[Audio] Soft Riot’s ‘No Longer Stranger’

 

Soft Riot

Recently released, was the new record fro London based Minimal Synth artist Soft Riot. No Longer Stranger was originally conceived at an EP, but expanded into an eight track mini-album for this release and serves as an interim before Soft Riots next album proper, Fiction Prediction, due in a couple of months.

No Longer Stranger is a collection of moody, atmospheric tracks, driven by vintage machine beats and warbling arpeggios. Combining late 70s synthesizer cinema music (the kind of stuff in horror and Sci-Fi movies in the years just before the music the SynthWave scene adores kicked off) and the  metronome sparsety of early Cabaret Voltaire, with a little whispered Soft Cell sleaze, Soft Riot deliver something, not to make you move on the dancefloor, but to soundtrack your walk home after the club has shut, through dark city streets. Pulsating analog basses and white noise snares provide the basis for haunting, glowing melodies and Soft Riot’s enigmatic growl, from the Numanoid Your Secret Light Shines At Night to the acid nightmare SynthPop of Your Strange New Career via the dystopian psychedelic of Tragic Magic, No Longer Stranger isn’t always comfortable listening, but ultimately rewarding. Check out A Simulation, the album’s one dance tune, that works a little early Skinny Puppy and a hint of Electro Boogie into the mix.

♫ Soft Riot – A Simulation

Soft Riot’s No Longer Stranger is out now.

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[Mixtape] The Penelopes’ March chart

 

The Penelopes

The Penelopes – The Penelopes’ Charts March 2013 = Once again The Penelopes deliver their round of of the best tunes of the month. Dig in to some of the hottest tracks around.

The Penelopes – The Penelopes’ Charts March 2013

The tracklist:
01. Haim – Falling
02. Hey Champ! (Feat. BeuKes) – Comet
03. Pyramid – Wolf (Crayon reMix)
04. Spiller – Urastar (Bottin Mix)
05. Sky Ferreira – Everything Is Embarrassing (MK reMix)
06. MiGHty mOUse – Love Is Gonna Lift You Up (Sunset Dub)
07. Duke Dumont (Feat. A*M*E) – Need U (100%) (Skream reMix)
08. Nihiti – Ghosts And Lovers (National Park System RIP Mix)
09. Wildcat! Wildcat! – Please And Thank You
10. Phoenix – Entertainement

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[Audio] Forgotten Illusions’ ‘Crystal Contour’ EP

 

Forgotten Illusions

There is, apparently, a new EP from Dreamwave pioneers and Valerie O.G.s The Outrunners on the way. In the mean time check out this amazing four track EP from Forgotten Illusions. Forgotten Illusions is the new side project from PDLT, on half of The Outrunners, and on the Crystal Contour EP he puts even last drop of his SynthWave credentials to the best use.

The Crystal Contour EP was released as the third volume in Valerie’s Composer Series and it’s four tracks make up some of the best SynthWave we’ve heard in a while. The EP’s title track is a masterclass in emotional Italo. Driving synthetic basslines and powerful retro chords build the tracks core, creating the prefect canvas for some galactic synth sweeps and truly rousing melodies and leads. Twelve, our other favourite of the four, is another example of pure brilliance in the felids of Italo and Dreamwave. The mixture of relentless arpeggiated basslines and beautiful electronic melodies is pitch perfect here. It’s a track that’s equally haunting and groovy, which is all you can ask for really. Forgotten Illusions début EP sees the return of a major talent to the genre, we suggest you pick up all four tracks right now.

♫ Forgotten Illusions – Crystal Contour

♫ Forgotten Illusions – Twelve

Forgotten Illusions’ Crystal Contour EP is out now.

Buy Forgotten Illusions’ music from:

 

[Audio] IV

 

IV

IV (we’re not sure if that’s ‘4’, or ‘Intravenous’) is anew Parisian Horror Disco (their words) duo featuring one half of Kitsuné releasers Logo. They’ve just released their début EP, titled The Place Where We Were Hidden on Mental Groove Records. In the tradition of some great atmospheric movie synth in France right now (think: Pyramid) IV bring beats, synths and a cinematic tension.

