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Review: Hailing from Spain's Non Series label, Ritmo Oscuro' offers a diverse techno exploration. Sciahri / Conceptual join forces to delve deep into the title track and evolve it enough to make alternate versions stand on their own. The original track oozes sci-fi ambiance with its heavy beat and eerie atmosphere. 'Ritmo Oscuro 2' shifts towards a more aggressive, energy-building tech sound. LDS' remix brings broken beats and distinctive sound effects. Finally, 'Ritmo Oscuro 3' transports listeners to the 90s with its ravey, linear techno. If you are looking for some percussive, sci-fi techno then look no further then this.

Review: Norwegian trumpeter Arve Henriksen and Dutch pianist Harmen Fraanje strike a fine balance on their latest collaborative jazz record Touch Of Time. Warm and tender throughout, this is a back-alleyed melanchole, with its stark counterpoints between piano and trumpet somehow eliciting the audio-sensation of more instrumentation than there is - a gestalt of ghosts. Gradients of emotion wax and wane like the strange blue lights that are often visible when one's eyes are closed. Produced by Manfred Eicher at the Auditorio Stelio Molo in Lugano, this is fine recording indeed.

Review: Ornate Music has been serving up quality deepness since 2008 but it's been a while since we heard from them. Edinburgh based producer, Rai Scott, returns to Ornate Music, previously releasing on the imprint back in 2014. This long overdue followup to her Innershift EP brings ethereal atmospherics and hypnotising percussion. The opener is a dreamy and celestial vibe with gently rolling beats, while Version 2 is more defined by the smeared chords which spiral to the heavens. 'As Honest As She Lived' is another electric lullaby with well-crafted ambient pads and 'Nina' ends with layers of bells, glistening keys and shimmering melody that soothes the soul.

Review: Interplugreaction is a track from Beroshima's 2007 album Real To Reel, but it's wasn't until 2023 that we (now get to) hear the cream of its reinterpretations. If only every track in the world could hear a remix from the likes of Marcel Dettman and Rodhad! Perhaps this calls for an entirely new industry - in fact, let's lock the artists in a room just so they can churn out the music and nothing else. Actually, a whopping four techno heavyweights (also including Frank Muller and Henning Baer) to reinterpret the classic track, with the new mixes ranging from stuffy and oppressive to airy and stark. Certainly not one to miss.

Notes: ***B-STOCK: Item refurbished, repaired and in perfect working order.***


The Furthrrrr Generator has a main oscillator (carrier) with an extensive and fully voltage controllable wave multiplier and a modulation oscillator (modulator) that can cross-modulate the carrier. Each oscillator has hard and soft sync and also features an integrated tuner: if both LEDs are lit the VCO is at note A. Left LED is lit at note Ab and right LED at A#. Frequency potentiometers are ten-turn models and thus allow for easy tuning. Frequency range of the VCOs is 10Hz-10kHz (and much lower in modulator's LFO mode). Both VCOs feature 2 frequency CV inputs (1x with bipolar attenuator, 1x with 1V/octave), one FM input (jumper selectable between linear and exponential FM) as well as separate input for hard and soft sync. The voltage characteristic can be selected between 1V/octave and 1.2V/octave (Buchla norm).

The main oscillator (carrier) outputs the waveforms sine, saw, square and white noise. The two outputs marked with the magic eye are outputs of the "harmonic section" that generates very complex sounds by the wave multiplier and its parameters symmetry, order and Furthrrrr in the module's right-hand section. Symmetry lowers the level of even harmonics and amplifies the odd harmonics (this affects the pulse wave's width as well). Order adds saturation to the high order harmonics and resembles a low pass filter. Furthrrrr alters the level of harmonics set by the other parameters and produces very interesting, partly brute sounds with lots of harmonics by clipping and folding the wave. All three parameters can be voltage controlled. The carrier oscillator also has inputs for hard and soft sync, the sync-switch can synch directly to the modulator.

The modulation oscillator (modulator) has three wave forms with direct outputs: sine, saw and square. Using the internal modulation via the "mood section" the waveform is selected with a button; an additional staircase wave form is available here, but it can be overridden by inserting a signal into the external input socket. A switch activates the LFO mode.

The Mood section is responsible for the internal modulation of the carrier by the modulator. Switches determine the modulation destination(s) that can be activated simultaneously. These are the Furthrrrr parameter of the harmonic section, the amplitude and the frequency of the carrier oscillator. The "balanced" switch activates the ring modulation between both VCOs. intensity of modulation is controlled by the "mood index" potentiometer and the according CV input with bipolar attenuator.

Review: A third album of wonderfully intimate, idiosyncratic songwriting from multi-instrumentalist Stephen Gilchrist - formerly the Stuffy in the much loved Stuffy & The Fuses - in his Stephen EvEns guise. The name may be singular, but from the choir of voices singing the opening tune 'A Song For Europe' to the child's voice at the end of seafaring epic 'Hello Salty Salty', this is very much a community effort and feels like it, with Stephen's core collaborators Jimi Scandal (guitar) and Crompton Whesp (drums) joined by guests like former Curve/Echobelly bassist Debbie Smith, longtime Cardiacs keyboard player William D Drake and Hurtling/My Bloody Valentine guitarist and keyboard player Jen Macro. The mood palate is on just as grand a scale as the personnel list, from the Nick Drake-style acoustic guitar/strings interplay of 'Firefly' to the beefy hip-hop backbeat of 'BBQ Head & 7 Bells', a two part track, the first half dedicated to the joys of cooking in the garden, the second about paranoia and the threat of violence. Elements of psychedelia, some gorgeous analogue synth tones, a penchant for a quirky time signature and/or arrangement all add to what's already a very tasty concoction that anyone with an ear for a tenacious earworm or two will love.

