Back catalogue: Coldwave/Synth

Review: While Fritz Lang's Metropolis has enjoyed reams of revisionist soundtracks in the near-century since it was released, Robert Weine's The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari has remained a more cult concern of Weimar-era cinema. Karl Bartos, one of the early members of Kraftwerk, has indulged his passion for the art of this unique period between world wars, when technology and art was changing as rapidly as the world around them. Employing his considerable experience and well-appointed studio to the task of re-soundtracking, Bartos has created this vibrant new score for Weine's film, pressed up here on double vinyl with an accompanying 16-page booklet.

Review: James Bernard's 1994 ambient masterpiece Atmospherics is now 30 years old. To mark its anniversary the landmark record has been meticulously remastered and paired with a brand-new, track-by-track reinterpretation by Bernard's longtime friend and collaborator, bvdub. Together, these works span four slabs of wax and offer a profound exploration of ambient soundscapes that honour the original while also presenting some fresh, emotive perspectives. A must-have work for your ambient section.

Review: Civilistjavel's 1 hears a reissue for the second time, following the mysterious ambient dub artist's resurfacing in 2018, after the late Low Company stumbled on their stuff and somehow managed to gain permission to do so outside of the artist's 'private tape / CDR trading networks'. Now it appears that 'Civilist' has taken the reins on their own work, officially reissuing the album directly from the source. It would go with the territory, not least since a spate of recent live performances by the artist seems to have signalled something of an 'opening up'. We're just as blown away by 1 as we were before; with its sensitive melodies and stumbly analog tone loops, building to slow-burning near-nothings.

Review: Depeche Mode's latest album Memento Mori is one that has been madly anticipated by fans. The record - which comes on wax and in a lovely embossed sleeve here - centres on the mood of grief after the passing of the band's founding member Andrew "Fletch" Fletcher, this is the first LP by a Depeche Mode made up of only two remaining members: Dave Gahan and Martin Gore. The band's progression in their latest years have heard them move into darker, peakier, sadder and more industrial themes, as they make do with a future-present that wasn't promised to them in the 80s, while drawing on deathly topoi and nodding to Ingmar Bergman.

Review: Ionnalee's 2018 debut album "Everyone Afraid To Be Forgotten" was superb, so hopes are high for the artist's similarly minded sequel. "Remember The Future" is a little bolder, shinier and more upbeat than its predecessor, though stylistically it still sounds like a 21st century update of Kate Bush's distinctive early '80s sound circa "The Dreaming" and "Hounds of Love". It's a dreamy, ethereal and otherworldly take on electronic pop that's always alluring and often memorable. The album's plentiful highlights include "Some Body", the superb Zola Jesus collaboration "Matters" - a deep, bubbly and intoxicating affair - and "Mysteries Of Love", an echoing, Royksopp-produced cover of a song from David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti's "Blue Velvet" movie soundtrack.

Review: The hugely prolific and endlessly touring Australian rock band King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard's latest is Rave Gizzard: Live in San Francisco 2024 via Reverberation Appreciation Society, a hefty triple-LP capturing their legendary first-ever full synth set. It was recorded live at The Regency Ballroom on November 6, 2024, and is a nine-track set with technicolour performances of tracks like 'Theia,' 'Gilgamesh' and 'Extinction' all reimagined with razor-sharp synth textures. It was an epic show lapped up by fans who revelled in the overwhelming bass and immersive, rave-like energy, all of which is conveyed when listening back. This limited-edition bootleg is a document of the band's adventurous leap into synth-driven psychedelia that is sure to swiftly sell out.

Review: Futurespective is a carefully remastered compilation showcasing the finest work of Les Animaux Sauvages, the legendary Bulgarian band known for their blazing blend of post-punk, new wave and dark wave. For the first time, these classic tracks are available on vinyl, which is literally music to the ears of fans of Eastern European underground sounds. The band is a trio of artistic kindred spirits who united in 2014 with Ivo Stoyadinov Charlie on guitar, synths and programming alongside Sibylla Seraphim, who brings her haunting vocals and synth work to the mix. Together, they craft a moody, atmospheric sound that is distantly lo-fi, with prowling and sleazy guitars that Andrew Weatherall would love, chugging dark disco groves and tripped-out machine soul and wiry electronics.

Review: Cliff Martinez's soundtrack is a full realised musical world that is defined by eerie synths and pulsating rhythms, all of which perfectly capture The Neon Demon hypnotic and unsettling atmosphere. Martinez is well known for his work on Drive and Only God Forgives and here once more delivers a score that is both haunting and seductive while mirroring the neon-lit world of fashion and obsession. The soundtrack weaves dreamy, ambient textures with dark, throbbing electronic undercurrents that draw you in and highlights include 'Neon Demon' and 'Mine' which pulse with icy beauty and mean this one stands as one of Martinez's most evocative and chilling compositions.

Review: One of many names in the pantheons of Tokyo's electronic music triumphs, despite their acclaim, reverence among boffins, and the sprinkling of high profile UK remixers that helped spread their output further (copies of reworkings by The Black Dog, Autechre and Global Communication fetch a fair song on the resale market) most will never have heard about Nav Katze. Their loss, and one we'd like to put right if possible.

Formed in 1984 as a trio - Naoko Iimura (guitar), Miwako Yamaguchi (vocals and bass), and Shino Furutachi (drums) - the band would put out two well received record on SWITCH before migrating to the far more prominent label Victor Music Industries for 1991's Kanki, at which point three became two with Furutachi stepping down. This package showcases not only why their original material was so sought after, with trance notes, IDM and ambient and pop meeting in beautiful soundscapes - but also what can happen when new parties get involved, with remixes from Aphex Twin, Sun Electric and Disjecta included.

