Synthwave – Page 9 – 7th Level Music

Kiasmos release new single, “Sailed,” ahead of new album out this Friday.

Today Kiasmos, the duo of Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds and Faroese musician Janus Rasmussen, share a new single from their long-awaited second album, ‘II’, which is set for release on July 5 via Erased Tapes. The single drops ahead of a sold out show at London’s Outernet tomorrow night, with an Autumn show at Troxy already announced for later this year, as well as international headline and festival appearances – dates below.

Following the recently dropped EP “Flown“ and previous single “Burst“, today they share the crisp, delicate atmospherics of “Sailed“, which Arnalds describes as “one of the more playful processes during the making of this record was the creation of Sailed. A no rules kind of affair that resulted in us putting a breakbeat, synthesisers, 808’s, a choir, piano and strings all in the same song. A personal favourite of mine from the record and one I’ve been looking forward to sharing with the world.”

Rasmussen adds: “This song indicated that we had an album ready. It serves as a summary of the work we’ve dedicated to this project over the years. It’s like the essence of Kiasmos in 2024, which excites me. This song has a slightly broken beat, synths, strings, and a lot of tension—to me, it has it all.” Listen to “Sailed”:https://idol-io.ffm.to/sailed
Pre-order/pre-save ‘II’: https://idol-io.ffm.to/Kiasmos-II

When Kiasmos started out in the late 2000s, little did they know that their part-time supergroup would go stratospheric. It was the sound of two old friends from neighbouring islands striking out against the stark piano and electropop music that they were individually celebrated for and effusively sharing their love of Berlin-inspired beats. But their pairing blew up into a world-dominating live act whose music went on to define the decade. So what does one of the most dynamic duos in electronic music do next, after all this time? There are clues in their new artwork: Kiasmos’s distinctive diamond motif, up in flames, so it can rise again from the ashes.

Kiasmos are returning, renewed and restored, with ‘II’. It’s the triumphant followup to their universally acclaimed self-titled debut in 2014, which re-envisioned minimal techno with orchestral flourishes and weightless production. They’d made most of that album in just two weeks; this time it’s been 10 years. The making of ‘II’ was a test of their friendship, but also testament to how great musical chemistry can always go the distance and be just the same as it ever was. “In the beginning, we hadn’t established any sound, so it was easy to write,” says Janus.

On ‘II’ you can clearly hear how Kiasmos have evolved as sonic architects, in the album’s deeper acoustic textures, atmospheric ambience, restless grooves and ambitious string arrangements. Each song on the album is a mini epic, effortlessly moving between electronic, classical and rave, and then pulling back before you’ve had a chance to take a breath. This is Kiasmos – but more widescreen. “It’s bigger, both in sound and production,” says Janus. “The music has matured yet there’s a playfulness to it.”

They worked on a lot of ‘II’ during the lost year of 2020-2021, including a trip to Ólafur’s studio in Bali. “We spent a month there and wrote a few songs that ended up on the record,” says Janus. The pair sampled traditional Balinese percussion like the gamelan and incorporated Janus’s field recordings of their natural surroundings – the sound of birds, crickets and echoing the sunrise over the lush landscape.

Kiasmos have an enviable knack for conveying complex emotions and evocative visuals with instrumental music. But this time they’ve got more experience as producers to draw on. The album’s expansiveness can be linked to Ólafur’s intervening years as a Grammy-nominated composer and prominent soundtracker in film and TV. And they’ve subtly shifted from four-to-the-floor to the frenetic broken beats of UK dance music, experimenting more with BPMs, echoing Janus’s time spent DJing in major venues worldwide.

“It’s emotional rave!” laughs Ólafur. The magic of Kiasmos is also in the cathartic release that can happen at their live shows. “We often talk about the idea of crying on the dance floor,” Ólafur continues. “That’s become our unofficial slogan.” But they also want to keep everyone, including themselves, on their toes. “II is livelier,” says Janus, “but it still retains the signature Kiasmos style of transitioning from a whisper-quiet ambience to an explosive dance beat that can blow your socks off.” Their phoenix is rising from the ashes, and ready to take flight.

‘II’ will be released on July 5th via Erased Tapes. Pre-order here.

