Lofticries video takes excerpts from a foreign film and it manages to fit beautifully with the enchanting track. Chilled out ambient, almost micro house sounding, Purity Ring is the latest ina long line of ethereal female lead synth pop duos that have been popping up left and right lately. That is not to say you should write Purity Ring off just yet, Lofticries is a psychedelic entrancing, progressive big beat masterpiece.  Corin & Megan make a powerful duo, with their new wave beat and broken vocal glitches they have their own niche figured out pretty well.

The growing beat scenes have truly influenced a international showcase of acts using samples and warped bass effects for a neck breaking rocking work out session. Acts like Flying Lotus, Tokimonsta, and Knxwledge are all names included in this movement. Gobby is a Boston act tampering in Fat bass lines with ambient textures and arpeggios. The sampling is simply dope from old commercials and television shows to Nicki Minaj, this pseudo turntablism is magic to the imagination. The broken beat tape scene is a amazing showcase of how samples can be used to the fullest. you can check a few of Gobbys tracks below.

Amanda Brown, the face of La Vampires is back with this neon laced video for “So Unreal” featuring maryland’s own Matrix Metals. The video really reminds me of A-Has “Take On Me” automatically, with an animated section to match. La Vampires place us into another Psychedlia entranced episode of laser discs, pastels, and smoke machines.

by Alex Auclair

Papertwin – Cross

Papertwin melds droney darkwave melodies that match up against an 80s pop sensiblity. Morbid lyrics against feelgood pop music is a match made in angsty heaven, or hell. “Cross”’s Powerful sincere vocals mixed with vibrant waves of electronic programming, is reminiscent sometimes of Thom Yorke or Bjork’s production aesthetic. This is where broken lo fi tinges on what is considerably awesome dark synthpop. Also check out this remix by KnifeShow of Papertwins track Coma below.

Work Drugs make superb baby making music, to be blunt. Smooth Seductive tracks with pretty breathy vocals, very reminesant to Casa Del Mirto, Evenings, and Waskerly Way. Lo Fi cruising jams for the laid back soul. 2 step drum beats with shimmering synth and pads, ghostly and haunted this tracks leave you wanting more. personally im excited for this release, they have alot of potential for killer replay value. you can check the tracks they have posted thus far on their soundcloud HERE. Benjamin and thomas create a awesome pairing in these superb lo fi tracks, check em out in all their glory below.

The pulsating feel good vibes off these tracks are so sweet to the ears. Cool Chilly waves splashing out of warped tape effects like a long lost vhs playback. The Funk Filled bass lines Fill up the empty spaces and groove us along Casa Del Mirto’s Soundscape Wonderland. Definitely For Fans Of Washed Out, Toro Y Moi, Cfcf, Kavinsky, anything with these retro Vibes of awesomeness. The name mysteriously translates to Myrtle House, not sure if that is part of their vision or not but all in all these tracks are slick and easy going. Audio Nostalgia, Casa Del Mirtos tracks are almost entirely available on band camp, which is convenient enough for those looking for new tracks. These long lost new wave lo fi gems are easy to take in catchy melodic beauties in their own way.

Teengirl Fantasy is a electronic chill-wave duo out of the depth of ohio. Mixing live electronic abstraction with groovable electronic music to make a great kinda of post trance vibe to it. Utilizing Samples with their own ethereal vocals they are not afraid to blend techniques from live dj sets with the current wave of live electronic music. 7am, the acts newest release out of Panther Sounds Merok records, is a great display of their classy Dance prowess.

Los Angeles is the home to a whole collection of electronic/noise musicians, who all seem  to share a affection for the eighties, the golden era of electro. Dam-Funk takes to the essential sound of classic r&b, Nu-shooz, Zap & Rodger, the true pioneers of the genre. Joining Him is Nite Jewel, the space disco songstress, for the song ” It Goes Through Your Head”. The Funk filled bass line in this track matching Nite Jewels Dreamy Melody, this song will take you back to 1986. The song is from the It Goes Through Your Head 12”, a classic collaboration.

