Jonas Olofsson and Patrik Hansson (still involved with Uncreated) last year released the fifth official Vanguard-album. “Spectrum” released by Infacted Recordings became a new accomplished, successful work in the band’s history. Vanguard is much more than simply Electro-Pop but a band band with an own, powerful, sound. “Spectrum” is the perfect illustration of the constant progression in writing and production. This work became one of the best Electro-Pop releases of 2022. I asked a few questions about it to Patrik. 

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

Q: The new album “Spectrum” has been released exactly ten years after your debut full length “Sanctuary”. How do you perceive the evolution of Vanguard from the very first album till “Spectrum”?

Patrik: Since the day we started to work together we have always wanted to evolve and find new ways in our music. We have found our own sound and it has been a challenge not to be too comfortable and just walk the same path. Rob Dust has also influenced us and put his sound into our music the last three albums.

Q: I already experienced your previous album “Manifest” as your most mature work to date but “Spectrum” even moves a step further; what an accomplishment! Is it just a growing experience or also the will to experience with new techniques and put more efforts in sound production? Do you think by the way the last album is always the best one and how do you look back at it a few months after the release?

Patrik: I guess it is us getting better writing and producing music as we gain more experience. Then we always fine tune every part of the production together with Rob. Sometimes it feels like we are not moving forward during the process, but in the end all those small steps matters. When it comes to me, I did not have the feeling that “Spectrum” was the best album so far when we released it. It had to do with some personal issues I have been battling. But ever since the release it has been growing and now I can be proud and say that I really like what we accomplished!

Q: What have been the main sources of inspiration when writing “Spectrum” and what do you try to express by its “lyrical content?

Patrik: Our inspiration has always been life and feelings and how it affects us all in different ways. It is a challenge to put it into words and music in new ways but with new experiences and events in life it seems to come out different each time.

Q: Tell us a bit more about the writing of this album? What have been the main stages and difficulties you’d to go through to accomplish this opus?

Patrik: When we started to pick out songs that would actually be on the album we focused all on those tracks. Most of the time the songs are not ready at all at that stage. The difficult part of the songwriting/production starts and turning good and cool ideas into a complete track is one of the big challenges. On an album you want them to be connected to each other in one way or another, which is also something that makes it a bit hard. We have had tracks that are done, but then we feel like it is not suitable for the album and we cut it out.

Q: When listening to Vanguard I often think to Mesh. What I like with both bands is a very own approach and sound DNA which sounds like an antithesis to all Electro-Pop bands driven by Depeche Mode. What makes this sound DNA and how do you perceive the Electro-Pop scene?

Patrik: I have heard before that we have some ‘common things’ with Mesh and I don´t mind that but I leave that up to the listener to decide. Me and Jonas have different backgrounds when it comes to music, although our taste in music cross ways and we have both listened to bands like Depeche Mode, Erasure etc in the 80s and 90s. Since me and Jonas met I have been listening more and more to the ‘harder’ part of the Electronic genre. It shows in the way we have evolved in writing music. Though we are still making melodic Electronic music the foundation of the tracks are a bit darker and harder. I always try to find new acts that inspire me to make new music. That is a good way of not getting stuck in old habits making the same four beats over and over again.

Q: How does it feel to play back live again and how do you transpose “Spectrum” to the stage? What are the further plans for 2023?

Patrik: We have had the privilege and opportunity to play live at good stages and with good bands. We have Markus Schmidt at Epicentre Booking to thank for that. We are really greatful to be able to play live in front of people, let it be they already know about us and our music or just found out about us coming to the gig. We are looking forward to continue the tour with Solitary Experiments and Mental Exile during this spring. “Spectrum” was well received during the autumn leg of the tour and we hope that people that join us for the spring leg will like it too.

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

It took four years to Solitary Experiments  to release a new studio album. The German formation lead by core members Dennis Schober (vocals) and Michael Thielemann (music) strike back with their most surprising album to date. “Transcendent” released by Out Of Line is featuring songs with famous guest singers like Dirk Ivens, Alice Elena Fossi, Patrik Hansson ao. It’s once again a totally achieved production mixing elements of Future-Pop and Dark-Electro. I asked a few questions to Dennis.

(Picture credits by Chris Ruiz / Interview courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Since your previous studio album “Future Tense” (2018) the world has been affected by Covid-19 which had a serious impact on most artistic activities. How did you experience this drama as citizen and artist?

Dennis: A very specific question. As a citizen, of course, I experienced everything just like everyone else. The only difference is that my day job in retail was not affected, i.e. I worked through the entire pandemic. Logically, I’m vaccinated and yes, I’ve also contracted Covid. As an artist, it was worse because so many events and concerts were canceled and that was really bad. You only realize how important it is when something is missing.

Q: Your new album “Transcendent” must have been written during the pandemic. I noticed you see this album as different from your previous works so how comes and what makes the difference -except the fact you worked with a few guest singers?

Dennis: Sounds strange, but exactly this collaboration was different from all the work before, because it was new for all of us. Of course, “Transcendent” doesn’t sound like “Future Tense” either, but that doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the pandemic period. We only had a lot more time to make music because all other dates were cancelled. It’s actually the first time that we’ve gotten so much material together.

Q: How did you get the idea working with guest singers? Did you handle specific criteria to work with them and how did these songs took shape?

Dennis: Since we created so much new and different material, I came up with the idea of simply giving someone else to sing the things that I don’t like vocally. Of course, I deliberately chose my partners based on which voice would go with which song. And of course I reached very high when choosing the artists. It wasn’t easy to get everyone enthusiastic about the project at first, and it took some time to get everyone’s approval and results. In the end, however, there was no rejection and I am very proud of what we have created together.

Q: The song “The Great Unknown” featuring Elena Alice Fossi sounds to me as one of your most surprising songs ever and yet I think it also is one of the best tracks from the album; kind of mix between Delerium and Push. Tell us a bit more about this song, its influences and the way it has been produced?

Dennis: I can’t say much about the production, because I always get the finished songs from Michael without a say, so to speak. But I like it when the songs are not always produced in the Future-Pop sector. He sometimes gives me a real surprise, like with “The Great Unknown”. I love it when the song is dark and has a light Trance note. I had a vocal line in mind from the start and I knew straight away that this number had to be sung by and with Elena Fossi. I wrote the lyrics and presented both to the band Kirlian Camera, which I’ve adored for years. The rest took care of itself…

Q: Next to “Transcendent” you also released a digital album called “La Voix De La Femme” featuring only female artists singing on ‘older’ songs. How did you get the idea of this album and how did the ‘selection’ of the singers happened? Don’t you think there’re not enough female artists active in this scene dominated by men? How comes?

Dennis: One thing led to another and the idea of guest vocals grew in me more and more. Instead of remixing, I imagined what it might sound like if someone else sang our songs. To top it off, I came up with the idea of only asking for female voices to achieve an even greater contrast. This has nothing to do with the current situation within the scene. I even think there are many female voices, you just have to deal with that. I knew some of the ladies personally, others had already sung something for friends of mine and some I discovered through research or we had already played somewhere together. Anyway, everyone made an impression on me. I provided a number of possible songs to choose from and each chose the appropriate one. Later on I came up with the title that fits perfectly with the said bonus EP. Did I already mention that the whole project is also international?

Q: You were touring in November together with Vanguard and Mental Exile. How do you look back at the tour and how did you see Solitary Experiments as live act evolving throughout the years? 

Dennis: Of course, that’s something you’d rather have to ask the viewers. First of all I would like to say that we are extremely satisfied with the shows so far. On the one hand, the audience is visibly grateful that concerts can finally take place as club shows again and the people are really in the mood. On the other hand, I would like to say a big thank you to our special guests. It fits together so well musically and personally that we will continue this year in exactly the same constellation. We grow with our tasks and a two-man band has now become a five-piece live formation with additional drums and a lot of light and show effects. Convince yourself of it!

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: Dark-Pop, Electro-Pop.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Mondträume strikes back with a new line-up. Singer Damasius Venys is no longer on board (he’s also busy with his solo-project Mental Exile) so Pikotto VonMond joined hands with Ivan Derbenev (Antilav, Himmash) and Madil Hardis (who already collaborated with Ashbury Heights, Psy’aviah ao).

