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Direct imaging, a major advancement in 1991, is alive and doing well. While crowds at Print 91 (Chicago) watched offset printing plates being imaged directly on press, visions of fast [...]

Mark Hardy oversees marketing for one of the entertainment industry's biggest successes - Simon Cowell's Syco Music. Interview by Ed Owen. Mark Hardy gives the impression that perfection is achievable, [...]

Vladimir Malugin, EMEA marketing director at HTC, has an ostensibly simple aim - to take smartphones to the masses. Interview by Ed Owen. HTC could become a textbook case study [...]

DC Confidential Christopher Meyer Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 288pp, £20 The sight of the British establishment laying into someone who has broken the rules of the game is rarely a pretty [...]

It is 'the ultimate evil' and 'the most intense form of systematic cruelty in the history of humanity'. Strong stuff. Yet these are not descriptions of the Holocaust or the [...]

The second single from their Finisterre album sees Sarah Cracknell's sugary vocals paired alongside the rhymes of London-based MC Wildflower for a melodic hip-hop twist on Saint Etienne's trademark sound. [...]

No new act attracted greater press attention in the second half of 2001 than mob-handed, south London-based UK garage collective So Solid Crew. What began as an underground musical phenomenon [...]

Mum & Dad's debut album includes their quirky singles and much more besides. The current single Kiss of Death sets the tone of Northern Soul with a difference. Claire Pearson's [...]

By Ed Owen Mr. Owen is an internationally known printing journalist who recently marked his 40th year in the industry. The sizzling printing industry of South Florida is spending millions [...]

Just when the Home Office is at its most vulnerable, after months of torrid headlines and ever more drastic upheavals, an issue is looming that will present a severe test [...]

Imagine a law and order policy that cuts the number of crimes, ensures most offenders comply with the penalties handed down and creates a climate in which people choose not [...]

One of the hottest attractions for the thousands of Ukrainians who stroll along the busy promenade of the Crimean Black Sea resort of Yalta is the chance to be photographed [...]

John Major's 'Rory the Lion' logo was appropriately lampooned for being half in, half out of Europe in 1992. Six years later, the infamous pizza star caused a diplomatic row [...]

The ex-Antipop Consortium member's solo effort neatly straddles the worlds of traditional hip hop and funky electronica, creating an ideal musical base for his inspired worldview. Beans now looks set [...]

One of the UK's more successful exports, vocalists/songwriters Marsha Ambrosius and Natalie Stewart are Londoners and Brit School graduates who relocated to Atlanta to hone their unique poetry/soul sound. They [...]

Pulling together the original Joe Jackson Band for the first time since Eighties reggae-flavoured Beat Crazy, Jackson returns here to the direct pop many still regard as his forte. Whether [...]

If unaware of Prince's musical past, the listener may find The Rainbow Children a collection of eccentric yet slightly passe jazz-infused funk. Unfortunately, it is a sad reminder of how [...]

For the follow-up to the acclaimed Philadelphia Experiment, Rykodisc assembles a stellar cast of jazz luminaries including Bennie Maupin, Allan Barnes and Ron Otis. Production from techno don Carl Craig [...]

Striving to emerge from the considerable shadow of her diminutive sister, Dannii has come up with an album that is clearly making a direct play for the Kylie target demographic. [...]

Birmingham duo Futureshock take up where the Chemical Brothers and label-mates Underworld left off on this well-paced blend of thumping progressive house, dark acid, hip-house, breakbeat and more contemplative moments. [...]

[RECOMMENDED] This track from the band's four-times-platinum album One Love has been spruced up for single release with great effect. While not as immediate as some of their previous hits, [...]

With minor tracklist differences and under the name of Back In The US, this two-disc account of McCartney's North American tour has been in the shops over there for months. [...]

[RECOMMENDED] This is a widescreen technicolour romp of a debut from the frankly alarming Har Mar Superstar. There is a certain hype surrounding his antics, but luckily You Can Feel [...]

