Following one of the most traumatic periods of her life which also led to one of her most artistically prolific, Alison Lewis is back as her solo alter-ego Zoe Zanias to present ‘Chrysalis’.
As the title of the album suggests, ‘Chrysalis’ is a rebirth. Her emotional catharsis to music is ever present, but there is also an emergent avant-pop sensibility providing hope, despite the dark times that the world finds itself with a new Cold War and environmental catastrophe looming.
Alison Lewis made her name as a member of the acclaimed minimal synth duo LINEA ASPERA with Ryan Ambridge. While they delivered an excellent comeback album ‘LPII’ in 2020, her focus has since been as ZANIAS with the most recent album ‘Unearthed’ emerging in 2021.
‘Chrysalis’ was seeded by a number of unfortunate events in Lewis’ life but using her own music as therapy, she has weaved a cocoon of hope from the despair. Song topics include the human condition, burnout, disillusionment, bereavement and the toxicity of capitalism. Written and recorded between her adopted home of Berlin and the rainforest of Queensland in Australia, despite the various foods for thought, this is the possibly the most accessible ZANIAS album yet.
The excellent ‘Simulation’ opens and is a bittersweet ode to Berlin where “This city is a fable, nowhere else to go. This city has enabled us all and it’s breaking my soul”. Despite the introspection as expressed by a hauntingly contralto vocal, the backdrop glistens. Capturing “a broken reality” where “everything’s shattering”, a joyful escapist euphoria counters those feelings.
The swaying avant pop of ‘Metrics’ is beat-centric, ghostly yet danceable with a catchy buzz. Meanwhile if Madonna had more gothic tendencies around her ‘Bedroom Stories’ period, the dark and ethereal ‘Burial’ might have been the end result. Its lush synth strings and voiced-derived layers points towards the “Global Pop” of PRAISE but is much deeper.
With glorious arpeggios and lush synth strings, ‘Lovelife’ is wonderfully trance, bolstered with bass guitar by live bandmate Laura Bailey aka NEU-ROMANCER while an array of pitch-shifted voice samples act as an abstract lead vocal before the actual one kicks in. With ominous tones reminiscent of THE CURE’s ‘A Forest’, ‘Closing’ uses a number of interesting vocal treatments which provide intensity over the snappy rhythmics.
In a departure, ‘Teatree’ features virtual strums and could be considered an eerie ZANIAS folk ballad while also taking a more sedate approach, ‘Departure’ projects a more atmospheric tone with rung textures and a white noise backbone. To close, the ‘Chrysalis’ title song goes for a full acoustic intro before beats and electronics make their presence felt as our heroine emerges from her sheltered state into her next stage of growth.
Evocative and captivating, ‘Chrysalis’ is the best Zoe Zanias long player to date. Alison Lewis remains independent and true to her art while providing a new found immersive immediacy that will help her music reach a wider audience. That balance is no easy feat to achieve but with some new approaches, she has managed it.
‘Chrysalis’ is released by Fleisch as a limited edition black/blue or blue/green vinyl LP, CD + digital release, available direct from https://zanias.bandcamp.com/
Hailing from Fremantle in Western Australia, NEU-ROMANCER is the latest in a lineage of electronic producers who have made Berlin their creative base and home.
The vehicle of Laura Bailey, the debut NEU-ROMANCER release ‘Neue Romantika’ is a largely Italo flavoured techno EP that pays tribute to the New Romantics while aurally illustrating a not-so-far-off digital dystopia.
As well as NEU-ROMANCER, Bailey is also plays bass in goth band VV & THE VOID, punk band CIERN and augments Alison Lewis in the live set-up of ZANIAS, the solo project of the charismatic LINEA ASPERA frontwoman. ‘Neue Romantika’ has been released on Lewis’ label Fleisch and also includes an ethereal remix of the title track by her.
As well as being a musician, Bailey is an artist with a talent for drawing and also a teacher. She kindly chatted to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK about NEU-ROMANCER and how her relocation to Berlin has reinvigorated her creativity and outlook.
What prompted your relocation to Berlin?
It feels so long ago. To be completely honest, it was quite the prompt… I broke my toe while I was traveling through Greece. The moment it happened I was overwhelmed with happiness, hopeful it would be a good enough excuse to not go back to Australia. Broken toes can’t really be fixed and it was absolutely fine a few weeks later. I moved to Berlin shortly after.
