Brvtalist presents: Minuit Machine (live), Skelesys (live) + Afterparty w/Melanie Havens, IMCHAOS

After a long hiatus The Brvtalist is thrilled to return to the live stage. For this event we are proud to present Minuit Machine (live), Skelesys (live) plus an after party with the Brvtalist team to keep you dancing into the morning.

Formed in 2013, Minuit Machine is the French Parisian duo of Hélène de Thoury (instrumental) and Amandine Stioui (vocals). Over the past several years, they've become of the most important and prolific acts across the wave and synth spectrums and have released modern classics on their imprint Synth Religion, WARRIORECORDS and just recently the sold out Sainte Rave vinyl edition. This will be their first Berlin show since 2019!

Originally from Buenos Aires and now based in Berlin, Skelesys has emerged as one of the most exciting acts across post-punk, wave and future sounds. As a DJ, producer and live act, he can do it all and has released outstanding material on Ombra Intl., Eskimo and most recently his smash EP, Epsilon on Oraculo Records. This will no doubt be a special show for all in attendance.

After the live acts, we keep the party going with DJ sets by Brvtalist resident Melanie Havens, IMCHAOS (Sestra Records) and The Brvtalist himself.

Tickets and RSVP on RA: https://ra.co/events/1498663

FB Event: https://fb.me/e/2NwZpnuDr

-Brvtalist Team

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PREMIERE: Kashaiof - Loa (לוע)(UMF003)

The Brvtalist is pleased to premiere a new track from Kashaiof. The duo project of Eyal lally Bitton and Itzik Gil Avizohar, both are interdisciplinary artists and central mainstays in Jerusalem's experimental music scene as being core members of the extreme art collective, studio and underground venue Studio Straus. The project infuses various elements into its music from early electronics, musique concrète, and beyond all while operating against the backdrop of spirituality and violence, as it the city of Jerusalem.

In their upcoming album ma, forthcoming on London's Under My Feet. Kashaiof shifted their focus from the objects themselves to the in-betweenness. The term 'ma' lies in ambiguity - in Hebrew(ָהמ (means - “what״ ,while in Japanese (間) means - negative space, gap, pause. From here we find Kashaiof exploring the potentiality in those gaps, an invitation to the unknown, commencing a powerful journey.

Ma is out February 25th on Under My Feet. For more visit Bandcamp.

-JRS

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PREMIERE + REVIEW: The London-based duo Double Helix present their debut single "Rat Rave"

Today, The Brvtalist is pleased to premiere the debut single and its music video from London based duo Double Helix. The track “Rat Rave” is out today on UK based Slow Dance Records. 

Formed in July 2021, Double Helix has developed as a word-of-mouth sensation over the capital with their visceral merging of underground punk energy and the unifying rave subculture of the 90’s. Built on a gargantuan electronic sound that falls somewhere between the acid psychedelia of Prodigy or Leftfield and the darker industrial tones of Nine Inch Nails or Boy Harsher, the duo caught the attention of Slow Dance Records at their first show back in late July 2021 (The Windmill, Brixton) and was asked to contribute a track to the labels 21’ compilation.

The mesmeric debut single Rat Rave is a mantra for the unconventional raver set against a background of caustic electronica. Pitting the iconic sound of the Roland 303 against jittery, pulsating rhythms, the unrelenting five minutes culminates in an uninhibited synthetic trance fused with mechanical vocals meditating the phrase “Pain, Figure, Pressure, Obey”.

Thematically, the artists explain the accompanying music video: “We wanted to create this inverted, surreal world where the juxtaposition of pain and euphoria are represented by shifts in color. The girl in the video is an artist we know who has a hidden disability and crafts these resin sculptures from packaging of pain medication she takes. She is also a badass party goer despite this, which inspired us to feature her along with the sculptures and create this solitary, stylized day in the life of our friend.”

There’s also a striking DIY visual aesthetic to compliment the Balearic synths, with the duo curating their own photography, art direction and live visuals for each show, along with shooting and editing their music videos, combining many idiosyncratic ideas into one uncompromising vision.

“As I watched the music video, it gave me an atmosphere of the movie “Irreversible”, directed by Gaspar Noé, as the whole video was made as a reverse shot, also using bright psychedelic colours. The track, indeed, delivers nostalgic moods to the music of the late 1990s and early 2000s, the time I was growing up with, as nu-metal was on top of the music trends. The acid highlights of the track reminded The Prodigy’s “Fat Of The Land” and the synths part Boy Harsher motives. The electronic music combined with live-recorded drums and guitars creates an entirely new direction like you’re being a protagonist in the “Matrix” or “Blade” movies, ready for action. And the hypnotic repeating vocals give the release even more authenticity.” - The Brvtalist 

Listen to the track on The Brvtalist SoundCloud and follow the artists on social media. Don't miss Double Helix live performance at Dream Bags Jaguar Shoes on Thursday 3rd February! Get your tickets here.

