Jan 27 2012

The Opiates’ reMix album

The Opiates

The double team of Miss Billie Ray Martin and Robert Solheim, The Opiates’ ‘Hollywood Under The Knife’ album was a pretty regular fixture on electronic rumors last year. Well, that momentum doesn’t need to stop. Next month The Opiates release ‘Hollywood Cuts (The reMixes)’, an album chock full of some big names reMixing some big tracks from ‘Hollywood Under The Knife’.

the list of reMixers is pretty impressive, Kim Ann Foxman, Doorly, Chris & Cosey, Drop Out Orchestra, Dan Beaumont and this track from Dalston’s Disco Bloodbath. Taking the lead track from the album, ‘Candy Coated Crime’, Disco Bloodbath lay down some deep electronic sounds. Their pulsating synthesizer Disco conjures a mood of late nights on dingy dancefloors, dark clubs and strange places. A perfect match for Billie’s sultry vocal. With a slight dark Italo feel this reMix is one for a dark future.

♫ The Opiates – Candy Coated Crime (Disco Bloodbath reMix)

The Opiates’ ‘Hollywood Cuts (The reMixes)’ is released 26th February on Disco Activisto.

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Jan 27 2012

Desire’s ‘Don’t Call’ video

Here is the new video from Johnny Jewel’s Desire project. It’s for ‘Don’t Call’, a reasonable old, from their 2009 album’ ‘II’, tune given a new lease of life with some dreamy hipster visuals.

Directed by Alberto Rossini in Miami in October during a hurricane watch, the wind and the vintage footage somehow seem to work themselves in to the track amazingly.

‘II’ is out now on Italians Do It Better.

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Jan 27 2012

ComboStar’s new EP

ComboStar

Nine years ago Parisian outfit ComboStar released ‘In My Soul’ a big, filtered French House track that made some waves. Now in 2012 they are back with a new EP on La Valigetta.

The ‘Combostella’ EP is a bit hit an miss, a couple of the tracks on there are a bit Nu-Disco by numbers, a bit uninspired. But these two tracks ‘Straight In The Eye’ and, especially, ‘Discoball Room’ make the EP worth it. ‘Straight In The Eye’ makes great use of some pretty original samples to create a peak time Disco tune that is novelty enough to chart. ‘Discoball Room’, though, is the track that makes the EP. Layers of synthesizer Funk and squelchy little melodies play all over a Disco-House beat. A whole EP of this kind of stuff would have been killer, rather than the commercial, compilation focused Disco, maybe next time.

♫ ComboStar – Discoball Room

♫ ComboStar – Straight In The Eye

ComboStar’s ‘Combostella’ EP is out 6th February.

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Jan 26 2012

Pelifics & Human Life

Pelifics

Toronto’s Brilliantine records have given us the first taste of what to expect from the highly anticipated new release from Norway’s Pelifics.

The collection of collaborations is split over two EPs due out in February and March. March’s release will contain tracks featuring JD Samson (Le Tigre/MEN), AXXE and Miss Plug Inn, while next months EP holds one track featuring Electric Youth and this flip side, ‘Can’t Promise Anything’ featuring Human Life. ‘Can’t Promise Anything’ is driven by a Funked our digital bassline that makes for a sparse ElectroPop backing for Human Life’s impassioned vocal duet. It’s a tantalising hint of what promises to be an exciting collection of tracks.

♫ Pelifics (Feat. Human Life) – Can’t Promise Anything

The first EP is released 13th February.

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Jan 26 2012

Kid Kasio’s début album, ‘Kasiotone’

kid kasio

The end of this month sees the long awaited release of Kid Kasio’s début album, ‘Kasiotone’.

In the years before electronic rumors started, and the ElectroPop resurgence of 2007 onward, a band called The Modern (later Matineé Club) was one of the UK big hopes for rocketing intelligent SynthPop back into the spotlight. Unfortunately due to mis-management and major label problems The Modern’s fame was never realised, but ever cloud has a silver lining. Had The Modern never split up then Nathan Cooper may have never adopted his Kid Kasio alter-ego and brought to the world the most authentic ‘80’s Pop committed to recording since 1989.

Everything about the Kid Kasio experience is meticulously overseen by Nathan, from the recordings, to the artwork, to his now legendary videos, all slotting into their place in his perfect vision of the ‘80’s. ‘Kasiotone’ is the epitome of that vision. Kid Kasio isn’t influenced by the ‘80’s, he is the ‘80’s. What we mean by that is ‘Kasiotone’ doesn’t sound like an album that is a pastiche, or a parody, or a homage, or a reverence, or a bandwagon rider, this actually sounds like an album from around 1985 (albeit with modern recording techniques, like a 1985 album remastered). Sure, there is the occasional touch of modern electronic music in the production, but everything about these songs whether it’s the vintage synth and drum sounds or Nathan’s Duran Duran crossed with Nik Kershaw style of songwriting, sounds just like the real thing. That’s not to say you have to be a big fan of ‘80’s music to enjoy this album, ‘cos you don’t. Nathan is both a talented songwriter and instrumentalist. His ability to capture certain emotions in his lyrical narrative, as well as making them catchy is matched by his mastery of melodies and complex programming and results in a collection of songs that has something for everyone. From dancefloor like anthemic ElectroPop of ‘Not For Turning’ or the TOTP sing-a-long of ‘Telephone Line’ to more introspective tracks like the Pop Funk of ‘Paranoia’ or the ‘80’s album track ‘I Miss You’ there is something most people will find to love on this record. Whether you’re a fan of ‘80’s music, or just a fan of ElectroPop in all it’s forms, or just like a good song, this album is definitely worth your investigation.

