Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Quinoa Cuts's fourth release combines some smart nostalgia with plenty of modern innovation. Side A opens with two analogue-driven tracks reminiscent of the 80s synth-wave era, so rich with electro-inspired nuances that evoke a bittersweet and rather romantic atmosphere. It transports you to a dreamlike, neon-lit past then Side B takes a darker, more introspective turn by exploring shadowy, progressive sounds. These haunting tracks come with deep, emotional layers and show Marvin to be quite the producer.

Review: German artist Martin Matiske's musical journey began under the mentorship of DJ Hell, who introduced him to the decks at Gigolo label nights in Munich in 1999. Inspired by pioneers like Kraftwerk and Jean Michel Jarre, Matiske started producing for International Deejay Gigolo Records and later for Frustrated Funk, Bordello A Parigi, and the Central Processing Unit. His new EP has already had support from Dave Clarke and Helena Hauff, including for the standout track 'Moments', which blends ice-cold snares with celestial pads and retro-future synths. Legowelt's remix of 'Moments' adds an astral electro vibe, while 'Dimensional Space Travel' and 'Analogue Being' explore cinematic electro with nostalgic, playful tones.

Review: Matthias closes out 2024 with 'Life Among Nightmares', a three-track EP that dives deep into the techno-synth wave spectrum. Kicking things off is Global Thunder, a mind-bending track that crescendos into an epic blend of nostalgic synths and cinematic tension. On the B-side, Living Nightmare delivers a moody fusion of eccentric analog sounds, acid sequences, and swinging percussion, creating a dark yet hypnotic atmosphere. Finally, Sunfall rounds out the EP, where sinister synths and shadowy pads pull listeners into a haunting, techno-wave journey.

Review: Keynote launches its debut with Keynote01 by the talented MOYA81, whose unique retro-synth style finds new life in a powerful industrial techno format. Known for his robotic vocals and experimental touches, MOYA81 brings a blend of gritty, machine-driven sounds and offbeat, playful elements to this 12" vinyl-only release. Rooted in a deep appreciation for both nostalgic and forward-thinking electronic music, this record showcases his unmistakable sound and is packed with character. It's a release as fitting for the dancefloor as it is for enthusiasts of industrial techno's distinct energy.

Review: Worldwide Heavy Industries Vol.1 is the latest wax drop from Flux Musical Art and Brutal Forms and it makes for an immersive trip deep into industrial soundscapes and futuristic themes. Dominik Muller's intricate 'Too Many Posers' soon sucks you in followed by Ryuji Takeuchi's dynamic 'In Your Mind' with its unusual rhythmic innovation. On the B-side, 6SISS and Hypnoskull's intense 'Losss' gets super raw with an industrial edge, while Low Order's 'Taste My Venom' explores darker experimental territory. Skumring's atmospheric 'Corpse-Ridden' closes the album with a mood as dark as you would expect given the title.

Review: Avant! enlist the services of roster-shifting Italo disco project Male Tears to envisage the 'Paradisco', a clever portmanteau that invites us into further speculate on the term as a thought experiment. Indeed, a disco thrown in paradise is the obvious imago; less obvious is the observation of a very real zeigeist; that all discotheques today occur in a sort of para-situation, in a space that is a cut above normalcy, thrown in discrete fantasy spaces. Male Tears know this all too well, with such escapist flights of fancy as 'Sex On Drugs', 'Regret 4 Nothing' and 'He Wants Everything' eliciting surreal extremes of emotion, with their reverb-laden voxsynth patches, insouciant masc-femme vocal switches, and longing hooks reminiscent of Talk Talk or Liquid Sky.

Review: Argentinian crowds are probably the most exciting to play to in the world. And Marilyn Manson at this time had just released his Trent Reznor-produced masterpiece LP Antichrist Superstar and was at the peak of his game, so to say a ticket to this show at the Velez Sarsfield stadium in Buenos Aires was hot property is an understatement. This is about as good as heavy metal rock n' roll gets and not many will come close to the thrills that a 90s Marilyn Manson show brought. The setlist is monumental, with singles from Antichrist Superstar such as industrial metal banger 'The Beautiful People' and 'Tourniquet', which sounds like the blueprint to the nu-metal boom that was to come, among the highlights. Unusually for a live album, it's taut, with the track list limited to 11 songs, but this is for good reason. In a moment of Spinal Tap-esque horror, shortly after the final track you hear on the album, the band's drummer Ginger Fish received an electric shock whilst playing and the show ended abruptly. Putting his body on the line like that to deliver this blistering set is an heroic deed and it's a fantastic consolation to have this show fossilised onto vinyl.

