Back catalogue: Coldwave/Synth

Review: A fascinating new slice of neue Deutsche welle from the artist Eine Welt. The track romanticizes the traditional Middle Eastern dish, Knafeh, through the lens of post-punkish electronics, German rawism, and myriad layering and production. The fact that an artist would go to such great pains to record, master, press and distribute a song with such a niche subject matter truly shows the power of Turkish cuisine. Clearly, even in back the '80s, there was mutual cultural appreciation between the Germans and the Turkish.

Review: A veteran of the Berlin electronic music scene, Sascha Funke is no stranger to local expatriates Multi Culti, debuting for them back in 2016 with the terrific In Relationen EP. For his latest outing, he paris up with multi-instrumentalist Niklas Wandt, one half of Gehoelzpflege, for some trippy and low slung sonic shenanigans on the Kreidekreis EP. From the slo-mo tribal trance of opening cut 'Kometenschweif' which will propel you into the cosmos in vertically locomotive fashion, followed by the funky sundown nu-disco of the title track which receives a wicked rework by Alexander Arpeggio up next - taking the track into psyched-out lounge territory. Also on the remix is Neapolitan Whodammanny, channelling '80s Neue Deutsche Welle sounds, German vocals to boot, on a rendition of 'Kometenschweif'.

Review: Platform 23 platform the Italian 80s avant-garde and anarcho music scene on a fresh 12" compilation, kicking things off with an unreleased cover, by the band Nengue, of Los NiNos Del Parque's electro-pop-wave track 'African Beat'. Amid the political unrest of the Anni di Piombo (Years of Lead) - which saw the autonomist Marxist movement, and backdrops of government-mafiosi collusion, labour strife, and terrorist splinter group formations - underground artists found themselves transducing the radical energy of the time into rapidfire releases, put out through DIY networks. Rome's Nengue embodied this, blending industrial, jazz, and futurist influences. Initially, the release aimed to highlight their Kraftwerk-inspired African Beat, but the discovery of their cover of 'Los NiNos Del Parque', described as "powerful anarchic nonsense", became the focal point. Berlin's Bionda e Lupo contribute a remix, with Sneaker's sharp production and Sano's vocals adding a fresh dimension. Andrei Rusu (Khidja) delivers a deep, dub-heavy reinterpretation of African Beat, perfect for modern dancefloors while honoring its raw origins. A vital document of Italy's underground electronic resistance.

Review: Alongside fellow Belgians Front 242, The Neon Judgement are widely regarded as pioneers of electronic body music (EBM), a synthesised slice of underground noise that incorporates elements of electro and industrial to often disorienting and intense effects. Led by Dirk Timmermans and Frank Vloeberghs, the pair combined synth pop and post punk with more abrasive tones, unusually, for EBM, bringing guitar work to the fore. Marking 40th years of the Play It Again Sam (PIAS) imprint, a veritable institution in its own right that has itself influenced many bands and scenes, some of TNJ's most triumphant efforts and attempts at pushing the boundaries of genre and style forward are collected here. A selection of tracks that showcases exactly what they were about very well indeed, and why their legacy is so significant, albeit subtle.

Review: You might think that you could cop a copy of New Order's seminal hit 'Blue Monday' fairly easily and cheaply given its ubiquity over the years. But no, copies in good condition still fetch around 50 quid, so this remastered reissue is well worth a cop. The single's iconic bassline and twitchy synth modulations very much soundtrack a generation, if not an entire youth revolution, but still enliven any dance floor many years later. What's more, the de-humanised vocals will always provide real singalong joy. On the flip is a 'The Beach', which is drenched in echo and reverb and general sonic filth.