Review: Kraftwerk are as well known for their albums as they are their singles and the iconic 'Autobahn' is of course the name of both. It is a rather groundbreaking electronic gem originally released in 1974 and soon revolutionised music with its hypnotic synth melodies, driving rhythms and pioneering use of vocoders. The track - celebrating its 50th anniversary and here on 7" - alongside an album picture disc and new Dolby Atmos mix on CD, which seal the birthday celebrations - captured the essence of modern travel by blending motorik beats with atmospheric soundscapes to create a real electronic journey and sense of movement. It still sounds as futuristic now as ever, a record that truly changed the course of modern music forever.
Review: Don Thigpen's artistic debut came under the pseudonym LEO, inspired by his zodiac sign and his desire to bring an edgy persona to his music. A familiar face behind many notable tracks from the Jackson area, Thigpen, along with his friend Sam Anderson, also recorded the highly sought-after 'Shirley Baby' on his CJR (Capitol Jackson Records) label. 'Fee Fi Fo Fum' marks LEO's electro-infused contribution to the 80s wave of computer culture; inviting parallels to Zapp & Roger's 'Computer Love,' the track humorously explores the idea of a computer falling in love with a woman, and the machine attempting to woo her through flashing the words "Fee Fi Fo Fum" on the screen. Limited to just 450 copies with a hand-made risograph sleeve, this is as authentic as early electro number can get; sodden in trigger pad swish and askew, circuit bent wonk.
Review: "The final episode of this soap-opera of a band will be released in the form of a 7 inch on 24.01.2025." If this is your first encounter with De Nooit Moede, then welcome to the wake of the best group you sadly only cottoned onto when they were posting about their final release on Instagram. The Brussels seven piece's swan song certainly fits the bill for funeral soundtrack, with RIP's garage-punk-wave washing through your mind with equal parts melancholy and swagger. Four tracks run from the staccato-step of 'Doopsel', which opens the scoring and sets the mood perfectly, through the more melodic 'Sluiswachter', blissfully downtrodden 'Fake Niet', and motoring 'Alledaagse Nachten'. Each is as infectiously groovy as the next, and cooler than pretty much everything else you will have been listening to this week/month/year. More Flemish attitude, please.
Review: The world is full of heart-rendering electronic pop. So much so, you sometimes have to ask yourself if we can handle - or indeed actually need - any more. Rendered almost-immune to the emotionally barrage that seems to haunt our airwaves, playlists, and Made In Chelsea episodes, anyone who still has feelings in 2023 is doing well by all accounts.
Then along come Synthia, billed by the Big Crown label as a 'supergroup', comprising production don Leon 'El Michels Affair' Michels, and vocalist Claire Cottrill, AKA Clairo. Debate over what constitutes a 'group' aside, So Low, a startling double-A is enough to make you forget everything we just talked about, throw away the idea of overkill, and dive right in. As if born to score something cool, reflective, thought-proving and devastatingly romantic, fans of Electric Youth, Cocteau Twins and Almagris should be here already.
Review: With just their third single, Exposed to Some Light, Nightbus continues to showcase their moody and atmospheric sound, drawing comparisons to many well regarded bands. The track unfolds like a captivating narrative, drenched in nostalgia yet tinged with a sense of dread. Originally born from a poem written during a cold January weekend, the song explores the idea of bringing something to the forefront of one's mind and current headspace. Through their minimal yet evocative video, Nightbus invites listeners to delve into their introspective world.
Review: Cititrax/Minimal Wave come together to put out this new release from the Vancouver-based synth wave duo Cosmetics, which was originally formed by Nic Emm and Aja Emma in 2008. They have been quiet over recent years but recently got back together with a new full-length called Baby that's due soon. The lead singles from it now arrive on this 7" and are full of sultry minimal sounds, moody synth craft and seductive vocals from Emma that really cut through as the clavier a dark, film-like narrative that is beautifully beguiling. A great return ahead of the much anticipated full length.
Utan Rymddrakt Pa Uranus (Gary The Tall re-edit) (5:10)
Review: Independent radio institution NTS has a lot to answer for. Not least introducing its legions of loyal listeners across the world to the mighty (or, perhaps more appropriately, curious Staalfagel). The result of some serious crate digging, as per usual for the platform, the Swedish post punk and New Wave outfit - Erik Fritjofsson, Petter Brundell and Micke Kjell - reflect how broad the digital station's music policy can be, and how important it is for things to be rediscovered and saved from obscurity.
Forming in 1980, the three piece only released two full length records in their time, alongside a handful of singles and EPs. Utan Rymddrakt Pa Uranus is among the most enigmatic and delightful, here presented in two parts with an edit by Gary The Tall. As early adopters of synths and drum machines, the cosmic dance-pop sound here might be rudimentary today, but also has this real sense of adventure and breaking new ground about it.
