New releases last two weeks: All genres

Review: Nazar, the nom-de-guerre of an anonymous Manchester-based producer, presents their sophomore album Demilitarize, following his acclaimed 2020 debut Guerrilla, released amid the pandemic. Nazar's first album securely firmed the artist's name within and beyond the Hyperdub diaspora, thanks to its unique melding of Angolan kuduro music with rough textures, field recordings, and media clips, retelling the story of his family's exile from the Angolan Civil War. Nazar is the son of Jonas Savimbi, a former general of the Angolan independence movement; after Angola's emancipation from Portuguese colonial rule, Nazar relocated to suburban Brussels. More recently, he fell seriously ill with tuberculosis contracted in Angola; battling mortality, the new album reflects a mix of introspection and blossoming love, which contrasts the warring rawness of his debut. Demilitarize is dreamier, with Nazar's submerged, mantra-like vocals at the forefront, evoking artists far-removed from the crumby, unedifyingly rough kuduro that characterised his first EP 'Enclave'. Nazar explains, "I wanted to create something almost metaphysical, inspired by the cyberpunk anime Ghost In The Shell." The sound is delicate, with relatively sculpted rhythms enveloping his own recorded voice throughout.

Review: Yorkshire cult icons New Model Army were never ones to shy away from heavy themes. The Bradford rockers had a knack for poetic depictions of war that few possess: "They hardly know their sacred mother tongue but they know their duty/To defend the flag hanging limp and bloody above the village church," is sung on 'Here Comes The War'. When they first released this cracking guitar-driven album via Epic in 1993, they probably hoped the words to this single wouldn't be just as relevant now as they were then, but with wars raging it's sadly the case. New Model Army were mavericks in their day and sticking to their guns as opposed to bending to the whims of fashion has made them more enduring than they would possibly have been otherwise. A truly legendary band deserving of all the plaudits they can get.

Review: Are NewDad your favourite contemporary Irish rock band? If the answer is no, w want to understand why. 12 months or so ago they blessed us with the woozy, late-afternoon-in-the-park-cum-6AM-walk-home jangle of Waves, a stunning EP that cemented their status as one of the few truly authentic sounding indie outfits we have right now. So good it's still on the office playlist, Safe follows that up with another spellbinder. This time there's definitely more gnash and snarl, discordance and strained noises that should sound harsh but have been so beautifully used they only make the whole thing sound more joyful to weirdos. Or at least that's opener 'Entertainer'. The title track lets no side down, keeping that whirlwind of cacophony vibe, while 'Puzzle' and 'Be Kind' double down on melodies without lightening the mood. It's perfect.

Review: Kohei Matsunaga has spent over three decades dismantling and reconstructing the boundaries of experimental music. Born in Osaka and originally trained in architecture, his approach to sound is methodical yet unpredictable, reflecting a fascination with structure and abstraction. Across releases for labels like Raster Noton, PAN, and Skam, his work oscillates between dense rhythmic frameworks and fleeting bursts of sonic chaos, shaped through collaborations with the likes of Mika Vainio, Sean Booth, and Merzbow. His latest release continues this restless exploration. 'Filled With Vacuum' sets the tone with jagged percussive sequences and warped atmospherics, while 'Ancient Behave' layers hypnotic pulses with eerie tonal shifts. On the flip, 'Same Point Different Coordinate' pushes further into spatial disorientation, before 'Formulated Rhythm 4s' closes with a fractured yet intricate groove. It's another entry in Matsunaga's ever-expanding sonic architectureiprecise, disorienting and entirely his own.

Review: Owen Ni invites us on a sonic exploration with this ten-track release, a journey through the realms of ambient electronica and deep listening techno music. 'Beyond Flyhigh' sets the tone, its expansive soundscapes and hypnotic rhythms drawing the listener into a world of introspection and wonder. The Raytek remix injects a pulsating energy, transforming the original into a dancefloor-ready odyssey. Elsewhere, tracks like 'Mover' and 'Arqs2600' delve deeper into hypnotic textures and intricate sound design, creating a sonic experience that's both arrestting and thought-provoking. 'We Are Here' and 'S7lverbox' offer moments of quiet contemplation, their delicate melodies and atmospheric soundscapes inviting a sense of peace and reflection. The release closes with 'Epilog', a fitting conclusion to this immersive journey through sound and emotion, leaving the listener with a lingering sense of wonder and possibility.

