Douglas McCarthy, frontman and co-founder of the British industrial/EBM band Nitzer Ebb, is no more. He died on June 11, 2025, at age 58. The band announced his passing via their official social media, stating, “It is with a heavy heart that we regret to inform that Douglas McCarthy passed away this morning of June 11th, 2025. We ask everyone to please be respectful of Douglas, his wife, and family in this difficult time”

McCarthy had publicly disclosed a diagnosis of cirrhosis of the liver in early 2024. “After years of alcohol abuse, I was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver,” McCarthy said in a statement via Instagram in 2024. “For more than two years I haven’t been drinking, but recovery is a long process that can at times be extremely hard to predict.”

In a reaction Alan Wilder says: “Such sad news to have lost this fella. My friend of over 35 years. Prolific lyricist and dynamic performer with Nitzer Ebb, occasional guest vocalist with Recoil. Despite his health struggles, he never ever wallowed or lost an ounce of his incredible razor-sharp irreverent humour, or his deeply warm heart. Farewell old chum…”

The Side-Line team extends its heartfelt condolences to Douglas McCarthy’s family, friends, and bandmates during this difficult time.

About Douglas McCarthy

Douglas John McCarthy (September 1, 1966 – June 11, 2025) was an English musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the frontman and co-founder of the influential industrial and electronic body music (EBM) band Nitzer Ebb. Born in Basildon, Essex, McCarthy formed Nitzer Ebb in 1982 with school friend Bon Harris, later joined by drummer David Gooday. The band became a pioneering force in the EBM genre, blending aggressive electronic beats, punk energy, and provocative lyrics.

Douglas McCarthy’s commanding stage presence and distinctive vocal style defined Nitzer Ebb’s sound on seminal albums like “That Total Age” (1987), “Belief” (1989), and “Showtime” (1990). Hits such as “Join in the Chant,” “Let Your Body Learn,” and “Murderous” became anthems in underground electronic music scenes and influenced genres like techno and industrial rock. His work with Nitzer Ebb helped shape the sound of bands like Depeche Mode (fellow Basildon natives) and Rammstein.

Beyond Nitzer Ebb, McCarthy collaborated with artists like Depeche Mode’s Alan Wilder in the project Recoil and worked with DJs such as Terence Fixmer under the moniker Fixmer/McCarthy, exploring techno and electronic music. His contributions extended to remixes, production, and guest vocals for various acts.

Douglas McCarthy’s career spanned over four decades, with Nitzer Ebb experiencing multiple reunions and tours, including a notable resurgence in the 2000s. Health struggles, including a diagnosis of cirrhosis of the liver in 2024, cut his career short unfortunately.

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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(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange. Photos by Tarjei Krogh, Truls A. Bakken and Jan Ronald Stange) After the successful shows in Langen, Berlin, Leipzig, Hamburg, Amsterdam, and Oberhausen earlier this year, Front 242 and Nitzer Ebb started November 2023 with the second round of the ‘Join The Forces’ tour.

They kicked off in Oslo, the capital of Norway, and then headed to Sweden, offering fans in Gothenburg the chance to experience this unique package. The tour’s final shows in Germany will take place in Munich and Heidelberg, being the last opportunity to see these two legends share the stage in a single evening.

The opening act in Norway and Sweden were the up-and-coming Swedish queen of EBM, REIN, bringing her aggressive voice and beats. Douglas McCarthy’s longtime collaborator Terence Fixmer will open the evening at the German shows.

Like many in the audience, I too was curious about the health of Douglas when Nitzer Ebb entered the stage and how it would affect his performance. We all noticed a somewhat frail frontman at the start, but as the show progressed and both audience and band were warmed up, he seemed better and better, leaving us very happy with their concert.

Front 242 started, as usual, with their waving flashlight in ‘First In/First Out’, and was energetic throughout their whole show. The highlight for most was ‘Headhunter’, making the whole audience jump and the floor literally moving!

Must also mention that Tarjei Krogh, the photografer of the NEP/F242 photos (here caught on camera himself taking these photos), also are a musician and producer in various EBM/electronic bands since the 80’s! Do check out his most recent project Norwegian Giants!

About Front 242

Front 242 formed in 1981 in Aarschot, near Leuven, Belgium, founded by Daniel Bressanutti (electronics, production) and Dirk Bergen (graphic design). Patrick Codenys (keyboards, programming) and vocalist Jean-Luc De Meyer joined in 1982, and Richard “23” Jonckheere (electronic percussion, backing vocals) joined in 1983 as Bergen moved into a design and management role. The band’s 1984 album “No Comment” was among the first releases to use the term “electronic body music” in its liner notes. Front 242 signed to Wax Trax! in the US in 1984, then released “Official Version” (1987) and “Front by Front” (1988) via Red Rhino Europe/PIAS, and “Tyranny (For You)” (1991) via Epic, its highest-charting album in the US.

