If you were quick off the mark you will already have the USB version of this release – which came fully loaded with a whole host of tracks, video’s, radio shows and loads more – and that will now have updated to include the music on this, equally fine, album. If you can still track down the USB stick do so as it will also be adding even more content over the coming months (including, amongst other things, remixes and access to live video streams from Carl’s gigs), if you're not happy with new fangled jiggery pokery you should just pick up this strong collection of Cox's patented House, Dubstep, Drum & Bass, Latin and Techno floorfillers.
Drew Bass

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For those of you that miss the days when music was heavy, psychedelic and played at full tilt, or those that seldom pick anything but worn Spirit, Mountain and Blue Cheer albums from their dog eared collection then chances are you are going to want to skin up and bliss out to this little beauty. Sounding exactly like some dusty old reel of tape unearthed from a recently demolished San Francisco recording studio The Great Escape…, The third, and definitely best thus far, album by Iowa based trio Radio Moscow makes no pretence of being anything other than a proud throwback to blistering psyched out blues rock.
Ruby Palmer

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It always seemed the least likely of pairings (although the resultant music proved this to be an erroneous assumption) but the improvisational works of the young upstart London based DJ and the far older American jazz drumming legend proved to be terrific, working because of, rather than despite, their differences. Sadly Reid is no longer with us but this six track jam with experimental sax player Mats Gustafsson is a worthy epitaph fusing Hebden’s kosmiche keyboards, Reid’s polyrhythmic blatter and Gustavsons alarming squalls, as what could have become brain numbing noodling stretches out into some spectacular flights of fancy.
Paul Riley

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Something of a lengthy gestation period preceded the birth of Passing Place, another of Ninja Tune’s little gems, pitched somewhere between The Cinematic Orchestra, the Third Eye Foundation and Jaga Jazzist Loka’s Mark Kyriacou and Co. apparently began work on this way back in 2008 before decamping to Thighpaulsandra’s Aeriel Studios to help bring all the strands together, and add possibly the most important missing ingredient, the magnificent Seindorf Beaumaris Brass Band (more brass bands in pop music please). Immaculately constructed this is uneasy listening of the finest sort, a bit like James Last on magic mushroooms.
Ruby Palmer

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It’s perhaps no surprise to learn that this, decidedly old school, early Genesis styled prog-rock outing by Swedes Agents Of Mercy is on the Foxtrot Label. The brainchild of Flower Kings guitarist Roine Stolt - the Swedish Steven Wilson, with more side projects than the Indian god Kali – Agents Of Mercy make no apologies for looking to the past musically and judging by these results neither should they. If you feel your music world ground to an ignominious halt in the late seventies and bands like Genesis, Family, Yes and Jethro Tull had already delivered their masterpieces then this is definitely for you.
Ray Harper

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As is often the case in dance music this link-up between Leeds-based dubstep producers Ryan ‘Jack Sparrow’ Gath and Dom ‘Ruckspin’ Howard is likely to last as long as the vibe they are riding continues to inspire them to create more, and in the fast moving dubstep scene this could just as easily be the only thing that ever surfaces under the Author moniker, which would be a crying shame as their eponymously titled debut is chock full of wonderfully atmospheric, moody cuts. Think Burial but far more widescreen, jazzy and less claustrophobically urban, possibly the dubstep release of 2011 in fact.
Drew Bass

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As indeed young Saul Hudson was - raised by his dad his Grandma and his Grandpa in Stoke before decamping to the US when he was five - this live set draws from his entire repertoire including G'n'R, Velvet Revolver and solo material and is available in 2xCD DVD and Blu-ray versions, proving young Mr Hudson, aside from having an unruly thatch of curls and a nifty line in titfers is actually a rather fine guitarist – check out the ‘Godfather Solo’ section for nimble finger-work that is easily the equal of all your Via’s, Satriani’s and Halens’ and the closing half dozen numbers leave you wishing you were actually there on the night.
Ray Harper

