The Belgian electro label Alfa Matrix releases the twelfth volume in its “Matrix+ Downloaded” series to coincide with the label’s 24th anniversary. The digital-only set collects 69 tracks across the label’s current spectrum – EBM, dark elektro/industrial, synth pop – and newer Spleen+ additions spanning post-punk, goth rock and coldwave. The compilation is offered as a free/pay-what-you-want download via the label’s Bandcamp page and also includes a PDF booklet.

On the cover you will recognize Erica Dunham from Unter Null.

Artists included on this free download compilation include: Studio-X (feat. Kyoko Baertsoen), Rector Scanner, Aesthetische, Cut.Rate.Box, Kant Kino, Frontal Boundary, C-Lekktor, Acylum, Diffuzion, Implant, Neikka RPM, First Aid 4 Souls (feat. Aux Animaux), Noemi Aurora, Suicidal Romance, Llumen, Hanging Freud, Lederman/De Meyer, The Ultimate Dreamers, Aiboforcen, Digital Factor, Armageddon Dildos, Helalyn Flowers, Krystal System, The True Union, Freakangel, Totem Obscura, Lovelorn Dolls (feat. Dero Goi), The Breath of Life, The Names, ImJudas, Synapsyche, Miseria Ultima, Unter Null, Alien Vampires (feat. Dani Divine), Venal Flesh, Helle9, To Avoid, Pouppée Fabrikk, Stahlgeist, Nigra Nebula, Aengeldust, Circuito Cerrado, Matthew Creed, Cubic, Metroland, The Psychic Force, Komor Kommando, First Aid Tech, Die Robo Sapiens, ELM, Plastic Noise Experience, AD:Key, Elektroklänge, 808 Dot Pop, Avarice in Audio, Elektrostaub (feat. Echo Image), Cryogenic Echelon, Entrzelle, Neuroactive, Technoir, Mondträume, Star Industry, Stray, Psy’Aviah (feat. Sorrow Stories), Zombie Girl, Darkness on Demand, Circumpolar, Dunkelwerk, and Lights A.M.

A&R manager, Sebastien Dolimont says: “In 2025, Alfa Matrix proudly celebrates 24 years of existence. Nearly a quarter of a century fighting for dark alternative music, discovering new talents, and keeping the underground alive. This anniversary is not just about us and our artists – it’s about you, our fans. Because without your constant support, there would be no label, no releases, no future for the scene we all love.”

And he add: “In a world where indie labels are disappearing, streaming revenues collapse, and risks of signing new talents are higher than ever, we are proud to still stand strong — but we can only do it with you by our side. By downloading this compilation, you are not just enjoying music — you are actively supporting 69 artists and helping keep our scene alive, fresh, and forward-looking. From all of us at Alfa Matrix and Spleen+, and on behalf of all our artists: thank you for 24 years of loyalty, passion, and support. Together, we’ll keep writing the future of the dark underground.”

About Alfa Matrix

Alfa Matrix is a Brussels-based independent label founded in 2001. The catalogue focuses on electronic subgenres including industrial, EBM, dark elektro, and synth pop, later expanding into post-punk/coldwave via the Spleen+ division. The label’s team includes label & artists manager Seba Dolimont, promo manager Bernard Van Isacker, and head of design Benoît Blanchart.

From the early 2000s, Alfa Matrix used series-based releases to build international reach. Notable strands include “Sounds From The Matrix” (label samplers), “Re:Connected” (digital label overview), and the club-oriented “Endzeit Bunkertracks” multi-CD anthologies (first “Act” released 21 March 2005, featuring 60 tracks with 50 exclusives).

In 2023, Alfa Matrix inaugurated Spleen+, a division centred on post-punk and adjacent styles, and followed with multi-artist projects and catalogue building, including the “Resurgence” 7-CD box that assembled 133 contemporary bands from the post-punk family.

The label has since the very start focused on a direct contact with its fans and customers via their online webstore and Bandcamp.

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

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In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Kraftwerk album “Autobahn”, Swedish minimal electro-pop ensemble Elektroklänge has released its latest EP, “Auf der schönen grauen Autobahn” today on Bandcamp and all other platforms. This release concludes their trilogy honoring Kraftwerk’s pioneering influence on electronic music.

Preceded by the “Abfahrt” EP and the full-length album “Motorik”, this three-track EP includes a radio edit of the title track and an expansive 22-minute “umleitung mix”, which offers listeners a dynamic journey through evolving melodies and rhythms, paying homage to Kraftwerk while introducing new elements. Additionally, the minimalist piano demo “Glitzerstrahl” (“wohltemperierte klavier mix”) provides an insight into Elektroklänge’s creative process.

About the Kraftwerk album “Autobahn”

Kraftwerk’s “Autobahn”, released November 1st 1974, marked a pivotal moment in electronic music, introducing a minimalist aesthetic and innovative use of synthesizers. The album’s title track, a 22-minute exploration of the German highway system, became emblematic of the band’s forward-thinking approach and has influenced countless artists in the electronic genre.

Produced by Kraftwerk’s founders, Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider, alongside engineer Conny Plank, “Autobahn” also marked their shift towards self-production and studio control. The album cover, designed by Emil Schult, who would become a longtime collaborator, featured a stylized highway scene, encapsulating the futuristic, minimalist aesthetic of the album.

The genesis of “Autobahn” began in the early 1970s, with Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider’s vision to capture the experience of driving on Germany’s highways through electronic music. Both musicians were drawn to the minimalist landscapes of repetitive sounds, influenced by early electronic experimentation, including the work of Karlheinz Stockhausen and the minimalist compositions of Terry Riley and Steve Reich. By 1973, they had begun developing the concept of “Autobahn,” not merely as a song but as an auditory journey that would mimic the sensations of motion, rhythm, and space found in a car ride.

Schneider and Hütter started experimenting with various synthesizers and audio devices, including the Minimoog, EMS Synthi AKS, and custom-built vocoders to give the album its signature sound. These innovations allowed them to break away from conventional instrumentation, which they felt limited their creative ambitions. They also collaborated with Conny Plank as mentioned above, a sound engineer known for his pioneering work with electronic and experimental artists. His expertise in audio manipulation helped bring their ideas to life.

The concept was also heavily influenced by the cultural context of 1970s West Germany, where the Autobahn highway system symbolized postwar modernization and mobility. For the band, the autobahn represented the modern German identity, and they saw it as an icon of progress and movement. Rather than creating a traditional song, they wanted the music to evoke the hypnotic, meditative experience of long-distance travel, capturing both the solitude and the exhilaration of the open road.

To round out this sound, they brought in artist Emil Schult to co-write lyrics and develop visuals for the album, solidifying the Autobahn concept as a cohesive audio-visual experience. Schult’s input helped transform the music into a holistic work of art, with lyrics that were sparse and repetitive, much like road signage, and album artwork that emphasized sleek, streamlined aesthetics.

The rest is as we say history.

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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On their second conceptual album “Motorik”, the Swedish minimalistic electro-pop act, ELEKTROKLÄNGE revives the vintage Kraftwerkian “Düsseldorf sound” with their topnotch synth-pop signature style. “Motorik” is a sonic journey inspired by KRAFTWERK’s groundbreaking “Autobahn” album, celebrating its 50th anniversary. Curiosity serves as the compass, and humour as the travel companion, as ELEKTROKLÄNGE explores and enhances the lyrical, musical, and conceptual themes presented in KRAFTWERK’s masterpiece… We hacked ELEKTROKLÄNGE’s “Bordcomputer” to better understand how we should best read/listen to all these tiny well-hidden details…

The release is available as download via Bandcamp and other services plus on CD via the Alfa Matrix webstore.

