Knights &#8211; SIDE-LINE

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.

https://swissdarknights.bandcamp.com/track/black-magic

They Die – Black Magic (Album-Digital/CD – Swiss Dark Nights)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 07:00:00 +0000

“Black Magic” is the third album by Italian Dark-Wave/Post-Punk band They Die. As with their previous works, their sound is characterized by a bleak and dark atmosphere, reminiscent of bands like The Sisters Of Mercy and Suspiria. The album features a perfect blend of somber guitar riffs and melodic synth arrangements, creating a hauntingly beautiful soundscape. The vocals are deep and possessed, adding to the overall sense of despair. This album includes several standout tracks that reaffirm the band’s remarkable talent. (Rate:8).

Listen to “Black Magic”:

Luc Stargazer – The Commet Tail (EP – Reptile Music)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: Cold-Wave, Dark-Rock.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Dresden (Germany) formation Luc Stargazer strikes back with a new work. The EP seems more like a mini-album featuring thirteen songs.

Content: The band moved back to their early EP “Jupiter” reworking the original version into a “2021 Version”. You’ll also discover the original edit plus remixes by James Knights, Seasurfer, Martin Acid and Golden Apes. The song remains a pure Dark-Wave/Post-Punk cut carried by impressive guitar playing reminding me of The Chameleons. You’ll also discover a remix of “Lucy’s Eyes” -a song from the last album “Lunascape” (2017) plus 3 new songs and a few instrumental breaks;

+ + + : Luc Stargazer is a band which deserves more attention and recognition for their well-crafted Dark-Wave music which is carried by solid guitar parts. There also is Dark-Rock touch on top of the production which makes the particularity of the band. Among the new songs I recommend the powerful “Unperfect”.

– – – : The remixes of “Jupiter” are cool but don’t really add anything extra.

Conclusion: Luc Stargazer stands for 80s nostalgia with a personal touch on top.

Best songs: “Unperfect”, “Jupiter – 2021 Version”, “Jupiter – 2011 Version”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/lucstargazerband

Label: www.reptile-music.net / www.facebook.com/reptile.music

Regard Extrême – Ars Veterum (Ambum – Steinklang Industries)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Fri, 29 Oct 2021 07:00:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: Medieval.

Format:

Background/Info: Fabien Nicault has been active under the Regard Extrême moniker since 1990. As a solo-project he already released several works on labels such as Les Joyaux De Le Princesse, Cynfeirdd ao. “Ars Veterum” is the first work released by Steinklang Industries.

Content: The work is an invitation to dark reverie; getting back to times of castles, knights, troubadours ao. “Ars Veterum” brings the image of lost times back to life by the magic of sounds directly linked to this music; flutes, lute, rebec… they’ll create this magic sound and sphere. Fabien Nicault’s deep timbre of voice injects an extra dark touch to the composition while a few female parts bring some lightness. I also noticed a few epic arrangements creating some drama. Most of the songs have been sung in French, but there are also tracks in Latin.

+ + + : Medieval music always has something enchanting and magic. It’s not that different with “Ars Veterum”, which however has a very dark approach. The music has something authentic; the flute sounds even creating a bewitching effect. The last track brings this sensation perfectly alive. I also enjoyed the more orchestral/epic-like “L’Irreparable”. And if you’re into French poetry, I’m sure the lyrics will definitely catch your attention for their emotion and rhymes. Last, but not least, the artwork is a perfect exposure of what you’ll hear.

– – – : The album is easy to listen and definitely enjoyable, but I sometimes miss something more melodic and/or elevating in the writing. Everything remains pretty dark… which is cool as well.

Conclusion: Regard Extrême is as a dark mirror to Medieval music; an ominous experience!

Best songs: “Bache, Bene Venies”, “L’Irreparable”, “Tels Rit Au Main Qui Au Soir Pleure”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.regardextreme.net / www.facebook.com/regardextreme

Label: www.steinklang.org / www.facebook.com/steinklang

Danny Elfman collaborates with Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor for duet: ‘True’ – check out the video

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 18 Aug 2021 08:50:53 +0000

The American composer, singer, and songwriter Danny Elfman (known from the new wave band Oingo Boingo and for his various film scores) has joined forces with Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor. The result is the duet “True” (out via Epitaph Records) for which you can see the video below.

