Next Wave: Schonwald

Schonwald is an Italian cold wave duo consisting of Alessandra Gismondi and Luca Bandini. This two-piece unit has been surreptitiously dwelling in the shadowy corners of the European underworld for a few years now, releasing their debut LP in 2009 and performing at festivals with the likes of UK Decay, and other similar bands. Schonwald are now encroaching on world submission with the unleashing of their long-anticipated “Mercurial” single. A chilling and hopelessly bleak drum-machine rhythm sets the tone, parting the waves of rippling darkness into a massive surge of inescapable, hushed-yet-crushing electronic melancholia. European post punk at it’s finest, Alessandra and Luca of Schonwald create a pulsing, black-lit atmospheric electronic vibration so cold, hypnotic, and simple, it’s perfect for our endlessly frozen world. 

Take a listen here:
https://soundcloud.com/hozac-records/schonwald-mercurial
Like of follow:
https://www.facebook.com/schonwald.music
https://twitter.com/#!/weareschonwald

Next Wave: Mr Kitty

Mr Kitty is Dallas based electronic artist who combines all the different music styles from New wave to Goth. His musical career started in 2010 and since then he has released three albums, he shared the stage with Crystal Castles and had his music featured in the Dallas Observer. His most recent release is the album 'Life' which features 15 tracks and a ride through the electronic explosion of styles. Take a listen and follow.

http://mrkittydm.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/mrkittydm

Next Wave: Daybed

Daybed is Carla (U.S.A) and Tim (New Zealand). Together they formed Daybed in 2010. Sharing their love to 80's music they started to create their own synthwave experiments. The duo is currently based in Berlin which also influenced their music a lot. To this date they have released one EP entitled 'Preludes' which combines the best in Minimal Synth and Coldwave. Their songs appeared on several compilations including Future Echo's Tape One. The duo is working on a new material and new releases might hit us soon.  

https://www.facebook.com/DaybedMusic/
http://soundcloud.com/daybed/

Phosphor's Youth and Immorality out on Desire Records

Desire Records have released the 'Youth and Immorality', the debut album by the London based group Phosphor. The trio which was formed in 2011, was influenced by the likes of Depeche Mode, Sixth June, Fever Ray, HTRK, Linear Movement, Slowdive and Cocteau Twins. The album was inspired by the confusion and desolation of living in the city, constant battles with the troubled mind and an obsession with beautifully dark sounding music. Creating a bitter, melancholy atmosphere whilst morphing menacing synths into something of great pop beauty. 

The album is available as the first pressing - limited edition of 300 copies - white vinyl.

phosphor-youth-immortality-dsr071

 

Exotic Club's Mixtape Out Next Week

French-American electro-punk duo Exotic Club will be releasing a digital mixtape next week and have been busy releasing all the songs as singles. Four singles are out and can be previewed via band's official soundcloud page. This Tuesday the band is releasing the fifth and final single which will complete the mixtape. Hit the like on their facebook/soundcloud page and stick around for the latest news.

Single 1: French Theory https://soundcloud.com/exoticclub/french-theory 
Single 2: American Zombies https://soundcloud.com/exoticclub/american-zombies 
Single 3: Lost In Music https://soundcloud.com/exoticclub/lost-in-music 
Single 4: Timely Fashin https://soundcloud.com/exoticclub/timely-fashio

 

Next Wave: Gold Zebra

Gold Zebra is a Montreal based electro pop duo consisting of Julie (Vocals) and JP Richard (Synthesizers). The duo is active since 2010 when they released their debut EP on Visage Musique. Their music combines dark tones with melodic electro beats and seduces you with late night disco melancholia. The duo is currently working on their debut album which is announced for release in spring. Take a listen to Gold Zebra on Bandcamp and check out their official FB page for updates. 

Label Spot: Other Voices Records

Other Voices Records is a Russia based independent record label dedicated to releasing works by ambitious and creative artists from the past, present and future. The label concentrates on genres that originated in the 80's like new wave, minimal synth, electropop, post punk, cold wave, darkwave and shoegazer, but it isn't deaf to other music styles like indie rock, krautrock, goth rock, post rock, indie pop,electronica, trip-hop, ambient etc. 

The label was founded in 2007, out of the ashes of Russian pioneering post-industrial/ambient label Tantric Harmonies and till 2009, it existed as Intuition Records after which it changed the name to the Cure inspired Other Voices Records. From 2007 to date the label has issued and reissued albums and released compilations by artist such as Eleven Pond, Tobias Bernstrup, Parade Ground, Lust for Youth and many more. 

 Their most recent release is a compilation called 'Distant Noises' which collects fourteen artists from nine countries and two centuries. Upcoming and something we really look forward to is Soft Riot's debut LP 'Fiction Prediction' which is available on pre-order. More news on that soon.

More about the releases and updates:
http://www.othervoicesrecords.com/index.html

In Conversation: WAZU

Back in September we introduced the Australian/American industrial pop duo WAZU. Since their formation in 2010, they were building up their distinctive music style which tends to be alternative and pop at the same time mixing electro and rock with high level of a dark tones. Earlier this week, on Halloween they released their debut album 'Robobo' and they  are currently touring the USA. On top of all this, here is our very special WAZU interview where they reveal more about the band, their influences, their debut album and more. Enjoy!

