Cabaret Voltaire – SIDE-LINE

Cabaret Voltaire’s ‘CODE’ gets remastered reissue on Mute

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Sheffield electronic pioneers Cabaret Voltaire are getting a remastered reissue of their eighth studio album, CODE, out 9 October on Mute. The 1987 record, long out of print, returns on limited edition “CODIFIED” marble vinyl and as a deluxe triple CD set, the latter adding two bonus discs of remastered period remixes plus previously unreleased mixes unearthed from the archive.

The reissue launches today with Thank You America (John Robie Dub Mix), a remix by the influential producer, writer and musician that was originally earmarked as the third single from the original release.

‘CODE’ caught the band at their commercial peak

CODE finds Richard H. Kirk and Stephen “Mal” Mallinder at the height of their commercial and creative powers, marking the point where the pair signed to EMI, opening the door to bigger budgets without any compromise on their vision. The album became Cabaret Voltaire’s most commercially successful, with two singles, Don’t Argue and Here To Go, both breaking the UK Official Singles Chart.

Discussing the album’s political undertone in the new sleeve notes, Mallinder explained why CODE still resonates with the band’s own history: “This album captures a very interesting moment in time where we were moving into a technological world. Probably more than anything else Richard and I made together, CODE was a political record that we didn’t have to directly articulate as political, mostly because of what was going on in the background at that time.”

CODE tapped into an increasingly uneasy relationship with technology, computers and programming that was creeping into all aspects of life, unpicking the codes of control to expose them, a preoccupation that would continue through the rest of Cabaret Voltaire’s work.

The album features guest musicians saxophonist Simeon Lister, bassist Mark Brydon of Chakk and Bill Nelson of Be-Bop Deluxe. It was recorded at the band’s own Western Works studio in Sheffield, with Adrian Sherwood joining for pre-production before sessions moved to Red Bus Studios in London for mixing. The remaster comes from Denis Blackman, who has remastered every Cabaret Voltaire album for over two decades; work on this edition began back in 2019 with Kirk himself, before his death, and was completed using his notes in consultation with Mallinder and Kirk’s estate.

About Cabaret Voltaire

Cabaret Voltaire were formed in Sheffield in 1973 by Richard H. Kirk, Stephen Mallinder and Chris Watson, quickly becoming one of the founding acts of British electronic and industrial music. Watson departed in 1981, after which Kirk and Mallinder continued as a duo until 1994, before Kirk carried the name alone through a 2014 performance at Berlin’s Atonal festival. An interconnected run of releases, Shadow of Fear, BN9Drone and Dekadrone, followed in 2020 and 2021, shortly before Kirk’s death in autumn 2021.

In 2025, Mallinder and Watson marked the 50th anniversary of the band’s first performance with a reunion tour, including an announced Roundhouse show. That run continues into 2026 with final US and UK dates tied to the live album ‘But What Time Is It Really?’, from which the pair also shared a live version of ‘Yashar’. The CODE reissue arrives alongside that renewed attention on the band’s catalogue, giving new and longtime listeners a way back into one of Cabaret Voltaire’s most pivotal records.

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

Cabaret Voltaire mark final UK show with exclusive Henderson’s Relish bottle

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 14:23:38 +0000

Sheffield electronic group Cabaret Voltaire will mark their final UK performance with an exclusive limited-edition bottle of Henderson’s Relish. Founders Stephen “Mal” Mallinder and Chris Watson play the Sheffield Octagon on 25 October 2026, the closing date of the band’s final tour, and the Cabaret Voltaire “Henderson’s Relish” bottle will be available to Sheffield ticket holders only, with collection at the venue.

A Henderson’s Relish bottle for Cabaret Voltaire’s final Sheffield show

Henderson’s Relish is a Sheffield-made condiment produced in the city since 1885, and the commemorative Cabaret Voltaire “Henderson’s Relish” bottle ties the band’s farewell to their home city. The bottles are strictly limited to Sheffield ticket holders, who receive a collection link from the ticketing agent. The Sheffield Octagon date on 25 October 2026 is the final stop of the band’s last tour and falls just over 50 years after their first live performance, at the Sheffield University Students Union Refectory on 13 May 1975, an anniversary the band marked with an exclusive Sheffield show in 2025. Tickets for the Sheffield Octagon show remain on sale.

Screenshot

‘But What Time Is It Really?’: the Cabaret Voltaire live album

The final tour follows the live album “But What Time Is It Really?“, recorded during Cabaret Voltaire’s sold-out 2025 UK tour and issued in 2026 on Memetune on CD and vinyl. Mallinder and Watson were joined on the 2025 dates by Eric Random and Oliver Harrap, and the recording was engineered and mixed by Benge, recorded by Joe Peat and mastered by James Trevasus.

The album presents new arrangements of “Sensoria”, “Crackdown”, “Do Right” and “Spies in the Wires” alongside “Tinsley Viaduct”, a piece of musique concrète by Chris Watson. The band also shared a live version of “Yashar”, a track first issued on the 1982 album “2×45”. On the recording, Mallinder said it was “an opportunity to capture the shows as a unique moment in time but also give people the opportunity to have a memento,” adding that it presented sounds and music “with respect to Richard’s memory, that also transcended time.”

But What Time Is It Really? by Cabaret Voltaire

Cabaret Voltaire final UK and Ireland tour dates 2026

The 2026 itinerary opens with European dates in June and a North American leg in September before the UK and Ireland run in October, which closes in Sheffield. Gazelle Twin (Elizabeth Bernholz) is the support act across most UK dates, with Fader, the duo of Neil Arthur of Blancmange and Benge, opening in Cardiff and Bath. Te October UK and Ireland dates are:

7 October – Dublin, The Academy
8 October – Belfast, Limelight
10 October – Birmingham, Town Hall
11 October – Liverpool, Arts Club
13 October – Nottingham, The Palais
14 October – Cardiff, The Globe
15 October – Bath, Forum
17 October – Newcastle, Boiler Shop
18 October – Glasgow, Barrowland
19 October – Manchester, Albert Hall
21 October – Brighton, Chalk
22 October – London, Roundhouse
25 October – Sheffield, Octagon

About Cabaret Voltaire

Cabaret Voltaire formed in Sheffield in 1973 around Stephen Mallinder, Richard H. Kirk and Chris Watson, working with tape, electronics and found sound at a time before the wider arrival of industrial and synth-based music. The group gave its first public performance at the Sheffield University Students Union Refectory on 13 May 1975 and went on to release early records through Rough Trade and Factory, later running their own Doublevision video label. Watson left the group in 1981; the 1982 album “2×45” was the last to feature him.

Across the 1980s the band worked with producers including Adrian Sherwood and Marshall Jefferson, moving from their early experimental work toward electro, funk and house-influenced material. Mallinder remained until the group wound down in 1994 and moved to Australia the following year. Kirk continued as the sole member, returning for a 2014 performance at Berlin’s Atonal festival and releasing “Shadow of Fear” (2020) along with “BN9Drone” and “Dekadrone” in 2020 and 2021. Kirk died on 21 September 2021, aged 65.

In 2025 Mallinder and Watson reunited to mark 50 years since the band’s first concert, a run that produced the 2026 live album “But What Time Is It Really?” and the final tour. Mallinder and Watson have stated that there will be no new recordings under the Cabaret Voltaire name. The final UK date at the Sheffield Octagon on 25 October 2026, accompanied by the limited-edition Henderson’s Relish bottle, closes the band’s live history in the city where it began.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Cabaret Voltaire share live ‘Yashar’ ahead of final tour album ‘But What Time Is It Really?’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 19:33:35 +0000

Cabaret Voltaire have shared a live version of “Yashar” ahead of “But What Time Is It Really?“, a new live album set for release via Memetune on April 24, 2026. The album will be available on CD and digitally, with the vinyl edition following on May 22. “Yashar” first appeared on “2×45” in May 1982, the last studio album to feature co-founder Chris Watson. The new live set was recorded on the 2025 UK tour, which marked 50 years since the group’s first live performance at Sheffield Students Union Refectory on May 13, 1975.

But What Time Is It Really? by Cabaret Voltaire

The live album documents Stephen Mallinder and Chris Watson joined by Eric Random and Oliver Harrap and was engineered and mixed by Benge, recorded by Joe Peat, mastered by James Trevascus, and given artwork by Dan Conway and Paul Burgess based on Conway’s live visuals.

Chris Watson says the record “captures the powerful essence of contemporary live performance and establishes a visceral connection to the history of the band.”

Below is the full tracklist of the live album.

But What Time Is It Really? by Cabaret Voltaire

Cabaret Voltaire final tour dates 2026

The North American dates will feature support from I Speak Machine, with Tara Busch standing in for Watson on synths and samples, while Gazelle Twin is confirmed for the UK and Ireland dates.

North America

May 4 – Seattle, Moore Theatre
May 6 – Vancouver, Commodore Ballroom
May 8 – Portland, Roseland Theater
May 10 – Denver, Summit
May 12 – Los Angeles, The Bellwether
May 15 – San Francisco, The Warfield
September 11 – Dallas, Granada Theater
September 15 – Chicago, Metro
September 16 – Chicago, Metro
September 18 – Toronto, Phoenix Concert Theatre
September 19 – Montreal, SAT
September 21 – Boston, The Wilbur
September 25 – New York, Knockdown Center
September 26 – Philadelphia, Underground Arts

Europe

May 29 – Malmö, Plan B
May 30 – Stockholm, Slaktkyrkan
May 31 – Oslo, Søn
June 2 – Berlin, Betonhalle
June 5 – Paris, Elysée Montmartre
June 10 – Warsaw, Ephemera Festival
June 12 – Brussels, Ancienne Belgique
June 13 – Amsterdam, Paradiso
June 18 – Barcelona, Sónar
June 19 – Lausanne, Docks
June 26 – Zagreb, Tvornica Kulture

UK and Ireland

October 7 – Dublin, The Academy
October 8 – Belfast, Limelight
October 10 – Birmingham, Town Hall
October 11 – Liverpool, Arts Club
October 13 – Nottingham, The Palais
October 14 – Cardiff, The Globe
October 15 – Bath, Forum
October 17 – Newcastle, Boiler Shop
October 18 – Glasgow, Barrowland
October 19 – Manchester, Albert Hall
October 21 – Brighton, Chalk
October 22 – London, Roundhouse
October 25 – Sheffield, Octagon

About Cabaret Voltaire

Cabaret Voltaire were formed in Sheffield in late 1973 by Richard H. Kirk, Chris Watson, and Stephen Mallinder. Their early work grew out of tape experiments, homemade electronics, and Dada-influenced performance methods. The group’s first live appearance took place at Sheffield Students Union Refectory on May 13, 1975. In 1978 they signed to Rough Trade, which released early records including “Extended Play”, “Nag Nag Nag”, “Mix-Up” in 1979, “Three Mantras” and “The Voice of America” in 1980, and “Red Mecca” in 1981. “2×45” followed in 1982 and marked Watson’s final studio appearance with the band.

After Watson’s departure, Mallinder and Kirk continued as a duo. They moved through the Some Bizzare and Virgin period with “The Crackdown” in 1983, “Micro-Phonies” in 1984, and “The Covenant, the Sword and the Arm of the Lord” in 1985, before later releases including “Code” in 1987. Mallinder was also involved in the launch of Doublevision in 1982, described as the UK’s first independent video label, while the band expanded into house, techno, and dance-floor work, with the Marshall Jefferson-linked “Groovy, Laidback and Nasty” in 1990. The 1990s offered “Body and Soul” in 1991, “Plasticity” in 1992, “International Language” in 1993, and “The Conversation” in 1994.

Richard H. Kirk later revived Cabaret Voltaire as a solo project, returning to the stage at Berlin Atonal in 2014 and issuing the release “Shadow Of Fear” in 2020, followed by “BN9Drone” and “Dekadrone” in 2021. Kirk died in September 2021.

Mallinder and Watson returned for the 50th-anniversary live dates in 2025 and have stated that there will be no new recordings under the Cabaret Voltaire name.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Cabaret Voltaire announce live album ‘But What Time Is It Really?’ and final 2026 tour dates

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 16:32:37 +0000

Sheffield industrial and post-punk pioneers Cabaret Voltaire will release the Cabaret Voltaire live album “But What Time Is It Really?” on 24 April 2026 via Memetune, tying in with the band’s final North American, European and UK tour dates. The album will be available on CD and vinyl through the Cabaret Voltaire online store, Bandcamp and at the 2026 shows, and documents last year’s sold-out UK anniversary tour.

‘But What Time Is It Really?’ live album details

Recorded on the 2025 UK tour marking 50 years since Cabaret Voltaire’s first live appearance at Sheffield Students Union Refectory in May 1975, “But What Time Is It Really?” captures the current stage line-up of Stephen Mallinder and Chris Watson joined by Eric Random and Oliver Harrap. Fans travelled from across the world to see new arrangements of key catalogue tracks presented alongside recent material and a new live piece, “Tinsley Viaduct”.

The recordings were engineered and mixed by Benge at Memetune, recorded by Joe Peat, and mastered by James Trevasus. Visual artist Dan Conway created the album artwork together with Paul Burgess, based on Conway’s live visuals from the tour.

Chris Watson says that the record “captures the powerful essence of contemporary live performance and establishes a visceral connection to the history of the band.” Stephen Mallinder describes it as “an opportunity to capture the shows as a unique moment in time” and as a memento that honours the memory of the late Richard H. Kirk while stepping outside strict chronology.

The CD edition of “But What Time Is It Really?” includes 16 tracks recorded on the 2025 UK dates:

CD tracklist – ‘But What Time Is It Really?‘

24-24
Animation
Why Kill Time (When You Can Kill Yourself)
Tinsley Viaduct
The Set-up
Landslide
Crackdown
Spies in the Wires
Just Fascination
Taxi Music
Yashar
Sex Money Freaks
Easy Life
Do Right
Nag Nag Nag
Sensoria

The vinyl version condenses the set into 10 tracks across two sides:

Vinyl – Side One

The Set-up
Spies in the Wires
Just Fascination
Crackdown
Tinsley Viaduct

Vinyl – Side Two

Yashar
Sex Money Freaks
Easy Life
Do Right
Nag Nag Nag

Ahead of the full Cabaret Voltaire live album, the band have released a live version of their 1979 single as a digital track. “Nag Nag Nag (Live 2025 Single Edit)” is streaming now and can be purchased directly via Bandcamp as a high-resolution download.

Nag Nag Nag (Live 2025 Single Edit) by Cabaret Voltaire

Cabaret Voltaire final 2026 tour dates

The Cabaret Voltaire live album coincides with the final run of shows announced for 2026, spanning North America, mainland Europe and a closing UK and Ireland tour. The band have confirmed that there will be no new studio recordings under the Cabaret Voltaire name beyond this activity.

On the North American dates, support comes from I Speak Machine, with ISM founder Tara Busch stepping in for Chris Watson on synths and samples. Composer, producer and performance artist Gazelle Twin (Elizabeth Bernholz) will support the autumn UK shows.

The 2026 shows will present material from across the entire catalogue, from early Industrial Records and Rough Trade work through the Doublevision video period to collaborations with producers such as Adrian Sherwood and Marshall Jefferson, closing the project’s five-decade arc.

