UK dub innovator Adrian Sherwood has released his first solo album in over a decade today, August 22, 2025. Titled “The Collapse of Everything”, the album marks Sherwood’s return to solo production following 2012’s “Survival & Resistance”. The release is out on clear 12” vinyl, black 12” vinyl, CD, digital download, and streaming platforms via On-U Sound.

Following the preview EP “The Grand Designer”, the full-length “The Collapse of Everything” blends experimental dub, ambient textures, and cinematic sonic structures across multiple styles. The album includes new material inspired by tuned percussion, evolving from Sherwood’s previous solo works.

Adrian Sherwood adds: “I was basically trying to make a soundtrack encompassing all the things I like including good musicianship, dub techniques, and also good rhythms.”

You can check out the full album on Bandcamp.

Sherwood will support the release with his first-ever solo tour. The live debut is set for autumn 2025 at the 20th anniversary edition of the ‘Dub Sessions’ in Japan. The live band includes Doug Wimbish (Living Color, Tackhead), Alex White (Primal Scream), and Mark Bandola (The Lucy Show). A UK debut is planned for February 2026 in London, with North America, Europe, and Australia dates to follow.

Reflecting on the album’s title, Adrian Sherwood says: “Recently I lost two great friends, Mark Stewart & Keith LeBlanc, and started working with the idea of doing another solo record […] Part of a lyric was hidden in the song about ‘The Collapse of Everything’. It seemed a very appropriate title. On this album it’s going to be a joy working it and trying to represent it live, and hopefully people will get off on it, because I think it’s a really good piece of work.”

The album follows a trilogy of solo LPs including “Never Trust a Hippy?”, “Becoming a Cliché” and “Survival & Resistance”, as well as supplemental releases like “Recovery Time” and “Dub Cliché”. Sherwood’s earlier solo material featured artists such as Sly & Robbie, Shara Nelson, Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Dennis Bovell, and Bim Sherman.

About Adrian Sherwood

Adrian Sherwood was born in London, England, and began producing in the late 1970s. In 1980, he co-founded the On-U Sound label, creating a platform for experimental dub, industrial, and post-punk. Early in his career, he collaborated with reggae artists such as Prince Far I and Creation Rebel.

Sherwood’s first solo album “Never Trust a Hippy?” was released in 2003 via Real World Records. It was followed by “Becoming a Cliché” in 2006 and “Survival & Resistance” in 2012. Parallel to his solo work, he has been involved with the industrial-funk outfit Tackhead and numerous collaborative projects.

In recent decades, Sherwood has produced and remixed artists across genres, including Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, The Slits, Coldcut, and Asian Dub Foundation. His signature dub aesthetic, analog experimentation, and political sampling have made his productions highly influential in electronic and experimental music scenes.

Sherwood continues to operate On-U Sound, which remains an active label for reissues and new material, including projects from African Head Charge, Lee Perry, and more. He is currently based in the UK.

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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(Photo by Bobby Talamine) Sine, the brainchild of New York-born drummer/multi-instrumentalist Rona Rougeheart, is back with an all new video, “Trauma Bondage”. Musically Sine mixes beats with industrial noise, Sub-bass and synthesisers.

Having issued records via the Austin indie media company eMERGENCY heARTS, Rougeheart recently signed to Metropolis Records and has released a brand new single entitled “Trauma Bondage” today. The track is taken from an album to be issued in early 2025. The self-written song was co-produced with US hip-hop producer AwareNess with musical contributions from Curse Mackey and mastering by Jürgen Engler of Die Krupps.

About Sine

2019 saw Rougeheart open for Bauhaus in Orlando, Florida, which led to the ongoing band project Shiva Saves SITE formed by their bassist David J that also features industrial darkwave artist Curse Mackey, plus a revolving cast that includes Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner.

Examples of other artists she has collaborated with are Adrian Sherwood, Meat Beat Manifesto, Clan of Xymox, Chris Connelly, (Pigface, Revolting Cocks), Mark Pistel (Consolidated), Andee Blacksugar (KMFDM, Blondie), Xiu Xiu and the late Mark Stewart (The Pop Group).

