Stigma – Stigma

RECOMMENDED
Steve Marie steps out with his new alias, Stigma, and delivers a record that’s pretty hard to get away from. Opening with the sublime 1980s sci-fi overture of ‘Depths’, the record quickly erupts into the kind of authentic synth wave, electro, and Italo-tinged tracks that everyone struggles to get their hands on. ‘Raxtrax’, for example, marries sharp tom and snare percussion with guitar riffs and an arpeggiated bassline that never, ever gives up.

‘Sensitive Paranoia’ takes things down an even crisper route, punching heavy with its beats and dropping some refreshingly kitsch samples over the top. Take it from us, the remainder of what’s here is just as essential, from the tense stings and bumbling four-four beats of ‘All of Them’, a tune that’s intense and comical at the same time, to the unifying joy of ‘Black Totem’, you need this in your collection or you need better taste.