Human League – SIDE-LINE

Vivabeat sees first two albums reissued with bonus tracks

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 14:47:01 +0000

Eighties techno-pop band Vivabeat announced today that it will release remastered reissues of much of their back catalog via 80s-centric Rubellan Remasters on March 1. Founding members Marina Muhlfriedel (Marina del Rey) and Mick Muhlfriedel spearheaded the projects using material they found on some lost tape masters.

Vivabeat’s debut album “Party in the War Zone” comes with ten bonus tracks dating from the years after the original release. “The House is Burning” comes as a limited edition, purple and blue colored-vinyl, best-of package, which includes four previously unreleased songs.

“We never stopped believing in the music we made back then, and when a Vivabeat fan reached out on social media last year, urging us to connect with Rubellan Remasters’ founder Scott Davies, we did,” says Vivabeat keyboard player and vocalist Marina Muhlfriedel. “Scott was enthusiastic about working together, and seeing these projects get a second chance 40 years on is a remarkable gift.”

“After transferring the tapes to a digital format, I remixed two of the songs, one with the support of legendary producer Earle Mankey,” says bass player and lead songwriter Mick Muhlfriedel. “Then, Scott Davies’ expert remastering really breathed new life into the tracks.”

The CD and vinyl reissues serve as tribute to Terrance Robay, Connie DiSilva, and Alec Murphy, who died of AIDS, and to Doug Orilio, who succumbed to complications years after a motorcycle accident that left him as a paraplegic. Of the later members, guitarist Rob Dean, guitarist Jeff Gilbert (who also passed away), and drummer Chris Schendel figure most prominently in these recordings.

About Vivabeat

Vivabeat was formed in L.A. in 1978 as a hybrid of Los Angeles and Boston musicians playing in local punk/new wave bands and was active until the mid-1980s. Marina Muhlfriedel founded the seminal LA punk/pop band Backstage Pass; drummer Doug Orilio was in Boston’s Reddy Teddy, and Mick Muhlfriedel and Alec Murphy played with various Boston bands. When he joined the band, lead singer Terrance Robay was fresh off playing James Dean on the London stage. Connie DiSilva was a prodigy synth player and radio DJ.

Their debut album, “Party in the War Zone”, included the group’s most successful song, “Man from China” — a tune that first captured Peter Gabriel and Charisma Record’s attention.

The band continued to record, including an eponymously titled EP featuring Earle Mankey’s production and former Japan/Gary Numan/Sinead O’Connor guitarist, Rob Dean. It featured the song “The House is Burning (But There’s No One Home)”, which appears in the movie “Body Double” and has recently been licensed for Amazon Prime’s new animated series, “The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy”.

By 1982, Vivabeat found its footing alongside mainstream New Wave bands and spent a few years touring and playing shows with B-52s, Depeche Mode, Gang of Four, Human League, The Thompson Twins, R.E.M., Gary Numan, Wall of Voodoo, and others.

In 2001, Permanent Press Records released a best-of Vivabeat album titled “The Good Life 1979 – 1986”, which also featured tracks from See Jane Run, a Vivabeat spin-off band.

Marina is currently a writer living in Los Angeles. She occasionally performs with a Backstage Pass reboot and hosts Our Lips Unsealed, a rock and roll storytelling show. Mick is the president of a large youth soccer non-profit, the Downtown L.A. Soccer Club, and is working on a second album with his experimental Buff Roshi project.

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

Strange Tales returns with first synthpop album in 30 years, ‘Untold’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 07:41:38 +0000

The Swedish synth group Strange Tales is set to release their full-length album “Untold” on Friday, November 24th, across all streaming services. On the eve of the release, they will host a launch party and free concert at FOLK, Foajén, Järntorget in Gothenburg, Sweden. In addition to the digital release, a limited edition 6-panel digipack CD featuring extra tracks and remixes will be available. Furthermore, the album will be offered as a limited edition colored gatefold vinyl, showcasing cover art by Gothenburg artist Patrik Andiné, an alumnus of the Royal Institute of Art (1990-95).

Fans can currently pre-order “Untold” from Bandcamp, either as a digital download or on CD.

Strange Tales ‘Untold’ digipack

Featuring on the album is Toril Lindqvist of electroclash band Alice in Videoland, with production handled by Charles Storm of Cloudchamber Studios (known for his work with Exit North, Mando Diao, Anna Öberg, Håkan Hellström, and Henrik Berggren).

About Strange Tales

Formed in the mid-1980s, Strange Tales was born from a love for the New Romantics movement, London sojourns, 12″ vinyl records, and synth music, founded by Johan Larsson, Tobbe Lander, and Jonas Berg. Their sound is a blend reminiscent of bands like Depeche Mode, Ultravox, Human League, Visage, Duran Duran, among others. Initially playing at youth clubs, their first release was a 1985 demo cassette titled “Five Songs”. Tobbe Lander notably ran the synth club Romo Night in Gothenburg for two decades, a hub for both prominent and indie synth acts in Sweden.

After a hiatus, the band has reunited with new material. They emphasize a philosophy for their music: engaging, varied, and impactful. As they put it, “Music should evoke real emotions, mirroring life’s unscripted and unique nature. Our songs are crafted with this ethos – they’re meant to resonate deeply and authentically.”

To get a taste of their music, check out Strange Tales’ music videos below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Tulipomania ‘Dreaming of Sleep’ album out now, plus animated video for ‘Then and Only Then’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 07:26:14 +0000

Several years since their latest release, Philadelphia art-rock duo Tulipomania presents their fifth album “Dreaming of Sleep”, released via Sursumcorda Records.

With cover artwork by Michael Speed, senior designer at Beggars Group London, this record involves executive producer Howard Thompson (Elektra, Island, Almo Sounds), having discovered and/or worked with Adam and the Ants, Billy Bragg, MC5, Mötorhead, PiL, Psychedelic Furs, Robyn Hitchcock, The Sugarcubes, Suicide, among others.

As of November 17, the “Dream of Sleep” album is available digitally from fine music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp, where it can also be obtained on CD and vinyl.

Dreaming of Sleep by Tulipomania

“Musically, the album feels like an interpretive dance to me. A reaction to overwhelming anxiety and frustration – while also mirroring and grappling with this ridiculous anxious age we are living in. Lyrically, consciously, and subconsciously, the themes of loss, frustration and fear are I think clearly on display – with anger, disbelief and a realization of a total lack of control or even influence beyond what we could exert on the instrumentation, the songs and the animations themselves,” says Tom Murray.

“We tried to use only the first takes of any performances or musical ideas as much as possible. Vocals were recorded in one or two takes in almost every case. We wanted to make everything about the groove and the song. We wanted to not be tempted to use instrumentation we are already comfortable with. I think this lack of control and slight on-edge process pairs well with the music and lyrics. I hope the results speak for themselves.”

In the lead-up to the album, Tulipomania released the lead track “You Had to Be There” and a remix created by UK music legend Martyn Ware (Heaven 17, The Human League) and Charles Stooke, which was featured on WIRE Magazine’s cover-mounted Wiretapper CD compilation for October.

Below are the two videos.

The latest animated video for “Then and Only Then” features lip sync, original and vintage footage shot frame by frame, collaged on sheets of black paper – is an official selection at the CutOut Fest International festival of animation and digital art this November in Mexico. “The music and the animations that support it explore outrage, powerlessness – and the knowing kind of sorrow that emerges from those states of mind – often in bursts of absurdity. Being aware of the ridiculous often feels like salvation,” says Cheryl Gelover, who first met Tom Murray, the other half of Tulipomania, through experimental film and animation classes.

Tulipomania’s animated music videos have been featured in film festivals worldwide, with several already showcasing their latest few videos as an official selection, including the Leeds International Film Festival (UK), StopTrik (Croatia, Poland), AniFilm (Czech Republic), Malatesta (Italy) and CutOut animation festival (Mexico).

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Dexter’s Michael C. Hall embraces 80s synthpop in Princess Goes’ new single/video ‘Blur’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Sun, 03 Sep 2023 08:49:22 +0000

(Photo by Shervin Lainez) The American synthpop trio, Princess Goes, has unveiled their latest single, “Blur”. This track follows “Shimmer” and is a precursor to their upcoming second album, “Come Of Age”, set to release on 6th October through the SO In De Goot label.

Previously known as Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum, the band features actor Michael C. Hall (known for “Dexter”, “Six Feet Under”, and “Lazarus”), keyboardist Matt Katz-Bohen (who has collaborated with Blondie and Cyndi Lauper), and Peter Yanowitz.

“‘Blur’ opens with a classic Juno-106 synth drone, evoking the early 80’s, flirting with the finality of its own fruition as layers of more synth, bass guitar and drums reveal themselves,” says Matt Katz-Bohen. “Michael’s poignant, aching lyrics and melody go from soft to epic, culminating in an MGMT/Human League chorus of loving synth transcendence: Baby I’m full grown now.”

The accompanying video, directed by Tim Richardson (who has worked with artists like Elton John and Billie Eilish), portrays Michael C. Hall trapped in a cosmic void.

In recent years, this New York City-based ensemble has been actively touring, recording, and self-producing. They launched a self-titled EP in April 2020 and their debut album, “Thanks For Coming”, in 2021.

Additionally, the band has announced a brief UK tour. The dates are as follows:

26/09 – Manchester, UK – Club Academy
27/09 – Cardiff, UK – The Globe
28/09 – Birmingham, UK – O2 Institute 2
29/09 – Norwich, UK – Waterfront
8/10 – London, UK – EartH Theatre

And here is the previous video, for the track “Shimmer”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Ex-The Human League founders see early British Electric Foundation material reissued including early version ‘Groove Thang’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 16:47:00 +0000

Out on April 21st via Cold Spring on CD and vinyl LP is the reissue of some of the earliest material written by Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh for their post-The Human league project British Electric Foundation (B.E.F.), the tape “Music for Stowaways”.

Following two groundbreaking albums (“Reproduction” and “Travelogue”), the original line-up of Sheffield-based The Human League split in half in late 1980. The two primary musicians in the group, Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh, formed a new production company – British Electric Foundation – and signed a deal with Virgin to write and produce up to six albums a year. The artists they were to produce would include Heaven 17, their own new band formed with vocalist Glenn Gregory.

B.E.F. would also release their own material, commencing with a limited edition numbered eight song cassette entitled “Music for Stowaways”, with “Stowaways” being a reference to the original name for the then-new Sony portable cassette player – later renamed the Walkman – which allowed owners to “design a soundtrack for your everyday life for the first time and have it playing while you walked around.”

“[That] became the theory behind [Music for Stowaways],” explains Ware. “It was about how you could play your music and change your mood wherever you were. Basically, the Walkman liberated music. And there we were at the sharp end with this cassette-only release.”

The cassette was followed by a seven song LP, “Music For Listening To”, which had a slightly different tracklisting, while other B.E.F. music was utilised for B-sides of early singles by Heaven 17.

This music was among the first recorded by Martyn and Ian directly after their departure from The Human League. Some tracks had evolved from other recordings they were working on at the time, such as “Groove Thang” – an instrumental version of the debut single by Heaven 17 released on the same day as the cassette – and “The Old At Rest”, which derived from a version of “Wichita Lineman” by Jimmy Webb, their very first recording with Glenn that would subsequently appear on B.E.F.’s “Music of Quality and Distinction, Volume One” covers album in 1982.

Music For Stowaways (CSR310CD/LP) by B.E.F.

Supporting musicians on “Music For Stowaways” included Adi Newton of Clock DVA (who had been a member of The Future with Martyn and Ian pre-Human League) on the track “Uptown Apocalyse”, with John Wilson (who provided incredible guitar and bass for Heaven 17) appearing on “Groove Thang”.

Note that the following tracks on this release either never were on the original 1981 cassette or were uncredited bringing the total to 12 tracks.

B.E.F. Ident *
A Baby Called Billy *
Honeymoon In New York *
B.E.F. Ident **

*not on 1981 cassette release
** uncredited on 1981 cassette release

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

She Hates Emotions – Happy Pop Music (Album – Out Of Line)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 08:00:00 +0000

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

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: “Happy Pop Music” was released two years after the debut album “Melancholic Maniac” (2020). This German solo-project driven by Blutengel front man Chris Pohl brings us an album featuring eleven songs plus 3 alternative versions.

Content: She Hates Emotions remain totally devoted and inspired by the 80s Electro/New-Wave music the artist was listening to through his childhood. The songs evoke numerous famous artists like Alphaville, Camouflage, Gary Numan, The Human League and even Michael Cretu. All songs have been sung in English revealing typical 80s effects and arrangements -which are mainly coming through in the drum sections. The songs are full of catchy and melodic parts.

+ + + : Blutengel of course remains Chris Pohl’s leading project but we have to recognize all the other projects he has been involved with -think of Terminal Choice, Miss Construction, Tumor… were pretty successful as well. She Hates Emotions sounds like pure fun but with a very precise and judicious 80s emulation. Chris Pohl transposed the New-Wave legacy into an alluring, contemporary, production. The already familiar singles “Space & Time” and “This Ain’t Good” both remain excellent tracks featuring great melody lines, superb effects and refined arrangements. But I also have to mention “Meant To Be Alone” which is more reminding me of Gary Numan and “No Time To Waste” which is one of the catchiest cuts.

– – – : Originality is hard to find but who cares when the result is fully enjoyable.

Conclusion: The 80s remain a very inspiring period for genius artists like Chris Pohl.

Best songs: “This Ain’t Good”, “No Time To Waste”, “Space & Time”, “Meant To Be Alone”, “Ich Will Hier Weg”, “She Takes Control”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/SheHatesEmotions

Label: www.outofline.de / www.facebook.com/outoflinelabel

Side-Line previously covered the “Space and Time” single and video ahead of the album.

Listen to “Happy Pop Music”:

Happy Pop Music by She Hates Emotions

About She Hates Emotions

She Hates Emotions is the solo project of Chris Pohl, best known as the frontman of Blutengel. The project debuted in 2020 with the single “See The Light”, its video shot on location in Berlin, followed by the debut album “Melancholic Maniac” on 15 May 2020 via Out Of Line. The single “Space and Time” preceded the second album, “Happy Pop Music”, released on 25 November 2022. A third She Hates Emotions album, “Future Unknown”, was announced by Chris Pohl in 2024.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

The Human League – The Virgin Years (Album – UMC / Virgin)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 08:00:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: New-Wave, Electro-Pop.

Format: Digital, 5 Vinyl Box.

Background/Info: The title of the album speaks for itself. The Human League saw the light of day in 1977 and released their debut album “Reproduction” in 1977 followed by “Travelogue” in 1980. Both full lengths were released by Virgin, but this compilation brings the five albums with the ‘new’ line up. This is an opportunity to rediscover “Dare” (1981), “Fascination” (1983), “Hysteria” (1984), “Crash” (1986) and “Romantic” (1990). This is a box featuring five vinyls with different colors.

Content: The Human League were part of the early New-Wave movement, the song being composed with mainly electronics. This is an opportunity to get back to some of the band’s most famous hits like “Don’t You Want Me”, “The Lebanon”, “Mirror Man”, “Fascination” and the sweet “Louise”. The work also brings us to more Funky passages while both last albums were more into a kind of sweet Pop.

+ + + : The package is a nice gift for all fans while the content is a way to remind us of the genius and impact of this band. Nearly 40 years later songs like “Don’t You Want Me”, “The Lebanon” and “Mirror Man” don’t suffer from the weight of time. This is the great sound of the 80s New-Wave movement and The Human League were part of it.

– – – : I simply regret both debut albums -still being part of the ‘Virgin years’ haven’t been featured. During these years they released the legendary song “Being Boiled” which I personally consider as their best track ever. I’m not into the albums “Crash” and “Romantic” where the original magic was a bit gone.

Conclusion: This box is a little piece of music history and the New-Wave movement.

Best songs: “The Lebanon”, “Don’t You Want Me”, “Mirror Man”, “Fascination”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.thehumanleague.co.uk / www.facebook.com/thehumanleague

Label: www.universalmusicrecordings.com / www.facebook.com/UMRecordings / www.virginrecords.com Read the news on ‘The Virgin Years’.

About The Human League

The Human League is an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. The group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and released the debut album “Reproduction” the same year, followed by “Travelogue” in 1980. After Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware left to form Heaven 17, Philip Oakey rebuilt the line-up with Joanne Catherall, Susan Ann Sulley and Jo Callis for the 1981 album “Dare”, which produced the number one single “Don’t You Want Me”. “The Virgin Years” gathers the five studio albums recorded with that line-up, from “Dare” through “Romantic” (1990), across a five-vinyl box set.

