The artists behind the LA based project LOST IN STARS like to sideline with the slightly less ubiquitous FUTURE FIRE.
London boy Dylan Willoughby and his collaborator Darren Burgos are often joined in LOST IN STARS by the fabulous Elena Charbila aka KID MOXIE, as well as Alysa Lobo and Jon McCormick. Having been raised on all kinds of instruments requiring fingering and knob turning, Willoughby and his musical imagination started early. With the inclusion of classical piano training, he developed into a fully-fledged producer of stunning cinematic pieces and heart felt arrangements.
A couple of years ago, the master of filigree electronic gems said: “I lived in Toronto when I was younger, and my first instrument was the organ. This was the time of shopping malls and old men with moustaches going nuts on those souped-up organs with all the multi-coloured levers. I guess they were their own kind of rock star. As cheesy as they seemed at the time, those organs revealed that you could play the keyboard and manipulate the sounds.”
Being LA based helps matters enormously and the British boy needs no encouragement to showcase his musical talents, even though for years he’s been battling adverse health conditions and debilitating depression. Surely the output Willoughby produces is closely mirroring his mental state, making the pieces very precious and private to him. After couple of albums with LOST IN STARS and previous releases with FUTURE FIRE, the collaboration with Burgos brings us another EP, ‘Unfollow’.
The almost eponymous track covers the ups and downs of social media of today, where you don’t exist unless you’re active on various social networking platforms, and where the reality seldom meets posts / tweets / videos displayed. “Unfriend unfollow! Unfriend unfollow! I better not see you on my timeline tomorrow!” sums up the relationships of today, with the lyrics written by American vocalist Phalon, who also lends her voice here. ‘Unfriend Unfollow’ is strangely cheerful, given the lyrical content, with a funky beat and cute synth line.
‘Fireflies’ takes Willoughby down memory lane which he says “is a nostalgic song that revisits my youth in which summer dusks were filled with the pulsing lights of fireflies – as kids we would catch them and put them in jars with a hole in the top so they could breathe”. The sounds are also retro; soft synths and calming vocal, it’s a prefect synthwave ballad. Burgos’ voice takes the listener on a journey into the care free past. “The song is about the bittersweet past that we long for even though we didn’t realise at the time how special it was” says Willoughby.
‘What You Need What You Want’ utilises Oberheim SEM on all parts except drums, being a candied synthpop tune with some industrial thrown in.
It’s a luscious club number à la Detroit disco with a twist, it vibrates and arpeggios towards the sublime peak of gritty synthgasm.
A different story is portrayed on ‘I Can’t Take You Anywhere’. According to Willoughby it is “Dystopian House that bridges the debut album and the new EP”. The instrumental extravaganza of sound hits from all directions, not letting up. You could ponder this one, or just get on your feet and dance, mood permitting. Easy!
FUTURE FIRE certainly write supremely good electronic music and the fragility of Willoughby is also his strength… this is not boys with synth toys, it’s men with the big guns!
From Cherry Red Records, the makers of the ‘Close To The Noise Floor’ trilogy showcasing formative and experimental electronic music from the UK, Europe and North America, comes their most accessible electronic collection yet.
Subtitled ‘Independent British Synth Pop 78-84’, ‘Electrical Language’ is a lavish 4CD 80 track boxed set covering the post-punk period when all that synthesizer experimentation and noise terrorism morphed into pop.
Largely eschewing the guitar and the drum kit, this was a fresh movement which sprung from a generation haunted by the spectre of the Cold War, Mutually Assured Destruction and closer to home, the Winter of Discontent.
As exemplified by known names like THE HUMAN LEAGUE, FAD GADGET, SECTION 25 and BLUE ZOO included in the set to draw in the more cautious consumer, this was pop in a very loose manner with melodies, riffs and danceable rhythms but hardly the stuff of ABBA or THE BEE GEES!
