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Review: 7 Up is three things; a ubiquitous energy drink brand, an infamous TV show charting the upbringing and development of various children from the ages of seven upwards, and the third studio album by Ash Ra Tempel - their only collaborative piece with notorious psychologist and psychedelic drug advocate Timothy Leary. Supposedly, the sprawling psych-Moog album was named after a bottle of 7 Up that had been spiked with LSD was given to the band's lyricist Brian Barritt. This new version contains the original manuscript of the album's concept by Leary, as well as photos from the recording session in Bern.

Review: German power metal pioneers, Helloween, bemused and surprised fans in 1999 with their now iconic covers album, 'Metal Jukebox.' Remastered for the modern audiophile inside all of us, there's never been a more ample opportunity to discover some of the more traditional, dare we say, obvious choices such as, 'He's A Woman - She's A Man' (Scorpions), or, 'From Out Of Nowhere' (Faith No More), and audibly witness them at odds with the likes of the bizarre renditions of David Bowie's, 'Space Oddity', The Beatles', 'All My Loving', or perhaps most vital of all, the endlessly entertaining reimagining of 'Lay All Your Love On Me', originally by ABBA. Yes, you read that right.

Review: Last year, David Lovato's first outing as LOVA was one of the NuNorthern Soul label's most cherished releases. Now it gets some superb remixes offered up next to three of the originals. The first is the gentle Mediterranean sway of 'Cecilia' which carries on through 'Echoes Of Memories' with its heady and heavenly pads and gentle tumble of toms. 'Esperanza' is another horizontal bit of Balearic bliss which Danilo Braca flips into something more late-night and cosmic. Hear & Now's remix is a long legged and superb slow and serene and Leo Mas & Fabrice remix 'Cecilia' into a tambourine laced deep disco dreamscape.

Review: Adam Wiltzie is a member of Windsor for the Derby and Stars of The Lid, and alongside Christina Vantzou he crafted The Dead Texan back in 2004. It now finally gets a reissue which reminds us of its lush and weightless electronic and experimental charms. All 11 tunes are painterly in style with smeared synths and widescreen designs created using piano, guitar and electronic sounds. Piano motifs give an anchor to most of the tracks and there is spiritual gravity in many of them. Two decades old now but still relevant, the is a reissue well worth having.

Review: Polish beatmaker Teielte unleashes his fourth studio album and it's another beguiling trip. Just as heavy on the emotions as it is on the beats and bass, Melancholizm brings the sadbois to the dance with its immersive chord changes, stuttering drum work and compelling waves of atmosphere and yearning sense of urgency. From the real heavyweight grizzles of 'Paresis' to the more languid, floating mood of 'Drunk Novice' to the more sensual RnB tones and textures of 'Experiencing' and the wall rattling drama of 'Oneness', Teielte tells a unique tale that captures the turbulence of the current times. Bring it in.

Review: Talk about the perfect meeting of minds. Ellen Arkbro is one of Europe's most sought after contemporary composers and musicians right now, having worked with revered institutions such as London's Barbican, GRM Paris, and Kolner Philharmonie in recent times, to name but a few. Johan Graden stands head and shoulders above almost all the rest in the list of Sweden's finest pianists and modern jazz masterminds.

Together, as you might expect, they make beautiful, sometimes sweet, occasionally mournful, always heartfelt music that refuses to sit in classical or jazz camps, and instead straddles the two while reaching for the stars in search of whole new tones that have never, or rarely, been discovered before. Really special stuff you'd be a fool to ignore, and crazy not to fall head over heels for.

Review: Right, OK, where do we start on this one? There is no point in trying to come up with some pseudo-academic wordsmithery about the cultural contribution that Swedish pop band Aqua made to the musical world. But nor can we slay these sounds either, though, because for a short while they were everywhere and lapped up by everyone. The charm of the Euro-dace was in its nativity, its silliness, its innocence, but also the deceptive simplicity of the MIDI beats and catchy vocal choruses. Hard to believe this one is 25 years old but it is, and it is now available on wax once more.

