A decade after their self-released debut album, Astari Nite returns with their sixth full-length release. The band’s influences have remained largely consistent over the years, staying true to their signature Post-Punk sound. This sound blends dark, melancholic guitar riffs and deep bass lines with icy electronic textures and synth leads, creating a compelling contrast. This time, however, the vocals stand out more prominently than ever before, evoking an intriguing blend of David Bowie and Peter Murphy. While not every track hits the same high, the album contains real gems, particularly in its first half. It’s worth noting that, especially in Europe, this band still doesn’t receive the recognition they deserve. (Rating:7½).

The album was preceded by the singles “Necessity Meal” and “Tongue Tied Galore”.

Listen to “Tongue Tied Galore”:

About Astari Nite

Astari Nite formed in Miami in 2013 around vocalist Mychael Ghost and drummer Illia Tulloch. The current line-up consists of Mychael Ghost on vocals, Illia Tulloch on drums and electronics, Howard Melnick on guitar, and Danny Ae on synthesizer and bass. Musically they offer a mix of alternative rock and darkwave.

The group debuted with “Stereo Waltz” in 2014, followed by “Anonymous” in 2015 and “Until the End of the Moon” in 2016. The latter was released by Danse Macabre Records and was produced and recorded by Howard Melnick, mixed by Melnick and Illia Tulloch, and mastered by Thomas Penton. That album was followed by “Midnight Conversations“, which included material produced and mixed by Tom Shear of Assemblage 23, alongside earlier “Dreams Of Majesty” EP tracks mixed by Rees Bridges.

In 2019 the band released “Dearly Beloved” and signed to Negative Gain Productions; the album “Here Lies” followed.

In 2024 Astari Nite returned with the singles “Necessity Meal” and “Tongue Tied Galore”, leading into the album “Resolution Of Happiness” on Negative Gain Productions. The band was also included in “Resurgence“, a 7CD post-punk box set, and later issued the “Medications In Bloom” EP in 2026.

“Resolution Of Happiness”, the sixth full-length reviewed here, arrived a decade after the band’s self-released debut.

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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The Brussels-based Spleen+ label (a division of Alfa Matrix) has prepared a deluxe 7CD collector’s edition – “Resurgence” – which brings together 133 active bands from across the globe, spanning the diverse sub-genres born from post-punk’s iconic roots. You can order it now from the Alfa Matrix webstore and in digital download format from Bandcamp.

The release comes housed in a luxurious vinyl-sized box, and comes accompanied by a 28-page book. The book holds interviews from renowned producers like John Fryer and Jean-Marc Lederman, label managers, journalists, and iconic artists (including Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, William Faith, No More, Skeletal Family, Mona Mur, KaS Product, And Also The Trees, Clan Of Xymox, Attrition, Das Ich, Merciful Nuns, The Names, The Breath Of Life, etc).

Spanning 23 different nationalities, the music included is a genre-spanning mix of post-punk, cold wave, dark synth, ethereal, and minimal EBM with such bands like Boy Harsher, A Cloud Of Ravens, No More, Skeletal Family, Collection D’Arnell Andrea, Underviewer, Attrition, Merciful Nuns, Lederman/De Meyer, Local Suicide & Sekelesys, Star Industry, Ataraxia, Czarina, Helalyn Flowers, Ascii.Disko, Je T’Aime, The Ultimate Dreamers, Lycia, Opera Multi Steel, The Breath Of Life, Auger, The Names, Whispers In The Shadow, Lovelorn Dolls, Astari Nite, Chiasm, Saigon Blue Rain, Omnimar, Still Patient, Creux Lies, Golden Apes, and many more.

You can already check out a few tracks here.

Apart from the 7CD vinyl size deluxe carton box format, “Resurgence” will not be available on mainstream digital platforms, except exclusively via the label’s Bandcamp page.

There is also a special combi pack including the 7CD set plus Darkness On Demand’s “Panic In Reserve” CD and To Avoid’s “All Gods Are Gone” 2CD.

“Resurgence” Tracklist

Cd 1

1. Bestial Mouths . Hex (The Spell)
2. A Cloud Of Ravens . Parable
3. Boy Harsher . Give Me A Reason
4. Czarina . Wonderland
5. Collection D’arnell Andrea . Waiting For Meaulnes
6. Krystal System . La Lame Dans Ta Main
7. Je T’aime . Out Of Sight
8. Aeon Rings . Fully Operational
9. The Ultimate Dreamers . Polarized
10. Partikul . Nothing Good In Me
11. Cosmobrigade . Spacepit
12. Aeon Sable . From Witchcraft To Deviltry
13. Stereoskop . Deep Down
14. The Breath Of Life . Slowly Crushing
15. Faust Project . Rats Lullaby
16. Al . Mistake
17. N.E.L. & J.P . Desinteresse
18. Zeitgeist Zero . Scream
19. Voyna . Moulding Heart

Cd 2

1. Blackbook . You Are Strange
2. Auger . My Heart Is Glass
3. Dekad . A Deadly Show (Video Edit)
4. Love In Cage . A Logical Secret Collection
5. Helalyn Flowers . Halos
6. Soft Scent . No Wounds
7. Sweet Ermengarde . Sweet Sacrifice
8. Martin Dupont . Bent At The Window (2023)
9. The Names . Far From The Factories
10. Boxes Of Blow . Melting Faces
11. Mirror Of Haze Feat. Primitive Heart . Reckless
12. A Slice Of Life . Seven Days
13. Then Comes Silence . Pretty Creatures
14. Nite . Inside Of My Head
15. Astari Nite . Bowie In Daydreams
16. Korus . Złote Światło Pierwszego Zachodu
17. Lovelorn Dolls . A Heart Cries
18. Whispers In The Shadow . Revenants
19. Merciful Nuns . Oneironauts

Cd 3

1. Lederman – De Meyer . Heartbeat
2. Local Suicide & Skelesys . Surface Of The Sun (Radio Edit)
3. Punx Soundcheck Feat. Ascii.Disko & Princess Superstar . Gasoline
4. No More . Sleepers And Trains
5. Mitra Mitra . Memories For Company
6. A Copy For Collapse Feat. Simona Pietrucci . Faded
7. Alien Skin . Depress Me
8. White Mansion . Cancel The Sky
9. Apnoie . Splash Your Bile
10. Celluloide . Compte Les Ombres
11. Risk Risk . Streetwalk
12. Total Chroma . Northern Lights
13. Opera Multi Steel . À Nos Moments Perdus
14. Lycia . Simpler Times
15. Noemi Aurora . Blood As Lipstick
16. Novus . Ess
17. I Ya Toyah . Death’s Kiss
18. Katcross . Rest
19. Winter Severity Index . Speak To Me

Cd 4

1. Systeme Paradoxe . Comme Le Sable En Hiver
2. Aiboforcen . Break The Black Ice (Original Mix)
3. Chiasm . Cut Right Through (Emileigh Rohn Edit)
4. Saigon Blue Rain . Dolls Dresses
5. Her Own World . Mistrust
6. Still Patient Feat. Minu-Schirin Samimi . Blind Vision
7. Creux Lies . Playtime
8. Der Klinke . Curtains (Your Life On Hold Remix)
9. On The Floor . Crying On The Dancefloor
10. Numa Echos Feat. Red Zebra . Waisted Items
11. Factheory . The Day (Ok Lion! Mix – Short Version)
12. Antiflvx . Crystal
13. Flor Concreta . She’s Closer
14. Golden Apes . Ash Trees
15. Glis . Blue Sky Night
16. Ataraxia . The Source
17. Hanging Freud . Grooming
18. Ok Lion! . Get Away
19. Yuzna . Queen Of The Eels

Cd 5

1. The Breath Of Life Feat. Implant . The Last Record
2. The Halo Trees . Happy Man
3. Palm Ghosts . Tilt
4. Your Life On Hold . Imprisoned (Merciless Radio Edit)
5. Götterdämmerung . Common Existence
6. Jenni Sex . Sin Chimes
7. Denner . She Radiates Darkness
8. Imjudas . I Love You
9. Black Needle Noise . Dollhouse On Fire
10. Dead Souls Rising . Dysmorphobia
11. The Waning Moon . Annabel
12. Korinthians . Leader Of The Night
13. Elektrostaub Feat. Stefan Netschio . Mantis (Auger Remix)
14. Omnimar . The Matrix
15. Synapsyche Feat. Chris Harms (Lord Of The Lost) . The Last Dying Flame
16. Dance My Darling . Criminal
17. First Aid 4 Souls Feat. Emke Of Black Nail Cabaret . Das Messer
18. Supernova 1006 . Tell Your Name (Mix)
19. Suicidal Romance . Runaways

Cd 6

1. Ascii.Disko . Loslassen
2. Vioflesh . Emotions
3. Dina Summer . Who Am I (Club Version)
4. Pleasure Victim . Rascheln
5. Pink Opake . Pronta
6. Thewalkingicon . The Trail (Radio Edit)
7. Psy’aviah Feat. Sorrow Stories . Healing
8. Seasurfer . Collapsing
9. Lakeside X . Fire In The Sky (Radio Version)
10. Darkness On Demand . Hang On (Winterhart Remix)
11. Star Industry . Selling Icons (The Dreamside Remix)
12. Alphavox . Dark Satellite
13. Yama Uba . Shapes
14. Lifeless Past . Anxiety
15. Pink Turns Blue . Not Gonna Take It
16. Social Union . Waiting For Red
17. Sine . Until (Clan Of Xymox Remix)
18. Sorry, Heels . She Burns (We Burn) Version
19. Lights A.M . Clouds

Cd 7

1. Useless/You . Echo
2. Attrition . The Great Derailer
3. Children Of Zeal . Taking Over
4. Octolab . Friend Or Foe
5. Vague Phonique . The Last Man
6. Midnight Poetry . Black Hole
7. The Overlookers . Undercover (Edit)
8. La Machine . Vamos A La Playa (Radiomix)
9. Die Sexual . House Of God
10. Carrellee . Morning Sun
11. Underviewer . Was Soll Ich Tun (Aiboforcen Remix)
12. Night In Athens . Words Unspoken
13. Neila Invo . Alienation
14. Skeletal Family . My Own Redemption
15. The Murder Mystery . A Girl Named Red
16. Princess Ugly . For A Moment I Forgot The Desolation
17. Instant Lake . Ivory Dreams
18. Vision Video . Balaclava Kiss
19. La Scaltra . Dancing On Debris

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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This summer, I came across “I’m Too Young to Die”, the debut album by German artist Oliver Decrow. His Minimal-Electro/Wave music evokes an ’80s flashback, enhanced by a modern and personal touch through its gritty analog synth sounds. Released by the renowned Cold Transmission label, the album captivated me with its cold, sterile aesthetic layered over deep, human themes. It felt like the perfect opportunity to reach out to this promising artist. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Can you introduce us to the musical world of Oliver Decrow? Where are you from, and how did you first get drawn into the world of electro music?

