For its 25th anniversary, Mesh make their long-time out of print second album “The Point at Which It Falls Apart” available again via Dependent Records. For the occasion the full-length has been remastered by German producer Olaf Wollschläger. The album reissue comes in a art book format with extensive bonus materials and extra tracks on a second CD.

The art book comes as a 48-page hardcover book (ca. 18x18cm) with 2 CDs: the original album (remastered 2024), an 11-track bonus CD with remixes and rare B-Sides, plus liner notes by Mark Wybrew (Electronic Cafe) & Jan Winterfeld (Pluswelt).

Mesh Mark Hockings says: “I am very proud and excited to see this album re-released with its stunning new (and yet familiar) artwork, and the pristine sound of the new remaster. This has been a long time coming. For those that heard the album the first time around, I hope it brings back some powerful memories as it has for me. For those that are hearing it for the first time, I wish I could share that experience with you.”

Richard Silverthron adds: “For me, ‘The Point at Which It Falls Apart’ marks a period in time where we found that sound that is immediately identifiable as ‘Mesh’. We were deeply into using sampling technology, creating and recording drum loops, ambient atmospheres, and guitars parts. Our pick for the first advance single, ‘Needle in a Bruise’ is an excellent example of this. This song sits comfortably between being an emotional electronic piece through the verses and then opens up with layered guitars in the chorus that turns it into an anthemic rock track.”

The recording line-up of this album consisted of Mark Hockings, Richard Silverthorn and Neil Taylor.

To introduce the sound of this remastered album, the single track “Needle in a Bruise” is available now for preview. Mark Hockings and Richard Silverthorn are currently in the process of writing the next Mesh studio album.

Tracklist bonus CD

1. People Like Me (With this Gun) (Alt.MESH.Mix)
2. It Scareas Me (Mesh Remix)
3. Not Prepared (Radio Version)
4. The Damage You Do (Perfect Porno Remix)
5. Safe WIth Me (Snare’s Epic Edit)
6. People Like Me (With this Gun) (Extended Shotgun)
7. It Scares Me (Mesh Locarno Mix)
8. Not Prepared (Mesh Club Mix)
9. This Without You (Fallen Mix)
10. It Scares Me (Fearful)
11. Not Prepared (Blowhole Mix)

About Mesh

Mesh was formed in 1991 when lead singer and guitarist Mark Hockings and keyboardist and vocalist Richard Silverthorn met, leading to the formation of the band. Richard Silverthorn composed the music, while Mark Hockings penned the lyrics. The duo was soon joined by Neil Taylor on keyboards, who had already been playing in another band with Silverthorn.

The band debuted with the “Fragile” EP in 1994 followed by the full-length debut “In this Place Forever” two years later in 1996. In 1999 came the next milestone with the sophomore album “The Point At Which It Falls Apart”.

The major label release of “Who Watches over Me” in 2002, propelled Mesh further into the limelight and marked a turning point. A surge of popularity across Europe, particularly in Germany let the UK band climb higher up the festival billings.

What followed was a collaboration with former Depeche Mode producer Gareth Jones for “We Collide” (2006). Adapting to lineup changes, Mesh continued their musical journey with the core-duo, augmenting live performances with drummer Sean Suleman and additional live keyboardists.

“Automation Baby” (2013) and “Looking Skyward” (2016) followed. Mesh also collaborated with a classical orchestra at the ‘Gothic meets Klassik’ festival in 2015.

By 2023 the band was joined by Vaughn George for their live lineup in April 2023.

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 Therese Aldgård) Out on Friday but already available to order is the all new single from Sjöblom: “Fly Away With Me”. “Fly Away With Me” is taken from the band’s upcoming album, “Dead of Night”, to be released on COP International.

The single holds also two remixes of the title track Mark Hockings (Mesh / blackcarburning) and Chris Vrenna (Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson) and was recorded and produced by Jon Bordon and Sjöblom. The mastering was executed by Jon Bordon.

Sjöblom is a Swedish indie project, formed in 2016 in Stockholm by Johan Sjöblom Eliot, also member of Swedish post-punk band The Exploding Boy, and Robert Eklind, previously in the band Malaise. 2 albums have already been released, with a new one out later this year.

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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We all know Mark Hockings as the singer of Mesh. Mark originally wanted to write his own music and finally, accidentally, became a singer. During the lockdown he started writing his own music and released a few singles. Blackcarburning was born and this year released the debut-album “Watching Sleepers” on COP International. Fourteen songs have been released featuring guest singers Neil Francis, Mari Katmann, Howie Venton and Janne Marvannen. “Watching Sleepers” sounds as pure Electro-Pop; a styled and alluring production for Mesh- and 80s fans.  

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: I got the feeling Blackcarburning was already spinning for a while in a corner of your mind so what have been the triggers to get it activated? And what kind of sound did you want to compose?

Mark: I’d been thinking about releasing something for a few years if I’m honest. It was going to be low level -maybe a few instrumentals. Nothing big, just something to scratch an itch I guess. I messed about with some music in the early days of the pandemic. Mesh were on a well-deserved break and I was building a proper studio in my house. I gave one of my ideas to Mari Kattman (who I’d worked with on a Mesh track and will appear on a future Mesh release) and I unexpectedly had a song. I just carried on writing really. I had enough tracks for a single, then two singles, then an EP, then the full album “Watching Sleepers”. There was such a momentum to it all and I felt like I’d tapped into a real vein of inspiration. It was very satisfying and unexpected.

Q: You for sure will be always connected to Mesh which makes the challenge to start a side/solo-project exciting, right? What did you experience as the pros and cons to release a solo-album? And what have been the biggest challenges and difficulties in the composition- & production process?

Mark: It has been a challenge overall, yes. There was a certain amount of pressure I guess, but that pressure didn’t come to the fore until the end of the process, when we were ready to release – that was “Judgement Day”. When you’re working on your own it requires an certain amount of discipline, self-motivation and confidence in your own abilities. I had to learn to be better at those things and from that respect it was certainly a life changing journey, about one I’m glad I put myself through. Many of the skills that I’ve left to other people (like final production, mixing, ‘editorial’ etc) I had to study and learn. Everything was down to me, and stopped with me.

Most of the challenges were indeed production based. I had to build a proper listening environment to mix in. It was ultimately a big investment in recording equipment, and an investment in time to learn how to use those tools. There were certain technical challenges recording guest vocalists -I didn’t want to just send files back and forward, but rather produce the singers ‘live’. I used a remote recoding solution called ‘VST Live’ where I could work with singers in real time. This was a game changer and ultimately the results were as good as anything I could have hoped for if we were all in the studio in person.

