Bauhaus frontman Peter Murphy and Boy George release the new digital single “Let The Flowers Grow (Delerium Remix)” today, 23 January 2026, via Metropolis Records. The track is the latest reworking of their 2024 orchestral duet “Let The Flowers Grow“, which was produced by Youth and later added as a bonus track to Murphy’s 2025 solo album “Silver Shade“.

For this new version, the Canadian project, led by Front Line Assembly members Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber, deliver a five-minute, six-second remix.

“Let The Flowers Grow” originally began as an unfinished demo by Boy George, which Youth played to Murphy during the sessions for “Silver Shade”, Murphy’s tenth solo studio album and his first since “Lion” (2014). Murphy completed the song with Youth in the studio. The initial message about George’s personal acceptance of being gay was broadened during writing to address race, gender, creed and religion.

This more restrained, ambient-leaning remix contrasts with the earlier psytrance-oriented “Let The Flowers Grow (Juno Reactor Remix)“, released as a separate digital single on 5 December 2025.

About Peter Murphy, Boy George and Delerium

Peter Murphy was born in Northampton, England, in 1957 and first became known as the vocalist of Bauhaus, formed in 1978 with Daniel Ash, Kevin Haskins and David J. Bauhaus released early singles such as “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” and albums including “In the Flat Field” (1980) and “Mask” (1981) before disbanding in 1983, after which Murphy launched a solo career.

His solo debut “Should the World Fail to Fall Apart” appeared in 1986, followed by “Love Hysteria” (1988) and “Deep” (1989), the latter containing the US alternative hit “Cuts You Up”. Subsequent albums such as “Holy Smoke” (1992), “Cascade” (1995), “Dust” (2002), “Ninth” (2011) and “Lion” (2014) showed shifts between post-punk, art rock and more atmospheric material. After a period focused on touring and occasional Bauhaus reunions, Murphy returned with “Silver Shade” in 2025, again working closely with Youth as producer.

Boy George (George Alan O’Dowd), born in 1961 in the London borough of Bexley, emerged in the early 1980s as part of the New Romantic scene before forming Culture Club with Roy Hay, Mikey Craig and Jon Moss. Culture Club signed to Virgin Records in the UK and Epic Records in North America, releasing the debut album “Kissing to Be Clever” in 1982 and the multi-platinum follow-up “Colour by Numbers” in 1983, which produced worldwide hits such as “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” and “Karma Chameleon”.

From 1987 onward, he has alternated between Culture Club reunions and a solo career that spans pop, dance and electronic releases on labels including Virgin, More Protein and BGP, along with work as a DJ and television personality.

Delerium, who provide the new remix, began in Vancouver in the late 1980s as a side project for Bill Leeb, initially working with Michael Balch before Rhys Fulber became the main partner. Their early output, released via labels such as Dossier and Nettwerk, moved from dark ambient and industrial textures towards more melodic electronic and new age-influenced albums, culminating in international recognition for the 1997 single “Silence” featuring Sarah McLachlan.

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.

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Back in March last year we presented you the Delerium video “In The Deep (feat. Kanga)”. Today we can offer you the video premiere of the Delerium feat. Kanga track “In The Deep” remixed by Clan of Xymox.

The original version of “Deep” is featured on the Canadian duo of Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber‘s  latest album “Signs”. “Signs” also features contributions from Mimi Page, Phildel and Inna Walters besides Kanga.

Kanga is a musician and producer from Los Angeles, CA. She fuses post-apocalyptic pop sensibilities with rhythms and melodies. She is currently working on her next album in collaboration with producers Josh Franks and Dave Adrounie, released on Artoffact Records in Spring 2023.

Below is the Delerium album “Signs”, Signs by Delerium

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.

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Bill Leeb, the legendary frontman of Frontline Assembly, as well as Delerium, Noise Unit, Intermix, Cyberaktif, and numerous other projects, is finally releasing his first solo-album after all these years. Model Kollapse draws inspiration from the world of AI and is infused with Leeb’s signature sound. While there are unmistakable EBM influences that echo Frontline Assembly, the album also incorporates elements from his other projects, making it distinctly Leeb. “Model Kollapse” is a meticulously crafted Electro piece that balances between intense, driving sections -my personal favorites, and more atmospheric, Ambient moments carried by rhythms. The album features guest appearances from members of ACTORS, contributing guitars and female backing vocals, and Mimi Page, known for her work with Delerium, lends her voice to the final track. Longtime collaborator Rhys Fulber also returns to produce several songs. Despite its strong start, the album concludes with a few weaker tracks, but overall, “Model Kollapse” stands as a compelling and polished addition to Leeb’s impressive discography. (Rating:8).

Listen to “Neuromotive”:

https://frontlineassembly.bandcamp.com/track/neuromotive

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.

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(Photo by Bobby Talamine) Bill Leeb’s first solo album, “Model Kollapse”, drops tomorrow. Leeb, a Vancouver-based musician, is best known as the mastermind behind electro-industrial giants Front Line Assembly and ambient-pop duo Delerium. He’s also played a pivotal role in projects like Noise Unit, Intermix, and Cyberaktif.

This marks Leeb’s first solo effort since the early days of Front Line Assembly in the mid-80s, when he began recording in his bedroom and released his work on limited edition cassettes. Nearly four decades later, “Model Kollapse” was crafted between Vancouver, Toronto, and Los Angeles, with production support from Dream Bullet, long-time collaborator Rhys Fulber, and mixing engineer Greg Reely.

You can now stream the full album exclusively on Side-Line, including standout tracks like “Demons” and “Terror Forms”.

Today we can also present you this brand new video for “Muted Obsession”.

Musically, “Model Kollapse” taps into the legacy of post-punk electronic pioneers like DAF, Front 242, and Skinny Puppy (Leeb himself being an original member), while also drawing from more contemporary influences like Gesaffelstein and ADULT.

The album’s title refers to a phenomenon in artificial intelligence where trained models, particularly those dependent on synthetic or AI-generated data, degrade over time. Leeb elaborates, “As we push forward with unprecedented technological advances, I wonder how much longer we can truly stay in control. Automation has already consumed entire industries. With tech ruling much of the world, are we headed for a ‘Model Kollapse’? Chaos would surely follow.”

Released by Metropolis Records, Leeb notes the label’s crucial role in alternative music, saying, “This album was possible thanks to my long-standing friendship with the late Dave Heckman, who gave me complete artistic freedom.” Heckman, Metropolis’ founder, passed away in the summer of 2022.

Videos from “Model Kollapse”

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.

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Canadian producer Rhys Fulber returns with another compelling solo effort in “Balance Of Fear”. Known for his extensive work with acts like Front Line Assembly, Delerium, and Conjure One, Fulber’s solo work takes a different route, delving deep into the realms of Dark-Techno. This album continues his exploration of merging EBM-inspired basslines with Cinematic/Ambient elements and raw Industrial-Techno. The production quality is top-notch, showcasing a fearless and uncompromising approach to sound. Fulber’s freestyle compositions result in some truly standout tracks. (Rating:8).

Listen to “Fall Awake”:

https://rhysfulber.bandcamp.com/track/fall-awake

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.

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Bill Leeb, the Vancouver-based musician and mastermind behind electro-industrial scene mainstays Front Line Assembly and ambient-pop duo Delerium, has released a second second single from his upcoming solo album “Model Kollapse”: “Demons”.

Leeb says that the EBM styled track is a comment on “how much darkness and evil exist in the world, some of it created via technology that is here to stay, and how we have to carefully navigate our way through it all on a day-to-day basis.”

“Model Kollapse” will be released on September 13 via Metropolis Records and is the first solo venture Leeb. The album was recorded and produced in Vancouver, Toronto and Los Angeles with assistance from production duo Dream Bullet and long-term recording cohort Rhys Fulber, plus regular mixing engineer Greg Reely.

“Demons” follows the introductory single “Terror Forms”, featuring Shannon Hemmett of the group ACTORS, who are also based in Leeb’s home city.

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.

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Out now via Metropolis Records is the first single from the upcoming solo debut “Model Kollapse” by Bill Leeb: “Terror Forms”. The single features Shannon Hemmett of Actors.

Below is the video for the single.

“Model Kollapse” will be out on September 13th via Metropolis Records. The 11-track album “Model Kollapse” comes in two versions, a CD in digipak and a thick 16 pages booklet, and as a limited bleach effect double vinyl. The vinyl is limited to 500 copies and comes in extra heavy gatefold sleeve with seperate printed inner sleeves.

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.

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Out on September 13th via Metropolis Records is the first all solo album from Bill Leeb, titled “Model Kollapse”. The 11-track album “Model Kollapse” comes in two versions, a CD in digipak and a thick 16 pages booklet, and as a limited bleach effect double vinyl. The vinyl is limited to 500 copies and comes in extra heavy gatefold sleeve with seperate printed inner sleeves.

The first single “Terror Forms” features Shannon Hemmett of Actors and Leathers and will be out on July 9.

The album was recorded and produced in Vancouver, Toronto and Los Angeles with assistance provided by production duo Dream Bullet and long-term Front Line Assembly / Delerium cohort Rhys Fulber, plus regular mixing engineer Greg Reely.

Two tracks on the album feature Shannon and Jason from Canadian Electropop act Actors and one track has American singer-songwriter Mimi Page, who already collaborated with Bill on his Delerium project.

Tracks:

1. Demons
2. Exotic Matter
3. Neuromotive
4. Folded Hands
5. Pinned Down
6. Terror Forms (feat. Actors)
7. Muted Obsession (feat. Actors)
8. Simulation
9. Infernum
10. Fusion
11. Erosion through Time (feat. Mimi Page)

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.

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(Photo by Bobby Talamine) Metropolis Records announces the signing of industrial-electronic Vancouver-based music legend Bill Leeb for his debut solo effort “Model Kollapse”, out September 13.

“The album explores the intricacies of artificial intelligence and the survival of humanity itself,” says Bill Leeb.

The first single “Terror Forms” features Shannon Hemmett of Actors and Leathers and will be out on July 9. This album also involves Front Line Assembly / Delerium cohort Rhys Fulber, mixing engineer Greg Reely, Actors’ frontman Jason Corbett, and LA artist Mimi Page.

“We are proud to announce that Metropolis Records has signed Bill Leeb for his first solo project. Bill Leeb has had a prolific career as a founding member of Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly and Delerium. His music has been highly influential, and we are excited to see what this new chapter in his career will bring for him and his listeners,” says Nina Heckman of Metropolis Records. “I’m honored to fulfill my father’s (Dave Heckman who died in the summer of 2022) lifelong vision and to be doing this project with a lifelong family friend I can honestly call family (Bill Leeb). This project is near and dear to all of our hearts here at Metropolis and I know it would make my father proud.”

“Model Kollapse” marks Leeb’s very first solo venture since the mid-80s days of Front Line Assembly, when he used to make recordings in his bedroom and released them on limited edition cassette format. Almost four decades on, his new album was recorded and produced in Vancouver, Toronto and Los Angeles with assistance from Vancouver/Toronto-based production duo Dream Bullet.

The “Terror Forms” single will be unleashed digitally everywhere on July 9. The full “Model Kollapse” album will be released on vinyl and CD, as well as digitally, on September 13.

About Bill Leeb

Bill Leeb, born Wilhelm Anton Leeb on September 21, 1966, in Vienna, Austria, is best known as the founder and lead member of the industrial music group Front Line Assembly (FLA). Leeb moved to Canada in the 1980s, where he began his music career.

Before forming Front Line Assembly in 1986, Leeb was a member of the influential industrial group Skinny Puppy, where he performed under the pseudonym Wilhelm Schroeder. His departure from Skinny Puppy marked the beginning of his prolific career with Front Line Assembly.

In addition to Front Line Assembly, Leeb has been involved in several other music projects, including Delerium, which achieved commercial success with its fusion of ambient and pop music elements. Leeb’s other projects include Noise Unit, Intermix, and Conjure One, each exploring different facets of electronic music.

Bill Leeb discography

Bill Leeb has had a diverse range of musical projects, each with its own unique style and sound. Here’s an easy-to-read breakdown of the differences between his major projects:

Front Line Assembly (FLA) is characterized by a dark and aggressive style, blending industrial, Electronic Body Music (EBM), and electro-industrial sounds. The music features heavy use of synthesizers and electronic beats, often exploring dystopian and sci-fi themes.

Delerium, on the other hand, focuses on ambient, ethereal, and electronic music with a new age twist. Its sound is soothing and atmospheric, emphasizing melodies and textures. Delerium often incorporates world music elements and features various guest vocalists, achieving mainstream success with tracks like “Silence” featuring Sarah McLachlan.

Noise Unit showcases a mix of industrial, EBM, and techno influences. Over time, the project’s sound has varied, combining harsh industrial elements with more danceable EBM and techno beats. Collaborations with artists like Marc Verhaeghen of Klinik add to its diverse range of styles.

Intermix leans more towards techno, ambient, and electronic music. This project focuses on instrumental tracks, blending electronic and ambient music with techno rhythms. It is generally less aggressive than Front Line Assembly.

Conjure One presents a melodic and ethereal sound, incorporating ambient, electronic, world music, and pop influences. It features prominent guest vocalists and offers polished production with a radio-friendly appeal, blending electronic beats with organic instruments.

Cyberaktif, a collaboration with cEvin Key of Skinny Puppy, delivers a dark and experimental sound. Combining the signature styles of Front Line Assembly and Skinny Puppy, Cyberaktif features heavy use of samples and aggressive beats, resulting in a dense, experimental industrial sound.

Equinox focuses on ambient and atmospheric soundscapes, similar to early Delerium works but more abstract and experimental. It emphasizes creating immersive sound environments with a minimalistic approach.

Pro>Tech is a dance-oriented project with techno and trance influences. It features high-energy beats and repetitive, hypnotic structures, offering a clear departure from the darker styles of Leeb’s other projects, aiming for a more mainstream dance music appeal.

Below are the releases.

