UK darkwave/synthpop artist Nature of Wires (Gary Watts) and Machina X (Annie) will release a cover of Icehouse’s “Hey Little Girl” exclusively on Bandcamp on Friday 7 August 2026. The track is not yet available; the duo confirmed the Bandcamp-exclusive release date directly.

The original “Hey Little Girl” was written by Iva Davies and released in 1982 as the second single from Icehouse’s album “Primitive Man,” co-produced by Davies and Keith Forsey. It reached the top 10 in Australia and the top 5 in Germany, and charted in the UK, Sweden and the Netherlands.

Nature of Wires and Machina X describe their version as “deliciously dark,” pairing Annie’s vocal with a minimalist instrumental arrangement from Gary. The cover follows their “Twilight Zone” EP, released on 31 October 2025 and featuring six tracks including “Twilight Zone,” “Static Icons,” “Possibilities,” “Dance With Me” and two versions of “Within.” A first live performance together in April 2026 convinced the pair to record “Hey Little Girl” for release. They are planning further live appearances in the coming months.

Nature of Wires was set up by Gary Watts in 1986 and has been active as a darkwave, EBM, synthpop and ambient project since, alongside more than 100 remixes for artists including Sigue Sigue Sputnik Electronic, Leaether Strip, Sea of Sin, Massive Ego and Freakangel. Side-Line covered Nature of Wires in earlier years through Gary Watts’ collaboration with singer CountessM on the album “Cyber Rendezvous” (2016) and the “Reborn” EP (2019). Machina X is fronted by Annie, based in England, and has worked with Nature of Wires on a series of tracks including “2000 Miles,” “Static Icons” and “Possibilities” before “Twilight Zone.”

Ahead of the 7 August 2026 release, “Hey Little Girl” is not yet listed on Bandcamp; the artist pages at natureofwires.bandcamp.com and machina-x.bandcamp.com will carry the track once it is live.

About Nature of Wires and Machina X

Nature of Wires began in 1986, when Gary Watts, then 19, bought a Casio CZ-101 synthesizer and asked friend Andrew Stirling-Brown to sing. The pair played their first gig on 18 October 1986 and performed regularly in the UK through 1994, before the project went dormant.

Watts resumed writing as Nature of Wires around 2014, and in 2016 released the album “Cyber Rendezvous” with California-based singer CountessM (Maren Northway) on the Manchester label Analogue Trash. A follow-up EP, “Reborn,” featuring vocalist Sarah Boucher, followed via Echozone in 2019. Since then, Nature of Wires has built a catalog of original songs, instrumentals and dark ambient releases, alongside remix work for acts including Sigue Sigue Sputnik Electronic, Leaether Strip, Sea of Sin, Massive Ego and Freakangel.

Machina X is Annie’s project, based in England. She began recording with Nature of Wires as a collaborative pairing, releasing tracks including “2000 Miles,” “Static Icons” and “Possibilities,” which built toward the “Twilight Zone” EP of 31 October 2025. After a first live performance together in April 2026, Nature of Wires and Machina X recorded their cover of Icehouse’s “Hey Little Girl,” due on Bandcamp on 7 August 2026.

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

(Photo by Kieron Brennan) Following their debut album, the Anglo-French dark pop act Scenius – initially a studio project – have become a live band. Their first official gig took place in Angers, France, on the 30th of March 2022 and it was recorded and filmed – on a static single camera.

Released now as the EP “Live in Angers” you get 4 tracks taken from this gig. Musically the band is making electronic dark-pop out of vintage synths and rhythm machines, blending the spirit and sounds of early electronic outfits with a modern approach.

You can download the EP right below.

Here is the live video for “Cookie Cutter”.

About Scenius

The duo is composed of UK producer Steve Whitfield (The Cure, The Mission, Yann Tiersen) and French singer Fab Nau. They released their debut album in December 2020. In 2021 Scenius remixed tracks for BlakLight (US) and Projekt Ich (DE) and got remixed by Nature of Wires (UK), Klammer (UK) and Black Boiler (FR). The duo also contributed a new track to the Generation Blitz compilation. In March 2022, Scenius embarked upon their first series of gigs, in France.

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

Out now is the remix album “Human​:​Resurrection (The Remixes)” by Sydney (Australia) based electropop artist Daniel Hall / Emerge1. The remix album holds remixed tracks from his previous album “Human” plus 1 new single, “Resurrection”. It is the 16th full length studio album for Daniel Hall.

The collaborators on this remix album include Blaklight, The Brute, People Theatre, Beyond Border, ee:man, Patrik Kambo, All Star Motivator, Eric C Powell, Emerge 1, Isunray, Nature of Wires and DJ Dorian Rangel.

