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

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Two years after the excellent debut-album “The World As A Hologram” Frett struck back by the end of 2023 with nine new cuts. Frett is Polish artist Maciej Frett (involved with Job Karma) which in this new work has been inspired by the theme of ‘dualism’.

Content: The work takes off with a dark piece which makes me think of an Electronic version of Joy Division. Quite progressively Frett unleash analogue sound treatments, Industrial tones and dark atmospheres featuring now and then female-male vocal parts.  

+ + + : The vintage sound treatments have this unique sound and magic which comes back in the work of Frett. It creates a minimal style exposed by impressive debut cuts “Duality”, “Body Mind” and “DNA”. The female vocals have a kind of sterile exposure which is perfectly fitting to the global sound approach reminding me of 80s productions -with this extra contemporary, refreshing, touch on top. 

– – – : The best cuts are right at the beginning so the rest of the work is a little less exciting although still fully enjoyable.

Conclusion: I preferred the debut album to “Nottow” but however recommend listening to both productions. 

Best songs: “Body Mind”, “Duality”, “DNA”, “Sleepless”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/FRETTband

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

About Frett

Frett is the solo project of Polish musician Maciej Frett, also known for his work with Job Karma and the Wrocław Industrial Festival. He debuted the project with the album “The World As A Hologram” in 2021.

Frett released his second album, “Nottwo,” on 27 October 2023 through Ant-Zen. Built around the theme of dualism, the nine-track record is vocally supported by Anna Frett.

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

Polish musician Kuba Włodarski set up Egoist around 2002/2003 as a solo Electro-Industrial music project. A self-released demo CD came to light in 2004, and was followed by live gigs. In 2008 Kuba had the pleasure to collaborate with ‘Jan Siuta Art Gallery’ in Krakow, which resulted in the “Phazes”-album; Industrial-Ambient music to accompany cycle of exhibitions: “Ritual, Rhythm, Harmony”. In 2020 the digital version of the album “Breaking Moment” got released by Slovak label Aliens Production and followed by a limited physical release in 2021. The album is clearly appealing for lovers of Canadian EBM reminding Front Line Assembly. The album is a well-crafted and sophisticated work. Recently the digital remix album “Phantoms” has been released on Aliens Production as well.  

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Egoist is an ‘older’ project, which has been reactivated, right? Can you tell us how you got involved with music and what kind of music/sound did you wanted to create with Egoist?

Kuba: Egoist is an old project indeed, but it was rather hibernated than abandoned… I was always involved in doing music, but even when I was working in some cooperative projects covering slightly different musical stylistics, I was always keeping Egoist in back of my mind, and was composing ‘Egoist’ songs –slowly but surely…

Q: Your sound is clearly driven by EBM influences reminding Front Line Assembly. What’s your perception of EBM and what’s the impact of Frontline Assembly and other sources of inspiration on your own music? How do you transpose these influences into an own sound?

Kuba: I always had a soft spot for Canadian Electro-Industrial music. Skinny Puppy, Numb, early Psyche and of course Front Line Assembly. What kept me interested, especially in Skinny Puppy and FLA, was the complexity of their sound, attention to almost every detail that emerges in the background, helping to create rich, evolving sonic atmospheres. As to the FLA –in my early stuff I might have been under too much influence regarding song structures, etc., it seems, however, that I managed to broke off that convention as you may hear in more recent songs.

I really appreciated, but was never too carried away by classic European EBM bands such as Front 242, DAF or Nitzer Ebb. I was always intrigued in more complex alternative ‘body’ music – like Haujobb, Gridlock as well as classic industrial acts.

Q: Tell us a bit more about the re-release of “Breaking Moment”, which was originally (self)-released in 2004 as an EP. And what can say about the extra songs?

Kuba: The self-released demo consisted of 5 original tracks and a remix of a Controlled Collapse song. It was received rather well by the audience and gave me opportunity for live shows. In 2005 I did a gig in Bratislava, during ‘Apocalyptic Visions’-festival, organized by Ryby (Peter Rybar) of Disharmony and Aliens Production label. During full European lockdown AD 2020 Peter contacted me and proposed releasing a full LP with tracks from my demo plus previously unpublished material. I collected songs that I thought were good enough to be released, Ryby took care of mastering and production side of things, and released it as both digital download and 13 track physical CD. I believe the extra songs are more mature, complex and showing an evolution in music I make.

Q: How do you see yourself as musician/producer? Do you’ve a specific way of working and are there specific references/criteria in the production work?

Kuba: I do not have a proper modus operandi when it comes to creating music. I try to combine the most convenient benefits of hardware synths, drum machines, samplers, whatnot and the overwhelming power of computer equipment used for musical purposes nowadays. I’m certainly not a big fan of mixing and music production in general, as I find it much less interesting than the creative process, such as sound sculpting, arranging, etc.

If you ask about the compositional process -it varies, sometimes I have a general outline of the main theme and structure of the piece or just fragments of the melody lines around which I arrange the whole song. Sometimes interesting ideas emerge during jam sessions to be developed later during work in D(igital)A(udio)W(orkstation).

Q: There’s a new album (or EP) out now featuring two new songs and an impressive list of remixes. Tell us a bit more about the writing of the title song “Phantoms”? What do you think about the remixes? Any favorite ones?