Drummer Tim Kroker joined for live performances in 2008. The band’s most recent studio album, “Pulse,” was released via XIII Bis/Metropolis in 2003. In 2023, Front 242 co-headlined the “Join The Forces” tour of Europe with fellow EBM group Nitzer Ebb, alternating headline sets across dates including Berlin, Amsterdam, Oslo and Munich.

Front 242 announced its farewell “Black Out” tour in March 2024 and played its final three shows at Ancienne Belgique in Brussels on 23-25 January 2025. The live album “Black Out,” drawn from more than forty farewell-tour shows, was released via Alfa Matrix on 19 June 2026. The band’s final lineup was Bressanutti, De Meyer, Codenys, Richard 23 and Kroker. The 2023 tour paired Front 242 with fellow EBM pioneers Nitzer Ebb across European dates, with onstage crossovers between the two bands.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

Prior to the Nitzer Ebb concert at Respectable Street in West Palm Beach in November 2021, the band’s frontman Douglas McCarthy suffered complications from a pre-existing, non Covid related medical condition. He was admitted to hospital and was declared stable and undergoing continued treatment and observation so the band’s management informed.

Despite the illness of Douglas McCarthy, the tour continued with Bon Harris stepping in to perform lead vocals. This was a temporary lineup, yet a special one for those who were at the concerned shows. The band was at that moment on tour including the original band members David Gooday and Simon Granger.

Since then McCarthy has been working on his health and comeback. In a 2022 video he announced he was indeed coming back to the stage.

But he is back now, and we have seen him perform across Europe, including last night in Oslo together with Front 242. He is not the old one yet, but he’s clearly enjoying the shows. And that is what counts after all.

Welcome back Douglas!

About Douglas McCarthy

Douglas (John) McCarthy (born 1 September 1966) is the vocalist of the English EBM band Nitzer Ebb. Apart from Nitzer Ebb he has appeared on multiple recordings by Recoil (Alan Wilder) and has released material in collaboration with DJ Terence Fixmer as Fixmer/McCarthy. He also contributed vocals to tracks by Die Krupps, Motor, KLOQ (band), Client, and Kenneth James Gibson’s Reverse Commuter project.

After Nitzer Ebb originally split, McCarthy began his work with Recoil, then left the music business and focused on film studies and design in Cambridge. He moved to London in 2000 to work in the advertising field.

McCarthy’s first solo album was originally titled “Life Is Sucking the Life Out of Me”. The album was written, recorded and mixed at Easier with songwriter/musician/producer Stephen Papke and British house DJ/producer Mark “Blakkat” Bell. All songs were co-written by McCarthy, Papke and Bell. Performing as Douglas J. McCarthy, his first solo album, “Kill Your Friends”, was released in November 2012 on the Los Angeles-based label Pylon Records followed by the EP “Move On” in 2013.

McCarthy then collaborated with Headman and producer Scott Fraser on the “Noise” EP, and with Cyrus Rex on the “DJMREX” EP.

You can read a long interview with Douglas McCarthy here on Side-Line.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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(Photo by Kevin Westenberg) UK photograph Kevin Westenberg has posted a previously unpublished photo from a Recoil promo shoot for “Bloodline” online. In the photo you can see both Alan Wilder and Douglas McCarthy from Nitzer Ebb.

Westenberg informs that the press shoot took place at the Worx Studios at King’s Cross, London on January 17, 1992. The shoot took place almost exactly 2 years after Westenberg had a Depeche Mode photo shoot.

Kevin Westenberg: “In 1990 Alan contacted me for another shoot. Turned out that while Alan was in the later years of being in Depeche Mode, he had a plan B. Our shoot was for Recoil’s third album, “Bloodline” released on April 14, 1992, which included the single “Faith Healer”. Alan was in fact one of the first musicians I interacted with once moving to London in the early 80’s. Somehow, I ended up at Alan’s flat in NW London interviewing him for a magazine cover story.”

And he adds: “I’ve not looked at this session for 30 years! My memories of the day seem somewhat inconsequential in hindsight. The early 90’s were the busiest and most exhausting daily of my career averaging 100 shoot days per year so this one sadly has been lost in the insanity. For whatever reason this stopped me from reviewing this job. So happy to have reviewed this session all over again and to have found this one. This is because I just saw in the music press that all the Recoil albums have now been re-released via Mute.”

For those who didn’t know, the artwork on these Recoil vinyl reissues slightly differs from the artwork used for the CD’s when they were released.

Fans can contact Westenberg for print sales at kjwestenberg@hotmail.com.

