Pop & Rock News

Newest full LP by Yobkiss who has been active for over a decade now with stunning releases on a multitude of modern labels. Never a dull moment on this well-crafted album. Best described as an emotive journey, YobKiss explores the regions where techno, electro, acid house, and that hard-to-define Dutch sound; all melt into pure analog synth magic. Standout dancefloor burners include "Silence Arriving" (with Yuko Araki on vocals) and "Full Moon Party". Mastered by the legendary Alden Tyrell. Limited Edition.

The man machine Lauer is back on Permanent Vacation with full power! After last year's album for Running Back and his summer anthem "Inkel Jet 880" for the DGTL label, here is Phillip's new EP
"Know You". And Lauer does what Lauer does best: Perfecting his proto disco trance sound into four emotional party tracks for romancers and B-Boys alike.

On this EP, you even get the chance to sing along. " You Know" features his good old buddy and frequent collaborator Jasnau on vocals. To say it with his words: Don't hesitate!

Limited Dark Blue Vinyl 2xLP. The synth-pop project Laumė (rhymes with Pflaum) will deliver the aptly-titled new LP, Waterbirth, by way of Carpark Records, finally sharing her most lyrically complex and musically infectious body of work to date.

The New Zealand-born songwriter and former Yumi Zouma frontwoman and co-founder, Kim Pflaum, worked with French producer Rude Jude to craft a 13-track LP that broadens the scope of Laumė. The irresistibly vibrant and funky sounds of each instrumental are inspired by visionary pop artists like Sade, Kate Bush, and Grimes, but sit in stark contrast with the ideas explored in Pflaum’s writing.

“Spells (Oedipusi)” finds Pflaum knocking the antagonist down a notch, and doing so in style overtop a punching kick drum and groovy synths. Since releasing her debut EP, Bad Humors, under the moniker MADEIRA, Pflaum has renamed the project, had a stint in London, and spent the past three years working to better understand the complexity of the world around her. Her travels and new experiences shaped both the content and construction of her songwriting and recordings, giving way to this expansive new full length.

Between 2016 and 2019, Pflaum wrote and recorded new material for Waterbirth everywhere she had the space to–from Okie Dokie studio in Auckland, to flats around London, to even a train across Poland. “I began to question human nature and who we are.” Pflaum recalls. “We’re so complex and we have these dark sides to us—I’m equally reflecting on myself at the same time” as heard of “Darkside.” Each of her new tracks began to form like Russian dolls, filled with layers of meanings that are not easy to spot at first glance. Pflaum explains “Although at one level it might sound like I’m singing about a certain thing, I’m usually singing about something else altogether on another level.”

In late 2017, Pflaum traveled to eastern Europe, where her grandfather fled Poland during WWII, in an effort to learn more about her family roots firsthand, and examine the deeper parts of her psyche. ” Pflaum became more interested in lineage and the cycle of life, and the concept of birth and rebirth unified the new songs she was writing. “When I was a young child I drowned, so in a way the album is a reflection on getting another chance,” explains Pflaum, “The album is actually dedicated, in part, to the two people who rescued me from the water, as I’ve never been able to thank them.” Throughout the record Pflaum is constantly balancing the power of nature and the fragility of humanity, capturing the existential tension between both in songs like “Villains” and “Klara.” Slowly as Pflaum and Rude Jude worked together, each song they crafted would reinforce the record’s sonic and lyrical duality. Rude Jude’s production is reminiscent of the pop golden age of the ’70s and ’80s, but Pflaum’s writing and intentions make the album feel undeniably current.

Early Days maps out Nine Circles interpretation of Cold Wave and Minimal Synth. Unbelievably the tracks are mostly from a brief time period, ’80—’82. Alienation and uncertainty course through the 2LP with heavy Yamaha chords, metallic machine beats and brittle vocals.

Nine circles was formed in the early 80s by Peter Van Garderen and Lidia Fiala. In 1980 there was a band called Genetic Factor. This band split up when their three members got girlfriends and they started to make music together with their girls. So at that time there were 3 bands living together in one house.

One of the couples were Peter van Garderen and Lidia Fiala. Lidia had been writing lyrics since she was 15 years old. Nine Circles was born. Within 2 years they wrote about 60 songs.

Also living in the house was Richard Zeilstra, who had a job at the VPRO radio, hosting a show called „Spleen“ where he gave New Wave bands a chance to play. He asked bands to send tapes to him and the best bands had the opportunity to play live at the radio and also got the chance to be on the „Radio Nome“ compilation. Peter and Lidia sent their tape to him and were the only ones from this house to be on the show. Richard knew their music was special. Nine Circles never played a live show on stage, only one concert live at the radio which is also featured on this LP.

Two years later Peter and Lidia split up and Nine Circles disappeared. In 2009 Lidia’s son googled her name just for fun and found a lot about the band Nine Circles. Lidia was surprised, she never knew how popular Nine Circles have been over the years. She got herself on Facebook and since then she got in touch with many people and decided Nine Circles should come back! Peter was not able to join the band these days, he had a different life but he was supporting Lidia and liked that she enjoyed doing music again. Peter still had all the old recordings and sent Lidia a lot of the music they made together back in the days. The best tracks are collected on this 2LP.

Together with Per-Anders Kurenbach Lidia revived Nine Circles. They recorded new material (released on the album „Alice“) and played live until Lidia had to stop playing live for health reasons in 2016. Nevertheless they‘re working on a follow-up album called „Emerge“ which is planned to be released in 2020 and hopefully Lidia will be able to go on stage again soon.

After a three year absence, Kasper Bjørke returns to hfn music with a sublime new double EP entitled
“Nothing Gold Can Stay”. Having followed a deeply personal ambient music path that last year led to
the release of “Kasper Bjørke Quartet: The Fifty Eleven Project” on Kompakt Records, (named 5th
Best Contemporary Album 2018 in The Guardian), Kasper has found his way back to producing some
of his signature leftfield danceable beats, which “the past decade has seen Bjørke steadily rising amongst the ranks of artful, eclectic electronic producers…” (XLR8R).The Double EP “Nothing Gold Can Stay” explores both the analogue and organic side of his production work on Side A - while Side B reflects on sounds that he would play today, in one of his nightclub DJ sets. Side A contains four collaborations with four friends from LA, New York and Copenhagen. “Water” feat. Toby Ernest, the slow mo opener to the EP, revives the partnership with Toby that was last seen on 2014’s After Forever album (on the single “Rush”). Toby also provides the vocals on the cover version of Alessi Brothers’ 1975 classic “Seabird” - a track that came about through Kasper’s friendship and musical synergy with DJ and vinyl digger Christian d’Or, who is lead crooning while Toby delivers his signature falsetto. The “Seabird” cover adds a distinct contemporary feeling to the original version while staying true and respectful to the delivery and mood of the songs core. The 2nd half of the release, Side B, is directly aimed at the floor. Having stepped away from releasing club jams for a few years, Kasper is clearly enjoying getting back to the business of making people move. Side B of Nothing Gold Can Stay is both a testament to Kasper’s versatility as a producer and an all-out dancefloor assault, made with precision and sensitivity.