The video was directed by Aron Johnson and produced by Human Person. Additional video footage was done by Melisa McGregor. As far as the song goes, it was mixed by Alan Moulder including guitars by Danny Elfman, drums by Josh Freese and bass by Stu Brooks. The whole was mastered by Joe LaPorta at Sterling Sound.

Check out the video for the duet “True” below.

Elfman has frequently worked with directors Tim Burton, Sam Raimi, and Gus Van Sant, including the scores for 16 Burton-directed films including “Batman”, “Edward Scissorhands”, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, “Alice in Wonderland”, and “Dumbo”. He also worked on Raimi’s “Spider-Man”, “Spider-Man 2”, “Oz the Great and Powerful” and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”.

As far as his work for Van Sant is concerned he wrote music for “Good Will Hunting” and “Milk”. Other work includes music for all of the “Men in Black” and “Fifty Shades of Grey” franchise films, the songs and score for Henry Selick’s animated musical “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, and the themes for the television series “Desperate Housewives” and “The Simpsons”.

About Oingo Boingo

Oingo Boingo was an American new wave band, formed by songwriter Danny Elfman in 1979. The band emerged from a surrealist musical theatre troupe, The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, that Elfman had led and written material for in the years previous.

Oingo Boingo were known for their experimental music, which can be described as mixing rock, ska, pop, and world music. The band’s body of work spanned 17 years, with various genre and line-up changes. Their best-known songs include “Only a Lad”, “Dead Man’s Party” and “Weird Science”.

As a rock band, Oingo Boingo started as a ska and punk-influenced new wave octet. During the mid-1980s, the band changed line-ups and adopted a more pop oriented style, until a significant genre change to alternative rock in 1994. At that point, the name was shortened to simply Boingo and the keyboardist and horn section were dropped. The band retired after a farewell concert on Halloween 1995, for which they reverted to the name Oingo Boingo and readopted the horn section.

Here are a few songs.

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!

‘Click Interview’ with Boytronic: ‘It’s Just A Part Of My Life… But Not Everything’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 18:00:00 +0000

Set up in 1983, German synth-pop band Boytronic is an old servant of the music genre. The band went through several line-ups, but Boytronic remains. Because of the numerous changes, albums weren’t always released at regular basis. 2019 will for sure become an important year in the band’s history. The original singer of the band, Holger Wobker, joined in again to compose the new opus “The Robot Treatment”. Together with the last singer James Knights, this self-released (Wuff Records) album is pure lust for the ears. It’s the kind of work getting people dancing and happy. This is what Holger Wobker has to say.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: The new album “The Robot Treatment” already stands for a new line-up! Ingo Hauss and Hayo Lewerentz are no longer involved, singer and core-member Holger Wobker joined in again while James Knights who was singing on the previous album is now assisting Holger Wobker in the writing process while doing some backing vocals. How do you explain all these line-up changes and what’s the impact on the sound of Boytronic?

Holger: That’s a long story, but I’ll try to explain it in short: Hayo and Ingo were members of the second Boytronic line-up created by our former record company way back in the 80s. The company stole the name of the band and registered Boytronic for themselves as a trademark without our knowledge or permission. They did it because we had only a one year contract and we wanted to leave because we had very attractive offers from several companies. So they tried to tie us to the company with this… but Peter and I left anyway. They installed three totally different people who pretended to be Boytronic. I don’t know if this ever happened before or after to another band, but I would call it unique!

The fact is that these guys had nothing to do with the original band, and when I was asked to work with them at that time I refused. Later on in 2001 I thought I could give it a try and worked with Hayo on the “Autotunes”-album and some songs from the “Maxi“-compilation, which was a good experience and worked out somehow. But he lost interest after he realized that it didn’t work on the commercial side. So he left and founded a successful company releasing audiobooks.

To get this right, I will not blame Hayo or Ingo. They just accepted an offer, and for a unknown band this was a great opportunity. Who would refuse..? Later after they pretended to be Boytronic, they founded U96 together with Alex Christensen and they were much more successful than Boytronic ever was. That’s why I didn’t understand why they’re so stuck on Boytronic. Now they perform as U96 again. That’s the best they can do. It’s their band… Boytronic is mine. I wished them all the luck in the world, from a distance. And then came “Jewel“.

After “Dependence“ in 2007 I took a long break because I didn’t know where to go with Boytronic. You can hear that very clear on that album. But I never stopped writing songs. So it was clear that there will be a next album someday.

