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64 glossy pages |
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Back in 1989, two university students (Mons, Belgium), David Noiret and Seba Dolimont noticed that there was a distinctive lack of media interest in the independent music scene, and especially a lack of coverage in the darkwave and electro industrial genres. Disappointed by the decline, and eventual fall, of their favourite press, “Rock This Town”, both friends decided to combine their creative energies and launch their own fanzine. As a result of their efforts, Side-Line was born. A magazine dedicated to provide exposure for artists of all underground forms of sound that are all too often placed on the side-line... Initially Side-Line was written in French and printed with rather low quality standards. However the little fanzine slowly but surely kept growing and rapidly found its way into the hands of Lol Chevaux (now famous for his Ombre Sonore activities). The fanzine now had a French representative in Strasbourg who introduced Side-Line to every corner of France. Aware of the lack of information and communication in the independent music scene, Seba Dolimont decided to take a faithful leap, and starting with issue N°5, Side-Line changed its language format to being published entirely in English. A very risky endeavour since there was not a single native speaker on the editorial team. However, the risk proved to be rewarding and issue N°5 sold out within 3 weeks. During this time there were also changes in the Side-Line staff. David had departed the team and Lol decided to pursue his own French language fanzine, setting up Noising Therapy and the mail-order service, Ombre Sonore. Seba, the chief editor of Side-Line, was now joined by Benoît Blanchart and Stephane Froidcoeur whose combined efforts helped enlarge the circulation of the magazine to 500 copies. Side-Line now began to establish its recognition all over the world ranging from Germany, Scandinavia, Spain, Italy, and crossing the ocean to America and Brazil. Having acquired a very strong reputation through the years, the German label Celtic Circle Productions (CCP) approached Side-Line at the Popkomm music fair in Köln (Germany), and offered to become the magazine’s publisher. With a German publisher, Side-Line now had the opportunity to get support at the very heart of the European scene. The magazine also took on the added feature of moving to a glossy format with an attached CD compilation. After weeks of negotiations, Side-Line N°17 was released with a circulation of 7,000 copies. Side-Line was immediately recognised as the leading English-written magazine on the underground genre and received support from the record companies and media throughout the scene. A press distribution deal was rapidly signed with IPV & DPV for all European Union countries making Side-Line available in bookshops and station kiosks all across Europe (15.000 copies printed). In addition, a US office was simultaneously set up in California by Brandon Finucan (also known at that time for his Ora magazine) and Seba extended his editorial team to include several American contributors. All layouts were then given to CCP staff member Stefan Meisner, who oversaw much of design activities for the magazine and the CCP label as well. After 6 issues with each pressing including the famous Sound-Line CD compilation, and along with the now perfectly articulated contents of the magazine, the editorial team started questioning the huge mismanagement of their publisher who had not been able to correctly face their exploding growth on the market. Fortunately, at the same time, the Side-Line staff was approached by Claus Müller, chief editor of Germany's most popular music magazine Orkus, who suggested that it was time for Side-Line to seize its much deserved independence. Claus and Seba both sharing the same view and interest for the underground music scene, and innovation in general, began a collaboration that in a certain manner was unavoidable and considered a logical evolution of their respective activities. From this collaboration, a new concept was born: in April 1998, Claus Müller would officially become the new publisher of Side-Line. The staff also then seized the opportunity to give a new fresh face to the magazine and elected Didier Delhez (who had contributed to the logo & covers of very first issues of Side-Line!) as the new design manager. He immediately administered severe plastic surgery to the initial layout and reconstructed a new modern and innovative face to the magazine perfectly fitting its content. The new and current logo was also implemented. After 2 issues together, Claus and Séba rapidly realised that they were both working on moving grounds. Claus, being specialised for his GAS-market, gave top priority to his own baby Orkus