Electro – Page 5 – 7th Level Music

Levitation Austin 2025: Day One recap

I couldn’t think of a better way to kick off the first full day of Levitation 2025 than a slow-motion sword fight between a Rat Queen and a rat skull-headed incarnation of Death over a book containing countless souls.

That’s how Day One of the festival started in its new home — the Palmer Event Center. The new space is impressive. The interior stage is in a massive cave-like room with 360-degrees of projections to keep you tripping all day if you’d like. Oliver Ackermann of A Place to Bury Strangers described it to me as “amazing,” and I think he and his bandmates (still a bit bleary-eyed from their recent South American tour) are eager to blast the place on Day Three.

First to blast it, and setting a high bar for the rest of the bands to come for the rest of the festival, were a band consisting of a vampire, a druid, a plague doctor, and a warrior queen.

Castle Rat came out to an exuberant crowd as the voice of a distant wizard told us they had been given the task of protecting The Bestiary — a book of souls they must protect at all costs from evil forces. As a friend put it, “Listening to them is like opening your Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook for the first time.” They proceeded to flatten the place, ending their too short forty-minute time slot with the aforementioned sword fight.

The line for Castle Rat’s merch was at least twenty minutes long for hours after their set. I later met their drummer, The Druid, and told him my friend’s description of their music. He laughed and said, “Yes! That’s exactly what we’re going for.”

The exterior stage is in a smaller space, and set up facing south with the unintended result of having many of the bands (depending on their set time) staring into the afternoon sun. One such band was Skloss, who’d just returned from a tour in Scotland and had become unaccustomed to such bright sunlight. Guitarist Sandy Carson had trouble seeing his foot pedal board a couple times, resulting in what drummer / singer Karen Skloss called “the Skloss experimental set” by the end. Regardless of the pedal trouble, they still put on a loud, psychedelic show that blasted as hard as the sun.

I had to get some hydration and calories by this point, so I missed the opening of Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol‘s set, but got there in time for a lot of solid rockers such as “Heel,” “1-800-EAT-SHIT,” and “I’m the Fucking Man.” They sounded great, even better when I saw them at Levitation last year at Stubb’s BBQ on a much bigger stage.

Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Whatever the Fuck

I had a little time to wander for a bit, checking out the various vendors there, and then got to see most of the set from Austin’s own The Sword — who played to a packed house indoors. Their set got a bit funky by the end, which I thought was great.

The Sword cutting through time and space.

I took a much-needed disco nap back at the hotel after their set, and it was almost too good of a break. I woke up groggy and debated not going downtown to see the late night show for which I’d purchased a ticket a while ago. I decided to go outside, get some fresh air, and make the decision. It turned out to be a good one.

I didn’t get to Elysium in time to see Austin drag star Louisanna Purchase perform, but did get there for the last half of Auragraph‘s drum and bass set that had the place bumping. Much like the Boy Harsher show the previous night, the goth and queer crowd was out in force here — which is always great to see.

Pixel Grip was playing down a man with synth player Jonathon Freund not being able to make the show, but pre-programmed loops and chords keyed up by drummer Tyler Ommen worked just fine and singer Rita Lukea commanded the stage and the jam-packed crowd. They had the floors shaking multiple times. It was a wild end to a wild day.

Up next for Day Two…post-punk, disco, and a DJ set from my favorite band.

Keep your mind open.

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Levitation Austin 2025: Day Zero recap

I’m going to call the September 25, 2025 Thursday night late shows of Levitation Austin 2025 as “Day Zero” since the official festival doesn’t start until September 26th. “Day -1” would’ve been September 24th when you could’ve seen Mdou Moctar, Beach Fossils, Strange Lot, Water Damage and other good bands.

The main festival has a new home — the Palmer Event Center pretty much in the middle of the city, and only has the “pub crawl” events (shows at various venues downtown) at night. As usual, there’s always at least one good band playing the Thursday night before Levitation to entice you into coming to town early. This year, “Day Zero” had several: Warmduscher and Starjunk 95 among them, and I opted for two other shows out of six you could attend.

I first went to Stubb’s BBQ for what would be the only show I would attend there the whole weekend (which felt odd): Kumo 99, Martin Rev, and Boy Harsher.

Kumo 99 kicking off Levitation with a good start.

