Goin’ Old School isn’t a trip down music memory lane, it’s a mugging in the dark alleyway of nostalgia:
SynthPop pioneer and all-round electronic experimentalist, the late Fad Gadget’s 1980 single Ricky’s Hand.
And The Rock Steady Crew with their 1984 follow up to (Hey You) The Rock Steady Crew (a track with one of the greatest synth riffs ever), Uprock.
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Yes, we’re sure there are jokes to be made about how no one involved in this article (us included actually) can spell, but we’re going to skip that and get straight to the music. Brighton ElectroPop duo Curxes are having an awesome week it seems, not only did they release their new single yesterday, but Monday also saw the eagerly awaited release of Glaswegian SynthPop heroes Chvrches’ Recover, which features a Curxes reMix to boot.
Huge, that’s one way to describe Curxes reMix of Recover. Cavernous. The track is like a cathedral of electronic excellence. Machine gun snyths and one of the most unexpectedly funky Industrial beats we’ve heard in a while threaten to drown Lauren’s vocals, but a perfect balance is struck. The track actually got a lot on common with old New Beat tunes and the second wave of EBM, but with much more of an understanding of what makes infectious Pop. Curxes have taken a completely different route with this song that the original, and very much made it their own.
♫ Chvrches – Recover (Curxes’ 1996 reMix)
Chvrches’ Recover is out now.
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Wolf Saga is a Canadian artist whos been hovering around out radar for a while now. Producing some seriously epic ElectroPop with a mix of SynthWave, Chillwave and Indie-Electro flavours, Wolf Saga really knows his way around a synth. He’s just released a new single, Reign At Night with all the vocoding and soaring solos you could want in a track.
Reign At Night drops you into a moody, storm filled, soundscape, punctuated by a raindrop arpeggio before delivering a rich SynthPop track loaded with 80s references without actually being an 80s pastiche. Heavy chords and brooding vocals soon give way to a vocoded refrain and a blissful, sweeping synth solo that. Reign At Night is a truly encompassing experience that sucks you in and ever have a little Disco groove in there too. The sound of the future.
♫ Wolf Saga – Reign At Night
Check out more from Wolf Saga on SoundCloud.
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After what feels like an age waiting, the awesome Rex The Dog is back with a brand new single set to drop in May. Do You Feel What I Feel? features the vocals of Jamie McDermott and hard hitting slab of Italo goodness with a 80s SynthPop twist.
The video is directed by, and starring, performer and director Scottee, who soups up some start, striking visuals for the track.
Rex The Dog’s Do You Feel What I Feel? is released 6th May on Southern Fried with a preceding vinyl release limited to 300 pieces including a Tiger & Woods reMix and a new track, Bonn.
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Stop the press, there’s a new single from London’s finest moody SynthPop outfit Strangers incoming. Now that HURTS have gone all, let’s face it, shit, it’s time for Strangers to step up and take their rightful place as the best DarkPop act in the country. this single might just be the one to do it. Prepare for epicness.
Something New is exactly the kind of top quality, emotionally rousing SynthPop we’ve come to expect from his trio. Produced by Dimitri Tikivoi (The Horrors, Goldfrapp, Placebo, Little Boots), the track is an orchestra of rich snyths and sparkling, chiming keys. With a hint of the rapturous about it, Something New is a majestic, but melancholy, theme that takes David Maddox-Jones’ vocals and elevates them to a sacred hymn, ringing out, calling the dispossessed to worship at the alter of SynthPop. Y’know, like Depeche Mode at their most religiously weird. Excellent stuff.
♫ Strangers – Something New
Strangers’ Something New is released 13th May, backed with Never Enough on Just Off Pop.
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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:
Original Tropical? First up we have one of our favourite SynthPop artists Howard Jones with
Like To Get To Know You Well from 1984.
And some Italo madness from 1986 with Koto’s Jabdah (h/t Jules Schimmer).
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We have a treat for you to kick off the week. A new freebie from Californian retro SynthPop artist Let Em Riot. Riding high on the success of his SlashWave EP (released via electronic rumors) Let Em Riot presents I Know, his latest masterpiece, for the incredibly cheap price of an email address.
I Know is just the kind of top quality trip you’d expect from this guy. Nostalgic, without being trite. Catchy without being reparative. Beautiful without being, er, not-beautiful. I Know breezes out of your speakers and when, after the tension building verse, the track launches into it’s sweeping, epic, chorus you can’t help but be hooked. It’s difficult for us to big up one of out own artists, but Alan Oakes really is one of the best songwriters in electronic music right now, hell that’s why we signed him, and I Know is just further proof of this. If you haven’t experienced Let Em Riot yet, here’s your gateway.
Let Em Riot’s SlashWave EP is out right now!
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Russian crew Tesla Boy are easily one of the best ElectroPop acts around today. Since their emergence in 2008 with a demo EP on their MySpace site they have been champions of a retro 80s sound. With overtones of Disco, Indie and SynthWave, these guys have always kept it 80s. Until now. their new single, cunningly titled 1991, is loaded with early 90s musical references. A new direction for Tesla Boy, or a one-off? Only time will tell.
1991 is all Hip Hop beats, samples vocal snatches and a Pop House vibe, and ‘y’know what? It works. Mainly due to Tesla Boy’s talent, these guys are master songwriters and performers, it’s not surprise that when they break their meld they can still deliver the goods. With their interpretation of the Soul II Soul Back To Life beat and big House synths, Tesla Boy still manage to sound like Tesla Boy and deliver an optimistic song that probably mirrors a new found sense of optimism in Russia in 1991 with the birth of the Russian Federation. The reMix line-up for the single it pretty impressive too. Portuguese Disco guru Xinobi takes his time with the track and delivers a smooth, slick Disco-House rework before dropping in some sumptuous Dub grooves and making thoroughly intoxicating summer dance track. Fellow Russians 7he Myriads go with a live sounding vibe and put the 80s back into Tesla Boy, while Fon.Leman turns-in a complex big room tune with hints of Disco and Progressive House in it’s massive euphoric sound and some hands-in-the-air Trance overtones. Along side these three sit further remixes from Tonefiction, DZA and SoundSam in a stunning, recommended, reMix package.
♫ Tesla Boy – 1991
♫ Tesla Boy – 1991 (Xinobi reMix)
♫ Tesla Boy – 1991 (7he Myriads reMix)
♫ Tesla Boy – 1991 (Fon.Leman reMix)
Tesla Boy’s 1991 is out today on Gorby Records.
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We previewed Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark’s Kraftwerky new single, Metroland, last month, now here’s the brand new video for the track.
It’s a beautifully animated clip, possibly making a point about urban advancement, or progress, or something. Looks nice though.
OMD’s Metroland is released 25th March 25, witht he album following on 9th April.
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SynthPop legends Pet Shop Boys announced this week that they are parting company with long serving record label Parlophone in order to release their next album, Electric.
They’ll be releasing the album themselves in conjunction with Kobalt Label Services and to mark the announcement the have released a trailer for the album, which has been produced by none other than Mr. Stuart Price.
Pet Shop Bot’s Electric is due out in June.
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electronic rumors 