It struck me that this new work by Hybryds appears 40 years after their first release. Sandy Nys has remained the helmsman throughout the years, while in recent times strengthening the band with the addition of Peter De Koning. On this new, expanded work, Hybryds draw inspiration from an imaginary Viking story. And whoever says Vikings immediately thinks of rituals—and when it comes to Ritual music, one quickly ends up with Hybryds.

Nothing new, some might think, but musically this record managed to surprise me completely. You will find familiar ingredients, such as a distinct Ritual and Tribal atmosphere that can at times lead you into a trance-like state. There is also, of course, the phenomenal voice of Madeline Arndt, which has never sounded so ethereal, passionate, sensual, bewitching, and above all, enchanting. Yet this album—particularly its first part—is characterized by unexpected, heavy Metal-Industrial guitar riffs. This creates an unprecedented effect that Hybryds masterfully blends with their other influences. The atmosphere that resonates throughout remains mysterious, at times slightly Eastern in feel, but above all rooted in the Belgian band’s Ritual approach.

The second part of the record is once again extensive, yet stylistically different. Here, guitar playing is used only sporadically, as the music leans more toward Techno-Trance. The Tribal and Ritual elements remain present, but are generally fused into a surprising and highly danceable whole that occasionally comes very close to dance music. The heavenly vocals here even remind me somewhat of certain moments from Delerium. Throughout the album, male backing vocals can also be heard—harsh and passionate—forming a compelling contrast with the female voice.

Hybryds deliver a remarkably surprising record featuring 36 tracks in which they retain their core sound while allowing it to evolve through unexpected influences. It is difficult to say whether this ranks among their very best albums, as it does not always sound entirely like Hybryds. Nevertheless, it is undoubtedly a successful artistic challenge—one that I can thoroughly enjoy. (Rating:9).

Listen to “Iron Axe”:

https://hybrydsmusic.bandcamp.com/track/iron-axe

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

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Belgian ritual-industrial project Hybryds is trying to reconstruct the Belgian industrial archive on YouTube after the platform took it down. The band’s YouTube channel once held rare footage from Belgium’s industrial scene in the 1980s and 1990s, including material connected to artists such as Klinik and Dirk Ivens.

In an email sent to Side-Line Sandy Nys (Hybryds) says YouTube removed the channel after what it described as an AI flag for “nudity,” and that no meaningful appeal followed.

The band also told us that backups had survived for years, but that both hard drives failed after about 25 years. “It’s a strong reminder of how fragile digital memory is – without constant care and preservation, even valuable history can disappear overnight.” Nys now plans to re-digitize the original VHS tapes and rebuild what can still be recovered.

UPDATE: In a follow-up email, Nys tells us that they will be uploading all of the content on this Arvhive.org space.

This case again shows that ownership of data has become extremely difficult today and can be quite volatile when you have to rely on external platforms such YouTube. The same goes for Facebook, Instagram, X, … There is simply no guarantee that your content (or even account) will stay alive and kicking in the long run.

About Hybryds

Hybryds is a Belgian project centered on Sandy Nys. The act has been active since the mid-1980s and is known for ritual, mythical and industrial electronic work. Its history reaches back to the cassette-era Belgian underground and later expanded through a broader circle of collaborators, including Peter De Koning.

Nys’ career began with the 1986 cassette “Mythical Music From The 21st Century.” Later releases included “Music For Rituals” in 1992, “The Ritual Of The Rave” in 1995, “Cortex Stimulation” in 1996 and “Electric Voodoo” in 2002. More recent releases include “Mythopia” in 2021, “Mythopia, the Sequel” in 2024, “In the Wake of the Witch – extended release” in 2024 and “Mythopia The radioplay remix album” in 2024.

You may also want to read our recent interview with Sandy Nys from Hybryds.

For a more complete discography, check the list below.

• 1986: “Mythical Music From The 21st Century” (cassette)
• 1991-1992: “The Ritual Should Be Kept Alive, Part 1”, “Music For Rituals”, “The Ritual Should Be Kept Alive, Part 2”
• 1994: “The Rhythm Of The Ritual”, “The Atavistic Fetisj” (EP)
• 1995: “Soundtrack For The Aquarium: Antwerp Zoo”, “The Ritual Of The Rave”
• 1996: “Cortex Stimulation”, “Dreamscapes From A Dark Side”, “Mistrust Authority – Promote Decentralisation”, “Madhr” (split with The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath A Cloud)
• 1997: “Ein Phallischer Gott”, “Clavis” (with Nebulon), “Live”
• 1998: “Tectonic Overload”
• 2000: “Virtual Impact”
• 2002: “Electric Voodoo”, “Tryptykh”, “Lust” (EP)
• 2008: “Dreambient”
• 2009: “Ritual Anthology”
• 2010: “Urban Rhythms Urban Rituals”
• 2013: “The Silent Whisper”, “Hybryds versus Weydas”
• 2015: “The Ritual Should Be Kept Alive”
• 2017: “Only Darkness”
• 2022: “Mythopia”, plus the Bandcamp reissue of “The Ritual Should Be Kept Alive – part 1”
• 2024: “Mythopia, the sequel.”, “In the wake of the Witch – extended release”, “Mythopia The radioplay remix album”, “I am the eye of Horus”
• 2025: “The ritual of the drum- mini album!”, “Desert of white salt”, “Live at Stubnitz boat 2002.”
• 2026: “Fire and Ice – Part 1”, plus Bandcamp archive uploads of “The ritual of the rave (DAFT – 1995)”, “Cortex Stimulation (DAFT – 1996)”, and “Electric Voodoo (DAFT – 2002)”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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I had been mulling over the idea for some time of dedicating a more extensive interview to the early Industrial and Electro experiments of the 1980s. From an early age, I was drawn to that music, which felt like a direct counter-movement to the more commercial trends I found incredibly boring as a teenager—and still do today. As a result, I immersed myself in obscure sounds from even more obscure artists such as Test Department, Bourbonese Qualk, Z’Ev, Muslimgauze, Zaghurim, Zero Kama ao, but also bands like Die Form, The Klinik, Cabaret Voltaire, and even Front 242 in their early years. It didn’t just sound different; there was a clear sense of genuine passion behind it. Music and engagement went hand in hand—a unity that, over the years, I have seen gradually fade away. Growing increasingly nostalgic, this realization inspired me to conduct an interview on the subject. When I heard a fantastic podcast by Hybryds‘s Sandy Nys a few months ago about the early days of Klinik, I immediately knew I had found the perfect conversation partner.

In this extensive interview, Sandy reflects on his lifelong journey in the Belgian Industrial and Electro scene, from the DIY experimentation of the 1980s to his current projects with Hybryds and Rabbits Wear Boots. Across decades of performances, collaborations, and underground creativity, Sandy offers an unfiltered view of the artistic, social, and political forces that shaped his music. Readers are invited to explore not only the evolution of Industrial music but also the philosophy and ritualistic intent behind Sandy’s work. This interview preserves the artist’s voice intact, including personal, provocative, and deeply reflective insights, accompanied by links to music, performances, and podcasts referenced throughout. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Sandy Nys (Hybryds) interview

Q: In the lead-up to this interview, you told me you prefer talking about the past rather than the present. That suits me perfectly, as that is exactly my intention. Are you nostalgic about the past? And how do you perceive the present, especially musically?

