Category: electronic music

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Lomotor Returns with Scorching “Second Sun”

Josh Rathburn is a Northern Massachusetts-based electronic music producer best known as Lomotor. Drawing comparisons to Boards of Canada and JOVM mainstay Rival Consoles, and inspired by the hills and valleys of his rural surroundings, Rathburn’s work sees him blending modular and analog synthesizers with found sounds and early childhood cassette recordings to create songs that often feel like a scratched and faded memory of a melody heard long ago. 

The Northern Massachusetts-based producer’s latest single “Second Sun” is a broodingly hypnotic track built around a glitchy, growling and warped synth melody paired with skittering beats. While seemingly channeling Tobacco and Black Moth Super Rainbow, “Second Sun” evokes sun-scorched landscapes and grainy, analog fuzz, making the song sound as though it was a distant transmission from a malfunctioning satellite.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 60th Birthday, Trent Reznor!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Trent Reznor’s 60th birthday.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Kilo Kish Shares Surreal Visual for Yearning, Club Banging “enough”

Kilo Kish is an acclaimed interdisciplinary artist, creator director and designer working in music, film, installation and writing. 2022’s AMERICAN GURL was released to praise from Pitchfork, NPR, Teen Vogue, NYLON and The New York Times, and helped lead to features in Vogue, Cultured and others.

AMERICAN GURL expanded into a curational project in collaboration with Womxn in Windows founder and creator Zehra Zehra, which has been displayed in galleries and museums like the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Art, Hauser & Wirth and Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles. She has collaborated with several brands including Bulgari, Levi’s, Rodarte and more.

Kish just wrapped up a residency with Womxn In Windows at MOCA, Los Angeles, which celebrated the launch of American Gurl: home-land, a presentation of six short films that negotiate themes on land, diaspora and displacement from Melvonna Ballenger, Shenny De Los Angeles, Ella Ezeike, Solange Knowles, Alima Lee and Cauleen Smith. Earlier this week Womxn In Windows announced their screening series at the Academy Museum, American Gurl: Seeking . . . guest programmer by Kish and Zehra. The films offer nuanced perspectives on how women of color navigate the complexities of systems and institutions. 

Her highly-anticipated EP Negotiations is slated for a Friday release through Independent Co. The six-song EP reportedly sees the acclaimed interdisciplinary artist further amplifying her forward-thinking and advanced creative mind with a poignant effort, that’s a deep and thought-provoking dive into the nuances of technology and the large role it has within creativity.

Thematically, the EP explores the intricate interplay between the human body, technology and nuances of emotional and cognitive processing in a rapidly evolving world. By framing the body as a machine, Kish intentionally invites a dialogue about the transactional nature of energy expenditure, suggesting that our existence is defined by a constant exchange in which every output necessitates an input, ultimately leading to both depletion and potential renewal.

At the core of the EP is the notion of error and glitch — a reflection of contemporary life marked by instability, chaos and uncertainty. And as a result, Kish delves into the scripts we write into ourselves, questioning their efficacy in an era seemingly defined by incessant, rapid-fire change. How we are programmed shapes our responses to these incessant, rapid-fire changes, illustrating that we all inevitably fall prey to our programming and thought patterns. That introspective observation should resonate deeply with our collective experience of navigating a landscape rife with digital and emotional noise, global systems failure and environmental collapse prompting a need for the sort of manual resets needed when you reprogram a malfunctioning device.

Sonically, the EP’s creative process utilized a finite set of sonic parameters and instruments that would reflect the overall thematic core. Drawing from early hip-hop and electronic music techniques like skipping, scratching, vocal processing, vocoders and modular synthesizers, the result is a sound that balances the synthetic with moments of humanity, creating a machine-like atmosphere.

Negotiations EP‘s latest single “enough” is a slickly produced, hypnotic track featuring glistening and percussive synth arpeggios, skittering beats, and chopped up vocodered and processed vocal samples serving as a lush, club friendly yet creepily uneasy bed for Kish’s yearning, validation seeking delivery.

“This song is kind of about throwing things at the wall to see what sticks, and the fantasy that we play out on the internet, how things are not always as they seem,” Kish explains. “Wanting the affection and love of complete strangers, but not really knowing why. The need for viewership and adoration that’s become a mainstay in the way we live nowadays, not just as artists but as everyday people.”

Co-directed by Kish and David Laven and produced by Even/Odd, the accompanying video for “enough” is part of a suite of interconnected films accompanying the Negotiations EP shot and based within the same immersive world. Calling back to the EP’s first video “reprogram,” where Kish danced alone in a stark, gray office, the video for “enough” is set in the same setting — but this time, we see an older businessman type, whose life at that moment sees him vacillating between listening to “enough” on his laptop and hearing it as a part of his own internal dialogue.

