Category: Reviews (Page 128 of 206)

OMD What Have We Done

7 November 2017 /


In a strong year for albums, OMD have released one of the best of 2017 in ‘The Punishment Of Luxury’ and the campaign continues with a new single and video for one of its highlights ‘What Have We Done’.

With a Synthanorma sequence that retains the essence of their KRAFTWERK inspired roots, ‘What Have We Done’ features Paul Humphreys on lead vocals. The life, love and loss lyrics for this waltzing lament came to him after having to put his dog Patsy to sleep.

However, this slice of passionate Modernen Industrielle Volksmusik could also act as symbolism for the end of any relationship, whether political or personal, and coupled to a beautifully sparkling melody recalling Ryuichi Sakamoto’s ‘Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence’, the song has deservedly become a live favourite on OMD’s current tour in support of ‘‘The Punishment Of Luxury’.

The observational video itself has a circle of life narrative that also recalls the ‘Powers Of Ten’ films directed by Charles and Ray Eames, where scenes are expanded out from the Earth.

Heading into their 40th anniversary as a performing unit when they played at Liverpool’s Eric’s in the Autumn of 1978 accompanied by Winston the tape recorder, the breadth of musicality, technological curiosity and lyrical wordplay of OMD is as strong as ever.

It’s a big lesson to those contemporaries of theirs, whose recent albums have not been particularly good, as to what spirit actually is…

‘What Have We Done’ is taken from ‘The Punishment Of Luxury’ released by 100% Records, ”The Punishment of Luxury: B Sides & Bonus Material’ featuring previously vinyl only tracks such as ‘Ha Ha Ha’ and ‘Lampe Licht’ plus extended mixes will be released as a CD on 15th December 2017

OMD’s ‘The Punishment Of Luxury’ 2017 UK tour with opening act TINY MAGNETIC PETS includes:

Bexhill Del La Warr Pavilion (15th November), Manchester Academy (17th November), York Barbican (18th November), Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (19th November), Birmingham Symphony Hall (21st November), Gateshead Sage (22nd November)

2017 European dates with opening act HOLYGRAM include:

Erfut Traum Hits Festival (25th November), Hamburg Grosse Freiheit (26th November), Berlin Huxleys (28th November), Leipzig Haus Auenesse (29th November), Munich Tonhalle (30th November), Offenbach Stadthalle (2nd December), Düsseldorf Mitsubishi Electric Hall (3rd December), Tilburg 013 (5th December), Antwerp De Roma (6th December), Lausanne Les Docks (8th December)

2018 two man shows featuring Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys only include:

Stockholm Vasateatern (5th February), Gothenburg Pustervik (6th February), Oslo Rockefeller (7th February), Copenhagen DR Studie 2 (9th February), Warsaw Progresja (11th February), Paris Bataclan (12th February), Barcelona Razzmatazz (14th February), Madrid La Riviera (15th February),
Lisbon Aula Magna (16th February), Isle of Man Douglas Villa Marina Hall (20th February)

http://www.omd.uk.com/

https://www.facebook.com/omdofficial/

https://twitter.com/OfficialOMD

Text and Photo by Chi Ming Lai
7th November 2017, updated 15th November 2017

BOYTRONIC Jewel

2 November 2017 /


BOYTRONIC certainly have been through many line-up changes, hiatuses and disappearances and reappearances from the German synth scene since 1983, but now it’s the time for the big return.

‘Jewel’ marks the 2017 reincarnation of the trio, with Ingo Hauss, Hayo Lewerentz and James Knights. Since Hauss and Lewerentz have approached the project in a fluid manner, rather than “we are in a band, therefore we have to deliver” configuration, the artistic process has been more relaxed and not rushed, until they found Winchester boy James Knights.

The former vocalist of SCARLET SOHO recorded ‘Time After Midnight’ with the German duo, without any expectations or further plans, but, since musically it represented the kind of material BOYTRONIC have been loved for and it was warmly received by the hungry fans, the three musicians decided that a brand new BOYTRONIC album was in order.

