Like it or not, the return of Daft Punk represents the hottest dance music release in years, coming off the back of a spectacularly effective PR campaign. All of this has shown the album as a format is still alive and kicking, and that it remains possible to keep an element of mystery, even in a world where personalities get the close and relentless scrutiny of social media. Daft Punk will forever keen a barrier between us and them as long as they keep their robot faces, and that forms part of t...

Celebrating ten years of boat parties and Mediterranean clubbing, Pukka Up deliver this double compilation of sun soaked classics, mixed by their own residents. The first CD (‘Boat Disc’) brings the sunshine through Blaze and Barbara Tucker (‘Most Precious Love’), ATFC (a shimmering mix of ‘Bad Habit’), Erick Morillo & Eddie Thoneick (‘Live Your Life’) and Joey Negro (‘Make A Move On Me’), plus a host of other big numbers. Moving in to the ‘Club Disc’ the sounds get a bit tougher, with Mark ...

Fabulous to hear that the art of sampling isn’t dead, in fact it is very much a case of far from it judging from Joss Moog’s debut long player for Robsoul which also features his live instrumentation. And it’s that playful sense of funkiness which proves to be so compelling throughout with organic Rhodes playing against tough beats one moment on the title track, while then proceeding to tear your speakers apart via the low-slung funk of ‘Which Flavor?’ the next. Good luck with spotting all the s...

As inevitable as the coming summer is the latest instalment from Future Disco aptly referencing ‘Poolside Sounds’. I like these compilations - they soundtrack happy times ahead with meaningful music. Starting with the slow-burn of DFRNT ‘Nobody Stop Me’ and ‘Kiwi’s brooding ‘Mayfly’ the album then proceeds to play with a series of varying moods featuring plenty of standouts from the likes of James Welsh, Bonar Bradberry, Man Tear, and sadly Romanthony. Ending on a tougher note with the Dave DK D...

Some albums are made to be loved and if you can sidestep Daft Punk’s disco visitation for just a second then the haunting beauty of Dinky’s brand new long player brings its very own rewards. The Chilean Dj turns full circle into singer/ songwriter with this debut album for Visionquest which, as you might already guess, means it thinks outside of the box with the inclusion of daring ambience such as on ‘Witches’. It is indeed an inspiring blend of differing textures, sights and sounds that refere...

http://hotmomusa.tumblr.com/ http://www.facebook.com/HotMomUSA NY’s Hot Mom USA just celebrated their one year anniversary and they show no sign of losing steam. For their 9th release, the imprint run by DJ Shiftee and Alex Burkat, has compiled 11 tracks celebrating both the 90s era vibe and the 90s tempo range. Look for this to hit the streets on Monday June 3rd. Overall the majority of the album focuses on heady vibe out tracks, I would recommend breaking out some fine ganja and blazing out ...

Jaga Jazzist and the Britten Sinfonia make a natural pairing, with the orchestra following the ensemble's lead in music that is part improvised but fully coherent. This is a natural follow on from the Norwegian band's 'One Armed Bandit' album, and although much of the source material is taken from that record, it is reimagined and reinvented in vivid colours and bright new arrangements. Perhaps predictably the opening title track responds really well to a quasi-orchestral arrangement, while 'Toc...

For much of 'Silver Wilkinson' Bibio returns to more pastoral climes, keeping a fine balance between electronic and acoustic as he navigates his way through a charming set of tracks. His core style remains, though - tuneful, slightly quirky, always colourful, and with an eye on 1960s psychedelia that works really well when projected forward on to electronic tracks. 'À tout à l'heure' is especially good, with that winning mix of quirkiness and wistfulness, while 'Business Park' is lively and upbe...

Hot Creations off¬shoot Hot Waves returns with this killer production from Bristol duo Waifs & Strays. This is all about direct simplicity with its devastating bassline and hooky vocal edits combining over uncomplicated drums and arrangements that are equally primed to explode all over the dancefloor at any given moment. Next, ‘If You Love Me’ has Hollie G’s breezy vocals alongside classic House stabs and basslines setting the scene for the summer as the label moves the tradition seamlessly ...

Dusky do it all over again with this latest release from Naked Naked. Sitting somewhere between soul heaven and darker territory, ‘Vanishing Point’ highlights the duo’s ability to fuse future/ retro ideas together perfectly, while remaining dangerously contemporary. You will love the rousing intensity of the keyboards and heartfelt vocals that fizz with excitement as the brooding bass ads its own quality to the production. And possibly even better is the Deeper Mix that teases out hidden depths ...

