Welcome back to 'On our Sensors!'
Presenting you with new releases from December and January (Maybe a couple of November ones too)
Being a double month article, I won't have time to write something from me personally about every single inclusion this time round but will do so where no band blurb has been presented. Especially as my list to get through is large. I will also have to leave my new discoveries and favourites out and include them next time as having just included all of the new releases below, I then realised I had almost as many discoveries to add in.. NOPE, will have to work on that a little every day for next month.
Also worth remembering is that I don't just cover the electronic alternative scene exclusively, but Nordic and tribal folk music on occasion too as these two genres and music tastes are so strongly intertwined in our scene. So you'll find a few such releases included below.
Some releases may not be included that you'd expect either because I plan on doing a full article for them in the near future or I may have already covered them!
(Possibly for other reasons, it is difficult to research EVERY band so if you feel a band should not have been included for any reason please feel free to inbox the Elektro Vox page on Facebook.) Have a scroll through the Reviews, News, and Interviews section of my site HERE to find out.
I must also stress after reading some link shares the last few months, these are not reviews! If someone just copies and pastes your info and puts it on their site, don't devalue yourself by calling that a review!
This is just an... Infomercial :)
Enjoy!
Special thanks to William of Moon Coil Media
Recent releases
Albums:
Dark Machine Nation - Beyond Event Horizon
This.. This is brilliant!
A journey through cosmic space, a journey through the mind. Explosive rhythms and expansive ambient sounds will lift you from the earth and launch you straight into a black hole.
Like many DMN productions, all rhythmic and ambient sounds are derived from industrial and construction samples, war footage, or distorted synth samples. for this album, I took it a strep further, pulling TTS readings of science articles as well as some choice words from Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson, and various sounds from science fiction movies.
Close the airlock and strap in!
Eihwar - Ragnarök
Emerging from the depths of France's lush forests, EIHWAR, a mysterious Viking duo, have seized the digital realm and resonated powerfully through European venues, presenting their unique blend of 'Viking War Trance'— This musical alchemy, accompanied by an irresistibly danceable rhythm, beckons listeners into a trance of its own.
The saga debuts with 'Ragnarök,' a compilation of 10 tracks that unveil the depths of EIHWAR's Viking spirit. The compositions present an extraordinary fusion of pagan war songs, resonant drumbeats, and the eloquence of woodwinds and strings. A tribal journey that captivates the senses and stirs the warrior spirit within.
EISFABRIK - Götter in Weiss
HORSKH - BODY
Lamori - Ave Valkyria
Neuroticfish - The Demystification Of The Human heart
Orcus Nullify - Creatures of the Wheel
Orcus Nullify is an alternative music project driven by the experiences and insights of Bruce Nullify. Bruce is a multi- instrumentalist who writes all Orcus Nullify’s music and performs vox and all strings. Ant Banister aids with drum tracking. Leonia Teaneck writes and does Lyric support.
Placebo - Collapse Into Never (Live In Europe 2023)
The legends and God like icons of Placebo need no introduction or info, you know who they are and how hard they kick ass.
Rein - God Is A Woman
Various artist - The Thirst Of The Thirsty
A FILTHY and BRUTAL collaboration album of industrial and dark techno. This album is so heavy, you'll need to shower half way and at finish!
2 Forks - Quanticode
2 Forks revolves around the duo of frontman ‘Danny 2 Forks’ alias Daniel C – best-known as longtime drummer for The Wake (1989-present); alongside principal engineer, co-writer, programmer, and instrumentalist Gil Singer: a producer and beatmaker for lCleveland Compound Studio.
STOP A MOMENT!
Please consider donating or fundraising for Beyond Reflections who supply an essential service to so many.
www.beyond-reflections.org.uk @BeyondReflectUK
Their support really does save lives!
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We also support our good friends at Beat:Cancer, you can click the logo to donate and also keep up to date with their awesome music events on the B:C website!