HTRK/ Tropic of Cancer- Part Time Punks Radio Session

The Part Time Punks Radio Sessions 12" by HTRK and Tropic of Cancer holds six sublime songs of desire. Comparable to a fly-on-a-wall Peel Sessions, the critically acclaimed Part Time Punks radio show is the sound of the LA underground, run by local icon Michael Stock. The limited split captures both bands live at the radio headquarters during HTRK’s first 2011 tour of the USA, accompanied by comrades in minimalism and melancholia, Tropic of Cancer. Flipping this vinyl sounds like two sides of the same cursed coin, and mirrors a high school dance playing an endless lustful waltz. BPMs bumped down to a psychic stalk. It’s a broken and beautiful memento. 

http://www.ghostly.com/part-time-punks-radio-sessions 

New Featureless Ghost LP 'Personality Matrix' Announced for November 6th

Personality Matrix is the debut LP by Atlanta duo Featureless Ghost following a steady stream of EPs including the recent 'Mind Body' cassette on Night-People. All of those prior releases were great but Featureless Ghost were holding onto something special that they have now fully materialized in the form of this LP. Pre-release listens of the vinyl had friends of the band and the label awed by the heavy and deep sound of this record, a true stunner that buries the speakers and space around the sound. A fully realized master work recorded and mastered to perfect specifications; Night-People has never released anything that simply sounds this good. Featureless Ghost set high expectations and surpassed them. Any reference to the aesthetic or influence seems too simple to fully describe what has been accomplished with this release.

Synth pop, dark wave, minimal synth, trance, none of it really matters. This is deep eclectic electronic music performed to live midi, hybrid digital and analog perfection. The dual male/female vocal delivery presented on this record shows a high concern for distinctly developed interplay and identity that is perhaps unequaled in contemporary synth-pop. Cyber dreams, lost worlds, and dystopian futures seem to be the subject of Featureless Ghost's expression but the music itself couldn't be more solidly realized and perfected.

Mastered by Pete Swanson and artwork by Shawn Reed, 'Personality Matrix' will be available on vinyl and digital formats from Night-People on Nov. 6th. The pre-order is now up on their web-site http://www.night-people.org/

https://www.facebook.com/FeaturelessGhost

And the Featureless Ghost interview if you missed it.
In Conversation: Featureless Ghost

Next Wave: Group Rhoda

Group Rhoda is electronic music project from San Francisco. The group behind this project is Mara Babenheim who has previously been busy with other musical project before starting her own. The music of Group Rhoda is analogue synth-pop combined with tropical darkwave. Her debut album is out 'Out of Time, Out of Touch' is out now on Night School Records. Group Rhoda is currently touring and opening for Soft Riot. Check out her Soundcloud page for the tour dates and song stream. 

http://grouprhoda.com/ 

Label Spot: Dark Entries

Dark Entries was born in the spring of 2009 to release out of print and unreleased underground 80's music as well as contemporary bands referencing that sound. The project was named after the first Bauhaus' 7" and the man behind this project was Josh Cheon, a vinyl-focused DJ and collector. 

Dark Entries takes great care in preserving sound quality and respecting the aesthetics of its artists. All of their releases reflect the DIY days of the 1980's independent record labels. The label entrusts all of their projects with the best engineer in California, George Horn at Fantasy Studios, who has remasters each release using his 50+ years of knowledge in the industry. 

The label founder Josh Cheon has had a rich musical background and music was always part of his life. He grew up in New York, enjoyed the dance in the clubs with dark synthesizer driven sound. He was working for several different record labels and radio stations and when he moved to San Francisco he started a night called 'Radio Lines' at the Transfer. Sharing the decks with another avid minimal synth collector, Phil Mailer who ran the blog 'A Viable Commercial', Josh learned about the band Eleven Pond, whose debut LP was going for $500 on Ebay. Luckily Jeff Gallea from Eleven Pond left a comment on the blog post: “If people are interested in a re-release I would love some feedback? I’ll dust off the Masters and see what could happen?” Josh contacted him and eventually obtained a copy of the master tapes, had the songs remastered for vinyl and released the LP in July 2009 with a silk screened cover like the original LP had. This is how things stated to roll on Dark entries Records. 

From its foundation in 2009, the label has reissued music by artist such as Dark Day, Second Decay, The Neon Judgement, Parade Ground, Starter and many more and released new material by Linea Aspera, Inhalt and many more.

www.darkentriesrecords.com 
https://www.facebook.com/DarkEntriesRecords
 

Retrovision: Marquis de Sade- Wanda's Loving Boy

French post punk group Marquis de Sade fronted by singer Philippe Pascal and guitarist Franck Darcel released "Wanda's Loving Boy" in 1981. The song was the last release for the group in the early 80's before they split. The song appeared on their second album 'Rue de Siam', released during the same year.

