Room40 US Vinyl & CDs

Review: William Gibson's Neuromancer celebrates its 40th anniversary and revisiting this seminal work reveals the depth of its world-building and the haunting cultural echoes that resonate with our modern experience. Gibson's vision of a future, envisioned in an era when the internet was just emerging, intertwines optimism with a palpable sense of anxiety. In 1994, to mark the book's tenth anniversary, New York duo Black Rain was invited to create a soundtrack for the audiobook, narrated by Gibson himself. Initially released on a series of cassettes, this project offered a rare insight into Gibson's interpretation of the novel's characters and settings. Following a phase of expansion, core members Stuart Argabright and Shinichi Shimokawa shifted their focus to a more streamlined duo format, leading to innovative studio practices and a unique sonic language. While the audiobook achieved notable success, the soundtrack faded into obscurity, with only a few tracks appearing in compilations. Now, drawing from the original master tapes, this edition encapsulates the atmospheric essence of Neuromancer, crafting an immersive auditory experience that echoes the novel's surreal landscape.

Review: Somatic sound experimentalist Lawrence English shares the 15th Anniversary edition of A Colour For Autumn on transparent orange vinyl. The Australian composer and musician notes the passing of fifteen years since the album's release is a critical milestone; the passage of time was important to ACFA since its core inspiration is the turn of the seasons. Speaking somewhat acrimoniously about its first incarnation, "it dwelled on old world impressions of the seasons, something that, in the southern hemisphere, isn't intrinsically part of my way of approaching place." A record whose intention going in did not entirely square with the artistic work coming out, ACFA begun as a subtle reimpression of Vivaldi's Four Seasons, then as a latent realisation that Vivaldi's spring, summer, fall and winter were staid and rooted in timely ideas. English therefore made this droning, minimal record, deploying morphotic drones and dropletty motifs, to urge thoughts on climate change and ahistorical rupture; the desiccation of landscape and soundscape. Now remastered by Stephen Mathieu, we revisit it with fresh ears.