Category: Reviews (Page 106 of 200)

CHRIS LIEBING featuring POLLY SCATTERGOOD And All Went Dark

2 August 2018 /

Noted techno exponent Chris Liebing has unveiled a stark new track featuring Mute label mate Polly Scattergood entitled ‘And All Went Dark’.

The brooding minimalist electronic piece basically does what it says on the tin, with an eerily poetic spoken contribution from Miss Scattergood where the Essex songstress is haunted by a “dark shadow on my shoulder” and how “a sickness took hold early on”!

‘And All Went Dark’ is from Liebing’s new album ‘Burn Slow’ to be released by Mute Artists. Daniel Miller has long been an admirer of the Frankfurt-based DJ and the pair shared a stage for a talk at the 2016 ELECTRI_CITY_CONFERENCE in Dusseldörf; the Mute Records supremo had even joked that they would probably want to play exactly the same tracks during their DJ sets at the Time Warp club aftershow.

A striking mood piece ‘Polished Chrome (The Friend Part 1)’ featuring Gary Numan has already acted as early trailer for the album and the ten track opus will also feature vocals from COLD CAVE, ALEEN and Miles Cooper Seaton of folk-influenced experimentalists AKRON / FAMILY,

Liebing has long had a spiritual connection with Mute as a young fan of DEPECHE MODE, YAZOO, DAF, LAIBACH and NITZER EBB, with his recent remixes for DEPECHE MODE’s ‘Going Backwards’ and GOLDFRAPP’s ‘Everything Is Never Enough’ beginning the journey towards ‘Burn Slow’.

‘And All Went Dark’ is from the album ‘Burn Slow’ released by Mute Artists on 7th September 2018

CHRIS LIEBING does an eight-hour all night DJ set at Closer in London’s E1 on 26th August 2018

http://www.chrisliebing.com/

https://www.facebook.com/chrisliebingofficial/

http://mute.com/artists/chris-liebing

http://www.pollyscattergood.com/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
2nd August 2018

SECTION 25 Elektra

1 August 2018 /

Blackpool’s SECTION 25 went from post-punk gloom merchants on ‘Always Now’ in 1981 to mutant electronic dance pioneers with 1984’s ‘From The Hip’ and its seminal single ‘Looking From A Hilltop’, before evolving into a glossy pop act with the album ‘Dark Light’ in 2013.

Founded by the Cassidy brothers Larry and Vin, SECTION 25’s various stages have been shaped by the band’s lead vocalists, from Larry himself to his wife Jenny and now their daughter Bethany.

Part of the iconic Factory Records family, Ian Curtis, Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris all took a productive interest in the band’s creative fortunes over the years, while there was a boost in profile when rapper Kanye West sampled the song ‘Hit’ from ‘Always Now’ for the outro of his 2016 track ‘FML’ which eventually boasted seventeen names in its publishing split due to the number of samples it used!

Sadly Larry and Jenny passed away in 2010 and 2004 respectively, but the family tradition of SECTION 25 continues today with Vin and Bethany joined by cousin Jo on backing vocals and keyboards, along with the newest family member Michael on bass. The new album ‘Elektra’ sees a return to SECTION 25’s post-punk roots and this move is signified by multi-instrumentalist Steve Stringer being joined by the band’s original guitarist from that period Paul Wiggin as the recording’s special guest.

The result of jam sessions and recorded as a live band in the studio, the dreamy opener ‘Laid Back’ with its layers of gentle string machine might indicate business as usual at least with more recent SXXV offerings, but ‘Chase The Blue’ offers live drums and a gritty guitar driven sound to offset Bethany’s voice and some lingering vibratoed synth. Then there’s the dubbier excursion of ‘Creatures’ and the quirky indie of ‘All I Ask’ before a more aggressive new wave demeanour sets in for ‘It Don’t Get’.

‘You Want Some’ continues on the new wave path, while the amusingly titled ‘You Don’t Have To Be Liked To Be Good’ plays with squelches and baggy piano over a percussive template that recalls PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED. The most electronically assisted track ‘The Greatest Thing’ has that fizz reminiscent of NEW ORDER. With Bethany joyfully exclaiming “this is my time”, it offers possibly the highlight of ‘Elektra’.

Again playing with squelches over live drums and incessant bass, ‘This Is The Love’ is another that goes into new wave territory although is a little too long while ‘Floating Sun’ soothes via its swirly textural atmospheres and a hypnotic rhythmic mantra from Vin.