Cabaret Voltaire final tour 2026

UK / Austria

21 Feb – Norwich (UK), Synth East Festival – SOLD OUT
6 March – Graz (AT), Elevate Festival

North America – West Coast (^ with I Speak Machine)

4 May – Seattle, WA (US), Moore Theatre^
6 May – Vancouver, BC (CA), Commodore^
8 May – Portland, OR (US), Roseland Theater^
10 May – Denver, CO (US), Summit^
12 May – Los Angeles, CA (US), The Bellwether^
15 May – San Francisco, CA (US), The Warfield^

Europe – Spring / Summer

29 May – Malmö (SE), Plan B
30 May – Stockholm (SE), Slaktkyrkan
31 May – Oslo (NO), Søn
2 June – Berlin (DE), Betonhalle
5 June – Paris (FR), Elysée Montmartre
12 June – Brussels (BE), Ancienne Belgique
13 June – Amsterdam (NL), Paradiso
18 June – Barcelona (ES), Sónar
19 June – Lausanne (CH), Docks
26 June – Zagreb (HR), Tvornica Kulture

North America – East Coast (^ with I Speak Machine)

11 September – Dallas, TX (US), Granada Theater^
15 September – Chicago, IL (US), Metro^
16 September – Chicago, IL (US), Metro^
18 September – Toronto, ON (CA), Phoenix Concert Theatre^
19 September – Montreal, QC (CA), SAT^
21 September – Boston, MA (US), The Wilbur^
25 September – New York, NY (US), Knockdown Center^
26 September – Philadelphia, PA (US), Underground Arts^

Ireland / UK – Final Tour (*with Gazelle Twin)

7 October – Dublin (IE), The Academy
8 October – Belfast (UK), Limelight
10 October – Birmingham (UK), Town Hall*
11 October – Liverpool (UK), Arts Club*
13 October – Nottingham (UK), Rock City*
14 October – Cardiff (UK), The Globe*
15 October – Bath (UK), Forum*
17 October – Newcastle (UK), Boiler Shop*
18 October – Glasgow (UK), Barrowland*
19 October – Manchester (UK), Albert Hall*
21 October – Bexhill (UK), De La Warr Pavilion*
22 October – London (UK), Roundhouse*
25 October – Sheffield (UK), Octagon*

About Cabaret Voltaire

Cabaret Voltaire formed in Sheffield, England, in 1973 when tape-experimenter Chris Watson joined forces with multi-instrumentalist Richard H. Kirk and vocalist-bassist Stephen Mallinder. Early performances at Sheffield Students Union in 1975 and guerrilla appearances around the city mixed home-built electronics, tape loops and distorted visuals.

Through the late 1970s the trio released material on labels such as Industrial, Rough Trade and Factory, including early singles like “Nag Nag Nag” and albums such as “Mix-Up” (1979) and “Red Mecca” (1981), recorded at their Western Works studio, which also hosted sessions for other Sheffield acts including The Human League and Clock DVA.

After Watson’s departure in 1981, Cabaret Voltaire continued as a duo, moving further toward electronics-driven dance music on releases like “The Crackdown” (1983), “Micro-Phonies” (1984), “The Covenant, The Sword And The Arm Of The Lord” (1985) and “Code” (1987). These albums, issued through labels including Some Bizzare/Virgin and Parlophone/EMI, integrated drum machines, sampling and a more club-oriented production. The early 1990s saw further exploration of house and techno with “Groovy, Laidback and Nasty” (1990), followed by “Body and Soul” (1991) and “The Conversation” (1994), after which the group went dormant.

From 2009, Richard H. Kirk revived Cabaret Voltaire as a solo studio project, culminating in the 2020 album “Shadow Of Fear” and the long-form companion works “BN9Drone” and “Dekadrone” on Mute. Kirk died in 2021, closing that chapter of the band.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Cabaret Voltaire founders announce Roundhouse 2026 show and full support line-up for 50th anniversary tour

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 18:25:55 +0000

Stephen Mallinder and Chris Watson have announced a major new date for Cabaret Voltaire Redux, the 50th anniversary live show, at London’s Roundhouse, scheduled for 22 October 2026. The performance has been added due to high demand following the sell-out of their autumn 2025 UK dates.

The upcoming 2025 shows – beginning 25 October at Sheffield’s FORGE Warehouse as part of Sensoria Festival – mark five decades since Cabaret Voltaire’s live debut at Sheffield Students Union Refectory on 13 May 1975. The electronic pioneers will perform in Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, London, and Brighton before the newly announced 2026 Roundhouse event.

Each 2025 performance will feature a different guest artist:

Soborgnost, a lo-fi dubwave dancepunk project by Jim Osman, will support in Sheffield (FORGE Warehouse) and London (ICA).
CURRENTMOODGIRL, the dark experimental pop alias of Greta Caroll, joins the Glasgow (SWG3 Warehouse) date.
Manchester (Gorilla) will host I Am Fya, a bass-driven experimentalist linked to the Afro-Futurist performance collective Brownton Abbey.
Vanishing, the music project of engineer-turned-artist Gareth Smith, brings a conceptual sound to Birmingham (Xoyo).
At Brighton (ACCA), MICROCORPS, the modular techno moniker of Alexander Tucker, will close the support series.

Cabaret Voltaire Tour schedule

Cabaret Voltaire Live – 2025

25 Oct – Sheffield, FORGE Warehouse (Sensoria Festival) w/ Soborgnost – SOLD OUT
17 Nov – Glasgow, SWG3 Warehouse w/ CURRENTMOODGIRL – SOLD OUT
18 Nov – Manchester, Gorilla w/ I Am Fya – SOLD OUT
19 Nov – Birmingham, Xoyo w/ Vanishing – FINAL TICKETS
21 Nov – London, ICA w/ Soborgnost – SOLD OUT
22 Nov – Brighton, ACCA w/ MICROCORPS – SOLD OUT

Cabaret Voltaire Live – 2026

22 Oct – London, Roundhouse – Tickets on sale 15 August at 10AM

These anniversary events revisit and reinterpret the band’s work through newly rebuilt live material. Stephen Mallinder describes the approach as this: “The live set is built from scratch but faithful to the original tracks. Everything has been painstakingly reconstructed with the original technology and processes […] there is an element of unpredictable, the new.”

Chris Watson adds: “To share a stage once more with Mal and to honour Cabaret Voltaire’s legacy will be a unique privilege, whilst remembering that in the current times – as back then – the Dadaist interventions of Cabaret Voltaire remain essential.”

The set will span the full scope of Cabaret Voltaire’s output, including work from their early industrial period, Rough Trade and Factory Records years, Doublevision video label productions, and later collaborations with producers such as Adrian Sherwood and Marshall Jefferson.

About Cabaret Voltaire

Cabaret Voltaire was formed in Sheffield, England, in 1973 by Stephen Mallinder, Richard H. Kirk, and Chris Watson. The group’s first public performance took place on 13 May 1975 at Sheffield Students Union Refectory. Known for their experimental integration of electronics, tape loops, and confrontational visuals, they were among the earliest and most influential industrial acts to emerge from the UK.

Their early recordings caught the attention of labels such as Rough Trade and Factory Records, leading to releases like “Nag Nag Nag” and “Red Mecca”. In the 1980s, they moved toward a more dancefloor-oriented style, notably with “The Crackdown” (1983) and “Micro-Phonies” (1984), blending electronic funk and sampling.

In the 1990s, the band reduced live activity, with Richard H. Kirk continuing the project as a solo effort until his death in 2021. The 2025–2026 events mark the first time Watson and Mallinder have reactivated Cabaret Voltaire as a duo since the early 1980s.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Cabaret Voltaire hit the UK road again to celebrate 50 years of 1st live performance

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 09:44:01 +0000

Stephen Mallinder and Chris Watson have announced a limited run of UK live shows in November 2025 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first ever Cabaret Voltaire first-ever performance. The announcement follows the immediate sell-out of their Sheffield show on 25 October at the Forge Warehouse, part of the Sensoria Festival.

The upcoming dates include:

17 Nov – Glasgow, SWG3 Warehouse
18 Nov – Manchester, Gorilla
19 Nov – Birmingham, Xoyo
21 Nov – London, ICA

Tickets go on general sale from 9am on Friday 6 June, with pre-sale already live.

Celebrating 1975 live debut Cabaret Voltaire

The tour commemorates Cabaret Voltaire’s debut on 13 May 1975 at the Sheffield Students Union Refectory.

The autumn shows promise a comprehensive retrospective, covering work from the early experimental period and foundational Rough Trade and Factory Records releases, through the audiovisual Doublevision label era, and into collaborations with figures like Adrian Sherwood and Marshall Jefferson.

Stephen Mallinder emphasized the integrity of the live show: “The live set is built from scratch but faithful to the original tracks. Everything has been painstakingly reconstructed with the original technology and processes to build the tracks. But as with all Cabs live shows there is an element of unpredictable, the new. Chance meets causality.”

Chris Watson added: “I’m delighted and totally thrilled to make a contribution to the band’s 50th anniversary. To share a stage once more with Mal and to honour Cabaret Voltaire’s legacy will be a unique privilege, whilst remembering that in the current times – as back then – the Dadaist interventions of Cabaret Voltaire remain essential.”

Here’s what you can expect.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Cabaret Voltaire Redux: 50 years marked with exclusive Sheffield performance

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 13 May 2025 09:25:22 +0000

Stephen Mallinder and Chris Watson will reunite for a one-off live performance as Cabaret Voltaire on October 25, 2025, at Forge Warehouse in Sheffield as part of the Sensoria Festival. The show marks 50 years since the band’s first performance at the Sheffield Students Union Refectory on May 13, 1975.

That early show – reportedly met with hostility from some attendees – laid the foundation for Cabaret Voltaire’s role as pioneers of experimental electronic music in the UK. The October event will celebrate the band’s five-decade legacy with a curated performance that draws from their full sonic archive.

According to the organizers, the performance will span the band’s trajectory, from its early tape experiments and Rough Trade/Factory releases to later collaborations with Adrian Sherwood and Marshall Jefferson, including work under the Doublevision label.

Stephen Mallinder explains: “The live set is built from scratch but faithful to the original tracks. Everything has been painstakingly reconstructed with the original technology and processes to build the tracks. But as with all Cabs live shows there is an element of unpredictable, the new. Chance meets causality.”

Chris Watson from his side adds: “I’m delighted and totally thrilled to make a contribution to the band’s 50th anniversary. To share a stage once more with Mal and to honour Cabaret Voltaire’s legacy will be a unique privilege, whilst remembering that in the current times – as back then – the Dadaist interventions of Cabaret Voltaire remain essential.”

Additional anniversary events

Sensoria is marking the 50-year milestone with several lead-up events under the banner of CV50. On May 13, 2025, Gut Level in Sheffield will host a special performance night featuring aya, as well as emerging local artists MYNA and Alex.Aubyn.

Further programming includes 50 Years of Sonic Shock – A Celebration of Cabaret Voltaire on May 16, with live performances from Russell Haswell, Prangers, and Synth Club, alongside an exhibition from May 15–18.

On May 14, Stephen Mallinder will join Jamie Taylor and Travis Elborough for a public conversation at the launch of Taylor’s book Studio Electrophonique.

About Cabaret Voltaire

Cabaret Voltaire was formed in 1973 in Sheffield, England, by Stephen Mallinder, Richard H. Kirk, and Chris Watson. The group took its name from the Zurich nightclub known for its Dadaist roots. Initially working with tape loops, distortion, and noise, the band emerged as key figures in industrial, experimental, and electronic music.

They began releasing material through Industrial Records and later signed with Rough Trade and Factory Records. Their influence grew through the 1980s as they incorporated more structured electronic rhythms and political overtones. Their work with Doublevision extended their output to video art and performance film.

Following personnel changes in the late 1980s, Richard H. Kirk continued Cabaret Voltaire as a solo project until his death in 2021. The October 2025 show is the first live appearance by original members Mallinder and Watson in decades, and the first under the Cabaret Voltaire name since Kirk’s passing.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Cosmic Overdose reissue rare 1981 tape ‘Final Koko’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 18:24:43 +0000

The pioneering Swedish electronic band Cosmic Overdose is set to re-release “Final Koko”, which includes the first and last recordings the band made in English before they disbanded in 1981 and reformed as Twice A Man. Originally issued in early 1982 as a highly limited cassette, “Final Koko” has since become one of the rarest and most sought-after items in Sweden’s electro music scene.

Now, this album is being reissued via Progress Productions on November 22nd, remastered by Hans Olsson at Svenska Grammofonstudion in Gothenburg. As an added bonus, the re-release includes several remixes that were previously only available in digital format, offering fans a more comprehensive experience of the band’s final works as Cosmic Overdose.

About Cosmic Overdose

Cosmic Overdose was a pioneering Swedish electronic band formed in 1978 by Dan Söderqvist and Karl Gasleben (Ingemar Ljungström). Both musicians came from experimental backgrounds in Sweden’s alternative music scene – Söderqvist from the psychedelic band Älgarnas Trädgård and Gasleben from the ambient group Anna Själv Tredje.

Initially a duo, the band expanded to include additional members before returning to its core trio by the time they recorded their first album, “Dada Koko” (1980). Their sound was a mix of electropunk, post-punk, and experimental electronic music, influenced by acts like Cabaret Voltaire and Joy Division.

Cosmic Overdose released two studio albums, “Dada Koko” (1980) and “4668” (1981), before transforming into the synthpop group Twice a Man, which became one of the leading names in Swedish electronic music. Despite their short existence under the Cosmic Overdose name, they left a lasting impact on the Swedish electronic and post-punk scenes.

In 2016, their work was revisited with the release of a 3CD box set, “Koko Total”, which included remastered albums, singles, and unreleased material.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Krieg-B lands ‘War Drums’ Resonance’ album with bonus material – Out now

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Sun, 22 Sep 2024 16:06:03 +0000

The French band Krieg-B, consisting of Dominique Lallement (Kriegbereit, Cobalt 60, K Bereit) and The Belgian Benoît Buyse aka Dreadfool (Anamorphosis, Nihiliste), formed in June 2023. The duo brings music which is a mixture of all what has been done over the last 30 years in industrial electronic music, darkwave and ebm.

Out now is the band’s debut album “War Drums´ Resonance”.

The limited edition of the 11-track album (77 copies only) comes with a bonus CD holding cover of the Cabaret Voltaire classic “Nag Nag Nag”, plus a T-shirt. You can order this release directly via emmobiz Records.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

The Awakening presents ‘Mirror Midnight’, first single from new album

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 11:28:25 +0000

Gothic Rock / Darkwave act The Awakening presents “Mirror Midnight”, the first taste of the self-titled album (their 12th to date, out October 18).

The single is about “humans’ tendency towards self-obsession and the media’s recurring manipulation of self-perception” so the band’s founding member Ashton Nyte says. And he adds: “Mirror Midnight is about the obsession of the self, as guided and fed and manipulated by mass media, social media and the endless flood of information and disinformation we all deal with constantly. It’s the juxtaposition of succumbing to insidious and divisive marketing while the world goes up in flames. And how that cycle feeds itself. It’s a story almost as old as time, like the fairy tale it alludes to.”

Here’s the video for “Mirror Midnight” shot by Ashton Nyte created the video, shot in black-and-white format, with a gothic noir film treatment.

Now based in the USA, The Awakening formed in South Africa in the late ’90s as the project of Ashton Nyte.

Coming up as well is an EU and UK solo acoustic tour – Nyte’s first post-Covid tour following his 36-date tour with Wayne Hussey back in 2019. The EU-UK tour kicks off September 28.

The “The Awakening” album is out October 18 via Intervention Arts and follows Nyte’s second book and eighth solo album “Autumn’s Children”. It will be released on vinyl, CD, digitally and various limited-edition formats.

The Awakening tour dates

Sept 28 Ilmenau, Germany – Campus Noir Festival
Sept 29 London, Uk – The Water Rats
Oct 02 York, Uk – Fulford Arms
Oct 03 Edinburgh, Uk – Cabaret Voltaire
Oct 04 Sheffield, Uk – Record Junkee
Oct 25 Karlsruhe, Germany – Kohi Kulturraum
Oct 26 Dortmund, Germany – Pauluskirche
Oct 27 Retie, Belgium – Cafe Foli-A
Nov 01 Hamburg, Germany – Maria’s Ballroom
Nov 02 Apeldoorn, The Netherlands – Brainstorm Festival (Sold Out)

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Fatal Casualties release all new track ‘Monomania’ feat. Gin Devo (Vomito Negro) – Out now

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 14:35:19 +0000

Out now is a brand new Fatal Casualties new track, “Monomania“, which holds guest vocals by Gin Devo (Vomito Negro).

“Monomania” is the first track taken from the coming “Guest EP II” (release date to be announced). You can check out the track below.