Note that the release is also available as a CD.

Here’s the new single.

And here is the track listing.

On a sidenote, The Brute who completed a cover version of Hall’s track “Feeling Low” will release the track itself as well as a single with an official video on July 1st 2022. Read the review of ‘Human’.

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-Pop, Industrial-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Jay Taylor -known as the live drummer for  Tactical Sekt, Tyske Ludder and Harmjoy, strikes back with a new production of his own J:Dead project. “Vision Of Time” features six songs while the CD format includes seven more songs (remixes).

Content: J:Dead remains an artist with his own approach in sound. Some might call it Electro-Pop but the harder and harsher approach rather sounds like a Dark- and/or Industrial Pop format. The vocals are switching from clear, powerful passages to harsh parts. The choruses are melodic.

Remixes have been provided by Teknovore, Lights Of Euphoria, Nature Of Wires, Rotersand, The Saint Paul, Station Echo and Life Cried.

+ + + : I especially like the atypical ‘Pop’ format of this artist. Dark, Industrial and even a bit Punkish mixing enraged sound- and vocal parts together with melodic, carrying, choruses. My favorite cuts are “A Little Time” and “Afraid” both driven by an angry production. Among the remixes I especially want to mention the extra boosting remix of “I’ll wait” by Teknovore.

– – – : I expected a bit more out of the remixes.

Conclusion: J:Dead seems to be one of last months ‘hot’ artists from Infacted Recordings and this rough approach of Electro-Pop shows you why it is.

Best songs: “A Little Time”, “Afraid”, “I’ll Wait – Teknovore Remix”, “Afraid – Nature Of Wires Remix”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/jdeadband

Label: www.infacted-recordings.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Infacted-Recordings/124099254321690 Read the news on ‘Vision Of Time’.

About j:dead

j:dead is an industrial-electronic solo project from Bicester, England, founded by vocalist and songwriter Jay Taylor in late 2019. Before launching j:dead, Taylor worked extensively as a live drummer with scene acts including Tactical Sekt, Tyske Ludder and Harmjoy.

The project first appeared with the digital single “Haunt” in December 2019, which introduced Taylor’s mix of synthpop-leaning melodies and darker electronic textures. In December 2020 he followed with “Feeding on Me”, released via Infacted Recordings with remix contributions from Grendel, Tactical Sekt, ES23 and Auger.

The debut full-length “A Complicated Genocide” arrived on Infacted in January 2021 in both digital and expanded CD editions. Subsequent releases included the singles “Tearing Me Apart” with Teknovore, whose debut album The Theseus Paradox Side-Line reviewed in May 2022, “I’ll Wait” and the “Vision Of Time” EP covered here, followed by the “Hold Tight” digital single and several collaboration and remix projects.

In 2023, j:dead issued the EP “Roots” on Infacted Recordings, combining new material with remixes by Mesh, Aesthetic Perfection and others. Later that year and into 2024 he released the singles “Surrendering”, “Harbour” and “What We’ll Be”, and from December 2025 he ran a twelve-month single campaign starting with “Pressure”.

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: After having released the EP’s “Eiskalt” (2018) and “Chasing Cars” (2019) Alex Braun (!Distain singer) has released all the songs from these EP’s on the debut album “ReCover”. This work has been released in Russia by ScentAir and features a few extra songs. The title of the album is an indication of the concept of cover songs. 

Content: The work features a varied selection of cover songs, which have been transposed into the Electro-Pop approach of Alex Braun. From Kim Wilde to Lou Reed to Depeche Mode to Snow Patrol to Black ao, the songs are easily recognizable. The opening track “Male Stripper” is a cover from Man 2 Man and features vocals by Madil Hardis (who already did some vocals for Nature Of Wires and Ashbury Heights). The last songs are remixes by Rob Dust (who did 2 remixes), Parralox and Elmodic. There’s also a cover of “Hallelujah” featuring female vocals by Alex’s daughter. 

+ + + : Alex Braun seems to be fond of covering songs he likes. The work confirms the great vocal skills of Braun. It’s not an easy thing adapting famous songs like “Wonderful Life”, “Perfect Day”, “Cambodia” or yet “Somebody”, but he did it with natural grace. “Kim Wilde’s “Cambodia” remains my favorite one, which is the perfect song for Electro-Pop -the original version being pretty Pop as well. But my favorite song is the ‘new’ one; the opening piece featuring Madil Haris is driven by an excellent poppy tune and is one of the most danceable cuts. When it comes to composing ‘club music’ you better ask Rob Dust to remix some songs. He did a great job remixing “Cambodia” and “Chasing Cars”.

