The release of Jason Rebello's first LP shows him to be more than the tasteful performer the jazz circuit already recognises. Simon Trask talks to one of Britain's leading jazz keyboardsmen.

Although Michael Nyman's name and music became known through Peter Greenaway's extraordinary films, Prospero's Books may see not just the peak but also the end of their creative partnership. But Nyman has other strings to his bow, as Mark J. Prendergast discovers.

UB40 exclusive... the drums go digital... Plus Dread at the Controls - top producer Mikey Dread dubs it up, and reveals some trade secrets...

The unique demands on the BBC Radiophonic Workshop have placed it in the forefront of developments in high technology music. Their latest development- a new style of MIDI suite - is an innovation not only in terms of the technology that's employed, but also in the geography’ of the working environment. Richard Elen takes an exclusive first look at the new studio.

BUYING & USING: percussion

how to choose percussion instruments, and how to use them once you’ve got them home

Hendrix rises again - thanks to two musicians, a helpful bureaucrat, and a rack-full of Akais

Performer 3.5

Following hot on the heels of their MIDI Time Piece, Mark of the Unicorn release a major upgrade to Performer, the world's first 'professional' computer MIDI sequencer. Kendall Wrightson looks at what's new in an old favourite.

Chronicles of a moustachioed maestro. Philip Bashe reporting.

Paul White drops in on Mark Gander at the JBL factory in North ridge, Los Angeles in the hope of getting a free tour jacket.

Feel Every Beat

Are Electronic, mutant offspring of New Order, The Smiths and the Pet Shop Boys, the first electro-supergroup? Does it matter? Mark J. Prendergast ignores the hype, sidesteps trivial speculation, and talks technical to Bernard Sumner.

There can be few musicians who've amassed such a huge collection of synthesisers as the ex-Buggles keyboardist. Paul Wiffen talks to him about his machines, and finds he still finds a use for most of them.

The saga goes on outlining the hazards that befall anyone trying to get an ounce of sense out of a record company.

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.

Tony Visconti's studio, Good Earth, in the heart of London's West End owes its success to a combination of the right services and good management.

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.

Roland RD1000 Piano

How does Roland's new SAS resynthesis system go about imitating a grand piano? Dan Goldstein digs deep inside the RD1000 and its modular counterpart, the MKS20, and submits a glowing report.

The Musical Instrument Digital Interface has revolutionised the way we write and record music. Martin Russ delves deep into MIDI's 10-year history, explains its many recent changes and additions, and looks ahead to see what the future will hold.

Are The Art of Noise? Is Adrian Deevoy?

It may be at the bottom of the mix, but it's often the heart of the song: the bass. Tom McLaughlin offers some sound advice on sampling the electric bass guitar.

Having made your decision to opt for a software-based MIDI music system, which computer do you choose? Which is best? Are they all the same? Mark Badger considers the three prime contenders.

Polyphonic Sampling Keyboard

An exclusive, in-depth report on the machine that promises to bring Emulator quality to the masses. Paul Wiffen, Emulator fan, finds out if the promises are fulfilled.

Music On The PC

Panicos Georghiades and Gabriel Jacobs explain how, with the aid of plug-in sound and MIDI interface cards, you can transform that most unmusical of computers, the PC.

Phil Ward Xplores the Real World of CD-ROM and multimedia

Take one of the most influential electronic composers of the current generation, a Fairlight, an entire library of vocal recordings from all over the world, and a few more-than-talented guest musicians, and you have the recipe for Zoolook, Jean-Michel Jarre's latest album. Here he talks about its creation.