Monosynth

Fabrika is a new label based out of Athens, Greece, for exclusively vinyl-only limited editions focusing on obscure and up-and-coming minimal synth groups. Their first release, limited to 500 copies, is a sampler of analog synth acts, primarily from Europe, a few of who have since released full-length LPs through Fabrika Records as well. This collection ranges from the complex, pulsating cold wave ambience of NY-based Led Er Est to the bopping "electrobilly" of Berlin-based Jemek Jemowit. Over half of the tracks are from Germany and the general feel of the record is bleak, robotic and danceable with serrated edges.  It is essentially a dance compilation for the disaffected contemporary nihilist.  I envision futuristic sci-fi dancefloor party scenes with a looming, omnipresent antagonist while some of the characters might be overdosing yet no one seems to care.

Fabrika

Commencing the compilation on Side A is Led Er Est's "Doctor Green," a complex and eerie track that gives me the feeling of a psychological thriller with medical experiments.Lebanon Hanover is a UK/Berlin-based duo and their "Kunst" is one of the standout tracks: icy synths & blighted beats manage to be both soothing and alienating, providing a foundation for the English and German vocals.Gertrud Stein, a one-woman electro-punk act, repeats "I can't dance (in a place like this!)" abrasively and robotically, as if she's trapped in a nightmarish nightclub, anxious to get out.Dolina present a pleasant yet dead-pan vocal delivery and lend themselves to a darker side of synthpop danceability, while Martial Canterel—aka Sean McBride, who is one-half of NY synth forerunners Xeno & Oaklander—uses analogue-only array of electronic instrumentation to "douse the dancefloor with petrol" again conjuring imagery like we're dancing our way through the apocalypse.  Closing Side A are two retro-minimal DIY duos from Athens, Selofan (the label owners' project) and Human Puppets, veterans of the European synth scene for over a decade. Selofan's "The Passion of Chris" builds in intensity evoking anxiety then fading seamlessly into "Things Change Fast," filled with seemingly hallucinatory suspense by Human Puppets, who have recently released an album thru Kernkrach in Germany.

Side B of the record is all German-based.Berlin duo Bloodygrave and Die Lust (sprung from their previous band, Rotten Western Kulture) use playful, almost bubbly melodies paired to contrast their emotionless, repetitive and processed vocals on "Frage Der Technik" (translation: "Question of Technique"), which I imagine being delivered in a deadpan, shoe-gaze style.  Sickdoll introduce the first guitar of the compilation with a surfer rock-esque jam with hints of despair—maybe surfing on a bad acid trip—backed with with an underlying an OMD-esque melody, some squiggly, quirky noise elements and complete with brooding vocals declaring "Das Meer Ist Blau" (translation: "The Sea is Blue"—and the singer sounds blue indeed).  Die Selektion is a young Italian/German trio who use thumping beats in a thick wave clearly influenced by the likes of Nitzer Ebb and Grauzone, with horns that go off like sirens amidst a distant alternative world like Blade Runner.Petra Flurr + Modernista's "Medizine" gives off angsty, aggressive vibes with curt vocals, before a track by self-proclaimed "electrobilly" (which may sound like you'd imagine it to) Berlin-via-Poland artist Jemek Jemowit blends humor and his unique, outsider-chic style and makes it work (and who also has a full LP out now as well as a video for the title track, Zemsta).  Alienphobie, deemed "subterranean intergalactic hitchhikers," are playfully kinky in "Überall" (translation: "Everywhere") while Velvet Condom dish out psychedelic robot-noise and singer who sounds concerned, like she's running away from someone while singing.Phoenix Catscratch, the compilation's closing act, reminds me of something along the lines of the Virgin Prunes being represented as an animatronic band in a video game from the future.They have since broken up but their only album was recently released from Fabrika's CD-based sister label, Dead Scarlet, in an edition of 500 copies.

I tend to gravitate towards either other-worldly/psychologically stimulating music or experimental dance/beats and these tracks embody a bit of both elements: a progressive mentality combined with some mindless danceability.  As a whole, recognizing the collection as one entity, it is a glimpse into a mindset that is post-consumer DIY and borderline anarchist electro-punk.  Due to its obscurity, it is a hidden world that must be sought after in order to discover and it is refreshing to have to dig a bit in order to find something worth looking for.  Having partnered up with Berlin's Drop Dead Festival last year, hopefully Dimitri and Joanna from Fabrika will do so again this coming October 2012 and assemble another rare showcase of this underground synth scene that is bubbling up in Berlin and beyond.From this compilation, Jemek Jemowit, Die Selektion, Petra Flurr & Modernista, and Lebanon Hanover have all since released albums on Fabrika, all vinyl limited editions of 300 copies.

Monosynth is limited to 500 copies, available from Fabrika (along with their other releases) or from Dark Entries in the US.

samples:

• Led Er Est - "Doctor Green"
• Lebanon Hanover - "Kunst"
• Bloodygrave & Die Lust - "Frage der Technik"
• Jemek Jemowit - "Laktose"