– – – : It remains a challenge to cover famous songs and artists. Alex Braun accomplished an honest work, but I’m missing some extra danceable vibes in most of the songs. 

Conclusion: This work is mainly meant for the fans of the !Distain singer although I’m sure others will be surprised to discover a few cover versions.

Best songs: “Male stripper”, “Cambodia”, “Wonderful Life”, “Perfect Day” + “Cambodia – Rob Dust Remix”, “Chasing Cars – Rob Dust remix”.

Rate: 7.

Listen to “reCOVER”:

Artist: www.facebook.com/alex.braun.313

Label: www.scent-air.com / www.facebook.com/ScentairRecords

About Alex Braun

Alex Braun sings in the German electro-pop band !Distain. He started issuing music under his own name through Echozone, which released the CD EP “Eiskalt”, reviewed on Side-Line in October 2018, and the EP “Chasing Cars”, reviewed in January 2020.

Discogs catalogues “ReCover” as ScentAir Records SA164, a limited CD released in Russia on 2 July 2021, and lists an identical sixteen-track digital edition issued by Echozone on 23 July 2021. The running order opens with the Man 2 Man cover “Male Stripper” and ends with four remixes.

Braun’s second solo album, “Dreamland”, appeared on Infacted on 1 March 2024. It drops the cover concept for his own compositions and was produced with Gerrit Thomas of Eisfabrik and Funker Vogt.

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 today is the all new EP, “Vision of time”, by the electro act j:dead aka Jay Taylor. “Vision of time” comes after the release of the album “A Complicated Genocide” in early 2021. The EP holds 6 tracks and includes the single “I’ll wait” plus remixes by Lights of Euphoria and TeknoVore.

“Vision of time” will be released both digitally and physically with the physical edition featuring an additional 7 remixes from acts such as Rotersand, The Saint Paul, Nature of wires, Life Cried and Station Echo.

j:dead explains the concept around the EP: “It covers a range of situations and perspectives on time being the only thing we cannot change. Time itself can change things for the better, worse or for change’s sake.”

As “Vision of time” is released j:dead will already be in the final production stages of their 3rd release, expected to hit the streets in late 2022.

Jay Taylor created j:dead in 2019. After the first release of their song “Haunt” the project got signed to Infacted Recordings and released 2 further singles (“Feeding on me” and “A complicated genocide”) as well as a full length feature album (“A complicated genocide”).

You can check the release below.

Here’s the video for “I’ll wait” Read the review of ‘Vision Of Time’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: EBM.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Spankthenun is an American duo set up in 2019 by Eric and Jeremy Hanes. The Hanes brothers seem to be prolific as they already released an impressive number of works in a rather short lapse of time. This new work features nine songs and four remixes. 

Content: The work takes off with a refreshing and powerful piece of EBM driven by guest singer Claus Larsen (Leather Strip). The album moves on revealing powerful songs built up with raw sound treatments, heavy blasts, some carrying choruses and EBM bass lines, which became more explicit during the work. 

Remixes have been done by Mirland (remixing the opening song with his good-old friend and partner in crime Claus Larsen), Nature Of Wires, Planet Damage and Psychosomatik. 

+ + + : The least I can say is that Spankthenun took me by surprise. This band deals with a mature and accomplished production. This is not just EBM, but an elaborated format with overwhelming, blasting sound treatments, menacing bass lines (especially during the second half of the album) and raw sound treatments. Claus Larsen is an extra element to pay attention to for this band, but the Danish Electro master seems to be very comfortable singing on “Off Beatings” –also released as a single. I don’t want to compare this band with Leather Strip, but I think they might catch the attention of the fans for their perfect mix between EBM and darker Electro elements. The song “Industrial Beats” is a great song and potential hit; powerful and driven by a vintage lead. Another amazing song is “The Smoking Gun”, which is driven by impressive, raw sound blasts. 

– – – : I can’t say that the remixes aren’t adding a bonus to the work, but the original versions are simply better. 

Conclusion: Spankthenun has the potential to become the next great surprise from the US. This is well-crafted EBM. 

Best songs: “Industrial Beats”, “The Smoking Gun”, “Off Beatings”, “Sick Pathos”, “I’m The Fire”. 

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/spankthenun 

About Spankthenun

Spankthenun is an industrial, EBM and electro darkwave band from Dallas, Texas, set up in 2019 by brothers Eric and Jeremy Hanes.

The duo self-released the EPs “Regression Complex” and “Spiderbaby [Construct V.01]” and the single “Slow Suicide” in 2019, followed by “Jingle Bells (A Slaying Song)” and “The Bunker Tapes Vol I.” in 2020, and the single “Dominate” in 2021. “The Bunker Tapes Vol II” appeared on CD the same year.