Fatal Casualties will release 3 “Guest EP´s” in 2024 via the German label Minimalkombinat. The contributing guests on the first “Guest EP I” were: Dean Piavani (Portion Control), Stephen Mallinder (Cabaret Voltaire), Émelie Huard (Prosymna), Pelle Ossler and Mick Clarke.

3 of the songs from “Guest EP I” has been released earlier as videos:

About Fatal Casualties

Fatal Casualties is a Swedish experimental electronica band formed in Stockholm in 1986 by Stefan Ljungdahl and Ivan Hirvonen. Initially active from 1987 to 1991, they went on a long hiatus before reuniting in 2010. The band’s first official release was the EP “Paria” in 2012, following years of releasing demos and live performances.

The band’s music blends various electronic styles, often characterized by dark, cinematic atmospheres and experimental sounds. Their third album, “Filter”, released by Seja Records, exemplifies their evolution, incorporating ambient and slow rhythmic elements with an experimental edge.

Fatal Casualties have regularly collaborated with other artists, such as their work with Stephen Mallinder of Cabaret Voltaire and Dean Piavani of Portion Control. These collaborations feature prominently in their trilogy of EPs titled “Guest”, exploring themes of resilience and introspection.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Mark Pistel collaborates with Octavian Winters for new double single – ‘Velveteen’ remix video out now

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 10:24:05 +0000

American artist Mark Pistel (Meat Beat Manifesto, Consolidated) has joined San Francisco post-punk outfit Octavian Winters for the double single “Nebula / Velveteen (Mark Pistel Remix)”. Now his “Velveteen” remix also gets the video treatment thanks to filmmaker David Kruschke.

Mark Pistel is best known as founder of Consolidated and as a member of Meat Beat Manifesto since 1997. He has also worked with such artists as The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, Grace Jones, Therapy?, MC 900 Foot Jesus, Machines of Loving Grace, Hector Zazou, Mark Stewart, Lee Scratch Perry, Cabaret Voltaire’s Stephen Mallinder and Fishbone’s Angelo Moore.

Formed in 2022, Octavian Winters is guitarist Stephan Salit (Thrill of The Pull), drummer Randy Gzebb (Thrill of The Pull, Love Club), bassist Jay Denton and Ria (Amenti) Aursjoen on vocals and keyboards.

Pistel explains, “Randy Gzebb called me about remixing one of the tracks off ‘The Line or the Curve’ EP. I was excited to do so, as we’d recorded some of these vocals at my Room 5 Studio in San Francisco. I chose to do ‘Velveteen’ as I already loved the track with its fantastic vocal melody and Stephan’s unstoppable guitar hook! I took on the track with pulsing analog synths and a slamming dance floor beat for the clubs.”

The A-side to this 2-track release, called “Nebula” began as an experiment: “I kept envisioning a sort of “last day at the end of the world” — what would the sky look like? Would we know and understand what was happening? There is this broadly Gnostic idea of the universe as unfolding and unfolding through what are called Aeons, essentially levels of manifestation, until we get this world we live in here. I imagined this world reaching the fullness of its life, that whole cycle ending — and then everything reversing, refolding back to the start to make way for the next universe,” says Ria Aursjoen.

This is not the first time Octavian Winters has worked with Pistel. Their debut EP “The Line or Curve” (released in late 2023) was mostly recorded at his Room 5 Recording before being mixed and mastered it at 13 Studio in Chicago, and co-produced by the band and William Faith (The Bellwether Syndicate, Faith & the Muse, Christian Death). Octavian Winters’ members have a rich history of collaborating and touring with notable artists, including Nine Inch Nails, Killing Joke, Lords of the New Church, Savage Republic, Christian Death, The Frozen Autumn, Everything Goes Cold and Black Tape for a Blue Girl.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Censor offers new ‘Black Needles’ single ahead of ‘Swarm’ album

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 10:43:46 +0000

Censor is the brand new project from the Swedish musician Jouni Ollila who we known from his work with Pouppée Fabrikk, mz.412 and the recent solo project Ulvtharm. With Censor he tries “to capture the RAW vibes of late 80s, early 90s electronic music.”

Musically you will notice the DNA similarities with such bands as early Skinny Puppy, The Klinik, Frontline Assembly and Cabaret Voltaire.

Out now is a video for the track “Black Needles” taken from the upcoming album “Swarm” to be released on June 28 on all major streaming platforms and Bandcamp.

You can pre-order the album below on Bandcamp.

SWARM by CENSOR

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

The Neue Klangordnung (NKO), New industrial event series in Cologne

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 13:27:44 +0000

Cologne’s Blue Shell hosts a brand new event series: The Neue Klangordnung (New Sound Order, NKO). The newly founded NKO collective brings the “Blue Shell” back to its roots: rough industrial underground sound, rooted in body music (EBM), post-techno and the new cold / dark wave.

The NKO sees itself as a space for dance and sound experiments, “in which people regain control of their smartphones and their heads are freed for the experience.”

Max Esser explains: “By mainstreaming underground music genres such as techno, the NKO wants to shape new, alternative music styles of tomorrow with its DIY approach. This is inspired by sound pioneers such as Cabaret Voltaire, DAF, Test Dept. and Esplendor Geómetrico, and the next chapter of Industrial is to be entered into at NKO under the term Post-Techno. This is implemented behind the mixing desks of DJ and darkwave performer BORGBORG, the industrial-purified mixing master Hugo Dirac, the Cologne selector Klaus F., and the sound researcher MX Probe.”

View this profile on Instagram

Neue Klangordnung (@neueklangordnung) • Instagram photos and videos

For fans of: Einstürzende Neubauten, Esplendor Geométrico, NAKED, Spit Mask, Broken English Club, Parrish Smith, Bauhaus, Severed Heads, DJedjotronic, ADULT, Fixmer/McCarthy, Boy Harsher, Alessandro Adriani, Ancient Methods, Randolph & Mortimer, Unconscious, Sarin, Alen Skanner, Years of Denial, Whitehouse, Throbbing Gristle/Psychic TV, Qual.

This is what the NKO Spotify playlist sounds like.

What, where and how of The Neue Klangordnung

When: 24. November 2023 – 22:00 o‘clock
Where: Blue Shell, Luxemburger Str. 32, 50674 Cologne
Cost: 8€ Box office, 6€ limited presale via Rausgegangen

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Philadelphia-based post-punk act Tulipomania presents new single ‘You Had To Be There’ with animated video

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 08:41:26 +0000

(Photo by Tulipomania) Out via Sursumcorda Records is the all new single and video from the Philadelphia-based post-punk act Tulipomania: “You Had To Be There”. “You Had to Be There” is the first single from their new album “Dreaming of Sleep” slated for release on November 17.

Tulipomania is made up of Tom Murray (lead vocals, synthesizer, electronic percussion) and Cheryl Gelover (synthesizer, background vocals), who first began their collaboration through projects for experimental film and animation classes.

The video that accompanies the new single was created frame by frame. The animation includes animated lip sync and vintage found footage in an exploration of varied states of disintegration and recombination, created on thousands of individual sheets of black or white paper.

Regarding this technique, the pair also recently created two animated music videos – “Hush” and “Shock To The Body” – for Cabaret Voltaire co-founder and frontman Stephen Mallinder in support of his solo album “Tick, Tick, Tick”, released last year on Dais Records.

“Dreaming of Sleep” is Tulipomania’s fifth album, featuring cover artwork by Michael Speed, senior designer at Beggars Group London and involving Executive Producer Howard Thompson, renowned for his contributions as a record industry executive (Elektra, Island, Almo Sounds), having discovered and/or worked with such artists as Adam and the Ants, Billy Bragg, MC5, Mötorhead, PiL, Psychedelic Furs, Robyn Hitchcock, The Sugarcubes, Suicide, and many others.

Dreaming of Sleep by Tulipomania

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Industrial band Elektrikill returns with ‘Monsters’ album

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 09:08:49 +0000

The industrial band Elektrikill, based in New Jersey, has just released their latest album called “Monsters.”

Elektrikill is the musical project of industrial musician Steve Vil, whose music has been featured in various film soundtracks, including “Grace And The Storm”, “Coma”, “The Pizza Man”, “No Clowning Around” and the theme music for the horror anthology series, “Horror Shop Radio”.

On “Monsters”, Vil explores the darker aspects of the human condition. He says, “We’re all monsters, one way or another. The album explores different ways people can hide their inner monsters, focusing on life in the age of the internet and social media. The song ‘Your Browser Is’ specifically comments on targeted information.”

The album “Monsters” is divided into two parts: the first six songs have a club-vibe, while the next eight songs draw inspiration from Vil’s experience as a soundtrack composer. For instance, the track “Requiem” originally started as an instrumental piece used in a pivotal overdose death scene in one of the films Vil worked on. The closing track, “Your Browser Is”, provides a glimpse of Elektrikill’s future sound, with its heavy beat, eerie synths, and powerful bursts of industrial noise.

Steve Vil’s musical influences range from early industrial pioneers like Cabaret Voltaire, Gary Numan, Skinny Puppy, and Ministry, to modern industrial sound-makers like KMFDM, Laibach, and Rammstein. These diverse influences contribute to the unique and captivating sound of Elektrikill’s “Monsters” album.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Hungarian dark electro act First Aid 4 Souls offers 7-track strong EP/mini-album, ‘Dancing At The Abyss’

Eldrina Mich — Tue, 09 May 2023 11:51:07 +0000

Out now via the Alfa Matrix Bandcamp page is an all new mini-album by the Hungarian dark electro act First Aid 4 Souls. With “Dancing At the Abyss” mini-album, Hungarian electronic music artist István Gazdag introduces techno club influences of his First Aid Tech project into the darker industrial mood of First Aid 4 Souls.

Included are 7 new songs that hang somewhere between techno body music and industrial dance mixed with the distorted or manipulated sampled vocals by Mortum and Vic Willow. All this flavored with a darker industrial touch.

This mini-album is out now via Bandcamp as an immediate download and will follow on all other streaming platforms in the next two weeks.

Dancing At The Abyss EP by FIRST AID 4 SOULS

Veteran Hungarian artist István Gazdag, formerly of Vacuum, has been an active participant in the avant-garde electronic/industrial scene since the late 1980s. He has a diverse range of releases on various labels and has done remarkable remix work for legendary bands such as Coil, Soft Cell, Test. Dept., Cabaret Voltaire, and Einstürzende Neubauten. In recent years, he has collaborated with US-based singer Mortum from Human Vault, who has contributed darker lyrics and a harsher vocal style to their joint project, First Aid 4 Souls.

Earlier this year the project released the 70-track release “This Present Darkness” including four full-length albums (“Trash Cathedral,” “Dark Tunnel,” “Keep This World Empty,” and “I Am The Night”) plus the previously unreleased remix album “Your Social Skill Demised”. The four albums have been re-edited, reconstructed, or newly remastered, supplemented with a variety of previously unreleased bonus material. Read the review of ‘Dancing At The Abyss’.

This Present Darkness (5 Album Remastered Collection + Bonus Tracks) by FIRST AID 4 SOULS

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

www.side-line.com

Interview with Dirk Da Davo: ‘The Music You Listen To When You Are A Kid, Stays Forever In The Back Of Your Head’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sat, 29 Apr 2023 17:00:00 +0000

Who says Dirk Da Davo thinks The Neon Judgement! Even if this band remains one of the pioneers and true references in the Electro-Underground scene, Dirk has been involved with numerous other projects. The recently released album “Retrospective 1987-2023” is an opportunity to discover those projects; a fine selection from Dirk Timmermans’ (he’s real name) work over the thirty six past years aside from The Neon Judgement. The album has been released on vinyl format by Je M’En Fish and features ten songs. Each title of the work inspired me to ask a questions to Dirk. This is a short story of this Belgian living legend of Electronic music… and more…

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: The album takes off with “King Of Fools” which is probably the most surprising song from the album. It sounds sexy while the slide guitar has something pretty American-like. What is this song all about and what does it say about the music you’re listening to?

DDD: The song is about the feeling that got created during the lockdown and the absurdity of certain measures taken which oppressed the people like never before. And I am questioning that in the song. ‘Will you obey the king of fools? Is there a way to neglect his rules? In a way he seems modified… Do you think he is justified?’ It is about this new created normality which I can’t get used to.

Musicaly it is not that far away for me. As a young kid I grew up with my father’s western music compilation records. And the music you listen to when you are a kid, stays forever in the back of your head… It’s a bit American/Western. It’s not the first time that it shows up. With The Neon Judgement we did the albums “Blood And Thunder” (1989) and “The Insult” (1991)who also have a American Tex Mex vibe in some album tracks.

Q: “Ozz” is a track you composed together with Jean-Marie Aerts. I didn’t exactly expect you both composing music together. How did you get in touch and how was it working together?

DDD: I know Jean-Marie already for a long time. He produced some album tracks for The Neon Judgement’s “Blood And Thunder”-album in 1989. He played the bass on The Neon Judgement’s “Jazzbox”-single in 1998 and we even did some experimental dub vinyl releases together in the 90s. And in a way we stayed connected. I live in Spain and Jean-Marie and his wife decided to come over for a vacation. I have a recording studio in the place where I live. It took exactly 2 days after his arrival and we started recording jam sessions. We finalized an EP and we decided to call our project DDDJMX. We released the digital EP in 2017 by the same title: “DDDJMX”. At the end he visited me 3 times which resulted in 10 recordings we digitally released in 2020 as the “Oceaned”-album. It was interesting. Jean–Marie left me completely free in production , arrangements and all regarding the tracks. An honor for me that he gave me his confidence! I feel flattered.

Q: “The Unreal” sounds to me as ‘modern’ The Neon Judgement. Are you sometimes nostalgic when evoking The Neon Judgement and do you think it’s really over now -especially because you went back on stage again since the so-called farewell concert in the A.B.?

DDD: Oh really? It was not intended like that. No, I am not a nostalgic person at all or it must be about my childhood. I always prefer to look ahead and try to find new challenges. That is where the oxygen is! We had a fantastic trip with The Neon Judgement; I’m grateful to the fans but one day you have to call it a day. But never say never, I like to keep these things open… What I enjoy now is recording new music and develop myself further as a musician, not to play the same tracks over and over again.

Q: “Where Even Angels Fall” sounds definitely 80s like. How much of the young Dirk Da Davo from the 80s do you still recognize in your music and approach today?

DDD: That is a difficult question. I think through all my career I kept my personal touch, but it might have been influenced with the musical surroundings at certain periods… But I still carry the DDD label over all I think. No compromises for better business.

Q: “Sexhead” definitely is my favorite song from the album which reminds me of Cabaret Voltaire. I think to know Cabaret Voltaire have been one of your influences. What did you like in their sound and did you ever got the chance to get in touch with Richard H. Kirk -who passed away in 2021?

DDD: An influence is perhaps a big word. We felt more like-minded. I liked the way they approached music from their first album on. The sound –experiments, the search for something new and with that sound they represented the times in which we lived. I met Richard once yes; I think that was during the first half of the 80s. We shared a venue in our hometown, Leuven, a venue named Lido with as line-up: The Neon Judgement, Cabaret Voltaire and 23 Skidoo. Oh what a night full of impressive music! ! 😉

Q: “Meat Cathedral” is another 80s song which was released by your side-project If It Moves. It’s a project you set up with Glenn Frank -who also contributed to songs of The Neon Judgement right? What was this project all about?

DDD: The project happened by coincidence. I joined Glenn’s band Street Ducks at the time as an extra guitar player. We shared a rehearsal room and one evening I was there alone with him. We started to program some industrial beats, I took a guitar and Glenn a microphone and what you hear happened on the spot. A week later we were recording the track together with Ludo Camberlin in his studio and it got released on vinyl. Glenn was part of The Neon Judgement for a short period as a bass player, but not as a song writer.

Q: “157” reminds me of the early minimalism from Front 242. I can’t remember you ever did something together with the guys of ‘242’. Was there a connection or friendship? Rivalry? Just respect?

