MARTIN HANNETT Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Between the mid 1970s and the early '80s, legendary Factory Records producer Martin Hannett exchanged tapes through the post with Delia Derbyshire, one of the BBC Radio Workshop electronic experimentalists who inspired him most. The tapes contained cutting-edge synthesizer tracks and electronic soundscapes that were meant to form the basis of a joint album that never materialized. To coincide with the 40th birthday of Joy Division's "Unknown Pleasures" - one of Hannett's most groundbreaking productions - this album offers up those previously unheard compositions and collaborations. Variously weird, wonderful, quirky, cute and unbelievably creepy (Derbyshire did work on Doctor Who after all), the set is inspired and essential in equal measure.

Review: The Invisible Girls is the name of legendary new wave production duo Martin Hannett (famous for his work as producer for Joy Division, New Order and Buzzcocks) and Steve Hopkins's band, and also this new collection of rare and unreleased recordings made throughout their career. Many of them have reportedly never been heard before. In fact the first five tracks on the album are a selection of previously unreleased 'Moods' recorded at the famous Strawberry Studios between 1980 and 1987. Elsewhere there are rare solo tracks by Hannett plus fine collabs with Section 25, Pauline Murray, Nico and Crispy Ambulance.

Review: In many ways, The Invisible Girls was one of the more curious products of the Factory Records production line. Initially founded by legendary producer Martin Hannett and keyboardist Steve Hopkins in 1978 to provide backing tracks for poet John Cooper Clarke, they went on to release a number of singles with singer/songwriter Pauline Murray. Intriguingly, this first retrospective ignores their work with Clarke and Murray, instead focusing on largely unreleased experiments that touch on ambient, jazz, wayward electronics, Section 22 style post-punk darkness, and occasional forays into dub disco-influenced new wave noodling. It's a fascinating collection, and includes a suite of tracks ("All Sorts of Heroes") that brilliantly pitches Hopkins' jazz-influenced piano playing against Hannett's vivid imagination with predictably thrilling results.