Review: Returning with his redemption attempt follow up to 2020's We Are Chaos, industrial metal shock-rock provocateur Marilyn Manson seeks to skirt the numerous controversies and accusations accrued in the last few years with his most potent musical statement in decades. Signing with Nuclear Blast and enlisting the likes of Chelsea Wolfe collaborator/producer Tyler Bates to helm the project, his 12th full-length One Assassination Under God: Chapter 1 (indicating that more is sure to follow), offers up some of the heaviest and introspective material of his career to date, with cuts such as 'Nod If You Understand' harking back to the unhinged angst of Antichrist Superstar, whereas 'As Sick As The Secrets Within' breathes with the same mercurial synth-gloom as the strongest moments on Mechanical Animals. A cynical attempt to regain fan adoration, or the sound of a tortured artist finally coming to terms with his own demons and attempting to rediscover former glory and prowess, the interpretation is entirely your own to consider.

Review: The somewhat surprising return and attempt at redemption from the industrial metal shock-rocker Marilyn Manson has been a bold pill to swallow, with the once iconic provocateur seeking to avoid the many allegations and numerous controversies he has garnered over the last decade. Attending rehab and becoming fully sober over the past few years has seen dramatic weight loss, a notably more lowkey public demeanour and a newly signed record deal with Nuclear Blast (having been dropped by Loma Vista not long after 2020's We Are Chaos) turn a few heads, simultaneously cautious and curious as to the authenticity of this humble arc. With lawsuits recently thrown out, the court of public opinion appears to be the only form of due process that shall occur, leaving it to individual listeners to make up their mind as to the merit of the artist as a person. As to the art itself, One Assassination Under God: Chapter 1 is the 12th album to adorn the name Marilyn Manson, and it's his best since 2000's Holy Wood. Tapping Chelsea Wolfe collaborator/producer Tyler Bates to oversee the entire project has helped to create a generational bridge between how out of sync Manson himself had become with his own artistic strengths and audience desire, and Bates' insider knowledge as a younger fan first, collaborator second. Together they rediscover the core industrialist menace, gothic romanticism and hedonistic nihilism that kept listeners hooked after the initial shock of aesthetic would cease, but for the first time in decades, it feels earnest and earned rather than forced. Boasting Antichrist Superstar style buzzsaw synths and chug-heavy breakdowns on cuts such as 'Nod If You Understand', while the self-deprecating admission of using drugs to hide behind monstrous flaws on the gloomy balladry of 'As Sick As The Secrets Within' harks back to the most fragile moments of Mechanical Albums. Be it a cynical cashgrab or attempt to regain fan adoration, or the genuine musings of a tortured artist finally learning to face his own demons head on, there's simply no denying that this is Manson at his most potent, intimate and focused, begging the question of how different of a career trajectory and latter day output might we have had if the man had learned to look inward long before hitting the bottom.

Review: Marilyn Manson is back with another of his famously bold and provocative new albums, One Assassination Under God: Chapter 1. Mansn has always been known for pushing boundaries - as well as buttons - and comes through again here with a dark and gripping collection of tracks that blend his usual tropes of industrial rock, haunting melodies and raw, intense vocals that come from deep down inside and ooze with menace. This album explores themes of power, corruption and rebellion, all wrapped in Manson's signature mix of shock value and unusual expression. It adds up to a journey into a twisted, dystopian world filled with layers of atmospheric sounds and unsettling lyrics so is perfect for fans of Manson's uniquely confrontational style.

Review: Returning with his first full-length since 2020's David Bowie-indebted We Are Chaos, while more notably marking the industrial metal goth icon's return to the spotlight following a series of troubling allegations that seemingly appear to now hang in limbo, One Assassination Under God: Chapter 1 shall serve as the 12th full-length studio endeavour from Marilyn Manson. Co-produced with frequent Chelsea Wolfe collaborator and film scorer Tyler Bates, the material boasts some of the most synth-laden, new wave winking and direct metallic rock bangers the mercurial yet questionable figure has dropped in almost two decades, making for a sonic victory lap of sorts as Manson attempts to rebuild his brand and aesthetic.

