Tag: R. Missing (Page 1 of 3)

2025 END OF YEAR REVIEW

14 December 2025 /

50 years from KRAFTWERK appearing on the BBC’s ‘Tomorrow’s World’ to perform ‘Autobahn’ and demonstrate the future of music, as Ralf Hütter remarked at the start of the 21st Century, “electro is everywhere” and can now be made on your mobile phone!

And while the KRAFTWERK brand continues to be fronted by the 79 year old Hütter with an extensive UK tour pencilled in next year, 2025 saw the sad passing of Synth Britannia heroes Dave Ball and Stephen Luscombe, while there was also the loss of COVENANT associate Andreas Catjar-Danielsson, NITZER EBB frontman Douglas J McCarthy and Gary Numan’s brother / former live band member John Webb. Outside of the genre, cult film director David Lynch, BLONDIE drummer Clem Burke, veteran diva Marianne Faithfull, The Prince Of Darkness Ozzy Osbourne and Head Beach Boy Brian Wilson were among those who left this mortal coil.

Musically in 2025, Mari Kattman became the alluring gothic club queen she always had the potential to be on her best album yet ‘Year Of The Katt’. She headed a strong feast of feisty releases from Ela Minus, Marie Davidson, Zanias, Jennifer Touch, Charly Haze, Ani Glass, Emmon, Minuit Machine and Compute alongside those by the female fronted DLINA VOLNY, CAUSEWAY, DINA SUMMER, AUSTRA, NNHMN and PARADOX OBSCUR.

Among the new talent making a good impression were Spike, Shears and Hannah Hu who is currently working on her first album with Dean Honer of I MONSTER. Having already released a couple of albums, on the ascendancy was self-styled Californian “retro electro artist” Sophie Grey who was joined by Trevor Horn during her live cover of ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’ while supporting Sting at the London Forum.

On the gentler side of electronics, Patricia Wolf and Loula Yorke came up with their fabulous respective instrumental offerings ‘Hrafnamynd’ and ‘Time Is A Succession Of Such Shapes’. There was also the return of LADYTRON as well as Alison Goldfrapp, Claudia Brücken and Kim Wilde. Going back to glitzy electropop on her new record ‘Mayhem’, Lady Gaga did an impression of Taylor Swift doing YAZOO on one of its highlights ‘How Bad Do U Want Me?’; meanwhile Taylor herself appeared to have turned into Los Angeles trio CANNONS on ‘The Fate Of Ophelia’, the synthy opening song of her 12th album ‘The Life Of A Showgirl’.

Photo by Oliver Blair

Swedish producer Johan Agebjörn proved to have one of the most prolific years in his music career with not only collaborations with R.MISSING on ‘Fakesnow’ and NINA on ‘Hush Hush Baby’ but also a new SALLY SHAPIRO album ‘Ready To Live A Lie’ and a solo long player ‘Southern Forest’; all this while holding down his day job as a psychotherapist! Another releasing two albums in 2025 was Paul Statham although one was a collection of archive recordings for what could have been the intended 1982 debut album by B-MOVIE entitled ‘Lost Treasures’; the other was a second record from his dark country project THE DARK FLOWERS featuring Jim Kerr of SIMPLE MINDS whose most recent single ‘Your Name In Lights’ had been co-written by Statham.

Impressively, SPARKS got ‘MAD!’ and then ‘MADDER!’ while undertaking a huge world tour with Ron Mael still tap dancing at 80 years of age during the drum solo of ‘No1 Song In Heaven’ and Russell Mael able to hit many of those high notes at 77. As ERASURE made a tentative return with a series of special UK fan club shows to celebrate their 40th anniversary, Andy Bell toured his solo album ‘Ten Crowns’ with KNIGHT$ not doing himself any harm being the opening act on the German leg ahead of a new album ‘Supernatural Lover’ out in early 2026.

After a few years of recorded absence, former TANGERINE DREAM members released long awaited albums with Peter Baumann from the classic line-up issuing the esoteric ‘Nightfall’ while Jerome Froese, son of co-founder Edgar, came up with the guitartronica of ‘Sunsets In Stereo’. Playing with the atonal atmospheres of early TANGERINE DREAM in places, the dark cerebral concept of ‘The Ray Bradbury Chronicles’ by Levente was worthy of investigation.

With their keyboard player Christian Berg now something of a modern day Rick Wakeman, KITE established themselves as a major world force with a spectacular show on ice at Stockholm’s Avicii Arena which saw special guest Nina Persson of THE CARDIGANS skating with the Helsinki Rockettes while singing their mighty collaboration ‘Heartless Places’.

Tom Shear released one of his most impressive and on-point albums as ASSEMBLAGE 23 in ‘Null’ while UNIFY SEPARATE didn’t mince their words on their ‘Heavy Meta’ EP. While Tobias Bernstrup kept the dark Italo flame alive with ‘Shadow Dancer’, Berlin continued to remain a force in underground club culture with two of its leading exponents Franz Scala and Kalipo presenting well-received long players that worked on the home hi-fi as well as on dancefloors. On the more poptronica front, Eddie Bengtsson finally stopped trying to “Numanise” his sound and came up with ‘Inget Motstånd’, a record in the more classic PAGE vein.

While synthwave appeared to be dead (as the controversial blog Iron Skullet declared in 2019), the influx of generic darkwave was a major blight on electronic music in 2025. The major label supported Mareux and his second album ‘Nonstop Romance’ had any potential painfully ruined by overused deliberate distortion to make it sound like it was recorded down a drainpipe.

Meanwhile PORCELAIN DANCER seemed to be the Rob Newman parody of Robert Smith as seen on ‘The Mary Whitehouse Experience’ resurrected only several octaves lower; his live performance provoked unintentional laughter from those who arrived early to see KORINE in London!

DEPECHE MODE released 4 songs that were originally deemed not good enough to put on their 2023 album ‘Memento Bori’ to append the live album accompanying their Mexico City concert film ‘M’. But 2025 was notable for a number of figures in the British DM fan community who were coming out with particularly repugnant far right views, seemingly oblivious to the decades of lyrical messages from the two remaining mixed race band members!

But there was hope in the darker side of synth with A THOUSAND MAD THINGS; with his haunted demeanour while navigating young manhood as a tortured outsider, William Barradale’s doomed romantic delivery reminiscent of Billy MacKenzie and Trevor Herion made him undoubtedly the most promising UK act since MIRRORS; his debut 5 song EP ‘Cry & Dance’ was one of 2025’s best bodies of work. This more than made up for ‘Dance Called Memory’, the extremely dull fourth album from NATION OF LANGUAGE which was anything but memorable…

After looking back at 1981, ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK were pleased to be return to the variously compiled podcast ‘Back To NOW’ to discuss the ‘NOW 1982 Yearbook’ with genial host Iain McDermott and Ian Wade, author of ‘1984: The Year Pop Went Queer’. While general music and culture podcasts such as ‘Back To NOW’, ‘Word In Your Ear’, ‘The Rest Is Entertainment’, ‘The Rockonteurs’, ‘SoundPower’ and Miranda Sawyer’s new offering ‘Talk 90s To Me’ were highly engaging listens, specific broadcasts focussed on synth and electronic music were usually weak, suffering from poor hosting and ham-fisted background research. But when a professional presenter was involved, synth-oriented chats could be enlightening as the appearance of John Foxx on ‘The Adam Buxton Podcast’ proved, despite the annoying jingles that accompanied it.

Featuring commentary from PET SHOP BOYS’ Neil Tennant, the BBC’s retrospective look at the collapse of EMI called ‘Music Money & Mayhem’ showed once again that when those who know nothing about music get involved in the music business, it will end in tears. Looking at the story of the history of Beggars Banquet label in its first series and featuring Gary Numan in its opening episode, ‘States Of Independence’ documented how creative enthusiasm from the heart can actually thrive.

So where are the audiences for live electronic music these days? Certainly, if the full houses for Marie Davidson, Geneva Jacuzzi, Loscil and KITE in London’s club-sized venues were anything to go by, the crowds are out there. This was not the case for some other acts on the circuit at new, cult and one-hit wonder level who were struggling to get above half capacity or had downsized considerably since their perceived highest profile. However, new music night Release Me managed to get very good attendances for their evenings in 2025 with the premise that all acts must perform previously unreleased material; this focus on their events being about the music with announced requests to not talk during sets was a fresh and very welcome approach.

Photo by Tom Casey

Elsewhere, the retro business did prosper with reunions, exhibitions, summer hits shows, classic album tours, deluxe reissues of albums that were never that good in the first place and notable records re-released in yet another expanded set for the 5th or 6th time! There were those trying to exploit the fading nostalgia of those heady romantic times, writing memoirs that left out so many important facts omitted that there were grounds for inclusion in the “fiction” section.

Then there were others releasing overlong collections with an average track length of between 6-8 minutes that no-one asked for nor desired… filtering and editing is such an important aspect to producing music so there was no excuse for these veterans! Some even sent out unmastered music files to review outlets, blissfully unaware that the sound quality might actually be mentioned, only to get stupidly angry about it when highlighted due to their own numbskull promotional abilities; it’s a funny old entitled world…

The positive and negative of modern day music consumption is growth CAN happen organically in its own internet powered niche. But with the fragmentation of promotion with social media actually being a choice despite wider protestations, even the AXS newsletter listing the acts soon to be playing the 20,000 capacity O2 arena in London provoked cries of “WHO?”; but that is how it is now and it needs to be accepted. Why should a Boomer or Gen X-er know about the bright young thing headlining Glastonbury?

However, you CAN create your own musical universe today, not listen to radio, create your own playlists and exclude as appropriate. After all, as Nick Rhodes from DURAN DURAN once remarked: “Good taste is exclusive” –  nobody should have to like what you like and neither should what somebody else likes appeal to you… niche interests are fine.

There is no doubt fandom has become more tribal and is now akin to away game support for football teams. But as a result, it has therefore got more toxic, with some fans getting ridiculously angry on socials about old less-than-positive reviews that David Hepworth, Mark Ellen, Ian Cranna, Dave Rimmer, Tom Hibbert or Neil Tennant might have written for Smash Hits 43 YEARS AGO!! “Bet he regrets that…” someone will quip smugly but the reality is, if there is a review that a writer will regret, from the experience of ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK, it will usually be the one that is too gushing with praise!

The gist of Smash Hits during its imperial phase that coincided with Neil Tennant’s tenure as Assistant Editor was it was a magazine which treated “pop” as the most “important” thing in the world while simultaneously highlighting how “ridiculous” it was too, with references to “the dumper”, “summer colds” and the “tongue sarnie”… often dismissed as a “teen mag”, a good number of teenagers could see through the up-itself pretentions of the NME so relished the more amusing and knowing “scribblings” of the Smash Hits team!

The wider public forgets that it might likely have the benefit of 4 decades of hindsight as well as weekly if not daily plays of a record in the first few years of its possession. While it has always been associated with “free speech”, “opinion” or “freedom of expression”, one of the problems with social media is the narcissistic self-seeking of validation as part of the main character syndrome that afflicts many in this modern world…

With tours in 2026 for KRAFTWERK, OMD, PET SHOP BOYS, CHINA CRISIS, HEAVEN 17, THOMPSON TWINS’ Tom Bailey, BLANCMANGE and Midge Ure among many, there is certainly plenty to keep people busy. Just don’t think everyone else will necessarily share in your passion; as time goes on, there will be a lot more of those who won’t have a clue what you are going on about…

U2 once asked “how long must we sing this song?”; so to end a divisive year where evil men with racist views have been casually normalised, the message outlined in 1981 by a trio of philosophers from South Yorkshire must continue to be repeated loud and clear: WE DON’T NEED THIS FASCIST GROOVE THANG! #FuckFarage #FuckReformUK #FuckTommyRobinson #FuckFlagshaggers #FuckTrump

A Time Called Then: ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s Oh 2025 Playlist is at https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1xXptdmcHAvXnXni6hjVnA

Text by Chi Ming Lai
14th December 2025

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s 30 SONGS OF 2025

10 December 2025 /

Sometimes ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK does wonders what century it is living in?

One individual complained on social media that there were far too many women in ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s 30 SONGS OF 2024 earlier this year; well they really are out of luck because this time round, only 8 out of the 30 songs listed are of an entirely male preserve as in 2025, the female side of synth was strong.

As in the past, ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK continues to curate its end of year summary around songs rather than albums as the best representation of an annual period thanks to the long gestation periods of many albums and EPs. Although the last 12 months were plagued with generic darkwave to take the place of the insipid synthwave that was prevalent for a period, there were glimmers of creative hope in electronic pop.

While this year’s list was quite straightforward compile, worthy mentions must be given to NNHMN and SIN COS TAN as well as Zanias and Kalipo who all had tracks that just missed out on inclusion in the final list of 30. Available on the usual online platforms with a restriction of one song per artist moniker and placed in alphabetical order, for better or for worse, these are ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s 30 SONGS OF 2025…

ASSEMBLAGE 23 The Line

With its on-point social commentary, ‘Null’ ranks among Tom Shear’s best albums as ASSEMBLAGE 23. Galloping mightily to ‘The Line’, a blend of dark electronic pop influences provide an album standout full of resigned drama when “it doesn’t matter anyway…”; reflecting on political polarisation affecting friendships, he said “you have to evaluate whether you want to keep these people in your life or do you really need to let them go…”

Available on the ASSEMBLAGE 23 album ‘Null’ via Metropolis Records

https://www.assemblage23.com/

AUSTRA Math Equation

Back as AUSTRA, ‘Chin Up Buttercup’ was a cathartic record capturing the aftermath of Katie Stelmanis’ break-up with her long-term partner. Like a discontented ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’, the superb ‘Math Equation’ sees a sad but dancey syncopated dance tune with frank observations of navigating modern dating. “You said I needed my own friends and then you f*cked them” she despaired as elegiac synths mourn the end.

Available on the AUSTRA album ‘Chin Up Buttercup’ via Domino Recordings

https://austra.fyi/

TOBIAS BERNSTRUP Under Heavy Strobe Light

Swedish dark Italo artist Tobias Bernstrup is back with his seventh studio album ‘Shadow Dancer’. According to Bernstrup, it “explores the tension between appearance and reality—how we perform identity, desire, and memory in a world flooded with simulation”. On ‘Under Heavy Strobe Light’, the beats pump harder and the voice is deeper but as the title suggests, this throbbing excursion is made for “creatures of the night” who love the dancefloor.

Available on the TOBIAS BERNSTRUP album ‘Shadow Dancer’ via Nadanna Records

http://www.bernstrup.com/

CAUSEWAY featuring ENDLESS ATLAS Anywhere

Although CAUSEWAY maintained their cinematic dreamwave sound on the ‘Anywhere’ album, its title track was a key statement that went all Motorik and minimal with the guitar of Dale Hiscock from ENDLESS ATLAS contributing the West Coast meets Düsseldorf flavour. Eschewing the density of most of the tracks on the album, the duo’s Marshall Watson said “To me it feels very ‘out of the box’ for CAUSEWAY but it fits in our universe”.

Available on the CAUSEWAY album ‘Anywhere’ is released by Sprechen Music

https://www.facebook.com/wearecauseway

CLAUDIA BRÜCKEN Shadow Dancer

‘Night Mirror’ saw Claudia Brücken back working with John Williams who produced her third solo album ‘Where Else…’; with her characteristic ice maiden cool, the brilliant ‘Shadow Dancer’ turned the album on its head with an uptempo electronically driven number with minimal rhythm guitar and piano sparring off the synthetic stabs and metronomic rhythms. Here Claudia’s assuring poetry was supreme in this divine slice of avant pop.

Available on the CLAUDIA BRÜCKEN album ‘Night Mirror’ via Demon Music Group

https://www.claudiabrucken.co.uk/

COMPUTE Närmare

Through circumstance and by choice, Ulrika Mild is perhaps one of the best kept secrets in Swedish electronic pop. Under her alias of COMPUTE, she says “I’m just a girl standing in front of a machine asking it to go ‘bleep bloop’…” but there was a darker if still melodic presence on her ‘NKI’ EP. Its opening song ‘Närmare’ was a feisty club friendly track that acted as an observation about the world problems that threaten human existence.