Review: Takuya Sugimoto AKA Web is an electronic innovator who released a slew of essential albums in the mid-nineties. This new EP - except for a re-issued track that first appeared in 1995 - is a continuation of his fusionist style where he layers up wonky rhythms, detuned synths, IDM, ambient and techno into something new, something spiritual, something utterly fresh. Everything from Herbie Hancock to Larry Heard to Yellow Magic Orchestra can be heard if you listen closely to these rhythmically complex tracks, and you really should, because there are all kinds of magical sonic sorcery to be found.

Notes: Diabolic S replacement spherical DJ Stylus for Diabolic S cartridge.

Notes: Tonar 6195DS replacement stylus for Tonar Birdie and Sanyo MG 55 cartridge.

Notes: Original Tonar Elliptical Bonded Diamond Stylus for Tonar Birdie cartridge. Suitable for Pro / DJ use.

Review: What can really be said about David Bowie that hasn't already been said about David Bowie? Throwing caution to the wind, let's try this: The Man Who Fell To Earth wasn't just a musical titan and visionary. He belonged to a small club of artists who could never be satisfied simply releasing good music. Nor was the fact they influenced generation after generation reason to rest on laurels.

Instead, along with the likes of Bjork and Massive Attack, Bowie created entire worlds for his work to exist in. Places we step into through portals and lose ourselves exploring. Records, movies, artwork, fashion, videos, books, these different mediums combine to offer a universe waiting to be found. Transition: On Air 1967-1971, a series of radio appearances, offers an extended opportunity to spend time in the formative days of that galaxy-building.

Review: Star Creatures' latest release titled The Chicago Boogie Volume 2: This Love Will Last picks up where Attack of the Chicago Boogie Volume 1 left off, with Tim Zawada and Kool Hersh curating more selections of rare Chicago boogie tracks in collaboration with the Munster Boogie crew. Originally released last year, this reissue includes music written, produced, recorded and pressed proudly in The Windy City itself, with this vinyl edition featuring art from Ben Marcus based on versions of compliment cards and flyers from the scene in the 80s.

Review: A bold mission from RidingEasy Records, Brown Acid aims to find, catalogue and release - extremely rare (proto-metal, pre-stoner rock) - music that lacked highfalutin arty presence in their heydays. The 'Fourteenth Trip' in their seemingly inexhaustible supply of, ahem, chemical research albums, this comp charts lost songs from Blue Creed, Liquid Blue, Cox's Army and The Legends, all names nearly forgotten to time if it weren't for the efforts of high quality psych lover and collector, Lance Barresi.

Review: Mr Bongo mint a new compilation series, With Love, by welcoming Miche into the fold. This dynamic force within the diggers landscape certainly has some authority in pulling a compilation together, being the music programmer for London's Spiritland venues and spending an unreasonable amount of time around learned folk and the deepest cuts in their bags. Embarking on a personal quest to contact all concerned artists and clear licensing for some truly forgotten, hidden gems, Miche poured his heart and soul into this compilation spanning gospel, jazz-fusion, Brazilian grooves and much more besides.

Review: For people of a certain age, their teenage years were defined by the edgy grunge, alt and punk rock sounds of bands like Alice in Chains. Three decades later their seminal sophomore effort, Dirt sounds as good as it ever did and gets an anniversary reissue to mark the occasion. It comes with plenty of powerful drums and big-ass basslines as well as yelping vocals and fuzzy textures that take in a range of emotions and even bigger riffs. This issue features a special insert and comes across four sides of vinyl so it's nice and loud, just as intended.

