Compute is Sweden’s Ulrika Mild. The Gothenburg-based songstress makes lucid downtempo beats but can also sing like Alison Goldfrapp. This track shows off both elements to great effect.
Way back in the early 1980s, a trend arose for smashing pieces of metal and organising the resulting sound into ambient urban soundscapes or dance tracks. Berlin’s Einstürzende Neubauten arguably kicked it off, but in short order the availability of new-fangled sampling technology had Fad Gadget (“Collapsing New People”), Depeche Mode (“People Are People”), SPK (“Metal Dance”) and others incorporating post-industrial metal-bashing into their tracks. One of the originals was London’s Test Dept, who reversed the trend by starting as a hammer-wielding group and moving into dance music. This was their first single, released by Some Bizarre to an unsuspecting public in 1983.
The trio of Analog Angel make some intelligent darkwave sounds, and “Drive” is an exemplary, forceful track that warrants repeated listening. From 2014’s Trinity album, it’s dark poptronica in a similar vein to Covenant, matching great synth sounds with sleek, elegant vocals. Guest vocalist Tracy J Cox’s lines float behind John Brown’s, while tense, pulsing waveforms are sculpted by keyboardists Ian Ferguson and Derek MacDonald. Not to be missed.
For more great reading about Analog Angel, see this interview at The Electricity Club.
The Department haven’t released their own night serum yet, but a light application of their tester does more than firm and tone. On the evidence of this video, it gets under your skin with a foam of bubbling arpeggiators and some smooth bass, scented with just a hint of dominatrix.
The Anglo-Swedish group, composed of Rob Green and Magnus Lindström (Mr Jones Machine), have been around since 2013, but “As If Transformed” is their first commercial video for Hard Cell Records. Directed by Ed Robinson for OneRedEye, it uses the device of segmented characters, who are picked and mixed to humorous effect. Tearing up and reassembling the pages of Vogue could get you to a similar place, but then you’d miss out on the rotated mohawks and dance steps.
Musical inspirations: 80s sounds. Attitude: model’s own.
When Sista mannen på jorden (EN: The Last Man on Earth) released “Stadens alla ljus” (EN: “All the City Lights”), back in April, we were pretty excited. After concentrating on his Page project with Marina Schiptjenko for two albums, Eddie Bengtsson was returning to the science-fiction themes and spaced-out synths of SMPJ with real style. The two-track CD single showcased Bengtsson’s incomparable songwriting, melodic instinct and fearless vocals. We called it “a pulsating trip to the dancefloor, swept along by dream-like pads and bubbling filters.”
SMPJ have just doubled the fun by releasing “Stadens alla ljus” as a 12″ maxi-single with a new mix – on blue vinyl. To the CD’s B-side, “Vem gör det då” (EN: “Who Does It Then”), have been added two cover tracks: a stomping version of “Going Under” by Devo; and “Står kvar” (EN: “Staying”), a magnificant reworking of OMD’s “Stanlow.” The original version of “Going Under” appeared on Devo’s New Traditionalists album in 1981, and it receives a respectful reworking in Bengtsson’s hands. It’s still an up-tempo, quirky song with a rapid-fire lyric, and it’s a great revival of a classic sound.
The real revelation, however, is “Står kvar,” in which the OMD original acquires new layers of complexity. Bengtsson’s vocal style is very different from that of Andy McCluskey, and his adaptation of the song about an oil refinery near the River Mersey is tailored to fit. The post-industrial alienation of OMD’s track fused the beat of diesel pumps with dark pads and a vocal that drew out the parallel between the chimneys of the refinery and the spires of churches: the industrial site a source of care and cold-heartedness in the same breathe. Fuelled by the synthetic charge of 12th House’s Svein Welde, SMPJ’s version gets to the pulsating point rather more quickly, trading in some of the mournfulness and ambiguity of the original for a rhythmically solid presentation. It is a stunning rendition that lacks none of the emotional power of OMD’s effort after being transported to Sweden’s Baltic coast from the banks of the Mersey.
The maxi-single can be ordered from Synth4You.
DJ Sarah Blackwood
Speak & Spell
Vile Electrodes
Hertford Corn Exchange, 13 September 2014
The Electricity Club has established itself as the leading poptronica journal by reporting on the most vital artists on the electronic music scene in a forthright way. So, when it puts on a show, TEC is just as careful in its curation and presentation as it is on the page. At the Hertford Corn Exchange, the large crowd that has filled the venue for TEC003 receives an education as well as an experience, with previously unseen images from the 80s Basildon scene and a blistering run-through of Vile Electrodes’ album, The Future Through a Lens. It’s an event that reflects the dedication of TEC’s team, who carry the flame for electronic music with respect for its roots and an eye to the future.
