Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Volksmusik's Underground is a captivating release on Unusual Systems, featuring five dance tracks that fuse various darker subgenres into a compelling electro house hybrid. The album explores dark wave, EBM, and electro techno, creating a unique sonic experience. Side-1 opens with 'Underground,' an uptempo track with a darker Italo house feel that captures an 80s futuristic vibe. Following is 'The Force,' a dynamic piece with engaging lyrics that blend a Nu-Romantic vibe reminiscent of Visage. Side-2 begins with 'Glowing In The Dark,' maintaining the album's dark and atmospheric tone. 'Snake Island' shifts towards a darker rock sound, verging on Goth rock, adding variety to the album's texture. Closing the release is 'We Danced,' which infuses an EBM edge, rounding out the collection with its energetic and intense rhythm. Underground stands out for its innovative blend of genres, making it a great release for fans of dark, electro-infused dance music.

Review: Platform 23 reunites once more with Vox Man Records to dig deep into their archives and shine a new light on. In the past they have done some mega well loved Alternative Funk compilations which got the label off to a fine start and now they dig into an array of cult cassette releases to bring us treasure from Audiologie N-4 - The Independant Psychedelic Trip and Audiologie 5 et 6 - Ethniques Urbaines. This is music from the avant-garde and post punk scenes that draws on wave, spoken word, dark dub and industrial for its eerie yet alluring charms, all with a real edge. Ethnic, idiosyncratic and psyched out, this is another great overview.

Review: Second time around for DiN Records' 25th anniversary compilation, which lands on CD for a second time - in limited numbers, of course - with an inverted cover design. The set itself is superb, with founder (and regular musical contributor) Ian Boddy inviting artists who have released on the label to contribute new, previously unreleased works. Rooted in ambient, IDM and gentle electronica, the 20-track set simply oozes quality from start to finish. Highlights come thick and fast, from the bubbling electronics and lilting pedal steel motifs of Erik Wollo's 'Emergence' and the sparkling, toe-tapping shuffle of D'Voxx's 'Vila Madalena', to the ghostly beauty of 'Now There Was Nowhere' by Scanner, the psychedelic ambient exotica of Chris Carter's 'Consonance', and the spaced-out ambient jazz of Nigel Mullaney's 'There Is No Dark'.

Review: In the 70s and 80s, nothing was as revolutionary as the synthesiser. Electronic sounds became essential for forward-thinking adverts, with TV producers and advertisers seeking music akin to 'Tubular Bells,' Tomita, and Jean Michel Jarre. Music libraries like De Wolfe, Bruton, Parry, and Chappell swiftly adapted. Bob Stanley's new album, 'Tomorrow's Fashions,' compiles advertising jingles, TV themes, and space exploration tracks with ambient beats from that era. Despite being 40-50 years old, the music feels fresh, featuring jazz veterans like Brian Bennett and John Cameron embracing synthesizers. This electronica predated new age and ambient music, influenced pop, early Human League, Warp Records, and has been sampled by MF Doom and Kendrick Lamar.