Hologram Teen is the solo project for ex-Stereolab keyboardist Morgane Lhote. While not a founding member, Lhote was there for such classic albums as Emperor Tomato Ketchup and Dots and Loops. Now she has returned with a new name and single, being released on Deep Distance next month.
‘Tracksuit Minotaur’ opens with the line “Through the trees, witches wonder there,” which could easily have been lifted from the darker part of children’s television in the 1970s and 1980s. Behind the sample, synths billow like mist in a forest at dawn. As the track builds layers of synths, drum machines, throbbing bass and searing keyboards take over, making it fully formed and tangible. There is a dash of disco, and more than a nod to long-forgotten European horror film scores. Then three-quarters through it goes all Airwolf, and a massive solo erupts from the ether and creates a maelstrom that tosses the elements of the song up and when they fall, it’s a similar vibe, but the tone is more sinister.
This is exactly what we expected from Lhote. The music sounds like Goblin being produced by Nostromo while covering !!!. This is motorik disco funk with surreal samples and loads of 1970s horror film nods and flourishes. While Hologram Teens doesn’t initially scream Stereolab, you can pick out touches in the compositions and arrangements. Electro-Lounge rubs shoulders with jazz cover bands in Vegas, at its kitschy best.
