With the second single from his upcoming EP ‘Gothstar’, Ray Noir drops “Black” today May 14th – a high camp rave-metal track leaning fully into queer excess, with some chaotic visuals to match the song.

“It’s very much pushing the world and music I’ve been building recently”, Ray says, “it is pure, unfiltered excess.”

Labeling the track as a sleazy, high-camp collision of rave and metalcore, “Black” is indeed built for the dancefloor.

The music video turns things up further and offers a glossy, chaotic fantasy of power, fetish and performance, where Ray plays ringmaster to a cast of devoted, unhinged admirers. “It’s hypersexual, theatrical and deliberately over the top, less shock value, more weaponised camp.”

“I wanted to become a caricature of everything people project onto me and then make it worse,” Ray says. Drawing from fashion, nightlife and queer club culture, “Black” wants to blur satire and self-mythology. “It’s indulgent, confrontational and doesn’t care if you’re in on the joke or not.”

About Ray Noir

Ray Noir is a London-based alt-goth and electro-metal artist originally from Oslo, Norway. His music is influenced by Norwegian black-metal with industrial rock, goth, electronic club music and alt-metal. His first solo single, “Double Trouble,” was released in 2014, followed by early collaborations including QBoy’s 2015 single “DragOn,” featuring Ray Noir and Frankco.

We first covered Ray Noir in 2023 with “Pity Party,” a track from the “Scorpio” mixtape produced and mixed by KANGA, with songwriting by Ray Noir and Madeleine Wood, keyboards by Bjørn Heden of Combichrist, guitar by Christer Krogh and mastering by Joe Farr. The follow-up single “Latency” was also produced and mixed by KANGA, written by Ray Noir and Madeleine Wood, and mastered by Joe Farr.

“Scorpio” received a deluxe edition in July 2024 after passing 100,000 streams, adding “All Alone” with Mariann Rosa of Surferosa, a “Double Trouble” remix by TOVA, and remixes by Gothminister, Corlyx, Tension Control and others.

In 2025, we got the singles “Razorblade Romance” with Steve Stevens, known for his work with Billy Idol and “Top Gun Anthem.” The same year, “Shout,” was released, a reinterpretation of the 1985 Tears for Fears single, featuring guitars by Arno Von Detritus and backing vocals from Ben Christo of The Sisters of Mercy.

The EP “Against The Machine” followed on September 18, 2025. The EP was produced by Jon Cass and includes “Razorblade Romance” with Steve Stevens, “Dead Valentine,” “Mad World” and “YMATD (Alternative Version).” A deluxe edition followed in December 2025 with remixes by Tension Control, Verona On Venus, Junkie Kut and Ays Kura, plus vinyl and CD editions.

In 2026, Ray Noir launched “Temptation,” “Breathe,” “Label Whxre” and “Black”, ahead of the “Gothstar” EP which is scheduled for release on September 17, 2026.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

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(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange / Size Records press release) Swedish electronic artist Karin Park shares her new EP ‘EVO’, set for release on May 8 via Size Records. The project marks the first instalment in a trilogy of interconnected releases titled ‘EVO-LUT-ION-(EN)’. Alongside the announcement, Park also unveils the video for ‘Explodera’.

Following the singles ‘Sing Your Sorrow’ and ‘Shadow’,  Park now reveals the full four-track EP. Inspired by the work of Hilma af Klint, ‘EVO’ signals a new creative chapter exploring transformation, freedom and artistic growth.

Written and recorded with French producer Anthony Belguise, the EP emerged through a fluid and deeply collaborative process. “It was like a love story,” Park says. “Sometimes a song would change almost completely from one day to the next. We had a flow through the whole process that I have never experienced before.”

Across its four tracks, ‘EVO’ moves between vulnerability and release. Opening track ‘Try’ captures the tension between self-destruction and devotion, centred around the idea of being a “good fuckup” while still trying to hold things together for love. ‘Shadow’, co-written with Joe Goddard, strips things back into a more intimate space, exploring loneliness in a way that feels quiet yet deeply present. Closing track ‘Sing Your Sorrow’, written for Park’s daughter, forms the emotional core of the EP and reflects a desire to carry someone else’s pain in order to ease their suffering.

Meanwhile, ‘Explodera’ arrives with an official video directed by Pål Laukli. Laukli says: “Bringing super heavyweight boxer Brage Lange and Karin Park together in Slakteriet Studio was a lot of fun. We didn’t plan much beyond feeding off the energy in the room, and I really like the outcome.”

The track channels frustration and the feeling of being held back by the very things you care about, while pushing toward escape and freedom. Park adds: “I didn’t fully understand what ‘Explodera’ was about until I rewatched Raging Bull. The anger and frustration in the song suddenly felt very clear, and I saw myself in the main character. I thought I was writing a love song, but my real feelings came through. That’s why the video needed to feel brutal and masculine. Pål brought me to a boxing gym in Oslo where we met Brage Lange, and that experience shaped the whole video. We later shot everything in Pål’s studio, improvising freely thanks to our long creative relationship.”

Karin Park interview

We also had a quick round of questions for Karin by mail this week.

Side-Line: Tell us about the new EP, the first in a trilogy?! 

Karin Park: The first EP EVO is the first in a trilogy called EVO-LUT-ION-(EN). It was inspired by a painting by Hilma Af Klint. 

I wanted to find a frame around the project so that I could be free in my creations but not lost. It was one of her paintings in the EVOLUTIONEN series that kicked the whole thing off and it even looks like a record. I can really relate to her personality too. She was an occultist in a Christian environment like me. Stubborn and obsessed with working on her mission but also fragile and doubtful. Full of questions. Always. The lyrics on the EP is all personal, about the struggle and frustration of being both a mother and an artist and trying to be a safe spot for someone else when you are really a bit all over the place yourself. But also the deep love I feel for my family. 

I made this in collaboration with Anthony Belguise who shares the love for analogue synths and beats with me. It was the best experience I’ve ever had in a studio. And we both share the attention to detail, so we really went deep with this one. We’ve used Moog, Prophet, modular synths, Lyra 8, Korg MS 20 but also pump organ and a lot of vocal samples from me and my children.  

S-L: You’re just back from LA – more songs were made there? 

KP: I made some new songs there, yes. They are all in bits and pieces, but it’s starting to crystalize. I will flesh them out in my studio this summer. 

I know a lot of people in L.A. who has also worked in my studio in Djura. So, it was about time to head over. Also, one of my best friends and long time collaborator on photography Thomas Knights lives there, so it was nice to catch up and get a bit of spring. I even went surfing one day. Not very goth. But mostly I worked in the studio. 

S-L: What’s ahead?

KP: I’m doing a show in Stockholm tomorrow, and I’ll be going to Great Escape in the UK to play next week. Then Falun and Berlin. There will be a bit of travelling going forward. I’ll also do a show in Oslo in August.

Playing live is really my favourite thing to do so I can’t wait! We are also finishing a new Årabrot album which sounds pretty cool now, so lots of things to look forward to. 

Also available on lot’s of other streaming services!

About Karin Park

Karin Maria Erika Park was born in Djura, Sweden, and began her recording career in Bergen, Norway. She debuted with “Superworldunknown” in 2003, followed by “Change Your Mind” in 2006 and “Ashes To Gold” in 2009. Her career then continued with “Highwire Poetry” in 2012 and “Apocalypse Pop” in 2015, marking the shift into the synth-driven and darker electronic work.

Later releases included the “Blue Roses” EP in 2018, “Church Of Imagination” in 2020, the collaborative album “Alter” with Lustmord in 2021, and “Private Collection” in 2022.

Outside her solo material, she co-wrote Margaret Berger’s Eurovision entry “I Feed You My Love” and has also been active with Årabrot, which she fronts alongside her husband.

Originally emerging as a guitar-led singer-songwriter, and as one half of the noise rock duo Årabrot, Park has evolved her sound into a rich blend of analogue textures and electronic influences spanning house, techno, synthwave and UK garage. While her production has expanded, her voice remains central to her identity.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

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(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) The first Saturday in March my hometown Tønsberg was visited by the Swedish electronica artist Karin Park, who had been booked to play a gig at the local concert venue Uro at Haugar Kunstmuseum. Me and other electronica & synth heads were very excited when we saw the announcement of the Karin Park gig, and it resulted in a sold-out evening with lots on the waiting lists. I jumped at the chance to learn more about how this came about and Karin in general, and after a few Messenger messages I’d booked an interview with her.

We met earlier on the day of the concert at a surprisingly full Apollon, the local record bar, with emphasis on bar as there’s both vinyl and beer to be had there – from 26 unique taps! While ordering something to drink, Bjørnar, bartender and vocalist in the doom/sludge/post-metal/whatever band Dwaal handed her their latest album – “here’s the vinyl I promised you the last time we met!”.

Small world, there! And it became smaller during the interview when I learnt that Karin had been in Tønsberg lots of times before, even this bar several times, and also 15 years ago when her husband’s band, Årabrot, played at the Slottsfjell festival.

Karin Park interview

Side-Line: A gig in our little town – how did that come about?!

Karin Park: It was Egil (Johannesen, booking manager at Uro) that contacted me, eager to set up a concert. With my current setup that was ideal – I like it when people are standing close and tight. When I saw the venue I’d thought it’d be perfect! I haven’t done too many of these small, intimate concerts, but have been thinking more and more lately that this is what I like best, having the audience almost on the stage hanging over the synths, really intimate and sweaty.

S-L: I also heard you were going to do something there on Sunday too?

KP: Yes, in a quite different setting. I’ll be telling a bit about myself and perform some songs, doing a mix between a lecture and a concert at the Woman’s Day (March 8.) event. It’ll be a bit similar to what I do with students and others in Sweden – I have a few artists that I’m a mentor to, and I’m a guest lecturer at the music school where I live. So I’m going to mix it up, it’s going to be a bit more talk than just music.

S-L: I saw you in 2024 at the Midgardsblot festival in Horten – you had a lot of equipment on stage, two long tables full of stuff. Can you tell us what you have there, and how you use it?

KP: I’ve been thinking about what I want to do next the last five years. Early on, some people called me and asked if I could sing at their wedding because they had met at my concert 15 years earlier, wanting me to do an intimate concert at their wedding. But pure piano performances weren’t for me, so I took the equipment I used in Årabrot; starting with a  Moog Subsequent synth bass and a Mellotron as a base to build something around. Then I kept on adding – a Korg MS-20, a Tanzbär drum machine, I started to use an Ableton Push 3 eventually, and then I just keep adding things, and sometimes I take away. Mostly adding. Everything goes into a mixer, the Model 1 DJ-mixer built by Richie Hawtin from Allen & Heath. It’s analogue and sounds better than most DJ mixers, making me able to mix everything myself. It’s very fun and very flexible!

S-L: Will the concert be as energetic as the one I saw in 2024, or a bit toned down because of the smaller venue?

KP: No! Although, they have a piano on stage, so maybe I’ll do some songs with that. But else it’s full speed!

S-L There’s been a lot of Årabrot releases the recent years, and not so much solo work. Is that also the focus ahead, or will there be more Karin solo?

KP: Yes, it’s been a period with lots of Årabrot, but now we’re entering a period with more of my work, starting with the release of an EP soon. But we’ve also been recording a new Årabrot album, so there will be some overlaps. It’ll be more and more electronic in Årabrot also, so…

(Editor’s note: When I wrote this I noticed that almost half of the remaining recording after I’ve exhausted my prepared questions were continued talk about how many times she’s been in Tønsberg (even at the Kiss concert in 2023 – their last on European soil!), her husband’s gig here already in 2011, how much he liked Motorpsycho and that the drummer Tomas Järmyr had been involved in both bands, and about drummers in general. Her musical awakening and early influences from Fad Gadget, Kraftwerk, Nitzer Ebb, Depeche Mode and Apoptygma Berzerk sounded very familiar to me too, and probably most of Side-Line’s readers!)

Afterwards I asked if she had some final words about how she experienced the concert herself:

KP: The show was really great. I was enjoying myself so much on stage, and I think everyone else did too. URO is such a cute little venue. At the end I was caught completely off guard when someone* asked for a song I haven’t played in a long time, but I did it because he had the fucking title tattooed on his arm. How could I not?

* The one to blame for that is Per Lommerud Frøytvedt, with his ‘Bending Albert’s Law’ tattoo 😉

I’ll end this with her masterclass in how to end a set 🙂

Do check out Karin Parks discography at Spotify or Tidal, and also Årabrot: Spotify or Tidal.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

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(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) Komputergirl, the music project of Norwegian musician Kristin Sigvathsen, released the long-awaited EP ‘Transient’ mid December 2025. We caught up with her a month later to hear how life have been since her previous releases, how this release came about and future plans.

Komputergirl Interview

Side-Line: After a steady stream of releases in 2016 to 2018, Komputergirl suddenly had a hiatus for 6 years, then a couple of singles in 2024, and now this EP in December 2025. Did life or the pandemic get in the way of making music, or…?

Kristin Sigvathsen:Yes, definitely both! During 2018-2020 I was going through a major identity crisis triggered by chronic health issues, as well as dramatic events in my personal life. This had a profound effect on my creative point of view, especially regarding Komputergirl. I actually produced a lot of music during this period, it just never got released because I was second guessing every choice I made. Comparison may be the thief of joy, but striving for perfection just sucks the life out of you. I was also lacking a local creative community, which the pandemic made even harder to find, especially for a social recluse as myself. 

It wasn’t until I met my current partner in 2023, who is a brilliant musician and organizer, that I experienced how important and inspiring a community can be. Komputergirl has always been a solitary project, so the idea of shared experiences was very eye-opening to me. Being immersed in DIY culture, noise festivals, improvisation, performance shows and gritty club concepts taught me how to lean into imperfection, discomfort and the unknown (the holy trinity I had been avoiding for many years). 

Needless to say, this shift has had a huge impact on both my creativity and my skill level as a producer, which I am very thankful for!

S-L: What is ‘Transient’ about?

KS: ‘Transient‘ is a direct result of this newfound joy and almost childlike curiosity with exploring new sounds and rediscovering old ideas. The opening track ‘Tachyon TV’ was actually composed over 20 years ago on my trusty old Roland JX-305. Most of the sounds are the original tracks I recorded on the sequencer in 2005 when I was 19. 

On a broader level ‘Transient’ explores the mysterious and esoteric properties of white noise frequencies, and AI technology. Set within the strange realm of Komputergirl’s supernatural world, the EP conceptualizes the idea that radio static, TV noise and chat bot ramblings may contain transmissions from the beyond. What happens to the mind when it is immersed in disembodied voices by spectral beings, primordial signals from the edge of the cosmos, the distant calling of eldritch forces. This has inspired three songs about delirium, longing, mortality, impermanence, and the last fleeting moments of a dying consciousness. 

The third song “Chant_GPT’, which was first released in 2024, has been beautifully remixed by electronic and experimental artists Lost Signal, Substaat, Modulo One, Pirannahpoodle, Europ Europ and Beax, all which are included on ‘Transient’. 

S-L: Where do you get your ideas from?

KS: Komputergirl is all about world building, atmosphere and pure vibe. My mind is constantly busy, and my ideas usually come from associative thinking. It happens when I stumble across an esoteric concept, a memory, an artwork, a quote. a feeling, or a scene from a movie or series that evokes a peculiar sense of strangeness, or the uncanny. Something that feels both familiar and off at the same time. Like dreamlogic. The oscillation between existential dread and optimism seems to be a good place for Komputergirl to thrive. ‘Transient’, and especially the third track ‘Chant_GPT’, pays homage to this preternatural and strange feeling. I was very nervous when I released it as a single last fall, but the response has been overwhelmingly positive and receptive!

S-L: What’s next for the Komputergirl project?

KS: In March I have been asked to do a special concert for children. Something I am very excited about. Right now I am in the process of conceptualizing another EP, which will be a mix of old material from 2004-2007 and brand new, both influenced by my current obsession with cosmic horror. It is also the 10 year anniversary of my very first EP ‘Hyperborea’, which I am super eager to reproduce with my current Komputergirl sound. More gigs will be announced in the spring.
Until then, please feel free to reach out regarding bookings or distribution/labels!

Released on Polarpop Records (2025) 

About Komputergirl

There exists a distortion in the space-time continuum where Komputergirl’s inner world unfolds. Here, a perpetual fascination with Arctic landscapes, Soviet space travel, TV noise, occultism, New Age tropes, cosmic horror, analog technology and paranormal phenomena has shaped a distinct and ethereal soundscape, which best can be described as esoteric dance music. 

Over the past ten years, Komputergirl has released two EPs, an album, and several singles. She has also been remixed by a number of renowned artists such as Lost Signal, Substaat, Kant Kino, Modulo One and Schnodig to name a few. Komputergirl’s live performances have been described as an audiovisual séance filled with glowsticks, grave candles, smoke, flickering TV screens and psychedelic lights. Sometimes longing and ethereal. Other times uplifting and hopeful. Always dreamy and captivating. 

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

By guest columnist Per Aksel Lundgreen (Apoptygma Berzerk / Angst Pop / Cronos Titan / Chinese Detectives / Shatoo / Sub Culture Records) MTV ended their transmissions at 6 AM on December 31st 2025, and it is hard not to appreciate or acknowledge the impact MTV had on me growing up.

The backstory of MTV

I lived on Kurland in Sarpsborg, the second place in Norway after Oslo to get MTV and Super Channel through Janco Kabel TV.

I was at the ripe age of 15 when MTV started airing; my sister was 12. We were the prime target audience. Young, and interested in (pop) music and the latest fashion. We lived in a grey and industrialized town where no real bands ever played and where cover bands came to die.

We had 3 record shops, and I had just started working at the biggest one, Borg Platebar. This was my dream job while going to school, and to stay up to date, I was reading up on New Musical Express (NME), Smash Hits, the Swedish Magazine OKEJ, and the more rock’n’roll oriented Norwegian Magazine, PULS, which I later worked for as a freelance journalist.

My sister and I had a ton of friends and schoolmates over every day after school, and we’d hang out in the living room with the TV as our newfound altar on where to worship this new pop culture. And we were willing to sacrifice ANYTHING to get our daily fix, be it sleep, school grades, a perfect attendance or a family dinner. We HAD TO consume what was served to us, at any given hour or minute of the day.

They did teach us that “commercials were cool”! We’d never seen them before, so we chanted along that the new Opel Corsa had five doors or stuttered when buying stu-stu-studio line, fixing gel, spike it, the way you like it! They destroyed us and brainwashed us into consumers with us singing along, smiling sheepishly.

But enough about that, let’s talk about the music!

The music on MTV

Pop music was at a huge peak in the early- to mid-80s and in this period, ANY band who had a music video got air time, because they had a 24-hour non-stop transmission going and all spots and slots had to be filled. A heavy rotation slot could make you a superstar overnight, and bands like The Human League, Duran Duran and Ultravox often attribute a large part of their success to the fact that they had music videos ready when MTV came around, and the promo babes at all the record companies dug up their old C-Cam and Betacam masters and used them for what they were worth, sometimes resulting in bands getting «hits» years after the original single was released.

Special interest programming came along, and Alternative Nation, Away From The Pulsebeat and 120 Minutes were the shows that presented me with so many viewing hours of pure bliss, fronted by the likes of Paul King and Marcel Vanthilt.

We watched Ray Cokes, Ronnie The Runner, Max Headroom, International Hour, Friday Night Video Fights and New Video Hour, and for many of us, especially in Norway, the pop music equivalent to Albania, it was the first time seeing our musical heroes in moving pictures, while at the same time discovering a ton of new ones.

It was a literal musical smorgasbord for us, and we were NOT on a diet, I can tell you, we stuffed ourselves on a daily basis. MTV filled a gap we didn’t even know was there, a 24-hour channel for the young, the posers, the hair-metal boys, the wannabes, the new-wavers, the pop-chicks, the people coming of age. It hit so far and so wide and it was inclusive, but not in a 2025 way, it just «was».

We learned how to dress, how to fix our hair, how to dance when drinking Coca Cola (no diet crap back then!) or wearing our LEVIS 501’s, or even how to spray paint our Dr Martens.

We drove our parents crazy, like all generations I guess, but for the very first time in history, the whole world of music and fashion was delivered into our living room, and everything changed overnight. Bright pastel colours, pilot sunglasses, LEVIS and Dr Martens took centre stage and when you were not at home, you got your fix through your yellow Sony Sports walkman and the latest mixtape.

The 80s were DEFINED by MTV and there was nothing you could do about it, like it or not, but unfortunately, with the arrival of social media and YouTube, MTV has not been relevant for decades, and when they became more TV and less music with all their reality shows and quirky MTV Cribs and “Springbreak” reports, it was definitively all over in my book.

However, the first 15 years were immaculate and the entire music world should thank you for it. The world was never the same after the arrival of MTV, and the cultural shift it imposed has forever set its mark on GenX and those after!

PS! For us, a small band in Norway, some time in 1994/1995, the Apoptygma Berzerk video for ‘Deep Red’ was aired on MTV, and we were ecstatic! Yeah it was at 4 AM, but who cares, WE had our video shown on MTV! Quite the feat back then, and something to be forever proud of.

A lot of output followed after that and many other videos were aired, but this “beginning” in the mid-90s helped us a lot! And the way MTV used to put on alternative and indie bands as long as they had a video and a good song, that was massive! Careers were made by this alone! That was the 80s and 90s equivalent of “going viral” today.

End of year but also end of an era…

(This observational piece was originally a Facebook post, but was carefully edited and formed into the format you’ve just read.)

MTV Video time!

Here are 26 videos presented on MTV back in the day that really had a huge impact on me. Maybe not the most famous or most successful songs from these artists, but arty, funny, cool or intelligent and very, very good!

Feel free to check them out on YouTube:

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) The dark Norwegians known as Concrete Nocturne starts off the New Year returning with ‘Pretend’ – a brooding, razor-edged single that cuts straight into the anatomy of emotional warfare.

