The Senior Staff had a fun time not only DJing out at our long-standing gig as part of the Restricted Entertainment crew out here in Vancouver, but playing both the electronic and the goth-ish rooms at said party. We’ve waxed philosophical a lot over the years about the ins and outs of what city and what size of scene you cut your teeth DJing in, but a city like Vancouver where people are going to want to listen to heavy industrial beats as well as get lost in some swirly darkwave (or stomp and swoon as we like to call it) keeps you on your toes in terms of format and vibes, and we’d like to imagine we’re more well-rounded DJs for it. Let’s see what sort of range emerges on this week’s crop of tracks…
NNHMN
Sextile, “Freak Eyes”
Dude, Sextile have had a real renaissance since reuniting a few years back. Maybe it’s the work that Melissa Scaduto and Brady Keehn did while not working together as S. Product and Panther Modern, or maybe it’s just one of those weird moments when the sound of a band coalesces into it’s final form after a lengthy period of time, but the band’s profile has notably been on the rise for a few years now. Weirdly, that doesn’t seem to be a function of hitting on some magical musical formula, as the duo remain pretty genre-fluid, mixing in electro, industrial, rave, body music and more with a casual ease that impresses even as it moves bodies at clubs and in crowds at their wild-ass shows. New one “Freak Eyes” from yes, please (due May 2) is one such example, you’d hard a hard time pinning it down, but can’t deny it goes hard from the first beat drop.
Vacíos Cuerpos, “Entre Sombras”
We were first drawn to Vacíos Cuerpos by the one-man Mexican act’s ability to conjure and maintain classic misty and evocative darkwave atmospheres while ratcheting up the speed and bounce of his compositions to a level simply not heard in contemporary gloomy fare. That’s a rare quality he continues to cash in on with this latest single, which packs a host of drama and movement into a short timeframe and never lets the dancefloor pulse dip for even a second. Deceptively well-arranged stuff here.
Minuit Machine, “Party People”
There’s been an undeniable change in the sound of French darkwave project Minuit Machine over the last couple of years; even before the retirement of founding member Hélène de Thoury due to Covid-related illness, the band had been exploring a harder, more techno-influenced sound, with recent singles for the upcoming Queendom – the first LP for Amandine Stioui as a solo act – following in suit. That said, the latest taster “Party People” is something of a throwback to the darkwave of records like Violent Rains, combining clubbable programming with Stioui’s intensely charistmatic vocal delivery and a plaintive melody that hits just so. Definitely a record we’re hotly anticipating the release of in a few weeks.
Adam Rå, “Cold Steel”
Polish producer Adam Radziszewski has roots in industrial club work going back more than a decade through projects like Orbicide and Uncarnate. The arrival of his solo work as Adam Rå on X-IMG might prompt listeners to approach this first tune from the Poisoned Chalice EP from a dark techno perspective, but pay attention to both the gallop of this number and the flurry of sampling its delivered within and the seasoned club-goer will be flashing back to millennial industrial clubs, with a heavy amount of dark electro atmospherics. Should appeal to fans of vintage Project Pitchfork or Kant Kino.
AXGGAA – Lust & Pain
There’s a nice balance of EBM fundamentals and general “wave” atmospherics and melodies on this cut from Argentinian producer AXGGAA, perhaps recalling the spirit if not the literal execution of early Kas Product – nicely jumpy and kicky without forsaking harmonies and hooks. While you’re at it skim through the rest of the cuts on Bloody Electronics’ latest Blood Selections comp; those releases are always a great way of keeping up with what’s happening in South America.
NNHMN, “The Secret”
Is electro-darkwave still a dominant club sound in your town or region? Nothing has necessarily taken off as a replacement for the ubiquitous genre that sprang to life in the wake of Boy Harsher’s success, and there’s no question that plenty of quality tunes are still coming out that fall squarely into that hazy, beat-driven rubric, such as the latest from the dependable NNHMN. “The Secret” is a down the pipe club number, featuring some straight-ahead drum and bass programming and a minimal melody, allowing vocals and general atmosphere to carry the song, which moves at a nice clip and will easily slide into DJ setlists.
