Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU, an all-Swedish synth show (aside from the new Säkert! single of course):
01. Säkert! - Fredrik
02. TALK 1
03. The Knife - Girls' night out
04. Optic Nest - Thirst
05. Dmitry Fyodorov - Thinking of space
06. TALK 2
07. Strip Music - Oh my god
08. The Kid - Transient dance
09. Universal Poplab - I could say I'm sorry (Zeigeist remix)
10. TALK 3
11. Pearl Fiction - The ruby fever
12. Adolf Filter - 1982
13. Agent Side Grinder - Life in advance
14. TALK 4
15. Adolphson & Falk - Blinker blå
16. Ståålfågel - Stålfågeln
17. Kite - Ways to dance
18. TALK 5
Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.
is putting together a limited C20 comp to be given away at their upcoming label night on February 27 at Gifgrond in Tilborg, Holland. Said comp will feature two tracks from each of the featured Swedish acts performing that night: Adolf Filter, Kord and Monster Apparat, a collaboration of the first two bands playing together. Read more/hear samples: http://www.enfant-terrible.nl/ET003.html
Coming soon via When Skies Are Grey, the label run by Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words: "Undergången - An Audio Companion To The End-tymes", a 120-minute cassette comp of international darkwave/noise artists including contributions from Swedes such as Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words, Jean-Louis Huhta, The Skull Defekts, Adolf Filter and lots more. Copies are not available to order yet, but I'll definitely be grabbing a few for resale. Hit up the Dead Letters tumblr for samples: http://dreadwords.tumblr.com/
I barely keep up with industrial/EBM at all anymore, but I did go through a period in my teens when I was all about it, so I think I'll always have a soft spot for the stuff, especially early Wax Trax such as pre-guitar/"Alain" Jourgenson/electropop era Ministry. Taken into consideration, it's fitting that I find myself really enjoying the new Emmon album since it's so reminiscent of that era -- well-crafted, melodic-yet-dark electronic pop. And not dark like faux-vampire/mesh shirt dark, just minor key and beautiful. I still enjoy the minimalist and intentionally primitive music of acts such as Agent Side Grinder or Adolf Filter, but quality pop songs always win in the end and "Secrets & lies" is a great one, especially with the long buildup to the point that the heavier beats come in. I also appreciate the moderate tempo; yet another hallmark of earlier times, not to mention maturity and craftsmanship. I'm sure people will still find ways to dance ridiculously, should it comes on at your local goth nite, but it doesn't have to be that way.
01. Detektivbyrån - Partyland
02. TALK 1
03. Björn Kleinhenz - At night we die
04. Hjertestop - Illegalt signal
05. Idoru - Chase
06. TALK 2
07. Fever Ray - If I had a heart (instrumental edit)
08. Champagne Riot - Scandinavian warfare
09. Caesars Palace - Only you
10. José González - How low
11. TALK 3
12. Alarma Man - Nightwolf
13. Adolf Filter - 1982
14. Brick - Ha ha ha
15. TALK 4
16. Auton - El Dorado
17. Gutted String - Feeling small
18. The Bombettes - It ain't me babe
19. Tiger Lou - Trust falls
20. I'm from Barcelona - Headphones
21. TALK 5
22. Kite - Ways to dance
Reminder: my show airs on Sirius Left of Center (channel 26) at 11pm ET with repeats on Monday at the same time.
Okay, time for some real coldwave, or at least a close approximation thereof. I won't pretend to be an expert (not even close), so I must defer to label Enfant Terrible and their description, as they are far more learned on the various subtle differences in the world of dark electronic music subgenres. What I do know for sure is that Adolf Filter's "1982" sounds like it came from 1982. Like I was saying yesterday, the sound is dark and dismal, minimalist and purely analog. Cold and robotic, too. It's danceable, but it doesn't beat you over the head with heavy beats (though they do go that way on other tracks). I like the monotone of the vocal delivery, the grimy sheen of the recording. Tailor-made for small, dark spaces, don't you think? Try and fit it in to your Halloween dancefloor mix; that's what I'd do. I bet it'll even sound better on vinyl when the 7" is finally ready.
Dutch EBM/industrial label Enfant Terrible (Agent Side Grinder) will be putting out a new 7" from Swedish duo Adolf Filter on their Petit Enfant imprint. Go here for details and samples: http://www.enfant-terrible.nl/pe004.htm