Tag: De/Vision (Page 2 of 3)

DE/VISION 13

23 May 2016 /

DEVISION-13For PET SHOP BOYS, their thirteenth album was lucky. ‘Super’ was, indeed, super. Now, here comes Berlin based duo DE/VISION, with their own number thirteen, and high hopes that theirs will, too, be a lucky one.

Having been making music since 1988, Thomas Adam and Steffen Keth, have fought DEPECHE MODE comparisons throughout their musical adventure, developing a unique sound and recognisable tonality. Adam describes their auras as homogeneous, at the same time as having the need to “reinvent ourselves every once in a while…”

Writing new material and gigging it extensively as part of their day job routines, the duo also decided to start their own label, Popgefahr Records. The album ‘Popgefahr’ still sits on top of everything the band have achieved so far, but the label doesn’t exclusively release DE/VISION. Artists like GARRETT MILES and BEYOND OBSESSION have benefitted from Popgefahr’s help in their recordings.

The Adam / Keth enterprise has always stayed on the safe side of synthpop, with the exception of ‘Void’ and ‘Two’; both albums having introduced a rockier, symbiotic sound. The melancholy and nostalgia soon made their way back into the output, and that path has been frequented since. With ’13’, DE/VISION have followed the route of Pledge Music, successfully committing their hardcore fans to following the album’s progress and allowing for early downloads.

DEVISION-13-duo-02Kicking off with ‘Who Am I’, with the ominously sounding opening lyric “stuck in constant repetition, I won’t take it any more”, the signal is to expect a sudden drift from the typical D/V sound.

This bouncy, free-floating track with gritty, stained synth sounds, fulfils its role as a worthy intro, leading onto ‘Essence’.

A more familiar rendition, even more so when Keth’s vocals come in, there’s plenty of drum and guitar here, but the core is still indistinguishable from any other DE/VISION recipe, repeating the earlier trodden paths.

‘Starchild’ resembles the beautiful melodies from ‘6 Feet Underground’, while ‘Where’s The Light’ could possibly be the best track on the long player. The hidden ERASURE influences shine through in the mesmerising chorus; the capable melody pairs with poignant lyrics, trying to deduce the meaning of human actions, hoping for a positive change.

‘Synchronise’ marks a rawer, courser sound, hardly processed and untreated, while ‘Prisoner’ and ‘Read Your Mind’ are the slow comas in form of ballads, both lamenting fading relationships. ‘Their World’ brings in a faster tempo, reminiscent of ‘Stargazer’ from ‘Rockets & Swords’.

DEVISION-13-duo-001The minimal synth of ‘Gasoline’ resembles THE NORMAL with its crude originality, before the album is closed with ‘The Firing Line’; a hopeful, delicate electronic melody with scantily layered digital gems, slightly similar to the latest works of TORUL, providing background to Keth’s distinctive voice.

If one expects a total change of sound into the innovative and progressive, then ’13’ isn’t either of those. The production is habitually mature and thought through, with an adequate dose of melancholy and gloom, in keeping with existing DE/VISION releases.

There’s however an urgent roughness and readiness to the sound manipulation, providing freshness and hidden drama, even if only apparent to a weathered fan of the duo. The UK has been historically less than ready to understand and receive DE/VISION and this opus is unlikely to fix that issue, even with more wholesome arrangements and the continuing use of stacked up digital synths.

However, the rest of the world is bound to bow down again to the brilliance of the German wizards, and deservedly so.

’13’ is released on 27th May 2016 by Popgefahr

http://www.devision.de/english/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/DEVISION/24741337633

Text by Monika Izabela Goss
23rd May 2016

ELECTRO SPECTRE Beautiful Lies

18 January 2016 /

While the most decent electronic music is being turned out in Sweden these days, the Norwegians do their best to keep up.

ELECTRO SPECTRE came into existence in 2009 in the Norwegian capital, Oslo with Isak Rypdal, in the role of producer and writer, and Alexander Björneboe, as co-writer and vocalist.

A few albums went by since, and many a fan of electronica started recognising the Norwegians alongside the likes of CAMOUFLAGE, DE/VISION, BEBORN BETON or MESH.