Pudel Produkte UG Ltd. information.
The Pudel Produkte UG announces, that they will now go along with it. They finally found time for future - just like the others.

But the others - They don't have him anyway: The Pudel. They have safes, hill forests, studios with numbers, power stations or factories, water gates, green valleys or rich beautiful ageless brits with mirrors and thousands of other cheap opportunities. Well. Whatdoweknow. We can only talk about the Pudel. This bare and pure creature. That poodle without an egg.

"Ich und mein Pudel" (Me and my poodle) is the name of the new anthem of our house written by the noble mould punk Rocko Schamoni. The original version on his album "Musik für Jugendliche" (music for teenagers) swings by in some quite bavarian hump-pattatata leather shorts. Alongside with that, a brass commando shows up in such a beyond comfy speed - it needs to lie down to wake up. All that is different, yet, of course, sick. But we all know: No Pudel may remain alone!

Therefore: PUDEL PRODUKTE 30 is out now! A fat 12" with remixes of: DIGITALISM/ FALTY D/ BRAND BREWER FRICK/ PULSINGER & IRL. (Cover by Alex Solman).
Plus: many more remixes online. Its the Pudels online-coming out prom night - if you like. A win for the future - probably for sure.

PUDEL PRODUCTS
Always far away from the pack against the pack!

R.S. (And at night under the stars, by the river, I am alone. You cant remove me, never will, cause i want to be here."

180G PINK VINYL

Australia's U-Bahn came stomping into 2019 with a collage of glam-pop and new wave. Describing their music as 'nostalgia for futures that never came to pass; suburban boredom and sexual dystopias', the Melbourne 5-piece will thrill and baffle audiences alike with their debut LP, teeming with futurist art-punk.

Originating from singer Lachlan Kenny's bedroom recordings, a chance meeting between him and Zoe Monk over the purchase of a vintage drum machine, followed by the recruitment of Leland Buckle, Jordan Oakley and Mitch Campleman, the band quickly honed their live show before taking their ideas to the stages of the Melbourne DIY circuit. Kenny was eager to set down their ideas on vinyl; crafting a suite of self-recorded and mixed songs that's charm lies in their lo-fi production values, as Kenny relates: 'I think that that naive, ill-informed recording process ultimately aided in giving the record its character.'

There's a distinct agenda that the band identify with, something clearly audible in their music. From Beta Boyz' satirical jabs at toxic masculine culture, to the tale of cat-calling told in Scantly Clad, the band lyrics deftly weave between surreal flights of fancy and serious social critique. In their own words, Right Swipe's Tinder tale “pens a tongue in cheek narrative detailing the deceptive exploits of your everyday ‘f**k boy”, while Damp Sheets “encourages sexual exploration - but for god sakes, rubber up and protect yourself from the dreaded ‘southern lice'”, as Kenny characterises the track. Bubblegum centrepiece Right Swipe is draped in reverb, analogue synths and off-beats - while their clear penchant for melody and memorable hooks shines through the bizarro aesthetics. Its addictive chorus shows the band can leave you humming despite their abstract thinking; the synths and bass swirl around Kenny’s ironic/serious lyrics, 'baby you can't resist the manipulation'.

From their heavily aestheticized stage-show, to the joyously unsettling homages to Kubrick evident in the Beta Boyz music video - U-Bahn want you to know. “We take things very seriously, inside music and in the world at large. However, we don’t want surrealism, or Marxism, to get in the way of the audience’s experience. We won’t limit our creative outpourings by labelling ourselves as anything other than neurotic music-nerds. Let the audience come to their own conclusions.”

The band approaches song writing like children at play; open to anything, delighted with results that seem weird or amusing. Kenny explains, 'The intention has always been to make music with no categories or creative barriers, drawing from the concept of 'Organised Sound' rather than any Rock & Roll ethos.' This methodology, along with their clear love for outsider art, Devo and R. Stevie Moore – the aristocratic glamour of Brain Eno combined with the icy robotics of Kraftwerk; the wild ride of genres and ideas that define U-Bahn’s style is steeped in a heritage of music’s strange and unforgettable mavericks.

With the creation of their follow-up album already under way, festival appearances and tours on the horizon, as well as an audience buzzing with anticipation for what will come next from the band, U-Bahn are poised on the brink of taking their tales of the eccentric and the marvellous to the stages of the world.

I remember the first time I read W.E.B. DuBois eclectic masterpiece The Souls of Black Folk. The way in which this Weberian scholar flowed from personal account to prose to sociological analysis to music and even political intervention has had a lasting impact on my own work as a cultural anthropologist. It made me understand that as scholars we must use different means in order to give expression to the totality of the lived experience: There is only so much in an academic text.

The experience of alienation has always been at the heart of my scholarly and artistic practice. I have used academic writing, lecturing, theatre performance and electronic improvisation to understand and represent it as a theoretical concept, postcolonial condition and lived experience. I believe, some issues need to be told like a story, some analyzed in most abstract terms and others need to be sung like a gospel. The medium changes the message.

In this sense, I guess, I’m a singing cultural anthropologist.

For some time now I have been engaged in the use of dystopian themes and sounds to paint a sonic picture of structural racism and whiteness of our present. But recently I have grown weary of this Ballardian idea of Future Now and the resulting phantasmagorian aesthetics myself and others have been invested in. The widespread availability of Digital Audio Workstations, sequencers, loopers and delay pedals has lead us into a futuristic cul de sac best described by Mark Fisher as the very absence of future.

Likewise, I am most skeptical of the “naturalist” countermovement, the return of folk. Especially in Germany, I am convinced there is no such thing as an innocent or progressive folk musical expression as it is always connected to the idea of the homeland (“Heimat”) which in turn produces the colony. It seems to me, the current zeitgeist is stuck between a “museum of a dystopian future” and a “museum of an idealized past”, but I wanted to sing about the present.

So, I involuntarily returned to pop music in its two-folded meaning of something popular and addressing not an essentialist notion of “Volk” or its woke cousin “communities”, but society as a whole.

I entered the studio just with a few lo-fi sounding melodies and rhythms from my circuit bent CASIO synthesizer. I had no clue what the finished product would sound like. But as soon as Markus started drumming, in a way strangely reminding me of CAN’s Ethnographic Forgery Series, my uptight sounds were suddenly embedded within a warmer global sound spectrum. The alien at home and abroad and the strange overlapped: We were seeing one and the same sound differently but were gently held together by Tobias’ producing.

Making music is about building coalitions. It’s about suggesting an articulation of styles, sounds and people, that hasn’t materialized, yet, but may help us in the current crisis: I wanted Amon Düül II to send their drug induced archangel thunderbird to rescue the refugees, that had tried to escape the police by climbing up a tree in Munich in 2016. I wanted Sun Ra to taunt far-right protesters in Chemnitz in 2018. And I wanted to mourn the loss of a former kebab shop cum discotheque that served as proof that there is such a thing as a minoritarian universalism.

