Dubstar, the duo of Sarah Blackwood and Chris Wilkie, are back with an infectious new single.
The pandemic-inspired “Hygiene Strip” is an articulate, melodic pop song with an edge. Dubstar have moved forward strides from their earlier incarnation, and the involvement of producer Stephen Hague (New Order, Whitey) will help to make the track a viral success.
REIN live at TEC 006 (Photo: Aga Slobodzian)
Emerging from the Matrix, high voltage cables still wired to her nervous system, REIN is Reincarnated.
Source code has been rewritten. New subroutines have been programmed. Hardware has been upgraded.
Close DNA analysis reveals an inheritance of EBM, but new styles have been spliced into the twisted double-helix. The result of engineering together with Carli Löf, there are signs of glitch, house, rave and pop in the new sequences. Nitzer Ebb and DAF can fight over paternity, but under the glare of quartz-halogen strobes it is clear that something new has taken shape.
REIN’s evolution has been accelerated. On “Reincarnate,” an ominous introduction gives way to a frenetic rhythm and a manifesto of rebirth. There are stabs reminiscent of 1993’s “I Want Your Body,” reinvented for the age of organic computing. REIN’s vocals kick up the cortisol levels and send your chips into overdrive.
“Release Me” finds a classic hoover patch retooled and repurposed for the modern dancefloor, but there is nothing predictable about it. A consistent theme of REIN’s writing has concerned the need to achieve freedom and authenticity; and she tears at the ties on Reincarnated with intent and confidence. As we noted in January, when “Closer to Reality” was released as a single:
She confounds and exceeds expectations; refusing to be put into anyone else’s box. Rein casts off her chains and takes new forms just as music writers start to close in.
A track like “Reactivity” couldn’t have been written by the shouty men of the EBM scene. They might stare in envy at the harsh stabs layered over Kraftwerkian rhythms, but the shifts into Ciccone territory would never have entered their minds. REIN’s acid disintegration of musical styles breaks all boundaries.
This summer’s hard-edged single, “Bodyhammer,” is as solid as reinforced concrete. With its references to the cult cyberpunk film, Tetsuo II: Body Hammer, and its crashing metal and growling bass, it is a dynamic, driving statement of intent. “Inject me!” she demands, and with this in your veins nothing can stop you.
Gears change for “Dystopia,” which explores broader landscapes more closely allied to Bill Leeb’s Delerium project. REIN keeps the tension going, while the pace slows enough to take in the sonic spectacle of a psychedelic rainforest. The Earth needs change, too.
Then it is time to “Accelerate,” and REIN’s bass programming comes into its own. Like a funkier version of Kraftwerk’s “It’s More Fun to Compute” or TAG’s “Broadcast Test,” the song transports you to an alternate dancefloor with a solid groove and gated vocals. A contender for the next single, surely.
“Off the Grid” made us sit up with its sparking, intense hooks. It still has the power and presence to see off those who would try to box REIN in. Cyberspace cowboys can’t keep up with the scattered packets of data that reassemble when it is time to move.
REIN’s first proper album ends with “Limitless,” but it is clearly the jumping off point for new things without compromise or contrition.
Rico Conning has written for the French icon, Francoise Hardy, and recorded Dusty Springfield, but don’t mistake him for an aging contemporary of Phil Spector.
Conning started out with a guitar, a trombone and a dream in 1970s London. That brought him into the storied space of Blackwing Studios, where his band, The Lines, once showed up as Vince Clarke and Alison Moyet were recording “Only You.” Like Yazoo, The Lines put out two albums with the help of Eric Radcliffe and John Fryer before coming to a conclusion. Inspired by the experience, Conning moved into studio work, quickly developing a reputation for his technical skills and musical ear.
In his new role, Conning went from living in a London squat to working in legendary studios for the Mute and Guerilla labels. He took Depeche Mode and Erasure to the American dancefloor with his 12″ remixes, which drew in the DJs and kids dressed in black. At the same time, he made mixes for Sting, Bill Laswell’s Material, Pankow and Coil, while recording Pere Ubu, Wire and Renegade Soundwave.
As a member of William Orbit’s inner circle, he was closely involved in several of Orbit’s solo albums and key parts of the Guerilla Studio output. Together with Orbit and Laurie Mayer (whose solo album he produced), Conning was a member of Torch Song. As that project faded, he revisited the lost third album of The Lines, which he restored from his base in California. His own solo album, Frogmore, came out in 2017.
Written by Conning for his post-punk band, The Lines, “White Night” has a storied history. Conning, himself, explains the origins:
A severe bout of ‘flu had me bedridden and feverish to the point of hallucination. A spiral-shaped riff revolved in my throbbing cranium, with a simple 4-note motif threading through. A somewhat wafting melody, which crucially went up as the riff went down, had me realizing, as I awoke from the fever, that I had something quite good.
