(Photo by George Nebieridze) London-based electronic music producer Louis Carnell and Marta De Pascalis share a collaborative single today, “Twelve”, marking the release of the 15-track double vinyl “111” which brings together all of the collaborations from the series: Keeley Forsyth, Lee Ranaldo, Ben Vince, Yasa Asmar, Coby Sey, KMRU, Okkyung Lee, Wu-Lu, Green-House, Daniel Miller, Laraaji, Marta De Pascalis, Leila, Nailah Hunter and Damsel Elysium.

Carnell explains the project: “As the engine of modern life funnels us into states of loss and isolation, 111 aims at a utopian poetics of hope. Re-aligning connections by exploring mutual spaces 111 attempts to empower its listener & forms an equivalent environment for each collaboration. Each artist that features on 111 has provided me with multiple moments of solitude and resilience & I’m thankful to them all. Visually there are no obvious signifiers of hope, a reflection on the feeling or practice is individual to its arbitrator, but in their existence, we form a foundation of promise & possibility.”

Each track in the series is accompanied by one of three visual works by Arcin Sagdic (Maison Margiela, COMME des GARÇONS, Burberry) and Louis Carnell, extending Carnell’s visual collaborations that have included Daniel Sannwald, Frederik Heyman and Peter De Potter.

Carnell is scheduled to perform at the ICA, London on 23 May on a bill with Keeley Forsyth, his first collaborator for the series. 111 live events have included performances at Café OTO and Stoke Newington Old Church in London and the Volksbühne in Berlin.

Here are a few more tracks.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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(Photo by A.J. Barratt) In 1986, a unique 2LP set titled “Walls Have Ears” captured the performances of Sonic Youth from three UK gigs in 1985. Initially a bootleg release on 2×12″ vinyl, unauthorized and without the band’s consent, this album will officially release on February 9, 2024, through Goofin’ Records.

The album documents Sonic Youth’s dynamic live energy. Tracks 1–7, recorded on October 30, 1985, in London, showcase the band’s raw sound. Track 8 captures the intensity of their November 8, 1985, performance at Brighton Beach, Brighton. Tracks 9–17, from an April 28, 1985, concert in London, where they supported Nick Cave at Hammersmith Palace, feature Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo, Kim Gordon, and Bob Bert. Later tracks introduce new drummer Steve Shelley, who replaced Bert.

Stevie Chick, in his book “Psychic Confusion: The Sonic Youth Story,” asserts that “The Walls Have Ears” is a crucial and electrifying document of the group at their live best. Despite being unloved by its creators, this album captures Sonic Youth playing with a violent and ecstatic abandon, proving that sometimes artists are not the best judges of their own work.”

This album marks Sonic Youth’s second UK appearance, building upon their high profile from their 1983 London debut. Despite facing technical challenges and overwhelming volume, the band significantly impacted the audience.

Sonic Youth bootleg gets second chance

“The Walls Have Ears” is a compilation of Sonic Youth’s early classics, including “The Burning Spear”, “I Love Her All The Time”, “Death Valley 69”, and “I’m Insane”. The raw recordings, interspersed with Madonna tape segues and vocal loops, reflect the band’s inventive approach before having a full stage crew. The album also includes an introduction by Claude Bessy, the French punk raconteur, humorously critiquing the indie label scene during their October 30th ULU London gig.

You can now watch a teaser for the album, featuring recovered VHS footage from these iconic 1985 performances.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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(Photo by Niko Studio) Here’s an interesting new release now available on Mute, which will surely appeal to readers who are admirers of Diamanda Galás and similar artists. Today, Louis Carnell introduces “111”, a series of continuous collaborations. This endeavour has the musician, artist, and curator showcasing a fresh piece every three weeks.

The series kicks off with “One”, his collaboration with composer and musician Keeley Forsyth. Keeley Forsyth is a composer, singer, and actor hailing from Oldham in North West England. You can expect 15 collaborations in total to be released in the near future, each one being released as individual singles and created with a varied array of artists from around the world. Coming up next are releases from Lee Ranaldo and Ben Vince in the ensuing months, with an additional 12 releases extending into 2024.

Expect a new track to debut every third Tuesday. Check out the video for “One” below.

The first single is also available for download on Bandcamp.

For more insights into Louis Carnell’s work, have a look at the videos below. Louis Carnell is by no means a novice in the industry. He previously worked under the moniker ‘Visionist’, releasing albums on labels such as PAN (“Safe”, 2015), Big Dada (“Value”, 2017), and Mute (“A Call To Arms”, 2021). His portfolio also includes collaborations with Peter De Potter, Daniel Sannwald, and Frederik Heyman. In September 2021, Louis Carnell chose to step away from his Visionist pseudonym and continue under his own name.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Out on September 8th is a brand new label sampler from the fine Cold Spring label. “Arise – A Cold Spring Sampler” is being released as a 2CD in gatefold ecopak and holds 33 tracks.