Kiasmos live dates:
12.07. Audioriver Festival PL Lodz
13.07. BBK Festival ES Bilbao
26.07. Popmesse CZ Brno
02.08. All Together Now IE Waterfront
10.08. Grape Festival SK Trencin
11.08. Sziget Festival HU Budapest

14.09. Spring Attitude Festival IT Rome
15.09. Milan IT Magnolia
18.09. London UK Troxy
19.09. Paris FR Salle Pleyel
20.09. Cologne DE Stadthalle
21.09. Hamburg DE Reeperbahn Festival
22.09. Copenhagen DK Poolen
24.09. Luxembourg LU den Atelier
25.09. Amsterdam NL Melkweg
26.09. Berlin DE Columbiahalle

12.11. New York US Elsewhere Hall
13.11. Montreal CA SAT
15.11. San Francisco US 1015 Folsom
16.11. Los Angeles US The Regent
17.11. Seattle US Crododile
20.11. Mexico City MX BlackBerry Auditorio
Ticket links: http://ffm.link/tour-dates

‘II’ track list:
1. Grown
2. Burst – stream
3. Sailed – stream
4. Laced
5. Bound
6. Sworn
7. Spun
8. Flown – official video
9. Told
10. Dazed
11. Squared

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Kate at Stereo Sanctity.]

Review: Nathaniel Eras – Omniaglyph 0

The cover image might invoke suggestions that Nathaniel Eras‘ Omniaglyph 0 is going to be a dark metal album, but it’s actually an interesting ambient trance album full of neat synths, modulators, processed beats, and live instruments.

“Ancestral Memory” is a neat instrumental of layered percussion that builds and builds into a hypnotic meditation. “Encrypted Consciousness” brings in sizzling, snappy industrial beats to flow with the New Wave synths to a neat effect.

Then we get to “Architecture of Thought and The Subversion of Language Systems.” It’s haunting and creepy (Those bells and somber piano chords!) and will make a great addition to your upcoming Halloween playlist.

The EP ends with “Routing Systems,” an ultra-slick synthwave bumper that throbs with gristly bass and pulses with machine beats. It leaves you pumped up and ready for action.

I like the way the EP blends ambience with industrial. Not many people could pull that off this well.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Eclectica!]

Review: Curses – New Wave Acid Punx DEUX – Secret Cuts

Just when you think you’ve heard your favorite classic new wave / no wave / goth-punk / industrial dance track of all time, a compilation like New Wave Acid Punx DEUX – Secret Cuts comes along and drops a bunch of stuff you’ve never heard and makes you nearly lose your mind with “How did I miss this?” types of questions.

This latest gem from Berlin-based DJ Curses brings out a wild mix of stuff that he probably found in a warehouse’s trash bin moments before the place was demolished to build a clothing store no one wanted. Chrome Corps‘ “Body Attestation” starts off the thing with industrial chops, and Curses himself includes a previously unreleased track of his own, “Get Lost,” right after it to keep up the dark vibe. Aura Nox and Christian Koupa‘s “Compound Lies” is a dark wave banger.

Notausgang‘s “Malphas” becomes a meditative synth-jam (even with birdsong at the end). Ghost Cop‘s “You Can Never Go Home” demands to be played at your next dance party. Nuovo Testamento‘s “In My Dreams” (the “Powerhouse Mix,” no less) is like opening a time capsule from the mid-1980s found under the remains of a British disco. Unconscious‘ “LivEvil” version of “Carnivora” is the sound of a robot hit squad coming after you in a 1985 shopping mall.

Gunce Aci‘s “Being in the Shadows” is a gothic dance track that’s phat with bass and makes you wonder if the title refers to being / standing in the shadows or a being that’s in the shadows. Curses gets back into the game with “The Deep End (Redux),” which adds a nice guitar element to the goth sound, not unlike old Wall of Voodoo tracks.

Paresse‘s “Journey of the Heart” (the Guy Tallo remix) brings a bit of ambient into the synths and is a track suitable for late night drives, workouts, or the trailer to your newest film about a fitness instructor trying to avoid a serial killer while dating a cop with a mysterious past. The “Modern remix” of You Man‘s “Third Eye” is the sexiest track on the record, with female vocals samples of “Oh my God…” blending with throbbing bass and smoky synths.

Much praise to Curses for finding these rare cuts and presenting them to us in a great mix. Don’t skip this one if you’re a fan of darkwave, synthwave, new wave, industrial, or acid house.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Eclectica!]

