Tag: Slava: voice of the people

In the early 90s, there was this amazing independent record label called Blonde Vinyl Records. They were putting out all sorts of alternative music from punk to alternative folk to goth rock and even industrial. In 1992, they put out this amazing electronic music compilation called SLAVA Compilation: Voice of the People. While it was compiled of all electronic music, the styles ranged from harsh EBM to industrial dance to synth pop and techno. It also featured a mix of unsigned artists as well as a few artists with albums out through Blonde Vinyl or other labels.… Continued →

This synth-pop powerhouse hailed from New Mexico, and was spearheaded by Joey Belville. They debuted in 1994 with a light, upbeat, joyful and relatively simplistic take on synth-pop with the aptly-titled Defend Your Joy. Produced by Ronnie Martin (Joy Electric, etc.), the album oozed of positivity and an almost naive optimism. And yet, it never came off as cheesy, disingenuous, or otherwise off-putting. In fact, I think the title track is a great song to kick off a new year with. I don’t know what your 2024 was like–joyful, sorrowful, challenging, rewarding, or something else–but a focus on the joy of the Lord is always appropriate.… Continued →

It’s been a while since I’ve featured any industrial music, so this seems like a good time to remedy that. globalWAVEsystem has been around since the early 90s, playing a harsh form of electronic industrial or EBM. At times the music is danceable, but it had a much harsher, darker edge than Deitiphobia or November Commandment. Yet the songs were more structured than Mental Destruction or Blackhouse and there were never any guitars present. In fact, their niche take on the genre is probably what kept them from getting broader exposure and more fans than their counterparts in Mortal, Circle of Dust, and the aforementioned artists.… Continued →