Review: Cliff Martinez's soundtrack is a full realised musical world that is defined by eerie synths and pulsating rhythms, all of which perfectly capture The Neon Demon hypnotic and unsettling atmosphere. Martinez is well known for his work on Drive and Only God Forgives and here once more delivers a score that is both haunting and seductive while mirroring the neon-lit world of fashion and obsession. The soundtrack weaves dreamy, ambient textures with dark, throbbing electronic undercurrents that draw you in and highlights include 'Neon Demon' and 'Mine' which pulse with icy beauty and mean this one stands as one of Martinez's most evocative and chilling compositions.

Review: Italian-born, Berlin-based. These details alone are enough to mark Velvet May out as a product of location. Italy has long-been obsessed with a distorted futurism, musically at least, with a slew of hugely respected noise pioneers calling the country home, particularly in northern areas around Torino. Meanwhile, Germany's capital is all about those dystopian aesthetics and technophile attitude. Fusing together industrial, rock, and electronic in a visceral, mechanical, human-trapped-in-machine amalgamation of sound, the grit of production lines meets the unbridled raw energy of punk, the sex droid seduction of electroclash steaming headfirst into the forward momentum of techno. It's angry, frustrated, perhaps even desperate, voices calling out from behind wires and controllers. Yet, in other moments ('Haven of Thrill', for example) it's positively life-affirming and, dare it be said, owes something to the euphoria of rave.

Review: Drew McDowall's latest album, A Thread, Silvered and Trembling, is an exploration of electronic processing and traditional Scottish pibroch music. Co-produced with Randall Dunn, the album features a dynamic orchestral ensemble arranged by Brent Arnold, creating an eclectic and transcending sonic experience. The album's four pieces move between shrouded electronics and enigmatic orchestration, surging into elegant crescendos and evoking deep animism. Tracks like 'Out of Strength Comes Sweetness' and 'And Lions Will Sing with Joy' feature keening strings and disorienting drones, while 'In Wound and Water' sways with eerie cello undertones and lush layers of electronics. The album reaches its climactic peak with A Dream of a Cartographic Membrane Dissolves, where processed voices and grand orchestral stabs converge to create a haunting and cathartic finale. Throughout, McDowall's music explores themes of sacredness and profanity, creating a journey that lingers long after the music fades. A Thread, Silvered and Trembling is a testament to McDowall's ability to blend traditional influences with experimental electronic soundscapes, resulting in a thought-provoking work.

Review: Memorial Waterslides marks the debut of Memorials, a collaboration between Verity Susman and Matthew Simms, formerly of Electrelane and Wire. This album is a surreal exploration of pop music, blending timeless songwriting with avant-garde sensibilities. Drawing from a wide range of influences from Broadcast and Portishead to Yo La Tengo, Memorials crafts a panoramic soundscape that feels both familiar and refreshingly new. The album's tracks are rich with imagery, evoking visions of a lost future and dreamlike past, each contributing to a swirling, cinematic atmosphere. Produced entirely by Susman and Simms, the record's sound was shaped by their reel-to-reel tape experiments, initially developed for their live performances. This playful and experimental approach results in a engaging mix of psychedelic rock, folk, and analog electronics. Following their successful 2023 soundtracks and a European tour with Stereolab, this a bold and imaginative journey into the unexpected, balancing the esoteric with the melodic.

Review: Mermaid Chunky are the logical result of the creative partnership of Freya and Moina, two visual artists and musicians from Stroud and South London each. Having shuttled between each locale for inordinate stretches of time, their latest record - the whimsically Christened slif slaf slof - nonetheless bridges these local poles. A breezy homage to the duo's shared ideal excesses - an interest in fantasy folk, costume, absurdist nature, surrealist scatting - the likes of 'Ceili', 'Tiny Gymnast' and 'Chaperone' are liable to solicit all manner of reactions in the listener, from on-the-spot bouncing to full-frontal gyrating. A sorely difficult to place record, merging motifs of indie, freak folk, and a decidedly DFA experimentalism.