VA - Planet Mu 30

“Planet Mu 30” offers an exhilarating snapshot of Mike Paradinas' pioneering label in 2025. Planet Mu continues to carve its own unique and exciting path, proving that electronic music remains some of the most intriguing and challenging work today, always slightly outside the relentless churn of the dance music industry. It's a fleet-footed label whose artists look towards the future; yet echoes of Planet Mu’s past—ranging from jungle, dubstep and glitchy hip-hop to banging techno, electronica and breakcore—still resonate through its new generation of talent.

The compilation features fresh material from familiar names like Venetian Snares, Luke Vibert, Ital Tek and FaltyDL as well as Mike Paradinas himself as µ-Ziq, which sit alongside the 160bpm footwork artists that Planet Mu has successfully nurtured, including Jlin, Traxman, DJ Manny, RP Boo, Jana Rush and Elmoe. On the other hand, newer artists like Nondi_, Rian Treanor, Xylitol, Saint Abdullah and Eomac, DJ Girl and Speaker Music have recently contributed some of the label’s most exciting music. The compilation also teases unreleased music from fresh additions to the roster, including Nik Colk Void, Rev, BAE BAE, Ship Sket, Slikback, and James Krivchenia. It’s an exciting time to be listening to Planet Mu in 2025.

Tracklist:
1. Jlin - B12
2. Venetian Snares - Drums
3. Traxman - Ace Boogie
4. Nondi_ - Worrygirl
5. FaltyDL - Usually I'm Cautious
6. Rev - Mind Game
7. Bae Bae - Living In The Memory
8. Ship Sket - Dysentery
9. Slikback - Foli
10. µ-ziq - Imperial Crescent VIP
11. RP Boo - No Return 2
12. Dj Manny - Smooth Jungle
13. Saint Abdullah & Eomac & Lair - Victorian All-Rounder
14. Nik Colk Void - A Tough Design
15. DJ Elmoe - Battle Zone
16. Meemo Comma - Stillness Of Man
17. Herva - Kuna
18. Xylitol - Nevada
19. Ital Tek - Heat Seeker
20. Speaker Music - Sonological Hubris
21. Jana Rush - Cruisin' On Lake Shore Drive
22. DJ Girl - Bonito Applebum
23. Luke Vibert - Bullet Drop
24. James Krivchenia & Sam Wilkes - Quantum Flirt
25. Rian Treanor - Another Future Is Impossible

VA - Sean McCabe presents Dub-Vibrations Vol. 2

Sean McCabe presents his second instalment of the Dub-Vibrations series, which strips things right back and lets the groove do the talking. This time around with 17 sumptuous slices of soulful, deep goodness.

Alongside 4 brand new retakes exclusive for this compilation from Black Sonix, Rob Redford, QB Smith and Motion Severn, there’s also the perfect chance to dip back into the ever expanding but never compromising GV catalogue. With dancefloor favourites from the likes of Groove Assassin, Jovonn, Mike City, Solution, Harold Matthews Jr and David Bailey taking centre stage once more and putting the spotlight on the deeper, dubbier sound.

Tracklist:
1. Sean McCabe, Black Sonix & The Matsiko World Orphan Choir – Rise [Black Sonix Dub]
2. Missfly & David Bailey – Baby Don't Make Me Wait [Rob Redford's X-Trax Dub]
3. Sean McCabe, DJ Mixjah & Madeeha Mubarak – Still Standing Here feat. DJ Mixjah [QB's Still Strong Still Here Dub]
4. Lem Springsteen & Vocalzbyjamelle – Falling [Motion Severn Dub]
5. Sean McCabe & Ellis Aaron – Got It Bad [Sean McCabe Dub]
6. Sean McCabe & Black Sonix – Modulate
7. Motion Severn – My Way
8. Sean McCabe & Carla Prather – Here For It [Sean's Raw Vibe Dub Mix]
9. Black Sonix & Harold Matthews Jr – Deep Into My Sleep [Black Sonix Dub]
10. Missfly & David Bailey – You Don't Know [Jovonn BnD Organ Instrumental]
11. Sean McCabe, Hannah Khemoh & Black Sonix – Queen [Sean McCabe and Black Sonix Old School Dub]
12. Groove Assassin, Mike City & The Journey Men – For The Culture [Groove Assassin Vocal Dub Remix]
13. Sean McCabe – Wanna Be Good
14. Sean McCabe & Black Sonix – Danny's Jam [Sean McCabe Moody Dub]
15. DJ Fill, Syl Messi & Harold Matthews Jr – Pause feat. Syl Messi [Sean McCabe Dub Remix]
16. Solution & Tafuri – Was It Just A Game? feat. Tafuri [Motion Severn Remix]
17. Sean McCabe & Mike City – Do That [Sean's Do Dat Dub]

