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Time Modem - Transforming Tune - 12-Jun-08 04:57 AM
Another favorite album of mine.

Released on legendary BOY records, a label with a rich history of very interesting releases and somewhat underrated. This album is a mixture of different styles, some uptempo trancy tracks, some slow new beat-ish track, some ebm-influenced. Above all, this is a mysterious and dark album. There are some lush strings on certain tracks, but the addition of great FX and pads turn them into driving menacing tunes. The inclusion of some old German movie-samples is great, they really add to the atmosphere. You can compare them to the style used by "Klangwerk", another influential German act.

I wish this album included "time of the gathering", their single from a few years earlier, that would be the icing on the top ;)

Fatal Morgana - The Destructive Solution - 02-Jun-08 02:54 AM
For years, this album is in my list of best electronic albums. I usually dont like artist albums, because there is a lot of filler on these kind of records. But this one still gives me goosebumps from time to time.

Fatal Morgana are two Dutch guys, Ad de Feijter and Eric Smidt. For this album they have teamed up with one of my favourite producers, Chris Inger aka Jos Borremans from Belgium. And of course, Mr Inger turned this into a masterpiece.

I cant think of any weak tracks on this album, even the interludes are great. Its a great mixture of Industrial, EBM, some New Beat influences and some Techno. Its mysterious, uptempo and wonderfully programmed. Some great pads, stabs and synthleads can be found on this album. The few lyrics are not silly but fit the atmosphere quite nice, they are of course Industrial/EBM-like and therefore quite dark. Like on the track Earths Revenge.

Very inspiring!

Recoil - Hydrology And 1 + 2 - 15-May-08 02:15 AM
Alan Wilder was a member of Depeche Mode but also a guy who likes to mess around in the world of experimental sounds. He started his Recoil project in the mid 80s and released some fine pieces of music.

This particular release is actually a combination of his 2 earlier albums put together on 1 album. There is not really a definition or a style that fits this kind of music, you can only define it as experimental. Alan Wilder likes to turn knobs on his synthesizers, messing around with filters, envelopes and changes in amplitudes.

Personally I like the hydrology part most, especially Stone. A slow builder, it actually has about a 3 minute intro. After that it becomes a totally different beast. After a short break, a metallic bassline and an electro kickdrum make an appearance. It slowly builds with added effects and synthlines. The atmosphere is mysterious and industrial sounding. After about 6/7 minutes, the percussion fades away and the synths/effects guide you further on, untill about 13 minutes after which the whole package kicks right back in. Wonderful trip!

Grain is a piano-based track which starts off pretty subtle but during the 8 minute trip, Wilder explores different areas with added pads.

The Sermon is an upbeat track for the first 11 minutes. After that it transforms into a section with only tribal chanting. Pretty strange. But the first 11 minutes are pretty nice and interesting.

The tracks 1 and 2 are just as experimental as Stone. They have different phases and offer during their 14 and 18 minute trips a lot of interesting knob-twiddling stuff.

Pretty experimental release, but beautiful in a strange way.

Neon - Mykonos - 08-May-08 12:09 PM
A new world is made on ...Mykonos!

Splendid production on legendary Target records in 1989.

1989 was the last great year for New Beat, after that it disappeared just as fast as it exploded onto the club scene 2 years earlier. Some would argue that it evolved into Skizzo, but for me personally New Beat was far more superior to that kiddie-music (sorry Skizzo fans ;).

Neon was a project between Jean-Pierre Bulté (owner of Target records) and studio wizard Luc Devriese. They had a few hits with their versions of baby wants to ride and fade to grey earlier on, but none of them came close to this release, although voices was also pretty good.

Mykonos is almost like the definition of New Beat. Mysterious, a sinister build-up and some dramatic effects to keep you interested. The lead-synth slowly evolves from a backing synth into a lead by a slow and sometimes sudden change in amplitude and filter changes. Its not a difficult and complex synth-line, but just like the other classics, very effective.

There is of course the great percussion with the snares and claps, perfectly programmed with some good pattern changes. The choir in the background adding a lot of depth and emotion, and a nicely produced bassline is also part of the experience.

Very interesting and somewhat underrated release since it hasnt been featured on many compilations back in the days, like Acid Rock by Rhythm Device, which was all over the place and is in my opinion production-wise, far behind Mykonos.

If you can find this one and you are a New Beat fan, it definitely should be part of your collection.

In-D - Bastion In-D Stress - 01-May-08 03:25 AM
For me this is one of the best New Beat tracks, and certainly the best part in the In-D trilogy.

Written & Produced by Marcos Salon (Famous for his Outlander productions on R later on) and the godfather of New Beat himself Marc Grouls. This release is also co-produced by Jos Borremans aka Chris Inger, one of the few producers who were responsible for almost every classic.

Bastion In-D Stress is a phenomenal track. The intro contains several samples (probably moviesamples) of a woman shouting for help (For god sakes help me!). After a guy orders to take her away, drums and basslines enter the track. A great atmospheric pad is programmed to give the track a lot of mystery and the track builds and contains several breakdowns. I always love it when the second phase of the track starts, a male vocal sample asking: is this a piece of your brain? And then the synth flows right back in. Near the end, several vocal samples are added to maintain a creative outro.

Still a great track and an absolute New Beat classic. If you can get your hands on this record, buy it!

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