It all began in 1983 under the name Xymox, a musical project founded and spearheaded by Ronny Moorings. Shortly after, the project evolved into Clan Of Xymox, marking the birth of a band destined to leave an indelible mark on the Dark-Wave scene. Signed by the legendary British label 4AD, the band released two seminal albums that would become classics in the genre. While they briefly returned to the original name, since 1997, they have been known exclusively as Clan Of Xymox. What makes Clan Of Xymox truly special is not only their pioneering role in the New/Dark-Wave movement but their unwavering ability to create valuable and impactful music over the decades.

Unlike many of their contemporaries, who often rely on the nostalgia of 80s hits, Clan Of Xymox has consistently released strong, fresh material, proving that their creative spirit remains as vibrant as ever. With a career spanning over 40 years, Clan Of Xymox has firmly established themselves as one of the most influential forces in Dark-Wave. Ronny Moorings has remained true to the essence of his sound while allowing it to evolve, ensuring a timeless yet contemporary edge. Their latest and 18th studio album, “Exodus”, released via Trisol (Germany) and Metropolis (USA), is a testament to this balance. Featuring a collection of masterful tracks, the album combines melancholic, dark, atmospheres with Pop-infused arrangements that are both haunting and danceable.

I felt it was the perfect time to take a retrospective look at Clan Of Xymox’s incredible journey. In this interview, Ronny Moorings graciously shared his insights, reflecting on the band’s beginnings, their evolution, and their current work. I am deeply thankful for his enthusiastic cooperation and for taking the time to answer in such detail. His dedication to crafting inspired music over such a long period is remarkable, as is the man behind the artist. Respect! (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

‘I Wanted To Be A Part Of Things Which Were Happening In Front Of My Eyes’

Q: Getting back to the early 1980s which marked the rise of New-Wave music and subgenres like Dark-Wave, Cold-Wave, and Post-Punk. How do you reflect on those formative years and what do you recall from the very beginning of your career? Specifically, what events or circumstances led to the formation of Xymox and, later, Clan Of Xymox and what was your original dream when you first started making music?

Ronny: I will make this a short story because there is so much to say about how it came to be. I was in bands from on my childhood in my birth town Roosendaal (NL) where I already played live at the age of 11 with older 15 year old friends. When it was time for me to study, I first moved to The Hague, deciding after a year of Social Academy that I’d rather do a Sociology study in Nijmegen.

In the early 80’s there was a lot going on. Musically we had the Deutsche Welle and from the U.K. came New-Wave. This appealed a lot to me and DJed (what I also already did in Roosendaal as a teenager) this type of music in the local venue Doornroosje. It was volunteers work, but I got to see all the cool bands coming in.
The alternative scene was thriving in the whole of The Netherlands. Naturally many British bands were on the fore front of innovation. The Goth / Wave movement came also to Doornroosje. I remember especially Bauhaus and The Virgin Prunes making a big impression on me because they sounded and looked visually stunning. The Virgin Prunes making a complete theatre out of their show; it looked like genuine madness with a lot of stuff flying about on stage. With Bauhaus, Peter Murphy just looked the ideal part, a new ‘thin white duke’ with white light shining under his chin and the rest of the band in fluorescent colours, exposed with a black light.

Every week there was a brilliant band to be seen in Paradiso (Amsterdam) or in Doornroosje, like Echo And The Bunnymen In an army outfit with camouflage nets hanging over the stage, The Sound, Dance Society, The Birthday Party with Nick Cave swinging like a monkey from left to right from the light supports, giving it a high energetic performance, Siouxie And The Banshees, The Cure ( they played in a circus tent) and later seeing Robert Smith playing guitar with Siouxie in Rotterdam , Theatre Of Hate, Eyeless In Gaza, Black Flag, The Comsat Angels, Sisters Of Mercy, in the Milkyway Amsterdam,  of course with Wayne Hussey,  Further The Slits, Liaison Dangereuses, U2 ( played in Arnhem for 400 people) who was pretty unknown still etc. Too many to mention!

All bands not jet known by the majority of people but making a big impact on everyone alternative seeing them live. New-Wave, Deutsche Welle, Punk, Synth-Pop and New-Romantics was now a major alternative movement perfectly fitting the times we were living in.

Also the Netherlands produced influential bands who made quite an impression on me, like I already mentioned Mecano & Minimal Compact from Amsterdam, Nasmak from Eindhoven, Coitus Interruptus from Utrecht, and ‘famous’ local bands from Nijmegen like Mechanic Commando and Vice.

By seeing all these brilliant international and national bands I knew there and then that I had to start something new and interesting too. I wanted to make music like these bands. I was totally inspired. I wanted to be a part of things which were happening in front of my eyes. I wanted a band instead of just making things late at night on my own on a 4 track for no one else to hear.I wasn’t the only one feeling this way. It seemed that nearly anyone in the local scene started a band. In every squat people started a band and rehearsing was no problem in these industrial buildings we all occupied. Music was becoming a way of life, a means to express your views. There were enough opportunities for bands to play. There were always some old factories freshly squatted. One of the first shows I did was on a festival in De Plu Fabriek, a desolate disused umbrella factory. The festival had a social awareness theme about ‘Acid Rain’ of which maybe a handful had heard about. It was not taken very serious yet by the general public. It was the first ever show of Xymox there.

Round the same time at the University we had to do a video project. We had to film something about a socially significant social subject, so I started filming and interviewing the squatters local bands I knew. I still have the V2000 video tape but because of its backdated discontinued format, I haven’t been able to see it since the presentation at the University of Nijmegen.

In the beginning of 1980 in Nijmegen I had no real serious relationship with anyone. I was fairly new in town and most people I found quite uninteresting. The typical jeans and long hair student types, freshly coming from their cosy parental homes, with only one aim in life and that is to study, graduate and getting a job. Also most people were just coming out of the seventies and their clothes reflected that, very colourful shirts, a lot of blue jeans and mostly having long hair. In Rotterdam long hair in the back and short in the front was accompanied by a little moustache was the local fashion there.

Anyway, just after my initiation weeks of the University back in Nijmegen, one night I went out, going to a bar where I would normally not come with my fellow student friends. I was standing there drinking beer with my mates until I spotted this girl in the distance. She had the same kind of image as me. Out of place I thought. I simply had to talk to her and soon we were engaged in conversation and ended up spending the night together in her basement flat.. She told me she came from Nuenen, a small village close to Eindhoven but very famous for the house of Vincent Van Gogh. Her name was Anke.

In this period I wanted to start a Live band with the name I already had:  Xymox.  One day I showed her my songs I had recorded and asked if she would want to be in my ‘band’ which was just me at the time 😉 I said it would not matter that it was only the two of us because a lot of bands played with a drum machine and it would be a cool thing to do; she agreed. The songs were most of the time two or three chords so it was not too difficult for her to learn the tracks. I released this tape at the time, sold it for cheap (some people still have it). She liked the songs and decided to learn and play the bass guitar so she could play live. We started rehearsing together in 1982. I started sending my old Xymox demos to various venues and to my surprise a dozen clubs or so liked it.

Soon we played live with the two of us in various alternative clubs. I was singing, playing guitar and the synth plus operating the rhythm box. She played the bass by now and did some backing vocals . The songs were all mine, if you could call them songs 😉 For transportation I had my old cheap orange Renault 4 with a shift stick. All the equipment fitted in beautifully. Because we were just with the two of us and the fuel was very cheap, the money earned was very reasonable for those days.

Later we got asked by the locally known band Vice to support them. We did so and managed to play quite a bit of shows in the South of the Netherlands again. We felt we were getting somewhere.

Later a few friends to join our ‘band’ live. They were hitting metal pieces or doing backing vocals etc. Inspired of course by Einstürtzenden Neubauten. We started rehearsing in the empty vaults of a squatted bank building. Soundproof and safe it luckily was 😉

Anke wanted to move to Amsterdam in 1983, when she changed her study. She wanted to study Psychology and since I finished my Sociology ‘Candidates’ phase holding an official diploma. I was looking for a relevant Masters study so I decided to go to Amsterdam as well, I chose for  ‘Media Studies’ at the ‘University of Amsterdam’. Apparently you would have a lot of freedom with this study as well.

In Amsterdam I was asked by a friend in 1983, if I wanted to DJ for a local pirate radio station WHS. The show; ‘De Lege Huls’, translated ‘The Empty Shell’, would be late at night which of course I gladly accepted. I did this for quite some time well into 1985 until I got too busy with Clan Of Xymox and its many obligations.

As I already said I saved for a while every penny in order to buy my much desired object, a Teac 4 track multi tape recorder. I bought it in Antwerp, Belgium, November 1982. After many recordings of songs and ideas in Nijmegen I started a new In April 1983, frantically starting to record some new songs; the old ones were already more than a year old and I wanted to have new ones. With the help of the Teac 4 track recorder I could be more creative with writing and recording, bouncing previous recordings and build on that.

The instruments I had access to were: a Yamaha synth, Korg Poly 6 Synthesiser, Korg MS10 and MS 20, a rhythm box K500 , an electric Framus guitar, Welson Keyboard, a standard Shure 58 mike of course, my fantastic vintage space echo, melodica, guitar pedal effects and a bass guitar. A later valuable asset was later a Solina Strings but this one was borrowed once and a while.

All instruments were played in real time on tape. No sequencer used. That was too expensive.
These were the days computers were only academic and hardly used by anyone at all. Computers were just those big main frames standing in a government building or only portrayed in science fiction. Today our ears are completely trained to sequenced patterns, then it was something new, the ear was untrained to these sounds and pattern uses.

Soon things were ready. I asked Anke if she wanted to sing one song on the track I already prepared for her. It ended up with the title “Call It Weird “, so now  all tracks were done and everything was set up to bring these recordings to a mastering plant near Amsterdam called  Dureco. This was a vinyl factory specialised in producing Dutch product, the type like ‘Dutch Schlager’ like Vader Abraham known internationally for his “Smurf” songs. He was prominent on the wall everywhere in the factory offices. The main earner. Newer versions of this first EP exist: “Muscoviet Musquito” ( deliberately spelled this way) and “Going Round”. Both have various versions over the years.

‘I Felt That The Xymox Days Were Not The Right Way To Go’

Q: Xymox became Clan Of Xymox when you signed to 4AD, but later you reverted to Xymox before ultimately returning to Clan Of Xymox in the late ’90s. How do you view these shifts in retrospect? What, in your opinion, distinguishes Xymox from Clan Of Xymox?

Ronny: I started with the name Xymox and released my first EP “Subsequent Pleasures“ under this name. When Xymox got signed by 4 AD and the first debut album was called “Clan Of Xymox” I decided it was a slightly better name also because I had found people to play the songs live, so hence the ‘Clan’. I considered Xymox as my Pseudonym.

When Clan Of Xymox got signed by Wing / PolyGram USA I felt this was a significant change and wanted to underline this with shortening the name and perhaps with the reasoning that it would be easier for people in general to remember our name when it was shorter.

After 4 albums under the name Xymox, with the album “Phoenix” it had gotten too commercial in my opinion. With the 2 UK releases “Metamorphosis“ and “Headclouds” which were too Experimental and nothing much to do with the early material on 4 AD I decided in 1997 it was time to reintroduce Clan Of Xymox again with the same approach and attitude as in the earl 80’s. I felt that the Xymox days were not the right way to go and that it was better to stick to my own opinion instead of letting people influence me in one way or the other.

The result was the album “Hidden Faces” released worldwide on Tess Records and Pandaimonium Records in Germany in 1997. This was the start of Clan Of Xymox again. Since Phoenix I didn’t tour anymore. Had actually no live band anymore. I started to find again people who could play live with me and soon I had a live band ready to start promoting “Hidden Faces” and the older works on 4AD. Mojca my partner was there already since 1991 with me learning to play an instrument, keys and bass. She already designed the artwork from on 1992. In 1995 I decided to play in The Netherlands and promote “Metamorphosis” and “Headclouds”. The old live members from the 80’s Frank Weyzig and Will Anvers joined me on stage together with Mojca on Keyboards. This tour made me realise I missed playing live and soon since 1997 Clan Of Xymox played live each and every year till now and will keep on playing live.

I have a steady crew for more than a decade now with Mojca from on 1991 (of course), Mario ( more than 20 years), Sean and Daniel. I stay with the labels Metropolis (USA ) and Trisol (Germany ) as well as I run my own label Xymox Control now for decades a steady course with Clan Of Xymox, only expanding with my band, slowly but gradually. It manifests in the vast amount of sold out shows we are having each year.

‘We Were In Our Extravaganza’

Q: You were closely associated with 4AD, one of the most groundbreaking labels of the early New-Wave era. How did an unknown band from the Netherlands find its way onto such an iconic label? And how did your time with 4AD influence your evolution as an artist?

Ronny: Back in 1983 I felt that my former town Nijmegen ‘deserved’ a few copies of “Subsequent Pleasures” too. I was doing all the distribution myself. I sold 150 through Rough Trade UK, 150 in New Waves France and 150 export to Essen in Germany. Anyway, so I went to Nijmegen the night of the ‘Day of the Dead’, 1st of November.
I decided to visit a friend but he was not at home so not knowing what was going on that evening  I soon found out The Cocteau Twins were playing in Doornroosje that night, so I had to see them. There was still plenty of time left so I decided to have something  to eat in my favourite eating cafe De Plak. Whilst having dinner I heard English was spoken on another table, so my interest was aroused. Maybe this couple were The Cocteau Twins? Had to be! An English male and female.  Without any hesitation I went to their table and asked them all sorts of questions about their band The Cocteau Twins. They informed me politely that they were not The Cocteau Twins but were their supporting act called Dead Can Dance and if I wanted they could put me on the guest list; which I naturally did not decline since I was no longer active in Doornroosje anymore. In return I gave them a copy of “Subsequent Pleasures” for them to listen to.

Having seen Dead Can Dance they blew me away, just like of course The Cocteau Twins. After the show I went boldly to the dressing room and drank some beer with both the bands as they were sharing the dressing room and already established that we were all like-minded, talking to each other, or trying to, because Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau’s had a very heavy Scottish accent. Difficult to understand for a  Dutchman who knew and spoke only ‘school’ English. That night I learned then that Brendan was Irish, lived in New-Zealand, moved to Australia, met Lisa in Melbourne and moved to London to work on their musical career. A similar story was true for The Cocteau Twins who moved from Scotland to London to work on their career. All was very interesting and at the end of the night we swore to keep in contact and said our goodbyes.

During that time I kept in contact with Brendan and Lisa who lived together on the Isle Of Dogs. They invited me to their London home and I stayed at their place quite a few times. In those days I had to travel by ferry to the UK, a long journey. They lived on the 11th floor with a fantastic view over London. The flats were those typical council flats, ashen grey and reeking of urine in the elevators. They had a staggering amount of locks installed on their front door. With all their equipment at home I could understand their mistrust of their surroundings. It was all very depressing but very exciting for me. Brendan worked the same way as I did. We ended up with almost the same equipment in 1986. Brendan and Lisa were then still living together and were really dedicated to music. Every day they recorded or rehearsed. Lisa mainly singing and playing the Yang Ching. I slept in the living room and later on some visits they had a closet, like the one of “Harry Potter”. I slept there and was pretty cosy;)

Xymox started playing live in 1984 again. One day Brendan Perry called me up and asked me if we wanted to support them on a tour in the UK.  Without any hesitation I agreed to do it and almost a week later we were in London. Unfortunately when we arrived nearly all the dates of Dead Can Dance got cancelled and there were only three dates left:  one in London, Huddersfield and one in Dudley. We stayed with Brendan and Lisa, sleeping all on the floor in the living room, which I knew already too well.

During our first concert In London I nearly disappeared through the hole in the stage, I had to walk very carefully  because they did not manage to cover all the holes under the stained carpet. The father of Brendan was I believe the tour manager and his mother made sandwiches for Dead Can Dance when we went on the road to Dudley. The town looked nothing much and the bar we had to play likewise.. our dressing room was between beer barrels and if we wanted to have a drink we had to buy it at the bar said the promoter resembling “Dell Boy” of “Only Fools And Horses”. Still we had a great time hanging out with Brendan and Lisa, who were very generous to give us some money for covering our ferry expenses, which I know for sure they were paying out of their own pockets. After that we did more shows all over The Netherlands till summer.

Brendan Perry was the first one who told me about 4AD.  Before that I only paid attention to bands and not too much to record labels strangely enough.  He said he gave “Subsequent Pleasures” to Ivo Watts Russell , the label boss of 4AD, and so I followed up with sending a demo to 4AD with some newer additional tracks in July 1984, recorded in the Amsterdam Octopus 8 track studio. The demo I had sent 4AD after our shows in Paris’ old theatre La Seballe Club, several Dutch and the 2 UK dates. I was getting impatient as always. I gave Ivo Watts Russell a phone call. I was complaining about how the Dutch music industry sucked and that his label was the only independent label appealing to me. A week before that,  I had a meeting with the Dutch division label EMI but this meeting reminded me of all the cliches I ever heard about Major labels. To my absolute delight and surprise Ivo told me he liked what he had heard from the demo so far and wanted to meet, to see us in person and talk about it.

Ivo wanted to meet the band, so arriving in London, me and Anke  were heading to the private home of Ivo Watts Russell and his girlfriend Debby who also worked for 4AD as their press agent. They lived together in a residential SW12 London area. We stayed in their house for a week.

