Oct 7 2013

[MP3] Awkoder’s ‘Ho.Ho.Ho!’

The latest tune from French SynthWaver Awkoder sees the talented producer moving in a slightly Houseier direction. Trading his usually moody and atmospheric retro synth tunes for a gloriously nostalgic slice of Chicago House with Tropical overtone, Awkoder sets his sights of claiming the very last of the good weather in 2013. Even if skies are getting greyer, Ho.Ho.Ho! (despite sounding X-massy) will keep the summer vibes going.

If your in the market for some upbeat synth stabs and early 90s vocal sampling with your Island purcussion on full-on House beats, then you’ve come to exactly the right place. Awkoder had captured the excitement of dance music int he late 80s and early 90s and bottled in in his new track. Of course there is a totally addictive piano hook in tow, like the icing on the House cake. It’s hard not to smile at Ho.Ho.Ho!, and even harder not to dance.

♫ Awkoder – Ho.Ho.Ho!

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Oct 7 2013

[Audio] Mitch Murder’s ‘Killer Angels’

I think Sweedish SynthWave master Mitch Murder must literally live in his studio. To say the man is prolific would be an understatement. We don’t know how he does it, but unlike almost every high volume producer we can think of, Mitch Murder has never one let the quality of his productions slip, and never once lost his king-of-80s-retro-synth-music crown. There must be a point in which just pure raw talent comes to the fore, and Mr. Murder has that in truck-loads.

His new tune, Killer Angels, sees a the return of Mitch to Vince DiCola mode. Punchy digital bass and slammin’ drums pair up with those occasional synth slaps the starshine chords to create a kind of post-BladeRunner, but a bit more fun, mood. It;s futuristic, but optimistic. Exciting, fun and more than anything else, draws you into it’s music narrative. Makes us nostalgic for a movie that doesn’t exist.

♫ Mitch Murder – Killer Angels

Mitch Murder’s ‘The Touch’ single is out now.

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Oct 2 2013

[Audio] Absolute Valentine’s ‘Sunset Love’ EP

Sunset Love is the début EP from SynthWaver Absolute Valentine. Hailing from Marseille in France, this one-man project is new on the scene, but is already producing some serious competition demolishing retro synth tunes. Mixing up quite hard groves with romantic leads, Absolute Valentine’s Sunset Love is an absorbing seven tracks of nostalgic bliss. Seven tracks! That’s nearly an album!

Absolute Valentine’s music nicely retains a French Electro feel to it whist applying that to rich 80s inspired SynthWave. The result being pounding, dancefloor beats with waves of romantic leads and emotional pads. The opener,and EP’s title track, Sunset Love is exemplary of this. Big undulating synths roll around the track, a punchy Italo bassline counterpointed by chainsaw leads, but in amongst this are cascades of bright, evocative, synth leads. She’s A Dancer introduces a little funk to Absolute Valentine’s sound, working a hint of French Touch into the SynthWave. Pummelling machine beats juxtaposed with starlight melodies wrapped up in a slight B-boy swing. One of the EP’s standouts for us was the closing track, Where Angel Fly, which has a little bit of a Jarre’s Zoolook vibe to it and explored a different side of 80s Pop, showing off some retro-innovative sampling and and thick, full, synth sounds. Absolute Valentine’s Sunset Love EP is definitely worth checking out if you want sounds from the SynthWave frontline.

♫ Absolute Valentine – She’s A Dancer

♫ Absolute Valentine – Where Angel Fly

♫ Absolute Valentine – Sunset Love.

Absolute Valentine’s Sunset Love EP is out now.

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Oct 1 2013

[MP3] Ben Macklin, The Penelopes, Nude Disco & Foreign Boy appear on ‘Nude Disco Selections Vol. 1’

At a party in the depths of South London at the weekend, our friends over at Nude Disco (one of the capital’s grooviest clubnights) launched their and new record label. Now that’s definitely something you should be keeping en eye on, Vern and the guys have got stunning taste in music so you can definitely expect an interesting stable putting out nothing but quality releases.