Sandy: Don’t we all become nostalgic as we grow older? Even my grandfather used to say, ‘Everything was better in the past’, despite having lived through two so-called ‘great wars’. I experience the present as profoundly dark. Music has lost its social function. It has been reduced to rhythm alone: dancing in order to forget that Western civilization is decaying. The Occident is burning, while the Neros of our time casually play their harps and watch the apocalypse unfold.

Politics has become the whore of religion. I HATE the monotheistic religion. Feelings such as hatred, aversion, or disgust toward cultural principles that don’t belong in a secular West and modern world have suddenly become legally punishable. You are no longer allowed to say anything about Islam (Islamophobia!) or about the genocide carried out by Israel (antisemitism!). You are no longer allowed to express certain feelings; instead, you are expected to conform to a left-green-woke moral framework. If you don’t, you’re immediately demonized as a racist or fascist. The ‘left’ has become the new fascism.

The technology I once believed would bring individual creative freedom has turned into a digital prison. People are reduced to data points, monitored and sanctioned by a Big Brother state. Social media has transformed human beings into zombies living for likes, chained to the opium of their screens.

In the 1960s, music often functioned as protest. Punk did the same a decade later. Today, however, I see no Electronic music acts daring to take a political stance that goes against imposed norms. I am deeply disappointed in the Belgian Electro scene. Even backstage, mentioning religion, or Islam in relation to politics, will get you labeled a Nazi. That is the result of decades of media indoctrination.

We are expected to accept ‘diversity’ being forced upon us, and to silently watch Islam—the most backward and pathological form of monotheistic religion—advance through Western society. Out of fear of being called racist? Out of cowardice? Or simply out of ignorance about what mass immigration is doing?

Q: I’ll get straight to the point: for me, Industrial music as we knew it in the 1980s is largely gone except for a few rare, obscure artists who still retain some Industrial elements. Do you share that view, and how have you seen Industrial music evolve over the years?

Sandy: Absolutely. Real, dark, uncompromising Industrial music today is almost exclusively made by older artists. Genocide Organ is still active, and to me that is pure Industrial pleasure. Occasionally, I still discover interesting work on obscure compilations, but Industrial as it existed ‘back then’ is no longer being made. Nine Inch Nails is now commonly labeled Industrial, but to me it’s simply Rock music with electronics.

Q: What I found so compelling about the Industrial scene of the 1980s was its creativity: people were building their own instruments, often from scrap metal, and experimenting without limits. What was driving that spirit, and how do you remember that period of creation and composition?

Sandy: Quite simply: I had no money to buy synthesizers. My first recordings were made with a Tandy stereo microphone, a small Tandy mixer without EQ, and three cassette decks, one of which could record at double speed and therefore played back at half speed. And, of course, everything that made noise was fair game.

I wanted to make music that didn’t exist yet. Friends of mine played in Rock or Punk bands, but what was the point of doing the same thing? I had always been fascinated by sound itself. In the 1970s, you could sometimes borrow records from an older, slightly unhinged friend: German Krautrock, Fripp & Eno, Guru Guru, Tonto’s Expanding Head Band. And of course Pink Floyd, one of the most formative influences of my youth. These artists broke away from conventional musical structures. That gave me far more satisfaction than Rock, Pop, or anything formulaic.

Q: Beyond the music itself, there was often a strong underlying ideology that fueled many artists think of SPK, Test Dept, Cabaret Voltaire, Throbbing Gristle, and others touching among others on political, social, religious, sexual, and psychological themes. At times, this seemed just as important as the music itself. How did you experience this, and what inspired and motivated you back then?

Sandy: Back then, you were still allowed to criticize politics and religion. The oil crises of the 1970s suddenly made the world feel bleak. We had all read Orwell’s “1984”. Ronald Reagan was threatening nuclear annihilation in order to destroy communism. The CCC was planting bombs in the name of liberation. The Brabant Killers spread terror throughout Belgium. Punk reacted directly against politics. Industrial went deeper, it allowed us to cut into the human psyche itself.

Today, that is no longer possible. A left, woke minority elite has weaponized the media as an Orwellian sword of Damocles, ready to decapitate anyone who refuses to conform. As a convinced and combative atheist, I am regularly threatened and insulted, labeled a Nazi or racist.

Hybryds arose because of my hate of religion. And religion became politics. The other members of Hybryds do not want to take a political stance with music. That is precisely why I started my solo project Rabbits Wear Boots. Fuck religion. Resist!

“Fuck Religion” videoclip:

https://archive.org/details/fuck-religion_202604

“We Are Not A Number” videoclip:

https://archive.org/details/rabbits-not-a-number-kl-sd-480p

Q: Industrial music in the 80s also stood out for its intense and uncompromising live performances, which, in my opinion, often seemed as important as the music itself. Was this a conscious choice? What was the purpose of these performances, and how essential was that aspect for you?

Sandy: Music is the expression of emotion, and emotion is best communicated physically. What happened on stage intensified the music. I remember Bourbonese Qualk performing at the Monty cinema, where they built a massive construction the audience had to walk through, which slowly collapsed during the performance. Or SPK, where metal barrels were suddenly thrown into the audience and then played among them.

La Fura Dels Baus turned the audience into part of the performance through brutal theatre and sound. They brought the underground to a broader public. I remember bourgeois spectators screaming and fleeing as blood and entrails rolled through the venue. And then there was Club Moral, where everything shocking and extreme could be witnessed.

Boundaries were crossed. Creativity intensified. Much of that has disappeared. The laptop replaced the group. There are still worthwhile initiatives, Porta Nigra in Aarschot still programs an interesting underground, but compared to the early 1980s, everything feels disturbingly well-behaved.

Q: Belgium was undoubtedly a productive, and above all high-quality, breeding ground for Electro and Industrial music. I have always associated this with the very specific international and national context of that era: cold war, rising unemployment, the terror caused by the CCC, the Brabant Killers, and a highly turbulent political climate. Why do you think Belgium became such fertile ground for this kind of music, and how did that context influence your own work?

Sandy: In the early 1980s, Antwerp was marked by violent polarization, especially with the rise of Vlaams Belang (extreme-right wing). There were literal street battles between left and right, arson attacks like the burning of the so-called ‘leftist’ King Kong cinema.

I never felt attracted to political movements. For me, the left meant Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot. The right meant Hitler, Mussolini, Franco. The same garbage in different packaging.

What affected me more was the global atmosphere of fear. Ronald Reagan, the cowboy, threatening nuclear destruction. American missiles deployed in Europe. And already in the 1970s, the Strasbourg Resolution had opened the door to the Islamization of Europe, officially enshrining the ‘enrichment’ of Arab culture and values. Our politicians sold their own people as livestock in exchange for petroleum.