Front Line Assembly

• The Initial Command (1987)
• State of Mind (1988)
• Gashed Senses & Crossfire (1989)
• Caustic Grip (1990)
• Tactical Neural Implant (1992)
• Millennium (1994)
• Hard Wired (1995)
• FLAvour of the Weak (1997)
• Implode (1999)
• Epitaph (2001)
• Civilization (2004)
• Artificial Soldier (2006)
• Improvised. Electronic. Device. (2010)
• Echogenetic (2013)
• Wake Up the Coma (2019)
• Mechanical Soul (2021)

Delerium

• Faces, Forms & Illusions (1989)
• Morpheus (1989)
• Syrophenikan (1990)
• Spiritual Archives (1991)
• Stone Tower (1991)
• Spheres (1994)
• Spheres 2 (1994)
• Semantic Spaces (1994)
• Karma (1997)
• Poem (2000)
• Chimera (2003)
• Nuages du Monde (2006)
• Music Box Opera (2012)
• Mythologie (2016)

Noise Unit

• Grinding into Emptiness (1989)
• Response Frequency (1990)
• Strategy of Violence (1992)
• Decoder (1995)
• Drill (1996)
• Voyeur (1998)
• Dead Sector (1999)
• Deviator (2021)

Intermix

• Intermix (1992)
• Phaze Two (1993)
• Future Primitives (1995)

Conjure One

• Conjure One (2002)
• Extraordinary Ways (2005)
• Exilarch (2010)
• Holoscenic (2015)
• Innovation Zero (2023)

Cyberaktif

• Tenebrae Vision (1991)
• Temper (EP) (1990)

Equinox

• Holon (1998)

Pro>Tech

• Orbiting Cathedrals (1997)

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.

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Out now are the new Delerium singles “Remember Love (Zanias Justified Remix)” and “Falling Back to You (Myon Remixes)” featuring Mimi Page.

US singer-songwriter Mimi Page was a featured vocalist on “Signs”, the 2023 album by Canadian electronic duo Delerium (Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber of Front Line Assembly). Two of the songs she contributed to on that release have been remixed by the US DJ and artist Myon and Australia-born but now Berlin-based solo performer, DJ and producer Zanias, with both issued as singles simultaneously. “Signs” also featured contributions from Phildel, Inna Walters and KANGA, next to Page.

Below are the two singles. First is the “Falling Back to You (Myon Remixes)” 3-track single.

This is the “Remember Love (Zanias Justified Remix)” download on Bandcamp.

About Mimi Page

Mimi Page is an American singer, songwriter, and composer known for her ethereal, atmospheric music. She grew up in Los Angeles, California, and is classically trained in piano. She attended the Berklee College of Music, where she focused on composition and production.

Her music blends ambient, electronic, and dream pop elements, characterized by a dreamy, otherworldly sound. Influenced by a wide range of genres, from classical to modern electronic and alternative, her eclectic soundscapes are a key feature.

She has released several albums and EPs, including “Breathe Me In” (2011), “The Ethereal Blues” (2013), and “The Cure for Sleep” (2015) and has collaborated with various artists and producers, notably working with the electronic duo Delerium on their song “Days Turn into Nights.”

Mimi has composed music for film and television, creating immersive and emotive soundscapes well-suited for visual media and has also contributed to video game soundtracks, showcasing her versatility as a composer.

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.

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The Brazilian electro / trance EBM duo Aesthetische (Fabricio Viscardi and Guilherme Pires) makes their return with a new 6-track EP, “Confidence Is Silent”. This EP blends modern dark dance vibes with hard-hitting cyber EBM and pop elements, typical of the founding members of Aghast View & Biopsy.

This EP, like all their other productions, excels at the production level, surpassing many bands in the scene and is available via Bandcamp first with other platforms to follow.

The new EP is the follow-up to the well received 2023 release “Boiling Over” and includes five new tracks plus a club edit of the new track “Nudity” as a bonus. Fans of Front Line Assembly, Delerium, and related bands will surely find what they crave.

Here’s the previous EP as well to check out. Again, one of the best production team in this scene.

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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.

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(Interview by Evan South) In a candid discussion with Side-Line Magazine’s Evan South, Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber of Delerium and Front Line Assembly shared some insights into their recent tour with Ministry and Gary Numan. The duo also talks about the logistics of sharing resources like lighting and equipment, which contributed to the tour’s success. You’ll further hear more about Matthew Setzer joining the lineup, the revival of Cyberaktif with a new album, “EndGame”, and the potential for a Delerium tour. Lots and lots of info.

SL: It’s the final date of the Ministry/Gary Numan/FLA tour, how has your experience been?

BL: It’s the tour of a lifetime!

RF:  It really is, it doesn’t get much better. These kinds of bands and this kind of tour…

BL:  It’s almost impossible to get three bands to do a tour like this, because most bands at this level, financially it doesn’t work. But on this tour everyone was willing to make it work, hence all the shows have pretty much sold out.

RF: And there’s a lot of camaraderie. Everyone gets along. It’s what we established on the previous tour just carried over, everyone knows each other.  Compared to most tours I’d say it’s a really good group.

BL: It’s a family.

RF: And everyone helps. We get a lot of leeway from Ministry and their crew.

BL: They let us use their stuff, their projector, which is an amazing one! It just doesn’t happen with most bands, you know, everybody’s trying to outdo everybody. But this tour everybody wants everybody else to succeed!

RF:  Everyone knows who they are and where they fit in, and it’s great!

SL:  So you didn’t have to pack in as much equipment, you were able to share?

RF: They let us dip into their lighting production and things that a lot of times would not happen on package tours.  They realize we set the table too, so if we have a good night, they have a good night.  It’s a real cool system.

SL:  Any of these three bands could headline on a given night.  How do you like the supporting role compared to headlining?

BL:  There’s no question, both these artists are much bigger than we are, but it’s the perfect hierarchy, right?

RF: You can’t argue with Ministry, Al’s an icon, he’s a national treasure, Ministry established themselves over the years, and we’re not going to get in front of those kind of crowds on our own! And we’re in front of crowds that seem to like what we’re doing, so it’s just great for everybody, it’s like a win/win.  I personally like going on playing a quick set of all bangers, I like it!  The pressures not on us!

BL: And Gary’s an institution as well!  His history and his amount of hits he’s had…

RF: Everybody knows “Cars”!  Everyone knows that song.  Just to be part of that, it’s hard to believe sometimes.  We remember when that record was new.  And now we hang out with Gary Numan everyday, it’s wild…

SL: Expanding on what you said about a tight, “banger” type set…

RF: We keep our energy level up, so it hits hard the whole time.

SL: Rhys, during this tour you had your own “Tour within a tour” afterparty DJ sets…

RF: Those were just…  Some of them were great, some of them were… eh! (laughs) Sometimes you’re playing on a Tuesday night in the Midwest, so… The weekend ones were all pretty good!

SL: I was hoping there would be an Afterparty tonight, like a “wrap” party, being the last date of the tour!

RF: Honestly, we’re pretty tired… and doing both of those was… yeah.

BL: Gary (Numan) has booked a room in LA for an afterparty for when we play our last show there, it’s going to be a sold out show.  So there’s lots going on.  For Rhys it made sense to do those afterparty DJ gigs, because we were done at 8pm. So from 8 to midnight what do you do, right? Might as well be spinning…

RF: A couple of parties were really good… Montreal, Toronto…

BL: And a lot of fans came and would talk to us, and all the other bands would come down after.  Ministry would come down, Gary Numan’s crew.

RF: Yeah, Ministry’s band and Gary’s band would always be there. I think the first show in Portland even Al was there. Everybody was there, it was great!

BL: It was like an all night exclusive!

SL: You have a new guitarist on this tour, how did Matthew Setzer (Skinny Puppy, London after Midnight) come into the fold with you?

BL: We had Tim Skold for two years and we thought we had built up a really good rapport with him, and then all of a sudden he became unaffordable.  Me and Cevin (Skinny Puppy), had been pretty tight and lifelong friends, and we just finished the new Cyberaktif album, so we were talking every day for a full year. Puppy just finished their tour, so it was just natural, “Let’s ask Matthew,” he’s in our family.

RF: He stepped in pretty easily, he’s a great musician.

BL: And all our fans are Puppy fans, and vice versa, so it seemed like a perfect fit. And he’s skilled, right?

RF: I don’t think people realize he’s a very good musician, multi-instrumentalist.

BL: And he’s a tour guy. He goes on his own, he’s got friends everywhere… it’s amazing.

RF: He’s a real infectious, positive personality, and it’s great to have people like that on tour.  Matthew hasn’t had a bad day, he’s always upbeat, he’s always ready to go. He’s a good fit for us, he’s working out really well.

SL: Bill, you brought up Cyberaktif.  It had only been 33 years!

BL: At least 31 for sure… We go at this rate the next one we’ll be dead! Like Cevin said, the album is called “EndGame”.  Doesn’t sound very hopeful for the future, right?

SL: How did the new Cyberaktif come together? Was it a result of the end of Puppy?

RF: When Cyberaktif started (the new one) there was no end of Puppy.

BL: No, that’s true.

RF: We actually kicked stuff around a few years ago, so Puppy was not over at the time. It seems like it now, but when we started it…

BL: It was a lot of back and forth.

RF: Yeah, it wasn’t “Hey, Puppy’s over”, we just started doing it.

BL: And when Cevin sent tracks initially, me and Rhys looked at each other and we’re like “Well…”

RF: At first we had a hard time figuring it out, and then we just kinda isolated certain parts, and then all of a sudden it all came together really quickly!

BL: Rhys made it for me the way we understand each other, and how I know where I can sing, and what I can do, because at first they were these long jams…

RF: Cevin sent all these really interesting grooves and jams and ideas, so it was a question of taking those and giving them some structure so Bill can go “I got this part here and this part here” because I know that’s how Bill works and that’s what he’s comfortable doing, that’s sort of the sound of Front Line. So what we did was put a structure together and then Bill put the vocals on top of that structure.

BL: It was a real three-way collaboration.

RF: Cevin sent these, there were varying degrees of composition, but they’re all unique sounds and drums, then I put them to arrangement. It was Cevin→me→Bill. It was like a filter.

SL: At what point did you decide it was going to be under the Cyberaktif name?

RF: Pretty much right away.

BL: Yeah, it was definitely going to be Cyberaktif. Cevin just loves the project. He even talked about maybe doing it live, if we figure out how, when and what. He said it’s his favorite thing right now.

RF: Cevin’s very big on it right now. Not that we aren’t, but he’s already big on it.

SL: You think Cyberaktif might become a live project?

BL:  Maybe one time. Cevin wants to make it interesting. He said “I don’t just want two guys and a keyboard and a mic,” whatever that means. But right now we’re letting the album get out there and we’ll see…

RF: The (live) idea has been discussed.  That’s what we can say.

SL: It feels like the Cyberaktif album came together very quickly…

RF: Honestly, the Cyberaktif record we made quicker than any other record in recent memory. It came together really fast. Once we got an idea of what we were doing, we just banged it together. I don’t know why… I think everyone honestly was inspired by just working together.  It wasn’t hurried, it just rolled and fell into place. That doesn’t happen very often, but it happened on this one.

SL: Bill, was it surreal for you thinking this was going to be a Cyberaktif record after 3 decades?

BL: I think me and Cevin both felt like we just completed a big circle. We started Puppy 35-40 years ago, and everything that’s happened in-between, it felt like some kind of closure. It just felt right and good and something that we left unfinished now feels finished. If we don’t do another one, if it (Cyberaktif) doesn’t do anything else, it feels like it was the right thing to do at the time.  With Puppy calling it quits, for now… I’ve heard so many bands do this now. Front 242 has been doing it for a couple years now. I told Al, and he goes “Richard, he says that every year it’s the last tour.” (laughs) Motley Crue has done 4 of them (final tour) now, and now they have a new singer!

RF: Never say never I say…

BL: It was just the right time at the right place, Cevin had some things, Me and Rhys had time, we were all on the same page.  Maybe that will never happen again, but the energy was right, Greg Reely was available… It was like “Silence” (Delerium single), everything had to fall into place. It will probably never be like that again. So it’s a magic record for us, and people love it, and that’s all that matters, right?

SL: Since the Front Line tours have been going so well, what are the chances of another Delerium tour?

RF:  A tour is tough, a tour is way more complicated, especially for acts like that.

BL: That first Delerium tour we did was two tour buses, three singers…

RF: It was the right time, too, I don’t know if that’s possible now.

BL: It was kind of a money losing scenario, but the production was great! I just don’t think labels are willing to do that anymore.

RF: No, it’s a different time now.

SL: It’s been 30 years since your monumental releases “Millenium” and Delerium’s “Semantic Spaces.” You took risks in adding guitar to the FLA and vocals to the Delerium. How important were those releases?

BL: When we released “Millenium,” we did an online thing and people were calling in and it was pretty divided. People were going “What, they picked up guitars!” Remember?

RF: Yeah.

BL: But we knew we did the right thing. We felt like we had to change and do some different things, and no regrets, right?

RF: It expanded the fan base. Regardless of what those people had been like… When we did the Hard Wired tour we had double the audience! We got metal coverage, we were on a metal label that knew how to handle that kind of music… Metal and industrial is pretty interlinked now. A lot of metal heads love industrial music, and that maybe wasn’t the case then. It definitely is now.  Between Fear Factory and that record…

BL: And now “Millenium” is getting re-released by ArtofFact records! Picture disc, the whole thing, as of yesterday they announced it!

RF: It was the right move, because we had to progress. And like I said, when we did the Hard Wired European tour, especially in the UK, we had significantly more people. Also, I think it’s the biggest selling Front Line record. Again, people that don’t like the record they might not realize that was probably our biggest record! I know a lot of people that maybe wouldn’t have been listening to us that listened to that record, so it’s all good. And it all makes more sense now in the whole repertoire.

SL: What did you think of the changes of Delerium, taking it from old world instrumentals to adding the pop element and blowing things wide open?

RF: You can’t even compare the differences…

BL: We didn’t really plan it, either! The first Delerium was just a home project with a few synths and a tape recorder and Dossier records and I was just happy twiddling away and doing stuff, there was no concept of it ever being… with Puppy and the whole Nettwerk contact and we knew people and they were next door. We couldn’t plan it, and then Kristy (singer) showing up…

RF: Again it was just right time, right place. And then it took Delerium into the mainstream, in Canada at least. It completely changed everything. In Canada it really opened a lot of doors for us. It put us on the video channel, places that we had never been before.

