Belgian EBM act A Split-Second, electronic music pioneer Dirk Ivens and German project The Invincible Spirit share the stage at Club Volta in Cologne, Germany, on Saturday, March 27, 2027. Each act performs a full-length headline set. Tickets are on sale now.

A Split-Second was founded in Belgium in 1985 by Marc Ickx and helped shape early EBM and the Belgian new beat movement, with tracks including “Flesh,” “Rigor Mortis,” “Firewalker” and “On Command.” The band’s Cologne appearance is billed as a best-of set covering its catalogue.

Dirk Ivens performs a set spanning four decades of his work with DIVE, The Klinik, Absolute Body Control and Blok 57, moving across projects rather than concentrating on one. He is joined onstage by Jan Dewulf of Mildreda, who also worked with Ivens on DIVE’s album “Where Do We Go From Here?”

The Invincible Spirit, the long-running project of German musician Thomas Lüdke, completes the bill. Founded in 1986, the project built its reputation on the debut single “Push!”, built around a bassline still played on EBM dancefloors.

Event details for the Cologne EBM night

The show takes place at Club Volta, Schanzenstrasse 6-20, 51063 Cologne, Germany. Doors open at 18:00, with the first set starting at 19:00. Tickets and event information are available now.

About A Split-Second, Dirk Ivens and The Invincible Spirit

A Split-Second was formed in Belgium in 1985 by Marc Ickx and became one of the acts associated with the birth of EBM and the Belgian new beat scene, releasing tracks such as “Flesh,” “Rigor Mortis,” “Firewalker” and “On Command” that remain in circulation among EBM audiences today.

Dirk Ivens has worked across several projects since the early 1980s, including DIVE, The Klinik, Absolute Body Control and Blok 57, and is regarded as one of Belgium’s pioneering figures in minimal electronic and industrial music. For the Cologne show he performs alongside Jan Dewulf of Mildreda, his collaborator on DIVE’s album “Where Do We Go From Here?”

The Invincible Spirit was founded in 1986 by German musician Thomas Lüdke and became a fixture of the EBM scene from its debut single, “Push!” The three acts’ joint appearance at Club Volta brings together close to four decades of EBM history in a single evening.

Britta Pirkko

For almost 15 years I’ve been writing about music, interviewing artists and reviewing releases for Peek-A-Boo Magazine. Recently, I also launched my own WordPress website, where I continue to share interviews, reviews and news from the underground scene. The darker side of music has been part of my life for more than 30 years, with a passion for everything from ’80s synthpop and New Wave to EBM, Futurepop and dark electronic music in general. Also Metal and Rock is part of my world. Away from the scene, I work in a public library, where books are part of my everyday life. I enjoy both fiction and non-fiction, especially books on politics, religion, health and travel. I’m also a fan of thrillers and horror films. When I’m not listening to music or reading, you’ll usually find me exploring nature, enjoying a good sauna, experimenting with vegan cooking, or travelling to my second home, Finland. I’ve always believed the underground has the best stories. My job is simply to help tell them

Suicide Commando, the Belgian electro-industrial project of Johan Van Roy, released its debut album Critical Stage on 1 August 1994 through the German label Off Beat. The CD turns 32 this year.

“Critical Stage” contains 12 tracks, all written and performed by Van Roy, recorded and mixed by Eric Van Wonterghem at E.M.P.-studio. Cover design and layout came from Beyond > Mixed Data and Koen Cant. Track ten, “Where Do We Go From Here?”, carries voice and lyrics by Dirk Ivens, known from Dive, The Klinik and Absolute Body Control. Off Beat, a division of the German company Westcom, distributed the album through SPV GmbH.

The original CD is out of print. The album can be streamed today via Bandcamp as part of “The Suicide Sessions 1 (Critical Stage)”, a 2011 reissue that restores the original twelve tracks alongside eleven bonus recordings. Out Of Line reissued “Critical Stage” separately on limited red and yellow vinyl in 2025.

About Suicide Commando

Johan Van Roy started experimenting with electronic music in Belgium in 1986 under the name Suicide Commando. His first tape followed two years later, and a track from it appeared on the vinyl compilation “Electronic.” After several more self-released tapes, Off Beat signed Van Roy, and Suicide Commando’s debut album, “Critical Stage,” followed in 1994.

A second album, “Stored Images,” arrived in 1995 and included “See You in Hell.” In 1996, Van Roy marked the project’s tenth anniversary with the compilation “Contamination.” “Construct-Destruct” and its companion release “Reconstruction” followed in 1998, carrying the club tracks “Desire” and “Better Off Dead.”

Van Roy co-founded the label Dependent in 1999. Suicide Commando’s next studio album, “Mindstrip” (2000), reached number one on the German Alternative Charts and was licensed for North America by Metropolis Records. Dependent also released the singles “Hellraiser” and “Comatose Delusion,” the EP “Love Breeds Suicide,” and the 2002 compilation “Anthology.” The 2003 album “Axis of Evil” was voted album of the year by the Deutsche Alternative Charts.

“Bind, Torture, Kill” followed in 2006, preceded by the single “Godsend + Menschenfresser,” and reached number one on the DAC albums chart. Suicide Commando marked its 20th anniversary in 2007 with the “X20” boxset, including a remix disc, a “best of” disc, the “Fuck You Bitch” EP and the project’s first live DVD. In 2009, Van Roy signed with the German label Out Of Line, starting with the 7″ “Severed Head / Until We Die.” The album “Implements of Hell” followed in 2010, again licensed to Metropolis Records in the US.

In 2011, Suicide Commando reissued its first three studio albums, “Critical Stage,” “Stored Images” and “Construct-Destruct,” as the six-CD box “The Suicide Sessions,” each remastered and paired with a disc of bonus and previously unreleased material. “When Evil Speaks” followed in 2013, led by the single “Attention Whore” and reaching number 47 on the German Media Control Charts. “Forest of the Impaled” (2017) included “The Pain That You Like,” a single featuring Jean-Luc De Meyer of Front 242 as guest vocalist, and reached number 28 on the same chart. Suicide Commando released the album “Goddestruktor” in 2022. For live shows, Van Roy performs alongside Torben Schmidt on keyboards and Mario Vaerewijck on drums. “Critical Stage,” the album that started the project’s studio discography, turns 32 on 1 August.

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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The Belgian trio Motor!k returns with their fifth EP, simply titled “5”. Featuring Joeri Dobbeleir, Dries D’Hollander, and Belgian Electro/Industrial legend Dirk Ivens, the EP offers 6 brand-new tracks. Stylistically, the band stays true to their established sound, delivering pure instrumental music often classified as Krautrock. The EP blends psychedelic guitars, dynamic drum sections, and mesmerizing electronic elements into a captivating, almost transcendental experience. Despite its dark, powerful atmosphere and psychedelic undertones, “5” feels more suited for wild dancing than laid-back lounging. With the exception of one weaker track, the EP delivers some of the band’s strongest material yet, making “5” arguably Motor!k’s best release to date. (Rating:8½).

Listen to “Shadows”:

About Motor!k

Motor!k is a Belgian Krautrock formation set up in 2018 by Joeri Dobbeleir (guitar and synths), Dries D’Hollander (drums) and Dirk Ivens (guitar and effects). Ivens is also known from The Klinik and Absolute Body Control, while D’Hollander previously drummed for Suburb Songs, one of Dobbeleir’s earlier bands.

The trio released its self-titled debut album in 2019 on Out Of Line, followed by the albums “Motor!k 2”, “3” and “4”. In 2021, Joeri Dobbeleir talked about the band’s formation and working methods in Side-Line’s Click Interview with MOTOR!K.

“5”, released in 2024 as a digital, CD and vinyl release on Out Of Line, is the trio’s fifth release and includes the track “Shadows”.

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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The Belgian electro-pop duo Metroland returns with a new 3-track single, “Industry”, which is a teaser for their forthcoming conceptual album, “Forum”, slated for release later in 2024.

For this single the duo collaborated with Motor!k (Dirk Ivens side-project) and AK/DK. Complementing the EP is a video clip crafted by Passenger S.

The new single is available for immediate download from Bandcamp. Check out the single below.

And this is the video.

Side-Line also covered Metroland’s ‘Forum’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Rhythmic-Noise, Industrial.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Dirk Ivens (Klinik, Dive, Absolute Body Control, Mororik ao) and Eric Van Wonterghem (Monolith, Absolute Body Control, Klinik, Insekt ao) are back on track unleashing the ninth Sonar-album in history. “Future Cries” comes twenty seven years after the self-titled debut-album (when Patrick Stevens of Hypnoskull was involved and later on replaced by Eric Van Wonterghem) and nine years after their previous full length (cf. “Shadow Dancers”). It also is the first album released by Hands.

Content: It all feels like years have no impact on the sonic ogre called Sonar. The Belgian duo bring us back to the essence of heavy, merciless, Rhythmic-Noise. Hypnotic noise sequences and distorted rhythms are leading listeners into a frenetic dance although the work also features ‘softer’ and rather Minimal driven cuts. “Future Cries” features 12 short but raw, brutal, cuts.

+ + + : Definitely the most ‘extreme’ common project of Ivens – Van Wonterghem but also with a similar chemistry as for Absolute Body Control. This album will appeal to the early lovers of the project and also for a wider Industrial audience preferring a ‘softer’ and more minimalistic approach. I like the ‘no compromises’ attitude of Sonar; you’re either  going to like it or not. There’s no way in between but I experienced this album as more diversified. It’s not just brutal Noise power but still more ‘controlled’ tracks like the great “You Get Yours” and “Turn You On”. “Elevator” sounds more into the ‘early’ style and will just blow you away.

– – – : Sonar has always composed short cuts and that’s sometimes a pity when listening to a great track. It however remains a ‘heavy’ sound format reminding Industrial music from the 90s.

Conclusion: “Future Cries” stands for a heavy and murderous come-back of Sonar.