Kerri Chandler’s energetic classic from 1996 sounds every bit as fiery now as it did back then. In fact you could almost say more so, showing some new contenders just how it’s done. Based around an insistent Church styled organ played out against taught tech bass and hot R&B vocals this has a certain genre defining, timeless quality to it that is hard to replicate. No easy task but German dup Robosonic pull it off impressively by giving the drums plus bass a fresh feel while very wisely lett...

Sidestepping Defected’s already fairly diverse selection of releases is this brand new addition to the labels extended family. And have to say I doubt there could be a better opener from Guti whose stunning title track, ‘Hope’ displays all the hallmarks of a summer gem combining deeply atmospheric sounds alongside gospel infused, spine-tingling vocals that simply hit the mark. Then joining with Fosky for the tougher instrumental, ‘La Casa’ which sees hypnotic jazzy piano combine with thumping be...

This is a very carefully put together mix – and it shows. Sandwell District have spent a good amount of time crafting this dark and brooding set, and they've gone for a kind of arch form that brings things in gradually, introduces some strong, up-tempo numbers mid set, and then tails away slightly at the end. We begin with the shimmering Silent Servant track 'A Path Eternal' and Function's atmospheric 'Voiceprint', but by the time Mary Velo's 'Detune' and JPLS' 'Basis' are in play the energy lev...

There's nothing like a good bit of vocal house and garage to encourage the sun to shine, and that's exactly the effect you get if you listen to the first mix CD from London's Groove Odyssey label. There is soul by the bucket load in this mix, which instantly charms thanks to Barbara Tucker and DJ Q's 'Groove Odyssey Theme', before guest vocalist Dajae steals the show on Bobby & Steve's 'Faith, Hope & Charity'. The same combination appear later on in two versions of 'Don't You Want My Lov...

Letherette's main objective is to introduce a bit of much-needed fun back into electronic music – and by and large the Wolverhampton duo succeed in music that charms, smiles and most importantly impresses. At times their off-kilter funk seems to float in a dream, but elsewhere in a track like 'Warstones' they pump some iron at the disco to good effect. Tracks like 'After Dawn' combine a bit of pop sensibility, a couple of hooks, a sense of exploration and a whiff of nostalgia in the harmonies, a...

This collection of eight tracks represents another chapter in the collaboration series between Burnt Friedman and Jaki Liebezeit, one of Can's founding members. As the title suggests the emphasis of each of the unnamed tracks is firmly on rhythm, though the approach is a relatively subtle one – and in the persuasive third track the pair introduce soft, chant-like vocals. Some of the percussion is tuned, which means there is an occasional melodic thread, but most of the time it's all about the in...

It's difficult to explain, but Boris Carloff's debut album is a bit of a head scratcher. Not in a bad way, you understand, but the music moves restlessly between a number of different styles in reflection of his varied musical background. Normally that is a good thing, but here the music struggles to settle, giving the impression that the clearly talented producer and vocalist hasn't fully settled on a definitive approach yet, remaining something of a work in progress. The progress is found in s...

In need of a synth pop shot in the arm? Well you'll find it here, without a shadow of a doubt, because Big Black Delta make fabulously upfront music to administer that immediate musical high. 'Put The Gun On The Floor' is a brilliant, highly charged opener, and the album never looks back from there, bringing in shades of M83, Depeche Mode and Passion Pit – which all ties in with main man Jonathan Bates's musical past. The two tracks already unleashed as singles on a grateful audience, 'Capsize' ...

'Tranklements' is apparently a Sheffield word that means 'a collection of objects, often precious to the owner' – and it's safe to assume the 16 objects making up this particular collection will become precious to their owners in time. The Black Dog are well versed in albums of course – this is their twelfth, after all – and it shows, with an ebb and flow that works well between the close knit, slower tracks and the ones that break loose towards the dancefloor. These quicker tracks include the i...

I love the way this reconnects the past with the future while never seeming overplayed but celebratory like the class act it so obviously is. Opening with ‘Runaway’ which plays teary Rhodes chords alongside lush pads that seamlessly wash over you until the timeless vocal hits. In a word: soulful and cleverly backed up by piano and moody bass lending it all a definite contemporary edge. Next, ‘Love Youx (Don’t) blends more atmospheric piano together with chugging guitar and this time with the add...