(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange. Photos Tarjei Krogh / band)
Bérèche You follows up the first three Spring of 2024 singles with a full album on several streaming platforms, released by Crab Key Records last Friday, May 10th – and promise more to come the next months.

Isak Rypdal is back again with a brand new album to continue the Crab Key Studio music journey, and the first album called “Business Of Love” is exactly what it sounds like; a hymn to making music, electronic music, and the joy of making new exciting tracks.

On the new album Isak has collaborated with his good friend, the talented songwriter Cassiel Agrippa, who’s been involved in Electro Spectre and other previous work from Crab Key Studio for a long time, creating visual media such as artwork in addition to live photography for the bands.

Madil Hardis – the second collaborator

Madil Hardis is yet another talented contributor on the album.

Isak: “Madil is a trained singer and well-known on the international electronic music scene. She has done a lot of solo releases and collaborations worldwide; -particularly known from collaborations with such as Ashbury Heights and Mondträume.” Her last release is the beautiful album “Natural Darkness”.”

Isak Rypdal has a wide musical career since the early 90’s with bands likes Doctor No, Freeloader and Electro Spectre. Music from Doctor No and Freeloader has been chart topping in Norway and heavily rotated on international radio such as BBC Radio 1 in UK. Live shows includes playing at “We Love The 90’s” and more than a 100 live shows around the world. With Electro Spectre Isak has been so fortunate to be able to support bands such as OMD, Marsheaux, Zeromancer, Covenant, Melotron and Mesh, to mention a few.

Buy & listen to the album at Spotify /  TIDAL / Apple Music / Bandcamp /  YouTube, or play it here. Do also check out the video below.

Jan Ronald Stange

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

German electropop sensation Melotron is back with a brand new single, “Null,” from their forthcoming album “Dynamika,” set for release later this year. For this single, Melotron collaborated with In Strict Confidence.

“Dynamika” serves as the follow-up to their 2018 album “Für Alle.” German fans should note that a record pre-release concert is scheduled for May 20th at LIDO in Berlin. Visit Melotron’s official website for ticket information.

The music video for “Null” can be viewed here, it was direct by Dennis Ostermann:

The lyrics of the song address themes of societal apathy, materialism, and escapism. They describe a world where people are focused on trivial pursuits like home shopping and online quizzes, ignoring significant issues like justice and the well-being of others. The song further critiques the mindset of “it can’t be what’s not allowed,” encouraging people to continue playing along and being obedient while the world turns a blind eye to problems. The chorus, “Stellt die Uhren auf Null” (Set the clocks to zero), could be interpreted as a call for a fresh start or a reset, acknowledging the need for change in society’s priorities and values. Additionally, the lyrics touch upon the consequences of excessive consumption as a response to life’s frustrations and everyday stress. They highlight the superficiality of luxurious lifestyles, with cosmetic enhancements and tattoos, ultimately emphasising that everyone dies alone despite such appearances.

Melotron will be performing live at the following venues:

• 30th April: Halle / Saale (EASTEND – Die Pop & Wave Nacht)
• 20th May: Berlin (LIDO)
• 6th-8th July: Vänersborg (SE) (Subkult Festivalen)
• 12th-13th August: Hildesheim (M’era Luna Festival)

About Melotron

Melotron was established in 1995 by founding members Andy Krüger (vocals/composition), Edgar Slatnow (synthesizer/lyrics), and Kay Hildebrandt (synthesizer/production). They initially went by the name The Vermin but changed it to Melotron with the release of their debut single “Dein Meister” in 1998.

Since their debut album “Mörderwerk,” they have worked with indie and techno producer Olaf Wollschläger at the Weltherren Studios in Buir (Kerpen). In 2006 however the band decided to explore new production avenues and started collaborating with Dirk Riegner alongside Olaf Wollschläger.

A interesting moment in the band’s further career was when Melotron represented their state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in the Bundesvision Song Contest with their song “Das Herz”. The track instantly entered the German mainstream charts.

Since 2007 the band has only sporadically released a new album, “Werkschau” in 2014 and “Für Alle” in 2018.

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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The 16th track on our free (or pay-what-you-want to support our charity work) download compilation “Face The Beat: Session 5” is by the darkwave electropop act Dark​-​o​-​matic aka the duo Piero Delux (vocals) and Greg Dovas (music). The band found a home at skyQode records which has discovered several more great bands.