Then all of a sudden I saw announcements of a new Boytronic-album. First I thought it was a joke the fans made up, but unfortunately it was true. Hayo and Ingo tried to take-over the band for a second time. I immediately went to a lawyer, but It took a little time and I couldn’t stop the release of “Jewel“. After that I cleared these name rights one and for all. This time it was pretty easy, but it had something of a bad déjà-vu or a rash I couldn’t get rid of!

James contacted me, because he felt very unhappy with the situation he found himself in. He felt more like a stand in, and he always tried to apologize for what happened. He is a real fan of the original band. So he wasn’t the best choice to replace me, even if he’s a brilliant singer. He’s a very nice person and I liked him immediately. That’s the main reason why I chose to work with him. It’s no mistake and we work really well together. He makes great contributions to the tracks and he’s very patient.

Q: “The Robot Treatment” clearly sounds as a ‘feel-good’-album; happy music and danceable tunes! This album is an antidote to the dystopian world we’re living in, but what has been the goal when composing the new songs and the lyrics?

Holger: I’ve been really through hard times lately, accompanied by loss of friends, disease and all these things people upwards from 50 have to face. But I never pulled the blanket over my head and complained about how bad and unfair the world is. Life is a miracle and to be able to consciously perceiving this beauty that surrounds us is a great gift… every single day. You can decide what you want to reflect in your songs. I choose celebration of life. Like Sally Bowles sung in “Cabaret“: ‘What good is sitting all alone in your room? Come hear the music play…’

Q: How did the writing of the album happened? Did you follow a kind of guiding line? What has been the main equipment? What are the criteria and references when it comes to production?

Holger: Most of the songs I’ve written over the years. There are many more, but for “The Robot Treatment” we’ve chosen mostly uplifting tracks. That wasn’t planned, but it turned out to be like that in the production process. We choose what fits best together. On this album we used analogue equipment only, no digital plugins. We want to give it this full and warm original sound. You can call it retro. I call it courageous these times. I’m very happy with the result. It sounds exactly like it should.

Q: Boytronic has been always driven by good-old synth-pop music, but I also noticed the pure Italo-disco sounding “All You Can Eat”. This song makes me think to James Knights solo-project (KNIGHT$), but tell us a bit more about your fascination for Italo-Disco and Hi-NRG?

Holger: This question really make me laugh. When “All You Can Eat“ was written, James was 6 or 7 years old. It’s a track from 1986 and we only made very little changes from the original. Actually it sounds almost the same. At this time you can hardly say who influenced who. Did Boytronic influence Italo-disco or was it the other way round? If you take a song like “Late Night Satellite“ for example it sounds pretty Italo-disco, but again wasn’t our intention. Maybe we’re naturally sounding a bit Italo-disco like. But when it comes to those who really had a big impact on the sound, I have to name Patrick Cowley first, followed by …yes weird… Mike Oldfield or Bobby Orlando. And as I always said German Schlager of the 70s has also his share…but only the drama tunes. When I was a little child and we had friends visiting my parents, I went into the kitchen and sat underneath the kitchen table. It had a drawer with a button. Everytime the visitors place some sweets or something in the drawer and push the button I began to sing some Schlager tunes. A human jukebox… That’s how it started.

Q: “All You Can Eat” also is the single taken from this album while a clip has been made as well. What’s the importance of singles and clips today?

Holger: It’s still important even if it’s completely different from the past. For us, now as a totally independent band, it’s the only way to promote our music… apart from live shows. We’re also free to do what we want in the clips. For “All You Can Eat“ we’ve chosen a not so spectacular surrounding cause it was important to show who Boytronic is now. But in the future it gives a lot of space for artistic impression… but it has to be cheap and effective… that’s not always easy.

We’re not a million selling band and without the help of some friends it would not be possible.

Q: What about live performances, which according to Hayo Lewerentz, has been a problem in the past as you weren’t really interested in live performances? What brings the future for Boytronic?

Holger: I will not comment on what he said. We did our first live show last month in Berlin which was very successful and great fun. We will be performing next year in Italy, Sweden and Denmark and Germany of course. A few dates are already confirmed and we will announce them soon.

Boytronic – The Robot Treatment (CD Album – Wuff Records)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 18:30:57 +0000

Genre/Influences: Synth-pop, Italo-disco.

