Back catalogue: Leftfield

Review: Lempuyang is a label you will know and respect for its high quality stream of immersive dub techno and now the man behind it, Alastair Kelly, debuts a new label with none other than revered UK techno mainstay Ibrahim Alfa Jnr. He opens up with 'Component A' which is a moody melange of slow, broken dub beats and fizzing synths. There is further experimentation on 'Untitled B2 1' which pairs a churning dub rhythm with naive and innocent melodies and lots of li-fi static. 'Entangled' ups the ante with the suggestion of a fast paced rhythm through a skeletal groove and the flip brings broken beat dub weight, meaning and percussive bass with a 2-step swagger then deep introspection on the closer. A classy EP that suggests this label is one well worth watching.

Review: Given his long-held love of fusing elements of different musical cultures from around the world, Auntie Flo (real name Brian D'Souza) is almost the perfect Multi-Culti artist. It's something of a surprise then to find that this is only his second outing on the label. He begins in confident mood with 'Esperanto', a delightfully melodious, bubbly and synth-heavy slab of chugging sonic joy, before wrapping waves of mind-altering electronics and sun-bright synths around a slipped Afro-tech beat on 'Unua Libro'. Over on side two, D'Souza takes us to a deeper and more immersive place on 'El Heine', explores hybrid cosmic/ambient soundscapes on 'Ho Mia Kor', and doffs a cap to the new age ambient pioneers of times gone by on blissful closing cut 'Mia Penso'.

Review: Opal Sunn's 'Elastic' lands on Test Pressing Recordings as the first in a trilogy, bringing together Alex Kassian and Hiroaki Oba's knack for genre-blending electronic soundscapes. Known for their captivating live sets, they've crafted an EP that traverses moods and styles. The A-side opens with hypnotic deep trance, layering rich synth textures and rolling grooves. Over on the B-side, things get lush and atmospheric: one track dives into dub influences, saturated with warm basslines and echoing chords, while the final cut drifts into serene, ambient territory. It's an impressive start that shows their mastery of both rhythm and space.

Review: Darren Cunningham, known for his work as Actress, continues to evolve with a striking, abstract mix of sound that blends fragmented beats, ambient textures and the odd burst of warmth. Moving away from his club origins, his latest album embraces a more experimental, collage-like approach, echoing the influence of Georges Braque. The music unfurls in unpredictable ways, weaving atmospheric elements like muffled techno pulses, gamelans and r&b vocal samples into an evolving tapestry of sound. Tracks shift from dark, granular tones reminiscent of Boards of Canada's more ominous moments, to bright, celestial glimpses of light. The juxtaposition of stasis and movement, dread and hope, is central to Cunningham's process, creating a unique sonic landscape of ebb and flow. The occasional playful moments, like the quirky synths of 'Dolphin Spray', add to the album's intriguing unpredictability. Fans of Aphex Twin, Two Lone Swordsmen and Boards of Canada will find familiar sounds here, though Cunningham's distinctive approach makes the experience feel like a scientific exploration of sound itself. With a subtle balance of tension and calm, the album draws listeners into a world of synaptic interplay, where every shift feels deliberate and rewarding.

Review: On Club Tounsi, Tunisian producer Sofyann Ben Youssef, aka AMMAR 808, brings the raw rhythmic power of Mezoued-the folk music of Tunisia's working class-into a bold electronic future. Fusing pulsating synths, distorted textures and TR-808 beats with traditional instruments like goatskin bagpipes, hand drums, and the ney, he reimagines iconic Mezoued tunes for a new generation. Vocalists from classical, Sufi and Mezoued backgrounds also feature to add human soul and mean the album captures the genre's emotional depth while transforming it into something cinematic and club-ready. This LP is a bridge between past and future, tradition and innovation and one that makes you want to move.

Review: Hailing from Atlanta, Andre 3000 continues to redefine the contours of musical experimentation with his latest sonic offerings. On 'Moving Day', a piece first showcased in last year's short film documenting his recent work, the OutKast veteran trades in his usual genre-defying flow for the smooth, ambient tones of a cosmic flute. The track unfolds like a slow-motion dream, where the melodies drift in and out of focus, capturing the disorienting yet soothing experience of moving through transitions. Then comes the reversed version, 'Day Moving', which inverts the gentle flow of the original, adding an unsettling, almost ghostly quality as the music warps and loops. The third track, 'Tunnels of Egypt', brings in an unexpectedly grounded yet still vast atmosphere, with its deep, resonant percussion and sparse instrumentation evoking a journey through both time and space. Andre's recent forays into the abstract have seen him abandon his commercial past in favour of an introspective exploration that challenges both him and his audience. Across these three tracks, he once again demonstrates his ability to balance complexity with restraint, creating something both otherworldly and deeply personal.

