British composer and DiEM25 co-founder Brian Eno has issued a direct and forceful open letter condemning Microsoft’s collaboration with the Israeli military, citing the company’s involvement in technologies linked to civilian casualties in Gaza.

Published via DiEM25 (Democracy in Europe Movement 2025), Brian Eno’s open letter revisits his historic role in composing the original Windows 95 start-up chime—a brief audio clip that once symbolized technological optimism. However, Eno now says that symbol has been “darkly inverted” by Microsoft’s current actions.

Brian Eno’s Activism

Microsoft’s Involvement in Israel’s Military

Eno’s letter directly responds to a Microsoft blog post published on May 15, 2025, in which the company acknowledged supplying Israel’s Ministry of Defence with cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence services, and software tools.

According to Eno, these technologies are not neutral tools. He states that they are used in what he describes as “lethal technologies” that support operations violating international humanitarian law.

“Selling and facilitating advanced AI and cloud services to a government engaged in systematic ethnic cleansing is not ‘business as usual’. It is complicity,” Eno writes.

A Personal and Political Break

Eno contrasts his original collaboration with Microsoft in the 1990s—then seen as a creative and forward-thinking project—with the company’s present-day involvement in warfare and surveillance.

“My new start-up chime is this: stand in solidarity with the brave Microsoft workers who have done something truly disruptive and refused to stay silent. They risk their livelihoods for people who have lost and will continue to lose their lives,” he adds.

As part of his protest, Eno pledges to donate the original Windows 95 fee he received to support victims in Gaza. He also urges artists, technologists, and concerned citizens to pressure Microsoft to suspend services that enable actions breaching international law.

Brian Eno’s Broader Political Engagement

Past Statements on Gaza

In October 2023, Brian Eno signed an open letter calling for a ceasefire and Palestinian liberation. That letter condemned violence against all civilians. A subsequent update, published four days later, acknowledged the October 7 Hamas attacks, stating that the signatories “share revulsion at the horrific massacres of 1400 people in Israel conducted by Hamas.”

However, Eno’s public statements have primarily focused on criticizing Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

Ukraine and NATO

In 2022, Eno also signed an open letter condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, he – naively – called on NATO to avoid further escalation and urged the UK government to prioritize diplomacy. His later remarks continued to promote de-escalation and diplomatic solutions as essential to preventing further conflict. Three years further down the road this vision has proven to be an utter disaster with Russia using these peace movement advocates to try and sabotage weapon deliveries to Ukraine and thus giving Russia a military advantage.

About Brian Eno

Brian Eno, born May 15, 1948, in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, is a composer, producer, visual artist, and thinker renowned for pioneering ambient music and experimental approaches to sound. He first gained attention in the early 1970s as a member of Roxy Music, playing synthesizer and adding visual flair before leaving the band in 1973.

He went on to release influential solo albums such as “Here Come the Warm Jets” (1974) and “Another Green World” (1975), which merged pop melodies with avant-garde soundscapes. In the late 1970s, Eno coined the term “ambient music”, launching the genre with albums like “Music for Airports” (1978). His concept was that music could serve as an atmosphere or environment—rather than a focal point.

As a producer and collaborator, Eno played a central role in shaping iconic albums by David Bowie (the Berlin Trilogy), Talking Heads (Remain in Light), and U2 (The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby). His contributions also extend to visual art installations, books on creativity, and extensive political advocacy.

Among his lesser-known but widely heard works is the six-second start-up chime for Microsoft Windows 95. In recent decades, Eno has increasingly used his public platform to advocate for peace, sustainability, and digital ethics.

He is a founding member and Advisory Board member of DiEM25, where he actively supports anti-militarism, democratic reform, and social justice in Europe.

About DiEM25

DiEM25 (Democracy in Europe Movement 2025) is a pan-European political movement that calls for fundamental reform of the European Union. The group argues that the EU must be radically transformed to address systemic crises—ranging from economic inequality to environmental collapse and democratic erosion.

Its mission is simple: “Through a coordinated effort across Europe, unite citizens and create enough energy to save the EU from itself.”

Founded in 2016, the movement has since launched political parties in Germany, Greece, and Italy. These parties have taken clear stances on the Palestinian issue, supporting calls for an immediate ceasefire, international legal accountability, and the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

DiEM25 has also cooperated with a Hague-based legal team working to investigate alleged war crimes in Gaza. Its campaigns continue to denounce what it calls corporate and governmental complicity in the ongoing Israeli military campaign.

Note that it’s a mix of anti-European activists, pure communists, left-wing and socialist political party representatives.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Out via Cold Spring is the album “Broken Allures” by Jac Berrocal (Nurse With Wound collaborator), David Fenech and Vincent Epplay. The album also features Cosey Fanni Tutti and Jah Wobble. You may expect a blend between industrial, experimental, avantgarde, ethno-ambient and dark jazz.

“Broken Allures” is the fifth LP from the trio where they continue their unique recording style with a musique concrète approach to mixing.

Cosey Fanni Tutti (Throbbing Gristle, Chris & Cosey) contributes vocals, cornet and electric guitar. She has also written lyrics for two tracks on the album and worked on the instrumental track “Viva la Hacienda”, which, in her own words, recalls her time recording with Throbbing Gristle.

Jah Wobble (founding member of Public Image Limited, and collaborator with Brian Eno, Björk, Bill Laswell, Primal Scream, Sinéad O’Connor and countless others) plays bass on one track.

Check out the video for “Outspoken Caress”.

The release is available in 3 formats: CD in a matt-laminate flood-printed digipak, a regular black vinyl edition in a matt-laminate sleeve with full-colour insert, and limited edition of 150 copies on transparent yellow vinyl.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

The avant-garde trio comprising Jac Berrocal (Nurse With Wound), David Fenech, and Vincent Epplay has unveiled their fifth LP, “Broken Allures” to be released on Cold Spring on the 30th of August. This latest release continues their approach to musique concrète, blending the sounds and techniques of each member.

The album is available in several formats via Cold Spring:

• CD in a matt-laminate flood-printed digipak.
• Limited edition of 150 copies on transparent yellow vinyl in a matt-laminate sleeve with a full-color insert.
• Black vinyl in a matt-laminate sleeve with a full-color insert.

French musician Jac Berrocal is renowned for his collaborations with Nurse With Wound, Vince Taylor, Jaki Liebezeit, Pascal Comelade, and Sunny Murray. For this project, the trio further enlisted the talents of two musicians: Cosey Fanni Tutti and Jah Wobble.

Cosey Fanni Tutti, known for her work with Throbbing Gristle, Chris & Cosey, and COUM Transmissions contributes vocals, cornet, and electric guitar, and has written lyrics for two tracks.

Jah Wobble, a founding member of Public Image Limited and a collaborator with a diverse array of artists including African Head Charge, Brian Eno, Björk, and Sinéad O’Connor, lends his industrial dub sound to the album.

“Broken Allures” includes the track “Outspoken Caress” featuring Cosey Fanni Tutti, with a video directed by Vincent Epplay.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Brooklyn-based post-punk outfit Clone (a supergroup featuring members of The Veldt, Dead Leaf Echo, Namesake and Pilot To Gunner) present “Dividing Line”. “Dividing Line” is a song “about how Donald Trump tried to start a class war within the USA,” says the band. It will be the lead track from their debut record “CL. 1”, out this summer via Portland’s Little Cloud Records and North Carolina’s 5BC Records.

Led by LG Galleon, frontman of Dead Leaf Echo, Clone started playing shows in summer of 2019. “CL.1” was recorded and mixed by NYC legendary producer Martin Bisi (Sonic Youth, Swans, Brian Eno, John Zorn, Herbie Hancock, Iggy Pop, Helmet, Dresden Dolls, Cop Shoot Cop) at his BC Studio (actually built by Brian Eno). The material was then and mastered by Fred Kevorkian, another name that will ring many bells. Besides LG Galleon we also find NYC musicians Gregg Giufree (Pilot to Gunner), Max Idas and Dominick Turi. Live, he is joined by Paul Liziragga (Namesake) and Alex Cox (The Veldt).

The video for “Dividing Line”, which involved claymation, drawing and digital rendering, was created by Preston Spurlock.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Greenwashing in architecture happens a lot, but what about the music industry? “It’s an issue”, says Figen Sekin – a Turkish specialist in sustainability. “A growing number of companies claim eco-friendly practices while possibly engaging in environmentally harmful activities.”

The production of physical media, energy use during events, and merchandise manufacturing are areas where transparency is vital. Fans and artists alike are pushing for genuine sustainability efforts, scrutinizing claims to ensure that eco-friendly messages aren’t just a marketing ploy but a reality.

Together with Sekin we checked into 3 products that have eco-friendly solutions and will check if festivals are really so eco-friendly as they claim to be.

Bio vinyls in the music industry, the real solution or greenwashing?

Traditional vinyl is made from PVC, which is derived from fossil fuels, and the entire process is environmentally damaging​​. A fact. Bio-vinyls produced with reused PVC represent a step towards sustainable practices in the music industry. Figen Sekin: “The production plants basically aim to reduce the environmental footprint by recycling materials that would otherwise contribute to waste. However, the effectiveness and the true environmental impact of these bio-vinyls often are questioned.”

Are these practices genuinely sustainable or do they simply serve as a band-aid solution that allows the industry to appear green without making significant changes.

“Bio-vinyls, like the ones produced by Optimal Media in collaboration with PlastChem, are an innovative step toward sustainability in the vinyl record industry,” Sekin says. Their BioVinyl is made from bio-based PVC, which uses recycled cooking oil or industrial waste gases instead of petroleum, leading to significantly reduced CO2 emissions​​. All good news?

Sekin has some doubts: “Well, you also have to look at the entire production lifecycle. For instance, the PVC granulate used for pressing vinyl can release highly toxic chlorine-based chemicals, from production to disposal. Even eco-focused plants like Deep Grooves acknowledge that while they strive for sustainability, some aspects like the granulate still pose challenges. They actively seek out the most eco-friendly granulate and employ eco-methods even for special patterns and limited editions​​.”

With vinyl sales increasing, or better getting a revival, the impact of their production and distribution on the environment is significant. But some plants go even further and have invested in technologies that reduce reliance on electricity or fossil fuels, like the steam presser from Vyril used by Smashed Plastic in Chicago​​.

In short, initiatives by pressing plants and companies like Optimal Media and Deep Grooves show a promising direction, “with a shared vision to reduce the environmental footprint of music production and distribution” Sekin adds.

What about the cost?

Introducing sustainable practices like the production of bio-vinyls does often come with financial implications. “The research and development of alternative materials, obtaining certifications like ISCC PLUS, and implementing greener manufacturing processes can increase production costs,” Figen Sekin says. And she adds: “However, the long-term benefits, like reduced environmental impact and appeal to environmentally conscious consumers, can potentially offset these initial expenses. Moreover, as demand for sustainable products grows and technology advances, the cost of eco-friendly alternatives may decrease over time.”

Bio-based vinyl compounds, which include bio-based plasticizers, could be more cost-effective than traditional petrochemical-based vinyl. Teknor Apex’s BioVinyl flexible vinyl compounds, for example, use these plasticizers, which have shown greater efficiency than traditional plasticizers, reducing the amount of plasticizer needed per pound of compound, which can lower costs​​. This efficiency, coupled with the reduced carbon footprint of BioVinyl compounds, suggests potential cost benefits over traditional vinyl production methods.

Despite this, it’s important to note that transitioning to these more sustainable materials can involve upfront costs for research, development, and certification. The overall cost implications would likely depend on factors such as scale of production, technological advancements, and market demand for sustainable products. Sekin adds: “It seems that while initial costs may be higher for setting up eco-friendly production, the long-term savings and benefits could balance or even outweigh these initial investments.”

Eco-friendly produced CDs

Eco-friendly alternatives for CD production are also available, focusing on reducing carbon emissions and environmental impact. For example, Breed Media offers a range of manufacturing and packaging solutions with minimized environmental impact, including the Digifile for more sustainable CD and DVD packaging. This option reduces carbon emissions by up to 80% compared to traditional CD jewel cases and uses FSC certified sustainable card, vegetable-based inks, and non-toxic, water-based varnish. Their products are 100% recyclable and produced with environmentally-focused ISO-certified methods​​.

What about the cost?

Again, the shift towards sustainability often comes with a premium due to the materials and processes used. “However,” says Sekin, “these costs could be mitigated over time as sustainable practices become more widespread and efficient. If you’re considering such alternatives for CDs, it’s worth exploring these options further with manufacturers who specialize in eco-friendly production.”

Eco-friendly produced T-shirts

There are eco-friendly options for T-shirt production as well. Companies like No Nasties and The Good Tee are at the forefront of this movement.

No Nasties offers T-shirts made from 100% fair trade and GOTS certified organic cotton, using non-toxic dyes. They ensure their entire supply chain, from cotton farming to manufacturing, is sustainable and they contribute to the community by planting trees and supporting local initiatives​​.

The Good Tee also uses 100% fair trade and GOTS certified organic cotton, AZO-free non-toxic dyes, and incorporates materials like coconut for trims and buttons. They trace their supply chain transparently, ensuring ethical labor practices and use biodegradable packaging for shipping. As a Certified B Corp, they’re committed to meeting rigorous standards of social and environmental performance​​.

Both companies exemplify a growing trend in the apparel industry to reduce environmental impact through sustainable practices, from the sourcing of materials to the manufacturing processes and beyond.

Sekin concludes: “The cost may be higher compared to standard T-shirts due to the more sustainable production methods and the higher quality of materials used.”

Greenwashing rampant with concert organisors

Accusations of greenwashing have been raised against music festivals and venues. Activists and scholars have criticized some festivals for greenwashing and lack of transparency over their sustainability data. For instance, major events like Tomorrowland have been called out for their large carbon footprint due to audience travel, which significantly outweighs the carbon emissions from waste produced at the festivals​​. Despite efforts to promote green initiatives, the reliance on diesel generators and the extensive carbon footprint from mass transit raise questions about the effectiveness of these measures​​.

Furthermore, data on the actual environmental impact of festivals is scarce, making it difficult to hold them accountable. Only a small portion of festivals have been found to calculate their carbon footprint, and while innovative tools for better measurement and CO2 calculation are becoming available, the actual implementation is still in the early stages​​.

Figen Sekin: “Criticism has also focused on the need for festivals to enforce their sustainability initiatives rather than just promoting them, showing the importance of action over appearance​​. The accusations of greenwashing suggest that more concrete actions and transparency are necessary to achieve genuine sustainability in the music industry.”

Some music venues and festivals are already implementing a variety of eco-friendly initiatives to reduce their environmental impact:

1. EarthPercent by Brian Eno: This initiative aims to support the music industry in transitioning to more sustainable practices. Brian Eno, a prominent figure in music, launched EarthPercent as a means to provide a simple way for the music industry to fund actions addressing the climate emergency. The initiative suggests donating a small percentage of revenue from various aspects of the industry to support climate-related projects.
2. International Music Summit’s Eco Badge and Eco-Tax: IMS introduced the Eco Badge initiative to incentivize attendees to use sustainable means of transport, offering discounts to those who could prove eco-friendly travel. Moreover, an eco-tax applied to delegate badges helps fund environmental efforts, such as beach cleaning. They are also working towards an environmentally friendly stage setup for their prominent Dalt Villa event, acknowledging the importance of sustainable practices in even the most visible parts of their operations.
3. A Greener Festival’s Role: Acting as a pioneering force for sustainability in the music industry, A Greener Festival offers education, resources, and recognition through awards for festivals moving towards eco-friendliness. Their Greener Festival Awards have seen an increase in applications, indicating a growing commitment across the industry to sustainability.

The benefits are quite important though.

• Cost Savings: Energy-efficient systems and waste reduction programs, while initially expensive, can lead to significant cost savings over time. The investment in green technology can offset the initial costs through reduced energy and maintenance costs​​.
• Reputation: Venues with strong sustainability initiatives can enhance their reputation, attracting environmentally-conscious clients and attendees​​.
• Regulatory Compliance: Proactive measures can help venues comply with sustainability regulations, which are becoming more common, avoiding potential legal issues​​.

