Back catalogue: Coldwave/Synth

Review: For a four track electronic music EP, there's a lot here. Opening with 'Burning Fields' by Aphonia, the uninitiated might expect the whole package to nod to that classic electro sound, highly detailed but lo-fi, packed with dark atmosphere but all about dance floor energy. Skip to track two, though, and Angles of Pompeii present mutant indie-punk-dance in the vein of Detroit Grand Pubahs at their most guitar-y, and minimalistic.

Elsewhere, 'Retreat' is a slow mo maximalist triumph, acid lines flailing over the top of a muffled cacophony of noise that places the emphasis on a lunging, head-nodding bassline. Add 'Athma', Odopt's sinister low end and drum machine tune up that could almost be an accidental piece from the movie They Live and you've got not only a complex release, but one boasting replay value set to last for years after the investment.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


For a four track electronic music EP, there's a lot here. Opening with 'Burning Fields' by Aphonia, the uninitiated might expect the whole package to nod to that classic electro sound, highly detailed but lo-fi, packed with dark atmosphere but all about dance floor energy. Skip to track two, though, and Angles of Pompeii present mutant indie-punk-dance in the vein of Detroit Grand Pubahs at their most guitar-y, and minimalistic.

Elsewhere, 'Retreat' is a slow mo maximalist triumph, acid lines flailing over the top of a muffled cacophony of noise that places the emphasis on a lunging, head-nodding bassline. Add 'Athma', Odopt's sinister low end and drum machine tune up that could almost be an accidental piece from the movie They Live and you've got not only a complex release, but one boasting replay value set to last for years after the investment.

Review: Aussie larrikin DJ WHPRSNPR is back on his very own Nerang Recordings with a motley crew of upstarts on this one. Fittingly titled Freaky Friends 2, it features DJ Swagger with some off-kilter UK bass on 'Hotice Water' and Low Tape with the NSFW booty bass of 'So Delicious' on the A side, followed over on the flip by Ole Mic Odd's sci-fi electro funk jam 'In The House' and Berlin's Nasty King Krule doing his best Dopplereffekt impression on 'Stop Talkin Boy' among others.

Review: After coming up while working in the Rush Hour record store in Amsterdam, Interstellar Funk has now branched out and established his own sound and his own label. And that is Artificial Dance, where he hooks up with Loradeniz for this interesting take on cold wave and synth. The tracks are underpinned by contemporary bass and deep groves which makes them perfect for club play but not at the expense of the melodies. They are curious, crystalline, freeform and mystic and help make this a handy record that brings something different - not least the new age ambiance of 'Situational Lullaby'.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition***


If you're down with HiNRG sounds then this one is an absolute must for your record bag. Both sides of this reissued 12" are massive to say the least with power couple Pascal and Denise Languirand aka Lady D really making their mark. Here on 'Imagination' there are strong electro influences as well as some firing percussive action that pays homage to freestyle and Latin sounds that were big n the LA scene when it was first penned. The big one though is 'I'm Yours Tonight' which brings fresh energy to house and is a real grail these days.

Review: A reissue of the Dreamy French synth-pop project from 1984 by vocalist Judy Larsen and keyboardist and synthesizer player Frederick Rousseau, close friend and long-time collaborator from Vangelis, featuring a bonus beat by Audrey Danza that really brings a camp energy to match Judy's equally sensual and campy tone. All tracks have been freshly re-mastered from their original master tapes and are currently unavailable on streaming services - a great loss considering the bubbly vocals from Larsen, paired with the zany production from Rousseau, makes for an entertaining time capsule of pop, with that slight misty vocal quality that makes authentic synth pop so great for easy listening.

Review: While in 2024 we're supposed to understand, acknowledge, hear and appropriately respond to the trials and tribulations playing out in minds across the world, in many ways driven by global events and the status quo system we have rather foolishly settled on, for the time being, Lebanon Hangover's hiatus-ending two-tracker - their first studio work since 2020 - opens with a clear message. "Life is full of wonder, it's better than going under." Perhaps not the most sensitive way of telling us to appreciate our lot, the track itself, which nods to Head On The Door-era Cure, is all melancholic chords and a feeling of dizzying, perhaps even manic despair alongside the comfort that comes with recognising the universal human condition. It's a joyful but slightly sinister lead. Flip it to find 'KYIV', an acoustic-ambient-Cocteau Twins-esque tribute to the sorrow and pain of Ukraine, and, by association, other war torn regions of the world.

Review: Joe Lewandowski may still be relatively young, but some of his musical inspirations are undoubtedly vintage - as this return to Skylax Records for the first time since 2020 proves. 'Here I Am' sees the Paris-based New Yorker team up with vocalist STOLT for a trip into moody, turn-of-the-80s new wave territory. As you'd expect from someone with Lewandowski's track record, it's a beautifully authentic and stylish production that adds Johnny Marr style guitars and STOLT's impassioned vocals to Visage-esque electronics and fuss-free drum machine beats. Confirmed retro-futirist Lauer delivers vocal and instrumental remixes that strip out the guitars and boost the raw, alien-sounding new wave synths, while bonus cut 'Casual' is a surging dark Italo-goes-new wave throb-job tailor-made for peak-time dancefloors.

Review: Definitely one for the collectors, Lime was Canadian duo (then husband and wife) Denis and Denyse LePage, and 'Angel Eyes' was originally the second single from their third studio album, 1983's Lime III. Almost 40 years later, the track has returned as a short form release, offering the original synth pop anthem, and a clubbier dub mix.

For many, though, not least Unidisc Canada, the label carrying this re-release, the major selling point is a remix - and something of a remodelling - courtesy of Turbo Recordings boss and dance music icon Tiga. Forsaking the rather smiley and bouncy original work, in favour of something grittier and altogether more dystopian, it's a masterclass of rough, gnarly broken electro, reworking and chopping vocals into disorientating loops, before finally introducing a kind of warehouse synth pop sound.

Review: Ton Lebbink has led an active life; first as a drummer for the Dutch punk band Mecano, then as an odd-jobs sleuth, then finally a fitness instructor. When house music took the world by storm in the early 90s, Lebbink hopped on the bandwagon - trading in his cult status as one of the main faces of the 1980s underground, for a life spent toiling to produce sampledelic house music in comparative anonymity. Wat Doe Je Met Me is one of many fruits of Lebbink's labour during this renaissance period: only three tracks appear on the EP, but all make up an unusual early house sound tempered by Gregorian chant, cut-up vocal, subdued synth plucks and an overall hazy sound.