Monday 25 March 2019

i-Select #44

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!

Listen On Mixcloud

Listen On Hearthis.at

Full Playlist:

VNV Nation - Armour
Metroland - Photographic (Framed Remix)
Into The Blood - Lets Pretend (Caboan Deep Industrial Remix)
Atomzero - Digital Brain Analogue Heart
Posh - Save The Planet (What's Your Excuse)
Knight$ - Gelato
Subha - Lydia888
Vogon Poetry - Spacewalk (Nature of Wires Remix)
Jamie Hannah - Sound Of My Youth (DJML Vs Benny D Remix)
Eric C Powell Ft Andrea Powell - Need A Place (Original Version)
Projekt Ich Ft Caroline McLavy - The Sleepy Time (L_iGH_T Remix)
Xeno & Oaklander - Insomnia
Jeff Appleton - Stars
Into the Blood - The World Without You
Psy'Aviah Ft Saydi Driggers - Dream Fever (Disquettes Vs Psy'Aviah Remix)
VNV Nation - When Is The Future
Conny Olivetti - Arithmetical Operations
Atomzero - Splintered
DarwinMcD And Huguenot - Run (Fused Jealousy Remix)
The Grey Disorder - I'm Afraid Of Americans
Diamond Field & Bob Haro - Won't Compromise
Buzzing Sound Candy - Back in Time
Appetite85 - All My Days
Into the Blood - Closer To Me (Caboan Short Far Out Remix)

Monday 18 March 2019

The Electronic Music Hour #44

Welcome to edition #44 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:

Erasure - Storm in a Teacup (Single Version)
A Million Machines - Synthetic Eyes
Machinista - Let Darkness In
Eurythmics - Love Is A Stranger
Italove - Too Late To Cry
Foretaste - What About Me (TourdeForce Remix)
Vaylon - The Black Cloud
Pet Shop Boys - One Night
Simple Minds - This Earth That You Walk Upon
Gary Numan - When the World Comes Apart
John Foxx & The Maths - A Falling Star
Johan Baeckstrom - Silence
Marc Almond - My Hand Over My Heart
Frozen Nation - Dark Belgian Disco

Monday 11 March 2019

Maximum 80s #68

White Lion Radio have released Edition 68 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.



Listen On Hearthis.at

Track List

Bananarama - I Want You Back (Extended European Mix)
Change - Change Of Heart (Special Extended Mix)
Heaven 17 - We Live So Fast (Extended Mix)
Rockers Revenge Ft Donnie Calvin - Walkin' On Sunshine (Special Disco Mix)
Marc Almond - Only The Moment (All The Time In The World Mix)
Loose Ends - Hangin' On A String (Contemplating) (Extended Dance Mix)
Simple Minds - New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) (German 12 Inch Mix)
Melba Moore - You Stepped Into My Life (Special Disco Version)
Japan - Life In Tokyo (12 Inch Extended Version)
Fleetwood Mac - Everywhere (12 Inch Version)

Monday 4 March 2019

Rubik's 80s Mix #68

Edition #68 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

Taffy - I Love My Radio
Nick Kamen - Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever
Bucks Fizz - The Land Of Make Believe
Boy George - Everything I Own
Whitesnake - Here I Go Again '87
Pet Shop Boys - Rent
Phil Collins - One More Night
Johnny Hates Jazz - I Don't Want To Be A Hero
Hue And Cry - Labour Of Love
The Communards - So Cold The Night
Europe - The Final Countdown
Jellybean Ft Steven Dante - The Real Thing
Terence Trent D'Arby - Sign Your Name
Billy Ocean - Love Really Hurts Without You
Technotronic - Pump Up The Jam

Sunday 3 March 2019

The New Mind Machine Album "Return To The Machine" Reviewed

Mind Machine have just released a new album called "Return To the Machine", but before we get to that let's delve into the history books.

I was really suprised to learn that the band originally started out in 1989 and ended up splitting up in 1995 and reformed as a duo in 2016, with original members Brian Belknap and Brian Olsen. The first release as a duo was the compilation "The Very Best Of Mind Machine 1990-1995, which featured new vocal recordings and previously unheard tracks.

In 2017 they released 2 EP's "Demonstration_01" and "Demostration_02" and in 2018 they released 2 tracks off their "Return To The Machine" album, as singles, "Enlightened Heart" and "We Keep Talking".

And that brings us to the new album "Return To The Machine".....


