This week’s capsule of Synthesizer Zen, to carry you into the weekend, comes a track, and studio tour, from SynthWaver Lost Years.
Video courtesy of YouTube user drifter7508.
Monthly Archives: December 2012
[MP3] Reflex reMix Shindu (+ free Plaisir De France Edit)
One of the stars of the last couple of years, French ElectroPoppers Reflex, have done it again. We’ve covered Belgian outfit Shindu’s new single for Continental Records, Just Go, quite a bit this past month. It’s released as part of the reMix single of Just Go on 10th December and amongst the likes of Kamp!, Plaisir De France and Oxford, will sit this gem from our favourite French duo.
Just Go is a very cool track indeed, so it’s a hard one to top, but Reflex do just that. Loaded with Reflex’s fun and funky take on ElectroPop, with an injection of Disco and tons of quirkiness. A pounding Disco beat and springy synths bounce all over this track with a summery smoothness, perfect for knocking out the winter blues. The little interactions between lead lines are a work of synth art. This is definitely the killer version of this tune.
♫ Shindu – Just Go (Reflex reMix)
While you’re here, check out Continental boss man Mr. Jerry Bouthier’s edit of the Plaisir De France reMix as a free download. It’s got a hypnotic old school rave feel tied up with a Disco-Housey bow.
♫ Shindu – Just Go (Plaisir De France reMix (Jerry Bouthier Edit))
The reMixes of Shindu’s Just Go are released 10th December. The original single is out now.
Buy Shindu’s music from:
Spread the love:
[Video] Chrome Canyon’s ‘Pulze’
Brooklyn vintage synth wizard Chrome Canyon has just débuted his new video, for a particularly Cosmic track called Pulze. A synth prog-fest that is pure epic.
The video, directed by Jennifer Juniper Stratford, is just as retro-trippy as the track, essential viewing (and listening)
The track is taken from his Elemental Themes album, out now.
Buy Chrome Canyon’s music from:
Spread the love:
[MP3] New Arcades
New Arcades are a London based SynthPop duo who are making some delicious retro Pop noise. Dean Canty and Adam Sullivan released a single a few months back and are now dropping a brand new track in anticipation of an EP in the coming months. Expect some sweeping, emotional, synth tunes.
Sitting just a tad too far into SynthPop to be SynthWave, New Arcades still retain some of SynthWave’s nostalgic optimism in their shimmering melodies, but layer that with a particularly British vocal and Pop structure. Remember The Nights, their new tune, counterpoints it’s anthemic sing-a-long vocal and bouncy lead line with some deep vintage electronics. The result being an all-round winner, catchy and upbeat with an underlying richness. That’s some impressive SynthPop right there. Their previous single, Echoes Of A City, strikes the same note with a little more of an Italo drive that would sit better with the Outrun crowd. these guys are definitely a name to keep an eye on in the SynthPop world.
♫ New Arcades – Remember The Nights
♫ New Arcades – Echoes Of A City
New Arcades’ Echoes Of A City is out now.
Buy New Arcades’ music from:
Spread the love:
[Video] Parralox’s ‘Sharper Than a Knife’
Here’s the video for Australian SynthPop outfit Parralox’s Sharper Than A Knife, a tune that’s been around for a while now. The track has been reworked slightly for a new 2012 release.
In all honesty, we kinda’ prefer the original version, it’s a lot warner and more original. No-one needs to add circa 2007 Pop-Electro sounds to a track these days. Still, it’s awesome to see the track in video form.
The original of Sharper Than a Knife can be found on Parralox’s 2008 album Electricity.
Buy Parralox’s music from:
Spread the love:
[MP3] Figure Of 8 covers Sonic Youth
Belfast’s finest export Figure Of 8 has been busy holed up in some dark studio somewhere working on his forthcoming album. Actually, it could be a really brightly lit studio for all we know, we’re just paining a mental picture here, he could even be recording al fresco. Anyway, in between putting the finishing touches to the new record he’s snuck in this cheeky cover version of Sonic Youth’s Dirty Boots with Irish acoustic crooner Our Krypton Son.
The cover is insanely deep, groovy and pretty unrecognisable for the original. It’s actually pretty hard to produce an electronic version of a guitar track without sounding cheesy, but Figure Of 8 pulls it off with style. I think he makes it work by not trying to substitute the guitar, rather working around a low down bass riff and shuffling beat and keeping this pretty spacey and cosmic. A nice Musical interlude from Figure Of 8.
♫ Figure Of 8 (Feat. Our Krypton Son) – Dirty Boots (Sonic Youth Cover)
Buy Figure Of 8’s music from:
Spread the love:
[Audio] Ronika & Mylo!
