Review: This gatefold green vinyl record captures a rare and electrifying live performance from the pioneering electronic music legends. Recorded at their 1997 Tribal Gathering festival headline, it's a showcase of the band's iconic sound that blends groundbreaking synth-driven melodies with hypnotic rhythms and futuristic themes. Performing classics like 'Autobahn,' 'The Robots' and 'Computer World,' Kraftwerk delivered a spellbinding experience that bridged their innovative past and continued influence on modern music all set against the historic backdrop of Luton Hoo Estate. It features plenty of their classics from the time, as well as - shockingly - a new track, titled 'Tribal Gathering' (and also sometimes referred to as 'Luton') that was written especially for the gig, never recorded in the studio and only ever played a handful of times. A great nostalgic trip.
Review: Depeche Mode's Dodgers Stadium Los Angeles 1990 album captures the band at the height of their Violator tour, which was a pivotal moment in their career and now comes on nice red wax. Recorded live at one of their most iconic performances, this limited-edition vinyl is a trip back to experience the band's dark, synth-driven sound in a massive stadium setting. Featuring hits like 'Personal Jesus' and 'Enjoy the Silence' the set was a well-balanced mix of brooding electronic atmospheres with anthemic energy and it now serves as a great tribute to one of their most unforgettable live shows.
Review: It might cost a bit more to manufacture but 180g vinyl is much more satisfying to hold. There's something in your brain that tells you weight correlates to quality and it's best to trust it. This decadent cut of silver vinyl is for the reissue of synth-pop legend Thomas Dolby's joyous masterpiece of a debut album (originally released in 1982). From the moment the first notes strike on the technopop opener 'Flying North', it's assured and makes you want to strap in for the long haul and when you do you're rewarded with eclectic leftfield hits, such as 'She Blinded Me With Science', which is so groovy and trippy it make you feel like you're strutting your stuff in the crowd on Top of the Pops in the 80s. It's an album that's up there with anything from the likes of Soft Cell, OMD or Gary Numan.
Review: Denver, Colorado based progressive death metal auteurs Blood Incantation have become renowned for their overarching science fiction themes and cosmic reimagining of genre motifs, with 2019's sophomore triumph Hidden History Of The Human Race garnering immense acclaim and exposure. Unexpectedly, their 2022 follow up would rip a page right from the book of Tangerine Dream with Timewave Zero being made up entirely of ambient synth-laden pieces designed to serve as a soundtrack to passing through the stars. With this unpredictable penchant and clear lack of genre boundaries illuminated, anticipation was rife to see if the band would have the balls and brains to marry both opposing sonic guises and that's precisely what Absolute Elsewhere delivers. Named after the mid-70s prog collective (who once featured King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford), and even featuring Tangerine Dream's Thorsten Quaesching, the album is made up of two tracks, both broken into three segments each, that weave hallucinogenic death metal with synthwave prog, Krautrock, and euphoric alien ambience to conjure a uniquely transcendental listening experience. This ain't your granddaddy's prog rock, nor is it your daddy's death metal, but in a sense, it's kind of both.
Review: Matthias closes out 2024 with 'Life Among Nightmares', a three-track EP that dives deep into the techno-synth wave spectrum. Kicking things off is Global Thunder, a mind-bending track that crescendos into an epic blend of nostalgic synths and cinematic tension. On the B-side, Living Nightmare delivers a moody fusion of eccentric analog sounds, acid sequences, and swinging percussion, creating a dark yet hypnotic atmosphere. Finally, Sunfall rounds out the EP, where sinister synths and shadowy pads pull listeners into a haunting, techno-wave journey.
Review: Boy Harsher's second album delves into the shadowy realms of minimal wave, weaving stark synths and propulsive rhythms into a haunting tapestry. Tracks like 'Face the Fire' and 'Fate' showcase the duo's ability to craft dancefloor-ready beats infused with a brooding intensity. The lo-fi production evokes a sense of icy detachment, yet there's an underlying warmth in Jae Matthews' vocals that adds depth to the coldwave aesthetic. While some ambient interludes may feel less impactful, the album's cohesive atmosphere and emotive undercurrents make it a compelling listen for those drawn to the darker side of electronic music.
