Tag: Berlin Germany

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Tale Of Us is a Berlin-based production and electronic music artist duo comprised of Carmine Conte and Matteo Milleri. And over the course of the past five years, the duo of Conte and Milleri have developed an internationally recognized reputation for material that possesses an exacting precision (they’ve been known to discard hundreds of tracks in their search for the perfect beat, the perfect sound) and for techno that’s deeply emotive.

“North Star,” the the first single off their double A side “North Star”/”Silent Space” consists of layers of shimmering and undulating synths, tweeter and woofer rocking low end, skittering percussion to craft a song that’s reminiscent of both Snap!‘s “Rhythm Is A Dancer” and Octo Octa‘s “Please Don’t Leave” in the sense that all three songs are atmospheric yet carefully composed club bangers in which, notes are never wasted.

New Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: The Stormy and Nostalgic Video for Leena Ojala’s “Why”

Just a couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the young, up-and-coming pop artist, Leena Ojala. Born in Germany to a Finnish father and English mother, Ojala was raised in Hong Kong and Essex before she relocated to London when she was […]

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Robin Paul Braum is a Berlin, Germany-born, London-based electronic music artist and producer, best known in electronic music circles under the moniker of Ballerino. He’s also a founding member of the London-based production and artistic collective squareglass, a collective known for a focus on unconventional production techniques. As a solo artist, Braum has developed a reputation for hypnotic house music with an artsy sheen.

Much like A side side “Wet,” it’s B side “Coward” according to Braum delves into something that would be familiar for all of us — desperate, embarrassing crushes, the fact that most of the time love is either unrequited or unwanted and the fact that love at first sight is often an illusion.  The production reportedly pays homage to house music’s origins as the song is comprised of shuffling and wobbling bass line, undulating synths ebbing and flowing about the bass, skittering and stuttering drum programming, led by hot, explosive blasts of cymbal and a chopped up vocal sample that reminds me of the fluid production style of Octo Octa‘s Between Both Selves  — in particular “Please Don’t Leave” and “Work Me.” And from the release of this single, Braum adds himself to a list of producers creating carefully crafted house music and electronic music that is clearly artistic, but hasn’t forgotten how to move a crowd.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Born in Germany to a Finnish father and English mother, young, up-and-coming pop artist Leena Ojala was raised in Hong Kong and Essex before she relocated to London when she was 17. Influenced by London Grammar, Rae Morris and Florence and the Machine, Ojala spent a considerable amount of time experimenting, tweaking and honing her sound — until she felt she found her voice. After a six month stint in Berlin, absorbing everything it had to offer and then using her time there to inspire and inform her music and lyrics, Ojala returned to London, and began working on the material that would comprise her forthcoming EP, EP 1.

EP 1′s first single “Why” is comprise of some sparse piano chords at the song’s introduction followed by guitar, an ethereal string arrangement and stuttering synths and skittering percussion paired with Ojala’s plaintive vocals that express recrimination, anger, confusion, heartache and inner resolve within the turn of a phrase.And that shouldn’t be surprising as the song’s narrator seems to be demanding answers from a deceitful, absent lover in a bitter confrontation. Certainly, the song possess a heartfelt honesty that suggest that the song is inspired by the songwriter’s personal experience — while backed by production that gives the song a stormy and melodramatic heft. If you’ve ever been betrayed by a lover or made foolish by a lover, the song will remind you of a familiar (and universal) ache. 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Phia’s Breezy and Seductive Cover of Radiohead’s “15 Step”

More than enough ink has been spilled on the Oxford, UK-based quintet Radiohead — to the point that delving deeply into the band’s backstory will seem largely unnecessary; however, what I will say is that the […]

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: James Chatburn’s Sleek and Seductive, New Single “The Creator”

Australian-born, Berlin-based singer/songwriter and producer James Chatburn has developed a reputation for production work that seamlessly  meshes soul, blues, and indie electronica and paired with his warm, effortlessly soulful vocals. And if you’ve been following JOVM […]

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Lennart Richter’s Modern Reworking of Duran Duran’s “Girls on Film”

With the release of his first single at the end of 2012, the Berlin, Germany-based producer, electronic music artist and DJ Lennart Richter quickly established a reputation as an up-and-coming electronic music artist, producer and […]

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Introducing The Haunting and Effortlessly Soulful Sound of Berlin’s The Septembers

The Septembers are an Australian-born, Berlin, Germany-based duo, comprised of Donna Arendse and James Chatburn. And the duo of Arendse and Chatburn have quickly developed a reputation for warm and effortlessly soulful vocals, and for collaborating with […]

New Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Introducing DUZT and the B-Boy Swagger of His Debut Single “Space Cowboy”

Largely inspired by Frank Ocean, Drake, James Blake, and Michael Jackson, up-and-coming (and somewhat mysterious) Berlin-based artist DUZT‘s debut single “Space Cowboy” has received quite a bit of attention in the across the EU, as […]

indie electronica by William Ruben Helms

EP Stream: Edu Imbernon and DROOG’s Forward-Thinking Yet Accessible Spectral

Edu Imbernon is a Valencia, Spain-based songwriter, producer, remixer, DJ and head of renowned indie electronica label Eklektisch Records. Imbernon has received international attention for a sound that possesses of electronica, house music, and pop — […]

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

Over the past few years, Sweden has become the home of a burgeoning dream pop scene as artists such as MOONBABIES, Summer Heart, Hey Elbow and The Land Below and others have received attention both […]

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: VIMES’ Cosmic Remix and Reworking of Kat Vinter’s “Downtime”

Australian-born and currently Berlin based electro pop artist Kat Vinter has had a lengthy career as a musician in a number of bands in Sydney’s and New York’s indie scenes. Interestingly, Vinter can trace the […]

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

If you’ve been frequenting JOVM over the past few months, you might be familiar with the up-and-coming, Spanish-born, Berlin-based singer/songwriter Sofi de la Torre. de la Torre began writing songs when she was 14 and […]

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

Although they manage to operate with a purposefully mysterious cloak around them, the Stockholm, Sweden-based electro pop act Baron Bane formed in 2003, and since the act’s formation they’ve developed a reputation for a sound […]

Uncategorized by William Ruben Helms

As I’ve been going through a number of tracks, it seems that today’s focus has inadvertently been on obscurities. And as I’ve mentioned on a number of occasions that can often be the strength of […]