Piston Damp is a Norwegian-Danish synthpop duo formed by Jonas Groth and Truls Sønsterud. Jonas Groth is the brother of Stephan Groth, the frontman of Apoptygma Berzerk, and has been heavily involved in the music scene for over two decades. Piston Damp started as a side project while Apoptygma Berzerk was on tour, but it remained largely dormant until 2020, when the duo decided to relaunch the project.

Their music blends elements of classic synthpop with strong melodies and emotionally charged lyrics. Their debut album, Making the World Great Again (2021), includes standout singles like “Runaway” and “Something In Me”. The duo is praised for its catchy hooks, reminiscent of bands like Mesh, and their modern take on electronic music.

Piston Damp has released several singles, including remixes by electronic artists such as Pegboard Nerds and Technomancer. Their music often incorporates media samples, giving it a unique tone that resonates with synthpop fans.

And now they are ready to present their second album “Mastermind Vol 1 – No Points For Trying” in 4 different versions via emmobiz Records.

• Piston Damp “Mastermind Vol 1 – No Points For Trying” LP Box (Red splatter vinyl – 77 copies)
• Piston Damp “Mastermind Vol 1 – No Points For Trying” LP Box (Black vinyl – 222 copies)
• Piston Damp “Mastermind Vol 1 – No Points For Trying” DCD Set ltd. (77 copies): special limited DCD Edition with T-Shirt incl. Bonus CD with Remixes first time on CD
• Piston Damp “Mastermind Vol 1 – No Points For Trying” CD

The bonus CD holds the following tracks:

1. Something In Me – Single Version
2. Loose Ends – Single Version
3. Don’t – Single Version
4. Runaway – Single Version
5. Something In Me – Technomancer Remix
6. Testimony – Sebastian Komor Remix
7. Noget I Mig

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 Chris Ruiz) In advance of their upcoming North America Tour 2024, synth pop trio Beborn Beton drop the first single “American Girls”, taken from their forthcoming new EP “To the Stars”, which is scheduled for release on November 22, 2024.

Beborn Beton’s Stefan Netschio comment: “The track ‘American Girls’ honours the strength and perseverance of women and acknowledges the ongoing struggle for true equality all around the globe. Despite the progress made, humankind still has a long way to go before women are valued and treated as equals in every aspect of life. We can hardly wait to perform this song live for the first time on our upcoming 10-date tour in North America this October.”

The EP “To the Stars” follows directly in the wake of their ninth album “Darkness Falls Again”. The EP holds three new tracks and four remixes. Here is the tracklist from the upcoming “To the Stars” EP.

1. Ticket to the Moon
2. American Girls
3. Progeny
4. I Watch My Life on TV (Club Mix)
5. My Monstrosity (EMMON Remix)
6. I Watch My Life on TV (Black Light Odyssey Remix)
7. My Monstrosity (Control Mix by Blac Kolor)

Beborn Beton North America 2024 Tour

• 03 OCT 2024 Chicago, IL (US) LiveWire Lounge
• 04 OCT 2024 Detroit, MI (US) UFO Bar
• 05 OCT 2024 Toronto, ON (CA) Ground Control
• 06 OCT 2024 Montreal, QC (CA) Cabaret Foufs
• 08 OCT 2024 Boston, MA (US) ManRay
• 09 OCT 2024 Arlington, VA (US) The Renegade
• 10 OCT 2024 Amityville, NY (US) Stimulate, Amityville Music Hall
• 11 OCT 2024 Wilmington, DE (US) Bar XIII
• 12 OCT 2024 Tampa, FL (US) Absolution Fest
• 13 OCT 2024 Los Angeles , CA (US) Cold Waves

About Beborn Beton

Beborn Beton was founded by vocalist Stefan Netschio, keyboard player and drummer Stefan Tillmann, and keyboard player Michael Wagner in 1989. Their first signs of life were three self-released tapes, “Pyre” (1989), “Scythe” (1991), and “Die Stahlbetontour” (1992).

Following their first two regular albums “Tybalt” (1993) and “Concrete Ground” (1994),the band joined renowned acts such as Wolfsheim and De/Vision on the Strange Ways Records label. In 1996 the full-length “Nightfall” was released, followed by “Truth” in 1997, and “Fake” in 1999.

“Rückkehr zum Eisplaneten” was released in 2000, Beborn Beton followed by the exclusive US release of a best-of double-album entitled “Tales from Another World” in 2002, which was followed by extensive touring in North America with Apoptygma Berzerk in the same year.

After the release of “Tales from Another World” (2002) and the associated touring, the band went on an extended hiatus.

It took 13 years, until the trio returned with a new album on Dependent Recordings: “A Worthy Compensation” (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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Piston Damp and Ray Noir, two acts that hadn’t played in Oslo before, booked the final day of August for an evening of electro-metal/goth and synthpop tunes at the club Revolver. Then a surprise dropped the day before the show, announcing that Apop (Stephan Groth’s solo version of Apoptygma Berzerk) would kick off the evening with a set of analogue-modular music!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

S-L:  More releases or gigs planned?

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

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

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

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

Jan Ronald Stange

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

www.facebook.com/jrstange

Out on September 6, is the newest single from the Swedish electro-pop duo Sjöblom, “Dead For Years”. “Dead For Years” is the lead single from their forthcoming album “Dead Of Night”. The single is available for pre-order now, and the upcoming album is set to be released later in the year on COP International.

The single also features two remixes: the “Apparition mix” by Fracture Foyer and the “Rapid Eye Movement mix” by Operation Blue Eyes.

Sjöblom, comprised of Johan Sjöblom Eliot and Robert Eklind, drew inspiration from iconic bands like Depeche Mode and Apoptygma Berzerk for the sound on this new single. “It’s funny how perception works,” says Robert. “I always intended for this track to have a darkwave or even gothic sound, but a friend mentioned it reminded him of Depeche Mode, which is a huge compliment.”

The lyrics are based on a text by Johnny Nattsjö (DJ Batcat). The production was handled by Jon Bordon and Sjöblom at Joniverse Studios.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jan Ronald Stange

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

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange. Cover art by Halvor Bodin) With the release of ‘Black Pawn’ Apoptygma Berzerk adds the third album in a series of 4 releases with B-Sides & Rarities, following the ‘Faceless Fear‘ and ‘Disarm‘ releases which both came in 2020.

On ‘Black Pawn’ you get, among other things, served up the title track in its original version, as well as for the very first time, a studio version of ‘Enjoy The Silence’, something APOP fans have been clamoring for and wanting since 1998.

In addition to this, there will be, for the first time digitally, ‘Kathy’s Song (Mat Silver vs. Tony Burt Remix)’, a version only found on 12″ vinyl before. ‘Photoshop Sucks (Lo-Fi Version)’ is brand new and has never been released before.

With all these remixes, that have only been available on compilations or CD-Singles previously in combination with for example ‘Untitled 6’, we get an exciting and varied B-Sides & Rarities that most APOP fans will be able to appreciate and enjoy all digital platforms and streaming services.

This is in anticipation of new material and new releases from APOP, and gives the fans something to sink their teeth into while waiting!

Check it out on Bandcamp, Tidal or Spotify!

Jan Ronald Stange

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

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) Lot’s of Apoptygma Berzerk fans are rejoicing today – it’s the release day of the ‘You and Me against the World’ re-issue. The 2005 album had the band introducing a more indie-rock style of music and broke the band to new audiences, especially in Germany with four hit singles and the album climbing to #18 on the official charts.

Now it’s re-issued in two vinyl versions and on CD, and of course we had to know what Stephan Groth had to say about this and what else he’s up to these days!

S-L: How has the sale been so far of the various versions?

