5 Years of NFOP

Come celebrate with us: Urban Spree, May 24, 4pm

Listen to the NFOP Radio Show on Berlin Community Radio

Every Friday at 4pm CET

Raw Thrills: “Top Gun Cruisin”/“Psychedelic Wave Music”.

30 Apr 2012 — Henning Lahmann
Don't know when or how he's doing it, but Zak Mering is keeping himself astonishingly prolific, dropping new projects and/or LPs and EPs every other day. This time it's not one but two brand new offerings made under his principal Raw Thrills moniker, Top Gun Cruisin and Psychedelic Wave Music. While the latter EP, well, amounts to psychedelic wave music, gathering eight relatively short synth instrumentals that develop a distinctly cinematic feel, a soundtrack to an imaginary 80s b-movie if you will, the former may legitimately be deemed another proper full-length. With a length of 51 minutes, Top Gun Cruisin has Mering turning his back on the late 60s psych re-interpretations/re-imaginations that were the main feature of his latest transmissions, and now (again) devoting himself to 80s-informed weirdo wave music that is actually not all that far from his efforts as part of Greatest Hits, even if less custom-made for the dancefloor. Get both excellent releases for free digitally, Top Gun Cruisin here (a cassette will follow via Sixteen Tambourines), and Psychedelic Wave Music here. If you haven't done so already, be sure to get your hands on Raw Thrills' latest killer LP Sick Steez as well, which is also now out on Sixteen Tambourines. Raw Thrills - Bears & Squares (from Top Gun Cruisin) Raw Thrills - Till I Die (from Psychedelic Wave Music) Read more → Don't know when or how he's doing it, but Zak Mering is keeping himself astonishingly prolific, dropping new projects and/or LPs and EPs every other day. This time it's not one but two brand new offerings made under his principal Raw Thrills moniker, Top Gun Cruisin and Psychedelic Wave Music. While the latter EP, well, amounts to psychedelic wave music, gathering eight relatively short synth instrumentals that develop a distinctly cinematic feel, a soundtrack to an imaginary 80s b-movie if you will, the former may legitimately be deemed another proper full-length. With a length of 51 minutes, Top Gun Cruisin has Mering turning his back on the late 60s psych re-interpretations/re-imaginations that were the main feature of his latest transmissions, and now (again) devoting himself to 80s-informed weirdo wave music that is actually not all that far from his efforts as part of Greatest Hits, even if less custom-made for the dancefloor. Get both excellent releases for free digitally, Top Gun Cruisin here (a cassette will follow via Sixteen Tambourines), and Psychedelic Wave Music here. If you haven't done so already, be sure to get your hands on Raw Thrills' latest killer LP Sick Steez as well, which is also now out on Sixteen Tambourines. Raw Thrills - Bears & Squares (from Top Gun Cruisin) Raw Thrills - Till I Die (from Psychedelic Wave Music)

Innergaze: “Mutual Dreaming”.

30 Apr 2012 — Henning Lahmann
Somehow unanticipated, stellar new LP by Innergaze aka Brooklyn duo Jason Letkiewicz and Aurora Halal. We already loved their dancefloor bangers for 100% SILK last year, but without doubt this may be considered another huge leap forward: Mutual Dreaming gathers some of the most killer coldwave tracks we've heard in a while, effortlessly merging the duo's disco leanings with early 80s minimal synth music, an excellent combination all along that somehow feels just right. Listen to the album's title track and the equally excellent "Is This Your Love" below. Mutual Dreaming is out now via Minimal Wave subdividion Cititrax. Get it here or (in Europe) here. Read more → Somehow unanticipated, stellar new LP by Innergaze aka Brooklyn duo Jason Letkiewicz and Aurora Halal. We already loved their dancefloor bangers for 100% SILK last year, but without doubt this may be considered another huge leap forward: Mutual Dreaming gathers some of the most killer coldwave tracks we've heard in a while, effortlessly merging the duo's disco leanings with early 80s minimal synth music, an excellent combination all along that somehow feels just right. Listen to the album's title track and the equally excellent "Is This Your Love" below. Mutual Dreaming is out now via Minimal Wave subdividion Cititrax. Get it here or (in Europe) here.

JRG: “Just Because”.

30 Apr 2012 — Henning Lahmann
Philadelphia bedroom artist JRG aka Julien Rossow-Greenberg makes some pretty honest pop music based on heavily reverberated, muffled vocals and gently meandering, fuzzed-out guitars over slow burning drum machine patterns so unashamedly dreamy and solipsistic it feels strangely fallen out of time in 2012, like music from a not so distant blogosphere heyday buzz past that would've made the folks over at Transparent happy and proud back in the day, basically music like a faint memory of a time when there still was dream pop to get all excited and transparent about. Which should not speak against the music itself, in no way whatsoever: After all, this is the stuff that made us start this thing named NFOP in the first place. So get lost, get lost reminiscing my friends. "Just Because" is part of JRG's The Dreamers' EP, out on Treetop Sorbet. Get it here. Read more → Philadelphia bedroom artist JRG aka Julien Rossow-Greenberg makes some pretty honest pop music based on heavily reverberated, muffled vocals and gently meandering, fuzzed-out guitars over slow burning drum machine patterns so unashamedly dreamy and solipsistic it feels strangely fallen out of time in 2012, like music from a not so distant blogosphere heyday buzz past that would've made the folks over at Transparent happy and proud back in the day, basically music like a faint memory of a time when there still was dream pop to get all excited and transparent about. Which should not speak against the music itself, in no way whatsoever: After all, this is the stuff that made us start this thing named NFOP in the first place. So get lost, get lost reminiscing my friends. "Just Because" is part of JRG's The Dreamers' EP, out on Treetop Sorbet. Get it here.

