A few years ago, French label Unknown Pleasures surprised us with an unexpected collaboration: Javi Golo, known more recently as JG Outsider, and Gerd Van Geel, the vocalist from the legendary The Arch, joined forces under the name Bella Eterna. That collaboration—and meeting at Ombra Festival—put the Murcia-based musician in contact with Pedro Peñas Robles, the owner of Unknown Pleasures, also known as HIV+. And the first result of that connection is this three-track single.
In recent years, JG Outsider has been busy collaborating with Spammerheads and preparing new material with Van Geel, while Pedro Peñas Robles has put together a highly recommended compilation focusing on his collaborations in the EBM/industrial/electro style. For this release, they’ve created the track “Waiting For A Smile,” available in two versions: the original, and another remix by HIV+. There’s also a remix, this time by JG Outsider, of Adan+Ilse’s classic “Sin of Sin.” It has been released digitally, and we’re hoping that a label like Oráculo—or even Unknown Pleasures itself—will see the potential and issue it on vinyl or cd as well.
At the beginning of this year, JG Outsider composed “Waiting For A Smile” and thought it would be perfect with the voice of Pedro Peñas Robles, who—besides singing—also wrote the lyrics. The result is an incredible composition: an overwhelming production with industrial touches, and a Pedro Peñas delivering a very personal interpretation—fragile, but packed with real power.
It almost feels like HIV+ wanted to go head-to-head over who could deliver the “definitive” version. While his remix doesn’t stray too far from the original, he gives the synthesizers even more prominence.
“Sin of Sin,” originally by Adan+Ilse, appeared as a single in 2015 and later featured on their 2016 LP Chirurgie Plastique. It’s one of the duo’s most solid tracks—original, and with that wonderfully deranged edge they always nailed so well. “Sin of Sin” had already been remixed before, by Vague Noir, on a compilation titled 2012–2019, which contained three originals and some contributions from several artists in Unknown Pleasures’ orbit, all offering their take on Adan+Ilse’s sound.
Now JG Outsider takes “Sin of Sin” and gives it a electroclash vibe making it intensely danceable, smoothing out some of the track’s darker, more dramatic side. In other words: it’s perfect for the dancefloor.