STP: I am not that much into the details regarding sales, but from what I hear things are going great. I`m told that the red limited edition vinyl is almost sold out… not that surprising since so many people are collecting rare vinyl these days. 

Personally, I prefer classic black and clear/transparent vinyls, but from a collectors point of view the red limited edition is a better investment, and of course, it also looks extremely nice. Sound quality wise transparent and black is supposed to be the best.

S-L: What’s the response from the fans on this re-issue?

STP: Well, I only just got the vinyls myself two days ago, and most people have not seen or listened to the record yet, so it is a bit early for any feedback. But I heard from a few record stores that people are excited and that many have pre-ordered the album and are looking forward to release day.

So it seems many people including myself are excited to finally get ‘You And Me Against The World’ on vinyl, it is long overdue. The CD has been out of print for a while, so I am happy to have it back in stock. We remastered all the tracks, and they sound really good. We also added as many bonus tracks as the CD can hold.

Both the new CD and the vinyl versions of Y.A.M.A.T.W. got a nice upgrade sonically, but also visually. Halvor Bodin re-designed the cover, and gave it a new updated look that fit today`s APOP-vibe and it is a perfect match. In the booklet we used photos by Sebastian Ludvigsen that were not in the original cover, but from the same photo sessions that we did back in 2005. So the cover looks and feels very much the same as the original, but with a modern and updated touch to it. 

S-L: More re-issues planned? Or new music first?

STP: We are almost done with a 3rd ‘B-Sides & Rarities’ compilation. This will be released on digital platforms only, just like the previous two, ‘Faceless Fear’ and ‘Disarm’.

I am also working on stuff in the studio, and as it looks right now there will be a new EP, a follow-up to ‘Nein Danke!’ but that could change, it might turn into a whole album, not sure yet…

Also, if you’re interested in APOP-related re-issues, the debut-album from Cronos Titan, ‘Brides Of Christ’, is also being released on vinyl for the very first time now with a beautifully redesigned sleeve, also by Halvor Bodin. My brother Jonas, who plays synth in APOP, just released the debut album with his project, Piston Damp, which is a superb synthpop album.

We’re also planning to get ‘Harmonizer’, ‘Welcome To Earth’ and ‘7’ out on vinyl again as they’ve been out of print for a long time now. But the pressing plants are jammed up at the moment, and with a six month waiting period to have an album out on vinyl things will take time. Still, we’re continually working on both reissues and new material simultaneously. 

S-L: Other things on the calendar now that the corona restrictions are being lifted?

STP: Hopefully things will get back to normal soon, so we can go play live again. We have three shows planned for next year, shows that have been postponed several times already due to the corona situation.
Those are: Subkultfestivalen, Sweden. Månefestivalen, Fredrikstad, Norway and VNV NATION 30, Gelsenkirchen, Germany. 
The 2022 dates for Subkultfestivalen and VNV 30 are already posted, but we’re still waiting for Månefestivalen to confirm their date(s) for 2022. Other than that, we won’t be booking any new gigs until we know 100% for sure that the gigs are doable, so we’re basically just “waiting things out” until things are more stable. 

The album can be ordered in various markets

• Europe > Lo-Fi Merchandise or POPoNAUT
• USA/Canada/South-America > The Electric Fox
• Norway > Retro Vinyl

Jan Ronald Stange

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

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange. Cover art by Halvor Bodin)
Exactly a month after the previous release ‘Faceless fear‘, Apoptygma Berzerk and Pitch Black Drive Productions followed up on May 1st with another digital compilation, ‘Disarm – A collection of B-Sides & Rarities’. In a busy time working on several projects Stephan Groth found time to elaborate on this release and more, and there’s even releases from his side projects in the pipeline!

Side-Line: The ‘Disarm’ compilation – any major differences as a concept from ‘Faceless Fear’?

Stephan Groth: It is basically the same concept, and a follow up to “Faceless Fear”. We are making rare APOP tracks available on all digital platforms, including the Pitch Black Drive Bandcamp page. We have so many B-sides, rare remixes and even unreleased versions of APOP songs lying around. A while back Per Aksel and I started to compile them and put them together in an album format. Because of the corona virus situation, we finally found the time to realize the project, and we are already working on Vol. 3! 😉

S-L: ‘Kathy’s Song – Litteraturhuset versjon’ is one of the more unexpected tracks here, and as I was present myself the first time it was performed I found it very surprising and pleasing seeing it on the track list.

STP: Yes, the ‘Litteraturhuset versjon’ of ‘Kathy’s Song’ is extremely rare! The song was only performed live once at a very exclusive show in Fredrikstad called “Menneske/Maskin/Musikk”, a concert we did playing only Kraftwerk songs as well as APOP songs in Kraftwerk’ish versions. The ‘Litteraturhuset versjon’ is not a live recording from that show though, but a touched up version of the rehearsal track that Jonas and I would rehearse to before the show.

S-L: The track ‘Disarm’ – never released before, right? Ever played it live?

STP: Correct, it was never released and never played live before.
It was supposed to have been put out many years ago but for some reason it just never happened. So, now was a good time to let people hear it, and the feedback has been great. It seems like people are really appreciating us doing this.

S-L: It took literally just seconds before ‘Disarm’ trumped the original Smashing Pumpkins version IMO. It’s named ‘Alex O. Mix’ – does that imply there’s other versions too? I think the track deserves it’s own single release in multiple versions!

STP: Better than the original, well… I don’t think so, but thanks for the compliment 🙂
It is an amazing song by an amazing band, a song that was very important to me earlier in my life.
There are other versions of Disarm, yes, but I never got around to finish them. Alex Odden (Pegboard Nerds/Drugwar) made this mix years ago, and it only needed a little touch-up before it was ready to be released.

He is an extremely talented producer, someone I will be working more closely with in the future. We just revived our project DRUGWAR, something that you`ll hear more of on the ‘Nein Danke!’ EP, as we did a remix of the song ‘A Battle For The Crown’.

S-L: What’s up next? Lots of plans postponed due to the corona situation?

STP: I have quite a few projects in the works at the moment. I already mentioned Drugwar, and I am also working with Echo Image for some new releases as well as a very interesting project with Mortiis, who I am currently recording with. This project will definitely be on the more experimental side of the electronic music specter, and we will use elements of both bands broad palettes.

There will also be a follow-up EP to the recently digitally released ‘Before You Came Along’ CD-Maxi with Fairlight Children, consisting of previously unreleased mixes from back then, mixes that are way to good to be left on a shelf somewhere.

Now that ‘Rocket Science’ will be released on vinyl for the first time on the same date as the ‘Nein Danke!’ EP, we will also be working on getting ‘You And Me Against The World’ out on 2xLP, hopefully together with yet another brand new EP.
So, we’re not getting bored down here in FRXTA! 😉

Next out is the 12″ and CD of ‘Nein Danke!’ EP, preordering have started in Germany at Poponaut and Infrarot, in US/Canada at The Electric Fox, in Denmark at Braincorp, in Sweden at Hot Stuff, and finally: in Norway at Retro Vinyl in Sarpsborg (phone or e-mail only).
Meanwhile check out the teaser @ Bandcamp!

For more upcoming APOP action:
www.theapboffice.com
www.facebook.com/ApoptygmaBerzerk
www.pitchblackdrive.bandcamp.com

Jan Ronald Stange

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

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange. Cover art by Halvor Bodin)
Barely a week before April 1^st Apoptygma Berzerk and Pitch Black Drive Productions  announced the digital release of ‘Faceless Fear – A collection of B-Sides & Rarities’, and today we can all get it on lots of platforms!

The name was indeed in touch with the current state of the world – coincidence or not?! I managed to get some background from the henchman of Stephan Groth, the x-member still pushing various buttons: Per Aksel Lundgreen.

