Category: electronica

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Belfast’s Chalk Shares Brooding “Pool Scene”

Rising Belfast-based electronic outfit Chalk — Ross Cullen (vocals), Benedict Goddard (guitar, sampler) and Luke Niblock (drums) — features three award-winning musicians and filmmakers, who can trace the origins of the band to their meeting while attending film school. The trio bonded over having the same musical vision and ambitions. 

Inspired by the ferocity of Dublin‘s guitar band scene’s live shows and the sweaty hardcore dance scenes of their native Belfast, the band has developed and crafted a sound that has been dubbed by some critics as techno-infused, gothic post-punk — and as the band has dubbed Berghain-rock blended with techno punk. 

2023 saw the Northern Ireland-based post punk/electronic trio release their debut EP Conditions. But the band quickly made a name for themselves as a live unit: They exploded out of the gates with opening slots for London-based outfit PVA for their first ever shows, before selling out shows across the UK. Quickly building upon a growing profile across the region and elsewhere, the band landed sets across the European major festival circuit, closing out 2023 with a set at Rencontres Trans Musicales and a KEXP live session. 

Coming off the heels of their Northern Irish Music Prize 2023 Best Live Act win, the band has begun to make noise globally: Their Chris Ryan and Ross Cullen co-produced sophomore EP Conditions II was released last year. The EP featured singles “The Gate” and “Claw,” which received praise from The Independent, NME, DIY, Dork, Rolling Stone UK, So Young, The New Cue, Rough Trade, Consequence and others while landing on a BBC 6 Music playlist with tracks from PJ Harvey, IDLES, Sampha, Yard Act and more.

Last year, I wrote about Conditions II single “Bliss,” a track that featured angular and reverb-drenched shoegazer-like guitar textures with relentless four-on-the-floor and bursts of glistening synth serving as a brooding yet cinematic bed for Ross Cullen’s punchy yet stoic shouts and Constance Keane, a.k.a. Fears‘ ethereal voice acting as a dreamy counterbalance. Nodding at Joy Division, New Order, Luminous and V-era The Horrors and others, the track thematically moves from longing to loss and regret. 

Thematically, Conditions II continued upon the themes of its predecessor but while diving deeper into subconscious feelings and self-discovery. Sonically, the effort saw the band leaning into the industrial/techno rock sound that they established with Conditions. Aesthetically, the trio continued the monochromatic, goth-inspired goth visual landscape in an evocative and seamless manner. 

“We see Conditions II as a natural evolution from our debut EP, Conditions. These new tracks are a product of our first year as a touring band. They were tried and tested at most of our shows before being taken into the studio,” Chalk’s Ross Cullen says. “We wanted to expand upon existing themes and ideas we touched upon in our debut, but with this continuation, we could explore ourselves and the world we had created deeper, both lyrically and sonically. In this second installment, we wanted to dive further into the electronic element of our music, bringing the experience of our live shows to our recordings.”

The third and final part of the Northern Ireland-based trio’s trilogy Conditions III EP officially dropped today through Nice Swan Records. Recorded against the backdrop of bleak landscapes and Nordic vistas in remote northern Iceland, Conditions III sees the Belfast-based trio fusing elements of heavy guitar music, electronica and breakbeat into a euphoric and frightening finished project. The result is an effort that showcases another evolution in the band’s already confrontational sound and approach. 

In the lead-up to the EP’s release, I wrote about two EP singles:

  • “Tell Me,” a goth-meets-industrial banger featuring thumping and skittering beats, oscillating synths and a relentless, motorik groove paired with Cullen’s reverb and distortion-drizzled, emotionally detached delivery. At its core, “Tell Me,” evokes unease, desperation and euphoria simultaneously.  “‘Tell Me’ is the first release of our trilogy-ending third EP Conditions III. For this track, we conjured up a world in which the song’s protagonist is running away from a dark past into unknown territory, encountering an unsuspecting new acquaintance on their journey,” the band’s Ross Cullen says. It’s a song that dives head-first into themes of the unknown, breaking norms, and a feeling of running away and never wanting to return again. It explores the idea that life is moving rapidly around us and the lack of belonging, confusion, and disassociation one experiences on their journey, growing older in an increasingly discouraging and bleak urban landscape. These are themes of which we’ve scratched the surface with Conditions and Conditions II; but we want to delve even deeper into their grittier sides as we continue to figure ourselves out along the way.”

  • “Afraid,” a bruiser of a track that’s one-part Gang of Four-era post-punk and scorching industrial electronica that feels tense, uneasy yet euphoric. “‘Afraid’ captures the raw fear and exhilaration of stepping into the unknown, a reminder that growth only happens when you leave your comfort zone. It’s a reflection on the strength it takes to move forward,” the band explains. 