The Lines didn’t achieve major success in London, but they left their mark: “White Night” went on to be covered by Torch Song and Brix Smith’s Adult Net. Dubstar’s Sarah Blackwood recorded a version with William Orbit, but Laurie Mayer ended up singing on Torch Song’s version – as featured in The Texan Chainsaw Massacre 2.
The Lines released their third album, hull down, in 2016.
Test Department occupied Guerilla to record their album, The Unacceptable Face of Freedom, in 1985. South London’s original left-wing metal-bashers asked Conning to remix the track, “Fuckhead,” which then appeared (uncredited) on a single release under “Faces of Freedom 3.”
Conning and Test Department worked together again for their 1987 album, Terra Firma, which involved a lot of strong Belgian beer and a piano.
Conning created three iconic mixes for Depeche Mode. The Black Tulip Mix of “Black Celebration” emphasised the majesty of the original track. The New Town Mix of “A Question of Time” came next, rattling club speakers with rhythms, gentle moans and detuned leads. It set a high bar for remix work but was topped a year later by Conning’s rework of “Strangelove.”
The Blind Mix appeared on the limited edition 12″ version – scooped up by Sire for the US release – and it turned the boys from Basildon into a funky, slick dancefloor spectacle. At the time, Gore’s songwriting was at its peak, Gahan’s vocals were unfazed by drugs, and Alan Wilder’s arrangements were magic. Conning worked alongside Daniel Miller for this mix, which decluttered the original and lifted an already excellent song to another level.
When Depeche Mode’s Martin Gore came up with the idea of making an EP of cover tunes, he asked Conning to produce it.
Gore’s selection included a track by Winston Tong, the Tuxedomoon collaborator. Coincidentally, Conning had worked with Tong on his single, “Theoretical China,” which included a super-group of session musicians: Jah Wobble (PiL); Alan Rankine (The Associates); Stephen Morris (New Order, The Other Two); and Dave Formula (Magazine, Visage).
Gore’s version was considerably simpler: a bare vocal and a couple of synth patches were all that were needed to rival the original.
The mighty Wire were one of the assignments that Mute gave to Conning. The job was a dream come true for Conning, who had been heavily inspired by the work of Graham Lewis and Bruce Gilbert in their Dome side project.
“Eardrum Buzz” was the lead single from IBTABA. Conning took it away, polished it to a sparkling shine, and returned a bright pop track aimed at the charts. It narrowly missed its target, but it hasn’t been tarnished by time.
When he moved on from his Fad Gadget persona, Frank Tovey started making music for the people, rather than popular music. Conning was signed up to co-produce Tovey’s most overtly socialist album, Civilian, which – perhaps in a backlash against the commercial intentions and production polish of the first Tovey album, Snakes and Ladders – saw the synths and computers traded for guitars and drums.
Belgium’s finest export, after beer and chocolate, Front 242 turned to Conning for a remix of “Gripped by Fear.” The version he turned in was a dance track influenced by the au current house sounds of Guerilla Records.
Conning turned up just as Swans were about to change state. Michael Gira had recruited the singer Jarboe to join the act, and it transformed the band’s sound. The album they made with Conning, Children of God, showed a turn towards gothic rock, as evidenced by the single, “New Mind.”
Conning travelled to socialist Slovenia to record Laibach, carrying equipment and banknotes. The band surprised him by shifting direction from their earlier work, going for a cover of Opus’ “Live Is Life,” in English and German. Confounding expectations is what Laibach do best, and recasting a trite German pop song as a military march in the shadow of the mountains where Tito’s partisans fought could hardly have been obvious.
Conning’s work at Guerilla kept him in the swim of the London club sound, and he was part of the team working on Mark Moore’s epic, “Mantra for a State of Mind.” It narrowly missed the top 20, but how many 11′ 33″ dance tracks can you name that reached higher?
Straight out of Rutland, Centre Excuse is the indietronica duo of Teddy Lewis and Alex Rush. That’s Alex in the Logan’s Run top.
Their new album, Favourite Soul, is fuelled with the sounds and feelings of The Cure, Depeche Mode and The Delays, but it is lit with an original spark.
The album combusts with “Fly Free,” a driving track that sounds like the creative child of Graham Lewis and Martin Gore, with Leaether Strip acting as midwife.
Did you think that Depeche Mode have already taken the vocabulary of self-loathing for their song titles? Nope. “Worthless” was still available, and it provides an opening for the duo to explore the dark night of the soul.
“Moon, Sky and Stars” uses old school synth patches to great effect, while the hook in the chorus sticks in the ear long after the track has finished. It should be the next James Bond theme song.
The first single from the album, “Joy Joy Joy,” is included, along with its soaring chorus and p-machinery.