‘Beautiful Lies’ is their fifth release, recorded in Prague and promising an intoxicating experience of synthpop at its best. ‘The River’ opens the production, luring with luscious vocals over CAMOUFLAGE-esque combinations of grandiose synth. DEPECHE MODE influences are palpable all over the flow of the track, with its gentleness and fragility.

The voice resembles BRYAN FERRY’s off-centre pitch, which really transpires in the track number two, ‘The Human Stain’. Exquisite drum rolls added onto a stacked synth, at times sounding very ‘Songs Of Faith & Devotion’, which indeed, is being quoted as one of the band’s favourite records.

‘Never Let Go’, vocally a mix of Ferry and Bowie, interspersed with magnificent strings and digital synthesisers is a larger than life production that makes a fabulous calling card. ‘She Runs Again’ slows the tempo somewhat, turning into a Marcus Meyn song once more; it’s a pleasing ballad with excellent guitar, leading into ‘With A Devil At The Start’. A multi-layered track, with structured elements congealing heavy and soft textures over a strong, deep vocal of Björneboe’s, it’s harsh, trashy, subtle and velvety all at the same time.

‘Faith’ continues the theme of luscious extravaganza of synth, ending in a very familiar way to any hardcore fan of DEPECHE MODE, while ‘A Kingdom Alone’ magnificently changes direction, at times bearing an uncanny resemblance to the Texan duo IRIS’ production on their second album ‘Awakening’. The ‘Beautiful Lies’ title track transports into an ambient, atmospheric world, veiled with mystery and suspense of being “under the spell of you and me”, while the closing ‘Strangesuit’ ushers the era of a heavy synth to sustain the feeling of gloom and nostalgia interwoven with anguish and pain.

ELECTRO SPECTRE certainly did their homework; proficient sounding tracks, excellently produced and mastered, and this unusual vocal, making the finished pieces sound interestingly noteworthy, are all features of a decent synth album. To some, the fact that sometimes the tracks sound uncannily like DEPECHE MODE or CAMOUFLAGE may be a turn off, but, overall, this is a very desirable production and its easy listening element means that it can be enjoyed by fans across all genres.

‘Beautiful Lies’ is available via the usual digital platforms, while the limited deluxe edition CD is available from Razgrom Music at http://www.razgrom.com/releases/group/532/24/

http://www.electrospectre.net/

https://www.facebook.com/ElectroSpectreBand

Text by Monika Izabela Goss
18th January 2016

SYNTHDECADE Syndicator

30 November 2015 /

SYNTHDECADE SyndicatorBack in May 2015, ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s radar pointed to a German band from Frankfurt, which formed in 2012 and promised to “revolutionise the Electronic Pop music sector”, SYNTHDECADE.

Self-proclaimed as “the next generation of synth”, which always invites interest and curiosity; the band, who already seem to have lost a member in Marc Renard on keyboards (perhaps he got tired of waiting!) is now consisting of the vocalist Rick Pleasant and programmer/keyboardist Sean Dexter.

Three years is a fair amount of time to write a decent album, especially one that has been heavily pushed on social media, with the accompanying photographs of immaculately groomed band members, pouting away at the camera, as if advertising a new aftershave.

Both tracks, which have been released with accompanying videos for the enjoyment of hungry electronica fanatics, ‘Lighten Up The Darkness’ and ‘Facing My Fears’ enjoyed more than moderate success, establishing the direction in which SYNTHDECADE had been heading. Heavily influenced by DEPECHE MODE, CAMOUFLAGE and DE/VISION, with these guidances clearly palpable on both songs, the hope was for ‘Syndicator’ to sound more original and fresh, and, indeed, to usher “the next generation of synth”.

‘Warm Welcome’ creates an interesting intro to the production, with steady, authentic beats, promising a dose of “the good stuff”, but is immediately followed with the, by now, familiar, ‘Lighten Up The Darkness’, totally CAMOUFLAGE-d up. The clean sounding ‘Perfect Day’ is an apt attempt at immaculate production, as is the following ‘Love & Understanding’. The latter, an electronic ballad, is skilfully executed, both musically and vocally, leads into the second previously issued track, ‘Facing My Fears’.

