The French label Unknown Pleasures Records, run by Pedro Peñas y Roble aka HIV+, stops its activities this summer. They are currently emptying their last stocks before closing for good. The label which started in 2013 was based in the south of France was dedicated to the production of material from the post-punk, minimal wave and EBM scene. Their final release is a Tribute to Death In June.

In the past the label has released albums of bands like Norma Loy, David Carretta, Blind Delon, Adan & Ilse, Hausfrau, Black Egg, European Ghost, Ono Scream, Antipole, Kill Shelter, Vogue Noir, Ohota, Wendy Bevan, Alek Drive, Art Kinder Industrie, Baroque, Maman Küsters, Japan Suicide, Follow Me Not, Der Himmel über Berlin, Dave Inox, Mr Nô, None, Velvet Kills, Selfishadows, Container 47, The Shyness Of Strangers, Secret Sight, La Main, Fluxus, Grand((Ø))Signal, Neon Electronics, Hardlab, Judith Juillerat, Monolog and Love In Prague.

The label has also worked and collaborated with several musicians such as Alan Vega, Gabi Delgado, Dirk Da Davo, Eric Van Wonterghem, Jurgen Engler, Richard 23, Patrick Codenys, Marc Hurtado, Arturo Lanz, The Hacker, Dirk Ivens, The Horrorist, Haujobb, Position Parallèle, John Lord Fonda, Dominique Nicolas, Marc Collin, Michaël Theis, Radical G, Növö, Millimetric, In Death It Ends, In Aeternam Vale, Sonic Area, Adriano Canzian, Alice Botte, Versari and many more.

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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Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: German formation Beyond Obsession signed to Infacted Recordings to release their fourth full length album. Among previous albums, they released the album “Pieces Of Machinery” on Popgefahr Records (label of De/Vision). They’re now back on track unleashing nine new cuts.

Content: This band is clearly driven by the good-old magic from 80s electro-pop music. It’s not a coincidence their music reminds me of legendary icons such as the unavoidable Depeche Mode while I also have to mention Tears From Fears. The songs are driven by elaborated structures and a nervous rhythm. The ‘softer’ cuts have been accentuated by great melody lines. There also is a perfect balance between music and vocals.

+ + + : The main strength of this album is not exactly its 80s spirit and influences, but the way it has been transposed into a contemporary and personal synth-pop production. This mix makes the originality of the album. Both debut songs are worthy of examination, but I also recommend the somewhat harder “Need Puppets”.

– – – : Some of the softer cuts can’t convince me for being more monotonous. Even the vocals couldn’t totally convince me here.

Conclusion: Beyond Obsession has something apart from the electro-pop scene and yet it sounds familiar and clearly infused with 80s stereotypes.

Best songs: “Need Puppets”, “Speaking Of A Devil”, “Monolog Love”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.beyondobsession.de / www.facebook.com/beyondobsessionofficial

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

About Beyond Obsession

Beyond Obsession is a German electro-pop project whose fourth full length, “Revolution From Below,” is reviewed here. Later in 2020, the project issued a dedicated remix EP for the album’s title track, “Speaking Of A Devil,” featuring reworks by nine artists including Rob Dust and Ruined Conflict. Beyond Obsession has remained active since, releasing “In My Blood” on the Dark Dimensions label 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.

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Genre/Influences: Industrial-metal, experimental, breakcore.

Background/Info: Hailing from Denmark Mads Lindgren is based in Berlin (Germany). Monolog released a considerable amount of productions during the past few years. You might know him from the Ad Noiseam roster while he now strikes back on Hymen. The title of the work refers to ‘an act of parliament in England, a general pardon for anyone who had committed crimes during the civil war and interregnum’.

Content: Behind this work and its title seems to hide a very personal release and a kind of exposure to chase inner feelings of pain and loss. It has been transposed into a tough sonic exposure characterized by heavy metal guitar assaults and broken rhythms. Metal meets breakcore and got finally joined by industrial music. The tracks are complex and dynamic.