Background/Info: Boytronic has been active since the early 80s, but went through several line-up changes. “The Robot Treatment” marks the return of original singer and core member Holger Wobker while the singer who replaced him, James Knights (Scarlet Soho, Knights) is now writing the songs.

Content: This album has this good-old synth-pop feeling on, which you’ll easily recognize Wobker’s timbre of voice. The music sounds retro-like while giving you a ‘feel-good’ sensation. It’s a happy sound format reminding me of Pet Shop Boys, but there is still a touch of Italo-disco running through the songs. The album features 11 songs plus 3 remixes by Antoni Maiovvi, Leather Strip and Ant-People.

+ + + : This album reflects the essence of good, danceable and happy-like electro-pop music, but still a strong Italo-disco flavor. That’s not really a coincidence as James Knights on his Knights project already experimented with similar influences. But Boytronic remains catchier, which is an aspect that mainly comes through in the choruses and the lyrics as well. “All You Can Eat” is a real great Italo-disco song. I also noticed great little details in the writing and cool effects.

– – – : “The Robot Treatments” features several danceable songs, but also a few soft and evasive passages, which aren’t my favorite parts of the album. The remixes aren’t that bad, but I expected a bit more from it.

Conclusion: Boytronic strikes back with a very eclectic electro-pop album, which will give you dance pleasure and simply making people happy. This album is a better cure than antidepressants.

Best songs: “All You Can Eat”, “Under The Red”, “Venus Covers Mars”, “You Can’t Get Fooled By Love”, “Can’t Wait A Second”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist & Label: www.boytronic.eu / www.facebook.com/BoytronicOriginal

Boytronic are back! Listen to the brand new single ‘All you can eat’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Mon, 01 Jul 2019 13:18:48 +0000

After a ten year hiatus, original Boytronic vocalist and songwriter Holger Wobker (Kamerata/Beachead), returns with former Boytronic frontman James Knights (Scarlet Soho/KNIGHT$) to release the brand new Boytronic single “All you can eat”.

Out on July 28 via Wuff Records it will also include a dancefloor remix by Ant – People. This is the first single to be released from the brand new album “The Robot Treatment” which follows in September, also on Wuff Records.

You can watch the video for the single below.

Boytronic is a German electropop act which was founded in 1983 by Holger Wobker and Peter Sawatzki in Hamburg, Germany as Kapitän Sehnsucht (Captain Desire). Known best for their top ten hit “You”, Boytronic also released two cult synthpop records: “The Working Model” (’83) and “The Continental” (’85).

‘Click Interview’ with Knight$: ‘I Really Feel It’s Some Of The Best Stuff I’ve Made’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Mon, 03 Jun 2019 17:00:11 +0000

UK artist James Knights has been involved with Scarlet Soho and Boytronic. During the past few years he set up his solo-project KNIGHT$. He first released the EP “What’s Your Poison?” (2016) and moved on with another EP “Alligator” (2017). Early 2019 saw him unleashing his debut album “Dollar$ & Cent$” on Cargo Records. The songs are an electronic fusion between ‘pop’, Italo-disco and Hi-Nrg. It’s an album getting people into dance and simply making them happy. This is what James Knigthts has to tell us about it.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: How did the Knight$ project see the daylight and what have been the sources of inspiration?

James: I took a little break from making music in 2015 when my previous project ended. At that time I was unsure if I would make music again at all. Then, after 9 months the idea of KNIGHT$ took a hold, and I felt ready to be creative again.

Q: You’ve just released the debut album “Dollars & Cents”. A debut full length always is something particular so what are your feelings regarding this debut and the final achievement?

James: 2019 felt like the right time to make a full length LP after my first two EPs (“What’s Your Poison?” and “Alligator”) went down quite well. I had so many ideas coming forward during 2016, so I knew we could get real quality songs. From the fan response I really feel it’s some of the best stuff I’ve made.

Q: Some of the songs and especially the new single “Gelato” are pretty Italo-disco and Hi-NRG like. It’s pretty kitsch and fun, but still my favorite track from the album. Tell us a bit more about this song and the crazy clip?

James: I can remember I wanted to write a song that would be easy to listen to, with no struggle in it at all. Just flowing constantly. It was Summer and I looked out of the window and really wanted to capture this feeling of optimism I had.

