Category ElectroPop

Apr 12 2012

Queen Of Hearts’ ‘Neon’

queen of hearts

So, when I finally got to hear the wonderful Queen Of Hearts’ forthcoming new single ‘Neon’, my initial reaction was “Ahhhh, that one!”. It’s been a big part of her set the past few times I’ve see her preform and kinda’ become one of the tracks I looked forward to. Up until this point I had, for some reason that has probably to do with brain laziness, presumed it was called ‘Electrify’. Or at least that’s what I was called in my head, I might actually keep calling it ‘Electrify’ just to be belligerent.

But if i did, I’d be so very wrong. It’s call ‘Neon’, and the studio recording more than lives up to the promises made by the live version. ‘Neon’ is both pumping and slinky, which really isn’t two things that you’d imagine can occupy the same space, but Queen Of Hearts, here helped out by John Myers, makes it work. ‘Neon’ is musically a gritty, bass heavy, pulsating track that the Queen’s song drapes itself across in the vocal equivalent of a little black dress. Smooth as silk, her voice glides around chainsaw synths, each verse building to a big anthemic chorus. It’s powerful and edgy ElectroPop, it’s also very very good, and I didn’t mention Goldfrapp once!  Oh.

♫ Queen Of Hearts  – Neon (Produced by John Myers)

‘Neon’/’Tears In The Rain’ is released 14th May as a limited 7” single and digitally with the bonus tracks ‘Forgive Me’ and ‘No More’.

Queen Of Heart’s ‘Arrival’ EP is out now, as is ‘electronic rumors Volume 1’ on which she features.

Buy Queen Of Hearts’ music from:

Apr 12 2012

Ghosthouse’s ‘Stop Drop & Roll’ (with Miami Nights 1984 & Sam Padrul)

Ghosthouse

Madcap Chicago Electro Boogie trio Ghosthouse have been an act we’ve been keeping an eye on for some time now. They are so much fun, like Chromeo and The Time and Prince in a blender. they’ve just dropped a new single, ‘Stop Drop & Roll’ with a full reMix package, for absolutely free!

‘Stop Drop & Roll’ is a precursor to their forthcoming EP, but that doesn’t mean it can’t fill out this single package in it’s own right. It’s funky as fuck and catchy as hell, complete with sing-a-long chorus and big synth stabs. Ghosthouse have got the retro-synth-Funk thing so locked down it’s hard to imagine world domination wouldn’t be an option. Seriously, ‘Stop Drop & Roll’ is infectious like boogie mind control. The reMix package is pretty stunning too, it’s amazing that this single is free. One of our favourite producers working today Miami Nights 1984 works some sweet sweet SynthWave magic, the sheer Funk of the original allowing MN84 to get a little groovier than usual. The reMix is of the quality we’ve come to expect from one of the leading lights of the SynthWave scene, a producer at the top of his game MN84’s reMix is all big vintage synths and mind-blowing solos. Another friend of electronic rumors, Sam Padrul, contributes a huge slice of laid back Disco with a cosmic twist and a chilled 70’s vibe to it’s electric piano lead line. It’s Disco of the inner-city variety, like a soundtrack to the summer’s heating up of the concrete and parties starting. The single is packed full of other versions of the track. Team Bayside High get digital slap bass heavy Electro with it while Shuteye drop some jump-up beats. J.Larroc’s mix is deep military Disco and the record is rounded off with some dancefloor Electro-House from Compact Disco. It’s a highly recommended collection with an unbelievable price.

♫ Ghosthouse – Stop Drop & Roll

♫ Ghosthouse –  Stop Drop & Roll (Miami Nights 1984 reMix)

♫ Ghosthouse – Stop Drop & Roll (Sam Padrul reMix)

‘Stop Drop & Roll’ is out right now, for the reasonable price of free! Pick it up right here.

Buy Ghosthouse’s music from:

Apr 12 2012

A.N.D.Y. reMixes Jupiter

Jupiter

Listening to French ElectroPop partnership Jupiter’s new single ‘One O Six’, it’s immediately obvious that the track is a homage to the Roland Juno 106 synthesizer. Saying that though, I suppose they could be singing about the Peugeot 106, or the 106 bus route that runs between Finsbury Park and Whitechapel in London, where the duo met. See how I slipped that in there? It’s called journalism bitches.

Alongside reMixes from the likes of Juveniles, The Supermen Lovers & Turzi Electronique Experience, the real highlight of the single is this version from is-he-or-isn’t-he-in-Mustang-anymore fella A.N.D.Y. and it’s an absolute blinder of a tune. Continuing in his tradition of mixing analog Disco grooves with bouncy ElectroPop synth lines, A.N.D.Y. one again throws loads of different elements into the pot and brews up a tasty DiscoPop stew. Driven by a crazy simple, but funky as all hell, bassline the track dips in and out of big retro stabs, lush strings and a hint of a Tropical flavour then nicely twists things about in a big building middle eight, that sounds like the theme to an ‘80’s cartoon about robots lost in space, before dropping you right back in the thick of the Disco.