Best songs: “Turn You On”, “You Get Yours”, “Elevator”, “Modern Touch”, “Hold On”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/TheKlinikDiveSonarAbsoluteBodyControl

Label: www.handsproductions.com / www.facebook.com/hands.official

About Sonar

Sonar is a Belgian duo of Dirk Ivens and Eric Van Wonterghem, both also active in Absolute Body Control, with Ivens known for Klinik and Dive and Van Wonterghem for Monolith. Patrick Stevens of Hypnoskull was involved on Sonar’s self-titled debut album before Van Wonterghem took his place. “Future Cries” is the ninth Sonar album, arriving twenty seven years after that debut and nine years after “Shadow Dancers”, and is the project’s first release through Hands.

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

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.

www.side-line.com

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 Read the news on ‘Transcendent’.

About Solitary Experiments

Solitary Experiments formed in 1994 in Frankfurt (Oder), Germany, and later settled in Berlin-Friedrichshain. Founders Michael Thielemann and Dennis Schober initially recorded under the name Plague before adopting the Solitary Experiments name. Vocalist Dana Apitz featured on the band’s first two demo tapes, “Risque De Choc Electrique” (1996) and “Death in Small Doses” (1998), before Steve Graeber joined on keyboards; Frank Glassl serves as live e-drummer.

The band signed to Maschinenwelt Records in 1999 and released its debut album, “Final Approach”, the same year. It was followed by “Paradox” (2000), “Advance Into Unknown” (2003), and “Mind Over Matter” (2005).

Solitary Experiments released its eighth studio album, “Transcendent”, via Out Of Line in 2022, featuring guest vocalists Dirk Ivens and Elena Alice Fossi alongside additional singers and remixers.

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: Krautrock.

Format: Digital, Vinyl.

Background/Info: After having released three successful albums on Out Of Line the Belgian trio Motor!k strikes back with this four track “Odyssey” released on ant-Zen.

Content: Joeri Dobbeleir, Dirk Ivens and Dries D’hollander are moving on exploring the sonic paths of Krautrock. “Odyssey” clearly sounds like a continuation of previous works although with an extra, and more explicit, Electro touch on top.

+ + + : The songs are short and especially both debut cuts creating a transcendental sensation. The repetitive guitar playing is moving into a crescendo leading the listener into a psychedelic trip or simply trance. They also bring Krautrock alive while adding something extra to the great Ant-Zen label roster.

– – – : I regret the songs aren’t a bit more extended -especially when you feel this hypnotic sensation. The B-side cuts are less convincing.

Conclusion: “Odyssey” sounds like a great and inoffensive trip; music remains the best drug ever and Motor!k is slowly creating an addictive feeling in me.

Best songs: “Drift”, “Odyssey”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/MOTORIKBELGIUM

Label: www.ant-zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official

Listen to “Drift”:

About Motor!k

Motor!k is a Belgian krautrock band formed in 2018 by Joeri Dobbeleir, Dries D’Hollander, and Dirk Ivens, the latter also known for Dive, The Klinik, and Absolute Body Control.

The trio released its self-titled debut album on Out Of Line in 2019, followed by “Motor!k 2” in 2020 and “3” in 2022. The four-track EP “Odyssey”, featuring “Drift” and the title track, followed on Ant-Zen in September 2022.

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

Coming up is the third single of the upcoming album “Transcendent” by the future pop act Solitary Experiments. “The Great Unknown” features Elena Alice Fossi, the Italian singer of Kirlian Camera / Spectra*Paris.

Regarding the upcoming album “Transcendent”, for the first time in the almost 30-year band history, frontman Dennis Schober welcomes guest singers for a Solitary Experiments album.

On the band’s 8th album Dennis Schober invited Kirlian Camera singer Elena Alice Fossil and Dirk Ivens. On the bonus disc we find four new songs with four guests (In Strict Confidence’s Nina De Lianin, Vanguard’s Patrik Hansson, Me the Tiger’s Gabriella Åström and Beyond Obsession’s Nils Upahl). It also holds 5 additional remixes of album tracks plus 3 more remixes of earlier tracks.

Also to be released is deluxe set holding and exclusive bonus CD with further collaborations. We checked the tracklist and found the following guys singers: Helix, Julia Beyer, Adam is a Girl, Schmoun, Omnimar, Foretaste and Distorted Reality.

The new album will be out on October 28th.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Out on October 28th is the all new Solitary Experiments album “Transcendent”, their 8th so far. The first print of the album comes as 2CD digibook edition. On the album frontman Dennis Schober invited two guest singers, Kirlian Camera singer Elena Alice Fossil and Dirk Ivens.

On the bonus disc we find four new songs with four guests (In Strict Confidence’s Nina De Lianin, Vanguard’s Patrik Hansson, Me the Tiger’s Gabriella Åström and Beyond Obsession’s Nils Upahl). It also holds 5 additional remixes of album tracks plus 3 more remixes of earlier tracks.

Also to be released is deluxe set holding and exclusive bonus CD with further collaborations. We checked the tracklist and found the following guys singers: Helix, Julia Beyer, Adam is a Girl, Schmoun, Omnimar, Foretaste and Distorted Reality.

Check out the video for the album track “Wonderland”. Read the review of ‘Transcendent’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: EBM, Industrial.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Belgian formation KNK has been busy for a couple of years and has released a few productions.

Content: The band claims to compose ‘dead body music’ and that’s a rather appropriate title for the music they compose. It sounds dark and even tormented; now and then reminding me of the bass lines of Pouppée Fabrikk and next experimenting with Industrial sound treatments reminding me of Dive. I noticed 90s EBM influences but also haunted atmospheres.One of the songs features female vocals by Hilde Ivens (sister of Dirk Ivens).

+ + + : The main strength of this formation is that they’re striving for an own sound. It’s EBM, but with an explicit dark -and ‘dead’, approach. The opening cut perfectly stands for the KNK sound.

– – – : Some songs could have been more elaborated while the sound production is suffering from a lack of professionalism.

Conclusion: I’m not totally convinced, but KNK has something different -maybe unique, from other EBM bands, which incites me to keep an eye on this band.

Best songs: “Bleak Sunset”, “Lifeless”, “Minimal”.

Rate: 7.

Artist: www.facebook.com/knk8888

Listen to “Dead Body Music IV: The head on the floor”:

About KNK

KNK, also written KnK, is an EBM and industrial duo from Antwerp, Belgium, formed in 2015 by Deejee Ko-en and Koen Vanderstappen. The project takes its name from the two members’ shared first name and describes its own output as “dead body music”, a term it has used as an album title since the start.

The duo began with self-produced CDR releases. Dirk Ivens picked those up for his Daft Records label and issued them in 2016 as “Dead Body Music I + II”. “Dead Body Music III” followed in October 2018.

“Dead Body Music IV: The head on the floor” was released on 1 June 2022 and is available through the Fear the Light Underground productions Bandcamp page. The album runs eight tracks, opening with “Bleak sunset” and continuing through “Angry young girl”, “Chains of love”, “Bloodlust”, “Lifeless”, “The head on the floor”, “In a dream” and “Minimal”. Hilde Ivens, sister of Dirk Ivens, contributes female vocals to one of the songs.

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: Krautrock.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: This is the third (mini)-album by Belgian Motor!k trio. Joeri Dobbeleir, Dirk Ivens (Dive) and Dries D’Hollander bring us six new songs which have been announced as different from their previous works.

Content: I can’t say the work is totally different, but it sounds more Electronic than previous productions. The electronic treatments are even predominant on some tracks while the guitar playing is more prominent at the end creating a sonic climax and cataclysm. You’ll also notice more relaxing passages while the last cut has something Cinematic-like and is driven by a superb melody line. The production remains instrumental.

+ + + : Both debut cuts are powerful, but I especially like the way both cuts have been progressively built up to end in a sonic orgasm. This work also sounds more Electro driven, which creates a better balance with the Psychedelic guitar playing. I also have to mention the last song for its beautiful melody line and Cinematic sensation.

– – – : The softer side of the work (cf. “Hourglass”, and “Unisono”) unfortunately isn’t the most convincing one. It’s too long without a true apotheosis.

Conclusion: Motor!k remains one of the most unique bands from the Out Of Line roster. They don’t only bring something different, but also something sexy.

Best songs: “Socrates”, “Stunden”, “Reflections”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/MOTORIKBELGIUM

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

Listen to “3”:

About Motor!k

Motor!k is a Belgian Krautrock trio set up in 2018 by Joeri Dobbeleir on guitar and synths, Dries D’Hollander on drums and Dirk Ivens on guitar and effects. Dobbeleir and Ivens live in the same town; Ivens had released the debut album by Dobbeleir’s other band, The Whereabouts Of J. Albert, in 2017. The two started jamming with a drum computer and a bass sequencer before asking D’Hollander, previously the drummer in Dobbeleir’s early band Suburb Songs, to join.

In a Click Interview with Side-Line, Dobbeleir named NEU!, Harmonia and Wire as reference points and described the working method: he writes the basic synth and guitar tracks at his home studio, sends demos to Ivens and D’Hollander, and the trio then jams the songs into shape, with drums and guitars recorded in their rehearsal room and mixing handled at D’Hollander’s place.

The self-titled debut album appeared in 2019 on Out Of Line, a label better known for dark electronics, EBM and electro-pop, and “Motor!k 2” followed in 2021. “3” was released on 13 May 2022 on Out Of Line as a six-track record running about 39 minutes: “Stunden”, “Socrates”, “Hourglass”, “Unisono”, “Zug” and “Reflections”. It was issued digitally, on CD and as an LP-plus-CD set, keeping to the band’s stated aim of an album a year.

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: Dark-Electro, Industrial.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Mildreda is the Dark-Electro/Industrial project of Jan Dewulf. While he was already active with this project during the 90s he mainly got recognition with the Electro-Pop project Diskonnekted while he, in the past few years, was more active with the Goth/Wave formation Your Life On Hold. He now strikes back with the fourth full length of Mildreda, which also is the first one released on CD format.

Content: Jan Dewulf reveals a rather diversified piece of work, which is however dominated by Dark-Electro sound sculptures. Some songs are supported by dark, melodic strings while other pieces are more into Industrial elements. I also noticed a few cuts mixing Dark-Electro and Industrial together with overwhelming epic arrangements. Notice by the way you’ll hear Dirk Ivens (Jan composed the music for the last Dive album) and Cyan (The Eternal Afflict) singing on two songs while Don Gordon (Numb) contributed to the production of one cut.