S. “Motorik” is described as a sonic journey inspired by KRAFTWERK’s “Autobahn” album. What drew you to pay homage to this particular album, and how did it influence the creation of your own conceptual work?

F. “Motorik” is basically a love letter to “Autobahn”, a record that has meant a lot to us. “Autobahn” captured (and still captures) our imagination with its hypnotic rhythms and minimalist aesthetic. The electronic textures, melodic motifs, and thematic depth inspired us to explore similar themes in our own work while also paying homage to the iconic soundscapes and visionary spirit of Kraftwerk.

S. You mention curiosity and humour as key elements of “Motorik.” How do these themes manifest in the album’s lyrics, music, and overall concept?

F. For us, curiosity and humour have served as guiding principles in “Motorik”, shaping the album’s lyrical content, musical compositions and visual presentation. We definitely sprinkle in some lyrical and biographical Easter eggs throughout “Motorik” for attentive listeners. There might be a turn of phrase or a specific sound effect that subtly (and sometimes, perhaps, not so subtly) nods to “Autobahn” and other albums by Kraftwerk. Curiosity and humour add layers of depth and entertainment, encouraging listeners to engage with the music on multiple levels. A little bit like a journey down the autobahn, “Motorik” unfolds with twists and turns, surprises and revelations.

S. The album features tracks with titles like “Abfahrt,” “Bordcomputer,” and “AutoRadio.” Can you elaborate on the narrative or thematic journey these tracks represent as listeners progress through the album?

F. Each track on “Motorik” serves as a chapter in our sonic journey. “Abfahrt” sets the stage for the entire album, acting as the sonic ignition for the journey with its pulsating rhythms and playful melodies, evoking the excitement and anticipation of embarking on a journey. “Bordcomputer” (together with the first track “Vorprogrammierung”) explores the connection between man and machine, echoing the thematic exploration present in much of Kraftwerk’s work. As the album progresses, “Autoradio” introduces upbeat melodies and catchy synth hooks that evoke the sound of classic driving music. Just as drivers tune their car radios to find the perfect soundtrack for their journey, this track perhaps explores the significance of music as a companion on life’s road. Or, the lyrics could just be nods to different song lyrics by Kraftwerk.

S. ELEKTROKLÄNGE is known for reviving the vintage Kraftwerkian “Düsseldorf sound.” How do you balance staying true to this classic style while also incorporating your unique modern twist?

F. You could think of it as an ongoing, and sometimes lively, conversation between the past and the future, where Kraftwerk’s legacy paves the way for Elektroklänge’s sonic exploration. We might reimagine a particular melody, chord progression or rhythmic pattern, but recontextualize it within our own sonic and thematic framework. We believe that our commitment to the “Düsseldorf sound” ensures continuity, while our forays into unexpected sonic territories keep the journey exciting and somewhat relevant. We hope that listeners will appreciate the respectful references and subtle nods to the original while also recognizing the melody-driven retro-future sound that makes “Motorik” distinctly Elektroklänge.

S. “Motorik” aims to envelop listeners like passing landscapes on a journey. Can you describe the creative process behind crafting the repetitive yet evolving motifs and rhythms that define the album?

F. “Autobahn” functions as a cohesive journey and we wanted “Motorik” to achieve a similar effect, but through the lens of Elektroklänge. To achieve this, we developed a narrative arc that explores the themes of “Autobahn” from our perspective. This involved crafting a thematic flow between tracks on the album, ensuring they built upon each other and hopefully offer a fresh interpretation of the original concepts. On a song level, this meant meticulously crafting repetitive motifs and rhythms that would become the building blocks of the album. We built upon these motifs and rhythms, adding layers of texture and variation throughout each track. This involved introducing new sonic elements, such as shimmering synth pads or vintage speech synthesis.

S. With tracks like “Glitzerstrahl” and “Auf der schönen grauen Autobahn,” how do you use musical elements to evoke the imagery and feeling of a car journey?

F. We used a variety of musical elements to evoke the imagery and feeling of a car journey. Both tracks build on a steady, driving beat that creates a sense of forward motion and momentum. We also use different synth textures such as lush, evolving synth pads that represent the vastness of the open road ahead, while arpeggios and simple repeating melodies evoke a sense of hypnotic movement akin to watching the scenery fly by. Perhaps most evident on “Auf der schönen grauen Autobahn”, the compositional structure plays a big part. The track (just like the album itself) is structured to mirror the flow of a car trip by combining faster, more intense sections representing high-speed stretches with sections of a more meditative quality reflecting long stretches of highway.

S. What was the most challenging aspect of creating “Motorik,” and how did you overcome it to ensure the album captured the essence of both ELEKTROKLÄNGE and KRAFTWERK’s influence?

F. We hold immense respect for Kraftwerk’s pioneering work and their influence is undeniable in our music. The most challenging aspect was creating an album that paid tribute while retaining Elektroklänge’s distinct sonic identity. We tried to overcome this by focusing on reinterpreting, not replicating. We meticulously programmed sounds and textures that resonated with “Autobahn’s” core aesthetic while adding different layers that reflected our signature style. This involved a lot of experimentation and refinement to ensure each element served the music without cluttering the sonic space. We used “Autobahn” as a sort of blueprint, employing its themes and motifs to craft new compositions that reflect our own musical perspective. In that sense “Motorik” is a tribute to the past, reimagined for the present.

S. As you celebrate the 50th anniversary of “Autobahn,” what do you hope listeners take away from “Motorik,” and how do you want it to impact their perception of electro-pop and its roots?

F. We haven’t given much consideration to that question. But ultimately, “Motorik” isn’t just an homage; it’s an invitation. We invite listeners to explore the roots of what you call electro-pop and appreciate the enduring influence of these musical pioneers. We hope “Motorik” inspires a renewed appreciation for the power of minimalism and experimentation. We also want listeners to rediscover the potential of the concept album format, where music and ideas intertwine to create a more cohesive experience.

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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Three years after his promising debut album “The Cubic Alphabet”, Franky Deblomme returns with a compelling follow-up album, “Back To Basic”. Preceded by two well-received releases (an EP and a single), this album solidifies the Belgian artist’s status within the growing Kraftwerk-inspired Synth-Pop movement. Alongside label mates like Metroland, 808 Dot Pop, and Elektroklänge, Deblomme emerges as a strong ambassador of this retro-futuristic sound. Back to Basic pays homage to vintage synthesizers and early computer music, weaving together an array of bleeps, cold retro sequences, and solid basslines. The melodies are simple yet effective, enhanced by the occasional robot vocals that add a splash of color to the mix. Cubic expertly blends Synth-Pop and EBM, delivering a mature and efficient production. However, the album’s only drawback is that the tracks can start to feel repetitive over time. (Rate:8½).

Listen to “Off Line (Basic Edit)”:

Read the news on ‘Back To Basic’.

About Cubic

Cubic is the Belgian electronic project of Franky Deblomme, who previously worked in the Belgian EBM project Darkmen. Deblomme began working with Alfa Matrix in 2021, starting with the EP “Alphabet Hymn” in March 2021. His debut album “The Cubic Alphabet” followed in June 2021 via Alfa Matrix, continuing with the EP “Phonic Lessons Part 3” in December 2021. In 2022, Deblomme expanded into a location-themed EP series with “Exit: Frankfurt”, “Exit: Ghent”, and “Exit: Manchester”.

