New releases last four weeks: All genres

Review: NY breakbeat craftsman 88 Katanas gets explorative on Silent Force with four outstanding jungle adventures. The brilliantly titled 'The Standard Of The Archipelago' ignites the EP with a brisk drumfunk type of flavour that's comparable to Seba. From there we move inland to brutalist terrains... 'Radiant Energy' is a halftime march through thick swamps and woodland, and 'Bit Rot' takes us onto elevated fields where the air is fresher but the ground is very slippery underfoot. 'Subconscious Emotions', meanwhile, takes us back to a much calmer shore where a good looking ship awaits for voyage home.

Review: Phonogramme is in the middle of a fine series of releases that highlight the great work of legendary US deep house don Abacus. Analog Stories Vol 3 opens with the lush depths of 'It's Bubbling (Short Stories)' then gets more busy with 'Beautiful African Girl' which features humid pads and jazzy keys with dense percussive layers. 'After The Disco' (Submariner edit) sinks back into smooth grooves with light sprinklings of percussion and nimble drums and last of all 'Take A Trip' (feat Keitajuma) closes out with ambient laced and late night sounds.

Review: In celebration of 50 years in the performing arts, Idris Ackamoor presents Artistic Being for Record Store Day 2025-a powerful blend of jazz, spoken word and activism. Featuring the voices of acclaimed actor Danny Glover and stage legend Rhodessa Jones, this record captures highlights from the Underground Jazz Cabaret, which was performed during Black History Month 2024 at The Lab in San Francisco. Co-produced by Ackamoor's Cultural Odyssey, the release fuses poetic storytelling with evocative musical textures while reflecting on social justice, identity and resilience. Artistic Being is a profound statement from a visionary artist.

Review: Viva La Revolution indeed. The Adicts tore out of England's east coast, and specifically Ipswich, and immediately made an impact. Asked to change their name by Sire Records in a bid to appease the charts and TV bookers - although, oddly, one of the options was apparently The Fun Adicts, which raises more quandaries - Rockers In Orbit captures their huge sound in all its glory. Recorded live at Alabama Halle, Munich, Germany, depending on which way you're listening first impressions invoke breakneck punk, motoring metal, and even the romance and commanding power of The Cure at their loudest and most dominating. Ultimately, though, these guys just sound like The Adicts. A questionable reference point we can only assure you is meant as a total complement. Not a band people will forget in a hurry.

Review: Adja Fassa's debut album is a genre-colliding triumph of alternative r&b, neo-soul and jazz co-produced by Adam Scrimshire. Across 11 tracks, Adja dissects capitalism's influence on intimacy with sharp wit, layered symbolism and soulful grooves whether she's reimagining jazz standards or delivering dystopian vignettes of modern labor. Throughout these tracks her storytelling is bold, critical and playfully mystical. From the rebellious 'Sucking on my Emphatitties' to the haunting title track, this is protest music wrapped in velvet tones. Visually complemented by four self-designed tarot cards, the album is a rich conceptual tapestry for fans of greats like D'Angelo.

Review: AgainstMe makes a powerful debut on 47 with four tracks of deep, spiralling techno rooted in Berlin's famous underground energy. The Greek producer showcases his signature multi-dimensional sound design well here as he fuses dynamic rhythms and immersive atmospheres with great precision. Each track builds on a foundation of undulating basslines and intricate textures, which takes you on a trip through shifting sonic terrain. From hypnotic momentum to cavernous depth, there is a balance between raw propulsion and detailed production that makes for a bold, immersive statement that positions AgainstMe as a key rising voice in forward-thinking techno.

Notes: With Time | The Roger Miret Archives

"Agnostic Front was a product of one of the most notorious and dangerous times of New York City history. The band captured those times sonically and visually. An image and sound that could have only risen from the grimy streets of old New York City. A time when the struggle fuelled incredible branches of creativity not only sonically but mainly within the underground wave of Artist clashing with Punks evolving into an inspirational era fuelled by the New York City Punk boom that bridged and reached the world in many inspirational ways."

"These are some of my archives that I have cherished my whole life. A time capsule of an era where life presented the darkest days of my life with light at the other end of the tunnel and that light was ambient even though it all seemed in black and white there was that one colourful rose rising from the concrete grime of the New York City streets. That colourful rose was my life, my soul growing and reaching my maximum being and my purpose and path in life."
-Roger Miret

Early archives from the collection of Roger Miret, chronicle the beginning of the New York Hardcore scene, and the DIY ethic that created the sound and feel of Agnostic Front.

348 pages of Early Flyers, Art, photography, and tour stories.