Q: Did you handle specific criteria and/or references in the achievement of this work plus the choice of guest singers?

Mark: Not really. I just wrote without any particular direction. Mesh has a ‘sound’, and together myself and Rich  create something that is original but recognisable, but always a product of our combined skills. I was able to write without restriction because I had no audience to think of, and no expectations to live up to. This was liberating in most respects, and I think it allowed me to be more productive as every idea seemed to lead somewhere interesting.

The choice of singers varied depending on the track. With Mari, the choice was initially just shot in the dark to see what would happen. The first track with Neil Francis “Love In Control” was originally written for myself, but I didn’t think it sounded as good as it could, so I asked him to re-do it. The other tracks with Neil I wrote specifically with him in mind. With “Your Heart Is Like An Island”, I specifically wrote the track for Janne. So the approach varied.

Q: What is “Watching Sleepers” all about? And what has been the impact of the lockdowns to the writing and content of the album?

Mark: “Watching Sleepers” contains a lot of personal and social commentary from the last few years. A great deal happened to the World during the time of the album writing, and that spilled over into everyones personal lives, their mental well-being, their feelings of security and hopes for the future. I never specifically tried to write about that time, but I think it’s evident in the lyrics and feel. Moments of reflection, anger, sadness and uncertainty.

Q: What have been the different stages you’d to go through to achieve “Watching Sleepers”? And what did you keep in mind as the highlights of this entire process?

Mark: There were many stages to the writing of the album.

The most important part is getting the bulk of the album written -it’s an important framework around which to work and to understand what you have as a whole. This is the part I enjoy the most.

I would then focus on the production and editing -removing stuff that was surplus, that added nothing, was self-indulgent for just made the track longer than it needed to be. Everything should have a purpose, and if not it should be removed. It’s difficult to do sometimes as the removed parts could be 100’s of hours of work, but it’s necessary.

The final mixing is the last stage. Getting the album to sound like a real record. This is the most difficult stage but is also very satisfying if you get it right, which I think I did. I include pre-mastering, frequency analysis, loudness metering in this stage.

Of course there were other stages that were just as important -finding a great record label (COP International) and a publisher (Schubert)  being the two biggest ones.

Q: I noticed the very specific artwork of your album -and singles,  which seems directly connected to the name of your project. What is it all about and is there a connection with Helen Mort’s novel “Black Car Burning”?

Mark: All the artwork was done by myself. I was getting a little tired of heavily photoshopped artwork and decided to try a ‘back to basics’ and more natural approach. I bought 30 or 40 model cars and photographed them against backgrounds printed out on photographic paper. Each ‘diorama’ had some connection or theme relating to the song. I used some lights and coloured gels -nothing complicated. There is some colour correction on the images, but otherwise they are just as I shot them. It was quite a lot of work, but once I had the technique it got easier. Again, it was very satisfying to see the results, especially on physical media like CD’s.

I tend to write phrases and words in my phone when I hear something interesting. There was a book review on the radio of Helens novel and I wrote down ‘Black Car Burning’ in my phone. When I came to look for a band name this fitted perfectly. I must read the novel one day.

Q: What are your plans for Blackcarburning?

Mark: I would ultimately like to take Blackcarburning out touring. We are starting to look at this now, but no dates are decided yet. Hopefully late 2024. I will certainly be writing another full-length album and am hoping to fit this around the writing of the next MESH album.

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

Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop, Indie-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: While the Mesh fans are waiting for years now for a new studio album, front man Mark Hockings unleashes his debut solo-album. Blackcarburning saw the daylight during lockdown. Hockings originally wanted to write his own music and finally, accidentally, became a singer. After several singles we get “Sleepers” featuring fourteen songs.

Content: You rapidly notice Hockings’ unique and passionate timbre of voice but “Sleepers” also features 4 guest singers (Neil Francis, Mari Katmann, Howie Venton and Janne Marvannen from Lakeside X). The album reveals a talented musician dealing with achieved, catchy and sensitive Electro/Indie-Pop. The work remains similar to Mesh but also to 80s Pop formations like OMD. The work is diversified moving from darker passages to sweet, evasive, cuts.

+ + + : Mark Hockings took me by surprise. The talented singer of Mesh also is a brilliant musician who perfectly knows how to compose danceable Electro-Pop cuts driven by elevating choruses at one side and sensitive tracks at the other side. “Sleepers” sounds as an intimate composition revealing outstanding songs like “Guilty”, “The Mirror” and “Losing Our Way”. The way the songs have been built up to reach their ultimate point is fully accomplished. And Hockings also chose talented guest singers.

– – – : The link with Mesh is obvious but who cares.

Conclusion: Surprising but brilliant, styled and elevating Electro-Pop!

Best songs: “Guilty”, “The Mirror”, “Losing Our Way”, “All About You”, “Breaking Bones”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.blackcarburning.com / www.facebook.com/blackcarburning

Label: www.facebook.com/copint Read the news on ‘Sleepers’.

About Blackcarburning

Blackcarburning is the solo project of Mark Hockings, singer of the UK electro-pop band Mesh, based in Bristol. He launched the project during lockdown, writing, singing and programming the material himself. The debut album, “Watching Sleepers”, was released by COP International on 23 June 2023, recorded and mixed at The Summerhouse in Bristol, and features guest vocalists Neil Francis, Mari Kattman, Howie Venton and Janne Marvannen of Lakeside X.

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

On August 8th the German conzoom Records label will celebrate its 15th anniversary. Especially for the occasion two new “electropop.” compilations will be released on that same date: “electropop.25” and “electropop.depeche mode”. Both can be ordered via Conzoom Records.

Side-Line hereby send its congratulations to both Ingo Möller and Annet Möller for their work in the past 15 years!

“electropop.25” will again carry 13 tracks by 13 artists who have not yet appeared on an official compilation. As usual, there will also be a strictly limited “electropop.25 (Super Deluxe Fan Bundle)” with 4 promotional bonus CD-Rs.

“electropop.depeche mode” holds cover versions of Depeche Mode tracks by new bands from the electropop field. The three promotional bonus CD-Rs of the “electropop. depeche mode (Super Deluxe Fan Bundle)” include a remix collection of the latest “Nature Of Wire Remixes Volume 5”, a ten-song retrospective of the work of the Swedish synthpop band Climate Zombies and an exclusive remix album by Birmingham Electric with previously unpublished tracks.