Oliver: I’m from Dresden, East Germany. I began producing music at an early age at school, but it really took off when I studied fine arts at the Art Academy in Dresden. During that time, I met several DJs and shared a studio with a local DJ and tattoo artist. He introduced me to music from the 80s, Italo-Disco, Cold-Wave, and Minimal-Wave like Decadance, Medio Mutante, S.M. Nurse, John Maus, SS-Say, Deux, Eleven Pond, Knight Action, Charlie (Spacer Woman), Moderne, and Linea Aspera.

During this period, I also spent time in shared apartments (WG’s), moving from one party to another. I had no money, and survival was hard, but discovering and enjoying music became a release, helping me get through each day and deeply impacting my personality.

While painting, we would listen to Intergalactic FM or Bohren & der Club of Gore (Piano Nights).

During my studies, I decided to leave Germany and moved to Montreal, where I lived in a tiny flat and made music every day. It was there, and in New-York, that I filmed my first music videos. I’ve always been a computer guy, but I try to bridge the digital and analog worlds. So, making music as an art form or expression felt natural for me. I did many collaborations and projects back then. I also worked with opera singer Annette Jahns, who would visit my cheap basement in Dresden once a week, bringing a bottle of good wine and something to eat and then we produced music together. Rest in peace, Annette! Around this time, I also met Sneaker DJ, who gave me valuable production tips and mastered my first tracks.

Q: You released your debut album “I’m Too Young To Die” this year. A first album is always special, so how does it feel to have it out, and what was the journey like in creating it?

Oliver: ‘Stress test’ is the first thing that comes to mind, especially in the last few weeks. My first album is like a retrospective of three years of making music. There are songs where, as soon as I hear them, memories of specific stories and situations come rushing back. For example, the suicide of my best friend is reflected in the track “Horse Hoof,” and “In My Room” deals with experiences I had with my mother.

The journey to my first album was full of doubts, joy, depression, anxiety, and great moments. Yin and yang -it was a rollercoaster, much like my life. Nothing was stable; everything was questioned. But I’m glad I made it. It was also a relief to finally finish something after such a long time.

One of the most rewarding parts of the journey was meeting new people and connecting with positive individuals worldwide who shared my interests, experienced similar situations, and could relate to my music. I learned a lot during the process and fulfilled a long-term dream. In the end, everything came together. You know, making an album is personal -you open your heart for everyone to see, and that often comes with a price. But I’m already looking forward to the next chapter of my life.

Q: Your sound echoes ’80s Electro-Wave with a modern twist. Which artists or albums have had the most significant impact on you, and how do they influence your music?

Oliver: Life has influenced me the most. I make music primarily to express my emotions or to lose myself in my inner world. If I had to name a few artists who have impacted my style or approach to music, they would be Boy Harsher, Sneaker Dj, Joy Division, Jennifer Touch, Molly Nilsson, Boan, and DAF. But my influences often change, and I love discovering new artists like VOID Palace, Abu Nein, Nights In Athens, Lila Ehjä, Laura Krieg, Kris Baha, Lovataraxx, Asymetric80, Years Of Denial, ManMachine, and Curses.

I’m drawn to artists who present their music in a way that feels authentic, not just like another copy. For example, I met ManMachine at the Ombra Festival in Barcelona last year, and after chatting with him, I saw his music differently. A man, a father, a keyboard -it felt warm and pure. My music is more influenced by emotions and life events than by specific artists, so to speak.

Q: Many of the album’s tracks were performed live before being recorded. How did these songs evolve during the recording process, and what changes or improvements did you make?

Oliver: That’s an interesting observation, and you’re right. The songs on my album really grew during live performances. I redid some finished tracks, adjusting the vocals and synth parts after realizing during live performances what could add that final touch. Every track underwent a few makeovers after live shows. I see the process like painting. You build something up and then destroy it to create something unique and new. The challenge is knowing when to stop.

Q: You already evoked some lyrical themes in your songs which are quite dark and intense. What drives these narratives, and how does turning personal struggles and dark subjects into music serve as a form of therapy or healing for you?

Oliver: Yes, your question holds the answer. I won’t go into detail about how difficult my life was because everyone has their own stories, struggles, and fate. Music is definitely a form of therapy for me. It’s an art form and a way to break out of daily routines and the system we live in. I often wonder what the world will look like in 10 or 20 years, with all the technology, greed, commercialism, and hate. But I know that there will always be people searching for real emotions, analog experiences, and real intelligence or just something like breathing fresh air in the woods.

Q: Are you already working on new material? What can we expect in terms of singles, remixes, videos, live shows, and future projects with your label G50 Records?

Oliver: Of course! A remix tape is coming out, and new tracks are in the works. I love diving into music, especially when life hits hard, and right now, it definitely does. This year, you can catch me playing in Nuremberg at the Bunker Rituals Festival (28th of September), in Dresden with Lovataraxx (20th of October), and in Chemnitz with Left For Pleasure (14th of December). G50 Records is like a DIY label with no aspirations for profit. I’m not sure if there will be any projects with my old friends, like the Klassenfeind-project, but who knows?

I’m really happy with the guys from Cold Transmission Music, namely Andreas and Suzy. It’s like a real family feeling, and we talk daily about the scene and our next creative ejaculations.

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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Piston Damp and Ray Noir, two acts that hadn’t played in Oslo before, booked the final day of August for an evening of electro-metal/goth and synthpop tunes at the club Revolver. Then a surprise dropped the day before the show, announcing that Apop (Stephan Groth’s solo version of Apoptygma Berzerk) would kick off the evening with a set of analogue-modular music!

(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange. Photos by Halvor Bodin, Tarjei Krogh and Jan Ronald Stange)

We had to get more info and reactions from all involved, so the week after was spent interviewing by Messenger and e-mail, starting with Apop.

Side-Line: Tell us how this gig came about, seemed a bit surprising for most since your participation was announced just the day before? 

Stephan Groth: Ray Noir and Piston Damp were going to be playing a show in Oslo on August 30, so I asked if I could play support since I have not played live in Oslo for a long time. It was already a sold out show, so I just tagged along. We all had great fun, and it felt good to show the Oslo crowd a side of APOPTYGMA BERZERK that they have not experienced before. 

 This is the 3rd time I have played live under the name “APOP”. It’s been just me alone on stage, improvising and tweaking modular synths and FX in the style of “Exit Popularity Contest”.

S-L: Is there any improvisation live, or all planned beforehand?

 STP: Oh yes, lots of improvisation. I have planned beforehand what songs to play, and for how long. 

Then I have preprogrammed 3 sequencers who are controlling the modular rig, so I arrange and mix the first half of the show live. 

The other half of the performance I play a few APOPTYGMA BERZERK songs with vocals. This last part is less improvised.

S-L: As mentioned you’ve done some of these sets before, will there be more in the future?

STP: I’m having a lot of fun doing this, and it seems people are enjoying it as well. It is also a great way to test out new material and new ideas. It is quite different from what I have done earlier in my career, and therefore also very refreshing and exciting for both the audience and myself. The first time I played this kind of concert was in Jönköping, supporting Swedish synth pop legends PAGE.
Will there be more of this in the future? I hope so 🙂

The prize for being most energetic went to the second act of the night, Ray Noir, who filled the club with beats as he used every inch of the stage – and some of the floor interacting with the audience too!

S-L: First time with a live show in Norway – what’s your impression?

Ray Noir: Heyy! Thank u so much for coming 🙏🏽 It was an awesome night. Playing a hometown show for the first time was nothing but amazing! Really cool to see so many beautiful faces there, and being supported by one of my all time favourite bands Apoptygma Berzerk was nothing but surreal. And doing this co-headline show with Piston Damp was a dream.

S-L: Anything else brewing with more releases or gigs?

RN: I’ve finished some new tracks, hopefully there will be one more release before the end of the year, there’s also some London shows planned before the year is over.

Piston Damp, the duo Jonas Groth and Truls Sønsterud, were the final act, making people dance and really enjoy their set. Top notch vocals and synth, and their surprising cover of The Cure’s “The Walk” was the show’s icing on the cake. Release that track ASAP!

S-L: First time in Oslo, how was the gig for you?

Piston Damp: Our first gig in Oslo was really cool. Super small – and sold out – venue, but awesome nonetheless. When we announced it from the stage, someone yelled out: “About time!!!”, which was hilarious although quite flattering.

Jonas has known Ray Noir since he was a very young guy behind the counter at Body Map in Arcaden, Oslo. Great guy, and so much fun to be with.

And for the third time, we’ve been able to bring along Stephan with his plip-plop-instrumentals, which we adore. Having him there adds a dimension to the evening.

S-L:  More releases or gigs planned?

