The Belgian dark idm ambient project Kilmarth has released an all new 5-track strong mini-album, “Better Days¨. Behind Kilmarth we find the Belgian musician Cedric Wattergniaux.

Small but important detail, Cedric used to write for Side-Line and with his project he is the 5th (ex)member of the Side-Line team who has released music next to Ronan Harris (VNV Nation), Benoit Blanchart (Aiboforcen), Seba Dolimont (Aiboforcen) and Stephane Froidcoeur (Nebula-H).

Cedric’s work is the kind of work you would link to productions released on labels such as Ad Noiseam, Tympanik Audio, Ant-Zen, Mindtrick Records and M-Tronic. Wattergniaux, who has been active in the dark music scene since the early 90’s, first as writer for various fanzines including our very own Side-Line magazine up until a few years ago, and now with Kilmarth, the project he debuted in July 2017 with the 3-track single “The End of Humanity”.

On his newest EP, out now on all digital platforms, we find (female) vocals for the very first time by the the Nigerian singer Blessing. Also included are two remixes from the IDM project, D-Fried.

You can download the release right below 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.

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Cold-Wave, Wave-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Belgian formation Sygo Cries is driven by Mika Goedrijk (This Morn’Omina, Nebula-H, Powder Pussy), Wim Guillemyn, Olivier Moulin and Brooklyn Machet. The band was active in the 90s and reactivated a few years ago now.

Content: This new work features 3 songs, which are mainly driven by good-old Cold-Wave guitar playing and deep, vibrating bass lines. One of the tracks features female vocals while Mika Goedrijk remains the lead singer.

+ + + : Last year Sygo Cries released the excellent “Talking About Walls”-EP and holds on the spirit of this production. The main strength of this band and production is in the guitar playing. There also is a cool swing in the production.

– – – : Compared to “Talking About Walls” this EP sounds as B-sides. I’m missing a climax in the songs.

Conclusion: This is not the record I would recommend to discover Sygo Cries. This band has more potential than what they showed here.

Best songs: “Surrender – Blended Mix”.

Rate: 6.

Artist: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100065145997634

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.

Background/Info: After the successful debut album “The Cubic Alphabet” released last year Belgian Franky Deblomme strikes back with a totally new EP featuring three songs plus one remix. This is the debut part of a new series.

Content: The 90s Frankfurter Techno scene has been an important source of inspiration to this EP. Cubic revisited elements of the 90s Techno sound which was really huge in Frankfurt. He mixed it with his ‘Kraftwerk-Pop’ approach, bringing 3 cool songs. It sounds totally dance- and minimal-like with some robotic spoken passages on top. The song “Impact 2023” has been remixed by Nevel who’s another Belgian artist (previously involved with Propulsion, Nebula-H, Ex.Es).

+ + + : This EP reveals 3 new and great songs. It sounds like Cubic with an extra ‘Frankfurter’-Techno touch on top. I like this approach which is also revealing great robotic-vintage sound treatments and deep bass lines. “Wieder Im Keller” is a masterpiece. Both other songs are also worthy of examination while Nevel accomplished a cool, bouncing remix. 

– – – : Back in the old days of the Frankfurter Techno scene this EP would have been available as CD. I regret that such a cool work hasn’t been released in a physical format.

Conclusion: Even if Cubic is driven by only retro-elements and influences it remains original and refreshing Electro-Pop.

Best songs: “Wieder Im Keller”, “Impact 2023”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: https://cubicpromo.be / www.facebook.com/cubicpromo

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

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 for immediate download is the free compilation “matriXX – 20 Years of Alfa Matrix (Best of Electro, Synthpop, EBM, Darkwave)”, out via the Belgian label Alfa Matrix which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. The release offers a collection of some 60 songs from the label’s 20 year long repertoire selected by the three label owners (Benoît Blanchart, Bernard Van Isacker and Seba Dolimont).

On this free download – or pay what you want – you will find work by such bands like Aiboforcen, Bruderschaft, Nebula-H, Male Or Female, Dunkelwerk, Unter Null, ELM, Kant Kino, Tantrum and a long list of other bands active via the label. You can check out the full tracklist right below, and download it via Bandcamp.

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

www.side-line.com

The Greek harsh ebm band PreEmptive Strike 0.1 upcoming release comes in a cassette format and includes new unreleased versions of songs written during the period 2006-2015 and initially released by Infacted Recordings. With respect to the original versions, Jim the Blaster recorded new vocals and Yiannis Dseq added additional synths. All tracks have been reproduced by Yiannis Dseq.

It also holds a previously unreleased track found in the archives of Yiannis Dseq, “The base was overrun”, which was recorded in 2014. It should have been on “Epos V” but since the style was totally different it was omitted.

For the band, and possibly for many in the genre, this was an opportunity to release material for the very first time on cassette. The release is available in a limited edition of 50 hand numbered copies. The first 25 copies are a collector’s item as they come with a big Talos sticker.

Other songs include “Lethal defense systems” (based on a version that appeared in their demo from 2005 but never found the way to their debut album), “PreEmptive Strike”, “Declaration of war” (with English vocals, it was initially released with vocals in German), “Robotic disintegrator” (originally with vocals by Deranged Psyche from Nebula-H – yes Stephane, the main contributor for Side-Line reviews – and now with Jim the Blaster’s vocals) and finally “Epos of the argonauts” (in a dark mix).