Singles and EPs:
Beyond Border and j:dead
Black Nail Cabaret - Autogenic
From the upcoming album Chrysanthemum in March
The beautiful chrysanthemum in its humble white form is also known as the cemetery flower as it is often used to adorn graves for its longevity. For BLACK NAIL CABARET, the chrysanthemum's blossom paves the way for our own deathbed portraits. We know that the grim reaper will come to us all and bring the end, which turns us into fear-filled jars. Our jar could be filled with so many other things but fear permeates all.
The eponymous "Chrysanthemum" of the Hungarian pop noire duo's sixth album symbolises an uprising against that but also acceptance. Although BLACK NAIL CABARET remain true to their marked penchant for sexually explicit provocation, the primal, subconscious fear of death that triggers emotions, anxiety, and the fear of letting go is also a red thread running through the album that is metaphorically named "Chrysanthemum".
The eroticism of the Hungarians has always avoided cheap clichés. Instead the duo artistically depicts their living BDSM reality, which is framed by high aesthetic standards. Musically, BLACK NAIL CABARET have brought their outstanding songwriting abilities closer to perfection.
On "Chrysanthemum", the duo is seemingly effortless blending dark electronic sounds with pop noire elements. Their talent to write songs that can stand on their own and do not rely on electronic trickery has set BLACK NAIL CABARET apart from their peers. At the latest on their self-released full-length "Pseudopop" (2018), the Hungarians had successfully fused art, pop, dark harmonies, and powerful electronics.
BLACK NAIL CABARET continued to hit the international scene with their fifth album "Gods Verging on Sanity" in 2020. The duo's excellent reputation rapidly spread through word of mouth even though the global pandemic enforced severe limitations upon them. Now the stars have all aligned, and BLACK NAIL CABARET are ready to take on the world with a dark soundtrack of life's glory that is symbolised by a shiny white flower of seeming innocence that at closer inspection also carries all the eternal might of death in its scent: "Chrysanthemum".
Call Me Sleeper -
Lost Crown (Dec) + The Machine Spirit (Jan)
Delusive Relics - Fairy Ring
Dimi Rich - Falltime
DLV - Sinnerman EP
E:Lect - Secrets
E:lect is a swedish duo with members Hella and Anna. Both members have been in different musical projects since several years and finally e:lect was formed in 2016.
The music can be described as a mixture of futuristic synthpop with EBM vibes.
EXTIZE feat. HER OWN WORLD - Dark Knight
EXTIZE have released a lot of new music recently including tracks with OMNIMAR and CIRCUIT PREACHER.
EXTIZE are back and they've brought a special guest onboard - the sensational singer Yu from the band HER OWN WORLD! This duo with crystal clear female vocals and deep male vocals is explosive like a space rocket!
Prepare to be transported to a world where the boundaries of reality blur and music takes flight. "Dark Knight" is a futurepop club anthem that will take you on a virtual journey like no other. With lyrics that speak to the digital age, this song is a pulsating ode to the power of connection, escape, and freedom.
Join EXTIZE and HER OWN WORLD as they soar into the blue moonlight, feeling like dark knights in the sky. "Dark Knight" is not just a song; it's an experience. Let the music envelop you, and let the frequencies carry you away!
Faderhead feat. Electra Black - Burn All Night
Just in time for the beginning of the year - a time when most musicians are recovering from Christmas feasting and New Year's hangovers - Faderhead releases his new single "Burn All Night".
This driving futurepop song is a collaboration with scene newcomer Electra Black, whose airy trance-style vocals make the track very recognizeable in an ocean of songs with low male voices..
Fleisch - Fire-Fly
Funhouse - Blue Light
girli - Be With Me
Gothminister - We Come Alive
Helisir - Jotunheimen
A deeply relaxing piece that I love.
i Häxa - Underworld
An innovative vision that weaves together genre-defiant soundscapes, longform abstract film and ancient meteorological mythologies; i Häxa is a breath-taking dissection of the world as we know it, a forceful separation of the monotony of modernity from the rites and rituals that for centuries formed the foundations for who we are, how we came to be and where we claim to belong.
i Häxa begins with ‘Part 1’; a suite of four post-apocalyptic pieces steeped in alt-folk and harsh electronics brought together by a singular, 15-minute film created in collaboration with director Daniel Broadley. A nameless, wraith-like woman wakes to an ever-shifting fever dream of eerily familiar faces, nameless places and unbridled, impassioned impulse.
