Goin’ Old School isn’t a trip down music memory lane, it’s a mugging in the dark alleyway of nostalgia:
Nik Kershaw has just brand new single, The Sky’s The Limit, and album EI8HT, so let’s revisit Human Racing from 1984.
The smooth side of Paul Hardcastle with the soulful Electro Boogie of Don’t Waste My Time, featuring Carol Kenyon, from 1986
Ending today’s Goin’ Old School is the Pop Funk of Thompson Twins with 1982’s Lies.
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Apparently Cyberpunk is a thing again. At least it is in the world of Miles Prower who have roped in Substatic chanteuse Colleen Quinn for this gynoid SynthPop ballad Pneumatic.
Miles Prower (we presume, named after Sonic The Hedgehog’s mate) is a side-project from Bristol Electro-Rock outfit Nova Robotics (we presume, named after the company that built Johnny Five) that sees the duo put down their wall-of-noise guitars in favour of bouncy ‘90’s synths, and a fine job of it they do too. It’s a little rough around the edges, it could do with a production makeover, but it definitely shows promise. Miles Prower have mixed up a classic SynthPop sound with a little Italo groove to create a sound the futurists would have been proud of. Colleen’s vocals are as good as ever, taking on a new tone within the confines of a narrative. It’s in appealing début for this project, it’ll be interesting to see where it goes from here.
♫ Miles Prower (Feat. Colleen Quinn) – Pneumatic
Check out more from Miles Prower on SoundCloud.
London based SynthPop artist Christianoshi’s 21st century Erasure anthem Trust, finally sees release today as his début a single proper. It’s well deserved and a long time coming for this hard working singer who’s been knocking out top tracks for a year or so now. Trust comes loaded with reMixes from Kryn & Krügen and long-time Christianoshi collaborator Trademark.
Trust is the epitome of Christianoshi’s style. Part Erasure, part Marc Almond, part Bronski Beat with a slightly updated production style. It’s classic ElectroPop stuff really, dominated by a pulsating Electro bassline and Christianoshi belting out, full of drama and a massive ‘80’s chorus. Kryn & Krügen bring a ‘90’s tribal dance flavour to the track while Trademark’s slick Pet Shop Boys Disco sound lifts the track right up to the dancefloor. Their Electro Boogie bassline and big synth stabs are hard not to move to and work perfectly with Christianoshi impassioned vocal. the single feels like a manifesto for Christianoshi, this is him telling the world what he’s about, and that seems to be bringing traditional SynthPop kicking and screaming into contemporary music. We eagerly await his next release.
♫ Christianoshi – Trust
♫ Christianoshi – Trust (Trademark reMix)
Christianoshi’s Trust is out now.
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We thought the days of reMixes of Australian Indie-Electro masters Cut Copy’s now-classic Hearts On Fire were over. We are glad we were wrong. Austin ElectroPop outfit Eleven:Eleven have whipped up a new take on the track that brings to mind some seriously classic SynthPop.
This one’s all about the big beats and vintage Synth melodies. There’s someone of Depeche Mode’s Behind The Wheel in this mix, especially in the haunting lead line. This mixture of nostalgic refrains and big modern synth production make the track quite unique sounding. Moody, with a marching dance beat, this reMixes shines a whole new light on Cut Copy’s original. Being big fans of the tune, it;s great to hear it presented in such a new way.
♫ Cut Copy – Hearts On Fire (Eleven:Eleven ‘The Induction’ Mix)
Hearts On Fire is taken from Cut Copy’s second album In Ghost Colours.
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Still riding high on the success of their current Safe/Pain single, London’s dark ElectroPop trio Strangers have taken some time out from being all bombastic and moody to cover Haddaway’s What Is Love? I don’t think, in my entire life, I have ever heard a band cover a classic track and make it their own as much as Strangers do right here.
It’s bewildering. Any connotation, and pre-conceived ideas, you have of Haddaway’s original, one of the biggest EuroDance hits of the ‘90’s, will completely disappear within seconds of Stranger’s cover starting. It’s like the song was written for them. Stripping the track of it’s staccato EuroPop bassline and Hi-NRG beats, Strangers replace what’s gone with majestic synth chords, brooding military rhythms and atmospheric piano. When they belt out “What is love? Baby, don’t hurt me” as an anthemic lament, you’ll instantly forget the shiny, upbeat, original and totally commit to Strangers moody, emotional vision of the song.
♫ Strangers – What Is Love? (Haddaway Cover)
Safe/Pain by Strangers is out now.
