Press info: Hesperia, contains 6 tracks where Dez DeCarlo (synthesis and effects) and Andrew Abrahamson (synthesis, samples and clocked machines) build rare and immersive experimental electronic backdrops behind the stirring vocals of Noell Dorsey (vocals and lyrics) to transport the listener into a fascinating retro-futuristic universe.
Esoteric lyrics about the timeless human condition blend seamlessly with thoughtful
and encompassing sound arrangements to complement Dorsey’s evocative delivery
with colorful emotional space and texture for the listener to explore.
Photo by Sasha Pedro
TUTV: Hesperia continues the ambient trip that started with previous album Vortex And Voices. Otherworldly soundscapes transfer your mind and ears to
ghostly dimensions far away from our daily rat race. Electronic and atmospheric
slow-mo symphonies create a kind of enigmatic and surreal feel. And Noell Dorsey‘s spiritual vocals augment the transcendent experience. This record resonates like
a cinematic 2024: Space Odyssey. Put on your headphones and float along.
Electronic sound explorers VIOLET NOX – Dez DeCarlo (synth, effect pedals,
vocal samples), Andrew Abrahamson (synthesis, samples and clocked machines)
and new singer Noell Dorsey – from Boston have their new, 6th album, titled VORTEX AND VOICES out.
An intriguing and fascinating work where ambient, electronic, atmospheric
and dream pop symphonies merge and create a wondrous world where
surreality and reality fuse and impact your subconsciousness.
Dez, Andrew and Noell will tell us more about the new opus, their Arrow of Time
universe, self-transformation, and the enrichment of their sound with their new
vocalist, but also about musical geniuses such as John Coltrane and Prince.
But first, as usual with Turn Up The Volume interviews, we start with
a slice of music. Enjoy one of the standout pieces, named ‘Seznor‘.
Hello Dez, Andrew and Joell,
Thank you for taking time
for this Q & A,
When and how was VIOLET NOX conceived?
DEZ: “Violet Nox was originally formed from many nights of intense listening
to avante-jazz and in particular John Coltrane. One night while blasting Coltrane
I got a complete download and felt his music very deeply.
I understood the insanity of his screaming notes talking to me.
At that moment I knew I wanted to start an improvisational music project
combining electronic elements. I didn’t know how I was going to get there.
Then Violet Nox was born, with early members Karen Zanes on guitar, myself Dez DeCarlo-guitar and Eric Jackson on electronic drums. In the beginning, we
were very experimental, noisy, ambient and drone.”
What’s the story behind the band’s name?
DEZ: “The name Violet Nox comes from the color Violet
representing creativity, the future, dreams, healing
and magic.
Nox came from the word “Equinox” representing change,
transformation, Roman goddess of the night, new beginnings.”
What or who is it that attracts you so much to electronic music?
ANDREW: “I think ‘electronic music’ frequently implies sequenced music. I prefer to think in terms of music that is produced using electronic instrumentation. The borders are much fuzzier with that definition and, to me, more interesting. Sun Ra played a synthesizer.
But he wouldn’t be called an electronic musician even without other musicians playing acoustics because nothing is sequenced. Prince sequenced many of the drum patterns
on Purple Rain.
He could easily have played those parts himself but he didn’t. I think he wanted
the electronic drum sound but also the stiffness of the sequencing. I am drawn to
the broad possibilities of electronic sounds but it is the interplay between played
and sequenced music that I find most rewarding.”
You just added album #6 to your résumé. What does that mean for you?
Do you look back at what you’ve already achieved or is it about the present
and the future?
DEZ: “I personally try very hard to never look back. I’m a very present and fast forward moving person. I think each album represents a reflection of moments in time, our feelings, thoughts passing through us, sounds entering then leaving.”
My sonic perception of VIOLET NOX is one of wandering through space, but more in the direction of the moon than the sun, more exploring darkness than brightness. Even more so on the new LP. What do you think of that perception?
ANDREW: “That fits. What we see as the moon is the reflected light of the sun.
Look at the sun for a while and you’ll go blind. Look toward the moon for as long
as you feel the desire. It’s the same light.
The moon is a good choice if you want to take your time wandering among reflections.
But for me it’s not capital S space – extraterrestrial space. It’s the analogs of physical space that the mind constructs in the perception of sound. I want to be able to close my eyes and walk through the music. And I want room in there to move and explore.