Content: Sound-wise the work is still driven by dark and melancholic Dark-Pop vibes. The EP features 4 songs plus 3 remixes. Madil Hardis’ classically trained voice injects a dreamy, elevating effect to the work. Both singers also performed as a duo. Remixes have been accomplished by Ruined Conflict, Elektrostaub and Aiboforcen.

+ + + : It’s not an easy thing and even a big challenge replacing Damasius Venys but the new vocalists did a great job. It however sounds like a new beginning for Mondträume and especially the female vocals are quite surprising. There’s something to say about each new track but I especially recommend “Something” for its danceable loops and kick plus “Loss” which is a refined and still danceable cut with a perfect match between male- and female vocals. Among the remixes I especially salute the great work of Ruined Conflict injecting an extra Future-Pop touch to “Something”. I also like the  Aiboforcen remix of the same song.

– – – : The sound, melancholia and danceable vibes of Mondträume remain all intact but it’s not an easy thing to get used to hearing new singers. Damasius Venys definitely was the soul of this formation.

Conclusion: If you like to dance to melancholic songs you better play Mondträume.

Best songs: “Loss”, “Something – Ruined Conflict Remix”, “Something”.

Rate: 7.

Artist: www.facebook.com/Mondtraeume

Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix Read the news on ‘The Unknown Path’.

About Mondträume

Mondträume is a Spanish synth-pop project founded in 2010 by producer Pikotto VondMond, born Jose Ignacio Castaño Marquinez. Pikotto first worked with different vocalists and placed “Life Is Short” on the compilation “Extreme Sündenfall Vol. 10” before Damasius Venys joined in late 2011.

The project moved quickly into the Alfa Matrix orbit. “Life Is Short” was released in 2013, followed by the debut album “Empty” on 26 April 2014. The EP “Free” followed on 4 November 2016, and the second full-length album “Lovers, Sinners & Liars” arrived on 28 June 2019, preceded by the earlier “Still Beating” and “Free” singles.

The line-up changed again in 2022 when Venys left and Ivan Derbenev of Antilav and Himmash plus vocalist Madil Hardis entered, which is the configuration heard on the 7-track EP “The Unknown Path”, released by Alfa Matrix on 5 May 2022. By December 2023 Nicky Schulschenk of N-Frequency had become the vocalist, debuting with “Heart Machine”, and “Poisoned Love” followed in December 2024.

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.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: German formation N-Frequency released their official debut album “Signs Of Evolution” in 2020 and last year struck back with this totally new work featuring next to the title song three more songs and four remixes.

Content: N-Frequency moves on dealing with ‘classical’ Electro-Pop. The songs are easy listening pieces carried by catchy lyrics and strong leads. Nex to the “Club Version” of the title song they again asked Rob Dust to make a remix. Some passages remind me a bit of Elegant Machinery. Other remixes have been made by Mental exile and Technomancer while there’s also a remix of “Precious Live” (originally released at the debut album) by British formation Promenade cinema.

+ + + : It’s cool to get an EP featuring 4 different new songs plus a couple of remixes. The title song is a cool one -and especially the “Club Version”, which sounds a bit harder, but I prefer “I’m Not Sorry” for its elevating chorus while there are also cool sweeps and bleeps. Among the remixes I have a preference for the ‘power-pop’, boosted version of Technomancer.

– – – : This is a pleasant listening featuring cool songs -which is promising for the band’s next full length, but I can’t get away from the idea there’s nothing really new and original running through this work.

Conclusion: If you like typical, well-crafted Electro-Pop music you for sure are going to like this new N-Frequency work.

Best songs: ‘I’m Not Sorry”, “What I Say – Club Version”, “What I Say – Rob Dust’s New Single Mix”.

Rate: 7.

Listen to “What I Say”:

Artist: www.facebook.com/nfrequency.de

Label: www.infacted-recordings.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Infacted-Recordings/124099254321690

About N-Frequency

N-Frequency is a German electro-pop act from Nordhausen. Discogs lists Nicky Schulschenk, David Erdmann and Rocco Schulschenk as members.

The band first appeared with “Let Love Be Your Guide” in 2013 and “Monomatic” in 2014. The single “Perfect World” and the debut album “Signs Of Evolution” both followed in 2020, after which the group signed with Infacted Recordings.

The “What I Say” EP was released on October 22, 2021 with eight tracks: “What I Say (Rob Dust’s New Single Mix)”, “I’m not sorry”, “Here We stand”, “Non Believers”, “What I Say (Club Version)” and remixes of the title song by Mental Exile and Technomancer, plus “Precious Live” reworked by Promenade Cinema.

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

Patrick Knoch set up Elektrostaub in 2007. Elektrostaub  can be defined as Electro/Future-Pop and is a solo-project with guest singers. After the first official album “Birthday And Death” released in 2017 on Echozone, the German project joined hands together with Alfa-Matrix. The new album “Reliance” features guest singers Patrik Hansson (Vanguard, Uncreated), Henrik Iversen (Namnambulu), !DISTAIN, René Anke (Logic & Olivia), Stefan Netschio (Beborn Beton), Jan Dieckmann (Norderney), Alex Rush (Unity One), Claudia Uhle (X-Perience), Damasius Venys (Mondträume, Mental Exile), Alex Nórdika (Nórdika) and Darrin Huss (Psyche). The work is a diversified, danceable and ambitious piece. I asked a few questions to Patrick Knoch.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Patrick, tell us a bit more about your music background and how did you come to set up Elektrostaub? 

Patrick: I received musical education in my childhood at a Yamaha music school, mainly on the electronic organ and keyboards. In the early 2000s I founded a band and later decided to start a solo project to better implement my own ideas and ideas.

Q: Elektrostaub is clearly driven and inspired by different forms of Electronic music, but ‘Pop’ definitely appears to be the main source of inspiration.  What are your examples and references in music and how would you analyze your own composition? 

Patrick: I’ve always been a fan of Electronic music and I liked the music of Depeche Mode, Camouflage, Erasure to name a few. Later, Silke Bischoff, Vnv Nation, Solar Fake, for example. So it was relatively obvious that I should try to make music in this direction myself.

Are you looking for powerful beats, flying, melodic and dreamy surfaces as well as modern sounds and catchy Electro-Pop songs? Then you’ve come to the right place with Elektrostaub. Due to the large number of singers involved, the styles of the respective bands also flow into the project and increase the spectrum of versatility.

Q: You mentioned the large number of singers so why do you prefer working with guest singers instead of a real band singer? And what’s your connection with the guys of !Distain? 

Patrick: In the beginning, the main idea was to do remixes and write instrumentals. Later on the idea came up that I could have guest singers set it to music. 

On this album all lyrics come exclusively from the guest singers. I think it’s important that my guests can get involved in the project themselves.

I have known Manfred and Alex from !Distain since the beginning of Elektrostaub and they have become very good friends of mine. Producing songs together is similar to do house music with your family… lol.

Q: How did the writing- and production process of “Reliance” happened? And how did the collaboration with the different singers happened?  

Patrick: First I write the arrangements and instrumentals. When that happens I think carefully about which singer could sing the song best. In most cases I choose artists whose music I also like and whether I personally like the voices or would simply go very well with the song.

When the process is finished I write to the respective artist and ask if they are interested.

After receiving the vocal tracks, I embedded them into the arrangements and then created the final mixes.

Q: There’s an impressive evolution in sound and production from your debut album “Birthday And Death” (2017) towards “Reliance”. How do you look back at your debut work and the transition to “Reliance”? 

Patrick: Thanks so much. I would think it’s just a constant development and advancement. Perhaps the experience gained plays a role. I don’t really like to look back, I love to look forward 😉

Q: How do you expect Elektrostaub evolving and what are the further plans regarding aspects like live shows, remixes, singles and clips? 

Patrick: I will start work on the third album soon. I will write several arrangements and instrumentals again and then proceed as always. I still have some remixes to do in the near future. I’ve been doing a few lately and they’ll all be out soon. Live shows are not planned or very feasible due to the fact that I don’t have a permanent singer.

