Tag: electro

Kllo announces debut album, “Backwater,” due October 20th.

Kllo Announce Debut Album, Backwater
Out October 20th On Ghostly International

Listen To Lead Single “Virtue”
https://soundcloud.com/kllomusic/virtue

Nov./Dec. European & Australian Tour Dates Announced

Photo by Hayley Louise Brown

Kllo are pleased to announce details of their debut LP Backwater, due for release on October 20th via Ghostly International. Today, Kllo reveal “Virtue,” the album’s slow-building and euphoric first single. “‘Virtue’ is about not knowing what you’ve got till it’s gone, whether that be a part of yourself or somebody else,” the pair say. “It’s the present moment of finally coming to that realization.”

Kllo – an electronic pop collaboration between Melbourne cousins Chloe Kaul and Simon Lam – waded in figurative backwater for much of 2016 amid an extensive world tour. These were exciting times; the duo’s Well Worn EP furthered the promise of 2014 EP Cusp, receiving millions of streams and landing Kllo on festival stages as well as Artists-to-Watch lists. Nonetheless, the stretch kept them far from home, isolated and vulnerable, treading through perpetual uncharted territory while yearning for the comforts of the familiar.

As a result, Kllo’s full-length debut depicts inner adjustment to outer change. Songs were written partially on the road and developed back at Lam’s bungalow, a haven that harbors creative spontaneity and catharsis.

“It’s the first time we hadn’t felt like kids anymore,” says Kaul. “We were really able to dive in deeper and bring out a lot more of us into the music.”

Kllo first emerged with a sound beyond their years; fully formed, fusing elements of R&B, UK garage, and 2-step. Well-versed students of artists like James Blake, Lauryn Hill, and The xx, the duo extend an amalgamation of established pop elements with modern sensibilities and wide-eyed sincerity. Backwater arrives as a refined, coming-of-age account. The LP format finds Kllo with more room to breathe and sync their rhythms with emotions. Kaul’s smoky voice emanates with assurance and leisure. Lam’s production invents brooding, steely undercurrents hemmed with charming crescendos.

Slow to arc, lead single “Virtue” hushes, stutters, and syncopates before locking into a club-ready groove in its second minute. The hook poses a question: “Can I count on you?” Drama is introduced, and heightened without resolution. Instead we’re lead to a stirring and euphoric epiphany.

Kllo have officially come out the other end of the stilted estuary with twelve compositions cultivated to feel timeless and crafted, and equally current. The duo’s second release on Ghostly International — and their most realized work to date — Backwater celebrates the ephemeral and the enduring changes in emotion, the downfalls and the dissolves. It’s an album that parts course with its flow, and flourishes in a lowland.

Listen To Kllo’s “Virtue”:
https://soundcloud.com/kllomusic/virtue

Pre-order Backwater:
The Ghostly Store / Physical – https://www.theghostlystore.com/products/backwater
Digital – https://Kllo.lnk.to/backwater
 


Backwater album art

Backwater Tracklist:
1. Downfall
2. Still Motion
3. Virtue
4. Predicament
5. Last Yearn
6. Backwater
7. Dissolve
8. By Your Side
9. Making Distractions
10. Too Fast
11. Nylon
12. Not Like Them

Kllo Tour Dates:
Nov. 12 – Madrid, ES @ Costello
Nov. 13 – San Sebastian, ES @ Dabadaba
Nov. 14 – Barcelona, ES @ Sidecar
Nov. 16 – Paris, FR @ Supersonic
Nov. 17 – Rotterdam, NL @ V11
Nov. 18  – Brussels, BE @ Les TransArdentes at Palais 12
Nov. 20 – Amsterdam, NL @ The Sugar Factory
Nov. 23 – London, UK @ XOYO
Nov. 24 – Bristol, UK @ The Louisiana
Nov. 25 – Manchester, UK @ The Soup Kitchen
Nov. 27 – Glasgow, UK @ Broadcast
Nov. 28 – Edinburgh, UK @ Sneaky Pete’s
Nov. 29 – Leeds, UK @ Headrow House
Nov. 30 – Nottingham, UK @ The Bodega
Dec. 3 – Berlin, DE @ Badehaus
Dec. 4 – Cologne, DE @ Yuca
Dec. 5 – Hamburg, DE @ Haekken
Dec. 8 – Sydney, AUS @ Oxford Arts Factory
Dec. 9 – Perth, AUS @ Jack Rabbit Slim’s
Dec. 14 – Brisbane, AUS @ Woolly Mammoth
Dec. 15 – Melbourne, AUS @ Corner Hotel
Dec. 16 – Adelaide, AUS @ Fat Controller

