electronic rumors

Christopher Anton @ Bandcamp

May 6 2010

Matt Van Schie, more new material

MattVanShie02

‘Journey’ is the new track from Van She bassist Matt Van Schie’s début EP ‘Balmy Nights’.

Produced, not only by fellow Van She-er Mikey Di Francesco (Arithmatix!), but also the amazing Diamond Cut the track is more chilled than the previous track we’ve heard, ‘Saturday Night’ and is a smooth, dreamy, summer SynthPop track that just floats round your speakers.

Check it:

♫ Matt Van Schie – Journey (zShare) (MediaFire)

You can pick up ‘Balmy Nights’ here.

May 6 2010

Class Actress’ new video + EP

Brooklyn Italo influenced SynthPoppers Class Actress are gearing up release of their UK début EP, ‘Journal Of Ardency’ in July.

The brainchild of songwriter Elizabeth Harper, Class Actress create some really beautiful, really electronic, SynthPop. Taking the minimal sound of Coldwave but infusing it with a dancefloor, Italo-esq groove they produce something that is dancey yet deep.

Check the video for ‘Journal of Ardency’ directed by Patrick Cleandenim.

To promote the new release Class Actress are coming over for some live dates:

14^th May – London @ White Light – Lexington (with Natccu)
15^th May – Brighton @ The Great Escape (supporting Marina And The Diamonds)
19^th May – London @ Bardens Boudoir
20^th May – London @ ULU (supporting Stornoway)
21^st May – London @ Stag and Dagger Festival – CAMP
22^nd May – Leeds @ Adventures in the Beetroot Field

The ‘Journal Of Ardency’ EP is released 5th July on Terrible Records.

Class Actress @ Amazon

May 4 2010

Christopher Anton’s ‘Fade To Grey’

ChristopherAnton

Singer of the 2000’s re-envisioned Information Society, Christopher Anton, is furthering his solo career with this cover of Visage’s ‘Fade To Grey’.

It’s a tough one to cover, the atmosphere and performance of the original is hard to top (and never has been in my opinion) but Anton does an adequate job here. The track is upbeat and enjoyable but unfortunately seems to suffer the same fate as much of the ‘Modern SynthPop’ scene, particularly those coming from an EBM/Industrial background, in that it seems not to have much understanding of contemporary Electronic music which tends to make the production quite stilted and mediocre. That said, it is a nice cover version and will probably go down a storm at EBM clubs.

♫ ~~Christopher Anton – Fade To Grey (Single Mix)~~ ~~(zShare)~~ ~~(MediaFire)~~

You can pick up the single now at Bandcamp.

Apr 29 2010

HURTS ‘Better Than Love’ Video

After a couple of teasers, SynthPop rising stars HURTS have débuted the video for their forthcoming first (proper) single, the anthemic ‘Better Than Love’.

It’s a pretty slick affair, it’s kinda’ got a Ultravox vibe going on and a pleasant return to the ‘80’s school of arty mini-movie music video making.

‘Better Than Love’ drops soon, very soon!

♫ HURTS – Better Than Love (Jamaica reMix) (zShare) (MediaFire)

Apr 24 2010

HURTS new single reMixed by Jamaica

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Hmmm, I’m not sure how I feel about French ex-Poney Poney-ers Jamaica’s new reMix of the forthcoming HURTS single ‘Better Than Love’.

I love the song, it’s been on repeat here for a while, and I like the reMix a lot, I’m just not sure the two go together,

Musically the track is awesome, big 80’s Disco chords and digital slap bass with a syncopated chorus you can’t help buy move to. It’s just that at times it seems as though Jamaica haven’t quite got to grips with the vocal rhythms of the song, to the extent that the vocals feel as if they are slipping out of time. It’s just that one nagging feeling that stops a great tune being fantastic.

Still, the single is shaping up to be a monster reMix package with an absolutely flawless original.

♫ Man Parrish – Hip Hop BeBop (Don’t Stop) (zShare) (MediaFire)

Apr 24 2010

The Vault: Man Parrish

The Vault: The classics of Electronic Music. The influential and the groundbreaking. The pioneering and the music we grew up on… ManParrish

Yeah, yeah, I know. electronic rumors in ‘actually writing one of their supposedly ‘regular’ columns’ shocker!

Well, it was time to dust off The Vault and feature an artist I have been meaning to write about ever since I came up with The Vault idea.

Electro legend Man Parrish.