“Thank You (For Moving Me Up)” is the kind of song that crowds will love to sing along with. That is, if we are ever allowed to meet in crowds again.
With this album, Centre Excuse are on fire. Let them scorch your soul.
Sweden’s godfathers of post-punk, Twice a Man, have released a new single from their recent album, On the Other Side of the Mirror.
“Naked” comes as a digital package, led by a club remix by Alien Waveform. The single edit is accompanied by further remixes by Anna Öberg and Karl Gasleben, Dan Söderqvist, and Charles Storm (Exit North, Blue for Two, Strasse). A new track, “Thirsty,” appears as the virtual B-side.
The intensity and majesty of the original is only expanded by the remix treatment.
(Photo: Krichan Wihlborg)
A British music journalist famously noted of DAF that the duo broke up because they had simply exhausted the possibilities of the 16-step sequencer. Electronic body music can often sound derivative and same-same, precisely because there are mathematical limits to the number of original basslines that can be created within the genre.
It is a pleasure, therefore, to receive the new EP from Strikkland. A Gift of Solitude provides four tracks that escape the rigid confines of the genre while celebrating its muscularity.
The Gothenburg duo of Henrik Johansson and Henric Ceder rely upon some old-school equipment to make their music, including the Alesis Ion, Polivoks-M, Ensoniq SQ1 and Casio CZ-1000. They certainly use it to generate some great sounds.
The set opens with “Kinky Sophisticated Gentleman,” a paen to BDSM. Where Depeche Mode teased about something a lot like love, Strikkland are less coy. Play it loud and dance to the rhythm of the lash.
“Truth Will Unfold” provides a more nuanced experience. There are strings to provide atmosphere, and great patches from the lead, but the duo’s secret weapon is a sense of timing to create dramatic tension. They avoid the four-to-the-floor repetition of much EBM to generate an experience well worth returning to.
It’s all about the bass in EBM, and “Beneath the Towers” has a blinder, full of urgency and tension. The lead line played over it provides a sense of drama, while Johansson’s vocals growl insistently and metal rattles.
“Birds of Prey” is another prime specimen of dark electro. In a world where predators pretend to be peacocks, an understanding of ornithology can be very helpful.
From her hideaway on the edge of Europe, the global traveller and experimental artist Sarah Badr – working under the name of her main music project, FRKTL – has created a new electro-acoustic masterpiece.
Excision After Love Collapses is a tense, brooding album. Coming three years after the Prose Edda EP, it stuns with its complexity and dark beauty.
Recorded in Germany, Eygpt and Latvia, the new material plays on the nerves; strumming the axons like guitar strings.
The album opens with “Sidereal II,” a drone that merges with mechanics. The short piece is like an orchestra warming up on the edge of sanity. What follows is challenging, emotionally, just as it is aesthetically striking.
“Fire Upon the Deep” is reminiscent of the drawn out, haunting choirs of Test Department’s most atmospheric work. It creates a chilling ambience that continues in “Gestalt Approach.”
“Eigenspace” is a combination of the naturalism of Pierre Perret’s Gaïa, La Terre and the processed sounds of Test Department’s “Corridor of Cells.” These layers are joined by rhythms only briefly; teasing the
The claustrophobia of the title track is almost overwhelming. Bowed sounds and scraped percussion, scratched discs and reverb create a sense of psychological pressure usually only experienced at dark sites operated by the East European members of NATO on behalf of Washington.
This is the most intense FRKTL work to date. It doesn’t shatter expectations so much as expose them to unexpected touches. The feeling lasts long after the speakers are silent.
Hannah Peel has unveiled her soundtrack for the new TV series, The Deceived.
The multi-instrumentalist and composer is keeping busy: she has recently appeared on the new John Foxx and The Maths album, Howl; Paul Weller’s chart-topping album, On Sunset, leaned on her orchestral skills; and she scored a recent BBC documentary about Lee Miller. This new material finds her exploring her sonic palette to maintain a sense of tension and drama:
I approached this in the same way as a full film score. I’m a fan of Hitchcock and of course the incredible Bernard Herrmann scores that always leave a wonderful aural aftertaste. The obsessive romance of Vertigo played on my mind a lot, but The Birds was my main grounding for inspiration. The use of field recordings and electronic manipulations created a unique soundscape. This really came into play for a lot of my audio source material, which I recorded on set. I spent a day on set recording sounds specific to the old house to be able to work into the soundscape of the score. Unnerving atmospheres from crystal cut glass, sub-bass creaks from the front door: with electronic manipulation they became a foundation for me to score the strings on top of.
The Deceived is on Channel 5 in the UK now. Peel’s soundtrack comes out on 7 August 2020 through Silva Screen Records.
Photo of Hannah Peel by Paul Heartfield. Thanks to Zoe Miller @ Zopf PR.