Although The Dark Clan’s electronically reinforced guitar-vamping charges a lot harder than Null Device’s synth-driven, Far East electro-pop, the bands share shadowy tones and dark emotional explorations as common themes. So it’s pleasant to hear The Dark Clan convert Null Device’s billowy ballad “Breathe You In”—off this year’s Suspending Belief—into a blistering emo-rock missile, and to hear Null Device dial down The Dark Clan’s guitar-wailing anthem “Wait. Stop.”—from this year’s Fade/Dance Magic Dance—but it’s not very surprising how well both songs transfer between styles.

The biggest surprise here is the collaborative track, “Fading Belief,” and its buoyancy and genuine ability to lift the spirits. Swirling up twinkling keys, bouncing African percussion, swelling strings, and earnest vocal harmonies (while maintaining individual touchstones, like ND’s squelching electronic atmospherics and DC’s scorching guitar solos), the big-hearted track wouldn’t sound too out of place in a stage production of The Lion King. But when the gang teams up on the chorus and unleashes sentiments like, “This waiting / this dream that I have / these friendships I treasure / this life moves too fast,” you get the feeling that they really mean it.

9. Null Device: Suspending Belief.

Electronic music can be a frenetic experience. On this release, Null Device forges an alternative: a down-tempo, trancy, world-influenced sound.

A deep sense of mystery envelops “Blades of Grass.” The song features Raya Wolfsun singing in Arabic, set to swirling synth drones and tribal beats.

Eric Oehler is the creative force behind Null Device, and he gets help from cellist Elizabeth Scheef, bassist Chuck McKenzie, keyboardist Jill Sheridan and vocalist Eric Goedkin.

Null Device picks up the pace on the album’s most danceable track, “Blow My Mind.” It’s a flirtatious, radio-friendly love song that shows off a local music group at the top of its game.

When listening to Madison electro-poppers Null Device’s latest, Suspending Belief, it’s easy to tell that these were the folks that attended the midnight sales for both Depeche Mode’s Songs Of Faith And Devotion and New Order’s Republic in 1993.

In other words, when synth-pop tumbled out of the modern pop-culture climate in the early ’90s, Null Device hung on for the bumpy ride out of cool. Fast-forward to 2010 and synth-pop has once again kicked a hole through the airwaves. However, many of today’s electro-pop stars only call upon the most novel aspects of classic synth-pop records: The Roland Jupiter-8 and 303, cutesy vocal tics, and decadent fashion. But when Null Device draws from Depeche Mode on Suspending Belief—particularly on album highlight “Notes From The Fallen”—it sounds like a B-side that never was from Mode’s 2005 effort Playing The Angel. The tastefully reverberated vocal melodies of multi-instrumentalist Eric Oehler rise and fall over a pulse of word-tinged rhythms and synths that soar and bounce behind a thin layer of what sounds like sitar.

The group’s earnest approach to synth-pop is at its best when Oehler and Co. aren’t overindulging, which is unfortunately the case with “Blades Of Grass” and “Many Forms.” The way vocalist Raya Wolfsun’s ethereal vocals collide with the clinical sonics of “Many Forms” pulls the tune dangerously close to new-age bookstore territory. Thankfully, the warped, shuffling synth hooks of “Blow My Mind,” the punchy, string-laden “Inkblots,” and the entrancing sequencing and Bertrand Russell-alluding lyrics of “Teapots Orbiting” round out Suspending Belief quite nicely, offering a refreshing perspective on a genre that’s overshadowed by dance-party kitsch.

(Eric’s note: Both Eric G and I were, in fact, at the midnight release parties for SOFAD and Republic.  Spooky.)

 Since forming in 1997, Null Device has bridged production and live instrumentation to show there’s more to electronic music than beats per minute.

 The fourth album by this Madison act is mostly a collection of down-tempo house and trance that’s perfect for chilling out. Led by Eric Oehler, he of the self-declared “studio geekery,” the band’s members continue to integrate world music influences, as they did on their 2007 release, Excursions.

The Arabic lyrics sung by Raya Wolfsun on “Blades of Grass” are shrouded in the mystery of tribal beats and synth drones. “Teapot Orbiting” has a strong orchestral flavor. The rising strings are a reminder that Oehler is a classically trained violinist.

