Browsing Tag

Dark Electronica

Meet the Einstein of IDM in Bitvert’s latest soundscape, wasted states

Posted on 1 April 2024

Bitvert’s latest offering, ‘wasted states‘, is a testament to his profound understanding and innovative approach to electronica. Trained as a painter and skilled in music production, projection, 2D artwork, and visuals, Bitvert brings a unique perspective to his musical creations, evident in this captivating track.

‘wasted states’ draws listeners into a monochromatic techno landscape that is as dark and harbingering as it is transcendently liberating. Bitvert’s mastery in creating a soundscape that is both oppressive and enchanting is unparalleled. The backbeat, demanding and unyielding, forms the backbone of this auditory experience, compelling submission with its rhythmic magnetism.

As the instrumental progresses, haunting violin strings weave in, adding an exotic beguile that juxtaposes the track’s oppressive nature. This element of contrast is a reflection of Bitvert’s ability to allow his audience to profoundly feel what he visualises sonically.

Bitvert’s background in various artistic disciplines enriches his music, allowing him to create multi-dimensional experiences. His work with The Light Surgeons and performances at The Big Chill and Glastonbury Festival’s Gas Tower stage, as well as a groundbreaking VR set at The Lost Horizon Festival, showcase his versatility and commitment to pushing the boundaries of electronic music.

Wasted states was officially released on March 15; stream the single on Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

DARCY – Mandem Carni: an avant-garde installation of artful electronic annihilation

Posted on 3 March 2024

With her sophomore single, Mandem Carni, the artist and enigma DARCY emerged from the shadows of her former alias and unleashed a visceral force to be reckoned with. The dark, bass-heavy oscillations resonate with a raw, physical intensity, capable of giving even the most robust speakers goosebumps.

This track is a masterful blend of genres, straddling the line between an industrial electronic horror score and an avant-garde installation of artful annihilation. It’s a sound that carries the terrorised glamour of a Dana Dentata release, yet pulses with the kinetic energy akin to Avalien. DARCY’s approach to music production is both aggressive and energetic, yet marked by an increasing fluidity and ambition that sets her apart.

Mandem Carni is an unflinching embrace of the dark and the macabre. It’s a track that doesn’t just flirt with the nightmarish; it revels in it, all while maintaining a level of artistic finesse that transcends mere shock value. The production quality is impeccable, with each beat and synth meticulously crafted to contribute to an atmosphere of controlled chaos.

For anyone with a penchant for the darker, more brooding variants of drum and bass, Mandem Carni is an augmented anthem to be experienced.

Mandem Carni disrupted the airwaves on February 18^th; stream the release on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Skimo followed the muse of dystopia into their most scintillating release to date, Let It Fly, ft Ash

Posted on 11 January 2024

Skimo’s seminal single, Let It Fly, featuring the hauntingly introspective vocals of Ash, is a mesmerising journey into the depths of EBM. Taken from the LP, Connected Memory, the single begins with a cascade of shimmering reverb, wrapping around the striking non-lexical vocals of Ash. This introduction draws listeners into a world where darkness and mechanical synthetics mercilessly construct a platform around the raw vulnerability within Ash’s vocals.

The electronic beats, meticulously crafted, ensure a deep immersion into Skimo’s artistic vision allowing Let It Fly to unravel as a narrative painted in sound; a vignette which portrays the relentlessness of our evolving for the worse climate. The track resonates with a sense of harbingering urgency, which filters from the progressions into a trepidation shared with the listener. The result is a piece that not only captivates but also invites them to delve deeper into the themes Skimo explores. For any electronica fans who want their eyes wide open to the world, to lock horns with the chaos, the Connected Memory LP is as essential as they come.

Stream the Connected Memory LP in full on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

CONT4MIN4TED – This is the Way: An Alt-Electronica Journey for the Mind, Body, Soul, and Rhythmic Pulses

Posted on 16 May 2023

https://soundcloud.com/cont4min4ted/sets/this-is-the-way/s-lYo30PwNNHK?ref=clipboard&p=a&c=1&si=67a3e5c169854d6d9ec28a67dcadf4b6&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

After aurally relinquishing their emotional baggage via their debut LP, the Gainesville, GA alt-electronica producer, CONT4MIN4TED, went even further leftfield with their sophomore album, This is the Way, which will take you on a journey of the mind, body, soul and rhythmic pulses.

I could dissect each of the 16 singles that were intuitively curated to orchestrate the ultimate sonic experience, but perceptibly, the greatest achievement of this LP is the cinematic journey it will take you on straight from track one, Stuck, before the stagnation lifts in the fervidly exhilarating soundtrack, Drifting.

Even with the chillier tones and ethereal vocal lines in the cinematic slices of synthesised soul, you won’t fail to find the impassioned warmth in the emotion and experience-driven soundtracks to vignettes that are universally shared. The album is enough to make you forgo your usual vibe-out electronica playlists; it is a smorgasbord of constantly in-flux electronica ingenuity. For your sanity’s sake, sink your teeth into the catharsis.

