2019 was a year of 40th Anniversaries, celebrating the synth becoming the sound of pop when ‘Are Friends Electric?’ reached No1 in the UK chart in 1979. Despite the fall of The Berlin Wall 30 years ago, there were more evident swipes to the right than there had been for a long time, with the concept of Brexit Electro becoming a rather unpleasant reality. So in these more sinister times, the need for classic uplifting electronic pop was higher than ever. Continue Reading ›

2019 was good for new music. The first two thirds of the year was particularly strong for up-and-coming talent, while a number of veterans returned to making music with synths for the first time in many years. Inevitably, the quality of new releases couldn’t be sustained and things tailed off during the Autumn period. As per usual with a restriction of one song per artist moniker and presented in alphabetical order, these are The Electricity Club’s 30 SONGS OF 2019… Continue Reading ›

It may have been ‘Double Exposure’ but the Italians Do It Better triple bill at The Roundhouse in London was a conceptual artistic triumph from the bottom up. Headlined by CHROMATICS, the line-up also included their label mates DESIRE and DOUBLE MIXTE with all three acts having the multi-instrumentalist, producer and IDIB head honcho Johnny Jewel in common. Stylishly conceived and presented, it was like a danceable art installation. Continue Reading ›

With fresh blood and new tears, the mysterious HEAVEN first came to wider attention with the ‘Lonesome Town’ EP featuring the hauntingly breathy ‘It’s Not Enough’ as its lead track. Issued by Italians Do It Better, home of CHROMATICS, closer scrutiny revealed that HEAVEN was another project helmed by the ubiquitous Johnny Jewel. Fronted by the enigmatic allure of singer and keyboardist Aja, the brilliant new single 'Truth Or Dare' perhaps unsurprisingly sounds like CHROMATICS. Continue Reading ›