I’d only heard one song from Kumo 99 before coming to Austin, so I didn’t know what to expect apart from some electro music. What I got was electro plus synthwave plus Japanese vocal punk rock. I was impressed, and so were a lot of others judging by the size of the line at their merch booth after their set.

Martin Rev will hit you with a key-tar and then put you in the Sharpshooter.

Up next was the legendary Martin Rev — one half of synth / punk pioneers Suicide. He came out in ripped-up leather pants, a sleeveless shirt, and goggles suitable for alpine skiing or for Brett “Hitman” Hart cutting a professional wrestling promo. What followed was a weird, loud no wave noise set that left most of the audience (who didn’t realize who he was) baffled. Rev was hammerfisting his keyboard through most of the set, bludgeoning us with distorted din. He sampled Bon Jovi, ZZ Top, and The Trammps at various points while singing / talking with so much reverb in his microphone that one guy in front of me just yelled, “What are you saying?” during a brief break in the noise. Rev even did a bizarre cover of Sam the Sham & the Pharohs‘ “Wooly Bully” at one point. A woman next to me said, “I hope I can be that cool at (age) seventy-seven. I’m ready for bed by eight and he’s out here doing his thing.” That “thing” being not giving a damn what people think and giving them more of an experience than a performance.

Boy Harsher winning over the crowd at the first note.

The crowd (with a big goth and queer contingent. Hell yeah!) for Boy Harsher was huge by the time they took the stage. They played much the same set as when I saw them at Levitation France months earlier — packing in pulsing synthwave with great electro dance beats. I found out from the woman next to me that they’d played a DJ set from the back of a truck the previous day and had done a record signing at End of an Ear in Austin. That’s way cool.

Speaking of way cool things, I walked a half-block after Boy Harsher’s set to Elysium where I caught Johnny Jewel‘s great set of his film score and other music – which included a set from Drive, a salute to David Lynch, and even a different version of Chromatics‘ “Lady.” He played various clips from Lynch films, Twin Peaks, giallo films, and other oddities throughout it.

Up next, and closing out Day Zero, was one of Jewel’s many side projects — Desire. They played a long set of lovely synthwave and electro-dance tracks, mostly about wanting, finding, and / or losing love. The crowd loved them, and the trio work well together. They even played two New Order covers (“Bizarre Love Triangle” and “Blue Monday” – with Jewel on lead vocals for the second) and Taylor Dane‘s “Tell It to My Heart” — which was a natural fit for lead singer Megan Louise.

It was a late night, but worth it. There’s a lot of good synthwave at Levitation this year, and Day One will end with more…but first there will be a lot of metal.

Keep your mind open.

All right, all right! I’ll get on it…And you spelled my name wrong again, David!

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Review: No Joy – Bugland

Jasamine White-Gluz got out of the city to make Bugland, the newest No Joy album, experimenting and collaborating with Fire-Toolz (AKA Angel Marcloid) for an record that is difficult to categorize, but why should we even bother to try? Why not just sit back and enjoy it?

Starting with electronic bloops, bleeps, and beats, “Garbage Dream House” gets things off to a weird, wonderful start – mixing buzzing guitar chords with synths and processed drums while White-Gluz’s voice bounces off the back wall at some points and nuzzles your ear the next. The title track crunches and munches like an early Garbage track and White-Gluz’s reverb-soaked vocals practically lift you off the floor.

“Bits” has more 90s electro-rock vibes to it, practically begging you to blast it on your headphones as you hit the mid-mark of your treadmill workout. “Save the Lobsters” is based on a true story of White-Gluz smashing open lobster traps washed up on beaches so she could get the creatures back into the ocean. Her vocals are often drenched in distortion or echo effects, seemingly putting you under the water with the freed animals.

“My Crud Princess” not only has a great title, but also a sparkling energy bursting through the slightly sludgy (cruddy?) drum beats. “Bather in the Bloodcells” reminds me of My Bloody Valentine if they turned down the volume a bit and covered Elastica.

“I Hate That I Forget What You Look Like” is a stunner about grief that, for some us, is all too relatable. The snappy drums and synths grow like a mind almost spiraling into panic, but catching itself just before toppling into madness. The psychedelic closer, “Jelly Meadow Bright” is almost eight minutes of trippy bliss, nearly fading out halfway through it and then returning with a wild saxophone-led acid-jazz / industrial freak-out.

