It seems weird that year is almost half-over. With the beginning of festival season (shout out to everyone hitting up WGT) and the growing list of forthcoming releases on our desk we’re starting to get the general shape of the year in terms of Our Thing, although the eclecticism of the music being produced by artists we follow and new acts we’re feeling makes pinning an identity on 2019 a bit difficult. Suffice to say that we’re super excited by what we’ve seen so far, and even moreso to see what is yet to come. Hit these Tracks for a taste.

Note: This post previously contained a track by Blush Response. It has since been removed for reasons detailed here.

Bustié

Bustié delivering tropical horticultural fantasy.

Body of Light, “Time to Kill”
A welcome return from Body of Light, “Time to Kill” is the first taster from the Jarson brothers’ follow-up to their exceptional Let Me Go LP a few years in 2016. That album served as something of a tour of synthpop and related-styles, so we’re very intrigued by what the new track (produced by Matia from Inhalt) suggests; yeah, the melodies and lush synthwork is still there, but some stuttering samples and funky bass programming suggest some intriguing directions the LP might take. Either way, we’re in the tank for these Arizonians, bring it on Dais!

Bustié, “Conversion To Perversion”
Bustié is a project that’s been building steam in LA for the past few years, emerging out of the dissolution of Ssleaze, and is now finally ready for their close-up with debut LP Birds Of Paradise. If you’re hip to core member Pogo Pope’s diverse but invariably seamy tastes you’ll be able to pick out specific influences from deathrock to classic electro to newer forms of stripped down body music, but even if this is your first pass at Bustié a track like this one impresses with slinky unity.

Cervello Elettronico, “Controlling Systems”
Speaking of techno-bunker bangers, our boy David Christian looks to be aiming for just such a milieu with TOP DED CTR, the first Cervello Elettronico LP since 2016, at least if this lead track is any indication. Christian finds plenty of spaces between blunt kicks to add extra fills and push pads and klaxons through, though the whole affair remains resolutely monochromatic. Christian’s done a lot of side-work outside of CE over the past few years, but it looks as though he isn’t content with having his main project remain static.

Slighter feat. Craig Huxtable, “Give Me”
Slighter’s style has become more refined in recent releases, taking on a very distinctive and unique flavour. Where some of the industrial rock and bass music touches are still present, by far the dominant flavour of Colin Cameron Alrich’s current music is groovy, dark and downtempo. Those sounds are a perfect canvas for vocal collaborators, as we find on “Give Me” from new album Automata, where OHMelectronic’s Craig Huxtable lends his voice. Considering Craig was known for years as a purely instrumental artist it’s neat to hear him singing, especially when paired with a really flavourful instrumental. Nice work from Slighter as always.

Container 90, “Friendship and Love”
We never really think of Sweden’s beer-drinking working class body music duo Container 90 as a D.A.F.-inspired act, at least not beyond the way all Swedish EBM acts pay respect to the German old-school masters. That’s kind of what makes new track (actually a leftover from an album recording session a few years ago) “Friendship and Love” so fun, as C90’s Ron and Jon directly channel Gabi and Robert’s punky-sexy electronic attack complete with yelps, live drums and toy percussion. Not a cover but a well done homage and tribute in the vein of Jäger 90, throw this one into your old-school playlist for a blast of that good ol’ stuff.