If there’s a bunch of tracks in the past few months we’ve been dying to hear it’s the fruits of the collaboration between Ronika and Mylo. As soon as we heard these two would be working together, Dance legend Mylo has personally chosen our girl Ron to ‘mentor’ as part of Bacardi’s Bacardi Beginnings project that teams up-and-coming artists with veterans, we’ve been itching to check out the result. We know there’s more than one track incoming, and here is the first Dance (The Modern Way).
Weirdly enough, it does actually sound like Ronika And Mylo working together. It’s essentially very much a Ronika track, but in some respects swaps her jagged retro DiscoPop for Mylo’s warmer, more rounded Dance sound. So, without mentioning Ron or Mylo anymore, the track itself is pretty awesome and despite sounding like a stripped down, hypnotic track, has a hell of a lot going on in it. A long, rich, string and vocal led intro lays down a sense of drama as the tune gradually introduces pulsating arpeggios and a classic House riff, winding up the listener like a rubber band until, just before you snap, launches you into a deep House groove. Loaded with Italo overtones, Dance (The Modern Way) juggles Robo-Pop slickness and euphoric 90s House with ease topped of with Ron sounding sultrier than ever. Ronika and Mylo in the same room is definitely not disappointing so far, can’t wait to hear what’s next.
♫ Ronika Vs. Mylo – Dance (The Modern Way)
No word yet about release dates or when the other tracks will surface. We’ll keep out ears to the ground. If you;re in London this weekend you can catch Ronika DJing at the launch of new Disco clubnight West 54th Street.
Buy Ronika’s music from:
Spread the love:
[MP3] Walter Sobcek reMix Sebastien Schuller
Well, it certainly been a while since we heard form our Dreamwave friends Walter Sobcek, not since the start of this year have we heard a new track from them, but they haven’t been sitting around waiting their time it seems. Some of the fruits of their absence is right here in the form of this dreamy reMix of French artist Sebastien Schuller’s ‘Nightlife’.
Immediately we remember exactly what we loved about Walter Sobcek ad they take just four minutes to carry you away to far-off Cosmic locales. Warm, resonant, synth tones, ringing melodies set against gently guitar and a steady Italo bassline. I finished off that pervious sentence about an hour ago and have just been sat here, with headphones on, listening to this track on repeat, it’s like a music daydream. A swirling mist of beautiful sounds and electronic beats, half heard vocals and a rolling synthetic choir of synths. Oh, and the wicked solo just adds an all new dimension of epic just when you aren’t expecting it. Amazing stuff, we’re so glad these guys are back.
♫ Sebastien Schuller – Nightlife (Walter Sobcek reMix)
Sebastien Schuller’s Nightlife is out now.
Buy Sebastien Schuller’s music from:
Spread the love:
[Audio] Aaron Alexis’s new single
One of our favourite introspective ElectroPop artists Aaron Alexis is about to drop a new single, Kill The Lights, at the beginning of next year. The very beginning in fact, Kill the Lights is released January 1st, which seems like an odd time to release a single, let hope it doesn’t get ignored in the entire worlds post-NYE hangover, as it would be a shame for these two beautiful tracks to go unheard.
Kill The Lights is a lush, enveloping wash of sound interspersed with gentle electric piano and a vintage beat. Accompanying the reams of buzzing synths and piercing chimes, Aaron’s instantly recognisable croon weaves in and out of the track like smoke. The B-side, Scars shows off more of Aaron’s BedroomPop skills. A hunting industrial ballad that sees Aaron’s lament echoing through shivering rhythms and starfall leads encased in a thick fog of synthetic tones. the two tracks are a little slower paced that we are used to from Aaron Alexis and would have probably been better served alongside one of his more upbeat numbers, nevertheless this side of Aaron is always a pleasure to visit and he carries the release well. The single also comes equipped with a reMix from Kyson, which is, unfortunately, pretty uninspired Downtempo-by-numbers, but luckily that doesn’t distract one bit from these two new lush offerings from the talented Mr. Alexis. Definitely worth checking out to soundtrack these cold winter months.
♫ Aaron Alexis – Kill The Lights
♫ Aaron Alexis – Scars
Aaron Alexis’ Kill The Lights is released January 1st 2013.
Buy Aaron Alexis’s music from:
Spread the love:
[Video] St. Lucia’s ‘September’
St. Lucia’s amazing September single finally gets the video treatment. A long overdue accompaniment for one of the best ElectroPop tracks of the year.
It;s a visually stunning, dreamlike affair with more than a hint of rabbit hole going on.
September is out now.
Buy St. Lucia’s music from:
electronic rumors 