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Review: The classic 1991 debut album from Zev Love X Subroc and Onyx a seamless blend of funny skits and uniformly slick breaks laced with biting wit. Now available as a limited DJ friendly special 2xLP edition with full colour pic sleeve shrink wrapped and with original centre label artwork.

Review: Jose Gonzalez (of Argentine origins but living in Sweden) released his debut album in 2006 and received critical acclaim all over Europe. "Veneer" is a striking collection of hushed indie pop bedroom songs that sits elegantly on the hi-fi end of the lo-fi spectrum. This Peacefrog release can't be missed.

Review: As much as Detroit legend Omar S can do utterly freaky and experimental sounds, he also knows how to kick out some floor filling jams. On this double album from back in 2005, he manages to do both. The bleepy madness of 'Strider's World' with its meandering bass and raw drums was a classic that got hammered by everyone at the time, while 'Congaless' was another favourite on cultured floors with its lovely claps, hissing synth details and low slung beats. In between are plenty of archetypal Smith cuts, but the best might be 'A Victim' with its aching vocal.

Review: Musically it's cinematic rock funk with a bit of old testament too. One for the collection.

Review: Omar S and Shadow Ray hooked up back in 2005 as Oasis and turned out a low key classic with Collaborating. It's an essential double album packed with signature Motor City heat and dishevelled deep house workouts for mind, body and soul. Things open with the slow paced crawler 'Oasis 4' then take in 'Oasis 11' with its pinging percussion and stripped back grooves, the standout 'Oasis 1s-1/2' with its gorgeously melancholic synth bleeps and heart melting chords and the darker energy of 'Oasis 7'.

Review: Oasis Collaborating is the name of two different double albums that Omar S and Shadow Ray put out under their Oasis alias back in 2005. They are both hugely original and essential works of stripped back Motor City house music perfection. This one is packed with gems like the wispy pads and metallic synths of 'Oasis Fifteen', the low slung rawness of 'Oasis Seventeen' and the brightly, optimistic melodies and twanging chords of 'Oasis Twenty Five'. Each of the tracks sounds like they were recorded live, with two masters of their machines just jamming away, tweaking knobs and cooking up pure house magic.

Review: High school band directors used to press up their bands' performances to vinyl, & none made as much sweet noise as this "Texas Thunder Soul." Deluxe gatefold package as well as some previously unreleased live music, plus a bonus documentary.

Review: "Ruff Draft", originally released in 2003, is a sought-after album that remains the elusive key release in J Dilla's catalogue. This has freewheeling, in-your-face synthesizers, and an uncharacteristically sample-heavy approach that is as banging as it is experimental.

Review: The undisputed leaders of the early gothic scene, and a seminal band that contributed to the rise of British post-punk, the Cure recorded their debut album "Three Imaginary Boys" at London's Morgan Studios and released on May 8, 1979. After touring for almost all of 1977, the band changed their name to The Cure and rearranged their line-up with the sacking of Porl Thompson, giving birth to an unusual power trio. This line-up lasted only for their first album, making it unique in its essentially minimal sound.

Review: Animal Collective return with album number eight, their first for Domino. "Strawberry Jam" was recorded by Scott Colburn in Tucson, Arizona. It's an amazing record, which should finally mark some sort of crossover for them. It bears all of their unique and charming hallmarks but with vocals and melody much more to the foreground.

Review: The Budos Band are the quintessence of Staten Island Soul. Since the release of the 2005 debut, their exciting new afro-influenced take on the instrumental music has been captivating listeners across the globe. "The Budos Band II" is an amazing release on Daptone.

Review: With a background playing in Swedish punk bands, the potent emotional force distilled within Jose Gonzalez's music suddenly makes a lot of sense. Hearing the ten songs on "In Our Nature" is almost like a palette cleanser. Even more starkly compelling than before, his approach is identifiably patient, methodical and focused on illuminating melodic details at unexpected angles. As a guitarist, he finds accord with players like Geoff Farina, and in the finger-picking style of Cuba's Silvio Rodrigeuz. Having worked on the songs at length on his own, the album was recorded to tape in two weeks in a studio in Gothenburg. Jose (guitar and vocals) is joined by Erik Bodin (percussion), Hakan Wirenstrand (keyboards) and Little Dragon's songwriter/vocalist, Yukimi Nagamo (backing vocals).

