Back catalogue: Coldwave/Synth

Review: Khidi rolls out another anniversary EP here and it is another various artists affair that takes no prisoners. On their opener, Ancient Methods & OTHR bring some hellish metal and industrial overtones to the stomping, vicious 'Vast Vanishing' with its horror-core vocals. Roman & Boyd Chidt don't let up but offer a more linear and streamlined bit of stomping techno pressure. Silent Servant unleashes lashings of metallic synths over his signature tech sounds and then the floating loops of Unhuman & Vulkanski suspend you just above a rusty old factory floor.

Review: RECCOMENDED
Full marks for appropriate titles, it's always very enticing to see an EP packed with six different artists when those artists make music that wants to be noticed and differentiated. Here Underground Pacific has delivered a package oozing attitude and personality, but fully committed to the cold-synth wave ethos. Dark, gnarling, filthy, groovy, psychedelic, industrial, and more infectious than most, we challenge anyone to drop anything from this and not feel sexy and twisted.

Definitely one for fans of Manfredas, Kiara Scuro, Optimo and the like, while everything here was conceived in the same sonic womb, it really showcases how much can be done with one sound. The brooding and building chug of 'Soulside Twins', which is halfway between 1AM club weapon and a Bond theme lost at the disco, Alf Champion's electro-fused stepper, the subtly intensifying vibe of 'Manipulation' - exceptional.

Review: A mighty fine collaboration is facilitated by Kill The DJ here as Tel Aviv duo Red Axes team up with Chloe 'C.A.R.' Raunet for the suitably titled Car Axes 12" - we hope this is the start of a beautiful and long-lasting musical relationship! The three original tracks here were seemingly laid down in various locations in Tel Aviv and London, but what unifies them is the ease with which Red Axes and Raunet evidently feel working together. Modern cold wave is hard to pull off but this trio achieve it with a degree of nonchalance that would impress the genre's early 80s pioneers! Il Est Vilaine and Horrors man Tom Furse contribute fine revisions of "Incognito" with the latter's Cosmic Dub particularly rewarding in it's widescreen panorama.

Review: Berlin-based Ombra International love all things post-punk and Italo disco, and they continue to represent that fusion in style on their 21st release. First up HLM brings a heavy wash of synths to 'En Ecailles' before Tony Y Not get into a twanging new wave vibe on 'How About Lily'. Kimshies has a sleazier sound to offer up, while Rees pushes all manner of vintage arpeggios at the behest of 'Lucifer's Tango'. That leaves it to Endrik Schroeder to finish the set with the atmospheric 'Rainy Days', a perfect tribute to washed out 80s post-punk with a strong dose of disco pumping in its veins.

Review: Back in 1986, producer, vocalist and synthesizer wizard Koharu Kisaragi joined forces with Japanese electronic music legend Ryucihi Sakamoto for a collaborative 12" single. Now considered something of an off-kilter, head-in-the-clouds synth-pop classic by those of a Balearic persuasion, original copies regular change hands for large sums online. Hence this handy reissue from new label Lag. It begins with the mutant electronic funk of "Neo Plant" - think big '80s production, sampled noises, cascading synthesizer melodies, rubbery jazz-funk bass and decidedly post-punk vocals from Kisaragi, before moving on to the real standout highlight: a sublime chunk of folksy, piano-laden, vocal ambient entitled "Traumerei". Closer "Tail", a jaunty snippet containing traditional Sri Lankan instrumentation, is also superb.

Review: Testlab Records' latest release transports us back to 1982 and the obscure, rare recordings of Dutch post-punk band Necronomicon and their Fetisj label-mates Rite De Passage. On the A-side you'll find a trio of cuts, most of which were featured on a now impossible-to find cassette called Sport. Necronomicon offers up 'Mimi', a new wave dancefloor number built around elastic slap-bass, lo-fi drum machine beats and spacey synths, and the similarly rubbery vocal number 'Join', while there's also a chance to enjoy Rite De Passage's early Visage-esque 'Lord Randall'. That track gets the 21st century remix treatment on the flip: Mitra Mitra delivers a heavier, more tooled-up club revision, before ARN4L2 opts for bouncy, Afro-house influenced drums and blissful synth melodies.

Review: Taki Naki Naki is an Italian curio from 1988 which has titillated diggers for decades now. Raduan isn't especially well known, but he worked with Lino Rufo on one other single in 1991 which was also coveted by those mining the mellow Balearic sound. Now Tempo Dischi have picked up on this cult record and given it a delightful fresh pressing with subtly embellished artwork that, to be honest, improves on the original. Musically, 'Taki Naki Naki' is everything an Italian curveball should be, rolling at that iconic cosmic tempo, loaded with off-kilter synth lines and striking a mood somewhere between joyous and melancholic, full of passion and funky in that curiously Southern European way.

