Each month one of Clan Analogue’s artists presents a Spotify playlist highlighting influences, inspirations, obscurities and anything else interesting in the world of electronic music.
This month Baby Swindle, otherwise known as Lindsay Webb and one half of Actual Russian Brides, presents a selection of tracks inspired by the new Clan Analogue release Intone: Voice Abstractions. Lindsay curated the Intone compilation with Actual Russian Brides partner Elle Knox. Baby Swindle‘s track Actual Russian Khor is featured on the album.
Let’s let Baby Swindle tell us all about it…
“This playlist is inspired by Intone and my time living in, or looking towards Germany from the mid-nineties to to mid-noughties. It was there, while at art school, I discovered synthesisers and drum machines. There was also a ready access to all sorts of electronic music and pop songs rendered in that more synthetic manner seemed more accessible to me, even when it got a bit weird. It probably had something to do with learning another language and trying to decipher the songs but the sensibility has stayed and definitely informs any music I might happen to make.
Alog – Islands of Memory
When the Intone idea came up, the first thing I thought of was Alog and their mix of sampling, synthesis and electroacoustic genius. I’ve been following them since first discovering them in 1999. Each record they make is different, sometimes difficult but always inspiring.
Atom™ – Wellen and Felder 11 & Funksignal
Uwe Schmidt is a prolific genius and the album Liedgut a real highlight. Really, the whole album should be listened to in one sitting with a good hi-fi or headphones, but these two tracks give a taste and highlight his immaculate use of speech synthesis and vocoding.
LB – Jealous Guy
Schmidt again under his LB moniker. I was flawed when I first heard this record. Full of gold beyond this track.
Quarks – Alles + Mehr (Gonzales Au Pianet mix)
I’ve been a huge Quarks fan since my time living in Germany however the remix album Rehmix is full of its own particular kind of magic. It’s what they call Wohnzimmer (living room) pop, but remixed by some of the best electronic artists of the late 90’s early 00’s. Somehow this record was the inspiration for Actual Russian Brides although we don’t really sound anything like any of the tracks.
Alog – Write your Thoughts in Water
Again Alog because Intone… in my mind
Felix Kubin – Excuse Me, Too Many Segments & Wenn Dein Hund Stirbt:
The wonderful world of Felix Kubin is a surreal playground of his Korg MS20, Casio and TR606 all mixed together with his dada lyrics and wit. Two tracks here because I just wanted to convey a fragment of the oeuvre which one track can’t.
AGF – Uralow:
AGF goes under the umbrella of artist name Poem Producer. Her work is tightly knit around text through tech. She is prolific and great. I never see her represented in Australia though. Maybe that could change
Die Weltraumforscher – Gravity, Hier spricht Ihr Kapitän & Die Liebe liebt dich selbst
A band out of the Neue Deutsche Welle (New German Wave NDW) movement that were from the more obscure corner, such as The Plan or Andreas Dorau. I discovered them later in life through the best of CD, 21 Weltraum Standards of which these three tracks come. Representing an active period of over 20 years, the entire record is for me what I wish pop sounded like; spare, intelligent and delightful.
Chris & Cosey – Oktober
Spotify is pretty light on C & C but this track represents here because when we – Actual Russian Brides – played our first gig, someone compared us favourably to them and that was a surprise and a compliment.
Gudrun Gut – Rock Bottom Riser
Gut is an inspirational figure on the Berlin indy music scene. I like this track because it uses voice(s) that are detuned, out of key and surprisingly musical. Whether achieved through voice or other instrumentation, this is method always gives me goose bumps when done so well.
Malaria – Geh Duschen
I missed Gudrun Gut’s NDW band, Malaria, first time around but they were remixed in the 00’s including a semi hit with Kaltes Klares Wasser performed by Chicks on Speed. There was also some minimal club tracks around that you couldn’t avoid if you lived in Germany in the 00’s. This Matador remix of Geh Duschen is the perfect combo of MS20, metal snare and processed voice. Best heard loud. (or maybe not with crappy Spotify compression)
Ego Express – Aranda
I just loved this track for its teutonic minimal vibes; questioning with clear sense of purpose with poetic text and perfect production. Just search Mr Google and watch the video
Lali Puna – Antenna Trash
I learn’t about Lali Puna at art school and this track was the epitome of cool there. The combination of sprechgesang and fragile female vocal was unstoppable. I was also lucky enough to see them at Robert Johnson ( a hip club in Offenbach) and unlike many of their ilk, they rocked it live.
2raumwohnung – 2 von Millionen von Sternen
2raumwohnung are household names in Germany. A pop starlet from the 80’s teams up with a 90’s DJ/Producer to ride the popular wave of Wohnzimmerpop in the late nineties. As with the Quarks, their popularity tempted the big labels and consequently records started to come out in english but it never worked so well as in the rectangular German language. I chose this track, partly because of the vocal treatment and partly because of a memory of the track that was licensed for an ad campaign that said (sentimentally) goodbye to the Deutschmark. The art direction and music were like nothing i’d ever seen before.
AGF – Kalt
Another AGF track using absolute minimal vocal effect to maximal impact. Stunning.
Stereo Total – Cosmonaute
Finishing off with a quiet track from those normally raucous and prolific popsters who continue to amaze. They are inventive and smart songwriters who should be more famous.
