Klaus Schulze &#8211; SIDE-LINE

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.

Click Interview with Akustikkoppler: ‘Our Music Is Timeless And Follows No Trends’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sun, 04 Dec 2022 18:00:00 +0000

Akustikkoppler is the sonic symbiosis between two, legendary, German, Electronic, artists. Matthias Schuster (Das Institut, Bal Paré, Geisterfahrer, Im Namen Des Volkes ao) and Malte Steiner (Notstandskomitee, Das Kombinat ao) once met in Hamburg. Their common passion for electronic gear brought them to set up Akustikkoppler. They this year released the project’s fourth full length album “Alles Muβ Raus” which can be defined as styled, minimal, electronic music. The work has been released by Malte’s own label Block 4. I asked a few questions to both artists.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: You guys have been involved with numerous projects so what incited you working together and set up Akustikkoppler?

Malte: We met when I was living in Hamburg, I think it was in the Hörbar, a place for experimental music which I founded with some others in the early 90s and that still exists. Our common love for synthesizers and experience of studio production alone can result in long conversations but also our shared preference of weird music and art. And then of course the whole history of Matthias and his role in German New-Wave / Post-Punk…

Matthias: Yes we met at Hamburg Hörbar and later on I have heard about Maltes projects and art installations and was amazed about the videos and music from Das Kombinat, Notstandskomitee etc etc

Q: What makes the chemistry and complementarity between the both of you? What did you learn from each other and how do you work together?

Matthias: At that time I was a pure hardware freak, I had so much vintage synthesizers like Moog, ARP, PPG, KORG, ROLAND etc so I was absolute excited about Maltes software instruments like PureData etc. He even programmed his own software synth, and the sound was amazing!

Malte: When I am in Hamburg we meet in Matthias’ Geisterfahrer Studio, switch on everything and start to improvise. There are no rules or conversations about what we want to achieve. It is just experimenting and then hitting the record button at the right moment, usually one of us yells ‘hit record, it can’t get better’. All is recorded mixed on stereo without any overdub, and I take the files with me into the achieve, and compile albums out of the best tracks and remaster them.

Matthias: I always was interested in making ‘realtime’ music I practiced in the past with Jürgen Weiss, my Geisterfahrer drummer so it was obvious to do that together and let surprise by ourselves and the machines who played us and we played them too.

Q: I noticed your new album “Alles Muβ Raus” features songs that were originally written between 2008 and 2012. That was right at the beginning of the project so why didn’t you release the songs earlier and how was it to work on ‘older’ stuff?

Matthias: Yes, there is no hurry. Malte moved to Denmark, so we only meet sometimes in a year to do one or more sessions and our music is timeless and follows no trends etc…

Malte: Since we both are busy with gazillion other projects, it can takes a while to compile and agree upon an album, years sometimes, and I think we’re living the “Theory Of Obscurity” by The Residents, we often forget the tracks and rediscover them. That and the fact that the vinyl required a year in the pressing plant lead to the perceived delays, but we are not in a hurry anyway. Everyone including the big guys are pressing records, in several editions at once, therefore the smaller labels are put on hold when a Major drops an order for 100.000 records. Anyway, “Alles Muß Raus” is our fourth album, plus there was a 7”.

Q: Tell us a bit more about “Alles Muβ Raus”? What is the work all about and what did you try to express & achieve sound-wise?

Matthias: There’s no concept, but it’s like a concept album I think… a concept album by random.

Malte: I still believe in the album as a concept and art piece and when I suggest a selection of tracks to Matthias, they have to form a journey, a development from start to end. I have access in our archives to material from many years, back to around 2004 when we started to work together so the meaning and overall vibe comes late in the process and not when we record the tracks. For instance the tape “Inspektor” which we released on the French label Serendip Lab I discovered that some tracks formed a Soundtrack to a crime movie in my mind, a very cheesy one, probably from 60s Germany.

Q: Akustikkoppler has this typical vintage sound DNA, which brings us back to the magic of analogue equipment. What’s your perception about the evolution of electronic equipment and the way of composing; from analogue to digital to the cheap software synths and -programs of today?

Matthias: When I started in the early 70s there was no Midi etc only CV/gate which I hated because of the different systems like 1V octave, or Hertz volt etc. Bands like Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, etc… ruled over Electronic music and of course Stockhausen, Pierre Henry, etc

After years of struggling with equipment it was so great to have the first digital machines like PPG Wave, DX7, Atari Computers… Today is best with the mix with software, computers (Apple now) and vintage analogue.

Malte: One reason might be that we both are vintage. It’s decades of music experience which comes together here, we each started long before Techno and even before Hip-Hop became something. I love the development of equipment, it’s amazing what is possible today, especially for a low price. Personally I don’t have any preference. I equally use analogue and digital synthesizers and all kind of computer software, partly stuff I develop on my own. I usually bring some device or software on my laptop to the sessions which Matthias don’t have -which is difficult- just to add another color.

It’s good to have again available all kinds of analogue, digital and modular synthesizers. One major development for me, apart from ‘Machine Learning’ which I use with projects like Notstandskomitee or Elektronengehirn since years, is the rise of resolution in the control-data and therefore improved expressivity.

Q: How do you see yourself as musicians/producers when it comes to self-criticism, perfectionism and eventually criteria and/or references you’re using? And what are the further plans?

Matthias: Of course we will stay in composing/recording process! But we are our own listeners, so the process of criteria is in our own hands, means we decide what will comes out and what not!

Malte: A speciality of Akustikkoppler is that we don’t allow ourselves to edit the tracks except a bit in the mastering process way later, which is complete decoupled from the composing process. Everything is recorded in one go played manually, only with the help of step sequencers and drum computers here and there. That saves us from the perfectionist loop which can destroy creativity, see for instance the latest remarks of Karl Bartos about the arrival of the computer at Kraftwerk’s studio. A story I heard often since the dawn of Midi composition, it is both a blessing and a curse. Something I struggle a bit with at Notstandskomitee, everything can be edited, rerecorded and processed endlessly, it’s difficult to decide to finish a track and let loose. With Akustikkoppler we don’t have that problem.

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.

Click Interview with BySenses: ‘Music Has To Be Able To Take You Along’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Tue, 05 Jul 2022 17:00:00 +0000

I already interviewed BySenses four years ago right after the release of the third album “People”. This Belgian solo-project driven by Didier Dewachtere took me by surprise dealing with an intelligent Electro-Ambient style which is clearly inspired by the ‘Berliner School’. The artist this year self-released his fifth opus “MonoCHROOM” on which he confirmed to have a talent for sophisticated Ambient music. This is an album appealing for fans of Tangerine Dream but more than simply an emulation BySenses is a project with an own approach and a fascinating sound.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Tell us a bit more about your musical background and roots? How did you finally come to set up BySenses?

Didier:As a little boy, at home I was mainly brought into contact with French chansons, Charles Aznavour or American artists, such as Nat King Cole, Dean Martin or Orchestral melodic music. The time on the radio is still in my head today, and yes, I did like that. As a child, you develop naturally and you end up in your own world. A world of New-Wave, Front 242, The Neon Judgement, Simple Minds etc… New-Wave pubs were the place where a lot of my music started. In Ghent, there was no shortage of such nice bars either, The Fifty Five for instance.

At one point I heard the opening tune “Equinoxe 5” by Jean-Michel Jarre on the “Musique de France” broadcast on the radio, presented by Zaki, father of, father of the Soulwax-brothers. It was a bit of a surprise, because the opening tune really didn’t match the French chansons that were presented, but it was a start. “Equinoxe 5” did catch my attention. I went looking for that music and finally bought the single. Later, the LP-version was added, so my parents were obliged to buy me a record player. But actually, my first distant contact with Electronic music was at the Bargee’s institute in Wetteren, where the catholic brother played Vangelis’ music at night, while the lights were off… very special, but I think that has stuck. He then played “To The Unknown Man”. It was only when I bought “Spiral” that I recognized it.

In Sluis (Holland) I came across an album with a purple background and a big X sign. I didn’t know what and who it was, but I had the album played on the turntable in that shop. I was overwhelmed. After a long time of sawing, my parents let me buy it… and then the purchase of many albums by Klaus Schulze.

Also the album “Live” came up and if it would just happen that the song “Sense” is on it and that’s how I came to the name BySenses. I thought it was a nice pun on one of my great examples

Q: Your work is clearly inspired by Ambient music. Does this label fit with what you’re doing and what means Ambient music to you?

Didier: I can imagine that people place my music in that genre. Just putting together different sounds, looking for a setting, atmosphere is very important to me. Music has to be able to take you along, whether it’s Rock, Jazz, Hard-Rock or House or Classical music, if it takes you along, I think you’re on the right track.

You can’t compare Klaus Schulze’s music with VANGELIS’ music. These are two different environments, two different atmospheres, two different worlds. Where Vangelis mainly feeds on his fantastic melodies, Klaus Schulze feeds more on his Soundscapes, composer of different tones, sounds. I find that an incredible thing. Am I influenced by it, certainly, and that’s no problem, they will have been influenced by other artists as well. “Le Grand Petit”, from the digital album “5 Jours De Liberté” tends much more towards the melodic, while on the same album there are pieces where I try to create an atmosphere with pure sounds. It’s the same on “MonoCHROOM”. The album “People” tends more towards sequencer work and more Techno-like rhythms.

Q: You already mentioned Klaus Schulze and Vangelis who both passed away quite recently. You already talked about it but in which way do you feel connected with their work and what made both artists and their work that special?

Didier: It is indeed terrible, Electronic music is losing its founding fathers. Let’s not forget Edgar Froese of Tangerine Dream.

Both are absolute founding fathers of Electronic music, each in their style the synthesizer was used in a totally different way.

Klaus Schulze in his own style took me into his environment, the build-up, his build-down, his sounds… “Dune” is the biggest example for me, a song that carries me away in all its facets. I feel the same way about Brian Eno’s “Dune”-melody. If you play Frank Herbert from the album “X”, you get sucked into his own way of sequencing. Tangerine Dream on “Rubicon” or “Stratosfear” and “Ricochet” give me that same feeling.

Vangelis, also in his own style, takes me into his melodic music. He manages to play every note in the right way, less experimental, more in the sense of ‘ Here I am, here I present you something to accompany me in my journey through this album’. For a man who hasn’t learned a note and wins an Oscar… hats off. “To The Unknown Man” is a great example of how he manages to change the melody in one song.

To me, both are pioneers of the highest level, both can be placed next to great composers such as Mozart, Beethoven…

Q: Over now to your own work and the newest opus “MonoCHROOM”. How did this work took shape and what kind of album did you want to achieve?

Didier: “MonoCHROOM” has a small history. When I was at boarding school in Wetteren, an educator told me: ‘There are people who only like one colour. White or black’. He gave it a name. I had forgotten that name and actually spent a long time looking for it. A friend of mine, I think it was Johan Depaepe from Owann, my friend in “The Tower Tree”, told me that it might be that word. “MonoCHROOM” was born.

At first I had in mind to make pieces that were separate from each other again, but more and more the album grew into one big whole. Had I been able to make one 60-minute song, I might have done so. But I still wanted to see the differences between black and white and other colors. That’s why the cover is black and white and the inside is colored balls of different sizes (an idea of Alain Wymeels of Midician by the way).

When the album was OK for me… the music goes to the mastering man, Dries De Vreeze. A man who regularly puts me in my place, in the positive sense of course… but he gives it an extra dimension through his mixing and mastering. I can only be grateful to him for the additions he makes.

I wanted to release an album that pushed the monotony aside, and made it like a multi-color festival. There is more than one color in your life, and when you open the book (the CD cover), you see the diversity. It’s the same in everyday life.

Q: Your albums are always composed around a theme or should I say conceptual theme, which is not that different for “MonoCHROOM”. Does the theme and/or concept become the main inspiration to compose your music or how does it happen? And how do you transpose ideas/concepts into notes and songs?

Didier: I like to talk about one subject, because that is what I can focus on best. I then try to further develop the project, the idea. Maybe in the future I will try to make a story CD, spread over several CDs.

In “Monos” (cf. the first track), I wanted to bring out the monotony of color by working very hard on a light build-up, repetitive song, which eventually ends in an uptempo. The Industrial beginning points to how hard it must be to enjoy only one color. “Monos” means one color.

“Chroom” means more colors, which makes me start more rhythmically. I also wanted to add another instrument. I had seen Peter Moorkens playing his experimental guitar solos when we were in Ghent for the Sonic Emissions concert. At the Antenna Festival in Evergem I saw him working on his modular systems and thought, maybe we should do something together. Peter immediately liked the idea of playing guitar on “Chroom”. Because of this mixture, I think that the diversity has come out well.

Most of the ideas grow bit by bit. The melody lines are sometimes done in one night. The rhythmic piece on “Monos”, the solo, was recorded in one take. I like that. You’re in the zone, and … then it comes anyway…

Q: What did you try to express by live performances and how do you transpose the songs on stage?

Didier:I try to draw people into the story. Since live performances are a bit monotonous for EM musicians, we usually bring in some film, so that the movements are more pleasant than watching one person behind a battery of synthesizers. I find film very important in EM. Once I asked Johan De Paepe (Owann) at the concert in Ghent, Sonic Emission 1, when “People” came out, to take pictures of the people who were there. These were then incorporated into the film, directly, and put on the screen. That clicked well, because the CD “People” had just come out and you’re bringing people live. You can imagine that the people who suddenly saw their faces on the screen were shocked, and they liked that. Involving the audience, I find that very important.

I also try to adapt the songs, so that we don’t get the feeling that we are playing a play button. It goes without saying that I can’t manipulate all synthesizers with two hands. Some sequencers and samples are recorded beforehand… the PC is therefore the replacement of the old tape recorders that used to be on stage during live performances.

On Youtube, a 45-minute film called “45 Minutes De Liberté” is circulating, a precursor to the digital CD 5 “Jours De liberté”. There you can also see a film during my concert.

I am very happy when people say to me after the concert, ‘we enjoyed it’. I think that is the intention of all artists.

www.facebook.com/woolediscs / www.antennafestival.be

Hyperkube – Remnants (Album – Littl’Antenna Records / Wool-E Discs)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Thu, 11 Mar 2021 19:30:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: Ambient-Electro.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Hyperkube is a Belgian solo-project driven by Tom Coppens who’s also involved with Kubusschnitt. “Remnants” is a collaborative work between festival organization Littl’Antenna and Wool-E Discs subdivision ‘Belgian NeuMusik’.

Content: From the very first seconds and notes, this work clearly reminds the famous ‘Berlin School’. Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream aren’t far away and clearly appears to be important sources of inspiration. The work features 5 songs, which have been progressively built up featuring low bass resonations, analogue sound effects and multiple bleeps and sweeps.

+ + + : This is not an album you’re going to buy for its originality, but simply because you like Ambient-Electro and more especially the famous ‘Berlin School’. The songs have been well-crafted, elaborated mixing dreamy and more mysterious passages. The last song “In Fine Principium” appears to be a true apotheosis due to some overwhelming sound blasts right at the end of the song. “Remnants” appears to be a sonic puzzle featuring an endless number of little sonic noises and effects.

– – – : I think it’s just a pity there’s no more innovation in the global approach of this work. It remains an emulation of some famous pioneers… although a well-crafted work!

Conclusion: “Remnants” is the debut release in this Littl’Antenna Live Session, which clearly confirms Belgium is a prolific ground for talented artists in the Ambient-Electro genre.

Best songs: “In Fine Principium”, “Calling From Beyond”, “Remnants”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/tom.coppens.52

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

www.facebook.com/woolediscs

The Roswell Incident – Trapped Part One (Album – Wool-E Discs)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 20:00:00 +0000

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

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: The Roswell Incident is a Belgian project set up and driven by the brothers Koen and Jan Buytaert. They claim to be inspired by the legendary ‘Berlin School’. They’re now busy for more than ten years and previously self-released four albums. “Trapped Part One” is their fifth full length album released in 2019 for the “Belgian NeuMusik”-series set up by Wool-E Discs.

Content: This album clearly reflects the Ambient influences from the so-called Berlin School. Impossible here to not remind me of the genius of Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze. The work features only 2 tracks, which are pretty elaborated. You feel like you are embarking on an Ambient trip on which stars have been transposed into bleeps. Both tracks have been progressively built up, featuring different passages. You now and then will notice some piano arrangements, but the main characteristic remains the astral dimension of the work. Deep, vibrating bass tones are accentuating the progression of the tracks, which both are ending into pure climax.

+ + + : The Roswell Incident doesn’t innovate, but sounds as an intelligent and successful emulation of the ambient music those brothers like. They accomplished both tracks with passion and patience; finally reaching the ultimate point of each song, which is comparable to a sonic orgasm. I like the low, vibrating bass lines and the subtle little bleeps, which are even more efficient when listening to the work using headphones. But this is also music to play loud at a cold winter evening. The sound production is absolutely phenomenal; it has something pretty vintage-like and yet it has been composed with digital equipment.

– – – : The only reproach you can make to this band is they avoid any kind of innovation, but simply emulate the music they like.

Conclusion: The Roswell Incident took me by surprise; this album being without a shadow of a doubt the most accomplished one in the “Belgian NeuMusik”-series. This is an absolute must-have!

Best songs: “Trying To Escape The Möbius Timeshift”, “Folded Spaces”.

Rate: (9).

Artist: www.the-roswell-incident.com / www.facebook.com/The-Roswell-Incident-Electronic-music-176312299051915

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

Novocibirsk returns with 2nd installment ‘Télévision 1945 (Volume II)’ – Kraftwerk fans pay attention

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 14:06:39 +0000

Here’s a release which will interest the more eclectic readers. The ‘Novocibirsk’ project is the product of experiments conducted by Hervé Isar between 1982 and 1993 in his home studio, connecting a network of synthesizers and analog sequencers to test their communications or synchronize their messages and speed multiplication, testing multi-oscillators pads out of mono generators, trying octave distribution, voltage additions and substractions.

The result is artificial music inspired by pioneers of the 70’s and raw minimalism of the underground of the 80’s. Listening to the material you’ll inevitably will think of Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream or Klaus Schulze. The whole is enriched with vocoder chants. Five of the tracks recorded back then are now being released on “Télévision 1945 (Volume II)”, the second series of Novocibirsk’s recordings that is being released on the productionB label.

“Télévision 1945 (volume II)” will be released on February 26. 2021, as digisleeve CD album and digital download and a 12″LP vinyl edition might be released later this year. Pre-orders are available here.

Here’s an edit of “Nuclear Propagation”.

About Novocibirsk

Hervé Isar, the brain behind the project, is actually a French law professor at the university of Aix-Marseille. Unlike other musicians Isar has always considered his ‘music’ to be a technical research rather than music. Nevertheless in 1997 his album “Excerpts And Experiments” was released on the newborn French label BOREDOMproduct (home to Celluloide, Dekad, Foretaste, …).

20 years later the French label launched a subdivision called productionB focusing more on minimal electronic works and decided to reactivate Novocibirsk, releasing ‘old’ songs for the very first time on CD. “Télévision 1945 (Volume I)” was released in 2019 with “Télévision 1945 (Volume II)” being released in 2020.

You can read an interview with Hervé Isar right here.

U96 and Wolfgang Flür (ex-Kraftwerk) release collaboration album + new Wolfgang Flür album in the making

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 12:00:31 +0000

German techno/electronic legends U96 will release a new album with former Kraftwerk member Wolfgang Flür on September 4th. The album, called “Transhuman”, contains 14 tracks and 2 U96 Bonus tracks. It will be available online, on CD and also on a limited double Red Vinyl edition via the German label UNLTD-Recordings. The New York record label Radikal Records has secured the rights to the album for the US and Canada.

At the frontline of electronic music for many years were the German act Kraftwerk and moost do know the band via their longstanding career. Wolfgang Flür was Kraftwerk’s drummer in the years between 1972 and 1987 and therefore involved in the most seminal albums by the group from Düsseldorf. U96 (Ingo Hauss & Hayo Lewerentz) from its side rose to fame in the 1990s with hits such as “Das Boot”, “Love Sees No Colour”, “Night In Motion” and “Heaven”.

“Transhuman” and an updated version of “Zukunftsmusik (Radiophonique)” will be released as lead singles, including experimental video clips.

The best of both worlds

“Transhuman is a stylistic mélange of our different histories,” says Wolfgang Flür.

Hauss: “Pieces like ‘Zukunftsmusik’ and ‘Transhuman’ don’t tell a story in the classic sense, they articulate emotions and associations in very few words, bringing to mind recordings such as RadioAktivität, Autobahn and Die Mensch-Maschine. In addition Transhuman, features a number of melodies created on the basis of computer algorithms, in other words fractal music which takes us even further back in history, to Klaus Schulze, Stockhausen, the electronics laboratories of the fifties and sixties and the musique concrete compositional technique.”

U96 and Flür met in person for the first time in the early 2000s.

Hayo Lewerentz: “Of course there was no way past Kraftwerk for any German artist who worked with electronic music, synthesizers and creative studio options in the eighties. We were occupied day and night with how that band created their incredible sounds.”

Later Flür offered Lewerentz, who ran the electro label Major Records, new songs for release, and the latter went on to remix Flür’s track “Beat Perfecto”, among others. Subsequent to the creative collaboration between Hauss, Lewerentz and Flür on “Reboot”, the trio exchanged more than forty fragments of ideas online over the past two years, which eventually spawned the 14 songs on “Transhuman”.

Lewerentz: “In addition there are two more tracks, which will feature on Wolfgang’s upcoming album “Magazine” at the end of the year.”

Tour in the making

Joint concerts by U96/Wolfgang Flür are also in the making. Lewerentz: “We’re hoping to do a few shows together next year. There’s definitely been a lot of interest from the promoters.”

14 tracks

Transhuman
Hamburg – Düsseldorf
Zukunftsmusik (Radiophonique)
Specimen
Clone
To The Limit
Zufallswelt
Planet In Fever
Shifted Reality
Kreiselkompass
Data Landscape
Transhumanist
Sexersizer
Maschinenraum

Brand new studio album for Steve Roach on limited vinyl and CD: ‘Bloom Ascension’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 17:29:08 +0000

Steve Roach, one of the leading American pioneers in the evolution of ambient/electronic music, is back with an all new album. “Bloom Ascension” will be released by the end of August. This is Steve’s first release conceptualized for LP since “Desert Solitaire” (1989).

The new album will hold 4 tracks:

The Beauty Relentless [12:12]
Motivating Factor [06:43]
Synesthete [06:18]
Bloom Ascension [16:11]

Originally a Motocross racer, at the age of 20 Roach taught himself to play the synthesizer after being inspired by such influential synthesizer artists and groups as Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, and Vangelis. His debut album “Now” appeared in 1982, followed by “Structures from Silence” in 1984. In 1986 he released his acclaimed “Quiet Music” series. In 1988, he released what has been described by critics as his masterpiece, the double-album “Dreamtime Return”. The rest is history, which each ambient music fan should know by heart.

‘Click Interview’ with Novocibirsk: ‘The Approach That Was Mine, Was Not To Compose Music’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 17:00:37 +0000

Electro-pop lovers know the French label BOREDOMproduct. This label is the host of bands such as Celluloide, Dekad, Foretaste… but do you remember the first ever released album on the label? It brings us back to 1997 and the album “Excerpts And Experiments” by Novocibirsk. It was a minimal-electro production inspired by the sound and especially the machines from Kraftwerk. It also remained the single CD-album ever released by Novocibirsk. More than 20 years later the French label launched a subdivision called productionB. The label seems to focalize on more minimal electronic works and decided to reactivate Novocibirsk, releasing ‘old’ songs for the very first time on CD. I’d a chat with Hervé Isar.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: The album “Télévision 1945 Volume 1” takes us back from the early 80s till the early 90s. Can you remind us what incited you to set up Novocibirsk and what were the main sources of inspiration?

Hervé: My first source of inspiration is Kraftwerk and in particular “Radio-Activity”, since I bought the LP when it came out: In 1976 “Radio-Activity” (the single) was played on many radios. It was an unexpected success and a small report was broadcasted on TV. This is where I saw for the first time a synthesizer (Minimoog type if my memory is good and actually only a few seconds) and especially a kind of electronic drum (apparently handmade by the band), but of which came out percussive and metallic sounds that immediately captivated me. In addition, this repetitive music brought me a feeling of certainty and security that hypnotized me.

So I immediately went by bus down the Canebière where was, at the time, the ‘big’ record store from Marseille. I entered the store for the first time, and asked for the ‘Germans that are played on the radio’. They had it, I paid, and I rushed back home to listen to the record on my father’s record player once, twice… a hundred times! I still have this record that I keep as a kind of relic. Then it was Tangerine Dream, especially “Rubycon” and “Stratosfear” and finally a concert of Klaus Schulze related to the album “Mirage”. I do not remember the date, but, I think I was 13 years old or so. So, very young, and almost by accident I met this type of music, that I had no idea how it was made, as long as I did not see with my eyes this concert of Klaus Schulze, which took place in a cathedral. It was a complete hallucination. I had a cousin older than me, very into music, who offered me to go and see a concert of Klaus Schulze in Marseille. I had never been to a concert, I did not know what it was, and no idea who was Klaus Schulze then. The concert was held in the cathedral of Les Reformés at the top of the Canebière.

My parents dropped me there and went to the cinema, while we went to see the concert. And I went into a universe that I really did not know; I did not know what a modular looked like, for example… let alone a concert of junkies, because you had to see the wildlife that populated a concert of Klaus Schulze at that time, there was about a meter of smoke of canabis that covered the whole church, there are even people doing injections… it was still rather ‘particular’.

It was during this concert that I discovered, finally, what a synthesizer looked like -what I did not know, and that I decided to assign my first salary to it: I thought ‘the day you work, your first salary will be spent on the purchase of one of these machines’. I did not know how much it costs, or anything else, of course. Then I continued to listen a lot to this type of music, and then one day I had a first salary. I was 20 years old and I went for a synth… but it did not exist anymore. We were already entered a period the digital was making its appearance, we were at the beginning of digital, almost at the time of the appearance of the DX7 which would become the fashionable machine.

But I was not interested at all by a DX7, I wanted a Moog or a modular, which I had seen at Klaus Schulze’s concert. This is where I realized that it was not available anymore. So I did all the music stores in Marseille and the surrounding area, visiting their cellars and that’s how I started to build my collection, my ‘studio’, piece by piece, with synthesizers of collections that people no longer used, which nobody wanted. As a result, this machines often did not have a user manual, and for someone who did not know anything about it, without instructions for use, without knowing what a VCO or ADSR is… believe me, it took me quite some time to worked it out! That’s how it began.

Q: And so you set up Novocibirsk, but have you been involved with other projects and were you still in touch with the electronic underground scene?

Hervé: Absolutely not. I was never involved in one way or another in a group or linked to a scene… I spent my time experimenting in my apartment, without any other ambition.

Q: A lot of things have changed/evolved throughout the years; from the equipment (analogue towards digital) to the format (cassette and vinyl towards CD towards streaming) to recording techniques to the rise of social media etc. What do you think about all these evolutions? Pros and contras?

Hervé: I think that the technological evolution, both of the synthesizers and music diffusion, has increased tenfold -at least, the possibilities, but I do not have the feeling that the imagination in term of musical creation, the innovation in term of composition or experimentation has changed a lot.
The potentialities seem to me today much better than those I have known, but the imagination that could have accompanied these advances, I do not see it in the same proportions.

Q: How did the re-release of “Télévision 1945 Volume 1” happened and what’s your feeling about the final result –the songs having been re-arranged and re-mastered?

Hervé: These songs were absolutely not intended to be diffused and were only recorded for reasons of technical constraint to simply hear what I did.

But I met someone insane enough to be released in this kind of things, to whom I gave these cassettes, unsorted, in a plastic bag. He digitized them, sorted them, which gave names to the tracks and next followed a first confidential edition in CDr and cassette, very amateuristic way.

Then with this same person, and the creation of this new label (productionB) these pieces have been given an official release, CD, LP and streaming.

Q: I get the impression you were more focalized on the creation of sounds instead of writing a ‘classical’ song format (chorus – verse). What was it really all about and what can you say about the equipment you used?

Hervé: You’re absolutely right, the approach that was mine, was not to compose music, but to use electronic machinery to try to master it technically, to create sounds and sequences that I liked. And besides, the structure of the songs is systematically the same, it is a form of “Bolero”, with tracks (even if it is not really about tracks since at the time everything was live) which are layered on each other one by one. In fact, it’s simply because I increased the volumes of each synthesizer manually, and then when these volumes were almost where I wanted, I pressed keys to change the notes, mainly to keep the oscillators syntonized.

The objective was mainly associated with the production of sounds, the mixing of sounds, but not necessarily with the elaboration of a piece of music with a melodic structure, an organization in the time… I didn’t really think of it. In fact, these pieces are just technical tests.

Since these machines were relatively rare (and less expensive than today), I bought them when I found them. And I made new tracks, especially when I had a new synth, to test its abilities and make it communicate with the others. I did not feel any limitation, since I was always testing a new machine and networking with others, which was the second goal of my approach. I would say, it was both ‘tension’ and ‘trigger’. Things have been built over the constitution of the collection.

Q: Are there some plans to re-release other ‘old’ Novocibirsk productions and do you’ve plans to release new material or getting back ‘into business’ again?

Hervé: Back to ‘business’, well, I’ve never really been into it, and it’s been a long time since I have unfortunately no time to control VCOs anymore… so I do not think so, no… even if I think that I would always have a great pleasure in playing with these machines.

I think I still kept a bag with several cassettes… it would have to be found somewhere in the cellar of my parents, but the most interesting things have certainly been digitized already. Of course, it’s the label that decides, and I think there’re plans for “Volume 2” and maybe another album. I’m already satisfied like that, but I will not oppose other releases, of course.

‘Click Interview’ with Viviankrist: ‘Equipment Gives Me Inspiration’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Tue, 16 Apr 2019 17:00:33 +0000

Viviankrist is a minimal electro/power-noise project set up by Japanese female artist Eri Isaka. Around 1997-1999 she was member of the industrial-noise project called Vivian Krist. People started to call her Vivian. She got involved with other bands and became member of the female project Gallhammer. It also was her last band before she set up her solo-project Viviankrist. Eri Isaka is now living in Oslo (Norway) and has released her official CD-album debut entitled “Morgenrøde” on Cold Spring Records. The production is electro-minimal like, but still spiced with heavier power-noise influences. It’s a bit atypical, refreshing and definitely worthy of examination.

Credits picture: Mark Swaffield / Interview courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: How did you come to set up Viviankrist, which sounds rather different and definitely more electronic/experimental than Gallhammer?

Eri: I stopped making music in 2011. In 2017 I just wanted to do some noise with my bass, but it didn’t go well. Then I found an old MS-10 and Micro Korg, which my husband just put in a closet. It was something very interesting and I just made my first demo in 3 days with those synths.

Q: I read you’ve been inspired by numerous ‘metal’ bands/music when you were involved with Gallhammer, but what do you consider as your main sources of inspiration for Viviankrist and how do you try to put them into sound?

Eri: Ah. There is a lot to mention. I liked the early work of Klaus Schulze, the period of “Irrlicht”. And these days I’m into the work of artists like Prurient, Pete Swanson, and Trap Music, but also some hiphop. I’m still a bit into ‘Japanoise’; when I was in Japan I especially liked Painjerk and Keiji Haino. I also like some German formations like Kraftwerk, Neu! etc.

Q: You set up Viviankrist in 2017 and have already released an impressive number of -mainly digital, productions. Where does this creativity comes from and what makes you first CD-album “Morgenrøde” maybe different from the rest?

Eri: I just kept on making something; maybe just from boredom, but “Mørgenrode” was a little bit different. I considered to release it as physical material when I was busy with the recording of the album.

Q: The first and last track from “Morgenrøde” reveal a heavy power-electronics/noise approach while the other songs are more into electronic experimentation. Tell us a bit more about these different sides in your composing process?

Eri: I grown up with ‘Japanoise’ so the ‘noise’ approach is natural for me. And I really like Klaus Shulze and Ash Ra type of music. So I just did what I wanted to do in that period, dealing with different influences.

Q: Do you’ve some specific criteria when composing your sound?

Eri: Not really. It’s almost just improvising. Equipment gives me inspiration.

Q: I’ve been always intrigued why the kind of music you’re dealing with is nearly all the time composed by male artists. Is there an explanation to this phenomenon and how do you see yourself evolving with Viviankrist?

Eri: I don’t know and I never have cared about gender. But you can find a lot of female artists in electronics and extreme metal! I’m just one of them.

‘Click Interview’ with BySenses: ‘We Are Not Chosen, We Are People’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Thu, 02 Aug 2018 17:00:39 +0000

Didier Dewachtere is a Belgian artist from 53 years old. He started to like electronic music at his 15th birthday. It was the good-old time of new-wave music, which still remains a source of inspiration. Later on he discovered artists such as Jean-Michel Jarre, Klaus Schulze ao. The ‘Berliner School’ had a real great impact on Didier. It is very obvious, that BySenses was partly taken from a song from Schulze entitled “Sense”. BySenses now has released its third full length entitled “People” on the Belgian label Wool-E-Discs. It’s a beautiful and styled ambient release, which also brought me in touch with the artist.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: BySenSeS has been featured at the Wool-E-Discs series “Belgian NeuMusik”. How would you introduce the sound and approach of BySenSeS and what does it mean to you to be part of this label-series devoted to Belgian ambient music?

Didier: My first album came out on an independent label Multidisc. But when Dimitri Idunno told me he would start up a new label Wool- E Discs, pure Belgian music, I thought it would be nice to be part of it. So he said yes and now “People” and a lot of other albums have been released on his label. I’m thinking on Sensory++ , Venja or Galactic Underground, The Rosswell Incident, Rhea and a lot of other.

Mostly they say ‘Berlin School’ is the base of ‘Belgian Neu Music’, but that is not really right.. If you listen to Nothing But Noise, another Belgian group, I think there is no Berlin School in it. It is a great honor to be part of it. I think Belgian Electronic Music can be placed amongst the German School, or French School.

My sounds and my music is how I feel… how I think, how it is in my mind. Starting a song is searching for sounds and I use this bases to create songs. It can start with a melody or with a simple rhythm… or something that comes into mind while going home.

Q: What means music to you and what importance does it take in your daily life?

Didier: Music is very important to me. It has always been a part of my life. When I was a young boy, I spend all time at my bedroom listening to music, playing cards with headphones or going to sleep with music and getting up with music… I just came home in the weekends, because I was at a boarding school, but over there they played music as Vangelis.. At that time I didn’t pay any attention to it. I was nearly 9 years, but later on it got really an impact. I still think that I kept this music in my mind. When I was 20 years old, I started living on my own and the first thing I did was buying a Korg MS20 and MS50. In the beginning I made some tracks with the Korg MS20, but they are all lost. My parents didn’t believe in the music I wanted to make and certainly not in ‘the synthesizer’. Because my life at that time was a bit other than it is right now, all my money went to discotheques and going out.. Later on, when I came back from Afghanistan, I decided to buy more instruments, and my son Pieter did all the technical support. It was great to see him doing these things although he never made music (lol).

Q: The first BySenses production were released in 2014. How do you look back at the earlier work and what have been the main evolutions and steps forward towards “People” and is there a hidden message behind the front cover?

Didier: My first album “InSense”, which is only available at Bandcamp was not mastered. I made the music and put it on Bandcamp. It was only a bit later I got in touch with some people like Dries De Vreeze, who do some mastering. “Frigmants Fragments” is mastered by Dries and is a bit different, more experimental. It tells us the story of a part of my life, a moment where during a short time things were not so good… a story about good and bad things… “Slaap Stil Mijn Kind” can been considered as an example. The track is dedicated to a child I lost.

Next to Dries, Sarah Joos came into the picture. Sarah is incredibly good in what she’s doing. She makes really dreamy pictures and has her own style. I think there is a mutual respect for each of our work. In these times people are living so separated, living all alone without contacts etc… People are so tired of politics. People are scared and getting afraid while I think politicians should bring people together and help them. I don’t like populism and I don’t like Nationalism… not in that way… Using migration to get votes is abusing people. That’s a bit the hidden message. So quite progressively, the idea came to make an album for all people around the world. I asked Sarah if she would make some pictures of people; just their faces and all colors while I asked a friend to be on front. His has a real expressive face.

Alain Kinet, who I already knew from earlier times, did the sleeve design. He listened to my story and so the artwork got created. I wanted to make an album from birth to death, from loneliness to happiness, from feelings to non-feelings, from things that happened in my life such as relations etc. So “People” was born.

I really think that music can feature a message. I want to put a message in it, but also maybe a message that people has to find listening to the music… that message is not necessarily the same as I want to give. Nothing around us reflects the open-mind of humanity. We are not chosen, we are people.

Q: Tell us a bit more about the global production process of this work; potential sources of inspiration, way of composing, addition of guest artists and how do you look back at the album right now?

Didier: To be honest, it has been a lot of work producing “People”. It took me 2- 3 years to have it all done. It is not a secret that I’ve been seriously impressed by Klaus Schulze, but also Vangelis, Roedelius, Tangerine Dream ao. So am I influenced about them? Maybe, but I really try to put my own ideas and feelings in the compositions. It’s always a pleasure when someone says that he can hear BySenses in my music.

As I said I start with some sounds, looking for some nice patterns and work on it. Sometimes the melody comes, like on “Nightdancer”, where I played the melody in one night. I surely can not replay it again, I was in ‘The Zone’ and when you are there, you can do a lot of things. So ‘Frakke’ came in for drumming on “Nightdancer”, as he already did on “OGF” on “Frigments Fragments”. I know Frank De Coster (‘Frakke’) as a collegue and he’s really rock and roll.

Next came Thomas Betsens. I saw him live at a little festival in Drongen (Belgium), where I played live with my other project The Tower Tree (collaboration between BySenses and Owann). I asked him if he was interested for singing on “People”. So he came over and had a listen. The music was already composed and then it happened… It blew me away. He never heard the song which I wanted him to sing. And he also sung on “Sensitivity”, which I think is the best song I ever made. There’re so much feelings in it, which doesn’t mean that the other songs are less important. The song “Birth” was made when my son told me he was becoming father himself and I became grand-father. So all feelings are in it. I like to work with other musicians and I like to give them enough space to do their own thing. So did Thomas and Frank.

When I look back, I think it is a step forward comparing to “InSense” and “Frigmants”; technically and musically I think all albums have their a different sound.

Q: When I hear ambient music I often think to concepts featuring diversified forms of arts like films, documentaries, pictures, paintings, sculptures, theatre etc… What’s your perception about it and what are your further plans?

Didier: The 80’s music of Klaus Schulze, Vangelis, J.M. Jarre was played on the radio. I even heard Tangerine Dream on ‘Studio Brussel’ (national broadcasting). Later on I discovered other programs late at night. I remember I was 15 years old and asked my teacher if I could listen to these programs. As he was fan of Vangelis he let me listen to it, but It was forbidden to say it to my friends. Nowadays there is a totally different way of making radio.. It all is about how many listeners you can reach, money etc. So nowadays our music is played on internet radio, even Klaus Schulze or Tangerine Dream. I really respect that, but it’s a pity that national broadcasting is not giving time to this kind of music. There is a lot of beautiful- and modern electronic music.

When people ask me what ‘ambient music’ is all about, I often say that they can listen to the music of a documentary etc.. but it’s much more than that.

Nowadays I take some rest and simply enjoy spending some time with my little daughter Eleonora. I’m still searching for new sounds and there’ll maybe a new album from The Tower Tree. I really would like to see “People” getting released on vinyl format. I remixed some songs, made them a bit different and now they’ll be mixed by Alain Wymeels. I’m just waiting what Wool-E-Discs will say. Don’t expect a new BySenses-album within one year.

Bureau B releases archive material by Lapre aka Rudolf Langer (Tyndall) and guitarist Peter Preuß

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 25 Jul 2018 11:01:01 +0000

Out on September 7 is the compilation “Auferstehung (Elektronische Musik aus Berlin 1983/1984)” by Lapre. Lapre is the duo consisting of electronic musician Rudolf Langer (Tyndall) and guitarist Peter Preuß who teamed up in 1983. Their output can best be described as a mix of repetitive sequencer patterns via synth pop all the way to atmospheric, hypnotic minor key expanses.

By 1984, Lapre had released two tapes and a 12-inch vinyl. This new compilation presents the most compelling tracks from these releases which are all appearing on CD for the very first time.

Below is a preview of the compilation:

https://soundcloud.com/bureau-1/lapre-auferstehung-album-preview-out-sep-9th-2018

Rudolf Langer began his musical career as one half of Tyndall. The duo released four albums on Sky Records between 1979 and 1983 (all recently reissued on Bureau B). By the time the two musicians reached the fourth album, they were barely on speaking terms, so each recorded one side of the LP on his own.

Preuß, a guitarist, then hooked up with Langer and they produced two tapes over the next two years (“Tedan” in 1983 and “Flokati” in 1984), each numbering 30-50 copies, intended for sale at concerts. A 12-inch single on their own label (“Oeso” followed later in 1984.

Although guitar features on every track, Lapre’s early recordings relate to the Berlin School, with their music, specifically their use of synthesizers, echoing the tradition of Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze et al.

‘Click Interview’ with Implant: ‘Music Is A Bit Like Sex In A Long-Term Relationship’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Wed, 21 Feb 2018 18:00:48 +0000

Set up in 1992 by Len Lemeire and Geert Machtelinck, Belgian Implant celebrated their 25^th anniversary in 2017 releasing their 10^th official studio album “Oxynoxe-X” on Alfa-Matrix. Geert Machtelinck left the band during the early millennium years and got replaced by Jan D’Hooghe (previously involved with Vive La Fête). The sound and influences of Implant remained pretty similar, always mixing different influences together. From EBM to techno to trance to electro-pop, the new work however appears to be an ode to pioneers of electronic music and is according to me one of the best Implant releases ever. Enough reasons for a chat with Len Lemeire.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: I noticed there’s a hiatus of four years between the past Implant albums. Len, you were definitely more prolific during the early years so did you become a bit lazy or do you simply need more time and reflection after having released a new work?

Len: I think it’s a combination of things. Life has a way of interfering with the things you love. Over the past 4 years we bought a new house and totally innovated it. A lot has changed in my professional life, giving me way less time for music. The kids are getting older, and that is not making things simpler and I find it harder to come home and spend hours in a studio after a day of work. And I know that goes for Jan too.

One could say that music is a bit like sex in a long-term relationship. It’s still there; it’s most of the times even better then before. But there is no more sex on a daily basis (laugh).

All this also forces you to rethink things more. In a way we have become our own worst critics. Since we’re not releasing at the same tempo, we want these releases to be worth it. And that takes more time.

Q: “Oxynoxe-X” is Implant’s 10^th official studio album, which is a real milestone in an artist’s career. Does it get you nostalgic or simply inspired to move on? Are there albums you would have accomplished another way today?

Len: Never look back in regret. 10 albums becomes a legacy. I was forced to change my car (after an accident) and the new one only has USB. So I filled a USB stick with a lot of music including all releases of Implant. At one point I played all, in one long go (over several drives). A lot of that time the kids were in the car, and discovered a big part of my releases (‘forced to listen to’ is a more accurate way of describing it). My son is 17 and very open minded in music. He was kind of impressed with the variety of things I did. I take that as a big compliment. Seems like Implant is accessible in a very alternative way (that were his words).

Would I have done things different? Sure, who wouldn’t? Music is a process of learning. It is the sum of your influences at that time. Struggling with your technological limitations and funds for instruments. That is how I see those 10 albums. One big process. And it was fun all the way.

And milestones. For me these are the people I met thanks to the music. Jan, Jean-Luc, Anne … etc. Those are the milestones for me. Sitting in a backstage with Claus Larsen and finding out he is a fan. Having Patrick Codenys come over to your studio to help you configure your new computer, while talking on how to make a baseline. But it’s also the friendship with people that started out being fans and ended up being friends. Those 10 albums enriched my life. And I have to thank music for that.

Q: “Oxynoxe-X” has been introduced as ‘a wink to one of the pioneers of electronica dance’. I think we all have understood who you’re referring about, but you also told me there’re more winks hidden behind the new work. What is it all about and why this ‘ode’?

Len: The concept of an ode came during the process of writing this album. Several times we asked ourselves, what made those classic ‘80’s albums so different?! And tried to take that legacy as part of composing a song. Resulting in some hidden winks to bands we both love. In the end, when we assembled an album out of the different studio sessions we both understood that this album reflected part of our love to electronic music.

This scene has changed dramatically over the years. Let’s face it, the cool kids are no longer attracted to this music. There is no real reason left to make this except for the love of this kind of music. This album is more of an album that will grow on you (or at least that is what we hope). Give it time to ripe. It became a passion thing. And I hope we figured a way to capture that feeling and share it.

And it’s a fun game too; you can try and find references some are obvious, others are more hidden. But admit, the lead on “Le Pouvoir” made you think of A Split Second.

Q: It might also explain the more experimental bonus disc, which sounds as Implant exploring the magic of analogue equipment, but it also became the most atypical Implant work ever. What can you reveal about the bonus disc “Oxynoxe-X²”?

Len: We are a bit fed up with releasing bonus disks filled with remixes. It’s a very simple way to release that little extra to have fans pay that little more for something they don’t really want. And it has become something nobody even questions. And as an artist it’s kind of a trap. You need 10 remixers, who will eventually ask for a remix for their own release. So you might as well write it yourself. On top I have to admit, I almost never play any of these 2^nd disk more then once.

Jan introduced me to the modular world. I was very reluctant in the beginning. Because this is a total different way of composing. The creation of sound with modular systems are endless. But there is a lot of room for error. Actually this modular world is all about sweet spots. If you find a sweet spot, things become real interesting. On disc one we tried a lot of stuff that resulted in very strange sounds and structures, but it was all a prolonging of the way we always composed. The difference was that we didn’t have to run through the sounds of synth for a new sound, but had to create the sounds themselves. We quickly understood that you could create sounds that had a life of their own. Adding layers of randomness. Resulting in very experimental stuff.

At that point the concept of this album being an ode to electronic music was a fact, and we realized that we didn’t ‘yet’ express our love to some of the real experimental music that was part of our youth. Bands like Coil, Throbbing Gristle, Klaus Schulze… ao.

A combination of these ideas led to composing disc 2. And I still think it’s way more interesting then yet another disc full of remixes. It was very time-consuming compared to sending out 10 mails to remixers. I hope people at least appreciate the idea.

Q: I like the sense of the title “I Sometimes Dream Of Imaginary Parties To Meat New People” featured at “Oxynoxe-X²”. What kind of parties and music do you have in mind and who are you dreaming of to meet?

Len: Haha, those titles are meant to be strange. But it has to be a party with long bearded woman and high-heeled men (laugh).

Q: “Oxynoxe-X” in a way clearly got inspired by a look back in the past, but what’s your perception about contemporary electronic music and all aspects related to a band, but maybe not relevant for artists such as social media, streaming platforms, image etc?

Len: It sure has changed a lot over the years. Net-presence seems to be more important then the actual music. Social media is a trap of likes. A study has proven that you judge people ‘more successful’ if they are your Facebook friends, but don’t really know them in real life. It’s fake! We only share what we think will look good on us. I think it has some good sides. Some bands are very creative with trying to get a Youtube presence. DIY clips are sometimes incredibly interesting. But far to often it’s not. And frankly, I hate people who mainly post with 15 hashtags in every sentence or every 2 words an emoji. Maybe I just have to admit I’m bad at this social media. I think it moved far away from the essence of making music.

Streaming platforms is something different. I do see the beauty of the availability of music. It’s an interesting platform to discover music. But as a service, it enhances the idea of music being a free commodity to people. And the business plan is mainly focused on maintaining the service, not the content. (the majority of the money is for an IT-center that makes it possible to actually stream music, only a small part is reserved for those that deliver content). I hear a lot of people comparing it to Netflix, but what people forget is that Netflix is also responsible for creating content. Comparing streaming to Netflix could result in a far more interesting experiment. Where streaming services had to sign artists to get content. I think music has lost a lot of filters these days. Everybody can upload a track and get some streams. I know, one might argue that the public is the ultimate democratic filter. Unfortunately democracy only works if everybody is capable of critical thinking.

But hey, just press ‘like’ on this interview, maybe press ‘play’ on my video or even press ‘like’ on Implant’s Facebook page. But most importantly keep scrolling; you never know what you might miss!

Cyborgdrive – Majestic Land (CD Album – Amuza Producciones)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Tue, 07 Mar 2017 19:10:29 +0000

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Background/Info: Spanish musician Paco Butrón aka Cyborgdrive started composing music in the 90s. He got involved in several bands and released numerous albums. “Majestic Land” is a kind of introduction to the electro universe of this artist who has been inspired by legendary synthesizer artists like Jean-Michel Jarre, Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze ao.

Content: One of the album’s main particularities are the guest singers. Next to several instrumental versions, “Majestic Land” also features several songs with vocals.

The sound remains strongly inspired by electro-pop music. It’s pretty vintage like and rather evasive. But don’t expect to discover space-like synthesizer music because “Majestic Land” has a solid dance appeal although mixed with some evasive passages.

+ + + : If you like synthesizer music and especially pop-minded songs you’ll for sure going to like “Majestic Land”. There’s a cool old-school feeling running through the work while some excellent danceable cuts are simply irresistible. “Freedom Tonight” is a damn good efficient song, which even reminds me a bit of Madonna. One of the most noticeable instrumentals is “Dancequence”. And if you’re into real vintage electronics I’ll recommend songs like “Return To Sky” and “A Place In Time”.

– – – : What Cyborgdrive mainly needs is a real band singer! Guest singers are cool and add some diversity to the work, but a few instrumental cuts remain a little less unaccomplished because of the lack of vocals.

Conclusion: I’m not entirely convinced by Cyborgdrive, but there are a few brilliant songs featured on this album. Good electro-pop music definitely needs a talented vocalist while guest singers are okay, but more like a surrogate!

Best songs: “Dancequence”, “Freedom Tonight feat. Airyn”, “A Place In Time feat. Insight”.

Rate: (6).

Band: www .facebook .com /cyborgdrive

Label: www .amuzaproducciones .com / www .facebook .com /amuzaproducciones

www.facebook.com/jrstange

Apoptygma Berzerk: Exit Popularity Contest – reinvention by going back to the roots

jrstange — Thu, 20 Oct 2016 20:04:23 +0000

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange, w/inputs from John-Erik Bye Johansen. Photos by Tarjei Krogh and Jan Ronald Stange)
After releasing three 12” EPs of instrumental tracks the last couple of years, the new Apoptygma Berzerk album “Exit Popularity Contest” compile these alongside a couple of new versions of the Apop staple “Until The End Of The World”.
The idea for the album came together when working on the third EP “Xenogenesis”, as they realised these tracks somehow belonged together. Some minor changes later, it has come together as a wholeness, solid and thorough.

Stephan @ home turf

The press bio states: “Groth pays homage to his roots through emulating the analogue soundscapes of innovators like Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, Jean-Michel Jarre, Vangelis and Klaus Schulze, and the driving motorik Krautrock rhythms of Neu!, Cluster and La Duesseldorf, all filtered through his own unique Scandinavian sensibility.” When listening to this album much of this rings true, as this concept draws heavily on the inspiration of Stephan Groth’s musical heroes. It is not far-fetched to claim there is also some early Recoil/Depeche Mode influence in “For Now We See Through A Glass, Darkly” along with John Carpenter, Jarre, Vangelis and – surprise: Apoptygma Berzerk anno 1993 with some “Burnin’ Hertic” samples.
For those who miss Stephan’s voice there’s also an extra gem on the album – “U.T.E.O.T.W. (Extended Version)” – a downtempo and stripped version of “Until The End Of The World” from 2002 (also featured as a shorter version on the flexi-disc accompanying the “Xenogenesis” 12”).

After a long career ranging from EBM via future-pop and trance to a more rock-influenced electronica, Groth has taken a long glance backwards to what really ignited his musical fire and done a reboot of the type of music he wants to make as well as how to make it. Like the music that inspired Apoptygma Berzerk, this album also passes inspiration on to another generation of artists, something that has been evident since other musicians have approached asking about hardware and methods.

Apoptygma Berzerk – finding more ♠TP inspiration?

For the rest of us, the listeners, many will be using this album as an inspirational guide to the electronic past, and also for the future.
Conclusion: Highly recommended – and let’s hope ♠TP continues the exploration of his synth origins!

As the album won’t be available via digital outlets, we suggest you get a copy of the very limited cassette, CD or vinyl!

jrstange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

Apoptygma Berzerk drops video teaser ‘Exit popularity contest’ and it fucking sounds awesome! Order your copy on cassette, vinyl and CD right here.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Fri, 16 Sep 2016 13:49:02 +0000

As we reported a few weeks ago, Apoptygma Berzerk’s Stephan Groth is reinventing his sound on the new 10-track album “Exit Popularity Contest” (a fix-up of the 12″ EPs “Stop Feeding The Beast”, “Videodrome” and “Xenogenesis”) which brings instrumental music back into the spotlight.

On the album Groth pays homage to his roots through emulating the analogue soundscapes of innovators like Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, Jean-Michel Jarre, Vangelis and Klaus Schulze plus adding some Krautrock rhythms of the likes of Neu!, Cluster and La Düsseldorf.

The release will be out as a very limited cassette release (which you can order now), on CD (available here) and on vinyl (available here)!

And right below is already a very sweet sounding video teaser !

Apoptygma Berzerk pays tribute to his roots on ‘Exit popularity contest’ – to be released on vinyl, cassette and CD – you can order your copy here

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Sat, 03 Sep 2016 12:43:40 +0000

Apoptygma Berzerk is reinventing its sound which is different from, but complementary to, the electro rock future pop stylings of the previous releases. As a result the new 10-track album “Exit Popularity Contest” (a fix-up of the 12″ EPs “Stop Feeding The Beast”, “Videodrome” and “Xenogenesis”) brings instrumental music back into the spotlight.

The release will be out as a very limited cassette release (which you can order now), on CD (available here) and on vinyl (available here).

‘Wave/Electronic Music 1984-1988’ by Dennis Young reissued on CD and vinyl

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 19 May 2016 17:38:48 +0000

Dennis Young is best known as the marimba player and percussionist for Liquid Liquid, a trend-setting early 1980’s NYC band whose song “Cavern” was used by Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel in “White Lines”.

Apart from other albums, he also released 3 now out of print cassettes from 1985 to 1988 – entitled “Concepts” (1985), Reflections” (1987), and “Quest” (1988) – which are basically his tribute to the pioneers of electronic music.

11 tracks have now been collected on the album “Wave/Electronic Music 1984-1988” which are available on vinyl (available now) and CD (available now).

Young: “My love for electronic music goes back to the late 70’s when I decided to buy my first synth, a rare used vintage Davolisint made in Italy. This lead to my discovery of more electronic music artists using synthesizers such as Klaus Schulze, Tim Blake, Larry Fast, Edgar Froese, Brian Eno, and Cluster just to name a few. My musical challenge was then to create my own electronic music using this instrument.”

V/A Liaisons Dangereuses – Cult Radio Classics – The Early Years (DCD Album – Universal Music Belgium)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 14:31:40 +0000

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

Bands: Psyche, Chris & Cosey, Ministry, Carlos Peron, Dark Day, Severed Heads, Fad gadget, Killing Joke, Klaus Schulze, T.A.G.C., Peter Godwin, Portion Control, Grauzone ao.

Content: This is a real particular and we might say conceptual compilation, but still a part of the Belgian and especially Antwerp history. “Liaisons Dangereuses” was a radio broadcasting in Antwerp during the 80s. The broadcasting was presented by Sven Van Hees (who became a recognized and praised DJ/producer) and Paul Ward. Their main aim was to introduce the audience with certain underground dance-music, which was not played on national radio broadcasts. If you got the opportunity to see the great movie/documentary “The Sound Of Belgium”, which is all about the history and evolution of electronic music in Belgium, you for sure remember to have seen an interview with Sven Van Hees in it and some old images from this broadcast.

I think we might say it all is about pioneers and visionary people who had understood that even the underground electro scene featured great, danceable music. Sven Van Hees who compiled this sampler selected 38 songs. This is a great track list, which will for sure bring you back into the good-old spirit of the 80s and mainly new-wave music composed by electronics. It also was a pleasure to rediscover somewhat forgotten bands and songs.

The 1st disc is an invitation to rediscover the early work of legendary names like Psyche, Chris & Cosey, Ministry, Carlos Peron, Dark Day, Vicious Pink, severed Heads, Savage Republic, Fad Gadget, O Yuki Conjugate, Informatics, Section 25 and even Killing Joke. We all will find our favorites, but I have a little preference for the classical Fad Gadget’s anthem “State Of The Nation”. Other essential songs are “Proximity Switch (Accidents In Paradise)” from Informatics and “Looking From A Hilltop” from Section 25. It also was pure fun to rediscover the somewhat unusual sounding “Turn To red” from Killing Joke.

This compilation doesn’t feature the darkest and most tormenting electronic forms like The Klinik, Front 242, The Neon Judgement, DAF, Skinny Puppy ao, but typical 80s bands dealing with great analogue treatments and some danceable vibes for alternative clubs.
The 2nd disc features a new selection of great bands and songs so it was a total pleasure to rediscover T.A.G.C., Kissing The Pink, Peter Godwin, All systems Go, Carlos Peron (again), Portion Control and Grauzone.

Grauzone’s “Film 2” remains to me a real cult classic of the electro-wave movement. Kissing The Pink’s “Big Man Restless” was for me one of those ‘forgotten treasures’ which I haven’t heard in years, but when hearing the first notes of the great electro tune running through the song I immediately felt like I was 30 years younger. “Big Sex” from T.A.G.C. is another essential cut while the somewhat tribal like “Crash Bang Wallop” of All Systems Go reveals a different style.

Sven Van Hees did an excellent job with this compilation. As some of the master recordings weren’t even available and he had to go back to the original records and remove the typical vinyl noises. “Liaisons Dangereuses” later on evolved into house, new-beat and acid music, which could be an interesting concept for a 2nd volume of this series.

This is an essential compilation, which also brings me back to all the local radio broadcasts dealing with alternative music and, which was during the 80s a real source to discover new music!

Conclusion: This is not just a compilation bringing old 80s new-wave tracks together, but an electronic legacy that has without a shadow of a doubt inspired numerous artists, producers and DJ’s during the next generations. But the main strength of all those bands is that their sound still has this magical touch, which is an ingredient ‘classical’ dance music has never had.

Best bands: Fad Gadget, Grauzone, Informatics, T.A.G.C., Kissing The Pink, Dark Day.

Rate: (DP:8½)DP.

Label: www.universalmusic.be / www.facebook.com/universalmusicbe

Massive re-release schedule for Klaus Schulze back catalogue

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Fri, 04 Dec 2015 12:06:42 +0000

The German electronic music composer and musician Klaus Schulze has a back catalogue which counts over 60 albums, and that number is increasing month after month. For 2016 a lot of old deleted titles will be re-released.

2016 will start with the release of the Pete Namlook collaboration “The Dark Side of the Moog Vol.1-4” 5CD box. The release originates from the collaboration the late Peter Kuhlman a.k.a Pete Namlook had with Klaus Schulze for a series of collaboration releases out on his Fax label. He wouldn’t just limit to Klaus Schulze as other artists Pete Namlook collaborated with would include Robert Görl of DAF, Geir Jenssen of Biosphere fame, Bill Laswell, Ritchie Hawtin, Lorenzo Montanà, Gabriel Le Mar, Atomheart [Lassigue Bendthaus] and David Moufang to name just a few. But it’s only the Klaus Schulze collaboration which would result in 11 volumes recorded between 1994 and 2008.

The 2nd Klaus Schulze release for 2016 will be “In Blue”, a 3CD set originally released in 1995.

Here’s a list of what you can expect next: “Klaus” digipak 2CD, “U.S.O.-Privee” digipak CD, “Cyborg” digipak 2CD, “The Dark Side of the Moog Vol. 5-8” 5CD box, “Audentity” digipak 2CD, “Irrlicht” digipak CD, “Blackdance” digipak CD, “Dziekuje Poland Live ’83” digipak 2CD, “Trance 4 Motion” digipak CD, “Drums’n’Balls (The Gancha Club)” digipak CD, “Picture Music” digipak CD, “The Dark Side of the Moog Vol. 9-11” 5 CD box, “The Dark Side of the Moog” 16LP box, “Time Actor” digipak CD, “Live @ Klangart” digipak 2CD, “Timewind” digipak CD, “Moondawn” digipak CD, “Mirage” digipak CD, “Angst” digipak CD, “Le Moulin de Daudet” digipak 2CD, “Body Love 1” digipak CD, “Body Love 2” digipak CD, “Das Wagner Disaster” digipak 2CD, “Solar Moon Docking” digipak CD, “X” digipak 2CD, “Dune” digipak CD, “Ion & Andromeda” digipak CD, “Trance Appeal” digipak CD, “Dig it” digipak CD+DVD, “Inter Face” digipak CD, “Trancelation” digipak CD, “Thank You” digipak CD, “En=Trance” digipak CD, “Ballett 1 & 2” digipak 2CD, “Another Green Mile” digipak CD, “Mediterranean Pads” digipak CD.

Get get more Klaus Schulze releases here.