V/A Infrastructure (CD Album – Banoffeesound)
Genre/Influences: Dance, electro-pop, wave-pop, cinematographic.
Background/Info: Banoffeesound is a British label you maybe know from bands like Spray, Anna Stimpson, Empire State Human or Ricardo Autobahn. The label has released an interesting and definitely conceptual release featuring 9 bands. The common element between all those bands is the use of the Arp Odyssey synthesizer. This is a legendary analogue synthesizer, which is actually still manufactured.
Bands: Eight To Infinity, Ricardo Autobahn, Jules Verne Theory, CNSNNT, Juhl Krose, Arron Clague, King Of Owls, The Attery Squash, Arina B.
Content: The featured bands deal with different kinds of music. This compilation moves from dance/house inspired music towards electro-pop and also cinematographic music. The common touch between most of the bands is a kind of ‘space’-like sound flavor hanging over the songs. That’s probably the magic effect of the synthesizer.
+ + + : Speaking for myself I like this kind of concept, which first of all is a way to remind so-called musicians that composing electronic music is much more than simply using software synths. Analogue synthesizers will always have this unique and powerful touch a software synth will never have. The compilation is pretty diversified in genres and global sound approach. I have a preference for the wave-pop from Jules Verne Theory, the raw, danceable treatments of King Of Owls and the somewhat acid-minded approach from Ricardo Autobahn.
– – – : I prefer the concept of the album instead of the varied content. “Infrastructure” clearly sounds more like a (deserved) propaganda and demonstration of an analogue synthesizer and less like a compilation with some homogeneity in the bands and the genre they’re dealing with.
Conclusion: I don’t want to reactivate an old dilemma: analogue- or digital synthesizers, but speaking for myself I think analogue gear will always have this unique sound DNA.
Best bands: King Of Owls, Ricardo Autobahn, Jules Verne Theory, CNSNNT.
Rate: (7).
Label: www.facebook.com/pg/banoffeesound
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