Tag: electro pop

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Adam Öhman is a Stockholm, Sweden-based electronic music producer and artist, best known as Mountain Bird. And with the release of several singles, the Swedish producer and artist has developed a growing internationally recognized profile for a sound that’s been compared favorably to renowned French electro pop act M83 — and for adding his name to a growing Swedish electro pop/dream pop scene that includes acts like Moonbabies, Niki and The Dove and countless others. Adding to a growing profile across Europe and elsewhere, Öhman’s work has received airplay on Steve Lamacq‘s BBC Radio 2 show, Radio X, Absolute Radio and elsewhere.

Naturally, building upon a steadily growing buzz, Öhman is currently in the studio working on new material that will eventually be released through renowned Swedish label With Love Recordings — the label home of acts like CANVAS, Swim, Neeco Delaf and others. Öhman’s latest single “Hearts to Gold” is as he explains in press notes “a tale of celebration. Shining positive light on creators, the over-thinkers, anyone who has ever been a part of a sub-culture anyone who dealt with the anxiety of society’s expectations.” Sonically speaking Öhman pairs layers of shimmering synths, swirling electronics, boom bap beats and wobbling low end in an ethereal, dreamy yet anthemic song that possess an encouraging and hopeful message to struggling creatives everywhere, and it should push those folks forward when times seem particularly difficult.

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Perhaps best known as a co-founder of critically and internationally acclaimed electronic music act WDSTCK, as well as collaborating with Matoma and Sonny Alven, Didrik Thulin is stepping up and out into a solo career with the release of his first complete self-produced single “Teenage Hype.” And as Thulin explains in press notes “This is the first single i´ve released where I have done the production, singing and songwriting. ‘Teenage Hype’ is a song about friendship, and the joy of exploring the corners and boundaries of youth life with someone you look up to and admire. It’s trying to capture the excitement of hanging out with older people, pushing limits, and venturing into new, exotic places in the urban jungle.” As a result, the song which features a slick and contemporary production of shimmering cascades of synths, stuttering and skittering drum programming and tweeter and woofer rocking beats paired with Thulin’s plaintive crooning possess an air of wonder, hope and possibility — all while being a breezy, summertime, club-friendly jam.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

If you’ve been frequenting this website over the past year to about 18 months or so you’ve likely come across a post about New York-based electro pop duo Sofi Tukker. It’s been a few months since I’ve last written about them so for both new and old readers, I’ll try to briefly refresh you on their backstory: the duo can trace their origins to when Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern, who were both attending Brown University  met at an art gallery. The duo quickly started writing music together, based around their desire of crafting accessible, pop-friendly world music that could reach a wider audience. Upon their graduation, they relocated to New York, where over the following year they worked on new material — including the material that would wind up comprising their forthcoming Soft Animals EP.

Back in March, I wrote about “Matadora,” an EP single  which paired flamenco style guitar with tweeter and woofer rattling beats, ambient electronics, warm blasts of horn, animal noises and Hawley-Weld’s sensual cooing in a song that nods at the breezy tropicalia of Brazil and South America and shimmering dance-floor ready house music. The EP’s latest single “Deja Vu Affair” sounds as though it draws from early and mid 80s New Order and house music as angular guitar chords played through gentle washes of reverb and delay are paired with four-on-the-floor drum programming, cascading layers of wobbling synths and Hawley-Weld’s sensual cooing in what may arguably one of the sexiest, most dance floor-ready songs they’ve released to date.

Sofi Tukker is embarking on a lengthy series of tour dates — some opening for M83 and a number of headlining shows, including a hometown set at Baby’s All Right  at the end of July. Catch them at a music venue near you.

Upcoming Tour Dates:
Supporting M83*
June 8 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Lyric (TICKETS)
June 9 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Velvet Jones (TICKETS)
June 11 – Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater w/ Cashmere Cat (TICKETS)*
June 12 – Richmond, VA @ The National (TICKETS)*
June 14 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore (TICKETS)*
June 15 – Norfolk, VA @ The Norva (TICKETS)*
July 2 – PITCH Festival Amsterdam
July 17 – One Love Festival Istanbul
July 20 – Portland, ME @ Thompson’s Point w/ Chairlift (TICKETS)*
July 21 – Boston, MA @ Blue Hills Bank Pavilion (TICKETS)*
July 25 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant (TICKETS)*
July 27 – Council Bluffs, IA @ Stir Cove (TICKETS)*
July 28 – Chicago, IL @ The Vic Theatre*
July 30 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right (TICKETS)
August 19 – San Francisco, CA @ Popscene at Rickshaw Stop (TICKETS) (on sale 6/3)

 

 

 

 

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: JOVM Mainstay Sofi de la Torre Returns with a Bold and Feisty New Single and Visuals

