a rolling, very beats-centred remix that straddles breaks and electro neatly. Nice work - or should that be 'werk? - all round.

Review: Hamburg-based duo Hard Drive Library return to do what they do best on the fourth edition of their eponymous imprint: hooky filter house tunes, extremely raw and unforgiving. On the A-side you've got the bumpin' dancefloor heater 'Keep It Groovin' and its hypnotic vocal refrain that'll have the crowd grooving 'til the break of dawn, plus two more rough and ready jams over on the flip. There's the quirky and low slung bounce of 'Donkey Damage' as well as the funked-up disco loop action on 'Dancin Heat' reminiscent of classic DJ Sneak.

Review: Anthony Donje and Paul Elliott are Pleasireood and this is their first release. It is a sun-scorched funk fuelled offering that is hella lovely and full of flavour as well as dance floor clout. 'Firework' clocks in at under three minutes but it is a real killer, with layers of hands claps, broken beats and lush melodies all working you into a lather. On the reverse is a more introspective piece to show a different side to their sound. It has snaking melodies that entice you to follow as the rolling funk rhythms and intoxicating melodies cast their fine spell.

Review: Detroit-based label Choose Better Friends is a new outlet that is already mighty impressive after just three releases. This one lands quickly after the second from Jaco Matthews and it offers more traditionally included Motor City house sounds. Ryan McCray opens with weighty but dusty drums and grainy sustained chords that lock you into a trance straight off the bat, especially once the low-slung bass and steamy vocals arrive. From there, the wooden knocks and muffled kicks of 'What It Is' are paired with some nice dreamy chords and the flipside offers more zoned-out basement lushness with 'The Tide' and the heavier, more raw 'Rushin.' Essential.

Review: Brussels-based DJ Hadone serves up his most ambitious musical statement to date with What I Was Running From., which also serves as a glimpse at what his immersive label project Things We Never Did' is all about. All nine tracks blend contemporary techno with various parts from subgenres and make for richly emotive soundscapes that are more than just functional DJ fodder. On 'Sonar' he joins up with Asking for a thrilling and dread fuelled minimal jungle stepper while 'Nobodies Oscillation' is pure euro-dance madness. Other highlights include the irresistibly emotional 'A Key To The Shadow'.

Review: Following the success of the Ciao Italia. Generazioni Underground album, Rebirth is excited to release three additional 'Bonus' parts this year, on a limited edition vinyl press. Bonus Quattro continues connecting two distant yet neighbouring generations: the seminal early '90s, and the modern day from a futuristic perspective. On side A, there's some early classics by the likes of Nikita Warren on the emotive old school feelings of 'I Need You' (Flute Mix) and Lorenzo Morresi on the downbeat swagger of 'Tento Brass'. On the flip, Alex Neri & Marco Baroni serve up the proper uplifting house of 'Lamar' while Spinapsys appears with the life-affirming 'Whenever' (Asha) that's a true zeitgeist of a golden era.

Review: Dave Barker of 'Double Barrel' fame is back on the mix here for the Original Gravity label. This is the second form the many in as many months and is on the faster end of the reggae tempo scale so prepare to be swept up and skanking in no time. The lo-fi 60s reggae and early ska vibes are strong on this one as the dancing Hammond organ chords compliment Barker's effortless flow. Horn stabs and drums with infectious swagger complete the a-side 'Peace of Mind'. On the flip, The Regulators offer up a nice and laidback, deep-cut dub version with 'Jamaican beat.'

Review: Seven Psalms finds Australia's most imperious musical misfit Nick Cave leaving his Bad Seeds at home and teaming up with frequent collaborator Warren Ellis for a limited 10". The spoken word pieces on this record are the result of a daily song writing practice over a week during lockdown - Cave himself describes them as "small, sacred songs," set to appropriately subtle musical accompaniment. Recorded during the sessions for Cave and Ellis' 2021 album Carnage, it's a rich work in its own right that offers a different perspective on Cave's considerable gifts as a soothsayer.