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

New book on electronic pop: ‘Listening To The Music The Machines Make’ (Foreword by Vince Clarke)

János Janurik — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 14:09:02 +0000

(By Janos Janurik) Temperatures are dropping, days are getting shorter and from now on the umbrella is a permanent accessory when you leave the house. Nevertheless, you can also love autumn. One reason for this can be a good book that you can pick up and read in front of the fireplace without a feeling guilty.

For us, lovers of electric music, the book by Richard Evans, published on 17^th November, would be the perfect read.

Setting out to chart a unique chapter in the history of popular music, “Listening To The Music The Machines Make” tells the story of a single generation of post-punk musicians, mavericks, visionaries and opportunists tinkering with primitive synthesisers in bedrooms, bedsits and basements around Britain, who assembled a potent cocktail of ideas and influences, took them apart, mixed them up, and reassembled them in entirely new ways to create a genuine golden age of British pop, and along the way creating some of the most enduring, iconic and influential records in pop history.

Drawing from years of extensive research, as well as from conversations with many of the movement’s key movers and shakers, “Listening To The Music The Machines Make” sets out to examine the multitude of influences that led to the synthpop revolution that spanned 1978 to 1983; tell the definitive story of a true golden age of British pop through the careers, releases and stories of the movement’s pioneers, mavericks and superstars; and explores the era’s lasting musical impact and enduring influence, including it’s role in the development of hip-hop, house, techno and beyond.

Richard Evans has worked in the music industry for over thirty years in a variety of roles, including positions at London Records, Factory Records and MTV Europe. In 1998 he set up marketing consultancy The Fan Base and has been connecting musical artists with their audiences ever since. He is the founder of the This Is Not Retro website and record label and has worked for Andy Bell, Vince Clarke and Erasure since 2009. Richard is based in Dorset where he lives in perpetual fear of being asked what his favourite record is.

I have known Richard for several years as a result of being an Erasure fan for many years. I emailed him a few questions about his upcoming book and you can read his answers here. Of course, I also asked him about his favourite record.

SL: Richard, you have been the leader of the international Erasure fan club (EIS) and the webmaster of Erasure’s homepage for several years. I think your name has become known to the general public through this activity. Did you make it to the top of your career?

It’s quite complicated to talk about my career as at any given time I’m usually working on a few different projects simultaneously and it’s always very likely that they are all shooting off in different directions. But you’re right that Richard from the EIS is much better known than the Richard Evans who wrote the book! I also think that having worked with Erasure for as many years as I have definitely represents a career peak.

SL: With a background like that, one would have thought that you would write a book about Vince and Andy, about Erasure. Have you ever thought about anything like that?

Vince and Andy get offers to write books every year, on their own or as part of Erasure, but at this point in time neither of them feel the time is right to tell their stories. However when the time is right I very much hope that I will be involved in some way.

SL: You must have a lot of funny or exciting stories about your collaboration with Erasure. Could you tell us a short story that you particularly like to think back to?

I think the best stories are the ones that I can’t tell…

SL: Have you always been a big fan of electro music? Where did your interest in this music genre come from?

I kind of have and I haven’t. My book covers the period 1978-1983 which coincides with the time I was starting to discover music for myself and I always consider my musical tastes extremely varied. Looking back however and I can see that the music that I was drawn to often had a very noticeable electronic element even when it wasn’t electronic music as such, so although I would enjoy, for example, rock music, the actual songs I was listening to would be things like ‘Owner Of A Lonely Heart’ by Yes, or tracks from ZZ Top’s ‘Eliminator’ album. It turns out that those electronic elements run through a huge amount of my favourite music but I hadn’t really noticed it before. But I did always love ‘pure’ electronic music too. I can remember being blown away the first time I heard things like Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’ and Kraftwerk’s ‘The Model’ for example.

SL: On 6^th November there will be a special event in London to launch your book “Listening To The Music The Machines Make” where you will interview Andy Bell and Martyn Ware (The Human League, BEF, Heaven 17) about their lives in electronic music. We already know about your connection with Andy, but what about Martyn? Have you known him for a while too?

I first met Martyn through a website I used to run called This Is Not Retro and I interviewed him a few times for that website, but I got to know him better through Vince Clarke who has a side-project with Martyn called Illustrious. Illustrious released a boxset called ‘House Of Illustrious’ under the name The Clarke & Ware Experiment a few years go and I was involved on the periphery of that release and got to know Martyn a little better through doing that. Then Martyn was working on his book, ‘Electronically Yours Vol. 1’, at the same time I was working on mine and I was able to introduce him to some helpful publishing people and also to share some of my research with him. We’ve only met in real life a couple of times so I’m looking forward to doing that at my launch in London and then again when we’re doing a joint event at the Louder Than Words Festival in Manchester the following week.

SL: Both Martyn Ware and Vince Clarke have special podcasts and radio programmes where they talk about synthesizer music, play such tracks and talk to famous artists. Do you listen to these programmes regularly?

I always listen to The Synthesizer Show, Vince’s radio show with Reed Hays, for pleasure of course because it can be very entertaining, but also so I can talk about it in the Erasure newsletter. I try to keep up with Martyn’s podcast Electronically Yours but he does so many of them that I’m always a few episodes behind!

SL: The foreword in your book was written by Vince Clarke who has been a living legend in the music industry over the last 40 years. How did he like your book? Has he already read it?

I sent Vince the manuscript so he would have an idea about what was in my book and I know that he has dipped into it, but I don’t know if he’s actually read it all… the book is 528 pages long so it takes a lot of reading and Vince is a busy man with a lot on his plate. I was delighted that he agreed to do the foreword though, as you say he is a legend and I’m extremely lucky to be able to call him a friend.

SL: Could you please name artists you met during your research or with whom you had conversations on the topic? By the way, who is your biggest hero from the electro music scene?

When I first started work on the book I did intend to talk to as many people from that time as possible, but I actually changed direction quite early on in the process simply because a lot of those people don’t actually remember the details very well after all these years. Instead I went to the original music and popular culture media from 1978 to 1983 and collected as many interviews, reviews, features and news pieces as I could – literally thousands of them – from magazines and papers from the NME, Sounds and Melody Maker to Smash Hits, The Face and ZigZag and constructed the narrative of the book from those original materials. Where I was fortunate was in having access to a number of those people who were available to answer questions, join the dots and provide extra clarification when I needed it. Vince Clarke and Andy Bell of course but also people like Martyn Ware, Neil Arthur, Rusty Egan and Daniel Miller.

I don’t know that I have a biggest hero as such, but in the summer Karl Bartos from Kraftwerk published a book, ‘The Sound of the Machine’, with Omnibus Press, the same publishers who are putting out my book ‘Listening to the Music the Machines Make’, and I was able to go to one of Karl’s events and was introduced to him afterwards which was a huge thrill. He was absolutely lovely and very funny.

SL: You jokingly said about yourself that you live in constant fear that people will ask you about your favourite record. Is that really such a difficult question to answer? Could you name at least three records that have had a big impact on your life?

It really is a difficult question to answer. There are so many great records and my favourite one day might not be favourite the next day depending on what I’m listening to, how I’m feeling and what sort of a mood I’m in. So here are three electronic records which I absolutely love and which I never get tired of listening to: The League Unlimited Orchestra’s ‘Love & Dancing’, Propaganda’s ‘A Secret Wish’ and Depeche Mode’s ‘Ultra’… but it really is an impossible question. If you were to ask me again in half an hour I would probably choose three completely different records!

SL: In the last two years, the music industry has also been hit hard by the pandemic. Many tours had to be cancelled or postponed. Which band did you see live for the last time from the electro music scene? Are there still concerts on your personal wish list?

A few weeks ago I saw Front 242’s concert in London which I think I was supposed to see in 2020 and which had been rescheduled four or maybe five times before it finally happened. It was a great show though. And I’m off to see Blancmange next week which I’m looking forward to as I really like their new album. As for a concerts wish list, I never saw the Eurythmics so I think they would be top of the list for me.

SL: We, electro music fans, are already very excited about your upcoming book. And what are you reading right now when you have a little “me time”?

I’m currently reading Martyn Ware’s ‘Electronically Yours Vol. 1’ as I will be interviewing him about the book at my event in a few weeks time. It’s very good, he has done some extraordinary things and has been involved in some amazing projects, so I’m very much enjoying it.

János Janurik

I began my career in online music journalism in 2001, writing about artists I had followed since the late ’80s and early ’90s, including Depeche Mode, Erasure and The Cure. I later edited the Hungarian Mute microsite for EMI Music Hungary. This led to interviews with Erasure, Nitzer Ebb and Alan Wilder, and some of those collaborations developed into lasting friendships. Since 2014, I have been part of the editorial team of depechemode.de. I also contribute interviews to Reflections of Darkness, Peek-A-Boo Magazine and Kaput Mag. I maintain a close connection to Mute Records artists and have also supported releases on Very Records. I am proud to collaborate with Side-Line Magazine, where I regularly publish interviews and features.

New The Human League vinyl boxset to be released: ‘The Virgin Years’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 07:22:55 +0000

A new vinyl boxset of The Human League is to be released. Called “The Virgin Years” it encompasses 1981 to 1990, and includes all the songs you know, including “Don’t You Want Me”, “(Keep Feeling) Fascination”, “Mirror Man”, “The Things That Dreams Are Made Of”, “Human”, “The Lebanon” and “Heart Like a Wheel”. The boxset will be released November 11, 2022 via UMe.

Between 1981 and 1990, The Human League released four studio albums and one extended EP on Virgin Records. Those albums and that extended play have been collected in a special limited edition colored vinyl box set. In addition, the remix album “Love And Dancing”, initially released in 1982, was recently reissued on white vinyl for Record Store Day.

Since 1978, The Human League have released nine studio albums, four EPs, over 30 singles and several hit compilation albums. Read the review of ‘The Virgin Years’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

HerrNia – Takkewereld (Album – Wool-E Discs)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Genre/influences: Electro-Wave, EBM.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/info: Jonas Cornelissen is a Belgian drummer who got interested in Electronic music and progressively started to compose Electro songs. He released several albums on cassette format and finally came to select twelve songs for his CD-debut “Takkewereld” released by the end of 2021 by Wool-E Discs.

Content: HerrNia deals with an Electronic sound remixing formations from the 80s like the Human League, but also Belgian formations like Aroma Di Amore (for the Dutch singing) and even Arbeid Adelt. Vintage Electro-Wave sound treatments have been intermixed with harder EBM influences.

+ + + : HerrNia is a true discovery. It’s a band with a unique approach, mixing retro-Electro with a strong 80s exposure together with a personal touch mainly emerging from the songs with Dutch vocals. The
Electro-Wave – EBM fusion is working and resulting in attention grabbers like “My Dear Dark Cloud”, “Moeilijk”, “Above The Water” and “Niet Echt”. Herrnia doesn’t reinvent any style, but injects modernism into the good-old Electro-Wave style.

– – – : A few aspects of the production maybe need some extra elaboration and/or production, but globally speaking “Takkewereld” is a nice surprise.

Conclusion: HerrNia stands for the Belgian resurrection of Electro-Wave; an interesting album deserving more recognition.

Best songs: “My Dear Dark Cloud”, “Moeilijk”, “Above The Water”, “Niet Echt”, “Love”.

Rate: 7½.

Listen to “Takkewereld”:

Takkewereld by HerrNia

Artist: www.facebook.com/herrnia1982

Label: www.wool-e-discs.be / www.facebook.com/woolediscs

About HerrNia

HerrNia is the electronic project of Belgian drummer Jonas Cornelissen, based in Ghent. He moved from drumming to writing electro tracks and first released them on cassette.

The self-titled debut came out as a limited C22 cassette on Wool-E Tapes in 2018. HerrNia also appeared on the label compilations “W-Fest” (2018) and “WET050” (2020), and on “Crazy Earthlings Collab Tape # 2” released by Ende Der Zukunft Recordings in 2021.

Twelve songs were selected for “Takkewereld”, issued by Wool-E Discs at the end of 2021 as the project’s first release beyond cassette.

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

The 10 best synthpop / electropop albums of all times (and 5 more)

Eldrina Mich — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 14:38:36 +0000

Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. During the late 1970s bands such as the Human League, Kraftwerk, and later on Gary Numan, Soft Cell and John Foxx helped pioneer a new synth-pop style that drew more heavily from electronic music and emphasized primary usage of synthesizers. Developed in the late 1970s it has seen several revival periods up until now.

We picked out the best synthpop albums from the past 4 decades (!!!). Here’s our list.

The Human League – ‘Dare’ (1981)

The Human League are ‘oldies’ when it comes to synthpop. Formed in Sheffield in 1977 and initially an experimental electronic outfit, the group attained widespread commercial success with their third album “Dare” in 1981. The album contained four hit singles, including the UK/US number one hit “Don’t You Want Me”. The band’s third studio album, it was recorded between March and September 1981 following the departure of founding members Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh, and saw the band shift direction from their prior avant-garde electronic style toward a more pop-friendly, commercial sound led by frontman Philip Oakey. A remix album based on “Dare”, “Love and Dancing”, was released in 1982.

Talk Talk – ‘It’s My Life’ (1984)

Talk Talk were an English band formed in 1981, led by Mark Hollis (vocals, guitar, piano), Lee Harris (drums), and Paul Webb (bass). The group achieved early chart success with the synth-pop singles “Talk Talk” (1982), “It’s My Life”, and “Such a Shame” (both 1984) before moving towards a more experimental approach in the mid-1980s. Not surprisingly that our next pick is “It’s My Life”, the second studio album by Talk Talk, released in 1984. The album enjoyed an enormous succes thanks to the big international success of its singles (notably “Such a Shame”). We have a soft spot for the tracks “Dum Dum Girl”, “Such a Shame”, “Renée”, “It’s My Life” and “It’s You” although the entire album is just extremely enjoyable.

Alphaville – ‘Forever Young’ (1984)

The German synth-pop band Alphaville, which formed in Münster in 1982, achieved chart success with the singles “Forever Young”, “Big in Japan”, “Sounds Like a Melody”. All these were taken from their 1984 debut album “Forever Young” which was produced by Colin Pearson, Wolfgang Loos and Andreas Budde. Despite the success of the album and its singles, the band did not tour as they felt more like ‘studio rats’. It remains the band’s best output to date.

a-ha – ‘Scoundrel Days’ (1986)

The Norwegian synth-pop band a-ha was formed in Oslo in 1982 by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (guitars), Magne Furuholmen (keyboards and guitars), and Morten Harket (vocals). “Scoundrel Days” is the second studio album by the trio and offered a more mature sound compared to their debut “Hunting High and Low” (1985). “Scoundrel Days”, recorded in England in early 1986 and produced by Alan Tarney, sported such singles as “I’ve Been Losing You”, “Cry Wolf” and “Maybe, Maybe” which was released solely in Bolivia. “Manhattan Skyline” was the forth and final single released from the long-player.

Erasure – ‘Wonderland’ (1986)

“Wonderland” is the debut studio album by the English synth-pop duo Erasure and was released in 1986. Although it was not an immediate success, the three singles released from it did become cult tracks overtime: “Who Needs Love Like That”, “Oh L’amour” and “Heavenly Action”. Although “Wonderland” was considered a failure, especially when comparing it to Clarke’s prior successes with Depeche Mode and Yazoo, the album became an all time favourite that laid the fundament of what was to follow in 1987 with the release of “The Circus”. The album was produced by Flood who would become a long-time collaborator.

Pet Shop Boys – ‘Actually’ (1987)

Pet Shop Boys, the English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981, broke all records when they released “Actually”, their second studio album, in 1987. It was pushed forward by such great tracks as “One More Chance”, “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” (with Dusty Springfield), “Shopping”, “Rent”, “It Couldn’t Happen Here”, “It’s a Sin”, “Heart” and the majestic “King’s Cross”. In short an album filled with hits.

New Order – ‘Technique’ (1989)

New Order was formed in 1980 by vocalist and guitarist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. The band formed after the demise of Joy Division, following the suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis and were joined by Gillian Gilbert on keyboards later that year. Their experience of the early 1980s New York club scene saw them increasingly incorporate dance rhythms and electronic instrumentation into their work which resulted in their 1983 hit “Blue Monday” becoming and absolute monster hit. However, we picked out “Technique”, their fifth studio album. Released in 1989 by Factory Records, the album incorporates Balearic beat and acid house influences into the group’s dance-rock sound. “Technique” was the first New Order album to reach the number one spot on the UK charts and had such excellent singles as “Fine Time”, “Round and Round” and “Run 2”.