What about the costs

Implementing eco-friendly measures in music venues and festivals comes with both costs and benefits:

The challenges:

• Initial Costs: Eco-friendly designs and initiatives often involve significant upfront investment. For instance, installing solar panels, setting up waste recycling systems, or purchasing biofuel generators can be expensive. Such costs may be a barrier, especially for smaller venues or festivals with limited budgets. The return on investment for these green technologies can take several years to realize, necessitating long-term financial planning.
• Resistance to Change: Stakeholders, including investors, sponsors, and even attendees, who are accustomed to traditional practices may resist changes necessary for sustainability. This resistance can stem from a variety of concerns, such as the fear of increased ticket prices, changes in the event experience, or simply the inertia of established ways of doing things. Overcoming this resistance often requires education, clear communication about the benefits of sustainability, and sometimes, compromises in the short term to achieve long-term goals.
• Regulatory and Standards Modification: Compliance with existing regulations and standards can be a hurdle in implementing sustainable practices. For example, building codes may not accommodate innovative eco-friendly designs, or local waste management regulations may not support the type of recycling initiatives a venue wants to introduce. Navigating this bureaucracy can be time-consuming and costly, and may require venues to advocate for changes in local or regional policies, which is a process that can take years and involve extensive lobbying efforts.

And Figen Sekin concludes: “Lots of good things happening, some other aspects seriously need an eco-upgrade, especially in the festival sector.”

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

The Comateens tracks “Danger Zone” and “Elizabeth’s Lover” are being reissued by Left for Dead, a label with a long connection to both the band and their guitarist Ramona Jan. The 12-inch will be a limited, very collectible release with 90 copies on orange vinyl and 200 on black vinyl.

The Comateens’ Ramona Jan and Nicholas ‘Nic North’ Dembling had just gotten started when they recorded “Danger Zone” while “Elizabeth’s Lover” marked Jan’s turn from punk rock to new wave. Both cuts were recorded at Mediasound in 1979 with Jan on guitar, North on bass, Byrd on synths and Viderci playing drums. Don Wersheba and Harvey J. Goldberg engineered while Ray Janos was the mastering engineer.

As a sidenote, the band was able to record at Mediasound because Jan was an audio engineer there, one of only a handful of women engineers in the world. She had a lifelong career in engineering and production that led to work with Brian Eno, Talking Heads, Ramones (who wrote “Ramona” about her.) and more.

“Danger Zone” was originally backed with “Cool Chick”, recorded during the same session and released independently on Teenmaster Records. Jan left the band shortly after recording these songs “due to a series of unfortunate misunderstandings”, so this version of “Elizabeth’s Lover” was never released. Jan recorded it again, later, with Dizzy and the Romilars. Left for Dead’s James Reynolds considered releasing the original “Danger Zone” single on his Jimboco Records, however he put out Dizzy and the Romilars’ version of “Elizabeth’s Lover” in 1980 instead, followed by the Ramona Jan-produced NastyFacts single “Drive My Car” in ‘81.

The Comateens were one of NYC’s earliest synth-punk bands, along with Suicide and Kraftwerk one of the few live bands to perform with a drum machine. Jan and North formed the band in 1978. Singer and synth player Lyn Byrd and drummer Harry Viderci joined shortly afterwards. Comateens continued after Jan left the band, recording three full lengths before breaking up in the mid-1980s. Their biggest hit was a cover of the “Munster’s Theme Song”, recorded in 1981.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

(Photo by Yuliya Skya) The Toronto-NYC indie trio ON present their fresh single “Gator”, released via the Toronto-based imprint Indiestructable Records.

“This song was written while the band was on a writing/recording session in Naples, Florida. We stayed in a gated community – meaning pass codes to enter the neighborhood and real “surveillance”. In the community was this pond – with freely roaming alligators. And there we have it – we think we are boundless and free – and yet we have lines and gates to keep us so called “safe”. There is the illusion – masking the element control as “safety”…. While the alligators roam freely. One begs to ask: who of the two “gators” is really free here?” says frontwoman Lucy Di Santo.

ON is a riveting power trio led by Lucy Di Santo (vocals, bass) with Dan Cornelius on drums and Steve Fall on guitars. Their latest music output sees the trio carry on the legacy of the band from which they were formed – 90’s Sire Records band Acid Test. Its members have also been in other popular Toronto bands Danko Jones and Deliuss. Musically the band is paying homage to their post-punk and grunge roots flavoured with some extra influences.

“Gator” follows up the band’s latest single “Make Me”, a song of frustration and wanting to recapture that euphoria.

The band is currently busy recording their next record at BC Studio in Brooklyn with legendary producer Martin Bisi, famed for his work with Sonic Youth, Swans, Brian Eno, John Zorn, Herbie Hancock, Iggy Pop, Helmet, Africa Bambaataa, Dresden Dolls, Unsane, Cop Shoot Cop and many other notable artists.

ON also recently completed an extensive US tour in support of their “ON” album, co-produced by Darius Szczepaniak (Sum 41, Black Crowes, Big Sugar, Bare Naked Ladies, Jann Arden) at Phase One Studios in Toronto.

Tour dates

• Fri 09/15 NYC, NY @Gold Sounds
• Sat 09/16 Flemington, NJ @Flemington DIY
• Tues 09/19 Baltimore, MD @The Crown
• Wed 09/20 Alexandria, VA @Galactic Panther
• Thurs 09/21 Winston-Salem, NC @Monstercade (with The Veldt)
• Fri 09/22 Raleigh, NC @Ruby Deluxe (with The Veldt)
• Sat 09/23 Atlanta, GA – Tiny’s Music (with The Veldt)
• Sun 09/24 Nashville, TN – TBA (with The Veldt)
• Tues 09/26 Cincinnati, OH @Northside Tavern (with The Veldt)
• Wed 09/27 Detroit, MI @Smalls (with The Veldt)
• Thurs 09/28 Toronto, ON – TBA (with The Veldt)
• Wed 10/11 Joiliet, IL @Drunken Donut (with Snailmate)
• Thurs 10/12 Port Huron, MI @Schwonk Stead Sound (with Snailmate)
• Sat 10/14 Peterborough, ON @Historic Red Dog (with Snailmate)
• Sun 10/15 Toronto @Bovine Sex Club (with Snailmate, Second Wife)
• Tues 10 /17 Ithaca, NY @Deep Dive (with Snailmate)
• Thurs 10/19 Kingston, ON @The Toucan (with Snailmate)
• Fri 10/20 Ottawa, ON @Avant-Garde Bar (with Snailmate)
• Sat 10/21 NYC, NY @Bar Frida (with Snailmate)

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Dieter Moebius (16 January 1944 – 20 July 2015) was a pivotal figure in Germany’s avant-garde electronic music scene. He gained prominence as a member of the seminal krautrock bands Kluster/Cluster (alongside Hans-Joachim Roedelius) and Harmonia (with Roedelius and Michael Rother from NEU!). Throughout his career, he collaborated with notable artists like Brian Eno, Conny Plank, and Mani Neumeier of Guru Guru. On October 6th, Curious Music is set to debut his posthumous album “Aspirin”, which was finalized in 2005 but is being released for the first time.

Tim Story, a close friend and fellow composer, recounts the origins of “Aspirin”: “In December 2005, Dieter Moebius visited the US to perform with Guru Guru’s drummer, Mani Neumeier, at the Detroit Institute of Arts. After the performance, he extended his stay to spend time with my family and me in Ohio. These were memorable days filled with friend visits, laughter, and delightful meals. On our last evening, over some Scotch, Moebius introduced me to new tracks he’d been crafting. I was instantly captivated and got his permission to copy them.”

Story continues, “Moebius had just wrapped up his ‘Nurton’ album earlier in 2005. Like ‘Nurton’, these tracks were produced in his Berlin and Mallorca home studios. Some might have been ‘Nurton’ out-takes, but I feel most were created post-‘Nurton’. Regardless of when they were made, Moebius chose to set these aside to focus on his next solo venture, ‘Kram’ (2009).”

Years later, during a trip to Berlin, Story played a CDr of these tracks for Moebius, who was thrilled to revisit them. Story believes, “Even though we never discussed this music again, I sense Moebius would be delighted to know that this previously overlooked chapter from an enjoyable, productive phase of his life is finally seeing the light of day.”

Following “Moebius Strips”, which Curious Music released in 2021, “Aspirin” is the next project. Tim Story closely collaborated with Moebius’s widow, Irene, and the audio installation featured contributions from various artists, including Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo, Michael Rother from Harmonia and NEU!, and many others.

Notably, the album cover for “Aspirin” was designed by Mark Mothersbaugh, known as DEVO’s lead vocalist.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

I already interviewed BySenses four years ago right after the release of the third album “People”. This Belgian solo-project driven by Didier Dewachtere took me by surprise dealing with an intelligent Electro-Ambient style which is clearly inspired by the ‘Berliner School’. The artist this year self-released his fifth opus “MonoCHROOM” on which he confirmed to have a talent for sophisticated Ambient music. This is an album appealing for fans of Tangerine Dream but more than simply an emulation BySenses is a project with an own approach and a fascinating sound.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Tell us a bit more about your musical background and roots? How did you finally come to set up BySenses? 

Didier:As a little boy, at home I was mainly brought into contact with French chansons, Charles Aznavour or American artists, such as Nat King Cole, Dean Martin or Orchestral melodic music. The time on the radio is still in my head today, and yes, I did like that. As a child, you develop naturally and you end up in your own world. A world of New-Wave, Front 242, The Neon Judgement, Simple Minds etc… New-Wave pubs were the place where a lot of my music started. In Ghent, there was no shortage of such nice bars either, The Fifty Five for instance. 

At one point I heard the opening tune “Equinoxe 5” by Jean-Michel Jarre on the “Musique de France” broadcast on the radio, presented by Zaki, father of, father of the Soulwax-brothers. It was a bit of a surprise, because the opening tune really didn’t match the French chansons that were presented, but it was a start. “Equinoxe 5” did catch my attention. I went looking for that music and finally bought the single. Later, the LP-version was added, so my parents were obliged to buy me a record player. But actually, my first distant contact with Electronic music was at the Bargee’s institute in Wetteren, where the catholic brother played Vangelis’ music at night, while the lights were off… very special, but I think that has stuck. He then played “To The Unknown Man”. It was only when I bought “Spiral” that I recognized it.

In Sluis (Holland) I came across an album with a purple background and a big X sign. I didn’t know what and who it was, but I had the album played on the turntable in that shop. I was overwhelmed. After a long time of sawing, my parents let me buy it… and then the purchase of many albums by Klaus Schulze.

Also the album “Live” came up and if it would just happen that the song “Sense” is on it and that’s how I came to the name BySenses. I thought it was a nice pun on one of my great examples

Q: Your work is clearly inspired by Ambient music. Does this label fit with what you’re doing and what means Ambient music to you? 

Didier: I can imagine that people place my music in that genre. Just putting together different sounds, looking for a setting, atmosphere is very important to me. Music has to be able to take you along, whether it’s Rock, Jazz, Hard-Rock or House or Classical music, if it takes you along, I think you’re on the right track. 

You can’t compare Klaus Schulze’s music with VANGELIS’ music. These are two different environments, two different atmospheres, two different worlds. Where Vangelis mainly feeds on his fantastic melodies, Klaus Schulze feeds more on his Soundscapes, composer of different tones, sounds. I find that an incredible thing. Am I influenced by it, certainly, and that’s no problem, they will have been influenced by other artists as well. “Le Grand Petit”, from the digital album “5 Jours De Liberté” tends much more towards the melodic, while on the same album there are pieces where I try to create an atmosphere with pure sounds. It’s the same on “MonoCHROOM”. The album “People” tends more towards sequencer work and more Techno-like rhythms. 

Q: You already mentioned Klaus Schulze and Vangelis who both passed away quite recently. You already talked about it but in which way do you feel connected with their work and what made both artists and their work that special? 

Didier: It is indeed terrible, Electronic music is losing its founding fathers. Let’s not forget Edgar Froese of Tangerine Dream.

Both are absolute founding fathers of Electronic music, each in their style the synthesizer was used in a totally different way. 

Klaus Schulze in his own style took me into his environment, the build-up, his build-down, his sounds… “Dune” is the biggest example for me, a song that carries me away in all its facets. I feel the same way about Brian Eno’s “Dune”-melody. If you play Frank Herbert from the album “X”, you get sucked into his own way of sequencing. Tangerine Dream on “Rubicon” or “Stratosfear” and “Ricochet” give me that same feeling.

Vangelis, also in his own style, takes me into his melodic music. He manages to play every note in the right way, less experimental, more in the sense of ‘ Here I am, here I present you something to accompany me in my journey through this album’. For a man who hasn’t learned a note and wins an Oscar… hats off. “To The Unknown Man” is a great example of how he manages to change the melody in one song.

To me, both are pioneers of the highest level, both can be placed next to great composers such as Mozart, Beethoven…

Q: Over now to your own work and the newest opus “MonoCHROOM”. How did this work took shape and what kind of album did you want to achieve?

Didier: “MonoCHROOM” has a small history. When I was at boarding school in Wetteren, an educator told me: ‘There are people who only like one colour. White or black’. He gave it a name. I had forgotten that name and actually spent a long time looking for it. A friend of mine, I think it was Johan Depaepe from Owann, my friend in “The Tower Tree”, told me that it might be that word. “MonoCHROOM” was born.

At first I had in mind to make pieces that were separate from each other again, but more and more the album grew into one big whole. Had I been able to make one 60-minute song, I might have done so. But I still wanted to see the differences between black and white and other colors. That’s why the cover is black and white and the inside is colored balls of different sizes (an idea of Alain Wymeels of Midician by the way). 

When the album was OK for me… the music goes to the mastering man, Dries De Vreeze. A man who regularly puts me in my place, in the positive sense of course… but he gives it an extra dimension through his mixing and mastering. I can only be grateful to him for the additions he makes.

I wanted to release an album that pushed the monotony aside, and made it like a multi-color festival. There is more than one color in your life, and when you open the book (the CD cover), you see the diversity. It’s the same in everyday life. 

Q: Your albums are always composed around a theme or should I say conceptual theme, which is not that different for “MonoCHROOM”. Does the theme and/or concept become the main inspiration to compose your music or how does it happen? And how do you transpose ideas/concepts into notes and songs? 

Didier: I like to talk about one subject, because that is what I can focus on best. I then try to further develop the project, the idea. Maybe in the future I will try to make a story CD, spread over several CDs. 

In “Monos” (cf. the first track), I wanted to bring out the monotony of color by working very hard on a light build-up, repetitive song, which eventually ends in an uptempo. The Industrial beginning points to how hard it must be to enjoy only one color. “Monos” means one color. 

“Chroom” means more colors, which makes me start more rhythmically. I also wanted to add another instrument. I had seen Peter Moorkens playing his experimental guitar solos when we were in Ghent for the Sonic Emissions concert. At the Antenna Festival in Evergem I saw him working on his modular systems and thought, maybe we should do something together. Peter immediately liked the idea of playing guitar on “Chroom”. Because of this mixture, I think that the diversity has come out well. 

Most of the ideas grow bit by bit. The melody lines are sometimes done in one night. The rhythmic piece on “Monos”, the solo, was recorded in one take. I like that. You’re in the zone, and … then it comes anyway… 

Q: What did you try to express by live performances and how do you transpose the songs on stage?

Didier:I try to draw people into the story. Since live performances are a bit monotonous for EM musicians, we usually bring in some film, so that the movements are more pleasant than watching one person behind a battery of synthesizers. I find film very important in EM. Once I asked Johan De Paepe (Owann) at the concert in Ghent, Sonic Emission 1, when “People” came out, to take pictures of the people who were there. These were then incorporated into the film, directly, and put on the screen. That clicked well, because the CD “People” had just come out and you’re bringing people live. You can imagine that the people who suddenly saw their faces on the screen were shocked, and they liked that. Involving the audience, I find that very important.

I also try to adapt the songs, so that we don’t get the feeling that we are playing a play button. It goes without saying that I can’t manipulate all synthesizers with two hands. Some sequencers and samples are recorded beforehand… the PC is therefore the replacement of the old tape recorders that used to be on stage during live performances.

On Youtube, a 45-minute film called “45 Minutes De Liberté” is circulating, a precursor to the digital CD 5 “Jours De liberté”. There you can also see a film during my concert. 

I am very happy when people say to me after the concert, ‘we enjoyed it’. I think that is the intention of all artists.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Originally released as download only on March 31, 2022, Maschine Brennt is to release the CD version of “Grief” at the end of July. The album is the follow-up to last year’s “Puls” album.