Review: Operator Music Band – Four Singles EP

It’s not every day you put out a groovy EP of acid house tracks. This is especially true after one of your band members falls over twenty feet through a skylight, breaks both wrists and six ribs, and sustains a head fracture that results in permanent hearing loss.

Yet, Operator Music Band did just that with their new Four Singles EP. How? You got me, but Jared Hiller figured out a way, and, along with Dara Hirsch and Daniel Siles, crafted a slick record.

Blending house with some krautrock and synthwave, “As It Goes” comes out of the start with a drippy, bass-filled bang, wicked hand percussion, and low-end vocal effects to warp your brain even further. “Screwhead” is a sexy, slightly industrial (Those drums!) track with sensuous vocals (“Focus is a function of ecstasy. Let me go slow. I’ll be right back.”).

“Oval” is bouncy and bubbly that, at the halfway point, turns into almost a dance-punk track with its almost frantic drums. “10 Days” continues this dance-punk theme with percussion and synths that sound like they’re coming through pipes and pneumatic tubes in an abandoned factory where a rooftop rave is taking place.

It’s all over too soon and leaves you wanting much more, as any good EP should. Many accolades should be given to Operator Music Band for creating something this good after Hiller’s harrowing accident. That kind of grit is rare.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Cody at Terrorbird Media.]

Review: LFZ – Raveled Veiled Known

LFZ, otherwise known as Sean Smith, has dived even further than usual into his exploration of soundscapes and sound technology on his new album Raveled Veiled Known.

The album combines Smith’s hypnotizing guitar work with sound loops, vintage synths, field recordings, and probably song structures based on numerology for all I know. I mean, the album cover of embroidered art by Smith reflects numerological, tarot, and mystical themes.

I like how the album is bookended with long tracks. The opener, “Extinction Burst,” sounds like a Wall of Voodoo instrumental mixed with a John Carpenter film score and is described in the liner notes as “a characterization of the psyche’s potential to utterly resist change.” It’s all weird synths and reverb-laden guitar flourishes, and it’s all neat for over twelve minutes. In case you need a slightly radio friendly version, “Extinction Burst (edit),” at about half the length, follows it.

“View from Here” was improvised and recorded in one night and uses a lot of tape loops and “…represents themes of being trapped inside the boundless prison of one’s solitary perspective and the peace and madness that can coexist.” I mean, holy cow. LFZ is into some deep water here, and he’s floating on it like a cork while encouraging us to do the same when the water gets choppy.

“Waiting for Esme” is about Smith awaiting the birth of his daughter and the nervous anticipation of such an event. It has the most “normal” structure of the album’s tracks, but is no less full of strange synth effects. The long closing track, “Naturally I Found It Within,” reflects the outward journey that always returns inward – using buzzing guitars and dark wave synths to create moments of chaos and clarity.

It’s a weird, neat record. It’s strange at times, and soothing at others.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Ryan at Clandestine Label Services.]

Desire takes you to the “Darkside” on their new single.

Today Desire is sharing new single “Darkside” alongside the announcement of new album Games People Play, which will come out later this year via Italians Do It Better. This will be Desire’s third studio album following Escape (2022) & self titled Desire (2009).

“Darkside” is the new slow burning single from Desire. It’s nocturnal synthwave in their classic cinema sound. Megan Louise’s voice levitates over heavy 808 drums pivoting between sultry Dream Pop & spoken word. Our heroine serenades us while the impressionistic haze of Johnny Jewel’s production casts it’s spell. It feels like the opening titles to a Neo-noire film…Games People Play.

“The song is about the invisible line we draw between our outer reality & our inner world. The darkside is a meatphor for the unmasked internal space that we rarely share with strangers. A secret realm that never sees the light of day. On the endless hunt for love, we crave a deeper connection that can only come with truth. The mirror sees you…on the darkside. Crash into the starlight.” – Desire

“Darkside” on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdJ_bEvpfq4
“Darkside” on other streaming services: https://idib.ffm.to/darkside

Desire are embarking on a co-healine tour with Johnny Jewel with upcoming shows in San Francisco, Dublin, Paris, Manchester & Vancouver. In addition to this, Desire will also play Primavera Festival on May 29th and NYC Knowdown Centre on May 31st for a special performance, which will also see Johnny Jewel, Black Marble, Orion, Farah, Joon, Mothermary take the stage.

