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Review: 2019's Wallop was the last album we heard from !!! so fans will be delighted to check out this new full length, Let It Be Blue. The first single from it, 'Storm Around the World,' features Sink Ya Teeth's Maria Uzor and the band explained it was "originally an acid workout about parents who leave on tour," became much more. Expect the album to be a diverse affair packed with dance floor moments but also plenty of more spare sounds that allow the world play to shine through. Fittingly, this one - the band's ninth album - comes pressed on nice blue wax.

Notes: The 0HP Butt0n from Mystic Circuits is a deceptively useful yet simple entry into the 0HP modular line. Two buttons that work in tandem to create a variety of switching behaviours. Use either the latching or momentary button to activate or deactivate two connected signals. Some clever routing also allows the latching button to change the momentary button from normally open to normally closed. Similar signal paths to Mystic Circuits' 0ttenuator module allow both channels to be used separately, two signals to be mixed together or one signal to be sent to two destinations.

Notes: Dont let the name fool you, this module is quite a bit more than just an envelope. ePatch in a gate and your output will behave as a normal sustain- release envelope, staying high while the gate is high and slowly decaying once it goes low. Patch in audio and you have an envelope follower, extracting amplitude data from whatever signal is coming in. Patch in any positive control voltage and you have a slew, adding glide whenever the incoming voltage falls. All three modes boast voltage control over the release/ response time and can use the on board input mult to either daisy chain multiple envelopes or to extract amplitude data from an audio input and then send the audio somewhere else. Possibly Mystic Circuits' most useful 0HP module yet.

Whether you need some extra utilities for your studio behemoth or you need to save space on the road, 0HP gives you options. Mystic Circuits' modules come as a small circuit board mounted to a colorful piece of laser cut plexiglass, with a small chance to get one of Mystic Circuits' fabulous rare colours. With a robust line of modules planned in the future, full DIY kits and an open hardware licence we aim to make modular synthesis accessible and fun for the veteran and new user alike.

Notes: An audio filter in a tiny package! A blend between Mystic Circuits' "AND - gate" and their "Vactrol Low Pass Gate" circuits, the cutoff frequency can be modulated at audio rate. It also features a voltage controlled clipping circuit which allows for further wave shaping. The response of this circuit is much faster than that of the Vactrol Low Pass Gate, so it will react to very plucky envelopes and even triggers.

Whether you need some extra utilities for your studio behemoth or you need to save space on the road, 0HP gives you options. Mystic Circuits' modules come as a small circuit board mounted to a colorful piece of laser cut plexiglass, with a small chance to get one of their fabulous rare colors. With a robust line of modules planned in the future, full DIY kits and an open hardware license we aim to make modular synthesis accessible and fun for the veteran and new user alike.

Review: Dylan Brady and Laura Les are 100 Gecs and 10000 is their much anticipated second album. It comes four years after their 2019 breakout debut includes previously released tunes 'mememe' which is a colourful mix of ska-inflected verses, thrash guitars and wonky synths and 'Doritos & Fritos', a more 90s styled alt rock anthem unlike anything else the band has done. A world tour is to follow the release of this album and is the natural next step for this artfully unhinged and impossible-to-predict collective who make some of the most outsider pop sounds around right now.

Notes: This is a 5 pack of 60cm/23.5" TRS cables with male 3.5mm minijacks on either end, and the 1010music logo printed on the jacks.

Use these cables to connect your 1010music Eurorack modules to other modules that also use stereo minijack connections. The cables can be used for connections between any two 1010music modules, and to any other modules that use a compatible mapping of MIDI signals to stereo minijack connectors.

Notes: Use these black cables with the 1010music logo on either end of the jack to connect your 1010music eurorack modules to other modules that also use stereo minijack connections. This is a TRS cable with male 3.5mm minijacks on either end. It is available in two lengths: 30cm/11.75" and 60cm/23.5". These cables can be used for connections between any two 1010music modules, and to any other modules that use a compatible mapping of MIDI signals to stereo minijack connectors.