Review: Ash Ra Tempel are one of the undisputed totems of krautrock, and from their considerable legacy, Join Inn is one of their most important records. The line-up of the band in 1973 included Klaus Schulze and Manuel Gottsching, who went on to become legends in their own right, but it was on pieces like the extended 'Freak'n'roll' and 'Jenseits' that they cemented their reputation as instrumental trailblazers, shattering the conventions of rock music and creating a new musical mode that still carries weight today. Getting the celebration in early, Gottsching's own Mg Art label are toasting 50 years since this landmark album came out with a shiny new reissue - much needed given the scant repressing Join Inn has had up until now.

Review: The Wedding Present's 'Hit Parade' was first released in 1992, after the band had released a limited edition single every month up until they had enough material. Dealing in their now-trademark brand of power-punk and jangle, this new 30th Anniversary box set version of the band's biggest hits are compiled into a select 20-track compendium.

Review: Astonishingly, GRIT is Luke Vibert's 18th album under his given name (he's released many more as under other aliases such as Wagon Christ, Kerrier District and Amen Andrews), though his first for a couple of years. It's a predictably fun, TB-303 heavy affair, with the prolific Cornishman giddily sprinting through rubbery acid-electro ('Surrounded By Neighbours'), deep acid wooziness ('Decay Hole'), thrillingly wayward machine funk ('Partron'), subdued, bass-heavy swingers (the vaguely Wagon Christ-ish 'Gas Legs'), surging jack tracks (the breathless title track), jaunty house retro-futurism ('Swingeing Cuts'), Kerrier District-goes-acid insanity ('Disco Derriere'), hard-to-pigeonhole madness ('Screwfix Typeface'), and much more besides. A must-check for lovers of trippy acid lines and sweaty, loose-limbed beats.

Review: Pete Rock is widely hailed as one of the most important producers in hip-hop history, and with good reason. From his early groundbreaking work with CL Smooth onwards, he's brought a heavy sound steeped in the East Coast style, but with a sharp approach to production which makes his beats land crisper than most. His Petestrumentals series reaches back to 2001, when BBE deemed it necessary to shine a light on his next-level tracks. This fourth volume takes you back in on the expert touch of a grandmaster, with a clutch of productions so vibrant you never even imagine an MC riding on top.

Review: The sophomore solo release of Los Angeles-based artist and producer marine eyes (Cynthia Bernard), moving to the esteemed Past Inside The Present after her soothing debut record, idyll, on Stereoscenic Records in March 2021. Also one half of the ambient duo, awakened souls, she most recently curated the mental health benefit compilation for Past Inside The Present, Healing Together. Filled with the sounds of nature and visions of the clouds and heavens above, chamomile is a totally absorbing listen, wrapping you up in its harmonious chordplay and transporting you to a calmer, sunnier, altogether nicer place.

Notes: Still one of the best value pad controllers on the market, Akai's trusty LPD8 offers eight MPC-style pads and eight rotary controls. Simple, effective and compatible with most hardware and software.

Supplier's Notes:
Premium pad performance

Great things come in small packages and the the LPD8 delivers in a big way. The sleek MIDI pad controller features 8 velocity-sensitive RGB pads from the flagship MPC X and is up to any pad performance-based duties for the modern beat-making music producer. Produce beats, trigger one-shot samples and loops, or connect to any general MIDI-based DAW for easy hands-on controlling and creation.

Legendary pad performance

LPD8 features the same pads from the top-of-the-line MPC X standalone hardware. The sturdy yet super responsive pads are the standard for any music maker looking for dynamic performance without compromising creativity.

Assignable knob controls

LPD8 features 8 assignable rotary knobs for precise control of parameters and values in your DAW. Adjust reverb or delay wetness, dial in parametric eq, trim loops and samples, and so much more with the accuracy you need for your music creation workflow.

Sleek compact design

LPD8 fits in wherever you need it. Sit it on your desk, neatly against your laptop computer for a streamlined process, or pack it into your producer bag with your headphones and accessories ensuring you're always ready to create anywhere.

