Genre/Influences: Industrial, Industrial-Techno, Experimental.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: The German Hands label is without a shadow of a doubt one of the Industrial leading companies of this scene. Hands this year celebrates its 30^th anniversary while the legendary label compilation “Forms Of Hands” celebrates its 20^th anniversary. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the annual festival was postponed to 2020, but the compilation is still there to please the fans of Industrial music. Fourteen bands have been selected!

Artists: >1979<, Last Days Of S.E.X., Maschinenkrieger KR52, MS Gentur, Mono No Aware, Ah Cama-Sotz, Orphx, Strobo.Lolita, MDD, Proyecto Mirage, Greyhound, Nullvektor, Monolith, Winterkälte.

Content: This sampler gives the listeners a perfect summary and taste of the Hands roster. There’s a mix of ‘traditional’ Industrial and Rhythmic-Noise bands (Greyhound, Last Days Of S.E.X…) and more contemporary Industrial terrorists, mixing Industrial- and Techno music (Ah Cama-Sotz, Orphx, Strobo.Lolita, Monolith…). Somewhere in between you’ve the minimalism of projects such as Nullvektor and Proyecto Mirage. This compilation is hard and danceable, but still diversified.

+ + + : When you just have a look at the tracklist, you know why Hands is one of the leading labels of Industrial music –and probably ‘the’ leading one… the number of big names is impressive. Artists such as Orphx, Monolith, Winterkälte, Ah Cama-Sotz and Greyhound don’t need any further introduction, but can even after years of involvement still take me by surprise. I also have to mention one of the new signed bands, Strobo.Lolita also took me by surprise and has recently released a great debut opus. The comeback of Proyecto Mirage is another major thing.

– – – : Each compilation has its favorites and others that can’t totally convince me; luckily there’s nothing to throw away here.

Conclusion: No festival this year; but F*** the pandemic! Here’s the twentieth chapter of “Forms Of Hands” and I can tell you, it’s a great vintage!

Best bands: Strobo.Lolita, Proyecto Mirage, Monolith, Ah Cama-Sotz, MS Gentur, Orphx.

Rate: (8).

Label: www.handsproductions.com / www.facebook.com/hands.official

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: Industrial-techno, power-noise.

Background/Info: MDD is one of the newest signings on Hands and has been introduced as one of the hottest industrial-techno projects from the moment. Based in Toronto (Canada) MDD is driven by techno producers Fahad Ahmad aka ‘Measure Divide’ and Martin Dolgener. “Reverse The Contrast” is their first full length featuring 11 tracks.

Content: After the intro cut MDD reveals a harsh, powerful and rough kind of power-noise mixed with a few spoken samplings. Quite progressively the unpolished composition moves towards an industrial-techno sound. Bombastic, danceable rhythms will lead you into frenetic dance moves. The electronic layers are dark and  minimal-like. MDD likes to incorporate spoken samplings and even a female vocalist (cf. “Submission”).

+ + + : MDD empowers the sonic bridge between industrial- and techno music. This music is clearly meant to get people dancing and I like some of the transcendental passages running through the work. But it first of all is a merciless sonic assault, which however reveals minimalism- and intelligence in the writing. I also noticed a few cool down-tempo cuts (cf. “Breath”, “Still Frame”) and here again the duo feels comfortable creating great music.

– – – : I can’t say that both debut tracks are hesitant, but they don’t really show the essence of MDD’s sound, which is clearly driven by industrial-techno music… and that’s for sure what this project do the best!

Conclusion: MDD stands for energy and dark dance vibes; no doubt about it “Reverse The Contrast” will have a serious impact on dancefloors!

Best songs: “Valium”, “Grind”, “Submission feat. Aadja”, “Transition Pull”, “Still fRame”, “Crushed”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/mdd.noise

Label: www.handsproductions.com / www.facebook.com/hands.official

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