+ + + : The album reveals different influences, but Mildreda took me by surprise with “Liaisons Dangereuses” (there also is a great clip of this song) and “Erased” featuring Don Gordon. The epic/orchestral arrangements running through both cuts are absolutely impressive, creating a kind of new Dark-Electro dimension. It’s an imaginary hybrid between Yelworc and In Slaughter Natives. I also have to mention the Industrial-driven “Echoes” featuring Dirk Ivens, which sounds like a more elaborated Dive-song. The last part of the album also reveals 3 brilliant songs. “Blame It On The Moon” features the charismatic voice of Cyan. “Opposite Choice” is accomplished with a Techno touch and “Dream Machine” sounds like a great final track. Last, but not least I also have to say a word about the great ghost-like vocals’ production of Jan Dewulf, which matches this sound.

– – – : The album has something versatile and I regret there are no more Orchestral/Epic driven songs. Both debut cuts are a little bit hesitant, but quite progressively this album reveals great surprises.

Conclusion: Jan Dewulf has already done promising things in his career, but this Mildreda album might be his best work ever!

Best songs: “Liaisons Dangereuses”, “Opposite Choice”, “Erased”, “Dream Machine”, “Blame It On The Moon”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.mildreda.com / www.facebook.com/officialmildreda

Label: www.dependent.de / www.facebook.com/dependent.records

About Mildreda

Mildreda is the Belgian dark electro project of producer, vocalist and songwriter Jan Dewulf from Ostend. It started in the mid-1990s, when Dewulf, influenced by Belgian acts such as The Klinik, began working with synthesizers and home-recording equipment. The self-released cassette “II Castrato” appeared in 1995, followed by “De Laffe Denker” in 1996. Dewulf later put the project on hold and concentrated on Diskonnekted, and from 2017 on the gothic rock band Your Life On Hold, whose album Echoes From The Bardo Side-Line reviewed in April 2021.

Mildreda returned in 2016 with the digital compilation “Coward Philosophy” on Alfa Matrix. After signing with Dependent Records, the project released “I Was Never Really There” on 20 August 2021 on CD and as a download, its first physical album. The eleven tracks include “Echoes” with Dirk Ivens, “Blame It On The Moon” with Cyan of The Eternal Afflict and “Erased” with Don Gordon of Numb; Claus Larsen of Leaether Strip mastered the album. “Reinvention Of Pain”, “Liaisons Dangereuses” and “Inner Judgement” were issued as singles the same year.

The concept album Blue-Devilled followed in December 2023, and the double album “Realities” on 28 August 2026, again on Dependent; Dewulf discussed it in the Mildreda interview published by Side-Line. The live line-up consists of Jan Dewulf and Christophe “Salva” Salvatore. “I Was Never Really There” is the album that started the Dependent period.

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: EBM, Dark-Electro, Minimal-Electro.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Laughter is a German duo set up in 2002! I can’t remember having heard of the band before, but it seems they originally started with Electro-Pop orientated songs and progressively evolved towards ‘harder’ compositions. The self-released “The Dark Wave” features four songs.

Content: The songs remind me of good-old 12” with an A- & B-side. Both songs from the A-side are more into Electro-Minimalism with an Industrial touch on top. The production of the vocals reminds me a bit of Dirk Ivens. The title song has been empowered with some guitar riffs. Both B-side tracks are more into EBM and remind me a bit of Paranoid. This is the harder side of the duo.

+ + + : I like EP’s featuring 4 different cuts; that’s a somewhat retro format I really like and, which gives the opportunity to get a better idea about the potential of a band instead of listening to EP’s with endless remixes. I also discovered a band with great composing skills; they maybe don’t deal with innovative ideas, but have a nose to create great, cold atmospheres and efficient EBM. There’s something to say about the 4 songs, but I have a little preference for both EBM-cuts.

– – – : I regret to have not heard of this formation before!

Conclusion: “The Dark Wave” is an EP, which will catch the attention of EBM and Dark-Electro lovers. I hope to hear more upcoming stuff from this band!

Best songs: “Everything Is Fine”, “Break A Man”, “Dark Wave”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.laughter-music.de / www.facebook.com/laughter.music

About Laughter

Laughter is a duo from Wuppertal, Germany, founded in 2002. According to its Bandcamp biography the project developed from synthpop towards EBM and dark wave before starting over in 2021. The members’ names are not published on the band’s Bandcamp page, and no Discogs profile for the act was found at the time of writing.

The three-track digital release “Early Worx”, holding “Flashback”, “Drown (2010)” and “No Chance To Hide”, appeared on 17 February 2021 as a document of the earlier material. “The Dark Wave” followed on 25 March 2021 as a self-released download, with the four tracks “Dark Wave”, “Flashback”, “Everything Is Fine” and “Break A Man”. No production credits are listed on the Bandcamp page. In December 2021 the duo posted “Heaven (Demo)”, announced as a song for a next album.

“The Dark Wave” is the band’s first Side-Line review.

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: Minimal-Electro, Electro-Wave.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl, Cassette.

Background/Info: Dirk Ivens (Dive, Klinik, Sonar, Motor!k ao) and Eric Van Wonterghem (Monolith, Sonar, Insekt ao) have known each other for quite a long time and began making music together in 1980 as Absolute Body Control. The Belgian band hasn’t released that much new stuff in quite a long time, but are now back on track unleashing six new tracks, which have been released in different formats by different labels.

Content: “Waving Goodbye” is the opening track, which reminds me of the early years and probably the biggest hit of the duo, “Is There An Exit?”. There’s a similar icy sphere and vintage sound treatments with Ivens’ very own timbre of voice on top. This is Electro-Wave from the good-old days and both artists perfectly know how to bring this unique atmosphere alive. The songs are short, dark and evasive, but sometimes also pretty Experimental. There also is a short instrumental cut.

+ + + : Absolute Body Control takes us back in time, like bringing the 80s back to life and no one else but Absolute Body Control knows how to emulate this unique sphere. The typical sound of the good-old rhythm box and cold strings are pure 80s like. The main strength of the production hides in its simplicity. “Waving Goodbye” is a really great song, but I also have to mention “Earth Takes A Break”.

– – – : Some of the tracks are more Experimental and aren’t exactly my favorites. If you buy the vinyl you’ll hear a great A side and 3 less convincing cuts on the B side.

Conclusion: It’s good to see Absolute Body Control striking back with their pure retro driven Minimal-Electro-Wave style.

Best songs: “Waving Goodbye”, “Earth Takes A Break”, “Empty Cities”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/AbsoluteBodyControl

Labels: www.facebook.com/Wool.E.Tapes / www.mecanica-records.com / www.facebook.com/mecanicarecords / www.noisedemocracyrecords.com / www.facebook.com/NoiseDemocracyRecords

About Absolute Body Control

Absolute Body Control is the minimal-synth duo of Dirk Ivens (also of Dive, Klinik, Sonar and Motor!k) and Eric Van Wonterghem (also of Monolith), who began working together in Belgium in 1980. The pair released the single “Is There An Exit ? / I’m Leaving” and a self-titled album in 1981, followed by “Numbers” (1982), “Figures” (1983) and the live album “Live” (1984). After a long hiatus the duo returned with “Tracks” (1989) and “Eat This” (1993). Side-Line covered the band’s 2015 flexidisc “Waving Hands” and the 2016 vinyl reissue of “Wind(Re)Wind” with extra tracks. “A New Dawn”, released in March 2021 to mark the band’s 40th anniversary, brought the duo back with its first new material in over a decade, issued across vinyl, CD and cassette through Mecanica, Noise Democracy Records and Wool-E Tapes.

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 via Mecanica on July 20th is a 4LP and 2CD reissue of the Absolute Body Control collection “Lost / Found”. “Lost / Found” holds a total of 52 songs including 8 previously unreleased tracks.

The 4LP version is limited to 1,000 copies with 4 records inside individual sleeves, insert and numbered certificate. The 2CD digipak version is limited to 500 copies on vinyl record gatefold sleeve replica with 2 individual printed inner sleeves.

About Absolute Body Control

Absolute Body Control was formed by Dirk Ivens in 1980 influenced by the sound produced by the likes of Suicide, D.A.F. and the UK electronic scene. The project originally feature Marc De Jonghe (synths) and Veerle De Schepper (backing vocals), though Mark was replaced in 1981 by Eric Van Wonterghem, after the release of the debut 7″ “Is there an Exit?”.

The band split up in 1985.

Although they released a few cassettes, there was never a proper release on vinyl or CD. A compilation of tracks entitled “Eat this” was eventually compiled in 1993 and a first edition of the collection “Lost / Found” was issued on CD in 2005.

Dirk and Eric took the project back on stage in 2006 and decided to re-activate it. They first re-recorded some of their classic songs for the album “Wind[Re]Wind” and then continued releasing new material.

Side-Line also covered Absolute Body Control’s ‘Wind(Re)Wind’.

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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MOTOR!K is a Belgian Krautrock formation set up in 2018 by Joeri Dobbeleir  (guitar and synths), Dries D’Hollander (drums) and Dirk Ivens (guitar and effects). The Belgian trio released its self-named debut album in 2019 on Out Of Line. It was a rather surprising signature on the label, which is more familiar with Dark-Electronics, EBM, Electro-Pop and since a few years Metal music. MOTOR!K moved on unleashing a new album this year. The work sounds as a perfect offspring between Psychedelic guitar play, transcendental Electronic sound treatments and exciting drum patterns. Time for a chat with Joeri Dobbeleir.

(Picture credits by Danny Quintelier / Interview courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: How did you guys get in touch? We of course know Dirk Ivens from his numerous projects, but can you tell us a bit more about your background? 

Joeri: I’ve met Dirk many years ago because we live in the same town. In 2017 he released the debut album from my other band, The Whereabouts Of J. Albert. While meeting somewhere in 2018 we’ve decided to start a new band because of our mutual interest in the Krautrock-Kosmische Musik genre. Initially we jammed with a drum computer and a bass sequencer, but soon it was clear that we needed a more ‘human’ drum sound so I’ve asked Dries, who I also knew for many years and who was the drummer for Suburb Songs, one of my first bands. From the first rehearsal with 3 members it was clear that we’ve made the right decision. The fact that he also lives in the same town as Dirk and I made it even more appealing. Even our rehearsal room is nearby so it was easy to set up rehearsals and start working on the tracks.

