Kitcalibur - This Broken City

Artist: Kitcalibur
Album: This Broken City
Year: 2008
Length: 26:04

1. Destroy [2:53]
2. Talkin' [2:17]
3. Broken City [1:53]
4. R.F.O.M. [1:58]
5. Not Without You [2:53]
6. Life Force (Kitcaliber Remix) [2:36]
7. This Sound! [2:07]
8. Hopeless [2:11]
9. Cracksound [2:08]
10. Screwball [2:36]
11. Still Here [2:27]

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100% guilty pleasure material. Kitcalibur is one of the many anthropomorphic alter egos of prolific electronic artist Renard of Lapfox Trax. This particular project is one of his older ones, a pop-punk/digital hardcore hybrid that is bursting with energy. It's full of short, fast songs with extremely catchy choruses. Personally, I can't get enough of it.

Almost Technicolor & A Problem Like Maria - Europa

Artist: Almost Technicolor & A Problem Like Maria
Album: Europa
Year: 2012
Length: 15:18

1. Deliberate Existence [4:00]
2. Europa [3:45]
3. Never Asleep [3:37]
4. Never Asleep (NoR's Cold Summer Nights Remix) [3:56]

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A Problem Like Maria is back with another collaboration, this time with electronic artist Almost Technicolor. Deliberate Existence is an excellent hip-hop song, and the other two are more laid-back electronic, similar to Decompose (Maria's collaboration with Water Gun Water Gun Sky Attack). Everything here is well produced and top quality material, including the remix. This is what 'pop' music should sound like.

Ratchet Kills - ANTI EVERYTHING

Artist: Ratchet Kills
Album: ANTI EVERYTHING
Year: 2011
Length: 18:59

1. #SAMO [4:04]
2. Confusing Constellations [3:22]
3. ANTI EVERYTHING [2:47]
4. Portland Avenue [3:14]
5. CRIMSON AND CLOVER [2:55]
6. LIFT [2:34]

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An excellent hip hop duo from Atlanta. This manages to be pretty catchy without dumbing itself down. The beats are expertly crafted and it's all got a lot of momentum. Lots of variation, really interesting. There's not a whole lot of rap I'm really into but this ranks up there.

environmental sound collapse - In Service Of The Pig

Artist: environmental sound collapse
Album: In Service Of The Pig
Year: 2012
Length: 21:00

1. Fucking Die Already [3:12]
2. It Spreads Like A Virus [4:32]
3. Office Politics [2:00]
4. The Sound Of A Hollow Man [2:37]
5. Killing [3:08]
6. Damned [3:02]
7. They're Going To Find You [2:29]

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e.s.c. is a pretty prolific electronic artist who has put out a collection of experimental industrial recordings. This one is particularly noisy and unfriendly sounding, while still carrying a nice groove. Keep an eye on this guy.

New Motive Power & The Flying Batteries - Snescore

Artist: New Motive Power (and) The Flying Batteries
Album: Snescore
Year: 2012
Length: 17:05

1. New Motive Power - The Escape [4:50]
2. New Motive Power solves A Problem Like Maria - Unease (Feat. Mattir) [3:50]
3. The Flying Batteries - Passion [4:23]
4. The Flying Batteries - Rabbit Hole [4:01]

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The Hai are quickly becoming a haven for independent electronic artists, with four of their members featured on this split extravaganza. Both bands play a variety of video game influenced synth-rock, but neither fall into the trappings of "sounding too much like a Mega Man game." New Motive Power brings two more insanely well produced tracks that are catchy as hell, with the second track featuring A Problem Like Maria (who has been "solved" before by Water Gun Water Gun Sky Attack and Radio Wire Empire) and also produced by electronic artist Mattir. The Flying Batteries side is even catchier (I -CANNOT- get Passion out of my head) and a bit thicker with guitars more at the front of the mix.

The split comes in two versions available on each of the artist's bandcamp pages. Each has it's own download-only bonus remix track, and is worth checking out. I'm quite excited to see what else The Hai will be putting out in the future.

WHITE - -MIX-MIX-MIX-

Artist: WHITE
Album: -MIX-MIX-MIX-
Year: 2011
Length: 16:40

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One long experimental ambient electronic track. It's very droning and quiet. As far as I can tell, WHITE is a project of minimalist artist stoned like statue, though there doesn't seem to be much information on the artist.

