Emmon

Beat the Devil: Emmon Release XCEPTION

by coldwarnightlife
written by coldwarnightlife

The release of the new EP from Emmon provides an opportunity to know the band through Emma Nylén’s record collection. There are influences of Nitzer Ebb, Front 242, Massive Attack, and Depeche Mode detectable throughout the set. That isn’t to say that the Swedes are slavish copying the sounds and styles of these artists. Nej. They are channelling the vibe of the early 90s alternative club and bringing it up to date with Emmon’s entrancing pop energy.

XCEPTION collects five songs from the Stockholm act’s recent repertoire. The opener, “DARK,” is characterised as a “vampire epic,” but it’s not just for Goths. Even if the bats are set loose on the dancefloor, they will have to use their sonar to share space with the industrial crowds who appreciate sexy sequences.

“Devil’s on Your Back” is impressed with tension. Nylén’s vocals glide smoothly over the bubbling anxiety created by Jimmy Monell’s programming; recreating the emotional peaks of the Bristol sound. It’s elegant and dramatic – and Shara Nelson would approve.

It is followed by a reprise in the form of “On the Devil’s Back,” all moody strings and bass plucks. Who is riding whom? That’s for you to discover.

The pace picks up again with “SKIN,” which serves as a reminder of Emmon’s electro-pop heritage. Tracks like “Black Light” and “Lips on Fire” were driven and full of sensual energy before they took a more aggressive turn. “SKIN” is faithful to that inheritance, while importing the nuances of mid-career Clock DVA and Eric Random. An Atari computer and fractal visuals generator are all you need to get back to 1993, but Emmon fuse that feeling with their ability to make hips shake.

Proceedings wrap with “No Man’s Land,” which proves that Emmon are pushing out the frontiers of the Swedish scene. Sorry, Max Martin – this is what we want to hear from your hometown.

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FutureRetro Weekender Warms Stockholm Nights

by coldwarnightlife
written by coldwarnightlife

There is a danger that electronic music events  are becoming conventions for men with bald heads and a passion for vintage equipment. Vince Clarke’s recent London performance brought out the shiny-domed gear-heads in large numbers – an audience in his own image. The fans who discovered synth sounds in the 1970s and 80s have competing demands on their time, and a night on the alternative dancefloor isn’t as easy to arrange as it once was. Those who make the journey out are drawn from an increasingly homogenous pool.

Swedish promoters, FutureRetro, tackle that issue head-on at their Weekender festival in Stockholm. Taking over the Slaktkyrkan venue (a converted abbatoir) for two nights, they balance the programme with established and upcoming artists. They also lean away from all-blokey staples; inviting many artists with strong feminine energy. As a result, fans can punch the air aggressively, if they like, but they can also dance without coked-up tanks clearing paths between the venue bar and the front of the stage. Dark wave and electro festivals typically attract decent crowds, but few are as recognisable as the Swedes for their decency. Vinyl skirts and cat-eye make-up don’t need to compete at the event with dad-bods and black t-shirts for space – both are easily accomodated.

Day 1

Proceedings begin with Emmon, a local and very well-regarded act fronted by Emma Nylén. Once the pop darlings of Wonderland Records, Emmon has been reinvented as an EBM-influenced show. Nylén has returned to her DJ roots, and the current material remains striking and catchy with elements of her record collection. There is a trace of Front 242 here, a reference to Goldfrapp there, a nod to Depeche Mode – and an original spine of rhythm and tension that builds excitement throughout the set.

Emmon with Emanuel Åström

The show begins with “Reconstruction” and ends with “Like a Drum” from the RECON album, written by Nylén and Jimmy Monell. Emanuel Åström of Agent Side Grinder joins Emmon on stage for another of the album’s stand-out tracks, “Purebloods” – a showcase for both sets of vocals. With songs like these, Emmon deserves to be better known outside of Sweden.

