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Our new in-house stereo system is now in place, with speakers all over the building. This means that rather than having sound system clashes across the workspace (Creative Services’ reggae vs. the Designers’ grime) we can now have the same music playing throughout the building. Just like workers’ playtime on the old factory floor. The speakers have individually adjustable volume but don’t worry, neighbours: it doesn’t go up to 11.

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We’re planning to create WK-FM, our own in-house radio station, with a mixture of music, chat and interesting stuff. At the moment it’s all music, all the time, courtesy of our friends at the Album Club. (This is an excllent service that sends you a set of albums each month, recommended by Rough Trade.)

This month’s selection, currently being broadcast coast to coast at 16 Hanbury Street, is as follows:

Porn Sword Tobacco – Explains freedom

Ambient electronica recorded in the heart of a Swedish forest.

The Strokes – First Impressions of Earth

The last album got a lot of airplay on WK stereos; this is the long-awaited follow-up.

Congotronics 2

After the explosive ‘konono no1’, the congotronics series presents 6 other astounding bands from the suburbs of Kinshasa, playing urban electronic folk on home-made instruments.

Ted Barnes – underbelly

Second solo album of intricate (mainly) instrumental songs from the beth orton collaborator, somewhere between yann tiersen, angelo badalamenti and tindersticks.

Amadou and Mariam – dimanche a bamako

amadou & mariam’s  have been together for 25 years since they met at the institute for the young blind in bamako. RThis album was produced by and featuring manu chao and recorded in the malian capital of bamako.

Various artists – dream brother: the songs of tim and jeff buckley

Cover versions of some of the best songs written by tim and jeff buckley by the likes of sufjan stevens, the earlies, the magic numbers, kathryn williams, micah p hinson, adem, and matthew herbert.

Infadels – we are not the infidels

Punky funk electroclashy stuff.

Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan – Ballad of the Broken Seas

Debut album from former Belle & Sebastian member Isobel Campbell and former Screaming Trees and Queens Of The Stone Age lead singer Mark Lanegan.

Clap your hands say yeah – Clap your hands say yeah

Hot US indie band of the moment. A top ten selection on many of the US critics’ best album lists of last year.

Cold Cut – Sound Mirrors

A varied mix of breakbeat, hip hop, dub and any other genre that fits with a huge amount of guest vocalists including Roots Manuva, Mike Ladd and Robert Owens.