‘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.
Reissue of this fantastic 12 from 1994. Pure European techno pop with Spanish vocals. Includes the English version ‘Don’t Leave Me’, and the original remix from 1994.
Nicolas Balmer hails from Zürich and he is an integral part of the underground alternative music scene there since forever. This record was entirely written, produced and recorded by Nicolas at Zimmerlistrasse in Zürich, between the 21st and 29th of December 2023. A time where everything that could have happen just happened. He poured all that pain and drive into this. The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.
Shades Of Blur is a newly unveiled secret label by one of the most esteemed artists in the scene offers a unique blend of New Wave and Post-Punk flavors on its inaugural record.
Citirax introduces the debut LP from the Los Angeles-based duo OP-ART, a project born out of the creative isolation of the lockdown era. The band, the brainchild of Andrew Clinco – known for his work with Drab Majesty – was originally named using the acronym “Oblique Pleasures Amidst Rough Times,” a nod to the challenging times that inspired its formation. In Andrew’s own words, the album “represents a sonic analog to the visual art movement of the 1960s,” meaning it is both densely layered and psychedelic, yet aims to capture a sense of minimalism in its tradition, theory, and conceptual approach. OP-ART’s sound is heavily influenced by the New Wave genre, drawing inspiration from artists such as John Foxx, Martin Dupont (with whom Andrew has collaborated on a track), Experimental Products, and early OMD. True to their commitment to authentic analog sound, OP-ART eschews digital plug-ins in favor of a wide array of analog synthesizers and outboard rack effects units. The album features a diverse collection of synthesizers including the EML 500, Arp Odyssey, Arp Omni2, Jupiter 6, SH-02, SH-101, Moog Rogue, and Roland Promars. Each piece of equipment contributes to the album’s lush, rich soundscapes, creating a tactile and immersive listening experience. ‘The Final Act’, the title of the LP, is a testament to the duo’s ability to blend catchy melodies with profound emotional depth. The album offers an introspective journey through themes of time passing, romantic entanglements, and existential reflections on an apocalyptic scale. With its evocative sound and thoughtful lyrics, ‘The Final Act’ promises to resonate deeply with listeners, making it a compelling and significant debut from OP-ART.
Subject To Restrictions Discs and Default Mode Records are joining forces to release “Unbändige Kinder”, the debut album by Angelo Repetto and Nicolas Balmer, under the alias Konstant. Both have been active in the Zurich scene for a long time and have come together to create their own language. “Unbändige Kinder” blossoms from the burdens of days gone by and describes their world in a phase of change and new beginnings. They define their own musical form by constantly looking ahead, driven by New Wave, Kraut and Post Punk. The album is characterised by rawness, bluntness and the syllables from the heart.
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.
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”.
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.
Cold wave duo The KVB are back with their new album ‘Tremors’ on Invada Records. The KVB returns to the darker sound that embodied their earliest releases whilst retaining the infectious pop of their last album ‘Unity’. The band have dubbed their new album ‘dystopian pop’, and wrote it with the live show in mind; full of energy, hooks and dynamic moments. Writing the album between Manchester and Bristol, and recording alongside James Trevascus (Billy Nomates, RVG), the band have drawn on their own back catalogue and the music that inspired them at the very beginning of their artistic journey. The end result is the most complete album from The KVB to date, full of emotive impact and pop hooks presented in a uniquely shadowy atmosphere and with an idiosyncratic detachment that adds to the cinematic quality of their sound.
Chronicles of the wasteland, an ode to those who remain in the shadows, a nod to the wild beauty of 40 rue Marceline. Looser solo project, Dimanche Midi goes quickly, it can be listened to in one go, fully on your bike. Drum machine, electric bass, synth, guitar, cassette loops, samples, radio archives and dirty stories from CONDé!
Joe Lewandowski is back on Skylax, trying to find the subtle balance between new wave, italo, rock completed by the sepulchral voice of Stolt and a deafening remix of the brilliant Mufti.
