(Photo by Angela Conway) Duet Emmo have shared a new track from the remastered reissue of Daniel Miller, Edvard Graham Lewis and B.C. Gilbert’s sole collaboration, “Or So It Seems”, which is out 19 August 2022. “Or So It Seems” has been remastered from the original analogue tapes by Stefan Betke.

Available on vinyl for the first time since its original release, the album has been expanded to double vinyl and is released on special edition white vinyl, as a limited edition of 400 on orange vinyl via Bleep (both with high-definition download), CD and digitally on 19 August 2022.

This is a true classic which should be in your collection without any doubt. You will also recognize where Alan Wilder sampled some of the material for his very first Recoil album “1+2” from 1986. A must-have, and that first Recoil album too.

“Heart Of Hearts (Or So It Seems)” is an 8-minute remix of the album’s title track, originally available on the b-side of the 12” of “Or So It Seems”. You can check the remastered version below.

About Duet Emmo

Duet Emmo was a notable collaboration formed in 1982, comprising Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis, both members of Wire and Dome, and Daniel Miller, the founder of Mute Records and a member of The Normal. The name “Duet Emmo” is an anagram of “Dome” and “Mute”, reflecting the origins of the members.

Their only album, “Or So It Seems”, was released in 1983 by Mute Records and featured a unique blend of the abstract, minimal textures of Gilbert and Lewis, and the rigid, song-based electronics of Miller. This combination promised an engaging hybrid of styles. The title track of the album was also released as a 12″ single, and its B-side, “Heart of Hearts”, was included as a bonus track in CD releases of the album.

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 Angela Conway) Duet Emmo was a project that emerged in 1982, and it consisted of Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis (in a hiatus in the trajectory of the group Wire of which they were part) together with Daniel Miller. The name Duet Emmo is actually an anagram of the words Mute and Dome. Dome was the band Graham Lewis and Bruce Gilbert had started in 1980 (originally under the name Cupol) which published a couple of albums.

So how did these three musicians end up together? All three had been friends for a long time as they had all been using Blackwing Studios sharing the same engineer, Eric Radcliffe. An initial project had been suggested in 1980 but the success of Depeche Mode and Yazoo had kept Miller busy until the end of 1982.

Duet Emmo released the – excellent – album “Or So It Seems” in 1983, from which the single of the same name was released. The original 8-track album was recorded in the periods between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day in ’81 and ’82 with legendary engineer Eric Radcliffe at their favoured studio, Blackwing in London. The album’s artwork was a collage by the Brothers Quay redesigned by Bart van Damme. Later, Gilbert and Lewis returned to Wire, while Miller ultimately pursued a career as a producer through Mute.

Coming up now on August 19th is the long-awaited remastered release of the 1983 album “Or So It Seems” on double vinyl, CD and digitally. The reissue has been recently remastered from the original analogue tapes by Stefan Betke and the double vinyl also includes the 8-minute re-mixed 12” b-side version of the title track, “Heart of Hearts (Or So It Seems)” which previously was only available on CD.

Listen to the title track right below.

Here’s how the release will look like.

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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Earlier this year, in January to be precise, we posted this article “When an April Fools prank becomes reality: ‘STUMM433’ (feat. Laibach, Depeche Mode, …)” describing how Mute would release a box set featuring 50 Mute artists giving their interpretation of John Cage’s silent track “4’33”.

Today, The Normal aka Daniel Miller, has shared his tribute to John Cage’s “4’33””. It will be the first ‘music’ released by The Normal on Mute since the debut 7”. On Mute that is indeed because “Live at West Runton Pavilion”, The Normal’s second release, done with another Mute Records act Robert Rental, was released on Marat Records in Germany as Daniel Miller Robert Rental Live, with a black and white picture sleeve.

But back to 2019. Miller recorded his piece at a site in North London that will be familiar to fans of the label as the site of its foundation: 16 Decoy Avenue. Listen to The Normal’s take on “4’33”” right below.

