Hey friends, welcome back and a big hello to any readers we may have picked up on the back of our editorial post last week. Although we love writing general opinion pieces like that one, we’re really mostly concerned with writing specifically about the music more than the scene that surrounds it. So if you’re new around these parts, settle in and get ready for a lot of pedantic blathering about industrial, EBM, goth, post-punk, witch house, basically whatever we’re feeling at the moment that fits into out (deliberately loose) purview. We hope you enjoy, or at least are not so annoyed that you leave abusive comments in the section down at the bottom of the post. Since it’s Monday, we’re gonna be running down a few songs we heard an enjoyed over the last 7 days. Check ’em out, and if you enjoy, come back next week for more!

Heckmann, “Dead Daisies”
There was a time in the early aughts when you used to see techno producer Thomas P. Heckmann’s name pretty often in the EBM world, either as a collaborator or remixer. I used to play the hell out of his remix of Nitzer Ebb’s “Join in the Chant” (still probably my favourite version of that classic), there was just something about the way he could make these straight-up club bangers that still felt like body music. I’ll admit I haven’t checked in on him in a while, but am super pleased to see that he’s putting out a crossover EP via the good folks at Complete Control Productions, Sweden’s finest purveyors of straight up EBM in the new classical style. The release, titled Coldwave will be available on 12″ and digitally, check out the pleasingly chilly number embedded below to see if it’d be to your taste.

T.W.A.T, “Trespassers Will Be Shot”
Speaking of Sweden and EBM (for the record, there are very few times when I am actively not speaking about Swedish EBM), the folks at T.W.A.T. released a lil’ demo to remind us that they’re still around and working on new material. The husband and wife duo seem to be stretching out a bit, their debut Blood, Sweat, and Teargas was based largely around the basement electro-punk “OiBM” sound, where this feels a bit more neo-oldschool. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we hear some more from them, the Vancouver Borkaboo Society is always looking for new tunes to soundtrack our vegan pizza parties. Oi!

OLMS, “Voice”
Detroit’s 18 year old darkwave prodigy OLMS ain’t slowing down at all apparently. Having already released a couple of albums and EPs worth of material on Bandcamp, his Soundcloud has recently started blowing up with new numbers in his inimitable style, one that manages to sound authentically old school without coming off as imitative or derivative. It’s hacky to go on at length about an artist’s age IMO, but seriously, if he’s this developed right now it’s crazy to think what he could potentially accomplish with the head start. Keep your eyes peeled and ears opened, he’s going places.

XTR HUMAN, “dysfunction”
Post-punk bands are a dime a dozen these days, and we’re understandably pretty sceptical of most new bands in the genre at this point. Remember in the 90s when every shitty garage band got one of their high school band friends to play trumpet and they were suddenly a pop-punk-ska band? That’s what it feels like right now, if you replace the brass with a synth and a drum machine at any rate. Still, these guys XTR HUMAN have got something going on their debut single, brought to our attention by a healthy cosignature from the folks at Die Selektion. As songs go it has the toe-tapping tempo, and moving bassline we need to get on board, not to mention a healthy amount of grit in the guitar tracks. We’re intrigued, XTR HUMAN, show us what you got.

DSX, “Shifted feat. Zoe Zanias”
Remember the other week when we featured a DSX remix of a Keluar track? Well turns out that was on some tit for tat, as Keluar’s vocalist (Zoe Zanias aka Alison Lewis, ex of Linea Aspera) has lent her voice to a new one for the Dejan Samardzic’s project. Don’t remember whether we’ve mentioned this before, but as huge fans of Haujobb, it’s been really interesting for us to listen to DSX and try to draw lines between what Dejan does on his own and what he’s brought to the collaborative table for so many years. Listen to this and then go back and check for the tweaky, motorized and minimalistic sounds that popped up on 2011’s New World March if you’re inclined to trainspot.