Collection: New Releases

** Repress of the reIssue ** Ooh if there's ever a deep house history lesson wrapped up in a 12" then it's this reissued Stomp The Beat EP from Gherkin Jerks aka the master Larry Heard. The Gherkin Jerks project originally surfaced back in 1988 with this 12" on the Chicago based Gherkin Records label, released anonymously at the request of Heard himself who viewed the Gherkin Jerks material as a creative experiment. Later revealed as the work of Larry Heard, original copies of Stomp The Beat rack up a pretty penny on Discogs so it's good work all round that the producer's Alleviated Records label has teamed up with Clone to release a digitally enhanced version. From the mind bending stereo panning of opening track "Don't Dis The Beat" it's easy to see why the Gherkin Jerks material has been so widely praised - Jamal Moss is a big fan - whilst the general off-key melodics and tough 909 arrangements of what follows still sound futuristic some 15 years on.

Those Sound Metaphors guys are always digging out archival material from hidden corners of dance music history, and they've done it once again with this incredible holy grail for any devotees of the Balearic sound. Leo Mas attained legendary status DJing at Amnesia in Ibiza in the 80s alongside Alfredo, and in the early 90s he was exploring production with a variety of collaborators. Having entered the studio with Italian musician Sergio Portaluri in 1993, Mas sat on the resulting DATs for 30 years until they finally got unearthed as the heads-down, rolling breakbeat house stunners they are. Just to give things a modern twist for those who require it, there's also a remix on this 12' from Apiento.

Kalita are proud to present the first ever reissue of Papa Yankson's highly sought-after 1989 disco-infused highlife masterpiece 'Party Time'! Showcasing the late Ghanaian superstar at his very best, 'Party Time' encapsulates the blending of deep, rhythmic West African highlife with synthesizers and electronic styles that had exploded during the decade. Now, thirty-five years after initial release and with original copies having reached grail status on the second-hand collector's scene, Kalita brings this phenomenal record back to life, with extensive liner notes detailing Papa Yankson's musical career.

'Maledetta Quella Notte' is the first EP by Il Mago del Gelato, a new band from Milan (IT) with a strong Mediterranean imprint. This first album of theirs runs through funk, afrobeat and jazz; all the divergent strands make up the project, later convergent and blending in a nigh-perfect balance. Warm, watery, jazz-futuristic and easy on the ears, it's all held together by the uniquely Milanese fusion of vocoder, percussion, 80s synths, and roots guitars.

intriguingly named Kalahari Oyster Cult deals in music that is just as interesting and this new album from OK EG is no exception to that. Rivulets manages to be both perfectly designed for an indelible impact in the club, but is also nuanced and detailed enough to work in headphones in a range of other settings. It's minimal in design but never cold and abstract - the synths are warm, the drums rubbery, the rhythms lovely and compelling. 'Circular Arc' for example is bumpy and bouncy with a killer bassline, 'Matched Grip' is melon-twisting halftime brilliance and 'Endless River' is a super deep and silky jungle workout drenched in soulful vocal swirls.

NYC experimental producer Neud Photo is up next on EYA's Lonewolf series with a killer five-tracker, 'Echoes'. The EP brilliantly oscillates between various inspirations with a strong machine sound, making for an incredible and haunting journey into electro, new beat, minimal and techno. Beginning with a bang on the compellingly haunting, riveting 'Replica', we hear myriad cowbells, FM "ow"s, and future-gothic vocal samples abound; the track harks deeper dancefloor explorations to come, from the entrancing call-and-response, push-pull structure of 'Lotus Eaters' to the brittler, rippling, more skeletal coldwave closer 'Flash Pressure'.

Tofistock roster member Myki delivers a hat-trick of heaters on their latest and greatest EP yet, 'Eamu'. Whipping up a rave-thunderstorm on the A-sider, 'EEE' is filled with juggling rhythms, crunchy stabs, and silkily sneaky basslines. The elegantly rude B-side, 'AAA', meanwhile, hears samples from the timeless 'UFO' by ESG, not to mention the artist's own masterful trademarks. This boutique toolpack is an essential firestarter and the first in Tofistock's new "sense-floor" dance series.

The superb Craigie Knowles label is often a place to check out some mad fresh electro but for this one, it welcomes Primitive Needs who head off down a progressive techno trip that will remind you of the 90s even if you didn't experience them the first time around. On opener 'Mesomorph' the drum programming is fresh and slick and the synths are searching, as they spray about the mix with a hint of old-school video game charm. 'Rhizome' rides on high-speed tech drums that are coloured by the warped lines and stabs that peel off them constantly. There is a kinetic bounce to 'Hypha Dose' that will make any floor step things up a notch and 'Desert Power' closes with real soulful urgency and hints of trance magic.