Depeche Mode – ‘Violator’ (1990)

“Violator” is the seventh studio album by England’s Depeche Mode. It was first released on 19 March 1990 through Mute Records internationally, and through Sire and Reprise Records in the United States. Preceded by the singles “Personal Jesus” and “Enjoy the Silence” (a top-10 entry in both the United Kingdom and the United States), the album propelled the band into international stardom, and also yielded the singles “Policy of Truth” and “World in My Eyes”. The album is generally considered as their most accomplisched electropop album before they encorporated more rock elements in the next album, “Songs of Faith and Devotion”. The role of Alan Wilder was crucial in “Violator”, you only have to compare the first and final version of “Enjoy The Silence” to notice the huge difference.

Bel Canto – ‘Birds of Passage’ (1990)

Bel Canto is a Norwegian music duo, originally a trio, fronted by vocalist Anneli Drecker and musically powered by Geir Jenssen and Nils Johansen. Signed originally to Crammed Discs, their second album “Birds of Passage” is considered as an absolute pearl holding an excellent production (aided by Giles Martin) and a long list of guest musicians who added acoustic elements to the cold nordic synths Jenssen and multi-instrumentalist Johansen. It was also the last album featuring Geir Jenssen. It holds the hits “Intravenous”, “Birds of Passage”, “A Shoulder to the Wheel”, “Time Without End”, “Continuum” and “The Suffering”. The band remains an often well-hidden pearl in electropopland.

De/Vision – ‘Fairyland?’ (1996)

De/Vision, a German synthpop act formed in 1988, was at the peak of its electropop stardom around the mid-nineties culiminating in the outstanding “Fairyland?” album which had such great tracks as “I Regret”, “Sweet Life”, “Today’s Life” or “Bleed Me White”. The band was fronting a new wave of electropop bands in Germany but was generally considered to be the most consistent one as far as quality and output. Sadly enough the release, and also the band’s earlier material, are no longer available on Spotify.

Wolfsheim – ‘Spectators’ (1999)

Wolfsheim was a synthpop duo from Hamburg, Germany, that consisted of Markus Reinhardt and Peter Heppner. Their fourth studio album was “Spectators” (1999) preceeded by two ‘pre-release’ singles from the album. “Once in a Lifetime” was released on October 16, 1998 and “It’s Hurting For The First Time” followed on November 30th. The LP was produced by Wolfsheim and José Alvarez-Brill and held 11 new songs. To this day, “Spectators” is the best-selling album by Wolfsheim with over 250,000 copies sold. The third single, “Künstliche Welten”, was released in 1999.

Iris – ‘Disconnect’ (2000)

“Disconnect” is the debut album by the electropop group Iris. Released in 2000 via the US label A Different Drum, the synthpop label by excellence, its success was guaranteed by the now cult synthpop jewels “Annie, Would I Lie to You?”, “Lose In Wanting” and “Danger Is The Shame”. Originally formed by Reagan Jones and Mat Morris in 1993, after the release of their first album “Disconnect”, Matthew Morris was replaced with Andrew Sega, who pushed the band’s sound in a more experimental electronic direction. Sadly enough the release, and also the band’s earlier material, are no longer available on Spotify.

Elegant Machinery – ‘A Soft Exchange’ (2008)

The Swedish synthpop band Elegant Machinery defined the Swedish synthpop movement along with such bands as Page, S.P.O.C.K, Sista Mannen På Jorden and Kiethevez. Heavily influenced by acts like Yazoo, The Human League, Depeche Mode and Rational Youth, the trio Robert Enforsen, Richard Jomshof and Leslie Bayne started the band in 1988 under the name Pole Position. The band was very successful in Sweden, with a number of successful singles and various awards. But it is their 2008 album “A Soft Exchange” that earned them a place in our list. The album was extremely mature yet very melodic and features such pearls a “With Grace”, “Do You Know”, “Feel The Silence”, “Bleeding Words” and “Is This The Way”.

Electro Spectre – ‘Dangerous Game’ (2012)

The Norwegian electronic music duo Electro Spectre fronts the 3rd electropop wave. Isak Rypdal (writer-producer) and Alexander Björneboe (writer-singer) debuted in 2009 with the album “Watch It All Turn” (which was later reproduced and re-released in 2010). The duo has secured us from a steady and consistent output ever since. In our list we picked the band’s 2012 release, which is their second studio album entitled “Dangerous Game”. Included are such pearls as “Love Thief”, “Dancing Girl”, “World Keeps Turning” and “Tokyo Shuffle”.

Mondträume – ‘Empty’ (2014)

Mondträume is the creative outlet of 2 Spanish talented artists Pikotto Vond Mond and Damasius Venys. In only a few years, the duo rapidly caught the attention of concert organizers, released several songs on compilations, and secured a label contract with Belgium’s electronic label Alfa Matrix where they debuted with the album “Empty”. The hits “Life Is Short”, “Parasite” and especially the synth pop pearl “Far From Pain” show why this band became one of the strongholders in the 3rd electropop wave together with such bands as Electro Spectre, and more.

Eldrina Mich

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

www.side-line.com

Tycho Brahe to release a 7-track EP, ‘The Rob Mitchell Remixes’ – and lots more

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 16:28:28 +0000

Australian synth band Tycho Brahe have maintained a very busy creative schedule throughout the pandemic.

Co-founder Ken Evans says: “When Covid shut down live music in March 2020, it meant that my programming work for Peter Hook and The Light came to a temporary halt. So Georgina (Emery, co-founder) and I had the opportunity to focus on Tycho Brahe’s sixth album, which is now about 80% done, with about 15 additional remixes and edits of various songs from that album also completed for associated single/EP releases.”

There band is currently putting together a release schedule for that new album which will take them through 2022. At the same time, they’ve been working on a soundtrack for a short dance film by Australian choreographer and film maker Claire Marshall. It will be a seven track EP of music from and inspired by her film, “Love Song”. The soundtrack will be released, coinciding with the film premiere.

Fuck Off 2020 (and 2021)

In March already the band released new mixes of the song “Dreams of Dying” since it turned 25 years old. They also released a song at the end of 2020, their ode to the pandemic, called “Fuck Off 2020”, written in the shower and then recorded in a booze fueled frenzy over a couple of days. And as expected, the story doesn’t end there. Ken: “We’re considering a follow up at the end of this year since 2021 hasn’t been much better.”

Tycho Brahe also has a seven track EP, “The Rob Mitchell Remixes”, scheduled for release across all major digital platforms on November 4th, that’s tomorrow. Says Evans: “These are all remixes of songs from our debut album ‘Cassiopeia’, which was released way back in 2000.”

About Tycho Brahe

The Australian synth band Tycho Brahe was founded in Brisbane in 1993 by Ken Evans and Georgina Emery. Veterans of the Australian live music scene, Tycho now occasionally gig around their home city of Brisbane and beyond, either as a duo or augmented by additional personnel.

Between shows they retire to Tycho Central, a bunker full of vintage synthesisers, drum machines and science fiction memorabilia.

Tycho have had numerous releases, traded remixes with a number of bands, appeared on compilations the world over, and shared the stage with acts such as The Human League, VNV Nation, John Foxx, Covenant, Pseudo Echo, and Real Life. Ken Evans is also associated with Peter Hook & The Light as their programmer, making occasional onstage cameos with them in Australia, Canada, and at The Sydney Opera House.

More info at

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Verneblung – Ready To Drown (Album – Blackjack Illuminist Records)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sat, 23 Oct 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: Dream-Pop, Trip-Pop, Dark-Wave.

Format: Digital, CD, Cassette.

Background/Info: Verneblung is a German duo this year releasing their debut album on Blackjack Illuminist Records. “Ready To drown” has been defined by the label as ‘Death-Pop’. The work comes two years after their self-released EP “Alles Wie Immer”.

Content: The sound of this band is not easy to define. It rather sounds as a mix between different, related influences. There’s a strong 80s wink, which emerges from Dream-Pop and Dark/Electro-Wave influences. The global mood hanging over the work is also pretty dark and even desperate. But there’s also a more Trip-Pop approach injecting a modern touch to the work. The vocals have been sung in German and English.

+ + + : Nadin Klein’s timbre of voice has something sensual and bewitching. She for sure injects a true spirit in the sound of Verneblung. The sensual touch has been accentuated by the slow cadence of the rhythm. The main strength of this band is that they’ve developed a unique style, mixing 80s with contemporary influences.

– – – : The global writing process of the songs can be more elaborated and is maybe the main point to improve on further releases.

Conclusion: Verneblung or the imaginary hybrid between The Human League and Goldfrapp.

Best songs: “Cracked Puppet”, “Immer Dann”, “Ready To Drown”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/Verneblung

Label: www.facebook.com/Blackjack.Illuminist

Ready To Drown by Verneblung

About Verneblung

Verneblung is a German duo formed in 2018, made up of Nadin Klein on vocals and Adnan Abbas on music. Side-Line reported at the time of the debut that the pair came together in the rural surroundings of Cologne, pairing the city’s breakcore underground with Klein’s interest in the blues of Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison. Discogs lists the duo under Neuwied, Germany, and files them under punk and electro.

Their first release was the self-issued digital EP "Alles Wie Immer" in 2019. Two years later Blackjack Illuminist Records, based in Königs Wusterhausen, Germany, issued the eight-track debut album "Ready To Drown" on CDr in a handmade sleeve, on a swimming-pool-blue cassette limited to fifteen copies, and as a download. "Cracked Puppet" was released as the first single with a video.

In October 2021 Verneblung and label-mate Vlimmer both took part in "Nevermind Reworks", a Nirvana cover album assembled by Blackjack Illuminist Records. The review above covers the debut album that preceded it.

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

Strikkland interview: ‘Here we are, seven months, three singles and one EP later.’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 06:52:15 +0000

(Interview by Simon Helm / photo by Krichan Wihlborg) Sweden’s love affair with EBM goes back a long way. Bands like Pouppée Fabrikk, Container 90, Kropp, Sturm Café and Spetsnaz have carried the torch for body music for many years.

The next generation of Swedish artists influenced by the sound has included Rein, Circumpolar and Strikkland. These acts have built on the beats of their predecessors by adding elements of electronic pop.

The last of these has started to release a series of singles and an EP independently in 2020. A duo composed of Henric Ceder (keyboards and computers) and Henrik Johansson (vocals), Strikkland has combined EBM and pop influences to striking effect. They have also leveraged Johannson’s skills as a videographer to ensure that their visuals are as dramatic as their sound.

We asked Ceder to tell us about Strikkland’s work and plans in the time of corona.

SL: How did you come together as Strikkland?

S: Strikkland was started in Trollhättan, Sweden, in 2015.

Henrik and I had been friends for a long time, and we shared a passion for electronic music. We had often talked about starting a band, since he had a background as a singer in a metal band and I had been mucking about with synthesizers since the mid 1980’s. In 2015, we actually sat down to make something, and the result was “Predatorial Right.”

Unfortunately, Life™ intervened. I got divorced, moved to Gothenburg, and Predatorial Right ended up in a drawer until the summer of 2019, when it was played at a private Subkult Festival pre-party in Trollhättan.

The feedback we got was amazing, and in April 2020 it became our first single, released on all major streaming platforms. To our surprise, the single was nominated as a newcomer at the German Electronic Web Charts (GEWC.de) and aired at several Web radio stations across Europe and even in South America. That was like a vitamin injection for us that really sparked our creativity. So, here we are, seven months, three singles and one EP later.

The “Dance Like a God” video.

SL: How important is the visual element to you?

S: The visual element is pretty important. A reason for that is probably the fact that Henrik is a photographer by trade. The cover art of our releases are all photos taken by him. Our first (and, so far, only) music video (“Dance like a God”) is shot by his film production company and directed by his wife Sofie.

The obvious thing to do would be to go to a closed-down factory and take pictures in black-and-white, posing in combat boots in front of chimneys, rubble and cog wheels, and use that as cover art; but the visuals are an equally important part of our art (if we may call it art without sounding like pretentious wankers). So, we do our thing just like we do with our music.

SL: Your style is based on old school EBM, but you have acknowledged influences ranging from metal to Depeche Mode. What do you draw upon to create your music?

S: We both love old school EBM, and it has had a huge impact on us in terms of influence, but we can never become another DAF, Nitzer Ebb or Front 242, even if we wanted to. We also have to confess that we love synth-pop, lush pads and solid melodies. I mean, I grew up in the 1980’s with Human League, Depeche Mode, Ultravox, Alphaville, Yazoo and all the other great artists like Vangelis and Jarre – that was the soundtrack to my youth. So, of course, that all sits in the back of my brain when I write the music.

I also took classical piano lessons for more than a decade when I was young, so that probably has an impact, as well. I usually sit down with the intention to make a raw bassline on an analog hardware synth, but a few hours later there are pads and melodies added. That is our workflow, by the way: I write the music and Henrik writes the lyrics and does the vocals.

SL: What is next for Strikkland? There seem to be remixes on the way?

S: There is another single in the making, which will hopefully be released in November. We will also be releasing some remixes of our music that other bands are working on right now. No ETA on those yet, though. We are also working on a remix for the amazing Swedish band Octolab, and we are making a cover song for a German compilation that will be out before Xmas.

There is a small Covid-safe live performance together with our good friends Peter and Robert of Dpoint scheduled for December 18^th. Hopefully, we can pull that one off, but of course nobody knows these days. Last but not least, we are looking for a label to help us to the next level – to release a full album on physical media.

SL: Are you happy with how your material has been received?

S: We are extremely happy and thankful for the amazing support and positive feedback we have received. Strikkland wouldn’t exist without it, and that is what sparks us to continue. With that said, we did expect some of the songs on the A Gift to Solitude EP to attract more streams and attention. I mean, “Kinky Sophisticated Gentleman” deserves to be a floor-filler, and “Truth Will Unfold,” where my wife Cecilia contributes with some vocals, is a pretty solid track with a 80’s vibe to it.

But, all in all, we are extremely happy with the reception of our music and we really want to thank everyone who helps making this journey possible for two fifty year olds!

Released so far…

Predatorial Right by Strikkland Levitate by Strikkland Dance like a God by Strikkland A gift of Solitude by Strikkland

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Softwave – Game On 1Up (Album – Electro Shock Records)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Fri, 23 Oct 2020 19:30:19 +0000

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

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Danish Electro-Pop duo Softwave has been active since 2014. Catrine Christensen and Jerry Olsen released several singles and the debut album “Game On” in 2019. They also self-released “Game On 1Up” featuring remixes. Electro Shock Records now re-released this remix album, which originally released only in a digital format. The CD version features twelve songs plus a live bonus track.

Content: The work features 8 songs from the original album. The remixes have been accomplished by Chris Hurts, Antilles, Daysound, Dany Comaro, Till Wild, Ian Burden, Projekt Ich, Circuit3, Reflection, Nature Of Wires, Cosaquitos En Globo and Tri-Mihn. There’s a real diversity, mixing pure Electro-Pop music with a strong 80s touch together with Dance-Pop orientated songs. I also noticed a ballad-inspired track –which is the remix by Ian Burden (previously involved with The Human League), but also a somewhat Trip-Hop driven remix by Tri-Mihn (artist hailing from Vietnam). You’ll also notice the Erasure inspiration of Softwave, which has been kept by some of the remixers.

+ + + : This album is more diversified than the original edit of “Game On”. There are some great contributions like the remix of “No Need To Hide” by Antilles, the classical, but cool Synth-Pop remix of “I Need Love” by Projekt Ich and the somewhat darker remix of “Human Beings” by Nature Of Wires. The album is also an opportunity to discover some less familiar names from the Electronic scene. I already mentioned Tri-Mihn, but Cosaquitos en Globo (Argentina), Till Wild (Germany), Dany Comaro (Denmark) and a few others were totally unknown to me. I was impressed by the great vocal skills of Catrine Christensen who has a powerful but emotional timbre of voice.

– – – : I’m less convinced by the sometimes too commercial Dance-Pop remixes of a few bands.The live/bonus song doesn’t really add any bonus.

Conclusion: This album reveals more influences than the original work, but that’s part of the game when releasing remixes.

Best songs: “Human Beings – Nature Of Wires Remix”, “No Need To Hide – Antilles Mix”, “
I Need Love – Projekt Ich Remix”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.softwavemusic.com / www.facebook.com/SoftWaveMusic

Label: www.electro-shock-records.mozello.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Electro-Shock-Records/105471026168220

About SoftWave

SoftWave is a Danish electro-pop duo formed in 2014 by Catrine Christensen and Jerry Olsen. The pair debuted in 2016 with the EP “Together Alone”, followed by “Together Alone The Remixes” in 2017 and the debut album “Game On” in 2019, which was subsequently remixed and expanded into “Game On 1Up”.