Review: After spending the majority of his 20-plus-year career flitting between the Kompakt and Coneme labels, Matias Aguayo makes a rare outing on another label - a delayed debut for Matt 'Radio Slave' Edwards' REKIDS imprint. In its' original form (side A), 'El Internet' is a typically off-kilter affair in which his own poetic, spoken word vocals (in Chilean, of course) and fuzzy, elongated synth sounds ride a beefy but wonky bassline and the long-serving producer's usual South American-tinged, hand percussion-enhanced hybrid house/techno grooves. It comes accompanied by a vocal-free instrumental mix, where the full breadth and depth of Aguayo's production can be heard, and a useful acapella DJ tool.

Notes: Configured specifically for DJs, the superb TMA-2 modular headphones are offered here in DJ Wireless 'preset', featuring ultra-low-latency high-fidelity performance.

Supplier's Notes:
Danish audio company AIAIAI, known for pushing the boundaries in professional audio, is expanding the possibilities of music performance by releasing TMA-2 DJ Wireless - the world's first headphones specifically designed for wireless DJing. Now DJs can finally confidently free themselves from the cable, without compromise.

What truly sets the TMA-2 DJ Wireless apart is its groundbreaking ultra-low latency wireless technology, delivering a delay-free experience for precision beatmatching and cable-free mixing. Coupled with over 25 hours of battery life, they offer uninterrupted performance for lengthy sets.

TMA-2 DJ Wireless deliver professional-grade sound, tuned for powerful bass and clear treble, with high sound isolation to cut through the noise of any environment. Designed with durability in mind, the TMA-2 DJ Wireless builds on over a decade of proven TMA-2 DJ performance, featuring a robust yet lightweight construction that ensures long-lasting comfort during extended sets.

"With the TMA-2 DJ Wireless, we set out to create wireless DJ headphones that truly meet the demands of DJs. For years, wireless technology meant compromising on performance, but with our ultra-low latency wireless technology, we are finally able to deliver a solution that offers both Freedom and precision. This is a game-changer for DJs looking to break free from cables" - Frederik Jorgensen, Founder

Notes: Presenting the new AJHSynth Matrix VCF - this may well be the most versatile Eurorack VCF ever.

This amazing multimode filter and VCA offers sixteen different filter types, and two different resonance models on each, totalling an incredible thirty two assorted resonant filters to choose from. AJH Synth have also included manual and CV control of filter type selection, along with 16 LED's that give a clear visual indication of which filter type is currently selected.

The filter core circuitry is based on that of the rare and highly sought after Oberheim Matrix 12 synthesiser, and of course has an all analogue signal path. The Matrix 12 VCF originally offered fifteen filter types, however AJH Synth have expanded this to 16 with the addition of AP4, a full four pole all pass phaser mode.

AJH Synth have added a unique P-Vox resonance distortion and overdrive circuit that changes the character of the resonance completely, and can force all of the filter modes into self oscillation. This effectively doubles the filter variants and hugely broadens what is already a very impressive sound pallet.

Other features include an inbuilt VCA with Input and Output Level controls, a Peak level LED, CV control of resonance, and of course the legendary AJHSynth build quality.

The Matrix VCF in depth

After two years of development AJH Synth have finally released what they consider to be the most versatile Eurorack VCF & VCA ever. Like many other AJHSynth modules it uses the very best vintage analogue circuitry as the starting point for the design, and in this case, the filter was chosen from the rare and very desirable Oberheim Matrix 12 synthesiser. AJH Synth expanded this from the original fifteen filter compliment to sixteen distinct filter types by adding in a really useful four pole phaser!

So, behind the compact 14hp front panel lies sixteen distinct filter types, including all of the favourites: Low Pass filters with a choice of one, two, three or four poles, Band Pass filtering with two or four poles, High Pass filtering with one, two or three pole options, along with Notch filtering and four complex, combination filter types. Finally, a four stage phaser with two types of emphasis that can be forced into tuneful self-oscillation!

However, this is far from the end of the story. AJH Synth decided to use their design expertise to add in some crazy resonance distortion circuitry, that could be switched on from the front panel. This was inspired by the filter from the Soviet Polivoks synthesiser, but again the implementation used here is considerably changed, improved, and best of all this can be applied to all filter types! This completely changes the filter character when engaged, and it forces all of the filters into self-oscillation at higher resonance settings. Better still, the oscillation waveforms are more harmonically rich than the usual sine waves - everything from gloriously fat to screaming and angry! Best of all, this takes the number of different filters up to a massive thirty two variations!

AJH Synth put a lot of thought into the ergonomics and how to select the individual filter type. Filter type can be changed either with the front panel Mode knob, or by using a control voltage patched to the MODE CV input. The selected filter mode is displayed by the LED next to the filter in use. This is also very helpful when using a step sequencer to change filter mode as it gives a real time display of the filter chosen as you take the step CV voltage up or down, while setting up each individual step.

Lastly, AJH Synth have also included a VCA hard-wired to the output - simply patch an envelope or an LFO to the VCA input, connect a VCO to the audio input and you have a synth voice (with a choice from 32 different filters!) using only three modules!

Thirty two Eurorack VCF's and a VCA would most certainly take up a lot of rack space - AJH Synth have got all of this into 14hp and managed to have a really finger-friendly user interface, without it feeling cramped.


Sixteen distinct filter modes to choose from

Here's a list of the different filter modes that are available:
1 - Four Pole Band Pass
2 - Three Pole High Pass combined with One Pole Low Pass
3 - Three Pole All Pass combined with One Pole Low Pass
4 - Two Pole Notch combined with One Pole Low Pass
5 - Two Pole Low Pass
6 - Four Pole All Pass (Phaser)
7 - Four Pole Low Pass
8 - Two Pole Band Pass
9 - Two Pole High Pass combined with One Pole Low Pass
10 - Three Pole High Pass
11 - Three Pole All Pass
12 - Two Pole Notch
13 - One Pole Low Pass
14 - Two Pole High Pass
15 - Three Pole Low Pass
16 - One Pole High Pass

All of the above filter types can be further altered by switching in P-Vox mode, this doubles the list up to thirty two different filter variants!

P-VOX MODE

Transforming the resonant character of every filter type

This magical switch completely transforms the resonance of the filter core by overdriving it in a similar fashion to the filter from the Soviet Polivoks synthesiser, which was renowned for it's powerful, aggressive character.
In common with the Oberheim Matrix 12 VCF, some of the sixteen filter types will not normally go into self-oscillation, however when you switch on P-Vox mode all sixteen filter types can be forced into self-oscillation at higher resonance settings. But that isn't the only change, the self-oscillation waveform is not the usual sine waveform, it is a rather more interesting and harmonically rich waveform that varies according to the filter type chosen - generally Low Pass modes produce the nearest to regular sine waves, whereas other filter types can produce very much more complex waveforms as can be seen in the diagrams below. It does not require any audio input for this, it can be a stand alone oscillator. Most of the filter types will track 1V/Oct reasonably well over a three to five octave range, so it can be used as a VCO with a few interesting waveshapes!

Of course, P-Vox mode isn't just useful for self-oscillation, it adds lots of character to any audio signal as P-Vox resonance is switched in.

Module Width: 14hp
Module Depth: 29mm (Including power lead)
Current Usage: 56mA Positive, 36mA Negative

Review: Survival horror franchise Alan Wake saw its second instalment in 2023, following the game series' 2010 debut. Again, we follow novelist Alan Wake, as he attempts to escape his imprisonment in an alternate dimension by penning a horror story about an FBI agent, Saga Anderson. Both a detective story and a shoot 'em up, the second game bolsters the franchise's neo-noir and gothic Midwestern tropes; the soundtrack is fittingly both lachrymose and chilling, with its contributing scorers - Petri Alanko, Old Gods Of Asgard, Jean Castel and more - portraying Nordic moods of modern, nailbiting mystery. Through stark, grim, minor-keyed anthems, trip-hop furrowers and trembly orchestral laments, we find dead bodies found in the woods, fight spriggan-esque creatures, and soak in moods of noir crime psychodrama, all chillingly captured in a single sonic melange.

Review: The 5th release from this Barcelona-based electronic label delivers a compelling mix of minimal and tech house with futuristic flair. 'Loving Matter' on Side-A starts things off with an electro groove, layered with techno elements and a touch of EBM. Its cool, dark vocal adds a layer of intensity, perfectly capturing the track's atmospheric edge. On Side-B, 'Whisper' has a trance-infused techno vibe, flowing smoothly with its subtle, hypnotic energy. The final track, 'Slowtrance', boasts a deep bassline and a fusion of retro trance and progressive sounds. The bouncy rhythm still carries an ominous tone, keeping the energy dynamic while leaning into darker, more introspective territory. This release is a masterful combination of old-school and modern electronic elements, with enough depth to impress fans of both techno and trance.

Review: Second time around for eccentric Sheffield trio The All Seeing I's sole full-length excursion, 1999's Pickled Eggs & Sherbert, which here lands on vinyl for the first time.The album, a celebration of Steel City creativity featuring cameos from Cocker, Tony Christie, Babybird and the Human League's Phil Oakey, is best remembered for hit singles 'The Beat Goes On', 'Walk Like a Panther' - lyrics reportedly penned by Jarvis Cocker - and 'The First Man in Space', but there are plenty more highlights amongst the unique blends of fractured dancehall rhythms, redlined electronica, oddball easy listening references, experimental d&b rhythms and genuine leftfield pop nous. For proof, check out blissful acapella number 'No Return' (where Lisa Millett plays a starring role), the breathless, bass-heavy house of 'Sweet Music', the weighty madness of 'I Walk' and the exotica-goes-big beat flex of 'Happy Birthday Nicola'.