Recommended music: 'Global Underground #41: James Lavelle presents UNKLE Sounds - Naples'

I must confess to being more than a bit disappointed with this when I first got it last year. This was mainly because, having paid £35 to buy the deluxe edition direct from Global Underground, I discovered that only got you the 2 full length mixes on the cd, and not the full individual tracks as well (I'm sure that wasn't what it said when I ordered it, and I'll come on to why I wanted them a bit later). And to be honest, the mixing on it isn't even all that great - there are some rather clunky transitions, the track ordering is a bit jarring in places, and overall I don't think it really works all that well as a DJ mix. So all that being said - why am I recommending it?

The truth is, you have to come at this from a different angle. It may not be a great mix cd, but what it is instead is a great document of James Lavelle, the records he's made, his collaborators and his remixes. At the start of this year I caved in and bought the download from Amazon, where for £9.99 you get 32 full length tracks and the 2 mixes. Even without the mixes that's 3 hours and 42 minutes of music, most of which Lavelle has at least a finger in, if not a whole hand. There are hard to find remixes, in particular 2 from the last Queens of the Stone Age album. There are tracks recorded live at UNKLE's Redux show at the Southbank in 2014. And there's a whole raft of UNKLE classics (which of course I've already got but are great to hear again). If you think you're not familiar with Lavelle's band then give this a listen and you'll realise that you know more than a few tracks. It's the closest thing there's been to an UNKLE greatest hits.

So ditch the deluxe edition, download the digital, and take a trip with UNKLE Sounds.

Recommended music: 'CVE Live 2011' by Caribou Vibration Ensemble

This stunning three track EP, recorded at live shows at the end of 2011, is a perfect document of the live beast that is the Caribou Vibration Ensemble. Expanded out from usual Caribou live four piece, the band also featured Kieran Hebden (Four Tet), James Holden, Ahmed Gallab (Sinkane) and a brass quartet . The throbbing monster that's created by putting all of these talents on one stage is a sight behold, but now you can experience it even if you weren't lucky enough to be there. The two tracks recorded in Belgium, 'Bowls' and 'Sun', take the blueprints from 'Swim' and then supersize the tracks to another dimension. Meanwhile 'Ahmed, Colin, James, Kieran, Kyle, Rob and Steve' (from the London show that I went to) features the Vibration Ensemble minus Caribou in an improvised piece which turns into a full-frontal saxophone wig-out.

The release is dedicated to the memory of Caribou's former sound engineer Julia Brightly, with all proceeds going to genderedintelligence.co.uk.

You can buy the vinyl at the Bleep store here or stream and buy the downloads at Bandcamp below. Also you can watch my video of 'Sun' from the Scala show.

Recommended music: 'Quarters' by Seams

Following on from last year's EP, the debut album from James Welch has arrived and it's pretty fantastic. recorded in four different locations around Berlin, the city where he now lives (hence the title), this is a brilliant album of electronica, surprisingly full of warmth, and with an emotional depth that gives lie to the 'soulless' tag that the ill-informed often give to this genre of music.

'ClapOne' kicks the album off in style, with hypnotic beats and claps, whirling bleeping synths, and some snatches of Thom Yorke-esque sampled vocals, giving you that feeling of excitement at the start of a long-planned journey. It's hard to say which is the best track on the album as they're all so good, but 'Constants' is up next and it's definitely one of my favourites.It's a richly-layered track that develops kinda like the way a track by Caribou might. There's some great sounds going on in the background, particularly one that sounds a bit like the sea, like electronic pixels washing up on an artifical shore, which according to Mr Welch is tape hiss due to the melody being recorded on a dictaphone (it's amazing what you can find out via twitter!).

'Pocket' is a short section of twinkling brightness, undercut with a deep squelch, which gives way to 'Sitcom Apartment' which may (or may not) be the sound of James' Berlin flat. If so than the flat (and the track) seems like an inviting sort of place - maybe a bit rough around the edges, but the sort of place that'd be great for a party. As the track build up it brings to mind one of those animated videos full of dancing 70s toy robots (or is that just my mind?) - it's an upbeat track with loads going on.

'Iceblerg' fittingly has a bit if a watery feel when it starts, almost like the sound of ice being crushed. The hard, crisp beats  (something of a trademark on this record) are overlaid with some great keyboard themes and a throbbing bassline, and complimented with more of the handclap sounds from 'ClapOne'. 'Hurry Guests' is next up. Starting with a simple six note refrain it bobs and weaves through various phases while never losing sight of its overall direction. It's a bit like a journey through Berlin on the tram at night - various people get on and off, some stay, some don't, and by the time you reach you're stop you're the only one onboard.

You might have heard 'Rilo' already as it was the first track to be released from the album. It's another highlight for me - pulsing rhythm, great beats and some really uplifting melodies. The arpeggio riff and the ticking, blipping keyboard combine like a speeding train passing you while you're waiting on the platform. Then album closer 'TXL' is ful of deep beats but also has a light, gentle refrain - together they combine to make something that's part Jon Hopkins and part Four Tet, but all good.

Overall this is a really accomplished and detailed record, one that knocks the sharp edges off the electronic sound and replaces them with the nicely rounded sound of humanity. Definitely goes straight into the pile of contenders for electronic album of the year.

Track of the Day: 'Nina' by Neneh Cherry + Afrika Baby Bam

Four words in the English language pretty much guarantee quality, and they are "produced by Four Tet". So on this track Neneh Cherry continues her creative renaissance, roping in Afrika Baby Bam and putting Mr Hebden at the controls. The result is a mostly spoken-word piece over a conga-driven backing, with Mr Bam sounding not unlike Michael Franti. There's a sung chorus of "my life is like an island"and some summery vibes resulting in a track that should definitely be on your BBQ playlist this coming Bank Holiday weekend. Listen & download below.