HERBERT Vinyl & CDs

Review: Although now known as a formidable experimentalist who delights in doing things differently - be that making admirable concept albums or, as with his most recent work, an album that takes the form of a written book - Matthew Herbert first rose to prominence in the late 1990s as a producer of left-of-centre deep house. Here he dips into the archives and presents a second essential reissue: the "Part 2" EP, which initially landed in 1996. Side A boasts the ultra-deep thrust of "Deeper", where mutilated vocal samples and pots-and-pans percussion hits rise above a Chez Damier influenced deep house groove. Over on side B, "Non-Stop" is insanely bass-heavy (check the speaker-busting sub-bass) and crunchy, while "Shuffler" sees Herbert peppering a jazzy and swinging groove with impeccable electric piano solos.

Review: Herbert's most recent album, the return-to-his-deep-house-roots treat that was Musca, has been given the remix treatment for Record Store Day 2023. It's a predictably impressive package, with Floating Points - delivering a 15-minute trip into glitchy micro-house territory in fine fashion - naturally taking top billing. His remix - kind of like a minimalist take on his own early house excursions, with added early morning weirdness - is far from the only treat on show though. Seven Davis Jr delivers a rubbery, loose-limbed and quietly funky tweak of 'Might As Well Be Magical', before Herbert steps up with his 'Greenery Dub' of 'Fantasy', a slow-burn, near 10-minute affair that recalls the oddball brilliance of his turn-of-the-millennium house releases.