That’s minimalism to me. Space to think, to breathe and to be.”
Are all songs connected in some way or do they all stand on their own?
DEZ: “Most of the songs from the album were written for a dance visual sold out performance “Arrow of Time” that we co-produced at the Museum of Science in Boston, March 23rd, 2023. We wrote all the music for our choreographer friend Callie Chapman. Many of the songs had a particular theme to them for the show and were very long.
Later we ended up recording the songs again and shortening them for the record.
A new version of the song “Senzor is on the “Vortex & Voices” album. The original
tune was from a German compilation we were included on in 2022 “Empire of the
Four Moons, on Gruselthon Records.”
ANDREW: To build on what Dez said, five of the seven songs grew up together as part
of the writing for Arrow of Time. Each was part of the thematic arc from calm into chaos, manifestation, reflection and ascent. Two of the tracks take their names from these stages.
It was a broad metaphor of transformation of the self, of ideas and of the world. Callie had also worked in the idea of these transformations as alchemy – that what
is left after the transformation is more than just a reconfiguration of the original
pieces.
It’s something entirely new. I think Noell picked up on some of these and
then expanded on and refined them as we reworked the long form music
for an album format.”
Andrew and Dez
It’s the first time that vocals are so prominent and so upfront. To my ears
it’s a great enrichment for the VN sound. What made you decide to make this turn?
DEZ: I heard Noell sing a few years ago at
a venue and knew at that moment I wanted to collaborate with her!
In the beginning of the pandemic we wrote a song called “Selene” guitar
drone, haunting organ and electronic drums all recorded remotely.
We sent it to Noell to add vocals. When we got the track back it was so good!
We knew then it was very magical and we continued to record together on
the next 3 albums.”
Who writes the lyrics? And is there any direct tie to the music itself?
NOELL: I wrote the lyrics inspired by the Museum of Science’s “Arrow of Time”
multimedia project we collaborated on. I improvised the vocals, and the lyrics
came about very organically. It was a mix of stream-of-consciousness word
patchwork and focused poetry.
“Loki” just wrote itself. It felt very seamless and straightforward how all the music came together. “Chaos” was more improvisational and started with extended vocal technique, but words started to slip in, and then, there they were!
The main lyrical content is about breaking through. I use a lot of ocean imagery, especially in ‘Ascent‘. The ocean is peaceful and chaotic, a rich ecosystem that’s life-sustaining but can also be dangerous. I’m moved by the complexity and duality of multiple things being true simultaneously. It is hard to grasp at first, but it is an inherent part of us. We can be both scared and excited, in love but hesitant, angry and relieved, etc,
All of us are transient beings. We will all experience so much uncertainty in life that we must move through these moments gracefully. Despite our short time here, we somehow bring so much fear to our lives that we can sometimes become paralyzed. This is because our “story” has been set for us in so many ways through society’s ideals, traditions, patriarchy, and religion.
I finally see that despite whatever story we carry,
we must set it aside to embark on a new path.”
What did you want to express with the album’s artwork?
“Our collab mate Alexis Desjardins, who now lives in Switzerland designed
the artwork for the cover. “It was one of many spontaneous designs I created
and selected because it worked best with the typography.”
Is the album’s title ‘VORTEX and VOICES’ related to the music?
ANDREW: ‘Vortex and Voices’ was a communal, spontaneous
poetry that struck us all as capturing the music we were making.
NOELL: “We were doing an improvisation and it was very connected. When we were finished one of us mentioned that it felt we had gone through a vortex because we
were so blissed out.
It was like we had partaken in a sound bath. Not sure how the ‘voices’ ended up with it but one of us said ‘Vortex and Voices’ and Dez said, ‘That’s the name for the album! So it stuck”.
ANDREW: “I think the voices were there all along…we just happened to be hearing them.”
Noell
Are new visuals created to go along with
the new music for live shows?
DEZ: “We have visuals at just about all our shows. Luckily we have
a very cool friend group of artists that we collaborate with on visuals,
videos and design work.”
What’s the ultimate ambition of VN
DEZ: “We are writing for album 7 now so definitely we will release another record. We are also working on a couple new videos for “Chaos” and “Loki.”. We probably will do a remix in the next few months too. We hope to continue to explore and experiment with our music and tour in 2024.”
