Alan Wilder did a re-mix for Depeche Mode's "In Chains" for the Remixes 2: 81-11 album that will be out June 6th. I've been a Depeche Mode fan for a long time and grow weary of all the re-mixes but when I heard about the Alan Wilder re-mix I was intrigued. Like alot of people I don't think DM has been the same since Alan left. The epic drama of the old DM music dissappeared with Alan and has been missed sorely, in my opinion. Listen to this remix and you will hear that sound again! Maybe DM can work something out and have Alan produce their next album. Pleeeeeeeze!
P.S. sorry for the long silence... been busy with the new Fluorescent Echo album! I will be posting once a week until we release and then perhaps I can post more often. :)
More than once I have posted about the Dirty Disco. This band who has created some great music that I will be diggin' for quite some time to come. Sadly this group broke up at the beginning of the month, but when one door closes another one opens. The lead singer from the now-defunct band, Adam boy started his own project called "The Adamski Kid" and he only has one track up ready to listen to but it is killer! Not only is it just as strong as the Dirty Disco tracks but it has a raw psycho-creative edge to it that the latter only touched on.
If you liked the Dirty Disco at all I would suggest you check this new stuff out by The Adamski Kid. Mark my words this guy is someone to keep your eye (and ear) on.
Like him on FACEBOOK (you know you want to) HERE and check out this bitchen track on SoundCloud.
However be warned that the lyrics are provocative if that kind of thing bothers you, or your at work or under the age of 18. 'Nuff said.
For those of you that appreciate retro synthpop you will love this. A friend of mine introduced me to this CD which for the time it was release was pretty forward thinking. Lots of great synth arpeggios and fun French pop hooks. I find it fascinating to hear ideas in these songs that you hear further developed in later synth pop music & industrial. For those not so into retro synth music and spastic French singing, you might find this a bit cringe worthy.
BIPP: French Synth Wave 1979-1985 is available on Everloving records and can be found on Amazon as a CD or download purchase.
I discovered some new music last week that I really fell in love with so I thought I would share it with the masses. The group is called LowHero.DLL, which is an electro-alt-pop solo effort by Jonathan Chalker, who is currently residing in Florida. LowHero.DLL has three offerings right now: a single released this September named "Black...Bored", an EP from 2009 entitled "Sub-Intellect" and one full length album released in 2008 called "FM_Era". The two early albums are definite synth-pop with an unique edge. If I had to draw comparisons for his first two albums I would say "Fischerspooner" and "Ladytron", but even that is limiting. Its a little difficult to put comparisons to Jonathan's work because it is pretty original. Not only is his use of electronic texture interesting in a pop context, but his lyrics are clever, a bit humorous and offer more than just the typical relationship focused fare that alot of current synth pop seems to suffer from.
Jonathan's newest offering is bit of a departure from the synth-pop goodness of the first two releases, but is probably my favorite of his work to date. "Black...Bored" as described by Jonathan is "inspired by such acts as PIL, Sonic Youth, Killing Joke, and Big Black". The magical thing about this is that, yes you can hear the influences but, it doesn't rob the electronic nature of Jonathan's music and what you get is a refreshing blend of alt-pop that sticks in your ear and make you want to listen over and over. Jonathan was kind enough to point me to a couple of SoundCloud tracks for me to post for you all. If you like what you hear, mosy on over to LowHero.DLL's band camp page, where all of his material is available to listen to and download for very reasonable prices. There are also CDs for sale.
The Dirty Disco has been my new favorite band for a couple of months now. I like the fact that they can write catchy songs that don't make me feel like I just bathed in a pool of cotton candy afterwards. They are in the process of releasing a new single for their song "Storyteller" and they have posted their new video for the song. The video has a Logan's Run meets Clockwork Orange meets F242 Headhunter vibe (without the giant egg) that I really like... so I'm sharing. Here you go :)
ps. if you really like them you can check them out on their facebook page HERE
Today's cool music are two electronic pop groups: Penguin Prison & Kids on Bridges.
At first listen both are sacharin laced synth-pop, but if you look listen a little deeper you will hear some quirkiness that makes both groups a interesting and worth checking out.