“Virtue” single artwork

Todd Terje releases new single, “Maskindans,” from upcoming album.

TODD TERJE SHARES “MASKINDANS,” TEASES MATERIAL OFF FORTHCOMING ALBUM #2

“MASKINDANS” 12″ SINGLE OUT TODAY
https://soundcloud.com/toddterje/sets/maskindans/
STREAM “MASKINDANS” FEAT. DET GYLNE TRIANGEL
https://soundcloud.com/toddterje/sets/maskindans/
Though he may still be tweaking the space laser to perfect album Numero Twomero (hey, it’s a working title), Todd Terje has still found the time to tease us with “Maskindans,” a sneak preview of what’s to come in the form of this body-moving, brain-grooving cover version of a Norse synth spectacular from the dystopian dance floors of 1982. Inspired by his Dansbar diversions, Todd took to the studio for a little multi-track mania, replaying every part of this doomy dancer with all the Olsen sparkle you could ever wish for. Luring Det Gylne Triangel back into the booth for the first time in 25 years (possibly in his trusty Delorean!), Terje topped off the pops with a newly recorded vocal from the original lyricist, closing the temporal loop and opening the door to dance floor nirvana.

With a minimal wave goodbye to the moodier moments of the original, Terje turns up the funk and gets lost in the groove on this deep discoid delight. After an unruly intro of malfunctioning sirens and squawking synths, “Maskindans” morphs into a nasty new wave nodder, bursting with chorus bass, mutant guitar riffs and infectious 4/4. Ola Ødegård´s monotone vocals stomp along with darkened eyes and backcombed hair, throwing angular shapes and computer feelings before the track romps off into interstellar overdrive. Punching the big red button marked dub, Terje picks up the echo and drops a Bobby O bassline, flirting wildly with acid house as revving synths light up the kosmische sky.

Remix duties fall to Phantasy man Erol Alkan, who replaces those dub disco flourishes with the strobe-lit pulse of Giallo, stripping the track back into a dark wired dancer which steals a beat on the imminent Electroclash revival. An insistent bassline and mechanical beat power straight into the peak time while the treated vocals take us all the way back to hearing Jeans Team in skinny jeans on the darkened dance floor of Trash.

Slip into your tin foil hat and do the “Maskindans,” it’s almost album time (not again!)

“MASKINDANS” 12″ TRACKLISTING
1. “Maskindans” feat. Det Gylne Triangel
2. “Maskindans” (Erol Alkan Rework) feat. Det Gylne Traingel
3. “Maskindans” (Radio Edit) feat. Det Gylne Triangel

Purchase “Maskindans” 12″ here: https://toddterje.lnk.to/maskindans

TODD TERJE TOUR DATES:
June 8th – Budapest, HG @ Kolorádó Festival
June 9th – Madrid, SP @ True Music Festival
June 10th – Venice, IT @ Venezia More Festival
June 16th – Dublin, IR @ District 8
June 17th – London, UK @ Krankbrother Street Party
June 18th – Barcelona, SP @ Sonar Innervisions
June 25th – Chicago, IL @ Mamby On The Beach*
June 27th – Seattle, WA @ Marymoor Park*^
June 28th – Troutdale, OR @ Edgefield Amphitheater*^
June 30th – Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley*^
July 1st – Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theatre*^
July 13th – Dour, BG @ Dour Festival
July 14th – Paris, FR @ Zig Zag
July 15th – Bygrave Woods, UK @ Farr Festival
August 19th – Amsterdam, NT@ Blijburg aan Zee
August 25th – Paris, FR @ Touquet Music Beach Festival

