Krautrock &#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. 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!

Konstant – Unbändige Kinder (Digital/Vinyl Album – Subject To Restrictions Disc / Default Mode Records)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 08:00:00 +0000

Konstant is a new project and duo from Switzerland, and their debut album is a particularly pleasant surprise. The duo skillfully incorporates clear 80s influences, breathing new life into Electro-Wave. There’s also a subtle Grauzone influence, which makes sense given the band’s Swiss origins. However, their influences extend beyond New-Wave, incorporating elements of harder EBM as well as pure, psychedelic touches that take us into Krautrock territory. The songs are quite long but are also very well-crafted, each reaching a powerful climax. The German vocals further enhance the 80s vibe that permeates the album. “Unbändige Kinder” is a brilliant work and an absolutely phenomenal debut. (Rating:9).

Listen to “Unbändige Kinder”:

Unbändige Kinder by Konstant

About Konstant

Konstant is a duo from Zürich, Switzerland, formed by Angelo Repetto and Nicolas Balmer, both long active in the city’s cultural scene. The band mixes new wave, krautrock and post-punk influences, sung in German.

The debut album “Unbändige Kinder” was released on September 27, 2024 as a joint release by Subject To Restrictions Discs and Default Mode Records. It was recorded, arranged and mixed by Domi Chansorn at Studio G5 in Zürich and mastered by Sneaker at Tail Out Studios, with collage artwork by Marco Repetto. It is the duo’s first album and the release reviewed here.

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.

Motor!k – 5 (Digital/CD/Vinyl – Out Of Line)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 07:00:00 +0000

The Belgian trio Motor!k returns with their fifth EP, simply titled “5”. Featuring Joeri Dobbeleir, Dries D’Hollander, and Belgian Electro/Industrial legend Dirk Ivens, the EP offers 6 brand-new tracks. Stylistically, the band stays true to their established sound, delivering pure instrumental music often classified as Krautrock. The EP blends psychedelic guitars, dynamic drum sections, and mesmerizing electronic elements into a captivating, almost transcendental experience. Despite its dark, powerful atmosphere and psychedelic undertones, “5” feels more suited for wild dancing than laid-back lounging. With the exception of one weaker track, the EP delivers some of the band’s strongest material yet, making “5” arguably Motor!k’s best release to date. (Rating:8½).

Listen to “Shadows”:

Shadows by Motor!k

About Motor!k

Motor!k is a Belgian Krautrock formation set up in 2018 by Joeri Dobbeleir (guitar and synths), Dries D’Hollander (drums) and Dirk Ivens (guitar and effects). Ivens is also known from The Klinik and Absolute Body Control, while D’Hollander previously drummed for Suburb Songs, one of Dobbeleir’s earlier bands.

The trio released its self-titled debut album in 2019 on Out Of Line, followed by the albums “Motor!k 2”, “3” and “4”. In 2021, Joeri Dobbeleir talked about the band’s formation and working methods in Side-Line’s Click Interview with MOTOR!K.

“5”, released in 2024 as a digital, CD and vinyl release on Out Of Line, is the trio’s fifth release and includes the track “Shadows”.

Midas Fall – Cold Waves Divide Us (Album – Monotreme Records)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sat, 04 May 2024 07:00:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: Psychedelic-Rock, Krautrock, Cinematic.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Scottish female duo Midas Fall strikes back after six years and their previous, great, work “Evaporate”. This is the band’s fifth album.

Content: We get 10 songs taking off with a solid Krautrock-driven piece featuring heavenly, female, vocals. The sound remains pretty Psychedelic but the album is also diversified revealing dreamy, Cinematic, parts while a kind of melancholia emerges from time to time.

+ + + : The album sounds different than “Evaporate” but it remains a great sound experience. The way the songs have been progressively built up and often reaching a true climax has something of a sonic orgasm. The composition is delicate and filled with a deeply, emotional, touch while the guitar play drives the listener to a higher dimension. There are numerous brilliant songs featured at “Cold Waves Divide Us”.

– – – : I can say that all there songs and passages moved me. This is not the most accessible kind of music and yet it holds you in its grip.

Conclusion: Midas Fall strikes back with style and efficiency; it has something of a visionary work.

Best songs: “I Am Wrong”, “Atrophy”, “In The Morning We’ll Be Someone Else”, “Cold Waves Divide Us”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.midasfall.com / www.facebook.com/midasfall

Label: www.monotremerecords.com / www.facebook.com/MonotremeRecords

About Midas Fall

Midas Fall is a duo founded in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2008 by Elizabeth Heaton and Rowan Burn. Monotreme Records has released the band’s albums in order: “Eleven. Return And Revert” (2010), “Wilderness” (2013), “The Menagerie Inside” (2015) and “Evaporate” (2018). “Monsters”, the second single from the follow-up, was accompanied by a video from producer David Gregory of Cineoteric Films. The fifth album, “Cold Waves Divide Us”, was released on 8 March 2024 on Monotreme Records.

Sly Koyaanis presents brand new electro krautrock EP ‘Chaosdaïsme’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 16:08:39 +0000

Sly Koyaanis, a Paris-based artist, introduces his new electro krautrock EP, “Chaosdaïsme”. This second EP in his project merges electro-acoustic rhythms with krautrock‘s dynamic energy.

After a decade of recording and touring with various groups in noise rock, Sly Koyaanis left the rock scene in 2019, moving away from its associated excesses and gravitating towards electronic music. Drawing inspiration from artists like Burial, Forest Swords and Boards of Canada, Sly Koyaanis released his first self-produced EP, “Amouhoque,” in February 2022. This EP presents a collage of lo-fi electro sounds, marking a significant shift in his musical direction.

You can check out the new release on Bandcamp and all other platforms.

Chaosdaïsme by Sly Koyaanis

VNV Nation interview: ‘Life goes on, the world goes on’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 22:55:13 +0000

Ronan Harris from VNV Nation was in his former life the very first webmaster of Side-Line. A little known fact, but it was Ronan who gave Side-Line a first online presence, albeit on a different url and not in the format that it is now. It showed his interest in technology, something that has stayed very alive within the VNV Nation master brain over the years. It had been a while since I had spoken with him, time goes quickly, but when I was asked if we were interested in a VNV Nation interview, it was a no-brainer that this was the right time to do it now, at a time when so many things are rapidly changing in the technology field.

I phoned Ronan at his hotel in the US, and talked about the current tour, his musical sidelines, the new VNV Nation album “Electric Sun” and of course how he looks at AI being (ab)used in the music industry.

A funny anecdote, a colleague once told me – referring to the tourist guide industry she worked in – that for her “Listening to Ronan is like using the high quality infoport audioguide instead of some cheap Chinese knock-off.” It took me a bit to understand what she actually said, this is lingo for her sector, not mine, but when I looked up the device I understood her reaction. Quality.

This is just a fraction of a very long talk, but it will give you an idea of the man behind VNV Nation, his skills and his long term vision on innovation and creativity.

SL: I see the moustache is staying there.

RH: Do you want it to go? I have people still coming up to me saying, like, you have a moustache now. What was the last photograph you saw of me? I mean, I must have had hair, because I’ve had this for 13 years now (laughs). It’s just my thing. I like your beard by the way, suits you well… I’m just looking at myself thinking Jesus, I look tired. I mean, we arrived here late last night, so I’m pretty much just out of bed, so you’ll have to excuse me.

SL: You look fine Ronan. Don’t worry. So I guess you are not in Hamburg but still in the US?

RH: Still in the US, we finished up the US, the first leg of the US tour, on Sunday. It’s 11:00 in the morning here and we finished that up and then we’ve got two shows in Mexico, starting this coming weekend. We’ve got a flight and right now we’ve got five days off. Everybody went home. I’ve got five days to work. I’m working with a producer here on some tracks for them. I work with a lot of different producers and different areas, and I do a lot of work under other names because I don’t want it to be connected with VNV. I also don’t want the music that I help people with to be judged, you know, by like people going, ohh what’s the VNV connection? It should be a piece of music in its own right. So I do everything from like orchestral arranging to ambient work to all kinds of crazy processing on the laptop. The laptop I’m using to talk to you now is the one I use in my studio. So I have a whole studio with me. Like tomorrow I’m gonna be working with a guy who does some kind of dark trance, but he’s like a a big name in his own genre and then I will also be working with someone on a synth wave remix. So lots of fun. I’m telling you man.

SL: I have know for a long time you are working with different people, commercial genres or what exactly?

RH: These are really successful artists. I mean, I’ve worked with two people recently who are legendary names. I won’t say who they are. In some cases it’s a real honor because I’m working with people who’ve been an inspiration for me. I don’t see me or what I do anymore as being part of any scene. And if you look at the audience at the concerts, it’s people from so many different backgrounds and so many different styles. They all get something out of it. That’s the people who like dance music. That’s the people who like the more electronic, melodic stuff because it reminds them of other bands. People are like kind of indie electronic, you know? There’s so many different people who get something out of it and listen to it and they hear what they are looking for in it.

SL: Being well-connected is a good thing I’d say.

RH: Correct. The connection of the people I work with is so broad. I mean, here’s really weird example. I’m connected with a lot of people who work for different bands. So when we were going on this tour, I had to ask the crew from Empire of the Sun if they could help me find a bus because there’s a shortage of everything in the United States at the moment. That was the big problem we had with the first shows of the tour. We had to postpone them because there were no buses. No drivers. All the lighting companies had all their main gear rented out. You know, it’s a huge country, so you’ve got to get the logistics of trying to get a light rig from one corner of the country if it’s the only place that has it, and then get it over to Tampa, FL or something. I mean this is the distance of going from, say, Helsinki to Malta. You know, for us in Europe it’s, yeah, the logistics are insane.

SL: Is it still a result from post COVID that everybody is touring or what?

RH: COVID changed so many things. I know a lot of drivers, a lot of people involved in equipment and, you know, all kinds of things to do with touring over the years. A lot of drivers couldn’t work during the the COVID era, they went off to do other jobs. They are happy because they are getting a permanent salary, getting benefits, they were getting things they never had before, so it was a game changer. A lot of people retired and said they were sick of this. They were sick of how they’re being treated and I think a lot of change is still coming, and I hear that from a lot of people I work with that they’re tired of how they were taken for granted in the past. You do this job, that’s it. And a lot more people, I guess are thinking about themselves and how to try to get the best for themselves. So when we started planning the tour in February, we started sending out emails to companies going, hey, we want this, we want this and what can you give us? And we were also trying to find budgets that fit what we’re going to do so we can make this work. And honestly, the first thing I noticed is that a lot of companies increased their prices 30 to 50%. I don’t want this to be a financial conversation, but hey.

SL: Touring the US as a European band which VNV Nation is, is not so simple anyhow.

RH: If you’re coming from Europe and you’re going to the United States to do a tour, you have to rent a bus, You’ve gotta get the crew because there is no way to do it in a van and there’s no way to pull a whole light rig behind you. And I want to put on a show. So I’ve been doing this for a long time. I’ve been doing this for 23 years here, so I know all the aspects needed and this was really the most stressful and the toughest tour organization ever. But it worked out. Unfortunately there’s a lot of people who have become really flaky. Like they commit to you and then the last minute they pull out. You know, I’ve I’ve got another job and they don’t feel there’s anything wrong with that. There’s no commitment or loyalty in some people, so you see how it’s affected everybody. But also this, when you play concerts you realize a lot of people are still getting used to being at concerts again even though America has a COVID surge at the moment.

SL: Masks included?

RH: It’s not like the serious one we were all dealing with, you know, back in 2020. But when we played the West Coast, a lot of people were wearing masks and a lot of people won’t go out. A lot of people won’t go out like this was a really, really big thing. And we heard this from every band. We heard this from the crew who work for like urban culture meets dance meets everything kind of artists in America. There’s these two guys who have this project called Odessa, and we know a lot of the people involved with them, like the lighting engineer and some of the sound people. And then we were talking to metal bands. And they were saying that as well. It’s really crazy, like hearing from fans saying that they they’re afraid to go out. So I think we’re still in a phase where people are learning that it’s OK to go to concerts when they wear masks. It’s not. You know, anybody who reads and wants to spend some time being intelligent knows that. The mask is there to protect others, you know.

SL: Herd immunity is still not an established mentality.

RH: Masks are not a bulletproof vest. I mean, life goes on, the world goes on. And the other thing that we noticed on these shows was when we played the first show in Detroit, that’s where we had to start because that was the 1st place we could get every element we needed for the tour, is that everybody’s out on tour, like all the big bands. They’re all out on tour and taking up all the buses, all the drivers, what’s left and all of the resources. We were talking to lighting companies we’ve worked with for years and they were saying they’ve got nothing we were looking for. They just have some really old lights and I said, well give us something, we’ll put it together, you know. The Detroit show was fine, we talked to a lot of people after the show and everybody just seemed grateful.

SL: At least some joy…

RH: There’s a lot of negativity. It’s not just COVID, it’s the economy here and this perpetual political bullshit that they have to put up with every day. You know, we have a little taste of it in Europe. They’re living it like on levels I’ve never seen. It’s absolutely insane. So I feel for them. But every single concept we played was exactly the same. People were so appreciative that they got to go out and feel this live experience again. So it was quite an eye opening experience.

SL: Talking about working on different projects, did you never work on a musical?

RH: Uh, yeah, I did. Not a ‘musical’ like you’ll imagine. I worked on an arts project with somebody who combined a lot of different elements and wanted to make something really creative. I create the video elements in the background for some other projects too. I’ve had people who wanted video work done where they have a gigantic wall and they want elements playing that are part of that show that become a like scenes within the whole landscape. I’ve done that. I’ve done a lot of sound treatments and created backgrounds, sounds and elements for them, or even pieces of music. So musical? Yes but not the commercial Broadway, you know like “Full Metal Jacket, the musical” or something. These kinds of bullshit things that people put together.

I hate commercial projects. I’ll be honest with you. I mean, still to this day I can’t listen to commercial music, even if it could be a really nice song. There’s always a part of me that thinks this was created to be a hit for a big company that’s purely about shareholders and money. The artist will always be told what to do, in what way. I have a lot of friends who work in Hollywood and they have great artistic ambitions. And then they talk about how their work is then taken, changed by a long line of anonymous people. Or someone else gets credit for it. So I try to work with people who are doing underground things. There’s a lot of people who ask, can I use a piece of music for like for a video or something? And it’s not profit. I’m happy to support small creative people because that’s what I was, you know.

SL: But is that also the aim with the VNV Nation studio you have in Hamburg?

RH: I’ve used it a lot because I have the resources of all the equipment. If you want to talk technologically with two very, very experienced people in trying to recreate that on the system, I can bring it with me around the world, so. We’ve managed to set something up because I’m gonna do work. As I said, tomorrow and the day after I’m working with another guy where I can bring pretty much my studio with me, full audio interface, everything. I can have 10 microphones running, and I can produce, I have everything I need. That’s a real miracle. I’m telling you, man. But when I do a lot of my work, it’s basically when I’m back in Germany and I can do my demos and ideas on the laptop and then take them into the studio and flush them into something bigger.

SL: A couple of years back I was at the Mute event at the Roundhouse in London and during a session with Pole I told him that if you’re really working indie, then the really small bands have no budget for studios. And actually, you hear it, there’s a lot of subpar material being released.

RH: There are a lot of people who want to in a band. Yeah. This is something I noticed when I had to rent a studio space for myself. Now as far as the studio goes, if I’m going to finish an album or if I’m going to create an album, there’s a lot of equipment. It’s gotta go somewhere and it’s not going in my basements because I don’t have a basement. So I’m not gonna fill up a bedroom and annoy my neighbors with this. I have to work in a way that I can be there at four or five in the morning. What I found was when I rented a room in a studio, a commercial studio, and these guys were doing really amazing work, because they were not working with big name artists, but people who wanted music for a project. Really, very, very creative stuff.

But when I met some of the young bands, it’s suddenly clicked that there’s a lot of people who hear a band in this genre, or they go to a club and they say let’s be a band. That’s kind of an exciting fantasy, you know? They’ve got the logo. They’ve got the photos, they got the name of the band and they haven’t got a song yet. They have no idea and they get in there and it’s like we want to sound like this band and they tell a producer like as if you’re saying to someone please help me, I wanna sound like this. It just doesn’t work like that. So I find that a lot of people I meet want to be in a band. I made music. I was writing songs and I really wanted to take this to the next level. And when you say about subpar, I think one of the miracles is that we all have the technology to do whatever we want. With our laptops. With our computers. But that also means that 99.999% have never bothered to learn how any of these tools work. You know, one of the reasons why I did “Matter + Form” in 2005 with a producer, it was because I was gonna get to learn some stuff. By doing every album, I had to learn more about production.

SL: What about your older VNV Nation recordings, how do you look at those now?

RH: I can’t listen sometimes to my older stuff because it was recorded on a budget. I mean, you know, “Empires” and “Futureperfect” were recorded with almost no money. In a very basic studio. I made “Futureperfect” with just the computer. “Empires” or “Praise the Fallen” were recorded in basements with a simple console and the guy knew how it worked, but the quality that was possible with the equipment was, you know, it wasn’t fantastic. But yet today you can listen to let’s say bullshit like EDM, which is just commercial loop crap. Whatever. The production techniques which they use are not like a choice. You have to do it or no one’s gonna listen to it, so. In that sense, the tools are there. People can use them if they want to create something better.

But I’m hearing even within, as you say, like the scene, – I don’t even know what the scene is anymore because it seems to be more fragmented musically than ever – but people really are trying to apply the knowledge of other genres. And this is just basic studio knowledge. And one of the things I did during COVID was that I closed myself in, myself and my partner and I said, look, we’re gonna look after ourselves and our close ones and our loved ones. And we will use it as a time of learning. I listen to a lot of music I would never listen to. And I mean, it really expanded my knowledge of music. But I found all kinds of crazy shit online, and I loved it.

But I spent a lot of time learning better techniques and I wanted to do that because I’ve always had these sounds in my head or these unfinished ideas. Because for one reason or another, I have never felt that I reached it. I can listen to the track “Electric Sun” and think, how did I make this? It was an incredible experience and also during COVID building my own studio with other companies who could not coordinate times because nobody could schedule anything, they all said that their guys were on furlough. The Germans called it quits, and they said we don’t have enough people. So I’m sitting there with just these framework walls thinking what the fuck am I going to do? It was a really long process. But it was also very beneficial. At the time I had about 85 songs, because when you’re working on something else, you get the best ideas. It’s like a part of your brain wants to stay active to fill in for the boredom. I have a synthesizer on my phone and I’m just constantly recording myself playing all these melodies that I’m hearing. I also was using my laptop, even just to write a demo, using the physical keyboard on the laptop as musical keys. 4 songs on the album were originally recorded like that. I was just sitting there playing like OK, this key is this, this key is this. You strip away all of the big technology and you come right down to the sense of it. Is it a good song? Does it work?

SL: I recognized more developed orchestral arrangements this time, I guess the orchestral VNV Nation album left an influence?

RH: Yeah, you can’t hide it, let’s say. I’ve always had orchestral elements in the albums anyhow. There was a cinematic element to that album, a cinematic flavour. I wrote a lot of pieces for it, which never ended up on the album. There were about maybe 27 songs I picked for it. And the worst part is that you come down to a list of, say, 14 or 15 songs. And I said, let’s finish as many as we can, but you’ll always end up writing new tracks while you’re doing an album. I mean, “When is the Future?” happened out of nowhere. One night, I was bored in the studio and I was going through really old tracks and I found a track that I wrote in 2007. It’s just the bass progression and the vocal line. That’s all it is and I pulled it up and had some sounds on the keyboard and just started playing it because it stuck in my head. It was the right moment. You know when you hear it and you think, OK, it’s a simple chord progression, but it works. “All our sins” for instance is astonishingly orchestral. Even if you’re playing synthesizer sounds, you’re approaching them to create an orchestral feeling. So it was quite cinematic. Even the arpeggios and the way I was doing the arpeggios on “When it’s the Future?” are based on a piece of classical music I like.

I work with four different arrangers and they can actually tell there’s more an orchestral approach in my music than what they’re used to with other artists. With other albums it was the same. I mean with “Of Faith, Power and Glory” there were still huge amounts of orchestral elements in there. It’s what you assumed to be orchestral, because you can do a track like something more experimental and you’re still channelling something you heard from Stockhausen or Stravinsky and nobody understands that. Or you’re taking a little element of a composer no one’s heard of in the the average everyday world. But then that’s just one element of my influences.

