May 11 2012

Anto Greekson

OK, let me just start by sating that, yes I am aware that is the single worst record cover ever made. It’s such a truly terrible peice of misguided marketing that I can’t even bring myself to show you the whole thing. A graphic design and artwork failure so bad that I very nearly didn’t listen to the music at all. But that would have been a mistake, because the music of Greek Swede Anto Greekson is really sublime at times.

Anto makes Electro tunes that swing between full-on bangers and sweet SynthWave tracks. As evidenced on his new EP ‘Fantasy’, his bangers are top quality, EBM tinged cacophonies of chainsaw synths and heavy bass that would kill in any hard Electro set. However, it;s his more melodic peices where Anto really shines. ‘Galaxy’ for example, drops a hard beat and rapid fire Italo basslines, but then layers it with some soaring synth leads that would easily be suited to some futuristic ‘80’s TV show. Still working the buzzsaw sounds, ‘galaxy’ is an altogether more musical offering. As is ‘Naked’, again still in-your-face Electro, but somehow less obnoxious as the more banger-oriented tracks, here there is flying shimmering synth sounds and a sense of melody to the distortion. ‘Streetlights’ is the other standout on the EP, the most Italo of the collection at times sounding, working bit-crunched sounds into a rolling groove and occasionally sounding a bit like Mille. All in all it;s a pretty good début, Anto needs a lot of work on his production (and a new graphic designer!) but this one shows a lot of potentiol, and we’ll definitely be keeping an eye on him.

♫ Anto Greekson – Galaxy

♫ Anto Greekson – Naked

♫ Anto Greekson – Streetlights

Anto Greekson’s ‘Fantasy’ EP is out now.

Buy Anto Greekson’s music from:

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May 11 2012

Follow Me’s ‘Aaliyah’

Follow Me

Follow Me is back with another slice of his smooth SynthWave sounds, this time he’s grabbed a handful of vocals samples and written a track for sunsets.

Grabbing bits of the top-line from Aaliyah’s ‘If Your Girl Only knew’, Follow Me craft a smooth, laid back track that builds up a chilled atmosphere with rounded synths and hollow percussion. This is being-on-a-rooftop-looking-over-the-city-at-night kinda’ track, if that makes sense, which it probably doesn’t. Suffice to say it conjures up an relaxed, night time, urban feel. Follow Me’s cinematic SynthWave works surprisingly well with in an R&B context, or at least takes the R&B context far enough out into it’s own retro synth arena that it seems to fit.

♫ Follow Me – Aaliyah

You can download the track from Follow Me’s Facebook page.

Check out more from Follow Me on SoundCloud.

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May 10 2012

The return of Saar & Sky

Saar & Sky

A few years ago Saar & Sky were, briefly, one of the best Electro acts in London. A melting pot of Italo, SynthPop and the emerging Dreamwave and SynthWave styles with an energetic live show and some seriously catchy songs. Then distance divided this duo and Saar & Sky were no more. We all mourned. It was dark times.

So it was a pleasant surprise to find a new Saar & Sky EP incoming. Born of late night phonecalls this isn’t really a return for these guys, more of a decision that they had too many good songs on ice not to release them in some form or other. The result is the ‘Maria’ EP, a collection of five of their best unreleased tracks. Much of this you might already know, either from live or from their MySpace page (yes, it was that long ago), which make it doubly nice to now have the good quality studio recordings of these songs available. The great, and unique, thing about Saar & Sky was always their combination of styles. On the one had you have Logan Sky’s very Italo influenced Electro sounds, robotic grooves and big power stabs, and on the other there’s Saar soulful, almost R&B vocals. That combination of machine beats and smooth songs was way ahead of it’s time in terms of the surge of vocal Nu-Disco. The tracks on the EP, surprisingly, haven’t really dated much. ‘Maria’, the lead track is a rich, haunting slice of retro Pop, all dreamlike riffs and electro tom rolls alongside Saar’s impassioned vocals and sets the tone for the EP. Saar & Sky slide from the harder dance tracks like the insanely catchy ‘Confessions’ to to the more eclectic end of Italo found on tracks like ‘Falshback’ throughout the EP, never afraid to try something new within their vocal SynthWave framework. If this is the epilogue to Saar & Sky it’s a fitting tribute, kinda’ hoping it’s not though.

♫ Saar & Sky – Maria

Saar & Sky’s ‘Maria’ EP is released 15th May.