Maschine Brennt is the one-man project by Swedish musician Joacim Thenander (formerly one of the founders of Cultivated Bimbo). While the project’s earlier releases offer mainly minimal electro/machine-pop “Grief” is a conceptual, very atmospheric piece of work offering more classic-ambient oriented music with elements of the Berlin school electro and experimental electronic music. You can easily say it’s a mix between Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, Brian Eno, Vangelis.

This album was conceived as a kind of bitter soundtrack to our current reality including alienation, pandemics, war conflicts, political confrontations etc.. In addition, one of the inspirations for “Grief” was a photo exhibition by Russian photographer Pavel Otdelnov, dedicated to the “industrial beauty” of a chemical plant in Dzerzhinsk.

The “physical CD-version” contains two bonus tracks compared to the download release, “Ice” and “Last”, and is released as an ultra-limited edition of 150 hand-numbered copies.

Check out “Isolation”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Toy Tonics records’ new offshoot imprint Kryptox has released the latest single from Sissi Rada, a harp virtuoso and electronic producer based in Berlin. The single, “81948 (2000 OM69)”, was produced by Brian Eno and is taken from Sissi Rada’s forthcoming album “Nanodiamond” on November 16th, which also features co-production by Andi Toma of Mouse on Mars, with guest vocals from Greek singer Lena Platonos.

On Discogs Sissi Rada’s music is described as being ‘coquettish-electro-doom-pop from classical music nerds’. She debuted with the self-released “List-en” in 2013 followed by “Pragma”, her first label release (Inner Ear) in 2016.

Below is the video for the “81948 (2000 OM69)” single.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

(Photo by Spoon Records) Mute and Spoon Records have released details of the second in a series of Can live album releases. “Live in Brighton 1975” will be released December 3 on limited edition triple gold vinyl, double CD, and digital platforms.

Sleeve notes for the release were written by Can biographer, author, and editor Rob Young and British journalist Kris Needs. The latter was involved in several live Can shows at the Friars club in Aylesbury, England between 1973-1977.

The Can Live series has taken the best of the bootlegged recordings and – overseen by founding member Irmin Schmidt and producer / engineer Rene Tinner – run them through the wringer of 21st century technology to bring you these vital historical documents in the best quality versions possible.

Here’s an excerpt from what to expect.

About Can

Can was a German experimental rock band formed in Cologne in 1968 by the core quartet of Holger Czukay (bass, tape editing), Irmin Schmidt (keyboards), Michael Karoli (guitar), and Jaki Liebezeit (drums). The group cycled through several vocalists, most prominently the American-born Malcolm Mooney (1968–70) and the Japanese-born Damo Suzuki (1970–73), as well as various temporary members.

Coming from backgrounds in the avant-garde and jazz, the members of Can blended elements of psychedelic rock, funk, and noise on influential albums such as Tago Mago (1971), Ege Bamyasi (1972) and Future Days (1973).[7] Can also had occasional commercial success, with singles such as “Spoon” and “I Want More” reaching national singles charts. They have been widely hailed as pioneers of the German krautrock scene, and a considerable influence on subsequent rock, post-punk, ambient, and electronic music.

More interesting for many of our readers is that Jaki Liebezeit would go on to record with numerous musicians, such as Jah Wobble and Philip Jeck, with whom he produced an album for Jah Wobble’s 30 Hertz Records, and contributed drums and percussion to many albums as a guest musician over the years, such as the Depeche Mode album “Ultra” and Brian Eno’s album “Before and After Science”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

(Photo by Alice d25) “Moebius Strips” is a brand new tribute to sound pioneer Dieter Moebius, put together by longtime friend and collaborator Tim Story.

The project includes contributions from Geoff Barrow (Portishead, Beak), Sarah Davachi, Jean-Benoît Dunckel (Air), Eve Maret, Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo), Phew, Hans-Joachim Roedelius (Cluster, Harmonia), Michael Rother (Harmonia, NEU!) and Yuri Suzuki. The project includes a limited edition CD/digital release on October 1st with a limited edition vinyl to come in spring 2022.

For the recordings, Story has been using Moebius’ sounds and loops and he has been working closely with Moebius’ widow Irene. The result is a combination of hundreds of sounds, motifs and riffs from the artist’s archive with raw material from the many Moebius collaborations that Story himself had been a part of over the years.

About Dieter Moebius

Dieter Moebius (16 January 1944 – 20 July 2015) was a Swiss-born German electronic musician and composer, best known as a member of the influential krautrock bands Cluster and Harmonia.

Moebius was studying art at Berlin’s Akademie Grafik and working as a restaurant cook when he met Conrad Schnitzler, founder of the Zodiak Free Arts Lab with Hans-Joachim Roedelius. The trio founded the improvisation group Kluster in 1969. After the departure of Schnitzler, the duo changed their name to Cluster and relocated to the countryside village of Forst, releasing influential albums such as “Zuckerzeit” (1974) and “Sowiesoso” (1976). Moebius would also draw on his graphic design training create the cover artwork for various Cluster albums and related collaborations.

Meanwhile, Moebius and Roedelius founded the band Harmonia with Michael Rother of Neu!, releasing the albums “Musik von Harmonia” (1974) and “Deluxe” (1975). Admirer Brian Eno would subsequently collaborate with both groups. Moebius began recording solo works in the 1970s and was later involved in numerous side-projects with such musicians as Conny Plank and Mani Neumeier (Guru Guru), including the influential 1983 album “Zero Set”.

Moebius died of cancer on 20 July 2015.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

(Photo by Irene Moebius – Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius in 2008) Moebius Strips is an audio installation by Tim Story from the sounds and music of electronic music and krautrock pioneer Dieter Moebius. Included are contributions from Geoff Barrow (Portishead, Beak), Sarah Davachi, Jean-Benoît Dunckel (Air), Eve Maret, Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo), Phew, Hans-Joachim Roedelius (Cluster, Harmonia), Michael Rother (Harmonia, Kraftwerk, NEU!) and Yuri Suzuki.

The project includes a limited edition CD and digital release which will be available on October 1st. A limited edition audiophile vinyl release will follow in spring 2022.

The Swiss German electronic music pioneer Dieter “Moebi” Moebius passed away in 2015 leaving behind work with Brian Eno, Conny Plank, as a member of the krautrock act Harmonia and perhaps most memorably with Hans-Joachim Roedelius in the duo Cluster.

Longtime friends and colleagues, Moebius and Story collaborated on many musical projects, including “Snowghost Pieces” (2014) and Cluster’s final album “Qua” (2009).

Here’s a teaser for “Moebius Strips”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Back in 1991 I started writing my first reviews for Side-Line magazine. I would have never thought to go on writing reviews and making interviews non-stop for 30 years. So 2021 is a special year to me, a kind of ‘celebration year’. I got the idea to celebrate this special event by interviewing people from the scene who all have a special meaning to me. ‘Journalists’ have to remain neutral, but it doesn’t take a way we all have our own favorite artists. Juno Reactor is one of my all-time favorites. Instigator Ben Watkins is an artist who each time again takes me by surprise. His work is mixing influences like Psy-Trance, Tribal and Cinematographic music. The Juno Reactor sound has something special featuring elements you directly recognize; a true sound-DNA. I already got the opportunity to interview Ben Watkins before, but I’ve been deeply touched he accepted to answer questions for this special interview. Great artists aren’t only composing great music; they’re still accessible and humble persons. I’d an endless number of questions to ask. Ben took his time to answer and it finally resulted in one of the most informative and complete Juno Reactor interviews ever. Thanks Ben and respect!

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

‘I Was Smitten By Girls And Rock’

Q: What have been your first experiments as a musician? What have been the triggers and, which were your favorite bands as a teenager? 

Ben: I was born into a family of five kids, I was the second, my parents had both been actor’s. When I was between 5 and 6 years old I would wait for my brother in my classroom to finish his school -I would have about an hour, so about 10 of us kids and a teacher would do drawing, games etc. One day I suggested we do a “Top Of The Pops” (a popular TV show); I formed a band with air-minus-everything, sat my mate Jason down on drums as he had the biggest nose like Ringo Star, can’t remember the others; we would make what surely was a cacophony of made-up words and stamping to the beat. “She Loves You Yeah Yeah Yeah” must have rung out beyond the classroom as the headmaster, a demonstrative man, with a liking for beating kids with his sports shoe would appear at the window looking very irritated. As it was not the first time I had had the unwarranted shoe across my backside, a shiver would go down my back as his eyes and Hitler moustache bobbed above the door partition. 

These pleasant heady afternoons were soon banned due to the repetition of “She Loves You Yeah Yeah Yeah”. I noticed the rather large female teacher was pretty good at the piano, So I asked if I could have lessons, even her non-stop smoking didn’t not put me off. 

The headmaster had too much of a liking for giving me a sore ass, so I asked my parents if I could move school. I had joined the parish choir, the choirmaster was a man named Roy Massey. Roy Massey was cool and pushed me as he liked my voice. He suggested I go to a Cathedral Choir school and apply for a scholarship. 

First I went to audition at St Pauls Cathedral in London. It was a bleak audition, I didn’t prepare enough, and glad I escaped what reminded me of a Charles Dickens movie. Next was Chichester. I could breathe in this atmosphere, I passed the audition of 200 kids for one place and felt very puffed up with myself, knowing my parents didn’t have to pay for my education. 

Violin followed, along with daily practise -7 am wake up, 30 minutes piano or violin practise. 8 am breakfast, 8:30 practise piano violin, 9 am going to the classroom, 12:00 choir practise, lunch then school, sports, choir practise, choir service, dinner, do homework, play free games, practise then bed. This went on for 4 years along with a new disciplinary teacher who equally enjoyed punishment -this time a cane, up the wide massive stairs of the bishops palace, down a long dark corridor, knock, explain my crime, ‘Ben-d over Watkins’, a leather chair which when bent over lifted my behind into the perfect position. 6 whacks later, my hands firmly on my butt, dark bruises would appear later in the night. I had been born again to the boy I should have been in the first place. 

Music school and punishment always seemed interlinked. Even now it annoys me that the first headmaster refused to put my name on the scholarship board, what a cunt. His name was Mr. Sandford.

 I survived Chichester, I became the head of House, by this time I was no longer beaten, and had a champion in Mr. Ross, the disciplinary teacher, sports freak alto in the choir with a certain eye for pubescent males. I was good at winning in Rugby, as we had the biggest 13-year-old god or whoever made him, like a superhero he would destroy other schools and me riding on his coattails basked in his glory. Mr. Ross showed me how to take down a man, so we did with as much aggression as possible when he joined in. 

I left Chichester, a remnant from the stone age of how not to teach a dyslexic kid like me through corporal punishment on how to learn -I didn’t. My choirmaster at Chichester I must say was equally odd, looking like Eric Malcombe (a British comedian). He again had a draconian delight in making sure the boys of the choir feared him, his eyes would hover over you like the follow spots of a prison camp from high above us in the organ loft. He had two mirrors focused on us, and if you looked up, the Vampire of Bela Lugosi would be there. I can’t say I cried when he died a few years ago, as I still hold a dagger that was thrown too many times my way. 

So Wells Cathedral school was next, my introduction to the female sex… well, bye bye learning, OK practise the violin, do all the rest, then focus on bands, Led Zep, David Bowie, Marc Bolan, Alice Cooper, Queen, glam rock. I was smitten by girls and rock. My mate Simon Baggs was older and had a car, we would venture out of the school across to Glastonbury plateaus, a labyrinthian set of roads through old mash lands, country pubs to drink cider, smoke John Players Special fags, and listen to his 8 tracks (?) as the beams of his car entered the mists of the backcountry lanes. Alice Cooper’s “Love It To Death” album never sounded so sweet. I continued exploring musical possibilities by experimenting with my first band Spiritual Sky, influenced by David Bowie, whose concerts was the first I went to, the Aladdin Sane tour at the Earls Court Stadium.

‘I Was Listening To D.A.F. And I Realised This Is The Future’

Q: Hailing from London (UK) I can imagine the late 70s and 80s have been fascinating years when it comes to music and the (r)evolution of Electronic music. What did these years mean to you and do you still feel an impact today? 

Ben: I left school when I was 16/17 with the intent of going to a music college. At that time I played classical guitar, and would practise 8 hours a day, and got quite OK on it. I flunked the first audition as I didn’t present a second instrument. This depressing point changed the course of my life, I was so annoyed by myself, I stopped playing classical guitar and got more into songs of Dylan and people like John Martin. Smoked a ton of dope, started busking, went off to Paris with a semi pyscho guy called Lynn, a man with an addiction to Valium and a crushing right hand as a rhythm guitarist, and spent the summer playing on the streets of Saint Michelle and the Champs Elysée. After months of being arrested (and sometimes put into prison -the police were quite nice and would give me beers to play) I had had enough. I wanted to form a band! Due to my parents lengthily separation and all the conflicts attached to it, starting since I was 9, and final divorce shortly after my return home from Paris, life diverted and I ended up establishing a rehearsal room in the now deserted parental house, where I and my older brother would continue living alone, experiencing the newly found peace and evolving musical projects while rehearsing with my first band Panther. I started gigging, Punk-Rock was kicking off! I was playing, now with my band Rainstorm, the same pubs as the Sex Pistols, Japan, The Stranglers amongst others, we did a tour withThe Frankie Miller Band. A Glasgow singer that should have been born in Memphis -a great singer, wild and very much a Glaswegian. Back then I was booking shows from a red phone box -coins every 30 seconds. Rainstorm turning into I.O.U., we played pretty much every music pub in the country. I really wish I’d kept my bass player from I.O.U. for my next musical project, a guy named Ian Taylor, who I had a natural affinity with.

I was bored of being skint and driving up and down the country for 2 years in our Box Transit with 6 aircraft seats, a PA we had on HP (higher purchase/credit) and going nowhere, fun but nowhere. One time we had to be rescued by the police near Shropshire in Winter, heavy snow blocked the roads at midnight, and the Transit was stranded and being snowed in, the guitarist, also called Ben, had icicles forming on his moustache. I remember crossing fields alone to find a house, first one wouldn’t help us, onto another who did ring the rescue, six of us stuff into a police car -never felt so good.

I partnered up with some musicians an A&R man from CBS suggested. The A&R man was a guy called Chas de Whalley, the brother of a friend of mine from back in the days of the headmaster with a penchant for corporal punishment. We, The Hitmen, went on to be signed to CBS after a year of rehearsals and songs that sounded like a primitive AI had made for a pop audience. Much to the chagrin of CBS, the management and the band, we were incredibly unsuccessful despite all the money and machinery CBS provide. I hated it, the mentality of playing the same notes, in-jokes and seriously underwhelming emotions. I had to leave as I couldn’t stomach The Hitmen any more, the characters in the band were the antithesis of my mental state or desire. Luckily the second album decided to shoot itself in the head, due to too much fighting, no focus and CBS’s realisation The Hitmen were doomed.  

Phil Manzanero’s studio (the guitarist of Roxy Music) was a white circular house -I had never seen anything like it! The engineer was a guy called Ian Little. We had made the last Hitmen record there, and I got on with him well. We talked nearly the same language, as opposed to the disconnect with the band. He wanted to make an avant-garde album, free of doctrine -just do what you want. So for a few tracks I threw away all concern and I was to be David Bowie, imagining myself on an alternative “Lodger”-album. Nothing was written, all just improvised. The band was called New Asia… This set my brain off into new ways of writing, like Brian Eno, as studios were expensive and this gave me a chance to experiment. 

So in the ’70s and ’80s it felt like I was always playing catch up with what other people were doing. I had had the band signed to CBS – it sounded like another band (Elvis Costello mix), or my previous bands -we didn’t sound particularly individual. It was only when I was sick enough of all the ego’s, bullshit or the hatred that you got from possibly jealous band members, that when I got introduced to a drum machine and a sequencer I realised I could get rid of half the band. I was listening to D.A.F. -it was a two-piece and I realised this is the future.