“Arise” is the first sampler in this 20+ years old label sampler series since the “Earthen”, which was released in November 2018. Included is material from Cold Spring’s current and forthcoming releases covering industrial, esoteric, dark ambient, noise, ritual, drone, doom metal, experimental, electronica, or yet dark soundtracks.

Included is work from Kollaps, Llyn Y Cwn, Khost, Jagath, Trepaneringsritualen, Coil, Merzbow, She Spread Sorrow, Frank Hall, Dead Voices On Air feat. Cevin Key, Lull, Mz.412 , The Circular Ruins And Mystified, Common Eider, King Eider, Colossloth, We Be Echo, George Fenton, Kristian Eidnes Andersen / Lars Von Trier, , Himukalt, Sonologyst, Satøri , 400 Lonely Things, Tunnels Of Ah, Sleep Research Facility, Burial Hex, Tenhornedbeast, Fm Einheit / Lee Ranaldo, Spk, Oleg Karpachov, Drew Daniel / John Wiese, La Breiche,
Neil Chaney, Gp-Orridge & Dave Ball.

Check out the tracks below. Warmly recommended!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Mark Stewart, a pioneering figure in post-punk and industrial hip-hop, passed away in the early hours of Friday, 21 April 2023. Born on 28 April 1960, Stewart was an English singer and founding member of The Pop Group.

Mute label boss Daniel Miller, a close friend of Stewart, shared his fond memories: “I’ve known Mark as a mate and fellow traveller for over 40 years since he was the lead singer of The Pop Group. I have countless brilliant memories of him – some odd, some outrageous, but always inspiring and somehow purposeful. His musical influence has been far greater than often recognised. He was always supportive of young artists, particularly those local to him in Bristol – many have gone on to become international stars. His warmth and kindness as a friend have always been incredibly important to me. We had so many laughs together, and he had such creative energy. The last time I saw Mark was a few months ago in Bristol, performing an improvised set with Lee Ranaldo. He was nothing short of hilarious, his piece essentially a stand-up routine, and after the show, we spent hours putting the world to rights, a fantastic memory. I’ll miss him dearly. Mark, I can’t imagine you being anything other than restless, but I hope you find your unique peace.”

Gareth Sager, founding member of The Pop Group adds: “Mark was the most brilliant mind of our generation, rest in peace.”

Adrian Sherwood, who collaborated with Stewart via his On-U Sound Records label, expressed his heartfelt appreciation: “Cheers, my brother. You were the most significant musical influence in my life, and our extended family will miss you dearly. Eternal love.”

Stewart formed The Pop Group in Bristol in 1977 as a teenager. Influenced by dub and reggae, driven by political conviction and sonic experimentation, the band released their debut album, “Y”, that same year – a defining album of its era. After The Pop Group disbanded following a final performance at a significant CND rally in 1980, Stewart continued working with CND and, inspired by the emerging hip-hop scene in New York, collaborated with dub pioneer Adrian Sherwood to create the 1983 album “Learning to Cope with Cowardice”. His solo discography continued with 1985’s “As the Veneer of Democracy Starts to Fade” and spanned the next two decades, culminating with 2012’s “The Politics of Envy”.

In 2010, The Pop Group reformed, driven by renewed political disillusionment, and delivered a series of incendiary live performances, recording two new studio albums. Their last performance with Stewart took place in the ruins of Coventry Cathedral, invited by Terry Hall for Coventry UK City of Culture 2021.

Stewart recorded for On-U Sound Records and Mute Records during his career. He leaves behind a unique and significant body of work, encompassing The Pop Group, his solo efforts, collaborations with artists such as Trent Reznor, Tricky, Massive Attack, Chicks on Speed, ADULT., and Primal Scream, and his conceptual art. Mark Stewart’s creative impact has been immense – as Nick Cave stated, he “changed everything” – and his influence will continue to resonate through the music, art, and political activism of generations of artists inspired by his creative work, energy, and spirit.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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(Photo by Thomas Rabsch) Out on March 3rd via Rustblade is the all new album by FM Einheit. Released in a limited edition of 499 copies on grey marbled vinyl, it shows the co-founder and ex-percussionist of Einstürzende Neubauten mixing experimentation and metal percussions with art rock. You can expect a dissonant guitars mix with pianos, trumpets, and tightly wrapped rhythms with vocals by F.M. Einheit and Rica Blunk.

Rica Blunk is a German choreographer, dancer, singer and voice actress, and also the sister of that other musician Timo Blunk. And for the Depeche Mode fans, Blunk was the bassplayer in Palais Schaumburg, a new wave and post-punk band that gained some popularity in Germany in the early 80s. In 1981 the band signed with Daniel Miller’s Mute Records, after which they played support for Depeche Mode.