PD: We most definitely have releases coming in the near future. We’re working on the follow up album to Making The World Great Again, which is exciting since we are no longer inventing Piston Damp. We are now developing Piston Damp. It’s really amazing to discover how alike we are. We really don’t seem like we would be able to get along style-wise, but we really do. Every single time.

We have about twenty songs in the can now. Now we’re trying to figure out how to sort them. Which goes where?

We are old-timers who love a good album with strong songs, singles with unforgettable b-sides and extended remixes, and live versions of songs, which give the songs more feet to stand on.

Watch out for our upcoming album. It’s going to be a great volume. Hint hint…

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

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The Midgardsblot festival, held at Borrehaugene (old viking grave mounds), outside the city of Horten, Norway, is mostly known for hosting acts within the metal genre in addition to some folk and viking inspired music.

This year, the festival first caught our attention with the announcement of Bel Canto as one of the headliners, followed by Gåte, Seigmen, Karin Park, Ledfoot, and others—definitely worth reporting on for Side-Line Magazine. And who knows, we might even discover some new bands. We headed there in mid-August to check it out!

(By our Norwegian correspondent, Jan Ronald Stange. Photos by Einar Låker and Jan Ronald Stange. Additional Dwaal photos by Jon Julius Sandal @ helvetesindrekretser and Birgit Fostervold @ knipselyst)

Side-Line’s chief editor, Bernard Van Isacker, was supposed to join me for the festival, but couldn’t make it due to a family emergency. His replacement, Einar Låker, brought his cameras and joined me instead. Since we had to attend meetings and handle some work during the day, we skipped the tenting area and set up base at a nearby campsite in a mobile home borrowed from my parents (thanks, Sigrid and Carl Edvard!).

After settling in, it was time to head to the festival grounds, which required a short hike through historic Viking graves. We collected our passes and entered the blót, an ancient Norwegian/Norse sacrificial feast.

The first act we saw was Kalandra, a UK/Norwegian band blending Celtic and Norse folk with modern arrangements. They’ve been around for over a decade, gaining recognition with their cover of Wardruna’s “Helvegen”. Since then, they’ve released several albums and composed scores for TV shows and video games.

After Kalandra, we explored the rest of the area, visiting the trade section Kaupanger, the Viking tent area Folkvangr, and the indoor stage Gildehallen (the “Feast Hall”). It was a sight to see people fully embracing the chance to step back in time.

We wrapped up the first day by watching the Swedish Viking rockers Amon Amarth, who had their fans completely enthralled—even getting hundreds to sit down and row in the middle of a song! 😊

Thursday was a rainy day, so boots and jackets were a must. We caught a bit of the Norwegian thrash band Inculter and the Polish death metal band Vader before heading inside Gildehallen for something entirely different: Trio Oro, a Norwegian world-folk fusion group featuring flutes, guitars, and percussion. They delivered a diverse set with tunes from Irish, Bulgarian, Norwegian, and other traditions. It was original and unexpectedly entertaining!

One of the main attractions, Gåte, had to cancel due to a band member’s illness and was quickly replaced by Hindarfjäll & Peter Franzen, a Swedish project that uses modern instruments to recreate the ancient sounds and atmospheres of Scandinavian/Nordic folk music.

Next, we escaped the rain by heading back into Gildehallen, catching the last few songs from local thrash band Mortal Fear—three teenagers with the drummer’s father on vocals. It was very entertaining!

The day ended with thrash metal titans Testament from California, USA, closing out the main stage at Heiheim.

Day 3 was special, with two bands from my hometown, Tønsberg, performing. Seigmen headlined the Helheim stage, while newcomers Fabbrica 82 were about to play their first-ever show in Gildehallen. We spent an hour there beforehand, chatting with the band members, Knut Ove Hansen and Lars Anders Berg, before their soundcheck and concert.

S-L: How did you come up with the band name?

Knut Ove Hansen: We started high school in 1982, and we chose Fabbrica because we wanted a name that could be associated with new wave. We went with the Italian version because “factory” was already overused in English, and I have a personal connection to Italy.

S-L: What were your first attempts at releasing music?

KOH: One of my early bands made our first demo tape at the local radio station in Tønsberg in 1985—it was actually the first synth-related demo recorded in Tønsberg! We played three gigs the following year as the band Some Bizzare, named after the famous compilation album where Depeche Mode, among others, had their first track on vinyl. We also had a third member, Bjørn Arnesen, who now lives in Peru. Lars reached out to me several times, in 2020 and again in 2023, asking if we should give it another try. I was hesitant at first, but then we made “Darkness,” and we were back at it.

Lars Anders Berg: Over the years, I’ve composed hundreds of songs, and I always wanted someone to sing to my tunes. After years of talking about it, we finally made it happen. It’s been a lot of fun, and we’ve quickly released several singles!

S-L: Any album in the making?

KOH: Yes, it’s what we’re working on. We also got another gig in October in Tønsberg. This is not where we thought we would be just six months after our first release – feels quite surreal! All because of the word of mouth in Tønsberg’s small “synth underground”, and it also spread to Oslo where we’ve gotten good feedback.

S-L: What’s your inspiration?

Lars Anders Berg: I listen to a lot of music, not just old synth, but many electronic genres. So, the process of creating themes, melodies, and tweaking knobs is an inspiration in itself.

As the hall filled with people, we noticed at least a dozen audience members already wearing fan T-shirts, and the band was thrilled after their first show.

As we left Gildehallen, we caught a few songs from Nytt Land on the Valhalla stage—a Siberian shamanic act that blends the vocal traditions of Northern Europe with traditional Siberian throat singing. It was a stark contrast after a synth gig and truly highlighted the diversity of the festival!

The last show we attended on Thursday was Seigmen at the Helheim stage. It was a fantastic performance, featuring a new song with guest Espen Winther from the medieval/folk band Eldrim, playing his harp. It was magical—a gig that later received well-deserved praise in reviews!

The last day of the festival started off relaxed, with a stroll around, soaking in the sights and atmosphere under the sun. Then Ledfoot (Tim Scott McConnell) took the Valhalla stage. This goth-blues phenomenon was someone I’d been wanting to see live for a while, and he didn’t disappoint. He delivered a set full of raw emotion—soreness, anger, longing—and impressive guitar playing.

I had been in touch with him before the festival, and we agreed to try for an interview. However, due to his soundman’s tight schedule, they had to leave the area minutes after the show, so we exchanged a few words via Messenger a few days later instead.

S-L: How was your gig at Midgardsblot?

Ledfoot: The audience was great, and there was such a good vibe there 🙏

S-L: Did the show or audience differ much from your solo gigs?

Ledfoot: No, it’s the same everywhere—I do my best and hope the audience appreciates it.

S-L: More music in the works?

Ledfoot: I’ve started on my new record, and hopefully it’ll be out by the end of the year.
And I’d like to say a big thank you to the audience and all the people working behind the scenes.
Hugs!

Next, we went to see Bel Canto, the pioneering Norwegian electronica band, performing a set that spanned their entire career, including a few new tracks from their latest album Radiant Green. As always, they delivered a top-notch performance, and Anneli’s voice remains as impressive as ever!

Making Bernard envious by sending him live photos was an obligatory part of attending Bel Canto 😉

I also managed to spend a few minutes in Gildehallen to check out another band with a Tønsberg connection, though mostly from Oslo—the doom-sludge-ultra-heavy Dwaal. The hall was packed, with a queue outside, clearly hitting their target audience perfectly. I later caught up with lead singer Bjørnar Kristansen to ask about their experience.

S-L: How did Midgardsblot treat you?

Bjørnar Kristansen: Midgardsblot was amazing. Right after the show, we said it was one of our favorite gigs, if not our favorite. The crowd’s energy from the first riff to the last deeply affected us. I asked for a ritual, and we got a ritual for sure. A true catharsis, both on and off stage.

S-L: How does playing at a festival like this compare to club gigs?

BK: Festivals are different from club gigs because the crowd is a more varied mix of people—those who already know Dwaal and those giving us a chance for the first time. Not to say anything bad about the Norwegian audience, but it seems like international music lovers are more open to discovering new music. They come from far away and want to engage with as much as they can, even if they’ve never heard us before. It makes for an intense experience in the best way.

S-L: Did you explore the festival area, try the Viking activities or food?

BK: Our drummer Anders went on Friday and had a great time at the Blot. The rest of Dwaal arrived on Saturday, and we had some time to explore the festival. It’s an incredible event. Everyone makes you feel so welcome and included. A huge recommendation from Dwaal!

S-L: Any upcoming releases, albums, gigs, or other news?

BK: As 2024 winds down, we’re hard at work on new music, with some exciting projects that push us out of our comfort zone, which we love. Our last regular concert of the year will be at Apollon Tønsberg on October 11th, with Uaar as support. On December 14th, we’re playing the Caliban Sessions, a yearly mini-festival hosted by Ole Petter Andreassen of Black Debbath, Thulsa Doom, and Cumshots fame. It will be a fantastic end to a great year for Dwaal, marking our tenth year as a band. There are plans for a gig in Oslo in 2025, so stay tuned for that announcement.

We’re also in talks for more live shows in Europe, though nothing we can confirm just yet. And of course, if Midgardsblot invites us back, we’d love to play again!

The last show in Gildehallen this time around was the one that probably impressed me the most—Karin Park from Sweden. Alone on stage, standing between two tables covered with synths, computers, and modular gear, she sounded and performed like a full band, delivering an incredibly energetic set. Crown her the Queen of Synth already! (go to https://www.facebook.com/748210539/videos/1540166493571503/ for videos, several in the comments!)

The Norwegian band Emperor, regarded as pioneers of extreme black metal, closed the festival on the main stage, Helheim, in front of a devoted audience.