In which direction will Elektrostaub evolve? I can’t say that today. I’ll just try to develop myself musically and hope to take the next steps.

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, Future-Pop.  

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Four years after the debut-album “Birthday And Death” released on Echozone, Patrick Knoch unleashes his second full length featuring an impressive list of guest singers. “Reliance” was preceded by two singles/EP’s, which especially in Germany became pretty successful.

Content: Patrick Knock had some good company with Patrik Hansson (Vanguard, Uncreated), Henrik Iversen (Namnambulu), !Distain duo, René Anke (Logic & Olivia), Stefan Netschio (Beborn Beton), Jan Dieckmann (Norderney), Alex Rush (Unity One), Claudia Uhle (X-Perience), Damasius Venys (Mondträume, Mental Exile), Alex Nórdika (Nórdika) and Darrin Huss (Psyche). Sound-wise Elektrostaub brings a perfect mix of electro-Pop driven and somewhat harder Future-Pop inspired songs. The different singers inject some extra diversity to the work.

The album features previously released singles “Wake Up” and “We Are Dreamers”. There’s only one single song featuring female vocals. !Distain –being good-old friends of Patrick Knock, contributed to 3 songs, one of them featuring French sung lyrics.

+ + + : First of all we have to salute the contribution of some real great and talented singers like Darren Huss, Henrik Iversen and Stefan Netschio, but also brilliant singers from the ‘latest’  generation like Damasius Venys, Patrik Hansson and Claudia Uhle. The single female vocalist injects a heavenly touch to the album. Several songs sound like they were conceived to make people dance and get happy. I also enjoyed the somewhat harder Future-Pop driven cuts and I especially recommend “Futurism” featuring Norderney, which will appeal to VNV Nation fans. “We Are Dreamers” featuring Patrik Hansson remains a great piece of music for its boosting Electro-Pop. There’s also a cool ‘female’ version featuring Claudia Uhle who’s definitely a great singer. Last, but not least I also recommend listening to “Dust” featuring Damasius Venys who’s according to me one of the most charismatic and sexy voices of the scene.

– – – : I expected a bit more from the songs featuring !Distain –an established Electro-Pop formation I’ve always liked. It’s also a pity there’s only one single female singer featured.

Conclusion: Elektrostaub has achieved an ambitious, but accomplished album, which sounds like the perfect crossover between Electro- and Future-Pop.

Best songs: “Futurism feat. Norderney”, “We Are Dreamers featuring Patrik Vanguard”, “We Are Dreamers featuring Claudia Uhle”, “Dust featuring Damasius Venys”, “Save Me featuring René Anke”, “Loneliness featuring !Distain”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.elektrostaub.de / www.facebook.com/Elektrostaub

Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix Read the news on ‘Reliance’.

About Elektrostaub

Elektrostaub is the synthpop and future-pop project of German musician Patrick Knoch. Discogs lists “Where In This World” in 2014 as the earliest entry, followed by the singles “Unforgotten” and “Also Without You” on Echozone in 2017, the debut album “Birthday And Death” the same year, and the single “Funeral Of Love” in 2018.

Knoch signed to Alfa Matrix in December 2020. The label released the EP “We Are Dreamers”, recorded with Patrik Hansson of Vanguard, in 2021.

“Reliance” was released by Alfa Matrix on 19 November 2021 in digital and CD formats. The fourteen tracks are “Continuation (prolog)”, “We Are Dreamers” with Patrik Hansson, “Wake Up” with Henrik Iversen, “Loneliness” with !Distain, “Save Me” with René Anke, “Mantis” with Stefan Netschio, “Futurism” with Norderney, “The Answer” with Alex Rush, “We Are Dreamers” with Claudia Uhle, “Dust” with Damasius Venys, “Psychological” with Nórdika, “The Light Disappears” with Psyche, “Politicians” with !Distain and “The Day She Died” with !Distain.

Side-Line published a Click Interview with Elektrostaub in December 2021. Alfa Matrix went on to release the EP “Mantis” in 2023, the EP “Falling” in 2025 and the third album “Humility” in 2026.

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

After the two chart-hitting singles “We Are Dreamers“ (#1) and “Wake Up“ (#4), German synth pop act Elektrostaub is about to release the 14-track album “Reliance” featuring quite and impressive list of artists who surround him on future pop / synthpop album.

On this record Patrick Knoch works with Henrik Iversen (Namnambulu), Nórdika and his good old friends from !Distain. But he also invited a sort of “who is who” from the indie synth pop scene on this release, with special additional guest singers in the likes of Stefan Netschio (Beborn Beton), Darrin Huss (Psyche), Damasius Venys (Mondträume, Mental Exile), Patrik Hansson (Vanguard), Claudia Uhle (X-Perience), René Anke (Logic & Olivia), Alex Rush (Unity One) and Jan Dieckmann (Norderney).

Impressive to say the least!

You can expect a mix of melancholic synth pop and dancefloor future pop with a harder EBM edge. The release is available now in pre-order on CD and as download via Bandcamp where you get 2 tracks already.

Check out the album trailer below. Read the review of ‘Reliance’.

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.

Background/Info: After the successful debut album “Ride The Madness” (2019) Mondträume singer Damasius Venys got back to his solo-project Mental exile to unleash new songs. “Inferno Hotline” reveals three new songs plus three remixes.

Content: Mental Exile’s main source of inspiration can be found in the 80s Electro-Wave and related music genres. It’s still rapidly recognizable on the new songs and especially some good-old effects bring us back in time. The title song is a pretty danceable piece of old-school inspired Electro-Pop with some extra, personal elements on top. We next get a more dreamy cut and an instrumental piece. Remixes have been accomplished by N-Frequency, Vanguard and Beyond Border.

+ + + : Mental Exile strikes back with a solid title track, which reveals the artist’s sources of inspiration and the charismatic voice of Damasius Venys. I like the way the song evolves; taking off with cool samplings and resulting in a danceable retro-driven song. There’s also something to say about “Run Away”, which is more dreamy-like. Among the remixes I especially recommend the remix of “Renegades” (originally edited at the EP “Exile Nights”) by N-Frequency.

– – – : I was personally more convinced by previous album and EP, which were more into the 80s sound. 

Conclusion: An intriguing  title song, which could be a perfect teaser for a next album by the Spanish solo-project.

Best songs: “Inferno Hotline”, “Renegades – N-Frequency Remix”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/mentalexileproject

Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix Read the news on ‘Inferno Hotline’.

About Mental Exile

Mental Exile is the solo project of the Spanish singer Damasius Venys, who joined the synthpop project Mondträume in late 2011 and fronted it until 2022. The project launched in November 2018 with the six-track download EP “Exile Nights” on Alfa Matrix. Venys explained the project in a Side-Line interview in January 2019.

The debut album Ride The Madness was released on 4 October 2019 as a twelve-track digital album, preceded by the video for “Renegades” in September. A second ‘Click Interview’ with Mental Exile followed in December 2019, and the EP Exile Nights II came out in June 2020. Venys also remixed Helalyn Flowers, Aiboforcen and Acylum for the label.

“Inferno Hotline” was released on 4 June 2021 as a digital EP with three new songs and remixes by Vanguard, N-Frequency and Beyond Border. It is the project’s most recent release listed on Discogs.

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

(Photo by Daniele Jaeger) The last 15 months have been difficult and pretty challenging for most of us with the Corona pandemic raging across the world. Spanish electropop musician Damasius Venys (Mondträume) decided to avoid the toxic private exile and started recording new material for his solo project Mental Exile.

Out now, first exclusively via Bandcamp, is the new Mental Exile EP “Inferno Hotline”. The EP includes 3 brand new songs and 3 bonus remixes by Vanguard, N-Frequency and Beyond Border.

Expect melancholic dark electro pop with a melodic retro-wave touch. Read the review of ‘Inferno Hotline’.

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: Dark-Electro.

Format: Digital, CD & 2CD.

Background/Info: The German band Acylum driven by Pedro ‘Acylum’ Engel and his partner in crime Nadine ‘Cooraz’ Engel strike back with the first Acylum album in nearly six years! “Kampf Dem Verderb” was introduced last year introduced by the EP “Sieg Oder Walhalla”. The work wants to be a reflection upon the ‘overall bloody atmosphere of hatred, violence, terror and war’. 