Review: Daptone brings you the amazing album, '100 Days 100 Nights' from the soul sister Sharon Jones alongside The Dap Kings.

Review: Following the amazing success story of Vashti Bunyan's recent re-emergence as an artist after an exile of over 30 years, we are proud and excited to release "Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind", a comprehensive compilation of early recordings dating from the period prior to Vashti's classic "Just another Diamond Day" album which was originally released 1970. Titled after Vashti's (Jagger/Richards-penned) debut single which opens the compilation, this double-album represents an attempt to both open out and draw a line under the past, and also to try to set the record straight about the disparity between how Vashti viewed (and still views) herself against the way she has been popularly perceived. Widely construed as a folk singer - a tag she fundamentally disagrees with - these recordings instead reveal Vashti as a pop singer, however 'fragile' and unique. A complete collection of Vashti's existing early recordings, the album is divided across two discs and features 25 tracks - mostly rescued from a number of old acetates and quarter-inch tapes Vashti's brother John had found in his attic a few years ago.

Review: Gothenburg, Sweden, is a hotbed of diverse and escalating musical talent, now boasting the dynamic, organically soulful pop sounds of Little Dragon. Featuring radiant vocalist Yukimi Nagano and her close high school friends Erik Bodin (drums), Fredrick Kallgren (bass) and Hakan Wirenstrand (keyboards), Little Dragon stepped into the spotlight with releases on Peacefrog. "Little Dragon" is their debut album.

Review: "In Rainbows", Radiohead's seventh album, finally gets a physical release! It's one thing downloading this landmark album, but to actually hold this is something special. Not only do you get increased sound quality, but you also get the amazing artwork from Stanley Donwood. This album includes "Nude", a live favourite for many years that was originally written during the "OK Computer" sessions. More minimal that their "Kid A" period, "In Rainbows" does something that very few albums have done - its sound is distinct from previous Radiohead albums, but is still clearly Radiohead. Hail to the kings, they are back on top form.

Review: Vinyl Lovers brings you NICO’s, 'The End'. Originally released in 1974 and produced by John Cale, this found NICO caught in a dark no-mans land inhabited by ghosts of her past, the late Jim Morrison on 'You Forgot to Answer' and her cover of the Doors 'The End'

Review: Vinyl Lovers present John Cale's, 'Fear (reissue)'. He emerged into pre-new wave weirdness with Fear, an aggressively wild record made with assistance from the likes of Eno and Roxy Musician Phil Manzanera. Clean production only heightens the anxiety inherent in Cale's voice and created by the skittering, modified guitar sounds. A brilliant record full of neat surprises and great, unsettling songs.

Review: Already the winner of a Brit Award (Adele was voted the 'Critics Choice' - the most exciting new British artist expected to 'make it big' in 2008),
'19' is Adele's debut album. Citing influences as diverse as Etta James, Jill Scott, Bjork, Dusty Springfield, Billy Bragg, Billie Holiday, Jeff Buckley,
The Cure and Peggy Lee, Adele also recently completed her first solo UK tour, having toured previously with the likes of Jack Penate, Jamie T,
Raul Midon, Amos Lee and Devendra Banhart. '19' contains both her debut track 'Hometown Glory' and her smash single 'Chasing Pavements'.
Blues tinged and melancholic, Adele describes 'Chasing Pavements' as 'It's me being hopeful for a relationship that's very much over. The sort
of relationship you hate when you're in it, but miss when you're not'. A hymn to lost love and regret, 'Chasing Pavements' follows Adele's first
limited edition single 'Hometown Glory', which introduced her to the world to much critical acclaim, with NME calling it 'totally, absolutely beautiful',
Q Magazine calling her 'The voice of next year' and The Sunday Times saying 'A Star Is Born'

Review: Vinyl Lovers presents 'A Hard Road' from John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers. More than a compilation, this album is a complete document of the Bluesbreakers' recordings with Peter Green, of which 'A Hard Road' was just the most prominent part. Bonus tracks include several non-LP singles, among them the 1967 B-side "Rubber Duck," which has never before appeared on LP.