As Sine, Rougeheart recently opened for Nitzer Ebb and Clan Of Xymox and will support the latter on an American tour right after her debut appearance at the 2024 edition of the Cold Waves festival in Chicago on 29th September.

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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Here’s something for the more eclectic readers. Fresh from his collaboration with producer Adrian Sherwood in 2022, Horace Andy returns with a new album, and a new partnership, too. “Timeless Roots” was recorded with Jah Wobble with production by Jon Klein (Siouxsie & The Banshees).

“Horace is a living legend,” says Wobble. “It is an honour to be able to back him, along with my sons and Jon Klein, on this classic selection of tunes.”

Dropping today, Andy’s new single “One Love” was recorded first in 1991 with trip hop pioneers Massive Attack.

And this is the original version of the track.

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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Keith LeBlanc, known as drummer with bands like Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, and TackHead, has died. On-U Sound, his record label, announced the sad news.

Adrian Sherwood reflects on LeBlanc’s legacy: “Keith was a major, major talent…incredible drummer, producer, and musician… Along with Doug, Skip and also dearly missed Mark Stewart we enjoyed some of the most creative times together that shaped my musical life. Thank you Brother Keith…Love Forever. Heart and Soul.”

Starting as a session drummer at Sugarhill Records in the early 1980s, LeBlanc was a key figure in forming the Sugarhill House Band alongside Americans Doug Wimbish (bass) and Skip “Little Axe” McDonald (guitar). They collaborated with top rap artists, including the Sugarhill Gang on “Rapper’s Delight” and Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel on tracks like “The Message” and “Freedom”.

Adrian Sherwood first encountered LeBlanc and his bandmates at the 1983 CMU conference in New York. Their innovative work, especially the “No Sell Out” single featuring Malcolm X speeches, led Sherwood to invite them to London. In the UK, they pushed boundaries in sample-based music, with Sherwood joining as a de facto fourth member. As Fats Comet and Tackhead, they produced a range of music from dancefloor tracks to politically charged songs, also backing Mark Stewart as The Maffia.

In addition to his role with the On-U Sound group, Keith LeBlanc launched several innovative sound projects through his own label, Blanc Records. He worked on song writing and production with artists such as Living Colour, Peter Gabriel, The Cure, Ministry, and Nine Inch Nails. As a versatile drummer and programmer, LeBlanc collaborated with an array of music legends, including James Brown, Trevor Horn, Seal, R.E.M., The Rolling Stones, Jalal of Last Poets, The Stone Roses, Robert Palmer, Bomb The Bass, Annie Lennox, Tina Turner, Bryan Ferry, Depeche Mode, and Sinead O’Connor.

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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Mark Stewart, a pioneering figure in post-punk and industrial hip-hop, passed away in the early hours of Friday, 21 April 2023. Born on 28 April 1960, Stewart was an English singer and founding member of The Pop Group.

Mute label boss Daniel Miller, a close friend of Stewart, shared his fond memories: “I’ve known Mark as a mate and fellow traveller for over 40 years since he was the lead singer of The Pop Group. I have countless brilliant memories of him – some odd, some outrageous, but always inspiring and somehow purposeful. His musical influence has been far greater than often recognised. He was always supportive of young artists, particularly those local to him in Bristol – many have gone on to become international stars. His warmth and kindness as a friend have always been incredibly important to me. We had so many laughs together, and he had such creative energy. The last time I saw Mark was a few months ago in Bristol, performing an improvised set with Lee Ranaldo. He was nothing short of hilarious, his piece essentially a stand-up routine, and after the show, we spent hours putting the world to rights, a fantastic memory. I’ll miss him dearly. Mark, I can’t imagine you being anything other than restless, but I hope you find your unique peace.”

Gareth Sager, founding member of The Pop Group adds: “Mark was the most brilliant mind of our generation, rest in peace.”

Adrian Sherwood, who collaborated with Stewart via his On-U Sound Records label, expressed his heartfelt appreciation: “Cheers, my brother. You were the most significant musical influence in my life, and our extended family will miss you dearly. Eternal love.”