Content: The return of Acylum is characterized by an extremely dark and tormented sound perception, which totally matches with the ‘concept’ of the album. The songs are constantly driven by harsh, Industrial kicks while similar desolate tunes are supporting the work with darkness. The use of mainly German samplings accentuates the horror of the war vision, but still appears to be provocative. The harsh vocals by Pedro Engel only accentuate the nightmarish atmosphere emerging at the surface of this opus. The main difference with the brilliant and previous album (cf. “Pest”) is that this work sounds less powerful, but more into an atmospheric approach. A few tracks are even harder! One of the most surprising cuts is a new version of “The Enemy” (originally released in 2009 at the same-titled album) and now reworked with the contribution of Nano Infect, Totem Obscura, Viscera Drip, Wolfchild, Xentrifuge and Technogenetika. 

The bonus disc from the limited edition is featuring remixes by Suicide Commando, Armageddon Dildos, David Blackstar, Asseptic Room, Ice Ages, Larva, Advent Resilience, Schwarzstern, Project Eratic, Dirty K, Implant, Nano Infect, Aesthetische and Mental Exile.

+ + + : I was eagerly awaiting the sixth album of Acylum and especially after the brilliant “Pest”, which I consider as one of the best Dark-Electro productions from the past ten years. This new work sounds different, which in a way is a good thing, revealing a band which doesn’t want to repeat itself. But the good thing is you rapidly recognize the unique and extremely tormented horror vision emerging from the tracks. Acylum has its own sound DNA, which you’ll instantly recognize. The best cuts however are the hardest ones; “What Do You See?” is my favorite and for sure a song reminiscent of the glorious days of :Wumpscut:. I also have to mention “Violin Of Death” and the already known “Sieg Oder Walhalla”. The idea of reworking “The Enemy” by inviting multiple bands from the darkest Electro scene is a great idea.

Among the remixes I heard different inspired versions, but especially want to pick up Suicide Commando with the very ‘Klinik-al’ remix of “Masquerade”, some club-driven remixes by Armadeggon Dildos and Schwarzstern, the Industrial and instrumental transformation of “Venom” by Dirty K and the phenomenal EBM transposition of “Sieg Oder Walhalla” by Aesthetische. The last remix by Mental Exile is also worthy of examination as they remixed “Sieg Oder Walhalla” into an Electro/Disco-Pop edit.

– – – : I’m missing the power and rage of “Pest” while the melody sounds/tunes are pretty similar to each other. Acylum remains a particular experience, but this not my favorite album!

Conclusion: No doubt about it this harsh and provocative album will catch a wider attention, but I was less impressed. It however remains a particular experience in (h)el(l)ectro music!

Best songs: “What Do You See”, “Violin Of Death”, “Sieg Oder Walhalla”, “Venom – Album Version” + “Sieg Oder Walhalla – Aesthetische Remix”, “Hunter – Armageddon Dildos Remix”, “Schwarzer Adler – Schwarzstern Remix”, “Masquerade – Suicide Commando Remix”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/Acylum.Music

Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix Read the news on ‘Kampf Dem Verderb’.

About Acylum

Acylum is a German dark electro project set up by Pedro Engel in 2004. Nadine “Cooraz” Engel joined the project as his creative and vocal partner a few years later. Engel released Acylum’s debut album, “Your Pain,” in 2005. The project has continued on Alfa Matrix through albums including “Karzinom” (2011) and “Pest,” with “Kampf Dem Verderb,” reviewed here, arriving as the sixth full-length. Beyond Acylum, Pedro Engel records under the side projects Totem Obscura and Aengeldust.

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: Dark-Pop, Wave-Pop.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: German formation Toal released a debut-EP entitled “Timeless”-EP in 2019 and last year struck back with their debut full-length album. The work features ten songs plus seven remixes.

Content: Toal deals with a sound, which is not that easy to define. It however clearly sounds inspired by a dark approach in Electro-Pop. The songs have something evasive, sometimes moving into Cinematographic passages and even touching ground with a kind of ‘Cabaret-Noir’-style. The female vocals are sometimes reminding me of a mix between L’Âme Immortelle and Kirlian Camera while the production might appeal for lovers of Blutengel.

Remixes have been accomplished by [:SITD:], L’Âme Immortelle, Chrom, ES23, Mental Exile and HzweiG. There’s also one remix featuring SynthAttack.

+ + + : I like the mix between the different influences, but globally speaking Toal deals with a rather personal Dark-Electro-Pop approach. This band is not a new emulation of an idol, but tries to bring something different merging different influences with each other. The now sensual and then dreamy-like vocal parts create a delicious match with the music. The album is missing an ‘absolute’ hit, but features multiple cool songs instead. I also have to say a word about the impressive list of remixers. L’Âme Immortelle, Chrom and ES23 did a really great job.

– – – : I think this band has more potential than what came out at this work.

Conclusion: “Ritus Ex Silenti” is a very promising debut album resulting from a creative process. 

Best songs: “Ritual”, “Unreal World”, “Trapped Heart” + “Trapped Heart – Remix by Tom Chrom”, “Unreal World – L’Âme Immortelle Remix”, “Unreal World – ES23 Remix”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/toal.band

Label: www.darktunes.com / www.facebook.com/darkTunesMusic

About Toal

Toal is a German quartet from Braunschweig and Herford, formed in autumn 2017. Frontwoman Luzi Lacole entered the electronic music scene in 2017 as keyboardist, dancer and singer of SynthAttack, and is joined in Toal by Rob Gee, Oak and Tian. The band released the “Timeless” EP in 2019, followed by the “Trapped Heart” single in 2020 and the debut album “Ritus Ex Silenti” on darkTunes Music Group.

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

After some releases with their side-projects Totem Obscura and Aengeldust, plus the publication of rare early demo material through the “Filthy Memories 2” release, the Acylum duo (Pedro and Nadine Engel) are back with the successor of “Pest”. “Kampf Dem Verderb” is out now via Alfa Matrix.

The first edition of this 12-track album is released as a deluxe double-CD digipak edition offering some 14 exclusive bonus remixes by Suicide Commando, Armageddon Dildos, Implant, Aesthetische, Mental Exile, Nano Infect, Asseptic Room, Ice Ages, Larva, Advent Resilience, Project Erratic, Dirty K, Schwarzstern and David Blackstar.

Note that no less than 6 bands collaborated on the remake of the band’s classic song “The Enemy”, namely Nano Infect, Xentrifuge, Totem Obscura, Техногенетика (Technogenetica), Wolfchild and Viscera Drip.

You can check out the release below via Bandcamp or as a 2CD set via the Alfa Matrix web store.

For those who missed out on the digital only “Filthy Memories 2” release, you can grab it below. Read the review of ‘Kampf Dem Verderb’.

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

It has been a hectic year, also for Alfa Matrix, but luckily their bands took the time to work in their studio to record new material. Out now via the Alfa Matrix Bandcamp page is the label’s 10th edition in the “Matrix Downloaded” compilation series, again offering you a – free – insight in what the Belgian label is all about. You can discover 64 tracks right here on Bandcamp.

The download holds tracks from Cubic, Psy’Aviah, Aesthetische, Digital Factor, Reichsfeind, Llumen, Zombie Girl, Diffuzion, Matthew Creed, Circuito Cerrado, Circumpolar, Venal Flesh, Mentallo & The Fixer, Freakangel, Alien Vampires, I:Scintilla, Schwarzblut, Totem Obscura, Reactor7X, First Aid 4 Souls, Lederman / De Meyer, Implant, AD:keY, Kant Kino, Die Robo Sapiens, ELM, Pouppee Fabrikk, Armageddon Dildos, Plastic Noise Experience, Synapsyche, Avarice In Audio, Elektrostaub, Junksista, First Aid 4 Souls, Benestrophe, Mental Exile, Star Industry, Halo In Reverse, Lovelorn Dolls, Helalyn Flowers, Essence Of Mind, Rector Scanner, Elektroklänge, Metroland, Lights A.M, Cosmic Armchair, Aiboforcen, H.O.W., 808 DOT POP, Suicidal Romance, Entrzelle, Technoir, Neuroactive, Mondträume, The Psychic Force, Studio-X, Studio-X Vs Simon Carter, Neikka RPM, Komor Kommando, Siva Six, Aengeldust, Acylum, Dunkelwerk and Növö.