Again, I’m not sure how to describe Bugland…apart from it being one of the best releases of 2025 so far.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Tom at Terrorbird Media!]

Paris Music Corp. uses technology to push back against itself on “No Soy A.I.”

Texas-based electronic and ambient composer Paris Music Corp. a.k.a. John Andrew Paris presents ‘No Soy A.I.’, the first taste of his latest electronic odyssey ‘Ecotone’. Slated for release on October 24, this album promises to be a futuristic trip, and “No Soy A.I.” is the perfect, human-first introduction.

In a world increasingly dominated by the cold, calculated logic of artificial intelligence, Paris Music Corp. throws down a human gauntlet with this dark slab of swirling electro, which features the searing Spanish vocals of fellow Texan musician, writer and actor Ray Perez. A potent opening statement, this is a sonic challenge to the algorithmic chill of our times and the only track on this album with vocals.

Originally from Austin and now calling Brownsville, TX his seaside home, John Andrew Paris spent decades creating music and collaborating with artists, including Arthur Brown (The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, perhaps best known for his hit single ‘Fire’), as well as DJ Rev Kathy Russell, DJ Lucas Ray, Catastrophe Ballet, Le Reve, Life’s Eyes, Beast of Eden, OBOYO and Don Wigwam.

In 2022, Paris Music Corp. released his self-titled album, after taking hiatus for half a decade following the release of his debut album ‘Rewind’ in 2017. Fast forward to autumn 2025 – now Paris is ready to release the next collection of his electronic adventures, having written, recorded, mixed and mastered this full album at Tarantula Studios throughout 2024 and 2025.

“With ‘No Soy A.I.’, I wanted to address the coldness of some of AI’s tendencies, such as people already having AI girlfriends and boyfriends. Ironically, this track ultimately turned out to be a love song of sorts, which is okay by me,” says John Andrew Paris.

“Sonically, this piece has a very futuristic sound to it. The words delivered in Spanish alongside make it even more relevant as something new and a little out there”.

Influenced by the likes of Mick Karn, Pink Floyd, Gary Numan, Tim Hecker, Casino Versus Japan and Miles Davis, John Andrew Paris has also scored 2 independent films – the documentary ‘Andy Paris: Bubble Gum King’, also released as an album, and the short horror film ‘Spectral Wind’. He has also created a clever electronic rework of ‘Lord of the Dance’ for the Austin Christmas Collection Album.

“After relocating Paris Music Corp. to Brownsville, TX, it became apparent that wildlife and nature in general were at the forefront with living on the border of Mexico next to the sea. The ‘Ecotone’ album made sense to me because you have a transitional zone, where two different ecological communities or ecosystems meet and intermingle, often resulting in high biodiversity,” says John Andrew Paris.

Cinematic and ethereal, Paris Music Corp. music is ambient and spacey electronica. Often with elements of 80’s darkwave and ambient soundscapes, his trademark sound includes heavily processed guitar and bass instruments locked into layered loops and further manipulated using software. Also employing live hand percussion, these dense soundscapes take the listener on a sonic journey to otherworldly places.

As of September 19, ‘No Soy A.I.! is available from digital platforms, including Apple Music ,Spotify and Bandcamp. The ‘Ecotone’ album will be released on October 24.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Shauna at Shameless Promotion PR.]

Rewind Review: DJ Zinc – Crackhouse Vol. 3 (2023)

Are you looking for another full album of house and techno bangers? Well, DJ Zinc has you covered with Crackhouse Vol. 3.

The opening moments of “Conditioning” (with Chris Lorenzo) are designed to get you jumping. “That Sound” is a stand-out, building to a thumping floor-filler. “Close My Eyes” is classic house music, mixing fun beats with lovely vocals. “Amergency” dives back into straight-up jungle madness.

“Everywhere” blends the two into jungle-house with looped gospel-like vocals and popping boba bass to keep you caffeinated and on a sugar rush. Kamakaze joins Zinc for “What I’m On” – a head-swirling jungle track that makes the room feel like it’s spinning. “When I” brings us back to soulful house music. “Dollars” practically turns on the strobe lights for you with its bright synth riffs.

“Goldin” adds vocals from President T to the party, bringing in a rough edge to Zinc’s booming beats. Ever helps Zinc close out the mix with the sweaty breakbeat cut, “For My People” that leaves you out of breath by the end. It feels over too soon, as most good raves do.

