DayVentura is imagining sounds for the future Europa with a handmade dancefloor edit of one o the best bands ever.
Depeche Mode – Boys Say Go! (DayVentura’s New Europe Mix) [FREE DOWNLOAD]
synth pop
Evelyne / Masao – Testpattern LP [DE-330]
Evelyne/Masao bring ‘Testpattern’ to Dark Entries for the label’s first foray into vintage Japanese electronics. Masao Hiruma and Fumio Ichimura’s project Testpattern is known for their release Apres-Midi, a cult slab of synthpop perfection released by Yukihiro Takahashi and Haruomi Hosono’s legendary Yen Records in 1982. While Hiruma and Ichimura parted ways following Apres-Midi, Hiruma’s musical endeavors would continue after recruiting French/American model and vocalist Evelyne Bennu. The duo spent time performing in Tokyo clubs while recording at Hiruma’s home studio throughout 1984 and 1985. The album Testpattern comprises seventeen of these songs, which have never been released previously. The Evelyne/Masao duo continues building on the soundworld of Apres-Midi: lush, sophisticated electronics with intricate yet minimalist production. Tracks like “Sakuramochi” and “Bird Island” bear influence from Hosono most clearly, their soaring melodies revealing a subtly ironic redeployment of East Asian musical tropes. But Testpattern is more than homage to Yellow Magic Orchestra. “Tabac” and “Le Soleil Se Leve” display oddball sensibilities closer to Sky Records icons Asmus Tietchens or Cluster. Elsewhere, the project shows affinity for the punkier ethos of continental DIY electronics, like on the quirky “Alien Go Home” and a positively skewed cover of “Singin’ in the Rain.” Bennu’s vocals provide a common thread through these explorations, as she alternates deftly between New Wave deadpan and unhinged chanson singer—check her waxing maximally Francophone on “Au Clair de Lune,” based on an 18th century French song. Testpattern will be available on both double LP as well as CD, and includes a fold-out poster with liner notes with lyrics. This album is dedicated to Masao Hiruma, who passed away in 2011.
Years of Denial – Love Cuts EP [VEYL045]
Prolific duo Years of Denial return to Veyl with another genre bending, dance floor ready EP titled Love Cuts. Acting as a transit between 2023’s Suicide Disco 2 and the forthcoming Suicide Disco 3, Love Cuts explores the various angles of love – ranging from the digital to the forbidden, toxic to erotic and beyond. A blend of death rock, future goth, EBM and rave, we once again find the project’s poetic, powerful lyrics fusing with motorized beats and 4×4 rhythms.
Mini Zucchini – Ferment Station 02.09.2025
Shadows Hold – Nexum EP [CTM]
Shadows Hold is a Dark Wave/Post Punk solo project based out of Los Angeles, USA. Emerging from the underground music scene, Shadows Hold creates a blend of Darkwave, Post-Punk, and EBM throughout his tracks characterized by ethereal vocals, atmospheric sounds, and strong leads. After several independent releases, Shadows Hold returns with ‘Nexum‘, a 3-track EP that expands on the project’s distinct sound. The music uses reverb and mood to give shape to feelings that are hard to put into words.
Diana Berti – Like A Pierrot In The Night [SLOMO054D]
Emerging from the Italian West Coast and the mind of Violet Poison, Diana Berti lands on Slow Motion Records with ‘Like A Pierrot In The Night,’ a record that traces their Proto-EBM silhouette and dives deeper into the murky depths. With sprinkles of chimes and the guttural force of affirming low ends, Berti pieces together a rich tapestry, casting an ethereal light on darker industrial tones.
Sex Kino – Defcon One [SOIL031]
Retro synth provocateurs Sex Kino are back with their latest offering, ‘Defcon One’ on the highly vaunted Spanish underground label, SOIL Records. From the explosive electronic disco sounds of such tracks as ‘Space is the Place’ & ‘Ubahn, to the soaring synths of the formidable ‘East Meets West’, Sex Kino whacks the judges gavel calling to order 50 years of dance music and offers 4 fully realised tracks of poptastic synth wizardry.
