Dlina Volny + Jennifer Touch + TBC

FFO: Desire, Chromatics, Italians Do It Better

Dlina Volny translates into the English word “Wavelength.” Their name is a homage to their fascination with sine waves & the physics of sound. The Belarusian trio’s sophomore album Dazed is a self-proclaimed “Love Thriller”. Mixed by Dean Hurley, frequent David Lynch collaborator & producer, the record is gorgeous. Elegant synthesis is flanked by the brut low end of the rhythm section. The instruments set the stage for contralto vocals that hover like a warm fog on a chilly night. Hurley is also the engineer who brought us Jorja Chalmers’ “Midnight Train” earlier this year, as well as remixes for Italians Do It Better flagship artists Desire & Chromatics.

On Dazed, Masha Zinevitch’s voice wails & pivots between Ales Shishlo’s assault of morse-code arpeggios & icy sheets of Vad Mikutski’s guitars. Dlina Volny’s music vaporizes on the event horizon where Eastern European Post-Punk collides with Western Synthwave. The album balances mystical narratives & dreamlike fantasies sourced deep in the trio’s subconscious. Walking the tightrope that separates pain & euphoria, the lyrics wrestle with polarity. Anxiety vs passion, & hope vs the deep despair that surrounds negative space.

Berlin artist Jennifer Touch returned with her second album MIDNIGHT PROPOSALS, released via Fat Cat Recordings 17th February. Showcasing her unique sound in the saturated world of electronica, J Touch successfully combines dark 80’s vintage synths with industrial soundscapes, delivered with a visceral post-punk snarl that is home on that dancefloor and off, as a live musician or in her DJ Sets. As a child, Touch was led to believe all the melodies in the world had already been used, rendering being a musician futile and pointless. Ignoring the bollocks, her desire for self-expression through music prevailed, and after the Berlin wall came down, her early musical tastes expanded beyond 80’s pop, later embracing the bleak and rough techno of Berlin’s burgeoning underground. Crucially, there were machines out there that would enable her own creations. You’ll rarely find an artist today so devoted to sound or as deeply immersed in the affective reverberation of old synths. She calls it Post-Wave-Cold-Pop-Acid-Romance, rubbing sonic shoulders with PJ Harvey, Tempers and Depeche Mode. Jennifer Touch is an artist on a journey, not afraid to share the intimate details on route to her destination, wherever that may be.