MPC plugin instruments

Innovative sampling and efficient sequencing are only a part of the iconic MPC experience. MPC Beats also features a great selection of ground-breaking MPC plugin instruments. Discover Tubesynth, Bassline, and Electric plugin instruments for a wide range of synth, monophonic leads and basses, as well as pads, electric keyboard sounds, and much more for rich musical productions and arrangements.

Insert effects

MPC Beats includes a premium collection of world-class mixing and mastering plugins. Powerful insert effects like Half Speed, Mother Ducker, and AIR Talk Box add instant vibe and character to your tracks to quickly achieve modern sound and feel. Process audio, dial-up creative effects, and finalize your tracks to commercially ready songs for sharing anywhere.

Key specs

Controls:

(8) velocity-sensitive, RGB-lit pads
(8) 270- knobs
(4) UI buttons

Programs: 4 stored programs, configurable via free downloadable editor software
Connections: (1) USB port
Power: Via USB
Dimensions (width x depth x height): 12.1" x 3.2" x 1.3" / 306 x 81 x 34 mm
Weight: 0.86 lbs./0.39 kg

Notes: Updated version of Akai's much-loved mini keyboard controller. Second-generation model gets a visual makeover plus updated keybed for improved playability. Superb value.

Supplier notes:
Mini keys, major performance

The LPK25 is the perfect companion for piano and keyboard-playing musicians everywhere. When inspiration calls, this sleek 2-octave MIDI controller makes for easy composing and creating in even the tightest spaces while still delivering an incredibly responsive experience.

A real controller for a real creation

LPK25 features the revolutionary Gen 2 Dynamic keybed which premiered on the legendary MPK mini mk3 MIDI controller. The keys offer an exquisite playing experience with careful attention to velocity response. Whether you're playing a gentle upright piano, a super synthesizer plugin, or triggering notation into your favourite composition software, LPK25 becomes a natural extension of your creativity, ensuring you won't miss a beat.

Built-in clock and arpeggiator

The onboard arpeggiator and clock make for powerful control of any destination, whether software instrument, hardware device, or USB enabled modular gear, all via a single USB cable.

Compact production partner

When not in use, LPK25 stores away quickly and neatly until your next creative session. Pack it in your everyday carry bag and keep it handy for use with your laptop, smart phone, or tablet.

MPC Plugin instruments

Innovative sampling and efficient sequencing are only a part of the iconic MPC experience. MPC Beats also features a great selection of ground-breaking MPC plugin instruments. Discover Tubesynth, Bassline, and Electric plugin instruments for a wide range of synth, monophonic leads and basses, as well as pads, electric keyboard sounds, and much more for rich musical productions and arrangements.

Insert effects

MPC Beats includes a premium collection of world-class mixing and mastering plugins. Powerful insert effects like Half Speed, Mother Ducker, and AIR Talk Box add instant vibe and character to your tracks to quickly achieve modern sound and feel. Process audio, dial-up creative effects, and finalize your tracks to commercially ready songs for sharing anywhere.

Key specs

Keyboard
25 keys, velocity-sensitive
10-octave range (127 MIDI notes)

Arpeggiator
Range: 1-4 octaves
Modes: Up, Down, Exclusive, Inclusive, Order, Random, or Latching
Time Divisions: 1/4-note, 1/4-note triplet, 1/8-note, 1/8-note triplet, 1/16-note, 1/16-note triplet, 1/32-note, or 1/32-note triplet
Tempo: 30-240 BPM via Tap Tempo button (internal sync). Based on software tempo (external sync)
Swing: 50%, 55%, 59%, 61%, or 64%
Programs: 8 stored programs, configurable via free downloadable editor software
Connections: (1) USB port
Power: Via USB
Dimensions (width x depth x height): 13.7" x 4.0" x 1.5" / 348 x 102 x 38mm
Weight: 0.99 lbs. / 0.45 kg

Review: Japanese jazz drummer Akira Ishikawa's blistering 'Uganda (Dawn Of Rock)' makes a piognant claim as to the origins of rock n' roll, blending traditional African drumming workouts with the futuristic tropes belonging to psychedelic rock and fourth world music. Consisting of just four movements ranging from formless to the watery and rhythmic, its recording lies in the basis of just one legendary drummer, but in all its sonics sounds as though an enormous ensemble were behind it. A well-sought J-psych rarity.