♫ Jupiter – One O Six (A.N.D.Y. reMix)

Jupiter’s ‘One O Six’ is released 16th April.

Buy Jupiter’s music from:

     

Apr 12 2012

Substatic’s ‘Midnight In Paradise’

substatic

OK, you know when a band you really love change up their sound a little bit? and everytime they release a new track your heart stops a little bit because what if it’s shit? and you’ve got that tattoo and all! But then you have this endorphin rush as you realise they are only getting more and more awesome? Well, that’s what it’s like with me and Substatic. Except I haven’t got a Substatic tattoo. Yet.

The new two peice version, Substatic 2.0 if you will (which we won’t), are slowly tricking out their new material a track at a time as they find their footing with their new, more Funk laden, sound. And finding their footing should be an easy task, they are on very solid ground. ‘Midnight In Paradise’, their latest drop, is a glorious mixture of grooves. Underpinning the tune is a hint of B-Boy Electro (which long time readers will know is always the quickest way to my heart) layered with a nice digital slap bass. Colleen’s breathy vocals give the tune a sense of urgency while the electronics have both a retro feel and contemporary edge. You really can’t pigeonhole Substatic, and as someone who loves pigeonholes and finds artists claiming not to be pigeonholed pretentions (not that Substatic ever have), that irks me. They are ElectroPop, but beyond ElectroPop with an understanding of UK Bass music unheard of within that genre. But too Poppy (read: the songs are too good) to be Bass, or Dubstep, or Drum & Bass. To complex to be vocal House and too live to be Electronica (whatever that is). Too funky for Indie-Electro, too song led for Electro-House. They just write really good, emotional, songs, with a really good grasp of electronic music and a really good grasp of dancefloors. They’re just Substatic.

♫ Substatic – Midnight in Paradise

Substatic’s new EP should be out soon-ish.

Buy Substatic’s music from:

Apr 12 2012

Polydor & ATTAR!

polydor

“Hi, I’m the Belgian label-boss of Midnight Munchies and also produce under the name Polydor, I’m going to be sued very very soon but until that happens I’m going to release an awesome EP of weird and deep House music and include a storming reMix from ATTAR!. I should have taken notes from him, two ‘T’s and a ‘!’ and no-one’s suing him!”

‘The Future Past’ is Polydor’s team up with singer Gustaph for a bit of abrasive ElectroPop action with massive House undertones and laser synth awesomeness, but ATTAR! takes the deep House weirdness one notch further. He brings a moody Moroder groove to the track too, putting his Disco background to good use while littering it with Acid and Progressive references. When the hypnotic vocals chant “Something’s coming, are you ready?” amongst ATTAR!’s BladeRunner city streets beats, you really feel like the future is crashing down on you. Either that or you’re lost in music on a strobe lit dancefloor. Same thing really.

♫ Polydor – The Future Past (ATTAR! reMix)

♫ Polydor – The Future Past

‘The Future Past’ is out 16th April.

Check out more from Polydor on SoundCloud.

Apr 9 2012

Alpha Boy’s new album

alpha boy

I think it is fair to say the Berlin’s Alpha Boy has grown up in these very pages. He first sent us his demo track back in November 2010, where Norman’s love of synthesizer music, the ‘80’s and video games came across in every beat. Since then we’ve seen him evolve and grow more confident in his craft, seen releases on some of the scene’s coolest labels, and a constant output that boarders on the prolific. Each release stronger than the last.

Now Alpha Boy is gearing up for to drop his second full length record, titled ‘Blockbuster’. In part a collection of tracks from his almost factory like output in the last year, in part new tracks, all soundtrack influenced SynthWave that is always rich and emotionally resonant. ‘Follow Me’ is as good an atmospheric intro as it was on the ‘Follow Me’ EP and paves the way for a voyage though synthesizer moods, sweeping form high energy, post-Italo juggernauts such as the familiar ‘Lightstorm’ (Alpha Boy’s Homage to the TV show Life On Mars) to quieter, more mood inducing peices, as with ‘You Are My’, with effortless ease. If you’re at all familiar with Alpha Boy’s previous work you might notice that ‘Blockbuster’ almost moves away from the SynthWave/Outrun sound and more towards a new vision of SynthPop. In-fact, there are tracks on the album, like the Jan Hammer-esque ‘Magic Of Sound’ and ‘It Was All A Dream’ that  almost sound like instrumental versions of vocal tracks, as does the Italo dancefloor gold of ‘As They Do On Your Mind’. Fellow SynthWavers Noir Deco and Jowie Schulner make appearances on the album and bring their distinctive styles to the tracks they collaborate on, the former lending a dark moodiness to ‘Abyss’ and Schuler and Alpha Boys collaboration being the huge soaring Dreamwave we’d expect. Alpha Boy’s ‘Blockbuster’ is a damn impressive second album, it sees a maturity of sound, a moving beyond his roots into new ElectroPop areas whist maintaining the ‘80’s soundtrack influenced Electro theme that had defined his career. What happens next is anyone’s guess, but it’ll be exciting to find out.

