Metroland’s latest album, “0,” is now available on CD, double blue vinyl, and for download. During the pre-sale, those who pre-ordered the double vinyl received a complimentary “X” album CD. This exclusive 75-minute anniversary release features five mega mixes, each representing one of their five studio albums and highlighting the vintage synth music of Belgium.

The “X” album is now solely available as an independent album at the standard album price, on CD via the Alfa Matrix webstore and as a download via Bandcamp.

Both the vinyl and CD versions of “0” contain 12 tracks each, with Metroland making a conscious effort to differentiate them through subtly distinct artwork and varied track listings, showcasing that they are not just an ordinary computer pop band.

About Metroland

Metroland, a Belgian electronic duo, is known for their unique blend of minimalistic, melodic synthpop and a passion for transportation and urban themes. Formed in 2012, the duo consists of Passenger A and Passenger S, who have managed to make a name for themselves in the electronic music scene with their meticulously crafted soundscapes and engaging live performances.

Passenger A, a talented keyboardist and sound designer, and Passenger S, a skilled programmer and composer, met in the late 1990s while working at a local record store. Bonding over their shared love for electronic music pioneers like Kraftwerk, OMD, and Depeche Mode, they began to collaborate on music projects. This collaboration eventually led to the formation of Metroland.

Metroland’s debut album, “Mind The Gap,” released in 2012, received critical acclaim and solidified the duo’s reputation as a noteworthy electronic act. The album’s concept centered on urban living and public transportation, featuring tracks like “Enjoying the View” and “Inner City Transport,” which demonstrated the duo’s talent for crafting immersive, atmospheric soundscapes that encapsulate modern city life. In our review of “Mind The Gap,” we said: “Metroland’s music flawlessly merges catchy melodies with inventive sound design, channeling the essence of classic electronic acts while forging a fresh and contemporary soundscape.”

In 2015, Metroland unveiled their second album, “Triadic Ballet.” Drawing inspiration from the Bauhaus movement, this album delved into a more experimental and artistic realm, examining the confluence of art, design, and technology. Songs like “Zeppelin” and “Design” displayed the duo’s dedication to pushing electronic music boundaries while remaining true to their origins. The Electricity Club commented on “Triadic Ballet”: “Metroland demonstrates their capacity to evolve and innovate, while maintaining their roots, making this album a must-listen for electronic music enthusiasts.”

“Things Will Never Sound the Same Again,” Metroland’s third album, was released in 2016 as a homage to the late Louis Zachert, a dear friend and mentor of the duo. The album showcased a deeper, more introspective facet of Metroland, with tracks like “Under the Roof” and “Cube” delving into themes of loss and memory. Release Magazine remarked: “Metroland’s ‘Things Will Never Sound the Same Again’ is a poignant tribute to their friend, revealing an emotional depth and introspection seldom witnessed in electronic music.”

In 2018, Metroland returned with “Men in a Frame,” an album inspired by the realm of photography. Collaborating with various photographers, Metroland crafted a one-of-a-kind audio-visual experience, pairing each song with a specific photograph. Tracks like “Shades of Pale” and “Exhibition” underscored the duo’s prowess in evoking vivid visual imagery through their music. Peek-A-Boo Magazine praised the album: “The unparalleled audio-visual experience of ‘Men in a Frame’ cements Metroland’s position as an inventive and groundbreaking electronic duo.”

Side-Line also covered Metroland’s ‘Industry’.

Eldrina Mich

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

www.side-line.com

Out now is the debut album, “I”, by the German electro/industrial trio ¡-PAHL-!. The band consists of Olaf Parusel, Leonardo von Leibnitz, and Peter Hardlab. On “I” they also got the help from Viola Manigk who delivered some extra vocals.

The project dates already from November 2014 when the three members united (Olaf, Leo and Peter), each of them dissatisfied with their current musical projects. “Tired of the erratic behavior of their peers” as they describe it, they started a joint musical project. The first studio session took place in January 2015.

Out now is the band’s latest video “DYO”, which is dedicated to Louis Zachert whose untimely death was a real shock to all band members and many other scene people.

And here is the full album to check out.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Background/Info:

Read the news on ‘Brother’.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Out now via Spotify, iTunes and other online stores is “Brother”, the third and final single from “Things Will Never Sound The Same Again”, the album which Metroland created solely as an In Memoriam for their sadly departed friend, sound engineer and Passenger: Louis Zachert who passed away exactly 1 year ago tomorrow, August 3.

Here are the Spotify releases:

Alfa Matrix had already made the double EP available via Bandcamp, now other download & streaming platforms have been serviced.

For this new release, Metroland reached out to their fan base and fellow artists with a remix competition, giving them a chance to use music as their personal message. The outcome offers you 7 remixes spread across 2 separate EP’s, each remix created to pay homage and to honour Louis.