Dark​-​o​-​matic was founded by Greg Dovas in 2017. Greg switched from progressive rock music to electronic music earlier with his project Neonskylines which was purely instrumental synthwave. In an attempt to expand his experimentation, he decided to add vocals reaching a more synth-pop sound. That was the starting point of his collaboration with Piero Delux from the project Elsehow. Enlisting the help of sound engineer and producer George Nerantzis, the duo started recording their new music, best described as a cross between synthwave and modern synthpop but with a darker edge to it.

Fans of Mondtraüme, Melotron, Electro Spectre etc. will surely love this act!

You can listen to “Zugswang” right below, the first single from their recently released album “Hope”.

Check “Face The Beat: Session 5” on Bandcamp to discover the other bands. All donations will go to charity.

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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Gimme Shelter is a German synthpop/electropop act founded by the duo-act Robert Grolms and Niko Kötzsch. “Friedensfahrt” is the band’s 3rd album offering fourteen tracks and a video for the title track has now been released. Musically the band has a very Melotron / Mondträume sounding approach, so it will surely appeal to the fans of the better electropop sound!

You can watch the video below. The album “Friedensfahrt” will be released on September 27 2019 on EKP/Space Race Records and was produced by Rob Early. Read the review of ‘Friedensfahrt’.

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

On 10th and 11th August 2019 the annual M’era-Luna festival takes place in the area of Hildesheim-Drispenstedt, Germany. M’era Luna exists since 2000 and is one of the biggest Gothic festivals in the European scene. Gothic, new wave, electro, EBM, industrial and medieval bands are featured on 2 stages.

The last years the festival was every time sold out and had about 25.000 visitors. This year some of the confirmed artists are: Fields Of The Nephilim, VNV Nation, Lacrimosa, OOMPH!, Deathstars, DIE KRUPPS, Within Temptation, ASP, Subway To Sally, Combichrist, Diary Of Dreams, Corvus Corax, Suicide Commando, Agonoize, Funker Vogt, Mono Inc., DE/VISION, Empathy Test, Joachim Witt, Spetsnaz, [:SITD:], Zeromancer, Melotron, …

DJ’s at the afterparties are: Der Schulz (Unzucht), Bruno Kramm (Das Ich), Chris L. (Funker Vogt and Agonoize), Andy Krüger (Melotron), Ronan Harris (VNV Nation), Mike Kanetzky (Matrix Bochum).

Besides watching concerts you can also visit markets, artist signing events, gothic fashion shows, readings by Axel Hildebrand, Markus Heitz and Christian von Aster. The Gothic Garden, an oasis of calm right in front of the festival infield, offers demanding festival-goers comfort, space and conveniences to make your stay more exclusive, pleasant and more relaxing. At the M’era Luna Academy you can follow special workshops which will be announced soon on the official renewed website.

The interactive M’era Luna app can be downloaded here and tickets can be ordered here.

“Lovers, sinners & liars” is the title of the brand new album by the excellent Spanish electropop act Mondträume. With their previous and highly successful “Empty” album, the Spanish duo established themselves on the top of the dark electro pop scene next to other acclaimed acts in the likes of De/Vision, Melotron, Mesh and other bands in the same league of excellence.

On “Lovers, Sinners & Liars” Pikotto Vond Mond and Damasius Venys continue to offer dark melodic electropop hovering between slower intimate synth pop songs and more dynamic upbeat club tracks. You get 12 tracks including the singles “Still Beating” and “Free” next to a cover version of “Lament” (The Cure).

Attention: There is also a limited 2CD edition (available here from the label) which comes with a 10-track bonus disc offering a variety of remixes by Massive Ego, Kant Kino, Crytek, Avarice In Audio and many more!

For now, enjoy these 2 tracks.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Coil fans, attention, you will not want to miss out on this one! Out in a few weeks (closer to June) but already available for pre-order via Bandcamp, is the “Swanyard” 3LP Vinyl (available here) and 2CD set (available here).

This new release holds – hold tight – nearly 150 (!!) minutes of previously unreleased Coil recordings. The material was all written and recorded between 1993 to 1996 and was selected and assembled by Danny Hyde (Electric Sewer Age, ex-Coil, ex-Psychic TV, ex-Black Light District) from the studio archives.

