Single: Abi Wade
‘Heavy Heart’ (Love Thy Neighbour)
Local cello maestro Abi Wade is off on tour with Patrick Wolf and has released this 7’’ in anticipation. Both sides are already toe-tapping favourites from her live sets and lose none of their honest charm when recorded. ‘Heavy Heart’ features Wade’s soaring, intimate folk vocals and her characteristic, unique cello tapping. Breathy harmonies enhance the genuine and soulful sound; this is Wade at her reproachful best. B-side ‘Faker’ is a sultry, proud tale which will resonate in your mind for days. (JMM)

Album: Puncture Kit
‘The Bicycle Drummer’ (puncturekit.bandcamp.com)
You may well have spotted Puncture Kit’s David Osborne busking around Brighton: he’s the fellow who fires off pummelling percussion workouts on his upended cycle-cum-drum kit. A whole album of deep drumming on the modified bike is a pretty specific listen, but Osborne and studio partner Castro’s d’n’b sensibilities feed deceptive pans, tweaks and dubs into the mix, making stretches of ‘The Bicycle Drummer’ work effectively as stripped down, beat heavy techno. Unexpectedly diverse and undeniably unique. (SH)

EP: King Dinosaur
‘The Night’ (Artillery)
Young Brighton-based producer King Dinosaur’s first release shows a maturity beyond his years, with swirling synths, calm melodies and restrained bass. ‘Frequency Of The Atmosphere’ is a mysterious, tense beast and the Ambassadeurs remix of ‘The Night’ is an inspired, cut-up take on the original that transforms it into something deeply foreboding. The only criticism is that the vocals, though heavenly and light, are a bit too slick: the frequent harmonising is distracting and can sound a little bit boy band. (JMM)

Album/DVD: Fatboy Slim
‘Big Beach Bootique 5’ (Southern Fried)
As Brighton as a seagull shitting on your chips, Fatboy’s a local institution and his beach parties have provided some of the city’s most legendary nights out. This release covers the fifth Beach Bootique, actually held inland at the Amex Stadium earlier this year. The DVD set is a must-have for everyone who was there, with a CD mix from the night, featuring all the tracks played, and a full length film to bring back – or help recover – those memories. A bumper box set edition throws in even more memorabilia. (JMM)

Album: Martin Rossiter
‘The Defenestration Of St Martin’ (Drop Anchor)
Eight long years since Gene bowed out, singer Martin Rossiter returns with this exceptional solo debut. Rossiter’s occasional shows here in his adopted Brighton home have been impressive, torch song affairs of just piano and voice, and ‘The Defenestration Of St Martin’ continues this stripped back approach. Opening the album, the 10-minute title track features a devastating vocal and is up there with Rossiter’s finest Gene songs. The remaining songs are more succinct, but no less affecting. (SH)

Album: White Star Liners
‘The Years That Slid’ (Numbskull HQ)
White Star Liners second full length is a confident set of smart alt-rock tunes, rich with the guitar pop sensibilities of Ash and The New Pornographers. Having scored some summer supports with reformed heroes Grandaddy, the latter’s Jason Lytle guests very briefly here, adding to a cast of backing vocalists that includes Marina Tiffeny of Numbskull labelmates Sparrow and Cat Bear Tree’s Zoe Konez. Nods to Blur’s brassy Britpop peak and the synthetic grandeur of ELO add to the crossover appeal. (SH)

Album: King Porter Stomp 
‘Shuffle’ (Comm:UNITY)
Partly recorded live in the analogue warmth of Liam Watson’s famous Toe Rag Studios, big band King Porter Stomp’s second album is an exuberant blend of upbeat ska, funk and hip hop workouts. The bass burrows deep beneath the sunshine brass, while guests including MC Elemental and The Resonators’ Faye Houston add extra voice to the band’s socially conscious barnstorming. Rapid, infectious current single ‘The Last Bat Train To Cuba’ comes with a storming d’n’b mix by JFB too. (SH)

Album: Devilman
‘Devilman’ (Small But Hard)
Devilman’s terrific debut album is a three-way collaboration between Bo Ningen’s Taigen Kawabe, Dokkebi Q’s Gorgonn and our old friend Shige Ishihara (DJ Scotch Egg). In the guise of Mr D, Ishihara carves out subsonic dub basslines, tolling away beneath Gorgonn’s fearsome, sheet metal drum programming and Kawabe’s panic attack vocals. Titles like ‘Elephant Dub’ and ‘Noise Step’ indicate the heavy dancefloor hybrids within, until ‘Last Black Emperor’ burns the whole edifice to the ground. (SH)

Album: Dark Horses
‘Black Music’ (Last Gang)
It’s been a fascinating ride for Dark Horses, from Brighton’s back rooms to national acclaim; one they’ve trod carefully so as not to dispel the swirling mystique around them. This supremely cool debut gets the limited singles ‘Radio’ and ‘Alone’ out of the way early on, before delving deeper into the leather-clad electric grooves they’ve concocted with Death In Vegas’ Richard Fearless. Unnecessary Talking Heads cover aside, ‘Black Music’ exists in an erotic dreamscape all of its own. (SH)

Single: Jennifer Left
‘Diggory’ (Singing Hinny)
Following up her delightful, whistle-along debut ‘Black Dog’, Jennifer Left’s new single ups the toe-tapping jazz elements in its ode to the troubled fellow of its title. Deceptively jolly then, although we’ve never met a Diggory in our life. Fresh from his work on King Porter Stomp’s album, Ninja Tune’s Banks adds a glittering remix. Worth seeking out for the B-side too, a sun-dappled strum through New Order’s ‘Temptation’ which is much smarter and effective than you might imagine. (SH)

Single: Native Roses
‘Shadows’ (Creek Music)
Soft-edged folk pop quartet Native Roses’ second single is a subtle piece of autumnal balladry. ‘Shadows’ swings in sweetly enough, with light acoustic strums and watercolour piano notes, although James Knaggs’ sorrowful singing keeps the mood downbeat. It all turns on the second chorus, however, as Jessica Illsley’s vocals breeze in, lifting Knaggs upwards, as a synth pulse arrives to rally the musicians too. Native Roses have a touch of Fleetwood Mac about them here, no bad thing in our book. (SH)

EP: Unicorn Power
‘Catface’ (Substream)
‘Guarded’, the lead track on Unicorn Power’s latest EP (and first for Swedish label Substream) is a fun and bouncy synthpop tune, delighting in squelching synths and much sweeping stereo horseplay. The Tony Tronic remix uproots it to New York circa 1983, throwing even more squirting electro-disco in the pot. The other three songs on the EP are a bit gloomier, with post-punk and gothic overtones among the keyboard love. A mixed bunch then, but there are solid tunes within. (SH)

Words By Stuart Huggett, Jessica Marshall McHattie