Dark electronic act Deep Red have released a new remix of their single “Golden,” created by Faustan and featuring vocals by Stefan Netschio, the frontman of German synth-pop band Beborn Beton. The remix is available via Bandcamp, Spotify, and other major digital platforms.

Faustan’s remix of “Golden” introduces new electronic textures while retaining the track’s original atmosphere. Martha of Deep Red explains: “Faustan’s remix elevates ‘Golden’ in such an exciting way. It captures the heart of the original while infusing it with their unmistakable sound.” Harry of Faustan from his side adds: “From the moment I heard ‘Golden,’ I was inspired. The melody, the message—it all resonated with me instantly.”

“Golden” was first released as part of Deep Red’s recent return to the dark electronic scene, following a long hiatus.

About Deep Red

Deep Red was formed in 1996 by Martha A. Hoffmann, also of Distorted Reality, and DC Astro of Element 104. The band initially gained attention with their track “Holy You”, which was included on the Cleopatra Records compilation “The Goth Box”.

This exposure led to appearances on additional compilations in the US and Europe, a signing with Project Pitchfork’s Candyland label, and a European tour with the band.

They released three albums before going on hiatus. After an extended break, the band re-emerged in 2023.

Deep Red discography

• I Live Ep- Candyland / Spv Records Released 9/1996
• The Awakening – Candyland / Spv Records Released 1/1997
• Darkwaters – Osiris Soundworks Released 2/1998
• Chimera – Osiris Soundworks Released 2/2002
• Battle Lines-Single (Featuring Element 104) Released 6/2023
• The Art Of Lust – Released 10/2023
• The Art Of Lust Love=Death Remix – Released 11/2023
• Run – Released 1/2024
• Run Jet Set Giallo Remix – Released 2/2024
• Atom Rot – Released 9/2024
• Golden – Released 3/2025
• Golden Faustan Remix – Released 7/2025

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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German synth pop trio Beborn Beton have unveiled their latest single, “American Girls (Agent Side Grinder Remix)”, in advance of the digital-only EP “Stars [Remixed]”, scheduled for release via Dependent Records on June 27, 2025.

The remix, crafted by Swedish post-punk electronic outfit Agent Side Grinder, is available now for streaming and purchase via Bandcamp. The release coincides with Beborn Beton’s current North American tour, which runs through late May 2025.

The full digital EP “Stars [Remixed]” will include six reinterpretations of tracks from the band’s recent releases “To the Stars” and “A Worthy Compensation”.

“The track ‘American Girls’ soon emerged as a fan favourite from ‘To The Stars’, and whilst on tour, we felt the urge to push the track beyond its original limits,” vocalist Stefan Netschio explains. “We reached out to Johan from Sweden’s Agent Side Grinder, whose work we admire for its post-punk drive and electronic precision. The collaboration resulted in a compelling fusion of German synthpop and Swedish post-punk, transforming ‘American Girls’ into a track that resonates on the dance floor.”

Beborn Beton North America Tour 2025:

• 21 May – Dallas, TX – Three Links (+SITD)
• 22 May – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall (+SITD)
• 23 May – Austin, TX – Elysium (+SITD)
• 24 May – San Francisco, CA – Neck of the Woods
• 28 May – Seattle, WA – Mechanismus Festival
• 29 May – Denver, CO – HQ
• 30 May – Santa Ana, CA – La Santa

About Beborn Beton

Founded in 1989 in Germany, Beborn Beton consists of Stefan Netschio (vocals, lyrics), Stefan Tillmann (keys, drums), and Michael B. Wagner (keys). The trio initially self-released three cassette albums before issuing their debut full-length “Tybalt” (1993) and follow-up “Concrete Ground” (1994). They later joined the same label roster as Wolfsheim and De/Vision.

International success followed with albums such as “Nightfall” (1996), “Truth” (1997), and “Fake” (1999). Their 1997 single “Another World” became a club hit in North America, prompting the release of the compilation “Tales from Another World” (2002) and a subsequent U.S. tour with Apoptygma Berzerk.

After a lengthy hiatus, Beborn Beton returned with “A Worthy Compensation” in 2015 on Dependent Records. The trio followed up with “Darkness Falls Again” in 2023.

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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German synth pop group Beborn Beton will embark on a United States tour beginning May 2, 2025, at Dark Force Fest. The announcement follows the release of their most recent EP, “To the Stars“, issued by Dependent Records on limited edition vinyl and across all digital and streaming platforms.

Below are the dates from the upcoming U.S. tour of Beborn Beton.

• May 02 – Parsippany, NJ – Dark Force Fest
• May 03 – Tampa, FL – The Orpheum with Suicide Commando
• May 21 – Dallas, TX – Three Links with [SITD]
• May 22 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall with [SITD]
• May 23 – Austin, TX – Elysium with [SITD]
• May 24 – San Francisco, CA – Neck of the Woods
• May 28 – Seattle, WA – Mechanismus Festival
• May 29 – Denver, CO – HQ
• May 30 – Santa Ana, CA – La Santa

Further tour dates and venues have yet to be announced by Dependent Records or the band’s management.

About Beborn Beton

Beborn Beton was founded in 1989 by Stefan Netschio (vocals), Stefan Tillmann (keyboards, drums), and Michael Wagner (keyboards) in Germany. Initially emerging during the golden era of European synth pop, the group built its early reputation with its melodic electronic compositions.

Their first album, “Tybalt”, was released in 1993, followed by “Concrete Ground” in 1994. Their 1996 release “Nightfall” helped establish the band’s international following, and subsequent albums such as “Truth” (1997) and “Fake” (1999) reinforced their presence within the electronic music scene.

After a hiatus, Beborn Beton returned with “A Worthy Compensation” in 2015, their first studio album in over a decade.

Their latest EP, “To the Stars”, was released in early 2025 via Dependent Records. This release has been made available in a limited vinyl edition as well as through digital and streaming platforms.

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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COP International will release the “Los Angeles – From The Ashes” charity compilation tomorrow. You can already pre-order it now for 10 USD. The release will only be available through Bandcamp.

The devastating fires in Los Angeles also destroyed “one of the most vibrant artist communities in the world” so COP International’s Christian says. “Many of our friends, collaborators, and fellow artists were displaced, with some losing everything. Among those deeply affected was Louise Fraser of Muricidae Music, a beloved COP International artist, who lost her home in the tragedy. In the face of this devastation, we knew we had to take action. This is our response: “Los Angeles – Out of Ashes”—a massive 75-track Bandcamp compilation, bringing together an extraordinary community of artists, labels, and supporters.”

All net income from the release will be donated directly to the American Red Cross, helping fire victims and aiding ongoing relief efforts. Since it’s Bandcamp Friday tomorrow, Bandcamp will waive its fee, ensuring that every dollar goes to those in need.

The 75 bands included are: Black Needle Noise, Blackcarburning, Dogtablet, Stoneburner, Inertia, Carrellee, The Halo Trees, I Ya Toyah, Jane Jensen Music, Muricidae Music, NØIR, Die Kammer, Black Angel, Night Ritualz, SJÖBLOM, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, Chris Connelly & Dan Milligan, The Cassandra Complex, KY music, Louise Fraser, G.W. Childs IV, Junksista, Johnny Tupolev, unitcode:machine, Deathline International, The Russian White, Icon of Coil Official, Brigade Enzephalon, Monody, Lights of Euphoria, Black Nail Cabaret, Ruined Conflict, Solemnshapes, A Projection, Magic Wands, Beborn Beton, TORUL, Lost Signal, Orange Sector (offiziell), Interface, genCAB, MESH, Destroy Me Again, Sapphira Vee, Dstrtd Sgnl, Klack, TREASVRE, xotox, Frontal Boundary, nolongerhuman, Bellhead, V2A, Metamorph, Red Lokust, WESENBERG, Psyclon 9, Flesh Field, Principe Valiente, Death By Love, Winema Suehead, Sick Jokes, Chiasm, The Hunger, Vaselyne, Solar Fake, Girls Under Glass, NORMORIA, Stabbing Westward, Jesus On Extasy, The Shadow Majlis, Amulet, Suicide Queen, Ego Likeness, Schattenmann, Beasto Blanco.

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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Following their recent North America Tour 2024, German Synth pop trio Beborn Beton drop their new EP “To the Stars” today. The new EP was released by Dependent Records on limited edition vinyl along with all digital and streaming platforms.

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

Out now as well is the video for the track “Ticket To The Moon”.

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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VampireFreaks have announce the line-up for the 3-day music festival Dark Force Fest which takes place in Parsippany, NJ (one hour from NYC) on May 2nd to 4th, 2025.

The festival features 35 bands performing across two stages: including ORGY, The Birthday Massacre, Covenant, Suicide Commando, Aesthetic Perfection, Genitorturers, Funker Vogt, Razed In Black, Calabrese, SITD, Haujobb, Klutæ, TRAITRS, Beborn Beton, God Module, Flesh Field, Dead On A Sunday, Rosegarden Funeral Party, Amelia Arsenic, NYXX, Panic Priest, 2 Shadows, Seraphim Shock, Dancing Plague, genCAB, Occults, SINE, Circuit Preacher, Corbeau Hangs, Die Sexual, Frenchy and the Punk, Everything Goes Cold, Contracult, Project .44, and Whorticulture.

You can order your tickets here.

Dark Force Fest takes place at the Sheraton Parsippany, a castle-style hotel that features 44,000 square feet of event space and 370 hotel rooms. While the hotel rooms in the main venue sold out within days of announcing the festival, there are still overflow hotels in the surrounding area.

In addition to 35 bands, Dark Force Fest activities include:

• Over 100 Vendors
• Sideshow Performances
• Drag Queens
• DJ Club Events (Playing Goth-Industrial Music)
• Classes & Activities
• Panels and Presentations
• Food Trucks

Below is a preview of what to expect.

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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(Photo by Roger op den Camp) COP International Records and Strict Tempo announce the USA leg of the CX40 World Tour by the legendary Anglo-Irish post-punk group The Cassandra Complex. The band has been celebrating their 40 year anniversary in 2024 with an extensive world tour spanning Europe and the Americas.

As part of the tour they will be making a rare visit to play in the USA in September – October, starting with an appearance at the Cold Waves festival in Chicago, and continuing through the West Coast of the USA. The last time The Cassandra Complex played in America was almost 20 years ago, so this will be a unique chance to see their live show. The second leg of the tour will commence with shows in the USA and Latin America in the Fall, followed by more shows in the UK and EU later in the year.

The band will be supported on USA shows by DJ Vox Sinistra and on European shows by the Swedish post-punk duo Sjöblom. Tickets can be order now.

• 29 Sep 24 Chicago IL, Cold Waves Festival
• 30 Sep 24 Portland OR, Dante’s
• 02 Oct 24 Seattle WA, Central Saloon
• 04 Oct 24 San Diego CA, Corazón del Barrio *
• 05 Oct 24 Long Beach CA, Que Sera *
• 06 Oct 24 Albany CA, The Ivy Room (SF Bay Area) *
• 12 Oct 24 Ciudad de México, Foro 28
• 15 Oc t24 San José Costa Rica, Amon Solar
• 18 Oct 24 Santiago Chile, RBX
• 19 Oct 24 Sao Paulo Brazil, Madame
• 23 Nov 24 Leeds UK, The Old Woolen
• 24 Nov 24 London UK, The Black Heart
• 26 Nov 24 Reading UK, The Facebar
• 28 Nov 24 Bochum Germany, Matrix **
• 29 Nov 24 Bielefeld Germany, Movie **
• 30 Nov 24 Cologne Germany, Blue Shell **
• 04 Dec 24 Berlin Germany, Urban Spree **
• 05 Dec 24 Copenhagen Denmark, Lygten Station **

* with Vox Sinistra
** with Sjöblom

About The Cassandra Complex

The Cassandra Complex was formed in 1984 by Rodney Orpheus (vocals, synths, drums machine), Paul Dillon (electronics), and Andy Booth (guitar, keyboards). Musically they bring a synthesis of post-punk, goth, EBM, and industrial music, coupled with Rodney Orpheus’ voice.

After a long hiatus, The Cassandra Complex recently returned with the album “The Plague”, recorded during the COVID lockdown. In March 2024 they released “Death & Sex”. Both albums are available from COP International Records on CD and on all streaming services.

Rodney Orpheus has also worked as a producer, remixer, and music technologist, working with artists such as The Sisters of Mercy, Kraftwerk, Beborn Beton, The Future Sound of London, Girls Under Glass, Faith & the Muse, Within Temptation, and many more.

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 Roger op den Camp) COP International Records, International Booking Department, and Resistencia Booking have announce the second leg of the CX40 tour of the Anglo-Irish post-punk group The Cassandra Complex. This second leg will take the band, which celebrates its 40 year anniversary, to Germany, Belgium, USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, Brazil, UK, the Netherlands, and Denmark.

The second leg will commence this summer with festivals in Germany and Belgium, followed by dates in the USA and Latin America in the Fall. The tour continues then with more shows in the UK and EU later in the year. The band will also be supported on select European shows by special guests and labelmates Sjöblom.

You can order your tickets here.