The artwork for the release was delivered by Steven Stapleton, from a recalled dream by Jhon Balance. The mastering was executed by Martin Bowes (Attrition) in a Cage Studio.

Tracks:

• Spastiche (5:42)
• Heaven’s 98 Horror mst (11:52)
• Siminon Master Backwards (Swanyard demo) (6:28)
• Jhon’s House Tune from GM Guide – Protection (5:36)
• Spastiche (basic) (6:46)
• AYOR Master (It’s in my Blood) (6:40)
• Original Amber Rain (demo) (4:51)
• Wur CLK Wir 1993 (2:05)
• Crumb Tune (master) (6:00)
• The March of Time (extra version) (8:56)
• Spastiche – The Night’s alive (master) (5:34)
• Kusnir Jazz (2:39)
• Heavens Blade (John Balance vox demo) (7:25)
• Wur CLK Wir 1998 mst vox (18:35)
• The Test early mst (2:17)
• AYOR (extra version) (4:29)
• Elves (master) (6:35)
• Heaven’s Blade (Inst) 1993 (8:24)
• Melotron Song (amber rain demo) (2:51)
• March of more Time (master) 1993 (6:27)
• Crumb Tune (4:20)
• Simon (extra long) (6:10)
• Egyptian Basses 1993 (7:18)

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: EBM, dark-electro, future-pop, electro-pop, gothic, industrial-rock, industrial-metal.

Background/Info: The latest volume of the Out Of Line compilation “Awake The Machines” brings us 3 CD’s for a total of 45 artists.

Artists: Blutengel, Solar Fake, Rummelsnuff, Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio, Heimataerde, Rave The Reqviem, Fear Of Domination, Davey Suicide, Combichrist, Rabia Sorda, Ost-Front, Solitary Experiments, Melotron, Hocico, Signal Aout 42, Accessory, Dive, Suicide Commando, Amduscia ao.

Content: The first disc is the most eclectic one although more focalized around gothic-inspired formations. The second disc reveals the ‘newest’ direction of the label, which is inspired by metal-related formations. This is an opportunity to discover different bands that aren’t (or not yet) signed to Out Of Line. Finally we get the last disc revealing electronic bands that have made the name and reputation of Out Of Line.

+ + + : This new edition is quite fascinating for its diversity revealing a label, which has seriously enlarged its sonic horizon throughout the years, but especially during the past few years. The tracklist is impressive and confirms the leading status of the label. When a label has bands such as Blutengel, Suicide Commando, Hocico, Dive, Solitary Experiments, Ost-Front, Combichrist, Ordo Rosarius Equilbrio, Client ao flying under their wings you only, but agree this is a major company.

– – – : From a very personal point of view I’m not totally convinced by the metal direction of the label although it clearly will catch the attention of a wider -and different audience. But my main regret is that the familiar bands have been featured with known songs. I even noticed Angels & Agony with a song from 2015!

Conclusion: This is a colossal compilation, which is really interesting if you’re not that familiar with Out Of Line and/or simply you’re a die-hard fan of the Berlin-based label.

Best bands: Blutengel, The Ritualists, Heimataerde, Rave The Reqviem, Rabia Sorda, Solitary Experiments, Massive Ego, Chrom, Dive, Amduscia.

Rate: (7).

Label: www.outofline.de  / www.facebook.com/outoflinelabel

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

Alexander Braun and Manfred Thomaser both remain the single members on board of !distain. This German electro-pop formation is active since the 90s and their debut releases became an instant success. !distain has this ‘typical’ German synth-pop sound and belongs together with bands such as De/Vision, Beborn Beton, Melotron… to the cream of German synth-pop. By the end of 2018 they released their eight studio album “Farewell To The Past” on Echozone revealing !distain in good shape. I’d a chat with Alexander and Manfred.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries / Pictures by Barbara Andres)

Q: What does this new album means to you when you realize your debut album “Cement Garden” was released in 1995? Do you still feel the same emotions? 

Alexander: Wow, it´s an amazing period of time. What still feels the same is the love for music. And at the same time of course so much has changed! That time we had a producer and we even spent the nights at his home. Today I really love to produce the music on my own. Naivety changed to ‘wisdom of age’… ha, ha. So this album (and its success) means a lot to me. We are still here, and it is still a very important part of my life!

