Felix Kubin – Teenage Tapes [MW037]

September 17, 2012July 19, 2023 hipodromealbum, electro, felix kubin, minimal synth, minimal wave records, synth waveLeave a comment

Minimal Wave is proud to present Teenage Tapes, an LP of selections from the early tape archives of Felix Kubin. Six of the twelve tracks on this album have never been released before. The recordings span his adolescent years, when he was between 11 and 15 years old. He actually began playing music at 8 years old, when he studied piano, organ, and glockenspiel. In 1980, he acquired a Korg MS-20 synthesizer and his recordings took off from there. He began experimenting and recording a variety of tracks, adding his own bizarre lyrics to them. Although Alfred Hilsberg of the notorious ZickZack label (Palais Schaumburg, Die Toedliche Doris, Einstuerzende Neubauten) had planned to release Felix Kubin’s early music in 1985, it took another 20 years until the French label SKIPP and the German label A-Musik put out a selection of tracks for the first time. These days, Felix Kubin is still very active, recording new music, writing and producing radio plays and running his label Gagarin Records.

VA – The Minimal Wave Tapes: J Rocc Edits Vol 2 [STH2295]

September 2, 2012September 13, 2021 hipodromedeux, edits, electro, felix kubin, j rocc, mark lane, minimal synth, ohama, stones throwLeave a comment

J ROCC/FELIX KUBIN/OHAMA/MARK LANE/DEUX - The Minimal Wave Tapes: J Rocc Edits Vol 2

J Rocc steps up for the second and final installment of his Minimal Wave Tapes Edits, once again appearing on weighty vinyl and offering solitude for those DJs out there whose attempts to drop the likes of Ohama and Deux are frustrated by the inherent lack of quantized drum programming. J Rocc’s edit of Felix Kubin’s “Japan Japan” is a case in point, originally featuring on the recent second volume of The Minimal Wave Tapes, the rolling 4×4 electro groove that filled the opening bars soon mutated rhythmically into bastard vocoder pop. J Rocc wisely extends this opening loop before switching into the madness and then smoothing back into that groove. From here, J Rocc adds some extra weight to the titular elements of Ohama’s “The Drum”, teases out the inner uneasy primal techno workings of “Who’s Really Listening?” from Mark Lane and f*cks about with Deux’s “Game & Performance” brilliantly.

Bonjour Tristesse – On Not Knowing Who We Are [LFL006]

September 2, 2012June 29, 2019 hipodromealbum, bonjour tristesse, la forme lente, le furet, minimal synth, new wave, synth popLeave a comment

Bonjour Tristesse with the debut album on La Forme Lente.

Borghesia – Clones [DE028]

August 9, 2012January 31, 2019 hipodromealbum, aldo ivancic, borghesia, dario seraval, dark entries records, electro, minimal synthLeave a comment

Borghesia is an electronic music group, founded in 1982 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The band was formed by four members of alternative theatrical group Theatre FV-112/15: Dario Seraval, Aldo Ivancic, Neven Korda and Zemira Alajbegovic. They established FV Video to self-publish their video projects and FV Založba – the first independent record label in ex-Yugoslavia. Aldo and Dario took care of songwriting, production and recording while Zemira and Neven handled the visuals. In the late 80s the band signed to PIAS and went on to release a string of successful albums and played world-wide tours. “Clones” was Borghesia’s second album, self-released on cassette only in 1984. The band borrowed synthesizers (Roland SH-101, Casio VL-1, Korg Polysix) and a Roland 808 drum machine from friends. Every song was played live – no overdubs – and recorded to a cassette deck over a few nights at their club Disco FV during 1983-1984. All of the songs are instrumental and feature various cutting edge techniques for 1983. Hypnotic, proto-techno and acid rhythms and synth lines. Music on the A Side of the LP is faster and club oriented while the B Side offers a drugged out soundtrack to get lost in. All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley directly from the original master tape.

Stress – Conspiracy Theory LP [DE027]

August 9, 2012February 13, 2026 hipodromealan rider, album, dark entries records, electro, minimal synth, new wave, phil clarke, post punk, stress, synth popLeave a comment

Stress is the duo of Alan Rider and Phil Clarke from West Midlands, England formed in 1981. Stress combined electronic rhythms and keyboards with bass guitar, vocals, percussion, and cut-up samples. They created catchy electronic pop songs that fused accessible & experimental elements with a pointed lyrical edge. “Conspiracy Theory” is an 11-song ‘best of’ compilation album featuring tracks from the first two cassette albums with “The Prayer Clock” from Third Mind Records, ‘Life At The Top’ compilation LP and “Tear It Down” from the ’Compulsory Overtime’ compilation LP. Each song has been carefully remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley.