But on “Electric Sun”, I wanted the opening to be like the opening to a film and I originally had a whole orchestration piece for the opening of the album that I just took out. “Electric Sun” does the job because in the end I want the album to tell a story from beginning to end. That’s what I was asking people to do, to listen to it from start to finish. It was the opening of a film for me, and the ending of the album was the finale, the last credits appearing on the screen. Everything in between is the elements of the story that I imagined. I felt this time round that in the studio I had all the things, all the tools I needed, the atmosphere. Also, a studio shuts out the outside world.

So it’s just you, the walls, synthesizers you bring in to used. I went crazy with analogue synthesizers I have. I’m kind of like an obsessive, I’ve been collecting synthesizers since I first got a chance to buy one. I still have two synthesizers that I owned in the 80s. I’ve had them repaired numerous times because they’ve been overused. Synthesizers are used on all the old albums. They’re still there on every album. There were always about four or five analogue synthesizers being used for most of the sounds on the album. So this time I really went crazy on it. I wanted this vibe. It’s really hard to explain to somebody when you use a plugin what the difference is. And the difference is that when you put all the elements together, you will hear this great kind of feeling. The opposite argument to that is that there are some amazing albums that have been recorded by bands – that we have a great sentimental attachment to – that used a four track.

SL: The one doesn’t exclude the other, right?

RH: Of course. And the thing is now with all this technology, you’re listening to copy paste bullshit. It’s like, look, do you have an idea? Focus on your idea, then build around that. Try to do the best you can because you’ll hear the idea through it. But if it’s just an ensemble of random sounds for 30 seconds of pleasure in a club to make everyone think, ohh, this is a bit ‘oonzee’, it’s not achieving much. It’s throw-away and that’s a kind of like a sad factor for the iPad generation who grew up playing with simple things at home and it was just push a button, make a sound and they didn’t learn more than that. I can’t say if I need the whole studio or not. One of my idols is a mixer called Andrew Scheps. His philosophy and his approach to mixing… I just love hearing him talk because he talks about so many aspects of of the audio world.

He’s an icon and he has mixed some of the biggest albums of all time and he says he’s in the box now, meaning he just uses a computer. And he has many videos where he talks about it because there will be people who just want that connection with the old world and they think it sounds better or whatever. And he said it doesn’t. It doesn’t. It doesn’t. If you know, how to use the tool so you can make it sound how you want. But if you need the tools, if you need the physical things, then if that’s what gets you the results, then that’s the right tool for you. My idea was, OK, do you have a mouse? You have one finger. That’s it. So you have all of this equipment and you’re gonna use one finger to write an album? Are you kidding me? That’s like the joke I always make, it’s like painting the hallway of a house, but doing it from outside the front door and you’re painting through the letterbox.

SL: We’ve become so normalized to this I guess…

RH: When you’re doing these big constructions and you’ve got all this software and all these plugins, you have to have better controllers and things like that. I was sitting with some of the synthesisers and just playing with controls and just creating, it got me places that I never have been. I forgot in a lot of ways what that felt like. Yeah, I mean, I’ve always seen synthesizers on the albums, but this time I had a lot of new gear because of building a new studio and I wanted to have this connection. I know the guys who work for Sequential Circuits, you know, in San Francisco. One of them was a guy who booked our first concert in San Francisco. We were talking about new synthesizers and he said ohh, we have a great new one. When I did for example, the album “Praise the Fallen” I used this old sequential synthesizer on every track. I mean, I had only had a few synthesizers, so I had to make them work for me on every single song.

So I got this new synthesizer, which is like the third generation of that thing. It’s the brand new one, wonderful, does everything. And I said to my partner, like, I’m just gonna plug it in and I’m just gonna listen to some of the sounds, get my headphones on. I’ll be in bed in 1/2 an hour. You know, that was 11:00 at night, 5:00 in the morning I went to bed. I just fell in love. There’s something that connects you with this technology. The sounds, the way you control things, the way you play with it. You can control everything and play with the sounds. It’s the person and a machine. So I programmed about three banks of sounds for the thing, and I’m just having the best fun. And that’s what became like a lot of the basis, a lot of the background to a lot of sounds on the album. This organic sound gave everything a kind of a 70s vibe. There are so many incredible electronic artists from the 70s. I went back and started listening to NEU! again. I love a lot of old krautrock. There’s so many eras that we forget about. They’re so relevant that you can listen to them today and think, why am I not listening to this?

SL: I know you’ve always been quite interested in everything that is new technologically, whether it is for social media or whatever. You’ve always been interested. Now, professionally I work a lot with AI.

RH: You know my old job, so you know that I’m heavily involved into all this new tech.

SL: That’s why I’m asking. What is commercially available now doesn’t impress me compared to what I’ve seen in laboratories where they experiment with AI as far as music goes. That really does impress me. So I wonder, would it ever come up into your mind first of all to create an AI generated album using the laboratory stuff? Do you see anything that you would use as a musician? And would you ever consider using it for vocals as well?

RH: Here’s my problem with with generated music right now, we’ll start using it like people used mp3.com. I’ll give you just that as a simple example. People loaded it with shit. There was no way to listen to most of it. We’re gonna have exactly the same problem with AI because it’s going to be companies trying to sell you tools that say ‘hey look make your own track’. And I work with a lot of producers, there’s guys in the building where my studio is, and they all wwork ith loops. It’s cut and paste. Someone else is making loops for them. They don’t know who, but they’re just using the same loops everyone else is using. I think that’s boring. One of two things will happen. There will either be a backlash where you’ll have people posting on their album ‘This was made by humans completely organically’.

The possibilities of laboratory AI where it can sing. Yeah, we use tools right now. We use Photoshop and we use tuning, we use like ways to compress the vocals and EQ. We’re using tools as it is. It’s where the line is. I don’t want fake. I mean if somebody can use it when they are a Picasso and where they describe to a computer this wonderful creativity, then you’re using it as a tool, then I’m OK with it. But if someone is basically learning a computer ‘just write me a hit song’ then you’re David Guetta, you know that that doesn’t interest me at all.

I’ve had people offering me so many AI tools or generators. I don’t need core generators. For instance, the band had so much problems even just practicing the track “Invictus” on the album, because they said it’s incredibly complicated. I’m working with people who are really, really good, very professional keyboarders. I think I could do a lot myself, but what I would like to be able to do is to say, can you save me a lot of the grunt work that I don’t want to do so I can just focus on the ideas. That’s where it is gonna matter. I want my own ideas to be the forefront. You and I both know that all technology will be used by people to make bullshit. When the Apple iPhone came out, do you know how many fart apps there were? You know that’s how humans use it. They are stupid, puerile, childish. It’s funny for about 5 seconds and then after that it’s done.

For more on VNV Nation, see Porta Nigra Festival 2024: Front 242, VNV Nation, Kosheen, … on Side-Line.

‘Click Interview’ with La Jungle: ‘Organic Trance Music’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sat, 30 Sep 2023 17:00:00 +0000

La Jungle is a Belgian duo from the Southern part of the country set up in 2013 by ‘Roxie Rookie’ and ‘Jim Frisko Binwette’. They already released an impressive number of productions this year striking back with their sixth opus “Blurry Landscapes”. The album has been released as a collaboration between different labels: Black Basset, Rockerill and A Tant Rêver Du Roi. La Jungle deals with a mix of Krautrock, Industrial, Techno and a few more genres which they prefer to define as ‘Organic Trance Music’. “Blurry Landscapes” is a great music accomplishment but still a fascinating concept mixing the work the music of La Jungle together with Outsider/Art Brut artists. I invite you to discover this talented project by this interview.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Tell us a bit more about your musical background and what incited you to set up a band and La Jungle specifically?

Roxie: One of the reasons our band is still existing 10 years after is surely because we didn’t want to perform the same kind of sound Jim and me. I was more into Noise-Rock duos as Pneu, Lightning Bolt with mathy touch, with Zach Hill and “Hold Your Horse Is” by Hella as references. You can maybe hear that, especially in our albums from the early years, “La Jungle” (2015) and “II”(2016).

Jim: I was more into, Nirvana, Fugazi, At The Drive-In/The Mars Volta-stuff. I was also into New-Beat wave back in the days. But to start this band we just threw ourself in a garage and that’s what went out.

Q: You already released an impressive number of works so how do you explain this prolific process? Is there any specific formula in the writing of the songs and what makes the chemistry between both of you?

Roxie: Let’s talk about this chemistry, because it’s not only in the rehearsal room or in the creative process. Jim and me are pretty different and surely opposites on many points. And I think it’s a good thing for your band if you don’t always share the same state of mind with your partner. Jim is most of the time waiting the last minute and the last second before doing a random stuff planned for month, while I always want to do it the sooner the better, the first day if possible. Two visions, two ways to do, but it works. It’s hard sometimes but we can find a balance in 99% of the situations, and with this balance comes a natural rhythm of work, of new songs, of recordings and releases, of tours and concerts. We even have our own label together with regular new publications since 2020. So, it works anyway.

Jim:I don’t compose before the rehearsal room as I did for some other bands. Here we jam together and if a song is coming out great! It’s all about spontaneity.

Q: Your newest album “Blurry Landscapes” is for sure a very specific and I dare to say ‘conceptual’ album featuring Art Brut artists. How did you come up with the idea and finally the meeting and collaboration with all these artists? How did they react to your music and can you give us more details about the accomplishment of the work?

Roxie: We have many ideas of records or bands or releases or as you say ‘concepts’ we want to set up. But most of them are on a list, in our head, and we will make them exist when we will find the time and a decent mental condition for this. For example, we are working hardly on something for three weeks now in our rehearsal room. It’s been two or three years since we started thinking and talking about this. But we both have families, we are constantly on tour and for sure we manage a lot of stuff in this band. So we had to wait many years before starting this specific process. You will maybe hear or see a result next year. Who knows.

It’s exactly the same situation with “Blurry Landscapes”.The idea of making an album where each new track is illustrated by an outsider artist is on our list for a long time. And then came a major event that changed all our plans: pandemic. With pandemic, we finally found time at home with our families, time to sleep better too, no tour for several months. We also found time to think about what this band is, and what we want to do with our duo in the next years. And so we started the writing of our 5th studio record “Ephemeral Feast”.Months later Covid was still there, so we decided to call a good friend of us, Coline, now coordinator of Art Et Marges-museum in Brussels to start the creative process around “Blurry Landscapes”; dress a list of outsider artists from the museum we would like to work with, making new songs, drawing some draft of the future vinyl and its booklet, moving in creation spaces and meet people as Inès Reddah, André Robillard or Serge Delaunay. That’s how it started.

Jim: Yes, and I think we had some of the best meeting during this process. We can learn so much from them, more than what we can give them.

Q: Because of their mental/psychic restrictions Art Brut/Outsider artists are often living aside of society. How did it feel to get faced to their reality and what experiences come directly into mind when you think about these meetings?

Roxie: We have visited many creation spaces dedicated to Outsider art while writing “Blurry Landscapes”. We have met most of the twenty artists involved in the visual part of the record in their daily space of work, in their artistic intimacy. Most of the time, it’s really quiet places, it’s out of this world. The time is not running the same way. Most of the people don’t even notice you just came in. You have pieces of art and huge Outsider collections everywhere, on the walls, on shelves or archived behind a hidden door.

Unfortunately, with pandemic restrictions, we were forced to communicate with some artists exclusively with video meetings. It was surely not the most interesting part of the process, but we really wanted this album and collaborations to be released in 2022/2023. So we also made some exchanges and collaborations only with mails, as it was the case with La “S” Grand Atelier, where residents could not see each other in the worst month of the pandemic. Hard times. So the human experience was not really there, but it worked anyway, and the artists enjoyed the tracks we sent to them, and they answered us with great pieces of art. Jim:And they were all happy to collaborate with us. They did it in a spontaneous way. Full of honesty. It means a lot for us.

Q: Sound-wise La Jungle clearly stands for Krautrock with some extra influences on top. What’s your perception of the ‘sound’ you’re dealing with and do you handle specific criteria and references in the writing/production process?

Roxie: I think we try to make something organic since the beginning in 2013. That’s why we don’t use samples, triggers, modern keyboards setups or pre-recorded loops. If you apply this rule on the drums specifically, you will notice that you have no classic Rock or Pop-patterns on the records. Most of the time, the bass drum kicks on each beat, as Disco or Techno. On top of this kick, I try to make something filled with a lot of drums and cymbals, and also with a really aggressive snare as you can generally find on noise records. It’s pretty rare hearing me playing something rudimental on the drums with La Jungle. Some people are bored with that because it’s too much, some others are amazed and even see and hear it as a funny fact. I don’t really have control on this, that’s the way of playing drums I developed with this band years after years. It’s something that came naturally.

Jim: Organic Trance music. I’m constantly searching for new sounds. I try to change my pedal boards for each album.

Q: I’ve been impressed by the number of live shows you already did and especially this year. How do you see yourself as a live band and what makes the magic of La Jungle on stage? And how do you transpose the songs from the studio to the stage?

Roxie: We performed so many gigs, especially this year as you notice, that I don’t really know how to see ourselves anymore as a live band. There is an expression in French ‘La tête dans le guidon’; that means that you’re so deep in your stuff that you cannot see what you’re doing from a different point of vue or angle. I feel that especially because we released three albums on three consecutive years (2021, 22, 23) and because we are on tour for two year and a half now (250 gigs) since the pandemic ended in May 2021.

Your question about studio and performances is also an interesting one. Because we recently took the decision to write future songs exclusively playable on stage. If you see La Jungle live and hear the records before, you will notice we don’t play a lot of songs from the three last albums. Because most of the songs on these records are just not fun to play or even not possible to play live. Some of it would sounds pretty boring on stage actually. Too slow, too much lyrics, not really catchy. And there’s sometimes too much loops to let ‘the magic’ (as you said) happens. So yes, we have to figure it out for the future. Thank you for your time.

Jim: Main point is energy. It’s like our sport. We can sweat all the bad out from our bodies. It feels good. We always want to play new stuff on stage. So yes we are working again on something as pure live songs. We’ll see. Thank you

Depeche Mode photographer Brian Griffin talks about his new photo book ’Mode’ – Out now

János Janurik — Sun, 24 Sep 2023 17:31:37 +0000

(Photos by Brian Griffin, Interview by Janos Janurik for Side-Line) Brian Griffin was responsible for the visual perception of Depeche Mode for a while in the early eighties. He made record covers so interesting, you wanted to own them before you even heard the music. He also photographed one of the most famous record covers from pop history for our favourite group. He waited with his finger on the shutter release – then the perfect moment had come. The final result was then voted the best photo of the 1980s by LIFE magazine. Several years later, the music of “Only When I Lose Myself” was accompanied by his mystical video clip. And now his unforgettable artwork is being collected for Depeche Mode and these pictures, which are actually beautiful impressions of a wonderful journey through time, deserve to be immortalised in an album forever.

Brian Griffin book on Depeche Mode

The photo book is called “MODE” and made by one of the most important British photographers of his generation, who is also a poet and performance artist, Brian Griffin. I was very honoured when he responded positively to my contact request. In 2009, I had the opportunity to interview Anton Corbijn on the occasion of his exhibition opening in Budapest and now I was privileged to have the interview below with Mr Griffin, whose work I have admired since my teenage years. I asked him about his years with Depeche Mode and about this elaborate photographic book project. Enjoy the read!

SL: For more than 35 years, Anton Corbijn’s name has been closely associated with Depeche Mode as the band’s artistic director. From image photos to video production to stage design, he has done everything for the visuals and for the strong band branding. He took over this role in 1986, in the ‘Black Celebration’ era, when you were last responsible for the cover design. Did you meet him back then, did you exchange ideas?

BG: I have never met Anton. Maybe after more than 35 years of Anton, Depeche Mode needs a change to freshen up. What ideas could I exchange with Anton…?

SL: Your work with Depeche Mode began in 1981 when you created the album cover for their debut album. How long had you been in the pop biz? Which famous artists have you worked with?

BG: I had been in the Pop business for only 2 years. It was only a small part of my photographic output when I shot “Speak And Spell”. In fact it remained that way throughout the 80’s. I worked with Iggy Pop, Queen, OMD, Echo & The Bunnymen, Kate Bush. Elvis Costello, John Foxx, Billy Idol, Devo, Ultravox and the list goes on and on. I think something like 200 to 300 record covers.

SL: Ultravox – a musical role model for Vince, Martin & Co – released their masterpiece ‘Vienna’ even before your collaboration with the newly established Depeche Mode, who were signed by Daniel Miller to his recently created Mute label. The record sleeve for ‘Vienna’ was also your work and it shows – at least for me – a bit of similarities to Depeche Mode’s ‘Speak And Spell’ album cover. With Ultravox you used wrapping paper for the cover photo and with Depeche Mode a plastic foil. The difference is that with ‘Vienna’ you wrapped the band Ultravox itself with wrapping paper and with ‘Speak And Spell’ a swan was wrapped in a plastic bag. Did you want to visualise the ‘cool’ synthesizer sound – described by some critics as ‘plastic pop’ – of these two bands?

BG: I really loved the sound of the synthesiser from when I first heard Krautrock, and still do. However with “Speak And Spell” and “Vienna” I was not influenced in any way that can be connected with my use of wrapping paper or plasticated foil.I just did what I felt would be a good idea at the time.

SL: The album cover with the swan is perhaps not your most famous and most recognised work. But the subsequent album cover of ‘A Broken Frame’, which you photographed for Depeche Mode in 1982, has already stood the test of time. Almost everyone knows the story behind this breathtaking photo of the woman in the wheat field with the sickle in her hand, but maybe there are still ‘little stories about this big subject’ that you have rarely told… So what would be your personal story in connection with this record cover?

BG: “A Broken Frame” is probably one of the most famous photographs on earth. I am so proud that I had the talent to produce that photograph. The secret being is there is something or someone watching over me. I have always felt that.

A Broken Frame (Alternative)

SL: The next time you were commissioned to do a Depeche Mode album cover, you had to go to Switzerland, to the Alps. The once again socialist realism photo was shot on top of the famous Matterhorn. By the way, my favourite photo of you would be the cover photo for the single ‘Love In Itself’ from that era. It was 40 years ago. Looking back, how strong do you find this artistic period?

BG: I never listened to Depeche Mode’s music prior to photographing the covers for them. This period was certainly one of my most creative, especially with my ability in employing artificial light.

Love In Itself

SL: The next chapter of Depeche Mode’s adventure in the world of ‘Industrial Pop’ was the ‘Some Great Reward’ album, to which they also owe their world fame. A young married couple in the middle of an industrial estate, perfectly fitting the album motto ‘The world we live in and life in general’. Romantic-dark, like Martin Gore’s lyrics. Most of the songs were about love, but not in the style of traditional pop music. They were self-experienced love and life stories of Martin Gore, in which thousands of fans could define themselves. Depeche Mode has been using this magical recipe for pop songs ever since, with great success. If you could just name one favorite song of Depeche Mode, which song would it be?

BG: “Somebody”

SL; Another milestone in the band’s history was the ‘Black Celebration’ album. The main songwriter, Martin Gore, has repeatedly emphasized that he counts the most important and significant period of the band from the release of this record. Most fans also count this ‘black and gloomy’ album among their personal favourites. You came up with your last cover design idea for Depeche Mode for this record. If I’m not mistaken, the final cover art wasn’t exactly the same as your concept art. Please tell us a bit about this cover story!

BG: All is revealed in my new book MODE.

SL: And now a few words about your band portraits of Depeche Mode. Were the boys – from a photographer’s point of view – treatable? Anton Corbijn once said that Alan Wilder showed the most interest in his work as a photographer/director at that time, the others almost didn’t care what he wanted to get out of a clip or a photo. And how did the band behave in front of your camera?

BG: Their attitude towards me was very similar to what Anton experienced. I preferred that attitude believe it or not, and found it most inspiring.

Depeche Mode portrait 1982

SL: You also shot a clip for Depeche Mode, the music video for ‘Only When I Lose Myself’. At that time the band was experimenting with other directors, because they had only worked with Anton Corbijn for more than 10 years and wanted to change the routine a bit. How did you get into the picture? Did you get a free hand in the production? What memories do you have of the shooting?

BG: It was wonderful in every way. I gave up photography for film making from 1991 to 2003. “Only when I lose Myself” is one of the best tracks by DM, it is also one of my best films by far. Daniel Miller freaked out when he saw the rough edit, as he had left me to let the creative juices flow. He made us cut the film drastically, but its strengths still shine through!