Nobody expresses what the song is about better than the band themselves:
– A cold-blooded darkwave confession about silence, power, and emotional erasure. Built on tension, restraint, and menace, the track explores a relationship where silence becomes the most violent weapon of all.

– Lyrically, ‘Pretend’ unfolds like a psychological autopsy. Every touch is poisoned, every kindness a trap. The song’s narrator is caught in a cycle of obsession and denial—the moth and the bulb—drawn helplessly toward someone who survives by withholding, disappearing, and refusing to speak. The repeated refrain, “You pretend that you’re dead to me”, isn’t resignation; it’s accusation.

Musically, Concrete Nocturne fuse industrial tension, darkwave atmosphere, and cold synth-driven minimalism, creating a soundscape that feels both intimate and hostile. Sharp, mechanical rhythms collide with velvet-dark melodies, mirroring the push-and-pull of desire and control described in the lyrics. The result is claustrophobic, seductive, and emotionally corrosive.

– The song’s imagery—lips of fire cut like glass, mercy that freezes, a silent queen of endless lies—frames love as ritual, domination, and performance. Even when the narrator wears the crown, escape feels impossible. Silence wins. The war never ends.

– This song is about what happens when someone erases you without leaving. No closure, no honesty—just absence used as power.

– With ‘Pretend’ we continue to sharpen our identity: futuristic, minimal, and emotionally brutal, where vulnerability is exposed under clinical light and nothing is allowed to decay quietly.

| Spotify | Tidal | Apple Music | Amazon Music | YouTube Music | Deezer |

About Concrete Nocturne

Concrete Nocturne is the new sonic project of two seasoned musicians, Tarjei Krogh and Ismael Henriksen, with deep roots in the industrial, electronic, and alternative music scenes.

Tarjei draws inspiration from pioneers such as Laibach, D.A.F., Severed Heads, Front 242, Depeche Mode, and Interpol. With a history in bands like Anstalt, Zomorodia, Beta Frequency, Norwegian Giants and Solar Temple, he was among the early adopters of sampling in electronic music. Known as a true multi-artist, Tarjei moves effortlessly between disciplines, always juggling multiple creative projects at once.

Ismael channels influences from Joy Division/New Order, A-ha, Einstürzende Neubauten, The Sisters of Mercy, Tears for Fears, and Skinny Puppy, among others. His musical career includes projects such as Atropine, Eternal Reward, Solar Temple, and Strict Machine.

Both musicians have been active since their youth, sharing a long-standing passion for art, film, industrial soundscapes, and synth-based explorations. Having collaborated since the late 1990s, their combined vision in Concrete Nocturne merges atmospheric intensity with driving electronics, creating a soundscape that is at once dark, cinematic, and forward-looking.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange. Coverart by Halvor Bodin) It’s been 25 years since Apoptygma Berzerk‘s hit single “Kathy’s Song” was released, so now it’s time to look back and celebrate the anniversary with new remixes, involving original and new remixers. It’s primarily a digital release, first on Bandcamp a week ago, and today out on other platforms.

We had some questions for all involved in this Apoptygma Berzerk release, having them go down memory lane and also looking at todays remixes, and also what’s lies ahead. Starting off with the man who kicked off the remixes, Ferry Corsten.

Ferry Corsten on Apoptygma Berzerk’s hit single “Kathy’s Song”

S-L: What made you do the original remix 25 years ago?

Ferry Corsten: Back then, I was in Norway frequently for shows. The promoter I worked with became a close friend, and he was also very good friends with Stephan from Apoptygma Berzerk. Noticing a strong musical alignment between our sounds, he introduced us.

When Stephan played me the track, something he described as a duet with his computer, I was immediately intrigued by the concept alone. Once I heard it, I realized it contained so many elements that I could naturally translate into my own style without losing its original identity. That’s when I suggested doing a remix, which ultimately opened up a new audience for Apop in a different genre, as well as for me.

| Spotify | Tidal | Apple Music | Amazon Music | YouTube Music | Deezer |

S-L:  A part of the story behind this remix also involved a surprise visit from Apoptygma Berzerk’s Stephan…

FC: To be completely honest, it’s been such a long time that I can’t say I remember everything clearly anymore. What I described in my previous answer is what I recall now, and it’s possible that my first meeting with Stephan actually happened during that surprise visit. I’m not entirely sure.
(Editors notice: We’ll get the story from Stephan later!)

S-L: As it’s a song I still listen to when I’m in a 2000’s-vibe-mood, it’s hard to realize that 25 years has flown by. Looking back, how do you think it has stood the test of time?

FC: It’s funny how cyclical music can be. When I did the original remix in the early 2000s, that sound was booming in the trance scene, and club culture in general. As styles shifted, it eventually became something people associated with nostalgia.

Now, 25 years later, this “retro trance” sound is making a major comeback. With a fresh polish and a few modern tweaks to the original remix, it feels relevant again, standing shoulder to shoulder with today’s contemporary sounds. It really shows that the track had all the right ingredients to stand the test of time.

S-L: How did you approach the task of remixing a 25 year old Apoptygma Berzerk classic?

FC: Over the years, quite a few people have asked me to play the original remix in my sets. I always felt the track had great bones, but that its production and mix needed an update. So I essentially recreated the original remix to bring it up to today’s sonic standards, without changing too much about what made it special in the first place.

S-L: Do you have any other Apoptygma Berzerk favorites that you’d want to remix sometime? 

FC: I definitely like ‘Until The End Of The World’ and ‘Starsign’. Both have great elements for a remix.

S-L: What’s up in the near future with releases and musical projects?

FC: I currently have a lot of new music lined up for the new year. I’m also working on a new album for my ambient project, FERR. So there’s plenty of exciting material in the pipeline.

Mental Overdrive (Per Martinsen) on Apoptygma Berzerk’s hit single “Kathy’s Song”

Next up is the man mostly known under the moniker Mental Overdrive, Per Martinsen, winner of Spelleman (Norwegian Grammys) in the electronica genre.

Side-Line: What’s your relation to the original track, and also the Ferry Corsten remix that took it to new heights?

Per Martinsen: I met Stephan back in the early nineties when we played the same event in Norway. We immediately bonded over the fact that the two main towns in Norway where synth-driven music had a stronghold up to that point was our two (fairly small) hometowns. I’ve been following his work since then and was aware of the Kathy’s Song. The remix had unfortunately slipped my attention until he got in touch with me for a Mental Overdrive mix.

S-L: How did you approach the task of remixing a 25 year old classic?

PM: I’ve been doing a few remixes lately of more melodic tracks, so the main thing was to keep the vocal sample and chord progression, but build the beats and bassline from scratch. It’s a very catchy hook, so the arrangement evolves around the core of the song, but will hopefully make a dancefloor bounce.

S-L: Do you have any other Apoptygma Berzerk favorites that you’d want to remix sometime? 

PM: Oooh – I love classics like ‘Spiritual Reality’ and ‘Burnin’ Heretic’ from the early days! Would be fun to re-visit some of those.

S-L: What’s up in the near future – more Mental Overdrive, Naeon Teardrops or other projects? 

PM: There’s a new Mental Overdrive album (2 actually) coming in January. Going through my archives I unveiled quite a few tunes that had slipped my attention. I’m also writing some new Naeon Teardrops material and will be composing music for a film next year under my WAVE∞FORM alias. The backstory of how I ended up with 3 artist aliases can be found here: https://books2read.com/u/3Jq2NK

Alyxx Digre on Apoptygma Berzerk’s hit single “Kathy’s Song”

Final remixer is Alyxx Digre, a collaborator with Apoptygma Berzerk over many years through the Technomancer and Zone Tripper projects.

S-L: What’s your relation to the original track, and also the Ferry Corsten remix that took it to new heights?

Alyxx Digre: So, I grew up in Northern Norway, Mo I Rana to be specific. And something I liked doing while I was in junior high was borrowing music at the library. A lot of music that shaped my tastes and direction came from that library. One such CD was ‘Tranzania’ by Acid Queen, a project that combined Tanzanian music with techno. It was very infectious, very catchy and I definitely took notice of the name Stephan Groth from that album.

So later I found this weird CD in that library with a golden cropcircle on a white background. Above it was the name Apoptygma Berzerk and ‘Welcome to Earth’. I had absolutely no idea what it would be just from looking at it, thinking it perhaps was a metal album. I looked inside the booklet, and saw that Stephan had worked on it, so I thought… Okay, so it must be techno then. At that point I had absolutely no idea what EBM was, I just knew about techno like a lot of 90s kids who grew up with Sash! and Ayla.

I put it on, and immediately was hit with this… tense, highly energetic and just incredibly tightly programmed beat with the track ‘Starsign’. And lyrics that felt deep and resonating with something more than a lot of pop music did back then. It wasn’t just catchy, it was highly intelligent and making me think about things that I loved thinking about. It was basically a mix of techno and X-Files, and that was enough to really hook me.

But then I got to track 5, which started softer. And at one point I heard this Macintosh speech synth… and as the track was playing I knew I had found gold in that library. Kathy’s Song became and remains one of my absolute favourite Apoptygma Berzerk songs. It especially resonates with me as someone who grew up with a very strong connection to computers, something I still have today.

“Welcome To Earth” shaped my taste in music from that point on. I seeked out all the similar “futurepop” music I could find, including Icon of Coil, Code 64, Covenant and so forth. It was also a deeply formative album for me in terms of my own production. From that point on I knew I wanted to make synthpop and electronic music, and so the path forward was set for where I am today.

As for the Ferry Corsten Remix, I was exposed to that on the Singles Collection, a 2001 compilation that combined every Apoptygma Berzerk single up until that point, which of course included the Kathy’s Song single. It is the very first track that opens the collection, so I think on first listen I had no idea what to expect from it. It is an absolute trance assault with some epic synths, definitely very of that era, but still has a futuristic sheen to it. I came from a trance/techno background so you can only imagine how much I loved it. I think I snuck it into the junior high cafeteria where it got on heavy rotation on the HiFi we had there. Especially the girls loved it, I recall.

But yeah, definitely took it to new heights and still one of my favourite trance anthems from the early 2000s.

S-L: How did you approach the task of remixing a 25 year old classic?

AD: I took it as an opportunity to further refine my Zone Tripper sound a bit. As of late I’ve been listening to a lot of harder synthwave stuff, so I wanted to make a version with a very hard edged sound. At some point in the production I think I even just added a pure sub bass to it to make it just pump as hard as possible. I just knew I wanted to really push my own production abilities on it and find a new and harder sound.

I didn’t wanna mess with the structure too much, so I kept it more or less similar to the original track. I think it has a very nice buildup. Like there are two distinct parts in the original song, but something I’ve always loved about the live version is that there’s a third break that adds a lot to it. I knew I wanted to put that in there.

Of course, I am a huge fan of Commodore 64 chiptunes, and funny enough, the “Welcome to Earth” album was what got me into them in the first place. So I knew I had to put some SID sounds in there as an homage.

It all honestly came together really quickly and I think at one point I had to get up from my chair in the studio and just dance. I usually try to get that effect with all my tracks. I think my partner calls it a “red shoe” effect, like you’re suddenly cursed with having to dance until you drop. So I am really happy with the remix.

S-L: Do you have any other Apoptygma Berzerk favorites that you’d want to remix sometime?

AD: I’ve already done so much with Stephan honestly. I think my first remix was ‘Shadow’ from the ‘Rocket Science’ album, which ended up included on the 2011 ‘Major Tom’ EP. I also did a C64 chiptune version of ‘Atom & Eve’ on the ‘Nein Danke’ EP, did the ‘Sarpsborg Synth’ version of ‘Backdraft’ on the ‘Soli Deo Gloria’ remix album ‘SDGXXV’, so I feel like at this point I might need to step back a bit so I don’t oversaturate the discography too much!

I’ve even done a remix of ‘808bit’ by his side project ‘Fairlight Children’, so all in all, I am very happy with how much I’ve been allowed to put my own spin on Stephan’s works.

That being said, if the stars were to align again and I could have another song to remix, I definitely would want to do a take on ‘Spindizzy’ from the ‘Harmonizer’, which in my opinion ALWAYS deserved its own single. Hugely underrated track. I think even other remixes of that track would be amazing as well.

S-L: What’s up in the near future – more Zone Tripper, Technomancer or other projects?

AD: I had to take a break from a lot of my music projects to work on personal stuff. As I’ve been publicly open about, I am a trans female, and my focus has been getting very internal lately. Re-evaluating my own beliefs, values, and identity. I realized I had to change, and I had to change a lot. I spent a lot of time in 2024 and this year just entirely deconstructing myself and who I am. I was essentially left with a big puzzle, having to put the pieces back together in a new way.

There’s a lot of personal stuff I don’t wanna get into detail about, but I’ve managed to lose a LOT of weight, with some good help and diet advice from my friends. And I’ve gone through some therapy to work on myself. So my focus has been on just finding myself and defining who I wanna be as a woman.

As such I’ve had a lot of ideas laying around for the next Technomancer album. As always, I really enjoy making music that comes from my heart and is very honest. I think I managed that to a great extent with my previous album, ‘Hyperfuel’, coincidentally an album where I got to work with Stephan on a cover of ‘Puppets’, so definitely check that out. But yeah I wanna keep at it, making songs that can resonate with people, and that are very honest and based in my own experiences. And of course, focusing on just getting my emotions in there.

I think for a while I teased making some harder EBM stuff, but I’ve kinda decided to do that less, because I never truly know where I’ll end up musically. And I don’t wanna limit myself too hard on a certain style or idea. And a lot of that anger I harbored for a while just isn’t there anymore. And I don’t think I wanna add more anger or hate to the world either. I don’t think that’s what we need right now in the climate we live in. I just wanna make something that is real and human. In this day and age I’ve become extremely opposed to generative AI, and it is something I want no part in. I like art being made by humans and don’t ever wanna make any excuses to rely on it. So whatever I do forward is just gonna be that, 100% my own art, and I truly want to release something I can be proud of.

I am working on a Zone Tripper album, and I definitely think people are gonna like it. I am always trying to push myself to do better, so I hope people will enjoy it. And I also really hope I can get more Laboratory 5 stuff out, because I still very much love doing that project and we have a lot of demos laying around that sound awesome.

Stephan Groth on the Apoptygma Berzerk’s hit single “Kathy’s Song”

We also wanted to hear what the man behind the original track, Stephan Groth, had to say about the songs history, both past, present and future!

Side-Line: What’s your current relation to the original track, and also the Ferry Corsten remix that took it to new heights?

STP: Apoptygma Berzerk’s ‘Kathy’s Song’ is probably the most important song I have ever written. I remember working in the studio with Fredrik Darum and Vegard Blomberg 25 years ago. When I came up with the idea of having a computer/robot singing the chorus of the song, we all instantly knew that this was going to be something very special. In todays world when AI is singing half the songs that are being released on digital platforms, it might not be a big deal, but back then, in 2000, having a machine singing the chorus of a song had never been done before.

I was a big fan of Moonman! The single ‘Don’t Be Afraid‘ from 1996 is stil one of my all-time favourite club tracks. So when Inge Nilsen (aka DJ Lemon) introduced me to Ferry (aka Moonman) before his show in Oslo in the late 90’s, I was very excited. We got along very well and the talks about doing a remix soon came up.

Ferry Corsten was back then not yet the superstar DJ/producer that he is today, and as far as I know both Ferry and Tiesto both became famous in Norway first(!) before the rest of the world followed. So when Ferry blew up, so did the Kathy’s remix 🙂

Many a time have people written in the comment fields that they were introduced to Apoptygma Berzerk via Ferry’s Kathy’s remix, and this is also the case the other way around. Ferry’s remix became a hit in the trance scene all over the world 25 years ago, but we also had many other remixes of the song that became very successful, for example the Beborn Beton remix, but especially the amazing club classic Victoria Mix by VNV Nation.

S-L: As it’s a song I still listen to when I’m in a 2000’s-vibe-mood, it’s hard to realize that 25 years has flown by. Looking back, how do you think this Apoptygma Berzerk track has stood the test of time?

STP: Well, first of all it’s a great and catchy pop song, and as the Levi’s slogan goes: “Quality Never Goes Out of Style”. Kathy has definitely aged well, and in my opinion this song absolutely deserves an anniversary celebration.

S-L: A little bird whispered that a part of the remix-story 25 years ago was a car drive to Holland for a surprise visit to a certain producer – that we really want to hear more about!

STP: I was totally determined on making this remix happen! So determined that my manager at the time, Jon Sverre Høiden, and I drove all the way to Rotterdam to “talk him (Ferry) into doing the remix”! LOL, thank God it worked out 🙂

I saw a huge potential in this collaboration with Apoptygma Berzerk, a crossover between trance/club/EBM and synthpop.  And as we all know, this sound became quite popular, especially after Ronan Harris coined the term Future Pop and hundreds of bands all over the world started to follow this “formula”.

S-L: How has it been organizing this project and listen to new remixes of your 25 year old Apoptygma Berzerk classic?

STP: Per Aksel Lundgreen and I did a lot of work on the SOLID DEO GLORIA 25 anniversary (SDGXXV) release together with our designer Halvor Bodin. We are now doing kinda the same thing, both sonically and with visuals. This is a celebration where a lot of time, effort and resources has gone into making this interesting and long lasting and hopefully something that the listeners will appreciate.

Where did those 25 years go? It’s insane how quick time flies by. All of us who experienced these magic 25 years have been extremely privileged! “Kathy’s Song” (in all her different remixes and versions) was a part of the soundtrack to the last 2 decades, this is what we are celebrating.

S-L: What’s up in the near future for Apoptygma Berzerk – more Kathy’s Song remixes and/or new music?

STP: The anniversary celebration will continue in 2026.  There are more Apoptygma Berzerk EPs with new remixes to be released digitally, and there will also be CD and vinyl releases of these.

I am also working on a new Apoptygma Berzerk EP with new material… we can talk more about this when the anniversary is over 🙂

Stay Tuned! Happy Anniversary, and Happy New Year!
Lots of love!

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

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(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) Out today is another single from the dark Norwegians in Concrete Nocturne, “Shallow Grave”, a nice antidote to all the x-mas music that’s getting sticky and itchy in our ears these days.

And how dark is it really? Vocalist Ismael Henriksen elaborates in his own poetic way:
– In our latest release, the band turns a fog-drenched journey into a stark meditation on end stations, last chances, and the quiet devastation of loss. The song captures the moment when two figures push through thickening fog, racing against the encroaching night in a final attempt to reach a destination that may no longer exist.

Against this bleak landscape, one presence stands out: a companion whose white skin cuts through the darkness like a lighthouse, holding onto reality with the fragile insistence of a restless spirit. Blood-red lips, an expressionless face, and an atmosphere suspended between the living and the departed create a chilling portrait of love, memory, and everything that slips through our fingers at the edge of the world.

This single is a cinematic, emotionally charged descent into the space between endings, where the road narrows, the night deepens, and we confront what we’ve lost. The band keeps up the pace with another new track, ‘Pretend’, announced to be released January 9th.

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About Concrete Nocturne

Concrete Nocturne is the new sonic project of two seasoned musicians, Tarjei Krogh and Ismael Henriksen, with deep roots in the industrial, electronic, and alternative music scenes.

Tarjei draws inspiration from pioneers such as Laibach, D.A.F., Severed Heads, Front 242, Depeche Mode, and Interpol. With a history in bands like Anstalt, Zomorodia, Beta Frequency, and Solar Temple, he was among the early adopters of sampling in electronic music. Known as a true multi-artist, Tarjei moves effortlessly between disciplines, always juggling multiple creative projects at once.

Ismael channels influences from Joy Division/New Order, A-ha, Einstürzende Neubauten, The Sisters of Mercy, Tears for Fears, and Skinny Puppy, among others. His musical career includes projects such as Atropine, Eternal Reward, Solar Temple, and Strict Machine.

Both musicians have been active since their youth, sharing a long-standing passion for art, film, industrial soundscapes, and synth-based explorations. Having collaborated since the late 1990s, their combined vision in Concrete Nocturne merges atmospheric intensity with driving electronics, creating a soundscape that is at once dark, cinematic, and forward-looking.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

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(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) As we’re waiting for the new tracks from the Norwegian duo Concrete Nocturne, they release the ‘Stanley Cupid Remix’ of their debut single ‘Ghosts’, virtually a new take on the original.

Stay tuned for the next track, ‘Shallow Grave’, announced to be released December 19th.

| Spotify | Tidal | Apple Music | Amazon Music | YouTube Music | Deezer |

About Concrete Nocturne

Concrete Nocturne is the new sonic project of two seasoned musicians, Tarjei Krogh and Ismael Henriksen, with deep roots in the industrial, electronic, and alternative music scenes.

Tarjei draws inspiration from pioneers such as Laibach, D.A.F., Severed Heads, Front 242, Depeche Mode, and Interpol. With a history in bands like Anstalt, Zomorodia, Beta Frequency, and Solar Temple, he was among the early adopters of sampling in electronic music. Known as a true multi-artist, Tarjei moves effortlessly between disciplines, always juggling multiple creative projects at once.

Ismael channels influences from Joy Division/New Order, A-ha, Einstürzende Neubauten, The Sisters of Mercy, Tears for Fears, and Skinny Puppy, among others. His musical career includes projects such as Atropine, Eternal Reward, Solar Temple, and Strict Machine.

Both musicians have been active since their youth, sharing a long-standing passion for art, film, industrial soundscapes, and synth-based explorations. Having collaborated since the late 1990s, their combined vision in Concrete Nocturne merges atmospheric intensity with driving electronics, creating a soundscape that is at once dark, cinematic, and forward-looking.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) Two weeks ago the Norwegian alternative dark rock band Seigmen released ‘Dissonans’, part two of their planned trilogy of ‘Resonans’, ‘Dissonans’ and ‘Substans’ (‘Resonance’, ‘Dissonance’ and ‘Substance’), which got celebrated with an evening of album listening, quiz, music video premiere, Q&A session and several beers at (the already legendary) recordshop/bar Apollon in Tønsberg.

