Metal Disco – Technoid Electronics 2015-2020 (Album – Werkstatt Recordings)
Genre/Influences: Electro-Wave, Electroclash, EBM, Minimal-Electro.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: Greek label owner Toxic Razor is also involved with several projects like Paradox Obscur, Beatbox Machinery and Metal Disco. This ‘new’ album is a fine selection of songs released in between 2015 and 2020.
Content: The common element between all projects of Toxic Razor is a true love and passion for vintage Electronics. Metal Disco sounds harder than Beatbox Machinery and less Electro-Wave than Paradox Obscur. There’s a constant mix between 80s related influences, now EBM powered and then more Electroclash & Electro-Wave like. The last songs are definitely harder and driven by low, resonating bass lines.
+ + + : These songs were originally released on several EP’s so this is an opportunity to get them together on one disc. I like the global approach of Metal Disco, which is maybe best illustrated at the “Metal Disco”-track, which is carried by an icy, metal-like lead and a solid bass line. The power of the bass line comes back on other tracks as well, “Devil Explicit” remaining a great piece of this artist. But I also have to mention the retro-EBM “Flux Decadence” and the extremely powerful sound treatments of “Blackened”.
– – – : A similar remark as for Beatbox Machinery, I think some songs could be a bit more elaborated and extended.
Conclusion: This album is a perfect compilation to discover the fascinating retro-Electro universe of Metal Disco. Read the ‘Click Interview’ with Metal Disco.
Best songs: “Devil Explicit”, “Flux Decadence”, “Blackened”, “Orchard”, “Banger”.
Rate: 8.
Artist: www.facebook.com/metaldiscomusic
Label: www.facebook.com/werkstattrecordings
About Metal Disco
Metal Disco is a project of the Athens-based producer Toxic Razor, who founded Werkstatt Recordings and also records as Beatbox Machinery, as one half of Paradox Obscur with Kriistal Ann and, since 2023, as Hardware Pulse. The Discogs profile for Metal Disco states that the project discloses nothing about its members.
The first releases appeared in 2015 on Werkstatt Recordings: the cassette album “Unearthly Vices” in August and the CDr EP “Fetish Club Anthems”. “Tease” followed in 2016, the “Devil Explicit” EP was issued on cassette by Detonic Recordings in June 2017 and “Vade Mecum” came out in 2018. Werkstatt Recordings released the “Banger EP” in 2019 and the album “Sex, Drugs & Hardware” on 8 September 2020, with Irini of Incirrina among the guests. The “Clublife EP” followed the same year.
“Technoid Electronics 2015-2020” was released on 11 April 2021 as a download and as a CDr limited to twelve copies. It collects ten tracks from the EPs of that period plus the exclusive track “Orchard”. Later releases include the Greek-language EP “Καμία Εξουσία” (2021), the “In Motion” EP with Incirrina (2022), “EBM Workout” (2022), the second compilation “Technoid Electronics II 2021-2022” (February 2023) and the album “Hellion Reaper” (March 2024). Toxic Razor discussed the project in the March 2022 Side-Line interview linked above.
Support Side-Line
More people read Side-Line than ever, and there is still no paywall and no advertising. Readers pay for it instead - from $5 a month.
Why we ask
Advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations we have not put up a paywall, and we refuse to add annoying advertising, so we need to ask for your help. Side-Line’s independent journalism takes time, money and hard work to produce, and we do it to push the artists we like, who are equally fighting to survive.
Handled by PayPal.
I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