BL: That’s the great thing about music and art. You just don’t know who you’re going to affect, who you’re going to reach. We enjoyed the process of making all that music, and then it just came back like that. We had no expectations. We weren’t trying to make singles or trying to be on a major label, we just had carte blanche on everything, right?

RF: Yeah, and it all came together! Anytime you force something, anytime you go out of your way to make a commercial record or commercial song it usually doesn’t work. It has to be a serendipitous event. That’s another example of that.

SL: So to wrap up, what’s next?

BL: The picture disc re-release of “Millenium” is pretty exciting. Rhys has a solo album coming out, right?

RF:  Yeah, more of the techno type stuff.  We got some more shows. We got Mexico with Front 242, we have some European festival dates…

BL: We’re playing the Sick New World festival in Las Vegas in 2 weeks… I’m excited about the 2 shows with Front 242 in Mexico!

RF: Yeah, more live shows and then I think we’re not really going to know until we get home and figure out what’s next. But we still have live shows booked even into November in Europe, I think.

SL: Anything as far as upcoming music?

RF: Not yet, we need to get off the road.

BL: I think we want to do a Delerium album.

RF: Yeah, we talked about that.

BL: And again, you always think you have to re-invent the wheel, because just the way the world is, I think we’ll try to find some sort of group, because everything’s been done now.  I think when we started Delerium, and with Karma, we were one of the first to do that kind of music. But now, if you go on internet radio, there’s channels with that music, right Rhys?

RF: Oh yeah, chill out music forever…

BL: So hopefully you can find your niche, but our sound, whatever that is, people respect that so we’re good with that.

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.

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Celebrating its 30th year, Audioglobe, the most important distributor in the darkwave scene, just shared a statistical review, revealing the shifts and trends in the darkwave (and related) music genre.

Our readers will surely remember that we have reported on these stats for years, until 2018, the first year that Audioglobe didn’t communicate these stats. Sebastian Koch from Audioglobe explains: “Some customers never really cared that much about these, as they have better things to do than reading boring mails from the undersigned. But… Surprisingly there are quite a high number of customers, that sort of ‘complained’ about the fact, that no stats were being done any longer… The reason is: I was simply always far too busy in past years. Anyway: Here we go with the first new stats since 2017!”

So here are some export facts.

Top 10 Bestselling Labels of 2023 (export)

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

Best Export Territories of 2023

If we look at the Audioglobe stats, we notice that Germany and Greece remain the company’s strongest markets, continuing a trend that has been consistent for ages. However, the 2023 statistics reveal some notable shifts.

Canada, once a prominent market for Audioglobe, has surprisingly disappeared from the export landscape. In contrast, the United States and the United Kingdom have re-emerged as significant territories, marking their return to prominence in the darkwave music scene after several years.

The most unexpected development in 2023 is the rise of Australia as a key market. This growth stands in stark contrast to Switzerland, which, despite its affluence, has seen a sharp decline in sales. Sebastian Koch adds: “The (by far!) lowest sales of all countries where we export to, was to Switzerland… The rich Swiss don’t buy records! Since I left the country (1990), something is wrong back home!”

Here is the top 10 list of export territories:

1. Germany
2. Greece
3. Netherlands
4. Portugal
5. USA
6. United Kingdom
7. Australia
8. Spain
9. Russia
10. Poland

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

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.

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Genre/Influences: Electro, Ambient-Pop, Ethereal-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: “Chrysalis” is the third album by Zanias. Behind this project is hiding Alison Lewis aka ‘Zoe Zanias’ who you should know from projects like Keluar and of course Linea Aspera. The Australian born artist strikes back with eight new songs.

Content: The new album is a way to exorcize personal experiences and thoughts which have been transposed into a heavenly, sweet, Electronic creation. The songs are mixing different Electro influences which are mainly mixing Ambient and Pop. The vocals have something heavenly and sensual.

+ + + : It’s hard to define the sound universe of this artist but different parts evoke to me the sensuality of Delerium. I like the way different influences have been mixed while driven by down tempo rhythms. It’s a fully enjoyable sound experience to dream away upon serious themes.

– – – : I regret the work is only featuring 8 tracks while I’m missing a true apotheosis.

Conclusion: This album is fully accessible and definitely open for a wider audience.

Best songs: “Burial”, “Closing”, “Lovelife”.

Rate: 7.

Artist: www.facebook.com/zoe.zanias

Label: www.metropolis-records.com / www.facebook.com/MetropolisRecords

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

The Sacramento, California-based act Bestial Mouths release their new album “R.O.T.T. (inmyskin)” today via Negative Gain Productions. The whole was produced by Juno Award Winning producer Rhys Fulber (Front Line Assembly, Delerium) and is the band’s sixth studio album following the 2020 release of “Resurrectedinblack”.

While Bestial Mouths has seen a few line-up changes in their nearly decade long existence, Lynette Cerezo has remained consistently at the helm of the project. The “Inshroudss” EP from 2019 was the first Bestial Mouths release to be entirely written and conceived by Cerezo.

The band is today also sharing a new video for the title track “R.O.T.T.” (Road Of Thousand Tears). Of the video Cerezo says: “Singing in both English and en español, I took inspiration for ‘Road Of Thousand Tears’ from my ancestry and the suffering path of the Trail of Tears. The creation of the song that would become the album’s title went a surrealist route, because life is surreal. Is it even real? This is my journey, all of the steps I’ve taken with Bestial Mouths. It is a path that has taken me down a Carrollian rabbit hole, past lives recycled through a meat grinder. Connections are broken, strands of reality disconnected from their whole. Elements of the past bleeding into the Now, stripped of context to create only raw wounds in existence—like half-remembered fragments of melody, once pulsing with life and now devoid of meaning.”

Tour Dates:

• Aug. 26th – New Orleans, LA – NGP Presents Destination – House of Blues
• Sep. 2nd – New York, NY – A Murder of Crows Festival – Bowery Ballroom
• Oct. 26th – Chicago, IL – Sanctum Fest – Thalia Hall
• Oct. 27th – Detroit, MI – TBA
• Oct. 28th – Philadelphia, PA – Dracula’s Ball – Underground Arts
• Oct. 29th – Washington, DC – The Runaway
• Nov. 2nd – Montreal, QC – Casa Del Popolo
• Nov. 3rd – Toronto, ON – The Garrison
• Nov. 10th Los Angeles, CA – Substance – The Globe Theater

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.

side-line.com

Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber have been working together since the late 80s. They got international recognition in the EBM scene with Front Line Assembly. Next to other side-projects they also worked together as Delerium. The first album bring us back to 1988. I remember “Faces, Forms, And Illusions” as a kind of Industrial-Ambient work which also was the band’s main source of inspiration for the next few years. “Semantic Spaces” (1994) and “Karma” (1997) both revealed a different sound becoming more Downtempo-like while driven by sensual, female vocals. “Silence” became a word-wide famous hit while Delerium never stopped releasing new works in a similar style. They this year strike back with “Signs” (Metropolis Records) which is the duo’s first album in seven years. Sensual, mysterious and refined Ambient-Electronics featuring a few new potential hits. I asked a few questions to Bill Leeb.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: “Signs” is your first new Delerium album in seven years. Why did it take so long to release a new opus and what was the spark to start writing “Signs”?

Bill: We were taking a little breather from Delerium when the complications of Covid extended the giant gap between releases. What ultimately made a difference is that Rhys moved back to Vancouver, Canada, so with him being close by, we were able to start working again. Being in the same room creating together is what provided the spark that we needed.

Q: What are these “Signs” all about and how did you transpose it into songs?

Bill: Well, the title of the album alludes to the sign of the times. So much has happened in the world since we released the last Delerium album “Mythologie” in 2016. Yet with “Signs” the title came last. When we were on tour Front Line Assembly, we were talking about titles for the album, our guitarist Tim Skold threw the title at us and Rhys and I both liked it so it stuck. We gave Tim Skold an actual credit for the title on the album.

Q: What have been the different stages in writing, recording and production of “Signs” you’d to go through? And what have been the main challenges and difficulties you encountered?

Bill: When Rhys moved back to Vancouver (about 40 minutes from my house), it was great to be able to get together in a room and start writing. After 35 years of doing Delerium, that is still the best way. Ideas came up and we were able to the kick them around and work on them with consistency.

It is always a challenge to find the right people to work with. Many artists are working on their own bands and projects, collaborating is a different game these days and many are doing their own thing. I think we found the right balance. Rhys had worked with Kanga in the past, some of the other great vocalists on “Signs,” we’ve worked with before including Emily Haines (from Metric), Mimi Page and Phidel.

Q: That brings me to ask if you handle specific criteria to work with vocalists? And what’s their real input and impact in the lyrical themes and singing?

Bill: I think the thing that differentiates FLA from Delerium is that when we write the music, we think in terms of what voice would work on this or that song. The singers themselves write the lyrics, the magical part is that the instrumental music often drives the vocalists to lean heavily on atmospheric vocals and that is what Delerium is all about. It is collaboration in the truest sense. Mimi Page, contributes in a different way as she often presents song ideas as well.

In general, we always know when we hear something if it is going to work. This is the zone and kind of environment we like Delerium to work in. On “Signs” we found that perfect balance with all of the songs and the singers.

Q: I’m always wondering if you handle specific criteria and/or references when you’re composing your music? Are you perfectionists?

Bill: I definitely hear music and voices that influence the compositions. In the past, I’ve heard singers that I myself have contacted to collaborate on songs.

As for being a perfectionist? When we write something and it’s done, later, I always think I could have done that better or change that. Music is never ending, like painting. Even when it’s done, I think at the end of the day you have to know when to walk away and let other people hear it and hope for the best.

Q: Did you both need a special and/or different mindset when working on Delerium than on one of your other music projects like Frontline Assembly for example? How does it happen?

Bill: That’s really easy, most artists, painters or musicians have two sides. I find when tour with FLA, afterwards, we want to turn off that side of ourselves and become someone else for a while. Delerium is a healing process, a perfect escape from the aggression in the world. Delerium opens the door for us to diversity and brings us to the Trance, Ambient side of things and remix possibilities. That Dance world has created a whole new platform for us to exist on that is very separate from the world of Industrial music. It’s like a great escape.

Q: What does the front cover of “Signs” stand for and how important is the artwork -especially in times people are more into streaming than physical productions?

Bill: Dave McKean created the artwork for “Signs.” We’ve been working with him since the Front Line Assembly album “Millennium“ In 1994. Dave’s first Delerium-album cover was “Mythologie” in 2016 and it blew us away, so it was a no brainer for us to have him do this cover. Dave is somewhat like the singers in Delerium, he collaborates with us. We give him the title, send him some songs to listen to and he sends us image ideas. It is a real collaboration, he then sends us art and it ends up being the ideal cover. Dave does his artwork from scratch. It’s not an AI thing, it is real voices with real art. The bird on the cover of “Signs,” is like a phoenix rising in the face of the way things are in the world these days.

Q: Early Delerium-albums were remastered and re-released in 2022. There’s a gap of nearly thirty five years between your debut album “Faces, Forms, And Illusions” and “Signs” but is there still a deeper sound-connection between both periods? How do you perceive this impressive evolution?

Bill: Well, I wanted to give a shout out to the late Dave Heckman for rereleasing these on Metropolis and presenting them exactly as an artist would want. As far as the evolution of Delerium from those early years, many things came into play. During the first album I was still in Skinny Puppy, so it was really a side project. I was bouncing off things like Ofra Haza, The Orb and even Pink Floyd. I started experimenting with ideas, much of it was organic and made by hand, perhaps using some cassette recorders for sampling. We’ve evolved so much with technology, it was a natural evolution for Delerium.

“Semantic Spaces” in 1994, was the first time we would write songs like that and brought in Kristy Thirsk to sing. We received legitimate radio play and it was quite an evolution from our earlier material. We were able to bridge the two parts later with monks, angelic voices and classical influences with “Silence”, featuring Sarah McLachlan, and evolved even further. Now, with “Signs” it has quickly become one my personal favorite Delerium albums. And the flow continues even after 35 years. If it all ended today with this album I’d be ok with it, full circle, old meets new, keeping all of the elements and the sincerity of the project intact.

Q: What are the plans for Delerium in the next few months?

Bill: As of now, the album is only a few weeks old and we have just released the video with Kanga. We are working on another video, this time for “Coast To Coast” featuring Phildel. Then looking at possible remixes. There’s a lot to work with.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electronic, Ambient, Cinematic.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: “Signs” is the first new Delerium studio album in seven years. Thirty five years separate this new work by Canadian duo Bill Leeb – Rhys Fulber and the debut opus “Faces, Forms, And Illusions”. Delerium went through an important evolution in sound and influences and became world-wide known for their master hit “Silence” (1997).

Content: The sound formula of “Signs” is quite comparable to the past Delerium albums. They create a heavenly, wafting, Electro-Ambient composition driven by slow, sensual, danceable rhythms. Mimi Page, Phildel, Inna Walters, and Kanga have been invited as guest singers for this work. Each of the singers injecting their own, sensual, touch to the work.

 + + + : Delerium remains a very unique experience in sound. I’ve always wondered how musicians who got some world-wide fame by a dark project like Frontline Assembly transposed themselves into a more accessible, danceable -and I dare to say commercial, project like Delerium. The songs are produced with subtle arrangements and refined by elevating electronics. The down tempo and vocals create a lovely, sensual, touch which remains a trademark of the project. I like the opening cut “Falling Back To You’ featuring the talented Mimi Page -who already sung on earlier songs. Another and more classical song is “Sun Storm”. Other noticeable songs are the dreamy “Glimmer” and the instrumental “The Astronomer”.

– – – : This is a well-crafted and ultra professional production which Bill Leeb’s consider as the best Delerium album to date. I’m however missing the early magic when Delerium moves from their darker Ambient experiments into their renowned downtempo, sensual, Ambient. That brings us back to the period of “Semantic Spaces” and “Karma”.

Conclusion: If you like Delerium you for sure are going to like “Signs” which features a few more new hits.