These tensions created fertile ground for subversive counter-movements worldwide, not just in Belgium. Belgium already had a reputation for Electronic music through New-Beat, but that scene was purely about dancing.

Q: Some readers may not realize that you were already very active at the time, with Maniacs as your musical outlet before your later collaborations with The Klinik and Absolute Body Control. What can you tell us about those early experiences, and what did Maniacs stand for?

Sandy: I wanted to create music that didn’t exist yet. Why make Punk, Rock, or Pop, genres being mass-produced and force-fed to us? For me, music was sound, and sound affects the human brain. My fascination with Ritual was already strong. When I was sixteen, I visited my parents in Africa and witnessed a fertility ritual in a little village. For a young white boy, that experience was overwhelming.

In so-called ‘primitive’ cultures, music is used to reach higher states of consciousness. My early Electro-Acoustic pieces were a form of purification, tools to reach altered states. Music was not a song or a composition; it had to provoke a physical reaction.

Sound is vibration on an atomic level. Everything has a frequency. And vibration can influence reality.

Q: Eventually, the rather unique project Absolute Controlled Clinical Maniacs came into existence, which originated from a performance in Norway. How did the collaboration between all those people come about? Who contributed what, and how were the compositions developed? Was there a shared ideology or philosophy behind it?

Sandy: Through my cassette label, I became involved with Radio Centraal in Antwerp—a free radio station overflowing with anarchistic creativity. That’s where I met the Electro underground: Mark Burghgraeve, Dirk Ivens, Eric Van Wontergem, Mark Verhaegen, Gin Devo. People with synthesizers, drum machines, sequencers, creating an entirely new sound.

When Jürgen Knudsen invited me to perform in Norway, I asked Dirk and Mark to join me. We merged our material and traveled as one entity: Maniacs, Absolute Body Control, and Klinik combined. The LP recorded there, financed by that performance, was released as “Sabotage” – Klinik on my cassette label and exploded like a bomb.

A shared ideology? The sense that the world was drowning in darkness. You can hear that in the sound fragments embedded in Klinik’s early work.

Netwerk: Podcast: Klinik early years:

https://archive.org/details/klinik-netwerk-podcast-sd-480p

Q: The music from that Norwegian performance was later released under the name The Klinik. Was this mainly due to Marc Verhaeghen’s influence and contribution, or what was the real reason behind that decision?

Sandy: Mark Verhaegen had already performed under the names Spier Relaxance and Klinik with Mark Burghgraeve. Klinik was simply a name that resonated—it sounded right.

Pre-Klinik: (Mark Verhaegen& Mark Burghgraeve)

Q: What was the common ground and underlying bond between all the members of Absolute Controlled Clinical Maniacs, and how did that evolve over time? Did you stay in touch, and what remains today of that early collaboration?

Sandy: Common ground? The love for Electronic music, of performing and expressing our feelings. Marc Verhaegen, however, was not an easy person to work with, and Klinik quickly became a duo of Dirk and Mark. My interest in Ritual and Trance didn’t really fit the concept either. Dirk and Eric became my lifelong friends. Dirk’s label DAFT released Hybryds and we toured and performed many times together. Mark later developed psychological problems, apparently, he does little more than play video games now. A pity, because he was a musical genius.

Q: You recently launched a podcast featuring a great deal of music from that era, including versions of well-known Klinik tracks that many listeners had never heard before. Was there ever a concrete plan to officially release this material?

Sandy: All recordings from that period belong to Klinik. Dirk made a selection some time ago, which was released in the Klinik box set.

Q: In the 80s, the concept of the ‘underground’ was, in my view, a culture in itself—rarely discussed and often misunderstood by mainstream media. What are your own memories of that underground scene, and what does the term still mean to you today?

Sandy: The underground probably still exists, though today it seems largely reduced to illegal raves. Back then, it encompassed everything: dance, painting, poetry, music—it was a total creative ecosystem.

In Antwerp, this took place in squats, galleries, abandoned halls, cafés, private homes. It was an extremely intense period. There was always something subversive happening—something that challenged moral norms and authority. Art and music were weapons.

A good example was Radio Centraal, run in its early days by the anarchist Peter De Ceulaer, who became my closest friend. There were insane happenings: men and women locked in toilets for days with only a microphone broadcasting their conversations 24/7.

https://archive.org/…/radio-centraal-toilet-project-sd…

When SABAM interfered with free radio, a week-long marathon of live music by Radio Centraal members was broadcast.

https://archive.org/det…/radio-centraal-anti-sabam-sd-480p

At night, open microphones broadcast vacuum cleaners, cleaning crews, city sounds, drunken ramblings, many thought it was Electronic composition. Total freedom. Peter died far too young; his excesses likely played a role.

Today, Radio Centraal has become a hollow, left-woke station. I was asked to revive “Netwerk” as a podcast. The first episode, about religion and atheism, was banned for being offensive. The second, about Klaus Schwab’s “The Great Reset”, was banned as ‘conspiracy theory’.

https://www.mixcloud.com/…/netwerk-20-podcast-religie…

https://www.mixcloud.com/…/netwerk-the-great-reset…

Q: You mentioned your own show on Radio Centraal in Antwerp. Together with a handful of fanzines and small magazines, this formed a crucial platform for discovering music and exchanging information. How important was this for you, and how do you look back on that period?

Sandy: It was everything. There was no internet. A global underground network emerged through Xeroxed magazines and cassette tapes. Politics, sex, music, everything circulated outside mainstream control. It was total creative freedom. Nearly thirty years later, this culture is finally being rediscovered online. My radio show was called “Netwerk”.

Netwerk archive:

https://www.mixcloud.com/…/netwerk-2-november-1989…

Martin Franklin’s podcast series documents this beautifully:

https://cassetteculturepodcast.com/cassettes-on-the…

Q: I also recall that until the early 1990s, there was a strong interaction between different art forms, sometimes resulting in ‘total concepts’ presented in unusual locations. Today, artists seem to work far more in isolation. Has that interdisciplinary connection become rare, or am I romanticizing the past?

Sandy: Yes, that interdisciplinary connection has almost disappeared. ‘TraumaSutra’ and Peter Geysels still do interdisciplinary work, but in the 1980s this was constant. Now it happens only sporadically.

Interdisciplinary performance by TraumaSutra & Peter Geysels:

https://archive.org/details/liminal-harmony-sd-480p

Q: Around that same period, you also started Hybryds, which sounded like a completely different musical direction. What were the origins of this project, and what was the underlying concept?

Sandy: My parents were always traveling around the world. I was raised by my grandparents in a Catholic environment. My childhood was dominated by Catholic trauma: nuns, priests, guilt, fear, corporal punishment. Monotheism poisoned our minds early on, because for Catholics, everyone is a sinner.

When I was 12 and my parents were for a while back in Belgium, they sent me to an Atheneum in the big city, where I suddenly had to attend ethics classes. A world opened up. Long time ago, the moon landing on a small black-and-white TV had made a huge impression on me; of course I wanted to become an astronaut. I was obsessed with rockets and space travel. My parents took me to the cinema to see “2001: A Space Odyssey”. I didn’t understand the story, but I sat there with my mouth open. A visual and musical trip. That was the first time I realized that music could manipulate body and mind.

