An overview

Mark Prendergast presents a general overview of record labels, artists, and recordings that make up the exciting area of new electronic and experimental music in the late 1980s.

Soundcheck

The keystone of Japan's national sport comes under the oriental gaze of Martin Moody

Rugged adventures recording Balinese music

Emu Proteus 3 World

Emu's new Proteus 3 is to hi-tech music what Phileas Fogg is to convenience foods. Nigel Humberstone tries a taste of authentic sounds from around the world.

Form Or Function: What Are We Paying For?

Do manufacturers and distributors care too much about the appearance of products and not enough about performance? Paul Wiffen offers an insider view.

SR 100, SR 100B

The latest budget priced bass and six string from Japan.

And what news there is. A special preview on the Frankfurt fair, lifting the veil on 1987's most important gear.

hot shot oriental entries

Goes Chrimbo Crazy

A special seasonal waft of your favourite news and gossip column, this time drifting through the whole magazine and including mini-interviews with the likes of China Crisis and jokes from the likes of us. The fun starts here.

Preview of a micro

As Fifth Generation computing takes more definite shape, David Ellis goes crystal ball-gazing in an attempt to predict its musical implications.

Tama are the first acoustic percussion manufacturer to enter the electronic arena: Paul White tested the first example in the country to see if the Japanese could make something more than a Simmons copy.

Roland Desk Top Media Press Conference

What is 1¾" high, has 31 voices, plays the piano, vibraphone and sax, and has its own library? Simon Trask checks out Roland's latest PCM sample module.

CD ROM Player

Expensive it maybe, but CD ROM storage is one way of making a sampler a much more powerful instrument. And if you're using a Roland S550, it may not be as expensive as you think, as Simon Trask discovers.

BMF Report

Lager bottle in hand, the Editor guides you through the gallery of new music technology on demonstration at last month's newly-public British Music Fair. Plus lots of photographs so that those who missed it can find out what the gear looks like.

Fostex Foundation 2000

Incorporating the News. And starring all you need to know about the new products and where they'll be. The one you need.

Following last month's list of synthesis casualties, David Ellis delves deeper into the archives and finds yet more mysterious products of human ingenuity. Some of them are quite spectacular.

Korg's very latest keyboard is non other than a touch-sensitive, sub-£1000, 8-voice FM synthesizer! Mark Jenkins managed to catch a sneak preview.

Lookout... it's coming this way!