New releases last eight weeks: Trance

Review: Originally released in 1990 as the follow-up to Chime, Orbital's 'Omen' EP cemented the duo's reputation for innovation in early electronica. Now freshly remastered for the Orbital LEDs series, this reissue captures the moment they expanded their sonic palette by fusing trance, house and unexpected elements like an ABC sample. Tracks like 'Omen,' 'Open Mind' and '2 Deep' alongside alternate versions 'The Fool' and 'The Tower' showcase their evolving vision with tunes that still bang. Overseen by Phil and Paul Hartnoll, the remaster preserves the EP's original impact with renewed clarity that reaffirms 'Omen' as a pivotal and forward-thinking release in their early catalogue.

Review: Given that he's been active as a producer since the dawn of the 90s, it would be fair to say that Sven Vath is well worthy of an authoritative, expansive retrospective. That's certainly what we get here on this quadruple-vinyl mix of classic productions and fresh, eye-catching remixes. It's the latter that dominate the early stages of the collection - see Adam Port's hypnotic, didgeridoo-sporting revision of 'Ritual of Life', Speedy J's acid-fired stomp through 'Ballet-Fusion' - before Vath showcases some of his choice cuts. There's naturally to set the pulse racing, from the twisted, sub-heavy thump of 'Cala Llonga' and the tactile hypnotism of 'Sounds That Control Your Life', to the electroclash-meets-Kraftwerk flex of 'Dein Schweiss' and the ambient techno excellence of 'The Day After', a 21- minute epic from 1995 produced alongside Steffen Britzke as Astral Pilot.