Surprise Chef - Superb

Australia’s world-renowned cinematic soul outfit Surprise Chef return with new album Superb. A record that represents a change in their creative approach and turns up the heat in their music. Trading in their meticulous writing and recording techniques for a looser and less planned approach with the intentions of bringing more levity to the process, and it comes through in spades. The high caliber musicianship is still front and center, but they push their sound into a more energetic and fun place on this album.

Album opener “Sleep Dreams” is the closest thing to a Surprise Chef tune one would come to expect, but then lead single “Bully Ball” comes on and you get the picture that they came to kick in the door on this one. The song’s gritty drums thunder through the speakers and get covered with percussion, keys, bass, and guitar chanks that stay in the pocket and bring the funk with them. The band pushes the boundaries of arrangement with tunes like “Body Slam” that starts off like a sweet soul track then pulls a 180, turning dark and haunting, centering on a sound they created by tucking a timpani into a bathroom two doors down from the mixing board. That same sense of experimentation comes up again on “Fare Evader” where they pepper another neck breaking rhythm track with synth notes that sound like robot sound effects from a 70s sci-fi film. The fellas turn up the tempo for the dance with tunes like “Consulate Case” and “Tag Dag”; the former pulling influence from afro-funk and the latter from jazz-funk. They take us deep into the beautiful world of Surprise Chef ballads on “Websites” and double down on their abilities to make beautiful and ethereal tracks with “Dreamer’s Disease”.

With their new album Superb, their new approach, and plans to tour the world, we are about to see Surprise Chef take the step from the underground’s most beloved to a household name and we are definitely here for it.

Tracklist:
1. Sleep Dreams
2. Bully Ball
3. Body Slam
4. Consulate Case
5. Dangerous
6. Websites
7. Fare Evader
8. Tag Dag
9. Plumb Tuckered
10. Dreamer's Disease
11. Slippery Dip

André 3000 - 7 Piano Sketches

"warning: no bars



These piano sketches are improvisations. To conjure them up, I spread my fingers out on the keys and randomly but with purpose move them around until I find something that feels good or interesting. If it feels really good I will try to repeat it. I cannot name which notes, keys or chords that I’m playing. I simply like the sound and mechanics of piano playing. Some of my favorite piano music composers and players that inspire me are Thelonious Monk, McCoy Tyner, Philip Glass, Stephen Sondheim, Joni Mitchell and Vince Guaraldi. 



These piano pieces weren’t recorded with the intention of presenting them in any formal way to the public. They were personal, at home recordings. I would sometimes text them to my family and friends.



Pardon the sound quality, they were all recorded with my iPhone sitting directly on the piano or my laptop microphone with the exception of ‘Blueberries’. (recorded in studio)



Most of these were recorded in Texas. The house my son and I were renting had no furniture at all. Only a piano, our beds and tv screens.



This collection of songs was recorded almost a decade before New Blue Sun. The original title for it was ‘The Best Worst Rap Album In History’ and here is an excerpt from the original liner notes. 



“It’s jokingly the worst rap album in history because there are no lyrics on it at all. It’s the best because it’s the free-est emotionally and best I’ve felt personally. It’s the best because it’s like a palette cleanser for me.”



