Hi all, I'm back with another instalment of ‘Digging With Joe’, this time focusing on a selection of records from the Vinyl Underground warehouse that I love and reckon you might too.

They will typically be Deep Techy House numbers, with a healthy serving of Ambient and Leftfield nuggets thrown in for good measure. 

Cristi Cons - Out of Cycle (AMP023.1 Amphia)

First up, the Romanian maestro Cristi Cons’ Debut album from 2021, ‘Out Of Cycle’ on his and Vlad Caia’s legendary Amphia imprint. 

I have been a fan of Cristi Cons’ output and DJ sets for a long time, he is great example of my dance floor orientated taste, combining influences from classic UK Tech House to the more introspective and tripped out grooves coming out of Romania. 

The album opens with ‘Western Habits’, a smooth jazz licked downtempo piece easing us into it. The next three tracks are more club oriented; ‘Flux’ especially is the one that I still play often. Such a wicked groove, that bassline and the eerie musical elements never fails to get people moving. ‘Soul Connection’ also for a deep driving moment will do the trick. 

It comes to a close with another two steady downtempo jams, leaning towards more IDM’ish wonky moods. Quality all rounder for the home and club, plenty of bang for your buck.

Doxa Sinistra - The Other Strange (DRIVE009 Midnight Drive)

Next up is the weird and wonderful ‘The Other Strange’ by Doxa Sinistra, reissued on 7” in 2023 on Brian Not Brian’s most brilliant Midnight Drive label. 

I don’t know much about the artists, but this record in particular blew my mind on first listen. An absolutely incredible slice of abstract, hypnotic, wonky goodness first released in 1985 on cassette. 

It came back to the light for many thanks to Brian’s infamous 'Holywell Session' tape for Blackest Ever Black in 2014, and Boards Of Canada's cult 'Societas X Tape' for NTS in 2019.

The original version on the A side with its slightly unnerving TV and Film samples alongside the hypnotic acid line and synths is a truly unique experience. On the B side you’ll find a previously unreleased longer version without the samples too. An essential sonic transmission from the outer reaches of electronic music.

Beverly Glenn-Copeland - Keyboard Fantasies (TRANS460X Transgressive)

Another lovely slice coming from the mid 80’s, Beverly Glenn-Copeland’s Ambient/New Age classic ‘Keyboard Fantasies’.

The first time I was introduced to this was the 2021 reissue on Transgressive Records, and the album itself is regarded as his best work (definitely have a dig through the others though) and features six decent length (ambient records under 3 minutes should be banned) soul stirring, poetic moments of blissful beauty. 

Personal favourites here are ‘Ever New’, ‘Old Melody’ and ‘Sunset Village’, the latter being the one I almost always play first in an ambient/chill out set. Sit back and enjoy.

Glenn-Copeland's own story is also a pretty interesting one, he started his career as a folk singer, now around 80 years old, the maestro spent years identifying as a lesbian woman, before investigations in gender discourse led to the revelation that a transgender man was a more comfortable identity for the music maker, who also lays claim to a catalogue of kids' TV scores, including Sesame Street and Shiny Time Station. A life lived, grateful for his contribution.

Calibre - Cinamin (MYSTIC001 Mystic Arts)

Last but by no means least, DnB legend Calibre in house mode. This one came out in 2023 on Belfast based label Mystic Arts and here you’ll find two slices of deep groove gold. 

First up ‘Cinamin’, a slightly tranced out broken beat trip, destined for those hazy early morning sunrise sessions somewhere warm, really strong introspective feelings on this. Flip for ‘Samba’, a full and inviting straight 4/4 club dub which sounds great on a big system, works well for when the night is young and you’re warming up proceedings. Solid 12”.

Thanks for reading, I hope you’ve found something new or given a second listen to something you may have passed up before, enjoy.

If you subscribe to our email newsletter (sign up now at the bottom of our homepage if you don't already) and use the code JOES10 (or click on this link) at checkout you can cop 10% discount off any of these titles.

Cheers! 

Joe