Vivod レコード& CD

Review: Attraktors originally surfaced back in 2015 with the Future Systems EP. Made up of members of Six.By.Seven, Bivouac, The Selecter and more besides. Now this eclectic group of coldwave connoisseurs fold that initial EP into a raft of new songs to make up a sterling debut album for Vivod. It's brittle, homespun stuff that opens up a wormhole to the bedroom studio explosion of the 1980s, when lo-fi new wave was king. But there are other dimensions to this record, like the dreamy synth pop of "Mensonge Et La Chute" and the cosmic rock stylings of "Theme From Unknown". For all lovers of the early to mid '80s era, this is an album you won't want to miss.

Review: Emergent duo Broken Arrows were previously spotted lurking around Giallo Disco back in 2015, so you should have some idea of the kind of lurid late night machine sleaze they like to get their hands dirty with. They've now slid over to the sympathetic but marginally more techno-minded Vivod imprint with a new clutch of deviant heaters for those adventurous dancefloor spaces where B-movie sounds reign supreme. "Female Predator" is a tough EBM-tinted workout with plenty of jack in its stack, while "Fear Eats The Soul" takes a more synth-wave approach with some speech samples thrown in for good measure. "Edge Of Darkness" is a more tense affair that pings arpeggios around a minor key refrain, and then "Basic Structure" whips out the hardest track on the record, a lithe industrial stomper laden with rhythmic noise and a mean synth bassline that will hit your solar plexus like a battering ram.

Review: Vivod rescue some Gold Blood material from the archives for their latest hand stamped 12" release, pairing up an original track by the duo (The Chariots and The Good Wife frontman Emile Bojesen and Brassica producer Michael Anthony Wright for the uninitiated) with two remixes. In original form, "The Intruder" finds Gold Blood channelling Liasions Dangereuses with a dash of Trent Reznor attitude thrown in, as Bojesen yelps angrily over a spiky guitar riff. Scottish techno icon Neil Landstrumm remixes "The Intruder", embellishing the track's synthier intricacies wonderfully whilst on the flip the dramatically named Banished To Frigia turn in a snarling remix of "The Friction" which would probably have scared the Nag Nag Nag crew right through back in the days of electroclash.

Review: Thus far the Vivod label has proved to be refreshingly diverse in its approach, with the meaty electro and tripped out Will Powers styled experimentation of the debut release from label boss Ali Renault markedly different to the primitive electronics and early wave of NCW's collaborative twelve with the distinctively titled Piss. It makes sense therefore that the third Vivod release from the wonderfully named Mild Peril should deviate in yet another direction, veering into the realm of resplendent, laid back analogue explorations. The latest creative incarnation of London DJ, musician and "reluctant club promoter" Christopher J Gilbert, Mild Peril digs into his digital archives for a newly remastered version of "Alpha Zone" that chugs gently through six minutes of cosmic synthscapes. Even better is the nine minute "Gamma Zone" which uses the slower pace and extended duration to veer deep into the Balearic core.

Review: The Golden Lands EP marks the second release from Vivod, the limited pressing vinyl only boutique label from famed Cestrian Robot Ali Renault. Whilst Renault himself handled the Vivod debut - with meaty aplomb - this second release from the label turns to sometime Apartment Records artist NCW for two productions, the first of which features the distinctively named Piss. "Golden" evokes early wave and primitive synth sounds, with droning, delay laden vocals floating over a backdrop of gurgling analogues and gazey guitars - one for Minimal Wave fans! Complementing this "Lands" sees NCW draw out an expansive Cosmiche synth scape in a Steve Moore meets Michael Bundt style.

Review: Launched just over a year ago by former Heartbreaker Ali Renault, Vivod has garnered something of a cultish following amongst those with more experimental inclinations. An inaugural release from Renault that featured both meaty EBM and Will Powers at the wrong speed disco freakery has been followed by some lesser known talents that fully convey Vivod's diverse manifesto. Subsequent 12?s from NCW & Piss and Mild Peril couldn't sound any different, touching on early wave, expansive kosmische and deep Balearica, and Renault's return with the SanSicario EP , Vivod"s fourth release, continues in this fashion. Pensive analogue boogie is the best way to describe A Side track "Shnin", which has some neck snapping percussion that Dilla would be proud of, whilst the B Side title track retains the level of melodic and textural warmth whilst operating at a tempo Renault fans will be more familiar with. Check the official video on YouTube too for some North London KISS fans getting psychedelic off play-doh vibes.

Review: Vivod label boss Ali Renault pays tribute to his late friend Peter Mangalore of Human Shield on this moody new EP of twisted electronics. 'Northdown Acid' opens up in downbeat fashion, with glass Italo melodies and busted bass on a rugged groove. 'Imminent Salad' picks its head up to ride a chunky, organic house beat with glistening synths and 'Peter Summoning' is misty and pensive ambient interlude. 'Forbidden Mind' drags its heels to sombre effect, with splashes of cymbal and heavy finger clicks heightening the melancholy. 'Nawce Blizzard' rounds out the EP on a sense of hope and optimism.

Review: Ali Renault's techno bludgeon instrument Vivod gets another notch in its handlebar with this appearance from new Glaswegian venture UNI.OMNI. It's rasping, rabid stuff with distortion and noise in abundance, but these wild elements are actually wielded with a firm grip on opening beast "Acceptance Resistance". "Metaphysical Lives" meanwhile channels some wave influences while keeping up the sense of foreboding, "Sequential Self" gets into a death disco spiral complete with beyond the grave vocals and "Viral Dread" goes even further into the graveyard while keeping the stiff dancefloor pressure dial turned up to 11.