June: 18 albums you need to hear this month

Saint Etienne 'Home Counties' (Heavenly)

“Pretty much everyone we grew up with was drawn to London,” observes St Etienne singer Sarah Cracknell on their fascination with the best city in the world – albeit from their original homes in Reigate (Pete Wiggs and Bob Stanley) and Old Windsor (Sarah). “It was a magnet.” Returning to the London imprint on which they released some of their most important music (‘Only Love Will Break Your Heart’, ‘Filthy’), they sound as assured as ever on ‘Home Counties’. On the dreamy ‘Whyteafe’, they discuss Crawley (!) and “the sweet municipal dream” while ‘Dive’, ‘Heather’ and ‘Unopened Fan Mail’ are up their with their best. Suburbia, it transpires, is a place that should mainly live in the memory. Ralph Moore

8/10

Wilkinson 'Hypnotic' (Ram/Virgin EMI)

Fast outstripping Sub Focus and even Chase & Status as Ram’s most successful underground-to-stadium d‘n’b venture yet, Wilkinson can sell out Camden’s Roundhouse, remix Ed Sheeran and knock out radio-chomping top-lines before breakfast. Presumably, then, card-carrying junglists wouldn’t spit on his second album, right? Not quite: amid the anthemic vocals and array of tempos – cut-up dubsteppy electro croonings on ‘Take Us Home’; half-time shimmer-pop on ‘Wash Away’ – he keeps a ludicrous amount of plates spinning, even going all ruffneck wonky on ‘Brand New’. Taking Fred V & Grafix and TC on tour tells a story: the boy may have gone stratospheric, but his roots in the rumbling bassline murk go deep. Ewen Cook

7/10

Nuage 'WILD' (Project: Mooncircle)

The winters in Dmitry Kuzmin’s home city of St Petersburg are to be endured rather than enjoyed. But like his musical counterparts across the Baltic in Scandinavia, it’s given Kuzmin (aka Nuage) the perfect excuse to just stay inside, nerd out and make music. There’s a warmth and cosiness to his productions – a mix of neo-classical ambience, sultry future 2-step and feather-light deep house – that are undoubtedly due to hunkering down, but others are the sonic offspring of memories of summers spent in Mexico. The neo-Balearic shuffle of ‘Catch Light’ and the twinkly, sample-heavy, Bashmore-style bass outing ‘Secret Jungle’ are blasts of warm sunshine, whatever the season. Stephen Worthy

7/10

Leftfield 'Leftism 22' (Sony Legacy UK)

Electronic dance music has grown and radically splintered in the 22 years since ‘Leftism’ was released, but Leftfield’s masterpiece remains one of its highest achievements. House music that looked beyond the limiting four walls of a club, it was brash, eclectic, thrilling. Remastered for vinyl by Matt Colton (James Blake, Aphex Twin, Hot Chip), it still hits heavy, whether it’s the pulsating 4/4 ragga stomp of ‘Release The Pressure’ or the more subtle, muted Balearica of ‘Melt’. An accompanying remix album celebrates diversity with offerings from Zomby, Skream and Adrian Sherwood, but it’s Hodge & Peverelist’s jerky mix of ‘Afro Left’ that runs away with top honours. It’s a fitting tribute to the LP’s legacy. Stephen Worthy

10/10

Point G 'The Point G Experience' (Point G)

The alter-ego of French house stalwart DJ Gregory (Darsa), Point G is where the Parisian has sent his more trackier house productions over two decades. That said, between 1998 and 2012 Darsa mothballed Point G, until Dan Ghenacia badgered him into reissuing 1998’s shimmering, languid ‘Underwater’ for his new label, Apollonia. Darsa hasn’t stopped since. This compilation and added mix pulls together early releases and an abundance of contemporary material. The former includes another early gem in the gritty, itchy bounce of ‘Chicken Coma’. Of the latter incarnations, ‘Nebula’ is typical of Point G’s simple approach to ingredients, with a grainy, percussive loop and ominous synths. It’s house music at its primal best. Stephen Worthy

8/10

PTU 'A Broken Clock Is Right Twice A Day' (трип)

While we fret about what mischief Vladimir Putin will get up to next, the techno underground scene in Russia is thriving. There seems to be a common thread of fresh, uncynical delight in what machines are capable of – and Alina Izolenta and Kamil Ea, aka PTU, have that in buckets. There are bubbling acid and rave breaks purpose built for label boss Nina Kraviz’s big club sets, but also busy sci-fi atmospherics, lurching dancehall rhythms, expert manipulation of space, crackling trip-outs, lion roars and endless variety across the seven tracks. Just occasionally you might want the fidgetiness to settle a little, but that’s a small price to pay for so much joyous inventiveness. Joe Muggs