Available on the COMPUTE EP ‘NKI’ via https://computopia.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/computopia

MARIE DAVIDSON Fun Times

Co-written and co-produced with SOULWAX, ‘City Of Clowns’ was the first album from Marie Davidson in over 4 years. More English than French but also more song-based, she had some ‘Fun Times’ on a spiky vibrant number about not having children and challenging the now-prevalent far right view that a woman’s only meaningful role in society is reproducing… why bother with all that when her babies can be her art and her fun?

Available on the MARIE DAVIDSON album ‘City Of Clowns’ via DEEWEE

https://www.facebook.com/mariedavidson.official

DIE SEXUAL Magic Never Dies

From out of the shadows to under the strobe lights, DIE SEXUAL are the erotically charged Los Angeles-based duo of Anton Floriano and his wife Ros. DIE SEXUAL’s dark electronic influences examine themes of domination and submission. The cut and thrust of ‘Magic Never Dies’ provided another throbbing banger for the alternative dancefloor to enable responsible misbehaviour and to dance like nobody’s watching.

Available on the DIE SEXUAL EP ‘Desire’ via https://diesexual.bandcamp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/diesexualofficial/

DINA SUMMER Disco Goth

For the second DINA SUMMER album, there was a natural progression from the previous EP ‘Hide & Seek’, playing on its darker but still club friendly aesthetics. Straddling the worlds of electronic disco and alternative rock, ‘Disco Goth’ heads to the dancefloor as frantic throbbing electronics is accompanied commentary on how to get that look. There is an energetic thrill that comes from the decadent dance and being in the ‘Girls Gang’.

Available on the DINA SUMMER album ‘Girls Gang’ via Iptamenos Discos

https://dinasummer.berlin/

DLINA VOLNY Chant

Playing with the physics of sound while exploring a variety of introspective themes, exiled Belarusian trio DLINA VOLNY understandably now sound heavier than they ever have before, but have retained their all-important melodic contrasts to counter any possibilities of proceedings becoming too dirgey. Playing on their post-punk sensibilities, the exuberant if still sombre ‘Chant’ imagines Siouxsie gone Motorik…

Available on the DLINA VOLNY album ‘In Between’ via Italians Do It Better

https://dlinavolny.com/

EMMON & MAJESTOLUXE Blood On The Ceiling

As EMMON, Emma Nylen has evolved since her 2007 indie synthpop debut ‘The Art & The Evil’ into a more rugged EBM inclined direction as captured on the mighty ‘Blood On The Ceiling’, her collaboration with subarctic urban industrial artist MAJESTOLUXE. Suitably dark and complimented by chilling, mass murderer-themed lyrics, its hypnotic sonic carousel was inspired by German electropunk pioneers LIAISONS DANGEREUSES.

Available on the EMMON album ‘Icon’ via https://emmon.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/emmonsweden/

https://www.facebook.com/majestoluxe

GLITBITER Bury The Sky

The musical vehicle of LA-based New Yorker Florence Bullock, following the release of her debut EP ‘Short Stories’ in 2017, she went on to collaborate with BETAMAXX on ‘Skyhigh’ in 2019 before her most recent EP ‘Glass & Steel’ in 2021. ‘Bury The Sky’ is the first GLITBITER song in quite a few years and imagines a “girl on a mountain” in this delightful slice of fantasy futurism and fascinating rhythms that are fast if not furious.

Available on the GLITBITER single ‘Bury The Sky’ via https://glitbiter.bandcamp.com/track/bury-the-sky

https://www.facebook.com/glitbiter

ALISON GOLDFRAPP Hey Hi Hello

With the 20th Anniversary of ‘Supernature’, it seemed appropriate after the HI-NRG stomp of her debut ’The Love Invention’ that the new Alison Goldfrapp solo album would recall some of the serene avant pop that characterised that record. Co-produced by Stefan Storm of THE SOUND OF ARROWS, ‘Hey Hi Hello’ was exuberant but bittersweet pop and less full on, written during a period when she became single for the first time in years.

Available on the ALISON GOLDFRAPP album ‘Flux’ via AG Records

https://www.alisongoldfrapp.com/

ERIKA GRAPES & EUGENE Love Is A Bitch

A cover of American singer-songwriter Bill Dess, best known as Two Feet, the Italian pairing of Erika Grapes and Eugenio Valente acknowledged that ‘Love Is A Bitch’ in this slo-mo reworking of a modern blues number about how blindfolded love cam lead to a trail of toxic events. Seen through a twisted industrial lens in the wake of a heavy relationship breakup, the sub-bass tension and keyboard motifs exuded a glorious cinematic gothique.

Available on the ERIKA GRAPES & EUGENE single ‘Love Is A Bitch’ via https://erikagrapes.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ErikaGrapesMusic

https://www.facebook.com/eugenemusic

MARI KATTMAN Typical Girl

Self-producing for the first time, Mari Kattman decided it was the ‘Year Of The Katt’; what is now on offer is a collection of mostly catchy electronic songs with crossover potential for the dance floor. This was exemplified by this pumping industrial pop anthem where in a protest song against female stereotyping, our heroine rebels against cast being seen as “a difficult person” and a ‘Typical Girl’ to question “who’s gonna love you now…”

Available on the MARI KATTMAN album ‘Year Of The Katt’ via Metropolis Records

https://www.facebook.com/MariKattman/

KITE featuring NINA PERSSON Heartless Places

Now fully able to explore their position as the world’s leading dark synth duo, Nicklas Stenemo and Christian Berg pushed presentation boundaries during the KITE On Ice spectacular at Stockholm’s Avicii stadium. Featuring Nina Persson of THE CARDIGANS, the rumbling ‘Heartless Places’ utilised sinister vocal pitch shifts to capture a bleakness where a world of “hollow faces” are now “caught between hell and loneliness”.

Available on the KITE single ‘Heartless Places’ via DAIS

https://www.facebook.com/KiteHQ

https://www.instagram.com/theninapersson/

LADY GAGA How Bad Do U Want Me?

The ‘Mayhem’ album saw Lady Gaga her return to the glitzy electropop with which she found ‘The Fame’. With its array of classic influences, a Siouxsie interpolation figured on ‘Abracadabra’ while ‘Killah’ crossed DAF with Prince! But on ‘How Bad Do U Want Me?’, the diva born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta used a sample from ‘Only You’ by YAZOO and paid homage to Taylor Swift’s CHVRCHES inspired synthpop tunes!

Available on the LADY GAGA album ‘Mayhem’ via Interscope

https://www.ladygaga.com/us-en/

LADYTRON I Believe In You

With LADYTRON now slimmed down to a trio of Helen Marnie, Daniel Hunt and Mira Aroyo following the departure of co-founder member Reuben Wu, the great new first single from the reconfigured line-up has been described as “high-priestess disco”. ‘I Believe In You’ certainly possesses an infectious house groove previously not heard from LADYTRON while still undoubtedly recognisable as them as they head to dancier climes.

Available on the LADYTRON single ‘I Believe In You’ via Nettwerk

http://www.ladytron.com

ELA MINUS Onwards

Following up her 2020 long playing debut ‘acts of rebellion’, Colombian artist and producer Ela Minus presented ‘DIA’, an album about becoming. Having been weaned on FUGAZI and played in hardcore punk bands, she gradually drifted towards synthesizers as they allowed her to work alone and more swiftly. The thumping thrill of ‘Onwards’ did battle with drops galore while tuning signals acted as the hooks.

Available on the ELA MINUS album ‘DIA’ via Domino Recordings

https://www.elaminus.com/

PAGE Kan Inte Tänka På Allt

After a period of Numanisation across the last three PAGE albums with mixed results, Eddie Bengtsson and Marina Schiptjenko totally dialled down the Numan elements on the ‘Inget Motstånd’ album. The opening lead single ‘Kan Inte Tänka På Allt’ provided a good start, featuring incessant drum machine and an enticing cacophony of electronics to revisit the punkier poptronica ethos of the PAGE of old in its energetic pace.

Available on the PAGE album ‘Inget Motstånd’ via Energy Rekords

https://www.facebook.com/PageElektroniskPop/

PolyDROID Six Of One

What a 2025 Dubliner Brian O’Malley has had… not only did two thrillers ‘Nine Bodies In A Mexican Morgue’ and ‘Frauds’, which he directed 3 episode of each, both air on UK terrestrial television, he also returned to his solo electronica adventure PolyDROID with two new recordings; one was a vocoder-laden cover of ‘The Sound Of Silence’ but the other was ‘Six Of One’, an original instrumental inspired by Number Six from ‘The Prisoner’.