SCHLAND IS THE PLACE FOR ME is a pop album featuring songs of alienation, not only as a tragic experience, but as a pop-cultural promise. Maybe Bill Callahan sung it best, “I am Star Wars today, I am no longer English grey”. I want those who suffer from alienation to stand in alliance with those who seek alienation, and vice-versa. A coalition, that tolerates the possibility that we are moved by the same groove for contrary reasons.

Fehler Kuti
Munich, Autumn 2019

Music by Julian Warner, Markus Acher & Tobias Siegert
Saxophone on RINDERMARKT by Franz Brunner
Trombone on RINDERMARKT and IL by Matthias Götz
Recorded and mixed by Tobias Siegert in Munich.
SONTAGSFAVORIT mixed by Dario Albiez in Dusseldorf.
Mastered by Duphonic in Augsburg.
Artwork by Atelier Grande, Munich.

»Ema by the Sea« is Joseph Carvell’s debut album under his Pink Shabab moniker. It is the first and long overdue solo record by one of the most trusted bassists in the world of adventurous pop and rock music. When he is not playing with Marker Starling, the former Batsch member can be heard on upright and double bass on a slew of Baby Dee albums like her 2012 collaboration LP with Little Annie or Laetitia Sadier’s »Find Me Finding You« amongst others. When Carvell is not busy as an active member of the cumbia band Malphino and the Moondog tribute I’m This I’m That or playing improvised jazz with various friends, he writes Pink Shabab songs at night. With »Ema by the Sea,« he presents his idiosyncratic approach to subtle disco music for the first time. These nine songs sound as heartbroken as they are uplifting.

»Ema by the Sea« was written in a South London bedroom, but recorded in Southern France. After hearing Carvell perform live as Pink Shabab, Emmanuel Mario, whose album »L'infini, L'Univers Et Les Mondes« under his Astrobal moniker has been released earlier this year on the Berlin-based Karaoke Kalk, invited the British songwriter into his home studio. It is easy to see - or rather: hear - why the two hit it off immediately: drawing on funk, soul, new wave, jazz and dance music, Carvell’s songs meander as effortlessly through different musical worlds as Mario’s own productions. Groovy and laid-back, danceable and intimate, the minimalist structures of Carvell’s songwriting open up a lot of space and make room for plenty of surprises along the way.

Carvell builds his songs around his instrument of choice, the bass. From the driving opener »If Only I Could Hold You One More Time« to the disco and funk influenced »Let Me Explain,« »Tried to Tell You« or »Last of the Boys« and the sombre rhythms of the final song »You Can’t Go Back,« his cunning playing seamlessly oscillates between different styles. In combination with his almost coy singing style and the juxtaposition of an airtight drum programming with colourful synthesizer melodies, »Ema by the Sea« thus provides a wide-ranging palette of moods - spooky, lively, cosmic, romantic, you name it. Where in one moment pensive sentimentality prevails, the next song will call you to the dancefloor. Although of course enjoyed as a whole, »Ema by the Sea« offers both: melancholy and exuberant bliss.

Mysterious trio Mount Kismet are dropping debut single ‘Teenage Fantasy’ on Oct 11th, and their debut album “Warmer Lanes” on Nov 15th via Disco Halal.
Strung together by the dark, alluring vocals of French-Canadian artist C.A.R., the 1st single, ‘Teenage Fantasy’ combines sparse, synth-driven cold wave with the kind of Middle Eastern electronic elements that have become synonymous with Disco Halal. The track will feature alongisde 9 other tracks on Warmer Lanes.
Based between Berlin and London, Mount Kismet is a project driven by an eastern music obsession and a taste for the heavy pulse of drum machines and the rumbling of analog synthesisers. The group’s only other release, the track ‘Prunes & Dunes’, was included in Perfect Strangers, a ‘various artists’ compilation put out on Disco Halal last year.
An established artist in her own right, C.A.R. has previously collaborated with the likes of Maceo Plex, Red Axes and Bawrut.
Based in Berlin, but firmly rooted in the diverse and forward-facing musical scene of Tel Aviv, Moscoman’s Disco Halal label hails from beneath the minarets of the Holy Land. The imprint exists to present a tight-knit and growing community of musicians and producers, each transmitting their unique musical identity, yet each united by a unique sensibility, as well as a harmonious balance of rhythm and experimentation

Based in Munich, Germany, the producer, part-time DJ and Permanent Vacation label co-head Tom Bioly aka TB delivers new romantics, inspired by influences like The Cure’s „The Holy Hour“, Boards of Canada’s late 90s electronica, Miami Vice tropic percussion and Angelo Badalamenti’s Twin Peaks. Acid drops, string distortions, lushed melody bits, hushed robo vox and washed space guitars are being layered and sprinkled over machine beats and disco drums.

TB’s first release "Invitation To Love" made it on John Talabot's vinyl-only Hiverned 10" imprint and was voted amongst the best 10" releases by UK Fact magazine. GROOVE magazine wrote "..entirely superb..“, about the follow-up EP "City Girl" on Permanent Vacation, of which the title track has been licensed to the independent film „All These Sleepless Nights“ by director Michal Marczak.
In 2017 TB followed with “Heartbreak Hotel“, a double twelve-inch release with eight tracks of melancholic dance noir set in smoke-filled darkness. In 2018 he followed with the „Night Heat“ single, of which a RMXD EP with contributions by Gerd Janson, Sascha Funke, DJ Hotel and Bostro Pesopeo came out earlier this year.

Nuovo Testamento is a new half-American half-Italian trio featuring members from Horror Vacui, Sheer Mag, Tørsö, Terremoto and Crimson Scarlet. With such references you wouldn’t expect this to be any less good than it actually is. Exposure is their very first recording and its six songs perfectly blend colwave bass lines, minimal electro beats, synthpop melodies, ethereal female vocals. That’s why we decided to give this its well-deserved vinyl run after the first band-released tape limited edition. Expect more from this cult in the future but for now we only have a couple hundred copies here so don’t snooze on this.

The Force Dimension was formed in the late 80’s by René Van Dijck and Tycho de Groot. After some demos and appearances on compilations, the band signed a contract with the Belgian label KK Records. Their self-titled debut was released in 1989 curiously on two different versions, one produced by Luc Van Acker (Revolting Cocks) and the other co-produced by Dirk Ivens (Klinik, Dive). The duo continued developing a very unique sound mixing EBM, industrial and different electronic influences. In 1990 they finished what is considered their definitive work, “Deus Ex Machina”, followed by the mega club-hit “Algorythm”. The band released another single next year, “New Funk”, and after a couple of compilations stopped to work together in 1997. During the next years there were some failed attempts to reunite but it wasn’t until 2013 when The Force Dimension was resurrected by René Van Dijck.
“Deus Ex Machina” is being now re-released on an expanded edition with all original tracks plus some bonus including remixes of “Algorythm”, some rare tracks from old compilations and new versions of the unreleased songs “Fatal Erection” and “Scanners”. Limited edition of 500 copies on double vinyl and gatefold sleeve.

