i-Select #31

White Lion Radio have today released Edition #31 of  i-Select.

This is a series of shows dedicated to electronic/synthpop bands that are unsigned, signed to a small independent label or self release their material.

White Lion Radio prides itself on bringing you music which you don't always get access to and to showcase bands and artists that are really very talented and deserve to be heard.

These shows will feature bands from across the globe!

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Playlist

Infinitium - Light Candles And Incense
Jonteknik & Friends - Torch
Metroland -Man In A Frame
Empathy Test - Bare My Soul
Lola Dutronic - My Name Is Lola
Perpacity - Rule The Day
In Good Faith - Choose Your Way (L_igh_T RMX)
Vogon Poetry - Children Of Mine (Obsession Of Time Remix)
Kretz - Visual Transmissions (Gary Hunter's 7 Inch Radio Edit)
Exciting Valence - We Call It Love
Softwave - Awake But Still Asleep (Oren Amram Remix)
Sinestar - A Million Like Us
Sine City - Feeding The Fear (FH Remix)
Datapop - Komputer Music (Gary Hunter's 7 Inch Radio Edit)
Nature Of Wires - Wonderful Tonight (Eric Clapton Cover)
Psy'Aviah - Lost At Sea (Ft Mari Kattman) (Rool Remix)
Dead Man Recovering - Time
Ruined Conflict - Walk Of Shame
Metroland - F-8 (Gary Hunter's Maschine Brennt 7 Inch Remix)
Jonteknik & Friends - Suffer The Children
Analogue Electronic Whatever - Frozen Milk 77
Empathy Test - Here Is The Place

New Maschine Brennt Album "The Hearing Aid" Reviewed

Maschine Brennt is the solo project of Joacim Thenander, who is from Stockholm in Sweden. His brand of electronic music draws heavily on the influence of Kraftwerk.

"The Hearing Aid" is the first album released under the Maschine Brennt name by Joacim.

"Electric Music" is the opening track that is a solid introduction to the album, some brilliant use of sequencer patterns and the odd bit of Glitch thrown in to give us a very dark electronic track, excellent use of vocoder and vocal samples on this song too. Track 2 "Ich Bin" has a very Kraftwerk sounding intro (think "Computer World" album), quite minimalistic in sections of this track which I think works very well, a solid rhythm with melodic sequencer parts, a track I really do like. "I Want To Be Human", was released as a single in February 2016 and is a worthy inclusion on this album, it is a fantastic track, quite a moving piece of music, beautiful pad sounds and the sequencer patterns are exquisite. Fantastic vocoded vocals make this sound such a sad song, you feel the the desperation of the robot wanting to be human, a well crafted song, my favourite track on the album.

"Backspace" is next and this is also a well structered song, a solid rhythm section and driving bass-line, again fabulous use of sequenced sounds, something Joacim excels at creating. A solid pallette of sounds that will certainly appeal to diehard Kraftwerk fans. "Sistema" certainly sounds as if it could have been produced by Kraftwerk, this is a superb track, with a backdrop of dreamy sequencer sounds and punchy bass, vocoded vocals are used well to create one of the finest tracks on the album, a definte highlight.

"Mensch Oder Maschine" is a track thats shows Joacim's more melodic side, simplistic melody lines and rhythm section, a solid track. "1992" has a wonderful melodic synth intro and builds up to quite an upbeat track. A fantastic rhythm and bass section provide a solid platform for the more melodic synth elements, quite a commercial sounding track and is another highlight on the album.

"Du Bist" is the most recent single to be released off the album, again it is quite upbeat and I like the way the synths and pads are kept quite low in the mix to shift the focus on to the rhythmic elements of the track. The mood of the song is quite dark and sinister, you could imagine this track being something that could be used in a film soundtrack. It is the one track on the album I think that is a bit too long, a shorter edit I could see working very well in the context of the album. "Speak And Spell" certainly ups the BPM on this album, electronic techno, which in parts sounds a bit like Metroland, especially their recent single "Cube". I love the techno/dance vibe to the track, superb use of synth sounds and vocoder and of course Speak & Spell sound samples. It adds another dimension to the impressive album.