The celebrate the beginning of big things, Nude Disco & Friends have put out a free compilation album and a gateway into their world. Amongst Nude Disco Selections Vol. 1 you’ll find ten tracks from the core Nude Disco crew, ranging from Nu-Disco to SynthWave to ElectroPop. Cassette Club’s Ben Macklin puts in a solo appearance with Saved, five minutes of dreamy poolside Italo funk, alongside London based French ElectroPop duo The Penelopes’ single, Now Now Now, here give the Nude Disco treatment in big summery piano House fashion. Much of the album is built up from Nude Disco himself, who opening track, Neon Hearts, is retro SynthPop excellence, unusually pure Pop from Nude Disco, but totally irresistible. Foreign Boy’s contribution to the album is a slick late 80s tinged DiscoPop tune that is a lot more polished than we’ve heard from him before, signalling big things from this guy. As far is opening manifesto’s go, this one a loaded with killer tracks, you’d be a fool not to grab yourself a copy.

♫ Ben Macklin – Saved

♫ The Penelopes – Now Now Now (Penelopes Nude Disco Mix)

♫ Nude Disco – Neon Hearts

♫ Foreign Boy – Devon Sands

You can pick up Nude Disco & Friends’ Nude Disco Selections Vol. 1 for free from here.

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Sep 27 2013

[Audio] L-SEDITION’s ‘You Pay’

Sadly, our favourite Minimal Synth duo Violet Tremors are no more. While Jessica continues to explore dark minimalism with noNViolet, Lorene is taking an altogether more epic approach with her new outfit L-SEDITION. What we’ve heard so far we’d probably call something like Cryptic Cinematic Techno, if we wanted to call it something, which we don’t, so just ignore that bit.

L-SEDITION’s first tune is called You Pay, and it’s a sprawling six minutes of Sci-Fi synthetics. Layered with burbling arpeggios and growling synths, You Pay carries the listener along on a hypnotic journey, occasionally interchanging the chainsaw stabs with lush, rousing strings. Complex and intricate rhythms hail the robotic march of the tracks groove as the whole delivers something that is both machine like and very human. A good start we think.

♫ L-SEDITION – You Pay

Check out more from L-SEDITION on SoundCloud.

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Sep 26 2013

[Audio] Mitch Murder reMixes Gossip Culture’s ‘Waiting’

This tune is pure bliss. A last month we previewed Estate’s reMix of the new single from LA ChillPopster Gossip Culture. The Quincy McCrary featuring Waiting was released in August, but now there’s a brand spanking new reMix from none other than SynthWave deity Mitch Murder. And, yes, it is as good as you’d think.

We do love to hear a Mitch Murder track with vocals, it’s a rare thing, but when it happens it’s always something special. Right here Mitch uses McCrary’s soulful voice to paint a Synth Funk masterpiece. Carried along on a wave of bouncy digital bass and lush soundtrack-esque pads, the reMix sees Mr. Murder dabbling in all the elements of electronic Soul from the 80s that made it so recognisable, and makes them his own. Perfect retro smooth Electro.

♫ Gossip Culture (Feat. Quincy McCrary) – Waiting (Mitch Murder reMix)

Gossip Culture’s Waiting is out now.

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Sep 25 2013

[Video] New Arcades’ ‘Stay Awake’

Right here is the brand new video for electronic rumors’ artists New Arcades’ track, Stay Awake. A moody, introspective epic that is taken from the duo’s début self-titled EP.

The whole night drive theme of the clip seems particularly fitting for the track, giving the song a whole new, but apt, meaning.

New Arcades self-titled EP is out now.