The series closed with “The Bunker Tapes III” in 2023. Spankthenun has also produced remixes for Psychosomatik, Blue Ant, Stahlschlag and Harsh R, and contributed to the 2024 Metropolis release “The Hush Of Cannons Cold” by Terminal.

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

The synthpop act Projekt Ich, signed to Echozone, is back with a new single, “Mit dir”. With this release Projekt Ich aka Ulf Müller is going to release the ninth (!) single from his forthcoming second studio album which will be released via Echozone in Spring 2022.

Following his debut album “By Train Through Countries” (2019), Ulf took a short creative break before getting back to work again. He produced several demo songs to continue the debut album’s concept of cooperating with various singers from all over the world. This time Ulf worked with Magdalena Herfurtner (ex-Eycromon) from Madil Hardis.

“Mit dir” features the original track as well as 20 (!) genre crossing remixes by bands and artists like Kim Lunner (NO), Nature of Wires (UK), Patrik Kambo (SW), Dark Vanilla (DE), Mind:Code (DE), POS.:2 (DE), Blackened (CA), Elektrojudas (DE), Obsession of Time (SW), Steffrey Yan (CA), Elmodic (DE), Moyom (CA), Faltenhall (DE), Fingerprinted Cheese (ZA), Perpacity (US), V-nerV (DE), Retrograth (SW), Yan and Yellowfin (CA), Terrance Pryor (US) and U.M. Fiedel (DE), an instrumental remix version by Kim Lunner plus the original’s instrumental.

A lyric video of the song can be viewed below.

And here is the rather massive tracklist for this single.

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, CD.

Background/Info: The ongoing pandemic inspired German Synth-Pop duo Sea Of Son to release a bunch of singles. Most of the songs were taken from the band’s last studio album “Unbroken” released in 2019, but there was also a single/EP featuring the new song “Turn Back Time”. This EP brings a fine selection from these Single/EP songs together featuring a total amount of seventeen tracks.

Content: Sea Of Sin stands for ‘classical’ Electro-Pop featuring well-crafted songs and carrying choruses. They selected songs like “Naked”, “Immaculate”, “Floating Away”, “Unspoken Words” and “Valentine”, which were all originally featured on the “Unbroken”-album. We here get “Single”- and “Radio”-edits plus a few alternative mixes, but also remixes by Rob Dust, Man Without Country, Nature Of Wires, Mesh, Covered In Snow, Paralyzed, Nite, Blume, Soni Code, Mindbeat, Rotoskop and Promenade Cinema.

+ + + : This EP is an opportunity to rediscover some of the “Unbroken”-songs reworked/remixes by other Electro-Pop artists. Mesh has remixed “Turn Back Time” and you’ll rapidly recognize the unique stamp of the British Masters of Electro-Pop. This is a terrific remix. I also have to mention the remix of “Floating Away” by Paralyzed and the boosted remix of “Floating Away” by Blume.

– – – : The remixes of “Unspoken Words” couldn’t really convince me. I also expected a bit more from Rob Dust’s work, which nearly always guarantees great remixes. I personally regret that all remixes have been made by Electro-Pop artists; even if they all inject their own touch it would have been cool to get remixes by bands from other music genres.

Conclusion: Electro-Pop freaks will for sure discover some cool songs/remixes at this EP.

Best songs: “Turn Back Time – Mesh Remix”, “Floating Away – Paralyzed Remix”, “Floating Away – Blume Remix”, “Immaculate – Nature Of Wires Remix”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/seaofsinGER

Label: www.facebook.com/7usMusic

About Sea Of Sin

Sea Of Sin is a German synth-pop duo from Hamburg formed in the mid-1990s by Frank Zwicker (vocals, lyrics) and Klaus Schill (synths, guitars, production), who had both played in Covent Garden before. The debut album “Watch Out!” appeared on Subtronic Records in 1995, followed by the EP “Illuminate” (1997), produced by Heiko Maile of Camouflage, and the album “Urban Chemistry” (2000).

After a long hiatus the duo returned in 2018 with “Future Pulse”, built largely from re-edited earlier material, and in April 2019 issued “Unbroken”, its first album of new songs after the break. The Remixes (7US Music), reviewed on Side-Line in January 2020, collected the remix work of 2018 and 2019 and added the previously unreleased “Only The Memory Remains”. Singles for “Unspoken Words”, “Floating Away”, “Turn Back Time” and “Immaculate” followed in 2020, and the band remixed Covered In Snow’s “Romeo” in early 2021.