ANDREW: “Change has been the constant with Violet Nox. From my perspective the ‘ultimate ambition’ is simply an ongoing ambition. That is, to hold a clear vision of where change is headed, to have a sense of how and when to steer, and to have a loose enough intent to listen to it when it is speaking.”
Thank you Dez, Andrew and Noell for this interview.
May the road rise with Violet Nox.
VIOLET NOX is an experimental electronic tandem from Boston – Dez DeCarlo and
Andrew Abrahamson, from Boston – who collaborate frequently with other artists. They operate sonically somewhere in a bright void between earth and outer space where they create synth symphonies for dreamers, romantics and all of us who want to escape from reality now and then, enjoying relaxing and mind-pleasing soundtracks.
Intriguing, right? Absolutely. Discover more about these architects of transcendent trips in stereo in this upcoming chat. But first, as usual, Turn Up The Volume starts an Q & A with a piece of music. In these case, listen to one of the highlights of Violet Nox‘s stargazing 2022 EP ‘Eris Awakes‘.
Hello Dez,
hello Noell,
hello Andrew
hello Jeff,
When and how did VIOLET NOX start its musical journey?
DEZ: “The idea for the project was originally inspired by John Coltrane‘s music.
One night when listening to Coltrane, the music clicked with me deeply and I
understood the improvisational space he was coming from.
I really wanted to create a project that was experimental combining electronic
sounds. In 2016, Karen Zanes and I got together with Eric Jackson, an electronic
drummer, and Violet Nox was born!”
What’s the story behind your project’s name?
DEZ: “Violet, is a very high frequency color and energy that I love.
Nox came from the word “Equinox” meaning change, transformation,
new beginnings, reset.”
Which artists is your work influenced by and why?
DEZ: “I’m heavily influenced more by life experiences that transform
me and melt into musical sounds and patterns. I like sitting in silence,
taking space, then creating from a blank page.”
ALEXIS:“The artists who may have influenced my contributions to Violet Nox
include: Can, Albert Ayler, Brian Eno, Silver Apples, Konono Nº1 & Sun Ra.”
ANDREW: “I think that is something that unites Dez and I in the creative process,
the idea of starting from a blank page as much as possible. In my mind we’re making functional music, so the mental effects of things like binaural beats and extended
drones are more of an influence to me than particular artists or genres.”
. You’re an indie DIY act. What does that mean in reality?
DEZ: “Everything, really. Andrew and I both came from punk rock backgrounds.
We record all our own music, create our marketing and publicity and manage our
press contacts. We also produce our own events. Community is very important
to us.
We have a team of solid amazing friends who we work with that create videos
for songs and visuals for our live performances. A big shout out to Allison
Tanenhaus and DebStep for all their creative input and help with Violet Nox!
It’s a lot of energy networking, connecting with people, releasing your records,
organizing shows, but it’s all possible! I highly encourage any artists who are
waiting for things to happen, to take the lead and do it yourself!
We have been lucky to have some great small independent labels release music
for us too! UK labels: Reverb Worship and Sleep Fuserecords, USA Infinity Records,
and German labels, Aumega Project and 23 SWRecords-which is a sub-label of Aumega Project.
We also had 2 songs included on the recent German compilation “Empire of the 4 Moons, Gruselthon records. We released various remixes with UK duo “The Deckadent Movement” and Boston artist J. Bagist.”
. ANDREW: “So many talented people beyond the band contribute so maybe
a Do It Together ethic is more accurate. I’d say Do It Ourselves but DIO is taken.”
Which of your songs would you pick to introduce
VIOLET NOX to people who never heard of you?
DEZ: “I’d say “Eris” from our Eris Wakes EP that came out last March.”
ANDREW: “I’m going to say “Wolfe Visitor” off of ‘Whispering Galaxy’ just
because I went back through our catalog to answer this question and
forgot how much I like it.”
This year saw the release of your excellent ‘ERIS WAKES’ EP.
Are the songs related or are all six standing on their own?
DEZ: “The songs are definitely connected with more of a space, star, galaxy vibe for sure.”
ANDREW: “Writing and recording that EP was a transformational period for the band artistically. For me that struggle toward a new sound is what unites the songs. The Eris Wakes has other meanings but it captures that well.”
. Who/what is ERIS?
DEZ: “Eris is the Greek goddess of strife, discord and chaos. She is the patron Saint of chaotic creation, rebellious, transformative, awakening, the truth-teller, she is pure fire. Eris is also one of the first dwarf planets to be discovered in the solar system.”