Stewart formed The Pop Group in Bristol in 1977 as a teenager. Influenced by dub and reggae, driven by political conviction and sonic experimentation, the band released their debut album, “Y”, that same year – a defining album of its era. After The Pop Group disbanded following a final performance at a significant CND rally in 1980, Stewart continued working with CND and, inspired by the emerging hip-hop scene in New York, collaborated with dub pioneer Adrian Sherwood to create the 1983 album “Learning to Cope with Cowardice”. His solo discography continued with 1985’s “As the Veneer of Democracy Starts to Fade” and spanned the next two decades, culminating with 2012’s “The Politics of Envy”.

In 2010, The Pop Group reformed, driven by renewed political disillusionment, and delivered a series of incendiary live performances, recording two new studio albums. Their last performance with Stewart took place in the ruins of Coventry Cathedral, invited by Terry Hall for Coventry UK City of Culture 2021.

Stewart recorded for On-U Sound Records and Mute Records during his career. He leaves behind a unique and significant body of work, encompassing The Pop Group, his solo efforts, collaborations with artists such as Trent Reznor, Tricky, Massive Attack, Chicks on Speed, ADULT., and Primal Scream, and his conceptual art. Mark Stewart’s creative impact has been immense – as Nick Cave stated, he “changed everything” – and his influence will continue to resonate through the music, art, and political activism of generations of artists inspired by his creative work, energy, and spirit.

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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“Of Everything… and Nothing” is scott crow’s first collection as a solo artist outside of his other musical projects – Lesson Seven (darkwave, industrial), Audio Assault (industrial hiphop) and corporatE unclE (noise and experimental) – and some of his first music recordings since 1992. This album holds crow’s recent collaborations, and guest appearances, with other artists and producers spanning 2016 through to the present.

The collaborators on this album are Sole and DJ Pain 1, Chris Hanna (Propagandhi), Thor Harris (Swans, Thor & Friends), Dead Voices On Air, Televangel (formerly of the production team Blue Sky Black Death), Mark Pistel (Consolidated, Hercules and Love Affair), R34L, Time, David May (KBD, Liquid 25), birthCenter and Energy Fools. The music itself spans genres from techno to hip hop to ambient/experimental and spoken word.

“Of Everything…and Nothing” is being released as a digital download, to streaming platforms and on CD on January 20th on scott’s Austin-based label eMERGENCY heARTS and via Bandcamp.

This collection will be followed in April by “Of Everything… and Nothing: ReMixed” featuring remixes from Adrian Sherwood, Meat Beat Manifesto, Keith LeBlanc (Tackhead), Televangel, Dead Voices On Air, David May, Wanz Dover and David M. Williams.

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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(Photo by David Corio) Seminal post-punk funk band Maximum Joy have shared the track “Silent Street” taken from forthcoming “BBC Radio 1 Sessions” EP which will hold 5 tracks recorded in 1982 during two exclusive live studio sessions for BBC radio legends John Peel and Kid Jensen.

The tracks come newly remastered, corrected and cleaned for the exact tempo and optimum listening experience. The release is set for release on the 6th May via London Field Recordings. “We discovered the existing Radio 1 session ‘tapes’ had suffered and decayed in quality and specifically were all running too slow and not true to the originals. These are restored to the original sound and recording quality,” says Janine Rainforth, Maximum Joy founder and vocalist.

Maximum Joy rose up from the fertile Bristol scene of the late 70’s/early 80’s fuelled by Thatcherism, inner city race riots and growing protest amongst young and old. Their one and only album, the Adrian Sherwood-produced “Station MXJY” was released in 1982 with the band disbanding the following year.

Janine: “The Kid Jensen session was for daytime play Radio 1. We had huge respect for Kid Jensen – his daytime show was buzzing and influential – it was a shift in direction for Maximum Joy. Listening to that session now I love the energy we bought to it. We were gigging and touring a lot – so we were primed to make this a good one.”