From Italy, Ash Code delivered a performance full of dark flourishes. The greatest number of the songs came from their debut album, Oblivion, but the set was also  peppered with later crowd favourites like “Nite Rite” and “Posthuman.”

Ash Code

Zanias, the lead project and alter ego of Alison Lewis, takes things up a level with a set of dramatic and artful dark electro. Accompanied by her tour partner, Neu Romancer, on bass guitar, Zanias reaches deep for the energy to keep feet moving and heads bobbing on a night where the wind chill factor reaches Spinal Tap levels. As a carpet of snow grows outside, Zanias throws off sparks that catch hold throughout the “slaughter church.” Zanias’ songs often explore our relationship with nature, but they are as political as they are personal. Many of those in the set come from this year’s Chrysalis album, which has the intention to “weave hope from hopelessness.” In these times, Zanias’s voice is directed against decay and towards renewal. It is a powerful and moving one.

Zanias

A more classic goth vibe takes over as Clan of Xymox occupy the stage. Singer Ronny Moorings steers the band through a set of old and new songs that resonate with the room. A nostalgic wave surges for two iconic tracks: “A Day” and “Muscovite Mosquito.” Xymox and their label, 4AD, had some kind of falling out involving master tapes once, but these songs helped to define the sound of the alternative Underground in the 1980s. It is the only act with an all-male line-up, but a third of the show include songs named after women or their common pronoun. 

Clan of Xymox

Sierra closes the night with a burst of sequenced pyrotechnics. The French artist released her first album this year, but she has been making dents in the scene in the US, UK and Europe in all the right places.

Day 2

The second day of the festival opens with Selofan and Lebanon Hanover. The Fabrika Records label-mates deliver the bass guitar and pained vocals that characterise most gothic rock these days. The result is a comforting familiarity rather than a raged disturbance.

Los Angeles-based Spike Hellis combine European and American influences in a way that wins them a new following. Launching their first European tour, the duo start with the industrial-glitch of “Crisis.” Fans of The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy and Manufacture will find phrases to their taste, but songs like”Control (Rage)” and “Teardrops (Kisses)” demonstrate a range that also takes in flavours of Front Line Assembly and Clock DVA. The set ends with a cover of the Revolting Cocks track, “(Let’s Get) Physical” – an aerobics track for industrial people.

Berlin-based NNHMN have a line in classy electronics. Lee Margot moves like a snake, winding her way across the stage. Michal Laurag mans the machines that charm. The smoke machine belches clouds that conceal them. The crowd dances to “Der Unweise” and “Arabische Ritter.” There isn’t a better sounding dark wave act on the scene today, and NNHMN rise to the occasion.

NNHMN

Stockholm is clearly ramped up for REIN. After touring with Front Line Assembly and opening for Nitzer Ebb and Front 242, she is well-known to the EBM and hard electronics crowds. Tonight, however, she is on stage with her co-producer, Djedjotronic, and they are working solid pop angles with flashes of techno. REIN’s new album, God Is a Woman, gets a live work-out together with key cuts from her debut, Reincarnated. There is a crackle in the air as she fires up her set, looking like Janet Jackson reimagined by William Gibson. The beats explode like throwing caps as Rein demonstrates her versatility and captivates the hometown crowd.

REIN

Djedjotronic follows with a state-of-the-art DJ set that turns Slaktkyrkan into Mitte before the remaining crowd pulls on their toques and gloves to march into the frozen moonlight. They have one question on their lips: How do you pronounce Djedjotronic?

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The Top 22 of 2022

by coldwarnightlife
written by coldwarnightlife

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This was the year of the music book. Instead of running the pop charts, many legendary figures migrated to the bestseller lists with their memoirs. Dr Martyn Ware provided his version of the Human League 1.0 in Electronically Yours. Trevor Horn offered some insights into his career in Adventures in Modern Recording. John McGeogh wasn’t here to write his own story, so Rory Sullivan-Burke took it on in The Light Pours Out of Me. Richard Evans’ Listening to the Music the Machines Make told the story of electronic music through the pages of the British music press. For Depeche Mode fans, the Halo book, revisiting the recording of Violator, was possibly more interesting than a press conference to announce a forthcoming album in the spirit of, well, Spirit.


