Back in stock: Leftfield

Review: The Late Night Tales mix series - going strong since way back in 2003 - never ceases to both amaze and please our eardrums when they're in need of a sonic massage. With legendary artists such as Fatboy Slim, Jamiroquai, Groove Armada, MGMT and many others on their roster, you just know it's going to be quality throughout. This time it's up to Domino man Jon Hopkins to give us an outlook onto his own tastes and musical influences. The selection is vast and varied, with everyone from Four Tet to Darkstar and even Peter Broderick featuring within. An incandescent blend of sci-fi electronica, tropical bass nuggets and lighter shades of drone-fuelled house. Quality.

Review: Kali Malone's The Sacrificial Code stands tall, meditating on the perception of time through the pipe organ. Originally released in 2019, the album was shaped by Malone's engagement with tuning systems, electroacoustic composition, and Sweden's experimental music scene. Following her apprenticeship with organ tuner Jan Borjeson, she embraced historical temperaments and archaic compositional forms, stripping them down to their starkest essence. Now reissued by Ideologic Organ, this 2025 edition features a newly recorded 'Sacrificial Code III,' captured on the 16th-century meantone organ at Malmo Konstmuseum. Malone's meticulous recording process, from close-micing techniques to the spatial placement of sound, enhances the organ's physical presence, creating an immersive, time-dilating effect. Each chord resounds with the breath of the instrument, as the record's restrained grandeur invites listeners into an amorphous, time-bending experience.

Review: PainKiller, the mythihcal trio formed in 1991, returns after a 30-year hiatus with a bold new album. Featuring the groundbreaking talents of bassist Bill Laswell, saxophonist John Zorn and Napalm Death's Mick Harris on electronics, the band has once again redefined the boundaries of jazz, metal and experimental music. Their original sound, which fused grindcore, ambient and dub, is now expanded with Harris's innovative electronic beats, creating a rich, immersive soundscape. Despite Laswell's ongoing health struggles, including diabetes and heart issues, the album captures a revitalized energy, showcasing the trio's unique ability to merge chaotic intensity with intricate, atmospheric textures. Zorn's impassioned sax and Laswell’s bass, shaped by his limited physical capacity, still bring the raw power and experimental spirit that made the trio so influential. The album blends abrasive sounds with moments of haunting beauty, remaining true to PainKiller’s ethos of pushing musical extremes. With a sound that pushes even further than their past work, this reunion record offers a fresh, electrifying direction, proving that the trio’s chemistry and creativity remain as potent as ever. PainKiller continues to challenge the boundaries of genre, delivering a riveting exploration of sound.

Review: Hadley Roe is a UK-based artist whose debut album on peerless ambient label Past Inside The Present adds up to a healing sonic journey crafted with electric guitar, synths and software trickery. Themes are drawn from Roe's personal struggles with mental health, trauma and isolation so make for sounds that blend melancholy, bliss and moments of calm and comfort. Take the serene 'The First Day' or the evolving 'No One Ever Touched Me Before You' - both are hugely emotive and absorbing for the way they patiently unfurl. Roe's ability to express herself through intuitive, wordless music is truly standout.