Q: More than making simply music together, I think there must be a kind of chemistry to keep a band alive for such a long time. What makes this chemistry and partnership between you?

Manfred: In my opinion, respect is the most important thing. Alexander and I do have a lot in common, but we are very different, too. Those who can’t accept that other people may have other opinions, feelings, etc. may never find a way to deal with that. So, you need to understand the character of every band member. And you need to learn how to react to all the differences. Up to this the band is more important than the ego.

Alexander: Yes, and another very important aspect is that we would not be able writing these songs on our own. The quality of the song-writing is a result of combining our individual skills. There were so many moments when I thought the song is ok and then Manfred added some magic and it became something special…

Q: How much of the early work and writing process do you still recognize in the new work “Farewell To The Past” and how did you see yourselves evolving/growing as musicians?

Manfred: To me “Farewell To The Past” is mostly connected to “Raise The Level” which we released in 2007. Both records appear with deeper atmospheres and meanings. More melancholia than on “on/off” for example. The writing process on the other hand is more connected to “25 Frames A Second” when we spent a lot of time in the studio together working on the compositions and arrangements. This changes from time to time.

Alexander: The fact, that we now produce and mix the songs completely on our own gives us much more freedom. After so many years of making music it is the first time we have enough self-confidence doing everything on our own (besides mastering). I think in the course of time we get faster in realizing what works and what doesn´t, faster in singing the line with the best possible feeling and so on…

Q: Is there any particular and maybe explicit meaning behind the title of the new album and what have been the main lyrical themes you tried to achieve?

Alexander: Yes, the title of the album on one hand connects to Rick leaving !distain and the problems of the past. And on the other hand it is the chorus of one of my favorite songs on the album: “Letter To Myself”.

Manfred: The lyrics vary from being personal like “Wake Me Up” to being socially critical like “Der Hirtenmann” and “Wer Im Kreise Geht” or being a crime- and ghost-story like “The Guest-House”. Life is fragile. It can end every second. This is a theme maybe all lyrics deal with in the end.

Q: The song “SynthPopBoy”, which has been also released as EP-title track has something funny, but what did you try to express and what does it say about your own perception of the electronic music today?

Manfred: The basic idea is that there seem to be a lot of people who dislike something because they think it is common sense to dislike this something… which can be a song, a music style, a novel, art… whatever. For “SynthPopBoy” we have chosen Synth-Pop, which the ‘real tough guys’ do not like because everyone who listens to Synth-Pop is declared to be a weak person. And tough guys can’t be weak. Image means mostly everything to these people. By the way: we received a lot of reactions from fans saying ‘I know who you are talking about’… In the end “SynthPopBoy” is about accepting who you are. You like Synth-Pop? Why not? You like EBM? Why not? You like both? Why not?

Alexander: My perception of the electronic music of today is that it often should be kind of hard and aggressive stuff. Because then it is cool. But deep inside our hearts we all love melodies and positive feelings. The song calls for standing by it!

Q: A lot of things have changed and evolved since you started composing music. How do you experience all these changes – referring to technology & equipment, social media, streaming platforms, CD sales etc?  What do you see as the pros and contras?

Alexander: Yes, so many things have changed. Besides the decline of CD sales there are some good things, too; we get close to our fans via Facebook and other social media. The feedback to our music is much more direct and immediate. Making money with music has become so difficult, but on the other hand there is the chance to be discovered via streaming platforms. There are algorithms like ‘similar artist’ that maybe let people hear our music… although they don´t know us.

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

Some of you might remind The Vermin, which was the first band featuring the German trio Andy Krüger, Edgar Slatnow and Kay Hildebrandt. They in 1995 went on as Melotron and got signed on the legendary Zoth Ommog label. Other productions got released by Bloodline, Synthetic Symphony and Out Of Line. Melotron became one of the absolute leading synth-pop formation in Germany, but still a successful export product. But after numerous hits and successful albums they needed some rest to reinvent themselves. After years of silence they this year strike back with a new full length entitled “Für Alle”. The perfect moment to welcome this come-back with an interview. The questions were answered by Edgar.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: “Für Alle” is your first ‘new’ studio album in eleven years, but it all sounds like you never stopped making music. How does it feel to be back and have released this new work?