Tracklist:
1. Bluffing in the Snow
2. And Then One Day You'll ...
3. When You're a Ant and You Wake Up in an Awesome Mood, About to Drive Your Son to School, Only to Discover That You Left the Lights on in the Car Last Night So Your Battery Is Drained
4. Hotel Lobby Pianos
5. Blueberry Mansions
6. Off Rhythm Laughter
7. I Spend All Day Waiting for the Night

Phill Most Chill & DJ MROK - I'm (Volume One & Volume Two)

I'm Volume One:
1. Beat Y'all
2. Tunin' You Out
3. Speed Equation
4. Name Search (Find-The-Rapper Name Game)
5. Or So They Say (I Don't Really Know)
6. Enemy
7. I'm
8. Beat Y'all (Instrumental)
9. Tunin' You Out (Instrumental)
10. Speed Equation (Instrumental)
11. Name Search (Find-The-Rapper Name Game) (Instrumental)
12. Or So They Say (I Don't Really Know) (Instrumental)
13. Enemy (Instrumental)
14. I'm (Instrumental)

I'm Volume Two:
1. And That's Sayin' a Lot
2. Tunin' You Out (Static Pressure Remix)
3. I'm (Rap Past, Present & Future Remix)
4. Distance Over Time (Speed Equation 2)
5. Name Search (Let's Play a Game Remix)
6. Enemy (Whut Goes On?! Remix)
7. Bring It On (Outro)
8. And That's Sayin' a Lot (Instrumental)
9. Tunin' You Out (Static Pressure Remix Instrumental)
10. I'm (Rap Past, Present & Future Remix Instrumental)
11. Distance Over Time (Speed Equation 2) (Instrumental)
12. Name Search (Let's Play a Game Remix Instrumental)
13. Enemy (Whut Goes On?! Remix Instrumental)
14. Bring It On (Outro) (Instrumental)

Don Glori - Paper Can't Wrap Fire

Mr Bongo proudly presents the third album by Melbourne/Naarm multi-instrumentalist, Don Glori, entitled ‘Paper Can’t Wrap Fire’. A kaleidoscopic genre-surfing odyssey that brings together the worlds of jazz, soul and funk. Feeling both contemporary and classic, familiar yet novel, it’s an assured third release that sees an artist in full flight, showcasing their creative prowess and the uniqueness of their musical voice.

Steering in a new direction, Don Glori (aka Gordon Li) has delved headfirst into his songwriting with ‘Paper Can’t Wrap Fire’. Deftly showcasing his talents as a writer and bandleader, he brings with him a whole host of friends from the creative crossroads that is Naarm. It’s an album enriched with more soul, R&B, and funk-oriented songs than his previous jazz-rooted productions, yet there’s still plenty of jazz material for those familiar fans of Don's earlier works.

The album’s title is an old Chinese proverb, roughly translated as 'you can’t deny the truth'. This underlying thread is woven between the songs. “A lot of them are in some way about truth-seeking, observations and the masks you put on to deal with life (hence the cover art)”, Don mentions. Take, for instance, the sensational soul single 'Brown Eyes' featuring silky lead vocals by ML Hall. A dissection of the minority experience, and the power and comfort in building those communities. Elsewhere, 'Disaster' is a satirical take on the structures serving everyone but the artists, and 'Flicker' tackles notations of truth and clarity after introspection.

To marry that meaning with the level of musicianship on these tracks is what really stands out. Don has set out his stall here as an artist who can write songs that hit home in the heart, as much as they do in the head. It’s a journey infused with a glistening jazz finesse, layered with nourishing vocal harmonies and powered by an instantly relatable human soul.

Recorded over two hot summer days in Rolling Stock Studios in Collingwood, Naarm, the lineup of musicians is built up of Don's friends and family. Featuring the backbone team of Tim Cox, Al Kennedy, Joel Trigg, Robyn Cummins and Lachlan Thompson, who were part of Don's touring band before he relocated to London, and a stunning selection of vocalists in the form of ML Hall, Ruby Dargaville, Isadora Lauritz, and Bianca Kyriacou. Also gracing the album are trumpeter extraordinaire Audrey Powne, saxophonist Joshua Moshe, and Alcides Neto who sprinkles some Brazilian magic into the record.