DDD: There was an undercooled friendship, for sure no rivalry no. I remember a big party we had together in the 80s in Sweden, were we shared the stage in a double bill. We ended up throwing tables to each other during the after party, but it was just for fun! 🙂 Tour stress that is! 😉

Patrick Codenys also helped me out preparing the recordings of The Neon Judgement’s “Mafu Cage”-album. We were getting into sampling, but we didn’t have a sampler ourselves. That is when Patrick proposed that I could come over to his house to prepare samples for the “Mafu Cage”-sessions because they had a sampling machine.

“157”is one of my favorite Neon Electronics recordings produced by Glenn Keteleer (Radical G) who is my partner in the project now since 10 years.

Q: “Strive” is one of your ‘new’ songs but what are you actually busy doing? And who are you working with? And is there an artist you really would like to work with?

DDD: I am busy doing what a musician does: making music and enjoying it. And I try to run my digital label as good as I can.

I am all the time working on songs and demos with Sanchez (the Mexican) under DD Sanchez, solo etc… Hopefully after summer we can produce new Neon Electronics music.. After summer I will release a digi-EP with new DDDJMX music. There is always something going! There’s not really a musician that I can directly think of , but for sure I would like to deliver music for a Quentin Tarantino movie if that counts also!

Q: Talking about Sanchez, “Cities In Dust” is a song from your project together with him. The project DD Sanchez remains one of the most surprising ones and I dare to say a kind of antidote to your involvement with The Neon Judgement. What’s the ‘bonus’ in your career of DD Sanchez?

DDD: It’s a challenge for myself. From the beginning of the project (first release 2019 “Z”-EP) I had the intention with DD Sanchez to write and create a less dark kind of music. A real challenge when you are mostly known in a darker scene and maybe not so wise but a musician should always follow his instinct and his heart . We released a full digi-album October 2022 and it got titled “HappyGrey” The title carries the load: it not really happy Pop music and neither very dark music. So it is “HappyGrey” music.

Q: “In Dreams” was originally written in the early 90s and sounds to me as The Neon Judgement injected with Techno. What did you keep in mind from this (r)evolution in sound called Techno?

DDD: “In Dreams” was recorded and released on vinyl format under DDD Program in 1992. During those times I was into club music and Techno. I think the Techno scene took over the thing that we started as the next generation. They distilled it down to its essence. Nowadays I still enjoy quality Techno music. I am a secret fan of Amelie Lens, also a Belgian DJ artist, but don’t tell anyone !

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

Dirk Da Davo – Retrospective 1987 – 2023 (Album – Je M’En Fish)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: Electronic, Cold-Wave, Dark-Wave, Dark-Techno.

Format: Digital, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Dirk Da Davo will be always connected to one of the most legendary and influential Electro bands in history: The Neon Judgement. From both members Dirk Timmermans aka ‘Dirk Da Davo’ has been the most creative and prolific one. Next to The Neon Judgement he also released solo-material working under his own nickname but also as Neon Electronics and collaborating with other artists like Glenn Keteleer (Radical G), Jean-Marie Aerts (formerly involved with TC Matic), Glenn Frank, The Hacker, Sanchez ao. This compilation is a selection of familiar, rare and unreleased tracks that were released between 1987 and 2023.

Content: This is a very diversified record where it sometimes is nearly impossible to recognize the sound of The Neon Judgement -as DDD will be always linked to this band. But Dirk feels clearly comfortable dealing and experimenting with different influences. “King Of Fools” is one of these cuts which has something like an American sound carried by this heavy, guitar play. Other tracks are reminding me of early Neon Judgement experiments which are mainly coming through in the Electronic sound treatments and rhythm box patterns. Other cuts are into Dark-Techno and that’s what Neon Electronics stands for -especially during the early years of the project. You’ll also discover two previously unreleased songs; one featuring Mexican artist Sanchez.

+ + + : I didn’t know what to expect when holding this vinyl in my hands but I was more than positively surprised. This album sounds somewhere in between a ‘best of’ from Da Davo’s work next to The Neon Judgement and a summary of all different kinds of productions and styles he has explored. I like the opening cut “King Of Fools” which has something sexy and pretty addictive in the guitar play and vocal lines. “Ozz” featuring Jean-Marie Aerts aka ‘JMX’ sounds as an instrumental from Neon Judgement with extra guitar on top. I also want to mention “Where Even Angels Fall” for its old-school Electro style and “Sexhead” originally written in 1987 and reminding me of Cabaret Voltaire. “1987” written together with Glenn Keteleer reminds me of early Front 242 minimalism. Last but not least I also recommend “In Dreams” sounding as Neon Judgement infected by Techno music.

– – – : I’ve just one regret -which has nothing to do with the content of the vinyl; but it would have been cool for this retrospective to get some inside information, pictures etc… featured as a booklet.

Conclusion: A great retrospective from a living legend of Electronic music.

Best songs: “Sexhead”, “In Dreams”, “King Of Fools”, “Where Even Angels Fall”, “157”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/dirk.dadavo

Label: www.facebook.com/JemenfishBE Read the news on ‘Retrospective 1987 – 2023’.

About Dirk Da Davo

Dirk Da Davo is the alias of Belgian musician Dirk Timmermans, a founding member of The Neon Judgement. Beyond the band, Timmermans has released solo material under his own name and as Neon Electronics, and has collaborated with Glenn Keteleer (Radical G), Jean-Marie Aerts (formerly of TC Matic), Glenn Frank, The Hacker, and Sanchez, among others. “Retrospective 1987 – 2023” compiles familiar, rare, and previously unreleased tracks spanning that period, including two previously unreleased songs, one featuring Mexican artist Sanchez.

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

Australian electronic, post punk act Alien Skin back with all new album

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Fri, 10 Mar 2023 02:28:00 +0000

Alien Skin, the Australian electronic, post punk act has a new album, the 14-track pro-analog 80s album “Negative Plus”.

Here’s what Alien Skin’s George says about this new release: “‘I do not believe in death I won’t be around to know I’m gone’ is an Andy Warhol quote I adapted for one of the album’s songs. My own existential unravelling over the recent past is responsible for, ‘every face I see will die and every memory through my eyes will end with me’ for another song. The psyche present in these thoughts helped frame the concept of ‘Negative Plus’ during months of Australian antarctic winter. Simultaneously though, I’ve always had a keen want to inject enduring pop melodies to balance the melancholic drama. If you can’t remember the vocal tune of a song then I have failed. Shamelessly dropping one final name: Lebanon Hanover’s subversive lyric ‘sadness is rebellion’ is one I’ve considered for some time. I realised this contemporary, pro 80s, darkwave/post-punk duo’s epithet aligns with my own resistance to toxic positivity. And this considered attitude has resulted in the pathos drenched yet electro-humanoid Alien Skin album, ‘Negative Plus’.”

Alien Skin was a member of Real Life who topped the 1984 charts with “Send Me An Angel” and since 2008 has released over 14 albums. Alien Skin is also featured on our “Post Punk (Genesis)” free charity Bandcamp compilation release from 2021 opening the compilation with the track “Cold War Pop”.

And George adds: “As a maker of electronic pop music this is Year 40 Plus for me. The post punk eyeliner 80s were my vainglorious years of subculture youth, of Depeche Mode, Cabaret Voltaire, New Order. I also lived these years with the Australian synth/new wave band Real Life, the past 15 as Alien Skin. Little propels me forward as much as creating new music of the genre I love. Now inspiration is more and more drawn from sources akin to the state of mind the years have etched. Increasing age, loss of nearest and dearest, nothing being new under the sun; all this can be a powerful director of one’s focus.”

Here is the album teaser.

You can download the release right here from Bandcamp or order it on CD.

Negative Plus by Alien Skin

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Chris & Cosey announce remastered limited edition vinyl series of ‘Elemental 7’ (1984), ‘Muzik Fantastique!’ (1993) and ‘Feral Vapours Of The Silver Ether’ (2007)

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 13:14:43 +0000

(Photo by Bira) Out on March 24th is a remastered limited edition vinyl series from Chris & Cosey, which will see many of their albums available for the first time, or for the first time in decades.

The series launches with “Elemental 7” on green vinyl, “Muzik Fantastique!” on pink vinyl, and “Feral Vapours of The Silver Ether” on yellow vinyl. The colour vinyl pressings are limited, and will include a printed inner sleeve of archival photos.

“Elemental 7″ is the soundtrack to the film of the same name (on Cabaret Voltaire’s Doublevision video imprint) that saw the duo working once more with John Lacey. Lacey had previously worked with Cosey in COUM Transmissions and introduced Chris Carter to the collective.

Listen to “Dancing Ghosts” from this album.

On “Muzik Fantastique!” The duo went for a more dynamic and melodic approach, Below is the video for the album track “Melancholia”.

“Feral Vapours of the Silver Ether” will be available for the first time on vinyl, and was the second release under the Carter Tutti name. On it, the duo mixed electronic and acoustic elements. Listen to the album track “Feral Vapours” right below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Swedish electro act Fatal Casualties launches ‘I keep falling’ video feat. Stephen Mallinder (Cabaret Voltaire, Wrangler) on vocals

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 18:40:27 +0000

Out now is the video for “I keep falling”, the first new track taken from the band’s coming album featuring several guest singers. The new track “I keep falling” has guest vocals by Stephen Mallinder (Cabaret Voltaire, Wrangler) and it comes accompanied by a lyric video which you can check below.

Fatal Casualties is an experimental electronica band from Sweden composed of aka Stefan Ljungdahl and Ivan Hirvonen.

Fatal Casualties formed in Stockholm, Sweden in 1986. Although they released several demos and played live here and there, their first official output only was released in 2012, which was when the ep “Paria” saw the light of day.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

RetCon – EP.01 (EP – Retcon)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: IDM, EBM.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Jason Hollis is already active for a while. The American this year released this debut-EP featuring four songs.

Content: RetCon stands for sophisticated Electronics which is taking us back in time. The approach reminds me of Clock DVA but also to sound treatments of bands like Front 242 and Cabaret Voltaire. The vocals have been produced in a spooky way.

+ + + : I never heard of RetCon before but I can assure you it’s a name I’ll keep in mind. I’m fond of Hollis’ sound treatments creating a true intelligent Electronic format. Subtle bleeps and retro Electronics evoke to me famous pioneers in Electronic underground music. The ghost-like vocals are totally matching with the sound. All songs are worthy of examination but especially the opening track “New Days” and “First Light” are impressive and reveal the maturity and genius of the project.

– – – : I regret this is just an EP. I want to hear more from RetCon.

Conclusion: RetCon sounds to me like the Clock DVA of modern times.

Best songs: “New Day”, “First Light”, “Xcommunication”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.retcon.info / www.facebook.com/endif Read the news on ‘EP.01’.

About RetCon

RetCon is a solo project of Minneapolis, USA-based electronic musician Jason Hollis, who also performs as Endif. Hollis co-founded Manual Control Records, a Minneapolis electronic label, and works across ambient, techno, EBM, goth, industrial, and IDM styles. “EP.01” is RetCon’s debut EP, reviewed by Side-Line in December 2022, three months after its release was announced.

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

London based experimental electronic artist BArTc to issue a 7-track EP ‘Ghosts’ tomorrow

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 15:06:50 +0000

(Photo by Michaela Olexova) A year on from the release of his debut album, “Insubstantial As Ghosts”, the London based experimental electronic artist BArTc is to issue a seven track companion piece entitled “Ghosts” tomorrow.

His debut album, “Insubstantial As Ghosts”, plus much of his brand new companion piece “Ghosts” were recorded in early 2021 while the UK was in lockdown. ICR label owner Colin Potter, himself a well known figure in the experimental genre as a member of Nurse With Wound and sound engineer, heard some of Barton’s work and offered to release it, handpicking several of the tracks that subsequently appeared on the debut and mastering both that album and “Ghosts”.

“Ghosts” features two reworked tracks from the project’s debut (“Energy Field [long]” and “Malleus Incuss Tapes [inner ear mix]”), plus five further pieces recorded around the same period. “Ghosts” mixes layers of analogue synth, dark ambient drones and experimental work combined with field recordings.

The release was mastered by ICR owner and Nurse With Wound member Colin Potter and is available digitally via bandcamp and in a very limited Bartefact edition with handmade and numbered artwork from tomorrow on.

Here’s the video for “Energy Field [long]”.

About BArTc

BArTc is London based experimental electronic audio visual artist Jason Barton. BArTc is comprised of the symbols for three chemical elements – Boron (B), Argon (Ar) and Technetium (Tc) – while also giving nods to both Hungarian composer Béla Bartók and his own surname.

Initially inspired by instrumental electronic records in his father’s record collection by Tangerine Dream, Vangelis and Jean-Michel Jarre, Barton gravitated towards underground industrial icons such as Coil, Einstürzende Neubauten, Chris & Cosey and Skinny Puppy while in his teens, before digging deeper into the work of early German electronicists such as Cluster, Musique concrète pioneers Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre Henry, plus the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. He cites sound recordist (and Cabaret Voltaire co-founder) Chris Watson as a key influence.

Having collected synthesisers and made music (both alone and with friends) for several years, Barton subsequently started the project Less Than One to create accompanying videos that he began posting on Instagram. It has led to commissions from the likes of Daniel Avery and Alessandro Cortini.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Click Interview with First Aid 4 Souls: ‘There Is Trouble Ahead…’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 17:00:00 +0000

Driven by István Gazdag the Hungarian Electro project First Aid 4 Souls remains a prolific and top notch formation. For the new album “I Am The Night” –released by Alfa Matrix, István renewed the experience working with his compatriot ‘Mortum’ as vocalist. The main difference with previous productions, which were often driven by sophisticated EBM influences, is the evolution in sound. First Aid 4 Souls injected, heavy, epic/orchestral, arrangements to the sound resulting in a heavy, bombastic work. The music creates a perfect match with the conceptual theme of the album around paintings from different international artists. “I Am The Night” is a Soundtrack for these painting.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

I Am The Night (Bonus Version) by FIRST AID 4 SOULS

Q: First Aid 4 Souls is now active for 15 years. You released multiple productions so can you draw up the balance sheet of the past 15 years? What have been the highlights and biggest deceptions?

István: We’ve started at the apex, thanks to the legendary publisher Some Bizarre, publishing us with a double CD back in 2008. I’ve had the opportunity to mix bands like Coil, Soft Cell, Cabaret Voltaire, Swans, Test Dept, Einstürzende Neubauten or Depeche Mode on the second CD.

Our album “Deathstep” was also a big hit, and our latest joint work with Mortum (Human Vault) entitled “I Am The Night” is considered a great success within the industry.

In the name of being unpredictable we’ve published a Psy-Rock album, full of real guitar riffs and old-school sci-fi tones. This however, caught no one’s attention.

Q: Your newest album “I Am The Night” is a particular conceptual work which seems to be a Soundtrack for paintings from different artists, right? How did you get the idea of this concept and how did you manage the different stages from the choice of the paintings till the music?

István: Back in the days I was aiming to become an art historian; I’ve had forty conscious years of picking the right pictures. Amongst the main themes are manly attitude, and a darker viewpoint of our world.

Tracks are recomposing the original paintings to the smallest details. Light, bound to canvas, can morph back into vibration this way.

Q: You already experienced working with concepts and artistic themes (like “Keep This World Empty”). What makes a conceptual release that exciting and what means ‘arts’ to you -and especially during the lockdowns where people were no longer allowed to cultural events?

István: These days, culture is not a trendy call-sign. One can only rebel against apathy and ignorance through action. A higher level of this is ‘total art’, where high culture is a starting point in composing.

People are generally devoid of all presence, being in lockdown or not. COVID did not change much about this.

Q: “I Am The Night” also brings a different approach in sound which is clearly driven by Epic/Orchestral arrangements. What have been the main sources of inspiration and references to produce this work? And did you notice important changes/evolutions in the global writing process?

István: Will, Coil, Laibach or the In The Nursery are all fantastic when it comes to harmony and Kevin Key is still an in exhaustive source of inspiration to me.

Nowadays symphony can fit on a pendrive. This helps a tremendous amount when it comes to creating the euphony by producers.