Not just instrumental in shaping the sound of Electro Hip-Hop, but influential in most electronic music to this day, Manuel ‘Manny’ Parrish took Hip-Hop to the Discos of New York and took Disco to the streets. Coming out of the Studio54 scene to become one of the original, if not the first, producer/artists in electronic music, Man used costume, theatrics and make–up, to put on an unforgettable live show that also had the side effect of concealing his identity (a Caucasian producer in an African American dominated Hip-Hop scene).

Man Parrish’s place in the history of Electro, ElectroPop and Club music is undeniable. Maybe even more than Arthur Baker and Afrika Bambaataa, Man brought electro Hip-Hop to the masses, even the UK charts, and along with the likes of Baker & Bambaata, Cybotron, and Mantronix shaped an electronic club sound that Hip-Hop would soon forsake but SynthPop, House and Techno would utilise as a base to build upon.

Just listen to these tracks off the self titled début album and the classic single ‘Boogie Down (Bronx)’, they still sound fresh today and the beats, lead lines and vocoders could easily be from any contemporary tune featured on electronic rumors. Most European readers will probably be most familiar with Manny’s work from his Italo/hi-RG collaboration with Man 2 Man from 1986.

Personally, I think 1984’s ‘Boogie Down (Bronx)’ was one of the first synthesizer riffs that got stuck in may head and I have always loved Man Parrish’s combination of the aggressive Funk of early Electro Hip-Hop and the riffs and lead lines of SynthPop. Oh, and the man wields a mean vocoder too!

♫ Man Parrish – Man Made (zShare) (MediaFire)

♫ Man Parrish – Six Simple Synthesizers (zShare) (MediaFire)

♫ Man Parrish – Heatstroke (zShare) (MediaFire)

♫ Man Parrish (Feat. Freeze Force) – Boogie Down (Bronx) (zShare) (MediaFire)

♫ Man 2 Man Meets Man Parrish – Male Stripper (zShare) (MediaFire)

Man Parrish is currently signed to Norman Cook’s Southern Fried Records.

Man Parrish @ Beatport

Man Parrish @ Juno

Man Parrish @ Amazon

Apr 22 2010

Monarchy’s ‘The Phoenix Alive’; soon, very soon!

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It’s less than a month now until London SynthPop genii Monarchy’s first proper single is released. We’ve already told you haw great it is, and how awesome the video is but we though you might need reminding with some reMixes and a listen to the B-Side.

The original is a piece of pure Electronic perfection, a beautiful meeting of Disco and Italo topped with gently, heartfelt vocals that weave in and out of the instrumentation effortlessly. You’ll have heard Kris Menace’s arpeggio led Electro-House reMix before which contrasts with Hot City’s glitchy, Garage beats and cut-up vocals. the B-Sire is ‘It Must Be Love’, a track that might not make it to Monarchy’s début album, slated for a June release, is a ballad with a real mid-80’s Scandinavian SynthPop feel to it and a chord progression that tugs at the heart strings.

♫ Monarchy – The Phoenix Alive (zShare) (MediaFire)

♫ Monarchy – The Phoenix Alive (Kris Menace Mix) (zShare) (MediaFire)

♫ Monarchy – The Phoenix Alive (Hot City Mix) (zShare) (MediaFire)

♫ Monarchy – It Must Be Love (zShare) (MediaFire)

‘The Phoenix Alive’ is released 10th May on This Is London.

Monarchy @ Beatport

Monarchy @ Juno

Monarchy @ Amazon

Apr 22 2010

HURTS début single

HURTS

‘Better Than Love’ is a fantastic choice for HURTS’s first proper single (‘Wonderful Life’ bring an EP). I think most people were expecting the Spandau Ballet-esq ‘Blood, Tears & Gold’ but this tune, actually an old Daggers (HURTS previous incarnation) song, is probably a better fit for a breakthrough single.

The coolest band (and most hyped) in ElectroPop right now need to announce themselves with heir début and ‘Better Than Love’ does exactly that. Still sounding authentically 80’s Pop, without parody or cliché. The forthcoming single is, although described by the band as “dance music for depression”, and epic, somewhat uplifting slice of retro PowerPop, (verging on the Simple Minds at times even!). As melancholic as it is it can’t help but sound anthemic with all the drama and passion of the vocals sitting atop flying arpeggios and Italo beats. If the flavour isn’t dancefloor enough for you check out German House masters Tiefschwarz’s deep and dark reMix.

♫ HURTS – Better Than Love (zShare) (MediaFire)

♫ HURTS – Better Than Love (Tiefschwarz Mix) (zShare) (MediaFire)

It is amazing to find a band who really are living up to the hype. I absolutely cannot wait to catch these guys live in May!