We Have A Technical 501: This Is Auspicious

Black Tape For A Blue Girl - Sam Rosenthal

Black Tape For A Blue Girl’s Sam Rosenthal – the young artist as a portraitist.

Some numeric jiggery-pokery? From us? To do with the chronology of We Have A Technical? Never. On this episode we’re looking at records from Black Tape For A Blue Girl and Black Strobe, plus running down news related to Nitzer Ebb, and the Cold Waves ans Terminus festivals. As always, you can rate and subscribe on iTunes, Google Podcasts, download directly, or listen through the widget down below. 

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Spectres, “Presence”

Spectres - Presence

Spectres
Presence
Artoffact Records

The aesthetic changes made by Vancouver’s Spectres have been slow and incremental, and likely less immediately noticeable to hometown listeners like ourselves who’ve been seeing the pastel shades of reflective new wave added in increments to the band’s initially deathrock tinted style of post-punk, one show at a time. That transformation, which perhaps begin with 2016’s Utopia, now feels fully realized on their fifth LP Presence. But regardless of how closely the listener has or hasn’t been tracking that change, Presence feels like the brighter, melodic version of the band fully coming into their own identity.

Spotting the direct New Order parallels that started with several tracks on 2020’s Nostalgia (or even comparing the band’s overall shift to that made by Blitz) has been easy enough over recent years. With Presence it feels like the wistful yet sun-soaked moods Spectres have been basking in have simmered and settled to an even keel, with the band’s unchanging strengths now standing on their own in this new incarnation. Sure, you could take a microscope to individual tracks like “Justice And The Cross” and “One Day” and try to identify strands of DNA from The Wake or Comsat Angels (“Homeless Club Kids”, by turn of the millennium indie darlings My Favorite is knowingly quoted on “Real World”), but that’s not what shines through on multiple listens or after the record’s finished; the clarion choruses, subtle hooks, and Brian Gustavson’s vocal charisma do.

More than its precursors, Presence finds a balance between those strengths and the band’s poppier ambitions. The triumph and melancholy which flow in equal parts through “Falling Down” are the result of years of the band field testing their interests, but comes across effortlessly, as does the rhythmic flurry which drives “Dominion” but leaves enough space in the mix for ameliorating bass and vocal harmonies. Even more ambitious is the rhapsody of closing track “Start Again”, which begins with the sort of cold and bracing post-punk which first drew us to Spectres but shifts into a half-time elegy which owes more to doo-wop than any punk act.

There are exceptions to this motif – the minor key but still anthemic street punkof “Chain Reaction” feels like a conscious callback to “Remote Viewing” from Nothing To Nowhere, their now twelve year old sophomore LP – but on the whole Presence feels like a statement of arrival. That’s maybe an odd thing to say about a band of their tenure, and certainly Utopia felt like the culmination of the band’s sound at the time. But they haven’t stayed pat since then, and their drive to explore more melodic and plaintive sounds has brought them here, to a new vista they’ve discovered of their own accord. Recommended.

Buy it.

Presence by SPECTRES

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Dancing Plague, “Elogium”

Dancing Plague
Elogium
AVANT! Records

There’s a tendency to sort variations of darkwave by region, partially due to differing interpretations of what constitutes the genre, but also thanks to some pretty distinct stylistic markers. With that in mind, there’s something distinctly European in the way Portland-based Conor Knowles approaches making icy electronic darkwave as Dancing Plague on new LP Elogium, eschewing the last several years of sounds that were in vogue in the wake of Boy Harsher’s success, leaning towards the stark, sorrowful sound of classic acts like The Frozen Autumn, or more contemporary producers like Sydney Valette and Poison Point.

It’s an impression that’s easy to get from the opening moments of opener “Dreamless”, its dense arrangement of 16th note bass, clear leads and straightahead drum programming serving as a backdrop for Knowles’ deep-voiced singing style, a low growl on the verse, an anxious but controlled howl on the chorus. It’s a style of delivery that is distinctive and gives the material a lot of personality but is also going to be deal-breaker for listeners who may be unaccustomed to hearing such naked melodrama; whether on the metallic percussion touched thud of “Rot With Me” or on the brightly toned “Cold Fire”, a song that would almost feel uplifting thanks to its catchy synth hook, if not for the anguished fashion Knowles delivers its chorus holding onto notes with a mix of grave determination and distress.

Leaning in on that kind of mournfulness can is a tricky proposition; if there’s even a hint of insincerity or mawkishness the whole thing can come crashing down. To wit, you need to commit to pull off this kind of theatre of misery. Thankfully Dancing Plague doesn’t waver for a moment, whether on the grief-stricken “Fading Forms” or the strident closer “Echoes of the Void” (the latter song bringing hints of self-excoriating anger that distinguishes it from the preceding numbers) Knowles doesn’t blink or waver. It helps that the instrumentals are constructed with energy and movement in mind, tempos are kept within dancefloor ranges and track times kept to what the actual compositions can handle. The fact that the vocals are so immediately the spotlight on these songs can distract from their efficient workmanlike execution, doing exactly what they need to do, no more and no less.

Without wishing to belabour the point, Elogium is the kind of record whose audience will self-select based on how accustomed or open to its vocal gravitas they are. If you can hang with Dancing Plague’s lamentation, there should be no problem in engaging with its forceful style of woe.

Buy it.

Elogium by Dancing Plague

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Tracks: March 25th, 2024

Delays as we approach the 500th episode of We Have a Technical. We’re hoping it’ll happen this week, but if not it’ll be another fill-in of some kind as we try to make this schedule work, but we assure you, it’s gonna be something special when it does drop. In the meantime, we’re looking forward to the HEALTH show (with Pixel Grip opening!) this week in Vancouver, and for the long weekend affording us some time to catch up on all these new-releases. Have a listen to some of this week’s selections and let us know what you’re feeling in the comments.