Yes, the video is quite funny. There’s a small club where I live with some nice lights. We didn’t have much time to shoot, so we shot the video over four or five hours. I was exhausted by the end from all the dancing and ice cream eating!

Q: You’re more familiar with electro-pop music (Scarlet Soho, Boytronic) so what are the main differences in the global production work with Knight$?

James: I think KNIGHT$ has similarities with Scarlet Soho and Boytronic. It’s still my voice, and that hasn’t changed much over the years. It’s just that with KNIGHT$ everything can happen a lot faster. If there’s a good idea coming I can record it immediately and get it out there. The magic is to not overthink anything at all and let the songs flow.

Q: Disco, Italo-disco, Hi-NRG… they all have something pretty fun-, happy- and party-like. I think we’re missing this today and especially in times the world is featuring a lot of terror and horror. Can we see Knight$ as a cure to feel better?

James: Absolutely! Life can be hard enough in 2019. I don’t want my music to add to the listeners woes, or contribute to my own. I refuse to be a part of this trend, and will do almost anything to grasp some positivity from wherever it’s hiding!

Q: I noticed you already did several live performances. Tell us a bit more about the live concept, the first reactions and what’s the next step for Knight$?

James: So far I am very pleased with the response. The audience is younger than I had before, and the show is packed full of energy for 60 minutes! We’ve been opening for Peter Heppner, Heaven 17, and in July we will head out with A Flock Of Seagulls in the UK. We can thaw the coldest of hearts wherever we go!

Knight$ – Dollars & Cents (CD Album – Cargo Records)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Tue, 14 May 2019 18:30:03 +0000

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, Italo-disco.

Background/Info: James Knights (Scarlet Soho, Boytronic) is back on track unleashing the debut full length of his electro-pop/Italo-disco sonic brainchild Knight$. The album comes after the previously released singles “What’s Your Poison?” and “Alligator”

Content: “Dollard & Cents” moves on there where the singles stopped. The album takes off with the first single “What’s Your Poison?”, which reveals the 80s inspiration of this artist. But the songs are also inspired by Italo-disco and Hi-NRG. “Gellato” is the ultimate experience in the genre (and the newest single). James Knights doesn’t take himself serious; the album being pure fun and driven by dance vibes. It brings me back to the golden years of Hi-NRG music and bands such as Divine and Trans-X might be seen as sources of inspiration. Among the tracklist you also will re-discover the second single-track “Alligator” and a song together with Holger Wobker (Boytronic). This is old-styled electronics that will clearly appeal for 80s lovers.

+ + + : This album made me happy! It’s great nostalgia, getting us back to early electronic music and pure kitsch! The songs are well-crafted and the global sound production is ultra-professional. The newest single “Galato” is a master piece; especially the final part featuring an Italian female voice enumerating all different ice cream flavors is absolutely hilarious, but great! The good-old effects and melodies sound like a relief.

– – – : If you don’t like ‘kitsch’ or you think that Italo-disco was the music of your parents, you better avoid listening to Knight$!

Conclusion: I can’t really say that there’s a revival of the Italo-disco and Hi-NRG genre, but Knight$ is clearly influenced by this early electro-club sensation! I’m totally devoted!

Best songs: “Gelato”, “Dollars & Cents”, “Alligator”, “Playin’ It Cool”, “Hijack My Heart”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www .knights 101.com / www .facebook .com /Knights 101

Label: www .cargorecords .co .uk / www .facebook .com /CargoRecordsUK

Brussels-based coldwave duo Figure Section launches first single – check it out!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 12:38:32 +0000

“Teutonic Knights” is the debut single from the Brussels-based duo Figure Section comprised of Austrian-born musician and actress Olivia Carrère and Belgian industrial/techno activist Yannick Franck (Raum, Orphan Swords). The two artists quickly discovered their twin-like musical tastes and this lead to recording together.

Teutonic Knights by Figure Section

The result is Figure Section – a project rooted in cold wave, synth pop and more. “Teutonic Knights” is a first track showing what they are capable of.

Here’s the video shot by Damon Broder for the single.

Knights – Alligator (CD EP – Knights)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 19:30:58 +0000

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Background/Info: I discovered Knights by the self-titled debut-EP revealing a somewhat retro-like electro-pop style reminding me of bands such as Duran Duran, Alpha Ville ao. “Alligator” is a next release in the young history of this English project driven by James Knights (still involved with Scarlet Soho and also the new singer of Boytronic).