SL: Speaking of Anton, he has already released two photo albums (‘Strangers’, ‘Depeche Mode by Anton Corbijn’) about Depeche Mode, the latter shortly before Andy Fletcher’s death. Why did you wait so long with your photo album (‘MODE’)? You were part of the band growing up and also contributed to their image.

BG: My friend Vaughn George inspired and encouraged it to happen.

“MODE” Photography Book by Brian Griffin

SL: This beautifully designed photo book of yours is the result of a huge fundraiser from the fans. I don’t think you could ask for more recognition as an artist. Please tell us about this project!

BG: This book “MODE” has been made with very little financial reward, and financed by the generosity of the fans. They have not been exploited, but have been rewarded with a beautiful book.

SL: According to your info mail, the photo album ‘MODE’ will eventually be available in stores. Where can the book be ordered by those who did not participate in the fundraising?

BG: This book is self published and distributed by me and will not be available to be purchased in bookshops. For people who did not pledge to the Kickstarter of “MODE”, you can buy the book by visiting the the shop section of my website.

Depeche Mode photographer Brian Griffin

SL: Depeche Mode are currently on tour with their latest album, ‘Memento Mori’, which – albeit unintentionally – is heavily affected by Fletch’s death. When did you last meet the band – with or without Fletch? How will you keep them in your memory?

BG: I met Martin at the Olympic Stadium gig in London before lockdown. I will remember Depeche Mode as the band that inspired me to produce some of my finest album cover photographs.

Side-Line also covered Depeche Mode’s ‘Untitled’.

About Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode formed in Basildon, Essex, England, in 1980, initially under the name Composition of Sound. The lineup that became Depeche Mode came together that year around Vince Clarke (keyboards, guitars), Andy Fletcher (keyboards, bass) and Martin Gore (guitars, keyboards), with Dave Gahan joining shortly after as lead vocalist. The band adopted the name Depeche Mode at a gig at the Bridge House in Canning Town on 24 September 1980, where Mute Records founder Daniel Miller saw them and signed the group.

Depeche Mode’s debut single, “Dreaming of Me,” was recorded in December 1980 and released on Mute in February 1981, followed that October by the debut album “Speak & Spell.” Vince Clarke left the band that November, going on to form Yazoo and later Erasure; Alan Wilder joined on keyboards in 1982 and became an official member from the 1983 single “Get the Balance Right!” The band’s catalog through the 1980s includes “A Broken Frame” (1982), “Construction Time Again” (1983), “Some Great Reward” (1984), “Black Celebration” (1986) and “Music for the Masses” (1987), the latter turning the band into arena headliners in the US off the back of their Rose Bowl concert, later documented in the film “101.”

“Violator” (1990) and “Songs of Faith and Devotion” (1993) marked the band’s commercial peak, but Wilder departed in June 1995, continuing his own project Recoil, leaving Gahan, Gore and Fletcher as a trio. The band released “Ultra” (1997), “Exciter” (2001), “Playing the Angel” (2005), “Sounds of the Universe” (2009), “Delta Machine” (2013) and “Spirit” (2017) as a three-piece, touring with long-serving live members Christian Eigner (drums, keyboards, since 1997) and Peter Gordeno (keyboards, bass, since 1998). Alongside the band, Gahan released solo albums “Paper Monsters” (2003) and “Hourglass” (2007), and Gore released “Counterfeit²” (2003).

Depeche Mode was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 7 November 2020. Andy Fletcher died on 26 May 2022, and Gahan and Gore continued as a duo, releasing “Memento Mori” in 2023 with Eigner and Gordeno again on the road. The band has sold more than 100 million records and placed 54 singles on the UK charts. Brian Griffin’s photography dates to the band’s early-1980s period, alongside director Anton Corbijn’s later, longer-running visual collaboration with the group.

János Janurik

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

Krautrock protagonist Dieter Moebius gets posthumous album released via Curious Music: ‘Aspirin’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 12:15:26 +0000

Dieter Moebius (16 January 1944 – 20 July 2015) was a pivotal figure in Germany’s avant-garde electronic music scene. He gained prominence as a member of the seminal krautrock bands Kluster/Cluster (alongside Hans-Joachim Roedelius) and Harmonia (with Roedelius and Michael Rother from NEU!). Throughout his career, he collaborated with notable artists like Brian Eno, Conny Plank, and Mani Neumeier of Guru Guru. On October 6th, Curious Music is set to debut his posthumous album “Aspirin”, which was finalized in 2005 but is being released for the first time.

Tim Story, a close friend and fellow composer, recounts the origins of “Aspirin”: “In December 2005, Dieter Moebius visited the US to perform with Guru Guru’s drummer, Mani Neumeier, at the Detroit Institute of Arts. After the performance, he extended his stay to spend time with my family and me in Ohio. These were memorable days filled with friend visits, laughter, and delightful meals. On our last evening, over some Scotch, Moebius introduced me to new tracks he’d been crafting. I was instantly captivated and got his permission to copy them.”

Story continues, “Moebius had just wrapped up his ‘Nurton’ album earlier in 2005. Like ‘Nurton’, these tracks were produced in his Berlin and Mallorca home studios. Some might have been ‘Nurton’ out-takes, but I feel most were created post-‘Nurton’. Regardless of when they were made, Moebius chose to set these aside to focus on his next solo venture, ‘Kram’ (2009).”

Years later, during a trip to Berlin, Story played a CDr of these tracks for Moebius, who was thrilled to revisit them. Story believes, “Even though we never discussed this music again, I sense Moebius would be delighted to know that this previously overlooked chapter from an enjoyable, productive phase of his life is finally seeing the light of day.”

Aspirin by Moebius

Following “Moebius Strips”, which Curious Music released in 2021, “Aspirin” is the next project. Tim Story closely collaborated with Moebius’s widow, Irene, and the audio installation featured contributions from various artists, including Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo, Michael Rother from Harmonia and NEU!, and many others.

Notably, the album cover for “Aspirin” was designed by Mark Mothersbaugh, known as DEVO’s lead vocalist.

La Jungle – Blurry Landscapes (Album – Black Basset / Rockerill / A Tant Rêver Du Roi)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Mon, 21 Aug 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: Krautrock ,Techno, Industrial.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Belgian duo La Jungle has already released several albums and are already back on track unleashing their sixth opus. “Blurry Landscapes” became a conceptual work. The band got in touch with different so-called Art-Brut artists. Each of them was invited to listen to one song and asked to give it a name and create a work that would fit to it.

La Jungle discussed the making of “Blurry Landscapes” in a Click Interview with Side-Line.

Content: Behind this fascinating and creative concept hides the Krautrock style from La Jungle. It’s a dynamic composition driven by loud and carrying guitar playing which sometimes ends into transcendental passages. I also noticed a few Techno-driven elements and very few vocal parts.

+ + + : La Jungle already convinced me by their precious work and simply confirms being a great, creative and talented formation. I also salute the concept behind this work which is part of a wider artistic creation and also a way to put Art-Brut artists in the spotlights. The booklet features the works of those artists. Sound-wise this album sounds like Krautrock out of the box and that’s exactly what I like. La Jungle reveals that it is still possible to be inventive, composing great music. The guitar play injects a true spirit to the work. I especially recommend listening to “La Compagnie De La Chanson” and “Panther’s Rib Cage” while “The Growl And The Relief” sounds to me as the ultimate song of the album.

– – – : It maybe takes a bit time to really get into this work but with a little less patience you’ll discover a true masterpiece made in Belgium!

Conclusion: La Jungle is maybe one of the best hidden Belgian secrets reminding us of the magic of Krautrock with a personal touch on top.

Best songs: “The Growl And The Relief”, “La Compagnie De La Chanson”, “Panther’s Rib Cage”, “Le Tigre En Bottes Vertes”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.lajungleband.com / www.facebook.com/lajungleband

Labels: www.blackbassetrecords.com / www.facebook.com/BlackBassetRecords / www.rockerillrecords.com / www.facebook.com/rockerillrecords / www.ATRDR.net / www.facebook.com/atantreverduroi

About La Jungle

La Jungle is a Belgian duo from the southern part of the country, formed in 2013 by drummer Roxie Rookie and guitarist Jim Frisko Binwette. The pair describe their sound as “Organic Trance Music”, a mix of Krautrock, Industrial and Techno built without samples, triggers or pre-recorded loops. Early albums included the self-titled “La Jungle” (2015) and “II” (2016). The duo has run its own label since 2020.

La Jungle released three albums in three consecutive years, 2021 through 2023, including the fifth studio record “Ephemeral Feast”. “Blurry Landscapes”, the band’s sixth album, paired new songs with visual work from around twenty Art Brut and outsider artists met through Brussels museum Art et Marges.

Post-punk / krautrock outfit Tantrum Zentrum launch animated video for ‘Don’t Be A Fascist’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 07:58:14 +0000

The UK/Canadian/American group Tantrum Zentrum presents their latest single, “Don’t Be A Fascist,” along with a new video featuring animation, lyrics, and glimpses of despots like Mussolini and Vladimir Putin. The single is now available through Teknostan Records.

The band consists of Vaat Dafuq (vocals, guitar), Sabine de Rousseau (guitar, vocals), Valhalla Schimmer (bass guitar), and Kur Putchnik (drums).

“‘Don’t Be A Fascist’ is a love story set during wartime. Inspired by the 80s Yugoslavian pop hit ‘Fa Fa Fašista’ (performed by Sarajevo’s Plavi Orkestar), the song tells a timeless tale: boy meets girl, they fall in love, but then their country becomes occupied by the German forces of the Third Reich, and the girl falls for a tall, handsome enemy soldier in a splendid uniform. Needless to say, the boy is furious!” explains Vaat Dafuq.

And he adds: “We chose a grandiose title that may strike a chord with many, even today. The release is accompanied by a light-hearted ‘explainer’ video that shouldn’t be taken too seriously.”

Tantrum Zentrum creates high-energy post-punk infused with funk, goth, and krautrock influences. Based in London, their music draws inspiration from early 70s krautrock and late 70s New York no-wave bands. This single is the second in a series of songs recorded with producer Steve Evans (Robert Plant, Siouxsie Sioux, Goldfrapp). Their previously released single, ‘Der Leiermann,’ is performed in German. While the new single is in English, it includes a few Bosnian and corrupted German words for emphasis.

Here’s the video.

Telehealth presents debut album ‘Content Oscillator’ – Out now

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 17:58:05 +0000

(Photo by Mikayla Neves) Two months ago we announced that the Seattle based synthpop / post-punk band Telehealth (feat. Alexander Attitude & Kendra Cox)had released the single “Taliesin Grid”. Under the leadership of Alexander Attitude, Telehealth is a versatile pop band that draws inspiration from various genres, including post-punk, minimal synth, egg-punk, new wave, art rock, glam, and krautrock.

Out now is the band’s debut album “Content Oscillator” on cassette and digital. All components of the music were written and performed by Alexander Attitude, with Kendra Cox contributing additional vocals. The production was handled by both Trevor Spencer and Alexander Attitude. Mixing took place at Way Out Studio in Woodinville, WA, under the supervision of Trevor Spencer. The mastering process was carried out by Ed Brooks at Resonant Studios. Alexander Attitude was also responsible for the art and direction of the project.

Content Oscillator by Telehealth

About Telehealth

But there’s more to it as you will read below as the genesis of the project is kinda interesting.

In 2017, Attitude decided to leave his music career behind to explore architecture. Having previously been a touring musician in bands like Kithkin, Deep Sea Diver, and Bryan John Appleby, the transition from music to architecture was challenging. Over time, he grew disillusioned with the architectural practice’s tendency to approach design as a means to ‘save the world’. He felt that architecture, with its focus on utopian visions and sustainable aesthetics, had become a tool for developers to operate within what he calls “a capitalist and centrist political realm”.

Seeking an alternative approach to architecture, Attitude began a new project involving a series of performances exploring architectural theory and spatial practice. He questioned whether architecture could shift its focus from buildings to a way of thinking and examining our world and our place within it. These questions transformed into sounds, which then evolved into demos and ultimately an album. This album is known as “Content Oscillator”.

Telehealth dons the color green as a reminder that modern consumption has become fixated on promoting green products as a solution to the environmental issues we face. Telehealth is both a joke and not a joke, they’re words not ours, and as a product itself, the band serves as a reminder that everything is a form of product placement.

Swedish post-punk duo Low-Res releases new single, ‘Makeup’, from forthcoming album ‘Därför’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 11:13:01 +0000

Swedish post-punk duo Low-Res have released a new single, “Makeup”, from their upcoming album “Därför,” set for release on May 5th. The single follows their well-received track “Stigma”, released earlier this year, which featured a collaboration with Johan Hinders from Audionom.

Low-Res continues to showcase their own post-punk sound in “Makeup”, drawing inspiration from Hole’s “Celebrity Skin” as well as bands like House of Love and The Warlocks.

The duo shared that “Makeup” conveys the theme of overcoming negative influences and leaving an abusive relationship. The track was composed using a vintage USSR guitar they found online, with only three chords from the instrument making their way into the final recording.

Hailing from Stockholm, Low-Res is known for their post-punk tunes influenced by 90s ambient guitars and analog synthesizers. Their debut album, “Varför”, was released in 2021 and featured guest appearances from musicians like Jukka Rintamäki (Silverbullit) and Per Nordmark (Fireside). In 2022, the band refined their sound with the release of the four-track EP “Du å ja”, featuring analog drum machines and Swedish lyrics.

The upcoming album “Därför” consists of eleven songs incorporating genres like krautrock, early electronic pop/rock, and psychedelia. The band explains that “Varför” and “Därför” are meant to be companion albums, as both were created with the same approach, focusing on fast-paced creativity and numerous collaborations that enrich the overall sound.

The two albums will be physically combined in a special double vinyl release.

Seattle synthpop band Telehealth (feat. Alexander Attitude & Kendra Cox) announce debut LP ‘Content Oscillator’ – first single and video out now

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 12:23:03 +0000

Arriving March 31st is the debut album for the Seattle based synthpop band Telehealth (feat. Alexander Attitude & Kendra Cox): “Content Oscillator”. You can already watch the video for the lead single “Taliesin Grid” right below.

Led by Alexander Attitude, Telehealth melts post-punk, minimal synth, egg-punk, new wave, art rock, glam, and krautrock into a rather poppy flavoured mix.

Here’s what Alexander Attitude says about the debut album “Content Oscillator”: “It is an angular collection of songs that alleviate the modern challenge of ‘just trying to not suck’ in the greenwashed, neoliberal, trash fire of a world we have built for ourselves. Utilizing a palette of cold arpeggiated synthesizers, sharp drum machines, herky-jerky rhythms, angular guitar work, melodic bass lines, and stupidly catchy melodies dowsed in honest sarcasm… ‘Content Oscillator’ embraces the absurdity and contradictory nature of the world we live in.”

You can check the video for “Taliesin Grid” right below.

Motor!k – Odyssey (EP – Ant-Zen)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: Krautrock.

Format: Digital, Vinyl.

Background/Info: After having released three successful albums on Out Of Line the Belgian trio Motor!k strikes back with this four track “Odyssey” released on ant-Zen.

Content: Joeri Dobbeleir, Dirk Ivens and Dries D’hollander are moving on exploring the sonic paths of Krautrock. “Odyssey” clearly sounds like a continuation of previous works although with an extra, and more explicit, Electro touch on top.

+ + + : The songs are short and especially both debut cuts creating a transcendental sensation. The repetitive guitar playing is moving into a crescendo leading the listener into a psychedelic trip or simply trance. They also bring Krautrock alive while adding something extra to the great Ant-Zen label roster.

– – – : I regret the songs aren’t a bit more extended -especially when you feel this hypnotic sensation. The B-side cuts are less convincing.

Conclusion: “Odyssey” sounds like a great and inoffensive trip; music remains the best drug ever and Motor!k is slowly creating an addictive feeling in me.

Best songs: “Drift”, “Odyssey”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/MOTORIKBELGIUM

Label: www.ant-zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official

Listen to “Drift”:

Drift by Motor!k

About Motor!k

Motor!k is a Belgian krautrock band formed in 2018 by Joeri Dobbeleir, Dries D’Hollander, and Dirk Ivens, the latter also known for Dive, The Klinik, and Absolute Body Control.

The trio released its self-titled debut album on Out Of Line in 2019, followed by “Motor!k 2” in 2020 and “3” in 2022. The four-track EP “Odyssey”, featuring “Drift” and the title track, followed on Ant-Zen in September 2022.

French techno-pop duo Cercueil lands new dark techno-pop EP ‘Bad Posture’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 12:01:45 +0000

Out now via Citizen Records is the last Clivage Music release of the year: “Bad Posture” by Cercueil EP.

This new dark and experimental techno-pop EP from the French duo Cercueil offers a mix of genres, somewhere between electronica, pop and krautrock. On the EP you’ll find what the label describes as “four organic, cold and tribal tracks”.

Check it our right below.

About Cerceuil

Cerceuil consist of the duo/couple Nicolas Devos and Pénélope Michel. They met via all kinds of experimental and performative groups and in 2005 founded the electro-pop group Cerceuil (French for coffin). The duo quietly released their first EP under the name Cercueil in 2006, but it was in 2009, with the release of their first album “Shoo Straight Shout” on the Optical Sound label, that the two musicians really launched their trademark sound.

With the release of their second album “Erostrate” in 2011 on the Le Son du Maquis label, the duo again offered experimental pop and tribal infused with dark electro. Accompanied live by drummer Olivier Durteste (Gomm, Dddxie), the project played in Belgium, Germany, England, Switzerland, Iceland, Denmark and the Netherlands but also North America (Canada and the United States).

Pénélope and Nicolas are behind the Puce Moment project in parallel with Cercueil. That project is much slower and melancholic compared to Cerceuil. As Pénélope points out: “With Cercueil, we reframe the structures a lot more. The relationship to the voice is different, it is more frontal. In Puce Moment there may be voice, but these are only evocations of voice. It remains behind the music and becomes an instrument in its own right.”

Motor!k – 3 (Album – Out Of Line)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: Krautrock.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: This is the third (mini)-album by Belgian Motor!k trio. Joeri Dobbeleir, Dirk Ivens (Dive) and Dries D’Hollander bring us six new songs which have been announced as different from their previous works.

Content: I can’t say the work is totally different, but it sounds more Electronic than previous productions. The electronic treatments are even predominant on some tracks while the guitar playing is more prominent at the end creating a sonic climax and cataclysm. You’ll also notice more relaxing passages while the last cut has something Cinematic-like and is driven by a superb melody line. The production remains instrumental.

+ + + : Both debut cuts are powerful, but I especially like the way both cuts have been progressively built up to end in a sonic orgasm. This work also sounds more Electro driven, which creates a better balance with the Psychedelic guitar playing. I also have to mention the last song for its beautiful melody line and Cinematic sensation.

– – – : The softer side of the work (cf. “Hourglass”, and “Unisono”) unfortunately isn’t the most convincing one. It’s too long without a true apotheosis.

Conclusion: Motor!k remains one of the most unique bands from the Out Of Line roster. They don’t only bring something different, but also something sexy.

Best songs: “Socrates”, “Stunden”, “Reflections”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/MOTORIKBELGIUM

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

Listen to “3”:

3 by Motor!k

About Motor!k

Motor!k is a Belgian Krautrock trio set up in 2018 by Joeri Dobbeleir on guitar and synths, Dries D’Hollander on drums and Dirk Ivens on guitar and effects. Dobbeleir and Ivens live in the same town; Ivens had released the debut album by Dobbeleir’s other band, The Whereabouts Of J. Albert, in 2017. The two started jamming with a drum computer and a bass sequencer before asking D’Hollander, previously the drummer in Dobbeleir’s early band Suburb Songs, to join.

In a Click Interview with Side-Line, Dobbeleir named NEU!, Harmonia and Wire as reference points and described the working method: he writes the basic synth and guitar tracks at his home studio, sends demos to Ivens and D’Hollander, and the trio then jams the songs into shape, with drums and guitars recorded in their rehearsal room and mixing handled at D’Hollander’s place.

The self-titled debut album appeared in 2019 on Out Of Line, a label better known for dark electronics, EBM and electro-pop, and “Motor!k 2” followed in 2021. “3” was released on 13 May 2022 on Out Of Line as a six-track record running about 39 minutes: “Stunden”, “Socrates”, “Hourglass”, “Unisono”, “Zug” and “Reflections”. It was issued digitally, on CD and as an LP-plus-CD set, keeping to the band’s stated aim of an album a year.