Give My Remains To Broadway

Give My Remains To Broadway

ACTORS, “In Real Life”
Hometown heroes ACTORS return with the first single for their forthcoming 2024 album, and man is it smooth. The post-punk quartet have dabbled in these sorts of airy synth-driven tracks in the past, but there’s a rare power in the way “In Real Life” channels melancholy via Joason Corbett’s vocal delivery, production and arrangement to give us something snappy and emotional in equal measure. Always a pleasure to get new music from these cats, and to know it won’t be long before we get to see them perform a good new tune on stage.
In Real Life by ACTORS

Einstürzende Neubauten, “Ist Ist”
You’re just going about your day, minding your own business and god damn Einstürzende Neubauten comes around and puts out a new song. “Ist Ist” (not to be confused with the similarly titled “Was Ist Ist” from a ways back) is an interesting cut in a lot of ways – it feels very classic Neubauten in terms of its use of cacophonous metallic percussion, Blixa’s vocalizations and that characteristic uncoiled bass sound, but it also has the earmarks of the bands mellow latter years in the mix, reminding us of the fusion of sounds and ideas we got circa Perpetuum Mobile. Never a bad time with these legends. A North American tour wouldn’t be unwelcome fellas.

Edgecase Development Corporation, “Euphrosyne”
Edgecase Development Corporation is the techno project of Eric Oehler, who you’re likely familiar with via Null Device and Klack. In the case of new EP
ECEP II: Belt Objects
, it’s an outlet for Oehler to indulge his interest in global music and instrumental electronics and do kind of a Juno Reactor thing, albeit with his own production sensibility at its heart; you get some very cool use of sampled instruments and voices melded with the programmed drums and synths in ways that make a very organic kind of sense. Well executed stuff from an artist who just consistently hits with us.
ECEP II: Belt Objects by Edgecase Development Corporation

Zalvox, “Zalmoxis”
Longtime Haujobb associate Rinaldo Bite, whose work folks will know from Liebknecht and DSTR, has a new project on the go. The first track from Zalvox draws a line between the cold, motorik-influenced approach to electro we’d expect from Bite, and some icy current darkwave via vocalist Dorain a la Black Nail Cabaret or recent X Marks. Gotta dig those little Predator-styled creaks in the corners. Sounds like a debut EP is in the hopper.
zalmoxis by zalvox

Analytica, “Anyone We Know”
Look, the rest of Canada gives Toronto a lot of stick for imagining itself to be the sum total of the country, but if there’s one thing those of us in Vancouver hold in solidarity with Hogtown, it’s everyone short of hedge fund shitheads being priced out of their neighbourhoods. The “utopian” construction of a city beyond the reach of its own inhabitants is a theme befitting the roots synthpop of Analytica, which links Neu!-esque kosmische daydreams with the Ballardesque alienation of early Mute.
Strategy Of Tension by Analytica

Give My Remains To Broadway, “Rend My Flesh”
Lastly, let’s stay in Toronto for some weighty and monochrome goth/post-punk from Give My Remains To Broadway. In addition to a legitimately witty name, they’re bringing lots of atmosphere and a decent balance between hooks and sheer misery which is a bit beyond their years. Should appeal if you like Fearing or MOLT.
Rend My Flesh by Give My Remains to Broadway

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We Have A Commentary: “Gothic Rock” (Disc 2)

Gothic Rock

Our special two-part We Have A Commentary concludes with the second disc of the Gothic Rock compilation. While there are still some cuts by foundational acts to work through, we’re also looking at some refinements and elaborations on original templates through a handful of second wave acts, some ten years after the genre first coalesced. As always, you can rate and subscribe on iTunes, Google Podcasts, download directly, or listen through the widget down below. 

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A Game Called Echo: March 22nd 2024

Quick refresher on this semi-regular feature here at I Die: You Die; A Game Called Echo is the thing where we recommend a more recent album you might enjoy if you’re a fan of a classic record. That’s it, basic as it gets.

Bel Canto’s Birds of Passage (1995), and Hada’s In The Heart Of An Endless Winter (2022)

Bel Canto’s sophomore record is a masterpiece which straddles many genres, darkwave amongst them. Its blend of tasteful acoustics, immediate yet atmospheric synths, and elegant vocals can easily be claimed as dream pop, ethereal, and possibly even new age, but those same elements combine to form top shelf darkwave on Birds Of Passage as well, be it the sober and fateful bombast of “Dewy Fields” or the slow-burn perfection of “A Shoulder To The Wheel”, its ever building synth strings and harmonics making it an enduring classic on goth dancefloors, perfect for your own version of the “I’m a shrub/I’m a tree” or “picking the apple” dances. Birds Of Passage‘s power comes as much from its understatement as its hooks, with pieces like “Intravenous” and “Time Without End” lighting their own little candles and waiting for passers-by to be drawn in by their grace, and that’s often the mark of maturity many darkwave also-rans miss out on, separating those who overplay their hand with garish programming from those capable of leaving something left unsaid, or at least nestling it mysteriously in the mix.

An interest in chilly atmospheres is certainly something Greek duo Hada have in common with Bel Canto, and at least in terms of titling with their debut White Out Conditions. But In The Heart Of An Endless Winter feels closer to Birds Of Passage‘s mix of pop melody and ambient minimalism than the latter’s folktronic experimentation. From the hammered strings of opener “White Sister” through the almost sacred piano of “Mon Ami de la Planète Bleue”, that sense of a gracious and inviting space from which to mull over the passing of seasons and mortality is created, but with hooks to boot. The speedy ease with which post-punk guitars skate along ice on “Neurons” has a laid back charm, and the kosmische arpegios of “Ascent Of The Blessed” are quite similar to the worldbeat pulse of “Birds Of Passage”. But as with Bel Canto, it’s in knowing when to lay back in the cut and allow the world that they’ve designed to turn of its own accord that In The Heart Of An Endless Winter truly excels.