Available on ‘ICE MACHINES: The Album – For the Joy of Synths & Friendship’ (V/A) via https://icemachines.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/polydroid

R. MISSING & JOHAN AGEBJÖRN Fakesnow

With a deep bass and hypnotic loop attached to an Italo disco beat, the ever prolific Swedish producer Johan Agebjörn felt having mixed one of their tracks ‘Verónica Pass’ under the SALLY SHAPIRO banner back in 2022, that ‘Fakesnow’ would suit the vocal approach of the enigmatic New York darklings R. MISSING. The combination was a chilling match made in heaven. “Sharon Shy really turned it into a great song” Agebjörn said, “I’m really happy about it”.

Available on the R. MISSING & JOHAN AGEBJÖRN single ‘Fakesnow’ via https://agebjorn.bandcamp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/r.missing/

RUTH RADELET, NAT WALKER & ADAM MILLER The Wild Unknown

A three quarters reunion of CHROMATICS saw Ruth Radelet, Nat Walker and Adam Miller record 4 tracks for a teenage adventure game soundtrack that revisited the dreamy synth and guitar sound that characterised songs such as ‘Shadow’ and resonated with the game’s Super 8 aesthetics. Complimented by Radelet’s forlorn vocals, ‘The Wild Unknown’ presented an ethereal soundscape punctuated by a glorious synthesizer solo to close.

Available on the album ‘Lost Records: Bloom & Rage – Original Game Soundtrack’ (V/A) via Kid Katana Records

https://www.instagram.com/ruthradelet/

SALLY SHAPIRO Guarding Shell

Despite being said to be the darkest album of their career, ‘Ready To Live A Lie’, the fifth album from Swedish duo SALLY SHAPIRO paradoxically comes as a rather uplifting listening experience in its relatable themes. The marvellous ‘Guarding Shell’ though explores post-relationship trust issues while Johan Agebjörn drops in the same D-50 preset used on OMD’s ‘Big Town’ in the intro before hitting classic wispy Sally mode.

Available on the SALLY SHAPIRO album ‘Ready To Live A Lie’ via Italians Do It Better

https://www.facebook.com/shapirosally

SPARKS Porcupine

Following their rapturously received album ‘MAD!’ and its accompanying world tour, SPARKS got even ‘MADDER’ with their first ever EP. Throwing synths, glam and brass into the mix, ‘Porcupine’ appears to refer to a spiky woman who is “Not your cuddly kind” so “Save your Valentine”. Rather appropriately, the accompanying video shows British popster Self Esteem in bunny boiler mode running over The Mael Brothers in a excavator!

Available on the SPARKS EP ‘MADDER!’ via Transgressive

https://allsparks.com/

SPIKE Tiqutonne

Spike is the nom de théâtre of London-based singer-songwriter Hannah McLoughlin who delivers a brand of macabre disco dealing with the undead and the inhuman. Having impressed with a deadpan electronic cover of Warren Zevon’s ‘Werewolves Of London’, the melancholic Motorik rave of ‘Tiquetonne’ delightfully interpolated ‘Con Te Partiro’ aka ‘Time To Say Goodbye’ as made famous by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.

Available on the SPIKE EP ‘Spike’ via God Nation

https://www.instagram.com/__s.p.i.k.e.__/

SUND featuring KNIGHT$ I Die For This Love

A member of Swedish trio CRED who issued their debut single ‘Every Loss’ in 2022, ‘I Die For This Love’ was Bjarne Johansson Sund’s first solo effort. Teaming up with James Knights on vocals for this captivating Europop tune, a chunky bassline, icy strings and orchestra stabs complimented this emotive tale of yearning. The public response was so positive that the song now finds a place on the second KNIGHT$ album out in 2026.

Available on the forthcoming KNIGHT$ album ‘Supernatural Lover’ via Specchio Uomo

https://knights101.com/

A THOUSAND MAD THINGS Local Guys

Marrying the pleasure with the pain, A THOUSAND MAD THINGS is the solo synth artist William Barradale. Finding solace in untempered expression, his debut EP ‘Cry & Dance’ was one of the best releases of 2025. With his haunted demeanour and navigating young manhood as a tortured outsider, ‘Local Guys’ was embroiled in tension, showcasing his emotional range as he reflected on the violent turns of former acquaintances.

Available on the A THOUSAND MAD THINGS EP ‘Cry & Dance’ via Nettwerk

https://www.instagram.com/athousandmadthings/

UNIFY SEPARATE Slow Armageddon

In an increasingly dystopian world where the two biggest nuclear nations are being led by unhinged egomaniacs, the Scottish-Swedish duo of Andrew Montgomery and Leo Josefsson provided their “sanity clause” as UNIFY SEPARATE confronted an existential crisis that was more than about midlife. Swathed in rhythmically swung anguish like an electro-industrial MUSE, ‘Slow Armageddon’ was their most political and timely song yet.

Available on the UNIFY SEPARATE single ‘Slow Armageddon’ via https://unifyseparate.bandcamp.com/

https://www.unifyseparate.com/

PATRICIA WOLF Early Memories

Icelandic for “raven film”, Patricia Wolf composed the soundtrack for ‘Hrafnamynd’, an unconventional nature documentary by director Edward Pack Davee looking back on his childhood living in Iceland. Largely created using the UDO Super 6 binaural analog-hybrid synthesizer, it enabled Wolf to sound modern while also giving the emotive fuzzy tones heard on the album opener ‘Early Memories’ to correspond with the film’s nostalgic narrative.

Available on the PATRICIA WOLF album ‘Hrafnamynd’ via Balmat

https://www.facebook.com/patriciawolfmusic

A Time Called Then: ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s Oh 2025 Playlist containing over 190 tracks from the year can be listened to on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1xXptdmcHAvXnXni6hjVnA

Text by Chi Ming Lai
10th December 2025

A Beginner’s Guide To JOHAN AGEBJÖRN

26 August 2025 /

Based in Lund, Swedish producer Johan Agebjörn studies psychology but makes music from time to time.

While involved in a variety of arctic ambient, piano, instrumental, dance and remix projects, he is best known for the Italo-inspired duo Sally Shapiro featuring an anonymous singer who has become known as “Sally”. Following the lead of Italo acts such as Valerie Dore and Katy Gray which were actually fronts for producers promoted under the names of fictional solo singers, Sally Shapiro would become worldwide cult favourites with their wispy melancholic synth swathed disco-friendly pop.

The journey began when Agebjörn demoed what would become ‘I’ll Be By Your Side’ and remembered a gathering in 2004 with everyone singing Christmas carols by the piano: “I asked a friend of mine whom I noticed had a sweet singing voice if she wanted to sing on it, and she gave it a shot. After hearing and mixing her recording, I felt ‘this is really something’ and posted it to various Italo disco and electro forums on the web. I quickly got a few offers to release it on 12” single and the Sally Shapiro project was born.”

Despite a publically announced retirement in 2016, Sally Shapiro has released 5 full-length albums with corresponding remix collections since 2006. In parallel, Johan Agebjörn has maintained solo career and worked with Samantha Fox, Ryan Paris, Fred Ventura, Tom Hooker, Lisa Barra and many more, along with fellow enigmatic duos such as ELECTRIC YOUTH and R. MISSING.

In 2025, there has already been a new Sally Shapiro long player ‘Ready To Live A Lie’ which proved to be the duo’s darkest yet, while coming in late September is a new nature-themed downtempo album from Johan Agebjörn called ‘Southern Forest’ which features Dr Atmo, Miranda Magdalena, Mikael Ögren, Cate Brooks and NINA.

Johan Agebjörn presented his personal stories and insights on 20 career highlights selected from his various musical projects over the years by ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK

SALLY SHAPIRO I’ll Be By Your Side (2006)

“I remember writing this track being in an inspirational mood after having listened to Valerie Dore ‘Get Closer’” said Johan Agebjörn of the breakthrough Sally Shapiro track, “The track opened a lot of opportunities for us and maybe more importantly, it made me think that I could maybe actually write pop songs”. It attracted the attention of the Austrian label Diskokaine who would go on to release the debut album ‘Disco Romance’.

