Torben Schmidt gained some experience about label activities working as A&R manager for the legendary Zoth Ommog and Bloodline. He set up Infacted Recordings in 2001 and signed bands like Orange Sector, Namnambulu, Frozen Plasma, Reaper, X Marks The Pedwalk, Prager Handgriff, Heimataerde, Grendel, ES23, Ruined Conflict, Xotox, NZ, Aircrash Bureau, PreEmptive Strike 0.1, Shiv-R, Torul, IC434, Vanguard… but still the own bands he’s involved with Lights Of Euphoria and Binary Park. Twenty years later Infacted Recordings became a reference when it comes to EBM, Electro-Pop and Dark-Electro artists.

(Stéphane Froidcoeur / Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Was there a kind of ‘philosophy’ when you set up your label and did it evolve over the years? How would you define your label activities today?

Torben: My main aim and intention when I started Infacted Recordings back in 2001 was to get independent and release/support the music I love, whenever possible detached from the economical side (which of course is not always possible). I was working for other people/companies before I started my own record company and experienced many good, but  also quite some things, which were to be improved. I  think the big advantage I had from the start was that I knew both sides, working in a record company and being an artist, producer myself.

Q: I can imagine you must have specific and explicit criteria to sign an artist/band. Can you give us more details about this aspect and how important is it for you to know the person(s) hiding behind the ‘artist(s)’?

Torben: Well, to be honest, for me it is basically a matter of personal taste. One rule I  had from the start was to get to know the human behind every band/artist whenever possible to make up my mind about the individuals. If there is a good chemistry in between label and band/artist, that’s the most solid base you can get for a strong work together.

Q: You are already active for numerous years now so you must have seen a lot of things changing and evolving; think about social media, streaming platforms, Youtube channels… but also economic crisis etc. What are the pros and cons of these changes/evolutions and in, which way did you had to adapt/change your strategy and activities?

Torben: I think you already hit the point with the question. Time changes and we, as the motors and creators of this scene had the task to step up with the changes. We are innovators to a certain point, always at the pulse with being DJs, musicians, producers, people who initiate ideas and start projects. For me personal it was always a moving experience to be part of creating something. I think you really have to be where the heart of the scene is, at clubs, at festivals at concerts, meeting fans and supporters and have a good communication.

Q: The ongoing pandemic has affected all artistic life and activities so what’s the true impact on your label activities and do you think it will also affect your long term objectives?

Torben: The main problem we all seek is that one big part of our scene is missing, that’s the live/club thing we have with our bands and our supporting DJs. Many plans we had with touring and release events for 2020 and 2021 had to be shifted. There are fresh ideas with streaming events, but this rarely compensates the feeling most  of  our scene loves and lives. So well, we honestly hope that there will be perspectives again soon. On the other side I am very happy to have so many supporters out there who continuously aid me/us as a label and the bands and DJs directly.

Q: Do you think media (magazines, online platforms etc…) still have an impact and a role to play today? What’s your relationship with ‘journalists’ and how important is their work?

Torben: I can only speak for me personally here, but  I think that print media is losing more and more of its impact due to various factors. Time is running fast and news are spread way more easily digital then in print media. It’s not really blaming, but print magazines concentrate too much on the same bands over and over again (of course often due to demand).

There are exceptions of course and I truly appreciate the support we get and a lot of still really enthusiastic journalists, but I experienced so many people stop buying magazines in the last years and change to digital media to get there information. For me as a label, social media and online media in general is an important key for my promotional work.

Q: What do you consider as your biggest accomplishment(s)? Do you have specific goals/dreams you want to achieve and how do you prepare and see the future of the label(s)? And what are your biggest regret(s)?

Torben: During the years I had the opportunity to work with so many talented artists, known/not so knows, small/big, which is/was truly an honor. So many relationships were started, collaborations occurred and friendships actually did result. My dream to live & work with music did already happen, so I am pretty thankful for this. I have to say that I do not really regret anything. Being in the music scene was great in almost  all time periods and every phase had it great moments. Even on bad experiences you grow and make internal progress.

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

Genre/Influences: Body-pop, EBM, IDM.

Background/Info: Earlier this year Torben Schmidt –  Alfred Gregl and singer Huw Jones released the third Binary Park album. “Life On Lines” is a sophisticated and high-tech electro-work, which revealed the genius of this trio. And I’ve to say I now like the album even more than when it was just released. This EP features next to an intro six songs from the album all in an extended format.

Content: The main difference with the original songs is that they’ve been seriously extended. I can’t say they’ve been reworked, but you will discover longer instrumental passages like accentuating the visionary sound treatments of this group. While the vocals of Huw Jones are sometimes reminding me of Dave Gahan, the music remains a fascinating fusion between Haujobb, Lassigue Bendthaus and Covenant.

+ + + : This extended version format can be seen as a way to empower the pleasure, at least for all of those who like Binary Park. I think the EP is a nice extra to the original album. I’m still impressed by the sound intelligence of this group, mixing elements of pop, EBM and pure IDM together. The vocals inject an extra sexy touch on top of the production.

– – – : The EP brings nothing really new and is therefore first of all a release for the fans. I would have liked to get an album with totally reworked songs by Binary Park themselves.

Conclusion: This EP is a cool, little extra for all of those who have liked the “Life On Lines”-album. Binary Park is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most intelligent electro-pop formations from the scene or just the most poppy-inspired IDM group.