Content: “Alligator” is the perfect successor to the debut EP of Knights. The sound and influences both remain pretty 80s like while featuring an extra and somewhat post-disco touch on top. This EP makes me thing to the offspring between Donna Summer and Duran Duran.

Next to the title song you also get 2 remixes and a somewhat B-side cut. The remixes by Frend Ventura/Poalo Gozzetti and Jake Wiltshire are pretty different from the original version.

+ + + : Knights is a really interesting project with a great sound production. The little detail I was missing on the debut work has been added on “Alligator”. It’s a great and catchy title song while both remixes are noticeable cuts. I have a little preference for the more minimal-minded remix by British artist Jake Wiltshire. I also enjoyed the B-side track, which has this little disco touch on top.

– – – : I think there’s more potential hiding in the B-side track.

Conclusion: It’s maybe time now for Knights to unleash a first full length album; this artist has a great sound carried by a mature and high tech production.

Best songs: “Alligator”, “Alligator – Remixed by Jake Wiltshire”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www .knights 101.com / www .facebook .com /Knights 101

‘Click Interview’ with Boytronic: ‘This Social Media Thing And The Digitalization Of Music Is A Good Thing’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sun, 26 Nov 2017 18:00:04 +0000

German formation Boytronic belong to the German ‘history’ of electro-pop music. Set up in the early 80s they got an instant recognition. The band is now back on track after 11 years releasing the new opus “Jewel” on SPV. Ingo Hauss and Hayo Lewerentz know each other for years and have been involved in numerous common projects (U96 being one of the most famous ones). They’re now getting back to Boytronic and joined hands with British singer James Knights (Scarlet Soho). Scarlet Soho was signed on Hayo’s label Major Records, which explains the link between Boytronic and the new singer. I got in touch with Hayo Lewerentz to talk about the new work.

(by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: “Jewel” is the first new album in more than ten years! Can we speak about a resurrection of Boytronic and what made this new album possible?

Hayo: Well, it was something like a strange coincident really. Ingo and myself were in the studio with James (Knights) to record some new songs that we had written and realized that the result was sounding a bit like Boytronic. We hadn’t really planned to record a new Boytronic album as Holger wasn`t interested in doing new stuff and playing live. So the decision was to record a new Boytronic album with James Knights as a guest singer, but now we even think that it could last longer than just one album. We simply love his voice and also the way he sings all the old Boytronic tracks live.

Q: All over the years Boytronic went through numerous line-up changes and for the new album we again discover a different line-up. Is there an explanation for all these changes?

Hayo: Well, the line-up changes came naturally in a way. In the 80s it was the death of Peter Sawatzki that put an end to the first version of Boytronic as Holger decided to record new stuff under the name Kamerata and we went on to record Boytronic albums with UK singer Marc Wade at the time. That was just 2 albums and a few singles because in the meantime (early 90s) we created another project called U96 which became super successful, so we concentrated on that for quite some time.

In 2002 I talked to Holger again and we decided to record a new Boytronic album together called “Autotunes”. As Holger was never interested in playing live really, this also didn’t last very long. In 2006 we agreed on another album that he recorded on his own as I was busy with my label Major Records at the time, where we released bands like IAMX, Ladytron and Nitzer Ebb and also that Boytronic album called “Dependence”. That album was a complete disaster in sales, so it became quiet again. The rest happened as I already explained above.

Q: I think you already started the writing of “Jewel” two years ago. What kind of album did you had in mind and what has been the main focus in the global production?

Hayo: As I said we wrote most of the songs as demos for another project that we planned and it became clearer with the recordings with James that we make it a new Boytronic album. It was very inspiring for us to work with a great singer like James who also had a lot of live experience. What we had in mind was writing an all electronic album again that doesn`t deny our 80s roots but still is influenced by the sounds of today too.

Q: And do you see an evolution between previous Boytronic work and “Jewel” and what means synth-pop music to you ano 2017?

Hayo: I think as we are all older now the music maybe sounds a bit more mature. We still love to write catchy pop tunes, we always did, but we are much more open to new music too. We listen to all kinds of stuff like techno, electro, dance and synth-pop and that leave traces in our sound today I guess. We don`t put music into certain corners like ‘synth-pop’. We judge music by what we like and what we don`t like.

