(Photo by Jürgen Sieckmeyer) Out on February 17 2023 on Mute is the reissue of Phew’s 1992 album, “Our Likeness” which was recorded at Conny Plank’s studio in Cologne. On this album avant-garde vocalist, electronics innovator and post-punk artist Phew was joined by Jaki Liebezeit, Alexander Hacke, Chrislo Haas and Thomas Stern.

Phew first came to the fore as the vocalist of Japanese post-punk group Aunt Sally (whose 1979 debut was reissued last year on Mesh-Key) before going on to record a solo single with Ryuichi Sakamoto. Her 1981 self-titled album, recorded with Liebezeit and Holger Czukay, was engineered by Conny Plank, and was followed by 1987’s “View”.

It was Chrislo Haas (D.A.F. / Liaisons Dangereuses / Der Plan), who had met Phew briefly when Plank engineered her debut solo album in 1981, who arranged for Alexander Hacke (guitar / Einstürzende Neubauten) and Thomas Stern (bass / Crime & the City Solution) to join. Can’s drummer Jaki Liebezeit also reunited with Phew to collaborate alongside this new generation of German experimental musicians. Chrislo Haas also introduced Phew to Daniel Miller, for the original release of “Our Likeness”.

Phew remembers: “When I was recording at Conny’s Studio in 1981, a young German man came to visit, sat quietly in the studio for a while and left without saying a word. His politeness was long remembered and can still be recalled. It was when he came to Japan that I discovered he was Chrislo Haas of D.A.F. At the end of the 1980s he visited me in Tokyo, then we decided to make something together, and a few months later we were recording at Conny’s Studio. Chrislo contacted the musicians who took part, Alex Hacke, Jaki Liebezeit and Thomas Stern, told Mute about the project and Our Likeness was released. I often wonder what kind of music Chrislo would have made if he had still been here on earth. Twenty-four years later, I met Alex Hacke again at a festival in Poland, where I got to play with hackedepicciotto. And now I am working with Danielle de Picciotto. More to come!”

You can check out the title track below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Crime & the City Solution, who recently returned to the studio to record a cover of The Doors’ classic 1967 ode to alienation, “People Are Strange”, have just announced details of a series that will see their long out of print catalogue reissued on vinyl for the first time in decades via Mute Records.

The series begins in January 2023 with the reissue of the three albums that founder Simon Bonney considers the origin of his true voice and the definitive sound he sought for Crime & the City Solution: “Shine” (1988, set for release on limited gold vinyl), “The Bride Ship” (1989, available on limited white vinyl) and “Paradise Discotheque” (1990, out on limited orange vinyl).

Crime & the City Solution’s second album, “Shine”, heralds the arrival of the first Berlin incarnation, and sees Simon Bonney, Mick Harvey and Bronwyn Adams decamp from London to Berlin. With a more experimental sound, which drew less on Melbourne post punk scene roots and took a more explorative musical approach, this lineup featured Einstürzende Neubauten’s Alexander Hacke on guitar, ex-DAF/Liaisons Dangereuses electronicus Chrislo Haas on vintage Korg patchbay synth, and free jazz bassist Thomas Stern.

“The Bride Ship” soon followed and saw the Berlin line up return to Hansa Tonstudio in West Berlin, this time with Gareth Jones lending a hand with production. In 1990, following a move by Simon Bonney and Bronwyn Adams to Vienna, the now classic line up travelled to Conny Plank’s legendary studio to record “Paradise Discotheque”.

About Crime and the City Solution

Formed in Sydney by Simon Bonney at the age of 16, Crime & the City Solution’s early performances from 1977-1979 had a big impact on key figures of the early Melbourne art-punk/post punk scene. In 1984, Bad Seed Mick Harvey shipped Bonney to England to form the London based Crime with their friend ex-Birthday Party guitarist Rowland S Howard, with his brother Harry Howard on bass and Epic Soundtracks on drums. Two years on, having toured Europe, the UK and US and released several EPs and an album, this lineup reached its zenith at its finale in a historic swansong performance in Wim Wenders’ cinematic masterpiece “Wings of Desire”.

Following the Berlin incarnation, encapsulated in these three reissues and the live album, “The Adversary”, it would be 20 years before the band, then based in Detroit, would return with their fifth studio album, “American Twilight”.

Back now after a 10-year hiatus, Simon Bonney and Bronwyn Adams have been touring through Europe with a new Berlin based incarnation, their final date of the year will be at La Maroquinerie in Paris on 27 November.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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(Photo by Joe Dilworth) Out 10 December 2021 is the 20th anniversary reissue of “Sex O’Clock”, the second album by the late Anita Lane who has been Nick Cave’s musical muze for over a decade. Mute will reissue this studio album for the first time on vinyl.

The album was initially released in 2001 and work began with Anita Lane on the reissue before her untimely passing earlier this year, at the age of 61. Recorded with long time musical partner, Mick Harvey, the album was the final release in a solo career that began in 1988 with the release of the “Dirty Sings” EP.

Emerging from Melbourne’s post-rock scene, Anita Lane was one of the co-founders of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, co-writing “From Her To Eternity”, the title track of their debut album and “Stranger than Kindness” from “Your Funeral… My Trial”. Arriving in London in 1980 with The Birthday Party, she’s credited with co-writing several of their tracks – “A Dead Song”, “Dead Joe” and “Kiss Me Black” before re-locating to Berlin.

