The French label Unknown Pleasures Records, run by Pedro Peñas y Roble aka HIV+, stops its activities this summer. They are currently emptying their last stocks before closing for good. The label which started in 2013 was based in the south of France was dedicated to the production of material from the post-punk, minimal wave and EBM scene. Their final release is a Tribute to Death In June.

In the past the label has released albums of bands like Norma Loy, David Carretta, Blind Delon, Adan & Ilse, Hausfrau, Black Egg, European Ghost, Ono Scream, Antipole, Kill Shelter, Vogue Noir, Ohota, Wendy Bevan, Alek Drive, Art Kinder Industrie, Baroque, Maman Küsters, Japan Suicide, Follow Me Not, Der Himmel über Berlin, Dave Inox, Mr Nô, None, Velvet Kills, Selfishadows, Container 47, The Shyness Of Strangers, Secret Sight, La Main, Fluxus, Grand((Ø))Signal, Neon Electronics, Hardlab, Judith Juillerat, Monolog and Love In Prague.

The label has also worked and collaborated with several musicians such as Alan Vega, Gabi Delgado, Dirk Da Davo, Eric Van Wonterghem, Jurgen Engler, Richard 23, Patrick Codenys, Marc Hurtado, Arturo Lanz, The Hacker, Dirk Ivens, The Horrorist, Haujobb, Position Parallèle, John Lord Fonda, Dominique Nicolas, Marc Collin, Michaël Theis, Radical G, Növö, Millimetric, In Death It Ends, In Aeternam Vale, Sonic Area, Adriano Canzian, Alice Botte, Versari and 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!

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: EBM, minimal-EBM.

Background/Info: Belgian electro veteran Tcheleskov Ivanovitch can look back at a considerable discography. Being involved with different projects he now gets back to Grandchaos. This album (kind of mini-album) featuring 8 tracks has been released on an artistic picture disc and strictly limited to 300 copies. It has been released by the Swiss label Urgence Disk Records and Belgian label Lynch Law Records.

Content: Grandchaos stands for electronic minimalism, mixing elements of EBM together with early technoid influences. The production has this little vintage touch, which totally fits with the danceable aspect of the work. Tcheleskov sings with this typical grave timbre of voice and with a cool French accent. Some tracks are clearly reminding me of the work of his good-old friend Jacky Meurisse (Signal Aout 42), with whom he’s involved with Grand((Ø))Signal.

+ + + : I remain totally devoted to the minimal creation of Grandchaos. It has this retro-like approach, but with some extra and personal influences on top. Sometimes moving at the edge of techno music and early new-beat, it is the kind of production that will possibly reach a wider range of electronic lovers. I like the sound treatments and most of the bass lines. There also is a spooky touch created by the vocals. Last, but not least the picture disc really is a great piece of art!

– – – : The B-side features a few cuts, which are less convincing; a bit like having composed in a hurry. If you’re familiar with the “Days + Memories”-release(s), you’ll recognize a few cuts.

Conclusion: Grandchaos never has been the most renowned artist from the Belgian community and yet it remains one of the most original and efficient formations in the genre!

Best songs: “I Hope I Die”, “Alone In The Dark”, “The Light In The Mist”, “The Day Reappears”.

Rate: (8).

Band: www.grandchaos.be / www.facebook.com/grandchaos

Labels: www.darksite.ch/urgences/urgences /

www.facebook.com/URGENCE–DISK–RECORDS-101329779912757 / http://lynchlawrecords.com / www.facebook.com/LynchLawRecords

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

Tcheleskov Ivanovitch is already into music since the late 80s. He together with his brother set up the Belgian project Ivanovitch Dans L’Ombre, but gained more recognition during the past few years with his Grandchaos project. Several productions have been released on labels like Urgence Disk Records and EK Product and are pure lust for lovers of good-old vintage and minimal electronics. More recently Tcheleskov Ivanovitch together with Jacky Meurisse (Signal Aout 42) set up a common project Grand((Ø))Signal, which is another minimal electronic experience.

(by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: From the early days of Ivanovitch Dans L’Ombre towards Grandchaos and now Grand((Ø))Signal clearly appears to be a serious move in sound, writing and production as well. What explains this evolution? 