Anke and I had placed these long extra hair extensions in our hair so we looked a bit like ‘Uber Goths’ with a lot of make-up and special clothing we had designed for us by a friend who was handy with the sewing machine and wanted to become a fashion designer. I saw the surprise on Ivo’s face when he saw us for the first time. We were obviously not looking the way he expected us to look. Most of his bands on the label looked actually quite normal with no real image to speak of; so here we were in our extravaganza.

Luckily Ivo and Debby liked us or the music enough to offer Xymox a record deal and with that great news we went back home. The news had spread that we were the first band 4AD signed since two years of their last signing of Dead Can Dance. After this published fact my phone started to ring frequently and offers for radio and new Dutch live shows offers came in by the plenty.

When the self-titled album “Clan Of Xymox”’ was released funny enough nearly all the journalist thought we were Scottish by origin judging by their reviews. An Englishman is always very sensitive to accents. I saw it as a compliment though. Of course ‘Clan Of’ was suggestive enough 😉 . Most reviews were ecstatic, full of praise with five star ratings, the highest you could get. I guess we got lucky with my intention not to advertise we were Dutch. Having no names on the artwork and let the album speak for itself.

The British can be real chauvinists regarding their music industry, they didn’t take foreigners making music too seriously in those days. Of course the weekly music magazines Sounds, Melody Maker, New Music Express etcetera made up their ‘mistake’ in the eye to eye interviews, clearly pointing out us being Dutch and using the usual stereotype references, with headlines like ‘Dutch Bake’, ‘Dutch Courage’, ‘Going Dutch’, ‘Hollandaise Sauce’ and any phrase relating to the war between the Dutch and the Brits a few centuries ago. Anyway it did not matter anymore because we got the attention;  had a proper selling debut album. We did a lot of photo shoots with an English photographer using drapes in the back ground giving us a more Gothic image. This was used as our promo picture.The Music Maker and Sounds were giving us regular features and interviews afterwards, which gave us finally an international standing. Soon 4AD set up a few shows in Croydon and the University of London plus a John Peel session, which was very important to establish up and coming bands.

‘We Had To Prove Ourselves Time And Time Again’

Q: You’ve already mentioned several legendary British bands that were prominent in the 1980s and shared strong connections and camaraderie. What was your experience of the Dutch music scene during that time? How do you reflect on it now?

Ronny: I only had French, British and Scottish bands as friends. I could not get along with any band in The Netherlands in the mid-eighties. In the Netherlands there was a very strong Rock culture with no space for bands like us. We had to prove ourselves time and time again. I didn’t understand the provincial attitude towards synths coming from the Dutch critics. In a very first review the national music magazine Oor reviewed synths as magic boxes which made them nervous listening to them. When our first album came out we finally got greeted by the more alternative media which just got a foot in the door and were played on radio and TV, MTV and the like. Suddenly we were part of a movement to be reckoned with. Sometimes we even played live twice on a day in The Netherlands.

‘The Only Disappointment For Me Was That I Actually Never Got To Meet John Peel’

Q: During that period, you worked with or crossed paths with notable figures like the aforementioned Brendan Perry. But what about John Fryer, David M. Allen and John Peel? What can you share about those interactions and their impact on your journey?

Ronny: Our first John Peel session was in the beginning of  November 1985. It was pretty stressful for me. We had to record 4 to 5 songs with the live band in one working ‘BBC’ day of 6 hours or so. It didn’t occur to me that I should have taken adaptors for English power plugs with me.  Because it is the BBC, no one is allowed to change a power plug without the assistance of a fully qualified engineer, so it took them already one hour to find such a person as labour union regulations dictated that the technician supposed to have his tea break of an hour. We were already losing valuable time! We didn’t have computers in those days. My first Commodore computer with TV monitor I got in 1988 when I wrote the “ Twist Of Shadows“ album.  The Macintosh 128K a normal mortal could not afford. Clan Of Xymox did however use an 8 track recorder for the backing tracks, like Depeche Mode or The Cocteau Twins used as well. It consisted of individual drum tracks, sequenced bass triggers and strings. This made life a bit easier.  We could thanks to the ‘eight track’ finish within the timeframe of the BBC.

The only disappointment for me was that I actually never got to meet John Peel. Even then he was a legend, especially to me, because it was the best program for discovering new exciting bands. I only got to call him from the 4AD office, thanking him for the opportunity he gave us. He declared in his program that we were the pioneers of Dark-Wave. That was a huge compliment and recognition for Clan Of Xymox. Soon Dutch radios started to follow suit. We got to record a live show for Radio Veronica in Hilversum. Several TV shows invited us for music programs like the VARA. MTV picked us up too. We felt we were on a roll!

John Fryer I instantly liked as a person and sound engineer. He was the in house sound engineer of 4AD and knew what he was doing. He was not afraid to experiment with sampling sounds and replacing them. The AMS delay was his secret weapon. I remember sitting evenings together with John mixing tracks by hand. So I had to pull and push knobs on my side and he on his side. It was a lot of fun and very educational. Later in live John made me a remix for “Big Brother“ from the album “Limbo” (2021).

I worked with David M. Allen on tracks like “Out Of The Rain” and “Sing A Song” together with Jools of Nitzer Ebb. It was in Leamington Spa in John Rivers’s studio. I worked with John Rivers already on the “Blind Hearts”-EP for 4AD and several B-sides for later PolyGram. Now I was working with John on the “Hidden Faces”-album (1997) and we thought it would be very cool to have Dave M. Allen involved. This certainly worked. I wished we had the budget to work on all the songs but I was already glad these two songs worked out fantastically. Dave is a very likeable person with an air of mystique around him. He gives suggestions for you to try and they always make sense. He taught me to delve deeper when needed.

‘Without Me There Is No Clan Of Xymox’

Q: Both Xymox and Clan Of Xymox included founding members Anke Wolbert and Pieter Nooten. What role did they play in shaping the band’s identity, and how do you reflect on the line-up changes over the years?

Ronny: They were both not founding members. They joined me in the beginning of the Xymox period. First Anke as I told you and later in 1985 Pieter. Because they were the first ones joining they are seen as founding members but I am sorry to say; it was always my thing. I was and still am the driving force behind the band and it’s musical direction. No one else. They concentrated mainly on their own songs like “Masquerade” or “Stumble” and “Fall” back in the days. The bulk I wrote. I participated also on their songs as well.

Regarding the songs it is true we worked more together like a band should. In the beginning we rehearsed the songs for live shows and many got changed during this process. This was only sustainable for a short while as nobody liked to rehearse together.

We ended up as 3 individuals writers with different taste and musical directions so it was inevitable it wouldn’t work out long because we were all to egocentric to begin with. When I officially broke up with Anke it was also the end of working together as a collective. We all went our own way.

Indeed we had many changes but maybe the irony is in the word ‘Clan’, a group of close knitted people. So in the end there were many LIVE musicians joining the band for a short or longer period. Joining ‘the Clan’. The red line was and is simple: without me there is no Clan Of Xymox.

All happened really fast in those days. It was a learning process for all involved. Books about the music industry and bands hardly existed. Everyone was left to do whatever with their experiences, positive or negative.
I never knew or expected that just making music could make me enemies but also gaining a lot of friends of course. Jalousie and spite can make people really vicious and vindictive and yet equally so many fans or friends treat you with the utmost respect or even adoration. To me it is just music but soon you realise it is something more than that. 

Former friends or partners turning into your personal enemy. It is the worst thing that can happen, because they know your weaknesses and irritation points and will not shy away from using this against you if they have no pride, dignity or integrity.

Thinking back on this short period between 1985 and 1989 stir more negative emotions then positive ones in me. It wasn’t all bad of course but I can’t remember real long good periods. I realise looking back that I am only happy with the band since the beginning of the  mid 90’s to now, at least 33 years so far:)

Q: How does the young Ronny Moorings compare to the musician you are today? What traits have endured, and which aspects of your younger self do you miss in your music or approach to life?

Ronny: I was definitely very naive in the beginning. When I wrote a song for example I just split the rights between the band members because I thought it would motivate my band to pull more their weight in the band and…. after all I was a socialist and not a capitalist 😉

Soon I discovered that when people sense they don’t have to do too much and can simply lay back whilst I do the heavy lifting because they get paid anyway.

I started to get annoyed with this uneven situation and learned from this that I should not give away my rights that easily just to please band members or partner. So I ended this naive approach and never looked back.
Equally I used to work with bigger crews, managers, tour managers, lawyers and all the professional people they told you would need to have in order to make it as a band.

After many annoyances about the enormous bills I decided I could do most jobs way better. I know I am a control freak. You have to be. You have to understand the way things work. Now I have a lean machine and I like it a lot. Later I also learned to delegate things and that is also very rewarding. I guess ‘live and learn’ is true in my opinion.

‘Dark-Wave Has A Strong Hold All Over The World Like In The 80’s’

Q: Many legendary New/Dark-Wave bands achieved their greatest success in the ’80s. Why do you think those years were so special and unique for the genre? How do you see the evolution of New/Dark-Wave music from its origins to today, particularly in terms of its spirit and cultural significance?

Ronny: Yes, it was a new style taking over with fashion unseen before, It was against the Hippy culture, the jeans wearing long haired pot smokers. It was a clean break from all of this, plus the ‘no future’ feeling with all the political turmoil and nuclear threats hanging over our heads. Remember Thatchers England. Ronald Reagan as president.

These bands made the sound track of our lives and guess what? It is happening again. Dark-Wave has a strong hold all over the world like in the 80’s. Yes, it’s not on the dying radio or TV stations as we know it but streaming like crazy, this time on internet radios, YouTube, Spotify It feels a bit like maybe the pirates in the 80’s.

It feels the same to me and also we have the same nuclear threats back again. In a way it feels coming ‘full circle’.

Q: Over the decades, the music industry has undergone tremendous changes -rising social media, streaming platforms, declining physical album sales, advances in technology, and shifts in performance venues from intimate gigs to massive festivals. How have you navigated these transformations, and what are your thoughts on the (r)evolution of the industry?

Ronny: I navigate these changes just fine I think. I always welcomed change and will ever do. We need to improve. We need to move forward and not backward. When for the very first time in the 80’s I could get my hands on a computer I embraced it as a big help with sequencing and programming. It made endless rehearsing patterns on keyboards so much easier. Later it became my entire virtual studio platform. Streaming is now the most important thing now in the music industry and some artists do not like it, but remember when music was pirated and artists would get nothing from it financially and no insight how many like to listen to your music etc. I love Spotify and as an artist you have access to all date regarding what your fans are listening to.
Most music I listen to these days is from platforms, on my phone with airpods. This gives me more time to listen to music when I am on the move or outside. Everything in one device is just brilliant I think. Of course I have at home all old media devices still in place. I do play vinyl as well when I am in the mood. I still love vinyl and the looks of it. The best format for the artwork to shine.

Q: While it’s difficult for any musician to choose a single album or song as their best, is there a particular piece in your discography that holds special significance for you? Or do you believe that your most recent work is always your finest?

Ronny: I have to agree with my fellow musicians. My recent is indeed the best so far as I can see and feel 😉 It is simply because new songs are for the one who wrote and recorded it the most exciting, the most fresh and recent to your current experiences. You have to play them live which you haven’t done before and in the end they will sound different then when it came out. If you don’t have that feeling the artist should not release the album in the first place 😉

‘I Let The Listener Feel What I Feel’

Q: Your lyrics often feel deeply expressive, sometimes addressing social and political themes, other times delving into introspection. Do you see your lyrics as a reflection of your true self? What value and purpose do they hold for you?

Ronny: Sometimes yes and sometimes no. It’s complicated 😉 I definitely sing about emotions I feel or felt. Say I sing about Evelyn, Louise or Michelle. That doesn’t mean I know a person with that name or sing about a real person. All these names are fictional but the feelings and thoughts what went into these songs are real. Sometimes more than one person I think about finds its place into a song lyric. It all depends. Political themes are the ones which affected me like in the Lockdown periods in the early 20’s. It comes home, becomes personal and I describe more the situation than anything else. I let the listener feel what I feel.
Sometimes I write a song to blow off steam and feel good afterwards. Most of the time it’s about a person who doesn’t want to leave me alone almost my entire life 😉 I can keep going on like that. I always delve the lyrics out of the depths of my mind where it lay buried until I get it out through some type of instrumentation deciding for me what the topic is going to be. A new to be written song has most of the time its own will and direction.

Q: Clan Of Xymox has consistently attracted new fans over the years. What do your fans mean to you, and how does it feel to have a lasting influence on the Dark-Wave scene?

Ronny: Fans are the most important to me. Without a doubt. We meet so many dedicated fans, traveling to all of our shows they can reach within reason. We always talk to anyone after the show who’s interested, have selfies taken, give autographs, give something a fan would like to experience, a closeness you can’t give onstage. A hand shake, a look in the eye.

I am honoured to contribute to the Dark-Wave scene as it is today. All bands who are now big I met when they were still beginning and were our support one time or the other. I know that we had an influence on them but now they are an influence on me the same. So it works in the end both ways. To me this scene is the best scene ever for me.

Q: Looking back on your career, what do you consider to be your biggest milestones? And what were the most significant disappointments?

Ronny: I am still working on my biggest milestone 🙂 My quest is to see how long I can still play live with the band. That is my ultimate quest in life. Disappointments enough, especially in people, but to me that is also an inspiration to write songs about so in the end all turns out for the best. I am lucky I have many good friends in my life to compensate for the negative. Unfortunately I am a person who has to be on the darker side of things in order to feel inspired. So I don’t mind 😉

Q: How have you managed to keep finding fresh ideas and challenges over the years? Were there periods where inspiration waned, and if so, how did you overcome those creative blocks?

Ronny: I think in the beginning it was harder to write as it is now. To me writing comes very natural I think. Maybe because I have more to say now than when I was in my twenties. In that time I read a lot of books in order to get lyrically inspired. For a long time now I just write from what comes up in my mind and put it into lyrics. Way easier I think and less time consuming 😉 The music was never a problem. Finding words to it is a harder nut to crack sometimes.

A creative block I handle very easy: I put the song away and start with something else. Sometimes its years later that I have a look at it again, if I can do something with it and often that’s the case. So for me I don’t like to force a song if it doesn’t present it by itself.

‘Joy Division, The Sisters Of Mercy And The Cure Were Very Important To Me’

Q: One of the most surprising entries in your discography is “Kindred Spirits” (2012), a cover album featuring renowned songs and artists. How did you choose the tracks, and what connection do you have to those songs? Would you consider them key sources of inspiration?

Ronny: When I was young, the only means of getting to know music was the radio or “Top of the Pops” later in the 70s. In the Netherlands we had bands like Shocking Blue, Brainbox, Earth And Fire, Focus, The Golden Earring and such, which appealed to me a lot. These were the bands I was interested in. On TV we grew up with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and of course The Monkees especially grouped for US TV. These bands made me want to play an instrument at a very young age. After that I always stayed on the alternative side of music. On my album “Kindred Spirits“ you can see and hear which artist influenced me in the direction I was going. Bands for example like Joy Division, The Sisters Of Mercy and The Cure were very important to me.

I gave or restricted myself to make a choice for ten songs of bands who had in one way or the other an impact on my musical taste. I wanted to give an ode to these bands and revive these songs in my memory to keep and make them as my own. In the end I did 11 tracks of my all-time favourite bands or songs.

Too many bands like to hide their influences or deny them. I decided to give them my own pedestal.

Q: This year marks the release of Clan Of Xymox’s 18th album, “Exodus”. What does this album represent within your extensive discography? Can you share insights into its creation?

Ronny: I finished and released the album “Limbo” in 2021 and I wrote the “Exodus” album after writing “Save Our Souls” in 2022 in 2023. The last song I wrote for this album was in January 2024 and here we are. In a way keeping the tradition of one album release in every two or three years.

We toured an awful lot so the little time I had, I spend in the studio taking my mind of things. The late general developments in the world I felt writing about. Instead of introspective lyrics I felt more like describing our current times we live in. After “Save Our Souls” I wrote “Fear For A World At War”, especially after all the rhetoric of Putin threatening Europe or the world with nuclear strikes. Because the world is massively gearing up for war.

When I was born there was the biggest world crisis between the Soviet Union and the USA about the missiles in Cuba.

It is ironic that now we are living with almost the exact conditions but this time closer to home, having a nuclear missile threat. History repeats itself . I certainly hope this is not getting out of hand but the signs are that we seem to step up our war talk more and more. SOS indeed. The world is at turmoil and nothing good will come out of this. Exodus for me as well when it gets out of hand. Anyway, this is the back ground for writing all these songs for “Exodus”.

Q: Talking about “Save Our Souls”, there clearly is a sense of commentary on the state of the world. Do you see music and this album as a unifying force in troubled times? How do you perceive its broader impact on society?

Ronny: “Save Our Souls” was specific about the invasion of the Russians into the Ukraine. It was a shocker for me. Especially after just having toured there in September 2021. I see music in troubled times more as a safety blanket you can wrap yourself in. It gives comfort and soothes your mind and well-being. An escape as it were from the daily sorrows we get bombarded with each and every minute. So far music can change or influence politics when masses cry out for social change. I don’t see that happen with this album or any of my albums;) Never intended for it either.

Q: Authenticity seems to be a hallmark of your music. Many fans describe a sense of genuine emotion and connection in your work. How do you experience this dynamic and interaction with your audience? How powerful or influential do you think music can be in bridging gaps and inspiring change?

