Rawmance – E.S.T. 096
minimal synth
La Nuit Je Mens – Teatro Del Metapresente LP [RASLP002]
‘Teatro Del Metapresente’ is the debut album by La Nuit Je Mens, a duo hailing from the Parisian suburbs and southern Italy. Now based in Rome, the two artists (Asymetrical & Rawmance) have crafted a striking sound that merges their DIY ethos with raw, unfiltered energy. Driven by synthetic, minimalist rhythms created on a fleet of analog machines, the seven tracks pay homage to the sound of the ’80s – yet entirely forward-looking and embracing the dancefloor modernity. Blending genres such as EBM, synth-pop and minimal-cold-wave, paired with French vocals, the album delves into themes of underground activities, the slow decay of the club scene and the depths of emotional yearning.
VA – Deep Entries : Gay Electronic Excursions 1979-1985 [DE320]
Dark Entries has raided the bathhouse to bring us Deep Entries: Gay Electronic Excursions 1979-1985, 10 tracks of obscure queer synth bliss. One of Dark Entries’ most important missions has been illuminating neglected facets of gay musical history, with crucial archival works by legends like Patrick Cowley, Sylvester, and Man Parrish. On Deep Entries, the label spans 6 years of gay electronics – from sultry to angsty to camp, these songs are overflowing with snappy 808 snares and sinewy analog synth leads. The ’80s were a difficult period for many in the gay community as they grappled with the horrors of the HIV/AIDS crisis. The 10 tracks on Deep Entries, varied in genre and vibe, are united in their portraiture of 1980s gay life, and the hope for love or fleeting romance. Previously unreleased cruising soundtracks come courtesy of Patrick Cowley’s “Love Me Hot” featuring vocalist Paul Parker and Boytronic’s “Tonight (Alternate Mix)” set on Hamburg’s famous “Mile of Sin.” Brisbane-based Megamen deliver the proto-electroclash number “Designed for Living,” which prefigures Madonna’s Marlene Dietrich rap in “Vogue.” Trans vocalist Paula “Ula” Villagrá declares, “Everyone is gay!” on Muzak’s “Happy Song,” a skittering tecnopop anthem. Dereck Higgins’ “This Was Something” rings like a lost Joy Division cut draped in bizarre effects, and Polar Praxis’ “(I Want) To Be Different” is a seething ode to alterity. Nightmoves’ “Nightdrive,” is best known as the brooding instrumental B-side to their epochal “Transdance.” Transistor Jet’s “Master Of The Universe (BW’s f-w)”, Maxx Mann’s “Just Like a Razor” and Bachelor’s Anonymous’ “A Stranger’s Bed” are mood music for the pleasures of BDSM and one-night stands. The record comes housed in a retro bathhouse fantasy sleeve designed by Gwenaël Rattke and includes a double-sided poster with photographs and lyrics. Deep Entries arrives on December 1st in honor of World AIDS day, and proceeds will go to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
Zona Utopica Garantita – Tanz Minimal [MYTRA004]
Fourth release for Mystic Transfers with the alternative group Zona Utopica Garantita ”ZUG” with an EP based on the single ”Tanz Minimal”, an infernal circle dotted with minimal wave shadows and rhythmic rustles that convey into a well-defined space in time. Accompanied by the versions of Gropina, which faithfully reflects the elegance and style, Toulose Low Trax’s dubby version with kraut rock reminiscences and ultimately a hypnotic version native to the dark world of headacheaday. ZUG’s music is a marriage between the machine-gunned punk of CCCP and the Body Music of the teutonic DAF, with his own poetry and experimental attitude.
Nacho Marty Meyer – Half-Forgotten Digital Dreams: Selected Works 2010-2023 [SOSR032]
First compilation album by Argentine synthesizer maniac Nacho Marty Meyer. Since the 80’s, Meyer has been interested in synthesizers and electronic music, and started making demos. The compilation includes the Italo disco track Magical Journey, previously released under the name Xarion, which is now a hard-to-find record.
Das Ding – Selected Archival Recordings 1979-1985 [EE042RTM]
Minimal wave legend Das Ding is back on Electronic Emergencies after 10 years with a stunning selection of archival tracks from retrieved tape recordings. In the early eighties, Danny Bosten got together with his friends after school in his bedroom studio, somewhere in the bleak Dutch countryside. They experimented with cheap analogue gear and made music to kill time. The sound is raunchy and slightly experimental, but already unmistakable Das Ding. New wave, early EBM and proto techno are found this album, pressed on clear vinyl. To preserve the original atmosphere and sound, the tapes received the Ruud Lekx treatment.
The Ghostwriters – Objects In Mirrors Are Closer Than They Appear [DE297]
Dark Entries calls on Philadelphia experimental duo The Ghostwriters to resurrect their 1981 LP of minimalist mayhem, ‘Objects In Mirrors Are Closer Than They Appear’. The late Buchla maestro Charles Cohen and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Cain joined up in 1971 to craft electroacoustic chaos as Anomali, later renaming themselves The Ghostwriters. Their collaborations with choreographers and visual media artists led to their singular style, straddling improvisation and composition, the oneiric and the immediate. 1981 saw the release of their debut album, ‘Objects In Mirrors Are Closer Than They Appear’, a whirling, messy, telepathic slipstream cascading across an imaginary landscape. Recorded in Don Buchla’s childhood home, Objects offers 8 cuts of minimalist electronic bliss, equal parts icy and quirky, with standout cuts including the grooving havoc of “Fix it in the Mix” and the otherworldly hymn “Moon Chant.” Proceeds from the album will be donated to SOSA (Safe from Online Sex Abuse), a nonprofit that combats online child sex abuse and trafficking.