Taking influence from artists including Azymuth, SAULT, Jordan Rakei and Lynda Dawn, as well as from London musical beacons such as NTS and Total Refreshment Centre, Don has run with this, leaned in and come out with a record truly unique to himself and his distinctive core, with no mask necessary.

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia.

Tracklist:
1. Disaster
2. Brown Eyes
3. Flicker
4. Janet
5. Song for Ants
6. Power
7. Precious
8. Ron Song
9. Saturn's Return

Jazzanova - In Between Revisited: Jazzanova Live (Little Big Beat Studio Live Session)

Celebrate 20 years of Jazzanova’s groundbreaking debut album In Between with this stunning live reinterpretation. Recorded at Little Big Beat Studios, the Jazzanova Live Band breathes fresh energy into timeless tracks like That Night, No Use, and Days To Come. This performance seamlessly blends the album’s sample-based origins with the vibrancy of live music. A must-have for fans of jazz, soul, and electronic fusion.

“In Between became a defining moment—not just for Jazzanova, but for a burgeoning sound that fused jazz, soul, electronic, and broken beat,” the collective reflects. “Two decades later, we’ve revisited this milestone with the Jazzanova Live Band, a group that has been touring the world for 15 years, captivating audiences with its dynamic blend of precision and improvisation.”

A little over twenty years ago, groundbreaking Berlin collective Jazzanova released their debut studio album, In Between. This album not only set a benchmark for what would come to be known as nu jazz but also encapsulated the ethos of Jazzanova: a collective whose music draws inspiration from the past while remaining firmly grounded in the future.

When In Between was released in 2002, it reflected the influences that had shaped the group since the mid-1990s—a seamless blend of jazz, soul, broken beat, and electronic music, brought to life by producers Stefan Leisering and Axel Reinemer, alongside DJs Alex Barck, Claas Brieler, and Jürgen von Knoblauch. Created as a studio concept, it was never intended to be performed live. That changed in 2008 with the formation of the Jazzanova Live Band, coinciding with their second studio album, Of All The Things.

Fifteen years and countless tours later, the Jazzanova Live Band has become a formidable force on the global live music scene. With their third album, The Pool (2018), they cemented their reputation for bridging the worlds of intricate studio production and live musicianship. Yet one lingering wish remained: to revisit their debut album, In Between, and reinterpret its original sample-based essence through the vibrancy of live performance.

In September 2024, this vision came to life. At the renowned Little Big Beat Studios in Liechtenstein, the Jazzanova Live Band performed In Between for the very first time in an intimate studio session in front of an audience. Captured on three analog multi-track tape machines and accompanied by a full video recording, this session reimagines the album with a fresh energy, combining samples and live instrumentation seamlessly.

The band is made up of Sebastian Borkowski on sax and flute; Stefan Ulrich on trombone and FX; Christoph Adams on keys and vocals; Jan Burkamp on drums; Christoph Bernewitz on guitar; Florian Menzel on trumpet; and Paul Kleber on bass, who also contributed live bass to the original 2002 recordings. Vocal performances were equally stellar, with Nigerian-born future soul artist Wayne Snow lending his signature sound to the reimagined club anthem That Night; seasoned vocalist Heen Maartens, AKA HEEN, showcasing his skills as a rapper on the percussive, horn-heavy The One-Tet; and longtime Jazzanova collaborator and erstwhile Sonar Kollektiv recording artist, Clara Hill, who returns to the classic No Use, delivering another lush, classy performance.

Elsewhere, the spine tingling introduction of L.O.V.E. and You & I illustrates from the get-go the perfectly blended combination of live musicianship and played samples that run throughout the album, from the staccato bass and drum workout of Mwela, Mwela (Here I Am) to the more laid back, trumpet led beauty of Place In Between / Cyclic and the assured and optimistic Another New Day. More dance floor inspired moments also translate perfectly into the live arena with the dynamic, club friendly Days To Come and a more organic version of the original album highlight, Dance The Dance, rounding off this ground-breaking recording.

