Video: Mechanimal – Stolen Flesh

Photo by Bianca Bogdanou

Greece’s “synth punk” act Mechanimal (Giannis Papaioanou, Freddie Faulkenberry) unveil the first taste from their forthcoming album, Crux. “Stolen Flesh” arrives with an emotional clip shot and directed by Christos Karalias.

“Stolen Flesh” follows the single “Holy Punk” which was a teaser for what’s to come. Mechanimal’s 4th album is out January 27 via Inner Ear.

Giannis P. says about the song: “”Stolen Flesh” is dedicated to the loving memory of a dear friend we lost. It’s about how it feels when you lose a dear person: all the love unveils in its magnitude in a very painful procedure. But we remain here to keep this love and all memories alive by beautifying every little crack and detail in our everyday life.”

A survival guide in the age of regularity by listening to electronic music.
“Crux” is an in-depth exploration of the past, present, and (possible) future of everyday life with the aim of personal awakening. It focuses on an idea that can account for the melding of seemingly incompatible musical worlds and theories with respect to the mechanisms of each one of them. It could easily be described as the absolute “crossover” album of Mechanimal, or simply the one where the ideas and obsessions of its members meet at the heart of the mechanical animal.

“Crux” is the Mechanimal manifesto. It consists of electronic music, spoken word, cut-up images and videos, deconstructed slogans, ideas and actions. A multidimensional collage inspired by the harsh reality, or otherwise the violent regularity that is “enforced” (by the new music industry to home entertainment and by “fake news” to climate change), and at the same time criticized.

Believing that everything is political and that we are all guilty of what is happening, Mechanimal, without limitation, use a fragmented sound palette to describe ten stories of reality deconstructed. From the death-trap of “Ghetto Level” and the raw industrial resonances of “Easy Dead” and “Scavengers” and from the pagan techno of “Razor Tube” and “Vanquish” to the feverish post-punk of “Red Mirror”, Mechanimal want, not only to escape the inherent limitations of each genre, but also to break down the barriers that do not allow all genres to become one.

“Crux” recording sessions began in January 2019 and ended in August at the band’s own studio. This album hosts guest musicians: Jimmy Polioudis (guitars on “Sharon” and “Easy Dead”), Henrik Meierkord (cello on “Scavengers” and “La Poverina Delle Ossa”), Vasiliki Mazaraki (violin on “Scavengers” and “La Poverina Delle Ossa”) and George Theofanidis (guitars in “Red Mirror”).

Mechanimal:
Freddie Faulkenberry: Vocals
Giannis Papaioannou: Electronics & production
Antonis Charalambidis: Drums on stage
Angelica Vrettou: Album cover & art direction

‘Crux’ Tracklist:
1. Ghetto Level
2. Sharon
3. Stolen Flesh
4. Easy Dead (CD)
5. Scavengers
6. Razor Tube
7. Red Mirror (CD)
8. Hospital of the Storm
9. Vanquish
10. La Poverina Delle Ossa

Mikael Delta – Elation LP

Mikael Delta returns with his new album entitled “Elation”. Having devoted the last two years to the creation of this album, he shares a fine piece of contemporary electronic music, with new collaborations that bring together Greece, Germany and Poland.

Michalis Paritsis is a young musician, making his debut collaboration in this album, adding strong analogue timbres and rhythmic patterns. Thessaloniki based Autow Nite Superstore (Thomas Ba) shares bottomless emotions with his vocals in the homonymous arpeggiated track “Elation”, while Katarzyna Kafel, from Berlin, prays in Polish in a special ambient-jazz track entitled “Art in the Sky”.

Through the sonic images of “Elation” the urban landscape converses with nature and the human existence encounters spirituality. Electronica, ambient and techno music canvases together with distorted sounds of classic piano, cello tenutes and heavenly vocals make up the fresh, powerful but also sensitive electronica sound of Mikael Delta.