Buy Saar & Sky’s music from:

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May 9 2012

Futurecop! new compilation album and launch party

Basic RGB

On 5th June Kiez Beats and Futurecop! will be releasing ‘We Are The Future’, an 18 track compilation album featuring the best in contemporary SynthWave and Dreamwave around. Featuring the likes of datA, Lifelike, Phonat, Anoraak, Fear Of Tigers, Mille, StardonE, Worship and Follow Me alongside Futurecop! themselves. Check the MiniMix for a taste of what to expect and feast your eyes on that stellar tracklisting.

♫ Futurecop! – We Are The Future MiniMix

The tracklist:

01. Lazerhawk – Shoulder Of Orion
02. Car Clova – Farletched
03. StardonE – Lovedays
04. Mille – Afterski
05. Worship – Horizon
06. Lifelike (Feat. Namebrand And Yota) – Love Emulator
07. Follow Me – A Mission Noctural
08. datA – Electric Fever
09. Anoraak – Above Your Head
10. Fear Of Tigers – Hidup
11. Robots With Rayguns – Fever
12. Phonat – The Microwave FX
13. Power Glove – Night Force
14. Maethelvin – Delight
15. Futurecop! – Forever: Dreams (beaumont reMix)
16. Young Digerati – The Dauphin (Ride The Universe reMix)
17. Futurecop! – Far Away (Leisure Council reMix)
18. NeonFlashDrive – Previously On X-Men

Just before the album drops, on 26th May, the guys are putting together a launch party at The Nest in Dalston, London. It look like it;s going to be a one-of-a-kind night featuring Futurecop!, The C90s, Edwin Van Cleef, Fear Of Tigers and I’ll be there too spinning some tunes. Details here.

we are the future flyer - A4 with 3mm bleed @ 200dpi (1)

It’s going to be a pretty unmissable night! Stay tuned for more information, and tracklist, about the album.

Buy Futurecop!’s music from:

May 8 2012

Kelek; new tune and reMix for Pretty Boy Makes Rave

kelek

German SynthWave producer Kelek is back with a couple of new tracks. We’ve been keeping an eye on Kelek for a while now, ever since his standout entry in Fear Of Tigers’ ‘The Adventures Of Pippi Longstrump’ reMix competition last year he’s been impressing us. This week he drops a brand new original and a new reMix.

Kelek’s new tune, ‘Alaska’, as a laid back slick of smooth Dreamwave. A retro synthed bouncer that is made for cruisin’. Rolling along on a synth Funk bassline the track a slightly a lot of things. Slightly Italo, slightly Electro Boogie, slightly Tropical, and massively more of a chilled groove than Kelek’s previous works. It’s nice to see this smoother side to his productions, and to discover that he can work more than one sound. ‘Alaska’ is there for hot lazy days and good times. Kelek has also tackled Pretty Boy Makes Rave’s ‘Change’, bringing out his Italo side for the challenge. And it works too, his reMix of ‘Change’ is classic Italo with a bit of ‘90’s House piano thrown in for good measure and a twisting, infectious lead line. Kelek is really starting to step up his game, exciting things ahead!

♫ Kelek – Alaska

♫ Pretty Boy Makes Rave – Change (Kelek reMix)

Check out more from Kelek on SoundCloud.

Follow @electronicrumor

May 8 2012

Mitch Murder’s ‘Phobos Gun Run’

mitch murder

The undisputed king of SynthWave, Mitch Murder, dropped another new track over the weekend, proving he’s still on top form, still an innovator and still light-years ahead of most of the pack in teams of musical ability and pure flair for, and understanding of, retro synth music.

Obviously for someone so influenced by electronic ‘80’s movie soundtracks this was bound to crop up sooner or later, but this is probably the most Vince DiCola-esque peice that I have ever heard Mr. Murder produce. Drawing from DiColoa’s trademark mixture of both arpeggiated & sliding digital slap bass and staccato orchestral hits with big powerful progressions, Mitch Murder adds this to his own repertoire of urgent vintage synth lines and Moroder grooves. The synth solo in the track is simply stunning, it takes synth shredding to a whole new level and lifts the track up to stratospheric heights. Mitch Murder had produced another huge slice of otherworldly, nostalgic, synthesizer brilliance, and with amazingly clean, subtle production highlighted just how much work the much of the SynthWave scene has to do to be on his level.

♫ Mitch Murder – Phobos Gun Run

Mitch Murder’s amazing ‘Current Events’ album is out now.

Buy Mitch Murder’s music from:

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May 4 2012

Future Feelings’ ‘Odyssey’ EP

Future Feelings

Future Feelings is a Mexican producer who is mixing up a bit of vintage synthesizer Funk into his Nu-Disco sounds. He’s just released his ‘Odyssey’ EP and it seems like a must buy for anyone into analog Disco, Electro Boogie or Cosmic SynthWave sounds.