The album closes with the track "Elektronisk Musik", which is pure "Kling Klang", I like the drum beat on the track, in addition the sequencer sounds are brilliant (Kraftwerk's "Numbers" springs to mind). A track that would definitely fit on "Computer World" or "Techno Pop". The end section is certainly unexpected, we are treated to a wonderful ambient piece that is quite beautiful, and is an excellent way to close what is a truly an outstanding album.

I have been listening to this album quite a lot since I got it and I must say it gets better with every
listen. The songs are well constructed and Joacim excels at creating solid rhythm sections and
sequencer patterns, everything a Kraftwerk fan wants!

What more can I say, other than, it is a very impressive album with a solid set of songs. You can tell that Joacim has put a lot of effort and hard work into making this album and we, as listeners, are suitably rewarded. 9/10

The CD edition of the album, which features 4 bonus tracks is available from Razgrom Music here

The album is available as a Digital Download from Bandcamp here

Visit the Maschine Brennt Facebook page here to find out more about Joacim's music.

Metroland Announce Details About Their Forthcoming Album

Metroland have confirmed more details about their forthcoming album, it is to be called "Men In A Frame" (not to be confused with their new single "Man In A Frame"). The album is expected out around April/May and will be supported by a special event on March 31st in Belguim, more information soon about that.

This is what Metroland had to say about the ideas behind the album:

"We cannot wait to reveal you this unique concept and Spartan artwork of the new album and concept.

Read here for yourself, taken from the albums booklet, what we have been working on during the past 2 years:

Have you ever dwelled on the numerous occasions where you became an anonymous ingredient of countless, randomly taken pictures?
Regardless the occasion or location, people tend to participate involuntarily in these momentums, clueless or lacking any grasp on further processing or broadcasting. In the event of such framing, happening to each of us irregular, we set out for a new and unique conceptual venture, cooperating with F-8 (@fotografisch kunstcoöperatief) , a union of 5 professional photographers. The tasks per party were defined, making it so that each of us was stepping out of his or her comfort zone. Each photographer would create 2 never-before-used images and baptize each with an apt title. Per image we would construct the musical incorporating layer, triggered by content or title, or sometimes even both.
Next to that, each F-8 member would abuse us, humble passengers, as models to generate promotional pictures, reflecting the symbioses of Metroland's electronic soundscape combined with a visionary F-8 focus.

Very soon Metroland will release the 'Men In A Frame' album holding 10 superb quirky pictures slathered in the electronic landscape we opted for."

Information will be updated as and when we have it, keep up to date also by visiting their Facebook page.

UPDATE 23/1/18

Metroland have announced details of a special event called "Pictures To Listen To", for the new album......

Next to the release of our new album "Men In A Frame", we also want to present you "Pictures To Listen To", destined to become a very unique experience.

To enhance the concept of photography and the fruitful collaboration with the professional photographers of the F-8 Fotografisch Kunstcoöperatief, we will be presenting the entire "Men in a frame" album in avant premiere during a unique vernissage.

This one-time-event will go into history as "Pictures To Listen To".

At the art venue, the 5 members of F-8 will showcase their pictures that were used for the "Men In A Frame" album in a very luxurious style and throughout modern technology the viewer will be able to listen to the songs of the "Men in a frame" album. Important condition is here that everyone brings their smartphone!

That night will turn into an complete aural-visual experience, unique in its kind.
The 'listening viewers' will not only be able to enjoy the photographic works and music, but talk to the photographers and Metroland members as well.

Everyone is free to join and already note that for the vernissage both Metroland and F8 will soon be offering very, very exclusive items in multiple packs, each including special items you do not wish to miss out on.

Soon more details to be revealed, but already keep an eye on "Pictures to listen to"

UPDATE 24/1/18

A further update from Metroland, as they disclose some information about some of the items that will be available as part of the audio/visual presentation for the new album "Men In A Frame".....

"We as Metroland mentioned that unique items will be presented on the night of the vernissage and will already reveal one of the exciting Metroland rarities will be a cd compilation entitled "Pictures to listen to". Created for this exposition only and holding a title song only to be found on this compilation.

F-8 from their part, will offer unique 12inch enlargements of one the 10 pictures selected for the album. A stunning once in a lifetime chance to become a proud owner of a part from this entire concept.

This is just one of the many exciting things to come that night Soon we will put 3 special packages on offer upfront to the night of the exposition."

UPDATE 25/1/18

Metroland have announced further details about their "Pictures To Listen To" Exposition in partnership with Fotografisch Kunstcooperatief, the event is taking place on Saturday 24th March.