Q: How do we have to understand MOTOR!K referring to the influences you incorporated and criteria when it comes to production? 

Joeri: Of course we have certain influences like NEU?, HARMONIA or WIRE, but above all we try to obtain our own sound production-wise. I feel that with every album we are reaching that goal even more. Most of the basic bass tracks, synths and overdubs are recorded in my home studio and the drums and guitars in the rehearsal room. The mixing of the 2 albums was done at Dries his place because he has these very great sounding vintage 70’s monitors. 

Q: Your music has been defined as Krautrock, which is a music genre evoking the German late 60s and 70s; the revolt of the students, the call for liberty, drugs etc. What does this period evoke to you and what does Krautrock –and its revival today, evoke to you? 

Joeri: Musically it is a very interesting period because of the pioneering work of bands such as NEU?, Tangerine Dream, ASH RA TEMPEL etc…

The revolting and 60’s hippie part  is least interesting to us, it’s only the love for the music. 

The bands who are playing today are more straight-forward, including us. There is a certain similarity  between all these ‘modern’ bands in the genre and that is this trance-evoking drive.

Q: I experienced your new work as more mature featuring more elaborated and accomplished songs. What’s your own perception about the evolution from the debut work towards “Motor!k 2”? 

Joeri: When we finished the first album we never took the stage as a band. Before recording the 2nd one we’ve played nearly all of the tracks live so they could grow on us. I think that’s the main difference. Our main goal is to improve with each new album. 

Q: What’s your way of working together and what’s the input of each member? What makes the chemistry between you all? 

Joeri: I write all the basic synth and guitar tracks and record them as some kind of demo. Then I send them to Dirk and Dries and afterwards we jam to get versions we all like. Dirk did most of the overdubs for the 2 albums on guitar and synth.

Dirk his role in the band is to make weird groovy noises on guitar and synth to make it all less ‘poppy’ and Dries is holding it all together with his minimal drumming and electronic percussion. My role in the band is to play more melodic guitar parts and creating guitar loops. Because each of us has a significant role in the band, that easily creates a chemistry between us.

Q: Bacause of Covid-19 pandemic bands no longer can play live. Is that the reason you released different clips from songs of the new work? Tell us a bit more about the clips and how do you see things evolving for MOTOR!K? 

Joeri: We only played one live streaming concert since the Covid-19 pandemic, which was a very strange thing to do, because we were used to play in clubs and at festivals packed with people. 

When playing live, the visual aspect is very important to us. That’s why we use strobo’s and moving visuals to enhance the Trance-like feel of the music. The clip for “Sundown” was created by Monade Li, who also took care of the layout of our album “2”. The one for “Ritual” was made by E. Gabriel Edvy from Blackswitch Labs (who also worked with Dirk before for Dive) and “Headlights” was done by Ingo Sporl. 

They all did a splendid job and we can’t thank them enough for putting so much effort in their work at these uncertain times. 

As we speak we are preparing the third album, which we hope to record in a few months. Our goal from the start was to release an album every year, so we stick to that promise to ourselves. When all gets back to how it was before we hope we can catch up playing many gigs and promote our albums.  Read the review of ‘Motor!k’.

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, Electro-Industrial, Industrial-Ambient.

Format: Digital, CD, Box (CD, Vinyl, Vinyl 7”)

Background/Info: Dirk Ivens (The Klinik, Absolute Body Control, Sonar, Motor!k) is back on track unleashing a new album of his sonic alter-ego Dive! Throughout the years he collaborated with soul mates Eric Van Wonterghem (The Klinik, Absolute Body Control, Sonar, Monolith, Detune-X) and Ivan Iusco (Nightmare Lodge). There also was an album in collaboration with Sigillum S while the previous full length (cf. “Underneath”) also featured Rafael M. Espinosa (Geistform). Dirk this time joined hands together with Jan Dewulf (Your Life On Hold, Diskonnekted, Mildreda). It’s not their first collaboration as Diskonnekted in 2006 released the “Frozen”-EP featuring Dirk Ivens.  

Content: It doesn’t really matter with who Dive collaborates with; Dive remains Dive! Driven by an Electro-Industrial sound and the spooky vocals of the artist, this new work is directly linked to the particular ‘dark’ and ‘industrial’ sound of the Belgian sound terrorist. I however have to say that this work is probably the darkest Dive-album ever; you simply can hear it the tormented atmospheres, which became pretty explicit at some more Ambient-driven songs in the midst of the work.

“Underneath” was the most sophisticated Dive work so far, but some tracks from this opus are even moving a step further. The drum patterns from some tracks have never been that complex; even featuring a kind of slow Industrial breakbeats at “Black Star”. This work is filled with anguishing spheres, little sonar bleeps and ‘Klinik’-al’ sequences. Notice by the way, the title song is also an early Suicide Commando track on, which Dirk sung while “Inside Your Head” is an original Monolith-song featuring Dirk as guest singer.

The EP featured at the ‘Box’-edition reveals “EP Versions” of the songs “Inside Your Head” and “Black Star” plus remixes by Numb and Suicide Commando.

+ + + : The “Frozen”-EP from Diskonnekted already was a song that could have been released as Dive, but “Where Do We Go From Here?” confirms there’s a real connection and chemistry between both artists. Jan Dewulf injected a refreshing –although tormented, touch to the Dive sound. It’s the darkest and most disturbing work to date, which is accentuated by 3 more ‘ambient’-driven pieces on, which some background drones are empowering the darkness mixed with Ivens’ spooky vocals. But the best passages clearly are the most danceable cuts like the brilliant opening song “Inside Your Head”, but also “Black Star” driven by an Industrial –although breakbeat inspired, cadence. The minimalism running through “Invisible” is another remarkable cut while the title-song –as the last track, reminds me of good-old Klinik. On top of the production you still will notice the charismatic vocal performance of Dirk Ivens. From the EP-tracks I especially recommend the elaborated remix of “Death Machine” (one of the so-called ‘Ambient’-cuts) by Don Gordon (Numb).

– – – : I’m not as convinced by the softer, Ambient-driven songs. The production of Ivens’ vocals remains absolutely great, but I now and then miss the more enraged, shouting way of singing from the early years. The Suicide Commando–remix from “Leave Me Be” couldn’t convince me; the tune being a bit simplistic and not adding a bonus to the song.

Conclusion: The first self-named Dive album was released in 1990 (!), but 30 years later the Belgian Industrial ‘dino’ is still kicking ass. The collaboration between Ivens and Dewulf opens perspectives for the future!

Best songs: “Inside Your Head”, “Black Star”, “Where Do We Go From Here”, “Invisible”, “Leave Me Be”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.dirkivens.com / www.facebook.com/TheKlinikDiveSonarAbsoluteBodyControl

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

About Dive

Dive is the solo alter-ego of Belgian artist Dirk Ivens, also known from The Klinik, Absolute Body Control, Sonar and Motor!k. Past Dive collaborators include Eric Van Wonterghem, Ivan Iusco and Sigillum S, with Rafael M. Espinosa featured on the previous album “Underneath”.

“Where Do We Go From Here?” pairs Ivens with Jan Dewulf, known from Your Life On Hold, Diskonnekted and Mildreda. The two had already worked together on Diskonnekted’s 2006 EP “Frozen”, which featured Ivens as a guest. The album was released in December 2020 on Out Of Line in digital, CD and a limited box edition combining CD and vinyl formats.

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: Krautrock, Psychedelic Electro-Rock, Experimental.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: One year after their self-titled debut release the Belgian Motor!k trio is back on track unleashing six new songs. Motor!k is the sonic brainchild of Joeri Dobbeleir  (guitar and synths), Dries D’Hollander (drums) and Dirk Ivens (guitar and effects). Especially the presence of Dirk Ivens (The Klinik, Dive, Absolute Body Control, Sonar ao) is quite surprising, but Motor!k definitely seems to be an extra project in his long career.

Content: I have to admit I wasn’t totally convinced after the debut work. The band defines their sound as Krautrock, which is probably the correct definition although it’s more accessible than numerous projects in this genre. The songs are once again instrumental edits revealing a perfect harmony between the guitar  –which clearly injects the style of Motor!k, the crescendo going drums and electronics. The tracks are progressively built up and are sometimes reaching a Trance-like sensation. I also noticed a more Ballad-like experiment (cf. “Memoria”) while the last song (cf. “Penta”) is more into Electro, the sequences adding an extra dimension to the song.

+ + + : The global approach and influences are exactly similar to the previous work, but this new album (which is more a kind of mini-album) is definitely more efficient. It all feels like there’s a better balance between the sound layers. The guitar playing is the most essential element of the work creating an elevating effect. The opening cut “Tyrants” is a cool song illustrating this hypnotic feeling, but “Ritual” even moves a step further leading the listener into trance. “Ritual” also has something pretty sensual, which is an aspect I especially like in music. But there’s also something to say about “Sundown”, which has a more dark Cinematic appeal. The already mentioned last song “Penta” reveals explicit Electronic sound treatments, which are in perfect balance with the guitar and drums.

– – – : The softer “Memoria” is the only song from this work that can’t convince me. It probably also is the most Experimental one.

Conclusion: “Motor!k 2” took me by surprise revealing a pretty accessible sound and the huge potential of Motor!k.

Best songs: “Ritual”, “Penta”, “Sundown”, “Tyrants”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/MOTORIKBELGIUM

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

About Motor!k

Motor!k is a Belgian krautrock trio set up in 2018 by Joeri Dobbeleir (guitar and synths), Dries D’Hollander (drums) and Dirk Ivens (guitar and effects), the latter also known for The Klinik, Dive, Absolute Body Control and Sonar.

The trio released its self-titled debut album in 2019 on Out Of Line, followed by “Motor!k 2” in 2020, the “Odyssey” EP in 2022 on Ant-Zen, the albums “3” (2022) and “4” (2023), and “5” in 2024.