Review: With reissues of their entire back catalogue of full-lengths dropping throughout 2022, it was all but hinted that Iowa's masked metal entity were hard at work behind the scenes. 'The End, So Far' will serve as the seventh Slipknot album, set to capitalise on the momentous rebirth of 2019's, 'We Are Not Your Kind', which marked a ferocious return to form after the mainstream success of 'All Hope Is Gone', and the sonic uncertainty that meandered through '.5: The Gray Chapter.' Now fully comfortable and adapted to their current line-up, cuts like the simultaneously pummelling yet anthemic, 'The Dying Song (Time to Sing)', or the deranged, 'The Chapeltown Rag', seem to be indicative of an utterly new era for the 9.

Review: A shining light of Florida's contemporary RnB and rap scene, Denzel Curry has left a strong impression in the past few years with albums and mixtapes which shift through styles while holding true to the tradition of Southern hip-hop. Melt My Eyez See Your Future is billed as Curry's most introspective and personal album to date, and that sentiment comes through as clear as day on lead single 'Melt Session #1' backed up by Robert Glasper. Other guest spots come from Buzzy Lee, Saul Williams, Bridget Perez, T-Pain, slowthai and more besides, all feeding into a fresh end result which comes on like an instant classic fronted by a dexterous, confessional voice.

Review: It's clear dub dynasties are a thing; you either have the magic Midas touch, or you don't. For some, talent runs in green, yellow and red blood. Addis Pablo is the son of legendary dub reggae pioneer Augustus Pablo, and here he releases his second solo LP, dedicated to the mythical House Of Levi, a fictional setting for one of Christ's many banquets. On the LP, pablo pens an ode to the poor, needy and devoted in dub, spewing forth some of the cleanest and bounciest melodica-bound dub we've heard all year so far.

Review: Flying High is the debut album from LMD (aka California rap heavyweights LMNO, MED, Declaime). They all join forces for plenty of hard bars and spirited tales that showcase all their lyrical gifts. On top of their mic skills, they also manage to enlist none other than superstar hip-hop producer Madlib. His signature sounds are all over this with mind-bending instruments making for an album of organic and expertly crafted hip-hop tunes. The vibe is classic era boom bop with clouds of weed smoke and spiritual ambiance. It is a truly timeless work.

Review: Slowcore and dream pop collide on this latest LP from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs - 'Cool It Down' is their fifth studio album and a surprise return almost 10 years on from 2013's 'Mosquito'. Uniquely teased by the whispery lead single 'Spitting Off The Edge Of The World' - a hopeless anthem for those left behind, laying somewhere between the slowcore of Deathcrash and the indie dream dreamt by Band Of Horses - this one is a focused eight-tracker of enormously mournful proportions. It also contains a guest appearance by Perfume Genius.

Review: You may have caught the striking quality of Ego Ella May and Theon Cross' lead single for Blue Note Re:imagined II, and now the full compilation has arrived. For such a long-standing, heritage label, Blue Note have recognised the renewed moment jazz is having and responded with an exciting look into those artists forging new paths. Given the importance of tradition and roots within jazz, it's fascinating to see how a new generation tackle totemic works from Blue Note's gargantuan history. From Nubiyan Twist to Conor Albert, Maya Delilah to Reuben James, the featured artists serve as a crucial primer of what's good in jazz right now, and the hit rate is high from start to finish.

