Nov 15 2011

Marsheaux reMix Mylène Farmer

mylene_farmer

The queens of Greek SynthPop Marsheaux have reMixed French artist Mylène Farmer’s ‘‘N’Aie Plus D’Amertume’, from her slightly ElectroPop influenced last album ‘Bleu Noir’.

The downtempo ballad is transformed into a kicking, upbeat, SynthPop beast complete with Marsheaux’s trademark icy digital synths cutting through the mix. Once again Marsheaux provide us with another clean, crisp synthetic slice of Electro quality.

♫ Mylène Farmer – N’Aie Plus D’Amertume (Marsheaux reMix)

Buy Mylène Farmer’s music from:

Follow @electronicrumor

Nov 14 2011

Kid Kasio’s new video

We really look forward to a new Kid Kasio video almost as much as a new Kid Kasio track! The man has an eye for authentic ’80’s visuals as much as an ear for authentic ‘80’s sounds.

His new clip is for ‘Living My Life’ (which was actually the first Kid Kasio track we heard, the track that made us fall in love with his music), if the exotic location looks familiar, that’s because it was filmed on location in Antigua on very the same beach Duran Duran cavorted on for their ‘Rio’ video.

Stay tuned for news regarding Kid Kasio’s début album, exciting stuff!

Check out more from Kid Kasio on SoundCloud.

Follow @electronicrumor

Nov 11 2011

Holy Ghost!’s Ministry cover

Holy Ghost!

Long time reader will be fully aware of my feelings about Ministry (i.e. they used to be awesome, then went Industrial and were pretty good, then went Metal and were utter shit and laughably tried to disavow their SynthPop past), now one of my favourite acts of recent years, Holy Ghost!, has covered Ministry…good Ministry!

‘I Wanted To Tell Her’ was originally on Ministry’s 1983 awesome album ‘With Sympathy’ and Holy Ghost! have brought it kicking and screaming into the 21st century covered in their New York DiscoPop sound. With a little help from The Juan MacLean and Nancy Whang the duo give early Ministry some raw Funk. It will amuse ne no end if such a relevant band covering this era Ministry sees a resurgence of popular interest in the album Ministry disowned.

♫ Holy Ghost! (Feat. Nancy Whang & The Juan MacLean) – I Wanted To Tell Her (Ministry Cover)

Buy Holy Ghost!’s music from:

Follow @electronicrumor

Nov 8 2011

047 ‘Keep It To Yourself’

047

047 are a Swedish duo in a classic ElectroPop style. They’ve just released their new single ‘Keep It To Yourself’.

This is pure SynthPop in that Sweedish tradition, sounding slightly like a more retro Universal Poplab ‘Keep It To Yourself’ with solid beats and a lush, full, synthetic sound characterised by the kinds of lilting melodies that the Scandinavians do best. Alongside you’ll find emotive and beautifully harmonised vocals.

♫ 047 (Feat. Gustaf Spetz) – Keep It To Yourself

‘Keep It To Yourself’ is out now in Killing Music.

Buy 047’s music from:

Follow @electronicrumor

Nov 4 2011

T&K’s ‘The reMixes’

This week On The Fruit Records released a reMix collection featuring some awesome reworkings of ElectroPop duo T&K’s newly released album, ‘Magic Tank’.

The whole collection is well worth checking out, for me the highlights came from James Yuill, Mr. Mæn, Rocky and Freak You. Mr. Yuill’s take on ‘Little Clouds’ is an epic, rolling, ElectroPop monster. An evolving analog beast that despite being a pumping electronic floorfiller is amazingly cinematic and emotive. After an icy intro, Mr. Mæn’s version of ‘Summer Nights’ becomes a massive ‘80’s ‘moment’ track. Majestic and powerful, it’s a slow burner that rouses the soul. an old school SynthPop flavour is applied to ‘Magic Tank’ by Rocky. Like the bastard child of Yazoo and Fad Gadget, Rocky’s reMix is a weird synthesizer workout disguised as a Pop song. On The Fruit main man Freak You’s reMix of ‘Line Of Light’ is a cosmic, chiming tune with a ‘90’s SynthPop bassline and a hint of Disco that’ll definitely go down a storm on the dancefloor.

♫ T&K – Little Cloud (James Yuill reMix)

♫ T&K – Summer Night (Mr. Mæn reMix)

♫ T&K – Magic Tank (Rocky reMix)

♫ T&K – Line Of Light (Freak You reMix)

Also featuring reMixes from Canblaster, Segundo and Boston Bun, T&K’s ‘The reMixes’ is out now.

Buy T&K’s music from:

Follow @electronicrumor

Nov 3 2011

Strangers’ EP3

strangers

After a few months of SynthPop rapidly falling out of favour with the Indie crowd, London based three peice Strangers seem destined to drag it back into the pages of the NME with their forthcoming third EP.

Much is being made of the trio’s so-called Dark Pop, words like ‘gothic’ and ’gloomy’ are being bandied around in reference to their music but I kinda’ disagree. Sure, the tracks are shot through with a streak of melancholy and the lyrics tend to lean toward the despondent, but ‘dark’ music this isn’t. The cleverly titled ‘EP3’ contains three cuts of catchy, surprisingly upbeat SynthPop. With beautiful, full, production and rousing choruses the whole EP mixes a hint of ‘80’s Pop with modern studio wizardry and delivers an experience that combines unexpectedly dancey electronic Pop with an infections vocal performance that will have you listening over and over again.