The chart swindle – signed Richard Branson – that rushed krautrock act Faust in the charts (and a bit of terror)

Eldrina Mich — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 12:48:33 +0000

Out now is the re-release of Faust’s 3rd album “The Faust Tapes”. It’s far from sure that this re-released krautrock album will sell as much as the initial original release back in 1973 which ended up selling between 50 to 100.000 copies. All thanks to the clever marketing strategy of Virgin Records boss Richard Branson.

Back at the time Virgin Records wanted to cash in on the rush for German music and it was Virgin’s Richard Branson who wanted the UK to get to know Faust. Although, honestly speaking, Virgin Records’ boss did have a preference for very alternative bands. After all, he signed Mike Oldfield, Gong, Public Image Ltd., DAF, and so on.

As for Faust’s first album on Virgin Records, Branson’s marketing strategy was very simple, selling the LP for 49 pence, the price of a single at that time. But by selling the album for the extremely cheap price, the album was quickly declared ineligible for chart placement. By then, the ‘damage’ was done as they say and the album was available to thousands of households. Nevertheless, the sales of the album put Virgin at a £2,000 loss.

There’s a crypto-terrorist in the house named Nettelbeck

Our chief editor Bernard Van Isacker talks about “quite a weird achievement for this band which was powered by producer and crypto-terrorist Uwe Nettelbeck.” Bernard: “I clearly add crypto-terrorist because Nettelbeck was an associate of the Baader-Meinhof terrorist organization and as an editor of the underground magazine Konkret, he gave a platform to the very cute but communist nutcase Ulrike Meinhof, the founding member of the Red Army Faction (RAF). In short, Nettelbeck didn’t have any problem selling thousands of records and at the same time being a die-hard communist who adored Mao and supported extreme left wing terrorism. Orwell’s “Animal Farm” comes to mind indeed. Note that over the years several bands and artists would glorify Ulrike Meinhof in their music such as Marianne Faithfull and Doris Days to name just two. A kind of very misplaced idolatry you can say.”

Musically not a real album according to the band

The music on this album, drawn from Faust’s own library of private tapes, was recorded informally and not originally intended for release. There was literally no post-production work done and the band itself never referred to it as their 3rd album but considered it more as a bonus release to mark their signing with Virgin Records. That was also what the band communicated.

The album had 2 tracks, both called untitled, and the album had a running time of a bit more than 43 minutes.

You would think that Faust’s next album “Faust IV” would be a hit after all this ‘Branson’ work. Allas, the band, who was used to live in a Hamburg based commune, didn’t like the music industry enough to make that happen. They in the end broke up in 1975 after Virgin rejected their fifth album.

The band would reform in 1994 to release “Rien”, their fifth album.

Eldrina Mich

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

La Jungle – Ephemeral Feast (Album – Black Basset / A Tant Rêver Du Roi / Rockerill / Stock)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: Krautrock, Industrial.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: This is the fifth studio album by the Belgian duo La Jungle. The band is hailing from the French part of the country and has released its album by four international labels.

Those labels are Black Basset Records, Rockerill Records, A Tant Rêver Du Roi and Stock Records. The duo had already worked with the first three on “Fall Off The Apex” in 2021.

Content: The new work has been introduced as the coldest work by La Jungle ever. After a heavy, short, intro we discover the loud and merciless sound of the band. This work stands for heavy Krautrock dominated by impressive guitar riffs and heavy drums. The vocals have been mixed in the background and have been often produced in a shouting way.

+ + + : This is a cold and somewhat tormented piece of Krautrock. The tracks are progressively built up, sometimes creating a transcendental sensation. It has an uplifting effect which mainly comes through at “Couleur Calcium” which is a real masterpiece, and “Rivari”. Guitar and drums are totally complementary while the vocals are adding a ghost-like effect.

– – – : I’m not a huge fan of the artwork but that’s not really a reason to complain.

Conclusion: La Jungle took me by surprise having accomplished a great and powerful piece of Krautrock.

Best songs: “Couleur Calcium”, “Rivari”, “Hallow Love?”, “The Lake”, “De Verna”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/lajungleband

Labels: www.atrdr.net / www.facebook.com/atantreverduroi / www.blackbassetrecords.com / www.facebook.com/BlackBassetRecords / www.rockerillrecords.com / www.facebook.com/rockerillrecords / www.stockrecordsperth.bandcamp.com / www.facebook.com/stockrecords

About La Jungle

La Jungle is a Belgian duo from Mons, set up in 2013 by Mathieu Flasse and Rémy Venant, who perform under the names ‘Roxie Rookie’ and ‘Jim Frisko Binwette’. The pair mixes krautrock, industrial and techno, a combination they prefer to call ‘Organic Trance Music’. In a ‘Click Interview’ with La Jungle, Roxie described the band’s longevity as a matter of contrast: “Jim and me are pretty different and surely opposites on many points. And I think it’s a good thing for your band if you don’t always share the same state of mind with your partner.”

The self-titled debut “La Jungle” appeared in 2015 through Dewane Records, Whosbrain Records, Rockerill Records, Kinky Star and Kuistax. “II” followed in 2016 on Rockerill Records and Black Basset Records, and “Past // Middle Age // Future” in 2019, with A Tant Rêver Du Roi joining the two labels. A remix edition of that album arrived in 2020 on the duo’s own H Y P E R J U N G L E Recordings, the label they have run since that year, and “COUCOU BEUH !!!” came out on EXAG’ Records the same year.

“Fall Off The Apex” followed in 2021 and “Ephemeral Feast” in 2022, the latter also issued as a separate single and remix 12″. The cassette “Saint Bon-Singes” appeared on H Y P E R J U N G L E Recordings in 2022, and the sixth album “Blurry Landscapes” arrived in 2023, built around a collaboration with Outsider and Art Brut artists.

Sonologyst – Interdimensional (Album – Cold Spring)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Thu, 19 May 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: Experimental, Abstract, Ambient.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Unexplained Sounds Group label owner Raffaele Pezzella moves back to Cold Spring to release the newest work of his Sonologyst music project. It’s a new conceptual work inspired by scientist Michio Kaku exploring the ‘paraphysical dimension of cosmic music.’

Content: The work of Sonologyst is a new kind of sonic puzzle or sound collage mixing dark atmospheres with vintage sound treatments and Experimental music reminding me of the early 80s era. The tracks have been progressively built up by an impressive arsenal of noises and manipulated sound treatments.

+ + + : Raffaele Pezzella reveals himself as a true sound scientist. You get the impression the sounds of this work have been composed in a sonic lab instead of a studio. But I like the accessible format of the work which I think is mainly due to the dark atmospheres recovering the work. This album makes me think of an imaginary fusion between Experimental- and Ambient music but even Krautrock.

– – – : Sonologyst remains a true sonic enigma which is not always easy to catch and to endure. You better like Experimental productions when listening to Sonologyst.

Conclusion: I’m always impressed by the sonic complexity of Sonologyst compositions and this new work is not that different but it’s one of the best albums of the Italian artist in history.

Best songs: “Ad Astra”, “Through Memories And Galaxies”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/sonologyst

Label: www.coldspring.co.uk / www.facebook.com/coldspringhq

Listen to “Interdimensional”:

Interdimensional by Sonologyst

About Sonologyst

Sonologyst is the solo project of Raffaele Pezzella, an Italian sound artist. Founded as an experimental sound laboratory, the project explores the boundaries between science and sound, often integrating space-themed data, literature, and abstract composition.

Based in Italy, Pezzella developed Sonologyst as an evolving “scientific sonic documentary” series, a concept he set out in a 2020 Click Interview with Side-Line.

The project traces its conceptual roots to early electronic experimentation of the 1950s and 1960s, while embracing later techniques such as data sonification and psychoacoustic processing. Since its founding, Sonologyst has released a series of thematically driven albums, often built around esoteric, scientific, or metaphysical concepts. Early works include “Electrons: A Scientific Essay” (2017), a digital album exploring subatomic theory, and “Silencers: The Conspiracy Theory Dossiers” (2018), which engaged with narratives of state secrecy and paranormal investigations.

Through his label Unexplained Sounds Group, Pezzella has also curated multiple compilations of global experimental artists and maintained a steady discography of solo releases. These include “Phantoms” (2019), focused on paranormal and EVP phenomena; “Ancient Death Cults and Beliefs” (2020), examining esoteric spiritual systems; and “Shortwave Spectrum” (2023), a project centered on ghost signals in abandoned radio transmissions. The 2021 release “Dust Of Human Race” presented a dystopian narrative of extinction and planetary memory.

Cold Spring released “Interdimensional” on 8 April 2022 on CD and digital. Pezzella played analogue synthesizers, electronics and droning table, and mastered the album himself, with graphic design by Abby Helasdottir.

Minimalistic synth pop act Dolva Sana offers new single ‘Without Help’ ahead of new EP ‘Hard-boiled Wonderland’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Mon, 03 Jan 2022 12:39:14 +0000

Out now is “Without Help” from the minimalistic synth pop act Dolva Sana. The project is a collaboration between singer Jake Harding (London, UK) and musician/producer Frederic Caure (Kortrijk, Belgium) and was founded in 2021. Its influences: new wave, krautrock, early synth pop and other electronic music pioneers.

“Hard-boiled Wonderland” is Dolva Sana’s first EP containing 5 tracks, which is set for digital release on 4th February 2022.

The first single from the EP “Without Help” is out now and is available on several download and streaming platforms such as Bandcamp and Spotify.

Frederic Caure has been active in other projects Landskap and SerpentCult while Jake Harding’s early work focused on punk and metal before collaborations led him to work within varying genre styles including blues, folk, psych rock and ambient electronica. His current main project sees him as vocalist in gothic doom band Grave Lines, but previous bands include: Dead Existence, Centurions Ghost, The Death Letter and Landskap.

Here’s the first single from the upcoming EP.

Without Help by Dolva Sana

Bitcrush – Dead Corners (Single – Ant-Zen)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: Krautrock, Cinematographic, Experimental.

Format: Digital, Vinyl.

Background/Info: You for sure remember Gridlock, which was featuring Mike Cadoo. After the split of this duo, Cadoo focused on his solo-project Bitcrush. Most of the works were released on his own label n5MD. It’s already a while ago we heard new stuff from Bitcrush, but Mike Cadoo released two new tracks on Ant-Zen.

Content: Both songs are definitely appealing to Krautrock; instrumental edits with Psychedelic guitar playing and achieved with electronic treatments. There also is a strong Cinematographic feeling emerging from the composition, which comes mainly through on the title song.

+ + + : It’s good to see Bitcrush back on track and releasing new material on Ant-Zen definitely is a way to gain a wider audience. I like the title song for its fusion between all the different influences; kind of Cinematographic-Krautrock experience.

– – – : Two songs isn’t that enough to speak about a major release. The B-side track (cf. “On Infinite”) is just fine, but nothing more.

Conclusion: Bitcrush strikes back appealing a diversified audience, which moves in between Krautrock and Cinematographic music.

Best songs: “Dead Corners”.

Rate: 6½.

Artist: www.bitcrish.net / www.facebook.com/haveyoulostyourway

Label: www.ant-zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official

Dead Corners by Bitcrush

About Bitcrush

Bitcrush is the solo project of American musician Mike Cadoo, based in Oakland, California. Cadoo was one half of the IDM duo Gridlock with Mike Wells, and also records as Dryft. He runs the label n5MD, which releases electronic music alongside shoegaze, post-rock, IDM and electro-acoustic material.

Where Gridlock and Dryft worked with harder post-industrial material, Bitcrush combines live instrumentation with glitch-based electronic production. The project debuted with “Enarc” in 2004, followed by “Shimmer And Fade” in 2005, “In Distance” in 2006, “Epilogue In Waves” in 2008, “From Arcs To Embers” and “Of Embers” in 2010, and “Collapse” in 2012. Cadoo then self-released the compilation “Shipwrecked” and the set “From Sinking” in 2015, and “Palms” in 2020.

Two months before this single, Side-Line reported that Cadoo had revived his other project in n5MD owner-operator and ex-Gridlock member Mike Cadoo aka Dryft returns with ‘From Stasis’, released on vinyl in October 2021. “Dead Corners” is his first Bitcrush material for Ant-Zen.

Can announce ‘Live In Brighton 1975’ to be released December 3 – listen to a first excerpt

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 06 Oct 2021 15:20:10 +0000

(Photo by Spoon Records) Mute and Spoon Records have released details of the second in a series of Can live album releases. “Live in Brighton 1975” will be released December 3 on limited edition triple gold vinyl, double CD, and digital platforms.

Sleeve notes for the release were written by Can biographer, author, and editor Rob Young and British journalist Kris Needs. The latter was involved in several live Can shows at the Friars club in Aylesbury, England between 1973-1977.

The Can Live series has taken the best of the bootlegged recordings and – overseen by founding member Irmin Schmidt and producer / engineer Rene Tinner – run them through the wringer of 21st century technology to bring you these vital historical documents in the best quality versions possible.

Here’s an excerpt from what to expect.

About Can

Can was a German experimental rock band formed in Cologne in 1968 by the core quartet of Holger Czukay (bass, tape editing), Irmin Schmidt (keyboards), Michael Karoli (guitar), and Jaki Liebezeit (drums). The group cycled through several vocalists, most prominently the American-born Malcolm Mooney (1968–70) and the Japanese-born Damo Suzuki (1970–73), as well as various temporary members.

Coming from backgrounds in the avant-garde and jazz, the members of Can blended elements of psychedelic rock, funk, and noise on influential albums such as Tago Mago (1971), Ege Bamyasi (1972) and Future Days (1973).[7] Can also had occasional commercial success, with singles such as “Spoon” and “I Want More” reaching national singles charts. They have been widely hailed as pioneers of the German krautrock scene, and a considerable influence on subsequent rock, post-punk, ambient, and electronic music.

More interesting for many of our readers is that Jaki Liebezeit would go on to record with numerous musicians, such as Jah Wobble and Philip Jeck, with whom he produced an album for Jah Wobble’s 30 Hertz Records, and contributed drums and percussion to many albums as a guest musician over the years, such as the Depeche Mode album “Ultra” and Brian Eno’s album “Before and After Science”.

Tim Story releases tribute to sound pioneer Dieter Moebius: ‘Moebius Strips’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 16 Sep 2021 07:47:11 +0000

(Photo by Alice d25) “Moebius Strips” is a brand new tribute to sound pioneer Dieter Moebius, put together by longtime friend and collaborator Tim Story.

The project includes contributions from Geoff Barrow (Portishead, Beak), Sarah Davachi, Jean-Benoît Dunckel (Air), Eve Maret, Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo), Phew, Hans-Joachim Roedelius (Cluster, Harmonia), Michael Rother (Harmonia, NEU!) and Yuri Suzuki. The project includes a limited edition CD/digital release on October 1st with a limited edition vinyl to come in spring 2022.

For the recordings, Story has been using Moebius’ sounds and loops and he has been working closely with Moebius’ widow Irene. The result is a combination of hundreds of sounds, motifs and riffs from the artist’s archive with raw material from the many Moebius collaborations that Story himself had been a part of over the years.

About Dieter Moebius

Dieter Moebius (16 January 1944 – 20 July 2015) was a Swiss-born German electronic musician and composer, best known as a member of the influential krautrock bands Cluster and Harmonia.

Moebius was studying art at Berlin’s Akademie Grafik and working as a restaurant cook when he met Conrad Schnitzler, founder of the Zodiak Free Arts Lab with Hans-Joachim Roedelius. The trio founded the improvisation group Kluster in 1969. After the departure of Schnitzler, the duo changed their name to Cluster and relocated to the countryside village of Forst, releasing influential albums such as “Zuckerzeit” (1974) and “Sowiesoso” (1976). Moebius would also draw on his graphic design training create the cover artwork for various Cluster albums and related collaborations.

Meanwhile, Moebius and Roedelius founded the band Harmonia with Michael Rother of Neu!, releasing the albums “Musik von Harmonia” (1974) and “Deluxe” (1975). Admirer Brian Eno would subsequently collaborate with both groups. Moebius began recording solo works in the 1970s and was later involved in numerous side-projects with such musicians as Conny Plank and Mani Neumeier (Guru Guru), including the influential 1983 album “Zero Set”.

Moebius died of cancer on 20 July 2015.

(Ex-)Members from Kraftwerk, Portishead, Devo, etc. pay respect to electronic music and krautrock pioneer Dieter Moebius in Moebius Strips audio installation by Tim Story

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 20 Jul 2021 15:17:36 +0000

(Photo by Irene Moebius – Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius in 2008) Moebius Strips is an audio installation by Tim Story from the sounds and music of electronic music and krautrock pioneer Dieter Moebius. Included are contributions from Geoff Barrow (Portishead, Beak), Sarah Davachi, Jean-Benoît Dunckel (Air), Eve Maret, Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo), Phew, Hans-Joachim Roedelius (Cluster, Harmonia), Michael Rother (Harmonia, Kraftwerk, NEU!) and Yuri Suzuki.

The project includes a limited edition CD and digital release which will be available on October 1st. A limited edition audiophile vinyl release will follow in spring 2022.

The Swiss German electronic music pioneer Dieter “Moebi” Moebius passed away in 2015 leaving behind work with Brian Eno, Conny Plank, as a member of the krautrock act Harmonia and perhaps most memorably with Hans-Joachim Roedelius in the duo Cluster.

Longtime friends and colleagues, Moebius and Story collaborated on many musical projects, including “Snowghost Pieces” (2014) and Cluster’s final album “Qua” (2009).

Here’s a teaser for “Moebius Strips”.

Daniel B. & Elko B. – 66.6 (Album – Alfa Matrix)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: Experimental, EBM, Industrial, Krautrock, Psychedelic.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: One year after the “Six+Six”-album, on which Front 242 core member Daniel B. revisited some ‘242’-song, he now strikes again with a second chapter in this series. Together with guitarist Elko B. he reworked three more songs of Front 242 and released one new piece. This work is a new celebration for the 66^th anniversary of this Electro legend.

Content: Who better than Daniel B. can rework some of the most famous Front 242 hits? “Welcome to Paradise”, “Funkahdafi” and “Nomenclatura” got a serious sonic makeover. You easily recognize the original songs by the samplings, bass lines and even some rhythms, but the basis of the songs have been recomposed by new and extra sound. Daniel B. once said that he put noise into rhythm and that’s an aspect you easily recognize. He transformed the EBM songs into psychedelic passages, the guitar playing injecting an extra Experimental/Krautrock approach. The new track sounds a similar way and is mainly characterized by its repetitive sequences moving crescendo until reaching a sonic, noisey climax.

+ + + : I definitely prefer this new work in comparison with “Six+Six”. First there’s an interesting choice of the tracks; the original ‘242’ songs were all composed without real vocals, the samplings creating the spirit of the tracks. Daniel B. held the samplings and reworked the songs. I especially like the opening song “Welcome To Paradise”, but my favorite cut is the new track “The End Of The End” –a prophetic title? The way this song has been composed and evolving through a heavy sonic mayhem is absolutely irresistible. It finally ends into a transcendental approach.

– – – : If you’re just and only into the original EBM cuts, this is not exactly the kind of sound you’re going to like.

Conclusion: This work has to celebrate the anniversary of this visionary artist, but let’s hope he’ll go on creating new material… no time for retirement!

Best songs: “The End Of The End”, “Welcome To Paradise”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/DanielBProthese-498107323916078

Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix

About Daniel B. & Elko B.

Daniel B. is the stage name of Daniel Bressanutti, a founding member of Front 242, the Belgian EBM group formed in 1981. Guitarist Elko B. joined him for “Six+Six” (2020, Alfa Matrix), the first chapter of a series reworking Front 242 songs for Bressanutti’s 66th anniversary. “66.6” is the second chapter, reworking “Welcome To Paradise”, “Funkahdafi” and “Nomenclatura” and adding the new track “The End Of The End”. Alfa Matrix released the album the same month as two archival Front 242 live albums, including “91 (Live in EU)”.

Krautrock legends Faust see 1971-1974 years compiled on a mega boxset on vinyl and CD and release long lost album ‘Punkt’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 15:16:42 +0000

Audioglobe sent us some interesting news about Faust. Who? Faust!