Review: Dan Andrei is arguably one of the finest selectors of this generation and a master minimal producer who makes electronic music of the highest order. His latest outing sees him inaugurating his own brand-new label alongside Claudiu Stefan. Rainbow Hill is a platform for their more personal ideas and starts with four more of Andrei's brilliantly deft yet dramatic tracks. 'Numan's Touch' kicks off with rolling drums and bass and a fine eco-system of cosmic pads, twinkling keys and fizzing synths that are theatrical and involving. 'What Else?' then gets darker and more intense with heady loops and wispy pads, and again the ante is upped and the darkness pervades once more on the tense and taught dub-tech roller 'This Is What I See'. Last of all, 'Bluer Than Ever' floats above the floor with airy pads and radiant chords. A perfect 5am vibe.
Review: Years Of Denial is back on Veyl with their second LP, Suicide Disco Vol. 2, the follow up to 2019's Suicide Disco. Here the duo make a triumphant return, raising their sound to the plural heights of darkwave, goth, new beat, post-punk, EBM and techno. Opening with the prudent breaks charge 'Art Break' - on which the gothic black tears on the front cover collide imagistically with muddy bass whooshes and gated power-keg snares, and a sinisterly driven vocal line from Barkosina - we soon move into a pummelling dozen tracks. These draw cues from hard techno to dark synth, embracing and going to the ends of a hedonistic, paradoxical pursuit of pain. The record's algolagnia betrays itself more and more and more, with 'Death Of A Lover' and 'Regarding The Pain Of Others' taking an almost ritual approach to sonic blood sacrifice, as though it were an unconsciously fundamental fact of life. We're equally impressed by the less techno-ey moments on the record too, such as 'Mr. Guilllotine', a sonic gigantomachy of new-wave drum collisions and batlike animorphic howls.
Review: This superb live album from the one and only electronic doom-mongers Depeche Mode from 1993 captures the band at the height of their legendary Songs of Faith and Devotion era. Broadcast on FM radio, the electrifying performance showcases the group's knack for raw, dark, inviting soundscapes and powerful connection with their audience. Featuring hits like 'Walking in My Shoes' and 'Personal Jesus' alongside darker and more introspective tracks, the setlist highlights the band's blend of industrial textures and emotional depth. Dave Gahan's commanding presence and Martin Gore's haunting melodies define this unforgettable show and make it a great one for the racks.
Anthony Hobson Aka Tektron - "Future Perspectives"
Chameleon - "Waterfall"
James Asher - "Telecom"
Simon Park Aka Soul City Orchestra - "Eagle"
Alan Hawkshaw - "Astral Plain"
Paul Williams - "Drifting In Time"
Brian Bennett - "Earth Born"
Harry Forbes - "Soft Waves"
Astral Sounds - "Topaz"
Alan Hawkshaw - "Eternity"
John Cameron - "Infinity"
Andy Grossart & Paul Williams - "Morning Dew"
Review: In the 70s and 80s, nothing was as revolutionary as the synthesiser. Electronic sounds became essential for forward-thinking adverts, with TV producers and advertisers seeking music akin to 'Tubular Bells,' Tomita, and Jean Michel Jarre. Music libraries like De Wolfe, Bruton, Parry, and Chappell swiftly adapted. Bob Stanley's new album, 'Tomorrow's Fashions,' compiles advertising jingles, TV themes, and space exploration tracks with ambient beats from that era. Despite being 40-50 years old, the music feels fresh, featuring jazz veterans like Brian Bennett and John Cameron embracing synthesizers. This electronica predated new age and ambient music, influenced pop, early Human League, Warp Records, and has been sampled by MF Doom and Kendrick Lamar.
Review: Already a noted keeper of the boogie flame for her part in the Royalty project, Cesca has since channelled her energy into System Olympia. Delta Of Venus is a masterclass in synth-soaked electro funk reveries, striking a sweet spot where nostalgic moods don't mean trotting out the same tired motifs. The System Olympia sound is melancholic and reflective, especially in the shorter segue tracks, but it still shimmers and shakes with that synthetic sophistication which makes boogie so alluring to this day. It's a rich, explorative and expressive album which flew out on its initial release in 2020, so don't sleep on the repress!
