review: Vatican Shadow

Vatican Shadow... I have to admit this act was not known to me for some time... even though quite some tapes were released. It was only with the vinyl release of the 'Kneel Before Religious Icon' album I took notice.

Behind Vatican Shadow is the same person who runs the Hospital Productions label... who is also the same person as Prurient and the same person who is involved in Cold Cave... among many more projects and bands...

Cold Cave... only when I thought about it I hear it in the 'Kneel Before Religious Icon' album... like with Cold Cave tracks the basis is a minimalistic and continuous rhythm... a loop going on from beginning to end... but different as with Cold Cave the layers on top of this are much darker... also there is no singing which makes Cold Cave rather pop minded...

Vatican Shadow is not pop minded at all... it is dark and haunting stuff... like neo-folk/dark folk done with electronics... making all sounding rather industrial... the minimal raw rhythms and the dark, often heroic sounding melodies on top of it... marching tunes in a way...

But... at times it has this techno touch in a weird way... not your everyday trendy club techno... no much more off radar dark and raw techno played at some obscure party in an abandoned bunker... the hypnotic aspect is there... the minimalism works trance indulging... just like good techno does...

So yes I was more then happy with this vinyl... so I also bought the other two vinyls... as recently two 12"s came out... the first one with the title 'Iraqi Praetorian Guard'... featuring two dark ambient tracks which are okay but did not get me as jumpy as the album did... on the flip side a techno remix (!!)... so I was curious about that for sure... too bad this remix does not add anything at all... even worse... it kills the vibe of the track completely... the simple and not raw enough beats leave no space for the melodic part... this is not a track I would play as dj nor would like to dance to...

Maybe Vatican Shadow thought the same thing... who knows? Anyway, the 'September Cell' 12" just hits the right spot... this is Vatican Shadow as on the album BUT with spiced up rhythms that are less industrial sounding... more typical electronic but not simple techno beats... it has just the right balance between rawness and... and what? Dancefloor sensibility? Maybe... but without being commercial...

It refers to Autechre and Aphex Twin from with an industrial / dark ambient point of view... and maybe even adventurous dubstep fans might like it... I look forward to further productions of Vatican Shadow if this is the way the music is going and growing...

Here is the complete A side of the 'September Cell' 12"... so both tracks which are one piece anyway...

OUT NOW: Europ Europ mini LP and Les Années Folles compilation

Out now are two new releases on Enfant Terrible:

-Europ Europ - Mellowharsher 10" mini LP -Various Artists - Les Années Folles 12" compilation

Below is a full track preview of the Velvet Condom tracl "The Stars Are Not Right". This one is featured on the Les Années Folles compilation.

Also bellow is a second teaser for the Europ Europ release.

More information and sound previews for the Europ Europ record see here...

More information and sound previews for the Les Années Folles compilation see here...

The Velvet Condom track...

The Europ Europ teaser...

teaser: Europ Europ - Mellowharsher

Here is a teaser for the upcoming Europ Europ 'Mellowharsher' record (ET015)... coming soon...

video: Gold Zebra - Useless Night (from Les Années Folles)

Miss Catty Stone (known from Europ Europ) has been so kind to produce a video for the Gold Zebra track Useless Night. This track will appear on the Les Années Folles compilation expected at the end of June (2012). See / listen / enjoy...

Minimal by Control Unit, Precision Surgery and Ekman

To people following my Enfant Terrible label and/or this blog it is no secret I love minimal electronics...not minimal synth but minimal electronics as in the perfect blending proto elektro and old school industrial... all of this done by (analogue) primitive equiment responsible for a raw and minimal sound. Although the trend (or continuing hype) is what most people refer to as minimal wave today (but I would rather like to call it soft synth) there are still some musicians around who come up with some excellent stuff in the field of my interests.

Here we are with not one but two new promising labels for example... Backwards and Kurzwellen. Backwards from Italy just released their first two vinyls. One by Fabio Orsi with experimental / drone / ambient music... very nice but not as smashing as the Control Unit they also released.

Control Unit is a duo armed with analogue synths, guitar, bass and voice. You get four long tracks on their debut LP that are sounding very much old school industrial. Could even be Throbbing Gristle recorded live during one of their performances. But at moments they also sound like a drugged out version of Milligram Retreat. The way the rhythms and pulses just go on is trance indulging and sounds primal. Guitar and voices are the topings on this psychedelic industrial trip.

One downer only... this could have been recorded late 1970's / early 1980's... so nothing new here... but still done in an excellent way...

The same could be said for Precision Surgery... only their old school industrial is less trippy and more rhythmic orientated with noisy sounds to finish it off. A bit like Doxa Sinistra at times but less freaky. More contemporary references are Le Syndicat Electronique in his last phase or even Haus Arafna but then less noisy. This project has now two split LP's out on the new Dutch Kurzwellen label. Both released are shared with the dark ambient project Necrosis (I)... which are maybe just the same people doing their ambient thing... Anyway... truly amazing stuff if you like your electronic music served dark, raw and minimal.

Still minimal but something else is Ekman. Behind Ekman is the same musician who is doing the minimal elektro pop of Bakeliet (see the 'Kamp Holland' compilation on Enfant Terrible). Out on Panzerkreuz (a Bunker sublabel) is his debut 12". Raw tekno and elektro tracks done in a minimal way. Sounding dark and nasty. This is stuff I would like to hear at some obscure and hidden party early in the morning. Still I can imagine this being played at the old Bunker parties with only a flashing strobelight in the dark... so maybe this is 1990's... but on the other hand to me this does not fell like retro music at all...

Here is a full track by Control Unit...

Here is a full track by Precision Surgery...

Here is a full track by Ekman...

The Control Unit and Precision Surgery records are for sale at the Enfant Terrible webshop... the Ekman is gone already... sorry but this one went fast and from what I hear it goes fast everywhere... so happy hunting for that one...

Full track previews for the Europ Europ release and the Les Années Folles compilation

Expected around early June is an Europ Europ release as well as the first release on the new Enfant Terrible sublabel Gooiland Elektro.

The Europ Europ record is a 10" mini LP entitled Europ Europ Curated By Enfant Terrible - Mellowharsher. Below you find a full track preview.

The first Gooiland Elektro release is a compilation entitled Les Années Folles featuring exclusive tracks by Sololust, Velvet Condom, Gold Zebra, Cute Heels feat. Devon Disaster, Tobias Bernstrup and Terminal Twilight. Below is the track by Sololust called The Spark as full track preview.

Exploitation film and soundtrack coming soon...

In the final stages of production are the film Exploitation by Edwin Brienen and the soundtrack for this film produced by Enfant Terrible. More on this film and the soundtrack can be found here...