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

She Hates Emotions – Melancholic Maniac (Album – Out Of Line)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sat, 01 Aug 2020 19:30:59 +0000

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

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: With She Hates Emotions, the Blutengel front man Chris Pohl wanted to pay homage to the 80s, a decade he has known as teenager and which has inspired him throughout bands such as Depeche Mode, Camouflage, Human League, Alphaville ao. It also is a new project set up by Christina Pohl who next to Blutengel got renowned for being involved with Terminal Choice, Tumor, Miss Construction, Seelenkrank ao.

Content: She Hates Emotions has nothing in common with Blutengel expect it is the same artist and operator so you for sure will recognize similar elements, but globally speaking this indeed is something completely different. Chris Pohl injected typical 80s elements, which you’ll hear emerging from some effects, snare drums and of course the melody lines, but there also is something more personal. This artist has been never a copyist so the songs rather sound as a personal interpretation of 80s influences or the transposition of new-wave elements into a contemporary version.

All songs –except the last ‘bonus’ track, have been sung in English revealing lyrics about love, loss and some rather familiar pop- and 80s subjects. The songs are danceable and definitely melodic, which is one of Chris Pohl’s trademarks.

+ + + : We already knew the EP-title song “See The Light”, but there’re clearly other potential singles featured. What I like in this artist is his ability to invent new projects with a different focus. The 80s inspiration is something he had never done before and he accomplished with a real devotion. I especially like the songs with explicit 80s aspects, “The Final Dance” being a little jewel. But I also have to mention “Turn Back The Time”, which is somewhat different for its melody line reminding to Kraftwerk. The production of the album is also an essential element. There’s a great sound based upon well-crafted songs with the right melody line and catchy choruses.

– – – : Blutengel definitely remains the artist’s best project ever! It all sounds like his other projects are just living in the shadow of Blutengel…

Conclusion: This debut is refreshing tribute to the 80s new/electro wave style!

Best songs: “The Final Dance”, “Don’t Leave Me”, “Turn Back The Time”, “Cry Wolf”, “See The Light”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/SheHatesEmotions

Label: www.outofline.de / www.facebook.com/outoflinelabel

About She Hates Emotions

She Hates Emotions was unveiled by Blutengel frontman Chris Pohl in April 2020 with the single and video “See The Light”, teasing the debut album “Melancholic Maniac” released the following month on Out Of Line. Pohl has continued the project since, releasing the single “Space and Time” in 2022 and a third album, “Future Unknown”, in 2024.

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

Soft Riot – When Push Comes To Shove (Album – Possession Records)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 21:00:54 +0000

Genre/Influences: EBM, experimental.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Jack Duckworth (JJD) is born in Canada, but has been residing in Glasgow (Scotland) for a few years. He set up his own label, Possession Records, and now unleashed the seventh album of his project.

Content: I honestly haven’t been that much impressed with the previous works of this artist. This new work has been announced as an evolution in production and sound. I indeed discovered a somewhat different creating a gap with the previous electro-pop inspired work. This opus is driven by minimalism and a rather experimental format of EBM. The retro touch of Soft Riot is still recognizable and reminds me now and then to The Human League, but I especially noticed a kind of experimental EBM approach. The experimental touch is created by a sort of sound chaos, Soft Riot avoids to elaborate explicit melody lines.

+ + + : There clearly is an evolution in sound, which I’ve to admit is not easy to seize. The songs are driven by a kind of sonic chaos where JJD reveals himself as a kind of imaginary sound scientist. This music could have been composed in a sonic laboratory instead of a studio. So it’s not that of coincidence one of my favorite cuts is the more cohesive “By The Skin Of Your Teeth”, which evokes to me the legendary “Brothers”-hit from DAF. Another noticeable song is “Your Work Is Never Done”, which also has something ‘classical’-like.

– – – : I’m still not a huge fan of Jack Duckworth’s vocal skills, being too monotonous. The songs are also missing a bit of cohesion remaining pretty experimental-like.

Conclusion: Soft Riot’s has experimented with new ideas and even if the entire album is not convincing, this is already the best I’ve heard from this artist.

Best songs: “By The Skin Of Your Teeth”, “You Work Is Never Done”.

Rate: (6½).

Artist: www .softriot .com / www .facebook .com /softriot

Label: www .possessionrecords .com / www .facebook .com /possessionrecords

About Soft Riot

Soft Riot is the electro-pop/EBM project of Canadian-born, Glasgow-based musician Jack Duckworth (JJD), who also runs the Possession Records label. Duckworth’s fourth album, “You Never Know What Might Come Next”, appeared on Exhibition Records in 2016, followed by the sixth, “The Outsider In The Mirrors”, on Possession Records in 2018. “When Push Comes To Shove”, reviewed here, is Soft Riot’s seventh album.

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

Side-Line presents: W-Festival – Waregem (BE)

Filip Wildhoney — Sat, 22 Jun 2019 09:56:44 +0000

The 4th edition of the W-Festival will take place from 15th until 18th August 2019 in Waregem Expo, Belgium. About 70 new wave, EBM, industrial, post-punk, synth-pop and eighties bands are featured on 3 stages.

This year the line-up includes: The Stranglers, Echo & The Bunnymen, Killing Joke, Nitzer Ebb, And One, VNV Nation, Apoptygma Berzerk, Peter Hook & The Light, Blutengel, New Model Army, She Wants Revenge, Lebanon Hanover, Portion Control, Tyske Ludder, Mesh, Whispering Sons, Kaelan Mikla, Collection d’Arnell-Andréa, DaGeist, Pink Turns Blue, Red Zebra, Siglo XX, Merciful Nuns, Then Comes Silence, The Human League, Jimmy Somerville, Lene Lovich band, Blaine L. Reininger plays Tuxedomoon, Nik Kershaw, Howard Jones, Tony Hadley, Schmutz, Allez Allez and more!

On the camping area are a lot of special availabilities like B and Bee, Luxury Lodge and WaveTents. Other extra’s on the festival are silent disco, outdoor quiet zone, wellness, merchandise and more!

Tickets and VIP-tickets can be ordered here.

‘Click Interview’ with Mark Burghgraeve: ‘We Were Multicultural Anarchists With A Rainbow Of Tastes And Opinions’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Fri, 14 Jun 2019 17:00:20 +0000

Does the name Mark Burghraeve make ring a bell? No doubt about it, ‘older’ electro heads know this Belgian artist born in 1961! Together with Marc Verhaeghen he set up The Klinik and created the band’s original look. Both ‘old’ mates are now back again working on new Klinik-stuff. You might also know him from his work under the Somnambulist moniker and M.Bryo & D.M.T. He also worked with artists and bands such as Niki Mono, Bill Leeb, Insekt, Vomito Negro, For Greater Good, Mike Shelter, Brain Pilot, Dark Poem, Hybryds, Les Boufons Tristes ao. Mark Burghraeve is a man of many talents and next to his music activities he’s also active as a multimedia artist and graphic-, video- & sound-designer and sound & light engineering. But back to music! The French label Nuit Et Brouillard recently released the album “Things I Was Due To Forget 1979 – 2005”. The work has been released on different vinyl formats and is now planned to be released on CD format as well. The music brings us back to the early and original sound of electronic music… to the roots. This interview will give you more background information about this passionate, fascinating and visionary artist.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: The least I can say is that you’re involved with an impressive number of very different artistic projects. Do you’ve some preferences in your artistic creation, what’s the importance of music and do you still have secret dreams in mind?

Mark: My preferred creations are the ones where I could sit at home and work on them in my own tempo and atmosphere, without any unwanted interference from the outside world. The ones where I could set my own deadlines and delegate some of the time consuming work. I like to see myself as a multi-media artist in the broad sense of the word. Music is one of the media I use to evoke or reproduce feelings, visions and dreams, based on my experiences and observations. I jump from one medium to another, sometimes mixing them. And the more I can use in one project, the more satisfying it becomes. The final result grows into a part of a viewer’s or a listener’s precious time. The artist has only this short period to take them on a small journey by exposing himself.

I try to keep my mind and taste open. My dreams are no secret. It would be nice to have my work survive the times, interpreted by others as it has already happened. The best feeling one can have is that his work is appreciated by as many people as possible, I guess. Making an immersive VR experience is on the want-list. Another film score would be nice too. A book maybe? A golden tie?

Q: You’ve been inspired by early electronic pioneers, but you in a way became a pioneer yourself. How do you look back at the early years of electronic music? Was there a kind of particular ‘spirit’, ‘philosophy’, ‘goal’… and do you see common elements with what’s happening today?

Mark: I always felt as a pioneer, out to get a taste of the future. Electronic music was the most futuristic music then. That time, synthesizers were expensive and not seen as a full instrument yet. They were more like an effect in a classic rock setting, an extra weird toy for the keyboard player, like Pierre Henry did in the sixties with “Psycho-Rock”. Or they were used as sound effect machines for cinema as Bebe and Louis Barron already did in the fifties for the movie “Forbidden Planet”. Apart from “Popcorn” by Anarchic System, full electronic music was not yet popular. There weren’t that many people in Belgium who had a synth and tried to make music that fitted the expectations of a new sci-fi future vision.

After the ‘No Future’-era, we were looking for one. Most of the guys who had synths made ‘cosmic’ music or just collected buttons. Pure electronic music was not regarded as ‘real’ music yet. But there was a kind of spirit of togetherness between the artists of that time in Antwerp, a lot of independent projects and disciplines crossed each other: theater, music, fine arts, fashion, performance. It was a period in time when we revolted more, as a group or as individuals, against anything we were opposed to. We used the new technologies. We walked away from tradition and uniformity. Sometimes we even had ‘goals’. From political- and ecological awareness to shared ethics and aesthetics. We were multicultural anarchists with a rainbow of tastes and opinions. We were the avant-garde. We were the underground.

I don’t see this anymore, it seems culture has been institutionalized, nationalized, censored and belonging to the happy few who get financial support from the government. I see increasing xenophobia and homophobia. I see aggression, racism, poverty and despair in this modern day dystopia. And cell-phones, lots of cell-phones. But then again, I don’t go out that much anymore, so I might miss out on a lot of what is happening today.

Q: One thing is for sure, the late 70s and early 80s were pure ‘underground’-like! I think it had something magic, connecting people a different way than today. Today we’ve the internet, electronic music became much more accessible… everything became that different. What’s your perception about this evolution? The pros and cons?

Mark: The pros are that it all became much more accessible and now more people can create, produce and put their stuff on the internet. One can reach a global audience immediately. A computer is now a household thing and most people have cell-phones. We are all connected by wire or by Wifi and have libraries of virtual synths and plug-ins at the touch of a button or screen, complete with professional production tools and low distribution costs, if any. Also you can get direct feedback from people all over the world who value your stuff. One can communicate faster. Co-operations over great distances get easier. Tools are easier to find.

The contras are that anybody can make music and put videos on YouTube. But without talent, proper promotion or attention of the media one can get lost in the flood of banal information. Today’s internet has become a marketplace, a big and busy one. You need extra skills if you want to get noticed as an artist. Like for instance opening an e-mail account to get PayPal. It also still leaves a very big and bad ecological footprint. Think of the control knob you ordered on e-bay, transported by trains, planes and diesel trucks.

The search for new music has also dramatically changed, we have robot programs that search for everything we want, telling us what we are supposed to like, based on databases and tags. Before all this, we physically went to the record shop to buy what they were offering. We had magazines with no commercials. No cell-phones, no social media sites, no e-mail, no internet. Just telephone, fax, modems and walkmans. Cassettes were the independent medium of that time. The home-studio was born. Affordable, but still expensive. I was lucky to have Stefan Van Elsen (Trans-4M, Brain Pilot, …) of Central Tapes who distributed my work. Teac, Tascam & Fostex competed with Revox. There were still U-matic, 12-bit Digital Recording, Commodore & Spectrum, Memorex. All these factories sold physical equipment. Nowadays, big companies sell or even just rent data for the same use.

It has it’s pros and cons. The thing is, it’s here. One has to use it as a tool and avoid distractions. It’s still very new and it already had a very radical impact on all our lives. Writers like Kafka, Orwell or Huxley couldn’t even have dreamt this up. It’s like their warnings became handbooks for the rulers. Are we in the hands of a system we don’t understand, own or even know anymore? Who collects and controls the data? Does all this ‘security’ make us feel safe or does it make us more scared or paranoid? Since the expression ‘Fake News’ has been introduced, nobody trusts the media anymore, from both sides. We have political propaganda and commercials in between the services we paid for. We’ve all seen how YouTube and Google have evolved from data providers to data collectors. Do we lose freedom and privacy and should we protect these values? What’s this thing with wars, money, power and persistent ecological & political unawareness?

We live in glass houses. Too many rats in a cage with an overload of information. Sorry, what was the question again?

Q: Nuit Et Brouillard recently released the double album “Things I Was Due To Forget”; I should say an appropriated title for songs taking us back to your first sonic compositions. How did this release come through and can you tell us something about the origin of the songs?

Mark: Sylvie, co-founder of the French Nuit Et Brouillard-label, once made a compilation tape from records she had borrowed from a friend to play in her car. One of the songs was “The Empty Street” by M.Bryo & D.M.T. from the “No Big Business” compilation. Years later she found me on Facebook on a picture with Marc Verhaeghen (the Klinik) and Bill Leeb (Frontline Assembly), from the time we worked together on Noise Unit. She knew both Marc and Bill, but had never heard of me until she did some investigations. Nuit Et Brouillard invited me to Lille to meet them in person, so I took all my courage, some luggage and a train to France. There I met Stéphane as well. We talked about music and politics and played with the idea of making a release. It was a bit like checking each other out, before we made this idea concrete.

For Nuit Et Brouillard it would certainly have been the most ‘commercial’ record they would have ever made, since they were mainly releasing more experimental and ‘obscure’ music. A bold step. They showed me their beautifully made releases. Some of them had handmade art covers. All their releases were treated as gems, showing a deep involvement and respect for the artist. They were not driven by money, but by passion. Of course I felt very flattered by the offer and I loved the people there in Lille who supported me. I had the chance to do everything from A to Z; music, lyrics, recordings, mastering and artwork. I am very lucky to have had this opportunity and I am proud with the result.

The songs had their origin in the late seventies, the start of punk, affordable synths, drum machines & multi track recorders. Bands like Kraftwerk, Tubeway Army, Ultravox and The Human League had just started and people like Vangelis, Jean Michel Jarre, Tomita and Walter Carlos had already opened the door to popular electronic music.

I lived in industrial Hoboken and was a DJ for some time, pretty up to date. By buying the ‘trash’ the record shop couldn’t sell on a Friday, I got a lot of weird unknown stuff. The weirder it was, the more I liked it. Anyway, I had fun in my room with my machines, later got into computers and now I’m still trying to use technology as a medium, not only for making sound.

Q: When it comes to music, I think there’re very different types of artists; classical schooled musicians, composers, producers, self taught artists and experimentalists who clearly break the codes. Where do you place yourself and tell us a bit more about the different aspects of being the musician/artist you are?

Mark: I’m a self-taught mad experimentalist, composer, bad musician, an OK writer and from time to time, if I may say so, a very able producer with neo-classical ambitions, and some more… I cherish my work as a musician as much as I like using other media. If I get bored or stuck with one medium, I jump onto another one. It keeps the creative ball rolling. Sometimes one inspires the other. Bringing as much art forms as possible into one project is the most satisfying, I think. To me, programming is an art form as well. Sometimes a program can be written as elegantly as a poem.

Q: You’ve been involved with different music projects; M.Bryo & DMT, The Somnambulist, The Klinik… and you’ve worked with an impressive list of artists. What did you keep in mind from all these projects and experiences and tell us something more about The House of the Thepaphone?

Mark: So many stories to tell. So many experiences. Every contact has its anecdotes. Sometimes, it seemed as if I lived in a soap opera, complete with the melodrama and the intrigues. But the fun part was the work itself, trying to get the best results with the tools I had. Having my own rock-band KOYT! was great, but what I liked especially were the one-on-ones, like Les Bouffons Tristes with Peter Geysels, whom I knew from For Greater Good or the ones with Sophie from Dark Poem.

With The House of the Thepaphone, I try to create a cosy place for my friends and I on Bandcamp, a popular music site for independent use, with a possibility to get some money for the music. Not big amounts, but since money seems to be a handy thing to have on this planet, any return is always welcome. It’s where I put some of the collaborations with other artists and completed works from my archive. On SoundCloud I put my most recent sketches and portfolios. ReverbNation was one of the first music libraries I used on the web. I forgot MySpace, but who didn’t? I think of building some more websites. They open possibilities for experiment and promotion. Recently, I got on Spotify and iTunes, to keep up with the new tools and platforms. I’m still learning.

