Jon and Helena Marsh in their natural habitat

After five years at the top of the electropop tree, Basildon boys Martin Gore and Alan Wilder talk tech with Paul Tingen.

Unbitten by the digital bug, Vince Clarke only drives analogue.

Portable Sampling Keyboard

You want a synthesiser, a drum machine, a sequencer and a sampler, but you've got less than £500 to spend? Home-keyboard buyers are currently being offered just such a package, as Dan Goldstein discovers.

Eclectic electricians who do unofficial world cup themes and official singles called 'Philip Glass'.

Canada Dry

Michael Brook, inventor of the Infinite Guitar, is a guitarist, composer and producer with a good deal of talent and a taste for the unusual. Paul Tingen met him to talk about his forthcoming Cobalt Blue album.

Neatly sidestepping the monotonous beats and cliched melodies that typify too many dance acts, this Swiss-American collaboration are making refreshing music. Simon Trask and Heinrich Zwahlen share a technical obsession.

SY-DP50

On Technic's hybrid Preset/Programmable digital drum machine the SY-DP50.

Omar: comin' to ya, on a dust road

Andy McCluskey

Andy McCluskey reveals his dislike for synth programming and his penchant for the classics.

Howard Jones was the first keyboard player to successfully exploit the new technology to the full by regularly performing solo concerts with nothing but MIDI instruments as his backing band. In this rare interview, Brian Jacobs talks to Howard about his music, recording, his decision to produce most of his new album himself, and his growing admiration for an instrument he once said he would never use.

Making their presence felt in the singles charts once again, New Order are celebrating eight years together with a new album and forthcoming tour. David Bradwell and Chris Williams investigate the Order of things.

Evolution Procyon Pro

Budget sequencing for PC

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 Luxury Gap boys pat themselves on the back after recording their fourth album, 'Pleasure One'. Tim Goodyer finds out how it was done, and discovers the threesome may soon be playing their first-ever concerts.

Beating Like This

...Beating Like This. In the third part in our series on creative drum programming, Chris Meyer and Matt Isaacson take a detailed look at the various trigger-to-MIDI converters now available.

After calling it a day with seventies’ supergroup The Band, and an interim period spent scoring soundtracks for Martin Scorsese films, guitarist Robbie Robertson has teamed up with Daniel Lanois, Peter Gabriel and U2 to create an impeccable first solo outing. Mark Prendergast lends the album an appreciative ear.

Having helped to create Britain's Northern techno scene, Unique 3 claim it doesn't actually exist. Simon Trask listens to this and other enigmas from one of the country's most creative dance outfits.

A voice, a few guitars, a bit of processing, and a hell of a lot of inspiration. Mark J. Prendergast investigates...

The move from fashion model to pop starlet is many a young girl's dream but Lizzie Tear is already over halfway there. David Bradwell counts the remixes.

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.

As PWL's in-house mixer, Pete Hammond can claim to have had a hand in even more chart singles than Stock, Aitken & Waterman. David Bradwell finds out what makes a hit record.

Software for Apple Macintosh

Passport's Mastertracks has been one of the leading Macintosh sequencing programs for several years. Mike Collins boots up the latest version to check on its progress.

Hitmakers Heaven 17 reveal how they've harnessed the hardware on How Men Are.