Review: There had apparently already been much feverish speculation around the true identity of the musician lurking behind the moniker Forbidden Overture because of the exceptional soundtrack to the 1982 queer bath house fantasy 'Turned On'. When a few of the more astute observers of the 1986 women-in-prison exploitation flick 'Bad Girls Dormitory' spotted some overlapping use of the same music from 'Turned On', it was revealed that Forbidden Overture was in fact US electro pioneer Man Parrish - a fact that seems obvious once you know. Using his unmistakable classic production techniques - only employed in very different ways to his dancefloor smashes - the building, oozing 27 minute epic 'Primal Overture' and the cheekier, more wry 'Strictly Forbidden' form one of the soundtracks of all time, even if the bath house frolics of the film itself have retreated into the changing rooms of obscurity since. Its director Steve Scott commented: "It took us about two weeks to find the right piece for the jockstrap scene. But it's like anything else-you know when it's right." The same could very easily be said of this must-not-miss release.
Review: Enjoy The Silence, Depeche Mode's standout single from Violator, marked a significant moment in the band's career, becoming their most successful UK single since 'Master & Servant' in 1984. 'Enjoy The Silence' captured both critical and public acclaim, peaking at number six in the UK charts and achieving top spots in Denmark and Spain, as well as reaching number eight in the US. The 12" version is beloved by fans with the myriad of great remixes the song provided. This new yellow vinyl version helps meet the demand of an always desirable dance record. The single's success earned Depeche Mode their first Brit Award for Best Single of 1990. This newfound positivity extended to the subsequent reception of Violator, solidifying 'Enjoy The Silence' as an iconic track in Depeche Mode's discography. The song continues to be celebrated for its brooding, tender qualities, and its ability to resonate with audiences globally as well as the iconic video.
Review: From the first notes of the Talking Heads-esque opening of the title track, which has none other than The Cure's Robert Smith as guest backing vocalist, this album by the great Scottish post-punk legends The Associates has you hooked. It's littered with standout moments, but the wiry bassline which underpins the offbeat guitar on 'Amused As Always' is high up there. It manages to pull off being belligerently repetitive by offsetting any sense of monotony with sheer style. Meanwhile, frontman Billy MacKenzie - who tragically died before his time in 1997 - has a voice to rival that of Robert Smith himself in terms of tone. The Associates may not be as readily cited in the typical indie record collection - but they're probably your favourite band's favourite band. regardless, this album is going to challenge why you've resisted so long in not putting it at the heart of your collection.
Review: Belarusian post-punk and synth-pop group Molchat Doma have always reflected a brutalist aesthetic in their music which has been marked by cold, grey, and industrial tones. Following their 2020 breakthrough, the trio faced significant changes from leaving Minsk to headlining global shows. Settling in Los Angeles, they crafted their fourth album, Belaya Polosa, which symbolises transformation during tough times and celebrates the digital pulse of the 90s. The album combines sombre dance floor anthems with vibrant reinventions and tracks like 'Ty Zhe Ne Znaesh' Kto Ya,' 'Son,' and 'Belaya Polosa' showcase how they have moved their sound along to blend post-punk, synth textures, and melodic sophistication while maintaining their distinctive minimalist style.
Euph (Feelings In Finite) (CD2: Atmospherics - Bvdub's Re-entries)
Complete Nonsense (Calm & Chaos)
Helix (Radiate In Red)
Phosphorous (Elements Of Endlessness)
Mars Rain (Freeze And Fall)
Lost In It (Life In Lucidity)
FM (Frequencies Of Forgiveness)
Odyssey (Gazing Into Galaxies)
Genetic Experiment (Symbols And Secrets)
Review: zake's untouchable ambient imprint Past Inside the Present revisits James Bernard's classic 1994 album Atmospherics and has remastered it and paired it with some fresh reinterpretations by bvdub, a longtime friend and collaborator. Since the original release, music and technology have evolved significantly but the timeless craft and rich textures of Bernard's work remain evident. Atmospherics achieved cult status during the ambient music boom after being crafted solely with a keyboard, sequencer, 12-bit sampler, drum machine, and bass guitar, all created in real-time and without edits. Bvdub's reinterpretations honour the originals while adding new dimensions and infusing them with a melancholic air that enhances its emotional depth.