Q: A few years ago now you signed to Alfa Matrix. Do you notice and experience major differences being signed to a leading label? And what do you expect from labels today?

István: Alfa Matrix represents a status for us. Being an important company, financial accounting is much more manageable.

Underground publishers are fighting for their survival these days. Promotion may be better with them, but soon enough these stars will fade…

Q: You also started to re-release ‘older’ productions revealing ‘reworked’ songs. Does it mean you weren’t satisfied with the original recordings and do you see yourself as a perfectionist? What did you try to improve?

István: In the past ten years my knowledge of mastering and audio techniques have massively improved. Yes, I’m a perfectionist, and I have a strong inner drive to be able to roar louder and more effectively.

No one can tell that we haven’t said it enough times; there is trouble ahead…

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

Phil Von lands new album ‘Von Magnet’ on Unknown Pleasures Records – check out the first tracks

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 12:43:23 +0000

The Avignon, France based label Unknown Pleasures Records announces that Phil Von will release his all new album “Von Magnet” on September 1st via its imprint. A rather bold choice since Phil Von is part of the Von Magnet collective.

This is his 7th solo album. His first was “L’Autre Nuit” (2001) with Gnawa music and the musicians of Fès (Prikosnovénie records), followed by the “Deadline Now” (2006) soundtrack of performance for the Portuguese company Persona (Thisco records) and in 2015 the more intimate “Blind Ballet” on Ant-Zen Records. A selection of his best soundtracks written for the street theatre company Underclouds, entitled “Made Underclouds”, was released in February 2019 on Zona Music (LT) and Ant-Zen. In 2019 Phil Von self-released the album “Imagerie”. The album holds a selection of experimental & abstract soundscapes written for art projects and visual environments. His concert collaboration “Eiti Ramyben” with classical piano musician Rokas Zubovas revisiting electronically some piano works of famous Lithuanian composer Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis was released on vinyl in 2021 on Zona Music.

With his latest solo album “Von Magnet”, a way of closing this artistic life chapter as well as giving another token of his love for intertwined flamenco and electronic music, he again combines electronics with Arabo-Andalusian music. On the album we find contributions from such musicians as Hugues Villette, Tit’o, Flore Magnet, Def, Hugues Vincent, Dani Barba, Yana Maizel and Algirdas Klova. The mastering was executed by Norscq while Svetlana Batura covered the photo work. The design was in the hands of Karim Gabou.

You can already check a few tracks below.

[uprGOLD023] Von Magnet CD by PHIL VON

About Phil Von

Parallel to his work with Von Magnet Phil Von is composing as well as performing for different dance-theatre and street-theatre companies. He worked together with Norscq on the “Atlas Project”, wrote the piece “Compass” for Art Zoyd and the Musiques Nouvelles Ensemble of Jean Paul Dessy which was performed in Brussels. With Mimetic he created “Groundspace” for the GRM (Group of Musical Research) and the Radio France festival.

He was also a musician and performer with the Russian/German company Do Theatre (Anatomy of Fantasy), French performance company Materia Prima (Body Without Wings, Insomnia, Eternal, Batailles, Choir, Cabaret Rouge), Street Theatre companies Entre Terre et Ciel (Neige de Feu, Physalis, Alma, Envol) and Underclouds (Funambus, Petites Histoires sans Gravité, VerSant) & U-Structure Nouvelle (Strip-Tease Forain, Melankholia).

In 2016. together with Somekilos from 2 kilos & More, he created the tribal electro project Meta Meat and released the album “Metameat” on Ant-Zen and Audiotrauma.

In 2017/18 he wrote and performed the music of the theatre play Medea written with rage in London for François Testory (DV8 Physical theatre, Gecko, etc.) which they toured in Great Britain. He worked with butoh choreographer Sakurako in Paris for her company Re-United Now-Here (Banzaï 2.0, Corsonor, Not a Love Story) and in Lithuania he was composing for Sakurako and her new Baltic butoh dance-theatre company Okarukas (Now-Here, Voyager, Dolls, Spells, Here-After, Birds).

In 2019, he created in Lithuania his first solo dance-music performance “Human, Lost and Found” which was performed in MO Museum Vilnius, Post Gallery Kaunas and Menu Spaustuvè Vilnius. In 2020, he produced the solo album of Lithuanian folk musician Algirdas Klova.

About Von Magnet

Von Magnet is a theatre music band originated from the post-industrial musical current from the 1980s. Founded in 1985 in London, the group gathered around Flore Magnet (stage direction, actions, vocals) and Phil Von (composition, feet percussion, vocals) initiating a style of their own which they named “Electroflamenco”. Becoming rapidly well known in the underground because of their new approach to electronic music, firstly by incorporating the bases of flamenco (rhythms, dances and melodies) then later adding influences of Middle Eastern music.

Their compositions, either instrumental or vocal melodramas, poetic, lyrical, cabaret crooning are sung or spoken in different languages; English, Spanish, French, and also in Arabic, German, Turkish or Russian. Since 1985, even before the “Computer music” era, they experimented within the likes of the post-industrial musical movement (Greater Than One, Cabaret Voltaire, SPK, Coil…) using intensive sound collage and sampling techniques. This work would give birth to their motto: “Sample us as we have already sampled you”.

After a collaboration with Robert Rental with whom they prepared their first demo tapes, Von Magnet, helped by Hugh Griffiths at the Remaximum studios, composed their first auto-produced E.P : “I”.

The band’s last release was the 2012 album “Archipielagos”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Mach FoX from Zwaremachine releases new solo electronic album

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 14:45:42 +0000

Mach FoX from Zwaremachine releases a brand new solo electronic album, “VideoLogico”, on CD/digital via Phage Tapes in Fall 2022. The album holds 7 electro cyber tracks coming in at 58 minutes.

6 of the 7 album tracks were recorded live during a venue performance in April 2022 in Minneapolis Minnestota USA. The album tracks are mostly instrumental and heavily influenced by Clock DVA, Cabaret Voltaire and 80’s electro music.

Here is the artwork.

The first single “LowTech” will be released digitally via the Mach FoX Bandcamp site in August ahead of the album and includes remixes and alternate versions by Henrik Punsch Johansson (Planktoon) with guest vocals by Maybeeh from the Swedish duo Maybeeh & Punsch and J-C from the French electronic/wave band Vuduvox. Behind the album artwork we find Mark Gerrard.

This is the title track “VideoLogico” being performed and recorded live during the Mach FoX audiovisual set in April 2022 in Minneapolis Minnestota USA.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Japanese industrial act DALMA.NET releases 1st physical album – recorded live in Osaka

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 11:50:21 +0000

DALMA.NET is Sunao Inami’s sub live unit from Japan. The band reunited for the first time in 15 years on December 2021 and played live in Osaka on December 19th 2021. That recording has now been released.

You can order the download or the CD right now from Bandcamp.

In case you don’t know DALMA.NET, it has a sound close to early ‘80s Cabaret Voltaire. Sunao Inami himself has been featured two times already on our free charity download compilations, including on “Face The Beat: Session 6”.

The live recording and concert itself is their personal tribute to Richard H. Kirk from Cabaret Voltaire.

LIVE #211219 by DALMA.NET

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Thomas Leer And Robert Rental get reissue of ‘The Bridge’ on vinyl via The Grey Area (Mute)

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 13:02:14 +0000

(Photo by Chris Carter) Out on 28 January 2022 via The Grey Area (Mute) is the reissue of the 1979 album “The Bridge” by Thomas Leer And Robert Rental. This new reissue will be available on limited edition white vinyl and CD, both featuring new sleevenotes.

The reissue of Leer and Rental’s sole collaboration will coincide with “From The Port To The Bridge”, an exhibition detailing the duo’s work and legacy, due to run at The Horse Hospital in London from 21 January through to 10 February 2022.

Discovered by Throbbing Gristle

Thomas Leer and Robert Rental, both from Port Glasgow in Scotland, were at the vanguard of a DIY electronic scene that went on to influence and inform the 80s synth-pop movement. After self-releasing two solo 7” singles, they came to the attention of Throbbing Gristle and signed to their label, Industrial Records. Their one and only collaboration, “The Bridge”, was originally released in 1979, the first non-TG / associated release for the label.

Recorded at Rental’s home over two intense weeks using equipment provided by Throbbing Gristle (with only rudimentary explanation of how to use it), their album was cited by a number of electronic musicians at the time, including John Foxx, Matt Johnson (The The) and ABC.

Listen to “Monochrome Days”.

The late Robert Rental retired from the music industry

Robert Rental (who sadly died in 2000), went on to collaborate with The Normal – Daniel Miller and Rental’s live album, “Live at West Runton Pavilion, 6-3-79”, was released in 1980 by Rough Trade. Rental also released a single on Mute, “Double Heart” / “On Location” in 1980 and produced music for the Comic Strip’s “A Fistful of Traveller’s Cheques”, before retiring from the industry.

Thomas Leer continued to release music

Thomas Leer went on to release albums on Cherry Red and Arista, formed Act with Claudia Brücken (formerly of Propaganda) in the late 80s who released on Trevor Horn’s ZTT label. After a hiatus, he re-emerged with a series of releases from 2001, and currently lives in Greenock.

About The Grey Area

The Grey Area was founded in 1990 to restore and reissue albums by important and influential artists, initiated by catalogue deals between Mute and Throbbing Gristle, Can and Cabaret Voltaire.

The label went on to be the home for the catalogues of DAF, Virgin Prunes, SPK, Swell Maps, Dome, The Radiophonic Workshop and The Hafler Trio as well as key early works by Wire, Buzzcocks and Einstürzende Neubauten.

Dormant for a few years during the 2000s, The Grey Area emerged again quietly in 2013 with the re-release of Cabaret Voltaire’s Virgin period work, Richard H. Kirk’s solo work, the Sandoz catalogue and a new agreement with Throbbing Gristle.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Cabaret Voltaire’s Richard H. Kirk is no more, RIP

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 17:52:49 +0000

Shocking news reaches us from the Cabaret Voltaire headquarters. In an update on the band’s official Facebook page this afternoon the band and its label Mute records announce the sad news that Richard H. Kirk (born on 21 March 1956) is no more.

The news update reads like this: “It is with great sadness that we confirm our great and dear friend, Richard H. Kirk has passed away. Richard was a towering creative genius who led a singular and driven path throughout his life and musical career. We will miss him so much. We ask that his family are given space at this time.”

Richard H(arold) Kirk specialised in electronic music since the 1970s. He was best known as a member of the influential industrial music band Cabaret Voltaire, formed in 1973. His first release as a solo artist, Disposable Half-Truths, was released in 1980 and he maintained a career as a solo artist alongside Cabaret Voltaire until the band’s dissolution in 1994

He reformed the band in 2014 as the sole remaining member, performing sporadically with all-new material more akin to his solo work than the output of the original incarnation of Cabaret Voltaire.

During the 1990s his solo output increased considerably. Kirk’s works explored multiple types of electronic/dance music under many pseudonyms. His prolific work resulted in AllMusic calling him contemporary techno’s busiest man. He released projects under his own name and as part of various groups, including Sweet Exorcist. He used a ton of aliases including but not limited to Agents With False Memories, Al Jabr, Anarchia, Biochemical Dread, Blacworld, Chemical Agent, Citrus, Cold Warrior, Countzero, Dark Magus, Destructive Impact, Dr. Xavier, and so on and so on.

You can read an interview that Side-Line’s S. Froidcoeur had with him right here.

Rest In Peace Richard, our sincere condolences to friends and family.

About Cabaret Voltaire

Cabaret Voltaire were an English music group formed in Sheffield in 1973 and initially composed of Stephen Mallinder, Richard H. Kirk, and Chris Watson. The group was named after the Cabaret Voltaire, the Zürich nightclub that served as a centre for the early Dada movement.

The early work of Cabaret Voltaire consisted primarily of experimentation with DIY electronics and tape machines, as well as Dada-influenced performance art, helping to pioneer industrial music in the mid-1970s. Finding an audience during the post-punk era, they integrated their experimental sensibilities with dance and pop styles. They are often characterized as among the most innovative and influential electronic groups of their era.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Exclusive preview upcoming remix by Adrian Sherwood of International Thief Thief’s ‘Media Song’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 10 Aug 2021 17:00:23 +0000

Out on August 17th is a remix by the English avant-dub innovator Adrian Sherwood of International Thief Thief’s “Media Song”. Side-Line offers you an exclusive preview of this remix right below.

The remix is a result of the collaboration between Texas based label/creative hub eMERGENCY heARTS and Adrian Sherwood. Sherwood will work on a variety of tracks of the label’s artists and remixes for release during 2021-2022 including: Mark Stewart, Consolidated, Nun Gun, Stephen Mallinder (Cabaret Voltiare)/ Eric Random, scott crow/Energy Fools, SINE, Lesson Seven, International Thief Thief (see the below photo).

The label will be releasing one track per month, then will collect the entire series for release as two 12” vinyl LP compilations featuring the remixes and dub versions in 2022. Additionally, the label will issue a remix EP of Adrian’s collaboration with his daughter Denise from her 2020 album “This Road”.

Listen to this exclusive preview of Adrian Sherwood’s take on International Thief Thief’s “Media Song”.

eMERGENCY hEARTS · ITT Media Song – Adrian Sherwood Static Remix) Mix 1 010621 16 Bit

About Adrian Sherwood

Producer, remixer, and founder of the British dub collective/record label On-U Sound, Adrian Sherwood has long been regarded as one of the most innovative and influential artists in contemporary dance music.

Born in 1958, Sherwood first surfaced during the mid ’70s and formed On-U Sound in 1981. While the On-U Sound crew’s original focus was on live performances, the emphasis soon switched to making records and Sherwood began mixing and matching lineups, resulting in new acts including New Age Steppers, African Head Charge, Mark Stewart & Maffia, and Doctor Pablo & the Dub Syndicate.

Sherwood’s distinctive production style soon began attracting interest from acts outside of the dub community and by the early ’80s Sherwood was among the most visible producers and remixers around, working on tracks for artists as varied as Depeche Mode (remember the completely bizarre “Are People People?” / the ON-USound remix of “People Are People”?), Cabaret Voltaire, Nine Inch Nails, Primal Scream, Einsturzende Neubaten, Ministry, Sinéad O’Connor, Skinny Puppy, The Stone Roses, and so on. This is kinda endless.

In 2003 he launched his solo artist career with “Never Trust a Hippy”, which was followed in 2006 by “Becoming a Cliché”. Both were released by On-U in conjunction with the Real World label. In 2012 he issued his third solo album “Survival & Resistance”, and began an ongoing collaboration with Bristol-based dubstep don Pinch. The pair released their debut album “Late Night Endless” in 2015.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Dark atmospheric soundscape act BArTc to release debut – check out a first track with ‘Malleus Incuss Tapes’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Fri, 09 Jul 2021 16:12:08 +0000

BArTc is a London based experimental electronic one-man project (Jason Barton). Out in September is the project’s debut full length “Insubstantial As Ghosts” containing 14 dark atmospheric soundscapes. ICR owner Colin Potter, himself a well known figure in the experimental genre as a member of Nurse With Wound and sound engineer, heard some of Barton’s work and offered to release it. He has handpicked several of the pieces included on “Insubstantial As Ghosts” and also mastered the album.

Initially inspired by instrumental electronic records in his father’s record collection by titans such as Tangerine Dream, Vangelis and Jean-Michel Jarre, Barton soon gravitated towards underground industrial icons such as Coil, Einstürzende Neubauten, Chris & Cosey and Skinny Puppy, as well as digging deeper into the work of early German electronicists such as Cluster, Musique concrète pioneers Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre Henry, plus the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

Barton has cited sound recordist (and Cabaret Voltaire co-founder) Chris Watson as another influence, adding: “I have always loved environmental sounds and often carry a field recorder on my travels which I use to create texture in my pieces. I build layers to create something abstract yet strangely beautiful, mixing source material, organic and experimental sounds plus field recordings that are heavily distorted with various effects. For me, creating music is a form of meditation, and to lose oneself in an improvisation is a wonderful experience. I just need to remember to hit record!”

