Review: B 2DEP'T were a curio of the early wave of techno in Japan in the 90s, releasing a handful of cassettes and mini-albums but remaining a cult concern rather than breaking through to major success. For those in the know, their productions were way ahead of their time, and Junki Inoue seems absolutely hip to this as he signs them up for a release on his archival label Saisei. If you enjoy the boundaryless exploration of the early techno boom and prefer brightly melodic motifs to match, you'll love this record. It's brimming with oddball personality and it's more than punchy enough to cut it with modern club fare.
Review: Lake Haze's third album on Shall Not Fade is another triumph with his signature shimmering melodies strung out over lush beats. Drawing on house, disco, garage and broken beat it is a rich affair with a strong UK vibe. There is elegance and symphony to opener 'Xyleac' that immediately gets your head amongst the stars. 'Diluspth' keeps up the majestic synth while 'Bbyncole' is double-speed techno with balmy celestial synths and hurried bass that locks you in. Tender ambient pieces like 'Shores Of Eternal Life' reset the mood and then the second half is a series of shorter sketches packed with electronic soul.
Review: Hard-hitting Italo/darkwave from Italian group Kirlian Camera, a longtime act in the genres and one of their many defining bands. 'Communicate' is reissued from an initial release in 1983, and is as dubious and 'dark' as this kind of music can get, sounding like what would have happened to Talking Heads if each member had been given a hoverbike and rode it into a Miami sunset. Remixes from Flemming Dalum and Vanzetti & Sacco appear on the B-side - while brightening, warming and changing the instruments in parts, they prove little needs to be altered about the track in order to bring out its best parts.
Your Name (Has Slipped My Mind Again) (instrumental) (4:23)
Review: First released in 1981, and garnering the 100,000-plus sales needed to hit Gold certification pretty quickly after arrival - a feat which, back in the glory days of charts, was still only enough for you to peak at #4 in the albums league - at the time this was a case of Ultravox, here in the height of the Midge Ure years, taking the electronic explorations that defined the previous two full-length records, Systems of Romance and Vienna, even further, returning to the same Cologne studio to achieve that quality and feeling.
Of course, there are still shades of the band as they were in formative, mid-1970s years, which many still forget was a far (far) rockier beast. Nevertheless, the synths make the most lasting impression here, with the LP somehow sounding kind of stark, a little cold and distant, perhaps even enigmatic, yet full and in many ways fun.
Review: A fascinating new slice of neue Deutsche welle from the artist Eine Welt. The track romanticizes the traditional Middle Eastern dish, Knafeh, through the lens of post-punkish electronics, German rawism, and myriad layering and production. The fact that an artist would go to such great pains to record, master, press and distribute a song with such a niche subject matter truly shows the power of Turkish cuisine. Clearly, even in back the '80s, there was mutual cultural appreciation between the Germans and the Turkish.
Review: Almost 40 years after the acid sound was first accidentally stumbled across it is still providing artists with endless amounts of inspiration. This Dynamics of Acid label is another one dedicated to the cause and here Jonathan Hipgrave under his Jonny3snares alias explores six different and equally sublime sounds that will make your brain dance as much as your body. There is an inward sense of reflection to the opener 'Signal Drive', a deep melancholy to 'Recovery' then squelchy hyperactive rhythms define 'Scramble.' Three flipside cuts again pair meaningful synths with lithe drum programming to make for a fantastically futuristic EP.
Review: Endrik Schroeder's career renaissance continues, albeit three years on from his previous EP - a sparkling, synth-heavy inspired affair that saw the one-time '90s techno producer successfully turn his hand to sun-bright Italo-disco. He's dialled things up a notch on 'The Hope', a storming slab of nu-disco/Italo-disco fusion full of elastic bass guitar, soaring synth lines, spacey chords and restless drums - all topped off with a heady and intoxicating vocal courtesy of fellow veteran Miss Kittin. He flips the script on flipside cut 'The Dogs', smothering unfussy beats in waves of James Holden style ambient electronics, heady lead lines and immersive aural textures.