Mick Wills – Demo Mix CD #17

July 26, 2012March 1, 2016 hipodromechicago house, demo mix, mick wills, minimal synth, technoLeave a comment

Continue reading “Mick Wills – Demo Mix CD #17” →

Kontravoid – Native State [CITI006]

July 26, 2012August 25, 2021 hipodromecameron findlay, cititrax, industrial, kontravoid, minimal synth, minimal wave records, synth waveLeave a comment

KONTRAVOID - Native State

The name Kontravoid belongs on a limited run cassette circa 1980-something, the type of tape buried in lost upstate dustbins of pre-MIDI analog electronics, wedged between Cabaret Voltaire and Das Ding. The dark industrial and new wave influences are strong on ex-Crystal Castles drummer Cam Findlay’s new project—his voice is scary, like an echoing underwater growl—but the underlying pop melodies always afford a degree of breathing room.On his debut self-titled album, Kontravoid turns to analogue synths to create a dark, brooding pop masterpiece. His brilliant vocals emit a dystopic low-grown, often running through warped effects accompanied by exceptionally stirring arpeggiated synths and washes of sound. Modern touchstones could parallel the likes of John Maus or Trust, but Kontravoid’s vision is a much more twisted one, embracing goth influences and yielding a monstrous result that is harder to define. Despite its sonic vampiricism, Kontravoid’s music leaves plenty to dance and lose your mind to, but the imagination here goes way beyond these activities exclusively.The tracks Native State and Cut To Cleanse are exclusive 7” only versions.

VA – Les Annees Folles [GOOILAND01/ET016]

July 26, 2012October 18, 2022 hipodromeelectronics, enfant terrible, gooiland elektro, minimal synth, sololust, synth pop, terminal twilight, tobias bernstrup, velvet condomLeave a comment

This record is a soundtrack for excentric nightlife, bringing back to life images of wild parties at artists workspaces in Paris in the 1920’s, early mornings in Belgian nightclubs in the late 1980’s and driving classic Italian sports cars during long hot summer nights.

VA – So Click Heels [DOWNWARDSCLICK001]

July 25, 2012November 13, 2023 hipodromeantonym, deathday, downwards records, minimal synth, pink playground, richard h kirk, sandra electronics, shoegaze, silent servant, synth wave, the kvb, tropic of cancerLeave a comment

Downwards’ collect the best of their DO series, together with a handful of exclusive aces on ‘So Click Heels’. Since 2009 the label’s affections for the miasmatic drizzle, sonic innovation and repressed violence of post-punk and shoegaze has manifested itself in some twelve releases veering between the scuzzy basement noise of Collin Gorman Weiland, the blissful feedback blooms of The KVB, and swaggering rock’n’roll from DVA Damas. A good proportion of them feature here – including Richard H Kirk’s droning remix of Tropic Of Cancer’s ‘Be Brave’, the desiccated drum machines of Sandra Electronics (Regis), and Pink Playground’s powdered-glass shoegaze bloomer ‘Ten”. Unreleased bits: the phet-clenched twitch of Deathday’s ‘Dropped Into Obscurity’ or V West’s ‘Catching Me Cold’; the excoriating sludge of The KVB’s ‘Dayzed’; a mighty slab of monochrome, motorik punk from Silent Servants (Juan Mendez); the psychoactivated rock ‘n roll of Green Screen Door; and not least an insidious Electro cut from Antonym, or the graphite surfaces and choking dust of Six Six Seconds’ ‘Tearing Down Heaven’.

VA – Electric Voice Compilation [EV034]

July 25, 2012September 6, 2016 hipodromeambient, beau wanzer, electric voice records, horrid red, htrk, innergaze, jef barbara, jeff & jane hudson, minimal synth, new wave, pink playground, shoegaze, soft metals, synth pop, the kvbLeave a comment

Electric Voice Records presents a collection of 18 pop-rock post-punk tracks. With contribution by Innergaze, The KVB, Soft Metals, HTRK, Jeff & Jane Hudson, Horrid Red and others.