The project returned with the EP “c64” in September 2023 and “c128” later that year, as teasers toward a full-length album. That album, “Back To Basic”, arrived in May 2024 via Alfa Matrix in digital and CD editions. In 2025, Cubic handed the “Back To Basic” source material to 808 Dot Pop’s Passenger S for a full rework, released as the album “Back To 808”.

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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“Motorik” is the second album by Swedish electronic artist Elektroklänge. This album serves as a tribute to Kraftwerk’s legendary “Autobahn”, released 50 years ago. The music style is a nostalgic journey, featuring robotic, computerized voices reminiscent of the original “Autobahn”. Rather than covering the tracks, Elektroklänge has reimagined the essence of “Autobahn”, creating a sound that is both sweetly modern and masterfully produced. While the album embodies many familiar Electro clichés, it does so with a high level of craftsmanship. The standout track is the well-known and more intense “Bordcomputer,” which I consider the album’s absolute hit. The rest of the tracks, though enjoyable, tend to be a bit too sweet for my taste. Overall, “Motorik” is a polished and commendable work. (Rating: 7½)

Listen to  “Bordcomputer”:

Read the news on ‘Motorik’.

About Elektroklänge

Elektroklänge is a Swedish minimalistic electro-pop act signed to Alfa Matrix. The project released its debut album, “Komposituation,” in December 2022, followed by the EP “Abfahrt” in February 2024. “Motorik,” released in June 2024, pays tribute to Kraftwerk’s “Autobahn” on its 50th anniversary; Side-Line spoke with Elektroklänge about the album in an August 2024 interview, and the act followed up with a dedicated Autobahn-anniversary tribute single in November 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

The Swedish minimalistic electro-pop act Elektroklänge have just released their second conceptual album “Motorik”. The album is the follow-up to their 2022 album “Komposituation” and was already teased by the recently released the “Abfahrt” EP.

Musically the project revives the vintage Kraftwerkian “Düsseldorf sound” adding an own signature style. And if you pay attention it will not exactly be a secret that “Motorik” is inspired by Kraftwerk’s groundbreaking “Autobahn” album, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Even the cover artwork is close to that of the 2009 remastered version.

The album holds 10 tracks. You can order the album on CD via the Alfa Matrix webstore, or as download via Bandcamp. And for those who want some more electropop in one go, Alfa Matrix also offers a packet holding this album for a very limited time plus the new full lengths from Metroland, Cubic and Aiboforcen at a special price.

You can check out the band’s previous album right below. Read the review of ‘Motorik’.

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-Pop.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: While Swedish Elektroklänge have their second full length-album in the pipeline they now strike back with this EP featuring six songs.

Content: “Abfahrt” moves on from where the debut album “Komposituation” (2022) stopped; a new Electro/Robotic-Pop production clearly inspired by the sound of Kraftwerk. The songs are still sweet and soft featuring deep bass lines, endless bleeps and retro strings but also traffic sounds and other noises reinforcing the concept theme of the work. The last song is a remix by Elektro-Müller.

+ + + : If you’re into Kraftwerk-Pop music you definitely going to have to try Elektroklänge. And my favorite cut is the one coming the closest by Kraftwerk. “Bordcomputer – Radio Edit” even sounds as the best song I’ve heard from this band thus far. It’s ultra cliché but also ultra-cool. The songs are well-crafted and easy to listen to.

– – – : The main point that hurts with this type of project is the lack of originality. They adapted Kraftwerk into a sweeter edit but without the magic of the one and only Kraftwerk.

Conclusion: Elektroklänge remains imprisoned in the Kraftwerk-web and is going to catch the attention of fans of the band from Düsseldorf.

Best songs: “Bordcomputer – Radio Edit”, “Glitzerstrahl”.

Rate: 7.

Artist: www.elektroklange.com / www.facebook.com/Elektroklange

Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix Read the news on ‘Abfahrt’.

About Elektroklänge

Elektroklänge is a minimalistic electro-pop project from Stockholm, Sweden, working in a Kraftwerk-inspired robotic-pop style. The project released its debut album, “Komposituation”, in December 2022 on Alfa Matrix, following an earlier EP the same year. The “Abfahrt” EP followed in February 2024, and Elektroklänge continued the Kraftwerk homage later that year with the “Motorik” album and a tribute single marking the 50th anniversary of Kraftwerk’s “Autobahn”.

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 Swedish minimalistic electro pop act Elektroklänge is back with a brand new 6-track EP, “Abfahrt”. This is one of my favourites on the Alfa Matrix label next to their buddies and sonic twins from Metroland and 808 Dot Pop.

The new EP is the first new release from this act since their debut album “Komposituation” was released in 2022.

Besides typical Kraftwerkian music, you can expect – if you listen closely – authentic traffic sounds from German highways, vintage speech synthesis courtesy of the Texas Instruments Language Translator and the Chrysler Electronic Voice Alert system next to flutes and vocoded vocals.

The EP holds 5 new tracks and a remix of “Bordcomputer” as 6th track. The EP is downloadable now from Bandcamp and will be available via other platforms in the next two weeks. Warmly recommended! Read the review of ‘Abfahrt’.

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

www.side-line.com

Alfa Matrix, the renowned Belgian label, commemorates its 22nd anniversary with yet another mastodont compilation on Bandcamp. The latest installment in the acclaimed “Matrix Downloaded” series, titled “Matrix+ Downloaded 011”, is now available as a free download on their Bandcamp page. Packed with 60 tracks, including new signings and a preview of the upcoming Spleen+ label releases, this compilation showcases Alfa Matrix’s diverse music repertoire.

“Matrix+ Downloaded 011” soared to the top of the industrial Bandcamp charts within hours of its release, claiming the coveted number 1 position.

The collection holds 60 tracks in total including several new signings. These are the bands present on this brand new free download compilation: Hanging Freud, The Ultimate Dreamers, The Breath Of Life, Psy’Aviah Feat. Sorrow Stories, ImJudas, Star Industry, Halo In Reverse, Lovelorn Dolls, The True Union, Freakangel, Avarice In Audio, Siva Six, Alien Vampires, Synapsyche, Helalyn Flowers, Neuroactive, Elektrostaub Feat. Stefan Netschio, Technoir, Entrzelle, Llumen, Noemi Aurora, Aiboforcen Feat. Jan D., Reichsfeind, Mondträume Feat. N-Frequency, The Psychic Force, Digital Factor, Implant, Darkness On Demand, Aesthetische, Komor Kommando Vs. The True Union, Matthew Creed, C-Lekktor, First Aid Tech, Pouppee Fabrikk, ELM, Die Robo Sapiens, Plastic Noise Experience, Armageddon Dildos, Stahlgeist, AD:keY, Kant Kino, Suicidal Romance, Miseria Ultima, First Aid 4 Souls, Neikka RPM, Circumpolar, Venal Flesh, Helle9, Diffuzion, Acylum, Circuito Cerrado, Aengeldust, Studio-X, 808 Dot Pop, Cubic, Metroland, Rector Scanner, Elektroklänge, Cosmic Armchair, Lights A.M.

You can download “Matrix+ Downloaded 011” for free via Bandcamp.

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

www.side-line.com

Nine years after the release of their first tribute to The Cure, titled “A Strange Play – Tribute to The Cure“, Alfa Matrix and Spleen+ have joined forces to create a follow-up tribute album. The second volume in the series, “A Strange Play (Vol. 2) – Tribute to The Cure“, features 27 tracks, including electro, synth pop, EBM acts from Alfa Matrix and cold wave, post-punk, and gothic rock bands from their Spleen+ division and is out now via Bandcamp, the label’s webstore and all other platforms.

