Avant! Techno | Minimal | Tech-House 11 Items

24,99 €*

12" | 2023 | EU | Original (Avant!)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Electronic & Dance

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After a hiatus of quite some time, the Belgian duo composed by the world renowned model Kim Peers and post-metal band Amenra’s guitarist Mathieu Vandekerckhove, is finally back with a new full-length album.

Four years have passed since their debut Benevolence. Meanwhile Skemer took the time to let all sides of their personality grow and eventually explode. You remember their minimalist cold wave deconstructions equally made of brutal and erotic components. A duality deeply rooted in the band’s music as well as in their line-up and obviously their live shows, where romantic and ethereal atmospheres collide with the gothic side of electronic and techno music. This is even more present on their new LP Toasts & Sentiments.

Eleven new cuts where every side of Skemer’s nature gets its own share of expression only to leave you wrapped in one pitch black cloak. A few episodes in the duo’s native language Dutch, add even more mystery to the occult receipt.

Get in the introspective, tranche insistent riff on the opening track Eyelashes and get catapulted, quite literally, on the dark side of the moon. Keep on wandering the alien surface with Seen and its solemn gait. Pick up your pace with the pounding drums of Easy To Embrace and Kiss Me Kill Me. Go down the stairs to the dungeon of the club culture with lead singles Overgave and Out Of Favor claustrophobic electro. Remain bogged down in the darkness with New Born Babe, get slapped by Apocalypse’s industrial trance crescendo. Rest and collapse with the final track’s texture of ambient synths and reverberating guitars.

It may have taken four years for Skemer to present their new creation but it was definitely worth the wait. Walk the night with us.

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SDH

Maybe A Body EP

19,99 €*

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Electronic & Dance

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Two years after their previous Against Strong Thinking mini album, Spanish techno-meets-new wave duo SDH returns with a new, killer EP. There is a duality rooted deeply in the very soul of this project that is reflected in the line-up as well as in the music the band creates. While Sergi Algiz is behind the machines propagating a wide spectrum of electronic beats ranging from techno and body music to synthpop and electro, Andrea P. Latorre offsets the night club vibe of the pounding drums with her emotional, romantic vocals. This same dichotomy is perfectly represented here by their new 12-inch Maybe A Body, out April 29, 2022 on Avant!.

The title-track is a powerful song about body recognition, about having a voice and using it, sustained by some throbbing EBM with traces of 90’s trance/progressive, ending up in a perfect balance of rousing groove and hypnagogic feelings.

The B side is the hunting ground for more dream-like scenarios as it digs deep in the nostalgia realm with its retro mood filled with italo and synth-pop bliss. To power up both these aspects of SDH’s identity, we have called two of the best electronic producers out there to remix one track each.

Maybe A Body has been given to techno golden boy and Avant! alumni Phase Fatale who has managed to enhance even further the trance-like nature of the track, creating just the perfect dancefloor filler.

All Of That has been instead reworked by the skillful hands of the rising star of the Eighties sound Pablo Bozzi who literally exploded the italo groove, occasionally smoothing things out with some breakbeats just where they’re most needed.

Produced by Matia Simovich at Infinite Power Studios, LA. Mastered at Dadub Studio, Berlin.

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SDH

Fake Is Real

Gilt Lime Green Vinyl Edition

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Electronic & Dance

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The duo formed by Andrea P. Latorre and Sergi Algiz is a specialist in shedding skin and gladly combines new heteronyms in Fake is Real, their sophomore album after their self titled debut in 2018 and subsequent EPs Against Strong Thinking and Maybe a Body, which have been full of reinterpretations and remixes.

Another sign is that they trust their modus operandi to mutation and the idea that nothing is ever quite said. It’s been three years of work, growth and numerous performances in venues and festivals throughout Europe.

In Fake is Real, SDH go out once again in search of nightclubs that are familiar, but never obvious.