Review: Gerard Papasimakopoulos and Lucas Savidis aka The Rattler Proxy are making some of the best electro / sci-fi score music in Athens, Greece. The former takes care of the vocal end, while the latter indulges in deep, metallic synthesizers and together they are quickly carving their own sound and musical aesthetic. The title track "Death Machine" sits somewhere between Joy Division and the later cold-wave sound of the mid-to-late eighties, and Canada's Jokers Of The Scene transform it into a slow-stepping, synthed-out groover with an awesome array of mild pads and starry atmospherics. "Company Of The Wolves" is faster, break-ridden and owl-eyed, whereas Antoni Maiovvi's remix of the title track is perhaps the gem of the lot - an EBM kinda jam with plenty of shaking and low-end filth. Class.

Review: Alex Hobson and Dimitris Kyvellos run the Kasseta Record Shop in Athens and now they've started a record label called Lurid Music. Their first release comes from The Rattler Proxy, aka Gerard Papasimakopoulos (vocals) and Lucas Savidis (synths), whose influences stem from bands and artists like Suicide and John Carpenter. Their first release certainly doesn't hold back with Papasimakopoulos' James Ray-like vocals screaming throughout both "McReady's Blues" and "Mr Sham" like he's had a kettle of hot water poured all over him, while Savidis helms the electronics, pushing up gushes of white noise, powering down heavy distortion and arranging rattling drum sequences. Timothy J Fairplay then delivers a dubby, almost Doctor Who-like synth remix of "Mr Sham".

Review: Vivod label boss Ali Renault pays tribute to his late friend Peter Mangalore of Human Shield on this moody new EP of twisted electronics. 'Northdown Acid' opens up in downbeat fashion, with glass Italo melodies and busted bass on a rugged groove. 'Imminent Salad' picks its head up to ride a chunky, organic house beat with glistening synths and 'Peter Summoning' is misty and pensive ambient interlude. 'Forbidden Mind' drags its heels to sombre effect, with splashes of cymbal and heavy finger clicks heightening the melancholy. 'Nawce Blizzard' rounds out the EP on a sense of hope and optimism.

Review: Launched just over a year ago by former Heartbreaker Ali Renault, Vivod has garnered something of a cultish following amongst those with more experimental inclinations. An inaugural release from Renault that featured both meaty EBM and Will Powers at the wrong speed disco freakery has been followed by some lesser known talents that fully convey Vivod's diverse manifesto. Subsequent 12?s from NCW & Piss and Mild Peril couldn't sound any different, touching on early wave, expansive kosmische and deep Balearica, and Renault's return with the SanSicario EP , Vivod"s fourth release, continues in this fashion. Pensive analogue boogie is the best way to describe A Side track "Shnin", which has some neck snapping percussion that Dilla would be proud of, whilst the B Side title track retains the level of melodic and textural warmth whilst operating at a tempo Renault fans will be more familiar with. Check the official video on YouTube too for some North London KISS fans getting psychedelic off play-doh vibes.

Review: "Hope is not passive. Hope is not blah blah blah. Hope is telling the truth." So said the world's most visible climate activist Greta Thunberg in her pre-COP26 speech in Milan, blasting world leaders for inadequate (or near-non-existent) responses to the environmental crisis. Given we're 12 months down the line and the vast majority of promises made at said 2021 climate summit have not been actioned, with emissions continuing to climb, it's unsurprising direct action has turned much more direct and disruptive this year, and people are now sampling the young orator to amplify her message through music.

If that sounds like it may lack subtlety, fear not. Renude19 have managed to achieve something pretty difficult - a protest dancefloor track that doesn't ram things down your throat and works very well without you knowing that context. Essentially a dystopian-vibed broken beat synth workout with electro-pop vocals and occasional "Blah blah blah" hook, it's timely and well executed.

Review: Stuttgart based trio Rework hand in another slice of electro-pop- inflected house for Meant after a slew of releases for the likes of Visionquest and Items & Things. They start things off with the slow Italo influenced groove of "Too Forward" and the nu-coldwave ballad "Hardcore". They turn up the heat on the infectious, electroclashy thriller "Overdosed", complete with Sascha Hedgehog's deadpan yet sexy vocals and some killer arpeggios! There's the minimal tech house groove of "Candy & Kong" too, for added dancefloor artillery. There's a couple of killer remixes, we might add: "Candy & Kong" gets a trippy techno re-rub by m_nus affiliated minimalists Click Box, an epic remix that clocks in at just under 12 minutes!

Review: Big week for Dutch imprint Gooiland Elektro who bring on the maximum possible bleakness; first with Radko and now with the foreboding hydra that is Roberto Auser and Melting Dogma. Auser aka Derk Reneman on side A contributes the typically Dutch greyscale electro snarl of 'Man With Dead Leg' followed by a mental slow techno cut 'Imperative'. On the flip, Melting Dogmas, a side project of 4cantons, continues to go at it full force with the hypnotic 303 tunnel vision of 'Wanting To Be With' followed by the body bashing IDM fury of 'Indistinguishable Indications'.

