CATEGORIES

Shadow Child

Mars Armada Electronic Elements, 2020

Korg SoundLink MW-2408 Hybrid mixer £1,199

These new hybrid mixers boast some serious design pedigree. Si Truss asks if they live up to their heritage…

Erica Synths Fusion System II €1,950

The Latvians are back with three new vacuum-tastic modules. Rob Redman gives them a go

BT

Grammy-nominated film score composer and trance legend Brian Transeau is back with his first dance music album in seven years. Danny Turner explores his stunning studio and obsession with technology

David Strickland

One of North America’s most successful audio engineers, this Canadian has made a huge contribution to hip-hop and indigenous music cultures. Danny Turner hears his take on the industry today and becoming an artist

Beardyman Distractions

Tummy Touch, 2014

Akai's MPC Beats is a free ‘beat-making DAW' for Mac/PC

...and the brand’s newly-updated MPK mini controller is ready to take control

Ableton Wavetable

Take a deep dive into Live’s newest onboard synth which promises to have your sound design making waves

How To…Record Everything!

Let’s explore the art of recording, from pristine, carefully prepared studio sessions, all the way through to more deliberately lo-fi recordings

LOOKING BACK

On 25 July this year the world lost a music icon. Peter Green’s legacy goes far beyond what words can convey – and yet words are all we have. In the following pages, people who knew Peter, worked with him or saw him play during his rise to prominence in the late 60s offer their impressions of a humble master of the blues

WIRE CHOICE

Some like ‘modern-style’, others opt for ‘vintage’. But what do different wiring methods actually bring to your sound, asks a reader

Dynamic Duo

Revv’s high-gain head comes loaded with Two Notes Torpedo making it perfect for stage and studio – a small footprint with a huge sound

BIBI MCGILL

Bibi McGill – the former lead guitarist and musical director for R&B icon Beyoncé – is also a producer, DJ, masterclass mentor and yogi. We check in with the American guitar guru mid-lockdown to talk music making, inspiration and finding inner peace…

Good Ol' 55

Inspired by the Gibson Les Paul Junior – and a great song by Tom Waits – Eastman’s SB55 is a tribute to a 66-year-old guitar that just refuses to retire

DION

Coming up on the Bronx’s mean streets as the poster boy of 50s doo-wop was just the start for Dion DiMucci. Spared from the 1959 plane crash that killed tour-mate Buddy Holly, then seduced by the blues, his six-decade path has led through treacherous Southern juke joints, crippling addiction, rebirth and his late-period status as a rock ’n’ roll founding father. Now, with the release of new solo album, Blues With Friends – its all-star tracklisting featuring guitar luminaries from Jeff Beck to Joe Bonamassa – the 81-year-old New Yorker’s influence and legacy are beyond doubt.

Cort & Spark

An all-solid OM acoustic that comes Fishman-powered and feature-packed. And the price won’t break your heart, either…

Communication Breakdown

Two classic ‘tone-bending’ fuzz flavours side by side

LESS CAN BE MORE

It’s a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world reckons Dave Burrluck (via Ray Davies). When did cheap guitars get so good? We put one under the Mod Squad microscope…

GLXY

She Sings for Me ft. DRS Shogun Audio, 2020

Audeze LCD-1 headphones - £399

The high-end headphone brand dips under the £500 barrier for the first time. Si Truss takes a listen

Mousse T. Gourmet De Funk

Peppermint Jam, 2002

Sub Focus & Wilkinson

To develop their drum & bass collaboration, Sub Focus and Wilkinson retreated to Peter Gabriel’s iconic Real World Studios. Danny Turner discovers how the genre-defining album took shape

Output Thermal - £134

This multi-stage distortion has the potential to really heat up your tracks, as Si Truss discovers…

BJ Burton

LA-based producer and mix engineer BJ Burton is best known for working with Bon Iver and Sylvan Esso, plus fruitful collaborations with Eminem and Kanye West. Danny Turner discusses his career to date

Audient EVO 4 - £99

With such an abundance of simple audio interfaces around, Jon Musgrave is interested to find out if this new one from Audient has anything special to offer

Arturia AudioFuse Studio - £839

The prolific French developers’ latest audio interface promises high flexibility – was Simon Arblaster en-Fused by it?

Amnesia Scanner

With second LP Tearless, the Berlin duo add ominous vocal effects and metal-influenced riffs into the mix with their ‘avant-EDM’ sound. Si Truss quizzes them on their creative process...

Garage Music

Forgive us the sweeping generalisation, but we reckon it’s fair to say that most musical styles are invented by musicians and producers first before being adopted by labels, DJs and journalists. Garage music – at least in its original form – is an extreme outlier. Not only can we trace the sound back to one club, it also comes back to one DJ: Larry Levan.

In The Woodshed

This month Charlie Griffiths shows us how adopting arpeggios over your blues turnarounds can help you break out of Pentatonic Prison.

Altered Scale

This month Jens Larsen of Fundamental Changes examines a great scale for adding tension and release over Dominant chords.