Steffi and Virginia return with an eight-track double EP on Ostgut Ton, inviting us into new dimensions of the sonic world they have crafted together over a number of years. Work A Change is out September 20, 2019 on 2x12” vinyl and in digital formats. Since their iconic 2011 collaboration “Yours” – which became an instant classic – the duo have experimented with new ways to express their unique strand of dancefloor melancholy. Unlike the grand maximalism often associated with vocals in dance music, Steffi and Virginia’s creations use the voice less as a centerpiece and more an integral part of the groove itself, subtle in temperament and equal to its counterparts. Impassioned vocals spiral around melodic leads and warm harmonies, offering a gentle kind of catharsis that deepens with each listen. Work A Change immediately transports us to a parallel aural universe, refusing to settle into one style and merging multiple references into peculiar new formats. Opening track “Be True To Me” is subdued but inviting, working its way into the conscious with harmonic glitches and a deep, grooving bass lead. “Sight From Above” then slows things down for an angular cut of low-slung machine funk. The B-side, “Help Me Understand” lands us on another planet entirely, complete with extraterrestrial synths and animated robotics. Opening up the C-side, “Until You’re Begging” is a molecular construction of fragmented motifs, both precise and hazy at the same time. Similarly, “Internal Bleeding” takes segments of percussive grooves and rearranges them into complex polyrhythms whilst retaining a careful sense of balance. Closing off the release is title track “Work A Change”; one last high-speed voyage into spiralling drums and hammerdrill bass. Work A Change expands on Steffi and Virginia’s aesthetic, merging elements from a number of genres into a cerebral, highly personal release. It also signals a change of direction for the duo's work, voyaging through new terrain while retaining a sound that is undoubtedly their own.

Steffi und Virginia kehren mit einer Acht-Track-Doppel-EP zurück zu Ostgut Ton und laden ein in neue Dimensionen ihrer sonischen Welt, die sie im Laufe mehrerer Jahre geschaffen haben. Work A Change erscheint am 20. September 2019 als 2x12”-Vinyl und in digitalen Formaten. Seit ihrer ikonischen 2011er-Kollaboration „Yours“ – das Stück wurde zum Klassiker – experimentierte das Duo mit neuen Arten, die eigene, einzigartige Dancefloormelancholie auszudrücken. Anders als bei sonst mit Vocals in Dance Music assoziiertem großen Maximalismus, nutzt Steffi und Virginias Schaffen die Stimme weniger als zentrales Element, sondern mehr als integralen Teil des Grooves selbst, subtil im Temperament und zu gleichen Teilen ihrer Gegenstücke. Leidenschaftliche Vocals schrauben sich um melodische Leads und warme Harmonien, eine sanfte Art von Entspannung, die mit jedem Hören tiefer wirkt. Work A Change transportiert uns unmittelbar in ein paralleles Gehöruniversum, entzieht sich einem festen Stil und mischt vielfache Referenzen in eigene neue Formate. Das eröffnende Stück „Be True To Me“ klingt dezent aber einladend, arbeitet sich einen Weg ins Bewusstsein mittels harmonischer Glitches und einer deepen, groovigen Bass-Lead. „Sight From Above“ nimmt das Tempo mit einem kantigen, tiefliegenden Maschinen-Funk raus. Die B-Seite „Help Me Understand“ verfrachtet uns mit extraterrestrischen Synths und reger Robotik auf einen gänzlich anderen Planeten. Die C-Seite eröffnet „Until You’re Begging“, eine molekulare Konstruktion fragmentierter Motive, gleichermaßen präzise wie unscharf. „Internal Bleeding“ nutzt Segmente perkussiver Grooves und rearrangiert sie in komplexe Polyrhythmen, bewahrt sich aber eine Balance. Den Abschluss bildet das titelgebende Stück „Work A Change“: eine letzte Hochgeschwindigkeitsreise in wirbelnde Drums und Bohrhammerbass. Work A Change erweitert Steffi und Virginias Ästhetik, verbindet Elemente einer ganzen Reihe an Genres in ein zerebrales, höchst persönliches Release. Es signalisiert auch einen Aufbruch des Duos in neue Gebiete, sich dabei aber einen ureigenen Klang seiner selbst bewahrend.

Felix Mongeon, aka Radiant Baby has been making a name for himself in the Montreal music scene for the last three years. Since his early beginnings, his rich and festive electro-pop production has won over fans and media alike. Following his flamboyant debut EP "It's My Party" in 2017, Radiant Baby starts afresh with his first full length, due out in February 2019. For his upcoming LP, he merges crisp electronic sounds with raw IRL instrumentation, conveying a more mature and dynamic aesthetic. To convey this new direction, Radiant Baby is currently developing a new live show with a full band.
R.B. has shared the stage with world-renowned artists, such as Peaches, Róisín Murphy, and Yelle. He has also played at POP Montreal, M for Montreal, Canadian Music Week, Fashion & Design Festival and Piknic Électronik.

After his collaboration with Sóley and múm’s Örvar Smárason for the 2018 LP “Team Dreams”, “Sad Party” sees Sindri Sigfússon take things into his own hands again. As a result of frantic and mostly improvised jam sessions, the nine pop songs are as bittersweet as the title suggests, meandering between Sin Fang’s trademark knack for catchy melodies, rich sonic textures and advanced musical experimentalism. Psychedelic and melancholic at once, it brings Sigfússon’s many different musical facets into a consistent and irresistible flow.

“Sad Party” was recorded by Sigfússon alone over the course of three weeks in an old wooden studio in downtown Reykjavík before it was, like so many Icelandic venues in recent times, closed for good thanks to rising rents. “It had a wonderful view, something most music studios do not have,” says Sigfússon of the place, where he had spent so much time recording, drinking and playing table tennis in the past years. Now he locked himself in for three weeks to throw a very last “Sad Party”. Aiming for the music to be “not too fast and not too slow, not too loud and not too quiet”, the songwriter followed a radical stream of consciousness approach for the lyrics.

Starting with lush and warm drones, the opener “Planet Arfth” sets the mood for Sin Fang’s fifth solo record just perfectly. This is goodbye, the wordless vocals in the background seem to say - but we’re going to make the best of it, counters the slow hip hop groove that takes center stage midway through the track. Soon giving way for slow and funky dream pop sounds (“Hollow”), “Sad Party” slowly picks up speed with intricately built rhythms (“No Summer”), piano-driven power pop (“Smother”) and even IDM-influenced electronica (“Goldenboy Is Sleeping”), before the second half makes the melancholy that comes with a farewell audible. The bitter follows the sweet.

After a wonderfully psychedelic gem (“Happiness”), a hazy midtempo rock ballad (“Never Who I Wanna Be”) and a shimmering downbeat piece that highlights Sigfússon’s abilities as a producer of experimental electronic music (“Cloudjuice”), “Constellation” serves as the perfect coda to the album. With its underwater lo-fi aesthetics and its psychoactive qualities, it ends the album with just the right amount of anthemic ambiguity.

