Category: Introducing (Page 17 of 25)

Introducing PAWWS

9 May 2014 /
PAWWS_press_shot_credit-SIMON_WISBEY

Photo by Simon Wisbey

With LITTLE BOOTS having gone dance and LA ROUX brandishing a guitar on her forthcoming second album, there is now a vacancy for a new kooky homegrown talent to take on the female electropop challenge laid down by Norway’s ANNIE back in 2007.

One of the possible candidates is PAWWS, otherwise known to her parents as Lucy Taylor.

PAWWS is what CHVRCHES would sound like if they were an all-female concern ie a blokey free zone. Throw in some Scandipop influences plus a dose of second hand Roland JX-8P and the end result is some sweet, sugary electronically driven pop.

Certainly those on a calorie controlled diet will need to be careful. Sparkling and sprightly, ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK was drawn to the coy, feline magnetism of ‘Slow Love’, a track that was the B-side of her 2013 debut single ‘Time To Say Goodbye’ while several of the team spotted her supporting HURTS.

Slightly moodier, ‘Time To Say Goodbye’ took on a more dramatic pace but was no less impactful, like LYKKE LI or IAMAMIWHOAMI on extra helium. Whether the classically trained North Londoner will last the course eventually to take on ROBYN and ANNIE or disappear into the wilderness like SUNDAY GIRL is not important right now. That her music exists and is good is all that really matters.

Her new EP ‘Sugar’ uses the short-chain, soluble carbohydrate as a metaphor for the pitfalls of love… after all, who hasn’t pursued something that may actually be harmful for you in the long term? The title track has been described “As if Kylie had worked with OMD” by The Sunday Times.

Meanwhile Lucy Taylor herself has labelled her music “upsetting disco” and ‘Give You Love’ from the EP lives up to that template. Certainly those who prefer their music with rough edges and have an aversion to female fronted synthpop will have their touch paper lit even further with the rich, smooth offerings that are ‘Sugar’ and ‘Give You Love’ 😉

‘Sugar’ is released on 16th June 2014 as a download EP by Best Fit Recordings but there will also be a limited edition 12” pink vinyl and most importantly, a CD… yes, at last, there is an artist and label who together are seeing sense and recognising there is still a demand for the silver digital discs!

The ‘Sugar’ EP is released by Best Fit Recordings

PAWWS plays The Lexington in London on Monday 12th May 2014

https://www.pawwsmusic.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/PawwsMusic

https://www.instagram.com/pawwslucy/

https://www.soundcloud.com/pawws

Text by Chi Ming Lai
9th May 2014, updated 7th July 2014

Introducing POLYDROID

26 April 2014 /

POLYDROID is the solo project of Brian O’Malley living and recording in his native home of Dublin, Ireland.

His eight track debut album ‘Machines of Pure and Loving Grace’ is a collection of bold and sweeping electronic instrumental tracks.

Every track could easily be used on a blockbuster film score and indeed, multi-media talented O’Malley’s full time career has been as a leading director of TV commercials and short films. However, he has now written and directed his first full length movie ‘Let Us Prey’ which is due to be released sometime in 2014.

First two tracks ‘Rectification’ and ‘Not Too Neat’ include an informative technical voice over, ideal for the less initiated listener but is counter balanced by the album instrument list of synthesizers used on the production for the album. A consummate synth lover’s wish list including several Moogs, Roland Jupiters and the much loved Sequential Circuits Pro-One.

All these fit perfectly the POLYDROID album theme of “man losing his humanity to the machine”. VANGELIS and KRAFTWERK admirers will not be left wanting and POLYDROID cites his influences as early German electronica and science fiction cinema amongst others. Fans of JOHN FOXX and early HUMAN LEAGUE may also find these synthetic moods appealing. The track ‘Ode To An Android’ is far from soul less as the title may conjure and the other album tracks all have the same excellent production.

Single track ‘Only A Cell‘ is rich, melodic and haunting. An enviable comparison to the works of the great John Carpenter. The video is a drama packed edited version of Brian’s short film ‘Screwback’ which was originally filmed in 2005. It stars the charismatic Irish actor Liam Cunningham, who amongst other parts has had a character role in the highly credible and acclaimed ‘Game of Thrones’…

Among his other activities, O’Malley is also part of an electronic duo with EMPIRE STATE HUMAN frontman Aidan Casserly called KUBO who supported BLANCMANGE in Dublin in November 2013.

‘Machines of Pure and Loving Grace’ is available as a CD or download from:
http://coldbeatsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/machines-of-pure-and-loving-grace

http://www.polydroid.com/

https://www.facebook.com/polydroid

Text by Deb Danahay
26th May 2014

Introducing MACHINISTA

9 April 2014 /

Male electronic duo MACHINISTA are the latest in an impressive line of synthpop acts from Sweden. John Lindqwister is the enigmatic vocalist and lyric writer while Richard Flow is the accomplished keyboard player and music composer.

Both have been in previous bands that had some success in their native Sweden. Richard was in VISION TALK while most notably, John was a member of dark electronic band CAT RAPES DOG. Well known in the underground Swedish electro scene, they had a rock / punk influence and could have easily been mistaken as German EBM artistes.

CAT RAPES DOG also covered ‘Something To Do’, a track from the cult Swedish DEPECHE MODE covers album ‘I Sometimes Wish I Was Famous’ that was released in 1991. John and Richard met at a gig and talked about forming a band together and so MACHINISTA was conceived at the start of 2013.

Their first collaboration was a respectable cover of ‘Heroes’ the David Bowie classic which, along with the video was widely received and so prompted work to start on the next track ‘Molecules and Carbon’, a powerful self-penned song which was also accompanied by a striking lo-fi promo video.