Next Wave: Featureless Ghost

Featureless Ghost is an Atlanta based synth-pop duo consisting of Matt Weiner and Elise Tippins. Performing and recording music together since 2007, Matt and Elise relocated from Brooklyn to Atlanta and spontaneously formed "Featureless Ghost. The music of Featureless Ghost gives a new landmark to the dark electronic synth-pop with their retro futuristic sound driven by analogue synthesizers and electro beats complemented with visual aesthetics and vintage collages. 

The prolific duo has released 2 full lengths, 3 singles, and an EP. They have releases on Crash Symbols, Ruralfaune, and Double Phantom Digital and just released a cassette EP on Night-People. This will be followed by a vinyl LP this summer(2012), also on Night-People records. 

More about Featureless Ghost, coming soon, stay tuned!  

www.featurelessghost.com
www.facebook.com/featurelessghost
www.soundcloud.com/featurelessghost
 

Next Wave: Linea Aspera

Linea Aspera is a London based synth-pop duo consisting of Ryan Ambridge(Synths/Programming) and Alison Lewis(Vocals /Synths). Their music is influenced by early 80's underground synth-pop and features dark tones and minimal structures. Their self titled debut EP will be out on Dark Entries by the end of July. Check out the video for "Malarone" which was conceptualized, filmed and edited by Alison Lewis.

Find out more about Linea Aspera: 

www.facebook.com/lineaaspera
http://lineaaspera.bandcamp.com
 

WAW: School of Seven Bells- ILU

Instant Hit: Clan of Xymox- Stumble and Fall

'Stumble and Fall' was a third track from Clan of Xymox' s/t debut album which was released in 1985 on 4AD. There was another 4AD release which featured the remix version of the single "A Day" as well as the remix version of the song "Stranger". Wish I premiered it back in the day.

Instant Hit: Blue For Two- Catch Me

"Catch Me" was the first track on the self titled debut album by the Swedish group Blue For Two,  released in 1986 on Radium 266.05. Their sound was defined as some sort of dark synth-pop. The band remained active in music in the next decades and released five more albums.

Winston Tong

Winston Tong is a San Francisco-based performance artist and singer, celebrated both for his solo work and his collaborations with the cult group Tuxedomoon.

In late 1977 Tong met an early incarnation of Tuxedomoon, then comprising Steven Brown, Blaine Reininger and Victoria Lowe, after Lowe invited Tong to perform at a self-organized salon, Chez Dada. Afterwards Tong agreed to perform with the band as and when time allowed, a flexible arrangement which would remain in place until he finally ceased working with the band in 1985. At about the same time Tong met Bruce Geduldig, who would take on responsibility for visuals and staging with both Tong and Tuxedomoon.

Tong's first record appeared in the spring of 1979 and is a Tuxedomoon release in all but name. Featuring TM members Brown, Reininger, Peter Principle and Paul Zahl, "The Stranger" paid homage to the existential classic by Albert Camus, while the flipside "Love/No Hope" offered spiky angst-rock at one with the first two Tuxedomoon EPs, "No Tears" and "Scream With a View".

A second Tong solo release appeared in early 1983 through Les Disques du Crepuscule. In its original form 'Like the Others' was a handsome cassette and book package, featuring several oblique monologues with sympathetic backing by Tuxedomoon. The title track appeared as a single in France, while an expanded CD edition later added an improvised live track, Last Words at the Scaffold, on which Tong is backed by members of Tuxedomoon and Cabaret Voltaire.

At the beginning of 1983, Blaine Reininger quit Tuxedomoon for a solo career, and although he would return in 1987, this setback left the band inactive for much of the next two years, so Tong released another solo album. This next album was produced by Alan Rankine (ex Associates) and Dave Formula (ex Magazine), 'Theoretical China' featured a stellar cast of guest musicians including Jah Wobble, Simon Topping (A Certain Ratio) and Steven Morris (New Order), although despite the exceptional pedigree of the supporting players the track doesn't quite gel as a funk-dance cut. 'Theoretical China' appeared on Crepuscule in November 1984, backed by The Hunger on 12" format, yet the single was credited to Tong alone. For whatever reason, Mono found herself frozen out of the project, and recording of the album continued with Persian born singer Sussan Deyhim on backing vocals and Alan Rankine handling all production, arrangements, instruments and sequencing. It's worth noting that a number of early Tong/Mono songs were dropped for the album, including To You, Incubo, Zimbabwe and Dream Assassins, although the latter did get as far as a formal recording.

The Winston Tong 'pop' album eventually appeared as 'Theoretically Chinese' in October 1985. It's an album of peerless electronic dance pop, the sound expansive and expensive, and a million miles from the angst, night and fog for which Tuxedomoon were renowned. Lush ballad "Reports From the Heart" was the deserved second single, while "Big Brother" and a cover of "Broken English" by Marianne Faithfull proved on the money as sophisticated disco. The album sold well enough in Europe, although Crepuscule must have been galled that there were no live dates in support, and that Tong had already donated his best solo composition, "In A Manner of Speaking", to Tuxedomoon.

Today, Winston lives in San Francisco and is working on new projects. He appeared with Tuxedomoon for their 25th year reunion concerts in the city in March 2005.

http://www.ltmpub.freeserve.co.uk/wtbio.html