Best songs: “Falling Back To You”, “Sun Storm”, “Glimmer”, “The Astronomer”, “Coast To Coast”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/Delerium

Label: www.metropolis-records.com / www.facebook.com/MetropolisRecords

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

Out today is the all new Delerium video by the Canadian duo of Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber. Titled “In The Deep (feat. Kanga)” the track is taken from the band’s new album “Signs” which is out today as well. “Signs” features contributions from Mimi Page, Phildel, Inna Walters and Kanga.

Kanga is a musician and producer from Los Angeles, CA. She fuses post-apocalyptic pop sensibilities with rhythms and melodies. She is currently working on her next album in collaboration with producers Josh Franks and Dave Adrounie, set to be released on Artoffact Records in Spring, 2023. For now you can enjoy her here on this new Delerium single.

Here’s the video for the new single, directed By Vicente Cordero / Industrialism Films.

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.

side-line.com

(Photo by Bobby Talamine) Metropolis is set to release the new Delerium album entitled “Signs” on March 10th. According to Bill Leeb, one half of the duo behind Delerium (next to Rhys Fulber), “Signs” represents a full-circle arc of the group, from its experimental beginnings to where they are today. Over the course of their 35-year career, the project has explored various genres of electronic music, including dark ambient, techno, and world music.

The lead single from “Signs,” titled “Coast to Coast,” features female vocal contributions from Mimi Page, Phildel, Inna Walters, and Kanga, each adding their voice and style to the music.

In addition to the upcoming release of “Signs,” Metropolis Records recently re-released the project’s entire catalog from 1988 through 1994, allowing fans to rediscover the group’s early experimental sound. The new album will be available on very limited edition white vinyl and compact disc, as well as all digital and streaming platforms.

Delirium released its last album in 2015, “Mythologie”, which is the fourteenth studio album by Canadian band. It was their first album for Metropolis Records. The album was produced by Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber with the help of Jared Slingerland and Craig Johnsen. Guestvocalists included Mimi Page, Phildel, Jaël, JES, Geri Soriano-Lightwood and Leah Randi.

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.

side-line.com

It took four years to Solitary Experiments  to release a new studio album. The German formation lead by core members Dennis Schober (vocals) and Michael Thielemann (music) strike back with their most surprising album to date. “Transcendent” released by Out Of Line is featuring songs with famous guest singers like Dirk Ivens, Alice Elena Fossi, Patrik Hansson ao. It’s once again a totally achieved production mixing elements of Future-Pop and Dark-Electro. I asked a few questions to Dennis.

(Picture credits by Chris Ruiz / Interview courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Since your previous studio album “Future Tense” (2018) the world has been affected by Covid-19 which had a serious impact on most artistic activities. How did you experience this drama as citizen and artist?

Dennis: A very specific question. As a citizen, of course, I experienced everything just like everyone else. The only difference is that my day job in retail was not affected, i.e. I worked through the entire pandemic. Logically, I’m vaccinated and yes, I’ve also contracted Covid. As an artist, it was worse because so many events and concerts were canceled and that was really bad. You only realize how important it is when something is missing.

Q: Your new album “Transcendent” must have been written during the pandemic. I noticed you see this album as different from your previous works so how comes and what makes the difference -except the fact you worked with a few guest singers?

Dennis: Sounds strange, but exactly this collaboration was different from all the work before, because it was new for all of us. Of course, “Transcendent” doesn’t sound like “Future Tense” either, but that doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the pandemic period. We only had a lot more time to make music because all other dates were cancelled. It’s actually the first time that we’ve gotten so much material together.

Q: How did you get the idea working with guest singers? Did you handle specific criteria to work with them and how did these songs took shape?

Dennis: Since we created so much new and different material, I came up with the idea of simply giving someone else to sing the things that I don’t like vocally. Of course, I deliberately chose my partners based on which voice would go with which song. And of course I reached very high when choosing the artists. It wasn’t easy to get everyone enthusiastic about the project at first, and it took some time to get everyone’s approval and results. In the end, however, there was no rejection and I am very proud of what we have created together.

Q: The song “The Great Unknown” featuring Elena Alice Fossi sounds to me as one of your most surprising songs ever and yet I think it also is one of the best tracks from the album; kind of mix between Delerium and Push. Tell us a bit more about this song, its influences and the way it has been produced?

Dennis: I can’t say much about the production, because I always get the finished songs from Michael without a say, so to speak. But I like it when the songs are not always produced in the Future-Pop sector. He sometimes gives me a real surprise, like with “The Great Unknown”. I love it when the song is dark and has a light Trance note. I had a vocal line in mind from the start and I knew straight away that this number had to be sung by and with Elena Fossi. I wrote the lyrics and presented both to the band Kirlian Camera, which I’ve adored for years. The rest took care of itself…

Q: Next to “Transcendent” you also released a digital album called “La Voix De La Femme” featuring only female artists singing on ‘older’ songs. How did you get the idea of this album and how did the ‘selection’ of the singers happened? Don’t you think there’re not enough female artists active in this scene dominated by men? How comes?

Dennis: One thing led to another and the idea of guest vocals grew in me more and more. Instead of remixing, I imagined what it might sound like if someone else sang our songs. To top it off, I came up with the idea of only asking for female voices to achieve an even greater contrast. This has nothing to do with the current situation within the scene. I even think there are many female voices, you just have to deal with that. I knew some of the ladies personally, others had already sung something for friends of mine and some I discovered through research or we had already played somewhere together. Anyway, everyone made an impression on me. I provided a number of possible songs to choose from and each chose the appropriate one. Later on I came up with the title that fits perfectly with the said bonus EP. Did I already mention that the whole project is also international?

Q: You were touring in November together with Vanguard and Mental Exile. How do you look back at the tour and how did you see Solitary Experiments as live act evolving throughout the years? 

Dennis: Of course, that’s something you’d rather have to ask the viewers. First of all I would like to say that we are extremely satisfied with the shows so far. On the one hand, the audience is visibly grateful that concerts can finally take place as club shows again and the people are really in the mood. On the other hand, I would like to say a big thank you to our special guests. It fits together so well musically and personally that we will continue this year in exactly the same constellation. We grow with our tasks and a two-man band has now become a five-piece live formation with additional drums and a lot of light and show effects. Convince yourself of it!

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.

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A new Delerium album wil come out on February 3rd,2023 on Metropolis records. The release will be dedicated to the late Dave Heckman who passed away on Friday, July 29th this year, only 68 years old.

The album has been mastered already in September but you will have to wait a few months before its gets released. Rhys Fulber and Bill Leeb didn’t announce any guest vocalists yet but Los Angeles based singer Lillian Kanga Duchamp will be part of the line-up for sure.

No more details are known for the moment about the new Delerium album.

Delirium released its last album in 2015, “Mythologie”, which is the fourteenth studio album by Canadian band. It was their first album for Metropolis Records. The album was produced by Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber with the help of Jared Slingerland and Craig Johnsen. Guestvocalists included Mimi Page, Phildel, Jaël, JES, Geri Soriano-Lightwood and Leah Randi.

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.

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

Format: Digital, DCD & 3CD.

Background/Info: “Transcendent” is the eighth studio album by Berliner group Solitary Experiments. The album features an extra disc with remixes and guest singers while there’s also an extra disc available -which is an audio book.

Content: The main disc features 10 songs in the purest and unique tradition of the band. The Electro sound remains always catchy and danceable but still featuring ‘evil’ or call it darker parts. So there’s a song featuring Dirk Ivens (Dive, The Klinik,  Absolute Body Control). But there’s also a totally evasive song featuring Elena Alice fossi (Kirlian Camera, Spectra*Paris) reminding me of an imaginary mix between Delerium and Push.

The bonus disc features a few more guest singers. Among others you’ll discover songs with Patrik Hansson (Vanguard, Uncreated), Gabriella Aström (Me The Tiger) and Nina De Lianin (In Strict Confidence) while remixes have been accomplished by Supreme Court, Rob Dust, Grendel, MC1R, Run Level Zero, Controlled Fusion and Massiv In Mensch.

+ + + : Solitary Experiments remains an established name in Germany and according to me is still recognized enough abroad. The band however remains a great project when it comes to combining danceable vibes, melodies, darkness and Pop singing. The addition of Dirk Ivens and Elena Alice Fossi as guest singers accentuates the diversity of the album. I’ve been impressed by the somewhat Dance/Trance “The Great Unknown” featuring Elena Alice Fossi. Another great piece is “Self-Fulfilling Prophecy” which clearly sounds as a potential hit. Other noticeable cuts are “Wonderland” and “Heart Of Stone” but also the menacing sphere running through “Zeitgeist” featuring Dirk Ivens. The bonus disc brings a nice extra with more guest singers and a great selection of  remixers.

– – – : You can’t really blame Solitary Experiments for holding onto their sound which hasn’t changed throughout the years however the initial magic is a bit gone.

Conclusion: Solitary Experiments stands as an established value; you’ll be never disappointed as they’ve an imaginary qualitative label!

Best songs: “The Great Unknown”, “Self-Fulfilling Prophecy”, “Wonderland”, “Heart Of Stone”, “Zeitgeist”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.solitaryexperiments.de / www.facebook.com/solitaryexperiments 

Label: www.outofline.de  / www.facebook.com/outoflinelabel

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Cinematic, Dark-Ambient.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Bulgarian artist Hristo Gospodinov is back on track unleashing a new album of his Shrine music project. After having released an album on Cryo Chamber he moved back to Cyclic Law releasing an album based on ‘a Japanese manga from the 80’s by Hayao Miyazaki and the subsequent anime of the same name.’ 

Content: Shrine remains faithful to elements of Dark-Ambient and Cinematic music. It remains a dark work mixing the aforementioned influences together with slow rhythms and analogue-like sound treatments. I also noticed a few different cuts like a pure ambient piece reminding me of pioneers in the Electro-Ambient style and a last cut, which sounds like early Delerium.

+ + + : Shrine doesn’t exactly repeat itself, but dares to explore new sonic paths. The work sounds diversified revealing different noticeable tracks. “Extinction” is a brilliant and poignant creation revealing pure darkness, but I especially like the way this cut has been progressively built up. That’s a trademark which also comes back in a few more songs and even creates a Trance sensation. “A World Reborn” is the most surprising cut for being something different. I like the slow cadence, but especially the icy sound treatments. This track will appeal to early-Delerium lovers.

– – – : This is probably the most unique Shrine album I’ve ever heard. I can easily imagine it will not please all Shrine lovers.

Conclusion: Shrine remains an interesting experience in Dark-Ambient and Cinematic music.

Best songs: “A World Reborn”, “Extinction”, “Twilight Of Man”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: http://shrine.me.uk

Label: www.cycliclaw.com / www.facebook.com/cycliclaw

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

The American singer Julee Cruise has died at the age of 65. Her husband announced the sad news on Facebook.

Cruise became world famous with the song “Falling”, the title song of the cult series “Twin Peaks”.

It wasn’t the only time that Julee Cruise worked with director David Lynch. In 1986 she sang the song “Mysteries of Love” that could be heard during the last scenes of the film “Blue Velvet”. Angelo Badalamenti composed the music for this song. Badalamenti also made the music for “Twin Peaks”, including the title song. The composer brought the singer to the attention of director David Lynch in 1986 after hearing her sing at a workshop.

She also had minor appearances as a roadhouse singer in “Twin Peaks”, both the original series and the 1992 movie, “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me”.

The song “Falling” was on the first album that Cruise made, in 1989. The instrumental version was used for the series. In total, the singer recorded four albums but also wrote a lot of music for theatrical performances, such as the Shakespeare parody “Return to the Forbidden Planet”. In addition, Cruise toured with other formations, such as the B-52’s and Bobby McFerrin.

Cruise also worked with other musicians, mostly in electronic music. She for instance provided the vocals for Delerium’s “Magic” song (on the “Chimera” album) and collaborated with Moby on his song “Drown Disco” which remains unreleased. Next to that she provided vocals and lyrics to several of the songs on “Wide Angle” (1999), the debut album by Welsh electronic music group Hybrid.

Here’s the track “Falling”.

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.

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

Format: Digital, 2CD.

Background/Info: “Bittersweet” is the final part of a trilogy which started with the album “Lightflare” (2018) followed by “Soul Searching” (2019). But the work is also meant to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Belgian project. There’s a bonus disc featuring fifteen surprising songs while the digital version  reveals fourteen extra tracks.

Content: The working formula of Psy’Aviah hasn’t really changed. Yves Schelpe composes the music while working with an impressive list of guest singers. The opening piece again features cavernous, spoken vocals by Dutch psychiatrist Dirk De Wachter. It’s a dark, dreamy intro followed by twelve, mainly, danceable cuts. The songs are meticulously elaborated and mainly Dance-driven, sometimes reminding me of the magic of Delerium. Olivya Nicole, Mari Kattman, Saydi Driggers, Lumi, Huong Su, Maysa, Marieke Lightband, Tina Forlorn, Eli Rho (2 songs), Rebecca Schneider and Addie Nicole contributed guest vocals while there also guest artists featured playing violin and cello. Notice by the way the tracklist features 2 ‘older’ reworked songs.

The bonus disc features Psy’Aviah songs taken from the wide discography of the band which have been all reworked -and in a way covered by an impressive list of artists. Madil Hardis, The Breath Of Life, Clairval, Your Life On Hold, IC434 (2 songs), Digital Factor, Aesthetische, KC Woong, Implant and Leather Strip contributed to this celebration while you’ll also hear collaborative tracks with Implant, Cat Hall and Bow Ever Down.

The digital format reveals extra songs featuring 808 Dot.Pop, Impulse Control Disorder, Fakzillity, Llumen, Miseram Mortem, Designer Violence, Hartung & Schleinitz, Y-Luk-O, Cosmic Armchair, Huilende Wolf, The Breath Of Life and Leather Strip plus 2 collaborative cuts together with Leather Strip and Implant.