Available on the SALLY SHAPIRO album ‘Disco Romance’ via Paper Bag Records

https://www.johanagebjorn.info/sally.html

SOUVENIR Allô, Allô – Johan Agebjörn Remix (2007)

With the cult success of Sally Shapiro came remix commissions from all over the world for Agebjörn including this from a Spanish indie band: “This was one of the first remixes I made” he remembered, “I was amazed that someone would actually pay me money to remix something. I really liked the band and I was happy with the remix, I’ve played it quite often when I DJ-ed. Jaime of SOUVENIR later played the backing guitar on Sally Shapiro’s ‘What Can I Do’”.

Available on the SOUVENIR EP ‘Extras 64’ via Jabalina Música

https://www.facebook.com/Souvenirpop/

JOHAN AGEBJÖRN featuring SALLY SHAPIRO Spacer Woman From Mars (2008)

Filled with vocoder, “This is one of the recordings from the ‘Disco Romance’ sessions but we didn’t think the track fitted on the album, leaning more towards spacesynth than Indiepop-Italo” recalled Agebjörn, “Actually, Sally refuses to sing any songs about space, this was the only exception, so we released it under my name as the primary artist. I sent it to Lo Recordings who loved it and included it on their ‘Milky Disco’ compilation”

Available on the compilation album ‘Milky Disco’ (V/A) via Lo Recordings at https://lorecordings.bandcamp.com/album/milky-disco-lo62

https://www.johanagebjorn.info/

SALLY SHAPIRO Looking At The Stars (2009)

“One of my favourite tracks from Sally’s second album, ‘My Guilty Pleasure’” said Agebjörn of this starry eyed dance number, “The shuffled arpeggiated bass was inspired by Skatebård’s ‘Vuelo’. My friend and frequent collaborator Roger Gunnarsson wrote the lyrics, they are actually about the memories from his dead grandmother. FM ATTACK later made a really beautiful remix out of it”.

Available on the SALLY SHAPIRO album ‘My Guilty Pleasure’ via Paper Bag Records

https://www.facebook.com/shapirosally

ANORAAK Don’t Be Afraid featuring SALLY SHAPIRO (2010)

“Anoraak invited us to collaborate on a track from his debut album. My role here was to write the melody and the lyrics, I remember sitting at the library of Lund University writing it” said Agebjörn of this collaboration with the DJ from the French Valerie Collective, “Anoraak then re-made the backing track for his album version, but we later released the original version on Sally’s third album ‘Somewhere Else’ – so the version labelled ‘Alternative Version’ is actually the first version”.

Available on the ANORAAK album ‘Wherever The Sun Sets’ via Naïve

https://www.facebook.com/anoraak

JOHAN AGEBJÖRN Swimming Through The Blue Lagoon – Original Casio MT-52 Instrumental (2011)

“I got the idea for this track in a dream back in 2005” said Agebjörn, “The drums and the “electric guitar” are lead sound from a Casio MT-52 keyboard that I borrowed from Sally. To my joy, it was playlisted on some channel on Sirius XM radio and also included in the background of many TV programs around the world. We had also made a short version with some Sally vocals on it, as an opener to Sally’s second album”.

Available on the JOHAN AGEBJÖRN album ‘The Mountain Lake’ via Lotuspike

https://www.facebook.com/agebjorn

JOHAN AGEBJÖRN & ERCOLA featuring QUEEN OF HEARTS The Last Day Of Summer (2011)

“I asked Ercola to collaborate on a track after hearing his banger ‘Follow Me’ with Annie on vocals” said Agebjorn, “He sent me a loop that we developed into this instrumental. I asked QUEEN OF HEARTS if she wanted to sing on it, and she made a terrific job. Finally Ercola and I finished the mix in in Helsinki. This is one of very few tracks I’ve had playlisted on Swedish national radio P3”; QUEEN OF HEARTS would co-write the 2025 Sally Shapiro song ‘Hard To Love’.

Available on the JOHAN AGEBJÖRN album ’Casablanca Nights’ via Paper Bag Records

https://www.iamqueenofhearts.com/

SALLY SHAPIRO & ELECTRIC YOUTH Starman (2013)

A track recorded with the acclaimed Canadian synth duo, “Sally and I asked ELECTRIC YOUTH if they wanted to collaborate on a track, since we think they are pop geniuses” recalled Agebjörn, “We sent them this instrumental and they came back with ‘Starman’. After recording Sally’s vocal, it was selected as one of the singles from Sally’s third album ‘Somewhere Else’. There’s also a cool Miami Nights 1984 remix of it”.

Available on the SALLY SHAPIRO album ‘Somewhere Else’ via Paper Bag Records

https://www.facebook.com/electricyouthmusic/

YOUNG GALAXY In Fire – SALLY SHAPIRO remix (2013)

YOUNG GALAXY were a haunting dream pop duo from Montreal comprising who were label mates of Sally Shapiro at Paper Bag Records. Agebjörn reworked ‘In Fire’ from their fourth album ‘Ultramarine’ with a brooding gothic groove. “I met them once in Linköping, the city where I grew up and I DJ-ed before their live show” he recalled, “We made a remix swap with each other and I think this remix became quite dark and cool”.

Available on the YOUNG GALAXY album ‘Ultramarine’ via Paper Bag Records

https://www.young-galaxy.com/

ANNIE featuring BJARNE MELGAARD Swedish Kiss – Johan Agebjörn Remix Of Russian Kiss (2014)

Norwegian pop artist Annie is known for her Richard X produced hits ‘Chewing Gum’ and ‘Songs Remind Me Of You’ but one day, Agebjörn got an important call: “I’m a big Annie fan so I was really happy when she asked me to remix this pro-HBTQ rights, anti-Putin track. I turned it from what was kind of a monotonous acid house-inspired track produced by the genius Richard X to more of a chord-driven Italo disco track with lots of vocoder work.”

Available on the ANNIE featuring BJARNE MELGAARD single ‘Swedish Kiss’ via Totally

https://www.annieofficial.com/

JOHAN AGEBJÖRN & LONEY DEAR The Leftovers – Mikael Ögren Remix (2015)

“Loney Dear is a skilled and likeable Swedish musician, whom I contacted for singing this song from my album ‘Notes’” said Agebjörn, “Paper Bag wanted to make a remix contest around it, and I encouraged everyone to turn in remixes of it. One remix came in under a pseudonym, I loved it and we decided it was the winner out of some 70-80 entries. It then turned out it was made by friend and soon-to-be frequent collaborator Mikael Ögren.”

Available on the JOHAN AGEBJÖRN & LONEY DEAR single ‘The Leftovers’ via Paper Bag Records

https://www.loneydear.com/

JOHAN AGEBJÖRN featuring TOM HOOKER Have You Ever Been In Love? (2018)

“I was asked by Swedish director Kristian Söderström to make some tracks with various legendary Italo disco singers for his movie ‘Videoman’, as one of the characters listened a lot to Italo disco” said Agebjörn of this notable soundtrack commission, “This is one of the results, with vocals by Tom Hooker, the voice behind Den Harrow. It was also included on a CD compilation on the legendary Italo disco label ZYX.”

Available on the soundtrack album ‘Videoman’ (V/A) via Lakeshore Records at https://videomansoundtrack.bandcamp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/therealtomhooker/

SAMANTHA FOX Hot Boy (2018)

Another track from ‘Videoman’, Kristian Söderström suggested that Agebjörn ask Samantha Fox or Sabrina to sing on ‘Hot Boy’: “I sent it to Samantha on her official web site and her manager replied that she wanted to sing on it! Samantha recorded the vocals in London and I later met her in Gothenburg when we recorded a music video to it with the ‘Videoman’ team, it was an unforgettable day”; the track recently got its first vinyl release on Keytar Records as 12″ picture disc.

Available on the SAMANTHA FOX single ‘Hot Boy’ via Fox 2000 / Keytar Records

https://samfox.com/

JOHAN AGEBJÖRN featuring RYAN PARIS & SALLY SHAPIRO Forget About You (2020)

Agebjörn had produced a Ryan Paris vs Sally Shapiro duet called ‘Love On Ice’ for ‘Videoman’ and ‘Forget About You’ was its follow-up song: “It was fun to work on Ryan Paris on a few tracks, in return for the vocals on this track, Sally also recorded some backing vocals to Ryan’s track ‘Je Veux T’aimer Encore Une Fois’. Later, we turned ‘Forget About You’ into a Sally Shapiro solo track for the comeback album ‘Sad Cities’”.