Review: Army of God's 'Salvation'' back in 2012 soon became a cult coldwave cut. It was the one and only release by the pair of Aroy Dee and Miss Jagroe... until now. More than ten years on they are back with 'Endless Skies' which is a new EP full of analogue warmth, signature synth designs and aching strings. Of course, Jagroe's unique voice features and brings extra allure to the beats. Aroy Dee steps up with an edit of the title cut and lays in some more form drums and pairs back the vocals to make things even darker. On the flip you'll find the throbbing bass and off-kilter keys of 'Fear the Night' with a dark version going even more into the shady unknown.
Los Ninos Del Parque (Bionda E Lupo Neumisch) (7:16)
African Beat (Andrei Rusu dub) (7:46)
Review: Platform 23 platform the Italian 80s avant-garde and anarcho music scene on a fresh 12" compilation, kicking things off with an unreleased cover, by the band Nengue, of Los NiNos Del Parque's electro-pop-wave track 'African Beat'. Amid the political unrest of the Anni di Piombo (Years of Lead) - which saw the autonomist Marxist movement, and backdrops of government-mafiosi collusion, labour strife, and terrorist splinter group formations - underground artists found themselves transducing the radical energy of the time into rapidfire releases, put out through DIY networks. Rome's Nengue embodied this, blending industrial, jazz, and futurist influences. Initially, the release aimed to highlight their Kraftwerk-inspired African Beat, but the discovery of their cover of 'Los NiNos Del Parque', described as "powerful anarchic nonsense", became the focal point. Berlin's Bionda e Lupo contribute a remix, with Sneaker's sharp production and Sano's vocals adding a fresh dimension. Andrei Rusu (Khidja) delivers a deep, dub-heavy reinterpretation of African Beat, perfect for modern dancefloors while honoring its raw origins. A vital document of Italy's underground electronic resistance.
Review: Ruben Benabou marks out and identifies another sonic constellation; this is a rapid indie trance-dance four-tracker of galactic ambition and scale. Drawing inspiration from sci-fi soundtracks, and the warmer currents of electro, leaders 'Message To Nowhere' and 'Words In A Void' also recall the gladdened awe of space disco, with twinging leads skirting about the stereo like passing shooting stars. The Hacker's version of the title track plays back like an 8-bit minigame version of the main mission, with its pocket-generated drums, while 'A Thousand Nights' is a prime exercise in retro synthwave, and the perfect closer.
Let's Try Being In Love (12 Inch extended mix) (10:12)
Let's Try Being In Love (Louis La Roche mix) (4:54)
Review: Savage Garden's Darren Hayes returned from the wilderness in 2022 after a hiatus of almost ten years. During that time, he tried his hand at stand up comedy, kept a social media presence in the form of shared videos featuring him bursting into song, and evidently spent a fair amount of time recharging. After all, you don't make albums with the energy of Homosexual, the comeback piece, if you're running on empty.
Let's Try Being In Love was the first single taken from that, and in many ways the whole package is more about message than music - a guy publicly celebrating his sexuality and marriage after spending a very long time not feeling ready to do so, during a period in which he was a bonafide global pop star. Here said track appears in both 12" extended form and a Louis La Roche mix, both of which are made for chugging dancefloors, filtered tracking synths firing on all cylinders and an overall sense of self.
Bernhard Wostheinrich - "On The Cusp Of Lucid Dreaming"
Radio Massacre International - "Flying Colours"
Surface 10 - "Psyche Dio"
Nigel Mullaney - "There Is No Dark"
Node - "Rewind"
ARC - "System Six"
Review: Second time around for DiN Records' 25th anniversary compilation, which lands on CD for a second time - in limited numbers, of course - with an inverted cover design. The set itself is superb, with founder (and regular musical contributor) Ian Boddy inviting artists who have released on the label to contribute new, previously unreleased works. Rooted in ambient, IDM and gentle electronica, the 20-track set simply oozes quality from start to finish. Highlights come thick and fast, from the bubbling electronics and lilting pedal steel motifs of Erik Wollo's 'Emergence' and the sparkling, toe-tapping shuffle of D'Voxx's 'Vila Madalena', to the ghostly beauty of 'Now There Was Nowhere' by Scanner, the psychedelic ambient exotica of Chris Carter's 'Consonance', and the spaced-out ambient jazz of Nigel Mullaney's 'There Is No Dark'.