I met Youth (the bass player of Killing Joke) in ’82, around the time when he had just left Killing Joke and was looking to start a new band, which became Brilliant. I was the only guy he knew with a sequencer so for a short time I joined. Toured UK and Spain. We went on to record under the Name The Youth & Ben Watkins on the “The Empty Quarter”-album and “The Empty Quarter” on the “Delirium” album. Both albums were extremely quick in making;  first album -the official soundtrack to Jonathan Moore’s stage play “Street Captives” -2 days. Written, recorded and mixed with predominantly pulsating bass lines, drums, early Greengate samplers and synthesizers. Second album -5 days. We recorded “Delirium”, focusing more on rhythms and Electronic elements with still some instrumental aspect, ranging from Tribal to Industrial to Gothic-Funk. So many funny stories with Youth -the time in Spain on the evacuation of the tour, as it all fell apart after Barcelona; we took all our equipment back on the train, decided to eat all of our dope before the French border. By the time we arrived at midnight, the French border police wanted to play games with this group of English stoners. ‘Who is this woman’ they said, referring to a passport. We all looked and couldn’t identify her? ‘Go find her…’ so we all went looking on the train platform, bewildered and laughing, about an hour later we returned to their pigeon hole and asked to look again, as no way was she still on the platform. Upon second look we realised it was me they were referring to… Ha. Ha.

I heard DAF and Suicide around this time, I was saved! This music spoke to me. My grandmother died and left me 200£ which I immediately spent on a Roland MC 202, a sequencer with one monophonic synth. On HP I bought a cheap drum machine and a Moog Rogue. I formed The Flowerpot Men with Adam Peters, a classical cellist, who later became Echo And The Bunnymen’s orchestrator. 

 Our first single sold well for an underground track. We toured with Dead Or Alive and Siouxsie And The Banshees. Steven Severin of the Banshee’s produced the first “Single Joe’s So Mean to Josephine”, a dark murderous story I had read in the papers. The police knew who had killed the woman in bed, but couldn’t work out how Joe had managed to tie himself up. For the track I expanded on the story a bit. The 202 was driving this with the added influences of T.Rex, sort of a suicide inspired track. It charted in the indie charts and you could hear it being played by John Peel on BBC Radio 1 and loads of underground Gothic Dj’s. “Jo’s So Mean (to Josephine)” was also on our own independent record label, Compost Records.

In 1985 we recorded a cover of Dr Johns “Walk On Gilded Splinters” with Dr John on guest vocals, at Run DMC’s Studio In Nostrand Ave, Brooklyn NY. The B side featured a track called “Melting Down On Motor Angel” which was an elongation of the new drug MDMA, which we sampled on a roof garden on 8th Street watching a shoot-out down below. “Melting Down On Motor Angel” was also the album title to Sunsonic’s only album.

Around this time also, Sigue Sigue Sputnik started turning up to our gigs in full dress, noting down all we were doing, later to make their own version of our madness. A single a year, then along came Ferris Bueller’s Day Off in 1986 completely out of the blue.

Another EP “Alligator Bait”, four songs inspired again by the time in New York… what wasn’t great about New York at that time? So much vibe, parties, gigs, the Danceteria, hanging out with artists, musicians, actors, painters, just walking down the street was like being in a Kojak episode, I loved it!

We were building a nice audience when Adam decided to go produce a Punk band in Denmark instead of headlining the Temple of Gothic achievement -the Camden Palace. The Flowerpot Men were no more.

 Yello had come into my life with the “80 – 85”-remix album, it never left the record player, Sonic Youth, Front 242, most of the Mute Records catalogue, Beggars Banquet label, ZTT were making records I could only dream of creating…

So rethink time, 9 months of thinking, writing; rave music came in 86/87, early parties hanging out with KLF in their squat. Sometimes engineering their remixes, or going on the highland adventures with the KLF, making a copy of “The Wicker Man” for all KLF’s licencees, flown onto a small island on the Western Isles (the same place they burnt a million pounds in the name of art and cocaine), so like a twat, as again I was skint I did the opposite of good, and tried and succeed in going and signing with another major label, this time Polydor Records and with my Flowerpot partner, I started Sunsonic. Part of the deal was they build us a studio to save on costs, so what seemed a cool idea -and was in some ways -was us investing into learning how (and not) to become an engineer, an album that should have taken a few months turned into two years and sounded like it: over thought under inspired.

I worked with Alex Paterson (The Orb) again and formed a short-lived band called Peace In The Middle East, same name as the track we created, a sort of goodwill floppy dance sounding workout, nothing special.

 When there was so much great quick music being made we were in creative limbo. So the impact changed. Find a new way to present a band, no longer did I want the ego of one partner, I wanted a collective or collaborators and keep the vibe and atmosphere good and exciting. 

Adam left for the USA, I stayed and started Juno Reactor.

‘Juno Reactor Was Set Up As An Art Collective’

Q: I think Juno Reactor was originally set up as an art collective/gallery, right? Who was involved? What was it all about and how did it finally become a music collective centred around you? 

Ben:  Juno Reactor was set up as an art collective, with writers, installation artists, filmmakers, etc. Norma Fetcher, my girlfriend, took a surface to air missile and we drove it around London down past Parliament Square, Big Ben, Whitehall on a flatbed truck, with armoured personal carriers front and back whilst dressed as Arabs -an anti Gulf War protest, and installed it into an art Gallery, the Diorama, that was owned by the Queen and had a perfect silo shape in the middle where the rocket was newly erected. For this, I wrote “Luciana” -really Juno Reactor’s first album, which was also a suggestion of Jimmy Cauty (KLF) that I should do an hour mix as he had just done, as an experiment. The trouble with art was funding and much easier for me to get musical backing so it folded as soon as it began. Although R&S Records did sponsor that show as I had released a track called “I Love You” under the name of Electrotete with future JR musician Stephan Holweck (who later became Total Eclipse), a crazy French guy and brilliant bass player who also lived in the Benio squat with Jimmy.

The main people in the first two Juno Reactor albums were: Mike Maquire, a great guy I met at the distribution company Greyhound, when releasing a self-released title “Pycho SlapHead”, a brutal rave track with a sense of murderous humour. Mike was great, he had been in India many times and loved the early scene where DJ’s were already playing my tracks. I had to find out more, so we went into my studio in Bowl Court and Mike turned me on to the current sound of India. As it was so close to my Electronic sound it was an easy hop onto a train – Sci-Fi Landscapes, my 202 still purring like a train, we made the track “High Energy Protons”. Mike took it to India and immediately it became a big track there and abroad: Japan, Greece, France, Germany and UK. Tracks kept on hoping out in two or three days, with Stephan Holweck and Mike and soon we had about nine or ten tracks, so I took them up to Mute Records, intending to only perhaps sell one track. They loved it and wanted the album!

No one knew what this music was, so they called it intelligent Techno, albums were selling, gigs were happening, I was feeling more comfortable about the debts of Sunsonic being paid off. 

‘For Me It Was A Sci-Fi Scene For Acid Party People’

Q: The singles “Laughing Gas” and “High Energy Protons” plus the debut album “Transmissions” (1993) were into Goa-Trance. Back in time this genre was something totally new and often introduced as ‘Electronics for hippies’. What did you keep in mind from this album and how did you see the Goa-Trance movement evolving? 

Ben: Well, I never saw it as music for hippies -for me it was a Sci-fi scene for acid party people, hippies were still listening to Dylan in my mind. I had come from the Industrial-Rock routes, with heavy sense or brutal Electronica, which was also being played out in India, so for me, it was not much of a diversion, more like an extension of what I had already been doing. So I hooked up with Mike and Johann Bley, a great writer and drummer, who lived in Goa for 6 months of the year whilst I stayed in the UK and carried on writing tracks. Youth by this time was also indulging in holidays out there. It was a great way to write with no commercial interest, and just get what was great feedback from India and the parties. Essentially it was a very positive way of producing after what was a rather grim time whilst with Sunsonic. 

“Transmissions” was the first real beginning of something special, Mike Maguire – Stephan Holweck – Johann Bley even Turnip the Swede Jens Walderbeck, had an important part to play in the new playground. Mike and Johann would go to Goa and live there for 6 months of the year, send feedback on tracks, that even in these days of fire hilltop communication, managed to pass on the vibe of the parties, as I worked on new tracks to send out, or wait for their return. I had no idea of the lazy days on the beaches, rented houses year round, with cleaners and cooks, small or large jungle parties where monkeys would be interactive with the monkeys our tracks (“Jungle High”) -I have sampled a lot of monkey sounds.

These new Cyber-Punks would network in the blessed out Goa sun, to return to their homelands, far away from paradise and the free love of this un-celebrated underground unknown music, their generation accepting of all ages, colours race. Would telegraph their passion, create parties in on hidden mountains in Japan, sex clubs in L.A, warehouse London, gymnasiums in Paris, disused airports in Germany, Outback volcanos in Australia. We were invisible to the industry of wannabe stars and bankrupt music.

This kinetic energy of knowing you were onto something new was the drug, like a secret society that anyone could join, if you had digested the shared psychedelic values.

Our new world was fresh, driven, invited around the world, “Transmissions” was transmitting on a global level, that music magazines and house DJs couldn’t fathom.

 The studio building was from the time of Jack the Ripper, a 3 story warehouse used for  god knows what, the atmosphere had not left it, along with some of the rather back street people you might expect in that area of London. Prostitutes would use the car park at the back, working their trade. Sometime city guys in suits would be aggressive and attack the women, so we kept a baseball bat by the door and if we heard their screams we would run out in the name of protection.

Q: Your next album “Luciana” (1994) was something totally different and not exactly the most familiar album from your discography. But I think there’re a few interesting things to say about this work; it revealed your interest in Soundtracks while it got released on Alex Paterson’s (The Orb) own label Inter-Modo. What brought you to write this album and how did you get in touch with Alex Paterson? 

Ben: This goes back to the Missile Project and the involvement in installation art. Alex (THE ORB) heard the album and loved it, he said ‘Can I release it?’, why not I thought, so I spent an afternoon with Alex in the studio, he added some elements over the stereo track and that became the album. I met Alex in 1986, as he is Youth oldest and best friend, an ex roadie of Killing Joke with an amazing record collection, a massive ability to smoke more than London can produce and speak in a way you need a hearing aid to listen. 

Q: I’ve always linked Juno Reactor with solid bass lines and transcendental drums. “Beyond The Infinite” (1995) perfectly symbolizes these elements, but also your interest to explore new ideas like Tribal drums. What did this work say about your perception of ‘sound’ and eventually your passion for drums? 

Ben: “Beyond The Infinite”, by this time Mute and cool London were not fans of Goa or Trance anymore, and decided to call it ‘Tarquin Techno’ in the media, because of the image that rich kids were behind the scene, which -looking at myself, was obviously bollocks, but in Goa there certainly were a few, and maybe the other scenes sensing danger, ridiculed it. They were about to steal the name of trance. Paul Oakenfold(like ‘Sique Sique Sputnick’) was hanging out at parties, listening, collecting ideas and tracks, the house was moving to Trance. Clever, to take this and add all the crap vocals and sell it off to the sheep… Their power and media savvy then became ‘Trance’. Not sure what our scene was, Psychedelic-Trance? Along come all these pigeon holes. Name it, sell it. We didn’t give a shit and stayed as far away from the cliché as possible. Mike was so great at this time, he had the best tunes of anyone, and was in great demand as an international DJ, from the USA to Japan and sometimes we would join him as a live three-piece. Brilliant days, we were a family. 

Q: I think you’re an artist with a very unique sound DNA! What I’m trying to say is that I instantly can recognize your work by the bass lines, the orchestral arrangements, the hypnotic drum sections… What makes this DNA and where does it come from? 

Ben: I have no idea. Like all musicians, I have collected and been inspired by what I needed and wanted. I love all types of music, still do, these DNA strands are unique, the hard part is how to lay them out for others to share and enjoy. I wanted to be a photographer when very young, my dad said it was too expensive, so film, TV, pictures, music all collided and formed whatever I am in my tastes for music.

‘I Decided To Become More Grounded In Earthly Sounds From The Percussion’

Q: It’s impossible not evoking “Bible Of Dreams” (1997), which revealed new ideas and collaborations. I consider this work as your magnum opus, which even today hasn’t lost its original magic. How do you look back at this work 24 years later and are there some aspects of the production you would do differently? 

Ben:  So the time of “Bible Of Dreams” came along. Robert Trunz, CEO of MELT2000 -the umbrella company which ran Blue Room, and Simon Ghahary, the managing director of Blue Room -a sub-label based in the UK specialising in Electronic music, had signed Juno Reactor to Blue Room/Melt 2000 for “Beyond The Infinite”, as Mute didn’t want it. Robert was a jazz freak, and he got me involved in his great love for African music. Robert and Simon were different, business was easy, as Robert was pretty loaded and loved to invest in his artists. He took over my shabby warehouse studio, put in a massive Raindurk Symphony Desk, massive monitors that would be anyone’s wet dream, 9 bass drivers aside, they blew the roof off. He took over landlord costs, God I was free of all these costs, and could make music without the fear of losing it all.  

I had been introduced to the African musicians on Melt 2000. All the scene was doing was still making chemical noises, and stick in an alien landscape for the acid heads. Although this is enjoyable, it became very repetitive. So I decided to become more grounded in earthly sounds from the percussion. The only percussionists I had been introduced to before Amampondo were generally white guys, flipping away on drums in a sloppy-sloppy fashion, or German-style timpani military way which I had found pretty useless and saw no advantage in it on a track. So my mind was blown away by Mabi -power, rhythmic complexity, fun, tradition, amazing rhythms that propelled the track! My eyes were opened and I felt stupid I had not seen what so many others had -say for example my favourite drummer Ginger Baker -why hadn’t I noticed African drumming that years before? Anyway, I was now awake to its potential in my world of cross over, not interested in world music in its pure form and wanted to create a fusion with electronic music and see what comes out. 

Working with Mabi was so instinctive, we both saw tracks in the same way as pictures and thoughts, I literally fell over him in a music studio corridor where he was asleep on the floor when I was producing a Zulu Band for Melt 2000 in South Africa. We got talking and I invited him and Amampondo to play all the percussion, so in a way, our future was laid out there.

I felt I knew what I was doing, none of my UK band wanted to tour the USA with Moby for just 30 minutes a night, so I called Mabi and Amampondo , did a few rehearsals and off on tour! This moment diverted the future of the project for the next 12 years where I would tour with Amampondo.

 “God Is God” could finally be added to a Juno Reactor album, as now JUNO RREACTOR was more interested in the earth sounds, leaving sci-fi behind. “God Is God” was written around the end of “Transmissions”, needed a better mix, but was ready. The album fell into place so easily. 

I wouldn’t touch “Bible Of Dreams” as it is a record of where I was musically at the time. I firmly believe people walk on our path for a reason, be it for a short or long period. How we interact with them is up to us. Some people unexpectedly turn out to be far more important than you could ever have imagined. Some you will love until you die, while other return to the mist of being.

Q: I read somewhere that after “Bible Of Dreams” you got the feeling to be done with Electronic music. What was it all about? Was it a kind of exhaustion or blank page syndrome?

Ben: It happens a lot to me, especially with Electronic music. Far too many people seem to be happy to create a platform. Be it Trance, Techno, Ambient, Drum’n’Bass, Bass music, whatever. It gets like an L.A motorway full of polluting gases all sounding the same. So I go left, maybe my mistake there, but as I am totally useless at being commercial, I prefer my way. And hope others enjoy it.

‘The Track Was Built Around My Love For Tarantino And Westerns, Clint Eastwood And “Once Upon A Time In The West”’

Q: The opening song “Pistolero” from the “Shango”-album (2000) probably became your biggest hit ever. It sounds differently because of this guitar play and yet it remains 100% Juno Reactor! I remember my reaction when I heard it for the very first time: ‘this guy is crazy’! Was this song a kind of antithesis to all what you’ve done before? And how did you imagine the future of the project right at the new millennium? 

Ben: On tour I met up with Steve Stevens. After speaking with him on the phone about the recent Traci Lords album that I produced, I invited him to play on a show in L.A, a great venue, like an old-fashioned sports hall with a running track above. Now, I think how freaked out he must have been, as I patched him into my desk, he would play, and I would cut him off at random, he kept on looking over as if to say ‘WHAT THE FUCK?!’, he must have thought I was crazy, he didn’t complain but you don’t do this to a Rock Legend. Anyway, we got on, he asked me to produce a track for his album – yep, “Pistolero”.

Steve wasn’t used to my regime of endless hours in the studio and I think after six days his eyes were somewhere down near his guitar swaying hips, exhausted he returned to the USA. He wasn’t that impressed, so I agreed to pay his costs, and I would release it. I worked on it a ton more, and out popped the track we know.