in addition to his newly formed label Zoom Media Ent., while Seba was putting all his efforts into the future of Side-Line. And so it was on friendly terms that both friends parted to better pursue their respective activities. Seba had also just completed his first visit to America where he found Patrice Synthea to be the perfect successor to Brandon's huge task of being the US office manager. He also found the sought-after confirmation that the American market was surely an excellent place for Side-Line to be where the demand for European underground music was rising every day. 1999 resulted in an unexpected staff move for Side-Line which placed Seba Dolimont in the multiple roles of publisher, marketing director and his usual task of chief editor. A deliberate choice giving him and his team all the independence, force and energy they had been struggling for years. Always in search for a better and quicker information service to its readers, the Side-Line team was joined by journalist, prospect leader and "master of the web" Bernard Van Isacker who replaced our previous webmaster Ronan Harris whose commitments to his music project VNV Nation forced him to resign... Bernard developed a very active website on www.side-line.com directly making a link between news related releases and various mail-order catalogues. He also added the notable feature of providing readers with fresh news 5 days a week along with a weekly newsletter that is sent out each Monday evening. A stronger editorial team was also assembled featuring long-time contributor Stéphane Froidcoeur as co-editor and logistic manager, while keeping the gifted hands of Didier Delhez as design manager. Through the years, a large number of contributors were also added to the core team including many experienced people and other recognised DJ's or music scene activists like Niels 23, Cédric Wattergniaux, Kim Jensen & Jules, Kevin Regan, Mardi Salazar, Till Schröder, Dan Koven, Jens Krause, NastyByte, etc. After a market analysis, it was also decided to drop the attached CD compilation in order to wane away from the over-saturated compilation market and to also reduce the sale price of the magazine. Seba preferred to release only high quality CD compilations in collaboration with record labels through his numerous projects such as "Cyberl@b" (eclectic double CD compilation series featuring hits from electronic based artists), "Elektrauma" (featuring unreleased & exclusive material from elektro bands), "Gothic Enigma" (featuring dark romantic goth acts), "Venusa XX" (featuring female fronted electronic acts) and "Cryonica Tanz" (featuring promising club electro-industrial assaults). Within 2 years www.side-line.com achieved overwhelming success, as its e-mail newsletter swelled to over 15,000 subscribers. The website has received such a positive response that www.side-line.com was selected by UK's famous B.B.C. as “best informative underground music website” based on the fact that Side-Line’s main focus has always remained on news. Side-Line's official website remains the place where all music fans go to read the freshest news on the underground music scene and to use it as a platform to find an easy-link to surf a chosen label or artist’s website. The Side-Line website feeds the “informative addiction” that we love to entertain, nourish and continue to intensify. 2001 also marked the reorganisation and extension of our printed magazine's distribution network. It was decided to move from the press distribution network to a more direct record shop network. Side-Line was now capable of running a "zero stock" policy. Everyone knows that the disadvantage of a conventional press distribution is that the magazine return rates are always very high (between 50 and 80%!). Far too much paper (and trees!) used & destroyed for nothing. Our new network allows us to sell even more copies while printing the exact quantity that is actually needed! Today, Side-Line’s circulation is 6000 copies with over 5300 sold each time. This high selling percentage allows us to keep very competitive advertisement rates for smaller record companies. Our distribution network is equally spread throughout Europe and America. Metropolis Records, Isotank and Hot Topics distribute us in America, plus an array of various record shops and mail order companies, which buy our magazines directly from our US office, based in California, Los Angeles (Lake Arrowhead). In Europe, our distribution network is also progressively being intensified with new opportunities rising in the UK, Italy, GAS, Australia, Baltic countries, France, Greece, Spain, Scandinavia, Benelux, etc. In addition, members of the magazine launched their own record company project on www.alfa-matrix.com in mid-2001 on which they release innovative electronic artists. In 2002 the decision to revamp and optimise the Side-Line