Category: Introducing (Page 8 of 26)

Introducing ALICE HUBBLE

12 June 2019 /


ALICE HUBBLE is the new solo project of Alice Hubley, previously best known for fronting ARTHUR & MARTHA.

Channelling her inner Delia Derbyshire and Daphne Oram while also exploring the sonics of Germanic masters TANGERINE DREAM and ASHRA, Hubley’s upcoming debut album ‘Polarlichter’ is the product of one lady locked at home with her collection of synthesizers.

An impressive support slot for CAN’s Damo Suzuki finally showcased the electronic pop potential of Hubley which has largely remained hidden within the more indie confines of her musical adventures since ARTHUR & MARTHA. With her forlorn vocal presence, her earthy demeanour is ideal for melancholic pop layered by vintage synths and driven by primitive drum boxes.

‘Goddess’ is the first single and while its musical inspirations are cited as being ‘Boy’ by BOOK OF LOVE, ‘Plainsong’ by THE CURE and ‘Of All The Things We’ve Made’ by OMD, the iconic chordial structure from the first section of the full-length ‘No1 Song In Heaven’ by SPARKS, the Mael Brothers’ pièce de résistance recorded with Giorgio Moroder is also very much in evidence.

Laced in Korg and Juno, Hubley says: “Goddess is a song about the male gaze; about a man idolising a woman to the point that he doesn’t see her as a person. His ‘love’ is all consuming and the focus of his affection is seen merely as an object. As a result he consumes her and takes from her until she has little left, but thankfully she finds the inner strength to walk away.”

With the single released by Happy Robots Records, the rather good B-side ‘Lake Louise’ is a progressive  instrumental in two distinct movements…

Lightly Motorik while dressed with endearing transistorised keyboard tones and grainy synthetic strings in its first half, the second half is more baroque with a lonely piano adding to its solemn film noir quality.

Having already remixed ‘Radio On’ featuring ex-KRAFTWERK elektronisches schlagzeugmeister Wolfgang Flür for TINY MAGNETIC PETS, Hubley opened for the Dublin synthpop trio on their London sojourn during the late May Bank Holiday weekend.

‘Goddess’ featuring three remixes and ‘Lake Louise’ is released as a download bundle by Happy Robots Records on 31st May 2019

The album ‘Polarlichter’ will be released as a limited edition vinyl LP sometime in early August, pre-order direct from https://www.happyrobots.co.uk/product-page/alice-hubble-polarlichter-new-12-lp-pre-order

ALICE HUBBLE opens for ADVANCE BASE at Redon in London’s Bethnal Green on 22nd July 2019 and PRAM at The Moon in Cardiff on 8th August 2019

https://www.happyrobots.co.uk/alice-hubble

https://www.facebook.com/alicehubblemusic/

https://twitter.com/alice_hubble

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Text by Chi Ming Lai
12th June 2019

Introducing WE ARE REPLICA

21 May 2019 /

Formed in 2015, London-based Franco German dark synth duo WE ARE REPLICA offer intense post-industrial electronics for their brand of Pan-European avant-punk.

Comprising of Nadège Préaudat and Martin Kinz who both share songwriting vocals, synths and production, their captivating live presentation is a heavy aural barrage that is not only sinister but actually sexy too.

With the inevitable spectre of THROBBING GRISTLE, CABARET VOLTAIRE and SPK all looming, it all has a strangely enjoyable sado-masochistic presence. With a side-facing keyboard set-up of a Korg M500 Micro Preset, Korg Monologue, Yamaha DX21, Casiotone MT100 and Korg Volca Keys, the unbelievably photogenic Préaudat is the alluring bohemian seductress with the deep gallic utterances while more enigmatic but powerful, Kinz’s persona resembles that of Arnold Vosloo as Imhotep in ‘The Mummy’.

The pair have now presented their first video for ‘B Baby’, a song from their second extended play release ‘Emergency’. With an eccentrically cerebral demeanour smothered in clattering percussion and a schizophrenic cocoon of haunting voices, it is a dynamic showcase of cross-generational collaboration where within a desolate riverside backdrop, Préaudat and Kinz do erotic deviance while wearing masks of insanity…

The visual presentation was realised by director Lefteris Parasyris and cinematographer Martine Wolff with colour grading by Lionel Kopp who worked on ‘Amélie’ and ‘A Very Long Engagement’, both starring Audrey Tautou. Kinz’s describes the video to ‘B Baby’ as having “an old school MTV vibe” and it certainly is a refreshing antidote to all the filtered digital sanitisation around online and in cinema.

Also from the ‘Emergency’ EP, Préaudat declares ‘Non’ with screechy psychedelic overtones, while ‘1. 2. Free’ exploits the repeat function on the Korg Micro-Preset as on OMD’s ‘Messages’ and OUR DAUGHTER’S WEDDING’s ‘Lawnchairs’, with the cutting hypnotic melody occasionally running free amongst the unsettling processed density of sound.

A highlight from their debut EP and a mainstay of their live set, ‘Create (Who You Are)’ captures the cold cognitive chaos of the artistic mindset, with mutant octave passages, tempo changes and dispassionate vocals messaging home that well-being starts with oneself.

WE ARE REPLICA will not be an immediate proposition to some, but for other listeners, their experimental visceral approach will appeal immensely.

‘EP’ and ‘Emergency’ are both available as downloads direct from https://wearereplica.bandcamp.com/

https://wearereplica.blogspot.com/

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Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Lefteris Parasyris
21st May 2019

Introducing SOMEONE WHO ISN’T ME

9 May 2019 /

“Pop. What else?” is the mission statement of Athens trio SOMEONE WHO ISN’T ME.

