Venetian Snares
Meathole, CD

Aaron Funk has booted his computer into destruction mode and vented his spleen by mixing, glueing, processing and alienating confusing rhythm patterns, sombre melody lines and found sounds.

RM74
Exkursion, CD

The Swiss sound tinkerer known as RM74 has a new album on offer. "Exkursion" takes the listener on a witty and adventurous journey through virtually all sorts of sound creation physically possible.

Die Toedliche Doris
Welten - Worlds - Ohontsa'shón:'a, LP

Legendary Berlin-based artists' group Die Toedliche Doris have quite an impressive backlog of musical and visual performances. "Welten" comprises hitherto unreleased recordings from an improvised soundtrack they'd done for an alternative fashion show more than 20 years ago.

Daniel Patrick Quinn
Severed from the Land, CD

From a corner of Daniel Patrick Quinn's Edinburgh bedroom comes this collection of recordings that can best be described as music inspired by English Folk traditionals, yet with a contemporary twist. Six songs have been compiled for this CD, four of which are instrumentals.

Skysaw
Skysaw, CD

Zither player Core Redonnett and drummer Yuri Zbitnoff have teamed up in the instrumental band project Skysaw. Their self-titled debut album is very much in the progressive Jazz Rock vein, yet with a contemporary twist.

Voks
Darkvaks, 3-inch CD

"Voks" is the Danish word for "wax", and, just like hot molten wax, Voks' music is extremely flexible and it just hurts so good. This is truly mind-expanding music, and therefore highly recommended!

Digitonal
The Centre Cannot Hold, CD-EP

London threepiece Digitonal set out to combine elements of classical and electronic dance music. Not an easy task, for many musicians have tried and failed miserably in this endeavour.

Made in Sheffield
Music documentary, DVD

Sheffield, it seems, is the ugly duckling among the major cities in the north of England. Abandoned warehouses, derelict council estates and grimy "dark satanic mills" form the backdrop for a barren cultural wasteland - at least that's what a mainstream box office success movie like "The Full Monty" made you believe.

Hypnotique
The Hanging Garden, CD

Here at last, the debut album by one-woman band Susi O' Neill, who is also known as Hypnotique. Titled "The Hanging Garden", the album will be available in a limited edition of a few hundred copies only.

Corrugated Tunnel
Chainsmoking, Mini-CD

Edwin James is another offshoot from a seemingly thriving Irish electronic music scene. His current project Corrugated Tunnel offers a journey through some recordings that were originally meant to be the acoustic backdrop to a film.

Sector 13
Black Current And Lime Light, CD

The days of Western civilization are numbered, and just in case you haven't already noticed that, there's always Sector 13 to tell you. Expect a cynical, yet not all too serious, free-form soundtrack about the world as we know it.

Jimmy Behan
Days Are What We Live In, CD

The mayfly has landed, straight on the cover of Jimmy Behan's latest album "Days Are What We Live In". With the delicate and short-lived insect in mind, immerse yourself into a sonic potpourri of harmonious and "organic" electronica of almost Arcadian quality.

Leisur::hive
3 Ton Edition, CD

Leisur::hive have gone their own way and released their second album with no backing from a professional record label. As you would expect, the new album sounds more mature and refined than its predecessor "Spasm", yet still feels as cuddly as sandpaper.

Mutant Throbbing Gristle
TG Remixed, CD

So Throbbing Gristle are finally back it seems, with re-issues and re-mixes of their past material being released, a one-off re-union show that mysteriously had to be cancelled and downsized to a "secret gig", and even talk of a new album. But the question is: have TG ever been away?

Living With Eating Disorders
White Like Snow, CD

The Beatles had their "white album", so why shouldn't Living with Eating Disorders have one of their own? And here it is, white like snow. Talking of albums: with a playing time of just about 29 minutes for three songs and three re-mixes, "White like Snow" is not really a full-length album.

Cobra Killer
76/77, CD

Cobra Killer, a female twosome from Berlin, seem to be en vogue in trendy circles. This must have to do with Cobra Killer's relentlessly distributed retro chic, both music- and fashionwise. Some of their songs do have addictive qualities and could well live beyond the hype.

Various Artists
Eklectra, CD

Small Dublin-based record label Elusive aim to bring a breeze of fresh Éire to the rest of the world. To achieve this, Elusive have compiled an album called "Eklectra", featuring a host of mainly unknown talent from the Emerald Isle.

