New releases last eight weeks: Coldwave/Synth

Review: Since founding DiN in 1999, Ian Boddy has been driven by a passion for collaboration, particularly with artists connected to the pioneering German electronic scene of the 1970s. When a chance meeting with Harald Grosskopf at a Dutch music festival presented the opportunity to work together, Boddy eagerly embraced Grosskopf's ear; the latter's tutelage at the Berlin school spans decades, and he is most notably for his fellowship as a drummer with Klaus Schulze, whose influence looms large over Boddy's own work. But beyond percussion, Grosskopf's Synthesist album revealed his distinct melodic sensibilities, making him an ideal creative partner for Doppelganger. Blending Berlin-schooled sequencing with evocative grooves. Boddy's modular synth textures shine on tracks like 'Boulevard Horizon', while Grosskopf's rhythmic playfulness is evident in 'Livewire'.

Review: As a former member of Kraftwerk, Wolfgang Flur is never short of offers to collaborate. On Time, his first solo album for three years, he's once again taken up many of these offers. So alongside regular collaborators Peter Duggal, U96 and Miriam Suarez, you'll also find contributions from New Order bassist Peter Hook, Thomas Bangalter (aka Vangarde, taking his disco-making father's moniker surname here) Detroit electro and techno pioneer Juan Atkins (who appears on opener 'Posh'), and long-serving techno producers Anthony Rother and Fabrice Lig. As a result, Time is rooted in sharp electro, synth-pop and revivalist new wave, but also offers nods to techno, electroclash, acid house and proto-trance, with Suarez and Flur take it in turns to add their own atmospheric vocals. If you enjoyed Flur's previous album, Magazine, you'll lap this one up - it's an even stronger proposition.

Review: A warm welcome back to long-serving French duo Scratch Massive, a DJ/production twosome who have been active locally and internationally since 1994. Nox Anima is, somewhat remarkably, the duo's first studio album since 2018. Rooted in the stylish, atmospheric and occasionally moody new wave sound they've been developing for decades, the album frequently pairs dark and clandestine analogue and modular synth sounds - throbbing, arpeggio-style sequences and ghostly chords - with metronomic or sparse beats, moments of melodic positivity, spacey electronics and whispered or sung female lead vocals. It's a musical blend that pays dividends far more often than not, making Nox Anima a must-check for fans of leftfield synth pop and chilly coldwave sounds.

Review: 11 years after it first appeared in stores, sometime Kill Laura amd Misty Dixon member Jane Weaver's sixth solo album Silver Globe has been given the reissue treatment. This is undoubtedly a good thing, as it remains one of Weaver's most magical and consistent full length excursions - an inspired blend of neo-psych-folk, Elizabeth Fraser style vocals, kosmiche-influenced "motorik" grooves and cosmic effects. Lightly conceptual, it's packed with highlights, not least the driving and spaced-out 'Argent', the twisted cosmic pop meets jangly indie-pop of 'The Electric Mountain', the dubbed-out and densely layered 'Arrows', the glassy-eyed lo-fi dream pop of 'Mission Desire' and the effects-laden pastoral dreaminess of 'Your Time In This Life is Just Temporary'.