Cheval Sombre sparkles and shimmers on the top spot
1 (3) CHEVAL SOMBRE – MAD LOVE – SONIC CATHEDRAL
A stunning LP of sonically sweet and melancholic absorbing late night love songs. This New York based singer / songwriter was joined by Pete “Sonic Boom” Kember of Spacemen 3 fame, who not only played on the LP he also co-produced & mixed it. Other musicians that got involved are Andrew VanWyngarden & Ben Goldwasser of MGMT, whose studio it was recorded in, also Dean Wareham (Galaxy 500, Luna) and Britta Phillips (Luna). Together they have made the psychedelic album of the year, it’s an awesome work of beauty. http://youtu.be/CUhbfGOUX8k
2 (2) THE DEADSTOCK 33S – RITUAL EP – SOLITARY CYCLIST
The debut release on Justin Robertson’s brand new label comes from no other than the man himself. The title cut is a basement banger with microdot influences giving off a sense of fun and confusion. The following Jamit is like trudging through the thick & gloopy sweet sticky stuff whilst dabbing your sweat with blotters, and finally Watch Me is busy & paranoid but with a good dose of humour. Which sort of sums it up really, a very welcome return.
3 (7) SUNSHINE JONES – BELLE AME ELECTRONIQUE – NITE GROOVES
S.J. is better known as one half of the ground breaking husband & wife duo from San Francisco Dubtribe Sound System. This is his second solo LP and he’s retained a lot of those distinctive earthy textures and organic percussive rhythms, working their way around lush deepness, ambient washes, his soft trademark vocals, alongside out there guru spoken word, and classic house riffs set in a bed of modern dancefloor psychedelia. It’s blissed out grooves all the way. http://youtu.be/9rpGPWY_pFg
4 (1) CHARLIE BOYER AND THE VOYEURS – I WATCH YOU – HEAVENLY
The always on it Heavenly Recordings deliver the debut release from their latest outfit, five guys that have got the US mid 70’s punk & UK post punk art school sound and vibe off to a tee. Their first single comes over like The Mekons meet Richard Hell meet Magazine meet Tom Verlaine, at a so hip it hurts word of mouth only gig, where you get served and soaked in warm lager from plastic glasses, but you go home thinking that was the best night ever. Over on the flip is “Be Nice”, sort of bastardised T.Rex with plenty of trash but no glitter.
5 (14) ROSES GABOR – STARS / NIGHT SKY – GIRLS MUSIC
After collaborations with Gorillaz, Buraka Sound Sistema, SBTRKT and Shy FX, Roses Gabor makes a quality double edged debut on Toddla T’s label. Both cuts buzz with club excitement and post night out journeys home in the early hours. Blissed out but a bit on edge. http://youtu.be/ApijvD-xAJg
6 (13) NEIL HALSTEAD – PALINDROME HUNCHES – SONIC CATHEDRAL
Recorded over two weekends in the music room at the local junior school, this LP has got a certain fragile beauty and a lot of honesty. The playing is delicate and understated as it drifts around the melancholic lyrics and melodies, leaving you deep in thought as you sip your brandy in front of the log fire. Perfect for a winters night in. http://youtu.be/da7gMOY8bTA
7 (10) STUBBORN HEART – STUBBORN HEART – ONE LITTLE INDIAN
London’s Luca Santucci & Oxford’s Ben Fitzgerald are collectively set to hit the big time with their eponymous debut LP “Stubborn Heart”. Their brand of blue eyed electronic soul has got a certain Massive Attack meets Robert Wyatt meets Damon Albarn meets Thom Yorke feel, and then some. They are already getting played, noticed and written about in all the places that matter. This debut is set to make quite an impression in the end of year listings. http://youtu.be/Ko-4HzSPsmA
8 (15) THE MANSISTERS – E.P. PHONE HOME – MY FAVORITE ROBOT
Scandinavian duo Kasper Bjorke & Jon Atli deliver 4 tracks of cutting edge camped up electronic wizardry under their new moniker The Mansisters. Izone bumps n grinds in the basement, Lille Du shakes n quivers in the strobe light, Free At Last is heads down no messin’ and the closing Theme Of Paris Hilton leaves you feeling spooked. Top stuff.
9 (6) THE ORB FT. LEE SCRATCH PERRY – SOULMAN – COOKING VINYL
Soulman is a wobbly slo-mo house groove with spiritually & spaced sensibilities and a very loose nod to the Sam & Dave classic, coming from the excellent LP The Observer In The Star House, it lands with four out there remixes. Ricardo Villalobos alongside Max Loderbauer get us off to a 13 minute adventurous start with their percolating Villod RMX. Meanwhile Pole locks you into a sonic laden headspace and groove. Gaudi steps it up for a feel good top notch skank, and finally The Orb serve up the dubtastic InstruMENTAL VERSION. http://youtu.be/FbWqm7wzl-g
10 (12) THE COUP – SORRY TO BOTHER YOU – ANTI
Boots Riley is the radical dude with his controversial finger always on the button, and he’s back with his outfit’s sixth studio LP, a genre crossing slap in the face, taking in hip hop, soul, psychedelicia, punk and pop with an array of guest appearances. It’s got a certain retro feel as it protests, breaks away from the norm and pushes forward. http://youtu.be/uaFQw52wJug
11 (16) THE HEAVY – CAN’T PLAY DEAD – COUNTER
After whipping up a frenzy across America, Bath’s finest are set to release another soulful swamp rock monster, from their third LP “The Glorious Dead”, which would make even the most stiffest of zombies, do some fluid moves to the hot ‘n’ funky grooves. Plus it comes backed with a Kenny Dope Mix of their global anthem “What Makes A Good Man”.
12 (NEW) NOLAN – FREAK ON EP – GRUUV
The title cut is a solid house number with soulful licks, familiar riffs and a certain 90’s feel. Spanish duo Kyodai do the remix that sends it through the roof, giving it a Blue Note swinging jazz work out, sort of Laurent Garnier’s Sound Of The Big Baboo, which is top draw.
13 (NEW) NAYTRONIX – DIRTY GLOW – PLUG RESEARCH
The quite remarkable debut LP from California based Nate Brenner, who also plays bass for leftfield pop outfit tUnE-yArDs. Dirty Glow is a heady brew of funky beats, hip hop grooves, Sesame Street influenced riffs, feel good chords, breezy jazz flourishes, fairground organ, cute electro, 60’s melodies and harmonies with Nate’s vocal coming over a bit like Daniel Johnston. A fresh approach with new angle on psychedelia. http://youtu.be/fgMm7hgIaAo
14 (9) DISCLOSURE – LATCH FT. SAM SMITH – PMR
Glossy, soulful and pop savvy, watch this fly. http://youtu.be/93ASUImTedo
15 (NEW) BREATHLESS – NEXT TIME YOU FALL – TENOR VOSSA
The first single to be lifted from forthcoming LP Green To Blue is a beautiful fuzzy melancholic affair with layering riffs that build around Dominic Appleton’s lonesome vocal. http://youtu.be/W3PDodIOvOE
16 (26) CHRISTIAN ORLO – FEELING DRY EP – RIFF RAFF
The title cut is a nice house groover that makes good use of a Marvin Gaye sample and comes with a couple of deep and atmospheric mixes care of Riff Raff and Jimmy Maheras. But the outstanding cherry on the cake is the closing track, 23rd Dimension’s In Hyperspace Dub of “Another Night”, perfect for an epic slo-mo house end of night sunrise.
17 (17) LETHERETTE – FEATURETTE EP – NINJA TUNE
Duo from Wolverhampton make their debut for Ninja Tune. Kicking off with Warstones a bouncy infectious slab of French influenced disco house. Surface drops down to a delicate electric soul smoocher with soft and distant vocals. Ettewards gets the futuristic dancefloor pumping again amid cascading washes, and Wecko brings the EP to a low slung rhythmic close with a sense of awe and wonder. http://youtu.be/pYw1qkZu8UM
18 (NEW) DUB PISTOLS – ROCK STEADY FT. RODNEY P & LINDY LAYTON – SUNDAY BEST
Bouncy bouncy feel good beamer from their current LP Worshipping The Dollar. King Yoof comes up trumps on the remix front, adding organ stabs from the Willie Williams classic Armagideon Time, and launching into some nice snatches of drum & bass. http://youtu.be/cBzoesnhFJI
19 (NEW) KRIS MENACE FT. MISS KITTIN – HIDE – COMPUPHONIC
The German electronic dance pioneer is set to release his third LP Features, the first with guest vocalists, and this lush, glossy and slightly cheesy slice of nu-disco is the first single. It comes with 5 remixes, including Pwndtiac’s gobsmacking showstopper, which is a fat
slab of acid tinged electro house.