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

Despite of their French band name, Rue Oberkampf is a German formation set up in 2016. The trio started to release digital singles inspired by minimal electronics and composed with analogue gear. They next released the EP “Waveclash” (2018) on No Emb Blanc and the single “Sans Toi” (2019) on Circonstances Aggravantes. The debut album “Christophe-Philippe” was released by the end of 2019 on Young and Cold Records. It’s a truly masterpiece mixing minimal EBM together with electro-wave. I talked about the debut opus with the three band members. (Picture credits by KEYI Studio)

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: First of all there’s this intriguing band name, but also the title of the album and the nickname of your singer (Julia De Jouy), both inspired by the French naturalized German industrialist Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf. The idea for this name must have been during a trip in Paris, but what is it really all about and what do you know about the industrialist Oberkampf?

Julia: When I was a child, I used to go to Paris with my mom to visit my family. Being raised bilingual, I was disturbed by the name of this metro station called Oberkampf. The ‘Germanish’ word it sounded hard to me, but since I was in France, I didn’t understand the deeper meaning. When we were looking for a band name I remembered this weird name and street ‘Rue Oberkampf’. So it’s a combination of personal history, the German- French sounding name which is a bit provocative in German, but comes from a very admired and social personality in France: Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf.

He was a German cloth manufacturer who moved to France in the eighteenth century and created a very specific type of cloth, called toile de Jouy. My grandmother was a tailor and she used that material as well -so here’s my perfect pseudonym.

Q: Next there’s your music, but how did you get in touch with each other and what were the initial purposes and ideas about sound creation and music?

Damien: Each one of us had been playing around with analogue- or digital instruments for quite a while. We all knew each other since the early 2000s but we only had the idea to work on music together around 2016.

Michael: First, it was just all about having fun, but then we created this cover of Absolute Body Control’s “Melting Away“ (“Le Train”) and we definitely wanted to publish it. We posted a video and a few days later, Dirk Ivens shared it on his Facebook account – that was probably our point of no return…

Q: You music sounds inspired by vintage electronics composed with good-old analogue gear. How does your home studio(s) look like and is there a particular procedure in the writing of the songs? What’s the input of each member and is there someone taking the final decisions?

Damien: Our music definitely is inspired by vintage electronics and analogue gear! Most of the time, we’re working in my home studio in Passau. It’s not huge, but there’s place for my analogue gear like a Korg MS20, an Arp Odyssey, my Waldorf Pulse 2 and Micro Q, several analogue effects and my favorite one, a DSI Pro-2. The most important ‘gear’ are my two cats – the most analogue step sequencers we have.

Julia: We’re very lucky to have 3 places for music production. Like Damien said we have his home studio, a little home studio in Munich and the absolutely amazing Young and Cold Records studio in Augsburg with all those synths, a great mixing console and vocal booth. And of course, the lovely Young and Cold Team with Daniel Hallhuber and Marcel Leidenroth.

Michael: Usually, we start with a synth sequence. One of us, mostly Damien, creates a very first idea and then we iterate it together or one by one. We all work in the same amount on the whole production but sure, everyone has his/her ‘specialities’. Damien is very good in tweaking our synths’ knobs to the right sounds and creates awesome sequences. Julia is the queen of effect automation and drops…

Julia: …and Michael is great in building the right track structure and snappy drums.

Q: I think you were active as DJ’s before setting up Rue Oberkampf. What did you learn out of your DJ activities to compose your own music? And what’s your perception of DJ’s in the contemporary electro-underground scene?

Michael: That’s right, we’ve had several DJ projects by ourselves or also together -mostly in the dark underground. For my part, I also had my own Soul and Mod event in early 2000. As a DJ, I sure get my energy and motivation from the crowd on the dancefloor.

Julia: As a DJ in this scene (at least in southern Germany), you have to know your crowd very well and learn to predict which songs will work. You have to be able to do a right mix for all the lovers of those different sub-genres -at least if you’re interested in a full dancefloor. The less ‘gothy’ the crowd is, though, the less do people only dance to songs they know -that’s my experience.

Damien: When we’re producing new tracks, we automatically think about how ‘danceable’ a song is. Both because we love to dance and based on our experience as DJs.

Q: I noticed you’ve already (self)released several clips. What fascinates you in this universe? What’s the impact of clips today and what do you try to expose throughout the content?

Julia: For us, Rue Oberkampf always has been a multimodal experience. First of all, sure, there’s the music, but also the visuals/lights and the bass/percussion that goes through your whole body. I feel a very strong need to frame our tracks and songs into a visual body. By our light pyramid (live) and videos, we want to create a holistic experience of Rue Oberkampf. In addition, the video clips underline the meaning or general topic of the lyrics. We also get others’ view on our music by collaborating with other (video-)artists, which is really special for us (see “Es Versucht“, “Le Soir Bleu“ and “Tokyo“).

Michael: You also asked about the impact of the clips: even if the golden era of MTV is over, we realized that our tracks with video are spreading waaay better than those without. We hope that we’ll have enough time to create videos for everything we produced one day…

Q: Because of the Covid 19 pandemic all concerts and festivals have been cancelled/postponed, which I think must be really frustrating –and especially for a ‘new’ formation, when you’ve your first album out. What’s your feeling about the whole thing? What have you been doing during the lockdown and what brings the future?

Michael: On the one hand side, yes, it is quite frustrating, especially since this year would have been our first ‘international’ year. We were booked for shows in London, Leiria, Moscow and many others. You could say, that 2020 could have been ‘our year’! So sure, for our band live, this period is really depressing. But on the other side, there’s simply so many more important aspects now -health, having a great supporting network, a job etc.

Damien: We’re all pretty forward looking, so we try to make the best out of it and take some more time for working on new stuff, doing some interesting cooperations for which we would not have had the time in the ‘other’ 2020.

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 French label Unknown Pleasures Records, run by Pedro Peñas y Roble aka HIV+, stops its activities this summer. They are currently emptying their last stocks before closing for good. The label which started in 2013 was based in the south of France was dedicated to the production of material from the post-punk, minimal wave and EBM scene. Their final release is a Tribute to Death In June.

In the past the label has released albums of bands like Norma Loy, David Carretta, Blind Delon, Adan & Ilse, Hausfrau, Black Egg, European Ghost, Ono Scream, Antipole, Kill Shelter, Vogue Noir, Ohota, Wendy Bevan, Alek Drive, Art Kinder Industrie, Baroque, Maman Küsters, Japan Suicide, Follow Me Not, Der Himmel über Berlin, Dave Inox, Mr Nô, None, Velvet Kills, Selfishadows, Container 47, The Shyness Of Strangers, Secret Sight, La Main, Fluxus, Grand((Ø))Signal, Neon Electronics, Hardlab, Judith Juillerat, Monolog and Love In Prague.

The label has also worked and collaborated with several musicians such as Alan Vega, Gabi Delgado, Dirk Da Davo, Eric Van Wonterghem, Jurgen Engler, Richard 23, Patrick Codenys, Marc Hurtado, Arturo Lanz, The Hacker, Dirk Ivens, The Horrorist, Haujobb, Position Parallèle, John Lord Fonda, Dominique Nicolas, Marc Collin, Michaël Theis, Radical G, Növö, Millimetric, In Death It Ends, In Aeternam Vale, Sonic Area, Adriano Canzian, Alice Botte, Versari and many more.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Geert De Wilde started composing music under the IC 434 moniker in 1994. After some promising demos he released his first official album “Weathering Skies” (1996) on Dirk Ivens’ label Body Records. The album and the live performances both got a very positive response. Being considered as the Belgian answer to Calva Y Nada, Geert De Wilde moved on releasing “Dogondance” (1998) and “The Banished” (2002) both released on Body Records as well. After a hiatus of six years IC 434 got finally signed to Infacted Recordings unleashing the album “Bacteriate” (2008) and “Anhedonia” (2011). After this last opus the dark-electro & EBM project remained pretty silent, but from time to time you can see IC 434 on stage. The upcoming live show planned for February, 29^th, 2020 at the ‘Fetish Café’ in Antwerp is an opportunity to see this great artist back on stage again. It also incited me to ask Geert how things are evolving with IC 434.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: IC 434 will be again on stage at the end of February. You didn’t release any new work since the “Anhedonia”-album (2011) so how’s the project doing and what’s your personal evaluation from the past years?

Geert: I haven’t written any IC 434 songs since “Anhedonia”. Besides a few gigs and some work for side-project Skyshifter, my focus is on organizing non-related party events the last couple of years so IC 434 is in a deep sleep. Last year, I did a single concert for the 25 years of existence, and indeed, at the end of February I will be on stage in ‘Fetish Café’ in my hometown Antwerp, because that’s quite a unique location of course and the organizers are very kind and enthusiastic people. But don’t expect a complete revival.

Q: You’ve been involved with numerous side-projects (from Genocide to Temesta to Pangea to Obedience…), but here again, it all looks like these projects are in stand-by or no longer active. Did you get the feeling to have seen it all and what’s your perception about the evolution in the electronic scene?

Geert: It’s not that these projects were all complete different, for example Temesta and Pangea are just other names for the same thing, and Obedience was meant to be the new path for IC 434, but fate decided it was not meant to be. I’ve always been interested in a wide spectrum of musical styles and I also wanted to make different kinds of music, and earlier on I had the compulsive idea this was not possible all under the same moniker.

But honestly, I hardly know anything about the evolution of the dark electronic scene, answering your last question. The few songs I got to know recently kept me mostly completely indifferent. Probably this is partly a result of getting older, my complex personal life and as you said ‘having seen it all’. And at the same time, let’s compare the year 1980 to 2000 and then 2000 to 2020, and I think we all have to admit the evolution has become much less prominent in an objective manner.

Q: I’m in touch with a lot of artists and label owners and I often get the feeling some of them no longer enjoy what they’re doing and that makes me think to the title of your last album “Anhedonia”. Do you recognize this sensation and in, which way does it symbolize the world and society we’re actually living in?

Geert: Perhaps it’s not so strange you start to enjoy other things when you’re getting older. But there’s more going on I think. We live in an overstimulating world where everything goes faster and faster. We get a little taste of something new, and move on rapidly to the next because of the overwhelming amount of things to choose from. I think the resulting addiction to new stimuli makes your brain exhausted and leads to anhedonia without much doubt. Being heard in such a world as a musician or label owner is much harder than it was in the 20^th Century and as a result, reducing the joy.