The occasion is tremendous and the list of honorees is select: beginning with the producer Kris Baha, who has provided forcefulness to the rhythmic base and prominence to the voices. The dress code transcends the categories of dark wave, to dress as mischievous EBM, with accessories from new dance, acid house and disrupted but melodic techno, with structured twists that come to caress the electronic psychedelia.

Ready to play? Let’s play. Let’s change our epidermis, let’s confuse our coats in the dark. Knowing that only in the dark is where everything unpronounceable can have a place, SDH go all-in. Their darkwave résumé allows the duo to blend diverse electronica and leftfield sounds such as big beat, eurodance, synthwave, hard trance and body music in a very personal and emotional way.

You may hear influences drawn from Da Blitz to the Prodigy, Yves Deruyter to Faithless, yet everything is so SDH you just can’t mistake them with any other band out there.

Not unlike early 90’s-era Coil, the music here is as important as the idea behind the band, a unit conceived to explore and operate on the margins of the music genres it supposedly belongs to, making it hard and therefore so damn interesting to define what’s been done.

A work open to so many influences, that it gives a pleasant vertigo to be involved in it. If you’ve ever been afraid of the night, Fake is Real offers you a reconciliation with all its rhythms that invites you to move together in the club.

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Profit Prison

12" | 2024 | EU | Original (Avant!)

12" | 2024 | EU | Original (Avant!)

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Electronic & Dance

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Four years and one pandemic after his latest Dreams Of A Dark Building EP, the herald of dungeon synth pop is finally back from his shallow grave.

Life has not been gentle with Seattle-based solo producer Parker Lautenschlager over the past few years, imposing its unpredictability and forcing him to channel all the feelings that come with it into Profit Prison’s music.

It’s no surprise that his first full-length album Gilt marks one futher step towards the dark corners of italo / hi-nrg body music. Typical Profit Prison’s vocals and melodies, reminiscent of OG synth masters Kraftwerk, Giorgio Moroder and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, are still here, buried in the mix and waiting to haunt the listeners and drag them down in one sulfurous dancing spiral.

Lead single Sophia juxtaposes some weirdly camouflaged vocals with one heavenly chorus that seems willing to revive your fortunes while instead it literally sings “But I lost it all”. A Matter Of Tact displays pop escapism over some throbbing minimal synth tension, Seven Words sounds like a throwback to 70’s italo filtered through the eyes of a 21st century punk rocker. Katalina has a rampant synth à la Carpenter climbing over a story of loss and Katalina, An Ascetic is a solo ramble reaching for the inner light on a carpet of cold keys.

What’s more, tracks got longer in Parker’s recent songwriting, with most of the songs being now five minute long and reaching peaks of seven minutes with the closing, almost progressive disco jam of A.R.P. (Amphetamine Research Project), nothing short of a lucid dream on the floor of Studio 54.

Last but not least, the artwork by French artist Robin Roche delivers medieval-yet-punk graphic vibes to match just perfectly the sounds on this record.

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Profit Prison

Gilt Black Vinyl Edition

24,99 €*

Wandering Echoes White Colored Vinyl Edition

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Electronic & Dance

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Poison Point

LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Avant!)

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Electronic & Dance

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Poison Point is the trancey body music solo project operated by Paris-based producer and live artist, Timothée Gainet.

Started off in 2016, he shared the stage with bands such as Drab Majesty, Xeno & Oaklander, Adult, Rendez-Vous and Silent Servant, shared remixes with Qual, Sydney Valette, Blind Delon, all this while running his other industrial techno outfit IV Horsemen. You can tell Timothée is a busy guy and yet he managed to grow Poison Point since his debut album on Third Coming, getting releases out on Aufnahme + Wiedergabe and Young And Cold.

Over the years, his sound gradually shifted from the motorik post-punk of the early recordings to one much more dancefloor-oriented dark electronics with some sort of nice military pop Je ne sais quoi.

If one could see this coming with 2022’s album Poisoned Gloves, his new full-length is a major step-up in Poison Point game. Skilfully produced by Gainet himself and mastered once again by Mr Baggio for the best groove, Wandering Echoes drops nine new floor fillers for the romantic and the nostalgic at heart.