Max Richter
The Blue Notebooks, CD

Classical and electronic music don't team up well. Says who? Certainly not Max Richter who feels perfectly comfortable in both fields, as can be witnessed on his latest album "The Blue Notebooks". It's a slow-paced and slightly depressing work involving natural and synthetic sounds.

Andrew King
The Amfortas Wound, CD

The wound that would not heal, as featured in the tragic story of Amfortas, the legendary keeper of the Holy Grail, stands for eternal grief and symbolizes Andrew King's emotional state when recording this album. Music-wise, it is a beautiful collection of traditional English folk songs.

The Ghost of Lemora
More Dodgy Demos, Demo-CD

London foursome The Ghost Of Lemora are often described by critics as a traditional Goth band, and this demo-CD does nothing to prove this wrong. The Ghost of Lemora certainly have the potential to develop a style of their own. Right now, it's more of a deja-vu experience.

Various Artists
Construction Sonor, DCD

A quite unusual concept-album, curated by Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia and literally dedicated to the underground: it's a sonic homage to the railway tunnel that's currently being drilled through the Swiss alps to link the Northern and Southern parts of Europe's rail network.

Asmus Tietchens
FT+, CD

Small American record label Crouton present FT+, comprising 9 sonic miniatures by artists like Jon Mueller and C. Rosenau, carefully de-constructed and re-joined by German experimental musician Asmus Tietchens.

Richard H. Kirk
TWAT 4.0, CD

Richard H. Kirk has been one of the electronic music scene's busy bees ever since the early days of Cabaret Voltaire more than 25 years ago. TWAT 4.0 is his latest release, but music-wise it conjures up memories of early Cabaret Voltaire.

Living With Eating Disorders
More Than This, Demo-CD

Three new tracks by Living With Eating Disorders, delivered in their characteristic style - and with a litte help from mastermind John Fryer who has remixed one of the songs. "More Than This" feels a bit like a refined add-on to the band's first Demo-CD "Selling Self Hate".

Philip Jeck
Host, CD

"Host" is DIY-artist and vinyl aficionado Philip Jeck's latest release on compact disc and features three musical pieces plus a video illustrating the "making of" Philip's LoFi-music. Philip crops and shapes, translates and mangles the sounds that have almost exclusively been taken from old vinyl records.

Coil
Live Four, CD

Four live-CDs set out to capture the spirit of Coil's latest (and presumably last) concert tour in 2002. "Live Four" comprises recordings from the tour's final concerts held in Vienna and Prague, and in true backwards-fashion this CD has been released first in the live album series.

Various Artists
Sub Rosa Anthology Volume 2, DCD

This is part 2 of Belgian label Sub Rosa's anthologies of noise and electronic music, and again it has been compiled with love and care for the detail. It comes in a luxurious gatefold-digipack with an abundance of sleeve notes on the history of electronic music and the artists featured.

Arne Nordheim
Dodeka, CD

"Dodeka" is the Greek term for the number 12, and 12 early pieces by Norwegian avantgarde composer Arne Nordheim have been gathered on this retrospective album. Expect an impressive journey through a world full of sonic marvels, for the first time available to the listening public.

Ambulance
The Curse Of Vale Do Lobo, CD

Two guys from Ireland and an extensive journey through all sorts of electronic tinkering, that's basically what the band name Ambulance stands for. Their debut full-length album shows an immense fascination for complex arrangements and advanced rhythms.

Bocksholm
The Sound Of Black Cloggs, CD

Bocksholm is an "all-star" band project combining the talents of Peter Andersson (of Raison D' Etre and Stratum Terror fame) and the artist known as Lina Baby Doll (another Peter Andersson, Deutsch Nepal). "The Sound Of Black Cloggs" is their second joint effort.

David Sylvian
Blemish, CD

Former Japan-singer David Sylvian has taken a considerable amount of time to complete his new studio album - nearly four years have passed since the predecessor "Bees On A Dead Cake" came out. The new album won't be on display in record shops, but is exclusively available via David Sylvian's website.

Siouxsie and the Banshees
The Seven Year Itch Live, DVD

Almost one year after their "Reunion"-tour, Siouxsie Sioux and her Banshees have released a live video of their London gig at Shepherds Bush's Empire. Expect a solid performance without major surprises. Sadly, no new tunes included.