Q: You’ve been always concerned about important topics such as death, social themes, but still about astronomy, nature, animal rights… It all looks like things are progressively evolving, some people (and even adolescents) getting aware about what’s happening with our planet, but at the other side others who don’t totally care about it. What’s your own perception and personal involvement?

Geert: In these social media times, everyone has his or her opinion on everything. The need to having an opinion seems to be more important than using valid arguments, because the ego gets more and more importance, which I see reflected in a lot of those same opinions. To me, the future does not seem very bright, on the contrary. There’s the environmental crisis that’s still neglected by the majority of people for reasons of mainly cognitive dissonance, and there’s also the growing importance of ‘believe’ (superstition, alternative medicine, astrology, religion…) based on not knowing how to interpret data and/or not knowing how to get to a valid conclusion based on those data, or it’s even just based on gut feeling. In both cases psychological mechanisms we all share are involved. The challenge is to be aware of those mechanisms and I am convinced they should be teached at school prior to many other things.

Q: What did you keep in mind from the early IC 434-years? What have been the major facts you’ll never forget? The biggest challenges? What makes you proud and what makes you sick? What brings the future?

Geert: I enjoyed the early years the most. The days I switched on my Korg M1 and the inspiration came faster than my fingers could translate it into music. Being proud of releasing the first demo tape. Not thinking about how people would react on the internet. Just taking care of the composition and not getting nuts in the mixing and mastering stage, what became the biggest challenge later on. During the years, it all became less spontaneous, and things in personal life did not help for sure. So many things happened in those 25 years that it’s just too much to describe, even if they’re really important in a positive or negative way. And now I have absolutely no idea what the future will bring for IC 434.

Q: Geert, I know you as a humble and discrete man and artist. You’re not the kind of guy who has the need to get in the spotlights or someone obsessed by ‘image’ and talking about his life on social media. What does (or did) music bring and maybe change to your life? Do you see music as something pure artistic or is it more than that?

Geert: I feel this as a compliment, but it hasn’t always made things easy because that’s not how our world generally works if you want to get somewhere. Although IC 434 has not been a priority for many years, music will probably always keep an important role in my life, just as it always did since I was 13. I’ve spent most part of my spare time in musical activities in one or another way. Creating songs, doing masterings for others, meeting friends on related activities, setting up events, going to concerts… It’s definitely more than something ‘just’ artistic, it’s about emotions and the will to express whatever I want to at a certain moment, even without words.

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: Krautrock, psychedelic-rock, experimental.

Background/Info: Motor!k is one of the newest signings from Out Of Line and definitely one of the most surprising ones. We all know Out Of Line is no longer a ‘pure’ electronic underground label, but has opened its sonic horizon during the past few years. Motor!k is a Belgian trio featuring Joeri Dobbeleir  (guitar and synths), Dries D’Hollander (drums) and last, but not least Dirk Ivens (guitar and effects). Dirk Ivens (Dive, The Klinik, Absolute Body Control, Sonbar ao) indeed is going back to his early ‘love’ to play guitar while this band is inspired by 70s krautock! This album has been released on cassette format by Wool-E Discs while Out Of Line took care for the CD and vinyl formats.  

Content: The work features 6 cuts so in the end it’s more like a mini-album. All songs are instrumentals revealing certain harmony between guitars, electronics and  drums. The sound is rather dark and often moves into psychedelic passages.

+ + + : This work is something like a challenge, but krautrock seems to become ‘hot’ again. After Daniel B. who’s fully experimenting with the genre and other less familiar artists, it’s now up to Dirk Ivens together with a completely new formation to start the experiment. I especially enjoyed the opening song “Static”, which is progressively evolving towards a truly apotheosis of guitars and electronic effects. It’s quite interesting to see this move back to krautrock as in a way it sounds refreshing although very old-school like. The guitar playing and especially the sensation it creates is really important for this kind of music and that’s precisely one of this band’s main strengths. 

– – – : The opening track is great, but all other cuts left can’t really give me a similar feeling.

Conclusion: You sometimes have to get back to somewhat forgotten music genres to create a refreshing effect. I’m not saying krautrock is totally back, but it all looks like the genre is starting a second life.

Best songs: “Static”, “Stellar”, “Colder”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/MOTORIKBELGIUM

Label: www.outofline.de  / www.facebook.com/outoflinelabel Read the news on ‘Motor!k’.

About Motor!k

Motor!k is a Belgian trio formed by Joeri Dobbeleir (guitar and synths), Dries D’Hollander (drums) and Dirk Ivens (guitar and effects), known for his work in Dive, The Klinik, Absolute Body Control and Sonbar. The project takes its cue from 1970s krautrock, with the debut album first released on cassette through Wool-E Discs before Out Of Line issued the CD and vinyl editions.

Motor!k continued with “Motor!k 2” in 2020, “3” and the “Odyssey” EP in 2022, and “5” in 2024.

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

Dive’s “True Lies” 1999 album gets a re-release on 2LP vinyl. The reissue comes as a limited edition of 550 copies on double blue vinyl with gatefold sleeve, printed inner sleeves and numbered card.

“True Lies” was originally released in 1999 on Daft Records and was produced by Ivan Iusco (Minus Habens Records, Nightmare Lodge) and Eric Van Wonterghem Insekt, Monolith).

“True Lies” is available here for the first time on vinyl with all original songs plus extra tracks from the singles “Two Faced Man” and “Broken Meat”, some old compilations and a bunch of cover versions to classics by Suicide, The Normal and The Klinik. You can order this set right here from Bandcamp!

Tracklist:

• A1. True Lies One
• A2. Sidewalk Sinner
• A3. Breathing
• A4. Give It To Me
• A5. Two Faced Man

• B1. Be Yourself
• B2. Dreamhunter
• B3. Voodoo Child
• B4. Are You Awake
• B5. True Lies Two

• C1. Waiting And Burning
• C2. Blindness
• C3. In The Glasshouse
• C4. The Human Race
• C5. Skullscraper

• D1. Obsession
• D2. Cheree
• D3. Warm Leatherette
• D4. Moving Hands
• D5. Ghostrider

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-industrial.

Background/Info: The legendary The Klinik front man last year struck back as Dive unleashing a great new opus entitled “Underneath”. One of the album’s hits “Let Me In” has been now released as EP-title song featuring 2 remixes of “Let Me In” plus 2 cuts. Notice by the way the EP is only available on vinyl format and of course as a digital release.

Content: “Let Me In” was remixed by Mildreda, the electro-industrial project of Belgian artist Jan Dewulf (known from Diskonnekted) and Attacke. Dewulf and Ivens know each other from the successful EP “Frozen”, which was released as Diskonnekted vs. Dirk Ivens. It sounded pretty Dive-like so Mildreda could only re-industrialize “Let Me In” in a hard cut. The remix by Attacke sounds pretty club-minded.

Both other and new cuts are the instrumental and more experimental-like “Hollie” plus a new Suicide cover version. Dive this time covered “I Remember” together with Alvar.

+ + + : “Let Me In” is the best choice as EP title song. The original electro-industrial cut was masterly remixed by Mildreda and Attacke. This song sounds like pure electro-industrial featuring the spooky vocals of Dirk Ivens together with great music carried by a terrific chorus.

– – – : I was less captivated by both other cuts. “Hollie” sounds like a pure B-side while the cover version of Suicide is not the best one I’ve heard from Dive. If you remember “Rocket USA” for example and you compare it with “I Remember” you’ll notice the hiatus. From a very personal point of view I think it also is a pity an artist like Dive no longer releases this kind of EP on CD format.

Conclusion: This maxi is a perfect opportunity to get back to the “Underneath” album, which remains a great album symbolizing the comeback of Dive after more than 10 years!

Best songs: “Let Me In – Attacke Remix”, “Let Me In – Extended Mildreda Version”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.dirkivens.com / www.facebook.com/TheKlinikDiveSonarAbsoluteBodyControl / www.facebook.com/dirk.ivens.3

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

Read the news on ‘Let Me In’.

About Dive

Dive is the solo alter-ego of Belgian artist Dirk Ivens, also known from The Klinik, Absolute Body Control, Sonar and Motor!k. Ivens released the album “Underneath” in 2017 on Out Of Line.

“Let Me In” collects two remixes of the title track plus two additional cuts: a rework by Mildreda, the project of Jan Dewulf, who also records as Diskonnekted, and a version by Attacke. Dewulf and Ivens had already worked together on Diskonnekted’s 2006 EP “Frozen”, which featured Ivens as a guest. Dive’s next album, “Where Do We Go From Here?”, paired Ivens again with Dewulf and appeared on Out Of Line in 2020.

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

Read the review of ‘Let Me In’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Suicide Commando is a long-time leading formation from the dark-electronic scene. The band is an important source of inspiration for numerous new bands. So I got the idea asking a question to artists who are or have been related to Johan Van Roy. What do they think about his music, about the man hiding behind the artist…

I got in touch with Torben Schmidt, Dirk Ivens, Jean-Luc De Meyer, Jan L., Nero Bellum, Markko Barientos and Sakis (aka SynthetiC).

Speaking for myself I got the opportunity to work with Johan on a common project called Toxic Shock Syndrome. That was quite a long time ago now, but all over the years Johan remained the same kind and accessible guy for which I can only express my admiration for the talented artist he is and my respect for the great person hiding behind the artist. There where some artists are ‘struggling’ with their egos, he simply remains himself…

(by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Torben Schmidt is the owner of Infacted Recordings, member of Lights Of Euphoria and Binnary Park plus long-time live member of Suicide Commando.

Q: We all know Johan Van Roy as an ‘artist’ and ‘performer’, but what kind of man is he behind the scenes?

Torben: I know Johan since more then 20 years now and I have to say that he is one of the most loyal and kind guys I ever met. In fact he turned from an artist I respect into a real friend. We experienced so many cool things in the last 17 years being a part of his band which really made us friends. I’m really happy that I got to know him and that we had the chance to expand our friendship.

Dirk Ivens is a living legend of the electronic underground scene, front man of The Klinik, but still involved with Dive, Sonar, Absolute Body Control… he also was a source of inspiration for Suicide Commando.

Q: The Klinik definitely was one of the main sources of inspiration for Suicide Commando. How much of The Klinik do you recognize in Suicide Commando?

