Back catalogue: Leftfield

Review: John Carpenter's knack for cinematic storytelling without the screen takes centre stage on this deluxe reissue, marking ten years since the release of the great American soundtrack artist's first Lost Themes edition. The new expanded edition, complete with artwork by Greg Ruth, offers more than just a nostalgic revisit; it adds a new 7" featuring two unreleased tracks, 'Cruisin' With Mr. Scratch' and 'Dominator', both pulled from the original sessions. When it first came out, the album stood out for its vivid, visceral style, blending horror, science fiction, and eerie synthwork into standalone pieces that could easily score unseen films.

Review: The soundtrack for Risk of Rain 2's Seekers of the Storm, is here making its vinyl debut, and it's an edition fans won't want to miss. Composed by Chris Christodoulou, with a special contribution from Stavros Markonis, this release brings some atmospheric and powerful music to life on a stunning looking record. The vinyl itself is a visual treat, featuring a striking blue, white, dark green, sky blue, and black marbled design. This soundtrack is housed in a beautifully crafted gatefold sleeve with artwork by Daniele Giardini. Christodoulou's compositions delve into new, unexplored territories with a blend of intense and emotive pieces. The use of a seven-string guitar adds a new layer of depth to the music, delivering some of the most elaborate and heavy tracks ever written for the series. Markonis' contribution introduces a fresh sound, seamlessly integrating into the Risk of Rain universe while also bringing something unique to the table. The recent uptick in soundtracks released on vinyl have really shown that fans love connecting with the music of many movies and TV shows. Even if you may not know the series, this is one the best in recent weeks for you to enjoy.

Review: Recorded in October 1997, but lost and rediscovered two decades later by digital artist Gvoon Arthur Schmidt, GVoon: Brennung 1 is one of countless gems nestling in the sound archives of the late, great Holger Czukay. Described as a "futuristic sound meditation" by remastering engineer Dirk Dresselhaus (better known as experimental electronica producer Scheider TM), the single, expansive piece was created by Czukay at a point in time when he was happily working with German techno and electronica producers (Westbam included) while exploring the potential of digital music-making and production technology. The results are typically immersive, enveloping and off-kilter, sounding as far-sighted and ahead-of-their-time as they no doubt did when the piece was originally recorded in 1997.

Review: After a period of roughly three decades, German soundtrack artist and onetime Karlheinz Stockhausen apprentice Holger Czukay shares a surprise trove of lost tapes, which are said to have been once recorded by the artist for "free disposal" and which were presumably forgotten about at the time. Now available, all of said material is said to date back to at least the 1990s, and marks the forward thinking and "ahead of its time" (as remarked by fellow producer Schneider TM) approach to cold Kraut and experimental wave that informed Czukay as he experimented freewheelingly with beatmaking while in the company of further fellows Dr. Walker and Air Liquide. Also evolving in temporal conjunction with an experimental live show involving body tracking tech, fashioned by mixed media artist Arthur Schmidt, there are implicit themes of virtual reality and haptic sound control here. Way ahead of its time indeed.