Edgar: I’m happy. I’m happy what we have achieved. Yes, “Für Alle” was a long and sometimes stony road. But we needed this time to think about ourselves and about Melotron. Eleven, twelve years ago we lost the sense why we are making music. There were no good ideas for new songs anymore. We felt empty and tired. Other people tried to explain how we could succeed.

We didn’t like that and we thought about breaking up the band. At this moment, we three began to think about finding out what we really wanted. We spoke about our lives, dreams, hopes, changes, responsibilities, music and the future of Melotron. Finally, we found out that we would like to continue making music together, but not in the same way as before. It was the beginning of “Für Alle”.

Q: So how do you see this new album in the band’s discography and in, which way the album became different?

Edgar: Memories about the beginnings of the band showed us the direction. We took the responsibility in our own hands and started with writing and composing like in 1991, true to the motto: ‘Alles auf Anfang’ (cf. which can be translated as ‘as in the beginning’).

Let me get to the point: In the last fifteen/twenty years we had produced only with professional producers. It was more comfortable, but on the other hand you made a lot of simple compromises. So we canceled this kind of working. Andy started his ‘career’ as a producer and I never felt so comfortably to make music before. Yes we needed ‘a little bit more’ time for the producing, but this was our one and only compromise for “Für Alle”.  We did what we want and in the way we wanted. So for me, this album is the most important album I ever worked on.

Q: What does the title of the album “Für Alle” stands for and what can you tell us about the main lyrical themes of the album?

Edgar: First of all, each song stands alone. But all together they are reflecting our search and the process of the album. There are some songs like “Alles Auf Anfang”, telling the story about transience and the small part that is staying forever. We wrote this song in just a few hours, but it was a big surprise. Andy and I had worked on another song. I can’t remember on which one, but it doesn’t matter. Andy should start singing this song, but he told me, he would want to do this later and I should look for another song. I thought, it was just a trick because he didn’t want to sing it. I was not happy with it, but he convinced me. So I focused on the new one. A little bit later Andy interrupted me, because we needed something to eat and drink. So we left the studio and during the next two hours, Andy was shopping. I had found the first right words for the song. Back in studio I finished the text, showed it to Andy and he plugged in the microphone and started to sing.

We finished this song on this evening. We put it in a loop and drunk what we’ve bought until the early morning hours, pleased and deeply impressed of ourselves. At this point, we realized that it’s would be an album for us, and for everyone who loves our music. This is how the name was born. Other songs like “Willkommen” or “Dein Glück” accompanied us for a long time of the production.

Q: You just mentioned “Dein Glück”, which is the last song from the album and, which has something soundtrack-like. A lot of artists have this secret dream to compose soundtrack music so is it also one of your dreams or do you want to accomplish other ideas?

Edgar: It’s a very special song. I’d the idea of the lyrics really early. Andy tried a lot of sound dresses, but they didn’t fit. Most of them were really faster. Only when he plays the song on the piano, the lyrics can breathe. I don’t know, why we didn’t try that before, but in one of the last sessions we tried a slow version of the song and the result was, what you hear on “Für Alle”. We like this kind of music; it’s for feeling and dreaming.

You can use our songs for soundtracks, but we don’t produce songs exclusively for soundtracks. Our next goal is the next album and we are working on it. It will follow the dynamic of life.

Q: Melotron is now active for more than 20 years. What have been the main facts from your career that come directly into mind and how do you see yourselves today as musicians/artists compared to the period you were still involved with The Vermin?

Edgar: Friendship!!! As we started with The Vermin, the former name of Melotron, we were three guys with synthesizers, not more and not less. The years made us to become friends. It sounds easy but sometimes it was really hard. We were not aware of the fact that we were the pioneers of German-speaking synth-pop music. Other things were more important to us. We fought for our places in the band and gradually we found our places to work from. We built a platform for a trust-based relationship. Today it doesn’t matter who writes the lyrics or who is composing the music. If someone has a good idea, we try to realize it. Today MELOTRON is our beloved and relaxed life project until the end of our days…maybe.

Q: You’re actually preparing a live tour, which I think is something really important for bands today, but it also is a lot of work and efforts. Tell us a bit more about this aspect and what might we expect from the new live shows? 

