The Rostock/Germany-based label Wycombe Music returns with a new release, which comes as a special 3-CD digi-pack (or how they call it: CD-digifile-triplepack). It features three (you got it!!!) full-length releases by the acts CONCISE, FLAQUE and X_DYNAMICS, while the globally concentration lays on the male/female duo CONCISE. With Soulfood they could also get a new and better distributor, so that my hopes are high for some more attention. Three different CD’s featuring very different music, I prefer therefor to separate them here.

CONCISE – Revive
Consisting of Katrin Segert (vocals) and Christian Graß (music, also active with the act HIGH WYCOMBE), this duo returns after their last year’s release "The Power Of Love", an EP featuring a cover version of the classic ballad originally composed by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. It should be mentioned that this EP in comparison to this new full-length release could only give a limited insight to the sound and ideas behind this project, the EP was therefor a bit too much influenced by the different guest artists which have created remix works. It’s definitively Synthpop music, yes, but with several influences taken out of IDM, Trip-Hop or Dn’B music. CONCISE manages hard to avoid any repetitive 80ies influences, it is rather concentrating to sound modern and to show different interpretations of Synthpop music. Not all song structures remain into the 4/4-on-the-floor formula, several times the tracks are unforeseeable arranged and break out of known convention. This stuff is intelligent arranged and needs some attention to pick up the whole content. It should be also mentioned that the music construction at times causes a kind of nervousness. It is hardly thinkable that the music would come to a smooth result, if there wouldn’t be the sedative vocal performance by Katrin Segert, which sorts the whole musically output a bit. This duo also received additional help by Lars Sembach, who provides here and there some acoustic Side Stick performances. Favorites I would like to name with "Innocent E-walk" for its rather "floating-along-known-paths" attitude, "Done", which features the completely range of Katrin’s vocal performance, and "Ojibway". Globally a different kind – I tend to say experimental kind of Synthpop music rather seldom heard before.

FLAQUE – Mindscapes
The name FLAQUE I’ve heard before only from CONCISE’s previously released "The Power Of Love" EP, on which this one-man act has provided a remix for this well-known track. This project consists of Florian Ziller and it is musically rather based into Ambient and Electronica music. He combines surreal and cold synth layers with environmental noises (for instance a thunderstorm on "Flares, or a driving train on the piano-driven "Stonehill"), experimental drum patterns and different digital sound manipulation. FLAQUE have found a niche with their unique sound and remind me strong to the latest works of the sorely missed US act GRIDLOCK, experimental tunes of haujobb. and/or OIL 10 come to mind, too. Take the opener "Alive" for instance; cold but somehow melodic synth layers, some background noises and minimal-experimental beats give a clever and unique opening track. "Acoma" features to me the best all mentioned attitudes in the sound landscapes of FLAQUE, while the definitively highlight has to be named with "Deceive" featuring the smooth vocals of Katrin Segert. Outstanding, I hope for several more cooperation efforts between CONCISE and FLAQUE. This act leaves an impressive kind of work and I could name several tracks more, but it all gives the best result if you’ll take some time, use a good pair of headphones and consume this album in one flow. Amazing, a release on its own instead of being hidden behind the omnipotent CONCISE CD would be well deserved!

X_DYNAMICS – Regular Loader Routine
My euphoria after checking out the FLAQUE album got a bit slowed down with the audio results of the one-man act X_DYNAMICS. This project plays a kind of instrumental Electronica, mostly straight and rhythmically arranged, taking several inspiration out of related music styles like Techno, Trance, or Trip-Hop. Definitively not EBM-inspired, some pieces remind me on works of Bill Leeb’s side-projects INTERMIX and/or later NOISE UNIT, also the BLC Productions recording act S.E.M.I; can be named as a reference. It’s a bit hard to categorize the complete influences of this artist, so no surprise that you’ll get some foreign instruments like a saxophone woven into this electronic music ("Jammin Denim"). Note also the cooperative track "Insensate Rmx", originally composed by CONCISE, on which Katrin Segert’s vocals got restranged with some vocoder effects. The used sounds and the kind of arrangements are on top and up-to-date, while I tend to rate it as a sonorous background music. A fine and detailed worked-out Electronica music which mixes several genres.

If you’re looking for a special release, which manages to break out through your usual Synthpop/Ambient/Electronica listening, you’ll need to pick up this item. Thumbs up also for the idea with the digi-package, the discreet art featuring showroom dummies, and for the addition of two extra and promising acts. Three CD’s on sale for a price of one should help you a lot to give some new and quality stuff a try.