+ + + : The main strength of “Bitter Sweet” is its ‘easy listening’ format. Psy’Aviah is nearly impossible to label -although hardly driven by a very personal approach of Dance music, but simply following its path. The project has seriously evolved throughout the years and the sound often appears a true challenge. The composition is well-crafted, styled, sensual for the slow rhythms and here again reveals an interesting and diversified list of talented singers. “Can we Make It Rhyme ” featuring Mari Kattman is a great piece of music reminding me a bit of Delerium. And I also want to mention “Tired” which is an older song that has been reworked and features passionate vocals by Addie Nicole (Hallocene).

I also have to salute the original concept of the bonus disc (and bonus songs for the digital edit) where the artists totally reworked the older Psy’Aviah songs while putting their own voice on it. The result is diversified but I especially recommend both cuts by IC434 and the one by Your Life On Hold.

– – – : The main strength of Psy’Aviah also appears to be its biggest weakness; hard to label and sometimes dangerously moving to the edge of pure ‘commercial’ Dance music. That’s why I often wonder if this is the right scene and label for this project? The bonus songs are a pretty cool commemoration although I’m missing Emélie Nicolaï who was the singer of the band during the first decade.

Conclusion: Psy’Aviah remains a true challenge although we can’t be unmoved by the creativity, ideas, concept and sound intelligence of this artist.

Best songs: “Can we Make It Rhyme”, “Tired – Rediscovered”, “Cold Summer Nights”, “The Wildness In Me” + “Broken Child” (IC 434), “Anger Management” (IC 434), “Our Common End” (Your Life On Hold), “The Worst In Me” (Leather Strip), “Wild Ride” (Llumen).

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.psyaviah.com / www.facebook.com/psyaviah

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

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

The first seven albums by Canadian electronic duo Delerium have been remastered and are now digitally available via Metropolis Records. Limited edition 2xLP white vinyls and CD formats will be released on 6th May.

The titles are “Faces, Forms & Illusions” (1988), “Morpheus” (1989), “Syrophenikan” (1990), “Spiritual Archives” (1991), “Stone Tower” (1991), “Spheres” (1994) and “Spheres II” (1994).

About Delerium

Delerium is a Canadian electronic act that formed in 1987, originally as a side project of the influential industrial music act Front Line Assembly. Throughout the band’s history, their musical style has encompassed a broad range, including dark ethereal ambient trance, voiceless industrial soundscapes, and electronic pop music. They are best known for their worldwide hit “Silence” and for their use of several female guest vocalists on their albums since their 1997 album “Karma”.

Delerium has traditionally been a two-person project, but the only constant member throughout its history has been Bill Leeb. Leeb was an early member of industrial dance pioneers Skinny Puppy, but after he left in 1986 he went on to create his own project, Front Line Assembly with collaborator Michael Balch. Later, the two worked on the side project Delerium and released their first album, “Faces, Forms & Illusions”. After Balch left both Front Line Assembly and Delerium, Leeb worked with Rhys Fulber, and the two released several albums under the Delerium moniker. After the release of “Karma”, Fulber left to pursue other interests, and Leeb teamed up with producer Chris Peterson to release “Poem”.

2003, however, saw the reunion of Leeb and Fulber for the release of “Chimera”, followed by “Nuages du Monde” in 2006.

In contrast to Leeb and collaborators’ other projects, Delerium has included several guest vocalists since the release of Semantic Spaces. These have included mostly women, such as Kristy Thirsk (of Rose Chronicles), Sarah McLachlan, Leigh Nash (of Sixpence None the Richer), Elsieanne Caplette (of Elsiane), Lisa Gerrard (sampled only), Jaël (of Swiss band Lunik), Camille Henderson, Nerina Pallot, Emily Haines (of Metric), Jacqui Hunt (of Single Gun Theory), Isabel Bayrakdarian and Shelley Harland. Other than Leeb, only three males have contributed vocals to a Delerium album: Matthew Sweet (“Daylight”, on Poem), Greg Froese (“Apparition”, on Nuages du Monde), and Michael Logen (“Days Turn into Nights”, on Music Box Opera); in addition, the noted griot Baaba Maal was sampled (“Awakenings, on “Spiritual Archives”).

The Mediæval Bæbes provided the vocal track for, and starred in the video of “Aria”; the vocals are an adapted version of the vocals from “All Turns to Yesterday” on the Bæbes’ “Worldes Blysse” album. They are also featured on two tracks from Delerium’s 2006 album, “Nuages du Monde”.

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.

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Rhys Fulber will be always connected with music projects like Frontline Assembly, Delerium, Conjure One, Will, Noise Unit, Intermix, Synaesthesia ao. The Canadian musician remains a prolific artist who also started releasing music under his own name. Both previously released albums “Your Dystopia, My Dystopia” (2018) and “Ostalgia” (2019) were ground to explore Techno- and IDM fields. The “Resolve”-EP (2020) revealed a radical change into Ambient Music. The newest opus “Brutal Nature” released on Rhys’ own label FR Recordings sounds as the offspring between Techno and Ambient. I talked with Rhys Fulber about this new and visionary work.  

(Picture credits by by Adam De Ville / Interview courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: I remember you said this solo-project all started by some jam sessions with modular synths, which finally resulted in the album “My Dystopia, Your Dystopia”. How did it happen for “Brutal Nature”? Is it still a kind of instinctive process or more a suspicious one? 

Rhys: “Brutal Nature” was probably the most deliberate solo record so far, so not as much ‘jamming’ took place. It was actually made on a much smaller set up than the previous two which let to a more intimate sound in places.

Q: The album was recorded during your stay in Canada while you got inspired by elements of nature. Tell us a bit more about it and especially the connection with the album title? What has been the impact of the ongoing pandemic and the quarantine restrictions? 

Rhys: The core of the album was born in the initial lockdowns in Los Angeles when I just took a few pieces of gear home to work on, then halfway through relocated to a small coastal town in British Columbia I used to live in where that environment helped me fine tune the songs and make it become an album. 

I did all the test listening on a deserted rocky beach by a decaying cabin and all the bits and pieces of mankind washing up on the beaches and abandoned concrete infrastructure gave me the title. The juxtaposition of the two elements.

Q: How long did it take to write and record the tracks of “Brutal Nature”? And what are the different stages you’d to go through to achieve this work? 

Rhys: A couple tracks like “Pyrrhic Act” and “Rogue Minority” were started in L.A circa 2019, then the main material was shaped from spring to fall 2020 in the lockdown era. I usually have a bunch of ideas then figure out the direction and pull them all together as an album. Like I said earlier that fine tuning took place once I got into the coastal environment in British Columbia.  

Q: I can imagine “Brutal Nature” must have been a special recording as you were not working in your studio so how did it feel to work outside your ‘comfort zone’? What have been the pros and cons? And did you encounter major difficulties and/or challenges? 

Rhys: Honestly I can work anywhere I can set up some gear so I kind of liked the variety. The cons would be ‘unreliable monitoring environments’ and having to use headphones. The pros in L.A were no commuting! 

The studio I was using up here was a very finely tuned room so in a way it was an upgrade to my old L.A studio.

Q: “Brutal Nature” sounds to me as the offspring between Techno- and Ambient music, which makes the work pretty exciting and original. How would you analyze this album and its sound approach? 

Rhys: I had started making more ambient material and instead of using it for a another project I thought it would be better to make the solo-project more honest and include all the different sides.  I tried it with the “Resolve”-EP first. A few of the songs like “Chemical” and “Fragility” were going to be used elsewhere but then it suddenly made sense as part of this album and in many ways they are the core pieces now. I think there is so much Techno, EBM and club tools out there you need to find your own angle on things, so I wanted to cultivate a more ‘Soundtrack-Techno’ type sound that includes all tempos and emotions and highlights what I feel are my strengths musically.

Q: You’re now releasing your work on FR Recordings, which is your own label. What’s the idea behind FR Recordings and how do you manage all different elements like pressing, promotion, distribution, social media etc?

Rhys: I just wanted to release the music I want on the schedule I want in a more direct self-curated way. Also doing things for art’s sake like the live cassettes, with very artistic packaging and design (with Berlin artist Janina Schuetz) which most labels wouldn’t do because it is not profitable.  

As far as the logistics, I used similar set up the labels I’d release on used and hired promo people etc. It’s mostly people I know from over the years of making records. I am looking to release some other artists as well this year and develop it a bit more.   

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

Exactly one year ago Asthetische released the – very well-received – “Overflow” EP (available here on Bandcamp). Our main reviewer Inferno Sound Diaries back then wrote this about the EP: “If this EP is meant as an appetizer to welcome a new album, then it can only become a smasher!”

Well, that smasher is out now: “Rvprty”. On “Rvprty”, which holds 10 solid tracks, the two Brazilian electronic producers Fab Viscardi and Gui Pires offer a solid upbeat clubby sound signature merging modern electro production skills with banging EBM sequences and catchy icy melodies. It looks like they kept their promise!

You can immediately download the new “Rvprty” album right here and exclusively first on Bandcamp.

For this album the band worked with Dutch underground vocalist Lis Van den Acker on “Back To Life” and also offers a cover-version of the Swiss 80´s cult band Deo Cadaver’s “Blind Oracle”. The cover was personally authorized by Daze Dasen & Marco Marchi themselves and sees the track performed in a new old school EBM style.

You can check out and download the album right below. Warmly recommended!

If you didn’t check out the band’s “Overflow” EP, then do it below.

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.

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Canadian electronic musician and producer Rhys Fulber has just released his latest solo album, “Brutal Nature”, which has been well received by Side-Line as well. Out now is a video Fulber has made for an edited version of the album track “Fragility” featuring Jeza.

You can view the video below.

Fulber is best known for his lengthy (and ongoing) tenure with industrial standard bearers Front Line Assembly and ambient pop exponents Delerium (both with Bill Leeb), his solo project Conjure One, plus five albums released under his own name. As a producer, he has worked extensively with established metal acts such as Fear Factory and Paradise Lost, as well as the industrial hardcore group Youth Code.

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.

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Ambient-Electro, Ambient-Techno.

Format: Digital, CD, 2 Vinyls. 

Background/Info: Rhys Fulber (Frontline Assembly, Delerium, Conjure One ao) strikes back with a new album under his own name. He’s now self-releasing his work while previous productions were released by the excellent Sonic Groove. The Canadian producer recorded this album while staying in Canada and getting inspired by nature. 

Content: Is it because of the pandemic wherein nightlife and clubbing was restricted and even forbidden for a while or the strength and beauty of nature, but this work sounds more driven by Ambient music. But it’s not pure Ambient as Rhys injected hard, beating kicks, creating a sonic fusion between Techno and Ambient. The work evolved into colder sound treatments, which even have something Klinik-al like. A few tracks feature vocals –which sound more like an extra effect on top of the music. The last cut is something totally different and more into harsh Techno-EBM featuring enraged vocals by Sara Taylor (Youth Code). 

+ + + : How many years this artist is now active composing music for different projects? Years indeed, and he rarely repeats himself. That’s exactly what he’s doing again on this album. He holds on to the Techno influences from “Your Dystopia, My Dystopia” while adding a more explicit Ambient touch on top. Rhys Fulber explores the possibilities of Techno music by bringing influences together. But above all he remains a great sound producer, creating outstanding sound treatments with powerful beats and blasting sounds. “Marginalized” and “Pressure” both are great exposures of this work, but I also have to mention the very aggressive “Rogue Minority” and the ultra-violent Techno-Body “Stare At The Sun” featuring the demonic Sara Taylor. 

– – – : I can’t say that I prefer this albumover “Your Dystopia, My Dystopia” or “Ostalgia”, but the more explicit ambient approach wasn’t necessary to me. 

Conclusion: The ongoing pandemic inspires great artists to release great things; “Brutal Nature” is a perfect title to summarize this visionary work by Rhys Fulber.

Best songs: “Marginalized”, “Pressure”, “Rogue Minority”, “Stare At The Sun”, “Chemical”. 

Rate: 8½. 

Artist & Label: www.facebook.com/rhys.fulber / www.facebook.com/rhysfulbermusic 

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

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

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: This is the fourth full length album by Morego Dimmer. The Iranian artist/producer is involved with several projects, the Dark-Ambient driven Xerxes The Dark being the most familiar name. This new Morego-work is inspired by ‘the belief that all single atoms in the universe are connected to each other and made from one source’. The album features three parts, each part featuring three tracks.

Content: Morego already took me by surprise and especially the previous work “Astrophile” was a brilliant exposure of the artist’s music skills. “Monopsychism” holds on to some of the main elements like slow, down-tempo rhythms and astral atmospheres and bleeps. The main difference –and evolution, probably is the more Cinematographic approach, which comes mainly through during the second part of the work.

+ + + : The album is a new fascinating experience for its diversity, switching from slow, sensual rhythms towards pure cinematographic passages. I like the down-tempo tracks, “Unity” being a fantastic piece of music. This track reminds me of a darker edit of Delerium and is accomplished with many little details. The album has been composed with great sound-sculptures and overwhelming atmospheres.

– – – : I can’t say I prefer this new opus instead of “Astrophile”, but it definitely features one of the best cuts I’ve heard by Morego. I’m missing the IDM elements, which have been mainly replaced by Cinematographic passages.

Conclusion: Morego simply confirms his talent to create inspiring and accomplished Electro-Ambient music.

Best songs: “Unity”, “Sun Rays In The Forest”, “Washing Memories”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/morego.music

Label: www.ionomusic.com / www.facebook.com/ionolounge

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

Canadian electronic musician and producer Rhys Fulber returns with a solo album, “Brutal Nature”.

Utilising a smaller home set-up rather than Fulber’s usual preferred studio made for an engaged environment and the creation of a greater number of intimate compositions to sit alongside club and night culture influenced tracks that dominated his previous releases for the Sonic Groove label.

This time around, you can expect shimmering ambient textures and floating voices mixed with pulsating technoid rhythms. The more EBM-flavoured “Stare At The Sun” features guest vocals from Sara Taylor of Youth Code.

The new album will be out on November 26 via FR Recordings.

Fulber is best known for his lengthy (and ongoing) tenures with industrial standard bearers Front Line Assembly and ambient pop exponents Delerium (both with Bill Leeb), his solo project Conjure One, plus a series of recent dark techno-based albums released under his own name. As a producer, he has worked extensively with established metal acts such as Fear Factory and Paradise Lost, as well as the industrial hardcore act Youth Code.

