May the 5th seems to have been a huge day for releases, and what could be better than a single from the British electronic wizard, SimonCarter. “EraseMyMind” features the dulcet tones of Sweden’s FredrikKeithCroona (AgainstI/Menschdefekt).
I was not joking when I said Croona’s vocals are dulcet, as he takes you down the electronic rabbit hole where one feels unfulfilled, and it leaves such a hole, it would be better to forget to ease the pain of it all.
Carter’s music as always, is simply scintillating. There is a symmetry between the techno x psytrance and Croona’s vocals, that make this not only a great dance track, but just an enjoyable song in general….. that I won’t be listening to in the car….. speeding is bad. This Simon Cater featuring Fredrik Keith Croona, and they don’t really want to “Erase My Mind” so much as raise my resting heart rate.
Norwegian, ErlendEilertsen of EssenceOfMind, is about to release the second album under the project name LightsA.M., on the AlfaMatrix label, called StoriesWithoutWordsVol. 2, on June the 23rd. However, we get our first listen through the single “NotReadyForThis“.
An element of foreboding and lament is in the electronics, as they waver and chime through the instrumental track. Ancients drum whilst the low murmur of the droning electronics is in stark comparison to the gentle synths, that hold the lilting melody of what has passed. Subtle, beautiful and memorable is “Not Ready For This“, which you are utterly ready for by Lights A.M.
There is some really brilliant darkwave music coming out currently, and the Antipole &ParisAlexander album, Crystalline, out on Young&ColdRecords, on May 12th, is most certainly one of them. However, for now, sate your cravings with the latest single, “Bleached“, out on the 27th of April.
“Bleached is about a lost soul battling darkness and light. They still have an optimism and so strive for a more positive future. It is also set against a backdrop of Brexit and current social and economic struggles in the UK.” – Paris Alexander (Brighton, UK)
“We wanted to combine nasty-sounding moody synthesizers with ethereal guitars.”– Karl Morten (Antipole) (Trondheim, Norway)
From those first smooth synth lines, you just know who this is. The guitar strikes true and clear, and when you hear Alexander whisper,’takeme‘….well, just damn. You can hear the murkiness Morten mentions that creeps under your skin, while the rhythm carries you ever forward into the crumbling city, beneath darkening skies, hoping for something to change. “Bleached” is the darkwave dance noir, and it is a thing melancholic beauty from these bards of shadows, Antipole & Paris Alexander.
The late BurtBacharach asked us what do I get if I fall in love, but in reality, maybe he should have asked what do we get when Sonikdevil and MachFoX (Zwaremachine) join forces? For April, it seems to be an EP called New Dead Wave, with FoX as the vocals and Kyle Sonik playing instruments, with the pair cowriting all tracks.
The title track is the starter, and it sets the mood for the EP with a music vibe of that period of time where the 80s melded into the 90s industrial and the unquenchable hunger of the vampiric kind. The possible hint is in the name, “NewDeadWave“. If you were in doubt, this was a horror themed release, there is the guitar filled “LittleMonster“, a rock ode to the female terror in your life that wants to reduce you to a tasty jelly mess. Psychedelic effects and a big rock sound stalks, waiting to “LetUsIn“, where there is actually a liberal amount of glam rocker style in the offering.
“GardenOfRust” kind of reminds me quite a bit of the Ramones when they wrote “PetCemetery” with that very up-beat punk attitude, though this is at complete odds to the far more electronic “Circus Of The Damned” with FoX channelling a bit of AliceCooper thrown in for good measure. The reminiscing of crazier times is the punk “Barstools & Broken Fools” and yet there is a story of loss behind the bravado. Of course, the aliens have not been forgotten about, and the last track is “The4thKind” that almost has horrorbilly feel to it, which is a really nice end to the EP.
Feels a bit mealy-mouthed to call this an EP when I’ve seen albums with fewer tracks on them. This is a recording that runs the gamut of rock from the wham bam glam 70s, punk, post-punk to industrial, with a sprinkling of psychobilly horror tongue in cheek, giving it the spooky flavour of B grade monster movies, which I think are the best sort. The hills might have eyes, but Sonikdevil and Mach FoX have New Dead Wave.
Australians GerryHawkins (CryogenicEchelon) and Lawrie, aka LawrieMasson (StudioX), are back with a new single/EP for their project AvariceInAudio, called “WarTanz“, tanz meaning dance, on the AlfaMatrix label. 2022 saw the release of the fifth studio album, OurIdolsAreFilth and “WarTanz” is the second single.
Slamming electronic beats, Hawkins‘ gravelled vocals and those warbling synths that breakout during the chorus. They are pounding the dance track into your skull, the motivation to stop being a observer inside your own life, in “WarTanz“. Alien:Nation next have the remix, injecting heavenly synths into the more techno influenced version, though those mammoth beats still blast through, highlighted by the tinkling keyboards.
