Back catalogue: Coldwave/Synth

Review: Having been friends and occasional studio collaborators for the best part of a decade, M>O/S Recordings main man Aroy Dee (real name Steve Brunsmann) and Marc Antonio Spaventi can usually be relied upon to bring the goods. While Brunsmann is of course better known for analogue-rich deep techno, his outings with Spaventi usually explore the pair's mutual love of throbbing, synthesiser-powered Italo-disco. That's certainly the case with 'Sorrow', a mascara-clad slab of raw, arpeggio-driven new wave/Italo-disco fusion that comes topped off by a particularly stylish, half-sung, half-spoken lead vocal. Heavier and more breathless dancefloor thrills are supplied by the accompanying 'Space Dub', where the track's pulsating groove is ratcheted up to 11 and periodically submerged in sparkling deep space synths.

Review: J Rocc steps up for the second and final installment of his Minimal Wave Tapes Edits, once again appearing on weighty vinyl and offering solitude for those DJs out there whose attempts to drop the likes of Ohama and Deux are frustrated by the inherent lack of quantized drum programming. J Rocc's edit of Felix Kubin's "Japan Japan" is a case in point, originally featuring on the recent second volume of The Minimal Wave Tapes, the rolling 4x4 electro groove that filled the opening bars soon mutated rhythmically into bastard vocoder pop. J Rocc wisely extends this opening loop before switching into the madness and then smoothing back into that groove. From here, J Rocc adds some extra weight to the titular elements of Ohama's "The Drum", teases out the inner uneasy primal techno workings of "Who's Really Listening?" from Mark Lane and f*cks about with Deux's "Game & Performance" brilliantly.

Review: Under the Jaz alter-ego, John Zahl has been serving up laidback, Balaearic-minded edits of musical obscurities since the mid 2000s. Initially, that was for Claremont 56 offshoot Sixty Five, but in the last decade he's also appeared on Passport To Paradise, Rotating Souls and, most recently, Pinchy & Friends. Here he returns to the latter label with four more rubs of atmospheric cuts from the dusty corners of his record collection. He begins with the wonderfully throbbing, solo-heavy dancefloor synth-scape of 'Cloud Worship', before successfully tinkering with a tactile, semi-organic proto-house gem on 'Pick a Toy'. Over on side B, 'Puzzle' is a tidy revision of a cosmic-minded, French language Balearic synth-pop gem, while 'Friday Night' is an eccentric, off-kilter slab of new wave disco oddness.

Review: Death On Wax has already slipped out a handful of sharply informed edit and remix 12"s which fly the flag for the early 80s dance culture, when seedy, nocturnal bands were colliding with the flamboyant grooves of disco and synth pop. On this latest record, Jaz goes low and slow on the new wave goth tones of 'Cleopatra' before Frantz leans in on the Eurodisco freakiness of 'Hyde & Go Sleaze'. DJ Rocca & N2B pile on the pressure with the camp delights of 'Abuse' and Facets completes the set with the boxy beats of 'Never Passing'. Essential cuts for any discerning death disco.

Review: Canadian musician Jex Opolis has rebased almost exclusively on Good Timin' over the last decade. There have been three albums and countless singles of dazzling electronic disco dust and here comes another firing five tracks of the stuff. There is retro charm to the sci-fi pads of 'Listen To The Band' that make it immediately lovable. 'Net Worth' is heartbroken, r&b tinged lo-fi disco boogie, but you can't wallow for long as 'What Am I Gonna Dub?' once again takes off to the stars of see arps and squelchy bass. Add in the two final cuts which go slow and deep and more acidic and prickly and you have another brilliantly cosmic EP.

Review: Almost 40 years after the acid sound was first accidentally stumbled across it is still providing artists with endless amounts of inspiration. This Dynamics of Acid label is another one dedicated to the cause and here Jonathan Hipgrave under his Jonny3snares alias explores six different and equally sublime sounds that will make your brain dance as much as your body. There is an inward sense of reflection to the opener 'Signal Drive', a deep melancholy to 'Recovery' then squelchy hyperactive rhythms define 'Scramble.' Three flipside cuts again pair meaningful synths with lithe drum programming to make for a fantastically futuristic EP.

Review: In eleven years of deep digging, Dark Entries has uncovered many curiosities, lone exemplars of the scarsest breeds. They are lurking in Croatia, on the streets of New York, maybe in the back of your own dusty closet - these odd-ball Italo and synth-wave monsters are too rare to live, too divine to die. Once-lost creatures now have a home with Dark Entries' new Endangered Species series. The inaugural edition features five specimens previously deemed extinct, only mentioned passingly in lore and speculation, but now safely preserved on vinyl.

Review: Curses is Berlin-based DJ and producer Luca Venezia, who has proven himself to be a reliable authority on all manner of deviant dancefloor sounds from the recent and distant past. On this compilation for Eskimo he takes up the challenge of spanning four decades of darkwave sounds by bringing seminal classics in line with exclusive new material for an epic 38-track compilation, which gets a thoroughly useful sampler edition for the vinyl DJs out there. The tracks on offer include Nuovo Testament, who get a punchy remix treatment from Curses himself before we can feast on the seductive minimal wave of Mary Moor. Curses also revamps JWB Hits The Beat with a strong Euro slant to the production, while the 12" mix of Sheffield pioneers Cabaret Voltaire's 'Blue Heat' rounds the set off in legendary fashion.