Tracklisting of “electropop.25”:

1. Aeon Rings – Slow Choke (Full Length Version)
2. Blackcarburning – All About You (Olaf Wollschläger Remix)
3. Code 64 – Soundwave (Extended)
4. Eckotrigger – Collide (Extended)
5. Helalyn Flowers – Halos (People Theatre’s Fireball Mix)
6. Jetlag Junction – Hope & Bravery (Dance Remix)
7. Main – End This Game (Full Length Version)
8. Mari Kattman – Is It Really That Bad (Neuroticfish Remix)
9. Neon Space Men – Twisted Mind (Rob #Dust Remix)
10. Rohn-Lederman – We Need A Plan (Mark Hockings Remix)
11. The Grab Society – Outsider (Oren Amram Remix Edit)
12. The Nordic Act – Give Me The Power (Remix 2022)
13. Voltron2 – Catwalk Madness (Extended Mix)

Tracklisting of “electropop.depeche mode”

1. Alphamay – Everything Counts
2. Bt47 – Master & Servant
3. Demokratie – And Then
4. Egoamp – New Dress (Edit)
5. Engraved Garden – Lie To Me (Extended)
6. Kellertechnik Feat. Shelter – Now This Is Fun
7. Maschinengeist – Wrong
8. Neon Space Men – Leave In Silence (Extended)
9. Parralox – Ghosts Again (Extended)
10. Platronic – The Things You Said
11. Royal Visionaries – The Sun And The Rainfall
12. Split Vision – A Photograph Of You
13. Supercraft – My Secret Garden
14. Tycho Brahe – Suffer Well
15. Vainerz – Two Minute Warning (Extended)

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

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

Out via COP International on June 23rd is the debut album from Blackcarburning, “Watching Sleepers”. Behind Blackcarburning we find Mark Hockings, frontman of the UK electropop outfit mesh. “Watching Sleepers” will be out in 2 CD versions, a normal CD and a limited Edition, including a 5-track bonus-CD with exclusive tracks and remixes.

On this release Hockings takes on multiple roles, including writing, singing, and programming, and describes the tracks as “electronic music written around songs, emotion, and energy.” He further adds, “The tracks were written to see what I could achieve by working primarily on my own. It’s been a vehicle for exploring new songwriting and programming ideas, experimenting with sound design, and developing some exciting new directions.”

The bonus tracks are the following:

1. The Mirror (12Inch Extended Mix)
2. Make another Plan
3. You do what you want
4. Last Day
5. Have you seen them fight

Check out the album track “The Mirror” below. Read the review of ‘Sleepers’.

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

Out via COP International on October 21st is the all new EP for Mark Hockings (mesh) and more precisely for his side-project Blackcarburning.

The opener “Divide Us” is a collaboration with Mari Kattman (of Helix with Tom Shear of Assemblage 23) in a production by John Fryer. The other tracks have Hockings on vocals. All versions are exclusive to this EP and only “Divide Us” will be on his upcoming album.

The project launched its very first release in 2021 with the self-released singles “The Mirror (Shattered Tones)” and “The Mirror”. After signing with COP International the project released the singles “All About You”, “Reset” and “Everything Worked 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

Swedish Electro-Pop formation Vanguard became a familiar and recognized name in the Electro-Pop scene. One of the band’s members Patrik Hansson decided to start a side-project called Uncreated. Several EP’s were released revealing a catchy, powerful, sound. This is danceable Electro-Pop getting people happy. The debut album “Eternal” released in 2019 was a successful production. By the end of 2021 Uncreated unleashed its second opus “Symbiosis” featuring an impressive list of guests singers.  Mark Hockings (Mesh), Björn Marius Borg (Xenturion Prime), Louise Marchione (Planet R/Thermostatic), Mikael Engström (Covered In Snow), Richard Flow (Machinsta) and Arielle Andersson (Octolab) contributed to this fascinating album released by Conzoom Records.

(Picture credits Peter Engman / Interview courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: What made you start next to Vanguard a solo-project? How do you differentiate both projects in sound, influences and production? 

Patrik: I have always wanted to work with other singers. That was actually one of the reasons I looked for a companion back when I met Jonas and we started Vanguard, but it turned out that I was the one grabbing the microphone. So, the dream to work with other singers lived on and Uncreated is the result of that.

When it comes to differentiate the projects it has become easier the more I have worked with both Vanguard and Uncreated. One obvious thing is the singers ofc, but also the production differs more and more. Vanguard has a tendency to go towards a darker atmosphere whilst Uncreated feels more optimistic so to speak. I don’t know in what direction it will go from here though.

Q: A solo-project smells like ‘total freedom’; to do what you want without any compromises. But what are the main difficulties and challenges you encounter when being the single member at board? Do you have external critics and/or advisors? 

Patrik: I always try to get input from people I trust when it comes to songwriting and production. Rob Dust has always been kind enough to help me out when it comes to production.

The co-writers/guest-singers have a lot to say as well. It is important that all involved are as satisfied as possible. I know I have some limitations when it comes to production etc, but the more I work with it, the better I become. 

Q: How did this ‘symbiosis’ between you and the singers happen? Did you handle specific criteria to choose the singers to work with? What have been the different stages you’d to go through to get the job done?

Patrik: I simply choose to ask singers whose voices I really like. Not all accepted but I am really happy that so many wanted to join me as well on “Symbiosis” as on all earlier releases. In some cases I had a song ready for the guest to record and in some cases I only had an instrumental track. On most instrumental tracks I had an idea of a melody, but I let the guest decide if they wanted to write something themselves or not, both lyrics and melody.

Q: How did the transition happen between your debut album “Eternal” and “Symbiosis”? What aspects of the production did you try to change and/or improve? 

Patrik: With “Eternal” I created a small foundation to grow from so to speak. I only had one guest on the album (Mel Guntzelsson). I wanted to spread the word just a little bit before I invited more guests. I guess it worked out quite well since I have been joined by great singers since then. Each release has helped me to spread the word about Uncreated to a bigger audience. After every release I let the songs ‘rest’ for a while before I listen to them again. In that way I have managed to take small steps in the right direction after every release.

Q: “Hand Grenade” featuring Mark Hockings rapidly became one of Uncreated’s most successful songs. Tell us a bit more about this song and the collaboration with Mark properly speaking? How did you know it was a song for him?

Patrik: Mark did a remix of “Break Free” (feat. Dennis Schober from Solitary Experiments) and that is how I got in contact with him. It was during that process that I told him I had a free spot for the upcoming album. I was really surprised that he accepted to join. I sent him an instrumental track and gave him time to work with lyrics and melody. The result was beyond my expectations. He also added a few elements to the production which really improved the impact of the song.

Q: What are your further plans with Uncreated? How do you expect the project evolving and what are you actually working on? 

Patrik: At the moment I’m gathering inspiration to do more tracks. I still have a list of singers I want to work with. Actually Magnus Dahlberg from the Swedish band More is currently working on lyrics for a track. Let’s see where that ends! But I have no release with Uncreated planned in the near future.

