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Manufacturing delays and other issues continue to put a strain on small and independent labels. Taiwanese press plant Mobineko has unveiled a new pressing machine specifically for short runs, aiming to reduce the global bottleneck for vinyl production. Declan McGlynn speaks to Josh Doherty about the problems facing vinyl today, how the new machine works and what impact it could have on the future of vinyl

As subscription models have begun to make their way into our DAWs, we look at the three different models for using plugins — outright ownership, continual rent, and rent-to-own. Here, Declan McGlynn asks: are subscription models better for producers? And are we heading towards an even heavier onslaught of abundance over efficiency? 

The Afro house sound is an ever-growing presence in UK dance music, with new labels, club-nights and a dedicated radio station springing up. Alongside a mix from Mr Silk, Ria Hylton explores the sound’s history, and speaks to some of the scene’s key players about forging strong connections with their growing audiences, and their aim to nurture a unique UK Afro house identity

When starting out in the industry, musicians and producers have what can often seem like an insurmountable number of new skills to learn outside of making music. With seemingly countless distributors offering widely varying features and products, choosing how to get your music on streaming services can be confusing. This guide seeks to demystify one of the most confusing aspects of releasing music

Sound systems have driven the development of music in the UK, powered by hard work, passion and innovation. But preserving UK sound system culture, its knowledge and history, while also pushing it forward, is no easy task today. Ria Hylton traces its path through ska and reggae at blues dances in West Indian households, to soul, boogie, hip-hop and house in ’80s warehouses and at the Notting Hill Carnival, to nationwide tours and global popularity, and finds out how initiatives like the Sound System Futures Programme are seeking to secure its future 

Jonny Trunk has been collaborating on a series of graphic design-led books with FUEL publishing for almost 20 years. The latest — titled Audio Erotica — sees the London-based writer, broadcaster, DJ, and Trunk Records label boss collate some of strangest and most significant period hi-fi brochures of the last 75 years. We spoke to Trunk to find out more about these hard-to-find vintage brochures

In this series, we invite DJs, producers and label heads to dig into their digital crates and share the contents of their collections. This week, Dirty K charts a history of ‘90s and early ‘00s East Asian rave music in ten tracks