(Photo by Christiania Krueger) Crime & The City Solution continue their reissues series on Mute with their 1985 mini-LP, “Just South of Heaven”, and their debut full-length album, “Room of Lights” (1986). Both reissues will be out on June 7. The band recently released their sixth studio album, “The killer”.

The band will perform two very special shows next week in Berlin with the three-piece acoustic line up of Bronwyn Adams (violin and vocals), Simon Bonney (vocals) and Joshua Murphy (acoustic guitar and vocals). Crime & The City Solution will perform acoustic shows at Eschschloraque Rümschrümp in Berlin on the 17 & 18 April before a tour across the island of Ireland in May.

“Just South of Heaven” (available in limited edition blue vinyl) features Crime’s London line up of Simon Bonney, Mick Harvey, Rowland S. Howard, Harry Howard and Epic Soundtracks. The material was recorded between the legendary Hansa Tonstudios in Berlin and London’s Strongrooms with producer Flood (Frank Tovey, Depeche Mode, Erasure).

1986’s full length debut album, “Room of Lights” (available in limited edition yellow vinyl), would be the final recording by the London line up. The album includes one of their most beloved songs, “Six Bells Chime”, and this lineup reached its zenith with a historic swansong performance of the track in Wim Wenders’ 1987 cinematic masterpiece “Wings of Desire”.

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 & The City Solution with their friend Rowland S Howard, with his brother Harry Howard on bass and Epic Soundtracks on drums. The London incarnation – encapsulated by these two reissues – disbanded soon after their performance in “Wings of Desire”.

The first Berlin incarnation which followed is represented by three albums recently reissued on Mute – “Shine” (1988), “The Bride Ship” (1989) and “Paradise Discotheque” (1990), and the live album, “The Adversary”. Another 20 years would pass before the band, then based in Detroit, would return with their fifth studio album, “American Twilight”.

Watch the band perform a brand new, exclusive session version of “Witness” from the album for Le Cargo.

Crime & The City Solution (Acoustic)

• 17 April – Berlin, Eschschloraque Rümschrümp
• 18 April – Berlin, Eschschloraque Rümschrümp
• 10 May – Inis Oírr, Áras Éanna Arts Centre
• 11 May – West Cork, Levis Corner House
• 14 May – Belfast, Accidental Theatre
• 15 May – Doolin, The Attic
• 16 May – Borrisokane, The Barn
• 17 May – Galway, Taibdhearc

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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(Photos by Martyn Goodacre and Steve Gullick) Following the release of their first LP in 10 years on Mute, the Berlin-based collective Crime & the City Solution gets on the road UK/EU tour. The new “The Killer” album is out on CD, vinyl and as digital download or streaming.

The new Crime & the City Solution album began life as a PhD application that came to life when the band’s core members’ nomadic lifestyle put on pause by the pandemic. Simon Bonney and Bronwyn Adams found themselves stuck in their native Australia, under one of the world’s strictest lockdowns. “Naturally”, says Simon, “I sat and I pieced together a PhD application about decision making in Afghanistan in the late 80s. But as it turned out, it was actually more of a record than it was a PhD.”

The PhD and, by turn, the album found inspiration from Bonney’s work delivering aid programs across the Indo-Pacific region. Through that work, he visited places with high levels of violence and the album, in part, acted as a way in which to process the effect that turmoil has had on his psyche, of the “dead bodies in my dreams,” that he sings about in the title track. He explains, “There’s no mention of American decision making in Afghanistan on the album, but in terms of subject matter there’s a lot that’s pretty similar; a lot of the record is about loss of faith. There’s a veneer of normalcy and civilization that people hold onto until they just can’t hold on anymore, I’m interested in normalcy that exists within what we would consider to be extraordinary situations.”