FM Einheit (real name Frank Martin Strauss) is a German musician and composer. He is best known as the former percussionist and “industrial” drummer for the influential German experimental rock band Einstürzende Neubauten. Einheit joined the band in 1981 and was a member for over a decade, during which time he played on some of their albums, including “Halber Mensch” and “Tabula Rasa.”

In addition to his work with Einstürzende Neubauten, Einheit has also collaborated with a number of other musicians and artists, including Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, the German electronic musician Alva Noto, and the experimental filmmaker Heinz Emigholz. Einheit’s work often incorporates unconventional percussion instruments and found objects, and his music has been described as “industrial,” “experimental,” and “avant-garde.”

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

About FM Einheit

FM Einheit, born Frank-Martin Strauß on 18 December 1958 in Dortmund, Germany, is a self-taught percussionist who began his career in the punk scene, joining the Hamburg band Abwärts in 1979. In the early 1980s he joined Einstürzende Neubauten as percussionist, becoming central to the band’s sound through custom-built metal instruments and its confrontational live shows. He left Einstürzende Neubauten in the mid-1990s during the recording of “Ende Neu.”

After Neubauten, Einheit formed the band Gry with Danish vocalist Gry Bagøien, releasing “The Touch of E!” (1998) and “Public Recording” (2000), and has collaborated with KMFDM, Goethes Erben, Diamanda Galás and Mona Mur. His new solo album features vocals from Einheit and Rica Blunk, who was bassist in Palais Schaumburg, a German post-punk band signed to Daniel Miller’s Mute Records that supported Depeche Mode on tour. Rica Blunk’s earlier band, Palais Schaumburg, supported Depeche Mode on tour after signing to Daniel Miller’s Mute Records – the Depeche Mode link referenced alongside the new album.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Out in September is “Where Does a Body End?”, an intimate portrait of the band Swans, from their roots as a brutal, confrontational post-punk band that emerged from the same early 1980s era NYC that gave us Sonic Youth (and, somehow, Madonna) through their ill-fated bid at mainstream success in the 90s indie-rock gold rush. You’ll also get a glimpse of the breakups and chaos (on and offstage), in short the whole package.

For this concert film the editor waded through hundreds of hours of Swans (and singer-songwriter Michael Gira’s) archives of never-seen-before recordings, videos, and photographs. “Where Does A Body End?” has enjoyed festival success around the world from Chicago Underground Film Festival, Doc N Roll Festival (London and several other UK cities), Cinemateket Music Film Festival (Copenhagen), In: Edit Festival (Barcelona), Taoyuan Film Festival (Taiwan), Pop Kultur (Berlin), Sydney Underground Film Festival, Dok Station Film Festival (Bucharest), LUFF Lausanne Underground Film Festival (Switzerland) and many others.

The cast for this concert film includes: Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth), Jehnny Beth (Savages), JG Thirlwell (Foetus), Blixa Bargeld (Einstürzende Neubauten), Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Kid Congo Powers (The Cramps / The Gun Club), Jim Sclavunos (The Bad Seeds), Daniel Miller (Mute Records), Steve Von Till (Neurosis), Dana Schechter (Angels Of Light), Devendra Banhart, Anna Von Hausswolff, Amanda Palmer, Ben Frost and Martin Bisi.

Below is a preview.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Earlier this year, in January to be precise, we posted this article “When an April Fools prank becomes reality: ‘STUMM433’ (feat. Laibach, Depeche Mode, …)” describing how Mute would release a box set featuring 50 Mute artists giving their interpretation of John Cage’s silent track “4’33”.

Today, The Normal aka Daniel Miller, has shared his tribute to John Cage’s “4’33””. It will be the first ‘music’ released by The Normal on Mute since the debut 7”. On Mute that is indeed because “Live at West Runton Pavilion”, The Normal’s second release, done with another Mute Records act Robert Rental, was released on Marat Records in Germany as Daniel Miller Robert Rental Live, with a black and white picture sleeve.

But back to 2019. Miller recorded his piece at a site in North London that will be familiar to fans of the label as the site of its foundation: 16 Decoy Avenue. Listen to The Normal’s take on “4’33”” right below.

Daniel Miller: “John Cage’s 4’33” has been present in my musical life for as long as I can remember as an important and inspiring composition. When the idea of every Mute artist doing their own interpretation of the piece came up during a conversation with Simon Fisher Turner, I immediately thought this was the perfect way to mark the label’s MUTE 4.0 (1978 > TOMORROW) series.”

Ironically, last year we had the idea to create an April Fools prank with a fake compilation with a lot of famous musicians covering John Cage 4’33 silent track. We decided not to do it, not sure if most of you would grab the irony.

Which Mute artists are featured in the boxset?

