(Photo by Krys Fox Photography) Brooklyn-based goth-folk duo Charming Disaster are to release their fifth album “Super Natural History”. The album was produced by band members Ellia Bisker and Jeff Morris, with half the tracks recorded at Figure 8 in Brooklyn, NY, and the rest at Tonal Park in Takoma Park, MD with the very last song being a home recording which they had to record in isolation due to the COVID pandemic.

“Super Natural History” will be released on CD, as a 12-inch colored vinyl LP and on all digital platforms.

The album features an array of collaborators. Four tracks were recorded in 2021 at Figure 8 in Brooklyn, NY engineered by Hillary Johnson with bassist Bob Smith and drummer Rob Garcia joining Bisker and Morris who provided their vocal harmonies, guitar, and ukulele. Five songs were tracked at Tonal Park in Takoma Park, MD with longtime Charming Disaster collaborator, Don Godwin contributing bass, drums, and horns as well as engineering and mixing.

In conjunction with “Super Natural History”, Charming Disaster is releasing an ‘oracle deck’ of cards similar to a Tarot deck. The duo has long used Tarot cards to determine the course of their live performances to introduce an element of chance. The Charming Disaster Oracle Deck features cards with original illustrations inspired by each of the 60 songs Charming Disaster has released to date commissioned from more than two dozen artists. The limited-edition deck is intended for use in cartomancy or as a visual interpretation of Charming Disaster’s music.

Charming Disaster was formed by Bisker and Morris in 2012, inspired by the gothic humor of Edward Gorey and Tim Burton, the murder ballads of the American Folk tradition, and the dramatic flair of the cabaret. Together the duo write songs that tell stories, using two voices to explore dark narratives and characters with a playfully macabre sensibility.

They released 4 albums so far, “Love, Crime & Other Trouble” (2015), “Cautionary Tales” (2017), “Spells + Rituals” (2019) and “Our Lady of Radium” (2022).

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.

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The Brooklyn-based musical duo Charming Disaster’s upcoming album, “Our Lady of Radium”, represents a departure from the occult themes they have become known for on their past releases. The concept for Ellia Bisker and Jeff Morris on this new release is the life and discoveries of pioneering scientist Marie Curie, as well as the tragic story of the ‘Radium Girls’ and other consequences of Curie’s work.

“Our Lady of Radium” will be released March 4 on CD, 12-inch vinyl LP and via download, simultaneously with a limited-edition lyrics and art book that includes Charming Disaster’s research notes and original illustrations by artist Susan Saas.

Nine songs on the album explore moments from Curie’s life and research: the ancient folklore of the mountains where radioactive ores were mined; the romance of equals between Marie and Pierre; the famous spirit medium whose séances they attended; Marie’s grief following Pierre’s tragic death; the physical characteristics of radium itself; and the personal scandal that almost destroyed her.

The album furthermore also depicts the tragedy of the ‘Radium Girls’, who were poisoned in the course of their employment, painting watch dials with radium-based paint. In addition, the album deals with duels, alchemy, dwarves, romance, Egyptian mythology, radioactive decay chains, and other secret histories.

The origins of the album date from 2017

The project began in 2017, when Bisker and Morris were awarded an artist residency by Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology in Bellaire, MI. The duo undertook extensive reading and research into Curie and her work, and wrote a cycle of nine interwoven songs telling fragments Curie’s story. In the end the songs then lay dormant while the band toured extensively and recorded another album (2019’s “Spells + Rituals”).

In early 2020, Charming Disaster were preparing to record their next studio album when the pandemic hit and put those plans on hold. Unable to record in the studio with a backing band, the duo decided to try a new approach, recording every instrument themselves at Ellia’s parents’ home, which was sitting vacant just outside NYC. Working with just two microphones, the pair tracked ukuleles, guitars, vocals, glockenspiel, bass, pots and pans, breath sounds, a drum kit borrowed from Jeff’s brother, and the piano Ellia used to practice on as a child. They let the sounds of the house contribute too: the natural reverb of a long hallway, a ticking clock that became a percussion element, whistling that echoed in a tiled shower.

You can already check the title track below.

About Charming Disaster

Charming Disaster was formed by Bisker and Morris in 2012, inspired by the gothic humor of Edward Gorey and Tim Burton, the murder ballads of the Americana tradition, and the dramatic flair of the cabaret.

Several albums followed: “Love, Crime & Other Trouble” (2015), “Cautionary Tales” (2017), and “Spells + Rituals” (2019).

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.

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A few weeks ago Psy’Aviah returned with a brand new EP, “City In Flames”, the last single taken from the band’s “Soul Searching” album. “City In Flames” handles the very current issue of psychological and physical isolation refugees are going through mixing human trauma and drama, which nowadays might even tend to be even more eclipsed by the global pandemic that keeps disrupting our society.

For this release Yves Schelpe collaborated with American artist Ellia Bisker, who is also the female singer of Sweet Soubrette and Charming Disaster.

We decided to talk with Yves Schelpe, Ellia Bisker and Bernice Van Dijck who works as a social worker in Filet Divers, an organization in Antwerp for people living in poverty. Yves met Bernice through the project “Samen Inburgeren” which matches newcomers with buddies to smoothen the integration.

A trio who clearly have a lot more to say on the subject. We threw them some questions!

SL: Can you briefly tell us what your background is and how you came to get in contact with Yves, Bernice as in meeting Yves – and Ellia as getting involved in this song. What attracted you to it?

YVES: Me and my girlfriend actually signed up for what is called “Samen Inburgeren” in the local Antwerp office, we were then matched to our “buddies” (newcomers who wanted to get someone who they can sort of explore the city with, get to learn the environment and build up a network). I met Bernice, I think, the first workshop we had together with out buddies, and later on at several other events!

BERNICE: I’m a social worker in Filet Divers, an organization in Antwerp for people living in poverty. I’m the projectleader of Samen Inburgeren. We match people who want to know the city (and its citizens) better and the language with people who wants to know what it ‘s like to be ‘new’ in Antwerp/people who want to help others with feeling good in this city. It ‘s my job to get people in touch with each other, to see if buddies are fine together, to organize multiple events a year to meet other buddies etc. Both Yves and his wife had someone who they met regularly within the project.

