Review: Khidi rolls out another anniversary EP here and it is another various artists affair that takes no prisoners. On their opener, Ancient Methods & OTHR bring some hellish metal and industrial overtones to the stomping, vicious 'Vast Vanishing' with its horror-core vocals. Roman & Boyd Chidt don't let up but offer a more linear and streamlined bit of stomping techno pressure. Silent Servant unleashes lashings of metallic synths over his signature tech sounds and then the floating loops of Unhuman & Vulkanski suspend you just above a rusty old factory floor.
Five Times Of Dust - "Computer Bank" (The Floor mix) (7:12)
Five Times Of Dust - "Armoured Car" (6:57)
Unovidual & Tara Cross - "Like I Am, Comme Je Suis" (The Floor mix) (7:11)
Unovidual & Tara Cross - "Imponative" (3:28)
Review: Thanks to the eternally revered Minimal Wave imprint, out of NYC, Mark Phillips and Robert Lawrence's Five Times Of Dust project is going through a bit of a revival. The duo had first released some post-punk cassettes back in the 80s, and they clearly have not been forgotten. On this new remix EP, "Computer Bank" is given a makeover in the form of a The Floor remix, who proceeds to add all sorts of quirkiness over the tune's tough, heavy bass and driving rhythm; "Armoured Car" breaks the 4/4 in favour of something much closer to the band's original drum machine style. Once again, on the flip, we have a remix of "Like I Am, Comme Je Suis" by The Floor, who throws up a gnarly electro bass onto shady, neo-romantic vocals, and the whole things is finished off by "Imponative" from Unovodual and Tara Cross, who produce a slow, heady industrial groove for the dancefloor.
Review: The first release from Minimal Rome in some time sees label boss Valerio Lombardozzi curate a mini album of dramatically charged power electronics themed around "the silence and the noises of the plague". Lombardozzi naturally features under his Heinrich Dressel alias, and is complemented by solo contributions from Giallo Disco founders Antoni Maiovvi and Vercetti Technicolour along with Alessandro Parisi and Umberto. Fans of cinematic synth heavy soundscapes are probably licking their lips right now, and the five tracks do not disappoint. Dressel's opening "La Peste" is almost yearning in its widescreen deployment of synths, whilst "Spitalfields 1665" from Maiovvi is a more forceful arrangement. Not Not Fun regular Umberto is a more stripped back, restrained mood with "The American Dream Plague" whilst Parisi's "Calamitas Calamitatum" is full on Giallo dancefloor horror and perhaps our favourite here!
Back From The Wave/Umatik - "Endless Crossing" (7:03)
CT Kidobo - "Racing Thoughts" (5:58)
Review: Four months after the series' debut release landed in stores, Bordello a Parigi has readied a second Buone Vacanze EP. Like its predecessor, the four-tracker is packed to the rafters with fresh cuts inspired by the colourful, synth-heavy sounds of mid-80s European electro-disco. Ali Renault is the first to slap on the 'factor 50' and reach for an ice cream, with his 'Galactic Boy' delivering waves of cheery synth-stabs, pulsating Italo-disco bass and glossy synth sounds aplenty. Senor Chugger then steps up with 'Smell The Ashes', a throbbing slab of Italo-disco revivalism rich in cascading melodies and echo-laden drum fills, before Back From The Wave/Umatik doffs a cap to Bobby Orlando and the Pet Shop Boys on 'Endless Crossing'. Finally, CT Kidobo lays down some righteous sleaziness in the shape of minor-key miracle 'Racing Thoughts'.
Review: Achim Dauerfisch, Achim Treu, Doc Troid, Kunstler Treu are all part of the oddball crew known as UFO Hawaii, an outfit specialising in all things to the left of field, and that means anything from post-punk to exotica, and beyond! Here, they appear as remixers, predictably remixing their own tune, the wacky "Zeichen Der Zeit", into a zesty little coldwave monster for the Neo-romantics and B-side diggers alike! The second remix comes from Fred und Luna, a fictional duet invented by outsider Rainer Buchmuller, who quickly drops his own vocal love on Hawaii's already bizarre original cut. As you'd expect, the results are fabulous, and surely give hope to all those thinking that post-punk is dead.
Review: Ultra Sunn hark back to a specific period of dark wave doomed gloom here across three thrillingly robotic and menacing tunes. They are built on stark drums, taught, rugged bass stabs and overlaid with deadpan vocals that are dehumanised and despondent. Elements of DAF's industrial textures, Sisters Of Mercy's famous doom-mongering hallucinations and Depeche Mode's brilliant dark-pop all feature and a Sarin remix helps seal the deal on this essential EP. This is a limited edition 180g vinyl on solid green wax specially remastered by Daniel Hallhuber at Young and Cold Studios.
B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition
Night Is Mine
Distress
Keep Your Eyes Peeled
Night Is Mine (Sarin remix)
Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***
Ultra Sunn hark back to a specific period of dark wave doomed gloom here across three thrillingly robotic and menacing tunes. They are built on stark drums, taught, rugged bass stabs and overlaid with deadpan vocals that are dehumanised and despondent. Elements of DAF's industrial textures, Sisters Of Mercy's famous doom-mongering hallucinations and Depeche Mode's brilliant dark-pop all feature and a Sarin remix helps seal the deal on this essential EP. This is a limited edition 180g vinyl on solid green wax specially remastered by Daniel Hallhuber at Young and Cold Studios.
