Black Nail Cabaret &#8211; SIDE-LINE

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!

‘Resurgence’, a massive 7CD post-punk boxset to be released in January 2025 – Pre-order now

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Sun, 06 Oct 2024 15:25:46 +0000

The Brussels-based Spleen+ label (a division of Alfa Matrix) has prepared a deluxe 7CD collector’s edition – “Resurgence” – which brings together 133 active bands from across the globe, spanning the diverse sub-genres born from post-punk’s iconic roots. You can order it now from the Alfa Matrix webstore and in digital download format from Bandcamp.

The release comes housed in a luxurious vinyl-sized box, and comes accompanied by a 28-page book. The book holds interviews from renowned producers like John Fryer and Jean-Marc Lederman, label managers, journalists, and iconic artists (including Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, William Faith, No More, Skeletal Family, Mona Mur, KaS Product, And Also The Trees, Clan Of Xymox, Attrition, Das Ich, Merciful Nuns, The Names, The Breath Of Life, etc).

Spanning 23 different nationalities, the music included is a genre-spanning mix of post-punk, cold wave, dark synth, ethereal, and minimal EBM with such bands like Boy Harsher, A Cloud Of Ravens, No More, Skeletal Family, Collection D’Arnell Andrea, Underviewer, Attrition, Merciful Nuns, Lederman/De Meyer, Local Suicide & Sekelesys, Star Industry, Ataraxia, Czarina, Helalyn Flowers, Ascii.Disko, Je T’Aime, The Ultimate Dreamers, Lycia, Opera Multi Steel, The Breath Of Life, Auger, The Names, Whispers In The Shadow, Lovelorn Dolls, Astari Nite, Chiasm, Saigon Blue Rain, Omnimar, Still Patient, Creux Lies, Golden Apes, and many more.

You can already check out a few tracks here.

Resurgence by Various Artists

Apart from the 7CD vinyl size deluxe carton box format, “Resurgence” will not be available on mainstream digital platforms, except exclusively via the label’s Bandcamp page.

There is also a special combi pack including the 7CD set plus Darkness On Demand’s “Panic In Reserve” CD and To Avoid’s “All Gods Are Gone” 2CD.

“Resurgence” Tracklist

Cd 1

Bestial Mouths . Hex (The Spell)
A Cloud Of Ravens . Parable
Boy Harsher . Give Me A Reason
Czarina . Wonderland
Collection D’arnell Andrea . Waiting For Meaulnes
Krystal System . La Lame Dans Ta Main
Je T’aime . Out Of Sight
Aeon Rings . Fully Operational
The Ultimate Dreamers . Polarized
Partikul . Nothing Good In Me
Cosmobrigade . Spacepit
Aeon Sable . From Witchcraft To Deviltry
Stereoskop . Deep Down
The Breath Of Life . Slowly Crushing
Faust Project . Rats Lullaby
Al . Mistake
N.E.L. & J.P . Desinteresse
Zeitgeist Zero . Scream
Voyna . Moulding Heart

Cd 2

Blackbook . You Are Strange
Auger . My Heart Is Glass
Dekad . A Deadly Show (Video Edit)
Love In Cage . A Logical Secret Collection
Helalyn Flowers . Halos
Soft Scent . No Wounds
Sweet Ermengarde . Sweet Sacrifice
Martin Dupont . Bent At The Window (2023)
The Names . Far From The Factories
Boxes Of Blow . Melting Faces
Mirror Of Haze Feat. Primitive Heart . Reckless
A Slice Of Life . Seven Days
Then Comes Silence . Pretty Creatures
Nite . Inside Of My Head
Astari Nite . Bowie In Daydreams
Korus . Złote Światło Pierwszego Zachodu
Lovelorn Dolls . A Heart Cries
Whispers In The Shadow . Revenants
Merciful Nuns . Oneironauts

Cd 3

Lederman – De Meyer . Heartbeat
Local Suicide & Skelesys . Surface Of The Sun (Radio Edit)
Punx Soundcheck Feat. Ascii.Disko & Princess Superstar . Gasoline
No More . Sleepers And Trains
Mitra Mitra . Memories For Company
A Copy For Collapse Feat. Simona Pietrucci . Faded
Alien Skin . Depress Me
White Mansion . Cancel The Sky
Apnoie . Splash Your Bile
Celluloide . Compte Les Ombres
Risk Risk . Streetwalk
Total Chroma . Northern Lights
Opera Multi Steel . À Nos Moments Perdus
Lycia . Simpler Times
Noemi Aurora . Blood As Lipstick
Novus . Ess
I Ya Toyah . Death’s Kiss
Katcross . Rest
Winter Severity Index . Speak To Me

Cd 4

Systeme Paradoxe . Comme Le Sable En Hiver
Aiboforcen . Break The Black Ice (Original Mix)
Chiasm . Cut Right Through (Emileigh Rohn Edit)
Saigon Blue Rain . Dolls Dresses
Her Own World . Mistrust
Still Patient Feat. Minu-Schirin Samimi . Blind Vision
Creux Lies . Playtime
Der Klinke . Curtains (Your Life On Hold Remix)
On The Floor . Crying On The Dancefloor
Numa Echos Feat. Red Zebra . Waisted Items
Factheory . The Day (Ok Lion! Mix – Short Version)
Antiflvx . Crystal
Flor Concreta . She’s Closer
Golden Apes . Ash Trees
Glis . Blue Sky Night
Ataraxia . The Source
Hanging Freud . Grooming
Ok Lion! . Get Away
Yuzna . Queen Of The Eels

Cd 5

The Breath Of Life Feat. Implant . The Last Record
The Halo Trees . Happy Man
Palm Ghosts . Tilt
Your Life On Hold . Imprisoned (Merciless Radio Edit)
Götterdämmerung . Common Existence
Jenni Sex . Sin Chimes
Denner . She Radiates Darkness
Imjudas . I Love You
Black Needle Noise . Dollhouse On Fire
Dead Souls Rising . Dysmorphobia
The Waning Moon . Annabel
Korinthians . Leader Of The Night
Elektrostaub Feat. Stefan Netschio . Mantis (Auger Remix)
Omnimar . The Matrix
Synapsyche Feat. Chris Harms (Lord Of The Lost) . The Last Dying Flame
Dance My Darling . Criminal
First Aid 4 Souls Feat. Emke Of Black Nail Cabaret . Das Messer
Supernova 1006 . Tell Your Name (Mix)
Suicidal Romance . Runaways

Cd 6

Ascii.Disko . Loslassen
Vioflesh . Emotions
Dina Summer . Who Am I (Club Version)
Pleasure Victim . Rascheln
Pink Opake . Pronta
Thewalkingicon . The Trail (Radio Edit)
Psy’aviah Feat. Sorrow Stories . Healing
Seasurfer . Collapsing
Lakeside X . Fire In The Sky (Radio Version)
Darkness On Demand . Hang On (Winterhart Remix)
Star Industry . Selling Icons (The Dreamside Remix)
Alphavox . Dark Satellite
Yama Uba . Shapes
Lifeless Past . Anxiety
Pink Turns Blue . Not Gonna Take It
Social Union . Waiting For Red
Sine . Until (Clan Of Xymox Remix)
Sorry, Heels . She Burns (We Burn) Version
Lights A.M . Clouds

Cd 7

Useless/You . Echo
Attrition . The Great Derailer
Children Of Zeal . Taking Over
Octolab . Friend Or Foe
Vague Phonique . The Last Man
Midnight Poetry . Black Hole
The Overlookers . Undercover (Edit)
La Machine . Vamos A La Playa (Radiomix)
Die Sexual . House Of God
Carrellee . Morning Sun
Underviewer . Was Soll Ich Tun (Aiboforcen Remix)
Night In Athens . Words Unspoken
Neila Invo . Alienation
Skeletal Family . My Own Redemption
The Murder Mystery . A Girl Named Red
Princess Ugly . For A Moment I Forgot The Desolation
Instant Lake . Ivory Dreams
Vision Video . Balaclava Kiss
La Scaltra . Dancing On Debris

Haujobb album ‘The Machine in the Ghost’ out now

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 11:42:13 +0000

Haujobb has released its newest album “The Machine in the Ghost”, the tenth full-length album by this German electro-industrial duo. The title seems a reference to the The Police album “Ghost in the Machine”. The Leipzig, Germany-based duo decided to use fieldwork recordings this time to create the overall sounds for this album.

Additionally, “The Machine in the Ghost”, features a guest appearance by Emese Árvai-Illés from the Hungarian duo Black Nail Cabaret. “The Machine in the Ghost,” is available from Metropolis Records in North America and Dependent Records in Europe on all digital and streaming platforms along with a CD version.

The Machine in the Ghost by Haujobb

About Haujobb

Haujobb is a German electronic music project formed in 1993 by Daniel Myer and Dejan Samardzic. Initially influenced by the industrial sounds of the early ’90s, Haujobb became known for their fusion of electro-industrial and EBM (Electronic Body Music) with more experimental electronic genres like IDM, ambient, and techno.

The band’s debut album, “Homes & Gardens”, was released in 1993, showcasing their industrial roots. However, their sound began to evolve rapidly, and by their second album, “Freeze Frame Reality” (1995), Haujobb embraced a more complex and layered approach to electronic music, moving away from traditional industrial structures.

Their breakthrough album, “Solutions for a Small Planet” (1996), marked a significant departure from the harshness of industrial music, incorporating elements of drum and bass, techno, and glitch. This release established Haujobb as one of the most innovative acts in the electro-industrial scene.

Over the years, Haujobb has continued to explore different sonic territories, with albums like “Polarity” (2001), “Vertical Theory” (2003), and “New World March” (2011). Their work has been characterized by its willingness to push boundaries, blending different subgenres of electronic music, while maintaining a dark, futuristic aesthetic.

Daniel Myer, in particular, has been active in various other projects, including Architect, Destroid, and Covenant, further solidifying his role in the electronic music community.

Aiboforcen – Between Noise & Silence (Album – Digital/CD – Alfa Matrix)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sun, 11 Aug 2024 07:00:00 +0000

Belgian studio project Aiboforcen has been a fixture in the music scene for over 30 years. However, its operator, Benoit Blanchart, has taken a more relaxed approach to releasing new albums. Their latest, the 7th studio album, arrives after a six-year hiatus and features an impressive 22 tracks. Longtime collaborator Patrice Synthea (Regenerator) continues to contribute as a vocalist, appearing on several tracks. Blanchart also enlisted a wide array of guest artists, including Jan Dieckmann (Norderney), who shines on multiple tracks, Mari Kattman (Helix), Noemi Aurora (Helalyn Flowers), Emke (Black Nail Cabaret), Sorrow Stories, and even Patrick Codenys (Front 242), Implant & Pouppéé Fabrikk (singing together), and Numb.

The album primarily consists of original compositions, but it also features a few alternative versions, a remix by Patrick Codenys, and a cover of a Death In June-song. The sound remains unmistakably Aiboforcen—a blend of Electro influences that lies somewhere between EBM, Future-Pop, and their unique, freeform style. The music is intricate and sophisticated, offering a compelling mix of tracks that are both listenable and danceable.

Jan Dieckmann’s vocal performance left a lasting impression, his voice evoking shades of Ronan Harris but with a subtler, more sensual delivery. His duet with Noemi Aurora—unquestionably one of the finest vocalists in the scene—creates a truly euphoric moment. While I’m unsure if this is my all-time favorite Aiboforcen album, it certainly showcases some of the project’s best work to date. (Rating: 8½).

Listen to “Heaven Knows”:

Heaven Knows (feat. Noemi Aurora) by Aiboforcen

About Aiboforcen

Aiboforcen is a Belgian electronic band founded in 1993 in Charleroi by Benoit Blanchart and Séba Dolimont. The project blends elements of electronic body music (EBM), industrial, and synthpop. Blanchart handled music, synths, and sampling, while Dolimont provided vocals, lyrics, and additional sampling. Their earliest work, the demo “Black Slang”, appeared in 1993 in fewer than 100 copies, released via Side-Line’s former tape label.

In 1995, Aiboforcen released their debut album “Elixir Lytique” through Khazad-Dûm, a sublabel of Celtic Circle Productions. Their second album, “Face (of) Death”, followed in 1996. After a period of inactivity, both members co-founded the Belgian label Alfa Matrix in 2001, the same year Aiboforcen returned with “Sons Palliatifs”, concluding the trilogy begun with “Elixir Lytique” and “Face (of) Death”. “Kafarnaüm” followed in 2004, then “Dédale” in 2011 and “Sense & Nonsense” in 2018.

“Between Noise & Silence” is Aiboforcen’s seventh studio album, arriving in 2024 to mark the project’s 25th anniversary. It features collaborations with Patrick Codenys (Front 242), Henrik Bjørkk (Pouppée Fabrikk), and Don Gordon (Numb), alongside vocal appearances from Mari Kattman, Noemi Aurora, Emke, and Sorrow Stories.

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.

Haujobb launch all new single ‘Opposition’ feat. Emese Árvai-Illés (Black Nail Cabaret)

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 07:51:28 +0000

Haujobb has revealed its new video single “Opposition”, which is featuring guest vocals by Emese Árvai-Illés from the Hungarian pop noire duo Black Nail Cabaret. The track is taken from the bandµ’s forthcoming new album “The Machine in the Ghost”. The German duo’s tenth full-length is slated for release on September 20, 2024.

Haujobb says this about the track: “Adding guest vocals towards the end of the song was basically the idea of a Saturday afternoon”, programmer Dejan Samardzic explains on behalf of the duo. “Emese is such a reliable artist, she delivered her impressive vocals within 24 hours. Maybe she sensed the urgency this had for me. I could hardly wait to add that new element to the arrangement as it brought a strong organic feel to it.”

Emese Árvai-Illés adds: “Dejan had some wordless singing in mind, like the side vocals of the Eurythmics’ classic ‘Sweet Dreams’, and he asked me to just improvise”, the Hungarian singer reveals. “I recorded a couple of takes and did some random Adlibs at the end. That gave me somewhat of a Massive Attack ‘Unfinished Sympathy’ feel, but in a more industrial way.”

The video, which you can see below, was created by Boris May (Klangstabil).

