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Review: Metal Gear Solid: The Vinyl Collection is a must-have for fans, featuring 53 tracks from the entire series spread across six discs. This comprehensive collection includes remastered versions of the soundtracks from Metal Gear 2 (1990) to Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. Additionally, the sixth disc features iconic sound effects with 'Solid Sneaking' on Side A and 'Vs. Boss' on Side B. Released by Konami and Laced Records, this set provides a deep dive into the series' memorable music and soundscapes. With Metal Gear Solid back in the spotlight, this vinyl collection is the perfect way to celebrate its musical legacy while waiting for new game releases.

Review: In the midst of a slew of high-end reissues of New Order's classic material (including represses of the singles, no less), here comes a mouth-watering deluxe edition of their 1985 album Low-life. It's always a bold statement to call a release 'definitive' but it's hard to imagine topping this lavish box set with a 180 gram pressing plus a double CD, double DVD and accompanying book. There are full live performances from 1985 in Japan and Belgium, and every possible remix, outtake and demo version you could possibly dream of. And that's not even saying anything about the original album itself - a true totem of 80s synth pop in all its glory.

Review: There are an awful lot of great records in the J Dilla's catalogue, but few can match the consistent quality and coherent construction of Welcome 2 Detroit, his 2001 breakthrough album. Designed as a love letter to his home city with a sample palette and blend of styles to match, it saw the late producer and a string of then largely unknown local MCs showcase their vocal talents over some of his best ever beats. This lusciously expansive 20th anniversary box set does a brilliant job in expanding on the original album, with the 12 included "45s" pairing vocal mixes with instrumentals, unreleased cuts and occasional remixes. The included hardback book is brilliant, too, and packed with first-hand accounts of the creation of a now iconic LP.

Review: For more than a quarter of a century, Fuse has thrived on timeless music and pioneering artists, both local and international, all of which have helped make it Belgium's longest-running dancefloor. To celebrate this legacy, Fuse releases a 30-track compilation of techno's finest from around the globe. Each track represents a year, starting with Jeff Mills' iconic 'Step to Enchantment' from 1993. The compilation features legends like Planetary Assault Systems, DVS1, Steffi, Rodhad, Donato Dozzy and DJ Nobu, all of which sound superb as well as showcasing the evolution of techno. Fuse also highlights its vibrant local scene, proving Brussels' enduring influence as this milestone honours past guests and new partygoers alike across a mighty seven slabs of vinyl.

Notes: When the classic MS-20 analog synthesizer appeared in 1978, it had a trusted partner in the SQ-10 step sequencer. Now, after thirty years, the MS-20 has been reborn as the MS-20 mini, and the SQ-10 has evolved into the more modern SQ-1.

The SQ-1 is a compact step sequencer with 2 x 8 steps. It's wealth of connection jacks allows it to be connected to the MS-20 and a variety of other synthesizers. Vintage analog synths or the latest compact synths can be controlled from this single unit. You can also switch between a variety of synthesizer modes and use the step buttons to create performances overflowing with spontaneity, just as when using a volca unit.

Liberate yourself from the numerically-bound parameter editing that's typical on a DAW; you'll enjoy truly musical inspiration as you train your ears and concentrate on what your fingertips are doing. Don't miss the experience of music that's driven by your instinct.

Rather than the commonly used V/Oct standard, the CV design of the MS-20 always used the Hz/V standard that provides excellent pitch stability limiting the step sequencers that are able to correctly control the MS-20. As a descendant of the SQ-10, the SQ-1 supports the Hz/V standard, enabling it to perfectly control the MS-20 or MS-20 mini. It goes without saying the V/Oct standard is also supported, and the voltage level of the CV output and polarity of the GATE output can be specified as appropriate for the device you've connected. This versatility will enable you to control a wide variety of other synthesizers as well.

As a connector, the SQ-1 provides two CV/GATE OUT channels, the standard MIDI OUT and USB MIDI, littleBits out (to connect to the littleBits synth kit by littleBits Electronics Inc.), plus the SYNC IN/OUT channel that allows you to connect to the volca series and monotribe. Compact and complete with all the functions you need, the SQ-1 is the ideal hardware sequencer.

The SQ-1 provides two channels (A and B) of 8-step sequencer that can operate consecutively, or be used in a variety of other modes. For example, you can run A and B following each other to function as a 16-step sequencer, ignore the order and make the steps play randomly, or use A and B to control different parameters as they run in parallel. From simple sequences to complex changes, you can choose from a variety of modes to suit your needs.

