Category: Introducing (Page 21 of 25)

Introducing ELEVEN:ELEVEN

2 July 2012 /


One act flaunting their potential right now Stateside are Texan duo ELEVEN:ELEVEN.

Comprising the celestial voice of Sicca with the instrumentation of Jake Childs, their electronic sound recalls a variety of influences including Italo Disco, Hi-NRG, Electroclash and BERLIN…no, not the one-time divided city with the Brandenburg Gate as its focal point but the LA combo led by Terri Nunn who had a worldwide smash with ‘Take My Breath Away’.

Prior to selling their souls to the F-14, BERLIN were the flagwavers for Eurocentric synthpop in the US with brilliant songs such as ‘The Metro’, ‘Masquerade’, ‘Pleasure Victim’ and ‘Now It’s My Turn’. While their song titles like ‘Electric Sex’, ‘Little White Lies’ and ‘No Words’ are very BERLIN-esque, what ELEVEN:ELEVEN do differently is Sicca avoids Terri Nunn’s rock histrionics which occasionally made BERLIN sound like ULTRAVOX fronted by HEART!

Sicca is much more feline and restrained while Childs provides a sparse, futuristic soundtrack sans guitars. ‘Little White Lies’ in a case in point, driven by an arpeggiated bassline and dressed with portmento synth stabs while Sicca sounds rather seductively detached.

From their debut EP of the same name, ‘Infection’ is more Studio54 with hypnotic hints of BOBBY O and GIORGIO MORODER while ‘Pawn’ is precise mechanical electro disco with a poker faced stare. Crucially, Childs gives the songs dynamics with syncopated high and lows which are free of the disease in current mainstream pop where four-to-the-floor thuds are just thrusted into oblivion.

‘No Words’ recalls MISS KITTEN & THE HACKER, capturing a tense nightlife seediness. Short but sweet with a swirling middle section, who needs an extended dance mix when the point is made in two and a half minutes? In keeping with the modern trend for a series of EPs and singles eventually leading to a long player, ELEVEN:ELEVEN are currently working on a concept entitled ‘Through The Veil’. This will steadily see the release of a track one-at-a-time, culminating in a finished album. So far, only ‘Little White Lies’ and No Words’ have seen the light of day. But based on these two numbers, the other eight tracks are now anticipated with great interest…

The music of ELEVEN:ELEVEN can be heard at https://soundcloud.com/weare1111

http://www.facebook.com/the.eleveneleven

Text by Chi Ming Lai
2nd July 2012

Introducing THE HUNDRED IN THE HANDS

3 June 2012 /


Hailing from Brooklyn, THE HUNDRED IN THE HANDS are Eleanore Everdell and Jason Friedman, a girl-boy duo who combine the electronic and the organic into a sultry new wave fusion.

Following their debut single ‘Dressed In Dresden’ on Pure Groove in 2009, they signed to the ultra-hip Warp Records and released their first EP ‘This Desert’.

Both showcased their sensibility for occasional gothic overtones a la JOY DIVISION and SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES.

Their self-titled debut came in late 2010 and on it, the fantastic opener ‘Young Aren’t Young’, produced by Richard X, was a dreamy Italo disco number layered with the type of chordial guitar that would have made Bernard Sumner proud, although on this live version for KEXP, it is rather cranked up to the max!

Also produced by Richard X, ‘Commotion’ possessed a brilliant dynamic energy which sounded like THE CURE at Studio 54 fronted by THE MOTELS, all very New York while simultaneously London or even Berlin.

Speaking of whom, while she doesn’t belt her voice in the way BERLIN’s Terri Nunn did in the manner of HEART fronting ULTRAVOX, Everdell’s more resigned tone complimented the spikey textures, pulsing sequences and the dance-friendly beats. The first single from the album entitled ‘Pigeons’ was another Richard X production which continued this enigmatic but accessible pop formation.

For their forthcoming new album ‘Red Night’, Everdell and Friedman have handled production themselves. From it, ‘Keep It Low’ is a development of their avant pop style with a steadier groove and heavier loom while ‘Faded’ is quite sparse, shaped by synth drones and dressed with Friedman’s harmonics while Everdell is cocooned in reverb valley.

It appears THE HUNDRED IN THE HANDS are venturing into territory once occupied by Warp label mates BROADCAST who were fronted by the late Trish Keenan. The duo themselves have said ‘Red Night’ is centred around “all heartbreak and fear of losing something special”

‘Red Night’ is released through Warp Records on 12th June 2012, while ‘The Desert’ and ‘The Hundred In The Hands’ are still available via the usual outlets.

http://thehundredinthehands.com

https://www.facebook.com/thehundredinthehands

https://twitter.com/TheHundredInThe

https://www.instagram.com/thehundredinthehands/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
3rd June 2012, updated 4th June 2012

Introducing SOCIAL AMBITIONS

19 May 2012 /


Swedish duo SOCIAL AMBITIONS have been around a while but having been making sine waves lately with their inclusion on one of Rusty Egan’s DJ mixes.

