Beats News

Seit Marie Bothmers Debüt im Jahr 2016 mit „Es braucht Zeit“ ist sie für ihr stimmliches Talent bekannt geworden. Nachdem sie 2018 nach Berlin gezogen ist, widmete sie sich der Perfektionierung ihres Sounds. Mit der Veröffentlichung von „Swimmingpool“ im Jahr 2021, ihrem bisher erfolgreichsten Track, wurde ihre Hingabe belohnt.
„Ich bin fast schockiert“, sagt Marie Bothmer und meint damit die Tatsache, dass sie 29 Jahre alt sein wird, wenn 2025 ihr Debütalbum erscheinen soll. Und tatsächlich wird es dann fast zehn Jahre her sein, seit sie 2016 mit dem Song „Es braucht Zeit“ ihre musikalische Karriere startete.
Doch was ist ein Debütalbum? Es ist ein musikalischer Moment des Innehaltens. Und Innehalten, das war in den letzten Jahren nicht der Schwerpunkt im Leben und Schaffen der Marie Bothmer. Sie entwickelte sich beständig weiter, verarbeitete ihre Veränderungen in Songs, die ihr eine große Fangemeinde und Millionen von Streams einbrachten – und dachte dann, vor zwei Jahren: Jetzt ist der Moment für ihr Album gekommen. Sie hatte eine persönliche Zäsur hinter sich (schlimmer Heartbreak), fand in der Folge zu einem neuen Sound (frischer, jünger, wunderschön traurig) und war bereit für das erste große musikalische Statement. Daraus wurde dann aber nichts (Management- und Labelwechsel) – damals eine extrem frustrierende Erfahrung für Marie. Und rückblickend das Beste, was ihr passieren konnte.
Mit ihrer ersten Single-VÖ “Taxi Driver” (29.11.) vom kommenden Album startete sie nun in ein neues Kapitel ihrer musikalischen Laufbahn und eines auf das sich die Fans freuen können.
Das Jahr 2025 startet Marie Bothmer mit weiteren Singles, die im Frühjahr in ihrem Longplayer gipfeln werden und viel Raum für kreative Zusammenarbeit schafft. Let’s put it together.

Valencian experimental electronic group MATERIA present “Temor Cíclico”.

An album of hypnotic, ambient, psychedelic sounds.

Limited Edition of 100 LP & Download. On Objetos Perdidos Records.

Their first work, “Temor Cíclico”, is published by their own label Objetos Perdidos.
An album recorded during the past lockdown, and that served its
members, as an escape route to endure the isolation, and the months of uncertainty.
Conceived from the sound fragments that the two musicians sent each other from their
respective homes, something like a dialogue between two friends who talk to each other at
a distance.

“Temor Cíclico” has been recorded, mixed and produced by Materia and mastered by
Jose Guerrero. Artwork by Lola Bonet.

Materia are Fernando Junquera (Negro / Mecánica Clásica) and Juanvi Fortea (Güiro
Meets Russia / Mecánica Clásica / Mínim).

Reissued for the first time, Maximum Joy's fourth 12", led by their amazing Timmy Thomas rendition and originally released on Garage Records in 1983. Includes an unreleased and restored version of the title track plus three extra live tracks recorded in Germany in 1982.

The second of two ace new Polytechnic Youth LPs for late June; this one sees Liverpool based, Harry Sumnall’s Melodien debut on PY after releases on sister label Deep Distance amongst others. Eight kosmische flavoured synth pop nuggets, heavy on nods to the Sky label oeuvre of later Cluster, Wolfgang Reichmann, Harald Grosskopf, Deutsche Wertarbeit and co; yet with a freshness and boldness very much of today.

Each track is underpinned in the most part by driving, sequenced motorik rhythms hugely recommended to all fans of the above…

The LPs’ title “Enanriodromia” is the constancy of change and the emergence of the unconscious diametric in the course of time - everything that exists turns into its opposite (Carl Jung); and Harry himself describes the album as an idyllic backdrop to an imagined world where “Iasos’ Crystal Vista is repeated on loop across all TV channels, where Luboš Fišer composes Olympic gold medal anthems, where Marcel Schwob and Jane de La Vaudère works are free from your local book exchange, where Josef Svoboda designed your local shopping center, where Richard Pinhas plays at your village fete, and the most popular YouTube channels give advice on sequencer ratcheting and psychopharmacology!”

