One of the proudest moments of the New York Latin underground – a time when some of its best players wound up playing for Columbia, through a brief affiliation between Fania and the larger label! And although you might think that the album would totally sell out the group's best points, it's actually a great batch of cuts that mixes the All-Stars' strong salsa and jazz grooves with some nice club-oriented rhythms – a blend that was perfect to show the growing sophistication of the Nuyorican scene in the late 70s! All the right touches are still strongly in place – and the record features work from Pacheco, Roberto Roena, Mongo Santamaria, and Louie Ramirez, as well as guests Bob James and Eric Gale. Titles include "En Orbita", "Awake", "Juan Pachanga", "Steady", "Jubileo", and "Ella Fue". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary look at the sounds of Puerto Rico – one that brings together tracks from a time when the island was really hopping with fresh new rhythms, served up by a host of young, soon to be important leaders – music that's every bit as powerful as work coming from Havana and New York at the time! The rhythms here are slightly different – with some bomba and plena thrown into the mix, served up with plenty of percussion too – all at a level that would have a huge influence on Latin music for decades to come! The package features detailed notes that provide the sort of background and information that some of the leaner Latin reissues of previous years never had – and titles include "Cortaron a Elena" by Cortijo (as Canario & Su Grupo con Raful), "En Orbita" by Baltazar Carrero, "Habla Cuembre" by Los Caballeros Del Ritmo, "El Plenero" by Mon Rivera Y Su Orquesta, "Dejalo Que Suba" by by Cortijo (as Canario & Su Grupo con Raful), "Belinda" by Chivirico, "Cucala" by Cortijo Y Su Combo con Ismael Rivera, and "Ron Con Coco" by Mon Rivera Y Su Orquesta. 30 tracks in all! LP, Vinyl record album

Maggot Brain has a three-part feature on master archivist and freewheeling creative soul Harry Smith in this issue – with a fresh look at the continuing impact of his Anthology Of American Folk Music, an interview with his biographer John Szwed, and lots more – and they even found a previously unseen photo of the man himself for the cover, taken by Allen Ginsberg, one of the many Beat legends he inspired! It's a jam-packed issue too all around, with pieces on the recently departed Sixto Rodriguez and Pee Wee Herman, Lou Reed, Cat Power, Boygenius, a cool round-up review of cassettes, Orbital and more – with great photos & illustrations throughout! Magazine

Tracks from A Guy Called Gerald, Rhythim Is Rhythim, Phuture, Tyree, Last Rhythm, Jam & Spoon, The Sabres Of Paradise, Sueno Latino, Divine Works, D*Note, Orbital, Electra, and more. CD

Music from 808 State, Electribe 101, Underworld, Hardfloor, Leftfield, Empirion, Rhythim Is Rhythim, Capricorn, Orbital, Green Velvet, LTJ Bukem, and more. CD

Includes music by Faze-O, Deodato, Chic, Slave, Chaka Khan, Neal Howard, LFO, Soft House Company, Dillinja, Orbital, Calibre, Jaheim, and Tronikhouse. CD

A great combination of remixes old and new – a set that features some of the 12" single remixes of Kraftwerk tracks from the early 80s onward, plus some new mixes by the group themselves – more than enough to make the album a great testament to their electronic genius, and the impact they've had on other artists and producers over the decades! Despite the range of work, there's a nicely unified vibe – maybe in part because Kraftwerk were always years ahead of their time – so that the current cuts resonate nicely with the forward-thinking ones from years back. Titles include "Home Computer (2021 single edit)", "Expo Remix (Francois K & Rob Rives mix)", "Radioactivity (William Orbit hardcore rmx Kling Klang edit)", "Robotronik (Kling Klang mix)", "Expo Remix (DJ Rolando mix)", "Aero Dynamik (Kling Klang dynamix)", "La Forme (king of the mountains mix by Hot Chip)", "Tour De France (etape 2)", "Expo Remix (Orbital mix)", "Radioactivity (Francois Kevorkian 12" remix)", "Non Stop", "Robotnik (Kling Klang mix)", and "Aero Dynamik (Alex Gopher/Etienne De Crecy dynamik mix)". LP, Vinyl record album