Review: Skep Wax's first Under The Bridge compilation, released in 2022, reunited the bands, songwriters and producers who populated cult early '90s indie label Sarah Records. This hotly anticipated follow-up repeats the trick, presenting 20 recently recorded cuts from the Bristol-based imprint's original roster of artists. It too, is a hugely successful - and understandably nostalgic - exercise, with hi9ghlights including the bright-and-breezy indie jangliness of Action Painting's 'Just Who Are The Cockleshell Heroes', the shoegaze-influenced dream pop haziness of Soundwire's 'Everything Is Real', the near Balearic soft focus shuffle of 'Double Nine' by GNAC, and the saucer-eyed excellence of The Orchids' 'A Final Love Song'.

Review: Following his impressive debut on Submersive's VA Osmotic Particles in 2021, Toki Fuko returns with his inaugural solo release on the label. His Hues of Movement EP comprises three original tracks and remixes by Anthony Linell and Artefakt, all of which embody Submersive's ethos of deep, hypnotic techno. Fuko impresses as always with his well crafted soundscapes blending electrical pulses with catchy drum sequences. Linell's Train remix fuses his style with Fuko's to make for a dub-influenced journey while Artefakt's 'Warble' remix takes things into darker worlds filled with unrelenting tension.

Notes: MOOER is well known for producing highly versatile multi-effect pedals, but its latest product announcement, the Prime Stomp S1, is not just a multi-effect pedal. It is an all-in-one pedalboard for guitar effects and tones, looping, and music production, complete with a unique portability-focused design.

Initially, guitarists will be impressed by its 126 internal guitar effects and tone presets, which are editable, sharable, and downloadable through the MOOER Cloud platform, fostering unlimited tonal flexibility. However, these capabilities shine particularly brightly when combined with the pedal's recording features.

This includes a looper module, which facilitates up to 80 seconds of looping, whilst also providing functionality for real-time playback, loop deletion, and overdubbing. Loops and arrangements can also be recorded directly onto a mobile phone or tablet through a USB/OTG cable.

When combined with the pedal's 40 synchronizable drum machines, 10 metronomes, and tuner, these looping and recording capabilities empower guitarists to craft complete musical arrangements within a single unified pedalboard, without the need for studio equipment. All features can be controlled by four simple footswitches, making for a powerfully minimalist user experience.

Whilst MOOER offers several pedalboards that offer similar functionality, the Prime Stomp S1 stands out due to its focus on portability. Instead of being powered by a mains power supply, it is powered solely by an integrated lithium battery. This battery is charged by a USB C port, enabling users to charge the pedal with a portable power bank, laptop, or regular USB C charger. The device also weighs just 350g, making it effortless to carry in a backpack.

Whilst the Prime Stomp 1 primarily caters to traveling musicians, it still includes industry-standard pedal features, such as a 1/4" input, stereo 1/4" outputs, and an independent headphone output. All of these features are presented in a sleek case and are visualized by MOOER's signature digital LED display, making for an unbeatable unified toolkit for traveling guitarists.

Notes: Proper futuristic amp modelling and effects courtesy of Mooer's next-level GE1000, featuring AI-driven auto-EQ and a five-inch touchscreen. Hook up to the GE Cloud app to edit and share sounds.

Supplier's Notes:
MOOER has consistently pleased the guitar pedal market with its GE multi-effect range, and its latest addition, the GE1000, is set to be no exception. The GE1000, built with a futuristic and sleek "Walking Star" design, builds upon past GE products, offering an even larger range of guitar processing effects, preamps, amp simulators, and features than previous entries.

The GE1000 comes preloaded with an impressive bank of guitar effects and amp simulations, but this is augmented further through MNRS GE Cloud support. MOOER's MNRS files consist of IR samples from real amplifiers, facilitating authentic feeling tones that can be downloaded, uploaded, and shared via MOOER's 'GE Cloud' app for free. The GE1000 also supports third-party IR files of up to 2048 sample points, enabling further expansion of the pedal's portfolio of amp simulators.

Further adding to the GE1000's impressive amplification and tone features, the GE1000 includes a cutting-edge AI-driven automatic equalizer, a first for MOOER. This automatically adjusts a 5-band EQ based on the user's playing and music style choice, providing further possibilities for creativity whilst still providing the flexibility of a manual-controlled EQ interface.

MOOER hasn't only focused on tone and pitch with the GE1000 exclusively, which is illustrated perfectly by the integrated Groove Station rhythmic toolkit, consisting of a style-specific drum machine and a looper. These features have been designed to work both independently and in tempo synchronization, making them adaptable for all types of jam. The looper even includes automated record and count-in functions, activating the loop recording when an input signal is detected, providing a unique hands-free looping experience.

MOOER has always excelled at providing innovative UI experiences, and the GE1000 is set to continue this trend. The pedal features a 5-inch high-quality coloured touch screen designed for intuitive multi-effect workflows while keeping some fan favourites from previous GE pedals. These include the signature MOOER multi-purpose control dials, buttons, and a quick-access expression pedal.

Additional flexibility can be found within the pedal's cutting-edge control systems, including programmable MIDI ports, bundled preset management software, and compatibility with the MOOER mobile app.

This level of flexibility is matched by the pedal's audio routing solutions, which feature Bluetooth playback, USB audio interfacing, serial and parallel TRS stereo FX LOOP compatibility, and industry-standard input and output ports.