Ronny: Wow, if you talk about the grand scale of things you might have a chance to do so but in the cult circuit we are maybe just the inspiring factor. That which might work on a small scale. I should certainly hope that our fans and other listeners get the music of Clan Of Xymox and feel the emotions I feel when I perform these songs with my band. Live you notice this the best. During the show I always look at people and there are so many various expressions on people faces, you feel that you are almost privileged to see an expression of someone when they sink into the song with mind and body. I love it!

‘Contrast Works Always The Best In A Way’

Q: Your music often combines dark, melancholic themes with an energy that makes people dance and feel alive. How do you reconcile these contrasting elements?

Ronny: Contrast works always the best in a way. I defines, it outlines. I have a lot of slow songs with equally dark lyrics but playing live I want to entertain people, want to make them move inside and out. I have luckily lots and lots of songs to choose from and during the years it taught me a lot about which songs people like to hear when they go to our concert. That means the classics are always included and never ignored.

Q: Finally, let’s end with a few rapid-fire questions:

• ‘Sex, Drugs, and Rock ‘N’ Roll’: does this resonate with you?

Ronny: During my long career all certainly resonates at one time or the other. Experimenting with drugs I steered away long time ago. It was perhaps hip in the 80’s or attractive to experiment but the same goes for smoking or anything else unhealthy. I value a healthy life style with perhaps an alternativee: Sex, Wine and Wave 😉

• Is there a band or artist you would have loved to collaborate with?

Ronny: It’s a shame I never got to work with David Bowie. I met him once in LA when he came to see our concert in the Palace. I was too starstruck to even think of asking him. What a missed chance !

• Do you feel a spiritual connection with any particular artist or band?

Ronny: Yes, plenty! I have got so many great friends in the current scene who make great music. Backstage is always fun when we meet.

• In a world without music, what do you think you’d be doing?

Ronny: Not breathe.

• Which Clan Of Xymox song would you recommend to someone who has never heard your music before?

Ronny: “A Day”, “She” or “Loneliness” as a starter.

• How many albums has Clan Of Xymox sold, and which remains the most successful?

Ronny:  Wouldn’t you like to know 😉 “Twist Of Shadows” was still the most successful in terms of hard record-CD/Cassettes sales because it was at the time people could only buy that and did. There was no piracy then, apart from the classic copying on a blank cassette. In terms of streaming and overall impact I have to point to my later works.

• What is the ultimate dream for Clan Of Xymox?

Ronny: To carry on like the last two years.

• What would you want written on your epitaph and that of Clan Of Xymox?

Ronny:  

See you on the other side.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

Do not stand at my grave and weep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am not there, I didn’t go.

I didn’t die, so you know. 

See you on the other side.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Out 27 September 2024 via Downwards Records is the all new album by the post-punk outfit The Wolfgang Press titled “A 2nd Shape” (check this preview). It’s the band’s first studio album in nearly 30 years.

The new album features core members Michael Allen and Andrew Gray, joined by Stephen Gray, Andrew’s brother.

Talking about the new album, The Wolfgang Press explain, “This album arrived naturally and organically. The tracks came about from a measured process, and we feel A 2nd Shape is timely and essential. We also feel Downwards Records has fitted in perfectly with this process, their enthusiasm for this project has been tangible and encouraging.”

Talking about the recording process, they go on to say “For this project we wanted the record to be made without the use of computers. It was important for us that the tracks were recorded on tape and played live as a band, with very little tampering/overdubbing. We purposely limited ourselves in the number of tracks we could record by using an old ADAT 8-track machine and the result of how well this worked surprised us all.”

About The Wolfgang Press

Musically active since the late ‘70s, Allen and Gray were originally in bands that formed the cornerstones of the early 4AD universe, with Gray in In Camera and Allen in Rema-Rema and Mass.

The Wolfgang Press – Michael Allen (vocals, bass), Mark Cox (keyboards), and Andrew Gray (guitar) – debuted with the LP “The Burden Of Mules” in 1983, followed by 1986’s “Standing Up Straight”, which featured Elizabeth Fraser on “I Am The Crime”. 1988’s “Bird Wood Cage” included “Kansas”. 1991’s “Queer” included influence of sample-based hip-hop.

The band’s final album as a trio, 1995’s “Funky Little Demons”, was their last studio album. In 2020, “Unremembered Remembered”, a collection of unreleased recordings by Allen and Gray was released.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Update: Geir Jenssen has co-written two of the tracks on “Radiant Green”.

(Photo by Knut Åserud) Good news from Norway as the cult band Bel Canto will release an all new album on April 26th, called “Radiant Green“. “Radiant Green” comes after more than two decades of studio silence since their last album “Dorothy’s Victory” already dates from 2002.

“Radiant Green” will be out digitally and on CD and double vinyl. The material was mixed by Matias Tellez and Gilles Martin. For Martin it means his comeback after having produced the first 3 albums of the band, the last being “Shimmering, Warm & Bright” from 1992. Martin’s production helped establish Bel Canto’s distinctive sound in the early days.

Here’s a first teaser which the band released.

The band also released the cover artwork for the new album.

About Bel Canto

Bel Canto, originally a trio but now a duo, features Anneli Drecker as the lead vocalist and was initially under the Crammed Discs label.

The ensemble originated in Tromsø in 1985, established by Geir Jenssen (handling synthesizers and programming), Nils Johansen (playing synthesizer, violin, bass, and guitar), alongside vocalist Anneli Drecker. Their musical influences span a wide range, including Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), David Bowie, artists from 4AD, Clannad, Kate Bush, Laurie Anderson, David Sylvian, Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO), Ryuichi Sakamoto, Depeche Mode, and the Blue Nile.

In 1986, the trio relocated to Brussels, releasing their debut album, “White-Out Conditions,” through Crammed Discs a year later. Following their second album, “Birds of Passage” (1990), Jenssen departed to pursue a successful solo career as Biosphere, leaving Drecker and Johansen to achieve a commercial breakthrough with “Shimmering, Warm and Bright” in 1992. By this time, their music had transitioned from ethereal dream electropop to a synth-based pop sound enriched with world music elements.

Anneli Drecker occasionally paused her involvement with Bel Canto to focus on solo projects and collaborations with other artists and bands, including Röyksopp and a-ha, in addition to her work in film and theater. Nils Johansen, meanwhile, composed music for film and television and continued his involvement with his other band, Vajas.

In 2010, following a reunion concert in Oslo, Side-Line interviewed the original members, who revealed they were working on a new album, although tensions were apparent. Ultimately, Geir Jenssen left the band once more, and the project was left unfinished.

A previously unreleased track from 1988, “Flowerbeds,” surfaced in 2009 on the Norwegian compilation “Maskindans: Norsk synth 1980–1988,” released by Hommage Records. In 2017, Bel Canto graced the stage at Øyafestivalen in Oslo, delivering a performance that spanned their hits in a set lasting nearly an hour. During an interview, Drecker expressed the band’s enthusiasm for more live performances and the potential for new music.

In June 2022, Anneli Drecker and Nils Johansen shared news of their ongoing work on a forthcoming Bel Canto album.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

(Pictures via Audioglobe) Today marks the 30th anniversary of the Italian distributor Audioglobe. Audioglobe played and still plays a significant role in distributing niche genres, including goth, electro, and darkwave. By providing a platform for these genres and offering a worldwide distribution, they have helped keeping this scene, its labels and bands staying afloat whereas other distributors came and disappeared.

Audioglobe also plays a significant at Side-Line as the distributor is one of our most trusted sources to find out about new upcoming releases.

Before Audioglobe there was Contempo Records

Before starting Audioglobe, four of its five founders worked at Contempo Records, a famous music store in Florence, Italy, since the early 80s. Contempo was also a leading independent label and distributor in Italy from the mid/late 80s. They had contracts with artists like Clock DVA, Lassigue Bendthaus, Pankow, and others, and released albums by bands like Suicide and The Rose of Avalanche. They also distributed many albums for 4AD (and even manufactured the albums under license), featuring artists like Clan of Xymox and Dead Can Dance.

In 1993, a couple of Contempo employees, Nicola Vannini and another, noticed some serious problems at Contempo. They left to start a new music business venture: Audioglobe. Officially founded on December 6, 1993, in a small office on the outskirts of Florence, the team initially consisted of five people, including three founders and two employees. Two more ex-Contempo employees joined in 1994, just as Contempo closed down.

Audioglobe experienced 14 incredible years from 1993 to 2007, faced some tough times, and since 2020, “things have been great again!” So Sebastian Koch confirms in a mail sent out this morning.

Congratulations to the whole Audioglobe team!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

(Photo by Ashley Alvarez) Los Angeles-based darkwave artist Caress has announced details of her debut album “Night Call” and also releases the first single “Mortal Flaw” today. “Night Call” was written and produced by Caress and will be released on Negative Gain Productions November 24.

Caress explains the new single’s theme like this: “‘Mortal Flaw’ is a song about destruction. I was inspired musically by goth industrial and dark pop. It’s packed with a lusting obsession to destroy and danceable pulsating rhythms I hope people can enjoy.”

Listen to “Mortal Flaw” on YouTube.

About Caress

Caress is the solo darkwave electronic project from Tara Jane, inspired by dreamy vintage 4AD goth as well as more contemporary dark pop artists such as TR/ST, Kontravoid and Boy Harsher. Jane also fronts the LA-based shoegaze act Blood Candy and with Caress. Her solo-project focusses more on eighties dark wave, industrial and modern synth pop.

Talking about the album, Caress says: “For the album ‘Night Call’ I wanted to explore different themes of being drawn to the dark. Each song on the album explores a unique subject of interest: heartbroken love spells, cold city nights, obsession, destruction, vampires and my relationship with myself and experiences as a queer woman.”

Her solo work first got some attention during the pandemic with her rework of Patti Smith’s “Dancing Barefoot”.

“For the production, I used a variety of synths mainly my vintage 80’s Korg Poly-800 and Casio CZ-101 which created this cohesive sound. I wrote and recorded all of the songs in my old apartment called ‘The Dungeon’ where I had only one barred window in this little loft in Echo Park with these crazy high ceilings and my home studio was built underneath the loft bed where I tracked and recorded everything in this pretty confined space.”

And she adds: “I’ve always been drawn to darkness in multiple forms if it’s humor, aesthetic, interests and the album so reflection of that, so I wanted the compositions to be energetic, dark and tender but wrapped in this like cloak of mystery and sensuality which really resonates with my personality and the whole essence of Caress. So it’s exciting to share this whole goth party that’s the ‘Night Call’ album.”

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Out on December 15 are 3 vinyl reissues of the Lycia album “The Burning Circle and then Dust”. Each vinyl edition is limited to strictly 100 copies only on black, 200 on gold and 200 on neon orange triple vinyl, coming inside a deluxe tri-fold gatefold sleeve.

Apart from the vinyl the album also gets reissued regular double-CD digipak editon. The double-CD and also the vinyl versions contain all the original tracks.

“The Burning Circle and Then Dust” is Lycia’s fourth studio recording, originally released on double CD via Projekt Records in 1995. Save for a very small CD re-release in 2006 by Silber Records, the album has never been reissued since – and never before on vinyl.

Mike VanPortfleet himself commented: “After several years of doing more synth oriented material I wanted a return to my guitar roots (in particular English post punk and 4AD). Lycia started as a guitar based band and I wanted to reaffirm that with disc one, which was originally going to be the release. I was also listening to a lot of shoegaze then, which inspired a return of making the guitars, as opposed to the synths, the focal point of the atmospherics.”

The album also marked the first collaborations between Mike VanPortfleet & Lycia members David Galas & Tara Vanflower.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

(Photos from the personal archives of Jean-Marc Lederman) This article draws from various updates posted by Jean-Marc Lederman (The Weathermen, Kid Montana, Jules et Jim, Ghost & Writer, Lederman / De Meyer, Rohn-Lederman…) on his Facebook profile, which we’ve consolidated into a comprehensive piece. This compilation offers a profound understanding of the workings of the indie music industry during its ‘golden era’. Additionally, it provides specific insights into Mute Records, the label of Daniel Miller, as numerous individuals, including Fad Gadget, mentioned in this article have significant associations with the iconic UK label.

Digital Dance (1978-1979) / Daniel Miller

The year was 1979 and I had just quit, well I was sacked tbh, from Digital Dance , the first band I was in.

We were doing post punk/cold wave/new wave stuff and it was really exciting. I started doing bass with them on a..ARP 2600 whci I had bought working on building sites, yeah, far too much of an overkill I agree. We were rehearsing here and there but did a time at the famous Plan K where we supported Joy Division. Actually, that day I went to pick up Ian and Bernard Summers at the very seedy hotel they were in and I drove them to the gig.

They were laughing like kids, you know, young musicians being happy to play abroad. It was such a cold day, everyone was freezing and Ian even came close to Stefan Barbery (Digital Dance guitar player) who was close to an electric heater to tell him “Well, I guess this is why they call it Cold Wave…”

We also opened to Magazine and Fisher-Z and it was becoming too much of a routine for me: the Brussels band that does all the new wave support slots but hasn’t even got a decent recording contract…

Oh, we had one, and they made us record our very fast cover version of Kraftwerk’s “RadioActivity”. At the end of the session, they made me do some terrible sound effects, hoping to catch on the fad of the moment, and it just ruined the whole song. Tells you that if a thing sounds bad and contrived and cheesy on monday, still sounds the same the day after and 40 years later. Sorry Stefan, my fault.

Then Phil Wauquaire (whom I had met from Streets, the punk band he was in and I actually played with them live on a couple of songs with a…AKS, another overkill) joined us and I played synth with a Korg MS20 then with a Yamaha CS50M who weighted like half an olifant after a drinking binge.

Anyway, after a couple of gigs with Digital Dance at the Gibus in Paris, i was let go (which was fine, really). Two days later, I call Daniel Miller whom I had met in London a few months ago. Digital Dance had been foolish and crazy enough to believe that if you go to London you can pretty much be sure you’ll find a gig. All we did was rehearsing (below Beggar’s Banquet where I met Peter Kent from the future 4AD label) and waiting in our hotel off Kings Road. Anyway, we were trying to get Geoff Travis from Rough Trade to listen to our demo and he stopped it 20 seconds in and tell us: if you go to “Better Badges” now, you’ll see a man called Daniel Miller (from label MUTE RECORDS) and maybe he’ll like your stuff….

So, off we went to Better Badges and there we met Daniel, with a green basket full of The Normal badges.

Daniel and I hit directly like if it was an “International Conference Of Synths Fanatics”. I mean: synths weren’t as known or popular then as they were then. It was still a relatively rare sight on stage or in gigs or in bands that weren’t poppy or progrock. No, we’re talking new industrial scene in the UK: noisy and determined, not minimoogs played by long haired musos…

So, Daniel and I exchanged phone numbers and we traded letters and phone calls here and there. So, remember, I’m sacked from Digital Dance and I then realize that if I wanted to really go anywhere in music, Brussels isn’t the place to be and I must move to where things are happening. At that time, London was THE center of music in Europe and I decide that I want to try my luck and the two major chords I know there. I pick up the phone and call Daniel, asking him if he knew any musician that would be interested in moi ?

Yeah, I know someone, he’s on my label now, he’s looking for musicians, call him… His name is Frank Tovey….

Frank Tovey / Fad Gadget #1 (part 1)

The audition was simple: we didn’t even play a note or try to do a song, we just sat and drank coffee and laughed a lot. But there was no try-out, no keyboard or synths tickering… And that’s how Philippe Wauquaire and I became members of Fad Gadget #1 for a few months in 1980: a simple coffee cup meeting and an unmistakable good chemical feeling between us. Frank had played a few gigs on his own but wanted musicians around him so he could concentrate a bit more on being a little bit less concentrated if you know what I mean.

There was Frank: clever, astute, open, funny, with a lot of wit doubled with a good dose of sarcasm: totally my alley. But he knew what he wanted musically, there was no doubt about what he wanted to sound like. The plan was: rehearse at my place in Brussels, a first gig here, then play a few gigs as support for Deutsche Amerikanische Freundschaft in Germany and going to tour the UK as support for The Monochrome Set.

So, we start rehearsing in my attic: Frank on vocals, Pearl Syncussion and distorted electric piano, Phil on Fender bass and Korg MS 20 and myself on handling the cassette player (each song had its drums/rhythmic parts on a single cassette and I would feed the machine with a new cassette every song) and my 4 notes polyphonic, Yamaha CS 50M. Again, an overkill.

After a few hours of rehearsals, we have our first gig: support-act for Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark. We are all extremely nervous but the gig goes well: Frank doesn’t go into the mad behaviours he’s known for yet but you can see he’s holding up something big inside, something is boiling there. After the gig, we proceed to the German border and sleep in a motel there. In the morning, I’m being handed an envelope with my per diem (every day allowance a musician gets when on tour): it is the first time someone hands me money for doing something I love doing: playing music. I couldn’t believe it and I took a second piece of bacon and refilled my coffee cup. We are about to go to Dusseldorf to play The Ratinger Off as support for Deutsche Amerikanische Freundschaft.

Something started to happen at the Ratinger Hof: maybe it was the roughness of the place, the German lager (naaaaah) or the history of the place but this thing Frank had inside him but it slightly came out at that gig. See, there was an animal inside Frank, and that animal was as extrovert as Frank was introvert: Frank was then frontal and loud and, yes, obnoxious but in a gentle and friendly way but he wasn’t the shy Frank. In response to Frank’s changing live attitudes, Phil and I started to play loser and noisier and wilder (and there were far more bump notes on my part) but the band started to make sense.