Tcheslov: When my brother Trevosky and I founded Ivanovitch Dans L.ombre in 1982, we were at the beginning of the ‘democratization’” of electronic instruments and recording techniques. The production costs were steep, but making music was an enthralling experience mainly because we both entered uncharted territory. It was a labor of love and a way to take part in politics for most punk acts. For Grandchaos et Grand((Ø))Signal (my collaboration with Jacky Meurisse), I took advantage of the creative possibilities offered by modern technology, but it remains quite difficult to attain a tight rhythm section and ‘solid groove’. Machines are just instruments and you need to find inspiration to write music and create magic moments.

Q: Getting back to the early years of your music career, what have been your main sources of inspiration and references in electronic music? 

Tcheleskov: As a child, I was very fond of Kraftwerk and J.M Jarre, but they were not revolutionary artists by any means. Fortunately, the punk and DIY ethic made good use of synthesizers to create spontaneous and aggressive melodies. In my humble opinion, Suicide and Cabaret Voltaire were the marquee acts of that period. “Frankie Teardrop” and “Nag Nag Nag” are absolute masterpieces that will remain engraved in my mind forever!

Q: Grandchaos clearly reveals a minimal- and somewhat vintage EBM approach, but still a passion for hardware equipment! What does it says about you as a musician/producer and your perception of contemporary electronic music? 

Tcheleskov: I’m irremediably old school! I don’t find digital synths appealing at all. Touching an instrument is essential to me. When I see my synths and drum machines I feel like a kid in a candy store. Music nourishes me. I am always looking out for new bands. Creative musicians continue to explore new sounds and they never cease to amaze me. Record labels continue to play an instrumental role in scouting new talent.

Q: Except the fact that Grand((Ø))Signal is a duo and Grandchaos a solo-project, what are the main differences between both formations and especially when it comes to aspects like sources of inspiration and global production? 

Tcheleskov: Grandchaos is a therapy to overcome my personal problems as it allows me to express how I feel. Dark themes such as suffering and death have haunted me for many years. The loss of loved ones as well as my serious health issues may have accentuated the dark tones of Grandchaos lyrics. With Grandchaos, I feel somewhat close to the ‘EBM United’ movement that gained popularity across the globe. The ‘No Pain No Gain’ slogan resonates well with the human nature. Grand((Ø))Signal, for its part, is a joint project between Jacky and me. We put in practice what we have learned throughout our long musical journey. The sound and image have been purified and geared towards the dancefloor. We would like to make retro-futurist music ‘made in Belgium’ that would appeal to fans of Gesaffelstein or Schwefelgelb. The release of our debut album “Aktivation” on Unknown Pleasures Records will definitely prompt us to pursue this project and play live shows.

Q: Tell us a bit more about the choice of the artists who contributed to the remixes on “Days + Memories” and are there some inspiring remixes for the further work of Grandchaos? 

Tcheleskov: Every time I discover the work of an artist that inspires me, I add his/her name to my address book and I contact them when the opportunity presents itself i.e when I start compiling remixes. For the “Days” and “Memories” EP’s, I ‘ve had the pleasure to work with mega-talented artists such as Nicole & Anne (2XNI), Noamm or Franck Kartel to name just a few.

Q: A new album (cf. “Tempest”) has been just released on EK Product featuring a new list of remixed songs. What do you like about remixes?

Tcheleskov: 2016 was indeed a very prolific year, and 2017 will be even busier! The “Tempest” compilation just came out on the Italian label EK Product. Many friends took part in this project such as Jacky Meurisse (SA42), Vince (ESR), Dada (BAK XIII) or Arthur Plata (Mechaload) to name a few. My last album “We Suffer When The World Changes” was reinterpreted by artists from across the globe and I’m really glad that Amedeo and his label EK Product decided to release this project. Grandchaos has a long story with the remixes. One could even say that Grandchaos took off with the double disc compilation “In Sedens” compiled by the old school electro purist Nader Moumneh who now runs the highly-regarded record label  Electro Aggression Records (EAR) specialized in old school EBM and complex, multi-layered dark-electro. Nader is also the co-founder of the rising synthpop/Italo Disco record label NADANNA with Marc schaffer of Anna Logue Records.

Grandchaos has been remixed over a hundred times and I’m a serious candidate for the Guinness records. On a more serious note, I truly enjoy the reinterpretation of my songs by other artists. It is a formidable sensation and we learn a lot when we listen to the music of other artists with an open mind.

Q: What brings 2017 for Grandchaos and your other projects? 

Tcheleskov: For Grandchaos, a mini-album titled “The Day Disappears Only To Reappear” is slated for a June 2017 release. It will be released as an ultra-limited picture disc via 2 exceptional record labels: Urgence Disk Records (CH) and Law Lynch Records (BE).