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.

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electronic, Cinematographic-EBM.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Behind Fractal is hiding Polish producer Tomasz Lukowicz. Next to “Human Error” he released another album (cf. “A Unique Hybrid”) the same day, both works being Fractal’s debut.

Content: The opening song clearly indicates the inspiration and sound of Fractal. This is an instrumental Electronic composition, which is driven by abyssal atmospheres and overwhelming sound blasts. Some passages remind me of early Delerium so in the end this work sounds a bit like a EBM-Soundtrack.

+ + + : Releasing an instrumental album remains a tricky business. But Fractal masterly succeeded in this exercise; using deep bass lines, achieving overwhelming –and sometimes somewhat Psychedelic, atmospheres, but most of all dealing with an intelligent and elaborated production. The last song brings a true climax to the opus.

– – – : The songs feature a few samplings, but a bit more spoken passages would have been cool.

Conclusion: Fractal is an interesting newcomer, which took me by surprise achieving an exciting instrumental EBM-driven work.

Best songs: “Synasthesia”, “Vox 7bq”, “Gravity Is The Problem”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/tomasz.lukowicz.1

Label: www.label.aliens.sk / www.facebook.com/pages/Aliens-production-label/200028820052578

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

Metropolis Records will be reissuing the first seven albums by Delerium. These seven remastered albums include “Faces, Forms and Illusions” (1988), “Morpheus” (1989), “Syrophenikan” (1990), “Spiritual Archives” (1991), “Stone Tower” (1991), “Spheres I” (1994) and “Spheres II” (1994).

All of these long out-of-print albums will be simultaneously released by Metropolis on very limited edition white vinyl sets and compact disc along with all digital and streaming platforms on March 4th, 2022.

The material has been remastered for the occasion.

About Delerium

Delerium formed in 1987, originally as a side project of the influential industrial music act Front Line Assembly. Throughout the band’s history, their musical style has encompassed a broad range, including dark ethereal ambient trance, voiceless industrial soundscapes, and electronic pop music. They are best known for their worldwide hit “Silence”. The band is known to feature several female guest vocalists on their albums since their 1997 album “Karma”.

These have included mostly women, such as The Mediæval Bæbes, Kristy Thirsk (of Rose Chronicles), Sarah McLachlan, Leigh Nash (of Sixpence None the Richer), Elsieanne Caplette (of Elsiane), Lisa Gerrard (sampled only), Jaël (of Swiss band Lunik), Camille Henderson, Nerina Pallot, Emily Haines (of Metric), Jacqui Hunt (of Single Gun Theory), Isabel Bayrakdarian and Shelley Harland. Other than Leeb, only three males have contributed vocals to a Delerium album: Matthew Sweet (“Daylight”, on Poem), Greg Froese (“Apparition”, on Nuages du Monde), and Michael Logen (“Days Turn into Nights”, on Music Box Opera); in addition, Baaba Maal was sampled (“Awakenings, on “Spiritual Archives”).

The only constant member throughout its history has been Bill Leeb. Leeb was an early member of industrial pioneers Skinny Puppy, but after he left in 1986 he went on to create his own project, Front Line Assembly with collaborator Michael Balch. Later, the two worked on the side project Delerium and released their first album, “Faces, Forms & Illusions”.

After Balch left both Front Line Assembly and Delerium, Leeb worked with Rhys Fulber, and the two released several albums under the Delerium moniker. These years saw a gradual stylistic change from darker ambient to a more danceable sound. After the release of “Karma”, Fulber left to pursue other interests, and Leeb teamed up with producer Chris Peterson to release “Poem”. 2003, however, saw the reunion of Leeb and Fulber for the release of “Chimera”, followed by “Nuages du Monde” in 2006.

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.

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Techno-Body, Industrial-Techno, Dark-Techno.

Format: Digital, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Sonic Groove is celebrating its 25^th anniversary with a compilation featuring 12 tracks. Set up by Adam Mitchell –better known under the Adam X moniker, the American label –now based in Berlin (Germany) became a visionary company mixing Techno music with darker/underground genres like EBM and Industrial music.

Artists: The Source Experience, Max Durante, Orphx, Diagenetic Origin, Panacea, Meadon, Rhys Fulber & Portion Control, Crystal Geometry, Monolith, Adam X, Dasha Rush, Realmz.

Content: The compilation brings familiar projects from the label together; from ‘earlier’ artists such as Max Durante, Orphx, Diagenetic Origin, Dasha Rush and Realmz… to artists who joined Sonic Groove during the past few years like Rhys Fulber, Crystal Geometry, Maedon… The common thread between all artists is Techno music, which they each mixed with a darker influence. The most surprising track is a collaboration between Rhys Fulber (Frontline Assembly, Delerium, Conjure One ao) and Portion Control.

+ + + : This compilation first of all is a way to discover the great label roster of Sonic Groove while it remains one of the very few labels, which welcomed artists mixing Techno music with darker genres. Sonic Groove has been a pioneer and still remains a reference today. When you hear Rhys Fulber together with Portion Control composing a true Techno-Body-Music song with harsh vocals on top, you get an idea what this label stands for. So far I can see the featured artists have composed an exclusive song for this sampler, which makes it only more interesting. I have a preference for the Industrial-Techno style of Crystal Geometry (one of the newest projects on Sonic Groove), but I also have to mention the rough exposure by Diagenetic Origin, the Dark-Techno approach from Panacea and a more explicit track by Dasha Rush. Adam X remains another attention grabber and who better than the label owner he stands for the sound of his label: Industrial-Techno!

– – – : I don’t have real regrets, but some extra artists and tracks would have been cool.

Conclusion: This sampler serves as a perfect shop window to give you an idea about the sonic strength and visionary style of the label. I can only express respect for what this label has accomplished so far.

Best bands: Crystal Geometry, Rhys Fulber & Portion Control, Diagenetic Origin, Panacea.

Rate: (8½).

Label: www.sonicgroove.com / www.facebook.com/Sonicgrooverecords

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-Ambient, Cinematographic.

Format: Digital

Background/Info: Rhys Fulber (Frontline Assembly, Delerium, Conjure One, Will, Noise Unit ao) is back with a new EP under his own name. Previous works –mainly released on Sonic Groove, revealed the Technoid skills of Rhys Fulber. “Resolve” is meant as the first EP in a series and also is the debut release on Rhys Fulber’s own label FR Recordings.

Content: Even if most previous productions were into Techno-Body music, Rhys Fulber also showed some Ambient influences. “Resolve” can be defined as pure Ambient, a dark sonic trip, which is touching ground with Cinematographic music. The work features 4 songs and has been progressively built up. You’ll also notice the more elaborated “Disused” featuring sampled voices in the background and creating a ghost-like effect.

+ + + : Rhys Fulber is a kind of ‘chameleon’ musician, who can transpose himself to write different styles of music genres. The Ambient approach is not new in his career (even FLA composed Soundtrack music), but this is a different approach. It’s dark, sometimes achieved with Technoid soundsculptures and still reminding me of some Ambient pioneers. The opening cut “Charleroi” is directly inspired by the Belgian city, which is a grey area of abandoned metal industry while the city became also famous because it was there where murderer Marc Dutroux lived. And by the way, it also is the hometown of à;Grumh. It’s a nice wink to the Belgian fans of Rhys Fulber. I however prefer the already mentioned “Disused”, which is finely elaborated with great sound treatments. Both last cuts reveal a kind of dark, inhibited reverie, definitely accentuating the electro-ambient approach of the work.

– – – : “Resolve” is an easy listening work, quite accessible, but definitely not the most exciting production I’ve heard from this sound guru.

Conclusion: Rhys Fulber goes Ambient revealing an intimate, electronic production that sounds as the perfect soundtrack for an imaginary movie.

Best songs: “Disused”, “Charleroi”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist & Label: www.facebook.com/rhysfulbermusic

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

(Photo: The Jeremy Inkel Estate) Jeremy Inkel’s debut as a solo artist comes to us nearly 3 years after his untimely passing. Inkel died January 23 2018 due to complications arising from an asthma condition. He was only 34 years old.

Although Inkel was a member of Front Line Assembly, Left Spine Down, Delerium and Noise Unit he also worked on a first solo album, “Hijacker”. “Hijacker” will be out in November via ArtOfFact Records and is an album of hard-hitting EBM and techno grooves and industrial dancefloor experiments. A first single, “I don’t need your money” is out now on Bandcamp.

Hijacker will be released on CD and vinyl formats worldwide as well as on all streaming platforms on November 6th, 2020. A portion of proceeds from each sale will be donated to the Vancouver Food Bank.

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.

side-line.com

(Photo by Elsiane) Elsiane is one of those few bands which immediately caught my attention after War-n from Hungry Lucy pointed them out to me a few years ago. The mix of sensual and very recognisable vocals by frontwoman Elsieanne Caplette swimming in subtle dark wavish pop (with a clear reference to Cocteau Twins) did its work really well.

Out now is “Sinai”, the brand new – and long-awaited – single by the female fronted duo Elsiane. And it’s again a perfect merge between these two highly talented musicians. Just check the new single below!

Peru and Canada united

Elsiane was formed in the year 2000, after singer/musician/composer Elsieanne Caplette emigrated to Montreal, Canada from Lima, Peru, and met drummer Stephane Sotto. The duo are an unlikely match to say the least, merging the classically trained Caplette with the self-taught Sotto, and doing so with unprecedented style. With shared influences spanning across jazz, rock, electronic and world music, and an intriguing nod to the trip hop of Massive Attack, Portishead and Tricky, the pair creates a musical experience that is entirely unique. 

The 2007 debut album Hybrid established them as the hottest new act in Canada, which was followed up by ecstatically received live performances, including tours with Delerium and Beast, as well as performances at the Montreal International Jazz Festival and Toronto International Film Festival. A devoted live following began to form, drawn to the shadow-filled dreamscapes of songs like “Vaporous,” and the arresting visuals and the hypnotic intensity of Elsieanne Caplette’s voice and stage presence. 

In 2012 Elsiane followed Hybrid with a self-produced second album, Mechanics of Emotion, which further galvanized both their sound and following. Their third album, Death of the Artist, was released independently in 2017, receiving high praise and being regarded by many as their best work. Elsiane then began working non-stop, with two European tours, performing with Cirque Du Soleil, and releasing an album in collaboration with science fiction author Rich Shapero for his multimedia interactive novel Rin, Tongue and Dorner. 

After the passing of Sotto’s father in 2018, the duo settled down and began to write a new album in dedication to his memory. They feel inspired to take their creativity to the next level and embark on a new chapter, and with the first single “Sinai” out in June 2020, fans will get a preview of the forthcoming transformative era of Elsiane. 

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.

side-line.com

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

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: The song “Hope” is taken from Psy’Aviah’s latest album “Soul searching”. This work released late 2019 by Yves Schelpe and featuring numerous guest singers probably was the best full length ever released by the project. “Hope” featuring Addie Nicole was not exactly my favorite song from the album. It has been featured as different edits while there’s also an exclusive song featured.

Content: The basis of “Hope” is a mix between electro-pop, trip-pop and dance music. It has something of ‘Delerium made in Belgium’. The songs featured 3 remixes by the Israel based KGProject. They bring us a “Radio”-, “Club”- and “Dub” edit. The main characteristic is that these versions have been seriously uplifted into harder dance projects. Last, but not least the exclusive song “Rain In The City” featuring Lis van den Akker sounds more like a mysterious, wafting song.

+ + + : Psy’Aviah moves back into dance and that’s for sure an aspect club- and dance lovers gone like. The songs –bit especially the remixes by KGProject, have something ultra dance and trance-minded. If you’re not afraid of more ‘commercial’ tricks and tunes, this is for sure something you gone like. My favorite version is the “Club Remix”.

– – – : I think the “Dub Version” is the wrong title for the last remix -as it doesn’t sound dub at all. I personally prefer the songs I heard on “Soul Searcher”, which had something intelligent and mature while this EP is something completely different and only suited for the dancefloor. In the end that’s also the goal of EP’s…

Conclusion: “Hope” is a song with a message while the music is just ‘dance’. I think this EP is meant for a different audience than the album.

Best songs: “Hope – KGProject Club Remix”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.psyaviah.com        / www.facebook.com/psyaviah

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

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Industrial-techno.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Rhys Fulber (Frontline Assembly, Delerium, Conjure One ao) last year released his second full length solo-album “Ostalgia”, which was a new exploration of contemporary dark-techno paths. “Baut Mit!” features four remixes from songs originally released on “Ostalgia”.

Content: The Berlin techno-underground scene is probably one of the most famous ones in the world. Sonic Groove’s owner Adam Mitchell is based in Berlin and I can imagine it has incited Rhys Fulber to get remixed by artists from the German capital of techno music. Tommy Four Seven, Headless Horseman, Traversable Wormhole and Phase Fatale took each one song from “Ostalgia” and transposed them into their own techno perception. From the cinematic-techno interpretation of “Misery Whip” by Tommy Four Seven to the brutal remix of “Apostel” by Headless Horseman to the acid-retro like remix of “Fisson” by Traversable Wormhole to the more techno-industrial driven “Right Hand Of the Free World” remixed by Phase Fatale, this EP stands for diversity.

+ + + : Diversity is for sure the main strength of this work. I heard a great remix by Headless Horseman, but Traversable Wormhole’s merciless transformation of “Fisson” is my personal favorite. I enjoyed the kind of whipping snare drum and the acid-like sequences.

– – – : This EP is food for DJ’s, but I’m missing an extra song or remix by Rhys Fulber himself.

Conclusion: Rhys Fulber remains a source of inspiration, even for artists who are not familiar with darker electronics and industrial music.