Clu: “Evening Ever”.

30 Apr 2012 — Tonje Thilesen
Very impressive new track of Dublin's electronic duo Clu, slightly in veins of the somewhat darker outfit The-Drum, but definitely leaning on a more glitchy, textureous sound. A new video accompanying the song is due to next week, but if you haven't already seen the stunning video piece for "What Can I Say?", then we'd urge you to do so below. Read more → Very impressive new track of Dublin's electronic duo Clu, slightly in veins of the somewhat darker outfit The-Drum, but definitely leaning on a more glitchy, textureous sound. A new video accompanying the song is due to next week, but if you haven't already seen the stunning video piece for "What Can I Say?", then we'd urge you to do so below.

Three Fields: “Slow”.

30 Apr 2012 — Tonje Thilesen
This beautifully crafted gem from Birmingham's Three Fields recently popped up in our inbox, and to my surprise sounded a lot more pop-y than the Boards of Canada esque track we posted back in October last year. I'm still surprised to see how little coverage this mysterious producer has gotten so far, being comparable to our Irish friends Solar Bears or even Epic45, star-gazing but intimate electronic ambient. The brand new track "Slow" is a b-side taken from his rather impressive debut album Cambridge Blue, available from today via Bandcamp. Three Fields - Slow Read more → This beautifully crafted gem from Birmingham's Three Fields recently popped up in our inbox, and to my surprise sounded a lot more pop-y than the Boards of Canada esque track we posted back in October last year. I'm still surprised to see how little coverage this mysterious producer has gotten so far, being comparable to our Irish friends Solar Bears or even Epic45, star-gazing but intimate electronic ambient. The brand new track "Slow" is a b-side taken from his rather impressive debut album Cambridge Blue, available from today via Bandcamp. Three Fields - Slow

Pure Lands: “Water”.

30 Apr 2012 — Henning Lahmann
Massive collaboration between our man Hamish Trevis aka Kinlaw and LA-based producer Bodhi Beats. "Water" is a considerably short treat but nonetheless very remarkable, neatly merging Kinlaw's intricate beat works and off-kilter sampling with the gloomy post-chillwave/witch house rumblings of Bodhi Beats. Not sure what the two are up to next, but be sure to give this thing here a couple of spins. Read more → Massive collaboration between our man Hamish Trevis aka Kinlaw and LA-based producer Bodhi Beats. "Water" is a considerably short treat but nonetheless very remarkable, neatly merging Kinlaw's intricate beat works and off-kilter sampling with the gloomy post-chillwave/witch house rumblings of Bodhi Beats. Not sure what the two are up to next, but be sure to give this thing here a couple of spins.

Video Sunday vol. 25

29 Apr 2012 — Tonje Thilesen
This week's Video Sunday of course features the magical new video for Perfume Genius' "Dark Parts" and the first unofficial submission for the past seven days' most buzzed-about track "Obedear" by Purity Ring, but on top there's also very nice contributions by our favorite Julia Holter together with Jib Kidder, Vincent Stockholm's take on My Brightest Diamond, Sorne, and Denmark's widely acclaimed newcomer twin duo Kirsten & Marie. Enjoy our selection. Perfume Genius - Dark Parts (directed by Winston H. Case) Julia Holter & Jib Kidder - My Baby Purity Ring - Obedear (unofficial video by Zynthesized) My Brightest Diamond - Vincent Stockholm remix (by Iris Piers) Sorne - Children Of The Black Mountain (by Javier Antonio Avellán & Morgan Sorne) Kirsten & Marie - Na Na NaNa NaNa NaNa (by by Pernille Nygaard & Aske Zidore) Read more → This week's Video Sunday of course features the magical new video for Perfume Genius' "Dark Parts" and the first unofficial submission for the past seven days' most buzzed-about track "Obedear" by Purity Ring, but on top there's also very nice contributions by our favorite Julia Holter together with Jib Kidder, Vincent Stockholm's take on My Brightest Diamond, Sorne, and Denmark's widely acclaimed newcomer twin duo Kirsten & Marie. Enjoy our selection. Perfume Genius - Dark Parts (directed by Winston H. Case) Julia Holter & Jib Kidder - My Baby Purity Ring - Obedear (unofficial video by Zynthesized) My Brightest Diamond - Vincent Stockholm remix (by Iris Piers) Sorne - Children Of The Black Mountain (by Javier Antonio Avellán & Morgan Sorne) Kirsten & Marie - Na Na NaNa NaNa NaNa (by by Pernille Nygaard & Aske Zidore)

Steezy Ray Vibes: “Empty City”.

29 Apr 2012 — Tonje Thilesen
Seriously impressed by this amazing pop gem of Yalls' new project Steezy Ray Vibes, introduced to us a few days ago by none other than The Fader, a perfect soundtrack to walking home through, well, a complete empty city. We're very excited to see what he's up to next. Read more → Seriously impressed by this amazing pop gem of Yalls' new project Steezy Ray Vibes, introduced to us a few days ago by none other than The Fader, a perfect soundtrack to walking home through, well, a complete empty city. We're very excited to see what he's up to next.
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