Is there more to Britain's latest megastars than a barrel-load of hype, a few jars of hair gel and a clever Giorgio Moroder production job? After talking to the band, Tim Goodyer thinks there is.

Wig out with the kings of hype

Fresh from Germany - Mark Moore spoke to us about the European music scene and the kind of technology he uses

Boots No 7 or Fairlight Series 3? Tony Reed trades fashion tips with the Duran and Arcadia ivory-tinkler

What made Milwaukee nauseous

Heavy, hairy and loud

Contractual hassles have kept musician/producer Bill Nelson hopping from one record label to another since the demise of Be-Bop Deluxe, yet he has still managed to record some exemplary albums using the facility of his 16-track home studio. Ian Gilby finds out how he put his new album together.

Are record producers losing their touch now they've regained their influence? Are DJs better-equipped to make music that moves? Simon Trask gets the answers from an objective source - one of Britain's top remix DJs.

The words "Stock, Aitken & Waterman" have adorned 50 hit singles in the last two years. Tim Goodyer finds there are two secrets to their success: determination and new technology.

Look no backing tapes! Sigue Sigue Sputnik play live without the aid of a safety net, Jim Betteridge fumbles for his ear plugs.

Who you (the readers) voted as best musician, and what you (still the readers) voted as best gear. We shake the world.

Record Deals

And how they are got. We talk to five recent getters of the said deals, and relay advice and tactics

A studio devoted to the service of the community.

THE OPINIONS SECTION WHERE THE EXPERTS TAKE EXCEPTION

A spotty youth gets snotty

Pop Videos? Pap Videos!

Let fury have the hour

What spew!

Jazz for the record

Recording your own music is only the first step to getting it heard; to do that, you need to deal with A&R people at record companies. Paul Tingen meets them, and discovers why so few bands succeed in impressing them.

Everything you wanted to know about A&R men - but only MT dared to ask.

The musicians' gossip column. Stuff you wouldn't believe. (We didn't.)

Shock discovery for instrument makers - funny you should say that.

Four-stringed readers of Making Music show one-stringers how to go further.

Joking apart, this one-off practical column makes the rest of the magazine look quite serious.

The BMF Goes Up In...

Read today the Bob Dylan story a friend will tell you in the pub next week.