Following previous multiple releases, with the last opus ‘Dependence’ some ten years ago , ‘Jewel’ promises “a new beginning as well as the continuation of the success story” for the Hamburg based project.

Inspired by Martin Scorsese’s ‘After Hours’, ‘Time After Midnight’ marries an excellent nostalgic synth sound and vocal à la Marc Almond in his prime, and is a perfect re-introduction into the quirky sound of BOYTRONIC, who have always had that edgy feel to their material.

‘The Universe’ distinguishes itself with masterful arrangements and rather original approach to synth. Lewerentz calls it – “a centre part in Alice in Wonderland mode”; its simplicity unparalleled, and its depth unreachable, a little gem.

Talking about which, the title track is certainly precious. A little bit of mystery, a dash of versatile vocal and a dose of nostalgia recalling CAMOUFLAGE equals a wonderfully rounded down tempo tune.

While the cinematic ‘Jewel’ is “shiny and clear”, ‘Mad Love’ is loaded with magically pulsating rhythm, reminiscent of BOYTRONIC’s earliest releases, with its metallic synth sound and an innate musicality seeded deeply in Lewerentz’s creations, making it a perfect choice of the first single.

‘Share’ is a dark horse, with breaking the boundaries of electronica as we know it; a bit EBM-ish but without the tedious stomps and unnecessary twists. Lyrically it describes the unruled sharing of contents on social networks, which has become somewhat a mare for the artists of today.

‘My Baby Lost Its Way’ is a minimalist pop hit, which dazzles with the danceability factor and brings back the club feels of old, while ‘Dark Passion’ ushers in the Eurotrance beats over nautical connotations a la ‘Das Boot’. No surprises there as Lewerentz, along with Ingo Hauss and producer Alex Christensen, was also involved in the successful U96 project.

Semi-instrumental and fully robotic, ‘Disco City’ leads to the most surprising entry on the album; a cover of U2’s ‘New Year’s Day’.

“We came up with the idea spontaneously at the studio”, says Lewerentz. “Ingo, James and I were jamming away when suddenly James joined in our chord harmonies with the ‘New Year’s Day’ chorus. We looked at each other in surprise and decided: Might as well have a go at the original.” The result is a very fitting electronic version of the well-known song, which actually sounds heavens better than the original.

It is indeed pleasing to see the BOYTRONIC spark light up again; much fresher, fuller and bigger, but still keeping in with its beginnings – something not many can deliver so easily.

“BOYTRONIC has always been about pop songs, danceable, catchy and always a little mysterious” says Lewerentz and ‘Jewel’ certainly provides on that level. If you’re looking for something non-conforming and not quite fitting into the box, there you have it… BOYTRONIC at their best.

‘Jewel’ is released by SPV Records in Europe and Metropolis Records in North America on 3rd November 2017

https://www.facebook.com/boytronicmusic

https://twitter.com/BoytronicOffice

Text by Monika Izabela Trigwell
2nd November 2017

FEVER RAY Plunge

1 November 2017 /


The First Lady of the Swedish electronic scene Karin Dreijer returns and the comeback is indeed a bit of a ‘Plunge’.

Being one half of THE KNIFE who shook the foundations of Swedish synth music and created new directions in all things electronic, Dreijer has for years embodied the most influential figure in darker, artier synthpopia. THE KNIFE, formed in Gothenburg with her brother Olof, released a few notable albums, including the uncompromising ‘Shaking The Habitual’ in 2013, to disband the following year after a number of successful live appearances.

Yet back in 2009, Dreijer couldn’t wait to unleash her solo project under the pseudonym of FEVER RAY, which gave a go ahead to artists such as IAMAMIWHOAMI, KARIN PARK, GAZELLE TWIN, AUSTRA, THE HORN THE HUNT, NIKI & THE DOVE and perhaps to Canada’s GRIMES as well. The school of hauntronica was opening doors to a wide variety of female artists who wanted to take the synth to another level.