Follow the Cyborg', das Debütalbum der koreanisch-amerikanischen Musikerin und neuestem Mute-Signing Miss Grit, bewegt sich in Richtung tieferer elektronischer Klänge und ist soundästhetisch ein Schritt nach vorn für eine Künstlerin, die sich in einer Welt chaotischer elektronischer Experimente und mitreißender E-Gitarren bewegt.

Nach der Veröffentlichung der hochgelobten EPs 'Talk, Talk' und 'Impostor' verfolgt Miss Grit alias Margaret Sohn auf 'Follow the Cyborg' den Weg einer nicht-menschlichen Maschine, die sich von ihrem hilflosen Ursprung zu Bewusstsein und Befreiung bewegt. Das Album wurde vollständig von Sohn in ihrem Home Studio produziert und hat Special Guest Performances von Stella Mozgawa von Warpaint, Aron Kobayashi Ritch von Momma bis zur befreundeten Songwriterin Pearla zu bieten.

LP: (Smokey marbled vinyl + Lyrics printed on inner sleeve)

MMODEMM teamed up with PH17 for a new release – a split tape with tracks from Frankfurt am Main and Leipzig. Side A by MMODEMM side B by PH17. In order to purchase the digital B-side of this tape, please visit PH17's Bandcamp.

Includes unlimited streaming of MMODEMM I PH17 (Split Tape, A-Side) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Exquisitely compiled by Discrepant head honcho Gonçalo F. Cardoso from three tapes released earlier this year by the tireless mind-body of Spencer Clark through his own Pacific City Sound Visions, 'This Year In Coconuts Vol. 2' is another revelation into the deeply personal soundworld of this true voyager of both ancient, present and forthcoming times. Coming from a truly singular artist, capable of conveying multiple visions into a labyrinthine-esque mythology all of his own, these seven tracks feel as much part of their original setting as connected pieces from this never ending and puzzling netherworld.

Dedicated to the Temple of Isis in Pompei and opening sides A and B, the two tracks from 'Tempio d'Iside' set up a scenario not far from a dream version of the Temple itself, made from crystal clear synth-lines and levitating ambiences, like drifting into ancient memories from days to come. Making up about half of the compilation, the four tracks from 'Kowloon Spider Temple' drip into a feverish mosaic of Clark's by now trademarked cascading rhythms, unhinged alien-vocal samples, phantasmic textures and sparkling synth harmonies projecting a catchy hypnotic oblivion filled with intrigue. The sole title track from 'From the Caves and Jungles of Apulia' tangentially reports back to some lower-fi recordings of the past, with its murkier sound inducing the feeling of willing confinement within such caves and jungles. A brilliant Year in Coconuts, indeed.
Mastered by Rasha

Die Queen of Synthwave präsentiert mit "The Beginning" einen Sampler ihrer frühen Singles und B-Sides, mit denen in der ersten Hälfte der Zehnerjahre alles begann. Die zusätzlichen Instrumentals sind bislang unveröffentlicht. Als weiteren Leckerbissen enthält dar Sampler den ikonischen Blondie-Klassiker "Heart Of Glass" als neu gedachte Synthwave-Hymne, ein definitiver Publikumsfavorit in NINAs Liveshows. LP auf neon-magenta-farbenem Vinyl.

“Challenge” was released in 1981 on Bootleg, a record label born inside a record store in Pavia with the same name. “Challenge” keeps the original and uncompromising punk attitude alive. 3 groups: No Suicide (from the Udine province), Mercenary God (from Gemona), No Submission (from Treviso), all sick children of the industrious, rich and Christian Democratic north-eastern part of Italy. I read about them in “New Fahrenheit” (a controversial article about local rivalries, common backgrounds and eventually separate roads.) but I don’t know their music. Something tells me that “Challenge” is the record I was looking for, perhaps because of its very powerful cover with no slogans, and a circled “A”. I send the money in a sealed envelope and wait. When the package arrives, I open it, I put the record on the turntable and let the needle go. The first listen is enough to realize that this is a crucial release, a real “challenge”.

