Features
New Noise: Denim Owl, Summing, Okey Szoke, Hypersleep
By Mess+Noise
Electronics flourish on their own as well as mingle with the human voice in this week’s roundup of Soundcloud offerings.
[Historical image is withheld pending rights review.]
– Recorded in a warehouse back in the innocent days of 2011, ‘Blank Face’ is the new single from inaugural M+N Lunchbox performer Denim Owl, a.k.a. former Aleks & The Ramps member Janita Foley. Produced and co-arranged by The Ramps’ Alex Badham, who also shot and directed the video, the sighing tune boasts drumming from Badham, guitar from Joe Foley (Extreme Wheeze, Aleks & The Ramps) and backing vocals from Louise Terry (Flying Scribble, Brite Fight). The video was shot in Foley’s backyard shed as well as along the Great Ocean Road, while the song itself recalls the twinkling yet somewhat creepy synth-pop of Bachelorette. It’s a free download, too.
[Historical embedded media is withheld pending rights review.]Denim Owl - Blank Face by denim owl
– Chris Lawrence plays guitar in the math-y Newcastle band Long Island Sound. He also makes electronic pop as Summing, citing influence from Four Tet, My Disco and Owen Pallett. His debut album Distant Cousin is available for free at Bandcamp, adding his distinctive vocal yearning to woozy vistas of keyboards, samples and software instruments. There are also purely instrumental stretches, like the below track ‘Talking Stick’. After recording the album over six months in “various bedrooms,” the next step for Summing is graduating to a proper live show.
[Historical embedded media is withheld pending rights review.]Talking Stick by chrislawrence
– Not only is Okey Szoke’s debut EP billed as “perfect to work to,” but it’s even called Work. More importantly, Melbourne’s Sam Szoke-Burke explores clean rhythmic backdrops and lingering melodic cues with quiet finesse. There’s a certain pulsing familiarity that ties it to a lot of other minimal techno, and yet tiny details constantly emerge to underscore its unique artistry. According to the presser, the four tracks balance “sparse German-style aesthetics with an inventiveness and energy akin to contemporary LA/NY/Bristol club music.” It’s out now through Melbourne collective Brother Sister and can be purchased digitally on iTunes, Soundcloud and so forth. Gavan Blau is responsible for the molten cover art.
[Historical embedded media is withheld pending rights review.]01 Okey Szoke - Light (Work EP - BSR019) by Brother Sister Records
– Melbourne musician/producer Todd Proctor records as Hypersleep, taking cues from acts like Shigeto, Andy Stott and Mount Kimbie. His self-titled four-song EP is up for name-your-price download. He describes it as “menacing analogue synths playing against syncopated found-sound percussion and dreamy disembodied vocals.” The below ‘Thumb Wars’ is named for its nagging thumb piano; both it and fellow bookend ‘Let You Know’ guest Lucy Collier and Todd Jolley from Monkey’s Pirate on said disembodied vocals.
[Historical embedded media is withheld pending rights review.]Thumb Wars by hypersleep
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