About the Recoil album “Bloodline”

“Bloodline” is the third album by Recoil, released April 14, 1992. It was recorded at Konk Studio in London, during sessions that lasted from January to March 1991, being mixed later that same year. The album was produced by Alan Wilder, engineered by Steve Lyon, and assisted by Dave Eringa.

After completing Depeche Mode’s most successful album, “Violator”, and subsequent “World Violation Tour” (with Nitzer Ebb as the support act), Wilder co-produced Nitzer’s 1991 album “Ebbhead”. This cemented both a good personal and working relationship with Nitzer lead singer Douglas McCarthy. fter completing the Nitzer Ebb album, Wilder went to work on his solo project, and McCarthy returned the favour by performing on the Recoil album.

Other guest vocalists included the then rather unknown musician Moby and Toni Halliday (from Curve). The album also marked the first Recoil single, a cover of the Alex Harvey song “Faith Healer”.

The album is also notable for the track “Electro Blues for Bukka White”, which introduced the idea of taking very old recordings and setting them in a new electronic setting. Moby, who contributed vocals for the song “Curse”, would later release his 1999 breakthrough album, “Play”, which clearly was based on Wilder’s approach for “Electro Blues for Bukka White”. Moby also used several old field recordings by Alan Lomax, again just like Wilder had used a 1937 recording of White’s “Shake ‘Em on Down”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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(Photo by Joe Dilworth) Mute has announced details of a series of reissues from Recoil (Alan Wilder), starting with three long out of print albums “Unsound Methods”, “Liquid” and “subHuman” – due out on double coloured vinyl and CD on 7 October 2022. The first three albums, “1+2” (1986), “Hydrology” (1988) and “Bloodline” (1990) are currently being remastered for release at a later date.

The new editions of “Unsound Methods” (1997), “Liquid” (2000) and “subHuman” (2007) will be available in transparent green/clear, silver and curacao blue respectively.

In a reaction to Mute Alan Wilder recently said this: “Having not really listened in full to any of the Recoil albums for many years, the requirement to sit down and closely scrutinize the new test pressings meant that I was obliged to focus on everything once again. It was a surprising and pleasurable adventure to hear the work with fresh ears and I was able, perhaps properly for the first time, to experience all the detail which I had either forgotten about or hadn’t fully appreciated at the time.”

“Unsound Methods” was Wilder’s fourth album as Recoil, and his first release after announcing his departure from Depeche Mode in 1995. Recorded at his Sussex studio, “Unsound Methods” saw him working with four very different collaborators: Nitzer Ebb’s Douglas McCarthy, New York spoken-word artist Maggie Estep and vocalists Siobhan Lynch and Hildia Campbell.

“Liquid” followed in 2000 and the collaborations continued, this time working alongside Diamanda Galás, Nicole Blackman, Samantha Coerbell, Rosa Torras, The Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet and more.

“subHuman” arrived after a seven-year break and saw Wilder working with vocalists Carla Trevaskis and Louisiana bluesman Joe Richardson, whose voice is complimented by guitar and harmonica performances.

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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Brazilian duo Fabrício Viscardi – Guilhelme Pires are now active for ten years as Aesthetische. They both got previously involved with Aghast View and Biopsy. Aesthetische deals with a more danceable sound, mixing elements of EBM together with Techno stuff. It’s a tricky sonic fusion which they already reveal at their fourth full length album “RVPRTY” released early this year by Alfa Matrix. I talked about the new opus with Fabrício Viscardi.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Aesthetische is active since 2012. Can you draw up the balance sheet of the past ten years? And how much of Aghast View and Biopsy do you still recognize in Aesthetische?

Fabricio : Wow then years went by very fast. It were solid ten years where we consistently delivered at least one release a year.

Aesthetische definitely has solid influences from Aghast View and Biopsy but it is a more polished and with influences from Trance and Techno too. I would say it has a 25% of our older sound but who knows haha…

Q: What have been the triggers and influences to write the new album “RVPRTY”?

Fabricio: The triggers are very  much our own lives coping with the pandemic situation and waiting to get back to a more normal kind of life. It also talks about the political situation in our country and how the right wing got back into the scenario, making people’s lives worse than ever, except for the very rich.

Q: The title of the album speaks for itself, but what’s the deeper meaning and especially behind the ‘darker’ titles of this opus?

Fabricio: Well, rave party celebrates us getting back to partying and enjoying music altogether. Darker titles are about politics and isolation.

Q: How did you work together on this new album and what’s the input of each of you?

Fabricio: We worked virtually. I wrote some tracks and did some vox and all the remixes. Gui did 3 tracks and vocals of “Racing Backwards”. 

Q: You clearly seem to work with guest singers, but do you handle specific criteria to work with them? How did the collaboration with Lis Van den Akker happened? Are there specific singers you really want to work with in the future?