ELLIA: I’m an American singer/songwriter/musician based in New York City. Yves and I have never met in person, but we’ve been collaborating on and off since 2014, when he remixed a track that I had released with my project Sweet Soubrette, “Live Wire.” A little while later he asked if I would contribute vocals to one of his tracks, which I was excited about, but I also let him know I was interested in collaborating as a lyricist and he was open to that idea. Working with Yves has been great because I feel there is a lot of generosity and very little ego involved. It’s an exciting challenge to find the right words and convey a sense of meaning within another artist’s musical composition. We’ve now collaborated in this way on three Psy’Aviah tracks, with “City in Flames” the most recent. “City in Flames” was a bit different from the other two songs, as Yves had a really specific idea in mind for this one and some lyrics already written, so I had to channel his vision as well as the refugee story that he wanted the song to convey. I think the experience of people who are displaced by war or other circumstances is such an important issue, and it was an honor to try to capture it in this song in a way that would let listeners feel it for themselves.

SL: Integration is considered to be the way to get newcomers to become full citizens. However, we see it’s not a linear story where all goes as planned. What hurdles do you see?

YVES: Correct, I think people need to be aware that “integration” is a word that for me doesn’t really exist, or at least is very hard to define. When are you integrated? Even when living in Antwerp, my own city, I often wonder – am I integrated into the society as other people are? So this is where the problem starts, seeing “integration” from only one perspective (most of the time your own) is limiting the scope, and even essentially defining how a human would function as perfect or as normal in your idealized society. That’s one big hurdle I see, the tunnel vision where people get lost in. I always advice those people to visit the museum we have in Antwerp called “The Red Star Line Museum”, where you see that about 120 years ago mass immigration took place to the US and Canada from European countries – and how that affected things. It puts a lot in perspective, certainly because you see that immigration is something that has always existed, for the same reasons, and that it is a human thing to do. Most utter “integration” and “migration” without thinking about what they really mean with these words and concepts, or have no historical background – and often don’t reflect upon what it means for different people, as well as the “newcomers”. So, I’d say, creating awareness around the fact that “integration” comes in different shades of grey is the biggest hurdle, the biggest challenge when talking about this. Education thus, for everyone, is the biggest hurdle.

BERNICE: I mostly follow Yves’ ideas. You see, once we made an exercise about ‘integration’. What does it mean? What ‘s in it for the one who is integrating? What’s in it for society? Is someone who just like to sit at home and not joining the party’s in the street not integrated? Even we as professionals just got more questions instead of answers. And I think this shows how hard it can be to be new somewhere. You know you have to integrate, but what does it exactly mean? The most important thing I guess is that both society and newcomers are ready to meet eachother and respect eachother. When you can get in touch with and you are willing to learn from eachother, there can be a happy place for everyone.

ELLIA: As an American I’m not exactly qualified to answer this question, but I wanted to mention that immigration is of course an important issue here in the U.S. as well. Even though we are a nation of immigrants (my own ancestors were Jews fleeing oppression in Eastern Europe in the early 20th century), there is so much anti-immigrant rhetoric, particularly with respect to people coming from Mexico and Latin America, and so much racism (not to mention mistreatment and abuses at the border) in response to people who are often fleeing desperate situations to come here. As Yves mentioned, people migrating to find better circumstances is not a new phenomenon.

SL: In the past I have been giving extra Dutch courses to newcomers to speed up their integration. Those people were willing to integrate and did their best, but I think there is a blind spot of people which we never reached and which kinda disappeared from our radar. How do you see this?

YVES: It’s a point I wanted to touch upon in the song and music video, we often think giving materialistic & educational support is enough. The mental support often lacks in the trajectories people go through. Where within our own country we still have a big stigma talking about mental health, or giving people the much needed support – that is for me the most lacking part, and to come back upon the previous question; another hurdle. Mental issues, and gaining trust, dealing with these situations is a big step. When someone is depressed, or is struggling, it is hard to pick up & learn new things – for anyone, and especially someone who’s vulnerable and in a new country. Studies do also show that not everyone will ever be able to speak another language perfectly, or climb higher on the scale of knowing that language. Certainly the older you are, and the baggage you carry, but I’m sure Bernice can fill in the blanks more here…

BERNICE: I think as a society we still have a lot to learn. In Filet Divers – the organization where I work – I meet a lot of people who do not have a legit ID-card. Those people are extremely vulnerable. As I see it personally, those people may not even integrate: they may not volunteer nor work, they may not go to Dutch class, they may not have an entry pass for the library and so on. Even though they try their very best, life is rough on them. But even if you have a legit ID-card, life can be pretty hard. We see so many people struggling to find a proper job and a good place to live. We’re seeing every day that if your Dutch isn’t that good, the struggle is way more harder. Let me be clear: I think it’s good that you have a similar language to communicate. It makes living together much easier. But I think the focus on learning the language is too hard right now. Even research shows us that if you’re living in stress, learning new things is super hard. Just because your head is full of ‘surviving’, new things will not get in that easily.

SL: My wife who is from Mexico has been following language courses in mixed classes. She often told me that several male classmates showed no respect at all for the female fellow classmates and actually didn’t bother to listen to what the female teachers were saying or asking, because of their disdain for women. As a woman how do you cope with this?

BERNICE: Now, this is a hard one. This has something to do with preconceptions I think, from both ways. Of course, it’s not up me to say who’s wrong or right. Tough I think it must have been very challenging for both the teacher as for the classmates. In Filet Divers I’m most of the time see the opposite of what’s described here. For example: we see that in Samen Inburgeren a lot of young men are asking for a woman to be in buddy with. I never understood why, always explaining that we are not a place for dating or to find love. Ever since I started to really ask in several questions why they do prefer a man of woman, I start to understand better. Now I know that in many religions the woman is the one for the real conversations. They are the teachers, the ‘talkers’, the ones who will ‘help you out’ with psychological difficulties. Ever since I know that, it’s way more easy to have the proper conversation why man X would be much better company than woman X.

SL: In respect to that, the reaction towards LGBT fellow students was just abysmal. I doubt that pure talking will solve anything? Having said that, language is the power towards a good integration. What are the extras you pay attention to?