The track was built around my love for Tarantino and Westerns, Clint Eastwood and “Once Upon A Time In The West”. When it was released I named it the “Tarantino Radio Edit”. Quentin loved it and Robert Rodriguez and Tarantino then wrote “Once Upon A Time In Mexico” after being inspired by my “Pistolero” track, which they credited in the CD booklet.

Currently, I’m working on the new album, Steve Stevens, Sugizo and Amir Haddad will hopefully all on the same track.

Working with Amampondo was a dream, we never argued, just laughed a lot, after having lived in each other’s pockets on tour we got on well. I learnt more from them than they did of me. Their sense of rhythm, spontaneity, improvisation, the humour of dance, the humour of anything. We would do shows, stop the machines and go into full-on Tribal rhythms, songs of the Pondo’s. Every night was different. Mandla and Simpewe would perform acrobatics when we played “Feel The Universe”, crowds loved this, even though injuries happened, the next night they would do it again. I carried on working with them for 12 years until it became impossible to bring them from South Africa due to rising costs and falling promoters budgets. 

I should add that Traci Lords was also very cool to work with, and had several enjoyable sessions with her, which led to a top 5 USA billboard track titled “Control” and a number of movie syncs from these sessions.

‘“Matrix” Was Like Being Shot And Landing In Heaven With A Ticket Back To Earth’

Q: Your songs got more and more featured in movies and you wrote different songs for Soundtracks. I can imagine the “Matrix”-experiences must have been a kind of ultimate dream and accomplishment? But what has been the impact of all these experiences –and more especially “The Matrix”, on your career?

Ben: I love films, first of all, so for it to combine with my music is a dream job no matter what the film is. I will score a bug on a wall, and still enjoy it. “Matrix” was like being shot and landing in heaven with a ticket back to earth. After the initial meeting with the Wachowski’s I had to smash nails into my boots to keep me from flying off to the stars. Reality hit in a good way and was the toughest discipline mixed with the excitement of being able to please the directors and myself. What do I take away from it? A sense of achievement that I did something very special. I still get composers coming up to me and saying it is a landmark film for integration of Electronics and orchestra which is what the Wachowski’s wanted. It helped me believe in my writing al lot more, although confidence is like the wind, some days you have it others not.

The daily routine of waking up in heaven is not always as easy as it sounds, as even in my camp I would experience jealousy, I had brought with me a programmer (Stephan Holweck) an engineer (Greg Hunter) Singer (Taz) Stephan more turned into a cook and this frustrated his, as he wanted to be more involved, but the way out worked out there was no real room for him. Greg brought in his friend, which added to the annoyance of Greg; Greg would come in and say as I was working on “The Burly Brawl”, ‘that is a load of crap’ in-front of his friend as a light heated joke, which they all found very funny, I took Greg outside and suggested he return back to London as he wasn’t on my team, either buck up or go home. I should have sacked Greg as he would do things like after a mix was finished, he wanted to polish it more, so first time I agreed and I went back to the Paramore to sleep. I got a call from the dub stage early in the morning saying ‘what is this mix, it is horrible!!!’ I asked what time it was made they said 8 am, I replied please listen to mix from 1:00 am . They did and said thank you this is great.

Greg Hunter had in the hours between, added noises, effects I knew would be unwanted, and a rebalance uncalled for. He had become a liability to me, as now Warner were clocking his over times. I could not get rid of him as I didn’t know another great engineer in L.A. I would never use him again. These unexpected invasions add a colour I would have preferred had not happened, as these were not the only times he tried to unravel the job.

 Zig Gron (my Music Editor)  on the other hand, a man I did not know previously was my guardian angel. He walked me through all of the landmines, I asked him to teach me all he could, and I was in a 100 milesper hour world on information upload. Zig was funny, informative and such a bloody relief to have near me. God save Zig Gron and all who sail around him.

Q: The Soundtrack you composed for the “Brave Story”-animation film (2006) must have been something really special. For the very first time you composed the entire Soundtrack and here again I discovered some new aspects like the song “Juno Waltz”. How did you prepare and finally composed this work? 

Ben: This was composed under my name Ben Watkins rather than Juno Reactor. I had done another one, like “Beowulf”. I asked them why they wanted me to write for mainly orchestra, and they said we would like to hear how it sounds. So I sort of did my impression of ‘a man who knew what he was doing and what they were talking about’. There were a few production problems re-budget, as it wasn’t cheap for an Anime film. Once that was over, it was surprisingly easy, maybe a lot easier than writing for pure Electronics as the orchestra tone is defined by what you want, and once set, you have your pallet of sounds more or less. “Juno Waltz”, funny you mention that one, as it was the one I most feared to write, as again it has been so defined by other writers. I wrote it last, and it just popped out, it was also the one I felt the orchestra liked the most as they would tap their music stands like clapping. 

We recorded the Orchestra and choir in Bratislava, The Bratislavian Symphony Orchestra and a Vienna choir. I remember on the way to the massive radio sound stage all the older ladies at the bus stops had bright blue/purple hair. A hangover from communist times maybe, thought it looked great and definitely a way I wouldn’t mind my hair, like Quintan Crisp on acid.

Q: You also composed music for animation games. Does it need a different approach than for soundtracks? Any preference and/or favorite? 

Ben: “The Mark Of Kri” was a sort of nightmare, in as far as I had to create on each level two hours of non repeating music, on 0.5 MB, which now sounds insane huh. So you have an excitement engine, 0 – 100, fight mode is 50 plus. I had to build the macros to enable this. So deep learning curve, endless nights on the phone to Scott in San Francisco. This is a bit like the early beginning maybe of programs like WWise.com -which is a sampler on Crack, and hold so many possibilities for AI and VR, which makes me really excited for the future of music and sonic displacement for composers. My preference for games is really to write and hand over in stereo or 5.1. 

“PS4 Gran Turismo” -I made special mixes of tracks from the not so soon to be released album “The Mutant Theatre”, I didn’t have much involvement on this as they loved the tracks I presented and it was done.

Thanks of the Galaxy was a scored mobile game. Despite it being for mobile-only, I really enjoyed working with the team in Finland, in which I presented a Sci-fi industrial orchestral score made from orchestra libraries by George Strezov well worth checking out.

www.strezov.net  www.strezov-sampling.com

‘“Navras” Is The Biggest Track I Have Written’

Q: “Labyrinth” (2004), “Gods & Monsters” (2008), “Inside The Reactor” (2011), “The Golden Sun Of The Great East” (2013) and “The Mutant Theatre” (2018) are the studio-albums released after 2000. How would you analyze the evolution of these productions considering items like influences, technology vs. production and new collaborations? 

Ben: “Labyrinth” is “The Matrix”-album, and after the experience of the last track for “The Matrix Revolutions”, “Navras”, I couldn’t write a thing. “Navras” is the biggest track I have written, or been involved in with 120-piece orchestra, 80-piece choir, soloists, percussionists… So for three months after that I was bashing my head against a wall back in the UK. I think mainly as I was still missing the vibe of L.A, the people always around, the buzz. Until “Conquistador” Parts 1 & 2 came to save me along with guitarist Eduardo Niebla. I was mainly working very analogue, real drums, humans playing, and I still do, but now I am 75% out of the box and 25% in the box. Loads of new software have enabled me to make it more expansive. 

“Gods & Monsters”-I wanted it less epic than “Labyrinth”, write some songs that spoke to me at the time, and try a sort of Jazzy feel to some of it. Not very popular with the Juno Reactor dance crowd at the time, I still love certain tracks. A lot of artists musicians feel constrained by the genre they are in, main thing to me is to stand by what you write, and try it, it ain’t going to kill you. 

One track for example, “Tanta Pena” from “Gods & Monsters” -I was driving to the studio at Ridge Farm when a voice came on the BBC world music show, I had to stop and listen. A cross between a butterfly and a thunderstorm, it took the wind out of my lungs. As soon as the song was over I rang the station and asked who it was. Yasmin Levy! I contacted her husband who was also her agent/manager and asked if she would be interested in recording with me. 

Yasmin and the manager arrived on a beautiful Summer’s day. Ridge Farm is in the Surrey countryside, an Elizabethan Estate with grounds, a swimming pool, beautifully landscaped gardens, all made possible by Frank Andrews never-ending building work on his estate. 

I had moved into Ridge Farm after “The Matrix” films when I heard the studio on the estate was laying bare. I was able to bring my equipment and use one of Englands classic studio’s. Muse, Queen, Ozzie Osbourne and so many more had recorded here… 

Yasmin was shy, and maybe only 20yrs old when she visited the farm. I played her my idea’s, talked a little, not much really and went into record! With one take it was done on both tracks, no need to do any more, she had nailed it! It is quite amazing when this happens, like Lakshmi Shankar on “Navras”. 

I carried on working the track to bring it to her level, with an amazing Zook player from Arminia, Tigran Aleksanyan with the merciless drumming of Greg Ellis, who, when I started working with him in the studio, sounded a bit like a session player. His appearance was that of a typical tattoed L.A drummer, calm, spiritually balanced in appearance -and a very amiable personality.

I asked Greg to let his rage out for this track, really hit those fuckers! I unleashed a beast, a monster, his whole countenance changed, Fire and brimstone drumming, an apocalypse of anger and frustration came out! Drum skins didn’t last long, an inverted blister would appear on the snare within one take! Greg loved this approach, which you can also hear on “The Immaculate Crucifixion”. After this, “Tanta Pena” was complete. 

The original song dates back to the time when the Spanish ejected the Jewish population or made them convert to Christianity around 1492. It is sung in Ladino by Yasmin Levy whose father was a famous archivist of Ladino music, “No More Blood” –“Tanta Pena”.

 “Golden Sun Of The Great East” -I went to India to record a lot of the soloists, and this opened up my world to new horizons, as I found Bombay very “Blade Runner”-ish, ancient and modern all running parallel, crazy, mad, tragic and beautiful. 

Magical things happen, even when you are not looking, I was on a day trip around the studio’s of Mumbai with a potential agent for me in India. We entered a black and gold studio, very camp, I would expect Freddie Mercury of Queen to pop out and say ‘Hello darlings, welcome to my fuck fest!’ instead it was a wonderful Panjabi singer being recorded for a film. Our next appointment was with the Mozart of Indian film music, A R Rahmen. Excited I jumped in the taxi, horns blaring, rain falling, a bright night journey. Next to me in the taxi was the Panjabi singer, ‘Hey can you sing me a song into my zoom recorder, as we wait for my agent to say his goodbyes’. 4 minutes later, a song that never varied off its pitch, was in my data control. Leaving out the A R Rahmen meeting as it was nice, but nothing special, I returned to the hotel where eagles would fly high above in the morning light, I listened back, to the Mumbai traffic and the voice of a celestial being. I started writing “Invisible”, the second track on the album.

“The Mutant Theatre” was written for the show -a Sci-Fi extravaganza where choreographed performance really took over the direction. 

For me, the last two albums speak to me how I want to hear them, and possibly my favourite albums.

“The Mutant Theatre” was designed as a show album. In 2015 I was asked by the Ozora Festival to come back the next year with a new show, I had thought of a show to be called “The Mutant Theatre” 5 years before when in Russia and working with two amazing Performance groups, Agnivo, from Moscow, and Stigma Show from St.Petersburg. I presented this idea in pictures to Ozora, which they loved. It was expensive as it involved around 18 people.

Eyal Yankovich had been my agent for 5 years or so, also the head of Hommega Records. He was an OK agent, getting me the occasional gig or tour, what he was really good at was igniting my imagination with tunes, and suggest I listen to many great tracks, ‘How about a new “Pistolero” Ben?’

Eyal Hung himself before he could listen to the final “Return Of The Pistolero”-version or the album, which still a saddens me.

 Sanja Music, our tour manager, started to really help me, not only from a business perspective, but also from a listening view point. Despite being unable to discuss in a musical language, she would always hit it on the head, find a way to describe the best versions, enthusiasm, insights, referenced insights how fans can view it, how it might work on stage. Spend hours discussing and evolving ideas. I met Sanja many years before in Slovenia when we were playing with Laibach. A tall shiny girl in Japanese fashion appeared solo waiting for the doors to open, a Sugizo fan I believed. We stayed in contact through Myspace and later meeting up in Japan when I was having tours there. She came to the 2015 Ozora Festival and I’ve asked her to photograph Juno Reactor. After we went to Budapest to sight see the city, when I realised what a great addition she would me to Juno Reactor, little did I know how central to my thinking and the project she would become.

‘I Want To Give Something To The Audience That They Might Not Have Seen Before’

Q: You’ve always worked and composed your albums with guest musicians and –singers while going on tour with dance companies, drummers ao. It all feels a bit like the initial goal of creating a ‘collective’ has never changed. What did you learn from all these meetings, collaborations and exchanges? 

Ben: I want to give something to the audience that they might not have seen before. Maybe this goes back to my days of loving David Bowie, and his great performances, always looking for a new way. I feel a sense of family when we are on the road, not always possible with some people, but when it is good it is great. I am still learning how best to be, and how to navigate the waters of human interaction. I feel most comfortable in my studio along with all the other me’s talking.

Q: Your brother Simon Watkins has been often involved in the artwork of Juno Reactor. It all looks like arts is a family thing. Where does it come from and is there a next Watkins generation to hold on this artistic fire? 

Ben: Simon, my brother, helped me focus on art and how to look at it. He always had an unusual taste, a black comedy in his work that I loved. My parents were actors, and despite we were a family of 5 kids, and totally squint, I have no clue why our blood directs us to the arts, as it would be much simpler if we had just wanted a normal life. My parents gave up on their careers too early I always felt, and so I have to live with the musical sword in my hand.

Django, my younger son, is at film university learning the art of script writing and direction, Tim, my older son, is a great musician and records tracks I love. Scarlet and her friend wrote a track for a Japanese singer that was pretty successful. Scarlet at one time wanted to take over Juno Reactor, maybe she still does who knows, but she has chose marine photography for now.

‘AI, VR & AR Have So Much Potential For Young Musicians To Escape The Old Models Of Creation And Start A New Chapter In Music’

Q: A lot of things have changed/evolved since the early Juno Reactor years; think about technology, new equipment & music programs, streaming, social media etc… What have been the pros and cons? 

Ben: I started out on an MC 202 and now I have a museum, a laboratory, loads of instruments that I play. I miss the hangouts in the studio, as everyone has a studio, so we became moles. I love the independence of starting a Juno Reactor label, which I and Sanja Karin Music, who is my manager and for a number of years has also collaborated on artwork, future NFTs on knownorigin.io and other platforms, and a variety of creative projects and activities, which we will be rolling out in the coming year.

The new possibilities of NFT’s and blockchain, which might well help the independent musician into a new economic model. AI, VR & AR have so much potential for young musicians to escape the old models of creation and start a new chapter in music, independent from middlemen and greedy manipulators from the dark alleys of the old music industry. A new world awaits in the decade to come, and I am excited by it, and what it will become. This doesn’t in any way exclude the old ways, or purity of the orchestra, classical musicians, just a new voice in the galaxy.

Q: Covid-19 has seriously affected artistic activities all over the world. How did you keep yourself busy and what are you actually working on? 

Ben: I am learning the Viola, this has kept me in focus at times, writing new tracks with this has been very enjoyable, as well as testing, as I am still learning, and it will take me a long time to play the way I would like. I swim in the sea, this I love when I can afford the time -a sea swim now takes me about 2:30 hours compared to the pool of 1 hour. It blows all the cobwebs and bad thoughts away -of which there have been many through the past year, no question. I think a lot of artists had a very hard time, a lot of artists might have been forced to stop doing what they love, which is very sad. Like many others as well, I have been forced to look into the paperwork side of the project and face all the different misdemeanours and manipulations from a number of people I preferred not to face while gigs were still bringing in enough money to keep going.

‘Sooner Or Later An Autobiography Could Certainly Happen’

Q: I read in a post you got the idea to write an autobiography, which I think is a real interesting idea. Is it something concrete and are there some next ‘big’ dreams you want to accomplish?  

Ben: Well, it is odd, as I have lived long enough to tell stories other people find interesting, or so they say. Sometimes I get caught up in them, and it reminds me of talking to family members before they died. As you can ask them a historic question of how life was, and you can see their eyes glaze over as they reminisce as if they are walking the streets and cafes they used to. It is beautiful to see and hear. I don’t want to become a broken record and recite story after story, so maybe one time if I can write it OK, it might be interesting. My manager Sanja has been pushing me to write down or talk about times in my life and slowly collect all these to be turned into an entity at some point, so sooner or later an autobiography could certainly happen. It might have been silly of me to suggest I’m writing it on a simple social media travel picture that looked to me like a book cover, but perhaps having the public know and expect it will give me an extra boost to keep working on it, with my managers help, as an dyslexic person I was surprised to find that I’m really enjoying this process.