Depeche Mode lost Andy Fletcher this year, reducing their original formation to two. Another casualty of 2022 was their former associate, Robert Marlow, who died without having achieved the broader recognition many thought he deserved. Nick Cave lost a second son, in an almost unimaginable tragedy. Hawkwind’s Nik Turner had lived a fuller life, but he couldn’t evade inclusion on a death roster that included Keith Levene, Klaus Schulze, Manuel Göttsching, Jet Black, and Vangelis. Front 242’s Jean-Luc De Meyer almost joined them, after running into heart problems. Andy Ross of Food Records wasn’t as lucky. There were constant reminders to show appreciation for artists while they are still alive.


There were plenty of opportunities to do so, as live shows were crammed into the calendar. The post-lockdown rush to get back on the road saw tours by many artists. Front 242 were up-and-at-them, as soon as the cardiologists were done, with a storming show. Rein took Manhattan (and a number of other US cities) as support for Front Line Assembly and other big name acts. Even the Electronic Summer festival returned en gång till, introducing Sierra and Piston Damp to a Swedish audience. Dave Baker’s Lonelyklown project had its stage debut. Minuit Machine valiantly returned to live performance after Helene de Thoury experienced significant inner-ear problems, but by year end de Thoury had to withdraw from live work. Kitka went to the Legion in Calgary for fries and draft beer. Test Dept beat the retreat with shows in Europe and the UK.


Mind you, some artists raised eyebrows. Patsy Kensit thought it was appropriate to snap the coffin at Fletch’s funeral and post to her IG account. We disagreed. Kanye West went full Yitler. Those lads from Right Said Fred continued to promote far right conspiracy theories. Just because you can sing doesn’t mean that everything that comes out of your mouth is golden.


Where the year fell short was in the number of quality new releases from established artists. Simple Minds, Dubstar, Leftfield, The House of Love, Wire, and William Orbit had new material on offer, but the release schedule was impacted by a combination of tour commitments, production backlogs, and record company apathy. When music is all about TikTok background sounds and  streaming service statistics, a band could get lost. Add to that the economic pressures on artists who struggle to make even a basic living, while the LiveNation monopoly sucks all the oxygen from growing scenes. It’s all about dynamic ticket pricing and pre-saves on Spotify: at the end of 2022, the crisis in music is in full swing.

 

22. Sierra – See Me Now EP


Kicking off our list is Sierra from France. The solo artist has been making highly sought after releases for several years, but — hands in the air — we didn’t have her on the radar until the Electronic Summer festival in Gothenburg. That is an error we are happy to correct, because her music fuses the old school sounds of Vangelis and Jarre with the hardness of the dark wave set. After the insufferable flotsam of most synthwave, this is what we hoped for from the next generation of electronic musicians. It delivers in spades.

 

21. Alanas Chosnau and Mark Reeder – Life Everywhere


Released into the political crisis caused by the Russo-Ukrainian war, Life Everywhere was a timely release by Chosnau and Reeder. Built around a fear of government control, the tracks embed hidden caches of New Order and Human League, while making Orwell danceable.

 

20. Blancmange – Private View


Neil Arthur is one of the epic showmen of British entertainment. Unfortunately, due to serious health concerns, he has had to continue Blancmange without Stephen Luscombe; but he has bolted his songs to Benge’s electronics without losing his step. Private View proves that aging is no reason to give up making strong material or switching to blues-rock stylings.

 

19. Mark Stewart – VS


The Pop Group giant has never been the shy one. Here, he storms the heavens with industrial dub and other delights delivered by the likes of Front 242, Leaether Strip, Stephen Mallinder, and Eric Random. Stewart’s got a bone to pick with the universe, and he isn’t letting it rest until he gets a result. That makes us hopeful for more of this in the future.