Review: Carpark gives you 'Devotion' the second album from the dreamy pop duo from Baltimore, Maryland, Beach House. Includes original songs as well as cover songs
like 'Some Things Last a Long Time', by Daniel Johnston.

Review: 'Wayfaring Strangers: Guitar Soli' explores the private side of the solo guitar movement from 1966-81, bridging the gap between American Primitive
pioneers & the California modernists. Includes a 40-page booklet, digipack, and a limited edition NUMERO guitar pick.

Review: Tarrus Riley is among the crop of Jamaican singer/songwriters that are expanding the boundaries of reggae music today. Son of famed Caribbean vocalist Jimmy Riley releases his first album on VP Records. Songwriting and production collaborations with famed saxophonist Dean Fraser. All star band includes; Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, Robbie Lyn, Paul 'Scooby' Smith, Glen Browne and others.

Review: This album was co-produced by Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie) and Tucker Martine (Laura Veirs). "The Crane Wife" is an extrapolation of the folk tale, a re-imagining of its themes on a broader canvas. For every song that touches directly on the interpretation of the Japanese legend, several more take their cue from the fabric of the story and stretch outward into other visions.

Review: Italian's Do It Better drop another super cool release - "Beatbox" by Glass Candy. This is cool synth driven pop with vocals from Ida No.

Review: Back in 1995, Lee "Scratch" Perry swung by Mad Professor's Ariwa Sounds studio in South East London to add his vocals to a fresh batch of raw, sub-heavy jungle riddims by Dougie Digital and Juggler. The results were released, alongside a quartet of more traditional dub versions built by Mad Professor using the same vocals, on an album called "Super Ape Inna Jungle". As this reissue proves, it was a potent set. Mad Professor's dubs are of course as weighty, echo-laden and inspired as ever, but it's the quality of the crunchy, razor-sharp jungle cuts that most impresses. These may not be considered jungle classics, but in our eyes, they should be considered as such.

Review: Stamford presents Chris McGregor's 'Brotherhood Of Breath' in a deluxe gatefold sleeve with 180 gram LP; for the first time on Vinyl since the 1970 Neon release and limited to 500 hand-numbered copies. 'Brotherhood of Breath' was an exuberant big-band created by South African-born pianist and composer Chris McGregor. In South Africa, McGregor had formed the racially mixed Blue Notes in the early 1960s. By 1964, finding it very difficult to work at home, they left for Europe, finally settling in London in 1966. The Blue Notes - Chris McGregor, Dudu Pukwana, Mongezi Feza, Johnny Dyani and Louis Moholo - made a huge impact on London's jazz scene and befriended many in London's emerging avant-garde jazz community.

Review: Minimal Wave have done the right thing here and repressed HSTA by Das Ding, undoubtedly one of the most popular heavyweight reissues of their reign thus far. Das Ding is of course Dutchman Danny Bosten, active in the mid 1980s from his Southern Holland base releasing his pioneering brand of electro as well as his friends' music via his own Tear Apart Tapes cassette label. HSTA refers to the Highly Sophisticated Technological Achievement tape Bosten released on the STUM label from which Minimal Wave also took several tracks including the title jam, which you're likely to hear Funkineven dropping these days. It's worth investing in this for "Take Me Away" alone, which sounds likes its been beamed down from the future despite its three decade vintage (Weatherall's a big fan of this one) and the remaining six tracks are just as thrilling.