While the idea came from Simon Bonney and Bronwyn Adams, the musical aspect was created by the combination of artists that became the second Berlin-lineup of Crime & the City Solution. Core members Simon Bonney and Bronwyn Adams were joined by Frederic Lyenn (piano, bass, synth), Donald Baldie (guitar), Georgio Valentino (synth, guitar), Chris Hughes (drums, percussion) and Joshua Murphy (piano, guitar), and for the first time they worked with a producer, Martin J. Fiedler, who also added synth and mellotron to the album.

Tour dates Crime & the City Solution

*All dates – supported by Joshua Murphy.

• 23/11/2023: Haacht, BE – Can’t Live In a Living-Room
• 24/11/2023: London, UK – The Moth Club
• 25/11/2023: Bristol, UK – The Cube Cinema
• 26/11/2023: Colchester, UK – Colchester Arts Centre
• 29/11/2023: Paris, FR – La Boule Noire
• 30/11/2023: Geneva, CH – L’Usine
• 1/12/2023: Karlsruhe, DE – P8
• 2/12/2023: Ebensee, AT – Kino Ebensee
• 3/12/2023: Zagreb, HR – Vintage Industrial
• 4/12/2023: Milano, IT – Arci Bellezza
• 5/12/2023: Munich, DE – Muffatwerk
• 6/12/2023: Prague, CZ – Fuchs2
• 7/12/2023: Budapest, HU – Instant
• 8/12/2023: Linz, AT – Stadtwerkstatt
• 9/12/2023: Poznan, PL – 2Progi
• 10/12/2023: Warsaw, PL – Niebo
• 12/12/2023: Dresden, DE – Chemiefabrik
• 13/12/2023: Hamburg, DE – Hafenklang
• 14/12/2023: Copenhagen, DK – BETA
• 15/12/2023: Oslo, NO – Salt
• 16/12/2023: Stockholm, SE – HUS7
• 17/12/2023: Gothenburg, SE – Musikens Hus
• 19/12/2023: Berlin, DE – Urban Spree

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 Elvira Akzigitova) Crime & the City Solution have announced details of a new album, “The Killer”. It’s their sixth studio album, and their first in over a decade and is set for release via Mute on vinyl, CD and download on 20 October 2023.

You can already listen to a first track shared from the album, “Peace in my Time”. Simon Bonney explains the song is “about acceptance, more than just ‘peace’; I don’t think there’ll ever be ‘peace’ – nothing surprises me any more about what people to do to each other; but the song is about the acceptance of uncertainty, and also an acceptance of who you are.”

The video was made by Berlin based artist Elvira Akzigitova.

Working briefly in post-invasion Ukraine following the album’s completion, Simon Bonney saw that uncertainty again: “There was a building that was absolutely destroyed by a missile that was half a mile off the actual target. The buildings on either side were perfectly intact, but in the middle was a crater. Yet, in the face of such uncertainty, there was this incredible resilience that seemed to be born of accepting life as it was at that moment, no matter how challenging and uncertain.”

“The Killer” was recorded in Berlin by the second incarnation of the band to be based in the German capital. Core members Simon Bonney and Bronwyn Adams were joined by Frederic Lyenn (Piano, Bass, Synth), Donald Baldie (Guitar), Georgio Valentino (Synth, Guitar), Chris Hughes (Drums, Percussion) and Joshua Murphy (Piano, Guitar), and for the first time they worked with a producer, Martin J. Fiedler, who also added synth and mellotron to the album.