YVES: For me talking face to face is always the key point. Talking openly, about how I view the world and what ideas I have. But most importantly I learned to listen (even more), and to see where they’re coming from. I did not have an encounter where any of my buddies had problems with LGBTQI+ communities, so I can’t go deeper into that. But then again, the people migrating here that I worked and talked with, often are more open towards those subjects as one might initially think. I think it depends from person to person, as well as talking and getting a conversation going. I am an atheist, and in that sense we can talk about that for example. If you take the time and both parties are open to listen and form ideas, which to an extent works of course. The main part for me is, visiting places with them and showing them the world. Explaining the context. By explaining similarities we find a lot more common ground, enjoying experiences together forms a deeper bound than talking alone. So you have to combine it.

BERNICE: I totally agree with Yves! What I see, is ‘pure talking’ will never help. You also have to be able to listen properly. And that’s where it hurts a lot of the time. I’m not sure how to say it without hurting someone… You see, I am 100% supporting the LGBT movement. I truly believe that love is love. But the communication has to be ‘open’ all the time. We do not only have to talk to convince someone, but also to understand others, although they seem to think ‘wrong’. That‘s something I see a lot in the project Samen Inburgeren. Most of the people who are starting, they start from ‘the opposites’. They see someone who is new here, who doesn’t speak their language that good, who believes in (another) God(s),… After one year we do an evaluation. For me, it’s a magical moment. Almost everyone will tell me that they are not that different. In the end, they just want their kids to be happy or have a nice meal at the end of the day. Everyone likes to find a meaning in life or to love and be loved. But you see, it takes people one year to understand this. One year of talking and listening.

SL: You do book succes stories with the buddies but how do you feel about the failed stories?

BERNICE: I create the buddies, support them, bring the buddies together etc. The buddies who last a year or longer, are always the ones who are open to each other. If something doesn’t seem nice or strange, they dare to talk about it. It takes guts to do that. Sometimes it’s difficult to know if you may or may not ask about things. I know that a lot of starting buddies wonder why someone flees his or her country, if this person was a boat refugee, how long they had to walk, if they see their family,… I get a lot of questions when those kind of questions can get asked. My answer is always the same: as long as you are respectful, you can ask each other anything.

SL: Ellia, Is there any kind of buddy system like this you are aware of in the US? Where the focus on mental health + getting a “network of friends or people you can rely on” is setup for refugees, or newcomers?

ELLIA: I’m not aware of an individual buddy system like this in the US, although there are many organizations (from government agencies to nonprofit organizations to church groups) doing valuable work to help immigrants get settled, access legal and educational resources, and find a community.

BERNICE: In Belgium (and I guess in whole Europe) we have tons of buddy projects, in all kind of ways with all kinds of people. If you scroll through Google, it shows an amazing range of projects. If people reading this are interested, I would just suggest to open Google and start looking if there’s a project in your neighborhood!

SL: What is the key for succes for a good integration you think?

YVES: I think that it boils down to letting go of the word “integration”, I will likely be repeating myself, but if you think hard and deep about it, then where do you draw the line. When is someone integrated? Is it something measurable? (No). Does it change over time and generations? (Yes). So it is in constant flux, the big key to the kingdom of succes for me is that people talk and see the world from both sides. In essence, that’s the only way we will ever reach a type I civilization (or a global civilization) on the Kardashev scale, as Carl Sagan touched upon – which is both technological innovation but very much a psychological revolution as well for human race. And the implications of that, or the boundaries for reaching that I tried to describe in another song called “Our Common Future ft. Kyoko Baertsoen”, which many think is about global warming – but essentially it deals about the things or dangers that are holding us back to reach that planetary civilization (or Type I civilization). It is very cultural based, so hence why I always emphasize on education on every part of the world, and critical thinking. Without tearing apart cultural habits, or forms of theatre or music – those are two different things.

SL: Ellia and Yves, how do you feel music can make a difference in this?

ELLIA: Music — listening to it as well as making it — is an international language that rewards curiosity, collaboration, being open to new ideas as well as respecting traditions. Connecting through music is something that can happen whether or not you share a verbal language, it transcends age and ideology and national origin. I think opportunities to appreciate and participate in music are an incredibly powerful way to connect people, when those who might not have other obvious ways to connect.

BERNICE: As I see it, music connects. Some people like lyrics, others like sounds or beats, some people like dancing, others like listening or singing.. I barely know people who just do not like it at all. Just like Ellia said, it’s a language that everyone can speak in some kind of way.

YVES: For me it’s another form of talking about subjects and raising awareness. For some topics I write blogposts, for some topics I write songs and for others I do both. Music can, often without words, make us come closer together. With our buddies for example we had a lot of fun exploring flemish music, and even I discovered classic works I didn’t know or had forgotten. We go to concerts together, and just try to have fun. If then they have questions about things – we answer as we feel the world works, with as much context and differences we see. It also a means to broaden their network, bringing them out to concerts, or musea, sporting events – that’s where you meet new people.

SL: I have always thought, and am actually convinced that music can serve as a perfect medium to let people accept new ideas and cultures. For instance I have been checking out Sufism and its music because I discovered the music from Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan for instance. In Istanbul I visited a sufism school, watched their dances, and so on. Not that I got converted, but I tend to try and check out several different things. The same goes for world music thanks to Dead Can Dance, Yasmin Levy, Recoil or even Peter Murphy who has been incorporating lots of eastern elements in his solo material. And now the question :). What are your worldly influences Yves & Ellia?

ELLIA: I’ve been exposed to a lot of Balkan brass and choral music through the brass music scene (I sing with a 20-piece brass-punk band called Funkrust Brass Band), and have grown to love the complex time signatures, untempered vocals and strange (to me) harmonies. And I’ve recently been getting more into African music, especially West Africa — I know that’s a huge category but there’s a great show on Columbia University’s radio station, WKCR, that has introduced me to some incredible sounds and artists from all over the African continent — Amadou Balaké, Le Grand Kallé, TPOK Jazz, Fatoumata Diawara.

YVES: As Psy’Aviah fans are aware, we don’t shy away from any form of music… from classical and traditional music of different cultures, to deep and even forgotten or small communities. I can find gems everywhere. I try to listen and take whatever influence I can get. On “Soul Searching” it was apparent of course, but there are those ethnic or other-worldly influences which stood symbol of the journey a person makes on his quest of searching: soul searching, living your life, learning every day. Even learning why you don’t like something. For me the band(s) Moby and Faithless embody this the most, if you look at their catalogue – you’ll find very different influences over and over again. They don’t shy away from it, which I like, even though it’s not always a “hit” success with the fans.

SL: What hurdles do you encounter in order to have a succes story with a newcomer?