The House of the Thepaphone :

https://somnambulist-mbryo.bandcamp.com

Nuit Et Brouillard:

https://www.discogs.com/M-Bryo-DMT-M-Bryo-Things-I-Was-Due-To-Forget-1979-2005/master/1479468

The Human League’s ‘Being Boiled’ covered by indie post punk act Klammer – and it really works well

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 08 May 2019 11:36:43 +0000

Klammer are about to release a new single on 3rd June on Under Dogz Records. It’s a very different version of The Human League’s classic early single “Being Boiled”. You can watch the video below.

Hailing from Leeds, Klammer have been previously described as the love child of XTC and Gang Of Four. Formed by UK Producer Steve Whitfield (The Cure/The Mission/Jane Weaver) in 2014, they have already released 3 albums, with last years “You Have Been Processed” being their most recent one.

The band is currently writing their 4th album but in the meantime they are releasing their version of The Human League’s early classic single “Being Boiled” on June 3rd 2019.

The cover reminds us a bit of the great cover made in 1992 by Terry Hoax of the Depeche Mode track “Policy Of Truth”… remember that one?

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Apsürde – Inglourious Heroes (CD Album – ScentAir Records)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 19:30:36 +0000

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop

Background/Info: Apsürde is based in Budapest (Hungary) and has been active since 2006. They released the EP “See Me Coming” in 2017 on, which they clearly revealed a strong Depeche Mode influence, but still is an interesting composition. In 2018 they released the official debut full length album “Inglorious Heroes” revealing 12 tracks.

Content: From the very first notes you clearly can hear the main source of inspiration. Nearly all songs, some of the sounds and sequences are clearly bringing us back to Depeche Mode. I also noticed some elements reminding me of early Human League, but I more than once thought ‘Depeche Mode come out of that body’! The work however reveals several real cool songs and it also is an opportunity to (re)discover the EP-title song “See Me Coming”.

+ + + : Even if the comparison with Depeche Mode is obvious, the emulation is rather well-done. You have poorly inspired ‘clones’ and other talented ones. I believe that Apsürde belongs to the second category. The songs are well-crafted and efficient. There are several noticeable songs featured. I can’t remember to have heard many noticeable electro-pop formations from Hungary so Apsürde is definitely one of the first to keep in mind. If you like Depeche Mode and you’re open for copyists; you for sure have to discover this work. The songs are accomplished and the vocals make sense. In the end I dare to say this is a real enjoyable work with some cool songs.

– – – : The main point with such a production is that some passages and/or tracks became too explicit. “Endless Raced” for example is a cool song, but the many links to Depeche Mode are a bit too much here.

Conclusion: Don’t get me wrong, this is an album I fully recommend except if you’re not into a new Depeche Mode-clone!

Best songs: “Under The Moon”, “My Life.f”, “See Me Coming (in 1984)”, “Endless Race”, “Going On”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/apsurde

Label: www.scent-air.com / www.facebook.com/ScentairRecords

About Apsürde

Apsürde was formed in Budapest, Hungary, in 2011. The line-up features Ádám Szakács (lead vocals, composing), Gábor Csontos (keyboards, composing, programming) and Ákos Szénási (keyboards, composing, lyrics, visuals), with Linda Soucz contributing lyrics and vocals. The band released the EP “See Me Coming” in 2017, followed by the debut album “Inglourious Heroes”, reviewed here, in 2018.

Apsürde issued the single “1984” in 2023 and appeared on both volumes of the “Hungarian Synthpop Allstars” compilation series (Advoxya Records, 2020 and 2022). The band also contributed to the 2022 Depeche Mode tribute compilation ‘6122 (To Andrew Fletcher Of Depeche Mode)’ on Timezone Records.

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

!Distain – Farewell To The Past (CD Album – Echozone)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Tue, 25 Dec 2018 20:00:12 +0000

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Background/Info: Ano 2018 German synth-pop formation !Distain became a duo. Alexander Braun and Manfred Thomaser both remain the only members on board and strike back with a new chapter in the !Distain discography. It’s the band’s eight album since their set up in 1992. The work was preceded by the singles “SynthPopBoy” and “Maid Of Freedom”. Alex Braun also release a solo-EP with cover versions entitled “Eiskalt”.

Content: !Distain remains faithful to their original influences. The band is driven by ‘classical’ synth-pop music, which moves from ‘happy-pop’ songs to sweet sounding songs with a Vince Clarke flavor on top to somewhat harder passages to an instrumental-cinematographic cut. !Distain remains a band that will appeal to lovers of Depeche Mode, Human League and related bands in this genre.

+ + + : “Farewell To The Past” became a rather diversified opus, but still easily recognizable for all lovers of this band. The songs and production both reflect maturity. The arrangements are delicate, creating a truly sensitive approach. It also is a music that will get you happy and I especially refer to the opening song “The Cosmic Revolution” featuring Seyhan, but still a sound that will get you into dance (cf. “Wer Im Kreise Geht”, “Der Hintenmann”, “Targets”). One last noticeable song is the already familiar “SynthPopBoy” for its funny lyrics.

– – – : The album is enjoyable, but is missing ‘real’ hits. That’s a bit what I regret and especially compared to the early years of !Distain. I think some songs are missing some extra catchy touch.

Conclusion: It always is a pleasure discovering new work by !Distain although I must say that the initial magic from the early years is definitely gone. The music becomes sometimes too predictable.

Best songs: “Wer Im Kreise Geht”, “SynthPopBoy”, “Der Hintenmann”, “Targets”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/distainofficial

Label: www.echozone.de / www.facebook.com/EchozoneMusic

About Distain

Distain is the German synth-pop duo of Alexander Braun and Manfred Thomaser, active since the 1990s. The band’s debut album, “Cement Garden”, appeared in 1995, followed by “Raise The Level” in 2007. “Farewell To The Past”, reviewed here, is the duo’s eighth studio album, released on Echozone in 2018 after the EPs “SynthPopBoy” and “Maid Of Freedom” and Alex Braun’s cover EP “Eiskalt“. Distain returned the following year with the EP “Wer Im Kreise Geht“.

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

‘Click Interview’ with Train To Spain: ‘Streaming Is There To Stay’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sun, 23 Dec 2018 18:00:50 +0000

Jonas Rasmusson and Helena Wigeborn are Train To Spain. The name of their band is inspired by a song from the Human League. That brings us directly to 80s electro-pop and new-wave music, which is one of the band’s main sources of inspiration. The Swedish duo this year released their second album entitled “The Journey” on Sub Culture Records. It’s without a shadow of a doubt their most accomplished and successful work. The songs are driven by catchy sequences, great melodies and danceable vibes. I’d a chat with Jonas and Helena.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: The band name is inspired from a Human League song “The Things That Dreams Are Made Of”. What did really inspired you in this lyrical extract from the song and how do you recognize yourself in this band name?

Jonas: I used to live and work in Spain and I love the country and I’ve always liked and been fascinated by trains. Growing up close to railroad tracks I trainspotted a lot. When listening to Human League the sentence ‘train to Spain’ just hit me in my face! Human league is a nice band, but not one of my favorites. So to name our band ’Like A Halo In Reverse’ would be too obvious. From a band that I like more.

Q: You both met a few years ago and found certain chemistry between the music written by Jonas and vocals sung by Helena. What makes this chemistry and how do you transpose it into songs and lyrics?

Helena: The chemistry mainly goes down to the fact that we both have a love for electronic music from the 80’s and 90’s. Jonas grow up in the 80’s and got into the music then and I was born in the late 80’s and got my influences from the 90’s. With a lot of creativity and different experiences in life we manage to merge the best of us, and that is what we think makes that specific sound of Train To Spain.

Jonas: In the beginning and during the first album I felt like it was just my instrumental songs that Helena liked and put lyrics on. Nowadays we try to work a different way. I now know what Helena likes in songs and I adapt to that. When making our second album we’ve started to make songs that Helena arranges on an acoustic guitar. I then make them electronic.

Q: So you clearly went through an evolution in the song writing, but can you give us more details and especially about the new album “A Journey”?

Helena: After our first album was released we started working with a new producer, Patrik Hansson, best known as the vocalist from the band Vanguard. We agreed on wanting a ‘heavier’ sound and Patrik helped us out with that. Also, what is new with “A Journey” compared to our first album is that I’ve written four songs of the album, which I think brings a modern pop sound and gives the album a good mix of that and Jonas classic 80’s production.

Jonas: I feel it’s a very big different. Helena is much more confident when she sings and on this album our producer really liked the songs from the start and has put his touch on it. I also changed the gear from 80% software gear to 99% hardware gear. I think we still have our ‘Train To Spain-sound’; the sound that makes us special. Since we released the first album we have been playing in both England (London) and Germany, which have made us more confident and featuring a stronger stage act.

Q: Your music is catchy, melodic and has something ‘happy-sounding’ while the lyrics reflect darker and more serious themes. That’s an interesting contradiction, don’t you think?

Helena & Jonas: A contradiction for sure, but also something that makes the music more interesting to listen to. Life isn’t just happy or sad, it’s a mix of both and the lyrics that come out from Helena are what she experiences or a theme she has in mind at that specific time.

Q: “A Journey” is clearly inspired by 80s electro/wave-pop and that’s a source of inspiration you don’t hide at all. Why are all these bands still going back to the 80s and the origin of electro-pop and what personal touch did you add to your sound?

Helena: What we listen to in our teens really influence us for the rest of our lives. I mean, do you know people discovering new favorite genres when they are in their 30’s or 40’s? That’s why I think people can’t let go the music they listened to in their teens because that is what developed and characterized their identity, and we are not different. What we added is what comes from inside of us, our own creativity and experiences, and that’s something I think you can’t copy from other people.

Jonas: Well I think the 80’s is a very important era in the music history. The technology made a huge leap and that made the experimental/electronic music much easier to make! And there also is the mix between old and new technology; it’s a foundation! I can’t deny that my inspiration comes from the 80’s and 90’s music, but when I compose the music I just chose sounds that I like at the moment for that specific song. I guess that’s what makes our sound.

Q: Artists and labels often complain about decreasing CD-sales while more and more people are using streaming platforms and/or Youtube. You for sure feel concerned about this evolution, but is there any strategy to make things change? What’s the importance of promotion, live performances, getting reviews and interviews etc…?

Helena: As you describe in your question it is very important to be part of various and different platforms. What we are trying to do is developing good networks with radio presenters, club organizers and be as active as we can on social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, our own website etc. We are very happy and thankful for all the attention and good feedback that we get all around the world. It makes us want to do what we do even more.

Jonas: If we didn’t have all the platforms I don’t think that anyone would know about Train To Spain. So I think all the platforms are just great. I don’t think there are any ways to increase the CD/vinyl sales, unfortunately. The few people in the world (I call them enthusiasts) will still be buying CD’s and vinyl, but streaming is there to stay.

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

‘Click Interview’ with Schicksal: ‘Stop Looking At Your Smartphone And Create Your Own Revolution’!

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sat, 03 Nov 2018 18:00:09 +0000

The ‘older’ electro fans familiar with EBM will probably remind Schicksal. This Belgian solo-project set up by Rudi Huybrechts released one single and noticeable 12” entitled “24 Hours”. This EP got released exactly 30 years ago now and got very enthusiastic reactions. Unfortunately no other official Schicksal release got ever released. This year the Belgian label Walhalla Records, which is devoted to good-old (Belgian) electronics recovered Schicksal from dust. The album “365 Days” got released on vinyl format and features next to the familiar songs from the “24 Hours”-maxi several previously unreleased songs. Schicksal is alive and answered a few questions about this noticeable ‘return’.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Schicksal is one of these ‘forgotten’ electronic projects from the early 80s, which this year released the album “365 Days”. Can you remind us the who’s hiding behind this project and the way you got in touch with electronic music?

Rudi: My real name is Rudi Huybrechts. I was born in 1967 in Hoboken, a town near Antwerp. Imagine Hoboken was at that time as an old industry township with industrial artefacts, such as an old petrochemical abandoned plant, bankrupt shipyard Cockerill and a polluting chemical plant.

As a young kid I was already interested in electronic music. I went to the library to lend LP’s which helped me discover all kinds of music. And that’s where I first heard “Autobahn”. From that point on, nothing was the same anymore. I started discovering bands like D.A.F., Human League, Heaven 17. The release of Front’s “Geography” in 1982 is for me a true landmark. This was the first time where synth music had this kind of aggression, passion and groove. Front 242 used synths in a way which was never done before. And then of course there was the radio show ‘Vrijaf’ by Gust Decoster, every Wednesday afternoon. It is on Vrijaf that I discovered a lot of fantastic ‘Belpop’ and recorded it on lots of C90 tapes.

Q: The 12” “24 Hours” released in 1988 on Antler’s subdivision Subway Records has been your single official release before the album. Back in time Subway Records was devoted to the new-beat scene so what does it evoke to you?

Rudi: For me, the New-Beat period started a lot earlier than many think. During the late 80’s, some DJ’s in Antwerp nightclubs such as ‘Prestige’, ‘Berchem Palace’ and ‘Rudy’s Avant Garde’ in St.Niklaas started pitching songs and playing downtempo dance music. It was a time of decadence, so-called ‘m’as tu vu’ and no rules.

It is a coincidence that “24 hours” was released on Subway. In fact, it was Marc Grouls (resident DJ at Prestige Club) who played “24 hours” for the first time, after some stalking from me! The dancefloor went wild so the day after Marc picked me up at home to sign a contract with Maurice Engelen on the Subway label. In short notice New-Beat became hot, so hot that it became mainstream and unfortunately evolved in the so called ‘Nouga Beat’.

Q: How did it finally happen that the album “365 Days” got released 30 years after “24 Hours”?

Rudi: It happened because of one man, Lieven De Ridder. There’s a Belgian underground community of people who are dedicated to the electronic scene. They are interested in minimal-synth, New-Beat and music which was played at ‘Liaisons Dangereuses’ (an historic radio show on free radio station SIS). Lieven De Ridder is one of the main influencers in that scene. His knowledge and passion for music, especially synth music, borders on the unbelievable. Lieven is the founder of Walhalla Records, a label that is specialised in releasing vinyl which has only been released on cassette before. Lieven and I got in touch, and started playing on his Radioshow ‘Wave Frequencies’ on Radio Centraal. The first Walhalla record was “Underground Belgian Wave Vol.l 1” featuring 2 Schicksal songs “Time“ and “Saturday”, previously released on the historic “Climax”-tape. Lieven had the idea to release a full album of Schicksal, with previously unreleased material. We got together again and chose representative tracks to cover 30 years.

Q: Back in time “24 Hours” got a very positive response, but how do you look back at the songs featured on it and what has been the impact of this release on your career as artist?

Rudi: The song “24 hours” itself was rather accidentally connected to the New-Beat sound; it was not my intension to create or compose New-Beat. I could have got probably more out of it, but in that time there was no internet. As an 21 year old modest student I was not really interested in the ‘music industry’ and let alone all the merchandising and commerce around it.

Q: So what can you tell us about the songs featured at “365 Days”? When did you compose these tracks and what can you say about the sound, influences, equipment?

Rudi: The A side of “365 Days”, together with “Saturday” on the B-side is from the early days and made with analogue gear. I bought my first synth (with money I earned working as a student) in 1983, at the age of 15. It was a Roland SH-101. It felt like the world got open in front of me… I started compiling the instruments you require as a solo synth-artist; new ones and most second hand instruments. My first drum computer was a Boss DR 55 for example. I am a fan of Roland, especially the TR series. But buying something new meant that other instruments had to be sold. Can you imagine I once sold a TR-909…if only I knew at that time… My favourite configuration was the Roland SH-101, the DR-110 drum computer, the Korg Poly 800 and Boss DSD-2 sampler/delay. Picture yourself, a small bedroom (3 x 2,5m), the gear on the bed because I’d no space, a cassette deck with hifi deck, mixer, microphone and me trying to get control of it all (lol) That’s how many of the Schicksal songs were created. The other songs on “365 days” are more recent. Today I create my songs on PC with Reason and a Nektar midi keyboard. But last year I got a Korg MS-20 (!) as a birthday gift from a good friend and recently I bought a Korg Volca Bass. So I’m back into the analogue gear! The first demos are a fact, but I’m still trying to sync them all together. The pitfall of creating music on computer is that you can lose yourself for hours in looking for that specific sound instead of being creative. For me ‘less is more’.

Q: A lot of things have changed since the late 80s; I’m referring to instruments, recording techniques, music styles, labels, promotion, distribution, media, social media, streaming… Do you feel you’re still living in the same world as 30 years ago and what’s your perception about all these evolutions/changes?