The 2 x 8 step buttons can be used in the usual way to turn notes on/off, but you can also use the MODE button to switch their function, opening up powerful possibilities such as letting you "perform" the sequence itself, as on a volca unit.

"Active Step" lets you skip steps mid-way through a sequence, and "Step Jump" lets you instantly play just the step that you press, producing irregular rhythms or effects that are reminiscent of short loops. "Slide" produces an effect in which steps are connected smoothly; using this to control a synth bass is an easy way for anyone to generate an acid sound.

Packed with carefully selected functionality, the SQ-1 features a compact and very sturdy sheet-metal body. Placed beside the MS-20 series, you'll notice a sense of solidity that gives the impression they were manufactured in the same era. The unit can operate on two AA batteries or on USB bus power.

Sequence step resolution is selectable as quarter notes, eighth notes, or 16th notes.

You can specify the way in which the step knobs control the pitch. The knob values can specify the pitch directly, or they can specify the closest note in a major, minor, or chromatic scale.

Review: So Tough was Saint Etienne's second album, and it properly broke the band into the wider public consciousness thanks to their canny blend of house music, Balearic and melancholic indie. To date it remains the highest charting of their albums, helped no doubt by Sarah Cracknell becoming a permanent member of the band, the free-spirited nature of independent music in the early 90s and the success of the single 'Youre In A Bad Way'. Some 30 years on from its original release, So Tough is getting the luxury reissue treatment in the form of a triple-vinyl pressing, a 7" and a 28-page booklet - surely essential for any of the band's devoted fanbase.

Notes: BBE Music is thrilled to present J Jazz: Free and Modern Jazz From Japan 1954-1988, a remarkable large-format book covering some of the deepest, rarest, and most innovative jazz music released anywhere in the post-war era. Compiled by Tony Higgins and Mike Peden, co-curators of BBE Music’s acclaimed J Jazz Masterclass Series, the book also features a foreword by Japanese jazz icon, Terumasa Hino.

This is the first time a book of this type has been has been published outside of Japan and the first anywhere of this size and scale. It is a unique collection of over 500 albums of free and modern jazz recorded and released in Japan during a period of radical transformation and constant reinvention. An era that saw Japan return from the ravages of World War Two to become a global economic power and emerge as both a technological leader and an international cultural force.

Through a unique gallery of albums, J Jazz charts the development of jazz in Japan from the first stirrings of the modern jazz scene in the mid to late 1950s and on through the hard bop and modal jazz of the 1960s. It steers the reader into the radical directions of the 1970s when free jazz, fusion, post-bop, and jazz-funk opened up a growing number of Japanese jazz artists to a new global audience before consolidating in the mid to late 1980s with a musical scene that laid the path for the contemporary jazz generation to follow.

Over 500 full-colour sleeves from many of the leading names in Japanese jazz sit alongside rare and private pressings that tell a story of constant change and musical exploration. J Jazz includes profiles of several leading record labels such as East Wind, Frasco, King Records, and Nippon Columbia as well as critical independents such as Three Blind Mice, ALM, and Aketa’s Disk. J Jazz includes interviews with celebrated jazz photographer Tadayuki Naito, and pianist Tohru Aizawa, bandleader on the totemic spiritual jazz album, Tachibana Vol 1, as well as free-jazz record collector and jazz musician Mats Gustafsson.

The book also features a chapter on albums by non-Japanese artists that only received a Japanese release, with collectible, rare, and obscure releases by figures such as Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Mal Waldron, Steve Lacy, and Art Blakey. J Jazz includes Japanese jazz charts from some of the world’s leading jazz DJs including Gilles Peterson, Toshio Matsuura, Paul Murphy, and Shuya and Yoshihiro Okino. Among the specialist content is a feature on obi strips by record dealer and Japanese jazz expert, Yusuke Ogawa, plus a special article on Japanese Blue Note albums.

Across its 300-plus pages, J Jazz includes a detailed introduction contextualising the music, tracing the story of Japan’s fascination with jazz back before the war. It also features biographical information on many of the key artists involved in shaping the post- war Japanese jazz scene including Sadao Watanabe, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Masabumi Kikuchi, Masahiko Togashi, Terumasa Hino, Yosuke Yamashita, Fumio Itabashi, Masayuki Takayanagi, Takeo Moriyama, Isao Suzuki, and many more.