The eponymous album number one was heralded by ‘If I Had A Heart’, which caused a stir big enough to be featured in many TV series, with ‘Breaking Bad’, ‘Person Of Interest’ and ‘Vikings’ to name a few. The Ice Maiden Of Synth also contributed vocals to the works by DEUS and RÖYKSOPP, composed the soundtrack to ‘Dirty Diaries’, ‘Hour Of the Wolf’, and gigged extensively, gathering more than positive reviews. Known for her visual extravaganza of costumes, masks, body paints and theatrical props, Dreijer makes an unexpected return with ‘Plunge’.

Weird and eerie sounds on ‘Wanna Sip’ pull strings from the onset, inviting a celebration of what’s unusual and egocentric. The curious urgency created by the clever use of musical elements ends abruptly, to be followed by ‘Mustn’t Hurry’; the Nordic vocals are pushing boundaries over mysterious beats, leading to pitch-bent hysteria on ‘A Part Of Us’ featuring Tami T.

‘Falling’ is the preparatory tune, designed to work as shift change into the more political and designed to shock part of the album. The most experimental on the opus, it features samples of dial tones, bells and harsh vocals to unnerve and “feel dirty”. For a tribal feel of distorted vocal and sex noises, all wrapped up in Japanese notion over the playground antics, let’s go into ‘IDK About You’. Weird enough? Certainly…

But then comes ‘This Country’; here Dreijer gets political, sexual and more peculiar still. Referring to “perverts”, “free abortions, clean water” and the general statement that “this country makes it hard to f**k” pretty much says it all. It’s all a risky ‘Plunge’ (except the title track is a chipper instrumental proposition); ‘To The Moon & Back’ being the classic example of it with the scandalous “I want to run my fingers up your pussy”. Have we heard it right!? Oh yes, FEVER RAY has the fever, and she’s not ashamed to admit it. And all this over ERASURE-esque arpeggios!? And why not!

The vibrations change to cinematic eastern violin, which buzzes with the urgency of noise in ‘Red Trails’, shifting to ‘An Itch’ with its axe grinding qualities, to be reconciled with ‘Mama’s Hand’. With that stretched voice, trying to explain the subject matter as love, but what love? Maternal, sexual, of a brotherhood of men; has Dreijer found her destiny? Has she reached her fulfilment? Has she cleared the uncertainty or merely muddied the waters further?

FEVER RAY has certainly transformed, noticeably evolved, properly grown, unafraid to spell things as they are. The ambivalent political-sexual manifesto is there for grabs. It won’t be to everyone’s taste, but for the lovers of the quirky, strong, semi-feminist and above all, bursting with art forms, ‘Plunge’ will hail the new era. It’s an era of unbridled sexuality, paradoxical freedom and all things weird and beautiful.

And who will FEVER RAY inspire next?

‘Plunge’ is released by Rabid Records via the usual digital platforms

https://feverray.com

https://www.facebook.com/FeverRay/

https://twitter.com/feverray

https://www.instagram.com/feverray/

Text by Monika Izabela Trigwell
1st November 2017

FIFI RONG The One

18 October 2017 /


One person who is not shying from experimenting within the electronica genre is Beijing born, London based FIFI RONG.

Not only has she rebelled against the ordinary in her homeland China, but when the realisation that spreading her musical wings wasn’t going to happen there, she took the bald step of relocating to somewhere she could really emerge. And since, she has with sublime songs such as ‘Only If I Knew’ and ‘Next Pursuit’. Bred on MAZZY STAR and COCTEAU TWINS, the dainty songstress has been developing her own ethereal, eerie style, with the incorporation of some magnificent electronica, to challenge many of her contemporaries.

None other than YELLO invited her to tour and perform with them, and the Oriental Beauty has been going from strength to strength since with her multiple single releases.

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK is catching up with FIFI RONG just in time for her latest release ‘The One’.


The last time ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK chatted to you, you were embarking upon your YELLO adventure and since then, there have been live events with the guys themselves!

Yes! Last year I did 4 sold out shows at Kraftwerk Berlin with YELLO. They were their first-ever shows so it was intense and I loved it. And this year we are doing different dates, and much more spread-out.

The Montreux festival was a lot of fun. Geneva was very beautiful. And I’m looking forward to the upcoming arena shows in Germany, Switzerland and Austria too.