Here’s to old places, new beginnings and, most of all, Sin Fang!

Ivy Falls, the delicate indie-pop band hailing from Ghent Belgium, continues its journey with this new EP. Their sound is characterised by subtle electronics, disarming vocals and meticulous arrangements. Fien Deman's silky soft, almost ethereal voice makes your head spin while her songs alternately soothe and sting you.

Fien calls this project her baby. She writes, arranges and co-produces all of the songs. She already made waves before as guest vocalist or sidekick (with Satin Jackets, Illuminine, Hydrogen Sea, I will, I swear) but this is Fien at the controls. Fien found her studio accomplices for this new chapter in Daan Schepers (Warhola, Bazart) and Pieterjan Coppejans (Eefje De Visser). Jasper Maekelberg (Balthazar, Faces on TV), Sebastiaan Van den Brande (Amatorski) and Dijf Sanders also contributed.

After releasing 'Mean Girls', Ivy Falls' debut EP in 2017, the band was able to play acclaimed venues such as Gent Jazz Festival, Boomtown, Ancienne Belgique, Trix, Botanique, alongside Sigrid, Mabel and Jessie Ware to name a few. The 'Mean Girls' EP was praised by press and radio and landed her over half a million streams.

For this new EP, Fien gathered 3 musicians to form the Ivy Falls band: Trui Amerlinck (Tsar B), Jasper Morel (Black Box Revelation) and Simon Raman (Steiger). The songs for the new record, coming out on November 15, have crystallized into velvety, warm and mature arrangements.

Ivy Falls songs often deal with resolving internal conflicts and dealing with one's own - and other people's - expectations, the struggles of growing up. More specifically on this record, Fien aims to grasp the abstract yet very distinct concept of 'The Light' with references throughout this new EP. She added this quote to the back of the vinyl: "Though I'm not sure whether we'll ever manage the craft of fueling the light when it's needed, let's pretend that we do or at least we once will."

Following on from the excellent 'Le personnage principal est un peuple isolée' compilation - a four track EP of deeply psychedelic jams from the early 80's. TIP!

Over de dingen die we vergeten zijn. Omdat we misschien wel beter kunnen dan dit.
Door de aard van Pu¯wawau heb ik besloten deze biografie zelf te schrijven. Na het uitbrengen van 3 solo albums (‘Let Your Hands Be My Guide’ 2013, ‘The Sparkle In Our Flaws’ 2015 en ‘Bounce Back’ 2017) en het spelen in verschillende bands zoals Isbells en Marble Sounds, voelde ik een grote urgentie om onderzoek te doen naar de kracht van de stem en de verbindende factoren van het zingen. Deze urgentie werd gevoed door het lezen van het volgende stukje tekst van socioloog Walter Weyns:
“Zodra we mensentaal leren, horen we in het geritsel van bladeren alleen nog stom geruis. We horen het, maar luisteren er niet meer naar. Het ruist alleen nog wat, het heeft ons niets meer te zeggen. Maar soms, heel af en toe, wekt iets het vermoeden dat de bladeren, de dingen, ons nog wel iets te zeggen hebben. Het is dan alsof er heel diep in ons iets resoneert met wat vanuit de verste verte komt, een vaag teken dat we niet begrijpen maar heimwee opwekt. Dat kan gebeuren, want we zijn sociale wezens. We staan open naar het andere, we willen ermee communiceren, en nooit zweren we de sociale omgang met dingen, dieren, planten, wolken en landschappen helemaal af. Al wat een vorm heeft, al wat zich toont, al wat zich laat horen, spreekt ons aan als had het ons iets te zeggen. Mensen zijn zo door-en-door sociaal dat ze in nagenoeg alles een teken, een verwantschap, een correspondentie kunnen zien en een boodschap vermoeden.”
Onze wereld lijkt zoveel nood te hebben aan alles wat er verborgen ligt onder de woorden. Ik ben ervan overtuigd dat juist dat ons kan helpen om terug verbinding te zoeken. Met onszelf e´n met elkaar. We gebruiken zoveel woorden. We hebben een mening over veel. Maar klopt dit wel? Komen deze letters van de juiste plek? Luisteren we wel? Zang heeft mij altijd een plek voor reflectie gegeven. Voor een diep voelen en ervaren. Dus ik wilde deze plek gebruiken voor een muziektheatervoorstelling. Het is tevens de eerste keer dat ik het medium theater gebruikt heb voor mijn werk. Heel bewust. Theater is een zeer krachtig middel en het heeft me ook buiten mijn comfortabele ruimte gezet waardoor ik mezelf opnieuw moest uitvinden en opbouwen. Uit deze voorstelling kwam de plaat Pu¯wawau. Een plaat waarin ik samen met zangers van Nederlands Kamerkoor NXT en een aantal muzikanten op zoek ga naar de kracht van de stem.
Valgeir Sigurdsson, bekend van onder andere zijn werk voor Bjo¨rk en Feist, heeft gezorgd voor prachtige, bevreemdende arrangementen waardoor de uitdaging nooit ver weg was. Josse de Pauw heeft zijn woorden en stem geleend voor de voorstellingen en was een aanwezig klankbord in de zoektocht en inspiratie.
Ik heb voor Pu¯wawau nauw samen gewerkt met een fijne groep muzikanten bestaande uit: Eric Thielemans, Laurens Smet, Jozef Dumoulin, Jeroen Stevens, Michae¨l Brijs, Firas Al Alwani, Beatrijs de Clerck, Katelijn Van Kerckhoven. De opnames werden gedaan door Stef Kamil Carlens, Joris Caluwaerts en Martijn Groeneveld. Een heerlijk team om mee te werken.
We deden reeds 17 try outs tijdens theaterfestival Oerol in Nederland. Enkele reacties van bezoekers:
“De essentie die we allen zijn kwijtgeraakt weer aangeraakt! Diep, diep, diep geraakt!”
“Gewoonweg betoverend.”
“Wat een prachtig ontroerend cadeau geven jullie ons.”
“Het mooiste geschenk van Oerol.”
“Wat ontzettend ontroerend en verbindend. Enorm onder de indruk ben ik. Veel dank. Ik zou nog veel langer willen luisteren en stilstaan hier bij al wat we vergeten waren.”

