Minimal synth, or 'cold wave', seems to be the order of the day right now as far as compilations go. Angular Records have just released the well put together 'Cold Waves and Minimal Electronics Vol.1', due for release a week from now. Personal highlights include Jeunesse D'Ivoire's 'A Gift Of Tears' which is available to download below and starts off with an almost Apollo 440 wavering guitar line, until a looped piano and ghostly female vocal come in, becoming reminiscent of Martha & The Muffins as the song goes on (not exactly, mind). Cold and distant from the listener plus of course some shredding keywork are key in this genre.
'Wierd' run events in Brooklyn, NY, that seem to specialise in this field. Their label have put out two excellent compilations, 'Wierd Compilation Vol. I and II'. You can find a sample track below by Tobias Bernstrup. Also here to download is a track by The Dead Goldfish Ensemble from the Neue Muster compilations. It's best you look these up if you like the sound of it as I know very little.
As much of the coldwave scene fizzled out in the mid '80s, there are not too many chances to see it done live. However, two current acts from Brooklyn, from the Wierd Records stable, are due to hit Europe in April 2010. Xeno & Oaklander will tour with Led Er Est. To say we are excited about this is an understatement. They play Nottingham on Monday April 19th, and other UK cities around that date. Look out for further information on their websites.
Xeno & Oaklander - 'Sentinelle' video:
Led Er Est - 'Laredo' video:
Tracks mentioned in this blog entry:
Jeunesse D'Ivoire - 'A Gift Of Tears'
Martha & The Muffins - 'Monotone'
Tobias Bernstrup - 'Enemies Of The Earth'
The Dead Goldfish Ensemble - 'Ace'
Xeno & Oaklander - 'Celeste'
Led Er Est - 'Woman In A Cafe / Communication'
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