Les Baxters I Les Baxters LP

sci-fi synths with slices of minimal synth, driven motorik guitars, ambience and what not.  Sounds very (early) eighties but without the goth elements and delays:)   Great stuff, great variety, ultimate carefull compiled into a coherent lp.  Which, face it, not an easy task these days.

Emerging from the murky post-earthquake Ōtautahi sound scene, tabletop electronica quartet Les Baxters finally unveil their self-titled album.

When esteemed musicians and long-time friends John Chrisstoffels (The Terminals, Dark Matter), Dave Imlay (Into the Void, No Exit), Paul Sutherland (Into the Void, Fence), and Erin Kimber (Sheet Sweater) got together in 2014, you knew the result would be something unique.

Drawing on a love of sci-fi movie soundtracks, Deutsche Elektronika, goth-doom, and ambient techno, they mash their influences together and wear them respectfully on their sleeve. Vintage synths, Theremin, Casio beats, and found recordings pool to generate songs that are complex and dynamic, but also toe-tappingly fun.

The band are live favourites, perched behind a desk like a bunch of switchboard operators, in front of filmic visuals and famous contemporary ‘Op Art’ works.

Named by Radio New Zealand as one of the best acts of 2016, Les Baxters built a cult following before quietly disbanding in 2019. This LP acts as an artefact from one of the most distinctive and surprising bands to have emerged out of Aotearoa.