Notes: CHO-mini

Compact Stereo Chorus Pedal

The pocket-sized, yet feature packed, the Nobels CHO-mini pedal combines an outstanding selection of chorus tones, all in a budget-friendly and space-saving enclosure. With a heritage of building chorus units in the past, Nobels has engineered this all new pedal to offer maximum versatility, in a super compact package.

Providing a skilfully curated selection of ageless chorus effects, CHO-mini delivers a wealth of sonic possibilities, with either a mono or spacious stereo image. The achievable tones are far beyond the
pedal's modest footprint and is an excellent addition to any type of setup.

The CHO-mini features three carefully crafted, yet distinct chorus flavours. All three modes faithfully capture those iconic modulation tones that have shaped music across genres, past and present and are simply selected by the pedal's convenient mode switch, right on the face of the pedal.

"Chorus 1"

This emulates the coveted and well-established bucket-brigade style of chorus pedal tones from the 70s. You know "THAT" Chorus sound that is instantly recognisable from many popular recordings.

"Chorus 2"

Based on a different flavour of stereo chorus, "Chorus 2" allows for a higher rate towards the end of the control range, enabling pleasing vibrato like textures.

"Flanging"

While not a flanger tone in a traditional sense, this mode emulates another extremely popular (and rare and expensive in its original form) chorus pedal from the 70s, in its subtle flanging mode. Think of this as a comb-filter phasing of the signal (like feedback on a delay), focusing on its luscious general character and without becoming too extreme.

Adding to its flexibility, the CHO-mini features full tap tempo functionality, but in a single switch design. Simply holding the footswitch for approximately two seconds enters the pedal into "Tap Tempo Mode", following which the pedal will respond to rhythmic tapping instantly. Further defying expectations based on its compact appearance, there are dedicated toggles for selection between mono and stereo (TRS) operation as well as true or buffered bypass modes, making the pedal suitable for almost any musical situation, anywhere, any time.

As with all other current Nobels pedals, the CHO-mini features 4 integrated Mounty-P Mounting Plates for safe and secure attachment to pedalboards. With its full metal enclosure and Glow in the Dark pointer knobs, the CHO-mini is a pint-sized powerhouse that's built for performance!

Product Height (cm): 5.100
Product Width (cm): 4.850
Product Depth (cm): 9.370
Product Weight (kg): 0.210

Box Height (cm): 6.540
Box Width (cm): 7.000
Box Depth (cm): 12.100
Boxed Weight (kg): 0.301

Review: In 1984, Gary Numan launched Numa Records and started a new phase in his career with the release of Berserker. This album introduced a harder-edged digital sound into his canon while maintaining the analogue textures of his earlier work. It's a testament to the fact that Numan's creative evolution never stopped and blends both personal and fictional narratives into haunting tracks like 'My Dying Machine,' 'This Is New Love' and 'Berserker.' The remastered double vinyl edition includes the original album with bonus tracks that add extra perspective to this pivotal period in his career.

Review: London-based New Zealander Arjuna Oakes impresses hugely with this debut album, a contemporary soul and jazz fusion, global folk, electronica and post-rock motifs all woven in. Like any good LP, While I'm Distracted is a deeply personal journey exploring common themes of vulnerability, identity and hope in a world shaped by ever-more existential angst and social media stress. We're told that Arjuna approached this full-length album like a filmmaker crafting a feature and aiming to evoke emotion over concept. Performing vocals, piano, synths and arranging strings himself, he also leads a talented ensemble of collaborators who help him on this emotional odyssey.

Review: To their credit and our benefit as fans, Oasis are smartly leaning into the spiking demand for the atmospheric and nostalgic formnat that is the 7" single and celebrate the 30th anniversary of 'Some Might Say' in doing so. It's a seminal single - their first UK number one and a track you can envision being a great set opener at their upcoming reunion shows. This version is remastered so it'll leap out of your speakers like never before. A guaranteed scorcher for any knees-up you're planning with your mates.

