NP217 Roman Nails – ‘Artificial Sense’ C26
Roman Nails is the current electronic music project of Cooper Bowman of Melbourne Australia who has spent time with other projects such as Flat Fix and the Altered States Cassette Label. Cooper orbits around much of the Melbourne scene that we respect greatly from afar such as Total Control, Dick Diver, and Night-People alumni such as Fingers and Superstar. Its always hard to describe that subtle IT factor that a particular band or music project has, those little things that set it apart somehow from other similar music or that which makes the music stand out to these ears. Roman Nails has a special quality, something that is humble and mysterious. The project is based around analog electronics and rides its own vein of raw minimalism that doesnt fall into getting to blown out and focuses on retaining detail. Distinct melodies and synth sounds glide over evolving rhythms to create hypnotic compositions not overly oriented to one stylistic approach or genre tag. Another sweet surprise from Australia.
NP218 Germ Class C26
Germ Class is a collaboration between the mysterious German Army who has worked with Night-People in the past and Dunes the LA based dreamy pop trio with prior releases on Post Present Medium. The collaboration rests a bit closer to Germany Armys past work then Dunes but its a collaboration that is very much a sum of its parts in outcome and keeps with a focused but experimental approach overall. Loose drum patterns form the base for drifting vocals pages that balance between the industrial grit and darkness of German Army and the more melodic ethereal qualities of Dunes work. Overall the music sounds a bit like the less harsh aspects of Throbbing Gristles catalog meeting up with the more experimental sides of early Cocteau Twins. An interesting listen throughout that fits nicely into the eclectic nature of the Night-People catalog.
NP216 Free Music – ‘Kool Toad/Great Music’ C30
Free Music/Kool Toad is William Statler who grew up in the Twin Cities and kicked it in a few bands before transplanting to call Seattle home. Some mutual friends and Twin Cities connections along with William sending us a demo in the mail started the process towards working together and this release taking shape. The demo we got from William was one of those exclamation points that rarely turns up in the mail and instantly impressed. Free Music is eclectic but focused musically, riding a bit of an outsider thread and mutating strains of techno, acid house, and various synth pop strains into something totally unique upbeat and pop music memorable in the best ways. This release is meticulously crafted with utmost variety and consideration towards detail but is generated largely from improvisational methods. Beyond being a friend and artist we are working with Williams music is some of the best being made in the contemporary context and we are excited for what hes cooking up for the near future.
NP215 Blossuming Mums – ‘Dithering Mornings’ C30
Blossoming Mums is a recent project created by long time Night-People alumni and friend Robert Robinson who has been holding it down in Western Massachusetts for many years now with his excellent band Sore Eros. Blossoming Mums is a collaboration between Robert and Amanda Freeman of the Baby Barnyard project. The duo creates music that is obviously part of the Sore Eros aesthetic but stretches out in a different direction to be more ambient, drifting, and hazy in its minimalist psychedelic pop sensibilities and is very reflective of an early morning or late evening Western Mass country landscape. Blossoming Mums let the spaces and drawn out portions of sounds speak just as much as the rich deep melodies they create. Great well recorded polished dreamy music for summer or fall chilling out.
NP214 Principality – ‘Glass’ C26
When Night-People packed up and moved to the Twin Cities one of the first bands on our radar was Minneapolis trio Claps and the bands front man Patrick Donohoe who was a standout person in terms of welcoming us with open arms and showing much kindness, gratitude, and general positive energy towards the label. Principality is one of a few excellent projects Pat is involved with exploring different aspects of post punk, new wave, weirdo pop, industrial, minimal synth and all things beyond and in between. Pat is joined in Principality by friends and scene vets Teddy Borth, Mark Matejcek and Ollie Moltaji to create a band that rides the darker more romantic sides of post punk to dynamic effect without any sense of pretentiousness or fashion getting in the way of the music. Recorded just down the block from Night People HQ by Matt Castore at a Harder Commune Studio, this release showcases some of the best of what the Twin Cities has to offer.
NP213 Boy Harsher – ‘Lesser Man’ C32
Dark electronic duo Boy Harsher is Jae Matthews and Augustus Muller who reside in Western MA via Savannah GA. The band forming in Savannah fits with the gritty heavy EBM and Industrial approach to dance music Boy Harsher are flirting with, a sound that evokes images of a dark romantic sultry environment. Jae Matthews confessional and emotionally delivered vocals work as a nice ethereal and spontaneous foil to Agugstus Mullers precise pounding poly rhythmic machine grooves to create dance music that is as heavy as it is soulful. Recorded at Dollhouse studios by Peter Mavrogeorgis and released prior by the Soft Science label, Night People is hoping to spread the word a bit further about any already great band with this release.