Browsing Tag

Industrial Electronica

Elevated Focusion reanimated the 90s rave scene in his trippy industrial electro-pop anthem, Disco Devil

Posted on 3 October 2024

Elevated Focusion electrified the middle ground between Deadmau5 and Lords of Acid in his alt-electronica anthem, Disco Devil, which features Dime De San and closes his eclectically epic LP, Dark Nights.

With endless transgressions in style, tone and momentum, the synthesis of EDM, electronic rock and industrial pop reanimates the hedonistic euphoria of the 90s rave scene with dark beats, demonic drops, and devilishly dualistic female vox which deliver Shiny Toy Guns-esque euphony in one breath and scathing fury in the next.

Elevated Focusion’s ability to seduce the rhythmic pulses and create dancefloor-worthy anthems follows early exposure to the NY rave scene and an era of experimentation in his earlier project, Johnny Rhythms. In 2023, the Elevated Focusion moniker was born, followed by the eponymous collaborative LP, which deserved to be as revered as the Judgement Night soundtrack, Peeping Tom’s self-titled release and Chase and Status’ No More Idols LP.

Stream the Dark Nights LP, which hit the airwaves on September 20th, via Spotify now.

Connect with Elevated Focusion on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Descend into the sonic shadows with Voidform’s seminal score, Wonder

Posted on 19 August 2024

Voidform’s single, Wonder, from the debut album Void Incarnate, is a haunting foray into an innovator’s mind. As the dark, reverberant, industrial techno-adjacent bass rolls through your speakers, they’re met with luminous synths that shimmer through striking juxtaposition, creating an avant-garde production that ensnares from the very first beat.

With the Eastern-esque synthetic rhythms weaving a thread of mysticism through the track, Voidform adds an unpredictably addictive twist to the mix which transcends unsettling sound with its cinematic scope, which lends enough eerie tension to rival a John Carpenter horror soundtrack. Prepare to be propelled into a hypnotic stupor when you hit play; the pulse of the beat becomes inescapable in the immersive soundscape of sonic shadow.

Voidform may be a fresh name on the scene, but this project is clearly one to watch. There’s a calculated precision in the chaos, a deliberate artistry in the dissonance that suggests this is just the beginning of what Voidform has to offer. Immerse yourself in the Void—if you dare.

Wonder is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

n1ne8zero transcended the mundanity of the ordinary with their industrial debut, ruminate_illuminate

Posted on 3 March 2024

With harsh NIN-esque snares amidst the industrialised techno progressions that slither through the augmented production, the debut single, ruminate_illuminate, from n1ne8zero is a cacophonous juggernaut of an earworm which pays ode to industrial pioneers while modernising the genre and sealing its fate in the modern music landscape.

The biomechanical beats, tension-fraught builds, explosively euphoric breaks and deliciously distorted guitars all pull together to deliver a mind-mashing instrumental track that transcends the mundanity of the ordinary and stands as a testament to n1ne8zero’s ability as a boundary and convention obliterating innovator.

Setting their debut release apart, ruminate_illuminate comes with an immersive cerebral touch through the intricacies in the labyrinth of instrumental layers and the way the transcendent elements juxtapose the visceral chaos offered to alleviate the listener from the external chaos that permeates our perceptions and worlds. We can’t wait to hear what lingers in n1ne8zero’s pipeline after this phenomenally strong debut.

ruminate_illuminate was officially released on February 16th; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Teo unveiled their boundary-breaking debut single, A Portrait in a Broken Mirror

Posted on 20 September 2023

With an intro which evokes ‘40s nostalgia via static-decorated radio samples of blues before breaking into a news broadcast running a narrative of WW2, the debut single, A Portrait in a Broken Mirror, from the enigma of an artist, Teo, certainly makes its mark.

After three minutes of reliving the atrocities of the Second World War, Teo cinematically brings in their harsh electronica sonic signature, which dominates the middle ground of happy hardcore and industrial in a similar vein to Otto Von Schirach’s monolithic sonic manifestos. Taking a break from the high-octane motifs, the single starts to traverse an eerie and ethereal atmosphere before the rancour comes back in full juggernautical swing.

Even though I’m usually all for uninhibited experimentalism, an 18-minute debut single, which pays little mind to listener accessibility, is hard to paint as one triumphant in its innovation.

