One of the defining features of Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft’s proto-EBM was the unlikely but effective combination of sex and sequencers. When England’s Nitzer Ebb inherited the DAF style, they dialled down the former in favour of the latter, developing a more aggressive sound. In this cover of a classic Nitzer Ebb track, Diskodiktator restore the balance, adding some primal sweat to the proceedings.
Track of the Day
Now that Alison Moyet has rediscovered electronic music, it is worth recalling an interim step between Yazoo and her latest solo album. In 2009, Moyet appeared on a single by My Robert Friend, the New York project of one Howard Robot. The track was a reminder of the affinity between Moyet’s vocals and synthetic sounds – in this case, a combination of waveforms that seem to have been lifted from Depeche Mode’s 1982 masterpiece, A Broken Frame. Perfect to get over the mid-week hump.
The A.M. Experiment has been bubbling under the radar for some time, but with the release of Black Rain the project is definitely above-the-fold material. This track is part of a new EP from Austrian Markus Liebhart, and it combines retro acid lines with looped percussion that will have your dance shoes aching for your feet.
We missed this when it first came around (in 2006!), but Tobbe Lander’s DaDaDa project is great fun. Lander, of course, is the serial entrepreneur best known for promoting the Romo Night club event in Göteborg, which played host to many of electronic music’s finest over the years. Romo’s doors have now closed, allowing Lander to focus on other projects. Should he add DaDaDa to the list? Yes, yes, yes!
Den där killen (That Guy) is the solo project of Swedish DJ Per Fall. This track is a cover of Kent’s Sverige, taken to a more upbeat place. Released in time for midsummer, this version manages to be sentimental without being maudlin; while Fall’s pop sensibility brings a new dimension. Listen while eating pickled herring and drinking something infused with coriander seeds.
Just on the wrong side of midsummer, some light pop is required; hopefully, with some classic synth sounds. To fill the order comes Sweden’s Norator, who cite Eddie B’s projects as a major influence (and how could that ever be wrong?!). Every Night is from their forthcoming album.
When the Sun sears the surface of Venus – radiation turning everything into vapour or stone, eating away at matter with energy that can tear electrons away from atoms – this is what it sounds like. When your soul is pulled apart by pain, and consciousness is agony, this is what it sounds like. Hear it now without the need for interplanetary travel or psychic trauma.
Malmö’s Måns F.G. Thunberg is best known for his work in film, but as a sideline he produces engaging and catchy electronic music. This song borrows its title from the famous declaration by US President John Kennedy, in a Cold War speech, that he is a yeast doughnut filled with jam and sprinkled with icing sugar. We couldn’t resist the song or the reference.
Gudrun Gut has been a force in Berlin’s music scene since the early 1980s. She was an early member of Einstürzende Neubauten and a key member of the groups Mania D, Malaria! and Matador. As a DJ, Gut continues to promote new music with flair. This track comes from her Wildlife album.