“Sit Down,” de la Torre’s latest single is arguably the boldest, feistiest and most in-your-face song she’s released to date — while being a fresh take on the sound that won her international attention. Comprised of a production that features wobbling and stuttering synths, tweeter and woofer rocking boom bap beats paired with de la Torre’s sultry and swaggering, self-assured vocals the song sound as though it draws from M.I.A.’s incredible work, contemporary electro pop and hip-hop. The recently released music video manages to visually draw from M.I.A.’s work while subtly poking fun at fashion shoots and commercials.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Now, if you’ve been frequenting this site over the past month or so, you may recall that I’ve perviously written about London-based producer and electronic music artist Promise Keeper. And with the release of “Side Decide” and other singles, the British producer and electronic music artist has received attention across the blogosphere for a sound that’s indebted to classic Chicago house, blue-eyed soul and electro pop; in fact, “Side Decide” has Promise Keeper pairing breathily cooed vocals with a mid-tempo, dance floor friendly production consisting of twinkling and shimmering synths, staccato drum programming and swirling and ambient electronics. Interestingly, the British producer and electronic music artist’s latest single “Porous Silk” will further cement his already burgeoning reputation for crafting slick, dance-floor friendly pop as androgynous yet sultry cooed vocals are paired with a production consisting of a sinuous bass line, Nile Rodgers-like guitar chords propulsive and stuttering drum programming, twinkling keys and shimmering synths. Sonically, the new single evokes the sensation of silk running across naked skin — cool yet pliant.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: The 80s Inspired Visuals and Sounds of Finland’s Beverly Girl

With the release of “Contagious” Finnish trio Beverly Girl have started to receive a bit of attention internationally for an electro pop/funk/R&B/freestyle sound that immediately channels nostalgic memories of the 80s — while simultaneously comparing quite favorably to a number of contemporary artists including Rush Midnight, St. Lucia, Dam-Funk and others but incredibly club friendly. Or simply put, a sleek production consisting of sinuous bass lines, shimmering cascades of synths and propulsive boom-bap drums are paired with sultry vocals and a ridiculously infectious hook

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Los Angeles, CA-based electro pop artist Adam Finkel, best known as Alek Fin has worked with a number of Los Angeles-based producers and artists including Robot Koch while Moscow, Russia-based producer Sergei Galunenko, best known as Galun initially crafted a career collaborating with a variety of Russian artists as a renowned beatboxer — and interestingly enough Finkel and Galunenko’s collaboration can trace its origin to when the duo were individually included on the same blog’s Top 100 Tracks of 2013. As Galunenko explains in press notes, geographical distance wasn’t an issue, “I found him and I knew I wanted to work with him. I thought we could really add something to each other’s music, despite us leaving 6,000 miles apart. Finkel was equally impressed by the Moscow-based producer’s “manipulation of vocal percussion and inspiring melodies.”

The duo’s previous collaboration together Golden, Blinding was critically applauded and with the recently released Strannik EP, which will further cement the duo’s reputation for crafting a sound that effortlessly blended electro pop/electronica and chillwave; in fact, the duo’s sound has been favorably compared by some of my colleagues to the likes of Bonobo, James Blake, Future Trend and Deco Child. And when you hear Strannik‘s latest single “Ionosphere” you’ll see why as Finkel’s plaintive and ethereal vocals are paired with an atmospheric production consisting of shimmering synths, stuttering drum programming, wobbling low end and ambient electronics in a song that’s eerily spectral while gently nodding at Portishead and others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

Comprised of Leo Paparella (vocals, synths) and brothers Eric Promani (drums, synths) and Greg Promani (guitar), Los Angeles-based electro pop trio Iconique have quickly exploded across the blogosphere and elsewhere as their previous single “Step Into The Mood” was praised by Gawker and Surviving the Golden Age, was featured on Hype Machine and received radio airplay on KUCI and KCHUNG. And honestly, that shouldn’t be surprising as the band’s sound has been described by some of my colleague as a “synthesis of influences like Prince, David Bowie and Chic.” Interestingly, the trio’s latest single “Sitting Pretty” sonically seems as though it draws from Roxy Music, The Human League, Howard Jones and others as Paparella’s sultry speak-song and crooning is paired with a sinuous bass line, shimmering synths and propulsive drumming; in other words, it sounds as though it could have been released sometime between 1980 and 1983.

As the band’s Leo Paparella explained in press notes “‘Sitting Pretty’ is both a celebration and critique of vanity. There’s very much an innate cruelty to glamor. It operates out of exclusivity, which keeps its scope woefully narrow and out of touch. And I bet that’s why people want it so badly.” And as a result, the song possess a subtle yet palpable sense of menace and anxiousness under the clean, hyper-modern and danceable sheen.

 

Video by William Ruben Helms

Live Footage: Oakland, CA-based Duo Introflirt Return With Another Dark, 80s Inspired Electro Pop Song

Introflirt’s latest single “Orange Light” has them pairing undulating and cascading layers of synths and propulsive drum programming with Benjamin’s crooning and sonically, the song sounds indebted to 80s synth pop — in particular, Depeche Mode, The Human League and New Order but with a modern production sheen. And much like their previously released singles, the duo’s material thematically speaking the song focuses on the fractured psyche of its narrator, a narrator, who seems plagued by an overwhelming sensation of disappointment and frustration, repressed feelings and desires finally bursting out at an inopportune time.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

With the release of his critically applauded full-length debut, Brooklyn-based electronic music producer, DJ and artist Krycek saw a growing national profile; in fact, Buzzfeed, Fresh Beats 365 and others compared the Brooklyn-based artist’s sound to Nine Inch Nails and CHVRCHES. And although to some extent those comparisons are fair, as you’ll hear on his latest single “My Limit,” Krycek’s sound possess a swaggering sensuality that owes a debt to hip-hop and trip hop as the song nods at Sneaker Pimps, Portishead and Tobacco while sonically,  the Brooklyn-based DJ, producer and electronic music artist pairs woofer and tweeter rocking, boom-bap beats, funky and angular burst of guitar, murkily atmospheric synths and wobbling low end with his sultry and breathy vocals.