* w: The Olsens
^ w: Tycho & Jaga Jazzist

Kelly Lee Owens – self-titled

A strong contender for my favorite album of 2017 has arrived in early spring. Kelly Lee Owens’ debut self-titled album is a refreshing, sensual, and dreamy electro album that’s a great change of pace from all the EDM and dubstep ripping through festivals every weekend and seemingly everywhere. I don’t mind those genres at all, but Ms. Owens has crafted something that stands out and finding such records in EDM and dubstep is tough nowadays.

“S.O.” sounds like something Vangelis might’ve crafted until Owens’ incense smoke-drifting-through-sunshine vocals appear. Poppy beats that sound like electric tablas root the track, but it will make you float on your feet or in your chair. “Arthur” begins with birdsong and rainfall and looped moans as the beat builds and the song becomes a beautiful mist you can feel but can’t quite see.

I think “Anxi.,” which features Jenny Hval on lead vocals, is about anxiety. Hval sings about “keeping it together” and “doing Barack badly.” Does she worry about not living up to expectations she set for herself during Obama’s presidency or ones set by others, like the family she mentions? I’m not sure. All I do know is that the bass at the halfway point of the track is so damn funky that all anxiety you might have is washed away because you’re too busy dancing.

“Lucid” is a good name for the next track, because it’s like something from a dream. “Different from the rest. Don’t you see it? Where we ought to be. Lucid, lucid,” Owens sings in some of her clearest vocals on the record. She seems to urge a potential lover to see the love she’s offering that’s right there for the taking but is going unnoticed.

“Evolution” should, by all rights, be tearing up dance floors in various remixes by now. It’s a great mix of industrial dance music, EDM, and synth-pop. “Bird” throws you for a loop by starting with a synthesized strings and tubular bells. Then, dear God, that synth-bass wallops you upside the head and you’re practically drifting around the astral plane. “Throwing Lines” continues the poppy electro beats, but the vocals are reverbed to the moon and back (which is great).

I don’t know what “Cbm” stands for, but I do know it’s a floor-stomper of a track that speaks of colors in motion – which only adds to the trippy atmosphere. “Keep Walking” reminds me of old Chemical Brothers tracks (the ones on the mellow side, at least). It’s full of deep bass, fuzzy guitar, clockwork beats, and lovely female vocals. The tenth, and final, track is called “8.” Only Owens knows why. It has nothing to do with the length of the song (9:39), but perhaps it’s a reference to infinity or a Mobius loop. The song is definitely spacey enough to justify that guess.

I don’t know where Ms. Owens has been hiding all this time, but I’m glad she’s here and has given us this album. This has to be one of the best debuts I’ve heard in a long while. All other 2017 electro albums will have to bring their A-game to match or top it.

Keep your mind open.

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New Order offers new record and other perks through PledgeMusic.

Electro legends New Order are offering their new double album, NOMC15, through a PledgeMusic campaign that includes some neat bundles for purchase.

The album is a recording of one of two sold-out shows in November 2015 at Brixton Academy.  It features eighteen tracks that include classics like “Blue Monday” and “True Faith,” rarer cuts like “Your Silent Face,” and new stuff like “Tutti Frutti.”

Some of the PledgeMusic campaign bundles include triple LPs, double CDs, T-shirt and print packages, and even Live at the London Troxy, which is a recording of a 2011 show that was the band’s first concert in five years.

Get the deals while they’re hot.  The new record drops May 26th.

Keep your mind open.

Death Cab for Cutie’s Dave Depper announces solo album.

DAVE DEPPER (OF DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE) ANNOUNCES DEBUT SOLO ALBUM,
EMOTIONAL FREEDOM TECHNIQUE, OUT JUNE 9TH ON TENDER LOVING EMPIRE

LISTEN TO “DO YOU WANT LOVE?”
https://soundcloud.com/tenderlovingempire/dave-depper-do-you-want-love
(photo credit: Jaclyn Campanaro)
“…a cloud of weightless synths anchored by a danceably funky bass groove.”
— Stereogum on “Do You Want Love?”
Everyone knows Dave Depper.