Side-Line: This release, or rather the title, seems very current – something you decided recently due to the corona crisis, or had it been named earlier?

Per Aksel: It’s actually been planned for a long time. Before x-mas I put forward three suggestions for compilation albums to Stephan; the first called ‘Faceless Fear (B-Sides & Rarities)’. We also are more or less finished with the tracklisting for Vol 2: ‘Black Pawn (B-Sides & Rarities)’ and Vol 3: ‘Lidelsens Mening (B-Sides & Rarities)’

S-L: So the ‘Nein Danke EP’ has been postponed then?!

PA: Nope, we just squeezed ‘Faceless Fear’ in between other releases. We’re worked long and hard to FINALLY finish the ‘Nein Danke EP’, and also the remastering and cover for the ‘Rocket Science’ LP release. After that we considered the three compilations, and what better title to start off with than ‘Faceless Fear’ in these corona times when most of the world is in a quarantined standstill? At the same time it’s good to present something exciting for the Apop fans these days, trying to be a relief from news and social media packed with fear and sad stories about dead music colleagues.

Get the collection on Bandcamp, iTunes or Amazon, and it’s a also available on Spotify, TIDAL, Deezer, Simfy, Slacker, 7-Digital and other platforms.

Jan Ronald Stange

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

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange / Tatra Records, Pitch Black Drive pressrelease) Apoptygma Berzerk have been very active in the recent years, and in 2016 we saw the release of the instrumental album “Exit Popularity Contest”, a hommage to Stephan Groths musical heroes and inspirations. Between doing remixes for Machinista, Peter Heppner and Page, APOP have also been playing concerts and festivals every year.

In 2018 APOP amazed everybody with the fantastic 25th Anniversary of their debut album, “Soli Deo Gloria”, and the reworked album “SDGXXV” that accompanied it, filled to the brim with legendary artists from the electronic scene doing stunning reworks of the old APOP classics!

The analogue instrumental album and the work with classic electronic artists inspired APOP to take the analogue sound into their traditional “pop” songs, enhancing them with the golden sound of electronic pop from the late 70’s and early 80’s, while also wrapping them in an electronic blanket covering your aural senses like a comfortable shroud.

Now the time has come for a new release in the form of an EP titled “Nein Danke!”.  It includes three brand new tracks; “Atom & Eve”, “A Battle For The Crown” and “Soma Coma”, and also several remixes, giving a total of seven tracks.
Estimated release date: end of September 2019.
Formats: CD EP, 12” EP and Digital EP

The teaser for the EP can be heard now from iTunes, Spotify, Tidal etc., and the tracks may also be purchased in high quality from Bandcamp!

PS! Don’t miss out on the following live dates if you’re able to attend!

August 15: Hannover (Capitol) (DE)
August 16: Dresden (Reithalle Strasse E) (DE)
August 17: Köln (Essigfabrik) (DE)
August 18: W-Festival / Waregem (BE)
August 24: Oslo (Parkteatret) (NO)
October 26: DarkMad Festival / Madrid/Pinto (ES)

Jan Ronald Stange

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

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange. Interview photos by Sigrid E. Ø. Reinertsen)
Apoptygma Berzerk, the first leading exporter of electronic music in the synth/EBM genre from Norway, are still celebrating their 25th anniversary for their debut album ‘Soli Deo Gloria’.

This time by releasing a reworked edition named ‘SDGXXV’ – already out on CD and Bandcamp, and also released on several double vinyl versions and streaming platforms April 18th. We’ve gotten some hints about the process the last year, understanding it’s been a hectic year with a lot of collaborators involved, so an interview about this was overdue. As the Apop guys lives on the opposite side of the Oslo fjord than me, we decided to meet in the middle in the ferry town Horten, where we occupied my mothers dining room for a few hours (thanks Mum!).

The release comes out in various versions which can be ordered here: CD Digipak / Tape / Cassette / MC / Two different DOUBLE-VINYL editions.

Side-Line: Was there a plan behind this rework album, and how did you end up with all these tracks and collaborators?

Stephan Groth: The short version was that the 25th anniversary for the ‘Soli Deo Gloria’ (SDG) album last year triggered it. But there’s no short versions anyway for this story, so…. First we wanted to release a 12″ maxi single with two tracks from SDG involving new, relevant musicians we like, to mark the event. This caught momentum, the list of people we wanted to work with grew and now it would be a four track EP. Everyone we asked in this process said yes and was eagerly exited.

Per Aksel Lundgreen: And when we reached 7 or 8 positive answers we decided to do the whole album – all tracks from SDG! And we still had an abundance of collaborators!

Stp: Some tracks are repeated several times on the CD version, and this led to the somewhat thematically splitting of the album, Part I, II and III, in order to distribute the songs a bit and make each part a sub-album/EP that could be listened to by itself. We also ended up in a curious situation regarding our cover of ‘All Tomorrow’s Parties’ – how to make a remix or rework of someone else’s song…?

PA: The funny thing when that situation arose was that we asked Naked Lunch to work on this song – luckily this was a favourite of theirs and the exact song they would have asked for themselves!

Stp: … and it somehow seemed destined to happen. First, we found out a Naked Lunch producer and live member also had a past in the band Sudeten Crèche, which once supported Nico on tour, and she did the vocals in The Velvet Underground’s original version of ‘All Tomorrow’s Parties’. Then we found an old flyer stating Naked Lunch also played with Nico. So there’s a connection there, making this full circle for several involved.

Someone else we must mention is Erik Wøllo, who was a very important part of making SDG in 1992-93. He released several electronic albums in the 80s and 90s before we met him.

PA: The ones on Cicada Records triggered our interest as they were on a sub-label of what was to become Tatra Records, so when we found out he had a synth studio in Fredrikstad we were quick to get in contact with him via mutual connections.

Stp: We ended up in the studio, having him helping us with technical issues and teaching us a lot, also lending us synths, drum machines and other equipment. Having access to three times more synths than we started out with helped shape SDG towards the final result, so having Erik back doing a SDGXXV track was great – and he wasn’t hard to ask either!

Erik, like Beranek and Bal Pare, hadn’t done many (or any) remixes/reworks before, so part of the collaboration became sharing my knowledge of that part of making music with them, as I’ve been doing remixes half my life.
Basically, I told them to think about how you would do this track yourself, in your style or fashion, and still keep the gist of the original.

I’d met Beranek on a few occasions, that excellent Geek Night (#1: SYNTH) at Popsenteret and a NOTAM synth meet-up, and we started thinking about doing something together.

PA: As a lead up to Stephans first meeting with Beranek it’s also worth mentioning that when Beranek curated the Norwegian Spotify list ’20+5′, where artists picks 20 favourite Norwegian tracks and 5 of their own, Beranek chose TWO Apoptygma Berzerk tracks. So, we knew already then he was a fan, and he later confirmed that at a record signing session, stating “it was to emphasize the seriousness of the situation – this is some of the best music made in Norway!”.
[Check out the list here!]

Stp: I grew up in Denmark and never got the initial buzz of Beraneks breakthrough single ‘Dra til hælvete’, which cause a lot of fuss and were banished from Norwegian radio in the 80s. Hearing it years later, I was yearning to do a remix for it, but Todd Terje beat me to it. As I considered Beraneks debut album as the first Norwegian synth album, and I’m a fan, it made sense to invite him to collaborate on SDGXXV.
‘Arp’ was one of the tracks not picked yet when Beranek was to be invited, and after I’ve listened to Beraneks album ‘Sound of danger’ on vinyl I accidentally had the record player set to 45 RPM, not 33 RPM, when I wanted to hear ‘Can’t go to sleep’. That gave me some ideas which I pitched to Beranek, and a week later I got his beautiful version in return.