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It’s been a while since their pretty stunning Apparitions EP but now London Experimental SynthPop duo Labyrinth Ear are once again ready to treat our ears to some of the most interesting electronic music around. It’s been nearly a year since their last EP, but their new track, Urchin, let’s us know they haven’t been sitting on their laurels.
A mixture of chimes and deep synthetic bassline greet you at the beginning of Urchin, sounding not unlike something from BladeRunner. Such futuristic connotations are soon shed, thought, as Labyrinth Ear launch into a moody, organic SynthPop dream. Industrial percussion and ghostly synths lay out the tracks atmosphere, threatening to take the song into Goth territory, but Labyrinth Ear refrain from things from getting too pompous by keeping a very human, emotional, feel to the track. Both in Tom’s gloomy Italo dungeon music and Emily’s haunting vocal performance. Hopefully a precursor of things to come.
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We’ve got to admit, we have no idea who Ben Howard is. Yesterday PopJustice referred to him as a “full-time borelord” and a very brief investigation of the original version of this tune on YouTube we quickly came to the same assessment. Talented songwriter he may be, but he seems to have ordered a helping of tediously dull performer with that. No matter, it’s just the songwriting talent we’re interested in right now as our reigning ElectroPop monarch Queen Of Hearts (looking very animé in her new promo pics) takes the song into new toe-tapping directions.
Neon collaborator John Myers steps up for production duties once again, which was quite surprising as on our initial listen we had thought it might have been the Sound Of Arrow’s Stefan Storm behind the mixing desk, the track has some TSoA qualities to it. I think it’s the Into The Clouds breakdown that caught our in in that regard. The Queen throws herself into her performance and allows her vocals flowing effortlessly from sultry to ethereal and back again while they dance around the Balearic soundtrack. This one is Queen Of Hearts’ sunrise anthem.
♫ Only Love (Ben Howard cover) (Extended Version)
Queen Of Heart’s ‘Neon’/’Tears In The Rain’ single is out right now. Also out now is ‘electronic rumors Volume 1’ on which Queen Of Hearts features.
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Goin’ Old School isn’t a trip down music memory lane, it’s a mugging in the dark alleyway of nostalgia:
Nitzer Ebb’s Control, I’m Here from1988. Classic Ebb, before they went a bit funny.
The Shamen 1988 Indie hit Jesus Loves Amerika. Not moving any mountain now are we? The Shamen, post-Industrial, pre-Mr. C.
1981 saw Duran Duran’s chart breakthrough with Planet Earth. It stared a revolution.
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This is the video for Pet Shop Boys’ new single Winner. An epic SynthPop tune that is, completely coincidentally, about winning stuff, just in time for the Olympics.
Timing cynicism aside, this is the kind of thing only Pet Shop Boys can get away with. And Roller Derby would make a much better Olympic sport than running fast or throwing stuff. All inclusive too!
Winner is released on 6thAugust.
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Pixel Memory have freaked me out. This San Francisco Electro trio’s email was full of references to ‘Dark SynthPop’ (all caps!), seriously, it’s referenced a few times and on their SoundCloud page too. The thing is, their music seems to be quite optimistic bouncy ElectroPop, I’m not sure when the ‘dark’ comes into it. That’s not to say it’s bad, it’s not, it’s really good. I just can’t really find any hint of darkness in their music. Not that that’s a bad thing, mind.
Night Colours, I presume, is their dark opus. What I hear is an almost Balearic ElectroPop epic. Euphoric and chilled. Atmospheric, but not gloomy. Maybe I’m not seeing the darkness because I listen to too much actual melancholic SynthPop, I see the point, there’s lots of sweeping pads and dreamlike vocals, but in reality Night Colors is a sunrise epic. A superbly crafted slice of hazy ElectroPop bliss with a slight Italo influence and a thin layer of nostalgia. The five tracks that will make up their forthcoming début EP were o-produced with Mark Pistel of Hercules And Love Affair, which includes Night Colours as well as Guardian. OK, so Guardian is slightly more Gothy in the vocal department, but that’s pretty much counteracted by the pumping beats and chainsaw Electro riffs. Again, I can kinda; see the point, why it’s apparently ‘dark’, but it just doesn’t feel ‘dark’ to me. Sure there is big ominous chords and ethereal vocals, but it’s far too funky to every be ‘dark’, the lead far to complex and exciting, the bassline far too classic Hip Hop. In short, Pixel Memory don’t make the ‘Dark SynthPop’, they claim to. what they do make, however, is top quality, intelligent, interesting ElectroPop tunes. Highly recommended listening, just don’t expect to be slashing your wrists to it.
Pixel Memory’s début EP is released later this summer.
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electronic rumors 