website was being made. Karel and Bernard aka the Van Isacker twin brothers got to work and constructed a new website platform project offering the best compromise between modernism and the concept of "less is more". The necessary content management software was added to deal with the huge amount of news and together with the help from http://www.fishbytes.net the website was debugged during the last weeks of September 2003. The main aim of the new website is to remain easily accessible, to provide fresh news and to quickly relay information. The new Side-Line website was launched in early October 2003. In October 2004, Side-Line's website counted 55.000 unique visitors on monthly basis and 26.000 subscribers to its newsletter. Note as well, that in collaboration with privileged partners, our news section is also translated into French, Spanish, German and Russian via mirror websites across the world. To simplify syndication of news, Side-Line is now also offering newsfeed for xml powered websites. So please continue sending us all your news to: info@side-line.com. Let's spread the news and build our musical future... together. |
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05/01/08 Arkane – Enraptured Serene Mesmerism (cd Seduction Prod)
05/01/08 Lost Reality – What Remains (cd UK Division Records)
05/01/08 F.O.D. – Synthesizer Tanzmusik (cd Fear Section/Out Of Line)
05/01/08 Wumpscut – Schädling (cd Betonkopfmedia/Soulfood)
05/01/08 No Tears – Obsessions (cd Str8line Records)
05/01/08 Kraken – Drift (cd Spectre Records)
05/01/08 Herrschaft – Tesla (cd Aural Music/Code 666)
05/01/08 Klinik – Projects (dcd Hands)
05/01/08 Pridon – Apnea Eina (cd Low Impedance Recordings)
05/01/08 Pecadores - 10% For Jesus (cd Hellion Records)
05/01/08 Lethargy – Music Biz (cd Zoo Recordings)
05/01/08 Flesh Eating Foundation – Seethe (cd Rebco Records)
05/01/08 V/A Festival Der Genialen Dissidenten (cd Enfant Terrible)
05/01/08 Elvis’GhettoBlaster – Love Is A Schizophrenic Hungry Monster (cd Elvis’GhettoBlaster)
05/01/08 Dreddup – Future Porn Machine (cd Insurrection/Dark Revolution)
05/01/08 Accessory - More Than Machine (cd Out Of Lline)
05/01/08 Midnattsol – Nordlys (cd Napalm Records)
05/01/08 Caned & Able – Smoke (cd Malicious Damage Records)
05/01/08 Diffuzion – Bodycode (dcd Alfa-Matrix)
05/04/08 Yendri - Yendri is even sadder and darker than me
04/12/08 Juno Reactor - Touring is very expensive when you have to fly over up to 15 people
04/10/08 Tzolk'in - The cinematographic power of Tzolk'in...
04/08/08 Memmaker - Destruction is imminent!
03/25/08 Wavefall - "From Russia with love !"
03/16/08 Anne Clark - I have never had a child but I can only imagine likening giving birth to getting this album out!
03/09/08 Angie Damage - "I'm a bit of a homebody and a dork"
02/29/08 Recoil / Alan Wilder - "Music For The Masses - I think not."
02/16/08 Hooverphonic - "I'm a gearslut!"
02/11/08 Gary Marx (ex-Sisters Of Mercy) - "The Nowhere Exhibition and a Then and Now"
02/03/08 DEKAD - "Music is definitely a therapy"
01/25/08 Y-luk-O - "Too many people are just imitating the one successful pioneer"
01/24/08 Die Krupps - "Just shut yourself out!"
01/22/08 Michelle Darkness - "From drugs to silence"
01/20/08 Nachtmahr - "Thomas and the quest for the perfect beat J"
01/20/08 Schallfaktor - "A new love is in sight"
01/20/08 [:SITD:] - "Shaking out the Savage"
01/17/08 Magica - "Goth greetings from Romania"
01/16/08 Painbastard - "Between rage and melancholy"
05/09/08 Make your very own Neikka RPM video via Animoto.com !
05/09/08 Crunch Pod announces re-release Caustic EP 'I am on fire'
05/08/08 Yendri interview online now
05/08/08 Side-Line presents Delerium and The Wheathermen live at Hof Ter Lo in Antwerp (Belgium)
05/08/08 Garten Kirkhof returns with 'Le Dormeur - A Retrospective 1989-1994'
05/07/08 Fixmer / McCarthy to launch second album, 'Into the Night'
05/07/08 Parade Ground returns with 'Rosary' album
05/07/08 Bisclaveret releases remix album
05/07/08 Reissue for Gestalt's 'Le sommeil du singe' album with bonus tracks
05/06/08 Yet another free album from Nine Inch Nails: 'The Slip'
05/06/08 Remix contest for De/Vision
05/06/08 First two albums Psychic TV reissued
05/06/08 Xandria launches best of 2-disc set 'Now & Forever'
05/05/08 New album 'Velocifero' and single 'Ghosts' by Ladytron
05/05/08 Free download from Syrian
05/05/08 Ex-Nitzer Ebb members Dave Gooday and Julian Beeston prepare new work
05/02/08 French electro band Justice boycotted because of 'Stress' video
05/02/08 Flood joins Nitzer Ebb to complete first album in a decade
05/02/08 Cesium_137 member produces new album Anders Manga
05/02/08 Mono-Amine launches debut album on Vendetta Music
05/01/08 Portishead fans flock together for early album stream
05/01/08 Black Rain news from Novalis Deux, Killing Ophelia, Rise And Fall Of A Decade and more
