While mainstream EDM is increasingly driven by soft-synth presets and pre-packaged loops, a funny thing is happening on electronic music's fringes, as a growing number of musicians immerse themselves in the deeply analog, resolutely DIY world of modular synthesis...

Following up the other day’s announcement of their “Motif” single, Teengirl Fantasy come through with a Clayton Harley-directed video for that very track. It’s basically what it looks and feels like to be at a Teengirl gig, with video presets set to “murky VHS vibes.” Check it: The “Motif” single b/w album cut “Eternal” and [...]

Sure, you can just use the presets, but that would be bollocks. The real artist puts things together in ways that nobody else would even consider.

Cassette Kids broke onto the Australian music scene after winning the prestigious Triple J Unearthed competition in 2008. Following on from that early breakthrough the band continued to build their success with the We Are EP , before gaining widespread acclaim for their support slots with the likes of The Presets and Lily Allen. The Sydney quartet dropped their debut album Nothing On TV , and gained momentous radio play from their lead single 'Spin', not only cracking the Triple J crowd but also finding its way onto Nova’s commercial airwaves as well. The band perhaps caught everyone by surprise with ...

It’s only May, but Kirin J Callinan has put out, indisputably, the most fucked-up video of the year. (Until Teenage Mothers do a follow-up to ‘I Don’t Wanna Play The Game’ that is.) ‘W II W’, the first single from Callinan’s forthcoming debut solo album, features a gif-heavy video that leaves no sacred stone unturned – from nudity to religion and bestiality. It’s been directed by none other than Australian director Kris Moyes, the younger brother of Kim Moyes from The Presets, who’s directed clips for Beck, Architecture In Helsinki, The Rapture and Franz Ferdinand. Callinan ...

There has been many rumour circulating around Australian dance musics golden child ‘The Presets‘ and the possibility of a new album in 2012. This has most recently come in to question after the appearance of Julian Hamilton (One half of The Presets) on the Australian version of the worldwide franchise...

Let's get one thing out of the way, first and foremost: Light Asylum , the debut LP from Brooklyn duo Light Asylum , is unceasingly, unflinchingly, unapologetically born of the '80s. The record's sound is so entrenched in the aural aesthetics of classic drum machines, analog synthesizers, and vintage genres (industrial/EBM, darkwave, and early synth-pop, mostly) that the music could be rightfully thought of as regressive. It's almost as though singer Shannon Funchess and producer Bruno Coviello previously agreed on a set of rules and constraints—gated reverb on every snare hit, no obvious software plugins, hands off ...

Killbot Kindergarten play an imaginative and eclectic blend of sensual synth pop, sounding like an odd mix between Toro Y Moi and Sleigh Bells with a bit of hip-hop and blasts of soul thrown in from time to time. Lead singer/keytarist Youka Snell slinks around the stage, while synth commandeer Adam Sait produces dark and deep sounds from his instruments for the older material, at least; material from their forthcoming EP has a decidedly lighter sound with a dreamy, electro edge not unlike some of the lighter cuts from The Presets. Hannah Macklin is one of those musicians who ...

If Jack White "of The White Stripes" may have constituted the 25% of The Raconteurs that commanded approximately nigh on 90% of any initial appeal then lone ranger Brendan Benson  will indubitably have upped his share since throwing his cards (or at least homely nasal vocals) down into the mix. He's debatably become "Brendan Benson of The Raconteurs" to the more ignorant or undiscerning among us and although the dust around White's debut solo outing proper may still be mid-settle, What Kind of World  could – even if it may not – sweep away some of the ubiquitous exaggerations his ...

2wice 2wins lyrics are skipping happily around my skull... the accompanying eighties-a-rama of jangly presets fizzing like a fresh bottle of champers… Blanche Blanche Blanche are the culprits... a duo(?) comprising of Sarah Smith and keyboardist Zach Phillips and they're plying plenty of well needed Casio sunshine here... Yeah, it's slightly cheesy, but you get the idea that the tongue's firmly placed in the cheek, total indie chic. That world weary female vox throwing me the hidden depths …my little grey cells hanging on every word... swept along on that retro-bezazz, leading to a T’Pau make-over ...

Bluejuice and The Gov have had some pretty sweet moments together over the years; crowds have been surfed, security guards have been violated from onstage and every time, a conglomeration of sweaty and exhilarated punters leave the venue wanting more or needing a lie down. Tonight, the Sydney band are back for another round, touring their latest record Company around the country; I hadn’t seen the band in a headlining capacity since 2010 and quite frankly, that was way too long between drinks. The Cairos are a band I didn’t think I knew until halfway through their set ...

If I had to come up with one reason for why Justice is my favorite electronic act, I would have to say it is because they are different. I've seen enough LED walls and heard enough prepackaged presets to know - what's popular isn't always good. True talent lies within those artists who choose to be different.

Author:  Curtis Moldrich Category:  Tech News Summary:  Steinberg unveils a brand new VST for HALion. Steinberg has unveiled Dark Planet, a new VST for HALion offering brand-new loops and instruments.  Designed for cinematic scores and ambient music, Dark Plane boasts a vast, emotional world full of ethereal colors and ghostly shapes. Comprising of 800 presets including lead, bass, pad and percussion loops and instruments as well as high-quality sample content that spans more than 2 GB in size, Dark Planet includes extensive tweaking possibilities. Gallery Options Face book Logo on Gallery On:  "" Enter the Competition:  "" Vote for this Photo:  "" Include ...

Author:  Curtis Moldrich Category:  Tech News Summary:  Sample company Loopmasters have open The Pluginboutique A Brand new venture from the team at Loopmasters, The Pluginboutique is one of the first of its kind, a store dedicated to selling Instruments, Effects and Studio Tools from leading music software companies worldwide. Featuring a range of Soft Synths, Music Plugins, Studio Effects and Synth Presets – the Pluginboutique also features the latest products from the likes of Fxpansion, Ohm Force, PSP and Waves. Gallery Options Face book Logo on Gallery On:  "" Enter the Competition:  "" Vote for this Photo:  "" Include in Section Feed:  "" read more

Visit Indie Shuffle to download. Sounds like: AXXE, The Presets, Midnight Juggernauts, Röyksopp, Bag Raiders Song: RÜFÜS - Selena [download here ] What's so good? Australian outfit RÜFÜS has just released a new EP, minimally entitled Blue via Gigpiglet/Inertia, and accordingly uploaded some tracks for our streaming pleasure. Last month they gave us some EP foreplay in the form of a track called “This Summer” (see my Indie Shuffle homie Hugh’s review here ). Formally released April 6, I was instantly compelled to post their track “Selena,” being a power-house at first note. From their 2011 EP, the world is ...