Vanguard will release “Spectrum” this spring and then we have some gigs coming up too. I want to focus on that. But if I know myself, I will probably get in one of my ‘zones’ when I least expect it. In that case things can go fast.

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

COP International presents Blackcarburning’s EP “Reset”. Blackcarburning is the solo project of Mark Hockings, frontman of UK electropop outfit mesh. The EP features a single mix by John Fryer, a club remix by SOMAN, and two original tracks that will not appear on the forthcoming album including the track “Get Ready!” performed by Neil Francis.

In this latest work, Hockings takes on multiple roles including writing, singing, and programming, and describes the tracks as “electronic music written around songs, emotion, and energy.”

He further adds, “The tracks were written to see what I could achieve by working primarily on my own. It’s been a vehicle for exploring new songwriting and programming ideas, to experiment with sound design and to develop some exciting new directions.”

A video for “Reset” was created by visual artist Howie Venton using some cutting-edge AI. Check the result below.

You can download the release below.

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.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Patrik Hansson (Vanguard singer) released the second album of his solo-project Uncreated in November 2021. The opus was released right after a few singles featuring guest singers.

Content: Patrik Hansson got some good company to achieve this work. He asked guest singers to join in. Mark Hockings (Mesh) and Björn Marius Borg (Xenturion Prime) were already featured on the previously released singles while Louise Marchione (Planet R/Thermostatic), Mikael Engström (Covered In Snow), Richard Flow (Machinista) and Arielle Andersson (Octolab) completed the list. Patrik is singing on a few songs as well. The music remains pure Electro-Pop -and still more poppy than Vanguard, driven by hopping sequences, retro sound treatments and danceable beats.

Nite did a remix of “Hand Grenade” featuring Mark Hockings. The CD version features 2 bonus songs which are extended versions.

+ + + : The concept of working with guest singers is not new but rather surprising for Patrik Hansson who’s a talented singer himself. It however resulted in extra diversity while the artist could probably focus more on songwriting and production. “Hand Grenade” remains an outstanding song, but I also have to mention the other single “Rebuild The Future” featuring Marius Borg and the more aggressive “Alive” featuring Richard Flow. I also enjoyed “One Night In Blue” featuring Louise Marchione’s delicate timbre of voice. Nite also accomplished a cool remix of “Hand Grenade”.

– – – : I only noticed a few ‘softer’ songs which couldn’t convince me but which injected a break to the work.

Conclusion: Uncreated only confirms its immense potential, being next to Vanguard, another great Electro-Pop project of Patrik Hansson.

Best songs: “Hand Grenade”, “Rebuild The Future”, “Alive”, “One Night In Blue”, “Hand Grenade – Nite Remix”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/uncreatedofficial

Label: www.conzoomrecords.de / www.facebook.com/conzoomofficial

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 is the brand new single by Lakeside X, “Rising”. The single release goes hand in hand with a brand new video shot in Berlin. Included in the single release is also a remix of the title track by Mesh’ Mark Hockings as Blackcarburning.

The single is a new teaser for the band’s forthcoming album “Love Disappears”. The new album will be produced by Daniel Myer (Haujobb , Liebknecht , Covenant , Architect). The Prague based synthpop act made a comeback last December with the release of “Fire in the Sky”, the first single after 11 years since their last studio album.

The single is available via all digital platforms.

Video out as well

The trio Janne Marvannen, Robert Broj and Igor Dvorsky have taken to the streets of Berlin to shoot a completely self-produced music video with a few very special cameo appearances.

“This was the first track that Janne demoed to us and also the first track we started our collaboration with Daniel on. I knew right from the start, that this was going to be a single”, says Robert Broj, the keyboard player.

Jane adds: “I wandered through the streets of Berlin, headphones on my ears and listening to Nick Cave, David Bowie, U2, Depeche Mode – all those giants, who recorded their fundamental albums in Berlin – and I wrote glimpses of thoughts that would later become song lyrics. Somewhere there, in the middle of cold nights of November 2019, shortly before the circumstances were about to lock us at home for a long time, I have decided to work on new things for Lakeside X, on new songs about a journey, about disappearing from this world, about falling down and rising up from the ashes and about new hopes. I wanted to shoot the video just in Berlin, and by doing that we could, in a symbolic way, pay a tribute to all those, who went this path before us and to whom we owe a lot.”

Crowdfunding campaign

To help with funding the whole project a crowdfunding campaign was launched with tons of exclusives, unreleased material, artwork or even a lifetime access to any and all of their upcoming live appearances.

“This time we are going full electronic-synth way. “Rising” is a “flagship” track for us. This is Lakeside X in 2022. It’s a story that can be purely personal but also it’s a story of a band, that has risen from the ashes and it’s stronger than ever before. The video to the single contains apart from many pop-cultural references on our famous colleagues, also remarkable amount of mixing present and past. We are a band coming from the country that once was part of the Eastern block, we all do remember the Wall, cold war, state police agents and the atmosphere of fear that ruled our homelands. The divided Berlin was a symbol of this time and of it all. At the same time it was a place where at that time, Bowie, Cave or DM created something that inspired not just us, but a whole generation of artists. We tried to concentrate this all into the video, and for us, Berlin is and always will be a city, that has risen from the ashes and is a never-ending inspiration for everyone”, says Janne Marvannen.

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, Cinematographic, Experimental.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Jean-Marc Lederman has achieved a new work featuring guest singers. In the past few months he released similar albums like “13 Ghost Stories” and “Letters To Gods And Fallen Angels”, and also “Venus Chariot” as a collaboration between him and Emileigh Rohn. “The Raven” is driven by a new concept where Lederman asked his guests to work on old texts from poets like (Byron, Poe, Plato, Shelley, de Froidmont ao.

Content: The guest singers for this album areMari Kattman (Helix, Mari & The Ghost), Christopher Hall (Stabbing Westward), Mark Hockings (Mesh), Elena Alice Fossi (Kirlian Camera, Spectra*Paris), Azam Ali (Niyaz), Dr. Strangefryer (aka John Fryer), Jim Semonik (Red Locust), Lis Van Den Akker (Misery, Psy’Aviah), Ken Mageman, Jean-Luc De Meyer (Front 242, 32Crash), Stefan Netschio (Beborn Beton), Emileigh Rohn (Chiasm), Christina Z.

Sound-wise the work is pretty eclectic, moving in between a free interpretation of Electro-Pop compositions and more pronounced Cinematographic music. The songs feature numerous, typical Cinema music arrangements, which are sometimes bombastic, but also pretty evasive. I also noticed very Minimal-Electro driven pieces. The songs have been sung/performed in English, French and Italian.