“The Remixes II” was released on 26 March 2021 as a download and on CD through 7Us Music, according to Bandcamp and Discogs. Its seventeen tracks gather single and radio edits of “Naked”, “Turn Back Time” and “Floating Away” (the latter featuring Andrew Montgomery), the “Hanseatic Dark Mix” of “Unspoken Words” and the “Crashed Wires Mix” of “Valentine”, plus remixes by Rob Dust, Man Without Country, Nature Of Wires, Mesh, Covered In Snow, Paralyzed, Nite, Blume, Soni Code, Mindbeat, Rotoskop and Promenade Cinema.

The album “Tired Of Chasing Ghosts” arrived on 21 April 2023, the duo marked its thirtieth anniversary with live dates in 2024, and The Shape Of A Lonely Soul was released on 13 March 2026 and reviewed on Side-Line in August 2026. “The Remixes II” is the band’s second remix collection and its second Side-Line review.

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

BLAKLIGHT is an American duo from Los Angeles featuring singer Brian Belknap (MIND MACHINE) and operator Adam Collier (CRUSH333, MDA, FULL FRONTAL DISCO). They last year self-released the debut full length “Music In A Time Of Uncertainty”. The work reveals ten fully accomplished songs mixing some retro Electro-Pop elements together with melancholic and danceable parts. The album stands for a mature and professional sound featuring several brilliant songs. BLAKLIGHT definitely appears to be one of the most promising Electro-Pop formations from the moment.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: How did you guys get in touch and what incited you to set up BLAKLIGHT? What brings this new project compared to the others you’re involved with?

Adam: In 2019 I had been toying with the idea of starting a new project with multiple vocalists. Brian was on my list because I enjoy his other project, MIND MACHINE.  After hearing what he did with our first song, the musical ideas flowed easily and I kept sending him more music. Our musical tastes are similar, so this project is very easy for me to come up with ideas for and Brian has always brought back amazing lyrics and melodies.

Brian: Adam did a remix for MIND MACHINE back in 2019, but we’ve only met in person a few times, and both were brief and before BLAKLIGHT was born.  Adam sent me the first demo, which became “Under The BlakLight”, in February 2020. I sent him back something pretty quickly, and I guess he liked it because he sent me another, and another and we soon realized that we were onto something. I don’t write anything for MIND MACHINE, so this was the first time I’ve tackled lyrics and melodies, so I’m incredibly thankful to Adam for giving me a chance.

Q: Do you’ve specific references and handle explicit criteria when it comes to compose music as BLAKLIGHT?

Adam: There is a need deep within me for the music to come out. The only criteria I follow is how I feel. I write songs that I want to hear. I don’t follow any trends that are happening. I try to be as authentic as possible and hopefully that comes out.

Brian: Lyrically, I’m drawn to darker topics and images.  However, I am rather hopeful by nature, so I try to blend the two together, as I don’t believe that you can really have one without the other, you need light and shade. 

Q: How did you work together to achieve the debut album? How did you find a balance between music and vocals?

Adam: The process begins with me laying down the music. Once I am comfortable, I send the song over Brian to see if he feels anything from it. Luckily, he has liked everything that I have sent over.

Brian: Adam’s demos are pretty well fleshed out, but with plenty of room for me to fill in the gaps. I’m usually inspired by his songs straight away, and the vocal melodies come flowing. After I send him the final vocal files, he takes what I’ve done and adds layer upon layer, crafting the BLAKLIGHT sound.

Q: Tell us a bit more about the title of the album, which seems to perfectly summarize what 2020 has been for; of course Covid-19, but also maybe the turbulent political situation in your country?

Adam: The title came to me a short time after we decided to release a full album. The direction of the country looked very bleak already and then the pandemic added to the anxiety. There was a sense of urgency to finish the songs. To give people a distraction from what was going on.

Brian: I can definitely say that many of the lyrics were inspired by the current national and global situations.  That being said, it was important to me to keep the songs as open ended as possible, so listeners can still draw their own conclusions.

Q: You’ve just released an EP with “Isolation” as title track. Why this song and what can you say about the different remixes and the choice of the artists?

Adam: Brian came to me with the remixers. I completely trust any ideas that he has and he was spot on with everyone that he picked.

Brian: We’ve had plans to release remixes for “Isolation” for quite some time, as it was our first single. But we shuffled our release schedule around a bit so we could get the album out last year, before the holiday season. We’ve got an Excel sheet with a list of artists that we’d like to remix our songs, and we start by reaching out to artists we’d like to work with and who we think could bring something special to the song.  Some, like NATURE OF WIRES and PEOPLE THEATRE, we’re friends with, but others, like VAIN MACHINE and THE COWLS, we had only had some brief interactions with on social media. We did not know VON HERTZOG at all, but loved his work with VH x RR, and thankfully he said yes!

Q: How do you see the future for BLAKLIGHT and what about live plans? And what about your other music projects?