The whole album was made this way, not just as another remix album, but more like reworking the tracks with others, me contributing more than in usual remix settings, so we have deliberately avoided using the work “remix” at all for this project.

PA: And “rework” is definitely fitting, because about 50% of the old tapes and discs were unusable, some even found moldy after being stored in lofts and cellars for years, so a lot had to be re-created.

Stp: The earliest work was made on Atari floppies and cassette tapes, maybe a DAT for the final masters, media not so easy to access in this digital age. Combined with several relocations and storing this in various environments we found a lot had to be made from scratch again, borrowing samplers, trying to read old diskettes and so on. And even the vocals had to be redone, and as I wasn’t an English professor 25 years ago, I also had to recreate grammatical errors, making it as true to the original as possible.

PA: There was lots of feedback going back and forth to the collaborators, something that became a fun part of the project, seeing the music making evolve like this.

Stp: … and that’s also why it took so long to finish! Adding to the process itself, much of the people involved aren’t exactly your average people , so it was sometimes demanding to incorporate everyone’s working methods, available hours etc.

S-L: When and how did this project start?

Stp: I know exactly when: It started in January 2018, when Ole-Espen had booked Ancient Methods to play at The Villa in Oslo. I remembered seeing them streamed live from a Boiler Room event in Berlin, mixing hard techno with old EBM, something that made a lot of sense to me. I wanted to have an Ancient Methods remix, and during an Indian dinner I explained my ideas, something Michael Wollenhaupt really turned on to. That was the first confirmed collaborator for SDGXXV.

PA: Then we thought about asking The Invincible Spirit, I sent an e-mail to Thomas Lüdke, got a positive reply, and from that point on the ball really got rolling.

Stp: After that it’s been a lot of work – music, the cover, everything – more or less a year.

PA: Another special thing for us regarding the 25th anniversary is how some parts around us haven’t changed; Tatra Records are involved again, both with the SDG re-issue and SDGXXV, just as they were with the original 25 years ago. Halvor Bodin, the designer of the original cover, worked with us on the new cover too. Morten Lund from Masterhuset did the mastering yet again, Erik Wællo got involved again, and of course Stephan and I are still here. A reunion bringing us all together again!

Stp: Yes, that really brought forward a kind of trueness that made the whole project feel even more “right” for all of us. As SDG was the first Norwegian EBM record, which opened a lot of doors for other Norwegian bands, doing this now felt important. But it’s also been a tiresome process that I don’t see myself repeating anytime soon, so don’t expect a the same treatment for ‘7’ 😉

PA: We paved way for others with SDG, making Norwegian bands eligible for records companies, distributors, concert promotors and so on, in a time where electronic music wasn’t very appreciated. We had some backing from people in the Norwegian music industry. Worth mentioning among these are Helge Gaarder, a musician who also distributed money from Rikskonsertene, which made it possible for us to have our first concerts.

Stp: Someone else we hold in high regards is Arvid Skancke-Knutsen, a music journalist who’s been writing about us from the very start – and even had an extensive review of our first maxi single!

S-L: Any favorites among the tracks?

Stp: … that’s a hard one -– there are favorites all over the place! The Beranek version of ‘Arp’ is just so beautiful, Ancient Methods’ ‘Burning Heretic’ is outstanding, and Bal Pare’s ‘Ashes To Ashes’ is insane – so far from the original in the minimal wave soundscape. But really, I’m so happy with all the tracks, couldn’t ask for anything better.

PA: What I found exiting is that Alex Dahl from Atropine, when asked which track he’d like to work in, answered ‘Borrowed Time’, which isn’t even on the album, but as the B-side of the ‘Bitch’ single. His version really blew me away!

Stp: Alex is a genius – amazingly good at what he does, and I think he’s not getting the credit he deserves in Norway.

S-L: How has the interest for SDGXXV been so far?

PA: SDG have had several reissues, but always on CD, so having it on vinyl now is long overdue. Pre-sales have been OK, but can’t really tell before after the release April 18th. Check the links below to get your copy!

Stp: Next up is my very delayed “normal” studio album, which has been put on hold for years now. Partly due to personal reasons, but also some musical reasons, which led to the “Exit Popularity Contest” album, something I needed to do to get back to my roots. And finally, this project, which really grew beyond expectations – from a couple of tracks to an four track EP, and finally an extensive album. The songs for the next album are written, some new inputs need to be digested into what kind of music I want to play. Both of my latest releases give hints of my future direction, going back to the more analogue roots of the music I like, using many of the same instruments as my heroes from the 70s. I’m very thankful now that I’ve hoarded synths for the past 30 years!

After hearing Stephans and Per Aksels stories about the making of SDGXXV, inputs from some of the collaborators felt natural to include here.
Say what you want about Facebook, but undeniable a great place to get in touch with people. I sent some messages asking about their relationship or history with Apop, also about the process and collaboration with Stephan on this project, and got great responses in return!

Espen Beranek: ARP (No Sleep Mix by Beranek)

I’ve been a longtime fan of Apop, and was very flattered to be asked for a contribution on SGDXXV.

I got both audio and MIDI stems from Stephan, and he told me I was free to change both pitch and tempo if I wanted to. I (and Stephan too I think) wanted to tint this version with some tonal colours from my early works. I therefore started to experiment with the MIDI stems together with my old non-midi equipment like the Korg KR55 rhythm box and my old trusty PE-1000. It became obvious to me that I needed to slow down the pace in the song in order to make space for my tonal intentions. After hearing my first edit Stephan got inspired and he sent me some fresh vocal tracks with some spacey effects. They fitted in perfectly and from there on it was kind of a simple edit/mix job.

Tony Mayo, Naked Lunch: All Tomorrow`s Parties (Evolve Or Die Mix by Naked Lunch)

We have been FB friends with Stephan for several years and not only have we known Per, (an original Apop member) for years, we have met him in person, and he was our tour manager when we toured with Covenant in 2015. Per is a personal and professional friend.

Per got in touch and asked if we would do a remix for the album and gave us a choice of which track to do. We are massive Velvet Underground fans, loved the Apop cover, and reworking ‘All Tomorrows Parties’ was a work of love for us. Funnily enough, back in the 80’s, within a few days of Naked Lunch headlining the Venue in Victoria, both Nico and John Cale headlined on separate nights too.

Håvard Ellefsen, Mortiis: Walk With Me (FRXTA Skyline Mix by Mortiis)

I´ve had some collaborations with Stephan from time to time since 2003 or so, and it´s always been a pleasure. He´s got this high energy approach to music that I really like.
Of course, since we live on the same street, he knew I´d burn his house down if he didn´t include me on this album. Haha!

Jarle Hansen, Substaat: Bitch (Weil Mix by Substaat)

I didn’t discover Apop until I heard ‘Kathy’s Song’ on Norwegian radio, even though I lived only 30 km away or so. It was a great experience to discover that “this sound” had survived through the harsh conditions of the 90s, when a lot of my favorite bands turned industrial, rock or techno. Apop has been a great influence both for the sound and for the strong melodies since.

I was told that we were asked to do this collaboration with Apop because Stephan liked our version of ‘Circling Overland’. He liked that old school sound in a modern production. We had a close communication and ideas were sent back and forth. Besides vocal, Stephan contributed with the cold industrial choir and the vocoded voice rumbling in the background – and, of course, general “guidance”. Anyone knowing Stephan, knows that nothing is left to chance.

alx, Atropine: Borrowed Time (Sublime Mix by Atropine)

The story behind the remix of ‘Borrowed time’ goes back to 1991 when I was working on various projects and we listened to Stephan’s 1st release ‘Ashes to ashes’. We played that record to dust. Later came the single ‘Bitch’. ‘Borrowed Time’ was my favorite on that release, I was thrilled to be able to remix that particular song since I think it’s one of the best songs from that period, and it only exists on that single. Stephan was for a period having a studio next door in Oslo, and that’s how I got to know him.