8/10

Various 'Ed Rec 100' (Ed Banger Records)

100 releases? Well, that’s come around quickly. Anyone who’s familiar with millennial dance music will be more than acquainted with French powerhouse Ed Banger Records, and the label’s biggest names have all contributed an exclusive new track for this comp. Riton gives Paul McCartney ‘Temporary Secretary’ a whompy edit, Boys Noize turns Justice’s ‘Randy’ into a furious electro workout and label boss Busy P teams up with Mayer Hawthorne for the sunshine-glazed ‘Genie’. Sebastian makes his long-awaited return with the woozy ‘So Huge’, but our man-of-the-match award goes to Mr Oizo, who manages to out-weird and out-bang everything else on the CD. Jeremy Abbott

8/10

Jimpster 'Silent Stars' (Freerange)

When describing Jimpster’s music, there’s a tendency to slide into descriptions that sound like they’ve been copied from a bottle of bubble bath – ‘luxuriant’, ‘smooth’, ‘comforting’. That’s how lush (there’s another one) an experience it is, a reputation that Jamie Odell has built up across two decades of deep house exploration. ‘Silent Stars’ – his seventh album – is best consumed in the small hours, when the jazz-flecked grooves and soothing percussive pitter-patter are at maximum efficacy. Take ‘Sun Comes Up’, with its impressive interplay between Jinadu’s fragile soul vocal, shimmering pianos and off-kilter congas, or the title track’s combination of an endless groove and seductive Brazilian vibes. Immerse yourself. Stephen Worthy

81/0

Dopplereffekt 'Cellular Automata' (Leisure System)

Detroit musician Gerald Donald has worked under a number of different aliases and on different projects over the years –and as half of Drexciya, is something of a god to techno nerds. Solo and with To-Nhan Le Thi, he’s been making dark and science-themed sounds as Dopplereffekt for two decades. As ever, the sounds are bleak and geometric, like the soundtrack to some 80s documentary about the dangers of radiation, rendered intense and huge in scope. This time there are no drums, just chattering synths, which can make it drag over the course of the LP – but each track is unmistakeable Dopplereffekt magic, whether on your headphones or a vast system. Joe Muggs

7/10

Martin Buttrich 'Collaborator Vol 1' (Rhythm Assault)

Teaming up with his friends at the top table of techno, Martin Buttrich’s ‘Collaborator’ series is an experimental journey that expresses each guest’s individuality. Veering from subtle and minimal to quirky and otherworldly, there are also some undisputed dancefloor heaters. DJ Tennis joins him on 13-minute opener ‘Perpetual’, a voyage of slowly evolving bass and techno, whilst ‘Nach Acht’ (with Timo Maas) is darker and ethereal. Reuniting with Desolat co-founder Loco Dice, ‘Damn U Made It’ is the standout: a hypnotic track which grooves with distorted vocal samples and a consistent, addictive beat. The frenetic and quirky ‘Animal’, with Luciano & Kelli Ali, isn’t far behind, its shape-shifting rhythms transforming at will. Ben Jolley

8/10

Nite Jewel 'Real High' (Gloriette Records)

Nite Jewel’s fourth album is her most personal and lyric-driven yet. Recorded over four years in Los Angeles, Ramona Gonzalez explores the euphoric peaks of love and its insecurities, especially on the title track – a contemplative, futuristic ballad with minimal production and downbeat, stretched-out vocals. Though more upbeat, ‘When I Decide (It’s Alright)’ shows signs of vulnerability, while ‘Obsession’ and ‘R We Talking Long’ reflect the challenges of finding love in a hyper-modern social media society. But its melodic and groovy lead single ‘2 Good 2 Be True’ that’s the summery, synth-led highlight, as Ramona’s effortlessly infectious vocal soars over finger clicks and dreamy 80s production. Ben Jolley

8/10

Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda 'The Ecstatic Music Of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda' (Luaka Bop)

Got a high tolerance for other people’s spirituality? You’re in luck: this is, at times, one of the year’s most beautiful releases. These tracks are all taken from the period between 1982 and 1995, when the highly influential underground musician Alice Coltrane (wife of John and great-aunt of Flying Lotus) ran a spiritual community. Here, you can hear Hindu chants and sitars, gospel and soul tonality, slowly rising ambient synthesiser tones and blissful chord changes. You may find it tough to get past the religiosity, but if you can, there’s real magic here. Joe Muggs

7/10