Daniel Miller: “John Cage’s 4’33” has been present in my musical life for as long as I can remember as an important and inspiring composition. When the idea of every Mute artist doing their own interpretation of the piece came up during a conversation with Simon Fisher Turner, I immediately thought this was the perfect way to mark the label’s MUTE 4.0 (1978 > TOMORROW) series.”

Ironically, last year we had the idea to create an April Fools prank with a fake compilation with a lot of famous musicians covering John Cage 4’33 silent track. We decided not to do it, not sure if most of you would grab the irony.

Which Mute artists are featured in the boxset?

The boxset will feature over 50 Mute artists including A Certain Ratio, A.C. Marias, ADULT., The Afghan Whigs, Alexander Balanescu, Barry Adamson, Ben Frost, Bruce Gilbert, Cabaret Voltaire, Carter Tutti Void, Chris Carter, Chris Liebing, Cold Specks, Daniel Blumberg, Danny Briottet, Depeche Mode, Duet Emmo, Echoboy, Einstürzende Neubauten, Erasure, Fad Gadget, Goldfrapp, He Said, Irmin Schmidt, Josh T. Pearson, K Á R Y Y N, Komputer, Laibach, Land Observations, Lee Ranaldo, Liars, Looper, Lost Under Heaven, Maps, Mark Stewart / Sonskrif / The New Banalist Orchestra, Michael Gira, Mick Harvey, Miranda Sex Garden, Moby, Modey Lemon, Mountaineers, New Order, Nitzer Ebb, NON / Boyd Rice, Nonpareils, The Normal, onDeadWaves, Phew, Pink Grease, Pole, Polly Scattergood, Richard Hawley, ShadowParty, Silicon Teens, Simon Fisher Turner and Edmund de Waal, The Warlocks, Wire, Yann Tiersen and Gareth Jones.

The designers behind the visuals

Contributing designers include Simone Grant who worked with Miller on a lot of the early Mute artwork (The Normal, Fad Gadget and Depeche Mode); Steve Claydon, a member of Add N To (X) who designed for Goldfrapp; Slim Smith, who worked with Mute through the 1980s and 1990s; Malcolm Garrett, who designed the “House of Illustrious” box set for Vince Clarke and Martyn Ware; Tom Hingston, who has worked with Erasure and created the majority of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Grinderman artwork since the early 2000s; and Anton Corbjin, who has worked closely with Mute on many campaigns since the early 1980s, including those of Depeche Mode, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Fad Gadget.

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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Last year we had the idea to create an April Fools prank with a fake compilation with a lot of famous musicians covering John Cage 4’33 silent track. We decided not to do it, not sure if most of you would grab the irony. You can imagine our surprise when Mute announced a box set this morning featuring 50 Mute artists giving their interpretation of… yes, 4’33.

From the artist that started Mute, The Normal, to the label’s newest signing, K Á R Y Y N, “STUMM433” will feature over 50 Mute artists – including Depeche Mode, Yann Tiersen, Liars, Silicon Teens, Irmin Schmidt – presenting their own interpretation of one piece of music: John Cage’s 4’33”.

Fortunately you’ll get a visual to accompany each ‘performance’ of 4’33”. The box set launches with a video from Laibach which you can see below.

Net profits from the release of STUMM433 will be split between the British Tinnitus Association and Music Minds Matter. These charities were chosen to honor Inspiral Carpets’ founding member Craig Gill who suffered from anxiety and depression as a result of his tinnitus in the years up to his untimely death. The box set will be released in May 2019.