When I received the file it was only as a mp3. I wasn’t able to work with that, so in order to make the remix I had to recreate the song again from scratch. I recorded the exact song, and Stephan had to sing on it again and record the vocals. Once the song was recreated in its original form I could finally start to take it apart again and add my personal musical view to it. While Stephan gave some musical input during the process I often decided to do the opposite – and he even liked it much better! We had good communication during the process, and I ended up sending 2 different versions.

Steven R. Sellick: Like Blood From The Beloved (Part 1) (Interpreted by Steven R. Sellick)

I moved to the synth capital of Norway, Fredrikstad, in ’92. Stephan worked at a record store 3 minutes from my flat, and we soon bonded over our mutual love for shoegaze and synth music.
We also shared a fondness for beer and dancing to 2 Unlimited in crappy discos. I remember him working on Soli Deo Gloria, I loved listening to the tracks as they evolved.

Stephan approached me and told about his idea for SDGXXV. I was honored to be asked, and I especially liked the fact that he wasn’t looking for a remix. He gave me a bunch of old midi files and I re-recorded and re-arranged the track using old synths and drum machines. He wanted a certain German vibe and I think we nailed it.

Ole-Espen Kristiansen: Stitch (Patched & Processed by O/E)

I met STP around 12 years ago, we have become very close friends and work partners. We have the exactly same taste and understanding of electronic music and music in general so we work very good together creatively. The story in a whole is way too long…

I chose ‘Stitch’ to remix since I love the bassline and vibe in the original track. I wanted to do a more modern club friendly version, but still keep some of the “old school” Apop vibe to it. A lot of the noisy atmos and effect loops in the track are heavy processed parts from an 128k MP3 file of the original track.
Besides that STP and I had close talks through the whole process with compiling the album, adjusting some mixes, some mastering details etc.

As music journalist Arvid Skancke-Knutsen also was mentioned as being there from the very start, his input would be a perfect closing to this story.

Arvid:

I was working at the Norwegian music monthly Puls Magazine at the time. I was probably the first mainstream writer to pay them any attention, in connection with the release of the ‘Ashes To Ashes’ twelve inch. I liked their attitude and their enthusiasm, and also truly enjoyed the music itself, which was very original and energetic compared to the music scene in Norway. Since then I have been following them pretty closely, enjoying many records and concerts along the way.

Apop is also very present on the net and digital platforms – choose your poison! 🙂

Homepage / Bandcamp#1 / Bandcamp#2 / European Webstore / US Webstore / Songkick (Tourdates) / Spotify / iTunes / Instagram / Twitter / YouTube

Jan Ronald Stange

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

www.facebook.com/jrstange

Following the releases and shows honouring the 25th anniversary of Apoptygma Berzerk’s debut album “Soli Deo Gloria”, the Norwegian electronic-rock outfit presents “SDGXXV”, available on CD, double-vinyl, and cassette editions.

Re-imagining “Soli Deo Gloria” was not an easy task. Groth and co. looked for artists who would not simply provide remixes, but, rather, re-conceived versions that go down to the roots of what made the original Apop record so special. The band looked to old friends such as Cronos Titan, but also commissioned music from a new breed of artists who are changing the landscape today.

The team who worked on this album includes Steven R. Sellick, Ancient Methods, The Invincible Spirit, Blackhouse, Clock DVA, Substaat, Naked Lunch, Prurient feat. Maniac, Mortiis, Codex Empire, Portion Control, Bal Paré, Atropine, Monster Apparat, Beranek and Erik Wøllo.

The release comes out in various versions which can be ordered here: CD Digipak / Tape / Cassette / MC / Two different DOUBLE-VINYL editions.

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

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange. All photos by Krichan Wihlborg, Underground Photo)

A week after their successful concert at the Brewhouse in Gothenburg, Apoptygma Berzerk announces their return to an Oslo venue for the first time in over ten years! And it’ll be a full night of music – as their special guest they’ll bring Vile Electrodes over from the UK, who also will support Apop on some of the German dates in 2019.
DJ Alex Tjore will fill our ears between the bands with a special DJ set consisting of the best electronic tunes from the golden era of 1977-1984, so proper dancing footwear would be smart to consider.

On behalf of the APB Crew, Per Aksel Lundgreen elaborates:

Norway has never been the main market for Apoptygma Berzerk, that’s been mostly Germany and the US, but in recent years Sweden has gained more and more attention, and interest has been enormous there. After massive pressure and over 100 (!) Norwegians attending the concert in Gothenburg, we realized that it was time to take a trip home again! There’s nothing that would have pleased us more than regularly playing in Norway, but there’s considerations to be made when the choice is between playing for 3,500 people in Oberhausen or 200 people in Bergen – it’s about the economy in it as well as maintaining a market.

The plan is also to be able to do more concerts in Sweden in the future, and also in England, which is also an important market for APOP. Unfortunately we’ve been cut off with a few gigs in London and a couple of festivals in recent years.

Many from the United States also wonder when we get there, and as it is now with processing time and costs for work visa to the states, we must simply prioritize a new album before we even begin to think about the red tape over there! We really want to come over and play, but these days all time, energy and money are going into the new album that is already way overdue! It is 2 years since the last album, “Exit Popularity Contest”, and we must prioritize studio time.

Next for Apop is the “SDGXXV EP” coming in December (only digitally), and “SDGXXV” 2xLP/CD/MC/digital March next year as a sequel to “Soli Deo Gloria (25th Anniversary Edition)” (Lo-Fi Merchandise for Europe (CD | LP) and Storming The Base for Canada/USA). So there’s little rest nowadays, we’re constantly working like crazy, and there’ll be a lot to look forward for all APOP fans! 🙂

The gig will be held at Parkteateret, Oslo, August 24th 2019 – get your tickets here!

The following dates are also booked for Apoptygma Berzerk concerts in 2019:
– 16th. March – Oberhausen (E-Tropolis Festival) (Germany)
– 15th. August – Hannover (Capitol) (Germany)
– 16th. August – Dresden (Strasse E / Reithalle) (Germany)
– 17th. August – Cologne (Essigfabrik) (Germany)
– 18th. August – Waregem (W-Festival (Belgium) (Germany)

Meanwhile we can join in the chant here 🙂

Jan Ronald Stange

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

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) In the aftermath of the Electro Spectre remix contest, I had a chat with one of the remixers about… remixing! SnifferGod, aka Alex Møklebust from Zeromancer and Seigmen, produced one of the best remixes of the 20-something tracks that Electro Spectre received, and I thought it would be interesting to hear what he had to say about remixing in general, the creative process behind, his analogue gear, and other things related to remixing other peoples music.

As I was working on this interview, I was tipped that another fellow Norwegian musician, also probably most known abroad, had recently done a couple of remixes himself. Read what Stephan Groth, the main force behind Apoptygma Berzerk, had to say about remixing after Alex’ part.

Side-Line: What’s your incentive for remixing?

Alex: The main – and fun! – thing about remixing is the freedom to do what you want! And most times there’s no high pressure to deliver, but with everything else going on at the same time one usually ends up feeling there’s little time to do it anyway. On this particular occasion I did it all by myself, often I remix as Zeromancer and are joined by one or two of the other guys, adding a guitar, bass or something else to make a recognizable connection to the Zeromancer sound.

S-L: When starting a remix you are receiving the original version – do you often listen to it and immediately thinks “I would’ve done this and that different”?