Review: New Interplanetary Melodies is a great name for a label and it also sums up the sounds of this new album from Sindaco. It's a beautiful mix of exploratory soundscapes, organic percussion and lush melody that unfolds in charming and captivating ways. Found sounds add more real world details to these tracks which range from lazy downbeat jaunts on a wide open savanna to more dynamic deep house trips through the cosmos. Worldly percussion, exotic melodies and unique instruments are all deployed to mark for multi-layered tracks that work equally on brain and body. It makes for a triumph of a record that is experimental yet aborsbing and packed with great detail.

Review: Daniela La Luz is no stranger to Rawax's stable of labels - she's previously released on most of them at different points over the last decade- though Global Transformation marks the first time she's appeared on any of them as Vanilla. The Berlin-based artist sets her stall out with the raw, punchy and occasionally sparkling title track - all woozy keyboard riffs, weighty electro-meets-house beats, tipsy chords and heavy bass - before opting for a deep, druggy, acid-fired and percussively propulsive vibe on 'The Last Window of Time'. Elsewhere, 'Animal Queendom' sees her wrap echoing, dubbed-out and reverb-laden synth riffs around a tough and locked-in beat, while 'All Together' is built around the twin attractions of sturdy, slightly off-kilter machine drums and jazzy electric piano motifs.

Review: Is A Feeling follows up its debut 12" with a classy and varied house offering from Triform. It kicks off with some old school and jacked-up sounds on 'Not For Radio' where analogue drums, silvery cowbells and ticking hi-hats get you in a sweat. Then it's a more drum-led and low-slung affair on the swinging 'Dub 3'. 'Mr Chr$ (65)' shows this artist's range as things become more stripped back and tech-inclined, with silky drum loops and watery droplets backed by diffuse chord work. 'Timeless Groove' then heads back to the old school with lush piano chords and sustained pads bringing the good times.

Review: Sometime Not Now is the latest album from British/Dutch trio Cubicolor on esteemed Berlin imprint Anjunadeep. Consisting of Ariaan, Peter and Tim, the group's unique electronic fusion lies between indie and electronic genres. With each member bringing their own musical expertise, the group is able to create a powerful sense of cohesion that is evident in their music. Co-produced by Keinemusik affiliate &ME, it is said to be inspired by the concept of taking chances in life, and filled with themes of introspection, self-reflection and critical thinking, and solidifies their place among the musical elite.

Review: Archeo Recordings bring us some more Balearic Italian treasure here with some gold initially recorded in Bologna almost two decades ago. It's a collaboration between friends Bottin and Lucio Dalla that has never before been on vinyl. 'Lunedi Cinema' was an ident that played before Monday night movies on of one of the main Italian TV channels for many years. This electronic version includes the Martedi Mix from 2008, a Minibar Bonus Track and also a mix by pioneering Italian dream house dons Leo Mas & Fabrice with a Bottin dub sealing the deal. It's a superb package of real Italo music history.

Review: Fokuz Recordings has been one of the leading drum & bass labels in the Netherlands for some time. Now well into triple figures when it comes to catalogue numbers, the label is still turning out interesting sounds as evidenced by this new purple-marbled 12" from Spearhead bossman BCEE. There is a beauty in the way ever so delicate one-finger piano notes are draped over the relentless bass of opener 'Alpha' that soon wins you over. 'Dogs Behaving Badly' is deeper, more soulful, more tender and insular and then 'Days Like These' is a fluid roller with well-treated string sounds before 'Overleaf' layers dub vibes with jump-up drum goodness.

Notes: Black version of Bitbox's excellent sampling module. Touchscreen-based design allowing up to eight stereo samples, recording directly or loaded from SD card.

Supplier's Notes:
Bitbox micro provides Eurorack sampling for smaller racks and smaller budgets. In only 18 HP of rack space you can get a touch screen based sampler with support for 8 stereo sample pads. Now you can record samples directly into the module or load them from the microSD card. Trigger your samples via CV or MIDI, then apply effects and mix the outputs. Save your configurations to multiple presets for later reuse.

Powerful Sampling Capabilities in a Smaller Form Factor

With the sampling features of Bitbox micro you can add interesting new ways of generating sound and music to your Eurorack. Trigger one shots, play time synched loops or record live looping. Bitbox micro is equally at home in your studio or as a component of your live performance.

