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Here are a few sites you might want to check out:
Annalogue Records - www.annaloguerecords.com
My friend Marc Shaffer from Solitude FX runs this record label specializing in vintage cold wave sounds from the late 70's/early 80's. Pretty much everything who puts out on his label is excellent, most notable The Silicon Scientist (see below)!
John Foxx - www.metamatic.com
John Foxx has teamed up with various musicians from Louis Gordon to Harold Budd, Robin Guthrie, and Steve Jansen (formerly of Japan),
and is still making some of the best electronic pop music the world has to offer. One of the very few artists that continue to
inspire me these days.
Clan of Xymox - www.clanofxymox.com
Ronny Moorings is the mastermind behind the darkwave group Clan of Xymox that saw the light of day in 84/85 and after touring with Dead Can Dance, ended up signing to Ivo's 4AD label. Along with Anke Wolbert and Pieter Nooten (who released the amazing Sleeps with the Fishes with Michael Brook), Ronny and Clan became one of the leaders of the original goth movement with a sound somewhat like Robert Smith meets Andrew
Eldritch. My favorite releases are Clan of Xymox, Medusa, Twist of Shadows, and Hidden Faces. The Clan has changed throughout the years, but Ronny remains as prolific as ever.
The Church - www.thechurchband.com
The Church are simply one of the best bands ever. Steve Kilbey is an amazing songwriter/lyricist, and bassist, and Marty Wilson Piper is one of the best guitarists ever. I prefer their earlier Rickenbacker janglepop sound to their later space/prog-rock, but the songs are still amazing and they're still one of the best live bands ever. They're touring the US this Spring - I'll be seeing them for sure!
Joy Electric - www.joyelectric.com
I first heard the music of Ronnie Martin back in the early 90's when he was part of the house music duo Dance House Children.
It's safe to say that I wouldn't have come out with any songs if it wasn't for Ronnie Martin. Ronnie is
an inspiring individual and a prolific song writer and encouraged me to channel my love for synths into creating pop melodies
and songs. Ronnie hosts an annual Autobahn Festival in Ohio each year and has done much to help the burgeoning electronic pop
scene. His music has gone from sugary sweet Vince Clarke like melodies to experimental modular bleeps and bloops.
Rockets - www.rocketsland.com
This band originated in France but a couple members were from
Italy. Somehow their work passed me by in the 70's and 80's until
I discovered them by accident while browsing Napster a few years
back. I've since bought 6 of their CD's (still available in Russia)
and intend to buy more! They recently regrouped and released
a new album. Their mid-70's material
sounds a lot like space disco meets progressive rock with Moog synths and Sennheiser
vocoders, turning more into synth-pop on their later works. By 1982 they
were using the latest technology - Linn LM-1 Drum Computers and
PPG Waves - on the excellent Atomic
album. I would have loved to have seen these guys
live back in the 70's. They were shaving their heads and wearing silver face paint
before the Blue Man Group were out of their diapers.
Sista Mannen På Jorden - www.smpj.tk
Eddie Bengtsson is the
synth pop genius that heads this excellent electro-pop band out of Sweden. For those who don't know,
Eddie was the songwriter behind Sweden's S.P.O.C.K. (as Captain
Eddie B. Kirk), the main vocalist and songwriter behind PAGE, and with Mats Wiberg formed the duo, Sista Mannen På Jorden (Last Man On Earth).
Some people have called him the Swedish Vince Clarke. From what I have heard, they're not far off.
Although the vocals are entirely in Swedish, the music really shines through and all of the
sounds are created using vintage analogue synths.
He's also in another project called This Fish Needs a Bike (see entry below).
The Silicon Scientist - www.myspace.com/thesiliconscientist
If first heard Stefan Bornhorst's music when a friend gave me a demo of a project he was working on called Dreams Encoded. I
was very impressed with the quality of the songwriting. Later I found out he was working on a new project under the name
The Silicon Scientist. I checked it out, and ended up buying all of his releases on vinyl through Annalogue Records in
Germany. Stefan uses a lot of vintage string synths including a Polymoog formerly owned by Kraftwerk and a Mellotron. The
result is fantastic, and he's one of my favorite current artists. I highly recommend "Windows on the World", The "Colourblind" and "Bookmarks".
This Fish Needs A Bike - www.tfnab.tk
Yet another Eddie Bengtsson project, this one with English vocals. This Fish Needs A Bike
will be releasing a full-length CD this spring and also contributed an awesome rendition of Bubbleboy
for the Bubbleboy Remixed 12" that came out We Rock Like Crazy in Spring 2005.
Check out the MP3's at www.tfnab.tk.
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