Featuring the magnificent track ‘Paris’, the B-side of their previous single ‘Commandments’, this was hardly surprising as its solid pulsating bass, sparkling arpeggios, thundering percussion and robotic vocoders probably reminded The Blitz Club legend of his own seminal disco stomper ‘R.E.R.B.’ SOCIAL AMBITIONS formed in 2005. Based in Stockholm, Anders Karlsson (lead vocals, synthesizers) and Mikael Arborelius (synthesizers, backing vocals) released their debut album ‘Almost Gone’ in 2010.

The duo have a blend of influences ranging from modern electro and classic synthpop but add an attitude from the rockier end of the new wave spectrum. Most importantly though, their music does possess that Scandinavian knack for melody which has been notably apparent in worldwide selling acts such as ABBA and A-HA.

Their most recent release has been the ‘Anticpations’ EP. On it, ‘Rockers In My Head’ is one of these new wave synth tunes, all squelch games and string pads accompanying a catchy chorus like a Eurocentric version of THE STROKES backed by A-HA!

‘Angel’ with its rousing energy and synthesized declarations of love is possibly the most instantly accessible track of the bunch while ‘A Man’ also follows along a similar path. But it’s not all a HI-NRG styled romp as hints of CAMOUFLAGE sit on the more steadfast ‘Rain’ which adds some subtle industrialised textures to a Klingklang palette. In conclusion, it’s all very European and very electronic!

As the duo themselves have put it: “Analogue synths and stuff”…

The ‘Anticipation’ EP is released by Electric Fantastic Sound Records

www.socialambitions.com

www.facebook.com/socialambitions

Text by Chi Ming Lai
19th May 2012

Introducing KOVAK

17 April 2012 /

KOVAK are a Brighton based combo who formed in 2008 with a shared love of bleeps and noises.

Comprising of Annelies Van de Velde (vocals), Karl Bray (guitars), Darren Bray (drums) and Martin White (keyboards), they were recently spotted supporting TOYAH in their home town. Their new single ‘Killer Boots’ is cooing new wave electropop with an immediately catchy Italo vibe while the appealing video is appropriately simple and sexy.

The song is from KOVAK’s forthcoming second album which is being produced by Andy Gray; his remix portfolio includes GARY NUMAN, JOHN FOXX and THE HUMAN LEAGUE. Recording is taking place at Arreton Manor, a haunted 15th Century house on the Isle Of Wight using a museum’s worth of vintage synths.

Interestingly, the biggest international interest in KOVAK has come from Canada. They were voted into the ‘Top 10 Critics Choice’ by Now magazine following their appearance at Toronto’s North By North East music festival.

Their last single ‘I’ll Be Good To You’ from debut album ‘Heroes & High Heels’ exuded a syncopated disco thrill and can be downloaded free from their Facebook page while the feisty stomper Sex Electric from the same album featured in Michael Madson’s film ‘The Big I Am’.

The foursome’s sound is developing nicely with new album track ‘Modern Lovers’ being a steadier poptastic bonanza with classic hooks that sit well within a contemporary setting.

Colourful, energetic and glamourous, KOVAK are like BLONDIE meeting DRAGONETTE and GWEN STEFANI through a TUBEWAY ARMY voltage controlled filter.

‘Killer Boots’ is available as a download from iTunes

http://kovak.co.uk/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/KOVAK/8594611777

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Elliot Nichol
17th April 2012

Introducing INJE

3 April 2012 /


“It begins with deposits of ice crystals that are more or less separated; it forms during the cold, windy and foggy days when cooled water droplets catch the chill and immediately freeze”

Incidentally, their name in Serbian means ‘frost’. Hailing from Belgrade and featuring the nucleus of vocalist Jelena Miletić and instrumentalist Jovan Vesić, INJE have had the pleasure of supporting HURTS and FAITHLESS in their home country as well as being invited to play at Exit, one of Serbia’s most prestigious festivals.

Their chromatic Eastern Bloc charge will almost certainly please followers of LADYTRON. The excellent ‘Kofein I CO2’ from their EP ‘Protok’ is sort of DUBSTAR meets DAVID LYNCH film soundtrack with some sparing guitar work by Marko Ignjatović. It possesses an aural magnetism that is gorgeously layered with an air of wispy innocence. The self-directed video meanwhile captures a suitably enigmatic tension in keeping with the song.

Serbian newspaper Politika have described INJE as “minimal, dream-like electropop with ethereal female vocals”. Their first recording ‘Lego’ was for the compilation ‘Maska Sessions’ in 2008. While not particularly electronic sounding and sweetened with sax, it was a well crafted object of beauty.

Their acclaimed 2010 single ‘Danas’ has been a cult favourite in the Balkans while the remainder of the ‘Protok’ EP has a reserved melodicism driven by danceable but chilled out grooves. ‘Bez Protoka’ in particular with its steady backbeat and sweeping synthetic atmosphere recalls MARSHEAUX’s Sorrow which in turn was inspied by DEPECHE MODE’s ‘Halo’.

‘Kofein I CO2’ featuring two extra remixes, The ‘Protok’ EP and ‘Danas’ are available as free downloads via INJE’s website

http://inje.rs/

http://www.facebook.com/injeinjeinje

Text by Chi Ming Lai
3rd April 2012

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