Author: electricityclub (Page 55 of 420)

“I don’t like country & western, I don’t like rock music… I don’t like rockabilly! I don’t like much really do I? But what I do like, I love passionately!!”: CHRIS LOWE

“Good taste is exclusive”: NICK RHODES

UNIFY SEPARATE Music Since Tomorrow

5 October 2022 /


This is ‘Music Since Tomorrow’…

The Scottish Swedish pairing of Andrew Montgomery from GENEVA and Leo Josefsson of LOWE release their second album together, but their first under their extended UNIFY SEPARATE moniker. As the duo formally known as US, they impressed with their 2019 debut album ‘First Contact’ which successfully combined the soaring vocal aspects of British indie with the melodic melancholy of Nordic synth. Shaped by the worldwide pandemic and Montgomery’s own confidence crisis following the end of a relationship, ‘Music Since Tomorrow’ looks at the future in an uncertain world.

As a result, a denser sound is presented, augmented by more guitars than before. The album also benefits from Josefsson’s intense study of music theory and studio reinvention during lockdown. In some ways, this record is also Montgomery’s reconnection of sorts with his past as the front man of indie band GENEVA, reinforced by UNIFY SEPARATE opening for former Nude label mates SUEDE on their recent ‘Coming Up’ 25th anniversary show at Stockholm Annexet.

Documenting a period of personal struggle, ‘Music Since Tomorrow’ attempts ‘Closure’ and this epic album opener sets the scene with a building atmospheric trance tune that simply mesmerises, especially when Andrew Montgomery hits his trademark falsetto. Meanwhile ‘Dying On The Vine’ provides a slice of industrial Schaffel not dissimilar to Swedish doompopsters TITANS but with an impassioned vocal high instead of a deep baritone.

Like DEPECHE MODE meeting MUSE before bursting with spicy arpeggios, ‘Solitude & I’ morphs from a drum ‘n’ bass lilt into a blistering mutant attack. Montgomery does not let up with his Jeff Buckley inspired delivery, reflecting his isolation and unsettlement.

First released in 2021 and one of the best songs of that year, the outstanding ‘Embrace The Fear’ touches on the existential crisis at a life’s crossroads. Josefsson’s machines channel DAFT PUNK and NEW ORDER while guitarist Christian Persson chops in to ramp up the intensity. With a topline inspired by MUSE’s ‘Uprising’ and / or Billy Idol’s ‘White Wedding’, despite its emotive melancholy, ‘Embrace The Fear’ possesses a defiant motivational message.

Taking the pace down as “it is time for us to go”, ‘Visitors’ is balladeering close to U2 territory with its guitar inflections and military percussion. However, the rhythmic electronic rock of ‘The Void’ sees Richard Oakes from SUEDE do a masterful guitar turn as schizo children’s voices ask “where are you?” like a haunting journey into The Upside Down, while rousing NEW ORDER-styled synthetic strings settle into the coda.

‘Radio Waves’ has echoes of GENEVA with its chopping virtual string section and why not, while with a simple but strong distorted hook, ‘The After’ looks at post-traumatic stress following heartbreak with a thumping electro-indie backdrop.

Using rugged electric bass to provide the gloomy austere, ‘Way To Love’ displays some weary expressionism as church chimes get dropped into a mix that features guitars, synths and drums galore for a towering climax. Bouncing into a weighty Schaffel two-thirds in, ‘Waiting Game’ points towards a spirited adventure with strident six string interventions courtesy of Richard Oakes.

Then with a hypnotic mantra comprising of voices and keys like a Philip Glass miniature-symphony, ‘In Over My Head’ eerily closes the album on an icy note and as Montgomery emotes like a tortured soul, Josefsson provides additional drama with bursts of Jarre-like laser harp.

A darker, more indie sounding album than the US debut, although ‘Music Since Tomorrow’ is swathed in expressions of emotional conflict, anxiety and self-doubt, unlike THE CURE’s ‘Disintegration’, there is light at the end of the tunnel in its indie-electro cinematics.

Despite the midlife sorrows, UNIFY SEPARATE have provided a collection of glorious pandemic pop to savour.