Next to those remixes, Metroland recreated and reworked “Brother” in 2 new versions and recorded a brand new song, aptly titled “See You”. Just like “Brother”, “See you” holds revamped samples from one of the bands that Louis regarded as ‘brilliant’.

Listen and download below.

Side-Line also covered Metroland’s ‘Cube’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Read the review of ‘Brother’.

Side-Line also covered Metroland’s ‘s new double single ’.

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

Metroland recently released the single “Synthetic Sound” (in 2 versions), and now they suddenly launch a full blown remix contest for a brand new single: “Brothers”. The single will be last single to be taken of the “Things will never sound the same” album.

The bands who want to pay their own personal final homage to Louis Zachert can now remix the “Brother” song. The best remixes will be chosen for the official remix single. Interested? Then download the stemms, midi-file and conditions right here. Make sure to send your files back and this before June 30, 2016.

Here’s the original song:

Louis Zachert, also known as Metroland’s Passenger L, passed away in his sleep last August. We have known Louis Zachert for many years, especially since he was so close with our buddies Sven and Andy from Metroland and Ionic Vision fame.

Louis Zachert’s musical career spans many years, including a solo album “Vie!” (1992) under his own name, a lot of sound engineering work on Ionic Vision releases (“The End”, “Sweet Isolation”, “Complete Isolation”) and albums under the Cycloon name together with Axel Kleintjes (“Plasma Fusion”, “Head|Over|Now”, “Zeitseize “, …) and so on. Many of these releases are now impossible to find and have gotten a second life on eBay reaching incredibly high prices. Via his UnderTheRoof – Audio Mastering studio Louis Zachert kept himself very busy working with other artists like David Rey, Inertia, Digital Factor, Leo Nocta, Ortta, Bye Bye Leader, Amaury, Philine, Jean Delouvroy, Buenas Ondas, No Sunglasses, Darkmen, Teradélie and so on.

For more on Metroland, see Metroland selected by the official Swedish Stockholm underground to… on Side-Line.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

One of Belgium’s most popular electronic music export product Metroland delivered a musical testimonial for their lost friend Louis Zachert (Passenger L – on the right on the photo above) by releasing their album “Things Will Never Sound The Same Again”.

The songs on this album all relate to their friendship and whereas the first single “Under The Roof” was named after the recording studio where they spent loads of time together, their new single “Synthetic Sound” is about their common deep love for synthetic music and sound.

Metroland deliberately opted to remix all the versions themselves, “in order to contain the true spirit of their synthetic sound” so they say. The single (available here on Bandcamp) is also released in an alternative “remixes” version (which is available here on Bandcamp).

You can check out both releases below:

Side-Line also covered Metroland’s ‘Brothers’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Background/Info: Next to the “Under The Roof”-EP there also is this extra edition entitled “Remixes”, which features 3 remixes. All the remixes have been accomplished by artists Louis Zachert (Passenger L) got in touch with.

Johan Breton, Franky Deblomme (Darkmen) and Philippe Malemprée (Musicocoon) got asked to illustrate their remixing skills. Each band has remixed a song from the album “Things Will Never Sound The Same Again”.

Notice by the way that Johan Breton and Musicocoon already each did a remix on the “Triadic Ballent”-album.

Content: This EP reveals a more creative approach, each artist trying to inject a more personal touch to the work. They didn’t spare any effort to rework the original mix into exciting new electro vibes.

You can easily recognize the original version, but globally speaking all the remixes are more danceable and diversified by cool effects.

+ + + : The remix of the title song by Johan Breton is a great piece of music for its global production revealing irresistible bleeping effects.

– – – : I know Metroland (just like Ionic Vision in the past) likes to release different EP’s from the same title song, but 2 EP’s featuring each 3 songs could have been perfectly released as one single EP.

Conclusion: The remixes inject some extra dance vibes while holding on to the original magic of the songs.

Best songs: “Under The Roof – In The Sky Mix”, “Good Moaning – Healing Mix”.

Rate: (7½).

Band: www.metrolandmusic.com / www.facebook.com/metrolandmusic

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

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Background/Info:

Read the news on ‘Under The Roof’.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Background/Info:

Read the news on ‘Things Will Never Sound The Same Again’.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Out in 2 days from now is the newest Metroland album “Things Will Never Sound The Same Again”. The album was recorded as a tribute to the late Louis Zachert, the band’s sound engineer and close friend, also know as the group’s Passenger L, who suddenly passed away in Summer 2015. You can read more on Louis Zachert’s short but music filled life right here.

Today, on Valentine’s day, you can exclusively stream the new Metroland album exclusively on Side-Line ahead of its official release on February 16. Apart from a HQ download via Bandcamp, you can also buy this album on CD via the Alfa Matrix webstore.

Side-Line also covered Metroland’s ‘Under The Roof’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Read the review of ‘Under The Roof’.

