Latex Records

01. O… Saya
02. Riots
03. Mausam & Escape
04. Paper Planes
05. Paper Planes (DFA Remix)
06. Ringa Ringa
07. Liquid Dance
08. Latika’s Theme
09. Aaj Ki raat
10. Millionaire
11. Gangsta Blues
12. Dreams On Fire
13. Jai Ho

This album was originally released in 2008 by Interscope Records. I only recently got to see the film and so am only now getting to finally hear the full musical composition. While watching the film, which is excellent, I was struck by the soundtrack and immediately decided to get a copy of it. The instant appeal was the combination of Electronic music with traditional Middle-Eastern structures. There is also a lot of modern Middle-Eastern styles as well including rap. Looking up the composer, it seems Rahman is gaining a lot of groun in India and redefining film music there. There are also some tracks by M.I.A., influenced by her time in London, and one by Sonu Nigam.

The thing about Middle-Eastern music in general which I find fascinating is that there are unique vocal techniques used which you do not find copied anywhere else in the world. They also use instrumentation that is highly original and in my own opinion are the best hand drummers around!

What you will find in “Slumdog Millionaire” is a combination of modern and traditional styles blended in such a way that they create an original style in themselves. I don’t normally do a track by track review but since this is so original I’m making an exception in this case. This is evident with the first track, “O… Saya”, which begins with a more traditional sound with the exception of the vocoder on the vocals. However, when the music picks up you begin hearing a guitar with a heavy buzz on it and when M.I.A. rap kicks in you know you are listening to something original and very new as elements of Trance are blended in as well. “Riots” is a bit like an Industrial/Trance piece with Tribal-esque drumming. “Mausam & Escape” begins with a deceptive classical acoustic guitar and then becomes like something out of The Matrix but with very rapid sitar and sliding buzz electro and orchestral hits. It’s like Bullet Time in Bollywood! “Paper Planes” is a rap by M.I.A. Some think this song is about murder or drugs but this is clearly about being a hustler, murder and drugs just happen to sometimes play into that. I especially like the chorus with the gunshots and cash register, “All I wanna do is…” bang bang bang bang, ka-ching “..and take your money.” Funny, but cool! This track reminds me of 80′s Wave but it’s a rap and the music is created using a sample of the intro to “Straight To Hell” by The Clash. This track is followed by a remix of the same song but personally I feel this falls very short after you hear the original. It has a sort of early 80′s Wave Funk mixture. After this is “Ringa Ringa” which has traditional sounding female vocals, drums, and flute. This is much like what most Westerners associate with snake charmers and harems. However, even this is blended about mid-way with some very Industrial styled affects. While I cannot understand any of the language, something tells me the words are very non-traditional lyrics. I still wonder how they do that with their voices! Not any less amazing is “Liquid Dance” which uses traditional Indian male singing styles with what sounds like violin and orchestrations combined with electronic dance music. By the time you get this far you are realizing how freakin’ awesome Rahman is!! The breaks in this track are really cool. He’s definitely creating something with such eloquent blending or musical structures that is practically defies description. “Latika’s Theme” takes it down a bit with soft feminine vocals, guitar, and soft electronics with somewhat of an Ethereal element to the overall feel of this one. This picks back up again with “Aaj Ki Raat”, even more difficult to descripe. The driving beat starts out sounding a bit Industrial but soon sounds like soft 80′s Wave but with a very Pop feel to it. “Millionaire” is another really cool track with some great electro elements! This one almost sounds more like EBM in the vein of Apop or Rotersand but very Trancey. However, the end changes and becomes a bit lighter but ends dark. Oddly enough, “Gansta Blues” is literally that, a very funky gangsta rap! This is very odd to hear done by Indian artists but it is very well executed. “Dreams on Fire” is a soft Ethereal track, obviously a backing track that works well in the film but is a bit empty as a stand alone. “Jai Ho” is the ending song and in the film it is the one all the actors are dancing to. Great drumming and electro combination with traditional sounding male vocals. Like “Mausam & Escape”, this sounds like it could almost go into The Matrix with the orchestral hits and electronica. Sadly, this is not maintained through the chorus which becomes a lot more Pop feeling. The interludes maintain this and also include some great instrumental solos and mixed vocal styles.