Just click Play on the first track Blue Idol and you will be hurled into a crystal world of imaginary memories while floating on the scales drawn by the synth arpeggios. Rude awake to the lead single Mysteries In Fire and his intoxicating body music and start wandering the room around you. Keep up the pace with further bangers loaded with electricity, romance and angularity like Flowers & Surrender, Echoes Of Dreams, Slow Kill, Fast Love. Get sweaty as you reach the end of this music journey: final track Les Meurtrières de LʼAube, properly sung in Timothée’s native tongue French, will show you the way to the rest of the just.

If your favourite vibes dwell somewhere between Phase Fatale and Lust For Youth, Wandering Echoes is the record for you.

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Male Tears

Krypt

24,99 €*

Vicious Pastimes Pink Vinyl Edition

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Electronic & Dance

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Here comes something unapologetically goth.

Male Tears is the dark electro group consisting of vocalist, James Edward and synthesist, Frank Shark. Hailing from Los Angeles, what began as a solo project re-established itself as a duo in 2021, simultaneously moving from the breezy sounds of the first self-titled album to darker realms with their sophomore Trauma Club.

Krypt is their third full-length recording and it shows a fully grown ensemble capable of pushing everything over the top; blending elements of darkwave, goth rock, EBM and futurepop into a sound they call Dark Rave.

Naturally drawing inspiration from the Californian goth tradition (45 Grave, Christian Death) and the Canadian post-industrial brood (Skinny Puppy, Fla), as well as the best UK synthpop (Depeche Mode, The Human League), Male Tears emphasizes the most glamourous, and at once, gruesome aspects of the whole gothic subculture, bringing everything to the next level, resulting in a contemporary and cutting edge album.

Eight new cuts that alternate rarefied synthwave (Krypt), dark eurodance (Slay) with goth techno-pop (Sleep 4Ever) and pounding electro-industrial (I Expire) to create something we may call New Romantic Body Music. It’s no wonder we wanted the scene’s top studio, La Distilleria, run by Maurizio Baggio, to master this for the most bombastic outcome.

And yet Krypt is not just about the music, it’s about one up with the times attitude that can review aggressive EBM in the light of an extravagant pop sensibility and a theatrical grandeur worthy of the Blitz Kids from London circa 1979-80.

You may think it takes quite a bit of nonchalance to do so but the L.A. duo easily succeeds at this. Akin to their aesthetics, they may seem spooky from the outside but their approach is nothing stuffy. Quite the contrary, everything regarding Male Tears is a celebration of life’s most bizzare shades, driven by some of the best dark humor you’ll find around.

So Dance with me, my dear, on a dancefloor of bones and skulls / The music is our master The devil controls our souls.

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House Of Harm

LP | 2020 | EU | Reissue (Avant!)

21,99 €*

Release: 2020 / EU – Reissue

Genre: Electronic & Dance

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Preorder shipping from 2024-06-21

Boston is not exactly worldwide known for its coldwave or synth pop artists. Most of us know the Capital of Massachusetts because of its hardcore legacy that still continues today.

And yet, just like flowers in a rugged land, here comes House Of Harm, a post-punk trio whose new approach to the genre was showcased on their two tape EPs, earning them a cult international following as well as an imposing line up of supporting gigs opening for Editors, She Past Away, Lust For Youth, and The Cure’s Reeves Gabrels. Due on September 4 is their debut full-length Vicious Pastimes out on vinyl LP and digital format. Nine songs where timeless melodies of Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me-era Cure perfectly match French coldwave moodiness, enhanced by Cocteau Twins ethereal airiness and Creation Records seminal shoegaze sounds. Just enough light reaches House Of Harm’s base layer, giving life to infectious hooks and unforgettable mantras. The gritted core of every song makes expansive moments of release cathartic, always tethered by commanding drums.