+ + + :Each time,  Jean-Marc Lederman Experience again sounds like a new and fascinating journey. First there is always an interesting concept and I like this one for mixing old poems together with music, which as an imaginary Soundtrack has been performed by the artist. There’s once again a true symbiosis between music and vocals, seeing Jean-Marc transforming himself into a sonic chameleon. Music and performer are totally complementary, now resulting in a sensual composition like the one with Mari Kattman, then into a kind of Lounge approach with Mark Hockings, becoming totally minimal with Dr. Strangefryer, getting us into a dreamy part with Lis Van Den Akker. But the most surprising- and poignant track is the one with Jean-Luc De Meyer inspired on a poem of Hélinand de Froidmont. It’s an old and tenebrous poem, which has been masterly interpreted by the Front 242 lead singer and adapted into a horror-like music composition. There are several noticeable cuts on this album, which is more an album to listen to instead of dancing.

– – – : The album once more creates the illusion listening to a compilation instead of an album composed by one artist. That’s part of this concept and I’m sure Jean-Marc Lederman still has enough ideas and creativity to move on with it.

Conclusion: Jean-Marc Lederman Experience and his guest singers stand for a true sonic intercourse. This is a new brilliant piece of music and the perfect successor to “Letters To Gods And Fallen Angels”.

Best songs: “The Worms Of Death”, “Invocation”, Frankenstein”, “Smouldering Corpse In The Morning Sun”, “The Cold Heart Slept Below”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.jmlederman.com / www.facebook.com/Music-composer-Jean-Marc-Lederman-1585277635023000 / www.facebook.com/jeanmarc.lederman

Label: www.facebook.com/copint

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 on January 28th 2022 via Dependent in a box-set is the Mesh live show release “Touring Skyward (A Tour Movie)” featuring an extended (3 ½ hours playing time. Released on blu-ray with 2 exclusive live-CDs holding 23 tracks, recorded in various places during the band’s last tour.

All 3 discs are coming inside a large-sized hardcover book, featuring 60 pages with exclusive artwork and tons of live pictures, various crew member liner notes and much more.

The video footage – shot and produced over a period of 4 years – also holds backstage material shot on the tour-bus, and other usually restricted or private locations. You also get interviews with the two founding members of the band, Mark Hockings and Richard Silverthorn next to detailed depictions of the stage set-up of all musicians involved, fan interviews, and many more insights.

The live material was shot during gigs in Hamburg, Königsstein and Köln (Cologne).

About Mesh

Mesh formed in 1991 after lead singer Mark Hockings and Richard Silverthorn (keyboards) met each other at a concert where Richard Silverthorn’s band was playing. Soon afterwards, Neil Taylor, Silverthorn’s former bandmate, joined the band on keyboards. The creative writing was split between Richard Silverthorn, who composes the music, and Mark Hockings, who writes the lyrics.

Mesh were signed by the Swedish label Memento Materia and an EP, “Fragile”, was released in 1994. This was followed by a full album, “In This Place Forever”, in 1996. In 1997 the band released an extended version of “Fragile”. A compilation album, “Fragmente”, was released in 1998, and a new studio album, “The Point At Which It Falls Apart” in 1999. By then the Side-Line readers already had gotten to know the band via the attached CD-sampler that was released with the printed magazine.

In 2002, Mesh were picked up by Sony Records, and released a new album “Who Watches Over Me”. In 2006 a new album, “We Collide”, was released, produced by former Depeche Mode producer, Gareth Jones.

On 13 September 2006 Taylor announced he was leaving the band after 15 years to pursue other interests. Hockings and Silverthorn decided to continue as a duo, using an augmented line-up for live shows. Initially, Geoff Pinckney replaced Taylor at live shows.

The new line-up signed to Dependent Records as their European record label. Metropolis Records represents them in the US and South America. “A Perfect Solution” was released in 2009. It was produced by the German dark electro producer Olaf Wollschläger. Olaf has continued to work with Mesh on subsequent releases. In 2011 the band followed up “A Perfect Solution” with a remix of the album, entitled “An Alternative Solution”.

On 26 August 2011 the band announced via Twitter that Geoff Pinckney would no longer be playing live with Mesh as he wished to focus on his other musical project, Tenek. He was replaced by Richard Broadhead. Live drummer Sean Suleman also joined the line up around this time.

In 2013 the band released “Automation Baby”. “When Looking Skyward” followed in 2016. In 2015 the band played with a classical orchestra at the ‘Gothic meets Klassik’ festival in Leipzig. The show was recorded and initially scheduled for release in 2016 but the release got delayed to late 2017 to expand the live recording with some additional studio tracks recorded at Tonscheune Oleak.

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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On November 5th, Helix will self-release a brand new digital-only EP entitled “Bad Dream”, featuring 4 brand new tracks and remixes from Mark Hockings (Mesh) and Andrew Sega (ex-Iris, Hallowed Hearts). The EP will be available on Bandcamp and the usual digital and streaming platforms.

Helix is the brand new collaboration between Tom Shear (Assemblage 23) and vocalist Mari Kattman (known for her work with Psy’Aviah and Mari & The Ghost). The debut album for the duo was released on August 24 2018, called “Twin”.

Here’s already a trailer.

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

After her work with Chiasm and John Fryer’s album ” Missed the Noise”, Emileigh Rohn has jumped right into her next adventure with Jean-Marc Lederman (The Weathermen / Fad Gadget / Front242 / Ghost & Writer with Frank Spinath from Seabound) to launch a new band: Rohn-Lederman.

Their first offering is an EP named “Watch Out!” Which comes in 4 reworked versions on the EP. Remixers on duty include Claus Larsen (Leaether Strip), Tom Shear (Assemblage 23), Mark Hockings (Mesh, Black Car Burning) and an own Rohn-Lederman remix. Also Krischan Jan-Eric Wesenberg (Rotersand) made a remix which will be released later this year.

Here’s the video for the remixed version of “Watch 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!

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(Courtesy Attasalina) Black Needle Noise’s first release on COP International Records is a fact. Out now is a new single “Machine” featuring vocalist Attasalina and violinist Meredith Yayanos. The “Machine” EP features remixes from Christopher Hall (Stabbing Westward), Mark Hockings (Mesh/Blackcarburning), Sick Jokes, Soman and (London DJ) Samantha Togni.

Says Fryer of “Machine”: “It’s taken a while to find the right song for Attasalina so we could collaborate again. She did an amazing job on ‘Messages By Dreams’ and she has done an exceptional job on ‘Machine.’ It’s always a pleasure working with Attasalina, and it’s been great having Meredith Yayanos on board this time around playing violin on the track, adding another dimension.”