• 11/08/24 Hildesheim Germany, Mera Luna Festival
• 24/08/24 Ostend Belgium, W-Festival
• 25/08/24 Sint-Niklaas Belgium, De Rembrandt Festival
• 29/09/24 Chicago USA, Cold Waves Festival
• 12/10/24 Ciudad de México, Foro 28
• 15/10/24 San José Costa Rica, Amon Solar
• 18/10/24 Santiago Chile, RBX
• 19/10/24 Sao Paulo Brazil, Madame
• 23/11/24 Leeds UK, The Old Woolen
• 24/11/24 London UK, The Black Heart
• 26/11/24 Reading UK, The Facebar
• 29/11/24 Bielefeld Germany, Movie
• 30/11/24 Cologne Germany, Blue Shell
• 01/12/24 Bochum Germany, Rockpalast
• 04/12/24 Berlin Germany, Urban Spree
• 05/11/24 Copenhagen Denmark, Lygten Station
• (More dates to be confirmed)

About The Cassandra Complex

The Cassandra Complex was formed in 1984 by Rodney Orpheus (vocals, synths, drums machine), Paul Dillon (electronics), and Andy Booth (guitar, keyboards). Musically they bring a synthesis of post-punk, goth, EBM, and industrial music, coupled with Rodney Orpheus’ voice.

After a long hiatus, The Cassandra Complex recently returned with the album “The Plague”, recorded during the COVID lockdown. In March 2024 they released “Death & Sex”. Both albums are available from COP International Records on CD and on all streaming services.

Rodney Orpheus has also worked as a producer, remixer, and music technologist, working with artists such as The Sisters of Mercy, Kraftwerk, Beborn Beton, The Future Sound of London, Girls Under Glass, Faith & the Muse, Within Temptation, and many more.

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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Celebrating its 30th year, Audioglobe, the most important distributor in the darkwave scene, just shared a statistical review, revealing the shifts and trends in the darkwave (and related) music genre.

Our readers will surely remember that we have reported on these stats for years, until 2018, the first year that Audioglobe didn’t communicate these stats. Sebastian Koch from Audioglobe explains: “Some customers never really cared that much about these, as they have better things to do than reading boring mails from the undersigned. But… Surprisingly there are quite a high number of customers, that sort of ‘complained’ about the fact, that no stats were being done any longer… The reason is: I was simply always far too busy in past years. Anyway: Here we go with the first new stats since 2017!”

So here are some export facts.

Top 10 Bestselling Labels of 2023 (export)

1. FABRIKA/DEAD SCARLET
   • She Past Away, Lebanon Hanover, Selofan, Kaelan Mikla, M!R!M, Doric…
2. METROPOLIS
   • Birthday Massacre, Delerium, Front Line Assembly, A Projection, KMFDM, Legendary P.D…
3. ICY COLD/MANIC DEPR.
   • Twin Tribes, Je T’aime, Traitrs, Kill Shelter, Closed Mouth, Talk to Her, Schonwald…
4. ALFA MATRIX
   • Alien Vampires, Front 242, Metroland, Die Robo Sapiens, Elm, 808 Dot Pop, Helalyn Flowers…
5. RUSTBLADE
   • Claudio Simonetti, Ennio Morricone, Lycia Lunch, Spiritual Front, Ketvector, Legendary Pink D…
6. OUT OF LINE
   • Blutengel, Hocico, Solitary Experiments, Suicide Commando, Signal Aout42, Erdling…
7. TRISOL
   • Sopor Aeternus, Rome, Clan of Xymox, Asp, Ostara, Skinflicks, Nachtmahr, Mantus, Soman…
8. DEPENDENT
   • Kirlian Camera, Girls Under Glass, Spectra*Paris, Mildreda, Black Nail Cabaret, Beborn Beton…
9. ARTOFFACT
   • Actors, Noise Unit, cEvin Key, Kaelan Mikla, Ploho, Sacred Skin, Kauan, Ken Mode, Spectres…
10. AUERBACH
    • Spiritual Front, Sol Invictus, Tenhi, Moon and the Night Spirit, Haavard, Hekate, Orplid…

Best Export Territories of 2023

If we look at the Audioglobe stats, we notice that Germany and Greece remain the company’s strongest markets, continuing a trend that has been consistent for ages. However, the 2023 statistics reveal some notable shifts.

Canada, once a prominent market for Audioglobe, has surprisingly disappeared from the export landscape. In contrast, the United States and the United Kingdom have re-emerged as significant territories, marking their return to prominence in the darkwave music scene after several years.

The most unexpected development in 2023 is the rise of Australia as a key market. This growth stands in stark contrast to Switzerland, which, despite its affluence, has seen a sharp decline in sales. Sebastian Koch adds: “The (by far!) lowest sales of all countries where we export to, was to Switzerland… The rich Swiss don’t buy records! Since I left the country (1990), something is wrong back home!”

Here is the top 10 list of export territories:

1. Germany
2. Greece
3. Netherlands
4. Portugal
5. USA
6. United Kingdom
7. Australia
8. Spain
9. Russia
10. Poland

Not in the top 10, but France, Japan, Malta, Brazil, Sweden, Mexico, and Perù are also good export territories for Audioglobe.

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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(Artwork by Greg Rolfes) “Cold” is the newest single by the Texas-based industrial act unitcode:machine and was produced by Christopher Hall of Stabbing Westward.

According to the band the single “dives deep into the profound longing for relief in the face of losing everything and questions whether surrendering or giving up will truly alter the course of one’s story or bring about a transformative change.”

In addition to Chris’s edit on the song, “Cold” also features remixes by Beborn Beton and blackcarburning.

unitcode:machine, the brainchild of Eric K, has been producing music since 2000. With their first official release in 2004, the band offered a mix of multiple genres that inspire the group blending elements of EBM with industrial, synthpop, and many other styles.

Check out the single 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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Thirty years after their official debut album “Tybalt” German Electro-Pop formation Beborn Beton strikes back with their ninth album to date. “Darkness Falls Again” (Dependent Records) deals with the dark, contemporary, times we’re living in. Music wise the album holds on the familiar and very personal Electro-Pop style of the band; danceable and melodic songs featuring a professional production. I talked about this masterpiece with singer and front man Stefan Netschio.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: I realized that your first official album “Tybalt” has been released thirty years ago now. How do you remember the first steps of Beborn Beton and how do you see the evolution of the band throughout the years?

Stefan: After such a long time one questions the validity of one’s own memories. For sure there are certain milestones that will always stay with you, but everything else in between is a blur. There are lots of things lying dormant. It would probably require a night or two with all three of us reminiscing. I remember the nights we spent in the studio recording the first albums. And even before that, the studio time we had when recording our first songs with Carlos Peron in Switzerland and Cologne (Germany). Lots of people we met. The many different bands from that time, some are still active musicians and some have quit the business. The early tape recordings. Back then there was a tape scene with labels that put out compilations. I remember it being exciting being chosen for said compilations. And most importantly the many shows we played that had a significance for our evolution as stage performers.

I think the first era ended when we got signed to Strange Ways Records. The recordings with the late José Alvarez-Brill were a big step up, plus the wider exposure as a member of the Strange Ways roster. Super fun times. Touring with De/Vision, Mesh and Icon Of Coil.

Then getting signed to an US label and touring the states supporting Apoptygma Berzerk. An experience of a lifetime. Playing shows in Canada, Russia and all over Europe. We played many shows and festivals in the meantime, but it was only a few years later that we started writing and recording “A Worthy Compensation” with Olaf Wollschläger. That is definitely one of the highlights in our career. The work with Olaf was eye-opening. And we took more time than anticipated because it was so much fun and Olaf was more than just a producer. He profoundly understands our DNA. The new signing to Dependent Records and the return from that long hiatus with flying colours. All that time we have been independent artists. At some point, we were really young, there was the question whether or not to pursue a full-time music career. In hindsight I am so happy that we didn’t, that we are able to do what we want to do and not having to answer to anyone but ourselves.

Q: How much of the young musicians you were at that time do you still recognize in your work and global approach today? And what makes the chemistry throughout the years?

Stefan: Thirty years is a long time to evolve as an artist and of course as a human being per se. We have seen a lot, we have traveled a lot. Played shows on different continents, many still to explore. We tried a lot of things and we wrote lots of songs, spent a huge amount of time in the studio playing with technology. So, we still have the urge to write meaningful songs and use the highest possible technical standards to bring them to life. On the other hand we are not so easily impressed by music anymore. We know the tricks and we know how it’s done. But we still appreciate a good composition or a greatly executed production.

We have always been friends that make music together rather than fellow musicians. And that has not changed ever since. We party together and have spent a fair share of our free time travelling together not on tour as Beborn Beton. I believe, next year Till and I have known each other for forty years. We attended the same school when we found out that we liked the same kind of music. I met Michael in 1989 when we founded the band. That’s thirtyfour years now. I am his daughter’s Godfather and we all attended each other’s weddings. We are like family. Not by blood, but by choice.

Q: There’s already a serious gap (eight years) between your previous album “A Worthy Compensation” (2015) and “Darkness Falls Again”. It gives me the feeling there’s much more than music and Beborn Beton in your lives but how important remains this creative / artistic exposure and what does it mean to you? And what motivated you to start writing “Darkness Falls Again”?

Stefan: Beborn Beton is an integral part of our lives. That is our main outlet and means of creative expression. Sure, we all have very time and energy consuming day jobs. Some of us have another job on the side as Dad. So we do not always have time to meet all three to write music. But we still try to make time to spend some quality time together when we can. In the last few years I spent a lot of time crafting remixes and collaborating with other artists, enhancing my skills. But Beborn Beton is what we are even when we are not playing shows or writing albums. It’s not a coat that you take off at the end of the day. We believe in what we do and we mean every word we sing.

After “A Worthy Compensation” we were arguing whether or not this was the best and maybe our final album. We worked for so long on this and everything about this release was meticulously thought out and heartfelt. We wondered if we still had something to share with the world. And most of all, if we had the energy to make an album that is even better or at least similarly good as this one. Then came the era Trump and his magic box of atrocities. Racism, sexism, climate change and exploitation of earth’s resources, homophobia, sexual freedom, conspiracy theories. You name it. To us it seemed that this man spewed his venom at everything to fuel the anger of a divided nation and the world. We were on fire which resulted in us writing songs. It also made us sensitive to other topics that we weren’t aware of before. For example postnatal gender designation, even at a later stage. Then there was the pandemic that opened the floodgates to right wing extremists and conspiracy idiocracy.

And to top it off, Putin declared war on Ukraine. Dark times for humanity, great times for songwriting.

Q: The album indeed reveals a strong lyrical and engaged content which has been transposed into catchy tunes and danceable songs. I like the contrast of dancing on very serious lyrical topics but how do you see this aspect? And what’s the deeper significance of the lyrical content?

Stefan: That has always been our focus right from the beginning. Writing meaningful and serious lyrics, interesting stories and placing them in a beautiful, yet danceable and uplifting context. That is the core of Beborn Beton’s musical formula. And on “Darkness Falls Again” we address the issues mentioned before. From self-determination of gender, free love and sexual orientation to the fate of our planet and generations to come, but also existential topics, life altering medical conditions and challenges, war in the name of religion, racism and the enforcement of women’s rights. Some of the themes have been covered by songs that have not been released yet, so watch out for more to come.

Q: Can you give us an insight about the writing of “Darkness Falls Again”. What have been the different stages you’d have to go through to achieve this work and what have been the major difficulties and challenges?

Stefan:The songwriting process hasn’t changed over the years. Once the stories and topics are set, we sit together and the music is mainly conceived by playing around with the piano while the vocal melody takes form. And with the storyline in mind I vocalize parts of the vocal melody to get a natural groove and measure and once the chord progressions and vocal melodies are done, I write the verses and choruses while the beat and basslines are being articulated. And as long as I need to fix the lyrics, Till usually adds layers of sounds, percussion and additional sequences. When the music and lyrics are in a raw demo stage, we usually stop and let it rest for a couple of days. When we revisit the song to see if we still like it, we always find things that we feel could be executed better. This way we write the album tracks and in between all the songs get countless revisions. So, if – after months of songwriting -we still love the tracks we have written, chances are good that we are onto something big.

After that stage we get together with Olaf Wollschläger to refine the songs in his studio, work on the arrangements and the sound of the songs and get a cohesive album sound. This is when we record the vocals, get the mix done and give the songs that extra shine.

To be honest, fortunately there weren’t any major difficulties or challenges. In times of lockdown, when we couldn’t be in the studio together, Olaf worked on the songs on his own and gave us regular updates. But that was when all the pieces were finished in their substance and the adjustments were made on a very deep level, where mixing decisions were reconsidered and the overall sound was polished even more. Sometimes a few subtle changes go a long way.

Q: You already mentioned Olaf Wollschläger who produced the album. Less bands today are working with an external and renowned producer so what do you think about this evolution? And what’s the impact of Olaf’s work and production skills on the final result?

Stefan: A lot of bands do not have the budget to work with a renowned producer or they don’t deem it necessary to get a person on board with another professional view on things. For us it really is liberating to have a second opinion. Olaf’s creative input is very important to us and his ideas mostly give the songs that little extra. It isn’t as simple as it sounds, because to get the perfect sound another couple of weeks pass. We knew Olaf from previous album recordings and as a team we worked even better than on “A Worthy Compensation”.