The crowd wasn’t there for us, they were there for what would later become DAF, but the reaction was good and people liked us. I recall Frank and I going out in front of the place and that guy comes out dressed as a mod, full parka mode with a patch “Remember Brighton” which made Frank laughed a lot, people were out there with their beer and… Omg what am I saying: IT JUST FELT GREAT.

Deutsche Amerikanische Freundschaft at the time was a five piece band and they were fun and chaotic. You couldn’t miss Chris Haas, the synth guy, who was classy and special. He had a very specific body language when playing live: he would stand back, have a smile and just come here and there to play a few notes…He is the real grandfather of EBM as he introduced the famous 1/16th bass line (Korg MS 20 and SQ 10 sequencer) that will be the bone of so many records later on.

The morning after, we went out to the next gig. Daniel, Phil, Chris and myself embarked in my mum’s yellow Civic and we went down the motorway, singing loudly “Fahn Fahn Fahn Auf Der Autobahn” laughing and laughing… I guess Chris must have done that thousand of times before but, for Daniel, Phil and I it meant something different: we were doing it. We were travelling in Kraftwerk’s motherland and going to play electronic music there: it was immense.

We only played one more gig in Germany and then the whole tour was somehow cancelled… Roland Beelen: I saw the animal in Frank I guess a few months later at the Paasfestival in Koninfshooikt (organized by my friend Guy Vanwoensel) I was a stagehand there. Frank smashed a crucifix that was hanging above stage in the hall (parochiezaal)with his magic stick. The whole village was in shock when the news spread the next morning. The vicar organized a special service the next day to please the smashed fallen Christ ! they say he resurrected a few weeks later! All end, good end !

Frank Tovey / Fad Gadget 1980 (part 2)

Something had clicked in Frank after a few gigs: it’s like he had been showed by practice that it could work, that the songs were good, the voice was good but even more than that his FG personnae and ideas had an impact on the crowd. He would go out, do his thing, see people respond to his songs, lyrics and theatrics and then he would retrieve after the gig in the gentle and shy Frank Tovey. Phil and I were providing a background that wasn’t perfect but for Frank it was a great practice for FG future.

When we toured as support for The Monochrome Set, we were sometimes in fire and I could really feel people’s amazement at that born-to-be showman. He would play with the crowd and slowly take them into the show. Our sound might not have been very sophisticated but with Frank’s distorted piano, the CS50 brutal in and out sounds, Phil’s impeccable swirling bass, we were like The Stooges with synths and Frank was a perfect bionic Iggy Pop….I began to be very proud of us, we were quite something indeed and I was going on stage with a mission: to show people the songs and to let them fall in Frank’s performance.

I also remember that after the last show of the tour, possibly at the YMCA gig, one of the roadie came at the CS 50 and started to play some Bach’s prelude. I was stunned and shameful of the snobiness i may have shown the roadies on that tour, or before tbh. I learned a lesson that night and never again would I be feeling above anyone on a stage, or in studio, be them multiple charts success artists or simple roadie.

Something wild happened after our gig at the 100 club. Jock Mac Donalds (from the future Bollock Brothers) was very drunk and he started to look for a fight with us and being extremely aggressive, a bottle in his hand, waving it at us. Phil, FG’s bass player, was a karate black belt and he was looking very calm, coming closer to Jock inch by inch. Suddenly he jumped at Jock, put two fingers on his Adam’s apple and said with a slow voice: “OK, let’s kill”, his eyes deep into Mac Donald’s eyes.

The bottle instantly fell on the ground and the guy just ran out the club swearing loud and clear… Phil and I were sleeping at Daniel’s mom place for a few days and we were making music late at night. One of these nights, Daniel was on Phil’s MS 20, I was trying Daniel’s infamous Korg 700S (the one that was on TVOD and Warm Leatherette) and Phil was on the CS 50M but it was visibly too loud and too late as Daniel’s mum came down and asked us to PLEASE STOP !

Next gig to come was going to be the Clarendon, but we were told this would be our last gig with Frank as he wanted a full band behind him to totally free him from any other duties but vocals. I was devastated…

Frank Tovey / Fad Gadget #1 (part 3)

So, we were invited to headline Stevo’s kinda festival at the Clarendon, on June 27 1980. Stevo was a very colourful character who will make himself known later when managing bands like Soft Cell and The The. The bill was very symptomatic of the time: DAF, Naked Lunch, B.Movie, Vice Versa, Clock DVA,…

So, Fad Gadget #1 had started touring as a relative unknown a few months ago and we were by now talk of the town and headline this festival. It felt good and it felt also important and I was nervous. Everybody was. Frank had a song by Georges Folmby playing before we would go on. Folmby was a Lancarshire working class comedian and he was famous for playing double entendre ukulélé songs. It was a known and safe thing for British people and Frank used it as contrast as chaos would start when we would cut Folmby and go straight into “State Of The Nation” and follow that with most of what is on the album Fireside Favourites.

• State Of The Nation
• Back To Nature
• The Box
• Fireside Favourite
• Newsreel
• Pedestrian
• Coitus Interruptus
• Ricky’s Hand
• Back To Nature

Yes, Frank wanted shock and chaos, and he got that except that at the Clarendon it went a bit further than expected. During one of the early songs, Fad had already taken over Frank, he smashed up his face with one of the two Syncussion drums and it started pouring blood. Phil and I looked at him and he made us understand it was fine and let’s continue…So we continued until someone took Frank off stage as it was just like a fountain of blood by now. The gig was stopped.

We went backstage and Frank was adamant he was fine but Babra (his wife) disinfected the wound and placed a cloth on it. We went back on stage.

The crowd went MAD. Frank was standing there, his white clothes with red blood all over it, singing to the public that was all won. It was an incredible sight, and being on stage, playing the songs with a singer that went beyond the call of duty was something unexplainable. After the gig, we had to take the 5 am ferry. I was sitting on the stairs of the Clarendon and, yes, I was crying, letting all the tension, the fears of the gig off my system but also the sadness I felt after having lived some incredible times with
Frank, as synth player in Fad Gadget. I saw Frank playing with Fad Gadget #2 a few months later and he invited me to play in the encore: we were cool.

Still, I wasn’t done with London and would come back later…

Side-Line also covered Jean-Marc Lederman’s ‘Sci-Fi Revisited’.

About Fad Gadget

Frank Tovey (8 September 1956 – 3 April 2002), an English electronic musician and performance artist, recorded as Fad Gadget, becoming the first artist signed to Daniel Miller’s Mute Records after the two met at the Rough Trade shop in London. His recorded work combined synthesizers with found-object sounds and dark, comic lyrics. Studio albums as Fad Gadget include “Fireside Favourites” (1980), “Incontinent” (1981), “Under the Flag” (1982) and “Gag” (1984), after which he continued recording under his own name, releasing six further albums on Mute between 1985 and 1992. He died of a heart attack at his London home in 2002.

Belgian musician Jean-Marc Lederman played with Fad Gadget in the band’s touring lineup during the early-to-mid 1980s and has recounted memories of touring with Tovey, Daniel Miller and DAF’s Chrislo Haas in interviews, describing Tovey as bringing something unheard in electronic music at the time. Lederman has credited Daniel Miller and Fad Gadget’s early-1980s touring band, including Chrislo Haas of DAF, as formative to his own career.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The Breath of Life was formed in 1985 and the band immediately stood out thanks to a creative originality, as a result they are the best known cold wave gothic rock band from Belgium. The band has now signed to the brand new post-punk label Spleen+ (division of Alfa Matrix) where they will be releasing their 11th album.

A first excerpt in the format of a 3-track EP is out now via Bandcamp (and all other platforms): “Down We Go”. The EP evokes good old ethereal moments from the 4AD cult years merged with their classic darkwave roots. Also added to this 3-track release is the band’s take on The Cure’s “The Lovecats” which got turned into a much darker version. As 3rd track you get a more electronic song which is their very own reinterpretation of Implant’s “The Last Record” featuring Len Lemeire himself on backing vocals.

Anno 2023, The Breath Of Life are Isabelle Dekeyser (vocals), Philippe Mauroy (guitar, drums programming), Giovanni Bortolin (violin, keyboards), Didier Czepczyk (bass).

Below is the video for “The Lovecats”.

About The Breath Of Life

The group was formed in 1985 in Gembloux when Isabelle Dekeyser (vocals), Philippe Mauroy (guitar), and Benoît Sokay (bass) first met. In 1990, with the addition of Giovanni Bortolin (keyboards & violin – formerly of Jo Lemaire + Flouze) and the decision to incorporate a drum machine, the group independently produced a 10-track cassette. In 1991, the band embarked on a tour in Czechoslovakia, followed by another tour the following year, which is reflected in their debut CD “Live in Praha 92”.

That same year, they released their first studio album “Painful Insanity,” recorded by Gilles Martin, a renowned producer of Coldwave (Minimal Compact, Tuxedomoon, Anna Domino, Colin Newman, Malaria, The Names, Indochine). 1993 marked their breakthrough with the release of “Taste of Sorrow,” also produced by Martin, featuring the title track “Nasty Cloud,” which became a gothic classic.

In 1995, the band released “Lost Children,” showcasing a more ethereal wave style. They subsequently signed with Hall of Sermon for their next album, “Sweet Party,” which came out in 1997 and marked a shift towards a more pop and electronic sound. In 2000, they released “Silver Drops,” once again with Martin at the mixing desk. The album combined melancholic pop with elements of trip hop. Shortly after, Mauroy departed the band, and Didier Czepczyk took over on guitars.

With the albums “Everlasting Souls” (2005) and “Whispering Fields” (2012), the band returned to their gothic roots and introduced a real drummer, Marc Haerden. Benoît Sokay, the bassist since the band’s inception, left in 2014, and in January 2015, Philippe Mauroy rejoined the band, almost 15 years after his departure.

In May 2017, the album “Under The Falling Stars” was released, marking the return of Gilles Martin as the producer. In 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and while Belgium was still under lockdown, the band decided to record their 10th album. Each member recorded their respective parts at home and shared the files using WeTransfer. However, when COVID-19 restrictions allowed, two band members traveled to France and met with Gilles Martin for the final mixing process. The resulting album, titled “Spark Around Us,” was released in November 2020.

During the lockdown in Belgium, the band recorded three cover songs: “Winning” by The Sound, “Ashes To Ashes” by David Bowie, and “Inner Station” by Minimal Compact. These covers were exclusively released on Bandcamp. In 2022, they were approached by the Belgian record label Alfa Matrix for various compilation projects. The band was asked to cover a song from the Belgian electro project Implant, a song from the electro-pop band Psy’Aviah, and a song from the Italian project Imjudas.

As one thing led to another, the band was soon approached to join Alfa Matrix’s post-punk sublabel, Spleen+.

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

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Here’s an odd duck on COP International label: the Fort Worth, Texas based act G.W. Childs IV. This project delivers electro country or synthwave with a disco falsetto actually. Behind the buttons we also notice John Fryer (Depeche Mode/NIN/Yazoo) and Rodney Orpheus (The Cassandra Complex).

The 7-track EP will be out next Friday (7th of April) on Bandcamp Day and features 2 original tracks (“You don’t know” and “Infinitely You”) plus “Tarrrant County” remixed by Rodney Orpheus / Cassandra Complex, DJ Joe Virus / Solemn Assembly, Josh Pyle (Aphorism), Ashes Fallen and one by by G.W. Childs IV itself.

You can already check the title track itself.

Here’s the previous single of the project, the 5-track EP “Tarrant County”.

Christian from COP International comments: “When John Fryer send me the first track I was blown away. We both had discussed the direction we expected COP to go for but this was something else entirely. Or was it? John always finds the emotional core in a track and brings it to the surface. But he also helped GW rediscover his roots and embrace them at the same time – what a beautiful gift. With his new band everything that has shaped GW is coming together. He grew up on a ranch among farmhands and livestock. He joined the Army and they took him all over the globe. His Passion for music brought him to California and gave him the opportunity to work for Lucas Arts as a sound designer. His love for his family brought him back home to Texas. GW Childs IV “Tarrant County” is the sum of all these experiences. GW Childs IV and COP have been working together for 20 years (GW was half of the storied Dark Wave Band Soil and Eclipse). But I feel that his new band is the first time we see the real person behind the music. It combines his early love for 4AD, the great balladeers of historic country music and his love for catchy melodies.”

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The new Italian outfit My Absence By Now is premiering its very first video, today on Side-Line for the track “Behind” taken from the album “Bliss” which will be released on March 24.

Besides dark synth you can easily label their music as a blend between dream pop, some post-punk and a sound that reminds us very much of This Mortal Coil and related 4AD acts.

The project itself is the brainchild of Italian musician Emiliano Santoro, who is mainly known for his work as founder of doom/atmospheric post black metal/post rock Dead Summer Society and dark ambient Last Winter I Died. With this new project he is experimenting with new sounds which in his own words “result in an exemplary mix of dark synth that drags the listener’s feelings into a world where darkness contests the existence of the last faded sunbeams.”

For this project Santoro is joined by guest singers Graziana Oddo (Elektrovice, ex-Retina) and Andrea Maggioni (Icidar, The Harrowing Yearning and Astral Emptiness).

A band to keep an eye on as they are offering a really refreshing approach and this thanks to the union of 3 talented musicians.

Today we exclusively present you the track “Behind”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Genre/Influences: Dark-Wave, Wave-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD, Cassette.

Background/Info: Alexander Leonard Donat has accomplished an impressive number of works under the Vlimmer moniker during the past years. He first released the massive 18-part EP-series in between 2015 and 2020 while he unleashed the debut album “Nebenkörper” in 2021. This new opus was released by the end of 2022 and features eleven new songs.

Content: Vlimmer remains faithful to its roots and influences -which are mainly driven by Dark-Wave music and German vocals, but “Menschenleere” sounds more diversified. There are a few more elements mixed in the writing which are globally speaking more Electronic. Other passages are reminding me legendary bands from the 4AD roster.

+ + + : Alexander Donat clearly is an accomplished musician. The songs are well-crafted and elaborated. The album features noticeable melody lines but I also enjoyed icier sound treatments and bombastic arrangements. The songs have been recovered with a very explicit, dark, atmosphere. Last but not least this artist also is a passionate vocalist.

– – – : The album is missing a bit more power which makes the difference with the debut album.

Conclusion: Vlimmer remains an extremely prolific artist however never totally repeating himself.

Best songs: “Erdgeruch”, “Fatigo”, “Menschenleere”.

Rate: 7.

Artist: www.facebook.com/VlimmerMusic

Label: www.facebook.com/Blackjack.Illuminist

Listen to “Menschenleere”:

About Vlimmer

Vlimmer is the shoegaze/darkwave project of Berlin-based producer Alexander Leonard Donat. The project began with an 18-part EP series released between 2015 and 2020, before moving toward post-punk on the debut album “Nebenkörper” in 2021, which added industrial and noise rock elements. “Menschenleere” followed in 2022 with a more catchy, dancefloor-related style, released on Blackjack Illuminist Records. Vlimmer returned in 2023 with the third album, “Zerschöpfung”, also reviewed on Side-Line.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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“Fair Winds”, a Black Needle Noise track originally written to be the theme song for a TV show about the history of the Isle Of Man is out now. John Fryer adds: “Unfortunately it has been put on the back burner because of Covid. Hopefully, this will happen down the line, but I decided to release this piece in the meantime.”

The record features two other musicians: female vocalist Ruby Friedman and Colin McGuinness (live musician for Japan amongst many other acts).

John Fryer started his career in 1979 at London’s Blackwing Studios (London) and soon began working with seminal bands on 4AD, Mute, Rough Trade, and Beggars Banquet, including Depeche Mode, The Wolfgang Press, and Cocteau Twins. His work led Watts-Russell to recruit Fryer as his partner for This Mortal Coil. Currently, Fryer works closely with COP International and its roster and this is the label debut release for Black Needle Noise on COP International.

You can get the 4-track single right now from Bandcamp.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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“Pale Awakening” is the debut album by The Frozen Autumn, which originally saw the light in 1995 following the demotape “Oblivion” and various live gigs in Italy and abroad. These led to the CD release of this concept album inspired by the sound of 4AD and Projekt Records.

The original album held 10 tracks but now 27 years later after the first edition, Avantgarde Music re-releases “Pale Awakening” in two collectible formats: a 12 “colored double vinyl in a gatefold cover with lyrics, and a digipak CD with booklet containing pictures, verses and two bonus tracks: “This Time (Electro Mix)” and “Bio Vital”.

Here is the album on Spotify.

About The Frozen Autumn

The Frozen Autumn is an Italian darkwave band, formed in May 1993. The Frozen Autumn started as the solo project of Diego Merletto, founded after several years of involvement with various darkwave groups in Turin. The singer, keyboardist and synth programmer was joined by guitarist Claudio Brosio during early studio sessions and live performances.

In 1995 the first album, “Pale Awakening”, was released under the German Weisser Herbst Produktion label followed in 1997 by “Fragments of Memories”, this time released via the Milan-based label Eibon Records.

In 1998, Merletto co-founded a side-project called “Static Movement” with Arianna, who provided guest vocals on the title-track from “Fragments of Memories”. The duo composed together for six months and in March 1999 the album “Visionary Landscapes” was released. The partnership proved so fruitful that Arianna became a permanent member in The Frozen Autumn line-up, Static Movement remaining their ‘concept research project’.

The Frozen Autumn’s third album, “Emotional Screening Device”, was released in April 2002. They left Eibon Records in 2003. “Is Anybody There?” was released in September 2005 by the Argentinean label Twilight Records and the German label Pandaimonium through Xymox Control.