‘Music Since Tomorrow’ is released on 7th October 2022, available direct from https://unifyseparate.bandcamp.com/

http://www.unifyseparate.com

https://www.facebook.com/usmusicspace

http://www.instagram.com/unify_separate

https://open.spotify.com/album/6jPsbHt8uoSM0kEacwynyx

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Mehdi Bagherzadeh
5th October 2022

KNIGHT$ + THEO SAYERS Live at The Hope & Anchor

3 October 2022 /

For KNIGHT$, his first London gig in nearly 3 years was a sort of homecoming.

The Britalo vehicle of James Knights, although now based near the South Coast of England, the capital was where he had spent his formative musical years in the more indie pop SCARLET SOHO.

Taking on a more optimistic and direct electro approach, KNIGHT$ began in 2016 and steadily gained a cult following in Sweden and Germany.

The worldwide pandemic affected all artists but for KNIGHT$ whose favourable reputation was gained from engaging live performances, this was especially difficult. He went down the home live stream route with varying degrees of success although it was not the same.

Come 2022 and things kicked back into action with a European tour supporting TRANS-X while a prestigious opening slot at Infest got things going again back home. KNIGHT$ appearance at The Hope & Anchor was his first London appearance since Halloween 2019; the venue is best known for hosting JOY DIVISION in December 1978, although only three people turned up! Despite a national train strike, KNIGHT$ had a very good turn out from those looking to forget the high energy crisis for a few hours.

Opening the evening just as he had done on Halloween 2019 was Theo Sayers. Little did he know at the time that his then-forthcoming single ‘My Nose Is A Little Runny’ would have such poignant resonance with lyrical quips like “sleazes cause diseases”.

The resulting video ended up being a scene or two short, something which the Cambridge lad dwelled on after his performance of the quirky but appealing SLEAFORD MODS-styled track.

Accompanied by KNIGHT$ family member Jasmine Jasmine on vocals, Sayers presented his playful humourous songs in a matter-of-fact manner like a blokey Kate Nash. New numbers such as ‘Ramen For Two’ and his streetwise cover of Prince’s ‘When Doves Cry’ outlined his brand of scampy English hip-hop; he releases his first full-length album also called ‘Ramen For Two’ in 2023.

Opening with ‘What We Leave Behind’, James Knights got quickly into his stride aided by a bottle of Benylin®. With some distance since the release of his debut album ‘Dollars & Cents’ in Spring 2019, what stood out tonight was how well his songs have lasted the distance, something that is not always the case with much of today’s independent British synthpop.

Produced by Italo disco legends Fred Ventura and Paolo Gozzetti in their ITALOCONNECTION guise as well as remixed by the notable Italo DJ Flemming Dalum, the wonderful ‘Gelato’ was given a sensual live boost by regular keys player Nina Casey on backing vocals. Her presence also allowed for the first live performance of the BOYTRONIC duet ‘Proving A Point’ with the diminutive German providing her own stamp on the feisty Holger Wobker part.

James Knights has been very open about the influence of BRONSKI BEAT on his sound and ‘Hijack My Heart’ was a fine example of him aping the Jimmy Somerville-led version of the band. But he paid tribute directly to the Mark 2 version of BRONSKI BEAT fronted by John Jøn Foster with a cover of the frantic ‘Hit That Perfect Beat’, aided by Julz J of CAPITAL X on guest saxophone.

‘What’s Your Poison?’ was a reminder of how it all started for KNIGHT$ while another ITALOCONNECTION produced track, the ‘Dollars & Cents’ title song doffed its shades to the disco-menergy of the late Patrick Cowley.

But it was time to celebrate the most recent KNIGHT$ single ‘Boom Bang Boom’ and while ‘Two Steps from Heartache’ was a look back to his SCARLET SOHO days, ‘Alligator’ prompted “Snap! Snap!” actions from the audience as it amusingly satirised the perils of modern dating.