Best songs: “Fisson – Traversable Wormhole Remix”, “Apostel – Headless Horseman Remix”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/rhysfulbermusic

Label: www.sonicgroove.com / www.facebook.com/Sonicgrooverecords

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

Belgian Psy’Aviah is driven by the creative spirit of Yves Schelpe. The project is already busy for several years now and this year unleashed its seventh full length album. “Soul Searching” –released on Alfa Matrix, can be easily considered as a conceptual album for its lyrical content, but still for the renewed experience with multiple guest singers. Sound-wise the work remains a truly sonic enigma, which might be simply called ‘electro-pop’, but when you listen more carefully you’ll notice an amazing amount of influences. But more than the result of multiple influences, Yves Schelpe has for sure released his most mature work to date, which might appeal for lovers of Delerium, Conjure One, Lunascape and related bands. On stage Yves Schelpe (electronics) has been joined by singer Marieke Lighband  and guitarist Ben Van de Cruys. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: When you’ve a new album out, do you consider it as the best one you’ve ever released? Where do you place “Soul Searching” in your growing discography?

Yves: Honestly rating your own work, I think most musicians will tell their latest is the best as it sounds fresher to their ears, because as a musician you grow in technique, songwriting and taste. Hence why most musicians would rate their latest work as either their best or among the best if they’d had to choose. But in the end it comes down to the listener, I do my thing in my small bedroom studio, try to learn every day, try to bring new ideas, fuse genres and create stories.

As for where I place it in my discography, that’s an interesting one. I think it’s on the list of albums between 2013-present vs 2007-2012. As of 2013 with “Future Past” I radically changed in both style and wanted to bring the EBM and electro into different genres from jazz, to trip-hop, to classical, to pop.. Always with a dark hint and with a wink to the past. And that’s why I split my discography in those two ‘eras’ internally in my head. Since 2013 it’s also more focused in stories per album, as well as inviting guests to sing instead of just one lead vocalist.

Honestly maybe this could be the start of a third era in Psy’Aviah’s discography, where I go even further and incorporate even more other sounds and songwriting styles. Who knows, an artist always evolves… That’s so fascinating about music.

Q: What have been the influences and challenges to write and accomplish “Soul Searching”?

Yves: Writing the basic songs wasn’t the biggest challenge -as I always write the basic chords and melodies on piano first. You have to know that with “Soul Searching” it was the intention to create a soundscape that is radically different and alienates the listener from the daily Western sounds they hear -both so the sound from song to song is coherent, even if ‘styles’ change, and as well to transport the listener in a different ‘space’. Pull them out of the traditional Western sounds they’re so familiar with, I wanted to introduce something fresh. So finding those right instruments to tell the story was a big challenge. We have all the tools available: samplers, effects, digital instruments…

But I went for a radical approach to use real instruments, either pre-recorded or played by real people.

Q: I can imagine finding the right match between the songs and guest singers must be one of these challenges, but how did the final selection happened? Is there something like a cast? Are there specific criteria to choose a singer? What about the lyrics and how did the recording with The guests happened?

Yves: I always write the songs first on piano sounds, then the search for the ‘sound’ begins. Once I have a rough demo then I send either one or more demos to the singer I think they match with. About 90% of the time I have a strong feeling of how the melody of the lead vocals and backings should sound and I prerecord those with my own voice. But some guests do write their own lyrics -I do always give them pointers how I want it to sound or what lyrics need to deal with to match the story and to inject my ideas as well. But for Mark Bebb and Lis van den Akker they wrote their lyrics, vocal melodies and harmonies. Sometimes I co-write, as with Roeland van der Velde and Ellia Bisker -exchanging lyrical notes and adapting them.

The fact is that for each song I know the tone of the vocalist, and know what they can bring to the table by listening to their work and -with most of them -knowing them already for a long time. It’s a collaboration in the end, of course I do have my veto, as do they if they’re not happy. I always brief them of the concept of the album, the intent of the song -it’s maybe very over the top micromanagement sometimes, and maybe taken too seriously, but when you’re that passionate about what you do, you can’t help it (lol).

As for recording, most people record at their own home studio, or the studio of the band they play in. We exchange via the internet, and I give my feedback whether I want some extra adlibs, or extra shouts or harmonies… I once did a video with Mari Kattman on how we collaborate: [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_NMFZZ9a-A ] -it’s explained how she works, and how I work -it’s generally 95% the same for each song…

Q: Sound-wise, I don’t know if “Soul Searching” is my favorite Psy’Aviah album, but it for sure sounds as the most mature one! I get the feeling you’ve found ‘your’; sound while other albums were more like the exorcism of ideas and influences. How does it feel at your side and what did you finally try to achieve with this work?

Yves: Every album has a different sound, but it always has the ‘Psy’Aviah’ stamp on it. Maybe the reason why it sounds more mature is the fact that I wanted to draw people out of this world and this gave every song the alienated Eastern vibe -and that gives an extra layer of coherency. As for an eclectic approach on other albums, that’s part of the deal with Psy’Aviah. And I’m not alone -check for example the mélange of trip-hop to ambient to ballads to electroclash and to pure dancefloor driven tracks to even rock tracks by Moby, Praga Khan, Bowie, Die Antwoord, Junksista or Faithless on a single album, that mix given with their own take on it and their own sound, as I do as well, is not so weird in my mind… So I don’t get why people are so hung up on the fact a band has to stick to one genre, for me that is boring and hence why the bands listed before are prime examples why I’m a big fan of their albums, they can be on repeat for days because of the diverse take rather than a rehash of 12 tracks in the same genre with the same sounds being reused over and over again… 

Q: The opening song “Becoming Human” is for sure an essential track from the album. I get the impression this song with spoken words by the famous and mediatized Flemish psychiatrist Dirk De Wachter is the heart from the album to understand the concept, right? Tell us a bit more about this surprising guest vocalist and how did you get in touch with him and finally convinced him to contribute?

Yves: I saw some of his lectures online, then started reading his books “Borderline Times” and “De Wereld van De Wachter”, as well as his newest work “De Kunst Van Het Ongelukkig Zijn”. There were so many ideas in there that it already inspired my work on “Lightflare”, when writing songs for the EP “Looking For The Sun” I wrote a mini essay in the booklet (PDF in bandcamp release) on how these ideas are reflected in the songs on the EP, and by then I did contact Dirk to get his approval, because when you mention someone -I feel it’s only appropriate to ask for advice and approval. Later that year I met him at a lecture he gave at the University of Antwerp, and by then I had already written half of the songs for “Soul Searching”. We talked about the ideas, and then set a date via mail to meet & record -he lives just two blocks away so that was easy. We talked about the concept of the album, the reason behind those words, not a lot of convincing was needed -you have to know Dirk is a really nice and warm person.

The poem I wrote as an introduction to the rest of the album’s lyrical content as you understood correctly, but his deep voice as well as his attachment to the lyrical content, for me was a trigger to ask and include him. Recording was fun though, at his cabinet, cosy, greeted with a smile and coffee. Talking about each other’s interests, and then record. I’m grateful to have him included in this concept album as it really makes the journey complete from start to finish. But that fact is essential for each vocalist, the match in voice and passion for the lyrics has to be there -otherwise it does not work.

Q: You mentioned Dirk De Wachter’s book “Borderline Times” where he makes an interesting link between BPS (Borderline Personality Disorder) and the Western World we’re living in. I realized there also is a possible link between this psychiatric disorder and the music business from today. What does it inspire to you as an artist?

Yves: You are correct, he essentially goes through each of the symptoms of BPS and then diagnoses our Western lifestyle to come to the conclusion that we live in ‘borderline times’. Every part of it, from medical institutions, business world, politics – and of course the music business. It is the whole of our Western world that is affected by these symptoms, and especially when it comes to the ego: everything revolves around the ‘I’, the ‘Me, Me, Me’ culture. I see it a lot in this music business from small to big; it hurts the way we interact with each other unfortunately.

As an artist I try to break that cycle by not making this project about me alone, although I do have ambitions and try to put ‘myself’ into each and everything of what Psy’Aviah is -that in essence is no problem. But you should never ever forget the people around you that are helping you around the way, I guess that’s what I try to hold in higher regard after reading his books. Being a lot humbler towards achievements, because what are you with achieving something when you can’t share it but yourself. At the end a good relationship with the musicians I work with, the artwork artist, the live band Marieke & Ben, the fans… that relationship is important. Not for sales, but to stay grounded. And if you can help out other bands, then why not. I have no interest in beef or drama, so that’s how I try to act in this business as an artist. To give a concrete example, we played a benefit concert at the British American Theatrical Society (or BATS in short, yeah, they’re a bit gothic too then ;-)), as the theatre is in need of funds to move location (as their rent is being raised). We played there for free, [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ROR9lWOCXo ], we helped them out, they helped us out reaching a new audience. We had fun, it was a concert that’s on my high all-time list because of this fact. There is a ‘Great Disconnect’ in this society at the moment, and not only in the music scene. So looking out for each other is something that I take away from it, without devaluing/patronizing the person or organization you’re helping or listening to. Doing small good things should become a natural habit again instead of the ‘bol.com’ instant delivery for the ‘me me me’ society we are creating.

In that sense you could say that Psy’Aviah lyrics are of great importance to highlight these issues as well: “Voodoo Love”, “Becoming Human”, “Hold On” (as written by Mark Bebb) or even “City In Flames” are prime examples of that.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

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

Background/Info: “Soul Searching” is the seventh official album for Belgian Yves Schelpe aka Psy’Aviah. The composer again invited an impressive list of ‘guest singers’ to put their voice on his compositions.

Content: Psy’Aviah is a project in constant move. “Soul Searching” features typical influences and arrangements, which are into the Psy’Aviah sound, but compared to the previous album –which was more into some dance-electronics, this work reflects maturity and impressive vocal performances. The opening cut featuring one of the most famous and ‘popular’ psychiatrists from the Flemish part of Belgium (aka Dirk De Wachter) you’ll also get songs with Roeland van der Velde, Mari Kattman, Mark Bebb, Alicia May, Kyoko Baertsoen, Saydi Driggers, Marieke Lightband, Addie Nicole, Lis van den Akker and Ellia Bisker.

Sound-wise Yves Schelpe has achieved a work, which sounds like a sonic bridge between electro-pop and ambient-electronics. It might appeal for lovers of Delerium, Conjure One, Lunascape and related bands.

The limited edition features an extra disc with remixes by SD-KRTR, Metroland, Rob Dust, 11 Grams, Mind.Divided, SNVFF, J. Wolf, The Gothsicles, Studio-X, Cosmic Armchair, Noire Antidote, Maarten Pels, Tom Bro, People Theatre, KGProject and French Skies. 

+ + + : Psy’Aviah is back with great stuff and has probably accomplished his most achieved work to date. After a rather disappointing “Lightflare”-album on which Yves Schelpe fall in the trap of easy electro-dance music, this work reflects a more intelligent approach and still a challenge in the fusion between electro-pop and atmospheric passages. The songs have been accomplished by alluring, deep sounding bass lines, elevating leads, down-tempo rhythms and a few Eastern sound treatments on a couple of songs. Yves Schelpe also selected an impressive list of talented singers (featuring some familiar Psy’Aviah guests next to newcomers).

One of my favorite cuts is the more club-friendly “New Times” feat. Alicia May (who already sang on a song of Benjamin’s Plague) while the already familiar “Voodoo Love” feat. Roeland van der Velde is a dreamy, beautiful piece of music. Among the vocalists I also want to mention Kyoko Baertsoen, Saydi Driggers and Ellia Bisker (reminding me of Lana Del Rey).

Among the remixes I recommend the 80s driven “Hold On” remixed by Metroland, “New Times” remixed by SNVFF, the wafting “Dream Fever” remixed by Tom Bro and the trance-orientated “Searching” remixed by French Skies.

– – – : The main difficulty for Psy’Aviah remains the style, which is hard to define for mixing different influences; it remains often too ‘indie’-like for underground music and too ‘dark’ for the indie-stream. It’s not exactly an album for the clubs although it sounds danceable!

Conclusion: Psy’Aviah has accomplished its opus magnum, which however remains an album hard to label and a pure challenge when it comes to ‘sales’.

Best songs: “New Times”, “Voodoo Love”, “Dream Fever”, “Searching”, “City In Flames” + “Hold On – Metroland 7” Remix”, “News Times – SNVFF Remix”, “Dream Fever – Tom Bro After Club Remix”, “Searching – French Skies Club Remix”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.psyaviah.com / www.facebook.com/psyaviah

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

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Industrial-techno, IDM, minimal-electro.

Background/Info: One year after the successful album “Your Dystopia, My Utopia”, Canadian electro veteran Rhys Fulber (Frontline Assembly, Delerium, Conjure One, Noise Unit ao) strikes back with his second solo-album. The title of the album reflects ‘ a romantic nostalgia for the old but comforting ways of Communist East Germany – and a yearning for rigid systems after progression into the future has led to chaos and uncertainty’.

Content: The title of the album might be understood as a sonic metaphor from an artist in search for good-old electronic sounds. One thing is for sure, Rhys Fulber moves on exploring techno paths, which he meticulously merged together with harsh industrial sound treatments. This album sounds more into the techno direction, but still reveals the sophisticated approach of the musician/producer. The second half of the work becomes more elaborated and into IDM.       

+ + + : Rhys Fulber confirms feeling comfortable composing ‘’his type of techno music.” The industrial-techno genre isn’t new at all, but this artist mixes it with some good-old sound treatments. But the album also sounds like a magic box, which features an endless number of sonic tricks and effects. Some tracks are progressively evolving towards a truly climax. Just pay attention to “12 Steppes” and the darker “Consum” and you’ll seize the complexity of “Ostalgia”. I might prefer the previous album, but what I especially like on “Ostalgia” is that Rhys Fulber evolved with his techno exploration.

– – – : “Ostalgia” made me a bit nostalgic from the more explicit EBM and techno-body approach from his previous album.

Conclusion: Rhys Fulber is a meaningful project when it comes to industrial-techno and IDM. This artist has no limits when it comes to expose his skills!

Best songs: “12 Steppes”, “Consum”, “Apostel”, “Right Hand Of The Free World”, “Misery Whip”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/rhysfulbermusic 

Label: www.sonicgroove.com / www.facebook.com/Sonicgrooverecords

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Techno-body, industrial-body-music.

Background/Info: “Corruption Of Form” resulted from the common efforts between two familiar artists from the Sonic Groove roster. Rhys Fulber (FLA, Delerium, Intermix ao) and Joey Gonzalez (Blush Response) composed four tracks available as 12” and digital format.

Content: The tracks are characterized by a powerful and danceable fusion between industrial music, EBM and techno. The hard kicks will get people into dance and some passages are even leading into trance. “Federal Republic” sounds a bit more experimental-like while the last cut (cf. “Threat Perception”) is a pure body-trance sensation!

+ + + : The different ingredients featured are in perfect balance, creating a heavy danceable effect. “Threat Perception” sounds as the cherry on the pie! It’s a sophisticated track revealing great effects, a slow progression and a trance-like climax.

– – – : I’m not convinced by the rather experimental “Federal Republic”, but this is just one cut from the tracklist.

Conclusion: This maxi is an interesting collaboration between two artists who reveal to be complementary. So it would be interesting to see them renewing this experience.

Best songs: “Threat Perception”, “Dissipate”.

Rate: (8).

Artists: www.facebook.com/rhysfulbermusic /

www.facebook.com/blushresponseofficial

Label: www.sonicgroove.com / www.facebook.com/Sonicgrooverecords

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

British formation Cubanate were active in between 1992 and 1999! It were seven years of sonic terror; pure crossover like we used to call it in the 90s. A harsh and unpolished sound mixing electronics and guitar with a f****ing, enraged singer and live performer as  image of the band. The band released successful albums (cf. “Antimatter”, “Cyberia” and “Barbarossa” all released on Dynamic and a last album “Interference” released on Wax Trax! Records). Songs like “Body Burn” and especially “Oxyacetalene” became some of the band’s greatest hits. After a long hibernation the ‘Cubanate-monster’ got reactivated in 2010. Marc Heal and Phil Barry first started to play some live gigs, but 2019 is for sure the year of the ‘real’ come-back. This is their first new work in twenty one years! The EP “Kolossus” released on Armalyte Industries reveals five new songs plus two remixes. I didn’t know what to expect from this new release, but one thing is for sure, this is probably the best production I’ve heard from Cubanate! I got in touch with Marc Heal.

The new EP (available here on MCD) contains five new songs plus remixes of the title track by Rhys Fulber (Front Line Assembly, Delerium, Conjure One) and DROWND.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Cubanate was already back to business for a couple of years now, but “Kolossus” is the first new work since 1998! How did it feel to be back and where do you place this work in the band’s discography?

Marc: We decided that we were only going to do Cubanate again if it was fun and good. We were persuaded to play the “Cold Waves”-festival in Chicago back in 2016. Chicago always felt like a home city for us, because we were signed to Wax Trax and all that. I hadn’t played live at all in about 17 years at that point. I mean, not just with Cubanate, nothing at all!  But I was curious to see how it would feel. I was nervous that first time. I was living in Singapore, Phil was in London, so we both flew over, did a few days rehearsal, then – bam! Scary.

But after we had dipped our toe in the water we decided to do some more. We played with FLA, Revolting Cocks, some UK dates.

Same with “Kolossus”. It’s a test. I wanted to try an EP first, to see how it felt, before committing to making an album.

Q: I think to remember you once said (back in 2011) that no new Cubanate album would be ever released! And look now, here’s “Kolossus”, which is according to me the best Cubanate stuff in history. How did it finally happened and what will be next?  

Marc: Thank you. I think it was important to reconnect as a band first. We didn’t mind playing a few retrospective dates. The old songs still sounded fresh. Also we had released the “Brutalism”-compilation, which was a remastered “Best Of” from the days we were signed in Berlin to Dynamica, so all good.

But after a while we became curious about what new material would sound like. We needed to find a way to record. I was in California by then so it was still hard to find a way to work together.

I had made a few new songs with Jean-Luc Demeyer for my other project, C-Tec. So I realized working at such distance could be done, so long as you trust the other person artistically. That’s very important, because you aren’t in the same room together to persuade or negotiate. Next up, we will try an album.

Q: How much of the ‘early’ Cubanate sound, the way of composing and producing songs do you recognize in “Kolossus”? And what have been the main changes/evolutions?

Marc: Cubanate has to give you a rush. It has to be nasty and thrilling in your gut. But these days we feel able to throw anything together to get there. Any sound, any influence, any instrument. We’re more experimental now.

There are a lot of technical changes since the 90s. In those days we would write in the studio and whatever came out at the end, we released! That was because you couldn’t take the mix down from the desk without losing the whole sound. These days, with digital, it’s easier to go back to a mix. But we still try to keep things loose, not to over-think everything, to keep it raw. We still have to work with my ragged old voice, of course. And Phil’s guitar, So it’s never going to sound too polished!

We’re older and more experienced. We’ve learned to work harder at making things better, but also to know when to stop.

Q: How did the writing of the new songs happened? What has been the main focus and possible sources of inspiration?

Marc: I write the bones of an idea, with a rough lyric and vocal. Then I send it to Phil, who adds guitar. Then I rearrange and often re-do some vocals and lyrics to make it all work together. Then Phil will finish it off and do the final mix.

I’m always interested in the dynamics of power, within relationships, within society. I always thought you had to be messed up to write dark lyrics. As it turns out, it’s easier when you’re not. You can visualize more clearly. And your moral perspective is less blurred.

Q: What did you try to express on the “Kolossus”-clip and what’s the importance and impact of making clips today?

Marc: It’s good, isn’t it? Gabriel Edvy directed the video. I’d used her for “Adult Fiction”, which was one of my solo songs and she did an amazing job. So I learned to trust her and give her freedom. I told her wanted something that merged a kind of industrial, factory feel but with a threatening feminine contrast. Also, Phil and I had to record our parts separately, which I thought would be tricky, but it adds a feeling of isolation, which I like. Then she just got on with it.

Back in the old days, people were impressed by just seeing you mime along in the video. These days there is so much video online that I think you need to approach the moving image as integral with the music, or else there’s no point. It’s almost like Gabby is an extra band member in charge of film.

Q: Cubanate has been active and successful during the 90s. It was a decade wherein it was easy to sell CD’s while today it rather appears to be an item for collectors and die-hard fans! How do you perceive this evolution, but also social media, streaming etc?

Marc: We ended up making a lot of money in the 90s, mainly through games music. I bought a couple of houses. But I have no expectations about making money from music now. I do it because I love it and I like the people I work with. Our label, Armalyte are into what we do and we split any profits with them. There’s no contract, everyone does it because they enjoy it and they get off on the music. It’s like going back to the old punk rock days. I much prefer that.

Also I like social media. I can talk directly with people on the Facebook page. And they can compliment or insult me directly. It’s almost like starting a new band again, really. And it feels better than it ever did.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Industrial, crossover.

Background/Info: Twenty one years after their last studio work under the Cubanate moniker, core members Marc Heal and Phil Barry are back on track unleashing new work. This EP features five new songs plus two remixes.

Content: Cubanate is back and the least I can say is that it doesn’t sound at all as this band has been inactive for more than twenty years. “Kolossus” still sounds pretty Cubanate like; a sound which is powerful, merciless and hard to define. The compositions sound like the offspring between multiple influences; a sonic fusion between industrial-, techno-, EBM and metal music. Aggressive sequences and some EBM-driven bass lines have been mixed with guitar assaults –which might appeal to KMFDM fans, plus the harsh screaming vocals of Marc Heal.

Remixes have been made by Rhys Fulber and Drownd.

+ + + : The violence emerging from this production is absolutely terrific. But there’s a perfect balance between the power and the different influences running through the work. Compared to the 90s productions of the band, this work maybe sounds a little tiny bit more electro-like and less metal-inspired. The five new songs are absolutely amazing. It’s an overwhelming production reminding me of an imaginary fusion between KMFDM and Empirion, but in the end it’s just Cubanate ano 2019! The songs are well-crafted, intelligent and literally exploding during the choruses –and I here especially refer to “Missing Persons” and “Vortex”.

– – – : When listening to this EP –which more appears to be a mini-album, you just want to hear more! The remixes are pretty cool as well, but not of a same level as the original songs.

Conclusion: I didn’t know what to expect from this comeback and I even was a bit skeptical. The result left me breathless and I even dare to affirm “Kolossus” is probably the best production I’ve heard from Cubanate! You guys rule!

Best songs: “Missing Persons”, “Vortex”, “Kolossus”, “Split Second”.

Rate: (9½).

The new EP (available here on MCD) contains five new songs plus remixes of the title track by Rhys Fulber (Front Line Assembly, Delerium, Conjure One) and DROWND.

Artist: www.facebook.com/cubanate

Label: www.armalyte.com / www.facebook.com/ArmalyteIndustries

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

To celebrate the return of Cubanate, the band’s label has dropped a rather spectacular promo video for the EP’s title track today. It’s directed by E Gabriel Edvy of Blackswitch Labs, and stars alt. model Leah Debrincat.

Here’s the video!

The new EP (available here on MCD) contains five new songs plus remixes of the title track by Rhys Fulber (Front Line Assembly, Delerium, Conjure One) and DROWND. Out on 7th June, it will be previewed at a co-headlining London date with PIG on 1st, plus an appearance at the Wave Gotik Treffen festival in Leipzig, Germany. Orders are available here, but be fast!

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.

side-line.com

The industrial techno-rock duo Cubanate have announced the release of their first new music in over two decades in the form of an EP entitled “Kolossus”. It follows their “Brutalism” retrospective collection in 2017 and a brief return to live action for the first time since the late 1990’s to promote it.

The new EP (available here on MCD) contains five new songs plus remixes of the title track by Rhys Fulber (Front Line Assembly, Delerium, Conjure One) and DROWND. Out on 7th June, it will be previewed at a co-headlining London date with PIG on 1st, plus an appearance at the Wave Gotik Treffen festival in Leipzig, Germany. Orders are available here, but be fast!

Working with an ocean inbetween

Marc Heal and guitarist Phil Barry had started thinking about writing new material after the positive reaction to their initial comeback shows, but as they live on separate continents these days (Heal is currently based in San Francisco while Barry is in Cambridgeshire) it wasn’t all that easy.

Marc Heal: “I set up a vocal booth in Palo Alto and sketched out the ideas. Phil took them forwards in Cambridge and added guitar. Once I heard that I added some more vocals and tweaked the structure before he then finished the mixes. We’re pleased with the results but I feel we will get stronger now we’ve done these five tracks. It’s a psychological barrier. The EP still sounds like us but inevitably we’re older and hopefully wiser. The wisdom thing is tricky, because a lot of early Cubanate was about relishing a ride towards self-destruction. It’s still like that, but smarter. These days we’re more confident that we can do whatever we want, both musically and lyrically. So long as it keeps being fun and we think we can keep being nasty, we’ll keep doing it.”

Here’s the track “Missing Persons” which is featured on the EP.

The early beginning, the split and resurrection

Formed in the summer of 1992 as a four piece centred around Marc Heal (vocals) and Phil Barry (guitar), their early sound fused the rhythms of the then nascent techno scene with the lo-fi grunge rock sound emanating from the US. Although the band later became adopted by Goth audiences, early Cubanate was more influenced by Joey Beltram, Baby Ford and Nirvana.

Following a UK tour with electronic duo Sheep on Drugs, they signed to the Berlin based Dynamica label and released their debut album, “Antimatter” (1993), which included the single “Body Burn”. The second Cubanate album, “Cyberia” (1995), featured the single “Oxyacetylene”. The band’s third album, “Barbarossa” (1996) contained the single “Joy” and was promoted with live dates supporting Gary Numan, Rammstein, The Sisters of Mercy and Front 242. Heal struck up a friendship at this time with Jean-Luc De Meyer of Front 242 and the pair subsequently released two albums as C-Tec.

In 1997, seeking a change of label and direction, Cubanate signed to Wax Trax! for what was to be their final album to date, “Interference” (1998). Splitting in 2000 but reforming in September 2016 for a set at the Cold Waves Festival in Chicago, they subsequently played several UK and North American dates in 2017 to promote a retrospective compilation entitled “Brutalism”.

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.

side-line.com

Vancouver electronic music pioneers Craig Joseph Huxtable (Landscape Body Machine, Noise Unit) and Chris Peterson (Front Line Assembly, Decree, Delerium) return with a brand new album and a brand new incarnation on Artoffact Records: OHMelectronic. The album is the follow-up of their debut album “Ohm” and follows the release the single “Everything is Gone” featuring Galen Waling (Lords of Acid, PIG) on drums.

Note that the artwork for their new features the work of legendary Canadian album artist Simon Paul (Universal, SUBcon).

The album is out tomorrow, but you can now listen to an exclusive preview of the full album on Side-Line! You can order the release as a download and CD straight from Bandcamp!

OHMelectronic will be playing at this year’s Infest festival in Bradford, UK August 23-25. This show is currently slated to be OHMelectronic’s only UK show for 2019.

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.

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Ethereal-wave, trip-pop, experimental.

Background/Info: Some of you might remember Rhea’s Obsession, a Canadian band that was mainly active in the second part of the 90s. They released two albums. Indarra is not really a resurrection of this band, but it features singer Sue Hotton who has been joined by numerous guest artists.

Content: “Walk On Fire” is a truly music trip mixing multiple influences. Most of the songs are pretty dreamy-like, mainly driven by a slow rhythm and Sue Hotton’s sensual timbre of voice. The compositions have been composed with electro gear, and also with authentic instruments. The dreamy atmospheres are sometimes a little bit mysterious, which might remind you of Delerium. I can also mention Massive Attack for the darker and trip-pop driven passages.

+ + + : This album is al cool surprise. The music has something pretty authentic and artistic. The songs are styled and refined. It often sounds as a delicious sonic caress, which is accentuated by the impressive vocals of Sue Hotton and the mysterious atmospheres. The album is progressively growing reaching multiple states of climax.

– – – : There’s some versatility running through this work, which I can imagine might not please all listeners.

Conclusion: This is an album I highly recommend to music lovers in search of a truly artistic creation. Indarra brings different influences together on a graceful and fully enjoyable work.

Best songs: “Colour Of The Rising Sun”, “Melody Of The North Winds”, “To Make Change”, “An Innis Aigh”, “Falling Into You”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/indarramusic

Label: www.metropolis-records.com / www.facebook.com/MetropolisRecords

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