Search results: Poison Beat

Review: The 1980s was a breakthrough time for underground electronic music. Before restrictive genre definitions saw different modes of expression streamlined, the options were wide open in the lawless surge of post punk and industrial culture. This finely curated compilation from PIAS provides an excellent overview of some of the deadliest operators from this wildly creative time - the names involved are integral to the development of electronic music in the 80s. Throbbing Gristle, DAF, Cabaret Voltaire, Front 242, Nitzer Ebb, Meat Beat Manifesto - just some of the legendary names shown in their best light on this essential collection.

Review: Berlin-based artist Curses is committed to the dark side of the dancefloor as an artist, and as this series on Eskimo proves he's also an authority on the seedier side of selecting, too. The first volume of Next Wave Acid Punx was a knockout success and so he's back for another round from the seemingly unending pools of EBM, industrial, synth-pop and minimal wave spanning the 80s through to the modern day. Given the sheer size of the compilation (covering no less than 49 tracks) it has to be split across separate chapters, with this double vinyl serving as Chapter 2 and featuring creepy masterpieces from the likes of Boytronic, Matrixxman and Dina Summer.

Review: When Eskimo first invited New York-born, Berlin-based Curses to compile Next Wave Acid Punx, they might not have known what they were letting themselves in for. As we reach part Deux, there's no doubt they signed up to sift through a staggering volume of EBM, industrial, minimal wave and electro from the darker side of the dancefloor. Taking in 49 tracks in total, this authoritative collection spreads across three CDs and features old legends like Throbbing Gristle alongside newer wave sonic deviants like The Hacker, with so much more ground covered in between. Consider this monumental compilation a homing beacon for all creatures of the night.

Review: There's niche, then there's niche. Universal Japan dive into the latter with a huge celebration of nostalgic sounds - a good chunk of the scores created for Konami's early video game catalogue. The definition of chip music, the album initially presents itself as the kind of release you'd discover and appreciate after spending some time exploring the many contemporary tracks which take inspiration from, but don't totally emulate, classic arcade and console titles. Remarkably, it quickly becomes clear the opposite might be true. Yes, there's something utterly naive and rather basic, compressed and unpolished about what's here. But then it's hard not to find yourself rapidly getting involved with 'Blank Mask (Stage 3 BGM)''s oddly hypnotic bleeped hook, becoming lost in the endless spirals of melody on 'Aircraft Carrier (Stage 6 BGM)', or feeling real joy at the celebratory 'Seisan'.

Review: Since first emerging on Hotflush at the tail end of the last decade, Mount Kimbie has navigated the post-dubstep landscape better than almost any other act. It says something about their transformation into hard-to-define electronica heavyweights that Love What Survives, their third full-length and second for Warp manages to be both surprising (there are subtle nods towards titans of post-punk pop and rock, for starters) and exactly what you'd expect. They're masters of fusing disparate styles, sounds, textures and beat patterns into beautiful hybrid shapes, and this kind of 21st century fusion is evident throughout. Naturally, there are a few notable guest appearances dotted throughout, with James Blake's two contributions amongst the album's many highlights.

Review: 'Latin Freestyle: New York Miami 1983-1992' is a double LP compilation curated by Bob Stanley covering the whole spectrum of Latin Freestyle, a genre that emerged in the early 80s as a fusion of electro, disco, house, and Latin music. Though Freestyle itself was a prominent fixture of the 1980s-90s New York scene particularly, relatively little is known of the genre's popularity in Latino communities at the time. Mitigating the risk of historic erasure, 16 tracks of enduring uniqueness - from the likes of Expose, Stacey Q, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, Debbie Deb, Connie, Cover Girls, Pretty Poison, Company B, Will To Power, Alisha, Lil Suzy, and Cynthia - all appear here, recalling genre's massive impact on the community and worlds beyond it.