Who developed the EP’s artwork and what
did you want to express with the image?
JEFF: “My name is Jeff Bartell and I’m an artist living in Brooklyn, NY and I created the artwork for ‘Eris Wakes‘. Like with any artwork I do for music projects, I sought to create something thematically fitting and visually satisfying in terms of connecting with the overall album or sonic expression.
In the case of this particular record, I wanted to balance some sense of the chaos, while blending that with a sense of surreal dreaminess. I think this dichotomy is represented in the album and now, the artwork.”
Artwork ‘Eris Awakes’ EP (stream below)
Suppose your music was the soundtrack of
a movie, which one would it be?
DEZ: “From the “Eris Wakes” album I would say “Spaceport 5.”
ANDREW: “I’d say “Senzor” from “Empire of the 4 Moons” Gruselthon Records Germany, since that whole comp is already sort of a soundtrack to a science fiction novel of the
same name by Enko Landmann.”
What’s the best track and album you heard this year?
ANDREW: “If I only get one, what I’ve had on regular repeat is Taravana
by Luigi Tozzi off Deep Blue: Volume 3 on Hypnus Records. Anything on Hypnus if I get more than one.”
NOELL: “Best album Cat le Bon “Pompeii” and best
track “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” by Roy Ayer’s”
If you were asked to cover
a Xmas song which one would it be?
ANDREW: “If my hand was forced I’d opt for all tracks
of the William Shatner Christmas Album simultaneously.”
DEZ: “The Chipmunk Song.”
NOELL: “Whams! Last Christmas for the win.
The music video for this song is amazing.
Go watch it!”
Name 3 things you really want to happen in 2023.
DEZ: “We would like to release a full album which we plan to do in late Spring 2023.
We definitely will release more videos and remixes. We would love to tour more and possibly performing in Europe would be the dream!”
NOELL: “In 2023 I would like to see Global Action and attention towards Climate
change, women and trans rights, the end of Ukraine crisis, a resolution to Iran’s
civil unrest, Somalia’s famine. Covid is still with us! I would like to see more people
wear a mask. Lastly, on a personal level, I just want to hang out with more cats!”
ANDREW: “I can’t get the reins around just 3 things on a world scale so I’m going to restrain my picks to what I’d like to happen in my personal realm of music. For that much simpler 3: I’d like to see collaborations spawn collaborations. I’d like to be near people listening and seeing in ways that surprise them. I want to remember as much of it as possible.”
Thank you Dez, Andrew, Noell ad Jeff for this chat.
May the road rise with Violet Nox in 2003!
Experimental ambient voyagers VIOLET NOX – Dez DeCarlo and Andrew Abrahamson – from Boston contributed two pieces to a compilation entitled Enko Landmann’s Empire of the Four Moons. A project organized by German label Gruselthon putting the Utopian novel by German author Enko Landmann into music.
SENZOR is one of the two tracks. It’s a multi-layered electro stomper,
a razzle-dazzle enterprise into space, an intoxicating illusion.
The duo have a video out now for Senzor. A glitzy psychedelic-colored collage
of what looks to me as an ocean in motion beyond the earth’s atmosphere.
The story of The Empire of the Four Moons is a novel by German author Enko Landmann. It’s regarded as a classic of utopian literature and the struggle of the conglomerate of the 4 Moons for a future-oriented autonomy against a rundown decadence of the Reflectors of Bycicl could be regarded as common property
in the cultural memory of Europe.
German record label Gruselthon, a label for exceptional music on progressive recording media invited electronic orientated musicians to translate Enko Landmann’s “Empire of the Four Moons” into music.
The label describes the CD as: “Modern electronic music created
for the modern music lovers of our nuclear age.”
Expect a mind-relaxing trip into space with instrumental synth-symphonic compositions
by Boston duo Violet Nox, psych-folk-instrumental duo from Charlottesville/Columbus(US) Heron & Crane, German musicianVerhülsdonk, and DJ/electro-music-maker Dispess. Maybe this 2022 c Space Odyssey will inspire Pink Floyd to reunite and make a new milestone record, named ‘The Dark Side Of The Four Moons.’
Dim the lights, sit down, relax,
and forget reality for a while.
Act: VIOLET NOX Who: Experimental electro duo, Dez DeCarlo and
Andrew Abrahamson, from Boston who collaborates
frequently with other artists.
