Today Only: All genres sale vinyl

Review: If you like your techno deep, cosmic and unapologetically linear then get this one in the bag. The 14th Archive EP on Developer's own Developer Archive label is just that across four hurried dead urgent cuts that melt the mind and lock in the feet. 'Pain To Power' is paranoid as it races along beneath loopy synth phrases and 'All The Way' then brings a colourful lead motif that has a weird and playful character over silky beats. 'Sonic Abilities' take a darker turn as it tunnels down deep under the earth's surface and 'End Of Turn' ends with the sonar pulses and sleek minimalism you would expect from Jeff Mills.

Review: The Other Side label clocks up its 10th release here with Dunfound serving up the two tripped out minimal tech originals and Rhadoo offering a pair of his mighty fine remixes. Opener 'Flying Fish Song' is all about wonky synths and chattering durms and perc. The sound is raw and urgent and constantly on the twist and turn. The second original is a 12-minute plus journey through the darkest recesses of your mind. Rhadoo then ups the ante with his first remix which is all bristling beats and prickly percussion. The second is a more sludgy dub full of freaky designs and weird FX.

Review: Flying Vipers come through here with their first full length album Cuttings which is steeped in reverence for original Jamaican engineers of the 70s who were masters of their vast mixing consoles. Here the Vipers master steady drum & bass rhythms that are detailed with jazz melodies and a gritty post-punk attitude. The record builds on the success of The Green & Copper Tape EPs with extra horns, wild effects and vintage synths all making it a contemporary affair. All 12 tracks will get you in a meditative state where you can take some deserving time to reflect and sinking into your own mindful thoughts.

Review: Past Inside The Present co-founder Isaac Helsen - a multi-disciplinary artist from Michigan, creating photography and paintings as well as music - in action on this double cassette alone after a string of collaborations with labelmate 36 and fellow label co-founder zake. Helsen's sound works on a grand (electronically) orchestral scale at times, the proverbial cathedrals of sound coming to mind, at others (see 'Duniskwalgunyi') understated and intimate. On first listen, it's the simpler moments like 'Whisper At A Party' that grab you, but the 17 track selection slowly reveals itself to be quite special on repeated rotations.

Review: The Aphrology EP marks a killer induction into the MOS Deep annals of excellence from Ksoul & Muteoscillator, the Italian duo who have impressed intermittently with their dense brand of techno for Uzuri and Kinda Soul Recordings (which is overseen by Ksoul himself). The two part "Criminology" opens proceedings face up, with the restrained acid leanings of the opening gambit slightly overwhelmed by the unrelenting modulated brutality of its subsequent partner. Face down and MOS Deep ringleader Aroy Dee sneaks in with his own edit of "Aphrology" before Ksoul and Muteoscillator can demonstrate the title track's prowess - it's Dee to a tee, taking the well judged house that swells with ever menacing machine squeals and adding his own subtle percussive embellishments.

Review: The Midnight's latest Heroes is a stark display of the musical evolution of the New York duo. A band that started as a synth heavy proposition, extensive touring across the globe (including a headline at London's Brixton Academy) and the desire not to repeat themselves in creative terms has led to the bigger vision and wider appeal of what their label calls "fully-realised, arena-worthy songs".
Heroes is the final part in a trilogy of albums that started with 2018's Kids, followed in 2020 by Monsters. "For me, Kids is self-knowledge, Monsters is self-love, and then Heroes is empathy," said singer Tyler Lyle. "I got into depth psychology and this idea of aetiology, the way a human forms. The world doesn't get better but we do. We grow into ourselves. We grow into our voice."
Still, Heroes remains definitely more a case of evolution than revolution - there's still more than a hint of the gorgeous synth sounds in evidence, but with a lyrical maturity and smartness that gives even its most pop moments an unexpected twist.

Review: You'd be forgiven for not knowing much about Plugpoint Music's sole album, Last Chance. It was recorded by German artist Reiner Ossmann in his home studio way back in 1987 and was subsequently released via a private press run of just 200 copies. It is, then, a genuinely little-known and overlooked gem that has been rescued from obscurity via the mighty Minimal Wave label. If you enjoy the more stripped-back and eccentric end of the new wave and cold wave spectrum, we'd definitely recommend it. Ossmann's synthesizer and drum machine arrangements are expertly minimalistic and alien-sounding, with gurgling melodies and spaced-out chords mingling with his own heavily accented vocals over the sparsest of beats. An ultra-rare gem that's well worth your time and money.

Review: Vocalist and poet Roger Robinson has connected with Jabu producer Amos for this new single which finds them explore new grounds. After their fuzzy lovers rock outing last time out, here they head off into space with more cosmic and zoned out sounds full of intimate and slo mo grooves. 'Summer' goes first and is a blissed out cut with ambient pads and lonely piano keys encouraging you to get lost in deep thought. 'Feel Bad Smile' is even more of a cosy late night cuddle, with spoken word mutterings and lingering notes breaking your heart each and every time.

Review: Talk about keeping things on a knife edge. The first, and title track on this powerhouse EP is pretty much destined to whip any venue into a storm of expectation, not-so-much building but rather opening with this full-sounding, heavily atmospheric, space-y, proggy, could be techno, could be electro, could be trance arrangement. The kind of thing where there might as well be flairs firing into the sky warning you how much stomping a floor can take.

Similar vibes on 'Medusa', only on a deeper, darker, more menacing tip, a tune that sucks ears into another world entirely, one that's a little unsettling, and certainly difficult to find your way back out of. Elsewhere, things embrace a high-NRG ethic, with both 'Plasma' and 'Onda Sotto' taking things up to almost-gabber tempos, but without actually committing to the pounding fours.

Review: A new double cassette box from Past Inside The Present, which sees its co-founder zake in relatively rare solo mode mixing soothing ambient sensibilities with orchestral, classical influences. 'Dernier Souffle (Pt 1)' is a great example of how the two can meld very easily and comfortably, a sense of slowly retreating heartache creeping over its open, slabs of floating sounds, whereas the three parts of 'La Paix Eternelle (Pt 1), on the other hand, evoke heavenly choirs of angels. An album with its head in the clouds, for sure, but once you join it there you won't want to come down.