Issue 62

This month's cover feature tells the astonishing story of Joe Meek, the king of space age pop and one of the most extraordinary characters in British music history.

With his unorthodox and intense working methods, Joe Meek's late 1950s and early 1960s productions signalled the start of a fascinating new era in music. Using peculiar electronic instruments such as the Clavioline and wonky sounds made with tape effects, he injected all manner of weirdness into mainstream pop. Add in a spate of gangland threats, a bit of black magic, and a pill-popping climax of rapidly escalating paranoia, rapidly declining fortunes, and a brutal murder, and this really is a tale unlike any other.

Elsewhere this issue, we have interviews with Cerrone, Squarepusher, Ulrich Schnauss, Steve Hillage and Kl(aüs). We've also gone "John" crazy, talking to John Rocca about the making of Freeez's electro-boogie classic 'IOU', while Graham Fellows, the man behind John Shuttleworth and Jilted John, reveals his influences. Plus, of course, our regular columnists Jack Dangers, Kris Needs and Fat Roland, and a gazillion new album reviews, including the latest from Wrangler. Astounding sounds and amazing music all the way!

To accompany the magazine, we're reissuing Joe Meek & The Blue Men's 'I Hear A New World' EP, a four-track seven-inch originally released in 1960. It's the first time that this extremely rare and highly sought-after record – good quality copies of which usually sell for £250 or more – has ever been reissued. The tracks are certainly experimental, packed with weird noises and special effects, but there are some terrific space age pop tunes in there too.