Keep your mind open.

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Mei ehara releases “Fuukeiga (Cut Out)” from upcoming album.

mei ehara—the Tokyo-based artist, musician, writer, and designer— presents “Fuukeiga (Cut Out),” the second single from her new album, All About McGuffin, out September 12th on KAKUBARHYTHM. Following the “slinky and hypnotic” (Our Culture) lead single, “Kanashii Untenshu (Sad Driver),” today’s single “Fuukeiga (Cut Out)” is fuzzed out and spare, showcasing the raw and intentionally unembellished instrumentation found throughout the album.

ehara elaborates: “We are always seen through the eyes of others—defined, judged, expected, sometimes dismissed. That gaze can weigh heavily, making us falter, hesitate, and turn questions inward. Yet the influence of others is not only a burden. It can open paths we wouldn’t discover on our own, shaping the choices that carry us forward. Each step we take, in the rhythm of these connections, carries both unease and anticipation. The future stays opaque, but moving toward it brings its own kind of charge — a tension, an exhilaration, like placing a quiet bet on what comes next.

“Listen to “Fuukeiga (Cut Out)”

For ehara, the years since the release of her beloved 2020 album Ampersands have been anything but static as her music began to travel further than ever. A chance encounter led Faye Webster to discover ehara’s music. The two ended up collaborating on Webster’s song “Overslept” from I Know I’m Funny haha and ehara opening for Webster across the U.S. Performing around the country became both a test and a revelation for ehara, proof that her quietly powerful songs resonated far beyond Japan.

All About McGuffin is a testament to an artist learning to trust her own instincts, to create without fear, and to let the story find her. The album takes its title from the film term “McGuffin,” an object that seems essential to a story but ultimately proves secondary or unimportant. For her, the concept became a metaphor for letting go of preoccupations about success, expectations, and artistic perfection.

Musically, All About McGuffin is the most stripped-down and unguarded of her work so far. Longtime bandmates Masamichi Torii (guitar), Naruki Numazawa (keyboards & piano), Sota “Coff” Kimoto (bass), and Koki Hama (drums & percussion) remain at her side, yet the arrangements are more transparent than ever. ehara describes this as an act of trust and a deliberate departure from her own perfectionist instincts: “Even if I felt uneasy about whether it was enough, or whether people might say it wasn’t enough, I was aware that I didn’t have to add anything. It was like I was naked.”

All About McGuffin feels deeply rooted in the present moment, reflecting ehara’s newfound vulnerability. It is a luminous and quietly defiant collection of songs about the joy that comes from realizing you don’t have to meet anyone’s expectations but your own.

Next month, ehara will embark on her first US headline tour featuring dates in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. Prior to her headline tour with a full band, she will support Se So Neon on a run of North American dates. Tickets are now available to purchase here.

Listen to “Kanashii Untenshu (Sad Driver)”

Pre-order All About McGuffin

mei ehara Tour Dates
(New Dates in Bold)
Sat. Sept. 6 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theater of Living Arts #
Tue. Sept. 9 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel #
Wed. Sept. 10 – Somerville, MA @ The Center for Arts at the Armory #
Fri. Sept. 12 – Montreal, QC @ Théâtre Beanfield #
Sat. Sept. 13 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre #
Tue. Sept. 23 – San Francisco, CA @ Swedish American Hall
Thu. Sept. 25 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
Sun. Sept. 28 – New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
Tue. Sept. 30 – Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle
Sun. Oct. 19 – Tokyo, JP @ WWWX [SOLD OUT]

# = solo performance supporting Se So Neon

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Ahmad at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Annie-Claude Deschênes teams up with Shit Robot for a killer remix of “Main de Fer.”

Annie-Claude Deschênes presents the first in a series of remixes of “Main de Fer“, her latest single released in April. Produced by Shit Robot (DFA Records), it is available now on all platforms. The track is out now via Italians Do It Better (US) and Bonsound (ROW).

“I chose Shit Robot because his unique sound and creative vision felt like the perfect match to reimagine Main de Fer in a bold, new way”, explains Annie-Claude. The Irish producer and DJ, known for his affiliation with the DFA Records label, brings an analog touch to the track by using a variety of synthesizers and sequencers straight out of the 90s. “This was one of those great projects where you fire up the machines and everything falls into place really quickly. I was very excited to get started on this as the original vocals are great and the energy of the track is infectious”, adds Shit Robot, who also mixed the final result alongside LCD Soundsystem member and Grammy Award winner Korey Richey.