A fine return to the London stage that entertained all present including an unsuspecting Arsenal fan who was curious as to the goings-on in the clearly marked “HOME FANS ONLY” venue, James Knights said afterwards: “Well, what can I say. The energy in the room was electric. So good to connect with the audience again and play some of the rarer songs we’ve not played live before. You couldn’t hand pick a better fanbase than the KNIGHT$ one! I’m currently working on a new EP / vinyl release for 2023, and I’m sure there will be more live shows to mark that. We also have the 40th anniversary gigs of BOYTRONIC’s ‘Working Model’ album to look forward to as well… It’s good to be back.”

KNIGHT$ is proof that pop is not a four letter word…

KNIGHT$ ‘Boom Bang Boom’ is released by Specchio Uomo in various formats, available from https://knights101.bandcamp.com/

http://knights101.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Knights101/

https://twitter.com/JPSKNIGHTS

https://www.instagram.com/knights101/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/07xFYhAkgObJY8VBkIy1O4

‘My Nose Is A Little Runny’ by Theo Sayers is available as a digital single direct from https://theosayers.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/theosayersmusic/

https://twitter.com/theosayers

https://www.instagram.com/theosayers/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0iaqiCh8ozGLtdBjR7BdZJ

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Richard Price
4th October 2022

ITALOCONNECTION Midnight Reworks

30 September 2022 /


While in the UK, ITALOCONNECTION are best known for their remixes of HURTS and THE HUMAN LEAGUE, it is the Italian pair who get given the treatment this time around.

Italian veterans Fred Ventura and Paolo Gozzetti continue their midnight journey as ITALOCONNECTION with a collection of reworks. Although tied in with their most recent album ‘Midnight Confessions Vol1’, only four of its tracks are represented with the remaining songs coming from deluxe bonus tracks and non-album digital singles.

With the ITALOCONNECTION mission “to sound vintage in a modern way”, this ethos is applied with respect by their chosen collaborators, the end result being unlike other dance remix compendiums, the majority of the songs are identifiable and continue with the original album’s central theme of love.

A more introspective closing track on ‘Midnight Confessions Vol, sibling duo MONO HAN give ‘Humans’ a tighter disco treatment with synthwave friendly inflections as the opener. Meanwhile, the catchy but bittersweet ‘Get Together’ loses its appealing bounce and ‘I Feel Love’ throb in favour of something more rigid and icy via ITAL OSCILLAZIONI ’s remix.

DJ Tin Tin’s take on the lovelorn drama of ‘Since You Went Away’ applies a different groove as well new synth and high-pitched voice counter-melodies, but the alluring touch that actress Francesca Diprima provided is now absent. Noted Danish Italo archivist and remixer Flemming Dalum gets to work with ‘All Over’ to give it some Kling Klang meets Moroder meets Klein & MBO presence while retaining the original’s spritely confidence.

A song in its own right without any rework, ‘No Way’ is a good track that stomps like a trooper but with its darker aggressive outlook, it did not fit with the romantic notions of ‘Midnight Confessions Vol1’. Similarly of a darker disposition and released in 2020 as a standalone single, ‘Today Tomorrow’ is brightened up slightly by Fogli & Colombo and made more vintage Italo in feel. Also of 2020 vintage, ‘Without A Reason’ gets an electro 808 for its backbeat and vocoder thrown in for a hypnotic abstract reinterpretation by Dutch production team SFERA CELESTE PROJECT.

With the bonus tracks, ‘Be Yourself (Again)’ offers catchy Italopop while with in-house Naked Remix of ‘Endless Possibilities’, this ITALOCONNECTION production for Francesca Gastaldi strips the original structures for something more driving, nocturnal in keeping with the Midnight theme.

With the widescreen European electronic pop that was presented on ‘Midnight Confessions Vol1’, the more purest Italo enthusiasts will most likely love what is on offer with ‘Midnight Reworks’.

‘Midnight Reworks’ is released by Mordisco / Blanco Y Negro as a vinyl LP and digital release with bonus tracks, available from https://italoconnection.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/italoconnection

https://www.instagram.com/italoconnection/

https://open.spotify.com/album/1FIjdRRSgMSkCaadWSGkVf

Text by Chi Ming Lai
30th September 2022

ROMAN ANGELOS The Aimless Aquanaut

29 September 2022 /

With the lounge fusion of his second album ‘Music for Underwater Supermarkets’ crossing Burt Bacharach with AIR, Roman Angelos presented muzak for grocery shopping in the future.

