Only one month after their teaser "Come Together", INFORMATIK are starting a new autumn offensive by releasing this new studio album. In further news it needs to be said, that "Arena" got licensed to the re-animated German label Dependent, so European-wide distribution should be saved. And to complete the good news, INFORMATIK are supporting the British Synthpop-institution MESH on their tour currently in Europe while I’m writing this. "Arena" reminds a lot on INFORMATIK’s album "Re:Vision", released in 2004 – it follows a quite comparable concept. Both protagonists of this project, Da5id Din and Tyler Newman, are known for their skills, so they have decided to follow the example of "Re:Vision" and have produced several new remixes of some of their classics. Tracks like "A Matter Of Time" or their known small club hit out of the EBM-days, "Entropy", got completely revamped. You’ll too get the two announced winner remix contributions of their Spring remix contest, PULSE STATE and their remix of "My True Love", as well as THE SYNTHETIC DREAM FOUNDATION and their interpretation of "Temporary". As for new tracks, "Come Together" of course is included, but the new smasher "Falling" really impresses me – that’s one of their best tunes ever composed. And check also out the fat layered last instrumental track "The End", which reminds a bit on their classic "Retrogradation" if you check the rhythm performance of this slow tune. Although I still prefer "Beyond" in its kind, "Arena" is the ideal album to put a footstep into the doors of the European listeners.

With a 5-track Download-only release, the prominent US duo INFORMATIK adds another chapter to their ongoing successful story of the furious past year. All good things started with their last years’ album "Beyond". Never before Tyler Newman and Da5id Din could earn so much recognition for their new celebrated musically direction, to combine the always high-skilled synth-driven Electropop-sound of Da5id with the rather Rock-/ Alternative-oriented acoustic efforts of Tyler (BATTERY CAGE). A self-organized remix contest has received international attention, the two winning contributors will make it on their upcoming new album "Arena", while the further rest out of this contest can be still downloaded directly from the INFORMATIK-website. "Come Together" is the appetizer for the new album, a rather straight and quite college radio-compatible track, which follows the newly discovered style of "Beyond". Asides the "Radio Mix", this track is available in 2 further different remixed versions, the "Clubmix T" (Tyler) and the "Clubmix D" (Da5id) – both attractive enough produced to share some floor action. You should also lay your focus of interest on the both additional tracks, because you’ll get rewarded with an intense remix on the ballad "Don’t Be Afraid", one of the outstanding tracks of "Beyond" – the rather Goth/Dark Electro-oriented audience will fall in love with this moody reinterpretation. But also "Bottom Feeder" is much better than someone might expect from a b-side and impresses with ist cold synth pads, the attacking guitar-riffs and the deep blurring bass-lines. "Come Together" is an attractive teaser release, which promises a lot for the new album.

Kod.eX is an event organization based in Paris/France which will celebrate its 4 years of activities in December 2009. This double compilation released by Brume Records gathers 26 bands that have played at Kod.ex and which represents the main core of today's industrial electronic scene as they have released their music through Ant-Zen, Hymen, Hands, Ad Noiseam, Brume Records, M-Tronic, Audiotrauma, etc. The first half of CD1 amazed me for its atmospheric continuity: Empusae, Mlada Fronta, Dither, Cdatakill, Sonic Area (they present a great track titled "Nevermore" where classic atmospheres a la Ennio Morricone are mixed with electro industrial rhythms creating a breathtaking effect), Le Diktat (industrial hip hop is the definition I'd give to their "Ennemi intérieur") are giving their best mixing melody, electro industrial rhythms, dub and synthetic sounds creating good tracks where atmosphere and rhythm are the main elements. With This Mourn' Omina atmosphere changes a bit thanks to their minimal approach to melody. Also the following four acts follow a minimal approach to sound where melody is present but sound and rhythm manipulation is more important. Tzolk'in (Live at Kod.ex), Flint-Glass, Ab Ovo and C.h.District sound more industrial and tense compared to the previous bands (Detritus aren't included into this list as "Watching The Watchmaker" sounds like a spy movie electronic soundtrack). This change again with the closing track composed by Oil 10 ("Solid sun" sounds like an electro track influenced by Vangelis music). With the second CD industrial distortions and industrial electro sounds are under the spotlight with LITH, Element Abuse, Ex Tension (their "Le complexe" mix industrial and electro e.b.m.), Twinkle ("Le passage de wormholes" mix breakbeat rhythms, electro industrial sounds and particular melodies which seems to be sampled from a carillon), Fractional, Asche ("Steamroom - count sucker's reprise version" is a distorted tense monster with dramatic atmospheres), Chrysalide ("Noize guerilla - gangstanoize remix by Sonic Area is a sort of industrial e.b.m./black metal blend), Roger Rotor, Sylvgheist Maëlström, Sulphuric Saliva, Mono No Aware ("As an intro" is an hypnotic industrial loopy track), Imminent and Cenotype. Personally I preferred the first CD as it was less focused on a "physical approach" but you know... this could not be true for you, as usual.