Tour dates:

Mar 22 – SAN FRANCISCO DNA Lounge (Tickets)
May 21 – DUBLIN The Button Factory (Tickets)
May 23 – PARIS Le Trabendo (Tickets)
May 24 – MANCHESTER YES (The Pink Room) (Tickets)
May 29 – BARCELONA Primavera In The City
May 31 – NYC Knockdown Center (w/ Johnny Jewel, Black Marble, Orion, Farah, Joon & Mothermary) (Tickets)
Jun 28 – VANCOUVER Rickshaw Theater

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Frankie at Stereo Sanctity.]

Cold Cave return with creepy cool new single – “She Reigns Down.”

Cold Cave returns with a new single of dark poetry and high energy any-wave for the spiritually lustful, titled “She Reigns Down.” This single drop marks their first new recorded material since 2021 and is an exemplary addition to their impressive oeuvre.

Since their inception in 2007, Cold Cave have released a number of singles, LP’s, EP’s, and compilations, and have become synonymous with the modern-day resurgence of darkwave and synth-pop. Last year, the band reissued their landmark releases Cremations, Love Comes Close, Cherish The Light Years, Full Cold Moon, and Fate In Seven Lessons on 180gram vinyl on Heartworm Press. Their continuous output solidifies Cold Cave’s past while catapulting them into the future.

Listen / share “She Reigns Down” on YouTube.

Cold Cave spent the majority of 2023 on the road with the likes of Depeche Mode, The Cult, as headliners and more. The group, which features underground luminary Wes Eisold and multi-instrumentalist Amy Lee, continues to carry the torch for modern post-punk.

Look for more news from Cold Cave soon.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Stephanie at Another Side.]

Annie-Claude Deschênes “Phones” you with her new single.

After sharing her debut solo single “MENACE MINIMALE“ at the end of last year, Montreal based multidisciplinarity artist Annie-Claude Deschênes has announced her debut album ‘LES MANIÈRES DE TABLE’ will be released this Spring via Italians Do It Better + Bonsound. Today Deschênes is sharing the second single from the record, “PHONES”.

The track is a standard call for a restaurant reservation that turns into an anxiety attack. A reflection on the absurdity of good manners that sometimes lead us to rigidity and over-politeness. The robotic rhythms, made from interference noises and ringtones, punctuate the conversation while the repetitive bass line accentuates this hymn to alienation.

“PHONES” on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1USaV5X22M
“PHONES” on other streaming services:https://idib.ffm.to/phones

As a key figure on the Montreal independent music scene for the last two decades, she has left her mark as a performer & visual artist with Duchess Says & PyPy; two bands that are renowned as much for their electrifying live shows as they are for their artistic sensibilities. Always forward, her exploratory approach takes her into uncharted territory with her debut as a solo artist. The urgency that characterises her work remains, but frustration & aggression give way to introspection & vulnerability. Driven by the endless need to create outside her comfort zone, Annie-Claude Deschênes reinvents herself once again.

Over the course of her career, Annie-Claude Deschênes shared the stage with a number of renowned bands, including The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Teenage Jesus & the Jerks, The Black Lips, The Hives, The Hot Snakes & Buzzcocks, among others. Her extensive touring has taken her all over the world, playing venues & festivals (Primavera Fest, Eurockéennes de Belfort, OSHEAGA, Sled Island, etc.) as well as unconventional locations like golf courses, factories & churches. Her career is punctuated by collaborative projects linking various art forms, including the co-founding of the collective Conclusion Finale, with whom she exhibits at Concordia University’s VAV gallery, the DARE-DARE diffusion center & Université Laval in Quebec City, & the production of the soundtrack for Yves St-Laurent’s Los Angeles fashion show with PyPy. Winner of the 2022 cohort of the PHI NORD program, she was awarded a two-week immersive creative residency, during which her songs transformed into a tangible debut album titled ‘LES MANIÈRES DE TABLE’ due in Spring.

See Annie-Claude Deschênes live:
April 26 – PHI Centre, Montreal, QC
May 2 – Club Saw, Ottawa, ON
May 10 – CEM, Chicoutimi, QC
May 11 – Pantoum, Québec, QC

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Frankie at Stereo Sanctity.]