There was a time when we didn’t have the knowledge to produce an album of such quality on our own. Having worked with Olaf on two albums now for a considerable amount of time has broadened our skill set immensely. We have gained so much expertise from this collaboration. But of course, our relationship has become more than just a job acquaintance. We have become friends and just being around him is so much fun. We are on the same wavelength. 

Q: A new album is often connected to live shows and tours, playing at big festivals, clips, remixes etc… What are the concrete plans right now and what brings the future for Beborn Beton?

Stefan: After the production of the album, we filmed two videos and commissioned numerous remixes from artists that we really like and admire. Some of those have been issued on the limited 2CD-Artbook edition of the album and on the “Burning Gasoline”-EP. And we are still not done with the “Darkness Falls Again” cycle. There are still songs that we recorded that did not make it on the album. Not because they are not good enough. They are just different and deserve a release on their own. And there are still a lot of great remixes that have not yet been released for different reasons. So you do the math;)

And of course we will play shows. We have played two shows now in Germany and there is more to come. A definite highlight is the co-headlining slot at this year’s Terminus Festival in Calgary, Canada. Imagine my jaw dropping when I had a look at the bill and right after the main act Nitzer Ebb there stood our name. So, as Beborn Beton, right now we are having the time of our lives.

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

The US based synthpop act The Mystic Underground is back with an all new 2-track single, “The Lonely Ones” including a Beborn Beton remix. The single is out via Re:Mission Entertainment and is a teaser for the band’s upcoming album “Everyone Deserves A Stage”.

The music video for the track is available below.

Here’s what the band says about the single: “‘The Lonely Ones’ manifested from a desire to create the perfect pop moment. Lyrically, the song acts as a love letter to the rebels and the dreamers and the unwavering spirit of romance and the thrill of youth. Backed by a remix produced by German dark electronic pop icons Beborn Beton who’ve long have been an influence on our sound, ‘The Lonely Ones’ serves as a perfect harbinger of the evolution of The Mystic Underground in the form of the forthcoming LP, ‘Everyone Deserves A Stage’.”

You can download the 2-track single right now from Bandcamp.

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

Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: “Darkness Falls Again” is the ninth album to date by German Electro-Pop formation Beborn Beton. It also is their first new full length in eight years. The band has mainly been active, and successful, during the 90s and early 00s.

Content: The album takes off with a sweet, styled opener which serves as a perfect teaser to the upcoming catchy, danceable song. This work features a succession of well-crafted and fully accomplished songs with a perfect balance between danceable parts and melancholic moods. I now and then notice a Depeche Mode touch but Beborn Beton first of all remains a band with a very personal Electro-Pop identity with the unique voice of Stefan Netschio on top.

+ + + : Beborn Beton has nothing to prove; being an established and recognized formation in their music style they simply seem to have fun working with their own stuff. The production reveals a true maturity which comes through in every single detail. “Darkness Falls Again” first of all is a great work featuring outstanding cuts like “Dancer In The Dark”, “I Watch My Life On TV” and “Burning Gasoline”. It’s an album with multiple potential singles and hits. What I mostly like is the way they transpose serious lyrical themes accentuated by dark sound treatments into catchy tunes and danceable rhythms.

– – – : I regret the album is only featuring 8 songs.

Conclusion: Hard to say which is my favorite Beborn Beton-album but “Darkness Falls Again” definitely belongs to my personal top 3; great and very personal Electro-Pop.

Best songs: “Dancer In The Dark”, “I Watch My Life On TV”, “Burning Gasoline”, “Last Chance”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.bebornbeton.de / www.facebook.com/bebornbeton

Label: www.dependent.de / www.facebook.com/dependent.records

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

(Photo by Chris Ruiz) Out now via Dependent Records is the all new album by the German electropop act Beborn Beton. “Darkness Falls Again” offers a mix of 80s synthpop with a touch of 90s electronic influences.

Through the song lyrics the band addresses contemporary political struggles and cultural conflicts through their lyrics. They voice opposition to efforts that undermine women’s rights and challenge those who seek to limit expressions of love, gender, and sexuality. The group also criticizes racism, demagoguery, hate speech, and environmental destruction for personal gain.

The German electropop act 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 works, “Pyre” (1989), “Scythe” (1991), and “Die Stahlbetontour” (1992) that came out on tape. Following their first two regular albums “Tybalt” (1993) and “Concrete Ground” (1994), Beborn Beton found a label-home at Strange Ways Records where they joined renowned acts such as Wolfsheim and De/Vision. In 1996 they released the full-length “Nightfall”, followed by “Truth” in 1997, “Fake” (1999) and “Rückkehr zum Eisplaneten” (2000). Add to this 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 the same year. But after the release of “Tales from Another World” (2002) and the associated touring, the band went on an extended hiatus.

It took 13 long years, until the trio returned with a new album on Dependent Recordings: “A Worthy Compensation” (2015). 8 years later we now have “Darkness Falls Again”.

Check the full release 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!

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: This is the eighth official album by American trio Null Device. It’s their third album released on Distortion Productions.

Content: The sound universe of Null Device remains inspired by Electro-Pop. They achieved an interesting work which reminds me of bands like Beborn Beton and Mesh with bombastic arrangements on top. One of the (best) tracks sounds a bit different for being harder and into Techno-Body music.

+ + + : You rapidly hear this band is an experienced combo but the main strength is for sure the personal approach in sound. Even if passages remind me of aforementioned leading Electro-Pop formations, Null Device has something unpolished and ‘naughty-pop’ like on top. The work is diversified which is also an aspect you’ll find back in the male-female vocals. “Interrobang” is the most unique cut but the harder and darker Techno-Body style sounds irresistible.

– – – : I regret that the album only features 8 songs. The song “(Not) Sorry” sounds definitely mellifluous and isn’t the best exposure from “The Emerald Age”.

Conclusion: Definitely an Electro-Pop experience which sounds as an antithesis to all Depeche Mode clones. Nevertheless nothing groundbreaking but fully enjoyable.

Best songs: “Interrobang”, “Flags”, “Unsafe And Sound”.

Rate: 7.

Artist: www.nulldevice.com / www.facebook.com/NullDeviceMusic

Label: www.distortionprod.com / www.facebook.com/distortionproductions

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

(Photo by Chris Ruiz) Out now is the all new single and video, “Dancer in the Dark”, by the German electropop act Beborn Beton. The track is taken from their forthcoming new album “Darkness Falls Again” scheduled for release on March 17, 2023. The new album will be produced,recorded, mixed, and mastered by Olaf Wollschläger at Railroad Tracks Studios, Kerpen, Germany.

You can check the video below.

Beborn Beton was founded by vocalist Stefan Netschio, keyboard player and drummer Stefan Tillmann, and keyboard player Michael Wagner in 1989. The band self-released three tapes in the early nineties: “Pyre” (1989), “Scythe” (1991, and “Die Stahlbetontour” (1992). The albums “Tybalt” (1993) and “Concrete Ground” (1994) followed on the Subtronic label and after that they were signed to Strange Ways which was the label home to Wolfsheim and De/Vision back then.

After the release of “Tales from Another World” (2002) and the associated touring, the band went on an extended hiatus. It took 13 long years, until the band returned with a new album on Dependent Recordings, “A Worthy Compensation”. Seven years later the band is back with another new album later this year.

“Darkness Falls Again” will be available as a 48-page artbook with bonus CD, on black vinyl , on white vinyl (limited edition), and as a digisleeve CD.

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

Taken from Kill Shelter’s sophomore album “Asylum” is the brand new single “The Necklace” (featuring Agent Side Grinder).

Pete Burns, Kill Shelter, explains: “The new single with Agent Side Grinder is very reflective of the overall tone of the forthcoming album. All the tracks delve into different interpretations of the word asylum and highlight challenging themes such as human trafficking, domestic abuse, seeking refuge, disillusionment, bedlam and redemption. It definitely has a dark energy.”

Johan Lange, Agent Side Grinder, from his side says: “The Necklace is a metaphorical vehicle for building personal resilience when dealing with violence and abuse on a daily basis. We had a shared vision for both the song and the video and it is a collaboration in the truest sense of the word.“

“Asylum” celebrates over 40 years of alternative and underground music and includes collaborations with Ronny Moorings (Clan of Xymox), Agent Side Grinder, Ash Code, Stefan Netschio (Beborn Beton), William Faith (The Bellwether Syndicate / Faith and the Muse), Valentina Veil (VV & the Void) and Antipole.

“Asylum” is available now in pre-order in 2 versions: via Metropolis Records in North and South America, and Manic Depression Records in Europe and the rest of the world , both on vinyl and CD and download, and will be officially released on July 15th.

Here’s a video for “The Necklace” featuring Agent Side Grinder.

About Kill Shelter

Kill Shelter is UK based alternative artist and producer Pete Burns. His work blends elements of darkwave and contemporary electronica with heavily processed guitars.

He debuted with “Damage” and collaborated on Antipole “A Haunted Place”. His remix portfolio includes cult names such as Christian Death, The Wake and Aleister Crowley as well as She Past Away, Agent Side Grinder and many more. He is currently working at The Shelter on two full length albums and a series of new collaborations.

About Agent Side Grinder

Agent Side Grinder is a Swedish electronic band formed in 2005. The band consists of Johan Lange, Peter Fristedt and Emanuel Åström and their music has been described as a mix of post-punk, industrial and dark electro. They have released five albums to date.

They are currently in the studio recording material for a new full length release.

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

Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop, Cinematographic, Experimental.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Jean-Marc Lederman has achieved a new work featuring guest singers. In the past few months he released similar albums like “13 Ghost Stories” and “Letters To Gods And Fallen Angels”, and also “Venus Chariot” as a collaboration between him and Emileigh Rohn. “The Raven” is driven by a new concept where Lederman asked his guests to work on old texts from poets like (Byron, Poe, Plato, Shelley, de Froidmont ao.

Content: The guest singers for this album areMari Kattman (Helix, Mari & The Ghost), Christopher Hall (Stabbing Westward), Mark Hockings (Mesh), Elena Alice Fossi (Kirlian Camera, Spectra*Paris), Azam Ali (Niyaz), Dr. Strangefryer (aka John Fryer), Jim Semonik (Red Locust), Lis Van Den Akker (Misery, Psy’Aviah), Ken Mageman, Jean-Luc De Meyer (Front 242, 32Crash), Stefan Netschio (Beborn Beton), Emileigh Rohn (Chiasm), Christina Z.

Sound-wise the work is pretty eclectic, moving in between a free interpretation of Electro-Pop compositions and more pronounced Cinematographic music. The songs feature numerous, typical Cinema music arrangements, which are sometimes bombastic, but also pretty evasive. I also noticed very Minimal-Electro driven pieces. The songs have been sung/performed in English, French and Italian.

+ + + :Each time,  Jean-Marc Lederman Experience again sounds like a new and fascinating journey. First there is always an interesting concept and I like this one for mixing old poems together with music, which as an imaginary Soundtrack has been performed by the artist. There’s once again a true symbiosis between music and vocals, seeing Jean-Marc transforming himself into a sonic chameleon. Music and performer are totally complementary, now resulting in a sensual composition like the one with Mari Kattman, then into a kind of Lounge approach with Mark Hockings, becoming totally minimal with Dr. Strangefryer, getting us into a dreamy part with Lis Van Den Akker. But the most surprising- and poignant track is the one with Jean-Luc De Meyer inspired on a poem of Hélinand de Froidmont. It’s an old and tenebrous poem, which has been masterly interpreted by the Front 242 lead singer and adapted into a horror-like music composition. There are several noticeable cuts on this album, which is more an album to listen to instead of dancing.

– – – : The album once more creates the illusion listening to a compilation instead of an album composed by one artist. That’s part of this concept and I’m sure Jean-Marc Lederman still has enough ideas and creativity to move on with it.

Conclusion: Jean-Marc Lederman Experience and his guest singers stand for a true sonic intercourse. This is a new brilliant piece of music and the perfect successor to “Letters To Gods And Fallen Angels”.

Best songs: “The Worms Of Death”, “Invocation”, Frankenstein”, “Smouldering Corpse In The Morning Sun”, “The Cold Heart Slept Below”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.jmlederman.com / www.facebook.com/Music-composer-Jean-Marc-Lederman-1585277635023000 / www.facebook.com/jeanmarc.lederman

Label: www.facebook.com/copint

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

Patrick Knoch set up Elektrostaub in 2007. Elektrostaub  can be defined as Electro/Future-Pop and is a solo-project with guest singers. After the first official album “Birthday And Death” released in 2017 on Echozone, the German project joined hands together with Alfa-Matrix. The new album “Reliance” features guest singers Patrik Hansson (Vanguard, Uncreated), Henrik Iversen (Namnambulu), !DISTAIN, René Anke (Logic & Olivia), Stefan Netschio (Beborn Beton), Jan Dieckmann (Norderney), Alex Rush (Unity One), Claudia Uhle (X-Perience), Damasius Venys (Mondträume, Mental Exile), Alex Nórdika (Nórdika) and Darrin Huss (Psyche). The work is a diversified, danceable and ambitious piece. I asked a few questions to Patrick Knoch.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Patrick, tell us a bit more about your music background and how did you come to set up Elektrostaub? 

Patrick: I received musical education in my childhood at a Yamaha music school, mainly on the electronic organ and keyboards. In the early 2000s I founded a band and later decided to start a solo project to better implement my own ideas and ideas.