Adam: I am happy to say that BLAKLIGHT will continue. The response has been incredible. Again, the writing process is so easy and a complete joy. As soon as “Music In A Time Of Uncertainty” was completed, I immediately started writing songs for the next album. The direction of the next album is flowing nicely. The songs have a bit more weight to them. I picture us playing live with some nice projections in the background. I will be releasing singles from my multi vocalist project this year along with some videos to accompany them.

Brian: Adam is incredibly prolific, he has already sent me six songs for the second album, and we’ll also be including “The Fallen” from the “You Are Not Alone, Vol. 1”-compilation. Coming up in the next several months we’ve got an “Unknown Love”-remix EP, a yet to be determined third single with a new cover as the B-side and remix-EP for that one as well. We’re also working on tracks for a few tribute and charity albums.  MY MIND MACHINE bandmate, Brain Olsen, has just begun work on our next album too, and we expect to release something later this year.

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, Dance-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Danish Electro-Pop duo Softwave has been active since 2014. Catrine Christensen and Jerry Olsen released several singles and the debut album “Game On” in 2019. They also self-released “Game On 1Up” featuring remixes. Electro Shock Records now re-released this remix album, which originally released only in a  digital format. The CD version features twelve songs plus a live bonus track.

Content: The work features 8 songs from the original album. The remixes have been accomplished by Chris Hurts, Antilles, Daysound, Dany Comaro, Till Wild, Ian Burden, Projekt Ich, Circuit3, Reflection, Nature Of Wires, Cosaquitos En Globo and Tri-Mihn. There’s a real diversity, mixing pure Electro-Pop music with a strong 80s touch together with Dance-Pop orientated songs. I also noticed a ballad-inspired track –which is the remix by Ian Burden (previously involved with The Human League), but also a somewhat Trip-Hop driven remix by Tri-Mihn (artist hailing from Vietnam). You’ll also notice the Erasure inspiration of Softwave, which has been kept by some of the remixers.

+ + + : This album is more diversified than the original edit of “Game On”. There are some great contributions like the remix of “No Need To Hide” by Antilles, the classical, but cool Synth-Pop remix of “I Need Love” by Projekt Ich and the somewhat darker remix of “Human Beings” by Nature Of Wires. The album is also an opportunity to discover some less familiar names from the Electronic scene. I already mentioned Tri-Mihn, but Cosaquitos en Globo (Argentina), Till Wild (Germany), Dany Comaro (Denmark) and a few others were totally unknown to me. I was impressed by the great vocal skills of Catrine Christensen who has a powerful but emotional timbre of voice.

– – – : I’m less convinced by the sometimes too commercial Dance-Pop remixes of a few bands.The live/bonus song doesn’t really add any bonus.

Conclusion: This album reveals more influences than the original work, but that’s part of the game when releasing remixes.

Best songs: “Human Beings – Nature Of Wires Remix”, “No Need To Hide – Antilles Mix”, “
I Need Love – Projekt Ich Remix”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.softwavemusic.com / www.facebook.com/SoftWaveMusic

Label: www.electro-shock-records.mozello.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Electro-Shock-Records/105471026168220

About SoftWave

SoftWave is a Danish electro-pop duo formed in 2014 by Catrine Christensen and Jerry Olsen. The pair debuted in 2016 with the EP “Together Alone”, followed by “Together Alone The Remixes” in 2017 and the debut album “Game On” in 2019, which was subsequently remixed and expanded into “Game On 1Up”.

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: This year Mind Machine released their first album in more than twenty years, this way pleasing all lovers of ‘classic’ electro-pop music inspired by bands such as Depeche Mode, New Order ao. This album is revisiting ten from the eleven album songs. Only a remix of “Decade”! We get a total amount of 16 remixes.

Content: This album is a different way to discover the work of Mind Machine; it’s the interpretation of other artists transposing the original electro-pop sound of “Return To The Machine” into their own approach. There’s an interesting twist of remixers featuring familiar, famous names such as Parralox, Frozen Plasma, Eisfabrik and People’s Theatre next to less familiar and/or renowned names such as Darwinmcd, Nature Of Wires, Fused, Provision, Mda, The Frixion, The New Division, Uncreated, Zoon Politicon, Graflex, The Grey Disorder and Circuit3.

+ + + : There’s an interesting diversity featured by the remix artists. It also is another way to get back to the band’s album. My favorite song from the ‘original’ album was the song “Here And There” and here again I have to say it’s a pretty cool track, which has been re-boosted by Parralox into a great retro-styled remix. Another cool song was “We Keep Walking” and here again I discovered a cool remix made by The New Division”.

