The dark atmospheric synthpop band, IIOIOIOII, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, has unveiled a new 3-track single titled “Frozen Sea”.

This single has been released through Distortion Productions and is accompanied by a music video. It offers a glimpse of their upcoming album, “Dreaming”, set to launch in autumn 2023 via the same label.

Pronounced as IO or eye-oh, IIOIOIOII has been producing music since 2012. Their most recent album, “Chroma + Chromatic”, came out in 2019 under AnalogueTrash Records.

Distortion Productions, the band’s current label, initially aimed to spotlight both national and local talents within the Pittsburgh Industrial/Goth community. By 2013, it transitioned into a record label, featuring artists such as En Esch, Dope Stars Inc., Tenek, Am Tierpark, Null Device, and others.

You can watch the “Frozen Sea” video 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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Dublin synthpop artist Circuit3 has released his new “Overview Effect” EP and video for the title track via Manchester’s AnalogueTrash label.

The EP is a teaser for the “Technology For The Youth” LP (out July 15 via AnalogueTrash) and was mastered by Richard Dowling known for his work with amongst many others New Order and Sparks. On the EP we find 5 tracks including 4 versions of “Overview Effect” by by KeX/1 (Lloyd Price of The Frixion) and AnalogueTrash label-mates Vieon next to a radio-edit and the non-album track “Ariane 5”. On vocals we find Alessia Turcato.

Peter Fitzpatrick explains the meaning of the title track: “After observing our planet from space, astronauts feel obliged and responsible for the care of this tiny fragile ball of life, shielded only by a paper-thin atmosphere. The cool rich kids are going to space. It’s all the rage. Maybe we should protect what’s left of this planet before playing space tourists? The universe isn’t going anywhere. The earth certainly is. Our house is on fire.”

This new EP follows the lead single “Future Radio”, which was co-produced by Wolfgang Flür (Kraftwerk) collaborator iEuropean (Sean Barron) and was co-written with Brian McCloskey. It also features a remix by Ricardo Autobahn (AKA John Matthews), best known as one half of Spray and the UK act The Cuban Boys.

Circuit3 debuted with the “Siliconchipsuperstar” LP (2018), followed by “The Price Of Nothing & The Value Of Everything” (2019). He also recently featured on Rodney Cromwell’s “Opus Three” EP.

Here’s the video for the title track “Overview Effect”.

You can download the full EP 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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Genre/Influences: Electro-rock, punk-pop.

Background/Info: The British duo consisting of Emily (vocals & bass guitar) and
Mickey (guitar & electronics) was set up in 2010 and first dealt with guitar- and rock music. They progressively added electronics into their work, which brought them to join AnalogueTrash Records. This self-titled debut album features 10 songs.

Content: Def Neon sounds like the offspring between punk and pop music. Next to solid guitar playing, the sound has been accomplished by furious electronic treatments. They really took care to create terrific electronic manipulations.

Emily’s vocals are more into a sweet format, which injects this pop-feeling. “Def Neon” reveals a nice contrast between guitar and electronics and at the same time it all sounds like a divine fusion in sound and influences. The songs are constantly moving from more rock orientated passages towards pop elements, but in the end it remains animated by a kind of naughty punk-pop sound.

+ + + : The main force of this work for sure is the creative exposure great electronic sound treatments and hard guitar riffs. Emily’s sweet timbre of voice injects an angelic touch to the work. Def Neon doesn’t really care about established music genres and simply creates their own style of music as an offspring between different influences. That’s why it also sounds a bit indie-like, making “Def Neon” pretty accessible for a wider audience.

– – – : “Def Neon” sounds a bit like a challenge. The sound is accessible, but hard to range in one established genre. I noticed a few songs without a real apotheosis and that’s especially true for the second part of the album.

Conclusion: ‘Punk is not death’ is an old slogan, which has been reinvented by Def Neon. They’re the punks of the 21^st Century and “Def Neon” will give you a great shock!

Best songs: “Destroy”, “Stand Up”, “Nightvision”.

Rate: (7).

Band: www.facebook.com/defneonmusic

Label: www.analoguetrash.co.uk / www.facebook.com/analoguetrashofficial

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, body-pop, electro-ambient.

Background/Info: Based in Manchester (UK), AnalogueTrash Records is one of the few growing labels from the past few years. The label is mainly devoted to electronic-pop music and has already released multiple cool releases and at the same time made us discover promising new bands. This label sampler mixes familiar label bands and a few, new discoveries as well.

Bands: Machinista, IIOIOIOII, FoxxyNewPort, Advance, Neonsol, SYD.31, Atomzero, Def Neon, Vain Machine, Vieon, Needle Factory, Factory Acts ao.

