Feb 14 2013

[Audio] Mild Peril’s ‘Voyager 2010’ EP

This week London based Italo Experimentalist Mild Peril released his latest EP. Well, latest as in ‘just released’, the tracks themselves date from 2010 (hence the EP’s title, Voyager 2012), but sound as fresh now as ever. Running the gauntlet from Italo to Minimal Synth to EBM to Cosmic Disco, Voyager’s three epics deliver vastly different styles, but are neatly tied together in Mild Peril’s rich analog atmosphere.

Separated into Sequences, the EP kicks off with Sequence I-II, an immediate attention grabber. It’s an evocative slice of Sci-Fi synth with a nostalgic Italo-Disco vibe. Whilst the pulsating Disco bass groove would be easy to get lost in on the dancefloor, the real joy of this eight minute odyssey is just sitting back and listening to the playing. The layers of intertwining melody sweep about the track carrying the listener through a music narrative with some hair raising solo moments. Sequence III is Minimal Synth meets SynthWave affair. Punchy drums, undulating arpeggios and a surprisingly sweet organ deliver an upbeat, driving exploration of live synth works. The EP closes on Sequence IV which sees the organ return in a much more ominous capacity over a track with classic EBM in it’s DNA. Considering this EP was pieced together out of older oddities in Mild Peril’s repertoire, it leaves us pretty excited to hear what he’s got planned going into the future.

♫ Mild Peril – Voyager, Sequence I-II

♫ Mild Peril – Voyager, Sequence III

If you’re in London this weekend you should check out Mild Peril’s EP release party, also featuring Soft Riot and A Terrible Splendour, details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/323188217785131

Voyager 2012 is out now.

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Feb 1 2013

[Audio] Mmoths featuring Holly Miranda

Irish producer of spacious beats and The XX support act Mmoths is gearing up for the release of his new EP, Diaries, the lead track of which is a beautifully abrasive slice of edgy and atmospheric Electronica featuring the vocal talents of new XL Recordings signee Holly Miranda. All These Things.

It’s a smokey composition where drill-bit industrial sounds are morphed into something ethereal and magical, intertwining with a post-Chillwave, post-Dubstep soundscape and Miranda’s silky smooth vocal. Inhuman sounds suddenly become organic and flowing as the track seems to evolve naturally over it;s course. Like a song grown, rather than created. We can definitely see All These Things earning Mmoths a great deal of attention.

♫ Mmoths (Feat. Holly Miranda) – All These Things

All These Things is taken from Mmoths forthcoming new EP, Dairies, released 4th March.

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Jan 28 2013

[Video] The Knife’s ‘Full Of Fire’

We were going to write about this track, Sweedish IcePop siblings The Knife’s long awaited return single, Full Of Fire, last week, Using the Juno stream of the track. Then the Juno stream got pulled and there hasn’t been a stream of the whole song from an official source since, so out words went to waste. Today, the video dropped, so we can present the song is all it’s glory. A beautiful and engaging nine minute epic and everything we’d want from a The Knife track. At points the track feels more like being privy to a special The Knife live jam session as the duo constantly evolve the popping drums and abrasive synths. More true to the original ethos of Industrial Music that anything released in the past two decades, this Coldwave oddessy is made all the more appealing by Karin Dreijer Andersson’s welcoming vocals.

The video is a short film by Stockholm and Berlin-based feminist director Marit Östberg, who had this to say “The film ‘Full Of Fire’ consists of a network of fates, fears, cravings, longings, losses, and promises. Fates that at first sight seem isolated from each other, but if we pay attention, we can see that everything essentially moves into each other. Our lives are intertwined and our eyes on each other, our sounds and smells, mean something. Our actions create reality, we create each other. We are never faceless, not even in the most grey anonymous streets of the city. We will never stop being responsible, being extensions, of one another. We will never stop longing for each other, and for something else.”

Full Of Fire is taken from The Knifes forthcoming album, Shaking The Habitual, released 8th April,

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Jan 23 2013

[Video] Karl Bartos’ ‘Atomium’

Karftwerkian legend Karl Bartos’s first single from his new album Off The Record, is finally here. Strap yourself in for some icy snyths and robotic vocals.

The video is, possible deliberately, really early 90s EBM. All inverted colours and cheap video effects. Probably quite fitting.

Karl Bartos’ Atomium is released 1st February. Off the Record is released in March.

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Jan 23 2013

[Video] Goin’ Old School: Cabaret Voltaire and Afrika Bambaataa & Soul Sonic Force

Goin’ Old School isn’t a trip down music memory lane, it’s a mugging in the dark alleyway of nostalgia:

Two of our favourite tracks this week, starting with the mighty Cabaret Voltaire and 1983’s Just Fascination.

And Renegades Of Funk!, also from 1983, one of Afrika Bambaataa & Soul Sonic Force best.

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Jan 21 2013

[Video] Crystal Castles’ ‘Sad Eyes’

Here’s the fuzzy video for Crystal Castles’ next single Sad Eyes, from their recent, thirdly self-titled (or III) album.