The album includes reinterpretations of classic hits and lesser-known B-sides, shedding new light on the original tracks or giving them an entirely different sonic perspective. The tribute album itself this time is a collaborative effort between both established and emerging artists from the Alfa Matrix and Spleen+ rosters.

Compiled by and for The Cure fans, this new tribute adventure brings together a growing roster of Spleen+ artists, including Noemi Aurora, Star Industry, Imjudas, The Ultimate Dreamers, The Breath of Life, and Lovelorn Dolls. Additionally, the album features synth and electro cult acts, as well as upcoming Alfa Matrix artists, such as Neuroactive, Armageddon Dildos, Implant, Darkness on Demand (formerly Dance or Die), Helle9 (an Alien Vampires side-project), Metroland, Aesthetische featuring Zombie Girl, Aiboforcen, Technoir, Kant Kino, Digital Factor, Regenerator, Lights A.M (an Essence of Mind solo project), Neikka RPM, First Aid 4 Souls, Diffuzion, Avarice in Audio, Elektroklänge, Circumpolar, and Cosmic Armchair.

In conjunction with the release of “A Strange Play (Vol. 2),” goth-metal/darkwave act Lovelorn Dolls has released a single and accompanying video clip for their cover of “Lullaby.” The music video, created entirely using artificial intelligence, tells the story of a girl pursued by a mysterious, threatening, yet alluring man. The video’s creator, Kristell, was inspired by her own childhood experience of being both fascinated and frightened by The Cure’s original “Lullaby” music video.

Here’s the track list for the new volume which is available now on 2CD via the Alfa Matrix webstore and as download via the Alfa Matrix Bandcamp page and the Spleen+ Bandcamp page.

Here’s the first volume.

Side-Line also covered The Cure’s ‘s ’.

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop, Minimal-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Swedish Elektroklänge project formerly released a few EP’s -the first one being released by Plonk, and now signed to Alfa Matrix to unleash the debut album “Komposituation”. The work is inspired by German painter, poet and audio-visual artist Emil Schult -who in the 70s worked together with Kraftwerk.

Content: There’s a connection between Emil Schult and Kraftwerk. Soundwise the album is clearly driven by the legacy of the legendary Düsseldorf band. This is pure ‘Kraftwerk’-pop mixing astral atmospheres and melodies together with the unavoidable robotic vocals. The album sounds ‘easy going’ but also features a few more danceable cuts.

+ + + : There’s nothing more to say about the sound production mixing the minimalism in Electro-Pop of Kraftwerk with a more contemporary, and personal touch. I like the vintage sound treatments and the subtle sound arrangements. “Musik Kosmik” and “Dürerchen’s Mondfahrt” both are the most noticeable tracks for being a bit ‘harder’ and dancefloor orientated.

– – – : After Metroland, 808 Dot.Pop and Cubic Alfa Matrix already found a new band involved with the Kraftwerk spirit but Elektroklänge is the less convincing so far. It all sounds a bit too cliché without absolute master tracks.

Conclusion: “Elektrosituation” is an honest debut album but I think there’s more potential hiding behind this project then what came out.

Best songs: “Musik Kosmik”, “Dürerchen’s Mondfahrt”, “Einklinkt”.

Rate: 7.

Artist: www.elektroklange.com / www.facebook.com/Elektroklange

Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix Read the news on ‘Komposituation’.

About Elektroklänge

Elektroklänge is a Swedish minimalistic electro-pop project. Before signing to Alfa Matrix, the act released a series of digital EPs, including “Kosmische Musik” and “Mechanische Tänze Nos. 1-4”, the first through Plonk. The debut album, “Komposituation”, followed on Alfa Matrix, conceptually built around German painter, poet, and audio-visual artist Emil Schult, known for his early-1970s collaborations with Kraftwerk founders Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Elektroklänge released the EP “Abfahrt” in 2024, followed by the second album “Motorik”, built around Kraftwerk’s “Autobahn” album for its 50th anniversary, and a stand-alone “Autobahn” tribute single.

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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After releasing several conceptual digital EPs, Swedish minimalistic electro pop act Elektroklänge finally has released the debut album, “Komposituation”. The release is available on CD and as download.

Conceptually the album is inspired by the German painter, poet and audio-visual artist Emil Schult (also known for his collaboration in the early 70’s with Kraftwerk founders Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider).

On the debut album the Swedish project offers instrumental to more experimental tracks while the vocals on other tracks were programmed into a replica of a Robovox or were AI generated.

The digital version of the album on Bandcamp goes hand in hand with an exclusive digital artbook companion filled with original AI generated art and lyrics.

Here are the previous EPs from the project.

Read the review of ‘Komposituation’.

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

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The Swedish minimalistic electro pop act Elektroklänge is finally back with a new release, “Kosmische Musik” EP. The EP is the first sign of life since their 2016 EP “Mechanische T​ä​nze Nos. 1​-​4 EP“. Remaining faithful to the vintage Düsseldorf sound, you get meticulously programmed minimalist catchy synth melodies, repetitive machine rhythms and vocoder vocals.

And that’s not all, for the occasion the project also offers promo pictures with were actually generated by a music powered AI. In short, the picture above is how the AI interpretated the band’s music in order to generate the visual. Quite surprising as a result we must say!

The 5-track EP is available for immediate download via Bandcamp with other platforms to follow in the next few weeks.

Here is the band’s first EP from 2016.

And here’s the teaser for the new EP if you want some extra visual material.

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 has been a hectic year, also for Alfa Matrix, but luckily their bands took the time to work in their studio to record new material. Out now via the Alfa Matrix Bandcamp page is the label’s 10th edition in the “Matrix Downloaded” compilation series, again offering you a – free – insight in what the Belgian label is all about. You can discover 64 tracks right here on Bandcamp.

The download holds tracks from Cubic, Psy’Aviah, Aesthetische, Digital Factor, Reichsfeind, Llumen, Zombie Girl, Diffuzion, Matthew Creed, Circuito Cerrado, Circumpolar, Venal Flesh, Mentallo & The Fixer, Freakangel, Alien Vampires, I:Scintilla, Schwarzblut, Totem Obscura, Reactor7X, First Aid 4 Souls, Lederman / De Meyer, Implant, AD:keY, Kant Kino, Die Robo Sapiens, ELM, Pouppee Fabrikk, Armageddon Dildos, Plastic Noise Experience, Synapsyche, Avarice In Audio, Elektrostaub, Junksista, First Aid 4 Souls, Benestrophe, Mental Exile, Star Industry, Halo In Reverse, Lovelorn Dolls, Helalyn Flowers, Essence Of Mind, Rector Scanner, Elektroklänge, Metroland, Lights A.M, Cosmic Armchair, Aiboforcen, H.O.W., 808 DOT POP, Suicidal Romance, Entrzelle, Technoir, Neuroactive, Mondträume, The Psychic Force, Studio-X, Studio-X Vs Simon Carter, Neikka RPM, Komor Kommando, Siva Six, Aengeldust, Acylum, Dunkelwerk and Növö.

Exclusive face masks

Next to that you can also get the download together with a face mask, out in a very limited series. You can either buy them separately or get all 3 in one. Check the set of 3 Face Masks (Blue Matrix + Endzeit + Red EBM Alert) or the separate masks.

Note that EVERY face mask order comes with a free compilation CD on top: “Sounds from the matrix 022” with 20 extra tracks.

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: Electro-pop.

