Back catalogue: Leftfield

Review: For the uninitiated, Robin Crutchfield was one of the key early figures in New York's infamous "no wave" music scene, first as part of influential band DNA and then as the leader of his own outfit, Dark Day. This essential three-CD set tells the story of the hard-to-pigeonhole outfit's original incarnation between 1979 and 1989, offering a chronological trip through the pitch-black corners of the unique combo's slim but perfectly formed catalogue. The Dark Day sound was undoubtedly unique, with Gary Numan-ish synth sounds and arty, stylised vocals being underpinned by heavy, loose-limbed rhythms provided by two drummers. The accompanying booklet tells the story of the band in decent detail, too, making it as much an introduction as a celebration.

Review: With 'Long Gradus', Sarah Davachi seizes the opportunity to take one idea and explore it from as many angles as possible. The celebrated composer and ambient artist is consistently investigating musical possibilities from a learned, authoritative perspective and so this latest project finds her expanding on an initial invitation to the Composer's Kitchen residency in the Netherlands. Fundamentally scored for a string quartet, Davachi's intention with the stirring, sustained tension of 'Long Gradus' was that it could be performed on a number of different instruments, and this expansive four-CD edition on her Late Music label presents the piece performed on woodwinds, brass and organ and choir and electronics alongside the fundamental string version.

Review: Some 24 years into his career, we know exactly what to expect from Scott Monteith AKA Deadbeat - namely trippy, off-kilter techno heavily informed by dub, underpinned by rhythms that frequently eschew the obvious. Inspired dually by the "five stages of grief" and "the act of speaking one's thoughts aloud alone by oneself", Kubler-Ross Soliloquies - his first solo set in five years - has a defined structure and purpose, within which Monteith giddily goes in all manner of different but loosely connected directions. Compare and contrast, for example, the moody, twisted steppers-techno of 'With Grand Trepidation (Acceptance I)', the hypnotic, spoken word-sporting deep dub techno of 'Huey Lewis Voters Dub (Negotiation)', the skittish headiness of 'Tough Love (Anger I)', and the polyrhythmic, Livity Sound-esque 'The Double Bong Cloud (Denial I)'.

Review: Deaf Center's debut LP gets a 20-year anniversary reissue on CD, pairing the original 2005 album with 20 minutes of unreleased material from the same sessions. Originally out on Type, Pale Ravine marked the first full-length by Erik K Skodvin and Otto A Totland, who've since carved solo paths via Sonic Pieces. Drifting between chamber composition, shadowy electronics and the hiss of old tape, the record draws on their Norwegian roots and personal family histories. Grainy textures, ghostly pianos and wind-blown field recordings conjure a mood somewhere between forgotten reels of silent film and weather-worn Nordic folklore.

Review: Featuring as it does six discs of live recordings, Music Portrait is veritable feast for Depeche Mode fans. All of the material was originally recorded for radio broadcasts. Discs one and two feature what appears to be an almost complete 1998 concert featuring such perennial favourites as 'Policy of Truth', 'Personal Jesus', 'It's No Good' and 'Just Can't Get Enough' (a triumphant, sing-along conclusion all told), while CD three offers up 11 songs from a set recorded in 2005. The other three discs feature recordings of solo outings from Dave Gahan, with big Depeche Mode hits being joined by personal favourites and deep cuts from the Basildon Band's 40-plus year career.

Review: Demon Records honors Tom Baker's iconic portrayal of the Time Lord with a new 4xCD set, nearly five decades after his unforgettable debut on 28 December 1974. The Tom Baker Collection offers fans a blend of classic audio dramas, rare interviews, and readings by Baker himself, capturing him in the iconic role as Fourth Doctor. The collection includes Genesis of the Daleks, the original 1979 album version of the much-loved TV serial, and Doctor Who and the Pescatons, the exclusive audio drama from 1976. Also featured is Exploration Earth: The Time Machine, a special production for BBC Schools Radio in 1976, along with The State of Decay, an audiobook reading from 1982, available on CD for the first time. The set is rounded out by Tom Baker in His Own Words, a compilation of BBC radio interviews from the 1970s and 1980s. Packaged in a deluxe gatefold cover with striking Fourth Doctor artwork, the set includes four CDs in individual sleeves, along with a full-color booklet detailing cast, credits, and track listings. This collection is an essential tribute to one of Doctor Who's most beloved eras.