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Chances are that as we’re just picking up on Chicago Footwork in Europe (itself a move on from Chicago Juke and Ghetto House) the scene in Chicago will already be looking for the next thing which, let’s face it, is the beauty of underground dance music. Including a couple of skewed house cut’s from scene leader R.P. Boo and encompasses a gloriously wide remit from DJ T-Why’s skittering glitched up Richie Hawtin to Young Smoke’s string driven whirligig take on ambient Aphex Twin, Planet Mu’s Mike Paradinas has once again proved that he has one of the most open sets of ears on the dance scene.
Drew Bass

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Whether or not you will be hoping santa pops a copy of this in your sock for xmas will depend very much on whether your musical taste is for symphonic metal or not - check your record collection, is there any Gamma Ray, Nightwish or Helloween to be found? Then you’re gonna want to check this out. For the uninitiated symphonic metal is a sort of everything but the kitchen sink power metal and this selection of unreleased tracks and outtakes will certainly be lapped up by the faithful and includes cover versions of Rainbow’s ‘Kill The King’ and Judas Priests ‘Bloodstone’ alongside demo’s, live tracks and rare cuts.
Ray Harper

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Quite the most idiotically named of the numerous available idiotically named dance genres - see also Illbient, lowercase, doomcore, chillwave, hardbag and, our personal favourite, Skweee - you will find NQ (Nils Quak to his mum) in the IDM, or intelligent dance music, section of your record shop, if indeed you’re lucky enough to have access to such a thing anymore. Ignore the label because what you have here is a wonderfully atmospheric collection of twitchy ambience a lot of which was apparently produced whilst on long train rides between different cities to 'shut out the noises whilst watching things pass and resonate'.
Drew Bass

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You’re likely to be seeing rather a lot of Zooey Deschanel (one half of She & Him with prolific indie folker M Ward) in the new year, what with her new hit comedy series New Girl due on the goggle box in the UK in January and her starring role as notorious groupie Pamela Des Barres in HBO series I’m With The Band: Confessions Of A Groupie, but that is still to come, now we have this little xmas pressie form the band featuring a selection of Christmas songs aimed squarely at sound-tracking a cosy night in front of a roaring log fire, no huge surprises but an engaging enough way to chill out.
Raft Thong

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Deep House label Third Ear have been around for over a decade now but I’m guessing most of you, unless you’re a seasoned clubber, will not be aware of the vast majority of their output so this, their first ever, label compilation is a great way for the uninitiated to dip into the labels varied output. And varied is the word, the kicking off point for working with Third Ear may be House music but the many and multifarious paths House music now travel are ably outlined here and with tracks cherry picked from their entire catalogue it’s fascinating to see just how the genre, and the label, has developed over the years.
Drew Bass

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Part of a set of three re-released, re-mastered digipaks cherry picked from various points in Trower’s extensive career to date (the other two being 2005’s Another Day Blues and 1994’s 20th Century Blues), and whilst all three are well worth a listen if you only have deep enough pockets for the one we’d suggest What Lies Beneath as it’s the first time Trower himself can be found handling all vocal duties (think Mark Knoplfler meets JJ Cale) as well as trading in his beautifully bluesy trademark Hendrix-esque licks, but in truth any of the above albums would be welcomed by any fan of gutsy blues rock.
Raft Thong

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Certainly a band in the running for the most different line-ups Man, who are still around today, began life in the late 60’s, early 70’s and were an agreeably scrappy amalgam of West Coast psychedelia, prog, blues and what we would now call alt-country all of which styles can be found on this, mainly early seventies themed, collection of bootleg recordings. Be warned the sound quality is pretty average (aside from the last two discs recorded in 1984) and will really only appeal to Man fanatics, especially given the appearance of short lived Man member John Cippolina (of Quicksilver Messenger Service fame) on disc five.
Ray Harper

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