Last April the Boston space cowboys released their notable
5- track EP ERIS WAKES. It was named ‘EP Of The Week’ here
on Turn Up The Volume. You can read the here.
To keep the momentum going the synth tandem has a new
video out for the EP piece Magnetar. Think of British trip-hop
explorers Portishead and Massive Attack.
The video reminds me of a Pink Floyd documentary showing the legends
in their early days playing with eye-puzzling psychedelic LSD inspired
visuals on a big screen behind their backs.
The by now legendary passion rockers from Cincinnati, Ohio with mastermind Greg Dulli leading the troops have their new longplayer How Do You Burn? out on 9 September.
This lead single is a sturdy steamroller, a red-hot-heated ripsnorter, an unstoppable cannonball going everywhere fast. Manic blitzkrieg guitars, ruthless drum/bass attacks, Greg Dulli‘s rush of blood vocality, and a brutal finish. Flabbergasting.
Dulli: “That’s one of the hardest rock songs we’ve ever done.
It was written and performed on sheer adrenalin.”
This London post-punk team unleashed their 2nd scorching album Beware Believers, last April. One of TUTV’s best full-lengths of 2022 (so far).
Single Slowly Separate is a schizo sonic serpent generating a mind-blowing backwash
while chainsaw guitars turn up the decibels to an illegal peak, and man-in-the-middle James Fox rages and blazes through his teeth.
This frenetic Brit force hit big time with their dazzling debut album The Great Regression last March (more about it in a couple of days).
Let’s focus now on one of its cast-iron brainbreakers. It’s a poignant, biting, and
anxious uppercut. I’m pretty sure Moss would love this hit-and-run drone when
it would hit her ears. She is, after all, the Femme Punk Fatale of fashion.
4. ‘Twitchin’ in The Kitchen’ byWARMDUSCHER (London)
This punky-funky disco corker is the perfect pick-me-up tune for all the wacky weirdos who are always in the kitchen at parties waiting for free drinks and waiting for Warmduscher to come in and kick their lazy asses. Big stroke, big chorus, big fun!
“It’s a warning, an unflinching assessment of the vastness and insignificance of this
life, is precisely counterbalanced by their lesson, which models the resilience that this understanding demands. ‘Demolition Row’ is persistent, concise, and alarmingly physical.”
This blustery belter is vintage Metz. Full blast ahead, no brakes, no breaks.
The track featured on a split 7” with London-based group Adult Life.
From Dylan’s Desolation Row
to Metz’s Demolition Row…
“As a story or metaphor, we are all ‘Frankenstein’s monster’ – made up of other people’s opinions and parts that don’t belong to us. That we were born perfect but people, in their
own conditioning, come along and can make us feel undesirable/inadequate/the monster.
But we can choose to be real instead.”
This is without a shadow of a doubt the best debut single I heard so far this year.
A towering tune going low, high and back. A sickly sticky pop gem wrapped in
a big-boisterous-wall-of-sound. And upfront, Sianna Lafferty ‘s phenomenal voice
causes goosebumps when she goes sky-high on the chorus. The ardency of Porridge Radio comes to mind.
One word: AWESOME.
“I am not what you want me to be
Uncle Sam won’t even point at me
Even the eyes of the Virgin Mary wall
hanging won’t even stare at me.”
Shaman progresses like a vicious viper sliding to its prey. Determined, but always
wary of sudden danger. It dumbfounds and flummoxes while the song’s tension
intensifies and sends shivers down your spine.
No metallic explosions or abrupt pace changes this time, although it feels like a thunderstorm can happen as the mesmeric music swells along its ominous path
towards a demonic climax. Another appealing piece de resistance, another
psychedelic exploit another step closer to the new album.
“A paean to taking your foot off the gas and letting things slide, or a warning of the perils of procrastination, perhaps? It’s hard to tell whether ‘Mañana’ is meant to serve as a confessional regarding Domestic’s own perceived lack of willpower, or a celebration of idleness. It could be either of these things; and that’s one of its many joys.”.
A sirens intro, David Bowie‘s saxophone, and steel drums straight from Trinidad. Sounds like an exotic swing and shake ditty is coming up. No folks, it’s a lazy rap-sody you can play the morning after a booze marathon to get up and sober up, slowly.
Soul voice Clare Gillet takes care of the chirpy chorus.