Stream This is the Way from April 28 on SoundCloud, Spotify and YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jeff Goldsmith – Tied to the Track: Melt Into the Darkly Ambient Melancholy

Posted on 15 November 2022

Following the resounding success of his former releases, the Minneapolis composer, musical sound designer and producer Jeff Goldsmith unleashed the lamentfully arrestive atmosphere of his latest score, Tied to the Track.

With the art rock nuances of Radiohead, the progressive feel of Fear of a Blank Planet era Porcupine Tree and deserty Josh Homme-Esque vocals bleeding into the darkly ambient neo-classic electronic arrangements, succumbing to the cinematic melancholy of Tied to the Track is non-optional.

Goldsmith started his venture into creativity aged four at the Suzuki Music Academy, where he learned to play the violin by ear. In 2020, he made his debut with the album, Vodu, subsequently followed by his poetically titled scintillating sophomore album, May You Find the Light Before the Devil Knows He’s Right, in May 2021. In addition to his solo work, Goldsmith scores for TV and film and works with a myriad of other artists, such as Austin Texas’s Sparta.

After hearing Tied to the Track, I know I will never stop turning to Goldsmith’s visceral sonic proclivities which innovatively amalgamate ambience with exultant ingenuity. He isn’t just one in a million, his presence on the airwaves can’t be quantified. I can’t recommend him enough.

Tied to the Track is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

AKMV-18 shows us what it sounds like when nature turns mechanical in his latest release, Chevalerie

Posted on 3 January 2022

‘Chevalerie’ is the latest dark and caustic electronic track that acts as a blackened sign of our times from the up and coming US artist and producer, AKMV-18. With visceral reminiscences to Celldweller, the pulsating beats thrash through the cavernous soundscape that embraces the darkest facets of our dystopic age.

The mechanical rhythms pierce through the comfortingly cold and hollow atmosphere of the track that bleeds an all too relatable melancholy while taking control of your rhythmic pulses through the psytrance nuances. Even the most pretentious cybergoth snobs would have a hard time picking holes in this entrancing hit which was just one of the seminal singles to feature on their latest EP.

Chevalerie is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Poetry and Electronic Post-Punk Collide in The Ninth Configuration’s Latest Single, Love is a Want of Reason

Posted on 20 November 2021

If artists climbed the charts on the poetic intrigue of their track titles alone, the UK-based outfit, The Ninth Configuration, would never leave the top of the billboard charts with their latest single, Love is a Want of Reason.

Even before you hit play on the track, you’re desperate to hear what introspective gold is nestled inside. Hint, you definitely won’t be disappointed. The dark electronic post-punk single has exactly what it takes to win over Alex Cameron and Jack Ladder fans with the crooned indie post-punk vocals that effortlessly fall into the synthesised pool of relatable melancholia.

The official music video for Love is a Want of Reason is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Brikcs has released his dark genre-bending work of neo-classic melancholia ‘Coffers’

Posted on 9 November 2021

With its Cigarettes After Sex and Perfume Genius-level of artful magnetism, the cold ambience in Brikcs’ latest neo-classically-scored single, Coffers, is a rare reminder of just how sonorously beautiful music can be.

We scarcely felt that there was room for improvement the last time we heard Brikcs in December 2020 with his single, Water, but Coffers exceeded all expectations. With the lyricism falling into the sombre side of poetry and the grand piano melodies within the lush layers of reverb, Coffers is as elegant as it is haunting.

The extended instrumental interlude towards the outro is enough to affirm that Brikcs is one of the most criminally underrated artists of our generation. The beguiling mix of grandiosity and raw, gorgeously bleak emotion is nothing short of breathtaking.

The Icelandic multi-instrumentalist and electronica producer, Brikcs, cut his teeth in the music scene in rock and metal bands before turning his attention to genre-bending works of melancholia; a move that we will be endlessly grateful for.

Coffers is now available to stream on Bandcamp and Spotify.

Follow Brikcs on Facebook

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Close to Monday – Guns (Biicla Remix): Indulgently Dark Trip Hop

Posted on 30 October 2021

The rising trend in dark trip-hop seems to be a damning sign of the times, but the breaking electronica artist, Close to Monday, made our bleak human experience worth it with her ethereally powerful single, Guns.

The Biicla Remix of the single will undoubtedly appeal to fans of Portishead, Beach House and Hooverphonic, but there’s plenty of authenticity pulsating with the beats in this indulgently morose track. The vocals are under just enough reverb to ensure the synergy with the driving downtempo beats, but not enough to stifle the evocative power of her dark yet soulful vocal timbre.

The Biicla Remix of Guns is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

LA alt-electronica artist and producer Romy has unleashed her pitch-black industrial pop track, Penance.

Posted on 26 October 2021

Romy’s latest single, Penance, is enough to make Peaches sound tame. Against the industrial Nine Inch Nails-inspired beats, her sultry, fierce vocals spill enough magnetism to rival Shirley Manson while she roars through the lyrics that lament the dankness of society while making the unignorable request for the world to be gentle amidst the chaos.

The Australian LA-based artist and producer has exactly what it takes to dominate the mainstream and the grimy underground of alt-electronica. Any fans of Skinny Puppy, Grendel and Faderhead will be won over by the caustic beats. When it comes to the hooky pop elements, no one will be immune to their draw.

Check out Romy on SoundCloud, Instagram and her official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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