Browsing Tag

Darkwave Electronica

Darth Athena took us into the depths of techno’s shadow with ‘Black Mojo’

Posted on 25 January 2024

Dark Athena’s tempestuous latest release, Black Mojo, plunges into the depths of techno’s shadow. With its monochromatic palette, this piece from the Atlanta-based producer is a bold foray into the heart of darkwave electronica, where precision and chaos dance in a delicate balance.

Darth Athena, the architect behind this auditory odyssey, weaves a tapestry of sound that reflects his eclectic musical upbringing. From the pulsating beats of EDM to the haunting echoes of darkwave and the rhythmic complexity of jazz and R&B, Black Mojo is the culmination of a lifetime spent in the company of diverse genres.

The track’s progression is a masterclass in tension and release. Each beat is meticulously crafted, ebbing and flowing with a rhythm that seems to sync with your heartbeat. For seven minutes, you are lost in a world where time bends to the will of the music. The laser-like strobes and sci-fi motifs add a layer of dynamism, yet it’s the relentless, hypnotic beats that anchor you in Darth Athena’s universe.

Black Mojo will do more than just fill dancefloors; it will command them. It’s a siren song for the night, calling out to those who find solace in the pulsating heart of techno. As the final beat fades, you’re left with an insatiable hunger for more – a testament to the enduring power of Darth Athena’s musical alchemy.

Black Mojo was officially released on January 19; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Midnite Gossip illuminated the airwaves with the darkwave indietronica alchemy in ‘Streetlights’

Posted on 28 December 2023

Midnite Gossip, the Calgary-based indie-pop duo, has once again demonstrated their unique flair for blending genres with their nocturnal odyssey, Streetlights. The synthesis of moody pop, darkwave, industrial, and electronic post-punk elements come together to create a soundscape as enigmatic as the night itself.

From the first caustic beat, the tone is set for a journey through the urban night. The twilight of the synth lines glimmers beneath Nicky Markin’s vocals, providing a haunting backdrop to the siren-esque vocal harmonies to draw you deeper into an entrancing mix that lingers in your subconscious, echoing long after the outro.

The fusion of 90’s industrial synth wave with modern club anthem vibes creates a sound that is both ‘pretty but gritty’, a hallmark of Midnite Gossip’s style, which is influenced by The XX, Phantogram and St. Vincent. With their upcoming debut EP eagerly anticipated, Midnite Gossip is clearly a duo on the rise. Their performance at the Satellite Music + Arts Festival, alongside artists like Felix Cartel and Ruby Waters, has already cemented their status as one to watch.

Check out the new official music video for the Mickey Valenz Remix of Streetlights which premiered on December 21 via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Fleisch – FIREFLY: Meet the New Icons of Industrial

Posted on 5 December 2023

Fleisch have dropped their latest viscerally augmented industrial earworm, FIREFLY, allowing the darkwave electronica genre to evolve around the pulsating euphoria that spills from the fierce interplay of influence from Rammstein and Depeche Mode.

With synth carved hooks that will latch onto your consciousness for days between the harsh ensnaring industrial metal rancour that riles your rhythmic pulses, FIREFLY pays ode to the three-piece’s inspiration while refusing to let it define their anthemic sound, which keeps the techno tempo upbeat and the tones dark to deliver the ultimate industrial floor-filler.

If Zeromancer, Combichrist, and Powerman 5000 feature heavily on your playlists, you’ll easily find space for Fleisch and their authentic take on the genre.

FIREFLY buzzed onto the airwaves on December 1st; stream it on Spotify.

Follow Fleisch on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Yarsha has made his quirky darkwave electro debut, Do you wanna dance

Posted on 29 May 2022
https://open.spotify.com/track/0cc7i3ojtavuAUlqes7BDt?si=b86e08159aa64459

The darkwave synth-pop genre saw a surge of quirky innovation after the release of the debut single, Do you wanna dance, from the Italian self-proclaimed nerdy spiritual data scientist, Yarsha.

Starting with a similar stylistically moody edge as Depeche Mode and New Order, you’re drawn in by the familiarity. Once you are safely nestled into the synth-carved soundscape, that’s when the indulgent obscurities start to manifest in the distorted vocal layers and caustic effects which amass around the 80s synths. By that point, you’re suitably hooked in the paradox of so much personality breathing through an electronica soundscape, which progressively flirts with the more mechanical proclivities of industrial. It’s enough to make Covenant sound lobotomised.

To answer the question proposed by the title, as long as this track is playing, it is a resounding yes for me. We can’t wait to hear what the rest of the upcoming debut album contains.

Do you wanna dance is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Static Null looked into the void with his industrially ambient latest release, Blister

Posted on 6 May 2022
Static Null

The Lynchian oscillating effects and reminiscence to Big Black Delta make Static Null’s latest single, Blister, an instant feat of atmospherically dystopic beguile.

