AD:Key – 06.09 (Digital/CD Album – Alfa Matrix)
The newest and seventh album by the German duo AD:Key, comprised of Andrea and René Nowotny, stands out as a particularly special release. Titled “06.09”, it references the couple’s wedding date, celebrating their bond through music. This album stays true to the energetic, intelligent, and old-school EBM style that has become AD:Key’s signature, delivering a powerful sound. Both members contribute vocals throughout, and they also invited long-time friend Uwe Kanka (Armageddon Dildos) to collaborate on one track. Interestingly, the album’s strongest tracks are positioned toward its conclusion. Compared to previous works, “06.09” has a slightly ‘softer’ or more Body-Pop sound, though it remains a refined and well-balanced production, merging strength and sophistication. An additional album complements the release with numerous remixes and alternative versions. Label mates Miseria Ultima and Digital Factor, as well as Martin Bodewell of Orange Sector, contribute compelling remixes, alongside AD:Key’s own reworks and another one from their side project, Rector Scanner. (Rating:8).
AD:keY commented on the album in an AD:keY interview published on Side-Line.
Listen to “By Your Side”:
About AD:keY
AD:keY is a Berlin-based German EBM duo formed by Andrea Nowotny and René Nowotny, a husband-and-wife team. The project grew out of René’s earlier act Rector Scanner, founded in 1997 as his very first music project, before he redirected his energy toward the more EBM-oriented AD:keY together with Andrea.
Formed around 2006-2007, the duo released classic, club-driven EBM early on. The debut album “Thema Nummer Eins” arrived on December 5, 2008, followed in 2015 by “Anthropozän”. After signing to Alfa Matrix in 2017, AD:keY released the digital EP “Shameless” and a steady run of releases on the label, including “Reanimator”, “10th Anniversary” and “Resonanz”, plus EPs and singles such as “Never Enough”, “Herz Lass Los”, “Alles Was Ich Will”, “Nackt” and “Deine Augen”, and a Depeche Mode tribute cover of “Master and Servant”.
“06.09”, the duo’s seventh album and a reference to the couple’s wedding date, was released in 2024 as a digital and CD album with an additional remix companion. It is the release reviewed here.
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