Category: Introducing (Page 13 of 26)

Introducing ANNEKA

1 May 2017 /

From Anti-Ghost Moon Ray, the Brighton-based collective that brought you GAZELLE TWIN, comes another enticing songstress by the name of ANNEKA.

Having already opened for EAST INDIA YOUTH and guested for other artists including STARKEY, ITAL TEK and FALTY DL, Anneka Warburton’s avant pop has now come to full solo fruition with the release of her first EP ‘Life Force’.

The brooding title song begins sparsely with the breathy air of HANNAH PEEL before pulsing sequences and a cacophony of voices penetrate through to create a cavernous atmosphere.

Captivatingly cinematic, its imaginative narrative comes from the perspective of an android with a plea to “give me flesh, give me blood, it’s what I need”. As it progresses, ‘Life Force’ becomes more ritualistic, but with a subtle percussive fervour rather than tubthumping.

Meanwhile, the enigmatic video provides an appropriate cerebral visual accompaniment that compliments the mood in each of the song’s various mini-movements.

Of the other tracks, sampled voices dominate ‘Caramel’ like OMD at their most experimental, producing a synthetic sound sculpture that is delightfully odd but accessible. The eerily funereal ‘A Strange & Distant Town’ aurally documents the end of a destructive relationship in a collage of chorals.

A haunting soprano intros the EP closer appropriately titled ‘End Of It’. Taking a leaf out of the early work of GAZELLE TWIN, it is the apocalypse presented as a unsettling but dreamy soundscape, layered with raw vocals and assorted technological treatments.

Short but sweet, the ‘Life Force’ EP is a fine introduction to ANNEKA that possesses a ghostly escapism that creates time and space to think.

‘Life Force’ is released by Anti-Ghost Moon Ray, available as a download with a 10 page digital art booklet from https://annekamusic.bandcamp.com/

http://annekamusic.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/annekamusic

https://twitter.com/Annekamusic

https://www.instagram.com/annekamusic/

https://soundcloud.com/annekamusic

http://www.antighostmoonray.com

Text by Chi Ming Lai
1st May 2017

Introducing LIZETTE LIZETTE

17 April 2017 /

LIZETTE LIZETTE is Lizette Nordahl, a gender neutral Swedish / Peruvian producer and performance artist whose first mini-album ‘Queerbody’ was released in January 2017.

Having started out in a more rave inclined environment and even issuing an EP entitled ‘Raveland’ in 2012, LIZETTE LIZETTE has now ventured into more synthy climes.

The concept of ‘Queerbody’ is a rallying cry against the “conservative and male-dominated” synth scene in Sweden which has showed signs of stagnation in the last 18 months. Strong messages are always best delivered with a tune and the mini-album has the air of KITE is all over it, which is not entirely surprising as its co-producers are Nicklas Stenemo and Christian Berg from the acclaimed duo. One of the highlights from ‘Queerbody’ is the epic ‘Rest’.

Duetting with Stenemo, ‘Rest’ is a wonderfully refined pop statement from LIZETTE LIZETTE, with swirling synth sounds and the widescreen Nordic atmosphere which makes electronic music from the region so appealing. It actually has an optimistic mood of acceptance despite the melancholic tone, with Senemo’s majestic growl complimenting Nordahl’s assertive snarl marvellously.

Meanwhile, the powerhouse of ‘Future’ originated from a track that Christian Berg hadn’t used for KITE and recalls the pulsating tension of ‘I Can’t Stand’ from their ‘V’ EP. The equally dynamic ‘Slow’ also emerges cut from a similar satisfying cloth. But the thrills don’t end there!

Full of feisty energy, ‘Freak’ is a tremendous declaration of frustration as LIZETTE LIZETTE announces “I know that I am strange…” – to illustrate the song, Nordahl has conceived a video directed by Emerson Berglund based around a Jerry Springer talk-show format with local comedian Johan Wahlström playing the host.

Throughout ‘Queerbody’, the lyrics exude bitterness and betrayal with the opening song ‘Easy Street’ specifically attacking those perceived to have had a privileged ride in life… ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK can connect with this one in relation to the clueless posh boys who proliferate the world of music journalism. Then there’s the electronic drama of ‘Scapegoat’ which comes from a similar kind of mindset while the more haunting, reflective tone of ‘All You Stole’ rounds off an impressive mini-album.

A fan of NIRVANA and HOLE before discovering the charms of VISAGE, SOFT CELL and DEPECHE MODE, the varied influences of LIZETTE LIZETTE on ‘Queerbody’ blueprint an exciting forthright direction to take electronic pop in the future. REIN indeed now has a rival…

‘Queerbody’ is available as a download direct from https://lizettelizette.bandcamp.com/releases

http://lizettelizette.com/

https://www.facebook.com/lizettelizettequeer/

https://www.instagram.com/lizettelizette/

https://soundcloud.com/lizette-lizette/sets/queerbody

Text by Chi Ming Lai with thanks to Deb Danahay
Photos by Izabella Englund
17th April 2017

Introducing MOLINA

26 March 2017 /

Denmark’s Rebecca Molina confesses that she “draws inspiration from the old 70s synth scene and blends it with its intuitive and quirky pop melodies”.

Taking you to “a dreamy atmospheric production, with a classic pop form, which is dominated by vibrant industrial drums”, the Copenhagen based multi-instrumentalist debuts with her atmospheric EP ‘Corpus’ which presents six tracks of experimental synthpop.

These songs skilfully combine the future and the vintage years of electronica. MOLINA writes, produces and even creates videos to accompany her music, which puts her in line with the Canadian synth starlet GRIMES.