Review: As the title suggests, this brand new compilation from the legendary jazz label Blue Note finds a wealth of the UK's most exciting new and young talents turn their hand at reimagining a selection of classic Blue Note tracks. The wonderful sax player Yazz Ahmed kicks off with her take on 'It' which his all alluring and deep, and across the other 15 cuts the likes of Brit Award-winning Jorja Smith appears with her own distinctive voice, the much hyped - and rightly so - Nubya Garcia also adds her own contribution and Aussie soul boy Jordan Rakei serves up some buttery sounds.

Review: In a collaboration you might never have expected but somehow makes perfect sense, original Brit blues mastermind Jeff Beck teams up with a little known American by the name of Johnny Depp to render some of the latter's songs alongside some finely selected covers. From The Beach Boys to John Lennon, The Velvet Underground to Killing Joke and more besides, this is the sound of two lifelong music lovers letting it all hang out and playing with the impassioned energy and innocence of youth. More than just a throwaway side project for a global superstar, this is a deeply discerning project which frames Depp's music in a whole new light.

Review: It was when Makaya McCraven linked up with International Anthem around 2015 he became an artist transcending the jazz scene's tangle of singers and players. Since then he's evolved his craft from album to album, project to project, reaching this undeniable achievement of a record that places him at the forefront of modern jazz. Nearly seven years in the making, In These Times is the product of McCraven's striving to create a personal stamp, leaning in on his own rhythmic language of time-signature trickery and unusual arrangements, steering large-scale orchestral ensembles and elevating his craft in every way he can. For all the considered science behind the sound, it lands as an incredible natural experience full of cascading drums, ascendant flutes, lilting strings and a whole cornucopia of talented musicians playing to a striking creative vision. This limited edition of the album comes pressed on white vinyl to compliment the stark design of the sleeve - one for the collectors.

Review: The Vacant Lots is a Brooklyn based duo who drops their new album this Autumn. It was written under isolation during the Covid pandemic and is quite possibly Jared Artaud and Brian MacFadyen's best work yet. The eight tunes might be minimal in design but they are maximum in intent and intensity with minimalist post-punk/synth-pop sounds all coming on strong. Over the top of the sounds comes smart, pithy lyrics with plenty of guitar agues and a darkness that brings to mind New Order and Jesus And Mary Chain. Add in the ever present spirt of New York and you have a fine album.

Review: The 2002 film The Hours starred hefty Hollywood talents Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore, and the original score was composed by no lesser titan of his industry than Philip Glass. It is a masterful work from the legendary minimal composer and is here presented across four sides of vinyl by the Nonesuch label. It has plenty of thick, lush strings and lots of tonal suspension with cool piano parts, plenty of heavily pregnant silences and cascading scales that all add plenty to the film itself as well as being a great standalone listen.

Review: Not to be confused with Klaus WeiB, the East Germany-born handball hero of the Summer Olympics 1972, although born in the same era, this Klaus Weiss is in fact the man who started out as a jazz drummer before expanding his remit to other instruments and genres, winding up pretty prolific in the world of movie and TV scores. As can be heard here.

While not directly linked to, taken from, or inspired by screen work, Open Space underscores (ahem) many of the same totems. It's un-rushed, yet tracks are relatively brief, not much more than interludes. Each feels similar to the next, but they clearly invoke very different emotional responses. Somewhere between synth-laden fantasy soundtracks of yore, and medieval court music, it's like going into the future only to realise civilisation has gone backwards while retaining some of its tech prowess.

Review: Croker says "It's a love story" of his Love Quantum album. It arrived i 2007 as a fantastic debut record from the Grammy nominated artist and took listens on a deep journey through romantic emotions. As it travelled across space and time it offers up a shared human experience and focusses on love in al its forms - "love of a friend, love of a partner, love of a parent, love of yourself and a love of life". This one comes on special coloured vinyl and it sounds as good now as it ever has done.

