Back catalogue: Coldwave/Synth

Review: Army of God's 'Salvation'' back in 2012 soon became a cult coldwave cut. It was the one and only release by the pair of Aroy Dee and Miss Jagroe... until now. More than ten years on they are back with 'Endless Skies' which is a new EP full of analogue warmth, signature synth designs and aching strings. Of course, Jagroe's unique voice features and brings extra allure to the beats. Aroy Dee steps up with an edit of the title cut and lays in some more form drums and pairs back the vocals to make things even darker. On the flip you'll find the throbbing bass and off-kilter keys of 'Fear the Night' with a dark version going even more into the shady unknown.

Review: Talk about things that make you go "oooh." The moment we heard that Daniel Avery, Working Men's Club and Ghost Culture were working together on a "new musical project" we had a lot riding on the results being particularly potent. Quite what they might sound like was anyone's guess mind, and there was an underlying worry that we might be left with another supergroup disappointment - where the parts are strong but don't necessarily understand how to gel. Demise of Love prove that doesn't have to be the case every time. It sounds like all of the above and yet none of them, it's ripe with emotion, fraught with punk ferocity and outwardly romantic in an electronic sense. Rave-y, weird, melancholic, angry, sleazy and infinitely re-playable, believe the hype.

Review: Under the Jaz alter-ego, John Zahl has been serving up laidback, Balaearic-minded edits of musical obscurities since the mid 2000s. Initially, that was for Claremont 56 offshoot Sixty Five, but in the last decade he's also appeared on Passport To Paradise, Rotating Souls and, most recently, Pinchy & Friends. Here he returns to the latter label with four more rubs of atmospheric cuts from the dusty corners of his record collection. He begins with the wonderfully throbbing, solo-heavy dancefloor synth-scape of 'Cloud Worship', before successfully tinkering with a tactile, semi-organic proto-house gem on 'Pick a Toy'. Over on side B, 'Puzzle' is a tidy revision of a cosmic-minded, French language Balearic synth-pop gem, while 'Friday Night' is an eccentric, off-kilter slab of new wave disco oddness.

Review: Lea Porcelain, the new wave retroverts from Frankfurt am Main could very well be the next big thing that you've never heard of. The original version of "Loose Life" itself is quite difficult to locate on the interwebs but we're sure it's hard to compete with local legend Roman Flugel's slow burning remix on offer here. Darmstadt's finest Benedikt Frey is onboard too, giving "Similar Familiar" a makeover that's as unique as pretty much all his other work: part techno, part cosmic or even industrial. It's brooding, wall of sound guitars and vocals drowned in reverb battle it out against pounding 909 snare attacks and screeching synth leads. Awesome!

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: Mainrecords returns with the 'Radiation Dance' EP which is the newest outing from co-label owner Matthias Schildger. It opens with the sleek electronic lines and Kraftwerkian hypnosis of 'CH Dance' on icy rhythms and lush synth chords. 'Radiation' is a more rugged techno sound but still artful in its pads and widescreen melodic scope. There is a retro 80s feel to 'Divine Divide' while 'Rzwodzwo's Brain' birds some more buffed metal textures, tripped-out FX and jittery rhythms. Last of all is 'Datapoppers' which is a great blend of analogue kits and drums, retro-future synths and curious cosmic moods.

Review: Desencanto is carving out its own sound world with its first releases and this one again taps into a loved-up deep house vibe that puts beautiful melodies and serene moods front and centre. 'Pipina' kicks off in the form of an Acqua mix that is downbeat and blissed out. 'Miss U Too' then brings some retro 80s synth work and taught basslines under celestial keys. 'Temptation' has more glassy melodies making for a rather haunting and eerie mood and finally, 'Last Kiss' is a suspenseful ambient soundscape that floats you up amongst the stars with reverential flutes encouraging nostalgic dreams.

Review: Luke Wyatt's Torn Hawk project has always been hard to pigeonhole, with the American producer frequently combining admirable experimental instincts and a love for dusty, distorted sounds with a desire to foreground melody and associated musical niceness. Both sides of his musical personality combine on this six-track EP for Fixed Rhythms. The highlight - for us at least - is the surf guitar solo-laden moody epic 'Oh Yeah (Cop Collab)', where waves of gritty, psychedelic and weirdo noises rise above dense sonic textures and rolling beats. That said, there's plenty to set the pulse racing elsewhere across the EP, including the outstanding-fi workout 'Make Things So Complicated', the dubbed-out beat science of 'Dirty Black Satin' and the experimental breakbeat madness of 'Sulking In The Hallway Outside The Cafeteria'.