♫ Alpha Boy – Cassiopeia

♫ Alpha Boy (Feat. Jowie Schulner) – Lost In Space

♫ Alpha Boy – It Was All A Dream

♫ Alpha Boy – Follow Me

‘Blockbuster’ is released 10th April at Alpha Boy’s Bandcamp.

Buy Alpha Boy’s music from:

     

Apr 9 2012

Futurecop!’s ‘Starworshipper’ video

At the end of last week we gave you a listen to Futurecop! new, and actually first, single. The Diana Gen and Starrset featuring ‘Starworshipper’.

Well, get your eyes around the video to. There’s a lot of Futurecop! clips on YouTube, but this is their first, official, especially filmed promo and director AJ Jackson does a really good job of capturing the essence of Futurecop!’s youthful, optimistic ethos.

‘Starworshipper’ is released 24th April on Keiz Beats.

Buy Futurecop!’s music from:

Apr 6 2012

Futurecop!’s ‘Starworshipper’ single

futurecop_03

I’ve got to say, for all my love for ’Futurecop!: The Movie’ I do prefer Futurecop! when they are doing what they do best, big retro ElectroPop, that’s why I love their Japan only album ‘It’s Forever, Kids’ and one of the best tracks on there was the Diana Gen featuring vocal version of ‘Starworhipper’, produced by none other than Diamond Cut.

Futurecop! must think so to as it;s getting a single release with an astounding reMix package. you probably know the original by now, infectious dancefloor ElectroPop with equal helpings of soul and nostalgia. A great single for the summer. The big excitement for me when seeing the reMix line up was the inclusion of the king of SynthWave Mitch Murder, and the man doesn’t disappoint. Mitch’s big, soundtrack influenced, ‘80’s sounds work perfectly with this track, and when the track kicks in with his trademark stratospheric soloing it’s pure gold. Lenno is another of out current favourites, when you want exciting, energy fuelled Nu-Disco, he’s your man and right here he delivers a tune suitable for the big room. Boombar man Jowie Schulner smoothes out the single with a slick laidback Dreamwave take on the song, giving the tune a sunrise vibe. Lastly it’s Out There who round off the EP with an Electro powerhouse of a track to end on a high. The single is a pretty essential purchase, how can a collection of talent like this go wrong?

♫Futurecop! (Feat. Diana Gen) – Starworshipper

♫ Futurecop! (Feat. Diana Gen) – Starworshipper (Mitch Murder reMix)

♫ Futurecop! (Feat. Diana Gen) – Starworshipper (Lenno reMix)

♫ Futurecop! (Feat. Diana Gen) – Starworshipper (Jowie Shulner reMix)

♫ Futurecop! (Feat. Diana Gen) – Starworshipper (Out There reMix)

‘Starworshipper’ is released 24th April on Keiz Beats.

Buy Futurecop!’s music from:

Apr 6 2012

Scarlet Soho’s new single

Scarlet Soho

A couple of days ago we presented the video for London ElectroPop band Scarlet Soho’s comeback single ‘When The Light’s Go Out’. Time for a look at the whole EP.

The title, and lead, track is the prefect choice for Scarlet Soho to reclaim their rightful place amongst the best ElectroPop bands recording today. It’s an insanely catchy track the will stick in your head all day. Capturing the best of ‘80’s arrangements, especially in the epic vocal harmonisation, and full of lush synth sounds ‘When The Lights Go Out’ is Indie-tinged ElectroPop at it’s finest. There’s two other original tracks on the EP, the moody and enigmatic ‘What You Need’, another chunk of 80’s nostalgia wrapped up in contemporary presentation and  ‘Retail Therapy’, a track with hints of Japan in it’s bass and vocals tinged with melancholy until the big ‘80’s Electro Soul chorus. Also included in the package is a reMix of the title track from Austrian avant-garde ElectroPop outfit Trouble Over Tokyo, who deliver a rolling, tribal, electronic soundscape. The single is definitely a welcome return for these guys, and one that leaves a good impression.

♫ Scarlet Soho – When The Lights Go Out (Radio Edit)

♫ Scarlet Soho – When The Lights Go Out (Tokyotron reMix By Trouble Over Tokyo)

‘When The Lights Go Out’ is released 21st May, you can pre-order here.

Buy Scarlet Soho’s music from:

Apr 6 2012

Kimbra, Foster The People & A-Trak

Kimbra, Mark Foster from Foster The People & A-Trak have all done a track together. It’s something to do with shoes. Converse are doing this ‘3 artists, 1 song’ series, I’m not really sure what it’s all about and all the information about it seems to assume I already do. Apologies for not being up to date on the goings on in the world of music based shoe PR campaigns.

The track is very very very good though. Surprisingly for this kind of collaboration you can really hear each artists influence and the result is an Electro-edgy Pop track that rises above it’s ‘shoe promo’ origins.

You can download the track, and presumably buy shoes, here.