‘The Same Road’ took your followers as surprise with a faster tempo and a clear nod towards the poppier side of things?

Yes. I like challenging myself and I like experimenting. I know I can do moody downtempo all day long, but I like to explore the uptempo side of me too while staying undeviated from who I am.

Are we to expect for ‘The One’ to usher more changes which will define your creations for a while, or is the organic process of your music making never ceasing to evolve?

I think ‘The One’ is more holistic and conclusive, from what I was in the very early days to what I am now. It happened as a simple bassline, I had no intention for it to become a so-called dub reggae vibe. I’m not aware of these things, I thought it was interesting, that’s all. So who knows what will be the next bits of excitement that are coming my way 🙂

Having released some fantastic singles, are we to expect a long player to follow?

Yes. I’m making an EP first, and this is likely to be followed by the album sometime next year. I know I have been warming up for a while. But I hope it’s worth the wait as I have been writing so much. Basically I’m being patient and I only want to release the best tracks, rather than 5 mediocre albums with some good tracks. I’m in no rush. Quality comes first.

The Pledge Music campaigns have really worked for you…

Yes, I’m very fortunate to have a small group of loyal followers who believe in me as an artist, a person, and a spirit behind all this. And they support and stay open minded to grow with me and accept my changes and evolution.

You have travelled extensively over the last few months. Any highlights?

Yes! Geneva was paradise! So in love with the lake and the mountains there. But I only got to stay there for one day. Texas was lovely. Beautiful and generous sun shine… Spain, where I escaped to on my working holiday, where I went on a solo adventure into the mountains and to the sea. You get the pattern. I like sunny places with clear water. But ironically I’m attached to London. Like a complicated love hate relationship:)

Is China still shutting you out, or are they warming to your creations? Have you any thoughts about how popular music is developing there?

Haven’t had many thoughts or attention towards it. If there was another Fifi, I’d delegate her to have a scan of what’s going on. Otherwise, London is my home, regardless of how it perceives me 🙂


Any new hardware or software in your studio you’d like to share your excitement about?

Oh yeah lots!! I got my Maschine2 with Komplete and a new system. I absolutely exhausted my old set up with the previous version of Logic X and my own samplers. So I’m exploring the new systems, very slowly.

I’m a bit like a dog with a bone type of person when it comes to music technology. A bit thick but I eventually get my teeth into it and won’t let go 🙂

Would you say this year marks a milestone in your career so far?

I would say it’s been nice and steady and I like the pace of my development as a songwriter, performer and producer. All these things take time and craft from the insider perspective. And the outside result is simply what it looks from the outside. I don’t think about it too much 🙂

What does the future hold for FIFI RONG as 2018 approaches?

A new EP and album as I mentioned earlier. It means lots of hard work on songwriting, recording and production 🙂

So basically it’s a case of just putting my head down, as I feel I’ve only just scratched the surface of my creativity…

‘The One’ is available now via AWAL through the usual digital outlets

FIFI RONG plays London Archspace on 19th October 2017

http://www.fifirong.com/

https://www.facebook.com/fifirongmusic/

https://twitter.com/fifirong

Text and Interview by Monika Izabela Trigwell
18th October 2017

TANGERINE DREAM Quantum Gate

15 October 2017 /

2017 has been a stellar year for electronic music releases, from the latest high charting works by OMD and GARY NUMAN through to the collaboration between TANGERINE DREAM members Ulrich Schnauss and Thorsten Quaeschning on ‘Synthwaves’.

With founder member Edgar Froese’s passing in 2015, his intention was for the band to continue with his vision, in this case compositions based upon quantum physics. So Froese himself has writing credits on all but one of the tracks on this latest release ‘Quantum Gate’.

With Hoshiko Yamane completing the trio, it was left to the remaining TANGERINE DREAM members to complete the musical sketches left behind by the founding father of the band. This in itself would be a daunting enough task to do justice to the pieces, plus there additionally lingers the factor that there are some that would argue that without Froese, the band should be laid to rest.