Features

Sample Playback
Play up to 24 stereo polyphonic notes when your samples fit in the 64 MB of internal memory or up to 8 larger stereo samples streaming directly from the microSD card
Configure 8 stereo sample pads per preset as single or multi-samples, clips, slicers, granular or new recordings
Stream long samples from the microSD card with a max sample size of 4 GB, which can be many hours of audio
Trigger samples with the touch screen, CV gate inputs, or MIDI input
Control how samples start and stop by choosing from one-shot, toggle, and gate launch modes
Tweak playback through a variety of sample parameters, including start position, length, pitch, gain, filter, loop mode, launch quantization, ADSR, Exclusive Grouping, clip synchronization, slice placement and sequencing, grain size, grain spread, grain count, and MIDI note and channel mapping

Sample Recording

Record Eurorack level audio straight into the module:
Record samples from a stereo audio input pair
Configure each pad for stereo or mono recording with the option to synchronize the start and stop times to clock inputs
Trigger recording via audio level threshold
Create perfectly sized loops by setting the recording length
Enable immediate playback after recording for live looping capabilities
Make recordings up to 4 hours in length
Resample the master output without patching
Automate recording of a multi-sample bank via MIDI and CV
Store recorded samples as WAV files on the micro SD card then remove the card to transfer them to your computer

Sample Modes

Find creative ways of using your samples with our 5 sample playback modes:
Trigger one shots or launch loops using sample mode
Load a folder of samples into a sample mode pad to improve the quality of the pitch shifting when playing a sample chromatically or to trigger different samples with each note
Play time-synchronized loops with constant pitch time shifting in clip mode
Skip between slices of a WAV using slicer mode
Create rich textures and other worldly sounds with granular mode

Inputs and Outputs

Use the 8 inputs the way you want: assignments include a stereo audio input, up to 8 gate inputs, up to 8 CV inputs and 1 clock input.
Route the audio from each pad out to one of 3 stereo audio outputs or one of 6 mono audio outputs
Listen to all of the pad outputs combined on the master stereo output
Inputs and outputs are DC coupled so you can record and play out CV signals
External Control and Synchronization
Playback can be immediate or synchronized to internal clock, TRS clock in, or MIDI clock in and out
Confidently connect with both TRS MIDI Type A and Type B, no adapter needed
Play a single or multi-sample pad pitch shifted using MIDI notes or CV
Trigger different sample slices using MIDI notes or CV
Modulate a wide variety of sample parameters through the MIDI input and up to 8 CV signals
Quickly set up MIDI modulation using Learn mode i no need to look up CC numbers

Module Features

Use the 2" diagonal touch screen to intuitively explore the features of the module
Get more creative with double the processing power of the original bitbox
Refine your sound with reverb and delay
Import or export WAV files with your Mac or PC using a microSD card
Save and recall multiple presets
Increase your capacity with larger microSD cards
Compare to Our Other Samplers
Our Sampler Selection Guide shows you how bitbox micro compares to our other samplers.

What Is Included

When you purchase bitbox micro, you will receive:

a bitbox micro Eurorack module
a microSD card with a bank of demo presets and samples loaded on it
a Eurorack power cable
a bitbox micro Quick Start guide
a MIDI Adapter
Firmware Updates
Get new features by downloading firmware updates from forum.1010music.com.

Documentation and Video Tutorials

The Bitbox Micro Support page has links to videos, the quick start guide and the full user manual to get you up and running quickly and answer your detailed questions. If you can't find answers there, reach out to the community with questions on the 1010 Music forum.

Review: Japanese avant-garde artist Phew (real name Hiromi Moritani) has released a string of inspired solo albums since the turn of the '80s, though few are quite as atmospheric and majestic as 1992's 'Our Likeness'. Like some of her other albums from the period, it was produced by Conny Plank and Can's Jaki Liebezeit, with various industrial and post-punk musicians joining in the fun. As this reissue proves, it remains a fantastic album - a set rooted in krautrock, post-rock and dub in which her expressive vocals sit amongst a mixture of squally guitars, loose-limbed drums, dubby bass, trippy electronics and effects aplenty.