Edgar: Yeah, live shows are really important for us too. We love to stand on stage and hear our music really loud. The music then feels much more powerful than at home. You can feel the energy and we want to bring it to the audience.

What do you expect from the Melotron live shows? Everything you need for a wonderful evening with good music and a little bit more. Most of the times there are some surprises who no one expects. It’s live (lol).

Honestly, we love to play the new songs as much as the old ones. The mix is very important to us. Cause this is the open secret for a successful party with happy people at the end of the night. So if you get the chance to see us live, do it and you will have one nice evening more in your life. Come and see us at:

08.12.2018, Moskau, Theatr
09.12.2018, St.Petersburg, Mod Club
15.03.2019, Kopenhagen t.b.a.
16.03.2019, Göteborg, Musikens Hus
07.06.2019, Oberhausen, Kulttempel
10/11.08.2019, Hildesheim, Mera Luna Festival

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 ‘Für Alle’.

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 ‘Für Alle’.

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 ‘Zuckervater’.

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

The 8th instalment in the Electrostorm electro-sampler-series will be released in early May.

This new volume will hold 17 tracks by the following bands: Hocico, Combichrist, Agonoize, Dive, Too Dead To Die, Solitary Experiments, Blutengel, Massive Ego, Melotron, Rummelsnuff & Asbach, The Juggernauts, Cephalgy, CHROM, Ashbury Heights, Solar Fake, The Sexorcist and Any Second. The latter is the brand new Agonoize-side project.

You can already order the compilation right here.

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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The German electro pop act Melotron has decided to do things bit differently for their new album. They are offering their fans the chance to hear the band’s new material live BEFORE their new album hits the store shelves in 2017.

The band has prepared 6 selected “Für Alle” pre-release shows in Germany where you can experience this rather unique opportunity. The setlist will include the new songs plus a selection of classic Melotron songs. Melotron will be supported by the London based band Knights.

Tickets can be ordered from www.melotron.com.

Here are the confirmed dates (with a few more to be added it seems):

• 26.11.2016 – Rostock – M.A.U. Club Rostock
• 06.01.2017 – Bochum – Matrix Bochum
• 07.01.2017 – Frankfurt – DAS BETT
• 20.01.2017 – Leipzig – Moritzbastei
• 21.01.2017 – Berlin – Lido Berlin
• 01.04.2017 – Dresden – Reithalle

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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Less bands are working with a producer today, but great bands know a producer can add this little extra to your work. Olaf Wollschläger is one of the most respected contemporary producers. He produced bands like Melotron, Beborn Beton, Neuroticfish, In Strict Confidence, Psyche, Seabound, Edge Of Dawn and others. He also produced the last 3 Mesg albums. I thought it was essential to get his opinion about the new Mesh album (cf. Looking Skyward” released on Dependent).

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: How did you get in touch with Mesh and what did they expect from your ‘job’ as producer?

 Olaf: I knew the music of Mesh long before I got in touch with them. I have seen them live on festivals and heard their songs in clubs.

The record company got in touch with me and asked me if I could help them by mixing their album. That was the album “A Perfect Solution” in 2009. In the end it was a bit more than just mixing. To make it sound right for me I changed some sounds and made some suggestions about the arrangements. But we had a limit in time, because there was already a tour booked. I think I had 4 weeks for the entire album.

As we talked afterwards I told Rich and Mark that I had loved to work out things more in detail and we said we could try that on the next album. That happened on “Automation Baby”. “A Perfect Solution” is a great album though, there are some great songs on that.

Q: How long did it take to produce the new album “Looking Skyward” and what’s your way of working together?

Olaf: Rich told me about starting a new album in November 2014 on a festval in Krefeld. Then it was March 2015 when I heard the first demo-song entitled “Tactile” and I thought it was brilliant. From then on I got some more stuff from the guys but did not work on it yet.

I think for me the whole process started, when I went to Bristol in August 2015 and worked on the songs with the band in their own studio (witch has some really good and rare synths in there). The album was finished by the end of May. So you can say it took me one year and one and a half for the band to achieve it

Most of the time we worked online, but this time Rich was here with me in the studio much longer than on the other albums. It was good to have him around, to have this direct communication.

