Browsing Tag

vintage synths

The teeth of synth rock sharpened to the tune of Ghostfeeder’s latest single, Rearview

Posted on 11 August 2023
Ghostfeeder

The latest monolith of a hook-filled single, Rearview, from the alt-electronica trailblazer Ghostfeeder, stepped out from the shadows of 80s synthpop and glam rock to show its sharp teeth and even sharper hooks.

With the frenzied-with-distortion guitars around Ghostfeeder’s signature vintage synth textures and under the poppy vocals that leave the hooks in IAMX and Highly Suspect tracks sounding blunt, Rearview is a viscerally exhilarant release; especially if you allow the depth of the lyricism to submerge you deeper into the evocative momentum. Anyone who can find resonance in the reprise ‘stuck in rewind’ in the context of being paralysed when it comes to letting go of the past will get galvanizingly more than they’ve bargained for when they hit play.

After sharing stages with goth royalty, including KMFDM, Powerman 5000, and Cold Cave, it is more than about time that Ghostfeeder stepped into the headliner limelight. To bolster the honed songwriting, Rearview was mixed by the Grammy Award-nominated and platinum-selling artist and producer Amir Derakh (Orgy, Dead by Sunrise, Julien-K) and mastered by Mike Marsh (The Chemical Brothers, Prodigy, Depeche Mode). The track reaches the pinnacle of cyber goth ear candy.

Stream Rearview on all major platforms from the 11th of August via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Vintage synths create oceanic sanctum in Huts on Beaches’ debut electronica release, Coastal Signals

Posted on 2 November 2022

After finding an affinity for the irreplicable timbre and feel of retro synths, the Mosta, Malta-based electronica duo, Huts on Beaches, collected, restored, and used them to craft their euphonically tranquil debut single, Coastal Signals, which officially released on September 20th.

The instrumental extended release, which bridges the gap between organic house and minimalist techno, was designed to envelop the listener in the catharsis that the ocean brings in with the tides. Bringing the elementally restorative power of the ocean to the airwaves was no easy feat. Huts on Beaches were undeniably successful in their debut, which is an incredibly promising sign of what’s to come from the duo, whose first release wouldn’t be out of place on the iconic soundtrack to The Beach.

The single was produced in the duo’s studio with both members, Karl Gauci & Keith Bunce, contributing to synth & drum machine sequencing.

Here’s what Huts on Beaches had to say after making their debut:

“Coastal Signals is our debut single, inspired by the freedom of expression in all forms of media, but in our case, our music. We live on a busy island; one of the few places to clear your head and readjust is the sea. The calmness and the waves clear our mindset, hence our moniker.

We wanted to give the listener an uplifting and welcoming atmosphere that reiterates the message that courage can always be found to express thoughts, even if it is difficult. Sonically, the single is dreamy yet punchy to reflect the challenge of expression.”

Add Coastal Signals to your downtempo techno playlists on Spotify & SoundCloud.

Follow Huts on Beaches via Instagram, and stay tuned for news of their sophomore soundscape, Leap, which is due to premiere on December 1st.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

A Broken System orchestrated a vintage synth sanctum in his debut album, An Escape.

Posted on 3 December 2021

Amidst the swathes of ambient tones to hit the airwaves this year was the elevated nature-entwining work of the eclectically-inspired music producer, A Broken System. His music is a submersion into a sublime mix of synth-rock, hip hop, electronica and ambient, but his dreamy work is no ordinary sonic palette mashup. The Minnesota-hailing, Atlanta-based artist is fresh from the release of his debut album, An Escape, which was officially released on December 3rd, 2021.

The eight minimalist tracks take nuances of aural dystopia and transfuse them into downtempo, deep house tracks and smooth acid house soundscapes so sultry that they practically become an aphrodisiac. The standout concluding single, Liquid, is almost neo-classic in form. It traverses through haunting reverb and follows synth melodies that become the anchor in the otherwise gravity-defyingly transcendent release.

In short, an Escape is a synthesised sanctuary for anyone who feels at home in vintage electronic tones. The eight tracks pull together as an immersive, explorative sensory experience that you can’t help getting absorbed by. There’s an underlying darkness to An Escape, but the mix of light and dark tones created a multifaceted efficacious reflection of the world as we know it today.

In his own words, here is how A Broken System introduced his debut album:

“An Escape is an amalgamation of influence from many different films, film scores, and video games. It is escapism in the internet age; urban spaces, nature and the environments I have moved between.”

An Escape is now available to stream on Spotify.