Weight: 0.04 lbs
Dimensions: 4 × 3.5 × 0.25 in
Length: 60 cm / 23.5"
Pack size: 5 Pack

Notes: You can now update your Bitbox mk1 or mk2 with a black faceplate. Now you can have an all black rack and have digital sampling capabilities. This is just the faceplate.

Give your module a facelift

These replacement faceplates are designed for use with the module in the traditional orientation with the screen on top. These are the same faceplates used when manufacturing our modules, but now in black. They are anodized aluminium with a bead blasted finish.

Swapping out a faceplate is easy to do, and requires a small wrench or pliers. Here are the steps to replace a faceplate:

Remove the module from the rack.
Use a small wrench or pliers to remove the small round nuts around each of the mini jacks. Note that these nuts have a notch on the top side of them. This notch fits into a specialized tool that can be used to remove these nuts more easily.
Gently tug on the four knobs to pull them off.
Use a small wrench or pliers to remove the hex nuts from the knob stems.
Remove the washers from the knob stems.
Gently pull up on the faceplate and it will slide off easily.
Place the new faceplate on the module.
Replace the washers on the knob stems.
Use a small wrench or pliers to replace the hex nuts on the knob stems.
Use a small wrench or pliers to replace the small round nuts around each of the mini jacks. Note that the notch should be on the top side of the nuts, the side away from the faceplate.
Look at the underside of the knobs and the post that they rest on. You will see that the knobs are keyed. Line up the flat edge of the hole in the knob with the flat edge of the post, and then push the knob onto the post. If you have the knob aligned properly, it should go on with moderate pressure. If it seems to require more force, please check the alignment.

Weight: 0.19 lbs
Dimensions: 5.5 × 5 × 0.25 in
Touchscreen product: bitbox, fxbox, synthbox, toolbox

Review: An underrated totem of British rock due to their many-sided, idiosyncratic ways, 10cc have a deep and rich legacy which broke through to mainstream recognition on just a few occasions. One of those occasions was the evergreen 'I'm Not In Love', a blue-eyed soul ballad for the ages, and it appeared on this, their third album. If you were expecting more of the same from the rest of The Original Soundtrack though, think again, as this outfit of insanely talented musicians follow their own creative whims. 'Life Is A Minestrone' is another of the band's most appreciated songs, but for the real 10cc experience let it play from the start and prepare to be swept away in the pomp and splendour of a daringly different kind of British rock band.

Review: To single out a release in catalogue of the 70s famed 'tax scam' label TSG is a hard ask the level of quality remained both consistently and inexplicably high during its two years of operation. Thus calling 1619 Bad Ass Band's 1976 self-titled album a stand-out release doesn't honour the spirit of the catalogue, and yet, by all accounts, everything about this monolithic funk and soul unit is striking.

Prices on the second-hand market for the original LP and 1978 Graham International reissue have priced out virtually everyone for decades. P-Vive is thrilled to be reissuing the album on vinyl fitted with an iconic Japanese obi strip.

Review: There's certainly plenty to talk about here. British chart-topping and stadium-filling enigmas The 1975 return to prove you really can't predict what the troupe will do next, delivering what would be their most divisive and explorative album if it weren't for the fact they command so much loyalty from fans you could be forgiven for thinking dark forces were at play. 'Notes On A Conditional Form' is easily the furthest we've wandered from the formative years of a band that cut teeth doing teen-punk covers, and it's hard not to notice the subtle theme here. From 'Having No Head', which rides on a sharp house groove, through the garage breaks of 'Yeah I Know', low slung dub of 'Shiny Collarbone' and the shoegaze of 'Streaming', it plays out like a celebration of the breadth and diversity of UK pop culture.

Review: A live recording of The 1975's sold out show at Madison Square Garden on the 7th November 2022. Following up their latest full-length studio effort Being Funny In A Foreign Language, this live appearance captures the megaband in a different, candid light (sonically), though attendees would have reported a much different experience, with press rumours detailing a Matty Healy constantly beset by fidgeting, chain-smoking and offhand comments as to the then current state of things. All this painted an unfazed attitude, which actually served to help and not hinder the whopping performance; each of the band's hits cut ecstatically through the park.

Review: Following the major success of 2018's A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships and 2020's controversial, overly indulgent, ludicrously lengthy yet genuinely brilliant Notes On A Conditional Form, many felt at a loss as to where The 1975 would set their sonic sights next. Shockingly, Matty Healy and co-opted to reign in their artistic scope with Being Funny In A Foreign Language; prioritising instantaneous delivery and poignant pop over swelling instrumental dirges and deep house experiments. Discarding many of their previous outsider influences in favour of delivering an unashamed pop-rock record; the resulting 11-track 40-minute LP is literally half the songs and half the runtime of its predecessor, yet utilises this tighter timeframe to craft some of their most memorable and effective pieces to date. From the sardonic disco-pop of 'Happiness' which channels the 80s, John Carpenter-obsessed aura of their self-titled debut, to the baroque orchestral indie-folk standout 'Part Of The Band' echoing early Vampire Weekend, to the folk-punk balladry of 'Wintering', LP5 from one of the biggest bands in the world is both a simultaneous swing for the fences and an introverted left turn into succinct composition and simpler song structure.

Review: The 1975 made plenty of fans happy when they announced a series of 10th anniversary reissues and merchandise on the back of some top main stage performances at the likes of Leeds and Reading. Now art-stars with a global fan base, it is a full decade since their breakout self titled debut, a record full of their signature choruses, magical melodies and soaring grooves that draw on electro-grooves and alt-rock energy, all with plenty of dreamy moments in between to ensure the whole thing plays out like a real story telling album. As it should be. The album debuted at number one on the charts and remains a firm favourite today.

Review: Into The Light's latest deep dive into the world of obscure Greek electronic music focuses on 2 Katara, a previously virtually unknown collaboration between George Theodorakis and Dimitris Papangelidis. The pair first joined forces in 1978 and continued to record together until going their separate ways in 1991. The 14 tracks showcased here are surprisingly eclectic but never less than superb, variously touching on delay-laden fusions of progressive rock and early electronic pop, new age ambience, drum-heavy dancefloor workouts, eccentric disco-not-disco and intergalactic synth-scapes. There's far more use of traditional Greek instrumentation and electric guitars than you might expect, but this only enhances the enjoyable quirkiness of the whole package.

Review: Are there many mixes as seminal as this one? When Soulwax adopted their 2 Many DJs alias for the landmark As Heard On Radio Soulwax series, they heralded a new era of genre-hopping, headsy blending that was fun and fearless in equal measure. It's absolutely of its time, capturing the electroclash zeitgeist and throwing in crowd-pleasing pop nous without diluting the product, and quite simply Pt 2 is one of the best party sets you're ever likely to hear. Released in 2002 and sounding as fresh and inspired as it did 20 years ago, this is an essential item for anyone who takes the art of the mash-up seriously.

Review: When he released third album "Me Against The World" in 1995, Tupac Shakur was arguably the biggest name in hip-hop. As we now know, it wouldn't last, with the LA rapper losing his life in a drive-by shooting 12 months later. As tragic as his demise was, his music still resonates and this album - here reissued to celebrate its 25th anniversary - is arguably the best of the lot. Produced by an all-star cast of beat-makers (Brian G, Easy Mo Bee, Tony Pizarro and Moe ZMD included), the set offered a glossy and polished take on the then dominant gangster rap style while including numerous nods to R&B, swing and G-funk. If you don't already own a copy, grab one of these pronto.

Review: Cleveland old school death metal revivalists 200 Stab Wounds have quickly made a name for themselves within the scene thanks to their retro-fitted brutality, immense heaviness and reluctance to shy away from the most depraved and gory of lyrical subject matter. Embraced by both the extreme metal and adjacent hardcore communities, and gearing up to unveil their highly anticipated sophomore effort, their new and highly revered label home Metal Blade has opted to reissue their punishing debut LP Slave To The Scalpel. Blast beats, breakneck riffs, monstrous heft and inhumane guttural vocals coalesce into hideous dirges, emboldened by the decidedly nineties production that eschews many of the modern triggers and lifeless production tricks that plague the scene, leading to murder music of the most authentic variety.

