Youth Code - A Place To Stand

Youth Code’s latest release, A Place To Stand, is an expression of rage that could only come from Los Angeles. Perfectly capturing the frustration and claustrophobia of the early 80s LA hardcore scene but re-appropriating that aggression and melding it to the strict, pounding electronics of classic industrial. Produced by Josh Eustis (Nine Inch Nails, Telefon Tel Aviv, Sons of Magdalene), Side A of A Place to Stand features four new Youth Code tracks that showcase the band exploring an evolved sense of melodic synth work and more varied tempos than anything they have released to date. From the pure adrenal rush of opening track, “Consumed By Guilt” and the Wax Trax-esque dance floor anthem “To Burn Your World” to the lush synthscape melodies of “For I Am Cursed” You can hear Ryan George and Sara Taylor perfectly balancing respect for their elders whilst creating something that’s uniquely their own. Rounding out the Youth Code originals on Side A, “A Litany (A Place To Stand)” figuratively stands out, as it is a spoken-word diatribe on society that encapsulates the feeling of the entire record.

Side B of “A Place to Stand” collects four remixes of earlier Youth Code tracks, from artists as diverse as Corrections House’s Sanford Parker, Sub Pop signed avant rap crew Clipping., industrial / EBM mainstays God Module & the dark and minimal techno mastermind, Silent Servant. What makes A Place to Stand exceptional is Youth Code’s ability to coax raw, organic emotion out of cold, primitive synths. A trait that stems from the band’s peculiar genesis.

Listen here and order here.

Posted on December 23rd, 2014 under Releases, ,

Statiqbloom- Zex Model - Split LP

Brooklyn’s Statiqbloom is the dark hallucinogenic brainchild of Fade Kainer. Drawing from the grittiness of early industrial and EBM, Statiqbloom combines hard dance beats and haunting electronics with disorienting vocals to create a pulsing raw vision of music for today.

Kainer has also provided vocals and electronic soundscapes for industrial doom metal band Batillus, and, previously, industrial metal duo Inswarm. In addition, Kainer is a member of blackened synth band Theologian, has played synths and percussion on tour for Jarboe, and has done remixes for a variety of bands and artists, including Chris Connelly, Nachtmystium and Secrets of the Moon.

Listen and order here.

Posted on December 20th, 2014 under Releases, , ,

Minuit Machine - Live & Destroy

Minuit Machine, a synth wave band based in Paris, is the association of Hélène de Thoury’s electronic melodies and Amandine Stioui’s vocals.

The project was born in Hélène’s mind in June 2013 during a tour with Phosphor, her former band. In September this same year, she met Amandine and fell in love with her voice. Together, they released their first EP called “Blue Moon” in October 2013. The sound of the French duo, based on powerful electronic drums and the accumulation of dark synth lines, is a mix between all their inspirations that range from minimal wave to electronic rock.

Their debut album “Live & Destroy” will be released by established french label desire in the Fall of 2014 and will be followed by an european tour.

It talks about life, love, self-destruction and fear, all the struggles we encounter one day or another, all the doubts and darkness that can sometimes bring us down. And the idea that our worst enemy could be our own mind.

Listen and order here.

Posted on December 17th, 2014 under Releases, ,

Sub Rosa LP

Void Vision is a Philadelphia-based electronic project helmed by Shari Vari. It began around 2009 at a time when a wave of synth-revivalists were materializing, but the quality of the songwriting and intense vocals set the band apart from the pack. In a rare instance, Void Vision has managed to combine vintage dance elements with melodic structures, haunting melancholy, and lyrics that have a palpable soul. The songs themselves are dynamic, referencing a cross-section of the last 30 years of electronic music, while simultaneously retaining a uniqueness all their own.

The infamous Wierd Records weekly club night in New York, which showcased a variety of talented electronic and coldwave artists, served as an incubator for Void Vision in it’s early stages. After a standout debut performance at the club, they immediately caught the attention of Blind Prophet Records, who consequently released their first 7″ single, ‘In 20 Years’, which received excellent reviews.

Vari has continued performing and recording steadily over the last few years, releasing songs on compilations for various labels, including Rough Trade, and in 2012 the song ‘Everything is Fine’ was selected for Artforum magazine’s ‘Best of 2012′ issue. In 2013, Void Vision toured the West Coast and later that year released a split 12″ with Portland-based band, Vice Device. The first official full-length album, entitled ‘Sub Rosa’ is set to debut on Berlin-based Mannequin Records, followed by a European tour in 2015.

Shari Vari formed Void Vision in 2009 originally as a duo, during the explosion of the new minimal synth and cold wave scene in United States. Sharing the same scene of the Wierd Records associates like Led Er Est, Martial Canterel, Xeno & Oaklander, Automelodi, in 2010 VV released ‘In Twenty Years’ on Blind Prophet (Sean Ragon’s Cult Of Youth record label), receiving also the attention of the Rough Trade dudes, who asked to put out a track for one of their synth wave compilations.

After other split vinyls, tapes and compilations, Mannequin approached Shari with the intention to continue what Wierd Records started, giving a proper shape to her beautiful and youthful dark electronic sound. The result is 10 hypnotic cold analog tracks dominated by the warm and fragile Shari’s voice, some more “pop orientated” some others belonging to the original “cold wave” atmosphere.

Listen and order here.

Posted on December 14th, 2014 under Releases, ,

Rise

Second album from this DIY punk-dark-shoegaze by this sensational one man band!

Listen and order here.

Posted on December 11th, 2014 under Releases, ,