En Esch - “Spank!” CD

Cool electro-rock from former KMFDM wildman

The enigmatic former co-frontman for KMFDM and Pigface here releases his second true solo album, and it’s a solid, enjoyable electro-rock album that falls right in line with his past work, with elements of hard rock and metal as well as clubby dance elements.

Opening with the club-metal of “12345” (which features a guest appearance from Tim Skold), the album heads into the anthemic “Hard On”, which would fit well on any KMFDM album. “Give The People What They Want” recalls Esch’s 1993 solo album, “Cheesy”, with a groovy electro-funk grunge sound. “Soul To Steal” is a trance-electronica cut that brings the exotic vocals of Trixie Reiss to the forefront. Further cuts bring present En Esch’s sense of humor (as in the silly interlude “I Hop”) before diving back into his aggressive rock-dance melding (the menacing “No Guts No Glory”). En Esch has retained the sound(s) that made him famous so many years ago, as well as kept the sense of experimentation that seems to have left Sascha’s KMFDM a long time ago. As much as I hate comparing En Esch’s work 20 years later to his formative act, the link is still there, and En Esch does it as well or, in many cases, better. 

Distortion Productions

En Esch solo site

Dessau - "The Truth Hurts" CD

It's been a long road for Nashville-based industrial rock act Dessau. Centered around programmer/vocalist John Elliott, Dessau saw relative success in the form of actual MTV airplay and a club hit with 1990's "Isolation". Elliott worked alongside such genre heavyweights as Al Jourgensen and Paul Barker of Ministry, as well as famed Joy Division producer Martin Hannett, among many others. And, truth be told, these co-conspirators are a good way to describe the overall sound of Dessau. "The Truth Hurts" isn't so much a new album (the last one of those for Dessau was 1995), but a collection of unreleased sessions, alternate mixes, early vinyl cuts, and a pair of live Joy Division covers. In short, a treasure trove for fans, and a superb intro for the uninitiated. Dessau's work here moves from the brooding cover of Ministry's early synthpop gem "Revenge" (here amped up and ready to fight), to the boldly anthemic (yet catchy) "Sun", to the dubby trip-hop instrumental "Chalkline", which boasts of production by Chicago's Die Warzau team. It's hard and heavy all the way on "The Truth Hurts", with good hooks, as in the concussion-inducing dance rock leviathan, "Beijing", presented here in an unreleased mix/version. The earlier material (recorded circa 1985) is a little less angry, and more melodic, as evidenced by tracks like the almost new-wavey "Crutch Of Utility". All-in-all, a uniformly consistent collection, and hopefully a harbinger of new material for Elliott and Dessau. (WTII Records)



Godsend Interview with Dessau, 1995

Dessau Discography @ Godsend

Die Warzau - "Vinyl88" CD

Who would've thought that the finest electronic-rock (aka 'industrial') album in recent years would come from an almost-forgotten duo of producers/artists who've only released 2 albums in 14 years?
Chicago's Die Warzau, consisting of programmer Van Christie and vocalist Jim Marcus here unleash a torrent of classic heavy funk-laced electro-stompers with finesse and a keen socio-political conscience.
'Vinyl88' is a kind of 'best of' set, but these mostly-90's-era dancefloor greats are remixed and remade, and wow, do they smoke! Beginning with the previously download-only 'Insect', which has some of the most stunning production I've heard on a track of this nature in many a year (this one is great to work out/test speakers with), Christie and Marcus prove they have the songwriting chops as well as production skills to spare (a necessity in this genre) . I can't forget to mention that 'Insect', while being ultra-aggressive and bruisingly heavy from start to finish, has a killer melody underlying it all - a superb and effective combination.
The moldy oldie 'Land Of The Free', which was written in the late 80's, is here transformed into a thunderous and fearsome dance beast, while an obscure KMFDM remix of 'All Good Girls' (surely the band's melodic tour-de-force) is welcome, and certainly a must-hear. New track 'Glare' is a pop-oriented piece with accents of trip-hop and old jazz (check the wild and scratchy vinyl brass solo in the middle). The groovy remake of 'Funkopolis' forces you to shake that booty, and 'Kleen', another new track, is one of the smartest and catchiest slices of electronic pop you're likely to hear anytime soon. 'Smackdown' (reprised from an old vinyl-only 12") includes vocals by the always classy and stylish Scot Chris Connelly (of Revolting Cocks and solo fame). And speaking of guest vocals, how about George Clinton himself on the album's closer, 'Hitler's Brain'? Die Warzau 2008, where have you been? A mammoth, massive, and unmistakeable success. (Rosehip/Pulseblack Records)

Die Warzau website