Gather round and hear a pick of the latest sounds currently gliding under the surface of the mainstream as Getintothis’ Mike Stanton unravels another installment of Unknown Pleasures.
Three tracks of differing electronics for you this week. Dark, warping and abstract soundscaping kicks things off before we move into melodic and gently undulating psych-edged progressive-electronic, closing out with some banging Bhangra influenced dubstep. Oh yeah, do not miss this one kids.
Burma Camp, the side project of post-rock new wave-ists The KVB, is something dark, murky and expansive. Instantly recalling the likes of The Haxan Cloak, The Soft Moon and Demdike Stare, they produce bleak and brooding electronic drones.
Imposter is all rattling percussion and dragging tempos shrouded in dark swirls of ambient techno, underpinned by kinetic rhythms and dead-of-night eeriness.
Burma Camp have created a nebulous instrumental where atmosphere and percussion dominate. The sound design is ambitious, utilising slow-pulsing beats and creating textures somewhere between reverb-soaked keys and metallic drone. This all combines to evoke a tangible atmosphere of impending doom.
Imposter is the soundtrack to that impenetrable forest of eternal night and falling ash.
Want some more sounds from the other side? Get onto our Unknown Pleasures archive, here
Liverpool-based krautrock kosmische nostalgist Melodien (Harry Sumnall) produces motorik-inspired and vintage modular synth compositions.
Sounding similar in style and tone to Kosmischer Läufer (that brilliant pastiche of an early 80’s East German Olympic team music composer that’s been around three or so years), Melodien uses the motorik, hypnotic beats with layers modular synth and vintage spacey sounds.
Before and During may only be a demo but it is undeniably his signature sound, one of soft-focus electronics and bubbling percussion. Rolling melodies, synth trills and krautrock-inspired lock-grooves create something sounding like off-cuts from Kraftwerk’s Autobahn or plucked from an obscure release of Harmonia’s collected works.
With its melodic radioactivity and music that cooks, pulses and builds to a peak, Melodien has tapped into an emerging genre that is both reflective and progressive.
The emergence of MKSHFT brings a breath of fresh air to the eclectic electronic music scene. The man of mystery doesn’t say a lot about himself, however this emerging music producer from India loves to give Indian music styles a grand makeover.
Omkara is a synonym of Ganesha, a lord whose blessing people seek in order to complete their tasks and overcome obstacles and Omkara is the latest in a series of releases; the long term plan being to release 7 tracks within 7 months. Already the hype is growing and it’s only a matter of time before he gains a wider audience in the EDM world.
Experimenting with the Eastern-tinged vibes which has defined Indian musical culture, MKSHFT has gathered traditional samples, rearranged them to create a cool dance concept and Omkara is the result. By melding contrasting styles such as Bollywood grooves with dubstep beats, MKSHFT has created a deep electronic aesthetic through the distillation of such traditional Indian elements as Hindustani vocal music, tabla percussion and dholak beats.
Omkara is certainly composed of drama and spectacle, showing MKSHFT‘s far-reaching vision. It will be intriguing to see how he follows this.
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