Background/Info: Belgian Metroland last year unleashed their fourth full length “Men In A Frame”; a conceptual album about photography. After the album they also released the singles “Man In Frame” and “Memorabilia” featuring exclusive ‘non-album’ tracks. Next to a few more singles and an USB-release they closed this conceptual chapter with this gatefold yellow vinyl release and an extra CD. Each format features nine identical songs and three exclusive ones.

Content: All of the songs are remixes and alternative versions from tracks that were originally released on the last album or the exclusive singles. Metroland remixes son songs while other remixes were done by artists such as Aavikko, Elektroklänge, Psy’Aviah, Kurt Baggaley, Implant, Der Dritte Raum, Die Robo Sapiens, Zusammenklang and Him+He. The songs/remixes are pretty diversified, holding on the Metroland song basis, but mixed with some extra influences like EBM, minimal electronics and even a touch of psychedelic-ambient.

+ + + : The vinyl format is absolutely great; it has something retro-like, which fits with the Metroland-sound, but it also is sober and artistic. The content is interesting as you get much diversified edits. The clubby-sounding “Memorabilia” remixed by Der Dritte Raum is my personal favorite one. Elektroklänge did a great job remixing “The Speed Of Life III” in a different, but still very robotic/Kraftwerk-ian approach. Another song I want to mention is the remix of “La Macchia D’Acqua” by the Belgian project Him+He. Their remix has something new-beat like.

– – – : I think it’s the right moment to close the “Men In a Frame”-album; it was a great, conceptual and successful release, but more remixes would be a little bit abusive!

Conclusion: This is album is a truly collector’s item for the Metroland fans. It has been strictly limited to 300 copies worldwide so it’s a little treasure of sonic ecstasy.

Best songs: “Memorabilia – Der Dritte Raum Rmx 3.4”, “The Speed Of Life – Elektroklänge 1-2-3 Remix”, “La Macchia D’Acqua – Him+He’s Real Sounds Of A Matrix Edit”, “Proiezione 41-828 – Ot-Vorpsrung-Remix”, “Creative Rose – Passenger S Perennial Mix”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.metrolandmusic.com / www.facebook.com/metrolandmusic

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

About Metroland

Metroland is the Belgian electropop duo of Andy de Decker and Sven Lauwers, performing as Passenger A and Passenger S. A third member, Louis Zachert, known as Passenger L, was part of the group until his death in August 2015; the album “Things Will Never Sound The Same Again” was released that December as a tribute to him.

Metroland continued with the fourth full-length “Men In A Frame” and the non-album singles “Man In Frame” and “Memorabilia” before closing that conceptual chapter with “Framed + Framed Anew”. Lauwers has also released solo material as 808 Dot Pop. In a later interview with Side-Line, the duo discussed the albums “0” and “Forum”, which continued the group’s conceptual approach to electropop.

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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Out now is the first official video for Die Robo Sapiens: “Tanz Mit Dem Roboter”. The track is taken from the project’s debut EP “Teufelskreis – Tanz Mit Dem Roboter”.

Die Robo Sapiens consists of the trio Jürgen Engler, Ralf Dörper and Marcel Zürcher and they have now released the download EP “Teufelskreis – Tanz Mit Dem Roboter” via the Bandcamp page of the Alfa Matrix label.

The EP sees the trio collaborating with the U.S. electro artist JG and the Robots, who also directed and can be seen in the Die Krupps video “Robo Sapien”. “Tanz Mit Dem Roboter” is a direct wink to the Düsseldorf synth origins of the band, reworked by label mates Rector Scanner, the vintage synth duo Metroland and the Swedish minimal electro pop talent of Elektroklänge.

“Teufelskreis” on the other hand got remixed by two other prominent figures from the EBM scene: Armageddon Dildos and Sebastian Komor (Icon Of Coil, Komor Kommando, …).

All in all 7 tracks which are clearly giving a foretaste of the band’s forthcoming album “Robo Sapien Race”. Check them out below or download them from bandcamp.

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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Read the review of ‘Teufelskreis / Tanz Mit Dem Roboter’.

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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Speaking of a big promotion campaign, the Belgian electrolabel Alfa Matrix has handed out over 4000 copies of the CD-sampler “Sounds From The Matrix 019” at the double concert of Front 242 this past weekend in Brussels. Also playing as support act were the electropop label mates of Front 242, Metroland.

On the CD sampler you find no less than 20 bands from the label’s roster with mostly new and/or exclusive material.

For those who missed the event, the compilation also comes as a free CD which each order that is placed on the label’s CD/DVD/vinyl webstore or as a download compilation at album price on Bandcamp. Each volume of the compilation series is a much sought after item as it regularly pops up on online auction sites reaching ridiculously high prices, especially when no longer available.

On this new volume you’ll find material from Elektroklänge, Metroland, Ad:Key, ELM, Mildreda, The Psychic Force, Star Industry, Crytek, Mondtraüme, Kant Kino, Junksista, Psy’aviah, Helalyn Flowers, Lovelorn Dolls, Sin.Sin, Imjudas, Komor Kommando, Mentallo & The Fixer, Implant and Schwarzblut. A very diverse compilation which showcasts very well the current line-up of the label.

You can stream the release below, or get it right here on Bandcamp. But if you place an order for a physical product, you’ll of course get it for free on CD!

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 electrolabel Alfa Matrix has launched it’s 19th (!) volume in their popular ‘Sounds From The Matrix’ series. On “Sounds From The Matrix 019” you find no less than 20 bands from the label’s roster with mostly new and/or exclusive material. The compilation comes as a free CD which each order that is placed on the label’s CD/DVD/vinyl webstore or as a download compilation at album price on Bandcamp (and if you use the code november84546 you’ll instantly get 30% off on top).

Each volume of the compilation series is a much sought after item as it regularly pops up on online auction sites reaching ridiculously high prices, especially when no longer available.

On this new volume you’ll find material from Elektroklänge, Metroland, Ad:Key, ELM, Mildreda, The Psychic Force, Star Industry, Crytek, Mondtraüme, Kant Kino, Junksista, Psy’aviah, Helalyn Flowers, Lovelorn Dolls, Sin.Sin, Imjudas, Komor Kommando, Mentallo & The Fixer, Implant and Schwarzblut. A very diverse compilation which showcasts very well the current line-up of the label.

You can stream the release below, or get it right here on Bandcamp. But if you place an order for a physical product, you’ll of course get it for free on CD!

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, dark-electro, techno-body, electro-pop, industrial-rave, minimal-electro, future-pop, electro-industrial.

Background/Info: One of the leading labels of the electronic underground scene is back on track with the second edition of the “Electronic Body Matrix”-series. Six years after the first volume we already get a sonic orgy featuring 4 discs (76 songs) plus a download card featuring 40 extra bands and songs. I also want to express my gratitude to label owner Séba Dolimont for having asked me to make some prospection and tipping bands that finally got a place on this sampler.

Bands: Front 242, Nitzer Ebb, Rhys Fulber, Fixmer/McCarthy, Pouppée Fabrikk, Funker Vogt, Dive, NZ, Orange Sector, Noisuf-X, Komor Kommando, Daniel B, Spetsnaz, Autodafeh, Neurotic Fish, Plastic Noise Experience.

Content: What can I say about a massive compilation featuring 116 songs. The list of bands is too long, but “Electronic Body Matrix” first of all is an impressive cocktail of electronic underground mix. Most of the bands are EBM-inspired, but you also will discover related genres such as future-pop, dark-electro, minimal-electro, industrial-rave and co.

+ + + : The compilation brings some bands back a alive or at least formations we haven’t heard for quite a long time. It also is an opportunity to discover exclusive (re)mixes and I here for example want to mention the remix of Front 242’s “Take One”. It also is an opportunity to discover less familiar names dealing with electronics, which are here in good company. The 4 discs are really great and according to me even the best compilation ever released by the Belgian label!