Minimal Wave presents the first vinyl reissue of French legends Martin Dupont’s seminal album from 1987, ‘Hot Paradox’. Martin Dupont was originally founded by Alain Seghir in Marseille in 1980. He enlisted numerous collaborators throughout the years, including Beverley Jane Crew, Brigitte Balian, and Catherine Loy. Martin Dupont was immensely talented with a rare dynamic between its varying members that was likely inspired by a combination of their magnetic personalities, creative vision, and the home studio where they recorded. Their music was colorful, enthusiastic, delicate, melancholy, and mysterious. A mixture of hot and cold, light and dark. They created electronic music that incorporated guitars, clarinets, and saxophones and is described by many as New Wave yet truly transcended genres. The ‘Hot Paradox’ album hasn’t been available on vinyl since 1987. It is one of Martin Dupont’s most exquisite albums, illustrating the band’s mastery of synthesizer work, drum programming, and vocal duets. The album is vibrant and emotive, simultaneously somber and bright, theatrical and danceable. It is an essential album in the French cold wave, new wave, and minimal synth scenes, and in recent years, has finally received the recognition it deserves beyond any musical categorization.
Plague Pits is a collective from Bern, Switzerland. Inspired by the DIY electronic tape underground of yore, they play disco dirges for the Anthropocene – cold wave for a heating planet. After a string of DIY releases on their bandcamp page, on Transnecropolitan and Young And Cold Records, the band released their first full length album “Creatures“ on DIY label Transnecropolitan, from Bern. “Creatures” was conceived and recorded over a span of six months in early 2022 and contains eight songs that are just as inspired by the clattering electro-industrial rhythms of the mid-eighties as by early electronic post-punk and its krautrock forbears. The record lyrically centers around all manners of exploitation – of human beings, other living creatures, and our planets resources.
Schicksal is the alias of Rudi Huybrechts from Belgium. Heavily inspired by Front 242 first album “Geography”, DAF’s elektronische körpermusik “Alles Ist Gut” and of course Kraftwerk’s “Man Machine” and “Computer World”, Rudi bought his first Roland SH-101 synthesizer and started in 1982 with Schicksal to experiment with synths and drum computers. He spent lot of hours programming and composing on his bedroom and recording everything on a tape recorder. A selection of these old tracks are included on this album. You can definitely feel the vibe of this period and the place where the songs were created: the old industrial town of Hoboken, the culmination of the cold war and the aim of a young musician to combine melody and harmony into minimal electronic music.
Words and Actions new album “Some gods just want to watch the world burn” released on Detriti Records, featuring eight classic darkwave / gothic rock songs.
A warm rain in August, the cool feeling of soft ice cream on the lips, golden light and tender smiles. The sweet scent of strawberries, people laughing in the backyard and autumn is already in the air. This is how the music of Bionda e Lupo feels. Joy and melancholy, warmth and goosebumps – that is “La Deutsche Vita”. Six summers – ten songs for the double album by the Berlin couple. Lively German lyrics allowing us to immerse ourselves in the world of Gertalo, as we surf on synths in the New German Wave and refresh ourselves with a splash of cheeky Schlager pop.
Veyl welcomes Blind Delon to the label with a new album, La Métamorphose. Founded in 2016 by Mathis Kolkoz, the band currently consists of Mathis Kolkoz (Vocals, Guitars), Coco Thiburs (Bass) and Thom Mayor (Synths, Guitars). Fueled by cold bass lines and synthesizers of yesteryear, French post-punk and black romanticism, Blind Delon shatters genres and styles to create an evolved strain of synthpunk that wears its influences proudly while mutating into something totally new. La Métamorphose represents a fresh direction – a heavy, post-metal sound that’s full of emotion and raw intensity. ‘Le Crépuscule’ opens the album with a hard hitting piece that commences the experience perfectly. Next up, the group kicks things into high gear with the speedy, heavy-synth play of ‘La Violence’ featuring vocals by Fivequestionmarks, followed by ‘La Mort’, a blackened post-punk cut featuring Curses. Label head Maenad Veyl makes a guest appearance on the fourth track, ‘L’Homme’, which drifts into deep experimental melancholy with a cinematic feel. Keeping with this mood is the powerful ‘L’Affront’ featuring The KVB, which descends further into darkness before resurrecting with the immense feelings of ‘Le Sarcasme’. Track seven, ‘La Noyade’, drills into the skull with growling vocals and menacing synths which bleed nicely into ‘La Foule’, slowing things back down with a subtle yet lingering sense of dread. French project Poison Point arrive on ‘L’Envie’ which moves guitars back to the forefront for a raucous ballad that sets up the final piece and title track, ‘La Métamorphose’, the glorious grand finale of an album teeming with emotion and begging to be played again and again.
The Hipodrome Of Music 