Needle Factory - Drunken Robot Pornography

With his initial musical offerings beginning with the Amiga demoscene craze back in the early 90s, Freddy Morgendorffer AKA Needle Factory began his adventure in the chiptune, 8-bit sampling and punk aesthetic. And now he brings that same exact style to the 21st century, and has made such an impact that he's been able to perform alongside the likes of cyberpunk band Angelspit, as well as performing at Manchester's Tokyo CHIPPED and Superbyte. And now, in August, he proudly presents his label debut, an EP titled Drunken Robot Pornography.

With a unicorn head with a rainbow on a digital surface, the title of the album coming off in a shiny metallic font like so many metal albums, B-rated sci-fi movies and video games of the bygone era of the 80s, his influences are fairly easy to pick up on just based on the cover art of the EP. Presented with six different tracks each of which show off his form of low-fi electro with the aforementioned 8-bit/chiptune influences, you're in for one hell of a ride.

And what I noticed from the get go is that this release will definitely cater to all different audiences. Bitches Be Crazy will appeal to fans of retro gaming with its throwback sounds, will casually engage a newer audience with dubstep influences, and the vocals are a duet instead of a singular sound. Low pitches distorted vocals combine with higher pitched vocals to create a very uneasy, distorted sound. Interesting combination of sounds, but it works in an insane sense.

Remote Control got a bit more straightforward, forcing out a nice little bassline. However, my problem with the song was its repetition, but that's all. The music was strong and caught me in nicely; it just needed to get a bit more epic in scale, kind of like the first track, and the constant looping of lyrics going "You've got remote control," was a bit annoying.

I fell in love with What Ya Doin'; the heavy electronic use in almost ADD format was absolutely fantastic. And, at first, as the vocals were hard to adjust to, I really got into this point. They really give off a unique touch to the project, and I guarantee that I'll be able to pick out these guys at ease should I ever hear them again.

Synth work made a harder foray in Put The Moneh In. The vocals actually canned the low pitched/high pitched duet combination, and went more for a singular chord that was still distorted, just not as fucked with. It allowed the album to refresh itself, and was a bit surprising. The song's offering was wonderful.

Continuing on with more synth work, Naked Horny Girls offered more of a dance tune than previous songs. Mainly being an instrumental through and through, sample bending was present in the song, but they went well with the whole theme present. The electronics flowed very nicely in this track.

Going back to more dubstep influences, the dual vocals returned in Finger Brain, however, the emphasis on distortion wasn't as exaggerated this time around, allowing for a but of humanity to strike through rather than robotic-like singing. The back and forth between dubstep and drum'n'bass to bits of chiptune dominating the track allowed for a clash of worlds, and the versus like style worked well.

And, after six tracks of odd songs, I finished off with a good impression. This guy is certainly doing what he wants and he's doing what he wants well. I can see this turning off a lot of people; 8-bit and chiptunes do serve a retro scene, and the dubstep combination might even make a few hate him. The vocals might be hard to get used to, but I found them to be fitting and humorous after a listen or two. Based on the title of his EP in general, a lot might be quick to throw this musician right out the door upon first look, but never judge a book by its cover. This guy has some serious talent, and this release serves perfectly in its cassette format. I already want a copy, and its something I'm really looking forward to getting at some point in my lifetime when I have the cash. Aug 11 2014