Posting’ll likely be a tad spottier over the next couple of weeks what with one half of the Senior Staff off to Manchester to take in and DJ at the long-running Infest fest, but we have a crop of regularly scheduled podcasts in the hopper for you, and you’ll still be getting updates on the site, like this week’s Tracks post.
Haus Arafna
Ringfinger, “Three Stones”
There’s no better way to start your Monday off than with a slightly more ethereal than usual though no less dour single from Vancouver’s hometown gothic heroes Ringfinger. Linking the project’s long-running parallels with Lycia with a confident and relaxed take on dream-pop which could call any of Ride, Double Echo, or Drab Majesty to mind depending on your age and predilections, this is as assured as the duo have sounded to date.
Pixel Grip, “Last Laugh (Mercy Girl Remix)”
As we write DJs worldwide are no doubt be poring over the sixteen cuts on the new Percepticide: Remixed comp to flag and spin any number of cuts which fit in their own nights’ purview and which can feed dancefloors’ hunger for new Pixel Grip material. Which mixes might become entrenched in your local haunt will no doubt vary from city to city and region to region, but at first blush its difficult to ignore the swaggering weight and stomp Glasgow’s Mercy Girl add to “Last Laugh”.
CK 37, “All Inclusive”
There are still a few weeks in which to crank out summer getaways and general lounging, and CK 37, the SwEBM band who make middle age a virtue, not a failing, have just the tune as you’re trying to sort out sitters, deck chairs, and sufficient battery power and ice to keep your Margaritaville Key West™ drink maker running by the pool. As always, a little bit of wit goes a long way with CK 37, who are capable of adding just enough flourish and production to give their tracks depth while still cleaving to a pure, core strain of EBM
Haus Arafna, “Mangfall 1”
Looking for a good time? Haus Arafna aren’t, and haven’t been for more than thirty years. The cult German power electronics act recently unearthed one of their earliest sessions, dating back to 1994, and it’s precisely as misanthropic and unyielding as you might expect. While unquestionably rough around the edges, their ear for cold and foreboding industrial textures, which has always given them more depth than some of their more uniformly abrasive peers, is clearly detectable here.
