Eleven Pond – Bas Relief LP [DE-001R]

Dark Entries celebrates its 15th anniversary by returning to where it all started, the initial darkest entry: Eleven Pond’s masterpiece ‘Bas Relief’, an ultra-obscure album from 1986 that would become a definitive dark pop holy grail. Eleven Pond was James Tabbi (vocals, acoustic guitar), Jeff Gallea (drum machine, synthesizer, vocals), Jack Schaeffer (guitar) and Dan Brumley (synthesizer, samples, vocoder, melodica). They met in Rochester, NY, while attending art school, brought together by their shared love of 4AD and Factory Records. Taking cues from acts like Joy Division, Fad Gadget, and For Against, Eleven Pond’s infectious basslines, churning guitar riffs, and atmospheric synths will charm all fans of moody music. But what really makes Bas Relief shine is the timeless songwriting on classics like “Tear and Cinnamon”, “Portugal”, and the anthemic “Watching Trees.” With only 500 copies in it’s initial release, ‘Bas Relief’ resurfaces with a fresh remaster that corrects a pitch shift from previous reissues. ‘Bas Relief’ is a true lost relic of the cold 80’s and an essential piece Dark Entries history.

listen

Eleven Pond – Bas Relief LP [DE-001R]

Cetu Javu – Southern Lands LP [MEC087]

Javier Revilla and Chris Demere, both from Hanover and inspired by electronic music of Kraftwerk and Jean-Michel Jarre, started to experiment with sounds since the late 70’s. The arrival of New Wave with bands like Heaven 17, The Human League, Soft Cell and Depeche Mode influenced these teenagers to began Cetu Javu in 1984 with Javier on vocals, Chris on synths, guitar, programming, Torsten Engelke on keyboards and Stefen Engelke on bass. Like their compatriots Camouflage, Cetu Javu were unapologetically Depeche Mode-like in their sound, but with a fairly original twist on their synth pop formula. The band signed a contract with Records and released their debut album “Southern Lands” in 1990. “Southern Lands” is re-released including all original songs plus some extended versions, remixes and bonus tracks from the accompanying singles “Situations”, “Have in Mind” and “So Strange”.

listen

Cetu Javu – Southern Lands LP [MEC087]

Plant43 – The Unfading Spark [QD20]

Next up in the quiet details series is the producer and live performer of everything from the deepest ambience to true dance-floor electro, Emile Facey, otherwise known as Plant43. ‘The Unfading Spark’ shows this immense and honest experience realised to stunning effect. An instant post-club classic, his innate melodic and textural understanding mixes perfectly with a sense of build and release, the album moving through its own indelible world of space-time to completely immerse the listener in its expanding beauty.

Plant43 – The Unfading Spark [QD20]

Caroline K – Now Wait For Last Year LP [MNQ159LP]

Mannequin Records present the official reissue of Caroline K’s outstanding 1987 album, “Now Wait For Last Year.” This haunting, wistful work of post-industrial synthesizer music sees the late Nocturnal Emissions co-founder only solo record. The music on “Now Wait For Last Year” seems to exist firmly outside of it. Tags like industrial, minimal synth or proto-techno can’t really do justice to the richly cinematic sound-world that Caroline K describes: from the sustained ambient tension of sidelong opener “The Happening World” to the future-primitive rhythms and stately piano flourishes “Animal Lattice”, and the melancholic, deep-frozen synth sequences of “Cheart”.”

listen

Caroline K – Now Wait For Last Year LP [MNQ159LP]

Plague Pits – Bukolik [TNP06]

Plague Pits is a Swiss synth collective from Bern Inspired by the D.I.Y. electronic tape underground of yore, they play disco dirges for the Anthropocene – cold wave for a heating planet. ‘Bukolik’ is their new cassette release on Transnecropolitan.

Plague Pits – Bukolik [TNP06]

Candido – Mechanical Dances Part I LP [MEGA07]

The inaugural chapter of a two-part epic. Get ready for an eclectic and unique modern twist fusion of proto- EBM, New Beat, Electro, Rave Breaks and early UK house, weaving together a tapestry of diverse influences. Experience the raw energy pulsating through potent basslines, driving each track forward with unstoppable force. Meanwhile, deep and thought-provoking lyrical voice samples captivate the mind, inviting listeners to ponder existential questions and explore the depths of consciousness and creating innovative soundscapes leaving an indelible mark on the listener’s psyche.

listen

Candido – Mechanical Dances Part I LP [MEGA07]

Vicious Pink – Unexpected [MW082]

Minimal Wave presents a long-awaited LP showcasing previously unreleased gems from the influential UK duo, Vicious Pink. Originating from a serendipitous encounter in a smoky Leeds nightclub back in 1979, Josephine Warden and Brian Moss embarked on a musical journey that would redefine the synth-pop landscape. Initially known as Vicious Pink Phenomena, they made their mark by providing distinctively off-kilter backing vocals for their friends in Soft Cell a collaboration that unfolded organically and without rehearsal. Transitioning to the simplified moniker Vicious Pink, the duo continued to captivate audiences with their avant-garde sound, releasing a string of singles that defied conventional expectations and climbed the UK dance charts between 1982 and 1986. Despite their modest intentions, their music proved to be both artful and provocative, leaving an enduring legacy in the annals of electronic music history. ‘Unexpected’ offers listeners a glimpse into the duo’s creative process, compiling pop experiments recorded spontaneously, some in collaboration with Dave Ball.

listen

Vicious Pink – Unexpected [MW082]

Reggie Dokes – The Vault Vol. 1 LP [CONTRA009]

