Mr. T basically invented the classic EBM haircut.
Our last mixtape of the year is all about 2012 club joints. This selection is more based on whimsy than anything else – there’s plenty more songs that have been inhabiting our playlists – but these ones in particular jumped out as ones we’d love to share. Call it a warm-up for all of Year End coverage: we certainly had a lot of fun drinking rye, chugging Robitussin to keep Capn’ Chills at bay and recollecting some of the best dancefloor moments of the last twelve months. As always, if you hear something you like make a point of throwing some cash at the artist. ‘Tis the season and all that. Stream and download at the bottom of the post!
And One feat. Douglas McCarthy, “Get It!”
An actual conversation from last weekend:
Bruce: “Man, ‘Get It’ is just perfect. You’ve got Steve, Douglas, and Daniel all bringing the fire, each doing exactly what they do best, and in perfect sync with each other. It’s like some tremendous posse cut that has a DJ Premier beat, verses from a hungry Nas and a smooth Jay-Z, and a hook by Nate Dogg.”
Alex: “That posse cut could never happen in this universe.”
Bruce: “…Yeah. But ‘Get It’ is still the shit.”
Alter Der Ruine, “Shit Disco Stunner”
The question of whether or not Alter Der Ruine is still broke-the-hell-up may not have a proper answer yet, but Alex is pleased as proverbial punch to have the opportunity to see them at next year’s Resistanz Festival in the UK. We’d be happy to have them back, but even if we don’t, this jam from their fantastic, possibly final album There’s Always One More Son of a Bitch shows why we like these Arizona oddballs and their mutant form of electro so much.
iVardensphere, “Ancients (BlakOpz Summon mix)”
When iVardensphere played Van City this year, Scott made a point of mentioning how into this mix of “Ancients” he was, and after hearing it we could tell why. You get the iVs tribal sound paired with BlakOpz hard-EBM stylee in a way we wouldn’t have expected to work but does, warming up cold dancefloors like a fifth of Bacardi. Big ups to all involved, we love it when two disparate but related bits of Our Thing get together like this.
Grendel, “Out of My Mind”
Growing up listening to stuff like Front Line Assembly and playing Shadowrun does something to your brain, namely that songs like this banger from JD Walsh will always sound like the cool cyberpunk future that never came to us. The whole record has that ultra-slick motorcycle chase “Neo-Tokyo is about to E-X-P-L-O-D-E” vibe to it, and we couldn’t be happier. Now where’s our 2020 manuals at?
SPARK!, “Tankens Mirakel”
The Swedish duo’s addition of catchy synthpop to their anhalt template resulted in an album’s worth of tunes with double-threat dancefloor potential, and nothing on Hela Din Varld hit that sweet spot better than this cut. With a classic rhythm, instantly memorable lead, and vocals which shoulder much of the melodic duties to great effect, it’s been the stand-out in another year of great SwEBM.
∆AIMON, “Black Cross (Dead When I Found Her Mix)”
We feel like we’ve already given half a dozen shout-outs to this cut since it first surfaced, but fuck it: it has two of our favourite acts this year acting in fantastic concord, and has given us loads of chances to showcase why we love both of them out at the club. The dichotomy between club tunes and “serious” music has always been bullshit no matter what snobs tell you, and here’s a reminder why.
Assemblage 23, “The Noise Inside My Head”
Tom Shear is one of those guys in Our Thing who gets a lot of love and respect based on the consistent quality of his output, a trend we’re happy to report hasn’t taken a hit with 2012’s Bruise. We like the fact that homeboy can still write a club banger without skimping on thematically consistent lyrics, certainly one of the selling points for this bit of instant dancefloor action.
mind.in.a.box, “Control (Club Mix)”
Stefan Poiss & co. weren’t just zooming forward into ever more progressive territory on Revelations without keeping one eye on m.i.a.b’s bouncy, melodic side, and album-highlight “Control” proved they didn’t have to put their emotionally affecting stuff on hold either. While the club mix gets to the beat early, it still offers the long, rising build of the original, detailing the twin demons of hubris and panic to an infectious pulse.