PreEmptive Strike 0.1 was formed in Agios Nikolaos, Crete, Greece in 2002 by Jim The Blaster and Cryon. In 2015 Yiannis Dseq joined the band and since 2020 the band has become a duo with Jim The Blaster and Yiannis Dseq producing new material.

Here’s a medley for the release

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.

side-line.com

Back in 1991 I started writing my first reviews for Side-Line magazine. I would have never thought to go on writing reviews and making interviews non-stop for 30 years. So 2021 is a special year to me, a kind of ‘celebration year’. I got the idea to celebrate this special event by interviewing people from the scene who all have a special meaning to me. The first interview I made in this series is with Séba Dolimont. He was Side-Line chief-redactor till the end of 2007. He’s now running Alfa Matrix for 20 years and got also involved as singer with AIBOFORCEN and [IN]TERNAL. But above all we’re best friends. We no longer need music to meet and speak about a lot of things although this interview is only about music…

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries; Stéphane Froidcoeur)

Q: We met more than thirty (!) years ago now. Back in time you were busy with Side-Line, which was a kind of ‘fanzine’. How do you look back at these ‘early’ years and what was your motivation to get involved with a magazine?

Séba: Time flies doesn’t it?! Well, the crazy idea of doing our own ‘zine’ was thrown on the table by my friend David Noiret back in the days, one of these nights at university when we were having fun, listening to music, having some drinks and reinventing the world… But the next day when we met again at school, the idea was stuck on our respective minds. Side-Line was born! With the aim to have a true fanzine devoted to dark underground music cos the only mag we had then in Belgium was getting more & more mainstream… We wanted to defend and promote the music from the side-line. We were then carried away by the unexpected positive response on our first issues.

A bunch of friends rapidly joined the team including my all-time friend & partner in crime Benoit Blanchart, Lol Chevaux from France… and YOU!

Q: Side-Line finally became one of the most renowned- and leading Electro/Industrial/Gothic magazines from the scene. What made it that special and maybe different from others?

Séba: Looking back at it, I think our true devotion to the scene and the quite wide musical culture of the editorial staff made the difference. We were also lucky to be one of the few first mags written in English (and this way accessible to a much wider audience) while at that time this scene was mostly covered by German mags. Once we had the opportunity of getting published on professional glossy format (by a German label (Celtic Circle Prod) and later by Claus Müller of Orkus!) magazine before becoming fully independent, powered by the unique design touch of Didier Delhez and with the challenging concept of having a CD attached to the magazine, we instantly got the massive support from all record labels, bands and the fans!

By then we had also started embracing the internet, many many years before everyone, thanks to the initiative of Ronan Harris (VNV NATION) and later the arrival of the one and only one Bernard Van Isacker who came and reinforced the digital and commercial strategy of the magazine, but also enlarged our journalistic approach thanks to his many connections with bigger bands and major labels. We were on orbit!

Q: You finally left Side-Line in 2007 because of some health troubles, but still to focalize on Alfa Matrix. As a label owner, what’s your perception of media/magazines today? What’s their impact and importance for a label?

Séba: This is still one of the most difficult decisions that I made in my ‘music’ life. But when as a father of 2 young boys you are stuck by a virus that abruptly attacks your heart and almost kills you, the long days and nights you spend at hospital allow you questioning your priorities in life. To find a more appropriate balance between family, your main job and your music passion, there was just one too much in the equation. I felt I still had much more to learn and experience for the label rather than for a magazine. I could also inject more flexibility in the label planning than for the magazine which had a strict release date planning and always imposed us long sleepless nights before the closure of each issue.

Since then I have unfortunately seen so many scene magazines falling apart one after the other because of a general disinterest from readers and a lack of support from labels and other potential advertisers. The difficulty of being active on a shrinking underground scene, in a fast evolving world where social media’s and internet sites rapidly challenge the relevance of your articles or the freshness of your news bits. And too many invested way too late in a combined complementary offer mixing on-line and print, or just did not. I am still very admirable and respectful though for the job and activities run by the few surviving print mags like Sonic Seducer or yet Orkus!. Their longevity is exemplary. Today as a label you need to mix various medias to reach your audience cos more than ever, the consumer today is king and decides his/her own information modes. Tough tough… but congrats to all journalists still investing time and energy in defending and supporting our beloved dark music scene. Without people like you Stef, who would we be?

Q: You set up Alfa Matrix while you still remained involved as chief editor of Side-Line. That sounds rather incestuous, don’t you think? How do you look back at it? 

Séba: I hear you. It’s a point we discussed at creation of the label actually. I rapidly decided to be only publisher of the magazine and stopped my editorial activities. I focused only on the coordination and business side of the job, selling adverts, etc. And we always gave journalistic freedom to our editorial staff: no censorship, even for advertised releases… But our experience with the magazine and its related website was also one of the leverages that were there to put Alfa Matrix on orbit. We knew exactly the impact that Side-Line could have to help us launching new talents and new releases… So yes, you can describe it as incestuous, but in all magazines you can see clear financing by specific record labels and you see many band members or even label staff in editorial staff of several magazines. I see it more as expertise sharing. And if the connections and affinities help, this is what business is all about isn’t it?

My past work at Side-Line definitely helped me signing many artists to the label cos I had built a strong contact or friendship with them through the years…

Q: Alfa Matrix this year celebrates its 20^th anniversary. What does that mean and how did you see things and the scene evolving over the years?

