Our favourite vinyl releases of the week

Essential weekend listening.

This week’s rundown is by VF’s Kelly Doherty and contributors Annabelle Van Dort, Emily Hill and James Hammond.

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Various Artists

Virtual Dreams II: Ambient Explorations In The House & Techno Age, Japan 1993​-​1999

(Music From Memory)

Buy

Founded by Abel Nagengast, Tako Reyenga and Jamie Tiller, the Music From Memory label has been changing the game between their in-house and guest curation. The latest collection of music is their final – co-curated by the late Tiller and released a year after he sadly left us. Virtual Dreams II: Ambient Explorations In The House & Techno Age, Japan 1993 – 1999 is an eye openingly beautiful journey worth travelling on. – EH

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Japandroids

Fate & Alcohol

(Anti)

Buy

Japandroids close the curtains on a career of rabble-rousing alt-rock with their final record Fate & Alcohol. Their first since 2017’s Near to the Wild Heart of Life, this fourth album is a fitting summary of the romantic raucous sound they’ve developed to date. From the opening roaring chords of “Eye Contact High” to its end, Fate & Alcohol is custom-built for wistful singalongs and throwing your arms around your mates. Full-throttle fun from an unwavering force of ’10s indie rock. – KD

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Various Artists

Juyungo (Afro-Indigenous Music From The North-Western Andes)

(Honest Jons)

Buy

Following on from spellbinding collections that focused on the Caife label and artists from the Golden Era of Ecuadorean music, Honest Jons Records sets sights once again on the Andes and brings forth a stunning set that looks to the Afro-indigenous cultures of Equador’s Esmereldas province. Presenting works from a host of key Esmereldan musicians alongside older field recordings, Juyungo plays out as a vibrant narrative of intermingled marimba, guitar, pan pipe and environmental sound. As with the preceding editions this one’s another essential listen. – JH

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OK EG

Heatwave

(Midgar)

Buy

Heatwave comes in hot from Melbourne-based duo Lauren Squire and Matthew Wilson. A deeper sonic dive into the realms of techno trance and all of its layers, this is music that transcends to another dimension. The duo are known for their forward-thinking and immersive hardware-based live sets and this latest offering via Midgar Records, sees deep but trippy grooves whirl into the most satisfying and intricate techno. Perfect to take the listener into the beyond. – EH

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Giorgos Katsaros

Giorgos Katsaros

(Mississippi Records)

Buy

Pairing his distinctive twang on steel string guitar with tales of heartbreak and vice in the Greek rebetiko style, Giorgos Katsaros released a host of 78s to the Greek diaspora in the United States from the late 1920s onwards. Mississippi Records have done us a good turn here by gathering these 78s and cherry-picking ten key tracks for a lovingly remastered collection on vinyl. A fine way to celebrate Katsaros’ hypnotic songcraft. – JH

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Donald Byrd

Royal Flush

(Blue Note)

Buy

Up next in Blue Note’s Classic Vinyl series is an early hard-bop masterpiece from Donald Byrd, his 1962 album Royal Flush.  Byrd’s first ever recorded session at Blue Note, Royal Flush features a young Herbie Hancock on piano (making his second appearance on a Blue Note record), Billy Higgins on drums, Butch Warren on bass and Pepper Adams on saxophone, rounding off this stellar rhythm section.  An excellent prelude to game-changing Blue Note recordings to come, Royal Flush was a swinging step in the right direction for an ascendent Donald Byrd. – AVD