Listen to “Main de Fer (Shit Robot Remix)”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDzgEPGcnHA
Listen on other streaming services: https://bonsound.co/maindeferrobotRP

Annie-Claude Deschênes will perform at the Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg on September 18th and at Rialto Hall at POP Montreal on September 25th before embarking on a European tour in October. This series of dates will take her to Brussels, Strasbourg, Lyon, Luxembourg, and Paris, among other cities, after which she will return to Canada for dates in Toronto and the province of Quebec. She will also be part of M for Montreal’s official selection in November. See the list below for all tour dates.

Multidisciplinarity is an integral part of the creative process of Annie-Claude Deschênes, who continues her perpetual personal quest of uniting music and performance art by bending the pre-established conventions of stage presence. A key figure on the Montreal independent music scene for almost twenty years, she made her mark as a singer, musician, songwriter, performer and visual artist with Duchess Says and PyPy, two bands that are renowned as much for their electrifying performances as for their artistic sensibility. Over the course of her career, she shared the stage with a number of internationally renowned bands, including The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, The Black Lips, The Hives, The Hot Snakes and Buzzcocks. Duchess Says and PyPy’s extensive touring has taken her all over North America and Europe, playing venues and festivals (Primavera Fest, Eurockéennes de Belfort, OSHEAGA, Sled Island, etc.) as well as unconventional locations such as golf courses, factories and churches. Her exploratory approach to staging and sound design takes a new direction with this solo project: the urgency that characterizes her work remains, but frustration and aggression give way to introspection and vulnerability. Annie-Claude Deschênes explores and reinvents herself under her own name, driven by a constant need to create outside of her comfort zone.

Inspired by minimal pop and the pioneers of electronic music, LES MANIÈRES DE TABLE, her first solo album released in spring of 2024, is as danceable and melodic as it is disquieting and dystopian, proposing to set the table differently by deconstructing the social codes of politeness imposed on us. LES MANIÈRES DE TABLE earned a spot on the Polaris Prize long list and garnered attention from international media outlets such as KEXP, BrooklynVegan, CLASH, The Guardian, Les Inrockuptibles and Radio Nova, as well as landing on several year-end lists.

Tour dates:
09/16/2025 – Berlin, DE – Berlin Experience (Reeperbahn Festival)
09/18/2025 – Hamburg, DE – UWE (Reeperbahn Festival)
09/19/2025 – Hamburg, DE – MOPO Stage (Reeperbahn Festival)
09/25/2025 – Montreal, QC – Rialto Hall (POP Montreal) *
10/03/2025 – Brussels, BE – Botanique (Festival FrancoFaune)
10/04/2025 – Mulhouse, BE – Motoco (Festival Microsiphon)
10/07/2025 – Reims, FR – La Cartonnerie
10/09/2025 – Longwy, FR – The Long Way
10/10/2025 – Strasbourg, FR – La Grenze ***
10/11/2025 – Lyon, FR – Le Sonic
10/14/2025 – Luxembourg, LU – Les Rotondes
10/16/2025 – Tours, FR – Le Super 9
10/17/2025 – Metz, FR – Les Trinitaires
10/18/2025 – Troyes, FR – Midi O Halles (Festival Off Off Off)
10/22/2025 – Dunkirk, FR – Le LAAC ***
10/23/2025 – Paris, FR – Le Hasard Ludique ***
10/31/2025 – Toronto, ON – Wavelength @ St. Anne’s
11/07/2025 – Alma, QC – Café du Clocher +
11/08/2025 – Jonquière, QC – Côté-Cour +
11/15/2025 – Rimouski, QC – Salle Desjardins-TELUS +

* Opening for Bolis Pupul
*** Opening for Camilla Sparksss
+ Opening for Choses Sauvages

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Frankie at Stereo Sanctity.]

Live: Nine Inch Nails – United Center – Chicago, IL – August 20, 2025

There was a moment during Nine Inch Nails‘ set when frontman / founder Trent Reznor said, “We were talking about a year ago about touring, and we thought, ‘Does anybody even still care?'”

Judging by the two sold-out shows at Chicago’s United Center and the enthusiastic response of the entire crowd to his question and whole show, the answer was a resounding “Yes.”