‘Red Frame/White Light’ by OMD was a chirpy ditty about the 632 3003 phone box which the band used as their office, while Thomas Dolby’s ‘Windpower’ was a rallying call for renewable energy sources. Then there was the dystopian ‘Warm Leatherette’ by THE NORMAL based around two noisy notes and lyrically based on JG Ballard’s ‘Crash’ with its story around car collision symphorophilia.
While those acts’ stories have been rightly celebrated for putting the electronic avant pop art form into the mainstream, with any truly great compilation or collection, the joy is in finding the lesser known jewels.
Made primarily by the idealistic outsiders and independent experimenters from the lesser known side of Synth Britannia, ‘Electrical Language’ has plenty of synthetic material to rediscover or hear for the first time. Indeed, the more appealing tracks appear to fall into three categories; forgotten songs that should have been hits, oddball cover versions and largely unknown archive wonders.
Those forgotten gems include the exotic ‘Electrical Language’ title track by BE BOP DELUXE, documenting the moment Bill Nelson went electro. His production on the gloriously emotive ‘Feels Like Winter Again’ by FIAT LUX is another welcome inclusion to the set.
But the two best tracks on ‘Electrical Language’ are coincidentally spoken word; ‘Touch’ by LORI & THE CHAMELEONS about a girl’s Japanese holiday romance is as enchanting and delightful as ever, while there is also THROBBING GRISTLE refugees CHRIS & COSEY’s wispy celebration of Autumnal neu romance ‘October (Love Song)’, later covered in the 21st Century in pure Hellectro style by MARSHEAUX.
Merseyside has always been a centre for creativity and this included synthpop back in the day. ‘I’m Thinking Of You Now’ from BOX OF TOYS was a superb angsty reflection of young manhood that included an oboe inflected twist which was released on the Inevitable label in 1983. From that same stable, FREEZE FRAME are represented by the atmospheric pop of ‘Your Voice’
Jayne Casey was considered the face of Liverpool post-punk fronting BIG IN JAPAN and PINK MILITARY; the lo-fi electronic offshoot PINK INDUSTRY released three albums but the superb ‘Taddy Up’ with its machine backbone to contrast the ethereal combination of voice and synths lay in the vaults until 2008 and is a welcome inclusion. The ‘other’ Wirral synth duo of note were DALEK I LOVE YOU whose ‘The World’ from 1980 remains eccentric and retro-futuristic.
Scotland was in on the action too despite many local musicians preferring THE BYRDS and STEELY DAN; although both ‘Mr Nobody’ from Thomas Leer and ‘Time’ by Paul Haig were detached and electronic, they vocally expressed minor levels of Trans-Atlantic soul lilt compared with the more deadpan styles of the majority gathered on ‘Electrical Language’.
Under rated acts form a core of ‘Electrical Language’ and while THE MOBILES’ ‘Drowning In Berlin’ may have come across like a ‘Not The Nine O’Clock News’ New Romantic parody on first listen, its decaying Mittel Europa grandeur was infectious like Hazel O’Connor reinterpreting ‘Vienna’ with The Master of Ceremonies at the Kit Kat Klub in 3/4 time!
NEW MUSIK’s ‘The Planet Doesn’t Mind’ probably would have gone Top 20 if had been done by Howard Jones, although band leader Tony Mansfield had the last laugh when he later became a producer working with the likes of A-HA and NAKED EYES. The brassy arty synthpop of ‘XOYO’ from Dick Witts’ THE PASSAGE was immensely catchy with riffs galore, while POEME ELECTRONIQUE’s ‘She’s An Image’ offered stark European electro-cabaret.
Cut from a similar cloth, one-time ULTRAVOX support act EDDIE & SUNSHINE inventively (and some would say pretentiously) presented a Living TV art concept but they also possessed a few good songs. The quirkily charming ‘There’s Someone Following Me’ deserved greater recognition back in the day and its later single version was remixed by one Hans Zimmer.
Meanwhile, the 4AD label could always be counted on more esoteric output and COLOURBOX’s ‘Tarantula’ was from that lineage, but then a few years later perhaps unexpectedly, they became the instigators of M/A/R/R/S ‘Pump Up the Volume’.
