Dissemblance – Centauresse LP [LIES195]

After her debut on Mannequin in 2019, Dissemblance now arrives on L.I.E.S. with her second full length of somber, cold wave and emotional bedroom pop infused songs. This time around we hear the Parisian artist add a new arsenal of instrumentation to her repertoire, incorporating live drumming and a wide array of synthetic instrumentation on top of her drum computers providing a backdrop to showcase her stark vocal performances throughout the album. Meticulously constructed, this record displays the full range of Dissemblance’s musical dynamics as she pulls the listener into her universe where dreams and reality tread a thin line, one blurring into the next with no beginning nor end. She expertly brings together a diverse group of styles and sounds from different areas of the electronic spectrum making them her own. An extremely unique and strong display of modern minimal synth pop that pulls equally from the past whilst propelling towards the future.

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Dissemblance – Centauresse LP [LIES195]

ADN’ Ckrystall – Frankraut [MMS606]

French electronic pionner, ADN’ Ckrystall, became a legend in the Minimal-Synth scene when his first album “Jazz’Mad” (from 1982) was rediscovered and re-edited via the two biggest labels in the genre : Minimal Wave (circa 2005) and Dark Entries (circa 2012). Following this new interest, a bunch of unreleased materials reappeared and went out mostly directly through Erick (ADN)’s control, under compilations, coffrets (V.O.D.) or albums that never had the chance to come out before… But one piece was still missing, the album just following “Jazz’Mad” called “Frankraut” and here comes the story… During the covid year of 2021, Erick finally found the tapes forgotten somewhere at his parents house since 1984. After relistening to it he decided to bring them back to life. “Frankraut” was a project born from the reflexion about the concept of marrying (and not the opposite) the romantico-poetico side : naive melodies flirting with research and experimentations in the electronic music “à la française” like illustration, “bilbliothèque sonore” (library) or music for film… and the cold, mechanic, motorik, hypnotic, psychedelic free explosive and creative side of the Krautrock.

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ADN’ Ckrystall – Frankraut [MMS606]

Plague Pits – Punishment & Extinction [YCR-161]

Plague Pits is a collective from Bern and Zurich, Switzerland. Inspired by the D.I.Y. electronic tape underground of yore, they play disco dirges for the Anthropocene – cold wave for a heating planet. “Punishment & Extinction” compiles some of the stand-out tracks from an array of self-released, cassette-only EPs Plague Pits have put out since late 2021. 

Plague Pits – Punishment & Extinction [YCR-161]

Schulverweis – Mehr b​/​w No Future [FLR03]

The third release on the Ferry Lane label comes from Schulverweis, the German duo formed by Levente Pavelka and Johannes Haas (L.F.T.), presenting a new record revisiting the idiosyncratic Neue Deutsche Welle sounds. On the A-side, Mehr merges electro with wave while on the flip we have the snazzy garage punk of No Future.

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Schulverweis – Mehr b​/​w No Future [FLR03]

Dog Balls – Tell It To My Dog EP [CLEAR009]

Strange Submissions from an extraterrestrial breed. Half Dog, Half Human, Half Racketeer. Hayter and Milium, the ones to first witness these outlandish sounds, present Dog Balls – Tell It To My Dog. A 6-track EP made by and for the shapeshifter in each of us. Dark and bittersweet hymns of loved ones long lost, robotic odes to fetching and synth-laden dialectics on shoplifting. A once in a lifetime offer. Be quick for their ship will come.

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Dog Balls – Tell It To My Dog EP [CLEAR009]

Martin Dupont – Kintsugi LP [SEA013LP]

In collaboration with Meidosem and Infrastition, Minimal Wave presents Kintsugi, a new album by the highly lauded French group Martin Dupont. The album features lush re-works of their old songs, originally released on their highly sought-after 1980s albums. The French band is known for making beautiful, heady electronic, with striking, poetic vocals. A hard-to-classify group from Marseille with a cult following and some mainstream success, Martin Dupont has inspired some of the luminaries of the contemporary music scene crossing many genres from trip-hop to electro to techno. Kintsugi reassembles their old spirit that is colorful, enthusiastic, and delicate, yet also melancholy and mysterious. A mixture of hot and cold, light and dark. Martin Dupont’s music is considered electronic though they also incorporate guitars and clarinets. They are described by many as New Wave, though their music truly transcends genres.