Faust are a German band which was formed in 1971 in Wümme by producer and former music journalist Uwe Nettelbeck. The band was originally composed of Werner “Zappi” Diermaier, Hans Joachim Irmler, Arnulf Meifert, Jean-Hervé Péron, Rudolf Sosna and Gunther Wüsthoff, working with engineer Kurt Graupner. Their work was oriented around dissonance, improvisation, and experimental electronic approaches, and would influence subsequent ambient and industrial music.

As such they are considered a central act of West Germany’s 1970s krautrock movement which included acts like Can, Neu!, Amon Düül II, Faust, Harmonia, Ash Ra Tempel, Agitation Free, Guru Guru, early Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream and Cluster.

They secured a recording contract with Polydor and soon began recording their debut, “Faust”, which sold poorly. Meifert was sacked shortly afterwards because, as Peron wrote in 2004, “he discussed things, because he had flat buttocks and an absolutely beautiful girlfriend, because he practised every day, because he always kept his room neat and woke up every morning to first wet a cloth he’d put in front of his room to keep the dirt out, because he played such a hard 4/4th that we had to travel into the tongue, ready to drop, ding dong is handsome top.”

(Photo by Juergen d. Ensthaler)

The band did have its loyal fans. “There is no group more mythical than Faust”, Julian Cope once said. And Stephen Morris (Joy Division/New Order) remembers: “The first Krautrock record which made a lasting impression on me was the debut album by Faust. The transparent disc looked spectacular and the music was mindblowing, not songs as such, it was something absolutely unique, the polar opposite of everything the Rolling Stones, Beatles and the like were doing. It was right up my street.”

To be released via Bureau B later on this month is the 7LP + 2×7”-boxset and the 8CD boxset “1971-1974”. This box is the first virtually complete collection of the band’s works from the years 1971-1974. In addition to the debut album it also includes the 1972 album “So Far”, the legendary 1973 Virgin UK release “The Faust Tapes”, “Faust IV” and, for the first time ever, the mythical, so-called ‘Munich album’ “Punkt”, which Faust recorded at Giorgio Moroder’s Musicland Studios in 1974. For one reason or another, this last album never saw the light of day – until now.

The bonus albums “Momentaufnahme I” and “Momentaufnahme II” also feature unreleased material. Two 7-inch singles round off the Faust 1971-1974 compendium: “Lieber Herr Deutschland” is the demo recording they sent to Polydor in 1971, The second 7-inch single in the box is a rerelease of “So far”, the first Faust single on Polydor, originally issued in 1972.

Mastered from the original tapes, Faust’s “1971-1974” is available as a limited edition vinyl set (2,000 copies) and 8CD-Box (1,000 copies).

Here’s an idea how the band sounded like in 1973.

Scottish darkwave duo Hanging Freud back with 6th album, ‘Persona Normal’ – check out the single video ‘Antidote/Immune’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 12:50:45 +0000

Glasgow based darkwave/post-punk duo Hanging Freud have just unveiled their sixth full-length album, “Persona Normal”. “Persona Normal” is available now in physical and digital formats on Hanging Freud’s label, Tiny Box. Persona Normal was written produced and recorded by the duo with mastering duties from James Plotkin (Khanate).

Hanging Freud is the Glasgow based production duo Paula Borges and Jonathan Skinner. As a duo they combine their somewhat nomadic past with multicultural backgrounds of coming from Sao Paulo (Brazil) and London (UK) with post-punk and electronics.

The band states: “We were living between the UK and Brazil, going back and forth. These were two societies going through extreme change. The whole world was changing in a way that felt scary.”

For their new album the duo went for a progressive change with more urgency and directness in sound and while maintaining a synth/drum machine approach. The album moves the duo into a new post punk, krautrock and art rock direction rather than the more emotive, goth inspired leanings of their previous record “Nowhere”.

You can already enjoy this new video for the track “Antidote/Immune”.

‘Click Interview’ with Vlimmer: ‘There’s Music For Every Mood And Emotion In My Life’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Thu, 13 May 2021 17:00:00 +0000

Vlimmer is the sonic brainchild of German musician, producer, label owner, visual artist and book author Alexander Leonard Donat. He’s involved with numerous projects, but Vlimmer definitely is a special one. By the end of 2020 he released the final chapter of an impressive eighteen EP-series. It took him five years to achieve this unique concept, which has been released on his own label Blackjack Illuminist Records. The songs are quite diversified, but often influenced by Shoegaze, Dark-Pop, Dark-Wave and related genres.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Can you briefly tell us how you got involved with music and how did you come to set up Vlimmer? What have been the main influences and references when setting up Vlimmer?

Alexander: I’ve been playing different kinds of instruments since the age of four. I started with classical music and the violin, a little later I went on playing the piano and even tried out handling the trumpet. I’m in the third generation of a musical family, but the first one who makes Rock/Electronic music. Additionally, I’m the first one not doing it on a professional basis. My dad is a classical pianist and a university teacher, my grandfather was one of the most famous pianists in the GDR and didn’t do anything else besides giving concerts all over Germany and the whole planet.

Like them, and like probably every passionate musician at some point I thought about making music for a living. I tried and I failed with my first projects and bands. Vlimmer was a reaction to that very attempt. In 2015 I no longer tried to involve anything in my music that would please an audience, I simply made something that was 100% the music I wanted to make: a dark and bleak version of Shoegaze. Honestly, I didn’t have any clear references, only a few random ones like Dirty Beaches and Belong maybe, rather unknown Lo-Fi and Ambient/Drone-based bands. I started with Vlimmer making this kind of music because I couldn’t find anything like that anywhere. It’s as simple as that.

Q: Back in 2015 you started with a rather ambitious project, which was to release 18 (!) EP’s. How the hell did you get this idea, which is absolutely unique and what did you’ve in mind? Was there a kind of deadline?

Alexander: When I officially released the first two parts of the EP-series I had already recorded five ones. It was an incredibly productive phase where the songs didn’t stop coming, it was as if I just needed a synthesizer, my guitar pedals and a microphone in front of me to create songs that were basically writing themselves. Believe me or not, in the beginning I never planned to release any of the material, but then I thought, ‘What the heck, you have this DIY record label and there are not even a handful of bands on it, just release this. Even if nobody is listening, it will at least look like you have a real record label at hand. You have nothing to lose’.

It was also pretty easy to come up with lyrics, I simply used a book I had written (in German) a couple of years before. Guess how many chapters it has? Announcing an 18-EP series with a completely new project, not knowing if anyone was remotely interested in it may have looked extremely optimistic –and a little stupid, too. But seriously, I absolutely felt capable of doing this, right from the start.

At first I wanted to prove it to myself, but then I did it to shut the people up who thought this series couldn’t be done. The start was marvelous, people were listening immediately; out of nowhere, I suddenly had more listeners than I had in the entire 10 years before that. This, of course, was extremely motivating and gave me an extra push. There was no deadline for when to finish the series, I only knew I didn’t want it to take more than five years, which meant I had two definite release dates per year where I released either one or two EP’s at the same time.

Q: Each EP features 5 different songs, which means a total amount of 90 (!) songs. Was there a specific reason why you released 5 songs for each EP and 18 EP’s? Is there a kind of concept behind this project and what are your favorite songs and releases?

Alexander: There is a very clear concept behind this EP series. It tells the story of a young man getting lost between reality and his increasingly delusional mind. The motif is rather classical: the individual that feels alienated among people, looking for a purpose in life and a place in society. However, furthermore, I involved time travels, disturbing events that blend real life with imagination, murder, and a rather hopeless ending, which leads right back to the start of everything. I like to see it as a Dark-Ambient existential narrative. In order to tell the narrative a certain number of songs was necessary, and 5 felt about right and manageable.

Having thought about this question of a favorite EP before, I still don’t have a definite one I like the most. I honestly enjoy listening to them all and wouldn’t change a thing. For the listeners I would recommend starting with 12, 13, 14 and head on to 18 and 10 to get an impression of ‘the later’, more dark Shoegaze/Dark-Electro/Dark-Pop/Post-Punk Vlimmer. In the beginning it was bleaker, noisier, more Lo-Fi, more Dark-Wave, Krautrock and Shoegaze. Of the ‘early’ Vlimmer I recommend starting with 1, 6 and 8. My top 5 songs are probably “Lebenswert” (from 16), “Leben” (11), “Gesellschaftsrücken” (13), “Sonnenschwarz” (7) and “Krakenkombat” (12), but this constantly changes.

Q: Composing and recording 90 songs in between 2015 and 2020 definitely requests a huge discipline, but still a constant creativity. How did you manage both aspects and what has been your way of working?

Alexander: That’s as mysterious as it is pure coincidence. First of all, I listen to a lot of music from very different genres, from Indie-Rock to Dark-Ambient to Psychedelic Garage-Rock to Black-Metal and Post-Hardcore, you name it. There’s music for every mood and emotion in my life, which means that I also make rather positive and bright music. Sure, they all transport an emotional, melancholic aspect, but there’s a huge difference between Vlimmer and, let’s say, my Dream-Punk/Indie-Rock project Fir Cone Children.

Switching between these moods it’s easy to stay creative because I’m not focused on just one thing. If I only had one project I think wouldn’t be as productive. Luckily, I have a handful of other projects besides Vlimmer and they all help me to balance it out and stay focused. Once I’m ‘back’ from being busy with one project, I’m usually super hungry for one my other projects. Also, I don’t need much sleep, it’s four and a half hours on average, which means I can use half of the night for writing and recording new music.

Q: You’re also running Blackjack Illuminist Records. So I would like to get your opinion about releasing EPs versus albums; especially because I hear label owners affirming albums will progressively disappear because of streaming platforms?

Alexander: I hate to admit it, but it seems like the majority of today’s listeners can only focus on singles, which is something I can see in the Spotify statistics of most of my label’s bands. So, it’s more like albums and EP’s versus singles rather than albums versus EP’s for me. Personally, I will always favor an album, or if necessary an EP over a single. As a label owner focusing on physical releases I will, of course, release singles, but always prior to a full-length on CD, tape or vinyl. This is my number one passion. If I were to focus on digital-only releases, I could as well shut down my label. Not gonna happen, not as long as I have all my senses.

Luckily, so far, the labels I buy records from are still around and don’t seem like disappearing in the next years. But in 20 years of time I wouldn’t be surprised if the number of labels which release physical media were down to 40%. But this would be due to generations of music listeners slowly dying out – listeners who like to put on vinyl records or play CDs and tapes on their stereo. It’s somehow sad, but it’s the natural course of things, and I totally accept this.

Q: Now you’ve finally accomplished the 18 EPs series, what will be the next step and further plans for Vlimmer?

Alexander: Thanks for asking, at the moment I’m finishing up the songs for the first Vlimmer-album, which will be released in Autumn. With the EP-series finished, I made a clear cut and started working on a new sound design and style working with new equipment. All of the synthesizers I used in the past five years are, kind of, banned for me, I didn’t even use them once. It’s still Vlimmer, but it’s less Pop, less Post-Punk, less Indie, and instead more tribal drums, more darkness and density, more distortion, more aggression. Instead of an 80s vibe these new songs have a contemporary aim. And hey, I’m extremely excited as it looks like there will be a vinyl version being released on a label I very much love. On Blackjack Illuminist, of course, I’m going to release the CD and tape version, as usual.

Norwegian electronica wave / ambient act Lights A.M launches debut album – an interview

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 11 Mar 2021 10:28:14 +0000

(Photos by Tori Lind) Out since last month and now available on Bandcamp and all other platforms including Spotify is the full length debut album by the electronica wave / ambient act Lights A.M, the brainchild of Norwegian musician Erlend Eilertsen we know from the electro rock act Essence Of Mind. The conceptual full length album “Stories Without Words” comes after the release of 3 EPs back in 2019 and 2020: “Shine Our Lights” (2019, and re-released with bonus tracks in 2020), “Surrender & Evolve” (2020) and “Agnes” (2020).

The instrumental 10-track offers a mix of meditative soundscapes, heartwarming hymns and melancholic melodic layers, something which we actually also could hear in the electronic layers Eilertsen added in his Essence Of Mind work.

The Norwegian artist is going very deep here, digging into his emotions and intimate moments as our interview will show. Timeless electronic music from the Nordics.

We hailed Norway, and caught Erlend in his studio. You can check out the album below whilst reading the rest.

Stories Without Words by LIGHTS A.M

SL: How are things in Sandvika?

EE: Here in Sandvika (20 kilometer outside Oslo), it is all good, apart from the ongoing pandemic which does put it’s mark here as well. That said, it hasn’t had that much impact on my daily life apart from not being able to play live and attend some concerts. I do miss those and other opportunities, like being more social and traveling. But in the end I really can’t complain, cause the impact it has on a lot other people’s life is far more severe.

I can’t wait for it all to be over though, it’s really sad to see how many people are struggling in many different ways, and that we can’t remove all the current restrictions.

SL: Lights A.M seems a really good way to pass a good time in confinement, it’s very tranquilizing, I guess it had the same effect on you?

EE: Funny you should mention that (laughs). It does, but all the tracks I have released so far have been written before the outbreak last year actually, so just wait to see what comes next! Joke aside, it does fit the current situation in a way, but it’s more a reflection of me personally, and how I evolve as a person, and music is my therapy. I really enjoy making soundscapes, it’s almost meditative in its own way. I tend to think that the scares and frustrations I needed to scream out before is done. Now it’s time to heal the wounds, and for me the best way is to slow down.

SL: Is this a project that has been boiling in your head for while? What was the click to start recording it?

EE: Yes it is, you are correct. Back in late 2016 I found myself doing some more cinematic and slower instrumental tracks all of a sudden, and I really enjoyed doing things differently than before. So I got really creative, more than I had been in a long time. So it just happened more or less.

It did take some time to figure out what do with the new tracks though, as I felt it could not be interpreted into Essence Of Mind without doing a radical change in style. I also wanted to do something new again, back to start in way, so I started this new chapter in my life, with total creative freedom.

Another thing I quickly realized is that writing instrumental tracks is very deliberating in the way that the music tells the story itself. I often find words limiting, and to have another way of telling a story is something I really appreciate.

Take the track «Agnes» for example; a track I wrote as a tribute to our beloved Griffon dog which had been a big part of our lives for almost 16 years at that time. I really don’t think I could have made a track about her with words to express my feelings for her. I feel that the track itself channel the love and gratitude I feel for her in a way not possible with written words.

Stories Without Words by LIGHTS A.M

I also believe that the listener experience the tracks in a more personal way as well, as everything is more open to each own interpretation, so the listener is a part of making the story. Making an album called “Stories Without Words” really made sense to me.

SL: It has the melodic twist we also find back in Essence Of Mind but with synth layers that remind us a lot of Vangelis. I guess he was one of the main inspirations musically speaking?

EE: One of many, but a big inspiration of course. The 70’s and 80’s have a lot of amazing instrumental electronic music. Another thing I quickly realized is that writing instrumental tracks is very deliberating in the way that the music tells the story itself. I often find words limiting, and to have another way of telling a story is something I really appreciate.

SL: The music instantly also reminds of that stellar Netflix series “Stranger Things”, I guess you are a fan as well? I actually find that several pieces would well have fitted that series.

EE: I am, just love it, and thank you very much! The atmosphere, characters and the story are just awesome, and together with the soundtrack, it really makes something special! If you have not already, I really recommend that you check out the band Survive, which is the band behind the music in the series, they are totally awesome and a big inspiration for me as well.

I would love to make soundtracks my self one day, that magic when picture and sounds blend together perfectly is truly amazing! So it’s a dream I have.

SL: The release has a very own musical synth palet, it’s very easy to recognize it as Lights A.M, I guess that was the purpose?

EE: Thank you, I’m happy to hear that! I actually have not thought that much about it to be honest, but I do want to do things my way, and I guess giving myself total freedom to not have to fit something really helped to develop my own style and sound. I do listen to a lot of different music, and have influences from all over the place, from krautrock, old soundtracks, to ambient and melancholic pop and rock, it really does not matter. So what you hear is just me picking the parts I like and make something out of it.

SL: You aren’t too keen on the term synthwave, why is that?

EE: I have nothing against it, just feel it does not fit Lights A.M, I also feel that the genre has been a little saturated, and lot of the music sounds too generic and artificial to my taste. Maybe that’s what happening when something get’s a hype and a lot of people all of a sudden want to make something sound a specific way?

Then there are bands like Gunship, who are brilliant and who I really enjoy, and even Cliff Martinez (behind the amazing Drive soundtrack) has been put into that term, so it’s not about the genre, it’s about the music presented. I do like that the music and visuals have some kind of organic approach – even if it’s purely electronic just like my own stuff – and that it has strong emotions and a story behind it.

I want to feel something when listening, and it does not matter if it’s a 20 min drone track or a 3 min pop track, and it certainly does not matter which genre you put it in.

SL: Are there plans to bring the project live once this whole pandemic is over?

EE: I hope so! I have a quite clear vision of how it should be, but it has to be done the right way. Very different to how I have done things before, but that is a challenge I want to take on. It will be a lot more visual to what I’m used to do, so the whole production needs to be on another level than before. I will not perform alone on stage either, so a lot of puzzles have to fit, but I do have some ideas and have been in talk with a close friend and awesome musician already.

Lights A.M videos

‘Click Interview’ with MOTOR!K: ‘It’s Only The Love For The Music’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 18:00:00 +0000

MOTOR!K is a Belgian Krautrock formation set up in 2018 by Joeri Dobbeleir (guitar and synths), Dries D’Hollander (drums) and Dirk Ivens (guitar and effects). The Belgian trio released its self-named debut album in 2019 on Out Of Line. It was a rather surprising signature on the label, which is more familiar with Dark-Electronics, EBM, Electro-Pop and since a few years Metal music. MOTOR!K moved on unleashing a new album this year. The work sounds as a perfect offspring between Psychedelic guitar play, transcendental Electronic sound treatments and exciting drum patterns. Time for a chat with Joeri Dobbeleir.

(Picture credits by Danny Quintelier / Interview courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: How did you guys get in touch? We of course know Dirk Ivens from his numerous projects, but can you tell us a bit more about your background?

Joeri: I’ve met Dirk many years ago because we live in the same town. In 2017 he released the debut album from my other band, The Whereabouts Of J. Albert. While meeting somewhere in 2018 we’ve decided to start a new band because of our mutual interest in the Krautrock-Kosmische Musik genre. Initially we jammed with a drum computer and a bass sequencer, but soon it was clear that we needed a more ‘human’ drum sound so I’ve asked Dries, who I also knew for many years and who was the drummer for Suburb Songs, one of my first bands. From the first rehearsal with 3 members it was clear that we’ve made the right decision. The fact that he also lives in the same town as Dirk and I made it even more appealing. Even our rehearsal room is nearby so it was easy to set up rehearsals and start working on the tracks.

Q: How do we have to understand MOTOR!K referring to the influences you incorporated and criteria when it comes to production?

Joeri: Of course we have certain influences like NEU?, HARMONIA or WIRE, but above all we try to obtain our own sound production-wise. I feel that with every album we are reaching that goal even more. Most of the basic bass tracks, synths and overdubs are recorded in my home studio and the drums and guitars in the rehearsal room. The mixing of the 2 albums was done at Dries his place because he has these very great sounding vintage 70’s monitors.

Q: Your music has been defined as Krautrock, which is a music genre evoking the German late 60s and 70s; the revolt of the students, the call for liberty, drugs etc. What does this period evoke to you and what does Krautrock –and its revival today, evoke to you?

Joeri: Musically it is a very interesting period because of the pioneering work of bands such as NEU?, Tangerine Dream, ASH RA TEMPEL etc…

The revolting and 60’s hippie part is least interesting to us, it’s only the love for the music.

The bands who are playing today are more straight-forward, including us. There is a certain similarity between all these ‘modern’ bands in the genre and that is this trance-evoking drive.

Q: I experienced your new work as more mature featuring more elaborated and accomplished songs. What’s your own perception about the evolution from the debut work towards “Motor!k 2”?

Joeri: When we finished the first album we never took the stage as a band. Before recording the 2nd one we’ve played nearly all of the tracks live so they could grow on us. I think that’s the main difference. Our main goal is to improve with each new album.

Q: What’s your way of working together and what’s the input of each member? What makes the chemistry between you all?

Joeri: I write all the basic synth and guitar tracks and record them as some kind of demo. Then I send them to Dirk and Dries and afterwards we jam to get versions we all like. Dirk did most of the overdubs for the 2 albums on guitar and synth.

