Feb 15 2010

Cold Waves And Minimal Electronics Vol.1

EndOfData

I still don’t remember it ever being called ‘cold wave’ or ‘minimal synth’ but I am glad that the early pioneers of SynthPop are getting a bit of attention these past few months (and that the sound is being carried on by a new batch of artists!). Angular Recording Corporation has enlisted the help of two men who spearheaded this revival, Pieter Schoolwerth, founder of Wired Records and Angular’s own Joe Daniel to compile 17 tracks of classic Futurist Pop for their forthcoming ‘Cold Waves And Minimal Electronics Vol.1’.

Spanning 1981-1985 and digging out some severely rare 7”s and demo tapes the compilation perfectly captures the underground electronic sound of the early 80’s northern Europe. Check the track list:

01. Absolute Body Control – Figures
02. Nine Circles – Twinkling Stars
03. Linear Movement – Night In June
04. Opera Multi Steel – Ills S’eloigent
05. Bal Paré – Palais D’Amour
06. Eleven Pond – Watching Trees
07. The Vyllies – Babylon
08. End Of Data – Dans Votre Monde
09. The Actor – Lights
10. Ausgang Verboten – Consumer
11. Jeunesse D’Ivoire – A Gift Of Tears
12. OTO – Anyway
13. Ruth – Polaroïd/Roman/Photo
14. Stereo – Somewhere In The Night
15. The Neon Judgement – The Fashion Party
16. Land Of Giants – Cannibal Dolls
17. Days Of Sorrow – Travel

To give you a taste of what to expect I’ve dug into my archive to bring you two tracks that appear on the compilation. End Of Data’s ‘Dans Votre Monde’ from the LP of the same name and The Neon Judgement’s classic ‘The Fashion Party’, two amazing slices of raw, early electronic Pop.

♫ End Of Data – Dans Votre Monde (zShare) (MediaFire)

♫ The Neon Judgement – The Fashion Party (zShare) (MediaFire)

‘Cold Waves And Minimal Electronics Vol.1’ is released 8th March.

Cold Waves And Minimal Electronics Vol.1 @ Amazon

End Of Data @ Amazon

The Neon Judgement @ Beatport

The Neon Judgement @ Juno

The Neon Judgement @ 7Digital

The Neon Judgement @ Amazon

Jan 29 2010

A couple of The XX reMixes

TheXX02

We’ve had a couple of reMixes of The XX (who, apparently, haven’t split up) drop into the electronic rumors Inbox this week, so listen up!

Dave Wrangler take on the track ‘Stars’ and ends up with an almost old school EBM powerhouse, all heavy kick drum and arpeggios which seems to counterpoint the sparkling melody line.

Popular Damage assimilate ‘Crystalised’ and produce something equally as heavy. This time, though, it’s a big Electro banger that we find with some choppy distorted lead lines worthy of Justice and floor shaking drums.

♫ The XX – Stars (Dave Wrangler reMix) (zShare) (MediaFire)

♫ The XX – Crystalised (Popular Damage Assimilation) (zShare) (MediaFire)

Both tracks are taken from The XX’s album, ‘XX’.

Jan 27 2010

Billie Ray Martin does Cabaret Voltaire

BillieRayMartin

OK, so Billie Ray Martin has a couple of new EPs/mini-albums coming out in the next couple of months. There are a couple of interesting angles to this story but one in particular that got my interest.

Billie Ray first came to my attention back in ‘80ish with her work with Electribe 101, since then she has amassed a large body of work including both Dance hits and more experimental electronic tracks For her latest EPs she is taking the pioneering step of releasing tracks officially through the Torrent site Mininova in the lead up to the official release.

What got me though, was the tracks themselves. Ms. Martin is dropping her reworkings of Cabaret Voltaire’s double A side ‘Just Fascination’/’Crackdown’, two of my favourite tracks by one of my favourite bands. So it was with some trepidation that I checked the tunes, and they are good! Not only are they reworking but ‘Crackdown’ features none other than Cab’s vocalist himself Stephen Mallinder.

Here we can present, for you, two reMixes of the tracks. ‘Just Fascination’ by Celebrity Murder Party who take a more semi-experimental approach turning the track into a danceable noisescape while ‘Crackdown’ is reMixed by David Harrow who’s Oicho mix is a deep, analog synth laden, dubby take on the track.

♫ Billie Ray Martin – Just Fascination (Celebrity Murder Party reMix) (zShare) (MediaFire)

♫ Billie Ray Martin – The Crackdown (Oicho reMix) (zShare) (MediaFire)

You can hear the original here on YouTube. The first EP is out 15th February on Disco Activisto

Billie Ray Martin @ Beatport

Billie Ray Martin @ Juno

Billie Ray Martin @ 7Digital

Billie Ray Martin @ Amazon

Jan 20 2010

The KiWi’s

TheKiWi's

Hehe, The KiWi’s, what’s that all about then, eh? don’t even try to wrap your head around what you are hearing here! OK, so we start off with plucked stings and chimes with an almost oriental soundtrack feel, but then, what’s this? Enter some serious synth axe work and marching drums…and is that children playing I hear in the background?

It’s beyond description really, but you know what? I like it! Give it a few listens (‘cos it’s pretty short) and I guarantee it will draw you in, although I can’t guarantee you’ll ever get out!

