Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Scale and Scope is a set of four 7" and one-sided coloured flexidisc records where each one contains "an instantiation of an individual microtonal designer scale" all developed by Stefan Goldmann. These experimental sounds pair wispy fragments of melody, the hiss of static electricity, twisted drones and only just audible details that add a range of moods from psychedelic introspection to cosmic wonder. 'Series Y (Gamma)' sounds like the internal thoughts of R2D2, while 'Series D (Delta)' is a futuristic symphony of melody and harmony.

Review: Following the success of last year's Walks, Group Listening returns with a new 12" for PRAH Recordings. The title and artwork both explore themes of decay, expiration and musical renewal and the music was in part inspired by a small DIY festival in Bristol. Paul Jones explains the title represents a radical, open call for change while 'Tell Everyone Everything' is a layered, intense synth soundscape with destined pads and nimble chords that lock you in the here and now. The release also features remixes by Ancient Plastix and Loggsplitter who bring sub-aquatic dub and mind-melting rhythmic intricacies.

Review: The 1986 sonic pentad by Diamanda Galas, Saint Of The Pit, is the second of two records forming the devised, pestilent occult rite - in her terms, the "plague mass" - known as the Masque Of The Red Death. In clairvoyant dialogue with the first part (The Divine Punishment), both records, in symbiosis, are said to possess an innate correctitude, with saintly playback "possible at maximum volume only." When we oblige by Galas' command, we find ourselves thickly immersed in the kind of sonic esoterics that only the most adept of oneiromancers might be able to swallow and integrate into their mantic: waspish whispers, dulotic dirges, heathen hums. Galas' episcope is a dissenting, idolatrous projection in sound and vision, with 'Artemis' and 'Deliver Me' spanning red-robed, sectarian vocal operatics, not to mention their backing, low-noted, open piano chord strikes. The *eschaton* of the record is, of course, is its quintessential fifth star-point: 'Cris D'aveugle (Blind Man's Cry)', on which Galas, the occult visionary, profanes the lyrical votive candle wax with blasphemous talk of nailed eyes and desecrated caskets.

Review: General Magic's first sonic explorations began a whole three decades ago now and to mark the occasion Editions Mego serves up Bosky. The Austrian duo of Ramon Bauer and Andi Pieper originally emerged with experimental techno releases like Frantz and Rechenkonig with their wonky, avant-garde rhythms. Following a long hiatus, their 2023 comeback Nein Aber Ja reignited their sonic curiosity and this record continues their legacy with unpredictable compositions blending synthetic voices, wild percussion and surreal textures. Tracks like 'Club Duchamp' and 'Noorenhalt' showcase their signature playfulness while Tina Frank's abstract artwork sets the tone. Bosko is a futuristic fusion of robotic punk and perplexing funk, perfectly suited for today's AI age.

Review: "One might thus regard the Welsh rarebit as a Machine in which a process is applied to the conditioning and perception of the world of bread and cheese." Suffice to say, John White might not have had the same ideas about what constitutes Machine Music back in 1976 as you do today. This is also the first time we've ever managed to get a reference to Welsh rarebit into the first line of writing about a record, so everyone is learning something today. "The Machines" White refers to are the individual tracks themselves, all recorded between 1967 and 1972 and all comprising different combinations of a thing. Six pairs of "bass melody instruments" made 'Autumn Countdown Machine', different permutations of "the articulations 'ging, gang, gong, gung, ho!'" comprise 'Jews Harp Machine'. And 'Son of Gothic Chord' is crafted from the sequential chord progression of four keyboard players, spanning an octave. Conceptual experimental and wildly imaginative stuff on the borderline of electronica, abstract, mathematical and something otherworldly.