The city library gave me a new universe. Books replaced religion: “Chariots Of The Gods” by Von Däniken, Charroux, Kolosimo. At thirteen, I became a convinced atheist, through access to information alone.

Later, at the Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, art became my tool for understanding existence. I taught myself airbrushing, made large political and philosophical graffiti on paper, exhibited at Het Pannenhuis and small galleries. Later I worked as a graphic designer at the zoo, and Hybryds emerged as an art project centered on ritual, paganism, and pre- monotheistic religion. A way to understand and give meaning to the world. Working at the zoo with the smell of aroused tigers, the heat of the snake enclosures, the yellow eyes of crocodiles. It had an immensely deep meaning—an atavistic primal feeling you could never experience as a visitor. It reconnected me to ritual I once attended in Africa. We even composed Electronic Soundtracks for zoo exhibitions and performed in the zoo.

In the 1990s, Hybryds became a duo with Leen Smets (Yasnaïa), balancing Ritual and Cyber-Punk influences inspired by William Gibson.

Mistrust Authority, Promote Decentralisation: Cyperpunk.

https://archive.org/details/hybryds-stubnitz-cyber-kl

We often collaborated with others like Vidna Obmana, Ah Cama Sotz, Djen Ajakan S. The ritual should be kept alive:

https://archive.org/details/hybryds-nurnberg-93-sd-480p

Yasnaia also had her solo project.:

https://archive.org/details/yasnaia-dream-unfinished

From 2000 onwards, I performed solo as Hybryds for a while, then met Madeline in Germany, who became the new singer/musician. Later Peter De Koning joined, and we gradually became a group again. Music emerged from long hardware improvisations, later shaped into compositions in the studio. With Peter as a multi-instrumentalist and percussionist, Hybryds returned to being a Ritual group. Initially, the DAW was just a tape recorder; Peter taught me to use it as an instrument. During COVID, I fully embraced the DAW, which also led to my solo project Rabbits Wear Boots, a necessary outlet for political and religious anger that HYBRYDS could not accommodate.

Q: A subject I consider extremely important today is artistic freedom, or rather, the limitation of that freedom through algorithms and the influence they may have on younger generations. Should we be concerned about the future of art?

Sandy: Artistic freedom is nearly gone. The left-green woke monster has reached the point where even having an idea that differs from their norm is punishable. Algorithms decide what you see. Big Tech shapes behavior. Our original Hybryds Facebook page was deleted because of a naked breast in an artwork. The MOTHERGODDESS is a very important symbol in my concept. That is why my artwork depicts the erotic female, the witch, the priestess, the prostitute, the mother, the girl. LILITH, every woman is a demon and a goddess. She symbolizes the fear of female autonomy by the monotheistic religion and the admiration of her power in the Pagan world.

“Fire And Ice”; an imaginary mythical story about Vikings & strong woman (on Bandcamp) erotic

clip:

https://archive.org/details/voices-with-force-18-sd-480p

People scroll, like, climax, and forget. A video clip gets eight seconds of attention. Zombies. It’s terrifying that algorithms decide what you are allowed to see. I’m convinced they steer you in directions chosen by Big Tech, not what you want, but what Big Tech wants you to see. The younger generation is being led like sheep to the slaughterhouse of the Matrix. The digital world is becoming a prison, run by governments and Big Tech. I fear not just for art, but for humanity itself.

Q: Which artists, groups, or collectives from the early 80s Industrial scene stand out the most to you today?

Sandy: Genocide Organ, Throbbing Gristle, SPK, Einstürzende Neubauten, Catharsis.

Q: In the 1980s, artists performed with oil drums, grinding wheels, and hammers, while today many acts perform behind a laptop, yet it’s still called Industrial. Did I miss something, or has the genre fundamentally changed?

Sandy: Yes. Everything is on laptops now. Much is lost live. Some acts still deliver power and action on stage, Front 242, Dive, Vomito Negro, but subversion is gone. They’re too busy staying politically correct.

Q: More than forty years later, what do you still recognize of the young Sandy Nys in your musical approach today?

Sandy: The ritual, the trance I was searching for making music that can take me to other dimensions. “The Ritual of the Witch” on Zoharum is, for me, a very strong and pure Hybryds sound, but with contemporary influences of Techno and Trance.

“Ritual For Pazazu”:

https://archive.org/details/ritual-for-pazazu-kl

Q: So much has changed over the years. What have you gained from all these changes, and what, if anything, do you miss?

Sandy: Recording quality has improved enormously. You can now make recordings at home that required an expensive studio in the 1980s. What I miss are the many mail-order shops in the Netwerk past and physical discovery. It is all digital on Bandcamp now and Spotify is a scam for independent artists. We removed our music from Spotify, but someone else seems to have uploaded Hybryds albums again.

Q: The subject of AI fascinates me, but it also frightens me when it comes to creativity. Where does genuine human creativity fit into this future?

Sandy: I’ve been working with AI for video clips for some time now, and it’s a learning process. You have to describe what you want in very image-rich language. Even now, a three-minute clip takes me a week, creating images, rendering, editing in Final Cut Pro. It doesn’t come ready-made from AI, and the images remain clearly recognizable as AI.

I now work more with my own photos as a basis for the video clips.

The theme: The seven deadly sins. A collaboration between Hybryds (music) and Miss PolyEster (text and vocals). Apocalyptic poetry topped with a BDSM sauce.

“Seven Deadly Sins” will be released in 2026 on Zoharum.

Two versions: digipack and limited edition with erotic art book by Hybryds:

https://archive.org/details/hybryds-pain-kl-sd-480p

“The Seven Deadly Sins.18+ version”:

https://archive.org/details/htbryds-glutony-kl-sd-480p

https://archive.org/details/greed-rated-sd-480p

AI in music: Sumo is trying to create a new kind of DAW with AI, it’s far from perfect, but there are possibilities. AI can help refine ideas, fine-tune, work with stems and more tracks—that will be the future. What we hear now is still plastic perfection, an airbrushed version of what music should be.

I see the future as bleak. AI is already used for deepfakes and lies, things indistinguishable from reality. What are we supposed to believe? Disinformation will become both the greatest truth and the greatest deception of the digital world.

Q: You remain very active with Hybryds. How do you approach composition today, and how do you see this evolving?

Sandy: In the old days, I mainly worked with acoustic elements manipulated through tape speed and my first Korg sampler/delay. Later came synths, drum machines, sequencers, they’re still in our studio and used when the group comes together (“I Am The Eye Of Horus” is an example).

https://hybrydsmusic.bandcamp.com/…/i-am-the-eye-of-horus

But during COVID I dove into my DAW (Logic Pro), and that’s now my main way of working. I can do everything alone, send stems to Germany for vocals, or have TraumaSutra add parts later. It makes me far more productive and versatile than working only with hardware.