+ + + : Monolog remains a true sound anarchist. This is an artist who’s just doing his very own thing without following trends and easy industrial loops. It remains a challenge and that’s an aspect I’ve always supported in music. Monolog is atypical and resulting from a creative process. The album makes me think of a sonic labyrinth.

– – – : The biggest challenge for such a producer is to catch the attention of an audience. It’s not exactly the most accessible kind of music and yet it has enough elements to please.

Conclusion: Monolog is a sonic bridge between several music genres, but you sometimes get the impression that the bridge is suddenly collapsing. Experimental releases remain the biggest challenges and even if I’m not totally seduced by this creative process I’ve to admit that Monolog is moving on releasing its weird sounds and noises.

Best songs: “Idemnity And Oblivion”, “Edge Hill”.

Rate: (6).

Artist: https://monolog.productions / www.facebook.com/monolog.music

Label: www.hymen-records.com / www.facebook.com/hymenrecords

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: electronic dance music

Background/Info: A native New Yorker Alex Poll and a native of Maine Andrew Taggart met in 2013. The first one worked as a DJ and wanted to do something with his project The Chainsmokers. The second one, dreamed of a career manager at EDM, was an intern at Interscope and helped with remixes for the label. Together they decided to achieve some kind of fame, remixing to indie bands and attracting the attention of their fans. From the very beginning – and the group admits it – they were pragmatists.
On April 7, the American duo The Chainsmokers released the debut album “Memories … Do Not Open”.

Content: The Chainsmokers is one of the most successful pop group of recent times. They are the authors of three (maybe four) major hits of the last year and a half. They have been discussed for more than four years: their main hit “Closer” (this song was 12 weeks at the top of the Billboard chart – the fourth result in its history) is subjected to a thorough analysis of Slate and The New Yorker.

Their first hit “# Selfie” is an attempt to catch the trend. Poll and Taggart recorded a friend’s monolog about the importance of photographing by the smartphone’s front camera, accompanied by the stupid beat and the hum of the synthesizers. Then they shot a video for the song, and the track got in the top 40 Billboard chart. After “#Selfie” The Chainsmokers did not write meme songs, and generally, they gradually left the vigorous thoughtless dance. They turned to another EDM-template: slow entry, increasing tension, female vocals, text about love, then bridge sounds, after it – a drop and a powerful chorus, where the last line of the bridge repeats indefinitely. This is the way “Where Are Ü Now” of the Diplo and Skrillex Jack Ü is made. This is how the tracks of Major Lazer are arranged. The Chainsmokers perfected this scheme.

They make their hits with cynical practicality. “Don’t Let Me Down” they composed under the impression of emo-rock, the performers of which avoided unnecessary metaphors, and in general were as straightforward as possible in the texts.

The Chainsmokers is at the same time the culmination of the EDM, evidence of its degeneration, a sign of its final integration into pop culture and its only salvation.

+++: “Closer” is the perfect pop song of 2016: a familiar sound, amazing two voices, a nostalgic citation of the hit Blink-182, a refrain “We’ll never grow old,” a clear and catchy melody. Thus, The Chainsmokers were able to extend the life of a seemingly obsolete genre. They completed the work for other musicians who were doing the same. In the end, they record tightly catchy songs to the envy of others. Russian brides on romancecompass.com would be glad to listen to this music with you.

– – -: The Chainsmokers released a debut album. However, it has nothing to add to this story. The existence of EDM ends not with an explosion, but with a thoughtful marketing strategy.

Conclusion: The most influential new style of this decade is firmly in crisis. According to Daft Punk – it lasts for four years. EDM-artists are no longer as well as they used to be met in traditional places for their performances. The Chainsmokers can only delay the inevitable.

Best songs: “Closer”, “New York City”, “Paris”, “Don’t let me down”.

Rate: (7½).

Band: http://www.thechainsmokers.com

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

Background/Info:

Read the news on ‘Maskiner’.

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