Tags: Synthwave

Review: System Olympia has been back and digging in the archives for this superb new and limited album, the New Erotica Collection (Durante Edition). It features some of their past tunes that have been sold out in quick fashion because of limited runs and others that have actually never before been available on vinyl. As you will know, or as you will find out, these are hallucinogenic tunes with mixes of disco, new wave, 80s pop, instrumental and nu-disco influences and each of them will light up any dancefloor with plenty of provocative and erotic undertones - just look at the cover!

Review: .It's pretty much impossible not to fall in love with Desire, no matter where you arrive in their discography. Formed by Johnny 'Chromatics and Glass Candy' Jewel and vocalist Megan Louise, and formerly synth-drum maestro Nat Walker, the group debuted on Jewel's now-legendary Italians Do It Better in 2009, and their first record, II was heralded as one of the decade's finest. More than ten years later, Escape reflected how things had developed during the years betwixt. Still saturated in a kind of borrowed nostalgia, yet focused firmly on crafting innovative arrangements, few outfits can simultaneously sound so polished and yet born to play in the reddish glows of darkened rooms in grimy DIY spaces. As unique today as the record was when it landed, and the outfit were when they initially emerged.

Review: NYC Records looks outside its in-house stable for the first time here and signs the delightful nu-disco delights of Constellation. This duo hails from Miami and focuses on space disco sounds that fans of the famous Metro Area style are sure to love. They remain mysterious themselves but their beats are brilliantly designed with plenty of retro-future pads, cosmic arps and tight basslines full of colour, texture and soul. Like Daft Punk but deeper and more dubbed out. All four of these cuts are sure to get floors going but also bring plenty of style.

Review: In some ways, the work of Figi (AKA Dutch producer Vigi Auke Weemhoff) is reflective of the Netherlands' vibrant, colourful and mixed-up dance scene - one where synthesisers are frequently foregrounded and the rhythms of house, techno, Italo-disco and boogie are mixed and matched in a variety of retro-futurist ways. Certainly, that kaleidoscopic blend is at the heart of the artist's latest album, Fig 1. Rooted in vaporwave, Hi-NRG and Italo-style synth sounds, it's a confident and sonically sparkling set that puts melodic motifs and catchy riffs at the heart of the action. For proof, check standouts 'Belka-Strelka' (an acid-flecked, drum machine-driven chunk of 80s elctro-disco), 'Fig 1', the Klakson-style electro hustle of 'ADSL' and the ultra-deep, dreamy, Endorphins-releasing wonder that is 'Ornex'.