Electronic
R.I.P. Denise Johnson, Primal Scream Vocalist Dies at 56
Denise Johnson, veteran singer who performed with Primal Scream, New Order, Pet Shop Boys, and countless other acts, passed away on Monday. She was 56. Friends and family confirmed the news on Twitter. Although no cause of death has officially been disclosed, a statement from the family confirmed that Johnson had been ill the week prior and her body was discovered holding her inhaler. Born in Manchester and raised in the suburb of Hulme, Johnson grew up in a musically rich household. After performing with cover bands throughout the ’80s, she eventually joined soul group Fifth of Heaven and began turning heads. [embedded content] One such head was Hypnotone’s Tony Martin, who recommended Johnson to Primal Scream for their third studio album, 1991’s Screamadelica. She would go on to sin...
A.K. Paul Shares New Song “Be Honest”: Stream
A.K. Paul by A.K. Paul Back in May, A.K. Paul quietly dropped his first song in four years, a groovy bop called “HUNGRY BEAT” made during quarantine. Today, he’s back with another new one called “Be Honest”. The track is a mechanical alt-R&B tune that sets the English artist’s warm-blooded croon over watery, refracting synths that almost recall the busyness of vaporwave. It’s exactly the sort of left-of-center pop that we’ve come to expect from Paul and his equally elusive brother, Jai — and apparently we can expect more new material from the siblings soon. In a statement paired with “Be Honest”, A.K. Paul announced that he and Jai are relaunching their enigmatic label, the Paul Institute, and have a whole slew of new releases slated for the coming months. “I’m really happy we’re relea...
John Vanderslice Shares New Song “Lure Mice Condemn Erase”: Stream
John Vanderslice has been a crucial part of indie rock for the past few decades now, but it looks like now he’s more infatuated with electronic artists than anything else. At least that’s what appears to be the case with “Lure Mice Condemn Erase”, a new single he’s released today. After years of helping define the sounds of artists like Death Cab For Cutie and Sleater-Kinney, Vanderslice has been challenging himself to create electronic music on his computer while quarantined, reports BrooklynVegan. The process has been rather fruitful. In addition to this new song, Vanderslice is planning on releasing an EP called Eeeeeeeep. It marks his first time recording entirely on a computer. Apparently, that experience came with a big learning curve. “What blew me away was how terrible my first sta...
Kelly Lee Owens Is “On” Point with Her New Single: Stream
Electronic mastermind Kelly Lee Owens is gearing up to release her new album, Inner Song, this summer. To help make the wait a little shorter, she’s released a new song called “On” alongside a mesmerizing music video, and neither disappoints. Fans may recall that Inner Song was originally scheduled to come out this past May. Like other artists wary of the coronavirus pandemic, Owens has decided to push back her record, opting for a new release date of August 28th instead. Thankfully that gives us more time to sit with her new music, like previous singles “Night”, “Melt!”, and a dazzling collaborative track with Jon Hopkins. “On” continues the mood established on earlier album cuts, transitioning from her ethereal, cascading vocals to a harsher, dance-driven beat that blooms in the second h...
Kelly Lee Owens Is “On” Point with Her New Single: Stream
Electronic mastermind Kelly Lee Owens is gearing up to release her new album, Inner Song, this summer. To help make the wait a little shorter, she’s released a new song called “On” alongside a mesmerizing music video, and neither disappoints. Fans may recall that Inner Song was originally scheduled to come out this past May. Like other artists wary of the coronavirus pandemic, Owens has decided to push back her record, opting for a new release date of August 28th instead. Thankfully that gives us more time to sit with her new music, like previous singles “Night”, “Melt!”, and a dazzling collaborative track with Jon Hopkins. “On” continues the mood established on earlier album cuts, transitioning from her ethereal, cascading vocals to a harsher, dance-driven beat that blooms in the second h...
Arca and Rosalía Join Forces on New Song “KLK”: Stream
Two of the music world’s biggest international names, Arca and Rosalía have teamed up for the new single “KLK”. The joint track serves as the latest single from Arca’s forthcoming album, KiCk i. Featuring co-production from the Venezuelan artist’s long-time collaborator Cardopusher, “KLK” is described in a press release as a “cyberpunk reggaetón song.” It’s a joyous and jittery electronic banger that finds Rosalía singing (loosely translated from Spanish) “Here with me, we are blessed!” Check out how Arca and Roslía’s vocals intertwine throughout “KLK” by taking a listen below. “KLK” marks the fourth song released from KiCk i following “Mequetrefe”, “Nonbinary”, and “Time”, The album is set for a June 26th release via XL Recordings. Besides Rosalía, other guests include SOPHIE and Arc...
