Back catalogue: Experimental/Electronic

Review: This 30th-anniversary reissue of a key experimental release is a journey into the darker realms of electronic music, showcasing the duo's exploration of ambient, industrial and glitch-inspired soundscapes. The release features a stark contrast between the rhythmic, almost club-ready track, infused with danceable energy and the more experimental, glitch-heavy compositions that delve into an unsettling, ritualistic atmosphere. The latter, considered one of the duo's most daring works, uses manipulated sounds, haunting textures and a pervasive sense of sonic unease to create a deep listening piece. The reissue compiles rare material, including previously unreleased tracks, alongside the duo's final appearance under this project. Fans of avant-garde electronic music will appreciate the unique blend of rhythmic elements and abstract textures. While some may prefer later works from the duo, this collection remains a fascinating piece for those drawn to experimental, atmospheric music that pushes the boundaries of sound and composition.

Review: Appearing on labels as varied as Phonica, Shall Not Fade and Growing Bin, Bartosz Kruczynski has certainly carved his own path as Earth Trax. Now he arrives on Lapsus, the Spanish label which tends towards more introspective electronica and ambient. From the tender folk of 'Closer Now' to the straining neo pop of 'Understand' it's clear we're in for an experience very different to the upfront club bangers we might have enjoyed in the past. Proving himself to be a bold and fearless creator capable of many different sounds, with Closer Now Kruczynski is taking Earth Trax well and truly interstellar.

Review: You should never assume too much when it comes to Eartheater. Powders on Mad Decent and finds the maverick modernist at her most vulnerable and exposed. Where she's so often warped and manipulated her voice as part of her hyper pop experimentation, here she comes through in strikingly direct terms whether soaring over elegant threads of synthesis (on gorgeous opener 'Sugarcane Switch') or covering System of a Down's 'Chop Suey' in fragile, acoustic fashion. Even after so many albums, it feels like we're still in the process of understanding the many dimensions of the Eartheater creative universe, and here is but one new galaxy to explore.

Review: Bristolian Nick Edwards had an excellent run of things during the 2010s, releasing cuts on Planet Mu, Mordant Music, Punch Drunk, Perc Trax and WNCL, among others. He also established himself as a highlight on the European live electronic circuit. Then things quietened off, making the personal choice to avoid getting caught up in the circus of dance music and club culture at arguably the most perilous point in its history - ethically speaking. After five years in the wilderness, Edwards is back as Eoplekz with an eight-track mini-album for Selvamancer. Straddling acid warbles, dub tech, dirty squelching weirds, subtle hints of reggae and a resolute commitment to futurism, we're not sure exactly how to label Dirtbokz, but that's exactly the point. Lo-fi analogue adventures through the wormhole, and back again.

Review: Hauntologic '80s nostalgia-propagandizers Ghost Box return once again with a new one from Eric Zann, 'Ouroborindra'. Ghostly vocals mesh with a wide range of acoustic and electronic instrumentation here to produce an inspired album that draws on early 20th century cosmic horror fiction, resulting in some dastardly thematic combination of Lovecraft, BBC Christmas Horror stories, and Scarfolk. Radio-static noise and cavernous intakes of breath on tracks like 'Threshold' and 'Dols' blend with long ambient progressions and string sequences, recalling mock-'80s film influences such as the latest haunter 'Enys Men'. As ever with Ghost Box, a patented corecore sound is captured.

Review: The Exaltics is always a dab hand at crafting cinematic sci-fi scenes out of his dystopian electro, but even he took it to another level with Das Heise Experiment. Conceived in 2013 as a soundtrack to a graphic novel, it was the perfect outlet for Robert Witschakowski's music beyond the function of a club 12". The atmospheres and moods he elicits from the Exaltics sound bank are brilliantly rendered across the whole release, which gets the ten year treatment on this reissue with striking, all-new full colour artwork which brings the visuals to life alongside the music like never before.

Review: Troekurovo Recordings is a production team made up of Toki Fuko, Vadim Basov and Evgeny Vorontsov and they have been hidden away deep in some enchanted Russian forests recording music. Now they are putting out the results on this superb double pack. This project started back in 2016 as a live experimental jam and is now an annual tradition made on loads of analogue gear on the banks of a canyon that was formed many years ago by a melting glacier. The locale provides inspiration - from the fresh country air to the meteor showers often visible overhead - for the music making which is strictly "no preparation, no pre-programming - hardware, friends and live improvisation only."