To sum it all up: a festival well worth visiting! As they’ve expanded the musical genres in their lineup, there’s now something for everyone without losing their core purpose or audience. This approach also increases the chance to discover something new, which is always a plus!

A big shoutout to Runa Strindin, the driving force behind the festival, and her entire crew for making it such a success! Hopefully, they’ll continue for years to come, and perhaps the 10th anniversary next year will be even more special?!

PS: As a food enthusiast, I must mention the excellent variety of food, ranging from handmade hot dogs to Thai, Mexican, elk burgers, and elk kebabs! Most impressive was the food from the Norwegian Chefs National Association, Vestfold branch (Norske kokkers Landsforening, avdeling Vestfold)—their hot-smoked halibut dish was to die for! 😊

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

Out via Cold Spring is the album “Broken Allures” by Jac Berrocal (Nurse With Wound collaborator), David Fenech and Vincent Epplay. The album also features Cosey Fanni Tutti and Jah Wobble. You may expect a blend between industrial, experimental, avantgarde, ethno-ambient and dark jazz.

“Broken Allures” is the fifth LP from the trio where they continue their unique recording style with a musique concrète approach to mixing.

Cosey Fanni Tutti (Throbbing Gristle, Chris & Cosey) contributes vocals, cornet and electric guitar. She has also written lyrics for two tracks on the album and worked on the instrumental track “Viva la Hacienda”, which, in her own words, recalls her time recording with Throbbing Gristle.

Jah Wobble (founding member of Public Image Limited, and collaborator with Brian Eno, Björk, Bill Laswell, Primal Scream, Sinéad O’Connor and countless others) plays bass on one track.

Check out the video for “Outspoken Caress”.

The release is available in 3 formats: CD in a matt-laminate flood-printed digipak, a regular black vinyl edition in a matt-laminate sleeve with full-colour insert, and limited edition of 150 copies on transparent yellow vinyl.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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The German project Elektrotechnik returns with another compelling release on the French label A-Traction Records. This new EP features 3 dynamic tracks that effortlessly blend the realms of Electro-Wave, Electroclash, EBM, and Techno. With its retro strings, pulsating basslines, and pounding kicks, the EP creates a hybrid soundscape that’s sure to ignite dance floors. Each track offers a unique experience, yet together they form a cohesive journey through Electronic music’s edgier side. This EP is a standout, delivering three solid tracks. (Rate:8).

Listen to “Leopard In Ketten”:

About Elektrotechnik

Elektrotechnik is a German electro-wave and EBM project released through the French label A-Traction Records. The project’s discography on the label includes the album “Elektro Macht”, released July 20, 2022, and the “Machinations” EP, released May 14, 2024, which contains the tracks “Machinations”, “Leopard in Ketten” and “Days & Weeks”.

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

In the often unpredictable world of music, collaborations can either blend seamlessly or clash in a dissonant display.

With this album, we witness a masterful synergy that captures the essence of summer’s fleeting beauty and endless allure. The album is a journey through soundscapes that feel both familiar and novel, inviting listeners to immerse themselves in an experience that is as evocative as it is technically impressive.

A Fusion of Styles

There have been many amazing musical collaborations over the years, and this is definitely one to note. 

Fanum, known for his meticulous production and genre-bending approach, brings a wealth of experience to the album. His previous works have often danced between the boundaries of electronic, ambient, and experimental music, creating intricate tapestries of sound. In contrast, Ierophania’s contributions are marked by an ethereal quality, often infused with elements of neo-classical and dream pop. The marriage of these distinct styles results in an album that feels expansive yet intimate, a delicate balance that is difficult to achieve but executed flawlessly here.

The opening track, Solstice Reverie, sets the tone for the album with its lush layers of synths and soft, reverberating vocals. It’s a track that feels like the first light of dawn, gentle and full of promise. Fanum’s production is immediately evident, with every sound meticulously placed to create a sense of space and warmth. Ierophania’s voice floats effortlessly above the instrumentation, adding a haunting yet comforting dimension to the track.

Themes of Transience and Nostalgia

As the album progresses, it becomes clear that Escort of Endless Summer is not just a collection of songs but a thematic exploration of time, memory, and the ephemeral nature of summer. Tracks like Ephemeral Rays and Twilight Mirage delve into these ideas with a melancholic undertone. The use of field recordings, such as the distant sound of waves and birdsong, further enhances the album’s connection to nature and the passing of time.

One of the standout tracks, Azure Horizon, perfectly encapsulates the album’s central theme. The song builds gradually, starting with a simple piano motif before expanding into a full-bodied composition that feels both nostalgic and forward-looking. The interplay between Fanum’s rich, textured production and Ierophania’s vocal melodies creates a sense of longing as if reaching for something just out of grasp—a feeling that anyone who has watched the sun set on a summer’s day can relate to.

A Sonic Landscape

The album’s production is nothing short of stunning. Fanum’s attention to detail ensures that each track feels like a carefully constructed world, with layers of sound that reveal themselves upon repeated listens. Ierophania’s contributions, whether through her vocals or her instrumentation, add a human touch to these sonic landscapes, grounding them in emotion.

The closing track, Endless Night, is a fitting conclusion to the album. It feels like the final moments of a long summer day, where the warmth of the sun lingers even as the night begins to take hold. The track is both a farewell and a promise—a reminder that while summer may end, its memories will linger long after.

A Triumphant Collaboration

Escort of Endless Summer is a triumph of collaboration, a testament to what can be achieved when two artists with distinct visions come together. Fanum and Ierophania have created an album that not only captures the essence of summer but also explores deeper themes of time, memory, and the fleeting nature of beauty. It’s an album that demands to be listened to in its entirety, a sonic journey that will resonate with listeners long after the final note fades away.

About Ierophania and Fanum

Ierophania is a Russian industrial and dark-ambient project. Side-Line reviewed the four-part “Book Of Memories” anthology in March 2022, covering material dating from 2005 to 2010 and released through Castle Of Dreams. The final chapter of that anthology, “Jordan,” was introduced as part of the same lineage as the collaborative album with fellow Russian project Fanum, “Escort of Endless Summer.”

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

The Dortmund-based post-punk / darkwave act Days of Sorrow has a new single and video out for “Tears”. It is the first release of the forthcoming two vinyl EPs out later this year. The video was filmed and directed by luigsfilms.de.

The release comes after their comeback three years ago. This new single also means the introduction of a new member, Kati von Schlotterstein on bass and keyboards. “Tears” is now available on all major streaming platforms.

The band says this about the new single: “We wanted to create a song that speaks to the enduring human experience of heartache and hope. “Tears” is a testament to our journey as a band and our connection with our audience. It’s about finding beauty in the midst of pain and using music as a means to heal.”

In addition to the single, Days of Sorrow are working on two vinyl EPs, set to be released later this year. The two EPs will hold a collection of new material.

About Days of Sorrow

Days of Sorrow is a post-punk and dark wave band originating from Dortmund, Germany. Formed in 1981 by William Lennox (vocals, keyboards) and André Schreiber (bass), the band quickly became a notable name in the German post-punk scene during the 1980s. They were heavily influenced by the burgeoning post-punk and new wave movements, which were at their peak during that time.

The band’s first lineup was rounded out by Wolfram Hubert on guitar and Nicolai Sabotka on drums. Their break came in 1984 when they were discovered by John Tollhaus, who overheard them playing their song “Wild World” and decided to produce and release it as a full 12″ EP titled “Remembering the Days” under Tollhaus Records. This release featured tracks like “Wild World” and “War” and saw the band performing extensively across Germany.

In 1985, the band underwent lineup changes with the addition of Claudio Stöber on keyboards and Kurt Voigt on drums, which allowed Lennox to focus more on vocals. They signed with Rough Trade Records and recorded new material, including a reworked version of “Wild World”. This led to the release of their second EP, “A Thousand Faces”, in 1987. However, the band split shortly thereafter, just before a planned tour in Spain.

After a long hiatus, Lennox and Schreiber reunited in recent years, joined by Frank Junge, and began working on new music. In 2023, they released the album “Soulmate Sister”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

On their second conceptual album “Motorik”, the Swedish minimalistic electro-pop act, ELEKTROKLÄNGE revives the vintage Kraftwerkian “Düsseldorf sound” with their topnotch synth-pop signature style. “Motorik” is a sonic journey inspired by KRAFTWERK’s groundbreaking “Autobahn” album, celebrating its 50th anniversary. Curiosity serves as the compass, and humour as the travel companion, as ELEKTROKLÄNGE explores and enhances the lyrical, musical, and conceptual themes presented in KRAFTWERK’s masterpiece… We hacked ELEKTROKLÄNGE’s “Bordcomputer” to better understand how we should best read/listen to all these tiny well-hidden details…

The release is available as download via Bandcamp and other services plus on CD via the Alfa Matrix webstore.

S. “Motorik” is described as a sonic journey inspired by KRAFTWERK’s “Autobahn” album. What drew you to pay homage to this particular album, and how did it influence the creation of your own conceptual work?

F. “Motorik” is basically a love letter to “Autobahn”, a record that has meant a lot to us. “Autobahn” captured (and still captures) our imagination with its hypnotic rhythms and minimalist aesthetic. The electronic textures, melodic motifs, and thematic depth inspired us to explore similar themes in our own work while also paying homage to the iconic soundscapes and visionary spirit of Kraftwerk.

S. You mention curiosity and humour as key elements of “Motorik.” How do these themes manifest in the album’s lyrics, music, and overall concept?

F. For us, curiosity and humour have served as guiding principles in “Motorik”, shaping the album’s lyrical content, musical compositions and visual presentation. We definitely sprinkle in some lyrical and biographical Easter eggs throughout “Motorik” for attentive listeners. There might be a turn of phrase or a specific sound effect that subtly (and sometimes, perhaps, not so subtly) nods to “Autobahn” and other albums by Kraftwerk. Curiosity and humour add layers of depth and entertainment, encouraging listeners to engage with the music on multiple levels. A little bit like a journey down the autobahn, “Motorik” unfolds with twists and turns, surprises and revelations.