Opening the show was a full-hour set by Germany’s own Boys Noize – a DJ and producer in his own right, who played a small stage and blasted the arena with industrial riffs, techno blasts, and even a remix of NIN’s “Down in It.” Mr. Noize would later join NIN on a second stage (of three) for a powerful remix set of NIN classics.

NIN immediately started (almost on perfect beat) as soon as Boys Noize’s set ended. The curtain went up on a larger middle stage set up with synths, keyboards, DAWs, and who know what else on platforms that could sink below the stage to give the audience behind it a better view of the third, main stage at the other end from the small stage at the back of the place.

The set started with a piano version of “Right Where It Belongs” with Reznor playing and singing solo as his pals slowly joined him for similar, low key versions of “Ruiner” and “The Fragile.” Reznor’s drummer, Josh Freese no less, then kicked in the heavy beats of “Eraser” and continued to do so all night, putting on a show behind the kit. The band ran to Stage A and then blasted out rippers like “March of the Pigs” and “Reptile” before settling down a little bit with “Copy of A” and “Gave Up.”

After that, it was back to Stage B where Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Boys Noize flattened us with great “rave remixes” of “Closer,” “As Alive As You Need Me to Be,” and “Sin” — which was especially good, leaving my girlfriend’s daughter and I wide-eyed and agreeing NIN needs to release that remix now.

It was back to Stage A for the closing set, which included an ear-blasting version of “1,000,000,” “Every Day Is Exactly the Same,” “The Perfect Drug” (a nice surprise), and “Burn.” They closed, of course, with “Head Like a Hole” and “Hurt,” leaving all of us wanting more.

From what I’ve gathered, this is NIN’s first tour in almost twenty years. There’s no guarantee they’ll do another, as Reznor and Ross have (A) plenty of money and (B) plenty of movie scoring opportunities to keep them set for life. Don’t skip this tour if you can get there.

Keep your mind open.

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LUCKYANDLOVE encourage you to get off your damn phone on their new single – “I Am Human.”

LA-based electronic duo LUCKYANDLOVE returns with their banging anti-tech angst anthem ‘I Am Human’, delicately fused together with pulsating molten kicks, abrasive fuzz-laden analog synths and confident sensual vocals. Calling out to make our own choices and take back our lives, this song underlines the need to reconnect with being Human before its too late.

Evoking a brand new art school originality, LUCKYANDLOVE is the raw sonic experiment of Loren Luck and April Love, whose live analog synth beats, Moog instrumentation and beautiful, harmonic vocals trigger an immediate download of fuzzy sunset synthgaze, blue-black neon darkwave, and tigerprint electro punk.

‘I Am Human’ previews the duo’s third album ‘Humaura’ (hu • mau • ra), which the duo define as the atmosphere that emanates from the feelings of the human spirit void of technological control. This album was recorded, mixed and mastered for digital release by Grammy award-winning engineer Be Hussey (Modern English, Swervedriver, The Church, Alcest, Twin Tribes, Boy Harsher, Luna, Kim Deal) at Balboa Studio and Catwater for the digital music, and mastered for vinyl and lathe cut by Grammy-nominated engineer Nicholas Townsend (Cheap Trick, Weezer, Garbage, Dr. Dre, 2Pac, Grimes, Iron Maiden) at Townsend Mastering.

“To me, ‘I Am Human’ is a sci-fi track. It’s call to arms for screen zombies to disconnect. I read Martin Heidegger’s ‘The Question Concerning Technology’ in grad school and I like when he says that we shall have questions concerning technology and, in so doing, we should like to prepare a free relationship with it,” says April.

Loren adds, “I think there are a lot of people that actually hate technology, but would never have the guts to say it. Personally with this song, we are breaking the chains, going back to a simpler time of human creativity and free thinking,”.

Transcending genres in a league of their own, LUCKYANDLOVE’s visceral, urgently-present dark electro-pop appeal continues to stretch through time and space. Their ‘Lucky + Love’ and ‘Transitions’ albums earned them a global fan following and led to US and UK tours, while their tracks ‘It’s a Mistake’, ‘Animal” and ‘Summertime Frolic’ featured in the indie hit ‘Tiger Within’, featuring Ed Asner’s final film performance.

This salty-sweet duo blend raw analog synth sounds with driving punctuated percussion and punchy analog bass, complemented by enchanting lyrics that emit a range of emotions from melancholy and sorrowful glom to a state of blissful trance.

LUCKYANDLOVE’s influences absorb the resonant specters of last century’s darkwave gods —Siouxsie and The Banshees, Cocteau Twins, and Bauhaus, looming large from where industrial galaxies formed as the needle hit the vinyl groove urging all Doc Martens to march to basement dance floors.

As of August 5, ‘I Am Human’ is available from fine music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. The full ‘Humaura’ album, slated for release on October 3 via SRD – Southern Record Distributors, can be pre-ordered from either Bandcamp or the LUCKYANDLOVE Store. On October 11, LUCKYANDLOVE will hold their record release party at The Slipper Clutch in Downtown Los Angeles via Deathrecordzz Presents with appearances by Warsaw Pact, Amore De Paris, No Exits, and a DJ set by Echolust.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Shauna at Shameless Promotion PR!]

Ela Minus releases new remix EP and tour dates.

Earlier this year, Colombian artist Ela Minus released her new album, DÍA, via Domino. The album has garnered widespread praise, landing on several mid-year best of lists, including Billboard, Rolling Stone, Stereogum, and SPaste, with the latter raving, “the state of electronica as we know it is fuller because Ela Minus is making music within it. DÍA is unforgettable.”

Today, she releases QQQQ (Remixes) and announces a fall North American Tour. Tickets go on sale this Friday and will be available here. The five track QQQQ (Remixes) EP reworks the “haunted techno stomper,” (PAPER) “QQQQ,” into “Apocalypto” and extended club mixes by South Florida electronic producer Nick León, who recently released his debut album, A Tropical Entropy, of which Ela featured on the lead single, “Ghost Orchid.” The EP also includes club and live edits by Ela alongside the song’s original mix. Of the EP, Ela says: “Nick’s remixes feel like a collaboration. It’s the first time I’ve had so much input on a remix of my music. We were sending versions back and forth. Two came out of the process: A straight-on extended club mix (which the original was always calling for) and then a beat-less version which we called ‘Apocalypto remix‘. I’ve also recorded a live version of the song. After playing it live, the shows ignited something new in it, or in me when I play it, so I recorded a new live version included in this EP.”

Purchase/Stream QQQQ (Remixes)

Watch the Visualizer for “QQQQ” (Nick León Apocalypto Mix)

Beginning this week, Ela will play a run of UK/EU festival dates, with today’s newly announced tour kicking off in October and wrapping in Colombia in November. A full list of dates is below. As previously announced, Synth History is launching an ongoing and in depth docu-series on Ela’s story and music. Preview the first episode here, second here, and third episode here. A short film presented by Synth History will be released digitally this year.

Ela recently launched www.forthebirds.xyz, a platform where fans can write to Ela, and she writes back, covering personal and technical topics or whatever approach grabs her interest. Purchase/Stream DÍA

QQQQ (Remixes) Tracklist
1. QQQQ (Nick León Apocalypto Mix)
2. QQQQ (Nick León Extended Club Mix)
3. QQQQ – Club Edit
4. QQQQ – Live Edit
5. QQQQ

Ela Minus Tour Dates
(New Dates in Bold)
Wed. Aug. 6 – Buenos Aires, AR @ Deseo Club
Sat. Aug. 9 – Barcelona, ES @ Brunch Electronik Festival
Sun. Aug. 10 – Budapest, HU @ Sziget Festival
Fri. Aug. 15 – Paredes de Coura, PT @ Paredes de Coura Festival
Fri. Aug. 22 – Lincoln, UK @ Lost Village
Fri. Aug. 29 – Salisbury, UK @ End of the Road Festival
Sat. Aug. 30 – Terni, IT @ Letz Festival
Sat. Oct. 11 – Bologna, IT @ Robot Festival
Sat. Oct. 18 – Miami, FL @ III Points Festival
Thu. Oct. 23 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere (Hall)
Fri. Oct. 24 – Chicago, IL @ Outset
Tue. Oct. 28 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
Wed. Oct. 29 – Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex
Thu. Nov. 6 – Caracas, VE @ TBA
Fri. Nov. 7 – Medellín, CO @ TBA
Sat. Nov. 8 – Cali, CO @ TBA
Sun. Nov. 9 – Bogotá, CO @ TBA

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Matt at Pitch Perfect PR.]