In Between Revisited: Jazzanova Live celebrates a milestone as the collective breathes fresh life into their legacy, proving that great music transcends time and evolves with every listen.

Tracklist:
1. L.O.V.E. and You & I (Little Big Beat Studio Live Session)
2. No Use (Little Big Beat Studio Live Session)
3. The One-Tet / Fade Out (Little Big Beat Studio Live Session)
4. Mwela, Mwela (Here I Am) (Little Big Beat Studio Live Session)
5. Place in Between / Cyclic (Little Big Beat Studio Live Session)
6. Another New Day (Little Big Beat Studio Live Session)
7. Days to Come (Little Big Beat Studio Live Session)
8. That Night (Little Big Beat Studio Live Session)
9. Dance the Dance (Little Big Beat Studio Live Session)

Billy Woods - GOLLIWOG

GOLLIWOG is billy woods’ first album in two years, preceded by 2023’s Maps, his second collaboration with producer Kenny Segal. That nimble travelogue has little in common with woods’ newest work, despite the fact that Segal shows up a couple times in the credits. GOLLIWOG is a haunting collection that weaves horror, humor, surrealism and Afropessimism into a cinematic tapestry, aided and abetted by a murderer’s row of producers. African zombies, time traveling trap cars, malevolent ragdolls and a dying Frantz Fanon are just a few of the revelers in woods’ danse macabre.

GOLLIWOG features production from The Alchemist, Kenny Segal, EL-P, Conductor Williams, Preservation, Messiah Musik, Sadhugold, Ant (Atmosphere), Shabaka Hutchings, Steel Tipped Dove, DJ Haram, Willie Green, Jeff Markey, Saint Abdullah, and LA-based experimental jazz trio Human Error Club. Meanwhile, woods is joined on the mic by Backwoodz labelmates ELUCID and Cavalier, along with rappers Bruiser Wolf, Despot, Al.Divino, and singer-songwriter Yolanda Watson.

GOLLIWOG is another triumph in the woods oeuvre, as layered and compelling as anything he has ever done. A black carnival pitched in a muddy field overnight, empty rides whirring and clattering in the dark.

Tracklist:
1. Jumpscare (feat. Steel Tipped Dove)
2. STAR87 (feat. Conductor Williams)
3. Misery (feat. Kenny Segal)
4. BLK XMAS (feat. Bruiser Wolf & Sadhugold)
5. Waterproof Mascara (feat. Preservation)
6. Counterclockwise (feat. The Alchemist)
7. Corinthians (feat. Despot & El-P)
8. Pitchforks & Halos (feat. Kenny Segal)
9. All These Worlds Are Yours (feat. E L U C I D, DJ Haram, & Shabaka Hutchings)
10. Maquiladoras (feat. Al.Divino & Saint Abdullah)
11. A Doll Fulla Pins (feat. Yolanda Watson, Jeff Markey, & Messiah Musik)
12. Golgotha (feat. Messiah Musik)
13. Cold Sweat (feat. Ant)
14. BLK ZMBY (feat. Steel Tipped Dove)
15. Make No Mistake (feat. Messiah Musik)
16. Born Alone (feat. Kenny Segal)
17. Lead Paint Test (feat. E L U C I D, Cavalier, & Willie Green)
18. Dislocated (feat. E L U C I D & HUMAN ERROR CLUB)

Flevans - The Foundation

'The Foundation' is the 10th studio album from south-coast producer Flevans. Starting life as a beat tape, it soon became an obvious contender for a full album release - The title comes from the album being the first major release on his own Nearby Bear Recordings imprint, setting the foundations for the next chapter of his already well established music career. 'The Foundation' covers all of the bases you'd expect from a Flevans release - from blissful downtempo, to party funk and disco, it's all there. Dive in and enjoy!

Tracklist:
1. What's Your Name?
2. Go Dancing
3. The Only Time
4. Glory or Pain
5. Wrap Up
6. Untrue
7. Forever
8. Your Star Will Shine
9. Feel so Good
10. The Fool
11. The Foundation
12. Lookin' at You
13. Static