Review: After three years, the original Italian master of angular, electronic disco is back on wax. The good news is that The Hidden Game is prime Robotnick material: thrusting and mind-altering robo-disco that sits somewhere between muscular sweatiness and far-sighted dancefloor futurism. The veteran producer doffs a cap to his own Italo-disco history on cheery opener 'Green Past' - all bubby, arpeggio-driven analogue bass, colourful chords and jaunty synthesizer melodies - while title track 'The Hidden Game' is creepier, more alien-sounding and blessed with both squelchy synth-bass and Giallo style chords and melodies. Fellow Italian producer Marco Passarani delivers a surging, swirling, retro-futurist Italo-disco tweak of that track, before Robotnick rounds things off via the loved-up, Metro Area-goes-Italo-disco flex of 'And Here It Comes Again'.

Review: Back by popular demand comes this four track revisitation of the famous 80s synthpop classic, which emerged in December 2024 with the kind of slightly Euro twist in the vocal department you might expect from the Netherlands-based Random Vinyl stable. The Master Mix is perhaos the most poignant, given that its airy, lush pads were put together by the late producer Marc Hartman who very sadly passed away in August 2024 at the far too young age of 58. But all four show due reverence to this monolithic moment in electronic music history, without resisting the temptation to add a little new. Grey-t stuff.

Review: The 11th release on Random Vinyl finds Pax Romax featuring Brian Ice paying to respect to an original masterpiece while also serving it up for a new generation of ears. First up is the extended remix of 'Fade To Grey' which is a deep and cosmic disco workout with libidinous vocals. '2067' is a second production by Pax Romax that layers up jittery arps and twirling pads with a low-slung disco groove. The "Steve's Strange mix" is a codeine paced retro-future disco trip with standout synths and the Master Mix is more airy with lush pads up top was made by the late great Marc Hartman who passed away in August 2024 at only 58 years of age and serves as "Marc's epic swan song as we say, in Dutch," explains his label partner.

Review: Fans of electro and wave sounds old and new should light up at the mere mention of a new release from Mark Warner. In the eighties, Warner was a key member of Sudeten Creche, whilst lately he's been colluding with fellow icon Andy Oppenheimer under the name Touching The Void. In addition to this, Warner has also been working on Rossetti's Compass, a project that was founded initially as a solo outlet for darker strains of synth and electro but has taken on a new energy since Per Aksel Lundgreen got involved. Released by Genetic Music offshoot No Emb Blanc, Tea Garden is the second EP from Rosetti's Compass in under a year and focuses on a gothic yet playfully dramatic approach to synth, EBM and electro.

Review: Orange Tree Edits are back once again with more of that super fruity dance floor juiciness. Jimmy Rouge is the man at the controls this time and he wastes no time in heading off to the stars with the cosmic disco workout that is 'Bay Leaf' and its stiff retro arps. 'Rounders' sinks into a more laid-back vibe, with late night chords and gently tumbling drum breaks perfect for seaside dancing. 'Night Train' is a real cosmic chugger with spangled synths spiraling round the mix and 'Fever Dream' then locks you into a lush late-night reverie with lo-fi boogie bass.

Review: The man, the legend. Well, to those paying attention, anyway. 20 years in the game, Ilija Redman only seems to get stronger, carving out a niche for himself as both one of the best 'cosmic' DJs and a master producer of throwback 1980s boogie, weirdo disco, proto-electro and psychedelic chug, having graced the likes of Bear Funk and Is It Balearic?, and presented work on his own imprints Red Music and Imogen Recordings. On Pulsar Diaries he turns his deft talent to a slightly curveball sound compared to the usual stomping grounds, crafting warm synth wave from drum machine grooves and spaced out melodies. Purposeful beats and pieces meet the kind of tones that make you feel as though the tether has broken and you are adrift, floating through deep space with only rhythms to guide you.

Review: Philip Demuth aka Rutes bursts through the scene with an EP for Sascha Mambo's Guillaume De Bois' Macadam Mambo, so its fingers on the pulse, and ears wide open on our end. The label has been amongst our favourites over the last three years, and we respect the fact that they only put out quality gear, leaving the hype for others. "Dance Exotique", as the name implies, is a deep and mystical journey through throbbing percussion and Eastern voices, but "Why Don't You?" moves to murkier, more funked-out territories that only hint at the present of house. On the B-side, this excellent - and warmly recommended - EP transports the listener through shades of forward-thinking boogie on "Tick Tack", and melodic, DDR-themed pseudo house with "Bi Bop A Lula". Quality.