Back catalogue: Coldwave/Synth

Review: It's been a while since King Midas Sound graced our ears with some fresh material - four years to be exact - and Aroo sees the trio of Kevin Martin, Roger Robinson and Kiki Hitomi trade Hyperdub for Ninja tune with a two track single ahead of a mooted new album! Arriving on a thick set slab of vinyl and accompanied by a silver metallic print, Aroo signals a change in approach for King Midas Sound ending their love affair with 21st century Lovers Rock and launching into "a great unknown". Martin himself as described the new direction as "My Bloody Valentine in dub" and this certainly feels apt on "Aroo" as the waves of sound come descending down on the channels orchestrated by Hitomi's vocal delivery.

Review: Beat Spacek aka Steve Spacek is a man who has seen it all and done it all. Well, not quite all because this latest project is quite possibly his best in recent years. Having worked with artists as diverse as J Dilla and dBridge, his sound is characterised by a hugely varied conglomeration of styles and influences, but also methods. For instance, we've been told that this LP is made up exclusively of sounds generated from iPhone and iPad apps, so it's easy to see the man's versatility and openness to new sonic territories. "Modern Streets" itself is an intricate cocktail of ideas, incorporating remnants of drum & bass, digital dancehall and curb-side poetry. The whole LP is a daring and successful view into Spacek's multifaceted mind as a musician. Recommended.

Review: Montreal-based producer Marie Davison's fourth full length was her most self-reflective to date. This reissue reminds us of how it found the artist serving up plenty of introspection after a year spent living in Berlin. It comments on the stresses and strains of working on the dance music world and of a life in club culture. It is an immersive and absorbing world of synth heavy beauty that builds on previous dance floor orientated material with new sounds. Italo disco, proto-industrial and electro all feature with plenty of hefty bottom ends.

Review: It's incredible to think Blush is PVA's debut album. The South London band sound like they've been doing aggy, abrasive and regularly oddly beautiful cold synth wave stuff since it was invented, bringing their own edge and energy, influences and ideas to a table that - much as we love it - can often feel like it has become set in its ways. Then again, perhaps their breaking from some traditions is exactly what exposes their freshness.

Across 11 incredible sonic assaults we're dragged from pillar to post in the best way. 'Untethered' sounds like an alarm going off and panic setting in, opening the album without apology. 'Hero Man' takes things into a more rolling, wavy place, albeit wasp-in-jar keyboard lines underpin things. 'The Individual' slows us down and ups the nasty; spoken word style lyrics and grungy, grimy atmosphere making it a stand out. Meanwhile, 'Seven' drops just ahead of the finale for blissful, twisted but honest romance.