The boxset will feature over 50 Mute artists including A Certain Ratio, A.C. Marias, ADULT., The Afghan Whigs, Alexander Balanescu, Barry Adamson, Ben Frost, Bruce Gilbert, Cabaret Voltaire, Carter Tutti Void, Chris Carter, Chris Liebing, Cold Specks, Daniel Blumberg, Danny Briottet, Depeche Mode, Duet Emmo, Echoboy, Einstürzende Neubauten, Erasure, Fad Gadget, Goldfrapp, He Said, Irmin Schmidt, Josh T. Pearson, K Á R Y Y N, Komputer, Laibach, Land Observations, Lee Ranaldo, Liars, Looper, Lost Under Heaven, Maps, Mark Stewart / Sonskrif / The New Banalist Orchestra, Michael Gira, Mick Harvey, Miranda Sex Garden, Moby, Modey Lemon, Mountaineers, New Order, Nitzer Ebb, NON / Boyd Rice, Nonpareils, The Normal, onDeadWaves, Phew, Pink Grease, Pole, Polly Scattergood, Richard Hawley, ShadowParty, Silicon Teens, Simon Fisher Turner and Edmund de Waal, The Warlocks, Wire, Yann Tiersen and Gareth Jones.

The designers behind the visuals

Contributing designers include Simone Grant who worked with Miller on a lot of the early Mute artwork (The Normal, Fad Gadget and Depeche Mode); Steve Claydon, a member of Add N To (X) who designed for Goldfrapp; Slim Smith, who worked with Mute through the 1980s and 1990s; Malcolm Garrett, who designed the “House of Illustrious” box set for Vince Clarke and Martyn Ware; Tom Hingston, who has worked with Erasure and created the majority of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Grinderman artwork since the early 2000s; and Anton Corbjin, who has worked closely with Mute on many campaigns since the early 1980s, including those of Depeche Mode, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Fad Gadget.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Last year we had the idea to create an April Fools prank with a fake compilation with a lot of famous musicians covering John Cage 4’33 silent track. We decided not to do it, not sure if most of you would grab the irony. You can imagine our surprise when Mute announced a box set this morning featuring 50 Mute artists giving their interpretation of… yes, 4’33.

From the artist that started Mute, The Normal, to the label’s newest signing, K Á R Y Y N, “STUMM433” will feature over 50 Mute artists – including Depeche Mode, Yann Tiersen, Liars, Silicon Teens, Irmin Schmidt – presenting their own interpretation of one piece of music: John Cage’s 4’33”.

Fortunately you’ll get a visual to accompany each ‘performance’ of 4’33”. The box set launches with a video from Laibach which you can see below.

Net profits from the release of STUMM433 will be split between the British Tinnitus Association and Music Minds Matter. These charities were chosen to honor Inspiral Carpets’ founding member Craig Gill who suffered from anxiety and depression as a result of his tinnitus in the years up to his untimely death. The box set will be released in May 2019.

Artists featured include: A Certain Ratio, A.C. Marias, ADULT., The Afghan Whigs, Alexander Balanescu, Barry Adamson, Ben Frost, Bruce Gilbert, Cabaret Voltaire, Carter Tutti Void, Chris Carter, Chris Liebing, Cold Specks, Daniel Blumberg, Depeche Mode, Duet Emmo, Echoboy, Einstürzende Neubauten, Erasure, Fad Gadget (tribute), Goldfrapp, He Said, Irmin Schmidt, Josh T. Pearson, K Á R Y Y N, Komputer, Laibach, Land Observations, Lee Ranaldo, Liars, Looper, Lost Under Heaven, Maps, Mark Stewart, Michael Gira, Mick Harvey, Miranda Sex Garden, Moby, Modey Lemon, Mountaineers, New Order, Nitzer Ebb, NON, Nonpareils, The Normal, onDeadWaves, Phew, Pink Grease, Pole, Polly Scattergood, Renegade Soundwave, Richard Hawley, ShadowParty, Silicon Teens, Simon Fisher Turner, The Warlocks, Wire, Yann Tiersen.

Side-Line also covered Laibach’s ‘Click Interview’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Mute Records have announced the signing of Sonic Youth founding member Lee Ranaldo. Ranaldo’s new solo album, “Electric Trim”, will be released later this year and will be supported by a string of US tour dates.

Regarding his signing with Mute, Lee says, “I’m thrilled to have Mute releasing my new album, I am so excited about this record, I think it’s possibly the best thing I’ve ever done. I look forward to working with Mute friends old and new and getting this music heard.”

In related news, the Fred Riedel documentary about the making of Lee’s new album “Hello Hello Hello : Lee Ranaldo : Electric Trim” screened last Friday and Saturday at the Montclair Film Festival in New Jersey. In the film, he and producer/composer Raül ‘Refree’ Fernandez guide the viewer through the process of recording “Electric Trim”.

Here’s a first teaser of this film:

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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