Back catalogue: Leftfield

Review: It's been a while since King Midas Sound graced our ears with some fresh material - four years to be exact - and Aroo sees the trio of Kevin Martin, Roger Robinson and Kiki Hitomi trade Hyperdub for Ninja tune with a two track single ahead of a mooted new album! Arriving on a thick set slab of vinyl and accompanied by a silver metallic print, Aroo signals a change in approach for King Midas Sound ending their love affair with 21st century Lovers Rock and launching into "a great unknown". Martin himself as described the new direction as "My Bloody Valentine in dub" and this certainly feels apt on "Aroo" as the waves of sound come descending down on the channels orchestrated by Hitomi's vocal delivery.

Review: Amongst the many things Ninja Tune are known for, it's an affiliation with ingenious DJ mixes, none more so than Coldcut's revolutionary Journeys By DJ. This latest mix, compiled with obvious painstaking effort by label artist King Cannibal is perhaps the most impressive to date. Formed of over 250 tracks from the Ninja back catalogue and put together using vinyl, CDs, WAVs and a DAT tape in Ableton and Logic, the sheer scope and ambition of the mix renders any attempt to describe the mix useless. What impresses the most is how KC has effectively created new song by dissecting tracks; with anyone who has retained an interest in the labels out put over the past twenty years being drowned in aural memories as the 74 minutes unfold. Set at a pace where all the different facets of the Ninja tune sound are explored, this is a thrilling mix which demands repeat listen to fully absorb its depth and brilliance.