Back catalogue: All genres

Review: According to Venn, The Nightmares' Fire In Heaven is not only the band's followup to 2023's acclaimed debut album, Seance. It's also a record that "delves into the idea of love lost and the enormity of the universe at large... themes range from mythical siren songs to extraterrestrial life via the complexities of true love and an overarching question of your own existence." Hardly small themes, but certainly ones that resonate universally. A meditation, or perhaps more accurately main stage indie rock out, on the strange juxtaposition between the difficulties and problems that come with being a human forced to live on this giant rock, and the enormity of the unknown beyond its stratosphere. Far reaching and unarguably grand in sound, apart from moments such as the gentle piano sonata of 'Winterlude'.

Review: RONIN's latest album marks the band's ninth release since its inception in 2001 and the first to feature bassist Jeremias Keller, who joined in 2020. The group, led by Nik Bartsch and joined by founding drummer Kaspar Rast and longtime reeds player Sha, continues evolving its unique style here with an album recorded live in the studio. It sees SPIN blend new compositions like 'Modul 66' with reimagined classics such as 'Modul 14' and 'Modul 23'. Balancing intricate structures, groove-driven energy and improvisation in equal measure, these sounds are a reflection of RONIN's signature zen-funk style, now enriched with indie and post-rock influences.

Review: A fascinating glance into the prototype stages of one of the most famous albums of all time. Nirvana were far from massive stars when they came to record their second studio - they reputedly had to play a live gig to raise the petrol money to drive to Los Angeles where it was recorded - and this colection of demos and outtakes have a real air of casual brilliance about them, clearly showing little regard for success and maximum attention to artistic expression. Fans will love the scratchy cover of Velvet Underground's 'Here She Comes Now' and the never completely finished but often perforned 'Token Eastern Song', neither of which never made the album, as well as rough diamond but dynamite versions of classic like 'Polly' and 'In Bloom'.

Review: Captured at the Hollywood Rock Festival on January 23rd 1993 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this performance has gone down in infamy as one of the Seattle grunge legends' worst yet most insightful. Rumours swirl that the chaotic nature stemmed from a myriad of factors such as Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love's relationship hitting their worst low yet, whilst many have stated cocaine was used as a replacement or combatant for the frontman's severe heroin dependency at this point. It's also commonly believed that the band sought to self-sabotage their largest shows yet, playing for over 100,000 in attendance due to a cigarette brand named "Hollywood" sponsoring the festival, seemingly at odds with Nirvana's entire ethos. Whether a declarative punk statement, genuine artistic implosion, rejection of their uncomfortable success, or a cocktail timebomb of all of the above, this raw, unhinged and purposefully haggard performance is sadly emblematic of who and where the band were at this point in time. Pressed on a lush picture disc, this set eschews the majority of their biggest hits, opting rather for fan favourite deep cuts such as 'Sliver', 'Been A Son', 'On A Plain' and 'Lounge Act'.

Review: Nitechord is an enigmatic ambient-tech duo that makes a striking debut here with Lume having previously released only two remixes. It was a demo tape from 2022 that impressed the Past Inside the Present label with its raw allure and it is that work which appears here nearly unaltered but for mastering from James Bernard. The opener unfolds with atmospheric guitar loops anchored by a steady kick and bass, 'Near' brings a hint of twang to expansive guitar tones and in 'Dim,' layered drones and melodies rise and fall like petals. Add in the suspensory sounds of 'Absent' and 'Carry' which blooms into a full orchestral swell and you have an immersive, introspective suite of sonic bliss.

Review: Al most ten years in the making, Tom Noble's debut album is that most rare of beasts: a decidedly dusty and loose-limbed revivalist disco album that genuinely sounds like a long-lost 'private press' set from the turn of the 1980s. Noble is a renowned crate-digger, DJ and disco-boogie specialist, so it's no surprised to find that the songs and instrumentals on show, which also offer nods to jazz-funk and dancefloor soul, is exceptionally well observed and painstakingly crafted via the contributions of many guest musicians and vocalists. For proof of the set's majesty, get your ears around the celebratory and synth-speckled 'Times Are Changin', deep disco treat 'Holding On', head-nodding soul slow jam 'Diamond Eyes' and warm, heady closing cut 'Moving Away'.

Review: Nina Kraviz's trip label is one of the most unique in techno. It's a hotbed for the more experimental producers out there and often drops punchy sounds that draw on trance, IDM, rave, electro and plenty more. Nocow is next up with a double album that unfurls at a high speed and is packed with freshness. 'Eno Ne To' is marbled with trippy melodies and spoken words, 'Hyperloop' is as the name suggests warp speed and hypnotic and 'Redaktor' is another soft and grey blend of supple drums, bass and day-glo synth lines.

Review: Japanese digital dub legend Takafumi Noda and Dutch synth wizard Danny Wolfers (best known as Legowelt) reunite for a great second album under the Noda & Wolfers project on Nightwind Records. This album blends digital dub, raw lo-fi electro and acid influences into a captivating, deviant sound that is rich in wild, untamed synths which collide with rough rhythm boxes as seductive spring reverbs dissolve into space echoes. Intense bass crumbles over decaying fuzzy tapes and Noda's haunting melodica melodies elevate the album to new, mesmerising heights. A fascinating fusion of creative worlds.

