Category: Reviews (Page 24 of 200)

ULTRAFLEX Infinite Wellness

7 October 2022 /


For their second album ‘Infinite Wellness’, the Berlin-based Nordic twosome ULTRAFLEX have got naughty.

Kari Jahnsen and Katrín Helga Andrésdóttir first came together in 2020 for a sexy sport and fitness inspired debut long player entitled ‘Visions Of Ultraflex’.

Compared to their debut, the approach to ‘Infinite Wellness’ feature more variations in style while being pop and more experimental simultaneously. There is more of a Mediterranean feel but there are inflections of funk, soul and even jazz, but it is all pushed passed through the ULTRAFLEX filter.

With a dose of ingles, opening song ‘Relax’ is a crystalline and gently funky. salute to Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. ‘Baby’ though the song is about romantic endeavours although it is also all about ULTRAFLEX’s creative chemistry; the end result is a bright and breezy romp with a solid electro-disco backbone.

With jazzier cocktail grooves and “Mascara down your cheeks, Bacardi in your drinks”, ‘Rhodos’ celebrates those favourite sunny destinations such as Mallorca, Ibiza and Rhodes, inspired by their own experiences of avoiding sunburn, binge drinking and laughing at pasty boys with beer bellies.

With a fluent flirtation of body language, ‘Mi Vuoi’ featuring Italian performance artist Kuntessa places steel drums and sax chatter over a clubby trance house setting to display their faux innocence and devious charm. With a more R ’n’ B slant and inspired by Usher’s ‘Climax’, the soulful and moody ‘Melting Away’ is less boisterous and adds ULTRAFLEX’s girly club rap.

With chilled sea air vibes, ‘Ultrasex’ is a provocative play on the duo’s name with the resulting groove, saxophone and ‘wah-wah’ recalling a vintage erotica soundtrack. Meanwhile ‘Under The Spell’ begins with nonchalant spoken words but sparkles as our heroines get seduced.

Closing with the gorgeous sweetness of ‘Run’, the laidback cuteness gets its point across in just 2 minutes.

Balancing out their electronic template with more live elements like drums, saxophone and guitar, ‘Infinite Wellness’ shows development in the ULTRAFLEX sound while continuing with the coy playfulness that made their first album so appealing.

‘Infinite Wellness’ is released by Street Pulse Records as a vinyl LP and download, available from https://ultraflexband.bandcamp.com/album/infinite-wellness-album

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Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photo by Blair Alexander
7th October 2022

DAWN TO DAWN Postcards From The Sun To The Moon

6 October 2022 /

First coming together in late 2018, Montreal trio DAWN TO DAWN are releasing their first full length album ‘Postcards From The Sun To The Moon’.

Comprising of Tess Roby, Adam Ohr and Patrick Lee, DAWN TO DAWNDAWN TO DAWN combines Roby’s forlorn introspection as heard on her first two solo albums ‘Beacon’ and ‘Ideas Of Space’ with Ohr and Lee’s dance-derived templates as THE BEAT ESCAPE.

With no-one style dominating over the other, this sonic sandwich has produced an intriguing sound to be savoured.

A slow burner in its realisation, the songs were created through communal jam sessions with off-the-cuff lyrical interventions before editing and processing. With a gentile start, ‘Anniversary’ drifts into the ether to welcome the listener into the world of DAWN TO DAWN with ethereal vocals, synthetic soundscapes and absorbing drum machine mantras.

‘Meridian’ is a fine example of this more uptempo approach of DAWN TO DAWN compared to solo Tess Roby productions; while the songs have a dreamy melancholy in common, moving from low to high in its fabulous multi-faceted vocal arrangement, there is a understated danceable quality within the subtle textures.

Expanding the template, ‘Care’ is interesting and unconventional in that a sung lyric doesn’t appear until almost halfway through the track. Nocturnal yet rhythmic, with an alluring folk-tinged vocal to offset the understated synthetic overtures, there are enigmatic skatted vocals in the vein of Dot Allison for the first two minutes before Roby presents her more coherent contralto over its hypnotic synthbass and crisp rhythmic construction.

Adopting a bouncing percussive groove, ‘Samba’ features some very absorbing multi-layers and manages to not be too forceful while almost harp led, ‘A Colour Named By You’ is much sparser and devoid of drum machine, coming over more audibly reminiscent of Tess Roby’s own solo work.

Presenting an important message, the trance soundscapes of ‘Ecology’ are crystalline and hypnotic in their aural expression which could even be considered to be romantic. ‘With U’ is proof that danceable rhythmic music can be understated and doesn’t need to be overtly loud with hints of Finnish duo SIN COS TAN in its pretty keyboard motifs.

Meanwhile ‘Stereo’ captures that joy of music which can be a communal or solitary experience, functional or incidental, is marvellously infectious with a breezy allure captured and understated synthesized danceability.

Acting as a fine and fitting closing number, the beautiful ‘Lanes’ is inspired by the tranquillity and seasonal deserts of British seaside towns like Brighton; with a soft forlorn air and the eerie moods of the late Julee Cruise, it displays an artistic kinship with Jorja Chalmers whose recent album ‘Midnight Train’ was inspired by her home seaside town of Margate.

‘Postcards From The Sun To The Moon’ is a wonderful toe-tapping record that captures the 2am wind down of a house party where some people still want to dance, albeit in more a more tranquil, less boisterous manner while others quietly do some tidying up but no-one wants to leave yet. As DAWN TO DAWN themselves say “this album is meant to be enjoyed with or without a fixed destination in mind”.

‘Postcards From The Sun To The Moon’ is released by SSURROUNDSS in CD and digital formats, available via https://dawntodawn.bandcamp.com/album/postcards-from-the-sun-to-the-moon

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Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photo by Christopher Honeywell
6th October 2022

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/

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Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Mehdi Bagherzadeh
5th 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/

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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

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Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
29th September 2022

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