Dirk his role in the band is to make weird groovy noises on guitar and synth to make it all less ‘poppy’ and Dries is holding it all together with his minimal drumming and electronic percussion. My role in the band is to play more melodic guitar parts and creating guitar loops. Because each of us has a significant role in the band, that easily creates a chemistry between us.

Q: Bacause of Covid-19 pandemic bands no longer can play live. Is that the reason you released different clips from songs of the new work? Tell us a bit more about the clips and how do you see things evolving for MOTOR!K?

Joeri: We only played one live streaming concert since the Covid-19 pandemic, which was a very strange thing to do, because we were used to play in clubs and at festivals packed with people.

When playing live, the visual aspect is very important to us. That’s why we use strobo’s and moving visuals to enhance the Trance-like feel of the music. The clip for “Sundown” was created by Monade Li, who also took care of the layout of our album “2”. The one for “Ritual” was made by E. Gabriel Edvy from Blackswitch Labs (who also worked with Dirk before for Dive) and “Headlights” was done by Ingo Sporl.

They all did a splendid job and we can’t thank them enough for putting so much effort in their work at these uncertain times.

As we speak we are preparing the third album, which we hope to record in a few months. Our goal from the start was to release an album every year, so we stick to that promise to ourselves. When all gets back to how it was before we hope we can catch up playing many gigs and promote our albums. Read the review of ‘Motor!k’.

Motor!k – Motor!k 2 (Album – Out Of Line)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sun, 06 Dec 2020 19:00:24 +0000

Genre/Influences: Krautrock, Psychedelic Electro-Rock, Experimental.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: One year after their self-titled debut release the Belgian Motor!k trio is back on track unleashing six new songs. Motor!k is the sonic brainchild of Joeri Dobbeleir (guitar and synths), Dries D’Hollander (drums) and Dirk Ivens (guitar and effects). Especially the presence of Dirk Ivens (The Klinik, Dive, Absolute Body Control, Sonar ao) is quite surprising, but Motor!k definitely seems to be an extra project in his long career.

Content: I have to admit I wasn’t totally convinced after the debut work. The band defines their sound as Krautrock, which is probably the correct definition although it’s more accessible than numerous projects in this genre. The songs are once again instrumental edits revealing a perfect harmony between the guitar –which clearly injects the style of Motor!k, the crescendo going drums and electronics. The tracks are progressively built up and are sometimes reaching a Trance-like sensation. I also noticed a more Ballad-like experiment (cf. “Memoria”) while the last song (cf. “Penta”) is more into Electro, the sequences adding an extra dimension to the song.

+ + + : The global approach and influences are exactly similar to the previous work, but this new album (which is more a kind of mini-album) is definitely more efficient. It all feels like there’s a better balance between the sound layers. The guitar playing is the most essential element of the work creating an elevating effect. The opening cut “Tyrants” is a cool song illustrating this hypnotic feeling, but “Ritual” even moves a step further leading the listener into trance. “Ritual” also has something pretty sensual, which is an aspect I especially like in music. But there’s also something to say about “Sundown”, which has a more dark Cinematic appeal. The already mentioned last song “Penta” reveals explicit Electronic sound treatments, which are in perfect balance with the guitar and drums.

– – – : The softer “Memoria” is the only song from this work that can’t convince me. It probably also is the most Experimental one.

Conclusion: “Motor!k 2” took me by surprise revealing a pretty accessible sound and the huge potential of Motor!k.

Best songs: “Ritual”, “Penta”, “Sundown”, “Tyrants”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/MOTORIKBELGIUM

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

About Motor!k

Motor!k is a Belgian krautrock trio set up in 2018 by Joeri Dobbeleir (guitar and synths), Dries D’Hollander (drums) and Dirk Ivens (guitar and effects), the latter also known for The Klinik, Dive, Absolute Body Control and Sonar.

The trio released its self-titled debut album in 2019 on Out Of Line, followed by “Motor!k 2” in 2020, the “Odyssey” EP in 2022 on Ant-Zen, the albums “3” (2022) and “4” (2023), and “5” in 2024.

Daniel B. – Six+Six (Album – Alfa Matrix)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 18:50:50 +0000

Genre/Influences: EBM, Experimental, Ambient.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Daniel Bressanutti aka Daniel B. is a kind of living legend. One of the core members of Front 242 (‘the man behind the mixing desk’) and still involved with numerous projects such as Male Or Female, Speed Tribe, Nothing But Noise, 99.9 and of course Daniel B./Prothese this celebrates his sixty sixth anniversary! To celebrate this event he revisited some legendary Front 242 songs plus one of the most famous Male Or Female cuts.

Content: We all know the original versions of “Happiness” and “Neurobashing” while “Seq666” (from the “Pulse”-album) is a less renowned track from Front 242. Daniel B. reworked the songs from his very own perspective, becoming a bit more experimental and ambient, but still easily recognizable and totally danceable. He even added some fragmented vocal parts on “Happiness”. “Skeleton Toy” originally released by Male Or Female is a bit more experimental. The last song “Intro.Outro” is only available at the digital- and CD format and sounds as.. an intro or outro.

+ + + : This album is an original idea –although a bit schizophrenic, but still an opportunity to rediscover some famous ‘242’-hits. “Happiness” and “Neurobashing” both are still holding on some essential elements of the original edits (like the melody line), but there’s this little extra and experimental Daniel B. touch on top. The man who’s ‘organising noise’ totally succeeded in his mission. It also is one of the most accessible releases Daniel B. has released over the past few years, most of his work being definitely more Experimental/Noise or Krautrock-driven.

– – – : When I was listening to this new work of Daniel B. I thought, ‘why not work on new Front 242?’… maybe just a very last time to remind all electronic lovers why Front 242 have been pioneers and visionary artists.

Conclusion: I get the feeling Daniel B. has seen it all and is just having fun when releasing a new work. Happy birthday Mr. Bressanutti and keep up entertaining the audience and your fans.

Best songs: “Happiness – Happy End”, Neurobashing – chzwaartzmetaal beat”

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/DanielBProthese-498107323916078

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

About Daniel B.

Daniel Bressanutti (Daniel B.) is a founding member of Front 242 and continues to record as Daniel B./Prothèse, alongside other projects such as Male Or Female, Nothing But Noise and 99.9.

Tim, where are you now? (name-your-price) by Sam Rosenthal & Projekt Artists

Tribute album to Timothy Leary by Sam Rosenthal and other Projekt artists

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 18:08:51 +0000

With “Tim, where are you now?” Projekt Records releases a tribute album to Timothy Leary who was born 100 years ago on October 22nd.

The album’s 13 tracks contain 4 spoken word trips with text excerpted and cut-up from Tim’s first LSD and DMT experiences chronicled in his 1968 book “High Priest”. The album features the music of: Sam Rosenthal, Steve Roach, Erik Wøllo, Mark Seelig, Forrest Fang, Byron Metcalf, Henrik Meierkord, Brian Parnham, theAdelaidean, Ryan Lum & Anji Bee (Love Spirals), Brian Viglione (The Dresden Dolls), Martin Bowes (Attrition), Jarguna, Nathan Youngblood and Mike VanPortfeet (Lycia).

The tracks:

Timothy… Who?

Most readers probably don’t have a clue who Timothy Leary was. So here’s a small round-up of his career.

Timothy Leary was an American psychologist and writer known for his strong advocacy of psychedelic drugs. As a clinical psychologist at Harvard University, Leary worked on the Harvard Psilocybin Project from 1960–62 (LSD and psilocybin were still legal in the United States at the time), resulting in the Concord Prison Experiment and the Marsh Chapel Experiment.

Leary believed that LSD showed potential for therapeutic use in psychiatry. He used LSD himself and developed a philosophy of mind expansion and personal truth through LSD.

The scientific legitimacy and ethics of his research were questioned by other Harvard faculties because he took psychedelics along with research subjects and pressured students to join in. As a result Leary and his colleague, Richard Alpert (who later became known as Ram Dass), were fired from Harvard University in May 1963.

After leaving Harvard, he continued to publicly promote the use of psychedelic drugs and became a well-known figure of the counterculture of the 1960s. During the 1960s and 1970s, he was arrested often enough to see the inside of 36 prisons worldwide. Nevertheless he was embraced by people from the music scene and worked with several artists including German Krautrock act Ash Ra Tempel, and so on.

Leary continued to take drugs frequently in private, but stayed away from proselytizing psychedelics. Instead, he preached about space colonization and extension of the human lifespan. He died in May 1996.

TIJ – Gig Economy (Album – Candy Bomber Music / Seja Records)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 18:30:09 +0000

Genre/Influences: Psychedelic, dark-rock, experimental, krautrock, chanson.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: TIJ (The Inconsistent Jukebox) is a project driven by Barry Snaith who’s also involved with m1nk (signed on Seja Records). “Gig Economy” is his solo-debut although he got considerable help and input from guest musicians –mainly his m1nk mates.

Content: m1nk is already something weird –and this is not meant as being negative, but TIJ moves even a step further. It simply is impossible defining the sound of this project, which rather sounds as a sonic melting pot. The opener of the album is mixing psychedelic elements together with some krautrock while the next track comes closer to dark-rock and the next one as a chanson experiment. The songs are clearly filled with a part of dark reverie, the sphere being an essential element of the work. The vocals have something sensual and are perfectly matching with the composition. Electronics and guitar play have been merged together, which I think creates this eclectic approach you can’t totally put your finger on.

+ + + : The main common element with m1nk is the originality of the project. TIJ doesn’t care about established music genres or trendy styles. It all comes from a creative spirit and resulted in a few noticeable songs. I especially like the ‘chanson’-approach running through “Sing Me Something Sinister” and “Let Me In A Dream”, but there’s also something to say about the more rock orientated “A Puppet Pulling Strings”. The sphere hanging over the songs has something particular. But one of the main strengths might be the production of the vocals, which has something sensual and bewitching.

– – – : This album remains something really apart and that’s probably what makes the difficulty and the challenge to reach a wider audience.

Conclusion: TIJ is a project that will appeal to open-minded music lovers and for those who’re thinking out of the box. I can’t say to be totally conquered, but it’s an original work!

Best songs: “Sing Me Something Sinister”, “A Puppet Pulling Strings”.

Rate: (6).

Artist: www.facebook.com/TIJmusic

Label: www.seja.nl / www.facebook.com/sejarecords

About TIJ

TIJ, short for The Inconsistent Jukebox, is the solo project of Barry Snaith, who is also involved with m1nk, signed to Seja Records.

“Gig Economy” is his solo debut, made with input from guest musicians drawn mainly from his m1nk bandmates.

Mandivula – Nonsense (CD Album – Dal Recordings)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Thu, 12 Sep 2019 19:30:10 +0000

Genre/Influences: Minimal-electronics, krautrock.

Background/Info: There’s not a lot of information available about Mandivula. The solo-project likes certain anonymity, but seems to be located in the Southern part of Europe. “Nonsense” appears to be the artist’s debut album featuring seven cuts.

Content: There clearly is a minimal-electro approach running through the work, which has been mixed with krautrock elements. I also noticed a few psychedelic passages. The cuts are rather short. The work is progressively evolving towards darker atmospheres while the compositions remain instrumentals.

+ + + : “Nonsense” reveals an interesting merge between different electronic elements creating a refreshing touch. I like the sound-minimalism, which also has something vintage like through the analogue-like sound treatments. I also enjoyed the work’s darkness and hypnotic effects. “Austerity” is a sublime piece of music where the atmosphere perfectly reflects the title of the song.

– – – : I noticed one forgettable song (cf. “Grey”) that I think it could be interesting to mix a few sampled- or real vocal lines in some songs.

Conclusion: Mandivula appears to be a real DIY artist, which is an element I support, but it also is an interesting discovery for electro tasters.

Best songs: “Austerity”, “My Spine”, “Disease”, “Void”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www .facebook .com /thisismandivula

About Mandivula

Mandivula is a solo electronic project that keeps its location private; the artist’s own statements place the work somewhere in southern Europe. “Nonsense”, released on Dal Recordings in 2019, remains Mandivula’s only known release, and no further discography or biographical detail has surfaced since.

Motor!k – Motor!k (CD Album – Out Of Line)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 18:30:25 +0000

Genre/Influences: Krautrock, psychedelic-rock, experimental.

Background/Info: Motor!k is one of the newest signings from Out Of Line and definitely one of the most surprising ones. We all know Out Of Line is no longer a ‘pure’ electronic underground label, but has opened its sonic horizon during the past few years. Motor!k is a Belgian trio featuring Joeri Dobbeleir (guitar and synths), Dries D’Hollander (drums) and last, but not least Dirk Ivens (guitar and effects). Dirk Ivens (Dive, The Klinik, Absolute Body Control, Sonbar ao) indeed is going back to his early ‘love’ to play guitar while this band is inspired by 70s krautock! This album has been released on cassette format by Wool-E Discs while Out Of Line took care for the CD and vinyl formats.

Content: The work features 6 cuts so in the end it’s more like a mini-album. All songs are instrumentals revealing certain harmony between guitars, electronics and drums. The sound is rather dark and often moves into psychedelic passages.

+ + + : This work is something like a challenge, but krautrock seems to become ‘hot’ again. After Daniel B. who’s fully experimenting with the genre and other less familiar artists, it’s now up to Dirk Ivens together with a completely new formation to start the experiment. I especially enjoyed the opening song “Static”, which is progressively evolving towards a truly apotheosis of guitars and electronic effects. It’s quite interesting to see this move back to krautrock as in a way it sounds refreshing although very old-school like. The guitar playing and especially the sensation it creates is really important for this kind of music and that’s precisely one of this band’s main strengths.

– – – : The opening track is great, but all other cuts left can’t really give me a similar feeling.

Conclusion: You sometimes have to get back to somewhat forgotten music genres to create a refreshing effect. I’m not saying krautrock is totally back, but it all looks like the genre is starting a second life.

Best songs: “Static”, “Stellar”, “Colder”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www .facebook .com /MOTORIKBELGIUM

Label: www .outofline .de / www .facebook .com /outoflinelabel Read the news on ‘Motor!k’.

About Motor!k

Motor!k is a Belgian trio formed by Joeri Dobbeleir (guitar and synths), Dries D’Hollander (drums) and Dirk Ivens (guitar and effects), known for his work in Dive, The Klinik, Absolute Body Control and Sonbar. The project takes its cue from 1970s krautrock, with the debut album first released on cassette through Wool-E Discs before Out Of Line issued the CD and vinyl editions.

Motor!k continued with “Motor!k 2” in 2020, “3” and the “Odyssey” EP in 2022, and “5” in 2024.

‘Click Interview’ with Onsturicheit: ‘It’s Like A Splinter In Our Soul Cause What Kind Of Future Do We Give To Our Children’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 17:00:09 +0000

Peter Moorkens is a Belgian artist born in 1965. He started playing acoustic guitar and got later on interested by modular synthesizers. He became involved with different projects dealing with different kinds of music. Onsturicheit is a solo-project, which is mainly driven by the magic of modular synths. Wool-E Discs recently released five albums of Onsturicheit, which are available as a boxset and separately. The work will appeal lovers of ‘krautrock’ and the so-called ‘Berliner school’.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Peter, you seem to be involved with very different music projects for years now. Can you briefly give us a summary and how do you explain this eclecticism?

Peter: I’ve been collecting music since I was 10 years old. Mostly Beatles, Pink Floyd and Hawkwind. Then Idiscovered Klaus Schulze and my dream was to do that sort of music. My mother had an organ and my sister played piano, so I exorcised my ideas on those tools, but nothing seriously. Then my mom bought a Roland JX-3P, but she couldn’t handle it so she gave it to me. I was moving into other areas at that time. I became a singer in a band called Smeurebreud (demo here: https://soundcloud.com/electric-loopstation/my-doggys-gone-111984) which was into folk stuff with English and Dutch lyrics. We had a lot of fun, did a lot of jamming and improvising.

Moving from Antwerp to Ghent changed a lot of thing. I joined hands together with Jeroen Saegeman to set The Moonfolks, which was a vehicle for experimental rock were you could play any instrument you wanted. I sang, learned to play guitar, tenor sax, synthesizer, harp, etc. At some point I bought a 4-track cassette recorder and set up Electric Loopstation. It was a solo-project with special guests, very cinematic music and definitely spacy (music here: https://archive.org/search.php?query=electric%20loopstation Jeroen from The Moonfolks moved on with Groom (Dublin psychedelic band) and his own Walpurgis Family and I became the singer of Daisy And The Diving Duck; a psychedelic blues band who jammed like hell. I sang and played sax and occasionally some synths. The two splendid guitarists started their own projects, now leading Mother T And The Chicks and The Golden Showers.

Electric Loopstation still exists, but actually there’s nothing new in the pipeline. So to make it short, I jammed a lot with bands and I jammed on my own; it was all the same. You record a jam, you overdub a jam and in the end you got a track or a song. Sometimes everything was live, using loops etc.

Q: How did you finally come to set up Onsturicheit and what have been the initial purpose(s) to experiment with this solo-project?

Peter: At some point I wasn’t playing in any band, but I wanted to be able to play live on my own. I gathered so much gear that I used for Electric Loopstation and was progressively moving towards more and more electronic music with less guitar and no vocals. I slimmed things down and made a practical setup that I could take on the road to play live on my own. Onsturicheit was born.

Q: Tell us a bit more about your way of composing and the sound properly speaking, which is mainly driven by modular synthesizers?

Peter: Modular synthesizers perfectly fit to the name Onsturicheit because in medieval Dutch it means something that is untamable, something with a will of his own, something wild and that’s exactly what it is. For every gig I reconstruct my modular system. This way I have to rethink which voices I will be using, how to modulate them, etc. I make patches, see how the voices fit -or not fit together. Then a week or so before the gig I try out new melodies, record samples, etc. I write the ideas in a little book. Those ideas turn into scenes. A scene is mostly an introduction (soundscapes you make live or samples) followed by 2 or 3 sequences that will be the key melody. Then I program some Korg Volca’s. I use Kick and two Samples (you can have up to 8 different preprogrammed drumloops). I write down suggestions for building up the soundscapes using samples, the key it is in, the beats per minute, which programs on the Volca’s that fit in, some tricks, etc. At some point I play and recorded the live set at home. I listen to it the day after and change some bits here and there. Sometimes I decide the evening before the gig to bring in a guitar or something completely different (https://soundcloud.com/littlantenna/postx250519-onsturicheit) and hope that everything works out fine. It never is, but that’s modular and some experience to take different roads or just jam when you’ve ran out of scene’s you have prepared.

Q: You last year (re)-released five (!) albums on Wool-E Discs, which are available as limited box format! Can we speak about a conceptual work? Can you give us a bit more details about the concept, composition and recording of the works?

Peter: Dimitri from Wool-E-Discs is a sort of Maecenas for us creative people. When he hears something he likes, he will give it a physical release. In my case a cassette called “Waan”. It was a very limited edition, but enough to get some attention from the underground press. I was lucky to get a very good review from Gonzo Circus. So a second cassette was released and I again got good reviews. I also moved on recording every jam prior to gigs. So I had plenty of material. Dimitri came with the idea to release the two tapes plus 3 new discs in a CD box. The CD’s are also available without the box.

“Waan” was a jam of 53 minutes with 6 Korg Volca’s. I didn’t like it a lot, but something special was hidden. I left it alone for a year before I heard it again. I liked the vocal samples a lot. I used them in the Volca Sample, a drum sequencer. I reworked the original piece. Extra synthesizers, some guitar, more samples, etc were added. The result is still the best thing I ever did.

After that there was “Angstzweet”. The second album is always a difficult one. It can’t be the same and it must be better. Hence the title. It was more dark in a way, more unsure and the beginning of the my modular adventure. Angst is a bit a tribute to Suzanne Ciani. You can hear sounds that come close the Buchla Synth she uses. These tracks were all live jams. The track “Rilling” was recorded for my Youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qEJrkG9Yzo). “Zweet” is back to the Korg Volca’s and the microbrute. This track was a live preparation for a gig at the annual BBQ of The Blue Room (gathering of artists and record shop holders, etc.). In fact thanks to the platform the Blue Room gave me things started to happen outside the living room.