Review: In pandemic times of telepresences and social distancing, Live At Robert Johnson and Leipzig's own Riotvan team up for a magical musical mission. Encompassed by the graphic design of Michael Satter & Panthera Krause, each of the five tracks has been created by teams representing both label crews and their environs, rendering a truly synergetic effort. A1 is Roman Flugel & Rebolledo producing deep and wide Star Stuff with arpeggiated bass riffs, haunting vocals and melody. A2 sees Jennifer Touch & Chinaski setting off on an electroid Synth-Pop trip, with crafty 1980s synths, drums and vocals. A3 is New Hook and Perel teaming up for a Cosmic Disco tinged track, featuring unique spanish-english vocals. The flipside kicks off with Fort Romeau & Panthera Krause on B1, heavily into a stereophonic and proper Italo soundscape. Horkheimer & Peter Invasion & Gregor Habicht conclude the EP on B2 with a wicked technoid Breakbeat along a modulating bass line and, yeah, a looney laugh befitting these crazy times.

Review: Strut and Trevor Jackson do the right thing and collude on a second edition of Metal Dance, with a veritable feast of 80's industrial and primitive electronics to sink into. Some 27 tracks deep, Metal Dance 2 widens the remit of the first compilation by a year, collating material from the period 1979 to 1988 and features artists and bands that should be familiar to your eyes in Skinny Puppy, Chris & Cosey, Crash Course In Science and Liaisons Dangereuses along with many lesser known acts. Jackson himself contributes an edit of iconic Blitz DJ Rusty Egan whilst Morphine Records boss Rabih Beaini highlights Lebanon's history with primitive electronics on an edit of Rene Bandaly Family's eighties curio "Tanki Tanki". Impressively, the compilation also features a track by CHBB, a band whose members went on to form DAF and Liaisons Dangereuses and whose small discography was limited to four rare cassettes.

Review: Baby Buddha is the experimental new wave duo of Charles Hornaday (vocals, guitar, electronics, drums) and David Javelosa (vocals, electronics, clarinet). Born from late night improvisations of San Francisco synth-punks Los Microwaves with a rotating cast of musicians. Live shows would include music, projections, dance and performance art in both clubs and gallery spaces. In 1980, Howie Klein's 415 Records released their first single of Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man". In 1981, 'Music For Teenage Sex' was their first full length album released via Poshboy Records. It featured Los Microwaves' Meg Brazill, Poshboy boss Robbie Fields, and Kathy Peck as "Tammy Why-not", who later went on to found H.E.A.R (Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers). In January 1983 Kathy, Charles and David went into the studio with a couple of Kathy's original "country" songs and began working on a sophomore album. They also incorporated songs from a live multi-track recording of a concert at the Graffiti Club on June 6th 1984. The album titled 'Everyone Is My Age' sat unreleased until 1987 due to relocation to Los Angeles and eventually found a home on David's Hyperspace Communications, the original label for the first Los Microwaves singles. For this first time reissue we've added a previously unreleased bonus song "What's Going On," a Kathy Peck original. All songs have been remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The vinyl comes housed in the original jacket featuring a collage by David Javelosa and includes an insert with lyrics, photos and liner notes.

Review: Swedish singer songwriter Jay Jay Johanson presents his long awaited 11th studio album entitled Bury The Hatchet. Throughout his career of over 20 years, he's covered everything from trip-hop to electroclash and even electronica: collaborating with fellow Swedes The Knife on 'The Long Term Physical Effects Are Not Yet Known' and also with German experimental act Funkstorung on his last album 'Opium' in 2015. This album's bluesy and R&B flavour, by way of classical and lo-fi electronics accompany his distinct vocal style throughout and makes for a charming listen over its wonderful 11 track duration.

Review: 10 years after first starting out, June aka Tsampikos Fronas serves up a third full length on Mannequin Records that draws on all his years of musical exploration. The world that results is a dystopian one where machines have taken over and human life has long gone. Synths fizz with static electricity, drums and percussion automated by AI and the whole thing is like an exercise in cyber-transcendence. An arsenal of vintage analog synthesizers, drum machines and effect processors add retro-future textures that only serve to heighten the record overall.

Review: Seemingly creatively reinvigorated by last year's Skanfrom album from Sleeparchive producer Roger Semsroth, Toronto label Suction Records are approaching 2015 with vigour commencing with this fine debut album from June. The main creative focus of Berlin-based Greek artist Tsampikos Fronas, June caught the ear of Suction with the release of the Golden Era 12" through his own eponymous label last year and the eight track Dominion is a chance for the artist to fully showcase his brand of synth wave. Hardware step sequencers were used to sync and control the arsenal of classic synths and drum machines at June's disposal with Martial Canterel and Xeno & Oaklander artist Sean McBride offered as a compelling comparison by the label. Classic synth-based electro done in a modern manner!

Review: Tsampikos Fronas is June, and on this fresh new LP for Artificial Dance he rather sips away from the dance sounds of his earlier career. The material here was recorded between 2018 and 2020 by the Berlin based innovator and it is an exploration of more sparse soundscapes than previously. It has a cyber punk feel and dystopian overtone with each track filled with tension and plenty of nods to sci-fi movie soundtracks. It is all crafted from analogue sequencers and analogue polyphonic synths as well as modular synthesizers which lend it an ice cold rhythm and haunting sense of futurism.