Review: Hip-hop star and 'mumble rap' pioneer, not to mention all-out legend, 21 Savage delivers his third full-length studio album, American Dream. Coinciding with a new, forthcoming biopic about his life - American Dream: The 21 Savage Story - this is probably set to be the rapper's most forthcoming and acclaimed album to date. Having shouldered a fraught early life prior to his rise to stardom in Atlanta (Savage, real name Sheyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was born in Plaistow, London, to parents of British nationality and Caribbean heritage), Savage's earliest days are a hot topic when it comes to the theme of shaken personal identity and the double consciousness of immigration, a topic not commonly explored in contemporary hip-hop (it should be). Already lauded as the project through which Savage divulges all, this album serves as a birds-eye view of his history and a defiant rejoinder to the American ICE's misguidedly loaded statement, 'this whole public persona is false'.

Review: Shunji Mori's name might not be immediately familiar to those who haven't been paying proper attention, but the Japanese musician has been responsible for so much incredible music over the years it's hard to know where to begin. Perhaps with the nu-jazz, deep house and downtempo output in the early-1990s, when labels like Nuphonic, Japanese Idyllic Records and Down 2 Earth Recordings were providing the platform. Maybe it's the instrumental guitar duo Gabby & Lopez with his buddy Masayuki Ishii, or improvisational concerts performed alongside Daiho Soga.

Who knows. What's really important is that we're here now, with 222 - a return to the solo spotlight for the exalted artist in question. Song For Joni, a brand new full-length, is a spellbinding and beautiful trip into the blissful places we rarely get to visit, ambience that surrounds, then lulls, then hones in. Work is both fresh and decades old, mirroring the overall effect of listening, with time and space seeming to melt away into mesmerising tones.

Notes: Mult is a 2 input, 6 output signal splitter. Channel 1 is normalled to channel 2 when no cable is present, allowing the user to split an input signal six ways, or two input signals with three outputs each.

Notes: Mult is a 2 input, 6 output signal splitter. Channel 1 is normalled to channel 2 when no cable is present, allowing the user to split an input signal six ways, or two input signals with three outputs each.

Notes: Trim is a 2 channel passive attenuator. It features two individual channels of attenuation.

Review: Canadian thrash/power metal behemoths 3 Inches Of Blood celebrate the 20 year anniversary of their seminal sophomore effort Advance & Vanquish with this long overdue deluxe reissue. Noted for being the final studio endeavour before the departure of original guitarists Sunny Dhak and Bobby Froese (who would reform their prior band Pride Tiger), as well as being the only release to feature bassist Brian Redman and drummer Matt Wood, this Roadrunner Records debut established the band as metallic soothsayers of a retro-fitted variety, line up issues be damned. Bursting with triumphant, virtuosic riffage and lyrics drawing from deep sea pirate adventures, paganism and Lord Of The Rings lore, this is peak early 21st century metallic nerdiness at its most potent and earnest.

Review: 2024 has begun pretty much as 2023 left off - a shit show on a 23.5 degree axis, hurtling through space on an orbit around a ball of fire which will one day destroy everything on it. And plenty of news suggesting humanity won't be around to see that happen. Perhaps ironically, though, in terms of music it's been incredibly strong, with a slew of excellent albums gracing our shelves in the first few weeks of the year alone. 33EMYBW's Holes of Sinian is one for that list, with the Shanghai producer making a very strong case for futurism. Sonically, then, this all feels advanced, tracks that might pre-empt where dance music is heading next, flitting between the cyber glitchiness of 'Fielda', the deep, Far Eastern ambient of 'Blood Child', and organic, percussive synth-folk-step on 'Holes of Time'. An amalgamation not just of noises, but schools of musical and its history.