 

18. Francesca e Luigi – Dirty Disco


The Swedes are going to dominate this year’s list — prepare yourself now. This track is one of the reasons: they are congenitally unafraid to play with disco, Italo, and other stylings that might be dismissed as cheese by others. Choose fun!

 

17. William Orbit – The Painter


The return of William Orbit, after some health challenges, was welcome news. The Painter found him collaborating with a range of vocalists — from Beth Orton to Polly Scattergood — while playing with the spacial capabilities of Dolby Atmos. Orbit’s bag of tricks is always full of bubbling delays, and this set of tracks was loaded with them. It is an exercise in recovery, rather than dancefloor beats, and no less beautiful for it.

 

16. Kitka – House of K


From the north of Sweden came House of K by Kitka, which married pop, synthwave and trap stylings to good effect. It’s not your father’s electronic music, but it is exactly the kind of creative work that needs to keep coming.

 

15. Karin Park – Private Collection


Page could have reissued Glad and been happy with the enthusiastic response, but Eddie Bengtsson has some of that 1970s UV spirit in him. “Vi kommer tillbaka” [EN: “We Are Coming Back”] arrived as a single just as the year was running out, easily outpacing the competition with a slice of golden poptronica.

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Karin Park returned this year with an album reimagining some of her previous compositions. Reaching back across two decades, the songs retooled on Private Collection were her own favourites; but they included many of ours, as well. Motherhood and time in the deep woods have had their effects on how Park hears her work, and we found the songs stood up well to a stripped-down, raw, and unapologetic approach.

 

14. The Ändå – Update & Reboot


The Ändå were back this year with this track that breaks down several boundaries. We have to wait until next year for the Twice a Man compilation, but Karl Gasleben and his collaborators in this project know how to keep the theatrical flame nurtured by the band alive. Is it silly? Is it serious? You would never ask that of Laurie Anderson, would you?

 

13. Fifi Rong – There Is a Funeral in My Heart for Every Man I Ever Loved


Fifi Rong went heavily into NFTs, using the emergent technology to share her music with fans. The Crypto Winter has possibility dampened the market for trading in tokens, but her current double album (one part English and one part Chinese) is also on CD. In any format, the songs on There Is a Funeral… are creative treats. The Yello collaborator has taken the indie route further than most, but her album deserves to reach the mainstream.

 

12. Waterflower – Mycelium (Step by Step)


Waterflower’s work incorporates plant-life, which conduct electricity in ways that can be processed. The signals generated by mushrooms are measured, timed, and turned into music that accompanies the vocals of Sabine Moore. This might sound like just a Tesco Disco, but the material is rich and enveloping — like the forest itself.

 

11. Front 242 – Rewind


Front 242 put on what was arguably the Concert of the Year in London, despite Jean-Luc de Meyer’s recent health scare. They weren’t touring a new record, but their countrymen at Alfa Matrix released a set of remixes this year, with Terence Fixmer, The Hacker, Kant Kino, and Radical G taking turns to play with some classic tracks. Rewind was originally planned for release last year, to mark the 20th anniversary of the label and the 40th anniversary of the band, but Covid did its thing.

 

10. Strikkland – Bodypop


Sweden’s love of EBM is well known, and the fact that new bands keep emerging to fan the musical flame is encouraging. Representing the west coast, Strikkland have finally issued their first album, and it is a stormer. Mixing body music and pop, the duo have made the most of their inheritance.

 

9. Emmon – RECON


Another Swedish act that has embraced the pop-body combination is Emmon. Previously known for seriously danceable pop, they have shifted direction to embrace all of the sounds from Emma Nylén’s DJ days. That means a bit of Goldfrapp, a dose of Depeche Mode, a shake of Nitzer Ebb, and a pinch of Front 242, blended until smooth. Representing the east coast, they have retained the sophistication and sexiness of their earlier work while turning up the body element of the mix.