This unique audio-visual experience between Metroland and F-8 Fotografisch Kunstcoöperatief presenting both music (via QR codes) and pictures is related to the release of the new Metroland album "Men in a frame", soon to be released on Alfa Matrix.

Plenty of exclusivities will be made available from tomorrow on via the Metroland shop, so don't miss out this one time event!

UPDATE 26/1/18

Metroland have just released the official video for their new single "Man In A Frame", you can watch it here

UPDATE 27/1/18

Metroland have announced that you can now order your special package to pick up at the special Exposition being held on March 24th, as well as a general pre-order, which includes special exclusive extra items.

Go to http://www.metrolandmusic.com/, click the dropbox next to a package and select 'EXPO ONLY' at the bottom of the dropdown! On pre-order, carefully select your postal region in the dropbox to receive you goodies on release of "Men in a frame".

UPDATE 2/2/18

Metroland's brilliant new single "Man In A Frame" is now out, as a 2 track single and also a 3 track remixes EP. Both digital packages are available on Bandcamp via the links below:

2 Track Single

3 Track Remixes EP

UPDATE 14/2/18

Metroland have released a Mega-Mix called "Men In A Mix", which features segments of tracks from their forthcoming album "Men In A Frame", you can listen to the mix via YouTube here

UPDATE 20/2/18

Metroland have confirmed the track listing for their new album "Men In A Frame", in addition we also have a pre-order link for the Digital Edition (which has an exclusive bonus track):

Here is the track listing for the Digital version of the album, which is released on April 20th:

01. Concrete Witness, 02. B-Old, 03. Shades Of Pale, 04. Proiezione 41-828, 05. La Macchia D'acqua
06. Speed Of Life 3, 07. Creative Rose, 08. Trust, 09. Hope, 10. Next Choice
11. Men In A Mix (Exclusive Bandcamp Track)

You can now pre-order the album via Bandcamp

We have now added the "Metroland - Men In A Mix" promo clip to our Soundcloud page, which is here

The Electronic Music Hour #31

Welcome to edition #31 of our series "The Electronic Music Hour", which features some of the best electronic and synthpop music from the last 40 years.

These shows not only include well known artists from the last 4 decades but new and emerging bands on the electronic music scene from around the world, a lot of which are either unsigned, or on a small independent label, or self release their material.

So the shows will feature old and new tracks that fit in the electronic/synthpop genre.

Listen On Mixcloud

Listen On Hearthis.at

Playlist:

Depeche Mode - New Life
Covenant - Dies Irae
Alphaville - Heaven On Earth (The Things We've Got To Do)
Vogon Poetry - Mourn
Ultravox - Slow Motion
The Human League - You Remind Me Of Gold
Nature Of Wires Ft CountessM - Perfect Menagerie (Original Mix)
Soft Cell - Last Chance
A-Ha - You Are The One (7 Inch Remix)
Assemblage 23 - Bravery
Yazoo - Softly Over
Dead Or Alive - Brand New Lover (Edit)
La Vogue - New Revolution
New Order - Vanishing Point

Metroland's "Man In A Frame" EP's Reviewed

Metroland return with their first new material for 2 years with a new single "Man In A Frame".

The release is available as 2 Digital Editions, the first is a straight forward single with a B-Side called "F8", as well as a 3 track remix package.

"Man In A Frame" is a fantastic track, which features elements of both their "Mind The Gap" and "Triadic Ballet" albums, it is a well constructed track, with excellent drum & percussion sounds as well as beautiful sequencer parts over a throbbing, driving arrangement, superb use of vocals and vocal samples, with a powerful lead synth also in the mix, an excellent track, which bodes well for the new album. The interesting fact about this single, is that it is not included on the forthcoming new album, although it does set the tone for the concept of the new album.

"F8". the B-Side is a bit of a departure from the usual Metroland sound palette, we still have excellent drums and sequencers, but it is the haunting, dark synth elements that make this track stand out, again fabulous use of vocal samples. I really love this track and it shows yet again that even B-Sides have to be of a high standard for Metroland, this is one of the bands best B-Sides to date.

Next we have the Remix EP, which starts with Metroland's own Extended Version, fans of those 80s extended 12 inch singles will be delighted with this, as they have stuck to the blueprint of the 7 inch and re-edited it to the longer format and it is brilliant.