The following week I picked up the trails of some of those involved, inquiring about the album release and the new music video. First off was Seigmen guitarist Sverre, and we had a nice chat while he was driving through the Swedish woods on his way home from Falun.

Interview with Sverre Økshoff

Side-Line: The first thing I wondered about was, how has the latest album been received so far – what’s the feedback you’ve gotten?

Sverre Økshoff: It’s been very good. We’ve received great feedback from both old and new fans. The week after the release, we were number one in Norway for the most physically sold item, and also the top streamed rock album that week. It was also very cool that both Transmission and Stjernepose * praised the album, especially Transmission, which played the whole thing.
(* Editors note: two major radio shows on National Broadcasting (NRK) in Norway.)

We’ll see if the record label smiles and if the clubs sell out. Festival bookings in the summer are harder to predict – you get a certain feel for success, but it’s the club shows that tell you the truth.

We’re super happy with how the album’s been received, and it’s fun to play songs that are a bit faster and shorter.

S-L: ‘Dissonans’ is part of a trilogy – how did that idea come about? Does each album have its own role, theme or perspective, or has it been divided up in some way?

SØ: We’ve tried out many different models, without really calling it that. We even talked about just releasing songs and EPs, as is common now – just drop a song.

A full-length album and physical format isn’t that common anymore. Everyone wants to shape their own playlists and taste in music, so an LP or a collection of songs by the same artist feels a bit old-fashioned.

The word trilogy came into the process along the way. When we saw that ‘Resonans’ was finished and new songs kept coming – more ideas, more skits, more lyrics – things just rushed in, and we thought: this can’t all fit on one album.

So while we’ve thought a lot about a trilogy, the process has also evolved naturally as we worked.

S-L: It must be more fun to stretch it out over time – to have new events happening more often, instead of releasing a 3-LP set all at once?

SØ: Yes, and that would’ve cost over NOK 1000 per copy – not exactly fan-friendly.

S-L: We all attended the launch party at Apollon in Tønsberg, with the Kim-designed quiz, Q&A session and so on – how fun was that?

SØ: Oh yes, that was great fun. There were a lot of people and a really good atmosphere – we even had fans coming all the way from Hammerfest, Norway’s northernmost city, for the event! There were so many people that you couldn’t talk to everyone; the place was packed, with a line down the stairs to the second floor.

We could really feel the enthusiasm when they showed the pre-film and the video for ‘Dissonans’.

Interview with Lars Martin Kræmer

I also reached out to Lars Martin Kræmer; content producer, TV- and videographer, who’s been collaborating with Seigmen for decades.

Side-Line: What was the main idea behind the video?

Lars Martin Kræmer: Over the past year, I’ve filmed Seigmen on several occasions, including a possible new project, and then I got the urge to make a music video. It’s been a long time since I last made one. I mentioned it to Kim, and he said he’d been thinking the same thing. The band hadn’t made a music video since ‘Metropolis’ and ‘Universal’.

We then sat down to figure out which song, and it quickly became clear that I wanted to do ‘Dissonans’. It fit perfectly – short and with a fantastic punch in the chorus.

It was clear early on that I was going to make a performance video. Seigmen are great live, so it was a perfect fit. Then I wanted to supplement it with some Depeche Mode-inspired “pictures,” as well as some driving scenes (which I always love).

It was meant to be rough and punky, so it had to be recorded in the industrial hall at Kaldnes. All three videos I’ve made for Zeromancer and Seigmen were filmed in three different halls down at Kaldnes – all within 300 meters of each other.

We had to include some driving (I love it), so Kim knew a guy who fixed us up with an old American car. We even had a yellow D and N foiled onto the doors. I would’ve liked to have done more driving! 😉

I also had the idea to use projections directly on the band and on the walls behind them. So I started by creating five or six projector videos. As a little homage to the old videos, I included some clips from the ‘Metropolis’ video in one of the projector films.

We used three projectors, and it turned out exactly as I’d imagined.

S-L: You’ve done everything from teasers to DVD releases for Seigmen – are there more projects in the pipeline?

LMK: I’ve known the band my whole life. I grew up in Tønsberg and played in several bands; we shared the stage many times in Tønsberg between 1992 and 1995. I started working with Seigmen in 2005, when we (me and Pål Martin Rossing) made the ‘Fra X til døden’ (“From X to Death”) DVD. We also did ‘Seigmen at the Opera’.

I’ve also made two music videos for Zeromancer, behind-the-scenes footage from the recording of ‘Enola’, filmed Kim’s other band Ljungblut, and more.

As for future projects, there will probably be something in connection with the tour this fall – and then we’ll see what happens after that.

I’m very proud to have been able to work on so many projects with Seigmen and Zeromancer. They’re an incredibly nice bunch, and one of Norway’s best rock bands. It has been – and still is – a great pleasure and honour.

Do also check out my Behind The Scenes-shots here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GWZQfG80dE 🙂

Play the album now, or find your preferred service here!

About Seigmen

Formed in Tønsberg, Norway, in 1989, Seigmen began as a post-punk and alternative rock band blending melodic melancholy and industrial undertones. The lineup includes Alex Møklebust (vocals), Kim Ljung (bass, vocals), Marius Roth Christensen (guitar, vocals), Noralf Ronthi (drums), and Sverre Økshoff (guitar).

The band’s early releases, including “Pluto” (1992) and “Ameneon” (1993), already offered a glimpse of their dark sound. They were followed by their 1995 breakthrough album “Metropolis” – produced by Sylvia Massy – which achieved platinum status in Norway.

Following a hiatus after “Radiowaves” (1997), Seigmen members pursued various projects, most notably Møklebust, Ronthi and Ljung’s electro-rock outfit Zeromancer. Seigmen reunited in 2005, played the Norwegian opera house in 2008, releasing “Enola” in 2015 and “Resonans” in 2024, before today’s follow-up “Dissonans.”

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

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(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange. Photos by Kim Ljung, Harald Rosenløw Eeg and Jean Yves) Out now is ‘Vietnam’, the latest album from Norwegian act Ljungblut, available only digitally and on cassette! This time focusing on the trips Kim Ljung and Harald Rosenløw Eeg made to Vietnam, mostly in the 90s, but also recently.

Vietnam became significant for Kim and his travel companion Harald Rosenløw Eeg back in the 90s. The young backpackers made countless trips throughout that decade. Both for leisure and for composing. Kim with his lyrics and music, Harald with his many novels to come. They shared the same intensity, the same eagerness, the same infatuation with Vietnam. Many years later they would end up going back, to catch that spirit once again, and it had to be documented – musically.

Ljungblut interview

Side-Line: How did the first Vietnam trips influence your life and music back then?

Harald Rosenløw Eeg: Our first trip to Vietnam became life-changing, I think. The communist regime had just opened for tourists, and we went to this temple in the mountains and by the sea. We got this wonderful welcome by the monks, and stayed there for days, we felt that we were part of something unique, a fellowship. It inspired Kim’s writing of Seigmen songs. For me it influenced my writing (I was writing novels at the time) * , and we decided to come back.

I think we went to Vietnam every winter for five years, as a source of reflection and inspiration.

(* Editor’s note: Harald is also currently working with screenwriting for movies and TV-series, winning awards for both his books and movies – check him on IMDB)

Kim Ljung: We made the first trip to Vietnam in early January of 1994. The country has undoubtedly changed a whole lot since then. We fell in love with everything straight away. What made it so significant to us, was that the place felt so personal to us. Few tourists, quite unexplored and just very beautiful. Both the country itself and the Vietnamese people.

Their postwar life also made an impact on us. From our travel agency in Norway we got a handwritten letter in Vietnamese, where they advised us to go and visit a special Buddhist pagoda, as the first westerners. This was the picturesque Co Thach. We were warmly welcomed and enjoyed their hospitality and their lifestyle for several days.

Harald Rosenløw Eeg, my travel companion, was a writer and I was a musician/lyricist. We made the most of it. This was pre-‘Total’ (Seigmen’s second album). Many of the lines from that album were written here, some with contributions from Harald.

Unfortunately, we were thrown out by the local military police in the middle of one night. Didn’t even get to say goodbye to the monks. It was quite harsh. They thought we were spies.

We went back the next year. And the year after that. There were numerous trips made over the years. Harald did several with other famous Norwegian writers. He even took a master’s degree in Vietnamese Buddhism.

Harald summarised the album quite well when he had listened through it all:
«Kim, this is the soundtrack of our whole trip! Everything is in there». That’s all that matters.

S-L: When did you and Harald go back? What’s the most significant differences compared to the first trips in the 90’s?

HRE: When Kim was turning 50, I gave him a Vietnam-comeback tour, more than 20 years after our first trips. The country itself has of course changed a lot, but honestly, inside the two of us, it was like nothing had changed. We were just two young (but not anymore) boys hungry to explore this wonderful place. We were looking forward, writing new stuff, but having the historic impact on us, we were also looking back in time, on a friendship and on a quarter of a life!

KL: On my 50th birthday Harald surprised me and said we would go back together. Just the two of us. Like the old days.

It was the nicest gift ever. I was in a dreamlike state. Though it’s a long trip it’s not that far away. To experience that meant a lot. Vietnam was in many ways the same as before, though pretty much everything is different. It’s hard to describe. And with Harald and myself, it was like time stood still. All the same, and we loved every second of it.

When I got home I started writing the songs at once. Most of it was written in a few weeks. It just took time to have the time to record it all. I still can’t believe I got Harald’s daughter Sval to join on four tracks. She herself has visited both the pagoda and Miss Loi’s guesthouse. The song ‘Lyktene ved Miss Loi’ means a lot. She and her husband died from Covid. We stayed at her backpacker hotel so many times.

All the background noises on the album are from that trip. Recorded on my cellphone.

S-L: Will there be more trips?

HRE: I love the ‘Vietnam’ album, so if Kim will make something like that every trip to Vietnam now, I could go every year from now on.

KL: Think so 😊

S-L: Anything else lined up for Ljungblut in the near future?

KL: It’s not just Seigmen who has a trilogy on their hands with ‘Resonans’, ‘Dissonans’ and ‘Substans’. I will also finish the third cassette release with Ljungblut in 2026, with ‘Sauda’ being the first one, ‘Vietnam’ the second.

It sure is fun being a productive artist these days! Never at peace really. It’s all good.

Stream ‘Vietnam’ album

The sonic landscape is built up around Kim’s intimate vocal, soft acoustic guitars, muffled pianos, oriental bells, mellow trumpets and tasty old Korgs, all handcrafted into a sincere and warm production of engineer and multi-instrumentalist Terje Johannesen.

The warm oriental bells opening on the Eno-esque ambient work of ‘Etterklang’ sets the mood. Recordings from the trip; the chanting, the crickets, the traffic and dialogues, all blend neatly with the tracks. On four of the seven tracks, we hear the airy, near and honest vocals of the artist Sval, harmonising superbly with Kim’s lush, deep voice. Sval’s presence is not accidental. She is the daughter of Harald, and she herself has visited the monks at Co Thach. She has also stayed at the guesthouse of the lady referred to in the third track, ‘Lyktene ved Miss Loi’.

Stream digitally or get your digital or physical copies here. Also available from Apollon Records and Karisma Records.

About Kim Ljung / Ljungblut

Ljungblut is the personal voyage of Kim Ljung. The songwriter, lyricist and bass player of Seigmen and Zeromancer.

Since 2005 he has released six albums, with the most recent before this being the 2023 EP ‘Sauda’, issued on cassette and digital platforms. ‘Vietnam’ follows as its sequel – released in the same formats, bearing the theme of a particular place.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) London-based artist Ray Noir returns this autumn with their most personal and unapologetic project yet — “Against The Machine”. Released on September 18^th, this EP is described as “a darkly romantic and politically charged EP exploring love, loss, and defiance from the perspective of a queer person fighting to be seen”.

Produced by Jon Cass (Lake Malice, As Everything Unfolds, DeijuVHS), the EP blends industrial rock, goth, and electro-metal into a fever dream of raw emotion and grit. A highlight comes in the form of a searing guest appearance by Grammy-winning guitar legend Steve Stevens (Billy Idol, Michael Jackson, Top Gun Anthem), cementing the release as a bold sonic statement.

Ray Noir: “This EP is about trying to find love when you’ve always been told you don’t deserve it. As a queer person, especially coming from the black metal scene in Norway, it sometimes feels like you’re just  screaming into the void. This project is that scream — romantic, violent, tender, and angry all at once. This isn’t just for the goths, the outcasts, or the queers — but they’ll probably get it the most.”

A Deluxe Edition of ‘Against The Machine’ will follow in December 2025, featuring exclusive remixes by Tension Control, Verona on Venus, Junkie Kut, and Die Kur. Additionally, the EP will be released on vinyl and CD (release date TBA).

Ray Noir live dates

About Ray Noir

Ray Noir is a London-based alt-goth musician and performance artist originally from Oslo, Norway. His music blends influences from Norwegian black metal, industrial, and electronic acts like The Prodigy, Boy Harsher, and Nine Inch Nails, creating a dark, provocative sound.

Noir’s work is characterized by its theatrical intensity and exploration of themes like uncertainty and existential questioning.

Beyond music, Noir is known for his visually live performances, often incorporating elements of avant-garde aesthetics. He has also worked as a session musician and collaborated with artists across genres.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange. Photos by Tarjei Krogh) Concrete Nocturne, the new Norwegian project from Tarjei Krogh and Ismael Henriksen, follows up their debut single ‘Ghosts’ with the track ‘Colder’, out today September 12^th. Being a somewhat lighter and dreamier track on the surface, it still has something darker lurking in the shadows.

The band accompanies the track with a backstory, read it while listening!
“In the blinding summer heat of the French Riviera, two lovers drive from Antibes to Saint-Tropez, chasing a fleeting sense of freedom. The road shimmers under the weight of the sun; the air presses against their skin like a second layer. Cannes drifts by in the windows, all smiles and sunlit façades, but beneath the warmth lingers the quiet knowledge that this is one of their last moments of peace.

At the marina, boats lie stranded on the shore, like abandoned monuments to lives already lived. It is a journey framed in memory — a love story caught between heat and inevitability, captured in the stillness before it fades.”

I managed to interrupt lead singer Ismael with a few quick questions when writing this article:

Side-Line: So, after reading the above text, I wonder which one of you that had a memorable vacation on the Riviera?!

Ismael Henriksen: St. Tropez is beautiful this time of the year, so I took the car and drove along the coast with my ex-wife. Well, she did the most of the driving.

S-L: How has the feedback been after the first single, ‘Ghosts’? 

IH: We have a handful of avid fans, but like expected it hasn’t been an earth-shattering experience yet.

S-L: More releases or other plans for Concrete Nocturne in the near future? 

IH: We have a lot more songs to come, I’m in the studio recording vocals right now actually.

| Spotify | Tidal | Apple Music | Amazon Music | Deezer |

About Concrete Nocturne

Concrete Nocturne is the new sonic project of two seasoned musicians, Tarjei Krogh and Ismael Henriksen, with deep roots in the industrial, electronic, and alternative music scenes.

Tarjei draws inspiration from pioneers such as Laibach, D.A.F., Severed Heads, Front 242, Depeche Mode, and Interpol. With a history in bands like Anstalt, Zomorodia, Beta Frequency, and Solar Temple, he was among the early adopters of sampling in electronic music. Known as a true multi-artist, Tarjei moves effortlessly between disciplines, always juggling multiple creative projects at once.

Ismael channels influences from Joy Division/New Order, A-ha, Einstürzende Neubauten, The Sisters of Mercy, Tears for Fears, and Skinny Puppy, among others. His musical career includes projects such as Atropine, Eternal Reward, Solar Temple, and Strict Machine.

Both musicians have been active since their youth, sharing a long-standing passion for art, film, industrial soundscapes, and synth-based explorations. Having collaborated since the late 1990s, their combined vision in Concrete Nocturne merges atmospheric intensity with driving electronics, creating a soundscape that is at once dark, cinematic, and forward-looking.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange. Photos by Tarjei Krogh) A bit under the radar due to summer holidays and a (hectic) life in general, the new Norwegian project from Tarjei Krogh and Ismael Henriksen, Concrete Nocturne, released the digital single ‘Ghosts’ in late July. As we’re catching up and enjoying the song they also announced a new single to be online on September 12^th named ‘Colder’ – and they have a lot more brewing!

The guys elaborate what they’re about in their press release:

“Concrete Nocturne is an art project born from years of collected observations, reflections, and lived moments. Both members trace their roots back to The Solar Temple, a performance art band that began recording in the mid-90s, where sound and vision were already fused into a single experiment.

The project moves like a series of scenes: neon-soaked urban landscapes, long drives through shadowed terrain, fast-paced echoes from a film noir, or the ocean rolling endlessly beside a memory of lost love. Each song feels like a still image—an attempt to capture something fleeting, something important, perhaps even impossible.

Art, like life, often resists explanation. Yet Concrete Nocturne strives to portray intimacy without cliché, to express longing and beauty without obscenity. It mirrors the way Damien Hirst distils chaos into structure, or the way Lynch reveals the surreal within the mundane—transforming fragments of reality into hauntingly vivid impressions.

The debut single, Ghosts, drifts through swaying wheat fields under a darkened sky, carrying the weight of a night when everything changed. It is a meditation on memory and loss, but also on how art allows us to relive, reshape, and reimagine life itself.”

It must also be added that for those who like (and misses?) the deep, sonorous voice of Andrew Eldritch (The Sisters of Mercy), Ismael may prove to be a worthy heir – listen and decide for yourself!

| Spotify | Tidal | Apple Music | Amazon Music | Deezer |

About Concrete Nocturne

Concrete Nocturne is the new sonic project of two seasoned musicians, Tarjei Krogh and Ismael Henriksen, with deep roots in the industrial, electronic, and alternative music scenes.

Tarjei draws inspiration from pioneers such as Laibach, D.A.F., Severed Heads, Front 242, Depeche Mode, and Interpol. With a history in bands like Anstalt, Zomorodia, Beta Frequency, and Solar Temple, he was among the early adopters of sampling in electronic music. Known as a true multi-artist, Tarjei moves effortlessly between disciplines, always juggling multiple creative projects at once.

Ismael channels influences from Joy Division/New Order, A-ha, Einstürzende Neubauten, The Sisters of Mercy, Tears for Fears, and Skinny Puppy, among others. His musical path includes projects such as Atropine, Eternal Reward, Solar Temple, and Strict Machine.

Both musicians have been active since their youth, sharing a long-standing passion for art, film, industrial soundscapes, and synth-based explorations. Having collaborated since the late 1990s, their combined vision in Concrete Nocturne merges atmospheric intensity with driving electronics, creating a soundscape that is at once dark, cinematic, and forward-looking.

With Concrete Nocturne, Tarjei and Ismael continue to expand the boundaries of electronic and industrial music, crafting soundtracks for a nocturnal future.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) For Ray Noir, the queer artist raised in Norway’s black metal scene, “Dead Valentine” is an industrial revenge anthem soaked in heartbreak and obsession: “Inspired by 90s/00s goth and industrial rock, the single dives into the haunting loop of toxic romance – where ghosting, betrayal, and lust bleed into a cycle of rage and desire.”

The track was written by Ray Noir and Madeleine Wood and produced by Jon Cass (As Everything Unfolds).

“It’s about being addicted to someone who’s already gone, about being haunted by someone who ghosted you—fantasizing about revenge, and still weirdly wanting them back”, Ray says. “It’s messy, it’s dark, it’s romantic. The track is drawing on that late 90s/00s industrial rock sound I love (think NIN, Manson, early Orgy). Messy, dramatic, and very me.”

The official music video was shot in a graffitied skate park beneath the overpasses of London’s Hackney Wick. Directed by Maximum Perou, it premieres July 3rd alongside the single.

“Dead Valentine” also marks the official announcement of Ray Noir’s new EP, “Against the Machine'”, out September 18th, 2025.

Catch Ray Noir live

• 20/09 – Kingston (UK) | The Fighting Cocks (With Pretty Addicted)
• 21/09 – London (UK) | The Dome (Supporting Die Krupps)
• 03/10 – Oslo (NO) | Revolver (With Pretty Addicted & Hell:Sector)

About Ray Noir

Ray Noir is a London-based alt-goth musician and performance artist originally from Oslo, Norway. His music blends influences from Norwegian black metal, industrial, and electronic acts like The Prodigy, Boy Harsher, and Nine Inch Nails, creating a dark, provocative sound.

Noir’s work is characterized by its theatrical intensity and exploration of themes like uncertainty and existential questioning.

Beyond music, Noir is known for his visually striking live performances, often incorporating elements of avant-garde aesthetics. He has also worked as a session musician and collaborated with artists across genres.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange / Apollon Records press brief) Out today is the newest single from Dan Heide, “Changes”, a guitar and synth driven track, available on various streaming platforms. Dan Heide is a Norwegian solo artist from Tønsberg, also former member of Zeromancer, and current member of Ljungblut and X-pleasure.

We had a short talk with Dan Heide on the newest single.

S-L: Can you tell us about the theme and the song.

Dan Heide: Change is often something I think about and find interesting. I see change as a natural part of life, and within that, the thought can sometimes touch upon and lead to existential discoveries.

Unlike many of my songs, Change was started with the music first and not the lyrics.

S-L: Anything else upcoming?

DH: Yes! With my solo project, there are plans to release a full album. Everything hasn’t been recorded yet, but I’ve recently signed a deal with Apollon Records for the upcoming release. Hopefully, it will be out later this year.

S-L: Something with your other bands?

DH: Yes, right now we’re in the final stages of recording a new X-pleasure single. The plan is to finish it during the summer and release it before the snow starts to fall. I write both the music and lyrics, and I also wear the producer hat—so it takes a bit of time. All I can say is that I try to think a little differently when I write songs for my brother to sing. He’s not as much into quiet, peaceful songs as I am. And yes, the lyrics will be in Norwegian.