Understandably, the businessman is confused, intrigued and then somehow, instinctually moved to sway and dance to the song in the office. As the video pans out a bit, we see a completely unfazed Kish sitting on the floor, observing and writing notes.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 74th Birthday, Chris Frantz!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Talking Heads’ and Tom Tom Club’s Chris Frantz’s 74th birthday.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Glasgow’s Akkiles82 Shares Cinematic “Streets of Neo-Yokohama”

Nick Thomson is a Glasgow-based electronic music producer and the creative mastermind of the solo recording project Akkiles82. Akkiles82 sees Thompson creating a sound that draws from cyberpunk, retrowave, and his history both playing bands and as an electronic music/dance music producer.

The Scottish-based producer’s Akkiles82 full-length debut, CybernNation will be released in two parts over the course of the next year. The album reportedly will tell a story of desperate survival, after an unknown cataclysm causes destruction in a futuristic cyberpunk-like city. The album’s track range from classic synthwave and EDM through breakbeat — with health doses of 80s cartoon and TV themes influences.

CyberNation‘s second and latest single “Streets of Neo-Yokohama,” is a slickly produced cinematic track that recalls a synthesis of Fragile-era Nine Inch Nails, John Carpenter soundtracks and 80s TV themes, anchored around dense layers of glistening, arpeggiated synths and tweeter and woofer rattling thump. A new Knight Rider, Transformers or Voltron theme perhaps?

“This track was inspired by the towering skyscrapers and street racing scenes of Tokyo and Yokohama, painting a picture of neon and rain soaked streets,” Thompson says.

Throwback by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 85th Birthday, Giorgio Moroder!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Giorgio Moroder’s 85th birthday.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Alex Revox Jr Shares a Daft Punk-like Bop

Deriving his stage name from Revox, one of the most beloved tape recorders produced in Europe since the late 1940s, emerging French electronic music producer and DJ Alex Revox, Jr. is influenced by the Canterbury School, the Repetitive Music scene, minimalists like Brian Eno and the contemporary electronic musicians playing Paris‘ and Berlin‘s renowned clubs. His sound sees him employing both tape manipulation and contemporary production techniques.

The French producer’s recently released, full-length debut, B77 sees him crafting material that nods at his key influences, including Pierre Henry, Kraftwerk, Gong, Amon Düül, Philip Glass and Terry Riley while showcasing a producer who pairs technical sophistication and imagination with a subtle sense of humor.

B77‘s latest single “Le monde selon” is club friendly tune that seems to nod at Discovery-era Daft Punk, while showcasing the emerging French producer’s penchant for trippy, mind-bending groove.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 78th Birthday, Florian Schneider!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 78th anniversary of the birth of Kraftwerk co-founder Florian Schneider.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Creange Shares a Neurotic, Club Friendly Bop

Creange is a an intentionally recognized Paris-based DJ and producer, who has developed a reputation for creating high energy, positive and downright fun songs. And as a result, the French DJ and producer has spent the past decade or so, playing some of Europe’s renowned clubs, including Ibiza‘s Pacha, London‘s Ministry of Sound and Amsterdam‘s Escape. He has also been a resident DJ at one of Paris’ most beloved and groundbreaking clubs, Chez Raspoutine for eight years.

Adding to a growing profile in the electronic music scene, Black Coffee, Whomadewho, Faithless, Joris Delacroix, Jamie Jones, Âme, Gorgon City and a list of others have spun his work in their sets.

The Parisian producer and DJ’s latest single “Mad” is an LCD Soundsystem-like bop featuring an angular, post-punk-meets-disco-influenced bass line, angular and squiggling bursts of guitar, oscillating synths, cowbell punctuated four-on-the-floor serving as an nervous yet dance floor friendly bed for a neurotic James Murphy and David Byrne-inspired sing-songy delivery.

While showcasing a producer with an uncanny knack for incredibly catchy hooks, “Mad” captures the zeitgeist of our moment: Everything has been upended. Left is right. Right is left. War is peace. Fascism and economic ruin is everywhere. It’s a mad, mad, and world — and it’s on fire. Might as well have fun and dance until the flames engulf everything we care about . . .

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Lycoriscoris Shares Meditative “Light Leaks”

Yunosuke Senoo, best known as Lycoriscoris is a Japanese multi-instrumentalist, electronic music artist and producer, who over the course of the past decade has firmly established a signature blend of organic melodies made with both analog and digital equipment with intricate sound design. During that same period, he has built a cult following as a part of a new wave of Japanese electronic music producers.