Was Berlin exactly as you imagined or were there a few shocks? I think seeing someone smoke heroin on the platform of Neukölln U-Bahn station was mine!
Haha! It’s part of the parcel. You do get used to it. It’s definitely a choose-your-own adventure sort of place. Public transport here is a daily challenge to see how well you respond to such situations. In saying that, I still hate the smell of crack on the U-Bahn. It was a shock at first, yes absolutely.
Your first instrument is bass, so how did you become interested in making music by electronic means?
Well, I began on violin, and from there I really wanted to play drums, so my Dad’s compensation was the bass (which is also his instrument, so we now get to enjoy this together).
The interest in making electronic music had a slow start, initially Ableton was more of a songwriting tool. I remember my first dance party in Sydney… I tried to resist the whole thing. At the time I didn’t know anything about EBM or body music, it would have been so enlightening. After my move to Berlin, I really got into artists like CURSES and SKELESYS who are the perfect bridge between the two worlds.
Then, when Alison and I began playing together, our long drives were filled with showing each other our influences. It was after that I really got excited. It’s a special moment, finding your new favourite thing.
‘Neue Romantika’ captures the New Romantics and Berlin, how did the imagery for the title track take shape in your head?
Thank you! ‘Neue Romantika’ initially took many forms… actually, I can share the demo with you if you would like? It’s quite rough, but it gives an idea of how I write my music… often they start off as songs that I then remix. I guess you imagine at the end of the day how you would like to be received. What is the end goal? I hate singing live. I’m way too shy, I want to dance and be present… maybe one day I’ll be able to enjoy both. In terms of the name – ‘Neue Romantika’ translates to ‘New Romantics’ in German… playing with all these cross-references felt like something that encapsulated what I was going for as a first release.
‘Remnants’ moves away from the instrumental uptempo format of the EP and ventures into classic goth; it is a duet featuring Kris Baha and has this strong melodic resonance and romance about it, have any particular artists been an influence?
Absolutely, if you have seen Kris play live, he covers THE CURE’s ‘Burn’ so well. He has such incredible range and emotion. We worked on ‘Remnants’ together with this in mind. The idea also stemmed from listening to Dischi Autunno’s compilation ‘Intermezzo’, which includes a CURSES song he wrote with his beautiful wife Rachel called ‘Gina’ and Kendal’s track ‘Nostalgia’. It reminded me how diverse this release could be, so why not write something more melodic and romantic? Sonically, artists like CHROMATICS and BLACK MARBLE have also contributed to this direction.
Are you planning to sing more yourself in the future?
Yeah, for sure, it is more or less how these songs begin, I am slowly letting vocals trickle back in.
Photo by Larissa Schöfl
‘Superposition’ has echoes of ‘Enjoy The Silence’, now synth hooks seem to play a key role in your music which isn’t always the case in a lot of techno for example… so is this your love of Italo Disco creeping in?
Yes! Of course… and that is incredibly sweet re: the DEPECHE MODE reference – I absolutely love a good synth hook. I am really enjoying what is going on with this Italo revival. I was talking with a friend the other day about how I never thought I would be alive at the right time and place to enjoy a movement that actually resonates. Everything on Ritmo Fatale is just fantastic.
What are your favourite composition and recording tools / synths?
Ableton, for sure. Every track always has a bit of MS20 somewhere… my bass… all the little bits that I’m so comfortable with, self-extensions. I think I might be picking up my dream synth this year. So, fingers crossed.
‘Blindsight’ is speedier but is the title referring to the “not-so-far-off digital dystopia” you have mentioned on Bandcamp? How do you find having to use social media as an artist and the attention that is triggered as a result?
The consistent idea behind all these references is exploring consciousness and identity through technology. In our current “dystopia”, social media has become an extension of oneself. I am trying to look at social media through the lens of what I am creating as opposed to it being personal. It can be exhausting, but at the same time it’s like a canvas. I don’t use it as often as I should and fortunately, the attention I have received so far has been predominately kind.
How did meeting Alison Lewis and becoming part of the ZANIAS live set-up come about?