Today, the band shared EP closing track “Pool Scene,” which sees the band meshing brooding and yearning post-punk with propulsive, dance floor friendly house music in a way that to my ears brings to mind a synthesis of Joy Division and I Love You It’s Cool-era Bear in Heaven.

The accompanying video by Colin Peppard features black and white camcorder footage of the band performing by Morgyn Lutton and Sienna Munn, and photography by Glen Bollard, Lee Anderson and Tom Ham.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Moonbird Shares Lush and Yearning “Silence”

Rising French electronic producer Pierre Charmot, best known as Moonbird emerged into the scene back in 2021 and he quickly established his sound, which sees him pairing hard-hitting techno beats with ethereal vocals. That same […]

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 69th Birthday, Peter Hook!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Peter Hook’s 69th birthday.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 55th Birthday, James Murphy!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy’s 55th birthday.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Orian Bor Shares Brooding and Cinematic “Hard Road”

Orian Bor is an emerging Italian producer and multi-instrumentalist, who can trace the origins of his music career to when he turned 12 and started playing the piano. Around the time, he turned 15, the […]

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Live Concert Photography: Winter Jazzfest 2025: Denmark, Kaja management and Copenhagen Jazz Fest Presents: Smag På Dig Selv with Josefine Opshal at Baby’s All Right 1/11/25

Live concert photography of The Kingdom of Denmark and Copenhagen Jazz Fest’s Showcase at Baby’s All Right 1/11/25.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Finnish Duo RORO and snapir Share Cinematic Yet Intimate “Fractures”

Kauri Ruohonen is an in-demand Helsinki-based singer/songwriter, electronic music producer and founder, best known in electronic music circles as RORO. Ruohonoen is also the creative director of record label/production house Booa Music. As RORO, the Helsinki-based producer and artist has developed a sound frequently characterized by deep, moody atmospheres and sophisticated elements while working extensively with a growing list of Finnish acts including joalin, Louie Blue and jambo.

Jonathan Snapir is an in demand Helsinki-based electronic producer, best known as snapir who joined Booa Music in 2020 as a studio musician and producer, contributing to tracks alongside RORO. The following year, he dove deeper into experimental electronic music, driven by a relentless curiosity for unorthodox sounds and production techniques. snapir‘s debut EP, 2022’s LUNG showcases the Finnish producer’s ability to craft diverse yet cohesive audio landscapes that are captivating.

The pair bonded over a shared passion for experimental electronic soundscapes. Last year, they released their debut single as a collaborative duo with “Mass” which will appear on their debut effort as a duo, Colors Left, slated for a January 17, 2025 release.

The material sees the pair moving fluidly between dark electro, ambient and glitch-infused soundscapes while creating a deeply personal listening experience, informed by the duo’s shared desire to process pass emotions through innovative sound design. “Our goal was to create a soundscape that represents emotional rebirth,” they explain. “Each track is a deliberate exploration of bringing color back into a monochromatic experience.” 

Colors Left‘s latest single “Fractures” is a deliberately sculptured song that’s built around delicate yet painterly layers of skittering beats, ambient synths, whirring glitch and glistening synth arpeggios paired with a motorik pulse. Through a fearless exploration of unfamiliar sounds and unconventional production techniques, “Fractures” manages to be simultaneously intimate and introspective and yet cinematic.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 54th Birthday, Keith Flint!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 54th anniversary of Keith Flint’s birth.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Chengdu, China’s STOLEN Shares an Industrial Banger

Formed back in 2010, STOLEN is a pioneering and award-winning, Chengdu, China-based electronica quintet that specializes in a high-energy, dance floor friendly sound that features elements of techno, darkwave and post-punk.

Since the release of their full-length debut, 2015’s Loop, the Chinese outfit has built an international profile: Through collaborations with renowned brands like Hermés, Burberry and BMW, they’ve managed to merge their unique sound with current fashion trends. And adding to a growing international profile, they opened for New Order during the British New Wave legends’ 2019 European Union tour.

The Chengdu-based outfit will be embarking on a UK tour in October. The tour will feature newly remastered old and new tracks with enhanced avant-garde VJ visual effects, which promise to be a jaw-dropping live performance. But in the meantime, their latest single “Chaos,” is a darkwave-meets-industrial club banger featuring relentless, Giorgio Moroder-like synth oscillations, glistening synth melodies, skittering tweeter and woofer rattling beats, bursts of angular and discordant, post punk guitars and rousingly enormous hooks and choruses serving as a lush and brooding bed for breathily delivered vocals.

Written, directed and edited by Formol, the accompanying video for “Chaos” is cinematically shot, black and white fever dream featuring one of the most brilliant uses of cassette tape I’ve yet to see.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: WØØLS Shares Painterly “Flooded”

Brock Woolsey is a Californian-based multi-instrumentalist, producer, electronic music artist and creative mastermind of the solo recording project WØØLS. With WØØLS, Woolsey uses a mix of acoustic and digital instruments to create a collage sound characterized by textured synths, fuzzy tones, soft pianos, heavy low end and driving drum patterns that draws from Jon Hopkins, James Blake, Tycho, Shlohmo and Weval among others.