Kuba: Remixes are intentionally of different, bar electronic, stylistics, as it shows how much one can make with the same source track. It is a very interesting experience to find out what parts of the original song were most appealing to remixers, and how they transformed it, picking up different ‘start points’ and approaches.

If I had to choose my favorite remix –I think it would be Tomtylor’s one or a dancefloor killer by Procesor Plus.

Q: What are your further plans about new productions, live shows, remixes and eventually side-activities?    

Kuba: I did remixes for well known Polish alternative artists, i.e.: Agressiva 69 and Clicks. Right now I am finishing a thing for legendary polish Post-Punk formation 1984. I am also preparing EGOIST live shows, which will start at the end of 2021 at ‘Energia Dzwieku’-festival in Wroclaw, alongside Frett, Liebknecht and Haujobb, as well as trying to find time and energy to finish an EP of my side-project Brud.

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-Industrial, Minimal-Electro.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Behind Frett ishiding Maciek Frett, a Polish artist who you may know from his involvement with Job Karma and 7JK (a collaboration with Matt Howden from Sieben). He’s also organizing festivals in his homeland.

Content: This album is driven by Electronics, which are now pretty minimal and then into Industrial. The songs are meticulously built up, achieved with multiple effects and vocals alternating spooky- and enraged passages. There’re also a few spoken female vocals injecting a cold and sterile touch to the work. The global sphere supporting this work is dark. One of the most Electronic pieces (cf. “Judge”) reminds me a bit of The Klinik. 

+ + + : This debut work sounds as a true revelation, but the artist is not a debutant, but an experienced musician. Maciek Frett brought different influences together, creating a perfect electronic osmosis between Industrial-, Experimental-, Minimal- and even Ambient Electronics. The work sounds mainly retro-like, which is mainly because of the sound treatments (analogue equipment has been used). There’s a great dynamic and bombast emerging from the drum sections, creating a cool contrast with the album’s minimal approach. “Isolation” is for sure the absolute masterpiece from this album.

– – – : There’s just one single song that couldn’t convince me and it unfortunately is the last one.

Conclusion: Frett has accomplished a work appealing for all lovers of early Electro-Industrial and Minimal-Electro music, transposing these influences into a refreshing approach.

Best songs: “Isolation”, “Two Cups”, “The Light”, “Trust”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/maciek.frett

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

About Frett

Frett is the solo project of Maciek Frett, a musician active on the Wrocław, Poland electronic music scene since the mid-1990s. He is also a member of Job Karma and of 7JK, a collaboration with Sieben’s Matt Howden, and curates the Wrocław Industrial Festival, Wrocław Underwater and Energy Of The Sound, performing and organizing concerts under the Industrial Art brand. According to Discogs, he has also mixed and mastered releases for a number of other Polish acts since 2001.

“The World As A Hologram” was composed, recorded and mixed by Frett at Sunsix Studio in Wrocław between December 2018 and March 2020, with additional vocals from Anna Frett, mastering by Eric Van Wonterghem at Prodam, and release on Ant-Zen on 4 September 2020 in collaboration with Gusstaff Records / Don’t Sit On My Vinyl. Frett went on to release the album “Nottwo” in 2023 and the single “End Beginning” on Ant-Zen in 2024. He appeared on the same festival bill as Liebknecht, Haujobb and Egoist at Energia Dźwięku in Wrocław, according to a 2021 Side-Line interview with the latter act.

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: Cinematographic, experimental.

Background/Info: 7JK is the fusion between Sieben (7) and Job Karma (JK). This Half British, half Polish formation released the debut album “Anthems Flesh” in 2012. The new opus only features one member from the Job Karma duo. 7JK now is Matt Howden (Sieben) and Maciek Frett (Job Karma).

Content: It’s nearly impossible to define the genre of this album, which consists of Matt Howden on vocals and playing his violin on one side plus Maciek Frett taking care of the electronics on the other. It’s an accessible experiment resulting in some dreamy and poignant songs revealing Matt Howden’s charismatic and passionate vocals.

Some of the songs are driven by a rather slow and sensual cadence, which makes it all very enjoyable. There’s a kind of magic operating between both musicians. Notice by the way that the last song features female guest vocals by Hanna Stubbs.

+ + + : “Ride The Solar Tide” is a beautiful album with a perfect balance between the magic of the violin and the electronics. The down tempo together with the electronic treatments and multiple sound effects are sometimes reminding me a bit of Björk. “Guidance Is Eternal” is a remarkable song in the genre. But I also fully enjoyed the sensuality emerging from “Barry The Astonishing” and especially “Undergrowth”. Matt Howden is a musician who likes to work with other artists, but “Ride The Solar Tide” definitely is one of the most successful albums.

I also have to say a word about the beautiful digipak format revealing a dreamy and somewhat surreal artwork.

– – – : “Ride The Solar Tide” is hard to label and that’s maybe why some people will ignore this little sonic treasure.

Conclusion: Side-projects between artists is always fun, but not as convincing. 7JK must be one of the exceptions to the rule “Ride The Solar Tide” being an accomplished composition featuring many beautiful songs.

Best songs: “Undergrowth”, “Barry The Astonishing”, “Guidance Is Internal”, “Slow Flow Snowflake”, “Starseed”.

Rate: (8).

Band & Label:  http://7jk.eu /www.facebook.com/7JKband

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