Double Helix comprises Patrick Smith (Synths, Programming, Vocals), Kim Engelhardt (Bass Guitar), and joined by drummer James Allix (Tigercub) for live shows.

The debut single ‘Rat Rave’ is out on January 25th via Slow Dance Records and was self-produced by Double Helix, mixed and mastered by Alastair Batchelor.
- Alisa Chepel

PREMIERE + INTERVIEW: WUNDERBLOCK PRESENTS A NEW ALBUM "AUTOPOESIS IBID.1"

Today, The Brvtalist is pleased to premiere a new work from Wunderblock trio, which is now being curated as a solo-project by Berlin based musician from Russia and our friend Michael Teploff. Today, we present “Autopoesis IBID.1” - a 9 track album, which music genres vary from atmospheric dub ambient to dark IDM, post-dub and noise.

The release represents the smoky atmosphere at their Moscow studio, where numerous jam sessions were recorded by the band during 2008-2018. The tracks are cinematic and narrative — a kaleidoscope of dreams that journeys from allusions to David Lynch (“U-Turn To Lost Highway”) and Thomas Pinchon (“Schwarzgerät”), through the irony of mythological paradoxes (“Achilles And The Tortoise”) and the sincerity of exotic nature (“Safari Dub”), to the bloody nightmare of the Russian Revolution (“Red Oktober”, remixed by Arcuation). 

As the artist explains, the term of Wunderblock is related to the concept by Sigmund Freud from his work “Notiz über den “Wunderblock” [1925]. Freud regarded the Wunderblock as a perfect metaphor for the process of recording memories. According to Freud, the mind records memories continually receiving stimuli and transferring traces of that information to the unconscious to be stored as memories.

“IBID” is an abbreviation for the Latin word ‘ibīdem’, meaning ‘in the same place’, commonly used in an end note, footnote, bibliography citation, or scholarly reference to refer to the source cited in the preceding note or list item, and the term ‘autopoiesis’ (from Greek ‘auto-’ [self], and ‘poiesis’ [creation, production] refers to a system capable of reproducing and maintaining itself by creating its own parts and eventually further components. Since then the concept has been also applied to the fields of cognition, systems theory, architecture and sociology.

We asked Michael a couple questions about the release.

The Brvtalist: Mike, the creation of the album had a long, 10 years old way. Also, “Wunderblok” refers to Freud's metaphor for the process of recording memories. Which memories do you personally highlight and bound with the time while making this album? 

Michael Teploff: The Wunderblok project has been started in 2008, when I built my Moscow studio, called “Principi Di Musica”. And, during that tension, we, as a trio, together with my bandmates, Igor Ivanov and Vladimir Kochenov, recorded a lot of live sessions in dub, ambient, noise and techno as well. We used a lot of instruments - synths, guitars, live and MIDI percussion - all was recorded live, and that was so euphoric, intense and organic, so can’t be forgotten. In 2020-21, during the “pandemic”, I’ve edited and mastered the most interesting tracks, and now we have a “memory album” about those times.

TB: Every track has its own mood. Sometimes, strong vibe switches can be detected between the compositions. Does the order of the tracks affect the perception of the album as a narrative, or does each put its own meaning and moods, regardless of the order? 

MT: The basic idea was just to take our non-techno tracks and to set them from the ambience to rhythms and back, but, in the process of compiling, the tracks were lined up in the terms of the tonal composition as well. So, hopefully, the full album sounds like a complex narrative, like a life story, where the different moods of life are just collapsing in one hour soundtrack.

TB: Mike, you are curating Wunderblock on your own as a solo project now. What are your plans and hopes for the nearest future? Which places, events and projects are on your mind? 

MT: Yes, last year I finally moved from Moscow to Berlin, my partners stayed in Russia and, unfortunately, the project can’t be called a band anymore. But I'm now working on two different new projects. One of them is a classic techno project, called Urstadt (“Proto-State”, ger.), together with my mate Nikita Melnikov, also known as Relic Radiation. The vinyl with the Developer remix will be released on WR later this year. The second project is still secret, and too early to introduce it).

Also, I hope, life will return to the Berlin and EU club scene soon, and we’ll be able to present our new projects live. Besides Europe, there are some plans for Russian and UK little tours.

 TB: What are your personal highlights of the album and why? 

MT: All the tracks have their own special taste and advantages, so it’s hard to choose one. The album is better perceived as a complex work.