YVES: Let me say that a succes story doesn’t necessarily exist. Making a connection face to face from human to human and getting a basic understanding, even without as little as words, can be a connection and a success story for me. I can only talk about what I have experienced so far, and for me, thus the biggest hurdle can be language. But, that is only normal, so you get quite adapted to that yourself – talking slower is key, until they pick up, being patient… The biggest hurdle I had personally is not being “a teacher”, but rather being someone “to hang out with”, and that’s thus a thing that’s so important. You’re there to have fun with, to be trusted, draw your own lines, talk openly about it, and I must say that Bernice and her team do everything they can to guide that process in workshops with the buddies. Which is a great learning experience for both.

BERNICE: As I said before, we mainly have to learn that communication is not only talking. We have to try to be open, without losing your own beliefs (tough sometimes willing to adapt..). Success for me is that people are willing to meet each other. If they don’t know how to do it themselves, they can always join projects such as “Samen Inburgeren” ?.

SL: Where will the future lead us to according to you?

YVES: I’m not a futurist, but I touched upon it when talking about the hurdles for reaching a planetary civilization. The threats that face that, which can be found in the doomsday clock, are evidently there. Fundamentally I am a rather pessimistic person when I write my songs, or when you hear them I think. But these songs are there for a reason, to let people think critically about their own thoughts. It’s why I am a big fan of the work of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science, who see a big rise and supporting those people leaving behind cruel rituals, cruel faiths. Next to that you have in Belgium voices like Maarten Boudry and Johan Braeckman, pleading for the same essence of critical thinking, moral philosophy etc.. Furthermore I must think of people like James Randi and Derren Brown, who can take you into a more edutainment world of your own critical thinking – some of their most profound stories and specials are worth watching as they teach on religion, (blind) faith, quackery, homeopathy or a perfectly working gambling systems that never fails (look up “The System” by Derren Brown). Combine that with the efforts of a lot of Humanists, for example prof. dr. Dirk De Wachter, who I worked with on the album, for a more humane approach and a not so self-centered universe we tend to fall in… I see the world as something we can improve, but we need to keep talking about it – and not on twitter or facebook, but face to face… to find solutions together.

BERNICE: This is a difficult question for me! When my thoughts are dark, I think that we are not learning from history. I see war, anger, complaining, … But on bright days (luckily, they are the majority) I do see that people create beautiful spots to live. People do come together and collaborate. They are willing to share what they have and like to see others smile. Learning (from history) is a never ending story and I believe we have challenging times coming. But we can do it, as long as we do it together.

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.

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Out now for immidiate download via the Alfa Matrix Bandcamp page (and other platforms to follow) is the last single from the Belgian electropop act Psy’Aviah. The track “City In Flames” – taken from the “Soul Searching” album – gets released in various radio & club-friendly versions for the pleasure of DJ’s and fans. On vocals we find Ellia Bisker, female singer of Sweet Soubrette / Charming Disaster.

The remix duties were executed by 11Grams, Mind Divided and Butsenzeller. The main track also has a brand new video which you can view below.

Check out the video below.

And here’s the full EP “City In Flames” to check out.

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.

side-line.com

Belgian Psy’Aviah is driven by the creative spirit of Yves Schelpe. The project is already busy for several years now and this year unleashed its seventh full length album. “Soul Searching” –released on Alfa Matrix, can be easily considered as a conceptual album for its lyrical content, but still for the renewed experience with multiple guest singers. Sound-wise the work remains a truly sonic enigma, which might be simply called ‘electro-pop’, but when you listen more carefully you’ll notice an amazing amount of influences. But more than the result of multiple influences, Yves Schelpe has for sure released his most mature work to date, which might appeal for lovers of Delerium, Conjure One, Lunascape and related bands. On stage Yves Schelpe (electronics) has been joined by singer Marieke Lighband  and guitarist Ben Van de Cruys. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: When you’ve a new album out, do you consider it as the best one you’ve ever released? Where do you place “Soul Searching” in your growing discography?

Yves: Honestly rating your own work, I think most musicians will tell their latest is the best as it sounds fresher to their ears, because as a musician you grow in technique, songwriting and taste. Hence why most musicians would rate their latest work as either their best or among the best if they’d had to choose. But in the end it comes down to the listener, I do my thing in my small bedroom studio, try to learn every day, try to bring new ideas, fuse genres and create stories.

As for where I place it in my discography, that’s an interesting one. I think it’s on the list of albums between 2013-present vs 2007-2012. As of 2013 with “Future Past” I radically changed in both style and wanted to bring the EBM and electro into different genres from jazz, to trip-hop, to classical, to pop.. Always with a dark hint and with a wink to the past. And that’s why I split my discography in those two ‘eras’ internally in my head. Since 2013 it’s also more focused in stories per album, as well as inviting guests to sing instead of just one lead vocalist.

Honestly maybe this could be the start of a third era in Psy’Aviah’s discography, where I go even further and incorporate even more other sounds and songwriting styles. Who knows, an artist always evolves… That’s so fascinating about music.

Q: What have been the influences and challenges to write and accomplish “Soul Searching”?

Yves: Writing the basic songs wasn’t the biggest challenge -as I always write the basic chords and melodies on piano first. You have to know that with “Soul Searching” it was the intention to create a soundscape that is radically different and alienates the listener from the daily Western sounds they hear -both so the sound from song to song is coherent, even if ‘styles’ change, and as well to transport the listener in a different ‘space’. Pull them out of the traditional Western sounds they’re so familiar with, I wanted to introduce something fresh. So finding those right instruments to tell the story was a big challenge. We have all the tools available: samplers, effects, digital instruments…

But I went for a radical approach to use real instruments, either pre-recorded or played by real people.

Q: I can imagine finding the right match between the songs and guest singers must be one of these challenges, but how did the final selection happened? Is there something like a cast? Are there specific criteria to choose a singer? What about the lyrics and how did the recording with The guests happened?

Yves: I always write the songs first on piano sounds, then the search for the ‘sound’ begins. Once I have a rough demo then I send either one or more demos to the singer I think they match with. About 90% of the time I have a strong feeling of how the melody of the lead vocals and backings should sound and I prerecord those with my own voice. But some guests do write their own lyrics -I do always give them pointers how I want it to sound or what lyrics need to deal with to match the story and to inject my ideas as well. But for Mark Bebb and Lis van den Akker they wrote their lyrics, vocal melodies and harmonies. Sometimes I co-write, as with Roeland van der Velde and Ellia Bisker -exchanging lyrical notes and adapting them.