Exclusive face masks

Next to that you can also get the download together with a face mask, out in a very limited series. You can either buy them separately or get all 3 in one. Check the set of 3 Face Masks (Blue Matrix + Endzeit + Red EBM Alert) or the separate masks.

Note that EVERY face mask order comes with a free compilation CD on top: “Sounds from the matrix 022” with 20 extra 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

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, cinematographic, indie-pop.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: George Gold is a Spanish producer mainly inspired by horror- and sci/fi movies mixed with electronics. After a few previously released albums he this year strikes back with “Visionary” featuring ten songs and the contribution of several guest singers.

Content: You rapidly notice the cinematographic inspiration running through the work. It’s not only about the instrumental edits of these songs, but still the global spirit devoted to soundtrack music. But there indeed is a kind of electro-pop touch on top, which has something danceable. Somewhere in between electro-pop and technoid arrangements, the songs remain fully accessible. Nightcrawler invited four guests; Celine (who you maybe remember from an album released a long time ago on M-Tronic), Maxthor, Mental Exile (aka Damasius Venys, also involved with Mondträume) and Sonja to add vocal lines on a few songs.

+ + + : The main strength of this album is for sure its diversity and interesting fusion between different music styles. You don’t exactly expect cinematographic music mixed with electro-pop and even darker techno elements. The songs with vocals inject something extra to the work while accentuating diversity. The instrumental “Gain Therapy” however is my favorite song for its hard kick and icy techno sound treatments. Another attention grabber is “Catharsis” featuring Mental Exile; I here like the down tempo plus the magic of the vocals.

– – – : I’m sometimes missing a little bit more coherence between several songs; it’s a creative format, but missing a true catharsis.

Conclusion: “Visionary” is an interesting album for its global approach and creative exposure. This is film music you can dance on!

Best songs: “Gain Therapy”, “Catharsis”, “Enter”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.nightcrawlermusic.com / www.facebook.com/nightcrawlermusic

Label: www.electricdreamrecords.com / www.facebook.com/electricdreamrecords

About Nightcrawler

Nightcrawler is the project of Spanish producer George Gold, active since the “Knight Rider” and “Bassferatu” EPs in 2012 and known for a large synthwave and horror-soundtrack-inspired discography. “Visionary” was released via Electric Dream Records.

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, wave-pop.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Mondträume singer Damasius Venys moves on with his solo-project Mental Exile. After a successful EP “Exile Nights” and an accomplished debut album “Ride The Madness” he strikes back with the second volume of “Exile Nights” featuring four new songs plus two remixes.

Content: The global sound approach remains totally faithful to the sound of the album. This is electro-pop music with a look at the past; a retro-driven electro style, which is mainly created by the melody lines and some arrangements plus effects. “Quarantine” definitely appears to be the ultimate song in the genre, reminding me of New Order for some of the sound arrangements. The composition is mainly electronic, but still achieved with guitar play.

Remixes have been made by ES23 and Eisfabrik. We here get a song that was originally released at the debut EP (cf. “One Of Us”) remixed by ES23 and another track from the album (cf. “The Night Is Mine”) remixed by Eisfabrik.

+ + + : First of all there’s the voice of Damasius Venys who clearly is one of the most talented singers from this underground scene; not typically electro-pop like, but a powerful and charismatic timbre of voice that can be put on different styles. Next there’s the sound approach, which is clearly vintage-like and yet accomplished with a personal-, contemporary touch on top. I like this EP for featuring 4 brand-new songs and especially “Quarantine” is a true masterpiece for its melody, arrangements and danceable vibes. I also have to say a word about both remixes, which are adding a real bonus.

– – – : Two from the new songs (cf. “Streets On Fire” and “Stronger Than Time”) can’t totally convince, being more the B-side cuts of the EP. The melody lines are a little less repetitive here.

Conclusion: This EP is one more nice addition to the album, Mental Exile preferring to bring new songs instead of an endless number of remixes. I like this spirit, which also is pretty 80s like!

Best songs: “Quarantine”, “The Night Is Mine – Eisfabrik Remix”, “Out Of My Life”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/mentalexileproject

Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix Read the news on ‘Exile Nights II’.

About Mental Exile

Mental Exile is the solo project of Mondträume singer Damasius Venys.

The project released the “Exile Nights” EP before its debut album, “Ride The Madness”, in 2019 per Discogs, and now follows up with the “Exile Nights II” EP featuring remixes by ES23 and Eisfabrik.

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

(Photo by Lydia Solans) The debut album “Ride The Madness” (available here on bandcamp) by the electro pop act Mental Exile, a side-project from Mondträume’s Damasius Venys, has been extremely well received. From that album, released in October last year, you could already enjoy the “Exile Nights” EP (available here on Bandcamp) , and now part 2 is also available: “Exile Nights II”.

The EP features 4 brand new songs plus 2 bonus remixes by Eisfabrik and ES23. The EP was once again mixed and mastered by Italian synthwave artist and producer Vincenzo Salvia.

Check out the EP below which is now exclusively available via Bandcamp. Read the review of ‘Exile Nights II’.

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

Mental Exile is a Spanish solo-project set up by  Mondträume singer Damasius Venysthe. We last year discovered Mental Exile by the EP “Exile Nights” revealing a great retro electro-pop approach. Mental Exile has now unleashed its debut album “Ride The Madness”. The album is available by Alfa Matrix and reveals a danceable sound mainly inspired by eighties elements. But it also is a conceptual work, which has something sensible and emotional. The interview will give you more details about it all.

(Picture credits by j2ms; interview courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: What incited you to set up Mental Exile as a side-project to Mondträume and what do you expect from this solo-project?

Damasius: Many years ago, before I joined Mondträume, I was working with other projects as a musician.  When I started with Mondträume, my part of the work was writing the lyrics and to sing. That was okey for me, but of course the necessity of composing my own music was present all the time. For this reason I kept on working with Mental Exile, just for me and without priority.

What incited me to give it the importance that it deserves and to share it with the rest of the world, was a good friend of mine. He showed me how short life could be and we don’t have to wait until tomorrow to do the things that we really wish to do. Mental Exile is my way to talk, to feel and to see around me, so what I expect is to keep this special connection between myself and the music I create.

Q: The album has a solid 80s connotation in some aspects of the production. Tell us a bit more about your passion for 80s music and how did you try to transpose it into Mental Exile?

Damasius: The 80s left their traces in a lot of aspects and for me personally, the music and the films are a great inspiration. Here I have to mention the synth-wave genre, a music style that was growing more and more during the last years and where I found my place with Mental Exile. I’m fascinated by this genre, because it sounds totally 80s, but it didn’t exist like that in the 80s. Without any doubts, this helped me to transpose this essence to my music.

Q: “Ride The Madness” is a conceptual album, which has been introduced as inspired by this passion for 80s music and sci/fi movies, which you tried to transpose into music as a movie-soundtrack. Tell us a bit more the concept?

Damasius: If it would be a movie, I resume the conceptas an action film, with an antihero, hungry for vengeance and trying to find the sense of his life again. This is the summary of how I decorated the history, but there is a true story behind the concept. A good friend of mine was diagnosed with a cerebral tumor without cure. He was fighting during one year and eight months to live another day, although he knew that he cannot win this fight. He lived with his wife for 23 years, the most beautiful love story that I ever knew, and together they were fighting against everything to enjoy the time they had left. The reason why it was created as a movie soundtrack is because of the situation he was passing in a concrete moment. He was my inspiration and for me “Ride The Madness” is my dedication to him. Sadly he passed away one year ago and I couldn’t show his history to him.

Q: So the ‘hero’ of this concept called ‘Shadow’ was inspired by a good friend of yours, but are there still parts from yourself in this story?