On Record Store Day 2017, Wool_E-Shop invited me to play a short live set. I recorded it and named it “Denkbeeldig Tentenkamp” because I played under something resembling a tent and in Brussels there were tents full of refugees. Also the words ‘denkbeeldig’, ‘illusie’ and ‘hondsdol’ were used in my Volca sampler. The music I played was a mix of both cassette releases. I already had the melodies and improvised around them. The other tracks on the album are from Joost Carpentier, a Blue Room visitor and artist (see DREUN box https://belgianneumusik.be/album/wed022-bnm007-10111-ambient-darkambient-drone-soundscapes) who also did the mastering. I asked him to vivisect and reconstruct the live track and make them his own. Something different and beautiful came out. More from us will come in the future. Hence the title Impressions.

The fourth album ‘In De Nevelen’ was a result of a collaboration with Glenn Dick (Find Hope In Darkness). We recorded some jam sessions, sort of modular against guitar loops. At a certain point I took my baritone guitar and we played a track of 50 minutes with just guitars and some samples. Unfortunately the guitar parts of Glenn were not recorded. When I listened to the recording I found it very calm and spacy so I added some minimal drums and modular synths. I like the end result enough to present it at Dimitri. There are also some hints to the other albums in the samples I used.

The fifth album was a rehearsal for the “Splinter”-sessions at Villa Bota Bruges. I had to make a piece of one hour. I rehearsed it a few times and recorded the jams. The tracks on the album came from two of these sessions. When I played it live, time is relative in my head, so I moved quicker thru all the scene’s that I prepared and doing so reduced the piece to 30 minutes. Since I always make a film to accompany the live music I noticed the movie wasn’t finished so I had to improvise the rest of the set. Patrick Baele filmed the whole set (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyHybA7zYrU&t=1624s). The tracks on the album develop more slowly and give you time to absorb the music.

Q: The title of the box “Wanneer De Herder Doolt, Zo Dolen De Schapen”, but also the different album- and song titles are pretty intriguing. What’s the hidden meaning behind the titles and is there a link between the titles and music you composed for each of them?

Peter: Translated “When The Shepherd Wanders, So The Sheep Will Wander”. The shepherd is Dimitri from Wool-E-Shop and we are the sheeps and the album tells the story of the flock. Onsturicheit is Dutch, so are all the titles. Since they’re all instrumentals it’s the mood of the piece that influences the tittle. I’m also interested in the history of mentalities and especially old pagan rituals from peasant in the medieval and modern times. Lot of these rituals deal with invisible forces and with the changes of the seasons. I’m very sensitive to those and it directly influences the mood of my live jams (which is the only way to record modular synthesizer music). Afterwards I look for a fitting title.

“Waan” was easy. I had the voice samples and I wrote a story to accompany the tracks. “Angstzweet” was conceived in Autumn, I tend to be more dark and melancholic and fear was/is ruling the world at that moment with all the terrorist assaults going on. There are also quotes from the apocalypse in the music.

“In De Nevelen” is a bit like the mists of Avalon. The music was hidden and almost forgotten so it was cloaked in mist. So every title has got ‘nevel’ in it and associations to other albums as well like “Angstzweet” that keeps on repeating in one of the tracks. So yes there is a link with the other albums. It’s all a state of mind.

The “Splinter”-album is off course named after the “Splintersessies”. But the word ‘splinter’ is a fantastic word (shard, fragment). I also use fragments of readings from old Dutch books. “Een Deur Op Een Kier Intrappen” comes from such a fragment. Or “Splinter In De Ziel” (translated “Splinter In The Soul”). Do we have a soul? I have an agnostic approach to live and believe that music is keeping it all together some way. Every molecule vibrates and vibration is sound and sound can be music.

As for musical moods, sometimes it is something I hear on the news like all the unnecessary chopping of trees in Belgium and the climate changes and all the hot summers and no trees to chill out under, we burn ourselves “Verbrande Dode Bomen” (translated “Burned Dead Trees”). It’s like a splinter in our soul cause what kind of future do we give to our children. “De Gespleten Hoef” refers to the Devil, in this case someone making a profit from those illegal cuttings. “Stapsvoets afdalende” (translated “Going Down Step By Step”) to the end of civilisation as it is. A happy tune, aren’t we all happy in this paradise called the Western World. But we still can’t kick open a closed door and were back with “Angstzweet” (cold sweat) when the end of the world is near, which brings back the apocalypse and the insanity.

Do not worry, I’m not depressed, although I know people who are. I also realise we are all living in a bubble. With all the technology of today, our health insurance, money for the unemployed, TV, smartphones, cars, etc. We think it is our right to have all this. But never in history we had a society that was living on this high standard and if there was such a society, it didn’t survive (Romans, Aztecs, ….). Look 50 years back and it was a different planet.

Q: How do you transpose your studio work on stage and what kind of performances do you try to accomplish –where visual input must be important?

Peter: Visuals are always important. I make all the artwork. In every cover there is an old building, even in my digital releases on Modular404. History and the past is important to me. We can still learn from our mistakes, or be happy with what we have achieved. Don’t take everything for granted. Things were harder back then.

For the live acts I always make a film to go along with the set. It’s a mix of different stuff, some of it with me in action. There’re always shadows in the movies. I’m fascinated by the shadows they make on walls. Also road movies filmed in a car or on a train, fauna moving with the wind, old black and white films or pictures of old buildings flashing rapidly on the screen. I also use short movies made by my son Milo which are very humoristic.

My live act or studio recordings are exactly the same. I make sketches of ideas that work. When I’m ready I hit the record button and of we go. In the studio I can do overdubs or cut things out or develop ideas into something new. Live it is more a struggle, a taming of the beast (the modular). It never goes like planned and you have to take alternate routes. Live experience is always something new for me and the public. I can’t repeat the same concert twice. The sounds will always be different. The melodies of the sequences will or could be the same if they work at that moment with the flow I’m in. Mostly I play for one hour, which is very long to keep it interesting. That is also why I use films and I also play with my instruments turned to the public so they rather can see what I’m doing instead of seeing my face and the back of the monstercase.

My last gig at Post X was a very intense. I did not even had the chance to look at the screen. Playing with the guitar thru the modular was a good decision and I use pickup microphones to pick up sounds of things that I can hit and process thru the modular system. At the end of this everyone was applauding and screaming YES. It was a victory for me and the audience. I hope It will be released on Wool-E-Discs.

The next concert will be at AntennA festival 22/02/2020 (https://www.facebook.com/AntennA-Festival-2020-2409448922451521/) but other concerts could cross my way. This time I won’t be making the visuals. I leave them to Patrick Baele, a visual artist from Ghent (Digitale Beeldende Kunst – Medialab – Academie voor Beeldende Kunst Gent). You can find him on the social media.

Also The Moonfolks are back together and we are planning a concert in January 2020. We will perform the soundtrack to a silent movie. Read the review of ‘Splinter’.

Onsturicheit – Splinter (CD Album – Wool-E Discs)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Thu, 15 Aug 2019 19:30:54 +0000

Genre/Influences: Experimental, krautrock, ambient.

Background/Info: The creativity of Onsturicheit has no limits. This is album number three for Peter Moorkens and already a new chapter in the “Belgian NeuMusik”-series.

Content: “Splinter” (in English ‘splinter’ or ‘sliver’) sounds in line with its predecessor “Angstzweet”. There’s a same passion for modular sound treatments, which in a way is part of the artist’s project, but it’s also about the global space-like atmosphere hanging over the songs and krautrock elements appearing at the surface now and then. The few sampled vocals also are now quite characteristic elements for the work of Onsturicheit. Some parts are again driven by slow rhythms.

+ + + : Modular synths have something unique in sound and that’s what makes this album –and the project, fascinating. Even if there’s a déjà-vu effect that might appear, it however remains a creative process, which has a greater impact than all these ambient bands simply repeating themselves. But a modular synth is not enough; you also need the creativity of the artist and here again I can confirm Peter Moorkens perfectly knows how to use his equipment, creating an elaborate and arty-crafted music. I also have to say a word about the artwork of the cover revealing cool retro-like pictures from a street view with vintage cars from the seventies.

– – – : If you take the best parts of “Angstzweet” and “Splinter” you for sure will get a brilliant opus, but the fans of this type of music will be pleased getting two albums!

Conclusion: My conclusion is nearly the same as the one for “Angstzweet”, but “Splinter” is even better! Great ambient work composed with retro instruments from this Belgian artist.

Best songs: “Verbrande Dode Bomen”, “Stapvoets Afdalende”, “Gespleten Hoef”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www .facebook .com /Onsturicheit -2000817190200670

Label: www .wool –e –discs .be / www .facebook .com /woolediscs Read the news on ‘Splinter’.

About Onsturicheit

Onsturicheit is the solo project of Belgian musician Peter Moorkens, born in 1965, who moved from Antwerp to Ghent and played in earlier outfits including Smeurebreud, The Moonfolks and the cassette-based Electric Loopstation before going solo with a live modular-synthesizer set. The project’s Dutch name means something untamable. In 2019, Wool-E Discs head Dimitri released five Onsturicheit albums in quick succession as part of the label’s “Belgian NeuMusik” series, later gathered in the box set “Wanneer De Herder Doolt, Zo Dolen De Schapen” (“When The Shepherd Wanders, So The Sheep Will Wander”). “Splinter” followed “Angstzweet” as the third album in the series, recorded as a rehearsal for a live set at Villa Bota in Bruges. Onsturicheit went on to release “Impressies” and “In De Nevelen” later the same year.

Onsturicheit – Angstzweet (CD Album – Wool-E Discs)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Thu, 15 Aug 2019 18:30:47 +0000

Genre/Influences: Krautorck, experimental.

Background/Info: “Angstzweet” is the 16th chapter of the “Belgian NeuMusik”-series created by Belgian label Wool-E Discs. It also is the second work by Onsturicheit for this conceptual exposure. “Angstzweet” has been mainly created by modular equipment.

Content: The krautrock approach is definitely more present on this work then on its predecessor “Waan”. The work features 2 long duration cuts plus one shorter track. The songs have been progressively built up and are literally growing until a sonic apotheosis. The last cut has something early Kraftwerk-like, right, when they were more concerned by krautrock themselves.

+ + + : Two albums by Onsturicheit and even if you easily recognize the modular sounds “Angstzweet” sounds different than “Waan”. It’s more electro-like and getting the magic of modular synths back to life. Peter Moorkens reveals to be a truly sound architect who creates impressive sound treatments like space-bleeping sequences, vibrating bass lines and cool spoken, whispering-like samplings. The last cut “Zweet” is an absolute masterpiece.

– – – : The short track (cf. “Rilling”) from the list is not exactly the most convincing one.

Conclusion: “Angstzweet” translated as ‘cold sweat’ will appeal all lovers from early electronic modular synth music. This is krautrock ano 2018/2019 and made in Belgium.

Best songs: “Zweet”, “Angst”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www .facebook .com /Onsturicheit -2000817190200670

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

About Onsturicheit

Onsturicheit is the solo project of Belgian musician Peter Moorkens, born in 1965, who moved from Antwerp to Ghent and played in earlier outfits including Smeurebreud, The Moonfolks and the cassette-based Electric Loopstation before going solo with a live modular-synthesizer set. The project’s Dutch name means something untamable. In 2019, Wool-E Discs head Dimitri released five Onsturicheit albums in quick succession as part of the label’s “Belgian NeuMusik” series, later gathered in the box set “Wanneer De Herder Doolt, Zo Dolen De Schapen” (“When The Shepherd Wanders, So The Sheep Will Wander”). Onsturicheit’s debut, “Waan”, had opened the series earlier the same year. “Angstzweet” (“Cold Sweat”) followed as a more modular-driven, live-recorded set, with the closing track “Zweet” built around a Korg Volca and Microbrute take originally prepared for a label gathering. Onsturicheit’s third album, “Splinter”, continued the series.

Onsturicheit – Waan (CD Album – Wool-E Discs)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Wed, 14 Aug 2019 19:30:23 +0000

Genre/Influences: Experimental, ambient, krautrock.

Background/Info: Peter Moorkens is a Belgian artist who is involved with music for numerous years now. He has been (and still is-) member of different bands and projects. Onsturicheit is a solo-project he’s been experimenting with for a couple of years now. He released five (!) albums nearly at the same time on Wool-E Discs, which are all part of the “Belgian NeuMusik”-series devoted to Belgian ambient artists.

Content: Peter Moorkens once started to play guitar and “Waan” brings this element back to life. But the music is also composed with an electronic arsenal and especially a passion for analogue/modular equipment. The guitar is sometimes pretty hypnotic. Some passages have been carried by slow rhythms while the electronic treatments have something space-like. You’ll also notice a few spoken samplings in Dutch.

+ + + : The main characteristic and strength of this work is the brilliant sound treatment procedure. It now and then creates a truly transcendental sensation, which might be reinforced by elevating guitar effects such as on the great “Een Godin Heeft Lippenstift”.

– – – : Some parts of the work are more experimental-like and even reminding me of the Krautrock experiments from the ‘Berliner school’, which has never been my favorite music genre.

Conclusion: “Waan” which can be translated as “Hallucination” has something intriguing and even magic! It’s an interesting introduction to the sonic universe of Onsturicheit.

Best songs: “Een Godin Heeft Lippenstift”, “Somatische Waan”, “Zondewaan”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www .facebook .com /Onsturicheit -2000817190200670

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

About Onsturicheit

Onsturicheit is the solo project of Belgian musician Peter Moorkens, born in 1965, who moved from Antwerp to Ghent and played in earlier outfits including Smeurebreud, The Moonfolks and the cassette-based Electric Loopstation before going solo with a live modular-synthesizer set. The project’s Dutch name means something untamable. In 2019, Wool-E Discs head Dimitri released five Onsturicheit albums in quick succession as part of the label’s “Belgian NeuMusik” series, later gathered in the box set “Wanneer De Herder Doolt, Zo Dolen De Schapen” (“When The Shepherd Wanders, So The Sheep Will Wander”). The series opens with “Waan” (“Hallucination”), reworked by Moorkens from a jam recorded with six Korg Volca units and built around vocal samples he set aside for a year before returning to the recording. Onsturicheit continued the same year with “Angstzweet”.

Feverdreamt – Melantant (CD Album – Blackjack Illuminist Records)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Fri, 26 Jul 2019 20:00:12 +0000

Genre/Influences: Electro, experimental, krautrock.

Background/Info: Feverdreamt is one of the numerous projects set up by Alexander Leonard Donat. He’s mainly recognized for his work under the Vlimmer moniker, but he’s also running the label Blackjack Illuminist. “Melantant” is the second album from Feverdreamt and has been inspired by a pure dystopian concept.

Content: The album is totally unique. It’s not really possible to define the style of music, but it clearly brings different influences together with on top a rather theatrical way of singing. It sometimes makes me think of the male version of Nina Hagen singing. Music-wise the tracks are driven by slow cadences or broken rhythms, the work have something minimal featuring cold electronic treatments. But I also noticed a kind of cabaret-approach and even a few songs in the final part reminding me of Von Magnet.

+ + + : The least I can say is that this is for sure the most original project and record I’ve been invited to hear by Alexander Leonard Donat. The global sound approach is worthy of examination and pretty original as well. I prefer some of the tracks in the last part of the work and especially refer to “Badj Zachfan”, “Fon Teyn La” and “A Yun”. The particular way of singing really matches with the creative sound approach.

– – – : I noticed a few cuts, which are a bit too experimental-minded for my taste (like “Saeuk”).

Conclusion: Feverdreamt resulted from a real creative process and makes me think of music, which would be perfectly fitting to some special live performances.

Best songs: to “Badj Zachfan”, “Fon Teyn La”, “A Yun”, “Parsque”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www .facebook .com /feverdreamt

Label: www .facebook .com /Blackjack .Illuminist

About Feverdreamt

Feverdreamt is one of several projects run by German musician, producer, label owner and visual artist Alexander Leonard Donat, who is best known for Vlimmer, the shoegaze-rooted project he started in 2015 after walking away from earlier bands that chased an audience rather than a sound. Donat comes from three generations of musicians; his father is a classical pianist and university teacher, and his grandfather was a well-known pianist in East Germany. Through his own label, Blackjack Illuminist Records, he released Vlimmer’s eighteen-part EP series between 2015 and its final installment at the end of 2020, alongside labelmates such as Verneblung, Distance Dealer and Feu Follet. In a 2021 Side-Line interview, Donat said of that pivot: “In 2015 I no longer tried to involve anything in my music that would please an audience, I simply made something that was 100% the music I wanted to make: a dark and bleak version of Shoegaze.” “Melantant” is Feverdreamt’s second album.

Nothing But Noise – Formations Magnétiques Et Phénomènes D’incertitude (DCD Album – db2fluctuation)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sat, 15 Jun 2019 19:30:50 +0000

Genre/Influences: Experimental, electro-ambient.

Background/Info: Old Front 242 mates Daniel B. (Prothese) and Dirk Bergen are back on track unleashing this work with eight new songs.

Content: Nothing But Noise hasn’t really changed their familiar sound formula, which is driven by passion for electronics, astral atmospheres leading towards pure ambient experimentation and a feeling of improvisation. This album gets us back to some early electronic experiments and even the Berliner Krautrock school, which is an influence that comes mainly back on the release of Prothese. The tracks are progressively built up, sometimes resulting in endless cuts. There also is a song featuring ghost-like spoken vocals.

+ + + : Experimental music isn’t always the most accessible music format, but Nothing But Noise always has something fascinating to offer. It’s a high-tech sound production (should we expect something other from Daniel B?), which will mainly appeal for lovers of early synthesizer music. “Curved Attraction” even reminds me a bit of Van Gelis, but globally speaking the work remains touched by the magical hand –and especially bass lines, of Daniel B. I especially recommend the song “Methode Obscure”.

– – – : Nothing But Noise became a real prolific project and they have to take care not to abuse releasing new albums in a rather short lapse of time.

Conclusion: “Formations Magnétiques Et Phénomènes D’incertitude” is a new sonic walk among the stars and distant music galaxies. It’s not the best work I’ve heard from Nothing But Noise, but it remains a fascinating experiment.

Best songs: “Methode Obscure”, “Curved Attraction”, “Beton BB84”, “Dust To Nebula <> Self Replicating Forevers”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www .nothingbutnoise .one / www .facebook .com /NothingButNoiseProject

Label: www .facebook .com /Db 2 fluctuation -2196964670330106 Read the news on ‘Formations Magnétiques Et Phénomènes D’incertitude’.

About Nothing But Noise

Nothing But Noise is the project Front 242 members Daniel B. and Dirk Bergen founded in 2012 with Erwin Jadot, who left after the “Muted Tv” 10-inch. Their first release was the double album “Not Bleeding Red” (2012), followed by “eXistence Oscillation Past” (2016) and “Existence Oscillation (Possible) Future” (2018). “Formations Magnétiques Et Phénomènes D’Incertitude” (2019) followed as another double album.

Click Interview with The Overlookers: ‘We Wanted To Break The Rock‘N’roll Codes’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Tue, 11 Jun 2019 17:00:45 +0000

The French electro-pop label BOREDOMproduct doesn’t often sign new bands. So I was really wondering who was hiding behind this new name added to the label roster. ‘JB’ from Dekad and ‘XY’ from Foretaste joined forces creating The Overlookers. After the promising debut EP “Driving Fast” (2018) they now have unleashed their debut full length “Teenage Wet Dreams”. The albums sounds in the purest tradition of the BOREDOMproduct bands, but with a funny concept dealing with aspects of the 50s and 60s American society.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: It all looks like Foretaste + Dekad = The Overlookers! How did this project saw the daylight and what new sonic challenges do you purchase?

JB: it started as a recreation. XY had finished his album, mine was just at the beginning and we felt it would be a good thing to try to work on new songs without any pressure, just to see if we could produce something together. We did not intend to make a full album, rather an EP. The obvious challenge was to manage to blend our two universes so that it doesn’t sound exclusively Foretaste or Dekad.

XY: As long as I remember, nothing was planned, we both often have to worry about each other’s demos and that’s how it started. As we work quite quickly, we found out that we had an album in our hands in a few weeks.

Q: The Overlookers has been introduced as a project inspired by American vintage red cars, thriller movies and electronic music. Except the electronic music it all feels like we’re going back to the 50s & 60s. What is this concept all about?

JB: Like a lot of guys from our generation, we are fascinated by certain aspects of the American culture. Nothing very original in fact… Beautiful cars, Western landscapes, movies from the 80s and the American way of life as it could be depicted in movies like “Christine”, “Carrie” or “American Graffiti”. As electronic musicians, we wanted to break the Rock‘n’Roll codes and try to imagine what teenagers from the 60’s would have listened in their jukebox if drum machines and synths had replaced electric guitars and saxophones.