I’m also quite proud that I managed to go a whole paragraph without mentioning HURTS.

♫ Strangers (Feat. Lara Smiles) – Promises

♫ Strangers – Because I’m Human

♫ Strangers – Sweet Nothing

Strangers’ ‘EP’3’ is out 28th November.

Buy Strangers’ music from:

Follow @electronicrumor

Nov 2 2011

The Sound Of Arrows’ ‘Voyage’ album

The Sound Of Arrows

I’ve had a couple of weeks to listen to The Sound Of Arrows’ long-awaited début full length record, which is enough time to get over the anticipation and listen to it on face value, and y’know what? It’s better that way.

‘Voyage’ is an album that can completely stand up on it’s own, hype and reputation aside, this is eleven tracks of SynthPop of such quality you begin to understand what it took a few years to make. All the singles are here (save for ‘Danger!’), and they made the good choice of putting ‘Into The Clouds’ arguable their biggest hit, first. The track immediately reminds you of everything you love about The Sound Of Arrows, the ‘90’s indie-tinged vocals, the pumping synths and the sense of aspiration, and reminds you why you’ve been looking forward to the album for a while. Immediately following is the new single, the Balearic sounding ‘Wonders’, these two single set up the mood for the album, both musically and thematically. Musically the album is, mostly, euphoric stuff. Big major riffs and uplifting beats are the LP’s staples. There are a few downtempo tracks, such as ‘Hurting All The Way’ and ‘Ruins Of Rome’, but even they are shot through with an air of hopefulness rather than melancholy. Which brings me to the strain running through the album thematically. ‘Voyage’ is a manifesto of wonderment, a collection of songs that scream out their hope that the world can be a better place. The album dreams of adult problems seen through the eyes of childhood wonder, stripped down to their basic ridiculousness in a metaphor of magical discovery, culminating in ‘There Is Still Hope’ while the albums exit, ‘Lost City’ is a epic cinematic finale.

I suppose I better find some criticism to make of ‘Voyage….the single’s ‘Nova’ and ‘Wonders’ can get a bit too early 2000’s Ibiza for my tastes these days, whilst they are excellent songs the sounds are a little dated, but that’s it. On the whole album all I could find fault with is two lead synth sounds. If you’re a fan of SynthPop or ElectroPop the The Sound Of Arrows’ ‘Voyage’ is one of the top releases of the year, or the last few years, and set to be an electronic Pop classic with ease.

♫ The Sound Of Arrows – M.A.G.I.C.

♫ The Sound Of Arrows – Wonders

The Sound Of Arrows ‘Voyage’ is released 7th November, a deluxe version is also incoming featuring a second CD of instrumentals..

Buy The Sound Of Arrows’ music from:

Follow @electronicrumor

Oct 31 2011

‘Boulevard Of Broken Dreams’ from Pop Inc.

Pop Inc. have premiered the mini-movie video for their Modern SynthPop track ‘Boulevard Of Broken Dreams’ .

Experience the full horror of Hollywood!

Buy Pop Inc.’s music from:

Follow @electronicrumor

Oct 29 2011

Annex 82

annex 82

Annex 82 is the brainchild of Michigan based Electro producer Rob Salazar.

He’s just released his new EP, titled ‘Skylights’, and it’s five tracks of pure synth heaven. Taking the current SynthWave sound and giving it a slightly more grungy, more analog, feel Annex 82 come across with both the Italo groove of Dreamwave crossover tracks and the rockiness of the ballsier end of SynthPop. This instrumental collection kicks off with ‘Laserbeam’, which is is everything a synth-head could want from a track, taking cues from everything from ElectroPop to Disco via Italo it really sets a precedent for the rest of the EP. Annex 82’s tracks flow with an unexpected kind of machine funk, there is a groove hiding amongst the relentless rapid-fire robo synths, and an emotion to the melodies. ‘Roadgames’ and ‘astrid eVe’ both lay the ‘80’s vibe on thick, with the former even getting a little Daft Punk about it. This is a very impressive EP from an unknown that leaves us eager to hear more.

♫ Annex 82 – Laserbeam

♫ Annex 82 – Roadgames

♫ Annex 82 – astrid eVe

You can download the whole of Annex 82’s new EP for free on their SoundCloud.

Buy Annex 82’s music from:

Follow @electronicrumor

Oct 29 2011

Miracle’s new single

Miracle

The almighty Steve Moore is back, the hardest working man in retro synth music is gearing up for the first proper single release (after the severely limited ‘The Visitor’ 12” and the ‘Fluid Window’ mini-album) of his duo project with Daniel O’Sullivan, Miracle.

The single, ‘Good Love’, opens with typically Moore vintage synths and a slightly Italo feel before powering into a majestic, SynthPop anthem. The mixture of ‘80’s European dance music with Depeche Mode style grandiose lyrical religious imagery. Like and orchestra of Italo, Moore and O’Sullivan crate a rousing yet melancholy sound with enough understanding of the dancefloor to see them as big contenders for HURTS, or at least a HURTS for the SynthWave crowd.