‘The Older I Get The More I Want To Do Music, Scuba, Swim, And Exploring New Horizons’

Q: An interesting item for the autobiography could be to know what you would have done in life without music? And do you have specific hobbies/passions next to music? 

Ben: I remember one day my father said ‘If you pass this exam, I will buy you a pony’. I tried my best, but still failed, and thus had to grow up pony-less. I wonder what would have happened had I passed the exam. Would I really have gotten a pony? Would I perhaps be in a completely different profession today? I should ring up my dad and ask if he actually planned to get that pony …

A lot of people through-out my life have mistook my dreamy exterior to think I am lazy, when in fact my brain has never stopped talking, the conversations I have in my mind seem to me to be more interesting than the ones outside, so I can be non responsive, come over as aloof. The reality is I have drifted off into my own world again. Where I might think I have answered a question asked by someone, just to realise it was only answered in my head. Dyslexia has strange traits, and for me it is this, I am word blinded sometimes that also raises my pulse to a train, panic. I envy people who can be logical, and competent in social exchanges. Stage is my way out, a sort of nether world between reality and dreams where I feel confident of its power.

Without music, I would be a shadow, maybe worked in a stable or farm all my life, something that didn’t need a searching brain. The older I get the more I want to do music, scuba, swim, and exploring new horizons.

Q: “Pistolero” is the Juno Reactor-song I make people listen to, who aren’t familiar with your work. Which one would you choose? 

Ben: At the moment, Ummm my latest one: “Coyote You Me And The Stars”. As it was written for a very special moment and one I will forever remember. I bought an amazing keyboard at the beginning of the crisis, which has been my main frame and primary sound source, the Quantum keyboard by Waldorf, it is such an unusual instrument. It is possible to create sonic textures I haven’t heard before, a 3D motion I have been looking for, this along with the viola.

I am more interested in how I can hold the sound in the stereo field to give depth and spatial pleasures. Political events don’t usually invade my thoughts yet this has been unavoidable.

Witten by: Ben Watkins

Co-editor: Sanja Karin Music (management & shrink services)

Side-Line also covered Juno Reactor’s ‘Let The Flowers Grow’.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

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

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Music For Installations is a band name, which reminds me of the legendary ambient artist Brian Eno, and is a Belgian solo-project driven by Pieter Gyselinck. After a few previous works, he joined hands together with Wool-E Discs releasing the thirtieth part of the Ambient-series “Belgian NeuMusik”.

Content: There’s an interesting evolution in the tracklist of this work. The album takes off in a pretty Ambient way and I even dare to say ‘classical Electro-Ambient’. Quite progressively you’ll notice Experimental sound arrangements and darker tones emerging at the surface. The more you enter the universe of the artist the darker it becomes. The second part is driven by icy, sonar-like noises, the hoot of an owl and mysterious, frightening sound atmospheres.

+ + + : Pieter Gyselinck is clearly mixing different although related influences together. It’s not pure Ambient and not entirely Experimental. Some passages are clearly into a Soundtrack approach while the second part of the work –which is definitely the best one, becomes extremely dark and mysterious. This artist conceives a sonic canvas with different atmospheres, but found his most creative side in the darker side of his brain. “Fractal 6” is worthy of examination, but I also have to mention “Fractal 7” and “Fractal 9”. There’s something David Lynch-like in the sound of this work…

– – – : I already mentioned the great second half of this opus, which unfortunately comes to end with a poorly inspired last track.

Conclusion: Ambient music is not only meant as a dreamy moment, but it can be also a way of self-reflection, which in a way is the feeling I got when listening to “Fractions Of Unity”.

Best songs: “Fractal 7”, “Fractal 9”, “Fractal 6”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.musicforinstallations.com / www.facebook.com/musicforinstallations

Label: www.wool-e-discs.be / www.belgianneumusik.be /

www.facebook.com/woolediscs

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Excellent news reaches us via Audioglobe, the scene’s most important distributor. Pankow, the legendary Italian Industrial pioneers who are active since 1979, are finally back with a new (mini)album: “Der Doctor Schnabel von Rom”.

This new 5-tracks mini-album, out now, comes on vinyl and offers a first glimpse on the forthcoming all new Pankow-album, expected for May 2021. All of the tracks draw inspiration from the research work of Dr. Debra Parkinson, an Australian sociologist, director of GADPod, Gender and Disaster Pod, whose activity studies the consequences of natural disasters and disasters on women, LGBTIQ communities, disabled people, etc..

Pankow’s Alex Spalck: “Debra wrote an essay on the environmental disaster that ravaged Australia in early 2020 and on the direct relationship between the environmental crisis and the pandemic that is causing death and destruction around the world. At this point in our musical activity we must take a stand, indifference and carelessness are unforgivable sins. We have decided to throw a stone, or rather two, with “Australia is Burning” and “Ecocalypse” and to fight unambiguously for a radical change in the status quo. This intransigence will also be the theme of our next album, “Never trust a White Man”, out in 2021, in which we will attack the systems and structures that are the primary causes of the obscene inequality that plagues our society.”

On the EP, apart from “Australia is Burning” and “Ecocalypse”, the band presents a deconstructed version of “By this River” by Brian Eno, Moebius & Roedelius and two post-pre-trans-meditative pieces.

Check out the track “Ecocalypse” featuring Verdiana Raw.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

“Synthagma” is the new album by Ivan Iusco, the Italian composer based in Los Angeles and author of numerous soundtracks for feature films, TV shows and new media.

“Synthagma” includes 12 tracks of which 3 are co-written with the Greek singer and musician Kid Moxie (“Head On Fire”, “Fly’s Heart” and “The Other Side”). You might remember her from her past collaboration with Angelo Badalamenti and David Lynch Foundation. Iusco also engaged the Russian soprano Maria Bochmanova and Leo Gadaleta, the violinist from Bari, who has played with such musicians as Ennio Morricone and Antony and the Johnsons.

The recordings were made between 2018 and 2019 in Los Angeles, with the exception of the title track, for which vocals were recorded at the historic PRS Studio in St. Petersburg, Russia.

“For some time I had been planning to compose an album starting from a precise historical period of my path, in which electronic music began to have a powerful impact on a global level, interacting on different fronts, including the cyberpunk cultural movement. I am of course referring to the 90s. I had the feeling of having left unwritten a chapter linked to those times. In 2018 this thought popped up once again and so I decided to conceive an album that looked through the eyes of that period at the materialization of our fragile post-human contemporaneity”, says Iusco.

The cover image “Untitled”, is taken from the “When Light Casts no Shadow” photo series (2008) by Portuguese photographer Edgar Martins and portrays one of the runways of the Santa Maria airport located on the archipelago of the Azores. Edgar Martins is a former NY Times collaborator and he released covers and portraits for Pink Floyd, Madonna and The Streets.

“Synthagma” will be released by Minus Habens.

The music videos for “Head On Fire” and “Sabotage” are available on YouTube, two songs that preceded the release of “Synthagma” by a few months.

Head On Fire (Official Music Video)

Sabotage (Official Music Video)

About Ivan Iusco

Ivan Iusco is an Italian award-winning film music composer based in Santa Monica, California.

He has composed diverse and evocative scores for feature films, TV shows, documentaries, video art, choreographies and art exhibitions. He debuted in the film industry in 1999, scoring the Italian cult movie “LaCapaGira” directed by Alessandro Piva that won Best Soundtrack at the Valencia Film Festival (Spain, 2000).

His scoring career also includes the Italian blockbuster “Ho Voglia Di Te” (2007) by the Spanish director Luis Prieto. In 1987, he founded the pioneering music label Minus Habens (involving international artists such as Brian Eno, Angelo Badalamenti, Aphex Twin and Depeche Mode) through which he explores and publishes avant-garde and cutting-edge music.

Ivan Iusco’s forthcoming projects include two original soundtracks for films currently under development and two original songs for one of the most anticipated video game of 2020.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

(Photos by Tori Lind Kjellstad) Norwegian electronic dream pop act Lights A.M is back with a delicious and heartwarming new 2-track single, which is right now exclusively available via Bandcamp. With this new single the electronic project (aka Erlend Eilertsen of Essence Of Mind) also announces his forthcoming conceptual full length album “Stories Without Words”.

This time Lights A.M dives deep into the cinematic side of the project offering two instrumentals that remind of some of the best work executed by Brian Eno, Tangerine Dreams and related, but staying faithful to timeless electronics.

The title track, “Agnes”, was written when Erlend lost his beloved Griffon dog companion named Agnes.

Erlend: “She shared my life for some 16 years along with her best friend Mogwai, also deeply missed… Agnes was and still is a big part of me, my family and close friends life. She’s been an inspiration, a support and a best friend for me, and has brought me a lot during all the years we spent together. We did so much fun and memorable things together, she even was part of the first promo pics for my first band back in the days…”

A video clip is also simultaneously released, made from private footage and images, adding a visual dimension to this heartwarming tribute Erlend wrote to what can be considered a man’s best friend. You can view it below.

The second track “A Mystery After Sunset” on the other hand showcases the darker and more mystical soundscapes of Lights A.M and is again proof that stories can indeed be told without words. Excellent electronic music from the north!

Here’s the video for “Agnes”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

(Photo by Cecily Eno ) “Film Music 1976 – 2020” is a brand new Brian Eno release out on double vinyl / CD and download on November 13th in the UK and followed by a US release on January 22nd.

“Film Music 1976 – 2020” is the first ever collection of music from his film and television soundtrack oeuvre. Spanning five decades, this release features classic Eno compositions, lesser-known gems and seven previously unreleased tracks.

Eno’s long-standing affair with film goes all the way back to 1970 with his soundtrack to Malcolm Le Grice’s short experimental film “Berlin Horse”. In 1976 he followed this with “Sebastiane” and a long forgotten Greek b-horror film, “Land Of The Minotaur” AKA “The Devil’s Men”.

Early classic Eno film moments include “Prophecy Theme” from David Lynch’s “Dune”, “From The Beginning” from Dario Argento’s “Opera”, “Force Marker” and “Late Evening In Jersey” from Michael Mann’s “Heat”, “Under” from Ralph Bakshi’s “Cool World” and his cover of William Bell’s soul classic, “You Don’t Miss Your Water”, in Jonathan Demme’s “Married to The Mob”.

His 1978 studio album, “Music For Films” was a loose compilation of material recorded between 1975 – 1978. It was intended as a conceptual soundtrack for imaginary films and only the last track, “Final Sunset” was written for an actual film. It proved to be a fruitful project with nearly every piece on the album going on to be used in future films.

Eno again explored the above approach with U2 as passengers on their collaboration album, “Original Soundtracks 1”. Four of the tracks from the album were used in films prior to release: “Beach Sequence” and “Your Blue Room” in Michelangelo Antonioni’s “Beyond the Clouds”, “Miss Sarajevo” in an eponymous documentary about a beauty pageant held in the midst of besieged ‘93 Sarajevo, and “One Minute Warning” in Mamoru Oshii’s Japanese animation classic, “Ghost in the Shell”. Another track, “Always Forever Now” later appeared in “Heat”.

In the mid-seventies Eno began a collaboration with British film maker Derek Jarman, who initially commissioned Eno to record “Final Sunset” for the closing scene to his first feature film, “Sebastiane”. The collaboration continued all the way through until Jarman’s untimely death in 1994.

“An Ending (Ascent)” and “Deep Blue Day” are taken from “Apollo: Atmosphere & Soundtracks”, Eno’s collaboration with his brother Roger and Daniel Lanois. The music was originally written for Al Reinert’s documentary of the Apollo moon landing, “For All Mankind” although since then “An Ending (Ascent)” has taken on a life of its own and is now remembered just as much from Steven Soderbergh’s “Traffic”, Danny Boyle’s “28 Days Later” and Miguel Arteta’s “Beatriz at Dinner”. It even made an appearance in the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony. And then there’s “Deep Blue Day”, which will forever be identified with Ewan McGregor’s legendary toilet dive in “Trainspotting”.

Besides this and more filmwork, Eno has also scored extensively for television, including all three series of award-winning UK crime drama “Top Boy” and Danny Boyle’s “Mr Wroe’s Virgins”. Other television credits include his scores to BBC Natural World’s “Hammerhead”, “Francis Bacon’s Arena”, Neil Gaiman’s futuristic urban series, “Neverwhere”, and Stewart Brand’s BBC mini-series “How Buildings Learn”.

Check out the “Ship In A Bottle” video.

Track-list:

1. ‘Top Boy (Theme)’ from ‘Top Boy’ – Series 1, directed by Yann Demange, 2011
2. ‘Ship In A Bottle’ from ‘The Lovely Bones’, directed by Peter Jackson, 2009
3. ‘Blood Red’ from ‘Francis Bacon’s Arena’, directed by Adam Low, 2005
4. Under’ from ‘Cool World’, directed by Ralph Bakshi, 1992
5. ‘Decline And Fall’ from ‘O Nome da Morte’, directed by Henrique Goldman, 2017
6. ‘Prophecy Theme’ from ‘Dune’, directed by David Lynch, 1984
7. ‘Reasonable Question’ from ‘We Are As Gods’, directed by David Alvarado / Jason Sussberg, 2020
8. ‘Late Evening In Jersey’ from ‘Heat’, directed by Michael Mann, 1995
9. ‘Beach Sequence’ from ‘Beyond The Clouds’, directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, 1995
10. ‘You Don’t Miss Your Water’ from ‘Married to the Mob’, directed by Jonathan Demme, 1988
11. ‘Deep Blue Day’ from ‘Trainspotting’, directed by Danny Boyle, 1996
12. ‘The Sombre’ from ‘Top Boy’ – Series 2, directed by Jonathan van Tulleken, 2013
13. ‘Dover Beach’ from ‘Jubilee’, directed by Derek Jarman, 1978
14. ‘Design as Reduction’ from ‘Rams’, directed by Gary Hustwit, 2018
15. ‘Undersea Steps’ from ‘Hammerhead’, directed by George Chan, 2004
16. ‘Final Sunset’ from ‘Sebastiane’, directed by Derek Jarman, 1976
17. ‘An Ending (Ascent)’, from ‘For All Mankind’, directed by Al Reinert, 1989

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Scenius is a synth-pop / dark-wave duo composed of Leeds (UK) based producer Steve Whitfield (The Cure, The Mission, Jane Weaver…) and French singer Fabrice Nau (Boutique Du Tao, Kyu, The Drift). The duo is about to release their 3rd single on the 8th May. Below is already a video for the new single, “Held”.

You can check out the first two first singles below. A debut album is scheduled for the end of the Summer.

Scenius draws inspiration from pre-punk (Kraftwerk, Brian Eno) and post-punk (New Order, Depeche Mode) electro outfits through to contemporary bands (LCD Sound System, Boards Of Canada) using vintage synths and drum machines.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Aram 17 is an Armenian solo-project driven by Aram. The number 17 is a kind of spiritual number as a lot of things in Aram’s life are connecting with that number. ‘I thought that the number 1 is me and number 7 is my fate’. Aram 17 has released four digital albums on Cephalopagus Records and next joined Noctivagant Records to unleash the new album “The Vision Of Death”. It’s a fascinating dark-ambient experience with a strong visual appeal, which incited me to get in touch with the artist. It’s also a way to get more info about this genre of music in Armenia.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Can you tell us a bit more about your project Aram 17? When did you set up the project, what were the initial influences and purposes and what have been the main facts in the project’s history so far?

Aram: Well actually I started making music since 2010, everything has started with downtempo music which is similar to ambient music. I started listening to downtempo in 2012. The first album I listened to was “Mosaic” by Sounds From The Ground, which left me speechless. Right during that period I was only making club beats and instrumental electronic music, but after I’d heard that album I said to myself it’s time to do something different. I next discovered the electronic duo Boards Of Canada. Their style is more IDM-like, but there’re  also a few ambient elements in their all albums.

So that’s how I felt in love with ambient music. I studied the history of ambient music, read a lot of articles and finally discovered sub-genres of ambient music which are dark-ambient, drone and lowercase. These genres are more fitting with my character and especially the dark-ambient style. The first dark-ambient album that I have listened to was “Shadow District” by Har & Altus. There’s a track called “Victims Of A System” which is one my all-time favorite songs in that genre. So I decided to create my own project Aram 17.

