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Gonzalo Schwindt, based in Germany, and Karl Morten Dahl from Norway are no strangers when it comes to working with each other musically. Schwindt is Deus Ex Lumina, releasing the new single “Facade Of The Decay,” while Antipole (Dahl), has brought to bear his wonderful guitar work.

DEUS EX LUMINA
ANTIPOLE

The echoing guitar of Dahl is a perfect intro into the track and leads us to Schwindt’s mercurial deep tones. The lyrics ‘Every silent ache I keep, Every buried memory, And I’ll pretend that I’m okay, (With) This facade of the decay‘ elude to dark secrets and great losses, and still there is a romanticism. The interplay of synths with guitar is sublime.

The music video is a wonderful addition, emphasising an austere loneliness in one’s own memories, pretending that everything is okay. “Facade Of The Decay” is definitely one of those songs that you feel never goes long enough, only to be surprised it goes for three minutes, and I can only put this down to the amount of pure enjoyment you get listening to Deus Ex Lumina and Antipole play together.

Facade Of The Decay | Deus Ex Lumina

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Deus Ex Lumina 🦇 (@deusexluminaofficial) • Instagram photos and videos

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Antipole (@antipoleband) • Instagram photos and videos

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Minnesota based Zwaremachine, are preparing to bring in the thunder with the release of their third album, however, Mach Fox and crew are teasing you with the single “Waking The Night,” that has morphed into an EP with the special guest remixers.

Hold onto your speakers. “Waking The Night” is so heavy with bass, you might just wake the dead as your speakers rumble with distortion. Fox brings his creepiest snarling whisper, stalking your slumber, so you find no rest. The mood is oppressive and cloying.

There are four remixes to mull over, as you lose yourself to the after hours. There is the grandiose StaiK SeKt version with a chorus of fallen angels, while VV303 has gone for a lower and heavier mix that could be the soundtrack to a Hellraiser movie. Planktoon with the dreamy synths and glitching 80s influenced industrial mix, or you can go with the strangely pseudo western guitar crossed with the entrancing electronics of Darker.

It has not been easy for Zwaremachine, with power rhythm maker Dein Offizier missing due to succumbing to cancer in 2023 (fuck cancer), which was like a gut punch. They are back with Mach Fox (vocals/synth/programming) and Dbot (bass/vocals), now joined by Paul K (guitar) and Marshal B (drums), and like the phoenix from the ashes, Zwaremachine are back and snarling. It is good to see them back, ripping up the industrial norms.

Waking The Night (SINGLE/REMIX EP) | Zwaremachine

Facebook – Zwaremachine

ZWAREMACHINE (@zwaremachine) • Instagram photos and videos

Without Tomorrow | StaTiK SeKt

Facebook – StaTiK SeKt

VV303 Ultimate Sample Pack vol 1 | Composed And Produced by VV303 | VV303

Music | Darker

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Danish project M73, said ‘em sieben drei‘, have released a bootlegged remix of Marvin Gaye’s 70s track “What’s Going On.” It is a song that is now half a century old, but for John Mirland (M73), the lyrics speak volumes, especially now as the world feels as if it teeters on the edge of an abyss.

Mirland is a master of rhythmic noise but his tastes in music are vast. He has taken Gaye’s famous Motown track and given it a far more electronic feel, though the original funk shines through, and Gaye’s iconic tones are the lynch pin.

Historically, “What’s Going On” was written by Marvin Gaye after the Vietnam war had come to an end, and veterans had come home to find they no longer fit in, traumatised, criticised and unwanted. Those lyrics are pertinent today, as they say open your eyes, so you can see what is happening, and that in the end love is strong when we don’t give into hate. It is perfect and M73 have lovingly modernised the Prince of Motown. It is name your price on Bandcamp.

What’s Going On (M73 Bootleg Remix) | M73

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Splatter VHS is Caid, and Caid is Splatter VHS. They are the self professed cryptid of Brisbane, who revels in horror movies, special effects and creating synth based instrumental music. The end of 2024 marked the release of a new album in the form of Blue Haired Anime Girl, which rounds up a rather fruitful year from Splatter VHS.

The world is littered in fairy tales, of souls meeting and being pulled into equal orbits, or set for cataclysmic endings or expressing a love and admiration for someone who makes you feel like the weight of gravity is nothing. Single “Twin Stars” burns bright with the electronics bursting forth, tying in the science fiction futurism with looping and weaving synths .

An air of dark excitement pushes through in “Return To The Maze,” and may I just add this labyrinth actually does exist in real life. A basement that is a shared space with history’s ghosts, that is shrouded in comfortable crepuscule that would pulsate with this track. There is no escape from the “Vampires Kiss” and you can revel in the quirky joy contained within ‘Synthmas Kitten“

You can hear Caid’s connection to the cinema through their creations, which is a kin to using music to evoke emotions and paint scenes, just as movies do. One could say that John Carpenter has been a huge influence both theatrically and musically, plus the tracks reflect the 80s explosion of using electronic music to express the modern horror of tales such as Friday the 13th or Halloween, and fantasy love stories like Lady Hawke or Legend (1985).. It is a bit retro, a bit sci-fi, a bit jigger-poky with a pointy things, a bit modern and a whole lot of fun. Paint a picture in your head and join the creatures that inhabit Caid’s mind with Splatter VHS. You can’t always run from where you are, but that doesn’t mean you can’t dream yourself free.