Fabricio: Well it happens very organically. Lis was introduced to us by Yves Schelpe (Psy’Aviah). I am not sure what the future will hold in terms of collabs but we are always quite open. We would love to have Douglas McCarthy or Jean Luc de Meyer doing vocals of a future track. 

Q: The ongoing pandemic clearly impacted the music industry. What’s your perception of the situation and did it had an impact on the new album and your way of working together? What are the further plans right now? 

Fabricio: Certainly it did for bands that tour. As we don’t cause we are in Brazil, not much change happened to us. We really hope that things resume to normal so that people can enjoy going to clubs and gigs again.

Side-Line also covered Aesthetische’s ‘Ukraina’.

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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Genre/Influences: Minimal-Electro, Electroclash, EBM.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: French project Jostronamer has already released many productions, but this EP is his first work released by Space Factory, which might be considered as a consecration.

Content: The EP features 5 tracks, taking off with the instrumental title track. This piece sounds vintage-like and sounds like the perfect offspring between Minimal-Electro, EBM (for the bass line) and Electroclash. The last track is a remix of “Artificial Intelligence” by Commuter. The other tracks left are holding on to the different influences, but you here will discover two cuts with some robotic/spoken-like vocals.

+ + + : I like the global sound treatments of this EP for the dominant bass Lines and analogue sound treatments featuring great effects. Even if the title track is my favorite one –including the great remix by commuter, the songs featuring vocals (effects) bring a little bonus to the work.

– – – : It could be an idea adding some vocals (think of Douglas McCarthy) or samplings on the title track; it might result in a phenomenal piece of music. 

Conclusion: This first release on the label of David Carretta and Pascal Bourdette by Jostronamer is a cool and ultra-danceable production!

Best songs: “Artificial Intelligence”, “Artificial Intelligence – Commuter Remix”, “Invader”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/Jostronamer

Label: www.facebook.com/spacefactory

About Jostronamer

Jostronamer is a French electro project active since the mid-2010s. The mini-album “Tunnel Vision” was self-released in 2014 and the “CyberPunk!” EP followed in 2016. Two EPs appeared in 2017: “Rogue” on Bass Agenda Recordings and “Conspiracy” on Unknown Pleasures Records. The CD album “Željava” was issued by +Closer2 in 2019.

“Artificial Intelligence” was released by Space Factory on 31 March 2021 as catalogue SF66, in WAV digital format. The five tracks are “Artificial Intelligence”, “Resist”, “Exile”, “Invader” and “Artificial Intelligence (Commuter Remix)”. Assembler Code mastered the EP and Melissa Romero Baquero provided the artwork.

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

Black Line, the Los Angeles-based collective featuring Nitzer Ebb members Douglas McCarthy and Bon Harris along with musician, producer and engineer Cyrusrex are set to release the “Layers” EP. Taken from Black Line’s album “Treason, Sedition, and Subversive Activities”, “Layers”, one of Black Line’s most intensely performed live songs, offers brand new remixes that showcase a second side to this song.

Along with the original studio version, this EP includes a remix by the combined talents of Bon Harris and Skinny Puppy producer Ken ‘hiwatt’ Marshall, a remix by the talents of Silent Servant as well as a remix by the Barcelona-based Annie Hall. “Layers” will officially street on November 15th on all streaming and digital outlets.

Below is the version from the album.

Tracks listing “Layers” EP

1. Layers
2. Layers (Silent Servant Remix)
3. Layers (Annie Hall Remix)
4. Layers (Bon Harris & Ken ‘hiwatt’ Marshall Remix)

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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Genre/Influences: Techno-body, minimal-EBM.

Background/Info: French DJ/producer Jérèmy Cottereau is now based in Berlin. He can look back at an impressive discography featuring an endless list of EP’s and remixes for other artists. “R.U.R.” is Djedjotronic debut full length available as double 12’ vinyl.

Content: The gap between techno music and good-old EBM is getting smaller and smaller. “R.U.R.” sounds as an ultimate fusion between good-old EBM characterized by terrific bass lines and modern, dark-techno music. The songs are totally vintage-like, sometimes revealing Kraftwerk-like sequences.

But there also is a real noticeable cover version of Gary Numan’s legendary “Are Friends Electric”. This work will appeal to fans of Fixmer/McCarthy and related bands. I guess it’s not a coincidence if Douglas McCarthy has been featured on one of the tracks.

+ + + : If you like minimal-EBM and you’re not familiar with Djedjotronic you’re going to have the shock of your life! This album sounds like a the perfect merge between both styles, but you’re going to get wild discovering the carrying bass lines and the global intelligence of the production. The cover version of “Are Friends Electric” is just sublime; such a clever approach in sound treatments and a totally reworked, but recognizable song. The entire album is worthy of examination and a truly sonic masterpiece!