Review: Bordello A Parigi is back with more of their sublime electro jams this time from Heinrich Dressel. The EP kicks off with 'Galatograd', a slow and steady jam with shimmering chords and lazy baselines. 'Eden Olympia' then picks up the pace a little with still skill drums and celestial keys that take you on a jaunt through the cosmos. 'Remoria' brings many layers of lush and futuristic synth work and timeless electro rhythms that are comforting and subtly celebratory and 'Mylos' shuts down this most lovely EP with another classy sound.
Review: Italian producer Vinz Giaimis crafts an intricate homage to the kosmische traditions of Krautrock, weaving a sonic tapestry that feels as much about exploration as it does about reverence. Across the EP's four tracks, Giaimis deftly balances vintage analogue textures with a modern electronic sensibility. The opener sets the tone with a motorik groove underpinned by shimmering synths, evoking both the vastness of space and the hypnotic rhythms of a train journey. Elsewhere, there's a palpable warmth as swirling pads and layered percussion come together in a way that suggests the meditative qualities of early Tangerine Dream.
Review: Sexbeat are the latest gem you're about to fall in love with from the lost generation of punk, Now Wave and Neo-Goth. We only wish there was more information we could share about them, other than the fact they hit hard and manage to straddle the lines between raw and nasty and strangely romantic and melodic. It's rousing stuff that wants us to sing along while getting spat in the face because the front row is so close to the stage and the vocals are delivered with such resolute aggression. On this self-titled A-sider, they launch from the starting blocks with all the energy and atmosphere of an era that's sadly now confined to history, rolling bassline and driving drums immediately gunning for your attention, nodding to the likes of Surf Nazis Must Die and Aufrichtiges Zappa.
Review: This refreshed edition of the standout album from Ultravox comes as part of Record Store Day Black Friday 2024 and has been mixed in majestic stereo by Steven Wilson. It arrives on a double CD and pays tribute to one of the band's most influential works and in the process highlights the groundbreaking sound that defined their era. The album retains its timeless appeal all these years on and mixes up the innovative essence of the original with a modern touch. Alongside the original tracks, this edition includes instrumental versions that serve up a deeper exploration of the music and make it a must-own piece for fans old or new.
Review: The Trails label, as is often the way in so many cases in electronic music, is the natural next step for the party crew of the same name. Having established a sound and a community, they now branch out with music from associated producers all keen to offer up their shared musical visions. First up, the label introduces friend and graphic designer Bogdan N?stase aka DJ Bogdan. Setting a fine tone from the off. the EP explores melancholy, introspection, mystery and hope, all infused with a nostalgic nod to 2000s electro-techno and synth-pop. The A-side opens with 'Shade Detector,' an energetic peak-hour anthem which is followed by the melancholic 'Freakshow Parallax' for after hours. The B-side features 'Videofreex,' a versatile party gem before closer 'Fantana Cartezian?' is a twisted minimal techno homage to Bucharest's lost history.
Review: Tsampikos Fronas is June, and on this fresh new LP for Artificial Dance he rather sips away from the dance sounds of his earlier career. The material here was recorded between 2018 and 2020 by the Berlin based innovator and it is an exploration of more sparse soundscapes than previously. It has a cyber punk feel and dystopian overtone with each track filled with tension and plenty of nods to sci-fi movie soundtracks. It is all crafted from analogue sequencers and analogue polyphonic synths as well as modular synthesizers which lend it an ice cold rhythm and haunting sense of futurism.
Review: A repress of Innershades & Betonkust's 2018 new beat sensation 'Forever In Boccaccio!' has long been requested by hardcore record collectors. And now it has become available and has been fully remastered and housed in a new sleeve design, limited to just 300 copies. It was first made, according to the two being it, in January 2017 "under grey Belgian skies," when they had been consuming lots of acid and new beat, which of course shows. The title cut is brilliantly dark and gothic but is backlit by haunting vocal harmonies and underpinned by a menacing bassline. The three other cuts explore similar moods and grooves with great authenticity.
