I'm always looking at how to make this thing better for you, and the plan is a new addition every month. August gave us the Spotify playlist. September brings “Worth Knowing”, a quick summary of the scene's most interesting headlines.

I've always wanted this newsletter to put you first in the know. The music side I reckon we've got locked in. This rounds it off as your one stop shop for the scene. This week has naturally taken an event focus. The good, the bad and the ugly.

Record of the Week: Carré - Static

We included “Sense of Place” from Carré's Citrine EP back in 026, and now Static takes Record of the Week on the full EP drop. Carré is no stranger to Tempa, with a few EPs already under her belt. Often minimal, her 140 x Bass sound comes to life through fine-tuned percussive elements, and on Static there's a haunting quality you should probably back away from. But like every idiot in a horror film, you hear the noise in the basement and you go down there. The whole EP is a masterclass in tight production and a “less is more” approach.

I also love the Kelbin remix of Daphni's Sad Piano House, a properly introspective, melodic number that just sits well on the ears. And if you're after some good garage, Scruff Recordings deliver again with Henry King - Untitled 1.

A quick one for the DJs. If you're hunting the deeper cuts no-one will know, it's releases like BAKEY's From The Vaults Volume 2 that give your sets the edge. Bandcamp only, dropped on Bandcamp Friday, no less.

Plenty more to get your ears around.

Tom (japanese.knotweed)

The good: WHP adds four more to the 20th birthday season
Silva Bumpa, XXL, Kneecap and The Haçienda all join the anniversary run, and Eat Your Own Ears returns after a year away on 21 November. This is genuinely one of the maddest line-ups I've ever seen.
Read it on Crack Magazine

The bad(?): fabric are booked into a cathedral until 2030
Four years of events at St Paul's, now an exclusive partner, first one on 29 October. They have form for this with RY X and Patti Smith, so it is less mad than the headline suggests. Given the nature of raves, still can't decide if a cathedral is the best choice in London or one we should leave alone.
Read it on Mixmag

The ugly: Reading & Leeds bit off more than they could chew
Both festivals built dedicated Warehouse stages this year, then spent the weekend shutting them for overcrowding. Prospa and Skepta's back to back was binned, and Silva Bumpa, Riordan, Omar+, Locky and Alisha all lost sets. Prospa's verdict: double the capacity of these tents, or put dance music on the main stage.
Read it on DJ Mag

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Four Tet @ Alexandra Palace: I'll be honest, I haven't listened to this in full yet. That's tonight's job, once the wine's open. But I've heard enough to know it's a Four Tet masterclass and worth your time. Some Sets of the Week pick themselves.

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