Wave Tension Records: Raderkraft – Dust & Debris

Raderkraft - Dust & Debris

Somewhere between minimal synth, electro and wave is the irresistible sound of Raderkraft, aka musician /producer Willem Stinissen from Amsterdam.

As cold as it is catchy and hypnotic,armed with pulsating analog synths, staccato drum computer beats and sampled vocals, Raderkraft takes you into a dystopian past, present and future on his third 4-track EP called “Dust & Debris” by treating global world problems such as: the devastating impact of drug addictions; the futureexistence of our planet due to climate change; the global widespread destruction by nuclear war; and the fear for terrorist attacks.

The title track “Dust and Debris” describes the 9/11 catastrophe and contains a chronological frightening news report from several media sources telling us what happened that day exactly 20 years ago. With this EBM style track Raderkraft perfectly catches the incomprehension and fear that shocked the world that day.

12″ EP / Digital Album

Posted on August 11th, 2021 under Releases, ,

Wave Tension Records: Shad Shadows – Toxic Behaviours

Shad Shadows - Toxic Behaviours

Through its songs, the album concentrates on the fundamental issue of whether rituals are a necessary part of all societies. Rituals in a classic sense, do not really exist in modern Western society, but some of these present-day routines repeated by individuals and groups have now become “Toxic Behaviours” in unexpected areas of our modern life. In its exploration of these modern rituals, the album examines the symbolism behind technological conquests, dead generations, urban violence, superficiality, and vanity.

LP / Cassette / Digital Album

Posted on September 28th, 2020 under Releases, ,

Wave Tension Records: We Are Electric: Gary Numan Revisited

We Are Electric

The electronic pioneer and founding father of synthpop, Gary Numan, celebrates his 40th anniversary as recording artist. During these 40 years, Numan’s impact made itself felt; his dark, paranoid vision, theatrically icy alien persona, and clinical, robotic sound were echoed strongly in the work of many goth rock, wave and industrial artists.

Twenty-one years after the “Random” tribute album on Beggar’s Banquet, Wave Tension Records releases a Gary Numan tribute album by contemporary dark wave, gothic and dream pop artists. The release will be a limited edition of 250 copies on black vinyl.

The album opens with Agent Side Grinder’s nostalgic analogue rendition of ‘I’m An Agent’, followed by Ash Code’s fresh sounding fast paced post-punk/dark wave version of ‘Down In The Park’. Shad Shadows turn ‘Metal’ into a heated witchy darkwave track. On the last track of Side A, Box & The Twins create dreamy soundscapes in their version of ‘complex’. SUIR opens Side B with a hypnotic psychedelic slowed down art-punk version of ‘Cars’. Synths Versus Me turns Numan’s monster hit ‘Are Friends Electric?’ into a fresh synthpop & EBM take with Art of Noise-esque vocals. The album’s closing track is a gothic rock rendition of ‘My Name Is Ruin’ by Swedish rockers Then Comes Silence which encourages you to sing along.

LP / Digital Album

Posted on March 18th, 2019 under Releases,

Wave Tension Records: Factice Factory – Lines & Parallels

Factice Factory - Lines & Parallels

This third album is to be seen as a natural evolution of the bands previous achievements, a certain form of continuity of the sound and particular athmosphere they have managed to establish and set, creating their own musical identity. The melancholy and gloominess of the first two albums is still present but has evolved, becoming rougher, sharper, with a form of urgence, like a summer storm approaching from the far outskirts of the city to rush down on someone’s head…

As the band was busy working on live performances the new songs inevitably inherited from this live approach of playing and singing, the aim became to be able to perform new materials during concerts and this can clearly be heard throughout the album’s tracks. On a musical side the band experienced with new pedals and a more upfronted bass playing. There is clearly a deeper focus to be heard on the use of guitars and bass guitars in this new release. The songs are still very existential and influenced by the eighties and the typical Post-Punk touch even if some songs may sound a bit more rock too sometimes… The composition of each track still emerged in a very natural and spontaneous way, mixing and confronting either French, German or English to the feeling of each track’s own identity and musical soundscape.

You can clearly identify two sides, two lines or parallels in this new opus, there is an electronic and more hypnotic side there with the very Neue Deutsche Welle. alike ”Leuchtturm”, the minimal film noir tribute ”Audran”, the very eighties sounding ”Sway” or the harsh industrial tainted ”Extinguisher”. The other so called line is to be heard in tracks such as the desperate and goose bumping ”Defeat”, the somehow oriental sounding ”Hatch End” or the melancholic end ballad ”The Weeping Willow”… These two parallel lines finally merge into one single and united sound pattern, a delight that will surely find its place in the ears of many dark music addicts.

LP / Digital Album

Posted on September 29th, 2017 under Releases, ,