Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Karolina BNV is not to be messed with, putting it lightly. The Berlin-based producer has garnered a loyal following among fans of EBM, New Beat, industrial, electro-goth and robot sex droid fetish production scenes. The latter we just made up but hopefully you get what we're getting at. Descriptions aside, she follows her 'Lessons On Good Behaviour' release with four more tracks born from a terrifying future we're probably already living in, we just don't really know it yet. From the apocalyptic sludge and punch of 'Unforgivable Decisions', to the electro rave squelch and staccato percussion of 'Context Abuse', the two tracks roll out relentless grit and grime. Then you have '1988' and 'Germany Calling', with their retro futurism, acid house totems held high in the air for all to see that there is still some resistance to the robots.

Review: Kraftwerk are as well known for their albums as they are their singles and the iconic 'Autobahn' is of course the name of both. It is a rather groundbreaking electronic gem originally released in 1974 and soon revolutionised music with its hypnotic synth melodies, driving rhythms and pioneering use of vocoders. The track - celebrating its 50th anniversary and here on 7" - alongside an album picture disc and new Dolby Atmos mix on CD, which seal the birthday celebrations - captured the essence of modern travel by blending motorik beats with atmospheric soundscapes to create a real electronic journey and sense of movement. It still sounds as futuristic now as ever, a record that truly changed the course of modern music forever.

Review: French electronic duo KaS Product were proper enigmas. Their first decade of activity, from 1980 to 1990, was marked by carving out their own niche within a fertile and noisy corner of music close to punk, early cold and minimal wave, and indie-electro. Compared by some to Kaleidoscope-era Siouxsie and The Banshees, Soft Cell and Suicide, it's no stretch to say that without this pair -the late Spatsz (Daniel Favre) and Mona Soyoc - the likes of Prinzhorn Dance School would sound different. By Pass was up there with their finest hours and most defining creations. Arriving in 1983, it's packed with a kind of dark, back-room-of-a-dive bar venue edge that is at once anarchistic, surreal, and beautiful. 'Tina Town', for example, will raise the hair on the back of your neck, 'W Infatuation' seems to belong in some batshit Broadway musical, 'Mingled & Tingled' is all about groove and seduction. Excellent all round.

Review: Beaming into the future from the 1980s Belgian EBM scene, The Klinik (now reduced to two core members Marc Verhaeghen and Mark Burghgraeve) are a pivotal force. They helped found the underground, all while influencing a generation of EBM artists both locally and internationally. ‘Pain And Pleasure’ was their first blush, first released as an EP on Antler Records in 1986. Now recovered and “album-ified”, it takes on a new form as a full-length LP elongation, retitled Plague & Pain And Pleasure. With a new sado-leathered, plague doctoral, marble vinyl aesthetic, this is an electrifyingly chalky expansion pack taking after the original three-tracker, and which proves again the dark efficacy of their gluttonous, motoric overwhelmer sound, evidenced on the likes of ‘World Domination’, ‘Go Back’ and ‘Outside’.

Review: Electronic music owes much to legendary synth makers like Roland, Yamaha and Sequential Circuits and now Rack Sessions explores their unique sonic identities by dedicating each track to a single synth. From the cinematic grandeur of 'The D' (Roland D-550) to the nostalgic warmth of 'MiR' (Korg M1R), each composition is shaped by its instrument's distinct character while beats take a backseat as atmospheric soundscapes unfold-'802 Nights' (Yamaha TX802) evokes open highways, while 'SOB' (Oberheim Matrix-6) channels sci-fi tension. These are carefully crafted and deeply evocative sounds.

Review: This release, which was recorded for Bremen Radio in 1971, features four extended tracks showcasing German pioneers Kraftwerk in a very different light from their later work. The short-lived lineup of Schneider, Rother and Dinger fused electric guitar with their then-signature electronic sounds and it gives rise to unusual, exciting and innovative music. Half of the tracks here, as hardcore fans will recognise, are drawn from their debut album, Kraftwerk 1, and the recording quality is excellent. This release also includes full recording details along with extensive sleeve notes that help offer a fascinating glimpse into Kraftwerk's early, experimental sound before their more iconic and pioneering electronic phase.

Review: Few albums have reshaped the landscape of electronic music quite like Autobahn. Originally released in 1974, Kraftwerk's groundbreaking fusion of synthesisers, sequencers and minimalist structure redefined what pop music could be. The title track, stretching over 22 minutes, was an ambitious journey through hypnotic rhythms, vocoder-treated vocals and shimmering electronic textures, concentrating on the feel of a never-ending highway ride. This anniversary edition brings a fresh dimension to the experience. Revisiting the original 16-track master tapes, Ralf Hutter and engineer Fritz Hilpert have crafted a Dolby Atmos Mix that expands the album's depth and spatiality like never before. This Blu-ray includes a 5.1 mix, a high-resolution stereo version and two newly edited 2024 single versions, plus a video of the 'Autobahn' edit featuring Kraftwerk's signature visual aesthetic. Packaged in a region-free Blu-ray with a 12-page booklet and an SDE-exclusive slipcase, this edition ensures that Autobahn can be experienced in a format worthy of its legacy.

Review: The 50th anniversary edition of Kraftwerk's Autobahn finally completes its decennial German interstate journey and lands in our drool-covered laps. With founding Kraftwerk member Ralf Hutter revisiting the record's original 16-track master tapes with engineer Fritz Hilpert, the group not only made a brand new Dolby Atmos mix for the CD edition, but have also reissued the original record in the never-seen-before picture disc form you see here. A cosmic pop overland journey, the vinyl remaster also lends the record an extra-dimensionality we didn't know possible; recumbent across it, and brought out to swelling prominence, are its tweezed, filter-cutoff sine chords, evoking the continual movement of rustic landscapes streaming past our eyes. Though at first received only to mixed acclaim, Kraftwerk's fourth LP was rightly hailed in hindsight for its simple automotive theme and change in sound, away from the Robots' emergent kosmische and into self-reflexive electropop. All this emboldened Kraftwerk as a band that could somehow cruise in the fast lane, accelerating with ease through the shifting stylistic sands of the mid 1970s.

Review: This gatefold green vinyl record captures a rare and electrifying live performance from the pioneering electronic music legends. Recorded at their 1997 Tribal Gathering festival headline, it's a showcase of the band's iconic sound that blends groundbreaking synth-driven melodies with hypnotic rhythms and futuristic themes. Performing classics like 'Autobahn,' 'The Robots' and 'Computer World,' Kraftwerk delivered a spellbinding experience that bridged their innovative past and continued influence on modern music all set against the historic backdrop of Luton Hoo Estate. It features plenty of their classics from the time, as well as - shockingly - a new track, titled 'Tribal Gathering' (and also sometimes referred to as 'Luton') that was written especially for the gig, never recorded in the studio and only ever played a handful of times. A great nostalgic trip.