At the end of 2010, a new 10″ single, “Rallentears”, was released on their new label Calembour Records, as a forerunner of their next album, “Chirality”, which was released in November 2011. A new EP titled “Lie in Wait” was released in December 2014, again by Calembour Records and this was followed in 2015 by a “best of” compilation vinyl, “Time Is Just a Memory”, on Dark Entries Records. The band’s latest album “The Fellow Traveller” was released on November 3, 2017 by Echozone/Soulfood and Metropolis Records.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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On Friday 26th and Saturday 27th August, the biggest gothic gathering in Central Europe will return to Prague. It will feature 11 bands (including scene mainstays Christian Death and The Frozen Autumn or contemporary cults Kælan Mikla or Minuit Machine), DJs and the traditional gothic picnic.

In a message to Side-Line the organisation says the following: “Who would have thought seventeen years ago that Prague Gothic Treffen would one day grow into the biggest event of its kind in Central Europe? That it would host the very bands we then used to play from Winamp for a few gothic enthusiasts with religious reverence. But it did. In fact, PGT started attracting so many people that after a few years it is moving from our beloved Futurum to a bigger club.“

In the two inter-connected venues, Fuchs 2 and Bike Jesus, you will be able to enjoy two concurrent stages covering everything from traditional goth to the hottest trends in the dark scene in terms of genre.

Tickets are available right here, you sign up to the Facebook event page right here.

The top 4 artists

The most recognizable name at this year’s PGT is Christian Death, the Apostles of deathrock defined the genre in the early 80s on the iconic albums “Only Theatre of Pain” and “Catastrophe Ballet”. The band continued on even after Rozz Williams left this world and Valor Kand took over the reins of the band. They will return to Prague six years after their excellent concert at Chmelnice.

The Italian The Frozen Autumn are the darkwave ambassadors. Originally a solo project of Diego Merletto the band was inspired by the European cold wave and bands of the iconic 4AD label. The duo perform very rarely, plus their concert at Prague Gothic Treffen will also be their Czech premiere.

The Icelandic women trio Kælan Mikla bring a unique and hard-to-define Nordic atmosphere  enhanced by abstract lyrics in Icelandic. Expect elements of post-punk, synthpunk, cold wave, ethereal to darkwave. The band recently released their fifth full-length album “Undir Köldum Norðurljósum”.

Rounding out the top four names on this year’s line-up is the French duo Minuit Machine who will bring their typical contemporary dark electronica.

And also…

The EBM side of things will be covered by the Swedish band Wulfband. The band will come to Prague for the first time. Another Czech premiere will be the performance of German goth rockers Wisborg and the Slovak deathrock act The Last Days Of Jesus. The Polish subculture will be represented by the dark electronic trio Her Own World and will present their current EP “This Fire”. From Ecuador comes Naturata Brutalismus mixing coldwave atmosphere with deathrock guitars and Spanish sung lyrics. More coldwave, postpunk and new wave will come from the Munich trio Paar. The Czech scene is also present thanks to the electronic act Isiolia.

DJ boots and more

After the live shows on both stages, the afterparties will commence with foreign and Czech DJs, spinning everything from classic goth/deathrock through dark/new wave and post-punk to various forms of dark electronica. The traditional Saturday afternoon gothic picnic is also an integral part of the PGT and a neat tradition – an ideal opportunity to meet and chat with other event visitors from all corners of Europe and tune in to the evening club scene. 

Here’s the video trailer for the event.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Out now is the all new album “Aerial Human” by Sapphira Vee. This is already the 5th album by Sapphira Vee and her second release on the Distortion Productions label. You can expect a darkwave / trip-hop sound evoking 4AD acts like Lush . You will equally hear EBM touches recalling classic Chris & Cosey on for instance the first single “What Is This”.

For the album Sapphira joined forces with Houston hip-hop artist Pee Wee P on “Fools”, Blue Eyed Christ’s John Norten on “Let the Arrow Break”, and Veronica Tam on the opening “White Aura” which was written by Jean-Marc Ledermen of The Weathermen. Also included are the three original tracks from last year’s “Duet” EP, featuring Chris Connelly (Ministry / Pigface / Revolting Cocks / Cocksure, etc.), Mike Reidy (W.O.R.M. / The Joy Thieves /Dogtablet), and Jim Semonik (Jimmy Semtex / Red Lokust / Rein(Forced) / creator of Electronic Saviors). In addition, Roger Ebner (Roger Ebner Band / Bitter Elixir / Yeti Rain) played the saxophone on “This Gift Was Not Meant For Me”.

New York native Sapphira Vee has been active since 2018.

You can check out the full album right below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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David J’s latest album, “What The Patrons Heard”, will be a storied collection of originals and covers recorded over the timespan of 34 years. These 10 songs were originally only available digitally to David J’s Patreon subscribers.

The founding member of Bauhaus was one of the first of Bauhaus’ members to actively release music outside of the band. He went on to put out solo work and collaborations with various authors, poets and indies such as 4AD. In 1985, David regrouped with two former Bauhaus members to form Love and Rockets.

“What The Patrons Heard” includes a rendition of Neil Young’s “Vampire Blues”, the John Lennon classic “Gimme Some Truth” and the folk punk track “Lay Over And Lay” plus 7 other tracks.

The release will be available as download, on CD and on vinyl, a limited numbered edition snow white vinyl that is. The CD and digital formats will be available worldwide on March 25th, 2022 with the vinyl shipping as soon as it becomes available.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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To be released March 18, 2022 via COP International Records is Stabbing Westward’s first new album, in 20 years: “Chasing Ghosts”. The release is produced by John Fryer, who was also a collaborator on the band’s best-selling early releases. The album will hold 10 tracks that have the industrial rock band’s characteristic sound with a modern touch that picks up right where they left off.

But right now you can alrready enjoy the band’s newest single “I Am Nothing” and its lyric video. Note there is also a limited edition physical copy of the single.

A number of limited-edition physical copies for “I Am Nothing” are available for sale on Bandcamp.

Back with a winning team

“Chasing Ghosts” will feature brand-new songs as well as re-workings of the band’s 2020 reunion EP “Dead And Gone” that finds original founding members Christopher Hall (vocals/guitar) and Walter Flakus (keyboards/programming) working together with legendary producer John Fryer. Fryer, whose production credits include Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, 4AD, Cocteau Twins and Love and Rockets, originally worked with Stabbing Westward on their best-selling early releases “Ungod” (1994) and “Wither Blister Burn + Peel” (1996).

“Chasing Ghosts” was mastered by Tom Baker who, like Fryer, worked with Stabbing Westward on their early releases and is part of the reassembled production team on the latest album. The current Stabbing Westward band lineup includes Carlton Bost (guitars and programming) and Bobby Amaro (drums).

Presales for “Chasing Ghosts” will begin in early January. The album, featuring artwork by David Seidman (an artist who has also worked with Coheed And Cambria and is known for his ethereal and surrealistic imagery) will be available in digital, CD and vinyl formats, with full details and exclusive, limited-edition merch to be announced soon.

Stay tuned for more news!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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COP International has announced the signing of the Dutch band Vaselyne. The duo came recommended by John Fryer who had worked with Yvette Winkler on a Black Needle Noise release.

“Waiting to Exhale” is the first single taken from Vaselyne’s upcoming album to be released in 2022. The video for the single, which you view below, was shot by dutch filmmaker Dorothée Meddens.

Through Pieter Nooten Winkler came into contact with Frank Weyzig who was Clan of Xymox’ original guitarist. They decided to write music together and Vaselyne was born in 2011. As well as being Vaselyne’s singer and lyricist, Yvette does guest vocals and lyrics.

Vaselyne has so far released four albums/EPs on the German label Echozone: the “Earthbound” EP (2012), their full-length debut album “The Fire Within” (2013), the “In Dreams” EP (2015) and the “Fragile” EP (2016). In the spring of 2018, after a two-year hiatus, Frank and Yvette Winkler picked up things where they left and Vaselyne contributed to the Textbeak (Michael Szewczyk) album, “Sick for Songs a Season Eats”, produced by John Fryer.

About Yvette Winkler

Yvette Winkler is a Dutch singer/lyricist and artist. After being a nightclub singer in her teens performing covers with a tape, she formed her first band Dazzle & Delight. In the following years, she did musical theatre, recorded with Orphan Amp and co-founded Sea Of Souls.

After meeting Pieter Nooten of Clan of Xymox on Myspace, she started a collaboration for his album “Here is Why” for which she did lead, backing vocals, and wrote lyrics.

She has collaborated with Textbeak, John Fryer’s Black Needle Noise, IAMTHESHADOW, Junksista, Jean-Marc Lederman and Attrition.

About Frank Weyzig

Weyzig started his music career in 1985 with the Dutch electronic wave band Clan of Xymox when they were signed with the English independent label 4AD, which released their first album, “Clan of Xymox” that year. Weyzig played guitar and keyboards on the first album and performed with the band on stage as a live guitarist and keyboard player until 1990.

From 1995 until 1999 he played as vocalist and guitarist with Dutch indie-wave band Born For Bliss which you will surely remember from the track “Arabia” (released via Nuclear Blast / Death Wish Office).

In 1998 German Goth rock legends ‘Love Like Blood’ asked Frank to write a song for their “Snake Killer” album, “Ylene”.

In 2009 Frank co-wrote and produced the album “Spiders in the MindWeb” for White Rose Transmission, the band founded by Carlo van Putten (at that time vocalist of The Convent; later the singer of Dead Guitars) and the late Adrian Borland (frontman of English 80’s cult band The Sound). Other notable endeavors include the StarGazing Project with Remco Helbers and The White Rose Transmission live album “Spinning Webs at Night”.

In 2020, Frank started to work with Kelly Cook (ex-MOEV) on their new project Tearing The BlackBox. So far, TTBB released two EP singles; “Devil World” and “Breathe”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The Detroit based synthpop duo Shoestrings finally return after a very long break (24 years!) and launch the all new synthpop single “Gone”. The duo has also announced a new album, “Expectations”, to be released via the Shelflife label. The first single, “Gone”, is also the opening track to the album.

The band’s second album will be available from November 5th on, on CD and digital formats. The LP vinyl will be co-released with Discos de Kirlian (Europe) and Fastcut Records (Asia), and will be available in early 2022.

Check out the video for “Gone” right below.

About Shoestrings

Shoestrings is Mario and Rose Suau. In the early 90s, both played supporting roles in a mutual friend’s somber, 4AD-leaning band. The duo debuted with a 7” single “Some Things Never Change” in 1994, several contributions to indie compilation albums, and a full-length debut album, “Wishing On Planes” (1997), on Le Grand Magistery (US) and Flavour of Sound (Japan).

In the early 2000s, the band wanted to evolve their naïve, homespun sound to feel more consistent and sophisticated overall. Rather than immediately release a pastiche follow-up album, the pair shifted focus to progressing their engineering and production skills as they had reached the limit with their analog 8-track.

By 2011, under the moniker Invisible Twin, they started remixing tracks for Acid House Kings, Alpaca Sports, Red Sleeping Beauty, and Dylan Mondegreen. In 2015, longtime friend, Johan Angergård (Acid House Kings, Club 8, The Legends), asked Rose to contribute lyrics and vocals for the synthpop project, Djustin. From Stockholm, Johan composed and offered up tracks. From Detroit, Rose wrote lyrics and sang vocals, while Mario engineered the recordings. And it seems that collaboration ignited the spark to restart Shoestrings. As soon as the production of Djustin was wrapped, Mario and Rose began writing new material.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Dutch darkwave duo Vaselyne has just unveiled their new digital maxi-single for the track, “Waiting To Exhale”, a ballad. “Waiting To Exhale” – which is available here on Bandcamp – tells a story of breaking free from whatever is holding you back. Moving on, transforming into someone or something new. Whether that’s a unhealthy relationship, not being able to be your true self, the listener is invited to decide what that means to them.

The video sees Yvette Winkler walking through forests and dunes, a heavy cape trailing behind her. Winkler comments: “Carrying the weight on my shoulders whilst I walk towards the sea. Morphing into a butterfly. But do I transform or disappear?”

About Vaselyne

Vaselyne consists of singer Yvette Winkler and musician Frank Weyzig who formed the band in the spring of 2011. While Yvette Winkler was co-founder of the Dutch band Sea of Souls (2006) and her contribution to Pieter Nooten’s latest album, “Here is Why” (2010), you might also know here from the Black Needle Noise track “Gone” on which she sung.

We don’t really have to introduce Frank Weyzig we would think. He started his music career with Dutch electronic wave legend Clan of Xymox from way back at the time they were signed with the infamous English 4AD label in the mid-eighties.

Together the duo so far released 4 albums on the German Echozone label: “Earthbound” EP (2012), their full length debut album “The Fire Within” (2013), “In Dreams” EP (2015) and “Fragile” EP (2016). In the spring of 2018, after a two year hiatus, the band picked up things where they left and they contributed to the new Textbeak (Michael Szewczyk) album, “Sick for Songs a Season Eats”, produced by John Fryer.

The video for “Waiting to Exhale” was created by Dutch filmmaker Dorothée Meddens. In 2021 a full album will also see the light of day. The new album includes collaborations with Lynette Cerezo from Bestial Mouths, Searmanas, John Fryer (Black Needle Noise, NIN, Prayers, This Mortal Coil and HIM) and Michael Aliani from Chiron/Ikon. And if all goes well, the duo will hit the road again in 2021 with a new live band.

Below is the video for “Waiting to Exhale”.

You can download the full maxi-single below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Exactly a year after “Spider On The Wall”, goth rock band Clan of Xymox returns with a new album’ “Limbo”. As 2020 saw the world shut down, and Clan of Xymox was unable to tour, the band began writing and recording new material, influenced by the pandemic.

And that theme is indeed omnipresent on the 12-track release with tracks such as “Lockdown”, “Big Brother”, “The Great Reset”, “The Great Depression”, “How Long”, … Not exactly a hopeful album we must say, on the contrary.

You can check the release out below.

About Clan of Xymox

Clan of Xymox, also known as simply Xymox, are a Dutch goth rock band formed in 1981. Clan of Xymox started out as a trio of songwriters – Ronny Moorings, Anka Wolbert, and Pieter Nooten – and gained success in the 1980s, releasing their first two albums on 4AD, before releasing their third and fourth albums on Wing Records and scoring a hit single in the United States.

Their 1980s releases included synthpop/electronic dance music. The band is still active with Moorings as the sole remaining original songwriter.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Out on July 16th is the all new album by the Dutch goth act Clan Of Xymox. “Limbo” will be out via Trisol and count 12 tracks of which 2 can already be listened to below.

“Limbo” is the follow-up to last year’s “Spider on the Wall”.

Clan of Xymox, also known as simply Xymox, are a Dutch goth band formed in 1981. Clan of Xymox featured a trio of songwriters – Ronny Moorings, Anka Wolbert, and Pieter Nooten – and gained success in the 1980s, releasing their first two albums on 4AD, before releasing their third and fourth albums on Wing Records and scoring a hit single in the United States.

The rest is history. Below are already 2 new videos.

“Brave New World”

“Lockdown” Read the review of ‘Limbo’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(Courtesy Attasalina) Black Needle Noise’s first release on COP International Records is a fact. Out now is a new single “Machine” featuring vocalist Attasalina and violinist Meredith Yayanos. The “Machine” EP features remixes from Christopher Hall (Stabbing Westward), Mark Hockings (Mesh/Blackcarburning), Sick Jokes, Soman and (London DJ) Samantha Togni.

Says Fryer of “Machine”: “It’s taken a while to find the right song for Attasalina so we could collaborate again. She did an amazing job on ‘Messages By Dreams’ and she has done an exceptional job on ‘Machine.’ It’s always a pleasure working with Attasalina, and it’s been great having Meredith Yayanos on board this time around playing violin on the track, adding another dimension.”

Attasalina, best known for her collaboration with Daniel Ash (The Soldiers of Everyday), has also released music with her band The Seraphim Rising and is currently working on her first solo record in collaboration with John Fryer, to be called Freed From Rage and Sorrow. She previously collaborated with Fryer on the Black Needle Noise track “Messages By Dreams.”

See the video for “Machine” below.

About John Fryer

John Fryer started his career in 1979 at London’s Blackwing Studios (London) and soon began working with seminal bands on 4AD, Mute, Rough Trade and Beggars Banquet, including Depeche Mode, The Wolfgang Press and Cocteau Twins. His achievement in helping develop the latter’s pioneering ethereal and ambient sound ultimately led Watts-Russell to recruit Fryer as his partner for This Mortal Coil.

Since then, Fryer has produced many iconic artists, including Love and Rockets, HIM, Cradle of Filth, Clan of Xymox, Nitzer Ebb, Dead Can Dance, Yaz (Yazoo), Xmal Deutschland, Fields of the Nephilim, De/Vision, Stabbing Westward and many others. Fryer has also produced many film soundtracks, such as Seven, Clerks, Johnny Mnemonic, Mortal Kombat, Faust and Resident Evil: Apocalypse.

Currently Fryer also works closely with COP International and its roster and this debut Black Needle Noise release on the label is being hailed by COP founder Christian Petke who says, “I know how much this project means to John and I think it represents some of his finest work. Black Needle Noise is his vehicle to execute his artistic visions. It is not bound by style or fashion but represents the distilled essence of a man honing his craft for 40-plus years. To say it is an honor to represent Black Needle Noise on COP International is an understatement.”

Fryer recently celebrated a #1 entry on the German DAC Charts with the Chiasm & John Fryer album “Missed The Noise”. Good to know, Fryer acts as an A&R and a producer at COP International Records, helming the work of artists such as Stabbing Westward, Azam Ali, Chiasm, Stoneburner, Blackcarburning and more.

