Tag: Capital X

A Short Conversation with CAPITAL X

3 June 2021 /


British duo CAPITAL X are back after their 2019 ‘Unlocked’ album and with signs that the world can come out to play again, they are all ‘Go!’…

With themes of strength in the face of adversity and calls to action, the gritty ‘Go!’ also comes in remixes from the likes of DAME BONNET and BISSSPUREN. There’s a video filmed by James Knights as well.

Comprising of Ruth C and Julz J, their straight up slices of hard electro compliment their riotous attitude of empowerment, as exemplified by the feisty ‘Stingray’ which was included on the recently released ‘Trans-Global Excess Volume 1’ compilation from Specchio Uomo.

CAPITAL X chatted to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK about ‘Go!’ and becoming ‘Unlocked’…

How have your attitudes changed since you released ‘Unlocked’, is that why things are all ‘Go!’?

‘Go!’ is the only track to be taken outside the context of ‘Unlocked’. We weren’t going to lift any singles from the album, just concentrate on creating a series of videos for our favourite tracks ‘Majesty’, ‘Teeth’ and ‘In Us We Trust’. The videos came out great and ‘Unlocked’ was released at the end of 2019, with a launch party at Madame Claude in Berlin to kick everything off. Then suddenly everything was cancelled, and we’ve been waiting along with everyone else in the scene for live shows to return.

‘Go!’ has become a perfect soundtrack to the anticipation and the sentiment fits perfectly with preparing for what’s next, so it had to have its own release. It’s a reminder to show the world what you’re about and to never stop pushing.

How did the ‘Go!’ EP come together, were there any particular inspirations?

Since our first ever release ‘Club Midnight’, every single has had strong remix contributions. We like to reach out across genres and do something unexpected. We’ve worked with Steve Bond (CHIKINKI), CJ (THE WILDHEARTS), Maethelvin (VALERIE COLLECTIVE) and VICE SQUAD before, and wanted to keep to the idea of taking the track in different directions for ‘Go!’

Our good mate Dame Bonnet gave us his atmospheric new wave post punk take on the track, and we flipped to something totally different with some techno from BISSSPUREN. ‘Go!’ also marks the first ever CAPITAL X release on lathe cut vinyl. Our merch is always limited edition, but for this one we only made one copy… it’s out there somewhere!

Filming a video during the current conditions is not straightforward, how did you come up with the concept?

All three of the suite of videos from ‘Unlocked’ were made entirely by us, and although we’ve added visuals to a remix for this last one instead of the main track, it had to fit the set. If you like our trademark black-and-white chop-and-zooms and the idea of a one-woman garage techno party you’re in for another treat.

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its grateful thanks to CAPITAL X

Special thanks to James Knights

‘Go!’ is available as a download bundle from https://capitalxmusic.bandcamp.com/

https://capitalxmusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/capitalxmusic/

https://www.instagram.com/capitalxmusic/

Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
3rd June 2021

TRANS-GLOBAL EXCESS Volume 1

2 December 2020 /


Ever since the Canadian budget household gadget firm K-Tel diversified into the territory of compilation albums with ‘25 Country Hits’ in 1966, various artists compendiums have been a major part of the music industry fabric.

In particular, curated various artists albums based on a theme, be they around a record label roster, sub-genre or lifestyle experience, such as ‘Methods Of Dance’, ‘Modern Dance’, ‘Some Bizarre Album’, ‘Retro:Active’, ‘This Is Not The 80s’ or ‘Electri_City’ have been enthusiastically received with the opportunity to discover new artists or obtain rare material.

‘Trans-Global Excess Volume 1’ is the first compilation by Specchio Uomo, the independent label run by James Knights of SCARLET SOHO and KNIGHT$ fame specialising in Italo, nu disco and synthpop. He said “It’s a celebration of the independent spirit and the free movement that brought us all together in the first place” containing “music by friends we’ve met on the road and at shows over the years”.

Any good compilation has several star names to draw a potential audience in, but also features a wealth of quality material largely unknown to a wider audience and this one importantly manages to have both.

It begins in an energetic fashion with ‘You Can’t Get Fooled By Love’ by the rebooted BOYTRONIC featuring original frontman Holger Wobker and James Knights himself, the ANT PEOPLE remix providing some tribal enhancement on its bed of sparkly arpeggio-laden Europop. Presented as a Dark Italo mix courtesy of Jens Plöger of RUN:, the German producer takes PYSCHE’s 1987 single ‘Uncivilized’ into territory which isn’t actually that far off BOYTRONIC.

Meanwhile ITALOCONNECTION’s ‘Now Or Never’ is naturally a more modern twist on the classic Italo form by Fred Ventura, but it really does party likes it is 1987! A comparatively new name but with experienced intuition behind it, ‘Discoboom’ is by SNS SENSATION, the solo vehicle of Sebastian Muravchik of HEARTBREAK; his throbbing Moroder-esque attack, laced with some unexpected heavy metal guitar, could easily be mistaken for his duo with Ali Renault.

‘Soldiers Of Love’ by ITALOVE will conjure sunny nostalgia with visions of perms and mullets despite being a demo from 2012, while ‘If There Was No Gravity’ by THE HOOLIGAN takes the collection into jazz flavoured citypop territory and Vienna’s BROKEN EGO provides some whimsical electropop with ‘When The Lights Go Out’.

Another interesting inclusion is the moody electro of LAKESIDE X with ‘Wonder’ which first appeared in 2012 when the Czech combo performed as part of a RECOIL event when Alan Wilder visited Prague for a showing of his concert film ‘A Strange Hour In Budapest’.

But the highlights on ‘Trans-Global Excess Volume 1’ come from three unknown acts. Best of all is the crashing beats and attitude of PLASMASCHWARZ with ‘Mein Kopf’. Cut from a not dissimilar cloth, ‘Stingray’ by CAPITAL X is a bit feistier, but Düsseldorf husband and wife duo MÄNGELEXEMPLAR offer some wonderfully cool Teutonic detachment.

‘Trans-Global Excess Volume 1’ is a diverse collection; the galloping rock of BROKEN LINKS and the spiky snarl of CONTINENTAL LIAISON might confuse KNIGHT$ fans, but they will be far happier with a slice of girly popwave entitled ‘Drifting’ from Roxi Drive which contains the now almost obligatory sax solo and the future disco of KOMPUTER KID’s ‘Summer Again’.

The most poignant track on ‘Trans-Global Excess Volume 1’ comes with the previously unreleased ‘So Agitated’, a chiptune-inspired number by TRADEMARK, a trio comprising Oliver Horton, Stuart Meads and Paul Soulsby who opened for THE HUMAN LEAGUE in 2004. Stuart Meads sadly passed away in 2013 and although there was a final self-titled album in 2014, the inclusion as a fitting tribute.

Featuring 17 eclectic tracks, ‘Trans-Global Excess Volume 1’ has something for most electronic pop fans and in PLASMASCHWARZ, MÄNGELEXEMPLAR and CAPITAL X, it showcases some promising talent for the future. If you are a fan of KNIGHT$, SCARLET SOHO, BOYTRONIC, ITALOCONNECTION or HEARTBREAK, then there is a good chance that you will like a fair portion of this.

‘Trans-Global Excess Vol 1’ is released by Specchio Uomo as a CD and download on 4th December 2020 direct from https://specchiouomo.bandcamp.com/releases

https://www.facebook.com/specchiouomo

Text by Chi Ming Lai
2nd December 2020

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