Category: Introducing (Page 10 of 25)

Introducing FRAGILE SELF

28 January 2019 /

Inspired by Jean Paul Sartre and expressing the need to be isolated, moving away from other people because they are the cause of mental and emotional pain, FRAGILE SELF are a minimal electronic duo aiming to create dark pop music to communicate the detachment often felt within the human condition.

Like a musical thesis on psychotherapy, the subject matters of their songs range from narcissism to Gestalt therapy.

Comprising of Anil Aykan and Jonathan Barnbrook who each have graphic design backgrounds, their ethos sees the music and visuals work in tandem.

Inspired by the 1968 Ingmar Bergman 1968 film ‘Hour Of The Wolf’, their just unveiled track of the same name is enigmatic, brooding and ritualistic like the recent ‘Pastoral’ work of GAZELLE TWIN whose artwork incidentally involved Barnbrook, best known for his visual presentations of icons such as David Bowie and John Foxx.

He told ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK: “The idea behind the lyric video was to see if it were possible not to have the words just coming up along with the singing but to see if we could keep the all of the words on the screen all of the time.”

Exploring “The hour between night and dawn… when most people die, sleep is deepest, nightmares are most real”, ‘Hour Of The Wolf’ exploits the fine art of the modern modular synthesizer with Noise Engineering’s Basimilus Iteritas Alter, Hexinverter drum modules and the Befaco BF22 filter being the main modules used.

With their forthcoming eponymous album mixed by Erland Cooper whose credits have included Hannah Peel, FRAGILE SELF are cerebrally out there, exploring sonic clusters for the mind. Live performances are planned.

‘Hour Of The Wolf’ is from the modular synthesizer compilation album ‘Modularism 2: Noises Off’ released by Law & Auder Records and available now on all major streaming platforms, further information at https://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/modularism-2-noises-off

http://www.fragileself.com

https://www.facebook.com/fragileself/

https://twitter.com/fragile_self

https://www.instagram.com/fragile_self/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
28th February 2019

Introducing KARIN MY

19 January 2019 /

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK first spotted Swedish songstress Karin My singing with veteran combo TWICE A MAN on their 2015 poignant environmental catastrophe warning ‘High In The Clouds’.

Indeed, her dulcet tones made their ‘Presence’ felt on another pair of TWICE A MAN tracks from the same titled parent album.

Meanwhile she also contributed to two covers ‘The Man in Grey’ and ‘Just A Sound In The Night’ on Cold War Night Life’s ‘Heresy: A Tribute To RATIONAL YOUTH’ compendium in 2016.

But with ‘The Silence’, she releases the first truly great song of 2019. Swathed in beautiful synths and embroiled in that wonderful Nordic melancholy, her gorgeous vocals evoke a forlorn abandonment just as winter sets in and confronts the dilemma of whether to give up…

The eerie snow laden video directed by Millfield cleverly utilises a miniature set and has haunting echoes of ‘Den Lille Pige Med Svovlstikkerne’, the famous short story by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. In it, our heroine embarks on a chilling journey which sadly has no happy ending.

With roots in the folk tradition like Vince Clarke, Karin My composes using an acoustic guitar, a fact exemplified by a 2008 solo single ‘Voice In The Wall’. But with a profound love of LUSTANS LAKEJER, DEPECHE MODE, RATIONAL YOUTH, MESH and KITE, her Korg MS20, Roland Juno 106 and Moog Little Phatty will usually find a way onto her productions.

Also adept at cello, percussion and dance, the multi-talented singer songwriter describes herself as having a “Strong body, weak heart in a constant radiant of love and tears”. ‘The Silence’ is the first of four songs by Karin My which are scheduled for release during the first half of 2019. With her honest heart in quality electronic pop music, she will be an artist to watch in the coming year.

‘The Silence’ is available on most digital platforms via Ad Inexplorata

http://www.karinmy.net/

https://www.instagram.com/karinmymusic/

http://www.explorata.net/

https://www.facebook.com/Ad-Inexplorata-361838160540139/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
16th January 2019

Introducing PLASMIC

22 December 2018 /

From Orange County in California, PLASMIC describes herself as an “Orange County one-woman dervish” and in a vivid haze that’s pretty in pink, “your abused Barbie doll from childhood”.

Combining J-Pop with CRYSTAL CASTLES and DEVO, like a deviant West Coast cousin to the wonderful Canadian songstress MECHA MAIKO, Lauren Lusardi is the precocious talent behind PLASMIC.

It could be reasoned that PLASMIC is an artistic consequence of Lusardi reacting to her comparatively conservative surroundings. She studied electronic music at a local community college and with her knack of detonating infectious lo-fi synth bombs while full of femme rage fuelled by childhood anxiety, PLASMIC also adds some political fervour into the equation.

Already a veteran of three EPs releases, the undoubted standout from her latest release ‘Validation Nation’ is ‘Baby Machine’, an immensely catchy feminist electropop anthem utilising a mixture of vintage Casio and Yamaha sounds that challenges the expectations of women to bear children.

Meanwhile, the powerful ‘Validation Nation’ title track observes how modern society’s narcissistic desperation for “being known” has become the dominant motivator in this age of social media and online celebrity…

Also from ‘Validation Nation’, ‘Sister’ takes on a more dancefloor friendly template while ‘Compliance’ is a song confronting the continuing issue of patriarchy in the #METOO era, like BLONDIE meeting NEW ORDER at The Hacienda! Recently, there was the release of a delightful cover version of ‘Female Trouble’ to celebrate the birthday of the late actor and HI-NRG diva DIVINE.