Aiboforcen interview: ‘Transcending boundaries between noise and silence…’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 07:28:41 +0000

The iconic Belgian dark electro/future pop act Aiboforcen recently returned with their 7th studio album, “Between Noise & Silence”. Led by Benoit Blanchart and featuring the enigmatic Patrice Synthea (REGENERATOR), this album merges melancholic dark synth/EBM anthems with thrilling collaborations! Notable appearances include EBM/industrial legends like Patrick Codenys of FRONT 242, POUPPEE FABRIKK & IMPLANT (in a duet), and NUMB. The album also features outstanding female vocalists from the pop wave scene, such as Mari Kattman (HELIX), Noemi Aurora (HELALYN FLOWERS), Emke (BLACK NAIL CABARET), and SORROW STORIES… Without forgetting the splendid collaboration with Jan Dieckmann of NORDERNEY who sings on several songs and strongly contributes to crafting the album’s magic through moving lyrics, catchy dark pop melodies, and upbeat EBM sequences that often evoke the melodic and emotional depth of VNV NATION! Benoit gave us more insights on his new album…

You can order the new album now on Bandcamp as download and on 2CD via the Alfa Matrix webstore. Note that the 3CD version was sold out immediately.

Between Noise & Silence (Bandcamp Version) by AIBOFORCEN

S. “Between Noise & Silence” is your 7th studio album and features an impressive 22 tracks. Can you share the journey of creating such a substantial body of work, and what inspired the album’s title?

B. I started working slowly on what would become this new album during the covid period. Like many bands, those very special times allowed me to concentrate and spend much mor time in the studio creating new sequences and sounds. After a few months, what was started with no clear objective became to take shape and I started gathering several demo tracks thinking I could use them for an EP or album. It was a very creative period and also (hopefully for me) the opportunity to learn/improve a bit more the mixing and production side of the aïboforcen sound… I thus also started thinking about the right vocalist for each track. The title track “between noise & silence” is actually a sentence coming from a demo track that Tina from SORROW STORIES was working on for me… it became the title for the track but also for the album. It’s a bit of a special track (a bit more complex) that I really wanted to be on the album but couldn’t find the right vocalist for it… Then Tina did a test and she nailed it down!! 😊 It also has a double meaning because since I’m not considering myself as a musician what I create in a studio probably lies in the grey area between noise and silence! 😉

S. On this album it seems that Patrice Synthea and Jan D. play a key role as vocalists? Tell us more about these collaborations?

B. Well, Patrice (REGENERATOR) has been the main vocalist with aïboforcen for quite a long time now and she helped creating some kind of a trademark for us. But I’m always interested in working for certain tracks with other vocalists, either male or female. Of course it can break a bit the cohesion of the album but for me it’s more like trying to avoid the monotony of the album. I see/hear the different voices as new instruments I can play with, and it can totally change the result of the tracks. I also appreciate the fact that I can offer a broader pallet of sounds and emotions. I was introduced to Jan while working on a remix for our label mates of ELEKTROSTAUB. I knew a bit of his project NORDERNEY that I also appreciated a lot and I thought he would be the right vocalist for a track I was working on at the time. I sent him a demo and after a few days he came up with something really brilliant for me. I was so pleased with the result that I asked him to do a second track and the result turned out to be even better… He has such an emotional voice that it really adds another dimension to the song and brings them to a next level. After a while we started swapping ideas but also sequences and sounds and he eventually became more and more involved in the whole process. He helped me a lot giving advises and also programmed several synth lines, what was totally new and unusual for me… it was surprising, challenging and it contributed in creating a more mature and developed sound. In the end he helped for a great bunch of the album in various forms… Therefore the album is also much more balanced between male and female vocals. He also made a duet with Patrice on the track “everything” and I’m pretty sure that it’s something we should try again in the future…

S. The album indeed boasts collaborations with a variety of other artists too, from EBM/industrial legends to outstanding female vocalists. How did these collaborations come about, and what unique contributions did each guest artist bring to the album specifically?

B. As I said, when a demo is finished I try to think about what would be the right vocalist and what it would add to the sound of it. Of course there are some people/singer I would dream of having on the album but sometimes I have to stick to reality. My choice is influenced by the music I listen to, people I met through remixing, bands I know and so on… I’ve been blessed in the past working with great artists such as Jean-Luc from FRONT 242 and this album also gathers some legend from the scene such as Henrikk from POUPPEE FABRIKK or yet Don Gordon from NUMB who both helped me deliver the most aggressive cuts from the album. Tina from SORROW STORIES was also really involved in the process, contributing to several tracks that we can find both on the EP and the album but also on the special 8cm cd available with the limited edition. I had met her through a remix I had done for PSY’AVIAH actually and I had been mesmerized by her rather delicate and otherworldly vocals. She is also a very passionate and nice person, and meeting and exchanging with people is another aspect of collaborating on tracks. Then there is also Noemi Aurora who helped us with her very characteristic and powerful voice and it helped adding the extra touch to “cycle of life” and “heaven knows” you can find on the album. It was a pleasure working with her and she’s a professional and also involved and more than passionate with music… Also doing a track with Emese from BLACK NAIL CABARET was really an honor for me. She has one of the most distinctive voice from the scene at the moment and the result is a very captivating cut with upbeat sequences. I really hope listeners will like this track as much as I do…

Mari Kattman also lends her voice on the opening track as well as on a remix of “In My Arms” (a track from the previous album) and she also has a very distinctive and beautiful voice. Last but not least I also worked with Len from Implant since he is a long time friend of us and I was glad to have him back in one form or another. With the lyrics of the track he did evoke, it’s like a celebration of a long-time relationship between us (including also Seba, Bernard, Stephan) and how it was when we started this all as students (the magazine, the label, the bands, the gigs).

Patrice Synthea

S. Your sound is often compared to iconic acts like VNV NATION, FRONT 242 or yet COVENANT. How do you approach honoring these influences while still maintaining your own distinct identity as AIBOFORCEN? “Between Noise & Silence” seamlessly weaves between oppressive industrial assaults and catchy synth-pop tunes. Can you discuss the creative process behind balancing these contrasting elements to create a cohesive listening experience?

B. Well, it’s sure that I’ve been listening to those bands a lot (one of my first vinyl was 242’s politics of pressure, along with Kraftwerk radioactivity’s 7”) but I am also influenced by other acts from inside and outside the scene. I listen to a lot of music from the EBM but also to darkwave, gothic, experimental, industrial or yet metal… All this is ingested and some parts/influences appear here and there in my music. Also I hope that with time I manage to create a bit of my own distinctive sound and style.

As far as VNV NATION is concerned, I have to admit that Ronan has a deep sense for great melodies and a very emotional voice and is an example of what soulful music is. So if we sound a bit like this it’s a good point for us! 😊 Remember he remixed one of our track at our respective very beginning! But I always try to balance catchier tracks/tunes with a rougher sound and more complex structures or experimentations. For me it’s kind of logical and it can create a cohesion because some sounds, fx, way of treating things are the same and reflects the different side of one same “machine”. Also I tend to focus on recording an album with highs and lows rather than a succession of single tracks… so this new album (especially the first disc) needs to be explored and listened as a whole, with the tracks kind of merging one into another. I spent hours / days / months working on sometimes very little details of mixing, samples, eq’s to find the best result I could. I like it when it takes several listening to really get all the details included in the tracks and hopefully surprise the listeners…

S. One of the tracks on the album is a cover of DEATH IN JUNE’s “Break The Black Ice.” What drew you to reinterpret this particular song, and how did you make it your own while staying true to the original?

B. We’ve always tried to include at least one cover song on any of our releases, either for fun or to show where our roots are… I was introduced to DEATH IN JUNE’s music more than thirty years ago and the album “The World That Summer” from 1986 has always been a favorite of mine. “Break the black ice” was an obvious choice because it is a rather simple, dark but catchy song, kind of desperate also and I really liked the version sung by Rose McDowall which is a fragile and delicate dark cut. I thought that Patrice could do it as well and recorded a demo. The first version was really slower and darker than the one on the album. We will feature it on a compilation from our label later this year actually. The final version has a stronger beat and an aggressive lead sound while the original one is softer. Both Patrice and I liked the version very much and what was a the beginning more like a “b-side” became one of the main important track from the album… I hope fans of DEATH IN JUNE and AIBOFORCEN will be pleased by this tribute… the structure is rather close to the original version from DEATH IN JUNE but of course it’s 100% electronics and there are some distortions here and there… 😊

S. The album is described as a high-tension dark elektro masterpiece. How did you approach crafting the sound production to achieve this level of intensity and maturity?

B. I always spend a long time editing, changing, mixing, adding details and I hope it can be reflected in the overall sound of the album. I never intend to choose the easiest way while producing the music and I hope I raised the level a bit more on this new release. I spent much more time on the vocals (cutting, eq’s , volumes, …) than on any other previous releases; there are lot of movie samples (hidden or not), lots of different synths and fx… I can sometimes leave a track for one month and then come back with new ideas and Jan also helped me developing as much as possible this new sound which is probably more focused than before. It still goes into any directions but with a common thread and overall atmosphere throughout the numerous tracks. It was exhausting (especially at the end) but it was worth (at least personally) and I really hope our fans will like it…

S. How important is the visual aspect of your music, and what role does it play in enhancing the overall experience for listeners?

B. It is important, not as much as the music, but it sets the tone for the whole album. We always tried to have eye-catching sleeve or at least mysterious ones that will give the envy to enter into the universe of aïboforcen… When I was a kid, I used to go to a place where you could rent vinyls and I would sometimes rent releases just because the sleeve would attract me in a way or another. On this release we obviously used AI to create the graphics but it was intended and assumed. It was our easiest way to express and get the closest to the images we had in mind while creating the music. And since our music relies on techniques, processors, synthetic soundscapes, it makes sense…

S. Lastly, the first 50 orders from the official Alfa Matrix e-shop received a signed version with an exclusive bonus mini-CD. Can you tell us more about the significance of this bonus content and what fans can expect from these exclusive tracks?

B. When the album was completed and sent to the mastering, I noticed that there were a few tracks left without vocals that couldn’t make it on the album but were a good insight of what it’s like being in the studio and working on new tracks. It is more like demo’s but also I had the feeling that they could stand on their own and give another view on our music. The first of those 4 tracks is called “eliza effect” and is a brand new one that maybe will give some infos of how the future sound of aïboforcen will be (or not). The track “pulsions” (with vocals by Tina from SORROW STORIES) arrived too late in the process of the album but was good enough as well. In the end it gives the opportunity to the die-hard fans to have some extra tracks (unreleased) and have a bit more “intimacy” with the band…

Click Interview with Attrition: ‘It Was High Time For Another Attrition Album!’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Martin Bowes and his main music project Attrition have been part of the collective memory of many Electro fans since the 80s. This year, Attrition released their first new studio-album in years. “The Black Maria” sounds on the one hand like a ‘classic’ Electro-Wave-Pop album but on the other hand also as a refreshing and sensual production with some Cinematic parts. The work became a truly collective production with the contribution of female singers Emke (Black Nail Cabaret), Yvette (Vaselyne), Joanne Wolf and the return of the original Attrition-singer Julia Niblock Waller. Guest musicians Alia Miroshichenko, Annie Hogan, Vancorvid and Marietta Fox, Ian Arkley, Steve Clarke and Kris Force joined forces together with Attrition. I asked Martin Bowes some questions about this new and fantastic work released on Two Gods. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Attrition has now been active for over 40 years. Can you draw up a preliminary and concise overview of this exceptional career with the highs and lows that spontaneously come to mind? And how do you feel Attrition and its work has influenced the music scene over the years?

Martin: I started out in music inspired by Punk… first running a local music fanzine here in Coventry, between 1979-81 (Alternative Sounds ran for 18 issues). I knew that I had to make my own music so started Attrition in 1980 with Julia Waller, and her brother Ashley. We were totally influenced by Electronics and Post-Punk by then. It wasn’t easy to get gigs for music like this in the early 80’s, at least not around here… it would take a while for the music to take hold… and Industrial, Dark-Wave, whatever you may call it gradually became a lot bigger; lot was so good to be there at the beginning.

We have gone through many record labels, booking agents and even band members since those early days. It’s never been an easy road but it has taken us all over the world and we have released a lot of albums… and scored some film soundtracks along the way.

I hear that Attrition has influenced bands and the scene… I remember Skinny Puppy writing to us back in the mid-eighties… which is a wonderful thing to know.

Q: “The Black Maria” is your first new studio album in quite a long time. Why did this take so long and what sparked the new work?

Martin: The last full studio album was the “Millions Of The Mouthless Dead” album of First World war poetry and sounds I recorded as Attrition with Anni Hogan (of Marc And The Mambas amongst many projects she has done over the years). Since then we have toured a lot and released various singles and live recordings, and I have put out a side project… The Engram-album of 2018, and the DPM improvisational collective I was a part of in more recent years.

Recordings were slowed by covid, and the tragedy of my ex-wife, and Attrition collaborator Kerri Bowes untimely death in 2022. And also by increasing production and mastering work for other bands here in my studio The Cage. So yes it was high time for another Attrition album!

Q: I think I can say that it became a collaborative album. Tell us more about the choice of singers and other musicians? How did this collaboration go and did you discover new facets of yourself as a musician and producer?

Martin: I have been the main person in Attrition for many years, and with knowing so many musicians after all this time, and the ease of recording remotely these days, I found myself working with guest musicians more and more. Since our original singer Julia dropped out of the music scene 20 years ago I have recorded with a succession of guest female vocalists… I think “The Black Maria” is the peak of that phase… as Julia… and her brother Ashley… after decades… have rejoined the band! They came back recently and have been playing live again with me and Julia sang on 2 songs on the new album… so Attrition is now the original line up, augmented by more musicians… a good place to be.

Q: “The Black Maria” is an interesting title with a whole background and meaning. What exactly inspired you and what did you try to express with this title and entire album?