In Berlin she developed a series of collaborations that included work with Einstürzende Neubauten, Chrislo Haas, Gudrun Gut and Die Haut, a cover of “These Boots Were Made for Walking” with Barry Adamson and vocals for Mick Harvey’s first two Serge Gainsbourg albums, “Intoxicated Man” and “Pink Elephants”.

Check out “Home Is Where the Hatred Is”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Out soon via Grönland Records is the new release “Nur Noch Einer” by Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft (DAF).

On vocals we find Robert Görl, as Gabi Delgado died in March 2020 just when Görl and Delgado had reunited to record a new album aided by producer Sylvie Marks. Sound wise this album features a lot of the band’s unfinished 80s sequences which Görl found on old tapes and used for this release. After the death of Delgado, Görl started writing and recording the lyrics.

The album holds 15 tracks and will be released on November 26th on CD and vinyl.

Track listing

1. Erste DAF Probe
2. Im Schatten
3. Kunststoff
4. Wir Sind Wild
5. Das Pur Pur Rot
6. Gedanken Lesen
7. Du Bist So Zart
8. Ein Kind Aus Dem Ratinger Hof
9. Loslassen
10. Neue Welt
11. Kein Ausweg
12. Es Muss Ans Licht
13. Holland Road
14. Das Geschenk
15. Nur Noch Einer

About Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft

Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft or DAF, was an influential German electropunk/Neue Deutsche Welle band from Düsseldorf, formed in 1978 featuring Gabriel Delgado-López (vocals), Robert Görl (drums, percussion, electronic instruments), Kurt Dahlke (electronic instruments), Michael Kemner (bass-guitar) and Wolfgang Spelmans (guitar). Kurt Dahlke was replaced by Chrislo Haas (electronic instruments, bass guitar, saxophone) in 1979. Since 1981, the band has consisted of Delgado-López and Görl.

Their first album, “Ein Produkt der Deutsch-Amerikanischen Freundschaft”, was released in 1979 on Dahlke’s Ata Tak label (then called Warning). The album was 22 improvised untitled instrumentals, Delgado having temporarily left the band at the time.

The band then moved to London, met Daniel Miller and signed to Mute Records. DAF recorded “Die Kleinen und die Bösen” for Mute, one side held studio material and most of the other side of the album were live recordings. DAF then shrank to just Delgado and Görl, and the duo signed to Virgin Records where they released “Alles ist gut” which became their breakthrough album.

The next two albums, “Gold und Liebe” and “Für Immer” followed by by then the band had reached its limits and they split during the recording of “Für immer”. Delgado and Görl reunited in 1985 to record “1st Step to Heaven”, their only album in English.

When DAF reformed for the 2003 album “Fünfzehn neue D.A.F.-Lieder” their style had shifted to a fusion of the classic Plank-produced DAF sound with elements taken from Robert’s techno work. The band prepared more music, but split before they could make another album. In 2010, the band returned with a new single “Du bist DAF”, limited to 2010 copies. The band announced its 5th split in January 2015, with another farewell tour.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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(Photo by Masayuki Shioda) Phew, a Japanese singer and analogue electronics improviser working in the areas of experimental and avant-garde music, has announced details of a new album – her first for Mute since 1992’s “Our Likeness”. A first track is available now, “Into the Stream”, for which you can view the video below. “New Decade” is out on Mute on 22 October 2021.

The video acts as a sequel to the closing track on her recent compilation for Disciples and was directed by Lisa Aoki. Below is the video for “Into the Stream”.

About Phew

Phew rose to prominence with the art-punk group Aunt Sally before her first solo release in 1981, recorded at Conny Plank’s studio in Cologne with Holger Czukay and Jaki Liebezeit.

After Aunt Sally broke up after releasing one LP she has mostly worked solo with musicians such as Ryuichi Sakamoto, Holger Czukay, Jaki Liebezeit, Chrislo Haas, Alexander Hacke, Yuji Takahashi, Seiichi Yamamoto, Hiroyuki Nagashima, Otomo Yoshihide in the group Novo Tono, Dieter Moebius on Phew’s Project Undark Radium Girls project, Jim O’Rourke and Ana da Silva.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Out in June is ‘Rework’, a brand new DAF (Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft) single holding 6 exclusive remixes of classics, by Boys Noize, Giorgio Moroder, Westbam & ML, DJ Hell & Robert Görl, and Gabi Delgado himself.

The remix release will also get a vinyl treatment (you can order a copy of this vinyl right here) next to a CD version (which is available here).

The track list:

1. Der Mussolini [Giorgio Moroder & Denis Naidanow rmx]
2. Sato Sato [Westbam/ML rmx)
3. Als wär’s das erste Mal [Boys Noize rmx]
4. Liebe auf den ersten Blick [Görl & Hell rmx]
5. Goldenes Spielzeug [Lor rmx]
6. Der Mussolini [Gabi Delgado’s Hysteric Disco rmx]

DAF (Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft) formed in 1978 featuring Gabriel “Gabi” Delgado-López (vocals), Robert Görl (drums, percussion, electronic instruments), Kurt “Pyrolator” Dahlke (electronic instruments), Michael Kemner (bass-guitar) and Wolfgang Spelmans (guitar). Kurt Dahlke was replaced by Chrislo Haas (electronic instruments, bass guitar, saxophone) in 1979. Since 1981, the band has consisted of Delgado-López and Görl.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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