March 2014 saw the release of the bands first EP ‘Arizona Lights’ featuring catchy tracks like ‘Wasted’, ‘Salvation’ and the EP title track. All three tracks are classic synthpop alluding to the duo’s early synthesizer influences, but it is the addictive 6/8 stomp of ‘Pushing the Angels Astray’ that highlights MACHINISTA’s excellent self-production throughout the EP.

MACHINISTA performed live in London recently as part of the excellent Cold War Night Life event ‘An Evening With The Swedish Synth’ in February supporting Swedish electronic royalty PAGE. Lindqwister is a formidable front man, his fly-kicks on stage are impressive indeed and show that the duo are a unique, talented and tight package.

‘Xenoglossy’ is due for release in May 2014

http://www.machinistamusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/machinistamusic

Text by Deb Danahay
Photo by Daniel Roos
9th April 2014

Introducing FIFI RONG

31 March 2014 /

FifiRong-01With trip-hop back in the ether thanks to the success of LONDON GRAMMAR, one lady taking a fresh, more electronic based approach to the sub-genre is Beijing born singer and musician FIFI RONG.

She first came to prominence as a member of THE TENORIONS, an all female trio created to showcase Yamaha’s then new hand held box of sequencing tricks also used by LITTLE BOOTS and EMILIE SIMON; they made an appearance on The Paul O’Grady Show in 2008.

When THE TENORIONS disbanded but under her moniker of FIFI RONG, she has been building her repertoire using a wide range of influences such as dubstep, trip hop and Chinese folk music while also name checking the likes of COCTEAU TWINS and MAZZY STAR.

She collaborated with TRICKY on his 2013 album ‘False Idols’, with the tracks ‘If Only I Knew’ and ‘Chinese Interlude’ being the end results. Meanwhile she also released her debut single ‘Over You’, a laid back soulful number that acted as a sultry platform for her versatile talent.

Her first album ‘Wrong’ came not long after and songs such as ‘Addicted To Water’ harked back to the sound of PORTISHEAD’s ‘Dummy’ but minus its claustrophobia. Meanwhile there was her own rework of her TRICKY track retitled as ‘Only If I Knew’ which was by far a more beautiful interpretation and fully exploited the song’s potential.

Now resident in London, FIFI RONG has just released a 6 track EP ‘Next Pursuit’, her first new material since ‘Wrong’. The superbly breathy title track takes on a crisper passage combining the vocal mystery of KELLI ALI and the quirkiness of MOLOKO. There’s even a touch of LANA DEL REY about it too. Crucially, it also adds in rhythmical variation, something that many trip-hoppers were inherently adverse to in their quest for that stoner vibe.

By avoiding those clichés, FIFI RONG has manifested her own dream laden underground electronica template with her hypnotic vocals as a focal point. She says her new EP “is a reinforcement of who I am, and a platform for me to set out on a musical journey toward the future and grow with it, always thriving to retain the freedom of making something new, exciting and better in one way or another”.

FifiRong-nextpursuit‘Next Pursuit’ is released on 4th April 2014 by Ditto Music as a CD or download via the usual digital outlets. The album ‘Wrong’ is available now from Amazon and Bandcamp at http://fifirong.bandcamp.com/

http://www.fifirong.com

https://www.twitter.com/fifirong

https://www.instagram.com/fifirong/

https://soundcloud.com/fifirong

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Portrait Photo by Paris Seawell
31st March 2014

Introducing QUIETER THAN SPIDERS

12 March 2014 /

Little is known about the mysterious combo QUIETER THAN SPIDERS, other than they are to have their debut album released by Anna Logue Records, home to the Anglo-German collective TWINS NATALIA, and that VILE ELECTRODES have done a remix of a forthcoming single release.

Further investigation has uncovered that QUIETER THAN SPIDERS appears to be the project of Leon Robinson-Zhang.

Piloting a brand of “Shanghai Synthpop… using home-made electronic sounds played by hand”, the first track unveiled back in 2013 was ‘Shanghai Metro’.

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK reader Si Wooldridge remarked “You could put this on the last OMD album and no one would notice it was by QTS…”, but while the obvious melodic elements recall Messrs Humphreys and McCluskey’s recent return to form, the beautiful electronics certainly come with a fresh, dynamic slant on the station announcer sample laden tune.

The dreamscape of ‘Hibakusha’ merges the sounds of FOTONOVELA, SOLVENT and MICHAEL ROTHER while a modern, processed masculine twist is proof that male vocals on electronic songs do not have to be off-key monotone whines and snarls. Another positive that sets QUIETER THAN SPIDERS apart in male fronted electro is that Dave Gahan impersonations, both vocally and physically, are absent.

The simply wonderful ‘The Land Of The Lost Content’ just glides with a glacial beauty that not only is appealing to the ear, but can be danced to as well. ‘No Illusion’ keeps up the standard but has a harsher, robotic tone that is at times, reminiscent of Jyoti Mishra’s WHITETOWN.

QUIETER THAN SPIDERS are a prime example of how to get things right when starting out… compose a body of work, record the songs as well as possible, edit together some accompanying videos and let the music do the talking without spamming Facebook with some grandiose manifesto and poorly designed artwork.

A few bands could learn from this process… how can you be taken seriously if you shout like you are the best thing since sliced bread after just one song and have never played live? Funnily enough, the title ‘The Land Of The Lost Content’ seems to sums things up 😉

With thanks to Marc Schaffer at Anna Logue Records

https://www.facebook.com/QTSpiders

https://soundcloud.com/quieterthanspiders

https://www.facebook.com/annaloguerecords

Text by Chi Ming Lai
12th March 2014, updated 5th August 2015

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