The fact is that for each song I know the tone of the vocalist, and know what they can bring to the table by listening to their work and -with most of them -knowing them already for a long time. It’s a collaboration in the end, of course I do have my veto, as do they if they’re not happy. I always brief them of the concept of the album, the intent of the song -it’s maybe very over the top micromanagement sometimes, and maybe taken too seriously, but when you’re that passionate about what you do, you can’t help it (lol).

As for recording, most people record at their own home studio, or the studio of the band they play in. We exchange via the internet, and I give my feedback whether I want some extra adlibs, or extra shouts or harmonies… I once did a video with Mari Kattman on how we collaborate: [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_NMFZZ9a-A ] -it’s explained how she works, and how I work -it’s generally 95% the same for each song…

Q: Sound-wise, I don’t know if “Soul Searching” is my favorite Psy’Aviah album, but it for sure sounds as the most mature one! I get the feeling you’ve found ‘your’; sound while other albums were more like the exorcism of ideas and influences. How does it feel at your side and what did you finally try to achieve with this work?

Yves: Every album has a different sound, but it always has the ‘Psy’Aviah’ stamp on it. Maybe the reason why it sounds more mature is the fact that I wanted to draw people out of this world and this gave every song the alienated Eastern vibe -and that gives an extra layer of coherency. As for an eclectic approach on other albums, that’s part of the deal with Psy’Aviah. And I’m not alone -check for example the mélange of trip-hop to ambient to ballads to electroclash and to pure dancefloor driven tracks to even rock tracks by Moby, Praga Khan, Bowie, Die Antwoord, Junksista or Faithless on a single album, that mix given with their own take on it and their own sound, as I do as well, is not so weird in my mind… So I don’t get why people are so hung up on the fact a band has to stick to one genre, for me that is boring and hence why the bands listed before are prime examples why I’m a big fan of their albums, they can be on repeat for days because of the diverse take rather than a rehash of 12 tracks in the same genre with the same sounds being reused over and over again… 

Q: The opening song “Becoming Human” is for sure an essential track from the album. I get the impression this song with spoken words by the famous and mediatized Flemish psychiatrist Dirk De Wachter is the heart from the album to understand the concept, right? Tell us a bit more about this surprising guest vocalist and how did you get in touch with him and finally convinced him to contribute?

Yves: I saw some of his lectures online, then started reading his books “Borderline Times” and “De Wereld van De Wachter”, as well as his newest work “De Kunst Van Het Ongelukkig Zijn”. There were so many ideas in there that it already inspired my work on “Lightflare”, when writing songs for the EP “Looking For The Sun” I wrote a mini essay in the booklet (PDF in bandcamp release) on how these ideas are reflected in the songs on the EP, and by then I did contact Dirk to get his approval, because when you mention someone -I feel it’s only appropriate to ask for advice and approval. Later that year I met him at a lecture he gave at the University of Antwerp, and by then I had already written half of the songs for “Soul Searching”. We talked about the ideas, and then set a date via mail to meet & record -he lives just two blocks away so that was easy. We talked about the concept of the album, the reason behind those words, not a lot of convincing was needed -you have to know Dirk is a really nice and warm person.

The poem I wrote as an introduction to the rest of the album’s lyrical content as you understood correctly, but his deep voice as well as his attachment to the lyrical content, for me was a trigger to ask and include him. Recording was fun though, at his cabinet, cosy, greeted with a smile and coffee. Talking about each other’s interests, and then record. I’m grateful to have him included in this concept album as it really makes the journey complete from start to finish. But that fact is essential for each vocalist, the match in voice and passion for the lyrics has to be there -otherwise it does not work.

Q: You mentioned Dirk De Wachter’s book “Borderline Times” where he makes an interesting link between BPS (Borderline Personality Disorder) and the Western World we’re living in. I realized there also is a possible link between this psychiatric disorder and the music business from today. What does it inspire to you as an artist?

Yves: You are correct, he essentially goes through each of the symptoms of BPS and then diagnoses our Western lifestyle to come to the conclusion that we live in ‘borderline times’. Every part of it, from medical institutions, business world, politics – and of course the music business. It is the whole of our Western world that is affected by these symptoms, and especially when it comes to the ego: everything revolves around the ‘I’, the ‘Me, Me, Me’ culture. I see it a lot in this music business from small to big; it hurts the way we interact with each other unfortunately.

As an artist I try to break that cycle by not making this project about me alone, although I do have ambitions and try to put ‘myself’ into each and everything of what Psy’Aviah is -that in essence is no problem. But you should never ever forget the people around you that are helping you around the way, I guess that’s what I try to hold in higher regard after reading his books. Being a lot humbler towards achievements, because what are you with achieving something when you can’t share it but yourself. At the end a good relationship with the musicians I work with, the artwork artist, the live band Marieke & Ben, the fans… that relationship is important. Not for sales, but to stay grounded. And if you can help out other bands, then why not. I have no interest in beef or drama, so that’s how I try to act in this business as an artist. To give a concrete example, we played a benefit concert at the British American Theatrical Society (or BATS in short, yeah, they’re a bit gothic too then ;-)), as the theatre is in need of funds to move location (as their rent is being raised). We played there for free, [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ROR9lWOCXo ], we helped them out, they helped us out reaching a new audience. We had fun, it was a concert that’s on my high all-time list because of this fact. There is a ‘Great Disconnect’ in this society at the moment, and not only in the music scene. So looking out for each other is something that I take away from it, without devaluing/patronizing the person or organization you’re helping or listening to. Doing small good things should become a natural habit again instead of the ‘bol.com’ instant delivery for the ‘me me me’ society we are creating.

In that sense you could say that Psy’Aviah lyrics are of great importance to highlight these issues as well: “Voodoo Love”, “Becoming Human”, “Hold On” (as written by Mark Bebb) or even “City In Flames” are prime examples of that.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, ambient-pop.

Background/Info: “Soul Searching” is the seventh official album for Belgian Yves Schelpe aka Psy’Aviah. The composer again invited an impressive list of ‘guest singers’ to put their voice on his compositions.