Content: This label sampler clearly reveals the taste of the label, which is mainly centered on electro-pop driven standards. The label roster features world-wide formations, but mainly British and American bands.

AnalogueTrash is not exactly into the ‘traditional’ synth-pop standards, but opens a window upon bands mixing elements of pop with dance music and groovy sequences. There also is an interesting number of space-ambient-like minded bands while others are more into darker pop formats and even a kind of electro-rock and pop music.

The sampler reveals a selection of already familiar tracks, but still an interesting number of remixes.

+ + + : A label sampler always is an opportunity to get a better view of their roster and AnalogueTrash definitely features great ‘pop-troops’ driven by carrying pop of Machinista, the sexy dance-pop of FoxxyNewPort, the dark dance-pop of Neonsol, the heavier and into power-like SYD.31 and a more experimental and minimal-sounding remix of Atomzero. Among the few bands, which aren’t (yet) signed on the label I discovered the interesting Tregenza, which also made the aforementioned remix of Atomzero.

– – – : This label sampler is fully enjoyable although the bands aren’t always featured with their best cuts… even if this is a question of taste. The label also seems to be mainly focused on finding new bands while they’re maybe missing an already recognized and more famous band, which could increase the fame of the label.

Conclusion: AnalogueTrash Records is a label is fully respect and support, not only because they’re revealing promising new bands with a great taste of music, but also because it’s one of the few, new labels from the past years bringing us something extra.

Best bands: FoxxyNewPort, Factory Acts, Machinista, SYD.31, Neonsol, Atomzero.

Rate: (7½).

Label: www.analoguetrash.co.uk / www.facebook.com/analoguetrashofficial

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-pop.

Background/Info: IIOIOIOII (pronounced I.O.) was set up by Christopher Gurney in 2012. After a self-released debut-album (cf. “Reflect”) and EP he got signed to the now lost Juggernaut Music Group on, which the second album “Sun” got released in 2014. IIOIOIOII last year joined AnalogueTrash unleashing “Post Brimstone” as a 5-track digital release. This EP has been now re-released featuring one extra song plus 3 remixes.

Content: If you’re already familiar with the electro-pop style of IIOIOIOII you will immediately recognize the band’s approach. The songs reflect a rather soft-electronic style supported by moody passages. The music is filled with reverie and astral bleeps. It also is a delicate composition, which mainly comes through in subtle piano arrangements. Some parts are even pretty soundtrack-like. The vocals are quite clear and filled with a melancholic touch.

The new song “In Disguise” has a retro-like feeling featuring simple, but nice synth parts. It also is a sweet, danceable song.

The remixes by Nature Of Wires, Sølve and especially Avarice In Audio all inject a more danceable and even club-minded approach.

+ + + : IIOIOIOII is an interesting band composing a rather simple electro-pop sound, but accomplished with grace and reverie. The music also has a kind of visual strength, which makes me think of a soundtrack composition. Into a real pure soundtrack approach, this EP reveals the beautiful “Until There’s Nothing Left To Us”. There’s no rhythm running through this song, which only accentuates the melancholic touch.

The remixes add a real extra to this EP. IIOIOIOII was transposed into harder dance vibes with a real club-approach. That’s precisely what an EP needs to get a chance on dance floors.

– – – : IIOIOIOII is more the kind of pop music to listen to instead of dancing to. It’s relaxing, but sometimes maybe a bit too much into space atmospheres. The remixes are the total opposite for being harder and danceable, which will maybe disappoint the lovers of the band.

Conclusion: This EP has something pretty schizophrenic. You have the more evasive and atmospheric approach of IIOIOIOII next to heavier dance remixes. It creates a somewhat versatile release, but probably accessible for a wider audience.

Best songs: “One Moment”, “Until There’s Nothing Left To Us” + “We Are The One – Avarice In Audio Remix”, “One Moment – Nature Of Wires Remix”.

Rate: (7½).

Band: www.iioioioii.com / www.facebook.com/IioIndustrial

Label: www.analoguetrash.co.uk / www.facebook.com/analoguetrashofficial

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

Background/Info:

Read the news on ‘Cyber Rendezvous’.

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: Dance-pop, power-pop, future-pop.

Background/Info: Based in Glasgow (Scotland) Tom Perrett and Kimberly Copland took us by surprise with their debut album “Deus Ex Machina” originally released in 2014. The band is now back on track unleashing new songs and 2 remixes on this EP.

Content: This EP sounds a bit like picking up where “Deus Ex Machina” left off. The duo reveals a real powerful and masterly produced kind of dance-pop music. It sounds pretty dance and techno minded while the leads are pure dance-trance. The heavy, danceable kick will drive numerous club visitors into wild and insane moves. The work remains however spiced with (future)-pop influences. It’s not only about the passionate and pop-like vocal parts, but still some of the arrangements and beautiful synth-line reveals their poppy influence.