In The Heart Of An Endless Winter by Hada

Information Society’s self-titled (1988), and Klack’s Catching Up With Klack (2020)

Information Society’s self-titled debut LP is an important touchstone in the transition from eighties synthpop to broader worlds of electronic music. While the record is largely remembered for the damnably funky singalong “”What’s on Your Mind (Pure Energy)” and it’s distincting use of Star Trek vocal samples, the nearly 8 minute long “Running” was already a hit in New York dance clubs before the album’s release, a track that can be read as classic electro, new wave, or freestyle depedning on context. The secret to the album’s Gold sales at a time when synthpop was broadly on the decline was that while it maintained the genre’s focus on big melodies, it integrated b-boyisms, nods to house and techno (presaging the sounds that would rocket EMF and Jesus Jones to chart success), and the classic electro-pop of Kraftwerk, the sweat of DAF, and Art of Noise’s mix of humour and the avant-garde. The album doesn’t sound particularly dated despite being squarely planted at its exact moment of release simply because it kept danceability and good-old fashioned songcraft at its heart.

Madison Wisconsin’s Klack started off as a fun one-off by friends Eric Oehler and Matt Fanale of Null Device and Caustic respectively, an avenue for them to explore an interest in New Beat and body music sounds that didn’t necessarily fit into the synthpop and industrial of their respective main projects. A listen to 2020’s Catching up with Klack, a collection of basically everything they had released up til that point, should allow anyone to draw the line from Insoc to their work; early cuts like “DMF” have the same mix of samples and body-moving rhythm programming, while a number like “With Precision” gets across their knack of instantly hummable hooks that don’t skimp on dancefloor appeal. Listen to how “The Games We Play” weaves Oehler’s voice with touches of acid and disembodied voices from classic education videos, or how “Time 1.1” works its message of unity against an arrangement of swelling synths and rolling kicks – no matter the cut, Klack keep their focus on keeping songs easy and fun on the first listen to the fiftieth. Like Information Society they touch on any number of now-retro genres (check the classic house piano on “Check the Spreadsheet” and the NRG fit for a mastermix that flows through “Synthesizer (v2​.​0)”), but it’s the songs that matter.
Catching Up With Klack by klack

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We Have A Commentary: “Gothic Rock” (Disc 1)

Gothic Rock

We have a special two-part version of We Have A Commentary for you this week, as we’re tackling both discs of the Mick Mercer-curated Gothic Rock compilation, a companion record to Mercer’s book of the same name. In the first instalment, we’re discussing some absolutely foundational tracks by the likes of Bauhaus, X-Mal Deutschland, Virgin Prunes, and plenty of others, noting both the variety of sounds and the emergence of unifying tropes across the genre’s early years. Stay tuned for our discussion of the second disc this weekend! As always, you can rate and subscribe on iTunes, Google Podcasts, download directly, or listen through the widget down below. 

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B. West, “Ex-Fantasy”

B. West
Ex-Fantasy
self-released

The music on B. West’s debut solo LP is distinct from anything we’ve heard from the Vancouver ex-pat in any previous musical incarnation. While the music on Ex-Fantasy is not entirely removed from the sound of West’s work in techno-body project Sigsaly, it’s still a distinct musical entity unto itself, and a still further cry from the material put out as part of dark punk trio lié or the darkwave of Koban. Still, the attitudes and ideas of those projects work their way into the banging synthpunk LP in ways that provide grit and dimension that takes it beyond the dancefloor.

Unlike some of the latter Sigsaly material, the songs on Ex-Fantasy are vocally driven, the manic high-speed synth and drum programming arranged around West’s commanding vocal presence. There’s almost a fast-forward house feeling the bubbly synths and kick-clap percussion of “Cakes”, but once you hear the half-sneering, half-defiant delivery of the song’s climax it becomes something far more foreboding and visceral, the spotlight on West’s voice presaging a messy spray of sharp-edged synths that take over the song in its final third. Alternately, the far-off approach taken with the vocals on opener “Beginnings” are surgical, puncturing the mix in ways that allow its charging bassline and chattering lead to guide the track to its inevitable feeling conclusion, where stereo splash cymbals go off like fireworks.

The rough and ready production and arrangements of the album are good and effective in providing a platform for West’s considerable charisma and personality; rarely anything less than strident, the producer and performer leans in hard and carves out space for their voice in the kind of chaos that might have overwhelmed lesser voices. The title track has such dense interplay between synth and percussion that West’s short punky ad libs and big ‘whooaas’ feel extra powerful for having the presence to punch through them. If you’re familiar with West’s previous work you can hear that history brought to bear as the poised venom of lié comes through on the chewed-off syllables of the anxiety inducing “HEDONE”, and the regal bearing of Koban in how chorus of “Dance It Off” is delivered, splitting the difference between its bouncy bass and its icy melody.

Inasmuch as our experience with Ex-Fantasy is shaped by familiarity with the catalogue that preceded it, the record is a lot more than just drawing the lines between it and West’s extant catalogue. There’s a pure and visceral quality to cuts like “Slices”, informed by modern techno, but stripped down and hammered into forms that emphasize impact from first beat to last. It’s not what we were expecting, but is undeniably a better experience for its livewire energy and unrelenting momentum.

Buy it.

Ex-Fantasy by B. WEST

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Lustmord, “Much Unseen Is Also Here”

Lustmord - Much Unseen Is Also Here

Lustmord
Much Unseen Is Also Here
Pelagic Records

As we discussed on a recent podcast on the subject of dark ambient, it’s tough to think of a more foundational figure in the emergence and codification of that genre, not to mention someone with a stronger catalog within it forty years on than Brian Williams of Lustmord. A slew of recent live, collaborative, and archival releases have served as a reminder of how far Williams has taken the moods and atmospheres he pioneered from their often willfully obscure origins and into the realms of video game and film soundtracking, as well as into a degree of critical acceptance far beyond the reach of even the most ambitious initiates who followed the trail he blazed. That recent work schedule has also occluded the fact that, depending on one’s definition of the format, Much Unseen Is Also Here could be taken as the first standalone LP of original, solo Lustmord work since 2016’s Dark Matter. It feels like a sojourn into the caves and abysses only Lustmord can map is long overdue, then, though as Much Unseen Is Also Here reminds us, Lustmord is an entity which operates on its own scope and scale.