I also have a small project with my friend, Kjell Arne Strøm-Olsen. Earlier this year, we released a cover version of Bob Dylan’s classic ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’, and we received a lot of positive feedback! So, we’re planning to head back into the studio after the summer as well.

There are always a lot of projects and music going on in my life. It’s always been like that—ever since I was… hmm… 10 years old 🙂

The new track was written, performed, recorded, produced and mixed by Dan Heide. It was then mastered by Magnus Gulbrandsen. The cover design is by Tom Korsvold.

Find ‘Changes’ at your preferred streaming service.

About Dan Heide

Dan-André Heide Syversen, known as Dan Heide, is a Norwegian musician and music producer. He has contributed to bands including Ljungblut, Pigface, Red 7, X-Pleasure, and Zeromancer, performing roles in vocals, instrumentation, production, and technical work.

He also contributed to Zeromancer’s albums such as “Bye-Bye Borderline” (2013), where he co-wrote tracks like “Ash Wednesday” and “Manoeuvres” with Lorry Kristiansen.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) A few weeks ago, several friends in the Apoptygma Berzerk circuit posted about an exciting new collaboration between Apop and M4C — an EP dubbed ‘Music For Cars’.
M4C, the project of hairdresser Owe Jenack from Ski, describes themselves as a Norwegian synthwave/electronica act, inspired by 80/90’s action and horror movie soundtracks. After giving the tracks a spin, I wanted to find out more, and in between all the Norwegian holidays in April and May, a coherent interview via email began to take shape — ending with some exciting Apop news!

Side-Line: How and when did this music project start up – from hairdressing to synthwave?

Owe Jenack: I’ve been working on this project for about 3–4 years, but I always felt something was missing. So I asked Stephan if he could listen and give me some feedback. He clearly liked what he heard, because I was lucky enough to be signed to his label, Pitch Black Drive. He’s reworked the songs in the studio — and I love what he’s done.

Stephan Groth: I’ve known Owe for many years. I knew he liked electronic music, but I never knew he was composing it himself.

When I heard his demo a while back, I instantly knew I wanted to produce the EP. I liked the songs and the vibe, but like Owe said, it was missing something. Since ‘Exit Popularity Contest’, I’ve been working a lot with instrumental music, so producing ‘Music For Cars’ was right up my alley.

S-L: How has the reaction been so far? (I, for one, loved the EP!)

OJ: Considering how little we’ve actually promoted the EP so far (but that’s coming), I think it’s gone really well. Lots of great feedback.

S-L: ‘Music For Cars’ – what’s the idea behind the name? Literally for driving, a homage to other similarly titled releases, or something else?

OJ: The tracks are sort of made as soundtracks for fictional action/horror films or series. But I also intended them to work as a soundtrack for driving. Every time I start on a new track, I test it while driving. If it works, I keep it and continue developing it.

S-L: More homage – did I detect a tiny Depeche Mode reference not very well hidden in Part II? 😉

OJ: Yes, there’s a small but clear reference to DM in there. Other heroes like Jean-Michel Jarre and John Carpenter are also deeply embedded in the soundscape.

STP: I can definitely hear many Depeche Mode inspired elements on the EP. There’s also inspiration drawn from other synth legends like Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk.

S-L: Is it a one-off project, or something you’ll develop further?

OJ: No, I’ve got more tracks and concepts in the works!

STP: I’ve heard a few of those tracks… really good stuff, and I hope to produce and release them in the future as well.

S-L: Have you been involved in other music projects or bands before, Owe? I noticed that photo on Facebook of five guys in white coveralls… what was that?

OJ: I’ve been in quite a few bands and projects before, but none of them really went anywhere. So this is my first serious attempt. The photo with the white coveralls is from a concert with M4C — the others are professional dancers.

S-L: Any other new music or events/gigs coming up for either of you?

OJ: No planned concerts for me at the moment, but if any synth festivals out there are interested — I’m ready!

STP: I’m working on a new APOP EP, and this month I’ll also be releasing two digital compilations on streaming platforms: a new ‘B-sides and Rarities’ collection, and a label compilation called ‘An Introduction to Pitch Black Drive’ featuring all our artists.

Listen at Spotify | Bandcamp | Apple Music | Tidal | YouTube Music | Deezer | Amazon Music |

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange, text and photo. Video by Pekka Stokke) The release of the ‘Manners’ album by Bingo Crowd was celebrated with a concert at the Parkteatret scene in Oslo, May 3^rd, and what a treatment the audience got!

After entering the venue, chefs from the Michelin-starred restaurant Credo and Oslo Indre Matforedling started serving hors d’oeuvres of smoked salmon and beef tartar, followed by the band’s own creation: pork and lamb sausages. They completed the serving with a gourmet version of the traditional Norwegian potato dumpling, known by too many different names, depending on where in Norway you are – could be potetball, ball, klubb, kumle, komle, kompe or raspeball.

After eating, we got a three-song set by Hilma Nikolaisen, known from Serena-Maneesh and other bands, alone on stage with a guitar and a sampler, a very emotional performance.

Then Bingo Crowd opened with their unreleased cover version of Talk Talk’s ‘Ascension Day’, setting the tone for the rest of a mesmerizing gig. Not much action by the band on the stage, but the music paired with the hypnotizing visuals from Pekka Stokke made it an experience making us happy to be present.

Over several e-mails in the following weeks, the band’s vocalist Andreas Elvenes and Torgeir Lund from their record label sum up the experience.

Post-concert impressions and upcoming news

Side-Line: The concert, or rather the whole evening, hit the audience both in the gut and in the head – in several ways! Tell us about how you put together this event?

Andreas Elvenes: Kaja, our dear manager, is also a partner and friend of my girlfriend, Heidi, who runs both Credo restaurant and Vippa. She has been active for many years in areas completely different from music, but her approach, which can be outside the usual rules, has proven very effective and fruitful. She made a few phone calls, including to All Things Live, and they recommended Parkteatret after some listening sessions.

Magnus, who is Kaja’s boyfriend, runs Indre Oslo Matforedling and is also used to working with Heidi, and he produced the sausages together with the band.

Hilma is a friend of ours and has performed at both Vippa and Credo before. We were very happy when she said yes to being our special guest.

S-L: Almost a sold-out venue, and lots of Trondheim visitors present too in Oslo – how many attended?

AE: We don’t have exact numbers, but over 300 is likely. I met several people after the concert from different parts of the country, and some particularly happy ones had come on the bus from Trondheim that day.

S-L: The vinyl is a real beauty – and now I hear a rumour about a CD too?

AE: Torgeir probably has more updated info here, but yes, there will be a CD!

Torgeir Lund: The album is coming out on CD; we’ve primarily produced it for markets outside Norway. The LP and CD won’t be physically released in the UK/EU until the end of July, but we’ll likely sneak a few copies of the CD out here in Norway before that.

S-L: What’s next?

AE: Trondheim and Verkstedhallen on May 16th was the next concert after Oslo. Hilma joined us there too, along with Kirsti Huke.

Torgeir has more info on the release of the Talk Talk cover. We know it involves several delightful remixes, including from Van Rivers of Fever Ray, Andrew Fearn of Sleaford Mods etc.

TL: The ‘Ascension Day’ cover, which the guys have played live for over 10 years, is something we’re planning to release before the year is over as a classic remix 12″, featuring the band’s original version mixed by Alan Moulder, along with four or five remixes.

Enjoy the concert’s final song ‘Lightball System’, the track that first caught my attention 16-17 years ago:

Listen to the ‘Manners’ album via Spotify | Tidal | Deezer | Apple Music | YouTube Music | Amazon Music, or all the April releases in this playlist:

About Bingo Crowd (formerly known as BC)

The three members of Bingo Crowd – Andreas Elvenes, Svein Segtnan, and Eivind Brønstad – grew up in Snåsa, deep in the remote forests of Norway. In the late ’90s, what “rock” meant in Snåsa was straightforward: loud guitars and raw energy. That’s how the band began—originally as a guitar-driven power trio.

Based in Trondheim, they initially performed under the name Bitch Cassidy. Everything changed when guitarist Svein Segtnan discovered a piece of electronic music by Brian Eno. That moment sparked a shift. He began collecting analog synthesizers, and the band slowly evolved from rock roots into a darker, synth-infused sound.

They rebranded as BC and launched their own label, LUBE Records for digital releases, while Crispin Glover Records handled their physical releases. In November 2008, they released their debut album “Sinecure” – a brooding blend of synthrock and EBM that quickly earned them a cult following in Norway’s underground scene.

Today, the band goes by Bingo Crowd. Seventeen years after “Sinecure”, they’ve released the new album titled “Manners” April 28^th 2025.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) After three weeks of dropping singles, B-sides, and a remix, Bingo Crowd have officially crowned their comeback with the release of the full “Manners”‘ album. As observant readers will know by now, it was mixed by none other than Alan Moulder and mastered by Heba Kadry.

Personally, I was swept off my feet the first time I heard “Lightball System” more than 15 years ago. After buying and listening to the album “Sinecure” in just about every format available, I was left wanting more. Over the years, I managed to track down additional songs here and there — digitally, on compilation CDs, or on 7” singles from the band’s earlier days under their first moniker, Bitch Cassidy. I also got in touch with their manager and label head, Torgeir, who kindly kept me in the loop, occasionally sharing demos and snippets as the band evolved.

Now, the wait is finally over: the full album is here for everyone to dive into. And soon also on a limited edition colored vinyl – grab’em while available!

After sending a batch of questions to singer Andreas Elvenes, he brought them along to the band’s meeting the weekend after the release.

Bingo Crowd interview

Side-Line: First of all, congratulations on the new album! How has it been received so far among those fortunate enough to hear the promos, attend the listening parties, or listen online since the release?

Bingo Crows: It’s now been around 24 hours since the album was released, and so far, we’re a bit overwhelmed by the positive feedback.

S-L: It’s been in the works for many years now. How has this process been?

BC: Yes, it’s been quite a few years. We’ve worked continuously — listening, improving, and waiting for the album to find its manners.

S-L: When did you realize that you actually had a whole album ready?

BC: I believe it started to feel realistic when we sent the files over to Alan Moulder in England. And of course, it became even more real the day we received the pallet of vinyl records from the factory in the Netherlands.

S-L: The cover image suggests there’s a story behind it — do tell!

BC: The boxed silverware on the cover was a wedding gift received by Andreas’ great-grandfather at his wedding in 1920. This ties in thematically with the album title Manners and symbolizes the customs and traditions of the old days.

S-L: What can the audience expect when attending the release concert next week?

BC: Sausages. (https://iomat.no/)
(S-L editor’s note: Scroll down a bit on the page and you’ll see why! 😊)

The set will mainly feature songs from the new album, but also a couple of tracks that haven’t been released yet, along with one song that is only available digitally.

We’ve been working with the same creative team for more than 20 years. Pekka Stokke (3D video projections) and Steffen Telstad (lighting) have developed a cinematic lighting design that’s an integral part of our live shows. Our sound engineer has been Tor Breivik from Avon.

S-L: What’s next after the Oslo concert?

BC: Our next concert will be in Trondheim on the 16th of May at Verkstedhallen.

This autumn, you can also expect a remix 12-inch, among other releases.

Follow us on Instagram (@bingo.crowd / @crispingloverrecords) or Facebook (Bingo Crowd / Crispin Glover Records) for updates!

Listen via Spotify | Tidal | Deezer | Apple Music | YouTube Music | Amazon Music

… or just bookmark this playlist that’ll be increasing each week.

About Bingo Crowd (formerly known as BC)

The three members of Bingo Crowd – Andreas Elvenes, Svein Segtnan, and Eivind Brønstad – grew up in Snåsa, deep in the remote forests of Norway. In the late ’90s, what “rock” meant in Snåsa was straightforward: loud guitars and raw energy. That’s how the band began—originally as a guitar-driven power trio.

Based in Trondheim, they initially performed under the name Bitch Cassidy. Everything changed when guitarist Svein Segtnan discovered a piece of electronic music by Brian Eno. That moment sparked a shift. He began collecting analog synthesizers, and the band slowly evolved from rock roots into a darker, synth-infused sound.

They rebranded as BC and launched their own label, LUBE Records for digital releases, while Crispin Glover Records handled their physical releases. In November 2008, they released their debut album “Sinecure” – a brooding blend of synthrock and EBM that quickly earned them a cult following in Norway’s underground scene.

Today, the band goes by Bingo Crowd. Seventeen years after “Sinecure”, they’ve released the new album titled “Manners” April 28^th 2025.

The upcoming release will be celebrated with a concert at Parkteatret in Oslo on May 3^rd, 2025.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) In their third consecutive week of single releases, Bingo Crowd continues their comeback with ‘Nitro My Shield’, a smooth and tranquil ride, quite appropriate for this longest of Fridays. The track also appears on the upcoming album ‘Manners’, mixed by Alan Moulder and mastered by Heba Kadry.
The B-side and non-album track ‘K120’ was mixed by Kyrre Laastad and mastered by Morten Stendahl. ‘K120’ might sound strange to non-Norwegians, as it resembles a preacher thanking people helping him. I reached out to some of the guys involved, hoping to find out more about this.

Torgeir Lund (manager): Svein did some live recordings from a church, probably Betel, when he was living in downtown Trondheim. They had radio broadcasts from there. Some of the names mentioned have been distorted to keep them anonymous.

Andreas Elvenes (vocals): We’ve also done this before. As I remember it, one of us had been to an estate auction in Steinkjer and came back with a briefcase full of cassette tapes featuring recordings of various lay preachers from the 1980s. These were digitized and archived, only to sit untouched for a few years. We later used some of those samples on the track ‘Støv’ (‘Dust’) which appeared on a couple of compilations (‘Party Terror 3’ (LP) and ‘Sorgenfrie Øyeblikk Vol.1 (CD), both on Crispin Glover Records)

We were aiming for a certain mood on both ‘Støv’ and ‘K120’, and realised that parts of those recordings might help us get there. Kind of fever-dream logic, right in the intersection between icy, funny, and eerie.

Check back next Friday for the ‘Manners’ album release!

Listen via Spotify | Tidal | Deezer | Apple Music | YouTube Music | Amazon Music

… or just bookmark this playlist that’ll be increasing each week.

About Bingo Crowd (formerly known as BC)

The three members of Bingo Crowd – Andreas Elvenes, Svein Segtnan, and Eivind Brønstad – grew up in Snåsa, deep in the remote forests of Norway. In the late ’90s, what “rock” meant in Snåsa was straightforward: loud guitars and raw energy. That’s how the band began—originally as a guitar-driven power trio.

Based in Trondheim, they initially performed under the name Bitch Cassidy. Everything changed when guitarist Svein Segtnan discovered a piece of electronic music by Brian Eno. That moment sparked a shift. He began collecting analog synthesizers, and the band slowly evolved from rock roots into a darker, synth-infused sound.

They rebranded as BC and launched their own label, LUBE Records for digital releases, while Crispin Glover Records handled their physical releases. In November 2008, they released their debut album “Sinecure” – a brooding blend of synthrock and EBM that quickly earned them a cult following in Norway’s underground scene.

Today, the band goes by Bingo Crowd. Seventeen years after “Sinecure”, they’re set to release a new album titled “Manners” April 28^th 2025.

The upcoming release will be celebrated with a concert at Parkteatret in Oslo on May 3^rd, 2025.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange / DJD press release) After 15 years of silence, Don Juan Dracula made a long-awaited comeback in February with the single ‘Burn’ and the excellent Sniffergod rework of the song. Now they’re following up with ‘Be The Same’, a synthpop track about self-destruction, change, and the need to start over.

The band, known for their energetic and theatrical mix of synthpop, rock, and indie, was once one of Norway’s most unique live acts. After many years in hibernation, they’re back, now with a new drummer and a renewed drive.

‘Be The Same’ was produced, mixed, and recorded by the band themselves, and marks the next chapter in a series of new releases throughout the year.

After firing of an e-mail to pick Henrik Lysell’s brain about about DJD’s second single and video I got this in return:

S-L: Tell us more about the song – one could almost speculate there’s a parallel to your own comeback here, as a comeback could include a lot of changes? “For us, for you, for me”?

Henrik Lysell: Haha, we see what you’re doing there – and fair enough, but truth is, the song isn’t really about our comeback. As always, it’s the personal stuff that fuels the fire – love, loss, obsession. We’ll leave space for interpretation, but it’s hard to hide that it’s about someone – a girl – who’s spiraled out. And at some point, she’s gotta start making the right choices. It’s not autobiographical, but there’s definitely a pulse of redemption in there.

S-L: … and the video – WOW – you really stepped up a notch or two! How many % AI this time?

HL: Appreciate that – thank you! Honestly, we’ve kind of become addicted to the possibilities of AI. Being able to create a whole visual universe where your imagination sets the rules? That’s insanely liberating. The tech is wild, but we’re still the ones steering the ship – mood, color, vibe, story. So maybe… 70% AI, 30% raw human obsession?

S-L: Any more releases before the concert?

HL: We might not make it in time for another drop before the show, but we’ve got 2-3 tracks that are nearly locked and loaded. We’re aiming to have a full album out before the year’s up. There’s just this creative flood going on right now – and it feels damn good to be riding it again!

Don Juan Dracula has been resurrected. Nothing will be the same.

On May 23, they’ll take the stage at Goldie, performing their first Oslo concert in 17 years.

Listen via Spotify | Tidal | Apple Music | Deezer | You Tube Music.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) A week after Bingo Crowd (formerly known as BC) released their comeback single ‘Voloop’ they continue the return with not just one, but two releases this week. ‘Mapmaker’s Dream’ – with the B-side ‘Stack’ (non-album track) – is accompanied by ‘Voloop (Extnddntwrk Remix)’.

‘Mapmaker’s Dream’ was mixed by Alan Moulder and mastered by Heba Kadry, while ‘Stack’ was mastered by Kyrre Laastad. ‘Voloop (Extnddntwrk Remix)’ was mixed by Alan Moulder and mastered by Morten Nyberg Stendahl. The remixer, Extnddntwrk, is the alter ego of Andrew Fern from Sleaford Mods, and don’t be surprised if we hear more coming out of Nottingham regarding Bingo Crowd.

Stay tuned for yet another release next Friday!

Listen via Spotify | Tidal | Deezer | Apple Music | YouTube Music.

Listen via Spotify | Tidal | Deezer | Apple Music | YouTube Music.

… or just bookmark this playlist that’ll be increasing each week.

About Bingo Crowd (formerly known as BC)

The three members of Bingo Crowd – Andreas Elvenes, Svein Segtnan, and Eivind Brønstad – grew up in Snåsa, deep in the remote forests of Norway. In the late ’90s, what “rock” meant in Snåsa was straightforward: loud guitars and raw energy. That’s how the band began—originally as a guitar-driven power trio.

Based in Trondheim, they initially performed under the name Bitch Cassidy. Everything changed when guitarist Svein Segtnan discovered a piece of electronic music by Brian Eno. That moment sparked a shift. He began collecting analog synthesizers, and the band slowly evolved from rock roots into a darker, synth-infused sound.

They rebranded as BC and launched their own label, LUBE Records for digital releases, while Crispin Glover Records handled their physical releases. In November 2008, they released their debut album “Sinecure” – a brooding blend of synthrock and EBM that quickly earned them a cult following in Norway’s underground scene.

Today, the band goes by Bingo Crowd. Seventeen years after “Sinecure”, they’re set to release a new album titled “Manners” in April 2025.

The upcoming release will be celebrated with a concert at Parkteatret in Oslo on May 3, 2025.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange. Live photo Alex Tjore) In a time filled with uncertainty, conflicts, and imbalance, Espen Beranek Holm a.k.a. Beranek and EL/NeUe latest single “Ein Bisschen Frieden” have been inspired by lyricist Bernd Meinunger’s words in the German Eurovision entry “Ein Bißchen Frieden” from 1982, performed by Nicole.

“Ein Bisschen Frieden” is a collection of associations with peace and the concept of peace, allowing space for both pessimism and optimism – carried forward on an unmistakable electronic foundation, spiced up with a catchy chorus, clarinet, vocoder, and an out-of-tune piano.

They launched the single with a live event at Kampen Bistro in Oslo, with everyone on stage contributing to each other’s songs. It started with an EL/NeUe set, followed by some of their collaborative songs, and ended with a Beranek set, culminating in a hilarious “lecture” about his first single, “Dra te hælvete” (“Go to hell”‘”), which was banned on Norwegian broadcasting in the early ’80s. He gave a step-by-step breakdown of the song, instrument by instrument, before performing it in full. He ended his set with a beautiful acoustic version of David Bowie’s “Life on Mars”.

The evening was concluded with the music video premiere of “Ein Bisschen Frieden”.

A few days later we had an email exchange, catching up on the latest events:

Side-Line: What made you do this single now? How has it been received?

Askild Hagen: We have previously made two songs together—which we are very satisfied with—and it has been very exciting and fun to work together, so we wanted to do another song. We met in Espen’s studio and created a draft for a beat, and Espen suggested the title ‘Ein Bisschen Frieden’, a title that fits just as well in 2025 as when Nicole sang a song with the same title in ESC in 1982.

We have received good feedback so far. Erik Valebrokk, one of Norway’s leading music bloggers, wrote: “Their new single ‘Ein Bisschen Frieden’ is very, very catchy.”

Beranek: It was great fun making our two previous singles, so why not keep up the fun? We met up in my studio to draft the initial ideas, then it became a mail/file transfer process. The single has received an overall positive response.

S-L: Happy with the gig?

B: I was very pleased with the gig. We joined forces on both EL/NeUe’s and my music—as well as on the Beranek + EL/NeUe collaborations, of course. It was the very first time that both ‘Niedrige Erwartungen’ and ‘Goethe Ist Tot’ were performed live.

AH: We are very pleased with the concert. It was rather crowded at Kampen Bistro, and the atmosphere was great. The concert was filmed and will probably be available on YouTube eventually.

S-L: More songs or events in the pipeline?

