After two self-released albums, Bagger 258 have a label. “Der Technokrat”, a two-track digital single, came out on August 28, 2026 through Scanner, the Dark Dimensions imprint that also handles The Saint Paul, Resistor and Akalotz. The Augsburg EBM duo of Nico von der Eisenmühle and Tim Schmelzer pair the original (3:31) with “Der Technokrat (The Saint Paul Edit)” (3:45), reworked by label-mate The Saint Paul.

The single is available to stream and download on Bandcamp, where it sits in the Scanner catalogue alongside the label’s other 2026 releases, and on the usual streaming services. There is no physical edition.

What ‘Der Technokrat’ is about

The band describe the song as a story in two halves: an authority that demands obedience, then a workforce that stops obeying. In the label notes they write that the track “explores the conflict between totalitarian control and individual resistance within an industrialized system” and that “the initial oppression gives way to open revolt: the working class refuses to comply, dismantles the existing power structures, and confronts the corrupt leadership with a collective claim to self-determination.” The theme continues the factory-floor vocabulary that runs through the Bagger 258 catalogue, from the albums “Ode an die Arbeit” and “Aufwärts gehts bergab”, where track titles include “Arbeiterwut”, “Werkshalle 4” and “Schicht im Schacht”.

Musically the duo stay with the stripped-down, bassline-led EBM they have used since their debut. The label notes describe the track as built on “a relentless, machine-driven foundation of pounding beats, forceful basslines, and a dark, high-energy atmosphere”.

“Der Technokrat” is the first new Bagger 258 material since the second album “Aufwärts gehts bergab”, released on February 20, 2026, and the first Bagger 258 release to appear on Scanner. The duo had already remixed for the label: their version of “The Undertaker” by Gamma Vortex came out through Scanner in September 2025.

About Bagger 258

Bagger 258 formed in Augsburg, Germany as the EBM duo of Nico von der Eisenmühle and Tim Schmelzer, both also members of Projekt 26. They set out to revive the direct, bass-driven style associated with Anhalt EBM. In a Side-Line interview Schmelzer said they “were on a mission to resurrect something no one seemed to be messing with anymore – that punchy, in-your-face Anhalt EBM”. Von der Eisenmühle summed up the Bagger 258 method in the same conversation: “we’re after basslines that make you stomp, a brutal vibe, and tunes that stick with you.”

The self-released debut album “Ode an die Arbeit” came out on November 24, 2023, mixed by Daniel Hallhuber of Young & Cold Records in Augsburg and mastered by Stefan Poiss of Mind.In.A.Box, and reached first place in the Deutsche Alternative Charts. Side-Line reviewed it in February 2024 and interviewed the duo the following month.

Two digital singles followed in 2024: “Körperkommando” on June 21, with remixes by Kreign, Tension Control and Gamma Vortex, and “Alter Mann” on November 19. Both title tracks were carried over to the second album.

“Aufwärts gehts bergab” arrived on February 20, 2026 as a digital release and a CD digipak limited to 258 copies, mixed and mastered by Krischan Jan-Eric Wesenberg at Studio 600 in Gelsenkirchen, Its thirteen tracks run “Arbeiterwut”, “Alter Mann”, “Funktion, Kontrolle!”, “Werkshalle 4”, “Erzengel”, “Körperkommando”, “Exakt!”, “Body 258”, “…und der Rest ist Geschichte” and “Schicht im Schacht”, closed by remixes of “Werkshalle 4” by Nachtmahr, of “…und der Rest ist Geschichte” by NordarR and of “Body 258” by Menticide. The duo play Nocturnal Culture Night 19 in Deutzen on the weekend of September 4-6, 2026. Both albums and the 2024 singles remain available through the band’s own Bandcamp page, separate from the Scanner catalogue that hosts the new single. “Der Technokrat” moves the project from self-release to the Scanner / Dark Dimensions roster.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Out soon is “Körperkommando”, the newest single from the German Augsburg-based EBM duo Bagger 258. The single is set to be released on June 28 and includes three remixes by Kreign, Tension Control, and Gamma Vortex.