– – – : There also is an experimental flavor running through a few cuts, but it’s not really a point of discussion.

Conclusion: It has something confusing realizing that influences from the past mixed with something personal and contemporary can be seen as the EBM from the future? This album is worthy of examination!

Best songs: “Are Friends Electric”, “Electric Body”, “Take Me Down”, “Cops”, “Cockring Robot”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/DJEDJOTRONIC

Label: www.boysnoizerecords.com / www.facebook.com/boysnoizerecords

About Djedjotronic

Djedjotronic is French DJ and producer Jérèmy Cottereau, born in Bordeaux and based in Berlin. He began releasing EPs in 2007 and became a regular name on Boysnoize Records from 2009’s “Dirty & Hard EP” onward, through releases including “Kaikō EP” (2013), “#BNR10YR Believe It Or Not” (2015), “Randjo” (2016), and “Electric Body / Chasing The Lights” (2018).

“R.U.R.,” reviewed here, is Djedjotronic’s debut full-length, released in 2018 as a double 12″ vinyl album and featuring a guest appearance by Douglas McCarthy.

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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Nitzer Ebb has premiered the never-before-seen video for their 1985 single “So Bright So Strong.” The video was originally filmed in either 1983 or 1984 by their original manager Chris Piper, the bands first manager. The video (which is not so good condition) features Bon Harris, Douglas McCarthy, and then drummer David Gooday.

“So bright, So Strong” was shot in a barn just outside of Chelmsford, UK. The audio time sync was done on 2 VHS machines, manually, which is not easy at all to manage.

Out later in October, but already available for pre-ordering right here, is the massive Nitzer Ebb vinyl boxset “1982-2010” holding 10 LPs. It’s the first time that all five of the band’s albums for Geffen/Mute have been collected in one complete box set.

Douglas McCarthy and Bon Harris return to reunite Nitzer Ebb after taking a hiatus in 2010. The band has confirmed a handful of European tour dates already, and will be announcing more in the near future. McCarthy and Harris will be joined onstage by original founding NEP members David Gooday and Simon Granger. This will mark the first time these four founding members have performed live together since 1987.

Here’s the video of “So Bright So Strong”.

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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Background/Info:

About Ethan Fawkes

Ethan Fawkes is a Belgian DJ and producer who started working on electronic tracks in 2001 and began releasing records in 2014, mixing minimal EBM, techno, acid and rave influences. In a 2018 interview, Fawkes described his second full-length album, “I Will Dance On Your Grave” (I-Traxx Red Edition), as a continuation of that eclectic approach.

The “You Believe In” remixes were handled by Dave Inox and Son Of Chaos.

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 later in October, but already available for pre-ordering right here, is the massive Nitzer Ebb vinyl boxset “1982-2010” holding 10 LPs. It’s the first time that all five of the band’s albums for Geffen/Mute have been collected in one complete box set.

The box set features expanded double black vinyl, of each album, with several bonus tracks and rare 12” mixes. The original album artwork comes expanded into gatefold sleeves, with embossing and spot UV finish. The set also contains a large size 28-page booklet with liner notes by Douglas McCarthy and Bon Harris and unseen photos, flyers and artwork, detailing their entire career in chronological order from Essex to Los Angeles.

Note that the box also includes space to insert the band’s first self released album from 1983 and their last release from 2010 as these titles have been in print in recent years. Which is frankly speaking a bit odd if you serve a career spanning boxset.

The box set contains the following albums:

• That Total Age Double Vinyl LP (2018 Remaster) with the bonus tracks “Murderous (Instrumental)”, “Fitness to Purpose (Mix Two)”, “Join In The Chant (Burn! 12” Mix)”, “Let Your Body Learn (12” Mix)”, “Join In The Chant (Metal Mix)”
• Belief Double Vinyl LP (2018 Remaster) with the bonus tracks “Control I’m Here (Command Control Confront Mix)”, “Shame (Mix no 2 William Orbit)”, “K.I.A. (PK Mix)”, “Captivate (William Orbit Mix)”, “Hearts & Minds (Mix Subsonic)”, “Backlash (William Orbit Mix)”
• Showtime Double Vinyl LP (2018 Remaster) with the bonus tracks “Lightning Man (The Industry Vs. The Ebb Remix)”, “Fun To Be Had (Long Mix George Clinton)”, “Getting Closer (The Kitchen Mix)”, “Fun To Be Had (Dust Brothers Master Mix)”, “Lightning Man (RSW Mix)”, “Getting Closer (The Trance Mix)”
• Ebbhead Double Vinyl LP (2018 Remaster) with the bonus tracks “Family Man (Jaz Coleman Mix)”, “Come Alive (Alan Wilder Mix)”, “Lovesick (Flood Mix)”, “Higher (Barry Adamson Mix)”, “Ascend (Vince Clarke Anonymous Mix)”, “I Give To You (Pestilence Mix)”, “Godhead (Remix)”
• Big Hit Double Vinyl LP (2018 Remaster) with the bonus tracks “Friend (Brittle Mix)”, “Beats Me”, “Kick It (Adrian Sherwood Compulsion Edit)”, “Kick It (Popular Music Mix)”, “I Thought (Final Sin)”

The complete boxset is available now for ordering right here.