The ‘Odyssey’ EP is four tracks of space age future Funk. Future Feelings likes to mix things up in the studio, rocking classic synths from Moog, Roland and Oberheim into Ableton so his tracks retain a pure nostalgia and a warmness to their robotic grooves. ‘Drive’ is the standout on the EP, a wicked upbeat Nu-Disco track that combined late ‘70’s Disco with and Italo influence and some sweet B-Boy beats and vocoder. It’s got everything you need. The whole EP is a masterwork of analog Disco, with the deep funkin’ Moog basses and squelchy synths of early New York Disco meeting more driving European dance flavours and resulting in an exciting, retro, journey though neon and glitterball lit dancefloors. It also contains some of the bas bass playing and Herbie Hancock keys you’ll hear this side of Shook. The whole thing is wrapped up in a kinda’ SynthWave sheen, but is generally far groovier than SynthWave. Basically is like an attack of Disco robots from the future in about 1983. Yeah, that sounds about right.

♫ Future Feelings – Drive

♫ Future Feelings – Odyssey

♫ Future Feelings – Wicked

Future Feelings’ ‘Odyssey’ EP is out this week.

Buy Future Feelings’ music from:

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May 4 2012

Casio Social Club’s ‘Nordic Nights’

Here we have the new single from Justin Winks, A.K.A. Casio Social Club. This time not on his own (and pretty awesome) Mullet Records imprint but as part of the first in a series of double A-side released from Eskimo Recordings. CSC shares this release with Djuma Soundsystem Vs. Kolombo, who’s downtempo Disco has got a good groove, but unsurprisingly Casio steals the show.

Mr. Winks has been quietly dropping a sting of ace tunes recently, ‘Rock The Discotheque’ is still regularly played round electronic rumors towers. ‘Nordic Nights’, Casio Social Clubs contribution to the double A-side, is a nice pumping, but quite deep, dancefloor tune that draws on both Disco and House influences and wraps them up in Casio Social Clubs‘ nostalgic Electro Boogie. Riding on a deep synthetic bassline and bright, shimmering, chords ‘Nordic Nights’ does seem to capture a bit of a Scandinavian flavour alongside keeping it retro with big electro tom rolls and even bringing a beach part vibe with some Tropical percussion. Casio Social Club has dropped yet another track destined to move the dancefloor with his rolling retro sound.

♫ Casio Social Club – Nordic Nights

Buy Casio Social Club’s music from:

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May 3 2012

Final DJs reMix Kris Menace

kris-menace

Germany’s Final DJs are at it again, dropping another awesome slice of blissed out SynthWave, just in time for the weekend. This time it’s in the form if a brand new reMix of Kris Menace’s Kiki Twins featuring ‘We Are’.

Final DJs bring their smooth night-drive synthesizer love to the tune, an early entry in the ‘We Are’ reMix competition. I’m sure we’re going to see a flood of ‘We Are’ reMixes but I seriously doubt that many will top Final DJs quality. The tune is loaded with subtle influences, a slight Italo feel, a gently French Touch sheen, all folded into FDJs Synthy goodness. It’s a big diva vocal track, and FDJs never make it compete with the music, the laid back urban Electro acting as a compliment, working in harmony with the vocals to create a deep late-nights-in-the-city groove. They couldn’t resist adding one of their trademark solo in there too, this one is particularity buzzin’.

♫ Kris Menace (Feat. Kiki Twins) – We Are (Final DJs Rmx)

Buy Kris Menace’s music from:

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May 2 2012

TEEEL reMixes Ian McGlynn

Ian McGlynn

TEEEL is back with another new reMix, where the New Jersey based SynthWave producer get the time I’ll never know, each one is a gem too, Up next is this reMix, we are prémiering today, of fellow New Jersey resident, singer/songwriter Ian McGlynn’s new single ‘Gold Morning Mend’.

McGlynn’s passionate vocal delivery makes for the prefect companion to TEEEL’s dreamy synthetic soundscapes. The reverb washed, almost Chillwavey, vocals lend themselves well to a quirky ElectroPop style, and a quirky ElectroPop style is what TEEEL delivers. By now we’ve heard enough TEEEL to look forward to his emotional synthesizer work, live sounding electronics played with feeling, and with this reMix he wraps up McGlynn’s track in a cocoon of buzzing synths and cosmic melodies. TEEEL and McGlynn deliver a wonderfully heartfelt peice of electronic music here. Perfect for lazy summer nights.