V/A Wave Earplug N°.3 (Vinyl Album – 4mg Records)

Genre/Influences: EBM, electro-wave, minimal-electro.
Background/Info: Slovakian label 4mg Records started this series in 2017. It’s a way to support the ‘real’ underground scene revealing bands from all over the world –but mainly Europe. We get a compilation featuring ten bands hailing from Germany, The Netherlands, France, Colombia, Slovakia, USA, Austria, Belgium and Finland.
Artists: Staatseinde, Képeslap, Trois Traffic, Hexe, Prof. Great & Niki Noodles, Beta Evers, Arsenic Of Jabir, Deus Faust, End Off… Exist Not, Abstract Deity.
Content: The bands aren’t the most familiar names from the scene and that’s precisely the purpose of this sampler. From 90s-inspired EBM to late 80s electro with a touch of nu-disco on top to wave-pop to psychedelic experiments, this compilation will let you discover hidden talents.
+ + + : I’m a huge fan of this compilation series, which according to me is one of the most original ones. It’s also a way to discover bands you never heard of before, but I would like to hear more from Hexe, Prof. Great & Niki Noodles, Beta Evers, Arsenic Of Jabir and Staatseinde. I like their global approach and vintage-like sound treatments. There’s an info sheet included with the vinyl, which gives you a brief info about all artists.
– – – : Just like with other compilations there’re always a few cuts which can’t totally convince me, but there’s no reason to complain.
Conclusion: If there’s a compilation I would be missing, “Wave Earplug” would be a potential winner.
Best bands: Hexe, Prof. Great & Niki Noodles, Beta Evers, Arsenic Of Jabir
Rate: (8).
Label: www.facebook.com/4mgRecords
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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.