Q: A new single has been released as well (cf. “The Universe”), but what’s the impact of a single today and what do you think about the global evolution of music today (considering elements such as social media, streaming, music composed with software etc…)?

Hayo: You still need singles/single tracks that go well with pictures to have some visuals out there too. Regarding the fact that social media is so important these days it makes some visualization of your music indispensable. People love watching videos, even if they are just lyric or image videos, but it gives a certain feel to the music and helps people to get the vibe. I think all this social media thing and the digitalization of music is a good thing as it gives you a much broader exposure as an artist if you know how to play it. But on the other hand it also takes a lot of your precious time being creative. Regarding the pro’s and con’s I would still say that the pro’s excel the con’s as the artists keep more control of what happens to their music.

Q: What brings the future considering elements such as live performances, new releases, side-projects ao… ?

Hayo: We are planning a tour for next year and as many festivals as possible to get the new album out on stage. The dates will be confirmed soon, we only know for sure that we will play the Wave Gothik Treffen in Leipzig on May 20^th, 2018. Also we have been working on new songs with James and we will release more singles and remixes. Apart from that we also finished a new album with our techno project U96 which we will release early next year. That’s just Ingo and me with some guests like Wolfgang Flür (ex Kraftwerk), Joachim Witt and techno legend Adamski. We like to be busy (laugh).

Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries

Boytronic – Jewel (CD Album – Oblivion/SPV)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 19:30:26 +0000

Genre/Influences: Synth-pop.

Background/Info: Eleven years after their last album (cf. “Dependence”) German synth-pop formation Boytronic are finally awakening from a long hibernation. Core members Hayo Lewerentz and Ingo Hauss joined hands together with singer James Knights. He was the singer of the British electro-pop formation Scarlet Soho. And so, more than 30 years after their set up this famous formation is back on track with new material.

Content: Boytronic hasn’t changed that much in style. “Jewel” is a continuation of the styled and catchy synth-pop music they’ve always produced. The music has this magic 80s flavor, which might remind you of legendary bands such as Depeche Mode and Erasure.

A few songs featured on “Jewel” sound maybe a little harder than what we’re used to hearing. They don’t hesitate to use heavy kicks and even EBM-inspired bass lines, but in the end it remains totally synth-pop like.

+ + + : The major change is the new line-up featuring James Knights on vocals. He really has found an interesting new challenge becoming the singer of Boytronic and the least I can say is that it’s a great match. Sound-wise Boytronic remains faithful to their 80s influences, but they first of all have accomplished a cool production featuring all ingredients a great pop album needs to have. The songs are danceable, carried by great melody lines and elevating choruses plus a real affection for cool sound treatments. Some songs are just danceable, others are into melancholia. I also want to mention the ultra danceable and somewhat nu-disco inspired “Disco City”.

– – – : The cover version of U2 (cf. “New Year’s Day”) is not that bad, but it remains a special song, a kind of iconic track, which sounds a bit like blasphemy to cover! Boytronic doesn’t innovate that much, but simply moves on there where they stopped in 2006. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait for another decade to get new work from Boytronic.

Conclusion: For all of those who forgot what Boytronic stands for, “Jewel” is a great wake-up call and an appropriate title to define this new opus! This is how good synth-pop music has to sound.

Best songs: “Disco City”, “Big Hands For The Dreamers”, “Time After Midnight”, “Mad Love”, “Share”.

Rate: (8).

Band: www .boytronic .de / www .facebook .com /boytronicmusic

Label: www .spv .de / http ://de –de .facebook .com /spvhannover

Boytronic prepare November release new album ‘Jewel’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 16:00:50 +0000

Out on November 3rd is the brand new Boytronic album “Jewel”, a good ten years after their previous studio recording “Dependence”. Since the band’s previous singer Holger was not available at the moment James Knights took his place.

Hayo Lewerentz and Ingo Hauss started recording on the album almost two years ago when – without a specific objective in mind, really – they recorded a song with British vocalist James Knights. In the process, the 3 musicians continued to record more material. “We immediately knew that we felt like writing a full Boytronic album again,” recalls Lewerentz. Soon afterwards the band launched the video to accompany the song in question: “Time After Midnight”.

You can order the US version of the album right here!