Artists featured include: A Certain Ratio, A.C. Marias, ADULT., The Afghan Whigs, Alexander Balanescu, Barry Adamson, Ben Frost, Bruce Gilbert, Cabaret Voltaire, Carter Tutti Void, Chris Carter, Chris Liebing, Cold Specks, Daniel Blumberg, Depeche Mode, Duet Emmo, Echoboy, Einstürzende Neubauten, Erasure, Fad Gadget (tribute), Goldfrapp, He Said, Irmin Schmidt, Josh T. Pearson, K Á R Y Y N, Komputer, Laibach, Land Observations, Lee Ranaldo, Liars, Looper, Lost Under Heaven, Maps, Mark Stewart, Michael Gira, Mick Harvey, Miranda Sex Garden, Moby, Modey Lemon, Mountaineers, New Order, Nitzer Ebb, NON, Nonpareils, The Normal, onDeadWaves, Phew, Pink Grease, Pole, Polly Scattergood, Renegade Soundwave, Richard Hawley, ShadowParty, Silicon Teens, Simon Fisher Turner, The Warlocks, Wire, Yann Tiersen.

Side-Line also covered Laibach’s ‘Click Interview’.

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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“Planisphère(s)“ is the debut album from the brand-new French project Signal~Bruit. The full length has been released on the brand-new label Meshwork Music, which is driven by X Marks The Pedwalk member Sevren Ni-Arb. Behind Signal~Bruit is hiding ‘Member U-0176’ who’s running the label BOREDOMproduct. He’s also involved into Celluloide and once started under the Thee Hyphen moniker. Signal~Bruit is something totally different revealing a retro-electro style that might remember to electro pioneers like Jean-Michel Jarre, Clock DVA, Jacno ao.

(by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: What inspired and motivated you to set up Signal~Bruit?

S~B: I don’t know exactly… it just happened. Sometimes when I’m in the studio, I don’t feel like writing a song or recording something with a structure… I’m just in the mood of hearing the sequences running and so I let the sound grow… So that’s what I did, and I don’t know why, this time I started recording, with no specific idea in mind.

Q: This new project is quite different in sound compared with other bands you’ve been involved with like Thee Hyphen and Celluloide. Can you tell us a bit more about the sound properly speaking? 

S~B: It all started from the need of turning knobs and nothing more… just to feel the music with the hands like when you play guitar. it immediately affects the sound depending on your fingers position. I started this way: turning the knobs and pushing the faders until it has an hypnotic feel on me. I actually didn’t think of releasing anything at first, I was just trying to please myself.

Q: “Planisphère(s)“ makes me think of a ‘sonic bridge’ between early electro pioneers like Jean-Michel Jarre, Kraftwerk ao… and a more personal and contemporary electronic approach. How would you analyze this album and its influences?

S~B: I guess all my influences, are present at different levels. As I didn’t intend to make it public when I started, I guessed I didn’t try to show anything. I just let the music flow, and my mind float. So of course, electronic pioneers of the Berliner school like Tangerine Dream come into mind, but also the minimal electronics and melodies of Jacno, repetitive sequences of Clock DVA and sound textures of Duet Emmo. But I’m also listening to Atom TM or Autechre so it probably has an influence too.

Q: I noticed you’ve been inspired by the book “Flatland“, which you tried transpose into music. Tell us a bit more about this concept and the way you worked on it? 

S~B: The word “Planisphere(s)” is an attempt of translating and explaining at the same time the title and a key part of the book. While recording my electronic experimentations, I was reading this fabulous book of the XIX century by E.A. Abbot and I suddenly asked myself if I was unconsciously recording the feelings I had when reading the book… or the book gave me ideas on how structuring my electronic ‘divagations’ into something more constructed with a progression and an atmosphere. So I re-organized the recorded tracks into something more ‘logical’ with the story of the book in mind and make them take shape this way.

Q: You also produced videos of all songs on the album that can be watched by using 3D-glasses and, which totally fits to the concept of the “Flatland”-book. How did you get this idea and how did it happened?