The first time I met Alison, she was staying at my place in Sydney after a show. I’ll never forget that night, it was a late one and she just cracked me up. Fast forward a few years – everyone was stuck in Berlin not being able to tour due to the pandemic, which was actually quite fortunate because we all got to know each other.
So, Alison and I had a very wholesome time going for walks through Treptower Park and catching up over tea. When summer came, ZANIAS was offered some covid-regulated shows, I was invited. It was incredibly surreal, I think our first show was at the Munich Olympic Stadium… it was after that we discovered how well we work together.
What certainly comes across in the shows is that you and Alison love performing and touring together, are there any plans to collaborate together in the studio?
Yes, we are having a great time, and absolutely… we are drowning in ideas, looking forward to having some time to arrange them all. There will definitely be some collaborations on the way.
Is there a favourite tour memory or a fun incident that you cherish?
Grauzone Festival was definitely a highlight for the year so far, ZANIAS performed on Friday then we both DJ’d Saturday. After I finished, a group of us ran through the streets of Den Haag to get from my set to hers. When we got there the energy was so special. It was pure magic.
With Alison Lewis, Jennifer Touch and Joon, you’ve manage to connect with a cool electronic sisterhood, there’s still a lot to change but how do you see the future for female music artists?
Yes, these humans are all wonderful, I love the connection with all of them, they are all so incredibly talented.
I see a more political future fuelled by activism, I think we can all feel it coming. Our societal changes will certainly influence music and parties. In terms of the future for women in music – I hope we won’t have to question it. After growing up in the pre #metoo music world back home, I know we are already moving towards a better reality… not everywhere (not yet) but the dream is to abolish this dated, patriarchal bullsh*t. Music has a history of powering things along.
What is next for you?
I’ve just sent off some tracks to two very lovely compilations I am honoured to be a part of. Also a bunch of remixes, which is super exciting. Alison and I are going B2B at Berghain for the ‘Bite Nite’ on April 21st… still can’t believe it. ZANIAS has a lot of touring planned, we have some very special adventures lined up as well… with writing in between.
My punk band CIERN has a bunch of shows booked too, very much looking forward to the ‘Castle Party’ in Poland. And yeah… it’s been such a wonderful year already.
ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its grateful thanks to Laura Bailey
Following one of the most traumatic years of her life, Alison Lewis is back as ZANIAS to present more of her emotional catharsis to music.
The first fruit of labours is the excellent ‘Simulation’ which is a bittersweet ode to the Australian’s adopted home of Berlin where she “landed here at twenty-three”.
“This city is a fable, nowhere else to go. This city has enabled us all and it’s breaking my soul” she sighs. But as her vulnerable soul is bared, she counters with the view that “in a world so f*cking awry, let’s talk about our favourite ways to get high…”
From the forthcoming album ‘Chrysalis’, out soon on Lewis’ own Fleisch Records, ‘Simulation’ itself while is typically introspective and moody in that ZANIAS vein with a hauntingly contralto vocal. However it is also eminently danceable and occasionally sparkles instrumentally in a manner that is more akin to Lewis’ other project LINEA ASPERA with Ryan Ambridge.
All these contrasting feelings are captured on the superb visual accompaniment directed by Janis Reichert who was found by ZANIAS live bandmate Laura Bailey aka NEU-ROMANCER on an Italo party boat!
Accurately capturing the feeling expressed that “In a broken reality, everything’s shattering”, the eerie slo-mo effect was achieved by all concerned filming to ‘Simulation’ being speeded up to 138BPM. The end result captures a joyful escapist euphoria with the rave angels at the Untertage club cast as extras.
Alison Lewis has said she has made more music in a single period that any other time of her life and as well as the ‘Chrysalis’ album, there will be ZANIAS live dates which will include Europe, the UK and Canada. “I have soooo much to share” she said on her social media, “this is just the beginning…”
‘Simulation’ is available as a digital single on the usual online platforms and direct from https://zanias.bandcamp.com/
ZANIAS 2023 UK live dates include:
Southampton 1865 (14th February), Liverpool Quarry (15th February), Glasgow Ivory Blacks (16th February), Manchester Rebellion Club (18th February), London Lexington (19th February), London Camden Assembly Hall (17th March) – further information on these and other shows at https://swampbooking.com/zanias/
LINEA ASPERA released their self-titled debut album in 2012. A collection of dark but danceable electronic pop, before any new listeners had an opportunity to discover and savour them, the duo had already disbanded in 2013.
