review: Johanna Liebhart's early works 1978-1980 - Damals...

Johanna Liebhart might not ring a bell by many people. She is a well kept secret in the world of electronic music and I think this record will not change this in any way. Do not get me wrong I like this record... a lot... it is just most likely that the music itself and this edition will find it's way only to the few people who really want to find it...

Anyway... released on 10 inch in an edition of 277 hand numbered copies with nice inserts you get an overview of the early works of Johanna Liebhart, also known as Anna. This musician was active from the late 1970's to 2000 and has released some music on the Advertance Editions label and the Gigabrosaurus Recs label besides her own Neo Muzik label. All very obscure labels and only for the true music archeologists among us. She was found dead in 2000 with 66 stab wounds.

Her music is romantic new wave, meaning slow and tranquil synth wave that can go into ambient territory but mostly stays on the synth side of the balance due to the nice melancholy synthesizer lines in the tracks. She has been called The New Wave Goddess, and why not?! Her sound is majestic and done with style and has an unearthy feeling at times.

Some of her work has been used as basis for tracks by Wermut and Ich Wollte, Ich Konnte (IWIK). As the musicians behind these projects run the Gigabrosaurus Recs label and the Treue um Treue label it is no surprise they have now released this hommage to Johanna Liebhart, or Anna if you please.

On this 10 inch are seven pieces among which the tracks IWIK and Wermut used for tracks of their own. The track 'Ich Wollte, Ich Konnte' is a beautiful sad piece that has the feeling of classical music but has this lo-fi electronic charm over it. The IWIK version is more spiced maybe but this orginal is simply excellent nighttime music.

'Nicole' was released as an uptempo elektro wave track by Wermut on the "Hoera! Een Hex Voor Thuis!"compilation on my Hex Grammofoonplaten/Enfant Terrible label. The version on this 10 inch is very different. It is down tempo and without a rhythm. The synth lines are pulsating but there is no beat. It is very interesting to hear this original or proto version.

Another highlight is the more ambient like '1 000 000 Worter'. Also closing piece 'Heut' Nacht' is more ambient orientated. It is a long track which comes over you like a slow wave of warm water. It is a sad piece but also beautiful with its melancholy mood all over it.

These seven instrumental tracks are the perfect soundtrack for a lonely night and will produce flashback of the past for sure. The title 'Damals...' refers to the slogan of Johanna Liebhart: "Damals war alles besser". And you may question that saying but listening to this music that makes you remember the past... at least for that moment all listeners will feel this way.

You can get this record at the Enfant Terrible webshop and of course at the Treue um Treue webshop.

reviews: Bal Paré 7 inch and 10 inch

In the recent re-issue rush there are more then often not one but two (or more) labels releasing material by the same artist. Mostly this concerns only 1980's stuff. For Bal Paré the great and sympathetic label NLW did not look into the archives but released contempory tracks by this 80's cult act. Almost at the same time on the other side of the great Atlantic Ocean the Minimal Wave label released some previously unreleased tracks from the 80's by this artist.

Bal Paré consisted among others of Matthias Schuster. A name not unknown to lovers of 80's electronic /alternative pop music as he was active in Im Namen Des Volkes, Geisterfahrer and also in Jeanette Und Das Land Z. He is still active in various projects today.

The 7 inch on Minimal Wave features four songs from 1981 to 1984 and is all what you might expect... I do not mean this in any negative way but well... the people who know... well they know what they get. Served are four pieces of typical 80's minimalistic electronic music. The A-side is more dark and robotic sounding. Mostly due to the vocoder sounds and the fact they are more rhythmic orientated. The B-side is more melodic with very nice melancholy synth lines and a cheerful note in the end.

Then we have the 10 inch on NLW which features six rather poppy analogue elektro tracks with great melodies. The melancholy mood is there for sure but the vocals and overall style is much more poppy as on the 7 inch. Of course you hear some 80's references but it is not as if the 80's style is copied. These songs stand on their own for sure.

Especially the B side is excellent. Both title track 'Sommerwind' as 'Welt am Draht' hit the perfect note for being perfect soundtracks for the summer. The pulsating bass line combined with a beat that is all but dominant and the melodic synth lines are working together to get you into this mood of lost dreams and hope for future loves, dreams whatever.

Both releases have fitting sleeves and are equally good... but what if I would need to make a choice between them? It is a hard one but I will go for the 10 inch. Maybe it is because on this record Matthias Schuster shows he did not loose his talent at all and this record is still more relevant in today's context. But in the end I think it is the collection of tracks in general and the superb 'Welt am Draht' song more specific. There is no song of such quality on the 7". In case you do not need to make a pick... take them both as if you like this kind of synth stuff neither will be disappointing...