The EP also includes two tracks recorded for John Peel. “From the start John Peel took to Maximum Joy and championed us, like he did so many bands and musicians. I had so much respect for him and we’d listened to his late evening Radio 1 show avidly – his wide influence on the music scene was seemingly all pervasive. So being invited to do a John Peel Radio 1 session – and then to do a second within a few months was so exciting – an honour and a joy,” says Rainforth.

Here’s another cut.

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 Austin (Texas) based electronic rock act SINE will release a brand new remix by legendary producer, Adrian Sherwood, on the eMERGENCY heARTS record label. The remix is for the forthcoming single by SINE entitled, “Attack”. The new remix will be available for download worldwide on Friday, February 11, 2022.

Singer and drummer Rona Rougeheart says this about getting a remix by Sherwood: “Never in a million years did I ever think I would see the name ‘SINE’ next to the name ‘Adrian Sherwood’! I’m still beside myself stunned at this! It was an absolute honor to have Adrian remix a brand new SINE single. I love the remix so much…it’s definitely one of my favorites! I’m so very happy and thankful that eMERGENCY heARTS brought us together to work on music. Who knows…there may be more in the future!”

This is the latest remix from eMERGENCY heARTS in their Producer Remix series that features legendary and innovative producers and artists taking on classic and current electronic and experimental sounds. Label owner Scott Crow explains: “It has been an amazing journey to collaborate on this series with visionary artists like Adrian Sherwood, Meat Beat Manifesto, Mark Stewart, Dead Voices on Air, Televangel, Clan of Xymox, Front 242, The Orb and others who have created audio disruptions and interpretations of other great artists sounds.”

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 August 17th is a remix by the English avant-dub innovator Adrian Sherwood of International Thief Thief’s “Media Song”. Side-Line offers you an exclusive preview of this remix right below.

The remix is a result of the collaboration between Texas based label/creative hub eMERGENCY heARTS and Adrian Sherwood. Sherwood will work on a variety of tracks of the label’s artists and remixes for release during 2021-2022 including: Mark Stewart, Consolidated, Nun Gun, Stephen Mallinder (Cabaret Voltiare)/ Eric Random, scott crow/Energy Fools, SINE, Lesson Seven, International Thief Thief (see the below photo).

The label will be releasing one track per month, then will collect the entire series for release as two 12” vinyl LP compilations featuring the remixes and dub versions in 2022. Additionally, the label will issue a remix EP of Adrian’s collaboration with his daughter Denise from her 2020 album “This Road”.

Listen to this exclusive preview of Adrian Sherwood’s take on International Thief Thief’s “Media Song”.

About Adrian Sherwood

Producer, remixer, and founder of the British dub collective/record label On-U Sound, Adrian Sherwood has long been regarded as one of the most innovative and influential artists in contemporary dance music.

Born in 1958, Sherwood first surfaced during the mid ’70s and formed On-U Sound in 1981. While the On-U Sound crew’s original focus was on live performances, the emphasis soon switched to making records and Sherwood began mixing and matching lineups, resulting in new acts including New Age Steppers, African Head Charge, Mark Stewart & Maffia, and Doctor Pablo & the Dub Syndicate.

Sherwood’s distinctive production style soon began attracting interest from acts outside of the dub community and by the early ’80s Sherwood was among the most visible producers and remixers around, working on tracks for artists as varied as Depeche Mode (remember the completely bizarre “Are People People?” / the ON-USound remix of “People Are People”?), Cabaret Voltaire, Nine Inch Nails, Primal Scream, Einsturzende Neubaten, Ministry, Sinéad O’Connor, Skinny Puppy, The Stone Roses, and so on. This is kinda endless.

In 2003 he launched his solo artist career with “Never Trust a Hippy”, which was followed in 2006 by “Becoming a Cliché”. Both were released by On-U in conjunction with the Real World label. In 2012 he issued his third solo album “Survival & Resistance”, and began an ongoing collaboration with Bristol-based dubstep don Pinch. The pair released their debut album “Late Night Endless” in 2015.

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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Cult industrial act Consolidated have reunited for a studio sessions in San Francisco last Summer that resulted in a new album “We’re Already There” and now a series of remixes. The fourth one was released July 8 and is called “Musica Sin Fronteras (R34L Remix)”. This remix was executed by the Chicago electronic duo R34L.

