Electro Euphoria – Underground Electronica

Electronica is a genre I haven’t really delved into much, despite being extremely popular for several decades. However, it’s absolutely massive, lending itself to many other styles of music. As such, I decided it was time to finally get on board the electro train, by creating a round-up review of underground bands and artists from the genre. As electronica is so broad, the musicians on this list are all a little different from one another, ensuring all electro fans should find something to love.

Review by Jane Howkins

Picture by Bryonii

Bryonii – Lucid Luv

Lucid Luv starts out pretty slowly, with a meandering synth melody, before the fast drum beat kicks in. The percussion clashes slightly with the keyboard melodies, but it all works surprisingly well, as Bryonii’s sultry vocals drift through the music with ease. As the music progresses, other synth melodies are added, creating something really stunning in the process. It sounds like quite a subtle track at first, but there’s a lot more going on here than first meets the ear, so make sure you listen to it through a few times!

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LSSNS – Radical Eye

LSSNS is a very intriguing proposition, as the trio feature members of seminal rock band The Gentleman Losers. Radical Eye has something of an 80s electro vibe, mixing in moments of the post-punk scene to create something really epic. The synths are vibrant, carrying through the tune in a wonderful way, alongside the pulsating bassline and drums. The vocals have that classic post-punk sound – they’re fairly quiet in the mix, but they’re prominent enough to really add a sense of character into the mix here. This is imperative for all post-punk fans!

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Dream of a Man in a Top Hat – WORRY

It’s been quite a while since we’ve shared new music from Dream of a Man in a Hot Tub, so WORRY is very welcome indeed. It’s got a really cool sound, opening with some awesome guitar melodies, as the synths swirl around in the background. The vocals have quite a rhythmic quality, also sounding very unique in today’s musical climate. A set of synthy chords are added in the background on occasion, creating wonderful layers of sounds within the track. It’s quite a distinctive track, but those into their more experimental music should love it.

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millhope – Searching

It’s time to welcome German producer millhope back to these pages with his awesome new tune, Searching. Searching starts out quietly, with some lovely guitar melodies and synths that intertwine perfect, creating a dreamy ambiance. The drums and bass kick in soon after, as more and more layers are added, creating something really evocative and thought-provoking. It’s an instrumental track, but don’t let that out you off, as millhope has created something really wonderful here, showing just how talented he really is. This is a must listen track for me!

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Lavender Rodriguez – DYSPHORIA

Manchester-based artist Lavender Rodriguez has created something really interesting in DYSPHORIA. It opens with a fantastic bassline, seeing Lavender utilise some really unique synth melodies here, against the driving rhythm. The vocals have a sort of half rapped/half sung sound, with occasional shouts heard in the background, creating a cool call and response quality. The energy stays raised throughout, ensuring your feet will be tapping along to the fast beat in no time. The lyrics are also rather interesting, singing about gender dysphoria and modern gender roles, so take note!

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FICMARO – Now So Am I

Now So Am I is a track from FICMARO’s new record EP2, showing great signs of things to come. It opens with a simple yet effective synth melody, as a fast beat with some awesome high-hat sounds kicks in. There are a lot of backing effects added in here, yet they’re not distracting at all, only adding more to the tune. The bass is also suitably funky, running through the piece in a really stylistic way. The synths disappear about halfway through, allowing the rest of the instrumentation to really shine, before kicking back in with added emphasis towards the end of the piece.

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The Art of the Sun – Dreams

The Art of the Sun is an independent French composer and musician who’s album Imaginary Journeys is set to be released in December. Dreams promises good things, presenting one of the most unique tracks on this list. It’s an extremely busy tune, with so much going on that you’ll need to listen to it a few times over. It features a groovy bassline, as well as several synth layers, all intertwined perfectly with the spoken vocals and numerous backing effects. The guitar solo that appears later on is pretty cool too, adding in another distinctive touch.

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Sambox – Better Life

Better Life is a track taken from French musician Sambox’s new two track EP Deep Time, showing just how talented this artist is. It’s another fairly subtle track, keeping the instrumentation mostly the same throughout, although there are occasional changes added, such as the backing effects and the low vocals that emerge later on. The synths swirl in the background against the throbbing bassline and beat, as little piano chords are placed accordingly, adding a really atmospheric vibe to this tune.

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The Lovepools – Something = Nothing

The Lovepools describe their music as ‘music for hopeless romantics’, something which seems rather apt with Something = Nothing. It’s another track with an 80s pop quality, particularly with the style of the synths that open the song up. However, they’ve also managed to introduce elements of modern electronic and post-punk into the mix, using some intriguing distorted vocals to really add to the ambiance of the piece. The synths are absolutely sublime here, mixing well with the slow bassline, grabbing your attention from the very first listen.

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Movment – I Believe in Noise

I Believe in Noise is quite an interesting track, as it’s actually more of a rock song than anything else, although I still felt it fit here, due to the occasional synthy sounds that appear. It’s got quite a driving rhythm, melding perfectly with the heavy riffs and bassline, chugging along in a gritty way. The track has quite a menacing sound, creating a suitable atmosphere for the themes present in the lyrics. Movment’s vocals are strong and powerful, carrying the lyrics along in an impressive way, belting out the titular refrain on the chorus in style.

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J Lym – Ride

Ride is another intriguing piece of work, seeing J Lym use a whole host of intriguing sound effects to create something really distinctive. The backing effects are a little discordant at first, but they work surprisingly well, fitting the fast percussion of the tune suitably. The vocals soon appear, running through the piece in a rhythmic way, adding a cool sound to this fittingly unique track. It breaks down a little towards the end, before building back up again, working its way along to a satisfying conclusion. One for those into their more experimental electronica!

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juuku – always

juuku is a musician and visual artist, showing lots of talent! always is more of an EDM track, although it still fits this list perfectly. It starts pretty slowly with some lush female vocals and simplistic piano chords, before the fast percussion kicks in. The drums sound like something out of a drum and bass tune, really amplifying the energy here. The vocals use quite a lot of autotune and other effects, which I’m normally not a massive fan of, but they work really well with the style of music. The dynamic changes also keep you constantly guessing as to what’s coming next.

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