Review: Cititrax proudly presents the debut LP from Another Body Found here, which is the latest moniker of A// who is well known for his pioneering work as Le Syndicat Electronique. Emerging from the French underground with a dark electro, industrial, minimal synth and wave style, he has a stark and visceral take on raw energy and haunting atmospheres. There are plenty of mechanical, hypnotic beats here with heft bass and hints of dystopian fears. The title track reimagines Bronski Beat's 'Smalltown Boy' and strips it to its emotional core, 'Lost In The Northern Lights' has a cold, urgent sound and 'Murderous Earth' is brilliantly unsettling and melancholic.

Review: Apta dives deep, crafting a sonic odyssey that mirrors the ebb and flow of a psychedelic experience. Gone are the predictable structures of verse-chorus, replaced by a free-flowing exploration of texture and timbre. Modular synthesis intertwines with analogue warmth, guitars shimmer and distort and even vocals make a surprising appearance, adding an ethereal layer to the immersive soundscape. 'Shiver' and 'Awash' stand out with their post-rock leanings, showcasing Apta's ability to blend ambient textures with twirly melodies. But, the journey takes unexpected detours with moments of gritty percussion and analogue distortion mirroring the emotional turbulence of a psychedelic plunge. This is a sonic tapestry woven from diverse influences, touching on post-rock, pop ambient and kosmische, yet ultimately forging its own unique path. It's an album that demands your attention, revealing new details and hidden depths with each listen. Prepare to be surprised, intrigued and ultimately swept away by Apta's most ambitious and rewarding work to date.

Review: Part of the wider Megami Tensei video game franchise, Persona 4 is a 2008 role playing title that hit Japan, and made a huge impact, in 2008. Set in a fictional version of the Land of the Rising Sun's countryside, players adopt the character of a high school student who moves to the small town of Inaba from the city to experience rural living for 12 months. Mysterious murders ensue, and it's up to you - or whoever's got the PS2 controller - to work out what's happening. It's typically deep dive stuff for a country that has always had a very unique relationship with video games. Atlus, the developer, already had a reputation for making beloved scores for its titles, and this one is no exception, although broke the mould compared with preceding instalments in the saga. Way more upbeat, it's a mixture of bubblegum dance pop, chip music, high intensity synth rock, urban-hued J-pop, and 'toon jazz.

Review: Painter, musician, actor, director and producer. John Lurie has done a lot in his time, whether that's appearing in 19 movies, composing for 20 TV shows and films - including some of those he was the star of - or producing primitivist art work. Here, we get to engage with two of those back catalogues, even if only because these are scores to a pair of his most iconic flicks. Always cool and stripped, Lurie's stuff is the kind of experimental-leaning jazz that works so well when setting the scene. And this applies off screen, IRL too: pressing play here will only serve to create a mood wherever you are, no matter what you're doing. One of shadowy streets, yellow hued spots, smoky barrooms and dark backrooms, a sense of after hours exploration.

Review: French label Good Morning Tapes welcomes Paris-born electronic innovator and 70s GRM alumni Ariel Kalma New York-based trio Asa Tone for some serious deep ambient soundscapes. The wellness movement has never been more polar than it is now but if you ask us, nothing could be better for your mental health and sense of self than sitting a dark room with this one nice and loud so you can soak up its high fidelity designs, the microscopic pads, the whimsical melodies and slowly shapeshifting sounds in all their glory. A tremendous work.

Review: A cross-hemispheric exchange gave rise to Nocturna, the first collaboration between New Zealand composer Andrew Thomas and German sound artist Joachim Spieth - the former's first for Affin after long-held stints Kompakt. Beginning with Thomas's piano sketches, composed during a Southern Hemisphere summer, the material was passed to Spieth just as light returned to the North. A subtle transformation ensued; Spieth preserved the piano's fragile warmth as its edges came sculpted across ambient textures and restrained sound design. A peek-a-boo of presence and absence is scripted, where each decision to withhold a note feels as resonant as those included. Clipped reverb gargantuans contrast to crystal clear piano scales on our favourites, 'Lumina' and 'Amethyst'.