Available on the JOHAN AGEBJÖRN featuring RYAN PARIS & SALLY SHAPIRO single ‘Forget About You’ b/w ‘Love On Ice’ via https://agebjorn.bandcamp.com/album/forget-about-you-love-on-ice

https://www.instagram.com/ryanparisofficial/

JOHAN AGEBJÖRN & MIKAEL ÖGREN A Tribute To Florian Schneider (2020)

“Mikael thought we should make a tribute track, since we are both KRAFTWERK fans” remembered Agebjörn when hearing about the sad passing of Florian Schneider, “Mikael had a basic idea for the groove using the analog Toraiz AS-1 synth. We tried to make the track as close as possible to the KRAFTWERK sound between 1975 and 1981. The vocoder lyrics are about Florian’s sounds continuing to vibrate in the universe”.

Available on the JOHAN AGEBJÖRN & MIKAEL ÖGREN album ‘Dynamic Movements’ via Lo Recordings at https://agebjorn.bandcamp.com/album/dynamic-movements-music-for-exercise-relaxation

https://www.instagram.com/mikael_ogren_music/

PET SHOP BOYS The Man Who Has Everything – Johan Agebjörn & Mikael Ögren Re-edit (2020)

“I’m a huge PET SHOP BOYS fan and this track is one of my favourites from their “underground” album ‘Relentless’ included with the limited edition of ‘Very’” confirmed Agebjörn, “I was so thrilled when I found a copy of it in a record shop in the small city in Sweden where I grew up. I felt this track could benefit from a more modern sound and I asked Mikael if he wanted to join me on this re-edit. It’s an unofficial edit only with all proceeds going to UNHCR.”

Available on the PET SHOP BOYS single ‘The Man Who Has Everything – Johan Agebjörn & Mikael Ögren Re-edit’ via https://agebjorn.bandcamp.com/track/the-man-who-has-everything-johan-agebj-rn-mikael-gren-re-edit

https://www.petshopboys.co.uk/

SALLY SHAPIRO Fading Away (2022)

“This was the first Sally Shapiro single in 5 years, our comeback after having announced that we ended the project, but then we changed our minds” said Agebjörn on Sally coming out of ‘retirement’, “It was also our first single on Italians Do It Better. Mikael Ögren co-produced the track, his most notable input is the beautiful pads from the Roland JD-800. This was my first attempt to make a ‘proper’ synthwave production, whatever that means.”

Available on the SALLY SHAPIRO album ‘Sad Cities’ via Italians Do It Better

https://www.instagram.com/sally_shapiro_official/

YOTA & JOHAN AGEBJÖRN Our Highs (2024)

“I really had fun working with Yota for our EP released last year, and this was the last track we recorded for it” said Agebjörn of this collaboration with the Paris-based Swede, “Basically it’s a track that was born because I was playing around with the Korg Polysix for the bass and arpeggio. Yota liked the instrumental and got some nice vocal ideas for it. The intro and ending is Yota originally singing in a lower key, pitched up in some weird 90s Eurodance way!”

Available on the YOTA & JOHAN AGEBJÖRN EP ‘Universe In Flames’ via Keytar Records at https://agebjorn.bandcamp.com/album/universe-in-flames-ep

https://www.instagram.com/yota_official_artist/

R. MISSING & JOHAN AGEBJÖRN Fakesnow (2025)

“I worked several months on the groove of this track, it took a while but it had this very deep bass and hypnotic loop that I kept returning to” said Agebjörn, “Finally with an Italo disco beat, I felt it was worthy to present to some singer, and I thought it would suit the dark approach of R. MISSING whom I had worked with earlier mixing one of their tracks ‘Verónica Pass’. Sharon Shy really turned it into a great song, I’m really happy about it.”

Available on the R. MISSING & JOHAN AGEBJÖRN single ‘Fakesnow’ via https://agebjorn.bandcamp.com/album/fakesnow

https://www.instagram.com/r.missing/

JOHAN AGEBJÖRN featuring NINA Little Fluffy Clouds (2025)

Agebjörn paid a visit to Berlin to work with the Queen Of Synthwave: “THE ORB’s original has been a companion in my life for over 30 years, it never sounds too old. I was playing around with the harmonies without any serious intention to develop it into a finished track, much less having it be the lead single from my new ambient album. But with NINA‘s spoken word on it, the track became a quite dreamy and organic beatless interpretation of the track.”

Available on the JOHAN AGEBJÖRN album ‘Southern Forest’ via Constellation Tatsu

https://www.iloveninamusic.com/

Text by Chi Ming Lai with special thanks to Johan Agebjörn
26th August 2025

R. MISSING Interview

27 January 2025 /

New York-based duo R. MISSING finally issued their first full-length album ‘Knife Shook The Hand’ at the end of 2024 having debuted in 2017 with the mini-album ‘Unsummering’.

Comprising of the enigmatic Sharon Shy and the even more elusive Toppy Frost, the pair originally bonded over their shared dislikes. With a shadowy brand of understated electronic pop noir characterised by Sharon Shy’s sad forlorn vocals and Toppy Frost’s ethereal synthesized backdrops, R. MISSING have focussed on standalone songs with ‘Crimeless’, ‘New Present City’, ‘All Alone With Seas’ and ‘Verónica Pass’ among the fine examples of their portfolio.

However, while releasing singles to streaming platforms has been very much the norm these last few years, the low profile presence of R. MISSING has meant they have passed many listeners by despite the quality of their work. However, ‘Knife Shook The Hand’ has now provided the long playing focal point that their music deserves; among the collection’s highlights were Party Fade Into Air’, Make It Starry Most’, ‘The Down That Creeps’ and ‘Sleep Will Darken It’.

Never sitting still for long, R. MISSING’s start to 2025 has been heralded by a wonderful new song ‘Fakesnow’ in collaboration with Johan Agebjörn; and it was via an introduction by the Swedish producer that ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK was able have a virtual chat across the Atlantic with Sharon Shy…

R. MISSING have finally released a full length long player ‘Knife Shook The Hand’, this might sound a silly question but does it now feel “proper”, like things have got “real” as a band? How has the audience response been?

The aim was just to create a fast way to locate all of our most recent releases. We feel no more or less “real” than before. The audience response has been nice.

‘Knife Shook The Hand’ is a striking title but I can’t help but notice that its cover artwork looking at you from behind staring at greenery is like the photos which THE KNIFE used around the time of ‘Shaking The Habitual’, was this a homage to the sibling duo?

No – but that sounds very interesting. I should have a look…

‘All Alone With Seas’ was a fine track but ultimately didn’t end up on the album, so how did you go about selecting which songs would form ‘Knife Shook Your Hand’?

‘Knife Shook Your Hand’ is a collection of songs released in 2024. ‘All Alone With Seas’ came out the year prior.

How would you describe your creative dynamic with Toppy Frost in R. MISSING, is it working in a room together or much more remote? Do you have specific roles?

We typically work remotely, although there are exceptions. I usually start with concepts and Henry then makes things come to fruition.

CHROMATICS are often cited in reviews of R. MISSING, but which artists have been key in influencing the sonic palette of R. MISSING?

It changes day after day, week after week. One day it might be French yé-yé, the next, Eurodance or Virna Lindt, then THE FUTURE SOUND OF LONDON or something else entirely. I’m generally more inspired by books than by other music, too.

Since the debut mini-album ‘Unsummering’ in 2017, R.MISSING had been following a “singles only” strategy, what was the thinking behind this? Was this to maximise the streaming algorithms or was it more down to practicality?

We change very quickly and often feel almost disconnected to a song soon after its completion. Releasing quickly sends out the message when it’s still very new and pertinent. I wait every evening for a world that’s fast, quiet and calm.

Would you say that ‘Crimeless’ released in 2021 helped R.MISSING achieve a wider profile breakthrough? What was it about the song do you think that made it so appealing?

That I don’t know. I can’t say for certain that it appeals to anyone. All I can say is that it’s a moment in time.

With ‘New Present City’, you went as far as commissioning a video to accompany it, did you work with the video director on the storyline or did you allow them total artistic freedom to interpret the music as they saw fit?

The director had a vision for the concept of the video that he made come to life all by himself. We cannot take any credit for that.