 

8. Lederman – Rohn – Rage


This collaboration between Jean-Marc Lederman (Fad Gadget, The Weathermen, Kid Montana) and Emileigh Rohn (Chiasm) quickly punched its way up the alternative charts with an aggressive, menacing sound. It is a long way from some of Lederman’s more pastoral output, but the composer covers a lot of ground. Just the thing for a new Matrix movie, don’t you think?

 

7. Lau Nau – Puutarhassa


The promotional material explains this album better than we can:


“In the summer 2020 Lau Nau did a video performance Live in the Orchard for the Munich based concert series frameless. She built a little transportable wagon that fits a modular synth, a miniature recording studio and a sound system, and created a concept for the performance where she made field recordings in the garden while playing the synth. This record includes two straight takes from the live performance, remixed with other material Lau Nau recorded in the same vein in the same place, a tiny village on an island in the Western coast of Finland.”


What we can add is that this is exactly the kind of experimentation that Lau Nau does like no other. While Virginia Astley bottled the essence of British summers in From Gardens Where We Feel Secure, Lau Nau’s approach is less constricted by cultural expectations. Where Astley supplied familiarity, Lau Nau delivers surprises based upon observation and engagement. Call it quaint but never twee. A band should be named after this, called And Also the Bees.

 

6. Lonelyklown – Funny Sunday Morning


Together with Simon Leonard, Dave Baker is responsible for some of the best love songs ever made–even when they are about satellites and walks through Muswell Hill. There is only one track on this album written with Leonard, but the plaintive vocals and catchy melodies show direct descent from the ouevre of I Start Counting, Fortran 5 and Komputer. The twist is that it is impressed with a classic 70s vibe and more songs about things feline than The Stranglers ever managed.

 

5. Minuit Machine – 24


Minuit Machine are one of the top acts in the dark wave scene for a reason. Their ability to weave together haunting vocals and catchy electronics breathes humanity into the machines in ways that few other scene acts accomplish. Sadly, news came at the end of the year that Hélène de Thoury’s health would prevent her from touring in the future.

 

4. Amusi – EP-A


A combination of Joakim Montelius (Covenant), Khyber Westlund, Richard Hansson, and Ulrika Mild (Computer), Amusi are an alternative Swedish supergroup. Don’t confuse them with the Travelling Wilburys.

 

3. Page – Glad REISSUE OF THE YEAR


The original release of Page’s third album has been out of print for many years. Issued in 1995, on CD only, it has changed hands between collectors for full price ever since. Now issued for the first time on vinyl, Glad is a classic of Swedish pop. Marina Schiptjenko and Eddie Bengtsson stopped working together after this album, while the former concentrated on an ultrapop career and the latter explored guitar sounds, but their all-synth reunion has brought new life to these songs.

 

2. Dubstar – Two ALBUM OF THE YEAR


Since they reorganised as a duo, Dubstar have become more sophisticated and thoughtful. The release of Two gathered up some singles, including “Hygiene Strip,”  and some new material crafted with producer Stephen Hague (New Order, Pet Shop Boys). The latter made it out to Dubstar’s release event at Rough Trade East, where Sarah Blackwood and Chris Wilkie performed some of the songs for an entranced audience. Blackwood’s vocals are as strong as ever, while Wilkie’s guitar work is accomplished and confident. You would have to be to have been through the Machine and come out the other side with an album that is essentially faultless.

 

1. Page – Vi kommer tillbaka SINGLE OF THE YEAR


When John Foxx left Ultravox!, they lost more than their punctuation mark. Foxx’s presence gave the band bite. Midge Ure made excellent, soaring pop but left no teeth marks–well, apart from the time he kicked Warren Cann out of the band he had founded. Musically, at least, there is something to be said for having an edge.


Page could have reissued Glad and been happy with the enthusiastic response, but Eddie Bengtsson has some of that 1970s UV spirit in him. “Vi kommer tillbaka” [EN: “We Are Coming Back”] arrived as a single just as the year was running out, easily outpacing the competition with a slice of golden poptronica.

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https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4SIGoC25t0Kqxf9dsXkTh1?si=cI1TBDxtSVGJigKooLYH0Q&utm_source=copy-link

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Emmon Digs Deep for RECON

by coldwarnightlife
written by coldwarnightlife

Stockholm’s Emmon have established a reputation for classy pop music, infused with sexiness, energy, and melody. Recent releases have seen the evolution of Emma Nylén’s project, as it has absorbed vibes from the alternative club night: in particular, old school Nitzer Ebb and Front 242.

RECON, the fifth Emmon album, gathers the material from recent EPs and adds new recordings impressed with the sounds uncovered by digging through Nylén’s record crates. This exercise in sonic archeology has given new fuel to the project.

The background is that a support slot for Nitzer Ebb made Nylén rethink her entire approach. While Emmon’s driving pop has earned respect and a solid following over the years, she missed the feel of the songs she used to play as a DJ. With help from her partner, Jimmy Monell, she set out to capture the textures of those sets. That might explain why, besides the usual EBM heroes, we hear John Foxx in “Purebloods” and Goldfrapp in “Machines,” Depeche Mode in “The Battle,” and Miss Kittin in “Mindfull.”

The entire album is a love letter to the scene Emmon emerged from. The sexiness of “Lips on Fire” is still underlying proceedings, but with a heavier, sequencer-led rhythm section substituting for the electroclash tension. This is serious, grown-up stuff, but it clearly has poptronica in its DNA. RECON is designed for the night.

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Emmon & Emanuel Åström – Purebloods

by coldwarnightlife
written by coldwarnightlife

Ever since Emmon moved in an EBM direction, they have successfully fused their pop background with harder sounds and rhythms. For this track, Emma Nylén is joined on vocals by Agent Side Grinder’s Emanuel Åström, lending a more industrial feel to proceedings.

From the Metamatic-esque opening, “Purebloods” is imprinted with influences from the alternative music scene of the past forty years. The call and response between Nylén and Āström works well over gated saws, and the blend signals good things to come on the next album.

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Emmon – Like a Drum

by coldwarnightlife
written by coldwarnightlife

Sweden’s Emmon has been making great, energetic music for years, so it comes as no surprise that the new material is as solid as steel girders.

The project of Emma Nylén with her partner, Jimmy Monell (producer for The Sounds and Rein), has been one of our favourite Stockholm pop acts. It has taken on harder sounds, as she has reinvigorated her act. Nylén explains:

I was asked to play some songs as support for Nitzer Ebb at Slaktkrykan and it woke me up. During the performance, I realised how much I love to play live and it kicked off the creative processes again.

There is a new album coming called Under Construction. The first glimpse, “Like a Drum,” is intense, sensual, sexy, and grinding in all the right places. It takes our breath away.

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Emmon Take Plunge

by coldwarnightlife
written by coldwarnightlife

Emmon, the highly-regarded poptronica act from Gothenburg, have released a new video for a track lifted from their 2014 album, Aon. “Felix Baumgartner” is a darkly melodic synth track, celebrating the daredevil of the song’s title, who famously jumped from a capsule 39 km in the sky back in 2012. You’d have to be slightly odd to do something as dangerous as Baumgartner, but you’d have to be even stranger not to find this track, featuring Emma Nylen’s magnificent vocals, entirely compelling.

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Emmon – Pitch Black

by coldwarnightlife
written by coldwarnightlife

Emmon’s new album, AON, has just been released as a limited edition package by Wonderland Records. We’re holding our breath for the review copy, but the signs are very promising, if this video is anything to go by. Emma Nylén’s vocals are as strong as ever in this soaring track, the first single to be released from the album.

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