The perennial side man, Depper began his music career with a white lie. On a whim he decided to buy a Farfisa organ off of Craigslist, an organ that just happened to belong to the founder of Hush Recordsand member of Blanket Music, Chad Crouch. Crouch asked if Depper wanted to play bass, and despite not playing bass or owning one, he said yes. From there he went on to become the connection point between a staggering number of Northwest bands, playing with Menomena, Fruit Bats, Mirah, CorinTucker, and Laura Gibson. Tapped to join Ray LaMontagne’s touring band in 2014 and then snatched up to become a full-time member of Death Cab for Cutie, Depper solidified his role as the go-to guy, the man next to everyone on late night.

One night he and his friends decided to play a game where they each had to write 20 songs in 12 hours, and come back together at the end of it to listen to everyone’s efforts together. From that session came a slew of songs. When Depper presented them, though, almost everyone picked up on the synth-pop beat of “Never Worked So Hard,” a nascent but catchy tune half-finished and unlike any of the music Depper had played before. Emotional Freedom Technique began there.

Straddling the line between pop and despair, Emotional Freedom Technique is a letter to the broken heart that won’t mend but still beats. It is a portrait of what happens when someone is flung across the world on tour – grateful to be there, grateful for the success and the adventures, but ultimately lonely. The most straightforward pop song, “Your Voice on the Radio”, features friend and former bandmate LauraGibson adding vocals about unrealized and unsatisfied love over bubbling bass and sparkling, multiplying shakers and synths that build to a deceptively joyous chorus. Songs like “Do You Want Love”, which premiered this morning on Stereogum, and “Communication” lean forward on cutting deep, propulsive grooves. Grappling with loneliness, the longing for human connection and the fear thereof, Depper strings ornate synth melodies together into simple hooks that speak to the most relatable reasons we listen to pop music – to remember we aren’t alone, and to still have a good time with it.

Emotional Freedom Technique is out June 9th on Tender Loving Empire. Dave will play two special album release shows: Wed. June 22 at Barboza in Seattle and Thu. June 22nd at Mississippi Studios in Portland.

 

Listen to “Do You Want Love?” — 
https://soundcloud.com/tenderlovingempire/dave-depper-do-you-want-love

Emotional Freedom Technique tracklisting:
01. Do You Want Love?
02. Communication
03. Lonely With You
04. Your Voice On The Radio (feat. Laura Gibson)
05. Never Worked So Hard
06. Anytime, Anywhere
07. EZ-101
08. Summer Days
09. Hindsight / Emotional Freedom Technique

Dave Depper Tour Dates:
Wed. June 21 — Seattle, WA @ Barboza
Thu. June 22 — Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios

Pre-order Emotional Freedom Technique — http://bit.ly/2mD1S4H

Download hi-res images & album art — http://pitchperfectpr.com/dave-depper/
(Emotional Freedom Technique album art)
Dave Depper online:
davedepper.com
twitter.com/davedepper
instagram.com/davedepper
tenderlovingempire.com
pitchperfectpr.com/dave-depper 

VIVA PHX artist spotlight: Yacht

Hailing from Portland, Oregon, but currently based in L.A., Yacht are an electro duo who were first on my radar with their 2009 album See Mystery Lights.  I’ve heard a couple singles from them since that time, but I’ll admit I’ve missed out on their last couple records.  I was delighted to see them on the VIVA PHX lineup, and surprised to see them finishing off the Desert Daze portion of the festival.  It should make for an interesting post-psychedelic freak-out afterparty.

Keep your mind open.

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Depeche Mode announces Global Spirit world tour.

Electro legends Depeche Mode have announced a world tour in support of their first album in four years – Spirit (which comes out March 17th).