To close ‘Elektra’, there’s a surprising band cover of ‘FML’, the very Kanye track which sampled of ‘Hit’. It bizarrely sounds like CHVRCHES going West Coast rap with the austere essence of the North West looming courtesy of the lingering voice of Larry Cassidy.

Those hoping for more electropop in the vein of the ‘Dark Light’ album might be disappointed, but those who prefer to party like it’s 1979 with guitars, bass and drums will love this latest offering from SECTION 25 as a worthy addition to the Cassidy tradition.

‘Elektra’ is released by Klanggalarie Records as a CD available from http://www.klanggalerie.com/gg278

A selection of the SECTION 25 back catalogue is available from http://www.factorybenelux.com/section25.html

http://www.section25.com

https://www.facebook.com/section25

https://twitter.com/section25

https://www.instagram.com/section25official/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
1st August 2018

EKKOES You Got The Light

28 July 2018 /


EKKOES release their most accomplished single yet in ‘You Got The Light’, a catchy slice of shiny electronic pop that probably would have made the Capital Radio playlist back in 1991.

Comprising of Jon Beck and Rosalee O’Connell on vocals with Dave Fawbert handling the instrumentation and programming, EKKOES released their debut album ‘Elekktricity’ in 2016, with three of its tracks ‘Fight The Feeling’, ‘Heaven’ and ‘Last Breath’ co-written and co-produced with MARSHEAUX production team FOTONOVELA.

It would be fair to say that ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK have found EKKOES a bit too musically polite in the past, but there were signs of more muscular development with two new songs ‘Electricity’ and ‘Heartbeat’ recorded in collaboration with one of the trio’s biggest champions MARK REEDER; he featured both tracks on his ‘Mauerstadt’ long player released last year and it was Reeder who gave EKKOES their first formal release with his remix of ‘Ice Cold’ on his ‘Five Point One’ collection in 2011.

Having opened for the likes of THE HUMAN LEAGUE, ERASURE, BLANCMANGE, BEF and xPROPAGANDA over the years, EKKOES showcased their wares to a potentially receptive audience, although with the various label upheavals they were exposed to during the realisation of ‘Elekktricity’, some momentum was lost.

But with a fresh start and buoyed by the interest from other established music figures like CHICANE who invited O’Connell to contribute vocals on his new album, EKKOES’ second album ‘Kinetik’ out in September promises more big choruses and an aim for, as they put it, “maximalism”. After their rollercoaster career to date, this could be their time…

‘You Got the Light’ is available now on digital platforms and from the upcoming second album ‘Kinetik’ released by Kids Records on 7th September 2018

EKKOES launch ‘Kinetik’ with a live date at The Lexington in London on Monday 10th September 2018

http://ekkoes.com

https://www.facebook.com/ekkoes

https://twitter.com/ekkoesmusic

https://www.instagram.com/ekkoes/

https://soundcloud.com/ekkoesmusic

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photo by Dan Beck
28th July 2018

GUNSHIP featuring TIM CAPPELLO & INDIANA Dark All Day

25 July 2018 /

Ever wanted to chase down the flesh eating zombies? Look no further but the latest animation from GUNSHIP, who have been bringing back post-apocalyptic horror nostalgia with the freshness of today.

GUNSHIP’s 2015 release of their eponymous album was eagerly received by the lovers of vintage gaming, films and sounds of the golden synth era and this Autumn is bringing the release of a follow-up long player ‘Dark All Day’. And here comes the first single, sharing its title with the record’s name.

The trio consisting of Dan Haigh, Alex Westaway and Alex Gingell collaborated with John Carpenter on their music video for ‘Tech Noir’, and are widely known for releasing too cool for school flicks which accompany their rock meets synth creations.


For ‘Dark All Day’, GUNSHIP proudly announced “the undisputed king of ’80s sax joins us to blow his horn — Mr Tim Cappello himself, reprising his role from the movie ‘The Lost Boys’ some 30 years later!”. Cappello made sax sexy by performing sans shirt for Peter Gabriel, Carly Simon and Tina Turner, amongst others and his extended solos on ‘Dark All Day’ bring back the feelings of the good lost days.