Review: Polytechnic Youth has been in hibernation for years and now is back with a run of killer releases. This limited 7" comes with fine artwork inspired by 70s era BBC design and is the latest offering from Masonic Kitchen, the solo project of Chris Walker. The music is sci-fi inspired experimental electronica with minimal synth boxes, sequences and drum machines all featuring to lend it a nice frayed hardware aesthetic. Human League and Cabaret Voltaire fans will surely find lots to love.
Review: Towa Tei is best known for his membership of the influential house music troupe Deee-Lite, the legacy of which has helped sustain a prolific solo career. Now comes the two fresh bits 'Ear Candy' and 'Muse'. Channelling the aesthetic spirit of Tei's many collaborators and influenecs - that of singer and drummer Yukihiro Takahashi, once a member of the legendary techno-pop band Yellow Magic Orchestra, and the artist Yayoi Kusama - we get something between broken beat, electro-funk, and downtempo dadaist electronica as the result, as we are implored to "bring that funky music", an impulse almost certainly as addictive as the sugary highs elicited from actual candy.
Review: Ahead of an oncoming Tbilisi party set to be thrown by the Sameheads crew, their latest 7" appears ahead of time as the latest offering by fellow friends, Andrea & Alexander. With just 300 copies available, this dreamy duo share a juxtaposed space with a more esoteric, gritty B-side, occupied by TINA's 'Vacation', which breaks from the usual Sameheads sound, almost entirely, to indulge a massively wonky inhumation. The A's own 'Olias', by contrast, is light and sixteen-thy, dotting along with detuned Italo saws and descending cadences of relief. Once performed live at the fabled Sameheads festival, City Of A Thousand Suns, the label here celebrate its recorded version for the world to hear on repeat.
Review: Following up last year's production with Baltimore techno legend Maurice Fulton on 'Jigoo', the next release on Gudu is the first of two songs by label boss Peggy Gou that she will release over the coming months. Her first single in over two years, it translates to 'Butterfly' and is another collaboration. This time with fellow Korean sensation OHHYUK who is the lead singer and guitarist in the band Hyukoh. 'Nabi' is a downtempo, pop-inflected number said to be inspired by '80s synth classics and '90s Korean songs that Gou's mother used to play at home during her childhood.
Review: The story of this one revolves around San Diego native Anthony "Antone" Williams. He was one day alone in a studio, messing about with the gear and before he knew he it lay down the haunting rhythm that underpins the tune now presented here by the good folks at Athens of the North. It's a sinister, restless one that got released as a hugely limited 7" on Unity Records with otherworldly soul production and a pained vocal up top. Post punk soul, some call it, and that's a fitting descriptor. A remix appears on the flip but the allure of the original is hard to beat.
Review: The duo of Anna Ersatz and Ole Cassette make up Das A&O. A Leipzig-based powerhouse in the form of two humans generating all manner of weird and wacky cacophonies, the pair's latest efforts have seen them come to their neighbouring Rat Life Records, based in the same city. Inspired by early human origin myths - "les hommes boivent" translates to "humans have to drink", nodding to a rather well-known myth of the first ever human couple, whose names begin with A and E respectively - this 7" deals in dark synthwave and staccato, rifting acid, with both the title track and 'The Rainbow Sponge' keeping as bangerific are they are wacky.
Review: Minimal Wave presents an exquisite 7" EP release by Martin Lloyd entitled "L'Amant Electronique". Martin is mainly known for his Oppenheimer Analysis (Minimal Wave) and Analysis (Survival Records) projects, yet through the years he recorded over two dozen tracks on his own, most of which never saw the light of day. The four selected tracks were recorded between 1980 and 1984 in his own "Feedback Studios" in Battersea , London. Martin Lloyd delivers vocals via the vocoder and carefully layers synth melodies which range from upbeat and danceable, to what could be the soundtrack to a 1981 post-apocalyptic science fiction film. The record is pressed on white vinyl with a heavy black jacket (spot gloss) and is limited to 999 hand-numbered copies.
Review: If you've not heard 'Skyscrapers' yet, where have you been? First released digitally last year and accompanied by more remixes than we can count, the track is arguably Nina Kraviz's most accessible, radio-friendly release to date - a potential crossover anthem that's as cool as it is catchy. Now finally available on vinyl via this single-sided seven-inch, 'Skyscrapers' is a prime piece of what Kraftwerk would have called 'techno-pop', with the much-loved Russian producer's sweet vocals rising above a bed of ultra-crunchy, snare-heavy machine drums, dreamy Chris Lowe chords, gaseous pads and ear-catching lead lines. It's basically synth-pop, but it's classy and sonically deep enough to please all but the angriest underground techno purists.