Content: Psy’Aviah is a project in constant move. “Soul Searching” features typical influences and arrangements, which are into the Psy’Aviah sound, but compared to the previous album –which was more into some dance-electronics, this work reflects maturity and impressive vocal performances. The opening cut featuring one of the most famous and ‘popular’ psychiatrists from the Flemish part of Belgium (aka Dirk De Wachter) you’ll also get songs with Roeland van der Velde, Mari Kattman, Mark Bebb, Alicia May, Kyoko Baertsoen, Saydi Driggers, Marieke Lightband, Addie Nicole, Lis van den Akker and Ellia Bisker.

Sound-wise Yves Schelpe has achieved a work, which sounds like a sonic bridge between electro-pop and ambient-electronics. It might appeal for lovers of Delerium, Conjure One, Lunascape and related bands.

The limited edition features an extra disc with remixes by SD-KRTR, Metroland, Rob Dust, 11 Grams, Mind.Divided, SNVFF, J. Wolf, The Gothsicles, Studio-X, Cosmic Armchair, Noire Antidote, Maarten Pels, Tom Bro, People Theatre, KGProject and French Skies. 

+ + + : Psy’Aviah is back with great stuff and has probably accomplished his most achieved work to date. After a rather disappointing “Lightflare”-album on which Yves Schelpe fall in the trap of easy electro-dance music, this work reflects a more intelligent approach and still a challenge in the fusion between electro-pop and atmospheric passages. The songs have been accomplished by alluring, deep sounding bass lines, elevating leads, down-tempo rhythms and a few Eastern sound treatments on a couple of songs. Yves Schelpe also selected an impressive list of talented singers (featuring some familiar Psy’Aviah guests next to newcomers).

One of my favorite cuts is the more club-friendly “New Times” feat. Alicia May (who already sang on a song of Benjamin’s Plague) while the already familiar “Voodoo Love” feat. Roeland van der Velde is a dreamy, beautiful piece of music. Among the vocalists I also want to mention Kyoko Baertsoen, Saydi Driggers and Ellia Bisker (reminding me of Lana Del Rey).

Among the remixes I recommend the 80s driven “Hold On” remixed by Metroland, “New Times” remixed by SNVFF, the wafting “Dream Fever” remixed by Tom Bro and the trance-orientated “Searching” remixed by French Skies.

– – – : The main difficulty for Psy’Aviah remains the style, which is hard to define for mixing different influences; it remains often too ‘indie’-like for underground music and too ‘dark’ for the indie-stream. It’s not exactly an album for the clubs although it sounds danceable!

Conclusion: Psy’Aviah has accomplished its opus magnum, which however remains an album hard to label and a pure challenge when it comes to ‘sales’.

Best songs: “New Times”, “Voodoo Love”, “Dream Fever”, “Searching”, “City In Flames” + “Hold On – Metroland 7” Remix”, “News Times – SNVFF Remix”, “Dream Fever – Tom Bro After Club Remix”, “Searching – French Skies Club Remix”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.psyaviah.com / www.facebook.com/psyaviah

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

One of Belgium’s finest electronica trademarks over the last decade, Antwerp-based Psy’Aviah aka Yves Schelpe returns with “Soul Searching”. The new album, expected for a November 1st release, was preceded by the “Dream Fever” download EP released in March this year.

The basic album (available here) will hold 12 tracks while there is also a limited 2CD set (available here) holding a 16-track bonus CD. And for the remixers amongst you all, there are 2 remix kits waiting for you as well once the album is released on Bandcamp.

Guest vocalists

The album itself features guest vocalists in the likes of Mari Kattman, Kyoko Baertsoen (ex-Hooverphonic and Lunascape), Lis van den Akker, Ellia Bisker, Addie Nicole, Saydi Driggers, Alicia May, Roeland van der Velde, Marieke Lightband, Mark Bebb as well as psychiatrist Prof Dr. Dirk De Wachter speaking on the intro track “Becoming Human”.

First 2 tracks available

You can now listen to the first 2 tracks which have been made available from the album.

In case you missed the “Dream Fever” EP, as released in March, check it out 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.

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, dance-pop.

Background/Info: The sixth official studio album by Belgian Yves Schelpe aka Psy’Aviah appears to be a               very particular work for the artist. The writing of “Lightflare” helped him to exorcise personal demons, which are commonly known as ‘depression’ and ‘burn-out’. Just like on previous releases Schelpe joined hands with an army of female- and male singers.

Content: The singers who have contributed to this new work are Mari Kattman, Ellia Bisker, Marieke Lightband, Addie Nicole, MiXe1, Lofthill, Fallon Nieves, David Chamberlin, Phoebe Stone, Kyoko Baertsoen and Koner. The sound of Psy’Aviah has progressively evolved from underground electronics in the early beginning to electro-pop & dance eclecticism during the recent albums. It becomes rapidly clear that Yves Schelpe is more and more exploring the dance-pop style. Most of the singers are very talented artists that inject a sensual touch to the work while others bring a darker touch to the work.

The limited edition reveals a bonus disc with some extra songs and mainly remixes made by Rool, Sd-Krtr, People Theatre, Alter Future, Assemblage 23, Chaos All Stars, Cyborgdrive, Isserley and Jean-Marc Lederman.

+ + + : Diversity remains one of the main characteristics of this new work. It can be heard in the songs and of course the different vocalists. Yves Schelpe has a real nose to find the right singer for each of his songs. Sound-wise this album is the most ‘commercial’ one or should I say the most ‘dance-pop’ like. It sometimes reminds me a bit of Delerium, but my favorite cuts remain the darkest ones. The song “Reboot Reset Relay” sounds more in the continuation of earlier Psy’Aviah stuff reminding me the albums with singer Emélie Nicolaï. The sound production is absolutely impressive, which more than ever makes me say that Yves Schelpe is ready to switch from a mainly underground scene towards a more indie and commercial scene.

– – – : “Lightflare” is a technically overwhelming album coming from an artist who has lost ground with this scene. Psy’Aviah always has been a kind of antidote to dark-electronics, but he now become a true ‘alien’.

Conclusion: Yves Schelpe can be seen as a visionary artist of this scene; a kind of producer working with guest singers and exploring the most dance-like fields of electro-pop music. The question is if he still belongs to this scene? I’m rather skeptical about the answer however he released a cool work.

