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Art begets art, the saying goes. A cliché as big as a house, but one that holds a fundamental truth. More than likely, Passengers A. and S., the sonic engineers of Metroland, will need no persuading: on “Mind The Gap”, their impressive debut released in 2012, they already put the theory of the Gesammtkunstwerk into practice and instantly established their vintage electronic trademark sound which also brought them unmistakable comparisons with keyboard pioneers like KRAFTWERK or yet TELEX. 

More than two years have passed since, but even though 2014 saw the release of “Thalys”, a tribute to the high-speed train, the work on the new album started almost immediately after the first album’s launch. Inspired by the basic principles of design in general – Unity, hierarchy, variety, the passengers deemed it logical to draw inspiration from the art movement where these principles were put into practice and resulted in an almost unbelievable array of artefacts and creations: the Bauhaus movement, founded in 1919 by the architect Walter Gropius. The idea of creating a total movement, where all art forms would be present, sparked a creative avalanche, with a huge and lasting influence – to this day – on art, architecture, graphic design, interior design, industrial design, and even typography.

Unity, variety and hierarchy indeed.

It was only logical that these would become the trinity of values for the music and design of Metroland’s “Triadic Ballet” album: three silvery discspackaged in a Bauhaus-inspired deluxe box: Disc 1, aptly titled ‘Unity’,starts off with a trilogy of “Design”, emphasizing – again – unity, variety and hierarchy. “3 Directors”, a far more nervous and edgy affair, could well be the perfect soundtrack to the rollercoaster ride experienced by the Bauhaus’ three directors Gropius, Meyer and van der Rohe. It paves the way for “Ikone Der Moderne”, a 90’s electro inspired four-to-the-floor, soothed by rainy arpeggios and driven forward by throbbing strings. “Zeppelin” then, is definitely up, up and away, providing blue skies and breathing space, before the frenzy returns with“Machines Gone Mad” and the weirdness of “Triadic Ballet”. “Art + Technology” and “Struktur” find some inspiration in the great city of Düsseldorf, while “Les 3 Couleurs” (The 3 Colours) shows the Passengers moving into their own ground. “The Manifesto” is the seamless combination of musical backdrop vs spoken word, and as such it’s an intriguing illustration of the Bauhaus theory. It’s also the perfect introductory piece for “Utopia”, probably the most emotionally gripping song Metroland have created to date: Bauhaus was about men who believed in a utopian world where human meets mechanical: if the band succeeded in one thing, it’s proving that this combination, when applied to music, can lead to astonishing and moving results.

Disc 2 and 3 belong to the remixers. They took the songs, filtered them through their own artistic sieve and came up with results as diverse as they are interesting: from the synthpop of the Greek Fotonovela to the electro of Laurent Paranthoën’s Commuter, or the minimal EBM of Belgium’s Absolute Body Control to the toy shop of Playboy’s Bend (origin unsure. Could be La La Land). All in all, it’s a different journey than disc 1, for sure. But those who stick with it to the end, may find it a rewarding addition to the voyage.

With a strong and productive career in the electronic scene together, longtime Belgian friends and partners in synthetic crime, Passenger A and Passenger S decided to take on a new challenge and create another conceptual band project focusing on the daily routine of transportation and commuting to work. METROLAND was born. 

Emerging from an uncontrollable burning passion for vintage keyboards, and acknowledging inspiration from acts in the likes of KOMPUTER, I START COUNTING or the unmatchable technological pioneers of KRAFTWERK, METROLAND carry us on an electronic journey animated by authentic warm sequences, melodic synthetic layers and robotic vocals, the whole project spiced up with analogue drum machines.

Imagine blending the best ingredients of many decades of electronic music into an all new sonic world! Well… this aural mixture can be found on the debut album “Mind The Gap” by METROLAND. From ‘T.F.L. (Transport For London)’s dreamy piano riff to the wobbly acid-like ‘M-E-T-R-O’ through the sinister sequences of title-track “Mind The Gap”, it is obvious that METROLAND will guide your senses on a sound-driven ride through the buzzing traffic or overcrowded vehicles, without limitations. And if METROLAND do not hesitate openly revealing their influences, they also dare to push back the limits of the expected music frame for METROLAND! This way, if the majestic melodic track “Enjoying The View” can be heard as a true ode to KRAFTWERK, METROLAND does not hesitate crossing the line by inserting heavier edged bass sequences in up tempo tracks such as “Theme for Metroland” or “Inner City Transport”. They will also invite the wittiness from acts like KOMPUTER in “It’s More Fun To Commute” or “The Passenger” or yet add nice hints of their homeland ancestors TELEX on “Moscow Main”…

“Mind the Gap” is more than just another music album of 13 songs. Instead, this album houses a complete package of conceptual creativity. Music and vision neatly melt into each other around one central theme: The Underground. Whatever your usual commute may be, just close your eyes and let the METROLAND subway line plunge you into the sound of the Underground, giving an all new dimension to these anecdotal trivial details of your daily routine which become glorified once taken under the loop of this brilliant Belgian synthesizer-duo. It’s simply more fun to commute.