Q: Finally, what advice would someone from your generation, who stood at the cradle of Industrial music in Belgium, give to newcomers today?

Sandy: It’s getting harder and harder, everything has already been done. In the 1960s, music was a language of protest against the establishment. Industrial went deeper into the human psyche. Now everything is ‘woked’, weighed, and filtered to fit algorithms. Subversiveness has disappeared. I feel Industrial no longer exists. I don’t know what could replace it.

My advice: don’t follow rules or norms. Fuck woke. Do not believe ‘left’ nor ‘right’ political systems. Think for yourself. Create different personas, never use your real name on the internet. Throw your smartphone in the trash, use an old mobile phone. Use a VPN to connect to the internet. Try to create something that doesn’t yet exist. Don’t march with the digital media masses. The world is ruled by Big Tech and multi national corporations. Making the masses homogeneous, stripping them of identity and culture to control them more easily. Keep fighting that. Be individual and unique. Don’t be afraid. Reclaim your freedom of speech.

“WE HAVE A CITY TO BURN!”:

https://archive.org/details/rabbits-city-to-burn-kl-sd-480p

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

Hybryds remains a remarkably productive and innovative project. Sandy Nijs (aka Magthea), has been active for nearly 40 years. However, his collaboration with Peter De Koning (aka TraumaSutra) has brought a renewed creative energy to the project. This resurgence is evident in their latest production, which immediately immerses the listener in a captivating Ritualistic soundscape where Tribal and Trance elements blend seamlessly. The contributions of female vocalists Katharina G and Madeline Arndt, along with special guest singer Demon Pazuzu, heighten the Ritual aspect of the music. The instrumentation and overall atmosphere evoke the feeling of stepping into another dimension, delivering an authentic and entirely unique sound. Hybryds continues to set itself apart with a level of quality that few projects achieve. The digital release also includes bonus instrumental tracks, adding extra depth for listeners. Once again, Hybryds demonstrates its evolution and commitment to creating high-caliber, genre-defying work that continues to push boundaries. (Rating:8½).

Listen to “In My Darkest Hour”:

https://hybrydsmusic.bandcamp.com/track/in-my-darkest-hour

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-Techno, Tribal-Dance.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Two years after the  surprising debut-album “Transhuman Dystopia” we get new work from Rabbits Wear Boots. This project is the ‘dance’ version of Hybryds, the legendary Belgian Tribal/Ritual/Industrial project by Sandy Nijs aka ‘Magthea’.

Content: All I can say is that the new work moves on from where “Transhuman Dystopia” stopped; pure Dance energy mixing different Techno-driven elements together. From Dark-Techno to Psy-Trance to Minimal-Techno and pure Experimental, groovy, passages this work is recovered with multiple spoken samplings featuring passages with mystic, female, chants.

+ + + : What I like in this project is the ‘no nonsense’ attitude; this is pure fun, but also great stuff to dance on. It sounds diversified so in the end it’s rather difficult considering it has been all composed by the same musician. I like the mystic side of “Artificial Cybergenic” but also the powerful “Bright Future” driven by a solid, and somewhat EBM bass line. 

– – – : The work is maybe a bit too versatile but honestly, I don’t care.. and as the title indicates: “No Style No Rules’!

Conclusion: If you’re not into Techno music Rabbits Wear Boots gone make you love it!

Best songs: “Artificial Cybergenic”, “Bright Future”, “Deep Dark”.

Rate: 8.

Artist & Label: www.facebook.com/rabbitswearboots

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Ritual, Tribal, Cinematic, Industrial, Minimal-Electro.

Format: Digital, CDR.

Background/Info: Sandy Nijs aka ‘Magthea’ and Peter De Koning (TraumaSutra) are back on track unleashing a ‘sequel’ to their “Mythopia”-album (2021). Assisted by female singers Madeline Arndt and Katharina Galgareipi they bring us ten new cuts plus two bonus cuts on the digital version.  

Content: Hybryds sound different since the “Mythopia”-album and yet it remains Hybryds because of the explicit Ritual and Tribal touch. But the sound became more diversified and open-minded which becomes even more noticeable on this new work. There’s a true sonic osmosis between different elements; moving from the good-old and familiar Ritual/Tribal/Industrial sound to pure Minimal-Electronics and other Cinematic parts. The mystic and heavenly female vocals on top of the work accentuate the dark sensual side of Hybryds by adding a graceful, mystic, flavor.

+ + + : All influences together are sometimes leading to a transcendental experience. Hybryds have evolved and that’s a damned good thing. There’s a true chemistry between Sandy Nijs and Peter De Koning resulting in a kind of Hybryd.2 sound; still recognizable and yet exploring new paths. But there still is the mystic and mysterious touch which made Hybryds that famous. I’m still more into these Ritual/Tribal influences which are emerging from the great opener “Renth To Ranise” and “The Shepherd” but also cuts like “Feel The Pulse Of My Beat” and “Into The Valley”. The female vocals remain a real essential part of the sound DNA.

– – – : Hybryds will maybe become less recognizable for ‘early’ fans of the project but I like the ‘new’ sound.

Conclusion: I’m still convinced there’s not enough projects like Hybryds although they’ve never been that diversified.

Best songs: “Feel The Pulse Of My Beat”, “Renth To Ranise”, “Into The Valley”, “The Shepherd”, “Sky Gods”, “Cultural Extinction”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist & Label: www.hybrydsprentenkabinet.be / www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100048472162085

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-Techno, Trance

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Rabbits Wear Boots is a new Belgian project set up by Sandy Nijs aka ‘Magthea’, known from his long-time involvement with Hybryds. He describes this new project as ‘the dancefloor version of the Hybryds’. The debut album features seventeen songs. The promo copy is a shorter version.

Content: Rabbits Wear Boots is a crazy project revealing a wide spectrum of Techno influences reminding me of the famous 90s Frankfurter scene. The tracks also feature Trance passages and more sophisticated elements. It’s first of all an album to dance! The songs are rather extended, and you’ll even find some extra extended mixes. 

+ + + : This album sounds like the Hybryds losing control, but it’s a damned good sensation. This album took me by surprise. I first of all like the Techno/Trance fusion with multiple robotic voices on top. But I also like the cold atmosphere and different extra influences like a solid EBM bass line and a passage with Tribal elements. Sandy Nijs explored a new sonic path and, in a way, reinvented himself as musician. I should never have expected him to compose this kind of music and the least I can say is that he accomplished a fantastic job. “I Am Cyborg” which sounds as the title track (listen to the robotic voice) of the work is a true masterpiece driven by a solid EBM bass line, an irresistible retro-lead and other 90s Techno influences plus a beating kick. But there are more great songs like the intelligently composed “City To Burn” and “Why Are You Here?”. I also must mention “Nightvision” for the Tribal arrangements.

– – – : A few songs are maybe a bit rudimentary while some of the last songs from the album (not the promo copy I got) are less kicking, but there’s no real reason to complaining.

Conclusion: Magthea was already a Tribal shaman, but he transposed himself now into a great Techno/Trance druid. This is pure fun with a healing effect!