Best songs: “Reboot Reset Relay feat. Fallon Nieves”, “In The Sound feat. MiXe1”, “Ghost feat. David Chamberlin” + “Aftermath feat. Ellia Bisker – People Theatre Remix”, “Sound Of New feat. Addie Nicole – Sd-Krtr Remix”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.psyaviah.com / www.facebook.com/psyaviah

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

Coming out this Friday is the brand new Psy’Aviah album “Lightflare”, and as announced a while back, we are today offering you an exclusive insight in the deluxe version of the album itself (with the exception of 3 tracks thanks to SABAM). The album is available on CD, 2CD (order right here via the Alfa Matrix webstore) and as download on Bandcamp.

Attention when you buy via Bandcamp, don’t forget to use the special code sideline2518 and you’ll get an immediate discount of 25%.

We contacted the Belgian artist behind this international project, the Antwerp based Yves Schelpe. You can preview the album here (the interview is right after this embedded player):

SL: Yves, your new album has been a personal journey through the ups and downs you experienced. How has life been treating you the past few years?

YVES: Life throws all kind of unexpected situations at you, and the older you get the more frustration creeps in, or the more you look at things from a different perspective. I can’t complain, I think I did get bored with certain situations and that I grew frustrated with stale situations. My albums have always included personal stories – whether autobiographical stories or things I’ve seen from friends & family in daily life. But “Lightflare” is a more in depth look where I take the listener through the emotions of “feeling lost” towards strategies one evolves to “cope with life” to end with “happiness and joy”.

SL: Was this something you also transmitted to the guest singers? How did they react?

YVES: For sure, almost all the lyrics and vocal guides are written by me, and I explain the meaning behind my intent with some words in details to the vocalists. Mari Kattman & I did a video to explain the process, where she talks about those vocal guides & the explenations I give her (she starts talking at 104sec).

When the lyrics are written by the guests themselves (such as Ellia Bisker of Sweet Soubrette or Michael of MiXE1) – I do give them artwork snippets, reference to other lyrics on the album I wrote and a vision I have for the lyrical content I’d like to have on the album. So it’s an intense journey working with them, and as far as I know they all appreciate that way of working, being part of telling a story.

SL: The album has been receiving raving reviews the past few weeks from all kinds of press. Was that something you had expected or was it rather the result of hard work?

YVES: This album is far more delicate than the previous two, it touches upon personal topics and while it’s still “dark pop music with an adge” and rooted in EBM, there’s also triphop, pure pop and electronic rap on there. Which made it again an evolution in my exploration of boundaries in sound. But to be able to tell a story like I wanted on Lightflare I had to seek out those genres, as they convey the emotions – it was this a lot of hard work: two years went into the album, from recording, writing, sepending time on the artwork to have a visual image for the vision & story. So when I first sent out the album and received the reviews I was very nervous – but I am so happy things are positive and that Lightflare is being appreciated a lot – both on radio, podcasts and reviews! It’s strange to think of it as the songs I made in my “bedroom studio” are being played in clubs all over the world, and listened to people from all over the world – I couldn’t be happier to with the reaction I receive from those listeners and DJs as well.

SL: What kind of influences have played a role for creating the songs for this album?

YVES: Musically I drew inspiration from Moby’s & Faithless’ triphop sounding songs, as well as Röyksopp, Tove Lo and the classics as always such as Praga Khan & Lords Of Acid which triggered me to write my own music as a yound kid. Fun fact is that I always send off songs to Ludo Camberlin (aka CS Johansen), producer on PK & LOA as well as Poésie Noire and The Neon Judgement – a very influencial person for me, but for a lot of others too I guess. Ludo always gives me very good feedback and thus is a big influence for me.

But I guess the main influence of course is the story, and for each chapter in this Lightflare story I make a song, with the lyrics in mind shaping those sounds & hits and build ups to match the mood. Not always with a vocalist in mind directly – but when I have a demo finished I usually know immediately who to ask. David from Entrzelle was perfect for Ghost, I know that there I can create an electro track with a lot of ambience, and a riff but rely on his vocal performance a lot – the emotions. Same with Mari Kattman’s “Lost At Sea”, when getting back those vocals I usually change and shape the demo around their vocals so they fit perfectly.

The vocalist that pushed me most this album for sure was with my live vocalist Marieke Lightband, we had multiple sessions and recordings at her studio in Antwerp, trying to figure out together what would be the best – giving feedback to each other and coming to a song that is very much full of soul, triphop and influences of jazz. The same happened with Michael of MiXE1 – bouncing off ideas back and forth and the song was then shaped more and more tightly around his vocals – but in stead of doing it in person like with Marieke, the process with Michael was done online: Facebook is dead – long live facebook messenger ?.

SL: You’re very active on social media, with the recent ‘reach crash’ it seems that personal contact via the profiles is back. How do you look at the way all these platforms change the rules all the time from an artist’s point of view?

YVES: It’s frustrating indeed, but I’ve always been active on all kinds of social media. Instagram & my personal profile now play a more crucial role – as well as our own website. Most people forget they signed a contract when they register to a social media platform, it’s their right to change the algorithm. So be it, but I’ll abuse the system and use the medium the way I want it – game the system, and be honest. I love it that this time around a lot of people have more immediate contact with me through facebook (facebook.com/yves.schelpe) and instragram (instagram.com/psyaviah) – sending me pictures, their personal stories on how they interpret and experience the songs and lyrics. I don’t mind adapting thus, I still think social media is a cool medium.

SL: When and where can we see Psy’Aviah live again?

YVES: We will do some shows in Belgium being booked by private companies (so sadly those are private shows) and we’re in talks to visit Germany. But we’re always open for opportunies and kick some ass on stage with our dedicated live band: Marieke, Ben and me.

You can also check out the following videos on YouTube:

“Reboot Reset Relay ft. Fallon Nieves”

“Lost At Sea ft. Mari Kattman”

“Aftermath ft. Ellia Bisker”

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.

side-line.com

“Lightflare” is the title of the brand new upcoming album by the Belgian electro trip pop act Psy’Aviah. The album was written following a depression where Yves Schelpe literally hit the bottom, but luckily for us it transferred into a new release holding 14 tracks featuring an array of male and female vocalists.

Apart from the live vocalist Marieke Lightband, you’ll also find Ellia Bisker, Kyoko Bartsoen, Michael Evans (MiXE1), Koner, Mari Kattman, Fallon Nieves, David Chamberlin (Entrzelle), as well as the guitar parts signed by Jürgen Brischar of Junksista and by live member Ben van de Cruys.

