Review: Next Wave Acid Punx DEUX marks the second electrifying compilation from Eskimo Recordings, masterfully curated by Berlin-based musician and DJ Luca Venezia, aka Curses. Spanning some 50 tracks - this extensive collection weaves a captivating narrative connecting the dots between industrial pioneers like Throbbing Gristle, EBM legends Nitzer Ebb, and the post-punk experimentation of Malcolm McLaren or Big Audio Dynamite, all the while introducing us to contemporary talents such as Boy Harsher, Nuovo Testamento, and Years of Denial. With direct inspirations coming from personal voyages through Luca Venezia's record collection during lockdown - DEUX transports us through a hazy, pulsating clubland from yesteryear where a sonic journey pulls together other talent like The KVB, Jennifer Touch, Kris Baha and a selections of Curses own remixes and revamps.
Review: Following some great releases by the likes of Niv Ast, Tom Sharkett and Man Power, Optimo Music Digital Danceforce is back this week with an offering by a dynamite duo. This one is comprised of Duro chief Theus Mago alongside Curses of Ombra International fame on "Antidoto" , a chugging and hypnotising dark disco journey incorporating atonal guitars and wacky vocals, as well the lo-slung indie dance workout "Dafne" and finally Despo" which like the EP's title track fuses elements of new beat, punk and dub into the mix.
Review: Peter Invasion & Panthera Kraus's Riotvan label bring us a two-tracker that couldn't be more redolent of 1980s Germany if it was hanging around the Bahnhof Zoo, wearing stonewashed jeans and a red, black and orange shellsuit top and worrying about nuclear war! In its Original form, 'Manipulation' is a sleazy, slow-moving synth throbber topped with a vaguely new wave-ish female vocal (in German), while Curses' remix nudges us a bit closer to proto-house territory and strips back most of the vocal in favour of a looped 'M-A-N-I-P-U-L-A-T-I-O-N" chant. For maximum enjoyment, add severe blusher, suck your cheeks in and pose under neon lighting in the rain.
Review: Featuring serious numbers from Curses, Fabrizio Mammarella, Pin Up Club and more - this Borix compilation presents the Best Of Relish VIII. With two badass remixes by Robi Insinna not be be overlooked, Niv Ast drops in with a pumping and slightly tripped out electro number "Tatiana", next to UK beat-poetry of Bozzwell's haunted indie session "Isolation Underground". Fabrizio Mammarella turns up the drums in his contribution via "Magnesium", with a Curses remix of Younger Than Me something of a bonus track that turns in a darkly defiant post punk number that buuurns. Enjoy!
Review: Headman's Relish label bring us the latest in their series of label compilations, with this one gathering together 10 tracks that were originally released over the past half-decade or so. Relish are 20 years old this year, so you should have a pretty good idea what to expect already: indie-dance and synth-led nu-disco with an experimental/leftfield edge have long been the label's stock-in-trade, and so it is here. Justine Forever's idiosyncratic cover of Siouxsie & The Banshees' 'Happy House' and the Cure-ish guitars on Mondowski's 'Surfin' Hell' evidence a slightly goth-y edge, too, but the standout for yours truly is Red Axes' remix of Gina X's 'No G.D.M' - think ESG meet The B-52s.
Review: Founded in 2012, Madrid's Play Pal Music specialise in "new wave, post-punk, synths & guitars, fat bass, nu-disco, leftfield and anything in-between". That gives you an idea what to expect from this 15-track label compilation, as crossover styles like the punk-funk of late 70s New York, the new beat of late 80s Belgium and even the electro stylings of mid-00s Hoxton get thrown into the blender and mashed up into one gloriously sleazy, neon-lit, leather-clad dancefloor showdown that manages to be both a retro/nostalgic delight and forward-thinking at the same time. If 'Drop The Deal' or 'Walk The Night' are in your classics box, this is one to check for sure.
Review: For Relish's seventh compilation style EP, Headman has gathered together a particularly strong set of tracks for those who like their disco grooves to come with a big dash of post-punk attitude. Sample-obsessed studio bod Sutja Gutierrez leads the way with "I'm Wild, Oh I See", an undeniably hypnotic mid-tempo chugger rich in intoxicating musical elements and foreboding, end-of-days noises. Milanese newcomer Younger Than Me drags the dark Italo and twisted new wave vibes of Curses' "Her Violence Beauty" further towards thrusting peak-time dancefloor territory, while French vocalist and producer Justine lays down a fantastic, minimalist new wave synth-pop cover of Siouxsie and the Banshees' classic "Happy House".
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