This release will be available only in digital format through Bandcamp and on all major streaming platforms. The single was mixed by Daniel Hallhuber (Young & Cold Studio, Augsburg) and mastered by Stefan Poiss (Nicelabs, Vienna).

Nico von der Eisenmühle and Tim Schmelzer released their debut album “Ode an die Arbeit” on November 24, 2023. You can check that one out 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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By the end of 2023 I discovered the album “Ode An Die Arbeit” by German duo Bagger 258. This is a pure old-school EBM project driven by Nico von der Eisenmühle and Tim Schmelzer. Their self-released debut-album stands for a mature, well-crafted and professional EBM sound. “Ode An Die Arbeit” reached the first place from the famous DAC (Deutsche Alternative Charts) which for a self-released production is quite exceptional. But their work is exceptional and is for sure one of the best retro-EBM projects in quite a long time. I got in touch with Nico and Tim to introduce you to the sound universe of Bagger 258.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: How did you come to set up Bagger 258? And what can you say about your music background and connection with Projekt 26? Is Projekt 26 still active by the way?

Nico: Starting from the ground up –Projekt 26 is still alive and kicking, but our singer Timo had to relocate, making it a bit tricky to keep the groove going. The good news? We’re sitting on lots of unreleased stuff, so let’s keep our eyes on the horizon and see where the road takes us.

Tim: We’ve always vibed with the whole harsh and hard EBM scene, but Projekt 26 was more than just that. We were on a mission to resurrect something no one seemed to be messing with anymore –that punchy, in-your-face Anhalt EBM. We spent a good chunk of the last decade trying to cook up tunes together, but nothing really clicked. Then, like magic, Bagger 258 waltzed in, felt damn good, and the songs practically wrote themselves.

Q: Bagger 258 is clearly dealing with old-school EBM. What means EBM to you and what do you try to achieve in your very own song writing and sound production?

Nico: Just like Tim mentioned, we wanted to make music that’s totally us and kinda missing from the scene. Bagger 258 nails it with simple, old-school bass lines but a killer, in-your-face sound. Getting that unmistakable ‘Bagger-sound’ is the key for us. We’ve got some song ideas that just didn’t click, so we ditched them. Bottom line: we’re after basslines that make you stomp, a brutal vibe, and tunes that stick with you.

Q: You last year (self)-released the debut album “Ode An Die Arbeit”. Can you share with us the highlights and main things you kept in mind from the writing and recording of the album?

Tim: We messed around quite a bit, experimenting until we stumbled upon something we liked. There were moments when new samples or playful lyrics had us cracking up, but for the most part, our gut feeling steered us in the right direction, shaping the final drafts of the album. Surprisingly, we drew inspiration from genres way beyond EBM; things like Rock, Metal, or Indie music sparked our creativity.

Q: You asked Daniel Hallhuber (founder of Young & Cold Records) for the mixing and Stefan Poiss (Mind.In.A.Box) for the mastering of the album. What has been their true input and impact on the final result of “Ode An Die Arbeit”? And would you also consider working with a producer?

Nico: Let’s clear the air on this one: we had Gustav and Jonatan from Sturm Café, as our production advisors. And big shoutout to Daniel for weaving his magic in the mixing department. He sculpted the sounds and ideas just the way we wanted them. Major gratitude to him, and you bet we’re teaming up again.

Tim: Agreed. For mastering we were set on having Stefan as our engineer right from the get-go. His own projects are top-notch, and no matter the music vibes, his final mastering is always on point. The awesome back-and-forth communication, with him sending us options, helped us nail down the best results. Stefan, you’re stuck with us –round two is definitely happening!

Q: Did you get the opportunity to get signed to a label to release “Ode An Die Arbeit” or is it a deliberate choice to get active as D.I.Y. (do it yourself) project? Do you’ve further plans/perspectives about working with labels?