On this sixth issue of Vermin Street's Vermin Street Dub Series, we have two Boston native acts: Vapah and Innnerfuze. The first tracks is Vapah's "Chestplate", a tune that mix dub atmosphere and breakbeat editing. The suspended atmosphere create a mysterious theme like on a soundtrack. A bit of melody and reverb, then, add the final touch making of this a nice one. Innerfuze's "Wiak" is a short three minute tune with broken rhythms, tiny techno variations, a bit of acid sounds (check its ending) and a nice robotic melody. Available through addictech.com, juno.co.uk, digital-tunes.net, itunes and amazon.

The most spontaneous analogy you'll be tempted to establish after listening Robo Ghost, the second full-length album by the Scottish band Keser, could be the one with the most recent issues by Boards Of Canada (maybe �cause they come from the same country and especially if you notice the ethereal flow marking their sound) or if you'll linger over their post-rock nervations, you could easily try a comparison with Mogwai or Bark Psychosis. There're surely both of them among the recipes of the delicious musical dish cooked by the bassist and keyboardist Gavin Clark and the guitarist and keyboardist as well Kevan Whitley (for instance if you have a listen to the drum programming of Diablo Canyon 1 '“ as well as its drilling guitars... -, you could easily recognize the syncopated pattern and even the airy reverb on claps BOC widely used in many tracks of The Campfire Headphase), but the way Keser interweave guitar with crystalline and peaceful electronic sounds reminds to us some solo experiments by Robin Guthrie '“ the famous composer behind some of the most known Cocteau Twins melodies - and the mesmerizing brightness of Ulrich Schnauss' sonorities and ambient chilling suites as well as some interesting new proposals coming mainly from UK labels combining pacific soundscapes with complex and geometric rhythmical patterns (Bauri, Benge, Monoceros, Cathode, Metamatics to name just some of them mainly spread by labels such as Expanding, Mego or Hydrogen Dukebox), whose patterns have been partially reflected by German ~scape some years ago (introducing an interesting way of treating sounds, formerly photographed on some interesting releases such Staedtizism series) as well.


By the way Robo_Ghost (available both on cd and digital download) is mainly an instrumental workout indeed, including a plenty of remarkable highlights, whose emotionality will whisper something to your soul throughout the seemingly muted language, that tickling lovely melancholy springing from the flowing pleated blanket of this Robo_Ghost will move your mind towards a likeable reverie or re-activate some forgotten circuits of your soul and we don't exclude the possibility that some listeners' mind sight could swim into an ocean of tender memories and feelings such an adolescent pure love or a sweet reverie on the seaside of an happy-go-lucky undefined time... . The album could ideally be divided into two parts, being the first one more eclectic and full of electronic textures while the second one is more poppy even if equally emotional with some interesting tracks such as the moody 3 Point Play (Set Piece), a sort of Hindemith-like skinny symphony traced by a glimmering string section ending in a poignant piano melody, which is going to let some forgotten emotions re-emerge from the store-room of oblivion... You'll easily enjoy the imaginative(and customizable) glide Keser's music will easily cause!