Artist: V. A.
Album: COLD WAVES & MINIMAL ELECTRONICS VOLUME 1 (DIGI)

Release date: 2013
Media type: CD

Angular Records are proud to announce the forthcoming release of 'Cold Waves and Minimal Electronics Vol.1' - a new 17 track compilation put together by New York's Wierd Records founder Pieter Schoolwerth and Angular's Joe Daniel. The album chronicles the secret underground cult genres of cold wave and minimal wave, which mostly originated from continental Europe between the years 1981-1985. This release will be available as a double LP gatefold, CD, and digital download. Nowadays the computer has largely replaced traditional analogue machines as the dominant generator of synthetic sounds. This has brought about a loss of scope for man/machine interaction and human fragility in the face of digital precision. This climate has inspired Wierd Records label and weekly live music party in New York (run by artist and DJ Pieter since 2003) to single-handedly revive the frosty 'cold' sounds of the minimal electronic groups of the early 1980s. Active largely in small towns and isolated, non-metropolitan areas of France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, and The Netherlands, the first wave of minimal electronic groups functioned at the time as a raw, aggressive, affirmative antidote to the superficial excesses of commercial new wave.

Using analogue synthesizers, sequencers, and drum machines the 'minimal synth' artists successfully combined the sounds of the German electronic bands of the 60s and 70's (Amon Duul, Neu, Faust, Can) with the seminal early industrial bands largely active in the UK (Throbbing Gristle, SPK, Cabaret Voltaire) to produce a new form of electropop that went on to be crucially influential on European and American pop and dance music of the late 80's and early 90's (Italo, New Beat, EBM). Containing songs that have only been available up to now on ultra rare 7”s, lost radio sessions and cassette tapes , as well as never before seen photos and extensive sleeve notes about the genre. ‘Cold Waves and Minimal Electronics Vol.1’ is finally here to teach us all a thing or two about the history of electronic music the world over.

TRACKLIST:

1. Figures - Absolute Body Control
2. Twinkling Stars - Nine Circles
3. Night in June - Linear Movement
4. Ills S'eloigent - Opera Multi Steel
5. Palais D'amour - Bal Par‚
6. Watching Trees - Eleven Pond
7. Babylon - The Vyllies
8. Dans Votre Monde - End Of Data
9. Lights - The Actor
10. Consumer - Ausgang Verboten
11. Gift of Tears, A - Jeunesse d'Ivoire
12. Anyway - OTO
13. Polaro‹d/Roman/Photo - Ruth
14. Somewhere in the Night - Stereo
15. Fashion Party, The - Neon Judgement
16. Cannibal Dolls - Land of Giants
17. Travel - Days Of Sorrow