We usually have a few logs in the fire over here at I Die: You Die, and the one we’re hoping to get together for our fifth anniversary at the end of June is not a inconsiderable one. It’s the sort of thing we’ve always talked about doing, and with the days going by faster and faster (read: we’re getting indescribably old, or at least feeling that way most of the time) it seemed like the right time to get those wheels in motion. Of course it’s way to early to tell you about any of it, partially because we’re only just getting a grip on it ourselves, and partially because it’s way more fun to give hints for the next six months. What could it be? Let your imaginations run wild friends, and while you do, enjoy this week’s Tracks.
Comaduster, “Emergent One”
There is a moment in this new song from Réal Cardinal that defiantly casts aside a lot of ideas about rhythm and composition and enters some very different realms of musicality. It’s the kind of thing we’ve come to expect from Comaduster, the breaking apart of genres and expectations and reassembling them into familiar but unique forms. We’ve been waiting for a long while to the follow up to 2013’s untouchable Hollow Worlds and may be waiting a bit longer, but this standalone single will hold us down for a few months as we explore its tiny galaxy of sounds. Buy it on Bandcamp why don’t you?
Mlada Fronta, “Melt Into The Road”
Look’s like Mlada Fronta’s fiercely dug into the outrun electro sound which was hinted at on his Polygon LP a year back and further explored on the Night Run EP. Now, Rémy Pelleschi’s going for broke like someone flooring the gas in the arcade, trying to reach the next time extension checkpoint, with an album bluntly titled Outrun. How will a veteran producer with so many releases and such a wide creative reach fare in a field predominantly made up of younger heads simulating aesthetics which predate their own birth? Tune in soon to find out, dear readers…
Ohm vs. Slighter, “Lights Out (Cyanotic Remix)”
We showcased a demo version of this collab between Ohm’s Craig Joseph Huxtable and Slighter, aka 16 Volt & FLA associate and producer Colin C about a year back. Slow-grinding, hi-fi textures abound on the original, which are augmented by some in the cut EBM programming by Sean Payne on his Cyanotic remix on the newly officially released four-track single. As was shown on Ohm’s excellent 2013 debut, Huxtable has vocal chops which had gone hitherto underutilized in his Landscape Body Machine project, and this tune shows him building on that work and instantly finding the right spot for himself in this track’s mix of slink and grime. Not sure if this is a one-off or what, but it’s whetted our appetite for new Ohm stuff.
Venal Flesh, “Grotesque (Self-Portrait)”
We’re far enough removed from classic Terror EBM that it was probably only a matter of time before someone put together a revival of sorts. And in fact it is coming around, specifically via Worms of the Earth’s Dan Barrett and DJ Vanity Kills, whose debut as Venal Flesh is due soon from Alfa Matrix. All the classic aggrotech markers are here, the distorted vox and portentuous samples. But there’s also a depth to the sound and an intelligence in how it’s put together structurally that sets it apart from the umpteen acts that tanked the sound a decade or so ago. Have a gander; we’ll be definitely giving this some spins when it arrives on March 18th.
genCAB, “Channel the Past (Single Mix)”
genCAB is a pretty cult act in the industrial scene, a project that never really broke through in a major ways but has a cadre of very loyal supporters who continue to sing the praises of their small catalogue. For those folks the news of a new single from David Dutton is likely to be a big deal, especially where it promises that the band are moving forward from their sole official LP, 2008’s II transMuter. New single was co-produced and mixed by Aesthetic Perfection’s Daniel Graves, which may account for its slick, modern styling and dancefloor potential.
Pelada, “No Hay”
Finally, a hard as fuck techno-EBM single (with plenty of acid splashed on the B-side) outta Montreal. Tobias Rochman’s worked with our local heroes Cosmetics in the past, but there’s nothing of their druggy new beat haze to be found in this synth bass or in Chris Vargas’ aggro Spanish vocals. Serious fire.
Wow, what a great selection of tracks! Solid stuff all around, although i think the biggest take away from this for me will be the existence of genCAB. Listening to II transMuter now and I think Dutton just gained a new loyal supporter.
Yeah, I wasn’t super familiar with genCAB until a forum post put me onto that album. It’s good stuff!