Q: Can you reveal the different aspects of your work regarding the Mesh-releases?

Olaf: This is the third album I made with Mesh. I think even though “Automation Baby” was a big success and everybody said ‘you can’t do it better’ with “Looking Skyward” we made our best work so far. The reason is that we know each other much better now.

When we made “A Perfect Solution” there was not only time-pressure. We didn’t really know that much about each other. I think it is really important to understand the artist in what they want to achieve, what their favorite bands, films, books etc. are. Now with the third album we got a real good relationship in creativity. I know much better what they like, but more important what they don’t like. And they know me much better, the way I work.

Q: What kind of band is Mesh and what makes the chemistry between you and them?

Olaf: Mesh is a great band to work with. They got a lot of experience in making records and know exactly what they want. That makes things much easier when we are working.

My role is to make it sound right. It is not only the mixing. The whole thing starts with the recording. So we made all the vocals here in the studio with the most accurate equipment you can buy for money. The same with the guitars.

Then there are the synths. We are all sound addicts. And the band has got some really good instruments and software to work with. Rich is the guy working with some classic synths like the Pro-One and SH-101 but also the NORD Lead and the Virus. He is getting some real good sounding stuff out of this machines and you can say that is the typical Mesh-sound.

Mark is more the software guy. He has tons of apps on his devices and he uses them for writing songs. Some of those weird sounds really made onto the album. And then I got a lot of synths here in my studio. In the last years I found my love for modular synths again. And now we have a real playground of creativity here when it comes to sounds…

Q: You’ve produced a lot of bands and productions, but what makes Mesh maybe ‘different’ from other to work with?

Olaf: As I said before, it is the experience that makes the difference. I have a lot of bands here that have great songs and great voices but some of them don’t really know how it should sound like. Nowadays a lot of artists work in a box, on their laptops with softsynths. But they rarely change the sounds or even know how to do it. I think that is a generation thing.

Mesh and myself come from a time where you had to connect everything with MIDI and with your desk and had to know your equipment that costs thousands of Euros. Today it doesn’t matter if you don’t really know or use the app for just a few Euros.

Another big thing about Mesh is the voice of Mark. He is a brilliant singer and has such a unique timbre of voice. It is pure fun to work with audio-material like that. You can’t really make that much wrong with it.

Q: Do you have a favorite Mesh-song you produced and why?

Olaf: Oh, that is hard to answer. If you worked on all of them for a long time they are all your babies. If I had to pick some from the album I would say “The Fixer”, “Before The World Ends” and “Two+1”. But that could be another three tomorrow…

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

Following “Somebody else’s dream”, In Strict Confidence are now coming up with their second new EP before the end of the year album release. “Everything must change” sounds very much like In Strict Confidence always sounds so the band says, but they have kept it ‘fresh and modern’.

Next to a normal edit and an extended version, the single also has several remix versions by such artists like Solitary Experiments and AndyK (Melotron). Add to that 2 exclusive bonus tracks (“Emergency (Escher Beat rmx)” and “Rebirth”) and a lyric video for the title-song. All in all 7 tracks (the video included).

You can order the EP right here.

Regarding the sexy EP cover artwork, it’s from the hand of Stuttgart based artist Heilemania who was also responsible for In Strict Confidence’s previous single artwork.

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

Bruderschaft’s very own Rexx Arkana has now himself been diagnosed with cancer, the disease of which his father died of and which pushed him to launch the famous Bruderschaft project. The bad news came while preparing for unrelated surgeries approximately 2 months ago. Incidental testing confirmed that he had cancer.

Rex has recently undergone surgery, and is in the process of going through a substantial recovery program which of course has weakened him a lot. These treatments are on top very costly, which is why a fundraiser has been raised in order to help him while he gets back on his feet.

And we want to help him with that! Let us all help Rexx staying out of money worries while he works on his speedy recovery. And this fundraiser offers the best perk there is: Knowing that you have made life a lot less worrisome for one of the best and sweetest guys around in the electro / ebm scene (we still remember he couch-surfed in the Side-Line offices 10 years ago, and it was a true pleasure having Rexx ‘Nuke them all’ Arkana in the house for a couple of days).

The fundraiser can be found here, leave a message too if you want to send kudos to Rexx.

