Search dance music

Review: Hans Zimmer is unquestionably one of the greatest composers of modern times. More specifically, he's perhaps the greatest living film composer, having scored more movies than we could ever hope to list here. Recent credits including the much-hyped and long-anticipated Dune redo, and Denis Villeneuve's rightly celebrated sci-fi epic, Blade Runner 2049.

As you guessed from this web page, The Dark Knight is another title he put his name to, all the way back in 2008. Christopher Nolan's second Batman instalment, arguably the finest in the history of the franchise, really needed something rooted in menacing, unsettling atmospherics, with rousing moments capable of restoring hope even against some near-impossible odds. He did just that, as this evocative powerhouse of a classical album proves. Not exactly easy listening, prepare to be moved in more ways than one.

Review: Warner Bros Motion Picture Sparkle has an essential soundtrack, all thanks to the work of two soul legends in Aretha Franklin and Curtis Mayfield. In the film itself, it was the movie's main stars Irene Cara and Lonette McKee who mostly sang the tunes but this recording features the Queen of Soul Aretha singing them at Curtis's Curtom studio in Chicago. He composed and produced all the tunes and here they are pressed onto sealer vinyl for the first time since they were first released. It's a feel good selection whether or not you have seen the film.

Review: Remarkably, it's 25 years since the release of Lou Reed's seventeenth solo album, Set the Twilight Reeling. To celebrate this significant anniversary, Reed has decided to offer-up a fresh vinyl edition, this time on audiophile-friendly heavy wax with an accompanying booklet. To aid sound quality, the album has now been stretched over three sides of vinyl, with the fourth featuring an etched image of the album's artwork. It's a beautifully presented reissue all told, though it's the quality of the music - typically fuzzy, lo-fi and dominated by the twin attractions of Reed's proto-punk guitars and weather-worn vocals - that impresses most. While not one of the most celebrated sets in Reed's epic catalogue, Set The Twilight Reeling is still a hugely impressive and involving album.

Review: Can any film hope for the perfect synergy between curated soundtrack, moving image and mood that Lost In Translation achieved? Sofia Coppola's melancholic reflection on Tokyo through Western eyes plays out like an especially emotive dream, and that's thanks in no small part to the regal tones of Kevin Shields' shoegaze imprint punctuating the thoughtfully selected songs. From Squarepusher at his most tender to Shields own My Bloody Valentine and fellow guitar-drone legends The Jesus & Mary Chain, there's heaps of atmosphere spilling out of this soundtrack, and so tethered to the film is the music you could drop the needle on this one and find yourself right back on the streets of urban Japan.

Review: Swedish pop rock duo Roxette were one of the country's breakout acts in the genre. In celebration of the 30th anniversary of their third album 'Joyride', Rhino Records have seen to a due repress in a plethora of formats, including single LP, 4xLP, and even a limited orange marble vinyl version. Remembering the proto-balearic ballad-belters' monumental rise to number 1 on the Billboard 100 chart in May 1991, this album initially sold more than 11 million copies, setting a record previously not achieved by any other Scandinavian act. This version, however, also adds a whopping 35 new and unreleased bonus tracks; check out the night-riding, cutthroat bit that is 'Hotblooded', which was initially intended to take the place of 'Joyride' as the album's lead single.