The Beautiful People: If 60s Were 90s...

A colourful bonanza of newly released and forthcoming new products.

Currently proving to the world that there can be more to metal than breakneck guitar riffs and sexist lyrics, Living Colour's Vernon Reid talks samples and technology with Lars Lofas and Nick Armington.

Recording 'Ordinary World'

The big names have more in common with home recording than you might think — most of this album was recorded in the guitarist's lounge!

The original hurdy-gurdy man takes Tim Barr on an ambient perambulation through his current project, System 7

After five years in the wilderness, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are back with a new LP and tour. Tim Goodyer talks to Andy McCluskey about the value of technology.

Sampling Module

After much pre-publicity, Cheetah's first venture into the world of samplers is here. It's 16-bit stereo, reads S900 disks and is reviewed by Vic Lennard.

Back in the '60s it was Jefferson Airplane, then it was Jefferson Starship, then it was simply Starship. Brad Leigh Benjamin compares notes with the Synclavier king of one of rock's institutions.

From their excellent 1984 debut single 'Venceremos', Working Week have charted a unique course between fashionability and credibility. Simon Trask works out with Simon Booth.

From the Midlands' techno culture comes the hardcore sound of Rhythmatic. Simon Trask investigates one of the bands on the ground floor of Britain's fastest-growing musical movement.

Into The Nineties

Stereo Sample Editor for the Macintosh

Sampling keyboards have come a long way in the last three years, and as a result, the visual editing software available has rather fallen behind the specifications and features of current machines. Until now that is, with the advent of Alchemy from Blank Software, boasting a whole bunch of features new to computer-based sample editors. Paul Wiffen investigates.

A review of the Desert Island sample library for the Ensoniq EPS joins a selection of readers own patches for the Korg M1, Ensoniq SQ80 and Yamaha TX81Z in this month's Patchwork.

David Mellor takes a day trip to the University College of North Wales in Bangor to visit the first studio in Britain to take delivery of an Akai DR1200 digital multitrack recorder.

Since the members of Ultravox went their separate ways, Billy Currie's solo career has taken him from band leader, through studio owner, to record label boss for the release of his second solo album. Interview by Mark Jenkins.

Responsible for establishing artists like Yazz and Lisa Stansfield, Coldcut also have a reputation for being one of the most innovative production teams around. Tim Goodyer learns about their new LP and the future of computer graphics.

Studio pursuits with the violin

Stereo Digital Sampler

If Roland's S770 super sampler presented too high a target for many of us, the S750 may be the news we've been waiting for. Simon Trask investigates the challenger to the Akai S1000 crown.

Why limit music to the sounds you hear or the run-of-the-mill images that litter video and concert appearances? Steve Cogan discovers that there's no reason at all - for Meat Beat Manifesto.

Mission In Action

Instead of recording their latest opus in expensive pro studios, the Mission have been laying tracks in a rural barn. It might seem they've fallen from grace; Robert Michael finds it ain't necessarily so.

The line between man and machine is blurred; today there exists an entity whose purpose is to make music. Simon Trask discovers that its sights are locked on the dance charts and it absolutely will not stop.

Recording Peter Gabriel's Us

Since heralding in a new musical era in 1976 with the release of his innovative synthesizer-based opus, 'Oxygene', Jean-Michel Jarre has gone on to sell almost 34 million records worldwide. Currently embarking on a new album project, as well as planning a series of concerts to welcome in the new decade, Richard Buskin visited Jarre in his home studio to talk about the technology behind his music.

This month's colourful round up of new products to tempt and tantalise.