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: Experimental, EBM, industrial, cinematographic.

Background/Info: Black Line is a crazy, but fascinating concept, which was originally set up in 2016 as a continuation of DJM|REX, a project by Cyrusrex and Douglas J. McCarthy. It became ‘a diverse collective of musicians, producers, and sound designers, free to come and go as they please. With various production and remix projects in the pipeline, ‘Treason, Sedition And Subversive Activities’ offers up the first taste of what’s to come’. Among the artists who contributed to Black Line you’ll find Ken ‘Hiwatt’ Marshall (co-producer & engineer), Zack Meyers (co-producer), Brad Apodaca, Anthony Baldino, Michael ‘prophei’ Dietel, Bon Harris (Nitzer Ebb), Baseck

Jon Bates (Big Black Delta), Paul Barker (Ministry and REVCO), Christian Eigner (Depeche Mode), Mark Walk (Skinny Puppy), Maria Lui and of course singer Douglas J. McCarthy.

Content: It’s not an easy thing to define the sound of Black Line. Because of the numerous artists involved with the composition process the album sounds pretty diversified, but carried by the charismatic and unique vocals of Douglas McCarthy. There however is an intelligent approach in the global writing of the songs.

From EBM-inspired cuts towards more industrial parts to soundtrack inspired (instrumental) cuts, the album really has a lot to offer. The last song is a remix by Venetian Snares.

+ + + : I think it’s really important such kind of project has a ‘main’ singer. Douglas McCarthy not only is a genius vocalist with a unique timbre of voice, but the vocals feel a bit like the cement between all of the songs. Using different singers would have created the impression listening to a compilation.

Sound-wise the songs were accomplished with an artistic taste. Sometimes evasive and even cinematographic-minded and then hard and into a kind of industrial-EBM this album is featuring multiple surprises. The songs were accomplished with great sound treatments and I especially like the icy passages. I prefer some of the harder cuts such as “Snap” and “Losing You”.

– – – : You sometimes get the impression it’s basically a project between friends… just for fun although great and recognized artists. I’m missing a bit cohesion between the harder, industrial & EBM driven tracks and the totally into ambient-like other cuts.

Conclusion: “Treason, Sedition, And Subversive Activities” feels a bit like there’re multiple bands hiding behind Black Line and that’s precisely what it is all about. But at the other side it also is an album featuring several cool tracks.

Best songs: “Snap”, “Losing You”, “Shut It Down”, “Changed – Venetian Snares Mix”.

Rate: (8).

Band: www.facebook.com/BlackLineProject

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, experimental, minimal EBM.

Background/Info: Detroit based duo  Nicola Kuperus – Adam Lee Miller are back on track unleashing their sixth studio album. The title refers to the ‘concept’ of the work, which features numerous guests artists such as Douglas McCarthy (Nitzer Ebb), Michael Gira (Swans), Shannon Funchess (Light Asylum), Robert Lowe, Lun*na Menoh and Dorit Chrysler.

Content: The sound of Adult. always has been something apart. I remember to have heard songs from their early work played in electroclash clubs, which back in time symbolized a revival of electro-underground music. This work has a strong retro-inspiration as well. The sound treatments remain vintage-like and sometimes accentuated by the contribution of the guest artists. That’s probably the reason why some of the tracks evoke good-old souvenirs bringing me back to Psychic TV and Chris & Cosey.

Next to the experimental exposure “Detroit House Guests” also features more EBM-driven cuts. The songs are pretty minimal, but more danceable and heavy-like. Douglas McCarthy and Shannon Funchess both will bring you harder parts to dance to.

+ + + : Adult. brings you a creative exposure of modern electronics inspired and made with ‘old’ recipes and sound formulas. It creates a refreshing and diversified work, which is only accentuated by the input of all guests. There are several attention grabbers featured, but my preference clearly goes to the minimal-EBM driven “We Chase The Sound” featuring Shannon Funchess and “They’re Just Words” featuring the Nitzer Ebb front man. The other song featuring Douglas McCarthy is a funny cut for the lyrical content clearly evoking songs of Nitzer Ebb.

– – – : Some of the most experimental cuts aren’t the most convincing ones and clearly totally different from the ‘harder’ passages.