Review:
For the first time ever since the mid-80s, Robert Fripp's God Save The Queen is now avaialble on fresh vinyl once more. It was the second solo album from Fripp and is made up almost entirely of so-called 'Frippertronics,' which means much of the record was performed by improvisation. Under each track are solid drums and bass to get the grooves going and guitar loops for the five tracks were recorded live in concert during 1979. It's a real left turn of an album and one that can be as mesmerising as it can wild.
Review: San Francisco's Dark Entries label does a good line in reissuing obscure, long-forgotten, left-of-centre gems (their excellent collection of Patrick Cowley's little-known soundtrack work for gay porn films, School Daze, was arguably one of the compilations of 2013). Here, they've unearthed another overlooked gem - Art Fine's previously rare-as-hen's-teeth dark Italo-disco gem 'Dark Silence'. It's pretty much a straight copy of the New Wave-inclined original, with the sparser, looser 'Long Version' joining the dense 'Art Fine Version'.
Review: Modern Talking is the German pair consisting of Thomas Anders and Dieter Bohlen who were rather prolific back in the 80s and beyond. There has been a revived interest in their music of late and for that reason much of it is being reissued, including this new, limited edition and nice heavyweight 12" edition of 'Give Me Peace On Earth.' It's a three track disco odyssey that starts with the sentimental and syrupy sweet vocals of the title track, which is doused in loved up 80s chords. 'Stranded In The Middle Of Nowhere' is just as devastatingly heart broken with its slow, crashing drums and yearning vocals then bonus cut 'Sweet Little Sheila' picks up the pace for a lively dance floor disco workout.
Review: Known for their cover versions - having re-read Sly Stone, Plastic Bertrand, Les Chats Sauvages, and many more over the years - Telex managed to tread a fine line between comedy and innovation. Focusing heavily on a lo-fi synthesised sound, the Belgian alt-poppers would use plenty of humour in their work, but never allowed this to outshine or overshadow the musicality of it all. Released in 1980, Neurovision is a case in point. According to the band, this was their tongue-in-cheek entry to the Eurovision Song Contest, for which they were chosen as representatives for their home country in the same year. Deliberately banal lyrics, mostly referring to the competition itself, married to the glittering wonder of a proto-electronic soundtrack, mark it as a work of bold daring and a little genius. Sadly, it failed to secure them last place in the tournament, as they hoped, forcing them to settle for 17 out of 19.
Review: Robert Fripp's pioneering work in electronic music reached its influential peak with the so-called Frippertronics tour of 1979. Creating compelling soundscapes out of tape loops might not seem revolutionary now, but it certainly was at the time, and out of the tour came this limited and highly prized album, perhaps the most sincere recorded document of Fripp's creative breakthrough. Now Let The Power Fall is being pressed on vinyl for the first time since its initial release on Editions EG in the 80s, and it comes with additional versions of '1984' never heard before.
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: Desencanto is carving out its own sound world with its first releases and this one again taps into a loved-up deep house vibe that puts beautiful melodies and serene moods front and centre. 'Pipina' kicks off in the form of an Acqua mix that is downbeat and blissed out. 'Miss U Too' then brings some retro 80s synth work and taught basslines under celestial keys. 'Temptation' has more glassy melodies making for a rather haunting and eerie mood and finally, 'Last Kiss' is a suspenseful ambient soundscape that floats you up amongst the stars with reverential flutes encouraging nostalgic dreams.
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.
Review: We're not sure any of us would have predicted that there would be a new Propaganda album in 2024 - after all, it has been 40 years since they made their debut, and almost 20 years since 'principle song writers' Ralf Dorper and Michael Mertens last got together to record an album. Simply titled Propaganda, the album is undoubtedly a triumphant return - a set that recalls the ground-breaking brilliance of their earliest work. Sure, some of the synthesisers and sonics have been updated - it's not quite as cold and icy as their earliest explorations - and there are subtle rhythmic nods to more contemporaneous dance rhythms, but the results are uniformly excellent. For proof, check the throbbing headiness of 'Purveyor of Pleasure', the alt synth-pop bubble of 'Tipping Point', and the atmospheric excellence of 'Love:Craft'.
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