♫ The KiWi’s – Vovenciatra (zShare) (MediaFire)

Their EP ‘14 years Old’ is out on On The Fruit Records on 30th January, until then show these guys some MySpace love:

The KiWi’s @ MySpace

Jan 19 2010

dAi rework The Knife’s Opera

TheKnife02

No sooner had The Knife dropped the first track from their evolution opera ‘Tomorrow, In A Year’, we recited this reMix of the track ‘Colouring Of Pigeons’ by relative newcomer dAi.

He’s done wonders with the track, somehow keeping the abstract and theatrical vibes but making them conform to a steady dancefloor groove. It shouldn’t work, but it does! It’s something really different to hear that 80’s Electro beat and with the avant-garde percussion and operatic vocals.

♫ The Knife (In Collaboration With Mt. Sims And Planningtorock) – Colouring Of Pigeons (dAi Refix) (zShare) (MediaFire)

‘Tomorrow, In A Year’, the album, will be released on Rabid Records on1st March.

The Knife @ Beatport

The Knife @ 7Digital

The Knife @ Amazon

Jan 15 2010

Laurel Halo

Reigning things in after a couple of storming dancefloor tunes today, it’s time to chill with NYC singer/songwriter Laurel Halo. Dreamy layers of Electronics and downtempo beats are the order of the day with this track ‘A Single Breath’ which constantly surprises you from one minute to the next creating an evolving listening experience carried along by Laurel’s unique vocals.

Sitting a little more in our comfort zone 😉 is this reMix from Moodgadget producer Mogi Grumbles who gracefully shoehorns what is quite an eclectic tune into an Housey ElectroPop structure.

♫ Laurel Halo – A Single Breath (zShare) (MediaFire)

♫ Laurel Halo – A Single Breath (Mogi Grumbles Rmx) (zShare) (MediaFire)

Go check some more of Laurel’s work and reMixes at her official site:

Laurel Halo Official Site

Jan 6 2010

SebastiAn for 2010

Hey, it’s been quite a week it’s been for new tracks from established acts who’ve been away far too long! A new track from French Electro master SebastiAn has surfaced, originally featured on an Ed Banger Records promo sampler featuring some of the labels forthcoming releases.

I was debating posting the tune ‘cos a) its all over the music blogosphere anyway and b) it’s a funny one. Clocking in at just over 13 minutes, it’s only around the 11m18s mark that the good old SebastiAn we know and love drops and shit goes crazy. the preceding 11 minutes are a slow chaotic build. Strings, distorted synths and white noise meld together for so long it that waiting for it to kick in becomes almost unbearable.

But when it does…SebastiAn is back!

♫ SebastiAn – Threnody (zShare) (MediaFire)

Anyway, the track, even the intro, has grown on me and I’m now pretty exited about the album release later this year. Ed Banger have got some good shit coming out in the coming months!

Jan 6 2010

New material from The Knife!

We’ve been keeping an eye on SoundCloud all morning since they announced on their Twitter feed that The Knife would be débuting new material via their service sometime this week, and here it is.

The Swedish Experimental ElectroPoppers were commissioned by Danish performance group Hotel Pro Forma to compose the music for an opera based on Charles Darwin and his work ‘On The Origin Of Species’ and in a The Knife first they decided to collaborate with artists Mt. Sims and Planningtorock to “to capture the huge width of the Darwin and evolution theme”

‘Colouring Of Pigeons’ is a strange and intoxicating beast, undeniably The Knife (especially when Karin’s trademark vocals kick in) but the operatic feel to it gives it a life all of it’s own. Give it a few listens, it gets under your skin (in the best of ways), which, I suppose, makes it classic The Knife!

♫ The Knife (In Collaboration With Mt. Sims And Planningtorock) – Colouring Of Pigeons (zShare) (MediaFire)

The studio version of the opera, ‘Tomorrow, In A Year’ will be released on Rabid Records on1st March.

The Knife @ Beatport

The Knife @ 7Digital

The Knife @ Amazon

Nov 9 2009

The Little Boots Of The Apocalypse

LA Experimental Electronica artist Daedelus is taking our Little Boots is strange new directions!

Industrial percussion and droning synths shouldn’t really work with Victoria’s Pop ditty, but you know what? It does!

It’s like The Little Boots Of The Apocalypse has come to crush us all!

♫ Little Boots – Earthquake (Daedelus reMix) (zShare) (MediaFire)

The ‘Earthquake’ single is due out November 13th.

Little Boots @ Beatport

Little Boots @ 7Digital

Little Boots @ Juno

Little Boots @ Amazon

Nov 4 2009

Baby Monster – Ultra Violence And Beethoven reMixes

Baby Monster’s ‘Ultra Violence And Beethoven’ was crazy out-there ElectroPop genius and tore up the internet last month. With news that the single will drop November 9th on 50 Bones, we’re giving you the chance to listen to a couple of the reMixes involved.

Ireland’s Arveene & Misk strip the track back and pile on buzzsaw synths and heavy beats while IDM legends Mondkopf twist the track into something heavy and dark.

♫ Baby Monster – Ultra Violence and Beethoven (Arveene & Misk reMix) (zShare) (MediaFire)

♫ Baby Monster – Ultra Violence And Beethoven (Mondkopf reMix) (zShare) (MediaFire)

‘Ultra Violence And Beethoven’ can be pre-ordered at PureGroove.

Baby Monster @ PureGroove