Living With Eating Disorders
Selling Self-Hate, CD (Demo)

Living with eating disorders can be really troublesome, but that is not what this London-based band is about. Their name they borrowed from a TV programme, their musical style from the shelves of the past 20 years of pop music history.

ATP 3.0
Compilation, DCD

With a sackful of prominent artists from the musical underground the yearly All Tomorrow's Parties event is certainly one of the festival highlights. ATP 3.0 sums up this year's line-up at the UK branch in the shape of a double-LP/-CD package.

Sogar
Apikal.Blend, CD

German expatriate Juergen Heckel, currently living in Paris, has released his third album as solo artist Sogar. Apikal.Blend is a somewhat esoteric effort, full of multi-layered arrangements and floating sounds that create an almost hypnotizing atmosphere.

The Magic Band
Back To The Front, CD

Good heavens, Experimental Rock is upon us again as the legendary Magic Band rejoin for a tribute to their erstwhile master Don Van Vliet, aka Captain Beefheart. And they have recorded "Back To The Front", a 17-track album, to accompany a couple of live concerts in Europe and the USA.

John Hegre
A Nice Place To Leave, CD (3 inch)

John Hegre, a Norwegian jack-of-all-musical-trades, has traveled the worlds of Jazz, Noise and Pop likewise throughout his musical career. "A Nice Place To Leave" is his first solo album, albeit a very short one: it comprises just three improvisational pieces.

Crescent
By The Roads And The Fields, CD

Bristol eccentrics Crescent can hardly be accused of jumping on anyone's bandwagon. They are clearly one of those bands that do not care much about rigid formulae and closed structures. This is best exemplified by their latest release, a collection of slightly depressing and introvert tunes.

Dave Gahan
Paper Monsters, CD

When rock stars become a bit bored with their main source of income, they often go for musical solo projects. Shortly after band mate Martin Gore's release featuring a bunch of cover tunes comes Depeche Mode crooner Dave Gahan's first solo album "Paper Monsters", a collection of songs penned by Dave and American musician Knox Chandler.

Sylvain Chauveau
Un Autre Décembre, CD

Imagine a cold winter day, the chilly yet gracious silence broken only by snatches of notes played on an old piano. The musical voice comes from the distance, maybe from the apartment downstairs, where a lonely piano player, in his attempt to reflect the coldness of the world around him, caresses, then gently pushes, the keys in ivory and black.

Holger Czukay and U-She
The New Millennium, CD

It's a rare experience to see a current release refer to the "new" millennium, as all the turn-of-the-millennium-craze had fortunately died away just a few weeks into the year 2000. Why is it then that Can-veteran Holger Czukay has chosen that title? Because, according to Holger himself, "this album would never have fitted into the old millennium".

Ex Eu
Tended Rope, CD

Ex Eu, an acronymic version of "Extended Europe", is an artistic statement about the forthcoming political and economical integration of several Eastern European countries into the European Union, but it is also a homage to experimental and vocal music from the Eastern parts of Europe.

Echoboy
Giraffe, CD

Richard Warren, aka Echoboy, has re-discovered the beauty of the ordinary pop song. 12 songs are gathered on "Giraffe", all of them really accessible tunes, but not without the odd twists and warps. A slightly surprising, but promising album from Echoboy.

Supersilent
6, CD

In a rare case of constant improvement these four outstanding musicians that make up Norwegian improvisational group Supersilent have released their sixth album, simply called "6". Song titles? Nope, choose a number instead.

Cabaret Voltaire
The Original Sound Of Sheffield '78/'82, CD

Straight from Mute's Grey Area archives comes this compilation on CD, featuring classic material of one of Sheffield's most influential bands, Cabaret Voltaire - recorded way before the band headed for a prototype House-/Techno-sound.

Patricia Warren
British Film Studios - An Illustrated History, Book

Film historian Patricia Warren has compiled a pretty comprehensive work on the history of Britain's film production, with special regard to the studios. More than 100 years of British film history are covered by illustrated stories on more than 90 studios, both famous and long forgotten ones.

Reginald Smith Brindle
The New Music. The Avantgarde since 1945, Book

This highly inspired, intelligent and concise look at the experimental fringes of modern music is still a very good introduction to musical ideas and concepts beyond the confinement of traditional songwriting. A special chapter is dedicated to electronic music and its influence on the music of today and tomorrow.