Much of “Insubstantial As Ghosts” was recorded in January 2021 while the UK was in lockdown. Barton: “I participated in an annual Instagram music making challenge, where artists post a short piece of music every day using the hashtag #jamuary2021. Recording my contributions at the same time every evening (22:23), I amassed many minutes of music and ideas. Some of these were expanded to become tracks for the album or inspired further recordings through the dark winter nights.”

Check out the 3rd track on the album: “Malleus Incuss Tapes”

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

‘Click Interview’ with Paradox Obscur: ‘We Never Use Software Synths, Something That Sounds Too Sterile And Clinic’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Mon, 10 May 2021 17:00:00 +0000

Paradox Obscur is a Greek duo driven by ‘Toxic Razor’ and ‘Kriistal Ann’. They’re composing a kind of Electro/Wave-Pop characterized by the use of only hardware equipment. After four noticeable albums they signed to Metropolis unleashing the album “Singles & Rarities’. The work sounds as a new exploration of Minimal-Electronics and will appeal for all lovers of vintage electro.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: How did you guys meet and what incited you to set up Paradox Obscur?

Paradox Obscur: We first met quite a few years ago at a student event. It was the period when we were looking to expand our horizons through concerts and contacts with like-minded people. Somewhere there, situations connected us and we discovered many commonalities in matters of interest in art. A few years later, life brought it like this, in a second meeting of ours, being now settled in our directions in life, we decided to follow a common project for our own personal pleasure and experimentation. Then things developed without any backward disposition on our part. It was what we call the right place, at the right time.

Q: You clearly have a very personal and retro-like approach in the composition and recording of your music; only hardware equipment while the songs are recorded in real time with a good-old multi-track recorder. Tell us a bit more about this way of working and in, which way do we have to see it as an antithesis to ‘modern technology’?

Toxic Razor: We are really into recording in real time, it enables us to give a live feeling to the compositions. We never use software synths, somemething that sounds too sterile and clinic.

Kriistal Ann: I do not believe that technology can work wonders on its own if I do not have the flame that feeds inspiration as well the perseverance to work on my idea. Okay, in many cases it loosens your hands, but what is the point if I do not identify, I do not become familiar with the theme I am composing. To play my theme so many times until I perfect it, to search for appropriate sounds, this time consuming process that merges me with my idea and makes me genuinely creative.

Q: Can you tell us a bit more about the equipment you’re using and in, which way does a lack of equipment affect your creative process (pros and cons)?

Paradox Obscur: Depending on the occasion it’s something that changes from time to time, but gear like the Virus TI Polar, the Korg MS2000 or the Roland JD-Xi are great to work with.

Q: You recently signed to Metropolis Records, which I can imagine must be a kind of consecration. How did you get in touch and what do you expect from a ‘bigger’ label?

Toxic Razor: Of course, our connection to Metropolis was something that brought us great joy and satisfaction. It’s the moment when more opportunities come your way; larger audiences can listen to your music and there is more interest from media.

Kriistal Ann: Our first contacts started with Metropolis was somewhere in 2018 where I was asked to participate with my personal project Kriistal Ann on a compilation called “Why Kill Time (When You Can Cover Cabaret Voltaire)” which was original idea by Mr. Chris Halstead, with the help of Mr. Athan Maroulis, who recommended me to Chris to participate in this.

A second contact was made in 2019 when Paradox Obscur was proposed to participate in an equally wonderful Metropolis compilation called “Dark Nouveau,” which was also compiled by Athan Maroulis.

All of these small steps contributed to the big leap. It is this well-known pattern of life that demands from us stoicism and patience, work and passion to eventually lead us further.

Q: Your new album is entitled “Singles & Rarities” so what are the singles and rarities all about? How did you achieve this work?

Paradox Obscur: Just to clarify that “Singles & Rarities” is not a best of compilation. “Singles & Rarities” is a collection of individual songs that we had written throughout the journey, with the aim to support some small exclusive compilations that had been released by independent blogs, labels and online magazines, with the exception of song “Tranquil” which is an unreleased track. There were fans that were asking where they can find these songs so it was about time to have them all gathered in one release. All of this was synchronized with the moment of the proposal from Metropolis and we decided to make this our initial release until we complete our next album.

Q: You’ve been involved together with Resistance Of Independent Music and are still active with other projects as well. What makes the difference with Paradox Obscur? And what are the further plans?

Toxic Razor: Side-projects are always a nice escape where I can try other things. For example, Deathfiend Baphomet is a project where I work in more blackened Industrial soundscapes under Metal influences that are both brooding and menacing.

Kriistal Ann: I believe that through our solo projects we have a greater freedom to express ourselves depending on the moment and the mood. I do not expect to get it somewhere or follow a line. I place all my influences; I experiment with sounds or instruments. My own work as Kriistal Ann is based on a variety of forms, filtered through my personal prism and a more internal vision.

Paradox Obscur: As for Paradox Obscur, we are already working on the next studio album and looking forward to doing some live shows once the Covid restrictions end.

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

Cabaret Voltaire share new track ‘Billion Dollar’ – New EP out February 26

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 18:43:52 +0000

Cabaret Voltaire has shared a new track, “Billion Dollar”, taken from the “Shadow Of Funk” EP, out February 26 on digital platforms. The new EP follows the 2020 album “Shadow Of Fear”, Cabaret Voltaire’s first release with Richard H. Kirk as the sole member of the band.

This new 3-track EP is a companion piece to the album and shows a harder side reflecting the album’s live performance. “Shadow Of Fear” and the “Shadow Of Funk” EP are interconnected and part of a series of 4 releases that continue into the spring with the release of two drone albums.

The first of these, a 50-minute piece entitled “Dekadrone”, is due out March 26. The second, and final release in the series, the 64-minute piece “BN9Drone”, will be released on April 23.

Originally active between 1973-1994, Cabaret Voltaire featured Chris Watson until 1981 and Stephen Mallinder until 1994. The group was inactive for 20 years until – with Kirk as the sole remaining member – the 2014 performance at Berlin’s Atonal festival.

You can view the video for “Billion Dollar” below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Cabaret Voltaire – Shadow Of Fear (Album – Mute)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 19:30:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: Electronic, Experimental, Cinematographic, Ambient.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl, Cassette.

Background/Info: Cabaret Voltaire is back with the first new studio album since “The Conversation” (1994). Richard H. Kirk remains the single member of the legendary Sheffield (UK) formation. Cabaret Voltaire belongs to the pioneers of Electronic music and remained an influential project throughout the years while Richard H. Kirk focused on other music projects

Content: Cabaret Voltaire’s new opus sounds diversified, mixing good-old sound treatments and arrangements with new ideas. Richard H. Kirk can look back to a serious discography; he experimented with multiple styles and influences and that comes through at this album. The tracklist has been progressively built up from accessible Experimental cuts driven by slow beats towards more danceable cuts, which you can hear in the final part of the work. From Electro-Wave to funky sequences and from Electro-Ambient to Trance passages, this work covers an impressive sonic canvas. The vocals have been replaced by spoken samplings.

+ + + : The nameCabaret Voltaire was directly taken from the legendary place where the artistic movement called ‘Dadaism’ was created. It was a kind of anarchistic arts movement without that much restrictions or rules. And that’s precisely what I experienced listening to “Shadow Of Fear”. Richard H. Kirk is just doing his thing; it remains Cabaret Voltaire for the great effects, fragmented samplings and some of the bass lines, but some songs are also harder and more danceable. “Vasto” is an absolute masterpiece driven by transcendental sequences. It’s the kind of song confirming the genius of Richard H. Kirk who remains a visionary artist. I also have to mention “Universal Energy”, which progressively builds up to a total climax.

– – – : The first part of the album is not as exciting although revealing great sound treatments and impressive effects. This is not a new “The Crackdown” or “Micro-Phonies”, but just a cool album you have to place in the right context; we’re no longer in the 80s, this is 2020!

Conclusion: Speaking for myself I consider Cabaret Voltaire as one of the most creative and visionary Electronic bands in history. This project always has had something unmatched, which is again confirmed with the new work!

Best songs: “Vasto”, “Universal Energy”, “Papa Nine Zero delta United”, “The Power Of Their Knowledge”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/CabaretVoltaireOfficial

Label: www.mute.com / www.facebook.com/muterecords Read the news on ‘Shadow Of Fear’.

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

Cabaret Voltaire announce ‘Shadow Of Funk’ EP – 2 accompanying album releases to follow in March and April 2021

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 18:14:31 +0000

Out now is a brand new track by Cabaret Voltaire. “Billion Dollar” is taken from the “Shadow Of Funk” EP, out on 26 February 2021. The new EP follows 2020’s album “Shadow Of Fear”, Cabaret Voltaire’s first release with Richard H. Kirk as the sole member of the band.

Listen to “Billion Dollar” below.

“Shadow Of Fear” and the “Shadow Of Funk” EP are interconnected and part of a series of 4 releases that continue into the Spring with the release of 2 drone albums. The first of these, a 50-minute piece entitled “Dekadrone”, is due out on 26 March 2021. The second, and final release in the series, the 64-minute piece “BN9Drone” is released on 23 April 2021.

Kirk explains the following regarding his inspiration for the new material: “The current situation didn’t have much of an influence on what I was doing – all the vocal content was already in place before the panic set in – but maybe due to my nature of being a bit paranoid there are hints in there about stuff going a bit weird and capturing the current state of affairs.”

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Nøir release new single ‘Just Fascination’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 18:33:00 +0000

Metropolis recording artists Nøir are set to release a Bandcamp exclusive single entitled “Just Fascination”. The song, originally released by the pioneering Cabaret Voltaire in 1983, was reworked by Nøir and later remixed by We Are Temporary, Push Button Press and Aeon Rings.

Nøir, whose previous release was the 2019 EP “A Pleasure”, are in the process of assembling their next studio album. The single, which is currently available on Bandcamp, has an official street date of January 5th, 2021 and can be previewed, downloaded for free or purchased here:

Just Fascination by NOIR

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Dubstar interview: ‘I think my biggest problem will be re-adjusting, if and when the time comes’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 01 Dec 2020 15:47:46 +0000

(Interview by Simon Helm) Dubstar first came to prominence in the 1990s with the kind of hummable dreampop songs that worked as well driving as in clubs.

Despite chart success, they went on hiatus at the end of the decade. Singer Sarah Blackwood joined Technique and went on tour with Depeche Mode, which led to the founding of Client, the first band on Andy Fletcher’s Toast Hawaii label. Collaborations followed with Martin Gore, Nitzer Ebb and Die Krupps, as the band rode the electro-clash wave.

Blackwood returned to the Dubstar fold and, in 2018, the act returned with a new album, One. Honed to the duo of Blackwood and musician Chris Wilkie, Dubstar’s sound maintained its classic resonance, but with updated and reinvigorated melodies.

The band’s latest release is “I Can See You Outside,” which comes with a video addressing themes like CCTV surveillance. Their previous single, “Hygiene Strip,” tackled the public health crisis. This is deeper material from a group that once got into trouble for using pictures of sexy pencil cases on their covers.

We spoke with Dubstar to find out more about creating under lockdown and their colourful history.

SL: Dubstar seems to be in a much better place as a duo. How do the two of you work together to create the new songs?

Sarah: We live a couple of hundred miles apart, so rely on WeTransfer and sending songs back and forth to each other. Chris will usually start with a template; and, if I like it and it feels and sounds good “sung,” we develop it. Sometimes the vocal suggests different areas to approach, like a key change or a word tweak, and sometimes they don’t need much development; they are almost fully formed and ready to send on to the mother ship, which is [producer Stephen Hague’s] studio.

Chris: Even the people at the end of my street seem a couple of hundred miles away nowadays. But yes, we already had a bit of practice at working “remotely” for geographical reasons. I can usually imagine what the songs will sound like with Sarah singing them, but often unforeseen ideas will emerge in response to what happens the first time she approaches it. Maybe because she hears something which I hadn’t, and her delivery suggests another layer of meaning.

SL: You have been working on new material with Stephen Hague. He seems to have collaborated with a lot of Northerners – New Order, Pet Shop Boys, OMD, Holly Johnson and Pete Shelley being just a few examples. How did you take to him, being from Yorkshire?

S: He’s very mild mannered and easy going. This time around, it was like picking up from where we left off. I can’t quite believe I’m saying this, but I’ve known and worked with him, on and off, for 25 years.

He has seen me through drunken melodramas to sober neurosis; through Dubstar to Client and back again. He even helped me design my kitchen. He’s always tried to nurture and encourage me as a person, especially during the first album, when I was overwhelmed by just about everything. He was a welcome, quiet and calming, influence; and he used to lend me books he thought would be relevant and helpful. Stephen went out of his way to put me at ease, which I massively appreciated. In all the madness, his recording studio was always a place of calm and focus.

So, the Northerner in both myself and Chris is pretty direct. We don’t need pandering to, and hope what you see is what you get – which I think works well with Stephen’s laid-back calm, on both a productive and a personal level.

C: Perhaps it helps that he’s from Maine and is essentially a Northerner himself, in U.S. terms.

He brings a tranquility-of-mind to proceedings, which is something which me and Sarah have always struggled to achieve without assistance!

SL: The new material doesn’t shy away from confronting themes lifted from the headlines, including the pandemic. How have you been coping during the crisis?

S: I have significantly narrowed my horizons to stay sane, what with ever-changing restrictions. I can’t seem to keep up with which iterations are the most recent, so I just keep my head down, stay close to home, and go out only when it’s absolutely necessary.

I’m massively introverted, anyway, so I’ve quite enjoyed nesting and making unrealistic plans for my home environment, but some of my friends have found it very difficult and I worry for them. My WhatsApp groups with my friends and relatives have become lifelines, even if all we share is yet another banana bread recipe or the latest Donald Trump meme. I see more of my parents, via Zoom, than I ever did, so I think some good has come out of it.

I think my biggest problem will be re-adjusting, if and when the time comes. I haven’t used public transport or been into the centre of town since February. Two evenings out ended disastrously in anxiety attacks, so I think a gentle re-introduction is most definitely in order.

C: I haven’t coped well at all, but making the record has been a lifeline. I liken it to any recycling process: you can take fear and sorrow, and transform them into something less harmful, or even useful.

SL: Sarah, you have sung with Die Krupps. What was it like performing a Visage song with Germany’s legendary industrial act?

S: Well, I remember the recording of it vividly!!!! About three days before, in the middle of a tour, I was given a CD of “Der Amboss” with strict instructions to learn it – which really was mission impossible with absolutely no access to a CD player. Smartphones then were still a twinkle in the eye of Steve Jobs.

So, on our Saturday off, Ralf [Dörper] dutifully appeared at the hotel just after breakfast, bundled me into a car, and whisked me off to a recording studio in Düsseldorf. I had the journey time to listen to it, on repeat, and then he told me I had to sing it in German too! I have no aptitude for languages, whatsoever, although all my German friends love teaching me very bad things to say for their own amusement.

Honestly, trying to get my Yorkshire mouth and dialect around the song left us all in fits of laughter. I could see Ralf and Jürgen [Engler] doubled over in tears through the window of the control room, especially “habe spas mit mir”! It took a long, long time to record.

I had the absolute pleasure of singing it with them onstage in London a couple of times, but I think a lot of the fans were confused as to who I was and why I was there. They were very accepting, though, and gave me a nice cheer.

And then, post gig, I showed Die Krupps how to stretch out their hip flexors in the dressing room. That was an unforgettable image of them all doing the couch stretch. So game. Love them.

SL: Dubstar were managed, at one time, by the same man who had signed Test Department and Cabaret Voltaire to major labels. How did that come about?

S: Just like Marc Almond, our first encounter with Stevo [Pearce] was in Leeds. His first words were, “See that billboard? Your name will be on there one day, in lights!”

I wasn’t bowled over, to be honest. That sort of thing doesn’t really float my boat. In fact, it would be more likely to induce panic if it ever happened. He was one in a long line of potential managers we had seen. The record label were losing patience with us. We needed a manager – needed one the day before yesterday – and we were terrified of making the wrong choice, but were also so tired, physically and emotionally. We were at the stage where the last one we had seen was the best one – and he was the last one.

