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To mark the 25th anniversary, we will be producing a series of special collections, featuring some of the finest, most innovative and popular music (and elsewhere) ever to appear on the label. Unfortunately, there aren't going to be as many as originally planned (not least because I had seriously underestimated the amount of time and energy that preparing a multi album mega collection would take!), but I'm hoping I'll find the space to put at least five sets together in all (well, we simply have too much great stuff on the label to get away with anything less)! The first of these, hopefully a July release, will be "The United World Underground Collection" (cover art by the great Alan Arthurs), featuring a diverse selection of M&E releases from 28 different countries, spanning the 5 continents of Planet Earth. Provisional list;

"Mick & Chris On Acid" - Magic Moments At Twilight Time & The Charles (UK, the 1987 demo album that effectively started it all)

A selection of material from Lord Litter & Das Freie Orchester (West & East Germany, Mr. Underground himself, how could he not be here?)

"Under My Skirt" - X Ray Pop (France, our very first no.1 and an M&E exclusive from one of the most famous bands in the underground)

"Dietles Tavern" - Blacklight Braille (U.S.A., the legendary Cincinnati massive, fronted by the inimitable Owen Knight)

"Essais Somnanbuliques Vol.1" - Galactic Lilah Et L'Orchestre Fantome (Belgium, innovative production from the Dromen Takel crew)

Mana Erg (Italy, showcasing the immense psyche prog talents of Bruno De Angelis, ex of Flu, not sure which album as yet...)

"The Story So Far..." - The Flowers Of Romance (Greece, a highly collectible selection of early material from the famous gothic rockers, an M&E no.1, the original of which often sells for €150 or more!)

"Kira" - Karg (Austria, the first of the many Trost albums we released on M&E, the quality and innovation of which simply blew me away)

"Seasoned With Love" - Pornorphans (Finland, Scandanavian rock with a gothic edge fronted by the fine femme vox of the one and only Jytt)

One from Jaws Of The Flying Carpet (Canada, the masters of the mystic arts of improvisation, not sure which album yet, so many greats!)

"Green Asia" - Rotton Kidz (Thailand, a JOTF collaboration with their RK colleagues in Bangkok, a cross cultural masterpiece)

"Live" - Zartipo (Belarus, absolutely smoking rock fusion improvisational set with some extremely high quality musicianship, all hail to the east!)

"Progine Musika" - Ir Visa Tai Kas Yra Gražu Yra Gražu (Lithuania, a special selection from this highly innovative, multi talented and hugely successful Vilnius based band, also celebrating their 30th anniversary)

Ir Visa Tai Kas Yra Gražu Yra Gražu - kicking up a storm on stage

Topping the bill on the first collection; great M&E favourites, The Witches

"Witchcraft - M&E Special Edition" - The Witches (Poland, an absolute favourite on M&E, the band fronted by sisters, Izabella Bellatrix and Aleksandra Templar, the latter of whom is yet another of those we've lost too young. This album put their two M&E tapes, both of which achieved Release Of The Season and made no.1, together on one C90) "Monsters Movie / World Of Elza" - Elza Soundtrack / Elza (Ukraine, a great split from two sides of one the best known bands from Novaya Scena and the Kharkov underground)

"Buzz" - Trespassers W (Netherlands, an interesting and special collection of curios in their 'for fans' series, exclusive to M&E)

"T - M&E Special Edition" - Toshiyuki Hiraoka (Japan, now a respected and accomplished film soundtrack composer, this album features some of Toshi's 1999/2000 electronic material, plus a bonus mid 90's collaboration with fellow Japanese experimentalist, Okaniwa Fumihiro)

"If It's Fetishes You're After..." - The Stinking Badger Of Java (Australia, highly talented and original combo from Yippie Bean)

"Flatus Flow Rate" - Religious Overdose (Switzerland, untamed proggy gothic post punk new wave psyche, a very innovative blend indeed)

"Sister Sinister" - Sister Sinister (Norway, fantastic dark edged rock fronted with the silken female vocal of Solveig Jacobsen, achieved Release Of The Season and a great personal favourite of mine)

"Review" - Dark Side Cowboys (Sweden, a new digital master of a great set of early demos from the well known Scandanavian dark ones)

"En Directo" - Anima Mundi (Spain, a somewhat different take on psychedelic rock from the land of sand, sunshine and sangria)

"Story Of An Acoustic Dream" - The Legendary Poptones (Bulgaria, the uniquely lo-fi Eastern European domestic experimentalists in collaboration with legendary French sound master, M. Nomized)

Space Invaders (Croatia, not sure which album we'll be using from this fine punky psyche rock band as yet, both were just so good!)

"Ras.Al.Ghul" - Ras.Al.Ghul (Portugal, the great electronic tribal Benfica bangra sounds of SPH man, Fernando Cerqueira, and crew)

"Electroshocking Works" - Artemiy Artemiev (Russia son of the much acclaimed composer; Eduard, who did the soundtracks for "The Mirror", "Stalker", "Solaris" and many others; this highly respected electronic musician did us the great honour of putting together this excellent selection of his works for us, drawn from the albums "Cold", "Point Of Intersection" and "Five Mystery Tales Of Asia")

"Turning Pages" - Levente (Transylvania, a talented electronic musician who grew up in Ceaușescu's Romania, now residing in the UK)

"The Secret Of..." - Sphinx (South Africa, the supreme guitar and electro experimental talents of one Jay Scott of Network 77, seemingly the sole outpost of the underground on the dark continent)