– – – : I expected a bit more out of the remixes by Eisfabrik and Frozen Plasma.

Conclusion: Remixes are cool for DJ’s and die-hard fans. I discovered some cool remixes, but I prefer the original songs.

Best songs: “Here And There – Parralox Remix”, “We Keep Walking – The New Division Remix”, “The Pain You Feel – Scars Of Anguish by Provision”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/mindmachineband

About Mind Machine

Mind Machine is a Los Angeles-based synthpop duo of vocalist Brian Belknap and multi-instrumentalist Brian Olsen, established in 1989 and originally active through the mid-1990s, a period later collected on “Movement: The Very Best Of Mind Machine 1990-1995”. The band returned in 2019 with the album “Return To The Machine” after a 24-year hiatus, followed the same year by the companion remix set “Remix The Machine” and the EP “Clouds Of Doubt”, reviewed separately on Side-Line.

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, dance-pop.

Background/Info: Set up in the 80s, Nature Of Wires after a long hibernation came back to life a few years ago now. The album “Cyber Rendezvous” together with singer ‘Countess M” released in 2016 on the now defunct Analogue Trash Records was an interesting introduction to this band. Gary Watts (core member) strikes back with a new singer Sarah Boucher delivering 4 new songs as appetizer to the announced new full length.

Content: “Reborn” features 4 different songs, which are moving in between raw electro-pop and dance-pop vibes. The female vocals are extremely powerful and with somewhat imagination reminding me of Alison Moyet. The electronics remain pretty rough and unpolished, but this ‘naughty’ approach makes the characteristic of the band’s sound.

+ + + : The new vocalist is a very passionate performer and for sure a plus for the band. Sound-wise I like the rough sound production, which is not that typical for electro-pop, but Nature Of Wires is not a ‘typical’ electro-formation. I like the wafting synth parts hanging over the songs and the excellent organ-like sequences at the end of “Human Nature”. This EP reveals 4 different cuts, which I personally prefer instead of a title song plus an endless list of remixes.

– – – : The only, but main problem with this EP, is that none of the tracks appear to be a potential hit.

Conclusion: After a promising album released 3 years ago now, I expected a bit more from this formation although the announced album will give us more information about their real potential and evolution in sound and production.

Best songs: “Fight”, “Human Nature”.

Rate: (6).

Artist: www.natureofwires.com / www.facebook.com/natureofwires

Label: www.echozone.de / www.facebook.com/EchozoneMusic

About Nature Of Wires

Nature Of Wires is the project of Gary Watts, formed in the 1980s and revived a few years before 2016’s “Cyber Rendezvous,” released with singer Countess M on the since-defunct Analogue Trash Records. Sarah Boucher became the project’s new singer for “Reborn,” the 2019 EP reviewed here, on Echozone.

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: Synth-pop.

Background/Info: Alexander Braun and Manfred Thomaser are getting back to their last year released full length “Farewell To The Past”. After “SynthPopBoy” and “Maid Of Freedom” this is the third EP taken from this successful opus.

Content: The title song was without a shadow of a doubt one of the best songs from their album while also reflecting intelligent lyrics. “Wer Im Kreise Geht” has been remixed by Cyborgdrive (Spain), Nature Of Wires (UK), DMT Berzerk (Mexico) and Alex Stroeer  (Germany).

We also get a new song plus an extended version of “Waiting For A Song” and a remix of “Der Hirtenmann” (another essential piece from the last album) by Elektrostaub (Germany).

+ + + : I can’t ask for more when you get an EP with a great and carrying title song in the purest synth-pop tradition and a few interesting remixes and especially the harder, bouncing one by Cyborgdrive plus the remix of Elektrostaub. This EP brings diversity and as little bonus the exclusive song “Xavier’s Dream”. This EP also reminds us that the last album of Distain! stands for a well-written and accomplished production.

– – – : I regret the EP is maybe missing a harder ‘club version’. It this way remains sweet and classical synth-pop music… but that’s good enough!

Conclusion: Distain! is one of those German synth-pop bands, which has no longer anything to prove. They don’t really renew themselves, but bring efficient pop music to get people happy.

Best songs: “Wer Im Kreise Geht – Album Version”, “Wer Im Kreise Geht – Cyborgdrive Remix”, “Der hirtenmann – Elektrostaub Remix”, “Wer Im Kreise Geht – Alex Stroeer Remix”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.distain.de / www.facebook.com/distainofficial

Label: www.echozone.de / www.facebook.com/EchozoneMusic

About Distain

Distain is the German synth-pop duo of Alexander Braun and Manfred Thomaser, active since the 1990s. The band’s debut album, “Cement Garden”, appeared in 1995, followed by “Raise The Level” in 2007. “Wer Im Kreise Geht”, reviewed here, is the third EP drawn from the duo’s eighth studio album, “Farewell To The Past”, released on Echozone in 2018, following the earlier “SynthPopBoy” and “Maid Of Freedom” EPs.