VA – RDY #55 (Ron Hardy Edits) [RDY055]
Four monstrous tracks straight from the basement featuring one of the original house music creator Ron Hardy.
Gina X – Greatest Fits [DE335]
Gina X makes her way to Dark Entries for Greatest Fits, a compilation of gems and jams from the eccentric New Wave icon. Gina X Performance was formed in Cologne in 1978 when art history student and chanteuse Gina Kikoine teamed up with synth wizard Zeus B. Held. Inspired by Patti Smith and Lou Reed, Kikoine aimed to create “the absolute union of music, poetry and travesty,” a lofty goal that she most certainly would achieve. 1979 saw the release of the classic first LP, Nice Mover, which put Held’s lush electronic production in dialogue with Gina X’s deadpan delivery. Songs explore androgyny, decadence, and avant-garde art in a fashion that is stylish, sexy, and more than a touch transgressive. Nice Mover quickly became a cult favorite thanks to tracks like the euphoric “Nice Mover” and the dancefloor bomb “No G.D.M.”, dedicated to queer icon Quentin Crisp. Three more LPs followed in the coming years: X-Traordinaire in 1980; Voyeur in 1981; and Yinglish in 1984. The duo continued their genre deviance throughout, exploring uptempo space disco on “Strip Tease,” punk-laced New Wave on “Babylon Generation,” and icy electro-pop on “French Lift.” Greatest Fits is the first-ever double LP compilation of Gina X material. The 17 tracks on Greatest Fits were selected by Kikoine and Held, reflecting the duo’s most cherished moments from their wide-ranging catalog.
Ascending – Guanto nero [DR-049]
“Guanto nero” is the long-awaited new album by Ascending, including six great new Synthpop songs.
NNHMN – Opera of Lust & The Art of Sorrow I EP [KDR]
“Opera of Lust & The Art of Sorrow” is envisioned as a multipart journey – Part 1 is here, with the next part to follow. This EP takes you deep into a world of cinematic soundscapes, a haunting symphony of desire and despair, hypnotic rhythms, and ethereal vocals. Blending dark wave, and gothic electronic elements, it unfolds like a forgotten opera—sensual, melancholic, and strangely tragic.
Synths Versus Me – So Far [22-226-001]
22Recordings aka Veintidos from Barcelona is building on the city’s popular new beat, dark synth and EBM scene with this release from the ingeniously conceived and christened Synths Vs Me. “So Far” (2015), “Ballet Dancer” (2018) “Monotony” (2016) And “Bye Bye Tom” (2017) originally written, composed and recorded by Vanessa Asbert and Nico Cabañas. “Fahrenheit 451” (2016) recorded by Vanessa Asbert and Nico Cabañas is an adaptation from “Fahrenheit 451” By Scortilla. “Sei Morto” (2023) was recorded by Nico Cabañas and India Nardone and remixed by Dark Vektor. “In Loving Memory of Vanessa”.
Venice Affair – Ascension [RWCLTR028]
Venice Affair seeks only to give humans a look into their own lives, history, suffering, and peace, all while providing a backbeat sprinkled with sexuality, romanticism, and especially entertainment. The concept of “Ascension” is much larger than a description of upward motion; it is the human description of our evolution from four to two, from caves to high rises, from child to elder, and from stardust to flesh. This collection of songs has been in the works since 2021 and meticulously arranged to provide the best possible lens into Venice Affair’s concept of human existence.
Les Animaux Sauvages – Futurespective LP [OR136]
“Futurespective” is a remastered compilation featuring the very best releases from the iconic Bulgarian band Les Animaux Sauvages. For the first time ever, these timeless tracks are available on vinyl.