Dirk: It looks like more than 30 years after the release of the first album of The Klinik that these songs are still very much alive and were a big inspiration for a lot of bands during the years.. including Suicide Commando. Johan was one of them and especially his early work before he developed and finally found his own musical touch.

Jean-Luc De Meyer is the singer of the pioneers of EBM, the one and only Front 242! He’s also involved with 32 Crash, Underviewer and Modern Cubism. Jean-Luc De Meyer did some guest vocals on the song “The Pain That You Liked”, which was originally released as EP and featured on the newest Suicide Commando album as well.

Q: Jean-Luc, you already sung in multiple projects and did multiple guest vocals, but I never expected you singing on a song of Suicide Commando. What kind of experience was it for you and what’s your perception of the Suicide Commando sound?  

Jean-Luc: I’m not that sociable you know so I lately met Johan, maybe 3 or 4 years ago now. But I’d seen numerous concerts of Suicide Commando before. Singing on “The Pain That You Like” was a rather easy job because music and lyrics both were already written and I only had to interpret the song. It was quite simple and a bit of an evidence for me as I felt like a fish in the water singing on this kind of music…

Jan L is for sure another leading artist from the electronic underground scene. From Noisuf-X to X-Fusion to Stoppenberg he ever ever set up Kombat Unit together with Johan Van Roy.

Q: You ever set up Kombat Unit together with Johan Van Roy. What did you keep in mind from this experience and what’s your perception of Johan Van Roy as an artist/performer?

Jan L: Yes, we started Kombat Unit some time ago.. and we had a lot of fun making music together. We both have very different ways of working.. but it worked very well in the end, even if we only finished 2 songs. Our problem was only our lack of time. That´s why we stopped with Kombat Unit.

You maybe know that we both know each other since a very long time and we are close friends. I respect Johan as a very nice person and as a great artist. I also love to work with him, when it comes to mixing/mastering his Suicide Commando stuff. His music inspired countless bands since a very long time and he is a very important person in our scene. Without him our scene would be very different.

Nero Bellum is the front man of Psyclon Nine and get featured on the opening song of the new album.

Q: How did you get in touch with Johan Van Roy and what kind of experience was it for you contributing to the opening song (cf. “The Gates Of Oblivion”) of the new album?

Nero: I believe that my first correspondence with Johan took place just as “Mindstrip” was being released. I had just formed my band Psyclon Nine and had just begun work on our first album. Suicide Commando was one of my biggest influences at the time and Johan was happy to give me advice.

“The Gates Of Oblivion” gave us an opportunity to collaborate in a much deeper way. While Johan had most of the music written when he approached me, I was able to bring live, modular synthesis into the picture as well as my lyrical contributions. Performing the track at ‘Wave Gotik Treffen’ 10 minutes before my shuttle arrived was something that I won’t soon forget.

Markko Barientos is without a shadow of a doubt one of the leading artists from the Mexican dark-electro scene, but he in the meantime became a word-wide recognized artist involved with C-Lekktor, Circuito Cerrado and Kromak.

Q: Do you remember the first time you’ve heard Suicide Commando and what did you think? What means this band to you?

Markko: Yeah I still remember that day, the first time I heard Suicide Commando here in Mexico city we have a ‘Music Market’ named “El  Chopo” and I got the “Critical Stage” CD by luck. At that time there wasn’t internet and to find original CDs was something that became a real pain in the ass, but fortunately I found it and it was so blasting that it changed my own panorama from what I was listening to those days. ‘COLD-VIOLENT AND CATCHY’ are my favorite 3 words when it comes to dark electronic music. I just wanted to get more and more from Suicide Commando.

Suicide Commando had already released the “Stored Images”-album around that time I found the “Critical Stage”-album (so you can see how hard it was to find music in Mexico during that time?) From that day I always knew that I was so engaged with his sound and after all these years I still consider it as one of my biggest pleasures and influences in my music. For me “Construct-Destruct” is and will be always one of the best albums. To keep it short, ‘I’M A SUICIDE COMMANDO ADDICT, aren’t you?

Sakis aka SynthetiC from Nano Infect is a Greek artist who definitely found his inspiration in the cold electro sound of Suicide Commando. Johan Van Roy was guest singer on the Nano Infect’s song “Lifeless”.

Q: Suicide Commando clearly sounds like a source of inspiration for numerous dark-electronic bands. What makes the sound of Suicide Commando that special and what specific elements in this sound do you like?

Sakis: What makes Suicide Commando so special to a point that, at least to me, literally everybody is inspired, is the man behind the project; Johan Van Roy himself. He’s a loyal and simple guy while his sound features a straight forward structure plus a melody that gets stuck in your head from the very first moment. Needless to mention the groovy bass lines and that super fat sounding signature snare!
As for the lyrics, you get to see that Johan Van Roy is an everyday normal guy with thoughts like yours and mine… Songs about depression, death, the way the mind works… simple thoughts of a man who feels he has to express them…

It has been an honor to know him and I would like to thank him in public again for everything.

Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries

Side-Line also covered Suicide Commando’s ‘Hellraiser’.

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

Four years have passed since the previous Suicide Commando-album (cf. “When Evil Speaks”). Johan Van Roy had to struggle with a burn out, but he finally found the energy to beat his inner demons. This experience inspired him to compose one of his darkest and maybe most ‘atypical’ albums to date entitled “Forest Of The impaled” (released on Out Of Line). Suicide Commando remains one of the leading ships of dark-electronic music and I’d a chat with the captain on board.

(by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: I think to have understood that “Forest Of The Impaled” probably is one of your most intimate releases to date, right? What is it all about and is there any particular meaning/symbolic behind the title?

Johan: Yes, it definitely became my most intimate and personal release to date. “Forest Of The Impaled” turned out to be my own private therapy to fight my fears and monsters which I had to conquer in the last 2 years.

There’s a lot more emotion and feelings in this new album then in my previous works. Maybe not because of the vocals, but surely because of the dark music and atmosphere. In fact there’s no real meaning behind the title, I just thought it fitted the cold and apocalyptic atmosphere I wanted to create pretty well.

Q: I remember one of your songs “Death Cures All Pain”, but don’t you think music can cures all pain as well?

Johan: Oh sure music can cure pain, actually I’m a perfect example of that. Music helped me to overcome my burn out, “Forest Of The Impaled” is the result of that. Half of the tracks on the album were already written 2 years ago before my burn out, the rest was written in the last few months and for me was the perfect therapy to fight my inner monsters. That’s why “Forest Of The Impaled” isn’t a happy album and probably my darkest album ever.

Q: “Crack Up”, “Death Lies Waiting” and “Chasm Of Emptiness” are quite refreshing songs; it feels a bit like you’ve reinvented the Suicide Commando sound by adding subtle treatments and ‘new’ influences. Are you aware of this evolution and did you’d a particular sound in mind when starting the writing?

Johan: I never really start with a plan. These things have to come spontaneously, you (well, at least I can’t !) can’t write something on command, it wouldn’t work for me. The only thing that in some way was done deliberately, was the plan to have more slower songs on the new album. Either I’m getting too old, or call me stubborn, but I really wanted to go into the opposite direction of all those copycats of today. In times where each song has to be over 120 bpm I only have 3 songs this time going over the 120 bpm.

Q: How did you convince Jean-Luc Demeyer to sing on the already familiar, but still surprising “The Pain That You Like”? How did the writing and recording of this song happened?

Johan: I’ve known Jean-Luc for many years now, but only got to know him better in the last 3 or 4 years. Since I’ve always been a big fan of his works for Front 242, I thought it would be a good idea to ask him to do some guest vocals. So when I was writing “The Pain That You Like” I thought that song might fit his voice pretty well, so I just asked and to my surprise he immediately agreed on doing so. After having Dirk Ivens who did guest vocals on my very first album back in 1994, I now finally could have one of my other heroes do guest vocals on a Suicide Commando song. So now I can die in peace… (laugh).

Q: “Forest Of The Impaled” will be released in different formats. What does the vinyl format means to you ano 2017 and what are your impressions about all the Suicide Commando songs that have been covered by other artists for the ‘fan-box’ edition?

Johan: I grew up with vinyl in the eighties, so for me it’s more of a nostalgia thing to have the new album on vinyl as well. It sure ain’t something to get rich with, but I’m really glad Out Of Line wanted to do a vinyl edition as well.

I’m really happy how the ‘tribute’-album turned out. It wasn’t an easy decision to pick the best covers as I received so many covers, but I think in the end it has the best mix of old and newer songs covered by bands that in some way or another have been influenced by Suicide Commando.

Q: I can easily imagine, Suicide Commando has changed your life. What’s the real impact of getting recognized and famous on the ‘person’ hiding behind the ‘artist’ and do you sometimes think what will come after Suicide Commando?

Johan: Sure it has changed my life in different ways. I was and still am able to live from and thanks to my music, with the goodwill of the company where I work to allow me to keep on working half time and spend the other half on my music. My music brought me to places all over the world where I otherwise never ever would have been able to go to. My music brought me satisfaction, friendships…

But sadly enough it also had a downside, the never ending work and stress, the killing combination of work + music + family got me into this burn out. Being recognized didn’t have much impact on my life, especially since this scene is so small in Belgium, I can still walk around on the streets without getting recognized… (laugh).

When you’re getting older you obviously start to think about things like what will come after Suicide Commando… When I started making music back in 1986 I never imagined I still would be doing this after 30 years, but I’m still doing music with the same old passion and love for this kind of electronic music. I guess that’s the main reason why I still do this music, my eternal love and passion for this kind of cold electronic music.

I have no idea how long I will continue, but I can easily imagine I’ll do this until death do us part…

Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries

Side-Line also covered Suicide Commando’s ‘Click Interview’.

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 Klinik (or Klinik as you want) no longer has Dirk Ivens in the line-up so it seems. The duo Marc Verhaeghen and Mark Burghgraeve (member of the band in 1981–82, 1995, present) have been working on brand new material, of which the track below, “Don’t look back”, is already a nice teaser.