Best songs: “I Am Cyborg”, “City To Burn”, “Why are You Here?”, “Not A Number”, “Sensual Synthetic”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/Rabbits-wear-boots-101312018822815

Label: www.3rioart.be

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

Sandy Nijs aka ‘Magthea’ started composing music in the early 80s. He has been involved with different projects, but Hybryds became his most renowned ‘sonic alter-ego’. Hybryds has been mainly driven by Ritual- and Industrial influences, but also experienced with other genres. By the end of 2021 they self-released the new album “Mythopia”. It’s an intimate work driven by Ritual sound elements mixed with Ambient atmospheres and Ethereal-Pop. I talked about the new album with Magthea and Peter De Koning.  

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: After nearly 40 years of involvement, the new Hybryds album “Mythopia” sounds like announcing a new approach. Can you give us more background about the concept and production of this work?

Magthea: With Hybryds I’ve always been trying to create new sounds for each new project. In the past we used hardware, synths, drum machines… But Peter is very good with a DAW. I used Logic more as a tape recorder. Over the last years with help from Peter I worked with samples in Logic on a laptop. It was thanks to Corona time and a new computer with a big screen that I started creating new things myself in Logic. Peter helps me sometimes with arrangements. He’s a classically trained musician, I am not.

Peter: The tracks on “Mythopia” feel more like songs. The use of a DAW for structuring the sounds and rhythms certainly has a place in this. But I also feel that Magthea had a very clear vision of what sound he desired, like always.

Magthea always tells me that I am classically trained but I never actually finished my education so that is relative. I have been playing piano since I was five years old though, but mostly by ear. Piano’s are great but they limit you to 12 notes in an octave, as long as you do not mess with the strings. Hybryds was one of my gateway drugs to more Abstract music that couldn’t care less about these limits. Magthea doesn’t consider himself as a musician but for me he is a very skilled and trained master in his own art. I owe to him that I was able to broaden my view on music.

Q: “Mythopia” is an interesting title, which I directly connect to the fantasy universe of writers like Tolkien, Martin, Lovecraft, Blake ao. What did you try to express by this title and is there any link with the ‘real world’?

Magthea: The project Hybryds has always been inspired by myths, rituals and pre-monotheistic times. Most of my visual art has this connection too.

“Mythopia” is a place where all the stories, legends and myths of mankind come together. They are the mental DNA of the human race, and we have to take care of them (cf. Joseph Campell).

In this ‘real’ world we do live from stories, for instance: all those old myths have created impressive movies. These stories are the mental fuel for the human race.

Q: How did the album took shape? What’s the input of each member -including the singers and what have been the main difficulties to achieve this work?

Magthea: Corona gave me time to delve into Logic and work in it. We could not physically meet each other, especially the singer Madeline, who lives in Dresden. I started to make the music with bought esoteric vocal samples, and sent them to Dresden, so my singers had an idea of what I wanted. Madeline also took care of the lyrics. She asked Katharina to join for the vocals.

They worked for months at their place in Germany. Last summer they were allowed to travel to Belgium. In a short span of only 3 days we recorded the vocals of 18 songs. Peter helped me with arrangements of some songs as I got the tendency of making the intros too long and including too many breaks (having fun in Logic). Out of the 18 songs we choose a selection for “Mythopia”. Working with samples even introduced violins and piano to Hybryds. Peter plays the piano part live at the gigs. Zoharum was not interested in releasing the album because it did not sound like former Hybryds releases. So we released it on our own label 3RIOART.

Peter: I feel that my own involvement in “Mythopia” is limited to some tweaking and audio cleanup. 95 % of the work was done by Magthea, Madeline and Katharina. And what a great job they did!

I play the piano part live but I do not play what’s on the album. I just feel the moment, improvise and go with the music. A Hybryds gig cannot have a script.

Q: I think it’s interesting listening to “Mythopia” and next going back to some of your earlier works like “Music For Rituals” or “The Ritual Of The Rave”. How much of the early Hybryds do you still recognize in “Mythopia”?

Magthea: Personal for me its 100 % Hybryds. The sound is different, but for me it’s still the atmosphere that I want to create with HYBRYDS.

Peter: Before joining the project, I was a huge fan. What I liked and still like about Hybryds is that every album has a completely different approach. You cann’t compare for instance the ritual sounding “The Atavistic Fetisj” 1994 with the Rythmic-Noise of “Mistrust Authority” from 1996. So the new-approach-with-each-album-thing isn’t really new, in my opinion. Still, you always hear the typical Ritual signature sound of Magthea.

Q: There’re artistic nude pictures inside the digipak of “Mythopia” while the front cover doesn’t show any nudity. I can’t get away from the idea you did it because of the censorship on social media. What is it all about and how do you perceive ‘artistic freedom’ versus censorship? The 80s were definitely more progressive don’t you think!?

Magthea: OOH, it’s terrible being an erotic artist in these times were woke and religion destroy our artistic freedom. We lost our Hybryds Facebook-page with a few thousands followers for nudity (a small body painting picture of ritual witchcraft). But not only social media, Zoharum asked us to include all erotic art inside the CD, because they could not sell the CD in many places if the front cover contains nudity.…

Peter: The incident with the body paint is bloody ridiculous, we had an active page with lots of interaction from the listeners, so it’s really a shame that it got removed. I agree that our society is becoming more prudish in recent years and that artistic freedom is under pressure. Personally however, I mostly blame media imperialism. We have to walk the line that is best for their profits and must meet the standard that they impose on us. Social media such as Facebook shouldn’t have that kind of moral power. But of course, we give them that influence ourselves by using it.

Q: You’re also busy with a new project called Rabbits Wear Boots, which sounds more into ‘Dance’. Tell us a bit more about it? Who’s involved? What might we expect? And last, but not least what brings the further months for Hybryds?

Magthea: It’s my solo project. On Mixcloud I find a lot of great ‘dance’ music, laptop music made by unknown bedroom producers: Techno or chill-out Ambient with beats. I very often listen to this. The Rabbits Wear Boots project was born, when I was learning Logic, time stretching rhythm loops and my girlfriend came in shouting to me: ‘Hey this is great stuff to dance on, it is like the drumming of the Duracell rabbit’! Its dance music referring to ‘cyberwave’. The influence of the digital world on the human race. Let this be the dancefloor version of the Hybryds cyber noise project in the 90s. (“Tectonic Overload” and “Virtual Impact” re-released by Zoharum).

Hybryds did a first live gig with “Mythopia” on Porta Nigra-festival (Belgium), so both projects can be booked for live gigs. This time, Hybryds live comes with 2 female singers, 1 female dancer and 1 pianist.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Cinematographic, Ethereal, Ethereal-Pop, Ambient, Ritual.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Belgian legendary Hybryds is back with a new work, the first new studio album since “Only Darkness” (2017). The project is still driven by Magthea and assisted by Peter De Koning while Madeline Arndt and Katharina Galgareipi (both involved with the Ethereal project Schattenkinder) took care of the vocals. 