For more on John Fryer, see A Cloud Of Ravens release remix EP feat. remixes by Clan of Xymox,… on Side-Line.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Genre/Influences: Cold-wave, dream-pop.

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Format: Digital, CD, Cassette.

Background/Info: German artist –and label owner) Alexander Donat took off in November 2015 releasing a conceptual work of eighteen (!) EP’s about a young, damaged man in search of his own identity. This new EP is the sixteenth chapter in the series and features five new songs by Vlimmer.

Content: I’m used to saying Vlimmer moves into another direction –or at least integrates new influences, on each new EP. The common sound remains pretty dark/cold-wave like and definitely driven by the 80s. “XIIIIII” is for sure one of the darkest and maybe most tormented works I’ve heard in the series. It reminds me sometimes of the legendary records from 4AD –which comes mainly through at “Lebenswert”, but the work also reminds the legendary ‘Deutsche Neue Welle’.

+ + + : This EP is without a shadow of a doubt, one of my favorite from Vlimmer. The songs are diversified, but always touching ground with the 80s. They’re recovered with sadness and melancholia, the guitar playing awakening emotions by the listener, but I also like the more mysterious sounding “Taubheit” and the somewhat harder, last song “Kopfkante”.

– – – : I’m still convinced what Vlimmer is only missing to get a wider recognition is a ‘hit’-song! This EP features cool tracks, but not that kind of hit you’ll keep in mind.

Conclusion: This is for sure the right EP to get more familiar with the work of Vlimmer –and maybe inciting you to purchase the entire records from this conceptual series. Vlimmer never stops composing and taking me by surprise.

Best songs: “Taubheit”, “Kopfkante”, “Perplexität”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/VlimmerMusic

Label: www.facebook.com/Blackjack.Illuminist

About Vlimmer

Vlimmer is the shoegaze/darkwave project of German artist and label owner Alexander Leonard Donat, launched in November 2015 with a conceptual series of eighteen EPs about a young, damaged man in search of his own identity. “XIIIIII”, released through Blackjack Illuminist Records, is the sixteenth chapter, followed the same day by the seventeenth, “XIIIIIII”.

After completing the 18-EP series in 2020, Donat took Vlimmer into a post-punk direction with the debut album “Nebenkörper” (2021), followed by “Menschenleere” (2022) and “Zerschöpfung” (2023).

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Metroland’s ’Passenger S’ is back on track unleashing the third single/EP from his debut album “The Colour Temperature”. It in fact consists of 2 separate productions, a single plus an EP; “Chromium” featuring two songs and “Platinum” featuring three tracks. Notice by the way “Incandescent” will also be released as a limited 7” entitled “Tantalum”.

Content: There clearly is a very strong connection between the music of Metroland and 808 Dot.Pop, but this solo-project has something more melodic and ‘refreshing’. The “Chromium”-single brings a kind of ‘radio-edit’ from the “Incandescent”-song, which is characterized by bleeping sequences, robotic female vocals and a danceable cadence. The B-side song is a new cut entitled “Metal Halide” on, which you’ll rediscover deep-resonating bass lines and the typical ‘Kraftwerk-ian pop’ music.

The “Platinum”-EP features extended edits of “Incandescent” and “Metal Halide” plus the previously unreleased “Seeing Heat”, which sounds a bit more into minimalism.

+ + + : “Incandescent” was not my favorite song from the album and yet it’s a cool cut revealing the typical robotic pop music of the Belgian project. I like the sound treatments and deep bass vibrations, which are mainly emerging at “Metal Halide”. “Seeing Heat” is another nice surprise and I especially like this track for its minimalism. So in the end I would say both productions feature a cool title track (I’ve a preference for the ‘radio edit’) and a cool B-side cut while “Seeing Heat” definitely sounds like a song to discover.

– – – : You like it or not, but I’m not a huge fan of endless remixes and alternative edits. Passenger S however remains a huge fan and follower of the old 4AD formula.

Conclusion: This production(s) is a cool way to get back to the debut album of 808 Dot.Pop. It’s not my favorite maxi from the list although a fully enjoyable one.

Best songs: “Incandescent – Chromium”, “Seeing Heat”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/808dotpop

Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix

About 808 Dot.Pop

808 Dot.Pop is the solo electropop project of Metroland‘s Rene Andries, active under the “Passenger S” alias. The project debuted in 2019 with the singles “Jingle Pop” and “Blackbodies (Pulsation)”, ahead of the 2020 debut album “The Colour Temperature” on Alfa Matrix. Its singles have followed a radio-frequency naming scheme, from “Kelvin (4200)” and “Incandescent (Chromium)” in 2020 through a run of AM/FM/MW-titled releases in 2023. 808 Dot.Pop also released the albums “The Cubic Temperature” (2021) and “Suncatcher” (2022).

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

“Pathways and Dawns”, the debut solo album from Peter Ulrich sees a re-release on vinyl via Infinite Fog. It’s the first vinyl edition of Peter Ulrich’s debut. Widely known for his past work as drummer/percussionist with legendary Dead Can Dance and contributor to 4AD’s This Mortal Coil, Ulrich here offered driving rhythms and meditative ritual patterns of percussion.

Also included was guitar-work, arrangement and production from Dead Can Dance mastermind Brendan Perry.

The album was recorded in two parts, the first in England in 1990, and the second after a long time break in 1996-97, by Brendan Perry at Dead Can Dance’s Quivvy Church studio in Ireland. The album was released on CD in 1999 on Projekt.

For this vinyl edition the tracks were mastered from the original master takes by Martin Bowes (Attrition).

When it was first released, Side-Line’s reviewer Deranged Psyche wrote this about it: “His first album is a remarkable piece moving on the edge between ethnic and medieval art pop music.”

For those wanting to listen to it on Spotify, the album is not available there.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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NNHMN (Non Human) is a Polish duo featuring Lee -who was active as an actress in city theatre, and Michal -who was a techno DJ. After a while they started to live- and collaborate together, which artistic wise resulted in strange projects. NNHMN is one among them and the least I can say is that I discovered a minimal-, sexy electro-wave sound. The album “Church Of No Religion” and the mini-album “Shadow In The Dark” (both available via Zoharum) both are masterpieces if you like this kind of music, but especially if you’re in search of a creative electronic exposure. I talked about it with both protagonists.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: You’re based in Berlin, which for numerous artists remains a kind of ‘sonic Mecca’. What makes this city, his clubs and nightlife, but still his scene and all the artists maybe special for you? And do you feel a kind of impact from the place you live upon your music?

Lee: Well, yeah at the beginning it was very overwhelming actually, we moved out from Poland running away from growing religious and political estrangement and Berlin was a natural choice. When we landed here I felt overwhelmed being suddenly surrounded by all the freedom, creativity, variety and richness of culture. It took me quite a few years to be back myself. I took it and ate it and now I am free again to do something because it kinda trapped me in.

Michal: The previous mayor of the city used to say: ‘Berlin is poor but sexy’. Poor because in comparison to other cities,  especially of West-Germany it is rather a poor city but yep it is sexy. There are so many creative people from around the world, so many interesting musicians. I think it is rather difficult not to be impacted by this city, but it is true you need time to understand what is going on around.

Q: You last year released your official debut album “Church Of No Religion”. What kind of album did you try to compose and how did the writing- and recording process happen?

Lee: Ha, the official debut was actually ‘’Second Castle’, which took its name as a sign of -let’s say a rebirth of creativity, an intro to other releases. ‘’Church Of No Religion’’ has been like translating all of that inspiration of experiencing other states of consciousness during just losing yourself in Berlin days, nights, flashbacks into the body of musical work. It’s true that you can feel this transcendent feeling in the club when the DJ knows what he/she is doing, music and atmosphere is proper.. this -and on the other hand, I have always been thinking about this whole thing with the Old Testament -this cruel world,  there is this ‘’Song Of Songs’’ poem in there -the huge one, very controversial one -I used characters of this poem to create living embodiments. I wanted to recreate the stories; wanted it to be the garden of delights. This album to me is a techno-ish Bosch.

Q: I think it’s really interesting analyzing your sound, which covers multiple influences. Where does this eclecticism come from and what does it say about your sources of inspiration?

Lee: I am aware it sounds very, very simple, but I love music -the divinity of it. I am not very interested in genres I must say, but in musical personas behind it and in the music itself. As a vocalist and some kind of a writer, I admire (mostly) female vocalists. I have a great sentiment to discover vocal pearls of hippie music, I really like middle ages music, sacral music of all kind, I adore the cold-wave scene, sexy electro does something to me, strong minimal-techno is the best music for your living body, industrial-folk for your poetic mind to swim in… Bach always works for me.

Michal: Thinking about music is always thinking about emotions. I started with punk and hardcore, being involved in a band, loving D.R.I. etc etc. These are my roots -and maybe that’s where I come from actually. But then the time has come for electronic music. Mostly techno but also disco, electro… As a DJ I played a lot of it, like Listen To The Hiss, DJ HELL Feat Alan Vega (this one I love especially), Vitalic, Umek and all that stuff. Musically we have a bit different souls, but we meet each other in emotional space.

Q: The title of the album is an intriguing title and appears to me as a metaphor, but what can you tell us about the lyrical content?

Lee: It’s just pure improvisation, the method is called glossolalia -singing without words! F.ex., old stars of nowadays strange 4AD were singing this way.

Q: You recently re-released the mini-album “Shadow In the Dark” on CD format. What are the main changes/evolution compared to the album “Church Of No Religion”?

Lee: We recorded ‘’Shadow In The Dark’’ after ‘’Church”; it was a conscious decision to develop the sound toward cold-wave electronic, we wanted to play in clubs for people, so we moved the music denominator toward more dancey sound while maintaining the poetry (I hope so).

Q: And you also released a totally new EP entitled “Deception Island I”, which again sounds pretty minimal, but still your most elaborated work to date. What can say about the writing of this work and how do you see this EP in the band’s evolution?

Lee: I am an adult finally and I have the feeling that my audience is also mature enough to feel and listen. I feel like I don’t have any choice, but to take these disappointing, embarrassing, frustrating, frightening, touching or painful life lessons and spin them into something simple yet meaningful. Shortly I know that the writing/edit (of the lyrics) needs to get to the point.

Michal: it’s a good question. Thanks. We are always on this path of searching for the ideal sound and expression and this is the next step on this endless road.

Q: It seems you guys are actually going through a very personal tragedy. Does music bring some cure and/or relief to go through this period? And what brings the future?

Lee: Music definitely has been a purgatory during this time, without it, we would fell into the void of infinite pain. About the future… I want to get all the sophisticated layers, I want beautiful music.

Michal: Yes, music is a bright light in this dark tunnel,  it is the invisible lovely friend. And the future, unfortunately, depends on Corona’s plans. If this little, not even living creature, will be tired of harrowing humans,  then maybe we are back on the track and play shows again. You know I miss that feeling to play live and also to be in the club,  seeing other people, other bands. Those restrictions are totally understandable,  but they hit us so much. Maybe better times will come.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Internet is getting artists closer, giving birth to new bands. Before the new millennium it was nearly impossible to imagine a duo featuring the singer living in Germany and the musician living in Brazil. Wintry was the daylight thanks to the internet. Anne Goldacker (ex-Obsyre) and Alex Twin (3 Cold Men, Individual Industry, and still owner of Wave Records) joined hands together. They released a debut album “Atmosphere Around Us” in 2009 and struck back in 2017 with the single “Ausweg”. “Timeline” has been released as a collaboration between Wave Records and Young And Cold Records, but also got released in the US by Cleopatra Records. Their music reminds the golden years of 4AD and will appeal for lovers of X-Mal Deutschland, Cocteau Twins, Bauhaus and others. I got in touch with Anne and Alex. (Picture credits by Falk Scheuring).

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Wintry has been set up in the 90s as a solo-project and became a duo when Anne Goldacker joined in for the debut album “Atmosphere Around Us”. How did this meeting happened and what did Anne brought to Wintry expect her beautiful timbre of voice?

Anne: Alex and I met thanks to Bruno Kramm. Alex was looking for a singer and Bruno recommend me. The main part is my voice, the second part are the lyrics, which I write myself.

Q: The single “Ausweg” has been released in 2017, but it took you ten years to release a successor to the album “Atmopshere Around Us “. How do you explain this long absence and what motivated you to start again?

Anne: For me, music is an important part of my life. But first of all I have a demanding profession, which takes me lot of my attention. As a dentist you certainly need to get a balance and I found it in music. But time goes fast and it takes a little longer to finish an album.

Alex: I’m involved with many others projects, so I can write new music when there is some free time. But I also have to take care of the label and the e-shop. It’s not that easy when you’re doing this all alone while it takes much time.

Q: When did the writing of the new album “Timeline” started and what kind of album did you try to accomplish?

Anne: I don’t know exactly when. For me the work started with the musical basis from Alex. I got my ideas for singing when writing the lyrics. And the result is an album giving us satisfaction after a long period of creation.

Q: How did the writing-, recording- and production of the album happened? And how did it happened for the vocals as you don’t live in the same country? And what has been the real input of both guest artists?

Anne: In times of internet, the distance is no problem. I went to a friend‘s studio to record my vocals and send it to Brazil. Alex did the rest.

Alex: I compose the songs and send them to Anne. After getting back the vocals, I sent it all to our guest musicians, Franck from Opera Multi Steel on bass and Audret from Scarlet Leaves to play guitars. The final production has been done by Marclo Gallo (Pitch Yarn Of Matter), who’ s doing mixing, production and mastering for years now here in São Paulo.

Q: Wintry is often linked to some bands from the legendary 4AD roster. What did this label mean to you and what do you consider as the real sources of inspiration?

Alex: I think the main bands active in the dark scene and dealing with post-punk, dark-wave, ethereal and related genres are influenced by the 4AD era. These bands were the pioneers of dark music.

Things are a bit different today. Bands no longer  compose music like 4AD artists did. We have these bands in mind, but there also is the influence from ‘new’ bands. We must move ahead and listen more to new music than only to the ‘old ones’, at least that’s how it works for me. Actually I listen much more to new stuff than old work. Wave Records get many demos every week and trust me, I have heard numerous great new bands since 2010.

Q: “Timeline” has been of course released on your own label, Wave Records, but still here in Europe on Young & Cold Records and in the US on Cleopatra. Why releasing an album on three labels when we all know the CD format no longer sell? What are the further plans for Wintry?

Alex: After I had finished the Wintry master, I got a message from A&R from Cleopatra, and he asked me about some bands I released. So I sent him the new Wintry and we got a deal for North America exclusively. Young & Cold Records are partners for selling recrods via the e-shop, but Wintry also has 70% of the tracks in German, so we just found a deal for the vinyl release exclusively for Europe. The CD edit features bonus tracks and Wave Records sell it worldwide.

About the CD sales, I can tell you this format is still  selling, but not like in the 90s. But we have many customers only buying CD editions. Of course vinyl is growing the last years, but the main people at least in Brazil just buy CD’s. I think releasing 3 different formats is a good way to reach all kind of customers.

The plans for Wintry are to compose more tracks next year so a new album will be probably released for 2021/2022.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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(Photo by Pharmadiver/Kim Hansen Photography) Good news from Stabbing Westward, the band has inked a deal with COP International for a brand new album called “Wasteland” to be released later this year alongside at least one new single. In January, the industrial rock band already released the EP “Dead And Gone” with all new material.

It will be the band’s 1st LP in nearly 20 years. The other good news is that they joined up with John Fryer for the production of this new album. Fryer, whose production credits include Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, 4AD, Cocteau Twins and Love and Rockets, was behind the boards on Stabbing Westward’s seminal early albums “Ungod” (1994) and “Wither Blister Burn + Peel” (1996). “It’s grand to be working with Stabbing Westward again,” says Fryer. “The first two albums we made together were some of my finest work as a producer.”

Stabbing Westward frontman Christopher Hall adds, “I was so excited to have the opportunity to go back to the very roots of Stabbing Westward by working with John again. John really helped us develop our sound on our first album and then helped us take a huge leap forward with our second album. Even though this is our fifth full length, after such a long break it feels like a new beginning and it’s very cool to have John at the helm once again.”

Anno 2020 the band consists of original founding members Christopher Hall (vocals/guitar) and Walter Flakus (keyboards/programming) as well as longtime bandmate Carlton Bost (bass) and newest member Bobby Amaro (drums).

New production company for COP International

Good to know also, this won’t be the only work Fryer will do for COP International. The label teamed up with producer John Fryer last year to form a production company under the COP International umbrella. Fryer is producing and engineering the majority of the forthcoming COP catalog and also working as A&R in helping to select appropriate acts.

Side-Line also covered John Fryer’s ‘Away EP’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Wave-pop, goth-pop.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Wintry resulted from the collaborative efforts between German singer Anne Goldacker (ex-Obsyre) and Brazilian musician and label Wave Records label owner Alex Twin (3 Cold Men, Individual Industry). They released a debut album “Atmosphere Around Us” in 2009 and struck back in 2017 with the single “Ausweg”. “Timeline” has been released as a collaboration between Wave Records and Young And Cold Records, but also got released in the US by Cleopatra Records. Notice by the way the digital and CD edits are featuring four bonus songs.  

Content: Wintry is a project that clearly sounds devoted to the 80s new/cold-wave spirit. The songs remind me of X Mal Deutschland –also because of Anne Goldacker’s timbre of voice, but also to Bauhaus for some of the guitar parts. Most of the songs are sung in German, but you’ll also discover two English sung cuts. The album opens with the single title song “Ausweg” while the last song is the single’s B-side “Auch Ohne Dich”.