Review: 'Autobahn' by Kraftwerk, released in 1974, is a seminal track that redefined the future of electronic music. Its significance lies not only in its innovative use of synthesisers and electronic instruments but also in its ability to evoke a specific visual and emotional landscape. Here, the song's repetitive, motorik rhythms are given an overhaul - or more specifically three - by Jim Rider, a regular at Lee Burridge's All Day I Dream parties. They're beefed up for the floor, certainly, but maintain the kind of delicate touches that makew the original such a great listen.
Review: Cybotron are best known as the early purveyors of electro as we know it, responsible for the genre's more mechanised incarnations from as early as the mid-1980s. Now, though, they "re-emerge in our contemporary cybercultural age when artifactual futures begin a transition into a new era of "Meta'", with two new tracks on Tresor, 'Maintain' and 'The Golden Ratio'. While this sentence might take some decoding, we're fain to speculate that it has something to do with the current mass-mediated zeitgeist centring on virtual reality and its implications for metaphysics, both of which right up Cybotron's street as concepts go. Something about the perturbed spirit of 2023 has awoken Juan Atkins and Laurens von Oswald from their decades-long slumber to produce this vocoded, deep-waving, technocult opus. We must figure out what!
Review: Ilian Tape kicks on with another entry into its ITX Series, this time with a lovely hand-stamped long player from MPU101. It is a deep dive into escapist ambient worlds with plenty of grainy tape hiss and cosmic static, celestial melodies and provocative moments of introspection. Analogue machinery is really brought to the fore on fuzzy sounds like 'CreamyPORTAL-Xa' with patient and pastoral synth smears, while 'APEX CA 91352' has brighter and more mellifluous melodies rising up through the mix. There is plenty of pensive beauty in these cuts, not least the gorgeous 'Junelake Smokes'. Another gem from Ilian Tape.
Review: A world of brutal beats and hard edge techno rhythms beckons on this new min album, vocals often obstructed by brushing synths and comprised textural sounds, tortured leads and fizzing apocalyptic energies that make it perfect for gritty warehouse raves. Opener 'The Brain Plays With Me' sets a powerful tone from the off, while 'Claroscuro' slips into a slower but just as caustic world of sound. 'Don't Trust In The First Whispers' is a paranoid chamber of reflected vocals and crashing hits that has you looking over your shoulder and 'Melted Doubts' is doom laden drone from the end of the world.
Review: You might think that you could cop a copy of New Order's seminal hit 'Blue Monday' fairly easily and cheaply given its ubiquity over the years. But no, copies in good condition still fetch around 50 quid, so this remastered reissue is well worth a cop. The single's iconic bassline and twitchy synth modulations very much soundtrack a generation, if not an entire youth revolution, but still enliven any dance floor many years later. What's more, the de-humanised vocals will always provide real singalong joy. On the flip is a 'The Beach', which is drenched in echo and reverb and general sonic filth.
Review: Who doesn't love a good compilation? And a good compilation is exactly what we have here, as put together by the golf standard digger that is JD Twitch. Ever since he first head out to the land of the rising sun to DJ he has been bewitched by it. Sub-titled 'A Beginners Guide to Japan In The '80s' this assemblage of ambient, cosmic and electronic sounds is beautifully escapist, taking you right out the Far East in an instant with its curious melodies and gentle ear worms. There is a purity and beauty to the music that is utterly cleansing with all of Japan's most legendary names included.
Review: These excellent live Dutch radio broadcast recordings of Depeche Mode from 1983 are for the first time available here on vinyl. Some of their earliest hits are featured, taken from the British band's first three seminal albums such as Speak & Spell, A Broken Frame and Construction Time Again. Highlights on the A side are the synthpop classics 'Everything Counts' and Get The Balance Right'. While over on the flip there are excellent versions never heard before of 'Told You So', 'New Life' and 'Just Can't Get Enough'.
Review: Autobhan, the 1974 album that began Kraftwerk's ascent to legendary status, is still capable of making the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. The headline attraction remains the absorbing, mesmerising, 22-minute title track, a musical whizz down an imaginary three-lane highway that's as evocative and atmospheric as they come. That said, the album's lesser-celebrated, more experimental flip-side tracks (and in particular the jaunty 'Kometenmelodie 2'), are also inspired. Here it gets the 2020 reissue treatment via a tasty blue vinyl pressing that comes packaged with a 12-page booklet of historic photos and typically utilitarian imagery.