The influences were my love for history, space, ancient mysticism, alchemy and nature. The project was created in 2016. From 2016 to 2017 I started recording some dark-ambient music, but it should be never released because in my opinion it was not sounding perfect. After the experiments during that year I found my style to record dark ambient-music. My first official album is “Dark Abandoned Town” which I released in Summer of 2017. The next album “Gloomy Angels” was released already on Cephalopagus Records and I want to thank Gregg Stockdale and Araphel (owners of Cephalopagus Records) who gave me the opportunity to introduce my project in the scene.

The main facts so far simply are that with Aram 17 I compose music dealing with space-ambient, drone-ambient and also occult-ambient styles. So this is not a one way project.

Q: I’m not used to hear this kind of music made in Armenia. So is there something like an ‘Armenian’-scene?

Aram: It’s a shame, but there are only a very few electronic musicians (involved with techno, deep-house etc.) in Armenia. There are no movements or communities and I never met another ambient/dark-ambient artist in Armenia. I think I’m the only one, but I hope it’s not. Ambient music is undeveloped in Armenia. I  hope in the future ambient/dark-ambient music will grow in Armenia and I hope to be the first one to create a community for this kind of music. But right now there are no sings that people are interested in ambient music here.

Q: “The Vision Of Death” is the first album released on CD while previous works were all digital only productions. Does the format make a difference to you and how did you get in touch with Noctivagant Records?

Aram: Yes it’s my first CD release and to be honest with you, digital- or physical format don’t matter to me. More important is that the labels really want to release my music despite of the format. I got in touch with Noctivagant during the process of recording “The Vision Of Death”; I think it was in November 2018. I love all their releases and wanted to have my music also in their catalogue. I finished the recording in February 2019 and sent the album to the owner of Noctivagant, Phillip Abraham. His replied telling me ‘I have started listening to it. Very impressive.  I have a 3 hour drive ahead of me so this will be in my playlist’. I really appreciate the job he has done for the physical release and want to thank him again for that.

Q: The album has been introduced as inspired by ‘inexplicable myths from the past’ while it seems to evoke some biblical themes. What is it all about and what did you try to express?

Aram: Well, it’s not the album, but the project itself. As I said before one of the main influences for the project is history. I have three albums with biblical themes, which are part of the “Enochian Trilogy” (“Gloomy Angels” 2017, “The Ten Heavens” 2018 and “The Revelation Of Metatron” 2018). These albums were inspired by Enoch the Patriarch, in people’s fate he was an ancestor of Noah, but I think it’s a myth. By this trilogy I tried to express my love to ancient biblical stories , but for me those stories are all myths.

Q: Tell us a bit more about the creation of the album, your way of working, creating and manipulating sounds?

Aram:Well I create my own sounds and also download a lot of loops found on internet. For one song I can use 10+ loops, mix them together and record a music. I can’t tell you all the things I’m doing to achieve one single song, but I know this way of working helps me to compose my music. It’s more like sound engineering. Before the recording I always try to concentrate on the atmosphere of the album, the story behind each track and I try to avoid using similar sounds as on the previous album because listeners sometimes gets tired listening to the similar sounds from the same artist.

I always try to create something new in each album and to make the listener dive into the atmosphere and story of the album and track. I always try to improve my music skills on each album and as Brian Eno said it must be as ignorable as it is interesting, listener decides.

Q: I noticed you already (self)released a new EP entitled “Hills”. What can you tell us about this work and what brings the future for Aram 17?

Aram: That’s right. The story of this EP is actually funny because I had a couple of unreleased drone songs which I found in my old laptop. I even forgot the existence of these tracks so I decided to share it on my Bandcamp page, but I was not sure about the name of EP. The week before the release of the EP I was traveling in Southern-Armenia and the nature there is absolutely fascinating and beautiful. I was listening to these 4 tracks during my trip trying to find something around that will fit with the atmosphere of those tracks, and those big,  powerful and gloomy hills in the South of Armenia became the reason that the EP was named “Hills” and every track name has its own season fitting with the atmosphere of the track. Also the EP’s cover picture was taken exactly from that trip.

Actually it’s been one month now since I started working on the next album, which will for sure released next year and I think again by Noctivagant.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Moog Music has announced that Depeche Mode songwriter Martin Gore will receive the 2019 Moog Innovation Award.

Here’s what Moog Music has to say about it:

“Musical pioneer Martin Gore’s masterful electronic meditations on the human condition have illuminated the connection between transformative sound and pure emotion for decades. A founding member of the band Depeche Mode, Gore’s sensual electronic compositions and introspective lyrics have resonated with faithful audiences around the world and impacted the direction of countless visionary artists from Trent Reznor to Johnny Cash.

Gore’s enduring ability to connect the rawest aspects of the human experience to the dance floor defined an era and perpetually reminds us what it means to be human through the emotional power of electronic sound. For his contributions we are honored to name Martin Gore as the recipient of the 2019 Moog Innovation Award.”

Martin Gore will be presented with the award during the Moogfest which takes place on Friday, April 26 at the Carolina Theatre immediately following his keynote conversation with Mute Records founder Daniel Miller. Since 2004, Moogfest has brought together artists, futurist thinkers, inventors, entrepreneurs, designers, engineers, scientists, and musicians. By day, Moogfest is a platform for conversation and experimentation. By night, Moogfest presents cutting-edge music in venues throughout in Durham, North Carolina. Performing artists include early pioneers in electronic music, alongside pop and avant-garde experimentalists of today.

The Moog Innovation Award recognizes artists who have contributed to the exploration of sound in popular music and beyond for the past 50 years, exemplifying the bold, innovative spirit of Bob Moog. Past recipients include visionary artists Gary Numan, Devo, Suzanne Ciani, Brian Eno, Bernie Worrell, synth designers like Herb Deutsch, last year’s recipient Bernie Krause, and Thomas Dolby, who will also be performing and presenting this year.

Side-Line also covered Depeche Mode’s ‘Master and Servant’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Icelandic electronic pioneer Reptilicus are to release a collaboration with Raster-Noton favourite Senking this Fall on Artoffact Records. The record deal is for an unspecified number of releases. The first album, a collaboration with Raster-Noton favourite Senking, will be released in October. The collaboration was recorded in Hamilton, Ontario’s famous Grant Avenue Studio and mixed by Bob Doidge (Crash Test Dummies, Cowboy Junkies).

In late November 2011, Reptilicus, Senking (Raster-Noton), Rúnar Magnússon, and Orphx shared the bill at a concert in Toronto organised by Praveer Baijal founder of Toronto label Yatra-Arts. The occasion was to celebrate the release of Reptilicus’ first output in years: “Initial Conditions”, a blue vinyl 7″ that included a remix by Senking on the B-side.

At the time, production for modular-synthesizer documentary I Dream of Wires was under way. Reptilicus, Senking and Rúnar Magnússon were among the first wave of artists featured for the project. Praveer Baijal of Yatra-Arts introduced the bands to William Blakeney, executive producer of the film, and a session was organized at Grant Avenue Studio in Hamilton, Ontario. The legendary studio was founded by the Lanois brothers and the site of numerous classic recordings, among them many of Brian Eno’s and Daniel Lanois’ ambient series in the 1980s.

A collection of vintage modular synthesizers was made available for recording the album while Reptilicus also brought their P-synth. Also included are a drone machine built by Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson (Godkrist). The bands had Bob Doidge (Crash Test Dummies, Cowboy Junkies) at the mixing desk assisted by Dean Batute.

Afterwards, Senking and Reptilicus, with Rúnar Magnússon as a third member, worked on the raw material in a truly trans-European fashion from their respective locations in Cologne, Reykjavík and Copenhagen. The result of their collaboration is the album “Unison”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Out on May 4, 2018 is the Brian Eno boxset “Music For Installations”. “Music For Installations” is a collection of new, rare and previously unreleased tracks, all of which will be available on vinyl for the first time. The set will be released in 3 formats. You can order the boxset right here.

• 6 CD super deluxe limited edition numbered boxset, including 64-page plexiglass cover book and download card
• 6 CD standard edition boxset with 64-page book
• 9 LP super deluxe edition vinyl boxset with 64-page book, plus download card

All of the material was recorded by Eno for use in his installations covering the period from 1986 until the present (and beyond). Included you’ll find for instance “Kazakhstan” which premiered at the Asif Khan-designed installation “We Are Energy” in the UK Pavilion at the Astana Expo 2017 in Kazakhstan.

You’ll also find “The Ritan Bells” which premiered at an installation at Ritan Park in Beijing, China as part of the British Council’s “Sound in the City” series, 2005. Other pieces were written for installations in Venice (IT), Bari (IT), Tokyo (JAP), St Petersburg (RU), London (UK), Helsinki (FIN) and so on.Finland, 1999.

In short, a must for Eno fans as you can see below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Here’s a release series available via Artoffact Records which will please many: the Brave New Wave radio sessions! But first some background. Brave New Waves was a Canadian radio program which aired on CBC Stereo, later known as CBC Radio 2, from 1984 to 2007. Airing overnight five nights a week, the show profiled alternative and indie music and culture. The show was created after Augusta La Paix submitted a demo tape for a show on avant garde culture, featuring music by Laurie Anderson, Brian Eno, Klaus Nomi and Nina Hagen.

In 1988, the program also began recording live in-studio sessions (next to studio live-to-air) curated by producer Kevin Komoda. And that’s exactly where it gets really interesting as the show featured a lot of homegrown and foreign electronic.

Available now for pre-order (next to many other sessions – a complete list can be found here) are the sessions recorded by Psyche, Severed Heads and The Jazz Butcher, all on vinyl and CD. Here’s a rundown of what you can expect.

Severed Heads – “Brave New Waves Session” (Purple vinyl)

Available for ordering right here. Recorded in CBC’s studio live-to-air in 1986 while on tour with Skinny Puppy, Severed Heads’ “Brave New Waves Session” includes never-before heard versions of songs from “The Big Bigot” and “Dead Eyes Open”, including the band’s hit, “Harold & Cindy Hospital”, as well as commentary by Tom Ellard.

First formed in 1979, Severed Heads is an Australian electronic and experimental project led by Tom Ellard since 1981. In the mid- to late-80s, the project saw its biggest commercial successes with releases on Nettwerk and huge European and American tours. The band’s 1986 tour with Skinny Puppy resulted in this now infamous Brave New Waves recording, which to date has never been released commercially. The recording is taken from CBC Archives reels and remastered at Grey Market Mastering in Montreal, by Harris Newman.

The Jazz Butcher – “Brave New Waves Session” (Blue vinyl)

Available for ordering right here. The Jazz Butcher’s fabulous Brave New Waves session is one of the only sessions that ever got an official release, as the b-side of an EP called “Spooky” in the late 80s. Now hopelessly out of print, the session gets new life as part of the Brave New Waves series from Artoffact Records. This release includes a never-heard bonus track, a download card with bonus interviews, and completely updated and revised artwork, partially modified from the original Spooky sleeve art.

Led by Pat Fish the project featured an array of collaborators (including David Jay of Love And Rockets and Bauhaus fame) and recorded some 15 albums since its founding in 1982. The Jazz Butcher’s Brave New Waves session was recorded on June 5th, 1988 in CBC Studio 13 in Montreal. The recording features cameos by both Kevin Komoda (Rational Youth) and Brent Bambury (the Brave New Waves host). The rendition of “Sex Engine” also includes a memorable dig at Skinny Puppy, as well as at other Canadian icons. Also this recording is taken from CBC Archives reels and remastered at Grey Market Mastering in Montreal, by Harris Newman.

Psyche – “Brave New Waves Session” (Yellow vinyl)

Available for ordering right here. Recorded in 1988 and never before released, this session from Psyche includes songs that the band never recorded, as well as alternative takes with different lyrics that never appeared on any Psyche release.

A rare moment of uncertainty after Psyche’s final performance with Stephen Huss, Eric Klaver joined the band to create a trio on stage and produce the most obscure recordings of Psyche’s career. In 1988, Darrin and Eric found themselves in the studio with Kevin Komoda for a Brave New Waves session with only sketches of material they had improvised in between shows in Montreal and Quebec City.

The set is available on black vinyl, limited edition yellow vinyl, as well as CD digipak and digital formats.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Belgian keyboard player, producer and EBM pioneer Jean-Marc Lederman has revealed an interesting story earlier today on his Facebook page from the time he was living in London back in the early 80s.

Here’s what happened: “It’s a funny little story… which i share 1% for ego massage and 99% because it’s a fun story. Back in the days, I passed an audition to get in Roxy Music. It was around the time they had recorded Avalon. I went down to Phil Manzanera’s studio where I had a rendez-vous with the engineer in charge of scrutinising the candidates. After a few minutes talking with him, his reply still has me laughing decades later: ‘The last thing Bryan Ferry wants is another Eno in the band.'”

After that the young Lederman (on the left a picture from that era) went on to play with The The and Gene Loves Jezebel. During his entire career he would work with numerous bands, including Fad Gadget, The Weathermen, Belgian rock band Streets, and Front 242 to name just a few. Roxy Music from its side was dissolved in 1983 by Bryan Ferry and the band members devoted themselves full-time to solo careers.

But who knows how the band could have sounded if that EBM guy from Brussels had been part of it…

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Out this summer is a vinyl reissue of Dieter Moebius’ 2011 album “Ding”. It’s the first time that “Ding” (together with “Kram” which can be ordered here) has been made available on vinyl. The liner notes were again penned by Moebius’ friend, the U.S. composer, producer and musician Tim Story. Orders are being taken now.

Dieter Moebius passed away in the summer of 2015 after battling cancer and since then his final 4 solo albums have been reissued. He was a German/Swiss experimental/krautrock/ambient/electronic musician who studied art in Brussels and Berlin. It was in Berlin that he met Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Conrad Schnitzler (Tangerine Dream). They founded Kluster in 1969. After the departure of Schnitzler, they changed their name to Cluster. Later Moebius and Roedelius founded the band Harmonia with Michael Rother (Neu!), a fellow Brian Eno collaborator. Dieter Moebius was involved in numerous projects with such musicians as Conny Plank and Mandani Neumeier (Guru Guru).

Needless to say that this is a must have release from a very influential electronic artist.

Below is a track from “Ding”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Again bad news from the music business. Jaki Liebezeit, the founding member of the iconic Krautrock Can, is no more. Liebezeit, 78 years old, died from pneumonia. The news was announced by the band on their official Facebook page.

The press release: “It is with great sadness we have to announce that Jaki passed away this morning from sudden pneumonia. He fell asleep peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones. We will miss him hugely.”

While the more eclectic music fans will remember Jaki Liebezeit from his work with Can and his collaborations with Brian Eno, most will remember him from his work on “Ultra”, the 9th studio album by Depeche Mode, released on 14 April 1997 by Mute Records. More precisely he played drums on the lovely “The Bottom Line” together with BJ Cole on pedal steel guitar that is.

Here’s the track:

Side-Line also covered Depeche Mode’s ‘Where’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Goldfrapp will release their seventh studio album “Silver Eye” on March 31st through Mute. The band will also reveal their new single “Anymore” in March, you can already listen to the track below:

“Silver Eye” is the follow-up to 2013’s album “Tales of Us” and the duo spent 10 days in Dallas with producer John Congleton, in London they teamed up with electronic composer Bobby Krlic, aka The Haxan Cloak while Brian Eno collaborator Leo Abrahams added abstract guitar textures. The album was mixed by David Wrench (The xx, fka Twigs, Caribou).

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Background/Info:

Read the news on ‘Your Sleekest Engine’.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Especially for the gear sluts out there, we have asked renown sound engineer, producer, mixer and composer Paul Kendall to give us a list of gear he has been working with over the years. Kendall (you can follow him right here on Twitter) is one of those people who have a thorough knowledge of music gear used over the years. He has worked with Daniel Miller, head of Mute Records, in his then newly established Worldwide International studio and worked with many of the Mute artists such as Renegade Soundwave, Barry Adamson, Nitzer Ebb, Wire, Depeche Mode and eventually Recoil.

In short, a man with a history! This is the first in 2 articles on Paul Kendall.

