INLAND KNIGHTS 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: REPRESS ALERT!: Drop Music marks a marvellous quarter of a century of releases with this new slab of vinyl featuring some gems from disco funksters Crazy P and the house mainstays Inland Knights. Crazy P go first with 'Disc Odyssey' which is perfectly indicative of their much beloved sound with its low slung kicks and funky bassline. Inland Knights then offer a trio of in demand & unreleased tracks. 'Overnight' is a bumming deep house joint, 'Walk On' has an icy late night vibe and balmy pads and 'Do It Again is a more playful closer, with some killer b-line action. All four, needless to say, are timeless gems, and the fact the last two are appearing on vinyl first the first time makes it an even more desirable cop.

Review: Drop Music marks a quarter of a century of reliable and ever-on-point sounds with a special series of EPs that embodies what it has always been about and offers up both classics and never-before-released tunes. This one kicks off with 'Make A Move' which is chunky low-slung tech. It unfolds at a relatively slow tempo but that gives the fat acid gurgles time to really hit. Inland Knights then serves up the next three cuts, starting with the bass bin bothering sounds of 'Push It', the more silky tech loops of 'Long Time' and the vocal-laced acid-tech swagger of 'Same Talk.' Here's to the next 25 years.

Review: Those of a certain age will recognise Inland Knights; during the 1990s and 2000s they headed up the UK deep house wave associated with the Smokescreen and DIY free party crews. Although the duo (Andy Riley and Laurence Richie) have continued to DJ, their releases have been few and far between in recent years. In fact, the aptly named Revive EP marks their first outing on vinyl since 2017. Opener 'Slummin' It' is loopy and trippy, with excellent use of cut-up r&b vocal samples, while 'The Game' is a chunky, bass-heavy and jazz-flecked workout of the sort they ysed to turn out for fun at the turn of the millennium. On side B, we get two versions of 'Deep In': their pleasingly sleazy, druggy and analogue-rich original mix (a proper five-in-the-morning workout), and a more musically expansive (but no less trippy) Jake Childs remix.

Review: The Frosted label is back with more brilliance from Inland Knights in the form of this newly remastered version of the classic 'Figure It Out.' It was first put out back in 2013 as the first release on the label and remains a vital tune from the British pair. On the flip, Mark Farina is one of those hallowed producers who always has his own unique sonic signature, most famously under his Mushroom Jazz alias. His edit brings plenty of depth and broken beat lushness with noodling guitar riffs and spoken words making it a backroom gem.