One thing I can say is after hearing this I will be watching Rahman and checking out more of his work. I’m highly impressed with how smoothly he combines elements of musical structures normally completely not associated together. I’m a fan of Middle-Eastern music, though I know very little about it and have very little exposure, as well as various forms of Electronica! Thus, I have a feeling Rahman will likely become one of my new favorite film composers!

Share on Facebook

Tweet this!

01. Televised
02. Reminders
03. Slow Cascade
04. Forgiven
05. The Debate
06. Ruin
07. Sentinel
08. Stand Up
09. Hindsight
10. Delete

Light it Up features guest appearances from Frank Spinath of Seabound and Victoria Lloyd of HMB, Monochrome and Claire Voyant. Founded by J. Ned Kirby in the early 1990′s, Stromkern (including Kelly Shaffer) have created a unique sound in the Electro-Industrial genre by combining hip-hop vocals and ryhthms with classical compositions and post-industrial rock.

One of the things that really stand out to me personally on this album is not just the danceable rhythms combined with the hard electro-industrial themes and styles, but also the addition of piano to this mix. As a fan of keyboard music in general, be it electronic or acoustic, I absolutely love the way Ned combines these elements. I’ve been looking at various tracks by several artists who have used piano in unexpected ways with music styles that it might not normally be associated with traditionally and find Ned’s to be one of the most appealing combination to me personally. There are not many in the Industrial genre who have done this and the first you might think of is Trent Reznor. However, Ned’s work does not become so melodramatic and instead is a smooth combination where the piano accompanies the Electro rather than taking over the mood of it. I hope he continues this with future releases as I’m a huge fan of it. The most melodramatic track, and also a great standout, is probably “Hindsight” featuring Victoria Lloyd of Claire Voyant. However, the softer side of the female vocals and piano is contrasted by heavy rock guitar. Love this track!!

This album is by far my favorite so far by Stromkern and is the one that turned me onto the band to begin with causing me to buy all his previous releases. However, this one stands out far and above his previous releases and I believe he will only get better. As for his use of hip-hop vocals, do not let this confuse you into thinking this is anything but pure hard electro-industrial because it is not some candy-coated hip-hip BS at all. Instead, think of Uberbyte as an example maybe. Though Stromkern’s “Stand Up” came first! Don’t forget it!

This is an excellent album for the Electro, Industrial, and EBM genres and is not only my favorite by Stromkern but is actually one of my favorite releases in the genre overall. This will likely go down as an all-time fave!! Definitely worth checking out!!! This is very well put together and the contrasting elements cleanly combined while maintaining a hard edge.

Share on Facebook

Tweet this!

Dismantled at Metropolis Records

On the 2010 season of American Idol we heard Andrew Garcia perform a wonderful acoustic version of Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up” during Hollywood week. However, back in 2005 in the EBM music scene, mastermind Gary Zon, the mind behind the band Dismantled, released a playful cover of the song on his EP “Breed To Death” on Metropolis Records. Having started as a Front Line Assembly sound-alike, this release was a fusion of 80’s, Electroclash, and Trance alongside traditional Electro elements and harsh synthetics. The title track was meant to exaggerate and stereotype the new wave of Electro, as well as balance the edge and complexity inherent in Dismantled’s music.

After seeing the American Idol episode, I just had to post something to help bring this excellent cover into the light! I’ve been a fan of Dismantled from the start and continue to enjoy the structural changes Gary has made with each progressive release. You can hear a sample of Dismantled’s version of the song as well as purchase a download copy by clicking the album artwork above.

Share on Facebook

Tweet this!

