Press Info (English):
With Monolith an acknowledged veteran joins the HANDS label roster. “From Belgium to Berlin” – that’s not only Eric’s personal biography in short, it’s also the route that the sound he had its stakes in creating has taken: Partially club-compatible, entirely rhythmic and absorbing, this is premier league entertainment for contemporary electronic aficionados across the scenes, from the electro industrial underground onto the Berghain dance floor. It’s general knowledge that Eric van Wonterghem is a member of Absolute Body Control and Sonar, and that he has a notable past as Insekt, as well as under the Monolith moniker itself. On this behalf, “Crashed” is his 8th album already, and he can also look back at a string of live performances as well, forging his hypnotic and tribal rhythmic noise sound. This album shows the timeless facets of the “Belgian” sound that Eric van Wonterghem and his various fellow musicians have created over the last three decades, and that’s still newsworthy today: The icy, repetitive electro industrial sound, dominated by incisive rhythms with crashing cymbals and slight distortion, clinical and yet strangely warm and analogue has intrigued generations of underground music fans since its inception in the early 80s, and now it has arrived in the scene of Berlin, today’s minimal techno capital of the world, where it’s namechecked (and sometimes ripped off) by a new generation of producers. “Crashed” stands as good proof that Monolith is still capable of cutting-edge productions himself: A short, forbidding intro of static fuzz and swelling atmosphere (“No Escape”) and then 10 tight and rhythmic tracks. Some stand out as downright recommendations for the dance floor – following in the line of his recent vinyl 12” on Sonic Groove – like the rhythm noise/dub techno hybrid “Rotated”, the slightly EBM-ish “Crashed” and the hard-hitting “The Source”, while others draw from various other aspects: “Roadblock” is a raw, stomping boulder of sound, “The Victim” operates in rather purebred dub techno territory, “I Control Evolution” sounds rather klinik-al with its distorted 808 pattern and mock vocals. “10 Minutes before Blackout” finishes off an album that offers braindance and physical moments, done with expertise and a unique handwriting.
07) The Way They Make You Feel 08) Automatic People [feat. Hanin Elias]
09) Androgynoid
10) Crystal Flesh
11) Lay My Mye
12) Out Of Place
13) The Dream Of The Machine
Press Info:
ART SUPPORT MACHINE explores the machine as the supreme vision of the human condition.
After his recent remixes for Noblesse Oblige, aMinus, Billie Ray Martin & Aerea Negrot, Electrosexual returns with a debut concept album about Machines, their identity, gender,sexuality & Soul
ART SUPPORT MACHINE, out June 5 on Rock Machine Records on Vinyl Picture Disc , and Digital formats.
The visuals are screen prints by Lukas Julius Keijser (Berghain/Ostgut Ton) and designed by Philip Marshall (ZTT/Ostgut Ton).
The Soul Of The Machine
The Soul of the machine is about the widespread idea that electronic music has no soul.The rivalry between acoustic/organic and electronic music has been on for ages. Electronic music doesn’t have to prove its legitimacy any longer as long as you can feel the sound.
As an extension, the machine is bound to have a soul as emotional reaction to its dominion is obvious as far as modern comfort is concerned. Would we still accept to live without the machine? Doesn’t it definitely change the way we conceive our life?
Tempelhof
This is obviously the name of the Berlin airport. Known as one of the oldest commercial airports in the world as well as one of the biggest building ever built on the planet,it is today a city garden in the middle of the city, a one of its kind, bigger than New York’s Central park. On this scale, the machine reaches a status of divinity.
An airport is a place deprived of humanity, the runway is prohibited to strolling and yet it is intended to communication, freedom and the dream of going out and away. Tempelhof is a symbolic reappropriation of the past as a vision of the future where human and the machine coexist.
Art Support Machine
The machine as a support for Art. Art is dying but resistance is going on. A lot of artistic expression and imagination is going on. This is about city life and the meaning of art in the city: street art, style and fashion as an expression of individuality and belonging to a community.
Art is murder of reality as the ugly side of routine. Reality and routine appear as mundane and depressive. This reality has nothing to do with the natural meaning of man.? ?Art is here to restore this imbalance. Art is the consolation from daily struggle with rebellion and decision as key elements of expression.
Fetisch (A.S.F.R.)