S. The album features tracks with titles like “Abfahrt,” “Bordcomputer,” and “AutoRadio.” Can you elaborate on the narrative or thematic journey these tracks represent as listeners progress through the album?

F. Each track on “Motorik” serves as a chapter in our sonic journey. “Abfahrt” sets the stage for the entire album, acting as the sonic ignition for the journey with its pulsating rhythms and playful melodies, evoking the excitement and anticipation of embarking on a journey. “Bordcomputer” (together with the first track “Vorprogrammierung”) explores the connection between man and machine, echoing the thematic exploration present in much of Kraftwerk’s work. As the album progresses, “Autoradio” introduces upbeat melodies and catchy synth hooks that evoke the sound of classic driving music. Just as drivers tune their car radios to find the perfect soundtrack for their journey, this track perhaps explores the significance of music as a companion on life’s road. Or, the lyrics could just be nods to different song lyrics by Kraftwerk.

S. ELEKTROKLÄNGE is known for reviving the vintage Kraftwerkian “Düsseldorf sound.” How do you balance staying true to this classic style while also incorporating your unique modern twist?

F. You could think of it as an ongoing, and sometimes lively, conversation between the past and the future, where Kraftwerk’s legacy paves the way for Elektroklänge’s sonic exploration. We might reimagine a particular melody, chord progression or rhythmic pattern, but recontextualize it within our own sonic and thematic framework. We believe that our commitment to the “Düsseldorf sound” ensures continuity, while our forays into unexpected sonic territories keep the journey exciting and somewhat relevant. We hope that listeners will appreciate the respectful references and subtle nods to the original while also recognizing the melody-driven retro-future sound that makes “Motorik” distinctly Elektroklänge.

S. “Motorik” aims to envelop listeners like passing landscapes on a journey. Can you describe the creative process behind crafting the repetitive yet evolving motifs and rhythms that define the album?

F. “Autobahn” functions as a cohesive journey and we wanted “Motorik” to achieve a similar effect, but through the lens of Elektroklänge. To achieve this, we developed a narrative arc that explores the themes of “Autobahn” from our perspective. This involved crafting a thematic flow between tracks on the album, ensuring they built upon each other and hopefully offer a fresh interpretation of the original concepts. On a song level, this meant meticulously crafting repetitive motifs and rhythms that would become the building blocks of the album. We built upon these motifs and rhythms, adding layers of texture and variation throughout each track. This involved introducing new sonic elements, such as shimmering synth pads or vintage speech synthesis.

S. With tracks like “Glitzerstrahl” and “Auf der schönen grauen Autobahn,” how do you use musical elements to evoke the imagery and feeling of a car journey?

F. We used a variety of musical elements to evoke the imagery and feeling of a car journey. Both tracks build on a steady, driving beat that creates a sense of forward motion and momentum. We also use different synth textures such as lush, evolving synth pads that represent the vastness of the open road ahead, while arpeggios and simple repeating melodies evoke a sense of hypnotic movement akin to watching the scenery fly by. Perhaps most evident on “Auf der schönen grauen Autobahn”, the compositional structure plays a big part. The track (just like the album itself) is structured to mirror the flow of a car trip by combining faster, more intense sections representing high-speed stretches with sections of a more meditative quality reflecting long stretches of highway.

S. What was the most challenging aspect of creating “Motorik,” and how did you overcome it to ensure the album captured the essence of both ELEKTROKLÄNGE and KRAFTWERK’s influence?

F. We hold immense respect for Kraftwerk’s pioneering work and their influence is undeniable in our music. The most challenging aspect was creating an album that paid tribute while retaining Elektroklänge’s distinct sonic identity. We tried to overcome this by focusing on reinterpreting, not replicating. We meticulously programmed sounds and textures that resonated with “Autobahn’s” core aesthetic while adding different layers that reflected our signature style. This involved a lot of experimentation and refinement to ensure each element served the music without cluttering the sonic space. We used “Autobahn” as a sort of blueprint, employing its themes and motifs to craft new compositions that reflect our own musical perspective. In that sense “Motorik” is a tribute to the past, reimagined for the present.

S. As you celebrate the 50th anniversary of “Autobahn,” what do you hope listeners take away from “Motorik,” and how do you want it to impact their perception of electro-pop and its roots?

F. We haven’t given much consideration to that question. But ultimately, “Motorik” isn’t just an homage; it’s an invitation. We invite listeners to explore the roots of what you call electro-pop and appreciate the enduring influence of these musical pioneers. We hope “Motorik” inspires a renewed appreciation for the power of minimalism and experimentation. We also want listeners to rediscover the potential of the concept album format, where music and ideas intertwine to create a more cohesive experience.

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 Babiracki) Out today is the brand new video from I Ya Toyah, “Fraud”. The industrial darkwave track “Fraud” is taken from the upcoming full-length album, “Drama”, due out on October 4th.

I Ya Toyah says this about the new video: “Fraud is a dance-floor anthem with a dark twist. It blends soft vocals, intense screams, synthwave, alt rock and dubstep, creating a unique clash of upbeat rhythms and serious lyrics. This track will have you dancing away your imposter syndrome!”

“Drama” is co-produced with/mixed by Stabbing Westward’s Walter Flakus and features new material as well as a few previously available tracks from her recently-released EP, “I Am The Fire”.

In other news, I Ya Toyah has been confirmed for a run of tour dates in Europe as support for Front Line Assembly. Prior to these dates she will play as part of the premier United States darkwave event of the year, the Cold Waves Festival (XII) on September 29th in her hometown of Chicago at Metro.

Here are the tour dates of I Ya Toyah’s European tour supporting Front Line Assembly.

November

• 26 Prague, Czech Republic – MeetFactory
• 27 Budapest, Hungary – A38 Hajo
• 29 Leipzig, Germany – Hellraiser

December

• 01 Oberhausen, Germany – Kulttempel
• 02 Berlin, Germany – Gretchen

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

Police Des Mœurs is a Canadian band known for its Electro-Wave and Minimal-Electro music. Formed in the early 2010s, they have released several notable works. The current line-up features core member Francis Dugas and Manuelle Gauthier. Their latest album, “Commencement,” is an outstanding piece of music that creates an imaginative sonic bridge between classic 80s elements and a more personal touch, highlighted by French female vocals. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: First things first; tell us a bit more about the way your duo saw the daylight and what was the initial plan referring to music, sound and inspiration?

FD: Well, it did not start as a duo with Manuelle. Police Des Moeurs released records and played shows before she joined in 2016 (?). Then I met her, and we were lovers for a few years before she joined. When she joined, we were first a trio, and now we are a duo. So it’s quite a complex evolution. I would say at first, I really wanted to have that typical minimal synth sound, but as I am into so many different styles on music, I soon wanted to take it further and incorporate other influences such as Punk, Techno or Psychedelic. When Manu came in, it was an opportunity to continue to expand the sound by using her input into composing and producing. 

MG: I refused a few times to join the band because at first, I didn’t really like the idea of being the ‘leader’s girlfriend’ (I don’t like opportunism, and I told myself that if I wanted to make music, I had to take my own initiatives). Also, being rather introverted, I was afraid to play live. Finally, I accepted and everything went well. Then, it was impossible for me to just play someone else’s tracks, so I started composing. In conclusion, I am very grateful to Francis because his invitation allowed me to do one of the things I love most, with my favorite person: him. If I had known, I would have started much sooner.

Q: You previously released four albums on Mannequin Records so how does the new opus “Commencement” differ from your previous works in terms of composition & production and lyrical themes?

FD: I don’t really see a rupture, just an evolution. In some ways, each record is a step away from the previous one. Having Manu take more place just accentuate this impression. Even though she has been involved in the last 3 LPs, this is probably the one with the most input from her.

MG: For me, “Commencement” is a logical continuation of “Péril”, because it was composed in the same breath, the same movement and therefore, very quickly after “Péril”, even if we took a little longer to release it, because of the attention we paid to the mix. 

Q: What inspired you in the writing of “Commencement” and can you tell us a bit more about the global production process of the album? Who’s responsible for what in the entire process?

FD: It depends on the song. Some songs were done entirely by Manuelle, and some were mostly produced by me. Manu did all the vocals, lyrics, and record cover and almost all the mixing. As for me specifically, I just start from scratch, try to build loops that makes sense and continue to build them into a coherent whole. I don’t have precise inspiration or goal when I start a song. And if I do, it usually change during the process, as the song leads me elsewhere. So you have to let the music show you where to go and not be too rigid about what you’re trying to achieve. 

MG: As Francis states, each one initiated certain tracks. In addition to the lyrics and the vocals (that I record myself, in our basement), I added melodic elements and arrangements on all songs. Otherwise I’m always impatient to hear Francis’ proposals because they always contain an element that quickly inspires me a melody, a narrative, or a global mood (arrangements).  At that moment, I listen his proposition in a loop, as if to enter a trance and find the contribution that could honor his work. For example, “Reprendre”, “Soif” and “Fatigue” immediately inspired me to create complementary melodies (and from this moment, I am very excited to get to work).

Q: What have been the main challenges and eventually difficulties you faced while composing this album? And what are the main points of satisfaction?

FD: I’m under the impression it took us ages to finish it, I don’t know why. It was quite hard to do. So there was some frustration with that, I guess. It’s also not always clear who does what on some song, so we have to draw a line, which ain’t always easy. On the other hand, the result is interesting and surprising. It’s a bit too diverse and unfocused, maybe, but on the other hand, ironically, it’s probably what I like the most about the record.