♫ Kid Kasio – Over And Over

♫ Kid Kasio – The Reason

♫ Kid Kasio – Not For Turning

‘Kasiotone’ is released 30th January.

Check out more from Kid Kasio on SoundCloud.

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Jan 26 2012

Miami Nights 1984’s ‘The Getaway’

Miami Nights 1984

He promised it, and here it is. A brand new track from Miami Nights 1984, and he really captures the Miami Vice feel this time.

‘The Getaway’ kicks off with a very Jan Hammer-esque ringing arpeggio before treating us to some of the most soaring of soaring synths I’ve heard in a while. The main refrain in the track is actually pretty dark, giving ‘The Getaway’ a sense of drama, but there is always hopefulness in those cosmic synth solos. If you were in a Ferrari, sporting a mullet, and eluding the cops, then this would have to be your soundtrack.

♫ Miami Nights 1984 – The Getaway

Check out more from Miami Nights 1984 on SoundCloud.

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Jan 26 2012

Aaron Alexis’ ‘In The Air’

Aaron Alexis

Aaron Alexis, who I’m not going to call “video director turned ElectroPop artist” anymore, just “ElectroPop artist”, has dropped his new tune, ‘In The Air’.

‘In The Air’ is a nice meeting of soulful vocals, Ed Banger-esque Electro and ‘90’s Pop House. Like Seal singing over a Justice reMix of a Black Box tune. In contract to his introspective BedroomPop of recent releases ‘In the Air’ sees Aaron in majestic mode, whiles there is still an intimate tone to his vocals the track itself is pretty huge. The piano of ‘90’s House meeting head on on with plucked strings and a big bridging horn section, leads to some dirty synth with a touch of the baroque. It’s a nice mix, and nicely produced too, more like this please,

♫ Aaron Alexis – In The Air

Check out more from Aaron Alexis on SoundCloud.

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Jan 26 2012

Nite Jewel’s ‘One Second Of Love’ album

Nite Jewel

Track ten on Nite Jewel’s forthcoming second new album ‘One Second Of Love’ freaked me out! It’s titled ‘Clive’, but that’s my name! For a good few seconds I genuinely thought they we’re somehow doing personalized promos now, I had to check and double check other sites tracklistings. But there is it, track ten on ‘One Second Of Love’ is named after me. It must be, right? Why would you call it that otherwise?

Ramona Gonzalez’s second record is a thing of beauty. From her Nu-Funk influenced basslines to the washes of Chillwavey reverb drenched synths to her quirky, left-field delivery this seems to be a more focused record than her début ‘Good Evening’, more coherent. It’s a dark and moody vision of ‘80’s Synth Funk and R&B fed through a modern LA Funk machine and dunked in the Chillwave river. There a particular production here that makes the lush synths and Ramona’s intimate vocals sound quite sparse and separated, but that’s the Nite Jewel sound, it’s something that is at once far away and right next to you. ‘One Second Of Love’ is a melting pot of ideas that is made one by Nite jewels vision. If you want something chilled, but a bit funky, check it out.

♫ Nite Jewel – One Second Of Love

♫ Nite Jewel – She’s Always Watching You

Nite Jewel’s ‘One Second Of Love’ album is released 6th March.

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Jan 26 2012

Punks Jump Up’s new EP

Punks Jump Up

At the end of this month London Electro duo Punks Jump Up, riding on the success of ‘Blockhead’ and ‘Chimes Pt. 1’, drop their latest EP for Kitsuné Music.

The ‘Get Down (Special CCCrash Mixxx)’ EP contains six tracks of straight-up dancefloor grooves lead my by the amazingly catchy title track. This ‘Special CCCrash Mixxx’ is a melting pot of retro dance influences, pouring in bits of Acid House, bits of Disco, bits of Chicago House and a Funk vocal to make a party starter that’s bound to be working it’s magic all summer. The remaining five reMixes have something for everyone. ElectroPop gurus JBAG give the track a sweet ‘80’s sheen with some nostalgic stabs, this is probably the stand out reMix for me. Alex Gopher turns the Acid aspects of the tune up to eleven and drops a slow building burbler with some killer drops. OK, so you know a Fare Soldi is going to be a bit madcap, and the truly deliver here with some funk fuelled bassline chaos. The surprise of the EP, for me, was Zero Cash’s mixture of vintage synth bass and early ‘90’s House that works so well and creates a really rounded mood. Definitely be keeping an ear of Zero Cash in future. Deadstock 33s close the EP with a deep hypnotic dub version with just a hint of cosmic Disco to leave you with. All-in-all the EP is a winner, six varied reMixes with no real duds in there, how often does that happen?

♫ Punks Jump Up – Get Down (JBAG reMix)

♫ Punks Jump Up – Get Down (Deadstock 33’s dub)

The ‘Get Down (Special CCCrash Mixxx)’ EP is released 30th January on Kitsuné Music.

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Jan 25 2012

Saint Etienne are back!

saint etienne

SynthPop legends Saint Etienne are back! With their first full length studio album in seven years on the horizon the trio have dropped the first single from the forthcoming release, ‘Tonight’.

Two facts about ‘Tonight’ you’ll probably not be surprised at. 1) It’s produced by Xenomania’s Tim Powell, 2) It’s mixed by Richard X. According to SE’s Bob Stanley the track is “about the anticipation of going to see your favourite group. For some reason, I imagine this show is at the Forum in Kentish Town. The whole album is about the power of pop, how it affects and shapes your life.”, which is kinda’ what we’re all about to. The track is big, slick sounding DiscoPop combined with Saint Etienne’s particularly British take on everyday life. A Welcome return.