Martin: “The Black Maria” was the name for a mythical figure that would come to take away ‘wrongdoers and miscreants’. Later it was used for the name of the UK Police vans in the 1970’s… Kerri and I had a clash with our local corrupt Police a few years ago… hence the inspiration for the title… The album is, like all our albums, very personal… like an audio photo album of the time if you like. And it also looks at issues of state and religious corruption and control. Nothing really changes…

Q: What comes next after this album and what dreams or expectations do you have for the coming years?

Martin: Next on the agenda… we are planning shows and tours in The UK, Europe (next is The Castle Party in Poland July 12th – 14th) then The USA (Cold Waves festival Chicago and Dark Arts Festival Salt Lake City and more) then we are looking at Australia/New Zealand and Japan for the end of 2024/start of 2025… Meanwhile I am releasing a double album of remixes from “The Black Maria”, also on my own label, Two Gods. And have started recording a Dark-Ambient Soundtrack work.

After all these years I can still get that same feeling of excitement with music and of only just beginning… and I love being a part of a wonderful world community. I never have expectations, but plenty of dreams.

Thank you for the interview! Interested parties please check out our online sites!

Haujobb returns with ‘The Machine in the Ghost’ in September

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 13:35:26 +0000

(Photo by Chris Ruiz) Out via Dependent Records on 20 September 2024 is the all new Haujobb album “The Machine in the Ghost”. “The Machine in the Ghost” marks the tenth studio album of the at the present Leipzig based duo consiting of Daniel Myer and Dejan Samardzic.

For this new album the duo used a mix of software and hardware. The band adds: “This deliberate nod to a time with less software and more analogue shifting of the dials complements the theme of “The Machine in the Ghost” with a retro touch, yet without indulging in mere nostalgia for its own sake. The album revolves around the highly charged relationship between mind and matter, analogue and digital.” Guest musicians on this album include Emese Árvai-Illés (Black Nail Cabaret) on vocals, Hannes Rief (Die Selektion) on trumpet, Aleta Welling on lyrics and Felix Gerlach on cello.

“The Machine in the Ghost” will be available as a 36-page artbook with 2 CDs including a bonus CD with 12 previously unreleased remixes, on a black vinyl LP, and on ltd. clear vinyl.

Alive by Haujobb

About Haujobb

When the band was founded as a trio in the West German city of Bielefeld, they were still influenced by the Vancouver school of industrial which is quite audible on their early full-length “Homes & Gardens” (1993). On their following albums, “Freeze Frame Reality” (1995) and “Solutions for a Small Planet” (1996), the Germans moved away from their Canadian roots and began to amalgamate IDM (intelligent dance music) with industrial and EBM.

After Björn Jünemann, one of the three founders, had left, the remaining original members Daniel Myer and Dejan Samardzic decided to continue as a duo. Read the review of ‘The Machine In The Ghost’.

Attrition – The Black Maria (Album – Two Gods)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Fri, 31 May 2024 07:00:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: Electro-Wave, Cinematic, Experimental.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl, Cassette.

Background/Info: Martin Bowes strikes back with a new album of his sonic brainchild Attrition. Being active since 1980 Attrition can look back at an impressive discography. The new work reveals eight songs and has been accomplished together with multiple guest singers and musicians. Martin Bowes teamed up with female vocalists including Emke (Black Nail Cabaret), Yvette (Vaselyne), Joanne Wolf and the return of the original Attrition singer Julia Niblock Waller. Guest musicians Alia Miroshichenko, Annie Hogan, Vancorvid and Marietta Fox, Ian Arkley, Steve Clarke and Kris Force joined forces together with Attrition.

Content: Attrition stays true to their recognizable sound mixing Electronic sound treatments and Neo-Classical elements -played with acoustic instruments. There is a Soundtrack atmosphere interspersed with more danceable songs. The female vocalists bring a sensual touch to the work that is reinforced with the slow, sultry, rhythms. Martin’s deeper timbre of voice brings a nice contrast to the singing.

+ + + : The album and its overall approach to sounds and arrangements remains recognizable. I like this sound DNA where Electro and Neo-Classical are in total harmony. Attrition also remains intriguing for its sensual passages covered in dark atmospheres and Industrial sounds. There is something to say about almost every song, but the well-known “The Switch” (previously released as an EP-title song) remains an absolute delight. Other highlights include “The Zero Hour” and the title track “The Black Maria.” Attrition remains a warrant for an original and very personal sound full of subtlety and other, small details.

– – – : I regret the work only features 8 tracks including an intro.

Conclusion: This is an astonishing and highly artistic work by Attrition; for Electro gourmets.

Best songs: “The Switch”, “The Black Maria”, “The Zero Hour”, “The Pillar II”, “The Great Derailer”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.attrition.co.uk / www.facebook.com/ATTRITIONMUSIC

Label: www.twogods.co.uk / www.facebook.com/TwoGods Read the news on ‘The Black Maria’.

About Attrition

Attrition is an English dark wave band formed in Coventry in 1980 by Martin Bowes and Julia Niblock, emerging from the early-1980s post-punk scene alongside Throbbing Gristle, Coil and Einstürzende Neubauten. Early releases included the cassette album “Death House” (1982) and the debut “The Attrition of Reason” (1984) on Third Mind Records. The band moved to Belgium’s Antler-Subway label for “At the Fiftieth Gate” (1988), then signed to Projekt Records in the US for a run of albums including “3 Arms and a Dead Cert” (1996) and “The Jeopardy Maze” (1999). Bowes founded the Attrition label Two Gods in 2006, reissuing the back catalogue and releasing the anniversary set “Tearing Arms from Deities”. Later albums include “All Mine Enemys Whispers – The Story of Mary Ann Cotton” (2008), “The Unraveller of Angels” (2013) and “Millions of the Mouthless Dead” (2015), the latter made with Anni Hogan and featuring a guest appearance from Wolfgang Flür. Current members are Martin Bowes, Simon Stansfield, Ashley Niblock, Richard Woodfield, Ian Arkley and Alia Miroschichenko. Following the 2022 compilation “A Great Desire (1986 – 2004)”, Bowes returns with the new album “The Black Maria” on Two Gods.

Attrition announces brand new album: ‘The Black Maria’ – Pre-orders available now

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Fri, 08 Mar 2024 11:16:25 +0000

The new Attrition album, “The Black Maria”, will be released on March 23rd. Pre-orders are now live in all formats (CD / Vinyl / Cassette / Download).

This time founder Martin Bowes has teamed up with female vocalists including Emke from Black Nail Cabaret, Yvette from Vaselyne, Jonna Wolf and most notably the return of original Attrition vocalist Julia. Musically Bowes brings a mix of industrial and gothic songs, plus dark ambient soundscapes. Lyrically he continues his exploration of introspective themes of life, love and death.

The album is dedicated to the memory of Kerri Bowes (1982 – 2022). Kerri Bowes was part of the band between 2012 and 2018. She co-wrote the horror film score “Invocation” and performed it live with Martin in Germany (2013) and Transylvania (2018).

The Black Maria by ATTRITION

Other guest appearances come from Alia Miroshichenko (Subterranea) Annie Hogan (Marc and the Mambas etc) on Grand Piano, Vancorvid and Marietta Fox on Violins, Ian Arkley (My Silent Wake, Guillotine Dream) on Guitar, Steve Clarke (Futumche/Octogoth) on additional guitar/bass, and Kris Force on Cello.

Also included are remixed/remastered versions of the singles “The Great Derailer” and “The Alibi”.

Attrition will have a bandcamp listening party for the album, from 7pm UK time on Sunday March 24th. You can join Martin to listen to the album and ask questions on this new album and future plans for the band.

Attrition shows for 2024

March 29th – The Arches, Coventry, UK (Album launch show)
July 13th – Castle Party, Bolkow, Poland
July 25th – The Railway Inn, Winchester, UK
August 22nd – The Peer Hat, Manchester, UK
More tbc.

Black Nail Cabaret launches all new album ‘Chrysanthemum’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 13:55:59 +0000

(Photo by Dori Hrisztu-Pazonyi) The Hungarian electro-pop noir duo Black Nail Cabaret have today released their brand new album, “Chrysanthemum”. It also includes the previously released singles “Autogenic”, “Roadtrip” and “Darkness Is A Friend”.

The new album will be promoted with a UK tour in April that consists of eight shows with Empathy Test.

Ahead of that, a listening party for the album will take place via the band’s Bandcamp page on 3rd March at 7pm UK | 8pm CET. Fans are invited to register right here.

You can check out the full album below.

Chrysanthemum (Deluxe Edition) by Black Nail Cabaret

Black Nail Cabaret tour dates

04.04.23 Manchester – Rebellion
05.04.23 Glasgow – Classic Grand
06.04.23 Bristol – Dareshack
07.04.23 Nuneaton – Queens Hall
10.04.23 Nottingham – The Chapel
11.04.23 Newcastle – Cluny 2
12.04.23 Sheffield – Corporation
13.04.23 London – Garage

About Black Nail Cabaret

Before forming Black Nail Cabaret, both performers were involved in the Budapest industrial/cyber party scene and co-founded a small theatre group, Art Macabre, in 2005. This group, focused on horror-themed stage performances, found success with shows at the Merlin Theatre in Budapest. These early experiences contributed to the concept of Black Nail Cabaret as a theatrical musical project.

The duo’s music foundation was built on Emke’s transition from writing Hungarian poetry to English lyrics and Sophie’s piano compositions, with Emke providing vocals. The name “Black Nail Cabaret” reflects the band’s gothic subculture influences and the inclusion of ‘Cabaret’ suggests a lighter aspect of their artistic endeavors. Read the review of ‘Chrysanthemum’.

Black Nail Cabaret – Chrysanthemum (Album – Dependent Records)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 08:00:00 +0000

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

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Hungarian duo Emese Arvai-Illes – Krisztian Arvai aka Black Nail cabaret strikes back with their sixth studio album. The title of the album is the familiar flower people put on the graves of their beloved ones. It has been transposed into some of the favorite themes the band is dealing with.

Content: Black Nail Cabaret remains faithful to their very personal creation and adaptation of Electro-Pop music; a dark and cold expression of Pop music which sounds colder than ice and darker than the darkest night in the year. The songs reveal groovier and danceable parts mixed with more evasive, sterile, atmospheric passages. On top of it all you’ll hear the charisma of ‘Ice Queen’ Emese Arvai-Illes.

+ + + : Black Nail Cabaret remains a very singular experience in sound; Dark-Pop music which sounds a bit out of the box resulting from a personal and creative process. The band however remains warrant for great songs and excels in professionalism when it comes to sound production and mixing. Everything sounds right while there’s a true symbiose between music and vocals. I’m into the most danceable cuts like “Autogenic”, “Totem And Taboo” and “Neurons” which are pumped by some Techno elements. Another great and danceable cut is “Teach Me How To Techno” featuring deep, resonating sounds. Emese Arvai-Illes’ very special and frozen timbre of voice remains pure lust for the ears.

– – – : The atypical Electro-Pop format might be a no-go for narrow minded Electro-Pop lovers.

Conclusion: Black Nail Cabaret stands for cold-, elegant-, provocative-, intriguing- and visionary Electro-Pop. Respect!

Best songs: “Neurons”,“Autogenic”, “Totem And Taboo”, “Teach Me How To Techno”, “Darkness Is a Friend”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/bncband

Label: www.dependent.de / www.facebook.com/dependent.records Read the news on ‘Chrysanthemum’.

About Black Nail Cabaret

Before forming Black Nail Cabaret, both performers were involved in the Budapest industrial/cyber party scene and co-founded a small theatre group, Art Macabre, in 2005, focused on horror-themed stage performances at the Merlin Theatre in Budapest. The duo’s music foundation was built on Emke’s transition from writing Hungarian poetry to English lyrics and Sophie’s piano compositions.

“Chrysanthemum,” reviewed here, is the band’s sixth studio album via Dependent Records, preceded by the singles “Autogenic,” “Roadtrip” and “Darkness Is A Friend.”

V/A New Horizon / A Hungarian Electro-Industrial Compilation (Album – New Horizon)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 08:00:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: EBM, Dark-Electro, Minimal-Electro, Dark-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: This compilation features seventeen Electro-underground projects from the Hungarian scene. The album has been mastered by one of the most famous artists from this scene: Istvan Gazdag from First Aid 4 Souls.

Artists: Planetdamage, Stahlgeist, Re-Infection, Techno Pop, Grip, Empelde + Planetdamage, 3.N.D., Man-Machine, Worker, Celina, RTFXX, CMC, Vacuum(X), Tief Larm, Livingtotem, Calm T, Aras Focum.

Content: Hungarian Electronics by different more familiar- and totally unknown artists. The selection is quite diversified but often carried by EBM and Minimal Electronics while also walking on darker paths of Electro-Pop, Trance, Industrial ao. You’ll notice several projects singing in their Mother tongue while others prefer the English language.

+ + + : I like this kind of compilation, giving us the opportunity to get more familiarized with less familiar Electro scenes. We of course know Hungarian projects like First Aid 4 Souls and Black Nail cabaret (both aren’t featured here) but also Stahlgeist, Planetdamage, Man-Machine or the great LivingTotem but most of the artists were discoveries. From these artists I like the somewhat Shamen sounding Techno Pop, the EBM driven Grip which is empowered by guitar, the darker electro side of Man-Machine and the Dark-Pop inspired Celina -which reminds me of Ayria. But most significant cuts are the ones by Stahlgeist -revealing alluring EBM and the Minimal-EBM/IDM Planetdamage.

– – – : I regret the compilation doesn’t feature a booklet with more information about the bands and the Hungazrian scene.

Conclusion: Hungary is a small Electro scene but featuring real great artists so I hope we’ll get the opportunity to discover more stuff from these bands.

Best bands: Stahlgeist, Planetdamage, LivingTotem, Techno Pop, Grip.

Rate: 8.

New Horizon: A Hungarian Electro-Industrial Compilation by New Horizon

About New Horizon

“New Horizon: A Hungarian Electro-Industrial Compilation” is a various-artists release gathering seventeen tracks from the Hungarian electro-industrial and EBM underground. It was released on 7 September 2023 in digital and CD formats.