FRONT 242 meets PET SHOP BOYS on ‘Your Soul’, whereas ‘Back Again’ floats seamlessly over the sound of the harp, interwoven within magnificent synth. ‘Change Your Life’ is ultimately synthpop in a bottle. Melodious and dancey, it is much like its follower, ‘Open Your Mind’. The guitar is introduced on ‘Sons Of The Broken Bottle’ with some more or less harsh, trashy sounds. The track comes across as an eclectic mix of many genres and is messy at times, creating confusion and a departure from the otherwise electronic feel of this record.

SYNTHDECADE 01 by Carsten Riedel‘Angels Are Calling Me’ opens with an über interesting sequence, returning to the elegant synth dominated template. It’s possibly the most interesting track on the album, with DE/VISION, CAMOUFLAGE and DM influences audible. This time, however, the song is as original as it gets; nothing is pushed to sound like something else and French horns wrap up the track, adding to the deepened mood magnificently.

The twelfth track, ‘Home’ brings back the uptempo feel, perfect for dancing, punctuated with a clever drum pattern and gentle piano. The closing ‘Facing My Fears’, this time in the ‘Hypnotic Mix’, concludes the production, thanks to a magnificent synth and cleverly enhanced vocal, at times sounding as if DE/VISION’s Steffen Keth bumped into the boys from Italy’s EIFFEL 65.

Anyone claiming that they’re reinventing the electronic music is perhaps dreaming, and maybe “all men are dreamers”. The claim that “the new generation of synth” is ushered is also a far-fetched fantasy.

All this said, SYNTHDECADE have pleasantly surprised; while one expected a blueprint of CAMOUFLAGE with added elements of DEPECHE MODE, shamelessly delivered with a ‘Syndicator’ sticker on it; one has got a grown-up, well produced and excellently balanced album, which is worthy of recognition of, clearly, hard work and proficient studio skills.

Well done SYNTHDECADE, you’ve obviously done your homework.

‘Syndicator’ is released by 15c Avenue via the usual digital outlets

http://www.synthdecade.de/

https://www.facebook.com/Synthdecade

Text by Monika Izabela Goss
30th November 2015

BEBORN BETON A Worthy Compensation

16 September 2015 /

BebornBeton-AWorthyCompensationAmidst the flood of superb electronic music from Sweden, which has become the “new Germany” in the realms of synthpopia, few German bands are fighting on to keep their pedestals standing erect, or doing a great job of it.

BEBORN BETON formed in 1989 in Essen, and to date Stefan Tillman, Michael B Wagner and Stefan Netschio have enjoyed great success with numerous studio releases as well as remixes for DE/VISION, CLAN OF XYMOX, CAMOUFLAGE, IN STRICT CONFIDENCE, WOLFSHEIM and many others.

The band have kept everyone waiting since 1999 for the release of their latest album ‘A Worthy Compensation’, carefully planning, writing, engineering and producing the tracks with the help of celebrated producer Olaf Wollschläger, the very man behind the creations of MESH, YELLO, SEABOUND and IN STRICT CONFIDENCE. BEBORN BETON have immodestly hailed the production as “the best album we will probably ever make”, which raises the bar of expectations to the maximum for the “concrete” boys from urban Essen and promises to deliver a hearing experience like no other.

In such a fashion, the release is kicked off with ‘Daisy Cutter’ with its beefy synth and CAMOUFLAGE-like vocals of Netschio. Haunting and deep, monumental and marked, it is all laced with the “carousel of life” mark that the band want to portray in this production. ‘I Believe’ bears the stamp of the good old German electronica; untainted, magnificently programmed and produced, it is above all, musical and full of the melancholy so loved by the followers of the genre.

’24-7 Mystery’ speeds up into a dance track of the future, while ‘Anorexic World’ hits with poignant lyrics (“what if Jesus doesn’t care”, “we don’t mind at all this anorexic world is going down”) sung Steffen Keth style across the extravaganza of synth.

Taking its lead from CAMOUFLAGE, the title track emerges with futuristic images of a floaty world of tomorrow with an added dose of guitar and perfectly programmed drum patterns. A modern ballad of “the highs and lows, the happy moments”, the “carousel” has certainly now begun. ‘Last Day On Earth’ enters, grooming the listener with sensual male vocals painted on the canvas of consistently ingenious digital action.