The final chapter of the EP features great remixes by Biomechanical and Nature Of Wires. Notice by the way this EP has been mixed by Andy McBain (Cyferdyne) and mastered by the great Jan Loamfield (Noisuf-X, X-Fusion).

+ + + : The global production work is absolutely phenomenal! There’s an impressive and powerful sound coming through, which reveals a great balance between all the influences. The passionate and somewhat enraged vocals are excellent. Both remixes are absolutely essential and injecting some diversity to the original version of the song.

– – – : I can easily imagine Advance is going too far in the exploration of dance and trance music for some ‘classical’ pop lovers.

Conclusion: If you’re a club visitor and you like to dance, you’re going to like this EP by Advance revealing a dynamic offspring between dance/trance music and electro-pop.

Best songs: “Trying To Live”, “Calm Before The Storm – Biomechanical Remix”, “Grey Dawn – Nature Of Wires Remix”.

Rate: (8).

Band: http://advanceaudio.co.uk / www.facebook.com/Advanceaudio

Label: www.analoguetrash.co.uk / www.facebook.com/analoguetrashofficial

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-pop, dance-pop.

Background/Info: San Francisco (USA) based Jesse James Alexander has been introduced as ‘a self-styled anti-pop star for the queer and alternative communities.’ That’s a rather intriguing introduction for this artist (who is also an  active DJ) who after having released a few EP’s now joined AnalogueTrash. Notice by the way that this work is still released on cassette format.

Content: The very first notes and tones clearly reveal an electro-pop approach driven by danceable rhythms. It sometimes reminds me a bit of Faderhead in a more poppy and explicit danceable format. I’m often a bit skeptical when underground artists are exploring dance fields. They often fall into a trap of cheap clichés, but FoxxyNewport appears to be an antidote to this kind of productions.

The songs are well-crafted and elaborated by cool sound treatments and solid choruses. Some elevating trance leads can be noticed now and then. I also like the production of the vocals, which features many cool effects.

Notice by the way that the album has been produced and mastered by Mr. Kitty who’s an experienced artist when it comes to speaking about great electro-pop music.

+ + + : The album features 10 fascinating songs and 3 cool remixes by IIOIOIOII, Atomzero and Cora. I however prefer the original versions featuring a few potential hits.

– – – : No doubt about it, the danceable aspect of the work will not please all electro-pop lovers. It will probably be too dance-minded for them.

Conclusion: FoxxyNewport is a refreshing and highly danceable new ‘alien’ dropped in the electro-pop galaxy. Electro-pop and dance music can be a delicious symbiosis when it’s made with intelligence and knowledge. FoxxyNewport plus Mr. Kitty definitely is a winning team.

Best songs: “Control”, “Stars”, “Worry”, “Neutral”, “Sado”, “Rebirth”.

Rate: (8).

Band: www.facebook.com/foxxynewport

Label: www.analoguetrash.co.uk / www.facebook.com/analoguetrashofficial

ordspage

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

Read the review of ‘Velocity’.

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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Released officially on Christmas Eve 2015 and featuring tracks from the label’s diverse roster of local and international artists; the free or pay-what-you-want compilation “AnalogueTrash Records: Label Sampler Vol. 2” includes new material and exclusive remixes from Machinista (Sweden), Neonsol (Denmark), Advance (UK), IIOIOIOII (USA), Vain Machine (USA), Atomzero (Canada), Vieon (UK), FoxxyNewport (USA), Factory Acts (UK) and many more.

2015 has been a great year for AnalogueTrash with label debuts from ded.pixel, Machinista, Vain Machine and IIOIOIOII as well as releases from Atomzero, Syd.31 and Advance, the launch of their new mail order website and a successful one day festival in June which saw Manchester live debuts from Machinista, Neonsol and Dreams Divide. 2016 will see new releases from Vieon, Advance, Dreams Divide, FoxxyNewport and many more (including the label’s first releases on vinyl!).

If you like what you hear, then check out the artists’ other releases via analoguetrash.com, trashdigital.co.uk and all good digital stores and streaming services. The sampler itself can be downloaded for free or on a pay-what-you-want basis via the official AnalogueTrash Bandcamp page. You can listen to the sampler 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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Genre/Influences: Industrial-rave, breakbeats.

Content: Operating from Manchester (UK) Syd.31 unleashed its 2nd EP to the world. The least I can say is that this formation set up by Dr Magic can be simply one of the hottest new sensations in electro land.