The compilation was mastered by Istvan Gazdag of First Aid 4 Souls, with photography by Dóri Hrisztu-Pazonyi and design by Kollektiva. It brings together Planetdamage, Stahlgeist, Re-Infection, Techno Pop, Grip, Empelde + Planetdamage, 3.N.D., Man-Machine, Worker, Celina, RTFXX, CMC, Vacuum(X), Tief Larm, Livingtotem, Calm T, and Aras Focum.

Black Nail Cabaret presents 2nd single from new album, ‘Roadtrip’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 10 Jan 2024 12:55:33 +0000

(Photo by Dori Hrisztu-Pazonyi) The Hungarian electro-pop noir duo Black Nail Cabaret have released the song “Roadtrip” as the second single from their forthcoming new album, “Chrysanthemum”, which is set for release on 1st March.

Black Nail Cabaret singer Emèse Árvai-Illes states that “I refer to the Hungarian psychologist Dr. Mihály Domján in regard to this song. He held that pain travels in the family tree until it finds someone who is introspectively ready to embrace it fully, to understand it and change it. In recent years I realised how important it is not to lose faith that I can be this person.”

“Roadtrip” is the follow-up to “Autogenic”, which was released in early December 2023. Below is the audio only video for “Roadtrip” followed by the “Autogenic” video.

“Chrysanthemum” is the sixth full-length record by Black Nail Cabaret and will be promoted with a UK tour holding eight shows with Empathy Test.

04.04.23 MANCHESTER Rebellion
05.04.23 GLASGOW Classic Grand
06.04.23 BRISTOL Dareshack
07.04.23 NUNEATON Queens Hall
10.04.23 NOTTINGHAM The Chapel
11.04.23 NEWCASTLE Cluny 2
12.04.23 SHEFFIELD Corporation
13.04.23 LONDON Garage

Audioglobe statistics on the darkwave music sales in 2023 out now

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Sat, 23 Dec 2023 11:54:57 +0000

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)

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

Germany
Greece
Netherlands
Portugal
USA
United Kingdom
Australia
Spain
Russia
Poland

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

‘Click Interview’ with The Seven Whores Of The Apocalypse: ‘The Name Is A Nod To All The Faux Religious Trappings Of 80s Goth Bands’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sat, 23 Sep 2023 17:00:00 +0000

The Seven Whores Of The Apocalypse is an American music band operating from the Twin Cities, Minnesota. Chris (samples, sounds, cover art, video art), Tom (vocals, sounds, songwriting), and Jason (vocals, sounds, songwriting, production) last year signed to European label Scanner / Dark Dimensions. After the promising EP “Wicked Hands” released in 2022 they this year unleashed the official debut album “All Through The Waste”. It’s a powerful piece of EBM; a bit atypical and characterized by accomplished, dynamic, and elaborated songs. This is a surprising production for demanding EBM lovers. I asked a few questions to Jason and Tom.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: I noticed you guys have been all involved -and still are, with other projects before setting up The Seven Whores Of The Apocalypse. What brought you together to set up an EBM-driven band and where does the band name -which doesn’t sound that Electronic, come from?

Jason: We found each other on Bandcamp in 2019. We all have a background in Experimental Noise and Dark-Ambient, and right away we decided to work together on a project in that vein. We released an album in early 2020 under the name Thrill Behind Barks (with another to follow in 2024). We each have our own individual projects as well. Chris has The Creeping Man (Dark-Ambient), Tom has The Angler King (Experimental Ambient-Noise), and I record under the names Timewitch (Experimental Occult-Synth) and Perfect Female Type (Synth-Wave Pop).

The Seven Whores Of The Apocalypse was born of our shared love of 80s Electro-Industrial music, particularly bands like Clock DVA and Skinny Puppy, but also certainly more mainstream artists like Depeche Mode and New Order. I laid down a quick idea for a song that paid homage to the songs of that era and asked the guys if they’d be interested in doing something a little more structured. Tom offered to do the vocals and our first single “Parasite” was born. We were all like, oh damn, this could be a thing!

The name is a nod to all the faux religious trappings of 80s Goth bands like Sisters Of Mercy and Depeche Mode. Plus it sounds badass and it’s hard to forget once you hear it!

Tom: Jason came up with the name. I remember him telling me where exactly it came from, but that story escapes me. I do however have a very solid memory of me reciting my interpretation of its origins, and the meaning that it has to us. I got very complex with all of these biblical and religious allusions, and how they relate to the name ultimately making fun of misogynists, and it’s connection to feminist lyrics in some of our songs.

I got done telling Jason and Chris my moderately pretentious analysis, only to have Jason say something along the lines of ‘Wow, that’s a really interesting take. I just thought it was a cool name though.’

I got a pretty hefty laugh out of that. Sometimes things are the way they are just because they sound cool. I tend to write lyrics like a James Joyce-wannabe experimenting with refrigerator poetry, so it was nice to be brought back down to earth with a jolt that “not everything is drowning in symbolism”.

Q: Do you have specific sources of inspiration and/or references when it comes to composition?

Jason: I think the biggest inspiration for us when we started the project was a 1989 album called “Buried Dreams” by Clock DVA. Something about it just captured our imagination, and we wanted to do something super dark and hushed and almost Coil-like at the beginning. As we moved through a number of singles it became clear that we were moving in a more aggressive direction. Our songs got more and more up-front and assertive while still maintaining elements of hushed experimental electronica.

A big source of inspiration for us now is the kind of music we hear at local Industrial clubs. It’s a mix of Dark-Techno, Industrial, and EBM. There’s so many artists out there, and we try to learn as much as we can from these other acts. Recent influences include Black Nail Cabaret, Gesaffelstein, and Ultra Sunn. There’s a list of artists we love —both in and out of the music world — on our website sevenwhoresoftheapocalypse.com.

Tom: Clock DVA was the big one that we were inspired by with at first. We heard “Buried Dreams” and it was like turning on a light switch. However, we all have some pretty big influences in Experimental, Industrial, Dance music, and Rock, so it was only a matter of time before it changed into something like our other influences. Our more recent tracks have been more along the lines of Skinny Puppy, Thrill Kill, Nitzer Ebb, Lords Of Acid, Alien Sex Fiend, and similar groups.

Q: Tell us a bit more about the content and concept of the debut album “All through The Waste”? How did the album saw the daylight and what did you experience as the main challenges, difficulties and points of satisfaction?

Jason: The songs are presented pretty much in the order that we recorded them. We wanted to maintain similar themes as before but also broaden our perspective to include more cosmic themes of the afterlife and alien civilizations. We started recording in the summer of 2022. The first track, “The Gods Are Angry”, took almost two months to produce, which is way too long! The second track, “Slow Riot”, was kicked out in just a few days. The rest of the songs were recorded into the fall and early winter, and actually moved fairly quickly once we got past that first nightmare song.

One of my favorite things about “All Through The Waste” is how collaborative it was. Each of us contributed foundational sounds and textures to the album which I think gives it a cohesive, holistic sound. For me the biggest feeling of satisfaction came when we finished the last track! I’m incredibly happy to be working with such talented bandmates.

Tom: The content has a pretty hefty range. I like to think of the album as a string of connected concepts concerning our worldview at the time, as opposed to being a solid concept album with a primary jumping off point or narrative. Just on my part, the lyrics I contributed had to do with mental illness, physical isolation, surreal nightmares, mysticism, and other topics.

Q: What’s the input of each member in the writing/production process and what makes the chemistry of the band?

Jason: Tom and I both do vocals, although Tom does the lion’s share of the lyrical and vocal work. All three of us contribute various sounds and samples from our own respective studios. Chris handles the cover art and music videos and I do the composition and production.

The chemistry has been an interesting evolution because we all met right before the Covid lockdowns started, so all of our early collaborations had to be virtual. Now we hang out a few times a year to have a meal and catch up, but almost all of our collaborative work is done online. We send files back and forth and chat and send funny pictures around. So there’s a bit of distance there, but somehow it all works.

Tom: I don’t think that it’s ever been the same on a single track. The amount of contribution changes gradually with each release. However, the primary roles that have stayed consistent is usually Chris handling samples, production, and videos, Jason handling primary production duties as well as vocals and lyrics, and me almost exclusively doing vocals and lyrics.

Q: I noticed an impressive evolution in production and power from your self-released (debut) singles towards the songs featured at “All Through The Waste”. How do you perceive the evolution of the band? What has changed? What’s new? And what do want to achieve on further songs?

Jason: Oh thanks, that’s really nice to hear! I think the biggest contributor to the evolution of our sound and production quality is practice and experience. There’s really no better teacher. In 2020 I returned to DAW-based music after a long break, so I had to re-learn everything over from scratch. No matter the medium, all three of us are prolific artists in our own right, and that experience makes us stronger.

I’m very happy with and excited about the evolution of our band. I think the biggest change we’ve experienced is moving from moody, Ambient Electronica to a more aggressive Techno-Industrial stance. I think that stems from the influences we expose ourselves to as well as just being a little more aggressively experimental in the studio.

Having said all that, I think there’s a very good chance we could return to that hushed, dark sound of late-80s Clock DVA in a future release.

Tom: I honestly wish that I had an answer for you, but I’m not really sure. Whatever the progression has been, it feels organic, like we’re just working out the kinks and moving closer to a more solid image of what we want to do, like any group continually honing their process in whatever medium they choose. I don’t really know what’s next, and what’s after that, but I do know that I’m excited for the journey.

Q: Do you’ve new things -like live shows, tours, remixes, clips etc.. in the pipeline?

Jason: Yes, in fact we’re featured on a new remix-EP called “Pretty In Pink (Isn’t He)” by PROBE 7. One of the DJs at a local Industrial club turned us on to their work and mentioned they were looking for artists to remix their re-imagining of the classic Psychedelic Furs-song. Plus we won a remix competition last year for the Feardemic horror gaming platform, which was a huge boost.

We’d love to start doing live shows at some point, but there’s nothing on the calendar yet. Otherwise we’re back in the studio working on new material, and excited to collaborate with other artists whenever we can!

Speaking of which, I’d like to give a quick shout out to a band that caught our attention recently, one we’d love to work with soon, a band is called Thy Seven Synth. I came across their new single “A Ring To Behold” while scrolling through Reddit, and I literally had to stop what I was doing. I listen to a lot of new music this way, usually on Reddit and various Facebook groups, and most of the songs are very amateurish and unrefined. Not these guys. I can’t remember the last time I was this excited about an up-and-coming band. I reached and they were very sweet and engaged, so hopefully there’s some future collaborations there. Our names even match!

Tom: Live shows have been the most recent thing that’s coming up more often in conversations. There’s a pretty decent Industrial/EBM scene near us, so I think it would be feasible to book a show of some type.

Whether we’re playing to four waiters and a guy passed out at the bar, or opening for NIN, that remains to be seen. I think that we’ll be much closer to the former, but who cares? I’m here to have fun with my friends, and if people happen to enjoy the music along the way, then I’m ecstatic. I can only hope that we do this well into our 90s. This is by far the most fun creative project I’ve ever been involved with, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

Black Nail Cabaret And Friends – Woodland Memoirs (Album – Dependent)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop, Cinematic-Pop, Dark-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Hungarian duo Emese Arvai-Illes – Krisztian Arvai strike back with a very special opus. The band name has been adapted into BlackNail Cabaret because of the addition of extra-members and friends Tamás Számvéber (guitar), Márton Barják (saxophone) and Péter Laskay (drums). Black Nail Cabaret has been active for fifteen years and previously released five albums. “Woodland Memoirs” is an adaptation of eleven songs taken from these full lengths.

Content: The sound and songs remain recognizable although totally different. The saxophone play injects something unique, creating a dark and sometimes jazzy atmosphere which would perfectly fit to a ‘film noir’. Some songs even become darker and rawer with Emese’s sensual, and commanding, timbre of voice on top. It’s an opportunity to re-discover Black Nail Cabaret ‘classics’ but in a very different style.

+ + + : This album took me by surprise and it really sounds like a true tour de force but also a challenge to rework your very own songs this way. More original than asking other artists for remixes and definitely more demanding in terms of time this album reveals another side of the band. The saxophone creates a very own spirit which is recovering the work from start till end. It’s a styled production with a very intimate feeling. I like darker passages and especially “Dora” sounds sublime. There’s also something to say about “No Gold” featuring a perfect balance between all instruments. “Sister Sister” appears to be the ultimate cut to get featured for a ‘film noir’. Black Nail Cabaret is doing their very own thing while on top of the creative process there still is this very singular voice of dark-diva Emese.

– – – : I’m sometimes missing the ‘alternative’ touch of the original songs and I definitely prefer the original versions but Black Nail Cabaret has done something special.

Conclusion: Black Nail Cabaret remains a very single formation in a genre which is hardly comparable to established standards; call it ‘free-pop’.

Best songs: “Dora”, “No Gold”, “Sister Sister”, “My Casual God”, “Rhythm X”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.blacknailcabaret.com / www.facebook.com/bncband

Label: www.dependent.de / www.facebook.com/dependent.records Read the news on ‘Woodland Memoirs’.

Woodland Memoirs by Black Nail Cabaret & Friends

About Black Nail Cabaret

Black Nail Cabaret is an electro-pop noir duo from Hungary, established in 2008 with members Emese ‘Emke’ Arvai-Illes (vocals) and Krisztian Arvai (keyboards). The group initially formed in Budapest and later spent several years based in London. Sophie Tarr, an original member responsible for keyboards, left the duo in 2016 to pursue her own music project. The band’s music, often described as visual synthpop or synth noir, sometimes incorporates experimental elements. Before forming Black Nail Cabaret, both performers were involved in the Budapest industrial/cyber party scene and co-founded a small theatre group, Art Macabre, in 2005. For “Woodland Memoirs”, the duo reworked eleven songs from their first five albums with guest musicians Tamás Számvéber (guitar), Márton Barják (saxophone) and Péter Laskay (drums), released through Dependent.

Black Nail Cabaret (and friends) release lyric video ‘Sister Sister’ taken from the forthcoming new album ‘Woodland Memoirs’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 09:45:50 +0000

Darkwave duo Black Nail Cabaret, consisting of Emèse Árvai-Illes and Krisztián Árvai, has released a lyric video for “Sister Sister,” the first single from their upcoming experimental album “Woodlands Memoirs,” which will be available through Dependent Records. Collaborating with three fellow musicians (Tamás Számvéber, Márton Barják, Péter Laskay) under the moniker Black Nail Cabaret And Friends, the Hungarian pair has crafted a unique, one-time project that diverges from their typical avant-garde synth-pop style by transforming their own songs into cover versions.