The Canadian artist’s latest EP Santa Rosa is slated for a June 14, 2024 release through Hit the North Records. The EP’s third and final single “Flooded” is a painterly almost shoegazer-like track that opens with a symphonic-like synth melody before quickly featuring glisten synth arpeggios, skittering beats, tape saturated fuzz and twinkling keys in a song that twists, turns and morphs into different textured passages before bringing listeners back to the beginning.

“Flooded” was inspired by Woolsey’s first analog synth, a Sequential Prophet Rev 2. “I was listening to Machinedrum heavily while writing this song. The bridge is a nice break in the song. Delicate piano chords run with tape cassette saturation” says Woolsey. The track opens with a symphonic melody, eventually carrying listeners through a roller coaster of textures and passages. The bridge provides a break in the reoccurring melodies, nearly sounding like a completely different track before making a full circle, bringing listeners back to the track’s essential melodies.”

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New Audio: Initial Orchestra Shares Hypnotic “Dynamic Tube”

Currently splitting her time between Paris and Brussels, Sarah Chièze is a classically trained multi-instrumentalist, composer, singer, filmmaker and visual artist, who can trace her curiosity and passion for sound to growing up in a family of musicians.

Chièze started studying at the conservatory before she could actually write. But as a musical prodigy, she learned piano, flute, guitar and singing. And although piano is her preferred instrument, singing has informed her compositional approach and the thematic concern of her work — the construction of language.

When Chiéze went to college, she studied cinema and visual art, which have become important parts of both her professional and personal lives: She composes scores for film and has developed a digital graphics price that allows her to create the artwork for her releases.

Her multimedia project Initial Orchestra sees her crafting compositions that draw from a range of influences, including flamenco, prog rock and classical music among others — and pairing that with sci-fi-inspired images that invite the listener and viewer’s mind and body to freely wander.

Chièze recently released her debut EP, the six-song Resolution. The EP sees the emerging multimedia artist taking the listener on an epic journey while crafting melodies that are simultaneously euphoric and deep. Throughout the run of the EP, its six songs echo and contrast each other.

Anchored around a painterly layers of a looping and repetitive, twinkling melodic phrase that twists and turns around skittering and pulsing trap-like thump, the EP’s latest single “Dynamic Tube” is a mind-bending, cinematic bit of electronic music that channels Trans Europe Express-era Kraftwerk.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Fat Dog Shares Euphoric Trance Banger “Running”

Led by Joe Love, the rapidly rising London-based electronic act Fat Dog — Love (vocals, production), Chris Hughes (keys, synths), Ben Harris (bass), Johnny Hutchinson (drums) and Morgan Wallace (keyboards and sax) — can trace its origins back to 2021, when Love decided to form a group and take the demos he’d be making as a way to keep himself during lockdown out into the world. Initially, Love had two simple rules: Fat Dog was going to be a healthy band, who looked after themselves and there would be no saxophone presence in their music. But those two simple edicts have long-since been broken.

With Hughes, Harris, Hutchinson and Wallace, Love found like-minded mavericks to help bring the dream home. “A lot of music at the moment is very cerebral and people wonʼt dance to it,” says Hughes. “Our music is the polar opposite of thinking music.” The band’s Chris Hughes should know. He was originally a fan of the band, who at that point had been making a name for themselves with a series of exhilarating and/or wonky shows across South London before he joined.

Those early gigs formed the bedrock of what the rapidly rising British outfit were all about: seizing the moment, drinking too much with the moment, going home separately from the moment, but making up with the moment again the next day. Naturally, the rising British outfit quickly developed a following — and it helped that every show across London had become a huge upgrade on the last.

There’s something far deeper going on with the band. “Thereʼs a sense of community about Fat Dog,” says Hutchinson. And after completing their first shows in the US, including a set at a taco joint, the band has quickly built up a following Stateside. Building upon the buzz in their native UK, the Londoners will tour the UK next month and November, as well as make a run of the European festival circuit, playing sets at festivals in the UK and Europe over the summer.

Amazingly, the band’s breakthrough year or so, has come as the result of only two official singles under their collective belts: “King of the Slugs” and “All The Same,”  propulsive, club rocking, industrial-inspired banger built around glistening synth arpeggios, and orchestral sample-driven hit, industrial clang and clatter paired with skittering, tweeter and woofer rattling boom bap, enormous shout along worthy hooks and a plaintive vocal delivery.