The bonus cuts feature two remixes by Marcelo Gallo (who produced the album and who was previously involved with Pitch Yarn Of Matter) and 2 other ones by Pieter Nooten (Clan Of Xymox).

+ + + : If you’re nostalgic of the 4AD golden years, Wintry will sound as a relief. There’s a similar spirit in the writing, mixing dark 80s atmospheres mainly accentuated by the guitar playing and refined with electronic arrangements. I like some of the electronic parts for their minimalism. The global production stands for delicacy and dark, evasive songs. Anne Goldacker is a truly talented singer who put her stamp on this work. Last, but not least I also have to recommend the album for its artistic artwork –at least for the CD format!

– – – : The album is fully entertaining, but I’m missing this kind of hit to speak about a total successful release.

Conclusion: Wintry evokes some real good souvenirs, getting me back to some legendary 4AD bands such as X Mal Deutschland, Cocteau Twins, Bauhaus… while the contribution of Clan Of Xymox member Pieter Nooten is also a wink. 

Best songs: “Dependence”, “Sehnsucht”, “Ausweg”, “Schmerz – Remix by Marcelo Gallo”, “Sehnsucht –  Remix by Pieter Nooten”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/wintryofficial 

Labels: www.waverecordsmusic.com / www.facebook.com/waverecords  / https://youngandcold.de /

www.facebook.com/youngandcoldrecords

About Wintry

Wintry pairs German singer Anne Goldacker with Brazilian musician Alex Twin, who also runs Wave Records and has worked on Individual Industry and 3 Cold Men. The two connected through a recommendation from Bruno Kramm and released a debut album, “Atmosphere Around Us”, in 2009, followed by the single “Ausweg” in 2017. Goldacker records her vocals separately and sends them to Twin, who composes the music; guest musicians Franck of Opera Multi Steel and Audret of Scarlet Leaves contributed bass and guitar to “Timeline”, produced by Marcelo Gallo of Pitch Yarn Of Matter.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Cold-wave, wave-pop, dream-pop.

Format: Digital, CDR, cassette.

Background/Info: Alexander Donat moves on unleashing new EP’s of his main project Vlimmer. This work is ‘about surrendering to the overwhelmingly abysmal puzzle that is life’.

Content: Every single Vlimmer EP’s has something different to discover. “XIIIII” remains carried by elements of cold-wave and wave-pop music, but it also is inspired by dream-pop music. It reminds me of some 4AD bands mixing melancholia and evasive guitar playing. “Fluchtlauf” doesn’t sound that different from the rest of the tracklist, but the electronic treatments are more noticeable here. All songs are once more sung in German.

+ + + : I respect Vlimmer for not repeating itself, but each time again exploring new paths. This EP is carried by good-old dream-pop elements, which are fully enjoyable for the dreamy- although sad atmospheres. The opening piece “Augenlicht” sounds as the best track from the EP.

– – – : I think the mix and mastering could have been a little bit more professional.

Conclusion: Vlimmer remains an interesting experience, but still a project, which is missing its ‘hit’! It however is one of the most noticeable releases in this EP-series.

Best songs: “Augenlicht”, “Fluchtlauf”, “Zielzyklus”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/VlimmerMusic

Label: www.facebook.com/Blackjack.Illuminist

About Vlimmer

Vlimmer is the project of German musician, producer and label owner Alexander Leonard Donat, launched in 2015. Between 2015 and 2020 Donat released an eighteen-part EP series, of which “XIIIII” forms a part, weaving together dark-wave, post-punk, shoegaze and new wave with tribal drum patterns on Blackjack Illuminist Records. The series concluded later that year with “XIIIIIIII”, after which the Berlin-based project moved to full-length albums: “Nebenkörper” (2021), “Menschenleere” (2022) and, in 2023, its third album, “Zerschöpfung”.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Operating from Stockholm (Sweden) It’s For Us saw the daylight thanks to Camilla Karlsson (vocals, bass) and Jon Gredmark (guitars). The duo has been joined by Rebecka Johansson (backing vocals, keyboards) and Alex Nilsson (drums). The sound is inspired by 80s cold-wave music, but still has a strong indie flavor. They released their first album “Come With Me” in 2017 (Luxury) while the newest work “Stay” got released earlier this year by Novoton. The work appeals for 80s lovers and especially for all of those who liked the 4AD releases. Camilla Karlsson and Jon Gredmark talked about their band and this new work.

(Credits picture by Joe Dilworth – Interview courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: How did the ‘story’ of It’s For Us saw the daylight and what kind of band/project did you want to set up?

Jon: It started out as some kind of acoustic project with just me and Camilla. We wrote a few songs, played a gig in a basement (my mom was all the audience) and then it just expanded, both musically and publicly.

Camilla: Then we started to do music that needed more people, to be able to be played live. But we got tired of the commotion with all the different people at different times and they got tired of us and after a while we ended up as It’s For Us, four full worthy members and that’s the way it goes.. 

Q: Your songs clearly reflect multiple influences; from 80s cold-wave to rock and even indie. Tell us a bit more about the influences running through your work, the strong 80s connotation and your way of working?

Jon: It’s not some masterplan with clearly formalized frameworks and stuff. I guess music that you like influences you. The members in our band listen to lots of different music, but a common theme is probably the influences you mentioned. I was also born in the eighties so that might have something to do with things..

Camilla: I’m a product of the 80’s as well and so is Rebecka. Guess it was a great century.

Q: Early this year you released your second full length album “Stay”, which is inspired by very emotional and personal items. I can imagine your artistic creativity became a great therapy and/or exposure to give all these things a place. How do you look back at the writing of “Stay” versus these personal dramas?

Camilla: I’m not very well at writing fiction, I’ve always been writing for some kind of therapy. I was a kid who wrote in a diary every day and as I got older it turned into lyrics. So the lyrics are very important to me. And when I listen to music, I listen to the lyrics. If they’re bad, I don’t really enjoy the music that much.

Q: I can imagine “Stay” became a very personal and even intimate work because of the theme(s), but how would you compare the move from your debut album “Come With Me” towards “Stay”?

Jon: Everything moves. “Stay” is different from “Come With Me”, but they are both part of the same story. They actually express the same kind of emotions and the same kind of mood. The expression changes, but the theme remains. They are two different ways of saying the same thing.

Q: I noticed both albums have been released on vinyl format and not as a compact disc. How comes and what’s your perception about the different available formats you can use to release your work?

Jon: Hmm, that’s probably a question best replied by our record label. Our official stand though is that all formats are good if the content is. We are open for all kinds of formats that the future may hold. It’s just different kinds of mediums for people to communicate. If the budget is limited, you got to choose: and we chose vinyl..

Q: Tell us a bit more about the clip of the album’s title song and the recently live performances you did in the UK?

Camilla: Well if you mean the video to the title song, it’s a capture of us authentically, both on stage and off stage. We had some great shows in the UK. Lovely people! We love to play live so we’re looking forward to do more shows around Europe.

Jon: And we got some things going on, early Spring 2020 so bookers: be ready, keep your ear to the ground, keep in touch, keep mailing, phoning, hunting, stalking us. And see you soon! Love- IFU cru

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Cold-wave.

Background/Info: Swedish formation It’s For Us claims to compose post-punk music. “Stay” is the band’s second full length, which has been released two years after “Come With Me”. The album has been inspired by personal, dramatic events and experiences.

Content: I don’t especially want to compare It’s For Us to another band, but their album reminds me of 4AD bands. There’s this typical 80s spirit, which is mainly created by the guitar play. The songs are rather powerful although there are a few ‘softer’ or at least evasive cuts featured as well. The songs are rather short.

+ + + : “Stay” might interest 80s fans of cold-wave music. This album brings this old and original spirit back to life. The guitar playing is absolutely phenomenal, but I also have to congratulate singer Camilla Karlsson who sings a really passionate way. The songs have been meticulously accomplished. This album has a strong nostalgic smell revealing several little sonic treasures. 

– – – : I just regret most of the songs are pretty short.

Conclusion: This band is a great revelation! They bring the 80s back to life with passion and I can only wish them a successful future.

Best songs: “The Closing”, “All The Time”, “The Bottle The Bomb”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/itsforusmusic

Label: www.novoton.se / www.facebook.com/Novoton

About It’s For Us

It’s For Us is a post-punk band from Stockholm, Sweden, led by singer Camilla Karlsson and Jon Gredmark. The band released its debut album “Come With Me” in 2017 on Luxury Records, followed by “Stay” in 2019 on Novoton. The EP “Malax” followed in 2020, also on Novoton, recorded in the Finnish village of Malax during the Covid-19 pandemic. Karlsson also records solo as Viola Travels, a project that debuted with the EP “Bloodline” in 2023, again released through Novoton.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Shoegaze, dream-pop.

Background/Info: Brass Box is a Los Angeles (USA) based formation, which is already active for a couple of years now. After having released a few singles they this year unleashed their debut album featuring ten songs. The album is available as CD-, vinyl- and digital format.

Content: I never heard of this band before and discovered an interesting mix between shoegaze and dream-pop. There also is a strong 80s touch covering some cold-wave influences. The female vocals have something fragile and sensitive, but the main characteristic of this album for sure is the guitar playing. The songs remain rather short and never move over the 4 minutes.

+ + + : “The Cathedral” is carried by strong guitar, which inject a real emotional flavor to the work. Another essential element is the production of the vocals that are sensitive and fragile.  The vocals also accentuates the delicacy of the band and their dream-pop inspiration. The songs have been remarkably built up and might remind you of the golden years of 4AD.

– – – : I regret there are no more songs featured on this work.

Conclusion: Brass Box is an interesting formation we better can keep an eye on. I’m really looking forward to discovering future work from this band.

Best songs: “DDM”, “Bats”, “Surrender”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/brassbox

Label: www.dunealtar.com / www.facebook.com/dunealtar

About Brass Box

Brass Box formed in Los Angeles, California, in the mid-2010s around singer and bassist Ammo Bankoff, guitarists Neil Popkin and Matt Bennett, and drummer Pablo Amador. The band names Joy Division, Depeche Mode, Rowland S. Howard and Dead Can Dance among its influences. Singles “Moonlight Desires”, “Tragedy” and “Rivers” preceded “The Cathedral”, the band’s ten-track debut album released through Dune Altar.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

(Photo’s by Brian Hodges) “I Am God” is the title of the newest Black Needle Noise (project by John Fryer) video which features Marselle Hodges on vocals. The track breathes Black Needle Noise during every second: a nice pumping rhythm, cutting guitars, and vocals that – as usually is the case with this fine project – remind of the best 4AD era bands.

Here is the video (directed by Marselle Hodges) and below we asked a both Marselle Hodges and John Fryer how the track came to life.

Marselle Hodges: ““I am God” is inspired by one of the craziest years I’ve experienced, full of high highs and the lowest of lows. I felt as if I was God’s plaything. The lyric, “I can make things different or blow it all away,” pretty much describes the tumult I was feeling in response to these seemingly capricious events. But then I tried to put myself in God’s place—wanting to be worshipped and believed in despite it all, Or perhaps because of it all. Isn’t that what we ALL WANT? Just a bit?”

John Fryer: “Brain, Marselle’s husband had just done a remix for me and I went to check out his band The Blue Hour and I really liked Marselle’s voice, so I asked her if she would be interested in singing a song for me and I’m so happy she said yes as I think the song turned out beautifully noisy and pop.”

Recommended for everyone into dark pop!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

This year marks 40 years since the formation of Bauhaus. To mark this occasion, David J will play two exclusive solo UK concerts, wedged between world tour dates with Peter Murphy.

Before beginning a lengthy junket with Murphy across the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, David J will play a special live acoustic concert at Beck Studios in Wellingborough on Sunday, August 26. The Beck Studios was where Bauhaus recorded “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” in 1979 in case you had forgotten. It was that single that, released via Small Wonder Records, led to a John Peel session, two years of charting in the British independent charts, and being signed to 4AD Records and, subsequently, Beggar’s Banquet.

As part of this event, Andrew Brooksbank, author of “Bauhaus – Beneath The Mask”, will also be conducting an interview with David, which will be followed by a Q&A with the audience. The concert will be both recorded and filmed for later release. The day before that, on August 25, David J will perform in London at The Islington with special guests.

Since Bauhaus disbanded in 1983, David J was the first of the Bauhaus’ members to actively step outside of the comfort zone of his original band, releasing his debut album “Etiquette of Violence” that same year. He has since released numerous solo albums, founded Love and Rockets, produced and played bass with The Jazz Butcher, and joined the reformed Bauhaus again twice for world tours. David J’s latest (2017) release is “Vagabond Songs”, his ninth studio album.

As for the joined tour with Peter Murphy, the duo will bring Bauhaus classics, as well as playing their debut album “In The Flat Field”.

Later this year, a series of coloured vinyl Bauhaus reissues will be released.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, experimental.

Background/Info: Black Needle Noise has been introduced as ‘music for the movies you haven’t dream of yet…’ It first of all is the music project set up by John Fryer who gained an international reputation as producer for legendary artists such as Fad Gadget, Depeche Mode, Clan Of Xymox, NIN, Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil ao. From time to time John Fryer also like to compose his own songs under the Black Needle Noise moniker.

Content: For “Lost In reflections” the legendary British producer invited some great artists to sing on his compositions. Bill Leeb (FLA, Delirium), Mimi Page (Delirium), Jennie Vee (Hole), Ana Breton (Dead Leaf Echo), Omniflux (Puscifer), Kendra Frost (Kite Base), Andrea Kerr (Colt), Sivert Hoyem, ZiaLand and Dr. Strangefryer joined hands with John Fryer.

The sonic universe of Fryer is clearly reflecting his passion for electronic sound creation. It sounds pretty pop-minded with a sensual touch on top because of the great singers. But the artists also like to create- and manipulate sounds and noises. It injects an experimental element to the songs, but also sounds minimal-like. + + + : What you expect from a sound producer is that he deals with a very own vision in sound and that’s precisely what comes through when discovering this album. John Fryer deals with pop, but composes his songs with industrial-like sounds. It creates a delicious contrast with the mainly female and sensual vocals. But the song featuring Bill Leeb (still released as EP title track) is also worthy of examination as it’s pretty hard to recognize Leeb singing in a different and still a bit sensual way as well. The singers have been chosen for their exceptional skills. Singers and music together create a styled sonic osmosis resulting in a few outstanding pieces such as “Teeth To Grey” featuring Omniflux, “Warning Sign” featuring Kendra Frost, “She Stands On A Storm” featuring Andrea Kerr and “Breathless Speechless” featuring Sivert Hoyem (reminding me of Nick Cave).

– – – : It’s not that easy to define the music of John Fryer. Even if I think that’s rather positive it’s not the most accessible pop releases and not the kind of songs you’ll directly keep in mind and sing along.

Conclusion: John Fryer accomplished an album filled with reverie, which also is an intimate composition featuring talented vocalists. But it mainly reveals a creative electro-pop process from one of the cult producers from the 4AD label roster.

Best songs: “Teeth To Grey”, “Warning Sign”, “She Stands On A Storm”, “Breathless Speechless”, “A Shiver Of Want”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/BlackNeedleNoise

About Black Needle Noise

Black Needle Noise is the solo and collaborative project of British record producer John Fryer. Active as a producer since 1980, Fryer worked out of Blackwing Studios in London with Depeche Mode, Fad Gadget, Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil, Nine Inch Nails, Stabbing Westward and HIM, among others. Under the Black Needle Noise name, Fryer continued to collaborate with guest vocalists on later releases, including the 2023 EP “Rise Up”, featuring Lisa Kekaula (Basement Jaxx).

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-wave, wave-pop.

Background/Info: Wintry was originally set up in the 90s by Alex Twin (3 Cold Men, Individual Industry and owner of the Brazilian label Wave Records) and later on joined by German singer Anne Goldacker (ex-Obsyre). After having released a debut album in 2009 (cf. “Atmosphere Around Us”) the band is now working on a new album. So this 7” serves as an appetizer. Both songs have been produced by John Fryer. Notice by the way that the vinyl edition has been strictly limited to 150 copies.

Content: There’s not that much to say about a 7” featuring 2 cuts and there’s not that much difference between the title song and the B-side; both cuts featuring good-old 80s influences, which must have been inspired John Fryer who produced numerous bands from the 4AD label. This is pure 80s electro-wave and melancholia accentuated by the German lyrics of Anne Goldacker.

+ + + : The main strength of this single is the good-old vintage atmosphere, which sounds totally 80s-like. It’s the kind of band that might appeal for fans of X Mal Deutschland although it sounds ‘warmer’ in sound. The deep and dark resonating bass lines create a delicious balance with the refined electronic treatments. The production of John Fryer definitely is a very important aspect of this work.

– – – : I like both cuts, but none of them really appears to be potential hits.

Conclusion: I experienced this single as a pleasant and cool teaser for the upcoming album.

Best songs: “Ausweg”, “Auch Ohne Dich”.

Rate: (7).

Band: www.facebook.com/wintryofficial

Label: www.waverecordsmusic.com / www.facebook.com/waverecords

About Wintry

Wintry pairs German singer Anne Goldacker with Brazilian musician Alex Twin, who also runs Wave Records and has worked on Individual Industry and 3 Cold Men. The two connected through a recommendation from Bruno Kramm and released a debut album, “Atmosphere Around Us”, in 2009. Goldacker records her vocals separately and sends them to Twin, who composes the music. Wintry’s next album, “Timeline”, followed in 2020, with guest musicians Franck of Opera Multi Steel and Audret of Scarlet Leaves contributing bass and guitar, produced by Marcelo Gallo of Pitch Yarn Of Matter.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark electro-wave, dark-pop.