New York City-based DJ Rexx is worldwide known for backing the Bruderschaft project (besides his own aggro tech project FGFC820), an electronic music artist’s collective which was conceived as a charity project focused on cancer research and treatment in the wake of Arkana’s father’s death from the disease. Bruderschaft brought together a large number of artists from the underground electronic music scene for the production of the band’s first single, “Forever”. The collaboration included Rexx Arkana (lyrics), Ronan Harris (VNV Nation – vocals), Sebastian Komor (Icon of Coil – programming/production), Joakim Montelius (Covenant – samples/loops) and Stephan Groth (Apoptygma Berzerk – backing vocals). Released by RazorBurn Records, in European partnership with Alfa-Matrix in 2003, the “Forever” EP featured a large list of remixers, including Front 242, Camouflage, Feindflug, Melotron, The Retrosic, Negative Format, Angels & Agony, Colony 5, Lights of Euphoria, Davantage, Grendel, Punto Omega, [:SITD:]. In 2013, Bruderschaft returned with the single “Falling,” featuring Daniel Myer of Haujobb on vocals. The EP was released through the Alfa Matrix label later that year.

In short, this is THE man which has made a lot of things happening for a lot of people. Now let us all make it happen for him too!

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

(By Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange and Bernard Van Isacker) Out now is “Essentials”, the platinum collection of the very best from Electro Spectre’s entire catalogue. The Norwegian duo, Isak Rypdal and Alexander Bjørneboe, have included hits, remixes and additional album tracks, all reworked and remastered for the 2016 release. The work spans from 2009 to 2016, and contains 50 tracks on 3 CDs – panning from catchy and danceable to the more dark edged.

The ‘Essential’ collection contains a union between the past and present of electronic pop music, between modern music technology and vintage retro atmosphere of the 1980s, and is highly recommended by the Side-Line editorial staff since we consider Electro Spectre to be the absolute best electropop act of this moment!

You can order it now via iTunes among many other outlets. We managed to have a quick chat with the producer half of the duo, Isak Rypdal.

SL: What’s lined up for 2016?

Isak: The band will release two albums; ‘Essentials’ and ‘Essential Remixes’, plus the entire remastered back catalogue.

SL: Any live performances planned?

Isak:  After Side-Line Magazine dubbed our release of ‘Dangerous Game’ as the best electropop album in the world in 2012, we’ve toured numerous countries and have supported bands such as Melotron, Zeromancer, Mesh, and last year in Poland we played with Marsheaux in Warsaw. This summer we will join the Swedish legends Covenant, Mondträume and others at the Dark Sounds Festival in Poznan, Poland. Join us there June 25th!

Listen here and check Electro Spectre online:

Jan Ronald Stange

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

The Canadian mail-order service Storming The Base has just moved into their brand new office. While unpacking they discovered lots of long-lost CDs, vinyls and even a few items they thought were lost in previous stock moves. The whole is available now at ridiculously low prices which start at around .

We scrolled through the list and found great (even rare) stuff from 808 State, Aaimon, Apoptygma Berzerk, Blutengel, Combichrist, Douglas J McCarthy, Download, Headscan + Implant (the excellent split CD in fact), Hocico, IAMX, In The Nursery, Kirlian Camera, Mesh, Melotron, and lots and lots more.

You can find your selection right here starting with the lowest priced products.

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

Melotron, the futurepop / synthpop act from Germany, is preparing a new studio album. Andy Krueger, Edgar Slatnow and Kay Hildebrandt are looking for a 2016 release and this will be the follow-up to the band’s 2014’s “Werkschau” album.

In the meantime a special vinyl edition of “Kindertraum” called “Kindertraum – The Early Years” has been released. The vinyl includes early singles and non-album versions of the songs. The edition, officially released in Russia, is limited to 300 copies and can be ordered right here.

Track list “‎Kindertraum – The Early Years”

1. Kindertraum (Maxi Version) 6:30
2. Dein Meister (Extended Version) 4:31
3. 2 Young 2 Die 4:25
4. Es Wird Zeit 4:56
5. Auf Der Suche 3:33
6. Alles Von Dir 4:12
7. Sie Ist … 3:47
8. Tanz Mit Dem Teufel 3:58
9. Der Blaue Planet (Lange Version) 6:09

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