One of the nearest partnership comparisons from the past was Cosey Fanni Tutti and Chris Carter. But a bit like OMD, LINEA ASPERA produced clever electronic pop with scientific themes acting as symbolism for the less-savoury side of life. Counterpointing Alison Lewis’ telling of terrible things were the beautiful melodies and engaging rhythm construction of Ryan Ambridge.
The duo resurfaced in 2019 with the release of the ‘Preservation Bias’ compilation of EP tracks and rarities, leading to a reunion with live shows around Europe including a triumphant gig at Electrowerkz in London and the announcement of a second LINEA ASPERA album. While under her ZANIAS moniker, Lewis has fully involved herself into instrumentation, programming and production, for ‘LP II’ she has left that all to Ambridge, with the two working remotely in different countries and using Dropbox for the three distinct stages of instrumental / vocals / mix.
Channelling her anxiety and anger, Lewis’ emotive and intense vocal delivery with the spectre of Lisa Gerrard looming uses words that intelligently relate the trials and tribulations of the human condition to aspects of physics and astronomy. Meanwhile Ambridge uses analogue production techniques with his synths and drum machines, so that they really do sound like they could have emerged from a bygone era.
The vocal and instrumental elements combine for a vintage minimal electronic pop sound, but with the twist of an accomplished singer as opposed to the off-key out-of-tune vocal efforts that have often spoiled music of this type in the past.
With a sparkling arpeggio in homage to THE KNIFE and their ‘Silent Shout’, the opening song ‘Solar Flare’ is glorious, with an almost gothic folk delivery over the quietly pumping backing to provide a unique resonance, using the science of the stars as a metaphor for the observation of pain and suffering.
Using a steadier paced octave shifting bassline and the ominous tones of a string machine, ‘Redshift’ uses another astronomy phenomenon for Lewis to bear her soul, declaring “I’d like to choose you to fill the void”. ‘Equilibrium’ combines HI-NRG with darkwave, recalling the American duo SOFT METALS with its looping techno hypnotism. The harrowing words “Take my flesh, take my bones, I don’t use them anymore” document more of Lewis’ existential woes over Ambridge’s mechanised setting .
But with building bursts of synth, the longest track on the album ‘Entanglement’ sees Lewis saying she is “not used to feeling good”. But despite her declaring “you couldn’t fascinate me more” and “this is the warmth”, is it all over as she asks herself “am I spinning back to earth?”.
Despite using a bright keyboard hook, ‘Entropy’ gets serious about the gradual decline into disorder in some parts of the world; with elements of classic SOFT CELL in Ambridge’s infectious electro backdrop, Lewis offers in her statement of resignation that “well it all falls apart, just like everything else does” in a manner which lyrically could be Marc Almond.
With Lewis disillusioned again with love and announcing that the girl who doesn’t need anything is actually a fantasy, ‘Decoherence’ connects to more physics themes via a cosmic synth lattice leading to a metronomic backbone helped along by an enticing bassline triplet.
On the superb ‘Event Horizon’, the cutting synthesized hooks, disco drum box rhythms and supreme vocals confirm how LINEA ASPERA have become such a highly rated and beloved duo and why their magnificent melodic melancholy has been so missed over the past few years.
The solemn ‘Wave Function Collapse’ closes this second LINEA ASPERA album away from the uptempo nature occupying most of it with a moody quantum mechanics analogy. In distress, Lewis cannot help her venting her frustration, with the glaring admission that “I can’t do this anymore, I made the right choice this time and it’s making me ill…”
Science and electronic pop are natural bedfellows but despite the pain and anguish through this record, LINEA ASPERA have paradoxically made a very seductive one. Delightfully uncluttered with each part having its role, ‘LP II’ maintains a dark austere without being depressing. As well as being emotive, it is catchy too and highlights why LINEA ASPERA floor the competition. ‘LP II’ may be just eight tracks after eight years, but it is quality over quantity, so up yours Daniel Ek, the rather (he)artless CEO of Spotify.
LINEA ASPERA’s return of has been well worth the wait and with BOY HARSHER having gained much of the attention recently for their brooding style of electronic pop, while they are very good, LINEA ASPERA are even better.
