Lost somewhere in the thralls of shamanic flight, Brusque Twins occasionally resurface offering up intimate pieces of themselves, giving you a brief glimpse into the fervent emotions of a mind a world away. Haunting feminine vocals drift into moonlit synthetic beats, caught in visions of the past but always looking towards the future.
The parisian duet Maninkari started their project Sphyxion in 2011 as they wanted to reconnect with their minimal/cold/new wave influences (Mute Records from the early 80s, 4AD and Stevo’s Some Bizarre are part of their references). For 3 years the band kept experimenting until they delivered the final version of this retro-futuristic music, exploring the tension between past and future. Their first album is a sort of fiction about events that may have happened but somehow didn’t. Two cards selected from the 78-piece tarot card-set as utilised by the most famous occultist of the 20th century Aleister Crowley, were behind the first step. ”The Devil” and “The Universe” were the cards pulled that would prophesize a name for a musical-magical-transcendental composition and transformation project: THE DEVIL & THE UNIVERSE. Two musician friends, one goal–Ashley Dayour („Whispers in the Shadow“) , David Pfister („Black Manna“) and Stefan Elsbacher set out to create music from magical systems. They set out to give up their musical creativity and allow the legitimacy of magic and religious mechanisms form musical rules.The process and its system dictated and created not just phonetic anarchy but also examples of sound perfection. It was more than a year ago, in the grey parisian midst that we discovered the first EP of a group that we couldn’t ignore any longer, Rendez-Vous. The band’s first track «The Others» was heard like a traveling echo in the capital. The 4 piece band was then discovered like a secret longing to be kept, but in vain. While the expectance were heavy on the band, they kept their distance with the outside and focused on the music. So for a while they hibernated in a cave in Bastille that became the core and inspired the corrosive sound of this second EP «Distance». The mixing was entrusted to Ben Greenberg, singer and bassist of The Men also producer of Destruction Unit, Beach Fossils and other Sacred Bones Record artists. The result is a six track EP that sounds closer to the vision of the band. Supported by a procession of ghosts like Fad Gadget’s, Sad Lovers and Giants, the Dance Society’s or Nitzer Ebb’s ones, that the band resurfaces from the underground ready to shake the dead. The EP is like a heartbreaking beautiful reunion, which is mostly the case with the best rendez-vous. The Shock Exchange presents an encounter between two of the most interesting and unique projects of the current neo-psychedelic and electronic music panorama. The Legendary Pink Dots need no introduction, and on Side A they once again solidify their status as musical pioneers with all new songs and swirling psychedelic arrangements led by the charismatic voice of Edward Ka-spel. Side B is dedicated to the progressive and psychedelic electronic project kETvECTOR, born from the mind of Justin Bennett (Skinny Puppy / Bahntier) together with Stefano Rossello (Bahntier), showcasing many facets of the project; from electronic free jazz to ambient experimental and esoteric avant-garde. The album also features paintings by Franke Nardiello (aka Groovie Mann) of My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult. |