Sad Piano “Final Ears” (Anyines, 2019) – Review by Macon Holt The debut EP from Sad Piano, “Final Ears”, is a festival of digital delights but after that one drink, line or pill too many. There are moments on this record, particularly on the title track, that sound like the most atrociously cheesy MIDI jingles. But then, seconds later, these jingles are dragged through some kind ...

Reportage and photographs by Cameron Pagett The room of Pumpehuset’s main stage is empty. Empty but for two zany lighting technicians playing DJ to a pair of blinking strobes. On the main stage, there is a metal bar holding a tapestry of thin, vertical, clear plastic panels, which hold a keyboard in a tiny enclosure surrounded by LED lamps quaintly behind them. Directly to the right ...

Preview by Macon Holt I remember back in like 2007, I met a girl at a party in some rural part of northern England so far from anything else that I think the house I was in was the village in its entirety. I found her really compelling but, as this was the phase of my life best summed by the phase “a shyness ...

The Caretaker “Everywhere at the end of time—Part 6” from History Always Favours the Winners. Review by Macon Holt. The Caretaker is no more. After being afflicted with Alzheimer’s almost three years ago by his creator, James Leyland Kirby (also known as V/Vm), he has finally succumbed to his illness with the release of “Everywhere At The End Of Time—Stage 6”. Back in ...

V/A: ZONE Compilation Vol.2 (ZONE Collective). Review by Ivna Franić. The Copenhagen-based ZONE Collective is back with their second compilation, featuring another refreshing collection of tracks by underground acts mostly hailing from Denmark and the UK. Although the majority of the acts here expectedly operates between different styles of electronic and noise music—while also sharing an affinity for intriguing sound design—the new ...

Essay by Macon Holt “Critique is so limiting and emotionally draining. I have always wanted to do something long form, beyond opinion; dip my toe into an exploration of origin and essence; the metamorphosis of spirit into reality.” — Morf Vanderwalt, “Velvet Buzzsaw” These New Puritans are a British band, formerly on Domino records, who initially garnered attention in 2006/7 as the arty-ist members of ...

Article by Laura Juncker and Astrid Hald Today is International Women’s Day, which gives us a chance to reflect on the state of things in our immediate surroundings. To look at the workings of what we might be working with. At first glance, we might ask what do the obvious, hard-fact, explicit numbers and ratios tell us? For example, how many female names have ...

Acronym & Kali Malone “The Torrid Eye” (Stilla Ton, 2019) – Review by Ivna Franić. Bringing together two distinct voices of Sweden’s underground music scene, “The Torrid Eye” sees techno producer Acronym (aka Dan Vicente) team up with the Stockholm-based American composer Kali Malone for a five-track release on the former’s recently launched label, Stilla Ton. While Malone rounded off 2018 with not one but ...

Preview by Ivna Franić This Thursday at Mayhem, Moral Defeat presents a showcase from the Russian label, Perfect Aesthetics, featuring performances by Burning Pyre, Måla, Marble Bust and Ato Vari, with DJ support from Yuri. An evening of ambient synth romanticism to accidentally, or perhaps not, take place on Valentine’s day.