The Breaks and Slippery 80s dance that seaps through Games, Music is full fledge electronica with silk new wave production. These tracks are as catchy and playlist worthy as they are lost in time, a sound caught between the abstract beat groups of Baths, Daedelus, And Tokimonsta but still holding down the chill wave front. Synthetic textures more than likely created via analog synth capture the enviroment of the vocal arrangements in these songs. Alot of the awesome retro techniques of the presentation remind me of CFCF, and Kavinsky. Games is an act is not to be written off, truly mergin the Toro Y Moi & Neon Indian Fans With the Brainfeeder, Beat Scene fan base. Please make time in your day to listen to some of their tracks, legit production & arrangement. it takes real originality to stand out in a genre, and these guys bend the expectations of multiple genres.

Leave it to someone from England to be innovative in the world of art and design; bolding meshing it with music and the lively underground dance scene of London. Stone and Spear is the design brain child of Simon Cook, a thriving entrepreneur and creative mind. Cook has gained not only local favour for his club flyers and in-house artistic direction for clubs like Lost Boys’ Club and Your Mum’s House, he has also garnered international applause for his aesthetic in design publications. Cook’s dedication to his work is unfaltering, as he also has an exclusion Stone and Spear merchandise line he designs.

Raw Thrills-Making Love on a Piano

Maybe its the Nagel portrait in the background of this artists face shot, or the ode to classic rock n roll standards that make this act stand out personally. The chill yet noisy ambiance brought on through lo-fi production create a catchy droned pop aesthetic. Raw Thrills is out of New York, with albums released from Olde English Spelling Bee Records. Zak Mering is the man behind this dreamy nostalgic machine, with a slew of synth goodies, and raw tendencies outside of the typical hipster realm of expectation. 

Where do i start with the pompadour bearing musical being George Lewis Jr. Aka Twin Shadow Born In Dominican Republic, Now Based In Brooklyn New York, the purity in these tracks is undeniable. These dream pop serenades are a breath of fresh air straight from the 80s. Kind of a cross between Morrissey and the nu shoegaze acts How To Dress Well or Glasser. Brilliant guitar rifts carrying along the crooning of Lewis’ silk voice, these are bound to have you humming the melodies throughout the day. Seeming to have originated from a cultural time vault, the sound if a mixture of modern and new age production techniques.

Picture provided by The Dairy

Kruxe-Tremors

Arc Light – Battery Children

Arc Light – Get My Grip

My good buddy Ryan aka Arc Light is at it again. Download his 3 song ep via his bandcamp HERE. Me and Ryan are also doing a project called Rage City. An album is in the works and should be released on bandcamp real soon.

Download ‘Meh’ ep HERE

Article by: Tony B.

Chief Black Cloud-Summerblow

Chief Black Clouds mysticism seeps as synthesized waves and swells through the speaker. The Enchanting synth leads  dance back and forth before diving into the fragile funky vocals. Distant and dreamlike the shoe gazey vocals are smeared with David Bowie and New Order influence.  Their early 80s new wave funk is  matched with their Lo-Fi Beach fun sound making the perfect soundtrack to the forgotten after school special in all our childhoods. Their tracks bounce back and forth between 4/4 house party beats and the island bongos, Chief black cloud is in fact gifted in the power of party.

Factor 10-Ever Since You Went Away

D.H.S.S.-Together

Synthetic Romance is chalk full of emerging synth-pop artists from the early 80’s. Dark Entries has digitalized the origianl LP and has made it available for download below.  The back cover of the album reads:

“Synthetic Romance – for people wanting a collection of modern and futuristic music. The groups are varied, from all parts of the country and all walks of life, with one thing in common – the synthesizer – perhaps the most sophisticated instrument of our century.”

Like electro-punk luminaries Suicide, Dutch darkwavers Minny Pops were part electronic rock band, part art project. Their first single, “Kojak”, a combo of old school Korg drum machine, new wave bassline and darkly humorous, noiry spoken word, established their reputation in the art-rock scene. Soon after, they’d be supporting Joy Division in Eindhoven and the Factory Club in Manchester.