Search dance music

Review: In the midst of a slew of high-end reissues of New Order's classic material (including represses of the singles, no less), here comes a mouth-watering deluxe edition of their 1985 album Low-life. It's always a bold statement to call a release 'definitive' but it's hard to imagine topping this lavish box set with a 180 gram pressing plus a double CD, double DVD and accompanying book. There are full live performances from 1985 in Japan and Belgium, and every possible remix, outtake and demo version you could possibly dream of. And that's not even saying anything about the original album itself - a true totem of 80s synth pop in all its glory.

Review: New Order's fourth studio album Brotherhood was the LP that saw the Mancunian innovators transition from massive underground cult heroes to part of the mainstream furniture, sparking a Glastonbury headline and a top ten album chart placing. The electro-meets-clunky bass ofd lead single 'Bizarre Love Triangle' definitely played its part, but the album in general sees them effortlessly bringing the indie and electronic sides of their sound into harmony via tracks 'Angel Dust' and the frenetic 'Weirdo', while the album's closer 'Every Little Counts', complete with sometimes sniggering vocal from frontman Bernard Sumner, is an endearingly accomplished leftfield pop moment. The remastered album - which comes on vinyl and CD - comes with a treasure trove of extras including rare mixes - the silky Stephen Hague mix of 'Bizarre Love Triangle' and an 'AOR' version of previous standalone single 'Shellshock' are particularly fine nuggets - an additional CD containing nine unreleased tracks and demos from a 1985 recording session in Japan plus a DVD of previously unavailable live footage and European TV shows.