The opening track is the title track which is an instrumental, clearly influenced by Vince Clarke and also early Depeche Mode, layers of sequenced parts build the track up really well, next we have "The Pain You feel", an uptempo track that again features interesting sequencer segments, the vocals reminded me a little of Elegant Machinery, possibly another band that has influenced them, good solid chorus on this track, a well constructed track, I like the simple melodic parts working in tandem with the vocals.

Next we have one of the tracks released as a single "We Keep Walking", it is easy to see why it was released as a single, a very strong track with trademark "Vince Clarke" synth sounds and melodic parts, great bass-line on the track too, again I am drawn to early depeche Mode and Elegant Machinery. Quite erie and atmospheric in parts, more going on in the mix than you might think.

"Clouds Of Doubt" has a great driving bass-line and some wonderful lead synth parts, great use of sequencer patterns again, fantastic vocals over the synth laden soundtrack, one of my favourite tracks on the album and would be a good choice for a single. Following that we have the other single, released off the album so far, "Enlightend Heart", this was the track that introduced me to Mind Machine, as it was available as a free download on Bandcamp, i'm so glad I discovered them! A fantastic track, upbeat and a bass-line similar in style to the one on the Depeche Mode track "Photographic", there is also good use of bass sounds in general, which are punctuated by excellent syth riffs, another solid vocal, plenty of passion in the vocals across the whole album.

"Hundred Thousand Million" again shows there strength in creating simplistic melody lines that have an impact, a darker mood to this track especially with the string and synth pad parts, I especially like the lead synth melody, a lot going on but everything has it's place in the mix, another strong track.

Following that we have the track "A Letter Never Written", another track I really like, full of melodic hooks and the vocal arrangements are fantastic, a darker sounding track with great use of synths and throbbing bass-line. "Further Than Far" initially reminded me of early Talk Talk, especially the start of the track, the track has another perfect synth bass-line puncuated by some clever sequencer sections, I like the haunting lead/pad sound, the synth piano type melody I really like too. This is a nother big favourite of mine. A superb track.

"Natural Emotion" again follows the blueprint for the bulk of the album, strong and imposing bass-line, melodies galore (again I like the use of a piano on the track), emotional vocal delivery, this one is pure synthpop.

To follow that we have "Decade", which is a beautiful track, a synth ballad complete with piano parts, which helps with the mood of the track, the song has a great sequenced bass-line, I'm not sure about the vocal mix, it sounded a bit detached from the music, the track itself is superb I have to say.

The closing track is "Here And There", sounded a bit like Synthpop band Cosmicity, especially the drum and bass elements, the track has a strong chorus, another dance track, which develops really well, my favourite track off the album, strong melody lines, which took me back to the early 80s.

A very impressive album, there are clear early Depeche Mode and Vince Clarke influences, which make this an album worth investing your time in. They have certainly captured the sound of early 80s synthpop and new wave.

9/10

The album is available on CD and as a digital download via Bandcamp, where you can also listen to the entire album:

https://mindmachineband.bandcamp.com/

You can also visit the bands Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/mindmachineband/

Friday 1 March 2019

Vanguard - A Different Story (Blog Feature)


Welcome to “A Different Story”, a special feature about Swedish electronic band Vanguard.


Vanguard are an electronic duo based in Gotenburg, Sweden. Jonas Olofsson and Patrik Hansson formed Vanguard in 2008.

Their brand of electronic music is both powerful and melodic.


They self released their self titled debut 5 track EP in 2011, that featured the tracks “In Your Arms”, “Goodbye”, “A Certain End”, “Now That We’re Here” and “Save Me From Myself”, all of which would feature on their debut album.


The band released their debut album “Sanctuary” in May 2012 and unveiled the release at a special launch gig in Gothenburg on the 11th May 2012.

The album featured 5 tracks showcased on their first self released EP, as well as, tracks such as, “Obscene”, “Trigger”, “Rage”, “Shame” and the haunting “Better Man”.


Another track from the album, “Goodbye”, was released as a single, in December 2012, the 5 track single featured “Crown Of Pain”, “So Hard”, 2 remixes of “Goodbye” as well as the album version of the track, like their debut album, the single was released on the independent Music label, Conzoom records.


In May 2013 the band self released another single from the album “Sanctuary” called “Shine”. The single featured 6 tracks, including, “My World”, the almost acoustic remix, the Fearless remix of “A Certain End”, 3 remixes of “Shine”, including remixes by Code 64 and Pakt, as well as, the album version of “Shine”.


