Back Catalogue

Review: The new I:Cube album is a rapid-fire collection of tracks woven together (there's a clue in that title you know) which takes the manner of a live set. The idea is essentially to bring the dance music album back to its raison d'etre, the dancefloor. To keep things interesting, the tracks are whipped through with a wonderful irreverence, as cheeky radio interludes and impulsive switch-ups keep things from staying too formulaic. Rather than some vision of a smooth, linear DJ set, this album instead takes the stance of creating pleasure through disorientation. Mr Chaix is a master of alluring grooves, and he uses that gift to really mess with your head when he changes tack, as between the edgy bleeps of "Y.O.U.R.O.C.K." and the light-hearted disco stomper "Get The Fever". Those surprise moves keep you engaged through all 23 tracks of this joyous beast. Chaix's lack of pretension is one of his greatest strengths; the I:Cube way is a direct and satisfying one. At no point is it cheesy or hackneyed, but it never tries to be too clever for its own good. With a live feel to match that immediacy, the "M" Megamix is a triumphant statement of what a dance music album should feel like. It might not be a comprehensive answer, but it certainly puts paid to all those "collection of singles" efforts out there.

Review: One of the most glaring misconceptions regarding I:Cube's excellent fifth album M:Megamix was its format of swiftly veering through the 26 tracks was allowing Nicolas Chaix to lazily avoid the task of actually producing full tracks. This is clearly not the case, with Chaix and Versatile choosing to release extended DJ friendly versions of the album tracks over a series of EPs, with "YOUROCK", "Popular Electronics" and "In Alpha" featuring on this latest edition. The three tracks are a nice primer of the smorgasbord of sounds to expect on the album for those yet to indulge, with the bleep infused techy chug of "YOUROCK" complemented by the EBM thump of "Popular Electronics" and the new romantic disco glisten of "In Alpha."

Review: Perma busy record label don David Griffiths launches the brand spanking new Labour Of Love imprint in consummate style, with a five track EP from Ichisan boasting remixes from disco beards Bottin, Nicholas and Pete Herbert. Herbert's refix of "House Dance Conference" is a typically driving affair, with a slinky guitar riff and 80s synths. The original takes on a more cosmic hue, with a twinkling key melody that is truly bewitching. The string-laden "Tiny House" is given a deepish re-rub by the prolific Nicholas - this one if our pick of the bunch - while fellow Italian Bottin opts for a heavily arpeggiated discoid odyssey.

Review: Our ears continue to be dazzled by Slovenian disco type Ichisan who makes an appearance on the ever great Under The Shade imprint after two great EPs on Solardisco and Airtight last year. "Magnetic Field" is a fine slice of soaring cosmic delight with a gentle chugging bass line propelling the floor friendly groove. Ichisan opts for a more electro boogie feel on "Rear Window," a slap bass odyssey with some exceptional synth stab action. Two masterful remixes round off a typically fine Under The Shade release. The Off Key Hat gets tweaked out on acid on their take of "Magnetic Field" whereas DFA dude Walter Jones goes for the deep chug with glorious dubbed out synths.

Review: Slovenian duo, Ichisan & Nakova drop their debut full length on Greg Wilson's Nang imprint. On Yugo Tempo, the duo infuse the sounds of modern electronic disco with the melodies and rhythms they found in the more traditional music genres that surrounded them in their youth. Merging the disciplines of wonky, ethnic and Balearic disco into one record, we hear indigenous melodies, Tarantino-esque guitar lines and aluminium suitcases full of atmosphere. A curious yet wholly entertaining work from the duo, this debut album is well worth checking out whatever your musical preference.

Review: Given that they released their first 12" nearly 20 years ago, it's somewhat surprising to find that Cellar Door is the Idjut Boys first "proper" album of original material. There have, of course, been other albums - a 2002 collaboration with Quakerman on Glasgow Underground, 2009's Rune Lindbeak hook-up as Meanderthals (on which they were rumoured to have done most of the work) and a string of typically dubbed-out disco re-edit collections (Phantom Slasher, Noid etc) - but nothing that could be called a definitive Idjuts album. Cellar Door, then, should perhaps be seen as a neat bonus rather than the culmination of a career that has stuttered between sublime brilliance and aloof eccentricity. Listened to on those terms, it's even better than you'd expect. First of all, it's a proper album in the old fashioned sense. Clocking in at under 40 minutes - like many of the greatest albums of the vinyl era - it shimmers with Balearic intent. Heady and intoxicating on one hand, sweet and country-tinged on the other, it's a grown up, radio-friendly set that should please those with a penchant for glistening Balearica. Recommended.

Review: There's been a lot of online chatter about this single-track salvo from everyone's favourite dubwise disco duo, and with good reason. Penned as a tribute to sadly-departed deep house legend Kenny Hawkes, it shows the Idjuts at their chugging, slo-mo best - all dubbed-out electrofunk synths, bubbling clav, clipped disco guitars, vaguely Balearic bottom end and, most thrillingly of all, delicious piano flourishes from Norwegian jazz type Bugge Wesseltoft. It's the piano - a rousing, bluesy concoction designed to tease and tantalize - that makes the track, taking it to heady levels of blissfulness. If the rest of the Idjuts forthcoming LP is this good, we're in for a treat.