Instead of just lacing light with dark, Static Null fused warm reverb with cuttingly cold tones and opened the narrative between man and machine. Dark ambience may have been hitting the airwaves by the smorgasbord in 2022, but Static Null is a caustic cut above the rest.

His work subversively implants what it means to be human in soundscapes inspired by his idyllic Swedish hometown while mourning the loss of our humanity with a faint yet infectious sense of optimism. We can’t wait to hear what follows. Seemingly, neither can his 9k monthly Spotify streamers. He’s undoubtedly one to watch.

Blister is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dr Void & The Skinjobs launched a darkwave post-punk attack on ‘Generation Snowflake’

Posted on 9 April 2022
When Did The Boy's Decide This Was Fun? by Dr Void & The Skinjob's

The Glasgow-hailing post-punk outfit Dr Void & the Skinjobs is fresh from the release of their atmospheric socially dissecting darkwave single, Generation Snowflake.

Even as someone that constantly gets referred to as a snowflake for having actual human emotions from their boomer father, Generation Snowflake still hit the dark and moody spot. There is plenty worth protesting in 2022; mass social media psychosis is decidedly one of them. The droning keys and spacey synths create the perfect platform for the hostility in the vocals, which are enough to make Peter Murphy sound tame.

Check out Generation Snowflake for yourselves by heading over to Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Prepare Your Playlists for the Phantasmal Candour in The Ninth Configuration’s Latest Single, Ghosts Around My Bed

Posted on 25 March 2022

Fans of Depeche Mode won’t want to let the latest single, Ghosts Around My Bed, from The Ninth Configuration pass them by. The monochromatic synth lines teasingly flirt with the post-punk and darkwave while the beats infuse the melancholic candour-swathed single with danceability.

With the pensive sting of the Verve’s earlier material and the no holds barred lyricism that cuts to the same core of fraught emotional disillusionment that we are all susceptible to during our lives, Ghosts Around My Bed is as unifying as it is darkly destitute. In the best possible way. The Ninth Configuration simply projected the sense of cold claustrophobic harrow that surrounds us in the wake of lost pieces of our lives.

The official music video premiered on March 9th. You can check it out for yourselves via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

AKMV-18 shows us what it sounds like when nature turns mechanical in his latest release, Chevalerie

Posted on 3 January 2022

‘Chevalerie’ is the latest dark and caustic electronic track that acts as a blackened sign of our times from the up and coming US artist and producer, AKMV-18. With visceral reminiscences to Celldweller, the pulsating beats thrash through the cavernous soundscape that embraces the darkest facets of our dystopic age.

The mechanical rhythms pierce through the comfortingly cold and hollow atmosphere of the track that bleeds an all too relatable melancholy while taking control of your rhythmic pulses through the psytrance nuances. Even the most pretentious cybergoth snobs would have a hard time picking holes in this entrancing hit which was just one of the seminal singles to feature on their latest EP.

Chevalerie is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nocturnal Omissions – Safety Demonstration: Dark Lo-Fi Chill-Wave.

Posted on 9 October 2021
Nocturnal Omissions

‘Safety Demonstration is just one of the standout dystopic darkwave singles that feature on the latest album to be released by the electronica artist and producer Nocturnal Omissions.

The solo artist first burst into NYC’s underground alternative scene in the early 00s before becoming Myspace famous; with five albums under his belt and plenty more EPs to boot, Nocturnal Omissions has continued to hone in on his craft. To stay true to authentic expression, each of his albums offers a different sonic twist.

Tempus Destinatum follows on from his electronic post-rock album, Transientalism which unravels as a melodic feat of lo-fi post-rock. With his latest album, he’s borrowed elements from chill-wave hip hop pioneers before infusing them with his domineeringly dark signature edge.

Check out Nocturnal Omissions via the official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Aiko Aiko became the definition of etherealism with their latest release, Al Lat.

Posted on 7 October 2021
Aiko Aiko

Prepare your dark ambient trip-hop playlists for the latest release, Al Lat, from the alt-electronica duo, Aiko Aiko; it proves just how readily we bound around the word ‘ethereal’. When you’re confronted with a soundscape as phantasmal as AI Lat there are few ways to aptly allude to just how ensnaring the delicately commanding textures are.

The artist has been infusing their alchemic mash of soft synths, organs, driving electronic beats and intricate piano melodies onto the airwaves since 2012. With a brand of emotionally intellectual catharsis similar to Warpaint, Portishead and Widowspeak, it comes as no surprise that they have captivated an international fanbase with their psychedelic reprising progressions.

Al Lat will officially release on October 7th. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to the artist’s website or SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast