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
Balloon Boy is the New Orleans-based duo of vocalist Nannen Gatchell and instrumentalist Kelby Clark. Nannen and Kelby played together in the post-punk group Smiler, and Kelby also performs under the names Divorce Ring and Material Body (both projects had tracks on DKA Tape Programme Vol. II). Inspired by the post-punk and DIY pop music movements of the 70’s and 80’s, they take a live and direct approach to recording by tracking straight to tape using an assemblage of primitive analog instruments.
Balloon Boy was born while the duo were living in Valdosta, Ga. The project was put on hiatus after the instrumentals for their self-titled debut EP were lost in early 2016. The recordings were found after four years and a relocation to New Orleans. The lyrics for the material were then rewritten and recorded during the Spring of 2020. Musically the aesthetic and strong song writing sensibility of minimal synth projects like Kitchen & the Plastic Spoons, Absolute Body Control, and Crash Course in Science is on display. While Nannen’s vocals evoke classic goth vocalists like Siouxsie, Dinah Cancer, and Jeanette Landray of the Glove. DKA is so excited to release Balloon Boy’s debut cassette containing six songs and one dub mix. We look forward to future projects & releases from Nannen and Kelby!
Cassette / Digital Album
DKA is proud to add Låska to their ever-growing roster. Låska are Oksana and Dima Ivashinin, a pair of Russian musicians who recently relocated to Berlin. Låska (in Russian translation “Ласка” stands for ”caress”, meanwhile in Swedish, where the word originated this word means a ”black ink stain”).
Strangers is the second release from Låska following a ST cassette on French label Distag. Låska is inspired by the synth-pop and cold-wave scenes of the 80’s, citing bands like Imperia, Beta Evers, Depeche Mode, Cabaret Voltaire, Linear Movement, and Grauzone as primary influences. Oksana and Dima found their move to Berlin to have a huge impact on the themes on Strangers. Essentially an album exploring loneliness in a new scene, these songs echo the sentiments of the classic David Bowie instrumental “A New Career in a New Town” about his adventures in Berlin. Låska’s songs induce feelings as disparate as being lost in a vast industrial landscape and then at night being just another body on the dance floor of a Berlin klubnacht.
This is the soundtrack to finding yourself as you vainly seek a human connection amongst the hedonistic backdrop of the crowded dance floor. Inspired by Berlin’s current and past music scenes and the chilly mood induced by its landscape of brutalist architecture, the music is cold and minimal but full of beauty. Oksana and Dima sing lyrics in multiple languages, exploring self-delusion, an uncertain future, a desire for understanding, and the need for love. Like Yaz or Deux the music has strong pop elements and could have sound-tracked the discotheques of Europe in the 80s.
Highly recommended music for welcoming in the dusk, you need to add Låska’s Strangers to your collection.
Cassette / Digital Album
Karger Traum proves with their third release that they are more than just an EBM group. The German-language duo based out of Oklahoma City brings their varying dance music tastes to the table with their first full-length LP release, with influences ranging from techno to electro to new wave, while further refining their characteristic mix of Einstürzende Neubauten that’s more grounded in electro-acoustic body music.
But this record isn’t just total industrial darkness. It has moments of sassy, cheeky playfulness. It is an adventure from start-to-finish with tracks set to propel the dance floor into utterly trippy territory, while seamlessly flowing as a cohesive album across multiple sonic realms.
LP / Digital Album
Atlanta underground producer MPKJR’s CRT, CopyrightRegisteredTrademark, returns to DKA with 6 new tracks of torn speaker, 88’ Accord tape deck, body jack 2 step, metallic dance smash funk in the form of State X-ray. Dead pan hooks peek through the blown-out bass as haunted leads melt their way through the rhythms pressing for a surrender to form.
The record vibes like the kids from the “Over the Shoulder” (Ministry) video growing up together and starting a band. The angular tones of the tracks drawing from nostalgic projects like Nervous Gender, Factrix and Severed Heads to the more recent sounds of Boris Barksdale, Volition Immanent and Maenad Veyl. Various field recordings, VHS compressed audio, modular synths and hardware sequencers create this release’s palette. Embrace the new dance sound from the sweat soaked floors of Atlanta. Feel the smash and lose yourself in the fog while CRT guides you on a tour of Atlanta’s underground past and present.
Construction through accident. Heat by motion. Awareness through empathy. Life by wire.
12″ / Digital Album
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