Content: This new Hybryds-work sounds totally different from all previous releases. The Ritual side is still somewhat present, but rather as a background element. Hybryds totally renewed its sound, dealing with a mix of influences like Cinematographic passages, danceable Ethereal-Pop and a kind of fusion between Ethereal and Tribal influences. The cadence is rather slow and has something sensual, which together with the heavenly vocals only accentuates the sensual feeling of this work. 

+ + + : The main challenge –but I like challenges, of this work is the totally different sound approach. You can still recognize minimal sound treatments and Tribal/Ritual elements, which became like the band’s trademark, but Hybryds clearly explores a new sonic horizon. The work has something intimate because of the delicate and sometimes subtle arrangements. It also comes through in the rhythm. Hybryds always had something sensual in its global approach, but it’s definitely more refined and even mixed with pretty danceable elements. The song “Do I Dream” is pure Etheral-Pop music and has something visionary. The vocals of both singers accentuate the erotic aspect of the work –which is an element you also find back in the great artwork. 

– – – : The ‘modern’ world we’re living in is dominated by social media and their impact it also noticeable on the artwork of this album. The illustrations inside the digipak are filled with artistic nude, but the front cover doesn’t. It only reveals artists no longer have the artistic freedom they had in the past! Sound-wise I can imagine some die-hard fans will have some difficulties to recognize the ‘old’ Hybryds in this new album. 

Conclusion: “Mythopia” invites the listener to embark on a dreamy, sensual sonic journey. It’s a surprising, but fascinating work.

Best songs: “You Dark Night”, “Put Make Up On Reality”, “The Demon Awakes”, “Do I Dream”, “Fire And Ice”. 

Rate: 8½. 

Artist: www.hybryds.com / www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100048472162085 

Label: www.3rioart.be  

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Ritual, Tribal, Ambient, Experimental.

Format: Digital, 2CD.

Background/Info: Yasnaïa was a Belgian project driven by former Hybryds female singer Leen Smets aka Yasnaïa. The “Oniro”-album was originally released in 1996 on World Serpent. This re-issue features a bonus disc with live tracks originally recorded in München (Germany) in 1997 plus two tracks originally released as single and one previously unreleased song.

Content: The sound universe of Yasnaïa was mixing several influences, but was mainly centered on Tribal and Ritual music. One of the main characteristics remains the unique way of singing by Leen Smets, creating an elevating effect mixing sensuality and rite. The music has something intimate and minimalistic, some tracks becoming darker while others are clearly reflecting an Experimental spirit. Electronic treatments are achieving some of the last album songs.

The live recordings deliver several songs that didn’t appear on the album, but sound the same way.

+ + + : I got the chance to see Yasnaïa live and it’s a concert I’ve kept in mind. The performance had something magic and filled with reverie and mystic elegance. That’s precisely what “Oniro” stands for and the songs haven’t lost their original strength. It sounds like an intimate testimony, but still a kind of imaginary erotic rite. The harmony between vocals and instruments is absolutely perfect. I like songs like “Kailash” and “Who am I?”, but still some of the live tracks like “Last Night” and “Charun”. “Yakul”, which was originally released as a single, is another attention grabber. I also have to say a word about the great digipak of this release. The scene is missing an artist like Yasnaïa today!

– – – : Some of the more Experimental passages aren’t my favorites, the real strength of this project clearly was its Tribal and Ritual approach.

Conclusion: If you didn’t discover this album back in 1996, this re-issue is a perfect opportunity to discover a talented artist while the bonus disc is a true little extra.

Best songs: “Kailash”, “Who am I?”, “La Fusion D’Angoisse Et De Curiosité”, “Last Night”, “Charun”, “Yakul”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.hybryds.com /  www.facebook.com/Hybryds-music-319803692290078

Label: www.zoharum.com / www.facebook.com/zoharum

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Soundscape, experimental.

Background/Info: Belgian artist Dirk Serries got active under the Vidna Obmana moniker in between 1985 and 2009. This album was originally released in 1993 by the Belgian zoo from Antwerp. It indeed was a conceptual work, originally featuring songs by Vidna Obmana and Hybryds. This re-edition only features the five Vidna Obmana cuts plus 2 bonus tracks. The work has been remastered.

Content: This album features 7 songs, but you get the impression listening to one long during piece. The title of the work clearly indicates what the concept is all about and you for sure will rapidly recognize different kinds of aquatic and draining sounds/noises. It here consists of field recordings, which have been next manipulated and mixed in the studio.

+ + + : No doubt about it, this is the kind of conceptual release fascinating every artist. The sound has something relaxing, because of the aquatic noises, but it also creates an intriguing atmosphere. This is an album you’ve to (re)discover by using headphones so you can notice the multiple little sound details this album has been made with.

– – – : I can’t affirm that the work is monotonous, but there’s less diversity between the different cuts. I’m afraid that‘s often what you might experience when listening to soundscapes.

Conclusion: Zoharum moves on re-releasing essential albums from the Vidna Obmana discography. This one never has been my favorite one, but it remains a real particular work in the wide discography and career of the artist.

Best songs: “Aqua 1 (theme)”, Aqua 2b.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/dirk.serries

Label: www.zoharum.com / www.facebook.com/zoharum

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

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 :

Nuit Et Brouillard:

Other Links:

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Ritual, industrial, experimental, cinematographic.

Background/Info: Polish label Zoharum has something really particular with Belgian ritual/industrial formation Hybryds. “The Ritual Of The Rave” originally released in 1995 on Daft Records is the sixth album of this band getting a re-issue on Zoharum. The album has been remastered by Peter De koning aka TraumaSutra (still a live member of Hybryds) while Sandy Nijs (aka Magthea) did the mastering of the extra disc featuring live recordings, unreleased material and tracks originally released on compilations.

Notice by the way that “The Ritual Of The Wave” was featuring Magthea, Yasnaia, Ira Deprofundu, Ah Cama-Sotz, Patrick Stevens & The Beatgirl.

Content: I personally consider “The Ritual Of The Rave” as one of the most essential releases in the impressive Hybryds catalogue. It maybe also was the album announcing a new era and sonic direction for Hybryds although the band always remained faithful to an omnipresent ritual and industrial sound.

Ritual percussion and mystic chants by Yasnaia lead the listener into a state of trance, but some songs also reveal a more diversified sonic canvas. Cinematographic passages and electronic treatments have been featured as well.

The second disc is somewhat different. The ritual inspiration is there, but Hybryds clearly moves into experimentalism. It’s an interesting disc, which will make you also discover experiments in dub and electronic minimalism.

+ + + : Ritual music is often linked to industrial- and electronics formations, but Hybryds remains a reference when it comes to the truly signification and essence of this genre. This album belongs to the jewels in the genre. But it’s not only about ritual music properly speaking, but also a work revealing a great song writing revealing multiple little details and an authentic character.

The second disc is a nice addition to the work. It’s more diversified and definitely experimental. I here especially like the dubby approach at “Joy Of The World”.