Damasius: Without doubts, Shadow has the personality of my friend, but he looks and lives the situations through my eyes. I talk through Shadow from my perspective about what my friend was living and how I was feeling it too.

Q: You last year released the EP “Exile Nights” which featured songs that don’t appear at the album. It makes the EP really interesting, but do you see this EP as something apart from the album or still inspired by the same concept?

Damasius: Thanks!! “Exile Nights” is something totally apart. The concept of the album starts and ends with the album and it is something that I don’t want to touch. About “Exile Nights”, I like this kind of EP concept and I can tell you that I will repeat it.

Q: A clip has been also released. What can you tell us about it and do clips still make sense today? What brings the future for Mental Exile?

Damasius: To do the “Renegades”-video was a fantastic experience and it was a pleasure to work with the director Achilleas Gatsopoulos (Hypnagogia Films). During the production of the video we really had the impression to live in a dream and it was a feeling that I like to repeat.

About your question if clips still make sense today, I see two sides of the story. On one hand, of course they make sense because it is a way to spread and give life to the music, and for the followers it is a very positive point. Including myself as follower of other bands, it is something that I really enjoy when a group releases a music video. On the other hand, financially it does not make any sense. It is obvious that you will not get back the money you had to pay for it. My conclusion: if I can afford it, I will make more videos!

About the future, I’m working on the live shows because I like to bring my creature on stage next year. At the same time I’m working on new material for a next EP and album. Probably a new music video will come too…

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.

Background/Info: Mondträume singer Damasius Venysthe last year released the EP “Exile Nights” from his solo-project Mental Exile. It was a successful debut revealing danceable and somewhat 80s-like inspired electro-pop music. The album is inspired by the artist’s passion for 80s music and sci/fi movies, which he tried to transpose into music as a movie-soundtrack. It’s a kind of concept dealing with a guy called ‘Shadow’ who has been condemned to exile. 

Content: The 80s electro-pop vibes are more represent at this album than at the EP. It’s clearly noticeable when paying attention for the dry snares and the astral atmosphere recovering the work. This album definitely has something old-school like. It also is a melodic album, which even reminds me to Second Decay –during the chorus of “The Night Is Mine” feat. Midnight Danger. The album reveals some interesting ‘features’ like the aforementioned song with Swedish project Midnight Danger plus two other songs featuring Lightshifters from Germany. About Lightshifters I especially like the female backing vocals on both songs.

+ + + : First of all I have to say a word about the EP, which was featuring 3 exclusive songs. It’s rather unusual to see artists releasing exclusive songs for EP’s and that’s precisely what Mental Exile did, so respect for this! The other 3 songs from the EP were remixes. This album features the original songs of these remixes. The 80s approach is omnipresent, but it’s not an emulation of old pioneers. It’s just an important influence, which has been transposed into something personal and mixed with contemporary elements. The melodic aspect of the work symbolizes the elaboration of the songs. This is an album that will make you dance while still featuring emotive songs. Last, but not least, I also have to say a word about the great vocals of Damasius Venysthe who for sure remains one of the most talented electro-pop singers from his generation. I also like the duo parts together with Marthe Borge-Lunde Pfirrmann.

– – – : A great album and cool songs, but maybe not a real hit. But that’s a good reason to purchase the previously released EP as well, which features the great song “Midnight Rain”.

Conclusion: Mental Exile definitely sounds more than a side-project! This project has a real potential.

Best songs: “Delta City”, “The Valley Of The Fallen”, “Her Only Wish feat. Lightshifters”, “Falling”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/mentalexileproject 

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

About Mental Exile

Mental Exile is the solo synthwave project of Damasius Venys, singer of the synth pop band Mondträume. He launched the project in November 2018 with the digital single “Exile Nights”, expanded into an EP of three new songs and three remixes mixed and mastered by Italian synthwave artist Vincenzo Salvia, with further remixes by Iversen and Index Code. The EP was released via Alfa Matrix’s Bandcamp page ahead of “Ride The Madness”, the full-length reviewed here.

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

(Photo by Lydia Solans) Out now is “Ride The Madness”, the debut by Mental Exile. Behind Mental Exile we find Damasius Venys – the singer of the popular synth pop band Mondträume. The album follows the well received “Exile Nights” download EP released in November 2018. 

Musically this project stands for melancholic dark pop arrangements led by melodic vintage synth lines mixed with the electropop voice of Damasius. The album was mixed and mastered by renowned Italian synthwave artist and producer Vincenzo Salvia and also features noticeable guest appearances by Marthe Borge-Lunde Pfirrmann (from the wonderful Lightshiftersproject), adding her great voice on two songs while Chris Young (Midnight Danger) contributes with a guitar solo.

The album is available on CD (orders are accepted via Alfa Matrix) and as download (Bandcamp, iTunes, …).

You can listen to the full album 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

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange)
Mental Exile, the solo project of Damasius Venys from Mondträume, debuted a brand new music video for the track ‘Renegades’ on YouTube today (see it at the bottom of the article). Although Damasius is vacationing at the Canary Islands at the moment, we managed to get some more info about the video.

Side-Line: Tell us about the video; the idea, who made it etc.?

Damasius Venys: The video was made by Achilleas Gatsopoulos (aka Hypnagogia films). I knew his work for other artists and I was convinced that he was the right person for this job (and I was right – hehe!). From the beginning my idea was to make a cool synthwave/80’s inspired video. The concept of the song is about a couple who lives at the limit, against everything and everyone, they are renegades and do whatever they want. Achilleas took this idea and he put it on a higher level, converting the couple on vampires who run through the nights of Berlin in search of chaos and blood.

S-L: More videos from Mental Exile in the making?

DV: Of course I like to do more videos, especially for the new album. Let’s see what’ll happen next year!

S-L: Soon you have an album for the Mental Exile album – got any details about that?

DV: I’m really excited for the release of my debut album. I have to say that it means a lot to me and I hope that people can feel this. For the moment the first review I received is from the Sonic Seducer magazine and it is really positive. I hope it will go on like that.

S-L: Other future plans or events for Mental Exile or Mondträume?

DV: At the moment I’m working on new songs for Mental Exile. I’m also preparing the live shows, I want to offer something catchy and I would like to start next year with the live dates. With Mondträume we have some really interesting live dates to present our new album.

The track ‘Renegades’ are taken from Mental Exile’s debut EP ‘Exile Nights’ – read more about it and listen to the songs right here!

Enjoy the video!

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

(Photo by Lydia Solans) To be released on October 4th is “Ride The Madness”, the debut by Mental Exile. Behind Mental Exile we find Damasius Venys – the singer of the popular synth pop band Mondträume. The album follows the well received “Exile Nights” download EP released in November 2018.

Musically this project stands for melancholic dark pop arrangements led by melodic vintage synth lines mixed with the electropop voice of Damasius. The album was mixed and mastered by renowned Italian synthwave artist and producer Vincenzo Salvia and also features noticeable guest appearances by Marthe Borge-Lunde Pfirrmann (from the wonderful Lightshifters project), adding her great voice on two songs while Chris Young (Midnight Danger) contributes with a guitar solo.

The album will be available on CD (pre-orders are accepted now via Alfa Matrix) and as download (Bandcamp pre-orders are already accepted with an immediate download of 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!

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Spanish duo Pikotto vondMond (music & programming) and Damasius Venys (vocals & lyrics) are back on track, unleashing their second album five years after the successful debut opus “Empty”. The new album “Lovers, sinners & Liars” (available here as a 2CD deluxe edition set) remains faithful to the melancholic future-pop style of the debut work, but the global production becomes more mature and accomplished. It’s a danceable piece of music revealing elevating choruses while driven by the impressive vocals skills of Damasius Venys. The album has been released by the Belgian label Alfa Matrix and simply confirms the growing status of Mondträume. Here’s what they’ve to say about their masterpiece.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Five years have passed since your debut album “Empty” (2014). Why did it take that long to achieve this new opus? What have been the main difficulties and challenges you encountered? 

Pikotto: The truth is that I am aware that a lot of time passed by ’till the release of the new album, but unfortunately I had health problems and there was a time where I had to consult doctors, do tests etc… Fortunately everything is okay with my health. But well, I also took the positive side of this circumstance and this means that I have been able to take more care of the songs and the arrangements to have the best results. 