Rudi: Indeed, in 30 years of time, a lot changed! Every change has his advantages and disadvantages. In fact it is much cheaper today to make electronic music than it was in the 80’s. Also the possibilities/sounds/samples are endless. With Facebook and Youtube you have, as an artist, much more opportunities to share your music and find allies. If the internet wouldn’t exist, the “365 Days”-release wouldn’t have been released! On the other hand I today miss some artists who’re experimenting and thinking outside the box. The bulb was not invented by improving the candle if you know what I mean… All MTV and big radio stations play the same EDM-shit, over and over again. Youngsters, stop looking at your smartphone and create your own revolution!

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

UK synth pop act Cyber Monday launches new album ‘Store Debit’ – also available on USB !

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Fri, 27 Jul 2018 07:20:48 +0000

Out now is “Store Debit”, the second album by the one-man project Cyber Monday, a UK synthpop project incorporating EDM elements in its sound. Signed to Pink Dolphin Records, influences include Erasure, Soft Cell, Human League, Depeche Mode and more modern artists such as FrankMusik, Client, Marsheaux or The Modern.

The second album is a remixed and alternative version of the first album “Store Credit”. It is currently available on Bandcamp in USB and digital Formats. Note that the USB contains 31 tracks!

You can check out the new album right below.

Store Debit by Cyber Monday

The project’s debut album “Store Credit” saw a release on CD and cassette on Bandcamp (and all other digital platforms of course). The debut was also available as a limited vinyl but that sold out within a few days. You can still order other formats on Bandcamp.

Store Credit by Cyber Monday

More info can be found on the project’s official website.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

‘The synthesisers in the early days of EBM’ – Back in time with Lederman / De Meyer

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 24 Jul 2018 15:52:44 +0000

The recently released “Eleven Grinding Songs”, the debut album by Lederman / De Meyer is one of the best EBM releases which have been released this year so far. Lederman / De Meyer is the brand new project between 2 electronic music legends Jean-Marc Lederman and Jean-Luc De Meyer.

“Eleven Grinding Songs” is released in 4 versions. Besides the regular CD album (available here), there is also the 2CD set (with an 11-track bonus disc with 4 exclusive additional songs plus 7 remixes or alternative versions) (available here) and a deluxe download (available here) plus also a black vinyl edition (including a carton sleeve CD edition with the same track-list) (available here).

Side-Line decided to go to the roots of the project together with Jean-Marc Lederman. In today’s article we talk with Jean-Marc Lederman about the synthesisers in the early days of EBM.

SL: Things were very different than they are now when one sees the equipment available for musicians back in the early 80’s.

JM: It’s very simple: most synths were monophonic and had no memories or presets back then if you exclude the more expensive synths like Oberheim or Prophets .

These machines couldn’t easily talk to each other unless you used techniques that one had to invent or try such was the infancy of electronic music. As an example, Daniel Miller used to lay on a track a slow square pulse that would later on trig the equipment: needless to say the results were on a on-by-one basis, some equipment not liking being triggered by outside machinery.

SL: The arrival of cheaper Japanese synthesizers…

JM: …would indeed provide a welcome alternative to musicians and alternative electronic music started to be happening round 1978/1979 by musicians embracing the punk attitude of DIY: Cabaret Voltaire, Human League, Throbbing Gristle, The Normal etc…were soon going to be the guiding lights of people into new sounds and new attitude towards music and art.

One decisive instrument was the Korg MS 20 (1978) who, under the genius hands of Chris Haas, was sculpting the sound of a band destined to start the entire EBM genre: Deutsch Amerikanischen Freundschaft, later called DAF.

SL: And in Belgium?

JM: In Belgium, Daniel Bressanutti, working in a music shop in Brussels, Hill’s Music, which was instrumental in the development of punk in Brussels, was already making musical experiments and Front 242 would release its first record in 1981.

1983 would see two very important stepping stones in electronic music as it was that year when MIDI ( a language linking synthesizers together) was released and it was also the release of the Yamaha DX7, a very powerful midi polyphonic synthesizers with strong dynamic possibilities) which would be like honey of the busy bees of EBM. The final icing on the electronic music scene would happen in 1985 with the availability of the Atari ST computer, bringing easier sequencing possibilities to the musicians.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

‘Click Interview’ with Tycho Brahe: ‘It Is Painful To See Very Little Financial Return On The Recorded Work Through These Streaming Services’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 17:00:53 +0000

Set up in 1993 by Ken Evans and Georgina Emery, Australian formation Tycho Brahe recently released the “Triplex [complete]”-album on ScentAir Records. It’s without a shadow of a doubt their most accomplished work to date. The songs will probably ravish 80s synth-pop lovers, but it first of all is a great production the band might be proud of. This was a real good reason to organize an interview with the band.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Tycho Brahe saw the daylight in 1993. What have been the main facts about your career and how much of early Tycho Brahe do you still recognize in your writing today?

TB: We started off as something different and evolved into our current form. The consistent thing about us though, is that we have always approached every situation with a total sense of self-belief. We’ve never been afraid to take a risk and do something ‘crazy’ or to do the impossible when others might say it can’t be done eg like organize an international support in 2 other states with 5 days’ notice when we haven’t rehearsed in five months. Or organize an interstate gig for an international or interstate band whose promoters let them down with one weeks’ notice.

With this never say never and can-do attitude, we’ve ended up playing shows with other notable acts like The Human League, John Foxx, VNV Nation, Covenant, Real Life, Psyche, Pseudo Echo etc and made many great connections and strong relationships within the industry. We are self-taught in everything, including playing our instruments, programming, recording and production…everything…but have never seen that as a disadvantage. Through self-belief and determined application we have succeeded.

Compared to the earlier Tycho Brahe songs, some of the more recent work has been more unusual in structure (eg “1985” and “Valerie Perrine”), and that has been a deliberate decision to try and keep things interesting. There’s also more confidence these days in being more personal about song lyrics. But the biggest difference between the early Tycho Brahe releases and the more recently recorded work is the level of production we’ve achieved in an independent studio setting. We feel that “Triplex [complete]” is easily our most accomplished body of work so far on many levels.

Q: I noticed your early work has been released on cassette format. What does that evoke to you and what’s your perception about the evolution of technology (recording techniques, instruments, social media, streaming etc)?

TB: Our first two releases were on professionally duplicated cassette in 1996. This was the most affordable format at the time. We’d spent a lot of money in professional studios before that, which was fairly normal for a band in those days, however we made those recordings ourselves very cheaply on a borrowed 4-track system, with the intention that they would be used as demos. We were playing a lot of live shows, and we needed to be able to make our music available to promoters as well as fans, so we put the best of these recordings on a cassette – that first release is literally called “The Promotional Cassette”. The reaction was great, and we realized that for our purposes it didn’t matter if we recorded in a 24 track studio or on a home 4-track system, as long as the music was good, and was recorded and produced to a suitable standard. This appealed to our self-taught ‘do it yourself’ manifesto, so we decided to completely move away from expensive professional studios, and instead invest that money into achieving self-sufficiency for recording and producing. We were early adopters of the digital recording revolution, and the freedom to experiment with recording and production on our own time schedule was a total revelation. Our debut album “Cassiopeia” (released in 2000) was recorded on a PC running very basic 8-track recording software on Windows 98. Our studio setup has now evolved to the point where we’re able to integrate and centrally control all of our vintage hardware synths, drum machines, effects units, DAW software and VST’s etc quite seamlessly. We are living in a golden age of digital recording.

Social media is the great enabler for independent bands which allows us to not only connect globally with geographically dispersed fans, but to connect with other musicians and producers, creating great opportunities that otherwise wouldn’t exist. Before social media, in the early days of the internet, it was still difficult as an independent act to grow beyond our local area and we were still reliant on local gigs, press and radio to generate interest and connections, which of course is very limiting. Streaming services like Spotify are both a blessing and a curse – whilst they deliver practically no income for the artist, people who otherwise may not have listened to acts like Tycho Brahe can hear the music very easily for no cost. It’s just one aspect of the modern democratization of music distribution, although as an artist it is painful to see very little financial return on the recorded work through these streaming services.

Q: Your newest CD-album “Triplex [complete]” features your 3 latest digital EP’s. How important is to have these songs released on CD format and how did you get in touch with Russian ScentAir Records?

TB: Digital distribution is obviously a far more pragmatic way of distributing music, but it is killing the album format. The recordings on the “Triplex”-EP’s were originally intended for a cohesive album, so from an artistic perspective we feel that presenting them in a physical format such as a CD album encourages people to listen to that entire body of work rather than hearing random individual songs from a digital playlist, and that is very important to us. And to have a business external to the band share a belief in the recorded work to the point where they’re willing to invest money into manufacturing and distributing physical copies of that album is a very affirming and validating process.

We became aware that there was a synth-pop scene happening out of Russia, when we stumbled across a pirated Russian synth-pop compilation which we were on with the likes of Depeche Mode, Beborn Beton and Camouflage. It was completely illegal but somehow flattering. So our curiosity was piqued, and we investigated the Russian scene a little further and realized that our musician friends Empire State Human (ESH) had recently released an album through ScentAir, who appeared to be one of the few remaining independent synth-pop labels still releasing CDs. Tycho Brahe had previously collaborated with ESH/The Garland Cult when we remixed each other, so we contacted Aiden from ESH. After he said very positive things about ScentAir, we decided to directly approach them with the idea of compiling the “Triplex”-EP series into the proper complete CD album. This had been our original plan and ScentAir were very keen to do it, with distribution through Poponaut. We’re very happy in our relationship with ScentAir, and would like to release further albums through them in the future. If we could ever do so, we’d also love to tour in support of those releases in Europe, but living in Australia makes that a very expensive proposition.

Q: I’ve to admit I’m deeply impressed by this album revealing a perfect balance between electronics and guitar while featuring bombast and refined bleeps, alluring bass lines and catchy choruses, typical 80s arrangements with charismatic vocals on top. Tell us a bit more about the writing and recording of this masterpiece?

TB: Thank you, we’re glad that you like it! “Triplex [complete]” is our fifth album, and we actually started work on it immediately after our “Atlantic” album in 2006. The first song to be completed was “Loveless”, which debuted on Myspace way back in 2007, before our “Transatlantic”-remix album was released, and that recording set the writing and production standard that we wanted to achieve for the rest of the album. We were playing and refining songs from “Triplex” at live shows with bands like The Human League, Psyche etc, and that live work plus other commitments slowed progress on recording the album…

Before we knew it, four years had passed, and then our studio was flooded, completely submerged, under 4 metres of filthy flood water in the devastating Brisbane floods of January 2011. We saved all of the equipment, but then we were basically demolishing and rebuilding for the next year, but then decided to relocate to higher ground anyway as we were post-traumatic from losing a studio and a home to the flood… every time it rained we would freak out. The flood cost us two years of progress, and around that time Andy Walls (live keyboards and co-writer), decided to leave to ‘take up gardening’ which was another setback. We had a semi-functional temporary studio which wasn’t really set up for vocals during this time, so in 2012 we recorded and released the novelty song “Sex Rocket” as a single – which is one reason why it has a vocoder in place of vocals… it was remixed by Parralox, Neuropa and Psyche, we also did a follow up song in a similar style, “Super Hot Robot”, another fun novelty song but not representative of our usual work. (Both songs have videos on Youtube and were created by another talented member of the Tycho family, Thomas Evans.)

So as fate would have it, the album was shelved until we could get our studio and our lives back in order. When we finally re-established the studio and got back to the album, we found that we were being perfectionists wanting a very high production standard, and recording was slow and painstaking, so we became impatient to release something. That is when we decided to split the album into three parts, so we could complete four songs at a time and release three EPs over a longer period, maintaining some output. Georgina came up with the name “Triplex”, which means ‘having three parts’, or a house divided into three residencies. We digitally released each EP ourselves, with artwork by our friend Stig Olsen in Denmark, who has also done graphic design work for The Human League, and on our “Sex Rocket”-CD single. Each EP was mastered in Sydney by Kathy Naunton at dB mastering, who has worked on albums by Severed Heads, Boxcar, Midnight Oil… the songs themselves range from very personal, such as “No Love”, to “Castaway” which is about not fitting into society, to “Valerie Perrine” which is about the hot tub scene from the Village People movie, “Can’t Stop The Music”! Our favorite track on the album is probably “Metropolis”, the intro has a mobile phone recording from a New York subway which sets the mood perfectly.

Q: “1985” is an interesting song with references to the 80s. Are you guys nostalgic and what has been the impact of the 80s on you as teenagers and later on as musicians?

TB: We’re massive ‘80s fans, obviously music especially but also movies like “Buckaroo Banzai” and “Electric Dreams”, video games (Georgina has a vintage Galaga arcade machine), musical equipment… most of our synths are vintage ‘80s machines like the Prophet 5, Emax sampler, Juno-106, LinnDrum, Simmons, etc because we love how they sound… even the registration plates on our cars… Georgina’s is “80-MIX” which is the music she’s always playing in the car – a mix of ‘80s stuff; Ken drives a Mustang convertible with the plate ‘FAC-73’ which is the Factory Records catalogue number for the “Blue Monday”-single, the song that made him want to create music way back in 1983. Most people’s formative years are their teens, and the ‘80s certainly had a huge impact on us, but it was a groundbreaking era for music, with all of that incredible new technology becoming available and affordable in the post-punk years.

The song “1985” is deliberately nostalgic and is about specific events experienced in the ‘80s with various friends…”Park Avenue” is referenced in the song, it was a Hi-NRG club in Adelaide that played Man 2 Man, Dead Or Alive, early Stock Aitken & Waterman… we would actually dance all night and emerge at daybreak; the song is quite personal and about still being anchored to that era. In 2011 we were able to work with Giorgio Moroder’s 1980’s bass player/programmer Arthur Barrow, and we released a remix single for the song “1985” in the production style of Moroder in 1985, with Arthur Barrow contributing parts using the same bass guitar and Jupiter-8 synth he used with Moroder, and our LinnDrum loaded with custom Giorgio Moroder sounds used around the Scarface/Electric Dreams era. There might even be some sneaky “Back To The Future” samples hidden in that song too…

Q: I’ve to ask you a last question about a real exciting project consisting of doing some programming for the upcoming tour of Peter Hook. How did you get in touch with each other and what is it all about?

TB: We became friends with Peter Hook and The Light when they toured Australia in 2010, when we shared drinks and stories with them after their Brisbane show, and we’ve since caught up with various members socially and travelled to see the band play overseas. They’re wonderful people and an amazing, hardworking band, and one of our favorite live acts of all time. Some of the New Order songs that Peter Hook and The Light play require pre-programming and digital multi-track playback onstage (also known as backing tracks) to re-create the complex vintage sequenced synth and drum machine parts. Peter Hook initially became aware that Ken was an expert in recognizing the distinct New Order sounds and the synthesizers that made them, when he sought his help in clarifying how some early New Order equipment would have worked on certain songs for his latest book. Ken had also assisted in setting up a live vocoder system for their keyboard player, who also knew that Tycho had been covering “Bizarre Love Triangle” live. This led to Ken being asked in 2015 if he’d like to attempt new programming and backing tracks for “Bizarre Love Triangle” for them, as they weren’t particularly satisfied with what they’d been using. They were very happy with the result and so Ken has been creating backing tracks for Peter Hook and The Light ever since.

About half of the New Order songs from their recent international “Substance” tours in 2017 and 2018 featured Ken’s work. He’s been working on new backing tracks for the “Technique” and “Republic” albums since late 2017, for a tour commencing in September 2018. By the end of the current project, Ken will have re-created the synth and drum machine parts for over 30 classic New Order songs. It is incredibly challenging work, as everything has to be completely made brand new, from scratch, without access to any of the original source material due to legal reasons, with only the released versions from albums etc as a guide. The most complex of these can take around 60 hours of work, and it involves researching the original equipment used, detailed sound design, forensic listening techniques, and then the actual programming, sequencing, mixing and production to essentially build a new multi-track recording of the electronic parts, as close to the original as possible. Ken has set up a separate business called Tycho Sound Design to accommodate this work, and he has also now done similar work for Australian ‘80s band Machinations.

Tycho Brahe literally would not exist if not for New Order releasing “Blue Monday”, so to be working with Peter Hook brings us full circle and is a huge honor. Last year in our home town of Brisbane Ken was invited on stage to sing “Bizarre Love Triangle” with Peter Hook and The Light, which was a very surreal and emotional moment.