MG : I mixed the whole album (after Francis made a first mix on his own parts), which for me was laborious, since I’m self-taught and we weren’t very well equipped (I worked without a sub monitor, which I wouldn’t do again). It’s easy for me to get obsessed with details (which sometimes annoys Francis, he he), and I don’t always have the technical knowledge to achieve the ideal I aspire to, so the mixing stage can get painful at times. 

The satisfying point is that I learned a lot by trying to mix this album and at the end, I’m pretty happy with the result (except for a detail or two but it’s good for a first job).

Q: You sound has this retro-like feeling getting me back to the 80s. What does this era and the 80s music mean to you and how do you transpose these -and other influences, into your work?

FD: I’m a kid of the 80’s, so sure, there is some retro aspect, but it is also a part of who I am in the present. It feels natural. It wasn’t a conscious choice to go ‘retro’, it just what came easily. That said, we really want to push this further. We don’t want to be prisoners of a sound that was popular decades ago. I’m definitely not a purist on that aspect and Manu ain’t either. You have to play the music that is living inside of you, whatever that is. It needs to be incarnated and seems vital  and obvious to you. It’s the same, whether your music sounds like 40’s big band Jazz or ultra-Avant-Garde forward thinking Electronic music. It has to come from the heart.  

MG: Strangely, I don’t really perceive it as an 80’s sounding album (Am I in denial? Ha ha). One thing is certain, it’s absolutely not intentional. Personally, I choose synth patches according to their frequency or emotional evocation: so that the sounds best serve the track or best match the other elements or frequencies contained in the track. Just like Francis, I listen to many styles, from several decades. Very current stuff too. I’m not nostalgic for a musical era and I don’t idealize an era either.

Q: Do you have any plans for live shows and eventually a tour to promote “Commencement” and especially in Europe? And what else can we expect from Police Des Moeurs?

FD: We don’t play live at all these days. We haven’t played since fall 2019. I guess one day, we’ll go back on stage. So to answer your question, nothing is scheduled right now, even though we have offers once in a while, so who knows. 

Recording wise, we are planning some sort of special project, but I can’t tell you more about it for now. 

MG: We’ve received several offers since the pandemic (in America and Europe) but we’ve turned them all down for the moment, because we were running out of time and weren’t ready to go back on stage. Promotion is not something we really invest in. We have neither the time or the interest to ‘sell’ ourselves. But we are very touched when fans or ‘cultural agents’ approach us to talk about our work or to share about it. We are very honored that our music travels to many continents (and this, despite the fact that our lyrics are in French).

About present and future; we’re currently working on an EP that will be released on a Punk label.

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

(Interview by Janos Janurik) Ever since I got into online music journalism, I’ve always been interested in the background characters around my favourite musicians’ releases that add something important to the product we, the fans end up with.

With this in mind, over the years I have interviewed personalities such as Anton Corbijn (photographer of Depeche Mode and many other music greats), Gareth Jones and Mark Saunders (producers and mixmasters of Depeche Mode and Erasure amongst others).

About eight years ago I had the honour of helping to promote Vince Clarke’s then newly founded mini-record label (VeryRecords) and his releases. In addition to the artists whose albums have been released there in recent years, I also got in contact with Mat Smith, who, like me, is a freelancer – readers of Electronic Sound and Clash know him well – and works as a publicist for VeryRecords as well as being commissioned by Erasure and Mute for a number of press pieces. He also wrote the sleevenotes in the booklet of the new “Cowboy” Deluxe-Edition.

In addition to his journalistic work, he also has his own project “Mortality Tables”, which has just released a new mini-album on cassette and as a digital download. Last November, at the premiere of Vince Clarke’s solo album in London, I had the pleasure of meeting Mat in person and we had a lively chat about our shared passion for music. Knowing how important this project is to him, I approached him and asked him a few questions about it. 

But then life, or rather death, intervened. I didn’t mean this as a cheap shot, but it was indeed a sad event that forced me to make changes to the interview I had with my friend and colleague almost three weeks ago. Now that the aforementioned label is going on holiday, and before I do the same, I would like to bring this exciting musical venture (“The Engineer”) to your attention – and this interview with the man behind it.

SL: Tell us briefly about how you became interested in music. Have you had any musical training, have you learnt to play any instruments? Do you remember the first record you bought?

I grew up in a house where music seemed to always be playing, either on the radio or on my parent’s stereo. My mother listened to a lot of ABBA. Nothing about that was exceptional, particularly. When I used to go to friends’ houses, they always seemed to have the TV switched on, which felt strange to me. My family chose music, and I’ve surrounded myself with it ever since. 

I tried to play the recorder, which was the instrument that most of us learned as kids. My parents gave me a blue one for Christmas one year. I couldn’t play a single note. I briefly learned the basics of notation at school but very quickly forgot all of it. In early high school music classes I was more interested in recording real-life sounds into the Casio keyboard and using those to make compositions. Not long after that, I started making sample-based electronic music on my Amiga 500.

The first album I owned was Nik Kershaw’s ‘Human Racing’. I was given for my birthday the year it was released, along with a Sanyo portable cassette player. I played that album constantly. I wore out the cassette player after two weeks but I still have the ‘Human Racing’ tape and it still sounds incredible to me. 

SL: When did you discover electronic music? And who was the first electronic artist who introduced you to the world of electronic music?

My father is responsible for switching me on to electronic music. There were three pivotal events, and they all relate to times I was with my father.

The first was one evening when my mother was at her restaurant job, and my father was looking after me. I was playing with Lego in the lounge and Gary Numan was performing ‘Cars’ on TV. That performance completely captivated me.

The next was driving around in my father’s car while he did his second job as a debt collector. A friend at work had recorded two tracks from OMD’s ‘Architecture & Morality’ album onto a cassette for him. The songs were ‘Joan Of Arc’ and ‘Maid Of Orleans’, and we’d listen to them over and over.

The third was Soft Cell’s ‘Non-Stop Erotic Videotape’, which he brought home from work one day. That was pretty mind-blowing for a five-year old, and I can only imagine he didn’t realise what it was. It was definitely not suitable for a kid of my age, but, looking back, I don’t remember the imagery – I only recall the music. 

So I owe my father a huge debt for how he shaped my music tastes at a very early age. He was also the one who brought home a cassette copy of ‘The Innocents’ by Erasure and gave it to me. He had no idea quite what he started that day. 

SL: When did you start writing journalistic texts for Mute Records and its artists? What was your first article for Mute and about which artist, which release?

I began a blog called Documentary Evidence in 2003, which was focused on my personal Mute Records collection. I’d just write about the releases from a mostly non-musical perspective, explaining how they made me feel. I still write reviews like that today for Electronic Sound. I also got really interested in telling the stories of specific releases or artists, and that led me to interview people who released music through Mute, or were somehow connected to the label. I have a natural curiosity and inquisitiveness, and that seems to mean people like talking to me and opening up. 

From there I started writing for Clash, and then Electronic Sound and some other places. In 2017 I got asked to chair a panel discussion with Anton Corbijn, Daniel Miller, Paul A. Taylor and Steve Claydon (Add N To (X)) at Rough Trade East in London, about the visual identity of Mute. The first written Mute commission I got was to write a press biography for Chris Carter’s ‘Chemistry Lessons Vol. 1’. I couldn’t believe they asked me to do that, and I couldn’t believe I was being paid to write for the label I loved so much. The team at Mute liked what I did and I’ve been given a few more things to do since then, as well as with the team at BMG who look after the Erasure reissue programme, and Erasure themselves. 

SL: Did Vince Clarke’s VeryRecords label and the associated promotion give you any impetus for your own project, which you called “Mortality Tables”?

Indirectly, yes, but perhaps not in the way you might expect.

My task with VeryRecords was to assemble the press releases. It was the first time I’d worked behind the scenes of a release, where I’d often get involved before the album was even mastered, or before the artwork had even been considered. So I’d be talking to the artists – Reed & Caroline, Alka and Brook – at a very early stage, generally when Vince felt that the album was finished enough for me to listen and for me to start engaging the artists.

It took a while for me to realise this, but the process of working with the artists to write a press release became a collaboration – between all of us, and between my words and their music. I wasn’t just a writer but part of the collective effort to put this music out into the world. I did the same with Nick Hook’s Calm + Collect label, working on releases by Gareth Jones, Spiritual Friendship and others.

In 2019, when I began forming Mortality Tables, I envisaged it as a creative community of collaborators. You can definitely draw a line between that and the ideas that began to form as I worked with VeryRecords and its artists. I also took a lot of inspiration from Vince, who didn’t feel that he needed to only focus on the music that people would expect him to release. That sense of freedom, which Daniel Miller also brought to Mute, directly fed into what Mortality Tables has become. I wanted something where I could work with people making sound art as well as people making images. It had to have artistic breadth. 

I wanted Mortality Tables to be like a gallery, with a portfolio of artists in vastly different disciplines. That’s why Neil Coe deigned the first sleeve image to look like the description of an artwork on the wall of a gallery.

SL: The name of the project refers to the work of actuaries who measure the statistical probability of life insurance payouts. You do something like this in your everyday working life, don’t you?

That’s right. I work with insurance companies all around the world, and have done for over twenty years. I find lots of parallels between the worlds of insurance and electronic music, and the kinds of people I engage with in both of my jobs.

The story goes that I was meeting a friend in a café in Bloomsbury in London one morning. He runs a record label, which is another big inspiration for Mortality Tables. He wishes to remain anonymous, but he is actively involved, in the sense that he must approve anything we decide to do. I call him the Creative Consultant.

So I was meeting him and he had an LP of one of his releases to give me. He asked me if I had a bag to put it in, and I reached into rucksack and retrieved a tote bag. It was from the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and had been given to me by an actuary a few years before. The Creative Consultant saw the bag with its logo and Latin inscription (‘e peritia ratio’ – ‘reason from experience’) and asked what it meant. I replied, “It’s all mortality tables and shit like that.” The name stuck.