At the end of November 2013, the band showcased a track from their second album they were working on, called “On My Own”, released on Conzoom Records. The single featured the exclusive tracks “Broken” and “I’m Not The One”, as well as, 4 remixes of “On My Own” and of course, the album version of the song. 


A further single taken from their second album, was released in late January 2014, the track “Let Us Fall” was part of a 5 track EP that also featured 3 remixes of “Let Us Fall”, a Club Version, a Glitty Filth Remix and the Ternstrom Remix, in addition the EP included the track “Through The Noise” and the album version of the lead track, a big favourite of their fan base.


Vanguard released their second album, “Retribution” on February 28th 2014. The album featured eleven tracks, including the singles, “On My Own” and “Let Us Fall”, as well as other key tracks like, “A Brighter Day”, “Bleed For Me”, “Loved Once More”, “Not Even You” and “Firefly”.


The band released a special 3 track “Retribution Club” EP, that featured club versions of the tracks “On My Own”, “Dirt” and “Let Us Fall”, which was released in April 2014.


In November 2014 the band decided to release a further track from the album, as a single, called, “A Brighter Day”. The single featured 6 tracks, 2 remixes of the lead track, by KC Killjoy and Nordika, as well as, a Cynical Existance Remix of “Loved Once More”, also included were the tracks “Don’t Let Go”, “A Better Place” and a single edit of “A Brighter Day”. Both this Single and “Retribution Club” were self released by the band.


Work soon started on the bands next album, which was to be called “Never Surrender”, their first, on the Infacted Recordings Music Label. Their first release for the label was the single “I Want To Live”, which was released in November 2015. The single featured 7 tracks, 4 remixes of “I Want To Live” as well as the exclusive tracks “Alive Inside” and “Rising Phoenix”. The EP also featured the album version of “I Want To Live”.


Six months later Vanguard released their third album “Never Surrender”, which featured 12 tracks, including the single “I Want To Live” and the next single released from it, titled “A Different Story”, as well as tracks such as, “You Stray”, “They Are Watching”, “Never Let Go”, “Afraid” and “Move On”.


The band released the track “A Different Story” as a single in late January 2017, this digital release featured ten tracks in all. Four remixes of “A Different Story”, including remixes by Eyesfabrique and Solitary Experiments, in addition there were 3 remixes of the track “Move On”, a Thomas Winter remix, a Bunker Dresden mix and a Rob Dust Remix. The single also featured the exclusive tracks “My Body” and “Not Defeated”, as well as the original version of the lead track.


Vanguard have steadily built up their fan base over the years and enjoy playing live dates, and it’s fair to say their music packs a punch when played live. The band have just put the finishing touches to their fourth album, called “Manifest”, which is released on the 8th March. A new single called “save Me” has just been released by the band.


Patrik from the band, also has a solo side project called Uncreated, so far, he has released two singles, “Evolve” and “You Know Nothing”, with a third single called “Not Your Soldier”, just released  and an album called “Eternity” due for release this month.


If you want to find out more about the band, and their music, do visit their official Faceboook page, the address for that is www.facebook.com/vanguardofficial

The new Vanguard single "Save Me" is available via Bandcamp 

The new Uncreated single "Not Your Soldier is available via Bandcamp 

Listen to White Lion Radio's extensive Audio Documentary about Vanguard on Mixcloud or on Hearthis.at

Have You Heard The News - A Tribute To Mark Hollis

White Lion Radio have released a special show, "Have You Heard The News? - A Tribute To Mark Hollis".



On Monday the 25th February it was announced that former Talk Talk singer Mark Hollis had passed away.

The first 2 Talk Talk albums, “The Party’s Over” and “It’s My Life” are both very high in my all time list of favourite albums, indeed they are albums I have played on a regular basis, since they were released, they are that good, timeless masterpieces and any fan of 80s Synthpop music should have them in their collection.

As a tribute we’re going to play a selection of my favourite tracks off “The Party’s Over” and “It’s My Life”.

You can listen to the show on Mixcloud:

https://www.mixcloud.com/whitelionradio/have-you-heard-the-news-a-tribute-to-mark-hollis/

Or on Hearthis.at:

https://hearthis.at/white-lion-radio-f7/have-you-heard-the-news-a-tribute-to-mark-hollis/

Tracks Featured On The Show

Talk Talk
It's So Serious
Today
It's You
Dum Dum Girl
Mirror Man
It's My Life
Have You Heard The News?
Such A Shame
Another Word
Renee
The Last Time
It's My Life (Tropical Rainforest Mix)