Q: Elektrostaub is clearly driven and inspired by different forms of Electronic music, but ‘Pop’ definitely appears to be the main source of inspiration.  What are your examples and references in music and how would you analyze your own composition? 

Patrick: I’ve always been a fan of Electronic music and I liked the music of Depeche Mode, Camouflage, Erasure to name a few. Later, Silke Bischoff, Vnv Nation, Solar Fake, for example. So it was relatively obvious that I should try to make music in this direction myself.

Are you looking for powerful beats, flying, melodic and dreamy surfaces as well as modern sounds and catchy Electro-Pop songs? Then you’ve come to the right place with Elektrostaub. Due to the large number of singers involved, the styles of the respective bands also flow into the project and increase the spectrum of versatility.

Q: You mentioned the large number of singers so why do you prefer working with guest singers instead of a real band singer? And what’s your connection with the guys of !Distain? 

Patrick: In the beginning, the main idea was to do remixes and write instrumentals. Later on the idea came up that I could have guest singers set it to music. 

On this album all lyrics come exclusively from the guest singers. I think it’s important that my guests can get involved in the project themselves.

I have known Manfred and Alex from !Distain since the beginning of Elektrostaub and they have become very good friends of mine. Producing songs together is similar to do house music with your family… lol.

Q: How did the writing- and production process of “Reliance” happened? And how did the collaboration with the different singers happened?  

Patrick: First I write the arrangements and instrumentals. When that happens I think carefully about which singer could sing the song best. In most cases I choose artists whose music I also like and whether I personally like the voices or would simply go very well with the song.

When the process is finished I write to the respective artist and ask if they are interested.

After receiving the vocal tracks, I embedded them into the arrangements and then created the final mixes.

Q: There’s an impressive evolution in sound and production from your debut album “Birthday And Death” (2017) towards “Reliance”. How do you look back at your debut work and the transition to “Reliance”? 

Patrick: Thanks so much. I would think it’s just a constant development and advancement. Perhaps the experience gained plays a role. I don’t really like to look back, I love to look forward 😉

Q: How do you expect Elektrostaub evolving and what are the further plans regarding aspects like live shows, remixes, singles and clips? 

Patrick: I will start work on the third album soon. I will write several arrangements and instrumentals again and then proceed as always. I still have some remixes to do in the near future. I’ve been doing a few lately and they’ll all be out soon. Live shows are not planned or very feasible due to the fact that I don’t have a permanent singer.

In which direction will Elektrostaub evolve? I can’t say that today. I’ll just try to develop myself musically and hope to take the next steps.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop, Future-Pop.  

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Four years after the debut-album “Birthday And Death” released on Echozone, Patrick Knoch unleashes his second full length featuring an impressive list of guest singers. “Reliance” was preceded by two singles/EP’s, which especially in Germany became pretty successful.

Content: Patrick Knock had some good company with Patrik Hansson (Vanguard, Uncreated), Henrik Iversen (Namnambulu), !Distain duo, René Anke (Logic & Olivia), Stefan Netschio (Beborn Beton), Jan Dieckmann (Norderney), Alex Rush (Unity One), Claudia Uhle (X-Perience), Damasius Venys (Mondträume, Mental Exile), Alex Nórdika (Nórdika) and Darrin Huss (Psyche). Sound-wise Elektrostaub brings a perfect mix of electro-Pop driven and somewhat harder Future-Pop inspired songs. The different singers inject some extra diversity to the work.

The album features previously released singles “Wake Up” and “We Are Dreamers”. There’s only one single song featuring female vocals. !Distain –being good-old friends of Patrick Knock, contributed to 3 songs, one of them featuring French sung lyrics.

+ + + : First of all we have to salute the contribution of some real great and talented singers like Darren Huss, Henrik Iversen and Stefan Netschio, but also brilliant singers from the ‘latest’  generation like Damasius Venys, Patrik Hansson and Claudia Uhle. The single female vocalist injects a heavenly touch to the album. Several songs sound like they were conceived to make people dance and get happy. I also enjoyed the somewhat harder Future-Pop driven cuts and I especially recommend “Futurism” featuring Norderney, which will appeal to VNV Nation fans. “We Are Dreamers” featuring Patrik Hansson remains a great piece of music for its boosting Electro-Pop. There’s also a cool ‘female’ version featuring Claudia Uhle who’s definitely a great singer. Last, but not least I also recommend listening to “Dust” featuring Damasius Venys who’s according to me one of the most charismatic and sexy voices of the scene.

– – – : I expected a bit more from the songs featuring !Distain –an established Electro-Pop formation I’ve always liked. It’s also a pity there’s only one single female singer featured.

Conclusion: Elektrostaub has achieved an ambitious, but accomplished album, which sounds like the perfect crossover between Electro- and Future-Pop.

Best songs: “Futurism feat. Norderney”, “We Are Dreamers featuring Patrik Vanguard”, “We Are Dreamers featuring Claudia Uhle”, “Dust featuring Damasius Venys”, “Save Me featuring René Anke”, “Loneliness featuring !Distain”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.elektrostaub.de / www.facebook.com/Elektrostaub

Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

After the two chart-hitting singles “We Are Dreamers“ (#1) and “Wake Up“ (#4), German synth pop act Elektrostaub is about to release the 14-track album “Reliance” featuring quite and impressive list of artists who surround him on future pop / synthpop album.

On this record Patrick Knoch works with Henrik Iversen (Namnambulu), Nórdika and his good old friends from !Distain. But he also invited a sort of “who is who” from the indie synth pop scene on this release, with special additional guest singers in the likes of Stefan Netschio (Beborn Beton), Darrin Huss (Psyche), Damasius Venys (Mondträume, Mental Exile), Patrik Hansson (Vanguard), Claudia Uhle (X-Perience), René Anke (Logic & Olivia), Alex Rush (Unity One) and Jan Dieckmann (Norderney).

Impressive to say the least!

You can expect a mix of melancholic synth pop and dancefloor future pop with a harder EBM edge. The release is available now in pre-order on CD and as download via Bandcamp where you get 2 tracks already.

Check out the album trailer 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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After the well received second album “Chasm Walk”, Frankfurt-based mastermind Timo Revna aka Reichsfeind has joined the well-known Belgian electronic music label Alfa Matrix. Immediately available via Bandcamp is the brand new electro pop single “Persona” which is an instant ear worm as you can hear below.

Many readers will also remember Reichsfeind from his participation on our most recent Face The Beat compilation with the track “Mute”.

But that’s not all, next to a new single, the label has also made available the entire back catalogue of Reichsfeind via Bandcamp exclusively which will please fans of bands like Seabound, X-Marks The Pedwalk, Elderbrook, Beborn Beton or yet De/Vision.

First of all there’s the new single “Persona”. The 6-track EP holds the title track next to an upbeat remix by Rob Dust, reworked mix of the project’s club hit “Retox” and a selection of remixes of “Anti” and “Retox” by artists in the likes of Aesthetische, ES23 and Hydroxie.

Additionally there’s also a video launched for the single’s leading track.

Entire back catalogue also released on Bandcamp

For the occasion of the arrival of Reichsfeind in the Alfa Matrix roster of artists, the Belgian label is releasing the band’s back catalogue exclusively on its Bandcamp page.

“Daydream” EP

Initially released in July 2014, “Daydream” is the first official self-released EP by the German act Reichsfeind. It holds 6 tracks which set the sonic foundations of the band revealing synth melodies layered across darker electro arrangements with upbeat rhythm patterns with vocoded male vocals. The label perfectly describes it as “synth pop music with an edge and a darkish dimension.”

“Living in space” download album

Initially released in November 2017, “Living In Space” is not only the first official full length CD of Reichsfeind but it’s also their breakthrough album. The album includes club hits like “Soulpaint” and “Detox”. The album features bonus remixes by Rob Dust, Maneater and Kayfabe Lanoise.

“Living in space (the remixes)” EP

Initially released in January 2018, “Living In Space (the remixes)” is the complementary EP release of Reichsfeind’s debut album. Opening with the exclusive non-album track “Mute”, this 4-track EP showcases 3 selected album songs from a different sonic perspective going from the upbeat club mix of “Detox (Desastroes remix)” to the more laid-back version of the “Soulpaint (Kennedy remix)”.

“Chasm walk” download album

The 14-track album “Chasm Walk” was originally released in November 2019. With his second album, Reichsfeind showed a matured songwriting and production level merging modern electronics, driving rhythms, dark atmosphere, meaningful lyrics, rolling basslines and addictive melodic sounds.

The album is also released with 4 bonus remixes by Kennedy, Maneater, Kayfabe, Lanoise and Chadouze.

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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Jean-Marc Lederman (The Weathermen, Fad Gadget, The The, Ghost & Writer, Lederman-Demeyer) has released a new release under the Jean-Marc Lederman Experience moniker. With this project he calls up singers from different niches and countries to write lyrics and sing them on a common theme. The end result is then being packaged in a 2CD 36 pages hardcover art book with artwork and pictures by Erica Hinyot.

2019 saw the release of “13 Ghost Stories”, and now he offers “Letters To Gods (and fallen angels)” including performances from 21 different singers, from the USA to Italy, Mexico or Wales. The concept this time is very topical in this strange reset time: “You can write a letter to a God, or a fallen angel. What do you say?”

This time, the artists are:

• Agi Taralas (Our Banshee, Greece)
• Emma Barson (Promenade Cinema, UK)
• Ghost & Writer with cello by Jo Quail (Germany/Belgium UK)
• Mari Kattman (Helix, USA)
• JP Aston with backing vocals by Julianne Regan (Gene Loves Jezebel/Wales All About Eve/UK
• Coline Wauters (Atome, Belgium)
• Christina Z (comics Witchblade writer, Magnesium Burn/USA)
• Das Vintage (Mexico)
• Lucia Fairfull (Lusca And The Best Boys/ Scotland)
• Stefan Netschio (Beborn Beton/Germany)
• Hunter S. Thompson (Writer, USA)
• Elena Alice Fossi (Kirlian Camera/Stalingrad Valkyrie Italy)
• Tom Shear (Assemblage 23/ Helix USA)
• Mark Hockings (MESH/ UK)
• Jenna Fearon (USA)
• Emileigh Rohn (Chiasm/USA)
• Miriam Christina (The Other Side Of Who, 580 Miles/ Germany)
• Haydn Park-Patterson (The Ninth Wave/ Scotland)
• Rodney Orpheus (The Cassandra Complex/ EU)
• Louise Fraser (USA)
• Lis van den Akker (Holland)
• Claus Larsen (Leaether Strip/ Denmark)
• Friedrich Nietzsche (Patrimonia Universal de la Humanidad)
• With 3 novels by:
• Christina Z. (comics Witchblade writer, Magnesium Burn/USA)
• Ceratomia (USA)
• Philippe Genion (à;GRUMH /Belgium)

Check the previews 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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André Lellitko, Kay Lipka and Casi Kriegler set up Rroyce a few years ago now. The band’s debut album “Dreams & Doubts & Fears” got released in 2014 on Thexoomo.net. The second full length “Karoshi” got released two years later on Kayal Records and got re-released in 2017 on Infacted Recordings. The growing enthusiasm in their homeland, Germany, brought the band to perform at bigger festivals. The electro/future-pop sound of the band stands for the revival of future-pop. Their newest album “Patience” only confirms the growing talent of the trio. This work has been again released on Infacted Recordings, which is a label with a nose for talented electro-pop music. The songs remind me to an imaginary hybrid between Mesh, OMD and Beborn Beton. I asked Casi Kriegler for more info.  

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: How did the story of Royce all started and what have been the main facts in this story so far?

Casi: Our journey started exactly seven years ago, where we participated in a band contest, which was called ‘UNBACO’. We won the contest out of  numerous bands coming from the wave- and synth-pop-genre and we played the fifth gig in the band’s history at the ‘WGT 2013’, which was quite impressive for us. Later on we went on tour by supporting great bands like Eisfabrik, Solitary Experiments and Welle:Erdball.

We are glad to work together with our label Infacted Recordings. Our booking agency is Eisland Entertainment, which provides us with memorable festival appearances, like ‘Amphi Festival’, ‘E-tropolis’, ‘Plage Noire’, ‘NCN’ and many more. We´re glad that we found reliable partners to work with on our way whatever the future will bring.

Q: You’ve already released three full length albums so what’s your personal analysis from the evolution in sound and production from the debut album “Dreams & Thoughts & Fears” to “Karoshi” to “Patience”?

Casi: Our first album was self-produced, which was quite exciting as we didn´t know the people´s reaction on that. Okay, at that time our fanbase was quite small, but we already set ourselves high standards in the production.

For the 2^nd album we convinced Dirk Riegner to work with us as a producer. The outcome was fantastic and we decided to rerun the collaboration for the 3^rd album. Our success confirms that this was the right approach.

I think the evolution is quite obvious, because we always want to improve ourselves as musicians and our products and we´re working every day to achieve that.

Q: “Patience” has been preceded by the EP “Parallel Worlds”, which can be easily considered as your biggest ‘hit’. Tell us a bit more about this song, its writing, the lyrical content and the clip that has been made?

Casi: The song is based on our private experiences in keeping up the balance between the daily routine on the one hand and being a musician on the other hand. Sometimes it´s hard to switch from one world to the other, especially when you spent a weekend on stage and you´ll find yourself exactly 24 hours later, sitting in an office, in front of a computer and you ask yourself: ‘What the heck I am doing here’??!