– – – : I’m less convinced by some of the heaviest experiments cuts featured on the extra disc, but at the other side it also is the right place to feature these kinds of compositions.

Conclusion: I really had an immense pleasure rediscovering this album of Hybryds I’ve never forgotten, but not played in years.

Best songs: “Icarus”, “Sjamanistic Dream – Ravemix”, “Sjamanistic Dream – Computermix” + “Joy Of The World”, “Come Together”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/Hybryds-31991029235

Label: www.zoharum.com / www.facebook.com/zoharum

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark EBM, ambient-EBM.

Background/Info: Liquid Trauma is a Belgian formation resulting from the common efforts between old electro-servant Peter van Bogaert (Liquid G, Hydrom Line..) and Peter De Koning (Hybryds, Hedera Helix, Crossvaults, TraumaSutra). “Distorted Memories” is the official debut work of this brand-new project, which has been released on the Belgian label Wool-E Discs.

Content: If you’re a bit familiar with the work of both musicians, you’ll quickly agree to say “Distorted Memories” is the perfect sonic symbiosis between their own influences. The songs mix good-old and pure vintage electronics together with dark, haunted atmospheres and a little experimental flavor on top.

This album brings us back to the early hours of dark EBM. The icy electronics and spooky vocal parts are more than once reminding me of early Klinik stuff. But you’ll also find a few more experimental and instrumental pieces, where the ambient input has been accentuated. The most original song is “Gazelle” for the lyrics in Dutch (which is one of the trademarks from Hedera Helix).

+ + + : This album will appeal to all 80s freaks and early lovers of The Klinik and related formations. The vintage sound remains something unique and that refreshing when you’re used to hear the contemporary dark-electronic productions, which sound all the same. There’s a perfect twist between the coldness of the synth atmospheres, the somewhat industrial rhythms and the ghost-like vocals. Liquid Trauma sounds like the good-old Belgian electro, which conquered the world during the 80s!

– – – : Skeptical minds will say that this album features no real innovation. The album is maybe missing an absolute hit. I guess the main point is that this band should for sure get word-wide enthusiastic feedback during the 80s while it’s quite difficult to get into the spotlight today!

Conclusion: Liquid Trauma sounds like a truly resurrection of old Belgian electronic standards, but it first of all is a successful fusion between both artists. I really encourage Liquid Trauma to move on because this album is ‘too good to be true’.

Best songs: “Ghost Cities”, “Funny Song”, “Don’t Eat Meat”, “Transfiguration”.

Rate: (8).

Band: www.facebook.com/liquidtrauma / www.facebook.com/liquidgarbage / www.facebook.com/TempelKoor

Label: www.wool–e–shop.be / www.facebook.com/woolediscs

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Experimental, dark-ambient, cinematographic, industrial, ritual.

Background/Info: Italian label Unexplained Sound Group is used to familiarizing us with compilations based on the underground scene of one ‘target’ country. The label now invites us to visit the experimental scene from my own country featuring 26 (!) Belgian bands. The sampler saw the light of day thanks to the contribution of Peter Verwimp who’s active in different formations and featured on this new series by Ashtoreth.

Bands: Barts + Treha Sektori, Yannick Franck, Ripit, Hybryds, Ashtoreth, TraumaSutra, Fissures, Innerwoud, Aponogeton, Owann, TZII, Stratosphere ao.

Content: The titled indicates a vision on the ‘experimental’ scene, but this sampler has much more to offer. It’s a travel throughout the most hidden and unknown projects active on the Belgian underground soil. The common ground between all bands is the dark creation of their work, which can be dark-ambient for some, somewhat ritual for others, into cinematographic exposures for some, even minimal-electro like for a few ones and definitely experimental for the rest.

+ + + : The strength of this sampler is its diversity in styles, and also the discovery of unknown bands. You really have to be addicted to experimental underground music to have ever heard of all those bands. Well, that’s precisely what makes the compilation essential for people like me. It’s a kind of sonic documentary revealing several sonic treasures. The biggest treasures –even in music, are not always that far to find. It would take me too long analyzing all of the bands, but I’ve been seduced by anguishing opener by Barst + Treha Sektori, the haunting style of Yannick Franck, the minimal approach from Ripit, the always ritual-sounding Hybryds, the pure filmographic Innerwoud, the subtle treatments from TZII, the minimalism and oriental driven Massimo Amato + Cheri Gao + Peter Wullen and another experiment by Trauma Terrestrial.

– – – : This kind of sampler remains a truly experimental release accessible for a very restricted number of music lovers. Some cuts are very experimental and not always my cup of tea while 26 songs is a sonic orgy you can better avoid if you’re not into this extreme underground format.

Conclusion: Unexplained Sound Group is not the most familiar label from the underground scene although one of the most interesting ones I got the opportunity to discover. This is a label inciting the listener to purchase new bands discovered on this kind of conceptual sampler.

Best bands: Hybryds, Barst + Treha Sektori, Innerwoud, TZII.

Rate: (7½).

Label: www.facebook.com/unexplainedsoundsgroup

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Abstract-electronics, EBM, gothic.

Background/Info: They call their music ‘intellectro’ and definitely remain one of the most atypical bands from the underground scene. Hedera Helix is a somewhat forgotten Belgian band, unleashing their first new album in 13 years! “Pastiche” has been released on the very own label of Hybryds. The band has been characterized by their unique theatre-like live shows and the use of Dutch vocals.

Content: Hedera Helix remains faithful to their anarchistic sound approach, which mixes different influences. It often sounds pretty abstract-like and you can really feel the music totally fits with what they call ‘anarchistic theatre’. Other songs are carried by solid EBM sequences while refined with classical instruments like violin and clarinet. Hedera Helix mixes the extremes, which are often symbolized by electronics at one side and guitar plus classical instruments at the other.

The vocals have been nearly all sung in their Mother tongue (Dutch), which remains a weird experience for non-Flemish music lovers. I don’t know if it creates some frivolity, but it probably sounds as particular as when a Belgian is listening to a Russian or Finnish singing band. The vocals are another element, which makes me think of theatre and other kinds of live performances. The band reminds me now and then of Schwarzblut, but with a less distinguished sound.

+ + + : Hedera Helix is a band like no other. They use familiar influences to create a very own sound DNA, which is impossible to define. “Pastiche” becomes a real sonic patchwork featuring great electronic treatments and surprising vocal parts. The songs have been accomplished with delicate treatments and an artistic touch, which  emerges from some clarinet parts.

– – – : Despite of their original approach it is not exactly the most accessible sound. The main point that hurts is maybe the use of the Dutch language and especially because of the lyrical content, which clearly sounds important (although sometimes totally weird), but here again less accessible to many people.

Conclusion: Hedera Helix is a real efficient vaccine to sonic clones and other artists without their own approach. “Pastiche is the only cure to fashion trends and a warning to remind musicians that music has to be an expression from their own instead of copying their idols.

Best songs: “Hypnochonder”, “Comorbitumen”, “Col Cassé”.

Rate: (7).

Band: www.hederahelix.be / www.facebook.com/h.helix

Label: www.3rioart.be

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