The album’s last two songs show that Null Device has a poppier side, too. The steady beats and accessible synth of “Blow My Mind” are the band’s surest path to radio airplay.

I’ve yet to hear a local disc this year that matches the sonic diversity, musical depth and substance of Suspending Belief. It’s one of my early favorites of 2010.

Primarily masterminded by Eric Oehler, local synth-pop duo Null Device casts a spinning mix of ancient folk instrumentation, heavy computer beats and Eric Goedken’s vulnerable lyrics. Oehler is classically trained but a total omnivore when it comes to music, and even though Null Device is drunk on a variety of world influences, it coheres into a slick and haunting whole. They close out the fifth anniversary party for local website Dane101. Also performing: German Art Students, Little Red Wolf and former Madisonian El Guante (with Big Cats). Cover is $7. 21+

Welcome to The Zipstream, a semi-regular new column in which The A.V. Club will round up new local albums, mixtapes, and EPs that Madison-connected artists share via such channels as Bandcamp pages and upload sites. Got something you’d like us to consider? Email sgordon@theonion.com.

Null Device, Recursions
Eric Oehler, the multi-instrumentalist/vocalist/leader of electronic-music project Null Device, doesn’t seem as angry or theatrical as some of his pals in Madison’s industrial and goth scene (OK, the Inferno and Reverence Festival scene, to be more precise). Nor is he smug and incurious enough to just oontz and bleep his way through chintzy, simplistic dance-pop. On the new odds-ends-remixes compilation Recursions, the band persists in exploring its fascination with the melody and instrumentation of the Far East, which pairs surprisingly well with its dark-yet-slick electronic pop foundation. The aqueous thump of Indian percussion sets the beat of opener “Return” before a electronic percussion and dense layers of synth and guitar lock into it.

On the best track, “Travelogue,” the band’s songwriting chases love from Shanghai to Sydney. A powerful ensemble of Asian stringed instruments lends this song some genuine jet-lagged romance, while a fun synth breakdown in the middle makes it feel more like an intrigue-riddled game of international lazer tag. The next song, “The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove,” does nearly as well with its sinister sitar drone and male-female vocal harmonies. Speaking of the band’s singing, there’s nothing really wrong with it (and Null Device pens some rather compelling, narrative lyrics), but it’s often the least interesting thing in the mix. One exception is the beautiful Urdu-language guest vocal a friend of Oehler’s lays down on “Twisting And Turning (Club Mix),” which offers another direction Null Device could explore a bit further: Finding some vocals that are as adventurous and category-defying as the music itself. Download here.

Remix albums can sometimes be a drag, especially when you are waiting for new music from an artist and get a remix album instead. In the commercial sector of music, remix albums can seem like a thinly veiled excuse to try and squeeze as much additional money out of an overplayed artist as possible. And then sometimes, a remix album is actually a decent album where you can listen to an interesting reworking of a favorite song. Luckily, Null Device’s latest release, Recursions, falls into the latter category.

Recursions features remixes from many songs on their last album from 2007, Excursions, as well as some from their earlier EPs. Although they performed at the Inferno at last month’s Forward Music Festival as part of the Reverence Showcase, don’t be so quick to lump them into the “industrial/goth” category if you’ve never heard them before. They have an acutely diverse range of influences in their music, including middle-eastern folk music, electronica and bhangra. The initial collaborations of the two Erics, lyricist Eric Goedken and multi-instrumentalist Eric Oehler, has since attracted the talents of Elizabeth Scheef (percussion, keyboards) Charles McKenzie, (bass) and Jill Sheridan, (vocals) for their current line-up.

On Recursions, the reinterpretations are sprinkled with elements of the same wide range of influences, from Bollywood club mixes to live acoustic sets. “The Hourglass” was recorded live at the Inferno, it sounds more like an spontaneous musical session with friends cheering drunkenly in the background. The aptly titled club mix, “Twisting and Turning” features gorgeous Urdu vocals alongside trancey beats. Perfect for the Inferno, and a Bollywood dance class too. Recursions also includes an unreleased demo, titled “The Choir.”