So I had the idea to point out the inner struggle in a visual way by setting up two dancers dressed in black and white, fighting with each other –but also in very close interaction to underline how close the feelings and emotions are linked together, while hopping in between these two worlds. We wanted to produce a very clear and stylish video. We are grateful that we could achieve these visions with our friends from Tiefgang Erleben, who realized this lovely video project.

Q: When you listen to “Patience” right now, what are your biggest satisfactions and do you also notice some elements you want to improve?

Casi: We’re satisfied with all the different aspects from the album, otherwise we wouldn´t have released it. As I said, there are always aims for improvement, in song writing and in setting up the lyrics, as well. When you are not constantly moving, you might get fat and dull. That´s not our intention.

Q: So far you did interesting tours, but always as support band from a bigger name like the aforementioned bands Eisfabrik, Solitary Experiments and Welle:Erdball. How do you look back at these tours and live experiences generally speaking? How do you see yourself as stage band?

Casi: We love being live on stage. I love to see these faces, the reactions, the smiling people having fun. For us it has been a great honor to perform on huge stages, in front of hundreds of people. The number of supporters is steadily increasing and we are grateful for every occasion to present RROYCE live on stage. When I think of all these special tour-life/live-moments, I can say that we made friends with the bands. One could even go so far as to say we became good friends. Without exception. memories, that will stay with me forever.

Q: I noticed you already did an impressive number of live performances during the past years, but mainly in Germany! What about RROYCE and live shows abroad Germany? Do you feel to be unknown or misunderstood outside Germany? What brings 2020?

Casi: We already played in Switzerland, The Netherlands and England and we would love to play wherever you can imagine. Every gig abroad was a big success. If there´s any promoter, who wants to see us on its stage, feel free to contact our agency. But to see it realistic and considering the costs (flights, hotels, fees) it´s not that easy for a quite unknown band to realize these dreams –apart from their outstanding live qualities (lol).

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Based in Dortmund (Germany) Rroyce strikes back with their third full length to date. “Patience” has been preceded by the catchy EP “Parallel World”.

Content: The EP title-song also is the opener of this opus, revealing the synth-pop touch of Rroyce, which is danceable and ultra catchy. On the next song they’re taking off with a sequence reminding me of the debut of Rammstein’s “Du Hast”, but here stops any further comparison. Rroyce composes pure electro-pop music, which makes me think of an imaginary sonic hybrid between Mesh and OMD for some retro elements. Some of the vocals are also reminding me of Stefan Netschio (Beborn Beton).

+ + + : Rroyce stands for passion and that’s an element you’ll also notice in the vocals. The compositions are graceful and delicate, but first of all driven by danceable sequences and rhythms. This band reveals a real maturity when it comes to the writing process. They have a nose to compose carrying choruses by using refined arrangements and melodies. “Parallel World” remains an absolute masterpiece, but I also have to mention “Life Is A Gun” and “Someone Else’s Life”.

– – – : I don’t have any real minor points to make about this album; it doesn’t sound ‘new’, but it has a strong potential.

Conclusion: By this album Rroyce seems to claim for a wider recognition of the electro-pop community!

Best songs: “Parallel World”, “Life Is A Gun”, “Someone Else’s Life”, “Too Little”, “Dying In Slow Motion”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.rroyce.de / www.facebook.com/RROYCE.official

Label: www.infacted–recordings.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Infacted–Recordings/124099254321690

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-electro, dark EBM.

Background/Info: The EP “Space Force” marks the return of Tragic Impulse. It’s a teaser to the third full length “Echoes Of The Unseen”.

Content: The EP takes off with the title track, which is a terrific piece of hard & dark-electro-body-music. This song is driven by icy sequences, an aggressive bass line and pumping kick. You’ll notice some spoken samplings from Donald Trump and the powerful charismatic vocals of Paul M. Graham.

“Space Force” has been remixed by Panic Lift, Third Realm, nTTx and Red Lokust. The B-side cut is a surprising cover version of Beborn Beton’s “Another World”.

+ + + : The least I can say is that the title song is the right track to get released on an EP. It simply is the best tragic Impulse-cut I’ve heard so far and I’m sure it will set dancefloors on fire! It’s an accomplished and sophisticated piece of modern dark-electro/EBM. Among the remixes I especially enjoyed the one made by Third Realm while red Lokust did a cool job as well.

– – -: I expected a bit more out of the remixes. None of the featured artists can really compete with the original version. The Beborn Beton cover is surprising, but not exactly a successful edit. It all feels like Paul M. Graham doesn’t feel comfortable singing on this track.

Conclusion: What I especially keep in mind from this EP is the impressive title track!

Best songs: “Space Force”, “Space Force – Third Realm remix”, “Space Force – Red Lokust Remix”.  

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.tragicimpulse.com / www.facebook.com/tragicimpulse

Label: www.distortionprod.com / www.facebook.com/distortionproductions

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electronic, cinematographic, down-tempo.

Background/Info: If I say Jean-Marc Lederman you quite spontaneously will think about bands such as The Weathermen, Polyphonic Size, Fad Gadget, Ghost & Writer and more recently Lederman / De Meyer. And there were much more bands and projects this Belgian electro pioneer has been involved with. One of his latest projects took me by surprise, revealing a more ambient and experimental sound he released under his own name on Wool-E-Discs. I expected this new work in the continuation of this experimental exploration, but it already became something different. The artist started from the question what would you do if you came back to earth one day as ghost.

Content: This surreal project/question has been answered by guest singers and a real impressive list of great artists contributed to the work. In order of appearance you’ll recognize Christer Hermodsson (Biomekkanik, SPOCK..), Louise Fraser, Stefan Netschio (Beborn Beton), Juliette Bosse (Arther, Rive), Jenna Fearon, Agi Taralas, Elena Alice Fossi (Kirlian Camera, Spectra*Paris), The Acapella Robotic Association, Yvette Winkler, Mark Hockings (Mesh), Natasha A Twentyone (Ambassador 21, Suicide Inside), Alice Gift (Liste Noire, Velvet Condom) and Christa Jérôme.

Jean-Marc Lederman has accomplished a surprising work, which are miles away from what we’re used to hearing from him. There’s a mix between down-tempo and sometimes trip-pop driven influences, but also a cinematographic approach with refined arrangements and other evasive sound atmospheres. There’s a heavenly fusion between at one side the composer who gives us the impression to have written each song for one specific singer and at the other side the vocalists who’re really into the project of the ‘ghost stories’.   

+ + + : Concepts are a quite familiar thing in music. At first sight this one is not that different from the others and yet, when you carefully pay attention you’ll notice the symbiosis between the musician and his singers. It has something fragile and poignant, refined and subtle, dreamy and sometimes funny. Jean-Marc Lederman also appears to be a real chameleon. It’s unbelievable to see him in less than two years moving back to the roots of EBM with Lederman / De Meyer, experimenting with sounds and noises on both Wool-E-Discs productions and now unleashing this “13 Ghost Stories”. I also have to say a word about some great vocals’ performances like the charismatic appearance of Christer Hermodsson, the angelic voice of Louise Fraser, the fragility shown by Juliette Bosse, the bewitching performance by Christa Jérôme and of course the excellence emerging from Mark Hockings.

Notice by the way the album is also available as double disc featuring extra singers Rascal (Rotersand), Julianne Regan (All about Eve), Darrin Huss (Psyche), Rexx Arkana, JP Aston (Gene Loves Jezebel), Louise Love (Parralox) and Nicola Testa.

– – – : This is of course more of an album for listening instead of dancing!

Conclusion: What I like in the work and career of Jean-Marc Lederman is that he never avoids any new –and sometimes crazy, challenge. If there’s one artist who never repeats himself, it for sure is Jean-Marc Lederman! On “13 Ghost Stories he has maybe accomplished one of his greatest productions in history!

Best songs: “Watch Them Dance”, “Nuages A L’Envers”, “The Dead Still Scream”, “Maybe”, “Ball And Chain”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: http://www.jmlederman.com /

www.facebook.com/jeanmarc.kollector

Label: www.dependent.de / www.facebook.com/dependent.records

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

Alexander Braun and Manfred Thomaser both remain the single members on board of !distain. This German electro-pop formation is active since the 90s and their debut releases became an instant success. !distain has this ‘typical’ German synth-pop sound and belongs together with bands such as De/Vision, Beborn Beton, Melotron… to the cream of German synth-pop. By the end of 2018 they released their eight studio album “Farewell To The Past” on Echozone revealing !distain in good shape. I’d a chat with Alexander and Manfred.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries / Pictures by Barbara Andres)

Q: What does this new album means to you when you realize your debut album “Cement Garden” was released in 1995? Do you still feel the same emotions? 

Alexander: Wow, it´s an amazing period of time. What still feels the same is the love for music. And at the same time of course so much has changed! That time we had a producer and we even spent the nights at his home. Today I really love to produce the music on my own. Naivety changed to ‘wisdom of age’… ha, ha. So this album (and its success) means a lot to me. We are still here, and it is still a very important part of my life!

Q: More than making simply music together, I think there must be a kind of chemistry to keep a band alive for such a long time. What makes this chemistry and partnership between you?

Manfred: In my opinion, respect is the most important thing. Alexander and I do have a lot in common, but we are very different, too. Those who can’t accept that other people may have other opinions, feelings, etc. may never find a way to deal with that. So, you need to understand the character of every band member. And you need to learn how to react to all the differences. Up to this the band is more important than the ego.

Alexander: Yes, and another very important aspect is that we would not be able writing these songs on our own. The quality of the song-writing is a result of combining our individual skills. There were so many moments when I thought the song is ok and then Manfred added some magic and it became something special…

Q: How much of the early work and writing process do you still recognize in the new work “Farewell To The Past” and how did you see yourselves evolving/growing as musicians?

Manfred: To me “Farewell To The Past” is mostly connected to “Raise The Level” which we released in 2007. Both records appear with deeper atmospheres and meanings. More melancholia than on “on/off” for example. The writing process on the other hand is more connected to “25 Frames A Second” when we spent a lot of time in the studio together working on the compositions and arrangements. This changes from time to time.

Alexander: The fact, that we now produce and mix the songs completely on our own gives us much more freedom. After so many years of making music it is the first time we have enough self-confidence doing everything on our own (besides mastering). I think in the course of time we get faster in realizing what works and what doesn´t, faster in singing the line with the best possible feeling and so on…

Q: Is there any particular and maybe explicit meaning behind the title of the new album and what have been the main lyrical themes you tried to achieve?

Alexander: Yes, the title of the album on one hand connects to Rick leaving !distain and the problems of the past. And on the other hand it is the chorus of one of my favorite songs on the album: “Letter To Myself”.

Manfred: The lyrics vary from being personal like “Wake Me Up” to being socially critical like “Der Hirtenmann” and “Wer Im Kreise Geht” or being a crime- and ghost-story like “The Guest-House”. Life is fragile. It can end every second. This is a theme maybe all lyrics deal with in the end.

Q: The song “SynthPopBoy”, which has been also released as EP-title track has something funny, but what did you try to express and what does it say about your own perception of the electronic music today?

Manfred: The basic idea is that there seem to be a lot of people who dislike something because they think it is common sense to dislike this something… which can be a song, a music style, a novel, art… whatever. For “SynthPopBoy” we have chosen Synth-Pop, which the ‘real tough guys’ do not like because everyone who listens to Synth-Pop is declared to be a weak person. And tough guys can’t be weak. Image means mostly everything to these people. By the way: we received a lot of reactions from fans saying ‘I know who you are talking about’… In the end “SynthPopBoy” is about accepting who you are. You like Synth-Pop? Why not? You like EBM? Why not? You like both? Why not?

Alexander: My perception of the electronic music of today is that it often should be kind of hard and aggressive stuff. Because then it is cool. But deep inside our hearts we all love melodies and positive feelings. The song calls for standing by it!

Q: A lot of things have changed and evolved since you started composing music. How do you experience all these changes – referring to technology & equipment, social media, streaming platforms, CD sales etc?  What do you see as the pros and contras?

Alexander: Yes, so many things have changed. Besides the decline of CD sales there are some good things, too; we get close to our fans via Facebook and other social media. The feedback to our music is much more direct and immediate. Making money with music has become so difficult, but on the other hand there is the chance to be discovered via streaming platforms. There are algorithms like ‘similar artist’ that maybe let people hear our music… although they don´t know us.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Future-pop, electro-pop.

Background/Info: Solitary Experiments is a band I’m keeping an eye on since their very early years. The German formation became a recognized band dealing with electro/body-pop. “Future Tense” is their newest studio album, which was released 3 years after “Heavenly Symphony”.

Content: “Future Tense” is an interesting album title for featuring songs and a sound, which clearly bring us back to the past… This work isn’t retro-like, but seems to shout hard and loud that ‘future-pop’ is alive more than ever before. The album reveals a succession of great and carrying future-pop pieces, which will clearly appeal for the fans of VNV Nation and co. Sometimes a bit more dreamy-like, but mainly danceable, “Future Tense” is a noticeable album in its genre.