Conclusion: “Detroit House Guests” is a non-conventional electronic production, which sounds a bit like a modern version of Psychic TV, Chris & Cosey, Crash Course In Science and related names.

Best songs: “We Chase The Sound feat. Shannon Funchess”, “They’re Just Words feat. Douglas McCarthy”, “We Are A Mirror feat. Douglas McCarthy”, “Breathe On feat. Michael Gira”, “As You Dream feat. Michael Gira”.

Rate: (8).

Band: www.adultperiod.com / www.facebook.com/adultperiod

Label:  www.mute.com / www.facebook.com/muterecords 

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

Terence Fixmer and Douglas J. McCarthy (Nitzer Ebb) are back on track unleashing one of their hardest and most industrial cuts ever. The new EP “Chemicals” released on Sonic Groove is a must have for all fans of minimal-techno & EBM. I got the opportunity to ask a few questions to both protagonists.

You can order several limited edition vinyls from Terence Fixmer right here.

(by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: After a hiatus of several years, “Chemicals” is your second single in less than 2 years. How does it feel to be back again in studio? 

Douglas: Actually, we haven’t really been in the studio together much. A lot of the new material has been worked on remotely – me in LA and Terence in Europe. We have worked on songs whenever we’re playing shows, so a lot of ideas have literally been tried for the first time in front of an audience.

Terence: Strangely, the years have passed by fast, but in my head we have never really stopped, we are always in contact for one thing and other – to start to do the “So Many Lies”-EP and now “Chemcials” are just a normal flow without any strange feeling to ‘re-work’ on music.

Q: Do you notice some changes/evolution in the global writing and approach compared to the earlier work of F/M?

Douglas: We made a very conscious decision to return to a more aggressive and minimal approach similar to “Between The Devil…”, but I think there is a progression in terms of the sound and production that Terence now has.

Terence: The first album “Between The Devil…’ in 2003 was really instinctive and direct, and when we did the 2^nd album, “Into The Night”, we wanted to show another side of us, including more melodies, but I think we realized that the real fun for F/M is to be on stage, and when we played some melodic songs live, I feel like we wanted to be harder. It is not like we are bored but we like to deliver powerful music and to see Douglas running from left to right all the time!

Q: From a very personal point of view “Chemicals” is without a shadow of a doubt the rawest and maybe most ‘industrial’-like song you ever have written. What kind of song did you had in mind and tell us a bit more about the writing? 

Douglas: I agree. Terence sent me the baseline and I was immediately reminded of the mid 80’s when Nitzer Ebb first began doing shows in Spain, specifically in Valencia and Murcia on the South-Eastern coast. There was a club in Valencia called ‘Spook Factory’ that we’d go to after playing. It was pre acid-house but certainly an early version of what was later termed ‘Balearic Beats’. There was a penchant for having a drug capsule sticker on the back of your car, basically the same design as I did for the cover.

Terence: To me, it is just a direction or a sequence which could have been in our first album in terms of energy, and style. I don’t think it is a more industrial song but it is a really powerful sequences which maybe could become a classic F/M track such as “You Want It” or “Destroy”.

Q: The sound of F/M has been often described as EBM and techno-like, but I’m more interested to know your own perception about aspects like ‘sound creation’, ‘composition’, ‘equipment’, ‘production’ etc? 

Douglas: I think that analogy is a fair description. Terence is a prolific writer of baselines and other parts. He presents ideas to me and if I hear a vocal idea we continue with the track, if I don’t we choose another of his ideas. I record in LA if I am not able to be in Europe. Our approach to what particular style changes. After the melodic-ness of “Into The Night” we were in the mood for a change.

Terence: I work instinctively. I use some classic old analog machines coupled with some modern ones. In the end it is just about feelings and usually i really know when it will fit for F/M or for my solo work.

Also, I think with Douglas we both have  the same feelings about music with a common taste for underground music, and we both are really instinctive and direct, so actually it is never complicated with us, if it works it works for both at same time.

Q: So what makes the chemistry between Terence Fixmer and Douglas McCarthy and do you have a particular way working together?

Douglas: We are both extremely childish and have a really dumb sense of humor. We spend most of the time laughing and joking about pretty much everything. We do not take ourselves seriously at all. Fixmer/McCarthy is fun.

Terence: Totally true, we have the same level of stupidity (or maybe wisdom) so we understand each other really well.

Q: You both played at the biggest festivals and all kind of events so what makes the magic to move on playing live and what might the fans/audience expect from the next few shows? 

Douglas: We try to give a performance that inspires a reaction, even if it is one of curiosity. We’re never afraid to be ourselves and each show has differences based on how we are feeling the audience is, we seem to be able to win over a crowd.