‘Dream Original’ kicks off the production wth harsh snare tones, various drum rolls, whistling, classic sounding synth and that chaotic representation is indeed as original as it gets, before ‘Are They Gold?’ Various influences are palpable here, ranging from DEPECHE MODE through AND ONE, AVRIL LAVIGNE and I AM SNOW ANGEL.

‘Vaporised’ is a vocal interplay extravaganza, while ‘Hey Girl’ is a melodic gem that GRIMES herself would be proud to put down her own name to. ‘Meat Monster’ again brings the old and new together, with a sublime use of synth and a haunting vocal; TEARS FOR FEARS meets GOLDFRAPP as hand-in-hand off, they walk off into the bright synth future.

First single ‘Salvation’ closes the EP with further sonic border bending and a refreshing self-confidence exhibited by the artist when it comes to, not only her own creativity, but also her body and innate ability to create music.

For MOLINA, this release is “a tribute to me and my own body, and what it can show me mentally and physically. That’s why I called it ‘Corpus’… it’s about letting go, enjoying the present and praising myself for who I am without having any disgrace.”

And so she did; MOLINA has taken the sound of vintage electro and combined it with fresh, quirky and futuristic experimental approach. If it worked for GRIMES, it will certainly work for her.

Now Denmark for sure joins Norway, Sweden and Finland in the field of artful synthpopia.

‘Corpus’ is released by No3 via the usual digital platforms such as iTunes and Amazon

https://www.facebook.com/molinamarble/

https://www.instagram.com/rebbemolina

https://soundcloud.com/corpusmolina

Text by Monika Izabela Trigwell
26th March 2017

Introducing VANBOT

31 January 2017 /

Despite what appeared to be an existential crisis within their domestic independent synth community in 2016, Sweden continues to be special.

As the New Year begins in earnest, one fine work to emerge from Scandinavia’s dark winter haze is ‘Collide (Krasnoyarsk)’, the new single by VANBOT. The work of Ester Ideskog, this supreme slice of glacial elegance was written while Ideskog was travelling on the Trans-Siberian railway. It was part of an adventurous 17 day journey from Moscow to Beijing with her collaborators Johannes Berglund and Petter Winnberg to compose a new full-length work.

Signalling a move into the more delightfully odd Nordic Noir territory of artists such as IAMAMIWHOAMI, ‘Collide (Krasnoyarsk)’ acts as a fitting trailer for the album ‘Siberia’.

The finished recording successfully captures the atmosphere of its genesis and with a newly unveiled promo video to accompany the tune; the visuals capture the tension of the region’s extreme and expansive landscapes in the form of an abstract modern dance choreographed by Clara Björck and Eos Karlsson.

Already a veteran of two albums, it was “Late night bike riding and endless love for retro synthesizers” that inspired VANBOT into venturing into the world of electronic pop. Drawing comparisons with fellow Swedish songstress ROBYN, the driving standalone single ‘Got To Get Out’ gained her favourable attention and a slot at the SXSW Festival in Texas in 2012.

However, the enigmatic ballad ‘Trooper’ from her second album ‘Perfect Storm’ in 2015 showcased her developing avant ethos, with songs central to the core while utilising a wider cinematic spectrum.

Embracing the technological limitations of recording on a train compartment, the threesome purposefully made no additional recordings upon their return home to ‘Siberia’. With constant motion and new locations looming throughout, ‘Siberia’ will be an interesting conceptual listening experience if nothing else.

‘Collide (Krasnoyarsk)’ is available as a download single via the usual digital retailers through Lisch Recordings

The album ‘Siberia’ is released on 7th April 2017

http://www.vanbotmusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/vanbotmusic/

https://twitter.com/vanbotmusic

https://www.instagram.com/vanbotmusic/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
31st January 2017

Introducing DISQO VOLANTE

3 December 2016 /

disqo-volante

DISQO VOLANTE is Korean-American multi-instrumentalist Matthew Booth, a sax virtuoso with a penchant for synthpop.

Originally from Seoul but now based in Carrboro, North Carolina, the hybrid of his musical and cultural heritage has produced a familiar yet unusual sound with a modern aesthetic.

Indeed, the inclusion of sax does set DISQO VOLANTE apart from the competition, recalling aspects of David Bowie.

Inspired by his return to South East Asia since leaving as a child following his adoption, the single ‘Pretend For A Day’ successfully pulls off a jazz / synthpop integration without descending into the banality of the horrible electro swing sub-genre.

Meanwhile, the pentatonic melodies provide a marvellous uplifting quality, with only some overdriven drums slightly spoiling the fun. The template recalls the legendary YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA who showcased some jazz leanings on their eponymous debut album with tracks like ‘Simoon’ and ‘Cosmic Surfin’.

DISQO VOLANTE’s debut EP ‘re: lit’ is a musical homecoming journey via Tokyo, Osaka and Seoul. From it, the excellent synth stabbing ‘Never Said’ comes over like an EDM tinged version of THE FAINT, while the arpeggio laden ‘Love Game’ recalls a club friendly version of cult Merseyside duo DALEK I LOVE YOU reborn for the 21st Century. On both tunes, the sax breaks really sound like they shouldn’t be there, but they work!

‘re: lit’ reveals an artist not afraid to experiment, but willing to maintain a musicality to catch the attention of the listener. While not yet fully formed, DISQO VOLANTE possesses crossover potential.

disqo-volante-re-lit‘Pretend For A Day’ is available as a free download at https://soundcloud.com/disqo-volante/pretend-for-a-day

The ‘re: lit’ EP can be downloaded via https://disqovolante.bandcamp.com/album/re-lit

http://disqovolante.com/

https://www.facebook.com/disqovolante/

https://soundcloud.com/disqo-volante/sets/re-lit

Text by Chi Ming Lai
4th December 2016

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