the hacker

Miss Kittin & The Hacker – Lost Tracks Vol. 2 [DE216]

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Miss Kittin & The Hacker are the electro duo of Caroline Hervé and Michel Amato from Grenoble, France. The pair met during the early 90s at a rave and soon after bought turntables and began DJing. In 1996, they started writing music heavily influenced by 1980s synthpop and post-punk bands, as well as Italo Disco. Lost Tracks Vol. 2′ contains 4 previously unreleased demos recorded between 1997 and 1999. The duo fused 80’s European New Wave/Italo Disco with 90’s Detroit Electro, by utilizing verse-chorus structures, they playfully shook up the loop based hard techno and electro that was popular at the time. The songs are direct, spontaneous, seemingly improvised in places. Miss Kittin sings about falling in love in the new millennium, snuff movies and controlling the unknown trip to death, all in her cheekily derisive French accent.

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Miss Kittin & The Hacker – Lost Tracks Vol. 2 [DE216]

The Hacker & Jensen Interceptor – Trigger Zone EP [INTLC001]

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Continually innovative French artist The Hacker has linked with Australia Jensen Interceptor to release on the latter’s new label, International Chrome. The three tracks fuse serene electro and rugged EBM, sleek Kraftwerk rhythms and synths, and plenty of futuristic and cinematic Drexcyian influences into truly cinematic soundscapes.

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The Hacker & Jensen Interceptor – Trigger Zone EP [INTLC001]

VA – Italo Disco Legacy (Soundtrack) [369.047]

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A journey into the past and the future of Italo Disco music through the stories of the original 80’s heroes and cult DJs and the voice of the new generation of artists, radio broadcasters and fans ready to carry on the Italo Disco Legacy.

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VA – Italo Disco Legacy (Soundtrack) [369.047]

2017 Top 3 – Readers List

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#VăVedemDinSibiu

It has been 4 years since I made the last ‘review of the year …’ or ‘best of … ‘ list and it was not planned for 2017, but looking back at last year somehow the music scene shifted in a good way. From the music point of view, I think we are living better times now, we can see a revival of the old school electro and acid house, afrobeat is still hot, EBM is going strong.

Continue reading “2017 Top 3 – Readers List” →

2017 Top 3 – Readers List

The Hacker – Le Théâtre Des Opérations [DE184]

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Dark Entries announce the latest album from Michel Amato aka The Hacker, ‘Le Théâtre des Opérations’. Michel’s new live project sees the enigmatic artist go back to his roots, performing a 100% analogue set directly inspired by his first true loves of New Wave and dark, powerful techno. ‘Le Théâtre des Opérations’ features 8 new tracks spread evenly across 2×12’s cut at 45rpm for maximum sound quality and DJ utility. The title comes from a metaphysical journal by French-born Canadian science fiction writer Maurice G Dantec. Passionate about avant-garde techno, The Hacker has taken his influences and crafted a potent homage to the power of the synthesizer. Songs veer from gritty, raw EBM to dark, subterranean electro, effortlessly channeling the strains of the Michel’s musical DNA. The only vocal track features an appearance by longtime friend and collaborator Miss Kittin, named Time X’ after the French science fiction television series Temps X.

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The Hacker – Le Théâtre Des Opérations [DE184]

The Hacker – Midnight Bliss [BAP105]

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Over his twenty year The Hacker has traversed a spread of styles, from frosted electro to raging techno slammers. ”Midnight Bliss” shows another side of this multitalented artist. Warmth flows from the title piece. Clean rhythm patterns are spiked by synthlines as liquid melodies are swirled into a carefree cocktail that simply radiates. “Heavy Duty Disco” takes over the flip and runs headlong into speakers. The Hacker builds a track of generous proportions. Textured keys weave through columns of toms and snapping beats before bruising basslines descend for a late night encounter of formidable intent.

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The Hacker – Midnight Bliss [BAP105]

The Hacker – Propagande EP [STILLEBEN048]

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Finally we can announce that The Hacker is onboard at the Stilleben ship with some amazing electro that lurks in the shades of Kraftwerk and other fine electronic acts, but with his own significant style and signature. 3 electro songs and one more italo/electro disco that was hidden on a old hard disk. We are very happy to continue the electro journey on Eargoggles Stilleben with this strong and beautiful release.