Also, his girlfriend was Cleo Rocos. Cleo was Stevo’s secret weapon. Both Chris and I wanted to be in Cleo’s orbit. She was just one of “those” people: warm, fun and genuinely caring. She became a bit of a rock for me at the time: encouraging me with writing and performing; buying me CDs of interesting artists, like Dory Previn; picking up false eyelashes for me on her travels; and, most wonderfully, she used to ring me when she knew I was scheduled to be on my own in a hotel room.

She was a big fan of watching C4 Friday night comedy, especially Frasier, and Chris and I continued that tradition long after Stevo had stopped managing us. We always sent a little thank you into the universe for Cleo.

To me, then, Stevo appeared quite bonkers. He also told me he was dyslexic, and the one thing I admired about him was that, every day, he would learn a new word and incorporate it into his vocabulary. He never saw limitations, only exciting possibilities – no matter how crazy. One of his more publishable ideas was to engineer a photo opportunity in front of the Selfridges Christmas tree, with him dressed as Santa bestowing us with our gold disc for Goodbye sales, whilst the EMI executives posed as elves. In the little green suits and curly toe shoes. It never happened.

C: I was aware of Stevo as a teenager, because he was often referenced in relation to The The or Soft Cell, and I used to find his notes of wisdom on the Some Bizzare record sleeves interesting. The one he put on Soul Mining always stuck in my head: “With every kick in the face and every hurdle you pass, the rewards get greater“.

It seemed very profound and benevolent, so I suggested that he put one on our Goodbye album. It wasn’t quite as snappy, but I appreciated the lineage.

We could probably fill an entire book with anecdotes just from the period where he was our manager. I was amused that he had a literal, free-flowing fountain of Dom Perignon in his office on New Bond Street to entertain visitors, until I realised who was paying for it.

SL: It seems like narcissists are everywhere in the music industry these days. Does that mean they are winning?

S: Ha, I’ve encountered a couple over the years. I don’t think I ever will again, now I’m a little older and hopefully wiser. I think narcissists have always been with us but social media has given them a platform to thrive, and we are becoming more able to spot them. It’s that thing: the more you look for them, the more you see. Maybe social media exaggerates those traits in people, too, like a virus, which is very sad. They start as entertaining and end up being toxic, which can stir up emotions – and sometimes that’s not a good thing.

We have never been more scrutinised as a society; nor judged as individuals, particularly in media and politics. I think having a profile comes with responsibility, which some don’t realise, and it’s time we all started to scrutinise how we communicate. It used to be something we all just took for granted, but maybe the negative aspects of social media have thrown up some things we can all learn from.

C: It’s unsurprising that narcissists would be attracted to the music business or any role in public life, because it affords them attention. They’re often good at it for a while, but it’s bound to end badly, because they lack the ability to perceive how others see them.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Listen to a new Cabaret Voltaire track ahead of the release of ‘Shadow Of Fear’, their first new album in 26 years

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 16:33:07 +0000

“What’s Goin’ On” is a brand new Cabaret Voltaire track taken from the release of “Shadow Of Fear” which is out next week.

“Shadow Of Fear” is Cabaret Voltaire’s first new album in 26 years and is Cabaret Voltaire’s first release with Richard H Kirk as the sole member of the band.

Here’s the new track “What’s Goin’ On”.

Originally active between 1973-1994 – Cabaret Voltaire featured Chris Watson until 1981 and Stephen Mallinder until 1994 – the group were inactive for 20 years until – with Kirk as the sole remaining member – the 2014 performance at Berlin’s Atonal festival.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Cabaret Voltaire releases new track, ‘The Power (Of Their Knowledge)’, taken from forthcoming album – listen here

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 16:36:13 +0000

Cabaret Voltaire today have released “The Power (Of Their Knowledge)”, the latest track to be taken from the new album “Shadow Of Fear”, Cabaret Voltaire’s first new album in 26 years to be released on Mute on 20 November 2020.

“Shadow Of Fear” is Cabaret Voltaire’s first release with Richard H Kirk as the sole member of the band.

As to what influenced him this time Kirk says: “The current situation didn’t have much of an influence on what I was doing – all the vocal content was already in place before the panic set in – but maybe due to my nature of being a bit paranoid there are hints in there about stuff going a bit weird and capturing the current state of affairs. Surrealism has always been really important to Cabaret Voltaire.”

Listen to the track below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Cabaret Voltaire announce first new album in over 20 years – listen to the first track from ‘Shadow Of Fear’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 19 Aug 2020 15:05:02 +0000

Cabaret Voltaire have announced the first new album release in over 20 years. “Shadow Of Fear” is set for release on Mute on 20 November 2020.

“Shadow Of Fear” is Cabaret Voltaire’s first release with Richard H Kirk as the sole member of the band.

“The album was finished just as all the weirdness was starting to kick in,” Kirk says. “Shadow Of Fear feels like a strangely appropriate title. The current situation didn’t have much of an influence on what I was doing – all the vocal content was already in place before the panic set in – but maybe due to my nature of being a bit paranoid there are hints in there about stuff going a bit weird and capturing the current state of affairs.”

The genesis of the new album was the 2014 Berlin Atonal festival where Kirk played the first show on his own as Cabaret Voltaire. Kirk has since gone on to perform at festivals and concerts across Europe, shaping the sound of Cabaret Voltaire’s future. “I started developing tracks specifically for live performance,” he says. “Stuff that was quite stripped back and crude. Every time I would visit a new place to perform, I would write something fresh.”

Recorded at the latest location of Western Works, the studio used throughout Cabaret Voltaire’s history, Kirk toyed with upgrading his old set up to digital but after a computer failure he decided to retain his original equipment. “Making this album reminded me a bit of the old days with Cabaret Voltaire because there wasn’t that much equipment, so you really had to use your imagination.”

You can already listen to “Vasto”, the first taste of what to expect from the new album right below. Read the review of ‘Shadow Of Fear’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

‘Click Interview’ with Khost: ‘Khost Is Completely Genre-Free’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 17:00:03 +0000

Birmingham (UK) duo Andy Swan – Damian Bennett set up Khost in 2013. Damian explains the name of the project had a strange shroud’ feel to it, like a presence. Khost is a city in Afghanistan so in the end it sounds a bit the same as acts like Boston, Chicago, London, Berlin and Nazareth. Damian Bennett felt they all seemed to be autonomous and just generated a vibe more than anything literally city-related. Andy Swan first read about the Afghan city of Khost in a CIA book and it immediately hit him as evocative and exotic and yet slightly threatening in a non-specific sort of way. It has an air of unease about it. It’s really hard to put your finger on it which suits the sound of Khost really well. Khost this year released the album “Buried Steel” on Cold Spring Records, which sounds to me as their most accomplished work to date; an album filled with overwhelming, monstrous sound treatments and carried by a rough production. It’s a work that can’t leave you unaffected so I talked about it with both members.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: I noticed you’re hailing from Birmingham, which is a town where numerous bands and artists dealing with very diversified music genres have been established. What has been the impact of it all on your interest in music and starting to experiment yourself? And what’s your connection with JK Flesh/Godflesh?

Damian: I grew up loving acts such as Wizzard, The Move and Moody Blues, all of which are entrenched in the spirit of the city. Later bands like Au Pairs and Steel Pulse… if you know the latter, you know of Handsworth where I used to live. We love Birmingham rock, punk, metal, glam, reggae, D&B, house… from clubs to unofficial anarcho-punk. We love venues like The Asylum and I personally love Newtown and Aston. Sabbath would rehearse in the community centre there.

We both have connections to Godflesh over decades and I was really proud to have worked on music in Avalanche studio, and to play like in Techno Animal… Justin on guitar, Kev on sax, was insane. Plus touring with Godflesh in the depths of Winter, was badass.

Andy: I was born and raised in Birmingham. I left school at 16 and immediately went to work in a Birmingham factory which had a massive effect on me. Birmingham back then had a more lived-in sort of feel which it doesn’t seem to have these days -it’s all plastic and shiny which I hate. It used to have a lot more soul but it’s devoid of that in some ways now.

I was in a band called Final with Justin from Godflesh back when I was 15 or so. We go back a long way!

Q: What means Khost to you and what did you originally tried to express/exorcise?

Damian: I love the possibilities the Khost vibe/temp/mindset presents. I don’t of many acts that have done as much wide-ranging material as we have… this year alone, “Buried Steel”-album –plus videos for that, “Steel Veil”-book, “23_12”-compilation which is ongoing and another project with a USA band which is in the works.

We comprise super heavy riffs, tones and electronics –such as “Intravener” –multi visuals on stage, and have many guest artists such as Eugene from Oxbow, Stephen from Wrangler/Cabaret Voltaire, Syan –who has also played with us live –Daniel Buess, Jo Quail.

We also get some pretty hefty swipes in about what passes for modern civilization. Hardcore commentary, just not the same delivery as you would get in punk. Though we obviously love punk and hardcore throughout the decades. I want to say on the latter am a massive Will Haven fan, for their sonics, approach, vibe, lyrics, live… wow.

Andy: I think that Khost is completely genre-free. It allows any sort of expression which is very liberating.

Q: What kind of work did you wanted to accomplish with “Buried Steel” and what have been the different stages you’d to go through to achieve the album?

Damian: Many albums can be a fairly simple journey from A to B. This is not.

Some albums are just a compilation of tracks. This is not. To do the latter would be, for me, to regard a ‘film’ as being a compilation of separate visual segments then just stuck together: if done right, it’s not that at all; it’s a narrative, a continuum under the watchful eyes of a unified team.

We wrote the material immediately starting after “Governance” and it really developed organically over time, with people entering the space and delivering their part. I think the first piece written was “Kent House”.

We had mechanical mishaps on the way such as a reel to reel catching flame –this is an occupational hazard with the band, but would salvage what we could and make something new from the salvaged material: like creating twisted sculptures from burnt wreckage.

Q: You again asked several guest artists to contribute to the album. Tell us a bit more about the input of other artists, which became like a common thread in the different works you’ve released? How does it happen and do you handle some specific criteria to ask other artists?

Damian: For me some of the spoken parts were inspired by interludes and narratives from the past from people such as Gira and Rollins, and loved how spoken interludes worked with the flow of the album, not to mention live… the connection between spoken and sung lyrics was so cool to me. I loved their books too: “Black Coffee Blues” and “The Consumer” for examples.

We would work with the people over time and develop the sound design to work with the material. It develops a lot as you discuss life and ups and downs. One discussion was about insomnia. We have done this since “Buried Steel” too, with people like Syan on “5 Steps Adrift” and Daniela v.k too, check out “Every Single Lie”.

The piece with M. Liebeskind –engineer for Oxbow, Melt Banana, 16-17 -is something from late night phone discussions and is very eerie actually: about two people on a tram talking to each other without moving, like a B&W film, or painting by Magritte, with a feeling of menace. It’s hard to get the same feeling in a musical piece if you follow.

Similarly Stephen from Tunnels Of Āh and his work… but I don’t want to talk too much more as it is down to the movie that plays in the mind of the listener.

I am also inspired by Mary Ocher who works in music in a way that transcends normal ‘songs’. She is awesome live.

Andy: I go back to the early 80’s Birmingham power electronics scene with Stephen from Tunnels Of Āh. He, along with all the other contributors, ‘get’ khost so they know the score immediately.

Q: I’ve always experienced your works as a mix of different influences, but in the end it always reveals a dark, obscure and event tormenting sound! What’s hiding behind this ‘terror sound’ and what inspired and/or drives you to compose this kind of music?

Damian: This connects to the ‘menace’ point, above. If that’s there then there would be the sort of unease that films from a different era presented… as they used old technology like analogue sound, had different acoustics, lighting, film stock, video stock… that could be low budget horror from 70s; “Lets Scare Jessica To Death” for example, it could be certain scenes even in films like “Dirty Harry”, like when he is confronted by the rogue cops in ‘Magnum Force’ in an underground carpark… it could be certain scenes in Polanski films, like “Rosemary’s Baby” when Rosemary realizes that the older couple are not right or normal (pierced ears), or when she’s in the phone booth and someone has his back to her outside… and in his version of “Macbeth” where dawn comes up and the castle is bathed in red light… not to mention scene with Banquo’s ghost! Or it could be overt stuff like “Evil Dead”, Korean/Japanese horror, moments in the early ‘V/H/S’ franchise… or my personal faves, “Paranormal Activity” 1-3. So it’s usually things from unexpected sources.

And the “World At War”-series. The sound/music on that is enough to stop anyone in their tracks.

Andy: Back when I was a kid there was a TV series called “Armchair Thriller” which scared me to death. There was one particular episode that included a faceless nun which was terrifying to me as a young kid. The first movie however that gave me nightmares was “The Wizard Of Oz” which in itself wasn’t a scary film, but had that underlying unease to it which is something that we’re definitely into. Not overtly horrific or scary but disconcerting and uneasy.

Q: Khost definitely is a live project! You already did an impressive number of live performances in very different countries. So I can easily imagine you must have been frustrated –and still are, because of the restrictions due to Covid 19. So what have you been doing during the lockdown? And how do you transpose your sound and work from the studio towards the stage?

Damian: We continue to work on “23_12”, which is inspiring. We did a live to air/stream at beginning of lockdown. We recently did an hour long mix, full of interesting moments. On a personal front have also done a side-project called TRIAL, industrial-thrash-metal.

Andy: We’ve had quite a few shows and festivals cancelled this year which has been a great shame. We have however been able to work on new material some of which will appear on a split EP to be released later this year or early next year.

Khost live is a different beast altogether. We’ve had all sorts of unexplainable occurrences during live shows -lights failing, laptops refusing to boot, sound cutting out, which all adds to the unease.

Damian & Andy: Merci beaucoup!

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

Khost – Buried Steel (Album – Cold Spring)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: Death-industrial, drone, doom.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Andy Swan and Damian Bennett are back on track unleashing the fourth album from their Khost project. They got some help from guests like Stephen Mallinder (Cabaret Voltaire, Wrangler), Eugene Robinson (Oxbow), Stephen Ah Burroughs (Tunnels Of Ah) ao.

Content: Khost has accomplished a new sonic assault, which takes off with heavy drones and hard, industrial guitar sounds plus deep, growling vocals. The sound often moves towards the edge of pure noise, but remains accessible. The tracklist features a few, short intermezzos, but globally speaking “Buried Steel” has no relief. From bombastic drum sections in the purest industrial style to echoing drones, the tracks are holding you by the throat. I noticed a few cuts with some more electronic sound treatments while the most surprising passage is the one featuring trumpet sounds (cf. “Judgement Is Infallible” and “A Non Temporal Crawlspace”). The last song is a remix by Mothboy.

+ + + : Khost has already achieved some heavy, blasting works, but “Buried Steel” appears to be their most accomplished work to date. Those sonic terrorists are mixing different ‘heavy’ influences together, creating a monstrous sonic album. I also like some rather unexpected details like the trumpet sound on the aforementioned “Judgement Is Infallible” and “A Non Temporal Crawlspace”. It injects something authentic to the work, but this sound also has something mysterious and cold-like. Khost stands for rough and unpolished work, which is the right approach for this kind of music.

– – – : I think that some cuts could be a little bit more elaborated by injecting some extra sounds, this way reaching something different from other projects dealing with a similar music style. That’s precisely what I like at “Judgement Is Infallible” and “A Non Temporal Crawlspace”.

Conclusion: Khost creates an imaginary state of sonic terror… and I like it! This work is without a shadow of a doubt their best album to date.