Top 25 Albums of 2020 (So Far)
Welcome to our Mid-Year Report. All week long we’ll be sharing the music, movies, and television that have helped us survive a strange and confusing six months. We start today with our Top 25 Albums of 2020 (So Far). It’d be fatuous to pretend that the first six months of 2020 have been like any other. All of us are facing difficult realities: the pain of injustice, the loss of a loved one, or even just the despair of looking out the window and not knowing what tomorrow will bring or when it will come. For the purposes of this list, then, maybe it’s equally foolish to think music impacted us the same way it always does. Then again, perhaps that’s what makes music so integral to our lives: that no matter what the world or our individual lives look like, music has the magical knack of provid...
Sonic Boom Breaks Down His First Album in 30 Years, All Things Being Equal, Track by Track: Stream
In Track by Track, artists are given the chance to take their fans through their latest album one song at a time. Today, Sonic Booms details All Things Being Equal. Spacemen 3 co-founder Peter Kember is back with his first solo album under his Sonic Boom moniker in 30 years, All Things Being Equal. Out via Carpark Records, the 10-track LP in streaming in full below via Apple Music and Spotify. His first Sonic Boom full-length since 1990’s Spectrum, Kember laid the groundwork for All Things Being Equal back in 2015, recording a number of electronic instrumentals with no firm plans. Though Stereolab’s Tim Gane told him he should release the tracks as is, Kember felt “the vibe in them was so strong that I couldn’t resist trying to ice the cake.” When he moved to Sintra, Portugal in 2018,...
Four Tet Surprise Releases New EP Under Indecipherable Wingdings Moniker: Stream
Kieran Hebden, the electronic artist best known as Four Tet, has surprise released a new EP. However, there’s a twist. The four-track record was released under the secret name ⣎⡇ꉺლ༽இ•̛)ྀ◞ ༎ຶ ༽ৣৢ؞ৢ؞ؖ ꉺლ, notes Stereogum, which he rarely uses. The title of the new EP is impossible to read or even spell for that matter — that is, unless you speak wingdings like an alien. All four songs on the release have similarly indecipherable names. Unsurprisingly, fans have already leaned into the absurdity of these titles, with one listener writing, “Ah yeah, another four tracks that neither your computer nor you can read, brilliant, mate.” Hebden has always been pretty flippant when naming his songs, though, which is precisely the point — they don’t matter much, if at all, in comparison to the music it...
Dance Music Festival in Kansas City Receives Approval to Take Place in 2020
Despite the coronavirus crisis, at least one major music festival still plans to take place this summer. The electronic music and camping festival Dancefestopia has received approval from Kansas state officials to take place September 10th-13th. Many health care experts had warned that live music wouldn’t be feasible until the development of a vaccine, which is why we heard predictions that concerts wouldn’t return until fall 2021. But in a Facebook post, organizers said they’d gotten the green light from state and county officials. They wrote, “BREAKING NEWS!! State and County guidance enables a #FULLSEND to Dancefestopia 2020. The situation could change; however, as of yesterday, county and state officials approved Dancefestopia 2020. We will continue to work with health and go...
Jayda G Announces New EP, Shares “Both of Us”: Stream
Electronic artist Jayda G has announced a new EP, Both of Us / Are U Down. It will be available as a 12-inch and digitally on July 3rd via Ninja Tunes, and as a preview, Jayda has released the music video for the lead single and title track, “Both of Us”. Born in the small town of Grand Forks, British Columbia, Jayda Guy began her DJ career in 2013 after moving to Vancouver to get her masters in Resource and Environmental Management. In 2019, she released her debut album, Significant Changes, an effort that set her on a path to stardom and opened doors on the international festival circuit. Featuring the title tracks and a pair of remixes, the Both of Us / Are U Down EP is her first new release since Significant Changes. Apparently, Jayda G hadn’t been considering another project...
Nicolas Jaar Announces New Album Telas, Shares “Telahora”: Stream
Electronic composer Nicolas Jaar isn’t letting 2020 get him down. Already this year he’s released his latest album, Cenizas; dropped an effort under his Against All Logic moniker, 2017-2019; and shared a bunch of unreleased A.A.L. music during a livestream mix. Now, Jaar has announced another new LP, Telas, and debuted not only the first song, “Telahora”, but an additional non-album track called “All One”. Jaar detailed Telas, which means “Veils,” both on his website and during a takeover of Palestine-based internet radio station Radio Al Hara. Due out July 17th on Other People/Mama Records, the album is, at its core, an hour-long piece of music broken into four parts: “Telahora”, “Telencima”, “Telahumo”, and “Telallás”. Joining Jaar in the music making are cellist...
