POWER GLOVE – PLAYBACK.
Back in 1991, there was this arcade in our city where all the baddies and punkers hung out all the time. It was only open at night and the vibe was intimidating as hell. The place was in one of those dilapidated old factories in the armpit of the city. You had to climb under fences and through tall weeds to find it. This huge Japanese street gang guy in a trenchcoat worked the front door. We were too young to be allowed inside so my friends and I would sneak into the back alley and climb onto dumpsters to take a peek through a window. We’d stand there in the pouring rain for hours just to catch a glimpse of the action and hear that music. This place had EVERYTHING. Double Dragon, Castlevania, Mortal Kombat, Turtles, T2: Judgement Day, Contra, Street Fighter II, Rad Mobile, Splatterhouse, Bad Dudes. Not to mention all the Dominos pizza, Jolt Cola, Dunkaroos, Bubble Tape, cigarettes and Fruit Sharks you could possibly imagine…I’m talking a lifetime supply of bad snacks.
All the rougher, older kids who took shop class in school had been going to this arcade for years. They’d be in the upper loft area playing all the ‘exclusive’ arcade games, smoking cigs, comparing switchblades and controlling the mysterious music playing over the PA system.
Truth be told, we never made it inside the arcade before the place ended up being condemned in late of ’93. However the worst part about the arcade being bulldozed had nothing to do with the games. Let’s face it, arcades were everywhere. What ruined me for the next decade was never finding out what that mysterious, incredible music was playing inside the walls of the arcade and where it came from.
Almost 20 years later an electronic duo from Australia by the name of POWER GLOVE seemed to appear out of thin air. The name grabbed me from the get-go, then I pressed the play button and heard white-hot anthems of synthesized armageddon that brought me to my knees. I couldn’t believe how immediately it brought me back to those dangerous days at the forbidden arcade. The pulsating rhythms, distorted samples and dream-crushing synths were exactly what I remembered hearing outside standing in the rain.
Over time Power Glove released a slew of singles, two EP’s and two amazing video game soundtracks (the latter which they were clearly born to do). However an actual full length record is something I know many of us have wandered the streets salivating for.
Well disciples, the wait is over. Power Glove are ready to release their first official LP entitled PLAYBACK on Friday May 17th!
Artwork by Chrome & Lightning
I’m so thrilled for these guys. To say it’s been a long time coming is quite an understatement. I’ve heard most of the album because TNUC is granted access to such royalties and secret handshakes, and believe me when I say Power Glove are about to deliver the kick to the prick this genre so desperately needs right now. So many electronic artists try to emulate a similar vibe, but Power Glove always stuck out in the pack by creating a sound simply felt bigger and more authentic than the followers. Just wait until you hear what these two lawyers sent from the future have been brewing.
Let’s have a taste right now. Uncle T has the keys to an exclusive new track called ‘Daybreak’. Listen now.
Man, if there was ever a track to embody the image of a clenched fist after just reaching the summit of a plateau in the desert, this is it. The synthesizers sweep into this song with such ease and sway, it brings to mind a desert warrior walking into the sunrise over the end credits of a film. During the middle the track the Giorgio Moroder influence kicks into high gear and all I can picture is Manny Ribera’s floral shirts effortlessly blowing in the Miami breeze.
Check out the album trailer above, then don’t forget to order ‘Playback’ wherever cassettes, compact discs and records are sold.
Power Glove | Bandcamp | Soundcloud | Facebook
uncletnuc.com 
I still pump iron to Maximum Potential.
I thought id never see the day – the Playback tapes have been dug out from the ruins of the Forbidden Arcade! The album is creed to us followers of the trenchant creeps