Trevosky and I would like to release a compilation featuring unreleased material by IDLO but since the original material was recorded on tapes, it is gonna be a long and daunting task. We will see how it plays out.

Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Jacky Meurisse belongs to the pioneers of EBM, but he first of all is a visionary electro-artist who later on got involved in some of the biggest new-beat hits. It’s a passionate musician and producer who more than 30 years after the early Signal Aout 42 hits remains a prolific and talented artist. He last year got involved in a new project called Grand ((O)) Signal while he also released an album as Jacky Meurisse Project.

(by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: After years of involvement and multiple music projects how did you finally come to release the solo-album “Crystal Blackout” and what means this album to you?

Jacky: Why did I compose “Crystal Blackout”? It all happened quite naturally. I’m constantly busy composing music, which is something natural for me. I can’t say how much songs I’ve composed with all of my projects, but you also have to know I’ve plenty of unachieved songs in my PC. These songs haven’t been achieved because they don’t always fit with the expectations of my audience. I however think that most of these ‘music rushes’ have a real potential.

In 2015 I together with Tcheleskov Ivanovitch (GrandChaos and live member of SA42) started a new project called Grand((O))Signal, which was meant as a playful project to hear how our partnership would sound. We noticed some real good reactions, which gave me a boost to launch ‘Jacky Meurisse Project’.

To be honest with you, this “Crystal Blackout”-project is for me a kind of entertainment and an opportunity to propose a different style than what people are used to hear from SA42. So it becomes a challenge to offer something different instead of EBM.

Q: That’s probably why I got the impression it is a fusion between all kind of influences you have experienced with during your career; EBM, techno, new-beat… right?

Jacky: You get it! I’m composing ‘underground’ music for more than 30 years now and I was rather successful in multiple genres (new-wave, new-beat, techno, trance, rave, EBM…) while I always hold on a direction. I would even dare to say with some humility I’ve been one of the pioneers from new-beat and EBM. All over the years I accumulated a lot of sounds and ways of working. It has for sure created my musical identity, like I’ve been branded by these sounds.

My main project remains of course SA42, for which my fans have some expectations. I can’t imagine using similar sounds for SA42 although I’ve a huge database full of sounds. So Jacky Meurisse Project for me is a way to experiment with these old sounds without asking myself if people will like it or not. So in the end “Crystal Blackout” is a melting pot of all these sounds and music genres that saw the daylight during the past 30 years.

To get it short “Crystal Blackout” is a bit of a retrospective from the last 3 decades in, which I’ve been musical wise involved to.

Q: What have been your favorite gear to write “Crystal Blackout” and do you have favorite songs on the album?

Jacky: As I already mentioned I’ve been inspired by all these old sounds. I also searched in my memory (lol) and took some sounds I for example used during the 90s for the project Le Park. I also tried to use sounds in the line of “Le Dormeur” from Pleasure Games.

It’s hard to say which elements I prefer and impossible to give you favorite songs, which according to me is the same as asking you who’s your favorite child. It sometimes depends from the inspiration so a few songs were finished pretty fast, but all the songs have the same value to me.

It’s also funny to read reviews about the album and realizing people don’t have the same favorite songs, which I think is rather positive.

Q: The album was already released one year ago now on New Fabrikk and entitled “Crystal”. So how did you come to release it again on the Spanish label i-Traxx Recordings and what have been the reactions since the original release?

Jacky: You can’t really consider New Fabrikk as a label properly speaking. Tchéleskov and I decided to set up this ‘platform’ to release the “Aktivation”-album of Grand((O))Signal. We decided to release the album as a ‘dropcard’ format. New Fabrikk is more a kind of ‘rave’ from 2 producers instead of a label. The idea was to create a kind of ‘trademark’ for a new Belgian music stream we set up by our own. Future will tell if it will lead us to any achievement.

So it happened quite naturally and “Crystal” got originally released as a ‘dropcard’ on New Fabrikk. This edition was limited to 200 copies and was a kind of elaborated demo of the complete tracklist. Once the ‘dropcards’ were sold-out I next finalized and remixed all of the songs to get it released on a small label. I know Ethan Fawkes who told me to get in touch with the Spanish label i-Traxx he’s working with. I’d a good feeling with the label and they gave me all an artist needs to work with.