Attasalina, best known for her collaboration with Daniel Ash (The Soldiers of Everyday), has also released music with her band The Seraphim Rising and is currently working on her first solo record in collaboration with John Fryer, to be called Freed From Rage and Sorrow. She previously collaborated with Fryer on the Black Needle Noise track “Messages By Dreams.”

See the video for “Machine” below.

About John Fryer

John Fryer started his career in 1979 at London’s Blackwing Studios (London) and soon began working with seminal bands on 4AD, Mute, Rough Trade and Beggars Banquet, including Depeche Mode, The Wolfgang Press and Cocteau Twins. His achievement in helping develop the latter’s pioneering ethereal and ambient sound ultimately led Watts-Russell to recruit Fryer as his partner for This Mortal Coil.

Since then, Fryer has produced many iconic artists, including Love and Rockets, HIM, Cradle of Filth, Clan of Xymox, Nitzer Ebb, Dead Can Dance, Yaz (Yazoo), Xmal Deutschland, Fields of the Nephilim, De/Vision, Stabbing Westward and many others. Fryer has also produced many film soundtracks, such as Seven, Clerks, Johnny Mnemonic, Mortal Kombat, Faust and Resident Evil: Apocalypse.

Currently Fryer also works closely with COP International and its roster and this debut Black Needle Noise release on the label is being hailed by COP founder Christian Petke who says, “I know how much this project means to John and I think it represents some of his finest work. Black Needle Noise is his vehicle to execute his artistic visions. It is not bound by style or fashion but represents the distilled essence of a man honing his craft for 40-plus years. To say it is an honor to represent Black Needle Noise on COP International is an understatement.”

Fryer recently celebrated a #1 entry on the German DAC Charts with the Chiasm & John Fryer album “Missed The Noise”. Good to know, Fryer acts as an A&R and a producer at COP International Records, helming the work of artists such as Stabbing Westward, Azam Ali, Chiasm, Stoneburner, Blackcarburning and more.

For more on John Fryer, see A Cloud Of Ravens release remix EP feat. remixes by Clan of Xymox,… 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

COP International Records has announced the signing of Blackcarburning, the latest electronic project of Mark Hockings, better known as the frontman of Mesh. Coming up is a first album, “Watching Sleepers” which will be co-produced by John Fryer.

Hockings is responsible for writing, singing and programming and describes the tracks as “electronic music written around songs, emotion and energy.” He further adds, “The album was written to see what I could achieve by working primarily on my own. It’s been a vehicle for exploring new songwriting and programming ideas and to develop some new directions.”

All songs were recorded in Hockings’ personal studio in Bristol, UK that he built right before the pandemic lockdown. For the album, Hockings also worked remotely alongside with Mari Kattman (Helix), Janne Marvannen (Lakeside X) and Howie Venton (newwt), who provided vocals and piano accompaniment, respectively.

A first self-released 3-track single, “The Mirror”, can be heard below.

COP International Records founder Christian Petke says this about his latest signing: “Mark Hockings performed with his band Mesh at a festival that I was attending years ago. He walked onto the stage and, 30 seconds later, I was utterly impressed. His voice has that special something that immediately captures your undivided attention. What I didn’t realize at the time is the fact that he is also an incredibly accomplished songwriter and musician. So, when Jean-Marc Lederman introduced me to Mark’s Blackcarburning project I was immediately interested. He brings an unbelievable amount of talent, passion and experience to the table. Mark is exactly the kind of artist we are trying to have in the COP family.”

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: Cinematographic, electro, wave-pop, experimental.

Format: Digital, 2CD.

Background/Info: After his last year released album “13 Ghost Stories” Jean-Marc Lederman strikes back with a somewhat similar concept album. He asked an impressive number of guest singers to write lyrics about the theme ‘letters to gods and fallen angels’. The ‘old’ Weathermen protagonist took care of the music composition and he also wrote a few lyrical parts. The double CD features twenty four songs while twenty two singers contributed to the album plus Jo Quail playing cello on one song.

Content: This album is quite diversified, mixing very different genres. Jean-Marc Lederman transforms himself into a sonic chameleon who now moved back to the 80s and next experimenting pure soundtrack music. But I also noticed a song with a jazzy-like atmosphere while others are more into a kind of dreamy pop music. I also noticed some electronic minimalism and even a very personal cover version of Nick Cave’s “Into My Arms”.

The real tour de force is the impressive list of singers featuring names such as Tom Shear, Mark Hockings, Rodney Orpheus, Elena Alice Fossi, Frank M. Spinath, Stefan Netschio, Claus Larsen, Mari Kattman ao. Most of the singers also wrote the lyrics for their song.

+ + + : I like conceptual albums, but I have to admit, this one by Jean-Marc Lederman is a true original idea. He once again brought an impressive number of great names together, and also a few unknown names. The album sounds as a compilation, but it first of all reveals a musician who feels comfortable dealing with very different music genres. I noticed several jazzy-driven cuts, but also cool ‘film-noir’ compositions. It’s hard to give a favorite song, but I’ll go for “Heaven” featuring Scottish artist Lucia Fairfull on vocals. It’s also quite surprising to hear Tom Shear (Assemblage 23) singing on “Answer Me” in a different way we’re used to hearing from this artist. By the way, this song could be the perfect EP-title track. The very personal interpretation of Nick Cave’s “Into My Arms” sung by American singer Jenna Fearon is also worthy of examination for its intimate mood. 

– – – : If there’s one single point you can discuss about is the feeling you might be listening to a compilation.

Conclusion: This album even touches me deeper than “13 Ghost Stories”; it’s not an album with ‘hits’, but simply a genius concept featuring a great and renowned musician joined by a great selection of singers. Respect for this work Mr. Lederman!

Best songs: “Letter from Lucia Fairfull: Heaven”, “Letter from Tom Shear: Answer Me”, “Letter From Mark Hockings: Don’t Collect Me”, “Letter from Emma Barson: Under A Glass Sky”, “Letter from Rodney Orpheus: Sophisiticated Evening”.

Rate: (9).

Artist: www.facebook.com/jeanmarc.lederman

Label: www.wool-e-discs.be / www.facebook.com/woolediscs Read the news on ‘Letters To Gods [And Fallen Angels]’.

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

Jean-Marc Lederman (The Weathermen, Fad Gadget, The The, Ghost & Writer, Lederman-Demeyer) has released a new release under the Jean-Marc Lederman Experience moniker. With this project he calls up singers from different niches and countries to write lyrics and sing them on a common theme. The end result is then being packaged in a 2CD 36 pages hardcover art book with artwork and pictures by Erica Hinyot.