Review: zake's untouchable ambient imprint Past Inside the Present revisits James Bernard's classic 1994 album Atmospherics and has remastered it and paired it with some fresh reinterpretations by bvdub, a longtime friend and collaborator. Since the original release, music and technology have evolved significantly but the timeless craft and rich textures of Bernard's work remain evident. Atmospherics achieved cult status during the ambient music boom after being crafted solely with a keyboard, sequencer, 12-bit sampler, drum machine, and bass guitar, all created in real-time and without edits. Bvdub's reinterpretations honour the originals while adding new dimensions and infusing them with a melancholic air that enhances its emotional depth.

Review: 
For the first time ever since the mid-80s, Robert Fripp's God Save The Queen is now avaialble on fresh vinyl once more. It was the second solo album from Fripp and is made up almost entirely of so-called 'Frippertronics,' which means much of the record was performed by improvisation. Under each track are solid drums and bass to get the grooves going and guitar loops for the five tracks were recorded live in concert during 1979. It's a real left turn of an album and one that can be as mesmerising as it can wild.

Review: Recorded in 1981, Turning Japanese captures Kraftwerk at the absolute height of their creative dominance, but sometime before their true induction into the household name superstar category of artists. Still representing a very forward thinking, boundary pushing and - as a result - specialist sound, this nine-track live recording feels like yesterday's tomorrow.
Opening with a stunning neo-classical synth overture, we're then taken on a journey through the mind of the man machine, an industrial yet somehow strangely human proto-electro world that is defined by order and structure, while still allowing for enough funk and groove to make sure feet, hips and more move seemingly of their own volition. Perhaps not the most insightful take on the pioneering German band - nothing here that hasn't been said before - nevertheless we hope it goes someway to describing how precise, refined and overwhelmingly infectious they can be on stage.

Review: Kraftwerk's 1975 performance at Fairfield Hall in Croydon is the stuff of legend. Finally it is available as a high quality audio pressing that allows you to relive all its glorious futurism. The show was broadcast on radio as part of a short tour of the UK that came after the release of the German computer music pioneer's hugely popular Autobahn. It features tracks from that album as well as 'Die Sonne, Der Mond, Die Sterne' and 'Showroom Dummies.' A real piece of electronic music history that will spice up any collection.

Review: After the massive impact of Vex'd in the breakthrough years of dubstep, it was big news when Jamie Teasdale chose to swerve in his own direction and emerge as Kuedo. Released in 2011, Severant was a bold statement of intent which didn't wholly shirk what had come before, but placed emphasis on the kind of romantic synthesis you'd readily associate with Vangelis and saw trap and other influences sneaking into the mix. In hindsight, Severant is typical of the times we live in, drawing on a glut of influences and presenting its own idiosyncratic vision, but above all that the emotion and intent of Teasdale's ideas make it an enduring, captivating listen.

Review: Greek electronic music legend Lena Platonos returns to Dark Entries with Balancers, an LP of previously unreleased material recorded between 1982-1985. Athens-based Platonos has worked with the label previously to reissue her three solo LPs - Gallop, Sun Masks, and Lepidoptera - as well as to release three accompanying 12" EPs featuring modern remixes of her work. She is renowned for her forays into cutting-edge electronic experimentation as well as her striking, impressionistic poetry and lyrics, always recited in Greek. Also included is an insert with lyrics in both Greek and English.

Review: Known for their cover versions - having re-read Sly Stone, Plastic Bertrand, Les Chats Sauvages, and many more over the years - Telex managed to tread a fine line between comedy and innovation. Focusing heavily on a lo-fi synthesised sound, the Belgian alt-poppers would use plenty of humour in their work, but never allowed this to outshine or overshadow the musicality of it all. Released in 1980, Neurovision is a case in point. According to the band, this was their tongue-in-cheek entry to the Eurovision Song Contest, for which they were chosen as representatives for their home country in the same year. Deliberately banal lyrics, mostly referring to the competition itself, married to the glittering wonder of a proto-electronic soundtrack, mark it as a work of bold daring and a little genius. Sadly, it failed to secure them last place in the tournament, as they hoped, forcing them to settle for 17 out of 19.

Review: The esteemed gang at Dark Entries have been hard at work on another one of their always eye opening compilation. This time they turn their focus to Mexican new wave and post-punk on the 10-track Back Up: Mexican Tecno Pop. None of the tunes here have ever made it to wax before and they come with a 12 page magazine that is packed with extra context, lyrics and bios about the artists. The tunes all shine a fine light on the flourishing DIY scene that was present in 1980's Mexico when much of the world's focus was on the more well documented synth pop and obscure electronics from Europe and the United States.