Clocking in at a full 80 minutes, Much Unseen certainly isn’t cutting corners in giving each of its eight pieces as much time and space as is needed to unfurl. Yet, even by the already minimalist standards of the genre and the artist, it’s a decidedly stripped-down affair from a compositional standpoint. Opener “Behold A Voice As Thunder” communicates the aesthetic in immediate fashion (well, as immediate as a ten minute piece with no discernible rhythm can be), with deep drones, string pads so low as to be indistinct from choral ones, winter wind, and the occasional swell of brass or beat of some stygian timpani. However, no more than two of those elements are ever truly present in the mix for more than a few seconds, with each slowly cycling in and out of the speakers, not only putting the razor sharp command of sound design which has been Williams’ calling card in the spotlight, but also his ability to hold each moment and sound for all its worth.

The cornets on “Invocation Of The Nameless One” don’t break from this minimalism, but also show how Williams’ foray into soundtracking has been a two way street; it would be easy to take the piece for part of a Jóhann Jóhannsson or Jocelyn Pook score were it to be heard free of context. More difficult to place are the strings which guide “Hence Shall They Be Devoured All Of Them”, recorded with so much echo and space around them that their timbre almost curves into a brass sound. This isn’t just about the links between Lustmord and film, which were noted long before Williams actually started scoring, but also about Williams’ abilities with neo-classical instrumentation. Album centrepiece “An Angel Dissected” is a rare exception to the aforementioned minimalism, with its recurring piano refrain suggesting puzzled unease more than abject misery or the pure dread and terror associated with early Lustmord works (the latter is left to a slowly encroaching string section).

When we saw Lustmord’s fantastic set at Cold Waves in 2015, a fight nearly broke out in the crowd with one inebriated member of the audience taking umbrage at some perceived slight and insisting that he was a bigger Lustmord fan than any of the rest of us. In addition to being an irritation (though thankfully a momentary one), the petty outburst was at odds with the entire space and spirit Lustmord was invoking. The painting used as Much Unseen‘s cover art, demonic fantasy artist Wayne Barlowe’s “Sargatanas Before The Behemoths”, is indicative of this – rather than brash and noisome arrogance of needless confrontation, Lustmord holds to a lumbering and impassive malevolence which achieves its inscrutable ends on its own ponderous timeline. Recommended.

Buy it.

Much Unseen Is Also Here by Lustmord

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Tracks: March 18th, 2024

We’re coming in fast and furious on the quincentenary mark on the podcast (yes, we had to look that one up – most of those anniversary terms haven’t been immortalized in a Strong Bad e-mail). Are we maybe going to be playing a little fast and loose with the numbering to make sure the timing’s just right? No, we’d never do such a thing, but one way or the other we can tell you that we think folks are gonna dig the audio we’ll have for you this Thursday. On with Tracks!

Arabian Panther on the rise

CIERŃ, “Disposable”
Berlin quartet CIERŃ’s take on dark post-punk works in a range of formats. The sharp hooks and vocal yelps which introduced them on their debut EP got them over quickly, but on their 2022 full-length the earthy and organic delivery of their sound got them over the finish line. Their new Flawless EP’ll be out in a couple of weeks, and this teaser gets both that immediacy and that more subtle atmosphere across.
Flawless by CIERŃ

Mind|Matter – Les Trompettes De L’enfer
It feels as though Parisian producer Mind|Matter has been laying low for the past couple of years, at least in comparison to the release schedule he was on with the likes of Detriti and Area Z a couple of years back. One way or the other, this cut from a forthcoming Intervision comp is a nice reminder of what first drew us towards his work: tight, rubbery beats with solid industrial bolstering and a goodly hazy of heavy, foreboding atmospherics.
REGARDE LE MONDE BRÛLER vol.1 by Mind I Matter

Arabian Panther, “Hafla for our Dead”
We’ve enjoyed the previous EPs from Arabian Panther a great deal; the French-Lebanese producer’s material integrates EBM, italo, and traditional Middle Eastern instrumentation and musical modes to body moving effect. The first taste of new EP Death of the Panther is “Hafla for Our Dead”, a cut dripping with big dancefloor potential, relying on both vocal samples and anthemic synth leads to convey the warrior spirit the defines the project.
The Death Of The Panther by Arabian Panther

Zanias, “Lovelife (Skelesys Remix)”
Last month saw the release of the chill, new age-styled follow-up to last year’s incredible Chrysalis LP from Zanias, but that doesn’t mean the latter isn’t still paying dividends. A pair of club-focused mixes of “Lovelife” from that record just dropped, with the whispers of classic trance and Balearic beat in the original brought right to the fore on this immediate but still moody version.
Lovelife Remixes by Zanias

Unmut, “Hammer and Anvil”
Okay so Detriti has put out a lot of different kinds of music over the years, but we can’t recall them doing the sort of ambient, blackened death industrial type sound found on Unmut’s Flesh-Imprisoned Spirit. Feels weird to call something as bleak, harsh and nihilistic as this ‘a pleasant surprise’, but that is kind of the story here – this hits a lot of sounds we’re into, and they come together into a pretty all-encompassing whole.
UNMUT – Flesh-Imprisoned Spirit by Detriti Records

Alien Skin, “Come and See Me When I’m In My Head Alone”
There’s definitely a lot of fun choices on the new single from long-running Australian darkwave act Alien Skin; the trippy synth horns that pop up way through, the glammy vocals that get some glitchy manipulation, and the warbly bass programming all serve to set the track apart from many more standard issue cuts in the genre, and also give it a very singular and intriguingly unique charm.
Come And See Me When I'm In My Head Alone by Alien Skin