For ‘Sleep Will Darken It’ with its brilliant synth solo, you self-produced a very effective DIY video for it; with R. MISSING having projected an enigmatic image, how was it to perform in front of the camera?

Fast and unstudied. Just another starless night in the underpass parking somewhere.

So what is ‘The Down That Creeps’?

It’s the disquiet you might feel at Club Altair when the music stopping times up with the windows jamming.

With songs like ‘Jane Four’, ‘Get Careful Darker’, ‘Maryhead’, ‘Cry Quicker’ and ‘Imagination To Be Sad’, R. MISSING don’t mess about and all clock in under three minutes? Was it intentional to keep these songs short?

Not intentional. Concision is just my automatic feeling.

Do you have any favourite songs on the album and if so, why those particular ones?

No. The truth is I never really think about anything once it’s alive.

Since the album ‘Knife Shook The Hand’ came out, there has been a new single ‘Fakesnow’ with Johan Agebjörn, how did this come about and what was the writing process between you like?

Johan created an elegant dark Italo disco instrumental that luckily worked extremely well with a concept and lyrics we had floating in our brains for a while.

There was the 2023 collaboration ‘ Wear The Night Out’ with CAUSEWAY which was very fitting and they also made a ‘My Time As A Ghostly Someone Else’ remix. Are there anymore collaborations planned for the future with other producers and artists?

Quite possibly. Although I’m not the best at guessing the future, I’ve always wanted to be a sci-fi side character.

R. MISSING like to do the occasional cover version and these have ranged from new wave numbers like ‘I Could Be Happy’ and ‘Spellbound’ to soul classics such as ‘Superstition’, so how do you choose a song that will suit the R. MISSING aesthetic? Are there any more particular songs you would like to do?

A record label asked us to do several covers that suited several themes they had in mind. I’m not sure we’ll be doing any other covers.

What is next for R. MISSING? You don’t play live very often, is that something that might change in the future?

More releases. And yes, more live shows.

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to Sharon Shy

Special thanks to Johan Agebjörn

The album ‘Knife Shook Your Hand’ and the most recent single ‘Telepolartears’ are available digitally from https://rmissing.bandcamp.com/music

‘Fakesnow’, the collaboration with Johan Agebjörn is available from https://agebjorn.bandcamp.com/album/fakesnow

https://rmissing.com/

https://www.facebook.com/rmissingmusic

https://www.instagram.com/r.missing/

https://www.threads.net/@r.missing

Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
27th January 2025

2024 END OF YEAR REVIEW

27 December 2024 /

Image by Simon Helm

Me? Definitely Won’t Be! Join the #SynthResistance

When ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK came into being in March 2010, synth was still on a recovery path and it seemed PET SHOP BOYS were the only act continuing to fly the flag successfully having been awarded the BRIT Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution To Music’ the previous year.

While DEPECHE MODE and SIMPLE MINDS had released albums in 2009, their latest material showed few signs of their imperial phases. BLANCMANGE, NEW ORDER and SOFT CELL had not yet returned, ULTRAVOX were still to release ‘Brilliant’ despite a well-received live return and while THE HUMAN LEAGUE were regulars on the live circuit, they had not issued a new album for 9 years. Meanwhile OMD and DURAN DURAN were in a state of creative flux having released disappointing albums in ‘History Of Modern’ and ‘Red Carpet Massacre’ respectively.

However in 2024, most of these acts are performing to sizeable audiences and while ULTRAVOX may have called it a day in 2013, Midge Ure continues to tour with songs from ‘Vienna’, ‘Rage In Eden’, ‘Quartet’ and ‘Lament’. For these heritage acts, the concert circuit is now very lucrative and a testament to their music still standing up after several decades and most importantly for longevity, appealing to new and younger audiences.

Photo by Chi Ming Lai

But for new synth music generally, particularly in Britain, it appeared to be in decline although these signs had been very apparent over the past few years. One thing that has been significant about ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s 30 SONGS OF 2024 was that on only 4 occasions was there full or part representation from the nation that seeded Synth Britannia… how the mighty have fallen! And when Taylor Swift is doing better electronic pop songs than most, then there’s a real problem!

First time around during 1994 to 1997, Britpop had as good as killed off the synth and with the news of the OASIS live reunion in 2025 grabbing all the headlines, it looks as though history is repeating itself. But everything is cyclical and there was a backlash against guitar bands after the new millennium began. There is hope yet but while a MIRRORS reunion is unlikely any time soon, it takes darkness to appreciate the light so anything is possible 😉

2024 was a year fraught with uncertainty and this was reflected musically. With ongoing political tensions in their homeland and having spoken out against the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, MOLCHAT DOMA relocated from Belarus to Los Angeles. Their excellent fourth album ‘Belaya Polosa’ channelled the anxiety and fear of that journey into exile and literally saw the trio change from sounding like JOY DIVISION to sounding like NEW ORDER. But have they walked from the frying pan into the fryer?

Released back in March before the US Elections, one of the best albums of 2024, ‘Masochist’ by NIGHT CLUB became a dystopian prophecy come true. Emotions were summed up by the inclusion of ‘The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the Asylum)’, a cover of the song by FUN BOY THREE. Written as a metaphor to the dangerous posturing games played by “The Cowboy” Ronald Reagan in 1981 during The Cold War, today the even crazier orange face is back followed by his flock of mindless MAGA sheep…

‘If You Tolerate This, Then Your Children Will Be Next’ sang MANIC STREET PREACHERS and more than ever in the UK, it is important to stand against the retarded racist scum getting behind the neo-fascist posturings of that pompous grifter Nigel Farage to cover up for their own life failings. Add in a crackpot billionaire who inherited blood money made during the vile South African Apartheid regime, playing a real life Dr Evil by throwing his cash into the far right and supporting the new Nazis in Germany of the AfD, and the world is in a very precarious position right now. Quoting Midge Ure who recently gave new live renditions of the ironically monikered RICH KIDS’ sadly relevant 1978 anti-Nazi anthem: “NEVER AGAIN DO I WANT TO HEAR THE SOUND OF MARCHING MEN!”

Anglo-German duo KALEIDA experienced an existential crisis due to the pressures of parenting and the shifting patterns of life. But Christina Wood and Cicely Goulder managed to make their long distance creative partnership work again and their reward was their third album ‘In Arms’. As the title suggested, it has been an impassioned battle capturing 3 years of artistic perseverance and reinforced their sense of purpose.

On a more personal level, Anglo-French artist Julia-Sophie delved deeper into the complexities of relationships by exploring themes of self-destruction, tenderness, love and emotional struggles. This is what happens when people ‘forgive too slow’ but swathed in an intriguing electronic sound, her understated fulfilment combined emotional unease with an airy beauty for some satisfying thoughtful listening for another of the best albums of 2024.

Photo by Chi Ming Lai

With the onset of climate change but still those in denial despite the scientific proof, Patricia Wolf conceived ‘The Secret Lives of Birds’. Having recorded various bird songs and calls, curiosity led her to become a conservationist and while her music was very beautiful at times, there were darker moments of angst and sadness driven by concern. Birds and their behaviour have been a creative haven for artists of a more ambient persuasion and Masayoshi Fujita continued his avian fascination on his new work ‘Migratory’.

Loula Yorke presented her new ‘Volta’ and the wonderful opener ‘It’s been decided that if you lay down no-one will die’ acted as a bittersweet meditation on overwhelm, an emotion many were feeling. For Finlay Shakespeare, his creative journey appeared to have taken its emotional toll and ‘Directions Out Of Town’ reflected turbulent times and was touted as possibly his last album. Meanwhile Polish producer ZAMILSKA summed feelings up with the impassioned ‘United Kingdom Of Anxiety’ as another exile from Belarus CHIKISS captured this moment ‘Between Time & Laziness’.

Photo by Thomas Stelzmann

While a new PET SHOP BOYS album was always on the cards and they duly delivered with their fifteenth ‘Nonetheless’, Michael Mertens and Ralf Dörper starting a new chapter of PROPAGANDA was perhaps on not on anyone’s bingo card at the start of 2024. Featuring the sultry vocals of Thunder Bae, PROPAGANDA presented an eponymous long player to signify a fresh start with the closing cover ‘Wenn Ich Mir Was Wünschen Dürfte’ being a key highlight.

