Marguerite Records welcomes Northern Europe’s machine funk masters, Harlem Electronics, as the 17th label output. ‘Cagey’ is a punchy cocktail of sly bass hooks, raw machine grooves, and found sounds, all tied together by vocals that shape-shift from staccato statements to haunted murmurs and back again. Featuring six tracks including a remix by Colombian producer Filmmaker.
For the sixteenth output, Marguerite Records presents a new compilation. The A side marks the eclectic label shadow: ‘Condizione Umana’ by Italian Massacres, the duo composed by Violet Poison and Davide Pestillo, opens the release with an enigmatic VHS-tinged composition, sci-fi b-movie soundtracks inspired. A2 ’Zezuru’, a giant cinematic drone wrapped in distorted percussion by LIES affiliated German Army followed up by ‘Drone Thugs & Harmonies’, a slow tempo psychedelic-dub from Dutch’s Galactic Funk owner Bertram. Closing up the first side is ‘Solar’, an authentic electro full speed track by the Croatian musician and sound engineer Zarkoff. ‘Lies in Disguise’ has an obscure synth bass sequence and textured vocals by KRI affiliated the duo Black Dot and opens up the second side, followed up by ‘Cage’, produced by the Italian New-Beat master Unconscious. After that, Florence’s Synth-Punk band Zona Utopica Garantita maintains the old-school vein with ‘Lifetime Shock’. The release is closed by the firework-ish beats of ‘Tory Gloryhole’ by Autumns.
As we always do at the end of a year, we take the chance to thank you, our readers, for your continuous support and we also have a look at what you enjoyed the most on hipodrome. This is a summary of the top 3 albums, compilations and recordings that you liked the most this year.
Continue reading “2023 Top 3 – Readers List”
Marguerite Records announced Meccanismo Ritmico, a new multidisciplinary project that will involve artists who can think outside the box, inspired by the energy and spirit of the 1980s DIY subculture. The first volume contains 6 exclusive tracks by Diana Berti aka Violet Poison and Disappearer, 1/2 of Harlem Electronics, two already well-known names in the international electronic scene. The first part is dominated by the romantic and introspective minimal synth wave sounds of Diana Berti contrasted by the dirty and distorted EBM influenced tracks of Disappearer.
“Our thoughts are with the victims of the ongoing war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza: we are witnessing a gross violation of human rights and since the beginning of the conflict, we have often felt helpless in the face of all this barbarism and inhumanity. We have therefore decided to donate the proceeds from the sales of the compilation to PCRF – Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.”
Marguerite Records announces its first release of 2023, MRG014 a New Wave, EBM and Electronic compilation composed of six tracks. Side one features artists who already appeared in Marguerite discography. A1 opens up with ‘Noi Non Ci Saremo’ a bruise of nostalgic, new-romantic and dreamy 80s vibes from Diana Berti, followed up by Black Dot’s ‘Recurrent Disorder’ with occult spoken-word intonation of Le Chocolat Noir reminding of John Balance, over acid bassline, electro beat and syncopated noises by Christian Kroupa. ‘Unknown Faces’ close up the A side – an EBM track with a killer raw beat and distorted bass ready for sweaty dancefloors from the label heads duo Bianco Negativo. Flip side is unwrapped by one of the synth pioneer and UK based artist Timothy J Fairplay with ‘Love Boat For Four’ that drags you straight into a sci-fi movie fiction with the 8 bit electronic synths. B2 is Highest Bidder from Harlem Electronics, a seductive minimal rhythm with a dark undertone. The journey ends with ‘Svart Magi’ an hardware industrial jam by the Swedish producer Celldöd.
“The One With the Eyes” by R. Gamble is Marguerite Records’ 13th release. The tracks were all written between the summer and fall of 2020. The pandemic was in its bewildering initial phase when daily life had come apart from its familiar rhythms. The tracks describe this disruption and the return to a musical primordial state by limiting the field of vision to locate the essential. In fact, the artist limited himself with one synthesizer, one drum machine, and a sequencer and the instinct guided him shaping these little vignettes. Now nearly two years later they’re being released into a world that has in many ways resumed its regulated flow. We hope people can still catch a glimpse of that other world outside of time, the vague fear crystallized, the shadows made by afternoon sunbeams gliding like continents across the floor. Marguerite Records owners the duo Bianco Negativo were strongly impressed by the last album track ‘Precious Arc’ and decided to make a remix in a dark cinematic key.
After first appearing on MRG010, Czech artist Exhausted Modern is back on Marguerite Records with a solo EP called “Deform | Reform”. A side opens up with the dreamy electro-ish “Giving form to chaos”, followed by the high tension ambient-techno cut “The self unselving”; A3 is a trippy oddball slow-tempo jams called “Old disguises”. B side unwraps with “De creatura” and “Riddles of creation”, respectively on B1 and B2: the Endless Illusion boss crafted two ambient cuts characterized by haunting soundscapes, weird voices cut ups and deep basslines. The title track ”Deform _ Reform” closes the EP in a Sabres of Paradise-esque manner with a communion of dub and industrial rhythmics and patterns.
‘Shadowland’ is Marguerite Records’ 11th release, kindly provided by Francesco Baudazzi, the mastermind behind Diana Berti and Violet Poison and other countless wonderful musical aliases. Slowly emerging from the Ligurian Sea waters, A side comes from the mysterious Diana Berti; the opening track is a minimal synth with industrial attitude jam called ‘I wanna spend the night with you’, followed up by the melancholic italo-wave affair ‘Lonely soul’ on A2. Closing the first side is the retro cinematic high-tension roller ‘Mistral’. On the flip side Francesco summons his Violet Poison alias with 2 dancefloor ready tracks: B1 – the title track, ‘Shadowland’, – a mutant jam that you will absolutely love if you dig the Smersh, and the atmospheric new-beatish cut ‘The Mistake’. Closing up the EP is the clumsy wave ‘There will be always hope’, a heartful positive hymn for the new-romantics, inspired by Italian new wave bands from the 80’s such as Victrola and 2+2=5.
Marguerite Records announced its first release scheduled for 2021: ‘MRG010’, a Various Artist compilation celebrating the label’s tenth output. A side opens up with ‘My unknown friend’ by the charming Diana Berti, a blue starry-eyed minimal synth jam, followed up by Mayo’s slo-mo acid affair ‘SloMos’. A3 is ‘Miss your stupid face’, a crunchy, metallic downbeat cut by SYNTETYK boss Dzuma, and what a better way to follow such delight than a snake charming rollercoaster by Exhausted Modern? Closing up the first side is ‘Same shit fail (shame)’, a mesmerizing slow tempo deep track by Lyon’s Big Science head honcho Warzou. Flip side is unwrapped by ‘Weaklink’ a Lliasons Dangerousesque floorfiller from Lost Soul Enterprises boss R Gamble, while ‘Alpha’ on B2 marks the return of Bianco Negativo on their label with a dreamy minimal synth // ambient techno hybrid. Sitting on B3 is the high tension cinematic EBM roller ‘Duty-bound majority’ by Colombian artist Filmmaker; B4 switches the vibe and turns full speed with a mutant electro excursion by LIES affiliated Chupacabras. Madmoizel’s ‘Culture 19’, a powerful yet playful raw post punk gem, brings the compilation to its final chapter.
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