Review: Past Inside The Present has really gone to town with the re-release of this 36 album The Lower Lights: it comes in several different formats and vinyl versions with this one being a limited, numbered and opaque red vinyl including a download code. Musically it is just as essential as a collection of tracks from a year-long 'Audio Diary' project undertaken by 36 between April 2018 and April 2019. It first came back in May 2019 and soon sold out, such is the quality of the vibrant and eclectic ambient sounds within. This is not sleep-inducing background material, but rather emotionally charged soundscaping with a mix of dark, futuristic and urgent pieces all making the cut.

Review: Thanks to this lovingly presented reissue from Past Inside The Present, you can own The Lower Lights by 36 in just about whatever coloured vinyl you wish: This is the Past Inside The Present translucent red version with others also available on Juno. It's an album first put together by the label back in 2019 shortly after 36 had finished a year-long 'Audio Diary' project. Not all of the tracks they wrote in that time make the cut, but the best 10 do. They are direct, absorbing and energetic ambient soundscapes that are emotionally charged and demanding of your attention.

Review: The Lower Lights is well known as one of the most emotionally potent ambient records of recent years. It is a collection of 10 tunes from a busy period in which 36 undertook a year-long 'Audio Diary' project. The sounds are immediate and direct, demanding of your full focus and a mix of dark and urgent, cyberpunk-inspired and emotionally charged ambient sounds that bring all new thinking to the genre. Nice work.

Review: 'Symmetry Systems' is the new LP by Dennis Huddleston AKA 36. Inspired by Warp's 'Artificial Intelligence' releases from the early 90's, it's a melodic, synthesiser-driven record, with a wink to the past and a nod towards the future. "I have a deep love for those early Warp albums, particularly the Artificial Intelligence compilations. It was a wonderful time for UK electronic music. That beautiful, warm machine sound, with an optimistic (if somewhat naive) vision for the future. I found the whole thing incredibly inspiring and wanted to revisit those memories, albeit with a 36 twist" Like 'Wave Variations' before it, this record explores various approaches to the theme, with each track directly inspiring the next one. All tracks are sequenced in the order they were made. 'Symmetry Systems' is a collection of hypnotic machine music, made with a delicate human touch.

Review:  Given the respective outputs of committed ambient explorers and sound designers zake (best known for releasing no less than five fine albums in 2019) and 36 (most recently seen on A Strangely Isolated Place with the superb album "Fade To Grey"), you'd expect this trip into aural deep space to be rather good. It is of course, with the four tracks mixing echoing sonic tones and drifting sound effects with slow-burn electronic melodies and the kind of immersive, sustained chords that were once the preserve of German maestro Pete Namlook. The third track in the suite, appropriately titled 'Stage 3', is little less than stunning, in part because of its grandiose, almost classical intent. No surprise to discover, then, that after a stretch of being out of print it's back via a reissue, this version being a limited clear vinyl edition.

Review: Another 18 chapters "of aural anaesthetics" from 36 and Zake, following up their epic work Stasis Sounds For Long Distance Space Travel Part 1, or "continue their journey through the outer reaches of space in hypersleep" as they'd put it. The album comes on unique solar flare coloured vinyl, and as for its contents, well, they're grainy and immersive, widescreen and cinematic, immediately transporting you out into the farthest reaches of space. Perfect for zoning out of everyday life and enjoying some mindful moments to yourself.

Review: Hot on the hells of the epic work Stasis Sounds For Long Distance Space Travel Part 1 comes the second instalment, seeing 36 and Zake "continue their journey through the outer reaches of space in hypersleep" as they have it. There's a healthy 18 track selection to lose yourself in, as these experts of the sublimely chilled ambient get to work - in a typically gentle fashion, obviously.

Review: Air Vinyl have secured a deal that allows them to reissue the seminal joint album by Benny The Butcher and 38 Spesh. The second part of the album comes later in the year, but the first one from 2018 is in the spotlight here. It's an accomplished affair that draws you int via lazy and long legged beats on the intro then gets more serious and confrontational on "Driver's Seat" (feat Styles P & Jadakiss). Social issues are address square on with tracks like "Gun Or Knife" and sweeter interludes like "Intro" (instrumental) help things move on without getting too heavy on one topic.

