Antoni Maiovvi : Deathgames

When Antoni Maiovvi drops a new album people take note. Maiovvi is a staple in the electronic/imagined soundtrack world, being one of the OGs of the heavy synth scene. He combines his distinguished songwriting with his knack for propulsive electro/synth music into something that reaches back to a simpler time in music. He came up creating Giallo-leaning electronic music that brought as much dread as it did four-on-the-floor disco rhythms.

His work is far reaching, going from post-punk angular guitar jams with his Jason Priest releases to the dark and seedy world of horror soundtracks(both real and imagined), coming up with something both vintage and retro while still carrying a sort of modern urgency.

On his latest, the imagined horror soundtrack Deathgames, Antoni Maiovvi gives us a sound layered in the grime of 80s New York. From electro pop bangers to sweat-sheened synth cues to dreamy 80s optimism, Antoni Maiovvi is back in a big way.

Here’s the synopsis for Deathgames : “Set against the backdrop of a grimy, sleazy 1980s New York, Deathgames follows savant ex-profiler turned true crime writer Gil Wrexham, as he finds himself dug far too deep in an active case. At each turn the equally clever killer is slowly making all clues point towards Gil.”

Maiovvi goes out of his way to drop us into the apocalyptic, burnt out New York of films like The Warriors, Death Wish, and Taxi Driver. “In Moonlight” wavers in sinister synth tones, bringing us into the New York of Scorsese, Ferrara, and Kern. “Colours of Night” combines the claustrophobic sound of exploitation cinema with a hypnotic groove of the early days of post-punk and new wave. “Blood Rites” brings to mind new wave/synth pop jams of Dead Or Alive and Depeche Mode with the hard edge darkwave of The Soft Moon.

Elsewhere we’re greeted with electro bangers like “Slashdance NYC” and the heavy dread of “Under Cover Of Darkness”. It all comes to a head with the piano-led “Theme From Deathgames(low mood version)”, bringing this imagined score a proper send-off.

Another amazing imagined score from Antoni Maiovvi, Deathgames is the perfect musical escape hatch for the post-Halloween blues. And also just a great slice of seedy synth goodness.