The rise of the Neo-Romantics featuring AGE and Tobias Bernstrup

Maybe as no other era before our time asks for a new Neo-Romantic movement. It is evident the old ways of thinking with a focus on the rational and the paradigm of endless growth are not tenable...

In the 60's the Neo-Romantic movement was most visible in the psychedelic and folk music subcultures... and the 80's of course this was new wave at large with even a new wave substyle called The New Romantics. In both era's it was about dreams of the past...

Today... as it goes... all is retro... but at least some people are taking elements from the past to built new foundations to create something new. In music today most is still just retro minded... but some artists have this glow of something partly new around them...

This year AGE released one tape and two 10 inches filled with European folk music elements which are blended in a superb way with electronics... of course this is not new... think Garmarna, Sorten Muld and many other who have done this before... BUT... AGE prepare this mixture of the old and the contemporary in a sort of alchemistic way to serve you a ritual trip... it is sweet, lovely, deeply touching... simply amazing and some of the best music released in 2012...

Here is one piece from the second 10 inch released on Zusammen Records...

Another artist that fits the label "Neo-Romantic" is Tobias Bernstrup... he released a new album this year... which is his third... and best to date... with each album you hear the growth... the music gets better and better and more and more the sound is becoming something new and truly original and totally just Tobias Bernstrup...

Tobias Bersntrup takes elements from italo disco, synth pop and elektro and molds this into a style of his own... and with great success... and the themes he addresses are neo romantic for sure... it is about the decay of this world and about the decadent way we are living... and in doing this is about dreams about a new tomorrow, about a new world, new humans... a new age...

And so is AGE... they are all about dreams about a new tomorrow... about a different world... the true Neo-Romantics of our time are not just retro minded but dreams about the future instead of the past...

Here is a track by Tobias Bernstrup from his last album which says it all... we have no time to die...

And here is a teaser for the upcoming new 12 inch EP by Tobias Bernstrup on Gooiland Elektro... coming spring 2013... Happy Yule!

Zusammen Records, Totsoluna Disc, Religion Nouvelle

When Musamore Editions appeared it was first sort of a secret it was the return of A// from Le Syndicat Electronique (LSE) / Invasion Planete Recordings (IP). For the people who know his work and the way he presents his work it never was a secret. Still it was a surprise that this return took place after the way IP came to an end.

After a series of eight cd's on Musamore (see here...) came the return to vinyl with Zusammen Records. First with five 10" records with in a way the well known elektro / electronic sound. Some of these records include small masterpieces... some others are maybe only interesting to the collectors and followers of IP and related stuff.

Recently three 10" record appeared under the alias of Précurseur Grand Bois. These three releases are simply outstanding... both in the repertoire of A// as in the music world in general. The music is a mix of electronics and acoustic instruments... tunes going from minimal repetitive chants to music fitting some old freak show. Some pieces would have been perfect as soundtrack to the Carnivale tv series.

What you hear is original and unique... but I cannot escape the feeling that I am listening to later day LSE jamming around with Novy Svet. Maybe A// did listen to Novy Svet and came up with this stuff... maybe...

Everything around Précurseur Grand Bois must also been seen in relation to the two cd's on Totsoluna Disc and the two tapes recently released on Religion Nouvelle... yet another two (sub)labels run by A//. All four of these releases move away from the electronic music field into the realm of ritual, occult, folklore and traditional music. While both the first cd and the first tape are more ritualistic and occult in feeling the second cd and second tape move more and more into the traditional music and folkloristic world.

Together with this new music he is doing A// also developed a new world of images around him and a new image for himself. Do not get me wrong... throughout the year excellent music has been transmitted into the world by him but this shape shifting thing so to speak is something I do not want to follow. To me when looking back it is like he is in a way the Madonna of the underground. Changing sound and image from time to time in a radical way... maybe too radical. This could have been done in another way... less theatrical...



We have seen the activist (elektro / IP period), the extremist (later day elekto / later day IP period), the prophet (end of LSE / La Seduction Des Innocents period), the hermit (Musamore) and now recently the folkflorist/occultist/freak show character (Totsoluna / Religion Nouvelle / Précurseur Grand Bois)... and coming soon is the first record under the alias of /I\... which sounds and looks like a sort of return the activist and extremist period in sound and image... as it sounds like old school elektro and the cover shows A// (?) in an army jacket and army trousers...

Maybe I should just ignore all this play and shape shifting... as in general the music is good... very good even... and from time to time it is truly brilliant what you get served...