Séba: Honestly, I would have never thought that 2 decades later, we would still be up & running, and especially with such an impressive repertoire and diversified constellation of artists around us. It’s been an amazing adventure. With lots of exceptional moments. Lots of ups and downs also of course. Several bankruptcies from big distributors which each time put our finances at risk. Also a radically changing and constantly evolving music market on which you need to challenge yourself continuously to remain relevant and future proof. 

If I were telling you that the future is bright and beautiful I would be lying to you. It’s obvious that there is no way back at this point. The dark underground scene keeps shrinking and losing ground. The several economic crisis, without mentioning the current pandemic and the changing music consumption habits all have heavy impact on sales potential. So I expect the physical format to be more and more limited and eventually get replaced by streaming. This is it! But with the right knowledge, it’s always possible to adapt your business model and move ahead. If you don’t try to anticipate the future, then it will get you.

Q: Physical sales are going backwards for years now. What do you expect during the next years and what will be the impact on the scene?

Séba: Bigger bands will still have some limited physical releases. Smaller newcomers will be available on streaming platforms. Once streaming gets generalized, the notion of albums will vanish and get replaced by one-song releases, getting published the next day they get recorded and mastered. Time to market will get zeroed and release radars will feed us proactively…   and here again the underground world will loose more & more visibility against the algorithms. So yes, when  people do not react timely and invest more in supporting younger acts, this will smother our indie art slowly but surely. But at Alfa Matrix, as long as we will have the energy to do all this, we’ will be there for you and for our artists.

Q: FRONT 242, this year celebrating their 40^th anniversary, has been for sure your biggest signing; like a serious accomplishment for an underground label! How did you convince them to join the ‘matrix’ and how is it working with such a legendary formation?

Séba: The arrival of this cult Belgian band to the Matrix was indeed an amazing boost in our ascension in our very first months of existence. Years of friendships and mutual respect brought us together and it’s been a very great, fruitful and inspiring collaboration with them in all simplicity. Things flow and are obvious. We now released their ’91 live albums and managed selling out before release date, with over 50% of the pressings sold in direct by ourselves via our own webstore thanks to our amazing staunch fanbase. This is something we are very proud of. 

The official collaboration started with the MALE OR FEMALE trilogy. Patrick and Daniel asked me back then helping them finding the right label for this new project cos they had been very deceived by labels from their past experiences. Back then Alfa Matrix was a tiny label with 5 bands, so I did not even consider making them an offer. I rapidly brought them a handful of contractual offers. And then they asked us why there was no offer from Alfa Matrix cos trust was very important for them! The rest is history. Respect to them and thank for the eternal trust.

Now when you say it’s our biggest signing, they are indeed a true legend. But it does not mean we don’t have other artists selling more than FRONT 242 actually! You could be surprised sometimes of the potential of our eclectic roster of artists…

Q: Some artists and their ego… you for sure know what I’m talking about! How do you manage this situation as label owner?

Séba: Well… it’s a tough one indeed. Now of course to be an artist and have an own creative concept, having an ego and a very own vision helps and makes you more pertinent. The main problem is when artists with a strong ego don’t have both feet on the ground and have no realistic grasp or knowledge of the market’s reality.  Then things can turn wrong cos they can have unrealistic expectations. Sometimes also the ego is so strong that they turn into control freaks and prove not to be able to efficiently collaborate. We have been there a few times…

Being myself artists manager, through the years I started putting more and more attention to the persons themselves and not only the music. I need that click, that trustful gut feeling that tells me ‘yes we can’… Before signing anyone we take the time to talk, explain who we are, how we work. This way I try building a collaboration on solid grounds.  Cos we really believe in long term collaborations in our label management concept. And when you check the longevity of the collaboration we have with a large majority of our way I wish I could do, I’m proud of the many friendships we built thanks to music…

Q: You’ve been an ‘artist’ yourself as you also were the singer of AIBOFORCEN and [IN]TERNAL. What did you keep in mind from both bands and why did you finally quit?

Séba: Yes indeed. It’s funny cos we actually started the label to self-release our 3^rd album of AIBOFORCEN. We had several nice offers from big German labels but were so much deceived by our previous record deals that we made the decision to launch Alfa Matrix. But in the end through times the label activities prevented me from being in studio and at the end, the decision became obvious. I’m so happy Benoit continues injecting life into the project. I still of course help him from distance, making connections for new collaborations, giving him tips from demos he shares with me, etc.  He’s currently working on his next album and what I heard so far is once again amazing! But here again, it was a deliberate choice, keeping the balance between family, my time demanding job and my music passion. 

While [IN]TERNAL was more of a one-shot project with friends without constraints. We were all free at the right place at the same right moment, all wanting to do something new outside our respective main projects. I am still very proud of that album we released on Zoth Ommog back in the days…

Q: Thanks to music, you and I became very close friends. Any specific souvenir or anecdote you want to share?