Rob Hawkins and Marc Pannozzo direct this gritty VHS fest which features footage filmed at CC’s Berlin and Toronto live dates, and some serial killer-eqsue nonsense..

Crystal Castles’ III is out now.

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Dec 18 2012

[Audio] Aaron Alexis’ ‘Names’

Hot on the heels of his recent single, Kill The Lights, New York ElectroPop crooner Aaron Alexis is back with a brand new track. Somewhat softer and even more introspective than his previous work, Aaron ramps up the drama and atmosphere on Names.

The track is an entry in Converse’s “In Search of Sound” competition that challenged entrant to compose using a set of samples recorded around Brooklyn, only fitting then that Aaron, a Brooklyn resident conjured up something of his experience there. Rolling atop an almost Industrial rhythm, Aaron casts a sonic net and catches all the mystery of the city at night. A beautiful piece of music.

♫ Aaron Alexis – Names

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Dec 5 2012

[MP3] White Blush’s début EP

White Blush is the pseudonym of LA based artist Carol Rhyu. originally from Chicago, Carol began playing in synth bands when she was in film school in LA, culminating in her launching her White Blush project earlier this year. She’s just released her début, self-titled, EP, and it makes for engrossing listening.

White Blush is a record of many sides, Carol’s music walking a line between hazy Dreampop and Minimal Synth. Stripped down and personal, the six songs on the EP quickly equate you with Rhyu’s ethereal tone and a sparse collection of vintage synth sounds. True Luv, the EP’s opener confronts you with a melodic barrage of ChipTune, raw Drum Machines and waves of dreamlike vocals that swim around the robotic cacophony, a melding of beauty with harshness that is evident throughout the EP. Carol site’s Julee Cruise as an influence, and it’s one she wears on her sleeve. If Cruise was locked in a room with only a TR808, a C64 and an array of broken vintage synths, and sleep deprived, the result may be similar. Mirror matches pulsing arpeggios with a toy-town melody to sound like a fevered dream version of the Blade Runner end titles while Jolene presents imposing industrial drums that are soon tempered with lush synths and some truly epic vocals. 808 Myst is the music from Myst played on an 808, and yes, it is a weird, and downright eerie, as it sounds and lease into the closing track. Juice Of My Heart is rapturous electronic Shoegaze that’s it’s easy to get lost in. White Blush’s début is an impressive, and involving piece of work. An otherworldly journey that leaves you reeling once it finishes and you’re back to reality.

♫ White Blush – True Luv

♫ White Blush – Jolene

♫ White Blush – Juice Of My Heart

White Blush’s self-titled début EP is out now.

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Nov 20 2012

[Audio] Mild Peril’s ‘Unknown Zones’

Chris Flatline has been a staple of the London Italo/EBM scene for years now. Whether promoting, DJing and producing, he’s always brought with him interesting futuristic beats and Sci-fi synth. His current musical project is Mild Peril, melodic and atmospheric Space Italo, the moniker under which he’ll be releasing a collection of tracks from he past three years titled Voyager 2010 in the new year. As a prelude to this album, Mild Peril is releasing a free (for a limited time) EP of evocative and involving synthesizer music, Unknown Zones, First Survey.

First up we should say that this is an EP you should give yourself some time with. Set aside forty minutes with this EP and some decent headphones and just sink into it. There’s no throwaway buzz track or this weekly floorfiller here, this is intricately crafted electronic music that can carry you with it on it’s cosmic voyage and that’ll stay with you for hours after you’ve finished listening. The record is essentially carved out into three zones, each one quite an epic synthesized experience, separated by three Orbs that serve to transition from one zone to the next. Mostly lush, atmospheric soundscapes, the Orbs not only cleanse the audio pallet but create a feeling of movement between the more recognisable tracks. Alpha Zone is classic Spacesynth with an analog twist, introducing itself with a beautiful, haunting electric piano and a future noir vibe before launching into an robo Italo beast with a wealth of musical nuances. Clocking in at just under ten minutes, Gamma Zone, is the biggest voyage that awaits the listener. Spanning a variety of moods Gamma Zone delivers a synthesizer narrative with rising and falling beats and some truly emotive lead lines. The EP’s climax is, arguable, Delta Zone. The closes thing to SynthWave on the EP, Delta Zone’s rapid fire arpeggios and twisting solos take it truly into Outrun territory, but it retains the analog feel and keeps both it’s uniqueness, and it’s place amongst the EP, providing the exciting pinnacle of the release. Unknown Zones, First Survey is most definitely an EP that should be checked out by lovers of both Italo & SynthWave, and of synthesizer music in general. Make sure that you give it the attention it deserves, you will be rewarded.

♫ Alpha Zone, Sequence I – II

♫ Gamma Zone, Full Sequence

♫ Delta Zone, First Sequence

Check out the whole EP on Mild Preil’s Bandcamp.

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Nov 19 2012

[Video] Nite Jewel’s ‘Weak for Me’

LA experimental funketeer Nite Jewel has débuted her new video. This time it’s for Weak For Me, a cut from her 2009 album Good Evening, which has just been remastered and re-released.

José Wolff whips up a fittingly dark and mysterious clip to accompany the track.