Review: Airto Moreira and Flora Purim are known as the legendary King and Queen of Brazilian Jazz. For the last 60 years they have been serving up rich and vivid albums as well as playing exhilarating live shows all over the world. They have fans all over the world from Japan's concert halls to the UK's jazz funk and jazz dance scenes and their latest album in 2022, If You Will, was nominated for a Grammy, proving that they very much still have it. A Celebration: 60 Years - Sounds, Dreams & Other Stories is a collection of their many best bits from over the years.

Review: The Boston-based band The Post Pop Space Rock Be Bop Gospel Tabernacle Chorus and Orchestra was led by Webster Lewis and this album was recorded live in Oslo, Norway, in 1971. The original album was released in 1972 and this expanded edition includes previously unreleased songs, unseen photos and the full backstory of the historic concert. It is a rather rare recording that showcases spiritual and soul jazz at its finest and blends instrumental and vocal tracks for a unique, eclectic sound that has made it highly sought after. Newly transferred from the master tapes, it offers improved sound quality and is a must-buy for jazz cats.

Review: 12" vinyl singles from every Depeche Mode album are included here and all with audio meticulously mastered from the original tapes. A special bonus is the seventh disc which features the first-ever 12" vinyl pressing of the Highline Sessions, recorded live in New York City in 2016, including an exclusive cover of David Bowie's 'Heroes' and unreleased tracks 'So Much Love' and 'Poison Heart.' Also included are the likes of 'Where's The Revolution', 'Going Backwards' and 'Cover Me' making this a fine overview of the synth band legends and some of their best moments.

Review: Beastie Boys' classic 1994 album, Ill Communication, is getting a special deluxe edition reissue on vinyl to celebrate its 30th anniversary. The remastered 3xLP set resurrects a rare version initially released as a limited run in 2009 that includes 12 bonus tracks - rarities, a live version of Check Your Head's 'The Maestro,' B-sides, and remixes - all adding to what is already a spectacularly varied and wonderfully sprawling album. Ill Communication was the fourth studio album by the New York-based hip-hop ensemble, featuring hit singles like 'Sabotage' and 'Get It Together.' This reissue follows recent re-releases of other Beastie Boys' albums, including Hello, Nasty and Check Your Head and further highlights the group's 'giants of the 90s' status.

Review: Dave Clarke's Red Series remains a vital benchmark in the evolution of UK techno. Released between 1993 and 1996, the three-volume run even managed to brush the UK top 40 back in the good old days when anything felt possible. Tracks like 'Wisdom To The Wise' will forever be etched in the make up of techno, and for very good reason. Now the whole series is being given a lavish reissue treatment which takes in all the original releases along with additional discs of rare, archival tracks and remixes, all bundled up in a box with a booklet and autographed by the Baron himself.

Review: To celebrate the 25th anniversary of The K&D Sessions, Kruder & Dorfmeister present a stunning limited-edition box set, available on 6xLP. Mastered by renowned engineer Bernie Grundman, this edition promises an audiophile listening experience. The set includes a newly added 6th LP featuring previously unreleased material, including remixes of Madonna, Roni Size, Lewis Taylor and Count Basic. The lavish packaging boasts gloss finishes, metallic gold Pantone details, and clear UV varnishing on the sleeves. Additionally, it includes a 40-page booklet filled with rare, unseen photos from the original era and extensive liner notes by Max Dax, Robert Menasse, and Werner Geier. A hi-res A2 poster is also part of the package. The standout tracks on the sixth LP include Kruder's 11-minute remix of Madonna's 'Nothing Really Matters', along with K&D's interpretation of Roni Size's 'Heroes' and U.F.O.'s 'L.O.V.E.'. Lewis Taylor's 'Lucky' appears in two remixed forms, one dubbed out and the other vocal-driven. This deluxe release elevates the original The K&D Sessions, which became the soundtrack for countless late 90s afterparties and lounge sessions, to new heights with a beautifully crafted presentation fitting for its enduring legacy.

Review: Finally getting around to celebrating their 30th Anniversary, Orbital here serve up a whopping deluxe boxset of exclusives. Built around their fabled live show, this veritable cornucopia of material contains reworks, remakes, remixes and reimaginings of all your favourite tracks, including Satan, The Box, Impact and Belfast. Jon Hopkins, Logic1000, Yotto, ANNA, Shanti Celeste and - yes - Stephen Hawking all feature.