Back catalogue: Leftfield

Review: Last month, experienced experimentalists Arovane and Porya Hatami released their latest collaborative album, Organism_evolution. Billed as a "development" on the creepy, clandestine and hugely atmospheric vibes explored on last year's Organism, the set expanded on the original's fluttering, otherworldly ambience - created largely by layering and processing their own field recordings - with the addition of more electro-acoustic elements and a wider range of synthesis techniques. Here, you can judge the results for yourself, as both albums get bundled together on CD for the first time. If you take the time to sit and listen to both discs in sequence, you'll not only spot the subtle shifts in the pair's collective sound, but also feel like you're on a particularly memorable journey through a psychedelically enhanced imagination.

Review: Released to acclaim in 1985, The Falcon and the Snowman recounts the extraordinary true story of Christopher Boyce (Timothy Hutton) and Andrew Daulton Lee (Sean Penn), childhood friends who betrayed their country by selling U.S. satellite secrets to the Soviets in the 70s. The film's score, crafted by jazz virtuoso Pat Metheny alongside pianist Lyle Mays, is a masterful blend of tension and melancholy, enriched by orchestral arrangements from the National Philharmonic Orchestra. The standout track, 'This Is Not America,' features lyrics by David Bowie and became one of his notable hits of the decade, reaching No. 14 in the UK. All in all, an exclusive collector's box set.

Review: Over the years, Sam Shepheard's work as Floating Points has become increasingly ambitious, moving further away from his dancefloor roots and closer to spiritual jazz, new age and neo-classical. Even so, it was still a surprise when Shepheard announced Promises, a 46-minute piece in 10 "movements" featuring the London Symphony Orchestra and legendary saxophonist Pharoah Sanders. It's an undeniably remarkable piece all told; a constantly evolving fusion of neo-classical ambience, spiritual jazz and starry, synthesizer-laden soundscapes notable not only for Sanders' sublime sax-playing and Shepheard's memorable melodic themes, but also the intricate, detailed nature of the musical arrangements. It's a stunningly beautiful and life-affirming piece all told, and one that deserves your full attention.

Review: Painkiller, the legendary experimental trio of jazz saxophonist John Zorn, Napalm Death founder turned electronic maverick Mick 'Scorn' Harris and Material bassist Bill Laswell, return with another slab of nightmarish intensity, this time drawing inspiration from Arthur Machen's 1894 horror classic The Great God Pan. Known for their blistering fusion of free jazz, metal and avant-garde chaos, the group takes a more measuredithough no less menacingiapproach here, delivering two sprawling, doom-laden pieces that creep through the shadows with unrelenting dread. 'Ercildoune' builds slowly, its eerie atmospherics punctuated by Zorn's tortured sax wails and Laswell's cavernous basslines, while Harris keeps the tension tight with percussive restraint that feels more like a lurking presence than a rhythmic backbone. 'Secret Sins' takes the descent even deeper, a brooding, oppressive soundscape where distorted drones and spectral echoes coil into a suffocating fog of unease. Less outright feral than some of their past work but just as unsettling, this latest offering in Painkiller's ongoing trilogy proves they can summon horror in more ways than oneisometimes, the slowest burns leave the deepest scars.

Review: Since he first emerged on Diagonal a decade ago, Powell has been associated with abstract rhythms, hard-edged electronics, modular madness and fearsome experimentation. Piano Music 1-7, then, is something of a departure: a set that's as equally as inspired by piano jazz and neo-classical musical movements as fractured electronica and the Radiophonic Workshop. Of course, this is not piano music in the Nils Frahm sense - much of the actual piano motifs are delivered on lo-fi keyboards and synthesizers, while his fluid, attractive and ultra-melodic refrains come wrapped in studio effects and occasional electronic textures. A great example of this hybrid sound is 'Piano Music 4' - all alien electronics, woozy piano riffs and unsettling experimental intent, while the raw beauty of shimmering ambient number 'Piano Music 7' is simply sublime.

Review: Since Radiohead went on hiatus a few years back, Thom Yorke has thrown himself into all sorts of solo and collaborative projects. His latest sees him join forces with Sydney-based British electronic music stalwart Mark Pritchard for an album that expands on their previous collaboration (the superb 'Beautiful People' from Pritchard's 2018 album Under The Sun). It's a breathtakingly brilliant concoction all told, with the pair conjuring ethereal, oddball and immersive songs in which Yorke's distinctive vocals - sometimes delivered as you'd expect, other times layered-up, mutilated or utilised as textures - rise above backing tracks made with unusual synths and drum machines, and variously indebted to ambient, IDM, ghostly electronica, lo-fi beat-scapes and the gripping intensity of horror soundtracks. A modern electronic classic in the making.

Review: We're not sure any of us would have predicted that there would be a new Propaganda album in 2024 - after all, it has been 40 years since they made their debut, and almost 20 years since 'principle song writers' Ralf Dorper and Michael Mertens last got together to record an album. Simply titled Propaganda, the album is undoubtedly a triumphant return - a set that recalls the ground-breaking brilliance of their earliest work. Sure, some of the synthesisers and sonics have been updated - it's not quite as cold and icy as their earliest explorations - and there are subtle rhythmic nods to more contemporaneous dance rhythms, but the results are uniformly excellent. For proof, check the throbbing headiness of 'Purveyor of Pleasure', the alt synth-pop bubble of 'Tipping Point', and the atmospheric excellence of 'Love:Craft'.

Review: Ace Records continue their series of compilations from Saint Etienne's Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs, tapping into unique niches of British music culture under titles like English Weather and The Tears Of Technology to arrive at this latest joint, Fell From The Sun. This is a specific trip into the downtempo, after hours sounds prevalent in 1990-1991, as the acid house wave broke and Balearic selector ethics seeped into studio practice. The selections are absolutely on point, from The Orb's majestic remix of Primal Scream's 'Higher Than The Sun' to Saint Etienne's own moody roller, 'Speedwell'. It's bouncy and boundlessly optimistic as well as being supremely chill, absolutely of its time but still ringing with an eternal charm that feels ready for a revival. Let this compilation be your guide.