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Martin Dupont – Kintsugi LP [SEA013LP]

Deux – Let’s Go ! [MW080]

Minimal Wave presents a 4-song EP by the iconic French synth duo, Deux, entitled Let’s Go !. Gérard Pelletier and Cati Tête formed Deux shortly after meeting in Lyon in 1981. They became known for their stripped-down synth pop compositions and suitably cold duets, through their archival Minimal Wave releases Decadence (2010) and Golden Dreams EP (2012). In the late 1980s and early 1990s, they began to branch out and make more dancefloor-oriented music. The Let’s Go ! EP features three remastered mixes of their underground classic Let’s Go ! and an unreleased version of Everybody’s Night (Dirty Mix).

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Deux – Let’s Go ! [MW080]

De Fabriek – Music For Hippies [PLA043]

Platform 23 again explores to the dense voids, this time with a touch of the funk, with a reissue of Dutch experimentalists De Fabriek and two tracks from their “Music For” cassette series, this time calling all Hippies. Featuring both original and reinterpretations from modern-day heads, Dunkeltier and Khidja, this double-pack is something of an oddity, showcasing the bands’ expansive range, moving away from the noise, drone and industrial soundscape releases they had become known for and crafting here, free flowing, groovy longform jams.

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De Fabriek – Music For Hippies [PLA043]

The Actor – Exploded View + Demos 1981-1984 [MNQ156]

Mannequin presents an expanded double-LP of ‘Exploded View’ from minimal synth Dutch pioneers The Actor. Originally released in 1982 by Trumpett Tapes, the album was repressed for the first time by Mannequin Records in 2014, and now is coming back to life again in 2022, enriched by an extra full-lenght of demos from a 1981-1984 period. Singing both in English and German, The Actor songs are often related to modernism, fashion and dancing, like a sort of early incarnation of Depeche Mode but totally devoted to home taping and diy recordings.

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The Actor – Exploded View + Demos 1981-1984 [MNQ156]

Bourbonese Qualk – Bourbonese Qualk LP [MNQ115]

The self named LP marked the fifth album and end of the first incarnation of Bourbonese Qualk. Julian Gilbert left the group after ‘The Spike'(1986) to concentrate on writing and theatre, leaving Steven Tanza and Simon Crab who parted ways after touring in Europe in early 1986 and recording this album. Steven Tanza went on to found the group ‘The State’ and while Crab continued as Bourbonese Qualk (with the new line-up of Miles Miles,Crab and Owen If), dissolved the Recloose Organisation label and founded ‘New International’ as the outlet for future Bourbonese Qualk and Recloose Org releases.

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Bourbonese Qualk – Bourbonese Qualk LP [MNQ115]

More Ephemerol – Fertile Energy [OR107]

More Ephemerol L is C. Fjerstad & Tamara Sky. Mixed and produced by Matia Simovich at Infinite Power Studios (Los Angeles) except “Ex-Raver” mixed by Eric Ulvog. Mastered by Josh Bonati except “Ex-Raver” mastered by Michael Keene. Re-mastered for vinyl by Daniel Hallhuber at Young and Cold Studios.

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More Ephemerol – Fertile Energy [OR107]

skitungen – La​̈​ngre a​̈​n La​̊​ngta​̊​n [RUBBER010]

Rubber welcomes Swedish artist Towa Isling (towLie) under her skitungen alias. While some of you might be familiar with distorted drums and seething synth lines from the kafTen records founder, her skitungen project emits a more brazen energy. “La​̈​ngre a​̈​n La​̊​ngta​̊​n” embodies Towa’s raw and DIY approach, but takes an unexpected turn towards the odd and dreamy. This results in a beautiful assembly combining Towa’s ethereal voice with satisfying weirdo beat music.

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skitungen – La​̈​ngre a​̈​n La​̊​ngta​̊​n [RUBBER010]