For more on Metroland, see Exclusively stream new Metroland album on Side-Line – officially out… on Side-Line.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

(Photo by Kristel Nijskens) This just arrived, Metroland has announced that everyone who purchases the new Metroland album “Things Will Never Sound The Same Again” via Bandcamp, will also get a mega mix. You can listen to the mega mix (lasting over 11 minutes) below.

For those preferring the CD format version, you can order it right here from the online Alfa Matrix label webstore.

This new Metroland album is not just a new album, but also a tribute to the August 2015 deceased Louis Zachert, who acted as a mentor, friend and was also the group’s Passenger L (see the picture below).

As a personal tribute, Passengers A and S created a complete new album from scratch, where every song, every note and the featured cd art is their way of saying thank you and goodbye to their close friend and fellow passenger. The 11 titles on the album each describe or embody what Louis means to the band in general and to both remaining members on a personal level.

Side-Line also covered Metroland’s ‘Under The Roof’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Read the review of ‘Things Will Never Sound The Same Again’.

Side-Line also covered Metroland’s ‘Things Will Never Sound The Same Again’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

(Photo by Mélanie Detry – manipulated by Metroland) The death of Louis Zachert keeps on moving a lot of people who have known him personally. In a short but strong statement the Belgian electronic group Metroland have expressed their sadness: “Words fail with the loss of Louis Zachert, our very own beloved and amazing Passenger L. His final touches on all of our music has had a definite impact and in most cases made a world of change over the last two decades. It’s with tons of grief and disbelief that we are forced to say goodbye to one of our closest and oldest friends since 1994! Things will never sound the same again. Forever friendship!” Metroland’s Andy Dedecker also added a video online shot during Ionic Vision’s recording sessions for an album that never got released under Ionic Vision and which shows Louis Zachert at work, having fun, having lunch and so on. Some real behind the scenes footage.

Louis Zachert, also known as Metroland’s Passenger L (or Brother Louis), passed away in his sleep 2 days ago.

Also Axel Kleintjes – with whom Louis formed Cycloon – posted a message: “I can not believe it – I am stunned. Louis … You were the one who showed me that musical art basically knows no boundaries. Our time as Cycloon was one of the best experiences that I was able to do as a musician. Your patience and your understanding of others’ ideas has always been incredible. I am grateful that I worked with you, and know I could learn from you. Take care, Louis!”

Louis Zachert’s musical career spans many years, including a solo album “Vie!” (1992) under his own name, a lot of sound engineering work on Ionic Vision releases (“The End”, “Sweet Isolation”, “Complete Isolation”) and albums under the Cycloon name together with Axel Kleintjes (“Plasma Fusion”, “Head|Over|Now”, “Zeitseize “, …) and so on. Many of these releases are now impossible to find and have gotten a second life on eBay reaching incredibly high prices. Via his UnderTheRoof – Audio Mastering studio Louis Zachert kept himself very busy working with other artists like David Rey, Inertia, Digital Factor, Leo Nocta, Ortta, Bye Bye Leader, Amaury, Philine, Jean Delouvroy, Buenas Ondas, No Sunglasses, Darkmen, Teradélie and so on.

Our Side-Line reviewer co-editor in chief Stephane Froidcoeur aka Deranged Psyche was particularly touched by Louis’ “11000 Virgins” album which was released under the Black Wedding moniker in 2008: “He was a real kind person with a great musical knowledge; it always was a pleasure to meet him and I’ll remind him for his genius Black Wedding album.”

The sadness is everywhere but the good memories will prevail. Bis später Louis!

For more on Metroland, see Metroland, OMD, Haven 17, … to play at Düsseldorf’s ELECTRI_CITY… on Side-Line.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

(Photo by Mélanie Detry) After the news that Psyche’s Stephen Huss sadly passed away, we are extremely shocked to learn that our dear friend Louis Zachert, also known as Metroland’s Passenger L, passed away in his sleep last night. We have known Louis Zachert for many years, especially since he was so close with our buddies Sven and Andy from Metroland and Ionic Vision fame.

For both Andy and Sven, Louis’ sudden death comes as a huge devastating shock and both will issue a statement later on tomorrow to pay respect to Louis Zachert, who for them was not only a fellow musical traveler but most of all a very close personal friend who has guided them throughout their entire career, in good and bad times. It was also Louis Zachert who personally pitched Metroland to Alfa Matrix, both Andy and Sven not being sure the label would like it. From Alfa Matrix we got the following statement: “If there was one person who really was genuine in the dark scene in Europe (and especially Belgium), then he was the one and only you should have cherished. Our condolences go to Louis’ wonderful wife Petra and to Sven and Andy who have lost their musical father.”

The Side-Line team wants to pay their utmost respect to this wonderful positive guy who has always been there for many people behind the scenes. Farewell Louis, it was an honour having known you, you’ll never be forgotten!

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