Background/Info: The Frozen Autumn is one of the most famous and world-wide recognized Italian underground band dealing with dark electro-wave. Diego Merletto and Froxeanne are back on track releasing their first new opus since the “Chirality”-album (2011) while their last production was the “Lie In Wait”-EP (2014).

Content: Time doesn’t really affect the sound and influence of The Frozen Autumn. The band is active since the early 90s, but remains inspired by good-old 80s influences, which can be easily linked to some 4AD bands. The songs are supported with melancholia, but I also noticed a few more ‘poppy’ cuts. A few other cuts are more into reverie, getting closer to a cinematographic composition.

Diego and Froxeanne are alternating the songs on which they’re singing. They both have this typical ‘sterile’ timbre of voice, which is once more evoking good-old souvenirs from the new-wave decade.

+ + + : The Frozen Autumn hasn’t changed their successful sound formula and that’s just fine as they remain one of the few bands at the top of this dark and melancholic wave-pop music. The melancholic atmospheres have something evasive and perfectly matching with both protagonists timbre of voice. The song “Grey Metal Wings” is a very efficient track illustrating the writing skills of this band. But the opus also has a few nice surprises such as “Your Touch (Album Version)”, which is a poppy orientated cut carried by a great melody line reminding me of Alpha Ville.

– – – : “The Fellow Traveller” is a fully enjoyable album, but maybe missing one or two cuts, which would get the album immortal. Three from the four songs originally released at their last EP from 2014 have been released as ‘album versions’, which is not that strange, but maybe not the most original part of this work.

Conclusion: It took some time to The Frozen Autumn to achieve a new opus, but the least I can say is that they haven’t lost their initial magic to compose great songs.

Best songs: “Grey Metal Wings”, “Your Touch (Album Version)”, “Tomorrow’s Life”, “We’ll Fly Away (Album Version)”.

Rate: (7½).

Band: www.thefrozenautumn.com / www.facebook.com/TheFrozenAutumn

Label: www.echozone.de / www.facebook.com/EchozoneMusic

About The Frozen Autumn

The Frozen Autumn is an Italian darkwave band founded in 1993 in Turin, built around Diego Merletto and singer Froxeanne. The project’s catalog includes “Pale Awakening” (1995), “Fragments Of Memories” (1997), “Emotional Screening Device” (2002) and “Is Anybody There?” (2005), followed by “Chirality” (2011) and the “Lie In Wait” EP (2014). A compilation, “Time Is Just A Memory,” appeared on vinyl in 2016 before “The Fellow Traveller,” reviewed here, arrived on the German label Echozone the following year.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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“Pora Sotunda” is a brand new very limited 7” by the cult band The Mystery Of The Bulgarian Voices featuring Dead Can Dance vocalist Lisa Gerrard. “Pora Sotunda” is the first release of new material by the choir written in over 20 years. Included on this single are the tracks “Pora Sotunda” and “Ganka”.

The single is released in a limited edition 7″ vinyl format only, and is sure to become a sought-after collector’s item. It precedes the release of a forthcoming The Mystery Of The Bulgarian Voices album scheduled for early 2018. Orders can be placed right here (tip: it’s an investment, so if you order a lot you’ll be in for quite an ROI – don’t say we didn’t tell you).

Check the trailer:

The choir became famous after the English independent record label 4AD reissued a pair of anthology albums in 1986 and 1988 with the title “Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares”. The choir is not a newbee as it has recordings dating back as far as 1957. 4AD founder Ivo Watts-Russell had been introduced to the choir via a third or fourth generation cassette lent to him by Peter Murphy, singer from the band Bauhaus, who himself had been entranced by the music.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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“Artificial Man” is the newest single from The Peter Ulrich Collaboration. The track immediately also got the video treatment and you can view it below. The track features industrial, dark folk, gothic, post-rock and symphonic elements. The lead vocals are by David Steele who collaborated with the project for this recording.

You can download the track right here on iTunes.

The Peter Ulrich Collaboration is headed by Peter Ulrich, former percussionist for the iconic Dead Can Dance. The group has released two albums so far as part of a planned trilogy: “The Painted Caravan” (2013) and “Tempus Fugitives” (2015). “Artificial Man” is the first single release from “Final Reflections”, the final album in The Painted Caravan Trilogy

Peter Ulrich has already had a very rich career as a musician. After playing in a blues-soul band, Mischief, on the East London pub and club circuit in the early 1980s, Peter Ulrich joined Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard in London on drums and percussion and in 1983 was one of the members of Dead Can Dance to sign with the 4AD label. He played on Dead Can Dance’s first album, the “Garden of the Arcane Delights” EP, the albums “Within the Realm of a Dying Sun” and “Spiritchaser” as well as several live sessions and virtually on all live dates with Dead Can Dance from 1983 to 1990.

During the 1980s Ulrich also contributed a percussion piece called “At First, and Then” to the This Mortal Coil album “Filigree & Shadow” and made cameo appearances on albums by Wolfgang Press and Pieter Nooten & Michael Brook. In 1990 he released his first solo recording – a double A-sided 12″ vinyl single featuring his songs “Taqaharu’s Leaving” and “Evocation” which has since become a rare collector’s item.

His first solo album, the excellent “Pathways and Dawns”, was largely arranged, recorded and produced by Brendan Perry and was released on the fine Projekt label in 1999. His second solo album, “Enter The Mysterium”, was released in 2005 on City Canyons Records. In 2009 Ulrich made a guest appearance, together with Brendan Perry, on the Piano Magic album “Ovations” playing percussion and hammered dulcimer.

In his current project – The Peter Ulrich Collaboration – he has worked closely with City Canyons CEO Trebor Lloyd and a wide ranging group of artists including Sara Wendt, David Steele, Jen Elliott, Kingsley Sage of Anemo and Saskia Dommisse of Poets to their Beloved.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Annadyne is the brand new project by Jon and Fuchsia (who has been regularly featured on Side-Line in the past with her other projects Bella Lune and Dreamgaze). The project has just released a brand new single this week via Bandcamp (which you can listen to below), the lovely “The Last Time”, which will surely appeal to all those fond of the 4AD bands Cocteau Twins or yet Dead Can Dance.

The project offers lush, dreamy guitars, angelic vocals and analog synths and “The Last Time” is the second single for the project which released a first track (“The Fallen One”) in October already, you can listen to it below. Both songs are available on a “name your price” basis with no minimum on the group’s Bandcamp page.

The duo behind this project met in rather funny way in late 2000 when Fuchsia bid on (and won) Jon’s collectible records by The Cure on Ebay. The duo talked and decided to form Annadyne in 2001 already. They recorded 6 songs by 2004 but then parted ways without releasing any of the early material. After a decade-long hiatus, the duo regrouped in 2014 and began recording covers by The Cocteau Twins. In October of 2016, they remastered and released one of their first songs ever recorded, “The Fallen One”.

Annadyne is currently working on new original material and has plans to release the Cocteau Twins covers in the near future as well. Fuchsia is in the bands Bella Lune and Dreamgaze and Jon was in the hardcore band The Juniper Strain.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Read the review of ‘Days Of Black’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The Canadian ethnic/heavenly voices act Elsiane has released a brand new single out of the blue: “Unstable”. Here’s what the song is about: “Unstable talks about the chaotic process to find yourself after hitting the bottom and how to confront your own fears in hopes to repair your own heart and mind.”

The single again mixes ethnic elements with electronics and a mood that reminds of the best 4AD releases featuring heavenly voices. In short, it’s a great track.

The band is currently recording a new album, “Death of the Artist” (for which they have this IndieGoGo campaign going right here). The new album will be the follow-up to 2012’s “Mechanics of Emotion”. “Unstable” is the first single taken from the album, and you can listen to it below:

Below is the video from their IndieGoGo campaign. Warmly recommended!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Out now is “Heaven” a brand new track for the John Fryer powered Black Needle Noise project, this time with Jennie Vee on vocals.

The track is a slow darkpop track with excellent lush guitarwork by John Fryer. It has 4AD written allover it, but with a much cleaner sound. This is outstanding work from the now Oslo based musician/producer. Add to this excellent vocals by Jennie Vee and you know this is a must-have!

Not yet convinced? Check the download below, available via Bandcamp.

In the past Fryer has worked with several more guestsingers for this project, which all got released as seperate single. “She Stands On A Storm” featured Andrea Kerr, “Warning Sign” had Kendra Frost, “Treasured Lies” was with ZiaLand, “Naughty Girl” with Spectra Paris, “Dead Star” with Betsy, “Behind The 4th Door” with Elena Alice Fossi, “Messages By Dreams” with Attasalina, “Human” with Jarboe, “Queen Of Dust” with Antic Clay, “Mourning Morning” with Andreas Elvenes, “3 Steps Backwards” with Ledfoot, “Vexation” again with Jarboe, “Wild Stone” also with ZiaLand and finally “Bang Bang” featured Dr Strangefryer on vocals. All tracks are available right here on Bandcamp as pay-what-you-want downloads.

Side-Line also covered John Fryer’s ‘s Black Needle Noise project for ’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The French neoclassical darkwave band Collection d’Arnell-Andréa break-through album was without any doubt the majestic 1994 release “Villers-aux-Vents”. It’s a key album from the band and contains several tracks which have become cult. “Villers-aux-Vents” was also a concept album that takes you to the frontline of World War 1.

That beautful album now finally sees a white vinyl release, with all the tracks mastered by Paul Fiction for perfect vinyl play. You can already place your order now via this mailorder. Years before the post-punk revival this band already offered a perfect mix between the early 4AD sound (Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, This Mortal Coil…) and the more contemporary darkwave/post-punk music.

Enjoy the multimedia promo video for “Verdun” which was released several years ago for the reissue on CD of this great release. Highly and warmly recommended!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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“It is with deep sadness and sorrow that my dearest oldest mate in life and music passed away today after a long illness. please play our music very loud today.” That’s how Shelleyan Orphan’s Jemaur Tayle confirmed that his musical partner in crime Caroline Crawley has died after a long battle with an unnamed illness. Crawley gained instant cultstatus when she was invited as a member of the 4AD collective This Mortal Coil. This way a whole generation discovered her great voice on the 1991 This Mortal Coil double album “Blood”, which was the third and final album released by 4AD collective This Mortal Coil. Crawley also appeared in the video for the Syd Barrett cover, “Late Night” (which you can see below).

John Fryer: “She was a wonderful talented person and joy to be around. I was very lucky to know her and have worked with her on This Mortal Coil. Its another great loss this year.”

But before that in 1980, Caroline Crawley and Jemaur Tayle already had joined up to form Shelleyan Orphan after which the pair moved to London to seek out orchestral elements to add to their voices. In June 1984, the band got their first break and landed a session with Richard Skinner for BBC Radio 1. The band signed with Rough Trade Records in 1986 and released the singles, “Cavalry of Cloud” and “Anatomy of Love”. In 1987, the band would release their first of four albums: “Helleborine”.

After the band released “Humroot” in 1992 they disbanded. Tayle formed his own band, Elephantine, and Crawley, along with Williams and Soave, formed Babacar. Soon after, Tayle joined Babacar as a full-time member, though not contributing to the songwriting. In 2000, the band reunited to record a cover of Tim Buckley’s “Buzzin’ Fly” for “Sing a Song for You: A Tribute to Tim Buckley”. A new album, entitled “We Have Everything We Need”, was released in October 2008 on One Little Indian Records.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Genre/Influences: New-wave, gothic.

Background/Info: Scarlet Leaves in my opinion is one of the most talented new-wave bands from Brazil. The band was set up in 2001 and now features Claudia O Ghisi (vocals & lyrics) and Audret Haas (guitar, electronics). Scarlet Leaves do not release new stuff on regular basis. The previous studio album “Outlining State Of Mind” was released in 2008. Notice by the way that this ‘new’ work was already released in 2015!

Content: The music of Scarlet Leaves feels like a voyage into distant, but unforgettable years. I feel like I was awakened somewhere in the midst of the 80s discovering a new 4AD band. The melancholia running through this work might appeal to lovers of bands like X Mal Deutschland and Cocteau Twins, and also the most moody side of The Virgin Prunes.

The songs reveal a dark reverie accentuated by the beautiful and sometimes transcendental vocals of Claudio O Ghisi. The songs clearly bring the 80s spirit back to life.

+ + + : The 80s come to life with a band like Scarlet Leaves. This is pure good-old new-wave music accentuated by deep feelings of sadness, but still by a wonderful wafting sensation. The “Alma”-song is a track to watch out for while the “Moritz Schoenermann 80’s Mix” has this extra clubby approach.

– – – : You better avoid this album if you’re tired of 80s emulations. Scarlet Leaves doesn’t bring anything new in the genre.

Conclusion: Scarlet Leaves sounds like turning back the hands of time bringing you back to the glorious 80s. That’s already a while ago, but one thing is for sure, new-wave still influences a lot of bands and some of them are damned efficient pupils.

Best songs: “Alma – Moritz Schoenermann 80’s Mix”, “Alma”, “The Misfirtune”, “Godforsaken”, “Luxeriae”.

Rate: (8).

Band: www.facebook.com/ScarletLeaves

Label: www.waverecordsmusic.com / http://pt–br.facebook.com/pages/Wave–Records/110635789015082

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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Alessandra Gismondi and Luca Bandini is the Italian duo behind Schonwald. Their music is inspired by the 80s and more especially by shoegaze and post-punk while appealing for fans of the 4AD label. A few months ago now they released their third opus “Between Parallel Lights” on The French labels Anywave and Manic Depression Records. This album confirms their fine taste for dark music.

(by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Can you briefly introduce yourself by telling us the way you met and set up Schonwald?

Alessandra : We met a way back when Luca was still attending the school of  Fine Arts and I got involved as musician in another band. We fell in love and then Luca started playing guitar to finally become a member of the band I was involved in. Later on we decided to create the project Schonwald,  which is our main project now.

Q: It all sounds like you guys are inspired by some legendary 4AD bands, creating a mix between shoegaze, dream-pop, post-punk and new-wave. How would you analyze your sources of inspiration and tell us a bit more about the ‘sound’ of Schonwald?

Alessandra : Of course we are big fans of the legendary 4AD bands and we grown up listening to Cocteau Twins, Clan of Xymox, Bauhaus, Lush and many others. Trying to analyze our sources of inspiration we could say that it’s  strongly influenced from our own town. We live in Ravenna, which is a small and beautiful town full of history located near the Adriatic Sea. It’s characterized by churches, marshes, swamps and fog. These places especially in Winter are very suggestive and rich of gloomy atmospheres. So it’s very easy to get inspiration to create our music.

Q: How do you look back at your latest full length “Between Parallel Lights” and what have been the main changes/evolution compared to previous albums?

Luca: Our previous album “Dream For The Fall” is more into deep and dark atmospheres. “Between Parallel Lights” is basically focused on hypnotic melodies mixed with tribal rhythms, sick noise synths and cold guitar riffs.

Q: I noticed all of your albums have been released on CD format, but still on vinyl. Is it all about 80s nostalgia? And what does it mean to you to get your work released on vinyl format?

Luca: Vinyl is the format we prefer so for this reason we feel very proud and lucky that Anywave and Manic Depression Records mainly release their bands on this beautiful format!

Q: You clearly seem to be a successful live band so what makes the magic of Schonwald on stage and what has been your best live memory so far?

Alessandra: Playing live is an emotional waterfall. Playing together on stage is an intimate situation between us and even people can get involved with this passion. The best live memory so far was at the ‘Wave Gothic Treffen’ 2015 because it was the last show of 50 gigs from the “Dream For The Fall” tour.

Q: What might we expect from Schonwald during the next few months and are you already working on new songs?

Luca: During the next few months we’ll play through Europe and we are very excited to play in Moskow and Saint Petersburg for the very first time in July. At the moment we are working on new songs which will be recorded very soon.

 Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Wave-pop, shoegaze, post-punk.

Background/Info: Hermetic Delight is a French band operating from Strasbourg. They’re already active for a couple of years now and released their debut album “Universe Like Thousands Of Red Alternatives” in 2011 followed by a couple of EP’s. “Vow” is a new EP, which is more a mini-album featuring 7 songs.

Content: “Vow” is a composition covering different grounds while revealing intriguing and sometimes scary atmospheres. I think it could have been the right soundtrack for Sofia Coppola’s “The Virgin Suicides”. The shoegaze and dark wave-pop music is totally appropriated to this kind of dark theme.

There’s a constant moody and desperate feeling emerging from the songs, which musically evoke some 4AD bands. The somewhat shimmering female vocals are totally appropriated to this kind of music. The work also covers a somewhat post-punk feeling.

+ + + : I like the global atmosphere hanging over this work, which has something desperate and with a strong visual appeal. The guitar playing is really impressive for the global emotive aspect.

– – – : A few tracks don’t add any bonus and feel a bit like there’s much more potential in the composition that what came out of it.

Conclusion: “Vow” is an interesting view of French inspired shoegaze music and which will definitely remind you of good souvenirs from the late 80s. This is an enlightening piece of darkness.

Best songs: Marian”, “Circles”.

Rate: (6).

Band: https://hermeticdelight.com / www.facebook.com/hermeticdelight

Label: www.facebook.com/october.tone

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com