Back in stock: Leftfield

Review: There's a delightfully celebratory feel about this debut volume of Cititrax Tracks, a new 12" series from Minimal Wave offshoot Cititrax. As beautifully presented as we've come to expect, Tracks Volume 1 boasts a quartet of dancefloor-ready smashers from a blend of new faces and label stalwarts. Amato (aka The Hacker) kicks things off with the glistening EBM funk of "Physique" - all restless synth refrains and pounding bottom end - before LIES affiliate Tsuzing go all dark, psychedelic and twisted on the thrillingly intense, acid-flecked "King of System". An-I go all DAF (with a touch of Front 242) on the fuzzy and dystopian stomper "Mutter", before Cititrax regulars Broken English Club delivers a storming chunk of industrial-tinged analogue funk ("Glass"). Bravo!

Review: Earlier this year Minimal Wave offshoot provided one of this year's most visceral dancefloor weapons in Kino-I, the debut from Doug Lee's new An-I project. Taking inspiration from techno, jack, industrial and punk, An-I successfully drew a line under some of the Berlin-based artist's previous disco-flavoured endeavours. And then some! If you like the Kino-I 12" you will love the new triplet of An-I productions housed on this appropriately titled Gutz 12". The title track alone should come with a health warning; such is the furious onslaught of machine funk it contains, whilst the unnerving "Rut" is the most schizophrenic production you will hear this year. Best of all id closing track "Save Us" sounds like a cross between in Aeternam Vale and Silent Servant. Pressed on a rather thick and dashing slab of magenta orange vinyl!

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: Fans of mechanical techno-not-techno sounds will be all over Minimal Wave's latest transmission from 80s French underground heroes In Aeternam Vale. Having reissued several essential lost works from the outfit last year, most notably the proto-Sandwell sound of "Highway Dark Veins", Veronica Vasicka delivers another two tracks from the vault. Stylistically mirroring that previous two track release the title track is an equally brilliant synth-techno beast which could easily pass for a Function track today, while B-side "Calling Somewhere" sounds like a cold wave version of proto-halfstep. Needless to say, the fact that these tracks are 22 years old literally left us speechless.

Review: Following 2023's When A Worm Wears A Wig, Robin Stewart returns with Crinkle and delivers a set of warped dub techno tracks that apply advanced dub logic to precise, pointillistic rhythms. Channelling influences like Peder Mannerfelt and Rrose, Stewart revives classic genre tropes with a fresh perspective that dives deeper into the physicality of sound and focuses on bass throbs over aggressive kicks. Standout tracks like 'Stomach' surprise with lolloping off-grid beats soaked in lysergic textures while 'Compact' delivers a more traditional peak-time vibe with innovative processing. The title track brings everything together with mind-bending spectral rhythms.

Review: Sa Pa's mastery of dense, immersive sound design takes on fresh forms here, with four extended cuts that unravel in their own time, drawing deep from the wells of dub, ambient techno, and minimal groove. Opener 'Captigon' rolls out like a slow-motion mirage, its submerged rhythms and cavernous textures shifting like sand underfoot. 'So Simple' strips things back even further, a delicate interplay of drifting chords and weightless percussion that feels like it could dissolve at any moment. On the flip, 'Boredom Memory (Extended Mix)' lets a steady pulse guide its shimmering layers, balancing restraint with a quiet insistence, while 'Gausian Ecstacy' brings things full circleihushed, intricate, and hypnotic in equal measure. Designed for deep listening, whether warming up, winding down, or staying in, these tracks reward patience, letting their submerged details rise to the surface at their own pace.

Review: Suicide AFTR 7 comes alive as a sonic meeting point between Neud Photo and Antic, binding New York's underground pulse with London's shadowy cool. Lead track 'Soft Geometry' carves its own hypnotic groove with low-slung bass and a mist of crystalline synth chords, a perfect primer for the EP's darker allure. Meanwhile, 'Interplay' stands out, balancing distant, echoed lyrics with snappy snares, luring listeners deeper into its bass-throbbing spell. The release reaches a pinnacle with 'Last Word,' a tense 808-driven workout that underscores the EP's raw, fog-drenched aesthetic.

Review: Upsammy's ever mutating, morphing sound seems to melt before your very ears on this new body of work. A distinct beaty twang, and even drum & bass, comes into the mix as the Dutch maverick takes us on a unique trip. Highlights of her navigations include the deconstructed d&b of 'Relict' and the hypnotising chimes and shimmers of the title track which feels like a trip to a temple in Tibet while cruising the back pocket of an automaton. Powerfully mesmerising; minimal in dynamic, maximum in feels. Don't sleep on this one.