Living in Berlin, fetish expression of a sex fantasy is quite common. This idealized vision of sex leads to the idea that unmodified expression of a natural behaviour is not enough. Using the idea of Alternative Sex Fetish Robots, known as ASFR, this evokes the fantasy of devotees of the robot fetish. Thay refer themselves as technosexual and either enjoy having ready-made android partners, or willingly or unwillingly turning a partner into an android, the transformation itself being the fantasy.
The song itself is not an ode to this particular fetish act but to any imaginary and fantasized expression of sex communication. The name Electrosexual refers to an imaginary organic electronic intercourse which would lead to procreating artistic communication.
Silver Soul
The machine has become omnipresent in our life, and unless you live in the most remote part of the country; you deal with the machine any time of day, from your coffee machine to your telephone. If God is inside and around everything around us, so is the machine. So this would be no surprise that we should bow to the machine as an intricate part of our nature.
I imagined this prayer to the machine adressing us, imploring peace and good use of its talent. Try to name something which doesn’t originate from the machine? Yes, you and me, but it won’t take long before we come from the machine.
I’m Your Machine
As an extension, love feelings to and from the machine may soon appear. How many times do I hear people expressing their love to their smart phone, or how you would feel deprived without your computer? Needless to talk about electricity or the least of your washing machine.
If the machine has a soul, it can express feelings and love is the most universal of it all.
The Way They Make You Feel
Expressing, feeling or just experiencing an idea not common to the mainstream leads to exclusion. The way they make you feel is the simple and casual review that heading to the truth of who you really are remains a reason of exclusion. The machine as the fantasy creation of your inner-self expresses the fear of ignorance and difference.
As a reference to Metropolis, Futura, the vocalist is expressing her fear of the reaction of the villagers who react with anger as an expression of their own fear. Being different of simply expressing your own idea, different to the majority is a source of conflict and destruction.
Automatic People
Are we ready to outpass our condition? Automatic people live by the past. Too many people live by the past, expressing the idea that things shouldn’t change, because they have always existed. Yet they reject the lessons of history. We have seen so many disasters and wars caused by ignorance and refusal of understanding, why do we continue? The truth and the answer is around us, why can’t we see it? Automatic people are looking for a light.
Androgynoid
This instrumental is another piece of questioning our reality, are we human, robotic beings, or programmed androids to repeat the errors of the past. The question of who we are, where we’re heading to remains unanswered though. Unknown still evokes fear and uncertainty. We have come such a long way but we don’t accept the idea that we could never go back again.
Crystal Flesh
As far as the machine takes a bigger part in our world, we progressively become pervaded by it. A dream of perfection? we want to live forever, we wish our flesh could become as clear and infinite as crystal, our bones as strong as silver. The image of the future is always one of light. Heart of light as purity and eternity.
Crystal flesh is about the subtile mutation of the human body into the android, a new identity/entity.
Lay My Eye
The story of a journey, starting from a simple walk out to an emotional and trustful partnership. The crossing of a river to reach the light, after the symbolic hour of midnight. If you agree to follow the dream with you I can lend you my trust to accompany through this journey.
Anyway, the song is simply about a night out at Berghain, a lost in time and place experience and then an awakening to the morning light and a return to reality. A trust in somebody that can take you to the other place but strong enough to take you back when tou have to. You have to know how far you can go, get lost if you decide to but need to count on somebody to take you back because you have to.
Out Of Place
The process of growing up, as a child or as an adult becoming aware of his real self always implies a phase of feeling out of place. The human robot, unaware of his real self is necessarily experiencing such a feeling. Modern life implies an acceptance but also a guilt according to the future. Are we getting better or in the contrary destroying ourselves ? The idea of running out of time is key in the process of evolution, this is an ecological, human and technological question.
The Dream Of The Machine
A machine was designed in the middle of the XXth century. It consists in a stroboscopic effect device that produces visual stimuli. The frequency of the Dreamachine light effect corresponds to alpha waves, electrical oscillations normally present in the human brain while relaxing. A Dreamachine is viewed with eyes closed. The pulsating light stimulates the optical nerve and alters the brain’s electrical oscillations. The user experiences increasingly bright, complex patterns of colors behind eyelids closed. Using a Dreamachine makes the viewer enter a hypnagogic state. Though the experience may be quite intense, one needs only to open one’s eyes.