King Vulture - Dead Around Vegas

Artist: King Vulture
Album: Dead Around Vegas
Year: 2012
Length: 18:28

1. It's Not Racist (It's Just Offensive) [2:30]
2. Knife Fight in A Minor [3:02]
3. Ana [3:34]
4. Bella in the Wych Elm [2:36]
5. Loki [3:10]
6. Heretic [3:36]

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King Vulture serves up an interesting instrumental blend of genres. The main instruments here are drum machines and guitars, but this isn't some cyber death metal album. It sort of sounds like post-rock, but it's much noisier and to the point. It sort of sounds like breakbeat or IDM, but not really. Honestly, I can't really put my finger on it, but I do like it, and that's what's important.

Nestrogen - Baby Drafus EP

Artist: Nestrogen
Album: Baby Drafus EP
Year: 2012
Length: 6:55

1. The Beatdown in Midtown [1:19]
2. It's Not Cypress Ruin vol.2 [0:49]
3. Seetee Mormegil [0:38]
4. No Answer in Flakesville [1:07]
5. Sir, That Does Not Qualify as a Backbone [0:34]
6. Stop Saying Chipthrash [0:18]
7. Mommy Spicepants^The Collapse of History (ATR remix) [2:10]

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This is a great little work. It's short and heavy, which I wholly prefer to stereotypical chiptune, which usually tries to be the soundtrack to an 8-bit Final Fantasy. Nestrogen's been around for awhile and really knows how to stand out.

64revolt

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Chiptune/Digital Hardcore group 64revolt offer all of their albums for free on their website. "Aim For the Flat Top" is my personal favorite, combining Atari Teenage Riot song structures with more melodic synth. It's insanely catchy stuff.

Infected Womb - DIRT

Artist: Infected Womb
Album: DIRT
Year: 2011
Length: 11:12

1. Dirt [0:32]
2. Mierda [1:10]
3. Face Punching: A Philosophy [1:19]
4. Empty Sack [1:38]
5. Heal Me [1:02]
6. Cabinet Junkie [1:30]
7. Highschool Bathroom [1:19]
8. Hard White Joke [1:34]
9. Follow Through [0:30]
10. No God [0:33]

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Infected Womb is a grindcore band with programmed drums, something like a less silly Agoraphobic Nosebleed or a less gabber version of The Berzerker. It's extremely fast and heavy, while rarely deviating into samples a human drummer couldn't play.

Mechonat Hereg - Mechonat Hereg

Artist: Mechonat Hereg
Album: Mechonat Hereg
Year: 2011
Length: 23:29

1. Intro [1:08]
2. Busted on Narcotics [1:43]
3. We The People [1:43]
4. Snipe Hunt [1:46]
5. Activate Damage [1:00]
6. Pushin' Heroin [1:52]
7. Mavet Lasamelet [0:56]
8. Motor Hour [1:16]
9. Start the Riot [1:32]
10. Bone Crusher [1:16]
11. Mechonat Hereg [1:13]
12. Virus [2:01]
13. Night [1:35]
14. Nicky [1:52]
15. Sea Sickness [2:30]

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Mechonat Hereg (Hebrew for "Killing Machine") is a digital hardcore act from Tel Aviv that recently put out a self-titled album through robo! Robotica. It's short and raw, and the vocals are mixed way too loud, and it sounds exactly like DHC should.

Water Gun Water Gun Sky Attack Solves A Problem Like Maria - Decompose

Artist: Water Gun Water Gun Sky Attack Solves A Problem Like Maria
Album: Decompose
Year: 2011
Length: 38:32

1. Her Name Was Panic [4:57]
2. Light a Fire [4:45]
3. Regret [4:34]
4. Standstill [2:36]
5. Starting Tonight [4:42]
6. Decompose [7:09]
7. Standstill (Blingley's Glitch Lullaby Remix) [4:40]
8. Standstill (Rekapper Short Remix) [5:06]

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Two artists affiliated with The Hai collaborate on what I gather from the contained artwork is a concept album about an estranged girlfriend in the zombie apocalypse. The music is light and ambient and driven largely by Maria's singing. Water Gun Water Gun Sky Attack provides IDM/trance inspired beats. Very pleasant.

The bandcamp page also features "Recompose," a remix album containing two alternate versions of the album.

