Great early work from Biting Tongues – a group who gave Factory Records a few great singles in the mid 80s, but who are heard here a few years before – on an album that was only issued on cassette at the time! We've always loved these guys – and they've got a way of mixing the punk/funk of A Certain Ratio with some of the moodier currents of the Manchester scene – touched also by lots of great lines on trumpet and tenor sax, the latter of which almost gives their music some Blurt-like qualities! Yet the rhythms also move more in the cold wave mode – which mixes with the horns and live percussion to create a very cool blend – on titles that include "Denture Beach", "Read This", "Unhook That Boy", "Forty Three", "Evening State", "Or With Eyes Closed", and "Reflector". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the strangest collaborations of the post-punk years in England – a one-off project that unites reedman Lol Coxhill with Gerry & The Holograms – an offbeat combo who were perfect for the odd range of ideas that Coxhill always wanted to express! Lol's best known these days for his free jazz improvisations – but back in the 70s, he would often cross the tracks to work with artists in a range of different styles – which he does here beautifully, adding both his voice and his reeds to the record – while the rest of the group create tunes that are slightly punky, sometimes funky, and resonate with the best spirit of the DIY generation. Titles include "Discolero", "Rhino Whip", "Snap It Around", "Relentless", "Camracadabra", "Psychle Sluts", "Samurai Swords", and "You Were Never There". Also features bonus tracks "Cob On" and "Tootsies". LP, Vinyl record album

Underground work from the Manchester scene at the start of the 80s – and work that's even more deeply underground than some of the city's post-punk classics at the time! Spider King only ever issued a track or two back in the day, but the music on this first full LP is worthy of the best from the North England indie world at the time – sometimes as dark as the early cold wave material, sometimes more witty and catchy, with almost a new wave vibe – all done with a homemade brew of electronics, keyboards, and basslines – plus maybe a slight bit of punkish sneer in the vocals. Only two of the album's ten tracks was released before, and titles include "Shot To Pieces", "City Girls", "Mad Dog", "Chinese Takeaway", "Back On The Pills", and "Would You Wanna Die For England". LP, Vinyl record album

Very cool work from Jean-Luic Aime – ex-member of Univers Zero, working here in a very heady brew of cold wave electronics! The music shifts between spare, almost tuneful numbers that remind us a bit of Minny Pops or Young Marble Giants – and some much more experimental sounds that belie Aime's legacy – done with a homegrown feel that would have been right at home in the darker corners of the early Crammed Disc universe! The album brings together tracks from a few different small-label cassette recordings, with full notes on the music from Andy Votel – and titles include "Prima Linea", "Scorpio", "Coaltar Saponine", "I Can Help You You Know", and "Ultrissima On The J's M". LP, Vinyl record album

Daft Punk's epic second live album – an uncommon feat for an electronic act of their era, in that they had that kind of pop or rock cache to build a reputation as a must see live "band', without compromising their club floor shaking genius – and a bit of a classic in its own right. This one came a decade after their first, and again somehow harnessing the show's energy in perfect form and blasting it outta the speakers – and it includes Robot Rock", "Oh Yeah", "Steam Machine", "Brainwasher", "Superheroes", "Rock N Roll", "Alive", "Da Funk", "One More Time", "Prime Tiem Of Your Life", "Short Circuit" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A massive bit of funk – and from 70s France, no less! These guys clearly come from a jazz-based background – and have absorbed some of the best electric influences of their time – working in a keyboard-heavy mode that's clearly inspired by Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul, and George Duke – yet also kicking up a groove that's a bit more down and dirty, and more in the instrumental funk mode overall. The sound of the set's incredible – really raw, riffy, and filled with plenty of snapping hard grooves – and the used of the keys is sublime throughout, changing mood from track to track, but always staying funky! Titles include "Penwick", "Marathonic", "Ergocentric", "La Moto Verite", "Psychocross", "Ring Modulator", "Plongee Synthetique", "Kayak", and "Cache Catch". LP, Vinyl record album