Inspired by Jean-Michel Jarre’s album ‘Music for Supermarkets’ which was released as a limited edition of one, Brooklyn-based producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Rich Bennett uses his Roman Angelos persona to explore his fascination for vintage library and soundtrack music. The end result is a vibey exploration in sound that included woodwinds, transistorised organs and vintage synths.

However, ‘The Aimless Aquanaut’ deviated from that formula in its drifting electronic air, lushly layered with gentle mechanised percussion and oozing with nautical mystery, waiting for Marina from ‘Stingray’ maybe? So near so spa, the new extended version allows a more immersive experience that could go on even longer thanks to the hypnotic flow of its pretty bubbling arpeggios. The Riptide and Rumble remix by producer / engineer Scott Solter expresses the ambience in a spikier manner. It acts as a trailer for a full remix album “Supermarkets, Underwater” to be released in early 2023 by Happy Robots Records

Roman Angelos had a quick chat with ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK about soundtracking underwater supermarkets.

‘The Aimless Aquanaut’ is quite different aesthetically to the other tracks on ‘Music For Underwater Supermarkets’ in its electronic ambience compared to the easy listening lounge mood of the other tracks, how did it end up there?

Even though it has a slightly different aesthetic, all the short interludes on the original record are meant to be meditations more than fully realized pieces; in many cases they’re there to signal the next phase of the record. ‘The Aimless Aquanaut’ was intended to evoke a deep dive into the water – the arpeggiated synths being like bubbles passing by.

Which ambient exponents have been most influential to you in this type of music?

A lot of my references for this record come from folks like Fennesz and Biosphere, and of course Mr Eno. But I also really love 80s New Age ambient music, the Environments records from the 70s, so much of the ECM catalog, and lots of 70s ambient space rock. Scott who remixed the album, brings his own set of influences and ideas to these remixes, but I draw from a lot of different flavors of ambient.

‘The Aimless Aquanaut’ has been extended for single release, but was there any temptation to make it an hour long like ‘Thursday Afternoon’ by Brian Eno?

I’m glad you asked! In fact, the full remix version of this record (due for January release) by Scott Solter is very much inspired by ‘Thursday Afternoon’. In fact it was the main reference point that both Scott and I discussed when he started the remix. Although the final recording is not one long piece, the influence is there, and the remix of ‘The Underwater Supermarket’ is the closest to that idea as it is a 16 minute long dark and expansive excursion.

So this remix variant of the ‘Music For Underwater Supermarkets’ album, will it be ambient or are we talking “hands in the air” club music or something else entirely?

Haha, I would love someone to do a “hands in the air” remix of ‘Underwater Supermarkets’! In fact, when I was working on the original recording, a friend sent me a hip-hop beat he created with ‘Swimming Through The Aisles’. Hip-hop in 7/8, I’ll take it! But on a serious note, the record will be more along the lines of your traditional concept of ambient. One of the things Scott and I discussed when he started working on these remixes was that I wanted his versions to feel like the inverse of the original record. So whereas the original was a light and bouncy interpretation of life underwater, this is more of a dark and immersive record. More of your lights out, lay down on the floor and zone out kind of thing.

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to Roman Angelos

Special thanks to Adam Cresswell at Happy Robots Records

‘The Aimless Aquanaut’ is released by Happy Robots Records, available now as a digital single bundle from https://happyrobotsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-aimless-aquanaut

https://www.happyrobots.co.uk/roman-angelos

https://twitter.com/acmehallrich

https://instagram.com/acmehallrich

Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
29th September 2022

BLANCMANGE Private View

28 September 2022 /


The 15th long player from BLANCMANGE sees a return to London Records who issued their debut ‘Happy Families’ in Autumn 1982.

Originally a duo comprising of Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe, the pair released a further two albums ‘Mange Tout’ and ‘Believe You Me’ before going on a lengthy hiatus.

They returned in 2011 with ‘Blanc Burn’, but with Luscombe unable to continue due to health reasons, BLANCMANGE has since become a prolific solo adventure for Arthur. ‘Private View’ presents a collection of synthesised art-pop that finds a significant role for guitarist David Rhodes, BLANCMANGE’s very own Carlos Alomar who has regularly applied his talents with Peter Gabriel as well as a live stint with JAPAN.