Q: I experienced “Lovers, Sinners & Liars” as ‘melancholia to dance on’ while the choruses have something elevating, even a bit transcendental. But what kind of work did you wanted to accomplish and what are your greatest elements of satisfactions? 

Pikotto: Like you could observe during our path, I always like to add this melancholic touch to the songs, and I also wanted to do that on this new album too. But I also added something more danceable, a delicate piano melody, a melodic pluck that is sad, but also happy at the same time, etc, etc… I think that it is a point that defines us and when you listen to our songs you know that it is made by us. I always said that music is life and in this life always exists the lovers, the sinners, and the liars… 

Q: So that’s what the album title is reflecting? But what have been the main sources of inspiration for the lyrics? 

Damasius: With the album title I wanted to reflect three kinds of personalities who are behind the lyrical theme. It reflects things that we all experienced in our lives and that we have been or we are. The fastest way to explain it could be like, to give affection while I hold a knife hidden on my back telling you that I will never fail you. About the inspiration, everything came from things that happened around me. The last five years have been a period of many changes where I saw the true faces of some people next to me. The inspiration of all the lyrics of the album are really human, in a good- or a bad way. 

Q: It all seems like image and artwork is an important item for Mondträume. Tell us a bit more about both aspects and a possible link between lyrical themes and the artwork of the new album? 

Damasius: Of course, it is very important to me because in this aspect we can show a more metaphoric vision of the concepts, making it more dramatic and of course, more eye-catching. With this new image and artwork we tried to reflect the birth of the hypocrisy without masks, the lovers and the sinners, the original skin of our human debilities. An important point for me too, was to work again with my friend Lydia Solans. It is always great for me to tell her all my ideas and together ramble on about colors, textures, make ups, etc. The link between the lyrics and the artwork is exactly our dark side.  

Q: Another essential element for bands is playing live. How would you define a live show of Mondträume and how do you transpose the songs from the studio to the stage? 

Pikotto: I think the one who has the possibility to see us live will experience all the emotions about that we were talking about. The music gets the body dreaming and this is what we try to do live, to feel this goosebumps when you hear a melody, when you hear the great voice of my mate, to feel that the things you hear make you complete. As a band we try to offer everything of us so that the audience feels satisfied and proud to see us live. About the songs, we try to put the same energy like in the studio, but with this visual extra point that fills up the stage. In this aspect I have to congratulate my friend and mate Damasius for being a great showman and for his professionalism on stage. I think that until today the audience always responded very well to our shows and we are very thankful for that. I take the opportunity to send greetings and a big hug to our audience of Poland, Spain, Germany, etc. Thanks for your support! 

Q: Do you’ve some plans in mind to next year celebrate the tenth Anniversary of Mondträume? What brings the future? And what might we expect from the Mental Exile album? 

Damasius: We were really not aware of how time flies, but it doesn’t go that fast; our tenth anniversary will be 2021, there is still some time left to think about that. What the future will bring is always uncertain, we have our plans and our ideas, but we will see what will come. About my Mental Exile album, I can say that the release date is around the corner, but I prefer to tell you nothing about it yet. When it will see the light, I will be glad to enter into details about it and about everything you want.

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, future-pop.

Background/Info: The Spanish Mondträume duo strikes back with their second full length, which comes five years after the promising debut “Empty”. In the meantime front man Damasius Venys also started with a solo side-project Mental exile, which released its debut-EP in 2018.Notice by the way this new album was preceded by the singles “Still Beating” (2014) and “Free” (2016).

Content: Pikotto Vond Mond and Damasius Venys remain faithful to their electro/future-pop style they introduced on “Empty”. The influences remain identically the same, but the global writing- and production process have been seriously improved. The songs are featuring danceable beats and melancholic, but melodic leads and choruses. I however noticed a fewer ‘happy’-like passages (cf. “Nothing”) and even a simply beautiful song (cf. “Let Me Go”), which has something sensible and poignant.

The limited edition features a bonus disc with remixes by Crytek, Massive Ego, Kant Kino, X-O-Planet, Avarice In Audio, Headzor, Evo-Lution, Octolab, Any second and Elektrostaub. Both previously released single-songs are the main songs exposed to the remix skills of other artists.

+ + + : I already talked about the impressive evolution in sound and composition. If Mondträume was announced by their label as a ‘hot’ newcomer in 2013, they for sure confirm this potential with this great work. The album brings a perfect twist between danceable songs and softer, deeply melancholic pieces. Most of the choruses have an elevating sensation, and I especially want to mention the title song, the already known “Free”, “Nothing” and the beautiful “Le Me Go”. A good ‘pop’ band needs a talented singer and here again Damasius Venys confirms to be the right man in the right place. I think it’s not a coincidence he has already been asked by numerous bands to do some guest vocals. Among the remixes I’ll mention the great contribution by X-O-Planet (featuring male-female duo vocals), Octolab for the groovy approach and Crytek for their punching remix.

– – – : This album also features a cover version of The Cure’s “Lament”, which is not my favorite song from the tracklist.

Conclusion: This album sounds as an invitation to dance to melancholia and it’s weird to say, but it will make you feel good!

Best songs: “Lovers, Sinners & Liars”, “Free”, “Nothing”, “Let Me Go”, “The Center Of Your World” + “Still Beating – X-O-Planet”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/Mondtraeume

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

About Mondträume

Mondträume is a Spanish synth-pop and future-pop duo of vocalist Damasius Venys and producer Pikotto VondMond. The project’s debut album, “Empty”, appeared in 2014, followed by the singles “Still Beating” (2014) and “Free” (2016). Venys also records under the solo alias Mental Exile, which released a debut EP in 2018. Mondträume is signed to Alfa Matrix, which issued the duo’s limited 2CD edition of “Lovers, Sinners & Liars” in 2019 and later released the EPs “The Unknown Path” (2022), “Heart Machine” (2023) and “Poisoned Love” (2024).

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Out now via Bandcamp first is “Tetrachromatic”, a brand new EP from the italian electro rock duo Helalyn Flowers. The title song is taken from the band’s last “Nyctophilia” and has been a fan favourite soon after the release. Expect a mix of fast-sequenced electro dance grooves, catchy sensual female pop vocals mixed with powerful electric guitar riffs.

The title track has been reworked by a lot of bands including Metroland, Aesthetische, Aiboforcen, Mental Exile, Junksista and Synapsyche, next to reworks by the band itself. The Bandcamp version includes an exclusive extended 18-page booklet design with conceptual band photos & design by Toxic Visions.

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 2 highly successful Depeche Mode tributes (you can find more details here), the Belgian label Alfa Matrix is now back with a 3rd volume. Titled “Alfa Matrix Re​:​covered Vol​.​3 – A Tribute To Depeche Mode”, the tribute is a 2CD with 32 brand new cover versions reinterpreted by Alfa Matrix artists.

Since the label has since added a lot of new names (Mental Exile, Imjudas, Synapsyche, Llumen, H.O.W., …), you can enjoy renditions of your favourite Depeche Mode tracks in a total new sound pallet.

The tracks have been covered in different ways: from electro pop to dark elektro, from pop wave to goth metal, from industrial to techno pop. Below is the total tracklist of this brand new tribute which can be ordered as a 2CD via the label’s webstore, and as download via Bandcamp).

Available formats for this new Depeche Mode tribute:

• V/A – Alfa Matrix Re​:​covered Vol​.​3 – A Tribute To Depeche Mode (Bandcamp download)
• V/A – Alfa Matrix Re​:​covered Vol​.​3 – A Tribute To Depeche Mode 2CD

The 2 previous compilations can be found here:

• Alfa Matrix Re​:​covered – A Tribute To Depeche Mode (Bonus Tracks Version)
• Alfa Matrix Re​:​covered – A Tribute To Depeche Mode – Vol. 2 (Bonus Tracks Version – 2013 edit)

Here’s a preview of the complete album!

Different title on other platforms

Note that the release has a completely other name on other digital platforms where it comes as “Alfa Matrix Re:Covered (Vol. 3)”.

