silent servant

Krishna Goineau ft. MCL – 80’s Tapes [IM011]

hipodrome, , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

“Krishna Goineau is well known for his starring role in ‘Los Niños del Parque’ with Liaisons Dangereuses and in other projects such as Velodrome and Xeroox. Through one of his friends we have been lucky enough to receive a hard disk on which there are a variety of unreleased tracks by Krishna Goineau with MCL (Micro Cheap League) recorded in the year 85-86. Krishna lived in Barcelona at that time and was involved in different groups while traveling through Germany and Belgium to create new projects. After dissolving Liaisons Dangereuses in 1983 Krishna started a new project with MCL where you can identify the essence and influences that he had at that time, touches of EBM and metal synthesizers with vocals in Spanish as in the track ” No Information”. These tracks are preserved in excellent quality in which Alden Tyrell has done the mastering on vinyl and digital. Having something like this is like finding a treasure in the middle of a secret island. To finalize the release we have edits from Silent Servant, Curses, Esprit Divers. Deckard & Lucient.”

listen

Krishna Goineau ft. MCL – 80’s Tapes [IM011]

Silent Servant – Optimistic Decay EP [LIES178OD01]

hipodrome, , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Los Angeles’ Silent Servant returns to the fold with his first solo offering since his 2018 ”Shadows of Death and Desire” LP for Hospital Productions. Mendez wastes no time on the opener ”Cyber Luminescence” featuring Cabaret Voltaire’s Stephen Mallinder on vocals, with a modern take on classic synthwave displaying a heavier production style, with fluttering kr-55 hi-hats, synthesized snares, and a chaotic punk energy. This is not without melody and catchiness, as Mallinder drives the track full on; masterfully singing about a dystopian future which we very well may be living in at this moment. “Raw Optics” is Silent Servant in true form layering an atmospheric backdrop over driving raw sequences and vicious drum programming. “Solitude Illuminated” is the real centerpiece of the record though, as Mendez goes into a new territory finding a balance between uplifting slow house music and his signature shadowy techno. Where his classic “Lust Abandon” was more Distant Dreams pt. II, “Solitude Illuminated” is more akin to something like Dearborn’s house classic “New Dimension” but taking a fresh production approach on this bassline driven seven minute anthem.

listen

Silent Servant – Optimistic Decay EP [LIES178OD01]

VA – Murder 03 [MURDER003]

hipodrome, , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Murder Tbilisi, the Georgian record label, continues exploring electronic soundscapes and returns with third V/A compilation, featuring exclusive tracks from Soft Crash, Silent Servant, Volvox, Restive Plaggona, OTHR and Puritan.

listen

VA – Murder 03 [MURDER003]

VA – Drama Queer [PAG001]

hipodrome, , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

ADRIANI/LOKIER/E BONY/CARDOPUSHER/PRZ/SILENT SERVANT - Drama Queer

PAG Records presents their debut hard-hitting EP titled “Drama Queer”. Featuring an all-star lineup, Drama Queer is a 6 track compilation with the endless driving beats of EBM, industrial and techno that give a true glimpse into the feel of PAG’s sweatiest dance floors. This compilation features Alessandro Adriani, Silent Servant, Lokier, Cardopusher, PRZ and E-Bony.

listen

VA – Drama Queer [PAG001]

VA – Air Texture Vol.7 [AIR007LP]

hipodrome, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Since launching in 2011, James Healy’s Air Texture label and compilation series has become something of an institution within the ambient scene. As with its predecessors, the seventh volume in the series has been jointly compiled by two artists with an existing musical relationship, in this case Rrose and Silent Servant. Their selections are on point, drowsily drifting between academic ambient compositions (see Rrose and James Fei’s “For Bass Clarinet 8.97 (Rrose Version)”, uncomfortable electronic explorations (Ron Morelli, Anthony Child), modular movements (Not Waving), jazz-flecked deep space soundscapes (Luke Slater), horror-influenced throb-jobs (Phase Fatale, June & An-i) and 1990s style ambient electronica (Octa Octa, Function).

listen

VA – Air Texture Vol.7 [AIR007LP]

Berlin Weekender

hipodrome, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

After almost three years, we are back in Berlin. No plans this year, we just booked some flights and let Berlin do it’s magic.

Friday we will go to Tresor and meet our fellow Romanian DJ, who moved recently to Berlin, Aleksa Alaska. She is playing in the Globus Room with Patrick Russel, Ploy and No Moon. In the basement will be a bit hectic with Makaton, Manni Dee, Hurtado and SDX.

 

Starting Saturday night, in Berghain is the Phase Fatale ‘Scanning Backwards’ album release party with Phase Fatale of course and SΛRIN (live), Boris, Broken English Club, Reka, Silent Servant, Unhuman and Vulkanski.
Upstairs in Panorama Bar in the line-up are Lord Of The Isles (live), Âme, Cooper Saver, Lauer, Or:la, Orson Wells, alongside residents Paramida and Tama Sumo.