01. No Afterparty
02. All Pain Is Gone
03. I Want Your Blood
05. Can’t Change The Beat
06. Sent To Destroy
07. Spit
08. New Form Of Silence
09. Scarred
10. The Kill V2
11. Get Out Of My Head
12. Today We Are All Demons
13. At The End Of It All

The opening track is actually a recording of a voice message from someone who is going to jail for carrying a concealed weapon and needs bail. The speaker casually mentions that a female friend is in the hospital for attempting suicide. Clearly showing the sort of aggressive dark humor Combichrist is known for. LapPlegua opens the with the track “All Pain Is Gone” and you know he’s back with another pounding hook-heavy, beat-driven dance floor stomper. However, on the second track, “Kickstart The Fight”, you can tell he’s expanding the sound a bit as this is more Punk sounding while still maintaining the hard and heavy beats and Techno-esque rhythms. I personally love the addition of the female vocals. Reminds me a bit of KMFDM at the best of times, only better! Another favorite track is “Sent To Destroy”, which is what you’d expect from this project. The funniest track is “Spit” (fucking whore moms). Love the samples used for this!! The entire album is excellent and you will not be disappointed by the upbeat energy portrayed. The only exception to the overall tempo is the title track. This one took me by surprise as it starts out slow and dark and includes a bit of piano. Vocally, it sounds more like his work with Icon of Coil. The only negative, which is totally personal, is that with the release of the “Heat EP” the track “Can’t Change The Beat” now seems a bit redundant and overplayed to me. Overall, another great release for Combichrist.

Share on Facebook

Tweet this!

The Belgian Alfa Matrix label (home to Front 242, Ayria, Leaether Strip,
…) has been chosen to release the newest album by Nitzer Ebb, “Industrial
Complex”, for Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Italy and Luxemburg (in
collaboration with Major Records).

This special “Belgian” edition released by Alfa Matrix will feature a bunch
of exclusive remixes not available on any other version of “Industrial
Complex”. The list of all featured remixers on this album edition will be
revealed in the next days. You can expect many big names from the EBM scene
and remixes going from extended versions in the band’s best tradition to
pure electro rehashes sounding like a mix of Nitzer Ebb, Depeche Mode and
Chemical Brothers.

On top of that, Alfa Matrix offers a free extra label compilation with each
order. Good to know, oldschool ebm fans will be delighted to learn that one
of the songs included on this compilation is a brand new track by Pouppee
Fabrikk.

Below are the various packets you can order now for the new Nitzer Ebb
album:

* Nitzer Ebb – “Industrial Complex” CD (incl. 6 bonus tracks + FREE CD)
* Nitzer Ebb – “Industrial Complex” CD (incl. 6 bonus tracks + FREE CD) +
“EBM – my way of life” T-shirt

Share on Facebook

Tweet this!

Share on Facebook

Tweet this!

Share on Facebook

Tweet this!

Share on Facebook

Tweet this!

Share on Facebook

Tweet this!

01. Kyrie
02. The Brightest Heaven of Invention
03. Hortus Conclusus
04. Marduk
05. Bagpipe Torture
06. Hagios Alexios
07. Metsaltir
08. Shelbayrt O’Conagh
09. Backwoods
10. Carmen Vernale

New Medieval music from The Fossil Dungeon, this time with an electronic twist. Kyrie could be considered a dark Industrial version of the classical original. This blends nicely into the next track which gets a bit more traditional sounding but then I was hooked by track three, “Hortus Conclusus”. This an electronically enhanced Medieval track that will make you want to get up and ‘jig’. This instantly went into my iPod favorites with five stars. I’ve played the track several times since listening to the album for this review already! Another great standout track is “Bagpipe Torture”, a very odd mixture of Industrial and Techno influences with bagpipes. “Hagios Alexios” is a bit more traditional sounding and incorporates some great Medieval flute. The third standout in my opinion is “Metsaltir”. This has some great hand drums and strings and is very Arabian/Persian influenced sounding. I love Middle-Eastern textures! “Backwoods” is very dark and brooding, a stark contrast to most of the album, and includes some electronic ambience which makes it sound like it could have come from a movie soundtrack. “Carmen Vernale” begins sounding like a May Faire and then electronics are added to take it into a more modern feel while maintaining the overall Renaissance/Medieval instrumentation and composition. Overall, this album is highly unique and very insteresting! I highly suggest it to anyone interested in various forms of music from Renaissance to Industrial

Share on Facebook

Tweet this!