Review: Hailing from Yorkshire, Geoff Bastow made music that took people pretty far away from the White Rose county, out to the cosmic discos of Italy and then onwards towards the stratosphere itself. Half a galaxy away from a part of England known for keeping two feet firmly rooted to the ground, calling spades spades and taking no nonsense from nobody. Often producing under the moniker K.I.D. during the 1980s, and making most of his sounds after relocating to Munich, Germany, Bastow's attention to detail, sense of space and spatiality, gauge of groove and understanding of what makes a dancefloor move cannot be understated. Save your words, though, and skip straight to this EP to explain all that to people - six takes on a stone cold classic.
Review: Two distinctive tracks that balance industrial and techno grit and dancefloor energy. Side-1's 'Territorial Discrepancy' kicks things off with a driving beat layered over EBM influences and rave-inspired keyboard stabs. Its catchy rhythm and raw energy make it a surefire crowd-pleaser for peak-time sets. On Side-2, 'Notions Of Ceremony' takes a more experimental turn, blending techno grooves with a danceable, vocal-infused vibe. The track's unique character evokes comparisons to early Severed Heads and Underworld, combining fun, depth and innovation into a seamless whole. With its sharp production and bold creativity, this ia memorable addition to the techno landscape.
Review: In March 2024, Oriental Magnetic Yellow, the legendary techno unit formed by Namco game music composers, celebrated their 30th anniversary by re-releasing six albums. As part of this celebration, their popular track 'RYZEEN' is now available for the first time on 7-inch doughnut vinyl. The release includes the original version and a special B-side recording used as BGM for 'Super Locomotive' on Sega's 2022 reissued Mega Drive Mini 2 console. With members Hiroto Sasaki, Nobuyoshi Sano, Shinji Hosoe and Takayuki Aihara, Oriental Magnetic Yellow pays homage to Yellow Magic Orchestra with a humorous twist. 'RYZEEN' evokes the fun, nostalgic, early video game music and a cover sound of YMO of course. this release is a delightful blend of retro charm and playful innovation, perfect for techno and game music fan alike.
Review: Pat Mahoney is no stranger to us - one of LCD Soundsystem's many creative tour de forces, according to the band's biggest spokesperson, James Murphy, Mahoney is a lyrical genius and born poet. Museum of Love, the latter's project with Dennis McNany, certainly makes a strong case for us to buy into that hype. Two tracks that pack their bags for the synth pop stratosphere, but don't forget to throw in some nostalgia for the trip. Opening on the title song, it's a deceptively simple and yet unarguably rousing single that focuses down on a minimalist buoyant bassline, tracking rhythm, and lets the words to the talking - as they usually do. A surreal vision of a disappointing future riddled with unhappiness and disaster, set to a light and airy slice of naive electronica. Flip it for the more David Byrne-esque 'Look of Disgust'.
Review: Narco Marco returns to Pace In Stereo for more adventures through yesterday's tomorrow. As ever, the production is incredible, offering two tracks that pack a timeless sound informed by Italo, early electro-pop, cold and synth wave, a twin delight that somehow serves as the ideal home or headphone listen, yet is also dance floor ready and primed for proper parties. Starting on the slowest, tempo wise, 'Bald Tag' doesn't exactly owe a debt to Kraftwerk but certainly offers a place for sounds could have evolved in the back catalogue of the German pioneers. It's a weird and warbling, stepping, highly musical ride. 'Ice Tea', meanwhile, opts to get more of a stomp on, glittering harmonies painting stars in the sky above, vocals swapped out for more melodic depth.
Crushed By The Wheels Of Industry (CD1: the luxury gap)
Who'll Stop The Rain
Let Me Go
Key To The World
Temptation
Come Live With Me
Lady Ice & Mr Hex
We Live So Fast
The Best Kept Secret
Let Me Go (US 7" version - CD2: A- & B-sides)
Let’s All Make A Bomb (New version)
Song With No Name (New version)
Let Me Go (instrumental)
Temptation (demo)
Let Me Go (12" version)
Temptation (12" version)
Who'll Stop The Rain (12" version)
Come Live With Me (12" version)
We Live So Fast (12" version)
Crushed By The Wheels Of Industry (Parts I & II)
Let Me Go (Endless version)
Review: Although not as lauded as its predecessor, the brilliant Anti-Thatcher masterpiece Penthouse and Pavement, The Luxury Gap remains Heaven 17's most commercially successful album. As this expanded reissue proves, it is also the Sheffield trio's most impeccably constructed and produced work - a successful attempt to fuse their love of soul, synth-pop and Black American dance music culture. It boasts a string of fan favourites - 'Crushed By The Wheels of Industry', 'Temptation', the TB-303 sporting 'Let Me Go', with its' proto-acid squelches and the Moroder-esque 'We Live So Fast' - with this edition also sporting a second disc of extended versions, re-recordings and dancefloor-focused 12" interpretations.
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