(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange) Electro Spectre just announced their massive release schedule for ‘Stereo Dreams Part 1, 2 & 3’, with the first album ‘Stereo Dreams Pt1’ being released September 16.

According to the Oslo-based electronic duo they’ve spent the last covid years going both back- and forward, and explored some new technology too.

Alexander Bjørneboe elaborates:
– ‘Stereo Dreams’ presents the impossible – to dream two dreams simultaneously – or to translate to the music; we want to push the limits in every direction when it comes to the musical expression.

Isak Rypdal continues:
– With the three parts of ‘Stereo Dreams’ we have also moved into more melodic subject matter, with emphasis on the distinct vintage synthpop sound, tweaked to perfection. Making ‘the perfect Electro Spectre songs’ has been the work ethics for each and every song all the way, and with more than two years in the studio we have trashed the inadequate elements, keeping only the fresh and catchy.

Electro Spectre have spent a lot of time in the studio both before and during the Covid-19 lock-down period, and the outcome is what they call «melodic synthesizer driven fireworks», heavily influenced by the fabulous 80’s synthpop era.

Alex:
– It’s time to put on glammy make up and your flashiest clothes, and travel deep into the modern days of the northern electronic synth beast!

The band are also focusing on the visual expression of Electro Spectre, and the interesting aspect of short canvas videos for the mobile app.

Isak:
– We want to give everyone a new experience when using platforms such as Spotify, and we have lately added a lot of video material to our songs. We’ve also learned that a traditional video is no longer of key importance, and are focusing more on giving the audience a new visual experience when streaming Electro Spectre songs.

The first album ‘Stereo Dreams Pt1’ will be released on September 16 on Crab Key Records in collaboration with legendary Meisel Music / Hansa Ton Studios.

Listen to/buy the album at Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube!

jrstange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

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(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange)
With the current release of the ‘Stay EP’ Electro Spectre has released three EPs so far in 2020, a fourth EP will be released after the summer, and the album ‘Stereo Dreams’ some time after that.

During the corona lockdown the band also have posted a series of home performances, of both new and classic Electro Spectre songs, to give the fans a little extra now as live shows has been set on hold.

I had a brief talk with band member and producer Isak last week when visiting him in Oslo:

Side-Line: A lot of new material being released at the moment?
Isak Rypdal: Yes, we have a lot of material from the 2019/2020 studio sessions, and it is often a brutal process to find the perfect versions for an album. So to not wipe away any version of a song that might be the best one, better even if it not suits the album, we decided to release the versions in a series of EPs to get all the good versions out there this time.

S-L: I also noticed someone “new” on the remixing roster this time…
IR: Correct! In addition to releasing remixes from different remixers, I have often also produced a few remixes for our singles – this time Alexander delivers his first three personal remixes that gives a fresh new and different take on the singles.

S-L: You also have gone a bit retrospective the last months?
IR: Additionally to the new material released this year, Electro Spectre will release twelve – yes 12! – missing maxi singles from the past in expanded editions with remixes missing from the catalogue out there. Check our Bandcamp page for updates!

S-L: Anything else in the pipeline?
IR: Too early to go into details yet, but there will be more exciting news later this year – we’ll keep you posted!

Check out their latest EP on iTunes and Spotify.

All releases @ Bandcamp:https://electrospectre.bandcamp.com/

jrstange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange)
On April 2nd, a corona affected week behind schedule, Electro Spectre released the ‘When the night falls’ EP on Crab Key Records in collaboration with Meisel Music, Germany. This was their second release so far this year from the upcoming album ‘Stereo Dreams’, with three versions of the main title and three additional remixes of other tracks from the album. We also got the first track ‘Jungle Eyes’ last year and the ‘Where Two Hearts Meet’ EP earlier this year, and with all the bonus tracks and mixes on these EPs we really have gotten a taste of what lies ahead!

When asking Alexander Bjørneboe, singer and writer, about what lies ahead for Electro Spectre he had a lot to say when doing one of the things he does best; being imaginative.

What are your thoughts about the upcoming album?

AB: Well, I think it’s a very good one. Isak thinks it’s a very good one. We are totally objective of course. You may trust us on this. If time used is any indicator, this will be the greatest album ever. We have have polished this little gem ’till it shines. And then we polished it again. And now it shines even more. We are proud of it, I can tell you that in all honesty.

Even though guitars have never been a big part of the Electro Spectre sound, you have included some on this album. In the past, some of your albums include guitars, others don’t. Any plan behind these choices?

AB: No plan what so ever. These choices are made in a creative flow. Sometimes you feel the urge, sometimes you don’t. I guess a painter who mainly uses the colour blue is sometimes drawn to the colour red. And some dusty, desert sounding guitars create a nice tension when mixed with slick synthesizers. Opposites attract and all that.

But as a member of a synth based band – if you had to choose between a guitar and a synthesizer, I take it you would prefer the latter?

AB: For my own personal use, I would go with the guitar. But there is a big difference between playing alone, for your own pleasure, and making music meant to be communicated to others. Synthesizers are so versatile – you can make them produce sounds that are out of this world. I love synthesizers. So I can’t chose, really. In regards to this question, I will have to consider myself a bigamist. Although in the realm of Electro Spectre, the guitars are more of a fling. Electro Spectre will always be a band rooted in the synthesizer based pop of the 80s. We are not purists, though. We don’t have to sound like the 80s. We just love the New Romantic vibe.

What inspires you to write music?

AB: Many, many things. Other peoples creative output. Music. Movies and series. Emotional scenes. Stubborn memories. Sometimes you feel something inside of you crawling out. It births itself. But unless you’re a very unusual creature, a lot of the time it’s just hard work. Tiresome and frustrating. Until you get something down that you really like – then it’s the best thing in the world.

Apparently, every good interview is supposed to contain a fun/crazy question. So – if you could be a fruit, which one would you be?

AB: I would like to be the noble watermelon, thank you very much. The heavyweight champion. Sturdy, yet sweet and juicy. And green. Green is very hip these days. Yes, it’s mandatory to be green, so the scene is set for the watermelon.

Interesting. What does your shrink say?

AB: He says it’s classic megalomania. He also warns me about cheeky interviewers, so what does he know?

Exactly. Let’s go back to the upcoming album. What are your hopes for it?

AB: Well, world domination is always on the agenda. But maybe it would be smart to aim a little lower, and say that I hope those who listen to it find it very, very good. Occasionally people will tell me that our music means a lot to them. That they find something in our musical universe that they connect strongly to. That makes me proud. And happy. And grateful. I hope some people out there will connect strongly to this album. And we can all be happy. In a complicated way, that is. New Romantic style.

Electro Spectre have also started a series of exclusive studio inside versions, early demos and remixes of songs from the very beginning and up to date the coming weeks to let the fans get an inside on the process in the studio. Check their Facebook page for the first track published last night!

Get the new EP at Bandcamp or Apple Music

jrstange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

Our Spotify playlist followers already noticed, out now is the brand new EP “Where Two Hearts Meet” by Norway’s electrop finest Electro Spectre. The track is taken from the band’s upcoming album “Stereo Dreams” which will be out on Crab Key Records in collaboration with Meisel Music.

The single comes right after the release of the one-track single “Jungle Eyes”, and includes two addition remixes of the song and three additional remixed tracks from the upcoming album. And it must be said, “When the night falls” for instance is a real gem, an electropop pearl you can only expect from this Nordic duo. Top notch!

The band also released a brand new video for the occasion, directed by Rune Hov, which you can see 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.

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