For many, the event began with a public exhibition of Deb Danahay Mann’s unique archive of Depeche Mode and Yazoo memorabilia. As a central figure in the legendary Depeche Mode Information Service, Deb was often a fan’s initial point of contact to ask questions or hear about the band’s projects. As Vince Clarke’s other half, she was closely involved in the early days of the Basildon scene. She and Vince have moved on, but Deb’s memories of those times are a treasure trove for fans, which she generously shares with visitors from around the world, who head to Essex to see the suburban ground zero where “Ice Machine” was written. Stocked with photo albums, as well as interviews and reviews from the early 1980s music press, the exhibition gave a context to both Depeche Mode and Yazoo that was far richer than anything seen to date. Given that Depeche Mode are becoming the Rolling Stones of their generation, a commission by the Barbican ought to be in the offing.
The first band on stage at TEC003 were among those fascinated by the mystique of early 80s Basildon. Speak & Spell have established themselves as the fans’ favourite Depeche Mode cover act, devoting themselves to faithfully playing the classic songs from the band’s seminal first album. Most of them have been dropped from Depeche Mode’s live set over time, but there is still enormous interest in the songs on Stumm 5. One of the accomplishments of Speak & Spell is to recreate many of the original instrument sounds, so that “Big Muff” sounds headily like it did in 1981; another is to base their stage show on live performance, replicating the experience of an early Depeche Mode show. Their inspiration is clearly drawn as much from the bootlegs of early Depeche gigs as from the recordings made at Blackwing Studios, and they get knowing cheers from the crowd for their version of unrecorded track, “Television Set.”
DJ Sarah Blackwood took over the sound system between sets, deploying an arsenal of heavy duty beats that hit the high notes of 1980s electronics. Simple Minds’ “I Travel” filled the room with rhythm, and a seamless mix of Fad Gadget’s “Lady Shave” with Les Liaisons Dangereuses’ “Los Ninos del Parque” was a revelation. A singing set followed, with performances of Blackwood classics, including Dubstar’s “Not So Manic Now” and Client’s “Price of Love.” Blackwood’s voice is as distinctive and classy as ever, as she recently demonstrated on Fotonovela’s A Ton of Love album, and she easily charms the (speak and) spell-struck audience. Later in the evening, Blackwood would go on to perform a storming version of Depeche Mode’s “A Question of Time,” ensuring that every melodic base has been hit solidly.
Live electronics can be a difficult beast to tame, but Vile Electrodes are capable disciplinarians. Their searing show depends on the flow of electrons through a seemingly endless tangle of wires, but every plug has been checked, tested and tested again; the ambience of the room has been measured; the positioning of each element carefully assessed. It is difficult to name another act that places so much reliance on temperamental hardware and carries off their show with as much professionalism. When they take to the stage, it is like watching a Tesla coil unleashed at its highest setting; but, instead of lab coats, its operators wear electric blue suits or latex skirts.
The Future Through a Lens was one of the top releases of 2013, and it is played through at TEC003 with a new running order but all of the creative power of the album. The central shopping precinct of Hertford shakes to “Empire of Wolves” and “Damaged Software,” marvels at the grandeur of “Proximity” and finally has its heart torn open by “Deep Red.” Anais Neon’s vocals sound extraordinary, marking her out as the Debbie Harry of the new generation of poptronica artists, while Martin Swan teases pulses from his keyboards and hammers drum pads with abandon. The Vile ones are sitting on top of a dynamo, and the ride is breath-taking. They are at the pinnacle of British poptronica, and at TEC003 there are a lot of happy Sherpas.
With special thanks to The Electricity Club
Way back in 2007, London-based duo, Komputer, released this track as part of an online-only EP release. A different version appeared on the Mute sampler, 14 Irregular Files. It’s the kind of Kraftwerk-inspired material that Komputer successfully took up after shedding their I Start Counting skin, and it’s as sleek as a black panther in the rain.
Malaria! was a girl band from Berlin, who reflected the unsettled post-punk mood of the walled city at the height of the Cold War but also found their way to Studio 54. They were the antithesis of the Spice Girls – naturally cool, comfortable in their own skins and capable of making an incredible racket. This track from 1983 and the accompanying super-8 film clips capture the band as a blueprint for future generations.
The lightning storm over Gothenburg this past weekend can only mean one thing: Electronic Summer is coming. One of Europe’s best-programmed festivals, ES turns a large venue in Sweden’s second city into a hive of ~tronica for three days, starting on August 28. This year, as an added bonus, Deb Mann will be taking part to share her memories of Depeche Mode’s first years. To help accompany the celestial light-show, we’ve put together some tracks from our favourites among this year’s featured artists.
COVENANT – “Prime Movers”
EMMON – “Smalltown Boy”
DAILY PLANET – “Nobody’s Friend”
CLIENT – “Refuge”
LEGEND – “City”
CANDIDE – “Änglar”
AESTHETIC PERFECTION – “Big Bad Wolf”
Sweden’s Emmon have covered Bronski Beat’s “Smalltown Boy,” and their version is a classy, dreamy take on the original. Emma Nylén’s voice is heaven, so it is little wonder that this cover is in celestial territory.