There were several key esoteric releases in 2024; Gareth Jones and Daniel Miller released their third volume of ‘Electronic Music Improvisations’ as SUNROOF while Heiko Maile and Julian DeMarre offered ‘Neostalgia’, leaving Jori Hulkkonen with some ‘Hurt Humour’. And like a greeting from wherever he is now in the universe, Klaus Schulze had ‘101, Milky Way’ posthumously released in a continuation of his vast electronic legacy.

In 2024, there were albums released where 90 to 100% of the content comprised of previously released singles; one of those was the debut album by LEATHERS, the side-project of ACTORS keyboardist Shannon Hemmett which explored her love of dark electronic pop. Another was the appropriately titled ‘VII’ by Swedish duo KITE which was their seventh body of work containing music from their seven most recent singles released over the past seven years, gathering the power and the glory of their ambition.

Using a similar strategy,  R. MISSING finally released an album ‘Knife Shook Your Hand’ after years of embracing a scattergun standalone song approach which at times was frustrating to follow, especially with today’s now widely embraced Netflix-led home and mobile entertainment methodology of “binge watching” TV series.

Photo by Volker Maass

CAMOUFLAGE finally took their ‘Rewind To The Future & Goodbye’ tour on the German road with a show look backing on four decades. Meanwhile celebrating 45 years of BLANCMANGE, ‘Everything Is Connected’ was a new career-spanning collection supported by a tour where Neil Arthur supported himself with his collaborative side project THE REMAINDER. Celebrating 25 years of the multi-million selling ‘Play’, Moby delivered a mighty greatest hits set in front of a packed house at London’s O2 Arena as well as highlights from that album.

Midge Ure aired his catalogue of his greatest hits and with so many ULTRAVOX songs part of the set, it was difficult not to think of his departed bandmate Chris Cross who passed away this year. Another sad loss in 2024 who had connections to ULTRAVOX and their former leader John Foxx was the iconic photographer Brian Griffin; his other subjects included DEPECHE MODE, OMD, SPANDAU BALLET and TALK TALK.

With 16 tracks speeding through its restless 40 minutes, ‘Powder Dry’ saw Tim Bowness revisiting his passion for the post-punk and electronic pop acts of his teens, having opened for the solo Billy Currie version of ULTRAVOX and worked with members of JAPAN while in his first band NO-MAN with Steven Wilson; of course the latter has been behind the spate of new remixes of ULTRAVOX for their series of lavish boxed sets.

A number of veterans returned after long new release absences. Michel Moers, best known as the front man of Belgian electronic trailblazers TELEX released what was only his second solo studio album ‘As Is’ and had Claudia Brücken guest on its lead single ‘Microwaves. Meanwhile after several years in the making, Harald Grosskopf presented ‘Strom’, translated from German as “electricity”.

Across the Atlantic, Los Angeles-based multimedia artist Geneva Jacuzzi gave a detached Eurocentric poise reminiscent of Gina X and her third album ‘Triple Fire’ was an enjoyably delightful mix of accessible electronic pop and energetic art chaos. Comprising of North America’s alternative music power couple Tom Shear and Mari Kattman, HELIX took their fans to an ‘Unimaginable Place’ as another US based couple XENO & OAKLANDER further refined their precise yet spirited productions for their eight album ‘Via Negativa (in the doorway light)’.

Newer North American acts making a splash were IMMORTAL GIRLFRIEND and Canada’s MINDREADER while Los Angeles-based duo DIE SEXUAL finally brought their erotic charge to the stage opening for the likes of IAMX and LEÆTHER STRIP. But the most promising act emerging stateside were Haute & Freddy.

Photo by Tim Darin

For the past few years, Alison Lewis has focussed on her ZANIAS solo venture but she was back playing live with Ryan Ambridge as LINEA ASPERA in the summer with the pair having been quietly writing and recording new material together. Having found TikTok fame performing synthwave styled covers, DREAMKID released his second album ‘Daggers’ to capitalise on his social media traction while both exploring much darker climes, CURSES and CZARINA released their third full length albums.

In Europe, Belgian duo METROLAND released their sixth album ‘Forum’ as well as simultaneously maintaining their solo projects 808 DOT POP and LECTREAU. In Sweden, Johan Agebjörn was a very busy man releasing EPs with Yota and Mikael Ögren while also announcing he has a work-in-progress with NINA; the Queen of Synthwave’s own musical partnership with RADIO WOLF was developing nicely, with a European tour opening for CANNONS giving the couple a chance to showcase their darker sound.

As the summer ended, IONNALEE ambitiously issued her new album simultaneously in English and Swedish while Norwegian neighbours PISTON DAMP declared there were “No Points For Trying” as they launched the more pessimistic instalment of their twin volume ‘Mastermind’ album venture.

Photo by Joanna Wzorek

Presenting the second volume of their ‘Midnight Confessions’ series, ITALOCONNECTION were back with their vintage but modern style of Italo disco while Greco-German trio DINA SUMMER showed that good electronic dance music with a grittier impassioned outlook was alive and well in Berlin. Also based in the former divided city, Polish DJ and producer CHARLIE emerged as one of the promising new stars on the Italo-Proto scene.

Retrospective sets can often compile another time, another place as exemplified by releases this year from Bryan Ferry, Peter Baumann and NO-MAN proved. But the best one came from FRANK CHICKENS whose ‘Ninja Legends 1983-1989’ captured them in their quirky prime, especially on the collection of BBC radio  sessions which made it an essential purchase. On the book front, ‘1984: The Year Pop Went Queer’ was among the best.

The desire to revisit the past became a major thing in 2024, as exemplified by the frenzy surrounding the sale of tickets for the OASIS reunion shows which were among the first in the UK to employ the dreaded but perfectly legal scam of dynamic pricing. But the need to see any band years past their commercial peak with the likelihood of a less accomplished performance than before, be it vocally, musically or energetically, was a head scratching prospect. The music world has been trying to make up for lost time and money since 2021 but the post-covid gig bubble may have now burst.

With ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK having seen many bands back in the day at their best, the shows now available with a hint of nostalgia may not have been universally appealing as they were to those who were too young or not even born to have attended first time around. But paradoxically thanks to the dearth of new quality music, ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK found itself listening to podcasts of old people talking about old music! So it was an honour to be invited by host Iain McDermott to chat about our favourite year in music 1981 for his wonderful ‘Back To NOW’ podcast centred around the noted compilation album series.

‘The Album Years’ hosted by Steven Wilson and Tim Bowness remarked that “talking about music IS the new music” and on the most knowledgeable, passionate and humorous podcasts, hosts were able to express their opinion and say a record or an artist was “sh*t” without immediate fear of social media retorts while also praising where praise was deserved!

But during a recent edition of ‘The Small Town Boys’, Clark Datchler of JOHNNY HATES JAZZ remarked that while music critics back in the day could be “cynical” and “nasty”, today they are at the other extreme and “sycophants now” with “hardly any criticism of records released” – this everything is brilliant mentality has undoubtedly led to an acceptance of mediocrity and a lack of perspective in a monoculture of medium pleasure.

With those forthright and articulate expressions key to their success, live presentations of these podcasts in theatres and arenas are becoming increasingly popular and profitable thanks to lower overheads, especially when compared to concerts.

Among ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s favourite music podcasts in 2024 were ‘Word In Your Ear’ presented by former Smash Hits and Q editors David Hepworth and Mark Ellen, ‘Electronically Yours With Martyn Ware’ and ‘The Giddy Carousel of Pop’ discussing the history of Smash Hits. But best of all was the more general podcast ‘The Rest Is Entertainment’ hosted by Richard Osman and Marina Hyde which is part of Gary Lineker’s Goalhanger Podcast empire also behind ‘The Rest Is Politics’, ‘The Rest Is History’, ‘The Rest Is Money’, ‘The Rest Is Classified’ and ‘The Rest Is Football’; one suspects the popular socially conscious former footballer will not miss the BBC the way it will miss him 😉

If 2023 was something of a strange year, 2024 might have actually been stranger. There is a glimmer of hope for the future, but the signs are already there that things may get worse, be it socially, politically, environmentally or culturally… sometimes, people really do deserve what they get!

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s 2024 playlist ‘The Great Bleep Forward’ containing over 235 tracks from the year can be listened to on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4xMrAkCbeWvUmTfrN6i6Gu

Text by Chi Ming Lai
27th December 2024

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