Review: Probably one of the most fascinating Japanese compilations to ever receive a release since 'Diggin' In The Carts', Time Capsule's 'Anime & Manga Synth Pop Soundtracks 1984-1990' takes a thorough look at the genre when it was well underway and in its heyday, charting just eight cuts of the sauciest lo-fi bangers for the cartoon style. Opener 'Honowo' is a proto-sinogrimey, synthpoppy slice of city pop for the period manga Yume No Ishibumi. Meanwhile, 'Utage' recalls Eurythmics or Talking Heads with a retro-classic, quantized groove. A great snapshot of Japanese music media from a time of upheaval.

Review: Over recent years, there have been countless reissue of reggae-disco rarities and slept-on classics. Soul Jazz has, surprisingly given that they first dipped into the style 20 years ago on the now legendary Reggae Disco Hustle compilation, been surprisingly silent, so it's nice to see them joining the party in fine style. Disco Reggae Rockers is a fitting sequel to its illustrious predecessor, featuring as it does a wealth of killer covers of - and more adventurous 're-versions' inspired by - vintage soul, disco and funk tunes. The plentiful highlights include Devon Russell's inspired take on Curtis Mayfield's 'Move On Up', Risco Connection's super-sweet version of Diana Ross classic 'It's My House', Valerie Harrison's interpretation of Me'lissa Morgan's 'Fools Paradise' and Hortense Ellis re-frame of Candi Staton hit 'Young Hearts Run Free'.

Review: 'Reggae disco' might not be a very well-known style, but Soul Jazz are hardly intimidated by any sense of obscurity, especially when it comes to a fusion between their two most prized genres. Homing in on reggae disco versions of funk, soul and disco classics, this curt but precious compilation features reggae covers of classics by Michael Jackon, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Candi Staton, with coverers including Risco Connection and the Crashers.

Review: The Marc Bolan 'Songwriter' series has proven hugely successful and after the focus was on 1972 last time out, this time we jump another year back to 1971. This vinyl-only and intimate release shines a light on the private life of Bolan and how that altered his approach to songwriting. It was in 1972 that his band T-REx became chart-topping superstars and across the 19 tunes here are long versions of tunes like 'Hot Love' and 'Get It On' as well as plenty of b-sides, working versions and demos and a nearly 15-minute long acoustic demo of 'Children of Rarn.'

Review: Los Angeles hardcore punk supergroup, OFF!, return with their first full-length in almost a decade, and follow up to 2014's blistering, Wasted Years. Originally formed by Keith Morris (formerly of Black Flag and Circle Jerks) and Dimitri Coats (of Burning Brides), the band have seen a shift in their rhythm section with the addition of new bassist Autry Fulbright II of seminal art-rockers, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, and outlier drummer Justin Brown, who's previously worked with the likes of Thundercat and Herbie Hancock. Prepare for an entirely new batch of chaotic, effortless bangers from a group who only emerge when they have something vital to accost their listeners with. Please, be sure to not mistake the title, Free LSD, for false advertising, though.

Notes: cosMik 10 is a cardioid condenser microphone that can be universally used for vocals, acoustic guitars, in front of a guitar cabinet and much more.

Designed to always give dynamic professional studio quality results, cosMik 10 provides world class sound to capture musical details, harmonics, and subtle nuances that get lost easily with many comparable microphones. The low self-noise allows you to capture the whole dynamic range with exceptional detail, making this microphone the universal solution for any recording studio.

The cosMik 10 with its unique stylish and yet compact body is provided with a table stand, windshield shield foam and an XLR cable so that you can get started right away.

cosMik 10 is available on its own as well as in our U22 XT cosMik Set studio recording bundle.

Features/specifications

Condenser studio microphone
Cardioid polar pattern
Special 1" diaphragm size
30Hz - 18kHz frequency response
> 132dB dynamic range
135dB max. SPL
100 ohm output impedance
5dB self noise (A weighted)
Requires +48V phantom power
XLR connector, cable included
Table stand included
Windshield foam included
Weight: around 160g

Review: Most people will remember the New Radicals from their international hit single (well, certainly UK and US hit single) 'You Get What You Give' - a Waterboys-esque slice of emotionally charged indie with rousing message about how putting in is the only real means of receiving anything good. Releasing just one album - this one, from which that song was taken - diving into the full record now, 24 years on, is intriguing.