Review: Trentemoller's Into The Great Wide Yonder sees the Danish producer dipping his toe into new territory to deliver an LP that sounds wholly natural and unforced, showcasing yet another side to his musical prowess. Not that we should be surprised - 2006's critically acclaimed debut The Last Resort was a crisp dance record, while his first mix compilation, Harbour Boat Trips, came loaded with varying sentiments of indie, rock and pop. Into The Great Wide Yonder completes Trentemøller's transition from his roots as a dancefloor producer into the more instrument-led domain of pop and rock tinged electronica. Still using a driving kick drum as the core to the album, the In My Room head honcho is still very much part of the dance scene, just not in the club focused way that we're used to.

Review: Percussion, rhythms and intricate polyrhythms have always laid down the foundations of Reboot's music ever since he first arrived on the scene three years ago. Since that debut, "Be Tougher / Letters" from back in 2007 on Luciano's Cadenza imprint, the talented German has made a fast and steep rise to becoming one of dance music's hottest properties. He has seen single and EP releases on Cocoon, Below, Love Letters from Oslo, Motivbank, Below and Ricardo Villalobos' Sei Es Drum imprint in addition to highly acclaimed mix CDs for Cocoon and Cécille. Shunyata, his first ever LP marks his return to Cadenza and keeps his ever flowing, tribal polyrhythms at the centre of its sound.


Its title is loosely translated from its Buddhist origins as ‘emptiness’ which is not used here in a negative sense but as a reference to the album’s state of impermanence and constant state of flux. Utilising the album format, Reboot manages to make the individual tracks start at one point and lead to somewhere completely different, keeping the entire record moving in a constant and kaleidoscopic motion. He builds these spiralling grooves or intricate polyrhythms by interconnecting instruments such as congas, bells, cymbals, woodblocks, shakers, steely drums and aluminium barrels, binding them together to weave an evolving groove. Added to that, stranger sound elements such as field recordings, cut up, distorted vocals, pings and gurgles permeate the percussion layers whilst a spongy bed of compressed bass fills the low end.


The focus is once more on the dancefloor as tracks like the peaktime "Hermano," the deepness of "Dreliach" the hypnotic "Me Show," and the darker vibes of "Save Me" all play testament to. However, there are also some more unexpected moments such as the skipping and melodic "Rambon," the spiralling "Down Pantha," the sedate opener "Uruana" and the sampled guitar that appears on "Sanchez Says." It's very structural nature makes Shunyata an album in the true sense of the word, demanding full and repeat listens to fully appreciate its beauty.

Review: Twenty nine years ago (can you believe it) Alexander Robotnick released his first album, Ce N'Est Q'Un Debut, featuring what's arguably his most defining track "Problemes D'amour" with the Harajuku-cute vocals of Martine Michellod. It's this album that has influenced countless French synth pop acts and a horde of old school electro lovers, and all this time later it's been repressed (again) by the label that first released it, Medical. Keeping the sacredness of this LP firmly intact by sticking with the keyboard-head artwork, Ce N'Est Q'Un Debut - along with Man Parish's 1982 self-titled debut - should be in all of our record collections.

Review: Restricted to a devilishly numbered 666 copies worldwide, this vinyl edition of Modeselektor's inaugural volume in the Modeselektion series is the one final tease before the full finished product drops on CD next week. Presented on crystal clear vinyl, this double pack features eight exclusive excursions into electronic excellence from some of the world's finest proponents. The brushed minimalist Burialism's of Apparat's "King Of Clubs" sets a standard that is maintained throughout. Dabrye's Tad Mullinix & Daniel Meteo adopt a cavernous bass approach to stripped back head nodders on "The Good Star" which is complemented by the short but sweetly demented hip-hop of Siriusmo's "Das Geheimnis". Housemeister breaks loose from the confines of BNR with the kaleidoscopic "Kristalle" which drops a multiplicity of lucid synths over ever mutating electro throbs. Equally "The Assistant Manager" demonstrates Feadz's talent when removed from the day glow environs of Ed Banger. Further tracks from Mala, Ikonika and Cylob lend this release an inimitable aura of must haveness.