Review: San Francisco's Dark Entries label does a good line in reissuing obscure, long-forgotten, left-of-centre gems (their excellent collection of Patrick Cowley's little-known soundtrack work for gay porn films, School Daze, was arguably one of the compilations of 2013). Here, they've unearthed another overlooked gem - Art Fine's previously rare-as-hen's-teeth dark Italo-disco gem 'Dark Silence'. It's pretty much a straight copy of the New Wave-inclined original, with the sparser, looser 'Long Version' joining the dense 'Art Fine Version'.
Review: Electronic pop trailblazers, Royksopp, announce the second part to their expansive Profound Mysteries project, Profound Mysteries II. They declared their 2014 album The Inevitable End to be the last time they would release a traditional album, and after eight years they lived up to that promise this year with a new audio-visual approach titled Profound Mysteries. This second instalment of three is the andante-minuet of said electro-symphony, in which the band unveil a gargantuan selection of self-generated tunes, in contrast to the totally collaborative third part).
Five Times Of Dust - "Computer Bank" (The Floor mix) (7:12)
Five Times Of Dust - "Armoured Car" (6:57)
Unovidual & Tara Cross - "Like I Am, Comme Je Suis" (The Floor mix) (7:11)
Unovidual & Tara Cross - "Imponative" (3:28)
Review: Thanks to the eternally revered Minimal Wave imprint, out of NYC, Mark Phillips and Robert Lawrence's Five Times Of Dust project is going through a bit of a revival. The duo had first released some post-punk cassettes back in the 80s, and they clearly have not been forgotten. On this new remix EP, "Computer Bank" is given a makeover in the form of a The Floor remix, who proceeds to add all sorts of quirkiness over the tune's tough, heavy bass and driving rhythm; "Armoured Car" breaks the 4/4 in favour of something much closer to the band's original drum machine style. Once again, on the flip, we have a remix of "Like I Am, Comme Je Suis" by The Floor, who throws up a gnarly electro bass onto shady, neo-romantic vocals, and the whole things is finished off by "Imponative" from Unovodual and Tara Cross, who produce a slow, heady industrial groove for the dancefloor.
Review: Amongst collectors of post-punk era cassettes, Solid Space's sole album, 1982's Space Museum, has long been a sought-after item. While scarce and hard to find, the demand is largely down to the music contained within. Combining bright and spacey synthesizers with cheap drum machines, fuzzy guitars and vocals musing on science fiction and isolation, British DIY musicians Matthew Vosburgh and Dan Goldstein (previously both of of Exhibit A) created something surprisingly magical and alluring despite its lo-fi creation. For proof, check this first ever vinyl edition from Dark Entries, which thrillingly also contains two previously unreleased cuts from the duo's archives.
Review: Marie Davidson's latest single 'Y.A.A.M.' is a poignant critique of power dynamics in the music industry - favouring authenticity and passion in a world that thrives on branding and transactional relationships - out of which the Canadian artist finds fuel to fan the driving flames of existential industrial electro-techno. The track opens with a juddering, in-between-4x4-and-2-step electro beat, which lasts for over a minute before Davidson takes up the mic: "do you follow me?". What ensues is an imperfect list of music industry quibbles, which flow over the monstrously huge backing - "entrepreneurs, influencers, producers, managers / nothing for you and me" - in stark but gallows-comedic contrast to the plea to relocate our arses to the dancefloor. In Davidson's own words, the track was inspired by a haughty, lecturing email from a music industry insider: "I took the opportunity to write down how I felt about the words," she recalls, "and the overall tone of arrogance of what I had just been sent quickly, I found myself having a bit too much fun."
Review: The 1980s was a breakthrough time for underground electronic music. Before restrictive genre definitions saw different modes of expression streamlined, the options were wide open in the lawless surge of post punk and industrial culture. This finely curated compilation from PIAS provides an excellent overview of some of the deadliest operators from this wildly creative time - the names involved are integral to the development of electronic music in the 80s. Throbbing Gristle, DAF, Cabaret Voltaire, Front 242, Nitzer Ebb, Meat Beat Manifesto - just some of the legendary names shown in their best light on this essential collection.
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