Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Swedish artist Andreas Sandberg released the second full length of his sonic brainchild, Minor Key, by the end of last year. The work features twelve songs.

Content: It’s too easy and even a bit reductive defining the sound of this project as simply Electro-Pop. The songs are clearly driven by good-old Electro-Pop influences, but there’s a twist between robotic passages reminding me of  Kraftwerk, minimal tracks and more ‘classical’ Electro-Pop songs. Now into bombastic drum sections, then into reverie, the album is quite versatile, which is also reflected in the production of the vocals.

+ + + : Minor Key clearly tries to produce a more personal work. The result is pretty varied so in the end we all will find some cuts to our taste. I prefer the minimal- and somewhat Kraftwerk-ian influences running through the work, “Miasma” being a real great song with female pitched vocals plus male vocals and old-styled synth lines. Another attention grabber is “Con Sumer”, which is a well-crafted song with great, filtered sequences.

– – – : The more ‘classical’ Electro-Pop approach, which is noticeable in the last part of the work, left me a bit more skeptical.

Conclusion: Minor Key clearly has a potential, which has to be elaborated.

Best songs: “Miasma”, “Con Sumer”, “Treason”.

Rate: 7.

Artist: www.facebook.com/minorkeey

Inferno Sound Diaries

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.

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Komputer, the Mute artists who joined the influential label in 1984 as I Start Counting, are rebooting for a live show in London.

Komputer will appear at TEC 006 together with the Queen of hard dance music, Rein (SE), and IMI (UK). Co-sponsored by Cold War Night Life and The Electricity Club, TEC 006 is the latest in a series of curated music events showcasing the best of current poptronica. It takes place at Electrowerkz, Torrens St EC1, London, on the 30th of November, 2019.

Tickets are available right here.

The chameleons of electronic music

The duo of Simon Leonard and Dave Baker developed a quirky, infectious style of poptronica that captured the imagination of label boss, Daniel Miller. He used his Synclavier to produce their first singles, “Letters to a Friend” and “Still Smiling”, which became classics of detuned, minor key pop.

Like Depeche Mode, who had just started to break into the US market with the harmonies of “People Are People”, I Start Counting’s style grew from experimental roots. Sampling technology gave them the opportunity to expand their sonic palette, but they avoided the trap of reproducing the sounds of other acts. They instead, recrafted sounds into sparkling, underground hits.

As their music developed, becoming more focused on the dancefloor, they evolved into Fortran 5. Shedding the skin of I Start Counting gave the duo relative anonymity in the emerging rave and acid house scenes, and they made a mark with groovy tracks like “Look to the Future” and “Persian Blues”. As Britpop consumed the rave scene, Baker and Leonard decided that it was time for another change.

If Oasis could ape The Beatles, then they could certainly make songs in the image of their own makers: Kraftwerk. Komputer was born with a sound that developed on the heritage of the German electronic pioneers. The project kept the duo’s sense of whimsy intact, and they drew from inspirations as diverse as the walking trail from Archway to Alexandra Palace (“Looking Down on London”) and the first woman in space (“Valentina Tereshkova”).

The band toured with Erasure and provided a remix of their hit, “Victim of Love”. Blancmange (“Cruel”) and Metroland (“Enjoying the View”) have also been reworked by Komputer.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Out on September 7 is the compilation “Auferstehung (Elektronische Musik aus Berlin 1983/1984)” by Lapre. Lapre is the duo consisting of electronic musician Rudolf Langer (Tyndall) and guitarist Peter Preuß who teamed up in 1983. Their output can best be described as a mix of repetitive sequencer patterns via synth pop all the way to atmospheric, hypnotic minor key expanses.

By 1984, Lapre had released two tapes and a 12-inch vinyl. This new compilation presents the most compelling tracks from these releases which are all appearing on CD for the very first time.

Below is a preview of the compilation:

Rudolf Langer began his musical career as one half of Tyndall. The duo released four albums on Sky Records between 1979 and 1983 (all recently reissued on Bureau B). By the time the two musicians reached the fourth album, they were barely on speaking terms, so each recorded one side of the LP on his own.

Preuß, a guitarist, then hooked up with Langer and they produced two tapes over the next two years (“Tedan” in 1983 and “Flokati” in 1984), each numbering 30-50 copies, intended for sale at concerts. A 12-inch single on their own label (“Oeso” followed later in 1984.

Although guitar features on every track, Lapre’s early recordings relate to the Berlin School, with their music, specifically their use of synthesizers, echoing the tradition of Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze et al.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, body-pop.

Background/Info: Minor Key saw the daylight somewhere in the midst of the 90s and got reactivated after a long break. Anders Sandberg got involved in different band and projects; Project-X probably being the most famous one. “This Feudal Enterprise” is the debut album of Minor Key, symbol of the band’s resurrection.

Content: Minor Key is revisiting and reworking different elements of electro-pop music. The tracks move from body-pop to technoid arrangements to sophisticated sound treatments. You now get the impression that this Swedish project is inspired by Pet Shop Boys (for the most poppy and happy side of the album) and next influences by Haujobb (for the sound intelligence).

+ + + : Minor Key achieved an atypical production, which is easy to label as ‘electro-pop’ music, but quite diversified in its format. Andreas Sandberg is not exactly reinventing this music genre, but he accomplished an interesting mixture between different influences. I also fully enjoyed the impressive welfare in sounds and the cool effect on the vocals’ production. “This Feudal Enterprise” is a cool surprise revealing a band with a creative approach and promising production.

– – – : The work is somewhat different from the familiar ‘pop’ standards and that’s maybe an element that makes the work less accessible for a wider audience. Some parts are maybe too complex to be simply labeled as electro-pop music, but the main point according to me is that there’s no real ‘hit’ song featured.

Conclusion: Minor Key created a kind of pop synthesis, which is assembling and mixing different elements. I like the band’s creativity and even if there’s a hit missing, I noticed multiple cool and accomplished songs. I can only, but encourage Minor Key to go on!

Best songs: “Diplomacy”, “Beacon”, “Parisyte”, “Acclimatize”.

Rate: (7½).

Band: www.facebook.com/minorkeey

Inferno Sound Diaries

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.

www.side-line.com