Check out the very first single they wrote Isolator and its melancholic synth pop refrain, or Against The Night whose darkwave is as claustrophobic as One Hundred Years. Catch sounds almost like a Sarah Records hit, while the title-track hurls us back into the bleak realms of the Sisterhood. Different influences but everything is just in its place simply because House Of Harm are the rare band where you can feel every individual member’s devotion to each song’s world.

Riyl: The Cure, Depeche Mode, A Flock Of Seagulls, For Against, Drab Majesty.

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House Of Harm

Playground

Elogium Orange Vinyl Edition

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Electronic & Dance

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House of Harm are proud to announce the forthcoming release of their new album Playground, out December 1st, 2023. The new record builds and expands upon the three-piece’s enthralling shadow-pop sound, a mix of midnight atmospherics, 90s era jangle pop, and contagious synth drenched hooks that further elevate the transcendent vocals of lead singer Michael Rocheford. Rounded out by Cooper Leardi (guitar / synths) and Tyler Kershaw (guitar / synth), House of Harm have amassed an impressive following as something of a best kept secret among their growing fanbase, leading to sold out shows on both coasts by the power of word of mouth alone.

The band members have been drawn to music for as long as any of them can remember, and the drive to be around like-minded artists and make their own noise drew them all to Boston after high school. There they all quickly enmeshed themselves, playing in other bands before meeting each other. Ever since, House of Harm have been quietly making a name for themselves among music fans with darker pop persuasions via a steady stream of releases in single, ep and album form.

That attention to detail and workmanlike approach at the expense of chasing instant gratification seems to be paying dividends after years of steady effort. The journey of their new album Playground saw House of Harm stay true to that ethos. The band painstakingly narrowed the record down to an efficient 10 tracks that they felt made the most sense, both standing on their own as well as fitting into an LP that built a cohesive world for the listener to get lost in. The album’s name also reflects the experimentation and happy accidents that came about during the writing and recording process.

On “The Face of Grace” they set out to explore different dynamics by writing a song entirely without drums, but couldn’t help themselves from putting emphasis on the song’s 6/8 waltz time signature. “Two Kinds” is another first for House Of Harm in that it’s predominantly driven by acoustic guitar. That aforementioned vulnerability shows up in other areas of the songwriting process as well with “Two Kinds”, one of their most revealing songs to date from a lyrical standpoint, written from a place of reflection and weakness and tackling feelings uneasy to be put on display for public consumption.

Taken as a whole, the end result is an album representing a collection of the band’s most raw and expressive songs yet.

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Dancing Plague

LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Avant!)

27,99 €*

Elogium Black Vinyl Edition

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Electronic & Dance

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Portland based act Dancing Plague has been a steady presence in the dark/cold electronic music scene for quite a few years now.

Since 2016 Conor Knowles’ solo project has been putting out one constant flow of independent releases on multiple formats such as vinyl LPs, EPs, tapes and CDs, creating one sonic palette rich with Ebm, goth, industrial and synth influences.

On their 5th studio album, Dancing Plague continues to flesh out and perfect their unique brand of crushing darkwave.

Elogium explores themes of loss, regret, rebirth and growth coupled with throbbing basslines, rave synths, and pounding drums. Knowles balances aggressive waves of electronics with enough pop sensibilities and catchy hooks to be inviting to those new to the genre.

His skills can be clearly appreciated on tracks like the first single Fading Forms which explores the somber feeling of the years passing you by. Knowles’ emotive baritone crooning paints a melancholic picture of the slow fading of time as you feel like you’re fading with it. The words fall like snow onto cold fields of pulsing 80s synths and pounding drum machine rhythms that bring forth nostalgic familiarity but feel fresh at the same time.

Fans of classic icons such as Depeche Mode, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails as well as contemporary torchbearers Cold Cave and Kontravoid do not sleep on this. Plenty of disturbing beauty to be found in the depths of the underground.

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Dancing Plague

LP | 2024 | EU | Original (Avant!)