Genre/Influences: Minimal-electronics, wave-pop.

Background/Info: Some of you for sure know Andreas Gregor and Dave Rout from their involvement with bands such as !Bang Elektronika, Digital Poodle, Datafreq ao. They also set up Techniques Berlin in the 80s, which has now been reactivated. “Breathing” features new songs, previously unreleased material and remixes while the digital version has a nice little bonus of 5 extra tracks.

Content: “Breathing” sounds like disembarking from a time-machine that has brought us back to the 80s. The music is pure analogue-like and often remind me to Fad Gadget. This is good-old synth-music, which sounds cold and melodic. Some songs are featuring female backings.

The second disc is mainly featuring remixes and a few cover versions. This is an opportunity to discover remixes by bands such as  23RD Underpass, Classioline, Depression Era, Electronic Dream Factory, Images In Vogue, Kevin Komoda, Makina Girgir, Nine Circles, The Glen And Joe Show, Tony Marinello, Ultra Arcanum and !Bang Elektronika. You also get 3 cover versions from Rational Youth, Epic Dreams and Agents In Infrared (another project by Andreas Gregor).

+ + + : If you’re freak of retro-electronics this analogue electro/wave-pop album is a must have. It’s totally 80s like and brings the magic of vintage gear alive. This band doesn’t innovate, but simply belongs to the 80s and recreate the music from that great decade. The sound is icy and sterile, but still melodic and danceable. There are numerous noticeable cuts and still interesting remixes by Classioline, !Bang Elektronika and especially Tony Marinello. I also have to mention cool cover versions from songs by Rational Youth and Epic Dreams.

– – – : I definitely prefer the original versions instead of the remixes so this extra disc could maybe have been reduced to a few songs.

Conclusion: Techniques Berlin is a forgotten and even rather unknown band from the 80s Canadian scene, which has been now reactivated and still sounding fully 80s like. This is a great piece of music.

Best songs: “Cold War”, “Just One Look”, “Picture Show”, “Chances”, “Salvation” + “Love Via Computer – Remix Tony Marinello”, “Cyberbeat – Remix !Bang Elektronika”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: http://techniquesberlin.wixsite.com/home /

www.facebook.com/pg/techniques.berlin

Label: www.facebook.com/NadannaItaloSynthRecords

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: Experimental-techno, IDM.

Background/Info: Erik Jong is an artist hailing from The Netherlands. He released 2 other EP’s on Suction Records (label of bands like Lowfish, Solvent, Digital Poodle ao).

Content: The songs feature two main influences. On one side there clearly is a techno driven source of inspiration while on the other side RX-101 clearly likes to experiment with sounds and atmospheres.

It sounds a bit vintage-like, which is an element that also comes through in the somewhat melodic approach. The cuts are still pretty space-like, but there also is a solid experimental and sometimes even glitch exposure.

+ + + : “Like Yesterday” is hard to define as music style properly speaking, but rather sounds as the symbiosis between different influences. The techno touch makes the experimental style more accessible while the retro-electronic sounds give you the impression to hear an early and somewhat visionary techno production. The tracks have been accomplished by impressive studio effects and cool production tricks. If you consider this album as purely experimental you’ll have to admit that it’s a fascinating production featuring several cool songs.

– – – : It’s often the same observation; the strongest aspects of an album often are the weakest ones as well. Bringing techno- and experimental music together is not an easy thing and rather a hard challenge, which for sure will not please all lovers of techno music nor experimental stuff.

Conclusion: RX-101 belongs to this growing number of avant-garde techno artists who clearly are into a new dimension of music, which no longer belongs to the established techno formats. This artist comes from the future!

Best songs: “Hills Over mountains”, “August ‘97”, “Morning Glory”, “101 Reasons”.

Rate: (6½).

Band: www.facebook.com/eriks101

Label: www.suctionrecords.com /  www.facebook.com/suctionrecords 

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

Back in 1986, Toronto (Canada) based vocalist/programmer Heiki Sillaste (aka Mouth 392) started up the EBM project Digital Poodle. It remained active until about 1995 and was Toronto’s answer to the Vancouver-based industrial scene with acts like Skinny Puppy and Front Line Assembly.

Digital Poodle originally released a series of cassette tape demos and full release albums on Sillaste’s own Shadow recording label. The first CD release was “Work Terminal” in 1992, which was distributed in North America under the Death of Vinyl label and in Europe on Germany’s Hyperium Records label. The band’s final release was the “Combat!” EP in 1997, which contained mainly remixed material from previous releases.

Out in 4 weeks from now is the 2nd volume in a vinyl reissue/remix series by Toronto’s Digital Poodle: “Revision! Vol2 – Soul Crush”. “Soul Crush” was an underground hit in EBM/alternative clubs around the world especially via Zoviet France’s Virtual Mix which was a live-in-studio jam between Digital Poodle and :zoviet*france:.

You can order the vinyl versions of “Revision! Vol1 – Work Terminal” (back and red vinyl) and “Revision! Vol2 – Soul Crush” right here!

The tracklist of this 4 track vinyl release:

1. Soul Crush
2. Soul Crush (Adam X Revision)
3. Soul Crush (Zoviet France Virtual Mix)
4. Soul Crush (Manie Sans Délire Revision)

Here’s the original version:

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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