Penguin Prison, originally from Manhattan NY, in the studio is: Chris Glover however live he has a band with him which consists of electric guitar, synth, bass and drums.
The music has a distinct smooth 80's retro feel to it, reminding me of groups like the Pet Shop Boys and ABC. There is something kind of classy and quirky about the synth and soul inspired vocal arrangements. Penguin Prison is generous and has numerous free MP3s available to their fans which you can get from here. You can also get his music on limited edition 7' singles from here, if you are into that sort of thang.
The second group I'm going to talk about today is Kids on Bridges. Kids on Bridges hail from Northwest England and offer up sweet synthpop with a bad attitude. You can get a dose of this with their single "Y don't U", which you can get free from their website. A few other songs are available on their SoundCloud site as well. I'll tease you with a track to get you started ;-)
I like both of these groups. I would buy full length albums from these groups. I would possibly buy cool t-shirts and other merch from these groups, but the frustrating thing is it isn't available. People talk about how record lables don't have the power they used to anymore and that the power is on the internet with the indie bands... maybe thats true but that won't reach its true potential until artists get their merch out and available to folks.
Timothy Eilers seems to be obsessed with creating Gary Numan covers. So far he's covered: I Dream of Wires, She's Got Claws, Cars, Warriors, Berserker, M.E., White Boys & Heroes, Complex, Crimes of Passion, We Have a Technical, Tracks and My Breathing. But that's ok, because he does a fantastic job and in some cases I like his versions better than the original. His newest offering is Music for Chameleons. If you like old Gary Numan tunes then I highly suggest you check this out :) Enjoy!
This has already been posted on Synthtopia & Waveformless, but I love this so much I'm going to post as well. Gary Numan did some 7UP jingles in the 80's apparently. However 7UP wasn't ready for what they got back from him and they were not used, sadly ... because I think these are amazing.
Well its that time again... monday. Those things just don't go away do they? Just as soon as you get rid of one it seems like another is around the corner... heh. Anyway it is time for New Music Monday again like I promised. However, I am now calling it Cool Music Monday because I think that title is a bit more fitting. Some of the acts I may showcase in the future may not necessarily have new music out at the moment, but will definitely be worth showcasing. With that said... the group I want to talk about today is The Dirty Disco.
The Dirty Disco is an unsigned electro-pop/glam band from London with 5 members:
Adam K. - Vocals
Kyle Mackenzie - Electronics
Olly Dexter - Bass
Andrew Ignatius - Guitar
Kyle Langley - Drums
Their sound is an intriguing mixture of electro pop and sleazy glam-rock, think Lady GaGa with balls. You'll hear elements of Dead or Alive, Thrill Kill Kult and Erasure in their latest single "White Room". They have an energy about the music that is exciting and their songwriting is solid and catchy. Their look is consistent with the Lady GaGa glam thang going on now, which is getting a bit overdone but they still manage to keep it somewhat interesting.
On their My Space page they list their influences as:
"For people who watch 'A Clock Work Orange' whilst listening to David Bowie, Prince, Depeche Mode, Gary Numan, The Knife, William Orbit, The Cure, Abba, Mirwais, Michael Jackson, Jefferson Airplane, Britney, Joni Mitchell, Madonna, Computer Club, Duran Duran..."
Well hell... no wonder I like them...!
The only problem I have with these guys at the moment is that I can listen to their music online but very little of it is available for sale or download. Three tracks to be exact. You can purchase their first single "Sista!" on iLike, you can grab a free download of "Rabbit Heart" on their website and you can find remixes of "White Room" on SoundCloud for download. I'm hoping they plan an official release soon, signed or unsigned. In the meantime here are some videos to nosh on while you're waiting. :)
Alot of you probably are aware of the synth pop documentary that the BBC did a month or so ago. Us folks in the US weren't able to see it. Its been posted on YouTube... I'm putting links up here...not sure how long it will last.. I have posted all of the segments here in order, so you can watch them one by one without having to search for the next one :)
It's really well done... all the favorites are there: Gary Numan, Soft Cell, Depeche Mode, New Order, Human League, Throbbing Gristle, Caberet Voltaire...