Séba: So many memories that it’s too hard to pick a specific one. But chronologically, I will surely mention receiving your ‘Deranged Psyche’-compilation tapes on which I was each time discovering new bands… I had found my master ;-)! Bringing you massive orders of CD’s from my travels to Germany. Our exceptional adventures on the road driving from one festival to the other across Europe with some special souvenirs of preparing you the craziest sandwishes I could up to sleeping on soccer fields… Memorable after party nights with our Spanish DJ friends of Girona. The first days of FUZE BOX MACHINE up to NEBULA-H. Without mentioning the amazing editorial moments within the Side-Line teams and nowadays your honest, neutral and objective support to our Alfa Matrix label. But above all the unique friendship we both constructed that is today above all this music adventure and even makes that we can meet and talk hours long without even talking ‘music’…

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: Experimental-pop, industrial.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: And Void is a new project featuring some very famous names from the industrial scene. This is the meeting between Scott Fox (iVardensphere, This Morn ‘Omina), Mika Goedrijk (This’Morn Omina, Pow[d]er Pussy, Sygo Cries, Nebula-H…) and singer Mari Kattman (Helix, Mari And The Ghost).

Content: This self-titled album is characterized by the grace of Mari Katmann’s vocals, now injecting sensuality and later on an ethereal touch to the work. Sound-wise the tracks have been mainly written by Scott Fox, but Mika Goedrijk wrote a few songs as well. You can’t really recognize both artist’s trademarks on this album, which has something pretty experimental, driven by down tempo and sometimes moving on the path of cinematographic music. But there also is something pop-like supporting the production, becoming a sort of industrial- or experimental-pop music. Notice that Jamie Blacker (iVardensphere) and Andy Deane have been invited to do some guest vocals on one song each.

+ + + : And Void appears to be a truly challenge! The songs have something avant-garde like, mixing different elements and styles together with on top the graceful vocals of Mari Kattman. The song “Ideal Prey” appears to be the most accessible one and eventually a kind of potential hit. I especially like the slow rhythm mixed with the sensual, somewhat whispering vocals. Mari Kattman definitely remains a great singer, but the duo Scott Fox – Mika Goedrijk has something visionary like. You don’t exactly expect both artists composing this kind of stuff, but they did it!

– – – : The experimental approach of the album is for sure the biggest challenge to catch the attention of a wider audience. This is not the most accessible production and is not something for ‘classical’ electro-pop lovers.

Conclusion: I’ve always liked bands thinking out of the box and this trio definitely belongs to that category; this could be the future sound of electro-pop music!

Best songs: “Ideal Prey”, “Midnight Blac”, “October Lullaby”, “Unsung”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/andvoid

Label: www.distortionprod.com / www.facebook.com/distortionproductions

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

Alfa Matrix continues the ‘Matrix:Reb00ted’ series, this time with 2 remix albums by Belgian artist Psy’Aviah displaying his electro dance trip pop remixes cruising through the Alfa Matrix band catalogue. The releases are first released via Bandcamp and will follow on all other platforms in the next weeks.

Here’s what is available on both volumes plus also a preview of what to expect.

Matrix:Reb00ted – The Psy’Aviah Guerrilla – Zion [Electro Dance] Warfare [07]

This volume holds 15 songs from Alfa Matrix’s massive music repertoire remixed by Psy’Aviah. Offering the electro dance side of the Belgian band you can expect a harder selection of modern dancefloor assaults with these bands: Ayria, Suicidal Romance, Zombie Girl, Junksista, Leaether Strip, Essence Of Mind, Nebula-H, Diffuzion, Schwarzblut, Diskonnekted, Krystal System and Psy’Aviah. You can check all the songs below and download it from Bandcamp directly.

Matrix:Reb00ted – The Psy’Aviah Guerrilla – Zion [Trip Pop Electro] Warfare [06]

This volume also holds 15 songs from Alfa Matrix’s massive music repertoire remixed by Psy’Aviah. The “trip pop electro” edition reveals a selection of more moody and catchy synth electro songs thanks to bands like Mondträume, Metroland, Aiboforcen, Helalyn Flowers, Acylum, Junksista, Entrzelle, Llumen, Virgins O.R Pigeons, Halo In Reverse, Schwarzblut, Mildreda, Totem Obscura and Psy’Aviah, also including guest vocals by Kyoko Baertsoen, Mari Kattman and Fallon Nieves. You can check all the songs below and download it from Bandcamp directly.

Previous volumes

Here’s a list of the 5 previous volumes which Alfa Matrix released in the past with remixes executed by Kant Kino, Simon Carter, Acylum and Aesthetische !

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.

side-line.com

Bart Van Meulebroeck is already active for years now in the Belgian electro fields. He got involved with very different projects such as the electro-pop duo Propulsion, released one album together with the body/tech/trance formation Nebula-H, experimented with dark-electronics as Ex.Es, got also involved with an 80s cover project ao. But the latest experiment is driven by ambient influences and called Nevel. The first official (double)-album “The Hageland” released by Wool-E Discs is a conceptual release inspired by the Hageland, which is a Flemish region in Belgium where the artist is living. Bart Van Meulebroeck give me more details about his work.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: You’ve been involved with numerous projects and different music styles so how did you get the idea to start Nevel, which is mixing electro-ambient and more danceable stuff?

Bart: With the NEVEL project I keep on collaborating with other artists and as I have just started my own digital label ARTIFICIAL NIGHT, I am able to release new tracks whenever I want to. These tracks will be available as streams or downloads via various digital platforms. Also I am glad to deliver an EX.ES (dark electro) track/remix every now and then. Various labels such as Alfa Matrix, Infacted Recordings, Körperschall records and UpScene have released either tracks or remixes. PROPULSION (synth-pop) has been on hold for a few years now and we (Ben, who initially started PROPULSION) stopped performing live with our electronic 80s cover band MEN VERSUS MACHINE.  Regarding NEBULA-H (EBM), there are no future plans.

Meanwhile I started an electro pop project with a female singer mainly focusing on indie/danceable tracks.  So far we are still working behind the scenes, a full album in the future is our goal though.  But let’s get back to NEVEL. The general idea was to stop making music for a while, to focus on other things. As I became a father of two children there was less time to be creative in my home studio. But blood is thicker than water. During walks with my kids I started recording environmental sounds with a small field recorder. As I got inspired by these captures I came up with the idea to produce some ambient tracks. I didn’t aim to release this material at all. At a certain moment I got triggered by an advert of a local exhibition inviting regional artists to expose and perform. My application was approved and a few months later I performed a few of my tracks live during this exhibition

I accompanied these ambient tracks with a slide show of pictures I took during my nature walks. I was surprised to get more bookings and performed live a few more times. I uploaded my tracks to Soundcloud because some people asked for it. I got a reaction from Dimitri Idunno (Wool-E Discs) and we kept in touch during the years. In 2019 a record deal was settled. 

Q: Your album “The Hageland” is a kind of conceptual work. What is the concept all about and how did you finally proceed to compose the songs? 

Bart: The Hageland is a real existing region situated between the Belgian cities of Leuven and Diest.  It’s a particularly attractive hilly landscape. Hiking in this region will surprise you with many varied landscapes, such as plains, hills and lush forests. All tracks are named after streets and places in The Hageland. As stated before, I started composing ambient tracks, but as I am a big The Orb fan, I wanted to create my own Orb track, without being a clone of course. The result was the track “Schoonbergen”. In the end not really an Orby-track. During the process of composing this track I imported the captured field recordings into various samplers and synthesizers (Padshop Pro from Steinberg is one my favorites) and I discovered I could use these nature sounds as pads and leads to create melodies. 

During the years I collected a whole library of field recordings which I used in every track. Most of the time you can’t even recognize the original sounds, the real power of sampling at its best.

Q: “The Hageland” features a selection of previously self-released songs, which have been reworked and remastered. Tell us a bit more about the origin of these songs and the release of a double disc?

Bart:The self-released tracks were only available during the live performances. A very limited CD-R edition though. As a matter of fact I started this project in 2011. Most of the tracks were produced on an old pc, using Cubase SX.  “Dunberg”, “Tafelbos” and “Stort” are the most recent tracks. I realized if I really wanted to reach that higher level of producing I had to improve my recording and producing skills. As I watched and read a lot of tutorials online I got confused several times because of conflicting explanations. Finally I decided to update my studio. I bought a new PC, new software and I registered for a training course ‘mixing and mastering’ in Leuven. This lead into mixing and mastering my DCD “The Hageland”.

As I met Dimitri a few times during concerts he asked me to compile a CD with my best tracks. I forwarded him two CD’s instead of one: a more up tempo, 4/4 kick driven CD and the ambient/experimental oriented one, stating I couldn’t choose which CD was the most interesting one to release.  I was totally flabbergasted when Dimitri told me he wanted to release a double CD. I am even more startled about the fact a few artists got in touch with me to mix and master their album as well, which is a nice bonus of course.

Q: “The Hageland” indeed features two different parts. I must say that the first disc entitled “The Hike” is not totally fitting with the conceptual series of Wool-E Discs (cf. “Belgian NeuMusik”) which is mainly focalized on ‘ambient’ music. Can you give us more details about it?

Bart: I’ve never made music to fit into the “Belgian NeuMusik”-series, this was Dimitri’s choice.  Actually I think I do fit with this series because of my ambient CD “The Cooldown”, but also because of the Kraut and experimental elements in the uptempo CD “The Hike”.  On top of that, every track holds field recordings, natural sounds which have surrounded me during the years. And without wanting to be a critic, the word ‘ambient’ is derived from the Latin ‘ambire’, which means ‘surround’, ‘circulate’… So, yeah, I am really pleased to be part of the “Belgian NeuMusik”-series. 

Q: I’m fascinated by such a concept, but I’m wondering how people living in the Hageland might recognize the streets, places and hills you’ve been inspired with? What’s the importance/impact of the visual artwork to fully understand the concept and goal of the work?

Bart: Just listening to the music, people won’t recognize the streets and places at all. During live performances I tell the audience about the origins of the tracks while projecting pictures. I also talk about the way I create my own sounds by using field recordings. I also sample and manipulate found objects (such as stones, branches and leaves) which I use as live instruments during these gigs. The combination of all these elements make the NEVEL concept quite clear.  Some locals even consider my music as ‘road music’ because they like listening to it while cruising in our region. For the artwork of the album I worked together with a local photographer called Rudi Wuyts. I am really happy with this collaboration. Rudi succeeded in collecting together all the NEVEL elements in one, naturally manipulated picture: of course the trees and mist. Above that, this picture captures the whole mood of the album which is slightly dark, melancholic and mysterious. As a bonus, inside the CD, you can discover a few more pictures which beautifully illustrate the charm of the region where I live.

Q: The visual aspect of the work brings me to the live performances of Nevel, which I think are in constant evolution. How do you look back at your live experiences so far and what might we expect from further live performances and new songs?

Bart: So far I have performed in totally dark settings to let the visuals reach their full benefit. I have worked together with a guitarist. All these gigs were quite ambient oriented. Now I am ready to hit the road with a total electronic, both ambient and danceable live set up, using ABLETON LIVE, a live controller and synths, supported by new visuals. The visuals will be a combination of pictures illustrating the Hageland surroundings combined with trippy and hypnotizing effects. The first upcoming performance will be 31^st  October 2019, somewhere in The Hageland.  It will be a Halloween night totally hosted by NEVEL: a live performance and a DJ set afterwards. A rather small, but very cozy venue booked me.

There is already some interest from a Scandinavian promoter to book me for another gig. More info if I will get a final confirmation of course. Hopefully some other promoters will show some interest too now. NEVEL’s music is constantly evolving. At the moment I am producing some very melancholic, danceable, organic deep house tunes. A couple tracks from my album are being remixed by some interesting Belgian artists (upcoming release later this year) and a NEVEL tech-house remix of “Holleweg” will be released digitally somewhere in October. 

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: Ambient, electro-dub, electro-dance.

Background/Info: Nevel is a solo-project set up by Bart Van Meulebroeck who’s already active for years now in the Belgian electro fields. He got involved with very different projects such as Propulsion, Ex.Es, Nebula-H ao. “The Hageland” is the Flemish region in Belgium where the artist is living and, which has inspired him to compose this work. “The Hageland” is a new chapter in Wool-E Discs series “Belgian NeuMusik” devoted to ambient music.

Content: The first disc entitled “The Hike” is not really ambient at all, but a mix of instrumental dance-piece with groovy sequences and other dubby bass lines and rhythms. There also is something trance running through a few songs. The compositions remain instrumental versions, but sometimes featuring spoken samplings. Notice by the way Propulsion and Traumasutra each collaborated to one song at this disc.

The second disc “The Cooldown” is more into ambient stuff. We’re here discovering a sonic universe made of reverie and featuring relaxing sound treatments although there are a few darker passages as well. Sometimes close to soundscape and later on a bit as a wink to electronic pioneers “The Cooldown” is rather diversified.

+ + + : Bart Van Meulebroeck clearly is a man of many talents. He’s a kind of sonic chameleon, which can deal with very different music genres. There’re a few cool –and especially the dub-inspired cuts at the first disc (cf. “Hermansheuvel”, “Holsbeek”) are noticeable songs. I also enjoyed “Vlooiberg” featuring Propulsion, which is pretty danceable-like and even reminding me to a mix of Snowy Red and Universal Nation. The ambient lovers will be more pleased by the second disc and the colder-like “Gasthuisbos”, which even has something Klinik-al like and the ultra cinematic “Stort”.

– – – : “The Hike” is a cool work, which I even prefer to “The Cooldown”, but it’s not really fitting with the concept of the series. Some of these tracks would even be more efficient by the addition of real vocals.

Conclusion: “The Hageland “is an interesting exposure from an artist in love with the place where he lives and transposing images into sounds!

Best songs: “Vlooiberg feat. Propulsion”, “Hermansheuvel”, “Schoonbergen”, “Holsbeek”, + “Gasthuisbos”, “Stort”, “Doodbroek”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.vi.be/nevel / www.facebook.com/Nevel-1942252065834243

Label: www.wool–e–discs.be / www.facebook.com/woolediscs

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 was Record Store Day this past weekend and for the occasion the Belgian label launched a special 30% discount code ( RSD2017 ) which is available to use until the end of this week. You can apply the code in the label’s webshop or on the label’s Bandcamp page. You will get 30% off on everything that is added in your basket (except on the forthcoming Metroland and Alien Vampires box sets).

Happy hunting!

Included in this massive discount action are releases by 32CRASH, Acylum, Aengeldust, Aesthetische, Agonised By Love, Aiboforcen, Alien Vampires, Ambassador21, amGod, Armageddon Dildos, Avarice In Audio, Ayria, Bruderschaft, Cosmic Armchair, Crisk, Cynical Existence, Depeche Mode (the tribute releases), Diffuzion, Diskonnekted, Dive, Dream Recall, Dunkelwerk, Elektroklänge, ELM, Entrzelle, Epsilon Minus, Essence Of Mind, Freakangel, Front 242, Gaytron, Glis, Halo In Reverse, HausHetaere, Headscan, Helalyn Flowers, Hungry Lucy, I:scintilla, Implant, Internal, Inure, Junksista, Kant Kino, Klutæ, Komor Kommando, Krystal System, Leaether Strip, Lovelorn Dolls, Malakwa, Male Or Female, Mari Chrome, Mentallo and the Fixer, Metroland, Mind:State, Mnemonic, Mondträume, Monolith, Nebula-H, Neikka RPM, Nitzer Ebb, Növö, O.V.N.I., Plastic Noise Experience, Pouppee Fabrikk, Prozium, Psy’Aviah, Razorfade, Recoil, Regenerator, Saeldes Sanc, Schwarzblut, Sebastian Komor, Seize, Sero.Overdose, Shaun F, Simon Carter, Siva Six, Star Industry, Stray, Studio-X, Suicide Inside, Tamtrum, Technoir, The Cure (tribute), The Psychic Force, Totem Obscura, Trisomie 21, Unter Null, Venal Flesh, Virgins O.R Pigeons, Virtual Embrace, XMH, Zombie Girl, … plus a long list of compilations.