Review: "Besides selling 40 million albums and winning 9 Grammys in less than
10 years, over the years Norah Jones has collaborated with dozens and
dozens of artists from across the spectrum of music. This album collects
Norah's favorite collaborations from 2001-2010 into one amazing
collection: legends like Ray Charles, Willie Nelson and Herbie Hancock,
rock artists ranging from Foo Fighters to Ryan Adams to Belle and
Sebastian, hip hop luminaries OutKast, Q-Tip and Talib Kweli. No
matter the genre however, Norah's enchanting voice is the common
denominator and while the partners are varied, she ends up owning
every song and this album is a wonderful collection that holds together
brilliantly. The album is a testament to Norah's status as one of the most
in-demand and tasteful musical connectors in music. This album will
be an amazing gift item for any Norah fan and will be hard to miss this
holiday season and then again for Valentine's Day.

TRACK LISTING:
1. Love Me - The Little Willies
2. Virginia Moon - The Foo Fighters featuring Norah Jones
3. Turn Them - Sean Bones featuring Norah Jones
4. Baby It's Cold Outside - Willie Nelson featuring Norah Jones
5. Bull Rider - Norah Jones and Sasha Dobson
6. Ruler Of My Heart - Dirty Dozen Brass Band featuring Norah Jones
7. The Best Part - El Madmo
8. Take Off Your Cool - OutKast featuring Norah Jones
9. Life Is Better - Q-Tip featuring Norah Jones
10. Soon The New Day - Talib Kweli featuring Norah Jones
11. Little Lou, Prophet Jack, Ugly John - Belle & Sebastian featuring Norah Jones
12. Here We Go Again - Ray Charles featuring Norah Jones
13. Loretta - Norah Jones featuring Gillian Welch and David Rawlings
14. Dear John - Ryan Adams featuring Norah Jones
15. Creepin' In - Norah Jones featuring Dolly Parton
16. Court & Spark - Herbie Hancock featuring Norah Jones
17. More Than This - Charlie Hunter featuring Norah Jones
18. Blue Bayou - Norah Jones featuring M. Ward"

Review: "NINE INCH NAILS' GROUNDBREAKING DEBUT ALBUM
REMASTERED AND RE-RELEASED

Fans can now revisit the conception of Nine Inch Nails. Trent Reznor's Null Corporation has teamed with UMe/The Bicycle Music Company to release Pretty Hate Machine: 2010 Remaster on November 22, 2010. After completing the score for David Fincher's The Social Network, Reznor oversaw the digital remastering of Pretty Hate Machine from the newly unearthed original tapes with engineer Tom Baker (whose NIN credits include The Downward Spiral, Broken, The Fragile, With Teeth and Ghosts). This remastered version includes an eleventh track, a cover of Queen's ''Get Down Make Love,'' originally the B-side to the ''Sin'' single and produced by Al Jourgensen. Rob Sheridan, NIN's longtime art director, has also re-imagined the packaging of Pretty Hate Machine under Reznor's supervision.

As a young musician in Cleveland, Ohio, Reznor took a job at a local recording studio and employed unused studio time to develop his own material. The nascent album was later recorded with his favorite producers including Flood/Mark Ellis (U2, Depeche Mode, PJ Harvey), John Fryer (Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil), Adrian Sherwood (Ministry, Cabaret Voltaire) and Keith LeBlanc (Tackhead). The result was the first Nine Inch Nails album, 1989's Pretty Hate Machine. All songs were written, arranged, programmed and performed by Reznor. The album featured the breakthrough singles ''Sin,'' ''Down In It'' and ''Head Like A Hole,'' and ultimately sold over 3 million copies, reaching Triple Platinum sales status. In the wake of the album's initial underground success, NIN soon developed a reputation as one of the best live acts in rock and joined the inaugural Lollapalooza tour in 1991. NIN have since sold more than 18 million albums, collected Grammy® Awards and headlined arenas, amphitheaters and festivals worldwide.