* Emika releases a remix EP of her 6th studio album ‘Falling In Love With Sadness’, (Originally released on World Mental Health Day Oct 2018)
* The remix EP explores 4 sound worlds in electronic music today. Experimental bass music, hypnotic & dark techno, and electro.
About the remixers:
* Pinch, a pioneer of UK bass-driven music, is considered to be one of the most groundbreaking, explorative producers to emerge from the UK dubstep scene.
* Rising techno star Julia Govor is an artist doing things differently, paving her own way with her own label, receiving recognition from the global dance music scene.
* Rebekah needs no introduction, pioneering her own intense sound, now entering her 20th year in the business, she is a serious artist with some seriously heavy vibes.
* Underground Berlin talent Headless Horseman, all though shrouded in mystery, is in high demand world-wide to perform his unique live sets at some of the biggest clubs and festivals.
* Emika produced original album material with cult electro icon The Exaltics.
* Solid remixes from solid underground artists.
About the remixes:
* Pinch creates a seductive environment for a scene from which could have been from David Fincher's Fight Club, one which threatens to overload at any given time, but retains tension until the end.
* Julia’s mix transports us into the next part of our journey, beyond conflict and tension, she gives us the chance to breathe, open up, be free and to dance.
* Rebekah's remix brings us hurtling back down to Earth at a tremendous pace, with crystal clear drums that wake up the soul and synths that energize the mind, this version is more than a dark techno track, it has the spirit of a self-confident grown woman running through it.
* Headless Horseman brings Emika’s original into a beautiful new song space, revoicing the harmony and finding completely fresh chords and backing.

* The artwork hits the mark with a message important for Emika: Equality. With 3 female artists and 3 male artists all featured on the cover, this is a way in which Emika highlights her love for collaboration and sharing of the spot-light.
* Green coloured vinyl (1st edition) 500 copies pressed..

‘’We are moving into a new century where collaboration is going to bring music forwards and exclusivity is going to become a thing of the past.’’ - Emika

our old friend “sasse” come back on endless flight since 2007. his homie veteran artist “jimi tenor” join to the new single. we already loved their collaboration on studio barnhus. title track on a side is super romantic 80’s style vocal disco track. b side is spiritual jazzy deep house. great double sider.

Dubbed out disco edits made with love, drenched in summer spice and slapped straight on the grill to waft out across the hazy breeze!

From the Latin infused sax power of ‘Doin’ It’, to the Italo tinged synth pop nugget, ‘Pop Lock’ and back round to the sensual boogie gem ‘Right Now’, it’s another must have set of edits from the Labor of Love crew.

Kranky veteran Benoît Pioulard (né Thomas Meluch) has created his first full-length for Morr Music, complemented by a linen book of Polaroid SX70 photographs from more than two years of environmental explorations. The music on Sylva and its 84-page visual companion bear the beauty and strange shapes of nature: desert rock formations and colorful leaves, restless waters and peculiar plants. Meluch’s dreamy ambient drones and saturated lo-fi pop embody the impressionist sensation of his visual aesthetic – with this collection sound and vision are merged into an affectionate study of the organic.

Sylva is the result of one of the most productive periods in Meluch’s life. During a 9-month hiatus from his day job he embarked on daily recording sessions amid trips to the American southwest, Montana, Hawai’i and his native Michigan. Back home in Seattle, he developed his recordings and wrote the album’s two mesmerizing vocal tracks, which call to mind early Fleetwood Mac or peak pop-era Brian Eno. “Keep” is based on a tiny flower called Draba mentioned in the book A Sand County Almanac, about which “no one ever wrote a poem”; considering all the little plants he had inadvertently crushed throughout a lifetime of hikes, he wrote it for them. The piano-driven “Meristem” features a striking violin contribution from Freya Creech (London, UK), and is dedicated to Meluch’s brother, who died suddenly two years ago. Sylva’s other collaboration is the soaring vocal arrangement created for “Raze II” by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer/singer Caroline Shaw (New York, USA), a former touring mate who resided at the Banff Centre (Alberta, CAN) during the same period in which Meluch completed his recordings there.

The album’s ten songs are divided into four movements: Solum (soil/solitude), Ignis (fire), Coeptum (seed) and Vireo (thrive), with each group embodying a slightly different environ. When paring down the photo collection Meluch abided three guidelines: no man-made objects, no redundant textures, and a color palette as diverse as his vintage camera allowed. From more than six hundred images, 102 were selected and arranged in diptychs with a preface from the artist. Book and album work well on their own, but by experiencing them together one finds a fundamental connection as well as a three-dimensional view into their creator’s perception of the cosmos.

The first longplayer by this Minimal Synth Wave band from Los Angeles. Image Of Life is a side project of the singer of the band PURE GROUND.

ngeleno escape artist LA Vampires returns from retirement with her first set of hot ‘n’ cold heartwave hymns since 2012, this time in collaboration with bicoastal-tronica duo Cologne. A 7-sided dice of pleasuredome pop, synthetic seduction, and emotional fantasy, 10 Outta 10 spins a sensual web of liminal lovesickness and decadent dance, amorous holograms for today’s Age Of Mirage.

From diva-house strut (“HOWUKISS”) to diamond-life lament (“STRANGERS2ME”), the vocal/production design feels sparkling and psychic, a gallery of glamorous masks: romance, rapture, regret. To feel is to feel unreal; to be moved is to be moved away.

“Can you read minds? Can you read mine?” - Recorded on the boulevard of broken dreams, summer 2019.

Carla dal Forno announces her second full-length album, Look Up Sharp , on her own Kallista records.

Dal Forno beckons a bold new era in her peerless output pushing her dub-damaged DIY dispatches to the limits of flawless dream-pop. In a transformative move towards crystal clear vocals and sharpened production, Look Up Sharp is an evolutionary leap from the thick fog and pastoral stillness of her Blackest Ever Black missives, You Know What It’s Like (2016) and The Garden EP (2017). Three years since her plain-speaking debut album, the Melbourne-via-Berlin artist finds herself absorbed in London’s sprawling mess. The small-town dreams and inertia that preoccupied dal Forno’s first album have dissolved into the chaotic city, its shifting identities, far-flung surroundings and blank faces. Look Up Sharp is the story of this life in flux, longing for intimacy, falling short and embracing the unfamiliar. Dal Forno connects with kindred spirits and finds refuge in darkened alleys, secret gardens and wherever else she dares to look.

In her own territory between plaintive pop, folk and post-punk dal Forno conjures the ghosts of AC Marias, Virginia Astley and Broadcast through her brushwork of art-damaged fx and spectral atmospheres. The first half of the record is filled with dubbed-out humid bass lines, which tether stoned hazes of psychedelic synth work as on ‘Took A Long Time’ and ‘No Trace.’ These are contrasted with songs like ‘I’m Conscious and ‘So Much better’ that channel the lilting power of YMG and are clear sequels-in-waiting to dead-eyed classics like ‘Fast Moving Cars.’

The B-side begins with the feverish bass and meandering melody of ‘Don’t Follow Me,’ which takes The Cure’s ‘A Forest’ as its conceptual springboard. It’s the clearest lyrical example since ‘The Garden’ of dal Forno’s unmatched ability to unpick the masculine void of post-punk and new wave nostalgia to reflect contemporary nuance. Look Up Sharp reaches its satisfying conclusion with ‘Push On’ - dal Forno’s most explicit foray into an undiscovered trip hop universe between Massive Attack and Tracey Thorn. The album’s last gasp finds personal validation in fragility: ‘I push on / I’m the Place I’m Going,’ a self discovery lifted by reverberant broken beats and glass-blown vocals.

