Back catalogue: All genres

Review: B 2DEP'T were a curio of the early wave of techno in Japan in the 90s, releasing a handful of cassettes and mini-albums but remaining a cult concern rather than breaking through to major success. For those in the know, their productions were way ahead of their time, and Junki Inoue seems absolutely hip to this as he signs them up for a release on his archival label Saisei. If you enjoy the boundaryless exploration of the early techno boom and prefer brightly melodic motifs to match, you'll love this record. It's brimming with oddball personality and it's more than punchy enough to cut it with modern club fare.

Review: Italian artist Ricardo Baez brings his EBM influences to a new and dazzling post-disco EP on Bordello A Parigi that mixes up elector, new wave, synth pop and Italo. First up is dark disco dons Curses to remix 'On & On' and do so with rugged synth lines and jacked-up angular drums. The original is only subtly different and a touch smoother then 'Sfida Notturna' takes off on big stomping drums with bright synths and retro-future 80s feels ringing out proudly. 'Dietro L'Orizzonte' closes down with a more Balearic sound for the afters.

Review: Hull and Leeds-based band bdrmm finally follow up their acclaimed debut album Bedroom - which was instantly passed as a modern day shoegaze classic - with a new EP. It features the recent single 'Port' as well as fresh remixes by the ever more essential Daniel Avery, plus Working Men's Club, A Place To Bury Strangers and others. That single, 'Port,' took the band in a new direction with a darker sound fun of distorted drones and beats, with howls of anguish and manic guitar frenzies. That is carried over into the rest of the EP next to some radical reworks.

Review: Following on from their widely acclaimed album Afraid To Leave, Berlin's beautiful maudlin post-punk outfit Bleib Modern presents a compilation of remixes and reworks by esteemed artists from across darkwave, post-punk, and EBM. From IV Horsemen's club-worthy rendition of 'Bitter Smile' to M!R!M's dreamy synthpop take on 'Into The Night' via Dune Messiah's crooning 'Loony Voices, 2 Afraid 2 Leave: Remixed Reimaged Reloaded Part 2 offers truly diverse interpretations. With contributions from luminaries like The KVB and Blind Delon, it provides a fresh perspective on Bleib Modern's sound and serves as an exciting interlude that showcases the band's versatility and paves the way for future creations

Review: Blu-I Boy's 'Night Of Ecstasy' is a real Italo disco rarity from back in the heyday of that sound in 1986. An OG copy will be hard to find and cost you a fair whack even when you do. This reissue offers up a complete package - the original single version, a nice extended version, a special summer version packed with even more heat and a new remix from Flemming Dalum. Also included just for fun is a playable mono meaning there is no way you won't find some moment to slot this into your set no matter where or when you are playing.

Review: Smeary, bleary, watery-eyed Deutsche-Balearica from the fresh German talent that is Tom Bolas, dropping the impressive four-track EP 'Disco-Calabra' for Violette Szabo. An Italo-German dialectic is immediately heard on the self-titled lead track, on which Bolas' enlisted singer Flo Dalton gets her oozy voice glued and washed out between the producer's ultra-limited beatsmithing. The trend continues on the supporting new wave track 'Orientalo', the comparatively grinding post-punker 'Delusion', and the EBM chugger 'I Just Wanna Dance'.

Review: Royal Wavetable Mellodies & Old TDKs by Mexico baed artist Brainwaltzera is a perfect coming totters of the symphonic, the synthetic, the organic and the electronic. It's a record that could be a lost 70s classic as much as a new school homage to minimalism, experimental ambient and vintage synths. In fact, this is a selection of archive recordings in the artist's characteristically idiosyncratic style that we cannot get enough of. The collection of tracks are gorgeously native and innocent, with wispy melodies and retro keys all smeared and smudged into moving pieces of ambient that are beatless but dynamic.

Review: Larry Pignagnoli, Alessandro Zanni and Stefano Cundari created Brando, the quintessential short-lived Italo project. The first two singles from the group landed in 1983, one of which is now lovingly repressed by the original label, ZYX Music. As well as the vintage versions, we get treated to a couple of versions from the go-to remixer for tracks from this period, Flemming Dalum. It's released as a 40th anniversary piece commemorating this classic slice of sentimental, full-fat Italo, but with these new remixes there's plenty to appeal to die-hards and casual observers alike.

Review: Argentina born producer and DJ Born has been serving up some fresh sonic treats for three or four years now and here makes the natural next step of starting his own label. Desencanto will become a place to hear Sebastian Rosas Bruno's freshest tackle as exemplified by this first 12" which collides techno, new wave, electro and new beat. Text with the tunes says the EP is the first of many that will "deal with the disillusions of today's world: political, social, economic and also those left by old loves." Concept aside, these are innovative and impactful cuts.

Review: Music For Dreams label head Kenneth Badger was so inspired by the Tangerine Dream soundtrack to the classic Michael Mann film The Thief that he and Tolga Bo0.95yu0.95k from the Turkish band islandman decided to write their own soundtrack to an imaginary movie. They managed to write 10 tracks within 24 hours while imagining a film that told a story about two people stuck on the arctic ice cap where one tries to fool the other. Influences from Vangelis, John Carpenter, and Tangerine Dream all feature in what is a superb and escapist listen.

Review: Italian composer and modular synth wizard Caterina Barbieri makes a debut on the Light-Years label here with a profound work of ambient beauty. Known for her musical vortexes, she warps space and time with her compositions and has done ever since breaking through with 2017's double-album Patterns Of Consciousness. Spirit Exit again finds her start up her modal rug and get to work in her home studio amidst Milan's two-month pandemic lockdown in 2020. It's a personal work that "takes inspiration from female philosophers, mystics and poets spread across time." The transportational sounds are as complex as they are emotive from front to back.

Review: The story goes that, back when he was a core member of Kraftwerk, Karl Bartos helped create the band's own theme for Fritz Lang's often-soundtracked Metropolis. Bartos has an enduring fascination with the more daring artwork of the early 20th Century, and so he took on the challenge of creating a new score for Robert Weine's landmark silent movie The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari. Using an assortment of synths in his Hamburg studio, Bartos creates a symphonious soundtrack which shows his passion for the subject matter in stark detail. A must-check for fans of Bartos and the wider Kraftwerk phenomenon, as well as fans of Weine's pioneering psychological thriller.

Review: Baby Buddha is the experimental new wave duo of Charles Hornaday (vocals, guitar, electronics, drums) and David Javelosa (vocals, electronics, clarinet). Born from late night improvisations of San Francisco synth-punks Los Microwaves with a rotating cast of musicians. Live shows would include music, projections, dance and performance art in both clubs and gallery spaces. In 1980, Howie Klein's 415 Records released their first single of Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man". In 1981, 'Music For Teenage Sex' was their first full length album released via Poshboy Records. It featured Los Microwaves' Meg Brazill, Poshboy boss Robbie Fields, and Kathy Peck as "Tammy Why-not", who later went on to found H.E.A.R (Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers). In January 1983 Kathy, Charles and David went into the studio with a couple of Kathy's original "country" songs and began working on a sophomore album. They also incorporated songs from a live multi-track recording of a concert at the Graffiti Club on June 6th 1984. The album titled 'Everyone Is My Age' sat unreleased until 1987 due to relocation to Los Angeles and eventually found a home on David's Hyperspace Communications, the original label for the first Los Microwaves singles. For this first time reissue we've added a previously unreleased bonus song "What's Going On," a Kathy Peck original. All songs have been remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The vinyl comes housed in the original jacket featuring a collage by David Javelosa and includes an insert with lyrics, photos and liner notes.