The Bicycle Music Company acquired the rights to Pretty Hate Machine from a division of Prudential Securities in the spring of 2010. It was Bicycle's intention from the onset to enable Reznor to regain some control of this lost piece of NIN's legacy, resulting in this artist approved 2010 reissue of one of music's most groundbreaking and influential albums.

Reznor is currently working on new music as a member of the group How To Destroy Angels, continuing his Nine Inch Nails efforts and composing for future film score projects.

TRACK LISTING:
1. Head Like A Hole
2. Terrible Lie
3. Down In It
4. Sanctified
5. Something I Can Never Have
6. Kinda I Want To
7. Sin
8. That's What I Get
9. The Only Time
10. Ringfinger
11. Get Down Make Love"

Review: With the Bar-Kays and Isaac Hayes's Movement alternately supplying the funky rhythms and the Memphis Horns contributing the riveting riffs, I'll Play the Blues for You stands out as the definitive Albert King soul-blues fusion album of the Seventies. King, in the words of the late Michael Bloomfield, ''was the only [blues] singer who had clever, modern arrangements that would fit in with the black radio market and with the white market and in no way compromised his style.'' Besides the hit title track, the disc includes the hit ''Breaking Up Somebody's Home

Review: James Blake's debut album is undoubtedly one of 2011's most keenly awaited releases, and its arrival via his own (major label funded) Atlas imprint ensures their is no lull in momentum for a producer who enjoyed a watershed 2010 with releases on Hessle Audio and R&S. The results here differ wildly from his previous sonic excursions - gone are the shimmering R&B soaked melodies of "CMYK" and the sheer experimentalism of the Klavierwerke EP, which saw the young Londoner depart from the confines of the dancefloor and enter a realm where there was only a passing reference to rhythm-based music. Instead we are treated to Blake's own yearning, raw voice, delicate pianos and an underlying sense of melancholy. Ubiquitous single "Limit To Your love" and the crackly sonic terrain evoked on "The Wilhelm Scream" are among the most immediately pleasing moments, but there is much to explore here. It's a fascinating opus and surely the catalyst to a long and fruitful career at the top.

Review: "Bauhaus are the founding fathers of goth rock, creating a minimalistic, overbearingly gloomy style of post-punk rock driven by jagged guitar chords and cold, distant synthesizers. Throughout their brief career, the band explored all the variations on their bleak musical ideas, adding elements of glam rock, experimental electronic rock, funk, and heavy metal.

It's an excellent single-disc overview of the group's brief career, containing all of their essential songs, from ''In the Flat Field'' and ''Bela Lugosi's Dead'' to ''Ziggy Stardust'' and ''Burning from the Inside.'' It's nice that there's finally a thorough single-disc retrospective of the groundbreaking goth quartet.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine - All Music

And finally the 1998 compilation makes it onto vinyl. The tracks have been re-sequenced for the format and there's a special substitution of an unreleased hybrid mix of ''Bela Lugosi's Dead'' featuring a 1982 studio vocal over a live backing track. The two disc set is packaged in a gatefold sleeve and, with under 20 minutes playing time per side, the cut is loud with minimum compression.

Side 1
Double Dare
In The Flat Field
The Sanity Assassin
The Passion Of Lovers

Side 2
She's in Parties
Kick In The Eye
Ziggy Stardust
Dark Entries
Hollow Hills

Side 3
Mask
Silent Hedges
Bela Lugosi's Dead (Tomb Raider)

Side 4
Terror Couple Kill Colonel
Spirit
Burning From The Inside
Crowds"

Review: Signed by Wass Records head Smoove to inject a healthy jazz and swing flavour to the label, this debut album from Renegades of Jazz's David Hanke stays loyal to the original beats when he samples them - as on opener "Hooked On Swing" or the brass-packed "Get A Wiggle On". Pitched somewhere between electro-swing and more hip-hop orientated cut and paste samplers, this is an album full of thrills and spills, with plenty of jazz and beats to keep fans of multiple genres.