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Sep 24 2013

[Audio] Jigsaw Puzzle Glue

Jigsaw Puzzle Glue is the one woman project of Seattle based Leah Rosen. It’s been a long time since we’ve heard anything that is self-proclaimed “80’s soundtrack inspired”, but not part of the SynthWave scene, and it’s refreshing. Taking those core elements that definite 80’s synth movie music, but making them truly her own, Jigsaw Puzzle Glue makes something magical and retro without being bogged down by the past decade of the SynthWave scene sounding more and more like itself (rather than like the 80s). This mixture of 80s influences and scene-free experimental freedom produces something that is comfortable and familiar yet at the same time fresh.

Take Jue De La Vie, you’ll immediately see Jigsaw Puzzle Glue has more in common with SynthWavers the likes of Com Truise or Computer Magic than Miami Nights 84 or Tommy. This is a celebration of vintage synth sounds. Neatly layered waves of alternating buzzing leads and reverb washed pads ebb and flow throughout the tracks, exchanging space in the song as they do so. With a slightly futuristic edge, a somewhat BladeRunner-y chorus, Jue De La Vie manages to remain grounded, and surprisingly personal and human for an instrumental synth tune. The Never Beginning Story presents a slightly more majestic side to Jigsaw Puzzle Glue, slightly more cinematic. Uplifting in places, brooding in others, The Never Beginning Story is powerful stuff. For a little more traditional SynthWave fare try Waltz, with it’s Industrial jackhammer beats and growling synth bassline. We should mention too, the production on these tracks is pretty fine, quite spacious, never feeling cluttered. All-in-all Jigsaw Puzzle Glue is definitely a name to keep an eye on.

♫ Jigsaw Puzzle Glue – Jue De La Vie

♫ Jigsaw Puzzle Glue – The Never Beginning Story

♫ Jigsaw Puzzle Glue – Waltz

Check out more from Jigsaw Puzzle Glue on SoundCloud.

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Sep 19 2013

[Movie] Controller

We don’t often write about films, but when we do it’s usually for a good reason. Aside for the fact that we’re big fans of Sci-Fi shorts, short movie Controller grabbed out attention for two very good reasons. This film has pedigree.

First up, it was written and directed by Saman Kesh. Not only an award winning director in the real world, but the winner of an electronic rumors award too! Alongside his mind-blowingly good video for Cinnamon Chasers’ Luv Deluxe being winner of the SXSW Best Music Video Award 2010, his trilogy of amazing videos for Russ Chime’s Midnight Club EP were our picks for Best Video of 2010. We love this guy’s eye. We wouldn’t dare to pretend to be film critic’s but we get pretty enthralled by the way he combines romance and tension in every shot.

Secondly, and just as importantly, the soundtrack is by none other than Cinnamon Chasers himself (under his real name, Russ Davies), a pulsating synthetic affair that bubbles and builds alongside the action and really works the rising emotions of the story, picking out the quiet moments and kinetic action individually.

As we mentioned, we’re big fans of Sci-Fi shorts, Controller would have been an awesome piece regardless of who was involved in making it, but we can’t help but feel these guy’s talents pushed it over the edge into a real thing of beauty. We’re not movie reviewers (hell, we’re barely music reviewers), so just watch and enjoy.

Check out Controller’s prequel here. Controller’s soundtrack is out now.

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Sep 16 2013

[Mixtape] Mitch Murder’s ‘Akihabara Tapes’

Mitch Murder – Akihabara Tapes = Start you week witht his classic selection from Mr. Mitch Murder. The SynthWave king puts together some of the funkiest digital bass grooves from a range of 80s genres for this fifty minutes of smooth nostalgia.

♫ Mitch Murder – Akihabara Tapes

The tracklist:
01. Dave Grusin – Night Lines
02. Vince DiCola – Escape
03. Knight Sabers – Midnight Etolle
04. Andy Clark – The Will To Win
05. Al Jarreau – Raging Waters
06. Project Green – Talaria
07. First Light – Daybreak
08. Thierry Pastor – Sur Des Musiques Noires
09. Cosmos – Spiral Dream
10. Wang Chung – Wait
11. Scritti Politti – Hypnotize
12. Rupert Hine – The Falcon Beat

Mitch Murder’s ‘The Touch’ is out now.

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