Micro-goth

the page http://www.metropolis-records.com/?artists/haujobb.html includes 1-minute Real Audio clips of both tracks (well, the single "less" and a decent remix of "overflow")

In their original forms, both tracks appear on ninetynine, which was a significant departure from Haujobb's usual EBM-ish style, and which remains one of my favorite albums. "Micro-goth" describes it perfectly.

"Microgoth" is a joke obv. but this *is* an interesting tendency within (German) house music: if there's always been a certain "reclamation of sonic possibilities" self-consciousness about the microhouse movement, this stuff reroutes it explicitly in favour of a reclamation of emotional possibilities. I'm not saying that house hasn't always had a relatively large emotional palette but this sort of (incredibly white) gothic melodrama has not typically been part of it, and I think that's part of the reason why this strain is so compelling: it's like a deliberate antithesis of the core emotional values of house in particular. Like, the Vedrus remix of Blumfeld is great, but it sounds more than anything like a German version of Marc Almond or a Gore-sung Depeche Mode track. And that un-housiness rubs up against the housiness of the actual groove quite deliciously. There's a tension born from knowing that these parts aren't supposed to go together.

True, this doesn't apply so much to techno, but then even techno hasn't tended to sound much like this since the mid-nineties - machines don't have so much of a flair melodrama. You have to go back to Adamski's "Killer". Or "Papua New Guinea" for the emotional shiversomeness.

+ Curtis Jones (cajmere/green velvet) brings some 'melodrama' in late-90s techno

there were soundscapes/ bass lines on this that very cure-like

the original 90s goth-housers were The Aloof, check their debut album and their later album: Seeking Pleasure

(Oh hold on I can and it would be as rub as goth music)

Anyway isn't all German music goth?

Anders Ilar - Hydro (and just about anything else by him, provided it has a beat)
Lawrence - French Fries (and just about anything else by him)
Carsten Jost - Pink
Sten - Eccentric
Konrad Black - Separation Anxiety*

*Just about EVERYTHING else on 240 Volts qualifies as well.

This, uh, mix is pretty much completely micro-goth.

Actually, if you were to eliminate Perlon and Force Tracks, just about everything could qualify as micro-goth.

Panpot Spliff!

not sure how the germans would react if you told them they were 'micro-goth', though -- being a goth has a very different resonance in germany than it does here in america (or australia, i'm guessing)

some recent johannes heil or anthony rother might apply here (particularly the new rother single).

also:
cadenza002
horrorama - horrorama (+ remixes)
oliver hacke - 21:31 and trapez ltd 6
swayzak - state of grace (and all of it's remixes)
any of the electrilogy 12's by carl finlow

Dominik Eulberg - Afraid of Letting Go (including Gigolo Joe quote!)
Continuous Mode - Kryptic Mode
Alexander Polzin - Lighter

everything by sami koivikko
swayzak - in the car crash (carsten jost remix)

Yeah I was listening to Sinking (much better than Seeking Pleasure in my opinion, if only because it's goth and groovy) a few weeks ago and thought there was a real resemblence there. I really love that tough industrial techno loop thing they had going, esp. how it combined with those sparkling piano and string bits which sounded plucked straight from Disintegration. The guys deserve genius status for "Stuck On The Shelf" alone. But (crucially) there's no disco left in The Aloof.

You can hear that Blumfeld track in the first mix here.

I always thought this was the direction the Cure should have headed in after Disentegration. 'Sinking' sounds like the great lost Cure album, even the title sounds right!

Most of that Ellen Allien remix collection is killer, although it may not be micro goth maybe maximum goth

No wonder I love all this stuff to death, given that goth was pretty much the first genre I could call mine (well, "goth" in the loosest definition, anyway - I was always very confused by Jesus and Mary Chain, as a wee lad, because they looked so goth while sounding so rock!).

And where does Oliver Hacke release his stuff?

true, but they didn't do the black lace, white face and purple lipstick thing, right? same goes for Joy Division!

Them early club mixes of Soft Cell you mention are incredibly great/evil/filthy-sounding (in more ways than one).

Where Marc Almond does sort of sneak in is with the Hacker remix of "Soul on Soul".

Maybe I don't quite understand the criteria, silly as it is....

I guess I'm hung up a bit on the muscularity of "Tottentanz". Definitely dark, with some very goth Middle Eastern compositional structure going on (at least that's what I'm hearing in the track), but I was thinking more melancholy than melodrama or muscularity. But then again all three is pretty much Creatures in a nutshell, or Blue Sunshine, so ok- I'm with you.

there also seems to be a substrata of cyber sounding goth coming around. The pan pot stuff hints at it. Not so romantic just dark and a bit brutal.

doesnt get much gothier than Roland Appel - Dark Soldier

Sounds like Kelly Polar does Luomo on Solak Kollektiv

So, I've gotten word Agoria's at the controls may be a micro-goth masterpiece of sorts. Any confirmation on this or other things about it worth noting?

The definitive micro-goth release?

Thomas Brinkmann - When Horses Die
http://www.discogs.com/release/1237455

isn't this "goth", I must listen to it again as I didn't hear any "micro".

I take it that Agoria mix mentioned a while ago never got US release or even wide import release? It's always fun tracking down stuff that isn't on any download stores. Is it really as good as the five star RA review says?

I've just browsed through the Brinkmann in a record shop this past weekend, so I only have a first impression, but it seemed to contain lots of "micro" elements (clicky percussive filaments and so on). Would like to hear from those more familiar with this release...

(I see there's a mention of it here.

)

God, Radioslave's remix of Le Noir's Eleny is a truly spellbinding piece of work, brilliant. In fact, my dislike of Radioslave, as pushed to disguist come Bell Clap Dance has been well pacified by this.

Oh Micro-Goth, I think I've decided you are my very favourite style of music.

if pantha du prince didnt exist, we would have had to invent him

http://media.ebaumsworld.com/picture/aequitas3/Freaky_Midget.jpg

And that is why I will never, ever use the term micro-goth in public.

Not that I like the term at all to begin with.

http://www.myspace.com/passarelladeathsquad

from K. Ross Hoffman's AMG review of PdP's Black Noise:

...and "Behind the Stars" brings on the grinding electro keyboards and dark, distorted vocals, recalling the "micro-goth" tag sometimes applied to his earlier work...

Is Shackleton qualified for this tag?

i can't stop looking at that pic latebloomer posted

This might just be the saddest of all micro-goth epics [for this record, this remains my favourite music genre]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdStHfg5kfE

Are Fever Ray, Nicolas Jaar and Aquarius Heaven allowed in here? I have a 'microgoth' playlist with some of the songs in here and I think their sound fits quite alright.

Oh man, looking over this thread is making me reminisce about first hearing Pantha du Prince and feeling all funny inside.

xp Post some Fever Ray, Nicolas Jaar and Aquarius Heaven youtubes in here so we can all decide.

xpost: You're doing it wrong. Goth shouldn't make you feel funny inside.

Per request:

Fever Ray - If I had a Heart
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBAzlNJonO8
Fever Ray - Seven
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX07gCjT7dA
Aquarius Heaven - Universe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47rbxesMrGQ
Missy Elliott - Work It (Jaar rework)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUQUtkwsFWk
Nicolas Jaar - With Just One Glance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTFWT2B7acc

None of those really sound especially microhouse, which is of course half of what makes micro-goth what it is (and in which case you'd be hard pressed to find new examples). Of course, I'm being a total sticker, but only because you had the audacity to say I was 'doing it wrong.' Puh-leeze.

T'was joking about you doing it wrong. If gloomy, dark music makes you feel funny that's alright with me.