Review: Duca Bianco is back with one of its special various artists' releases, and a mighty fine one it is too. This one finds four guest producers all with their finest studio tools sharpened and ready for action. Two of the artists are well known but use new alias - one is Israeli synth and psyche wizards Red Axes who work their magic as Der Sexa on 'Gabi Plane' and another is Beauty & The Beat party man Cedric Woo as CW. He gets nice and twisted here while the other two cuts - one from Italo king Franz Scala who builds slow new wave funk, and one from Manchester's renowned edit kings Talking Drums who offer some lovely leftfield madness on 'DMNB', all make for crucial listening.

Review: Bristol's Daniel Davies aka Ossia is back with the third release on his eponymous imprint titled 'Red X' (Vertigo version) which sees the Young Echo affiliate create an evocative and atmospheric experience incorporating industrial textures, dubbed-out effects and creative sampling. Over on the flip, 'Information' (Raw version) is at once a subdued and contemplative minimal dub experiment, followed by the gutsy stomp of 'Drum Tangle' (Raw dub), a proper heads-down number with serious basement vibes.

Review: Detroit's notorious and contemporary hip-hop tastemaker has been big in the game for over a decade. He managed to put out a faultless run of records from this, 2011's Shotgun & Sleek Rifle, right up to 2020's Innocent Country 2. He manages to draw on plenty of golden soul while his own smooth flows light up each tune and show what an idiosyncratic talent he is. This 10th-anniversary edition of what might be his best record is a brilliant reminder of his abilities. Well worth having for any discerning hip-hop head and is a true modern classic.

Review: SND & RTN show their class here with a set of six sublime dub techno cuts that have been pressed to nice solver and heavyweight vinyl. There is nothing groundbreaking about the music here but what is done is done to an exceptionally high standard. The sound designs are faultless, from the bottomless bass to the pilot kick drums via the way in which their fizzing chords do nimble dances over the face of each tune. Some lean into the wind, some are utterly horizontal, all are great.

Review: Canada may not shout as loud as the US, UK or Germany when it comes to electronic music, with the exception of Richie Hawtin perhaps, albeit frequently assumed he's American, and is actually part-British. Nevertheless, the larger North American state has a truly remarkable legacy in house, techno, ambient, and synth-y odds and sods.

It's proof the apple never falls far from the tree, given proximity to some of the bonafide birthplaces of those sounds - Chicago and Detroit. Edmonton's Khotin is indicative of the difficult to define tones that emanate from the Maple Leaf and its people. So much texture, pouring with emotion, and fundamentally born of new ideas, or at least different ways of thinking. Release Spirit, his third album on Michigan's Ghostly International, is thoughtful, intelligent, downtempo electronic stuff, crafted with love and attention to detail.

Review: DJ SizleCaude is the head of the Herbal Soundz label and this is his first EP. It's one steeped in classic house knowledge and Chicago-referencing sounds. That is particularly true on 'About Time' with its spoken word sermon over dusty old drum sounds and hefty deep house drums. 'Kindly Listen' cuts it up with razor-sharp hi-hats and swirling pads that sound like a church organ in meltdown. Last of all is 'Ntho Tse', a swirling cosmic cut that takes you on a voyage through lush synth work and heartwarming pads before settling on a nice jazzy vibe.

Review: Looooooongish Cat and Davecoin have come together for their debut album Realizer on Adeen. It is a record that swings from the dark and mysterious to the more upbeat and playful as it explores a range of techno styles. The material originates from the pair's live set so has a real dynamism to it as well as it moves through ever-evolving psychedelic soundscapes. Vocals, synth lines, and guitars have all been laid down on tape and then resampled and deconstructed to "create an analog patchwork which floats over the hard-hitting beats and fat analog synths and bass lines." It's an immersive and inventive record that also has a fresh cover design.

Review: Few labels have been as important to the development of deep dubstep over the last decade than the Deep Medi Musik crew. Here comes another of their fine transmissions, ready and waiting to rattle your ribs and test your bowels. Somah is at the buttons for the four cuts and kicks off with 'Irked' which has inky bass and haunting late night leads over a heavy but deft bottom end. 'Mirrors' pairs more eerie empty space with echoing hits and distant sirens and 'Cold Chain' has a warmer, even slightly soulful sound thanks to the pad work. 'Unmarked' closes with a clatter of percussive menace.