Biosphere
Shenzhou, CD

Norwegian electronic musician Geir Jensen's current album goes way beyond the boldest expectations. The new tracks are filled with tranquillity, and even the characteristically sombre Nordic sound clusters stay in the background this time.

Komputer
Market Led, CD

London-based electronic twosome Komputer discover the magic of simplicity on their latest release. "Market Led" is a total breakaway from its predecessor "World Of Tomorrow", as their current attitude favours an experimental approach instead of pop song standards.

Suicide
American Supreme, CD

Three decades and four studio albums after heading off under the monicker Suicide, Alan Vega and Martin Rev have released a new record - just 10 years after their album "Why Be Blue". Like it or not, their latest offering "American Supreme" is definitely a departure from the traditional Suicide sound.

Coil remixed by DraZen
The Plastic Spider Thing, CD

DraZen of Swiss radical performance art group Black Sun Productions has remixed a couple of Coil tracks old and new in order to create a soundtrack for Black Sun's performance "Plastic Spider Thing", a ritualistic work about the complex relationship between the spider and the fly.

Mark Pauline and GX Jupitter-Larsen
Survival Research Laboratories Soundtrack, CD

SRL founder Mark Pauline and GX Jupitter Larsen present a very special kind of soundtrack, compiled of recordings done for (and from) several shows of the Survival Research Laboratories. Expect an amorphous mix of fierce and warped noises coming at you at full throttle.

Tony Wilson
24 Hour Party People, Paperback

A novel based on the screenplay for the movie "24 Hour Party People" and written by Tony Wilson himself. This could be the ultimate story of Manchester's best-known independent label Factory Records - or a quick cash-in on the film's relative success.

Irvine Welsh
The Acid House, VHS Video

"The Acid House" contains three short stories by Irvine Welsh, adapted for the screen. Enter the world of Scottish working-class losers, including heaps of bad taste, physical violence, swearing, strong accents - and a guest appearance by God.

Peter Murphy
Dust, CD

"Dust" is Peter Murphy's eighth solo album and a very seasoned and harmonic effort. It skilfully combines musical influences from the Orient and Occident, thus expanding the vocabulary of alternative pop music. The music has a very relaxant quality, it's almost like floating on a wave of notes.

Leisurehive
Spasm, CD

With their bandname borrowed from a Doctor Who episode and musical influences apparently ranging from 1960ies' Psychedelia to Atonal Music, Leisurehive follow their own distinctive path. All this is summed up on their current release "Spasm".

Dead Voices On Air
Frankie Pett Presents..., CD

It's hard to pin down what this CD is all about, while at the same time it's very obvious that boundless experimentation is a major concern for Mark Spybey's project Dead Voices On Air. Enter the story of Klaverland and the happy submarines.

Dave Haslam
Manchester, England. Paperback

Dave Haslam presents a highly individual look on the story of Manchester, from the dawn of the Industrial Revolution some 200 years ago to the birth of Acid House music in the late 1980ies, and beyond. Definitely goes far beyond the book's almost humble subtitle "The story of the pop cult city".

Raoul Bjorkenheim
with Scorch Trio, CD

Finno-American guitarist Raoul Bjorkenheim has travelled between musical styles from Ambient to Avantgarde, Jazz and World Music for the past two decades. His latest offering is a CD he recorded as part of the Scorch Trio - what an ensemble!

Jah Wobble's Solaris
Live In Concert 2002, CD

Jah Wobble, bass player extraordinaire and formerly with bands as diverse as Public Image Limited (P.I.L.), Human Condition or Invaders Of The Heart, takes a different route with his recent band project "Solaris". This is their current live recording.

Thee Majesty
Time's Up CD

This highly disturbing release is the result of several recording sessions Genesis P. Orridge and Bryin Dall did in 1998 and 1999. A strange mixture of spoken words and manipulated sounds, this CD is definitely to be filed under "Uneasy Listening".

24 Hour Party People
The movie

Director Michael Winterbottom has dedicated his latest production to the rise and fall of Tony Wilson and the Manchester music scene between 1976 and 1992. It' s not a documentary film, but rather a tongue-in-cheek look at Mancunian pop culture, seen through the eyes of the infamous Wilson.

Seventh Harmonic
The Awakening CD
 
Seventh Harmonic are a female threesome from London with a preference for dreamy, ethereal and otherworldly soundscapes. "The Awakening" is their first CD and shows the band have a talent for writing memorable songs for the quiet moments in life.