Electronic Music

Album Of The Week: Machinekit- GODDAMNVANITY

Well, I can officially say I have a favorite album of 2025 so far. I’ve been completely enthralled with the new album, GODDAMNVANITY by Los Angeles based industrial-techno punks, Machinekit. The ten song album is one hell of a gut punch in a totally great way. Inspired by a recurring dream of a woman singing, “Come home, Honeycomb,” Machinekit has put together an album that plays out partly like an internal breakdown that summons all the anger, hate, despair, and inspired pain into a cocoon that develops into a beautifully yet brutal show of force that on the other side comes a sense of self acceptance and growth.

GODDAMNVANITY is an album that not only strikes hard at the times we live in but, also shows the imperfections of each person. When you take that and add an abrasive yet powerful sound that is dynamic in its influences and inspirations. The way the electronic components mix with the aggressive guitars and rhythms along with tinges of ambience, noise and cinematic moments makes this for one hell of a listening experience. It’s one of those ear candy albums for you audiophiles out there.

Machinekit have drilled in on exactly their sound on this album. This album has quite a few twists and turns on it as well that leaves you wanting to keep listening again and again. Frontman, multi-instrumentalist and producer John Rojas, along with drummer Ryan Janke, guitarist Alexander Gillen, bassist Jeremey Trujeque and multi-instrumentalist, Aj Fructuoso bring the chaos needed to usher in 2025!

Overall Rating: 9/10

Machinekit- GODDAMNVANITY:

The Other Side: Noumenah

Over the last few years electronic music has taken the world by storm. It’s in everything you hear these days pretty much. Through the flood of electronic artists, there are a few that have really done something interesting with it and expanded upon the sound. One such artist is Noumenah also known as Andrew John Napier. His music draws from an expansive and eclectic myriad of influences. On his debut album, Seet, the lush soundscapes feel like they belong as part of a score. The interesting part of Napier’s music on this album, these instrumental tracks feel completely immersive. There is a bit of a narrative to it all as you listen. The ebb and flow of the parts and rhythms make this album something more than just your average electronic album. Having depth in this genre can really take the music to new heights and Noumenah does that with the right elements.

Noumenah- Seer:

Beats Per Minute: Robots With Rayguns

Because electronic music has become such a force within music, I felt compelled to start a category to feature the best electronic artists I’ve come across. Beats Per Minute will showcase all these bands/artists and give you a nice cross section of different styles and genres within the electronic music scene.

For this first one I’d like to introduce to you Robots With Rayguns. Formed by Lucas Patrick Smith in Phoenix, Arizona, Robots With Rayguns oozes with synth driven ballads a la 80’s New Wave and bits of modern electronica. The latest release Slow Jams is a concept album that incorporates all new songs along with revamped versions of older RWR songs. After taking the time to listen to the entire album, there is definitely a sense of continuity between all the songs and it creates a very intriguing “good time” vibe. The way the songs play out in the “ballad” format gives the album a bit of a 70’s R & B vibe as well.

Normally this isn’t something I would gravitate to but there is certainly something catchy about Robots With Rayguns that sticks out. The “good time” vibe that I mentioned above is contagious. You could put this entire album on while having a party, and I’m sure you’d start seeing people dancing out of nowhere.

Pre-order the 2 x LP vinyl via Sofa King Vinyl HERE

Robots With Rayguns- Slow Jams:

Band Of The Week: 20SIX Hundred

In this day and age, electronic music has really taken over. The one thing with so much electronic music is, most people don’t know how to do it right. Enter 20SIX HUNDRED. Darren Jones has taken his love of electronic/synth music and created a soundscape rather than just beats. His ability to create a “score” rather than the same repetitive sounds is impressive and feels natural and not forced. Do you remember the John Carpenter films and the music that accompanied them? That’s what this reminds me of. Among the John Carpenter influence, there is also a bit of a video game sound too, that makes this a bit more cinematic. 20SIX HUNDRED is the perfect soundtrack for today’s electronic crowd. You can also pre-order the new album, The Cold Rise From Sleep, on vinyl by Darren over at Sofa King Vinyl.

20SIX HUNDRED- The Cold Rise From Sleep:

The Cold Rise From Sleep VINYL ORDER PROMO!!

20SIX HUNDRED Live:

Band Of The Week: Antiwave

We live in a very interesting time for music. Electronic music is more prevalent than ever. There is an element to electronic music that if used properly, can make for some really intriguing music. Which brings me to Antiwave. Formed by singer-guitarist-keyboardists Heather Baker and Rachel Sinfield, Antiwave is bringing something special to the table. Mixing bits of Portishead, The Cure, Garbage and the very underrated Air, Antiwave is a band that brings an element of light to the darkness of the goth-synth genre. Their first single “Holiday Heart” is a great way to introduce the band. The song is quite a reflection of influences and of life. You can tell by listening that Heather and Rachel are making music they really connect with. Antiwave is definitely a band to watch out for.

