The Megadrive megamix – how classic videogame soundtracks went from background noise to cratedigger gold

Digital composers of the 1990s pushed the console tech far beyond its natural limits to produce warped symphonies that are buried deep in the minds of millions. Now specialist labels are reissuing them on vinyl

In an age when even the most obscure subculture is within easy reach, a passion for music can become tinged with one-upmanship. "Have you heard these Levantine recordings from 1906?" "S'OK. I'm more into this Tuareg reimagining of Purple Rain."

The feverish cratedigging is compounded with the trend for luxurious vinyl releases, to the point where your mantelpiece can end up stuffed with cloth-bound 10-LP boxes of even the most marginal synth-botherer, and your kids are asking why you can't afford their uni fees.