“Propelled by a motorik rhythm and abrasive guitars, it stomps toward a doom-laden finale. Inspired by Sebastião Salgado’s (note TUTV: Brasilian photographer) anarchic photos of the Gold Mines of Serra Peladain the Amazon in 1985: the track explores the relentless obsession with grasping a glint of glory from the mud. “
Once I learned that this startling belter is about the horrible exploitation of human
beings by ferocious money sharks this jagged jackhammer blew my mind even harder than I heard it the first time before knowing about the band’s inspiration for this stunner.
Expect rabid guitars, doom and gloom vocals, and frantic
twists and turns until the chaotic finale. Post-punk at
its razorblade best.
Geordie Greep (vocalist, guitar): “Almost everything I write is from a true thing, something
I experienced and exaggerated and wrote down. I don’t believe in Hell, but all that old world folly is great for songs, I’ve always loved movies and anything else with a depiction of Hell.”
A screwy zig-zagging haymaker it is. From upcoming, 3rd, LP Hellfire.
My fav track from one of my fav albums of the year (so far), baptized A False Glimmer Of Hope with loudmouth James Domestic (yep, the
guy from above) going bonkers.
This red-hot-blistering hardcore missile punks up your adrenalin and
invites you to open all windows and doors and yell your tits off.
My favored sonic sci-fi symphony from the duo’s excellent Eris Wakes EP.
Trippy, spooky, trancy. With repetitive mind-twisting Krautrock eurhythmics
that take you on an otherwordly voyage. Top-flight!
After the piano intro (sounds like the theme tune of classic horror-thriller Halloween) this young outspoken artist fumes with barbed wire temper towards the supersonic chorus that resonates like hardcore rap.
This rushing rollercoaster swings forth and back with grim impetus until the gloomy
synth climax makes way for that ominous piano fragment again. TV or not TV, that’s
the question? The answer is easy. To hell with the relentless idiocy of reality TV stars and influencers constantly putting pressure on growing minds to behave in ways unattainable to most.
Oscar Mic wrote this song after witnessing the horrific violence of
psycho Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine on the news. All proceeds of
the song go to Save The Children’s Ukraine Appeal.
We Are Ukrainian is a tremendously catchy hip-rap-pop jam featuring steel drums
and timpani balancing somewhere between Roots Manuva and Mr. Scruff.
“Fleeing people running scared, so tell me Where’s the justice? Our leaders say they care,
tell me can you trust this? Urban warfare, your home’s done and dusted, Aiming at the
public, they wouldn’t? They just did,”
The titillating electro- intro echoes early Depeche Mode before they became the darkwave Goth-esque rockers we all know. But in an eye-blink White Skin turns into a swirling synth-pop stomper to fill dancefloors with. It’s an instantly infectious nightclub earworm with an ecstatic chorus.
18. ‘Worthless Souls’ by MELTED WINGS (Toronto, CA)
“A track that calls out how sexism and power corrupt all levels of society.
We all need to recognize this going forward and make sure that it doesn’t
go unchecked.”
The sickly sticky synth beat comes across like an invitation for my feet to kick the butts of vicious sexists and power-horny billionaires ruining people’s lives. Middle finger to them while spinning around mad as a hatter to this bang-on electro buzz. Trust me, you’ll feel much better afterward
This is what ecstatic pop grandeur is all about. Music that elevates
your state of mind to a titillating level. This pearl generates a feel-good
entrancing buzz.
When the multi-layered vocals/harmonies pop up in a gospel-like choir delight
creates an atmosphere of utter joy comparable with the euphoric drive of The Polyphonic Spree. Vitalizing vibe, refreshing rapture.
20. ‘Life And Lies’ by LEE ROGERS (Northern Ireland)
A mixed-emotions lullaby with Rogers‘ sky-reaching voice as the star. It’s an emotional
and bluesy reflection. Wurlitzer jukeboxes should be reinvented for these heartbreakers so moody minds can cry their eyes out (or cry in their beer) at night in a downtown bar where lonely ones gather and muse about life and lies.
Turn Up The Volume‘s ears say that these
are the 5 best EPs of 2022… so far.
Band: NOTHINGHEADS Who: Hit team formed through a shared love for London’s DIY music scene.
Their songs draw no boundaries – no subject is too confusing, no sound too
eclectic. The band write collaboratively, harnessing the noise and energy
that comes from playing together.
