New releases last four weeks: Coldwave/Synth

Review: Blkmarket Underground Music Party Edits is a sub-label to the influential Blkmarket, an esteemed label and event series in New York. Contrary to what that catalogue number might indicate, this is actaully their second release and has Facets at the controls. First up is 'Computers' with its raw and snappy analogue drum sounds and late-night synth details. 'Time Of War' is another full-fat blend of analogue drum thump and driving synth motifs, 'Talk To Me' has crashing cold-wave synths and deadpan vocals and 'Paranoia' has loopy vocals and moody atmospheres for freaky dancing. 'Lies' and 'Dub To Destruct' shut down this varied and retro-tinged EP with jerking rhythms that will do plenty of damage.

Review: Few tracks capture the icy allure of early 80s electronic experimentation quite like this underground classic. Originally released in 1981, this Swiss post-punk/coldwave classic has transcended its era, becoming a cult favorite across underground scenes and DJ sets of various genres. Now reissued on limited blue vinyl, its influence remains undeniable. 'Eisbaer' is a track that bridges stark, minimalist electronics with the raw energy of post-punk. The hypnotic bassline and cold, robotic drum programming lay a foundation for jagged guitar stabs and eerie synth flourishes, creating an urgent, mechanical pulse. The disaffected, almost mantra-like vocalsideclaring "Ich mochte ein Eisbar sein" ("I want to be a polar bear")iheighten its existential detachment. Echoes of Throbbing Gristle's industrial edge and Cabaret Voltaire's abstract electronics blend seamlessly with the emerging synth-pop movement, helping to push new wave into more danceable, electronic territory. Side B's 'Film 2' takes a more abrasive approach, a pounding, near-industrial instrumental that pulses with motorik intensity. 'Ich Lieb Sie' is more restrained but equally unsettling, its sparse arrangement and ghostly atmosphere reinforcing Grauzone's unique ability to evoke emotion through minimalism. Timeless and still chillingly modern, this reissue ensures that Eisbar and its B-sides continue to inspire. A crucial document of coldwave's evolution, reaffirming why this track remains a DJ favourite decades later.

Review: 22Recordings aka. Veintidos hears head honchos C.ru.z and Marine routinise Barca's new beat, dark synth and EBM scene in label format, building on a popular celerity for such styles in the city. This new release from the ingeniously conceived and christened Synths Vs Me (Nico CabaNas, Vanessa Asbert) hears the duo-come-band-project drop a fresh, Kafkaesque new EP, building on similar themes to their sixth Oraculo Records issuance Default Mode Network from 2024. Moods of broadcast horror and disaffected asperity abound, with 'So Far' stretching our minds across a brutal torture rack of telephonic vocals and arpeggiated synth incisions, and 'Farenheit 451' taking stock of the censorious Ray Bradbury novel against languid-as-ever vocals from Asbert.

Review: Crossing between V/A comp and split 12", Unusual Systems present the tenth edition in their series celebrating the work of local Italian producers. Glossing xenon flashes of Italo disco and electro-disco-synth, we've here the tasering talents of duo Two Opposites and then solo artist Corp on the A, backed up by Catalan producers Torrent and Adria on the B side. The opening productions are slick, adumbrate bops, outlining the barest, darkest contours of Italo in its most abstract form. Adria's 'Bakaloo' is the highlight of the B, indulging the weirdest of buildups and most party-crashing of progressions.

Review: UV & Nenor link up once more and return to Fossils with three new edits that take the form of spaced-out deep cosmic chuggers. These are all classy tunes with an analogue edge, great deference to the classic synth sounds of days gone by but all with nice modern touches. 'Space Love' is a widescreen odyssey with sultry female vocals and a sweet theremin sound. On the flip, 'Shwag' has hazy pads and slowed down, rugged, sleazy drums and bass and then last of all comes 'GoGo Stomp' with another bubbly bottom end, squelchy bassline and weird but wonderful vocal sounds. A brilliantly high-grade addition to your record back.

Review: Holding up a mirror to modern overflows of living capital, which impugn our many British 'urbs, Gordon Chapman-Fox (aka. Warrington Runcorn New Town Development Plan) presents 'Overspill Estates', the follow-up release to 2024's full-length LP Your Community Hub. As with all other basic life necessities, new-build estates - repackaged as commodities - require excessive production for developers to maintain illusions of value. The irony at the heart of Chapman-Fox's project, however, is that the ideology driving the edification of the UK's post-war planned communities was the overspill of people, not space. Unlike the overflow of unlivable space characterising big cities like London and Manchester, "overspill" in places like Basildon, Cwmbran, Redditch and Letchworth referred to densely compacted, deprived populations from other areas. As objects become subjects and vice versa, full-length records from cheekily sobriqueted electronic music producers likewise need glimpses of the cutting room floor, and this retrofit rollick through four further mind-benders proves how (satisfyingly) long things can take to gestate.