synthpop – Enfant Terrible

Back to the roots

At the pressing plant is the “Orion” 12″ EP by French band Cérémonie… I consider this a sort of back to the roots release for Enfant Terrible… the past few years I did not release much 80’s inspired and/or influenced music… or at least not strictly… this as not much music in that music field is interesting to me… the quality and originality is simply not there most of the time…

Still if you listen to the RADKO LP and some other recent releases on Gooiland Elektro for example you will hear that there is very often something there of these roots in the music I release on my label… whether it is synthpop, new wave, post-punk or post-industrial… there are traces to be found…

Anyway when it comes to rather strict 80’s influenced music Cérémonie is an exception to me… so here we are… realising the debut vinyl of this band!

The record is expected before summer… always depending on what the pressing plant will do… but I have good hopes…

Julinko

The Italian synth/dreampop band Diverting Duo have started a label of their own called Tiny Speaker. The first release is by Julinko a band formed in Prague in 2015. This duo released a cd-r before so this new release is their official debut album… which comes on cd only.

I am totally impressed by the track and video online from this album… this piece entitled “Ruins” is a pitch black song… darkwave like but without the obvious gothic cliches… it reminds me somewhat of Lycia… it makes me quite anxious to hear the complete album…

Here is the video of “Ruins” taken from the album “Sweet Demon” which is out now!

Uncanny Valley

Uncanny Valley is quite a young and new band… only formed in 2015 in London… they play a sort of new wave and post-punk style of synth pop… it is poppy but also quite unpolished at the same time… the vocals are a sort of crooner style… which makes the music a bit reminiscent of Agent Side Grinder… but it is less industrial as the early ASG sound and more playful…

The debut EP is a 4 track 12″ record released by the band themselves (go get it here…)… the whole release is a solid statement as a debut and features the absolute should be cult hit “Nowhere To Nowhere”… if you are into synth pop/ new wave / post-punk this piece is worth the purchase of the record… whether you like the other 3 tracks or not… enjoy this great tune below!

Staatseinde – The Lost In Time Tapes

Even to my own surprise Staatseinde celebrates its tenth (!!) anniversary this year… the band started back in 2006… but in between 2007 and 2009 they were on non-active. After this hiatus I came in contact with the band and we started to work together.

StaatseindeK7 During all these years the band changed musicians several times… from being a duo to a five man/woman outfit back to the duo they are right now… with this change in band members the sound also changed from time to time…

To showcase this little history the band released a cassette with 15 tracks… when listening to this collection you hear the shifts in sounds while at the same time the selection is still quite cohesive… what the band also is doing with this tape is presenting their unique synth pop style… influences from Neue Deutsche Welle and touches of Dada pop… from a synth soundscape to a bouncing track… it is all here…

You can get this tape from the band at concerts.

new sounds from the last few months: Brannten Schnüre and Diverting Duo

Two releases I enjoyed a lot these last weeks are the debut LP by Diverting Duo and the debut vinyl release by Brannten Schnüre .

“Desire” by Diverting Duo was released in October on Etch Wear… the Norwegian label run by one of the Europ Europ members… Diverting Duo themselves are from Italy and are indeed a duo… music wise their sound is a mix of synthpop and shoegaze… rather melanchcholy and soothing… and for sure the band is inspired by Julee Cruise… not only vocally… a really nice and even sweet record…

The other record which really caught my intention is the first vinyl release by German Brannten Schnüre… who is of course one of the two musicians behind Diamantener Oberhof and who is also known as Agnes Beil… the LP “Sommer Im Pfirschichhain” is at a few point reminiscent of the Diamanter Oberhof LP… as it features the same mix of dreamy electronic soundscapes and touches of folklore music… but most of the pieces are much more like dreamscapes… becoming ritual at some points… even to the point it reminds me a bit of the ambient pieces by The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath A Cloud…

Here is one of the pieces by Brannten Schnüre…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO4_hwDU7tw&w=560&h=315]

And here one song from Diverting Duo…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Trqb2Zk6U4&w=560&h=315]