Jun 24 2011

Soft Metals’ new album

The first time I heard Portland duo Soft Metals I was instantly enamoured with their blend of Minimal Synth and 90’s House and Techno. Next month they finally release their début, self titled, LP.

Their highly acclaimed EP, ‘The Cold World Melts’ was a five track synth music lovers dream. Analog machine music tempered with soaring melodies and haunting vocals, and surprisingly funky too. The forthcoming album promises a full ten tracks of the same. Check out ‘Psychic Driving’ the sweet electronic ballad the record opens with.

♫ Soft Metals – Psychic Driving

Soft Metal’s début album is released 19th July on Captured Tracks.

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Jun 23 2011

Goin’ Old School: John Foxx – Underpass

Whether with his work in early Ultravox for with three decades of making innovative electronic music John Foxx has always been a banner flyer for the synthesizer, and we love him for it. Here’s 1980’s ‘Underpass’, still a classic.

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Jun 19 2011

The Human League’s next single

The Human League next single, the fourth taken from their recent album ‘Credo’, will be ‘Sky’.

It’s a bit of an odd choice for a single release, I think there are tracks on the album that are better suited, but it’s pretty quintessential League. A classic ElectroPop bassline and Phil’s narrative vocals dominate the track. The single is backed up with reMixes from Plastic Plates, The Hacker, Fusty Delights and Martin Brodin. Plastic Plates bring some really nice synth Funk into play on his reMix, which is probably my favourite of the single, while Fusty Delights is a close second as he revels in a retro synth workout that boarders on ols school EBM at times with rapid fire arpeggios.

♫ The Human League – Sky (Radio Edit)

♫ The Human League – Sky (Plastic Plates reMix)

♫ The Human League – Sky (Fusty Delights reMix)

‘Sky’ is released 17th July, ‘Credo’ is out now.

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Jun 19 2011

Kid Kasio’s new video

UK SynthPop wizard Kid Kasio is back with a brand new tune and video.

Shot on location in New Orleans at their 6 Flags theme park ,which was destroyed by hurricane Katrina in 2005, Nathan Cooper once again proves that with talent and vision you really can do it yourself, without a major labels budget, and produce indistinguishable results.

His latest tune, ‘Over And Over’, perfectly captures that meeting of melancholy and hopefulness that was only really done well in the 80’s with reflective and nostalgic subject matter set against uplifting melodies. The video was directed by Dominic Cooper with photography direction from Ben Todd and Rufus Sewell (yes, that Rufus Sewell).

Kid Kasio is now equipped with a shiny new keyboard rig and ready to take his sound live!

Check out Kid Kasio’s music on SoundCloud.

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Jun 19 2011

Goin’ Old School: Alphaville – Big In Japan

Here’s your slice of nostalgia for Sunday. From 1984 we have Germany’s Alphaville with Big In Japan. It’s an absolutely amazing song. Banner flags and smoke were so big in the mid 80’s!

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Jun 17 2011

Goin’ Old School: Heaven 17 – Penthouse And Pavement

It’s 1981, The Human League seem to have split up, your world is in tatters, then this happens. Heaven 17 put a little funk in your synth life with ‘Penthouse And Pavement’.

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Jun 15 2011

Goin’ Old School: The Twins – Face To Face (Heart To Heart)

Face To Face (Heart To Heart) by The Twins, a German SynthPop act who released this single, with one of the catchiest lead lines ever, in 1982.

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Jun 14 2011

Goin’ Old School: Depeche Mode – Strangelove

Strangelove from 1987’s ‘Music For The Masses’ by Depeche Mode, arguably (or at least, I will argue it with you) their finest album.

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Jun 6 2011

Goin’ Old School: The Human League – Love Action (I Believe In Love) in memory of Martin Rushent

Legendary producer Martin Rushent passed away at the weekend aged 63. Marin was responsible for not only shaping the sound of SynthPop and ElectroPop but, with the The League Unlimited Orchestra’s ‘Love And Dancing’ was a pioneer of the reMix world. He also produced the greatest album of all time, The Human League’s ‘Dare’, in 1981. Here is ‘Love Action (I Believe In Love)’. The world is slightly worse off today.

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Jun 4 2011

Goin’ Old School: New Order – Shellshock

‘Shellshock’ is my favourite New Order song. For me it’s broken beats and use of sampling were so ahead of their time (well, the sampling not so much, but cool anyhow) in 1986. Just picture Duckie BMXing it around and around outside Iona’s house in Pretty In Pink if you don’t like the video.