A: No, not really, I don’t think as a producer when starting a remix, not thinking about arrangements. Its more about breaking all the rules, but if course there’s one exception to breaking the rules; if its destined for radio there’s considerations to be made. If I’d had more time on this particular remix I’d make it longer. I’m 47 years old, grew up when the 12” singles started arriving with those extended versions and long remixes of songs.

The first thing I do is to listen to the various part of the track, to hear if a verse, refrain, bridge or an interlude triggers something I want to work with and program my own version from. What I kept from the original (except the vocal) is their pad, but made it a bit thinner, and I used a melody line underneath my own too.
Then I started with the bass and drums, and work on a sequence until I need another part to build on. Usually I get an idea from a sound I get a kick off and build on that, sometimes I import all the stems (separate sound files of vocals, bass, drums, etc) and search for ideas there, but that often depends of what I actually receive. Some send all the files of the track, some just the vocal.

S-L: You asked for the vocal stems without any effects for your version of the Electro Spectre remix – why?

A: I wanted to make a hall reverb effect on the vocal myself and pitch it higher, so it was easier for me to that with the raw vocal, and added some vocoder too at the start. I also like it a bit dirty, so there several noisy elements added.
The arrangement comes later; first I have bits and pieces of ideas for verses and refrains, moving them back and forth until I find what’ll move the track forward.

I use a lot of modular synths, and also some soft synths – depending on what’ll fit the track. But of course, working with the modular synth are always more fun, even playful. Sometimes I wish I had an education within low current electricity, maybe still not to late? Then I could’ve fixed synths when they break, and thus be able to spend even more time nerding with them.

S-L: Are there any configurations or settings on your synths that you have kept, thinking “this is for Zeromancer” or something else?

A: No, I mostly use the modular synths for ideas and random stuff to add some mobility to other sounds using filters and so on. Fiddling about with my modular gear is often a big part of getting inspiration, both when doing remixes and getting ideas for new songs, even without a plan you get results.
The most important parts when remixing: don’t assume its to be played on the radio or try to make it that way, don’t lose that boy-in-the-bedroom feeling – and keep it fun!

S-L: You also been busy with producing and mixing Ljungblut recently?

A: Yes, I’ve been recording them during live sessions, did some overdub afterwards and then mixed the upcoming album this summer. Will also be doing some programming for other artists in the coming months. Not yet decided what to do with Zeromancer after Dan have left, started on some new songs, but put them on pause, the same with the announced new single that was supposed to be releases in 2018.

For those who still haven’t heard this gem of a remix – here it is with the rest of the EP:

Sniffergod/Zeromancer remixes available on Spotify right now:

Stephan Groth also had a lot of thoughts about remixing:

S-L: What’s your main driving force for doing remixes?

Stp: I always enjoyed remixing. It is a lot of fun, as well as a great promotion tool. I experiment a lot when remixing, testing out new hardware and software, new styles, grooves, sounds and techniques that I will later integrate in my own songs.

S-L: When starting a remix you are receiving the original version – do you often listen to it and immediately thinks “I would’ve done this and that different”? Or consider other options?

Stp: Yes, I instantly hear If I can make the song “better” or make a different and interesting version or not. If I don’t get ideas right away, after listening to the song once or twice, I rather not remix the track.
My approach to remixing was always trying to make the song “mine” in a way. I`ll try to rearrange the song so that it sounds like it’s an APOP song. I want to leave my vibe/feel all over it, and hopefully create something that is unique and interesting. When remixes are too close to the original it often gets boring, unless it adds something unique that the original version lacked.

S-L: You ever add own voices or other elements instead of or in addition to the original stems/raw material?

Stp: Yes! I try to add as many of my own elements as possible, and try to use as few of the original sounds as possible. Normally I only keep the vocals and other important lead elements. I record my own vocals quite often as well, but most of the time I “cover them up” or bury them in the mix so that no one can really tell. I do this only if
I want to add certain harmonies, or if I feel that the vocal arrangement is lacking something.

S-L: What gear do you use? PC, Mac, software, (modular) synths, other stuff?

Stp: I have always only used Mac, except for in the very beginning when I used Atari. I am using Cubase and a few soft-synths and samplers, but 90% of what you hear in an APOP remix is from my modular synths and from my analog hardware synths. I used to use soft-synths a lot back when they were new and exciting, but I have a very nice collection of vintage synths, so I rather use them.

S-L: Are there any configurations or settings on your gear/synths that you have kept, thinking “this is for an Apop remix”, “this is for an Apop track”, or something else?

Stp: I used to never save my presets, because I did not want to use the same sounds again and again. That has changed over the years, lol!
I guess I have gotten more lazy with age.

S-L: What’s your most recent remixes?

Stp: Mortiis – “Sins of Mine”, Page – “Krasch”, Machinista – “Dark Heart of Me” and Peter Heppner – “All Is Shadow” (all included in the playlist below).

S-L: And what’s your all time favorite remixes, both your own and others?

Stp: I think the remix I did for Tobias Bernstrup, “Moments Lost (Apoptygma Berzerk remix)” turned out really good, and then there is an old remix that I did on an Icon Of Coil song called “Repeat It” that I think really stood the test of time.

One of my all-time favorite remixes is Hardfloor’s remix of Mory Kante’s “Yeke Yeke” – the perfect remix! 

While we are on the subject of remixes and collaborations… I would like to mention our upcoming 2xLP/CD/Cassette release “SDGXXV”  that will be out spring 2019 via Tatra Records and Artoffact Records. The album is almost done, and it will feature remixes and collaborations with electronic acts and artists that I admire.
As soon as we have a release date planned, we’ll give you all the names of the bands involved, but for now, that’s all I can tell you 🙂

Listen to a lot Apop remixes here – thanx to Per Aksel Lundgreen for adding to my list!

Jan Ronald Stange

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

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange)
Swedish electropop band Page releases their EP “Start” June 29th (July 6th in Sweden), consisting of three new songs and a remix of “Krasch” by Norwegian colleague Stephan Groth of Apoptygma Berzerk. The long-time Side-Line friend Per Aksel Lundgreen tipped me about this release, and after doing a parallel e-mail interview with both Eddie Bengtsson of Page and Stephan the result show a collaboration of mutual admiration and respect across the Norwegian-Swedish border, and maybe also something else down the road…
Check out the teaser video of the EP after the interview.

First Eddie starts with how this came about:

Eddie: This summer Page is going to release a new EP, and on that release there is a very nice redux made by Stephen Groth. Its an redux of the Page song “Krasch”.

Side-Line: What’s your relation to each other prior to this collaboration? Just heard the music, been at live shows, been touring/played together or something else?

Eddie: I have always known what and who Apoptygma Berzerk was, but I was never interested in their music. The first time I heard them it sounded EBM to me, and that was it, I never listened again.
I understand now that Apop has done many different things, ranging from EBM to electronic pop to indietronica, and some of that are really, really good.
Last spring I got Apoptygma’s new album from Per Aksel Lundgreen. It was a gift and I said “thank you very much”, and at the same time I thought “I’m never going to listen to this”.
This was during Electronic Summer in Gothenburg, and on the way home I thought “what the heck”, and put the CD in my car CD-player…

The first seconds of the first song made me think “Ah, now they have gone Industrial Noise”. And then, “Oh My God!”
Here came the most wonderful retro vintage electronica I have (almost) ever heard. Fantastic! It brought tears to my eyes, and I’m not kidding about that.
That someone can make electronic music like that these days, I just didn’t believe. It was the best electronic (and any) album that I heard 2017. And one of the sweetest electronica album I have ever heard, and that says a lot. Just wonderful.
It made me believe in modern electronic music again, in a time when most of it is junk. It also made me think that synthesizers still CAN be cool in a time when its mostly not.