Berlin Weekender

Alessandro Adriani – Fuoco [MNQ119]

hipodrome, , , , , Leave a comment

The album ‘Montagne Trasparenti’ by Alessandro Adriani, originally released in 2016 on Monofonus Press, is now repressed on Mannequin Records with a full new graphic design. This is the preview of the album, an EP featuring the track ‘Fuoco’ and a remix by none other than Silent Servant.

listen

Alessandro Adriani – Fuoco [MNQ119]

20 Albums from 2018

hipodrome, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

With just a few days from the current year left, I’ve compiled a list of 20 albums from 2018 that I enjoyed this year. Among these I have to highlight the much anticipated Mutant Beat Dance debut album, the first ever album from Gerard Hanson under the E.R.P. project, a new Gerald Donald project and a compilation of unreleased Heinrich Mueller remixes, a Silent Servant follow-up on Hospital Productions, a very interesting Fred Ventura compilation of unreleased house tracks, a new Lebanon Hanover, the beautiful debut album of Curses, the impressive Eindkrak album and the debut album of the Romanian producer Șerb.
The list is compiled in chronological order.

Eindkrak – Brullend Staal [Unknown Precept]

EINDKRAK - Brullend Staal

Continue reading “20 Albums from 2018” →

20 Albums from 2018

Silent Servant – Shadows Of Death & Desire [HOS613]

hipodrome, , , , , Leave a comment

Now-legendary producer, DJ, and art director Juan Mendez arguably reset techno at least twice. Once with his surreal and Europe-by-way-of-LA ’80s surrealist apocalypse culture aesthetics for Sandwell District, and again–as Silent Servant–with his “Jealous God” imprint that captured the youth-driven mutation of crossover electronics and dark parties churning in the American underground, which followed directly in the wake of his game-changing modern classic, ​Negative Fascination​. Mendez has evolved to more aggressive and stripped-down acid punk electro dance attacks on Silent Servant’s equally vital follow-up,​ Shadows of Death and Desire.​ While many would stall after the success of a now contemporary cult classic, Mendez took his time to deliver a more raw–yet refined–brutalism in his second album.

vinyl / CD

Silent Servant – Shadows Of Death & Desire [HOS613]

Limit-Xperience – OE001 [OE001]

hipodrome, , , , , , , Leave a comment

Brand new label Orden Extática from New York, featuring Loraine Sangre and Silent Servant. Limit-Xperience is a culmination of formative experiences as well as present of evolving influences of Silent Servant & L. Sangre. The two tap into both their distinct shared points of view, as well as integrating of the space where their individual inclinations lie. A joint expression of driven electronic music, and eras since passed filter thru and draw from electro, techno, industrial, and more of their musical fundamentals. In similarities as well as differences, their coming together allows for a permutation that is their own.

listen

Limit-Xperience – OE001 [OE001]

Sterile Hand – Sterile Hand [ELP035]

hipodrome, , , , , , , Leave a comment

Juan Mendez a.k.a Silent Servant finds his ideal EBM vocal foil in Ori Ofir under their Sterile Hand moniker. The duo’s first vinyl round for Not Waving’s Ecstatic label is a dark and sleazy run of deviant industrial techno and pugilistic EBM cuts made over the last year.

listen

Sterile Hand – Sterile Hand [ELP035]

Phase Fatale/Silent Servant – Confess [BITE01]

hipodrome, , , , , , Leave a comment

Phase Fatale (Hayden Payne) and Silent Servant (Juan Mendez) started their collaboration in 2016 performing together live at several Jealous God showcases across Europe, such as Berlin Atonal, and then working together on Payne’s Redeemer Extended Mix 12′ from his album on Hospital Productions last year. The Confess EP on BITE is a studio documentation of those aforementioned live performances and harnesses the cathartic energy of the stage into a physical medium.

listen

Phase Fatale/Silent Servant – Confess [BITE01]

VA – Waves Of The Future [MNQ100]

hipodrome, , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Mannequin’s 100th – a compilation looking forward featuring an international and serious cast. The modern synthwave scene would be significantly poorer without the keen ear and tireless efforts of the Mannequin label run by Alessandro Adriani. Mannequin continues to go on exploratory missions to find the best and most relevant aspects of genres like acid, industrial, EBM, post-punk, coldwave and still more. Which brings us to Mannequin’s newest project and 100th release overall: the Waves of the Future double LP compilation, which itself is not a conventional retrospective collection. Case in point – none of the artists appearing on this collection have put out their own releases on Mannequin yet, despite acting as Mannequin’s unofficial ambassadors (via DJ sets and other means). This makes the set even more compelling rather than less so, since it shows how Mannequin fits into a larger picture that includes other scene leaders and label owners including Beau Wanzer, Willie Burns, Silent Servant and Ron Morelli.

listen

VA – Waves Of The Future [MNQ100]

VA – Issue No 22 [JL022]

hipodrome, , , , , , , , Leave a comment

The 22nd “Issue” on Regis, Silant Servant and James Ruskin’s Jealous God label is predictably impressive. Undoubtedly the most notable inclusion is “The Bond”, a rare collaboration between Marcel Dettman and Silent Servant that looks to the sleazy, arpeggio-driven thrust of Electronic Body Music for inspiration. It’s the EP’s one genuine “peak-time” moment and strong enough to carry the whole 12″, though happily Pye Corner Audio’s flipside excursions are also impressive. Check, for example, the undulating, fluttering, post dub techno cut “Delay Gratification” and the swirling, hypnotic dancefloor melancholy of inspired closer “The Future”, where a lone acid line rises above a dense and poignant backing track.

listen

VA – Issue No 22 [JL022]