– – – : I expected a bit more from the download card. The selection of bands is not bad at all, but a level under the CDs. From a very personal point of view, I was not that convinced by the few electro-pop songs, but that’s maybe because there’s no real link with EBM here.

Conclusion: This compilation is an absolute must have or the right gift for a friend who’s discovering this kind of music. A real great compilation from the ‘matrix’ headquarters of electronic music.

Best bands: Fixmer McCarthy, Autodafeh, Dive, Elektroklänge, Pouppée Fabrikk, Neon Electronics.

Rate: (9).

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

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

It was Record Store Day this past weekend and for the occasion the Belgian label launched a special 30% discount code ( RSD2017 ) which is available to use until the end of this week. You can apply the code in the label’s webshop or on the label’s Bandcamp page. You will get 30% off on everything that is added in your basket (except on the forthcoming Metroland and Alien Vampires box sets).

Happy hunting!

Included in this massive discount action are releases by 32CRASH, Acylum, Aengeldust, Aesthetische, Agonised By Love, Aiboforcen, Alien Vampires, Ambassador21, amGod, Armageddon Dildos, Avarice In Audio, Ayria, Bruderschaft, Cosmic Armchair, Crisk, Cynical Existence, Depeche Mode (the tribute releases), Diffuzion, Diskonnekted, Dive, Dream Recall, Dunkelwerk, Elektroklänge, ELM, Entrzelle, Epsilon Minus, Essence Of Mind, Freakangel, Front 242, Gaytron, Glis, Halo In Reverse, HausHetaere, Headscan, Helalyn Flowers, Hungry Lucy, I:scintilla, Implant, Internal, Inure, Junksista, Kant Kino, Klutæ, Komor Kommando, Krystal System, Leaether Strip, Lovelorn Dolls, Malakwa, Male Or Female, Mari Chrome, Mentallo and the Fixer, Metroland, Mind:State, Mnemonic, Mondträume, Monolith, Nebula-H, Neikka RPM, Nitzer Ebb, Növö, O.V.N.I., Plastic Noise Experience, Pouppee Fabrikk, Prozium, Psy’Aviah, Razorfade, Recoil, Regenerator, Saeldes Sanc, Schwarzblut, Sebastian Komor, Seize, Sero.Overdose, Shaun F, Simon Carter, Siva Six, Star Industry, Stray, Studio-X, Suicide Inside, Tamtrum, Technoir, The Cure (tribute), The Psychic Force, Totem Obscura, Trisomie 21, Unter Null, Venal Flesh, Virgins O.R Pigeons, Virtual Embrace, XMH, Zombie Girl, … plus a long list of compilations.

And in order to save on shipping costs, it’s recommended to combine this with the label’s 2 newest releases although they are not discounted.

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

“Today he has no means He’s alone and anonymous, but written in his cells he’s got the marks of a genius”, with these Front 242 lyrics (“Headhunter”) the Belgian electro label Alfa Matrix has launched quite an impressive EBM day action offering no less than a 30% discount on all of it’s physical (and download releases) including the much wanted Front 242 vinyls sets.

All you need to do is use the code ebmday242 to get 30% off on all of the labels releases (ltd editions, boxsets, t-shirts, vinyls, …) purchased via the Alfa Matrix webstore and the official Alfa Matrix Bandcamp page.

The code ebmday242 is only valid today and this weekend and will be applied on all products you have added in your basket.

And that’s not all! the label has also added a huge list of VERY low priced compilations right here.

Included in this massive discount action are all physical and download releases by 32CRASH, Acylum, Aengeldust, Aesthetische, Agonised By Love, Aiboforcen, Alien Vampires, Ambassador21, amGod, Armageddon Dildos, Avarice In Audio, Ayria, Bruderschaft, Cosmic Armchair, Crisk, Cynical Existence, Depeche Mode (the tribute releases), Diffuzion, Diskonnekted, Dive, Dream Recall, Dunkelwerk, Elektroklänge, ELM, Entrzelle, Epsilon Minus, Essence Of Mind, Freakangel, Front 242, Gaytron, Glis, Halo In Reverse, HausHetaere, Headscan, Helalyn Flowers, Hungry Lucy, I:scintilla, Implant, Internal, Inure, Junksista, Kant Kino, Klutæ, Komor Kommando, Krystal System, Leaether Strip, Lovelorn Dolls, Malakwa, Male Or Female, Mari Chrome, Mentallo and the Fixer, Metroland, Mind:State, Mnemonic, Mondträume, Monolith, Nebula-H, Neikka RPM, Nitzer Ebb, Növö, O.V.N.I., Plastic Noise Experience, Pouppee Fabrikk, Prozium, Psy’Aviah, Razorfade, Recoil, Regenerator, Saeldes Sanc, Schwarzblut, Sebastian Komor, Seize, Sero.Overdose, Shaun F, Simon Carter, Siva Six, Star Industry, Stray, Studio-X, Suicide Inside, Tamtrum, Technoir, The Cure (tribute), The Psychic Force, Totem Obscura, Trisomie 21, Unter Null, Venal Flesh, Virgins O.R Pigeons, Virtual Embrace, XMH, Zombie Girl, … plus a long list of compilations.

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, dark-electro, electro-pop, gothic.

Background/Info: 2016 has been a particular year for the Belgian label Alfa Matrix. They celebrated their 15^th anniversary and the 35^th anniversary of the Godfathers of EBM: Front 242. Next to astonishing and luxurious Front 242 –re-releases the label closed 2016 by a surprising ‘celebration’ album featuring 32 bands of the label covering Front 242.

Bands: Metroland, Komor Kmmando, Ad:Key, Plastic Noise Experience, Imjudas, Sin.sin, Neikka RPM, Cosmic Armchair, Alien Vampires, Ayria, Implant, Avarice In Audio, Acylum, Schwarzblut, Star Industry, Regenerator, Elektroklänge, Elm, Kant Kino, Technoir, Diffuzion, Aesthetische, Circuito Cerrado vs. C-Lekktor, Növö, Totem Obscura, Venal Flesh feat. Chase Dobson, Llumen, The Psychic Force, Helalyn Flowers, Essence Of Mind, Armageddon Dildos, Xmh.

Content: I was honestly a bit afraid to discover this massive cover-tribute to the greatest EBM band in history. I’m still convinced there are some bands –like Front 242, you’d better avoid covering, but on the other side I think it also is quite exciting to hear non-EBM bands re-interpreting some of the most famous and legendary ‘242’-hits.

Most of the chosen songs belong to the glorious 80s period of the band. Songs like “U-Men”, “Kampbereit”, “Operating Tracks”, “gvdt”, “Body To Body” “Lovely Day”, “Don’t Crash”, “Lovely Day”, “No Shuffle”, “Commando Mix”, “Moldavia”, “Never Stop”, “Headhunter”, “Welcome To Paradise”, “Tragedy For You” and many, many others have been selected.

The result is quite diverse and of course not always that EBM-like, but clearly accomplished with a real devotion and I dare to say respect for this unique band in history.

+ + + : One of the first highlights is the modern adaptation of “Moldavia” into the pure Komor Kommando style. “Body To Body” has never been so sexy thanks to Neikka RPM. Ayria probably covered the biggest hit (cf. “Headhunter”) into a fully enjoyable body-pop style. Avarice In Audio transposed “Welcome To Paradise” into a technoid inspired cut. Acylum remained dark-electro inspired, covering “Serial Killers Don’t Kill Their Girlfriend” into their unique style. Regenerator (which has been produced by Daniel B) did a fantastic job covering “Religion”.