Review: If you at first mistakenly read the title of the new Pye Corner Audio box set as "Where Things Are Now: No Tomorrow", you're not alone - Martin Jenkins' effortless blend of retro-nostalgia and forward-facing production is a keen match for reflexive cynicisms like this. His use of sizzling vintage audio-tropes could only have been achieved in the 21st Century and helps foster a reinstated optimism. The name of the full series is actually Where Things Are Hollow; and while two volumes have been released already, a third original one now comes added here, on top of a full remix roundoff featuring Alessandro Cortini, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith and John Talabot, producing this rather banging four-volume set.

Review: You had us at Sakamoto. Or rather you had us at "excerpts from Ryuichi Sakamoto's time working under Nippon Colombia's label, Better Days. First released in 1992, this 12-track compilation runs from tracks that appeared on the Japanese synth legend's debut album, Thousand Knives, first released in 1978, through to songs written with the iconic session group KYLYN, featuring celebrated guitar great Kazumi Watanabe. Ever the auteur, even if you didn't know this was Sakamoto in proper landmark mode, there's no chance the sounds here could really be confused for anyone or anything else. It's mature and intelligent, yet strangely - and typically - fun, childlike and a little cartoonish, sharing as much in common with experimental electronica that was emerging during the 1970s and 1980s as video game scores from the 1990s.

Review: Founded in 1979, Severed Heads - originally Mr and Mrs No Smoking Sign - never liked to do things by numbers. Spanning industrial, synthwave, coldwave, post-punk, electronic dance, synth pop and more, while wildly varied they might also be considered auteurs. Simply put, you can usually guess, or know, that you're listening to Severed Heads long before you actually find out you're listening to Severed Heads. Noisy arrangements overflowing with ideas, while at times things may border on overwhelming, for the most part the genius comes in how finely balanced the tracks are. Bad Mood Guy, first released in 1987, was their seventh studio album, described by some at the time as "punishing pop with crunching rhythms", and reflects them at their finest. Moody, at times angry, alway forward thinking and hard to compare.

Review: Rusty Egan Presents Blitzed! offers a vivid sonic journey back to London's Blitz Club circa 1980, capturing the essence of the New Romantic movement with meticulous detail. As the resident DJ at the epicenter of this cultural phenomenon, Rusty Egan curated a soundtrack that defined an era and shaped the future of British pop music. This compilation meticulously captures the eclectic mix of influences that fueled the Blitz Club's electric atmosphere. From Bowie and Roxy Music to Kraftwerk and European electronic pioneers, Egan's sets seamlessly blended diverse musical styles, creating a sonic tapestry that transcended genres. The tracks on Blitzed! reflect the club's diverse clientele, from fashion designers to art school kids, post boys to pop stars in the making. The compilation's contemporary photography by Sheila Rock, Peter Ashworth, and Terry Smith, along with insightful sleeve notes by Alexis Petridis and Rusty Egan himself, provide a comprehensive look into the era and its cultural impact. Blitzed! not only celebrates the music of the time but also serves as a historical document of a revolutionary moment in British pop culture. It's a must-have for anyone interested in the New Romantic movement and the influential role of clubs like The Blitz in shaping music history.

Review: Now that's what we call an album title 2021. As the name implies, we're skirting the edges of 1980s Japanese pop, opting to explore the strange, sci-fi hued, traditionally rooted noises that weren't necessarily dominant in the Far East country at that time, but certainly found favour with more explorative listeners. And it's not hard to hear why.

Tracks like 'Days Man' by Yoshio Ojima could work well in a slo-mo house or electronica set today. While preceding effort 'Hikari No Ito Kin No Ito' from Mishio Ogawa is like a strangely innocent hybrid of lullaby and pop song. Elsewhere, the twinkling synths and wet snare hits of Naomi Asai's 'Yakan Hikou' further accentuate the surrealism running through so much of what is here. One for the trophy cabinet, collectors take note (and form a queue).

Review: For the last ten years Japan's reissue market has blossomed into one of the most fruitful for western listeners eager to explore very rare Japanese releases and artists from the 70s and 80s specifically. In no other genres has this been most displayed then in the new age, ambient, folk and synth realms. Alfa/Yen Records 1980-1987: Techno Pop & Other Electronic Adventures In Tokyo follows this fantastic era of passing on to a new generation. This compilation features many luminary figures in the Japanese scene with an extra emphasis of it honing in on Yellow Magic Orchestra and its members. After the popularity of similar compilations in the past five years, this looks to be one of the most successful reissues of Japanese electronic music in 2024!

Review: Xmal Deutschland commemorate their influential 4AD years (1983-1984) with a brand new release, literally presenting us with Gift. The collection celebrates the band's profound impact on British audiences in the early 80s, marked by a unique and half-devised lyrical language, as well as a magnetic feminine mystique commandeered by the women in the group. Their breakthrough support slot with Cocteau Twins accompanied the first two albums to come out via 4AD, which grabbed audiences by the collective ear with a painter's stroke of hard-graded darkwave and goth. Gift brims with a penumbral presence, while the titular "gift" is intended as pharmakon, both a present and a poison; Xmal's music is appropriately contradictory and complex, skating thin ices of beauty and elusivity. This limited-edition 3xLP boxset includes Abbey Road remasters of their albums Fetisch and Tocsin, along with tracks from related releases like Incubus Succubus II and Qual, packaged with striking artwork and a photo booklet. The magic of Xmal Deutschland lingers like radiation and has an indelible half-life.