Nico: Honestly, starting from scratch was crucial for us. We craved the freedom to shape everything from the ground up, from the tunes to the artwork. The whole album, except for the mix and master, is our baby. We took things to the next level, turning our ideas into reality. Sure, it got challenging, like when we were in the trenches producing and cutting the music video for “Muskeln Und Maschinen”, but the whole experience was a wild ride, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

As for labels, we’ve kept it indie for now. We wanted our debut album to be a solo flight without any external pressure. Who knows what the future holds? Maybe down the road, Bagger 258 will be ready to team up with a label and start something epic. Let’s keep the door open for that possibility.

Q: I noticed “Ode An Die Arbeit” reached the first place of the famous D.A.C. right? This is quite unusual for self-released albums so what does it mean to you and what’s the impact of the D.A.C.? Can you also tell us what you’ve to do and manage (think about promotion, contacts etc…) to get selected for the D.A.C.?

Tim: This question hits the sweet spot. Landing in first place with our album is beyond thrilling, and we’re genuinely honored. Once the creative dust settled, Nico and I brainstormed how to unleash our music on the world. The immediate answer? A legit music video, of course. Surprisingly, it’s not a common move in the scene, probably because it’s a ton of work. But we were up for the challenge.

Nico: Absolutely. The video was a beast to tackle, but we knew it wasn’t the only card up our sleeve. Our solid connections in the music world, thanks to DJ gigs at ‘Melodrom’ and rubbing shoulders with awesome DJs like Clemens and Ric, played a crucial role. They, along with many others, helped us spread the Bagger 258 vibes far and wide.

Oh and not to forget: we do have quite a fanbase in Sweden, thanks to Gustav and Jonatan (Sturm Café) & Ronny (Radio Virus / Container 90).

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: EBM.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Bagger 258 is a German duo featuring members of the familiar EBM-band Projekt 26 – which released the album “Violets And Violence” in 2017 by EK Product. Bagger 258 released by the end of 2023 the debut album “Ode An Die Arbeit”. Notice by the way the album has been mixed by Daniel Hallhuber (involved with different projects and founder of Young & Cold Records) and mastered by Stefan Poiss (Mind.In.A.Box).

Content: The album is meant as an ode to the ‘pulsating rhythm of work’ but also to old-school EBM. The main sources of influences aren’t that different from their previous project but the global writing- and production process has been seriously boosted and improved. The songs are driven by solid bass lines, 4×4 kicks, metallic sound treatments and German ‘body’ vocals. Both last songs are remixes by Oldschool Union (who already did a remix on the Projekt 26-album) and Projekt 26.

+ + + : Bagger 258 doesn’t innovate but shares with us a mature, professional and fully accomplished production. This is top-notch EBM featuring all essential ingredients to get people into tough dancing. I especially enjoy the impressive, menacing, bass lines mixed with metallic percussion sounds and the few little extra noises and melodic sequences they’re adding on top of the work. Bagger 258 makes me think of an imaginary hybrid between Tyske Lüdder, Pouppéée Fabrikk and Orange Sector. The work features multiple outstanding songs. The album last year reached the highest place in the famous DAC which says enough about this band’s potential -and especially for a self-released album. I would be not surprised they’ll very soon get a label deal.

– – – : Some would say ‘nothing new’ but who cares; this is pure, authentic, old-school EBM.

Conclusion: There’s no doubt about it, Bagger 258 will be the next great big thing in EBM land.

Best songs: “Muskeln Und Maschinen”, “Stalhwerk, Jetzt!”, “Glück Auf”, “Geschafft!”, “Maschinentakt”, “Schlagwetter”.

Rate: 9.

Artist: www.facebook.com/bagger.258

About Bagger 258

Bagger 258 is a German EBM duo of Nico von der Eisenmühle and Tim Schmelzer, both also active in Projekt 26. The pair set up Bagger 258 after struggling for years to finish material together as Projekt 26, whose singer had relocated. “Ode An Die Arbeit” was released independently on 24 November 2023, mixed by Daniel Hallhuber at Young and Cold Studio in Augsburg and mastered by Stefan Poiss at Nicelabs in Vienna. The self-released album reached number one in the Deutsche Alternative Charts. A single, “Körperkommando”, followed in 2024.

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