Welcome back Alison Lewis and Ryan Ambridge, modern electronic pop is so much better with you both together as part of it.
Jennifer Touch, the Dresden-born / Berlin-based producer and DJ makes her long-awaited album debut with ‘Behind The Wall’, having presented her first recordings in 2014.
Wearing a coat of many colours, Jennifer Touch is a developing talent who as happy with techno and industrial as she is with synthpop. It has been over 30 years since the fall of The Berlin Wall and it is not surprising that she has looked back to her time growing up in Communist East Germany as the catalyst for this long player released on the Brighton independent label Fatcat Records.
The daughter of DDR flower-power children, she was introduced to synthpop and new wave via her father’s extensive record collection which included THE HUMAN LEAGUE and DURAN DURAN. The joyful image of ‘Deutschland 83’ agent hero Kolibri hearing ‘Hungry Like The Wolf’ for the first time on a Sony Walkman is perhaps symbolic of how many young East Germans like her became enthralled and curious about life and culture on the other side of The Iron Curtain.
Taking in DAF, THE KLF and PJ Harvey along the way on the route to adulthood, this melting pot of tastes inspired her early music productions. The excellent ‘Chemistry’ was the track that launched it all to a wider listenership outside of club circles and it appears on ‘Behind The Wall’ in remixed form. Cleaner and tighter but still retaining the essence of the original, Touch conceived her baby while in a state of depression. “I knew I had the music inside me” she explained, “but it felt like I was stuck,”
But ‘Behind The Wall’ begins in a more abstract manner with ‘Imaginary Boys’, an art piece that acts as a building soundtrack to Touch’s commute through Berlin to the studio each day. While much of the city has been rebuilt, many aspects of its distinctive architecture remain and loom with a dark and powerful resonance.
The album’s emotional centre point is ‘Attic’, where stark electronics and metronomic beats echo EMIKA but built around a rigid if much colder foundation. A fight against a system of restricted surroundings, its feelings are relevant in the lockdown of today as they were more than three decades ago in Eastern Europe.
With a hypnotic DAF-like sequencer hook and a brooding metronomic mood, ‘Daria’ is sombre electro-punk, while the depressed aural symbolism of ‘The Wall’ sees Touch expressing her pain of confinement both physically or mentally.
The unsettling adrenaline rush ‘Teflon’ is a non-stick statement of resilience but also an adventure in industrial techno cabaret, with Touch’s role as a chanteuse veering between deadpan and distress also sharpening the Götterdämmerung austere.
The rhythmically dominant ‘I Love You, Let’s Go’ harbours thoughts of escape as the electronics throb and veer towards psychedelia, but ‘Iggy’s Slight’ does what it says on the tin and pays electro homage to Iggy Pop, in particular ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ via the retention in spirit of its iconic bassline.
Meanwhile, ‘Flatlands’ beautifully takes a leaf from the songbook of fellow Berlin resident ZANIAS aka Alison Lewis of LINEA ASPERA both vocally and musically with its immersive minimal darkwave to provide an album highlight. With a gritty gothic resonance, ‘Supersize’ is the least electronic number of the collection although this is offset by radio signal swoops and a percussive noise rattle.
However, the mantric ‘Your Dawn’ takes the record down ohne schlagzeug with drones encapsulating a stark subterranean atmosphere which Touch says is “A rescue boat I wrote for a very close friend who was experiencing some dark and sad times. It’s an invitation to dance with me, a lullaby, a consolation”.
While there are stand-out tracks, overall ‘Behind The Wall’ does not quite reach the heights of more recent releases by EMIKA and ZANIAS, enough promise is revealed to indicate that Jennifer Touch could join their ranks in a few years. Whether she decides to expand on her song-based vision or ventures back to the purer techno-oriented productions of 2019’s ‘Seven’ EP remains to be seen.
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‘Chrysalis’ is released by Fleisch as a limited edition black/blue or blue/green vinyl LP, CD + digital release, available direct from https://zanias.bandcamp.com/
in remixed form. Cleaner and tighter but still retaining the essence of the original, Touch conceived her baby while in a state of depression. “I knew I had the music inside me” she explained, “but it felt like I was stuck,”
EP remains to be seen.
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