While that statement track might have convinced many otherwise, newcomers will find that Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too is actually a pretty wild ride through psychedelic-leaning poppy rock. Or rocky pop, it's hard to know which order to punt for. Fundamentally, though, this is a way more complex and fascinating outing than That Big Anthem would have you expecting, nodding to early-Aerosmith, INXS and more.

Review: A record unlike any other, 'Is That What You Want' is a fascinating slice of what some might call 'outsider soul', but even that label can't do full justice to the music here. Part of a wholly unrecognised community of DIY musicians living in East Philadelphia in the 1980s, Lee Tracy and Isaac Manning were a vocal, instrumental and production duo whose efforts flew sorely under the radar at the time that they laid these slick slices of experimental joy to tape. Bleeding a shocking transfusion of gospel, electro, lo-fi, funk and soul, this is a worthy slice of Afrofuturism existing outside the jazz connotation. "We never went to no studio," retorts Manning, showing off the pair's homespun ingenuity. Bolstered by a slew of DIY videos shot in Lee's front garden, this has everything from black Southern IDM to machine-glitched proto-raps. It deserves all the recognition it can get.

Review: Still sounding eons ahead of its time - or this present time - Jigen's 1998 album Blood's Finality enjoys a long-awaited repress having only been available on limited import CD for all these years. Taking jazz, experimental contemporary and the most leftfield jungle and breakbeat you can imagine and bringing it all together in an uncompromising, freeform body of work that skates, skitters, jumps and twists with no respect for formula or arrangement, Jigen created a one of kind document that joins dots frantically while sounding like nothing else on the planet. Catch us again for another repress in another 24 years and we'll feel the same way then, too.

Review: "Another Bjork album?!" cry the naysayers. But little do they know they've been duped into thinking the Icelandic legend's last full-length, Utopia, was a recent affair. Actually, it's already been a good five years since the singer's flowery flabbergaster, and collab with experimentalists Arca and Doon Kanda, came to be. Fossora, by contrast, is a much more mournful LP: it's a meditation on generations, and was in part inspired by the death of Bjork's mother. It also contains collaborations with her two children, Sindri and isadora. A homelier affair, revisiting Bjork's upbringing in Iceland, on which she hadn't reflected on record since she was 16.

Review: The fourth and (we think) final sampler for Kerri Chandler's epic new album, Spaces & Places, not only features a swathe of cuts from the set, but also a clutch of must-check alternate takes. Of the album tracks, we're particularly fond of the Ministry of Sound inspired piano house workout 'Hurry Up (featuring Dreamer G)' and the locked-in early morning hypnotism of 'Sunrise', which the New Jersey native recorded at Berlin club 'Watergate'. Other highlights across the double-pack include the breezy 'Joyful Life' (and its accompanying 'Vibeapella') and the bonus 'No Guitar Mix' of the mid-90s St German style wonder of 'Dirty', a cut recorded at, and in tribute to, legendary Paris venue Rex Club.

Review: Four Flies are dab hands at digging out the finest curios from the hidden depths of Italian music culture, and this is surely one of their proudest proclamations. Guiliano Sorgini recorded the soundtrack to Riccardo Fellini's TV movie Zoo Folle in 1974, and the soundtrack came out the same year. Far more than a set of modest instrumentals or functional library music, this is raging, heavy psych funk of the highest order, with raunchy riffs, bugged-out flute, intense percussive beatdowns and so much more besides. Whichever plucky diggers originally unearthed this holy grail must have lost their tiny minds, because even framed with the significance it deserves, this is an out-of-this world record we're very fortunate to have back in our reach.