Lawrie is no slouch nor stranger when it comes to the remix, so the Studio-X mix is hardly a surprise. From the beginning, it is stripped down with the vocals at the fore, with hints of synths and it is amazingly effective, and equally danceable. It might be time to bust a move with the “DownerGrooves“, an instrumental to get on down with, and get on up again, which does not appear on the album.
Brilliant heavy beats, evocative vocals and scintillating remixes…. does it get any better than that? Industrial dance music done right by AvariceInAudio and they are calling you to the “WarTanz” against mundane.
In 2020, ABUNEIN released their first album, SecularPsalms, and now the band, hailing for Malmö, Sweden, are about to drop their next called II, on ProgressProductions. But before that happens, there is a new single, “KissingTheGlove“.
From the first electronic beats, “KissingTheGlove” simply oozes dance floor killer, with buckets of seduction drawing you in. The track pulsates and causes a quickening of your heart. The vocals send a shiver of pure joy down your spine while the synths darkly rumble.
This is an impossibly wonderful darkwave track that is gorgeously drenched in eroticism. So what is the mystery of the left hand? Maybe all will be revealed in II, but for now, we have “KissingTheGlove” by ABUNEIN.
IMJUDAS is the solo project for MaxxMaryan, who is also half of the Italian duo HELYANFLOWERS. Maryan has released two EP’s, PeopleOfTheBlame and SoUntrue, on the Spleen+ label which is a mixture of electronic and post-punk sensibilities.
Both EPs are a mixture of songs off the previous album Yrjudas, however you will find remixes and also unreleased demo versions. People Of The Blame indeed takes the track of that name and giving you the glorious canned anger mix and the Octolab remix which brings a very techno vibe dance track. Madil Hardis gives the track her elegant touch as well as delightful vocals, making it poignant and thoughtful, or you can enjoy the alfa remix and the 2016 demo version. The Neikka RPM mix of the single “Ritual” whirls out into the universe and you are also are treated to the demo of “Tulpa“.
SoUntrue follows the same formula with the standout remix of the title track by Elektrostaub, where the guitar has been removed and filled by beautiful synths. There is the slower version by Phil from The Breathe Of Life that pulls at your heart strings and yet another demo of this track. You can hear yet another electronic interpretation of “Ritual” and the demo of “Outcast“.
Maryan really does have a brilliant voice that is the lynch pin between all the tracks and it is really interesting to see the progression between demo, single versions and remixes. It has been stated that this is the last look back at the Yrjudus album….. and what a look back it has been. It might seem too good to be true but you should definitely get into IMJUDAS.
Akustikkoppler (Acousticcoupler) is Hamburg duo, MatthiasSchuster (Geisterfahrer, DasInstitut) and MalteSteiner (Notstandskomitee, DasKombinat). They create experimental electronic music and last year they dropped their fourth album. AllesMußRaus (EverythingMustGo), which was mastered in 2021 but the actual recordings were made between 2008 – 2012.
The whole ten tracks are instrumental and they most certainly run along the lines making noises that please them and incorporating those noises into music that they inspire. There is the space like “Heimweg“, with a 70s kitsch feel, and yet it could be a science fiction horror in the cold void. Or the throbbing and wandering nature of “Horses And Carriages Burn“, as spikes of electronics speak up or the oddity that is “Dinge, Die Unter Dem Tisch Lagen” or the things that were under the table, which could be a whole new world with out of place bleeps and reverberations.
It might be experimental but AllesMußRaus is very enjoyable. There are bright noodling bits and even tracks that have a dance beat, yet overall the album is nearly hypnotic as you become engrossed in listening to everything going on. Akustikkoppler seems to be hitting all the good notes.
We are off to Austin, Texas, to have a look at the first EP, “WeDissolve“, from Gleaming. Maybe we can let the man behind the project, tell you about himself….
“After drumming for a handful of different screamo and indie/dream-pop bands, I found my way to electronic music. I wanted to take the inspiration and influence from artists I love and blend it with my experience in the indie and dream/synth-pop bands. Creating a dark, danceable tone with really catchy melodies and lyrics, hoping to capture the perfect segue from dark to light.” – Darryl Schomberg II
The first track is also the single “RunFaster” and the tone of this song alone sets up the whole EP, which is about putting distance between yourself and the things in life that have dragged one down the darker paths, such as depression, and finding a better future. The synths are bright and sweet, and the rhythm bounces. “TheAshes” is the second single that builds in tension, echoing vocals that explode into a cascade of crystalline synth shards. Of note is the track “RatMeOut“, feature Vestite, also from Austin, which has a great keyboard line through it as the dual vocals snake through this piece in the chorus.
I kind of wished that Schomberg relied on his own clean vocals more, which I will admit, are soooo much better than using autotune, (yeah I am the first to say I hate autotune with a fiery passion and I will blame Cher forever). The electronics have an 80s synthwave ring to them, that can soar, and having Vestite is a stroke of genius, as it made “RatMeOut” a real joy. This is just Gleaming starting out with WeDissolve, so it should be interesting to see what he does next.
