WLDV
Embraced by the Moon
self-released
While the work of Spanish producer WLDV first came to our attention via their excellent club-ready remixes of classic post-industrial and darkwave cuts, the project’s original releases have leaned in on a more soundtracky vibe, albeit one that has some giallo-disco in it. Such is the case with new EP Embraced by the Moon a quick 4-track listen inspired by cult Neil Jordan werewolf film In the Company of Wolves. While bookended by atmospheric cuts “Fullmoon” and “Transformation” – the former built around a foreboding arpeggio in classic horror movie score style – its the songs that make up the guts of the release that best showcase WLDV’s sensibilities. “Never Trust a Stranger Friend” starts with a simple ascending and descending synth lead that fits just so into the track’s funky outrun bass and cymbal programming, the song generating momentum and movement without foregoing it’s initial air of menace. “Once Upon a Time” works similarly, although draws more deeply from the EP’s inspiration; the dialogue samples are more prominent, but even moreso that film’s dreamy and surrealistic energy, which when transposed by the song’s rhythm programming to the dancefloor becomes hazy and intoxicating.
Various Artists
Precious Decay Selections
Miseria + Oraculo Records
From their early releases by Boy Harsher and Blind Delon to recent work by Puerta Negra and Lola Kumtus, Spanish label Oraculo’s been at the cutting edge of body music for nearly a decade. Berlin’s Miseria have been in the game for much less time, but in a couple of years have shown their ability to tap into the current South American, UK, and US scenes with aplomb. This 2×12″ comp showcasing both labels’ rosters is a solid distillation of both labels’ releases from the past year or so, not to mention as handy a cheat sheet for the current wave of body music producers still percolating in the underground as any DJ or dedicated rivethead is likely to find. Alongside acts like Ravetop, Stockhaussen, and Meshes who’ll be familiar to dedicated readers of this site, Precious Decay introduces a host of new (at least to us) acts who are showing how much range and colour their is in broader body music circles beyond the well-trodden TBM format, from Obserst Panizza’s French electro-tinged chills to N8NOFACE’s Suicide-esque nihilistic synthpunk slice of life. As a tune like NoHay’s “Disposable Desire” sets in, managing to find a balance between classic Klinik-style menace and the more modern swing producers like Brixx are bringing to the genre, it’s hard not to feel optimistic about the future of the genre.
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