Lusardi’s own favourite song is called ‘Revenge’, a gritty rallying cry to kill rapists from her self-titled EP released in 2017 which she describes the writing of as being “the most fun and cathartic time of my life”.

A feisty performer with a portable Yamaha strapped round her neck and an energetic punk attitude like Siouxsie Sioux genetically mutated with Molly Ringwald if she was into Gothic Lolita fashion, the independently minded art of PLASMIC offers some delightfully odd artistic escapism, but with a mission to deconstruct societies many stereotypes.

‘Validation Nation’ is available as a download direct from https://plasmic.bandcamp.com/

http://www.plasmic.rocks

https://www.facebook.com/plasmicpower/

https://twitter.com/plasm1c

https://www.instagram.com/plasm1c/

https://soundcloud.com/plasmik-1

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photo by Hannah Verbeuren
22nd December 2018

Introducing HOW TO LIVE

12 December 2018 /

The moody debut single ‘What Waits?’ by HOW TO LIVE possesses some tribal fervour laced with intense guitar harmonics and electronic chimes of doom.

The duo comprise of Tom Pether who also has a solo project called THOMAS ANONYMOUS and Robert Görl lookalike Rich Summers. Using a hybrid of guitars, bass, electronic rhythms and synths, the former members of dark alternative rockers SUZERAIN have described their gritty musical dramas as like “Hans Zimmer in a nightclub”. One of their unique selling points is their use of the Roland Wave Drum, a 21st Century update of the flying saucer shaped Synare 3, to provide some organic rhythmic syncopation.

Embroiled in gothic film noir, ‘What Waits?’ comes from HOW TO LIVE’s forthcoming EP ‘A Good Life’ and anxiously rumbles with uncertainty. It comes with a suitably monochromatic night drive visual accompaniment which partly echoes that of ‘Between Four Walls’ by the much-missed MIRRORS.

Among HOW TO LIVE’s soon-to-be-aired portfolio is ‘Confetti’, a gloomy dramatic number with an eerie beepquence where Pether declares it is “so nice to meet you” while more guitar driven, ‘Lawns Of England’ aggressively mows away with a brooding grandeur in the vein of BAUHAUS and THE CURE.

Within the percussive mantras, there is an air of Budgie from SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES, so it is no big surprise to learn that Steve Lyon, whose credits include THE CREATURES, NITZER EBB, RECOIL, THE CURE and DEPECHE MODE, offers his seasoned expertise at the production helm of HOW TO LIVE.

In the pair’s own words: “At least we have something new to listen to while we wait…”

‘What Waits?’ is available from the usual digital platforms

https://www.facebook.com/howtoliveband/

https://www.instagram.com/howtolivemusic/

https://twitter.com/_howtolive

http://steve-lyon.com/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photo by Karla Da Silva
12th December 2018

Introducing FEMMEPOP

29 November 2018 /

Independent Irish electronic artist Margaret O’ Sullivan is the lady behind FEMMEPOP.

Dublin is brimming with synth acts now like TINY MAGNETIC PETS, CIRCUIT3, EMBRACE THE CRISIS and iEUROPEAN, so it’s only natural that further south, the city of Cork should want to join in the fun as well.

In 2018, FEMMEPOP collaborated with Canadian synth songstress MECHA MAIKO on ‘Tomodachi’ as well as working with Robert Parker on ‘Demise’, a song for the soundtrack of the acclaimed Swedish film ‘Videoman’. The title song of her most recent album ‘Dancing With Myself’ was an eerie electronic cover of the GENERATION X masturbation anthem.

FEMMEPOP’s most recent release was the ‘CYM’ EP which saw O’Sullivan develop her synth sound further with the recent addition to her armoury of a Korg Minilogue and a step-up in production values. To start proceedings, the filmic instrumental opener ‘Astra’ features a catchy riff surrounded by plethora of arpeggios, electronic textures and pipey counter-melodies like a more uptempo modern-day CHINA CRISIS.

Also instrumental, the atmospheric ‘Motion’ fully appreciates what the form is about with its widescreen sweeps, subtle tones and rhythmic interludes, something those laptop boys with their meandering offerings that sound like someone has forgotten to sing on don’t seem to understand. Meanwhile, the immersive ‘CYM’ title track recalls MECHA MAIKO, a dreamy synth concoction that nods towards a cooler KID MOXIE, like if she had been living next to the Irish Sea rather than the Aegean!

Already a veteran of two albums, one of O’ Sullivan’s most striking statements has been “PLEASE DO NOT CALL FEMMEPOP SYNTHWAVE, THANK YOU!”, a community she has described as “sexist”; so it is fitting that the EP closer ‘Suck It Up’ is a delightful feminist rallying call immersed in a cacophony of pulses, angelic voices and a cascading wall of edgy metallic sound before concluding with a classic synthy motif.

With FEMMEPOP developing a more thoughtful sophisticated sound without losing her avant aspirations, the end result is less harsh and more accessible. Things can only get better…

‘CYM’ is available from as a download direct from https://femmepop.bandcamp.com/

https://www.femmepop.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Femmepop

https://twitter.com/Femmepop_

https://www.instagram.com/femmepop/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
29th November 2018

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