A truly perfect electronic dance tune, ‘She Cried’ follows with a sharp club track feel. But a slightly predictable production can be fully excused, especially when there’s no time to stop dancing and getting lost in this uplifting harmony.

The first and only track performed in their native German, ‘Was Immer’ due to the choice of tongue, sounds as inviting as WOLFSHEIM’s gems. The track itself bears strong resemblance to Steve Naghavi’s performances on AND ONE’s ‘Virgin Superstar’; with wonderfully layered vocals, it embraces sensational synths and a skilfully constructed melody.

‘Terribly Wrong’ opens with the ominous “there’s something wrong with the world, I don’t know what it is, but it’s there, like a splinter in your mind”, but although something is “terribly wrong”, the track has a positive feel and brings a projection of hope while “standing at the edge of the world”.

Beborn BetonThe closing ‘Who Watches The Watchman’, while bearing a twisted title, promises some eerie content, which it indeed features on the track in bunches.

It has an eloquent musical substance covering a wide symphony of strings, drums, piano and elements of obscure synth interspersed with slight drum and bass. It is definitely a suitable track to round up the production.

There’s something earthy in German synth music, something which has been present since bands like CAMOUFLAGE, NEUROTICFISH, DE/VISION and WOLFSHEIM. This elusive element, when used by certain artists, makes them sound timeless and proves that Germany remains “über alles” in the electronic field. It may sound pompous and arrogant to call your creation ‘A Worthy Compensation’ and risk the obvious critique; however, the trio have hit the spot with this long awaited album.

The production bridges the pause between 1999 and now beautifully, with the songs having been written over many years and perfected to the point, where no more improvements could be made.

So, all in all, it is indeed “a worthy compensation” for the break in the Beton trade.

‘A Worthy Compensation’ is released by Dependent Records as a CD and download

http://www.bebornbeton.de/

https://www.facebook.com/bebornbeton

Text by Monika Izabela Goss
16th September 2015

Introducing PRESENCE OF MIND

15 September 2015 /

PresenceOfMind by Krichan Wihlborg

Although PRESENCE OF MIND released recordings as early as 1995 on the cult synth compilation ‘Circuit One’, the Swedish trio only released their debut album proper in the summer of 2014.

Their first recordings borrowed from the Vince Clarke school of synth programming but today, PRESENCE OF MIND are a much darker but no less song based proposition.

Influenced by the likes of MESH, DE/VISION and inevitably ‘Violator’-era DEPECHE MODE, childhood friends Christoffer Lundström, Johannes Ambros and Anders Wallroth have taken their time.

But without the pressure of constant touring, they’ve utilised a developing songcraft and life experience to pay dividends on the resultant long player entitled ‘Interpersonal’. Utilising the crisp production ethos of Wallroth and Ambros, ‘One Step I’ takes some killer squelch bass and places it alongside the strong, melodic vocals of Lundström.

Just accorded a new promo video, the track is a great bleep forward from their earlier work and the interim ‘Between Emotions’ EP from 2005. Another good example of their passionate synth rock is ‘Queen Of Redemption’, an obvious second cousin of ‘Enjoy The Silence’ but with a Svenske twist.

PRESENCE OF MIND are an enticing live proposition, as proven by their impressive appearance at the pre-party of Electronic Summer 2015 in Gothenburg. Lundström in particular, is a charismatic and engaging frontman with a lively but controlled stage presence that contrasts the dark, but danceable electronic soundtrack.

With excellent uptempo songs such as ‘Alive’ and sensitive ballads like ‘In My Dreams’ in their repertoire, the threesome from Mariestad are already at work on a second album to maintain their new-found momentum with tracks such as ‘Brittle Bones’ already having received public premieres. PRESENCE OF MIND are now finally knocking on the door of Northern Europe and making a positive impression on its independent electronic pop scene.

‘Interpersonal’ is released as a download and CD via Cramada

https://www.facebook.com/PresenceOfMindSwede

https://twitter.com/POMelectro

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Krichan Wihlborg
15th September 2015

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