The second disc features remixes by ES23, Mental Discipline, Empirion, Binary Park, Freunde Der Technik, Mono Inc,  People Theatre, Rob Dust, L’Âme Immortelle, Beborn Beton, Paul Parra, Hartung & Schleinitz and Uniik.

+ + + : You immediately will notice the maturity of this band. They’ve accomplished a major album, which –even if doesn’t bring anything new, maybe is one of their best productions in history. It’s a melodic and danceable piece of work, but still a work filled with sensibility and emotions. There are several songs illustrating the talent of the band. I for sure can refer to the already know “Crash & Burn” (featuring female vocals by Tea F? Thimé from Ashbury Heights), but also “Brace Yourself!”, “Shelter”, “I Am”, the harder sounding “Double Dealer” and my personal favorite one “Every Time”.

Among the remixes I especially recommend the harder and darker sounding remix of “Double Dealer” by Empirion, but I also noticed cool contributions from Mental Discipline, Rob Dust, People Theatre, Paul Parra and a surprising acoustic remix by Mono Inc.

– – – : I don’t see real minor points although Solitary Experiments became a little bit predictable in their composition while a few songs are moving on the ‘commercial’ edge of dance music.

Conclusion: Solitary Experiments have already released great and noticeable productions, but I consider “Future Tense” as one of their best in history. Future-pop is alive and this album clearly symbolizes this fact.

Best songs: “Every Time”, “Brace Yourself!”, “Shelter”, “I Am”, “Crash & Burn”, “Double Dealer”  + “Double dealer – Empirion Remix”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.solitaryexperiments.de / www.facebook.com/solitaryexperiments

Label: www.outofline.de  / www.facebook.com/outoflinelabel

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

Set up in 1993 by Ken Evans and Georgina Emery, Australian formation Tycho Brahe recently released the “Triplex [complete]”-album on ScentAir Records. It’s without a shadow of a doubt their most accomplished work to date. The songs will probably ravish 80s synth-pop lovers, but it first of all is a great production the band might be proud of. This was a real good reason to organize an interview with the band.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Tycho Brahe saw the daylight in 1993. What have been the main facts about your career and how much of early Tycho Brahe do you still recognize in your writing today?

TB: We started off as something different and evolved into our current form. The consistent thing about us though, is that we have always approached every situation with a total sense of self-belief. We’ve never been afraid to take a risk and do something ‘crazy’ or to do the impossible when others might say it can’t be done eg like organize an international support in 2 other states with 5 days’ notice when we haven’t rehearsed in five months. Or organize an interstate gig for an international or interstate band whose promoters let them down with one weeks’ notice.

With this never say never and can-do attitude, we’ve ended up playing shows with other notable acts like The Human League, John Foxx, VNV Nation, Covenant, Real Life, Psyche, Pseudo Echo etc and made many great connections and strong relationships within the industry. We are self-taught in everything, including playing our instruments, programming, recording and production…everything…but have never seen that as a disadvantage. Through self-belief and determined application we have succeeded.

Compared to the earlier Tycho Brahe songs, some of the more recent work has been more unusual in structure (eg “1985” and “Valerie Perrine”), and that has been a deliberate decision to try and keep things interesting. There’s also more confidence these days in being more personal about song lyrics. But the biggest difference between the early Tycho Brahe releases and the more recently recorded work is the level of production we’ve achieved in an independent studio setting. We feel that “Triplex [complete]” is easily our most accomplished body of work so far on many levels.

Q: I noticed your early work has been released on cassette format. What does that evoke to you and what’s your perception about the evolution of technology (recording techniques, instruments, social media, streaming etc)?

TB: Our first two releases were on professionally duplicated cassette in 1996. This was the most affordable format at the time. We’d spent a lot of money in professional studios before that, which was fairly normal for a band in those days, however we made those recordings ourselves very cheaply on a borrowed 4-track system, with the intention that they would be used as demos. We were playing a lot of live shows, and we needed to be able to make our music available to promoters as well as fans, so we put the best of these recordings on a cassette – that first release is literally called “The Promotional Cassette”. The reaction was great, and we realized that for our purposes it didn’t matter if we recorded in a 24 track studio or on a home 4-track system, as long as the music was good, and was recorded and produced to a suitable standard. This appealed to our self-taught ‘do it yourself’ manifesto, so we decided to completely move away from expensive professional studios, and instead invest that money into achieving self-sufficiency for recording and producing. We were early adopters of the digital recording revolution, and the freedom to experiment with recording and production on our own time schedule was a total revelation. Our debut album “Cassiopeia” (released in 2000) was recorded on a PC running very basic 8-track recording software on Windows 98. Our studio setup has now evolved to the point where we’re able to integrate and centrally control all of our vintage hardware synths, drum machines, effects units, DAW software and VST’s etc quite seamlessly. We are living in a golden age of digital recording.

Social media is the great enabler for independent bands which allows us to not only connect globally with geographically dispersed fans, but to connect with other musicians and producers, creating great opportunities that otherwise wouldn’t exist. Before social media, in the early days of the internet, it was still difficult as an independent act to grow beyond our local area and we were still reliant on local gigs, press and radio to generate interest and connections, which of course is very limiting. Streaming services like Spotify are both a blessing and a curse – whilst they deliver practically no income for the artist, people who otherwise may not have listened to acts like Tycho Brahe can hear the music very easily for no cost. It’s just one aspect of the modern democratization of music distribution, although as an artist it is painful to see very little financial return on the recorded work through these streaming services.

Q: Your newest CD-album “Triplex [complete]” features your 3 latest digital EP’s. How important is to have these songs released on CD format and how did you get in touch with Russian ScentAir Records?

TB: Digital distribution is obviously a far more pragmatic way of distributing music, but it is killing the album format. The recordings on the “Triplex”-EP’s were originally intended for a cohesive album, so from an artistic perspective we feel that presenting them in a physical format such as a CD album encourages people to listen to that entire body of work rather than hearing random individual songs from a digital playlist, and that is very important to us. And to have a business external to the band share a belief in the recorded work to the point where they’re willing to invest money into manufacturing and distributing physical copies of that album is a very affirming and validating process.

We became aware that there was a synth-pop scene happening out of Russia, when we stumbled across a pirated Russian synth-pop compilation which we were on with the likes of Depeche Mode, Beborn Beton and Camouflage. It was completely illegal but somehow flattering. So our curiosity was piqued, and we investigated the Russian scene a little further and realized that our musician friends Empire State Human (ESH) had recently released an album through ScentAir, who appeared to be one of the few remaining independent synth-pop labels still releasing CDs. Tycho Brahe had previously collaborated with ESH/The Garland Cult when we remixed each other, so we contacted Aiden from ESH. After he said very positive things about ScentAir, we decided to directly approach them with the idea of compiling the “Triplex”-EP series into the proper complete CD album. This had been our original plan and ScentAir were very keen to do it, with distribution through Poponaut. We’re very happy in our relationship with ScentAir, and would like to release further albums through them in the future. If we could ever do so, we’d also love to tour in support of those releases in Europe, but living in Australia makes that a very expensive proposition.

Q: I’ve to admit I’m deeply impressed by this album revealing a perfect balance between electronics and guitar while featuring bombast and refined bleeps, alluring bass lines and catchy choruses, typical 80s arrangements with charismatic vocals on top. Tell us a bit more about the writing and recording of this masterpiece?

TB: Thank you, we’re glad that you like it! “Triplex [complete]” is our fifth album, and we actually started work on it immediately after our “Atlantic” album in 2006. The first song to be completed was “Loveless”, which debuted on Myspace way back in 2007, before our “Transatlantic”-remix album was released, and that recording set the writing and production standard that we wanted to achieve for the rest of the album. We were playing and refining songs from “Triplex” at live shows with bands like The Human League, Psyche etc, and that live work plus other commitments slowed progress on recording the album…

Before we knew it, four years had passed, and then our studio was flooded, completely submerged, under 4 metres of filthy flood water in the devastating Brisbane floods of January 2011. We saved all of the equipment, but then we were basically demolishing and rebuilding for the next year, but then decided to relocate to higher ground anyway as we were post-traumatic from losing a studio and a home to the flood… every time it rained we would freak out. The flood cost us two years of progress, and around that time Andy Walls (live keyboards and co-writer), decided to leave to ‘take up gardening’ which was another setback. We had a semi-functional temporary studio which wasn’t really set up for vocals during this time, so in 2012 we recorded and released the novelty song “Sex Rocket” as a single – which is one reason why it has a vocoder in place of vocals… it was remixed by Parralox, Neuropa and Psyche, we also did a follow up song in a similar style, “Super Hot Robot”, another fun novelty song but not representative of our usual work. (Both songs have videos on Youtube and were created by another talented member of the Tycho family, Thomas Evans.)

So as fate would have it, the album was shelved until we could get our studio and our lives back in order. When we finally re-established the studio and got back to the album, we found that we were being perfectionists wanting a very high production standard, and recording was slow and painstaking, so we became impatient to release something. That is when we decided to split the album into three parts, so we could complete four songs at a time and release three EPs over a longer period, maintaining some output. Georgina came up with the name “Triplex”, which means ‘having three parts’, or a house divided into three residencies. We digitally released each EP ourselves, with artwork by our friend Stig Olsen in Denmark, who has also done graphic design work for The Human League, and on our “Sex Rocket”-CD single. Each EP was mastered in Sydney by Kathy Naunton at dB mastering, who has worked on albums by Severed Heads, Boxcar, Midnight Oil… the songs themselves range from very personal, such as “No Love”, to “Castaway” which is about not fitting into society, to “Valerie Perrine” which is about the hot tub scene from the Village People movie, “Can’t Stop The Music”! Our favorite track on the album is probably “Metropolis”, the intro has a mobile phone recording from a New York subway which sets the mood perfectly.

Q: “1985” is an interesting song with references to the 80s. Are you guys nostalgic and what has been the impact of the 80s on you as teenagers and later on as musicians?

TB: We’re massive ‘80s fans, obviously music especially but also movies like “Buckaroo Banzai” and “Electric Dreams”, video games (Georgina has a vintage Galaga arcade machine), musical equipment… most of our synths are vintage ‘80s machines like the Prophet 5, Emax sampler, Juno-106, LinnDrum, Simmons, etc because we love how they sound… even the registration plates on our cars… Georgina’s is “80-MIX” which is the music she’s always playing in the car – a mix of ‘80s stuff; Ken drives a Mustang convertible with the plate ‘FAC-73’ which is the Factory Records catalogue number for the “Blue Monday”-single, the song that made him want to create music way back in 1983. Most people’s formative years are their teens, and the ‘80s certainly had a huge impact on us, but it was a groundbreaking era for music, with all of that incredible new technology becoming available and affordable in the post-punk years.

The song “1985” is deliberately nostalgic and is about specific events experienced in the ‘80s with various friends…”Park Avenue” is referenced in the song, it was a Hi-NRG club in Adelaide that played Man 2 Man, Dead Or Alive, early Stock Aitken & Waterman… we would actually dance all night and emerge at daybreak; the song is quite personal and about still being anchored to that era. In 2011 we were able to work with Giorgio Moroder’s 1980’s bass player/programmer Arthur Barrow, and we released a remix single for the song “1985” in the production style of Moroder in 1985, with Arthur Barrow contributing parts using the same bass guitar and Jupiter-8 synth he used with Moroder, and our LinnDrum loaded with custom Giorgio Moroder sounds used around the Scarface/Electric Dreams era. There might even be some sneaky “Back To The Future” samples hidden in that song too…

Q: I’ve to ask you a last question about a real exciting project consisting of doing some programming for the upcoming tour of Peter Hook. How did you get in touch with each other and what is it all about?

TB: We became friends with Peter Hook and The Light when they toured Australia in 2010, when we shared drinks and stories with them after their Brisbane show, and we’ve since caught up with various members socially and travelled to see the band play overseas. They’re wonderful people and an amazing, hardworking band, and one of our favorite live acts of all time. Some of the New Order songs that Peter Hook and The Light play require pre-programming and digital multi-track playback onstage (also known as backing tracks) to re-create the complex vintage sequenced synth and drum machine parts. Peter Hook initially became aware that Ken was an expert in recognizing the distinct New Order sounds and the synthesizers that made them, when he sought his help in clarifying how some early New Order equipment would have worked on certain songs for his latest book. Ken had also assisted in setting up a live vocoder system for their keyboard player, who also knew that Tycho had been covering “Bizarre Love Triangle” live. This led to Ken being asked in 2015 if he’d like to attempt new programming and backing tracks for “Bizarre Love Triangle” for them, as they weren’t particularly satisfied with what they’d been using. They were very happy with the result and so Ken has been creating backing tracks for Peter Hook and The Light ever since.

About half of the New Order songs from their recent international “Substance” tours in 2017 and 2018 featured Ken’s work. He’s been working on new backing tracks for the “Technique” and “Republic” albums since late 2017, for a tour commencing in September 2018. By the end of the current project, Ken will have re-created the synth and drum machine parts for over 30 classic New Order songs. It is incredibly challenging work, as everything has to be completely made brand new, from scratch, without access to any of the original source material due to legal reasons, with only the released versions from albums etc as a guide. The most complex of these can take around 60 hours of work, and it involves researching the original equipment used, detailed sound design, forensic listening techniques, and then the actual programming, sequencing, mixing and production to essentially build a new multi-track recording of the electronic parts, as close to the original as possible. Ken has set up a separate business called Tycho Sound Design to accommodate this work, and he has also now done similar work for Australian ‘80s band Machinations.