Antiwave- Holiday Heart:

or on YouTube:

You Might Have Missed: Error

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Way back in 2003/2004 there was a group that consisted of Atticus Ross (Nine Inch Nails), Leopold Ross and Brett Gurewitz (Bad Religion). This group came about when Atticus was messing around in the studio and came up with some very interesting sounds that could become songs. Not long after the inception of the songs, Atticus recruited his brother Leopold to play drums and Bad Religion guitarist to play guitar and bass. On vocals Greg Puciato (The Dillinger Escape Plan) was asked to take on the vocals for the EP.

The end result of this collaboration brought 5 songs of pure electronic hardcore with a healthy dose of industrial. You can tell from listening to this EP, why Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross work so well together. The songs are blistering and uncompromising. After the 5 songs finish, the EP leaves you wanting more but, it also leaves you pumped up and ready for anything.

Sadly though it is unlikely that Error will return anytime in the future as discussed in a 2009 interview. However, in a 2011 interview with Greg Puciato, he discussed the possibility of doing a second EP with Error. I personally would love to hear a new EP. Greg will be done with Dillinger soon, so why not!

Error- Error EP:

Band Of The Week: Youth Code

Over the last few years electronic music has made a strong impact among many people. There has been a sort of “craze” about it and the scene has become flush with many different groups and genres. I’ve always dug on certain aspects of electronic music like, industrial and trip hop. Recently I saw a band live that has really reinvigorated my love for industrial music. That band is Youth Code. Formed in 2012 by Ryan William George and Sara Taylor, Youth Code has taken the scene by storm. By combining elements of industrial, electronica, and a bit of a dance vibe, Youth Code delivers a relentless and punishing sound that will make you bang your head and dance.

When I saw them a few months back, they absolutely stole the show and left me wanting more. Their live performances are intense and energetic. One thing that they have that their other peers lack are lyrics that really grab you just as the music does. It’s beyond refreshing to hear this style of music done so well. So do yourself a favor and check out Youth Code.

Youth Code- Commitment To Complications:

Youth Code- A Place To Stand:

Carried Mask:

The Dust Of Fallen Rome:

Live At Amoeba:

By: Brian Lacy

Unsung Materpieces: Nine Inch Nails- Year Zero

Concept albums are very unique and at times take a long time to fully understand. Listening to select songs doesn’t give you the full effect. And a lot of the time the story that accompanies the album is very convoluted. Though there are many cases when the above statements don’t apply. Pink Floyd, The Who and more recently Mastodon and Nine Inch Nails have been able to create epic concept albums that can stand on their own or as separate entities. In 2007, Nine Inch Nails released Year Zero.

“The Year Zero story takes place in the United States in the year 2022. The United States has suffered several major terrorist attacks, and in response the government has seized absolute control on the country and reverted to a Christian fundamentalist theocracy. The government maintains control of the populace through institutions such as the Bureau Of Morality as well as increased surveillance and the secret drugging of tap water with a mild sedative. In response to the increasing oppression of the government, several corporate, government, and subversive websites were transported back in time to the present by a group of scientists working clandestinely against the authoritarian government. The websites-from-the-future were sent to the year 2007 to warn the American people of the impending dystopian future and to prevent it from ever forming in the first place.”

So with that all mind one would think that this is just a mess, but in fact it’s the complete opposite. Trent never misses a step with creating this apocalyptic epic. This album was also the next step in Trent’s revitalized state of mind and musical odyssey. There are a lot of uses of noise, static, and strange yet amazing distortion. Certain songs stand out amongst the album as a whole such as “The Beginning Of The End,” “Survivalism,” “In This Twilight,” “The Great Destroyer,” and “My Violent Heart.” Furthermore there was something else about this album, was that it opened up the visual aspect even more than before. Since Trent has described Year Zero as a soundtrack to a movie that doesn’t even exist, it’s not hard to let your imagination take you off on quite a little trip.

Year Zero is not The Downward Spiral or The Fragile, but it is one of the most artistic and well thought out releases that Nine Inch Nails have ever released. One other strange thing about this album, was that touring for this album was not very prevalent. The people at Interscope records really dropped the ball on handling the marketing and promotion for this album, hence why it never got the due it deserved. So give yourself some time and delve back into Year Zero and see for yourself what you might have missed.

Year Zero: