Jean-Marc Lederman released a special album this year. Some may think it is just another release, but I consider this work to be deeply personal and introspective.

The album consists of fifteen tracks, alternating between vocal and instrumental pieces. The instrumental tracks that reference the album title (the “ESM” pieces) each correspond to a specific period, making it feel as if Lederman is guiding the listener through the different phases of his life. These are Experimental compositions in which he uses analog sounds to revive a certain lost magic, while also incorporating Industrial elements. Personally, I find this aspect extremely fascinating, particularly because of the richness of the sound palette and the way the sounds are manipulated.

Then there are the songs sung by Jean-Marc himself, something that was rare in the past. Here, a different stylistic approach emerges compared to the instrumental tracks, while lyrically he retains his familiar abstract and often humorous style. At the same time, the album feels like a kind of retrospective: he reflects on figures such as Alan Vega, on love and impossible love, and on nostalgia. You can hear that Jean-Marc Lederman is sometimes slightly uncomfortable behind the microphone, but the half-spoken, almost recitative delivery of the lyrics works perfectly in this context. Musically, the album is extremely varied, ranging from Suicide-like minimalism to cabaret-influenced passages and atmospheric moments reminiscent of “Twin Peaks”. Some songs feel fully formed, while others remain deliberately fragmentary, reinforcing the album’s intimate and reflective character. Some songs are completed with delicate piano arrangements, while others take the form of more orchestral pieces. The album also seems to open a door to the future, as Lederman’s creativity shows no signs of running dry.

This is an album to be listened to attentively however, I can easily imagine that his most loyal fans, and those most familiar with his work, will find it a deeply rewarding and enjoyable experience. (Rating:7).

Listen to “ESM 1957-1967”:

Read the news on ‘Electronic Slipper Music’.

About Jean-Marc Lederman

Jean-Marc Lederman is a Brussels-based Belgian keyboard player, composer, and producer who has been active since the late 1970s. Over the decades he has worked with Fad Gadget, The The, Gene Loves Jezebel, and Front 242, and co-founded projects including The Weathermen, Kid Montana, Ghost & Writer with Frank Spinath, Lederman / De Meyer with Jean-Luc De Meyer, and the ongoing Rohn-Lederman duo with Emileigh Rohn. He also composes for film and video games.

His recent solo discography includes “The Bad-Tempered Synthesizer” (2021), “Night Music for Seahorses and Manatees” (2022), and “Soul Music For Zombies” (2023). “Electronic Slipper Music”, issued in 2025 on Les Disques de la Pantoufle, gathers fifteen tracks that alternate instrumental “ESM” pieces with songs Lederman sings himself.

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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The Brussels-based Spleen+ label (a division of Alfa Matrix) has prepared a deluxe 7CD collector’s edition – “Resurgence” – which brings together 133 active bands from across the globe, spanning the diverse sub-genres born from post-punk’s iconic roots. You can order it now from the Alfa Matrix webstore and in digital download format from Bandcamp.

The release comes housed in a luxurious vinyl-sized box, and comes accompanied by a 28-page book. The book holds interviews from renowned producers like John Fryer and Jean-Marc Lederman, label managers, journalists, and iconic artists (including Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, William Faith, No More, Skeletal Family, Mona Mur, KaS Product, And Also The Trees, Clan Of Xymox, Attrition, Das Ich, Merciful Nuns, The Names, The Breath Of Life, etc).

Spanning 23 different nationalities, the music included is a genre-spanning mix of post-punk, cold wave, dark synth, ethereal, and minimal EBM with such bands like Boy Harsher, A Cloud Of Ravens, No More, Skeletal Family, Collection D’Arnell Andrea, Underviewer, Attrition, Merciful Nuns, Lederman/De Meyer, Local Suicide & Sekelesys, Star Industry, Ataraxia, Czarina, Helalyn Flowers, Ascii.Disko, Je T’Aime, The Ultimate Dreamers, Lycia, Opera Multi Steel, The Breath Of Life, Auger, The Names, Whispers In The Shadow, Lovelorn Dolls, Astari Nite, Chiasm, Saigon Blue Rain, Omnimar, Still Patient, Creux Lies, Golden Apes, and many more.

You can already check out a few tracks here.

Apart from the 7CD vinyl size deluxe carton box format, “Resurgence” will not be available on mainstream digital platforms, except exclusively via the label’s Bandcamp page.

There is also a special combi pack including the 7CD set plus Darkness On Demand’s “Panic In Reserve” CD and To Avoid’s “All Gods Are Gone” 2CD.

“Resurgence” Tracklist

Cd 1

1. Bestial Mouths . Hex (The Spell)
2. A Cloud Of Ravens . Parable
3. Boy Harsher . Give Me A Reason
4. Czarina . Wonderland
5. Collection D’arnell Andrea . Waiting For Meaulnes
6. Krystal System . La Lame Dans Ta Main
7. Je T’aime . Out Of Sight
8. Aeon Rings . Fully Operational
9. The Ultimate Dreamers . Polarized
10. Partikul . Nothing Good In Me
11. Cosmobrigade . Spacepit
12. Aeon Sable . From Witchcraft To Deviltry
13. Stereoskop . Deep Down
14. The Breath Of Life . Slowly Crushing
15. Faust Project . Rats Lullaby
16. Al . Mistake
17. N.E.L. & J.P . Desinteresse
18. Zeitgeist Zero . Scream
19. Voyna . Moulding Heart

Cd 2

1. Blackbook . You Are Strange
2. Auger . My Heart Is Glass
3. Dekad . A Deadly Show (Video Edit)
4. Love In Cage . A Logical Secret Collection
5. Helalyn Flowers . Halos
6. Soft Scent . No Wounds
7. Sweet Ermengarde . Sweet Sacrifice
8. Martin Dupont . Bent At The Window (2023)
9. The Names . Far From The Factories
10. Boxes Of Blow . Melting Faces
11. Mirror Of Haze Feat. Primitive Heart . Reckless
12. A Slice Of Life . Seven Days
13. Then Comes Silence . Pretty Creatures
14. Nite . Inside Of My Head
15. Astari Nite . Bowie In Daydreams
16. Korus . Złote Światło Pierwszego Zachodu
17. Lovelorn Dolls . A Heart Cries
18. Whispers In The Shadow . Revenants
19. Merciful Nuns . Oneironauts

Cd 3

1. Lederman – De Meyer . Heartbeat
2. Local Suicide & Skelesys . Surface Of The Sun (Radio Edit)
3. Punx Soundcheck Feat. Ascii.Disko & Princess Superstar . Gasoline
4. No More . Sleepers And Trains
5. Mitra Mitra . Memories For Company
6. A Copy For Collapse Feat. Simona Pietrucci . Faded
7. Alien Skin . Depress Me
8. White Mansion . Cancel The Sky
9. Apnoie . Splash Your Bile
10. Celluloide . Compte Les Ombres
11. Risk Risk . Streetwalk
12. Total Chroma . Northern Lights
13. Opera Multi Steel . À Nos Moments Perdus
14. Lycia . Simpler Times
15. Noemi Aurora . Blood As Lipstick
16. Novus . Ess
17. I Ya Toyah . Death’s Kiss
18. Katcross . Rest
19. Winter Severity Index . Speak To Me

Cd 4

1. Systeme Paradoxe . Comme Le Sable En Hiver
2. Aiboforcen . Break The Black Ice (Original Mix)
3. Chiasm . Cut Right Through (Emileigh Rohn Edit)
4. Saigon Blue Rain . Dolls Dresses
5. Her Own World . Mistrust
6. Still Patient Feat. Minu-Schirin Samimi . Blind Vision
7. Creux Lies . Playtime
8. Der Klinke . Curtains (Your Life On Hold Remix)
9. On The Floor . Crying On The Dancefloor
10. Numa Echos Feat. Red Zebra . Waisted Items
11. Factheory . The Day (Ok Lion! Mix – Short Version)
12. Antiflvx . Crystal
13. Flor Concreta . She’s Closer
14. Golden Apes . Ash Trees
15. Glis . Blue Sky Night
16. Ataraxia . The Source
17. Hanging Freud . Grooming
18. Ok Lion! . Get Away
19. Yuzna . Queen Of The Eels

Cd 5

1. The Breath Of Life Feat. Implant . The Last Record
2. The Halo Trees . Happy Man
3. Palm Ghosts . Tilt
4. Your Life On Hold . Imprisoned (Merciless Radio Edit)
5. Götterdämmerung . Common Existence
6. Jenni Sex . Sin Chimes
7. Denner . She Radiates Darkness
8. Imjudas . I Love You
9. Black Needle Noise . Dollhouse On Fire
10. Dead Souls Rising . Dysmorphobia
11. The Waning Moon . Annabel
12. Korinthians . Leader Of The Night
13. Elektrostaub Feat. Stefan Netschio . Mantis (Auger Remix)
14. Omnimar . The Matrix
15. Synapsyche Feat. Chris Harms (Lord Of The Lost) . The Last Dying Flame
16. Dance My Darling . Criminal
17. First Aid 4 Souls Feat. Emke Of Black Nail Cabaret . Das Messer
18. Supernova 1006 . Tell Your Name (Mix)
19. Suicidal Romance . Runaways

Cd 6

1. Ascii.Disko . Loslassen
2. Vioflesh . Emotions
3. Dina Summer . Who Am I (Club Version)
4. Pleasure Victim . Rascheln
5. Pink Opake . Pronta
6. Thewalkingicon . The Trail (Radio Edit)
7. Psy’aviah Feat. Sorrow Stories . Healing
8. Seasurfer . Collapsing
9. Lakeside X . Fire In The Sky (Radio Version)
10. Darkness On Demand . Hang On (Winterhart Remix)
11. Star Industry . Selling Icons (The Dreamside Remix)
12. Alphavox . Dark Satellite
13. Yama Uba . Shapes
14. Lifeless Past . Anxiety
15. Pink Turns Blue . Not Gonna Take It
16. Social Union . Waiting For Red
17. Sine . Until (Clan Of Xymox Remix)
18. Sorry, Heels . She Burns (We Burn) Version
19. Lights A.M . Clouds

Cd 7

1. Useless/You . Echo
2. Attrition . The Great Derailer
3. Children Of Zeal . Taking Over
4. Octolab . Friend Or Foe
5. Vague Phonique . The Last Man
6. Midnight Poetry . Black Hole
7. The Overlookers . Undercover (Edit)
8. La Machine . Vamos A La Playa (Radiomix)
9. Die Sexual . House Of God
10. Carrellee . Morning Sun
11. Underviewer . Was Soll Ich Tun (Aiboforcen Remix)
12. Night In Athens . Words Unspoken
13. Neila Invo . Alienation
14. Skeletal Family . My Own Redemption
15. The Murder Mystery . A Girl Named Red
16. Princess Ugly . For A Moment I Forgot The Desolation
17. Instant Lake . Ivory Dreams
18. Vision Video . Balaclava Kiss
19. La Scaltra . Dancing On Debris

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

“Black And Blue” is the fourth instalment between Emileigh Rohn (Chiasm) and Jean-Marc Lederman (The Weathermen, Ghost & Writer, Lederman / De Meyer ao). “Black” brings a more danceable side of Electro/Industrial-Pop with the sensual vocals of Emileigh on top. There are also minimal passages and bombastic arrangements that you can hear in this original and atypical Electro-Pop style. “Blue” completely breaks with the danceable character of “Black” and brings an atmospheric, refined, and Cinematic approach with still sexy vocals. I personally prefer “Black” instead of “Blue”. (Rate: 7½).

Listen to “Faces Pretend”:

About Rohn – Lederman

Rohn-Lederman began in 2019, when Jean-Marc Lederman invited Emileigh Rohn of Chiasm to contribute vocals to his album “Letters To Gods And Fallen Angels.” The collaboration, encouraged further by the COVID-19 lockdowns, grew into the Belgian-American duo’s own project, releasing albums on Lederman’s own label, Les Disques De La Pantoufle, with “Black And Blue” continuing that partnership.

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

Intrusive Pinky is a new female duo releasing their debut EP on Jean-Marc Lederman’s new Belgian label. We get to hear 5 songs that bring a somewhat experimental form of Electro-Pop. It’s a Minimal-Electro approach with some funny lyrical passages on top. There’s something of Miss Kittin in this promising debut. (Rate:7)

Listen to “We’re The Meow Meow Generation”:

About Intrusive Pinky

Intrusive Pinky is a synth punk duo based in Long Beach, California. The band was the first signing to Les Disques De La Pantoufle, the label founded by Jean-Marc Lederman in partnership with Christian Petke’s COP International, with the “I Hate Your Patriarch Fuck” EP marking the label’s debut release.

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

Les disques de la pantoufle (the label run by Jean-Marc Lederman) releases the Rohn-Lederman 2CD album “Black And Bleu” this Friday May 3rd 2024.

The album holds 20 tracks (10 black, 10 bleu) that focus on the artists’ devotion to emotional content and creativity over predictability and security: “Each color presents different thematic focus, with the Black symbolizing the chaos and tension of the world, while Bleu represents calmer resolve in the face of uncertainty.”

The release holds a 44 pages digital booklet with drawings and pictures by Emileigh Rohn and Jean-Marc Lederman, while the CD paintings and artwork were executed by Erica Hinyot.

This 2CD set comes in a limited edition of 100 copies which you can order now.

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

With the Long Beach, California-based synth punk duo Intrusive Pinky, Les Disques De La Pantoufle announces its vey first signing. Out on April 5 is the duo’s “I Hate You, Patriarch Fuck!” EP.

Les Disques De La Pantoufle is a partnership between Jean-Marc Lederman and Christian Petke’s COP International label.

Christian Petke explains the collaboration as follows: “Running an indie label has always been a labor of love, especially in today’s challenging environment. Now, more than ever, we need individuals willing to support and nurture artists. It is with immense pride that we unveil Jean-Marc Lederman’s venture into the world of boutique labels with Les Disques De La Pantoufle. Few individuals are as well-equipped for this endeavor as Jean-Marc Lederman, who has dedicated a lifetime to the music industry. He collaborated with some of the most iconic figures in electronic music history: Fad Gadget, The The, Gene Loves Jezebel, The Weathermen, Front 242, Karl Bartos, Rohn – Lederman and many more. His extensive experience provides him with an intimate understanding of the intricacies of our industry, having navigated both sides of the table.”

Cop International will provide A&R and logistical support to the new label.

Jean-Marc Lederman adds: “I’m very happy Christian has understood my need to be able to release my works sooner than it could on a label with more acts and Les Disques De La Pantoufle being partnered with COP will provide me with the guerilla-label tactics that could work well with my relentless schedule. We have a busy year ahead as we are releasing “Intrusive Pinky” in April the brand new Rohn-Lederman double CD album “Black And Bleu” in May and, who knows, some exciting bands whose songs I love so much that LDP will release them within weeks.”

Here’s the first release which you can already pre-order on Bandcamp.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Cinematic, Experimental, Electro.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Jean-Marc Lederman (The Weathermen, Ghost & Writer, Gene Loves Jezebel ao)is back on track with a new and already conceptual work. The album title speaks for itself. The Belgian Electro pioneer has been assisted by Tom Shear (Assemblage 23), Christina Z, Jim Semonik (Red Lokust), Mari Kattman, Emileigh Rohn (Chiasm), Ken Magerman, Daz Sharp, Julianne Regan, Jim Marcus (Die Warzau) and Sapphira Vee.

Content: Lederman composed the music for the impressive list of guest singers. The music is filled with explicit astral sound treatments and -atmospheres. The slow rhythms together with the different singers make it more accessible while a few passages are more into Electro-Pop and danceable passages. The main characteristic of the work is the narrating format of the singers interpreting extracts of sci-fi stories.

+ + + : Jean-Marc Lederman moves on exorcizing his endless creative thoughts and concepts with one of his most creative and ambitious works ever. It’s not only about music -which totally stands for the concept of the album revealing a ‘space’-like dimension but also the accomplishment of a wider- and higher artistic goal. There’s a kind of cyber-puzzle wherein the listener/visitor has to unlock every single track.You really have to experience it on your own to realize what it’s all about.

– – – : The importance of the concept is maybe undermining a tiny bit the music itself.

Conclusion: Jean-Marc Lederman revisited sci-fi themes which must have been a piece of cake as he’s for sure the one and only sci-fi musician from the Electronic scene.

Best songs: “The Eyes Have It​!​ Feat. Ken Magerman”, “Titanium Aegis feat. Christina Z”.

Rate: 7½. 

Artist: www.jmlederman.com / www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100056370733178

Label: www.facebook.com/copint

Side-Line previously covered “Sci-Fi Revisited”, an audiobook and puzzle-game package accompanying the album, released via COP International.

Listen to “Sci-Fi Revisited”:

About Jean-Marc Lederman

Jean-Marc Lederman is a Belgian electronic musician known for his work with Fad Gadget, The The, Gene Loves Jezebel, The Weathermen, Ghost & Writer with Frank Spinath of Seabound, and Rohn-Lederman with Emileigh Rohn of Chiasm. Released under the Jean-Marc Lederman Experience name via COP International, “Sci-Fi Revisited” was produced, arranged and played by Lederman and features Tom Shear, Christina Z, Jim Semonik, Mari Kattman, Emileigh Rohn, Ken Magerman, Daz Sharp, Julianne Regan, Jim Marcus and Sapphira Vee, accompanied by a 12-page micro comic book and a computer puzzle game.

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

Jean-Marc Lederman, known for his work with Fad Gadget, The The, Gene Loves Jezebel, The Weathermen, Ghost & Writer (with Frank Spinath from Seabound), and Rohn-Lederman with Emileigh from Chiasm, presents an audiobook of short sci-fi tales, “Sci-Fi Revisited”. The book is narrated by various singers and musicians, and it is accompanied by a computer puzzle game. The package also includes a 12-page micro book with 11 pulp covers.

Released under the The Jean-Marc Lederman Experience moniker, “Sci-Fi Revisited” features Tom Shear (Assemblage 23), Christina Z, Jim Semonik (Red Lokust), Mari Kattman, Emileigh Rohn (Chiasm), Ken Magerman, Daz Sharp, Julianne Regan, Jim Marcus (Die Warzau), and Sapphira Vee.

This release is a co-production between Les Disques De La Pantoufle and COP International. It was produced, arranged, and played by Jean-Marc Lederman. The images for the website and cover were prompted by Kevin B. Lederman. The lab/vault website and video game were developed by Kevin B. Lederman, courtesy of https://blackfoot.io/.

The album is available through COP International and on their Bandcamp page. Note that the CD version comes in a limited edition of just 100 hand numbered copies. It holds a 12-page micro book on 230 gram paper. You also get access to a puzzle game to unlock the tracks.

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

Out now is the new single from Cop International signee Mari Kattman called “URGOD.AI”. “URGOD.AI” comes backed by the B-side “Lower Yourself”.

Mari Kattman has been self-recording, writing, composing, and live performing music since 2012. Currently, she operates under the Mari Kattman name as a solo artist and worked with Tom Shear, of Assemblage 23, on a project called Helix.

She has been collaborating with such artists as Mesh, Ivardensphere, Jean-Marc Lederman, Psy’Aviah, Aesthetiche, Neuroticfish BlackCarBurning, Cassetter, This Morn Omina, Solitary Experiments, Mephisto Walz, Aiboforcen, Interface and Comaduster. She also has worked on many other label releases including ones for Metropolis Records, Alfa Matrix, FiXT and will release her solo work on COP International.

You can check out the new 2-track single below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. 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

(Photos from the personal archives of Jean-Marc Lederman) This article draws from various updates posted by Jean-Marc Lederman (The Weathermen, Kid Montana, Jules et Jim, Ghost & Writer, Lederman / De Meyer, Rohn-Lederman…) on his Facebook profile, which we’ve consolidated into a comprehensive piece. This compilation offers a profound understanding of the workings of the indie music industry during its ‘golden era’. Additionally, it provides specific insights into Mute Records, the label of Daniel Miller, as numerous individuals, including Fad Gadget, mentioned in this article have significant associations with the iconic UK label.

Digital Dance (1978-1979) / Daniel Miller

The year was 1979 and I had just quit, well I was sacked tbh, from Digital Dance , the first band I was in.

We were doing post punk/cold wave/new wave stuff and it was really exciting. I started doing bass with them on a..ARP 2600 whci I had bought working on building sites, yeah, far too much of an overkill I agree. We were rehearsing here and there but did a time at the famous Plan K where we supported Joy Division. Actually, that day I went to pick up Ian and Bernard Summers at the very seedy hotel they were in and I drove them to the gig.

They were laughing like kids, you know, young musicians being happy to play abroad. It was such a cold day, everyone was freezing and Ian even came close to Stefan Barbery (Digital Dance guitar player) who was close to an electric heater to tell him “Well, I guess this is why they call it Cold Wave…”

We also opened to Magazine and Fisher-Z and it was becoming too much of a routine for me: the Brussels band that does all the new wave support slots but hasn’t even got a decent recording contract…

Oh, we had one, and they made us record our very fast cover version of Kraftwerk’s “RadioActivity”. At the end of the session, they made me do some terrible sound effects, hoping to catch on the fad of the moment, and it just ruined the whole song. Tells you that if a thing sounds bad and contrived and cheesy on monday, still sounds the same the day after and 40 years later. Sorry Stefan, my fault.

Then Phil Wauquaire (whom I had met from Streets, the punk band he was in and I actually played with them live on a couple of songs with a…AKS, another overkill) joined us and I played synth with a Korg MS20 then with a Yamaha CS50M who weighted like half an olifant after a drinking binge.

Anyway, after a couple of gigs with Digital Dance at the Gibus in Paris, i was let go (which was fine, really). Two days later, I call Daniel Miller whom I had met in London a few months ago. Digital Dance had been foolish and crazy enough to believe that if you go to London you can pretty much be sure you’ll find a gig. All we did was rehearsing (below Beggar’s Banquet where I met Peter Kent from the future 4AD label) and waiting in our hotel off Kings Road. Anyway, we were trying to get Geoff Travis from Rough Trade to listen to our demo and he stopped it 20 seconds in and tell us: if you go to “Better Badges” now, you’ll see a man called Daniel Miller (from label MUTE RECORDS) and maybe he’ll like your stuff….

So, off we went to Better Badges and there we met Daniel, with a green basket full of The Normal badges.

Daniel and I hit directly like if it was an “International Conference Of Synths Fanatics”. I mean: synths weren’t as known or popular then as they were then. It was still a relatively rare sight on stage or in gigs or in bands that weren’t poppy or progrock. No, we’re talking new industrial scene in the UK: noisy and determined, not minimoogs played by long haired musos…

So, Daniel and I exchanged phone numbers and we traded letters and phone calls here and there. So, remember, I’m sacked from Digital Dance and I then realize that if I wanted to really go anywhere in music, Brussels isn’t the place to be and I must move to where things are happening. At that time, London was THE center of music in Europe and I decide that I want to try my luck and the two major chords I know there. I pick up the phone and call Daniel, asking him if he knew any musician that would be interested in moi ?

Yeah, I know someone, he’s on my label now, he’s looking for musicians, call him… His name is Frank Tovey….

Frank Tovey / Fad Gadget #1 (part 1)

The audition was simple: we didn’t even play a note or try to do a song, we just sat and drank coffee and laughed a lot. But there was no try-out, no keyboard or synths tickering… And that’s how Philippe Wauquaire and I became members of Fad Gadget #1 for a few months in 1980: a simple coffee cup meeting and an unmistakable good chemical feeling between us. Frank had played a few gigs on his own but wanted musicians around him so he could concentrate a bit more on being a little bit less concentrated if you know what I mean.

There was Frank: clever, astute, open, funny, with a lot of wit doubled with a good dose of sarcasm: totally my alley. But he knew what he wanted musically, there was no doubt about what he wanted to sound like. The plan was: rehearse at my place in Brussels, a first gig here, then play a few gigs as support for Deutsche Amerikanische Freundschaft in Germany and going to tour the UK as support for The Monochrome Set.

So, we start rehearsing in my attic: Frank on vocals, Pearl Syncussion and distorted electric piano, Phil on Fender bass and Korg MS 20 and myself on handling the cassette player (each song had its drums/rhythmic parts on a single cassette and I would feed the machine with a new cassette every song) and my 4 notes polyphonic, Yamaha CS 50M. Again, an overkill.

After a few hours of rehearsals, we have our first gig: support-act for Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark. We are all extremely nervous but the gig goes well: Frank doesn’t go into the mad behaviours he’s known for yet but you can see he’s holding up something big inside, something is boiling there. After the gig, we proceed to the German border and sleep in a motel there. In the morning, I’m being handed an envelope with my per diem (every day allowance a musician gets when on tour): it is the first time someone hands me money for doing something I love doing: playing music. I couldn’t believe it and I took a second piece of bacon and refilled my coffee cup. We are about to go to Dusseldorf to play The Ratinger Off as support for Deutsche Amerikanische Freundschaft.

Something started to happen at the Ratinger Hof: maybe it was the roughness of the place, the German lager (naaaaah) or the history of the place but this thing Frank had inside him but it slightly came out at that gig. See, there was an animal inside Frank, and that animal was as extrovert as Frank was introvert: Frank was then frontal and loud and, yes, obnoxious but in a gentle and friendly way but he wasn’t the shy Frank. In response to Frank’s changing live attitudes, Phil and I started to play loser and noisier and wilder (and there were far more bump notes on my part) but the band started to make sense.

The crowd wasn’t there for us, they were there for what would later become DAF, but the reaction was good and people liked us. I recall Frank and I going out in front of the place and that guy comes out dressed as a mod, full parka mode with a patch “Remember Brighton” which made Frank laughed a lot, people were out there with their beer and… Omg what am I saying: IT JUST FELT GREAT.

Deutsche Amerikanische Freundschaft at the time was a five piece band and they were fun and chaotic. You couldn’t miss Chris Haas, the synth guy, who was classy and special. He had a very specific body language when playing live: he would stand back, have a smile and just come here and there to play a few notes…He is the real grandfather of EBM as he introduced the famous 1/16th bass line (Korg MS 20 and SQ 10 sequencer) that will be the bone of so many records later on.

The morning after, we went out to the next gig. Daniel, Phil, Chris and myself embarked in my mum’s yellow Civic and we went down the motorway, singing loudly “Fahn Fahn Fahn Auf Der Autobahn” laughing and laughing… I guess Chris must have done that thousand of times before but, for Daniel, Phil and I it meant something different: we were doing it. We were travelling in Kraftwerk’s motherland and going to play electronic music there: it was immense.

We only played one more gig in Germany and then the whole tour was somehow cancelled… Roland Beelen: I saw the animal in Frank I guess a few months later at the Paasfestival in Koninfshooikt (organized by my friend Guy Vanwoensel) I was a stagehand there. Frank smashed a crucifix that was hanging above stage in the hall (parochiezaal)with his magic stick. The whole village was in shock when the news spread the next morning. The vicar organized a special service the next day to please the smashed fallen Christ ! they say he resurrected a few weeks later! All end, good end !

Frank Tovey / Fad Gadget 1980 (part 2)

Something had clicked in Frank after a few gigs: it’s like he had been showed by practice that it could work, that the songs were good, the voice was good but even more than that his FG personnae and ideas had an impact on the crowd. He would go out, do his thing, see people respond to his songs, lyrics and theatrics and then he would retrieve after the gig in the gentle and shy Frank Tovey. Phil and I were providing a background that wasn’t perfect but for Frank it was a great practice for FG future.

When we toured as support for The Monochrome Set, we were sometimes in fire and I could really feel people’s amazement at that born-to-be showman. He would play with the crowd and slowly take them into the show. Our sound might not have been very sophisticated but with Frank’s distorted piano, the CS50 brutal in and out sounds, Phil’s impeccable swirling bass, we were like The Stooges with synths and Frank was a perfect bionic Iggy Pop….I began to be very proud of us, we were quite something indeed and I was going on stage with a mission: to show people the songs and to let them fall in Frank’s performance.

I also remember that after the last show of the tour, possibly at the YMCA gig, one of the roadie came at the CS 50 and started to play some Bach’s prelude. I was stunned and shameful of the snobiness i may have shown the roadies on that tour, or before tbh. I learned a lesson that night and never again would I be feeling above anyone on a stage, or in studio, be them multiple charts success artists or simple roadie.

Something wild happened after our gig at the 100 club. Jock Mac Donalds (from the future Bollock Brothers) was very drunk and he started to look for a fight with us and being extremely aggressive, a bottle in his hand, waving it at us. Phil, FG’s bass player, was a karate black belt and he was looking very calm, coming closer to Jock inch by inch. Suddenly he jumped at Jock, put two fingers on his Adam’s apple and said with a slow voice: “OK, let’s kill”, his eyes deep into Mac Donald’s eyes.

The bottle instantly fell on the ground and the guy just ran out the club swearing loud and clear… Phil and I were sleeping at Daniel’s mom place for a few days and we were making music late at night. One of these nights, Daniel was on Phil’s MS 20, I was trying Daniel’s infamous Korg 700S (the one that was on TVOD and Warm Leatherette) and Phil was on the CS 50M but it was visibly too loud and too late as Daniel’s mum came down and asked us to PLEASE STOP !

Next gig to come was going to be the Clarendon, but we were told this would be our last gig with Frank as he wanted a full band behind him to totally free him from any other duties but vocals. I was devastated…

Frank Tovey / Fad Gadget #1 (part 3)

So, we were invited to headline Stevo’s kinda festival at the Clarendon, on June 27 1980. Stevo was a very colourful character who will make himself known later when managing bands like Soft Cell and The The. The bill was very symptomatic of the time: DAF, Naked Lunch, B.Movie, Vice Versa, Clock DVA,…

So, Fad Gadget #1 had started touring as a relative unknown a few months ago and we were by now talk of the town and headline this festival. It felt good and it felt also important and I was nervous. Everybody was. Frank had a song by Georges Folmby playing before we would go on. Folmby was a Lancarshire working class comedian and he was famous for playing double entendre ukulélé songs. It was a known and safe thing for British people and Frank used it as contrast as chaos would start when we would cut Folmby and go straight into “State Of The Nation” and follow that with most of what is on the album Fireside Favourites.

• State Of The Nation
• Back To Nature
• The Box
• Fireside Favourite
• Newsreel
• Pedestrian
• Coitus Interruptus
• Ricky’s Hand
• Back To Nature

Yes, Frank wanted shock and chaos, and he got that except that at the Clarendon it went a bit further than expected. During one of the early songs, Fad had already taken over Frank, he smashed up his face with one of the two Syncussion drums and it started pouring blood. Phil and I looked at him and he made us understand it was fine and let’s continue…So we continued until someone took Frank off stage as it was just like a fountain of blood by now. The gig was stopped.

We went backstage and Frank was adamant he was fine but Babra (his wife) disinfected the wound and placed a cloth on it. We went back on stage.

The crowd went MAD. Frank was standing there, his white clothes with red blood all over it, singing to the public that was all won. It was an incredible sight, and being on stage, playing the songs with a singer that went beyond the call of duty was something unexplainable. After the gig, we had to take the 5 am ferry. I was sitting on the stairs of the Clarendon and, yes, I was crying, letting all the tension, the fears of the gig off my system but also the sadness I felt after having lived some incredible times with
Frank, as synth player in Fad Gadget. I saw Frank playing with Fad Gadget #2 a few months later and he invited me to play in the encore: we were cool.

Still, I wasn’t done with London and would come back later…

Side-Line also covered Jean-Marc Lederman’s ‘Sci-Fi Revisited’.

About Fad Gadget

Frank Tovey (8 September 1956 – 3 April 2002), an English electronic musician and performance artist, recorded as Fad Gadget, becoming the first artist signed to Daniel Miller’s Mute Records after the two met at the Rough Trade shop in London. His recorded work combined synthesizers with found-object sounds and dark, comic lyrics. Studio albums as Fad Gadget include “Fireside Favourites” (1980), “Incontinent” (1981), “Under the Flag” (1982) and “Gag” (1984), after which he continued recording under his own name, releasing six further albums on Mute between 1985 and 1992. He died of a heart attack at his London home in 2002.

Belgian musician Jean-Marc Lederman played with Fad Gadget in the band’s touring lineup during the early-to-mid 1980s and has recounted memories of touring with Tovey, Daniel Miller and DAF’s Chrislo Haas in interviews, describing Tovey as bringing something unheard in electronic music at the time. Lederman has credited Daniel Miller and Fad Gadget’s early-1980s touring band, including Chrislo Haas of DAF, as formative to his own career.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Experimental, Abstract, Hypnotic.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Belgian Electronic veteran Jean-Marc Lederman strikes back with a new solo-work. The hilarious title might be an indication for this work but especially the opening track “The Blue Note” gives us more information. A ‘blue note’ is a ‘music term; note that for expressive purposes is sung or played at a slightly different pitch than standard’.

Content: Jean-Marc Lederman has created a kind of ‘free-style’ -which he’s been doing for a while, using soul vocals he transformed, pitched and supported with hypnotic electronics. Sometimes ghost-like and even reminding me of a track to the great “Twin Peaks”-tune but often totally Experimental -reminding me of Staalplaat releases.

+ + + : The creativity of this artist has no limits; nothing is impossible and everything is worthy of an experiment. I can’t say I’m fond of this new record but I honestly salute and respect the ‘no compromises’ attitude of the artist. It all seems like he doesn’t really care about established standards, fashion trends and ‘bankable’ productions. Lederman is having fun revisiting soul hymns in a very personal way.

– – – : I’m really wondering how people and fans of the artist will react to this new work. I honestly prefer him composing more accessible and Pop-driven music.

Conclusion: Did Jean-Marc Lederman get contaminated by a virus? Did he use some dope to write this album? One thing is for sure, he’s doing his very own, damned, thing.

Best songs: “She’s My Candy Cane”, “The Music Walks Again (The Robert Johnson Story) featuring Emileigh Rohn.

Rate: 6.

Artist: www.jmlederman.com / www.facebook.com/jeanmarc.lederman

Label: www.facebook.com/copint

Listen to “Soul Music For Zombies”:

About Jean-Marc Lederman

Jean-Marc Lederman is a Belgian electronic musician and composer. His career includes work with Front 242, The The, Gene Loves Jezebel, Fad Gadget, The Weathermen and French rocker Alain Bashung, along with film and video game scoring credits, including the 2017 feature “Doubleplusonegood” and work as second composer to Ramin Djawadi. He has released double CD/artbook albums as Jean-Marc Lederman Experience, among them “13 Ghost Stories” in 2019 and “Letters To Gods (And Fallen Angels)” in 2020, and worked with Jean-Luc De Meyer of Front 242 in the Lederman / De Meyer project, which released two EPs and the album “Eleven Grinding Songs”. In 2020 he signed to COP International, the label behind “Soul Music For Zombies”, released on Les Disques De La Pantoufle / COP International in digital and CD formats on February 10, 2023.

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

Jean-Marc Lederman (The Weathermen, Ghost & Writer, Lederman/ De Meyer ao) and Emileigh Rohn (Chiasm) got in touch for Jean-Marc’s conceptual album “Letters To Gods And Fallen Angels” (2019). It became a praised album and a successful collaboration inciting the Belgian-American duo to move on working together. Rohn-Lederman was born and a first album “Venus Chariot” was released in 2021. One year later the duo strikes back unleashing “Rage!”. Both albums released by COP International reveal a very own approach in sound, mixing different styles resulting in an atypical Electro-Pop production. “Rage!” sounds darker and harsher than its predecessor but also is a sophisticated piece of music. This is what both artists have to say about their common project.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: What motivated you to work together on a full length album and what makes the chemistry between both of you?

Jean-Marc: We kinda hooked up really from the beginning. I had provided Emileigh a song but ended up having to recreate the entire instrumental part beyond her voice. And she loved it. And I was so surprised as usually singers hate that, they’ll often get very self-conscious when the music changes too much. And I think Emileigh liked that I went as far as redoing a whole new music backing behind her. So we kind of got impressed by how each other was ready to alter course for making the end song shine through: commitment to the art.

Emileigh:  We began in 2019 with a song featured at Jean-Marc’s album “Letters To Gods And Fallen Angels” and realized the potential of continuing to try more.  So, we created an EP which eventually became an album and really haven’t stopped since. I think at last count, we have over 50 tracks released together at this point.  It’s been an incredibly dynamic partnership.

Q: Was there something like a consensus about the music, lyrical themes and global approach when setting up the project?

Jean-Marc: We just went straight in and got to discover things happening when they did and follow the rabbit down the music hole…

Emileigh:I recall, when we first began, having a discussion around Tom Waits quote regarding beautiful music saying terrible things. I think that intense emotional edge, especially with our recent “Rage!”-album, has only continued to sharpen. We knew well from our individual projects that our mindsets were similar and wanted to create music that continues to move and hold interest. I think we both have a fiery opposition to stagnancy.

Q: Jean-Marc, you already worked with numerous singers and artists so what makes the experience with Emileigh Rohn maybe different or that particular? What did she brought you never experienced before and in which way did she stimulates your artistic creativity and –skills in the production of this work?

Jean-Marc: I have been lucky enough to share a great music experience with amazing singers like Bruce Geduldig with The Weathermen and Frank Spinath with Ghost & Writer. Here, Emileigh brings in her amazing lyrical talent, her great voice, her ability to embrace changes and a genuine curiosity for bold and new things. The differences are multiples but I think it is also her natural attitude towards musical experiments.

Q: I often get the feeling Jean-Marc is one of the very few artists active at this scene who’s able to write the right music for the singers he’s working with… the singers becoming his muse? Do you recognize it or is it totally different? What’s your experience about it? 

Emileigh: I write from my own interpretations, but there’s no question that we inspire each other. Our tracks begin with a skeleton composed by Jean-Marc, and I create my songs around that.  Then he arranges the sounds around what I’ve provided, so there is indeed a chance for each of us to adjust what we’ve created.  It’s been an incredibly creative experience overall.

Q: Sound-wise Rohn-Lederman sounds driven by Electro-Pop influences and yet it sounds to me as an antidote to ‘classical’ Electro-Pop standards which are only but repeating themselves. What makes the inspiration for Rohn-Lederman and what’s your perception of Electro-Pop productions who nearly all sound the same?

Jean-Marc: We are both very open to many different music styles and we aren’t afraid of trying mixing things we’ve heard, be it in a Top Ten hit or an obscure sound in a song penned by an unknown Moldavian band from the seventies (lol). So, no real influences but many of them. Luckily enough, they get draft in and mix themselves with all the others and it makes up for something rather different. Electro-pop productions are most often amazing sound wise and terrible inspiration and novelty wise.

Q: I guess you didn’t record the album together in studio but did everything over the net. Don’t you think working together in the same room/studio would result in a different production? What’s your opinion about it? And what’s the next step now for this project?

Jean-Marc: Sure it would sound different: what we get today is the result of that studio isolation and geographical distance. Being together in the studio would allow us to refine certain parts for sure but still we would go in the same area: putting together elements that aren’t supposed to be seen together.
It would be amazing to record in the same studio and very probably would lead to even more research and musical melting pot.

Next step? We have already kinda define where we want Rohn-Lederman 3 to go and lazily get going lol. But first Emileigh gets to work on her own Chiasm album and then we’ll regroup for our next one.

Emileigh: I’ve always preferred to work alone in my studio because it allows me to experiment with different sounds and techniques without the fear of judgement, the opportunity to self-edit in my own space. I think although we are comfortable sharing with each other mid-progress, we’re still giving ourselves this chance to branch out and create content that’s extra memorable for the listeners. As far as what’s next, yes, I’m constructing my new Chiasm-album and I’m sure that will have some influence on how we approach our next ROHN-LEDERMAN-album together.  It’s going to be wild!! 🙂

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:  

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: One year after the “Venus Chariot”-album the duo Emileigh Rohn (Chiams) – Jean-Marc Lederman (The Weatherman, Lederman-De Meyer, Mari & The Ghost ao) strikes back with their second opus entitled “Rage”.

Content: Jean-Marc Lederman composed a dark and somewhat atypical Electro-Pop style driven by menacing bass lines, Industrial sound treatments and uplifting choruses. Rohn’s fragile timbre of voice injects a sensitive touch to the ‘machines’.

+ + + : This albums sounds pretty different to its predecessor. It’s darker and more diversified. Lederman feels comfortable experimenting with different influences and styles. His album is an antithesis to ‘classical’ and ‘uninspired’ Electro-Pop productions. Don’t expect catchy melodies but a sophisticated production filled with numerous sound effects and aggressive bass lines. There even is a track sounding as Electronic Rockabilly (cf. “I Am Not A Drone”). This duo isn’t exactly dealing with Electro-Pop, but delivers a kind of ‘free-style’. I like the darkness and rough sound production creating a duality with the delicate vocals.  The already familiar “It Hurts” remains a great piece, but my favorite is the uplifting “Not Your Place To Hide”. I also want to mention “Raging Like Me” which is one of the single cuts with a different -and more spoken like, approach in the vocals.

– – – : The work isn’t maybe the most accessible one in its genre… although it sounds a bit like a genre on its own! I like Emileigh’s vocals but I’m missing a bit more diversity in the singing.

Conclusion: Rohn-Lederman clearly is a successful duo; the clash between different generations creating a ground for further generations.

Best songs: “Not Your Place To Hide”, “It Hurts”, “Raging Like Me”, “Touch And Go”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/Rohnlederman

Label: www.facebook.com/copint Read the news on ‘Rage’.

About Rohn-Lederman

Rohn-Lederman is the Belgian-American duo of Emileigh Rohn (Chiasm) and Jean-Marc Lederman (The Weathermen, Ghost & Writer, Lederman/De Meyer). The project began in 2019 after Lederman invited Rohn to contribute vocals to his album “Letters To Gods And Fallen Angels”. Their collaboration continued with the debut album “Venus Chariot”, followed by “Rage” as the duo’s second opus. Rohn-Lederman went on to release the 2CD album “Black And Bleu” in April 2024 and the fifth album, “Forbidden Planet”, in 2025, all through Jean-Marc Lederman’s own label, Les Disques De La Pantoufle.

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

Out on the 2nd of September via COP International is the Rohn – Lederman album “Rage!”.

Behind Rohn – Lederman we find Jean-Marc Lederman (Fad Gadget, The Weathermen, The The, Gene Loves Jezebel, Ghost & Writer + numerous solo records) and Emileigh Rohn (Chiasm) who started this project to bring catchy electropop. More recently, Emileigh Rohn recently also completed an album with John Fryer titled “Missed The Noise”, and since has been working with Jean-Marc Lederman on this project.

Here’s a first preview of the Porno For Pyros track “Pets” by Rohn – Lederma. Read the review of ‘Rage’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Cinematic, Experimental.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Belgian composer Jean-Marc Lederman has never been as prolific and inspired as during the Covid 19-pandemic. His newest work is a new conceptual album driven by his fascination for aquatic life resulting in this ‘homage’ to seahorses and manatees.

Content: Jean-Marc Lederman likes to work with themes which are totally different from each other. But this album deals however again with a pure Cinematic writing. This could be the Soundtrack for a documentary. The orchestral arrangements, strings effects and acoustic sounds are totally devoted to the Cinematic style. But songs also feature slow rhythms and other more exotic cadences. Guest singer Emileigh Rohn has been featured on 2 songs but especially the cover versions of “Song To Siren” is a noticeable one.

+ + + : The concept is maybe less fun than we might expect although titles of songs are sometimes pretty weird. Jean-Marc Lederman feels comfortable composing Cinematic music and this album brings all the different elements together. I like his orchestral arrangements creating this cool bombastic effect. The rhythms are bringing the work more accessible while holding onto the Soundtrack feeling. This is a diverse- and elaborated work and the perfect production to dream about abyssal depths and aquatic creatures.

– – – : I noticed a few songs with an abrupt end. The main difficulty for this production remains its Experimental style.

Conclusion: This new work by Jean-Marc Lederman confirms his great composing skills for Cinematic music. The dreamy strength of the work reminds me of the universe if Jacques Tati.

Best songs: “Where Is Dory?”, “Johnny Deep”, “(Music Industry) Sharks: We’re Gonna Need Bigger Slippers!”

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.jmlederman.com / www.facebook.com/Music-composer-Jean-Marc-Lederman-1585277635023000

Label: www.facebook.com/copint Read the news on ‘Night Music For Seahorses And Manatees’.

“Night Music For Seahorses And Manatees” was released on 31 March 2022 through COP International, digitally and on CD in a four-sided eco-package. The mostly instrumental album runs about 38 minutes. Lederman composed, played, arranged, produced and mixed every track. Emileigh Rohn of Chiasm sings on the cover of “Song To The Siren”, written by Tim Buckley with lyrics by Larry Beckett, and provides the voice on “Where Is Dory?”. Marine biologist Geoff Avern wrote the foreword.

Lederman set out what the listener is meant to encounter: “You’ll literally meet seahorses, manatees, sharks, mantas, an old shipwreck, see the sad state the coral reefs are in (and that’s our fault), you’ll also be looking for Dory and will finally arrive at the bottom of the sea and re-discover…SURPRISE !”

The album followed “The Raven”, issued under the Jean-Marc Lederman Experience name in January 2022.

Listen to “Night Music For Seahorses And Manatees”:

About Jean-Marc Lederman

Jean-Marc Lederman is a Belgian composer and electronic musician who has worked in the field since the early 1980s. He was a member of The Weathermen and has recorded with Fad Gadget, a period he described in the Side-Line feature Working with Fad Gadget and Daniel Miller was an exciting treat. Side-Line also reviewed The Weathermen’s Long Lost Live Instrumental Backing Tapes + Live CD Concert in 2019.

He works in clearly separated conceptual projects. Side-Line reviewed “The Space Between Worlds” in 2017, the Lederman / De Meyer collaborations “A Tribe Of My Own” and “Eleven Grinding Songs” in 2018, “13 Ghost Stories” and “Ode A La Pluie” in 2019, “Letters To Gods [And Fallen Angels]” in 2020, and “The Helpless Voyage Of The Titanic”, “Music for Dinosaurs” and “The Mysterious Manuscript Of Gabriel Garcia Marquez” in 2021.

The work with Emileigh Rohn continued as the Rohn-Lederman duo, whose album “Rage” appeared on COP International in 2022. Lederman went on to release “Soul Music For Zombies” in 2023, “Sci-Fi Revisited” in 2024 and “Electronic Slipper Music” in 2025.

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

(Photo by Erica Hinyot) Out now is the all new album by Jean-Marc Lederman called “Night music for seahorses and manatees“. The album is a 38 minutes long mostly instrumental album including a cover version of Tim Buckley’s “Song To The Siren”, sung by Emileigh Rohn from US band Chiasm.

Conceptually built around life in the sea, the album has a foreword by Geoff Avern, marine biologist and Doctor of Literature and Psychology, who tells us about the extremely dangerous state of our Oceans.

Jean-Marc Lederman adds: “You’ll literally meet seahorses, manatees, sharks, mantas, an old shipwreck, see the sad state the coral reefs are in (and that’s our fault), you’ll also be looking for Dory and will finally arrive at the bottom of the sea and re- discover…SURPRISE !”

You can check out the full release below. The album is also available on CD (4 sides eco-package). Read the review of ‘Night Music For Seahorses And Manatees’.

For more on Jean-Marc Lederman, see Working with Fad Gadget and Daniel Miller was an exciting treat says… on Side-Line.

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

Mari Kattman has joined COP International. “Is It Really That Bad” will be the first EP on COP International and will be released on the 13th of May and will feature remixes by Neuroticfish, Rotersand and John Fryer.

Christian Petke / Founder COP International: “Mari brings incredible talent and drive to the table. I absolutely adore the fact that she is not just the singer but the principal songwriter and visionary in this project. She is a force to be reckoned with!”

Mari Kattman has been self-recording, writing, composing, and live performing music since 2012. Currently, she operates under the Mari Kattman name as a solo artist and works with Tom Shear, of Assemblage 23, on a project called Helix. In the past she has collaborated with many artists, including Assemblage 23, Mesh, Ivardensphere, Jean-Marc Lederman, Psy’Aviah, Aesthetiche, Neuroticfish BlackCarBurning, Cassetter, This Morn Omina, Solitary Experiments, Mephisto Walz, Aiboforcen, Interface and Comaduster.

She has worked on many label releases including ones for Metropolis Records, Alfa Matrix, FiXT and now she will call COP International her new home for her solo work.

Here’s the track “Objectified”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Cold-Wave, Cinematographic.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: This is the first new Chiron album since “We Own The Night” (2015). Ex-Ikon singer  Michael Aliani joined hands again with Ikon bass player Dino Molinaro to achieve an album inspired by themes of isolation, solitude and loss. The album also features saxophonist Leanne Coe.

Content: The work takes off in an interesting way, but progressively evolves into an icy atmosphere composed by guitar playing and electronics. Next to these extremely cold parts Chiron also deals with dark reverie. The low bass vibrations are often reminding me of Joy Division. The second part of the work is accentuated by reverie, the album moving towards a more Cinematographic approach. The last song is a remix of “Darker Days” by Jean-Marc Lederman.

+ + + : It’s great to get a new album of Chiron, which is a band mixing good-old Cold-Wave influences together with a more personal and evasive approach. I especially like the debut of the work revealing great, icy guitar riffs joined by similar Electronic arrangements. “Sadly” is a brilliant song, which transposed the main themes of the album in a poignant composition. The more ‘film-noir’ sounding “Frantic” is another attention grabber. I also like this work for the freaky bass guitar played by Dino Molinaro. Michael Aliani also remains a true talented singer. Last, but not least the remix by Jean-Marc Lederman is a great song as well -and better than the original edit.

– – – : The work is switching from Cold-Wave influences into Cinematographic music. I prefer the first- and main source of inspiration and it’s a pity there are no more songs in this vein.

Conclusion: Chiron is back on track delivering a few dark, sonic pearls.

Best songs: “Sadly”, “Frantic”, “Let Us Begin”, “Darker Days – Jean-Marc Lederman Remix”, “Surrender”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/chirongothic

Label: www.darkvinyl.de / www.facebook.com/darkvinylrecords Read the news on ‘The Sun Goes Down’.

About Chiron

Chiron is the Australian project of vocalist Michael Aliani, also known as Carrodus. Aliani, Chris McCarter and Dino Molinaro first played together in Death In The Dark, renamed Ikon in 1991. Aliani left Ikon in 1997 and started Chiron, which soon turned from a solo project into a permanent band. The original line-up included Molinaro on bass and Shura Bi-2 and Lyova Bi-2 of the Russian rock band B2.

The recorded chronology runs from “Eclipse” in 1997 through “Eve” in 1999, “Strangers” in 2001, “Slipping Away” in 2002, “Bleed” in 2004, “Breaking Point” in 2009 and “We Own The Night” in 2015, the year that also brought “The Best Of”. Aliani talked about the band in Click Interview with Chiron: ‘Art Is Supposed To Be A Struggle’.

Dark Vinyl issued “The Sun Goes Down” on 21 January 2022 as a twelve-track album in a 6-panel eco-digifile limited to 500 copies. Molinaro plays bass and cello, Leanne Coe adds saxophone, and Jean-Marc Lederman contributes the closing remix of “Darker Days”. Dark Vinyl went on to release the next Chiron album, “A Dark Beauty”, in 2026.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop, Cinematographic, Experimental.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Jean-Marc Lederman has achieved a new work featuring guest singers. In the past few months he released similar albums like “13 Ghost Stories” and “Letters To Gods And Fallen Angels”, and also “Venus Chariot” as a collaboration between him and Emileigh Rohn. “The Raven” is driven by a new concept where Lederman asked his guests to work on old texts from poets like (Byron, Poe, Plato, Shelley, de Froidmont ao.

Content: The guest singers for this album areMari Kattman (Helix, Mari & The Ghost), Christopher Hall (Stabbing Westward), Mark Hockings (Mesh), Elena Alice Fossi (Kirlian Camera, Spectra*Paris), Azam Ali (Niyaz), Dr. Strangefryer (aka John Fryer), Jim Semonik (Red Locust), Lis Van Den Akker (Misery, Psy’Aviah), Ken Mageman, Jean-Luc De Meyer (Front 242, 32Crash), Stefan Netschio (Beborn Beton), Emileigh Rohn (Chiasm), Christina Z.

Sound-wise the work is pretty eclectic, moving in between a free interpretation of Electro-Pop compositions and more pronounced Cinematographic music. The songs feature numerous, typical Cinema music arrangements, which are sometimes bombastic, but also pretty evasive. I also noticed very Minimal-Electro driven pieces. The songs have been sung/performed in English, French and Italian.

+ + + :Each time,  Jean-Marc Lederman Experience again sounds like a new and fascinating journey. First there is always an interesting concept and I like this one for mixing old poems together with music, which as an imaginary Soundtrack has been performed by the artist. There’s once again a true symbiosis between music and vocals, seeing Jean-Marc transforming himself into a sonic chameleon. Music and performer are totally complementary, now resulting in a sensual composition like the one with Mari Kattman, then into a kind of Lounge approach with Mark Hockings, becoming totally minimal with Dr. Strangefryer, getting us into a dreamy part with Lis Van Den Akker. But the most surprising- and poignant track is the one with Jean-Luc De Meyer inspired on a poem of Hélinand de Froidmont. It’s an old and tenebrous poem, which has been masterly interpreted by the Front 242 lead singer and adapted into a horror-like music composition. There are several noticeable cuts on this album, which is more an album to listen to instead of dancing.

– – – : The album once more creates the illusion listening to a compilation instead of an album composed by one artist. That’s part of this concept and I’m sure Jean-Marc Lederman still has enough ideas and creativity to move on with it.

Conclusion: Jean-Marc Lederman Experience and his guest singers stand for a true sonic intercourse. This is a new brilliant piece of music and the perfect successor to “Letters To Gods And Fallen Angels”.

Best songs: “The Worms Of Death”, “Invocation”, Frankenstein”, “Smouldering Corpse In The Morning Sun”, “The Cold Heart Slept Below”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.jmlederman.com / www.facebook.com/Music-composer-Jean-Marc-Lederman-1585277635023000 / www.facebook.com/jeanmarc.lederman

Label: www.facebook.com/copint

About Jean-Marc Lederman Experience

Jean-Marc Lederman is a Brussels-based Belgian keyboard player, composer and producer. Active since the late 1970s, he worked with Fad Gadget, The The, Gene Loves Jezebel and Front 242, and co-founded projects including The Weathermen, Kid Montana, Jules et Jim with Julianne Regan, Ghost & Writer with Frank Spinath, Lederman / De Meyer with Jean-Luc De Meyer, and the Jean-Marc Lederman Experience. He also composes for film and videogames.

The Jean-Marc Lederman Experience is built around invited vocalists. “13 Ghost Stories” appeared in 2019 on Dependent and “Letters To Gods (And Fallen Angels)” in 2020 on Wool-E Discs, both with a large cast of guest singers. “Venus Chariot”, his 2021 duo album with Emileigh Rohn of Chiasm, came out on COP International, the same label releasing “The Raven”.

Lederman’s later solo work includes “The Bad-Tempered Synthesizer” in 2021, “Night Music for Seahorses and Manatees” in 2022, “Soul Music For Zombies” in 2023, “Sci-Fi Revisited” in 2024 and “Electronic Slipper Music” in 2025. The Rohn-Lederman duo continued with “RAGE!” in 2022, “Black And Bleu” in 2024 and “Forbidden Planet” in 2025. “The Raven” sits in that sequence as the third Jean-Marc Lederman Experience album built on guest performances.

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

Out via Dark Vinyl on January 21st is the all new album by Chiron. The album holds 12 new tracks and comes in a 6-panel eco-digifile, limited to 500 copies.

Influenced by groups like Joy Division and the early New Order, Chris McCarter , Michael Aliani (aka Carrodus) and Dino Molinaro first formed the band Death In The Dark, which was then renamed Ikon in 1991. However, Michael Carrodus left Ikon in 1997 and started his project Chiron. What started as a solo project, however, soon developed into a permanent band. The original line-up included Ikon bassist Dino Molinaro and members of the Russian rock band B2, Shura Bi-2 and Lyova Bi-2.

The band’s forthcoming album “The Sun Goes Down” is conceptually based around the themes of isolation, loneliness and loss. On this album Michael is again supported by Dino Molinaro on bass and cello. In addition, Leanne Coe can be heard on saxophone for the first time. Note that the album also holds a remix of the track “Darker Days” by Jean-Marc Lederman.

Out now is already a video for the opening track “Surrender” in a remix by Children of the Night. Read the review of ‘The Sun Goes Down’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

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

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Emileigh Rohn (Chiasm) already sung a song on Jean-Marc Lederman’s last album “Letters To Gods And Fallen Angels”. They now joined arms together for a full length album. The American singer and Belgian musician accomplished fifteen songs.  

Content: “Venus Chariot” sounds like the meeting between a heavenly, graceful singer and a true sonic chameleon. Jean-Marc Lederman composed an Electro-Pop composition, which has something pretty catchy and yet accomplished with numerous Experimental passages. The sound treatments are sometimes surprising, mixing refinement and bombast.

+ + + : It feels like Jean-Marc Lederman has written “Venus Chariot” for the voice of Emileigh Rohn. I get the impression the music would have been totally different with another singer. So it creates a true harmony between music and vocals. And Rohn’s fragile and heavenly timbre of voice has something particular, something you can’t totally catch, but Lederman caught it by music. Some passages remind me of Lilly Allen, but in a more Experimental approach. There are several cool songs featured like the EP-title song “Watch Out”, but my favorite one is for sure “Up In Flames” for its catchy side and ping-pong like sequences. “Sunflower” is another attention grabber for its delicacy. “What’d We Find Out” sounds more Indie-driven and is another cool cut.  Last, but not least I also recommend “Come Over Here” featuring guitar sounds and male- and female vocals. I’m still perplex to see the sonic canvas of Jean-Marc Lederman who took me once more by surprise.

– – – : Some pieces are maybe missing an extra catchy touch, but I think it was not exactly the intention of this work.

Conclusion: It feels like both protagonists have already worked together for years and I can only encourage them to renew this experience.

Best songs: “Up In Flames”, “Sunflower”, “Watch Out”, “What’d We Find Out”, “Come Over Here”.

Rate: 7½.

Artists: www.facebook.com/emileigh.rohn / www.facebook.com/jeanmarc.lederman

Label: www.facebook.com/copint

About Rohn + Lederman

Rohn + Lederman is the duo of American singer Emileigh Rohn, who records as Chiasm, and Belgian musician Jean-Marc Lederman. They began working together after Rohn sang on Lederman’s collaborative album project, and the duo signed to COP International.

The pair released the “Watch Out!” and “The Secret” EPs in 2021, along with the free “Go!” EP and a cover of “Last Christmas”. “Venus Chariot” appeared later that year on COP International with fifteen tracks, followed by the “Up In Flames EP (Women Remixers Only)”.

“Rage!”, “We Need A Plan”, “It Hurts!” and “Apollo Chariot” arrived in 2022, “Black And Bleu” in 2024, the “Steal The Light” EP and “Forbidden Planet” in 2025, and the album “Volcano” in 2026.

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

COP International has announced the signing of the Dutch band Vaselyne. The duo came recommended by John Fryer who had worked with Yvette Winkler on a Black Needle Noise release.

“Waiting to Exhale” is the first single taken from Vaselyne’s upcoming album to be released in 2022. The video for the single, which you view below, was shot by dutch filmmaker Dorothée Meddens.

Through Pieter Nooten Winkler came into contact with Frank Weyzig who was Clan of Xymox’ original guitarist. They decided to write music together and Vaselyne was born in 2011. As well as being Vaselyne’s singer and lyricist, Yvette does guest vocals and lyrics.

Vaselyne has so far released four albums/EPs on the German label Echozone: the “Earthbound” EP (2012), their full-length debut album “The Fire Within” (2013), the “In Dreams” EP (2015) and the “Fragile” EP (2016). In the spring of 2018, after a two-year hiatus, Frank and Yvette Winkler picked up things where they left and Vaselyne contributed to the Textbeak (Michael Szewczyk) album, “Sick for Songs a Season Eats”, produced by John Fryer.

About Yvette Winkler

Yvette Winkler is a Dutch singer/lyricist and artist. After being a nightclub singer in her teens performing covers with a tape, she formed her first band Dazzle & Delight. In the following years, she did musical theatre, recorded with Orphan Amp and co-founded Sea Of Souls.

After meeting Pieter Nooten of Clan of Xymox on Myspace, she started a collaboration for his album “Here is Why” for which she did lead, backing vocals, and wrote lyrics.

She has collaborated with Textbeak, John Fryer’s Black Needle Noise, IAMTHESHADOW, Junksista, Jean-Marc Lederman and Attrition.

About Frank Weyzig

Weyzig started his music career in 1985 with the Dutch electronic wave band Clan of Xymox when they were signed with the English independent label 4AD, which released their first album, “Clan of Xymox” that year. Weyzig played guitar and keyboards on the first album and performed with the band on stage as a live guitarist and keyboard player until 1990.

From 1995 until 1999 he played as vocalist and guitarist with Dutch indie-wave band Born For Bliss which you will surely remember from the track “Arabia” (released via Nuclear Blast / Death Wish Office).

In 1998 German Goth rock legends ‘Love Like Blood’ asked Frank to write a song for their “Snake Killer” album, “Ylene”.

In 2009 Frank co-wrote and produced the album “Spiders in the MindWeb” for White Rose Transmission, the band founded by Carlo van Putten (at that time vocalist of The Convent; later the singer of Dead Guitars) and the late Adrian Borland (frontman of English 80’s cult band The Sound). Other notable endeavors include the StarGazing Project with Remco Helbers and The White Rose Transmission live album “Spinning Webs at Night”.

In 2020, Frank started to work with Kelly Cook (ex-MOEV) on their new project Tearing The BlackBox. So far, TTBB released two EP singles; “Devil World” and “Breathe”.

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

After her work with Chiasm and John Fryer’s album ” Missed the Noise”, Emileigh Rohn has jumped right into her next adventure with Jean-Marc Lederman (The Weathermen / Fad Gadget / Front242 / Ghost & Writer with Frank Spinath from Seabound) to launch a new band: Rohn-Lederman.

Their first offering is an EP named “Watch Out!” Which comes in 4 reworked versions on the EP. Remixers on duty include Claus Larsen (Leaether Strip), Tom Shear (Assemblage 23), Mark Hockings (Mesh, Black Car Burning) and an own Rohn-Lederman remix. Also Krischan Jan-Eric Wesenberg (Rotersand) made a remix which will be released later this year.

Here’s the video for the remixed version of “Watch Out!”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. 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

Jean-Marc Lederman has recorded a retro-futurist homage to an iconic 1969 album by Wendy Carlos: “The Bad-Tempered Synthesizer”. The physical release holds a rather interesting 21x21cm 3D cover which you can check out below. The album features 12 tracks, all original except the last one, “that one is by some random guy called JS Bach or something” says Jean-Marc Lederman. Daniel Miller (from Mute Records) has also penned the sleeve notes.

We asked Jean-Marc what is behind the concept: “”The Bad Tempered Synthesizer” idea came after seeing the sleeve of the iconic 1969 Wendy Carlos album called “The Well Tempered Synthesizer”. I began to think about it and came with a concept that was both funny and interesting to me: how about making an album where every song would be one semitone and 4 bpm less than the previous one? That meant starting from C at 92 bpm and finishing at C# nearly one octave lower and at 48 bpm…Intriguing, no?”

Lederman also re-created the artwork as you can see below, but there is more…

The release is out as a download and as a physical release via Bandcamp, the later is holding the below 3D print.

You can check the full album below.

Side-Line also covered Jean-Marc Lederman’s ‘Night music for seahorses and manatees’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Cinematographic, Experimental.

Format: Digital, CD + Book.

Background/Info: 2020 probably was the most prolific artistic year for Belgian artist Jean-Marc Lederman. He released three different albums and already worked and achieved this very surprising and ambitious project. The Belgian artist wrote a 75 page novel about three musicians from different ages and different countries who met through a mysterious manuscript of the Colombian writer and novel winner of literature Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The book has been released together with a CD featuring ten songs in a limited edition of 120 copies.

Content: We know Jean-Marc Lederman as an early EBM musician who later on released numerous Electro-Pop driven productions, but he also became a talented Cinematographic artist. This album is a kind of Soundtrack to the novel; a diversified opus bringing numerous influences and genres together. From pure Cinematographic music accomplished with piano arrangements to some Latino passages and Funky, danceable sequences to an arty-Dubby track, the artist featured his impressive sonic canvas.

+ + + : I knew Jean-Marc Lederman the musician, but I didn’t know the writer. He simply brought both disciplines together, creating a wider artistic concept. The question is where will he stop? What will be his next challenge? I can’t say this is the best music I’ve heard from Lederman, but it clearly fits with the book and the concept. He illustrated the story with songs, diverse music genres, which probably stands for the different musicians from the story. I really like the Dub-sounding “It’s Time To Talk Contracts”.

– – – : I’m just missing one element with this release, a real visual content. So Lederman as a film-director could be another and next idea…

Conclusion: This is definitely the most unexpected project by this artist, but bringing a novel and music together is absolutely a great idea.

Best songs: “It’s Time To Talk Contracts”, “Victor’s Theme”, “Old Man In The Desert”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.jmlederman.com / www.facebook.com/jeanmarc.lederman

Distributor: www.wool-e-discs.be / www.facebook.com/woolediscs Read the news on ‘The Mysterious Manuscript Of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’.

About Jean-Marc Lederman

Jean-Marc Lederman is a Belgian musician and composer known for his work with Fad Gadget, The The and The Weathermen, alongside an extensive solo and collaborative discography covered many times on Side-Line. “The Mysterious Manuscript Of Gabriel Garcia Marquez”, released via Les Disques De La Pantoufle with distribution by Wool-E Discs in April 2021, pairs a CD with a novel following three musicians who meet through a manuscript attributed to Gabriel García Márquez, issued as a limited edition of 120 copies. The original Side-Line review describes a 75-page novel, while the Wool-E Discs release listing gives 86 pages; that discrepancy is unresolved here. It followed a particularly active 2020 for Lederman, during which he released three separate albums.

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

COP International Records has announced the signing of Blackcarburning, the latest electronic project of Mark Hockings, better known as the frontman of Mesh. Coming up is a first album, “Watching Sleepers” which will be co-produced by John Fryer.

Hockings is responsible for writing, singing and programming and describes the tracks as “electronic music written around songs, emotion and energy.” He further adds, “The album was written to see what I could achieve by working primarily on my own. It’s been a vehicle for exploring new songwriting and programming ideas and to develop some new directions.”

All songs were recorded in Hockings’ personal studio in Bristol, UK that he built right before the pandemic lockdown. For the album, Hockings also worked remotely alongside with Mari Kattman (Helix), Janne Marvannen (Lakeside X) and Howie Venton (newwt), who provided vocals and piano accompaniment, respectively.

A first self-released 3-track single, “The Mirror”, can be heard below.

COP International Records founder Christian Petke says this about his latest signing: “Mark Hockings performed with his band Mesh at a festival that I was attending years ago. He walked onto the stage and, 30 seconds later, I was utterly impressed. His voice has that special something that immediately captures your undivided attention. What I didn’t realize at the time is the fact that he is also an incredibly accomplished songwriter and musician. So, when Jean-Marc Lederman introduced me to Mark’s Blackcarburning project I was immediately interested. He brings an unbelievable amount of talent, passion and experience to the table. Mark is exactly the kind of artist we are trying to have in the COP family.”

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

Out now aofficially s a very limited book plus CD is the fresh Jean-Marc Lederman release “The Mysterious Manuscript of Gabriel Garcia Marquez”. We say officially because the release is already completely sold out. This electronica OST came in an extremely limited edition of strictly 120 copies. It held a 75 page novel with a companion musical CD featuring 10 exclusive tracks.

For those who missed it, a download is available as you can see below.

“The Mysterious Manuscript from Gabriel Garcia Marquez” tells the story of how three musicians of different ages (Victor 24, Veronica 44, Vincent 64) and different countries (Mexico, France and the USA) meet through a mysterious/quite magical manuscript of the famous writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez that makes them travel, and think, through space and time.

Jean-Marc Lederman: “While it is definitely not a biography, it has some souvenirs, thoughts and “advice” from my years in the music industry but also my insights on Love, life, friendship, music, creation, patriarchy, rejection…”

The 10 tracks on the album recall each of 10 scenes in the book. The release is out on Lederman’s own label Les Disques de la Pantoufle and can be downloaded below. Read the review of ‘The Mysterious Manuscript Of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’.

Side-Line also covered Jean-Marc Lederman’s ‘The Bad-Tempered Synthesizer’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Industrial, Industrial-Rock, Metal-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD & 2CD.

Background/Info: TheItalian act Helalyn Flowers duo strikes back with their sixth full length to date, which comes three years after the astonishing “Nyctophilia” (2018). This album wants to be a reflection about our lives and habits or as the work has been introduced as ‘the antidote against sterile chatting, obsessive mechanization and the excessive culture of hype’.

Content: One of the first aspects that caught my attention is that Helalyn Flowers don’t repeat themselves, but try to explore new paths with each new album although their sound remains easily recognizable. First of all there’s the great, sensual and passionate way of singing of Noemi Aurora who literally injects a soul into the music. And next there’s the music itself composed by Maxx Maryan and Noemi. It’s hard to define the sound, which clearly appears as the offspring between different- and sometimes opposite genres. The result is a hard piece of music mixing elements of Rock-, Industrial- and Metal music, which are polished with an unexpected –but already familiar, Pop touch.

The bonus disc features remixes by Jean-Marc Lederman,  Mario Rühlicke, Junksista, Implant, Alien_Nation, ImJudas, Planet Pop, ExoPhantom feat. Xyren Version, Digital shadows and DJ Und3rmin3r. There also is an interesting “2015 Version” of the song “Skyland”.

+ + + : Helalyn Flowers is a band you can’t really compare to others; they have something very personal in the global sound production being a true sonic osmosis between styles, but also –and mainly, driven by one of the best female singers from this alternative scene. Noemi Aurora not only has a great timbre of voice, but she injects different emotions to her voice. She can be sweet and passionate and even enraged. There’s a great balance between her vocals and the music. But the music itself resulted from a perfect harmony between guitar and electronics; guitars to inject rage and electronics to bring some extra melody and even elevating moments.

Among the remixes I salute the work of Jean-Marc Lederman, the punching remix by Mario Rühlicke, the more electro-driven remix by Implant and the club-friendly remix by Planet Pop.

– – – : It’s sometimes pretty hard to catch Helalyn Flowers; that’s what makes them original, but at the other side the songs aren’t always the most accessible. They this way create a perfect symbiosis with the concept of the album -an antidote against the excessive culture of hype. I already heard better works from the Italian duo.

Conclusion: Helalyn Flowers became a true antidote to established music genres, mixing all these genres together in a very own sound.

Best songs: “Metropolis Necropolis”, “Cosmic Ants”, “Halos” + “Suicidal Birds – Trensity Remix by Mario Rühlicke”, “Suicidal Birds – Waves, Trash And Garlic Mix by Implant” and “Before The Sunshine – Planet Pop Remix”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/helalynflowers

Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix Read the news on ‘Àiresis’.

About Helalyn Flowers

Helalyn Flowers is an industrial rock duo from Rome, Italy, formed by vocalist Nøemi Aurora and guitarist/producer Maxx Maryan (credited as maXX). The pair drew attention in 2006 with the singles “E-race Generation” and “Voices” before signing to Belgian label Alfa Matrix, which released their debut album “A Voluntary Coincidence” in 2007. Subsequent albums followed with “Stitches of Eden” (2010), “White Me In // Black Me Out” (2013), the “Beware of Light” EP featuring Chris Pohl (2015), and “Sonic Foundation” (2016), the last of which reached the Top 50 of the iTunes Rock Charts in the United States. “Nyctophilia” followed in 2018. “Àiresis,” reviewed here, is the duo’s sixth full-length album, released via Alfa Matrix.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Cinematographic, Minimal-Electro.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: 2020 has been an inspiring and prolific year for Jean-Marc Lederman. Next to his brilliant opus “Letters To Gods (And Fallen Angels)” and the imaginary Soundtrack “The Helpless Voyage Of The Titanic” he also released another ambient work for the “Belgian NeuMusik”-series about Dinosaurs. The album is meant as ‘an homage to fascinating animals with proven social behavior’.

Content: The Soundtrack approach of Jean-Marc Lederman became a familiar thing, but each time again he tries to accomplish something apart and different from previous works. We here get a pretty Minimal-Electro sound, which sounds vintage-minded. Some tracks remind me of old computer games while other passages sound like imaginary lullabies. Other parts are more danceable and even a bit transcendental. The songs aren’t dark, but feature a refreshing and diversified mix of Ambient- and Minimal-Electro.

+ + + : The lock-down due to the pandemic seems to have stimulated the endless imagination of the artist. This work is probably the most surprising one from the past months –and even if I don’t immediately see the connection between concept and music, he accomplished a great piece of vintage-Electro driven music. I like the album’s versatility, having a preference for the brilliant “The Narcissist Megasaurus”. This track has something pretty Trance-like, but also reveals a great canvas of sound treatments. Another attention grabber is “Archaeopteryx, The Mother Of All Headbangers”. “Do T-Rex Dream Of Prosthetic Arms?” is another cool and especially elaborated cut. The work is also characterized by an impressive number of effects and little bleeps. Last, but not least you can feel Jean-Marc Lederman got some fun composing this work; just have a look at song titles like “My Name Is Diplo, James Diplo”, “Nessie Goes Yoga”, “Dino Pimp Strolls Down Jurassic Avenue”, “Archaeopteryx, The Mother Of All Headbangers”…

– – – : I didn’t hear the link between the dinosaurs theme and the music. The album isn’t the most representative one in the “Belgian NeuMusik”-concept mainly devoted to Ambient, but maybe more accessible than most of these productions. 

Conclusion: “Music For Dinosaurs” sounds refreshing and definitely appealing for lovers of Minimal-Electronic experiences.

Best songs: “The Narcissist Megasaurus”, “Archaeopteryx, The Mother Of All Headbangers”, “Do T-Rex Dream Of Prosthetic Arms?”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.jmlederman.com /  www.facebook.com/jeanmarc.lederman

Label: www.wool-e-discs.be / www.belgianneumusik.be /

www.facebook.com/woolediscs

About Jean-Marc Lederman

Jean-Marc Lederman is a Belgian electronic musician whose career traces back to the 1977 punk band Streets, per his Discogs profile. He later moved to London to play with Fad Gadget, Matt Johnson and Gene Loves Jezebel, before forming The Weathermen with Tuxedomoon’s Bruce Geduldig, his most enduring project. Lederman also recorded with Front 242 and, in later years, formed Rohn-Lederman.

“Music For Dinosaurs” followed Lederman’s 2020 albums “Letters To Gods (And Fallen Angels)” and the imaginary soundtrack “The Helpless Voyage Of The Titanic”, released via Wool-E Discs‘s “Belgian NeuMusik” series.

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: Soundtrack, Electronic, ambient.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: During the past few years Belgian electro pioneer Jean-Marc Lederman is mainly focalizing his music upon imaginary Soundtrack compositions. This work is a fascinating concept about the drama of The Titanic sinking in 1912, but remains an inspiring theme for film directors, musicians, conspiracy theories, divers, treasure hunters ao. Jean-Marc Lederman worked around the mythic Titanic composing thirteen tracks, which were released one year ago. 

Content: Jean-Marc Lederman’s concept started with the early beginning, the departure of the Titanic in Southampton (UK) on April, 10^th, 1912. Samplings from that event are accentuating this beginning, which will have a fatale issue. Quite progressively he invites us to visit the different parts of the ‘indestructible’ ship from White Star Line. From the boiler room to the dancehall and the Captain’s quarter the sphere is progressively evolving till the crash with the iceberg. The music becomes more bombastic while you can hear S.O.S. Morse codes in the background. Industrial sound treatments have been injected to express the collision. And quite progressively while the Titanic is sinking the musician created new impressions from the lifeboats till the piano room. The album ends with an adaptation of the familiar folk song “Nearer My God To Thee”.

+ + + : Lederman is once again taking me by surprise, creating original concepts while transposing images into sound. This work is a pure soundtrack, which could be perfectly matched with original pictures and/or black & white reports from that time. He perfectly reproduces the atmosphere you can imagine on board of the Titanic till the very last moments. The work has something minimal and masterly reinforced by epic arrangements at the most important parts of the work. There also is an interesting and essential introduction in the booklet by Brooke R. Calder making a connection between this tragic accident and our world of today.

– – – : I just regret the most dramatic passage of the work remains pretty short. It could have been a little bit more extended and empowered with extra Industrial sounds and/or crashes. That’s probably my fantasy and personal interpretation of the facts…

Conclusion: Jean-Marc Lederman created a fascinating sonic voyage getting us back to the tragedy of The Titanic.

Best songs: “Newfoundland, April 14 1912”, “Save Our Souls”, “The Captain’s Quarter”, “Nearer My God To Thee”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.jmlederman.com / www.facebook.com/jeanmarc.lederman

Label: www.wool-e-discs.be / www.facebook.com/woolediscs Read the news on ‘The Helpless Voyage Of The Titanic’.

About Jean-Marc Lederman

Jean-Marc Lederman is a Brussels-based Belgian keyboard player, composer and producer. Active since the late 1970s, he worked with Fad Gadget, The The, Gene Loves Jezebel and Front 242, and co-founded projects including The Weathermen, Kid Montana, Jules et Jim with Julianne Regan, Ghost & Writer with Frank Spinath, Lederman / De Meyer with Jean-Luc De Meyer, and the Jean-Marc Lederman Experience. He also composes for film and videogames.

Lederman has released concept-driven solo soundtrack albums including “The Helpless Voyage Of The Titanic” in 2020 on Wool-E Discs, followed by “The Bad-Tempered Synthesizer” in 2021, “Night Music For Seahorses And Manatees” in 2022, “Soul Music For Zombies” in 2023, “Sci-Fi Revisited” in 2024 and “Electronic Slipper Music” in 2025.

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

Out today is “Àiresis”, the brand new 6th studio album by the Italian female fronted electro-rock act Helalyn Flowers. The release is available in 3 formats, a normal 10-track CD (available here), a 21-track double CD (available here) and a download via Bandcamp (available here) and on all other download and streaming platforms.

The double CD includes a 11-track “Skepsis” bonus disc featuring remix collaborations with Jean-Marc Lederman, Implant, Imjudas, Junksista, Alien_Nation, Planet Pop, Exophantom, Digital Shadows, Mario Rühlicke and DJ Und3Rmin3R.

The limited deluxe edition of the new album features exclusive artwork design by Noemi Aurora herself (www.toxic-visions.com).

Videos

Featured on this new album are also the 2 tracks “Metropolis Necropolis” and “Suicidal Birds” which both got the video treatment.

Official video clip for “Metropolis Necropolis”

Official video clip for “Suicidal Birds” Read the review of ‘Àiresis’.

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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Out via COP International on March 5 is the Chiasm & John Fryer debut album “Missed The Noise” for which a new single has been released: “Intertwined”. The full-length – available here for pre-ordering – will include 11 tracks including the previously released singles “Away” and “Are You Okay?”.

“Missed The Noise” comes on the heels of a busy 2020 for Chiasm, which saw her release the “Away” EP in June and the “Are You Okay?” single and remix EP in August, which also featured John Fryer and contributions from label mates Stabbing Westward and Jean-Marc Lederman (Front 242, The Weathermen, Lederman / De Meyer) as well as Third Realm and Glass Apple Bonzai.

But for now check the new single “Intertwined”.

For more on John Fryer, see COP International Records announces signing of Stoneburner (aka… on Side-Line.

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

Out since last month but still worth checking out today is the new electronic project formed by two talents in the leftfield electronic music: Jean-Marc Lederman (The Weathermen, The The, Fad Gadget, Ghost & Writer,…) and Erik Stein (Cult With No Name). The duo formed Lederman * Stein and have released their debut with the “Textbooks for Tomorrow” EP.

Each of the 8 tracks on the digital only EP explores a very different sonic and melodic territory, from warm analogue and modular electronics, over synth pop and atmospheric sounds, to jazz riffs infested structures.

You can check out the EP below.

Side-Line also covered Jean-Marc Lederman’s ‘The Mysterious Manuscript of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’.

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

(Photo by Erica Hinyot) COP International has announced the signing to their artist roster of Jean-Marc Lederman. COP International will release a full album with Emileigh Rohn (of the electronic-industrial project Chiasm). The two most recently worked together on a series of remixes for Chiasm’s “Away” EP as you could read here on Side-Line. Lederman will also be teaming up with opera singer Diva Marisa Winter for a series of genre-bending tracks. Information on both releases will be announced soon.

Says Lederman of the label signing: “It’s a pleasure to work with COP International and I really look forward to exciting releases and synergies.”

Says COP International founder Christian Petke: “I first noticed Jean-Marc’s work when he did remixes for our artist Chiasm. Our mastering guy put it perfectly: ‘Every note had its place and the sound was perfect.’ After doing a bit of research, I had come to realize he’s an electronic music bedrock and came highly recommended by our in-house producer John Fryer who had worked with him on The Weathermen. After having a series of long conversations about life and music, it became obvious that we needed to work together. COP International is not just looking for raw talent, but also people that understand and embrace the culture of community that we are creating with the label. Jean-Marc is a perfect fit for that and we are incredibly excited to have him on board. We decided that we will create a band around his skill and talents deeply rooted in electronic music with a cinematic and epic feel. We found an exceptional vocalist in Diva Marisa Winter who is equally comfortable on a stage in the world of opera as she is belting it out in the pit of the Thunderdome at Burning Man and Wasteland. The first demo is on the way and it sounds incredible. He will also write a new album with Emileigh Rohn (Chiasm) that allows both of them to explore a more tender/fragile side of their respective music. The first tracks are fantastic and we anticipate a release next year.”

From Fad Gadget to Front 242

Best known for his work with iconic alternative and industrial bands such as The The, Gene Loves Jezebel, Fad Gadget and The Weathermen, as well as collaborations with Front 242 and French rocker Alain Bashung, Lederman’s storied career has also included lush sonic compositions for both film and video games. Lederman’s recent scoring work can be heard on the 2017 full feature movie “Doubleplusonegood” and he was also second composer to Ramin Djawadi (“Games of Thrones,” “Westworld”) on a full feature.

Lederman has also released exclusive double CD/artbooks under the name Jean-Marc Lederman Experience (and with artwork by Erica Hinyot) in which he gathers singers from all over the music worlds to contribute voices to a common musical theme—the most recent including 13 Ghost Stories in 2019 and Letters To Gods (And Fallen Angels) in 2020.

He also worked together with Jean-Luc De Meyer from Front 242 in the Ledermann / De Meyer project which released 2 EP’s and a full album “Eleven grinding songs” on vinyl and limited 2CD.

Side-Line also covered Jean-Marc Lederman’s ‘Textbooks for Tomorrow’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Cinematographic, electro, wave-pop, experimental.

Format: Digital, 2CD.

Background/Info: After his last year released album “13 Ghost Stories” Jean-Marc Lederman strikes back with a somewhat similar concept album. He asked an impressive number of guest singers to write lyrics about the theme ‘letters to gods and fallen angels’. The ‘old’ Weathermen protagonist took care of the music composition and he also wrote a few lyrical parts. The double CD features twenty four songs while twenty two singers contributed to the album plus Jo Quail playing cello on one song.

Content: This album is quite diversified, mixing very different genres. Jean-Marc Lederman transforms himself into a sonic chameleon who now moved back to the 80s and next experimenting pure soundtrack music. But I also noticed a song with a jazzy-like atmosphere while others are more into a kind of dreamy pop music. I also noticed some electronic minimalism and even a very personal cover version of Nick Cave’s “Into My Arms”.

The real tour de force is the impressive list of singers featuring names such as Tom Shear, Mark Hockings, Rodney Orpheus, Elena Alice Fossi, Frank M. Spinath, Stefan Netschio, Claus Larsen, Mari Kattman ao. Most of the singers also wrote the lyrics for their song.

+ + + : I like conceptual albums, but I have to admit, this one by Jean-Marc Lederman is a true original idea. He once again brought an impressive number of great names together, and also a few unknown names. The album sounds as a compilation, but it first of all reveals a musician who feels comfortable dealing with very different music genres. I noticed several jazzy-driven cuts, but also cool ‘film-noir’ compositions. It’s hard to give a favorite song, but I’ll go for “Heaven” featuring Scottish artist Lucia Fairfull on vocals. It’s also quite surprising to hear Tom Shear (Assemblage 23) singing on “Answer Me” in a different way we’re used to hearing from this artist. By the way, this song could be the perfect EP-title track. The very personal interpretation of Nick Cave’s “Into My Arms” sung by American singer Jenna Fearon is also worthy of examination for its intimate mood. 

– – – : If there’s one single point you can discuss about is the feeling you might be listening to a compilation.

Conclusion: This album even touches me deeper than “13 Ghost Stories”; it’s not an album with ‘hits’, but simply a genius concept featuring a great and renowned musician joined by a great selection of singers. Respect for this work Mr. Lederman!

Best songs: “Letter from Lucia Fairfull: Heaven”, “Letter from Tom Shear: Answer Me”, “Letter From Mark Hockings: Don’t Collect Me”, “Letter from Emma Barson: Under A Glass Sky”, “Letter from Rodney Orpheus: Sophisiticated Evening”.

Rate: (9).

Artist: www.facebook.com/jeanmarc.lederman

Label: www.wool-e-discs.be / www.facebook.com/woolediscs Read the news on ‘Letters To Gods [And Fallen Angels]’.

About Jean-Marc Lederman Experience

The Jean-Marc Lederman Experience is the vehicle of Belgian musician and former Weathermen member Jean-Marc Lederman, built around rotating guest vocalists. The concept album “13 Ghost Stories” preceded “Letters To Gods [And Fallen Angels]” by a year; the newer double-CD again pairs Lederman’s own music and lyrics with contributions from twenty-two singers, including Tom Shear of Assemblage 23, plus cello from Jo Quail. Lederman signed to COP International later in 2020.

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

Jean-Marc Lederman (The Weathermen, Fad Gadget, The The, Ghost & Writer, Lederman-Demeyer) has released a new release under the Jean-Marc Lederman Experience moniker. With this project he calls up singers from different niches and countries to write lyrics and sing them on a common theme. The end result is then being packaged in a 2CD 36 pages hardcover art book with artwork and pictures by Erica Hinyot.

2019 saw the release of “13 Ghost Stories”, and now he offers “Letters To Gods (and fallen angels)” including performances from 21 different singers, from the USA to Italy, Mexico or Wales. The concept this time is very topical in this strange reset time: “You can write a letter to a God, or a fallen angel. What do you say?”

This time, the artists are:

• Agi Taralas (Our Banshee, Greece)
• Emma Barson (Promenade Cinema, UK)
• Ghost & Writer with cello by Jo Quail (Germany/Belgium UK)
• Mari Kattman (Helix, USA)
• JP Aston with backing vocals by Julianne Regan (Gene Loves Jezebel/Wales All About Eve/UK
• Coline Wauters (Atome, Belgium)
• Christina Z (comics Witchblade writer, Magnesium Burn/USA)
• Das Vintage (Mexico)
• Lucia Fairfull (Lusca And The Best Boys/ Scotland)
• Stefan Netschio (Beborn Beton/Germany)
• Hunter S. Thompson (Writer, USA)
• Elena Alice Fossi (Kirlian Camera/Stalingrad Valkyrie Italy)
• Tom Shear (Assemblage 23/ Helix USA)
• Mark Hockings (MESH/ UK)
• Jenna Fearon (USA)
• Emileigh Rohn (Chiasm/USA)
• Miriam Christina (The Other Side Of Who, 580 Miles/ Germany)
• Haydn Park-Patterson (The Ninth Wave/ Scotland)
• Rodney Orpheus (The Cassandra Complex/ EU)
• Louise Fraser (USA)
• Lis van den Akker (Holland)
• Claus Larsen (Leaether Strip/ Denmark)
• Friedrich Nietzsche (Patrimonia Universal de la Humanidad)
• With 3 novels by:
• Christina Z. (comics Witchblade writer, Magnesium Burn/USA)
• Ceratomia (USA)
• Philippe Genion (à;GRUMH /Belgium)

Check the previews below. Read the review of ‘Letters To Gods [And Fallen Angels]’.

For more on Jean-Marc Lederman, see COP International has announced the signing to their artist roster of… on Side-Line.

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

(Photo courtesy of Chiasm) Chiasm has announced a brand new EP: “Away”. Released via the COP International label it’s a teaser for the upcmong full-length album “Missed The Noise”. For those who don’t know the project, Chiasm is Emileigh Rohn’s musical output augmented here by collaborator John Fryer (Black Needle Noise).

Here’s what Detroit-based musician says about her collaboration with Jon Fryer: “The COP team, along with John Fryer, really knew what I needed. It was absolutely a new adventure. This EP is much more accessible than previous works because we made it so quickly (John moves fast!) so there wasn’t a lot of room for total introspection and intense analysis, which is unusual for me. John makes everything sound beautiful, and I’m so eager for everyone to hear it,” says Rohn. “I also need to acknowledge my home team, including the cats, for the inspiration and encouragement.”

The “Away” EP follows a long line of notable releases from Chiasm which was established in 1997. Older readers will for sure remember the 2001 album “Disorder” with the track “Isolated” that was featured in the television show “NCIS” as well as in the “Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines” computer game. Rohn has also collaborated with genre stars Attrition, Carphax Files, Jean-Marc Lederman, Third Realm, :10:, and Acclimate.

Here’s a preview:

Side-Line also covered John Fryer’s ‘She Talks to Angels’.

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

Athan Maroulis will be always linked to Spahn Ranch and Black Tape For A Blue Girl, but the past few years he got involved with NØIR. Sound-wise this project is less comparable with his previous bands. It rather sounds as the juxtaposition of different influences, but in the end it has something intimate and subtle. The newest EP “A Pleasure” features the input of programmer / producer Erik Gustafson, keyboardist / vocalist Kai Irina Hahn, keyboardist / vocalist Demetra Songs and cello player Tracey Moth.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Athan, you’ve been involved with many different bands and projects since the mid-’80s, so what does NØIR mean to you? And how much of the ‘young’ Athan Maroulis do you recognize in the experienced artist you’re today?

Athan: After an early period of transition, NØIR eventually came to represent something rather liberating. NØIR affords me the ability to drive the direction and style of the material while also remaining a collaborative forum where I can work with people I admire.

I remain somewhat similar to my younger self, I still enjoy the process of writing lyrics and performing, while also maintaining the determination of my youth, sans the anger. I would like to speak to my younger self and give him some good advice about life and music. Looking back, I have learned far more from my failures than I have from my successes.

Q: I got the impression NØIR originally started as a solo-project with the contribution of some guests while it later finally evolved towards a real band. What is it all about and tell us a bit more about the input and impact of the other members? Who’s doing what? And what about the song you did together with Jean-Marc Lederman?

Athan: Originally, NØIR had certain aspects of a solo-project, that was long ago, these days it feels like a real evolving band. Although I planned it as a short-lived project back in ’12, I brought in Kai and Demetra in 2013 as live members, both have been in the band ever since. Later, Erik Gustafson, who had played some guitar on the “Darkly Near”-album, became a full-time collaborator on “The Burning Bridge”-EP in 2016.

As a whole, electronic dark music is rather one-dimensional, I find that different contributors help add new color to the sound. Jean-Marc Lederman is a great example of that, he and I tried working on a project a few years ago, ultimately what came of it was the “Luxury”-demo. Erik completely reworked the song and added guitar, Kai did some backing vocals and Tracey Moth brought her cello to the party. Although juggling contributors from Austin, Brussels, Brooklyn, Boston and NYC was a challenge, I am really pleased by the results.

Q: What are you trying to achieve –eventually exorcize, with NØIR generally speaking and more specifically with the new EP “A Pleasure”?

Athan: For better or worse, I am always exorcising ghosts from the past. After Spahn Ranch broke up, I stopped making music for 10 long years. Afterwards, I joined Black Tape For A Blue Girl for a few years before starting NØIR, which is likely my last planned ensemble (although one never knows?) I’ve dabbled in a number of genres over the years and I believe NØIR is my opportunity to bring them all together under one banner.

At this stage of my career, each release becomes very personal. “A Pleasure” took a few years to assemble, as much as I enjoy the creative process, I have less patience for coordinating what is necessary to bring a release to completion. The title, “A Pleasure”, is partly sarcastic while also acknowledging my fetish for simple pleasures even amidst such turbulent times, the lyrics on the pair of new songs reflect that. The word ‘pleasure’ itself, was on my mind quite a bit during the process, then thrown into a conceptual stew that only exists in my mind. The title is also a nod to Roxy Music’s album “For Your Pleasure, while “A Pleasure to Burn” is a line from Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451”, the cover image features Julie Christie the star of the 1966 film.

“Luxury” is a song about serving the needs of bloated urban excess in New York City. I added the Fad Gadget cover because it fit the central concept of upheaval and raw pleasure. Ultimately, I achieved what I set out to do, which was to make a mini concept album. I was also surprised to find out that “A Pleasure” is already by far the best-selling NØIR release to date.

Q: It’s not an easy thing defining the ‘sound’ of NØIR, which in my opinion sounds like the juxtaposition of multiple influences and elements. Where does this ‘sound’ comes from and what are your references and criteria to create this ‘sound’?

Athan: Other than playing violin briefly as a child, I’ve never played an instrument, nor can I read music or understand keys. Although I can write, arrange, choose sounds and edit, my collaborators have been pivotal to my success and sound. I have many influences from the 1930s through the 1980s, although I believe the sound of NØIR is an amalgamation of each band I have ever been in. As for defining the sound, somebody once called NØIR ‘dark sophisticated pop’, perhaps that is right or perhaps that is foolish? For me NØIR is defined as a place where I can absurdly merge the imagery of old film stars with pulp novels while masquerading as a 1930s crooner in a contemporary electronic backdrop. It’s pure absurdist fun.

Q: NØIR appears to like recording cover versions. What does that mean to you and how do you manage making a cover version like the one from Fad Gadget released on the new EP?

Athan: NØIR cut “Back To Nature” for a compilation called “Under What Flag: A Tribute To Fad Gadget”. Naturally, other bands have covered the song in the past, it remains one of Frank Tovey’s best songs and that is why I did it. Aside from my admiration of Fad Gadget, it was a chance to experiment with a more aggressive approach to a NØIR song. I believe Erik Gustafson did a fine job producing the track, so much so that I decided to add it to “A Pleasure” because so few people heard the aforementioned tribute album and I wanted to recycle it.

I enjoy doing cover songs, I couldn’t give a damn if it is not en vogue these days. Keep in mind, nearly all music from the 1920s through the mid-’60s was dominated by cover songs or interpretive material, the artist brought their own approach, phrasing and style to the song and I still believe there’s room for that in 2020. NØIR has also taken part in tribute albums for Depeche Mode and Cabaret Voltaire, at some point I might collect all the cover versions by NØIR and release them as a full-length album.

Q: From a marketing/commercial perspective, I find NØIR to be a complicated band. Your debut album “Darkly Near” was released seven years ago, so why does it take so long to release a new studio album? Do you think there can be an impact releasing new studio albums at an irregular basis?  What comes next?

Athan: Spahn Ranch made five albums and four EPs in 7 ½ years, while also maintaining an exhaustive touring schedule. I really don’t know how I did it back then? These days, I am simply not a very prolific writer, so each release has purpose. The streaming era has prompted a number of bands to release singles or EPs, a shorter format for times of shorter attention spans and this has influenced me and suits me very well. I still like the idea of doing albums, it is simply that the game has changed, I believe artists can treat each release as individual complete works, regardless of length.

While NØIR has six individual releases on Metropolis Records, only “Darkly Near” is an actual album, I’d rather not wait for an album of material and instead have released EPs and such. I am ultimately planning to do at least one or two more albums with NØIR, yet I am not in a rush. I don’t feel as if I have anything left to prove, that, in and of itself is liberating. As for releasing albums at an irregular basis, I think there are other ways to keep the audience engaged such as compilation appearances, videos, performing, social media and so on. Again, the game has changed and there are no rules.

As for what comes next? NØIR was slated to perform at a few upcoming festivals, then the Corona virus naturally changed everything. Like everyone else, we wait and hope for the best for the entire world. Once the world begins to turn again, NØIR does have a new song on the upcoming “Electronic Saviors”-compilation ironically entitled “Death Is Easy,” and we are planning a new video for the song “Luxury” from “A Pleasure”.

Additionally, I wrote the liner notes on a Leæther Strip boxed set that will be released sometime this year and I am working on recordings with the New Zealand-based project Acclimate. Lastly, a toast to one and all, to the rapture of being alive! My sincerest thanks for supporting my releases over the years.

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

Jean-Marc Lederman has a brand new release out as download and on CD on Wool-E Discs: “The Helpless Voyage Of The Titanic”. The record describes how over a century after the disaster, White Star Line’s sunken jewel continues to spark maritime as well as political debates.

Jean-Marc: “Like the ship, our planet has reached a tipping point: the hole that we tore in the sky is still wider than the gash on the starboard hull; greenhouse emissions are melting the pole that spawned the ill-fated iceberg and sea levels are swiftly rising. Once again, too many politicians and the shamefully rich are standing around in their finery, ceaselessly chattering as Venice sinks. On this current trajectory, history will repeat itself. With a world population approaching 8 billion, there won’t be enough lifeboats.”

A message that sounds rather apocalyptic but which in times of Coronavirus also sounds quite familiar. We decided to phone Jean-Marc to ask him some questions regarding this release.

SL. How did this album start?

JML. It started cos a friend from Minneapolis (South-African born Brooke R Calder from the band The Red Hour) told me about the story of the Titanic as she’s passionate about it and I thought it would be a nice story to tell: from the docks in Southampton to the, unfortunately, bottom of the Ocean. So, I started looking at facts about the boat, saw a plan of it and there’s a place called “The Boiling Room” (la salle des machines) on it and every techno buff knows it’s also a kind of event where the crowd behind the DJ, in the same spot, no stages, no cabin, nothing…And I thought that it would be fun to do an album going thru all the places in the boat…So, I did one track, then another one and a few weeks later, it’s all there and it made total sense.

SL. Can you describe what listeners can expect from it?

JML. It’s a real sonic voyage where you are taken through the different places aboard the Titanic: the Captain’s quarter, the dancehall for the very rich, the boiler room with the machines but also the below deck, at the bottom of the boat where the immigrants were located. At the time, immigrants were flowing to the US and as there weren’t commercial airlines yet, boats were like busses, starting from different european haven everyday. So, same boat, but 30 meters were separating the very rich to the poor…There’s of course the crash, the boat going down, the rescue boats…We all know it doesn’t end well but it can be musically painted in ways that aren’t all dark and somber.

SL. What sound were you looking for?

JML. As usual a variety of sounds as to not bore the listener. So, I used many different sources, some real electronic sounds but also some samples.

SL. The title of the album, “The Helpless Voyage Of The Titanic”, could easily be interpreted today as what we are going through with the Coronavirus crisis these days… any remark?

I’ve been told that, yes… I know that, and Brooke points it out in her sleeve notes on the CD, the story of the Titanic is very close to what we experiment in today’s world: everything is made for the rich and little care is given to the people with little or no wealth. And for money, as today. An example: there were only 20 rescue boats on the ship, which was legal, but factually they could not fit about a thousand of the passengers if something went wrong, which did happen as we know. The company didn’t want to put more boats for sparing money. At the same time, they did build a fourth chimney which is for prestige only as the boat didn’t need it but it made the boat look more majestic. So, money was spared for essential but given for showing off…And the sailors weren’t even drilled on how to use the rescue boats…But, to be fair, it’s a legend that the lower deck passengers weren’t allowed to go to the above decks when the catastrophe happened: the truth is that the crew didn’t instruct them at all and cared more for the higher decks, with the richer/very rich passengers.

SL. How do you spend your days now? Working from home for your daytime job which seems very important these days?

JML. Yes, I telework now. My job, in e-health, can be done from home and that’s what I do for now. I also get first hand (wash it !) informations about Coronavirus so I tell around me to not panic but to follow confinement and safety measures (social distancing and cleaning hands) with total obedience. This is not a drill! Read the review of ‘The Helpless Voyage Of The Titanic’.

Side-Line also covered Jean-Marc Lederman’s ‘Letters To Gods (and fallen angels)’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Athan Maroulis will be always linked to Spahn Ranch and Black Tape For A Blue Girl, but the past few years he got involved with a new project called Noir. The album “Darkly Near” (2013) was a cool introduction to the dark-romantic pop style of the project. A few more EP’s were released while “A Pleasure” (released by the end of 2019) is the newest production. Athan Maroulis got some help from programmer/producer Erik Gustafson (Adoration Destroyed, Grendel), keyboardist/vocalist Kai Irina Hahn (The Sedona Effect), keyboardist/vocalist Demetra Songs and cello player Tracey Moth (Antidote For Annie).

Content: The title song (cf. “A Pleasure To Burn”) is a dark, bombastic outburst with a carrying chorus and featuring the charismatic vocals of Athan Maroulis. The song was remixed by Fires and Seeming.

We next get another new song (cf. “Luxury”), which has been written by Athan Maroulis, Erik Gustafson and Jean-Marc Lederman (The Weathermen ao). This song is more evasive. The last song of the EP is a “Reprise” of “Luxury”, which rather sounds as a short outro. Last, but not least you also will discover a cover version of the famous Fad Gadget song “Back To Nature”.

+ + + : Athan Maroulis remains a brilliant, charismatic singer. His unique timbre of voice injects a true spirit into the music. And the music of the title song is quite interesting for the mixing of bombast and refinement. Among the remixes I especially recommend the up-tempo edit by Fires. Covering “Back To Nature” is not that original, but the way the song has been adapted into the bombastic ‘style-noir’ is absolutely remarkable.

– – – : I didn’t experience “A Pleasure” as an absolute ‘hit’, but Noir isn’t exactly the kind of band achieving poppy-hits!

Conclusion: We can’t speak about a come-back, but “A Pleasure” is a good way to put Noir back on the map!

Best songs: “A Pleasure To Burn”, “A Pleasure To Burn – Fires Remix”, “Back To Nature – Radio Edit”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/NOIRmetropolis

Label: www.metropolis–records.com / www.facebook.com/MetropolisRecords

About Nøir

Noir is a revolving-lineup project conceived and fronted by vocalist Athan Maroulis, also known for his work with Spahn Ranch and Black Tape for a Blue Girl. The project released its debut album, “Darkly Near”, in 2013 on Metropolis Records, featuring Maroulis alongside Jamie Parganos and Kai Irina Hahn. This “A Pleasure” EP includes a cover of Fad Gadget’s “Back To Nature” and remixes by Fires and Seeming, and was followed in 2023 by the “Fallen” EP, dedicated to the late Metropolis Records co-founder Dave Heckman.

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

(Interview / photo by Eldrina Mich) While the charity download compilation “Face The Beat: Session 5” is still reigning the charts on Bandcamp, we decided it was time again to speak with Bernard Van Isacker, the brain behind this compilation. He is also Side-Line’s chief editor and resides with his family (and 2 cats) in Ypres, a small town nearby the French border in what’s called the Westhoek or Maritime Flanders. During the First World War, Ypres (or “Wipers” as it was commonly known by the British troops) was the centre of the Battles of Ypres between German and Allied forces, nowadays it’s a bit calmer.

I meet Bernard on a cold Friday evening at The Times, a small pub on the border of the Ypres market square.

SL: The previous interview was in June of 2015 when the 2nd volume of “Face The Beat” had just been released. It’s like yesterday!

B: Time flies very fast indeed. Good to see you are still looking great (laughs)!

SL: The compilation has been doing quite well since its launch, it went straight to the number 1 spots on Bandcamp in the alternative, industrial and goth charts.

B: Yeps, and it even was the 2nd most downloaded release on Bandcamp the day of its release, so yes, quite spectacular. It’s not really a surprise though, all of the volumes kept on being downloaded ever since the project started and I kept getting questions when the new volume would be released. But most importantly, I think we have a very strong list of tracks on this volume.

Next to that, the power of Bandcamp has become very clear here. The moment the new volume was launched Bandcamp’s notification system sent out a huge blast to a massive amount of people informing them and as a result you saw the release climbing very fast in the charts.

SL: I don’t know of any other scene compilation which has succeeded charting that fast and so high on Bandcamp?

B: Me neither (smiles). I have already been asked by a lot of people from inside the music industry how this is possible with a compilation that doesn’t feature the biggest names from this scene like Front 242, VNV Nation, etc.. But it’s especially the fact they can discover new and less wellknown bands that makes people wanting to get hold of it. Speaking of which, I especially want to thank Raphael Beck (darkTunes), Andy Skyqode (Skyqode) and Seba Dolimont (Alfa Matrix) who have been good allies in the past few years – and again this time – in getting the series up and running. They have valued the series since day 1 and I really appreciate that.

SL: Was the start so difficult?

B: When I started with this series a few years ago, in 2011 that is, not many labels believed in the concept, some did like the ones I mentioned earlier. The hesitation was mainly because I decided to feature a lot of smaller and starting bands. For me that was THE reason to do it that way because this is actually the core idea behind Side-Line since day one: being an indie magazine that is a platform for bands to get noticed, unknown and known, starters and established acts. Since the start of the series, the influx of submissions for the compilation never stopped, a lot of bands want to be on it and especially those who stand behind the charity causes that we support.

SL: It took you a while to come up with this 5th volume, I think I have seen some preliminary cover artwork some 2 years ago already?

B: Yes (smiles). It would initially have been released in early 2018, but something came up in mid-2017 that jeopardized the whole project. Let’s say that some mainstream label thought they could just harass us in taking over the concept. It kept on causing problems till mid-2018. I won’t say more about this, suffices to say, we won, they lost (smiles). The first cover artwork you refer too (Editor’s note: you can see it below) was made in November 2017 during a stay in France, at Le Mont Saint-Michel, together with my wife and newborn son Magnus.

SL: The cover artwork produced at that occasion had ‘the final side-line’ as subline? What was the meaning of that?

B: Back then I was really doubting if I would go on with the magazine or not. So that artwork would have been my final word on the matter.

Sorry I didn’t inform the rest of the team, but it was really on my mind to pull the plug. It isn’t all that unlogical, it takes lots of time to keep this doing and with a new baby in the family, I wasn’t sure to be able to handle this all. My other ‘companion de route’, Stef, also has had his fair share of not so pleasant news, so the toxic mix was there and it played around for a while…

I think we all have those difficult moments when there’s too much going on. Plus, and that’s on a personal level, often you don’t really get any ‘thank you’ back for all of the work that you do, and I’m not only talking about Side-Line or so. When you do a lot of (mostly unpaid) work for very little return on several levels, it starts nagging.

Then in February 2018 I was in Oslo with my wife and I visited Jan Ronald Stange, our local correspondent there. We have gotten along really well since meeting I think in 2010 and when I’m in the Nordics I always try to pay him a visit. And believe it or not, his enthusiasm is kinda infectious (laughs). My wife also noticed that, and said something like: “It’s time you get the same enthusiasm like Jan in your work again”. That made me thinking… Anyhow, here we are (smiles).

As a result I binned the first cover artwork idea and went for a completely new approach. But it was only last month after visiting Maastricht in The Netherlands together with my oldest son Sebastian that I found the perfect artwork idea. I saw this great bronze lion face on a big door, watched it closely, took a picture and in the hotel I started playing with some ideas. I sent those to Simon Helm from Cold War Night Life to ask his opinion and we picked the final one.

SL: Why Simon?

B: Long story cut really short. I knew Simon was behind Cold War Night Life, and one thing led to another and I got to meet him a few months ago when he was in Brussels. Jean-Marc Lederman told me he was a decent guy so the more reason to meet up. We ended up talking for hours in a small restaurant, the Arcadi in case you wonder, about all kind of things. And Simon got to learn to eat Stoemp with saussage, a typical dish from Brussels (laughs)! Cool intelligent guy he is with a clear view on a lot of things. I like straightforward people and he for sure is one. On top we kinda share the same humor, something really important. Simon also has been writing some stuff for Side-Line since then. I trust him and value his feedback, hence why I asked for his feedback.

SL: In the press release for this compilation it’s noted that the release is by far the darkest you ever compiled. I tend to agree with this. Personally, it reminded me of “040 Hamburg Strikes Back!”, the compilation released by the defunct label Hypnobeat in 1992.

B: I love that compilation! For me it was the first time I got to hear from Fortification 55, the band formed by Björn Petersen and Jan Kruse. They made some great albums back in the days. Thanks for the compliment, it was really that feeling that I had when going through the selection here!

SL: I noticed you also had a megamix prepared to promote this release, how did that come about?

B: I actually hadn’t prepared this at all. It was pure coïncidence. Shane Aungst, who made the megamix, contacted me a few days after the release was out saying he had picked 20 something tracks of the compilation to create a megamix. It turned out to be one that was 1 hour, 33 minutes and 21 seconds in length featuring 23 tracks and the quality was excellent! After mailing back and forth I created a cover for the megamix and Shane edited the megamix into 2 because Bandcamp was unable to feature the full length in one cut. Perhaps they should increase the 600 MB limit when you want to release a megamix (smiles).

It’s a nice extra on which Shane has been working for hours. We plan an interview with him in the next days actually.

SL: Something else. You informed us a few weeks ago that Side-Line had opened a channel on the mobile app Telegram?

B: Yes, that’s correct. The reason behind this is that Facebook is more and more becoming a no-go for indie news discovery. I for instance use Twitter a lot more for my news digestion, because Facebook really is rubbish at getting decent news in my feed even though I follow some really good sources. At Side-Line we could easily write clickbait articles that would get spread a lot. But that’s not what I want, and on top the team really wants to continue bringing news about smaller bands. But that’s not what Facebook wants, so it deliberately doesn’t push those newsitems to our readers since the ‘engagement’ is lower.

Facebook is really becoming a graveyard as far as non-commercial news is concerned. Unless you pay and even then. I don’t expect Facebook to get any better, on the contrary, it will get worse, because the shareholders will want more and more. Facebook can only deliver this by squeezing more and more money out of our pocket. And with their Libra project becoming a nightmare, you can be sure we the publishers all will have to pay for it (laughs)!

You know, Facebook has censored a ton of our articles because they didn’t like the artwork used by the band’s featured. Rammstein, Apoptygma Berzerk, Siva Six, Alien Vampires, Combichrist, articles from all of these bands and many more were simply censored and banned from the network … pretty frustrating.

SL: So Telegram is the way to go?

B: Yes. The service offers you the possibility to send out newsupdates to an unlimited number of people in one go without it being stopped, hidden away or censored even. I prefer this kind of news updates where I chose what I want to get.

People can join us on Telegram via this link https://t.me/sidelinemag (install the app as well, on desktop or mobile) and they will get our news first before it gets posted on Facebook. The good thing is that the channel is ad free. You just get our news and you can leave a like or dislike, and that’s where the comparison with Facebook ends. I’m personally also using Telegram a lot more to connect with people instead of Whatsapp. If you haven’t got an account yet, make sure to sign up!

SL: What’s coming up next?

B: As far as Side-Line is concerned I’m working on a few projects, but it’s too early to announce anything yet.

SL: Last question, what keeps you busy besides Side-Line?

B: Ha, a lot of things, too many things really. Besides my daytime job as a social media marketeer and CRM responsible at the Belgian branch of a multinational, and running 2 small holiday houses, I’m still heavily involved in Alfa Matrix, Bob De Moor, collecting original drawings by comic masters and a lot of local ‘policy work’, the latter is often draining a lot of my patience (laughs). I also have started running to stay fit. Every 2 days I try to do my 5 kilometers, early in the morning before having a breakfast at the local Panos, which opens at around 5.30 AM. It’s a perfect way to start the day with fresh energy I must say.

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

The New York City-based dark electronic act NØIR will be releasing a 6-song EP entitled “A Pleasure”. It will be the band’s first new material since 2017. NØIR consists of vocalist Athan Maroulis (Spahn Ranch, Black Tape for a Blue Girl) and features programmer/producer Erik Gustafson (Adoration Destroyed, Grendel), keyboardist/vocalist Kai Irina Hahn (The Sedona Effect) and keyboardist/vocalist Demetra Songs.

“A Pleasure” includes the lead song “A Pleasure to Burn” with remixes by Fires as well as the band Seeming along with a new song entitled “Luxury”, co-written by Jean-Marc Lederman (The Weathermen) and features cellist Tracey Moth (Antidote for Annie).

Dedicated to famed English actress Julie Christie, this release also features a cover of Fad Gadget’s “Back To Nature”. “A Pleasure” will be released digitally by Metropolis Records on November 15th and will be supported by a string of select NØIR live dates.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: EBM, electro-pop, new-beat.

Background/Info: The Belgian duo The Weathermen belong to the collective memory of all EBM heads. Set up in the 80s by Jean-Marc Lederman and singer Bruce Geduldig (who passed away in 2016) they’ve been responsible for some legendary hits such “Poison” and “Berlin”. This double disc features instrumental ‘backing tapes’ recorded in between 1988 and 2009 plus a live concert recorded in 2006. The album has been released on Dans Les Profondeurs, which is a new sub-division of the Belgian label Wool-E Discs.

Content: The instrumental disc will give you the music, but not the vocals. It’s the kind of ‘backing tapes’ bands often used when playing live. It’s a bit strange to get these songs as instrumentals, but it’s a way to focus only on the music. The songs were originally released in between 1988 and 2009 and will bring good old memories alive; from EBM inspired cuts to electro-pop to the unavoidable “Poison”, which even became a new-beat hit.

The second disc is a live recording that took place in Hoogstraten (Belgium) featuring 14 songs and some of the unavoidable hits such as “Poison”, “Berlin”, “Bang!”, “Punishment Park” ao. It also is an opportunity to rediscover the live spirit of the band, which had something funny, but also danceable.

+ + + : This album is mainly meant to please the die-hard fans of The Weathermen. The live disc is an opportunity to rediscover some of the band’s most famous hits in history, as well as the most eclectic. The Weathermen were hard to label as one specific genre and that’s probably why they’ve been linked with EBM, new-beat and even techno. Some tracks had a pretty pop-touch with groovy sequences (cf. “Transit”). The album has been packed in a cool digipak format with a very informative booklet inside.

– – – : You really have to be a fan to buy this album, but that’s why it’s a limited release and only featuring ‘rare’ material.

Conclusion: This work is not exactly an anthology, but a rarity! I’m sure there’ll be a kind of ‘best of’ album with some rarities and remixes as a bonus.

Best songs: “Posion”, “Berlin”, “Transit”, “Bang” + “Berlin”, “Bang!”, “Poison”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/THE–WEATHERMEN-6188693590

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

About The Weathermen

The Weathermen formed in Belgium in 1985 as a tongue-in-cheek duo built around Jean-Marc Lederman, also known for his work with Fad Gadget and Kid Montana, and Bruce Geduldig of Tuxedomoon. The duo released hits including “Poison!” (1987) and “Punishment Park” (1988) before splitting in the early 1990s, then reunited in 2003 for the album “Deeper With The Weathermen”. Geduldig died in March 2016. Lederman has continued recording, including the Wool-E Discs album “Music for Dinosaurs” (2021) and, more recently, “Electronic Slipper Music” (2025) on his own label Les Disques De La Pantoufle.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Cinematographic, experimental.

Background/Info: Belgian electro-veteran Jean-Marc Lederman has no limits when it comes to releasing new music. Mainly known for his early involvement with The Weathermen and during the past few years for being part of Ghost & Writer and Lederman/De Meyer, this new release is again something special. “Ode A La Pluie” (translated “Ode To The Rain”) originally is an exhibition created by Jean-Marc’s wife Erica Hinyot. The conceptual theme was about rain featuring texts, drawings and paintings. Lederman got the idea to compose music around the theme resulting in five pieces. This work is part of the label’s series “Belgian NeuMusik”.

Content: The tracks are simply numbered from one to five. Sound-wise this is a pure cinematographic composition, which is not the first experience in the genre for the artist. The ambient aspect comes directly through creating an impression of solitude, but still reminding me of passages of the legendary movie “Le Grand Bleu”. It’s an abyssal sensation composed by electronics, but where you often get the sensation real instruments (like a harp or a piano) have been used.

+ + + : The more time passes by,  the more Jean-Marc Lederman creates real intimate compositions. I already had this sensation on his brilliant “13 Ghost Stories”-album, but this work is even more intimate. It has strong visual passages, which you also have to discover by using headphones. The work is a marvelous and truly artistic symbiosis between different artistic formats while it also symbolizes the eclecticism of the musician. It’s definitely not the most accessible kind of music, but it’s a new genius exposure from this workaholic. I also have to say a word about the great and artistic box format of this release. 

– – – : The tracks are rather long during so there’re a few –and unavoidable, monotonous passages, but you don’t hear me complaining.

Conclusion: Jean-Marc Lederman never stops to take me by surprise and this conceptual work again is a totally accomplished and arty exposure of his talent.

Best songs: “Ode A La Pluie 2”,  “Ode A La Pluie 1”.  

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.jmlederman.com / www.facebook.com/jeanmarc.kollector / www.facebook.com/Music–composer–Jean–Marc–Lederman-1585277635023000

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

About Jean-Marc Lederman

Jean-Marc Lederman is a Belgian electronic musician whose first release came with the punk band Streets in 1977. He went on to work with Digital Dance before moving to London, where he played with Fad Gadget, Matt Johnson and Gene Loves Jezebel, and led his own project Kid Montana. His best-known outlet became The Weathermen, formed with Tuxedomoon’s Bruce Geduldig under the aliases Patricia Hearst and Jimmyjoe Snark III. The duo split in 1992, reformed in 2003, and released “Deeper” (2004) and “Embedded With The Weathermen” (2006) before Geduldig’s death in 2016. Lederman also recorded with Front 242, formed La Femme Verte in 2010 with singers including Julianne Regan, released “Romania” as Leatherman with Jacques Duvall in 2012, and launched Ghost & Writer with Frank Spinath in 2011. “Ode A La Pluie” places him back on Wool-E Discs’ “Belgian NeuMusik” series; he returned to the label again for “Electronic Slipper Music” in 2025.

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

Jean-Marc Lederman is an artist who didn’t really need any further introduction. He belongs to the (Belgian) pioneers of electronic music and can look back at an impressive discography. He this year released a very special work under the moniker ‘Jean-Marc Lederman Experience’. The album “13 Ghost Stories” released on Dependent Records is an original concept featuring an impressive list of guest singers. The music has something pretty cinematic-like, but still revealing danceable passages and elements of pop. I’d a chat with the ‘leatherman’ and also asked Louise Fraser and Christer Hermodsson about their experience.

(Picture credits by Michel Clair / Interview courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Your newest album “13 Ghost Stories” is definitely one of the most surprising ones you’ve accomplished and I even dare to affirm your ‘opus magnum’, but do you know how many albums you’ve released?

Jean-Marc: I think I’ve released about 20 albums of my own compositions and bands if you count Kid Montana (1 mini LP, 1 album), The Weathermen (8 albums + a couple of compilations), 1 album with Ether (DJ Moens from La Muerte + Luc Dufourmont), 1 with Jules & Jim (Julianne Regan from All About Eve), 1 ambient album with Man-Dello, 2 with Ghost & Writer (with Frank Spinath from Seabound), 1 with La Femme Verte (cover versions with many singers), 1 with Leatherman (cover versions with Jacques Duvall), 2 x Jean-Marc Lederman Experience (many singers) plus some I may forget… (www.jmlederman.com).

Q: What can you tell us about the idea behind this work, its concept, the influences and the writing and what does this work mean to you?

Jean-Marc: I was looking for a new challenging and exciting idea after the demise of Ghost & Writer(name chose by Frank where he’s ‘Writer’ and I’m ‘Ghost’)  in 2017 as I didn’t know where to go musically. I was having a lunch with a friend and he asked me ‘so, how is the ghost going to come back?’ and the morning after I had the concept of the album: asking multiple singers how they would behave if they could come back… to Earth as ghosts, for 24 hours….

I had no special influences for this album but, as ever, the multiple styles music I like doing (from dark ambient to future-pop to more experimental sounds or cinematic music) got me into this direction or that direction and I didn’t want to stay on a single simple trajectory so I worked with thinking of the impact of having songs going in different directions instead of trying to stay within one genre. I didn’t care if people wouldn’t understand as I wanted to have no stop for my creativity. So, every song is a little world in itself but also serves as cement for the whole recording.

This album means a lot because I think it’s indeed a personal ‘opus magnum’, a place where I could gather all the things I liked expressing musically,  with very talented partners (which makes my work really easy). It has also a very strong image with the artwork of my wife Erica Hinyot and the novels added to the limited, and sold-out, edition.

Q: Do you believe in ghosts?

Jean-Marc: I believe in alternate relativities sometimes collapsing with each others, like a Venn diagram between different worlds.

Q: I see you as an artist who’s always ready to experiment with new ideas and music styles. You the past few years moved from electro-pop top EBM to experimental music while “13 Ghost Stories” sounds more as a soundtrack/electro-ambient composition. What does this eclecticism reveal about the person hiding behind the musician and how is it for you working on different styles and with different people?

Jean-Marc: It reveals that I’m a person interested in many things and many different aspects of life: I’m very curious of everything. It’s a great asset to be able to work in diverse areas as I rarely get bored. Plus you’re getting inspired by the people you work with as you want to serve them with a musical environment that will enhance what you like about their own work.

Q: I sometimes get the impression you composed the music after having read the lyrics while I can imagine it happened the other way round? It really sounds you’ve carefully written each song for each singer; the match or symbiosis between music and vocalists is totally accomplished. How did it really happened and what has been the main focus in the writing of this album?

Jean-Marc: Yes, the music was created before I get to read the lyrics, just after the singer said she/he wants to be on board. I contacted the people I’d like to work with, if they’re on board I sometimes send them directly a song penned with them in mind or I ask them what kind of direction they’d like me to work in: sometimes people want to do something really wild, sometimes they need to stay in their comfort zone. Sometimes I also had sketches of songs I reworked with the specific singer in mind.

Once I get their vocals, I mix the track and refine the mix until we’re both happy with the end result.

The main focus was to provide exciting moments that pleased both the singer and me. I have what I believe is a constant dictatorial quality control on my own work and I delete every attempt at a song if it bores me.

Q: I think you mainly worked with artists you know and you like for their work and voices. I can’t imagine it has been the single criteria to work with all those singers. Tell us a bit more about criteria and eventually surprises in the lyrical content and/or vocal performance?

Jean-Marc: Actually, no, I didn’t know personally most of the singers involved.
I just look for interesting tones in their voice and their lyrical talent and then I contacted them. Most of them were on board quickly cos they liked the concept and they know I do quality work. Plus I have a bit of a (good) reputation so they jump in rather quickly. Some didn’t, but it’s fine.
The criteria are there: interesting voice and good lyricist.

Q: Do you have further plans/ideas for this project? Live? Maybe a next, similar concept?  

Jean-Marc: This is a rather impossible project to take on a stage as some singers are from the USA and some from Australia…Plus I don’t like to play live: too stressful for me and the end result is never as good as when I can fine-tune details at my own speed in my studio.

Yes, I have started working on a new JML E. It’s not the same theme of course, but the same axe: providing a strong and coherent record that will surprise the listeners and me/my partners when all assembled (or on a track per track basis).

Q: Louise Fraser, what did you think when Jean-Marc came up with his idea of “13 Ghost Stories” and what’s your impression when you heard the final song and the album?

Louise: Straight off I thought this was a great idea. I mean who doesn’t love a ghost story? Moreover, beyond creating a really unique unifying concept, the question inevitably draws some really personal insights out of each singer. I thought that was very clever of Jean-Marc, who is also such a terrific guy to work with that I would have written on any theme he gave me.

I personally love the collection because it’s both unified and diverse. Jean-Marc’s musicianship weaves together some very unique, and often stunning vocal performances. As such the project really holds my attention, which is not an easy feat! I also think Jean-Marc deserves credit for his mixing skills. When he played me the first mix of our track, I didn’t have a single mix comment, and believe me, that is super rare! He just nailed it off the bat.

Q: Christer Hermodsson, how did you get in touch with Jean-Marc Lederman and what kind of artist is he to you?

Christer:  Jean-Marc simply contacted me. What kind of an artist? Hmm, talented and odd/weird/strange, but in a good way!

Side-Line also covered Jean-Marc Lederman’s ‘The Helpless Voyage Of The Titanic’.

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: Electronic, cinematographic, down-tempo.

Background/Info: If I say Jean-Marc Lederman you quite spontaneously will think about bands such as The Weathermen, Polyphonic Size, Fad Gadget, Ghost & Writer and more recently Lederman / De Meyer. And there were much more bands and projects this Belgian electro pioneer has been involved with. One of his latest projects took me by surprise, revealing a more ambient and experimental sound he released under his own name on Wool-E-Discs. I expected this new work in the continuation of this experimental exploration, but it already became something different. The artist started from the question what would you do if you came back to earth one day as ghost.

Content: This surreal project/question has been answered by guest singers and a real impressive list of great artists contributed to the work. In order of appearance you’ll recognize Christer Hermodsson (Biomekkanik, SPOCK..), Louise Fraser, Stefan Netschio (Beborn Beton), Juliette Bosse (Arther, Rive), Jenna Fearon, Agi Taralas, Elena Alice Fossi (Kirlian Camera, Spectra*Paris), The Acapella Robotic Association, Yvette Winkler, Mark Hockings (Mesh), Natasha A Twentyone (Ambassador 21, Suicide Inside), Alice Gift (Liste Noire, Velvet Condom) and Christa Jérôme.

Jean-Marc Lederman has accomplished a surprising work, which are miles away from what we’re used to hearing from him. There’s a mix between down-tempo and sometimes trip-pop driven influences, but also a cinematographic approach with refined arrangements and other evasive sound atmospheres. There’s a heavenly fusion between at one side the composer who gives us the impression to have written each song for one specific singer and at the other side the vocalists who’re really into the project of the ‘ghost stories’.   

+ + + : Concepts are a quite familiar thing in music. At first sight this one is not that different from the others and yet, when you carefully pay attention you’ll notice the symbiosis between the musician and his singers. It has something fragile and poignant, refined and subtle, dreamy and sometimes funny. Jean-Marc Lederman also appears to be a real chameleon. It’s unbelievable to see him in less than two years moving back to the roots of EBM with Lederman / De Meyer, experimenting with sounds and noises on both Wool-E-Discs productions and now unleashing this “13 Ghost Stories”. I also have to say a word about some great vocals’ performances like the charismatic appearance of Christer Hermodsson, the angelic voice of Louise Fraser, the fragility shown by Juliette Bosse, the bewitching performance by Christa Jérôme and of course the excellence emerging from Mark Hockings.

Notice by the way the album is also available as double disc featuring extra singers Rascal (Rotersand), Julianne Regan (All about Eve), Darrin Huss (Psyche), Rexx Arkana, JP Aston (Gene Loves Jezebel), Louise Love (Parralox) and Nicola Testa.

– – – : This is of course more of an album for listening instead of dancing!

Conclusion: What I like in the work and career of Jean-Marc Lederman is that he never avoids any new –and sometimes crazy, challenge. If there’s one artist who never repeats himself, it for sure is Jean-Marc Lederman! On “13 Ghost Stories he has maybe accomplished one of his greatest productions in history!

Best songs: “Watch Them Dance”, “Nuages A L’Envers”, “The Dead Still Scream”, “Maybe”, “Ball And Chain”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: http://www.jmlederman.com /

www.facebook.com/jeanmarc.kollector

Label: www.dependent.de / www.facebook.com/dependent.records Read the news on ‘13 Ghost Stories’.

About Jean-Marc Lederman

Jean-Marc Lederman is a Belgian electronic musician whose discography spans close to twenty albums across numerous projects, among them Kid Montana, eight albums with The Weathermen, Ether (with DJ Moens of La Muerte and Luc Dufourmont), Jules & Jim (with Julianne Regan of All About Eve), the ambient Man-Dello project, two albums with Seabound‘s Frank Spinath as Ghost & Writer, La Femme Verte and Leatherman. He launched the Jean-Marc Lederman Experience in 2015 with “The Last Broadcast On Earth”, an album featuring 13 singers from 8 countries in 4 languages. “13 Ghost Stories”, reviewed here, is the second Jean-Marc Lederman Experience album, released on Dependent in 2019 following the demise of Ghost & Writer in 2017.

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

Belgium’s cult dark electro act Aiboforcen is back among the living. A teaser was already released online a few days ago, but it’s now official, there is a brand new Aiboforcen EP out via Bandcamp: “In My Arms”.

The 13-track (!!) extended EP focuses on Benoit Blanchart’s collaboration with Mari Kattman. Both “In My Arms” and “Tears” are taken from the band’s recent 6th full length album “Sense & Nonsense”. The title track also got the remix treatment by label mates Mondträume, Mental Exile and Jean-Marc Lederman who each plunged the song in totally different moods. “Tears” on the other hand got re-discovered by the other Alfa Matrix companions Aesthetische, SD-KRTR and Psy’Aviah.

This new 13-track EP (available now from Bandcamp) also reveals some 4 new exclusive songs: “Therapy Through Violence”, “Abysses” (featuring Patrice Synthea of Regenerator fame) and 2 radically different cover versions of New Order’s “True Faith” and DAF’s “Als Wars Das Letzte Mal” (featuring Uwe Kanka of Armageddon Dildos on vocals).

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

Read the review of ‘13 Ghost Stories’.

Side-Line also covered Jean-Marc Lederman’s ‘Click Interview’.

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

A few days ago Jean-Marc Lederman – the man who worked with numerous bands including Fad Gadget, Gene Loves Jezebel, The Weathermen, Front 242, Julianne Regan, Jacques Duvall and Alain Bashung – posted the above picture about him playing with The The. We asked Jean-Marc how that happened.

SL: How did Jean-Marc Lederman end up with The The at The The Marquee gigs in 1982?

JM: The year was 1982 and I was living in London, tired of the belgian music scene. I had moved there shortly after my service in the Belgian Army, gee talk about a waste of time (do you see me as good proctection against the Russians ? Case closed).

Matt had heard my EP “Statistics Mean Nothing When On The Wrong Plane” and he reached out to me through a mutual friend. He told me about the residencey gigs The The had planned 4 thurdays in a row at the Marquee, the legendary London club.

So, I went to a rehearsal and it was real anarchy: everybody banging on petrol tanks à la Einsturzende Neubauten. Jim Thirlwell was there, Zeke Manyaka was playing the drums and Thomas Leer was playing some synths. We both had a Roland Jupiter 4 so we ended up using his. I remember telling them to stop banging the drums and start working the songs…

SL: And how did the gigs itself go?

The gigs were well announced and The The was quite the talk in London so the place was really packed. I was very nervous, I hate playing live as this is definitively not one of my strong points, and waiting backstage was tense. We had a set cut in several parts with some guests. I was starting the show, we all head to wear balaclavas and an early version of “Giant” was the first song, if I recall correctly . Marc Almond was a guest on the first concert, and so was Richard Kirk from Cabaret Voltaire (or was it Malinder ? It’s so long ago…).

We had more or less the same set for the 4 thursday residency shows and it was a bit strange to have to come back to the same place but it was quite common in the UK for bands to have a serie of shows week in week out at the time apparently.

SL: So all in all, how would you describe it?

JM: A great experience. Next week, I’ll tell you how and when Matt and Johnny Marr beat me at soccer-table but I won a Depeche Mode silver disc in the process (laughs).

Side-Line also covered Jean-Marc Lederman’s ‘13 Ghost Stories’.

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

Background/Info:

About Lederman / De Meyer

Lederman / De Meyer paired Jean-Marc Lederman with Jean-Luc De Meyer of Front 242 for their first joint project, following the earlier 2018 EP “A Tribe Of My Own” with the full-length “Eleven Grinding Songs” on Alfa Matrix.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com