Oct 21 2010

Chad Valley

What are Ensoniq up to these days? The ESQ-1 was an awesome bit of kit! Anyway…

Chad Valley is the alter ego of Oxford’s Hugo Manuel and he’s about to drop his first EP on Cascine next month.

The track that had me wondering about Ensoniq is ‘Ensoniq Funk’. Taken from the EP, it’s an impressive début. A densely layered slice of electronic Pop where shimmering riffs, horn samples and distant vocals intertwine throughout a track with a distinct Disco flavour.

It’ll defiantly be an EP worthy of further investigation.

♫ Chad Valley – Ensoniq Funk

‘Ensoniq Funk’ is take from Chad Valleys forthcoming EP on Cascine, released on 16th November

Chad Valley @ MySpace

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Oct 20 2010

Friends Electric’s ‘Golden Blood’ video

Welsh Indie-ElectroPoppers Friends Electric new single ‘Golden Blood’ will be released at the end of November.

The video, as with the previous single ‘Wall Of Arms’, was directed by Laura Fry and is a really nice accompaniment to this epic sounding single by one of the UK most underrated bands.

The single is out 29th November. I’m looking forward to catching the guys live alongside Fenech-Soler and Substatic next week in Bristol!

Friends Electric @ Beatport

Friends Electric @ Juno

Friends Electric @ 7Digital

Friends Electric @ Amazon

Oct 15 2010

Fiero

Fiero are the latest in the long line of top quality Dreamwave and Nu-Disco coming out of California that you should be keeping an eye on.

Made up of DJ Nicky Savage along with fellow DJ and bassist Disco, For Your Health and Punk drummer/guitarist Sam//Aftermath, the trio knock out mixtapes full of smooth Electro party tunes and reMixes with more 80’s ElectroPop and Funk than you could shake an 80’s ElectroPop and Funky stick at.

Checking out their original material, though, is a thing of magic (as they themselves would tell you). Obviously there is a hint of the LA/Binary Dreamwave sound in the mix but they’ve got this strong late 80’s ElectroSoul or DancePop vibe running throughout. ‘Snacks On The Beach’ is pure summer fun, a party jam, a driving jam, a chilling jam. Mixing up a semi-rolling bassline, electro toms and the intertwining of some shimmering lead lines, the whole thing is an synthesizer barbeque with your best friends and finest beers.

♫ Fiero – Snacks On The Beach (Original Mix)

Check out more from Fiero and give them some MySpace lovin’:

Fiero @ MySpace

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Oct 14 2010

Minitel Rose reMix Jimmy Edgar

Ahead of the proper release of their album ‘Atlantique’ French Electro trio Minitel Rose, one of the best ElectroPop acts around and longtime member of the Valerie crew, have dropped this reMix of Warp Records artist Jimmy Edgar.

Edgar’s strange take on Jazzy Electronica and ElectroPop is an interesting subject for Minitel Rose’s reMix skills who grab the track by the horns and turn it into a rolling Dreamwave epic.

♫ Jimmy Edgar – Turn You Inside Out (Minitel Rose reMix)

Minitel Rose’s ‘Atlantique’ is out 22nd November on K7! Records.

Jimmy Edgar @ Beatport

Jimmy Edgar @ Juno

Jimmy Edgar @ 7Digital

Jimmy Edgar @ Amazon

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Oct 14 2010

Clock Opera Vs. Little Loud

We’re fans of both Clock Opera and Little Loud here at electronic rumors, so when this little gem dropped in the Inbox excitement followed.

It’s quite a killer tune too. ‘Once And For All’ will be Clock Opera’s next single for Kitsuné Music and Little Loud’s take on the track is a pulsing and shimmering synth workout. Laidback and feel good the sparking lead lines have a pretty euphoric effect.

♫ Clock Opera – Once And For All (Little Loud reMix)

‘Once And For All’ is released 1st November on Kitsuné Music.

Clock Opera @ Beatport

Clock Opera @ Juno

Clock Opera @ 7Digital

Clock Opera @ Amazon

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Oct 13 2010

HURTS’ ‘Stay’ video

Today HURTS premiered their brand new video for the upcoming third single from their début album, ‘Happiness’

The ‘Stay’ (an excellent choice for a single BTW!) video is a beautifully shot Bergman-esq clip that features some stunning landscapes.

I sincerely hope those barefooted dancers has some kind of mat to dance on ‘cos that looks like some nasty sharp volcanic rock!