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The Hacker – Propagande EP [STILLEBEN048]

Amato – Le Desordre Et La Nuit [CITI020]

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AMATO - Le Desordre Et La Nuit

Michel Amato aka Amato is a French producer more widely known as The Hacker. Alongside Miss Kittin, Amato has been a cornerstone of the European house, techno, and electro scene, dropping singles and album like bombs. Having contributed to a previous split 12″ on Cititrax, Amato returns to Minimal Wave’s sister label with a wondrous homage to industrial, EBM and electro in Le Desordre De La Nuit. The difference between The Hacker and Amato? The sounds of The Hacker are more constrained than this particular whirlpool of pseudo electro and gargling quasi techno. Whatever you want to call it, these four slammers are all made for the dark room dance, each one nastier than the other and all of them audibly produced by an artist with plenty of experience and effectiveness know-how.

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Amato – Le Desordre Et La Nuit [CITI020]

VA – Blurred Angles [BT013]

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LUKE EARGOGGLE/THE HACKER/MARCO BERNARDI/RUTHERFORD/DAS MUSTER - Blurred Angles

Electro maestro Luke Eargoggle collaborates with some of his favorite producers creating an EP that delves into the many sides of Eargoggle. Eargoggle & The Hacker open the EP with a sleazy take on New Beat with Body. Eargoggle & Marco Bernardi are up next with trademark nagging basslines complete with fragmented weirdo speech and demented melodies for Rat Wire Chomp. On the flip Eargoggle joins forces with long term collaborator Rutherford for the driving emo Stalkers Behave. Closing the EP Das Muster goes in the for the kill with the metallic Starke.

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VA – Blurred Angles [BT013]

Cute Heels – Third Skin EP [DE123]

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Cute Heels is the solo project of Victor Lenis, a contemporary artist living in Barcelona, Spain. He grew up in Bogotá, Columbia during the 1990s, surrounded by the radial punk scene. “Third Skin” is a 4-track EP that connects the dots between Detroit techno, early Chicago house and Belgium electronic body music. Inspired by equal parts Liaisons Dangereuses, Drexciya and Black Devil Disco Club. On the A-side are two fresh compositions recorded in 2015. “Third Skin” kicks things in a metallic EBM funk with a pounding bottom end. “Lipstick Information” takes the listener on a dark, psychedelic and twisted journey through thrillingly intense arpeggiations. On the flip we present two remixes. The first is from Steffi and the second remix comes from Michel Amato aka The Hacker.

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Cute Heels – Third Skin EP [DE123]

Miss Kittin & The Hacker – Lost Tracks Vol. 1 [DE098]

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The Dark Entries label presents some previously unheard archive material by  Caroline “Miss Kittin” Herve and Michel “The Hacker” Amato. Four tracks recorded between 1997 and ’99 – when their production partnership was in its’ infancy – The Lost Tracks Volume 1 contains a number of fuzzy, stylish, floor-friendly bangers, from the S&M-themed madness of opener “Leather Forever” and stripped-back electro gem “Nightlife”, to the high-tempo acid-loaded freakishness of “Loving The Alien”.

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Miss Kittin & The Hacker – Lost Tracks Vol. 1 [DE098]

VA – World Electronix Remixes [CE015]

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Cultivated Electronics round off the World Electronix series with a remixes EP featuring tracks from each of the 4 volumes. Morphology’s Darkstar is remixed by The Hacker, The Exatics Ten Days is given a dark twist by Sync 24, J.T.C’s In Transit is refunked by DMX Krew and the EP is finished off with Marco Benardi’s Morbider mix of Sync 24 & Deixis Ah Ah Ah.

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VA – World Electronix Remixes [CE015]

The Hacker – Magical Voyage [TSRD052]

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Veteran of the fist-pumping kind of electro inhabited by Miss Kittin and I-F, it’s not so often you see a new release from The Hacker these days. Still, he’s made it back to deliver three Italo-flavoured nuggets on Tigersushi in the style of romantic 80s arpeggios and fat synths he made his name on. “Through The Ether” is unashamedly cosmic in its tone, boasting elegiac reams of melody over those steadily pulsing bass notes. A rasping snare gives “Mind Games” a marginally tougher edge, but really this is sweet songwriting for swooning swingers on the dancefloor.

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The Hacker – Magical Voyage [TSRD052]