Review: Tresor is celebrating 30 years in the game with a series of special reissue projects. This one really goes way back to almost the start, when Juan Atkins was already defining the early techno sound. For this one he linked up with Moritz von Oswald and Thomas Fehlmann in 1992 for a second iteration of the 3 Men in Berlin project. The monumental results join the dots between Detroit and Berlin across a collection of timeless cuts that meld bassline funk, hypnotic minimalism and soulful machine sounds into propulsive, emotive dance floor joy. The unbridled energy and cosmic elegance of 'Jazz Is The Teacher' might just be the highlight.

Review: Slip into something comfortable and prepare to get sexed up by this new one from Newcastle's Six Nine Records. It features tracks by 3TOB, an outfit originally born in 2019 by band members of Tone and earlier in the year they dropped the sultry hip-hop, soul and r&b album Trading Places. Those tracks are "My Baby' and 'Love Will Find Its Way' and neither were on the album and have been streaming only up to now. They are a timeless fusion of heart-melting harmonies and silky beats for those loved up late night sessions.

Notes: Power brick for powering Pods. One power brick can power up to 10 typical Pods. Pods can be daisy-chained using a Barrel Cable or Long Barrel Cable.

15-20V / 90W / 2.1mm Barrel Plug (5.5mm outer diameter) / Positive Centre.

Compatible power bricks are available wherever ROW POWER modules are sold. You also may use your own power brick if it meets the following requirements:

- 15V to 20V DC
- Positive centre 2.1mm barrel plug
- Minimum 30W output power
- Low-noise output
- Compatible with an IEC C5 cable

Please note: IEC cable not supplied

Notes: Bus Sticks are low-profile, small footprint power distribution boards for powering up to 13 modules using shrouded (keyed) headers. Simply connect to a Row Power module using the included cable. Attaches to your case using adhesive pads (included) or by drilling and screwing.

Review: The 4th Street Orchestra is one of several aliases used by Matumbi, which was actually one of Britain's first and most original reggae bands back in 1971 when they were founded initially. For the best showcase of their sound look no further than this landmark roots record Ah Who Seh? Go Deh! which came in 1976 and has been hard to find since. This is a first ever official reissue of it and finds Dennis 'Blackbeard' Bovell tapping into his vast knowledge of sound system culture and laying down heavy rhythms with plenty of Jah-worshipping, Zion-referencing lyrics and soulful yearnings. It's complex and cultured and packs a true bass heavy punch.

Review: 6LACK's third studio album, Since I Have A Lover, is another one that follows the form he has set over the previous two - namely it is a musical update on his life. It tells listeners where the rapper is mentally, emotionally, and spiritually with those that are the closest to him. This trilogy-completing album is another personal reflection that speaks of the growth of 6LACK since the last outing East Atlanta Love Letter. It's a big one, too, with 19 tracks across four sides of limited and gatefold translucent pink vinyl.

Review: 75 Dollar Bill is Rick Brown's experimental foray into jam-based material, where a stripped back sound allows the nuance of the respective players to come through in stark honesty. Originally released in 2020 as a digital offering, Power Failures is a compilation of sorts which pulls together assorted material from disparate sessions, sometimes left raw and sometimes embellished with surprising overdubs. The over-arching sentiment is one of transcendence through meditative repetition, locking into grooves which sometimes take cues from Malian desert blues or elsewhere slip into disjointed free improvisation, reliably brilliant whichever direction their nebulous sessions head in.