Review: Judging by the overcrowded sweaty scenes in Dalston for the launch party of Justice's second album, the iconic French duo still retain a core number of fans - who will no doubt be eager to snap up this deluxe version of said album. Audio Video Disco comes in gatefold, silver embossed sleeve, holding both the double vinyl and CD versions of the eleven track album. Musically, this is an album that delves deeper into Gaspard and Xavier's passion for prog, marrying the jagged harshness of the 07 era when they ruled the roost with stadium sized ambition. It's probably one of this year's most divisive albums, but then Justice have always liked making a noise.

Review: Given his rapid ascent from pioneering 'purple' producer to major player, it's perhaps little surprise to find that Joker's long-awaited (and much hyped) debut album sees the Bristolian youngster mixing typically funk-laden synth-step jams with moments of soaring dubstep pop and hip-hop funk. While it's the latter that have propelled his rise, it's the former on which he built his career. It's notable, then, that the best moments on The Vision are those that draw most from his early purple work; the contemporary P-funk of "Level 6", cyber-funk of "Milky Way" and gorgeous Herbie Hancock-does-Purple grooves of closer "Magic Causeway" are amongst the best things he's done.

Review: Female vocalist Sharon Jones continues to fly the flag for raw femme funk with her fifth album for US label Daptone, ably assisted by the labels in-house band - The Dap Kings. The new record is a collection of rare tracks and B-Sides going back as far as 2002. The only new track appears to be the Motown-esque "New Shoes", which, like the rest of the album, could be mistaken as a lost soul classic.

Review: Electronic music is meant to provide a release from the real world, but Medium, the latest missive by UK producer Emptyset, will bring anyone who hears it crashing back to the earth. Emptyset's approach makes nods to narratives from the past, taking influence from the tortured industrial noise of Throbbing Gristle, the eerie ambience of Regis and minimal techno at its most reductionist. On "Interstice", this latter trait manifests itself as dead paced beats and frost percussion disappear into nothingness only to re-appear a few seconds later. On "Other", Emptyset does more to reintroduce the spirit of industrial to contemporary electronic music than a shelf full of situationist techno releases; murderous sub-bass stabs provide the focus, but on the sidelines eerie sound scapes and textures are unfolding, accompanied by skittish percussion. "Mirror" meanwhile sees waves of white noise and static interference and a rave siren build over doubled-up death pace beats. These are the closest references to structured electronic music. "Divide" delivers a tapestry of detached sounds while on "Medium" itself, Emptyset wallows in menacing bass licks with background noise seething beneath the surface. This is music that matches the unparalleled dark age we are living through, and just this once, the Medium really is the message.

Review: Hot Chip jumped ship yet again, releasing their fifth studio album In Our Heads via the esteemed UK imprint Domino Recordings. The eleven track album was self produced by the band members (along with some behind the boards help from respected studio engineer/producer Mark Ralph) and recorded in London, presumably in the spare time between the various band members other musical commitments that include 2 Bears, New Build and About Group. It stands up alongside their previous long players, with certified pop gems littered among a heady mix of synthy electo and downtempo romantic jams such as the irrepressible "Look At Where We Are".

Review: EXPERIMENTAL/ELECTRONIC: M=Minimal come through with an excellent vinyl accompaniment to their recent CD of reworkings of Conrad Schnitzler's Zug from Ricardo Villalobos and his Fisherman's Friend, Max Loderbauer. At over 19 minutes, the Aktion remix just about fits on this twelve inch and sees Max and Ric adopt a club ready approach with a stripped back, heads down groove driving forward through a slightly unnerving, guttural re-appropriation of Schnitzler's alien synth textures. Adopting a more ominous and wholly experimental tone, the Sorgenkind mix sounds vaguely like a heavy breathing bull pondering the surrounding expanses of shifting dronal textures as you wait in vain for anything approaching a beat to surface. Download codes are included.

Review: John Maus has been operating at the fringes of the US underground for the better part of a decade now, with one of the most enthusiastic live shows of anyone in his circle. Much like his prolific contemporary Ariel Pink, Maus has amassed a massive collection of tracks which reference 80s synth pop, easy listening, and even hair metal, all swathed in a muddy but warm fuzz of reverb and delay. For fans this is essential, but even for those yet to acquaint themselves with his unique genius, its well worth investigating.