Q: Together with Tcheleskov Ivanovitch (Grandchaos) you both set up Grand((Ø))Signal and recently released on CD format the album “Aktivation”, which was previously digitally released on New Fabrikk as well. What does this project stands for and how do you look back at the album?

Jacky: As I previously mentioned, Tchéleskov joined me on stage for the SA42 live shows and we progressively got more connected with each other. There’s a real complicity as we’re sharing the same music culture and sources of inspiration. Tchéleskov asked me to set up a common project and as I sometimes feel the need of a new challenge I finally thought by myself ‘why not’.

We’re quite complementary; Tchéleskov tries to brake me there where I’m going too far while I give him a boost when I think he’s not doing enough (lol). But it was an interesting, funny and conclusive project.

Q: How do you look back at the new-beat period and the sound properly speaking, which today is easily linked with other genres like EBM?

Jacky: To be honest with you and I know it might sound a bit weird, I’m not really interested in the contemporary music scene. I don’t know anything about new releases, I’m not going out that often and I don’t listen to the radio because I’m living in my own little world. So I don’t really have an opinion about the contemporary scene and especially because it all looks like everybody is making music today and too much music is killing the music.

Where’s the time you’d to invest a lot of money to release an album. Only a few ones got motivated and took the risk to release a vinyl. But today you only need a PC to become an ‘artist’ and releasing copies… In the end only the best ones will get some recognition, but they’re like drowning in the mass so it’s really difficult to become renowned.

Q: What might we expect from Jacky Meurisse in 2017 and are there plans to write a new Signal Aout 42 album?

Jacky: Exactly, right after having been involved in different parallel projects, which was fun, I started again writing music for SA42. The magic operated and I got some new inspiration so quite fast I wrote 8 songs in 3 weeks. I need 2 or 3 more songs and next I’ll have to write the lyrics, which for me is the most difficult part of the work. But I can tell you I’m really excited because what I’ve achieved so far sounds like real, real great SA42 stuff.

I hope to finalize the 7^th full length of SA42 for the end of 2017. It will be a challenge because I’ll be very busy during 2017 working on a very personal project, which will take me a lot of time and energy.

Thanks for your interest in my work and I wish you all an enjoyable listening.

Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: EBM, minimal-body-music, electroclash, new-beat.

Background/Info: One year after their debut album “Aktivation” the Belgian duo consisting of Jacky Meurisse (SA42) and Tcheleskov Ivanovitch (Grandchaos) are back on track. They signed to the French label Unknown Pleasures Records, which is an appropriated choice to release their ‘vintage’-inspired electronic music.

Content: I already fully enjoyed the debut-work of this duo and “Aktivation” only confirms the strong potential of their vintage EBM influences mixed with a few other styles. Jacky Meurisse has been part of the legendary new-beat movement and that’s an aspect that you’ll immediately notice. The minimal EBM sound rules and has been once again accomplished by a great songwriting.

The minimal aspect of the production comes also back in the vocals production. Jacky Meurisse focused on a few and rudimentary lyrics. It all sounds simple and yet very efficient. It sometimes creates an effect of a sampling.

The album features 9 songs plus 1 remix.

+ + + : Grand((Ø))Signal stands for an experienced duo, which knows this magic sound formula to create alluring electronics. This work sounds like an ode to vintage electronics mixing different influences with each other while remaining pure underground-like. But the album also is a quite efficient production revealing several outstanding songs and potential hits. From the technoid and somewhat electroclash-sounding title-song to other new-beat inspired cuts to dark minimal EBM, this opus is a non-stop source of dance and entertainment.

– – – : You can always find minus points and I can imagine some people will dislike the new-beat input while others would have liked to get it more EBM-driven. In the end this album clearly isn’t the most typical release in its genre.

Conclusion: Grand((Ø))Signal seems to be a real band now and that’s great news as there’s a real chemistry operating between Jacky Meurisse and Tcheleskov Ivanovitch.

Best songs: “You Can Dream”, “Aktivation”, “Strange Star”, “Faster/Harder”.

Rate: (8½).

Band: www.facebook.com/GrandSignal

Label: www.unknown–pleasures–records.com /  www.facebook.com/Unknown–Pleasures–Records-566180440115465

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

(By Stéphane Froidcoeur aka Deranged Psyche) 2015 has been already a prolific year for the section Side-Line Reviews. As head of the Side-Line Reviews section I can only, but be extremely satisfied with the huge amount of promo material we got. Over the 700 (!) releases were selected while nearly 550 (!) have been reviewed thus far. I take the opportunity to express my gratitude to all labels, promoters and bands considering and respecting our work and efforts and this for years now.