Delta 9 - ANBRx Pharmaceuticals II

Artist: Delta 9
Album : ANBRx Pharmaceuticals II
Year: 2008
Length: 21:10
Tracks: 28

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Delta 9 remixes Agoraphobic Nosebleed's "Altered States of America" album into some sort of speedcore/grindcore hybrid. The kick drum is loud and intimidating. Similar to the album it's based on, there are a lot of short, fast songs and experimental breaks. It changes up a lot, but there isn't a moment where it doesn't sound terrifying (in the best way possible).

New Motive Power - Copper & Zinc

Artist: New Motive Power
Album: Copper & Zinc EP
Year: 2011
Length: 14:46

1. Lies [4:17]
2. Christine [3:37]
3. Control [2:50]
4. Rage [4:00]

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New Motive Power from Brazil play a form of electronic rock they call "SNEScore." The album is full of huge, catchy, bombastic synths and the stellar production leaves plenty of room for them to explode from your speakers. Despite being quite pop-flavored, they stray a bit from typical song structures and keep things very interesting. This is their debut EP, and their material since has only grown more promising.

New Motive Power is a member of music collective The Hai. Look out for their split with The Flying Batteries coming out on January 28th.

The First Seed - We Are The Only Ones

Artist: The First Seed
Album: We Are The Only Ones
Year: 2011
Length: 20:22

1. Awakening [0:13]
2. We Are [1:34]
3. Powerless [1:25]
4. You're the Criminal [1:19]
5. Portrait #1 [0:33]
6. Too Late [1:33]
7. Free Prostitute [2:55]
8. Take It [1:50]
9. Soaking [1:07]
10. Kill Count [1:42]
11. Portrait #2 [0:25]
12. Escape [2:06]
13. Bailout [3:33]

Download Link

D-Trash has been the go-to label for Digital Hardcore artists, arguably more influential than even Atari Teenage Riot's own Digital Hardcore Recordings. The First Seed is a newer group with heavy elements of breakcore, glitch, and noise. Free Prostitute strikes me as the "single" if there is one, with the rest of the album at varying levels of increased weirdness (not that Free Prostitute is particularly tame). I haven't heard anything else by the artist, but I'm liking what I'm hearing here a lot.

Ppk - Various

ppk on Soundcloud

Ppk mixes French-style hardcore with chiptune and is a delight to follow. He's got no official albums out, but all the tracks on his Soundcloud page are ace. Check out the perfectly over-the-top robot voice in his latest track, Activate:

Ppk - Activate by ppk01

ISYA - Hoax Ghost Hoax

Artist: ISYA
Album: Hoax Ghost Hoax
Year: 2010
Length: 24:01

1. As Love Permeates the Air [2:40]
2. A Decade in the (Love) Making [1:02]
3. Bus Driver [1:09]
4. Circuit Breaker [2:12]
5. You'll Never Touch Me Again [1:50]
6. I'll Tell Mom Where You're Hiding the Love Poetry [1:17]
7. Ouch [0:47]
8. Sleep Well, My Love [2:38]
9. Ointment Whopper [2:00]
10. Pedro the Ball Juggler [1:15]
11. Snap and Ankle [0:42]
12. A History in the (Invaders) Making [2:21]
13. Wince-Worthy Marzakula [0:59]
14. A Soelz in the (Torture) Making [2:20]
15. Manage This, Fuckface [0:44]

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Listen to the first minute of the first track. If you aren't sold then chances are this album is not for you. If you are, then please savor every moment of this opus.

ISYA is insane. This is living proof of how versatile the cybergrind genre can really be. Hard synths, soft synths, fat synths, skinny synths. There's a bunch of experimentation here, which keeps things really interesting. According to the bandcamp page, this album was four years in the making between 2007 and 2010.

ISYA also has a more recent 2 track EP from 2011 titled REVOLT!

Mother Network - Nascence

Artist: Mother Network
Album:Nascence
Year: 2011
Length: 3:07

1. Nascence [0:58]
2. Computer Casket [0:59]
3. The Writer [0:22]
4. Black Prayer [0:47]

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Nevada's Mother Network plays a fierce variety of cybergrind that reminds me a lot of They All Had Tentacles (who sounded like an all-electronic version of The Locust). This ferocious EP blasts through four songs in three minutes slowing down for exactly one Locust style start-stop break, and a spoken word & bass section in Computer Casket.

On his bandcamp page, you'll also find Deathstar, which is entirely instrumental and much more melodic. It's quite different, but also worth a listen. You can also check out his Soundcloud for more new cybergrind goodness.