To many the line-up that delivered such albums as “To The Knife” and “Stitch” (along with early Noise Unit) is considered to be the project’s finest. The band itself was originally formed around 1982 by Marc Verhaeghen, who is the only constant member. Previous members included Dirk Ivens (1985–1991 and 2003–present), Eric van Wonterghem (1985–87), Sandy Nys (1985), Thorsten Stroth (1995), Tom Claes (1996), Stefan Mertes (1996) and Nickanor (2002).

Verhaeghen has been involved in several projects outside Klinik, including Noise Unit (with Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber of Front Line Assembly), D.Sign (with Philippe and Eliane Fichot of Die Form), X10 (with Niki Mono, Marc Ickx of A Split-Second and Vidna Obmana), and Para (with his own wife Sabine Voss).

For now enjoy this track, “Don’t look back”.

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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It’s now 27 years ago that Dirk Ivens (the legendary singer of The Klinik) took the world by surprise unleashing the self-titled debut album “DIVE”. The sound revealed a heavy, industrial and unpolished production mixed with  charismatic vocals. This work was the debut of a successful career featuring numerous great albums and essential songs. The music remained dark and industrial, but still featuring electronic treatments. But after the “Behind The Sun”-album (2004) the fans had to wait for 13 years to get new studio material. “Underneath” has been released on Out Of Line and is featuring good-old guest contributor Ivan Iusco (Nightmare Lodge and owner of Minus Habens Records) and Rafael M. Espinosa (Geistform) who already collaborated on “Behind The Sun”.

You can order the latest Dive releases right here on vinyl.

(by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Did you ever thought to come back with a new Dive-album and what was the ‘click’ to start working again on new stuff?

Dirk: . After the definitive chapter to stop The Klinik from my side and the decision to take a long break with Absolute Body Control after the intensive touring, I suddenly realized I had all the time of the world to work in all quietness and peace on a new DIVE album. People asked me for years about new material and I realized it was more than a decade ago since the last album “Behind The Sun”.

Q: What kind of album did you’d in mind (sound- & lyrical wise) when starting the composition of “Underneath”?

Dirk: The ingredients are always the same; dark atmospheric electronics with a haunting voice. Of course there was a lot happening in the world during the last decade. We got confronted with terrorism, which is heavy cutting in the minds of Western people. The world will never be the same as we knew it and I try to capture that image and feelings also in my lyrics.

Q: You asked Ivan Iusco and Rafael M. Espinosa to help a hand. What’s the real impact of both musicians on “Underneath”, which according to me became your most accomplished album ever?

Dirk: As a non-musician I like to work together with other people otherwise every album would sound like the first DIVE record. With Ivan I used to work a lot in the past and with Rafael I collaborated on the last one. This time I asked them both to send music in the style that would fit in the DIVE concept, we discussed about the tracks and made changes where needed, I wrote the lyrics and did the singing. Beside that I also composed a few tracks and this way of working is perfect because this brings variety in sound and structures and keeps it very interesting. On stage DIVE is and will always be a one man project, but on recordings I always worked together with others.

Q: “Underneath” also sounds as a refreshing work and a kind of antidote to all dark-electro and industrial-like bands which all sound pretty similar to each other. What’s your perception of the ‘scene’ today?

Dirk: I don’t listen that much to other electronic bands because there is not much development in that genre, everything has been already done thousands times before. Originality is the keyword, bands like Twice A Man or Portion Control are still making excellent albums, but most of the younger generation sounds like a copy of Nitzer Ebb or DAF, really not my thing. For the “Underneath” album I went to a factory and recorded the banging noise on my discman, just like during the old days. So, be creative instead of using all the same sounds.

Q: I noticed there’re 27 (!) years between your self-titled debut-album and “Underneath”. How would you analyze the evolution of Dive throughout the years and what does it mean to you as an artist/performer?

Dirk: The very first DIVE gig was indeed in 1990, it’s unbelievable how time runs fast. For me music is the red wire in life, I feel like a fortunate person who could do musically what I wanted to do with all of my projects. I have seen a lot of technologic changes, from recording on two track tape desks to digital with all formats in between. The world changed and so do I, my wish is to continue another 3 years and celebrate 30 years of DIVE on stage, a nice way to end this story, right?

Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries

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

Background/Info:

Read the news on ‘Underneath’.

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

Read the review of ‘Underneath’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Industrial-techno, minimal-techno-industrial.

Background/Info: Rafael Espinosa better known under the Geistform moniker is an artist I discovered in 2002 on his debut album “Uno” released on Dirk Ivens’ label Daft Records. The Spanish artist never stopped releasing new productions, improving his writing and evolving in sound and influences. Hands became a comfortable home for Geistform where he’s now releasing his albums, and also the surprising vinyl 12” “Tension” in 2015.

Content: “Transmitter” moves on there where the album “Data Transmission” (already released 4 years ago now) left off and where the last year released vinyl “Tension” moved on with. The influence of techno music became an essential element of this artist although it remains driven by dark atmospheres and minimal noisy sequences.

The debut cuts are quite elaborate revealing some overwhelming sound blasts and vibrating noises. And just at the point where I got the impression that “Transmitter” was a bit stagnating Geistform moves on with a few transcendental pieces creating an effect of a total climax.

+ + + : “Transmitter” is one more production confirming the short distance between industrial- and techno music. The techno loops have been merged with raw and somewhat unpolished noises while carried by a monstrous sound production. There’s a great opening part, but especially the last 3 tracks left me breathless. Geistform  moves into a total trance approach.

– – – : No doubt about it, early Geistform fans will have some difficulties embracing the new album, which clearly sounds seriously contaminated by the techno virus. I don’t see it as a problem rather than an interesting point of discussion. I just regret a few tracks somewhere in the midst of the production, which sound a bit average-like.

Conclusion: “Transmitter” is addicted to techno music, but without neglecting the industrial roots. The result is an ultra danceable production for dark dancefloors.

Best songs: “Spear”, “Transmitter”, “Receptor”, “Redshift”, “Ratan 600”.

Rate: (8).

Band: www.facebook.com/Geistform

Label: www.handsproductions.com / www.facebook.com/hands.official

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: Minimal-electro, industrial, experimental, IDM.

Background/Info: Set up by John C and Gore we welcome the 4^th album of this Belgian duo. “Let’s Rock” reveals 8 songs inspired by the mythology of Twin Peaks.

Content: Cruise [Ctrl] remains one of the best kept secrets of the Belgian underground scene. I’m not saying that the band is totally unknown, but we have to admit it’s not exactly the most familiar and praised band from the scene. And that’s a real shame as their previous work revealed an impressive minimal and somewhat IDM minded approach.

“Let’s Rock!” is not that different and yet more into experimental treatments. I got the feeling the duo has experimented more with sounds and noises becoming real noise architects creating a kind of avant-garde like sound. The work remains an imaginary sound bridge between electronic minimalism and industrial music. A few more influences moving from IDM to experimental techno can be noticed as well.

The tracks are mainly based on repetitive, icy sound loops and an impressive arsenal of noises and other manipulations. The cadence is rather linear, but injecting a real accessible element to the work. All the songs are instrumental, which simply accentuate the minimal approach of the production.

+ + + : The minimal and more explicit experimental creation is absolutely worthy of examination. Cruise [Ctrl] might remind you of a contemporary version of Suicide, but in the end I would say that this band is not comparable to any other although they would for sure appeal to lovers of labels like Tympanik Audio and Hands.

– – – : I’m missing the electronic exposure of the past albums, which was more diverse and elaborate. This album clearly evolves in sound and especially noise influences. I also regret there’s no single track with vocals and/or spoken samplings like the great experiment they did on their previous album with Dirk Ivens on vocals.

Conclusion: “Let’s Rock” clearly is not my favorite album of Cruise [Ctrl], but it remains a fascinating and pretty cool work characterized by impressive sound treatments and a fine taste for experimental electro music.

Best songs: “Since My Baby Left Me”, “Dancing Machines Create Image”, “Car Tree Woman”, “Circle Of Dreams”.

Rate: (7½).

Band: www.cruisectrl.be / www.facebook.com/CRSCTRL

Label: www.signifieronline.com / www.facebook.com/signifieronline

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, synth-pop.

Content: Debut album of the Belgian duo Gunther Haegeman (Obverse Reality, Synthetic Dream) and Dries De Vreeze, released on the label of Dirk Ivens (Dive, Absolute Body Control, …) and mastered by Eric Van Wonterghem (Monolith).
A wide sound-spectrum of different styles such as electro, new-beat, minimal, trance, etc. come to mind when listening to this very danceable CD.

Opener “Redhead Sky” throws you right back in the ’80’s and is followed by “Syquest”, a song built up, layer by layer, going from an ambient-like intro towards a full danceable electro-pop song in the style of Goose. “Der Nachtmann” reminded me on “Housewife” of Daan and is a song which could have been part of the repertoire of Vitalic while “Terror Rice” sounds very atmospheric and ‘spacy’, starting from an Antiloop-wise intro.

“Buchstabieren” is for me by far the best (danceable) track and has the potential to become a club-hit and dancefloor-filler! I also recognized the sound of Vitalic in “City Loneliness”, a song where even guitars are used to create the climax.

Another highlight is “Bunkerkopf”, a downtempo song which creates a very dark gloomy atmosphere. Track 8, “Floorlayer” reminded me of Tiga and is for sure very club-minded as well.

“Kontrolieren” I found the least-interesting song while the synths on “Untkalker” (what’s in a name!) also threw me back to the ’80’s. The last piece “Gamebreaker” has a huge new-beat content and is a worthy closing-track of this 57 minute duration album, of which each song has an average playing-time of approximately 5 minutes.
If I have to say one minor point about the music it is that sometimes the drums (roll-overs) sound a bit too simple (basic). But what I like most on this album is the fact that both gentlemen combine different styles which are closely connected to the dark electronic scene although their stuff also fits perfectly in the alternative dance scene.

Also important to keep in mind: the live-sound of this duo is as clear as on CD!

Conclusion: If you are into electro, new-beat, minimal, trance, and fan of Vitalic or Goose, check out this stuff!

Best songs: “Terror Rice”, “Buchstabieren”, “Bunkerkopf”, “Floorlayer”, “Gamebreaker”.

Rate: (WH:8)WH.

Band: www.facebook.com/pages/Karl-Hefner-Hugh-Lagerfeld/128855857266795

Label: www.daft-records.com

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