I went to see Veronica Vasicka DJ in Glasgow recently; the Queen of Minimal Wave didn’t disappoint. Vasicka may be the Queen, but arguably the King of the US synth wave revival is Dark Entries Josh Cheon. Cheon has established a label that excites with each release, the lastet two being no exception.
(Nagamatzu :: Sacred Islands Of The Mad) General Production Recordings has always been a favourite label of mine. I haven’t got as many GPR records as I’d like, but what I do have is pretty cherished. One of the first I found was by Lagowski, a techno artist. Totally unbeknownst, Lagowski started out his electronic career in a synth duo; Nagamatzu. The twosome of Andrew Lagowski and Stephen Jarvis released a cassette album, ‘Sacred Islands of the Mad’, in 1986. Dark Entries have now put that 25 year old tape onto vinyl. The dark dense “Lift Off”opens the vault doors. An intense guitar string is the backbone of the track as industrial tones permeate throughout. String warmth is at the heart of the instrumental “Ionesco”with “Carmine”following down similar lines. The tracks have an atmospheric Joy Division feel to them, with some even hinting at later techno sounds like the dubby “Watch And Waste” and drum machine happy “Schlaggefahr.” The factory returns with the epically mechanised “Roma Distruta.” The track aches of early EBM, with heavy strings emulating a clean Neon Judgement sound. Vocals are not employed by Nagamatzu. Instead the group employ a series of samples in certain tracks. Their use of repetitive looping again seems like a future echo of what techno would later do to the sample, but here the technique is used in a much similar way to the likes of The Sisterhood. In many respects the album is very early synth wave, such as the addictive “150 Murderous Passions.” But, it is strings that dominate the record and keep it in anchored in the realm of industrial and darkwave.
(Pesteg Dred :: Years Of Struggle Against The Lies, The Stupidity And The Cowardice) Dark Entries are again travelling back a quarter of a century. This time it is a Danish group, Pesteg Dred, who are getting the re-issue treatment. The band vanished into obscurity after their one and only album 1985. Now Dark Entries are giving Pesteg Dred twelve inches and two sides for Years Of Struggle Against The Lies, The Stupidity And The Cowardice. “Salt” opens the LP and the darkness descends. Industrial solitude pours forth in a haunted Kirlian Camera style work of lonesome isolation. The album progresses along sepulchral darkwave lines. Desperation cascades over angst, with vocals of Inge Shannon eclipsing all; such as in “20th Century Superior.” The knives are drawn for “Cold Impressions Of Perhaps” as a slasher flick homage of guitar stabs introduce distant lyrics into the reeling cogs of industrialism. The record echoes Dilemma on Anna Logue, cold noise shouldering in to bully and flex. Alongside this aggressive minimalism is a full dollop of post-punk uncertainty. The strained chords of “Light, More Light” reflect this, tethered to a chilled consumerism by Shannon’s estranged lyrics in this eleven minute odyssey. Terror and fear come to the fore with the soundtrack horror piano keys of “Untitled” before the listener is released from the claustrophobia of Pesteg Dred with “Almost.”
This duet of releases are interesting when looked at as a whole. In some respects, Nagamatzu hint at what Pesteg Dred did. However, where Jarvis and Lagowski created mild industrial soundscapes the Danes went that bit further. Presteg Dred’s sound maps a mock Luddite cry, theirs being a wraith like bellow against the the world of 1980s Europe. I don’t know where Dark Entries scare up these obscurities, I only know I’m glad that they do.
Both releases are out now on Dark Entries.