TB: How does the current world situation impact the release of the album, in your opinion? 

MT: In 2013 we launched Wunderblock Records as a techno label, it had a good development during the following years, and seems the label now has its own place on the techno scene. Though during last two “pandemic” years, the techno scene is slowly dying, and it was another reason for us to launch our new experimental sub-label Ibid., for research in the non-techno field. But this doesn’t mean that we will not continue our experiments in techno as well. 

TB:  What is your opinion on the current trends in modern electronic music, how does it influence the culture, and in which direction will it go?

MT: Well, this escalates quickly, the culture is mutating fast into the state of meta-modernism, and I have to say, that the future sound will be more complicated, hyperintensive, super-hybridical. Now the most promising are modern experiments in post-dub, IDM and hyper pop. 

We are also glad to premiere one of the tracks of the album. Today, we present “Kinetika” - an atmospheric dub ambient composition, which will teleport you from wherever you are now to a dreamy summer jungle full of life or to a spaceship, travelling through the bright stars. Listen to the track now on The Brvtalist SoundCloud and YouTube channels, and follow the artist on social media. 

Out January 28th in CD and digital formats. Pre-order yours on Bandcamp.

 - Alisa Chepel

PREMIERE: Lestat & Lady Maru - Expectations (Routine)

The Brvtalist is pleased to premiere a new track from Lestat & Lady Maru. The Berlin and Rome based producers are known for their club destroying hits but have been working together on this project for some EBM / wave flavors. Their new EP, Bloody & Teary Country, is out January 25th on the always great Routine Moscow and today we premiere this infectious body banger, Expectations.

Get yours at: routinerec.bandcamp.com/album/bloody-teary-country

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PREMIERE: Incendie - Until Now [SDVA02] (Official Video)

The Brvtalist is pleased to premiere the new music video for "Until Now" by Incendie. Paris based imprint Sinister Desires returns with a massive V.A., presenting 5 tracks from Alpha Sect, Oliver, Damaged Clock, Incendie and Kay Mascara. 'Unexplained Powers Of The Human Mind II' takes you on a sonic trip of dark electronics, exploring genres such as body techno, broken beat and industrial.

Out January 5th on Bandcamp digitally + cassette. Pick up the release here now.

-Melanie Havens

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PREMIERES: 'Tartarus' V.A. [Khoinix]

The Brvtalist is pleased to premiere two tracks from Arrosa and Facets. Arrosa's imprint Khoinix returns with another massive compilation, out January 1st on Bandcamp. 'Dungeon Disco' and 'Perfect Storm' come off the upcoming V.A 'Tartarus', which features 15 tracks of EBM/Dark Disco from artists such as Alpha Sect, Disco Morato, Disco Mortale, Facets, Gegen Mann, Arrosa and many other great ones.

Pre-order here now.

-MH

PREMIERE: Campbell Irvine - Baptism in the Cathedral of Commerce (Official Video)

The Brvtalist is pleased to premiere the new music video from Campbell Irvine. The Berlin-based, Brisbane-born multidisciplinary artist crafted an exceptional multimedia opus, merging music, visuals, and text into a work of speculative fiction. Inspired by the concept of broadcast encryption, 'Baptism in the Cathedral of Commerce' transports its audience on a journey to an alternate Cold War scenario through a Yugoslav lens, by way of shortwave radio, numbers stations and nuclear bunkers.

Alongside the music, composed and produced by Irvine, he joined forces with Marta Sundac and longtime creative partner Stefanie Parnow, who wrote and performed text for the tracks and Benjamin Gredeson, who did the project's visuals.

The release is out now on SKANDAL.TV. Pick it up here.

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PREMIERE: Cazzida Dot - Waterfall (Official Video)

The Brvtalist is pleased to premiere a new music video from Cazzida Dot. The artist who previously released as Efe Ce Ele, delivers the great EP, Dilator, on Colombia's Raw Quarter. Marking the label's 8th release, her new EP presents 4 raw, deep, hypnotic techno tracks. Today we present "Waterfall", an enigmatic composition with complex sound textures and its thrilling, mind altering video companion created by Rabbeat.

Dilator is out now on Bandcamp. Pick up the release here now.

Video by Rabbeat.

-MH

PREMIERE: Vexillary - Full Frontal Lunacy (Official Video)

The Brvtalist is pleased to premiere the new music video from Vexillary. Today we present "Full Frontal Lunacy", which comes off the New York based artist first full-length album, out on his imprint con:trace. Crafted during the lingering winter and lockdown, the new release presents 8 electrifying tracks fusing Dark Wave, EBM, Industrial & Techno, transporting the listener to the darkest side of his psyche.

Pick up the release here now.