Collection: New Releases

When the original version of this two-tracker originally appeared in early 1993, CJ Bolland was at the peak of his powers, spearheading a new wave of Belgian techno producers associated with Ghent's soon-to-be-legendary R&S Records offshoot. His stock, and that of his contemporaries, has risen again in recent times - hence this useful reissue. 'Camargue' was, like the second track on this 12", co-produced by British producer (and Advent member) Cisco Ferreira. Rich in jumpy organ riffs, saucer-eyed motifs, sweeping synth-strings and bounding beats, it's tech-trance from a point when trance was not the commercial beast it would later become. Flip-side 'Tokyo' adds Japanese-influenced melodies and sparkling electronic motifs to a typically Belgian 'Hoover' bassline and storming techno beats. Like 'Camargue', it's breathlessly brilliant.

The reissue of Saada Bonaire's self-titled album on "Bone vinyl" by Captured Tracks taps into the growing thirst for rediscovered gems from the past. This project, which started as a pop-art experiment in Bremen in 1982, combines brittle synthpop and digital funk with Turkish and Kurdish folk influences, creating a unique cross-cultural fusion that still feels fresh today.

Bedford-based trio Zenana never made much of an impact when they were first active in the 1980s but have become the toast of the world's media following the rediscovery of their excellent, Italo and Hi-NRG-influenced 1986 synth-pop single, 'Witches', by crate diggers a couple of years back. Here that fine track, originally produced in terraced house in Cornwall by the brother of bandmember Anita Tedder, gets the reissue treatment on Rush Hour's RSS series - thanks, in no small part, to a new (but authentically 80s sounding) extended remix from long-established Bristol DJ/production duo Bedmo Disco. Their flipside 'Spell of Love' version strips back and stretches out the track, taking cues from NYC proto-house, Martin Rushent dubs and mid-80s Shep Pettibone remixes. It's the 12" dance mix the song never had first time round.

This release marks the return of a 1989 classic and it has been remastered for the occasion. Ace Buzz is a project by Tony Baron and Gery Francois, who are known for acts like Teknokrat's. Their track 'Moskitos' is a playful, raw example of Belgian New Beat with a slightly lighter touch than the genre's typical aggression. It features simple Balearic piano chords and samples that evoke a surreal scene of someone in a cheap, hot Ibiza hotel battling mosquitos. The B-side, 'Nuevo Mondo,' shifts to a deeper, more mellow vibe, and is followed by a remix from Anatolian Weapons that transforms the original into something entirely fresh and unique.

When Danilo 'MCDE' Plessow and Bobby van Putten established their Space Grapes label last year, it was their stated intention to present 'the best in contemporary live dance music'. What they meant, we suspect, was releases like this debut album from van Putten's Another Taste combo - a four-piece whose colourful and sonically authentic sound rooted in boogie, 80s electrofunk and obscure, private press disco. The results are undeniably impressive, sounding something like a long-lost album from 1983 - complete with kaleidoscopic synths, soulful vocals and killer basslines - of the kind that dusty-fingered crate diggers consider a 'holy grail'. Highlights include the Plessow co-produced boogie brilliance of 'Anything You Want' and the funky bassline driven mid-tempo disco-soul of 'Time Is On My Side'.

Seekers dropped the still superb album What He Does last year that laid out their cosmic house dub and techno visions in technicolour detail. That good work is continued here on their own self title label with the Ancient Lands EP which comes with marvellous artwork which, like the music, manages to be both ancient and ritualistic yet futuristic and exciting. Synth modulations ripple throughout the smooth techno surges of opener 'Metamorphic Frequencies' then 'Evanescens Punctum' is more zoned out and dubby. 'Ancient Lands' and 'Touch' are two more psychedelic dancefloor escapes of the highest order.

The Gospel According to Victor (TGAV) kicks off its inaugural transmission on wax with an EP of driving, timeless, yet modern house music from label-owner, Tro.

Inspired by a cryptic, otherworldly occurrence in Toronto in the summer of 2023, TGAV001 sees the enigmatic Berlin-based producer present the gospel of his musical sensibilities: four slices of dancefloor-oriented mind-music, seamlessly blending novel sound design techniques with hypnotic grooves reminiscent of 90s tech-house / minimal nostalgia.