The Book of Flowers is the new project of singer/songwriter and DKA co-founder J.A. Ford. Long-time DKA fans will be familiar with Ford’s work with the EBM/synthpop project Tifaret which featured on the first and second volumes of the DKA label compilations “Strategies Against the Body”. Ford struggled writing songs for a proposed full-length Tifaret record, and felt unable to fully express himself through traditional sequencer-based electronic music. Out of frustration, Ford taught himself acoustic guitar fingerpicking as a new songwriting tool during the initial COVID lockdown and focused on the more traditional songwriting forms present in American folk and country music. The resulting album, “Pastels”, was recorded in Fall 2021 in Ford’s home studio, and furthered the folk connection with inspiration from British folklore and horror films such as The Wicker Man and Midsommar.
Ford envisioned “Pastels” as feeling pastoral yet menacing, exploring themes of the supernatural and the strange as well as the natural and sensual. Pastels features Ford stretching out beyond the confines of Tifaret to incorporate elements of American and British folk, psychedelia, dreampop, post-punk, and krautrock.
The Book of Flowers’ debut album “Pastels” draws from Ford’s love of acid folk, mellotrons, and modular synthesizers to create a shifting tapestry of sounds evocative of a diverse set of artists including Current 93, Nick Cave, Amon Düül, Espers, Magnetic Fields, Silver Apples, Brian Eno, and Young Marble Giants.
Cassette / Digital Album
David J Bull is a Cardiff based DJ and producer. He has been a key player in the Welsh underground scene for the last 10 years co-running the TEAK and Studio 89 parties which have gained a cult following over the years. As a DJ, David has honed his sets around his obsession with rough and ready 80s electronic music mixed with contemporary sounds that also tap into this nostalgia – in particular the sounds of industrial, new wave, synth pop and new beat.
For his debut EP ‘Body & Beat’, David nods in particular towards the New Beat sounds that emerged and vanished between ’88-’90. Tapping into the brash production style and old school cut and paste sampling, this EP takes inspiration from artists like Fatal Error and Shakti. David pulls together a collage of sound sources and mixes it in with FM synths, bass guitar and Cheetah drum samples (a budget drum machine made in Cardiff back in the 80s) – the result is a dark and somewhat wacky electronic record ready for an alternative dancefloor.
Cassette / Digital Album
Lower Tar is the experimental techno project of Los Angeles-based musician and visual artist, Ori Ofir. Formed in 2016, Lower Tar has released albums on Ascetic House, Ecstatic Recordings, and Night Gaunt Recordings. Ori has collaborated with Silent Servant on a duo project called Sterile Hand. Ori also co-runs the party/label L.A.U.R.A. as a new avenue that focuses on bringing the Los Angeles electronic community together. As an Israeli-American of Arabic descent, Lower Tar is a project that explores the complex power structures that revolve around identity and what it means to be critical of a society while still maintaining a sense of self.
“Abstract Parasite” is Lower Tar’s debut for DKA. Recorded between 2018-2020, it combines 8 tracks of Ofir’s mix of hard hitting EBM, industrial, and spaced out electro. Inspired by the works of Mark Fisher, each track explores the systems that hold us back while trying to envision a way to rupture this omnipresent hold and cyclical complacency.
Cassette / Digital Album
DKA is proud to present to you the second release from Newboy! Borrowing inspiration from Samuel Delaney’s Dhalgren, Texan Acidheads, Art-Damaged Synth Punk, and Experimental Industrial Cassette Innovators like Portion Control, Newboy delivers us a unique, sample strewn EP. While Newboy’s debut, 2019’s Funky Bullshit, was a combination of self-imposed limitation and loose experimentation, this sophomore release feels more focused. Not as hung up on the bullshit, these recordings have a more forward and funky appeal.
Often seen peering over his glasses, Newboy aka Greg Vand, can be recognized as a member of DKA alumni Din and High-Functioning Flesh. Needless to say we are fans and excited to bring this EP to both digital and limited cassette formats!
Cassette / Digital Album
Courses of Action is the latest release from Balvanera, a duo based out of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Their first release on DKA after a series of Lps, Eps, splits, and remixes, Courses of Action sees the duo focusing on a stronger dance-floor ready EBM sound. The phrase “courses of action” is one that you usually hear from politicians or CEOs, comforting words to assure us that they will take the necessary measures without ever saying what they would actually do. We know that this is a phrase somehow devoid of meaning, completely empty, but we reappropriate this phrase, in times of turmoil, to think of our own actions and possibilities in these chaotic times.
“Courses of Action” has a futuristic vibe, with groovy and sensuous bass lines. “Courses of Action” fits perfectly on the DKA label blending the sounds and styles of artists like DIN, Celldöd, High-Functioning Flesh, and Boy Harsher. The cover art is inspired by a local artist, Liliana Maresca. In the 80’s she used her body in action as a central expression to question the local political climate of the late 80s and early 90s, raising the bar to the spinozian question of what a body can do. The whole record, perhaps aligning to that EBM ethos, speaks of the body; the body ill, the body in action, the mind sabotaging the body, the body dancing.
The members of Balvanera cut their teeth in diy hardcore and punk scenes before exploring the sounds of EBM. Inspired by newer artists like Linea Aspera and Sixth June, Balvanera decided to fill a void for a dark electronic music sound in Buenos Aires. Despite the difficulty of purchasing new gear, they still managed to create a powerful form of full-on body music. They soon found themselves playing illegal shows and DJing parties for a diverse underground audience hungry for new sounds. Balvanera’s live sets are a cathartic ritual for both the performer and audience. Recorded before the pandemic hit, the music on Courses of Action will make you long to get lost on a fogged-out dance floor.
Cassette / Digital Album
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