The remixes are being commissioned and released by the Austin, Texas-based eMERGENCY heARTS label. The release series culminates in September in conjunction with Consolidated’s live performances at the Cold Waves Festival in Chicago September 24. Remixers in the series have included R34L of course and avant-dub visionary Adrian Sherwood who both have their own projects coming out on eMERGENCY heARTS this year. Consolidated in turn are remixing “Battle For The Mind” for Lesson Seven for a July 2021 release.

The main musicians on the original sessions were Adam Sherburne (guitar/vocals) and Mark Pistel (synths/beats) backed by Lynn Farmer (Meat Beat Manifesto) on drums, who replaces the original Consolidated drummer Phil Steir. “We’re Already There” was recorded, mixed and mastered by Mark Pistel at ‘Room 5’ in San Francisco. These recordings offer a mix of danceable industrial, jams, Hip-hop, Rock and funky Pop performed on a mixture of live instruments and electronics, topped with their radical left-wing activist lyrics.

For now, check “Musica Sin Fronteras (R34L Remix)”.

About Consolidated

Consolidated is an American radical activist music group, formed in San Francisco, California, in 1988. They are best known in the early 1990s as an alternative dance/industrial music band. Between 1989 and 1994, their instrumental style evolved from industrial, to hip-hop, to hard rock and funk with mixtures of live instruments and electronic instruments.

Their music often focused on vegetarianism, women’s rights, animal rights, fighting racism and homophobia, the unity of oppression, World War II and the Holocaust, the dangers of capitalism, and the evils of American nationalism.

Consolidated’s original line-up consisted of Adam Sherburne (guitar and vocals), Mark Pistel (samples, sequencers and keyboards/synths), and Philip Steir (drums). Consolidated’s subsequent line-ups have consisted of Adam Sherburne, Todd Bryerton (drums), Michael Dunn (bass), and Kevin Carnes (drums) with some mixing and engineering by Mark Pistel.

After 1994, the original line-up went their separate ways. Since that time, the project has been mainly under the direction of Adam Sherburne, with some involvement by Mark Pistel (primarily mixing and engineering the albums).

Co-founders Mark Pistel (programming/vocals) and Philip Steir (programming/vocals) continued to do many remix projects after leaving the band. Mark Pistel made one album under the name Pistel, and has also played with the live/touring incarnation of Meat Beat Manifesto as well as a group called Electronic Dub Collective. He is currently co-producing and touring with Hercules and Love Affair. Philip Steir co-owns a recording studio called Toast. Drummer Todd Bryerton of the band’s later line-up performs with Kneel Cohn in the NYC post-glam band The Dead Stars on Hollywood.

Adam Sherburne had previously been the lead singer of a band called Until December.

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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We all know Adrian Sherwood, English record producer who specialized in the genre of dub music, and for his contributions to the electro-industrial genre thanks to his remixes for Depeche Mode, Einstürzende Neubauten, etc. plus his production work with Ministry, Skinny Puppy, Cabaret Voltaire, KMFDM, Terminal Power Company (anyone who still knows this one?) and Nine Inch Nails.

His daughter, Denise Sherwood, now releases her debut album “This Road” on October 2nd via – what did you expect – On-U Sound / Evergreen Recordings. It features writing, production and instrumental contributions from Adrian Sherwood, Lee Perry, Mala, Mark Stewart, Skip McDonald and Doug Wimbish. In addition to this the album also features drums by the late Style Scott.

She isn’t all that new to the recording industry, her first session was at 13, when she recorded backing vocals for Bedlam A Go-Go. Denise: “There was always music around me. I was always having dinner with different artists. The house was full of people. Loads of parties. But creative types can be unstable too, which I sometimes found scary and confusing as a child. People I knew died; Andy Fairley for example, and Junior Delgado – he was a big person in my life. This is where the sadder elements in my music originate from.”

At 15, she sang backing vocals for Sinéad O’Connor live, and soon after did the same on Primal Scream and Lee Perry records, also singing with her dad when he supported Blur.

We were able checking out the album already and it’s actually a pretty good surprise. Watch out for this one.