A Portrait of a Broken Mirror hit the airwaves on September 6th; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

R1OT gave big beats an industrial sting with ‘Intermission’ from his debut EP

Posted on 6 September 2021
DIGITAL RIOT by R10T

Under the influence of Robert Smith, Butch Vig, Jimmy Page, Trent Reznor and Brian Eno, the Toronto-based alt-electronica artist and musician R1OT released his debut EP, DIGITAL R1OT, in 2015 to introduce his glitchy industrial big beats to the airwaves. Any fans of Skinny Puppy will want to delve right into the entrancingly melodic standout single, Intermission.

Intermission hits midway through the EP to indulge you in a histrionically progressive rave track that keeps your rhythmic pulses captivated throughout the entire 5-minute duration. The preceding and subsequent tracks are slightly more caustic, but if you find yourself inclined to seek out the filthiest electronic basslines, you won’t be disappointed.

Intermission is now available to stream and download on Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lux Kiddo has released his harsh electronic hit, Robot Curmudgeon 

Posted on 10 August 2021

With percussive inspiration from the likes of Aphex Twin and Squarepusher, Lux Kiddo’s latest harsh electronica mix, Robot Curmudgeon, flows with an ensnaring tempo and an even more magnetic pull through the progressive influence of Infected Mushroom.

The Brooklyn-born, Phoenix-based experimental artist has worked as a sound tech and musician since the relocation from his home town; in 2020, he dropped his debut album Cityscapes. Now that dancefloors are back open, we’re sure they will be eager to hear more of his uniquely explorative style that uses familiar industrial/EBM elements with refreshing melodic flair.

Robot Curmudgeon was released on August 5th; you can check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Simulated Youth smashes the premise of the totalitarian state with his dark electro track, ‘Ghost in the Machine’.

Posted on 14 May 2021

Phoenix, Arizona-based dark electronica artist and producer Simulated Youth has switched up his sound from his previous releases, N.B.T. and Kill the Messenger by introducing a galvanising urban twist. With rap bars flowing as veraciously as his euphorically-swamped signature beats in Ghost in the Machine, fans of trance to harsh industrial electronica alike will want to pay attention.

As with all of Simulated Youth’s tracks, Ghost in the Machine is so much more than a smorgasbord of adrenalizing sound; the mix falls on the very valid anxieties of our surveillance state. We may be in the midst of an Orwellian nightmare, but at least we have apt anthems which thrash and slap in the face of dystopic oppression and totalitarian control.

Of all the artists I’ve heard breaking through this year, no other artist holds as much promise, authenticity and escapism from the bleakness of our current socio-political structures as Simulated Youth.

Ghost in the Machine is now available to stream along with the rest of Simulated Youth’s 2021 EP via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Paul Edward Yu – T Montana: Cinematically Harsh Alt Electronica

Posted on 17 January 2021
https://soundcloud.com/pauledwardyu/t-montana-1?in=pauledwardyu/sets/the-shape-of-sound

With their latest release, songwriter, session guitarist and electronic producer, Paul Edward Yu, proved himself to be in the tragically small minority of artists with the ability to squeeze emotion from electronic sequencing alone.

Their 2020 album, ‘the shape of sound’, is home to a plethora of electrifyingly evocative instrumental tracks, but the perfect introduction to the Boston MA-based artist’s psychedelic stance on electronica is the single, ‘T Montana’.

It’s a progressive minefield of aural curveballs, the cold ambience the prelude serves is soon stripped-back and replaced with harsh cinematically caustic industrial elements contrasted by strikingly bright tonal textures. But discernibly, Paul Edward Yu saved the best for last. After the dub-laden tremulous breakdowns, the guitars tear through to the front of the mix in a way not easily forgotten.

T Montana is available to stream and download via Bandcamp or you can check it out via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

JJ Mickey delivers adrenalizing Techno ingenuity with “Razor Elegant”

Posted on 17 November 2020

Canadian artist and producer JJ Mickey has dropped their most mesmerising release to date, Razor Elegant. From carnivalesque kaleidoscopic whirlwinds to build-ups which will leave you tense with anticipation, you can expect all of that and more.

The excitement I usually reserve for bands such as Nekrogoblikon started to manifest as soon as Razor Elegant hit it’s momentously entrancing peak. With the artist’s proclivity to play around with 8-bit and 16-bit Chiptune along with their affinity for Trance, Industrial and Classical, JJ Mickey delivered an insanely (quite literally) immersive drop with Razor Elegant.

If you have a penchant for experimental producers, you’ll definitely want JJ Mickey on your radar.

You can check out the adrenalizing mix for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast