Back catalogue: Leftfield

Review: Caterina Barbieri is an Italian modular goddess. Her 2019 album Ecstatic Computation was opened up by the majestic 'Fantas' and now it gets a whole new lease of life with this bumper package of variations. Each artist was personally chosen by Caterina and told to do whatever they wanted with the source material. The results are beguiling from the off with Evelyn Saylor, Lyra Pramuk, Annie Garlid & Stine Janvin going for a loopy, multi-layered vocal version that is constantly ascending to heaven. There is more calm from Kali Malon who keeps it strictly ambient and Carlo Maria approximates peak time melodic techno but from a much more artistic rather than narcotic point of view.

Review: Klara Lewis' latest release is a poignant tribute to her late friend, mentor, and former label head, Peter Rehberg. The EP opens with 'Thankful,' a track that directly acknowledges Rehberg's influential work under his PITA moniker, specifically the iconic 'Track 3'. This original piece has profoundly shaped the experimental electronic landscape, its influence still resonating across contemporary electronic music. Lewis' rendition offers a heartfelt homage with a cascading melody that transitions into an immersive digital landscape, evoking both reverence and a sense of finality. The track's abrupt ending mirrors the suddenness of Rehberg's passing, enhancing its emotional depth. Having first emerged with Ett on Editions Mego at 21, Lewis, now 31, presents Thankful as a mature and emotional milestone in her career. 'Ukulele 1' stands as another intimate tribute, featuring the titular instrument looping gently and capturing the essence of its recording environment. This track emphasises the human touch amidst an era increasingly dominated by mechanical precision. 'Top,' named after one of Rehberg's favourite expressions, offers a brief but intense burst of mutant acid techno, capturing the essence of Rehberg's eclectic taste. Following this is '4U,' a track that forgoes words for pure sonic expression, reflecting Rehberg's influence in its profound simplicity. The EP concludes with 'Ukulele 2,' which revisits the themes of 'Thankful,' reinterpreting the earlier melody with digital flourishes. Thankful stands as a meticulously crafted tribute, embodying the spirit and innovation of Peter Rehberg and the original MEGO label.

Review: Unarguably unnerving and just a little haunting, resolutely abstract, and incredibly confident. Material Object's Telepath fits right in at Editions Mego, breaking ground without you necessarily realising it. Recorded in a single improvised session with one violinist, the record pulls those elements apart, and reforms them into mutated electronic structures. Or moments.

At times, you can hear the source material, or instrument. In other moments, these parts have been distorted, compressed, ripped open, and reconfigured to such a degree the tones that are almost unrecognisable. The result is science fiction in sound, a spellbinding - and at times nerve-wracking - trip into the complete unknown, where notes loom heavy and huge on the horizon, or strained and edgy in the immediate. To all those who press play, we say abandon hope of categorisation

Review: The Mego label name is synonymous with quality electronic music now for 30 years this year. One of the most important labels in Austria is still going as strong as ever. 33 34 is the second album by NPVR (Nik Colk Void and Peter Rehberg) and first in seven years. This album thrives on modular synthesis and otherworldly sound craftmanship. The eerie 'Keep Former' really intrigues the senses while 'Invisible Man' has an experimental and cool rhythm to it. 'Ok But No' sounds like you are waiting in some sort of teleport machine. Very cool. If you are into finding unique and different sounding music that is futuristic and soundtrack-like, then this is for you. This LP comes with MP3 download code and is limited to 300 copies.

Review: Since he first emerged on Diagonal a decade ago, Powell has been associated with abstract rhythms, hard-edged electronics, modular madness and fearsome experimentation. Piano Music 1-7, then, is something of a departure: a set that's as equally as inspired by piano jazz and neo-classical musical movements as fractured electronica and the Radiophonic Workshop. Of course, this is not piano music in the Nils Frahm sense - much of the actual piano motifs are delivered on lo-fi keyboards and synthesizers, while his fluid, attractive and ultra-melodic refrains come wrapped in studio effects and occasional electronic textures. A great example of this hybrid sound is 'Piano Music 4' - all alien electronics, woozy piano riffs and unsettling experimental intent, while the raw beauty of shimmering ambient number 'Piano Music 7' is simply sublime.

Review: Rivet's newest album for Editions Mego blends optimism and negation, emerging sanguinely from a period of personal tragedy and disillusionment undergone by the artist. Mika Hallback, a key figure in the Swedish underground, first gained attention with industrial techno as Grovskopa before shifting to experimental work, including On Feather and Wire (2020). After the loss of fellow musician Peter Rehberg and his dog Lilo, Hallback created the somber L+P-2 (2023), and now Peck Glamour marks his return, coming reinfused with hope and exploration. Drawing on punk, industrial, techno, and trauma, the album combines synthetic and organic elements, with 'Orbiting Empty Cocoon', with its tugging, metal ballistic sound-rooms sounding like an Au-technic, cybernetic ritual, a dance anthem 'Patitur Butcher' and 'We Left Before We Came' concluding on comparatively layered zoonotic notes; posthuman synthesis backed by birdsong.

Review: This sophomore album from Istanbul-born, Berlin-based electronic composer and sound artist Huma Utku explores psychological phenomena through a series of sonic essays. Drawing on her background in Psychology, Utku combines her academic and artistic practices in this ambitious release and includes recordings from her Elektronmusikstudion residency in 2020. The album also features synth intrigue, electroacoustic, experimental techno, industrial and spoken word all brought to life with piano, strings and vocals. Utku creates a dramatic, unsettling soundworld here while exploring themes of grief, consciousness, dream analysis and psychological symbolism. It's a truly intimate exploration of the human condition.

Review: Recorded last year at Rome's contemporary art museum, MAXXI is as graceful and noble as the environment in which it was created. "Intro" sets the tone for this work with its understated pulses and chilling synths. This leads into the deeper, more textured depths of "Sonia Danza" and the aptly named "Dreamscape Generation", which features warbling streams and rivulets of sound, squelches and chatter, like a moist riverbank on a spring morning. "Orange Steps" and "Scintille" are serene and more reflective, after this veritable flurry of musical activity. The release finishes with "Max", a cover of a piece by Italian composer Paolo Conte, but its chimes and layered textures are unmistakably Neel and Dozzy's.