Music | Splatter VHS

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Welcome to the retro-futuristic world of Splatter VHS | Splatter VHS

sｐ𝕝ᗩⓣ𝓉乇𝓡 νнs (@splattervhs) • Instagram photos and videos

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On the day of his birthday, Sebastian Sünkler released the single “Bohdi” with his main industrial project, STAHLSCHLAG. The German noise master never fails to amaze with how productive he is, and before we know it, the new full-length album will be upon us.

Become one with the drone of “Bohdi” as STAHLSCHLAG take you into another realm, outside of your being, to where celestial souls transverse the stars, god like, as the rhythms continuously make you aware of your own heartbeat. The combination of luminous and mystical vocals with noise is perfection. The second track, “Sri Stuti,” continues this journey, with more purpose, demanding your attention be completely focused on the fragging beats while a winding synth line wanders though.

The maestro of power noise keeps his sound fresh whilst plumbing the depth of your spiritual psyche, pulling on ancient tendrils within our genetics. With the brilliance of “Bohdi,” we await the album and wish Sünkler another wonderful year making music around the sun.

Bodhi | STAHLSCHLAG (bandcamp.com)

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STAHLSCHLAG

https://www.instagram.com/stahlschlag_fundustrial

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January 25th saw the drop of the new single, “Impetus,” by Portland, Oregon trio Ceremony Shadows. Timo (synths/programming), Anastasia (vocals), and Jakub (vocals) describe their sound as ritual darkwave and the mastering engineered by Adam Stilson.

The first chiming notes, instantly had my attention, as it reminded me a lot of The Danse Society’s “Heaven Is Waiting,” thought this is never a bad thing, and the seductive female vocals curl in, followed by the deeper tones of the second vocalist, like the duality of darkness and light.

It is a sensual slow burn that gets under your skin. You can also go check out the two remixes, a club mix by Stilson and another by vyger, for this track, and “Impetus” is a taste of the soon to be unleashed new album for those craving more dark electro goodness that is Ceremony Shadows.

Impetus | Ceremony Shadows (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/ceremonyshadows

https://www.ceremonyshadows.com/

http://www.instagram.com/ceremonyshadows

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Finnish musician Amanda Aalto dropped the single “Vampira” on December 1st. This independent singer, songwriter, and producer has been releasing music for the last ten years.

The electronics are almost in lament, with an innocence in the lightness, which is further enforced by the vocals. An ode to a female creature of the night, whom has had to accept her fate, never able to go back to her previous life.

I would almost say that “Vampira” wants you to feel remorse for the prejudice the main character has to endure, through no fault of her own. Simple synth lines, coupled with lilting vocals and you too can dance the blood bond with Amanda Aalto and her “Vampira.”

Vampira | Amanda Aalto (bandcamp.com)

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It is always lovely to hear the guitar artistry of Karl Morten Dahl, aka Antipole, and he has joined forces with German based Deus Ex Lumina, the darkwave project of Gonzalo Schwindt, for the single “Destroy.”

Dahl’s guitar is ghostly and ephemeral, a presence in the background and melding into synths which glimmer star like from the murky memories that are uttered on the lips of Schwindt. The vocals weighted, sonorously deep and smooth as liquid black velvet.

It is undeniable that there is an 80s electronic, almost coldwave electronics sound to “Destroy.” There is a gentle fragility within the music though the lyrics more than hint to some sort of violence. “Destroy” is a beautiful act of dancefloor tragedy by Deus Ex Lumina & Antipole.

Destroy | Deus Ex Lumina & Antipole | Deus Ex Lumina (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/deusxlumina/

https://www.instagram.com/deusexluminaofficial

Music | Antipole (bandcamp.com)

http://www.facebook.com/antipoleband

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SEVREN NI-ARB (synthesizers, computers, programming, vocals) and
ESTEFANÍA (vocals) are X MARKS THE PEDWALK, and the Munster electronic aficionados have dropped the first video “Fading Waves,” that heralds the coming of their latest album, Superstition, which is due out in November on the label Meshwork Music.

Paramedics race to save the life of a young man, laying on the ground. The music’s rhythm heightens the ambulance crew’s attempt to restart his heart, as it fades away and flatlines. The casualty joins the multitudes that these courageous first responders cannot always save. There is something sublime about the play of synths and vocals, beautifully tinged with thoughtful sadness. X MARKS THE PEDWALK, as always, are masters of the synthpop genre and “Fading Away” is aimed straight for your heart.

Superstition | X Marks The Pedwalk (bandcamp.com)

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X MARKS THE PEDWALK | SUPERSTITION | meshwork music (meshwork-music.com)

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GIVE/TAKE are the US based label bringing you the new single from Grammy Amplifier nominated artist KPT (KEPT), whom is one half of DEATHDANCE. The new single is called “Collared,” from the Minneapolis based dark electronic musician, who has worked with the likes of En Esch, My Life With The Thrill Kill Cult and Martin King of Test Dept, but to name a few.

Photo by Jason Larkin

An eerie static load grates your ears, swelling like a tsunami far out to sea, building in destructive force. A noticeable click click holds its own until there is an explosive release, frenzied and consuming. A tension between the electronic elements threatening to rip at the seams and yet still holding together, joined by the rumbling vocals, just perceivable above the tumultuous mixture of textures.

“Collared” is about the sexual ownership of another and exploring that dynamic of dominator versus submission. Aggressive control of the buzzing electronics is tempered by the flow of power… just as a good psychosexual relationship should be. KPT have created a vast and engrossing track with an equally delightful video.

https://kptfrsh.bandcamp.com/album/collared

https://www.facebook.com/kptfrsh

http://kptfrsh.com/