AH: We will definitely make more music together. The next song title is ready (should we say what it’s called, Espen?). EL/NeUe is working on their third album, Neben, and hopefully, it will be released in autumn 2025.

B: We have talked about the theme for the next project, but I think it’s a bit too early to disclose any further details at this point in time. Apart from the EL/NeUe collaboration, I will be making stage appearances in both comedy and music throughout ’25.

Some live clips can be seen here and in the comments of this Facebook post and in this “Dra te hælvete” lecture videopost (+ more in the comments).

Listen at Tidal | Spotify

This is the video for the track.

Still here? OK, here’s an old classic and it’s revamped 2016 EP with Todd Terje and other remixes!

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) April 25th 2025 Crispin Glover Records will release “Manners”, the long-awaited sophomore album from the Norwegian act Bingo Crowd, formerly known as BC. We’ve known it’s been in the works for years, even wrote about in back in 2016, have heard some demos and snippets along the way, but finally there’s a definitive date set. And: to keep us on our toes drooling, Bingo Crowd will release several singles, B-sides and a remix in the upcoming weeks, starting today with the track “Voloop”.

Bingo Crowd (formerly known as BC) released their debut album “Sinecure” back in 2008. The band have been meticulously assembling the follow up over the last 17 years.  Teaming up with legendary producer Alan Moulder (Foo Fighters, U2, The Cure, The Killers, Nine Inch Nails, Beach House, Depeche Mode, Queens of the Stone Age, The Smashing Pumpkins and Wet Leg to name a few..) for the completion of the album that is “Manners”.

The result is ten tracks with an overall sound reminiscent of the early Mute/Factory Records records that we all loved or should have loved. Mixed by Alan Moulder, mastered by @heba_kadry. 

Listen at Spotify | Tidal

About Bingo Crowd (formerly known as BC)

The three members of Bingo Crowd – Andreas Elvenes, Svein Segtnan, and Eivind Brønstad – grew up in Snåsa, deep in the remote forests of Norway. In the late ’90s, what “rock” meant in Snåsa was straightforward: loud guitars and raw energy. That’s how the band began—originally as a guitar-driven power trio.

Based in Trondheim, they initially performed under the name Bitch Cassidy. Everything changed when guitarist Svein Segtnan discovered a piece of electronic music by Brian Eno. That moment sparked a shift. He began collecting analog synthesizers, and the band slowly evolved from rock roots into a darker, synth-infused sound.

They rebranded as BC and launched their own label, LUBE Records for digital releases, while Crispin Glover Records handled their physical releases. In November 2008, they released their debut album “Sinecure” – a brooding blend of synthrock and EBM that quickly earned them a cult following in Norway’s underground scene.

Today, the band goes by Bingo Crowd. Seventeen years after “Sinecure”, they’re set to release a new album titled “Manners” in April 2025.

The upcoming release will be celebrated with a concert at Parkteatret in Oslo on May 3, 2025.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange / Birds Will Sing For You press release. Photos by Tarjei Krogh) Out now is Henric de La Cour‘s long-awaited fourth album ‘My Bones, Your Ashes’, accompanied by several singles and a Scandinavian club tour.

During the fall of 2024, Henric de la Cour marked his return with single ‘Hey You, Hell No’ – a whopping six years after his last album ‘Gimme Daggers’ was released. He’s taken these years to do some soul searching and have come out on the other side in a partially new suit. Still present are all those elements that fans have come to love ever since they first came in contact with the now legendary vocalist, especially in connection with the breakthrough of his iconic Swedish indie pop band Yvonne in the 90’s: grandness, desperation and pop music carefully balancing on a knife’s edge between the darkest of indie and most fragile of synth-pop.

Above all this, we find that his recent music is carved from a distilled sound. The soundscape is more spacious. The lyrics more precise. The production – like previous albums, were created in a collaboration with Rikard Lind – explore rooms that have not been explored before. Henric de la Cour says a lot more, with a lot less, and the authenticity is a constant presence throughout all the songs. The scale is larger than before – take ‘Interlude‘ for example, where de la Cour sings over a majestic backdrop that – by the end – blossoms into a redemptive string section, or take Dead Hank’ which delivers crushing synth riffs throughout the whole song. These contrasting elements are tied together by de la Cours characteristic voice.

Henric de la Cour has during his soon-to-be 30-year career released three albums as a solo artist, two as a member in Strip Music and four as a frontman in Yvonne. He has been portrayed in the documentary ‘Henric de la Cour’ which had a long run on Swedish television, and he has toured frequently all over Europe – just recently on a fall tour supporting Kite on their big Europe tour.

I attended Henric’s gig in Oslo in February (when Bérèche You warmed up the audience), and we had a quick chat about some questions by e-mail the following week.

S-L: How has the new Henric de la Cour album been received so far?

Henric de La Cour: The album has been very well received by both critics, fans and people that does not have any relation to my music before this album. I am very grateful.

S-L: How does the album differ from the previous Henric de la Cour albums?

HdlC: When Rikard and I started recording this we made up rules we had to follow; to keep it simple, no unnecessary sounds, to be precise and consistent. We wrote closer to 40 songs and picked the 10 best. But it took us the better part of six years to finish it.

S-L: Any change in your music due to influences, your collaborations, a changing world, life in general…?

HdlC: No, not really. But this time we wrote the major part of the songs together in a way we have not done before. Rikard is quite brilliant and has a great ear when it comes to sounds.

S-L: I saw your gig in Oslo, an excellent performance – how did you and Rikard like the gig yourself?

HdlC: It was more than ok, we had a really good time on stage. People seemed pleased with the show. A bigger crowd than I had expected.

S-L: What’s up in the near future for Henric de la Cour?

HdlC: We will be playing some festivals this summer and we plan to release new music later this year. It will not take another six years. But right now we will see where this album takes us.

—

Check out ‘My Bones, Your Ashes’ on Spotify

and enjoy latest single ‘Dead Hank’!

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange. Photos: Tarjei Krogh / Jan Ronald Stange) A few weeks ago, the Norwegian electro-pop duo Bérèche You took to the stage as a warm-up for Henric de la Cour in Oslo, marking the first time the singer Cassiel Agrippa sang in front of a live audience.

After months of rehearsing, the nerves loosened up in the final week, and even a couple of power outages during the first songs didn’t affect the band’s performance.

Side-Line: You were invited as the opening act and support for Henric de la Cour at Goldie in Oslo. This was the debut gig for Bérèche You; could you tell us about the experience?

Cassiel Agrippa: We were thankful to be invited to this event by renowned DJ Alex Tjore, who did a DJ session before our gig and also at the after-party later. Goldie is such a nice venue—quite cozy with a great ambience. I believe the turnout was around two fifty plus, and they really added to the overall mood. We had some initial technical sound issues but soon got the show going. In summary, people seemed to appreciate the show.

S-L: Cassiel Agrippa, your first time on a stage in this capacity – did it whet your appetite for more?

CA: I am always happy to experience something for the first time. You get to a point where first-time experiences are rare. Being the support gig for Henric de la Cour was truly one big such first time. I did not know I wanted this, but I am so glad I did, and how well it all went. Working up towards the stage debut took a great deal of rehearsing, so when the actual performance took place, it was not much different in a sense. Still, the adrenaline level was through the roof. Not anxiety and not dread, just … anticipation. At a certain stress level, you just end up being calm, because you can’t flop around like a maniac anyway. And that apparent calmness actually helps to calm you down. Obviously, the venue and live audience were different from rehearsing, but on stage, I was more at one with the music and part of the band. Seeing the audience react was such nice feedback to our performance.

Hearing the initial crowd cheering as we entered the stage was a confidence boost. At the same time, I realized there was no way back, and all I could think was ‘oh shit, oh shit.’ No pressure, you know? Then, after the first song, people were warming up to us, which was a great motivation. They cheered even more as we kept playing, dancing in front of the stage.

It all seemed to be over so quickly. Most of the concertgoers were there for the main gig, but judging from their enthusiasm, we must have been an all-right opening act. Who can tell if there will be more shows going forward? Not impossible, I guess, but nothing is planned yet.

This was definitely a fun experience. We got so many wonderful comments, not only from friends but also from other synth fans. We really appreciate all the support from our fans and hope to have gained a few more after this.

S-L: What’s next?

CA: Now that the concert gig is done and over with, the next thing will be making more music—getting back to the creative stuff. A new single is already in the making, and I guess even more will come after that. We haven’t really planned anything major, but stay tuned for upcoming releases and announcements.

You can check the Bérèche You complete Spotify playlist right below.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) A few weeks ago, we reported on the comeback of the Norwegian men in white, Don Juan Dracula, and their single ‘Burn’. Now, they’re complementing the track with the ‘SnifferGod Rework’, a techno remix by Alex Møklebust (Seigmen, Zeromancer, SnifferGod).

Henrik Lysell, the main vocalist, guitarist, composer, and AI video producer, reflects on the weeks following the comeback and the remix.

S-L: How have the weeks been since your comeback?

Henrik Lysell: It’s been absolutely amazing to finally have new material out after 17 years. Coming out of our basement studio and releasing a new track has been a surreal experience. The feedback has been incredible — we’re honestly overwhelmed by how many fans are still out there. Not to mention, playing an intimate, invite-only show was a blast. It really reminded us how important this band and these songs are to us.

S-L: Tell us about the ‘SnifferGod Rework’ of ‘Burn’ — it wasn’t a coincidence that you reached out to Alex for your first comeback track?

HL: Alex has an incredible musical ear and shares many of the same influences as us, so we reached out to him pretty quickly after finishing the track. When he sent us his remix, we cranked it up in the rehearsal space, and it completely blew us away. For a moment, it felt like we were transported to a dark club in Berlin. It was exactly the vibe we were hoping for.

S-L: Any updates on more releases, remixes, and events now that you’re back?

HL: We’ve got enough material for at least one, maybe even two full albums, so expect a steady flow of new tracks moving forward. We also have a few artists we’d love to see remix our songs, and one of them has already agreed to work on a remix of an upcoming single. Starting up Don Juan Dracula again has only made us more creative, so new songs are definitely in the works as well.

As for live shows, we can’t wait for the concert at Goldie. Oslo was our home base when we started the band, and we’ve played at most venues in the city over the years. Goldie looks like an awesome space, and we can guarantee that catwalk will be put to good use!

I also checked in with the remixer himself about this project and his relationship with Don Juan Dracula.

Side-Line: How did you like ‘Burn’ as the comeback track for DJD?

Alex Møklebust: I met Henning one afternoon at our local vinyl record store in Tønsberg.
We started talking about how much fun we had DJ’ing at the Depeche Mode parties in Tønsberg back in 2011-2012. He said that the band (DJD) was back together and working on a new album. He asked me if I could do a remix. I was in the middle of recording a new Seigmen album, but remixing is always fun, so of course, I said yes. Any excuse to play around with my modular setup is a good one.

He sent me some stems of their single Burn. That was the first time I had ever heard the track. It was the perfect song to remix as a techno track. Great fun!

S-L: I presume DJD contacted you for this remix due to your history with the band?

AM: Maybe, but first of all, because they knew I had done remixes for other artists.
Our connection goes back to 2004-2005 when I produced their album ‘Young Debutantes II’. I had a blast doing that. We recorded most of it at their rehearsal studio back then. That album did well, and the single ‘Take Me Home’ hit the charts in Norway 20 years ago.

I went to their release party for ‘Burn’, and to my surprise, they played my remix, including an AI video that Henrik made. I had no clue they were going to do that, but it was amazing to hear the remix on a big sound system. Lovely guys!

S-L: How did you approach this remix?

AM: I always start by playing around with my modular system and seeing what happens. Sending stems through it, programming synth parts, making drones — whatever I find fun to do that day. Then, I add drums and percussion and see how it makes me feel. Just experimenting with sounds.

My love for electronic music has been there since I discovered Skinny Puppy’s ‘Smothered Hope’ in the ’80s.

As a singer, the pressure is always high, and the expectations even higher. SnifferGod is more techno, and it’s my little “safe place”—pure fun with absolutely no pressure!

S-L: Any more remixes in the works?

AM: No remixes in the works as we speak. As I mentioned earlier, I’m busy recording the new Seigmen album. But I always play around with my modular synths whenever I have some spare time.

SnifferGod is not about being unique, game-changing, or distinctive. It’s about the love for electronic music.

Listen to the remix on Spotify | Apple Music | Tidal | YouTube Music

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange / Bérèche You press release) The new Bérèche You album ‘The Price of Love’ is a summary of the work with Cassiel Agrippa, with new definitive versions of the previously released songs. The album also includes new tracks, such as the new single ‘Adore Me’.

The Bérèche You music project released its singles and subsequent first album on Spotify in early summer last year. However, the concept was conceived half a year earlier. After many years working with the Electro Spectre project, releasing multiple albums and compilations, Isak was turning a page to start something new. As he has previously stated, he wanted to start a new project, something new.

S-L: What ignited this project?

Isak: I wanted to do something a little different, yet still electronica, obviously, but a new approach. The idea was to invite different artists to collaborate. That was the concept and idea. At a party, Thomas responded to this by suggesting that he would like to try and contribute. Well, time would tell, so I sent him a couple of instrumentals to work on the next day.

At a later party, Thomas had proven his creativity and presented several demos that impressed the guests. That’s how the collaboration came about, and two of the songs on the debut album feature Cassiel Agrippa, which is his artist moniker.

S-L: After the album release, the project followed up with several single releases and an EP. Now, a year later, with multiple releases under your belt, how would you sum up the project and the interest in it so far?

Isak: This project has been, and is, a lot of fun. It was the new perspective I needed, a slightly different direction and sound. We are steadily building a fan base, with a few old ES fans carried over. Several great DJs here in Oslo have featured our songs and continue to do so, I hope. We have also been on the chart of a well-known German electronica/indie net radio (https://klangwald-charts.de/) and generally been well received. Now that we are releasing a new album, ‘The Price Of Love’, featuring Cassiel Agrippa exclusively. Paired with our live performance in Oslo, we are certainly hoping to keep expanding our fan base.

S-L: Thomas, this has been your first major music project, where you’ve both written lyrics and sung—how do you see your development so far? What challenges have you faced?

Thomas Brevik/Cassiel Agrippa: Well, there are always certain challenges when writing music. Fun challenges. Initially it’s coming up with a melody – a catchy chorus and verse. A little behind-the-scenes fact is that the very first lyrics are just placeholder text to work out the melody. Then I replace that nonsense with actual lyrics. The other challenge is the vocals. I have taken singing lessons, and practiced a lot. And I can clearly see improvement in myself, which is quite rewarding. So you might say there is a constant development in all the aspects of music making. Not unlike anything else you do. You get better the more you do it. I am curious about our next releases, what they will be.

The one thing that really surprised me as a novice musician, however, was that although music has always been very important to me, I have never had a hand in actually making music until this project. It only proves that my creativity could be channelled into music as well. And I love it.

S-L: Isak, what has it been like working with Thomas and following his development?

Isak: Bérèche You was going to be a project where I would invite many different artists to collaborate, which the first album demonstrated well. However, the collaboration with Thomas developed into something much more because he has a really good flair for catchy lyrics and melodies. He has definitely had a sharp learning curve, which is rather impressive.
We believe that every synthpop lover around the globe will strongly welcome this collection of well-crafted synthpop tracks.

S-L: The album title—any connection to the release date, Valentine’s Day?

Isak: The album title The Price Of Love is actually a little homage to an old Depeche Mode cover from when they were called Composition of Sound. The original was a song by Everly Brothers, but almost nobody knows about that any longer. That is our nod to DM. About Valentine’s Day… You could say love always exacts a price, but you can never tell exactly what. The price of love could be so many things, but the rewards are always worth it. Almost always. February 14^th is forever a day dedicated to love, so it seemed a perfect opportunity to release a new album with this title on that day. We believe in love in itself.

The band are doing their debut live show alongside Henric de la Cour in Oslo on February 21^st 2025.

About Bérèche You

Isak Rypdal has had an extensive musical career since the early 90s with bands such as Doctor No, Freeloader and Electro Spectre. Music from Doctor No and Freeloader has topped the charts in Norway and received heavy rotattion on international radio such as BBC Radio 1 in the UK. His live performances have included playing at ‘We Love The 90’s’ and over 100 live shows around the world. With Electro Spectre Isak has been so fortunate to be able to support bands such as OMD, Marsheaux, Zeromancer, Covenant, Melotron and Mesh, to mention a few.

On the new album Isak has collaborated with his good friend, -the talented songwriter Cassiel Agrippa, who has a brilliant ear for good melodies. Cassiel Agrippa has been involved in Electro Spectre and other previous work from Crab Key Studio for a long time, -creating visual media such as artwork in addition to live photography for the bands.

‘The Price of Love’ is due to be released on February 14^th 2025.

Listen to the album right here, or at Spotify | Tidal | Apple Music | Amazon | Deezer | You Tube Music

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange / Ray Noir press release) “Razorblade Romance” is the fight for survival in a song. For Ray Noir, a queer POC artist raised in Norway’s metal scene, it’s a fight song, against the rigid masculinity that nearly crushed him. Leaving his homeland was the only way to reclaim his true self, but the scars remain.

This anthem is for all the queer souls in the alt scene who feel like outsiders. Featuring Grammy-winner Steve Stevens (Billy Idol, Top Gun Anthem), “Razorblade Romance” blends raw industrial rock with defiant emotion.

“This song feels like planning my own funeral,” Ray says. “Society tries to shame queer people to death, but we endure. We survive.”
With haunting lyrics and Stevens’ blistering guitar, “Razorblade Romance” is dark, daring, and unforgettable.

Ray Noir is coming for the top. His 2024 mixtape “Scorpio” broke through with over 130K Spotify streams, sold-out shows, and a profile that’s quickly becoming unstoppable.

Next stop: The Black Heart (April 3, 2025), Resistanz Festival (April 18, 2025), followed by a headlining show in Oslo (October 3, 2025).

Razorblade Romance drops on Valentine’s Day 2025. And stay tuned – there’s a savage remix from Bobby Wolfgang coming your way in late March.

Written by: Ray Noir, Steve Stevens & Madeleine Wood
Produced & Mixed by: Jon Cass
Mastering by: Joe Farr

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange / Don Juan Dracula press release. Photo: Tom Lund)
Don Juan Dracula is back! Once hailed as one of Norway’s most electrifying and boundary-pushing bands, they took the country’s biggest festivals by storm, captivated audiences in New York, and left their mark on stages in Beijing. After 15 long years in the shadows, the band is finally reunited to write the next chapter in their legendary story.

With their unique sound – an explosive blend of energy, catchy melodies, and theatrical presence – Don Juan Dracula was never just a band; they were an experience. Their unforgettable live performances and powerful songs created a cult status that lived on long after they stepped away.

Now, with a new drummer, the band from Åsgårdstrand is ready to reclaim the stage. This isn’t just a comeback. It’s a rebirth.

The reunion not only marks a long-awaited return but also the launch of new music that promises to reignite the same passion they left behind 15 years ago. Don Juan Dracula isn’t here to reminisce – they’re here to remind the world of what it has been missing.
‘Burn’, their first release since 2008, dropped on Friday, February 14th, and is the first of several singles to be released throughout the year.

Where the band previously had production and mixing assistance from the likes of Alex Møklebust (Seigmen, Zeromancer), Stephen Hague (New Order, A-ha, Pet Shop Boys), and Ed Buller (Suede, Pulp), ‘Burn’ has been recorded, mixed, and produced by the band themselves.

A week ago I attended the release event with several friends. It started off with a Q&A session and a screening of the music video for ‘Burn’ at the local cinema. We then headed to a local club, Knut, for more music: first, the premiere of the Snifferdog Rework remix of the single (also with video), followed by a frantic and sweaty concert! A few days later, the vocalist Henrik Lysell had landed again, and we exchanged some emails.

Interview with Henrik Lysell

Side-Line: What brought on this comeback after 16–17 years?
HL: Even though life took us in different directions—families, jobs, and everything in between—music never stopped. I’ve been producing in my basement studio all these years, and at some point, I played some tracks for the rest of the band. The reaction was unanimous: these songs deserved to be heard. There’s always something to write about, something to express—life keeps happening. And no, it’s not about diaper changes. It’s about everything else that fuels creativity. The passion for synth-driven anthems is still alive, and we felt like Don Juan Dracula wasn’t done yet. So here we are, ready to bring new music into the world.

S-L: You had a screening of the video (twice!) and a concert/release party for the single. What reactions have you received from the audience afterward? How did the band experience the evening?
HL: It was an absolutely fantastic evening. The energy in the room was incredible, and we could really feel the love from everyone who showed up. The reaction to the video screening was overwhelming—people seemed genuinely excited, and seeing their response made all the hard work worth it. And playing live again… wow. It just reminded us why we do this in the first place. This is what we love the most, what we were meant to do. No matter how much time passes, performing in front of an audience is where we truly belong. We are, first and foremost, artists, and this night proved that Don Juan Dracula still has more to give.

S-L: The music video, which is heavily AI-produced, is a visual feast for the eyes! It must have been a comprehensive project—how was it created?
HL: ‘Burn’ is about a world moving in the wrong direction—and maybe too fast. Social media is brainwashing people, fueling division, and feeding egos through algorithms that reinforce extremes. It’s deeply concerning when you look at the rise of the far right, nationalism, and protectionism.

So using AI for the music video felt like the right choice—it’s both fascinating and terrifying, just like the forces shaping our world today.

We have a love-hate relationship with AI. It’s unsettling, but at the same time, creatively, it feels like the early days of synthesizers in music. When something this groundbreaking comes along, you can either fear it or explore its potential. The video is our way of doing both—embracing new technology while reflecting on its impact. And visually, AI allowed us to create something that feels as intense and surreal as the times we’re living in.

S-L: We heard the excellent Snifferdog remix of Burn last Friday. Are there more singles or remixes in the pipeline?
HL: Alex Møklebust’s remix turned out fantastic! It’s always exciting to hear how other musicians interpret a track, bringing out different elements and reshaping it into something new. We love that part of the process—handing over a song and seeing it take on a new life.