To get an idea how her voice sounds, do also check out the track below. Her material will please those readers into trip 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!

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(Interview by János Janurik) About a year ago, I had the honour to ask Gareth Jones about his studio work on Erasure’s legendary “Wild!” album. Back then he mentioned his upcoming solo electronic music project. The long wait is finally over. The studio magician’s long-awaited debut album will be released on the 18th September. On that occasion, I asked him my questions again.

SL: In our last conversation last year, you summarized your memories of working on Erasure’s “Wild!” album. The Erasure guys have just released their new album “The Neon”. At the online launch party they also mentioned your name concerning a new remix to “Nerves Of Steel”. Could you please tell us a few words about this project?

GJ: Andy had an idea for an approach to a remix, and I was delighted to help him realise that idea. It is a mix full of respect. It’s an homage in fact. I love Andy and Vince. It’s family.  It’s always amazing to work with them, so I jumped at the chance to collaborate on this remix.  I also created a second ElectroGenetic remix, which is a different kind of thing. Darker perhaps. 

SL: When we run back over the past and take a look at your massive CV, we can see that you have been active in the music biz for four decades. You were the sound engineer on John Foxx’s cult debut album from 1980. Do you remember how you got your first studio job?

GJ: A musician and record producer called Mike Finesilver owned a small 8 track studio in Newington Green called Pathway. He generously gave me a chance to work in his studio. Thank you Mike! I’m forever grateful.

SL: Your name is closely linked to the Hansa Studios in Berlin where you experimented with recording atmospheres and the method of sampling. In 2018 the film “By The Wall” was screened, which narrated as a kind of documentation what had happened musically in the Hansa Studios between 1976 and 1990. What are your most noteworthy experiences about these legendary Hansa times?

GJ: So many great musicians from whom I learned so much. Diamanda Galás, Depeche Mode, Einstürzende Neubauten, Adrian Sherwood, Ideal, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Conny Plank, Roma Baran, Daniel Miller, Fad Gadget, Palais Schaumburg, Wire, Holger Hiller, Crime and the City Solution. These are my teachers.

SL: Through your work with Depeche Mode, Erasure, Einstürzende Neubauten, and also with Nick Cave you have made a name for yourself among music producers. But your portfolio also includes younger artists and bands like Apparat, Wovoka Gentle, Compact Disk Dummies, and Polly Scattergood. Do you receive these requests for joint work directly from the newer generation of musicians? I mean, do they know you and your previous work well? And vice versa, do you have your finger on the pulse of contemporary pop music? Could you name some new pop artists who you think are exciting enough?

GJ: I do get approached directly and many of the younger generation know some of the amazing musicians I have worked with in the past. I don’t have my finger on the pulse. I’m a drifter. A feather on the breath of God.

SL: When I got the news about your solo album, I immediately got interested. I belong to the generation that not only appreciates albums of their favourite bands, but also the work of those who work in the production background. So you’ve always been a hero of mine. As I said, I was curious how this personal work would sound from you. How long have you been working on this album? What was the main motivation behind its creation?

GJ: I made a commitment to myself to complete an album in the year 2019. This personal contract with myself helped me to cross the finish line. I’ve been working on the album for 50 years. The motivation was not to let myself down.

SL: To what extent was this work different from your previous studio works on the albums of different artists? How did it feel for the first time being your own boss and that having an opportunity to realize your own ideas without compromise?

GJ: I really enjoy working with collaborators. And getting hired to work for other artists. One of the great things about it is that the person you are working with always inspires you and pushes you forward. My ELECTROGENETIC project is a solo work, so I was stuck alone with myself (and my dreams and fantasies) and this meant that I had to inspire and encourage myself. Not always easy. I learnt a lot about the creative process, the joy and pain of commitment, and had to negotiate intensively with my inner critic in order to get anything done. Also, I acquired an even deeper understanding of the challenges that so many of my dear friends and colleagues have been through over the years in making their own music and art.

SL: The album title “Electrogenetic” can have several meanings. Through creation we, humans, are similar to God – at least for a certain period of time. I thought of something spiritual when I had a first look at the album cover. What about you? What were you trying to say with it? What`s behind the title and the cover?