Review: Billy Nomates has been on quite a journey since seeing a Sleaford Mods show in her native East Midlands persuaded her to return to making music. Her first appearance, guesting on the Sleafords' 'Mork & Mindy' single, and Geoff Barrow-produced debut album were definitely hailing from the rough and ready school of scrappy, DIY post-punk. Metalhorse, her third long player to date, is an altogether more mature affair, leaning on the influence of her live band - bass player Mandy Clarke (KT Tunstall, The Go! Team) and drummer Liam Chapman (Rozi Plain, BMX Bandits) - to delve further into blues, folk and piano-led compositions. A concept album revolving around an abandoned funfair as a metaphor for life itself - "some rides are nice to get on and some rides aren't" she says - it's a fascinating listen and not, perhaps, what you might have been expecting.

Review: Following their NYC Halloween reunion, indie rap legends Non Phixion reissued The Future Is Now for its 20th anniversary and now do so again a couple more years later. Originally released in 2003, the album's raw energy and sharp lyricism remain as impactful as ever and so is likely to appeal to both longtime fans and newcomers. Packed with hard-hitting tracks, the project delivers relentless beats and razor-sharp bars and a standout is 'Suicide Bomb' featuring The Beatnuts, Al Tariq, Marly Metal and Moonshin as it perfectly exemplifies the group's signature intensity and lyrical prowess.

Review: Portugal's powerhouse Hayes welcomes back Norbak for more low-end work that comes with plenty of intricate designs, exquisite synth work and rhythms that veer from club-ready to sound system-suited. 'Rosna' sets the tone with shimmering percussive loops and twisted electronics that ride a nice wooden, swinging groove. 'Capital (with Quelza)' is intense and pent-up techno funk, 'Grego' is a lovely broken beat workout and 'Sobreposto' is a minimal hypnotiser with a mystic atmosphere. Superbly designed stuff.

Review: Noreen is a cult name for those who know - a producer who had his own unique take on minimal and dropped some real low-key classics. Nearly two decades after its initial release, his album Our Memories of Winter now gets reissued so you can relive its blend f early 2000s electronica with Norken's unique mix of minimal techno, house and British IDM. Featuring all 12 original tracks, plus the inclusion of 'Df23' and 'Flirt', this is the first complete vinyl version of the album. Lee Norris's sound evokes nostalgia and warmth with atmospheric emotional techno. Influenced by luminaries like John Beltran and Autechre, this one remains a real gem.

Review: Richard Norris is still best known for his 1980s output - whether that's as one half of The Grid with former-Soft Cell man David Ball, or as producer and engineer for the likes of Joe Strummer, Bryan Ferry and the Pet Shop Boys, to name but a quick handful of the who's who in his portfolio. However, in psychedelic, ambient and more experimental circles, his name invokes a huge body of contemporary work that includes studio productions and regular DJ sets at events like Glastonbury and Green Man Festival. Among the most treasured of his contributions to this more adventurous and - dare it be said - niche end of his oeuvre, the Music For Healing records are a trove of excellent sounds and tones, movements and arrangements. Here for the first time on vinyl, the Colours collection, which form just one part of the wider series, is both a perfect entry point into this universe and a wonderful standalone for fans of ambient, drone and mood tunes.

Review: Chicago-based composer and underground mainstay Rob Mazurek has teamed up with modular synth expert and light artist Alberto Novello for this new collaboration on Hive Mind. The music was recorded in a single afternoon at Dobialab, an experimental artist space in Northern Italy where they cooked up an immersive, improvised journey into uncharted musical dimensions. Across all the coherent pieces, Novello provides a rhythmic and timbral foundation while Mazurek weaves delicate trumpet harmonies, bells and samples to build an atmospheric soundscape. The results veer from new age to psychedelic and are truly mesmerising, like an intense space ritual that explores new realms.

Review: In 1984, Gary Numan launched Numa Records and started a new phase in his career with the release of Berserker. This album introduced a harder-edged digital sound into his canon while maintaining the analogue textures of his earlier work. It's a testament to the fact that Numan's creative evolution never stopped and blends both personal and fictional narratives into haunting tracks like 'My Dying Machine,' 'This Is New Love' and 'Berserker.' The remastered double vinyl edition includes the original album with bonus tracks that add extra perspective to this pivotal period in his career.

Review: What you see before you ranks among the most mythologised live albums (n)ever released. Like the title suggests, it was originally recorded in 1972 at Parisian rock institution Le Bataclan, a legendary venue which would later gain notoriety after a group of armed gunmen opened fire on a crowd in 2015, killing 90 people. But that grisly recent history belies its status as one of the most respected concert halls in the French capital, and this not-quite-Velvet Underground show has contributed to that legacy. Showcasing the stop-you-dead qualities of Nico's staggering (and unique) vocal timbre, the surreal, immersive qualities of the Cale and Reed's legendary art-rock tones, this time capsule had been bootlegged and bootlegged until 2004, when it finally got an official release. Now it's back.