Review: It's a nearest and dearest thing; Polish craftsman Offish calls up his pals from around Europe for this epic collaborative free-for-all. Taken from the full digital album that comprises 13 bleeding edge slabs of timeless brutalism, this vinyl sampler highlights its extremes with these four powerful cuts. 'Eviscerate' (with Forgiven Soul) nods to the Quarantine sound with strong elements of Digital and Spirit (RIP) while 'Mushrooms' (with Greg Lvov) is an immense and hypnotic weave of percussive elements. Elsewhere the ominous dubbed out minimalism of 'Look For Patterns' (with NonRev) set us up for the disarming depths and cosmic charm of 'Cautionary Tale', making this this is an exceptional trip for DJs, dancefloors and listeners alike.

Notes: Really nice approach to sequencing from Omni-Tone. The Melodi generates 'semi-random' patterns based on tunable parameters and probabilities. Dial in combinations of scales, pitch range, tempos and so on to create unique melodies.

Supplier's Notes:
Melodi generates sequences based on the mood you set so you can create the sound you're searching for- it can be tweaked to create anything from a powerful bassline to a sparkly melody.

Ships with version 2 of firmware

Improvements: Skip, tie, length are now LIVE knobs. Added a ping-pong trend line and a blues scale.

GENERATE

1. NEW - will prompt Melodi to generate a new sequence.
2. TRIGGER IN - accepts a trigger to prompt Melodi to generate a new sequence.

CYCLE

1. ON/OFF - determines if the sequence will loop or require retriggering.
2. TRIGGER - button and jack trigger the sequence to restart at the beginning.

TUNE

* While adjusting tunable parameters, the light bar will reflect the current selection. For continuous parameters the light bar shows amount from 0-100%, for quantized parameters the light bar shows steps.
1. SKIP (continuous) - sets the probability that a note will be skipped in a sequence.
2. PLUCK (continuous) - sets the length of the gate, from short plucks to gliding between notes (portamento).
3. TIE (continuous)- sets the probability that a note gets tied to the next (effectively making the note last two clock cycles).
4. TREND (continuous) - sets whether the sequence trends upwards or downwards in pitch.
5. SCALE (quantized) - select the quantization of the notes used in the sequence. Choose from perfect notes, pentatonic scale, diatonic scale, chromatic scale and completely unquantized.
6. RANGE (continuous) - sets the range of notes from 1 to 4 octaves (unquantized)
7. LENGTH (quantized) - select the number of notes to play in a sequence (from 1-16, or infinitely generating at the max position).
8. SPEED (continuous) - sets the tempo of the internal clock, between 20 and 2000 BPM.

OUT
1. GATE - outputs the gate of the notes in the sequence.
2. PITCH - outputs the pitch (in V/OCT) of the sequence.

CLOCK

1. SELECT - Melodi will generate internal clock signal if select switch is up, and will use external clock signal when down
2. IN - connect external clock signal
3. OUT - output clock signal

Technical specs:

- Module Size: 3U X 8HP X 25 Mm Deep.
- Current Draw: 85mA @ 12V, 10mA @ -12V.

What's in the box:

- Ready to use Assembled Module
- Mounting Screws
- Power Cable
- User Manual

Review: Calling the curtain on Field Records' Waterworks trilogy, Yui Onodera turns his ear to confluences of hydrology and history, dedicating his latest record to Japan's Kiso Three Rivers and their transformation by 19th-century Dutch engineering. The Kiso, Nagara and Ibi rivers, once prone to catastrophic flooding, were reshaped under the guidance of Johannes de Rijke, whose work helped protect Nagoya from seasonal deluge by 1912. Onodera, known for his nuanced sound architecture, approaches this subject with a finely honed ear for subtlety, layering quiet field recordings with fuller instrumentation, evoking the widening of a river from brook to strait. The A-side's bell tones provide a sensory-meridian intimacy, processed alongside guitar, and ethereal pads; while the B-side's contradictorily colossal quietude makes itself across two long-form studies, which drift through sampled water and restrained electronics.