Review: Brooklyn-based band 79.5 make music right now, rather than being some long-lost acts from the 80s as you might expect from the cover. The group consists of singer, songwriter and composer Kate Mattison, singer and rapper Lola Adanna, drummer Caito Sanchez, bassist Andrew Raposo and sax player and flautist Izaak Mills. Their self-titled album comes on Razor-N-Tape and captures the sound of New York City perfectly with soul and psychedelic melodies that are hard to match. From 70s underground disco to acid jazz to and sweet pop sounds, they draw on it all for this fine concoction of dancefloor gems, which also serves as a protest at the often all too male dominated world of dance music.

Review: ex:el is the third studio album by 808 State, originally released on 4 March 1991 by ZTT Records. In contrast to the band's previous work, the album features catchier melodies and heavier acid techno beats and percussion, embracing earlier flirtations with hip-hop and industrial. The album also features the guest vocals of Bernard Sumner of Joy Division and New Order, who sings on 'Spanish Heart' and Bjork, who sings on 'Qmart' and 'Ooops', and is credited with co-writing both. The album marked the start of a long-running working relationship between Bjork and Graham Massey, who wrote and remixed many tracks for her. Featuring two iof the band's most anthemic rave moments, too, in the shape of 'Cubik' and 'In Yer Face', we know you're not going to let this one slip from between your mitts.

Review: Out Of Joint record shop chief 8Ball makes his debut on Bristol's Sneaker Social Club, with a brand new full length titled Eleusis. His releases on the Grade10 label (which he runs with mates in his hometown of Leicester) are a celebration of 'the afterparty and are rife in moody atmospherics and post-hardcore references.' A very diverse collection of tracks, ranging from dark ambient on 'Can't Hold On' and the near skeletal dub reductions of 'Equator' on side A, to the deconstructed techstep of 'Many Shapes' on the flip. Elsewhere, there's pure euphoria heard on the ambient hardcore of 'Planetz' and the twisted, bass-driven IDM of 'Tigers Eye'.

Review: Eklo head honcho Seuil returns under a new guise as 97.4. Always keen to hop on to the next big thing, with Roots 82 (as the name might suggest) he goes for a very retro influenced vibe. Starting out on the first disc with the rather electro influenced "Rue Des Anciens" or later with "Le Cour Des Miracels" (which features some very dark Derrick May strings), thereds the early noughties micro-house sounds of "Colle 2000" or the funky Detroit inspired techno-soul of "Celeri Rave"or "Savat Yab" too. There are more cool sounds to be found on the second disc such as "Grand Matin" where he shows again his more recent penchant for deeper and emotive sounds. Fans of retro laced minimal at the moment by Binh, Spacetravel or Evan Baggs will certainly enjoy this release.

Review: Great hip-hop has often been defined by collaboration and Chemistry by 9th Wonder and Buckshot is a testament to that. The album, released on June 21, 2005 through Duck Down Music as a part of the label's "Triple Threat Campaign", showcases the seamless synergy between 9th Wonder's soulful production and Buckshot's sharp lyricism. Each track shows off their undeniable chemistry, with smooth beats and introspective rhymes that captivate from start to finish as muse on everything from introspective reflections to social commentary, all with precision and depth. With its cohesive sound and thoughtful lyricism, Chemistry is a must-listen for fans of both artists and the genre as a whole.

Review: A Certain Ratio's core trio of drummer Donald Johnson, bassist/vocalist Jez Kerr, and multi-instrumentalist Martin Moscrop make ACR Loco a perfectly fluid and funk album. In fact, on this, their first album in more than ten years, the Manchester post-punk outfit are as funky as they have ever been. Their tried and tested sound gets nicely updated with modern beat driven sounds and plenty of redefines to today's political strife in the lyrics. There are plenty of smooth and cool synth led grooves like 'Get A Grip' and messages of unity on 'Family' that we can all relate to.

Review: A Certain Ratio, Manchester icons, are back and in fine style with the new album It All Comes Down to This, which arrives here on eco vinyl. This record, while nodding to their roots, delivers 10 succinct tracks infused with the group's distinctive electronic touch and marks the first recording featuring the core trio of Jez Kerr, Martin Moscrop, and Donald Johnson without additional collaborators. The album exemplifies the band's ongoing evolution with short and sweet cuts like 'All Comes Down To This' next to the compelling likes of 'Bitten By A Lizard' and plenty in between.