XY: It was just a joke at first, but very quickly it gave the album a common thread. It was very inspiring, there is so much to write about being a teenager.

Q: Your debut EP “Driving Fast” features a wink to the 60s with the cover version of “Unchained Melody”. I rather expect you to make a cover version of Kraftwerk instead of The Righteous Brothers. I guess it was pure fun revisiting this song? How did it happen?

JB: Our boss at BOREDOMproduct suggested that we make a cover of a typical standard of the 60s. What better choice than “Unchained Melody” that everybody knows? The melody, the lyrics sound so 60s! As far as I’m concerned it was quite a challenge to sing that song as it is so far from the way I’m used to sing… Concerning Kraftwerk, even if they started their career in the early 70s playing Krautrock, it is already to recent for us !

XY: I have a real passion for these 50s and 60s torch songs. We had chosen several tracks to cover. “Unchained Melody” was not my favorite one, but we wanted people to immediately recognize the song.

Q: Tell us a bit more about the composition and global production of the album? How was it working together and who took care of what?

JB : We never met during the production of the album. We just communicated by e-mails. In fact, we are used
to work that way. And it works perfectly. It gives us so much reactivity. Sometimes, XY could send me the music in the morning, I could write the lyrics and record the vocals in the afternoon. The song was done at 8pm.

XY: It was really cool to work like that. The objective was not to think too much, we just had to turn the knobs on the synthesizers, find great sounds and record without saving our presets.

Q: The lyrical content is also an interesting item; there’re some links to 60s songs and artists, but still interesting metaphors about life like on “Driving Fast”. Can you tell us a bit more about this aspect and the artwork as well?

XY: On “Driving Fast” we really wanted the listener to be able to project himself into a car, to feel the speed
and life passing by. There’s only one chord in this song like a long straight road. The texts talk about the speed
and death that coexist and give us a good dose of adrenaline.

The artwork was made by BOREDOMproduct even before the album was recorded, it helped us a lot and
inspired us to write the songs.

Q: BOREDOMproduct clearly is much more than simply a label. It makes me think to a kind of ‘electronic family’ featuring artists sharing their common passion for electronic music. How do you perceive it as ‘artists’ and do you feel a kind of ‘label spirit’?

JB: There definitively is a ‘label spirit’ at BOREDOMproduct. We know each other for more than 15 years now. Even if we are not in contact every day, we have as strong sense of cohesion. All
this, based on strong sense of humor as well !

XY: That’s exactly it, I even remember that the label offered to sign this album before even listening to it.
Nowadays artists can do their thing without a label, but with BOREDOMproduct we don’t even ask ourselves the question, we feel confident with them.

Katie Kruel – The Rise And Fall Of Cannibal Planet (CD Album – Seja Records)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Mon, 06 May 2019 18:00:38 +0000

Genre/Influences: Apocalyptic-rock, doom-rock, krautrock.

Background/Info: Set up by Nathalie Houtermans (vocals) and Hans Dirksden-Smits (guitar) they later on were joined by Martin Kooy (bass) and Jacob van der Linden (drums). After two self-released albums on cassette format they now joined hands together with Seja Records to unleash the official debut album of Katie Kruel.

Content: If you’re a bit familiar with the Seja roster, you’ll have to agree Katie Kruel will definitely enlarge the sonic horizon of the label established in The Netherlands. The music sounds pretty dark, sometimes a bit doom-like. It has something apocalyptic-rock driven joined by the enraged vocals of Nathalie Houtermans. Some passages also has something krautrock-minded so in the end Katie Kruel is mixing and revisiting different genres and influences.

+ + + : The dark sound merged together with the enraged vocals both create a dangerous cocktail. It’s a furious opus, which especially on the second half is reaching a sonic cataclysm. The furious format has something exciting, which mainly emerges at “Still” and “Jinx”. I also have to say a word about the dark, sober, but cool artistic digipak.

– – – : If you’re familiar with Seja Records, you for sure are going to be surprised. It sounds like a challenge, which might catch the attention of a wider audience. I have to admit it’s not really my favorite album from the Seja roster.

Conclusion: It’s not that easy to get an idea about the sound of Katie Kruel, but if you take Can, Limp Bizkit and Nirvana together and you’re next adding an extra dark touch on top you maybe will have an idea what to expect!

Best songs: “Still”, “Jinx”, “Headless Heart”.

Rate: (6½).

Artist: http ://katiekruel .net / www .facebook .com /Katie .Kruel

Label: www .seja .nl / www .facebook .com /sejarecords

About Katie Kruel

Katie Kruel is a band from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, formed by vocalist Nathalie Houtermans and guitarist Hans Dirksden-Smits, later joined by bassist Martin Kooy and drummer Jacob van der Linden. The band self-released two albums on cassette before signing to Seja Records for “The Rise And Fall Of Cannibal Planet”, its official full-length debut, reviewed here and released in 2019.

Der Blutharsch And The Infinite Church Of The Leading Hand – Wish I Weren’t Here (CD Album – WKN)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sat, 27 Apr 2019 18:30:20 +0000

Genre/Influences: Apocalyptic-rock, psychedelic, industrial-rock, krautrock. .

Background/Info: Set up and driven by the creative spirit of Album Julius (formerly involved with The Moon Lay Hidden beneath A Cloud and of course Der Blutharsch) Der Blutharsch And The Infinite Church Of The Leading Hand strikes back with a new opus in their already impressive discography.

Content: The style and influences haven’t really changed. The album reveals another ‘freestyle’ opus, which is dominated by different kinds of rock music. From pure apocalyptic passages to psychedelic parts, the band prefers to call it ‘neu kraut music’. It also sounds a bit like time traveling getting us back to 60s, and also the early 80s. Is this the imaginary hybrid between Pink Floyd and Can? It might appeal for fans of both fans.

+ + + : The krautrock style is definitely back again, but Der Blutharsch And The Infinite Church Of The Leading Hand is different and more diversified. They’ve created their proper sound, which also makes their originality. I like their hypnotic/psychedelic approach remarkably exposed at “Just Because I Can”. The 60s touch emerging on “Make Me See The Light” is another attention grabber. I also have to say a word about the female singer Mathynna who injects a truly spirit to the work. Her timbre of voice has something bewitching, which is totally appropriated with the hypnotic elements.

– – – : There are several cool and noticeable songs featured at “Wish I Weren’t Here”, but maybe not the ultimate, transcendental experience!

Conclusion: Der Blutharsch And The Infinite Church Of The Leading Hand remains a particular experience, which often reminds me of a revival of hippie music.

Best songs: “Just Because I Can”, “Make Me See The Light”, “He Is Here”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist & Label: www .facebook .com /Der –Blutharsch –and –the –infinite –church –of –the –leading –hand -112227928849449

About Der Blutharsch And The Infinite Church Of The Leading Hand

Der Blutharsch was the project of Austrian martial industrial and neofolk artist Albin Julius, born on 16 October 1967. Originally a side project to The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath A Cloud, his first release as Der Blutharsch was a self-titled picture disc in 1996, limited to 250 copies, in a dark ambient style heavy on historic samples and post-industrial drones. The discography then moved toward a more bombastic martial industrial sound built on neoclassical instrumentation. With “Time Is Thee Enemy!” in 2003, Julius steered the project into a fleshed-out rock band, dropping the earlier martial imagery for a focus on psychedelic rock, under the expanded name Der Blutharsch And The Infinite Church Of The Leading Hand. Julius released the project’s music on his own label, Wir Kapitulieren Niemals (WKN), and also founded the HauRuck! label for other neofolk and industrial acts. “Wish I Weren’t Here” is a 2019 album in that psychedelic, krautrock-leaning phase of the catalogue.

Daniel.B.Prothese – HöllEKtroKraut / HellEctroKraut (DCD Album – db2fluctuation)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 20:30:21 +0000

Genre/Influences: Experimental, krautrock, ambient.

Background/Info: Daniel Bressanutti (Daniel B) became a real prolific artist during the past few years. He released an impressive number of productions as Nothing But Noise (with his old compares Dirk Berghen) and also under his own name (associated with his early project Prothese).

Content: The title of this double album also reveals the inspiration and/or sound approach featured on “HöllEKtroKraut / HellEctroKraut”. It rather sounds as a very personal interpretation of the German ‘krautrock’ by Daniel B. He revisited this music style with his typical and very personal sound. Each disc features 5 songs on, which you’ll rapidly recognize some of the artist’s trademarks. He reveals a great sound arsenal, which mixes experimentalism with industrial sound treatments, astral spheres (reminding to Nothing But Noise) to certain early Kraftwerk-touch.

+ + + : Daniel B will always be linked to Front 242, which is quite normal as he always has been the great instigator and sound architect behind the legendary EBM formation. But his solo-work especially reveals the passion he has for sound creation and noise. He has this magic touch to create something ambient –or krautrock-like by mixing noises together. The experiment slowly becomes more accessible revealing a cinematographic appeal. The tracks have been composed with a slow progression, sometimes supported with noticeable strings. I like the dark- and raw approach, which is part of this artist.

– – – : I would make the same comment as on some Nothing But Noise cuts; a few tracks and passages are a little bit too long creating monotonous passages. Daniel.B.Prothese remains an extreme experiment, which has nothing to do with Front 242 although you’ll recognize the sound DNA of the master…

Conclusion: Daniel B clearly still has a lot of ideas and music to share with his fans. He brings krautrock alive or simply revisited the genre his very own way.

Best songs: “Le Grand Malheur”, “Kraut & Roll”, “Deathless 50 4”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www .facebook .com /DanielBProthese -498107323916078

Label: www .facebook .com /Db 2 fluctuation -2196964670330106

About Daniel B. Prothèse

Daniel B. Prothèse is the project Daniel Bressanutti, the Front 242 member known as Daniel B., uses for experimental and noise-based work, predating Front 242 and running in parallel with his other outlet, Nothing But Noise. Days before “HöllEKtroKraut / HellEctroKraut” appeared, Bressanutti discussed his eclectic approach to sound design in a joint Side-Line/Peek-A-Boo interview. Prothese continued through 2018 and 2019 with further releases including “99.9” and “One To One & Xaosonix”.

House Of Blondes – Time Trip (CD Album – Alrealon Musique)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Wed, 22 Aug 2018 19:30:31 +0000

Genre/Influences: Cinematographic, experimental. Background/Info: John Blonde and Chris Pace are operating from N.Y (USA). So far they released 2 albums on their own label Glowmatic Records while for this third full length they joined hands together with the international operating Alrealon Musique. Content: House Of Blondes like to experiment with digital and analogue synthesizers. The magic of the analogue gear operates directly on the debut of the work. A few other cuts are pretty similar and sometimes reminding to Kraftwerk, but in a more experimental- and even abstract approach. Other songs have something evasive, like an exotic format of ambient music. It’s a rather diversified piece of music, which becomes fully accessible through the slow cadence. + + + : I’ve always been a huge admirer of analogue synths. They have this particular sound color, which is somewhere in between coldness and space-like atmospheres. This work reveals several cool vintage-like cuts. But I also like the more evasive and totally cinematographic style featuring subtle sound treatments. – – – : A few cuts make me think of demo work that hasn’t been achieved. So I think they could have elaborated some of the tracks featured here. Conclusion: House Of Blondes stands for modern experimental music although inspired by good-old analogue synths and early Kraftwerk music. This could be considered as neo-krautrock music! Best songs: “Time trip (Main Theme)”, “Intimate Seconds”. Rate: (6½). Artist: http ://houseofblondes .com / www .facebook .com /House –of –Blondes -264263516937686 Label: www .alrealonmusique .com / www .alrealon .co .uk / www .facebook .com /alrealon

About House Of Blondes

House Of Blondes is the New York-based project of John Blonde and Chris Pace. The duo self-released the debut album “House Of Blondes” in 2007 on their own label, Glowmatic Records, followed by “Clean Cuts” (2012) and “Stranger Still” (2015). “Time Trip”, reviewed here, is the duo’s third full-length and first release through Alrealon Musique.

The album appeared the same month as fellow Alrealon Musique act John 3:16’s anniversary release “עשר”, marking the label’s output for August 2018.

White Hills & Der Blutharsch And The Infinite Church Of The Leading Hand – Desire (CD EP – Ván)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Mon, 09 Jul 2018 18:30:52 +0000

Genre/Influences: Experimental-rock, rock-wave, krautrock.

Background/Info: Albin Julius got some fame with Der Blutharsch. This neo-folk driven project got renamed into Der Blutharsch And The Infinite Church Of The Leading Hand and started to explore different music paths. An impressive number of productions got released over the past 8 years while Albin Julius clearly likes working together with other artists. “Desire” is a new collaboration between Der Blutharsch And The Infinite Church Of The Leading Hand and the American krautrock formation White Hills.

Content: The psychedelic influence is the first thing you can hear on this 5-tracks productions. The opening song is a fascinating exploration mixing dark 80s influences with pure 60s psychedelics. The other songs feature similar elements with intriguing female vocals on top.

+ + + : “Desire” is an interesting production featuring two bands sharing similar music ideas. It however remains something particular, but definitely original. I like this psychedelic approach, which mainly comes through at the opening song. Another attention grabber is the darker title-song carried by a superb, deep bass line. This EP reminds me to the good old 12” format from the 80s featuring different songs and no remixes! Notice by the way “Desire” has been also released on vinyl format.

– – – : Both last cuts can’t totally convince me; it feels a bit as the magic from the opening part has been lost.

Conclusion: Der Blutharsch And The Infinite Church Of The Leading Hand never stops to surprise, but in the meantime the band clearly moves on experimenting with psychedelic-rock, krautrock and related genres. This is a new and interesting collaboration.

Best songs: “Nom De Guerre”, “Desire”.

Rate: (6½).

Artists: www .derblutharschandtheinfinitechurchoftheleadinghand .com /

www .facebook .com /Der –Blutharsch –and –the –infinite –church –of –the –leading –hand -112227928849449 / www .facebook .com /WHITE –HILLS -90476409450

Label: www .van –records .de / www .facebook .com /vanrecs

About White Hills & Der Blutharsch And The Infinite Church Of The Leading Hand

Der Blutharsch And The Infinite Church Of The Leading Hand is the long-running project of Austrian musician Albin Julius, who built an early reputation with the neo-folk band Der Blutharsch before renaming and reshaping the project around krautrock and psychedelic-rock influences. “Desire” was the project’s second collaboration with White Hills, following the “Today I Want To Catch Clouds” 7″ eight years earlier, and Side-Line covered its release in March 2018. Julius died on 4 May 2022.

White Hills is a New York psychedelic and krautrock duo built around Dave W. and Ego Sensation, whose music has also featured in Jim Jarmusch’s film “Only Lovers Left Alive”.

CHZWaaR+ZMe+aaL (Bonus Tracks Version) by DANIEL B. PROTHÈSE

Interview with Daniel B / Prothese: ‘I Don’t Want To Be Confined In A Genre That Creates Expectations And Borders’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 17:00:02 +0000

Daniel B will be forever linked to Front 242, but in the meantime we all know he also releases music as Prothese. This project revealed a more experimental- and noise approach of music. During the past few years Daniel again started to compose new stuff as Prothese. Like it or not, it sounds like music being created by a sound surgeon who’s decomposing and recomposing sounds and noises. It gives me the idea to ask a few questions to Daniel, which I have to thank for his kind contribution. The interview was possible thanks to the help of Alfa-Matrix owner Séba Dolimont while I also have to thank Side-Line and Peek-A-Boo for their interest to each publish this interview as a kind of ‘collaboration’ between both Belgian online platforms.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Prothese is your very own project so I can imagine it also is the most personal one, reflecting the best your own vision about music and sound creation. What does it really mean to you and can you tell us a bit more about this ’vision’ and ‘sound creation’?

Daniel: As you know when creating under the Prothese moniker I have a very eclectic vision of sound creation. I don’t want to be confined in a genre that creates expectations and borders… and fans with a narrow vision of music. Creating music for me is also a question of mood and exploration, also machines can direct the way you approach music design and finally I like to explore music in a fake time frame… going back to how music was made in the 80’s or the 60’s psychedelic period

Q: I experienced early Prothese works as pure experimentalism and the treatments of noises while the recent productions feel more structured and accessible. How do you see your own evolution as musician and especially Prothese from the early years till today?

Daniel: The last release “CHZWaaR+ZMe+aaL” was more structured like the work I did in Front 242, but my recent cassette release “30.30.333 / 31.31.333” (released on Wool-E-Tapes) goes back to very noisy musical exploration. Also end of this month, beginning of June I will release a double CD called “Hollektrokraut / Hellectrokraut” that wants to take the listener in an electronic- krautrock territory, or at least my interpretation of it anno 2018.

Q: I’ve always been fascinated by a kind of controversy that states that experimenting with sounds and noises is not the same as dealing with music! What do you think about it and do you rather feel as a sonic scientist/architect or more as a musician?

Daniel: Well…. all noise is music and all music in basically noise, if somebody thinks that music is only there when you have notes and melody, he better should be an accountant or is already one.

I never feel as a musician… because maybe I have a skewed view of what a musician is…. somebody that masters an instrument while I don’t master instruments (in the classic terminology) while I work with electronics and computers most of the time.

Q: You have always been fascinated by noises and sound treatments, which I think reveals a real creative approach and composing process. Do you have some personal criteria and maybe references when you’re experimenting in your studio and is there a particular way of working?

Daniel: Not really. As I said before, usually it’s the machine/computer program I’m using, which dictates where you go, but sometimes you get a challenging idea (complete theory at first) of a way you could start a piece. From there, of course, accidents and other factors will push you in or out the theoretical idea you had to start with. Also setting limitations is a great way to direct your creation.

I also sometimes in the process get reminded of music /composers/genres I know. And then I use these to direct my process by addition or abstraction or just by incorporating a little cliché.

Q: The early years of electronic music were characterized by good-old analogue- and modular synths, which you’re still using today. More and more artists are getting back to these pieces of equipment, but can you tell us a bit more about your affinity for these ‘instruments’ and their complexity?

Daniel: The instruments are not really complex, and it is also not just for the sound (I’m not really into the analogue vs digital thing, I like both…. but I think tubes are more musical (lol).

The thing is that with analogue the manipulation of sound (because of knob for function design) is much faster/intuitive… a bit like playing a music instrument like a guitar or a violin. And we still have not explored all the possibilities of what analogue can do (there is also the ageing process and the inherent difference between even the same machines).

Today we see a mix of technologies (certainly in modular synths), analogue and digital being interfaced and modulated by each other.

Q: I remember that you released the SPEED TRIBE project, a special and somewhat conceptual project around the legendary ‘Le Mans’-race! I personally think the noise of race cars is one of the most orgasmic sounds I’ve ever heard. What do you think about it and do you have other exciting sources of noise?

Daniel: I’m really old-school when it comes to orgasmic sounds. I love sport cars… for their acceleration, but also for the sound, there is that total immersive feeling when you drive a 3.5cc (or more) car, that you will not get for the moment with an electric car. With an electric car you get an incredible acceleration, but it feels clinical and remote.

Another noise I really appreciate is what you find in repeating / looping machinery- and nature noises.

Q: Design also seems to be an important part of your work. Also the way you play with words, languages and spelling song and release titles. Tell us more?

Daniel: There’s not really much to tell. I hope it speaks for itself. I just feel that the package is an integral part of the final product/object/creation and if you use words, they also should direct/misdirect the recipient of your creation.

Q: Early this year, you made a very strong live performance with Prothese in Belgium. Many people in the audience told me it had the original core strength & power of FRONT 242 that they are sometimes missing nowadays. What do you think?

Daniel: I must say I was surprised by the reactions because I did not expect it to go so well and without a glitch and second by the nice comments I received afterwards. I hope I will get more possibilities to show the stuff live (wink, wink… promoters (lol). I cannot comment about the missing parts.

Q: What’s next on the Prothese front? You’ve been quite prolific lately!?

Daniel: I just have more time and desire to develop and create…. but then the most important is to just release it and not file it away as I used to do all these years.

And as I already mentioned, I just released an experimental cassette on Wool-E-Tapes (1 hour of musical noisy stuff), also available to download or on a USB-digicard. I next will self-release the double CD: “Hollektrokraut / Hellectrokraut”, which is planned for the beginning of June. By the end of the year, there should be another Prothese project (more structured and hard like “Chwaartz”) and also a new Nothing But Noise release.