Gear up for a bunch of interviews in the coming weeks on We Have a Technical, folks – the rush of 4th quarter LPs coming at us has put us in the mood to chat with artists we’ve been following but never had the opportunity to speak to before. No spoilers (we’ve been boned announcing interviews that didn’t end up happening in that past, enough to be superstitious about it now), but it’s a pretty diverse, international slate. If you don’t regularly check in on the podcast, now would be a good time to do so, as we’ve got a pretty fun We Have a Commentary in the hopper as well. Of course if you wanna just sit back and check out this Tracks post, we won’t complain about that either.
Camlann
Depeche Mode, “Ghosts Again (Inhalt ’87 remix)”
Something a little special to start Tracks off this week; a few months back we had a casul chat with producer Matia Simovich of Inhalt about a remix he had done of Depeche Mode’s “Ghosts Again”, in which he had attempted to recreate the song as it would have sounded had it been produced during the band’s mid-eighties golden age. Come this past week Simovich has released the mix, along with a video in which he explains how he went about it and his motivations for doing it. It’s not often any band captures this particular Black Celebration sound so perfectly, and this remix nails it, transposing the modern version of Mode to their Imperial Period. Check out the video below!
Camlann, “Your Death is My Glory”
The sales pitch for Camlann is pretty easy; if we tell you about a teenage Indonesian darkwave project who dip into avant garde electronic pop and have socialist leanings, that’s either going to intrigue you or it isn’t. For our part, Camlann have been one of the freshest things going for a minute, and the promise of forthcoming LP DISMANTLE! is considerable. We were on board when we first heard single “This World is Ugly” with its NRG rap breakdown, and now “Your Death is My Glory” has sealed the deal with it’s seasonally spooky dancefloor vibes – this record is hotly anticipated.
Sacred Skin, “Bitter Heart”
Despite our recent reflection on just how rocking of a live act Sacred Skin have become, the latest single from the LA new wave duo isn’t likely to have that adjective tossed at it anytime. The bubbling Italo pulses and synth toms of “Bitter Heart” are pure modern dark disco, with only the melancholy cast of the chorus and a Technique-inspired bridge casting a more dour light on things. Expectations for the follow up to The Decline Of Pleasure continue to rise…
David J Bull, “Shake Out, Get Loose”
David J Bull had a tape out on DKA a few years back that grabbed our attention with its gritty/groovy body music vibe and some demented arrangement choices. We’re not sure if we’re getting the same thing from the forthcoming The Energy EP, but we aren’t gonna be made about the new beat sounds we’re getting from “Shake Out, Get Loose” – the tracks groove reminds us of Klangwerk’s eponymous classic amongst others.
Daniel Myer, “Tedacssab”
Few people have taken to the off-the-cuff approach to release schedules Bandcamp offers like Daniel Myer. This techno two-for is the product of (we think?) Daniel needing some cash for a new set of studio cans. We’re presuming the title is an Autechre reference, but we’re also catching more than a little bit of the sorely missed Beefcake in the icy explosions of this cut.
Moon 17, “Mirror Side”
Another cut from emerging industrialists Moon 17 out of Kansas City. Where the first couple volleys that came across our desk suggested a more mutant EBM sound with rhythmic samples and metallic percussion, “Mirror Side” really plays up their melodic side, almost adjacent to modern electro-darkwave albeit with a goodly amount of aggression in the vocals and some chunky guitars. Keeping eyes on them is paying off thus far, you should probably get on this train now.
EkoBrottsMyndigheten, “FÜNF BIER”
Longtime ID:UD readers know the very special place we hold in our hearts for EkoBrottsMyndigheten, those SwEBM lads to whom we were introduced via their now-classic ode to enjoying a herbal tipple. It’s been more than a while since we’ve heard from the boys; have they pivoted over to stoic ballads about time and sacrifice? Uptempo jams about summer love? Of course not. Spiky old-school EBM about drinking remains a cornerstone of Our Thing.