The lyric video for “Sister Sister” can be viewed below.

Regarding the single, vocalist Emèse Árvai-Illes commented that “Sister Sister” has long been a favorite from their “Dichromat” album. The original track, with its cold wave vibe, has been transformed into a sound reminiscent of a “Twin Peaks” score, representing the band’s goal of covering their own songs.

In total Black Nail Cabaret selected eleven tracks from their previous releases and reimagined them by incorporating guitars, drums, and saxophone through a semi-live recording process that allowed for improvisation. To emphasize the organic nature of their own ‘cover versions,’ the band included footage shot in the pine woods of the Agostyán Arboretum in Hungary.

About Black Nail Cabaret

Black Nail Cabaret is a darkwave and electronic duo hailing from Hungary. Formed in 2008, the group consists of Emese “Emke” Arvai-Illes as the vocalist and Krisztian “Sophia” Arvai as the keyboardist and composer. Their music is characterized by a fusion of dark electronic soundscapes, haunting vocals, and a strong emphasis on storytelling through lyrics, with influences ranging from Depeche Mode to David Bowie.

The band began gaining traction with their debut EP, “Emerald City,” released in 2012. It showcased their ability to craft atmospheric, synth-driven tracks with a dark edge. The duo continued to build their sound with the release of their first full-length album, “Dichromat,” in 2013. This album featured a more polished and cohesive sound, highlighting their growth as musicians.

Black Nail Cabaret’s subsequent releases, including “Harry Me, Marry Me, Bury Me, Bite Me” (2015) and “Dioskouroi” (2017), further established their reputation as a force within the darkwave and electronic scene. Read the review of ‘Woodland Memoirs’.

Junksista – 0A (Album – COP International)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sun, 11 Dec 2022 08:00:00 +0000

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

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: German duo Diana and Boog aka Junksista are back unleashing their fifth full length album. It also is their first album released by COP International. “0A” features ten songs and an impressive list of guest singers. Yvette Winkler (Vaselyne), Lis van den Akker (Psy’Aviah, Die Krupps, Grendel), Noemi Aurora (Helalyn Flowers), Maria (Omnimar) and Emke (Black Nail Cabaret) got invited to sing on a few cuts.

Content: Time has passed but Junksista held on to their initial sound approach revealing a kind of ‘evil-punk-pop’ style. The songs are driven by electronics and empowered by guitar playing. The work is pretty diversified and accentuated by the different contributors. Now danceable and carried by Trance leads and then cold and groovy the album also reveals darker and colder passages.

+ + + : Junksista hasn’t lost their ‘anarchistic’ sound approach. It’s not a coincidence they sometimes call it ‘dirty-pop’ as it clearly sounds atypical; not classical Electro-Pop but with a sharp Punk touch on top. I especially recommend the last track “Fuck Your Pretty Face” which also is one of the hardest and darkest cuts but still a cut with menacing guitar play and hot female vocals. Other highlights are the opening song “Phoenix” and “Fragile” featuring Maria Mar (Omnimar).

– – – : The songs with guest singers unfortunately aren’t the most convincing ones although they for sure make this work really exciting. Junksista remains faithful to their initial sound formula although the early magic is a bit gone.

Conclusion: Junksista is Pop music for tough people.

Best songs: “Fuck Your Pretty Face”, “Phoenix”, “Fragile featuring Maria Mar”, “Do you Wanna feat. Emke”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/Junksista

Label: www.facebook.com/copint

0A by Junksista

About Junksista

Junksista is a German duo formed by Diana Noir and Boog, working in an electro-pop and punk-pop register. “0A” is their fifth full-length album and their first release through COP International, issued on October 7, 2022 with ten songs written and produced by the duo themselves. The album features guest vocals from Yvette Winkler (Vaselyne), Lis van den Akker (Die Krupps, Grendel, Psy’Aviah), Noemi Aurora (Helalyn Flowers), Maria Mar (Omnimar) and Emke (Black Nail Cabaret).

Laborant – Visions (Album – Laborant)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sat, 10 Dec 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop, Minimal-Electro, Indie-Pop.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Laborant is a solo-project driven by Árvai Krisztián who’s known from his involvement with Black Nail Cabaret. “Visions” features seven songs with Hungarian guest singers.

Content: Árvai Krisztián is inspired by different influences while the singers also inject their very own touch and style. “Visions” is moving from Electro-Pop to pure Minimal- and even Experimental Electro to harder passages carried by EBM bass lines to Indie-Pop. Among the guest singers you for sure know Josef Stapel (Ultranoire) and Emke (Black Nail Cabaret).

+ + + : The album sounds a bit like a compilation but it’s a fascinating and diversified achievement. There’s a true harmony and even symbiosis between the musician and his singers. Árvai Krisztián reveals to be a talented and even visionary artist. From this work I recommend the somewhat harder, dark and yet sensual “D.I.M.S.” featuring Manoya and the brilliant last cut “Blindside” featuring Tamás ‘Tonyo’ Szabó. This song will appeal to IAMX fans. “Fixation” featuring Emke is another cool and minimal-like track.

– – – : There’s only one single track (cf. “Runaway” featuring Kaiko) which is forgettable.

Conclusion: Laborant is an exciting side-project from the Black Nail Cabaret machinist.

Best songs: “Blindside”, “D.I.M.S.”, “Fixation”, “Craving Blood”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/krisztian.arvai

Visions by laborant

About Laborant

Laborant is a solo-project of Krisztián “Devon” Árvai, producer and songwriter of Black Nail Cabaret. “Visions” was released on August 16, 2022, featuring seven songs with Hungarian guest vocalists including Josef Stapel (Ultranoire), Emke (Black Nail Cabaret), Manoya, Tamás “Tonyo” Szabó and Kaiko, moving between electro-pop, minimal electro and indie-pop.

Black Nail Cabaret – Maelstrom (EP – Dependent Records)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Wed, 09 Jun 2021 20:00:00 +0000

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

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Last year Hungarian duo Emese Arvai-Illes (vocals) – Krisztian Arvai (music) released their fifth full length album, which also was the first one released on Dependent Records. “Maelstrom” definitely was one of the absolute highlights from the album and now was released as the EP title track. The song is available in 3 different edits while there also is an extra track featured.

Content: The “Single Edit” of “Maelstrom” is easily recognizable by its Dark-Electro-Pop style featuring the cold and charismatic singing by Emese. It’s a dreamy, heavenly and somewhat elevating track. We next get the “Fixation Mix”, which sounds more into minimalism and a little Experimental-driven. This version might appeal for Kirlian Camera lovers. Next comes a remix by Man+Machine, which is more clubby-driven by its pumping kick.

The song “You Lessen I Die” is a kind of B-side track and sounds as an Industrial ballad.

+ + + : “Maelstrom” deserved to get released as the title song for an EP; it’s a perfect track revealing what Black Nail Cabaret stands for; a very unique Electro-Pop formation, which is hardly comparable to any other band. I’m a long time addicted to the sterile although wafting and danceable Dark-Pop of the Hungarians. “Maelstrom” is a graceful song, which inspired Man+Machine to accomplish a cool, dancefloor driven remix.

– – – : “You Lessen I Die” confirms this band’s original sound approach, but it’s not exactly the song that will catch your attention and reveal any kind of passion for the band.

Conclusion: “Maelstrom” is a cool EP for its different edits and approaches; great Dark-Pop music.

Best songs: “Maelstrom – Single Edit”, “Maelstrom – Man+Machine Remix”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.blacknailcabaret.com / www.facebook.com/bncband

Label: www.dependent.de / www.facebook.com/dependent.records Read the news on ‘Maelstrom’.

Maelstrom by Black Nail Cabaret

About Black Nail Cabaret

Black Nail Cabaret is the Hungarian duo of singer Emese Árvai-Illés and musician Krisztián Árvai, based in Tatabánya. The project released “Harry Me Marry Me Bury Me Bite Me” in 2015 through Negative Gain Productions, followed by the “We Like To Suffer” EP (2017, Basic Unit Productions) and the album “Dichromat” (2018, Basic Unit Productions). Side-Line covered the 2019 album “Pseudopop” on Dichronaut Records and spoke to the duo for a Click Interview the same year. The duo’s fifth album, “Gods Verging On Sanity”, followed in 2020 as their first release for Dependent Records. “Maelstrom”, the title track from that album, was reissued in 2021 as a stand-alone EP with three additional edits and the extra track “You Lessen I Die”.

Planetdamage back with ‘Relapse Protocol – The Remixes’ holding 8 remixes

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 17:31:44 +0000

Out now is Planetdamage “Relapse Protocol – The Remixes” on the Black Pill Red Pill label. “Relapse Protocol – The Remixes” holds 8 tracks and as source material the album “Relapse Protocol” was used, that one was released in November 2020.

The following remixers participated: Aether Pilot, Spankthenun, Mach Fox of Zwaremachine, Freeze Etch, The Gothsicles, Chrome Corpse and Vandalaze. Mastering (and additional production on track 5) was done by Reza Udhin (Killing Joke, Implant) of Cryonica Audio Mastering.

You can hear the EP below.

Damage has been working as a producer for 5 years, landing 5 EPs and a number of remixes, collaborating with bands like First Aid 4 Souls or Black Nail Cabaret, having been remixed by musicians such as Haujobb, Leaether Strip or Attrition.

‘Click Interview’ with FÏX8:SËD8: ‘My Favorite Songs Are Those I Still Enjoy Years After Their Release Though’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 01:00:00 +0000

Driven by the creative spirit of Martin Sane and clearly inspired by the legacy of early SKINNY PUPPY, FIX8:SËD8 rapidly became a recognized project in the Dark-Electro and EBM scene. Early this year the third official album “The Inevitable Relapse” has been released on Dependent, revealing an impressive production. The composition is sophisticated and elaborated with multiple little sonic details and recovered with tormented atmospheres. FÏX8:SËD8 never stops improving the global production and I’m really wondering where this German genius will stop.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: “The Inevitable Relapse” has been released during the ongoing pandemic and seems to be related to this subject. Is it a kind of conceptual theme? What did you try to express and how did the album took shape?

Martin: It is true that the album has been almost entirely written and recorded during the pandemic, but conceptually it has nothing to do with it. Without the pandemic it would have turned out exactly the same way. Well, it would have taken me a bit longer I assume. I had and still have a lot of time on my hands since Covid.
Using something as obvious as an ongoing pandemic as subject for the album is too on the nose for my liking.

Q: How do you see yourself as musician? Do you consider yourself as a perfectionist who think a song is never finished or are you handling specific criteria to know when a song/album is ready?

Martin: Miraculously I haven’t been in the situation (yet) where I felt like the song isn’t finished and I released it anyway to avoid a never ending battle with it. Somehow I always get the desired result, rather sooner than later.
Of course this doesn’t mean that my view of a particular song doesn’t change in time. It happens quite often that a year or two later I am not satisfied with it 100% anymore and would’ve done things differently in hindsight. That is a normal thing with every musician though. As long as I am 100% happy with it before and upon its release, it’s all good. My favorite songs are those I still enjoy years after their release though.

Q: I asked you this question about perfectionism because it all sounds like you never stop improving little details from the global production. Is it an aspect of your work you recognize? And how do you see the evolution and progression of your FÏX8:SËD8 adventure?

Martin: Compared to my earlier releases it definitely is the most complex album when it comes to little details and variety. I’ve been doing this for 15+ years now so I’d like to think that I’ve learnt a lot in this time and became a better musician, which gives me more options and explore the sheer endless universe of Electronic music. The main goal is to make a song I personally like and want to listen to. And since I prefer complex, non-repetitive music, it makes sense that my own stuff goes in this direction.

Q: I think “Chlorine Clean Tears” is your favorite song from the album. What do you especially like in this song and are there also songs, which could have been better or different?

Martin: I like the dark and treating build-up before the ‘explosion’ in the second half of the song. It’s very old-school regarding sound-choice and the sequences. Also I am happy with the vocals in this particular track, something that often isn’t the case but I simply lack the skills to do better. So far I am still very happy with “TIR“ and still consider it my best album. But ask me within 2 years…

Q: One of the most atypical songs from the album is “Tremor” featuring Emke (BLACK NAIL CABARET). How did this collaboration happened and tell us a bit more about the song?

Martin: To collaborate with Emke was in the back of my head since I know of BLACK NAIL CABARET but I didn’t expect to have a song her vocals would fit this well any time soon. As things sometimes go though, after having written the first 30 seconds of “Tremors“ it was obvious that my vocal-style would fit and a proper singer would have to take over. From that point on I finished the song with her voice and the melody, even parts of the lyrics, in my head. I sent her a version with my vocals as a guideline and she delivered exactly as I wanted and hoped it to be, even improved the melodic progressions here and there.

Sure, this is an atypical song for Fix8:Sed8, but I like to believe that it is a good song on its own merit. Especially for a one time-experiment I am extremely happy with the result.

Q: The album is available in different formats and there also is an ‘artbook’ available. How did the idea of this artbook happened. Tell us a bit more about the content and the link with your music?

Martin: We did an artbook-version for the previous album “Warning Signs“ too and I really like this format. Since I didn’t have any bonus-tracks and I am not a big fan of remixes, I thought that cover-versions might be an interesting approach. Especially by the bands I asked. They all have a very distinctive style and together the bonus-CD has become its own beast, which I often listen to. The art book is sold out now and without any doubt their cover-versions were a big contribution to this accomplishment and I owe each one of them a big favor ?

fïx8:sëd8 – The Inevitable Relapse (Album – Dependent Records)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Wed, 03 Mar 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: EBM, Dark-Electro.

Format: Digital, CD + lmtd. 2CD.

Background/Info: Martin Sane strikes back with the third official album of his sonic brainchild fïx8:sëd8. The album has been achieved during the pandemic, the title of the album referring to the situation. Notice by the way there also is a limited format featuring an extra CD featuring ten remixes by other artists.