Tycho Brahe literally would not exist if not for New Order releasing “Blue Monday”, so to be working with Peter Hook brings us full circle and is a huge honor. Last year in our home town of Brisbane Ken was invited on stage to sing “Bizarre Love Triangle” with Peter Hook and The Light, which was a very surreal and emotional moment.

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

The biggest distributor for the industrial electro scene, Audioglobe, has announced its Top 10 in best selling industrial music labels. The numbers were already out there for the labels to look at it, but here they are also for the regular fans. Note that with 2018, Audioglobe also enters it’s 25th year of existance as the distributor set up shop on 6 December 1993. We will of course have a big extended interview and more with Sebastian Koch regarding this great achievement in a very tough market.

But now the numbers many of you have been waiting for!

The Top 3

First the Top 3. The number 1 label in sales is Trisol which has bands such as Clan of Xymox, Rome, Project Pitchfork, Sopor Aeternus, Nachtmahr, Rotersand, Asp, Mantus etc. under contract. The second label in the list is the Belgian based Alfa Matrix which nurtures the talent of Front 242, Underviewer, Daniel B Prothèse, Metroland, Alien Vampires, Ayria, Leatherstrip, Psy’Aviah, Kant Kino and so many other acts. Note that this label also has a very strong e-shop presence (direct sales are not included in this Top 10 list). The 3rd label is Out Of Line with Blutengel, Combichrist, Hocico, Solar Fake, Heimataerde, Unzucht, Solitary Experiments. Also this label has an own e-shop.

The rest of the Top 10

The 4th label is Fabrika/Dead Scarlet (She Past Away, Lebanon Hanover, Selofan, Kaelan Mikla, M!R!M, Doric…) followed by ArtOfFact (Legend, Frontline Assembly, Haujobb, Psyche, Noise Unit, Dead When I found her, Pankow…) and Metropolis (Birthday Massacre, Aesthetic Perfection, God Module, Lords of Acid, Skinny Puppy, Delerium…). The 7th place is occupied by Rustblade (Morricone, Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin, Leaether Strip, Lydia Lunch, Legendary Pink Dots, Merzbow…). Also Dependent is still in the Top 10, namely on spot 8 with their label roster (Covenant, Mesh, Pride & Fall, Beborn Beton, Seabound, Encephalon, Frontline Assembly, Clicks..). Place 9 and 10 finally are for Manic Depression (Winter Severity Index, Ash Code, Schonwald, Box and the Twins, Sjoblom, Dear Deer…) and Undo (Marsheaux, Girl One and the Grease Guns, Mesh, Fotonovela, OMD, Nikonn, Mikro, Vienna, Liebe…).

And on spot 11 and 12…

2 labels didn’t make the Top 10, namely Hall Of Sermon (Lacrimosa, Snakeskin, Black Moon Secret, Eyes Shut Tight) and Infacted (NamNamBulu, Grendel, Torul, Reaper, Frozen Plasma, Ruined Conflict, Orange Sector, Syntec…). Both labels ended on place 11 and 12.

Here’s the complete list again. The bands next to the label are listed in order of sales results/total turnover per band in 2017 via Audioglobe.

01 TRISOL (Clan of Xymox, Rome, Project Pitchfork, Sopor Aeternus, Nachtmahr, Rotersand, Asp, Mantus…)
02 ALFA MATRIX (Front 242, Underviewer, Daniel B Prothèse, Metroland, Alien Vampires, Ayria, Leatherstrip…)
03 OUT OF LINE (Blutengel, Combichrist, Hocico, Solar Fake, Heimataerde, Unzucht, Solitary Experiments …)
04 FABRIKA/DEAD SCARLET (She Past Away, Lebanon Hanover, Selofan, Kaelan Mikla, M!R!M, Doric…)
05 ARTOFFACT (Legend, Frontline Assembly, Haujobb, Psyche, Noise Unit, Dead When I found her, Pankow…)
06 METROPOLIS (Birthday Massacre, Aesthetic Perfection, God Module, Lords of Acid, Skinny Puppy, Delerium…)
07 RUSTBLADE (Morricone, Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin, Leaether Strip, Lydia Lunch, Legendary Pink Dots, Merzbow…)
08 DEPENDENT (Covenant, Mesh, Pride & Fall, Beborn Beton, Seabound, Encephalon, Frontline Assembly, Clicks..)
09 MANIC DEPRESSION (Winter Severity Index, Ash Code, Schonwald, Box and the Twins, Sjoblom, Dear Deer…)
10 UNDO (Marsheaux, Girl One and the Grease Guns, Mesh, Fotonovela, OMD, Nikonn, Mikro, Vienna, Liebe…)
11 HALL OF SERMON (Lacrimosa, Snakeskin, Black Moon Secret, Eyes Shut Tight)
12 INFACTED (NamNamBulu, Grendel, Torul, Reaper, Frozen Plasma, Ruined Conflict, Orange Sector, Syntec…)

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

Genre/Influences: Dark-electro, EBM, new-wave, electro-punk, metal-rock.

Background/Info: Thee Flanders is a German psychobilly formation, which has already released several albums throughout the years. They sometimes seem to cover famous songs. This album features 20 remixes by an impressive list of mainly electro-underground formations.

Content: The main songs of this release are “You Spin Me Round” from Dead Or Alive and “Nightmares” from A Flock Of Seagulls. Both 80s new-wave hits have been covered by Thee Flanders, sung together with Bela B (Die Ärzte) and Markus Meyn (Camouflage) and remixes by Leather strip, Die Krupps, Blind Passenger, Robert Görl, Ad:Key, Beborn Beton, Scheuber feat. G. Thomas, Patenbrigade: Wolff, In Strict Confidence, Absurd Minds, Mirko Hirsch, Head-Less, White Trash Wankers, T.A.N.K., Sound Tessellated, Beyond Obsession, Tomas Tulpe, Modekay, Keller Technik and The Klaak Syndrome.

The result is a very diversified release, which mainly sounds electro-like, but moving from darker-electro remixes to EBM to electro-minimal, but also electro-punk, new-wave and somewhat metal-orientated work. Notice by the way that White Trash Wankers is the only band that remixed another song (cf. “Buried Alive”).

+ + + : This album definitely sounds like a challenge, but especially for the fans of the band who I can imagine aren’t used at all to hearing their favorite band remixed by electronic formations. It’s not only a challenge, but I like this originality and it could be fun to hear one of those famous electro-acts featured on the album getting remixed by psychobilly bands. Why not? But the main point is that especially the remixes of “You Spin Me Round” feature a few outstanding versions. I want to make a special mention for the originality and minimalism of Patenbrigade: Wolff, the groovy approach of Head-Less, the harder version of Die Krupps and into EBM transposed remix of AD:Key. Another noticeable remix is “Nightmares” from Leather Strip.

– – – : There are a few less inspired remixes featured, but that’s rather understandable when you get a total amount of 20 remixes. But the main point remains for sure the reaction of the Thee Flanders fans about this totally weird challenge.

Conclusion: Is it just for fun or a psychobilly formation that has found a way to enter electro clubs? Whatever it is, this work is DJ food and be sure you are going to dance to it!

Best songs: “You Spin Me Round – Patenbrigade: Wolff Mix”, “You Spin Me Round – Head-Less Mix”, “Nightmares – Leather Strip Mix”, “You Spin Me Round – Die Krupps Mix”, “You Spin Me Round – Mirko Hirsch Mix”, “You Spin Me Round – AD:Key Mix”.

Rate: (8).

Band: www.theeflanders.de / www.facebook.com/theeflanders

Label: www.half7records.de /  www.facebook.com/Halb-7-Records-203287363058978

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, body-pop, EBM.

Background/Info: Our Banshee is one of the newest signings on Dependent. The band seems to have been set up a while ago, but because of other involvement nothing really happened till now. The band features Agi Taralas (Greece) and Stefan Böhm (Germany). Böhm is a recognized and talented artist who got involved with bands such as Pzychobitch, S.I.N.A., Mono No Aware and of course Nullvektor. “4200” is the band’s debut full length.

Content: This album sounds clearly inspired by electronic-pop standards and might appeal to lovers of Mesh, Beborn Beton, Rotersand and Informatics. It’s a refreshing piece of work mixing melancholic tracks together with harder EBM-influences songs. The songs have been accomplished by empowering guitar playing, injecting a touch of wave-pop.

+ + + : The opening song reminds me of the cool “Accidents In Paradise” from Informatics. It sounds pure pop-like, but with this extra refreshing flavor on top. But this album is quite diversified, mixing different elements and emotions. Now into melancholia and next inciting you to dance, Stefan Böhm confirms to be a musician with an open-minded spectrum. I’ve a preference for harder cuts while I also like the delicate arrangements the songs have been accomplished with. From raw and analogue-like sound treatments to astral sweeps and solid bass lines this album also reveals a great singer, which can compete with more recognized electro-pop singers from this scene.

– – – : Our Banshee doesn’t stand for ‘traditional’ electro-pop, but it’s sometimes easier to be a Depeche Mode-clone instead of a band striving for originality. Therefore “4200” needs a few listenings before you can really seize the essence and beauty of the work.

Conclusion: Dependent Records once again confirms to have a nose for original and talented formations. Our Banshee is maybe not the ‘hottest’ newcomer of 2017 although it will ravish electro-pop lovers in search of something ‘different’.

Best songs: “Down & Out”, “The Answer”, “Christ”, “It’s Not Real”, “River”.

Rate: (8).

Band: www.ourbanshee.com / www.facebook.com/ourbanshee.official

Label: www.dependent.de / www.facebook.com/dependent.records

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

Toronto-based industrial/synthpop band for all the emptiness has been releasing one video each day on Facebook during the past week containing behind-the-scenes footage from their “Hearts against minds” video which you can watch below!

The video was shot on-site at multiple locations in Nevada during a fierce wind storm, making some of the shots difficult at first. But the band and production company used the wind to their advantage so it seems. Jonathan Kaplan of for all the emptiness: “We worked with a local production company, who assisted with the entire production. From concept to the final cut.” In short, the video follows the story of a world of people trapped within themselves, struggling, in pain, and wanting to break free.

In the video, the walls of the set are covered with newspapers with headlines and photos of war and horrible crimes, and mindless “drones” in military camouflage. The intent is to change hearts and minds to end such things, symbolized, as the song progresses, by the newspapers being taken down.

for all the emptiness is also preparing to release a remix version of their EP titled “mt repeat”. The album contains 5 remixes from well-known artists including Apoptygma Berzerk, Aesthetic Perfection, Neuroticfish, Laetherstrip, and Sebastian from Icon of Coil.

for all the emptiness originally started as an idea by vocalist/composer Jonathan Kaplan after viewing Apoptygma Berzerk’s live DVD “apbl98” and seeing frontman Stephan Groth go into the crowd after a performance. In 2011 they released their debut album “axioms”. It was produced by Yone Dudas of Decoded Feedback. In 2012, a remix version of “axioms” was released featuring remixes by Assemblage 23, Beborn Beton, Decoded Feedback and more. To help promote the release they went on a North American tour with artists Die Sektor, The Gothsicles, and Deviant UK.

For more information, please visit the band’s official website.

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

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Background/Info: Versus is a German electro-pop band, which I remember from the cool album “Different Twilight Places” released in 2010 on Echozone. So we might say that “Freakwaves” is a kind of return for this band claiming to compose ‘AhoiPop’. It stands for ‘catchy melodies, epic hymns, addictive ballads and smart clubhits. AhoiPop stands for honest, poignant and profound lyrics’. I guess that’s not that different from numerous electro-pop bands!

Content: “Freakwaves” is a pleasant and danceable electronic work, which is alternating German- and English vocal parts. Some of the songs sung in German remind me a bit of Beborn Beton while the most danceable and melodic pieces might evoke some Syntec elements. The Syntec-link is quite interesting as I discovered after the listening that Toby Hartwig (Syntec) contributed to one of the tracks. Other noticeable guests are Vasi Vallis (Frozen Plasma, NamNamBulu) and Nils Upahl (Beyond Obsession).

But Versus first of all is a band trying to compose a unique sound. They like diversity, and experiment with a few different influences. Some songs are softer and a bit into electronic ballad style while other cuts are carried by some EBM elements. I also noticed a song with a rather minimal-like approach (cf. “Gloaming”).

+ + + : “Freakwaves” is a successful return for Versus. This is the right work to bring the band back on the electro-pop map. The songs are diversified and well-crafted. There’s a perfect balance between melodies, danceable vibes, German- and English vocals. The album is maybe missing an absolute hit song, but there are several great tracks. Last, but not least Versus also invites interesting guests who contributed to a few songs while Krischan Wesenberg (Rotersand) did the production.

– – – : There are no real minor points about this work. As I already mentioned the album is maybe missing a real hit while the few softer cuts aren’t the main strength of Versus.

Conclusion: Versus is back on track and has accomplished an exciting piece of dance electro-pop music. The right definition for ‘AhoiPop’ is maybe and simply ‘intelligent electro-pop’!

Best songs: “Wir Sind Anders”, “Freakwaves”, “Love2Go”, “Gloaming”, “Immer Dann”.

Rate: (8).