Man Of Two Worlds (Steven Wilson 12" Re-mix) (8:53)
When The Time Comes (Steven Wilson 12" Re-mix) (7:13)
A Friend I Call Desire (Steven Wilson 12" Re-mix) (7:44)
Review: By April 1984, Ultravox had enjoyed success with three albums featuring Midge Ure on vocals, embarked on two huge US tours, and created some of the biggest singles of the decade thus far. Heading into the studio in the latter half of 1983, they would emerge with even more ammunition for hungry fans. Not last 'Dancing With Tears In My Eyes', which would go on to become a worldwide chart hit. While that track isn't included here, this sampler of the Lament remix album is almost impossibly enjoyable. Focusing down on four interpretations by the celebrated songwriter and producer Steven Wilson, sounds range from the sci-fi synth-balladry of 'When The Time Comes', to the dance floor chug of 'White China' and the post-punk drive of 'A Friend I Call Desire'.
Review: Our favourite Italian stallion, Umberto, returns to the ever-compelling Not Not Fun label with a searing and inherently leftfield amalgamation of sounds. This guy makes synthy, drone-fuelled music like no other and "Temple Room" is a genuine whirlpool of drum-machine oddity and melodic sparseness, whereas Silvio's remix speeds up the tempo, pushes the hyper-space button and fuels its engines for a true pounding of cosmic disco-house. We didn't expect that one, but it's left us with a genuine buzz of excitement. The US imprint does it again...in fine style...
Review: Umo Vogue formed in Bristol by Stig Manley, Russ Crook and Neil Deamer who were in Bath based ska rock outfit 'The AT's', along with Bristol based singer Debbie Marlow. Neil's Brother Clive joined the band bringing a fantastic new dynamic to the band on drums, percussion and heavy artillery. The band name is a deliberate misspelling of the ultra-chic Italian fashion magazine 'L'Uomo Vogue'. After winning the Bristol 'Battle of the Bands' in 1982 they were signed to Phonogram and dropped a few months later. They then signed to EMI in '83 and released their first single 'Just My Love' released in early 1984. The second single was 'Make It Real' and was never released as the band were culled from the EMI roster in late '84. For this reissue of their debut single we've added 3 bonus tracks, a demo of "Just My Love", the unreleased follow single "Make It Real" and a bedroom demo "Erotica." Each song displays ridiculously catchy melodies and innovative electronic rhythms. The drum tracks, a combination of rhythm machines and hand percussion, were mixed down from the 4-track tape used as backing on stage, with the rich slap bass and Roland SH09 synths weaves fluid lead lines in between the harmony vocals. All songs have been remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. The record is housed in an exact replica of the original jacket and includes an 8-page booklet with photos, notes and press clippings from the band's archive. "We're synthetic but not antiseptic. We are interested in the naivety and spontaneity of music." - Umo Vogue
Review: After equally wonderful turns from Junto Club, Deeds and Curses!, emergent deviant disco denizens Snap Crackle & Pop invite a band called Uncanny Valley to offer up their unique brand of deathly wave music shot through with on-point beyond the grave vocals. "Chain Store" is a nightmarish march through wobbly synths while "Nowhere To Nowhere" plots a strident course with its bouncing beat and fulsome, undulating bass. "Popcorn" flips the script with its uptempo thrust, but the vintage synth-pop threads are still the dominant force in the music. Manfredas drops a remix of "Chain Store" that maintains the freakiness with a slow but heavy house lurch, and then Mondowski strips the meat from "Nowhere To Nowhere" and leaves a potent, skeletal club treatment behind.
Review: Ali Renault's techno bludgeon instrument Vivod gets another notch in its handlebar with this appearance from new Glaswegian venture UNI.OMNI. It's rasping, rabid stuff with distortion and noise in abundance, but these wild elements are actually wielded with a firm grip on opening beast "Acceptance Resistance". "Metaphysical Lives" meanwhile channels some wave influences while keeping up the sense of foreboding, "Sequential Self" gets into a death disco spiral complete with beyond the grave vocals and "Viral Dread" goes even further into the graveyard while keeping the stiff dancefloor pressure dial turned up to 11.
Review: The Unloved trio - David Holmes, Keefus Ciancia, and Jade Vincent - came through with their impressive debut single this year, the aptly named "Guilty Of Love". As soon as it dropped, our ambient, downtempo and electronica nerds went into a state of total frenzy, and it's no surprise given the charm and mystique of the tune. Their own Unloved imprint, however, has given us another cause for excitement this week by releasing two remixes of the tune by space disco legend, Andrew Weatherall. The London DJ master drops two mixes: the gorgeous lead mix which contains the original's lovely vocals but adds in a fine layer of beats and extra atmospherics, and a sublime "Guilty Of Dub" mix that goes extra deep on the beats and bass. This is so heavily recommended that we have no vocabulary to express our shivering delight...
Review: UV & Nenor link up once more and return to Fossils with three new edits that take the form of spaced-out deep cosmic chuggers. These are all classy tunes with an analogue edge, great deference to the classic synth sounds of days gone by but all with nice modern touches. 'Space Love' is a widescreen odyssey with sultry female vocals and a sweet theremin sound. On the flip, 'Shwag' has hazy pads and slowed down, rugged, sleazy drums and bass and then last of all comes 'GoGo Stomp' with another bubbly bottom end, squelchy bassline and weird but wonderful vocal sounds. A brilliantly high-grade addition to your record back.
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