Content: fïx8:sëd8 moves on there where the previous –brilliant, album “Warning Signs” stopped. We get an even more elaborated, and especially even more efficient complex Electronic composition. The influences are always getting back to early Skinny Puppy and Mentallo & The Fixer, but this German project clearly has developed its own sound. The songs feature multiple spoken samplings, which are mixed with the harsh, ghost-like vocals of Martin Sane. The songs are driven by bombastic, danceable rhythms. The dense Electronic layers are featuring subtle bleeps and good-old synth parts. The tracks are elaborated and often long-duration pieces. There’s a noticeable and more explicit ‘club-song’ entitled “Unknow To Virtue” plus a surprising and more Dark Electro-Pop cut (cf. “Tremors”) featuring guest vocals by Emke (Black Nail Cabaret).

+ + + : I already considered the previous work of fïx8:sëd8 as an magnum opus, but I rapidly realized “The Inevitable Relapse” is again moving a step further. I think it makes no longer sense comparing this project to Skinny Puppy; fïx8:sëd8 simply went on where early Skinny Puppy left off! This artist excels in the writing of intelligent Electronic music; somewhere in between early EBM, Dark-electro and Industrial. There’s not one single track to throw away. The songs have been progressively built up and even if the writing is sophisticated it always remains accessible, efficient and exciting! There are not many bands –and especially talented ones, dealing with this kind of approach. It reflects a true genius in the global production. There’s something to say about every single track, but “Unknown To Virtue” has an extra clubby touch. Another absolute highlight is the last song “Metabolite”, but I also recommend “Meltdown” and “Pale Light Shadow”.

– – – : I don’t see any single minus point; not even “Tremors” featuring Emke. The songs sound pretty different from the rest, but it also is a great song; it’s just different.

Conclusion: fïx8:sëd8 never stops improving little details from the global production work. This is probably not the ‘easiest’ underground Electro, but it’s touched by the hand of Apollo… the God of music!

Best songs: “Unknown To Virtue”, “Metabolite”, “Pale Light Shadow”, “Meltdown”, “Chlorine Clean Tears”, “The Inevitable Relapse”.

Rate: (9).

Artist: www.facebook.com/Fix8Sed8

Label: www.dependent.de / www.facebook.com/dependent.records Read the news on ‘The Inevitable Relapse’.

“The Inevitable Relapse” by FIX8:SED8

About Fïx8:Sëd8

Fïx8:Sëd8 is the electro-industrial project of German producer Martin Sane, based in Wiesbaden, Germany. The project’s name derives from the psychiatric terms “fixated” and “sedated”. Following “Foren6” (2017) and “Warning Signs” (2019), “The Inevitable Relapse” appeared via Dependent Records in January 2021 as the project’s third album for the label. Sane discussed the record in a Side-Line interview that April.

Black Nail Cabaret present new video single ‘Maelstrom’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 14:51:27 +0000

Out now is the new Black Nail Cabaret video single “Maelstrom”. The track is taken from the Hungarian dark pop duo’s current album “Gods Verging on Sanity”.

“The original idea for this clip was born in 2019 and it’s an ironic coincidence that we have managed to shoot this in the middle of the pandemic”, writes the Hungarian duo.

“As on our previous videos for ‘No Gold’ and ‘Unrequited Love’, we once again collaborated with fabulous director Richard Besenczi. Our common aim was to create an allegory reflecting on human relationships: the meeting of extremes, feminine and masculine, peace and activity. The clip was shot at the Bauxite Geological Park in Gánt as well as in the ghost town of Szentkirályszabadja. The latter is also called the ‘Hungarian Chernobyl’ and although it is not much visible in this video, it was still a good excuse for us to visit and spend some time at this fascinating location after the video recording.”

You can watch the video below. Read the review of ‘Maelstrom’.

First Aid 4 Souls – Dreambox (EP – Alfa Matrix)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 20:30:01 +0000

Genre/Influences: EBM, Body-Pop, Dark-Pop.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Earlier this year First Aid 4 Souls released the “Fire”-album, which was a kind of conceptual work on, which the band’s mastermind worked together with Hungarian compatriots/singers like Emke from Black Nail Cabaret, Josef Stapel from Ultranoire or yet Vic Willow from Planetdamage. “Dreambox” is an EP taken from this work featuring a selection of fourteen songs.

Content: “Das Messer” feat. Emke and “Dreambox” feat. Josef Stapel are the main songs from the EP. Five remixes from each song have been made while you’ll also get remixes of the songs “Burn”, “Ordinary Demonism” and “Freedom” all featuring vocals by Vic Willow. As a little extra “Bring Back Armageddon” is a new song featuring Nick Sonick from Wet Lips. The main particularity of the work is that István Gazdag is responsible for all remixes. From orchestral to 80s, to more Industrial-driven to EBM to refreshing Pop he tried to create different edits.

+ + + : “Das Messer” remains a great union between the sophisticated Dark-Body-Pop of first Aid 4 Souls and the charismatic vocals of Emke. This woman has such a charisma emerging from her voice that she cannot leave you unmoved. The “Zombie Club Mix ” has something more Industrial-like while the bouncing “Batcave”-version both are attention grabbers. “Dreambox” featuring Josef Stapel remains a cool song as well. There’s a duality between the EBM sequences and the more Pop-like way of singing, but here again it perfectly works and especially the “Club Mix” is worthy of examination. I also like the songs featuring Vic Willow while having a preference for the punchy “Club Mix” of “Burn” and the sophisticated “Club Mix” of “Freedom”.

– – – : The new song “Bring Back Armageddon” is a more pompous, orchestral song, which can’t compete with the other cuts from the EP. This EP is mainly meant for the fans.

Conclusion: The songs on this EP reveal the eclectic Electronic format from one of the best Hungarian formations in the genre.

Best songs: “Das Messer feat. Emke”, “Dreambox feat. Josef Stapel – Club Mix”, “Das Messer feat. Emke – Batcave Version”, “Freedom feat. Vic Willow – Club Mix”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/First-Aid-4-Souls-180876236297

Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix Read the news on ‘Dreambox’.

About First Aid 4 Souls

First Aid 4 Souls is a Hungarian electro project driven by Istvan Gazdag, active for over a decade and signed early on to the Some Bizarre label, which released a double CD of the project’s work in 2008 alongside acts such as Coil, Soft Cell, Cabaret Voltaire, Swans, Test Dept and Einsturzende Neubauten. The 2020 concept album “Fire”, released via Alfa Matrix, paired Gazdag with Hungarian singers including Emke of Black Nail Cabaret, Josef Stapel of Ultranoire and Vic Willow of Planetdamage. “Dreambox” collects a selection of remixes and extra tracks from that album, all reworked by Gazdag himself.

First Aid 4 Souls returns with fresh EP ‘Dreambox’ – available for immediate download

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 07 Oct 2020 16:15:01 +0000

Hungarian artist István Gazdag aka First Aid 4 Souls got quite some applauses for his recent conceptual “Fire” album. The album showed much more melodic and orchestral compositions compared to the previous harsh and dark EBM album “Keep This World Empty”.

On the album István Gazdag worked with such singers as Ultranoire’s Josef Stapel, Black Nail Cabaret’s dark pop frontwoman Emke or yet Vic Willow. Out now, is the “Dreambox” EP offering alternative versions of the album’s two favorite songs that are “Das Messer” and “Dreambox” again featuring said singers of course. The reworks range from retro electro new wave versions to bombastic orchestral remakes.

But next to the aforementioned songs you also get new versions of a few more album songs (“Burn”, “Freedom” and “Ordinary Demonism”). The EP holds 14 (!) tracks with most tracks being over 120 BPM up to 170 BPM. As an extra you get the exclusive and previously unreleased collaboration with Nick Sonick of Wet Lips on “Bring Back Armageddon”.

Enjoy this very club friendly release below, via download on Bandcamp or via Spotify.

Dreambox EP by FIRST AID 4 SOULS

And for those who prefer Spotify: Read the review of ‘Dreambox’.

First Aid 4 Souls feat. LD50 – Fire (Album – Alfa Matrix)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sat, 29 Aug 2020 18:30:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: EBM, body-pop.

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Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Last year Hungarian electro/EBM act First Aid 4 Souls joined hands together with Alfa Matrix unleashing the great album “Keep This World Empty”. The band’s mastermind, Istvan Gazdag, is now already back on track releasing a new and somewhat conceptual work. “Fire” in a way pays homage to the Hungarian underground scene LD50, which reassembled bands and fans. First Aid 4 Souls invited several Hungarian artists to release this new work. The featured artists are Emke from Black Nail Cabaret, Josef Stapel from Ultranoire, Vic Willow and ‘Damage’ from Planetdamage.

Content: Nine of the twelve songs are featuring Vic Willow as the singer and the least I can say is that this artist has a great timbre of voice. He sometimes reminds me of Gary Numan, but he’s injecting passion to the songs. And the songs are moving from pure EBM towards electro-pop tracks. Some cuts are supported with poignant atmospheric layers. This is a real diversified work, also experimenting with orchestral arrangements, funky grooves and even a rather cinematographic last cut. Emke (Black Nail Cabaret) is also an artist with a unique timbre of voice. She really rules over the song and I have to say that Istvan Gazdag created a meticulous composition fitting with her vocals.

+ + + : First Aid 4 Souls is a band I’m keeping an eye on for some years now. I’ve never been disappointed and this new –and particular work, only confirms the talent of Istvan Gazdag. This musician operates as a true sound architect who feels comfortable with different styles of electronic music. But I have to say that the opening song “Burst Of Anger” is just like an amazing sonic assault! The song is driven by menacing bass lines, hard dance kicks and a great lead while the charisma of singer Vic Willow is doing the rest. “The Worm Queen” is another great song with the same singer and here again it reveals intelligent EBM. The somewhat more groovy driven “Burn” –again featuring Vic Willow, is also an attention grabber. I also remain fascinated by the female power of Emke. Last, but not least I like the ‘Hungarian’ concept of the work!

– – – : I noticed a few cuts, which can’t convince me; probably because electro-pop isn’t Istvan’s best exposure.

Conclusion: First Aid 4 Souls remains to me one of the hottest newcomers from the Alfa Matrix stable; this is intelligent EBM mixed with a few more influences.

Best songs: “Burst Of Anger”, “The Worm Queen”, “Das Messer”, “Burn”, “Ordinary Demonism”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/First-Aid-4-Souls-180876236297

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

About First Aid 4 Souls

First Aid 4 Souls is a Hungarian project led by ex-Vacuum member István Gazdag, active for more than ten years by 2020. The band signed to Alfa Matrix for the 2019 album “Keep This World Empty”, discussed in a January 2020 Click Interview. “Fire” paid tribute to the Hungarian underground community LD50.hu, gathering guest vocalists from the local scene; First Aid 4 Souls followed it later in 2020 with the EP “Dreambox” and, in 2021, the album “Stainless Steel Eyes”.

Black Nail Cabaret – Gods Verging On Sanity (Album – Dependent)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sun, 21 Jun 2020 18:00:00 +0000

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

Format: Digital, CD, vinyl.

Background/Info: Hungarian duo Black Nail Cabaret has been active since 2008. Emese Arvai-Illes (vocals) and Krisztian Arvai (music) are now unleashing their fifth full length album, which also is the first one released on Dependent. The work deals with existential themes the band transposed into metaphors. It’s all about ‘the dark side of humanity, which is also one of the main aspects of “Gods Verging On Sanity”.

Content: Black Nail Cabaret will always remain a part of mystery to me. The band’s sound is often linked to electro-pop, but their new work again confirms a very personal approach in electronic music. It can be for sure defined as ‘pop’, but it rather sounds as a styled and melancholic voyage with a dense sensual layer on top. The clip of the previously released single “No Gold” perfectly illustrates the band’s symbiosis between image and music.

The trip Black Nail Cabaret invites us to is maybe more melancholic than previous releases. It also reveals a sensible and subtle production work mixed with the charismatic and sexy vocals of Emese.

+ + + : Black Nail Cabaret simply confirms to compose electro-pop music in the margin of traditional bands in the genre. They have something special and different, which for sure resulted from the fusion between their fascination with BDSM, minimalistic electro and dark-pop. It’s an intelligent exposure the band confirms album after album. I like the balance between the sensual, somewhat commanding vocals and the intelligence plus darkness of the music. “No Gold” remains an essential song characterized by a somewhat technoid lead, but I also have to mention “Maelstrom” revealing great bleeping sequences and “Spheres” plus “My Casual God” for their melancholia.

– – – : My single regret is that this album only features 9 songs. From a very personal point of view I also preferred the previous album “Pseudopop” (2018).

Conclusion: I think the best way to define Black Nail Cabaret is maybe ‘free-pop’; an electro-pop style without compromises or restrictions! Being now signed on Dependent might be seen as a form of consecration for a band, which deserves this recognition.

Best songs: “Maelstrom”, “No Gold”, “Spheres”, “My Casual God”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.blacknailcabaret.com / www.facebook.com/bncband

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

About Black Nail Cabaret

Black Nail Cabaret is a Hungarian project originally set up in 2008 by Emese Arvai-Illes (vocals) and Zsofia Tarr (keyboards). Tarr left the band in 2016 and was replaced by Krisztian Arvai. The duo describes its sound as “dark avant-garde pop” or “synth noir music”. After a self-released debut full length and two albums on Basic Unit Productions, Black Nail Cabaret released “Pseudopop” in 2018 on Dichronaut Records, a label the duo set up together with Ultranoire. “Gods Verging On Sanity” marks the band’s first album released through Dependent.

First Aid 4 Souls pays tribute to legendary subculture community LD50.hu on new album ‘Fire’ incl. string of collaborations

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 16:32:05 +0000

(Photo by Brigi Major) Veteran Hungarian artist István Gazdag joined the Alfa Matrix label in 2019 for the release of the dark EBM album “Keep This World Empty” (get it here on Bandcamp) which was recorded with his partner in crime Mortum on vocals. Gazdag has been very active in the avant-garde electronic / industrial scene since the late 80’s with numerous and quite diversified releases on various labels under his belt and some great remix work for such cult acts like Coil, Soft Cell, Test. Dept., Cabaret Voltaire or Einstürzende Neubauten.

