1992 was the year when Europop crossed the borders of the Old World and stormed the music charts worldwide (with the exception of especially Islam-oriented countries). That was the founding year of Culture Kultür, a Spanish act that celebrated its success equally worldwide (with the exception of especially Islam-oriented countries). A couple of songs from CK's previous album which was released not less than five years ago are still to be heard in the clubs. In my personal opinion CK is a band that in spite its presence in the charts and clubs is still underestimated by the majority of the people in the darker electro scene. 'Spirit' is an album that has a good shot to change this situation. By the way, to prevent any potential misunderstandings of the title; 'Spirit' is not about alcohol consumption.
The act follows here the same musical direction it took on its previous album 'Reborn'. Namely, the so called Underground Electropop, as many people call it. CK wrote an album full of totally danceable beats and beautiful melodies that bear a somewhat sullen touch with rather real life-oriented lyrics. It is an electro album about real feelings and not cyber wars in another galaxy a thousand years later from now.
The album has got a number of good tracks, each being a good reason to purchase 'Spirit': the opener 'Sieged', 'Drum Machine' is an optimistic song not about advantages of a healthy heart, 'Toxic Pulse' revives the club vibe of the first years of the current century. 'Love will tear us apart', as you may have guessed, is a cover of the undying (undead?) number by the British Joy Division. The album may remind you of VNV Nation in some places, especially the 'ballads' such as the dreamy 'Silence'.
'Spirit' is predominantly conceived as music for your feet; however it has something to offer for your head, too, if you are ready to take a closer look at the lyrics.

Released in November 2009, "In between" is the debut album by Baxter. It was released by Mullet Records and you know that Justin loves remixes, so it was the right moment to release an E.P. with reworked versions of tracks coming from that release. On IN BETWEEN REMIXED we have seven songs remixed by artists coming from the label's roster which give their personal touch to the original tunes. Tad Willy is the first and he took "Somewhere Else" and enhanced its electro funky spirit with 4/4 beats, syncopated bass lines and cool synth bouncing leads. Justin/Casio Social Club, picked up "Going Soon" and focused the remix on 4/4 dancey rhythms and electrofunk bass lines and synth chords. Sare Havlicek is next with "Approval" and it sounds dance, smooth and perfect for an 80s party. Estate remixed the main track and made of it a new wave pop tune, as it was an A Flock Of Seagulls hit. Chaz Bronz focused his remix of "Insider" on lounge atmospheres in balance from house and electro. ODahl remixed "Overlap" and now it sounds dance, pop and bouncy. Nuvo Rich closes the release with "Sleeping In The Green World", a song in balace from 70s electronica and 80s disco. If funkadelic electro dance is your thing, this release will warm your dancefloor.

Dompteur Mooner did it again! Three years after the latest chapter of the ELASTE series he found some other gems of cosmic disco influenced by pop and funk. He found some Italian mix-tapes from the early 1980s (especially those recorded by Beppe Loda and Daniele Baldelli) and packed the album with fourteen tracks that finally would make us proud to be Italian because at that time italo disco ruled the dance floors (at least we found something to be proud of even if unfortunately we always have to refer to our past). The album opens with the funky disco of Queen Samantha's "Take A Chance" (Dompteur Mooner Edit) just to give us the first surprise with Eddy Trauba & M M Greco "Maccaroni Radio', an upbeat tune that recalled me the early new wave electronic of Alexander Robotnick stuff mixed with dance. Moebius with "Urth' mix spacey sounds with funky bass lines while the following Riccardo Cioni & D.J.F.T. Band bring "Fog', a track perfect for a John Carpenter movie (and you know for sure that he did a movie titled "The fog"). Tracks like this influenced Steve Moore, Antoni Maiovvi and Gatekeeper (people that I suggest you to check). Pop wave is back with Nacht Und Nebel's "Beats Of Love" and it gets a bit more experimental with Tabu's "Allein", a song perfect for Lene Lovich. Great electronic sounds are in with Conrad Und Gregor Schnitzler "The Shark Eats Ice" (Conrad and his son Gregor recorded also an album together titled "Conrad & Sohn" and Gregor collaborated to different records of his dad). Mythos' "Powerslide", take us to the center of space disco with moog sweeps and 70s guitar solos, while Pollyester with "Beuys Boys" with slapped bass guitar and choruses bring us back to memories of 70s disco but adding to it some boost. The Deep Fix with "Time Centre" are here with a robotic song based on organ layers overlaps and filtered drum sounds. Die Gesunden's "Galaxy" mix synth sweeps and upfront delirious vocal performances (a sort of disco wave version of Johnny Rotten). Phantom Band "Neon Man' (Dompteur Mooner Edit) bring back space disco sounds mixed with new wave guitars where a recitative voice guide you through the mysterious atmosphere of the "Neon man with the moonlight tan". The Pool with "Jamaica Running" mix tribal rhythms and basic monophonic synth lines while Key Of Dreams remix Toto's "Africa" giving to it vocoder robotic vocals keeping its characteristic keyboard chords. It sounds like a stripped to the bone version of it with proper singing vocals on its later part. This is it... and if you didn't already checked this serie, I suggest you to do so immediately!

Coming from Athens, Greece, Evangelos Zacharopoulos is the man behind Binalog Freq and the Binalog Productions label. In two years of activity he already produced two albums and fifteen singles/EP with his own moniker and his label already hit fifty five releases! Covering a wide array of electronic music which spans from techno, electro, idm to electro funk, Binalog Productions is releasing the latest single by Binalog Freq titled FUNK MECHANIC. The single contains two different versions of the main track ("Original" and "Hard & soft synth dub") and a remix reworked by R21 (the "Man machine remix"). The original tune is an instrumental upbeat tempo with 80s industrial/ebm influences (check the hard rhythms) and electro funk bass/lead lines which finds an even more industrial robotic rhythmic section (mitigated by soft ambient pads) into the "Hard & soft synth dub". R21, instead, revisited the tune giving to it an analog electro flavor with 4/4 syncopated rhythms, bouncing bass lines and spacey pads. Nice... P.s. Exclusively available at Juno, here http://www.junodownload.com/products/1622670-02.htm/?ref=dlk

We already had the chance to check the female duo Kim Ki O (which means "who is that anyway?" in Turkish) on the "Radio Resistencia" CD compilation but DANS is a good way to get deeper into their sound. Ekin Sanaç (synths, keys, vocals, beats) and Berna Göl (bass, vocals, beats) for their official debut packed six tracks sung in Turkish which sound in balance from melancholic and cold atmospheres. Synth sounds along with a pulsating bass guitar usually are the core structure of the song where basic drum beats and dreamy vocals paint the emotions of two girls which are living into and Middle Eastern metropolis. Tracks like the instrumental opening "27.01 Berlin" and the following "Herkes evine" are pop but also hypnotic and it's like listening to New Order playing melancholic minimal wave into a bedroom.