Best songs: “Last Furnace”,“Judgement Is Infallible”, “We will Win”, “A Non Temporal Crawlspace”, “Intravener – In Dub Mothboy Remix”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/khostband

Label: www.coldspring.co.uk / www.facebook.com/coldspringhq

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fire by FIRST AID 4 SOULS feat. LD50

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

‘Click Interview’ with Athan Maroulis Of NØIR: ‘Nøir Is An Amalgamation Of Each Band I Have Ever Been In’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 17:00:44 +0000

Athan Maroulis will be always linked to Spahn Ranch and Black Tape For A Blue Girl, but the past few years he got involved with NØIR. Sound-wise this project is less comparable with his previous bands. It rather sounds as the juxtaposition of different influences, but in the end it has something intimate and subtle. The newest EP “A Pleasure” features the input of programmer / producer Erik Gustafson, keyboardist / vocalist Kai Irina Hahn, keyboardist / vocalist Demetra Songs and cello player Tracey Moth.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Athan, you’ve been involved with many different bands and projects since the mid-’80s, so what does NØIR mean to you? And how much of the ‘young’ Athan Maroulis do you recognize in the experienced artist you’re today?

Athan: After an early period of transition, NØIR eventually came to represent something rather liberating. NØIR affords me the ability to drive the direction and style of the material while also remaining a collaborative forum where I can work with people I admire.

I remain somewhat similar to my younger self, I still enjoy the process of writing lyrics and performing, while also maintaining the determination of my youth, sans the anger. I would like to speak to my younger self and give him some good advice about life and music. Looking back, I have learned far more from my failures than I have from my successes.

Q: I got the impression NØIR originally started as a solo-project with the contribution of some guests while it later finally evolved towards a real band. What is it all about and tell us a bit more about the input and impact of the other members? Who’s doing what? And what about the song you did together with Jean-Marc Lederman?

Athan: Originally, NØIR had certain aspects of a solo-project, that was long ago, these days it feels like a real evolving band. Although I planned it as a short-lived project back in ’12, I brought in Kai and Demetra in 2013 as live members, both have been in the band ever since. Later, Erik Gustafson, who had played some guitar on the “Darkly Near”-album, became a full-time collaborator on “The Burning Bridge”-EP in 2016.

As a whole, electronic dark music is rather one-dimensional, I find that different contributors help add new color to the sound. Jean-Marc Lederman is a great example of that, he and I tried working on a project a few years ago, ultimately what came of it was the “Luxury”-demo. Erik completely reworked the song and added guitar, Kai did some backing vocals and Tracey Moth brought her cello to the party. Although juggling contributors from Austin, Brussels, Brooklyn, Boston and NYC was a challenge, I am really pleased by the results.

Q: What are you trying to achieve –eventually exorcize, with NØIR generally speaking and more specifically with the new EP “A Pleasure”?

Athan: For better or worse, I am always exorcising ghosts from the past. After Spahn Ranch broke up, I stopped making music for 10 long years. Afterwards, I joined Black Tape For A Blue Girl for a few years before starting NØIR, which is likely my last planned ensemble (although one never knows?) I’ve dabbled in a number of genres over the years and I believe NØIR is my opportunity to bring them all together under one banner.

At this stage of my career, each release becomes very personal. “A Pleasure” took a few years to assemble, as much as I enjoy the creative process, I have less patience for coordinating what is necessary to bring a release to completion. The title, “A Pleasure”, is partly sarcastic while also acknowledging my fetish for simple pleasures even amidst such turbulent times, the lyrics on the pair of new songs reflect that. The word ‘pleasure’ itself, was on my mind quite a bit during the process, then thrown into a conceptual stew that only exists in my mind. The title is also a nod to Roxy Music’s album “For Your Pleasure, while “A Pleasure to Burn” is a line from Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451”, the cover image features Julie Christie the star of the 1966 film.

“Luxury” is a song about serving the needs of bloated urban excess in New York City. I added the Fad Gadget cover because it fit the central concept of upheaval and raw pleasure. Ultimately, I achieved what I set out to do, which was to make a mini concept album. I was also surprised to find out that “A Pleasure” is already by far the best-selling NØIR release to date.

Q: It’s not an easy thing defining the ‘sound’ of NØIR, which in my opinion sounds like the juxtaposition of multiple influences and elements. Where does this ‘sound’ comes from and what are your references and criteria to create this ‘sound’?

Athan: Other than playing violin briefly as a child, I’ve never played an instrument, nor can I read music or understand keys. Although I can write, arrange, choose sounds and edit, my collaborators have been pivotal to my success and sound. I have many influences from the 1930s through the 1980s, although I believe the sound of NØIR is an amalgamation of each band I have ever been in. As for defining the sound, somebody once called NØIR ‘dark sophisticated pop’, perhaps that is right or perhaps that is foolish? For me NØIR is defined as a place where I can absurdly merge the imagery of old film stars with pulp novels while masquerading as a 1930s crooner in a contemporary electronic backdrop. It’s pure absurdist fun.

Q: NØIR appears to like recording cover versions. What does that mean to you and how do you manage making a cover version like the one from Fad Gadget released on the new EP?

Athan: NØIR cut “Back To Nature” for a compilation called “Under What Flag: A Tribute To Fad Gadget”. Naturally, other bands have covered the song in the past, it remains one of Frank Tovey’s best songs and that is why I did it. Aside from my admiration of Fad Gadget, it was a chance to experiment with a more aggressive approach to a NØIR song. I believe Erik Gustafson did a fine job producing the track, so much so that I decided to add it to “A Pleasure” because so few people heard the aforementioned tribute album and I wanted to recycle it.

I enjoy doing cover songs, I couldn’t give a damn if it is not en vogue these days. Keep in mind, nearly all music from the 1920s through the mid-’60s was dominated by cover songs or interpretive material, the artist brought their own approach, phrasing and style to the song and I still believe there’s room for that in 2020. NØIR has also taken part in tribute albums for Depeche Mode and Cabaret Voltaire, at some point I might collect all the cover versions by NØIR and release them as a full-length album.

Q: From a marketing/commercial perspective, I find NØIR to be a complicated band. Your debut album “Darkly Near” was released seven years ago, so why does it take so long to release a new studio album? Do you think there can be an impact releasing new studio albums at an irregular basis? What comes next?

Athan: Spahn Ranch made five albums and four EPs in 7 ½ years, while also maintaining an exhaustive touring schedule. I really don’t know how I did it back then? These days, I am simply not a very prolific writer, so each release has purpose. The streaming era has prompted a number of bands to release singles or EPs, a shorter format for times of shorter attention spans and this has influenced me and suits me very well. I still like the idea of doing albums, it is simply that the game has changed, I believe artists can treat each release as individual complete works, regardless of length.

While NØIR has six individual releases on Metropolis Records, only “Darkly Near” is an actual album, I’d rather not wait for an album of material and instead have released EPs and such. I am ultimately planning to do at least one or two more albums with NØIR, yet I am not in a rush. I don’t feel as if I have anything left to prove, that, in and of itself is liberating. As for releasing albums at an irregular basis, I think there are other ways to keep the audience engaged such as compilation appearances, videos, performing, social media and so on. Again, the game has changed and there are no rules.

As for what comes next? NØIR was slated to perform at a few upcoming festivals, then the Corona virus naturally changed everything. Like everyone else, we wait and hope for the best for the entire world. Once the world begins to turn again, NØIR does have a new song on the upcoming “Electronic Saviors”-compilation ironically entitled “Death Is Easy,” and we are planning a new video for the song “Luxury” from “A Pleasure”.

Additionally, I wrote the liner notes on a Leæther Strip boxed set that will be released sometime this year and I am working on recordings with the New Zealand-based project Acclimate. Lastly, a toast to one and all, to the rapture of being alive! My sincerest thanks for supporting my releases over the years.

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

A Tribute to The Legendary Pink Dots & The Tear Garden hits Bandcamp in February: ‘Love Notes to a Velvet Apocalypse’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 16 Jan 2020 19:53:16 +0000

Out on February 14th is the a tribute to The Legendary Pink Dots & The Tear Garden. “Love Notes to a Velvet Apocalypse” will feature over 18 renditions of some of their most well known and rare tracks. Note that the release will be offered 100% free of charge via Bandcamp.

The release is a collaboration between Coitus Interruptus Productions and Auricle Media and features a wide range of various artists and genres from around the world, such as post-punk, industrial, ambient and experimental. Contributing artists include: Chase Dobson and Curse Mackey, European Ghost, Dreamscape Invocation, Kill Shelter, Zeitmahl, The Present Moment, Broken Fabiola, The Rorschach Garden, Factice Factory, The Midnight Marionettes, The Strange Walls, Bioassay, Tearful Moon, DACID, Fluxion AD, Dead Receptors, Night Terrors, Sol Sirenn and Manufactura.

Coitus Interruptus Productions has released 3 tribute compilations in the past dedicated to Fad Gadget, Cabaret Voltaire and Klinik/Dive/ABC.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

The Anti Group – 4×12 (CD Album – Peripheral Minimal Records)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Thu, 05 Dec 2019 20:30:45 +0000

Genre/Influences: Experimental, electronics.

Background/Info: Behind The Anti Group (TAG) is hiding Adi Newton. He was previously involved in The Future and later on created Clock DVA. Together with S.J. Turner he set up TAG as a project of multi-media research & development active in different areas. Several members have been involved in the project, but Adi Newton always remained the ‘supervisor’. This work brings a nice selection of tracks that were originally composed during the 80s and 90s.

Content: This album is a perfect opportunity to re-discover the experimental approach of TAG, and also a more intelligent sound, which clearly was the basis to Clock DVA. One of the tracks (cf. “Big Sex”) clearly inspired one of the most famous Clock DVA cuts. I’m sure you’ll recognize the samplings. The debut part of the album is definitely experimental while the last part became more sophisticated.

Both last songs are attention grabbers as they are remixes by Richard H. Kirk (Cabaret Voltaire), which have been produced and developed this year by Adi Newton.

+ + + : First of all this release reveals a great DVD digipak format including a 16 page booklet. But this album is also a perfect opportunity to get back to the particular sonic universe of this group. The album reflects the experimental spirit of the 80s next to the sound genius of Adi Newton, which totally emerged during his Clock DVA period. The sophisticated format clearly appears during the last tracks. I recommend listening to “Morpheus Baby”, “Big Sex” and “Broadcast Test – Transmission 1”. The remix of “Zulu” by Richard H. Kirk is another great piece of music.

– – – : Some of the most experimental cuts sound like pure improvisation and aren’t my favorite part of the TAG.

Conclusion: Bringing TAG to life is a real great idea to rediscover a somewhat forgotten treasure from the 80s, but still a way to rediscover the genius of Ady Newton. He according to me remains one of the Godfathers of intelligent electronic music!

Best songs: “Big Sex”, “Morpheus Baby”, “Broadcast Test – Transmission 1”, “Zulu – Dub Remix produced by Adi Newton from Richard H. Kirk Remix Version”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: https ://armcomm .co .uk / www .facebook .com /adi .newton

Label: www .peripheralminimal .com / www .facebook .com /PeripheralMinimal

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

The Membranes song ‘Nocturnal’ gets the remix treatment by Kitty Lectro – watch the video

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 06 Nov 2019 16:08:48 +0000

Iconic UK post-punk/alt act The Membranes release an EP featuring two remixes of their song “Nocturnal” by goth rock/darkwave Goth DJ Kitty Lectro.

“Nocturnal” was originally released on The Membranes new album “What Natures Gives… Nature Takes Away” on June 7th this year. Having remixed artists such as Kommunity FK, Andi Sex Gang, Beauty In Chaos (Wayne Hussey, Simon Gallup and Michael Ciravolo) and more, Kitty Lectro adds a dance floor spin to “Nocturnal”.

Frontman and The Membranes founder John Robb explains why they chose to remix the song: “‘Nocturnal’ is our death disco dance with Pan, or our dark Dionysian dislocation of the senses that has been remixed to shadowy dance floor brilliance by Kitty Lectro. It is from our new double album “What Nature Gives… Nature Takes Away” and examines the beauty and violence of nature, in which we took our bass-driven post-punk and added choirs to it to create an epic brooding soundtrack to the theme of nature itself and its desperate struggle to survive the human race’s hell bent determination to destroy it.”

The Nocturnal EP will be available for streaming on all major platforms. You can here it right below.

Tracklist of the EP:

Nocturnal (KITTY LECTRO Remix)
Nocturnal (KITTY LECTRO Meow Meow Money Mix)
Nocturnal (Album Version)

The Membranes will be on tour in Europe with Mark Lanegan Band in November/December.

About The Membranes

Formed in 1978 in Blackpool, England, The Membranes played classic bass-driven northern post-punk and were part of the same world as bands like Joy Division, Bauhaus, The Fall, Sisters Of Mercy, and Cabaret Voltaire, all inspired by the punk explosion of 1977 to launch their own idiosyncratic journeys. The band released a remarkable series of records throughout the ‘80s that combined their small town frustration with a love of heavy bass and distortion. This ultimately became a prime influence on such American noiseniks as Steve Albini, Swans and Sonic Youth.

The group reformed in 2010 at the request of My Bloody Valentine to play the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival, and have since made two albums, inspired by newer bands like Godspeed You Black Emperor, Mogwai, Ulver and Wardruna.

Membranes frontman/bassist John Robb is an acclaimed British musician/author/publisher and TV/radio commentator. He is the editor-in-chief of British music monthly Louder Than War and the author of the celebrated non-fiction work “Punk Rock: An Oral History”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Cabaret Voltaire announce ‘Methodology ’74-’78. Attic Tapes’ on vinyl in a ltd edition of 500 copies

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 15:31:01 +0000

The industrial new wave cult act Cabaret VoltaireE have announced the first-ever vinyl release of “Methodology ’74-’78. Attic Tapes”, which collates the band’s early recordings. Out on December 6, the 7-piece clear vinyl box set is available right here in a limited edition of 500 units worldwide and comes with an art print signed by Richard H. Kirk.

Listen to the “Methodology ’74-’78. Attic Tapes” of their classic track “Nag Nag Nag” below.

The release charts the development of Cabaret Voltaire starting from their early experimental period of ’74/’75. The package contains recordings made during the same period as those featured on the recently reissued album, “1974-76”, originally released on Industrial Records.

It features the original recordings of tracks such as “Nag Nag Nag”, “No Escape”, “The Set Up”, “Baader Meinhof”, “Here She Comes Now” and “Do The Mussolini (Headkick)”, all of which were later re-recorded with new equipment and released by Rough Trade in the late ’70s.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

The Cassandra Complex release debut album ‘Grenade’ in a 2019 remastered version

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 19 Sep 2019 09:38:35 +0000

(Picture by Xavier Marquis) The classic The Cassandra Complex album “Grenade” from 1986 is once again available. Over 30 years after making their debut, the legendary industrial post-punk band have finally rereleased their classic self-produced first album in a newly remastered version for streaming services.

The Cassandra Complex are based around the nucleus of principal songwriters Rodney Orpheus (vocals, computer) and Andy Booth (guitar, keyboards), with the addition on this album of John Marchini (bass, saxophone), Keith Langley (percussion) and Jez Willis (bass, keyboards) who would later go on to form Utah Saints.

“I had started off listening to a bunch of early 70s synth rock stuff , like Kraftwerk, Hawkwind, Suicide, Can, and Bowie’s Berlin albums, then got into early industrial acts like TG and Cabaret Voltaire, and combined that with punk influences we loved like Buzzcocks, Joy Division, and Gang of Four,” says Orpheus, the Northern Ireland-born singer of the band. “We ended up with something that was a synthesis of all of those disparate elements into something that was quite unlike anything else around at the time, especially on the UK scene.”

Listen to “Grenade” on Spotify

Small label, big sales

Despite getting little reaction in their homeland, the album quickly achieved critical and commercial success in the growing goth/alternative music scene in Europe, selling over 20,000 copies for their small independent label, with the band doing multiple sold-out tours in support of it.

“We were never really happy with the version that came out on the original record. At the time we just didn’t have the money or the technology to make it sound the way we envisaged it,” says Booth, “But now we can finally release it the way it sounded in the studio when we recorded it.”

Anno 2019

In recent years, both Orpheus and Booth have become significant players in the background of the modern music biz: Orpheus as a producer and technology designer, and Booth as a music lawyer, but they have recently continued touring with The Cassandra Complex once more, playing to fans at festivals in Germany, Belgium, Sweden, and Spain.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com