Tense with knife-edge string drone and hushed close harmonies, opener ‘Underworld’ erupts without warning into pulsing, dubbed up electronica, pushing the project’s creative dichotomy to the fore as the film’s protagonist is accosted by a trio of masked figures who break the forest’s tranquil spell and leave our heroine forever afraid of what may lie in wait behind the treeline. The bitcrushed discord leaves as abruptly as it arrived, segueing suddenly into ‘Part 1’s second movement, ‘Inferno’; a fluttering, spoken-word piece that walks a fine line between calming and carnal. ‘Inferno’s initial intimacy quickly curdles, becoming something more akin to shame and voyeurism as the distorted dirge rises again and a final, repeated phrase of ‘What am I to do?’ bores a hole in your head. This dichotic discomfort is only sharpened by movement three, ‘Last at the Table’. At first glance a lilting, ninety-second ditty, the accompanying film sequence depicts the protagonist watching powerlessly as her likeness slow dances with a tree spirit by the warmth and safety of the fire, turning the familial comfort of the tune into a lingering question; how much do we really know about those we love?
The project’s parallel interpretations crystallise on the shimmering, electro-pop epic ‘Sapling’, which sees the protagonist retrace her steps, returning to the beginning in order to be reborn, anew. Freshly adorned with verdant growth, the protagonist either succeeds the masked trio, or succumbs to them, as the lyrical refrain of “I see light, I see…” casts ripples of hope across the track. As the song fades though, euphoric, elated and spent, the film continues. The last thing we see is our protagonist, alone again and looking us directly in the eye. We are seen, we are now complicit in this story.
Whilst ‘Part 1’ is composed of four distinct movements, pulling them apart into easily digestible singles will always be a futile venture. In an age of fast fun and instant gratification, the ties that bind this work together are intended to transcend track listing. With aural, visual and lyrical themes freely intertwining, i Häxa is something to be consumed whole; just as it will, in time, consume you.
‘Part 1’ is but the start of a truly ambitious, year-long multifaceted project from singer-songwriter and visual artist Rebecca Need-Menear and forward-thinking producer Peter Miles. Together, as i Häxa, Need-Menear and Miles will be using the seasonal solstices of 2024 as waypoints to unveil further collections of songs and cinematics that chart an existential journey to the very depths of what makes us human, with every impassioned pang amplified in glitched-out, technicolour glory, before ultimately pulling everything together as one awesome, unified whole.
A project years in the making that draws simultaneously from rituals for old gods and the modern day deification of data, i Häxa is both heart-warming and horrifying; i Häxa is ancient history and hyper-real; i Häxa is everybody and no one at all; i Häxa is for you and for me; i Häxa is here and it is happening now.
Full release February 16, 2024
Lord Of The Lost - Weapons Of Mass Seduction
A cover album from one of the greatest bands on the planet right now!
The very first full cover album of Germany's #1 charting LORD OF THE LOST - honouring favourites by Michael Jackson, Judas Priest, Billy Idol & more!
Luca Agnelli feat Pisapia (IT)
Massive In Mensch - Lonesome Lighthouse
JALO - Your Deepest Regrets
Dirty slapping hard techno
j:dead - Roots
I gave this EP the best EP of 2023 award HERE
John B - The Arena
Renowned Drum & Bass pioneer John B returns with 'The Arena,' an immense Rock/Metal DNB anthem celebrating the upcoming launch of (John B’s favourite game) Escape from Tarkov: “Arena”.
Immersed in the hype for the much-anticipated launch of Tarkov’s new ‘competitive’ PVP game “Arena” John B’s new track takes a serious melodic metal Drum & Bass anthem direction, with a huge cinematic intro with layers of electric guitars, tribal drums, stadium cheers, and original live Vocals, written by John B and performed my Ilya Mirosh. The song drops with determined power into a solid DNB club banger but with crisp & mature production & maintaining the uplifting energy from the vocals & metal guitar riffs.
