Mikael Kahrle
Albums
Susanne Sundfør: ”Ten Love Songs”
My album of the year arrived early 2015 and stayed with me the whole year.
Dead When I Found Her: ”All the Way Down”
Should make Cevin Key and Bill Leeb jealous. And if this amazing album wasn’t enough, Michael Arthur Holloway throws in a nice bonus disc: ”The Bottom”.
Grimes: ”Art Angels”
Electronic pop culture on a higher level. Grows on you, just like ”Visions” did, and that’s always a good thing. And it’s damn weird, which is also a good thing.
IAMX: ”Metanoia”
Chris returns from hell with an album loaded with nerve and electronics.
Agent Side Grinder: ”Alkimia”
Manifest believed they put out the best Swedish synth album 2015. I agree.
Karin Park: ”Apocalypse Pop”
After ”Shine” and ”Look What You’ve Done”, expectations for the new album were sky high. An edgy, dark electropop album I keep returning to.
Kite: ”VI”
Kite gets darker and more epic. And we all love them.
Dear Strange: ”Lonely Heroes”
On their debut album, this new French-German prism wave (as they call it) duo nails a sound that so many have tried to achieve.
Mind.in.a.box: ”Memories”
You can always count on Austrian electronic music wizard Stefan Poiss. He draws new stunning futuristic landscapes from his emotional, sonic palette.
Twice a Man: ”Presence”
My old friends went for a more classic Twice a Man sound together with returning member Jocke Söderqvist.
Songs
Susanne Sundfør: ”Accelerate”
Layer upon layer in a marvelous display of superb talent.
Chvrches: ”Playing Dead”
The highlight on the second album from the Scottish synthpop trio.
Conjure One: “All That You Leave Behind”
In an 8-minute soundtrack to a movie that does not exist, Rhys Fulber works his magic.
Grimes: ”Kill V. Maim”
Electropop from out of this world.
Jean-Michel Jarre & Vince Clarke: “Automatic, Pt. 1 & 2″
This collaboration looked good on paper. And sounds even better in reality.
New Order: ”The Game”
Good old, melancholic New Order (with Gillian back on board) are back. In this song everything falls into place wonderfully.
Beborn Beton: “She Cried”
Camouflage and Neuroticfish also delivered strong German electropop 2015, but I want to highlight Beborn Beton. In this advanced piece, we hear a more mature band and the Olaf Wollschläger production sounds like electropop heaven.
Live artists
Karin Park
As impressive on stage, as on her albums. I had a great time at her Electronic Summer gig.
Agent Side Grinder
A respected live act, for good reason, guested by Henric de la Cour at the Progress fest.
Newcomer
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Artists
Kite
Stay true to their vision year after year.
Susanne Sundfør
Impresses on so many levels.