Out on LP, CD and Digital album via Inner Ear.

released November 8, 2019

Video: Mechanimal – Red Mirror

After a three-year wait, last week Greece’s “drone’n’roll” act Mechanimal (Giannis Papaioanou, Freddie Faulkenberry) returned with the new song “Easy Dead,” the A-side of their new EP, “White Flag Single”, due out June 21st. Now Athenian’s scene pioneers, Mechanimal are sharing a new clip for their new EP’s B-side “Red Mirror”.

Giannis P. – “The video for “Red Mirror” was shot and directed by John Karabelas. We all admire the way images and video can be bitcrushed and pixelated and kinetic, so they turn more to some abstract painting than encoding errors. We love this kind of glitched-out aestheticism that actually has roots in net art movement of the early aughts. It’s all about hacking, cloning and copying our own stuff, when questions about rights and authenticity really become issues.”

Freddie F. – “Red Mirror is a hymn to reconstruction, rebirth, and all that comes hand in hand with that, destruction, erasing and rebuilding. It’s about decline, but not necessarily with a negative outcome.”

Release Date: 21 June 2019 – Purchase on: BandCamp, InnerEar

Stereo Nova – Ouranos LP

Στέρεο Νόβα – Ουρανός

Διασχίσαμε κάθετα το δρόμο, περνώντας ηλιοτρόπια και δάση, μετά από μέρες φτάσαμε σε έναν στρογγυλό τοίχο από νερό, ορθωνόταν μπροστά μας σαν διάφανο μονολιθικό κυκλικό σχήμα, ανέκφραστο και σιωπηλό, το νερό σχημάτιζε αργούς κυματισμούς ανάλογα με τη δύναμη της φωνής μας. Πίσω από τον τοίχο υπήρχε μια μεγάλη βαθιά τρύπα στο χώμα. Ο αέρας ήταν δυνατός πίσω από τον τοίχο. Πηγαίναμε μία πίσω και μια μία μπροστά μέχρι που πέρασαν χρόνια και σπίτια για να γυρίσουμε. Δεν μπορούσαμε να θυμηθούμε τίποτε, όποτε έλεγα μία χρονιά έλειωνε ο αριθμός σαν δάκρυ και έβλεπα τη θλίψη στο πρόσωπο ενός γορίλα που είχε χάσει την αγαπημένη του. Οι ελέφαντες κοιτάζουν με μακροθυμία τη σελήνη όταν γεμίζει, κάπως έτσι όλοι στέκονται με θαυμασμό στον αέναο κύκλο. Όταν έφυγαν από τη ζωή, τους περίμενε εκεί.
Μας έδειξε τους κανόνες της επιβεβλημένης συμπεριφοράς, τις πολυκατοικίες και το εγώ που έμοιαζε σαν τέρας από μια παλαιολιθική εποχή. Η αγάπη είναι η τέλεια στιγμή, είπε. Αν δεν συγχωρήσεις δεν μπορείς να βιώσεις την αληθινή αγάπη. Τότε είδαμε τις πόλεις ανάποδα και ένα σωρό χιλιάδες λουλούδια έπεφταν σαν βροχή. Η καρδιά δεν πεθαίνει γιατί γνωρίζει την προέλευση. Πάνω του είχαν καθίσει όλοι οι παπαγάλοι του κόσμου και τον στόλιζαν με τα φτερά τους και εμείς γελούσαμε. Μας άρεσαν οι μέρες και οι νύχτες. Δεν υπήρχε πουθενά εξορία, ούτε μέσα ούτε και έξω, παρά μόνο μια αίσθηση ανάμεσα στο χαμόγελο και το δάκρυ. Ήμασταν σε έναν ομόκεντρο. Ο εαυτός μας προσδιορίζεται μέσα από την δημιουργία, μας είπε, και αυτό … είναι το διάστημα. ΣΝ

 

Stereo Nova – Nea Moda

Στέρεο Νόβα – Νέα Μόδα Από το album “Ουρανός”. Κυκλοφορεί στις 4 Μαϊου.