Adding further depth to Look Up Sharp are the instrumentals, which flow seamlessly between the vocal-led pieces. ‘Hype Sleep’ and ‘Heart of Hearts’ drink from the same stream as The Flying Lizard’s dubbed-out madness and the vivid purple sunsets of Eno’s Another Green World. While ‘Creep Out of Bed’ and ‘Leaving for Japan’ funnel the fourth-world psychedelia of Cyclobe’s industrial-folk into the vortex of Nico’s The Marble Index.

Conceived as a whole, Look Up Sharp is a singular prism in which light, sound and concept bend at all angles. A deeply personal but infinitely relatable album its many surfaces are complex but authentic, enduring but imperfect, hard-edged but delicate. A diamond. Look up sharp or you’ll miss it.

Oraculo Records is proud to welcome and present the new side project of our beloved Blind Delon featuring and a special remix of Antoni Maiovvi of Giallo Disco Records. Dark Italo or minimal synthpop could perfectly define what FRUST is; hypnotic glacial synths and mesmerizing cavernous sad voices for darkwave lovers. All tracks have been specially remastered for long cut vinyl by Eric Van Wonterghem at Prodam Berlin.

Emotional Rescue returns to the music of British "pop" band Furniture, with an EP of the band's own extended versions, remixes and unreleased takes of their particular output.

Taken from three 12"s that followed When The Boom Was On (ERC072), the songs included cast a light on their development from 3 to 5 piece, adding Sally Still (bass) and Maya Gilder (keyboards) and the new male/female frontline. The subsequent broadening of their line-up and sound meant they could start to address the kind of pop music they wanted to play.

After the early releases garneered radio play and reviews, Furniture were launched into the melee of '80s pop. An anomaly, the band found they attracted a specific kind of "intense" follower, who were often beguiled by Furniture's freaky normality. This was addressed on the 1984 release, 'I Can't Crack'. A more urgent version of the sound Furniture had debuted with 'Why Are We In Love', the track, sung by Tim, was based around a sequencer-like rhythm played live by drummer Hamilton Lee, and a clarinet part played by Tim's brother, Larry Whelan. A mix of bleakness and euphoria, the song was and is a favourite of the band and considered one of their best self-productions, as well as becoming a latter day club play.

This is followed by the studio experiment 'Throw Away The Script', where the band wrestled with sequencers and synth-pop, but then countered it with a free-jazz sax solo. Found on the flip of the double A -side of 'Love Your Shoes' 12", this instrumental version too became an underground club hit, including a cult play at Fran Lenaer's influential Valencia club, Spook Factory. Played loud, the studio mastery, trickery and oft-accidental discoveries come to the fore, with tissue-damaging frequencies giving extra sound system shaking bottom end.

The B-side continues the band's love of making extended mixes with 'Dancing The Hard Bargain'. Co-produced with Tim Parry (formerly of Blue Zoo), they threw everything at these 12" versions. Able to relax and focus on the sounds they really liked, rather than the ones thought more commercial, this can be clearly heard on this compelling, percussive mix, a stop-start breakdown becoming a band hallmark.
To close this collection is the mammoth 'Bullet'. Again sung by Whelan, an edited version of which debuted on the 1986 Survival compilation of Furniture tracks called 'The Lovemongers', here this previously unreleased original take is centred on a mesmeric tape loop, live drums and a guest appearance by violinist Helena Bjorelius.

* 180 gram audiophile vinyl
* Gatefold sleeve
* Printed innersleeves
* Remastered

If 1984 was the most 'eighties' year of that decade, then Frankie Goes to Hollywood (FGTH or Frankie) were the most 'eighties' of bands. The year and band collided dramatically, resulting in an explosion of 12inch vinyl, remixes, cassette singles and 15 weeks at number one in the UK chart. Resistance was futile - they would get you in the end. No teenager was without a Frankie 12inch come December 1984 and it's hard to convey the fun, danger and excitement of FGTH in the cold light of 2017. Holly Johnson and Paul Rutherford with Peter Gill, Mark O'Toole and Brian Nash ( The Lads') created something visceral, real and far removed from the sanitised pop that dominates the charts today. 'Relax' and 'Two Tribes' have secured their place in pop history. Instantly recognisable, and instantly capable of transporting any listener a few years either side of forty back to the heady days of 1984, Top of the Pops and Our Price record shops.
Their debut full length album 'Welcome to the Pleasuredome' was released in late October 1984, just over a whole year since the original release of Relax. This in part can be put down to the extraordinary lifespan of both Relax and Two Tribes in the UK charts, and record label ZTT's decision to release multiple formats and remixes of each single. Originally released as a double vinyl LP, on cassette and CD, the album hit number one in the album charts. It did of course contain all the big hits, as well as some well-known cover songs such as 'Born to Run' and' Do You Know the Way to San Jose' Many of the single B-sides were also on the album (albeit in remixed form). These include 'War' (Two Tribes 12), 'Ferry Cross The Mersey' (Relax 12) and 'The World is My Oyster', the B-side to 'The Power of Love' which was released only a week after the album came out. There was the addition of short instrumental/oddities (e.g. 'Snatch of Fury (Stay)') and other single worthy tracks like 'Black Night White Light'. Welcome to the Pleasuredome was another Frankie event. It was lavishly packaged, contained all the records people wanted to hear and in 'The Power of Love' and 'Welcome to the Pleasuredome', two more enormous future hits. Its legacy is undeniable.

Now, a very special Art Of The Album deluxe edition of that incredible album will be released on 27th October 2017. Featuring new sleevenotes within both the CD & 180g double LP formats recalling the story of the band's conception and the album's creation. Comprehensively researched and written by renowned music journalist Paul Flynn, these new sleevenotes cover in-depth the story of the album & the period in which it was written & recorded, the key players in its creation, the craft and instrumentation, the impact upon release and its legacy some 34 years later.

Girl is the second album from the North London band Girl Ray, released on 8th November 2019 via Moshi Moshi. Recorded at Electric Beach Studios in Margate with Ash Workman (Christine and the Queens, Metronomy), the album is a delightful, sun-kissed tribute to their love of pop and R&B.

The three-piece, comprising Poppy Hankin, Iris McConnell and Sophie Moss, today share a taster of the new record with “Show Me More”. According to the band, the song is about “crushing really hard but having to play the long game and wait it out because your boo is playing savage games. It’s your classic pop banger. Steamy dance floor. Drinks on me.” The accompanying video was directed by Crusoe Weston and features the band cycling around the city at dusk.

It was Ariana Grande’s explosion into pop culture that kickstarted a new era for Girl Ray, as well as the realisation that their most-listened-to Spotify playlists contained pure pop music. When Poppy began experimenting with writing songs on a computer using keyboards, a collection of shimmering, foot-tapping, sparkling pop bangers poured out. With this new set of songs, Girl Ray have been brave enough to completely change their sound rather than play it safe, yet still remain unmistakably themselves - it’s Girl Ray, but with added synths.

Previously released on CD accompanied by “Gone, Gone Beyond”, “The Mirror” is the
dreamy soundtrack of an a/v project from collage artist extraordinaire Vicki Bennett aka
People Like Us.