Elektroklänge (one of the new label signings) reworked “Funkahdafi” into a sterile, but cool robotic version. In the purest EBM vein I noticed great contributions from Elm (cf. “Operating Tracks”) and Kant Kino (cf. “No Shuffle”). Circuito Cerrado vs. C-Lekktor is another great dark-electro artist injecting a dark-electro boost into “Moldavia/Neurobashing”. Növö probably is one of the bands, which is the most close to the early analogue experiments of Front 242 and logically covered one of the early songs (cf. “Kinetics”). I also noticed a surprising and high-tech cover of U-Men” by Llumen.

– – – : There’s only one Front 242 and that’s precisely what this sampler confirms! I heard many cool cover versions, but none is better than the original version, that’s for sure.

Conclusion: Some will call it a blasphemy, but others (young fans) will maybe discover Front 242 thanks to this kind of compilation. I heard an entertaining album!

Best bands: Komor Kommando, Regenerator, Circuito Cerrado vs. C-Lekktor, Növö, Llumen, Kant Kino.

Rate: (7½).

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

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

We enter the final few hours to enjoy a 50% reduction on all of your purchases via the Alfa Matrix Bandcamp page. You get a discount of 50% when using the discount code january50432. Just enter it when checking out. The code is valid on ALL of the releases on the label’s Bandcamp page.

Included in this massive discount action are releases by 32CRASH, Acylum, Aengeldust, Aesthetische, Agonised By Love, Aiboforcen, Alien Vampires, Ambassador21, amGod, Armageddon Dildos, Avarice In Audio, Ayria, Bruderschaft, Cosmic Armchair, Crisk, Cynical Existence, Depeche Mode (the tribute releases), Diffuzion, Diskonnekted, Dive, Dream Recall, Dunkelwerk, Elektroklänge, ELM, Entrzelle, Epsilon Minus, Essence Of Mind, Freakangel, Front 242, Gaytron, Glis, Halo In Reverse, HausHetaere, Headscan, Helalyn Flowers, Hungry Lucy, I:scintilla, Implant, Internal, Inure, Junksista, Kant Kino, Klutæ, Komor Kommando, Krystal System, Leaether Strip, Lovelorn Dolls, Malakwa, Male Or Female, Mari Chrome, Mentallo and the Fixer, Metroland, Mind:State, Mnemonic, Mondträume, Monolith, Nebula-H, Neikka RPM, Nitzer Ebb, Növö, O.V.N.I., Plastic Noise Experience, Pouppee Fabrikk, Prozium, Psy’Aviah, Razorfade, Regenerator, Saeldes Sanc, Schwarzblut, Sebastian Komor, Seize, Sero.Overdose, Shaun F, Simon Carter, Siva Six, Star Industry, Stray, Studio-X, Suicide Inside, Tamtrum, Technoir, The Cure (tribute), The Psychic Force, Totem Obscura, Trisomie 21, Unter Null, Venal Flesh, Virgins O.R Pigeons, Virtual Embrace, XMH, Zombie Girl, … plus a long list of compilations.

The discount code only lasts till January 31st midnight, so make sure to use it asap!

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

The 25th track on our free download compilation “Face The Beat: Session 4” (featuring 92 tracks) is by the Swedish minimalistic electro pop act Elektroklänge.

“Approach To Tokyo” was originally written to celebrate the Shinkansen’s 50th anniversary (Japan’s famous high-speed railway network).

Based in Stockholm, Elektroklänge’s signature sound combines repetitive rhythms with simple catchy melodies. The instrumentation is minimalistic and strictly electronic while all the lyrics are sung through vocoders and/or generated by speech synthesis. Yep, it’s Kraftwerk all the way!

After several highly praised compilation appearances, the band released its “Mechanische Tänze Nos. 1-4” EP on the Belgian Alfa Matrix label (available here) joining such similar sounding label bands as Metroland and Növö.

Listen to “Approach To Tokyo (Straight Connection Mix)” below and download it right here.

Check our “Face The Beat: Session 4” page on Bandcamp to discover the other 91 bands. All donations will go to charity.

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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For its 15th anniversary, the Belgian record label Alfa Matrix also celebrated the 35 years of existence of Front 242 and this with the Front 242 tribute album “Recovery >for you<” uniting 32 fellow label bands who have each covered one song from Front 242’s music repertoire.

The release is available on the Alfa Matrix webstore as a 2CD plus also on their Bandcamp page as a download.

You can preview the tracks right below:

The bands who collaborated to “Recovery >for you<” include Metroland, Komor Kommando, Ad:Key, Plastic Noise Experience, Imjudas, Sin.Sin, Cosmic Armchair, Neikka Rpm, Alien Vampires, Ayria, Implant, Avarice In Audio, Acylum, Schwarzblut, Star Industry, Regenerator, Elektroklänge, Elm, Kant Kino, Technoir, Diffuzion, Aesthetische, Circuito Cerrado Vs. C-Lekktor, Növö, Totem Obscura, Venal Flesh Feat. Chase Dobson, Llumen, The Psychic Force, Helalyn Flowers, Essence Of Mind, Armageddon Dildos and Xmh.

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 electro label Alfa Matrix has launched a mega pre-Christmas sale action via its online CD/vinyl web store. Just use the discount code DECSALE16 when completing your purchase and you will get 30% off on all physical releases (CD, DVD, Vinyl) which came out before mid-June 2016 (so in short you get a discount on most of the label’s huge catalogue).

The label webs tore can be accessed right here.

Included in this massive discount action are releases by 32CRASH, Acylum, Aengeldust, Aesthetische, Agonised By Love, Aiboforcen, Alien Vampires, Ambassador21, amGod, Armageddon Dildos, Avarice In Audio, Ayria, Bruderschaft, Cosmic Armchair, Crisk, Cynical Existence, Depeche Mode (the tribute releases), Diffuzion, Diskonnekted, Dive, Dream Recall, Dunkelwerk, Elektroklänge, ELM, Entrzelle, Epsilon Minus, Essence Of Mind, Freakangel, Front 242, Gaytron, Glis, Halo In Reverse, HausHetaere, Headscan, Helalyn Flowers, Hungry Lucy, I:scintilla, Implant, Internal, Inure, Junksista, Kant Kino, Klutæ, Komor Kommando, Krystal System, Leaether Strip, Lovelorn Dolls, Malakwa, Male Or Female, Mari Chrome, Mentallo and the Fixer, Metroland, Mind:State, Mnemonic, Mondträume, Monolith, Nebula-H, Neikka RPM, Nitzer Ebb, Növö, O.V.N.I., Plastic Noise Experience, Pouppee Fabrikk, Prozium, Psy’Aviah, Razorfade, Recoil, Regenerator, Saeldes Sanc, Schwarzblut, Sebastian Komor, Seize, Sero.Overdose, Shaun F, Simon Carter, Siva Six, Star Industry, Stray, Studio-X, Suicide Inside, Tamtrum, Technoir, The Cure (tribute), The Psychic Force, Totem Obscura, Trisomie 21, Unter Null, Venal Flesh, Virgins O.R Pigeons, Virtual Embrace, XMH, Zombie Girl, … plus a long list of compilations.

And in order to save on shipping costs, it’s recommended to combine this with the label’s newest releases although they are not discounted. The newest releases from the label come from the bands Underviewer, Front 242, Mondträume, The Psychic Force, Llumen, Kant Kino, Daniel B. Prothesesèse and many 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!