We created our first Mortality Tables Product that morning. It’s called FORKTALK and is a conversation between two friends. We do not publish the details of our conversations. Its entry in the Mortality Tables Catalogue is MTP0.

SL: Dave Clarkson, who is mostly active in electronic and experimental music and Wonderful Beasts, a sound art/electronic music duo consisting of the anonymous Xqui and Carl Knott (boycalledcrow, Spacelab) were your first artists, right? How did you get in touch with them?

The release that moved Mortality Tables from something conceptual to something ‘real’ was ‘Two Meditations For Freya’ by Goodparley (whose name has now changed to Please Close Your Eyes). That was in 2022. It signalled what I wanted Mortality Tables to be: I would come up with ideas and hand them to someone to ‘respond’ to.

That concept has stayed consistent through the first two years of Mortality Tables. I’ll come up with an idea and pick someone to get involved. At the last count, there are at least fifty people who are collaborators. And it isn’t just sound projects – Mortality Tables encompasses sound, art, and words. And insurance. 

However, all rules in creativity are there to be broken, and I broke my own rules in 2023 with the release of Dave Clarkson’s ‘Ghosts Of Christmas Past (Music From Vintage Toys)’. I had nothing to do with the concept of that album, so I guess that’s a bit like Mortality Tables acting like a traditional record label, which is a description I never want to use. The same is true of Andrew Brenza and Alka’s ‘pod’ and boycalledcrow’s ‘Kullu’. However, all these releases only existed because of an earlier collaboration, and that’s how I got myself comfortable with releasing these projects. You’ll see a few more of those types of projects from Mortality Tables over the next few years. 

In answer to your question about how I find artist, it’s actually really straightforward. Anyone involved with Mortality Tables is someone whose music I’ve written about. As for how I choose an artist for a particular project, that’s mostly a case of matching a collaborator to an idea that feels aligned to what they would usually do. However, some of the most enjoyable projects are where the artist is working a long way outside of what they might normally do.

SL: After artists like Andrew Spackman, Rupert Lally, Simon Fisher Turner and Veryan, two years ago you released a strange and experimental piece called “On Mortality, Immortality & Charles Ives”. The piece is a spoken word piece in which you read out the Mortality Tables’ manifesto: “In life, our one true certainty is death.” This narration, recorded by Gareth Jones, was then sent to Vince Clarke who recorded a musical response to the text, which forms the soundtrack to the release. How did you come up with this, somewhat absurd, idea?

I had bought a copy of a book by Alex Danchev called ‘100 Artists’ Manifestos – From The Futurists To The Stuckists’ at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in 2021. I read each of the manifestos from groups like the Surrealists, Dadaists and Situationists as if they were short stories, and it became a really profound experience. On the back of ‘Two Meditations For Freya’, people had started to ask me what Mortality Tables was all about, so it seemed completely natural (and not absurd at all) to write a manifesto.

Mostly it was designed to help me understand why I was doing this, and then I decided to explain it to everyone else. That’s when I asked Gareth to record my narration. At the same time I approached Vince and an anonymous sound artist called venoztks to create sound pieces to accompany it.

The listener can judge whether it successfully explains what this is all about, or not. It does explain why the composer and actuary Charles Ives is so critical to the evolution of Mortality Tables. In fact, the second Mortality Tables Product to be made available was a postcard containing an illustration of Ives in front of a mortality table from 1874, the year of Ives’s birth. That piece was a collaboration with Savage Pencil who had illustrated a lot of the Blast First sleeves.

SL: Released on June 16th, the 40-copy limited edition cassette “The Engineer” is a charity project for Alzheimer’s disease featuring Vince Clarke, Penelope Trappes, Chris Illingworth, Barney Ashton-Bullock, Lara Jones, Simon Fisher Turner, Hattie Cooke, Gareth Jones, Veryan and others. The title character is your father, isn’t he? Is that why you chose Father’s Day as the release date? Tell us a bit about this project!

The title character, the engineer, is based on my father. This project dates back ten years, probably longer, a long time before Mortality Tables was an idea.

I wrote a short story that tried to deal with my feelings about my father as he approached retirement. He lived for work, had no hobbies or friends, and I envisaged him struggling to cope with the concept of stopping work. I was angry when I wrote it, but I was also scared for him. It’s fiction, but it’s rooted in his reality. His actual retirement was very different to what happens in the story. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2018, and that’s why we’ll donate all profits from ‘The Engineer’ to the Alzheimer’s Society. Sadly he passed away shortly after ‘The Engineer’ was released. 

When I published the story on my blog, an electronic musician called Laica (Dave Fleet) offered to create some music inspired by the story. He composed a beautiful piece but the project never got completed. A few years later, I came up with a different idea, which involved someone narrating the story with a piece of music behind it. That version also never got off the ground at all, but I liked the idea of asking someone to narrate the story. That’s when I asked Barney Ashton-Bullock if he would do it. He has a brilliant speaking voice, and it was perfect for this story.

It was Gareth Jones who suggested the idea of having different artists respond to different sections of narration. He said it was a bit like the Surrealist game ‘Exquisite Corpse’. I think of Gareth as my spiritual guru. He has a way of unlocking ideas, and freeing you from obstacles that are only there because you’ve put them there. ‘The Engineer’ wouldn’t exist in this form if it wasn’t for Gareth. 

From there, it was a case of picking the collaborators and asking them to respond to a specific 30-second section of narration. No one heard the full story, and no one asked to hear the whole thing. The order the artists agreed to say yes determined which section they got. The only rule I gave them was that their sound response needed to last exactly thirty seconds. 

There are two editions of ‘The Engineer’. One is a digital file that combines the narration and sound responses. The other is a cassette that splits the narration and responses apart. That means the only place you can hear Vince Clarke’s sound response without Barney’s narration is on the cassette, which has now sold out. 

SL: Barney Ashton-Bullock (the creator of Andy Bell’s “Torsten” projects), Vince Clarke, as well as Reed Hays, Alka and Gareth Jones will be familiar to most of our readers, but who are the other contributors? 

Again, everyone involved is someone I’ve written about. When I came up with my collaborator list for this, it was important to me to achieve some sort of diversity. So a lot of the artists here are electronic, but you have artists covering everything from pop to sound art. That was deliberate.

I also wanted diversity of textures. That’s why I included Charlotte Keeffe, Chris Illingworth from GoGo Penguin and Luce Mawdsley. When you put all 29 sound responses together as a single piece, it sounds like a right fucking mess. As the responses were coming in over a 30-month period, I realised that the sprawling, messy quality was a lot like my father’s Alzheimer’s – ideas form, are quickly forgotten before they develop, and are then replaced by something else. That wasn’t planned, at all, but now I can see it was a subconscious idea that must have been there from the moment that Gareth suggested involving lots of artists. 

SL: What plans and ideas are currently circulating in your head? Will it be something journalistic or another Mortality Tables release?

I’m always writing, and I’ve got a few big things underway right now, including something for a label I’ve done a few pieces for before.

In terms of Mortality Tables, now that ‘The Engineer’ has been released, all activities will he paused until later in the summer. We’ve released a huge number of Products in just over two years and I need a break. We’ll return later in the summer with Season 03 of LIFEFILES, which is an ongoing project where artists respond to my really basic field recordings.

We’ll also release a single from Please Close Your Eyes, an album from Andrew Spackman and the full version of Andrew Brenza and Alka’s ‘pod’ collaboration. I’ve been working on one of several projects inspired by Charles Ives, ‘Central Park: A Picture-In-Sounds’, which will be issued as a ‘score’ in October, along with some additional performances of the piece. We’ll begin work on another large-scale collaboration called ‘The Impermanence Project’.

Other things will happen. Other things will not.

More information on Mortality Tables releases.

Use code janos for a 10% discount off anything in the Mortality Tables Catalogue. 

I would like to end this article with a personal message from Mat Smith, who asks the readers and the music listeners to support, if they can, the Alzheimer’s Society, which has received the proceeds of the tape release mentioned in the interview. If you feel able to, please donate to alzheimers.org.uk directly.

János Janurik

I began my career in online music journalism in 2001, writing about artists I had followed since the late ’80s and early ’90s, including Depeche Mode, Erasure and The Cure. I later edited the Hungarian Mute microsite for EMI Music Hungary. This led to interviews with Erasure, Nitzer Ebb and Alan Wilder, and some of those collaborations developed into lasting friendships. Since 2014, I have been part of the editorial team of depechemode.de. I also contribute interviews to Reflections of Darkness, Peek-A-Boo Magazine and Kaput Mag. I maintain a close connection to Mute Records artists and have also supported releases on Very Records. I am proud to collaborate with Side-Line Magazine, where I regularly publish interviews and features.

This Italian duo’s second album sounds like sweet, accessible Dream-Pop driven by elevating guitar play and sensual, female vocals. The voice sometimes reminds me a bit of the imaginary fusion between Elena Alice Fossi and Elizabeth Frazer. A dark and somewhat mysterious atmosphere covers the songs. This is a graceful production that is definitely worth discovering. (Rate:7).

Listen to “Cold River”:

About Pinhdar

Pinhdar is an Italian duo working in a Dream-Pop vein, built around guitar and female vocals. “A Sparkle On The Dark Water” is the project’s second album, released via Fruits De Mer Records on digital, CD and vinyl. No dedicated Side-Line tag or prior coverage exists yet for the act.

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

Dark-Electro band Funker Vogt was born almost 30 years ago. Core member and operator Gerrit Thomas has already worked with several singers, but for some reason the group always continues with a new singer. The newest album “Final Construct” released by Repo Records saw Bastian Polak (Intent:Outtake) joining the German formation. The album sounds in the fullest Funker Vogt-tradition; somewhere between Dark-Electro and EBM with a slightly more melodic touch on top. In my opinion, a strong production that shows that this legendary group is far from exhausted. I talked about the latest work with Gerrit and Bastian. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: The new album “Final Construct” seems to be another turning point in the long career of Funker Vogt. After three albums singer Chris L. was replaced by Bastian Polak so how did this change come about and how did Bastian’s presence change and/or influenced the overall approach and production of “Final Construct”?