As is a common practice in the electronic music genre, Null Device has followed up their 2007 CD, Excursions, with an offering of remixes, revisions, and unreleased demos they have aptly named Recursions.

What makes Recursions somewhat different from most post-CD remix platters is the variety of material that encompasses the past decade of the band’s history. In addition to rewirings of Excursions material by fellow electroheads Stripmall Architecture, Bloodwire, and Bogart Shwadchuck, there is a 2009 version of “Travelogue” from the 2004 CD, A Million Different Moments, and a new rendition of “Footfalls” from 2002’s Sublimation, both showcasing singer Eric Oehler’s continued exploration of bhangra and other musical influences from the other side of the globe. There is a live acoustic rendition of “The Hourglass” recorded at the Inferno circa 2006 that shows a less serious side to them, and a pair of unreleased demos have been tossed into the mix: the instrumental “Think It Over” (perhaps they deleted the lyrics for it after thinking it over?), and “The Choir”, which features former band member Dan Clark (presently in The Dark Clan and other various projects) rocking out on electric guitar. “The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove”, a Dead Can Dance cover and staple of Null Device’s live sets, is presented here in studio form and one might have trouble differentiating it from the original.

Never known to be technophobes (the band first had a website way back in 1994), Recursions is not yet available in CD format and for the moment can only be obtained digitally from bandcamp.com, a website that allows musicians to be flexible with how they dole out and price their material. In the case of Recursions, one has the option to download the songs in several different formats and even choose how many clams to throw at the band; you can donate anywhere from zero dollars and zero cents to your entire paycheck, depending on how much you value what you hear. They are also one of many bands who have beaten iTunes LP to the punch; the download comes with a PDF file that contains all the artwork and liner notes that their website promises will eventually be available in soon-to-be-obsolete physical CD format.

Who would you like to work with that you haven’t yet, and why?

There aren’t so much specific people as certain types.   I’d love to work with a good tabla player, or maybe a traditional Persian singer, or a skilled duduk player, or…well, I’m pretty open to lots of things.  I’ve recently discovered that you can play a Donegal-style fiddle reel pretty well over the top of a north Indian bhangra beat, so I guess I’m not especially constrained.

What are some of your current musical influences/obsessions?

I’ve been listening to Bear McCreary’s “Battlestar Galactica” soundtrack a lot recently.  I normally just sort of ignore soundtrack albums, but this stuff stands on its own remarkably well, and he’s basically doing the kind of thing I want to do when I grow up – this wild, pan-ethnic, expansive, cinematic stuff. But then I’ve also been listening to Deadmau5 and Royksopp a lot too, as well as a hefty dose of random bhangra artists.  So take that as you will.

When you first mentioned bhangra, I initially thought that was kind of surprising. However, since modern bhangra is found in many clubs and has a very-fast paced tempo, it doesn’t seem so unlikely that an electronic band could find ways to fuse electronic music with elements of bhangra.  What is it about bhangra that you find inspiring for your music?

It’s just great fun, musically.  It’s got a rhytmic element that just screams “dance music” but it isn’t the standard four-on-the-floor that domiantes so much electronic music.  The big dhol drum riffs are really heavily swung, so it sort of has a funk element built in.  In some ways it’s hard to mix it together, because the percussion used in bhangra is loud and pretty much obliterates all other treble or bass instruments if not pieced together carefully.

As a huge Bollywood fan, please indulge me in asking this slightly cheesy question. If you had the opportunity, would you be interested in being part of a Bollywood film, like maybe working on some of the musical numbers?

In a heartbeat.  Actually, for our last album, we had a guest singer who had actually done vocals for a song in a Hrithik Roshan film. Where it gets tricky is that a lot of my Indian music theory is weak. If a producer told me something needed to be in raga malarani, I’d have to go look that up.

Hrithik Roshan? He’s my favorite Bollywood actor! Which film and song? I think Hrithik is one of the most exciting stars in Bollywood. Not only does he have incredible dance skills, but he can really carry a film. I think “Dhoom 2″ and “Jodhaa Akbar” are my faves.

Yeah, Ramya did some vocals for “Kaho Na Pyar Hai”…I think it was “Na Tum Jano Na Hum” but I’m not 100% sure. I last saw Hrithik in “Koi Mi Gaya” which was Bollywood’s 20-years-too-late answer to ET (and 40-years-too-late answer to “Flowers For Algernon”).  It was very odd.

Ok, back to electronic music. Null Device has played all over Madison. What is your favorite venue and why?

That’s a tough one.  I like them all, mainly because playing anywhere in town means I can drive home after a show and not have it take 3 hours.  The Majestic has always treated us exceptionally well, and they have probably the most comfortable green room in town.  The Inferno has a lot of sentimental value, though, because it’s where we first played and it’s sort of a home base.  And Cathy at the High Noon is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.  So it’s really kind of a tossup.  Maybe Majestic by a hair because they have the biggest stage.

Null Device won a MAMA for “Best electronic performer” this year. What was that experience like?

Surprising.  We didn’t release anything new last year, so I wasn’t even expecting us to be nominated for anything MAMA-like.  And yet not only were we nominated, but we won, too.  I was kind of stunned by the whole thing.  The plaques are pretty nice this year, too. The MAMAs are, for all their flaws, a pretty nice deal.  Rick’s heart is completely and utterly in the right place, and the ceremony itself is often a nice excuse for me to learn about a lot of other bands I probably wouldn’t come across otherwise.

When did Matt Fanale first approach you about doing Reverence?

Back when Matt first hit upon the idea for Reverence, in 2004 I think it was, it was sort of a “farewell bash” for Ned Kirby, who was moving off to San Diego and taking the juggernaut Stromkern with him.  Since I was a friend of Ned’s and Null Device had played with S’kern a few times, we were toward the front of the line of “people who should play at Ned’s party.”  It seemed like a fun gig, Matt was really enthused about it, and honestly I had no idea it was going to take off the way it did. Since then, Reverence has expanded and leveled-up in a number of ways, and…well, we’re still here,  and so is Reverence.  It’s been great to be a part of it as long as we have.

With this year’s Reverence being a part of Forward Music Festival, how do you feel that your show will be different than previous years? (or do you not think the general vibe will be different?)

Well, hopefully the extra press and crossover that FMF gives Reverence will mean that the gigs will get more of a diverse audience.  Most of the bands playing are well-known in certain music scenes, but most of them have a lot of appeal for people who aren’t in the black-clad, techsupport crowd.  The Atomica Project, for example, is playing on Thursday, and they’re a very trip-hoppy, Portishead-ish kind of act. The Dark Clan may sing about vampires a lot, but at their core they’re a powerpop band.  Caustic would appeal to punk fans as much as noise fans.  I’m hoping the FMF association draws in more random people who can say “yeah, Andrew Bird was awesome, but I also really liked this electronic band from Chicago that I’d never heard of before…”

What is the most memorable experience you’ve had performing at Reverence, and what made it so memorable?

The first two Reverences really stick with me.  I think it was partially because after the first one, we didn’t think there was going to be a second, and during the second one we were all just so damned gleeful that it happened.  During the first, one of the bands (Boole) decided to do a massive electronic version of “Freebird” that pretty much dragged everybody from every other band onstage to sing along. Nobody knew the words and half of us had already freely partaken of the backstage beer, but it was still just a lot of fun. The second Reverence, or “Irreverence” as Matt called it, was memorable because now that the fest had a bit of a reputation, people were coming from far and wide for it.  I finally got to meet people who’d for years been big supporters of the bands, including Null Device, but I’d never had the opportunity to meet in person.  It was almost like a big family reunion, if half of the family happened to be extras from “The Matrix.”  And Matt Fanale was the creepy uncle who hugs you inappropriately, gets drunk and eventually takes his pants off in front of everyone.  Which he did.

What’s next for Null Device after playing Reverence?

Well, we’ve got a remix/b-side CD coming out real soon now, and after Reverence…well, first a few band members have honeymoons to go on, but after that, we’re trying to put together a tour for next spring/summer.  And as always, we’re still recording new material.

Null Device

Eric Oehler's electronic project stands out for its emotion and strong vocals. Tribal beats and world-music influences abound.

…