On the new “Fire” album (available now from Bandcamp) you get a collaboration effort with several key-protagonists from the electro industrial scene in Hungary. As a result the release is released under the ‘First Aid 4 Souls feat. LD50’ named after the famous cult sub-culture community site LD50.hu where all the fans and artists in the country gathered. A bit like our legendary Side-Line forum (where trolling became kind of a sports we must admit).

But back to Hungary, the legacy of the LD50.hu forum van be found back on this 12-track album via studio collaborations with other Hungarian artists like Black Nail Cabaret’s dark pop diva Emke, Ultranoire’s singer Josef Stapel, provocative artist Vic Willow (and his voice evoking David Bowie and Gary Numan) or yet the writer/futurist Damage of Planetdamage.

The result is a mix of 80’s tainted moody electro wave with a dance floor edge and noir melancholic vocals. It also shows that the Hungarian dark wave scene is far from being dead, on the contrary. A daring yet very accessible release.

Check out this excellent release below, you can download it right now from Bandcamp!

Fire by FIRST AID 4 SOULS feat. LD50

Black Nail Cabaret launches all new video for the track ‘No Gold’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Mon, 30 Dec 2019 19:20:44 +0000

(Photo by Richard Besenczi) The Hungarian dark pop duo Black Nail Cabaret have launched their new song and video on Youtube. “No Gold” is the forerunner song and video from the upcoming album, to be released in the spring of 2020. The 5th album is surrounded with some secrets that will be revealed in the beginning of the New Year.

Here’s what the band says about the new song: “Change is inevitable. Mental or physical, local or global, it’s always happening. Sometimes we have to drop the old skin to give place to the new growing underneath. his song is a daydreamer, but at the same time it is taking action. It is a way of letting go, of people’s expectations, of our own expectations, of our symbols… to enjoy it a little, you know.”

Here’s the video.

Black Nail Cabaret formed in 2008. The band consists of Emese Arvai-Illes (vocals) and Krisztian Arvai (keyboards). They have been playing shows across Europe since their stage debut in 2010. Their 3rd album “Dichromat” was released by the German label Basic Unit Productions. Black Nail Cabaret has since established their own record label Dichronaut Records with fellow Hungarian synth noir band Ultranoire.

‘Click Interview’ with Black Nail Cabaret: ‘There Is No Other Way, But Going Deeply Personal’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 18:00:49 +0000

Black Nail Cabaret is a Hungarian formation, which was originally set up in 2008 by Emese Arvai-Illes (vocals) and Zsófia Tarr (keyboards). Zsófia Tarr left the band in 2016 and got replaced by Krisztian Arvai. Black Nail Cabaret is a rather atypical formation active at the wider music fields of electro-pop music. That’s maybe the reason they define their sound as ‘dark avant-garde pop’ or ‘synth noir music’. After a self-released debut full length and two official albums released on Basic Unit Productions, Black Nail Cabaret’s newest opus “Pseudopop” has been released on Dichronaut Recrods –a label they set up together with Ultranoire. “Pseudopop” is for sure their most accomplished- and still intimate work to date.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: I realized Black Nail Cabaret has been already set up in 2008. How do you look back at this first artistic decade? What have been the main facts and best memories?

Emese: It is incredible, it has been such a journey. We have been going step by step, evolving on the way and there is still so much ahead! The main thing is that we are still learning, about music, about the industry and about ourselves. Being on tour is always the sweetest memory of all, going to new places, introducing our music to new audiences.

Krisztian: In summary, we produced 10 releases out of, which we had 4 studio albums, we played in many countries of Europe, and so on. This has definitely been an upward path and we just hope it will continue in the same pace. It makes me proud that our spirit, and of those who work with the band hasn’t faded in the last 10 years.

Q: Sound-wise I always have experienced your music as something enigmatic; definitely electronic- and pop-like, but still atypical. Music with a very personal sound identity, a kind of sonic-DNA! How much important is it for you as artists to create something personal and how do you perceive this sound?

Emese: Sonic-DNA, I like that! I think there is no other way, butgoing deeply personal. The current album is always a mixture of all impulses –musical and artistic, that affected us in that 1-2 year period. I always have to dig down to find a new concept I can give birth to and live for in the following 1-2 years. I can tell you that the new concept after “Pseudopop” is already on the way. It’s hard to close this tap of ideas!

Krisztian: Emese’s melodies are crucial and define the quality of the musical background and the outcome of the song. We were never keen to follow any trends and we didn’t force anything into a song that had no place in it. This is fortunate in one way, however it is one of the reasons that we may never be part of the mainstream.

Q: The front cover of your album reminds me to the Rorschach test while the title of your new album “Pseudopop” is quite intriguing as well. What is it all about?

Emese: I consider this album to be a contemporary pop record, with dark alternative roots. ‘Avant-pop’ if you like. Deep down it still has its darkness, even though it is melodic and upbeat at times. I started doing Rorschach paintings for “Bête Noire” and there had been many for the single only, so I continued painting, using the song titles as references, or sometimes randomly. We kept the ones that we could relate to the most.

Q: I personally experienced “Pseudopop” as your most intimate work, which also is an aspect that comes back in the lyrical content. Can you give us a few more info and details?

Emese: I try to grasp everyday life as it goes by and usually write a lot of lyrics on the way, while traveling, or at night when something keeps me awake –like it was with “Icarus”. I sometimes struggle with insomnia and find it hard to fall and remain asleep. One night I was watching the lights from the streets reflecting on the ceiling and it felt like our bed drifted out of the room and we are floating in the night. Something gave a constant A sound. It was eerie and beautiful, instantly I felt grateful for not being able to sleep, so I wrote it all out. That said, I think this album was a great lesson to open up more and to let go of the expectations, and to rather focus on what is trying to crawl out to the surface.

Q: How do you consider “Pseudopop” in the evolution –considering items such as writing, recording, production, of Black Nail Cabaret?

Emese: I am really proud of “Pseudopop”; I think we managed to keep on progressing. That is the main goal with every album, to outdo the previous work in a way, or rather doing something different. In order to release the pressure of it, we like to explore new directions. One gets so many impressions in one year that it is inevitable to be affected by it. It will push us to slightly different paths, methods, visuals our sound.

Krisztian: A band can maintain the audience’s interest until it can remain in contact with its fans and manages to bring the expected quality. There is atmosphere and depth in the songs, but it still resonates with our followers. “Pseudopop” is a good example for all this. There is an old-school flavor to it but its sound is in line with other great productions of recent times. Our technical and professional development has helped us to keep up and to bring this to life. We are on a long learning trip. I don’t think “Pseudopop” is the best we can do, we have to keep looking forward.

Q: You both are Hungarians based in the UK. Do you feel concerned as citizens and artists about ‘Brexit’ and what are your further plans and ambitions?

Emese: We are based in Hungary since 2017. We moved back after Brexit was announced – although this wasn’t the main reason of it. However I still do work in London as do many of my friends as European citizens and travel back and forth, therefore I am concerned about what will happen to EU employees as at the moment everything is still uncertain.

One part of me is idealistic and is hoping that the UK will somehow remain. Artistically I am not sure if it means any difference, as I assume we could still travel to the UK with our gear to play gigs there, except we would need to use our passports instead of the ID card.

Black Nail Cabaret – Pseudopop (CD Album – Dichronaut Records)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Mon, 11 Feb 2019 19:30:54 +0000

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Background/Info: Set up in 2008 the Hungarian duo Black Nail Cabaret aka Emese Arvai-Illes (vocals) and Krisztian Arvai (keyboards) are back on track. After having released 2 albums on Daniel Myer’s (Architect, Haujobb) label Basic Unit Productions, Black Nail Cabaret together with Ultranoire set up their own label: Dichronaut Records. “Pseudopop” is the bands third official full length –while they self-released the debut album “Emerald City” in 2012.

Content: If you’re familiar with the electro-pop sound of Black Nail Cabaret you know this band is an atypical formation in the genre. The new songs aren’t that different, revealing an intimate mood and precious song writing. A few tracks are a little bit more into ‘dance’, other passages are sensual, but globally speaking this is more the kind of pop music to dream away on.

+ + + : There where so many electro-pop bands are holding on to the same influences and standards, Black Nail Cabaret deals with an own approach. It’s pretty diversified, like reflecting multiple influences, but in the end I would say they’re composing intelligent electro-pop. Emese Arvai-Illes is a talented vocalist and not only for her sensual timbre of voice, but the vocals are in perfect osmosis with the music. I also have to say a word about the lyrics, which clearly seem to be important as well. Here again I noticed an unusual approach; this is an electro-pop band dealing with other subjects than the familiar electro-pop themes about lost relationships etc. Song-wise “Bête Noire” –which has been also released as EP-title song clearly is the most danceable cut and a real potential hit. I also have to mention the more groovy “Trigger-Happy”, the wafting “Rhythm X” and deeply sexy (just pay attention to the lyrics) “La Petite Mort”.

– – – : The album features 10 songs and there’s just one little piece (cf. “90s”) which couldn’t convince me. I think there’s no reason to complain.

Conclusion: The front cover of this album is clearly inspired by the famous Rorschach test; it’s intriguing and perfectly symbolizing the work of Black Nail Cabaret: unique, a bit mysterious and deeply artistic.

Best songs: “Bête Noire”, “Trigger-Happy”, “Rhythm X”, “La Petite Mort”, “Icarus”, “Resonance”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www .blacknailcabaret .com / www .facebook .com /bncband

Label: www .facebook .com /dichronautrecords

About Black Nail Cabaret

Black Nail Cabaret is Emese Árvai-Illés and Krisztián Árvai, formed in Budapest, Hungary in 2008. The duo self-released its debut album, “Emerald City”, in 2012, then issued two albums through Daniel Myer‘s Basic Unit Productions before co-founding Dichronaut Records with Ultranoire.

“Pseudopop” was the band’s third full-length. Black Nail Cabaret’s most recent album, “Chrysanthemum”, was released on 1 March 2024, and the duo confirmed 2026 tour dates across Hungary, Germany, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom in support of it.

Black Nail Cabaret return with brand new album and video – Watch it exclusively on Side-Line!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 09:50:00 +0000

The Hungarian dark pop duo Black Nail Cabaret is returning with a brand new album today, the 20th of November, titled “Pseudopop”. You can order it now via the band’s own record label Dichronaut Records.

A rather stunning video is available now for the track “Rhythm X” and can be viewed for the very first time on Side-Line right below.

It was created by Zoran Varga, who previously worked with the band as a photographer. The song was primarily created as a “dancer” song, and it has consequently been brought to life with Peter Copek dancer/choreographer’s help. The song is also an homage to the art of Marina Abramović, particularly to her famous ‘Rhythm 0’ performance from 1974, where she was the object and the audience was invited to do whatever they wanted to her.

“We don’t want this record to be labelled”

As far as the music itself, the band is not keen on having it labeled: “We don’t want this record to be labelled, because genre labels are equivocal and arbitrary at best. We believe that pop music can be meaningful and avant-garde, and that alternative music can reach a wider audience and not just a group of people. Nowadays some genres overlap each other, giving a chance for something new to be born – and we think this is exciting as there is so much to learn!”

Black Nail Cabaret formed in 2008, the band consists of Emese Arvai-Illes (vocals) and Krisztian Arvai (keyboards). They have been playing shows across Europe since their stage debut in 2010. Their 3rd album “Dichromat” was released by the German label Basic Unit Productions. Black Nail Cabaret has since established their own record label Dichronaut Records with fellow Hungarian synth noir band Ultranoire.

Warmly recommended!

Black Nail Cabaret – Bête Noire (Digital EP – Black Nail Cabaret)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Mon, 15 Oct 2018 19:30:24 +0000

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, cinematographic. Background/Info: Based in London, Hungarian duo Emese Arvai-Illes (vocals) and Krisztian Arvai (electronics) are back on track unleashing this self-released EP featuring 3 new songs. The band previously released more EP’s and 3 full length albums (mainly released on Basic Unit Productions). A new full length is in the pipeline. Content: The title song is one of the most powerful cuts Black Nail Cabaret has ever accomplished. This is the right title song for an EP mixing great sound treatments, a cool chorus and Emese’s powerful vocals. We next get 2 more cuts, which are quite different. First there’s an instrumental and somewhat soundtrack-inspired song and next a kind of free electro-jazzy inspired piece. + + + : This EP is characterized by a remarkable title song, “Bête Noire” maybe being the best song ever composed by the band. It also stands for a creative and efficient electro-pop song, which can’t be compared to other bands and that’s precisely what Black Nail Cabaret always has done. The 2 songs left add some diversity to the EP revealing a different side from the band. – – – : I like diversity, but I have to admit I’m not entirely convinced by the so-called B-side cuts featured at “Bête Noire”. Conclusion: This is an EP with a terrific title track and 2 more songs revealing a totally other side of the band. “Bête Noire” makes me curious how the new album will sound. Best songs: “Bête Noire”. Rate: (7). Artist: www .blacknailcabaret .com / www .facebook .com /bncband

About Black Nail Cabaret

Black Nail Cabaret is a Hungarian project that describes its sound as “dark avant-garde pop” or “synth noir”. Emese Arvai-Illes (vocals) and Zsófia Tarr (keyboards) founded the band in 2008; Tarr left in 2016 and was replaced by Krisztian Arvai. After a self-released debut and two albums on Basic Unit Productions, Black Nail Cabaret released “Pseudopop” in 2019 on Dichronaut Recordings, a label the band co-founded with Ultranoire. The band went on to release the albums “Woodland Memoirs” (2023) and “Chrysanthemum” (2024).

Planet://Damage – Angst/Snapshots Of A Surveillance Manifesto (CD EP – Two Gods)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sun, 01 Jul 2018 18:30:01 +0000

Genre/Influences: Minimal-electro, EBM, experimental.

Background/Info: Bari Máriusz is a Hungarian artist active as Planet://Damage. After a few released EP’s he now unleashed his debut CD-album on Two Gods (label of Martin Bowes from Attrition). This is a kind of compilation featuring 2 previously released EP’s.