Turn Up The Volume said: Three riff-mental haymakers. Three vitriolic sucker-punches. Three intimidatory knockouts. The Nothingheads‘ frontman sounds like his own meanest demon, threatening and ready to kick badasses. This EP was made to scare all the human-destroying rulers of our paranoid world. If we go to the dogs don’t forget to take this EP with you. It’ll help to channel your frustrations while Armageddon is grinning around the corner.
Turn Up The Volume said: Violet Nox compose their spaced-out symphonies in an
electronic universe of their own where ambient music dominates in all its different reverberations. Soothing and meditative (opener Spaceport 5), tripping out (Eris / Bellatrix), spooky (Magnetar), and mind-puzzling (Ghost Star). It all feels utopian and cosmic. Foggy harmonies with Portishead‘s vocalist Beth Gibbons‘ transcended timbre and repetitive eurhythmics echoing German legends Tangerine Dream.
Close encounters of the third kind.
Sonic science-fiction. Stupefying
Band: THE DARTS Who: Inflammable engine
from Phoenix, Arizona
Turn Up The Volume: wrote: The Darts? They sound cool, look cool and rawk ‘n roll cool.
This Devilish American Rip-roaring Turbo Squad do it again on this new 3-track EP
with a garage hurricane (Love Tsunami), a mid-tempo groover (Shit Show) and another
brisk belter (Underground). And again, Nicole Laurenne, the utterly charismatic dart in
the middle, fires up the cuts with her sexy 60s-sounding organ.
The electrifying Amazons hit the bullseye once more.
Turn Up The Volume wrote: An instrumental 4-track one with a featherlight, heavenly and spiritual magnificence. Stardust everywhere. If you’re not into all that festive end-of-the-year fuss (like me) play all Guthrie‘s 2021 releases on repeat. It’ll give you (and me) a mind-relaxing, soothing, and idyllic feel. Sparkling vibrations for the midnight hours. Guthrie transfers you to a blissful place.
Last November sharp-rapping poets SLEAFORD MODS played in their
hometown Nottingham. Now 6 of the performed tracks (2 of the latest
album ‘Spare Ribs‘, a cover of Yazoo’s ‘Don’t Go, and 2 oldies) are cemented
in a live EP called LIVE AT NOTTZ ARENA.
Mork In Mindy features big soul voice Billy Nominates
and Amyl Taylor was a guest on Nudge It (which she did
too on the duo’s 2021 LP).
Get up and let your feet and your hips do the talking…
“The album was written during the worldwide pandemic in 2021. It represents the current rebellious transitional unstable times we are in. Eris is the Goddess warrior of discord and chaos, a dwarf planet, the Star Child, the trans-Neptunian object. Her energy flowed freely through Violet Nox during the creation of this album to harness an uninhibited depth of psychic reflections and hidden shadows from which the essence of “Eris Wakes” tunes and harmonizes.”
Turn Up The Volume: Violet Nox compose their spaced-out symphonies in an
electronic universe of their own where ambient music dominates in all its different reverberations. Soothing and meditative (opener Spaceport 5), tripping out (Eris / Bellatrix), spooky (Magnetar), and mind-puzzling (Ghost Star). It all feels utopian and cosmic. Foggy harmonies with Portishead‘s vocalist Beth Gibbons‘ transcended timbre and repetitive eurhythmics echoing German legends Tangerine Dream.
Close encounters of the third kind.
Sonic science-fiction. Stupefying
Buy/stream Eris Wakes here…
.
.
All songs written by Dez DeCarlo and Andrew Abrahamson
with additional lyrics by Noell Dorsey (Eris, Magnetar) and Karen
Zanes (Spaceport 5) and instrumental contributions by Alexis
Desjardins and Fen Rotstein (+vocals).
Mixed by Andrew Abrahamson with Dez DeCarlo
Mastered by Andrew Abrahamson
Who: Electronic-experimental, dark ambient, sonic
cosmic drone collaborative collective from Boston, MA
New track: MOONSHINE
Actually a remix of a track from their 2020 EP Future Fast.
It’s British indie-electro duo The Deckadent Movement that
signed for the sonic revision.
Great Moonshine artwork
If you plan to spend your summer holidays in space you should take Violet Nox music along in your rocket ship. They produce cinematic,
mind-relaxing, sky-reaching, and at times hallucinatory and obscure
symphonies with a tranquilizing quality. Just what you need while
watching the stars.