Continuing FADER partner Benge as producer who worked on the recent BLANCMANGE albums ‘Unfurnished Rooms’, ‘Wanderlust’, ‘Mindset’ and ‘Commercial Break’, ‘Private View’ presents a striking opener in ‘What’s Your Name’; not a cover of the 1981 DEPECHE MODE tune, despite a sparse vibey start, it strums and crashes into action while Arthur uses a manipulated voice treatment to give a sense of other worldly alienation away from the indie rock track that this could easily be.

‘Some Times These’ also retains a fuzzy kerrang element although the chorus keyboard theme has an immersive Eno-esque air that echoes his work on “Heroes”. More sequencer driven, ‘Reduced Voltage’ echoes CAN in its groovy kosmische precision but the guitars are turned up in the second half, contrary to the title.

Waking up with an idea seeded in 1980, ‘Here We Go Go’ is a song that could have come from the ‘Quartz’ album from FADER but with louder percussion, before it marvellously morphs into the artier drama of OMD for its conclusion. The energetic ’Chairs’ pulses along with a strong throbbing drive and Arthur announcing in frustration at those easy triggers that “we keep getting excited about things beyond our control”, when all he needs is a “cup of tea”…

With more ragged six string and mechanised pulsing, ‘Who Am I?’ sees our hero lost and forlorn while ‘Everything Is Connected’ offers a strange kind of eerie indie electro-funk but while not a reprise of ‘Feel Me’, it is as the title suggests, part of the lineage.

With a steadfast pulsing motorik, ‘I Tried To Be You’ features several glorious synth sections which are very pleasing to the ears. Then using a swirling cacophony of electrickery, the ‘Private View’ title number borrows the punchy drum mantra from NEW ORDER’s ‘Leave Me Alone’ to present a sardonic angle on a world where “you know you can’t let go now”.

Brilliantly taking cues from the forest-laden atmospheres of CLUSTER, ‘Take Me’ features some wonderful piano and guitar work. It’s a sumptuous motorik ballad where Arthur declares he is “lost without love” although this ending provides the best song on ‘Private View’.

40 years on from BLANCMANGE’s debut album on London Records, ‘Private View’ shows Neil Arthur can still spring some surprises.

He continues as a creative force to be reckoned with, using his brand to open doors and satisfy while eschewing the more nostalgic tendencies of some of his peers.

‘Private View’ is released on 30th September 2022 by London Records in the usual formats

2022 BLANCAMANGE UK live dates include:

London Rough Trade East (1 October), Cambridge Junction (7 October)^, Stroud Subscription Rooms (8 October)^, Colchester Arts Centre (13 October)^, Cardiff University Y Plas (14 October)^, Frome Cheese and Grain (15 October)^, Reading Sub 89 (20 October)^, Nottingham The Level (21 October)^, Gillingham Glassbox Theatre (22 October)^, Bristol Fleece (27 October)+, Guildford Boileroom (28 October)+, Wimborne Tivoli Theatre (29 October)+, Exeter Theatre (4 November)*, Southampton The Brook (5 November)*, Birmingham The Mill (10 November)+, Lancaster Kanteena (11 November)+, Barrow-in-Furness Forum Theatre (12 November)+, Diss Corn Hall (17 November)*, Manchester Gorilla (18 November)**, Liverpool Hangar 34 (19 November)**, Leeds Wardrobe (24 November)**, Sheffield Leadmill (25 November)**, Newcastle Riverside (26 November)**, Aberdeen Lemon Tree (1 December)**, Edinburgh Liquid Room (2 December)**, Glasgow Queen Margaret Union (3 December)**, Brighton Concorde 2 (9 December)**, London Islington Assembly Hall (10 December)**

Support acts: ^Oblong +Alice Hubble *Rodney Cromwell **Stephen Mallinder

http://www.blancmange.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/BlancmangeMusic

https://twitter.com/_blancmange_

https://www.instagram.com/blancmange_music/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photo by Helen_Kincaid
28th September 2022

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