Following that we have a real treat, a Maschine Brennt remix of the B-Side "F8", I am very familiar with the work of Maschine Brennt and they are a perfect choice for remixing a Metroland track, Joacim, the man behind Maschine Brennt, has given this a real "Kraftwerk" overhaul, it is fantastic, a superb piece of work that also strengthens the fact that this is an extraordinary B-Side.

Finally we have a remix by The Frixion of the track "Man In A Frame", lots of new elements to this  remix which give it a fuller sound and more of a Synthpop feel. They stick to the original arrangement without overdoing the remix, which works very well, I like the way the drums and percussion have been beefed up on this remix, an excellent addition to the package.

Finally a word on the artwork, Metroland are well known for ensuring the artwork is as important as the music, they want to give value to the whole product and they have done a superb job of the artwork as you can see from the images here, I liken it to the work of Peter Saville, who has worked with New Order for years. I always find Metroland's artwork to be interesting and original and it is pleasing to see that they do put as much effort into this aspect of their work as they do with the music.

There is no doubting these EPs are worthy editions to the Metroland catalogue and fans will love all aspects of this release, I for one cannot wait for the new album! 9/10

More details about the release, including where you can purchase the EP's will be updated on here as soon as we have them.

Keep an eye on Metroland's Official Homepage and their Facebook page as well for more information.

Metroland's Official Homepage

Metroland's Facebook page

New Jonteknik Album "Alternative Arrangements" Reviewed

Jonteknik returns with a new album called, "Alternative Arrangements", which sees John call on various vocalists to produce an album of cover versions, with many of my personal favourite tracks covered, a who's who of 80s music and beyond.

Opening with the Tears For Fears track "Suffer The Children" is a smart move, as it is an outstanding version, vocals are provided by Bear Feathers and they are truly excellent and work very well with Jon's minimalistic arrangement. Listening to this track, it is staggering Tears For Fears didn't have a massive hit with it.

Next is a cover of Depeche Mode's "Nothing", on this track Jon has colaborated with Jimm Kjelgaard and once again it is a magnificent version, there are more synths used on this version than Depeche Mode's original. An excellent version.

Pet Shop Boys are probably in my top 3 favourite bands of all time and it is pleasing to see a cover version of "Rent". A slightly slowed down version with a minimal arrangement that works well. Jon has turned to Martin Philip for vocals, someone Jon has worked with before and he does a sterling job of the vocals. A very interesting approach to this track which I like.

Soft Cell are another guilty pleasure for me, I loved their music, especially "Bedsitter", "What" and "Torch", the latter has been recorded for this album and what a fantastic job Jon and Tom Sanderson have done, they have kept true to the original with great effect, not an easy track to cover but boy have they pulled it off, brilliant!

Hands up......who would attempt an electronic version of a Smiths song?? An impossible task you would think, however, Jon has pushed the boundaries of his music skills, to make an arrangement that works really well, of the Smiths track "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want", he has also done the vocals on the track, definitely an interesting cover version.

Next on the album, a track I rate as one of the best of all time, the Joy Division track "Decades", this is simply a beautiful and respectful cover version executed perfectly, Stephen Newton does a perfect job of the vocals, which are in keeping with Ian Curtis' mournful vocals on the original, and the music arrangement is superb and every bit as good as the original. Perfection!

An OMD cover version was always going to feature on this album and the track chosen is a more experimental track of theirs, "Of All The Things We've Made", which was on the OMD album "Dazzle Ships". I love the synth reworking of this track, the original featured Guitar, great use of strings, percussion and choir sounds, a beautiful arrangement which features Peter Fitzpatrick of Circuit3 on vocals, this version is moody and atmospheric and very impressive.

The next song is a bit of an oddity, it is a cover of The Doors track "People Are Strange", again featuring Peter Fitzpatrick on vocals, this is another track that is very interesting to listen to as of course the original was far from electronic, but Jon and Peter have succeeded in producing a very good interpretation of the track.

The Human League instrumental track "Gordon's Gin", a track off their album "Travelogue", is next and is a true to the original arrangement, I like the additional percussion and drum elements in this version as well as the synth sounds, some nice additional parts on this version to. It is a longer version that builds up brilliantly. It keeps it's slow pace throughout unlike the Human League original. It would have been nice to see the 2nd half half of the songs tempo notched up a bit.