Heinrich Dressel – Sighing Melodies Thru The Graves [MNQ027]

June 4, 2012January 19, 2022 hipodromeelectro, heinrich dressel, mannequin records, minimal synth, valerio lombardozziLeave a comment

DRESSEL, Heinrich - Sighing Melodies Thru The Graves

New release of Heinrich Dressel aka Valerio Lombardozzi, mind of one of the best Italian techno-electro labels around, MinimalRome. Heinrich Dressel is finally celebrating the use of vintage synthesizers and driven electronic machines, holding elements of electro and ambient at the same time, but breaking from the genres too, deeply inspired by Heinrich Dressel, the pioneering German archeologist sent to study in the holy city in Monte Testaccio, who drew what is now a major tool for study of Roman amphorae, the ”Table of Dressel. Heinrich Dressel is placed in a sort of limbo where John Carpenter meets Drexciya, a sonorous journey through the darker side of the electro, taking the commands of the Elka Synthex, one of the most impressive polysynths in the history of music, planned and manifactured by Mario Maggi in the early 80s, as the commercial brother of the MCS70, synth that gave birth to a masterpice album like ”Automat”. “Sighing Melodies Thru The Graves” musically speaking can be described as a captivating hybrid of styles, mixing the chilling-menacing mood of the 70s / 80s lo-fi funkadelic horror soundtracks to outerspace synthesised soundscapes in a pure classy vein. This is cryptical-kosmische psychedelica with a nice electro retro touch and avant-minimalist vibes.

SURVIVE – Survive LP [MNQ026]

June 4, 2012March 26, 2014 hipodromeadam jones, album, cold wave, kyle dixon, mannequin records, mark donica, michael stein, minimal synth, surviveLeave a comment

Mannequin presents an 8 track LP from full-analog-synth quartet S U R V I V E aka Adam Jones, Kyle Dixon, Mark Donica and Michael Stein, considered as one of Austin’s (TX, US) most important live electronic mainstays.

Ssleeping desiresS – A Voice [FLEXI004]

June 4, 2012October 19, 2015 hipodromedark wave, electro, flexi wave, minimal synth, ssleeping desiress, synth pop, synth wave1 Comment

Flexi Wave presents some rough synth dark wave from San Fransisco.

In Aeternam Vale – Dust Under Brightness LP [MW036]

June 3, 2012May 19, 2022 hipodromealbum, electro, in aeternam vale, industrial, laurent prot, minimal synth, minimal wave recordsLeave a comment

Minimal Wave return to their self-professed “First French love” In Aeternam Vale with a second LP-shaped trawl through the band’s sizeable archive of cassette only releases. The Brooklyn imprint first introduced us to the work of the hugely prolific Lyon band with an eponymous LP of remastered material in 2009, and Dub Under Brightness proves to be just as important a release. The label points to an article on the band originally published by the Douche Froide magazine in 2002, where the journalist nails their appeal in the opening gambit – “There are bands that have been acting ruthlessly in the shadow for years, in a completely confidential manner, then one day chance (but does chance exist?) makes you find one of their recordings, listen to it, and at that moment you could kick yourself for not having discovered these soundscapes earlier and you try to find all of them”. If you haven’t indulged in the sounds of In Aeternam Vale yet, this eight track selection makes for a perfect introductory primer.

In Aeternam Vale – Dust Under Brightness / Highway Dark Veins [MW03612]

June 3, 2012May 19, 2022 hipodromeelectro, in aeternam vale, industrial, laurent prot, minimal synth, minimal wave recordsLeave a comment

The Minimal Wave label present this 12″ accompaniment to Dub Under Brightness, the freshly released trawl through the cassette-only archives of their favourite French act of the 1980s, In Aeternam Vale. The full unedited 12-minute version of the title track is presented here, pressed on a thick slab of vinyl at 45rpm for the DJs and is complemented by “Highway Dark Veins”, a brilliant example of proto industrial techno. If you are not familiar with the A Side, it presents the Lyon group led by Laurent Prot at their lolloping finest, a hypnotic sideways Minimal Wave throbber replete with cavernous and near indecipherable vocals and industrially charged synth waves. It’s the B Side that makes this release all the more special, sounding every bit like the paranoid martian techno opus that inspired the Mills series Something In The Sky and was a definite highlight of Ron Morelli’s descent into Industrial Nihilism on a recent Beats In Space show.

Mick Wills @ Alchemy, Vicius Club (Rome) 05.05.2012

May 28, 2012December 9, 2015 hipodromealchemy, chicago house, disco, jakbeat, mick wills, minimal synth, vicius club1 Comment

Track artwork

Forward Strategy Group – Labour Division EP1 [TPT052]

May 19, 2012September 1, 2025 hipodromebleaching agent, factory floor, forward strategy group, minimal synth, nikki colk, patrick walker, perc trax, smear, technoLeave a comment

Companion EP to Patrick Walker and Smear’s imminent debut album as Forward Strategy Group, featuring two of its heaviest cuts, one exclusive track and a brace of remixes from Factory Floor. ‘Labour Division’ is a low-slung but shark-eyed warehouse number with shades of Luke Slater’s LB Dub Corps project, while ‘Mandate’ explores darker, more minimal territory, with killer snare edits and scruffily dubbed-out chords, and ‘A Greyed Out Life’ is lush synth dreamscaping a la C2, Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream and even early Human League. Factory Floor’s remix of ‘Nihil Novi’ is an interesting synthesis of post-DFA dub-disco drum patterns, analogue synth spurts and industrial accenting; better still is the version of the same track by the band’s Nik Colk Void, a compelling, skin-crawling work of beatless and bass-heavy electronic abstraction in the spirit of Suum Cuique, Mika Vainio and TG.

Newclear Waves – S/T LP [DSR028LP]

May 18, 2012June 21, 2024 hipodromealbum, alessandro adriani, dark wave, desire records, mannequin records, minimal synth, newclear waves, oksana xiuLeave a comment

Hailing from Rome – Italy, Newclear Waves is essentially the solo project of Alessandro Adriani, mind and boss of Mannequin Records, one of the most important synth wave / cold wave labels around, with contributions from Oksana Xiu, an academic russian musician devoted to analog synths. Deeply influenced by the works of the early minimal electronics sounds on Mute Records and 4AD, Newclear Waves is exploring droned out electro pop territories with an interest for a refreshing hyperactive 80s New Wave. Having turned out releases on Mannequin Records, the duo is now presenting a full‐lenght ten tracks collection of caliginous pure analog minimal synth on the way on Desire Records, french Cold Wave and Electro Wave label, focused both in new artists and stunning reissues from 4AD like Mass, In Camera and Dance Chapter.

Pye Corner Audio – Black Mill Tapes Volume 3: All Pathways Open [PCA003]

May 18, 2012June 29, 2021 hipodromealbum, ambient, black mill tapes, martin jenkins, minimal synth, pye corner audio, synth pop, the head technicianLeave a comment

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Right then, our Head Technician has sworn that he will have the next instalment of Black Mills Tapes ready for us by the end of January. Volume 3: All Pathways Open comprises a further twelve tracks lovingly transferred from those now fabled 1/4″ and cassette tapes. The Advisory Circle kindly lent a hand and retransferred ‘Electronic Rhythm Number Eighteen’ for which we are very grateful. Our Head Technician tells us this particular segment had been giving him a fair bit of trouble, so the help was appreciated.

Tropic Of Cancer – Permissions Of Love [MNQ023]

May 18, 2012July 17, 2019 hipodromeabstract, camella lobo, cold wave, dark wave, mannequin records, minimal synth, post punk, tropic of cancerLeave a comment

Brand new 12” from Tropic of Cancer, one the most important realities in the modern post-punk and darkwave scene. The band consists of Camella Lobo and John Juan Mendez. Though Tropic Of Cancer’s sound has been called gothic, cold wave and drone pop, the band’s take on their influences is anything but nostalgic. Lobo and Mendez have managed to imbue their own elusive gaze and craft a strangely beautiful and intoxicating sound in the wake of their predecessors. The three tracks on this new 12” take us gently by the hand into a slowed-down opium dream – it’s like watching the desert from the same stark corners where Lyciastood many years ago. This EP gathers the primal thrust of their bleak Post-Punk (think about Cultural Decay shaking hands with Section 25 in their psychedelic/buddhist years) and Minimal Wave aesthetics with this entirely new dimension in the music of TOC – heartfelt and deep. Cold waves have never been so warm.