Ner/Ogris is a fairly new project from Germany, but you have more than likely heard of the two guys involved. There is vocalist tinoC from Amnistia and kaiN of Les Berrtas, who is the keyboard player and composer. Their first album, I Am The Shadow, I Am The Light, is full of electronic beats, deep and powerful synths, and raw vocals, released at the end of February on the label Dependant. The guys were gracious enough to talk to us about the album, how it came together, their influences and their shared admiration of Anthony Rother (you lucky lucky man).
Welcome kaiN and tinoC of Ner\Ogris, to Onyx where everything is in balance, which is why we co-ordinate in black.
Neither of you are new to the electronic scene, so what inspired you to create this new project Ner\Ogris?
Ner\Ogris: kaiN had the plan to release a instrumental album under the name NER\OGRIS and sent almost all the to the guys behind AMNISTIA to get some feedback. tinoC had the idea to add vocals to one of the tracks. When kaiN heard the demo he was like “maybe you can give this treatment to some more tracks?”. After about two or three weeks we had 6 tracks ready and it was obvious that we can not name this child a “featuring”… the rest is history.
How do you feel the German dark alternative scene has impacted on how you create music now and what style of music feeds your creative juices?
tinoC: I am in the scene for a long time and I am happy that I can call a some great musicians my friends. I really like the dark music scene and I listen to a lot of old and new music. I don’t like every release of course – that would be crazy, but I know what is going on in the scene and I have my influences there. I try to use my voice in different styles and very likely you can hear this in some of the songs.
kaiN: I was lucky enough to have grown up in this scene. With my other band (Les Berrtas) we had a great time in the early 90s with bands like CalvaYNada or Liederkranz with whom we played some concerts. I can still remember the first EBM nights in Frankfurt. Of course, that left its mark and has continued to this day. Today I think it’s great that younger bands like 2nd Face are taking up this niche again. Even if there are still only a few and the rest are getting older…
Your debut album is titled “I Am The Shadow – I Am The Light” which speaks of duality, for there is no light without darkness. Can you tell us a bit more about the album?
Ner\Ogris: It’s all about contrasts – noise and silence, harsh and soft, instrumental- and vocal tracks. We think the most interesting fact about the album is, that it was not planed. It “appeared” out of the nothing in a very spontaneous way. The music is still like it was before there were words or vocals. We did not change anything on it. It felt right to add the vocals to the tracks. kaiN said on day that the tracks finally made sense with vocals on it.
There are some big beats on the album and contrasts between the synths and vocals in line with the title. Was this conscientious at the time or it was just the way it all came together?
Ner\Ogris: As we mentioned… the music was there and is still like it was. The words and vocals followed the music and they came together very fast.
Do you have any tracks off the album that are particularly your favourites and why?
tinoC: My favourite instrumental tracks are “Pájaro” and “Fiebre Oscura”. “Deepest Fear” and “Reality & Fiction” are my favorites among the vocal tracks.
kaiN: Hard to say … All the songs have somehow been around for so long … Maybe “deepest Fear”, because Vincent from 2nd Face gave the song a phenomenal climax with his co-production. Or Reality & Fiction because of its danceability. But definitely “Faith” from the bonus CD – because TinoC performs awesome vocals to the song.
Do you find working together has brought out relationship that pushes you both to go further?
tinoC: That’s a good question. We will see what happens in the future. At the moment we only know what can happen when I add vocals to finished tracks that were not planned to release with vocals on it. I’m really looking forward to new tracks because I’m sure KaiN’s compositional habits will change a bit when he knows he’s working on a track that will have vocals finally. I really hope he will not lose his craziness for the music because there are parts in the tracks that are crazy and I think that’s great.
kaiN: Yes, we will see what the future brings. TinoC can also write good songs, as he has already proven with TC75 and Amnistia. It’s exciting for me in any case and I’m looking forward to no longer being solely responsible for the music.
How does it feel to be compared musically to fellow Germans, X MARKS THE PEDWALK, circa early 90s?
tinoC: To be honest… I am a big fan of XMTP. I personally think that tracks like “Cenothaph” or “Never Dare To Ask” are some of the greatest tunes of the scene. But I do not see any similarities between NER\ORGIS and XMTP beside the fact that we both are electronic bands. But it’s nice and an honor to know that other people feel that way.
kaiN: I agree with tinoC. I’ve known XMTP since the 90s and they have had a strong influence on the German dark electro scene. It is not the worst thing to be compared with XMTP!
If you could pick any electronic artists (alive or dead) to do guest remixes of the album, who would you pick?
tinoC: Good question! Thinking big is good 😉 I would like to hear Anthony Rother and Trent Reznor remixes from our tracks 😉
kaiN: Anthony Rother is a good choice 🙂 But I would actually be interested to hear what the album would sound like if it had been produced by Rick Rubin.9.
What is in the future for Ner\Ogris?
Ner\Ogris: The album has only been out since February 24th, so there is no new release in the near future but we have some confirmed live dates. We will share them when they are ready for the public. We want to see you all at one of the events and maybe have a chat there.
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