John is a huge fan of the game ‘Escape From Tarkov’ and has previously recorded several tracks connected to the game, most recently ‘The Killada’ for the legendary Australian content creator Pestily – which has now had over 500K streams. The developers at BSG noticed & even awarded John the rare honour of his own ‘streamer item’ in game – the ‘John B Liquid DNB sunglasses’ which you can wear on your character in-game!
Kid Kapichi - 999
From the upcoming album There Goes The Neighbourhood in March, this punk exploration of Police and government corruption is an absolute BANGER!
Kveld - Blood Meadow
Nordic folk and Viking war song inspired, one to get the blood rising. Also just released from Kveld are the singles 'Leader Of The Hunt' and 'Eventyr'.
LUN feat ALEX - Kiss the ring
'Gothbounce'
Melt Motif feat Processor
ODDKO feat Processor - Censorship
ODDKO Censorship concept:
The essence of this song is to portray the irrational and nonsensical nature of society's approach towards censorship.
Governments and individuals alike tend to censor content that does not align with their beliefs or preferences, often without any logical reasoning and they shift parameters based on their agenda. It appears to be a selective practice, driven by the desire to promote a particular ideology at a given time.
The song exposes the double standard surrounding "Nud1ty" and "V10lent" content, where female "N1ppl3s" are often considered scandalous (while male "N1ppl3s" are deemed acceptable for some inexplicable reason), yet 'V10lent" content is frequently treated with leniency.
Some people are even triggered by the sight of female "N1ppl3s" or a mother breastfeeding, but are unfazed by "V10lent" content.
OFFL1NX - You're Not There
A gothic take on liquid Drum and Bass
Rotersand - 16 Devils
Check out our recent video interview with Rotersand HERE
Simon Carter - Astral Voyage
This is Si Trance, no wait, Sy Trance, ok, ok, ok Psy Trance!
Enjoy this out of body musical experience complete with it's tribal chants and pounding beats, let yourself be elevated to a higher plane of existence.... The Astral Plane.
Probably should've been a Narconic release but then I wouldn't have been able to do the whole "Si, Sy" being short for Simon pun.
SPANKTHENUN - The Grind
The Grind is the 10th single from the upcoming new SPANKTHENUN album The Bunker Tapes Vol III - coming summer 2023.
The new single The Grind features remixes and additional production from Mirland, Chris Vrenna, :waijdan:, Ged Denton and SPANKTHENUN.
Depersonalization-derealization disorder occurs when you persistently or repeatedly have the feeling that you're observing yourself from outside your body or you have a sense that things around you aren't real, or both.
The Grind explores themes of self-doubt, fear and isolation brought on from being trapped in your own world away from other humans. Written during the beginnings of the worldwide pandemic in 2020, this track focuses on the changes many of us went through mentally as we delt with true isolation for the first times in our lives.
"Lock down in quarantine and barely alive... locked down in quarantine and buried alive."
The walls in this little room I now find myself in, cutoff from the outside world, seem to get closer and closer every day. Often, I find it funny how the words "room" and "tomb" sound similar but also find horror in the fact that everyday this room feels more and more like an actual tomb... my final resting place.
Teddy Killerz feat. Zardonic - Get Up!
The Hunger - Vanishing Cream (Nouveau)
TOAL - The New World
Dive into TOAL's new world where love's tale unfolds in the ethereal waves of darkwave. In this enchanting single, love transcends time and space, weaving a vivid tale of warriors turned guardians and Elvis dancing in the skies. Join TOAL as they explore parallel worlds where conflicts dissolve, leaving room for a dreamlike existence. Let the music guide you through this alternate reality, where love's flame burns as a guiding star. Discover a boundless exploration of sound and emotion with TOAL's latest release.
Voluspa - Midgardsblot
Wisborg feat JE T'AIME
Not much on Wisborg available but here's the amazing JE T'AIME who we had a brilliant interview with HERE
Zero Corporation - London Rain
Disoveries and favourites back next month!
Let me know if I have missed any important releases please.
Thank you
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