“The Vault Vol. 1” is an auditory voyage through the heart of Detroit’s finest dusty crates, a compilation of beats and melodies meticulously crafted by esteemed producer Reggie Dokes. Dokes unveils a treasure trove of his finest deep house creations, never before released on vinyl. Delve into the hypnotic rhythms, lush harmonies, and pulsating basslines that define Dokes’ signature sound, as he seamlessly blends elements of house and soul to create an immersive sonic experience.

listen

Reggie Dokes – The Vault Vol. 1 LP [CONTRA009]

Steve Moore – Eye of Horus [LIES209]

Synth wizard, soundtrack composer, and Zombi member, Steve Moore expands further on his stark and drama filled cosmic sound with a new six track lp. These tracks call to mind to his early-L.I.E.S. releases, where Moore focused on cold arppegations and basic beat constructions to fuel his epic productions which center around pristine soaring synthscapes. A master of the genre, Moore gives us an equal mix of explosive, creepy home at the end of a dark street floor fodder as well as slower tempo cosmic headcrushers, all capable of getting your head or niteclub in a frenzy. 

listen

Steve Moore – Eye of Horus [LIES209]

Ortrotasce – Dispatches From Solitude LP [DE324]

Ortrotasce comes to Dark Entries with Dispatches from Solitude, their latest LP. For over a decade, Nic Hamersly has been using the Ortotrasce (pronounced: or-tro-task) moniker to unleash brooding-yet-propulsive darkwave anthems upon the world. Hamersly’s work explores the intersection between industrial and synth pop, drawing a line from the sounds of the past to the present. Recorded during the Covid and post-Covid era, Dispatches from Solitude brings 8 tracks of tightly wrought synth-pop exploring grief, romance, and our strange world – which just keeps getting stranger.

listen

Ortrotasce – Dispatches From Solitude LP [DE324]

Gavelman – Fata Morgana [DC025]

Glasgow’s Gavelman, head honcho at Lifeforms, hits Dead Channel with this raw blasted, blown-out acid electro future classic. Hot and hammered, this lo-fi seven track monster pulls no punches. Rumbling 808 kicks, dense decimating rhythms, and stretched out 303 insanity fuse for a head-spinning masterwork in mutant electronics.

Gavelman – Fata Morgana [DC025]

Dopplereffekt – Gesamtkunstwerk LP [C#CC005LP]

Originally released as three stunning 12inches on Dataphysix records in the mid ‘90s, the LP edition of ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ on Clone Classic Cuts is available again after being out of print for years – with new artwork for 2024. Including iconic tracks like ‘Scientist’, ‘Pornoactress’, ‘Sterilization’, ‘Rocket Scientist’, ‘Cellular Phone’ and ‘Speak & Spell’. ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ is almost as important for the techno generation as Kraftwerk’s ‘Computerworld’ and ‘Autobahn’ were for many in the ‘70s.

listen

Dopplereffekt – Gesamtkunstwerk LP [C#CC005LP]

Jäger 90 – R​ü​ckspulen [OR123]

Jäger 90, from Germany, stands as one of the last genuine bastions of body music, akin to DAF or Liaisons Dangereuses. Their album “Rückspulen” provides an hypnotic sonic experience characterized by simple yet powerful instrumentals, where acoustic drums intertwine with deep square wave monophonic basslines to create an immersive and intense atmosphere.

listen

Jäger 90 – R​ü​ckspulen [OR123]

Jeff Mills – The Trip LP [AX119]

Jeff Mills presents his new album ”The Trip”, The World’s First Cosmic Opera. What happens on the cosmic journey toward the black hole? What is on the other side of the black hole? Jeff Mills is set to explore these questions through a performance and an album release, that appeals to the auditory and visual senses. This double LP is cut in reverse, playing inside out.

listen

Jeff Mills – The Trip LP [AX119]

Oliver Decrow – I’m Too Young To Die [CT175]

This long awaited debut album offers a cross-section of songs, previously performed live multiple times, where Oliver Decrow provides insights into his life and emotions, attempting to process experiences. Themes such as the suicide of a friend, self-doubt, grief, courage, love, fear, hope, the subconscious, letting go, escaping, and numerous emotional highs and lows are explored in his album.

Oliver Decrow – I’m Too Young To Die [CT175]

Legowelt – Like A Song From Your Dream [LIES206]

Legowelt returns to L.I.E.S. Records with a new album full of ultra-RAW hypnagogic lo-fi electrofunk. Classic, murky, cold as ice Hague-style slammers from the king of Smack. These eight tracks go back to the essence of the Legowelt sound, cutting through the noise of modern dance music charlatans, taking them to school with his undeniable signature stamped all over this release. A dancefloor classic in the making.

listen

Legowelt – Like A Song From Your Dream [LIES206]

Daniele Ciullini – The Double Face of the Zero [TIF008]

‘The Double Face of the Zero’ revolves around the progressive crumbling of the human condition, trapped in a Babel of toxic languages, hypnotised by seductive as much as false myths. The traversed architectures are empty or abandoned; inside, only faint echoes of mechanical rhythms reminiscent/incubus of models destined for passive consumption and the reproduction of consensus. Babbling, bare syllables are all that remains of a one-way communication. The new alphabets of communication systems do not need expressive space but consensus time. This journey is closed, however, by a text that is, in its own way, full of hope and that, like a compass, indicates a possible escape route from this mortal spiral of spectacular-media-political consensus. The sound sources from which the work originates are multiple. All electronically processed so as not to show their origin, in order to place themselves in an “other” space. All this not out of sonic sadism but out of a desire to elaborate a sound palette that is as personal as possible. A palette of sounds that tries to place itself outside the fences and categories that delimit even the area of research music, which instead, by definition, should be as model-free as possible.

Daniele Ciullini – The Double Face of the Zero [TIF008]