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With the 6th edition of the now classic free “Matrix Downloaded” label digital compilation, Belgium’s Alfa Matrix label prepared the perfect industrial / electro soundtrack for your end of year season holiday. If you like what you hear, then don’t hesitate to support the label with a few euros.

“Matrix Downloaded 006” represents the label’s most recent singles and albums while giving a preview of some promising forthcoming 2017 productions including new releases by Alien Vampires, Pouppée Fabrikk, Metroland, The Psychic Force, Kant Kino, Mondträume, Neikka RPM, Aiboforcen, Sin.Sin, Elektroklänge, Llumen, Diffuzion, Cosmic Armchair, etc. as well as from the label’s recent recruits: the German EBM duo Ad:Key and Imjudas (the new synthwave pop-rock project of Helalyn Flowers’ Maxx).

This free (or pay as you wish) compilation is once again downloadable in mp3/flac quality via the label’s extremely successful Bandcamp page where you can also still find the 5 previous editions in case you were trapped in another universe for the last few years and did not catch these yet: “Matrix Downloaded 001” / “Matrix Downloaded 002” / “Matrix Downloaded 003” / “Matrix Downloaded 004” / “Matrix Downloaded 005“.

Check and download below:

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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With “Recovery >for you<”, the Alfa Matrix label is closing this double-celebration year 2016 in beauty. For its 15th anniversary, the Belgian record label also celebrated in many ways the 35 years of existence of Front 242. Therefor the Alfa Matrix label family decided to pay homage to the band.

32 fellow label bands have each covered one song from Front 242’s music repertoire, picking songs from the full discography of the band, from “Geography” to “Pulse”. The release is already up for pre-order on the Alfa Matrix webstore plus also on their Bandcamp page.

“Recovery >for you<” resulted in a collection of 32 songs reflecting the Alfa Matrix band roster’s high diversity by bands such as Metroland, Komor Kommando, Ad:Key, Plastic Noise Experience, Imjudas, Sin.Sin, Cosmic Armchair, Neikka Rpm, Alien Vampires, Ayria, Implant, Avarice In Audio, Acylum, Schwarzblut, Star Industry, Regenerator, Elektroklänge, Elm, Kant Kino, Technoir, Diffuzion, Aesthetische, Circuito Cerrado Vs. C-Lekktor, Növö, Totem Obscura, Venal Flesh Feat. Chase Dobson, Llumen, The Psychic Force, Helalyn Flowers, Essence Of Mind, Armageddon Dildos and Xmh.

Classic Front 242 tunes covered include amongst others “Headhunter”, “Happiness”, “Lovely Day”, “U-men”, “Commando Mix”, “Masterhit”, “No Shuffle”, “Tragedy for You”, “Take One”, “Funkhadafi”, “Moldavia”, “Operating Tracks”, “Don’t Crash”, “Body To Body”, “Welcome To Paradise”, and many more. The full tracklist can be viewed here.

Below is a first exclusive preview which Front 242 have posted on their Instagram account earlier this evening.

#Front242 #tribute “Recovery>for you<” now available via www.alfa-matrix-store.com 32 tracks, this is an exclusive preview! @alfamatrix #alfamatrix

A video posted by Front 242 – Official (@front242official) on Nov 2, 2016 at 11:49am PDT

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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Back in April we reported about the debut of the Swedish minimalistic electro pop act Elektroklänge on the Belgian electro label Alfa Matrix. The Stockholm based act offered the track “Approach To Tokyo” on “Sounds Of The Matrix 017” in the Straight Connection Mix version.

Out now, first via Bandcamp, is “Mechanische Tänze Nos. 1​-​4”, a 7-track release (available here). Here’s a promo video trailer:

While remaining true to the so-called ‘Düsseldorf sound’, Elektroklänge still adds it’s own identity to the mix occasionally using the piano to bring a more emotionally-charged version of Kraftwerk. The “Mechanische Tänze Nos. 1-4” EP is the band’s first release on the Belgian Alfa Matrix label who already brought us bands active in a similar electronic register like Metroland, Növö or yet the very early Front 242 material.

The EP opens with a homage to the Hungarian painter/designer Vilmos Huszár (one of the founders of the art movement De Stijl) who directly influenced the cover-art of this release. What follows are 4 “Tanz” tracks which are sung in 4 different languages: German, English, French & Japanese. Next to that you get an extended Trudering Klang mix of “Mekanischer Tanz”, preceded by the Straight Connection mix of “Approach To Tokyo” which was originally written to celebrate the Shinkansen’s 50th anniversary (Japan’s famous high-speed railway network).

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

Back in April we reported about the debut of the Swedish minimalistic electro pop act Elektroklänge on the Belgian electro label Alfa Matrix. The Stockholm based act offered the track “Approach To Tokyo” on “Sounds Of The Matrix 017” in the Straight Connection Mix version.

Out now, first via Bandcamp, is “Mechanische Tänze Nos. 1​-​4”, a 7-track release (available here). While remaining true to the so-called ‘Düsseldorf sound’, Elektroklänge still adds it’s own identity to the mix occasionally using the piano to bring a more emotionally-charged version of Kraftwerk. The “Mechanische Tänze Nos. 1-4” EP is the band’s first release on the Belgian Alfa Matrix label who already brought us bands active in a similar electronic register like Metroland, Növö or yet the very early Front 242 material.

The EP opens with a homage to the Hungarian painter/designer Vilmos Huszár (one of the founders of the art movement De Stijl) who directly influenced the cover-art of this release. What follows are 4 “Tanz” tracks which are sung in 4 different languages: German, English, French & Japanese. Next to that you get an extended Trudering Klang mix of “Mekanischer Tanz”, preceded by the Straight Connection mix of “Approach To Tokyo” which was originally written to celebrate the Shinkansen’s 50th anniversary (Japan’s famous high-speed railway network).

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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A few days ago we announced that Alfa Matrix had started to distribute its free “Sounds Of The Matrix 017” CD with all its online orders. One of the bands on there is actually a brand new signing: the Stockholm based Elektroklänge. With Elektroklänge Alfa Matrix adds a second band next to Metroland offering a Kraftwerk signature sound, and one which is also into trains so it seems.

The track offered on “Sounds Of The Matrix 017” is “Approach To Tokyo” in the Straight Connection Mix version. The song describes a journey by Shinkansen from Osaka to Tokyo. For those unfamiliar with Japanese technologie, the Shinkansen is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. You can check the track below, which is available now on Bandcamp.

Note that the Japanese version of “Approach to Tokyo” was first made public on social media back in October 2014, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Shinkansen. You can listen to the track below.

The band is currently working on its debut EP. More info when we get 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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All new orders going via the Alfa Matrix webstore will be including volume 17 of the label’s popular free Sounds Of The Matrix compilation series. It’s again an excellent way to discover what this Belgian label and more precisely its bands are up to. The compilation will be added to all orders including physical products.

This time you’ll find 20 tracks from the following bands, including the label’s latest new addition, the Swedish act Elektroklänge. Here’s the complete list of bands on the compilation presenting their newest work: Junksista, Diffuzion, The Psychic Force, Psy’Aviah, Ayria, Zombie Girl, Kant Kino, Avarice In Audio Feat. Mondträume, Entrzelle, Sin.Sin, Studio-X Vs. Simon Carter, Elektroklänge, Metroland, ELM, Neikka RPM, Schwarzblut, Venal Flesh, Helalyn Flowers, Pouppee Fabrikk, Alien Vampires.

You can also get the compilation separately from Bandcamp as a low-priced 20-track standalone download compilation. Listen below.

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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