20 (19) POP LEVI – MEDICINE – COUNTER
Surrey’s answer to a modern day Mickie Most is back with his fifth LP. He’s still got the Marc Bolan thing going on, but this time round Ziggy Stardust, The Stooges, Ian Hunter and Vivian Stanshall join the party. If you like your rock & pop glammed up, filled with debauchery, dressed in 70’s chic and finished off with smudged eyeliner, then this is where it’s at. http://youtu.be/HEJu__ZQVog http://youtu.be/gsPFX4V5JNM
21 (NEW) STUMBLEINE – SPIDERWEBBED – MONOTREME
The debut LP from one of Bristol’s rising electronic producers, is a laidback and dreamy ethereal affair, that takes you into the magical world of morning dew, delicate mists, hazy sunshine and strange fungi. It comes with a nice whispy version of Mazzy Star’s Fade Into You. http://youtu.be/5UrM0GHCKeE
22 (27) FALTYDL – STRAIGHT & ARROW – NINJA TUNE
Modern electronic soul with subtle pulses and shuffling rhythms that work the lush pads, velvet tones and from the gut vocal loops. Remixes come from Four Tet, Mike Q & Divoli S’vere and Gold Panda. http://youtu.be/XT5QX5mRiys
23 (24) SKINNY LISTER – FORTY POUND WEDDING EP – SUNDAY BEST
Includes a toe tapping poptastic Psychemagik remix of Colours, and a pumping progressive Sunday Best remix of Plough & Orion. http://youtu.be/TwiNvJnaFZw
24 (NEW) D/R/U/G/S – THE SOURCE OF LIGHT – PIAS
Euphoric synth pop with an edge and an attitude. Daniel Avery gets freaky with it, and Max Cooper takes it on an epic spaced out cosmic journey. Closing cut One Thousand Faces leaves us in no doubt that this dude knows where it’s at.
25 (NEW) VARIOUS ARTISTS – JUST MUSIC CAFÉ VOL 3: POOLSIDE BEATS – JUST MUSIC
Eleven atmospheric tracks by Just Music artists and an assortment of first rate remixers, lovingly put together by DJ Ben Mynott. Highlights include Marconi Union’s Breathing With Assistance, Future Loop Foundation’s Another English Summer, as well as The Sea & The Sky (Padded Cell Remix), and Jon Hopkins’ Wire. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bevrJHLj1mw&feature=share&list=PL34243797B65A5A48
26 (23) TWO FINGERS – SWEDEN / RAZORBACK – BIG DADA
Two Fingers is the alter ego of standalone noise terrorist Amon Tobin, and what we’ve got here is a double A-side from the LP “Stunt Rhythms”, plus a Posij Remix of “Razorback”. The lead track “Sweden” comes rolling in like some ancient death machine, designed to chew up and spit out paupers for the kings amusement. Be very afraid. http://youtu.be/1j84HK0ZZtY
27 (28) FEAR OF MEN – MOSAIC – TOO PURE SINGLES CLUB
Whimsical and dreamy self concious swoon pop with nice jangly bits. Ooh err missus. http://youtu.be/o7CeqI5kaAE
28 (NEW) T-RWRK – BOOTHOLIC001 – BOOTHOLIC
Bootholic is a vinyl only label, reworking past classics for todays and tomorrows floors. The debut release features a tasty rejig Gypsymen’s Hear The Music.
29 (25) PANAMA – MAGIC – FUTURE CLASSIC
Sun drenched widescreen pop from Australia produced in Los Angeles by Eric Broucek of DFA fame. Midnight Magic give it a nip ‘n’ tuck and come up with a nice disco bassline, and Gavin Russom takes it on more of an electronic route. http://youtu.be/-p5XcVCZdEA
30 (NEW) NEW JACK CITY – BACK IN THE DAYZ EP – MUSIC IS LOVE
Brand new label out of Manchester with their debut release. The title cut is classic spoken word house with all the essential elements and it comes with a MIL remix which adds a touch of urgency and a subtle organ. Gimme That Chance offers up a U.S. garage vibe, and The Golden Age goes down a heavier route, taking on a bit of a techy feel.
To get your track submitted for consideration please contact Dean Thatcher at deanthatcher25@hotmail.com Vinyl & CD’s much preferred it makes compiling a lot easier.