Review: It All Comes Down to This is the album latest release from Manchester icons A Certain Ratio, and it's a record that is helmed by producer Dan Carey from Speedy Wunderground. Somewhat returning to their origins, the record presents ten concise tracks with a hint of the group's signature electronic flair. Notably, it's the first recording featuring the core trio of Jez Kerr, Martin Moscrop, and Donald Johnson, without any additional collaborators. From their celebrated 1982 album and right up to their dynamic last EP in 2023, this album shows the band's still evolving and still committed to new musical advancements. A testament to their enduring legacy, It All Comes Down to This solidifies A Certain Ratio's place among Manchester's finest.

Notes: These are the first and last sentences from Charbel Haber's latest offering, A Common Misunderstanding of the Speed of Light: a multi-media musing on the chronic and the chronological, the subversive nature of time. This combination of a record and book observes the slow passing of life and the illusion of retrogradation in his every day. Simply by documenting - via image, text and tune - Haber assigns value to everything that is cast in amber by this project. There's an acceptance and appreciation of the destitution he witnesses, it is an homage given in overlapping forms.

ACMOTSOL has two parts. The book, paperback in an embossed orange, features photographs and texts taken from Haber's personal digital diary spanning from 2020 to the start of 2022. Broken into six chapters - named for the six tracks on the record - the entries are an artist's log of sorts during a peculiar period of global hyper stagnation and navigating the aftermath of the Beirut explosions. The 96 pages highlight Haber's interest in decay, negative space and the temporality of the human condition. Instead of presenting the images and texts as they were originally paired online, they're reordered and recontextualized in the book. New connections are formed, as tenuous and fleeting as the content they surround. The images interrupt the texts in many instances, forcing pauses and inviting distraction.

At the centre of the book is a sudden burst of orange pages, with stylized pluckings of the text framing a QR-code that grants access to the record. With the brilliant orange covers and matching innards, pregnant with the music at the core, it's almost as if these central pages act as a way to turn the book inside out. There, the book's purpose is altered, fixated on a mirror image of itself. It forms a self-completing arc for the project, a loop.

ACMOTSO's second half is that mirrored album. Six tracks totalling just under 52 minutes. The music could be a continuation of his solo albums Of Palm Trees and Decompositions (2016) and It Ended Up Being a Good Day Mr. Allende (2012), an exploration into the expansiveness of seemingly simple loops of a lilting guitar. Careful electronic effects add dimensions or reground the listener. There's a swelling of sound, the illusion of the push of space before it retracts back into itself or fades into the distance. Much like the images and texts the music complements, the songs challenge the purity of cycles. Endings are beginnings, beginnings are endings or is everything just the middle? Haber is quietly and elegantly grappling with the troublesome act of place-making. In music, in words and in visual storytelling.

ACMOTSOL is a work that can be calming or disorienting, depending on what is requested of it. Similar to the way loops and cycles can signify both meditation and mania. The tendrils of Haber's past - his home of Beirut, fictional and real characters encountered, authors read, films watched, composers listened, walks taken - knit themselves together for a presentation of our immediate present. An evidence of a happening. A considered project of time.

All photographs, texts and music by Charbel Haber. Album mixed by Radwan Ghazi Moumneh. Design by Maziyar Pahlevan. Printed by Albe De Coker in Belgium.

This dual-part project will be released on November 11 2022 on 'Other People.'

Description by Nereya Otieno.

86 images
6 songs
52 minutes
96 pages
86 texts

Notes: Written by Spiral Tribe's co-founder and visual artist, Mark Angelo Harrison, A Darker Electricity charts the infamous sound system's nomadic journey and the rapid escalation of their popularity - and notoriety.

From small squat-scene parties in early 90s London to enormous warehouse raves and free festivals. The undercover police operation against them. The record deal with Youth. The creation of their community recording studio. The government stitch-up and their prosecution. The escape to Europe and the start of the teknival scene.