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

Tycho Brahe – Triplex [Complete] (CD Album- ScentAir Records)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Tue, 15 May 2018 19:30:36 +0000

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

Background/Info: Originally set up in 1993 by Ken Evans and Georgina Emery, Australian formation Tycho Brahe can already look back at a serious discography. This new album brings the 3 “Triplex”-EP’s together on one full length album. These EP’s were (digitally) released in between 2013 and 2015. So you get a total amount of 12 songs plus 3 bonus tracks.

Content: I’m not familiar with the entire discography of Tycho Braha, but all I can remember is that this band has never really disappoint me although I never became totally convinced. This album is different and for sure an opus I’ll not soon forget.

The electronics are clearly 80s inspired and often reminding me to an imaginary crossover between Heaven 17 and The Human League. The songs are masterly accomplished with a perfect balance between electronics and guitar play. The work is bringing great elements together; bombast and refined bleeps, alluring bass lines and catchy choruses, typical 80s arrangements and mysterious atmospheres with charismatic vocals on top.

+ + + : This album resulted from the creative process of talented musicians and it in a way made me rediscover this band. The songs are pretty 80s like and even if they remind me of legendary electro/wave-pop bands the production also reveals a very unique approach. The composition is entirely accomplished and there’ are no real songs to throw away. I know less albums that fascinate the listener from start till finish. This opus is not only powerful and well-crafted, but featuring numerous potential pop-hits. Especially the second part of the work is amazing; tracks like “No Love”, “1985”, “Valerie Perrine (Miss Teschmacher)”, “Savage” and “Another Useless Photograph” all are real highlights. This album is not a stereo-typical production although driven by familiar influences.

– – – : The bonus tracks don’t bring a real bonus, but just a little extra for all of those who already know the original “Triplex”-EP’s. The main point that hurts probably is the fact this band definitely has to conquer our old continent where they aren’t that known and recognized.

Conclusion: I can only, but thank ScentAir Records to have released this opus, which I consider as a ‘major’ contemporary release in electro-pop music. This is an album that will ravish 80s lovers, but especially all electro-pop freaks. This album is a real must have!

Best songs: “No Love”, “1985”, “Valerie Perrine (Miss Teschmacher)”, “Savage”, “Another Useless Photograph”, “Metropolis”.

Rate: (9).

Artist: www .tycho .com .au / www .facebook .com /tychobraheband

Label: www .scent –air .com / www .facebook .com /ScentairRecords

About Tycho Brahe

Tycho Brahe is an Australian synth-pop formation set up in 1993 by Ken Evans and Georgina Emery. “Triplex [Complete]” compiles the band’s three “Triplex” EPs, released digitally between 2013 and 2015, plus bonus tracks. Side-Line interviewed the band about the album in a Click Interview the same year.

Tycho Brahe later released the EP “The Rob Mitchell Remixes” in 2021 and the single “Love Blind Love” in 2022.

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

Former Human League member Ian Burden launches new solo album on 25th May

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 15 May 2018 18:30:26 +0000

Out on May 25th via the Rutland Artspace Limited label is the new solo album from Ian Burden, titled “Hey Hey Hom Hum”. The track will have 10 tracks.

Ian Charles Burden is an English musician who played keyboards and bass guitar with The Human League, initially as a session musician covering for Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh’s keyboards after their departure. He later on joined full-time, between 1981 and 1987. Burden co-wrote “Do Or Die”, “The Sound Of The Crowd” and “Love Action” on the “Dare” album, as well as “Mirror Man” amongst others.

Burden already recorded a solo album, “Loot”, in 1990 and in 1995 released a CD through Inertia Records entitled “A Swim in the Ocean” which was a collaboration with Human League session player and contributor Russell Dennett. The band called themselves Deep Down Crazy, and consisted of Dan Boulton on vocals, Chris Broadhead on drums, Russell Dennett on guitar/keyboards/vocals and Burden on bass/keyboards.

For now, you can watch the video for “Let The Devil Drown” below:

You can order “Hey Hey Ho Hum” on Amazon UK as a download or on CD.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Psyche compîled on mega limited CD ‘Under the radar’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 15:34:13 +0000

Released in collaboration with Other Voices records is the digipak (limited to 300 copies) “Under the radar” by Psyche. The Cd is a compilation of rare, out of print and unreleased tracks, including alternative versions of Psyche’s biggest hits such as “Unveilling the Secret”, “Uncivillized” or “Sanctuary”.

Orders for this rare gem can be placed right here.

All tracks have been remasterd for this special release. You’ll discover lots of highly sought-after tracks for the collector but also a good starting point for the new fan. It includes – among others – also the excellent The Human League cover of “Things that Dreams are made of”, featuring the lead vocalist of Elegenat Machinery and other cover-versions of songs by Joy Division, Depeche Mode and Visage, collaborations with Red Industrie and Luminance and more.

The complete tracklist can be viewed here.

This track with Luminance will also be on this release: “Left Out”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

The Weathermen’s 8-track tape that was lost never to be found again…

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 18:00:59 +0000

Jean-Marc Lederman posted a rather funny story on his Facebook profile relating some of the early story of his band The Weathermen. We were given his ok to make an article out of it.

After releasing “Ten Deadly Kisses”, things were looking good for The Weathermen. The band’s release schedule (a 12″ single every 4 of 5 months) since “Old Friend Sam” was paying off as both the band’s profile and their sales were picking up steadily. Not only that says Jean-Marc Lederman: “It was a rhythm that was perfect on an artistic point of view: quick enough so we would always have new stuff out to keep shops, the press and the fans excited and slow enough so we could go to the studio with fresh ears.”

Use whatever you find

The band didn’t have any equipment at the time, except a new Ensoniq ESQ-1 bought thanks to Jonas Van Espen, their manager at the time, and Herman van Laar (Jean-Marc’s publisher at Les Disques du Crepuscule as Kid Montana was still going on). Jean-Marc recalls: “We were dependent on going to the studio to record, something that was pleasing me a lot as the tactic was to use whatever we found there, especially if it was some new (to us) drum machine or synth.”

The studio was Ludo Camberlin’s, one of Belgium’s finest producer ever. Jean-Marc: “A man with great ears, not always easy to go along with, but so was/am I so it was a good fit. The place was in PIAS’ early Cureghem office, it was in the basement and pretty much a dump to be honest. But it felt good to be making music just below our record company as it made us feel part of a family with a common desire: making good music known.”

“As usual, we had nearly nothing when going into the studio,” Jean-Marc notes. “I had brought my Ensoniq and Bruce Geduldig a copy of The New York Times. We hooked up the Esq-1 to Ludo’s system (a Commodore sequencer driving a DX7) and Ludo made fun of the lone two midi slots in the american synth: ‘What?! No thru slot?!’.” You can hear it in Poison in the chorus brass sound and the bass drum, mainly. Jean-Marc also brought a 7″ to the studio, one that had made a great impression on him at the time: “Human”, by The Human League.

The track had a great drum beat and Lederman wanted to start from that: “Ludo programmed the sequencer which was driving an RX7 drum machine, I think. So, we got a drum beat going, of course it was weathermenized, and it had not a lot in common with what The Human League had. One can hear it in the toms playing in “Poison”, it’s the low drum hit that is going as a back beat. We hooked up the DX7 and worked out a real nasty bass sound starting from one Ludo had and then I played around for a while until we found a good groove which pleased us all. Once we had that, it was really fast, we sequenced a few ringing sounds and there was the skeleton of “Poison”. It was all written before the voice, as usual.”

Using the desk as an instrument and the arrival of Susanna

Ludo was also playing at the desk, using it as an instrument, not only as a mixing device. He would process lots of the channels through different effects, his favourite tool of the time being the Yamaha SPX90. Jean-Marc: “After a few hours of hard work and many, many laughs, we came up with a track that was ready for vocals. As usual, Bruce would open a carnet with bits and pieces of scribbling he had done and we were going through them. He wanted to tell a story about pollution, any kind of pollution, be it in the air or in the news or in human relationships, so it was very large. That is one part of the lyrics: the serious content embedded in a humorous song. The other part is, well, Susanna Stammer, Bruce’s alter ego and somehow the representation of a groupie going awol.”

Susanna was with the band since “Deep Down South”, it was the perfect Californian blonde in love with a bleek-and-far-too-serious electronic band. Jean-Marc: “She was dear to us and somehow fighting patriarchy and male clichés as much as showing how vain being in a band can be. Let’s not forget The Weathermen did came along a little bit because we found the electronic bands of the time so fucking grey and whining. She would also be our reality check meter, balancing our ideas and how we implemented them in the songs. Here, she found her way into the lyrics and into the track as she would appear as a pitched-up Bruce, switched on and off as explained below.”

As usual the band were trying to have a laugh and Susanna would in this song take the upper hand, making them look miserable and herself like a goddess-like creature that would go after the band members, after the drummer, after all the myths of being in a band, the groupies, etc.. Jean-Marc: “So, there you are: a very serious political stab at everything toxic in our life watered down by the story of Susanna. Finding the right vocal melody however wasn’t going to be easy, but eventually Bruce found something pleasing all of us. Now, you have to remember this was 1987 and Ludo had only an eight track tape machine and we had such need for all the effects that we had to “rehearse” all the mixes as all the effects had to be played “live” and be injected in the song in real time. It took us a long day to be able to coordinate it all and make no mistakes as the three of us were on the desk, switching channels on and off, going through the SPX90 as we prepared them. Ludo exercised more of his magic touch and there we were: on the second evening (I never work at night), “Poison” was on the tape.”

The release

Jean-Marc: “I recall going up to Kenny the day after and all excited I gave him the final tape. It was released a few weeks later and immediately rocketed up: people loved it, PIAS’ salesmen loved it, we loved it and there you go it started to sell real solid. It actually was doing so well that Kenny wanted it to be remixed, something I never liked, but we were ok with it. Finally, three 12″ came out, the original version, one version I remixed with Ludo and the Snap remix (Ancilloti remix).”

And this is the story of Poison, the song that walked by itself. The 8-track tape itself was lost and never to be found again.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Bestial Mouths – Heartless (CD Album – Cleopatra Records)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Mon, 01 May 2017 18:30:43 +0000

Genre/Influences: Gothic, electronic.

Background/Info: Bestial Mouths is a formation driven by the charismatic female singer Lynette Cerezo assisted by Christopher Myrick and Gustavo Aldena. The band previously released two albums plus one live opus and one remix album on vinyl format. The band joined hands with Cleopatra Records and unleashed the “Heartless”-album at the end of last year.

Content: The main characteristic of Bestial Mouths is the bewitching timbre of voice of Lynette Cerezo reminds me of Siouxsie Sioux. It injects a gothic flavor on top of the work, which is entire electro-like. The songs have been accomplished with dark and tortured sound atmospheres, where the voice sometimes becomes a bit ritual-like.

Sound-wise this work is driven by bombastic drum sections sometimes joined by epic arrangements. The electro style is now and then a bit retro-like. One of the most surprising cuts is without a shadow of a doubt the cover version of The Human League’s, “Being Boiled”, which was transformed into a totally new and obscure format.

+ + + : “Heartless” is an original opus for the mix of typically gothic-like female vocals and cold electronics. The songs are carried by heavy, bombastic drums injecting a very own style to the work. The songs are supported by overwhelming atmospheres, but other cuts are into pure vintage-like electronics. There are several cool cuts featured, but I have a preference for the somewhat ritual-orientated “Ceased” revealing a great balance between vocals and music. I like the icy synth lines and the global approach of this band.

– – – : “Heartless” is maybe missing what I would call a real hit although there are numerous noticeable songs. I’m not that fond of their Human League cover. It’s a creative transformation of the original song, but definitely not the best cut on this album.

Conclusion: “Heartless” is a successful album, which sounds like the offspring between a gothic-like singer and obscure electronic music. Both ingredients have been cemented with bombastic arrangements.

Best songs: “Ceased”, “Earth”, “Heartless”, “White Eyes”, “Small Prey”.

Rate: (8).

Band: www .bestialmouths .com / www .facebook .com /BESTIALMOUTHS

Label: www .cleropatrarecords .com / www .facebook .com /CleopatraRecords

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

Parralox – Subculture (CD Album – Conzoom Records/Subterrane Records)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 20:50:51 +0000

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

Background/Info: Parralox is a prolific band animated by the creative spirit of John von Ahlen. “Subculture” is the 8^th full length of the band while they also released a few remixes-albums. “Subculture” features 2 different parts. You first get the ‘Red’ part, which is totally into dance-pop and next the ‘Blue’ part featuring more ‘traditional’ electro-pop. Each part has 7 songs. Notice by the way numerous guest singers contributed to this album.

Content: The ‘Red’ part moves on the edge of commercial music. It’s more into dance music instead of electro-pop. The songs are well-crafted and giving you a kind of ‘feel-good’ feeling. Especially the first cuts are totally dance-club minded while driven by sensual female vocals. Louise Love became a familiar singer of the band and contributed to several dance-cuts, but also to several electro-pop driven songs.

The ‘Blue’ part is more into the classical approach of Parralox. The songs mix good-old 80s influences together with a refreshing and more contemporary input. Several songs remind me of bands like Erasure and The Human League. I also noticed an interesting and somewhat nu-disco influence running throughout one of the cuts.

+ + + : Parralox feels comfortable experimenting with different pop-approaches. They already proved to make great covers (cf. “Holliday ‘15” and “Holliday ‘16”-albums), but are still into alluring dance-pop music and of course they remain a cool electro-pop band. I especially like the vintage approach of the work, which is nothing new although composed with brilliant sound treatments and a perfect balance in the vocals production. I definitely prefer the ‘Blue’-pop part of the album. This is the sound where Parralox stands for and where they excel on “Last Man standing”, “Voyager II” and “Rocket Silence II”. A last and essential aspect of the work is the already artistic uniformity of the artwork. Parralox created an easy recognizable artwork, which you directly link to the band.

– – – : Even if I have nothing to say about the production of the ‘Red’-dance side this part of the work sometimes reveal cheap dance tricks moving on the edge of commercial music. I think it would have been better to release it as a separate release or a bonus disc.

Conclusion: Parralox moves in between dance and pop music, but lost a bit of their splendor on the ‘dance’-side. They definitely remain an electro-pop formation and that’s what I enjoy when listening to their sound.

Best songs: “Last Man Standing feat. Peter Wilson”, “Voyager II feat. Louise Love”, “Rocket Science II”.

Rate: (7).

Band: www .parralox .com / www .facebook .com /parralox

Labels: www .conzoomrecords .de / www .facebook .com /conzoomofficial / www .subterrane .com .au / www .facebook .com /SubterraneRecords

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

Parralox – Holiday ’16 (CD Album – Conzoom Records/Subterrane Records)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 20:00:25 +0000

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Background/Info: Set and driven by John Von Ahlen the Melbourner based Parralox became a familiar and recognized formation on the electro-pop horizon. After “Holiday ‘15” the band released a new opus on, which they bring an ode to some of their favorite bands. John Von Ahlen and Louise Love have accomplished 14 new covers from some legendary 80s tracks.

Content: Pet Shop Boys, Echo & the Bunnymen, William Higgins, Cicero, The Twins, Depeche Mode (2 songs), The Human League (5 songs), Sparks and Heaven 17 have been the sources of inspiration to release this work.

Parralox adapted the original versions into their own electro-pop approach, which is composed with mainly analogue gear and even the use of the famous Buchla modular synthesizer. John Von Ahlen and Louise Love both sing and sometimes as a duo. The band often reminds me of The Human League and I guess it’s not of a coincidence if this formation also appears to be one of their favorite ‘victims’.

+ + + : “Holiday ‘16” sounds hotter and more exciting than “Summer ‘15”. Working on covers of some legendary bands like the Human League, Depeche Mode, Echo & The Bunnymen and co is not an easy thing, but Parralox has the skills to transform most of the original versions into a very own and successful approach. “Flamboyant” from Pet Shop Boys became a great song, which even sounds a bit The Human League-like. The comparison with The Human League is nothing new although it has been never so true. “Louise” and “The Lebanon” both have been meticulously reworked. It all sounds like Parralox feels the true spirit of the original version to bring them to life in a refreshed version. The songs are characterized by great sound treatments and driven by talented singers. The song “Blasphemous Rumours” (Depeche Mode) is my absolute favorite. It reveals great sequences and a somewhat EBM-flavor while it remains faithful to the original spirit of the song.

– – – : A few songs are not as interesting and I think it’s all about making the right choice. “A Question Of Time” (Depeche Mode) and Zero As A Limit” (The Human League) are not that much worse, but just less credible.

Conclusion: Parralox has found a cool- although not a new concept to bring old standards back to life. It definitely indicates the main sources of inspiration and gives the opportunity to younger fans to discover old electro-pop anthems!