With ‘’The Mirror’’ Bennett continues her eternal disassembling of popular music by
exploring how the narrative of familiar sounds/songs can change dramatically under a
new context, with that context always changing, in a never-ending flow.

Each song is singular. And each song is a collage of and undefined number of other
songs from other artists. It sounds familiar because that has been the modus operandi of
People Like Us since the early 1990s. But “The Mirror” plays with the notion of familiar,
driving around a collection of famous pop songs/artists, messing around with the memory
of the listener and, of course, his unique comprehension of those specific songs applied
in a new context.

Because of the use of familiar pop sounds, “The Mirror” is often grandiose. Like an epic
film only with highs, never letting the listener down or letting him doubt the power of pop.
Even, of course, when the coordinates are twisted, mixed, over or underrepresented.
Each moment feels like something that could only happen in a parallel universe.

Although that may sound naïve, it’s just a lost thought of reaction to the beautiful collages
of People Like Us in “The Mirror”. This mirror doesn’t reflect an image of ourselves or an
image of pop. But an image on the way memories drift and are being constant rebuilt. An
unfinished collage.

Mastered by Mark Gergis
Vinyl Cut by Rashad Becker

There's a story behind all the releases I've put out in recent years.
I usually try not to bore people with the details, but this one is about my own mental health crisis back in the mid noughties.
The upshot was, I ended up trying to do the ultimate unthinkable. Luckily, I failed in my attempt, and ended up seeing a psychologist for a number of sessions.

Music has always been around for me, when I'm high or when things aren't so good, and I wrote these tracks roundabout that period.
I see them as a reflection of my experiences of the journey through clinical therapy. And in addition, the act of writing them was probably my own therapy for myself, letting things out in the form of music, though I most likely didn't see it at the time.

The tracks chart my progress from initial complete alienation at the start of therapy, through to the light at the end of the tunnel at the end of the session programme.
The original track was written and completed in 2004, and the other versions would have been started roughly at the same time, with additional production to complete them taking place this year (2019).
To my ears, they're as ever my own take on Techno - Detroit's in the mix, but also Sheffield, and of course current hometown Manchester. The Soundcloud algorithm heard disco, but also synthpop, electronic rock and chiptune.
So we can probably agree on influences such as Cabaret Voltaire, UR and Robert Gordon.

100 COPIES IN VINTAGE BATIK SLEEVE WITH NUMBERED INFO INSERT...

We at Antinote are proud to make our first French-Russian connection. Olga is from Moscow. She came to us after Dominique Dumont's show in Paris, winter 2018. We checked her music and immediately fell in love with the song 'Mojno'. Step by step we built a nice collection of tracks that now make up the 1905 LP! Very active in the electronic music scene, she’s spent the last ten years releasing music, performing, recording & DJing as well as being busy with her tech-project Playtronica (with them she's created 3 controllers that you allow to play scales on people, objects and colors). Across the "1905" LP she utilises some DIY devices such as Yamaha sampler vss-33, voice glitcher from the Russian company “Naked Boards” and organelle synth that creates this synesthetic tone in “ready when you are”. Besides dreamy pads and dancy beats Olga is ironically singing on Russian about her daily routine, in a positive way. There's no sadness and melancholy in the dark snowy days, where even the full moon or retrograde-mercury don’t even bother you ...if you are in harmony with mother nature's 5 elements.

Profit Prison is the solo work of Seattle-based Parker Lautenschlager, previously in the hardcore band Marrow, power electronics act Anteinferno, and black metal cult Bhereg. Conceived in 2016, Profit Prison explores lyrical themes of isolation, estrangement, deprivation and paranoia against an aural backdrop of synthpop, post-punk and abstract industrial music. Inspired by Franz Kafka as much as Kraftwerk, Profit Prison achieves a cold minimalism that speaks to the nightmarish dystopia in which it was created. The debut Myra was released on cassette by Dominick Fernow's Hospital Productions in 2017.

On March 29 Avant! will release the 12' vinyl debut Six Strange Passions. Six tracks where Hi-NRG disco beats and 70's throbbing synths melt with trembling, reverberated vocals and dark dungeon synth passages.

Limited edition of 300.

Artwork by Italian Noise legend Matteo Castro (Lettera 22, Kam Hassah, Second Sleep label)

Trentemøller returns with his fifth studio album 'Obverse' in September 2019! Anders Trentemøller is a well-known multi-instrumentalist, but perhaps the one he’s most adept at is the studio itself. 'Obverse' is the result of him expanding that skill even further. 'Obverse' often feels like an instrumental album because it started life as one, the driving philosophy being “what if the pressure of having to perform these songs live is removed entirely?” Granting yourself the freedom to chase down every idea a studio offers comes with privileges. What happens when you reverse a synth part mid-verse? Why not send an entire track through a faulty distortion pedal? Inspiration reveals itself in a variety of forms and, before long, a simple chord progression contorts into something entirely new. It’s a work method that yielded great results for the legendary German Kosmiche/Motorik experimentalists of the 1970’s. Intentional or not, 'Obverse' embodies more than a little of that spirit without even a hint of pastiche.

So it only makes sense that 'Obverse' would stray from its original roadmap. In due time, half of the nascent compositions featured singers, including Lina Tullgren, Lisbet Fritze, and jennylee, of Warpaint, another band deeply influenced by dream pop. While 'Obverse' was born from a different work ethic than previous efforts, it also continues an arc that started in 2006. Each successive effort has represented a logical next step beyond the album before, and 'Obverse' absolutely picks up where Fixion left off.

For the past decade Trentemøller has been perfecting this form of sonic chiaroscuro to conjure up images of severe landscapes, and to mirror the Scandinavian climate, where half the year the sun barely sets, and the other it barely tops the horizon. While there has been a film noir element in his previous work, 'Obverse' is the first time each song has felt like a collection of pocket soundtracks.

By fusing together a love of dream pop, dark synth-based music, film scores, and a deep connection with the stark Nordic panoramas, Anders has created an inimitable language. Ultimately 'Obverse' resides in a genre all its own.

DESCRIPTION
Absolute madness unearthed by Paul Ebhart and Florian Stöffelbauer aka Heap for Wiener Brut's third release
Chicago-meets-Vienna-vibes - music way ahead of it's time produced in the 80s by short-lived formation Aktionskunst Gerasdorf aka Athletico Kunst Gerasdorf, a project that is well known for it's contribution to the legendary Viennese sampler ‚Die Tödliche Dosis'.

808-driven beats programmed by René Radikal (R.I.P.) backing Melanie Delval's tender voice, with multiple guest musicians (e.g. Fritz Grohs) rounding things up and adding their spice to the laidback jams alongside stand-out musical heavy hitters. A composition of sound you never heard before.

"Second 12" in a series of forgotten FM radio hits for a parallel universe or some other dumb text to promote this amazing Belgian "synth-pop" 12". This one contains the sleazy grim "Venetian Blinds" from '84 and the underwater weirdness from "Mais Qu'est-ce Que Tu Fumes" from '90"