Akrams playlist - Part 1

PRE-ORDER: http://www.darkentriesrecords.com/store/dark-entries/ski-patrol-versions-of-a-life-recordings-1979-81-lp/

Dark Entries is proud to release "Versions Of A Life", a collection of recorded works by London, UK post-punk band Ski Patrol. Formed in 1979 by singer Ian Lowery and guitarist Nick Clift, the band played moody, epic, angular music. Active until late 1981, Ski Patrol’s musical and lyrical output mirrored the dub-reggae influences of their Brixton and Ladbroke Grove home-bases, the civil unrest of post-punk Britain and the freedom to push aside the rock rulebook as had been done by their peers PiL and Gang Of Four. They self-released their first single in early 1980 with the help of Rough Trade and came to the attention of Malicious Damage, a label & management operation, formed to release the early works of Killing Joke. This association produced the band’s biggest success, the 1980 indie chart hit "Agent Orange" (featuring Killing Joke’s Jaz Coleman on synth).
 "Versions Of A Life" collects Ski Patrol’s recorded output in one place for the first time. This anthology also shines a light on the darkly comic, paranoid, often elegiac gutter poetry of the late Ian Lowery, who passed away in 2001.  Including the band’s first two singles, previously unreleased mixes of their third single and three unreleased songs from their last studio session. All songs are remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The vinyl comes housed in a glossy jacket with an unreleased photo of the band. Each copy includes a reproduction of a promotional poster with lyrics from 1981 designed by Mike Coles, the Malicious Damage house artist responsible for the label’s iconic album and single covers.


Ski Patrol - Agent Orange

International

New Boys

Kælan Mikla - Kalt
https://kaelanmikla.bandcamp.com/track/kalt-2

Kælan Mikla - Kalt

Sleepwalking

New single from the album "Ariadna" out Sept. 8th. Pre-order it on limited edition vinyl (comes with bonus 12"), CD (comes with January Sun EP) and cassette. 

Moscow's Kedr Livanskiy (real name Yana Kedrina) confesses "Synthesizers help me maximally feel the present moment." Livanskiy was born into a shifting and critical time for Russia.  The Soviet Union had exhausted and old values were anathematized because of reconstruction.  A sense of displacement drove Kedr to find herself.  She's escaped reality repeatedly in her explorations into the imagery and ideas of romanticism, mythical and fairytale themes which visibly bleed throughout her work and especially on her debut full-length 'Ariadna'.  The title track which was named after the Greek goddess, Adriane, debuted via THUMP today who've described it "anchors its elegantly drifting shoegaze melodies with a knocking electro beat."

Kedr considers this album to be divided into a couple of different parts - like how one person can contain many different moods. The first half revolves around mythological thoughts and the second takes cues from the urban and suburban environments around her, all the while in the middle of everything is the hero who experiences real feelings and emotions. 

Kedr also channels the places in her neighborhood on the outskirts of Moscow (affectionately dubbed by her as "BORDER MOSCOW"). There's a river there where identical Soviet high-rises stand on both sides, with a bridge and garbage processing plant adjacent. Where nature and industry meet. The whole scene looks very apocalyptic, but also mystical and mysterious, especially at twilight.

Her inspiration for this record comes from the Izhevsk (sometimes referred to as "the capital of Russian electronic music") sound of the 80s, including groups like Stuk Bambuka V XI Chasov (Bamboo Crash at 11AM) and Samtsy Dronta. The movement in Russian experimental music is especially inspiring, with acts likes Valery Chkalov, Sergey Kuryokhin and Pop Mechanica; in general, the late-Soviet period was very inspiring with all its figures in music, cinema, their energy and their approach towards life and art.

'Ariadna' marks a change in her recording approach: her critically acclaimed breakthrough EP 'January Sun' was written and recorded completely in Ableton, while 'Ariadna' was written using the Roland SH-101, Roland Juno 106 and Korg Minilogue synthesizers, then mixed down in Ableton. According to Kedr, "This way, one gets into a flow of live interaction, here and now, with the instrument." 

To her, this interaction is more "raw and sacred" than actually mixing the track down, which seems like "mere formalism" in comparison. There is a definite leap in production values this time around, but Kedr manages to keep true to her sound despite the greater polish and depth. 

Kedr Livanskiy Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/kedr_livanskiy
Kedr Livanskiy YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeQ-sEipCI_MiMYrR-4iopA
Kedr Livanskiy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kedr_livanskiy/
Kedr Livanskiy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kedr-livanskiy-1006510909393113/

Ariadna

GET LP/CD/TAPE/DL

Kedr Livanskiy - Ariadna  [2MR-029]

Guerre Froide

Demain Berlin

Minimal Wave proudly presents a full length double album entitled “Further Strategies” by synthpop band Turquoise Days. Hailing from Jersey, Channel Islands, Turquoise Days was formed in 1981 by Luciano Brambilla and David Le Breton shortly after meeting at a nightclub in St Ouens called Waves. They used Roland synthesizers and drum machines, as well Yamaha synthesizers and Fender guitars along with tape effects and vocals. Throughout the 1980s, they self-released many cassettes, as well as the renowned masterpiece Grey Skies / Blurred 7” single. They were selected for the Radio Luxembourg song contest in 1985 and received press for their releases and appearance there. Their music can be described as melodic, emotive new wave. The music featured here includes the songs from the long sold out Alternative Strategies release from 2009, remastered, along with a a collection of previously unreleased material. The release is limited to 999 hand-numbered copies. The records are pressed on 160 gram white vinyl and come in a matte heavyweight gatefold jacket designed by Phil Yamada, featuring unpublished photographs of the the band inside the gatefold. Further Strategies will be available for pre-order soon, with a release date in early November.
https://minimalwave.com/articles/article/turquoise-days-further-strategies-2lp

New Boys

Lust For Youth

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