Stephan: I grew up in Denmark, and moved to Norway in 1987, so I never heard of PAGE living in DK. It was not until I heard their self-titled compilation “PAGE” that came out in 1992 on Energy Rekords that I really discovered them. I was working in a record shop at the time and immediately bought a copy of it on LP. I still have it in my collection and I also frequently give it a spin, as it’s classic synthpop at it’s best!

S-L: Per Aksel mentioned something about «Swedisch Norwegische Freundschaft» – a label, project name or what??

Stp: This was just a joke, but it’s cool to cooperate with Swedish musicians, as they have a completely different approach and tradition when it comes to electronic music compared to Norway and Denmark. Also, there’s always been close connections between the synth scene in Sweden and the one in Østfold. We had Pouppee Fabrikk, Elegant Machinery, S.P.O.C.K, Inside Treatment, COMP C3 and Political Assasination over here in Fredrikstad already in the early 1990’s, and the 3 first Apoptygma Berzerk shows was together with Swedish bands.

Eddie: I think that he said that as a joke. But at the same time, it could be something that could be reality in the future.

S-L: Stephan, whats your role in this release?

Stp: I was asked to do a remix for Page, and Eddie sent me the track “Krasch”. I’ve have added an APOP-touch to the track in the remix, as I felt there was no point in making an “early 80’s type mix”, because Eddie’s already the master of this. So I pushed it more in the direction of a sound that appeared later that decade.

S-L: Plans for more? Releases of this kind, other collaborations etc.?

Eddie: I’m open for that, yes.

Stp: I would love to do more musical collaboration with Eddie, and hopefully even gigs together! We’ve been talking about doing a gig together in Norway, bringing Page over here for the first time, and we’d of course love to come and play with them in Sweden too!

S-L: Other events/plans for Page and/or yourself this year?

Eddie: No, not really. We are planning to go to London for a show, and it would be nice to play in Norway too – long time since last time! Maybe together with Apop?

Stp: Currently I’m working on a new APOP studio-album that I hope to finish this year, where I go and explore my electronic pop roots. Also, a couple of gigs are booked for this summer in Poland (Castle Party) and in Germany (M’era Luna). There’s also a couple of other gigs currently in the making, but not 100% confirmed yet.
When you’re reading this, we’re also launching an official APOP web-store in the US.
On top of this, our debut album, “Soli Deo Gloria” has it’s 25th Anniversary this year, so we’ve got some ideas and thoughts on how to celebrate this, but maybe we can discuss this at a later stage? 😉

“Start” @ Spotify:

Teaser video for “Start” EP:

Jan Ronald Stange

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

www.facebook.com/jrstange

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

An extensive interview with Stephan Groth of Apoptygma Berzerk, about the “Exit Popularity Contest” album release, that’s what we were after and that is what we got! We were accompanied by Per Aksel Lundgreen (ex-member of Apop, currently aiding with the marketing), at Per Aksel’s workplace, the amazingly stuffed Retro Vinyl og CD (recordstore) in Sarpsborg, Norway (September 29th 2016). Note that the album will only be available in physical formats, so get your copy of the very limited cassette, CD or vinyl right here!

SL: What is the background for issuing three 12’’ and finally an album instead of a more usual Apoptygma Berzerk studio album?

Stephan: At the time I started on “Stop feeding the beast” about three years ago, I was in a bubble listening to John Carpenter and similar music, and I wanted to make the same kind of music. I was also somewhat in limbo regarding a new Apop album. I had worked on it for many years already, but both a lack of motivation and a viable alternative from the record industry has made it hard to complete.

SL: You have been critical of Spotify and the use of new media by the music industry?

Yes and no. As an alternative to radio and mixtapes, or as a promotion tool, Spotify is ok. But when is replaces a physical release, that’s when I say “no, no, that does not work!” I find it horrific and sad that today’s kids can’t experience the joy and curiosity of physical releases; to enter a record shop, hold the release in their hands, see the artist photos, read the cover to see who has worked with the music. At the end of the 80s, there were six record shops in Fredrikstad; now there’s just one left in the next city, and that’s where we are now! That’s where we met and discussed music. The physical experience, finding and discovering new music is no longer possible.

And that was much of the idea behind “Stop feeding the beast”. The release should be just like when synth music was released on vinyl, and only available on a physical format, and in limited editions. I wanted to do something exclusive, and it worked well. It culminated with the twelve-inches “Videodrome” and “Xenogenesis”. Then everybody thought it was awesome, and wanted releases on CD, Spotify, etc. But I draw the line at Spotify. I dig vinyl the most, but am also fan of CDs, which is a fantastic format with great sound. My deliberate choice to listen to and buy vinyl again was also part of what started these EPs – to bring back that feeling of how it used to be, the ritual of dusting off the record, turn it half way through, move the needle, and all the other physical things you must do to listen to music.

I have been carried away, raiding second-hand markets, where I always make sure to get at least ONE record I haven’t heard of before. It is okay to discover new stuff on YouTube, but nothing beats the feeling of coming home and playing something you have found on a fleamarket in Sweden. My record collection has tripled in size the past years!

The thought behind limited edition vinyl records was for it to be a small piece of art, something to touch and feel, something that still has value. I too don’t believe that giving away an MP3 file in exchange for an email address is a good promo strategy. The relationship between the value of the music and the “payment” of an email address makes no sense. With a limited edition vinyl record, with extras, such as magnets, flexidiscs and more included, you are guaranteed that the value will not decrease, making it an investment for the buyer. You purchase something of value, to hang on the wall, and which can be resold without a loss. And something more “real” seems more fair to the hardcore fans than an MP3 file, which is worthless.

One thing followed the other during this process, and not until I was almost done with «Xenogenesis» did I realize that everything fit together. I had to sit down with Halvor Bodin (cover designer) to see how we could make it all work in a trilogy format.

With hindsight, I think we’ll find that releasing an album incrementally like this was smart. There was a certain crowdfunding-feel about it, without being crowdfunded. In a way, you are working with the inner core of fans, who get the music early, while the rest read about it and look forward to the CD release. And, nothing has been leaked!

SL: How has this been of inspriration to others?

I’ve had several inquiries from other bands about the equipment and instruments that I use, and how the process has been. It seems I have ignited inspiration in bands in several countries. I too have been inspired lately. I mentioned John Carpenter, and I was lucky to see him live a couple of months ago. And we had Kraftwerk visiting Den Norske Opera in August – 8 concerts in 4 days, more than they had previously played in Norway in the past 25 years.

There are also some old TV series that reuse old sounds, which inspire even further, such as “Stranger Things”. And “The Knick” has an 80s modular, futuristic soundscape. The recent popularity of these series could mean people are interested in the origins of this type of music, rather than that of today. And perhaps take a few steps back to the roots, and find something that has been lost along the way.

The electronic music of today has strayed too far for my taste. Much of it has no longer anything to do with my roots, and many people probably think I am too critical of this. When I have been hard pressed, and asked to clarify what electronic music is to me, I have answered that as long as it has a clear, red line back to Kraftwerk, it is music I can relate to. The further away from the Kraftwerk sound, vibes and vision, the less I understand of it. And Kraftwerk can be a lot – I also love their early prog-releases.

SL: Do fans think you have wandered too much between music genres? Has someone reacted to new directions, missing what used to be?

I have tried on quite a lot, and looking back it’s probably only parts of the future pop period that I am not completely satisfied about. There were too many elements of dance/trance mixed in, and it tainted the genre too much for my taste. The idea might have been good at the time, but now I see that some things were not all good. Some like evolution, others like being retrospective, and others again would rather have a “Welcome to Earth 2”.