2019 saw the release of “13 Ghost Stories”, and now he offers “Letters To Gods (and fallen angels)” including performances from 21 different singers, from the USA to Italy, Mexico or Wales. The concept this time is very topical in this strange reset time: “You can write a letter to a God, or a fallen angel. What do you say?”

This time, the artists are:

• Agi Taralas (Our Banshee, Greece)
• Emma Barson (Promenade Cinema, UK)
• Ghost & Writer with cello by Jo Quail (Germany/Belgium UK)
• Mari Kattman (Helix, USA)
• JP Aston with backing vocals by Julianne Regan (Gene Loves Jezebel/Wales All About Eve/UK
• Coline Wauters (Atome, Belgium)
• Christina Z (comics Witchblade writer, Magnesium Burn/USA)
• Das Vintage (Mexico)
• Lucia Fairfull (Lusca And The Best Boys/ Scotland)
• Stefan Netschio (Beborn Beton/Germany)
• Hunter S. Thompson (Writer, USA)
• Elena Alice Fossi (Kirlian Camera/Stalingrad Valkyrie Italy)
• Tom Shear (Assemblage 23/ Helix USA)
• Mark Hockings (MESH/ UK)
• Jenna Fearon (USA)
• Emileigh Rohn (Chiasm/USA)
• Miriam Christina (The Other Side Of Who, 580 Miles/ Germany)
• Haydn Park-Patterson (The Ninth Wave/ Scotland)
• Rodney Orpheus (The Cassandra Complex/ EU)
• Louise Fraser (USA)
• Lis van den Akker (Holland)
• Claus Larsen (Leaether Strip/ Denmark)
• Friedrich Nietzsche (Patrimonia Universal de la Humanidad)
• With 3 novels by:
• Christina Z. (comics Witchblade writer, Magnesium Burn/USA)
• Ceratomia (USA)
• Philippe Genion (à;GRUMH /Belgium)

Check the previews below. Read the review of ‘Letters To Gods [And Fallen Angels]’.

For more on Jean-Marc Lederman, see COP International has announced the signing to their artist roster of… 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

Genre/Influences: Electronic, cinematographic, down-tempo.

Background/Info: If I say Jean-Marc Lederman you quite spontaneously will think about bands such as The Weathermen, Polyphonic Size, Fad Gadget, Ghost & Writer and more recently Lederman / De Meyer. And there were much more bands and projects this Belgian electro pioneer has been involved with. One of his latest projects took me by surprise, revealing a more ambient and experimental sound he released under his own name on Wool-E-Discs. I expected this new work in the continuation of this experimental exploration, but it already became something different. The artist started from the question what would you do if you came back to earth one day as ghost.

Content: This surreal project/question has been answered by guest singers and a real impressive list of great artists contributed to the work. In order of appearance you’ll recognize Christer Hermodsson (Biomekkanik, SPOCK..), Louise Fraser, Stefan Netschio (Beborn Beton), Juliette Bosse (Arther, Rive), Jenna Fearon, Agi Taralas, Elena Alice Fossi (Kirlian Camera, Spectra*Paris), The Acapella Robotic Association, Yvette Winkler, Mark Hockings (Mesh), Natasha A Twentyone (Ambassador 21, Suicide Inside), Alice Gift (Liste Noire, Velvet Condom) and Christa Jérôme.

Jean-Marc Lederman has accomplished a surprising work, which are miles away from what we’re used to hearing from him. There’s a mix between down-tempo and sometimes trip-pop driven influences, but also a cinematographic approach with refined arrangements and other evasive sound atmospheres. There’s a heavenly fusion between at one side the composer who gives us the impression to have written each song for one specific singer and at the other side the vocalists who’re really into the project of the ‘ghost stories’.   

+ + + : Concepts are a quite familiar thing in music. At first sight this one is not that different from the others and yet, when you carefully pay attention you’ll notice the symbiosis between the musician and his singers. It has something fragile and poignant, refined and subtle, dreamy and sometimes funny. Jean-Marc Lederman also appears to be a real chameleon. It’s unbelievable to see him in less than two years moving back to the roots of EBM with Lederman / De Meyer, experimenting with sounds and noises on both Wool-E-Discs productions and now unleashing this “13 Ghost Stories”. I also have to say a word about some great vocals’ performances like the charismatic appearance of Christer Hermodsson, the angelic voice of Louise Fraser, the fragility shown by Juliette Bosse, the bewitching performance by Christa Jérôme and of course the excellence emerging from Mark Hockings.

Notice by the way the album is also available as double disc featuring extra singers Rascal (Rotersand), Julianne Regan (All about Eve), Darrin Huss (Psyche), Rexx Arkana, JP Aston (Gene Loves Jezebel), Louise Love (Parralox) and Nicola Testa.

– – – : This is of course more of an album for listening instead of dancing!

Conclusion: What I like in the work and career of Jean-Marc Lederman is that he never avoids any new –and sometimes crazy, challenge. If there’s one artist who never repeats himself, it for sure is Jean-Marc Lederman! On “13 Ghost Stories he has maybe accomplished one of his greatest productions in history!

Best songs: “Watch Them Dance”, “Nuages A L’Envers”, “The Dead Still Scream”, “Maybe”, “Ball And Chain”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: http://www.jmlederman.com /

www.facebook.com/jeanmarc.kollector

Label: www.dependent.de / www.facebook.com/dependent.records Read the news on ‘13 Ghost Stories’.

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 ‘Atoms In Fury’.

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

Read the review of ‘Atoms In Fury’.

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 ‘Runway’.

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

1996: a ‘new’ band from Bristol (UK) took the electro-pop community by surprise! Twenty years have passed since Mesh’s official debut album “In this Place Forever” has been released on the Swedish label Memento Materia, but each new album became a new success leading Mark Hockings and Richard Silverthorn to the top. They actually unleashed their 8^th opus “Looking Skyward” released on Dependent Records, which already reveals multiple potential hits. I got in touch with Richard Silverthorn right before their new tour.

The new 13-track Mesh album “Looking skyward” will be released in no less than 4 formats including a normal CD (available right here), a 2LP set (available right here) and a 2CD set (available right here) which comes with a hardcover book. But next to that there is also a super deluxe boxset (available right here) including the 2CD hardcover book, the gatefold 2LP, and an additional LP with bonus tracks of the bonus CD and a numbered certificate.

(by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: I noticed that your new album “Looking Skyward” has been released exactly 20 years after your debut album “In this Place Forever”. How would you compare both releases and how do you see the evolution of Mesh all over the years?

