VACUUM by VACUUM
Heavy Machinery Records and It Records are honoured to present the debut self-titled LP from cult duo VACUUM. Their self-titled album is fronted by the first single 'Dredd' - "a homage to Model 500, dance floor anxiety and the Mega City One universe of Judge Dredd" - perfectly showcasing the pair's affinity for plunging bass drops and subterranean frequencies.
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Andrea Blake (ASPS / Chrome Dome) and Jenny Branagan (NUN) met as labelmates on the cult imprint Nihilistic Orbs, quickly becoming friends and collaborators. Their outfit VACUUM formed in 2013 and has fortified punk shows and techno dance floors alike with a sensory brand of sub-bass, abnormal beats and mechanical scapes - resulting in a disquieting yet danceable outcome.
For all its psychic terror and gut-punch aesthetics, VACUUM's debut LP is alive with refreshing wit. Its elliptical industrial songs apply a piquant buzz to contemporary experimental electronic music. Listen to the tinny clap of 80s freestyle that augments the blaring, militaristic "Pulse", or the deadpan voice that asks you, like a spin class instructor from some chromed future hell, "Are you ready to run? Are you ready to fall between?" on "Between". This record is dead-serious, of course, but like the best creators of dystopian visions, VACUUM know that you need a touch of light to contrast with all that shade.
These songs move in hypnotic circular grooves; complex engines kept in motion by weights and counterweights. Sub-bass shudders through their veins and remixes by Lakker and Sow Discord add high-frequency charges of electricity. Recorded by Josh Wells and mastered by Enyang Urbik, this album is sleekly built but coarse in texture - VACUUM makes hard graft feel like a walk in the park.
Tracklist
| 1. | Dredd | 5:07 |
| 2. | Between | 4:44 |
| 3. | Resonate | 4:05 |
| 4. | I'll Call You | 4:54 |
| 5. | Pulse | 5:35 |
| 6. | Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream) | 3:40 |
| 7. | Dredd (Sow Discord Remix) | 6:01 |
| 8. | Pulse (Lakker Remix) | 8:29 |
| 9. | Call Me (Ela Stiles Remix) | 5:07 |
| 10. | Resonate Deadverse (Dälek Remix) | 4:40 |
Credits
Andrea Blake - vocals, synth, sampler, programming
Jenny Branagan - vocals, synth, sampler
NB: Tracks 9 & 10 are digital-only and not included on the vinyl release.
Dredd, Between, Resonate, I’ll Call You and Pulse written and performed by VACUUM (Andrea Blake and Jenny Branagan).
Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream) written by Cindy Walker/EMI performed by VACUUM.
Dredd written by VACUUM and remixed by Sow Discord.
Pulse written by VACUUM and remixed by Lakker.
Call Me (Ela Stiles Remix) written by VACUUM and remixed by Ela Stiles.
Resonate (Deadverse Remix) written by VACUUM and remixed by Dälek.
Recorded and mixed by Josh Wells, Naarm/Melbourne, April 2021.
Dredd, Between, Resonate, I’ll Call You, Pulse, Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream) and Pulse (Lakker Remix) mastered by Enyang Urbiks, Berlin, June 2021.
Dredd (Sow Discord Remix) recorded by Tom Hardisty, Naarm/Melbourne, 2015 and mastered by John Flynn (Balance Mastering), London, 2015.
Call Me (Ela Stiles Remix) mastered by Ruby Burns, Naarm/Melbourne, 2021.
Resonate (Deadverse Remix) remixed by Dälek at Deadverse Studios III, Union City NJ, 2021.
Cover image 'Conoscere' by Ali McCann
Portrait by Nicole Reed
Design by Luke Fraser at Grin Creative
Project coordination by Annalee Koernig
Series curated and produced by Miles Brown
Co-released by Heavy Machinery Records and It Records
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HEVMAC045
License
All rights reserved.
Since 2013, Jenny Branagan (NUN) and Andrea Blake (ASPS/Chrome Dome) have been
collaborating as VACUUM.
Fortifying dance-floors at punk shows and techno clubs alike, they experiment with disturbing but danceable frequencies.
Their self-titled debut album is out now on Heavy Machinery Records and It Records.