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Observer: Helix & Anaerobic


Helix
Unimaginable Place
self-released

Mari Kattman and Tom Shear’s collaborative project Helix is notable for the ways in which each of the artist’s own catalogues have remained distinct since their creative partnership formed. If you come to Helix for Shear’s well-established and thoughtful Assemblage 23 writing and production, or for Kattman’s distinctive vocal presence and sensibility, you’ll find them, but releases like Unimaginable Place are more than the sum of those parts. The title track is probably the easiest sell for fans of both artists – it’s got the bounce and clubbability of an A23 cut, and Kattman brings her tasteful diva-isms to bear – it sounds like what you would expect it to sound like based on their individual work. More interesting is what follows though; hear how “Lie to Herself” uses a slowly unrolling arrangement of synths, piano and electronic adornment as a backdrop for layers of vocals that ramp from ethereal to weighty with ease, or how “Grey” has a studied minimalism in terms of its electronics, mostly relying on a few synth arpeggios and simple drum patterns to get itself across. When the duo return to club fare on “Hurt Like Me” it feels distinct from the opener, with Kattman using her most forceful delivery on the chorus against snappy snares and guitar like synthlines that add to the song’s big rock operatics.
Unimaginable Place by Helix

Anaerobic - Sincerely
Anaerobic
Sincerely
self-released

Somewhat surprisingly, Alex Reed’s Anaerobic releases have coalesced into a stable aesthetic form, rather than just being a clearing house for whatever wild ideas the man being Seeming had which didn’t fit into the decidedly irreverent Kibble project. Nope, flying against whatever presumptions we might have had about the project when it started up a few years back, an EP like Sincerely cinches in the take on powernoise found on preceding releases Hope You’re Hungry and Frequently Asked Questions about The Pelican Brief (1993). The unifying thread of the EP is that each blast of noise functions as a piece of correspondence written under quite particular circumstances or to a very specific character, which might not be immediately palpable via the chewy engine-turnover wubs of “A Letter To The Hometown Football Star” or the cascades of radio pulses and feedback which score the recitation of vivid and paranoid nightmares on “A Letter You Should Not Read”. Short and varied enough to keep each texture and rhythmic impulse distinct from one another (much like Hope You’re Hungry, Sincerely finds Reed honing in on incidental rhythms and then repeating and underlining them with monomaniacal fury), some curveballs are thrown via pure gabber punctuated with flashcard facts about octopi, 90s chill-out replete with Glaswegian voice emulation, and as previously covered here, a neo folk meditation on notions of time, statehood, and post-humanism via sub rosa post. Relaxing tunes to spin as you await silent Tristero’s empire.
Sincerely, by Anaerobic

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We Have A Technical 499: We’re Not Here To Talk About Trent’s Neck

TDS 30

We ain’t getting any younger, and neither are the formative records which turned us into the sort of sick bastards who’d end up running a website for a dozen years and a podcast for nearly 500 episodes dealing with industrial music. To wit, on the occasion of Trent Reznor and so many other people’s comments on the thirtieth anniversary of The Downward Spiral, we’re dusting off our scratched CDs, getting our hand-dubbed tapes out of storage, and reconsidering one of the records which shaped our understanding of music in general, let alone industrial, lo those many years ago. Regular listeners will know that we barely ever talk NIN on this podcast simply because it’s well-worn territory by outlets much larger and broader than us, but this felt like the right time to do so. All that, plus some Of The Wand & The Moon and Gridlock talk. As always, you can rate and subscribe on iTunes, Google Podcasts, download directly, or listen through the widget down below. 

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Kanka Bodewell, “Stroboscope”

Kanka Bodewell - Stroboscope

Kanka Bodewell
Stroboscope
Infected Recordings

Orange Sector having a bit of a Tiktok moment thanks to the capricious algorithm gods descending upon their 2016 single “Farben” wasn’t something any of us had on our 2024 bingo cards. Whether that converts into broader sustained success for the German EBM vets is anyone’s guess, but that this crossover moment is happening at the same time that Orange Sector’s Martin Bodewell is releasing a collaborative album with Armageddon Dildos’ Uwe Kanka feels ironic. Despite being a good deal poppier and theoretically more accessible than most work by either parent band, Stroboscope is very much a product of sounds and styles which Kanka and Bodewell have been working in proximity to for years before the majority of kids streaming “Farben” were even born.

Stroboscope is something of a record out of time – apart from some very subtle production tics, there’s very little in the influences or instrumentation of the record which would prohibit it from being released at any point from the mid 90s to the present. This is a record formed by and aimed for the European dark club milieu of the past few decades (it seems fitting that in a recent interview with Synthpop Fanatic the duo recently stated that the prospect of the collaboration has existed for more than a decade), and by that measure it’s a real treat. The pure 90s synthpop of “Believe” (which is crying out for a remix EP) with its crooning vocal harmonies stands alongside the stomp-and-oomph of “Marathon”‘s Nitzer-styled EBM and tunes like “Sisters & Brothers” which sits square in the middle of the hybrid style we’ve simply defaulted to terming European electro.

It’s that peanut butter and chocolate combo of EBM aggression and synthpop sweetness which gives the record its identity. Again, nothing on the record is a quantum leap away from Orange Sector’s or especially Armageddon Dildos’ bouncier tracks, but hearing roots body music by veteran craftsmen like these two thrown into relief by bubbling melodies is decidedly addictive. The way that the monotone and stridently anhalt “Bleib Nicht Stehen” suddenly blooms into a lush and melodic synthpop-adjacent delivery on its chorus is a perfect summation of the charms of Stroboscope.

In their previous projects, both Kanka and Bodewell have experimented with the softer sides of the EBM scene they helped cement, and with this project they’re able to fully indulge in that area. Will anyone from the Tiktok generation make their way over to Stroboscope during the fifteen minutes of fame “Farben” has been afforded? Who’s to say, and who’s to say how they’d triangulate it against their own tastes, but for those of who’ve been tracking each man’s work since the Napster or mp3.com days, the bright melodic streak which runs through Stroboscope is a welcome refreshing of classic sounds. Recommended.

Buy it.