There have already been requests for remixes of upcoming singles, so it’ll be interesting to see who ends up putting their spin on them. As true music nerds, we get a huge kick out of having artists we respect reimagine our work and create entirely new sonic universes. So yes, more remixes are definitely in the pipeline—stay tuned.

S-L: Any upcoming plans—gigs, releases, etc.?
HL: Yes! We’re playing at Goldie in Oslo on May 23rd, and there will be more singles dropping before summer. The plan is to release a full album—because even though albums might not be the trend anymore, we’re pushing 50, so we’re sticking to that format.

We’re also looking into making a vinyl release, because there’s something special about having music in a tangible, physical form. And playing in Oslo again is going to be amazing—it’s where Don Juan Dracula started and where we played the most back in the day. It feels like coming home.

The wait is over. Don Juan Dracula has risen again.

Don Juan Dracula consists of:

• Henrik Lysell (vocals and guitar)
• Henning Krane (synth)
• Ola Eriksen (bass)
• Fredrik Fagerli Dahle (drums)

Listen to ‘Burn’ right here, or at Spotify | Tidal | Deezer | Apple Music | YouTube Music |

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange / Bérèche You press release) While the Norwegian electropop act Bérèche You prepares for “The Price of Love” album launch and their upcoming concert, they have released the teaser single “Adore Me” again featuring Cassiel Agrippa, along with a lyric video.

“I’ve done the tango, and I have done the swing, but then along came sweet and spice” – this line captures the essence of the track, a fresh yet classic ’80s-style synthpop tune. The song encapsulates everything that the Norwegian synthpop label Crab Key Records stands for.

The band will be playing their debut live show alongside Henric de la Cour in Oslo on February 21^st 2025.

‘The Price of Love’ is due to be released on February 14^th 2025. Listen to ‘Adore Me’ at multiple platforms right here, plus also Tidal.

About Bérèche You

Bérèche You is the latest musical endeavor of Norwegian producer Isak Rypdal, renowned for his work with bands like Doctor No, Freeloader, and of course Electro Spectre. In this project, Rypdal collaborates with various artists, including songwriter Thomas C. A. Brevik, known as Cassiel Agrippa, who contributes vocals and lyrics. Additionally, vocalist Madil Hardis has lent her talents to the project.

In May 2024, they released the album “Business of Love”, featuring tracks like “Mama, Dada,” “Someone Like Me” (featuring Cassiel Agrippa), and “Elevation”.

In the autumn of 2024, Bérèche You released a cover of The Beloved’s 1993 hit “Sweet Harmony,” again featuring Cassiel Agrippa.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) After releasing his cover version of David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ in 2024, dubbed ‘Helter’ in Norwegian, kinGeorg adds more versions to this release today. More electronic remixes from Norwegian legends Apoptygma Berzerk and Beranek caught our attention, so we had to dig more into these tracks.

kinGeorg, alias Kim Lunde, is one of the most unique voices on the Norwegian music scene. With a raw mix of dark pop, rock and electric undertones, he creates music that not only hits, but also lingers for a long time. kinGeorg has received attention both nationally and internationally, with regular radio listings in both Norway and Sweden. On stage he delivers a captivating live experience, and with new songs on the way, including collaboratios with Apoptygma Berzerk and poet Trygve Skaug, kinGeorg is ready to take 2025 by storm.

Kim Lunde and Stephan Groth elaborate on their collaboration:

S-L:  What was your approach to doing a cover and remix of this Bowie classic, translated to Norwegian?

Kim: I think “Heroes” is one of the best songs ever written. I have fond memories of my grandmother playing this song for me over and over again when I was very young. I therefore have a special connection with this song and always wanted to make my own version of it… but since I prefer singing in my native language I had to get the lyrics translated.

3 years ago I recorded a Norwegian version of ‘Heroes’, but it would take 2 years for all the legal stuff to be sorted out with Brian Eno and David Bowies’s publishers… a quite long and tiresome process.

STP: I remember listening to Kim’s demo of ‘Helter’ at a party at a friends place. I was highly sceptical before listening since ‘Heroes’ is such a huge classic and because it has been covered so many times before, but I was pleasantly surprised! It had a very different twist and feel because of the Norwegian lyrics and because of Kim’s outstanding vocals.  

I thought the version was great and asked Kim if he would let me do a remix.

Kim: I of course said YES, and I am very excited about the final result. I am also very happy that we got a remix from Beranek for the single. 

S-L: What’s your relation to David Bowie’s music in general?

STP: I was first introduced to Bowie when watching the Christiane F. “Wir Kinder Vom Bahnhof Zoo” movie at a young age, but it would take many years before I could appreciate the genius of David Bowie.
He was an amazing artist in so many ways.

Great singer, performer and songwriter, but most important to me, He was extremely original and fearless when it came to changing styles, experimenting and reinventing himself. He was also an actor and even had a role in the David Lynch movie “Fire Walk With Me” (a prequel to Twin Peaks) … how cool is that? 

Musically I must admit that there is a lot of Bowie’s back catalogue that I do not really connect with, but The Berlin Trilogy on the other hand I find outstanding! As a fan of electronic music I owe a lot to Bowie for promoting bands like Neu!, DEVO and Kraftwerk to the masses. 

S-L: Any plans for doing any/more Bowie covers?

Kim: We could do “Dancing In The Street”!

STP: Not so sure about that… a cover version of “Dancing in the Street // Silent Music Video” would be awesome though. (Editor’s note: Didn’t get the joke? Check this!)

Espen Beranek Holm also contributed with a remix on this release, and as a seasoned interpreter of David Bowie his thoughts about this release was also interesting.

S-L: What was your approach to doing a remix of this Bowie classic, translated to Norwegian? 

Beranek: I would try to build a backing track that contained some kind of «catchiness» in it’s own right, but still making the vocals stand out. I also intended to pay tribute to the repeating nature of the original as well as a nod to the guitar works of Robert Fripp from the original.

S-L: In addition to releasing some covers on your own on the EP ‘Oscillator Orkester’, what’s your relation to David Bowie’s music? 

Beranek: In the early years of my career I was constantly compared to both Bowie’s voice and his music. I had not been listening that much to Bowie at the time, but of course I knew about him and his works, ‘Hunky Dory’ and ‘Scary Monsters’ being two (very different) favourites. So I listened up on the man, and I found more favourites. I think Bowie in the 80s was quite a bumpy ride, but he really got through it and I think he did some of his best works later on.

S-L: Any plans for doing more Bowie covers yourself?

Beranek: I don’t have any immediate plans, no. I play guitar and do vocals in the Bowie cover-band The Goon Squad, so I feel that the live performances I get to do in that project is satisfying enough when it comes to do Bowie covers.

The EP is available on Tidal, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and YouTube Music.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

After teasing their audience with a remix EP and 5 singles since their debut album ‘Making The World Great Again’ in 2021, Piston Damp released their new album ‘Mastermind Vol 1: No Points For Trying’ today. We had some questions in store, and the band quickly answered them!

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange)

Side-Line: What’s the main difference between the previous album and this one?

Piston Damp: Well… Most the songs on MTWGA were old songs. Only ‘To My Knees’ and ‘The Day Of Departure’ are older than 3 years. 

We’re a little older, and we’ve experienced some great stuff the last few years, playing gigs around Europe. We’ve grown more confident in the genre and we have a clearer message, and the vision of Piston Damp is clearer too. 

S-L: The title hints for a series – will there be a ‘Mastermind Vol 2’, 3 etc?

PD: Sure. Hahaha. 🙂 Yes, you can expect at least one more volume. 

S-L: A little side-track to the single ‘To my knees’; earlier Vince Clarke have been mentioned as an inspiration, but when listening to the “B-side” ‘Come to me’ it sounds like a track The Human League would envy. Who or what are your inspirations in general?

PD: Our inspirations are pretty main stream synth pop. Erasure, DM, The Human League, A-ha and so on.

Come To Me was written at a time when Construction Time Again was played a lot. 

S-L: Any tracks you would like to highlight or elaborate on?

PD: The album has death, departure, separation and loss as a hovering theme. We’re in our 40’s, and we’ve experienced some losses the past decade that has been quite devastating – especially Jonas. And since he writes the lyrics, this is quite obvious.

The first and last song is about death in near family. While ‘Downfall’ and ‘Now You Know’ is about a childhood friend of Jonas who passed away last year. 

S-L: Any upcoming plans or gigs?

PD: Yes! 2025 is looking really good for us. Come and see us at these dates:
01/03 – Gothenburg, Sweden
26/04 – Thallwis, Germany
03/05 – Glenghuset, Sarpsborg, Norway w/The Lund Commission
24/05 – Lucy-Fairs Garden, Ditmarchen, Germany
05/07 – Eastside Festival, Germany
16/08 – Manchester, UK

Album info

All songs by Jonas Groth
All song arranged, recorded and produced by Piston Damp
To My Knees – co-produced by Stephan L. Groth
All songs mixed by Magne Johansen, Piston Damp and Stephan L. Groth

Emilie Aurora Groth – additional vocal harmonies on ‘Downfall’
Stephan L. Groth – vocoder recording on ‘To My Knees’ and ‘Down, Pt. 3’
Truls Kristian Nygaard – additional lead vocal on ‘Sacrifice’
Kaja F. Pettersen – cello on ‘Blue Fields’
Ted Skogmann – additional percussion on ‘To My Knees’

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) Bérèche You featuring Cassiel Agrippa releases yet another single, “Sweet Harmony”, this autumn. This is a is a cover version, originally by The Beloved in 1993. The song was a massive hit during the 90’s, ended up being The Beloved’s biggest hit, and in 2022 the British magazine Classic Pop ranked “Sweet Harmony” number two in their list of the top 40 dance tracks from the 90’s.

A quick Q&A gave us more info about this release:

Side-Line: What made you choose to do a cover? And why this particular song?

Cassiel Agrippa:  Why did we choose to do a cover? Some might say it’s what everyone else is doing, and they are, but that’s not the reason. Well partly, but also because we talked about if we were ever to do a cover, one song that really stood out was Sweet Harmony. Why? Well, it is a beautiful song, for one. But most importantly, in this tumultuous time it brings a message of unity, peace and perhaps hope. It was a song that back in the day was part of the soundtrack of our lives. So now we hope our version is one that will be enjoyed by everyone – those who have never heard the song before, and those who have heard the original by The Beloved.

S-L: More tracks planned, or other plans?

CA: There are a slew of songs still to be discovered in the musical universe of our minds, so yes, more tracks are definitely coming. We’re probably talking about a new album at some point, and we have one of the singles already done. That’s a brand new, yet unreleased track, upcoming so to speak. This fall will be somewhat busy, but everything will come in due time.

Although we did one cover as a tribute to way back then, we have no immediate plans to do more. All new releases will be original songs. For an album, they will be released together with the other already released Cassiel-singles, in addition to new ones. I think this is going to be a nice one, the second album from Bérèche You. And before that, we will actually have a live performance as support for Henric de la Cour, on February 21st 2025 at Goldie in Oslo. So if you want to catch us live, this is your chance!

Available now at Spotify, Tidal, YouTube etc.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

Piston Damp and Ray Noir, two acts that hadn’t played in Oslo before, booked the final day of August for an evening of electro-metal/goth and synthpop tunes at the club Revolver. Then a surprise dropped the day before the show, announcing that Apop (Stephan Groth’s solo version of Apoptygma Berzerk) would kick off the evening with a set of analogue-modular music!

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange. Photos by Halvor Bodin, Tarjei Krogh and Jan Ronald Stange)

We had to get more info and reactions from all involved, so the week after was spent interviewing by Messenger and e-mail, starting with Apop.

Side-Line: Tell us how this gig came about, seemed a bit surprising for most since your participation was announced just the day before? 

Stephan Groth: Ray Noir and Piston Damp were going to be playing a show in Oslo on August 30, so I asked if I could play support since I have not played live in Oslo for a long time. It was already a sold out show, so I just tagged along. We all had great fun, and it felt good to show the Oslo crowd a side of APOPTYGMA BERZERK that they have not experienced before. 

 This is the 3rd time I have played live under the name “APOP”. It’s been just me alone on stage, improvising and tweaking modular synths and FX in the style of “Exit Popularity Contest”.

S-L: Is there any improvisation live, or all planned beforehand?

 STP: Oh yes, lots of improvisation. I have planned beforehand what songs to play, and for how long. 

Then I have preprogrammed 3 sequencers who are controlling the modular rig, so I arrange and mix the first half of the show live. 

The other half of the performance I play a few APOPTYGMA BERZERK songs with vocals. This last part is less improvised.

S-L: As mentioned you’ve done some of these sets before, will there be more in the future?

STP: I’m having a lot of fun doing this, and it seems people are enjoying it as well. It is also a great way to test out new material and new ideas. It is quite different from what I have done earlier in my career, and therefore also very refreshing and exciting for both the audience and myself. The first time I played this kind of concert was in Jönköping, supporting Swedish synth pop legends PAGE.
Will there be more of this in the future? I hope so 🙂

The prize for being most energetic went to the second act of the night, Ray Noir, who filled the club with beats as he used every inch of the stage – and some of the floor interacting with the audience too!

S-L: First time with a live show in Norway – what’s your impression?

Ray Noir: Heyy! Thank u so much for coming 🙏🏽 It was an awesome night. Playing a hometown show for the first time was nothing but amazing! Really cool to see so many beautiful faces there, and being supported by one of my all time favourite bands Apoptygma Berzerk was nothing but surreal. And doing this co-headline show with Piston Damp was a dream.

S-L: Anything else brewing with more releases or gigs?

RN: I’ve finished some new tracks, hopefully there will be one more release before the end of the year, there’s also some London shows planned before the year is over.

Piston Damp, the duo Jonas Groth and Truls Sønsterud, were the final act, making people dance and really enjoy their set. Top notch vocals and synth, and their surprising cover of The Cure’s “The Walk” was the show’s icing on the cake. Release that track ASAP!

S-L: First time in Oslo, how was the gig for you?

Piston Damp: Our first gig in Oslo was really cool. Super small – and sold out – venue, but awesome nonetheless. When we announced it from the stage, someone yelled out: “About time!!!”, which was hilarious although quite flattering.

Jonas has known Ray Noir since he was a very young guy behind the counter at Body Map in Arcaden, Oslo. Great guy, and so much fun to be with.

And for the third time, we’ve been able to bring along Stephan with his plip-plop-instrumentals, which we adore. Having him there adds a dimension to the evening.

S-L:  More releases or gigs planned?

PD: We most definitely have releases coming in the near future. We’re working on the follow up album to Making The World Great Again, which is exciting since we are no longer inventing Piston Damp. We are now developing Piston Damp. It’s really amazing to discover how alike we are. We really don’t seem like we would be able to get along style-wise, but we really do. Every single time.

We have about twenty songs in the can now. Now we’re trying to figure out how to sort them. Which goes where?

We are old-timers who love a good album with strong songs, singles with unforgettable b-sides and extended remixes, and live versions of songs, which give the songs more feet to stand on.

Watch out for our upcoming album. It’s going to be a great volume. Hint hint…

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

The Midgardsblot festival, held at Borrehaugene (old viking grave mounds), outside the city of Horten, Norway, is mostly known for hosting acts within the metal genre in addition to some folk and viking inspired music.

This year, the festival first caught our attention with the announcement of Bel Canto as one of the headliners, followed by Gåte, Seigmen, Karin Park, Ledfoot, and others—definitely worth reporting on for Side-Line Magazine. And who knows, we might even discover some new bands. We headed there in mid-August to check it out!

(By our Norwegian correspondent, Jan Ronald Stange. Photos by Einar Låker and Jan Ronald Stange. Additional Dwaal photos by Jon Julius Sandal @ helvetesindrekretser and Birgit Fostervold @ knipselyst)

Side-Line’s chief editor, Bernard Van Isacker, was supposed to join me for the festival, but couldn’t make it due to a family emergency. His replacement, Einar Låker, brought his cameras and joined me instead. Since we had to attend meetings and handle some work during the day, we skipped the tenting area and set up base at a nearby campsite in a mobile home borrowed from my parents (thanks, Sigrid and Carl Edvard!).

After settling in, it was time to head to the festival grounds, which required a short hike through historic Viking graves. We collected our passes and entered the blót, an ancient Norwegian/Norse sacrificial feast.

The first act we saw was Kalandra, a UK/Norwegian band blending Celtic and Norse folk with modern arrangements. They’ve been around for over a decade, gaining recognition with their cover of Wardruna’s “Helvegen”. Since then, they’ve released several albums and composed scores for TV shows and video games.

After Kalandra, we explored the rest of the area, visiting the trade section Kaupanger, the Viking tent area Folkvangr, and the indoor stage Gildehallen (the “Feast Hall”). It was a sight to see people fully embracing the chance to step back in time.

We wrapped up the first day by watching the Swedish Viking rockers Amon Amarth, who had their fans completely enthralled—even getting hundreds to sit down and row in the middle of a song! 😊

Thursday was a rainy day, so boots and jackets were a must. We caught a bit of the Norwegian thrash band Inculter and the Polish death metal band Vader before heading inside Gildehallen for something entirely different: Trio Oro, a Norwegian world-folk fusion group featuring flutes, guitars, and percussion. They delivered a diverse set with tunes from Irish, Bulgarian, Norwegian, and other traditions. It was original and unexpectedly entertaining!

One of the main attractions, Gåte, had to cancel due to a band member’s illness and was quickly replaced by Hindarfjäll & Peter Franzen, a Swedish project that uses modern instruments to recreate the ancient sounds and atmospheres of Scandinavian/Nordic folk music.

Next, we escaped the rain by heading back into Gildehallen, catching the last few songs from local thrash band Mortal Fear—three teenagers with the drummer’s father on vocals. It was very entertaining!

The day ended with thrash metal titans Testament from California, USA, closing out the main stage at Heiheim.

Day 3 was special, with two bands from my hometown, Tønsberg, performing. Seigmen headlined the Helheim stage, while newcomers Fabbrica 82 were about to play their first-ever show in Gildehallen. We spent an hour there beforehand, chatting with the band members, Knut Ove Hansen and Lars Anders Berg, before their soundcheck and concert.

S-L: How did you come up with the band name?

Knut Ove Hansen: We started high school in 1982, and we chose Fabbrica because we wanted a name that could be associated with new wave. We went with the Italian version because “factory” was already overused in English, and I have a personal connection to Italy.

S-L: What were your first attempts at releasing music?

KOH: One of my early bands made our first demo tape at the local radio station in Tønsberg in 1985—it was actually the first synth-related demo recorded in Tønsberg! We played three gigs the following year as the band Some Bizzare, named after the famous compilation album where Depeche Mode, among others, had their first track on vinyl. We also had a third member, Bjørn Arnesen, who now lives in Peru. Lars reached out to me several times, in 2020 and again in 2023, asking if we should give it another try. I was hesitant at first, but then we made “Darkness,” and we were back at it.

Lars Anders Berg: Over the years, I’ve composed hundreds of songs, and I always wanted someone to sing to my tunes. After years of talking about it, we finally made it happen. It’s been a lot of fun, and we’ve quickly released several singles!

S-L: Any album in the making?

KOH: Yes, it’s what we’re working on. We also got another gig in October in Tønsberg. This is not where we thought we would be just six months after our first release – feels quite surreal! All because of the word of mouth in Tønsberg’s small “synth underground”, and it also spread to Oslo where we’ve gotten good feedback.

S-L: What’s your inspiration?

Lars Anders Berg: I listen to a lot of music, not just old synth, but many electronic genres. So, the process of creating themes, melodies, and tweaking knobs is an inspiration in itself.

As the hall filled with people, we noticed at least a dozen audience members already wearing fan T-shirts, and the band was thrilled after their first show.

As we left Gildehallen, we caught a few songs from Nytt Land on the Valhalla stage—a Siberian shamanic act that blends the vocal traditions of Northern Europe with traditional Siberian throat singing. It was a stark contrast after a synth gig and truly highlighted the diversity of the festival!

The last show we attended on Thursday was Seigmen at the Helheim stage. It was a fantastic performance, featuring a new song with guest Espen Winther from the medieval/folk band Eldrim, playing his harp. It was magical—a gig that later received well-deserved praise in reviews!

The last day of the festival started off relaxed, with a stroll around, soaking in the sights and atmosphere under the sun. Then Ledfoot (Tim Scott McConnell) took the Valhalla stage. This goth-blues phenomenon was someone I’d been wanting to see live for a while, and he didn’t disappoint. He delivered a set full of raw emotion—soreness, anger, longing—and impressive guitar playing.

I had been in touch with him before the festival, and we agreed to try for an interview. However, due to his soundman’s tight schedule, they had to leave the area minutes after the show, so we exchanged a few words via Messenger a few days later instead.

S-L: How was your gig at Midgardsblot?

Ledfoot: The audience was great, and there was such a good vibe there 🙏

S-L: Did the show or audience differ much from your solo gigs?

Ledfoot: No, it’s the same everywhere—I do my best and hope the audience appreciates it.

S-L: More music in the works?

Ledfoot: I’ve started on my new record, and hopefully it’ll be out by the end of the year.
And I’d like to say a big thank you to the audience and all the people working behind the scenes.
Hugs!

Next, we went to see Bel Canto, the pioneering Norwegian electronica band, performing a set that spanned their entire career, including a few new tracks from their latest album Radiant Green. As always, they delivered a top-notch performance, and Anneli’s voice remains as impressive as ever!

Making Bernard envious by sending him live photos was an obligatory part of attending Bel Canto 😉

I also managed to spend a few minutes in Gildehallen to check out another band with a Tønsberg connection, though mostly from Oslo—the doom-sludge-ultra-heavy Dwaal. The hall was packed, with a queue outside, clearly hitting their target audience perfectly. I later caught up with lead singer Bjørnar Kristansen to ask about their experience.

S-L: How did Midgardsblot treat you?