The band will also depart on a EU tour later this Fall:

• 23 Nov – Haacht (BE), Can’t Live In a Living-Room
• 24 Nov – London (UK), The Moth Club
• 25 Nov – Bristol (UK), The Cube Cinema
• 26 Nov – Colchester (UK), Colchester Arts Centre
• 29 Nov – Paris (FR), La Boule Noire
• 30 Nov – Geneva (CH), L’Usine
• 1 Dec – Karlsruhe (DE), P8
• 2 Dec – Ebensee (AT), Kino Ebensee
• 3 Dec – Zagreb (HR), Vintage Industrial Bar
• 4 Dec – Milano (IT), Arci Bellezza
• 5 Dec – Munich (DE), Muffatwerk
• 6 Dec – Prague (CZ), Fuchs2
• 7 Dec – Hungary (HU), Turbina
• 8 Dec – Linz (AT), Stadtwerkstatt
• 9 Dec – Poznań (PL), 2Progi
• 10 Dec – Warsaw (PL), Niebo
• 12 Dec – Dresden (DE), Chemiefabrik
• 13 Dec – Hamburg (DE), Hafenklang
• 14 Dec – Copenhagen (DK), BETA
• 15 Dec – Oslo (NO), Salt
• 16 Dec – Stockholm (SE), HUS7
• 17 Dec – Gothenburg (SE), Musikens Hus
• 19 Dec – Berlin (DE), Urban Spree

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 Errefotografia) Hackedepicciotto (Alexander Hacke & Danielle de Picciotto) have announce details of three reissues on Mute: “Perseverantia”, “Menetekel” and “The Current” out on vinyl and CD on 28 April 2023.

You all should know Alexander Hacke from Einstürzende Neubauten and Crime & the City Solution; and Danielle de Picciotto as co-founder of Love Parade, Space Cowboys and Crime & the City Solution.

Hackedepicciotto’s debut album, “Perseverantia” was originally released in 2016 and was recorded in the Mojave Desert, California. “Menetekel”, Hackedepicciotto’s third studio album, has been out of print since its original pressing in 2017. Side D of the double LP is a recording of a sound installation from an Austrian church that Hackedepicciotto were invited to compose in. Originally released in 2020, their fourth studio album, “The Current”, holds violin harmonies and choirs throughout the entire record and acts as a soundtrack for what the band describe as “an apocalyptic feature-length film, hopefully with a happy ending.”

These reissues follow the release of 2021’s album for Mute, “The Silver Threshold”.

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 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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Crime & The City Solution returned to the studio for the first time in nearly 10 years to record a special cover of The Doors’ classic 1967 “People Are Strange”. This new recording is the first with a Berlin line up.

Simon Bonney and Bronwyn Adams now continue their Europe tour dates with three newly announced shows in November 2022, with the new Berlin based incarnation of Crime & The City Solution.

Here are the new dates.

1. 5 Nov – Lodz PL, Soundedit Festival
2. 12 Nov – Athens GR, Fuzz Club
3. 27 Nov – Paris FR, La Maroquinerie

Here’s the video of “People Are Strange”.

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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Hackedepicciotto – Alexander Hacke (Einstürzende Neubauten / Crime & the City Solution) and Danielle de Picciotto (co-founder of Love Parade / Crime & the City Solution) – have shared the video for their new track, “Kirchhain”, the latest to be taken from their forthcoming album, “The Silver Threshold”, coming out on Mute Records.

“The Silver Threshold” is the band’s 3rd album after “Menetekel” and “Joy” (with Eric Hubel and Vincent Signorelli) both released in 2018.

You can watch the video for “Kirchhain” 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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(Photo by Sven Marquardt) Hackedepicciotto, the project of Alexander Hacke (Einstürzende Neubauten / Crime & the City Solution) and Danielle de Picciotto (co-founder of Love Parade / Crime & the City Solution), have announced details of their first album for Mute, “The Silver Threshold”, expected to be out on 12 November.

Out now is the duo’s first song, “Evermore”, a lovesong. Watch the video, directed by Studio Bergfors, right below.

The album cover and press photographs were shot by Sven Marquardt – a Berlin photographer – who also happens to be the doorman at the infamous Berghain nightclub. Hacke explains: “It was a very formative aspect of this album. He only uses natural light and having our picture taken by him was a very special experience.”

“The Silver Threshold” is the band’s 3rd album after “Menetekel” and “Joy” (with Eric Hubel and Vincent Signorelli) both released in 2018.

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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