As if that’s not enough, GUNSHIP fortifies this one with Lauren Henson aka Indiana as well. Indiana has had a top 20 single with ‘Solo Dancing’ and her haunting Dolores O’Riordan-esque voice is widely recognisable and she certainly doesn’t disappoint on ‘Dark All Day’.

Gentle versus harsh, gracious versus pungent and sexy versus disgusting is what both the song and the video burst with. The zombies attack; they’re being decimated, animation style, and finally the band themselves get drenched with blood looking rain, where Cappello does his amorous sax thing and the scantily clad Indiana dances in the wetness of the red… what’s there not to love!?

The release of the follow-up to ‘Gunship’ LP can’t come quick enough, but for now let’s channel our inner geeks and enjoy ‘Dark Long Day’ in its glory. The album is set to feature vocals from Kat Von D who worked previously with IAMX on the ‘Alive In New Light’ opus and Una Healy from THE SATURDAYS, the girl group known for consistently mining the Vince Clarke catalogue during their hit heyday.

‘Dark All Day’ is available via the usual digital platforms and taken from GUNSHIP’s forthcoming second album also named ‘Dark All Day’ released by Horsie In The Hedge on 6th October 2018, pre-order direct from https://gunship.tmstor.es

https://www.gunshipmusic.com

https://www.facebook.com/GUNSHIPMusic/

https://twitter.com/GUNSHIPMUSIC

https://www.instagram.com/gunshipmusic/

https://gunshipmusic.bandcamp.com

Text by Monika Izabela Trigwell
25th July 2018

ZANTi Broken Hearted City

21 July 2018 /

With Anni Hogan meeting Derek Forbes, one can only expect electrifying miracles.

Hogan, known for her collaborations with Marc Almond, Nick Cave, Barry Adamson,  Robin Rimbaud, Rusty Egan and Wolfgang Flür, shares more than the love for the sci-fi of ‘The Zanti Misfits’ with bassist Forbes, who worked with SIMPLE MINDS and PROPAGANDA, and has recently been the recipient of the prestigious Ivor Novello Award.

As the explosive twosome joined forces some eighteen months ago to create a cinematic gem of their own, here comes the debut long player ‘Broken Hearted City’.

The album has been engineered by Ando Wright at Parr Street studios in Liverpool, with the writing, vocals and production shared equally between Hogan and Forbes. The resultant eight track LP is short and sweet, except it’s not sweet at all.

The opening ‘Scream Machine’ bursts out with entangled guitar, gritty synth, gentle piano and pretty much everything else in between, floating away with shreds of sound, to enter the much more subdued ‘Lonesome’.

The guitar is still the guiding light for the voices of Forbes’ and Hogan’s, creating an atmosphere of a Wild West ballad a la John Fryer’s BLACK NEEDLE NOISE creations. As they walk together into the sunset, ‘Will You Be Mine’ takes over with the grizzly musical elements intertwined with futuristic beats and sprinkles of bossa nova for an electric ballad all sealed with a cinematic stamp.

Hogan takes the vocal reigns on ‘Head Sounds’; a mid-tempo puzzler with background distorted vocals and simple melody.

‘Planet Sweet’ presents an easy listening duet, showcasing the intricacies of Forbes’ vocal, and a radio friendly, uncomplicated structure. It’s like a more grown up version of THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH. Meanwhile, the title track changes the feel instantly with delicate piano, laced with high pitched guitar, both achieving a near Lynchian effect.

Hogan takes the singing reigns on ‘Paris Vortex’, with its luminous grace and magical soundscapes, while the SIMPLE MINDS legacy shines through on the closing titles with ‘Universe Of Love’. This super chilled track has the power to relax and fulfil dream-like fantasies all at the same time. Its floaty textures ebb away with a single line “where do you go?” before it dissipates to nothingness.

It’s not surprising that ZANTi provides a plethora of musical knowhow, what with the pioneering legends’ involvement from Hogan and Forbes.

‘Broken Hearted City’ is grown-up music for grown-up listeners, presented in a modestly served parcel that comes packed with some seriously good material. It is indeed an outstanding song collection, superb!

‘Broken Hearted City’ is released by Downwards Records in CD and digital formats, available direct from https://downwardsrecords.databeats.com/group/zanti-broken-hearted-city

https://zantimusic.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/Zantimusicofficial/

https://twitter.com/ZANTimusic

https://www.instagram.com/zantimusic/

Text by Monika Izabela Trigwell
21st July 2018

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