Usually a strictly solo project, for ‘Circus’ Black Devil invited an array of talented and eclectic singers to help create a dazzling disco pop opus.
The album opens with the apocalyptic visions of Jon Spencer of the legendary Jon Spencer Blues Explosion before Nancy Fortune transports us to a piano bar in a distant galaxy.
’X Paradise’ is where Aja Emma of Canadian Electro Pop outfit Cosmetics chooses to hang, while Faris Badwan of The Horrors is trapped in a dream ‘impossible for us’.
Claire Evans of Yacht tells us that she would prefer to ‘Stay Insane’ and that if Jesus was to return to earth we would surely kill him!
You thought that was strange? Well here’s Nancy Sinatra….yep that Nancy Sinatra, daughter of Frank, singer of ‘These Boots Are Made For Walking’ and maybe things are getting a bit lighter but as she sings ‘take care my friend’ for she is ‘Too Ardent’ I’m not so sure.
The gears shift and we’re hurtling along an electronic highway, surely Tron should have sounded like this? Sequencers pulse like crazy as CocknBullKid prays for salvation.
Deeper into the night like a scene from Videodrome we find Nicolas Kerr of Poni Hoax lost in his screen.
For the penultimate track the devil himself returns and croons seductively, abetted by Michael Lovett of Nazca Lines.
To crown an already supremely unusual listening experience, we leave the extraordinary, seminal Afrikaa Bambaataa to deliver the final words, revealing who and what Black Devil really is….he wishes to escape but as we all know ‘the Devil is magnetic’.
Astonishing set of tracks. Really high quality throughout. That Moderna and Theus Mago track is on repeat…. Made a mix of my favourites: https://www.mixcloud.com/pearse-ohalloran/freak-a-holic-the-new-wave-acid-punx-compilation-mix/ pjcakes79
Too many favorites to pick but such an emotionally provoking album, it’s powerful, dark, sexy, terrifying, and story telling.
Top 3
1,4, and 5. tiariel
This compilation of ambient, deep house, and idm tracks, from Karelia, Russia-based label Laes, sheds light on a thriving underground scene. Bandcamp New & Notable Jul 24, 2019
Emotionally stirring avant-techno from Surgeons Girl, offering a field of percolating analog synths to get lost in. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 18, 2022
This album locks in a light, bouncy groove and sustains it through its entirety. The way the synths, samples, and percussion weave through each other and unfold is just brilliant. One of my favorites of recent memory. More please!!! aguynamedmarco