Where other acts who lost their leader like QUEEN have doggedly soldiered on by using different vocalists, at least there is a certain anonymity associated with instrumental electronic music which means that there isn’t quite that awkward comparison when a new front person tries to emulate the sound of a departed former member.

‘Synthwaves’ was a superbly produced piece of instrumental electronica, but with its release date being relatively close to that of the latest TD album, it was never going to escape direct comparison with ‘Quantum Gate’. On initial listening, ‘Quantum Gate’ floats over the listener and in many places lacks the directness and strong musical themes present on ‘Synthwaves’, but with multiple listens, the complexity of the pieces start to reveal elements that the listener may have missed first time around.

The epic 13 minute plus ‘Sensing Elements’ is a challenging opener, the first 5 minutes bombards the listener with multiple melodies and rapidly changing chord progressions and it’s only around the six minute mark when a classic hypnotic TD bass sequencer part starts to emerge that the track begins to lift-off and take shape. Around the 9 minute mark, additional Berlin School-style higher sequencer parts raise the dynamics until the piece reaches a melodic and satisfying conclusion.

In comparison, ‘Roll The Seven Twice’ is far more direct proposition, with a bass sequence which recalls the trance-tastic JAM & SPOON remix of the trance classic ‘Age Of Love’, the track also features an anthemic synth chord lead part which provides the first hook on ‘Quantum Gate’. Latterly throwing in some 4/4 drums and a descending musical variation, ‘Roll The Seven Twice’ provides ample evidence that Froese’s legacy really is in safe hands here.

With its pulsing bassline and electronic white noise percussion, ‘Granular Blankets’ starts off eerily reminiscent of DEPECHE MODE’s ‘Barrel Of A Gun’ before showcasing the Ulrich Schnauss influence on the band with his Shoegazing wall of sound aesthetic. The oddly titled ‘It Is Time To Leave When Everyone Is Dancing’ starts developing into (shock horror!) a bit of dance-oriented stormer before changing tack halfway through with a new beat pattern and a hyper-catchy bassline.

‘Identity Proven Matrix’ features the sitar-like texture which graced ‘No-Man’s Land’ from the 1983 album ‘Hyperborea’ and at approximately 5 minutes in length, doesn’t waste any time in showcasing its strong orchestral string melodies and chord progressions.

Out of all the tracks on ‘Quantum Gate’, ‘Identify Proven Matrix’ is the most Johannes Schmoelling-era sounding TANGERINE DREAM track here. The attention to detail with the interlocking resonant synth is superb – a rolling Christophe Franke-style sequencer part is utilised later in a piece which will delight fans of the band’s mid-period purple patch.

With an analogue string synth intro, ‘Tear Down The Grey Skies’ unintentionally starts off like BON JOVI’s hair metal anthem ‘Living on a Prayer’, but a superb interlocking sequencer part soon helps to completely banish that distasteful comparison! A climbing Jarre-like melody adds the icing on the musical cake and provides ‘Quantum Gate’ with another strong highlight.

Closing track ‘Genesis of Precious Thoughts’ (could there be a more TANGERINE DREAM-sounding title?) progressively builds with an energy rush of interlocking sequencers before breaking down to just piano and Hoshiko Yamane’s plaintive violin. The intricate drum programming on the remaining 5 minutes is truly stunning and completely wipes away the memory of some of the muzak-style forays into live percussion which for some blighted the band during the noughties.

With a running time of 70 minutes in length and an unpredictable musical complexity throughout, there is little in the way of instant gratification here. We live in musical times where song intros are being shortened due to people’s attention spans reducing and Spotify payout rules so in that context ‘Quantum Gate’ provides a refreshing, but challenging listen.

Ultimately this release proves that it was the right decision for TANGERINE DREAM to continue and somewhere at a different cosmic address, Edgar Froese will be looking down, safe in the knowledge that his musical legacy is being carefully protected.

‘Quantum Gate’ is released in CD, double vinyl LP and download formats by KScope

http://www.tangerinedream.org/

https://www.facebook.com/TANGERINEDREAM.OFFICIAL

http://www.kscopemusic.com

Text by Paul Boddy
15th October 2017

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