Terence: What I like is to realize that we have an F/M fan base who really follow us and knows all our tracks. So of course we like to play those classics F/M tracks, but we always add the new ones, and unreleased ones. Sometimes we play unreleased ones, and people follow quite quickly the lyrics from Douglas and sing with him… then at this moment we know that it’s gonna be a good one to release.

Q: “Chemicals” is the first F/M production released on Sonic Groove. What incited you to join hands with Adam X and what are the further plans for F/M right now? 

Douglas: We’ve both known Adam for a long time. I first met him in New York before he moved to Berlin. He’s always a very positive guy with a lot of energy and drive. He saw us perform at Berghain last September and asked about releasing “Chemicals” and we thought it was a great idea. We definitely look forward to continuing to work together.

Terence: I know Adam for many many years, we both really understand, belong and play in the same scene. I know how deep he is into industrial, EBM and techno. Adam is one of the most true and passionate artist, he has been faithful to his sound and vision for decades so industrial, EBM and techno are his keys elements. As friend I always told him I’ll do something for him, and then I realize that he’d be really happy to have an F/M release on Sonic Groove, as he has always supported F/M and myself solo.. so it was obvious to do this release with him and it is a good match sonically.

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 ‘Chemicals’.

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 ‘Chemicals’.

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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Genre/Influences: EBM.

Background/Info: TöT is a French EBM formation from Marseille. The band consists of 3 members sharing a common passion for EBM, which resulted in a debut album featuring 10 songs plus 4 remixes.

Content: TöT clearly sounds like a faithful follower of old-school EBM. The music is inspired by living legends like Nitzer Ebb and Pouppée Fabrikk. They take off with a short extract of Carl Orff’s famous “Carmina Burana” to rapidly move into powerful electronic body music.

The work is carried by solid, dry sounding bass lines and a straight forward cadence. The lyrics are sometimes a bit simplistic and easy to remind. The Nitzer Ebb influence is not only noticeable in the music, but also in the vocals and some typical shout reminding me of Douglas McCarthy.

Remixes were accomplished by Kryptonia 85, Stolearm, Karne Metal Box and Engel 7.

+ + + : If you like good-old EBM inspired by some famous pioneers in the genre, TöT is definitely an exciting band to look out for. They don’t exactly innovate, but compose an honest copy of old-school body music. The sound formula is simple, but efficient featuring a few cool songs. “Raw” and “Outcast” both are noticeable songs with some power to set dancefloors on fire.

– – – : TöT doesn’t innovate at any single moment and there clearly are hundreds of bands in the genre. Some of the bass lines and sequences are a bit too Nitzer Ebb-minded. A bit more originality would be suitable.

Conclusion: TöT composes the music they like and who cares if it’s not that original when it simply kicks a***.

Best songs: “Raw”, “Outcast”, “Discipline”, “Kelb”, “Disposable – Kryptonia 85”.

Rate: (7).

Band: https://totmuzik.bandcamp.com/releases

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 ‘Edge’.

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.

Background/Info: Five years after their successful and totally old-styled EBM debut album “Domination” we finally get new work from Agrezzior. This Swedish side-project of Autodafeh –including Mika Rossi, features a new singer. Johan Damm (Dupont, Menticide) is no longer singing on “Berserker” and got replaced by Autodafeh vocalist Jesper Nilsson.

Content: The sound and influences of the new work hasn’t really changed compared to their astonishing debut work. I think we might trust the genius of body-master Mika Rossi to create alluring and merciless EBM. A band like Front 242 is to Autodafeh what bands like Nitzer Ebb, Pouppée Fabrikk and Orange Sector are to Agrezzior.

The solid and low, vibrating bass lines are clearly inspired by a band like Pouppée Fabrikk while some of the arrangements and powerful choruses evoke early Orange Sector. Jesper’s way of singing will probably evoke Douglas McCarthy. “Berserker” doesn’t innovate at all, but simply reveals to be an impressive emulation of old-school EBM.

“Berserker” sounds hard, but pretty short. We get a total of 12 songs, each having a duration of around 3 minutes. This is EBM in the purest tradition of the genre, which means merciless and straight forward.

+ + + : Despite of their lack of originality, “Berserker” clearly appears to be a dangerous sonic weapon. The songs are fully accomplished, powerful and simply efficient.

– – – : The main strength of the work probably also is its main weakness. The work is based upon a repetitive and simple formula, but that’s precisely the essence of all good EBM, don’t you think?!

Conclusion: “Berserker” will take no prisoners, but is a total guarantee for many dancefloor victims. This is EBM with a double dose of testosterone!

Best songs: “Fast As A Bullet”, “Men Of Mayhem”, “Sick Of Lies”, “Dead Red Beat”.

Rate: (DP:8)DP.

Band: www.facebook.com/Agrezzior-173455837687

Label: www.infacted-recordings.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Infacted-Recordings/124099254321690

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