GJ: With the title I am trying to express my feelings about the generative power of modular electronic synthesiser patches. Often, when working with modular synthesisers, we build a patch and it offers something beyond what we could imagine or expect. This certainly happens for me often and it is part of the deep power of the modular synth creative process. So in a sense the electronics give birth to the music, and I am a kind of midwife, a birth father to the process. I am trying to emphasise and echo this process in my choice of name: ELECTROGENETIC.

The ankh and the wedding ring in the photograph on the cover hang of a lamp over my desk where I write my journal and create music at home, so I see them every day and when I took a series of photographs of these powerful symbols I realised I had my album cover right there. The wedding ring was my father’s. The font that I use for ELECTROGENETIC is from an old fashion stencil that I found in the basement of my father-in-law’s house. I love the dirty analogue outlines of the font – it enhances and reflects my aesthetic and music.

SL: When I first listened to the album, I immediately got a “this is the kind of atmospheric electronic music with goose-skin effect I’ve long missed” thought. Everything is very poetic and the listener is immediately tied up. Where did your ideas, themes and musical expression come from to this work?

GJ: This is my first solo LP, so it probably contains images and feelings from my entire life, and it is inspired by everything I have experienced, so that would be a very long list! 

The album emerged because I made a commitment to myself to complete a project within that year. I found this to be a very powerful process, the contract with myself. I really wanted to honour that contract and this which drove me forwards to completion, to the finishing line. Also my mother and my mother-in-law had recently died (my father and father-in-law died some years before) so in some way everything changed. This experience distilled into the entire project. In some sense I hope it is a loving Requiem for my parents and all the ancestors, the four billion year chain of life that precedes me.

SL: It’s hard to choose “favourite tracks” from the album because it’s a coherent musical concept, but are there parts of the whole that are of very personal importance to you?

GJ: Every track on my LP connects to every other track. In some sense they’re all important to me, and in another sense it’s “all for nothing“ – supremely important, and completely insignificant at the same time. That’s my life. I hope some listeners will go the whole journey with me and listen to the LP from top to bottom, that is how it is designed to be listened to. And I hope you will enjoy the journey.

SL: The last thing I want to ask is about your collaboration with Daniel Miller under the pseudonym “Sunroof”. Your special performance of the Depeche Mode album “Construction Time Again” 10 years ago in Berlin attracted the attention of Depeche Mode fans. Just as popular are your joint remixes. Are there such works still to be expected from you? And what are your further plans for the near future?

GJ: “Sunroof” goes back many years now and I hope it will extend many years into the future. My musical relationship with Daniel is one of the great important relationships of my life and we have always enjoyed making music together, and I hope we always will. Watch this space!

For more information on ELECTROGENETIC, including Gareth’s notes on each track, visit the album website.

Track list: 

1. The Beginning 
2. Trinity 
3. Mercury 
4. Michigan 
5. Farewell 
6. Goonhilly 
7. Safe Travels 
8. I Believe 
9. Alone Together 

You can pre-order / buy the album on Bandcamp.

János Janurik

I began my career in online music journalism in 2001, writing about artists I had followed since the late ’80s and early ’90s, including Depeche Mode, Erasure and The Cure. I later edited the Hungarian Mute microsite for EMI Music Hungary. This led to interviews with Erasure, Nitzer Ebb and Alan Wilder, and some of those collaborations developed into lasting friendships. Since 2014, I have been part of the editorial team of depechemode.de. I also contribute interviews to Reflections of Darkness, Peek-A-Boo Magazine and Kaput Mag. I maintain a close connection to Mute Records artists and have also supported releases on Very Records. I am proud to collaborate with Side-Line Magazine, where I regularly publish interviews and features.

(Photo by Jaeger Kotos) Out on 1 May 2020, is the reissue of the debut album by American avant-garde artist Diamanda Galás, “The Litanies of Satan, on Intravenous Sound Operations”. The re-release comes in a completely remastered version (by by Galás and engineer Heba Kadry) and will be released via Intravenous Sound Operations. The album was released in the United Kingdom by Y Records in 1982 and was only released in 1989 in her home country.