His debut full-length debut was released on a Japanese indie label. But since then he has released material through Anjunadeep, KOMPAKT KX and Christian Löffler‘s Ki Records. 2018’s Flight, which was released through Anjunadeep landed in the Top 4 of the iTunes Electronic Albums Chart and received airplay on BBC Radio 1, KEXP and NTS Radio, while receiving international press coverage. 2021’s 9-track Chiyu showcased Senoo’s delicate production style while receiving praise from Mixmag Asia, DJ Mag and DJ Times while receiving spins from Nick Warren, Joris Voorn, Hernán Cattáneo and Eelke Kleijn.

Senoo’s latest Lycoriscoris single “Light Leaks” is a gorgeous track that manages to be simultaneously cinematic, mediative and deeply intimate. Featuring bursts of dramatic and twinkling piano and glistening synth oscillations paired with skittering beats, “Light Leaks” evokes a sense of wonder and awe, the recognition of our smallness in an infinite cosmos, and the recognition of our mortality. Today, things are harsh, uncertain and brutally unfair but there will always be small and profound moments of beauty and joy that you must hold on to with everything you’ve got.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Rival Consoles Shares Upbeat Yet Cinematic “Catherine”

Ryan Lee West is a critically acclaimed, London-based electronic music producer, best known as Rival Consoles. Over the course of his nearly two-decade career, West’s work has diversified from the challenging electronic output of his earliest releases to gradually becoming more conceptual and metamorphic: 2020’s Articulation used drawings and sketches to imagine and developed each track while 2021’s Overflow explored themes of the human and emotional consequences of life surrounded by advancing technologies, including social media — and was composed for choreographer Alex Whitley‘s contemporary dance production of the same name. 

West’s consistent desire to create a more organic, humanized sound often sees the acclaimed British producer often developing early ideas on guitar or piano; forming pieces that capture and evoke a sense of songwriting behind the electronics. His eighth album, 2022’s Now Is featured some of the most playful and melodic material of West’s catalog in some time, with the album’s material drawing from music, art, film, colors, shapes and even human emotions. 

“The title of the record Now Is interests me because it is the beginning of a statement, but it is incomplete. I like art that is open and suggestive of ideas even if they are inspired by very specific things,” West explains. “With my previous record Overflow being very dark, heavy and almost dystopian, I wanted to escape into a different world with this music and ended up creating a record which is a lot more colorful and euphoric.”

West followed Now Is with 2023’s standalone single “Coda,” an incredibly nocturnal song built around an eerie chord progression that slowly twists, turns and morphs as it builds up tempo paired with skittering beats and a relentless motorik-like groove. The composition manages to evoke a somnambulant and woozy buzz of energy.  “’Coda’ started as a really late night experiment around a chord progression that seemed haunting but also had some strange beauty,” West says. “The whole piece is centered around this theme. I wanted to embrace the dark and quiet moments of the nighttime but also the energy of people who were maybe moving around London late at night with a nod to house music.”

West’s ninth Rival Consoles album Landscape from Memory is slated for a July 4, 2025 release through his longtime label home, Erased Tapes. The album’s material blossomed following a frustrating fallow year away from the production desk.

For West, having spent the past decade producing and writing in a habitual way, falling out of love with creativity was a a sort of slowing of the clock that has long made him tick, a sense of being swallowed whole by some elementary force. And yet, the time out of the studio and writing room, helped inform what may arguably be his most invigorating album to date.

Partly stitched together from a scrapbook of discarded audio snippets, Landscape from Memory reportedly demanded a degree of openness and vulnerability from West during its assembly. “There is a kind of strange beauty to it because it involves the past, present and future in a very strong way,” West says.

The album’s climatic productions are frequently characterized by their propulsive quality and driven by West’s own push to step outside his comfort zone, having found inspiration from new and unfamiliar sources. Because his self-built Hackney studio suddenly felt too controlled of an environment, West changed up his creative process, mapping out tracks away from is studio desk. And as a result West’s forthcoming ninth album is a sort of travelogue of creativity on the move, a collection of postcards from a everywhere that features material defined by restlessness.

Landscape from Memory’s lead single “Catherine,” dedicated to West’s partner is a haunted yet remarkably upbeat track featuring propulsive, skittering and shuffling beats paired with a glistening synth-driven melody that twists and turns throughout a cinematic and expansive song structure.

“I recently came across this sketch of a melodic idea that I created many years ago,” West explains. “The title is named after the person who made me realise in that moment, that this idea had something special about it that should be returned to.”