And in order to save on shipping costs, it’s recommended to combine this with the label’s 2 newest releases although they are not discounted.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

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“Today he has no means He’s alone and anonymous, but written in his cells he’s got the marks of a genius”, with these Front 242 lyrics (“Headhunter”) the Belgian electro label Alfa Matrix has launched quite an impressive EBM day action offering no less than a 30% discount on all of it’s physical (and download releases) including the much wanted Front 242 vinyls sets.

All you need to do is use the code ebmday242 to get 30% off on all of the labels releases (ltd editions, boxsets, t-shirts, vinyls, …) purchased via the Alfa Matrix webstore and the official Alfa Matrix Bandcamp page.

The code ebmday242 is only valid today and this weekend and will be applied on all products you have added in your basket.

And that’s not all! the label has also added a huge list of VERY low priced compilations right here.

Included in this massive discount action are all physical and download releases by 32CRASH, Acylum, Aengeldust, Aesthetische, Agonised By Love, Aiboforcen, Alien Vampires, Ambassador21, amGod, Armageddon Dildos, Avarice In Audio, Ayria, Bruderschaft, Cosmic Armchair, Crisk, Cynical Existence, Depeche Mode (the tribute releases), Diffuzion, Diskonnekted, Dive, Dream Recall, Dunkelwerk, Elektroklänge, ELM, Entrzelle, Epsilon Minus, Essence Of Mind, Freakangel, Front 242, Gaytron, Glis, Halo In Reverse, HausHetaere, Headscan, Helalyn Flowers, Hungry Lucy, I:scintilla, Implant, Internal, Inure, Junksista, Kant Kino, Klutæ, Komor Kommando, Krystal System, Leaether Strip, Lovelorn Dolls, Malakwa, Male Or Female, Mari Chrome, Mentallo and the Fixer, Metroland, Mind:State, Mnemonic, Mondträume, Monolith, Nebula-H, Neikka RPM, Nitzer Ebb, Növö, O.V.N.I., Plastic Noise Experience, Pouppee Fabrikk, Prozium, Psy’Aviah, Razorfade, Recoil, Regenerator, Saeldes Sanc, Schwarzblut, Sebastian Komor, Seize, Sero.Overdose, Shaun F, Simon Carter, Siva Six, Star Industry, Stray, Studio-X, Suicide Inside, Tamtrum, Technoir, The Cure (tribute), The Psychic Force, Totem Obscura, Trisomie 21, Unter Null, Venal Flesh, Virgins O.R Pigeons, Virtual Embrace, XMH, Zombie Girl, … plus a long list of compilations.

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.

side-line.com

We enter the final few hours to enjoy a 50% reduction on all of your purchases via the Alfa Matrix Bandcamp page. You get a discount of 50% when using the discount code january50432. Just enter it when checking out. The code is valid on ALL of the releases on the label’s Bandcamp page.

Included in this massive discount action are releases by 32CRASH, Acylum, Aengeldust, Aesthetische, Agonised By Love, Aiboforcen, Alien Vampires, Ambassador21, amGod, Armageddon Dildos, Avarice In Audio, Ayria, Bruderschaft, Cosmic Armchair, Crisk, Cynical Existence, Depeche Mode (the tribute releases), Diffuzion, Diskonnekted, Dive, Dream Recall, Dunkelwerk, Elektroklänge, ELM, Entrzelle, Epsilon Minus, Essence Of Mind, Freakangel, Front 242, Gaytron, Glis, Halo In Reverse, HausHetaere, Headscan, Helalyn Flowers, Hungry Lucy, I:scintilla, Implant, Internal, Inure, Junksista, Kant Kino, Klutæ, Komor Kommando, Krystal System, Leaether Strip, Lovelorn Dolls, Malakwa, Male Or Female, Mari Chrome, Mentallo and the Fixer, Metroland, Mind:State, Mnemonic, Mondträume, Monolith, Nebula-H, Neikka RPM, Nitzer Ebb, Növö, O.V.N.I., Plastic Noise Experience, Pouppee Fabrikk, Prozium, Psy’Aviah, Razorfade, Regenerator, Saeldes Sanc, Schwarzblut, Sebastian Komor, Seize, Sero.Overdose, Shaun F, Simon Carter, Siva Six, Star Industry, Stray, Studio-X, Suicide Inside, Tamtrum, Technoir, The Cure (tribute), The Psychic Force, Totem Obscura, Trisomie 21, Unter Null, Venal Flesh, Virgins O.R Pigeons, Virtual Embrace, XMH, Zombie Girl, … plus a long list of compilations.

The discount code only lasts till January 31st midnight, so make sure to use it asap!

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.

side-line.com

The Belgian electro label Alfa Matrix has launched a mega pre-Christmas sale action via its online CD/vinyl web store. Just use the discount code DECSALE16 when completing your purchase and you will get 30% off on all physical releases (CD, DVD, Vinyl) which came out before mid-June 2016 (so in short you get a discount on most of the label’s huge catalogue).

The label webs tore can be accessed right here.

