With a history stretching now over 100 years, machines that synthesize sound from wires, circuits, and signals have made an indelible mark on music of all kinds. Some great examples were covered in the First Quarter Report series, including albums by Frederic Oberland, Ibukkun Sunday, Stephen Vitiello and Bill Seaman, Collin J. Rae, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Kelela, and Mui Zyu. Here are a few more that would slot in nicely with that crew. Follow along with the playlist here or below.
The Cry - s/t Besides being one of the world’s leading proponents of the ondes Martenot, an electronic instrument dating back to 1928, Christine Ott is a profligate collaborator. Over the years, she’s worked with a rotating series of groups, most notably Snowdrops, which includes Mathieu Gabrey, a formidable keyboard player in his own right. Now the two of them have hooked up with Pierre-Loïc Le Biguet, a drummer and percussionist, to form this improvising trio. The 21-minute opening track, Fire Of Love, sets the stage with a subtly shifting landscape of questing keyboards, from tinkling piano to chugging synths, and restless percussion providing accents more than propulsion. So simpatico are the players that you’d never guess it wasn’t all planned out in advance. While the rest of the tracks are shorter, they are no lest satisfying in the territories they map out. Hopefully this isn’t just a one-off as The Cry is definitely onto something.
Miss Grit - Follow The Cyborg The arresting cover notwithstanding, the humanity on this album is internal and the cybernetics are mostly external. With a canny deployment of synths and programmed percussion, singer-songwriter-performer-producer Michelle Sohn knows exactly when to infuse a heartbeat, whether via a dirty bass line, a soaring (almost Fripp/Belew) guitar part, or their warm voice. The songs are well-constructed art-pop, with a touch of the blankness Warhol brought to his pop art. But there’s Bowie-esque grandeur to be found here, too, as on penultimate track The End. If the cyborg overlords of the future make records as good as this one, I will gladly submit to their rule.
Alison Goldfrapp - The Love Invention In whatever musical setting she chooses to surround herself, Alison Goldfrapp’s glorious voice and magnificent gift for melody shine through. And on nearly all the albums she made with Will Gregory under the name Goldfrapp, those settings more than held their own, uplifting her artistry to either a glam-dance-art-pop stratosphere or a warm, yet still epic, folk-rock regality. The one exception was 2010’s Head First, a cheesy Euro-disco affair that was only worth one or two listens. Now, for the first time, she’s gone solo and the advance word suggested seeking to find space under the disco ball with the likes of Charlie XCX and Robyn. This had me slightly worried that we might be getting Head First redux. Also, she need share space with no one. Digging deeper, I noted that Richard X, one of the producers here, who has also worked with M.I.A. and Saint Etienne, worked on Head First. Uh-oh. More promising was the involvement of James Greenwood, who besides working with Kelly Lee Owens, created the intriguing, dub-infused Ghost Culture album in 2015.
It turns out that all is well in her universe, where that voice and those melodies reign supreme in a world of chunky synth bass and big beats. It’s fun and fizzy stuff, tailor made for the dance floor, but there’s a compositional rigor behind it all with which the other current disco divas can’t compete. A perfect example is Digging Deeper Now, with an intro full of burbling synths, light percussion, and Goldfrapp sensually whispering a nagging melody - until she unspools yet another of her indelible choruses and lets it levitate over a heavy groove. Just one case where her vision is well-aided by the skills of the production team. Overall, the album is a minor REinvention for Alison Goldfrapp and I love it!
Label Focus: AKP Recordings
This visionary California-based label is an extension of AK Studio, “a creative hub for experimental music and visual art” founded by multidisciplinary artist Peter Walker. While they’ve been releasing albums for several years, this year finds them at the forefront with five terrific albums that each showcase different aspects of electronic music. Perhaps most sublime - and emotionally engaging - is Omar Ahmad’s debut album, Inheritance, which I previously covered on my podcast and in a live review. There was also We Fell In Turn, Kalia Vandever’s gorgeous album of music for solo trombone and electronics, which I included here.
Changing Landscapes (Zompopa) is the latest in a series from Arthur King, which is not a person but rather the ensemble led by Walker, this time collaborating with composer and multi-instrumentalist David Ralicke (Dengue Fever) and singer-songwriter Mia Doi Todd. I featured an excerpt here but the entirety of this album must be heard. Focusing on a species of Costa Rican ant, this is essentially an abstract concept album, with immersive soundscapes rooted in field recordings from the rainforest. Field recordings also play a part in Energy Fields by John Atkinson, who chops and screws sounds from rural and urban environments and adds electronics to construct journeys in sound. In this case, the destination is Wyoming, which is both the largest coal-producing state in the country and also a hub for the pursuit of renewables and carbon-capture technology. Atkinson captures that duality in tracks that move from abrasion to elegy to uplift, sensations you will likely experience whether you know the backdrop or not.
Finally, there’s A Leisurely Swim To Everlasting Life, which pays tribute to Chuck Soo-Hoo’s grandmother, who died earlier this year leaving behind many memories of simple moments spent together. Recording as Ki Oni, Soo-Hoo creates gently shimmering and billowing waves of sound, occasionally incorporating sounds from his daily life, as if to say, “I’m doing OK, I’m doing what I need to do, but I miss you.” If you’re sending loved one off to the great beyond or simply seeking an oasis of calm in the midst of an activating life, Ki Oni has crafted the perfect soundtrack.
While there may be more yet to come from AKP in 2023, if any label has earned the right to take a breath for a bit, it’s them. I’m just grateful for all the wonderful sounds they’ve brought to me this year. Also, taking a pause would allow me to catch up with some of the back catalog, like 2021’s Milan by AF13, featuring synth-whiz Susanne Ciani and pedal steel magus Greg Leisz!
What electronic albums have been catching your ears recently?
From the archives:
Best Of 2022: Electronic
Phong Tran: High Tech, High Emotion
Record Roundup: Plugged In
Goldfrapp, Silver Eye, Brooklyn Steel
I've been listening to "Fashion Pop" by Luxury Elite quite a bit the last few days. It's a nice vaporwave/synthpop/Italo-disco record. Good for when I'm writing and late summer vibes.