Review: Making their debut on Warp, Hudson Mohawke and Lunice proudly cross their beams to rain down a sick and slick kind of future-crunk, aptly demonstrated in in the introductory nature of bass-rich teaser "Top Floor" with its juke leanings and menacing posture. There's a detuned nature to the recognisable bleeps and wails on offer here while the beats remain crunchy and steadfast. "Higher Ground" is more overt in its use of juke to create a twisted kind of hype, while "Bugg'n" drips and drops in a loping vat of sub bass and slow-mo strangeness, leaving you with one of the oddest takes on the contemporary mess of electronic beats.

Review: Given his passion for the melodramatic, it's little surprise to find Antony Hegarty pairing up with the Danish National Chamber Orchestra for his latest full-length - a live recording of what was no doubt an unforgettable concert. Interspersed with Antony's musings to the audience on sexuality and feminism (amongst other things), Cut The World sees some of his best songs given a dramatic new lease of life. With his distinctive, haunting vocals (yes, it's impossible to review one of his releases without mentioning them) to the fore, the songs veer from achingly intimate to deliciously grandiose. If you're a fan, it should be an essential purchase.

Review: Joe Mount of lovable scuzz pop outfit Metronomy mans the latest volume in the long running Late Night Tales, a series who always seem to get the best results out of an unexpected cast of participants (Belle & Sebastien, MGMT, Trentemoeller and Midlake being recent inductees). It's hard not to get sucked in from the sugar sweet opening of Outkast's "Prototype", which is the first of several tracks that demonstrates Mount has a penchant for slow bumping R&B and outsider hip-hop with Tweet, Sa Ra and a Dr Octagon classic also appearing. A typically far reaching approach to genres applies here with the cosmic jazz of Chic Corea happily mingling with Autechre and Two Lone Swordsmen, and American synth oddities Geneva Jacuzzi and Appaloosa mingling for attention with The Alan Parsons Project and Herman Dune. The de-rigueur cover version arrives with a Metronomy rendition of Jean-Michel Jarre's "Hypnose" while Paul Morley ends the selection with a spoken word piece. This vinyl edition has 18 of the tracks spread separately across two plates as well as the mixed CD and a booklet!

Review: Here it is: the long awaited second album from Mercury award winning, waif-like London trio The xx. The band have enjoyed a huge amount of success since their eponymous debut album dropped in 2009, and Coexist sees them subtly tweak their sound rather than wholly reinvent it, with their booming drums traded in for something less grandiose. There are some stunning moments on the LP (opener "Angels", "Reunion" and "Swept Away" all linger long in the memory) that will ensure it swats any "difficult second album" talk to one side; this is the sound of a band comfortable in their own skin. Caps doffed to Young Turks who present the LP on sumptuous heavyweight vinyl with included CD and booklet.

Review: "Hello. My name is Ohama, and I live on a potato farm in Western Canada" went the memorably deadpan opening to "The Drum", Ohama's contribution to Minimal Wave Tapes Vol 2 earlier this year, and it's also the opening track on this full length exploration of the Canadian producer's work from Minimal Wave. What's most striking about The Potato Farm Tapes however is the sense of paranoia and detachment that Ohama clearly felt recording these tracks from his studio basement beneath his parents' potato farm in Rainier, Alberta, during the latter stages of The Cold War. Intriguingly, Ohama's lyrics are heavily focused on technophobia and the subversive power of television and mass media which stands in stark contrast to the techno centric nature - with keyboards, drum machines, vocoders and analogue reel tape all utilised to create complex productions that blended found sounds with audio lifted from TV. Some of Ohama's earliest recordings from his first cassette only release Midnite News form the basis of The Potato Farm Tapes along with rare tracks that previously appeared on compilations. Furthermore, the label have printed a must read interview between Ohama and Brandon Hocura on the inner sleeve that offers some brilliant insight into this collection.