“Welcome to Earth” was my “Violator” and the most important record I have released commercially, but I doubt it will ever happen again. You can’t please everyone, there will always be some complaining, but that is only natural and okay. I can feel the same way about bands I like. Even Kraftwerk have had their weak moments, but nothing I would denigrate. In summary it is the genre fans who are more likely to whine and jump ship, rather than the Apop fans. Real fans don’t complain.

SL: An instrumental album is quite different than a «regular» album. Any advantages, disadvantages? And was it to give yourself new challenges?

In a way, it is easier to make – doing only instrumental, rather that needing lyrics, which easily gets trite and mostly used as a filler. It is hardest to make music that has an influence and tells a story without words – you need to tell your story, but also make sure it doesn’t get boring. To get it to add up takes longer time, more build-up, until you get in a mood. Nothing is better when you get in a flow and can let yourself float away.

We had a very long and tiresome «Harmonizer»-tour in our future pop period, going back and forth across continents. When we returned, I realized that ‘I master this expression, and I can’t top it’. Mixed with a breakup and feeling burned out, I lost all interest and motivation, and wanted to do anything but music. I had just had it. What got me going again back then was going back to my roots. I dusted off some old synthesizers, and made the “Fairlight Children” album. Even though it is not an Apop album, it is probably the most important in my career because it gave me the desire to make music again.

That is also the same with the new album; when things become routine I have to make changes and have total freedom to do something new. If that means wearing an Ace Frehley mask and make long, droning synth songs, then that’s the reboot I need to do something exciting again and start a new phase.

SL: Leafing through the album cover reveals fragments of a background story – what is the message or the theme of the album?

♠TP, the dude that made this album, is mentioned in a report inside the cover, written by the psychologist from “Riget” by Lars von Trier. ♠TP has escaped from reality and reinvented himself somewhere else, in another reality, on the other side of the river. It is autobiographical in part, but made more cheerful and fun than my private story at times. ♠TP has moved to a new place, environmentally damaged after too much touring, and can’t wash off the makeup, so he has become his own persona for real. He has moved to a place where people accept him for who he is, and tries to get to know people through his music. By manipulating his own reality he also manages to alter the real reality, and some intelligence agencies become interested and see the potential to use this for military purposes. Then they make the report, that is also an “explanation” of what the songs are about. But not too apparent and detailed – I like that there is plenty room for interpretation and a bit mysterious, not so done served.

I often find that interpretations are both individual and important. I can get feedback that a song has had a special meaning to someone, or has helped someone in a difficult situation, where the listener’s interpretation wasn’t what I meant with that song. Now, I can’t say that is wrong and that I meant something else, but I believe this is part of the art in music; that when passing through the “filter” of the listener, the music can gain new meaning and fit in different situations for different people. Simply beautiful, really. If you google the titles and the content, you get an adventure and a study for almost every song. Many conspiracy theories and interesting topics to discover if you want to and have the time. I started to hint about this on the “Rocket Science” album, and now ♠TP has taken it to a whole new level. And to quote Aphex Twin: “…whether the theories fit or not, they are nonetheless much better entertainment than what comes out of Hollywood”.

You can also enjoy the album without diving into all these details – that’s up to the listener!

This album will only be available in physical formats, so get your copy of the very limited cassette, CD or vinyl!

… but something found its way to the net anyway – enjoy! 😉

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBdeQvItRpc

Jan Ronald Stange

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

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange, w/inputs from John-Erik Bye Johansen. Photos by Tarjei Krogh and Jan Ronald Stange)
After releasing three 12” EPs of instrumental tracks the last couple of years, the new Apoptygma Berzerk album “Exit Popularity Contest” compile these alongside a couple of new versions of the Apop staple “Until The End Of The World”.
The idea for the album came together when working on the third EP “Xenogenesis”, as they realised these tracks somehow belonged together. Some minor changes later, it has come together as a wholeness, solid and thorough.

The press bio states: “Groth pays homage to his roots through emulating the analogue soundscapes of innovators like Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, Jean-Michel Jarre, Vangelis and Klaus Schulze, and the driving motorik Krautrock rhythms of Neu!, Cluster and La Duesseldorf, all filtered through his own unique Scandinavian sensibility.” When listening to this album much of this rings true, as this concept draws heavily on the inspiration of Stephan Groth’s musical heroes. It is not far-fetched to claim there is also some early Recoil/Depeche Mode influence in “For Now We See Through A Glass, Darkly” along with John Carpenter, Jarre, Vangelis and – surprise: Apoptygma Berzerk anno 1993 with some “Burnin’ Hertic” samples.
For those who miss Stephan’s voice there’s also an extra gem on the album – “U.T.E.O.T.W. (Extended Version)” – a downtempo and stripped version of “Until The End Of The World” from 2002 (also featured as a shorter version on the flexi-disc accompanying the “Xenogenesis” 12”).

After a long career ranging from EBM via future-pop and trance to a more rock-influenced electronica, Groth has taken a long glance backwards to what really ignited his musical fire and done a reboot of the type of music he wants to make as well as how to make it. Like the music that inspired Apoptygma Berzerk, this album also passes inspiration on to another generation of artists, something that has been evident since other musicians have approached asking about hardware and methods.

For the rest of us, the listeners, many will be using this album as an inspirational guide to the electronic past, and also for the future.
Conclusion: Highly recommended – and let’s hope ♠TP continues the exploration of his synth origins!

As the album won’t be available via digital outlets, we suggest you get a copy of the very limited cassette, CD or vinyl!

Jan Ronald Stange

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

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange)

Fans of Kraftwerk and fans of Apoptygma Berzerk – this is the night for you to unite! Although they probably have a lot of fans in common already, this evening will definitely have more fans bonding.

As stated on litthusfred.no:
On October 17th, the prestigious Litteraturhuset Fredrikstad will host a special exploration and celebration of the pioneering German electronic band Kraftwerk with Torgrim Eggen, Apoptygma Berzerk and Halvor Bodin. Acclaimed author and music journalist Torgrim Eggen will present a lecture on Kraftwerk and their influence on music, art, and culture. Combining visuals, interviews, and stories, Eggen will guide the audience through the creation of the singular electronica powerhouse of Kraftwerk and the band’s impact on the past, present, and beyond.

After the lecture (in Norwegian), Stephan and Jonas Groth of current leading electronica act Apoptygma Berzerk will perform Kraftwerk covers as well as original music from their last two experimental instrumental releases «Videodrome» and «Stop Feeding The Beast». APOP’s performance will be accompanied by a mesmerizing visual presentation by innovative artist Halvor Bodin. Bodin has designed most of APOP’s artwork over the years including the covers for «Videodrome», «Stop Feeding The Beast», and the classic «Welcome To Earth».

APOP has been on a long and fascinating musical journey. Shifting through and melding genres such as Futurepop, Trance, EBM, Industrial and Synth-Pop, the band has traveled from the underground to the commercial charts and now the art gallery, weaving a history similar to that of Kraftwerk in many ways. The music of APOP perfectly conveys how the seeds planted by Kraftwerk have germinated into interconnected yet still distinctively individual branches in an ever-growing musical tree.

This exclusive, intimate concert will be a truly unique event and a chance to experience Apoptygma Berzerk in a vastly different way than ever seen before.

Only 300 seats will be available for this special presentation. Reserve your tickets now to add your presence to the continuing expansion of the Kraftwerk universe!

Tickets here!

And as most Apop fans already know, they have a knack for doing great covers of songs they like – maybe we’ll hear one of these too? 🙂

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2O9t3AIT3c

Jan Ronald Stange

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

www.facebook.com/jrstange