The A-side, “The Litanies of Satan”, was recorded in 1982 in Stoke Newington, London, and was the result of six weeks of work with UK producer Dave Hunt, a composer of electronic music. Known for his work in experimental music, reggae, and post punk, he has worked on records by Michael Nyman, Gavin Bryars, Prince Far I, Adrian Sherwood, The Pop Group, Evan Parker, and Derek Bailey to name a few.

The B-side, “Wild Women with Steak-knives”, was also recorded in 1982, but by Richard Zvonar, also a composer of electronic music, in a San Diego studio. Many performances of this work were performed in quadrophonic sound with five microphones, one assigned to all speakers, and the other four assigned to individual speakers.

First in a reissue series

This is the first release in a reissue series of Galás work since she regained ownership and control of her entire back catalogue last year. The self-titled Metalanguage album “Diamanda Galás” (1984) has also been remastered and will be given its first reissue in autumn 2020.

New music on the way as well

Galás will also release new music in July 2020 in the form of a 21-minute solo piano piece entitled “Deformation”.

It is described by Galás – try to read slowly to ingest correctly – as “a march and delivery of maimed and infected soldiers to hospitals and industrial warehouses throughout Germany during and after the First World War. In the hospitals the maimed would receive experimental operations and the infected would be confined to protect the mental well-being and physical health of the citizens of the State.”

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 later in October, but already available for pre-ordering right here, is the massive Nitzer Ebb vinyl boxset “1982-2010” holding 10 LPs. It’s the first time that all five of the band’s albums for Geffen/Mute have been collected in one complete box set.

The box set features expanded double black vinyl, of each album, with several bonus tracks and rare 12” mixes. The original album artwork comes expanded into gatefold sleeves, with embossing and spot UV finish. The set also contains a large size 28-page booklet with liner notes by Douglas McCarthy and Bon Harris and unseen photos, flyers and artwork, detailing their entire career in chronological order from Essex to Los Angeles.

Note that the box also includes space to insert the band’s first self released album from 1983 and their last release from 2010 as these titles have been in print in recent years. Which is frankly speaking a bit odd if you serve a career spanning boxset.

The box set contains the following albums:

• That Total Age Double Vinyl LP (2018 Remaster) with the bonus tracks “Murderous (Instrumental)”, “Fitness to Purpose (Mix Two)”, “Join In The Chant (Burn! 12” Mix)”, “Let Your Body Learn (12” Mix)”, “Join In The Chant (Metal Mix)”
• Belief Double Vinyl LP (2018 Remaster) with the bonus tracks “Control I’m Here (Command Control Confront Mix)”, “Shame (Mix no 2 William Orbit)”, “K.I.A. (PK Mix)”, “Captivate (William Orbit Mix)”, “Hearts & Minds (Mix Subsonic)”, “Backlash (William Orbit Mix)”
• Showtime Double Vinyl LP (2018 Remaster) with the bonus tracks “Lightning Man (The Industry Vs. The Ebb Remix)”, “Fun To Be Had (Long Mix George Clinton)”, “Getting Closer (The Kitchen Mix)”, “Fun To Be Had (Dust Brothers Master Mix)”, “Lightning Man (RSW Mix)”, “Getting Closer (The Trance Mix)”
• Ebbhead Double Vinyl LP (2018 Remaster) with the bonus tracks “Family Man (Jaz Coleman Mix)”, “Come Alive (Alan Wilder Mix)”, “Lovesick (Flood Mix)”, “Higher (Barry Adamson Mix)”, “Ascend (Vince Clarke Anonymous Mix)”, “I Give To You (Pestilence Mix)”, “Godhead (Remix)”
• Big Hit Double Vinyl LP (2018 Remaster) with the bonus tracks “Friend (Brittle Mix)”, “Beats Me”, “Kick It (Adrian Sherwood Compulsion Edit)”, “Kick It (Popular Music Mix)”, “I Thought (Final Sin)”

The complete boxset is available now for ordering right here.

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