“Drowning In Air” features 4 new songs plus a surprising cover version. One of the main sources of inspiration clearly appears to be The Prodigy. Syd.31 experiments with breakbeats injecting a great dynamic and power into the songs, but also some of the sound treatments remind me of the raw and techno-industrial style of The Prodigy. Some other technoid elements remind me to Ultraviolence, which is a somewhat forgotten British master of electronic underground. All those elements have been mixed with a hard industrial-rave style creating a merciless and exciting sound.

It’s not really a surprise that Noisuf-X did the mastering of this EP while contributing to the most surprising song of the EP. The cover version of “Mr. Vain” (originally performed by Culture Beat) is not exactly the kind of song you expect to be covered by a dark-electro formation. It’s fun, it’s totally weird, but ultra danceable and you clearly ill recognize the hard and dry, stumping kick of Noisuf-X.

But this is of course not the main song of this EP. The songs “Disorder” and “Hate” are more appropriated to get an idea about this formation. It all reassembles the aforementioned influences resulting in a dangerous sonic bomb. “Hate” appears to be a potential hit, perfectly illustrating the modern technological approach of this band.

But there’s more to enjoy and I here refer to the song “No Fear”, which is driven by d’n’b inspired rhythms while the sound treatments remain pretty raw and technoid-minded. The song “Revolution” is the one that reminds me a bit to the sometimes hard-core driven Ultraviolence.

Notice by the way that multiple guest artists have been invited to accomplish this EP. I already mentioned Jan L (Noisuf-X), but you’ll also discover names like Kommand + Kontrol and Paresis & Beinaheleidenschaftsgegenstand while Grendel’s J.D. Tucker produced 4 from the 5 songs (“Mr. Vain” being produced by Jan L).

A last element consists of the vocals, which mix numerous samplings and a rather harsh way of singing.

Conclusion: AnalogueTrash Records already have a few cool bands like Machinista, Atomzero, Advance, Neonsol ao, but Syd.31 could rapidly become their biggest sensation. This is a real astonishing release.

Best songs: “Hate”, “Disorder”, “Revolution”.

Rate: (DP:9)DP.

Band: www.facebook.com/Syd31

Label: www.analoguetrash.co.uk / www.facebook.com/analoguetrashofficial

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

After releasing two fundraising CDs, Beat:Cancer launched into their first charity gig last November as Beat:Cancer Live, raising £1500 to help Cancer Research UK fund research into screening, treatment and cures for cancer.

This year Beat:Cancer Live returns to Slimelight in London on Saturday 14th Novemeber, and heads north for the first time to The Zoo in Manchester on Friday 13th November; boasting UK exclusive headline shows from Modulate, supported by 5 bands each night; ranging across the alternative electronic spectrum from synthpop duo Advance to brutal Noise project Tapewyrm.

Bands announced are:

• Modulate (London & Manchester)
• Dreams Divide (London & Manchester)
• Be My Enemy (London)
• Petrol Bastard (Manchester)
• Syd.31 (London & Manchester)
• Advance (London & Manchester)
• Tapewyrm (London)
• Biomechanimal (Manchester)

Beat:Cancer Live 2015 will also launch up and coming artists as you can see such as Biomechanimal making their Manchester debut on the Friday night. With acts such as Be My Enemy (featuring Phil Barry of Cubanate) and Dreams Divide, visuals and the support of AnalogueTrash Records both nights should raise a hopefully substantial amount for their vital cause, Cancer Research UK.

Both nights will be followed up by after parties with scene’s DJ’s featuring also 3 guest DJ’s; AD3K (Resistanz and AnalogueTrash), Kohl (Sinistry and Resistanz) and Zombie Chris (Infest and Club Recall).
Beat:Cancer started life in 2012 as the founder Mark Haigh’s reaction to the loss of a friend and colleague to lymphoma. Initially envisioned as a 7 track digital EP, it became a double disc compilation of tracks featuring artists from around the world, released at the festival Resistanz in Sheffield, Easter 2013.

Full details, line-ups and advance tickets are available on the official Beat:Cancer website at www.beatcancer.info .

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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Machinista has been on our radar for quite some time and the Swedish duo have proven quite well they deserve their spot in the electropop scene. Machinista are now set to release a special two disc edition of their debut album “Xenoglossy” this November (orders are available here).

Originally released in 2014 on Juggernaut Media Group in limited quantities, “Xenoglossy” is the precursor to their well received second album “Garmonbozia” which debuted this June via UK-based label AnalogueTrash.

The 2CD set, called “Xenoglossy [Expanded Edition]”, is officially released on the 6th of November as a double disc, 6 panel digifile CD edition with 13 brand new remixes by the likes of IIOIOIOII, Vogon Poetry and Spacebuoy and exclusive artwork from the band.

Pre-orders are available now directly from AnalogueTrash. A highly recommended release! Below is a video for “Molecules And Carbon” as featured on Machinista’s debut 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!

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