You can already check out 2 tracks below, or pre-order the album on Bandcamp, you’ll get the 2 tracks as instant download.

The whole was mixed by Mitia Wexler, while the mastering was executed by Geert de Wilde (IC 434).

“Lightflare” comes out as a double-CD carton-fold limited edition with a bonus disc (available here) featuring 4 exclusive meditative / contemplative tracks inspired upon both triphop/ambient and more ethereal Indian and yoga philosophies and sounds. Next to this you get a collection of remixes by Assemblage 23, Jean-Marc Lederman, SD-KRTR, People Theatre and many more.

Below is the album video trailer.

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.

side-line.com

Out in April, but ready for ordering on Bandcamp and here for the CD/2CD versions, is “Seven Sorrows, Seven Stars”, the brand new Psy’Aviah album. Alfa Matrix is now offering 4 tracks for streaming, which you can check below. The tracks included are the intimate “Looking Back (feat. David Chamberlin from Entrzelle), the pulsating “Lessons From The Past (feat. Mari Kattman)”, the what we expect to be an upcoming dance hit “Not What I Expected (feat. Fallon Nieves)” and “Wild Ride (feat. Miss FD)”, the latter has a very oriental touch as you’ll hear.

These days Psy’Aviah is basically the project around the multi-talented Belgian artist Yves Schelpe who has been gathering a varied range of singers around his songs including Kyoko Baertsoen (ex-Hooverphonic, Lunascape), David Chamberlin (Entrzelle), Roeland van der Velde (Model Depose), Bernard Feron (MED, Combat Voice), Mari Kattman, Andrew Galucki, Alvin River, Pieter Van Vaerenbergh (Metafuzz, Zelon), Ellia Bisker (Sweet Soubrette), Miss FD, Addie Nicole (Halocine), Diana S. (Junksista) and Fallon Nieves.

Next to the normal CD version and the extended download version, the album also comes out as a limited deluxe 2CD carton box edition with a 14-track bonus CD holding album songs reinterpretations with a much more dancefloor techno / trance oriented approach. You an find the complete trackless of remixers right here.

Below is already the trailer for 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.

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Trip-pop, electro-pop.

Content: Yves Schelpe, the artistic force behind Psy’Aviah has achieved his new full length “Seven Sorrows, Seven Stars”. It will be the 5th official full length by this Belgian formation, which is really hard to define and especially to label as one particular genre.

The electronic eclecticism is without a shadow of a doubt one the band’s main forces, but at the same time still the point making that this band never reached a deserved wider recognition. Every single album sees Yves Schelpe exploring new paths, which are progressively taking a distance with the established electronic-underground patterns like EBM and dark-electro. Since Emelie Nicolaï left the band as the singer, Schelpe started to work with the different guest vocalists and he now again takes his audience by surprise. Ellia Bisker is an American jazzy singer and member of Sweet Soubrette while J. Airi is a Jamaican singer.

“Never Look Back” featuring Ellia Bisker is a sweet, wafting sensation on, which Psy’Aviah explores trip-pop paths. It’s a graceful and deeply artistic creation with a rather warm feeling. This song possibly reveals what the new full length will sound like.

The other title song “Words” featuring J. Airi is an exclusive EP song, which is a bit similar in the genre and especially the delicious reverie part of the song is absolutely great. Psy’Aviah clearly experienced with new ideas, which are miles away from the early –and more danceable stuff.

We next get 3 remixes of “Never Look Back” and 2 remixes of “Words”. And here again Psy’Aviah asked for artists, mainly dealing with other influences and musical genres. The result is quite diverse and sometimes really surprising, and even pretty clubby.

There are 2 potential club remixes of “Never Look Back”. There’s a great groovy and even sexy remix by Gavril’s and other hard pumping remix by label mate Simon Carter. This is a great piece of danceable music, but I also like the way the pure dance lead is coming through.

Another cool remix is the one of “Words” by B-Sight. This producer transposed the original version into a more IDM format and I was deeply impressed by the way the vocals of J. Airi emerge to the surface here. This is a really talented singer.

Both remixes left are not as noticeable although we have to mention the remix of Jean-Marc Lederman (Weathermen).

Conclusion: Psy’Aviah doesn’t care about compromises and established music genres, this band is just moving in a deeply creative way. Even if I’m not sure Psy’Aviah is active in the right scene, this work will catch the attention of open-minded electro-lovers.

Best songs: “Never Look Back – Gavril’s DJ Remix”, “Words – B-Sights Remix”, “Never Look Back – Simon Carter’s Clubbed Up Remix”, “Never Look Back”.

Rate: (DP:8)DP.

Band: www.psyaviah.com / www.facebook.com/psyaviah

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

Belgian electro act Psy’Aviah is revealing the first song from their forthcoming new album “Seven Sorrows, Seven Stars”. For the new “Never Look Back / Words” EP Yves Schelpe decided to go trip-hop featuring the NY singer Ellia Bisker from the jazzy act Sweet Soubrette. Next to “Never Look Back” you’ll find “The “Words”, an exclusive non-album song featuring the Jamaican female singer J. Airi (see the photo) delivering a track which is blending multiple ethnic influences. Quite a daring approach in our rather conservative electro scene.

Alfa Matrix labels the new work by Psy’Aviah as being modern jazz electro pop. The 2 songs are backed with 5 bonus remixes by Jean-Marc Lederman (ex-The Weathermen), B-Sights (Dizkodude producer), house producer Gavril, electro dance DJ Simon Carter and Baterist Sintetic.

When you pre-order the “Never Look Back / Words” EP right now from the Alfa Matrix Bandcamp page, you get 2 tracks now plus the complete 7-track EP the moment it’s released on October 23rd. You can listen to the 2 tracks 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.

side-line.com

Remixers who want to remix a Motown versus T‎ripHop track should get in touch with Psy’Aviah as the band is prepping remixes for the track “Never Look Back” (you can preview it below). The new track will be featured on the band’s upcoming album “Seven Sorrows, Seven Stars”, their 7th to date.

If interested in giving this track a proper remix treatment, get in touch with the band at info@psyaviah.com.

The track features Ellia Bisker (see picture, photo by Neil Beckerman) on vocals and we feel there is a dance remix potential in there! Here’s a preview of the track.

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.

side-line.com