The EP is three tracks, two originals and a reMix (which, really, makes it a double A-side single), the originals being Alaska and Doppelganger. These guys create a brooding atmosphere of dread whilst keeping things pretty upbeat. Taking cues from the likes of John Carpenter and grooves from Moroder, IV build undulating waves of vintage synths to fill you with fear whilst making you dance. Alaska combines the best in dark Italo beats and late 70s/early 80s synthesizer soundtrack music, with a compelling rhythm section and haunting melodies it really sets the tone for IV’s work. Doppelganger delivers a more pounding beat and leans slightly more in the direction of what you might expect from French Electro, with one foot in the Ed Banger camp, whist keeping all of it;s eerie Horror soundtrack credentials. Check out something dark and different, that still makes you dance.

♫ IV – Alaska

♫ IV – Doppelganger

IV’s The Place Where We Were Hidden is out now and includes a reMix of Alaska from Japanese outfit Crystal.

Check out more from IV on SoundCloud.

[Audio] Sharooz’s ‘90907’

 

Sharooz

90907 is the new tune from London TurboFunk master Sharooz. The man has gone completely hardware based on this one. Rocking up with a Roland TR909, Roland TR707, Roland SH101, Roland Juno 106, Yamaha DX7 and Teenage Engineering OP-1 this one has no softsynths, no plugins, and is completely analog (well, except for the DX7 and OP-1). We love it when people break out the big guns.

What this result in is a grinding slab of Acid Funk. 90907 powers through with a grimy, hypnotic, tweaked bassline and abrasive drums. With just that right mix of infectiously danceable and slightly haunting (in that was that the best classic Acid tracks always are), Sharooz has hit the nail on the head here. It’s one of those tracks to get lost under the flashing lights to.

♫ Sharooz – 90907

No release date yet, but we’re sure it can’t be too far off.

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[Video] OMD’s ‘Metroland’

 

OMD   Metroland  Official Video    YouTube

We previewed Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark’s Kraftwerky new single, Metroland, last month, now here’s the brand new video for the track.

It’s a beautifully animated clip, possibly making a point about urban advancement, or progress, or something. Looks nice though.

OMD’s Metroland is released  25th March 25, witht he album following on 9th April.

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[News] Pet Shop Boys leave Parlophone for Stuart Price produced album

Pet Shop Boys

SynthPop legends Pet Shop Boys announced this week that they are parting company with long serving record label Parlophone in order to release their next album, Electric.

They’ll be releasing the album themselves in conjunction with Kobalt Label Services and to mark the announcement the have released a trailer for the album, which has been produced by none other than Mr. Stuart Price.

Pet Shop Bot’s Electric is due out in June.

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[Audio] Silenx’s ‘Connections’

Silenx

Our favourite Portuguese export, SynthWaver extraordinaire Silenx, recently released a brand new single. Connections is something a little more laid back, a little more chilled, from this usually upbeat producer. Prepare yourself of some synthesizer bliss.

With shining chimes and lazy melodies, Silenx conjures a smooth vibe. Laying down a crawling bassline to underpin the track, Silenx uses layers of gentle tones and half-heard hooks to create a dreamlike haze of pleasing sounds with a no-problems 80s groove. A bit different from his usual stuff, but if you’re having a bad day, this will soothe you.

♫ Silenx – Connections

Silenx’s Connections is out now.

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[MP3] The Other Tribe’s ‘We Should Be Dancing’

 

The Other Tribe

No, not Bee Gee’s You Should Be Dancing. This is the new single from Bristolian noiseniks The Other Tribe. The crew are giving the single away for free, although I’m sure we’ll get some a reMix package in the future, in order to bring a little of their sunshiny, festival, vibe into our grey winter.

Exemplifying the Other Tribe’s trademark mix of big ElectroPop and Tribal House, We Should Be Dancing serves up a platter of sunshine fun riding on a particularly Depeche Mode bassline. The percussion, as always is a big driving force in this track, and what makes The Other Tribe so good live, and the track is a big more hazy than the anthemic Skirts. With a slight Disco groove, this is one for summer evenings with friends.

The Other Tribe – We Should Be Dancing

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