The challenge is against an indifferent market. The instrument is a sound that is already changing skin. No Suicide, Mercenary God and No Submission have nothing to do with Great Complotto, they are the other face of the northeastern underground. Punk is their background, (read “hardcore” for No Suicide) but for all of them there is a progressive detachment from the original material, including a common attitude towards the caustic sound coming from the harshest side of British wave. A classic example of “work in progress” able to generate great songs like “The Degraded Men” by No Submission (the band that later evolved into Wax Heroes), one of the peaks of Italian post-punk. Mercenary God will give birth to The Sex, while No Suicide with their tight hypnotic hardcore will disbanded soon. It’s 1981 when the rain clouds on the “Challenge” front cover seem to remind us that the wind is going to change soon.

3 bands, 11 songs, an unearthed piece of history 43 years after its first release. Thanks to this reissue, “Challenge” is now back on track. A different disc, today as then. (Luca Frazzi)

Recorded directly to tape. These demos are themed a “wampyric”. A take on the vampirish view of its themes. Loneliness, cold nature, towering mountains, twinkling streams. You could call is Wampyric Dungeon Synth.

Synthesizer Evolution: From Analogue to Digital (and Back) author Oli Freke returns with a new volume in his Synthesizer Evolution A6 zine series. The first two volumes (Vintage Synths and Drum Machines & Samplers) focused on vintage electronic instruments from the 1970s and 1980s. Volume three moves into the 21st century, showcasing a selection of the most interesting, impactful, and—arguably—best synthesizers of the past two decades.

The synths in this book celebrate the vast range of sonic possibilities now available to musicians and producers. From analogue wonders to extraordinary digital creations, from tightly designed monosynths to open-ended polyphonic beasts, each one is more marvellous than the last!

Patience began as bedroom synth project for songwriter Roxanne Clifford after the break up of her acclaimed indie pop band Veronica Falls. Born out of a desire to experiment with a new sound and analogue synthesizers, the project has since grown to become an all-encompassing persona and serves as the main vehicle for the full emotional spectrum always latent in Clifford’s songwriting. From her first long-sold-out 7” singles on Night School, her knack for melodic hooks and oblique emotional stances already contained a glistening sheen of promise. ‘Dizzy Spells’ serves as an intimate portrait of Clifford’s creative adventure, almost diaristic, conceived and recorded in her home studio, as well as with collaborators Todd Edwards (Daft Punk/Uk Garage fame), Lewis Cook (Free Love/Happy Meals) and engineer Misha Hering (Virginia Wing). Dizzy Spells delivers a debut album that twists Clifford’s songwriting into new shapes and ecstasies. The album dances around melancholy, thrown to the floor like a bad dream to be circled, emerging bright-eyed into the early morning full of hope. The Girls Are Chewing Gum (produced by Todd Edwards) bursts open Dizzy Spells like fresh fruit: sweet and rich with a synth-bass line beamed down from Chicago House heaven. Exquisitely sung by Clifford, it’s a wonderful, funky, instant-classic hinting at sexuality and memories dredged from our bodies’ secrets. The bouncy production expertly renders the addictive power of our ephemeral pleasures. Living Things Don’t Last chases themes of longing and loss, opening up into a life affirming chorus that sings of transience, the passing of time and railing against inertia. It’s the perfect example of a song formula that Roxanne Clifford has almost patented: simple and cutting straight to the point. There are shades of Strawberry Switchblade or French synth pop pioneer Jacno in the happy/sad dichotomy and it is all the better for it. Dizzy Spells features all three long-sold out singles, embedded in the full depth of Patience’s soundworld they fit like pieces of a puzzle. White Of An Eye, The Church and The Pressure—all recorded in Clifford’s former home of Glasgow—crackle with razor sharp melodies and dancefloor-ready dynamics. There are exciting additions to Patience’s sonic palette, brought into sharp relief on Voices In The Sand. In this song, a plaintive Clifford enunciates a heart-torn plea to the antagonist, a mournful cascade of synths and haunting vocals evocative of AC Marias, a sepia-toned ode to anxiety, “a storm is on the way”. On No Roses, a Vince Clarkesque production belies a sunburnt sadness. Clifford defiantly sings “you would go out tonight, but there’s nowhere you like,” describing a disenchantment with her adopted city of Los Angeles, she longs for home in a singular refrain “No roses… no roses for us.” An ode to English folk singer Shirley Collins, a surprising yet innate influence throughout Clifford’s work. On Moral Damage, former Veronica Falls bandmate Marion Herbain joins Clifford on an anglo-french duet that feels instant and spontaneous, a cutting comment on emotional accountability. More than a vehicle for Roxanne Clifford’s songwriting prowess, Patience is holding our hand through the night, dancing with tears in our eyes, dizzy and spellbound.