Band: www.versus–music.de / www.facebook.com/Versus2

Label: www.darktunes.com / www.facebook.com/darkTunesMusic

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, future-pop, body-pop.

Background/Info: The brothers Eduardo and Cesar Leiva are the instigators behind Arian1, which is one of the most renowned and oldest electronic formations from Latin America. Hailing from Lima (Peru) both brothers have already been active for quite a long time, but Arian1 for sure appears to be their most successful band giving them the opportunity to play in Europe. “Integration” is a real opportunity to get more familiar with their music as it’s a ‘best of’-release featuring 17 songs.

Content: The songs clearly reveal a solid future-pop inspiration, which is characterized by great leads and melodies. But there’s much more than simply future-pop music running through this band. They also experiment with elements of EBM and deep bass lines reminding to psy-trance music.

Arian1 also reveal to be great sound manipulators, which on a few cuts even remind me of Seb Komor. Last, but not least I also have to say a word about the vocal skills of Eduardo Leiva, who sometimes reminds me of Stefan Netschio (Beborn Beton).

The album features a few alternatives (re)mixes from songs that were originally released on the debut album “Immersion” or the “Cyro”-EP released earlier this year.

+ + + : You don’t exactly expect to hear electronic music made in Lima, but Arian1 is an alluring electro formation that has discovered the right sound formula to make you dance. The songs mix different electronic elements resulting in melodic and danceable songs. Next to some typical future-pop inspired song Arian1 also reveals great skills to compose raw body-pop tracks, which are my favorite cuts.

– – – : The future-pop influences maybe aren’t the most original ones, but you don’t hear me complain. The main point for this band probably must be the geographical one as it’s not easy for a Peruvian band to reach a wider audience!

Conclusion: If you like different electro-pop formats, just try Arian1 which is a less recognized, but sensational formation in the genre. This ‘best of’ is a brilliant piece of music.

Best songs: “Stompers – Undegr VI Remix”, “Nightmare – Video Mix”, “Espana”, “Pure Control”, “Detengan Las Maquinas”, “Cyro”.

Rate: (8).

Band: www.arian1.com / www.facebook.com/ARIANUNO

Label: www.razgrom.com / www.facebook.com/pages/Razgrom–Music/218060094876247

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Background/Info: The album “A Worthy Compensation” was released last year and it was the first new album in 15 years for German electro-pop formation Beborn Beton. The opus sounds as a pretty cool comeback although it was not my favorite Beborn Beton album in history. “She Cried” is the second song (after “Daisy Cutter”) taken from that album to be released as the EP title-track and according to me it is the best cut from “A Worthy Compensation”.

Content: The title song remains a great piece of electro-pop music and for sure a reference in the band’s wide discography. It’s a catchy and danceable song reminding me of the early days of the band with this extra contemporary touch on top. Among the remixes of this song I noticed a great contribution from their producer Olaf Wollschläger and another cool remix by Zynic.

Among the other cuts left there’s a real cool and evasive-pop minded cover version of Human League’s “The Black Hit Of Space” and 2 remixes from album songs by Daniel Myer and Val Solo Of S.P.O.C.K.

+ + + : “She Cried” definitely remains the best song from their last album so it definitely is the best choice to be released as the EP-title song. This is alluring synth-pop revealing the chemistry between the sound and the brilliant vocals of Stefan Netschio. The club-minded and extended remix by Olaf Wollschläger is another brilliant piece of music. The remix of Human League is something special, and a real nice bonus as well. I was impressed by the monstrous sound blasts emerging from this cut.

– – – : I didn’t exactly expect an EP featuring a title song from an album that has been already released one year ago now. It’s a bit strange, but you don’t really hear me complaining. The only regret about this EP maybe are some of the remixes (except the one by Olaf Wollschläger), which didn’t really add anything extra.

Conclusion: “She Cried” is an exciting song to get back to the album “A Worthy Compensation”. It reveals Beborn Beton at their best reminding us of the genius of these German pop veterans.

Best songs: “She Cried – Extended Club Mix by Olaf Wollschläger”, “She Cried”, “The Black Hit Of Space – Version”.

Rate: (8).

Band: www.bebornbeton.de / www.facebook.com/bebornbeton

Label: www.dependent.de / www.facebook.com/dependent.records

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

Less bands are working with a producer today, but great bands know a producer can add this little extra to your work. Olaf Wollschläger is one of the most respected contemporary producers. He produced bands like Melotron, Beborn Beton, Neuroticfish, In Strict Confidence, Psyche, Seabound, Edge Of Dawn and others. He also produced the last 3 Mesg albums. I thought it was essential to get his opinion about the new Mesh album (cf. Looking Skyward” released on Dependent).

The new 13-track Mesh album “Looking skyward” will be released in no less than 4 formats including a normal CD (available right here), a 2LP set (available right here) and a 2CD set (available right here) which comes with a hardcover book. But next to that there is also a super deluxe boxset (available right here) including the 2CD hardcover book, the gatefold 2LP, and an additional LP with bonus tracks of the bonus CD and a numbered certificate.

(by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: How did you get in touch with Mesh and what did they expect from your ‘job’ as producer?

 Olaf: I knew the music of Mesh long before I got in touch with them. I have seen them live on festivals and heard their songs in clubs.

The record company got in touch with me and asked me if I could help them by mixing their album. That was the album “A Perfect Solution” in 2009. In the end it was a bit more than just mixing. To make it sound right for me I changed some sounds and made some suggestions about the arrangements. But we had a limit in time, because there was already a tour booked. I think I had 4 weeks for the entire album.

As we talked afterwards I told Rich and Mark that I had loved to work out things more in detail and we said we could try that on the next album. That happened on “Automation Baby”. “A Perfect Solution” is a great album though, there are some great songs on that.

Q: How long did it take to produce the new album “Looking Skyward” and what’s your way of working together?

Olaf: Rich told me about starting a new album in November 2014 on a festval in Krefeld. Then it was March 2015 when I heard the first demo-song entitled “Tactile” and I thought it was brilliant. From then on I got some more stuff from the guys but did not work on it yet.

I think for me the whole process started, when I went to Bristol in August 2015 and worked on the songs with the band in their own studio (witch has some really good and rare synths in there). The album was finished by the end of May. So you can say it took me one year and one and a half for the band to achieve it

Most of the time we worked online, but this time Rich was here with me in the studio much longer than on the other albums. It was good to have him around, to have this direct communication.

Q: Can you reveal the different aspects of your work regarding the Mesh-releases?

Olaf: This is the third album I made with Mesh. I think even though “Automation Baby” was a big success and everybody said ‘you can’t do it better’ with “Looking Skyward” we made our best work so far. The reason is that we know each other much better now.

When we made “A Perfect Solution” there was not only time-pressure. We didn’t really know that much about each other. I think it is really important to understand the artist in what they want to achieve, what their favorite bands, films, books etc. are. Now with the third album we got a real good relationship in creativity. I know much better what they like, but more important what they don’t like. And they know me much better, the way I work.

Q: What kind of band is Mesh and what makes the chemistry between you and them?

Olaf: Mesh is a great band to work with. They got a lot of experience in making records and know exactly what they want. That makes things much easier when we are working.

My role is to make it sound right. It is not only the mixing. The whole thing starts with the recording. So we made all the vocals here in the studio with the most accurate equipment you can buy for money. The same with the guitars.

Then there are the synths. We are all sound addicts. And the band has got some really good instruments and software to work with. Rich is the guy working with some classic synths like the Pro-One and SH-101 but also the NORD Lead and the Virus. He is getting some real good sounding stuff out of this machines and you can say that is the typical Mesh-sound.

Mark is more the software guy. He has tons of apps on his devices and he uses them for writing songs. Some of those weird sounds really made onto the album. And then I got a lot of synths here in my studio. In the last years I found my love for modular synths again. And now we have a real playground of creativity here when it comes to sounds…

Q: You’ve produced a lot of bands and productions, but what makes Mesh maybe ‘different’ from other to work with?

Olaf: As I said before, it is the experience that makes the difference. I have a lot of bands here that have great songs and great voices but some of them don’t really know how it should sound like. Nowadays a lot of artists work in a box, on their laptops with softsynths. But they rarely change the sounds or even know how to do it. I think that is a generation thing.

Mesh and myself come from a time where you had to connect everything with MIDI and with your desk and had to know your equipment that costs thousands of Euros. Today it doesn’t matter if you don’t really know or use the app for just a few Euros.

Another big thing about Mesh is the voice of Mark. He is a brilliant singer and has such a unique timbre of voice. It is pure fun to work with audio-material like that. You can’t really make that much wrong with it.

Q: Do you have a favorite Mesh-song you produced and why?

Olaf: Oh, that is hard to answer. If you worked on all of them for a long time they are all your babies. If I had to pick some from the album I would say “The Fixer”, “Before The World Ends” and “Two+1”. But that could be another three tomorrow…

Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries

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

It took Beborn Beton 9 years to complete their best album to date, “A Worthy Compensation”, which was released in late 2015. They now come up with a follow-up remix mini album, which features “She Cried”, one of the centre pieces of the album in various remixes, plus an assortment of remixes from various tracks of their comeback album.

Included are “24/7 mystery” remixed by Val Solo of S.P.O.C.K., a Daniel Myer (Haujobb, Covenant) remix of “Who Watches The Watchmen?”, and a cover version of Human League’s “The Black Hit Of Space”. Also featured is Beborn Beton producer Olaf Wollschläger who also produced the club version of “She Cried”.

You can order the vinyl EP right here, or the CD version right here.

Full track list:

1. She Cried (Single Edit)

2. The Black Hit Of Space

3. She Cried (Extended Club Remix)

4. 24/7 Mystery (Remix by Val Solo of S.P.O.C.K.)

5. She Cried (Zynic Remix)

6. Who Watches The Watchmen (Daniel Myer Remix)

7. She Cried (babyMax Remix)

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 via KL-Dark-Records is the new album “Seasons” by German electro pop act evo-lution. The album is available both as a download and on CD (you can order both right here).

Included also on the album are bonus remixes by Beborn Beton, !distain, Eisfabrik, Leichtmatrose, Per Anders Kurenbach and Rob Dust.

A preview teaser for the album can be viewed 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!

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, body-pop.

Content: German Beborn Beton trio is back with their first full length album in 15 years! Stefan Tillmann, Michael B Wagner and singer Stefan Netschio quickly became an established formation during the 90s, their most successful albums were released by Strange Ways Records although my personal favorites were the earlier work released by Subway- and Subtronic Records.

I’m not always that confident when a band strikes back after such a long period and the least we can say is that it always seems a bit like a new start. Nevertheless we can trust the maturity and experience of this band, which hasn’t lost their original talent to compose cool electro-pop music, but this album definitely belongs to another decade and that’s why it all sounds a bit ‘different’ as well.

First of all there is the vocal production revealing a captivating singer who has really evolved towards a higher level, but in the meantime has lost a part of his characteristic way of singing. It’s an impression I also get with the music and, which sounds like a band having lost their ‘dirty’ touch. It all was rougher and mainly unpolished in the past while this new work sounds maybe a bit too clean and evasive.

The opening song “Daisy Cutter” has been released as the EP song-title as well, is a damn good illustration of Beborn Beton’s return. It sounds like clean electro-pop with a chorus reminding me a bit of the secret formula of Mesh although this song is not really reaching a climax. It all sounds really cool, but nothing more and that’s a bit the global feeling I got.

Don’t get me wrong, Beborn Beton remains a captivating formation revealing a great experience in sound writing and especially in their arrangements. The production sounds crystal clear while Olaf Wollschläger joined in for the production process. That says enough about the high level of sound quality, but I’m missing the hits!
One of my absolute favorite songs is “She Cried”, which has a refreshing and somewhat groovy touch. It sounds danceable and accomplished by sumptuous sound treatments. This is quite different from the ‘old’ Beborn Beton and it for sure is a cool ‘innovating’ song. I would have liked to hear more tracks in a similar vein. Some of the songs are a bit too quiet and more like easy-listening pop music.

Another interesting cut is the somewhat more into body-pop sounding “Was Immer”, which for some passages and sequences reminds me of And One. This is Beborn Beton at his best. A last song I want to mention is “Terribly Wrong” for its elevating chorus.

Conclusion: This album definitely sounds like a new start and all we can hope now is to see Beborn Beton getting back soon with a few real hits. “A Worthy Compensation” sounds cool, well-crafted and probably from a pure technical point of view, their best produced-opus ever, but let us be honest; this is not their best work in their history!

Best songs: “She Cried”, “Was Immer”, “Terribly Wrong”, “Daisy Cutter”.

Rate: (DP:7)DP.

Band: www.facebook.com/bebornbeton

Label: www.dependent.de / www.facebook.com/dependent.records

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

It is said that the new Beborn Beton album “A Worthy Compensation” has been 8 years in the making so it was about time to get the release out on the streets and that is what will happen on September 4th. The album from the Essen-based act comes in two editions, a CD version and a double vinyl edition (including a 2CD set) which you can order now, right here.

The nicely alighted 2LP/2CD package is limited to just 500 copies, so order here before it’s sold out.

The album was completed with the help of producer Olaf Wollschläger (Technoir, Mesh, …). Ann 2015 Beborn Beton consists of Stefan Netschio (vocals), Michael Wagner (electronics) and Stefan Tillmann (programming, electronics).

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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