The album closes with a cover of The Police track "Invisible Sun", which has a "Joy Division" overhaul, never been a fan of the work of Sting, so I'm not the best person to judge this track, probably my least favourite track on the album, it doesn't grab me like most of the tracks on the album.

Tackling a covers album is never the easiest of tasks at the best of times, but Jon & friends have produced an excellent album of songs, that are more obscure than the usual 80s fodder that gets covered and that has to be commended, their are some real gems on display here, "Suffer The Children", "Torch", "Decades" and "Of All The Things We've Made".

All in all a very enjoyable experience listening to this album.

8.5/10

We will be featuring tracks from the album on January's and February's i-Select shows on White Lion Radio.

The album is being released on white vinyl as a Limited Edition, which will also include a promo CD.

For full details about the release check out the Jonteknik Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/Jonteknik

or Jon's official website:

http://www.jonteknikmusic.com/

Maximum 80s (Volume 55)

White Lion Radio have released Edition 55 of Maximum 80s.

This is a series of shows that feature nothing but the very best in 1980s 12 Inch Singles.

The biggest hits on the biggest format from a classic decade......the 1980s.

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Track List

Madonna - Like A Virgin (Extended Dance Remix)
Genesis - Invisible Touch (Special Remix Version)
Erasure - Chains Of Love (The Unfettered Mix)
Book Of Love - Boy (Extended Mix)
Visage - The Anvil (Dance Mix)
Fleetwood Mac - Everywhere (Extended Version)
Kajagoogoo - Too Shy (American Midnight Mix)
M - Pop Muzik (Long Version)
Kim Wilde - You Keep Me Hanging On (Extended Mix)
Howard Jones - Hide & Seek (Long Version)

Rubik's 80s Mix (Volume 55)

Edition #55 of Rubik's 80s Mix is now out on White Lion Radio.

This a series of shows that includes the very best in 80s music all in one continuous mix.

The biggest hits from the greatest decade in music history!

A show guaranteed to bring back so many happy memories!

Listen to the show on Mixcloud here

Listen on Hearthis.at here

Full Playlist

George Michael - A Different Corner
Eddy Grant - I Don't Wanna Dance
Ultravox - Dancing With Tears In My Eyes
Yazoo - Don't Go
David Bowie - Fashion
Electronic - Getting Away With It
Thompson Twins - Hold Me Now
Elton John - I'm Still Standing
The Pointer Sisters - Jump (For My Love)
Genesis - Land Of Confusion
Bon Jovi - Livin' On A Prayer
Hot Chocolate - No Doubt About It
Starship - Nothings Gonna Stop Us Now
Depeche Mode - People Are People
Simple Minds - Promised You A Miracle
Hazell Dean - Whatever I Do (Wherever I Go)

Electrical Connections - A Tribute To Kraftwerk

White Lion Radio presents to you "Electrical Connections - A Tribute To Kraftwerk", a show dedicated to the godfathers of electronic music.

The show features music by true Kraftwerk fans and includes tracks by Metroland, Kosmonaute, Jonteknik, Maschine Brennt, Neon, Datapope, Deutsche Bank, Kevin Lux, Kretz, Silicon Machines and Lobtec.

If you are a fan of Kraftwerk this show is not to be missed!

Listen to the show on Mixcloud here

Listen to the show on Hearthis.at here


Playlist for the show:

Metroland - Led Me Think (Gary Hunter's Less Pondering 7 Inch Radio Edit)
Kosmonaute - Robotic Love
Maschine Brennt - Sistema
Silicon Machines - Basic
Kevin Lux - Music Language Machine
Lobtec - Waiting For The World
Jonteknik - Prospero
DATAPOP - Radioklang
Maschine Brennt - 60 Seconds
Metroland - Close To Me (Gary Hunter's 7 Inch Radio Edit)
Kretz - Mechanical Men (Marboss Remix)
DATAPOP - Unterwegs (Gary Hunter's Radio Edit)
Jonteknik - Forever Lasts Longest
Kevin Lux - Elektro Lux
Neon - Future Technology (Gary Hunter's 7 Inch Radio Edit)
Maschine Brennt - 1992
Deutsche Bank - Grand Unified Theory
Metroland - Utopia (Gary Hunter's 7 Inch Radio Edit)