Stroboscope by Kanka Bodewell

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Data Void, “Strategies of Dissent”

Data Void
Strategies of Dissent
Metropolis Records

The return of Don Gordon’s storied industrial project Numb in 2019 was certainly a surprise, albeit not an unwelcome one; Mortal Geometry reasserted the classic electro-industrial style that defined the peak Numb years and illustrated that despite the two decade hiatus, Gordon was still capable of hitting the balance between considered programming and production and the project’s trademark rancor. 2024 finds Gordon collaborating with James Mendez of cult US act Jihad, an artist who had a similarly period of relative inactivity before returning to the industrial genre in 2020. It’s probably not a surprise then that their collaborative work as Data Void cleaves close to the 90s electro-industrial template as practiced by both acts in their heyday; Strategies of Dissent is something a of a stylistic throwback, but thankfully a rather enjoyable one.

There’s a definite priority on momentum and energy in the Data Void material, with atmospherics kept largely to supporting the layers of bass, leads and drum programming that make up the LP. A cut like “So Alien” has plenty of texture and mood to be certain, but so much of its desolate feeling comes from the contrast between its alternating 16th note and half-time bass and evolving drum parts that the pads that accent the chorus are more punctuation than anything else. Similarly the manic energy of opener “Nothing Changes” charges straight ahead with breaksy kick-snare patterns and huge droning synths that get cut to the quick by spiky leads for a maximally tense atmosphere that emerges from arrangement and structure.

None of which is to suggest the record is without nuance; for all of its emphasis on hitting hard, there are plenty of production details and creative choices that add depth and complexity to the proceedings. “Seven Seconds”‘ most notable element might be a chugging chords and dramatic strings, but the little glitches that dart around the edges of the stereo spectrum fill out its mid-tempo groove without ever fully emerging into the spotlight. The way in which Mendez’ vocals are kept entirely comprehensible and clear despite their processing (classic pitch shifting, doubling, and reverse reverbs are all in effect at various points) is one of Data Void’s smartest moves; a track like “Crash, Burn & Resurrect” works each bitten-off syllable’s placement against the song’s rhythm in a way that prioritizes the lyrics without needing to bump Mendez up in the mix.

The appeal of a record like Strategies of Dissent is obviously rooted in hearing two standard-bearers for gritty electro-industrial work together, although that also opens it up to potentially unfavourable comparisons to Gordon and Mendez’ individual catalogues. That it can withstand those expectations and still come across as something new and fresh while staying true to the legacy of its creators is impressive. Best-in-class material that reminds us of what made those caustic, unnerving and exhilarating sounds so appealing in the first place. Recommended.

Buy it.

Strategies of Dissent by Data Void

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Tracks: March 11th, 2024

Are we going to talk about The Downward Spiral on the podcast this week? ONLY TIME WILL TELL (but yes, that is the plan as things currently stand). While we’ve been talking a lot about nostalgia acts on We Have a Technical recently, there is something palpable about Trent Reznor’s magnum opus turning 30 that struck us as being discussion worthy, and indeed offers some angles for conversation that go beyond how sick of hearing “Closer” we are. So yeah, that’s gonna be a thing. Why not check out some new music in the interim though?

Feyleux

Feyleux

Houses of Heaven feat. MS.BOAN Mariana Saldaña, “Deserve”
Houses of Heaven’s sophomore LP Within/Without is way up at the top of our most anticipated records of 2024 based purely on the small tastes of it we’ve had thus far. If you haven’t checked out the foggy, dub-influenced on synthy post-punk the California trio make, well, why not dive in with this collab with the inimitable MS. BOAN (aka Mariana Saldaña of //TENSE// and Medio Mutante fame). It’s gauzy, lovely synthpop with just the right amount of edge and attitude to keep it spinning in your head long after its run time has expired.
Within/Without by Houses of Heaven

Echoberyl, “Through the Chaos”
French darkwavers Echoberyl return with the title track of their forthcoming LP, Through the Chaos. The duo made up of Adriano Iacoangeli and Cecilia Dassonneville have been making solid electronic darkwave in the classic European style for a few years now, and while Adriano has explored current dance flavours with his Fluid Ghost project, Echoberyl has focused largely on melody and atmosphere in their work. It’s intriguing then that “Through the Chaos” integrates some intringuing synthpop melodics and electronic vocal manipulation, reminding us of Greek favourites Marsheaux. Keen for this LP to come across our desk.
ICR128 – ECHOBERYL "Through The Chaos" by Icy Cold Records

Feyleux, “Lunaria Swirls”
The component parts of NC duo Feyleux’s demo single will be familiar to anyone who’s spent any time with the most traditional forms of darkwave over the past couple of decades. But when the chorus of “Lunaria Swirls” kicks in the project’s potential becomes apparent, with an understated but immediate refrain with an exquisite balance of melody and texture, plus a very solid vocal turn. Even with some pretty minimal production, serious pure darkwave chops are on display here.
Exposé by Feyleux

Urban Heat, “Right Time of Night”
Texas post-punk trio Urban Heat have had plenty of buzz for a while now, and the string of singles they’ve been putting out in the lead-up to their as yet unscheduled debut for Artoffact Records have kept those fires burning. Admittedly it was the live aspect of the band that first grabbed us – if you have yet to have the pleasure, they are an absolute force on stage thanks to the raw charisma and vocal presence of Jonathan Horstmann – but tracks like “Right Time of Night” show the development of their material from pretty decent, to snappy, focused and above all, extremely catchy.
Right Time of Night by Urban Heat

Principe Valiente, “Something New”
The opening lick might be a dead ringer for The Chameleons’ “Mad Jack”, but nope, it’s not a cover, and the rest of “Something New” gets across the strengths and charms of Swedish vets Principe Valiente in a very tight but expressive package. We’ve been checking in here and there with the band’s broad, dreamy, and decidedly melodic style of post-punk since 2011, and the power and atmosphere of this teaser has us excited for The Light coming this May.
Something New by Principe Valiente

Choke Chain, “Cruel (Modebionics Remix)”
If you checked Modebionics’ Precise Control LP from last year (or just read our review thereof), you’ll know that that act’s taste for vintage European dark electro seems a perfect counterpoint to the electo-nihilism of site faves Choke Chain. This mix of a tune from last year’s Mortality could easily be mistaken for original Zoth catalog or some hidden gem unearthed by the likes of Mecanica were it not for Mark Trueman’s unmistakable wounded howl.
Cruel (MODEBIONICS Remix) by Choke Chain

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Observer: Unconscious & Bloodbeak


Unconscious
Il Punto Di Non Ritrono
Oráculo Records

Even when techno-body music was peaking a few years ago, you could tell that Italian producer Unconscious’ tastes for the EBM side of the equation ran deeper than many of the other artists who had latched onto the style. That means that even as the fires of that particular trend are waning, Unconscious’ material still has plenty of juice for discerning body music fans as evidenced by new release Il Punto Di Non Ritrono. “Empire of Corruption” borrows lightly from a familiar Vangelis synth riff, but ends up building it out into a much rangier melody that snakes its way between gated reverb snare hits and a punchy bassline, with plenty of tense builds and and subtle switch ups for variety. Alternately “Hunger” works some big droney synths and far off vocal samples around metallic percussion and elastic rhythm programming that adds a touch of funk to the proceedings. Its just a fine blend of dancefloor cuts with some classic flavour, as heard on the relatively straighforward “Justice” with its snare and kick rolls keeping things lively, or the synthwave adjacent FM synth atmospheres of “I Am Broken”; fine tunes with retro appeal that dodge derivative pitfalls and easy but stale production tricks in their execution.
Il Punto Di Non Ritrono by Unconscious

Bloodbeak
Bloodbeak
Vibrofolk
Clan Destine Records

Glasgow’s Clan Destine Records specializes in legitimately underground punk, metal, hip-hop, and generally experimental releases, but occasionally offers up something of real interest to industrial fans, such as Timothee Gainet’s overlooked Aleister Blake tape or the Spit Mask demo. Now, they’re bringing something even more left-field to the table, albeit from a name longtime heads should remember in Mike Textbeak’s new Bloodbeak project. Taking a heavily deconstructed but decidedly funky approach to body music, the Vibrofolk tape swaggers its way through squelching marshes of bass, drum loops, and alienated samples. It’s a release that puts groove and mood at a premium well above melody, hooks, or even accessibility – yes, a record can be groovy and still directly confrontational. The lo-fi burbling of “The Rundown” is a through a glass darkly take on the sort of throwback linking of synthpop and EBM we’ve heard from Mellow Code, while the lurching string samples and detuned bass of “Mouthless” sounding like a Vampire Rodents reunion in an alternate dimension where Neubauten headed up the mainstream EDM wave. If that all sounds a little purple and overwrought, well, it is – this is a headfuck of a tape and intentionally so.
VIBROFOLK by BLOODBEAK

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We Have A Technical 498: Dividing Follicles

Gloria Mundi

What on earth might records by Hocico and Gloria Mundi have in common with one another? In and of themselves, perhaps not much, but given that Hocico’s debut demonstrates how early the band’s decidedly harsher take on European dark electro was formed, and how a case can be made for Gloria Mundi being the first goth band, both fall well within the boundaries of We Have A Technical. In addition to those two records, Alex offers his thoughts on the Vancouver stop of the ongoing tour featuring Front Line Assemble, Gary Numan, and Ministry. As always, you can rate and subscribe on iTunes, Google Podcasts, download directly, or listen through the widget down below. 

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Kontravoid, “Detachment”

Kontravoid
Detachment
Artoffact Records

The arc of Cam Findlay’s work as Kontravoid has been one of aesthetic refinement. The 2012 self-titled debut LP introduced his take on synth music: a smoke machine and strobe-lit version of electronic darkwave whose gritty and saturated sonics have been the project’s calling card since. That sound has allowed Findlay to take Kontravoid through multiple genres and styles while maintaining a strong sense of identity; despite being an artist whose visual trademark is a featureless mask, there’s nothing anonymous about the his work. As with the excellent 2021 EP Faceless, new LP Detachment deftly applies those sonic markers to songs both melodic and driving to tremendous effect.

A not-so secret key to a lot Kontravoid’s best material is how good Findlay has gotten at synthpop hooks, and the record certainly doesn’t lack for them. Cuts like “For What It Is” and “Death Shot” have strong melodies woven into their arrangements of synth bass, snappy drums and Findlay’s processed vocals; the impact of their lead synthlines is a function of how dialed-in every element of the songs is to their delivery. There’s never been a more pop Kontravoid song than “Losing Game”, a cut that manages to split the difference between guest vocalist Chelsey Crowley of Nuovo Testamento’s nu-italo wheelhouse and Findlay’s own production and compositional trademarks.

The body music angle of the project is still well-represented on Detachment as well, with some interesting new angles introduced. If you’ve only experienced “Reckoning” via its hypnotic and utterly bizarre video, listening to music isolation from visual bombardment reveals some sneaky touches of big beat, expressed via its vocal sample punctuation and gated synthlines. “How It Ends” runs in a different direction, laying breakbeats underneath its pulsing waves of reverbed and panned electronics, a kind of robotic funk manifested via its syncopated bounce. Hell, “Sin Walker” is practically a futurepop jam, its arpeggios and tightly programmed drums evoking the melange of millennial dance music sounds that informed the industrial club genre.

The trick of Detachment is really how no matter what Findlay turns his hand to as a producer or performer, it still sounds like Kontravoid. The beatless synth-string led instrumental cut “In Reverse” is as characteristic of the project’s sound as the straight electro darkwave of “Fading”, or the menacing overture that is opening track “Awaken”. In a field crowded with acts mining the same influences and musical tropes, Kontravoid has ascended to best-in-class status by becoming a better version of what the project has been since the outset. For a catalogue whose recurring themes have been uncertainty, obscurity and self-doubt, Findlay has paradoxically become supremely confident in executing his musical vision, and Detachment is the proof. Recommended.

Buy it.