These days, modern synth artists think it is something an achievement to cover a synthpop classic, although it is rather pointless. But back in the day, as there were not really that many synthpop numbers to cover, the rock ‘n’ roll songbook was mined as a kind of post-modern statement. The synth was seen as the ultimate anti-institution instrument and the cover versions included on ‘Electrical Language’ are out-of-the-box and original, if not entirely successful.
Take TECHNO POP’s reinterpretation of ‘Paint It Black’ which comes over like Sci-Fi Arthur Brown while the brilliant ‘My Coo Ca Choo’ by BEASTS IN CAGES (which features half of HARD CORPS) is like PJ Proby with his characteristic pub singer warble fronting SILICON TEENS with a proto-GOLDFRAPP stomp.
Having contributed a T-REX cover for the ‘Some Bizzare Album’, THE FAST SET recorded another. Whereas ‘King Of The Rumbling Spires’ on the former was frantic electro-punk, ‘Children Of The Revolution’ is far more sombre and almost funereal. Least desirable of the covers though is ‘Happy Xmas (War Is Over)’ by HYBRID KIDS.
Of the obscurities worth checking out, the rousing standout is ‘Lying Next To You’ by Liverpool’s PASSION POLKA. A brilliant track akin to CHINA CRISIS ‘Working With Fire & Steel’ but with more synths and drum machine, it was recorded in 1983 but never actually saw the light of day until 2011 via a belated release on Anna Logue Records.
Delightfully odd, the VL Tone and organ infused ‘Bandwagon Tango’ from TESTCARD F is swathed with metallic rattles and possesses a suitably mechanical detachment. But with piercing pipey sounds and a hypnotic sequence, the metronomic ‘Destitution’ by cult minimal wavers CAMERA OBSCURA with its off key voice is one of the better productions of that type. Cut from a similar cloth, the perky ‘Videomatic’ by FINAL PROGRAM throws in some lovely string synths to close.
Swirlingly driven by Linn and her sisters, ‘Baby Won’t Phone’ by QUADRASCOPE comes from the Vince Clarke school of song with not only a great vocal, but also the surprise of a guitar solo in the vein of ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN!
‘The Secret Affair’ from JUPITER RED is a great ethereal midtempo synthpop song also using a Linn, while ‘Surface Tension’ from ANALYSIS is an appealing club friendly instrumental that was largely the work of the late Martin Lloyd who later was part of OPPENHEIMER ANALYSIS.
Produced by Daniel Miller, ALAN BURNHAM’s ‘Science Fiction’ from 1981 takes a leaf out of DALEK I LOVE YOU, while tightly sequenced and bursting with white noise in the intro, ‘Feel So Young’ by LAUGH CLOWN LAUGH has bubbling potential but is spoiled by some terribly flat vocals.
One of the weirder tracks is ELECTRONIC ENSEMBLE’s filmic ‘It Happened Then’ which recalls Parisian art rockers ROCKETS; backed by a brilliant ensemble of synths, it sees the return of the cosmic voice from Sparky’s Magic Piano and remember in that story, it could play all by itself!
Of course, other tracks are available and may suit more leftfield tastes… packaged as a lavish hardback book, there are extensive sleeve notes including artist commentaries, archive photos and an introductory essay by journalist Dave Henderson who cut his teeth with ‘Noise’, a short-lived ‘Smash Hits’ rival that featured a regular ‘Electrobop’ column covering the latest developments in synth.
While worthy, the ‘Close To The Noise Floor’ trilogy could at times be very challenging, but ‘Electrical Language’ provides some accessible balance, allowing tunes and beats in. It captures an important developmental phase in music, when technology got more sophisticated, cheaper and user friendly, that can be directly connected to ‘Pump Up the Volume’. Yes, this story is the unlikely seed of the later dance revolution, like it or not! And at just less than twenty five quid, this really is an essential purchase.
