The imbalance in my life of work, work and work has left me little time to indulge in music that doesn't live on my laptop. iTunes, with its convenient interface and the fact that its within my current constant field of vision, means that my vinyl and cd collections are starting to get neglected. Moreso with vinyl; the extra physical effort required to listen to anything has forced me to create a mental cordon around my records.

But here were some exceptions:

Sutekh: Two Rhapsodies (Context) - 12" EP
Upon sneak listens of his debut album for Tony Morley's Leaf label, it sounds like Sutekh is trying to shake off his 'techno' hoodie. Shame really, as when he's on form, he's pretty untouchable. His 'Incest' LP for Force Inc being pretty much the definitive statement. But the A-side on this is pretty fucking amazing. It clips, squeaks, crunches and fizzes in all the right places and mid-way introduces some ace euro-euphoric chords to make this the best house tune....ever.

Andy Greenman: Discoethique / Rekid: Era (Microsolutions for Megaproblems) - 12" EP
You wait all year for Soul Jazz's techno offshoot to release a record and then two come along at once! Andy Greenman excels with beautifully intricate, wonderfully produced house. Occupying the same neon-lit night space as the Junior Boys; shifting, ambient drifts against close-to-the-ear rhythms, punctuated by rich sounding guitars and bass. The title track is immediate, whilst the ghost of New Order's Peter Hook haunts 'Sunday Kind of Love'. If Greenman explores journeys by night, then Rekid sounds like a summer city stroll. 'Tranzit' should soundtrack the opening few chapters of Delillo's 'Cosmopolis'. It's that good.

Basic Channel: Basic Reshape (Basic Channel) - 12"
Not gonna pretend that this is brand new, but still some copies floating around the London circuit, so grab it while you can. Read elsewhere for gushing praise, I'll leave you with with the equation of Carl Craig + Basic Channel = Sound of God.

The Missing Link: Screw Loose / Mathew Jonson: Marionette (Wagon Repair) - 12" EP
He doesn't stop does he? That could read as "I'm getting sick of him"....Having released more digital shpongle in one year than Derrick May has in his entire career, Jonson now decides to knock out more Jonson-like techno forever and ever on his new label, Wagon Repair. But don't all his records sound exactly alike? They're either incredibly poppy or disconcertingly trance-like. Having said that, he's still better than half the wannabe's out there. The problem with the 'Screw Loose' EP is that all the tracks contain ace moments, but they're not ace tunes. 'Marionette' fares better, which restricts itself to just one idea. The sequenced version is John Carpenter tension, whilst the live version is playdough house.

Bucci & Pink Elln: Badminton (Cynosure) - 12" EP
Mike Shannon's impressive but slack ode to minimalism (13 releases in 5 years) has communicated some amazing moments, namely Shannon's own adventures in click. Sophisticated is one word that springs to mind; all warm pads and softened drums. Raz Ohara's sultry vocals on 'Mavis 350' chopped up to suit their own needs, throw in some proto-r'n'b hooks and a jittery approach to house rhythms and you have another winner. Check Shannon's rework for meatier chunks.

Geoff White: Sex Cells / Geoff White & Sutekh: Network One / Geoff White: Keyframe (Edit) - 12"
Whilst I'm in the mood to big up artists' own labels, its the turn of Geoff White. He's made some life-long friends here in Cricklewood: his remix of his own 'Student Teacher' track that got released on Morris Audio Citysport (morphing jazz to a 4/4 swagger) and the 'Viscous Solid' long playa on Ghostly were the soundtracks to summer 2004. He's up to release six at the time of writing, but these first three 12"'s recently appeared on the London circuit and you'd be so bum as to miss them. They're all insanely great of course, the introductory 'Sexport Audio' off the first EP is a lambent, shimmering creation typical of White's craft. Teaming up with glitchking Sutekh results in a moody dub-ridden coda with 'Rain Delay' making my speaker-cones bounce more than anything else this month.