Dry_Feel – Your Body Kills The Rhythm [OR130]
Dry_Feel is the personal project of the Greek label founder Dystatik, encompassing various types of experimental and darkwave music. This is what you will find in his vinyl debut, which includes a collaboration with Fluora. You can expect extremely fresh minimal synth, synthwave, EBM, dark elektro, and new beat tracks, all created with a dancefloor riot in mind.
VA – Back Up Dos: Mexican Tecno Pop 1982-1989 LP [DE-323]
Dark Entries returns to Mexico with Back Up Dos: Mexican Tecno Pop 1982-1989. Following 2021’s Back Up compilation, Back Up Dos delivers 10 more tracks of synth-pop and New Beat, 7 of which have never before appeared on vinyl. From mutant drum machine beats to irresistible synthesizer hooks, fans of the fringes of the 80s will find songs to stir their cold, dark hearts. But Back Up Dos does more than mine retro kitsch; it documents the development of a rich DIY music scene that is still underexplored. As affordable samplers and digital synths spread throughout the decade, post-punk and new wave gave way to more aggressive EBM and cyberpunk sounds. The scene also developed in opposition to the political climate of the times: the rise of the drug cartels and a reactionary turn in national politics. Using home recording techniques, these bands took cues from the electronic wizardry of the Human League and Wax Trax Records while reflecting the vibrant and chaotic Mexican cultural landscape of the era. On Back Up Dos, impeccable pop anthems from Casino Shanghai and Los Agentes Secretos sit alongside gnarled obscurities from Ford Proco and María Bonita, showcasing a decade of sly deviance and enthusiastic experimentation. Back Up Dos compiles synthetic music produced in Mexico at the crossroads from Tecno Pop to Post-Industrial, nourished by culture shock and stories of dystopian worlds.
Zarina @ HEAT Bootfeest 20.07.2024
Techniques Berlin – The Extension of Machines [1985-1991] [MEC091]
Formed by high school buddies Andreas Gregor and David Rout, Techniques Berlin started in 1984 experimenting with synthesizers, drum machines and guitars. In the early stages, the band was heavily influenced by UK new romantic acts The Human League, Visage, Yazoo, OMD and Depeche Mode, as well as rising Canadian synth-pop bands Rational Youth, Men Without Hats and Trans-X. It took them a few years to master their electronic toys and create a unique blend of addictive electro-pop melodies and beautifully crafted alternative beats. “The Extension of Machines” compiles 13 extra rare and unreleased tracks from the vault.
Alan Harman – Friendly Fire [UNEXT002]
Unrealistic Expectations are back with Alan Harman’s “Friendly Fire”, an excellent minimal synth jam from Montreal, bringing light to the city with one of the more prolific new minds. Dive into the underground side of the 80’s on a cosmic trip with almost psychedelic arps, crispy drums and deep meaningful vocals. Timothy J. Fairplay’s interpretation is just as amazing. The experienced producer keeps the quality while driving a more club and kick driven interpretation of “Friendly Fire”.
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”.”
Doppler Effect – Genesis: Studio Recordings 81-85 [MEC094]
Doppler Effect is the brain child of singer and songwriter James Straight. Started in Boston in 1981, the band explores what Straight calls the encyclopedia of electronic music. Since its inception the band has explored and incorporated almost all styles of electronica from Ambient to Industrial, Techno, Synth Pop, EBM, House, Dark Wave, Acid and Disco, with a touch of Punk and Funk around the edges. It all depends on the song as Straight sees his work as mini films he’s Directing, a sort of seeing with your ears. Utilising the whole paint box to achieve the desired effect, his only rule is it must work for the song. “Genesis: Studio Recordings” compiles a selection of songs recorded between 1981 and 1985. Including lot of unreleased songs and early versions ranging from synth-punk and new wave to minimal wave and synth-pop.
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.
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.
MACON – Early Jams [NB06T]
Voluntary simplicity. A long-standing philosophical tradition that advocates a form of limitation of needs to achieve happiness. Does this apply to music? I think this music is distinguished by its simplicity and freedom. Here, the sound of machines is presented in its simplest form. For “MACON”, as the name not implies, deconstruction means trying to approach music in an ever-renewed way. This cassette brings together MACON’s first attempts at rhythmic electronic music.
Poladroïd – Danse Macabre EP [mmd004]
Meta Moto presents the latest offering of Poladroïd. Drenched in dense, filtered atmospheres and infused with nostalgic echoes of a bygone era, ‘Danse Macabre’ exudes a dark and gritty ambiance, straddling the realms of retro-futurism and melancholic machine melodies. Drawing inspiration from a spectrum as wide as Holderlin’s ‘Hyperion’ and the poetic works of Robert Brasillach and Charles Baudelaire, ‘Danse Macabre’ showcases Poladroïd’s versatility in crafting diverse sonic landscapes while maintaining a signature sound.
Human Figures – Meta Moto Podcast MMP128
Techniques Berlin – The Language of Machines [1985-1991] [MEC090]
Formed by high school buddies Andreas Gregor and David Rout, Techniques Berlin started in 1984 experimenting with synthesizers, drum machines and guitars. In the early stages, the band was heavily influenced by UK new romantic acts The Human League, Visage, Yazoo, OMD and Depeche Mode, as well as rising Canadian synth-pop bands Rational Youth, Men Without Hats and Trans-X. It took them a few years to master their electronic toys and create a unique blend of addictive electro-pop melodies and beautifully crafted alternative beats. “The Language of Machines” compiles a selection of original recordings between 1985 and 1991, including some favorite tunes and a few unreleased tracks/versions.
The Hipodrome Of Music 