Genre/Influences: EBM, Body-Pop, Technoid.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info:  Greek artist Stelios Goulas aka Adsol released several digital singles this year. He sent us this unofficial compilation featuring the releases of 2023.

Content: Adsol moves on experimenting with EBM while injecting other influences to get an eclectic underground electro format. All songs are instrumentals so it in a way creates a Cinematic-EBM sensation.

+ + + : Adsol is a project with a true potential. There’s a solid and intelligent EBM touch while I also like the sound production of the work. From melodic sequences to pure, vintage, and cold synth lines, the tracks also have a true danceable appeal. I also noticed a more Techno-driven element on one of the cuts.

– – – : The single regret is the total absence of vocals. This music needs a few vocal parts to get it more accomplished.

Conclusion: With some extra elements -but mainly vocals, this project could be really interesting.

Best songs: “Black Moon”, “Ultrasonic: Ultraviolet”, Cronos Device”.

Rate: 7.

Artist: www.adsolmusic.com / www.facebook.com/adsolmusic

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-Wave, Electro-Pop, Gothic.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info:  Swedish formation Agent Side Grinder last year struck back with their fifth album entitled “A/X” and featuring their new singer Emanuel Åström. In my opinion this album belongs to the best releases from 2019. While the band is actually working on a new full length, the album has been exposed to the remixing skills of other artists while there’s also one new song featured.  

Content: The 9 original songs from “A/X” have been remixed. The tracklist is a bit different while we also get 4 extra songs featuring the previously unreleased “The Archives”. Let’s start with this new song, which has something pretty Bowie-like and yet it also sounds in the eclectic style of Agent Side Grinder.

Remixes have been done by a much diversified selection of artists: Ash Code, Antipole feat. Paris Alexander, Adsol, Tobias Bernstrup, Delphine Coma, Siri Karlsson, Luminance, Hidden Operator and Buzz Kull. The remixes are pretty diversified, moving from pure Electro-Dance to melancholic to pure minimalism to Electro-Wave.

After the 9 remixes you get a little bonus taking off with the previously mentioned new song “The Archives” plus extra remixes from 2 album songs by She Pleasures Herself and Kiss Of The Whip. There also is the song “Döden På Lätt Svenska”, which is one I honestly don’t know and has been reworked by Diskoteket.

+ + + : Agent Side Grinder already is a band with an open-minded spectrum of influences and this remix-album only increases the diversity. According to me there’s one absolute highlight, which is the pretty danceable and  intelligent remix of “Allisin Sane (No.2)” by Adsol. Other noticeable remixes are the powerful “Inner Noises” remixed by Ash Code and the ultra Minimal-sounding “MM / CM” remixed by Hidden Operator. I’ll also mention the unavoidable “Doppelgänger” remixed by Luminance. The new song “The Archives” is a nice little bonus.

– – – : I can’t say that the remixes are adding a real bonus to the original edit of “A/X” by the exception of Adsol –a Greek EBM driven project I discovered by the EP “Endzeit”.

Conclusion: This kind of album will maybe please some fans to complete the growing Agent Side Discography while DJ’s will find some alternative edits to play.

Best songs: “Allisin Sane (No.2) – Adsol Remix”, “MM / CM – Hidden Operator’s Voodoo Dub Mix”, “Inner Noises – Ash Code Remix”, “The Archives”, “Decompression – Delphine Coma Remix”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.agentsidegrinder.com / www.facebook.com/agentsidegrinder

Label: www.progress-productions.com / www.facebook.com/progresspro

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 via Progress Productions by mid-October is the Agent Side Grinder remix album “REMA/X”. The album holds remixes of the 2019 album “A/X”. For this remix album the Swedish act could chose from clubdriven remixes to Swedish electro-folk.

The album also holds a new track, “The Archives”, which was originally written during the “A/X” sessions. As for a complete new album, the band are working/writing brand new material.

Check out the new video for “MM/CM”.

Track-list:

1. Inner Noises – Ash Code Remix
2. In From The Cold – Antipole ft. Paris Alexander Remix
3. Allisin Sane (No.2) – Adsol Remix
4. Stripdown – Tobias Bernstrup Remix
5. Decompression – Delphine Coma Remix
6. Wounded Star – Siri Karlsson Remix
7. Doppelgänger – Luminance Remix
8. MM/CM – Hidden Operator´s Voodoo Dub Mix
9. The Great Collapse – Buzz Kull Remix
10. The Archives – Agent Side Grinder (A/X Outtake)
11. Döden På Lätt Svenska – Diskoteket (Wounded Star Alt. Version)
12. Stripdown – She Pleasures Herself Remix
13. Doppelgänger – Kiss Of The Whip Remix

Agent Side Grinder is an electronic band from Bromma, Stockholm, which was formed in 2005. The band has made four albums and toured extensively throughout Europe. After Kristoffer Grip, Henrik Sunbring and Thobias Eidevald decided to leave the band in 2017, Johan Lange and Peter Fristedt together with new singer Emanuel Åström returned in 2019 with their comeback album “A/X”.

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.

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Genre/Influences: EBM.

Background/Info: Greek musician Stelios Goulas started his activities under the Adsol moniker in 2012. Several EP’s/singles have been released. “Endzeit” is the newest work, which has been introduced as a move back to EBM.

Content: “Endzeit” is more a single format instead of an EP. We first get a cool intro-track. Next comes the title song, which is driven by ‘modern’ EBM vibes and great spoken samplings instead of vocals. The song might appeal to fans of Komor Kommando. The last song is a remix by Japanese project Human Boot Project.

+ + + : “Endzeit” is a real great song! It’s a well-crafted, elaborated piece of intelligent body-music. There’s a great and solid bass line joined by efficient sound treatments. This is pure avant-garde EBM!

– – – : The remix of Human Boot Project is not exactly adding a real bonus. The original version is definitely more exciting! I regret that there are no more songs featured at this EP/single.

Conclusion: “Endzeit” is an accomplished EBM song so let’s keep an eye on this band!

Best songs: “Endzeit”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/adsolmusic

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