Review: Claudio Simonetti – Demons soundtrack (2023 reissue)

I picked this up the night I saw Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin play this score live to a screening of Demons (properly known as Demoni) in Chicago last year. The film is nuts, to put it mildly, and the score is a wild synthwave ride into dark places and crazy action sequences.

“Demon” starts us off with throbbing synth-bass to set the tone for what’s going to be a weird experience, and “Cruel Demon” is like a discovering a snake has slithered into the room and leads us into “Killing.” There’s plenty of that in the film, so it’s only appropriate that there’s a song called this. Heck, Lamberto Bava and Dario Argento, the creators of the film, could’ve just called it Killing. The song has neat orchestral synths mixed with electro-drums and metal guitar solos.

“The Evil One” is, appropriately, the creepiest tune on the entire soundtrack, with heartbeat beats and sinister synths to give you chills. “Out of Time” begins with violins and then switches to almost vaporwave sounds straight out of an early 1980s shopping mall. It’s wonderfully weird.

The Rustblade edition of the score is full of bonus tracks. The CD version is two discs. Disc One has two demo versions of the title track and one of “Killing,” a 2002 live version of “Demon,” a Simonetti Horror Project version of it from 1990, and, best of all the previously unreleased “Demon’s Lounge,” which, yes, is a lounge version of the title track. It’s amazing. I’d love a whole album of stuff like this from Simonetti.

Disc Two is all remixes by various artists, with only one by the Simonetti Horror Project. OHGR first remixes “Demons,” then Cervello Elettronico provides a cool industrial version of “Cruel Demon.” Simulakrum Lab gets you to to the dance floor with their remix of “Killing.” The Devil and The Universe remix “Threat” into something you’d hear while Jason Vorhees is pursuing you through a late night dance club.

:Bahntier// turns “The Evil One” into a full-out rave classic. Needle Sharing sees that and raises a drum and bass remix of “Out of Time.” Leæther Strip‘s remix of “Demons” adds more industrial throbs and grit to Simonetti’s original track. Chris Alexander gets creepy on his remix of “Killing,” and Creature from the Black goes all-out dance club mix on “Demon.” Dope Star Inc. slows things down on their remix of “Killing,” turning it into a stalking machine. Finally, the Simonetti Horror Project version of “Demon” pumps up the jams with hip hop beats and cool synth flairs to round out the second disc with a remix that is, I dare say, fun.

It’s a classic score for a wild horror film, and a must for fans of such stuff.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Melody Fields – 1991

I’m not sure if calling Melody Fields‘ 1991 album a “companion piece” to their 1901 album is correct. It feels more link a continuation of 1901, or perhaps a better world is a transformation of it, not unlike the flower on 1991‘s cover opening to reveal things previously hidden.

1991 also has plenty of guest collaborators, whereas 1901 was all Melody Fields all of the time. The opening track, “Hallelujah,” (a remix / re-edit / re-imagining of “Jesus” from 1901) is a spaced out team-up with Snake Bunker. “Blasphemy” is a wall of My Bloody Valentine-inspired sound – beautiful, loud, and somewhat intimidating. Psych-DJ Al Lover teams up with Melody Fields on “Jesus Lover,” bringing up the drum beats and bass to turn “Jesus” into a dance track.

“Dandelion” rolls along like a cool van painted with some kind of wild ancient warrior artwork on the side. You can envision warm wind whipping through your hair, perhaps with a dandelion tucked behind one ear, as you drive out to a coastal music festival. Human Language joins Melody Fields, appropriately on “Talking with Jesus.” They slow down “Jesus” almost to a crawl, turning it into a dark wave track that beckons you from behind a curtain at the back of a weird store is some forgotten rust belt town.

The bold guitars on “Diary of a Young Man” bring images of dusty ghost towns to mind…and then it suddenly hits you with vocals that could be from an actual ghost for all I know. Get your incense ready for “Bhagavana Najika Cha,” because it might lift you off the ground, and the closer, “Son of Man” (guest-starring fellow Swedish psych-giants GOAT), keeps you afloat until after the album is done.

It’s a neat record that shows off Melody Fields’ different music influences, loves, and talents. Where else are you going to hear a record that blends psychedelia, dark wave, and dance grooves?

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Melody Fields!]