Also known as S.W.I.M. by those who find that a bit of a mouthful, the feisty threesome of Marilena Orfanou (synths, guitars + vocals), Maria Hatzakou (drums + vocals) and Gina Dimakopoulou (guitars + vocals) swear by analogue sounds, toy synths, chaotic guitars, fake strings, and off-beat rhythms complimented by deep voices in English and Greek.

The new single ‘Pinku’ comes over an interesting snarly mix of TR/ST and KITE crossed with NEW ORDER. Meanwhile, its superb visual presentation directed by Alkistis Terzi features striking time freeze effect portraits of five Biblical female figures Jezebel, Lilith, the Virgin Mary, Salome and Delilah.

The debut album ‘Dance With You’ was released in February 2019 by Amour Records, the Hellenic home of SARAH P. and KID MOXIE. SOMEONE WHO ISN’T ME’s two most overtly synthy numbers on the album are both instrumentals; ‘Night Flight’ is an airy dream pop number offset by an uptempo backbone while the electronically orchestrated cinematics of ‘Strange’ flirts with the enigmatic aura of arthouse soundtracks.

Meanwhile, the title song was a grand statement of baroque indie with a superb cutting synth solo while the moody synthesized shoegaze of ‘Gomenaki’ was a European radio hit in the summer of 2018; its accompanying video won the 2019 Sound Award for ‘Best Music Video’ at the Indie Memphis Film Festival.

‘Dance With You’ is released by Amour Records

http://www.swimtheband.com/

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https://open.spotify.com/album/0P0DJuiFd2CzDU9Vaxw0il

Text by Chi Ming Lai
9th May 2019

Introducing JENNIFER TOUCH

28 April 2019 /

Hailing from Dresden and a member of the Sinchi DJ Collective, Berlin-based Jennifer Touch offers a varied musical palette that is sometimes danced-based and sometimes synthpop.

While her new EP release ‘Seven’ is more techno-oriented, her previous song-based single ‘Chemistry’ was a dark electronic pop affair with that post-punk snarl, rising and reverberating with brooding vintage synths.

It demonstrates her songwriting abilities away from the clubby climes from which she emerged, not too far off from the intense drama of BOY HARSHER. The hazy visual accompaniment preserves her enigmatic aura with a dose of Mittel Europa chic. Now if Berghain did fashion shows…

On the flipside of ‘Chemistry’, the oddball electro of ‘DDD-1’ is weird and wonderful with Touch’s nonchalant almost spoken voice suiting the artful beat laden backdrop perfectly.

Having released her debut self-titled EP in 2015 with the detached EMMON sounding ‘Boom’, the ‘Feeling C’ mini-album from 2016 featured ‘No One’ which explored some of the abstract vocal aesthetics of fellow Berlin resident EMIKA in her earlier work but in a more four-to-the-floor template, proving that there is indeed something in the water in the former divided city. Meanwhile, the spacey sequenced cacophony of the ‘Feeling C’ title track with its cutting synths and gated snare offered a hypnotic avant-classical disco escape.

Wearing a coat of many colours, Jennifer Touch is a cool developing talent who will play her most prestigious date yet opening for ROBERT GÖRL as part of his occasional ‘Glücksritter’ series of performances in Leipzig on 18th May 2019.

‘Chemistry’ is available as a digital EP direct from https://riotvan.bandcamp.com/album/rvn016-chemistry-ep

http://www.jennifertouch.com/

https://www.facebook.com/touch.jennifer/

https://www.instagram.com/jennifertouch/

https://soundcloud.com/jennifertouch

Text by Chi Ming Lai
28th  April 2019

Introducing POLYCHROME

23 April 2019 /

POLYCHROME describe themselves as “Neon Segawave”, probably an apt term of reference given their flirtations with synthwave and dreampop.

Modern glitch effects like PURITY RING with the girly synthpop resonance of Miami’s PRIEST and the chillwave air of the Sarah P. era of KEEP SHELLY IN ATHENS permeate through the sounds of POLYCHROME, as exemplified by ‘The Call’.

However, the London-based independent duo themselves name the usual suspects of M83, COCTEAU TWINS and CHROMATICS as well as the polarising sub-genre of shoegaze as influences. Fronted by the angelic presence of Victoria Harrison, she is ably partnered by Oliver Price and both contribute vocals as well as production.

“We love it Lo-Fi, old drum machines, vintage microphones and Sega Mega drives!” the duo say, affirming their more rustic approach to electronic pop. Much of the POLYCHROME’s self-titled debut album released in 2018 was written in isolation around the serene surroundings of Grianain Eco Lodge near Fort William and it shows.

The ‘Drive’ influenced ‘Synesthesia’ reflects the union of the senses as suggested by its title, with its synthetic and vocal layers providing an electro-organic wash, accompanied by a rainswept video shot through glass for that suitably hazy effect.

The album closer ‘Don’t Be A Stranger’ provides an airy twist on the ‘Stranger Things’ theme with a slower variation on its iconic pulsing arpeggio, it could be considered POLYCHROME’s mission statement as to their next artistic intent as they move further into combining synthwave with dreampop.

Concluding their debut album campaign with a ‘Final Kiss’ and a manipulated voice hook, the song recalls the sedate synthpop of Canadian duo ELECTRIC YOUTH with chiming guitars and electronic drums complimenting the backdrop.

It will be interesting to see where POLYCHROME head next with many possible paths on the crossroads and while there is still perhaps some focussing to do dynamically, the musical potential is there.

‘Polychrome’ is available as a download album from https://soundofpolychrome.bandcamp.com/

http://soundofpolychrome.com/

https://www.facebook.com/soundofpolychrome/

https://twitter.com/soundofpolychro

https://www.instagram.com/polychromesounds/

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Text by Chi Ming Lai
23rd April 2019

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