The concept of “Teraz Polska” (Poland Now) has been popularised in the Slavic land on both sides of the Vistula River for years.
But could it be that it truly is the time for the Poles to conquer the world of electronica? Polska has found her own GAZELLE TWIN: enter Natalia Zamilska from the famously darkest part of the country, Silesia. Covered in carbon soot, raising deep from the centre of the Earth, she hits hard with her third album ‘Uncovered’.
The first parts of the undertaking, ‘Untune’ and ‘Undone’ were the formation of the now established artist and ‘Uncovered’ ushers in the new concepts of unearthing deeply hidden sounds, raising rather than falling and defying gravity. Zamilska draws parallels between life in the mining capital of Poland, with the constant noise, trembles and shakes, the true “attacks against the Earth” and creating meaningful music to excavate the electronic beauty for surface delivery.
Katowice may not be the most romantic place on the planet, but it’s certainly a superb backdrop against the industrial sounds which the producer, radio DJ and now vocalist likes to explore.
Zamilska is doing well in Poland with her own radio show, regular gigs and her work has been used by Dior for the catwalk in Japan. She has also remixed GAZELLE TWIN, collaborated with Szczecin Philharmonic Orchestra and received a nomination for a Fryderyk, the Polish equivalent of a Grammy (named after Chopin of course).
‘Uncovered’ can be best described as artful and thought through. Nothing is random here, from the opening ‘Message’ with whipped cymbals, distorted radio and heavy bells to the closing ‘Done’, the shape bending scenarios are being played over and over again.
‘Hospital’ is a mirror image of GAZELLE TWIN’s works on ‘Unflesh’ with words thrown in for good measure, while ‘Hollow’, featuring the voice of Polish actress Justyna Wasilewska, repeats its rhythm as if through smoke. The mantric sound asks “what should I tell you” in various voices and time shifts.
There’s a feeling of dread and images of levitation come to mind. The idea of floating and bending into shapes that are unnatural prevails on this record, being visually presented on the artwork where Zamilska is seen in unworldly positions, as if undergoing an exorcism.
‘Still’ meanders between the two with the sinister voice of a fever induced coma, gathering the strength to enter into ‘Gape’. ‘Alive’ is a synth play, strangely musical and super enticing with unusual punctuations; is Zamilska giving her fellow Polish megastar Nosowska a run for her money here? Run Kaśka, run…
Perhaps it’s just a ‘Delusion’, or maybe a mere religious ritual as empty as the Church’s promises. “Wonderful ‘Prisoner’, wonderful” brings the notion of Earth trembling, being forced to part with its precious resources she had been guarding for centuries. Or are we all ‘Blind’ to the obvious?
‘Back’ and ‘Front’ are both cinematic and epiphany bringing, and in Zamilska’s case it’s simple: “I think I only have one dream, to continue to do what I do, to make music. I finished one stage and have started the next – it’s a strange time full of thinking. There is something around the corner, and I just need to be calm. I’m always saying that to myself: calm down Zamilska, calm down.”
Feeling that the instrumentation wasn’t quite enough to convey all she wanted, the Silesian magician introduced vocals to level “the play between the rising up, letting go and being vulnerable, while still being deeply anchored”.
If this is the level of Polish alternative electronica, then the rest of Europe should be afraid, or perhaps Zamilska is merely proving that the Polish are “narodem wybranym…”
COM TRUISE is well known in the world of synthwave, being often cited as one of the greatest in the genre, providing sci-fi synth delicacies of the otherworldly type.
An obvious play on the name of one of the most prolific Hollywood actors, New Yorker COM TRUISE was born Seth Haley. Currently working out of Los Angeles, while his previous long player brought a completion of a space saga concept, the new opus ‘Persuasion System’ concentrates on the changes on our planet, in the present tense.
With Haley switching digital audio work stations, the mini LP began as an experiment, created in a more fluid, unregimented way, with the outcome being a non-linguistic utopia of today.