The tour starts May 5th in Stockholm, Sweden and ends October 27th in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.  It includes many dates in the U.S. that will surely sell out quick, so get your tickets as soon as possible.

Keep your mind open.

Rewind Review: Jiboia – self-titled EP (2013)

 

I first heard the Middle Eastern / Indian influenced “electro-drone” (for want of a better term) of Jiboia at Levitation Chicago last year when some DJ’s played a song by him between sets. “Who is this?” I thought and instantly put my Shazam app to use (since that’s the thing to do nowadays).

Jiboia’s self-titled EP is a wild mix of trippy synths, frenetic beats, and pro-rock guitars. The first track, “Eingana,” is full of all those things, and Jiboia shreds quite well on it. “Manasha” starts off with 1980’s video game-style beeps and beats, but Jiboia’s soaring guitar work soon takes over the track. “Ayidda-Weddo” is like something you’d hear in a late night cab in Calcutta if the driver were also a computer hacker in his spare time. “Kungpipi” is almost a Kraftwerk track with its heavily processed beats and simple yet effective synths, but the droning bass and wild guitar work take it to a bit of a dark psychedelic place.

The standout is “Uadjit” with guest vocals from Ana Miro. Her chant-like siren song gets into your head, as do the electric near-dubstep beats. I don’t know if Ms. Miro has done other work with Jiboia, but I hope that’s the case. They’re a great duo.

This is a strange bit of psychedelic world music. You have to be in the right mood for it, but it’s perfect for when that mood strikes.

Keep your mind open.

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My top 25 albums of 2016 – #’s 15-11

We’re halfway to #1 on the countdown!

#15 

The Kills released a great album for their 15th anniversary.  Ash & Ice oozes with their sweaty, smoky, whiskey-tinged rock and is one of the best albums about love and sex from 2016.

#14 

I didn’t expect a full record of shoegaze from the Duke Spirit, but Kin is the best shoegaze record I’ve heard all year (and probably of the last two or three years).

#13

All Them Witches released a live album last year (which I still need to get), teased a new album for this year, and started 2016 with Dying Surfer Meets His Maker – a great blend of stoner metal and blues voodoo rock.

#12 

Comacozer contacted me through this website and asked if I’d like to hear their record.  I’m glad I said yes, because this stoner metal album, Astra Planeta, is amazing.

#11 

The KVB make excellent dark wave and shoegaze.  It’s a bit difficult to believe at first that just two people produce that much sound.  Of Desire was recorded on vintage synthesizers and sequencers, and the rich sound produced is excellent.

Who’s made it into my top 10 for 2016?  Come back tomorrow to find out!

Keep your mind open.

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My top 25 live shows of 2016 – #’s 20-16

Let’s keep rollin’ with this countdown of great live shows from 2016!

#20 – Seal at Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo, MI August 27th.

It was just him, a DJ / synth player, and a guitarist, and they knocked it out of the park.  He even dabbled in some dark wave versions of some of his songs and he knows how to work a crowd.

#19 – Wolfmother at the Double Door in Chicago, IL July 10th

The whole show was this crazy.  It was probably the sweatiest show I attended all year as well, and completely worth it.

#18 – Jeff the Brotherhood at Middle Waves Festival in Ft. Wayne, IN September 17th

That photo, taken by yours truly, pretty much says it all.  They hammered out a loud set in the post-rain sunlight that won over many new fans.  They played a lot of new material that was quite good.  I need to get their new album soon.

#17 – Bully at Middle Waves Festival in Ft. Wayne, IN September 16th

They closed one of the Middle Waves stages on the first night of the festival and had everyone roaring by the end of their set.  They were the best act that night.

#16 – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at the Chicago House of Blues October 13th

BRMC always puts on a good show, and this one was no exception.  They played a shorter than normal set due to some equipment malfunction (I think it was a screwed-up monitor.), but they worked around it by playing songs they hadn’t planned on playing and altering some guitar parts.  It was a great example of a band on top of their game and able to improvise if things get weird.

Who’s in the top 15?  Check back tomorrow to see!

Keep your mind open.

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