Pre-order album http://smarturl.it/xlcrfz

Video: Stereo Nova – Video Club

Στέρεο Νόβα – Βίντεο Κλαμπ. Taken from the  the legendary Greek band’s new album “Ουρανός”. Out on May 4th via Inner Ear Records. Pre-order here: http://smarturl.it/xlcrfz

May Roosevelt – PA

So far, May Roosevelt is best known as a thereminist. She has already performed in cities such as Barcelona, Berlin, London, Istanbul, and she has collaborated with artists ranging from Tijuana groovy band Los Macuanos to Tel Aviv multi-talented artist Kutiman. Despite his collaborations, May has got three releases to his name so far, including 2011’s self released Haunted, eight musical compositions included the zeibekiko dance rhythm in “The Unicorn Died”, which was composed and presented for the first time in London at the Red Bull Music Academy in February 2010.

May Roosevelt marks her return in 2017 with her new album titled “Junea”, coming out on October 23th via Inner Ear. It’s her first release for the label.
Junea is a heroine of the modern digital world, where reality meets fiction through bridges made of electronic sounds and pixels. Musically, it could be said that she is an alter ego of May Roosevelt, adding new qualities to the artist’s existing musical identity.

In the world of Junea synthesizers rule, creating a multi-layered sound environment of crystal sounds and rhythmic beats. Ethereal vocals and encrypted lyrics lead to a parallel dreamy, three-dimensional universe that mirrors the artist’s exploration into new musical coordinates.

Stream the first single,”Pa”.

May Roosevelt – “Junea”
[Inner Ear Records]
Release date: 23 October
pre-order: Inner Ear’s website

Tracklist:
01. Air
02. Pa
03. Flowers
04. Be
05. Let’s
06. In Your Eyes
07. Ta
08. Tides

Fever Kids – Living In Fame

Fever Kids new 7″ vinyl single “Living in Fame”/ “Little Trip” is due July 3 on Inner Ear.

Fever Kids are an dream-pop boy/girl duo formed in 2011, based in Athens, Greece. Σtella (Stella Chronopoulou)  and Alex Z. create music that oscillates between pure pop and electro, with well-hidden disco elements. Their first official release in 2014 via Inner Ear, was a 7″ vinyl single including the tracks “Holding Grass” (A-side) and “Peter, Debbie, Mary” (B-side), gaining them critical-acclaim and enjoying extensive radio airplay. Fever Kids bring you their latest releases, “Living in Fame” (A side) and “Little Trip” (B side), through the 7″ series “A Distant Victory Singles Club” via Inner Ear Records. Recorded at Alex’s home studio in Athens, just after Stella’s last studio album “Works For You” came out on February 13.

Fever Kids – “Living in Fame”/ “Little Trip” [Inner Ear Records]
Format: Numbered 7″inch vinyl, Digital
Release Date: July 3
Pre-order:  Itunes / BandCamp

Video: Σtella – Way To Go

Having won praise from the likes of Paste Magazine, I-D, The Line of Best Fit and Clash for her new album ‘Works For You’, Greek indie/pop artist Σtella has shared the final video made to accompany the LP. Made for the track ‘Way To Go’ it was directed by Evi Kalogiropoulou and Byron Kalomamas, shot in California and perfectly catches the track’s breezy nature.

Following on from her debut US shows at SXSW Σtellahas also revealed that she will be performing at the Release Festival in Athens on June 17th alongside the likes of Jamiroquai and Michale Kiwanuka, more details of that here.

Σtella – Works For You
Inner Ear Records
Released LP, CD and digital – Out Now!
Order now: http://smarturl.it/83n8q3

Video: Σtella – Works For You

Freshly returned from a successful week at SXSW playing her debut US shows Greek indie-pop singer/songwriter/artists Σtella has shared a new video for her latest album’s title track ‘Works For You’. Following Stella on a day and night in Athens, working at home, rehearsing and playing live at Sonic Playground, Velvet Room, ΓΙΑΦΚΑ and Off the Record Studios the video also includes a nod to Stella’s love of Ninjas and features footage from the classic computer game Saboteur!

Directed by Dimitris Rokos. From the album “Works For You”
Purchase on: iTunes http://smarturl.it/3sdt3j
Inner Ear site http://smarturl.it/zjagt7
Bandcamp http://smarturl.it/83n8q3
Amazon http://smarturl.it/fkc9yb