Best songs: “Faith Never Let Me Down – Extended Mix”, “Bad Connection – Extended Mix”, “Your Own Great Nation – Extended Mix”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.binary–park.net / www.facebook.com/binarypark

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: EBM, body-pop.

Background/Info: Binary Park strikes back with their third full length album in the band’s history. Driven by Infacted label owner Torben Schmidt (Lights Of Euphoria and Suicide Commando live keyboarder),  Alfred Gregl (who has been involved with an endless number of projects) and singer Huw Jones, this new opus appears four years after the “Singularity”-album.

Content: Binary Park has been always something part. It’s not exactly what you can call a ‘cliché’ band, but an intelligent music format composed with electro-pop and EBM influences. Some of the songs make me think to an imaginary crossover between Depeche Mode (for some vocal parts), Haujobb and Covenant. There’s a constant switch from electro-pop to EBM, but both elements are still coming together.

A few songs have been driven by energetic rhythms, others are carried by groovy sequences while a few other songs are featuring alluring EBM bass lines.

+ + + : I remember the magic from the first album “Worlds Collide”, which comes a bit back at “Life On Lines”. This is a styled and elaborated composition bringing different influences together. The songs have been accomplished with different great effects revealing all the intelligence and production skills of the band. Next to the music Huw Jones also is a talented singer who sometimes reminds to the sensuality of Dave Gahan. One thing is for sure, Binary Park is a formation with a very personal sound and musicians revealing themselves as great sound architects.

– – – : The complexity of the production is maybe a reason why some dark-electro pop lovers will turn their back to this great, but sophisticated work. Don’t expect Binary Park to compose mellowing melody lines and catchy, danceable pop-songs. I’ve to admit there’re just a few sweeter sounding songs, which aren’t my personal favorites.

Conclusion: Electronic music is sometimes comparable to mathematics; exact sciences where every single detail sounds right! That’s precisely what “Life On Lines” is all about!

Best songs: “Welcome Home”, “Cropper II”, “Machine Core II”, “Your Own Great Nation”, “How Strange”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.binary–park.net / www.facebook.com/binarypark

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.

Background/Info: Last year Suicide Commando released the album “Forest Of The Impaled”, which Johan Van Roy introduced as his most personal and intimate album to date. “Death Will Find You” moves back to this album featuring several remixes of 2 songs originally featured on the album plus 2 new cuts.

Content: Let’s start with both new cuts, which perfectly stand for the ‘obscure’ sound of Suicide Commando. One of the songs (cf. “Black Hole”) was written together with Mario Vaerewijck (live drummer and ex-Insekt). Both songs totally fit with the inhibited style of the full length.

Among the remixes you’ll get an interesting selection of bands (The Firm/E-Craft, Ruined Conflict, Binary Park and Bornless Fire). Notice by the way Suicide Commando made a remix of each song as well.

+ + + : It’s quite interesting to get 2 new songs featured on this EP although the best exponents are 2 remixes by Binary Park and Ruined Conflict, both reworking the original versions of “We Are Transitory” and “Death Lies Waiting” into cool dancefloor-killers. There also is a cool remix of The Firm/E-Craft.

– – – : I’m disappointed by the new cuts, which don’t sound like the best and most inspired work I’ve heard from Suicide Commando. I think this EP was the right place to put them on.

Conclusion: This EP is a nice addition to the latest Suicide Commando-album. It first of all is an item that will be purchased by the heaviest fans of the Belgian master of dark-electronics while it doesn’t bring that new for the others.

Best songs: “Death Lies Waiting – Binary Park Remix”, “We Are Transitory – Ruined Conflict Remix”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.suicidecommando.de / www.facebook.com/IIXIII

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

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Background/Info: Singer Huw Jones and composers Alfred Gregl and Torben Schmidt (Infacted Recordings owner) are back on track. The trio already released two successful albums and is now back to release this EP featuring 5 songs.

Content: The title song reveals a space-wafting pop sensation. The astral dimension of the song reminds me of their previous work while the pop side has been accentuated on “Nothing”. The “Slowdown Mix” accentuates the evasive aspect of the song and might remind you of some Haujobb arrangements, but in a more atmospheric approach. The “Club Version” sounds harder and the perfect match to conquer dancefloors.

“Words That Kill” is another new song and here again the pop side has been accentuated and even reminds me of Depeche Mode. The last song is a remix of “Mute”, which was originally released on their 2^nd album (cf. Singularity”). This remix gets us back to the essence of this band, which deals with intelligent techno-pop and atmospheric-electronic music. The vocals are pretty sensual and absolutely marvelous.

+ + + : Binary Park is back and that’s a damn good thing as this band already revealed great creative skills in composing avant-garde electro-pop music. The “Cub Version” of “Nothing” is a cool, danceable cut, but I definitely prefer the remix of “Mute”.

– – – : “Nothing” is a cool song, but definitely not the best cut I’ve heard from Binary Park thus far. I’m really wondering how the new album will sound, but I sincerely hope they’ll hold on their visionary pop approach from both debut albums.

Conclusion: I expected a bit more from this comeback, but let’s hope now that Binary Park is hiding the best for the next album.

Best songs: “Mute – Silent Mix”, “Nothing – Club Version”.

Rate: (7½).

Band: www.facebook.com/binarypark

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