Laura Krieg – Crépuscule LP [DR-047]
‘Crépuscule’ is the 2nd album from the queen of Canadian coldwave, Laura Krieg. All songs are written by Laura Krieg and Johnny Couteau.
Rina Pavar – Six [CT183]
Leipzig-based icy dark electronic artist Rina Pavar unveils ‘six’ her second album. In ‘six’ “I delve even deeper into my very personal perception of my musical self. Songs about memories, visions and encounters flow into new sounds and beats … which I hope will touch and move the listener.”
Q Lazzarus – Goodbye Horses [DE306]
At long last, Q Lazzarus says hello to Dark Entries. Q Lazzarus is the moniker of Diane Luckey, born in New Jersey in 1960. While living in the East Village in New York City in the 1980s, Diane met songwriter Bill Garvey at a party and they recorded “Goodbye Horses” in his home studio. As the story goes, Luckey met Hollywood director Jonathan Demme when she picked him up in her taxi during a snowstorm in 1986. Demme was wowed by her demo tape, which was playing in the cab, and they ended up hanging out at a restaurant for hours talking about life and music. “He liked it so much, I gave him the tape I was listening to, he said he would call me for one of his movies, but I didn’t really take it seriously.” said Luckey. Demme would have the song “Goodbye Horses” first appear in his offbeat comedy Married to the Mob, and then again more memorably in Silence of the Lambs when Buffalo Bill changes into women’s clothing while drowning out his intended victim’s pleas with loud music. Despite the exposure, both Luckey and Garvey languished in relative obscurity. “Goodbye Horses” is the definition of a cult classic, an ethereal tearjerker driven by Garvey’s lush synth work and Luckey’s unmistakably powerful voice. Garvey says, “the song is about transcendence over those who see the world as only earthly and finite.” Over 15 years of effort have gone into the making of this release. All five songs on this record were previously unreleased and are sourced from original master tapes.
Parade Ground – The Hidden Side [DE329]
Parade Ground march back to Dark Entries with ‘The Hidden Side’, a compilation of B-sides and unreleased material. Brothers Jean-Marc and Pierre Pauly started Parade Ground in Brussels in 1981. Their Dada-laced brand of post-punk fuses propulsive drum machines and icy synths with skeletal guitar riffs and Jean-Marc’s distinct and powerful voice, pioneering the subgenre of emotional body music. In 2011, Dark Entries released ‘The Golden Years’, a compilation chronicling the band’s A-sides and exposing them to a new generation of EBM enthusiasts. ‘The Hidden Side’ continues this mission, illuminating lesser-known facets of the band’s oeuvre. The tracks here were written between 1982 and 1989, and showcase Parade Ground’s range of styles – all cold, dark, and brooding.
Corps Diplomatique – Dans Ta Nuit [DE327]
French coldwave act Corps Diplomatique comes to Dark Entries with ‘Dans Ta Nuit’, a collection of tracks recorded between 1984-1987. Founded in Marseille by Olivier Aubin, Marie-Eve Bensussan, Patrick Loubet and Nicolas Pélissier, Corps Diplomatique remain shrouded in mystery. The band only released one 7” during their time, 1988’s Paradis I, in addition to appearing with three tracks on the La Muse Vénale compilation, a holy grail for devotees of the French coldwave. Dans Ta Nuit brings us nine tracks from this cult band, seven of which have never before appeared on vinyl. These cuts are raw and unembellished but not at the expense of dramatic tension. Tracks like “Sin of Flesh” and “Eros Phobia” deliver the kind of high octane mix of despair and ecstasy that coldwave enthusiasts crave.
Luc Van Acker / Pas De Deux – The Fear In My Heart / Cardiocleptomanie [STR7-103]
Belgian label Stroom presents a 7″ release featuring Luc Van Acker’s ‘The Fear In My Heart’ on the A-Side and Pas De Deux’s ‘Cardiocleptomanie’ on the B-side.
The Hipodrome Of Music 