On his second album, the former Pavement frontman may be instantly recognisable, but he never sounds like he is retreading old ground. Skewed melodies and cryptic wordplay stylishly dresses folk-inflected, [...]

At the forefront of the garage-punk revival, New Zealand's The D4 release one of the highlights from their 6Twenty album. Whether this track sounds like stomping rock or derivative AC/DC, [...]

It has been eight years since Dando has released an album and it is good to have him back. This is classic Dando territory and he is been helped out [...]

The influential Muses, who split in 1997, regrouped in 2001 to produce this 12-track set, which was recorded over three weekends. The result is an exciting, fresh-sounding eighth album which [...]

Leftfield label Fatcat releases what could be its most conventional single to date, although the spindly punk-funk of Party Of One is certainly far removed from routine guitar pop thanks [...]

This debut EP showcases Drew's insidiously catchy songwriting skills. Hailing from the Isle Of Wight, there is an expected connection with The Bees--the band's Paul Butler. Drew has the potential [...]

This German cover of the Queen single has been licensed to Nebula UK before its release at home. It has been immensely popular in clubs and on Radio One (C-listing) [...]

Matrix throws Goldtrix's house hit from last year straight into the drum & bass arena. Andrea Brown's vocals remain as powerful as ever, while the insistent, rolling backing is surprisingly [...]

Following the staggering success of their 17m-selling debut album Hybrid Theory, Linkin Park's long-delayed comeback is much anticipated to say the least. The group have managed to move on from [...]

This is superlative dreamy folk pop from Yorkston. His album Moving Up Country was voted Rough Trade's album of the year and this sublime single is supported by a UK [...]

After the huge success of Always On Time, it makes complete commercial sense to repeat the pairing of Ashanti and Ja Rule. Radio One has A-listed this tune, but it [...]

Billed as a celebration of Saint Patrick's Day, this is backed by Miss You Nights, originally planned as the band's Christmas single. After a world tour starting in April, the [...]

[RECOMMENDED] After a gap of more than two years without a major release, Matt Coleman is back with this classy garage single. With sugary vocals from Vula topping staccato strings [...]

[RECOMMENDED] The Neptunes' rocking 2001 club classic receives a timely reissue to support their album In Search Of. With lyrics comparing US politics to table dancing backed by a rousing [...]

Sounding uncannily like One Night Stand, the queens of garage pop have strolled back onto the A-list at Radio One with this infectious slice of R&B. Less south London than [...]

This track is stylishly produced by The Neptunes and Dogg is joined by Pharrell and Uncle Charlie Wilson, but somehow the package never really takes off. The best rap production [...]

[RECOMMENDED] The inaugural release on the band's own simplyred.com venture, this first single from forthcoming album Home is a welcome return to form. Lifting a sample from Hall & Oates, [...]

[RECOMMENDED] Warm enough to melt even the most cynical hearts, this first single from the Nottingham pair's second album is another winner. Featuring an unlikely sample from Seventies pop duo [...]

After 17 years with Virgin, Dougie Anderson noticed a gap in the market. 'When I left Virgin, I was stores area manager for Scotland and Northern England and the longest-serving [...]

Llandudno is the home of Kavern records, a store that has specialised in back catalogue since opening in 1978. Kevan Cripps opened Kavern in Llandudno in partnership with his parents. [...]

The oldest record shop in the world? Look no further than Cardiff. The shop has a history that most of the oldest record shops are unable to challenge. Indeed, longevity [...]

Founded in 1964, Slough Record Centre has always catered for DJs. 'It was mobile DJs in those days,' says founder Ray Cherry. 'We dealt with EMI and Decca, who distributed [...]

This is a well-timed return for the comedown chanteuse whose sound has progressed since her last outing on Heavenly. Substance is a poised electro-tinged number with Allison's breathy vocals complemented [...]