Local Suicide & Curses - Magia EP

The diverse UK-based white label imprint Tusk Wax is releasing four heavy-fueled cold wave-tinged space disco cuts courtesy of Berliners Local Suicide and Curses. While 2019 has already seen killer releases for sub-labels Trance Wax and the newly-formed 90s Wax, the new collaborative EP marks the infamous parent label’s 28th release and comes on the back of a run of fantastic electro-tinged house and techno records from the likes of Younger Than Me and Pixelife.
Born and raised in New York City, Curses is known for combining elements of new wave, industrial, and psychedelic synth-music with a distinctly DIY punk ethos, as seen on EPs for labels like Bordello A Parigi, Throne Of Blood, and Ombra International, as well as on his hotly anticipated debut album, Romantic Fiction, which was released last year on Correspondant’s sublabel Dischi Autunno. A collaboration between Curses and the otherworldly ‚technodisco’ Greek-German duo Local Suicide seems all too natural, as both artists are known for exploring dark elements of acid-inspired deep space disco. The prolific Berlin-based duo has recently co-produced other scorching records with the likes of Theus Mago, Mijo, and Rodion, and have released on innovative synth-focused labels such as My Favorite Robot Records, Multi Culti and Eskimo Recordings, all while maintaining a busy DJ schedule.
 
‘Magia’, a seductive slice of silky cold wave meets slo-mo disco, kicks off the EP in a chilling fashion. Mystical vocals delivered in both Greek and Italian, spacey synths and flutters of synthesized percussion eventually give way to a huge psychedelic breakdown. In the latter stages, an alien acid line takes over the mix before eventually disintegrating into the ether, as if swallowed by a black hole. The psychedelic vibes continue on the A-side with the driving Italo cut ‘It All Sounds The Same’. Huge riffs, desert melodies, reverberated vocals and wolf howls all combine to great effect on this new wave belter.
 
On the flip, the percussive ‘Walk With Me’ combines warped leads, sultry vocals and a chugging bassline with machine-driven clavs and claps to create a richly textured, tripped out, acid house mutation. Final track ‘Secret Friends’ closes the EP in suitably freaky fashion, with horror-theme melodies, reversed cymbals, unnerving vocals, and processed percussive swells that dominate the mix. Like the preceding tracks, ‘Secret Friends’ manages to connect the dots between new wave, disco, and techno, in the process producing moments of pure euphoria in equal measures with sheer horror.
 
Tusk Wax 28 was released on March 22nd as 500 hand stamped, 12″ records.