The first release on Koo Editions features a documentation of Pavel Pepperstein's exhibition in the Russian pavilion of the Venice Biennale in 2009. Since 2009 was the year of the centenary of the Futurist Manifesto, the thematic reference looks to the historical Avant-Garde: it is in fact a work of Russian Retrofuturism and bold beauty. The vinyl features an extended track of Ilya Dmitriev, a mixable retro electronic flow deliberately influenced by 80s disco archetype. Pepperstein's speech blows over the beat from the ultraworld and goes in an unexpected direction, far from any hedonistic exaltation, embracing a severe criticism of a future towards which he absolutely does not want to tend. The artist, of unquestionable fame and international value, takes strong positions against the western cultural narrative and art market policies which deserve to be slammed in the face of today's public, like MiG that lands in your living room.
Koo Editions comes on vinyl purposing a selected documentation from art exhibitions, interviews, intermedia collaborations. KOO EDITIONS was born with the idea of using the vinyl medium as a moving exhibition space, referring to the relationship between certain experiences of visual art with the listening one. Why the record? Because the catalogs don't speak. The record is a place: "Where" in fact, deputy to the sound testimony of something that has already happened, can be preserved to be able to enjoy it from a distance (of time and/or space). The intent of KOO EDITIONS is not to launch a precise style or a defined aesthetic, but to put the accent on the voice of peculiar and seminal attitudes linked to the world of visual art. The record introduces an inversion of focus, compared to what usually happens in artistic events where the eye and not the ear is the master. This is not a matter of sound art, vinyl art, net art or anything else: the medium is NOT the message, but conveys it. The target audience is both that of the lovers and regulars of artistic events. One of researchers of particular records, which can also be DJs looking for adventures. The former will be able to purchase an artist's reference at the affordable price of a vinyl edition without having to come across the typical costs that an art collector usually faces, while the latter similarly to what has always happened for film soundtracks, will be able to approach a cultural sector usually distant from them by listening. The editions will be published in limited and numbered series, as are the art multiples, to underline their cultural significance and their collectible aspect. They are treated with the care that non-homologated historical content deserves. They will also be accompanied by unpublished material such as interviews and critical texts that will be published train on train on the site kooeditions.art, under construction. KOO EDITIONS is an independent documentary project by Giovanni De Donà, and is the result of experiences, risks, interests and personal research.

René Huthwelker’s solo performances emphasize minimalistic repetitions that are created foremost by analogue-synthetic spheres. "IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII" is Huthwelker‘s solo debut in which he presents an insightful exploration of polyrhythmic networks, based primarly on the analogue synthesis of the Buchla system.

Features 14 re-imaginations of songs from the sophomore album Blood released in 2018.
With Blood Remixed, Mike Milosh's resilient yet purposefully understated take on R&B stretches beyond the confines of any genre with the remixes, giving listeners the opportunity to hear Blood from a new perspective.
Remixers include:
Moon Boots, Mano Le Tough, Jeff Samuel, Tensnake, Jacques Greene, Mansionair, Little Dragon, Washed Out

Lucio Fulci directed this dystopian sci-fi epic in 1984. In 2072 the world is ruled by TV networks. Two of these networks are locked in a bitter rating battle and in finding more ways to outdo each other one of them decides to host a Roman centurion style battle to the death featuring convicted murderers fighting each other on motorcycles (wait is this a documentary?) As you would expect from Fulci it’s outrageous, silly, super entertaining and full of over the top violence. The score was composed by Maestro Riz Ortolani and here he delivers one of his most bombastic, striking (and fun) scores. Loaded with killer synth lines, chunky riffs and pounding synthetic drums.

After achieving some decent notoriety, and not only in Italy, as an electro-pop duo (thanks mainly to the single 'Short Wave, a small 'classic' in the early years of that decade), between January 1982 and March 1983 Ruins morphed into a new five members line-up. With this fresh option, Ruins restructured the previous repertoire and produced entirely new material.

The original 4 track recording had remained largely unpublished at the time and seemed irretrievably lost. However, thanks to persistent research and with the aid of modern technology, they have been brilliantly recovered from the archives and are now available in this collection aptly titled “BRAIN FLAKES (The Lost Combo Tapes)“, bringing to light the 'explosive' blend of prog, funk, new wave, and electro-pop, that such short-lived lineup managed to create in just over a year of activity.