Best songs: “Blasphemous Rumours”, “Bring On The Dancing Horses”, “Heaven Must Have Sent You Back To Me”.

Rate: (7½).

Band: www .parralox .com / www .facebook .com /parralox

Labels: www .conzoomrecords .de / www .facebook .com /conzoomofficial / www .subterrane .com .au / www .facebook .com /SubterraneRecords

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

Beborn Beton – She Cried (CD EP – Dependent Records)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sat, 22 Oct 2016 18:20:01 +0000

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop. Background/Info: The album “A Worthy Compensation” was released last year and it was the first new album in 15 years for German electro-pop formation Beborn Beton. The opus sounds as a pretty cool comeback although it was not my favorite Beborn Beton album in history. “She Cried” is the second song (after “Daisy Cutter”) taken from that album to be released as the EP title-track and according to me it is the best cut from “A Worthy Compensation”. Content: The title song remains a great piece of electro-pop music and for sure a reference in the band’s wide discography. It’s a catchy and danceable song reminding me of the early days of the band with this extra contemporary touch on top. Among the remixes of this song I noticed a great contribution from their producer Olaf Wollschläger and another cool remix by Zynic. Among the other cuts left there’s a real cool and evasive-pop minded cover version of Human League’s “The Black Hit Of Space” and 2 remixes from album songs by Daniel Myer and Val Solo Of S.P.O.C.K. + + + : “She Cried” definitely remains the best song from their last album so it definitely is the best choice to be released as the EP-title song. This is alluring synth-pop revealing the chemistry between the sound and the brilliant vocals of Stefan Netschio. The club-minded and extended remix by Olaf Wollschläger is another brilliant piece of music. The remix of Human League is something special, and a real nice bonus as well. I was impressed by the monstrous sound blasts emerging from this cut. – – – : I didn’t exactly expect an EP featuring a title song from an album that has been already released one year ago now. It’s a bit strange, but you don’t really hear me complaining. The only regret about this EP maybe are some of the remixes (except the one by Olaf Wollschläger), which didn’t really add anything extra. Conclusion: “She Cried” is an exciting song to get back to the album “A Worthy Compensation”. It reveals Beborn Beton at their best reminding us of the genius of these German pop veterans. Best songs: “She Cried – Extended Club Mix by Olaf Wollschläger”, “She Cried”, “The Black Hit Of Space – Version”. Rate: (8). Band: www .bebornbeton .de / www .facebook .com /bebornbeton Label: www .dependent .de / www .facebook .com /dependent .records

Read the news on ‘She Cried’.

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

Beborn Beton to release ‘She cried’ EP as 7-track vinyl and CD

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 21 Jul 2016 17:03:12 +0000

It took Beborn Beton 9 years to complete their best album to date, “A Worthy Compensation”, which was released in late 2015. They now come up with a follow-up remix mini album, which features “She Cried”, one of the centre pieces of the album in various remixes, plus an assortment of remixes from various tracks of their comeback album. Included are “24/7 mystery” remixed by Val Solo of S.P.O.C.K., a Daniel Myer (Haujobb, Covenant) remix of “Who Watches The Watchmen?”, and a cover version of Human League’s “The Black Hit Of Space”. Also featured is Beborn Beton producer Olaf Wollschläger who also produced the club version of “She Cried”. You can order the vinyl EP right here, or the CD version right here. Full track list:

She Cried (Single Edit)
The Black Hit Of Space
She Cried (Extended Club Remix)
24/7 Mystery (Remix by Val Solo of S.P.O.C.K.)
She Cried (Zynic Remix)
Who Watches The Watchmen (Daniel Myer Remix)
She Cried (babyMax Remix)

Read the review of ‘She Cried’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Exclusive Skold interview on new ‘The Undoing’ album: ‘At some point you have to let go, and laugh at it, what are you gonna do?’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Fri, 13 May 2016 08:42:47 +0000

If it were up to Tim Sköld, you would have seen his new Skold album “The Undoing” released a while back already, but that fell apart when self-releasing didn’t work out. Our correspondent Evan South went talking with Tim, the Swedish multi-instrumentalist who, in addition to producing solo work, has also collaborated with multiple musical groups including Shotgun Messiah, KMFDM, Marilyn Manson and Motionless in White. It turned out to be a very interesting talk and probably the most complete interview ever done with the musician.

For easier lecture, we have spread it over 3 pages.

You can order “The Undoing” right here, it ships immediately!

SL: The new album “The Undoing” is already technically 2 years old. What was the reason for the delay? Were you trying to do a self-release and it fell apart?

Skold: Yeah, that’s what I did. I listened to some people that had some advice, and as we pursued those avenues I came to realize that it was not the way I wanted to go, and many moons later I am very fortunate and happy to be back with Metropolis. The 2 year thing, and I understand that, especially to young people, seems like a very long time, and it can be. I made records for a few different scenarios and setups, and working with major labels, there is no way you deliver a record and it’s going to come out within 6 or 9 months, that’s a minimum setup time for any of those labels. So it’s not unusual at all for them to take a year, or a year and a half, maybe 2 years, it’s not really that strange. Today, with the internet, it seems bizarre, but it’s kind of cool, too. At some point I decided this record was done and I’ve been hanging on to that ever since. It would have been really easy to start poking around, do little tweaks. As time goes along you hear things differently and you figure out different ways to do things but I swore a sacred oath to myself not to do so. The problem with the rabbit hole, once you start doing that, it will never be done again, and you have a Chinese Democracy scenario. I’m kind of proud of that.

SL: You were disciplined enough to not touch the record and leave it alone for the most part?

Skold: Disciplined or pig-headed? There’s a fine line. I was doing other music and working on other things, Motionless in White being one of those things. To me, the piece, it’s like a painting, it’s dried, it’s cured, why should I mess with it? I went back with an inner dialogue debating this a few times, but I decided just to stick to it.

SL: In that time frame, were you able to start on another album?

Skold: No. I was able to work on other music and in other concepts and different formats. I’ve been more or less writing, but I haven’t started work on a follow up or sequel. This record feels very pivotal for me on a personal level, whether this is something I should really be doing. It sounds funny, but I’m pretty serious. I’m not necessarily a youngster. I’ve done it a few times, the weird part about it is it’s still magic to me, it’s still really cool, I really like making and working with music. I understand that’s just fantastic, it’s a blessing! It’s all of those; I don’t even have words for it. To still be able to do that, and I think that’s because I try to treat the whole process with the respect to make it special and keep it special and not go down certain roads that are quick and easy and streamlined and sold or presented to you. I try to avoid all that stuff and go my own little side path down the maze.

SL: All of a sudden with this album you have a tour. How did you come to the conclusion that not only were you going to put this album out but you were going to tour with this?

Skold: I started toying with the idea, and thinking that this actually could translate… I even did so previously with the Anomie album in 2010, thinking that the music I make should work in a live setting. The music I make as Skold should work, at least theoretically in a live setting, and I’ve messed around, I’ve been with people in rehearsal rooms trying out things, and when it really came together was with Tiffany Lowe and Eli James. And we said “We’re going to have to do this!” Do I, at my age, a man of my stature… I’m not here to compete with 21 year olds, I can’t do that, I’m not going to pretend that I can either, I do something else, and I have a bunch of catalog that I hope a bunch of people might want to hear presented again and in a different way but still true to the originals. I have a curious little set I hope people will get off on and I have fun playing the music, and that’s what it comes down to at the end of the whole debate and analytic dissection of the proposal… It is fun to play music!

SL: You mentioned wanting to tour for Anomie, but you did not actually tour for that album, correct?

Skold: Correct.

SL: I had read a lot of interviews around that time that you were really excited to tour. Was it just not the right time, the right album, the right lineup?

Skold: Yeah, not the right people.

SL: That’s a big reason.

Skold: And I know I take ridiculous liberties with these things. I’m in a luxurious position when I can do that. I mean who the fuck can entertain the notion of sitting on a record for two years? So I’m going to do that. It’s not a guilt thing, I owe that to having been given that success, I kind of owe it to the art itself, to treat it with that respect. That it was enough to turn my back on it, and sell-out, so to speak.

SL: How did you come to work with Tiffany Lowe (keyboards) and Eli James (drums)?

Skold: I knew Tiffany socially for some time, we were introduced by mutual friends, and we started talking about it. She provided a lot of fuel for that fire, spurring me on and bringing an enthusiasm. Together we started looking for drummers, and I think she came up with Eli. She told me to check him out. We talked to a few different drummers, then we talked to Eli, and then we stopped talking to other drummers. I make it sound like it’s all complicated and convoluted, and some of it is, at the same time it’s really not. I’m fairly pure when it comes to that stuff. Some people you want to work with and some people you don’t.

SL: How did you determine the band was going to be 3 people, and not your typical 4 or 5?

Skold: I really like to play guitar, and I really like to try to sing… I have a hard time calling myself a singer. I’ve worked with Peter Murphy, what gives me the fucking right to say I’m a singer? I wanted to see if I could do that, if I could play and sing at the same time. And going back to the competing with the 21 year olds, doing things in a different way, what do I have to offer in this big picture? What could I possibly be bringing to the table? And maybe that is some of the chops that you’ve earned over a longer period of time… It also makes the song sound a little different then if you sit down and just play the guitar take, and get that done, and then you stand over there and record the vocal, sometimes it’s a little disconnected, sometimes the disconnection is a really good thing, but sometimes it’s rad to have it feel like it’s connected. There are some fantastic people that have done that stuff very, very well in the past. Jimi Hendrix hated singing, but can you fathom Jimi recording without singing? Sometimes things make sense even though you can’t justify them on a technical level. So that’s my excuse, Jimi fuckin’ Hendrix!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Metroland – Under The Roof (Digital EP – Alfa Matrix)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Thu, 12 May 2016 20:16:41 +0000

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop. Background/Info: “Under The Roof” is not just an EP taken from the newest Metroland album “Things Will Never Sound The Same Again”. It also and probably is the most symbolic title referring to their close friend Passenger L (Louis Zachert) who passed away one year ago. “Under The Roof” was Louis’ studio where all Metroland stuff was produced. Content: The title song already was one of the album’s highlights. There clearly is this typical Metroland touch getting back to 80s electro-pop standards like The Human League and of course Kraftwerk. Next to the “Radio”-edit there also is a “Headphone”-edit, both versions feature good-old EBM-driven bass lines. The B-side track is a shorter mix (cf. “Werk”-mix) of “Good Moaning”. The original version also appeared on the album and again evokes the loss of Passenger L. + + + : “Under The Roof” probably is one of the most appropriated titles of the last Metroland-album to get released as the EP-title track. I like the “Headphone”-version. – – – : Great music, but not exactly adding a real bonus if you’ve already bought the album. Conclusion: The newest work of Metroland clearly sounds as the most experimental one to date although most of the tracks remain pretty danceable. The retro-influences remain the most essential aspect of this band. Best songs: “Under The Roof – Headphone”. Rate: (7). Band: www .metrolandmusic .com / www .facebook .com /metrolandmusic Label: www .alfa –matrix .com / www .facebook .com /Alfa .Matrix

Read the news on ‘Under The Roof’.

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

Parralox – Holiday ’15 (CD Album – Conzoom Records)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Mon, 28 Mar 2016 20:10:57 +0000

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, cabaret-pop, cinematographic.

Background/Info: This is the 8^th full length released by Parralox, which remains driven by the creative mind of John Von Ahlen. The Australian band remains one of the most recognized synth-pop formations from Australia.

Content: The least I can say is that Parralox doesn’t repeat them and this album is something really apart from what they’ve done before although nothing new in history. The electro-pop approach and inspiration remains the main basis, but there also is a noticeable cabaret and cinematographic approach. This album is an ode to some of their favorite bands and that’s why it features cover versions of bands like Rational Youth, Psyche, Camouflage, Pet Shop Boys and Human League (5 covers).

“Holiday ‘15” sounds more minimal and that’s precisely the kind of cabaret-touch emerging from the composition, which also makes the originality of these covers. It has been mixed with some good-old ‘retro’ influences of the original versions. It reminds me sometimes of Marc Almond while there’s no cover of this artist. You now and then also will notice some funky arrangements and nu-disco effects adding a glitch touch to the work.

+ + + : This is an original and creative adaptation of some ‘classics’. I like the approach of the covers.

– – – : “Holiday ‘15” doesn’t exactly sound danceable and that’s maybe a pity when you have some original songs like “Being Boiled” and “Gods And Monsters” in mind.

Conclusion: The cover concept is an old formula that has been used and abused by numerous bands, but Parralox tries to achieve it with some refreshing ideas and totally reworked the original songs.

Best songs: “Gods And Monsters”, “Always On My Mind / In My House”, “I Want To See The light”, “Morale / You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling”.

Rate: (7).

Band: www .parralox .com / www .facebook .com /parralox

Label: www .conzoomrecords .de / www .facebook .com /conzoomofficial

Inferno Sound Diaries

www.side-line.com

Imagine a map featuring the history of electronic music… it exists!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 21:40:01 +0000

(All pictures by Dorothy) A map featuring the history of electronic music (albeit without dates), who could ever have imagined that someone would create that. Well, it does exist alright and is called “Electric Love Blueprint – A History of Electronic Music” and is for sale for 35 UK£ at Dorothy, a Manchester based art shop annex studio.

The 60 x 80cm big poster is based on the circuit board of a theremin, one of the first electronic musical instruments ever built. The blueprint features over 200 inventors, innovators, artists, composers and musicians who (in the opinion of designer James Quail) have been pivotal to the evolution of electronic music from the invention of the earliest known sound recording device in 1857 to the present day.

Key pioneers featured in the map include the usual suspects Léon Theremin, Bob Moog, Karlheinz Stockhausen, John Cage, Brian Eno, Kraftwerk and Aphex Twin. The print loosely groups genres, from the obscure Musique Concrète (Pierre Schaeffer) to the better known Krautrock (Kraftwerk, Can, Tangerine Dream, Neu!, Faust, Cluster, Harmonia and Amon Düül II) synthpop (Gary Numan, Human League, Depeche Mode, Yazoo and Pet Shop Boys) and electronica (New Order, The Prodigy, Massive Attack, LCD Sound System and Daft Punk).

There are also references to the experimental BBC Radiophonic Workshop and the record labels Mute and Warp.

A pity it totally forgets the industrial & ebm scene with such artists as Front 242, Nitzer Ebb, Die Krupps, Skinny Puppy etc which all have had a huge impact. Let’s see who will create a more complete map…

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

side-line.com

Train To Spain – What It’s All About (CD Album – Sub Culture Records)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Tue, 28 Jul 2015 06:35:43 +0000

Genre/Influences: Synth-pop.

Content: The self-released EP “The Perfect Match” was a rather promising beginning for the Swedish duo Train To Spain. They now joined Sub Culture Records on, which they already released the digital EP “Keep On Running”.

The debut album “What It’s All About” features 11 songs. Six tracks were taken from “The Perfect Match” while we also get 5 new songs. Train To Spain finds their influences in the magic of the 80s electronic music. The band name was directly taken from a Human League song. That’s also an indication about inspiring bands. The typical vintage touch throughout the songs makes the essence of this album.

There’s nothing really innovative, but you can feel a real passion for electronic music. It comes through in the well-crafted and carrying melody lines and the global catchy aspect of the songs. The majority of the bass lines are quite alluring and that typical again for the 80s electro-pop formula. But the sound also reveals a modern approach by some cool filtered sound treatments. One of the new tracks (cf. “Pressure”) is a very efficient cut in the genre.

But the most promising tracks are two other new cuts. “Remind Myself” is somewhat evasive, but still driven by familiar pop vibes. “Martin David And Fletch” is the other attention grabber. It’s a great and danceable electro-wave composition featuring the fragile and sterile vocals of Helena Wigeborn. The song and the vocals remind me a bit of Sara Noxx.

Among the ‘familiar’ songs I can highly recommend the opening piece “Blipblop” (which was released as the title song of a digital EP by Juggernaut Music as well) for its global elaboration and the sweet female vocals. “Screw It Up” remains another attention grabber. It’s a fully danceable, but well-crafted piece of pop. A last song I want to mention is “Passion” for the more into ‘made in Sweden’ label reminding me of a band like Spock.

Conclusion: Train To Spain hasn’t missed with their debut album and reveals one more talented formation from Sweden.

Best songs: “Martin David And Fletch”, “Remind Myself”, “Blipblop”, “Screw It Up”, “Passion”.

Rate: (DP:8)DP.

Band: www.traintospain.se / www.facebook.com/pages/Train-To-Spain/252355014792419

Label: www.subculture.no / www.facebook.com/norwegiansubculture

Inferno Sound Diaries