Caroline True Vinyl & CDs

Review: Jon Savage's second delve into the diverse sounds of the post-punk era offers another enlightening listen, and this is a limited CD with 12 page digisleeve booklet. Do You Have The Force Volume 2: Jon Savage's Alternative History Of Electronica 1978-82 traverses the worlds of electronic music, disco, experimental, and proto-techno and looks for the similarities and differences between those niche sounds with music from the likes of John Foxx, Soft Machine, Cabaret Voltaire, I Signori Della Galassia and many more. The meticulous curation is a testament to Savage who is deservingly celebrated as a renowned cultural commentator, writer and filmmaker.

Review: The 1990s was arguably the first 'golden age' of ambient - a time when the inherently atmospheric and laidback style not only exploded in popularity, but also became the post-club soundtrack of choice for a whole generation. This personal survey of the 90s ambient scene from journalist and author Jon Savage does a good job in gathering together a representative selection of genuine gems and overlooked classics, drifting between the bubbly, deep space brilliance of Richard H Kirk's Sandoz project ('Limbo'), bleeping ambient house ('Calm' by 2 Cabbages on a Drip), early progressive house (React 2 Rhythm), electronic psychedelia (the tabla rhythms and swirly noises of Rapoon), ambient blues (Underworld), IDM (U-ziq), and glacial, slow-motion bliss (Biosphere).