But I also have to thank all of our readers because for their interest, support, trust and consideration. It’s a very important source of motivation to keep me moving on trying to support our lovely underground scene the best I can.

A review of course remains always ‘subjective’ and a source of discussion, but keep in mind it will be always the perception of the reviewer, but I can assure you we always try to argue our reviews the best as possible. I noticed multiple great releases during 2015; from EBM to dark-electro to IDM to synth-pop to ethereal, to dark-ambient to industrial to gothic and a few related genres I made a TOP 20 of the best albums of 2015! This selection has been made with the promotional material we got while compilations and EP’s were not selected for this ‘best of’.

Stéphane Froidcoeur (aka Deranged Psyche)

01 Irfan – The Eternal Return (CD Album – Prikosnovénie)
02 Neuroticfish – A Sign Of Life (CD Album – NOR)
03 Acylum – Pest (DCD Album – Alfa Matrix)
04 Eisfabrik – Eisplanet (CD Album & EP – SPV/NoCut)
05 Senking – Closing Eyes (CD Album – Raster-Noton)
06 Ah Cama-Sotz – State Of Mind (CD Album – Hands)
07 Karjalan Sissit – …Want You Dead (CD Album – Cyclic Law)
08 Alien Vampires – Drag You To Hell (DCD Album – Alfa Matrix)
09 Supersimmetria – Kosmogonie (CD Album – Hands)
10 Johan Baeckström – Like Before (CD Album – Progress Productions)
11 Hearts Of Black Science – Signal (CD Album – Progress Productions)
12 Dear Strange – Lonely Heroes (CD Album – Out Of Line)
13 IAMX – Metanoia (CD Album – Caroline International)
14 Legiac – The Faex Had Decimated (CD Album – Tympanik Audio)
15 Grand((Ø))Signal – Aktivation (Digital Album – Grand((Ø))Signal)
16 Encephalon – Psychogenesis (CD Album – Dependent)
17 Noisuf-X – 10 Years Of Riot (DCD Album – ProNoize)
18 Star Industry – The Renegade (DCD Album – Alfa Matrix)
19 Chainreactor – Dirt (CD Album – ProNoize)
20 Frozen Plasma – Dekadenz (CD Album – Infacted Recordings)

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.

Content: Grand((Ø))Signal (GrandSignal) is a new Belgian project set up by Tcheleskov Ivanovitch (Grandchaos) and Jacky Meurisse (Signal Aout 42). Both artists can look back at a serious background with their involvement in many different bands.

“Aktivation” is a surprising digital work, which I can already tell you is a true masterpiece in good-old vintage EBM. The album features 8 songs and the least I can say is that there’s not a single one to throw away. “You Can Dream” is a pure sonic uppercut to start off with. The song clearly reveals the influences and musical background of both artists. There’s the minimal electro approach of Grandchaos mixed with SA42’s EBM style mixed with a flavor of new-beat. The spooky vocals clearly remind me of SA42. “New Sensation” sounds more inspired by new-beat influences while some female vocals are pure dance-like. Jacky Meurisse performs the backing vocals here.

The absolute potential hit comes up next and is entitled “Control Your Body.” The title sounds pure EBM-devoted, but the production is absolutely surprising and phenomenal. This song reveals tribal influences, which even reminds me of Juno Reactor while the electronics are in the purest minimal-EBM vein of Grandchaos. This is a true masterpiece!

We next get a few more outstanding cuts like the solid and totally SA42 orientated “Life Is Emotion” plus the trance-dance-body sounding “We Resist.” The last mentioned song is an instrumental version produced with great studio effects. It’s a bit groovy-like.

A last essential cut is “Aktivation” for its dance-EBM vibes. The song is pretty dark-minded and once more reflects the multiple influences and musical background of Ivanovitch and Meurisse.

Conclusion: “Aktivation” is one of the hottest EBM surprises of the past few months and one of the best albums in the genre that I have heard this year. The question is if this album will remain a pure (occasional) side-project or if Grand((Ø))Signal will move on as a real band. They have the potential to become a new EBM-phenomenon!

Best songs: “Control Your Body”, “We Resist”, “You Can Dream”, “fAktivation”.

Rate: (DP:9)DP.

Band: www.grandsignal.net / www.facebook.com/GrandSignal

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