Included in this massive discount action are releases by 32CRASH, Acylum, Aengeldust, Aesthetische, Agonised By Love, Aiboforcen, Alien Vampires, Ambassador21, amGod, Armageddon Dildos, Avarice In Audio, Ayria, Bruderschaft, Cosmic Armchair, Crisk, Cynical Existence, Depeche Mode (the tribute releases), Diffuzion, Diskonnekted, Dive, Dream Recall, Dunkelwerk, Elektroklänge, ELM, Entrzelle, Epsilon Minus, Essence Of Mind, Freakangel, Front 242, Gaytron, Glis, Halo In Reverse, HausHetaere, Headscan, Helalyn Flowers, Hungry Lucy, I:scintilla, Implant, Internal, Inure, Junksista, Kant Kino, Klutæ, Komor Kommando, Krystal System, Leaether Strip, Lovelorn Dolls, Malakwa, Male Or Female, Mari Chrome, Mentallo and the Fixer, Metroland, Mind:State, Mnemonic, Mondträume, Monolith, Nebula-H, Neikka RPM, Nitzer Ebb, Növö, O.V.N.I., Plastic Noise Experience, Pouppee Fabrikk, Prozium, Psy’Aviah, Razorfade, Recoil, Regenerator, Saeldes Sanc, Schwarzblut, Sebastian Komor, Seize, Sero.Overdose, Shaun F, Simon Carter, Siva Six, Star Industry, Stray, Studio-X, Suicide Inside, Tamtrum, Technoir, The Cure (tribute), The Psychic Force, Totem Obscura, Trisomie 21, Unter Null, Venal Flesh, Virgins O.R Pigeons, Virtual Embrace, XMH, Zombie Girl, … plus a long list of compilations.

And in order to save on shipping costs, it’s recommended to combine this with the label’s newest releases although they are not discounted. The newest releases from the label come from the bands Underviewer, Front 242, Mondträume, The Psychic Force, Llumen, Kant Kino, Daniel B. Prothesesèse and many 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.

side-line.com

It’s back catalogue time at Alfa Matrix. The label has announced that they now have added 99,99% of their back catalogue material online in the past few days. Says the label: “Over the past 2 years Alfa Matrix has been releasing all new releases via Bandcamp too. But a lot of our back catalogue material wasn’t on there. Today this has changed, as we have now added 99,99% of our back catalogue material online, straight from the master tapes.”

The latest additions (around 40 in total) include several sold out releases such as (sold out) albums from Implant, Metroland, Kant Kino, Nebula-H, amGod, Mentallo & The Fixer, Regenerator (including a Front 242 remix) and lots more! The complete list can be found below.

DO NOT FORGET: Alfa Matrix has also issued a 25% reduction code for September: september5236584 (use it when checking out on Bandcamp).

The list of releases that have been added:

• AGONISED BY LOVE – Lovesick Society
• AGONISED BY LOVE – All Of White Horizons
• AGONISED BY LOVE – Close Behind You EP
• AMGOD – Dreamcatcher (Bonus Tracks Version)
• CRISK. – Das Erste Mal EP
• CRISK. – Machlaut
• GLIS – Balance (Bonus Tracks Version)
• IMPLANT – Self​-​Inflicted (Bonus Tracks Version)
• IMPLANT – We Are Doing Fine / Too Many Puppies EP
• IMPLANT – Soft Flesh – Hard Steel
• (IN)TERNAL – Dysfunctional Subconscious
• INURE – Subversive (Bonus Tracks Version)
• INURE – Disillusion EP
• KANT KINO – LRSBSS EP
• KANT KINO – We Are Kant Kino – You Are Not (Bonus Tracks Version)
• KLUTAE – Sinner EP
• LEAETHER STRIP – Haervaerk EP
• MALAKWA – Street Preacher (Bonus Tracks Version)
• MARI CHROME – Georgy#11811 (Bonus Tracks Version)
• MENTALLO & THE FIXER – Music From The Eather (Bonus Tracks Version)
• MENTALLO & THE FIXER – Commandments For The Molecular Age (Radio Version) EP
• MENTALLO & THE FIXER – Commandments For The Molecular Age EP
• MENTALLO & THE FIXER – Enlightenment Through A Chemical Catalyst (Bonus Tracks Version)
• MENTALLO & THE FIXER – A Collection of Rare, Unreleased & Remastered (Bonus Tracks Version)
• METROLAND – Mixing The Gap (Extended) EP
• MIND:STATE – Decayed​-​Rebuilt (Bonus Tracks Version)
• MIND:STATE – BBC2X EP
• NEBULA-H – H
• NEBULA-H – H2O
• NEBULA-H – rH (Bonus Track Version)
• NEIKKA RPM – The Gemini Prophecies (Bonus Tracks Version)
• O.V.N.I. – Good For You EP
• O.V.N.I. – Objet Volant Non Identifié (Bonus Tracks Version)
• PSY’AVIAH – Ok / Virtual Gods (DJ Only) EP
• THE PLASTIC NOISE EXPERIENCE – Dead Or Alive + Transmission Completed (Bonus Tracks Version)
• RAZORFADE – This Clear Shining (Bonus Tracks Version)
• REGENERATOR – Disease (Bonus Tracks Version)
• REGENERATOR – War (Bonus Tracks Version)
• REGENERATOR – Regenerated X (Bonus Tracks Version)
• SUICIDE INSIDE – Homicide (Bonus Tracks Version)
• VARIOUS ARTISTS – Square Matrix 001 (Bonus Tracks Version)
• VARIOUS ARTISTS – Square Matrix 002 (Bonus Tracks Version)
• VARIOUS ARTISTS – Square Matrix 003 (Bonus Tracks Version)
• VARIOUS ARTISTS – Square Matrix 004 (Bonus Tracks Version)

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.

side-line.com