Fat Dog’s highly-anticipated full-length debut, WOOF is slated for a September 6, 2024 release through Domino Recording Co. Produced by the band’s Love, Jimmy Ford and Jimmy Robertson, WOOF‘s material is influenced by Bicep, I.R.O.K., Kamasi Washington and the Russian experimental EDM group Little Big. Sonically, the album reportedly sees the London upstarts firmly establishing music for letting go, anchored around a blend of electro punk, snarling rock, techno soundscapes, industrial electronica and rave euphoria. The sound that Fat Dog makes, according to Love is “screaming-into-a-pillow music.” He continues, “I wanted to make something ridiculous because I was so bored. I don’t like sanitized music. Even this album is sanitized compared to what’s in my head. I thought it would sound more fucked up.”

WOOF‘s latest single “Running” is a hook-driven bit of club rocking trance, built around glistening, razor sharp synth arpeggios, relentless four-on-the-floor, thumping club beats and shouted vocals. But underpinning the club friendly euphoria is a tense, paranoid unease that befits our corporate sponsored hellscape.

Directed by Stephen Agnew, the accompanying video for “Running” is a surreal, breathtakingly cinematic visual with hints to Ken Russell, Ingmar Herman and others that reveals the true origins of the cult of Fat Dog and their real leader.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: AC Grüns Shares Woozy and Hypnotic “Cosmic WiFi (Radio Free Babble On Mix)”

AC Grüns is a Pacific Northwest-based electronic music artist and producer, who has quickly established a unique sound that’s simultaneously ethereal and immersive and sees him blending house, techno and downtempo paired with crisp beats and deep bass.

His latest single, the sparse and minimalist “Cosmic WiFi (Radio Free Babble On Mix)” is a woozy and hypnotic track anchored around looping and arpeggiated bursts of analog synths and twinkling keys paired with skittering beats. Sonically seeming to channel The Chemical Brothers‘ “Star Guitar” and Kraftwerk, is a mind-bending yet accessible bit of playful experimentation with a cosmic sheen.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: ALIAS Shares Swaggering and Genre-Defying “EMPTY HEAD” with KROY and Cadence Weapon

Emmanuel Alias is a French-born, Montréal-based singer/songwriter multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, dilettante and polymath who had had a varied and rather accomplished career in music before he started his eponymous psych rock project ALIAS. 

After spending nine years studying jazz at the Darius Milhaud Conservatory in Aix-en-Provence, France, Alias relocated to Montréal in 2014. Upon his arrival in Québec, Alias landed a job at XS Music, where he worked on scores for HBO’s Big Little Lies and Sharp Objects, ICI Télé’s  Une autre histoire, Hubert et Fanny and Cerebrum et Mon fils, Mariloup Wolfe’s feature film Jouliks and for a number of Cirque du Soleil productions. In 2017, Alias also worked for Musique Nomade, where he produced multidisciplinary Oji-Crie’ and Mi’gmaq artist Anachnid‘s DREAMWEAVER, which was nominated for an Association québécoise de l’industrie du disque, du spectacle et de la video (ADISQ) Award and long-listed for the Polaris Prize. 

The French-born, Montreal-based artist also produced singles by Q-052, Annie Sama, Chances, iskwē and Beyries. And he also had a stint as the musical and stage director for Ananchid.

Along with his production and songwriting work for other artists, the French-born, Canadian-based artist has managed to have had a host of different projects to accommodate his need to explore different genres, releasing punk, hip-hop and even ambient material under different monikers, before starting his solo recording project ALIAS, a cathartic psych rock project that sees him crafting retro-tinged sons rooted in fantastical, batshit crazy, hallucinogenic tales paired with fuzzy guitars and wild tempo changes.

Alias’ sophomore ALIAS album Embrace Chaos will be released through Simone Records. Embrace Chaos will feature “CURSED” and “TRUTH OR TRUST,” a woozily euphoric bop featuring glistening synth arpeggios, whirring bas synths, relentless four-on-the-floor paired with razor sharp, incredibly catchy hooks. The result is a LCD Soundsystem-meets-Psymon Spine-like soundscape that’s roomy enough for Alias, along with fellow Montréalers Virginie B and Meggie Lennon to playfully trade neurotically self-aware and vaguely paranoid verses and hooks throughout. 

Embrace Chaos‘ third and latest single “EMPTY HEAD” sees the French-born, Canadian-based artist further establishing a genre-bending and genre-defying sound. Featuring guest spots from acclaimed Canadian emcee Cadence Weapon and KROY, the hook-driven “EMPTY HEAD” features elements of industrial electronica, hip-hop and punk rock delivered with a swaggering, in-your-face aplomb.

Directed by Gabrielle Thiffault, the accompanying video for “EMPTY HEAD” features Alias at a birthday party — or some other related gathering — with a table seated by mannequins and masked people. Throughout the French-born, Canadian artist seems to lose his mind and behaves poorly.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 68th Birthday, Peter Hook!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates former Joy Division and New Order member Peter Hook’s 68th birthday.