Goin’ Old School isn’t a trip down music memory lane, it’s a mugging in the dark alleyway of nostalgia:
Up first today, the mighty Cabaret Voltaire with 1980’ ‘Nag Nag Nag’, laying foundation for all electronic music that came after it.
Late ‘80’s Pet Shop Boys now with ‘Domino Dancing’ from 1988, with that post-Italo NRG bassline.
Oh, go on then. Duran Duran’s ‘Rio’ from 1982.
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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:
First up is some seriously smooth early ‘80’s, 1982 to be exact, electronic Soul from Imagination and their classic ‘Just An illusion’.
In the starkest contrast possible we have Front 242, with arguably their Poppiest song, ‘Tragedy For You’ from 1989.
And finally some relaxing, experimental, tones from Tangerine Dream’s ‘Tiergarten’ from 1985. Actually the flip side to ‘Le Parc’, one of the greatest synth tracks ever written.
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Glitch superstar Squarepusher is back with a new album, ‘Ufabulum’ and this new single and video for it’s lead track ‘Dark Steering’.
I’ll admit I’ve been quite partial to Squarepusher’s IDM in the past, when he’s not getting too Drill & Bass and I found ‘Dark Steering’ pleasantly surprising for three reasons. 1) It exists 2) The video is slick as all hell 3) It’s wonderfully melodic.
‘Ufabulum’ is released 14th May on Warp, natch.
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The latest video from iamamiwhoami, ‘Good Worker’, carries on from where ‘Drops’ left off.
‘Good Worker’ is a piercing, cold, involving slice of ElectroPop. Who remembers when everyone thought iamamiwhoami was Christina Aguilera? Hilarious!
The ‘Good Worker’, ‘Drops’ and ‘Server’ singles are out now.
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A while back we wrote about Binalog Frequency’s science fiction breakin’ beats ‘Neon Funk’, now he’s used that track as a starting point for his version of Songdreamer and Medora’s ‘Be On Your Way’.
‘Be On Your Way’ is originally a collaboration between vocalist Songdreamer and hard CORPS’ Clive Pierce’s Medora project that Binalog has worded his Electro magic on. Keeping the Bleep House-esque ghetto bass of ‘Neon Funk’ and lairing it with Songdreamer’s’ vocals (which are slightly reminiscant of one of my favourite voices, Martina Topley-Bird’) makes for an interesting and involving mix. Soulful vocals and rapid fire robo beats? How can that be anything but awesome?
♫ Binalog Frequency (Feat. Songdreamer) – Be On Your Way (Medora version)
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Nite Jewel is just about to release her second album ‘One Second Of Love’ and it’s similarly titled lead single, and has premièred the video for the track.
Delaney Bishop directs this freaky ladies get-together come paper headed goat ceremony. I don;t know what’s going on, but it looks like most people are having a good time, and that’s what counts.
Nite Jewel’s ‘One Second Of Love’ album is released 6th March.
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Here’s the latest track from Jonna Lee’s iamamiwhoami, ‘Drops’.
Hot on the heels of the single ‘Server’ iamamiwhoami present another slice of icy and majestic Scandinavian ElectroPop and another brilliant white video.
‘Drops’ and the recently released ‘Server’ singles are out now.
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What better way to ease yourself into the week than this new collaboration that sees TEEEL teaming up with Sumuo for some cosmic space-Funk.
The result of this meeting of minds is ‘Cosmic Collision’, in more than just title. It’s a glorious synthesizer workout loaded with soaring, stratospheric lead lines. the whole track is underpinned with some nice bass, reminiscent of New Order or Ned’s Atomic Dustbin which provides a rolling melodic groove for some seriously space-age electronic noodling. Chilled and futuristic, perfect Monday morning fodder.
♫ TEEEL & Sumuo – Cosmic Collision
Teeel’s ‘Amulet’ is out now.
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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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Charleston are a London based three-peice who are drawing in a range of eclectic influences for their moody début single, released next month.
If ‘Peice By Peice’ is an introduction to Charleston’s sound, then they will definitely be a group to keep an ear on in the coming year. Initial comparisons, both musically and vocally, would be to Portishead, but there is something more contemporary going on here too. ‘Peice By Peice’ is a deep, soulful tune that has it’s roots in Trip-Hop but displays a more experimental attitude, even including elements of Dubstep and ChipTune in the mix to create something that, despite it’s low groove, is pretty majestic sounding. The smokey, sultry vocals don’t hurt either.
♫ Charleston – Piece By Piece
‘Piece By Piece’ is released 6th February via Good Bait.
Check out more from Charleston on SoundCloud.
