A record that skips across the lines of wave, house, ebm and techno.
Last month I was lucky enough to hear June doing his thing live here in Madrid. Playing at Femur this multi-talented artist delivered a set that put a match to an already smouldering night. Tsampikos Fronas’ label partner in crime, Trenton Chase, was not present but the two have just joined forces to form the sonically salivating Manie Sans Délire.
And the record combines the styles of both artists. The grit and gore that throbs in the veins of Trenton Chase is present, but the assault takes a different tone. Likewise, the Chicago and 80s influences of June are here but are not center stage. Instead there is a merging of both. The opener, “Mania Sine Delirio,”, is a grimy piece of Jak that would site happily on Nation. Bleary 303 bars slapped with bass and blunted beats. “Chance to Hide” is from the same den on distain. Ruptured rhythms and piercing machine grind but the flip shifts. It’s the influence of Belgium that eclipses. Industrial hardship. Distortion and anger rain down before the dawn of “No Escape.” The dust and smog clears as a clean and crisp piece of synth is offered. “Your Navigation” finishes the journey into the dark side of wave. Cruel and cold the track cruises the alleys and laneways at night, a bitter chill painted in rumbling arpeggios and scissored snares.
Chatting to June before his gig he marked the cross overs that existed between house and synth. I can now see where he was coming from. The past savagery of Trenton Chase has been purified in this collaboration while the silky sides of June’s synth ruffled. The result is a record that skips across the lines of wave, house, ebm and techno. Music for shadowed dancefloors and late nights.
Manie Sans Délire is available on June.