‘Stay’ is released 15th November, the album ‘Happiness’ is out now.

Oct 12 2010

LIGHTS’ new single

Today saw the Canadian release of Torontonian ElectroPop goddess LIGHTS’ first single from her upcoming second studio album

The track, ‘My Boots’, sees LIGHTS shuffling slowly toward a more Disco sound. Although the verses have an almost Passion Pit-esq Indie-electro quality the choruses and bridge are pure DiscoPop, even having something of the Kylie about them. Which is all good! It’s an awesome taste of what’s to come from one of the most unique females voices in ElectroPop.

♫ LIGHTS – My Boots (Single Version)

‘My Boots’ is out today in Canada, it’ll hit the UK and US on 19th October.

That there was a 128kbps teaser of the single, head on over to your retailer of choice to pick up the full quality single:

Oct 11 2010

Echoes

OK, we gave you a taster of Echoes last week with their ‘Ice Cold’ video, now we reckon the time has come to drop some of their music on you lot.

I’ve got no problem saying straight away that I’m pretty exited about this London based ElectroPop duo, the guys inform me that this is an exclusive, electronic rumors are the first (I expect, of many) blog to pick up on them, I hope they’ll remember us when they are famous!

The two friends got together to make music in November of 2009 and have spend the last 10 months in secret working on their craft the fruits of which are now starting to see the light. Shrouding themselves in mystery (for the time being), Echoes say they want the music to speak for itself and man, does it!

They’ve only released one original track so far, ‘Ice Cold’, and it’ll have you hooked. It’s quite a contradictory tune, awash with the melancholy of the traditional SynthPop of Depeche Mode and Ultravox et al, yet with the upbeat production of the best contemporary Electro. I want to say it’s a like a darker Dreamwave but I’m loathe to use the word Dark here, or sombre, or even gloomy because the track is too uplifting and, indeed, powerful. I suppose you could compare them to HURTS, not so much musically but in the sense that they make the pensive seem fun and danceable! Whatever they’ve done it’s they’ve nailed it. The track is, from a production point of view, some of the best ElectroPop that has crossed our path in a while.

Check out ‘Ice Cold’:

♫ Echoes – Ice Cold

Right, on to the reMixes. I was gonna’ choose one, or two mixes to post here but I really couldn’t choose between them. I’d very loosely call all three Nu-Disco, but each displaying different styles and influences. And all three are of some of electronic rumors favourite artists too! Our Bristol gal Florrie’s ‘You Wanna’ Start Something’ gets a full on Piano driven Pop workout while they drop one of the best reMixes of The Good Natured, managing to turn it into an 8 minute hypnotic dancefloor epic without ruining the actual song (which some of the other reMixes kinda’ did). Finally Canadian keytar goddess LIGHTS’ ‘Second Go’ gets a proper Nu-Disco (in a Russ Chimes piano breakdown stylee) makeover with completely addictive results, reMix wise this is where Echoes truly shine.

Enjoy:

♫ Florrie – You Wanna’ Start Something (Echoes reMix)

♫ The Good Natured – Your Body Is a Machine (Echoes reMix)

♫ LIGHTS – Second Go (Echoes reMix)

We wait with baited breath for more from Echoes, until then I suggest you give them some of your hard earned MySpace love.

Echoes @ MySpace

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Oct 11 2010

Crystal Castles’ ‘Baptism’ video

Here is the official video for Crystal Castles’ 2nd single from their 2nd self titled album.

While looking pretty low budget it, strangely, it feels like a ‘proper pop video’. maybe it reminds me of clips from the 80’s, maybe it’s ‘cos it focuses mostly on Alice singing, I don’t know.

Check it:

The video was directed by Rob Hawkins.

Crystal Castles @ Beatport

Crystal Castles @ Juno

Crystal Castles @ 7Digital

Crystal Castles @ Amazon

Oct 10 2010

StardonE

After a bit of a drought, SoundCloud has been turning up some real gems in the last week. One of them is StardonE, being one of many massages in our SoundCloud inbox vying for attention it takes a lot to stand out. StardonE’s music does!

The analog synth jockey creates a mood that is not to dissimilar to Lifelike but with (even) more of an 80’s retro synth feel. It’s almost like pure distilled instrumental Dreamwave. Sparkling arpeggios intertwine with sweeping leads and a touch of Disco bass. This is music to dance to, to love to and to enigmatically brood to as the rain fizzes off the neon lights.