Detachment by Kontravoid

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Statiqbloom, “Kain”

Statiqbloom - Kain

Statiqbloom
Kain
Sonic Groove

Fade Kainer’s Statiqbloom has undergone a rapid series of changes over the past few years. From shifting from a solo project to a duo, to moving away from the dense, nightmarish electro-industrial sound which had defined the first half of the project to the windswept and forlorn minimalism of 2019’s Beneath The Whelm, to a sudden relocation to Germany and a shift back to a solo project for 2022’s markedly TBM-styled Threat. New LP Kain (and second on Sonic Groove) indicates that this turbulence might have passed, with Kainer very much following in the style of Threat.

Pieces like “Fire Of The Heart” with its cascading tumbles of distortion following each kick and the wormy, phasing shuffle of “Obsidian Obscura” are well-representative of the distinct Berlin flavour of this new incarnation of Statiqbloom. To wit, between Threat and Kain Statiqbloom now distinctly reads as a techno body music entity. Again, it’s a style Kainer is clearly invested in consolidating within Statiqbloom, but that new identity comes with the tradeoff of the dark psychedelia which defined early releases by the project, not to mention the risk of repetition. While there’s nothing wrong with tracks like “Cold Steel Howl” or “Treacherous Eyes” down the stretch, there isn’t enough to distinguish them from what’s come before; this is a style which is at times a difficult fit for the LP format.

There are moments which distinguish Kain from the broader TBM world, and which do show some links back to early Statiqbloom. The icy pads which shimmer in and out of focus on opener “Face Annihilation”evoke The Klinik at their most ghostly, and the sprained electro shudders of “Hidden From Form” are reminiscent of Statiqbloom debut Mask Visions Poison, which digs down to the earliest and most primitive foundations of dark electro and waters them with bile.

Projects making significant changes in style rather than standing pat is always going to prompt a range of reactions, and there’s a good case to be made that after the high water mark of Asphyxia Statiqbloom would have benefited from such a shift. As of now Statiqbloom’s two techno industrial styled records have yet to reach a comparable level in that new terrain, but given Kainer’s progressive refinement of the project’s original formula, another leap forward isn’t impossible, whether within Statiqbloom’s current milieu or some heretofore unknown one.

Buy it.

Kain (SGLP17) by STATIQBLOOM

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Tracks: March 4th, 2024

Another Bandcamp Friday come and gone has brought up (in addition to a wave of new releases we’ll have reviews of up shortly) that odd sense of unease which has pervaded the platform since the Songtradr purchase. Bandcamp United is keeping the home fires lit, and while the return of Bandcamp Friday almost feels like “business as usual”, it’s difficult to shake the feeling that we could be a rounding error in a hedge fund away from losing the platform which is keeping so many scenes and artists afloat. No news is good news, we suppose? In any case, on with this week’s Tracks.

[:SITDeeznutz:] (forgive me)

Data Void, “So Alien”
In case you missed our previous look at Data Void, the newly minted project is a collaboration between Don Gordon of Numb and James Mendez of Jihad. If you had any questions what these two electro-industrial heads might get up to together, let “So Alien” lay your curiosity to rest; the track’s bass, sneering vocals and big, dramatic pads feel like the sort of thing you might have heard from either artist at any point in their career, but given a slight production overhaul for a smooth modern touch. A little more down the pipe than preceding single “Nothing Changes”, but no less powerful for it, we’re getting mighty excited to hear what this record sounds like. The good news is it drops Friday, check this site for our take soon afterwards.
Strategies of Dissent by Data Void

[:SITD:], “Brieselang”
In news that surprises absolutely no one, the new [:SITD:] single sounds like [:SITD:]. That’s not a hack on it (if we didn’t like it we wouldn’t be sharing it in this space), but an admission that the band who emerged in the early 2000s with a widescreen version of the euro electro sound haven’t changed much in the intervening years. They’re good at stuff that sounds big, emotional, dark and above all danceable, and haven’t ever strayed from what brought them to the dancefloor. There’s something comforting in that; no matter what it feels like these Germans will always come through with that we’re hoping to get from them.
Brieselang by [:SITD:]

Spectres, “Dominion”
Presence, the new LP from hometown heroes Spectres, is nigh. A couple of weeks out from the first full length by the Vancouver peace punk act since 2020’s Nostalgia we have this last preview track, and especially in relation to the previous teasers, this tune indicates how the band might be attempting to walk the wire between the softer, melodic new wave sounds which have defined their recent years and the speedier and more stripped-down sound which was their calling card in the early years. In any case, stay tuned here for a full review of Presence in the weeks to come.
Presence by SPECTRES

Hex Wolves, “We’re Not Alone”
The new Hex Wolves EP is full of scraping claustrophobia which draws together technoid, powernoise, and the trippier side of electro-industrial; ie, exactly the sort of thing we’ve come to look forward to in Ben Thompson’s solo work beyond the more serene darkwave of D/SIR. Higher Order Ov Loud is fleshed out with a slew of remixes from the likes of Chase Dobson and Shane from W.A.S.T.E., spinning out from the dense core of Thompson’s programming.
High Order Ov Loud by Hex Wolves

Anaerobic, “Forever Stamp”
Did you know site favourite Alex Reed of Seeming has a noise project called Anaerobic? And that said project has a new release Sincerely,? Also that that release is 7 tracks of feedback, drones, static, and samples, then capped with a lovely acoustic folk number that cinches up the themes of the release (that being letter mail)? And that as with everything Alex touches, it’s got a deep thoughtfulness mixed with a singular sensibility that straddles the sublime and the ludicrous? You did know that? Well then lets sit down and enjoy “Forever Stamp” together shall we?
Sincerely, by Anaerobic

Virgin Prunes – Caucasian Walk (WLDV edit)
We imagine a lot of younger clubgoers aren’t especially familiar with the art and tradition of the bootleg remix, but its one which was instrumental in genre cross-pollination in dark clubs from the late 80s through the early 00s. Continuing his hot streak of bringing all manner of goth and darkwave classics into the present day, Spanish producer WLDV offers this mix linking the unhinged, St. Vitus-esque mania of The Virgin Prunes with the strict and icy darkwave of the present. Grab it before Guggi has it pulled!
Virgin Prunes – Caucasian Walk (WLDV edit) by WLDV

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