If you’re in the market for wild retro dancing á la TIFFANY, this record isn’t for you; the receiver is to plug in into something timeless, eclectic and out of space, instrumental style. Whether it’s gracious beats of ‘Ultrafiche Of You’ or ‘Gaussian’, or perhaps more melodic piano of ‘Kontex’ which works as a perfect cinematic piece, COM TRUISE has it all to suit any tastes of gaming geek or hardcore synthwaver.
Described as COM TRUISE’s “most grounded work to date”, ‘Persuasion System’ ideally reaches out to the borders of unknown universes, transcending the message of peace and hope, like on ‘Existence Schematic’, with its sublime progressions and elaborate electric schemes.
‘Laconism’ generates some urgency, while ‘Privilege Escalation’ leads flatly to ‘Departure’ from the ordinary.
The album’s eponymous track is possibly the strongest here, sounding like a form of FM or karplus synthesis, gently modulating into an extravaganza of Earthly gravitation forces.
While this is not for everyone, what the elaborate experiment has done for Haley is free him of “expectations and permitted a process that echoed the tones of more immediate external environments. A gravity had seeped in; resulting material shifts between bleakness and sublime suspense, awe at the expanse of existing, in looking back and letting go”.
‘Persuasion System’ is released on 17th May 2019 by Ghostly International in CD, vinyl LP and digital formats
Along with FIFI RONG and Re-TROS, STOLEN are part of a new generation of Chinese creatives combining East with West.
Having released their excellent breakthrough album ‘Fragment’ last year and undertaken a successful domestic live tour, the Szechuan six-piece consolidate with a new single ‘Enter The Gap’.
Recorded and produced by Mark Reeder and Micha Adam, while ‘Copyshop’, ‘Turn Black’ and the self-explanatory ‘Why We Chose To Die In Berlin’ have exemplified STOLEN’s hybrid sound, their post-punk techno rock takes a breather on the whispery and almost psychedelic ‘Enter The Gap’.
A moody Sinomatic piece that showcases STOLEN’s musical diversity, ‘Enter The Gap’ has a visual presentation written and directed by Formol. Using the mysterious twist of the band’s distinctive red logo as an inquisitive focal point, it makes a symbolic statement on the clash between traditional values and capital growth, capturing the nature of modern China.
China’s Szechuan province is an area that specialises in some of the world’s hottest cuisine, thanks to their locally grown peppercorns. And now in STOLEN, the region has the hottest band in South East Asia.
STOLEN confess to being influenced by the likes of JOY DIVISION, PORTISHEAD, BLUR, MASSIVE ATTACK, KRAFTWERK, NEW ORDER, RADIOHEAD, DEPECHE MODE and APHEX TWIN.
But as Liang Yi, the growly charismatic lead singer of STOLEN said to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK during an 2018 interview: “It is our basic principle to try and separate our sound from other music. We can let others hear our influence, but we don’t want to become a ‘copy shop’ ourselves! We are trying to inspire others to join us and create our own Sino-sound.”
‘Enter The Gap’ comes from the album ‘Fragment’ released by MFS in vinyl LP and digital formats, available from https://mfsberlin.com/
STOLEN open for NEW ORDER on the following European live dates:
Prague Lucerna Praha (3rd October), Munich Philharmonie Im Gasteig (5th October), Berlin Tempodrom (7th October), Paris Le Grand Rex (11th October), Brussels Forest International (14th October), Amsterdam AFAS Live (17th October)
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The artists behind the LA based project LOST IN STARS like to sideline with the slightly less ubiquitous FUTURE FIRE.
‘What You Need What You Want’ utilises Oberheim SEM on all parts except drums, being a candied synthpop tune with some industrial thrown in.
is a lavish 4CD 80 track boxed set covering the post-punk period when all that synthesizer experimentation and noise terrorism morphed into pop.
is available now as a download direct from 
concentrates on the changes on our planet, in the present tense.
last year and undertaken a successful domestic live tour, the Szechuan six-piece consolidate with a new single ‘Enter The Gap’.
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