The 7 inch is limited to 600 copies and the 10 inch to 500 copies. Both are available at the Enfant Terrible mailorder: www.enfant-terrible.nl (see shop).

review: Nature Morte - (nuées)

As a counter part to the more elektro / rhythmic orientated Treue um Treue is the sister label Reue um Reue specialized in post industrial sounds. Ambient is of course not always a post industrial genre as it depends where the musicians take their inspiration from and thus in what tradition they work.
Anyway this is the second release by Nature Morte on the label. The first one was a cd. For the people who thought that by listening to that release that Nature Morte was "just" another ambient act there is this more then excellent LP to show them wrong.
While the cd was more drone like and possible a bit more typical dark ambient with ongoing sounds building a structure slowly this vinyl release works more clearly and faster to certain climaxes. Therefore it is probably more "easy" listening as the other album and will most likely appeal to a wider audience.
The variation in sounds and structures is for sure more evident as with the previous album. Due to this also the different layers in the music are more easy to recognize. And because of this it is easier to get into the stream and let you drift away in the soundscapes.
Besides this the record is built on nice tranquil layers of sounds on which various noises, melodies, sounds and spoken and whispered words are placed. The overal mood that the tracks breath is dark and moody but majestic.
I am not a big fan of the genre as I prefer some more freaked psychedelics, krautrock and kosmische scene outputs BUT this ambient record does it for me in the same way.
The record comes on colored/marbled vinyl and in a very limited edition of only 222 handnumbered copies. Don't miss this trip!

3 October Enfant Terrible label night

For the party heads there is a label night planned on saturday 3 October in Tilburg (south of Holland and perfect to reach by train, car, airplane/Eindhoven Airport).

This is the line up:
-Distel (NL): angst pop --> see Radio Resistencia compilation and upcoming 7" on Enfant Terrible
-Dolina (FR/B): elektro chanson --> see Festival der Genialen Dissidenten and the Radio Resistencia compilations and the upcoming LP on Enfant Terrible
-The Dreams (FR): DaDa synth punk --> see the split 7" out now on Hex Grammofoonplaten/Enfant Terrible

Dj M. (NL): elektro, weird pop & obscure 80's

This label is co-produced and organized by GIFGROND and takes place ar their great and intimate location. The address of this former metal workplace is: Gasthuisring 19G, Tilburg, Holland. Check their website www.gifgrond.nl for the route from Tilburg Central railway station (5 minutes walk).

If you want to attend this night please make a reservation by contacting us (go to www.enfant-terrible.nl) as only 75 people will get entrance...

review: Various Artists - La Forme Lente 1

First release of a new French label that is as far as I can judge focussing on contemporary French cold wave sounds. This first LP is a compilation featuring ten bands which are mostly rather new/upcoming/obscure.
The thing with compilation LP's is that not many people (read label bosses/A&R managers) are capable of making a real good compilation. Mostly it is a mere collection of individual tracks with mostly mediocre bands and tracks and only one or two really interesting bands. Also the sequence of tracks is often hard to follow.
BUT... that is not the case with this record! I was quite happy surprised with this release. It shows the label has ears for talent and knows how to produce a good record. Only opening track is not really the best start of this compilation for my taste. Thing is a first track is easy to skip. Starting with track A2 you are drawn into the world of both guitar songs and electronic sounds by bands like Neon Tie Club, Garcons Coiffeurs (watch out for this band!), Dazed, Coy (excellent!!) and Underbahns.
Also two a little more known bands are present: Pierre Normal and ADN 'Ckrystall (active since the 80's) and are with Coy also the most electronic orientated.
Of course the usual references are there: 80's goth/post-punk and retro bands: Joy Division, Siouxsie, Interpol, et cetera, but the quality of most of the tracks is outstanding so why complain?
Looking forward to more from this label and eagerly waiting to see if they will keep the quality at this level.
This record is available as limited edition of 500 copies and you can get it at the Enfant Terrible mailorder (www.enfant-terrible.nl)

review: Alone - Fossilized In Concrete 1995-2006 (Treue Um Treue Tonträger)

Here is a new release from one of my personal favorite labels Treue Um Treue/Reue Um Reue Tonträger (TuT/RuR). Alone is a the arists name of a musician from Eastern Europe. For many years he has been producing his own style of electronic music. His repertoire shows elements of EBM, elektro and electronic pop music.
This LP compiles some of his work (some has been released on tape and cd-r before) from a period of about 10 years. The selection has been done with care as the listening experience is that of a real album.
Listening to this record I hear some influences popping up from bands like Trisomie 21, Click Click and Lassigue Bendthaus. All of course highly original and excellent electronic bands. Still Alone is not just a band that exists on these references. His music is quiet unique in its range of moods and has a sound of its own. My only point is that the vocal delivery on some tracks is not that good. Weird enough on others I have no problem at all with how the vocals are done and sounding.

As always with TuT/RuR release the packaging is more then excellent and fitting the music. This time there is next to the nice retro kind of cartoon sleeve also a fold out cartoon with some surrealistic touches. The vinyl itself is crystal clear. Ah... and also as always it is a limited edition... a little more then 300 copies are available. So, get it while you can at the label website (www.tutrur.com) or the Enfant Terrible mailorder (www.enfant-terrible.com)

new releases: Bronze and The Dreams/Scorpion Violente

Enfant Terrible news - August 2009 Two new 7 inches are ready. So if you need to spice your summer/holiday up a bit these are the perfect soundtracks for that: -Bronze 7” (Hex#2) -Scorpion violente/The Dreams split 7”(Hex#3) Here are two wild 7”s on the Enfant Terrible sublabel Hex Grammofoonplaten (after the almost sold out and widely acclaimed compilation LP released two years ago)… one by neo psychedelic band Bronze (featuring the drummer from Vanishing) and a split record by synth punk / art punk bands The Dreams and Scorpion Violente. Listen to and read about Bronze: http://www.enfant-terrible.nl/Hex_2.html Listen and read about Scorpion Violente/The Dreams: http://www.enfant-terrible.nl/Hex_3.html