Albums
January: 18 albums you need to hear this month
That's the month sorted then
Various 'Psychemagik presents Ritual Chants' (Eskimo Recordings)
Psychemagik’s Danny McLewin is the hardcore cratedigger responsible for this new, trippy 40-track comp that references the past but maintains a firm grip on what’s now. Its three discs are filled with obscurities, almost without exceptions – and even those anomalies, such as electro/house pioneer Man Parrish’s flute ‘n’ synth gem ‘Water Sports’, are some of those artists most arcane moments. Elsewhere, it’s endlessly enlightening, from Hot Chocolate’s Tony Wilson swapping kitsch pop disco for slo-mo electro soul with ‘Hangin’ Out In Space’ to the Belgian astro-psych of Dan Lacksman’s ‘Love You Every Day’. It’s the funnest history lesson ever. Stephen Worthy
8/10