Content: “Angst/Snapshots Of A Surveillance Manifesto” is electronic music exploring minimal sound treatments featuring deep, resonating bass lines, dark atmospheres, raw piano-like arrangements, intelligent bleeping sequences and a real cool vintage touch. The work sometimes reminds me of Attrition and that’s maybe not a coincidence as Martin Bowes did some additional production (while he mixed the album as well).

The vocals don’t have an important place on this work and yet they’re an essential item. From robotic vocal parts to guest vocals, this work is quite diversified in multiple aspects of the production.

There also is an interesting list of remixes featuring Attrition, Black Nail Cabaret, Lhasa Mencur, The Mercy Cage, Haujobb and First Aid 4 Souls (compatriot of Planet://Damage). The last song is a live “ambient” version of “Angst”.

+ + + : I like the sound intelligence of this musician. The songs have been meticulously crafted and achieved with a real great retro approach. It’s an ultra dark production carried by low bass lines and great synth leads. I also noticed an interesting and somewhat psychedelic lead running through “Firewalls”. Another noticeable element is the robotic vocals. Last, but not least there’s an interesting selection of remixers and I here especially enjoyed the work done by Lhasa Mencur and First Aid 4 Souls.

– – – : Intelligent music always remains a kind of challenge. The minimal approach is far away from the usual electronic standards often driven by dark-electro and EBM cliché formations. So it will be not easy for this project to get more recognition.

Conclusion: This is a real interesting release, which will appeal for all fine-tasters of electronic music. This is a project with an own sound and a personal approach in electro underground music. I hope to hear more from this band!

Best songs: “Firewalls”, “The Mark”, “Firewalls – First Aid 4 Souls Remix”, “The Mark – Lhasa Mencur Remix”, “The Mark – Attrition Remix”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www .planetdamage .com / www .facebook .com /planetdamage

Label: www .twogods .co .uk / www .facebook .com /TwoGods

Junksista – Promiscuous Tendencies (DCD Album – Alfa Matrix)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 18:30:06 +0000

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

Background/Info: Junksista Duo Diana S. and Boog are back on track and have unleashed their fourth full length album in five years. A few artists such as LayZee (Mr. President), Noemi Aurora (Helalyn Flowers), Emke (Black Nail Cabaret) and Erlend Eilersten (Essence Of Mind) have been invited on a few songs with guest vocals.

Content: The first (and regular) disc features 12 new cuts revealing the particular electro-pop approach Junksista has always deal with. It’s an pop format sometimes mixed with minimalistic elements, but also moving on the edge of indie music. Junksista is also in for some experiments such as Monster” featuring rap vocals by LayZee.

The bonus disc featured at the limited edition features 12 extra songs, which are remixes by Psy’Aviah, Metroland, Kant Kino, Ananel’s Voices vs. At0shima 3rr0r, Wasserkraft Manifest, T-Error Machinez, Space March, Technolorgy, Nerd Revolt, XMH and 2 remixes by Flesh Eating Foundation.

+ + + : Junksista has gained their success and reputation because they have their own style, which often was linked to punk meeting pop music. This new opus is less punk-like, but still revealing a proper sound DNA. It’s a well-crafted composition moving in between minimalism and even experimentalism at one side and indie-music at the other side. There are great sound treatments featured on this work, but I especially like the menacing bass lines from “Love Makes People Stupid”. I also like the duo vocals featuring Diana S. and Noemi on “Celebration Fornication”. Among the remixes I especially recommend the work accomplished by Psy’Aviah, Metroland and Space March.

– – – : Junksista remains a very particular experience in sound, but I regret they’ve lost a bit of their original naughty and punkish sound. This work sounds ‘softer’ while I personally prefer their darker and harder work from the early years.

Conclusion: Far away from the classical electro-pop standards and clearly sounding like a solid antidote to the numerous Depeche Mode clones, “Promiscuous Tendencies” is a shocking title for an intriguing band although this new work is not my favorite one!

Best songs: “Celebration Fornication”, “Freak At Heart”, “Control”, “Bitch This Is My Party” + “Love Makes People Stupid – Psy’Aviah Remix”, “Freak At Heart – Metroland’s Art Of Bleep Remix”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www .junksista .de / www .facebook .com /Junksista

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

Black Nail Cabaret – Dichromat (CD Album – Basic Unit Productions)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Fri, 23 Feb 2018 19:30:29 +0000

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Background/Info: London based duo Emese Arvai-Illes (vocals) – Krisztian Arvai (music and production) released the Dichromat album back in 2016. It’s the band’s third full length album and even if this work is somewhat outdated I couldn’t resist reviewing it.

Content: Black Nail Cabaret remains a kind of alien active in the wider fields of electro-pop music. It’s somewhat old-styled electro-pop reminding me of melodies à la OMD and the melancholia of Wolfsheim plus a very own and delicate touch supporting the songs with grace. The vocal parts remain pretty particular as well. This is not the typical female like pop-singing, but there’s a part of mystery hiding behind this singer’s voice.

+ + + : I like Black Nail Cabaret’s originality, but especially the graceful and refined pop approach they compose. It’s an emotive release, but still a beautiful work carried by strong melody lines and the magic vocals of Emese Arvai-Illes. It more sounds like music to listen and enjoy instead of danceable electro-pop.

– – – : “Dichromat” clearly doesn’t sound like the classic electro-pop band. That’s a rather positive and original aspect, but still not easy to catch their sound. It’s not exactly the kind of band that will hit dancefloors and compose catchy pop songs that will enter into the collective memory of electro-pop freaks. That’s what I’m missing but in the end I would say it’s probably better to discover an original formation instead of a classic production without a real sound DNA…

Conclusion: If you like electro-pop, but you’re tired of the stereotypical sound formulas and other Depeche Mode clones, this band will serve you a very efficient antidote!

Best songs: “Therapy”, “Freak Of Fancy”, “Lower The Shutters”.

Rate: (7½).

Band: www .blacknailcabaret .com / www .facebook .com /bncband

Label: http ://basicunit .de / www .facebook .com /BasicUnitProductions

Fuck for Love by JUNKSISTA

New Junksista album and download single available now – here is your reduction code

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Fri, 09 Feb 2018 17:30:31 +0000

Officially out today is the brand new Junksista album “Promiscuous Tendencies”. The LP is the follow-up to the band’s 2014 album “High Voltage Confessions” and offers 12 brand new songs, on the regular CD edition that is. On the bonus disc of the deluxe edition you get some 12 bonus tracks on top.

Available now on Bandcamp and via the Alfa Matrix webstore for the CD and 2CD sets. Do you use the discount code sideline2518 to get a 25% discount on Bandcamp.

On the album the duo, Diana S. and Boog, continues to venture into their well received mix of club anthems, melancholic electro-pop songs, funky electro tunes and ballads. The band worked with several artists on this new album, amongst them LayZee (Mr. President), the international Eurodance superstar of the 90s, best known for the hit single “Coco Jamboo”, Noemie Aurora (Helalyn Flowers), Emke (Black Nail Cabaret) and Erlend Eilersten (Essence Of Mind).

But that’s not all. Out as well now is the 4-track download single “Fuck for Love” which you can download right now from Bandcamp. And again, do you use the discount code sideline2518 to get a 25% discount. Next to the title track you get the exclusive B-side “Tip Top” next to two excellent bonus remixes by Aesthetische and KPT.

You can check out the new single below.

Promiscuous tendencies (Bonus Tracks Edition) by JUNKSISTA

Listen to the first 2 tracks from upcoming 2018 album by Junksista

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 19:15:41 +0000

Next year, in February more precisely, you can expect the brand new Junksista album “Promiscuous Tendencies” to be released. The LP is the follow-up to the band’s 2014 album “High Voltage Confessions” and will offer 12 brand new songs, on the regular CD edition that is.

We had a pre-listen to the the unmixed version and could hear that the duo, Diana S. and Boog, continues to venture into their well received mix of club anthems, melancholic electro-pop songs, funky electro tunes and ballads. A band to follow closely, there’s some real talent at work here!

The band worked with several artists on this new album, amongst them LayZee (Mr. President), the international Eurodance superstar of the 90s, best known for the hit single “Coco Jamboo”, Noemie Aurora (Helalyn Flowers), Emke (Black Nail Cabaret) and Erlend Eilersten (Essence Of Mind).

For the fans, there’s also a stylish 2CD deluxe digipack of “Promiscuous Tendencies” – available for pre-ordering right here – which includes 12 extra remixes in various styles.

For now, you can listen to these 2 tracks on Bandcamp.

Black Nail Cabaret – We Like To Suffer (CD EP – Basic Unit Productions)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Tue, 25 Apr 2017 18:30:42 +0000

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

Background/Info: Hungarian female duo Black Nail Cabaret is back on track unleashing the EP “We Like To Suffer”. This song originally released on their last album “Dichromat” released on Basic Unit Productions (label of Daniel Myer/Haujobb).

Content: The electro-pop style from both ladies is something apart. It’s not exactly about a female touch, but just electro-pop music with a different approach. They call it ‘noir’ (cf. black) and that’s probably a right adjective to define the global atmosphere running through their work.

It also sounds like minimal electronics. The title song makes me think of an experimental version of Pet Shop Boys.

Next to the original version we get remixes by CrackDown, DSX and Celldöd. There also is a kind of B-side track, which is definitely ‘noir’ and full of melancholia.

+ + + : Next to the cool title song, which I mainly like for its minimal approach and the half-spoken like vocals the instrumental remix of “We Like To Suffer” by DSX is a real cool piece of music. It’s also dark, but accomplished with great vintage-like sound treatments.

– – – : This is an EP for the fans although revealing an interesting remix by DSX. I expected a bit more out of the other remixes, which are not exactly adding a bonus to the EP. It would have been cool to get –next to DSX, some more remixes from label mates (thinking about Blac Kolor and Haujobb for example).

Conclusion: Black Nail Cabaret remains a fascinating duo dealing with a different side of pop music. This EP features an interesting title track and one great remix by DSX.

Best songs: “We Like To Suffer”, “We Like To suffer – DSX Remix”.

Rate: (7½).

Band: www .blacknailcabaret .com / www .facebook .com /bncband

Label: http ://basicunit .de / www .facebook .com /BasicUnitProductions

Black Nail Cabaret – Harry Me Marry Me Bury Me Bite Me (CD Album – Negative Gain Productions)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sun, 20 Sep 2015 10:01:47 +0000

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Content: Some of you might have discovered Black Nail Cabaret (BNC) as the supporting act for Covenant and/or De/Vision. Black Nail Cabaret was already set up a couple of years ago and features a female duo composed of singer Emke (Emese Illes-Arvai) and Sophie (Sophie Tarr). Emese also contributed to an album of Architect (Daniel Meyer) so in the end we might say that this band already got some interesting opportunities to increase their popularity.

They define their sound as ‘synth noir’, which is an interesting description. There for sure is a rather dark mood hanging over the songs, but it first of all is a quite diversified pop exposure. The opening song “Hair” reminds me a bit of Kosheen and sounds like a real refreshing composition. A similar cool touch comes back at “Blonde”, which is driven by a nice pop tune.

But things get more interesting with “The Critical Cult Of Dora”, which moves into some minimalism and which is driven by passionate and sexy-like vocals. “Lovely girl” coming next up is somewhat similar also I here especially got fascinated by the vintage sound approach.

Black Nail Cabaret can be hardly compared to any other band and that’s precisely what makes their strength. They’re touching different electro-pop grounds, mixing retro elements with fresh electronic treatments and some dreamy passages. The work is quite original and that’s what you’ll hear when discovering “Satisfaction”, which is a great exposure of their creative mind.

Some passages are maybe a little bit too soft, but the vocal capacities of Emke inject a passionate and captivating element to the work. Just pay attention for “Down Again”, which sounds like having been written just for her great singing skills.

Conclusion: I’m not saying that Black Nail Cabaret is setting the universe of electro-pop alight, but those ladies are definitely injecting a fresh breeze into a genre that is too often repeating itself.

Best songs: “The Critical Cult Of Dora”, “Satisfaction”, “Down Again”, “Blonde”.

Rate: (DP:7½)DP.

Band: www.facebook.com/bncband

Label: www.negativegain.com / www.facebook.com/pages/Negative-Gain/212061438836984

Alfa Matrix announces pre-order new Zombie Girl album ‘Killer Queen’ in 3 formats + 25% discount on back catalogue material

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 08 Sep 2015 16:46:46 +0000

Bestselling electro artist Zombie Girl returns with a brand new studio album on the Belgian Alfa Matrix label, “Killer Queen”, and this in various formats. The album was produced & engineered by none other than the team consisting of Kurt Maas & Dave Rave Ogilvie, mastering was done by Lawrie Bayldon from Studio-X fame. You can again expect fat beats, dirty female vocals and also 2 covers, Berlin’s “Pleasure Victim” and The Cure’s “Fascination Street” (which also appeared on the The Cure tribute compilation “A Strange Play”). The album is also available in a deluxe 2CD carton box edition with a bonus disc including an exclusive collaboration with Helalyn Flowers (and guest backing vocals by n0emi) and other remix work by artists in the like of Psy’aviah, Acylum, Simon Carter, Venal Flesh, Llumen, Pax Sono, Avarice In Audio, Eexxee, Cardinal Noire, Black Nail Cabaret, Shades:Of:Hell, Complex Mind, Diffuzion and so on. A 28-track counting download is also available from Bandcamp, with an immediate download of 4 tracks. And there’s more, in a mail to its clients Alfa Matrix offers a coupon code to get 25% discount on the complete Zombie Girl back catalogue in the label’s CD/DVD webstore at www.alfa-matrix-store.com . The coupon code is 41654, just insert it when checking out and you’ll get 25% reduction on the Zombie Girl back catalogue material, both normal and 2CD sets. The offer is only valid until the release date of the album, that is October 31st, so make sure to use it before that! For those who prefer the digital download, use the discount code september5236584 to get 25% off the normal price on Alfa Matrix’ Bandcamp page. The code can be used on as many items as you want and expires at the end of September. Killer Queen (Bonus Tracks Version) by ZOMBIE GIRL

Read the review of ‘Killer Queen’.