The lead single to be released from their new album “Jewel” will be called “Mad Love”, bringing to mind the sound of the band’s first albums from the early 80ies.

Launched in 1983, Boytronic were among the most important and most successful German electronic acts of the 1980s and ’90s, scoring several hits recorded by different line-ups and their most popular single release “You”, which stayed in the German and international top 10 for eight weeks. Over the years Boytronic brought out almost a dozen albums and more than 20 singles, many of them supported by video clips.

Here’s the video for “Time After Midnight”.

Knights – Knights (CD EP – Knights)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 20:30:14 +0000

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Background/Info: British electro-pop formation Knights is a new band, which has self-released this 4-track EP.

Content: From the very first notes and arrangements you directly recognize a kind of 80s electro-pop devotion. It’s the kind of electro-pop and new-wave sound reminding me of legendary bands like Duran Duran, Alpha Ville and even Sandra. It sounds like happy-pop music carried by alluring choruses and cool sound effects.

You’ll also recognize the typical, deep resonating bass lines and even some saxophone parts, which was typical during the 80s period. The songs have been empowered by guitar, but it first of all remains pretty pop-like.

+ + + : Knights brings us back to some sexy, 80s pop standards. The songs are well-crafted and feature strong choruses. I also noticed a few disco-like effects (especially on “Miami Knights”), which make the song more party-like and especially driven by a happy spirit. I also enjoyed this EP because it features 4 different songs, which was quite typical for 80s releases and definitely more original and creative than EPs with hundreds of remixes.

– – – : I’m just missing that little, but so important detail that made aforementioned bands like Duran Duran, Alpha Ville and co so famous. I’m referring to a melody line and/of some vocals during a chorus you easily keep in mind and spontaneously start to sing all day long.

Conclusion: Knights is a refreshing formation dealing with a retro-inspired electro-pop style. It evokes some good-old souvenirs and sounds pretty ‘sexy’.

Best songs: “Miami Knights”, “What’s Your Poison?”.

Rate: (7).

Band: www .knights 101.com / www .facebook .com /Knights 101

Melotron present new album live, several months before its official release

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 08 Nov 2016 19:30:08 +0000

The German electro pop act Melotron has decided to do things bit differently for their new album. They are offering their fans the chance to hear the band’s new material live BEFORE their new album hits the store shelves in 2017.

The band has prepared 6 selected “Für Alle” pre-release shows in Germany where you can experience this rather unique opportunity. The setlist will include the new songs plus a selection of classic Melotron songs. Melotron will be supported by the London based band Knights.

Tickets can be ordered from www.melotron.com.

Here are the confirmed dates (with a few more to be added it seems):

26.11.2016 – Rostock – M.A.U. Club Rostock
06.01.2017 – Bochum – Matrix Bochum
07.01.2017 – Frankfurt – DAS BETT
20.01.2017 – Leipzig – Moritzbastei
21.01.2017 – Berlin – Lido Berlin
01.04.2017 – Dresden – Reithalle

Boytronic returns after 10 years of silence with new single ‘Time After Midnight’ – watch it here

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Mon, 11 Jul 2016 17:44:07 +0000

The German trio Boytronic returns with a brand new video, “Time After Midnight”, featuring vocals from James Knights (of Scarlet Soho and Knight$). “Time After Midnight” is the band’s comeback anthem featuring Hayo Lewerentz and Alberto Hauss and is the band’s first new output since they released the “Dependence” album in 2006.

The track reminds a lot of the most recent Elegant Machinery output actually, so you know what to expect.

Boytronic became widely known for their hit “You” (with vocalist Holger Wobker) which reached #10 in the German charts in 1983. The hugely popular club track “Don’t Let Me Down” and a cover version of “I Will Survive” followed in the late eighties (featuring vocals from Marc Wade).

Here’s the video for you to check out:

Good to know, Boytronic was founded in 1983 by Holger Wobker and Peter Sawatzki in Hamburg, Germany as Kapitän Sehnsucht. The original Boytronic released two synthpop albums: “The Working Model” (1983) and “The Continental” (1985). The record company, claiming rights to the band name, put together a completely different line-up in 1986 which was headed by Hayo Lewerentz (Hayo Panarinfo) and continued to record under the Boytronic name until the mid-90’s. In 2002, Boytronic was revived by Wobker from the original group and Panarinfo from the second incarnation.