Tracklist: “Prelude” * “Links Rechts Links” * “I Have to Hit You” * “Interlude no. 57” * “You’re Going Down” * “This Is the Deal” * “The Neighbor” * “Interlude no. 58” * “Steam” * “Depression” * “A Force of Unknown People” * “Interlude no. 60” * “Come Push Me Down” * “The Knife” * “The Way You Lie”
Also on darkwave.ro: Digital Factor Release “I Have to Hit You” – Single Preview Before September Album and Tour (+Download) here | Order “Trialog” from here
About Digital Factor:
Digital Factor are: Leo von Leibnitz (voice, programming, synth); Mike Langer (voice, programming, synth); Guido Litke (guitar, percussion).
Founded in 1993, Digital Factor were quickly signed to Danish label Hard Records at the recommendation of Claus Larsen (of Leaetherstrip fame) and toured with Placebo Effect. Numerous productions in their early years gained them support, audience and a local renown. By 1996, this renown was taken further as tours in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Denmark and Belgium propelled the band in front of a varied and acclaiming audience. This positive trend was maintained up to 2002, when they joined charity events supporting the victims of the German floods. After a seven years hiatus, the band returned with new material a new lineup, and a new record deal with Black Rain Records. “Trialog”, their latest release, on Sep-09 with the latter label, is their 17th release to date.
Digital Factor – “Trialog” – Viva Music Review:
After an alarming “Prelude”, the album motioned in by Digital Factor could not get better! “Links Rechts Links” (“Left Right Left”), one of the rare songs with German lyrics from the album “Trialog” is as expected from the title, a musically plausible and pleasant military drill, with a lot of cadence and spirit. As high-spirited, and not at all austere is “I Have to Hit You”, which we had listened to outside the album release as a single video preview for the album in late July this year. “I Have to Hit You” is a domineering and relentless dance machine song, which makes it set the expectations really high for the danceability of the entire album. With ebullient sound, “Interlude no. 57”, the first of three such interludes that together with the “Prelude” creates the frame of the album, interposes itself between the first two tracks and the ensuing one as a well-deserved breathing space for the listener – or should we say the dancer? of this album. The tongue-in-cheek “You’re Going Down” is clashing EBM sound and a true-to-nature display of vocal resonance. In cahoots with “This Is the Deal”, a song that electrifies and commits to the dance ambient friendly scope of the album just as powerfully as the preceding tracks.
“The Neighbor” is as relentless and well-worked, though the feel built up before is fashioned in a different manner, not at all unappealing. It is followed up on by a new interlude, namely “Interlude no. 58”, the succession of which creates the necessary bridge to the “Steam” let out by the next song. “Depression” does not sound depressing at all, if anything, alarming, accurate and possibly one of the best tracks of this album. Very much to the effect expected by the insertion of “Depression”, “A Force of Unknown People” comes with a different approach, and a quite novel and likeable sound. If “A Force of Unknown People” borrows itself to interpretation and it would be a good starting point for a remix compilation, because of its versatility of sound and its reading in many keys.
“Interlude no. 60”, which first of all raises the question “what happened to no. 59?”, thus making transparent the creative process of running songs on and off for an album and not selecting any material for a release, is a driving intermezzo and its German lyrical cadence magnifies the effect of the musical core. “Come Push Me Down” returns to the danceable frenzy of previous tracks, with even more force, and though compositionally a less rich song, it manages to preserve the line set by the previous tracks. “The Knife” is a teasing song, conditioned by a more austere musical line, but stacked up with the same integral, feral nature. “The Way You Lie”, an electronic concentration of very harmonious sounds meant to incite mentally and physically to dance, closes the album and also the common note of danceability and overall resplendence of the album.
The recommendation to listen to Digital Factor’s album is implicit – not a single track that raises a bad stink or suspicion, just sheer music, made cleverly and with true passion – this alone should recommend it. But if you also add to the equation the red thread of dance friendly music and the quite entertaining lyrics that accompany it, you really get the image we want you to see: of an album that you need to listen to in order to get the most of the diversity of our scene. Enjoy!
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