Bjørnar Kristansen: Midgardsblot was amazing. Right after the show, we said it was one of our favorite gigs, if not our favorite. The crowd’s energy from the first riff to the last deeply affected us. I asked for a ritual, and we got a ritual for sure. A true catharsis, both on and off stage.

S-L: How does playing at a festival like this compare to club gigs?

BK: Festivals are different from club gigs because the crowd is a more varied mix of people—those who already know Dwaal and those giving us a chance for the first time. Not to say anything bad about the Norwegian audience, but it seems like international music lovers are more open to discovering new music. They come from far away and want to engage with as much as they can, even if they’ve never heard us before. It makes for an intense experience in the best way.

S-L: Did you explore the festival area, try the Viking activities or food?

BK: Our drummer Anders went on Friday and had a great time at the Blot. The rest of Dwaal arrived on Saturday, and we had some time to explore the festival. It’s an incredible event. Everyone makes you feel so welcome and included. A huge recommendation from Dwaal!

S-L: Any upcoming releases, albums, gigs, or other news?

BK: As 2024 winds down, we’re hard at work on new music, with some exciting projects that push us out of our comfort zone, which we love. Our last regular concert of the year will be at Apollon Tønsberg on October 11th, with Uaar as support. On December 14th, we’re playing the Caliban Sessions, a yearly mini-festival hosted by Ole Petter Andreassen of Black Debbath, Thulsa Doom, and Cumshots fame. It will be a fantastic end to a great year for Dwaal, marking our tenth year as a band. There are plans for a gig in Oslo in 2025, so stay tuned for that announcement.

We’re also in talks for more live shows in Europe, though nothing we can confirm just yet. And of course, if Midgardsblot invites us back, we’d love to play again!

The last show in Gildehallen this time around was the one that probably impressed me the most—Karin Park from Sweden. Alone on stage, standing between two tables covered with synths, computers, and modular gear, she sounded and performed like a full band, delivering an incredibly energetic set. Crown her the Queen of Synth already! (go to https://www.facebook.com/748210539/videos/1540166493571503/ for videos, several in the comments!)

The Norwegian band Emperor, regarded as pioneers of extreme black metal, closed the festival on the main stage, Helheim, in front of a devoted audience.

To sum it all up: a festival well worth visiting! As they’ve expanded the musical genres in their lineup, there’s now something for everyone without losing their core purpose or audience. This approach also increases the chance to discover something new, which is always a plus!

A big shoutout to Runa Strindin, the driving force behind the festival, and her entire crew for making it such a success! Hopefully, they’ll continue for years to come, and perhaps the 10th anniversary next year will be even more special?!

PS: As a food enthusiast, I must mention the excellent variety of food, ranging from handmade hot dogs to Thai, Mexican, elk burgers, and elk kebabs! Most impressive was the food from the Norwegian Chefs National Association, Vestfold branch (Norske kokkers Landsforening, avdeling Vestfold)—their hot-smoked halibut dish was to die for! 😊

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

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Bérèche You kicks off the autumm with the brand new EP “Into The Night”, yet again with Cassiel Agrippa on vocal duty. The EP contains five tracks/mixes including the new single “We Could Have Been So Right”.

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange)

Songwriter and vocals Thomas CA Brevik a.k.a. Cassiel Agrippa gave some swift replies to a couple of questions just after the release.

Side-Line: Why the title of the EP – not a track title – is there a story behind?

Cassiel Agrippa: As with things creative they have a tendency to evolve and change as they mature and are finalised. The working title of the track “We Could Have Been So Right” ended up being the title for the EP. In a way it is fitting for the EP as a common theme that binds the two new tracks together – the night. While the first track delves into the lost opportunities of love, lost as a shadow in the night, the second track “Would You See The Light”, has a somewhat darker theme, yet also linked to the night – and darkness. Actually, the line “into the night” is part of the lyrics for the song “We Could Have Been So Right”.

Side-Line: More to tell about the lyrics?

Cassiel Agrippa: Sometimes the beauty of lyrics is that they can hold meaning that is specific to the listener alone. While the lyrics for a song tells a story, people tend to relate it to their own perspectives. Sometimes the text can resonate especially well. In that sense, the lyrics for the two new tracks are somewhat specific, yet ambiguous enough that it is possible to relate to them. Hopefully.

The track “We Could Have Been So Right” is a throwback to past flings that never panned out or never became a thing. There is nostalgia there, but not quite regret. Yet a curiosity, as in “what if?”.
And perhaps a tiny bit regret all the same. Sometimes you can still regret something that never was, even knowing it would never have worked out. Is it from experience? I think we all have a story like that.

The other new track, “Would You See The Light” is more reflective, about someone longing for affirmation, hoping to be seen, not just for the light side, but also for the deeper darkness that also exists in a person. “Can you handle the whole of me?” in a way. Then again, in another interpretation, the lyrics are about hope. Which path do you choose? Sometimes you choose the light, just to stay afloat. Other times you need to delve into melancholy. And other times you just let things unfold. As in the line “the destinies unfolding right in front of my eyes”.

To some people the lyrics are not that important, but they form an integral part of the whole of the song nevertheless. My ambition is to craft lyrics that hold some meaning and can resonate, without being complex. In that sense I hope we have achieved lyrics that go well with the melodies. The first track is vibrant and quite up-beat. The second track is more sombre and melancholic, yet not too dark. Just like the lyrics.

Available everywhere now > Spotify: https://shorturl.at/9drGI | Apple iTunes: https://shorturl.at/kw1qT | YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXV-HOLrhwA ++

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

The latest Seigmen single “(Dyret) 23 bud” was released August 9^th, a week before the band attended the festival Midgardsblot, and had its premiere live performance there on Friday 16th as Seigmen was the final band on the main stage Helheim.

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange / Indie Recordings pressrelease. Photos by Einar Låker, Jan Ronald Stange)

“(Dyret) 23 bud» song’s lyrics consist of twenty-three “rules” from Seigmen of 2024, projected back through time towards the young band that just released their debut album «Pluto» in 1992. And to everybody else who needs to hear that you must have faith in yourself, you must believe to make your dreams come true.

With a steady pace of one album each decade since the turn of the millennium, Seigmen released their latest album «Resonans» in May 2024. Then they took us all by surprise by suddenly releasing brand-new single AND announcing a new album to be released next year! And another one in two years!

With this single release they also make a connection back to their first release “Pluto” in April 1992. The band’s symbol and logo, “Dyret” (eng. “The Beast”) among friends, was introduced to the world as it was radiating from the center of the deep, maroon cover. Fast forward to the summer of 2024 where the vibrations from «Resonans» still lingers, the single are the first taste from the bands next album; «Dissonans».

However, there are other and more tangible links to the past. When Seigmen played their first ever concert in their hometown of Tønsberg, they shared the stage with a local band called Floodland. The guitarist and vocalist in Floodland, Espen Winther, would later become a skilled instrument maker and a member of the medieval/folk band Eldrim. Going even further back to Winther’s teenage years we find him playing in a band with Seigmen drummer Noralf Ronthi and his brother younger Dag Reidar. Winther is the one that opens “(Dyret) 23 bud» in a majestic way with his home-made wooden harp called “Gnaal”.

The album trilogy has been the plan all along. Seigmen have made the most out of the last four years, during lockdown and health challenges, resulting in a long and involuntary hiatus from concerts and touring. «Resonans» was the first part of what in time will become a trilogy, consisting of «Resonans», «Dissonans» and «Substans». Three albums in three years, it seems almost surreal when you take the bands last 25 years of release history into account.

«Dissonans» will be the second part of the trilogy and is scheduled to be released on October 23rd 2025 on the 30th anniversary of the major breakthrough album “Metropolis”. The third and last part of the trilogy called “Substans” will follow in 2026 if all goes to plan. Three albums with a common thread running through them, but still three very diverse and different releases.

We managed to have a chat with guitarist Sverre Økshoff when he had a break after the band’s sound check.

Side-Line: What’s the story behind this surprising single release and albums announcement?

Sverre Økshoff: It’s been many simultaneous thoughts and actions these last 7-8 years, wondering if we’re still a band, then came corona and cancellations of shows, Alex’ health issues, so it piled up to a lot of reason for us being somewhat inactive outwards. But, in the meantime we’ve been working, started off with a weekend at an abandoned house on the beach, doing demos, me and Alex sleeping there so we could look after our equipment. First score was for “Arcadia Ego”, worked a lot on that, and got a good feeling that this was something we could have ownership and pride in.

The last years songs and texts keeps pouring out from Kim, and we started discussing if we should release single tracks like so many others, or if we should do something else with 30-something tracks. Or EPs? Or whole albums?  

S-L: A trilogy of albums, was that the idea from the start?

SØ: We had a long time quietly working without involving others, makings songs and having ideas how it should be presented, and it grew upon us that it should end up in a trilogy.

S-L: Must say it’s a clever naming of the albums! And now you have lots to do the next years?

SØ: Yes, Kim’s lyrics give clear lines for the naming of the albums. But if I am to say something about this with my perception and interpretation, it will be that “Resonans” (as already mentioned) resonates a long friendship and brotherhood between us guys. A bit pompous, but it’s a musical pact between us where either everyone is in or no one plays. So if one quits, Seigmen also disbands. “Dissonance” and “Substance” I haven’t quite got into yet. Something happens when the songs are released and played. Content and meaning are also processed. So, feel free to ask me again later.

Now we have a lot to do, we’re playing gigs again and will complete Dissonance in the next few months.

We do small sessions in the studio, during a weekend with a couple of songs at a time. It is new compared to before where we practiced for a long period and went into the studio and made the whole record in 3-4 weeks. Short cuts give the whole thing a slightly more spontaneous feel. Delicious actually.

S-L: Was it because of Midgardsblot you timed the release of the “(Dyret) 23 bud” single to just a week before?

SØ: Well, when seeing forward in time and having an idea about which instruments to use, it all came together as a good fit. And when involving Espen Winther we connected with pre-Seigmen history, Espen playing with Noralf and winning the Norwegian Rock Championship as the band Twilight Zone. Espen have been around the whole time, and now it was a good time for a collaboration with his harp and this festival.

S-L: With one single out there, a couple more are to be released before the next album – any info on them yet?

SØ: No, not decided which ones yet, so they’ll come as more surprises. I also think we’ve taken another steps backwards regarding the next album, and what I can disclose now is that it’ll be insanely fun to play!

S-L: How was this performance for Seigmen?

SØ: It was awesome to see the Vikings rocking in front of us! Very strange that so many people hang in there and were on fire at “Dyret”, a song that few had heard in its entirety! We are also really at home when we play in these areas. We had a fantastic night – thank you from the whole band!

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange / Sub Culture press release) “Hard To Love You”, the fourth single from the upcoming Piston Damp album, is out today on streaming platforms. The sophomore album is due later this autumn.

“Hard To Love You” takes us back to the early 80’s with analogue synths, modular f/x and beautiful vocal harmonies, and Piston Damp’s love for Vince Clarke’s early songwriting really comes to fruition here. 

With their own unmistakable touch and sound mixed in, this makes for a nostalgic summer outing fit for a day on the beach or late night radio listening.

Piston Damp have played an impressive amount of gigs in Germany, Sweden and Norway in the past 3 years, and their live escapade will continue in August with their first ever gig in Oslo on the 31^st at Revolver, sharing the stage with Ray Noir. More info and tickets here.

“Hard To Love You” is written by Jonas Groth who’s also providing the vocals, and the synthesizers and modulars are by Truls Sønsterud. On this single, Stephan Groth, the brother of Jonas and known from Apoptygma Berzerk, has stepped in as co-producer. The single was mixed by Magne Johansen, and mastered by Ole-Espen Kristiansen. In addition to the instrumental and extended versions of “Hard To Love You”, you’ll get a live version of “Something In Me” included on the single.

Check out their bio and photos at www.pistondamp.com while listening to the tracks here:

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange / Bérèche You press release) Hello gorgeous electropop lover! The brand new Bérèche You single “Head Over Heels” featuring Cassiel Agrippa is available everywhere today.

The song is a tribute “to all the gorgeous people out there, and a celebration of falling “head over heels” in love,” so the band adds. The music represents a fresh and uplifting vibe, with a hint of 80s synthpop nostalgia.

This release follows the synthpop album “Business of Love” released on May 10th. Bérèche You is the new project from Crab Key Records and producer Isak Rypdal (Dr No, Freeloader, Electro Spectre).

Listen to the song and watch the video now, and let it define your mood for the late Summer nights!

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange. Photos Tarjei Krogh / band)
Bérèche You follows up the first three Spring of 2024 singles with a full album on several streaming platforms, released by Crab Key Records last Friday, May 10th – and promise more to come the next months.

Isak Rypdal is back again with a brand new album to continue the Crab Key Studio music journey, and the first album called “Business Of Love” is exactly what it sounds like; a hymn to making music, electronic music, and the joy of making new exciting tracks.

On the new album Isak has collaborated with his good friend, the talented songwriter Cassiel Agrippa, who’s been involved in Electro Spectre and other previous work from Crab Key Studio for a long time, creating visual media such as artwork in addition to live photography for the bands.

Madil Hardis – the second collaborator

Madil Hardis is yet another talented contributor on the album.

Isak: “Madil is a trained singer and well-known on the international electronic music scene. She has done a lot of solo releases and collaborations worldwide; -particularly known from collaborations with such as Ashbury Heights and Mondträume.” Her last release is the beautiful album “Natural Darkness”.”

Isak Rypdal has a wide musical career since the early 90’s with bands likes Doctor No, Freeloader and Electro Spectre. Music from Doctor No and Freeloader has been chart topping in Norway and heavily rotated on international radio such as BBC Radio 1 in UK. Live shows includes playing at “We Love The 90’s” and more than a 100 live shows around the world. With Electro Spectre Isak has been so fortunate to be able to support bands such as OMD, Marsheaux, Zeromancer, Covenant, Melotron and Mesh, to mention a few.

Buy & listen to the album at Spotify /  TIDAL / Apple Music / Bandcamp /  YouTube, or play it here. Do also check out the video below.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange / Indie Recordings press release. Photos by Bjørn Opsahl, Frank Hiis and Jan Ronald Stange) Out on May 3rd was the seventh Seigmen album “Resonans”, highly anticipated after the nine years wait since “Enola” in 2015. The release was celebrated by an evening of fun at the Apollon Platebar (record shop & pub/bar in one – excellent place!) in Tønsberg, full house and all of the tickets gone already at the opening that day.

The event started off with a signing session. As there’s three different vinyl versions in addition to CD and cassette versions – and many bought all versions! – they went through a bunch of marker pens in a busy hour. Then the whole album was played, followed by a move upstairs for the ticket holders. Arvid Skancke-Knutsen held both a challenging quiz and an entertaining and informational Q&A session. He was definitely the right person for the job, knowing and supporting Seigmen throughout their whole career, and also the first journalist to review the debut CD in a major publication.

The Seigmen album

“Resonans” is Seigmen’s latest album, echoing the essence of a longstanding friendship. A strong bond among five guys who found each other through music, learned to play instruments, and expressed themselves together. They solidified their friendship through muddy and sour tones from the rehearsal room on the old submarine quay, down into a basement in the city center, out to a barn outside the city, up on the heights near the old library, down into the mountain beneath the same hill, and back to a rehearsal container at the old shipyard. Always tied to their hometown, Tønsberg in Norway.

“Resonans” is the reverberation of endless evening rehearsals, weekends with “lefse” and freshly ground coffee in thermoses, and syncopations. Smiles, conversations, and gossip. The hard, precise, and long-term work. Love and art. Resonans is guts and integrity, demonstrating the uncompromising nature that Seigmen has always represented.

Singles and songs

The singles “Berlin,” “Kollaps,” and “Elskhat” have already been out there. Listen to “Melanchthon”, approaching two minutes, and the endless solo that ends with no more frets on the guitar neck. Listen to “Blasfem”, raw nerve for almost eleven minutes. Listen to the space created in “Eksplodere i det stille”, the transition to a single chorus after five and a half minutes. There are many layers here. The depth is buried in the details. The ones you hear when you play the song for the third or sixth time.

Resonans is the result you get when five focused individuals return to the studio where they recorded “Total” in 1994. Carrying the same curiosity, the same hunger and the eternal urge to create. Incidentally, this year marks exactly 30 years since the release of “Total”. Recently, the book about the album was published in the series “Norske albumklassikere”, skillfully written by Even Smith Wergeland. The reference is track number two on “Total”, “Ohm”, which might be the song that best defines the band. Ohm means resistance.

“Resonans” is also the echo of the time it took to complete this album. The resistance along the way, in the form of a pandemic and, most notably, serious and prolonged illness. Of course, one should also acknowledge the frugality and thoroughness these years have allowed. Time to work in silence. No concerts for four years have provided ample time in the “space.” Even more lefse. Even more cups of freshly brewed coffee.

“Resonans” is vibrations. Listen to the last phrases of “Når alle skjermer går i svart” (When all screens go black). The desperation in the voice of vocalist Alex is palpable, you can hear the resistance. Seigmen has always believed that it is they are at their best when there’s resistance. Listen to the first line of the lyrics in “Berlin.” All hope is lost, but never say die — it doesn’t get much clearer than that.

‘Tønsberg’ – the city anthem

Resonans ends with the surprise song “Tønsberg”, nothing less than a magnificent, honest, and personal tribute to the city the band hails from. In the first part of “Tønsberg,” guitarist and opera singer Marius finally unfolds his vocal prowess within the framework of Seigmen, something he has only done once before on a record. Strings tastefully arranged by the “film musician”, Ginge. Then the rest of the band kicks in halfway, and Alex takes the baton to the finish line. Marius is actually retiring as a soloist in the Norwegian national Opera this spring, where they retire early.

“Up the mountain, up in the tower. Never a stranger in the streets we walk.” “Tønsberg” might be a bit of an oddity on Resonans, but the song comes straight from the heart.

Mini-interview with Kim Ljung

The day after Kim Ljung had this to say about the event:
– We were real happy with how Friday turned out. It was a near and personal event. Also it’s always nice to see eacother away form rehearsal and studio, have a few drinks together, then meet nice eager people who’s always polite and just seems interested and throughout extremely inspired by what we do. 
Also a sheer pleasure seeing the glow in our fans faces, coming up with the vinyl, CD or a cassette they just bought, signing them and knowing they go home that evening in utter delight. 

I also had to ask about ‘Arkadia ego’, the track starting with “Husk at du skal dø en gang” (“Remember that you must die once”) – was it written before Depeche Mode’s “Memento Mori” were announced? 
– When DM released “Memento Mori” I was a little stressed, since we had the “Arkadia ego” song written long before. However it was all put on hold for several years due to Covid and internal health issues in the band. We started writing material right after we released “Enola” in 2015. Then there is also a part on “Blasfem”, the 11 minute track, that has a guitar line which dates back to the 90’s. 
“Elskhat” was the first track written, however the riff for “Berlin” was there ages before. Just something we never though was of real importance until our manager Øystein heard it and said you have to work on that one. Single potential!

Though “Arkadia ego” was a song that emerged in 2019, the first lyric actually had the line Memento Mori in it, but it sounded a little lame on a demo version, and was taken out. 
So the fear when DM press release came mentioning their title, I was just afraid “Arkadia ego” was in there.

A side note to that: I personally saw their album as a huge dissapointment. I feel with all their history and assets in old synthesizers and their legacy, they should come with better sounding stuff. When Fletch sady passed, I hoped they would bring Alan back in. That would surely made huge differerance to their quality of sound.

The idea of “Arkadia ego” was just me trying to find out a way of using the word Arcadia in a song. Always liked that word. Then I discovered that line. 
Every Seigmen song starts out with a title. That gives me a total picture of how a song should plan out. 

Cheers to Side-Line from Seigmen!

Design background story

If you acquire Resonans in physical format, you will find it tastefully wrapped in peach pink by designer Sigurd N. Kristiansen. Master photographer Bjørn Opsahl is, as always, by Seigmen’s side. A band photo in the same color palette was taken in Kim’s living room. Pink boots under the sofa, a small nod to the band’s very first song. It reveals a band with more humor and spirit than many may think, that sets its own standard and is ready for whatever comes next.

Credits

• Recorded at Velvet Recording by Christer Krogh
• Mixed by Mike Hartung in Propeller Music Devision: “Elskhat”, “Arkadia Ego”, “Når alle skjermer går i svart”, “Eksplodere i det stille”, “Melanchthon”, and “Tønsberg”
• Mixed by Adam Noble: “Kollaps” and “Voltaire!”
• Mixed by Alex Møklebust in Room 13: “Berlin” and “Blasfem”
• Words and melody lines: Kim Ljung
• Music: Seigmen
• Produced by Alex Møklebust and Kim Ljung
• Mastered by George Tanderø
• Artwork by Sigurd N. Kristiansen
• Photo by Bjørn Opsahl

Listen to the album at these streaming services: https://orcd.co/saveresonans, or buy physical versions right here: https://shop.indierecordings.no/collections/seigmen

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) Out today is “Someone Like Me”, the second single from Bérèche You, the new project of Electro Spectre producer Isak Rypdal, this time featuring new collaborator Cassiel Agrippa on vocals. First out was the single “Elevation” featuring Madil Hardis a few weeks ago, and with this second single they’re gearing up for the album release in May 2024.

It has been a few years since the successful release of Electro Spectre’s “Stereo Dreams” trilogy, and this time Isak Rypdal has created a new universe called ‘Bérèche You’ where different artists are invited to participate.

Isak says “after a massive workload with Electro Spectre the last couple of years, it has been a wish to get involved in new and different musically challenges as well. It was time to get out of my comfort zone and record music with a new approach.”

New collaborator Cassiel Agrippa

On this track Isak collaborated with his good friend, the talented songwriter Thomas C. A. Brevik a.k.a. Cassiel Agrippa, who’s got a brilliant ear for good melodies. Cassiel Agrippa has been involved in Electro Spectre and other previous work from Crab Key Studio for a long time, creating visual media such as artwork in addition to live photography for the bands.

