Premiere: Virtue Signal – Ominous Mirage

Music

Samo Records close out the year with the fourth instalment of their annual Various Artists compilation.

Sand had blown over the deep footprints that followed them for several miles; hopefully they could still find their way back to camp without the markings. The weather had become more and more extreme, grains of sand blinded them and lodged in their throats as they fought their way through the wind, it made it difficult to make out the shapes of the dunes and the trees around them. Suddenly something came into view; a huge towering sculpture that felt incredibly alien against the landscape. Maybe it was just a mirage or a figment of their imagination, but it seemed to be looming closer and closer casting an unsettling silhouette against the dark sky.

Samo Records open their doors to a new batch of artists for the fourth edition of their annual compilation series. Just like the titles of each instalment suggest – so far we’ve had Sphere, Spiral, Cube and now Polygon – the music comes in all different shapes and sizes, giving a snapshot of the influences that the label hold dear. For 2022’s outing, they bring together several artists including Virtue Signal, Jack Carel and Gem Wallow, who offer up their own dark, psychedelic takes on electro, EBM, machine funk and leftfield electronics.