For more on Depeche Mode, see Depeche Mode synths mounted as a single instrument – Neikka RPM reports 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

Belgium’s cult dark electro act Aiboforcen is back among the living. A teaser was already released online a few days ago, but it’s now official, there is a brand new Aiboforcen EP out via Bandcamp: “In My Arms”.

The 13-track (!!) extended EP focuses on Benoit Blanchart’s collaboration with Mari Kattman. Both “In My Arms” and “Tears” are taken from the band’s recent 6th full length album “Sense & Nonsense”. The title track also got the remix treatment by label mates Mondträume, Mental Exile and Jean-Marc Lederman who each plunged the song in totally different moods. “Tears” on the other hand got re-discovered by the other Alfa Matrix companions Aesthetische, SD-KRTR and Psy’Aviah.

This new 13-track EP (available now from Bandcamp) also reveals some 4 new exclusive songs: “Therapy Through Violence”, “Abysses” (featuring Patrice Synthea of Regenerator fame) and 2 radically different cover versions of New Order’s “True Faith” and DAF’s “Als Wars Das Letzte Mal” (featuring Uwe Kanka of Armageddon Dildos on vocals).

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 2 highly succesful Depeche Mode tributes (you can find more details here), the Belgian label Alfa Matrix is now back with a 3rd volume. Titled “Alfa Matrix Re​:​covered Vol​.​3 – A Tribute To Depeche Mode”, the tribute is a 2CD with 32 brand new cover versions reinterpreted by Alfa Matrix artists.

Since the label has since added a lot of new names (Mental Exile, Imjudas, Synapsyche, Llumen, H.O.W., …), you can enjoy renditions of your favourite Depeche Mode tracks in a total new sound pallet.

The tracks have been covered in different ways: from electro pop to dark elektro, from pop wave to goth metal, from industrial to techno pop. Below is the total tracklist of this brand new tribuet which will be out later in March but which can be pre-ordered already (as a 2CD via the label’s webstore, and as download via Bandcamp).

Available formats:

V/A – Alfa Matrix Re​:​covered Vol​.​3 – A Tribute To Depeche Mode (Bandcamp download)

V/A – Alfa Matrix Re​:​covered Vol​.​3 – A Tribute To Depeche Mode 2CD

The 2 previous compilations can be found here:

Alfa Matrix Re​:​covered – A Tribute To Depeche Mode (Bonus Tracks Version)

Alfa Matrix Re​:​covered – A Tribute To Depeche Mode – Vol. 2 (Bonus Tracks Version – 2013 edit)

Here’s a preview of 2 tracks already!

For more on Depeche Mode, see Brand new Depeche Mode tribute out now via the Belgian electronica… 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: Electro-pop.

Background/Info: Mental Exile is a new solo-project set up and driven by Damasius Venysthe (singer of Mondträume). This debut work reveals 6 songs -including 3 remixes.

Content: You easily and quite instantly will recognize the charismatic timbre of voice of Damasius Venysthe. The vocals are one of this project’s main characteristics. Sound-wise you can hear a strong 80s inspiration, but there also is a powerful and contemporary production injecting something personal to the work.

Remixes have been made from extra songs so you in the end get 6 different tracks. Vincenzo Salvia, Iversen and Index Code took care for the remixes. One of the remixes features female backing vocals by Lightshifters.

+ + + : Mental Exile has something personal I like. It remains electro-pop, but with a nice and successful mix between 80s influences and modern technology. “Midnight Rain” is a great piece of music illustration this sonic osmosis between past and present. The opening cut “One Of Us” is another remarkable song for the power emerging from the production. This EP also is a styled composition with great vocal parts on top. I even prefer Mental Exile instead of Mondtr äume.

– – – : This EP features several great cuts, but maybe not the ‘ultimate’ hit.

Conclusion: This is what I would call a promising debut so I’m really looking forward to welcome the debut album of this project.

Best songs: “Midnight Rain”, “One Of Us”, “Like Humans – Iversen Remix”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/mentalexileproject

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

Read the news on ‘Exile Nights’.

About Mental Exile

Mental Exile is the solo project of Damasius Venys, singer of Mondträume. “Exile Nights,” reviewed here, is the project’s debut EP, released on Alfa Matrix in November 2018 with remixes by Vincenzo Salvia, Iversen and Index Code. Mental Exile issued its debut album, “Ride The Madness,” in October 2019, mixed and mastered by Salvia with guest contributions from Marthe Borge-Lunde Pfirrmann of Lightshifters and guitarist Chris Young of Midnight Danger. The follow-up EP “Exile Nights II” followed in June 2020, and “Inferno Hotline” in June 2021.

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

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange)
As Side-Line reported late November last year, Damasius Venys, singer of the cult synth pop band Mondträume, released the first EP from his new solo project Mental Exile, first at Bandcamp, later at other platforms too.

With ‘Exile nights’ Damasius offers three unreleased songs and three remixes from his upcoming album. Three songs full of energy, 80’s vintage synths and catchy melodies, accompanied by a voice that talk to us about our human demons, our selfish blindness, and how we try to conquer an imaginary world made of our fears and debilities. Listen to the EP @ Spotify while reading this quick interview about feedbacks a few weeks after the release.

Side-Line: How has the EP been received?
Damasius Venys: For the moment, in a very good way. Since the first day I received lot of messages with congratulations and positive feedbacks. A lot of radio stations around the world included my songs in their programs too, which i really motivating.

S-L: Have you gotten any comments about the project being different from Mondträume?
DV: Of course! I think that it was the first thing that people did, compare Mondträume with Mental Exile, but in a very positive way. I was told many times that it was a surprise that Mental Exile sounds quite different to the other project. It seems like people normally expect from a solo project a copy or something very similar to the sound of the band where you come from. I’m happy to brake this. With Mondträume my work is to write the lyrics and sing, and with Mental Exile I do everything. I have other music interests and I think that this makes the difference too.

S-L: Any more releases planned?
DV: Yes! The album is almost finished. It will be released the next year for sure.

S-L: Any live performances for Mental Exile?
DV: Until now I don’t have any intention to play, but that’s just for the moment! After the release of the album, it will be the right moment to present my creature on stage.

I don’t like to reveal so many things, so I will only try to level up the curiosity, just telling you that the album will tell a history about hate, revenge, love and death, and that I have two very special guests featuring on three songs. Another thing is the possibility of a music video before the album release, but I won’t say nothing more, just keep your eyes at the exile!

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

Those familiar with ordering directly with the Belgian label Alfa Matrix know they will always get a free CD sampler from the “Sounds From The Matrix” series with each purchase. With the 20th

With the 20th volume of the “Sounds From The Matrix” label compilation series, being made available for their online CD store customers, the label has now also launched the release as a standalone download via Bandcamp (with other stores to follow).

On this 20th volume Alfa Matrix highlights its current hot releases (from Alien Vampires to Helalyn Flowers and I:Scintilla through Metroland and other Circuito Cerrado, Implant or yet Psy’Aviah) and gives us an insight on what 2019 will sound like.

Alfa Matrix also reveals recent signings like Synapsyche, Reactor7X, Mental Exile or yet the very promising newcomer H.O.W.; and also letting us discover first songs from forthcoming releases by bands like Aesthetische, Dunkelwerk, Llumen, Junksista, Kant Kino, Ad:key, Avarice In Audio, Imjudas, etc..

This new download counts 19 fresh electronic 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

With the 8th edition of their now classic free “Matrix Downloaded” label digital compilation, Belgium’s Alfa Matrix label presents a selection of 55 songs via Bandcamp.

The 55 songs represent the label’s most recent singles and albums while giving a preview of some promising forthcoming 2019 productions including announced new releases by Helalyn Flowers, Synapsyche, Avarice In Audio, H.O.W., Llumen, Mental Exile, SD-KRTR, Diffuzion, Reactor7X, Aesthetische, Armageddon Dildos, Die Robo Sapiens, Junksista, Imjudas, Alien Vampires, Mondträume, Aiboforcen, Dunkelwerk, Komor Kommando, Neikka RPM, Acylum, etc.

You can download it for free or as a what-you-want-to-pay from Bandcamp.

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 ‘Exile Nights’.

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