Richard: I think back then we were trying to find our own sound. As with any band you draw on influences and bands that make you want to pick up an instrument in the first place. Maybe some of the song structures were a little awkward and not what we would do now. We certainly have many more years experience now and I think that shows in our recent material. Another huge difference is the technology. The things we were trying to achieve back then are so much easier these days with the evolution of software and sequencing platforms.

Having say all that I still look back at those early albums with fondness. It was a massive sense of achievement for us as we done everything for ourselves writing, recording, production and even had a hand in the mastering. Back then that was a very rare thing indeed. Ultimately it was good ground work for who we are today.

Q: One of the main evolution and I dare to say ‘innovation’ on the new work clearly appears to be its experimental approach in sound creation. How did you get this idea and how did you proceed?

Richard: We have always been really interested in sound and sound sculpture. The idea of using the latest synth preset or some popular soft synth has never really appealed to us. We have always started from the ground up or found something similar and reworked it. I for one was drawn to this kind of music because of the sounds. Creating a unique sound or sampling something from everyday life and making it into music is really cool.

On our early albums we experimented with sampling and just recording random things and making them into percussive loops or phrases. Although the technology was in its infancy the raw and ragged sounds really gave the music its atmosphere and tension. With “Looking Skyward” our latest album we made a conscious effort to go back to this method but using the latest hardware and software sampling systems.

Q: You just mentioned you’re not fond of easy preset sounds while I get the impression you’re more into a ‘quest’ to find ‘THE’ sound, which might symbolizing a kind of ‘holy grail’ for a musician. What have been your experiences about it?

Richard: Sometimes the sounds you create dictate the way you proceed and the path it takes. Creating drum loops and different timings give me a good base to start writing. I’m not sure there is a ‘Holy Grail’ of sound, each has their own place and becomes an ingredient of the final product. When we were in Germany at the final stages of making this album myself and Olaf Wollschlager started replacing some of the sounds with things we created using his modular system. It was very time consuming and we found ourselves just playing around for hours but the results were amazing.

One sound on “The Traps We Made” in the second verse, a kind of distant drone took ages to make. It was just replacing a guitar line that I had played but it worked so well. It may sound a funny thing to say but it is my favourite sound on the album. Just knowing the work that went into it and the fact it is completely unique is what gives it its charm.

Q: What else can you say about sounds you’ve created for “Looking Skyward” that make you really proud of?

Richard: A lot of the sounds are very subtle and not easily spotted on first listen but if you put headphones on they are all there. Many layers of all different things. We used a lot of percussive noises under regular drum sounds which gives them that organic and human feel. I get a lot of comments about my drum programming. People always think they are real drums and real drummer but everything is sampled and programmed. Just adding small imperfections to the sounds give that impression.

What we tried to do is make all these sounds not obvious. I don’t want to hear just the noise we created but to use it in a clever and musical way. Layering things up with conventional sounds gives it loads of character and the listener thinks ‘is that a guitar, or keyboard or a harp?’ etc

Certainly some of the percussive loops I feel quite proud of. One day I went out and recorded myself hitting a car park barrier with a plastic tube. It was a really interesting sound and as the car park was completely empty at the time the ambience and natural reverb was really good. This sound can be heard as part of the drums in “Once Surrounded” Again its only in there as a under pinning loop but it really adds something to the overall sound.

Q: “Looking Skyward” is an interesting title that might awake our imagination, but what’s the album all about?

Richard: It came from a lyric in “The Fixer”. It just jumped out at us after listening to it. I think the album is very dark in places and the mood is quite somber at times. “Looking Skyward” was the element of hope. The light at the end of the tunnel. It summed up that although everything seems to be lost there is still hope.

Q: The album has been again produced by Olaf Wollschläger. What’s his real impact on the final result and what makes this producer that unique?

Richard: This is the third album that we have worked with Olaf. Over those years we have etched out a really cool working relationship. He totally understand what we are trying to achieve. What we particularly like about his production is his transparency. What I mean by that is that he takes our songs and spends a ridiculous amount of time fine tuning and making small but significant changes but doesn’t change the overall sound and feel that we had. The idea of a producer that changes your particular sound really doesn’t appeal to us. He is a perfectionist in the same way we are.

Q: You guys are already working together for years and years now. What makes the chemistry between both of you?

Richard: We have many common interests not just the music. We like the same things Motocross, Mountain Biking, Cars and music technology. We have kind of grown up together. We have both had children at about the same time and have very similar stories to tell especially parental ones. We know how we work and I think we both respect each other’s role in the band. 

Q: You’ll soon start a new tour. Is it still a similar kind of feeling and excitement you probably experienced during your first tours?

Richard: Yes but I think more recent tours we have more of a sense of apprehension and nervous excitement. Every time we try and do something new which usually involves some new technology or visual trickery. This all adds to the stress of knowing whether it’s going to work ok or all go horribly wrong. We think that audiences expect something new and different and you have to deliver. In the early days of gigs things were a lot easier. Just a few in house lights and that was it. Now it’s videos, led panels and back projections etc….all good fun.

Q: I can imagine you were really excited and probably a bit nervous during the “Gothic Meets Classic”-live performance that took place in October 2015. What did you keep in mind from this particular experience?

Richard: As a musician it was the ultimate experience. Never did we think when we started we would be stood in a huge concert hall with a full orchestra behind us. It was a truly magical experience. The arrangements and the huge sound created by an orchestra was just spectacular.

Doing a show like that was so different to any other show we had done before. Walking out to a packed concert hall with several thousand faces looking at you is a quite an experience. It felt so intimate. The silence just before the first note was played was surreal.

An experience I don’t think we will forget in a hurry.

Q: ‘Looking forward’, what do you see for Mesh?

Richard: We never really look to far ahead. We take each day as it comes and we just see what happens next. We both still love making music and as long as that is still there and an audience and fan base to support it I think we will carry on.

Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries

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 ‘Looking Skyward’.

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

Mark Hockings and Rich Silverthorn from Mesh have been working on a new album, called “Looking Skyward”. But before that album gets out, you’ll first be served a single, “Kill Your Darlings” (and the accompanying video). Below is already a teaser for that video. The single itself was produced by Olaf Wollschläger and will be released on vinyl (order your copy here) and on CD (order your copy here).

On the single you’ll find just 4 tracks, “Kill Your Darlings (Single Version)”, “Paper Thin”, “Kill Your Darlings (Club Edit)” and “Kill Your Darlings (Aesthetic Perfection Remix)”. “Kill Your Darlings” comes out in July and can be ordered already right here. For those present at the Wave Gotik Treffen in Leipzig, Germany, the band performed that new song live.

In other Mesh news, the release of Mesh’ classical live album as recorded at the Gewandhaus Leipzig will be postponed until Winter. Here’s already a teaser for the band’s upcoming new 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!

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