The last track evokes this dream, this endless dream that only art can design. Melancholy and retrofuturism pervades the track. Man will create the machine that will protect and support Art.
Art to shape the dream.
The dream that the machine will bring peace, wisdom and eternal life.
Without ART, there can be no understanding between MAN and the MACHINE.
Snippets:
Full Track Streaming:
“Automatic People” [featuring Hanin Elias]
Note:
We proudly present the exclusive streaming of the track “Automatic People” by Electrosexual Feat. Hanin Elias. It’s taken from the album “Art Support Machine”. It was composed by Romain Frequency, written by Hanin Elias Mixed and mastered by Lois Plugged (Boxon Records).
Press Info:
Sound of Science is a transatlantic duo comprising Tom and Jason of Analogue Solutions.
Tom has been building synthesisers for over 15 years. He has supplied synths to people such as Trent Reznor, Martin Gore, Vince Clarke, Phil Oakey, Daniel Miller, and many more. The designs are directly influenced by his love of electronic music.
Jason is an analogue synth wizard, composer and a lover of all things that make noise. He also produces the legendary Rezfilter videos (see YouTube) that highlight these excellent synthesizers.
Together they have pooled their years of combined experience in songwriting and sound design to produce real songs using real synthesisers.
February Ends vocals via Jayden Frost
Jayden Frost electrified audiences across the U.S. and Mexico as the voice and face of When in Rome (replacing Clive Farrington and Andrew Mann) on their extensive tour bringing his positive energy to stage performance, radio interviews and television. When In Rome, who’s number one hit “The Promise” reached top ten on the pop charts, and #1 on the dance charts in 1989-1990 (and was the most recognized song in the blockbuster film Napoleon Dynamite).
Some of the acts that Jayden Frost has shared the stage with include: Devo (Whip It!), A Flock Of Seagulls (I Ran), Bow Wow Wow (I Want Candy),The Psychedlic Furs (Pretty In Pink), Animotion (Obsession), Deborah Gibson (Only In My Dreams/Foolish Beat), Gene Loves Jezebel (Desire), Dramarama (Anything, Anything), and Tommy Tutone (867-5309).
Lyrics via Robert Hawkins
Robert, aka “Professor Sabiá”, is the founder of the United Capoeira Association — Santa Rosa. When he’s not kicking ass, he’s playing the piano, singing or otherwise enjoying great electronic music. Robert is a big fan of classic electronic acts such as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Pet Shop Boys and of course, Sound of Science. Robert writes from the heart, and he’s passionate about all things in life, music and career.
Remix artist #1 “Semaj Foreman” featured on February Ends EP
Semaj Foreman is an American music producer, recording artist, video director/editor, creative director, fashion/graphic designer, idealist, entrepreneur, inventor and Creator Of Future Union Company.
Semaj Foreman records and produces his own genre of music classified as “Astrotech” because of his fascination with robotics, astronomy, acoustics, and technology.
Semaj is an autodidact, and experiments with the drums, keyboard, synthesizer, vocoder, and is currently learning the acoustic and electric guitar, but a majority of his music is created digitally.
Achievements Semaj Foreman has won three consecutive contests held by the popular website Jamglue.com at the age of 18 Semaj, formerly known as “Hit’Em” produced two tracks “Say Goodbye” and “Hustlin” on Vanilla Ice’s 2005 “Platinum Underground” Album.
2012 Digitally internationally released his 1st 2 fully produced EP’s 1st released on
January 8,2012 Johnny Mark Jacob 1st official EP titled “Starting All Over Again” & his on EP titled “War With Love” Released on February 14, 2012 Valentines Day.
January 15, 2013 his production titled “Its Star Time In Brooklyn” was selected by Converse from Indaba Contest to be on the title screen for all of Converse Rubber Tracks web videos & Converse web properties.
Semaj is currently in the studio, producing with various Indie & Major Artists.
Remix artist #2 “Steve Stoll” featured on February Ends EP
Steve Stoll is an American electronic music producer who has remixed/collabed with artists from Gary Numan to Front 242, and has produced for numerous labels over the past 25 years, and is the owner of Techno Imprint Proper N.Y.C.