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: After The Rain is a Spanish electro-pop trio hailing from Madrid. I discovered the band by the album “Kings without A Crown” originally released in their homeland on Amuza. They now have joined hands with Russian label Scentair Records releasing this opus, which features the already familiar album (here released on the second disc), and the album “The Other Side Of The Crown”, and which also includes the 3 digital EP’s released by the band plus some new remixes and rarities.

Content: If you don’t know After The Rain, you maybe better can start listening the 2^nd disc. You’ll discover electro-pop music, which sounds pretty ‘classical’, driven by catchy electronics, fine tunes, cool effects, refreshing bleeps and empowering guitar. The vocals have been sung in English. The work clearly sounds inspired by bands like Depeche Mode and Erause while there also is a little wink to the legendary “Da Da Da”-hit from Trio.

The 2^nd disc takes off with a cool cover version of David Bowie’s “Heroes”. Among the other ‘new’ cuts I especially noticed a great and somewhat technoid and into breakbeats cut entitled “Nancy In Hell”. I have to admit I never heard the content of the EP’s which were self-released by the band. It brings an interesting diversity to the work, sometimes more club-orientated. Remixes were made by artists like Cyborgdrive, Insight, Conmutadores, Nature Of Wires.

+ + + : If you’re not that familiar with After The Rain, this album will definitely appeal to all electro-pop lovers. This band reveals a great maturity and this little genius to compose alluring electro-pop music. Even if they’re inspired and driven by some old pioneers, the work also features a personal touch. From calmer and evasive cuts to more danceable clubs, this work has a lot to offer. After The Rain has a nose to write great melody lines and carrying choruses.

– – – : It maybe is a pity why so many bands always go back to pioneers like Depeche Mode, Erasure and co. I’m sure this band has enough potential to create their own electro-pop DNA!

Conclusion: After The Rain is definitely a band deserving a wider recognition in the electro-pop universe. I’m really looking forward to hear new stuff.

Best songs: “Future Will Be fine – ITCN Mix”, “Cosmic Mission – Electric Bass Single Version”, “Insane feat. Indight”, “Invincible (You Are The One)”, “Lost Without You – Nature Of Wires Remix” + “Invincible”, “Future Will Be Fine”, “Wir Sind After The Rain – Cyborgdrive Remix”.

Rate: (8).

Band: www.facebook.com/aftertherainsynthband

Label: www.scent–air.com / www.facebook.com/ScentairRecords

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Background/Info:

Read the news on ‘Beautiful Suicide’.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Read the review of ‘Beautiful Suicide’.

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 ‘Cyber Rendezvous’.

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: Dance-pop, power-pop, future-pop.

Background/Info: Based in Glasgow (Scotland) Tom Perrett and Kimberly Copland took us by surprise with their debut album “Deus Ex Machina” originally released in 2014. The band is now back on track unleashing new songs and 2 remixes on this EP.

Content: This EP sounds a bit like picking up where “Deus Ex Machina” left off. The duo reveals a real powerful and masterly produced kind of dance-pop music. It sounds pretty dance and techno minded while the leads are pure dance-trance. The heavy, danceable kick will drive numerous club visitors into wild and insane moves. The work remains however spiced with (future)-pop influences. It’s not only about the passionate and pop-like vocal parts, but still some of the arrangements and beautiful synth-line reveals their poppy influence.

The final chapter of the EP features great remixes by Biomechanical and Nature Of Wires. Notice by the way this EP has been mixed by Andy McBain (Cyferdyne) and mastered by the great Jan Loamfield (Noisuf-X, X-Fusion).

+ + + : The global production work is absolutely phenomenal! There’s an impressive and powerful sound coming through, which reveals a great balance between all the influences. The passionate and somewhat enraged vocals are excellent. Both remixes are absolutely essential and injecting some diversity to the original version of the song.

– – – : I can easily imagine Advance is going too far in the exploration of dance and trance music for some ‘classical’ pop lovers.

Conclusion: If you’re a club visitor and you like to dance, you’re going to like this EP by Advance revealing a dynamic offspring between dance/trance music and electro-pop.

Best songs: “Trying To Live”, “Calm Before The Storm – Biomechanical Remix”, “Grey Dawn – Nature Of Wires Remix”.

Rate: (8).

Band: http://advanceaudio.co.uk / www.facebook.com/Advanceaudio

Label: www.analoguetrash.co.uk / www.facebook.com/analoguetrashofficial

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