Hassan K. - Talab (2014)

Darling Dada

Bandcamp

/World fusion, Conceptual, Electronic, Alternative, Jazz, Crossover, Surf music, Electro-metal/

Comment: Keyvane Alinaghi aka Hassan K is a French musician of Iranian/Persian heritage whose oeuvre is being influenced by glorious cultural traditions of his native-land and on the other side it involves many the Western/European music elements. In a word, it is a poignant melting pot for arousing your sensations and feels. This time his music is being inspired by Mantiq at-Tayr, a Sufist poem from middle-age Persia. More concretely, the album starts off with To The Raksh Mobile! drawing on moving metal riffs and electronic Middle Eastern melody progressions to be interwoven with one another. 110 Sédâ Kardan is an attention-getting surf attack with spiky brass sections and electronic pins atop. Chrini is a calmed down downbeat progression to provide you a somehow otherworldly feeling. Iran has unfortunately been demonized by the Western media with regard to an alleged nuclear program in recent years. Haji Firuz is something about Persian ethnic music varicoloured with free jazz induced threads and grooves. By listening to this bunch more carefully you can discern even more sublime vamps and effects. Technically the issue is set up with uncommon solutions to create sonorously something refreshing and superior. This set of 13 notches and additionally Alinaghi`s previous albums could be a good promotion to perceive the Persian people`s dimensional inner life.  

Jankenpopp - Zombie Media (2013)

Darling Dada

/Chiptune, Nintendocore, Hip-hop, 8-bit, Breakcore, Tracker music, Noise, Chipbreak, Robot pop, Bitpop, Electro pop/

Comment: although tracker music/8-bit/chiptune was one of the first genres in music conjured with computers it is still actual and up-to-date after 25-30 years either. Jankenpopp`s 4-track issue is a protuberant exemplar of it – the result is a droid-alike one where machines have been set up in a way to rap and perform their angular dancing movements in a hectic way. However, they will be evolving into autarkic state stepwise revealing their cutting-edge tendencies to bestow noise impulses and disintegrated electro debris to the pot. Of course, the extra point comes with adding some humorous aspects to the whole. In a nutshell, the outlet is amusing, still human-friendly (or not yet misanthropic) and challenging to get infatuated and switch on the repeat button. Timeless stuff.              

Klaten – Klaten (2011)

Darling Dada

/Electro pop, Breakcore, Modern classical, Hi-NRG, Trap, Kitsch, Glitch electro, Alternative dance, Sampledelic, Experimental electro/

Comment: Klaten`s self-titled issue is about searching for balance between suggestive harmonies and rhythmic structures keen to experiments and new outputs. Repetitive, even slightly obsessive broken beats, galvanized cadence tops, glitch-y noise washes and acidic harmonies on the top used to get propulsive impulses from Detroit and Cologne. However, Klaten likes to experiment with disparate kind of sounds at the first sight. For instance, Le Globo is embellished with classical music samples thus providing a more baroque edge to the whole. It is produced in an adept way, however, revealing also a humorous aspect within it. The opening track Connes Sequences is an example of infantile kitsch-y-glitch-y splice. Mirlifore does expose a catchy disco hook, and The Bends is a dizzy micro-sample based jazz and big band oldie`s crossover. And so forth and so forth. Especially the second half of this 12-track issue is a frantic cerebral party. The Paris-based author himself classifies the sound as choupi-core. Anyway, by watching the listening times at Lastfm it can say Klaten`s music waits to be discovered and properly estimated. Having a little more than 1,000 times afforded by the listeners over there is a bare fact of being underrated shamefully. By the way, the album was the first notch in the discography of Darling Dada, a French experimental but eclectic record label.          

Hassan K. – Birds (2012)

Darling Dada

Bandcamp

• Alternative
• Surf pop
• Electronic pop
• Big beat
• World music
• Sampledelic
• Crossover

Comment: typified by abrupt changes of mood from track to track this 13-track pastiche constitutes an uncanny combination of surf guitars riffs, mid-tempo glowering electronica, more accelerated electro and big beat loaded breaks, and Orient-inspired sampledelic progressions (tanpura drones and singing). However, some tracks are way too short therefore to be considered as snippets or outtakes rather than full-fledged compositions. Quite frequently Hassan K`s electronic explorations come quite close to Dave Keifer aka Cagey House`s haunting, otherworldly chiming chamber electronica. Once again, those surf guitars and oriental chants used to undulate in a great way.           

Logosamphia - eLastique (2013)

Darling Dada

Bandcamp

• Primitronica
• Breakcore
• Chipnoise
• Tracker music
• Avant-pop
• Leftfield
• Dada pop
• Mood music
• Experimental electronica
• 8-bit
• Sampledelic 
• Acid
• Toytronica
• Electro pop
• Dark electro

Outstanding tracks:

Modern Phork And Cerial

Plastique Jupiter

Cosmetique Canard

Centaure Fille

Tehran Tornado

Salesman Tragedy

Harmonique Friend feat. Boris Oud