The “Business Of Love” album is due to be released May 10, 2024.

Listen to “Someone Like Me” at Spotify / TIDAL / Apple Music / Amazon Music / YouTube, or play it here. Do also check out the video below.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

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(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange / press release Indie Recordings) ‘Elskhat’, the third single from Seigmen‘s upcoming album, is out on February 28th. It’s the opening track on the album ‘Resonans’, and also the first one written back in the summer of 2015. At that time, their previous album ‘Enola’ had just been released, and touring and big festivals were on the horizon.

The search for that magical riff was a constant pursuit. The guitar riff that forms the foundation of ‘Elskhat’ was revealed outside the rehearsal space, played on a deep red semi-acoustic Gibson. The reception was good, so much so that the band realized this riff was the gateway to Seigmen’s next album. Little did they know it would take nine years before the song could be presented in its entirety.

‘Elskhat’ narrates the constant oscillation between extremes and has its roots in songwriter and lyricist Kim Ljung’s state of constant migraines. The contrast between light and dark is always close, akin to black and white, day and night. ‘Elskhat’ leaves no middle ground.

“If you tremble, then I tremble too.”

Author and screenwriter Harald Rosenløw Eeg (also known from the electro duo SubGud), a close friend of Kim and the band, was working on the script for his second disaster film for Fantefilm at that time. Earthquakes was the theme. Kim suggested ‘Skjelvet’ (‘The Quake’) as the title and expressed interest in writing a song for the film. It remained an attempt. Time and timing had different plans.

The recording process

In 2018, Seigmen borrowed a house near Karlsvik gård, a picturesque gem near the shoreline outside Tønsberg in Norway. Every room in the house was set up for recording and brainstorming ideas for the album.

‘Elskhat’ underwent a significant transformation here, moving from the key of D to G. For the uninitiated, it was quite an un-Seigmen-like move, but it turned out to be a revelation. ‘Elskhat’ gained the lift, the air, and light it needed.

In a pure bootleg style, the intense and creative days in the house were dubbed the ‘Karlsvika Tapes.’ Everything was just sketches, sounding raw and unfinished. Yet, it undoubtedly gave the band a boost, shaping the form of ‘Resonans.’

The band then returned to the rehearsal space, fine-tuning their aim for the final push before recording at Velvet Recording in Spydeberg in Norway. They were back to the familiar setting and the same studio where they recorded ‘Total’ in 1994 — the time many believe Seigmen truly found their identity. However, an unexpected turn of events occurred. The pandemic and illness stood in the way of continuation, putting ‘Resonans’ on hold.

Pandemic challenges

The challenges that followed have added a new dimension to ‘Elskhat,’ with meaning that might not have been there initially but will resonate with those who experienced a difficult time during the pandemic.

Seigmen faced their share of setbacks, but the extended delay also provided extra time to refine the songs that make up ‘Resonans.’ The lyrics of ‘Elskhat’ have proven almost prophetic for Seigmen—after the rain comes sunshine, and after a challenging period, it is an ultra-positive and inspired band getting ready to release their first album in nine years.

‘Elskhat’ is also the first song from ‘Resonans’ mixed by Mike Hartung (Propeller), setting the standard for the rest of the songs and defining the album’s sound. Like the rest of the album, the single was recorded at Velvet Recording with Christer Krogh as the technician. The single cover was designed by Sigurd N. Kristiansen, featuring an alternative prophecy created by Kim’s daughter, Nova.

Listen to ‘Elskhat’ and the other new Seigmen songs right here, or find it at your preferred platform.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

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(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange / Indie Recordings press release) Seigmen released the digital single ‘Kollaps’ (‘Collapse’) on January 17th, the follow-up to ‘Berlin’ released a month before. This is the second single taken from the upcoming album ‘Resonans’, which is set to be released this April.

It may be hard to believe that the songs on ‘Resonans’ were written pre-COVID. Before the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza escalated, and with the United States in a looming darkness forced to choose the lesser of two evils yet again.

Through their devotion to details and their immediate environment and the people populating it. Through their strong use of words and powerful dramaturgy, Seigmen’s lyrics become universal and timeless. The result are songs where love is always at the core, veiled and twisted in a blend of desperation and hope, but always accessible and unmistakably Seigmen.

Seigmen’s universe is filled with clues to their source of inspiration. This is not often brought to light, but on ‘Kollaps’, the initiated listener will recognize text references in both verses and choruses to West German industrial pioneers; “Min venn, was glaubst du denn?“

Some of the sonic elements in ‘Kollaps’ are the recording of an angle grinder used by Kim Ljung’s father in law while assembling shelves for old tape decks, effects, and synthesizers in his home studio. The sound of strings heard in the chorus is generated by almost 50-year-old synthesizers, purchased at Supersonic (a legendary Norwegian music store) before the band recorded their classic album ‘Radiowaves’ in ’96.

Velvet Recording Studio

‘Kollaps’ was recorded at Velvet Recording Studio in Spydeberg with Christer Krogh at the console. The mix was done by Adam Noble (UK), perhaps best known for his work with Biffy Clyro.

The artwork follows the style of the first single, ‘Berlin,’ with a beautiful, but disfigured object, as the centerpiece. This time, a broken lamp that caught Kim Ljung’s eye in an underpass on his way home during a heavy snowfall. The shards of glass positioned like angel wings were shot just as they were found.
A resonance of the text line “Lyset som strømmer inn” (“The Light that Shines In”).

Listen to ‘Kollaps’ in your preferred audio player here: https://orcd.co/kollaps

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange / Gothminister press release) The Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) season is upon us again, and there’s no denial that most songs participating aren’t in the scope of Side-Line readers. But fortunately there are exceptions – one of them being Gothminister from Norway, competing in Melodi Grand Prix, the Norwegian semi-finals, this Saturday!

Gothminister is Bjørn Alexander Brem’s heart child and alter ego. During the day, the Oslo man works as a lawyer, but at night Gothminister rises from the dark. Bjørn Alexander brings out his creative side through impressive costumes and music. Gothminister recently played to over 30,000 people in Germany, and has toured in more than 40 countries over the years. Last year they released the album ‘Pandemonium’, which won the Dark Album of the Year award, ahead of Rammstein and Placebo among others. Gothminister has numerous chart positions in Germany, and won a total of 19 international film awards for two of the music videos last year.

The song ‘We Come Alive’ was a collaboration with producer Jesper Borgen (Alan Walker, Coldplay), and is about the value of play, about believing in yourself and standing together against all injustice. With him on stage in MGP, he has, among others, chorister Hege Rødfjell, who has extensive experience from bands, orchestras, TV and film.

Between rehearsals and preparations for tonight’s semifinal we managed to slip in some questions:

SL: What made you participate again, 11 years after last time?

Bjørn Alexander Brem: In 2013 I met a famous producer called Jesper Borgen (Alan Walker, Coldplay). He told me he always wanted to produce a Gothminister track. 10 years after I called him and he was still interested.

‘We Come Alive’ is the result of the discussions between metal man Gothminister and pop man Jesper Borgen. In the end I think we landed a perfect hybrid between pop and industrial gothmetal, and suddenly the song was picked as 1 of 18 among about 2.000 songs to compete in Melodi Grand Prix, which is the national selections in Norway for Eurovision.

SL: There’s been mixed reactions; fans and music commentators don’t agree – what’s your take on that?

BAB: Yes, the song got mixed reviews – in the MGP podcast it got 5/6, but in Nettavisen 1/6 and they wrote that «the song is best when it is over.» This shows the typical commercial attitude to the Dark scene, and towards something that is different. Gothminister has always and is still representing the different ones.

PS! A hilarious note on the Nettavisen reviews of the songs: they added a voting form for their subscribers at the end of the article, ending up with Gothminister as the overwhelming victor with over 50% of the votes for the six contestants, leaving the next best with 17%!

SL: If you go to the finals or to Malmö, what can we expect?

BAB: I can’t say, but you know Gothminister is always «over the top», so it will be crazy, that’s for sure!

SL: What are you looking most forward to during this contest?

BAB: To show the Dark side, to show that it’s possible to be different and still good. And all the people out there who has felt rejected, mocked, struggling in life etc, like myself – I am performing for them first and foremost.

‘We Come Alive’ is about being different and thus being a bit outside. Gothminister has always been a champion for this group and for justice to be done. I myself was bullied by my former best friend at school and felt what it was like.

But being different also gives you unimaginable superpowers. Among other things, it makes you better able to understand others around you, and to respect them. Never be afraid to be different. Believe in yourself and never let go of your dreams, one day they will come to life. You must respect others and always strive to make others comfortable in your company.
If everyone stands together we are more alive, instead of being dead inside!

Check out the various versions of ‘We Come Alive’ right below.

Do also check out the official video here!

And don’t forget to vote tonight if you’re Norwegian, you can register at https://delta.nrk.no/mgp/.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

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(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange, photos by Tarjei Krogh, Tom Helge Kleberg, Jarle Nyttingnes) How do you celebrate a driving force of the Norwegian electronic music scene when he’s about to turn 50? Ask a band if they can perform at his birthday party, that band involving another band, ending up in a full night of concerts by El/NeUe and Beranek and the collaboration release of a new track, video and a 10″ limited edition vinyl in various colours.

Øystein Moe was the lucky man celebrating his 50th anniversary Saturday November 2nd at Mir Lufthavn in Oslo, surrounded by friends and live concerts by El/NeUe and Beranek, who also debuted ‘Niedrige Erwartungen’ by showing the track’s music video.

Espen Beranek Holm, the multi-talented musician, comedian, stage-, radio- and TV-personality, remixer etc., elaborated about the evening and collaboration in our scheduled mail interview the day after.

Side-Line: What was the occasion for this event – how did you get involved?

Beranek: I received a mail from Askild in May where he told me about the 50 years birthday party for Øystein Moe and asked if I could contribute by doing a concert. I know Askild and Håkon (the members of El/NeUe) from years back, but we’ve only worked together in comedy and satire for TV and radio production – never in music. I immediately wanted to be part of this event, both because of my knowledge and friendship with Askild and Håkon, but I also wanted to pay tribute to Øystein Moe who released the double CD ‘Maskindans – Norsk synth 1980-1988’ back in 2009. He was the first to license and release a song digitally from my debut album ‘Sound Of Danger’.
In other words: He’s a great guy!

S-L: How did your collaboration ’Niedrige Erwartungen’ come about? Triggered by this evening, or already in the works before?

Beranek: A part of this celebration also included the making of a limited edition vinyl EP containing some previously unreleased material from both EL/NeUe and me. In the discussion for the vinyl’s content the idea was born that we should collaborate on a track. A Thursday night in August I brought my Akai Force to Askilds house where Askild, Håkon and I sketched out the beginnings and framework for the composition. We very soon hit a common nerve for the thing, and after some 3-4 hours we had the main basics for the song. I spent the following Friday refining, re-structuring and adding to the composition. I also upgraded a lot of the sounds from the digital (Force) domain to the deeper analog domain using hardware synths (Moogs, Korgs, etc). I then sent the tracks to Askild and Håkon, and they added more musical motives and sounds; clarinets, voices and that marvellous and majestic «noisy» solosynth in the end. I got these tracks in return and added a vocal track dub to Askilds voice. Askild and Håkon finalized the mix. The lyrics was a suggestion by Askild.

S-L: Gotten any feedback on ‘Niedrige Erwartungen’ so far?

Beranek: It was very well received as the video was shown on screen to the audience last night!

S-L: Tell more about the video – how did the visuals come about?

Beranek: After I received the mix from Askild and Håkon I listened to it a couple of times – quiet loud actually. During these listenings I started to «see» how these notes and beats could trigger light beams, and I thought that space would form a perfect stage for this. I used a combination of 3D software and video editing software to generate the animations and synchronize it all to the music. Askild and Håkon was very pleased with both the video and the theme for the pictures, and the picture used on both the limited edition vinyl and on streaming platforms is taken from the video. (see the video at the end of article)

S-L: Planned any more collaboration together – songs or performances?

Beranek: We have an open mind about that – it wouldn’t surprise me at all if more music was produced by Beranek and EL/NeUe!

S-L: Your own and others reactions and feedback to the performances?

Beranek: I think it was a great night. EL/NeUe’s set was very well performed and very well received by the audience. Well deserved!
We – Johannes (Winther Farstad – keys and vocals) and I – was very pleased with the venue, Leon on sound and the crowd, and we felt that it all went down really well on our part.

Photograper Tarjei Krogh also attended the concerts, as always taking great photos!

The VERY special 10″ vinyl

We also wanted to know more about these records, and got hold of Tom Helge Kleberg from Kalall TM, a duplicord manufacturing company under the Etch Wear umbrella.

THK: On this production we made them for the two labels PIIV Grill and Hommage Records as a supplier, and we also collaborated on the sleeve production.

This is in short a duplicated record, hence we made the name duplicord. We make a lathe-cut or lacquer reference disc master first, then we make a mould negative used for casting two component resin records. It’s really an old technique with new compounds, like old one sided gramophones. The silicone really copies everything – even the warm sound!

These are to be considered more like artefact records or artist merchandise than an audiophile release. The final result varies from Good+ to NM, but most common VG/VG+. The research to make them better continues with every edition…

So far we have casted about 15 copies, all in various colours. It’s easy to mix different pigments for each duplicord, so most often no one is exactly the same, giving a wide range of colours and sometimes playing around with two or more colours. For special editions we have also put various objects in the mix on the label area, giving totally one of a kind unique duplicords unlike any vinyl you have seen.

All runs have sold out since we started doing these, so they’re really a token for a fan – these sell out first on merchtables!

Check out the track at several streaming platforms, and see the video right here!

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

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(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange. Press release Karisma Records) Just days after launching their first new music in 7 years on November 15th, Norwegian alternative rockers Seigmen ended last week hinting about more surprises to come – and they weren’t joking!

Yesterday we learned that three new EPs from Seigmen are set to be released on Karisma Records on December 8th. All three, titled ‘Rosa EP’, ‘Gul EP’ and ‘Beige EP’ (Pink, Yellow, Beige) respectively, will only be available in 12″ vinyl format, with each title strictly limited to 350 copies.

About Seigmen

Founded in Tønsberg in 1989, Seigmen is one of Norway’s greatest and most recognized rock bands of all time, and, in 2019, they played a historic 4-day stint at the legendary Hulen in Bergen. Hulen is a venue that was very important to Seigmen in the early days, and this special set of shows gave the band the chance to reproduce four of their old 90s Hulen setlists. It was an occasion where a lot of songs were played for the first time in many, many years.

Motivated by this, Seigmen decided to record a few of their oldest songs – songs that dated back to the time when the band was known as Klisne Seigmenn. This would be the first time that these songs would actually be recorded in a studio, as, until now, they had only ever been played live. The tracks were recorded at Velvet Recording in Spydeberg, Norway, which is the same studio where Seigmen’s legendary album ‘Total’ was recorded back in 1994.

Old Seigmen tracks were re-recorded

The A-sides of the EPs will therefore contain the new studio recordings of those early songs, whilst the B-sides are made up of live performances recorded during those memorable 4 days at Hulen.

Kim Ljung, the band’s bass player/songwriter explains how those original songs first came about:
I remember that night in 1989 well. I was invited to Ubåtkaia by Sverre, Alex and Noralf – Klisne Seigmenn. They were only three guys and needed a guy on bass.

They played the set that was going to be performed at Sjøormen in Tønsberg only a couple of months later. I was knocked to the ground. Blown away by the five songs presented and the power and intensity in the room. The songs are as good today as they were then. That it would take more than 30 years to get them recorded is plain madness.

We also had a chat with Otto Egil Sætre from Karisma Records about this release:

Side-Line: How did Karisma Records end up with this release instead of Indie Recordings?

Otto Egil: I have a long history with the band, and was involved in the planning of the Seigmen vinyl box set even before I started working for Karisma Records. So, it made sense that we did that box set there, and this is a sort of continuation. Seigmen recreated four 90s gigs at the legendary Hulen here in Bergen in 2019, something I was also quite a bit involved with, at the same time we put the box set together. So already back then, we talked about maybe releasing something from those concerts. And when they decided to finally record some old Klisne Seigmenn songs in the studio, that was a great addition to the live tracks. They still release their new stuff on Indie Recordings, who we have a very good relationship with.

S-L: Did everyone buy the bundles or did some go for a single EP?

OES: Most people bought the bundle, but we sold a few single EPs as well.

S-L: The EP’s It all sold out the first day – how many hours before you were out of stock?

OES: We sold out our share of the records in about five hours. That’s approximately 200 copies of each EP. The rest will be sold in record stores around Norway, and at the Seigmen gigs in Tønsberg in December.

With cover design by Sigurd Kristiansen, tracklistings for the EPs are as follow. And… good luck if you are out on a hunt for the remaining 150 copies!

Rosa EP
1. Rosa Boots
2. Monument (live)
3. Negativ (live)
4. Döderlein (live)
5. Korstoget (live)

Gul EP
1. Sure Tær
2. Monsun (live)
3. Sort Disippel (live)
4. Korsfarer (live)
5. Nemesis (live)

Beige EP
1. Mye dritt
2. Pappagutt
3. Performance Alpha (live)
4. Universal (live)
5. Neon Sun (live)
6. Performance Bravo (live)

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange / Piston Damp press release) Out today is the brand new single from Piston Damp, a synthpop duo from Norway consisting of Jonas Groth (known as keyboarder in Apoptygma Berzerk and as being Stephan Groth’s little brother) and his friend since childhood, Truls Sønsterud.

Since their debut album, ‘Making The World Great Again’ in 2021, they have released a string of singles, with ‘Sacrifice’ and ‘All The Edges I Can Fall’, leading up to ‘I’m Losing You (A New Tale)’ released November 17th 2023.

The single contains three tracks; a single version and an Extended Remix of the song, and ‘The Day Of Departure (Black Sky Version)’ as a bonus track.

It is still catchy synthpop, this time more up-beat and chorus driven, and with a sound and a beat that is sure to be a winner in their booked and upcoming live gigs in Sweden and Germany, of which there are many!

Live dates Piston Damp

• November 17, 2023: Helsingborg, Sweden
• March 16, 2024: E-Only Festival, Germany
• April 27, 2024: Jönköping, Sweden
• May 4, 2024: Sarpsborg, Norway
• July 19, 2024: Chemnitz, Germany

Listen to the tracks right here!

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange / press release Indie Recordings. Photos by Bjørn Opsahl) November 15th the legendary Norwegian rock band Seigmen released their new single ‘Berlin’, and at the same time they announced that a new album, ‘Resonans’, is due for release April 2024.

The last time Seigmen released new music was 7 years ago, and “Berlin” is the first track from the band’s upcoming album, which was created during the times of the pandemic and lockdown. Those who follow Seigmen know that it has been some challenging years for the band, but it has also been an incredibly creative period.

We’ll get to hear the result when the album ‘Resonans’ is released on April 12, 2024, but already on November 15th, the first teaser, in the form of the single ‘Berlin’, was released through Indie Recordings.

“When we last left the stage on December 21, 2019, we knew nothing about the long and challenging times ahead of us. That this show would be our last for four years. It feels good to put this behind us and at the same time be able to tell that those times were also creative and productive years. More than anything, we want to thank our loyal fans who have followed us through thick and thin, who have patiently waited for us to return. It gives us both strength and inspiration.

New music from Seigmen is not an everyday occurrence; our last release, ‘Enola’, came out eight years ago, and this was the first studio album since 1997. Hence, it is a joy to announce that we are now putting the finishing touches on a new album called ‘Resonans’, that will release April 12th 2024 (Indie Recordings).

The impatient can look forward to the first single, which is already being released on November 15th.
We are also looking forward to get back on stage again and can already announce that we will be playing at Tons of Rock 2024.

Finally, we are also ready to do the show at Støperiet in Tønsberg, which has been postponed several times. This will be the first and only show of the year, and the date is December 16th.”

This show sold out within 12 hours, so a second show are being set up the following day, Sunday December 17th. Get your tickets here! 🙂

Listen to ‘Berlin‘ here:

ABOUT SEIGMEN:

It was an unfinished band that took to the stage when Seigmen (formerly known as Klisne Seigmenn) played their very first show during Christmas of 1989. However, even then, they had something unique that set them apart from the others, and their sound was undeniably different from all those they shared stage with. Even the conservative paper Tønsbergs Blad reported the next day that “Klisne Seigmenn outperformed the others.”

Fast forward to 1994, the year they released the EP “Hjernen er alene” and their third studio album ‘Total’.

First success Seigmen

From there on, Seigmen and their heavy and grandiose, yet catchy melancholy, defined the 1990s.
‘Total was later recognized as one of Norway’s 100 best albums of all time, and their fourth album ‘Metropolis’ dominated the charts back  in 1995 won a Spellemann award for Best Rock Album.
In 1997, ‘Radiowaves’ went straight to number one.

Then it all came to an end, as out of nothing, the announcement came that the band was disbanding because guitarist Sverre was leaving. One for all and all for one. A few months before the previous millennium came to an end, Seigmen played their farewell show for a packed Rockefeller in Oslo, Norway.

Resurrection of Seigmen

But it wasn’t meant to end there; it’s almost unnatural to just let go of a good thing and old friendships forever. In 2005, the band reunited on stage for the first time in Dødens Dal in Trondheim, and in 2008, they were the first Norwegian band to be invited to play at the new opera house in Bjørvika.

However, the biggest event of the new millennium came in 2015 when Seigmen surprisingly released ‘Enola’, a full 18 years after ‘Radiowaves’. (Read more about ‘Enola’ and other events here!)

On April 12, 2024, almost exactly 30 years after their breakthrough with ‘Total’, a special event is set to occur when Seigmen releases ‘Resonans’, their first album in nine years. The choice of Velvet Recording as their studio is not a coincidence; it’s the same place ‘Total’ was recorded back in 1994.

For more information, interview requests, or media inquiries, please contact: Robbe@indierecordings.no

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

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