Lodge music, Neubau
Young and brimming with attitude, Vienna-based label Neubau is one of the freshest labels to have emerged from electronic music’s recent contemporary-wave and dark-groove spheres. Founded by Florian Stöffelbauer, aka Heap, and Simon Heidemann in 2015, the label has so far released nine EPs by artists from around the world, such as Aufgang B, Karamika, Sheila Fleurator, MR TC and Alexander Arpeggio. Collectively, they are distinct yet cohesive, each record shares a certain aesthetic and catchy oddness. It’s four-to-the-floor – and beyond – music full of syncopated kick drums, dissonant tones, punk-attitude, and devilish techno moments. There’s eruptive bass lines and nervous percussion, rattling electro and arpeggiating synths. “Brutalism In Music.” is the motto of the label, which is affiliated with the online record shop Discus Throwers. A slogan that reads harder than it sounds, all Neubau records so far have also a handsome minimal wave touch.
In 2017, Neubau also launched its sub-label, Wiener Brut, with two LPs by the 1980s acts Poligamand In-Seit, with both records delivering bold new wave pop.
But sometimes, it’s better to listen to, rather than read about, it. Here, we present Heap’s Radio Show, which introduces Neubau’s work, and includes a selection of unreleased music. We also hit up the boy from Vienna for a chat, and delved further into the Neubau world. It’s not as brutal as you’d think.