1) Track Tape Recorder + Revox A77 (with varispeed):

Paul: “The invention of the tape recorder allowed electronic music to exist in an editable medium and so has to be the fundamental numero uno. The often repeated story about Varese I like to believe is true; as an experimental composer Varese ceased to compose for a considerable amount of time claiming he was unable to achieve the sonorities he heard in his head by the conventional means, an orchestra which is all he had at his disposal. He therefore gave up composing until the tape recorder appeared which allowed him to realise the sounds he was hearing in his head. Anecdotal but I can somewhat understand.”

“I started using the Revox at university in ’73 and learnt recording and most importantly editing, recordings made from No.2 on the list the VCS3. I bought my first A77 in ’79 to set up a small demo studio with a couple of friends.

We would record on one machine then play that back whilst playing on top and recording on to another machine. Crude multitracking. But with the added fun of varispeed, drones could be made and further manipulations were possible.”

2) The Wah Wah pedal:

Paul: “At 12 when I first heard a wah wah played by Hendrix on a children’s scientific television program demonstrating the intro of Burning of the Midnight Lamp I knew the idea of guitar pedals greatly appealed to me, rien change! So No.2 on the list will go to the Wah Wah and to the other Overdrive and Distortion pedals of this world.”

3) VCS3 synthesiser:

Paul: “British made synth without a keyboard of course, there was no necessity for a keyboard. As mentioned above, I started using this at university and would normally use it to process sounds, I was never really into synthesisers as a sound source. Through working with this synth for only 6 months I learnt some of the fundamentals of electronic music. It was most definitely an iconic machine appearing as it does alongside Brian Eno in those early Roxy Music photos. In spring ‘74 I was advised to leave university after only 6 months owing to my complete non-attendance at the Maths lectures. Unemployed and with the sound of a VCS3 still ring modulating in my ears I wrote to Peter Zinovieff, EMS, the developer of the VCS3 and visited their office/ workshop on the Thames. My youthful enthusiasm was not sufficient to be offered a job. At this time they were intending to develop the computer side and in 1974 I had never even seen a computer!”

4) Akai S900:

Paul: “I spent a lot of the first year working for Daniel Miller (Mute Records) moving around and installing his Synclavier. An extraordinarily versatile and quality machine; able to synthesise sound and most significantly sample sound and then be able to correct or modify once the performance was recorded. It was pre- midi, it was extremely large, heavy, and fragile in places and was rather spectacularly replaced by the arrival of the Akai S900. I am being slightly tongue-in-cheek but with some reason. Sampling was all the rage in the mid-late 80’s the aforementioned Synclavier and the Fairlight were responsible for some of the most brilliant and horrendous acts of sampling: n.n.n.n.nineteen. So the S900, although mono, had MIDI and soon became the most significant presence in the studio. Producers and engineers would always be close to their sample libraries, 3.5” floppy discs containing the collection of mentalist drum sounds you’ve ever heard. But each 2Megabyte disc has faded into the terabyte in the palm of my hand. So, No.4 is the S900 although the stereo big brother S1000 became more relevant. Until…”

5) Sound Designer:

Paul: “Christmas 1990 my life changed as I spent the whole of the festive season in front of my Mac IICi running Sound Tools software. I believe I was one of the first in UK to have a system and it was everything I could have hoped for. Although it was only a stereo non-destructive audio editor you could layer 4 stereo tracks together with delays upto 32 seconds, and there were a number of transformations of pitch and duration possible, the most significant concept was that of playlist, where you could identify sections in your music, say 2 or 4 bar sections and repeat and reorder using a list function. The extended 12” mix was waiting to be a mouse click away from being even more within reach. Also, it allowed us to record loads of dub passes of a mix on to DAT then transfer into Sound Designer and edit a monster. This eventually developed into Pro-Tools which has arguably had the most significant affect on the recording industry since the invention of multitrack recording.”

6) Reaktor Softsynth Native Instruments:

Paul: “It wasn’t long before I had wholly adopted the digital domain and my first piece of essential software apart from the sequence/ recording was Reaktor by Native Instruments. They did a very smart thing by opening the software up to users who wished to develop their own “versions” of Reaktor building blocks/ devices. This ensured a healthy on-line community, predominantly men I’d wager, that has endured for a very long time. Reaktor then as now will do whatever you want; create sound, manipulate sound and sequence sound. No.6 is Native Instruments for still existing!”

7) Ableton Live:

Paul: “I was aware of Ableton Live quite early as a couple of the young engineers at Mute were also DJs and Live had developed the amazing warp facility which allowed “beat matching” in virtual realtime! Ableton made a slight shift of product focus from recording studio DAW manufacturers/ developers like Pro-Tools, Logic, Steinberg to emphasise more live performance possibilities. This reflected what had been happening in the music industry in general with the rise of the star DJ culture. Live has continued to progress and is significant by having a slightly different approach to composition and performance. Honestly I have never used one piece of software that does everything brilliantly but as long as they all work ok alongside each other then the world is just fine.”

8) The Modular Revolution:

Paul: “In some ways I wish I was starting over, riding this recent wave of excitement in boutique home-made modular frenzy but I accept I am not and it is one ride that sadly I wont be taking, I cannot hide my jealousy. My fundamental problem with synths as keyboards eviscerated by modular and I say jah. So nummer acht, eventhough I am just a peeping Tom, is the recent success of modular synthesis.”

9) Autotune:

Paul: “Is a software program that allows realtime tuning of an input source normally a vocal. How we perceive the world is different after the invention of Autotune we are no longer sure of the veracity of a performance. Whether this is actually a problem depends on your point of view. I can’t be too fussed with its use in a recording environment as it is a further effect available in the pallette. In fact I am not sure i care too much in a live context either if appropriate for. Why tarnish the spectacle?”

10) …

Paul: “And this a photo of me holding my UniPin pen my preferred instrument these days!”

For more on Depeche Mode, see Depeche Mode in the studio in Santa Barbara recording a new album -… on Side-Line.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Dennis Young is best known as the marimba player and percussionist for Liquid Liquid, a trend-setting early 1980’s NYC band whose song “Cavern” was used by Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel in “White Lines”.

Apart from other albums, he also released 3 now out of print cassettes from 1985 to 1988 – entitled “Concepts” (1985), Reflections” (1987), and “Quest” (1988) – which are basically his tribute to the pioneers of electronic music.

11 tracks have now been collected on the album “Wave/Electronic Music 1984-1988” which are available on vinyl (available now) and CD (available now).

Young: “My love for electronic music goes back to the late 70’s when I decided to buy my first synth, a rare used vintage Davolisint made in Italy. This lead to my discovery of more electronic music artists using synthesizers such as Klaus Schulze, Tim Blake, Larry Fast, Edgar Froese, Brian Eno, and Cluster just to name a few. My musical challenge was then to create my own electronic music using this instrument.”

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Peter Rainman is a name you for sure will have noticed as producer from numerous bands and productions or you might have discovered one of his great and danceable remixes. This French artist is a man from many

talents who got involved in multiple projects. This interview clearly reveals a passionate and busy electronic artist.

(by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: When did you get contaminated by the ‘electronic-music’ virus and what are your main influences and criteria you try to put in your own work as composer/producer?

Peter: Threee questions, then…. mh let me see…

I’ve always been fascinated by strange sounds. In the seventies / early eighties, only synths impressed me. I often went at a friend’s basement, he had two or three of these new machines, and I immediately loved them. They ‘talked’ to me… I knew my life would be made around them!

The second time I had such strong feeling about music was when I heard “Just Can’t Get Enough”. The production (aaaaah that kick!) the melody, the leather, everything was perfect and I said ‘that’s what I want to do’!! that’s what I MUST do!’ Vince Clarke is obviously the main influence. He has four albums on my top ten list… Later came the Pet Shop Boys and New Order to name a few.

I guess what touch me, then and nowadays, is the fact that a sound can influence your feelings, touch your very life. That’s what I’m trying to do with my works: making people dance, think, love, laugh or sometimes cry… For me, if the music has a soul, it’s a good stuff… If it’s just to make money, if it’s soulless or a copy from a copy from a copy, it’s useless…

Q: You’ve been involved in numerous bands and projects (People Theatre, Adan & Ilse, Waiting For Words ao). How do you look back at the different projects and what have been the main elements you’ll keep in mind?

Peter: The thing is those productions are clearly very precise in my mind. People Theatre is a synth-pop / future-pop act with a bit of the eighties. Waiting For Words is a band, and I share a lot of my life with the happy couple, it’s more than music, we play what we really feel deep inside. Therefore, the production goes from real instruments, guitars, sometimes organs, to very synthetic softwares. It’s a kind of diary, you know…

Adan & Ilse is a rather old story now, but I still work with Ushersan with pleasure. We set up a kind of laboratory to create sounds and atmospheres and it’s quite fascinating. Right now we are working on distortion for instance. We combine very old devices and little softwares, it’s very impressive. The other bands I work in are all about synth-pop music (Royal Visionnaries and two others that are still secret… huhu!). It’s always cool to work with other people, whatever the style, the distance… I love to learn!

Q: How would you define the ‘job’ of producer and what kind of producer are you?

Peter: Oh I’m a very cool one… hmm, wait, no, it depends! Lol! My inspiration comes from Brian Eno: to me, a producer is a kind of guru: I propose tips, devices or books, records, philosophy, but the band decides. They bring ideas or songs and I show them what is, according to me, not good. That’s 80% of the production I make. The 20% remaining is probably the most interesting but it takes more time: we start from zero and build the whole album together, including the concept, the ideas, the messages. We need to go deep down our personality. Then, I both am a technician and a guide. It’s totally different from making a remix, obviously.

Q: You’ve produced a lot of bands and productions. What have been the biggest ‘challenges’ and productions you’ve been really proud of?

Peter: I love very professional people because they know what they want, we work quickly. !distain are like that. But I also like working with band or artists I discover and tell them ‘look, you have a strong potential but I think you help to start. Trust me, we’ll go higher!’ In a way, Original Band are in this situation, as Nun (my very first production!) were. Waiting For Words are a bit ‘hey let’s try this, if it works, great! If it fails, well never mind, at least we tried!’ I’m also  proud of the work I make for myself, as People Theatre. I try something new on every song! You know, producing or remixing,  it’s never easy, every time is a new BIG challenge!

Q: Less bands are actually working with a producer because they think to have the material and knowledge to do it on their own. How do you see this trend?

Peter: Well they are right and wrong;  they know what kind of sound they want, but will they get it? It depends of the artist’s talent… and the material they have. On the other hand, we all need a look from outside, someone you can rely on and get rid of the big work like mixing or mastering. Even myself!

Q: What might we expect from you during the next few months? 

Peter: Well I’m working on the second EP, to follow my very first, “Dare At Dawn”, surrounded by the love the people send me after a gig or via internet. I’m working on Original Band’s first album, and few other artists like Christopher Anton or Black Egg. Waiting For Words will release a new single soon, probably in May. I’m also working on covers of the French cult band, Indochine, both for WFW and for People Theatre to feature on a Tribute (also to be released in May). The same month, I’ll sing as People Theatre in Lille, a showcase, and Waiting For Words will play live at the ISYNTH festival. We also just reactivated Splendor Projekt with Matt and JM few months ago. I also have very secret projects so the best thing you can do is checking my page on FB of course. Busy, you said? 🙂

Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Recoil and Japan fans, this is something for you. Electronic music act Genre Peak (who recently was featured in our industrial music Spotify playlist with the track “Portal Groove”) has collaborated with a variety of musicians for the new album “Your Sleekest Engine”. Genre Peak’s Martin Birke (formerly active with the electropop act Casualty Park) worked with a huge list of people including Steve Jansen (Japan/David Sylvian), Jon Hassell (Brian Eno/Peter Gabriel), Richard Barbieri (Japan/Porcupine Tree), Matt Malley (Counting Crows) next to Lesley Braden (Fast Arrow), Charlie Woodward (Falco/Strinx), Palestinian artist Manal Deeb and the late Mick Karn (Japan/Dalis Car/David Torn).

The release was co-produced by Christopher Scott Cooper and Martin Birke for In Code Music (Publishing) over a period of 3 years. The album will be released on Gonzo Multimedia UK on March 4, 2016 and is the follow-up to the ambient album “9 Microspheres”, released in 2013.

Here’s how the new album started to take shape: “I wanted to get back to where I could collaborate with singers and players. I approached Steve Jansen to remix a track off “Preternatural” I did with the late Mick Karn, Steve agreed but did much more than a remix, he composed a whole new original song which blew me away. I had Lesley Braden of the Seattle band Fast Arrow write & sing over it and I think it’s dark and glorious much like most of the songs I write. I then contacted Jon Hassell who has been a huge influence and is the reason I’m an electronic-percussionist, and we came up with the instrumental “Metanoia”. I started writing more songs with singer Charlie Woodward who sounds a bit like Jon Anderson of Yes to me (another favorite band) and we just clicked – thanks to Edo Castro (Pat Metheny Band) for introducing us.”

Rob Ayling of Gonzo Multimedia introduced Martin to Matt Malley of the Counting Crows and he delivered the bass on “God Fearing Men” and “American Civil Rage”. Award winning poet Michael Spring spoke his poem “First Born of the New Millennium” Martin wrote the music for that one, and Richard Barbieri did a remix of “Fix Me Deeper”.

Speaking of “Fix Me Deeper”, it’s not the first time that Birke has collaborated with Manal Deeb. Last summer Martin also recorded a track with the Palestinian-American multi-media artist for the Arabesque song “Fix Me Deeper”, which you can hear below.

Birke modelled Genre Peak after Alan Wilder’s Recoil and Massive Attack: “I find this the most exciting way to work, it’s always different and working with artists you grew up listening to is quite rewarding for me. I like to call Genre Peak’s music ‘electronica-organica’ as I use electronics with a warm live cinematic sound.”

This is what our Side-Line reviewer said about the project a while back: “Genre Peak realised a quite diversified piece of music, mixing different vocal, ambient and rhythm elements. There also is a real will and attention to distill great sound treatments. This is modern music covering a wide range of influences.”

You can order the “Your Sleekest Engine” CD right here on Amazon.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Pankow’s Maurizio Fasolo has sent us his TOP 10 albums from the period 1981-1984. The TOP 10 comes hand in hand with the re-release of Pankow’s first cassette “Throw Out Rite”, originally released in 1983. It’s nowadays sold for over 100 Euros on Discogs and is very rare.

Artoffact is releasing a CD and vinyl editions (EU orders are available here) of “Throw Out Rite” for the first time ever. The audio is remastered from the original tape.

And that’s not all, we also offer you an exclusive FREE download of the remastered version of “Das Wodkalied”! Get it below:

Here is Pankow’s TOP 10 albums from 1981-1984 with additional comment by Pankow’s Maurizio Fasolo.

1. Duet Emmo ‎– Or So It Seems – 1983

Maurizio Fasolo: “The Masterpiece… so layered and so rich in contrasts that you never get tired of it, the presence of Daniel Miller brings a geometric sheen to it.”

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

(All pictures by Dorothy) A map featuring the history of electronic music (albeit without dates), who could ever have imagined that someone would create that. Well, it does exist alright and is called “Electric Love Blueprint – A History of Electronic Music” and is for sale for 35 UK£ at Dorothy, a Manchester based art shop annex studio.

The 60 x 80cm big poster is based on the circuit board of a theremin, one of the first electronic musical instruments ever built. The blueprint features over 200 inventors, innovators, artists, composers and musicians who (in the opinion of designer James Quail) have been pivotal to the evolution of electronic music from the invention of the earliest known sound recording device in 1857 to the present day.

Key pioneers featured in the map include the usual suspects Léon Theremin, Bob Moog, Karlheinz Stockhausen, John Cage, Brian Eno, Kraftwerk and Aphex Twin. The print loosely groups genres, from the obscure Musique Concrète (Pierre Schaeffer) to the better known Krautrock (Kraftwerk, Can, Tangerine Dream, Neu!, Faust, Cluster, Harmonia and Amon Düül II) synthpop (Gary Numan, Human League, Depeche Mode, Yazoo and Pet Shop Boys) and electronica (New Order, The Prodigy, Massive Attack, LCD Sound System and Daft Punk).

There are also references to the experimental BBC Radiophonic Workshop and the record labels Mute and Warp.

A pity it totally forgets the industrial & ebm scene with such artists as Front 242, Nitzer Ebb, Die Krupps, Skinny Puppy etc which all have had a huge impact. Let’s see who will create a more complete map…

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com