S~B: “Planisphère(s)” is a very visual project. Images come to mind when I listen to the sounds, so I wanted to transpose these images all along the album. I finally produced automatically triggered geometric animations for all the tracks, which somehow illustrate the ‘story’ of the album, or at least the moving atmospheres. And it goes to 3D stereoscopic vision on the 4th track “Revelation”, because that’s what happens in the story. I don’t think I could explain it more clearly. It think this has to be seen not explained. I hope it will be released soon, but it has a different planning than the CD release so keep watching the Signal~Bruit youtube channel.

Q: I personally experienced your album as an antidote to the current electro-underground productions, which all sound similar and without a real creative spirit. What’s your perception as an artist and label-owner about the current scene? 

S~B: I have no real statement about that. I think we all try to do the best music we can. Some people can make brilliant things at the first try,  some don’t and never will and in the middle some have good ideas or miss the point. It happens to all of us when we try to create. That’s why for BOREDOMproduct we release a very few albums. We always try to work and rework the tracks with the bands. We’re not just releasing the demos as they are when they go out of the bands studio.

I think it’s important that a label plays a role of advising the bands, adding production when it’s necessary, re-organize tracks if needed. It’s an important help for the band, which I’m afraid most of labels don’t do anymore today because artists don’t accept critics and labels don’t have time and budget for this long work.

Q: An interesting aspect about this album is that it will be the first release ever on Meshwork Music while you’re still running your own label (BOREDOMproduct)! How did it happen and what do you expect from a new label like Meshwork Music? 

S~B: When I was about to complete the album I realized that BOREDOMproduct was not the label for this type of music. So I searched for a label that could understand what I was trying to do, and that could market it properly (I had no idea how). Then I read on Side-Line the announcement of a brand new label who ‘wants to push the boundaries of electronic music to a new level’. Not that I am pretentious enough to think I will push any boundaries at all, but at least the label was open minded enough to give a listen to the whole thing!

And indeed… I sent a rough version, with no proper mix and unfinished versions to André who was really enthusiast about it. Some critics replied a positive way as well and especially about the second track (“Chromatistès”) that had to be re-organized. The final album has been reworked and mixed the way I wanted.

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

Fungus Cerebri (Selected Tracks From Cassettes 1981-1989) is a double LP in deluxe gatefold sleeve which includes a selection of tracks by Esplendor Geométrico originally released on cassette and recorded between 1981-1989. You can order this very limited edition right now, it’s being sent out by the end of December.

You can expect minimalism, raw and harsh analogue electronica, distortion, Arabic sounds and shortwave radio recordings as you can hear below on the track “Fungus Cerebri”. Duet Emmo fans will love this material for sure!

All tracks have been remastered from the original tapes for this edition. The 16 tracks are taken from the “Sinn & Form” cassette compilation (Daterverarbeitung 1982), “En directo Madrid y Tolosa” (EGK 1987, cassette), “Esplendor Geométrico en Roma” (EGK 1986, cassette), “Madrid Mayo 89” (Línea Alternativa 1990, cassette), and “Diez años de Esplendor” (Línea Alternativa 1991, double cassette).

The track selection is by Andrés Noarbe, the band’s manager since their beginnings in 1980 and director of Geometrik Records.

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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Pankow’s Maurizio Fasolo has sent us his TOP 10 albums from the period 1981-1984. The TOP 10 comes hand in hand with the re-release of Pankow’s first cassette “Throw Out Rite”, originally released in 1983. It’s nowadays sold for over 100 Euros on Discogs and is very rare.

Artoffact is releasing a CD and vinyl editions (EU orders are available here) of “Throw Out Rite” for the first time ever. The audio is remastered from the original tape.

And that’s not all, we also offer you an exclusive FREE download of the remastered version of “Das Wodkalied”! Get it below:

Here is Pankow’s TOP 10 albums from 1981-1984 with additional comment by Pankow’s Maurizio Fasolo.

1. Duet Emmo ‎– Or So It Seems – 1983

Maurizio Fasolo: “The Masterpiece… so layered and so rich in contrasts that you never get tired of it, the presence of Daniel Miller brings a geometric sheen to it.”

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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