Gerrit: We produced three great albums with Chris, but as he started again with Agonoize we reached to a point where working together was no longer possible. I don’t want to go into that in more detail. In any case, we knew that we weren’t finished yet, we just needed a new singer. I already knew Bastian from vocal recordings with Intent:Outtake and the two Fusspils-11-songs, so it made sense to get him on board with Funker Vogt. He’s just a perfect fit. Because I knew what he was capable of, I was able to compose a little more boldly, because you simply don’t have to make any compromises with him.

In this respect, he helped to make the album more extensive and melodic than usual. I also wanted the sound to be very original to Funker Vogt, because in my opinion a new singer brings enough innovations with him.

Q: I personally experienced “Final Construct” as one of the hardest albums in years; a bit like featuring the brutal energy of the early years with the experience and knowledge you gained over the years on top of it. What is your own perception of this work?

Gerrit: Hm, I personally don’t think it’s that hard. On the contrary -there’s still a lot that can be done in that way! As I said, the album should sound as close to Funker Vogt as possible so that our fans aren’t confused when everything is suddenly completely different. I think that you’ll hear a few experiments and unusual things on the next album. But for this album, a new voice is enough of a change.

Bastian: As the new singer of Funker Vogt, I have of course made it my mission to do everyone justice and I think we have found a good way, on the one hand sounding more modern, but also like the old albums. I think “Final Construct” has everything the listener could have hoped for. Hardness, melody, profundity, but also time to take a deep breath 😉

Q: That brings me to ask you how much of the ‘young’ Gerrit Thomas do you still recognize in the approach, writing and production of “Final Construct”? And what are the biggest differences/evolutions compared to this new work?

Gerrit: Well, I would say that I still like the same kind of atmosphere in my music as I did 25 years ago. Only today the technical possibilities are much bigger and I know what I’m doing now…;-)

Q: Lyrical wise I think “Final Construct” seems a bit like a reflection of our contemporary world and all its misery. Can you be a little more specific about the content and how do you face it as human being?

Bastian: The world currently provides us with enough fuel for our music and our socially critical lyrics. However, many people keep thinking that we’re in favor of war, but that’s not the case and we’ve made that clear again on this album. We hold up a mirror to humanity, appeal to their reason, but also sing about solidarity and confidence.

Q: I think you always must have favorite songs and others where you might feel like everything was left out. What about “Final Construct” and can you make a kind of final balance sheet about this production? And do you think the latest album is always the best one?

Gerrit: Yes, we also have our favorites on every album. For me this time it’s “Rain Of Ashes”, “Tiefer”, and the club mix of “The Signaller”. In my opinion, all the others turned out great too, so I can’t say there’s a single one that doesn’t fit or should have better be left.

For me personally, the latest album is always the best one immediately after its release. Of course, I know that this is not always the case. To be able to judge this neutrally, you need to have a few months’ distance from the latest production, sometimes even years!

Bastian: I have already written the lyrics of many albums in my music career and I have to say that “Final Construct” is one of the best. For me, each of the 19 songs has something special, but my personal favorites are “Death Seed”, “Zinnsoldat”, “Die Leinen Los” and definitely “Im Auge Des Orkans” because it stands out a bit from all the other songs.

Q: Funker Vogt is now active for nearly thirty years! What were the biggest challenges you faced during this impressive career?  And do you sometimes feel like you have gotten the most out of it or do you still face new challenges and dreams? And if so, which ones?

Gerrit: Well, there were some setbacks due to the changes of singers that we had to deal with -and obviously we did so! Even though there are always a few people who recommend that we should better stop or rename the band when a new singer comes along, we stay true to our line and keep going on! That’s the ideology behind Funker Vogt. We would be questioning everything we have practiced for 28 years if we gave up. Following the well-known 242 motif: ‘Never Stop’!

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: Ritual, Dark-Ambient, Experimental.

Format: Digital, 2CD.

Background/Info: Chris Undirheimar has released an impressive number of productions over the past few years. He now moves back to Cyclic Law unleashing “Ginnngagaldr” which resulted from very personal experiences.

Content: The first disc features 7 cuts leading the listener into an obscure sound universe featuring Ritual elements mixed with a dense, Dark-Ambient music style. Heavy droning percussion empower the impact of the work while throat singing accentuates the Ritual side. The second disc features a single cut which is the title track. Sound-wise the influences remain exactly the same.

+ + + : I remain fascinated by the technique of throat singers. It has something intriguing, definitely Ritual but still magic. It injects a true bonus to the composition which is totally fitting with the obscure sound treatments. The heavy percussion drones inject some diversity. It’s interesting using headphones to discover the sonic welfare of this production.

– – – : A few passages sound a bit monotonous and missing substance. The title track is cool and definitely interesting to accentuate visual art but also a bit monotonous after a while.

Conclusion: “Ginnungagaldr” appears to be a true offspring between Ritual- and Dark-Ambient music.

Best songs: “Gandreiðarstafur”, “Þursaseiðr”, “Uphafsdauðsþjòt”.

Rate: 7.

Artist: www.facebook.com/ThursianRitualArt

Label: www.cycliclaw.com / www.facebook.com/cycliclaw

About Undirheimar

Undirheimar is the solo Ritual and Dark-Ambient project of Chris Undirheimar, a prolific producer with a steady stream of releases over recent years. “Ginnungagaldr” marks a return to Cyclic Law for the project, drawing on throat singing and dense droning percussion to build on the obscure sound world of its earlier work.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

(Photo by G Roberti) Portland, Oregon-based musician, sound designer, field recordist and DJ, Patricia Wolf, has shared two new tracks from her forthcoming album, “The Secret Lives of Birds”, which will be out on 28 June 2024 via Nite Hive.

Patricia Wolf debuted with the album “I’ll Look For You In Others” in 2022 on Past Inside The Present. That release was quickly followed up the same year by her second album “See-Through on Balmat”.

The new album expresses Wolf’s love of birds, a fascination which began alongside her field recording practice when she began to wonder which birds were singing and calling in her recordings. Across the album, Patricia dives deep into her personal library of field recordings and birding experiences.

Below you can already listen to “Starling Murmuration” and “Bewick’s Wren”.

And here’s the second new track, “Bewick’s Wren”.

Patricia Wolf’s “The Secret Lives of Birds” is out on cassette and digitally via Nite Hive on 28 June 2024.

Nite Hive Records is Penelope Trappes’ new imprint, designed as a label run by – and for – women and gender expansive artists “to allow the free exploration of their approach to experimental music”. All of the releases will be released digitally and on limited-edition cassette tape – accompanied by a podcast interview with each artist about their creative process.

You can order the album right here on Bandcamp.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Astari Nite are back with a new single ahead of the forthcoming album “Resolution Of Happiness” due out on June 21st on Negative Gain Productions. “Tongue Tied Galore” is a typical Astari Nite track blending elements of alternative, indie rock, darkwave and goth rock.

You an already pre-order the new album on vinyl and CD via Bandcamp.

Mychael (Astari Nite) explains the track as follows: “‘Tongue Tied Galore’ is sort of an honest statement of words that has been my anthem, endlessly. Standing the tallest for what I believe in, which is ultimately, love and kindness allows me to live a better life. Imagine there is still a world, a world where people say hello and still hold the door for one another or a world where we give each other advice on how to plant flowers. As silly as it may seem, though these are the things that keep me living for tomorrow. This song reminds me that it’s okay to be yourself and to be considerate to others! Do what you want to, don’t change the volume!”

You can check out the new single below.

About Astari Nite

Astari Nite is a gothic rock band from Miami, Florida, that blends elements of post-punk, darkwave, and new romantic genres. Formed in 2008, the band quickly gained popularity in the local music scene and has since opened for acts such as Peter Murphy, The Psychedelic Furs, and Cold Cave. Their music is characterized by deep vocals, dramatic bass lines, and ethereal guitar patterns, drawing inspiration from bands like The Cure, Joy Division, and Depeche Mode​ .

The band consists of Mychael Ghost on lead vocals, Illia Tulloch on drums, M.Sallons on bass, and Michael Stelton and Howard Melnick on guitars. They released their debut full-length album, “Anonymous,” in 2015, followed by “Until the End of the Moon” in 2017.

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

Astari Nite has released a new single, “Necessity Meal”, via Negative Gain Productions. The band says that “Necessity Meal” is a battle cry “against the facade of perfection that suffocates an authentic connection (…) it’s about the dark, often unseen journey of seeking forgiveness and finding solace in the unexpected kindness of strangers.”

“Necessity Meal” is available on all major digital platforms including Bandcamp and Spotify.

Astari Nite 2024 live dates

• 2/10 – Nashville, TN @ Fascination Street (THE GOTH PROM) featuring ASTARI NITE!
• 3/23 – New York City, NY @ The Red Party
• 4/20 – Parsippany, NJ, @ Dark Force Fest
• 4/27 – Tampa, FL – Supporting Das Ich W/ guest Oberer Totpunkt (Communion After Dark Presents)
• 7/6 – Dallas, TX @ Obituary Festival curated by Lean lane of Rosegarden Funeral party
• 9/7 – Deutzen, Germany @ NCN Nocturnal Cultural Night Festival
• 9/28 – Louisville, KY @ Dark Castle Fest presented by Radio Arcane!STARI NITE 2024 Live Dates:
• 2/10 – Nashville, TN @ Fascination Street (THE GOTH PROM) featuring ASTARI NITE!
• 3/23 – New York City, NY @ The Red Party
• 4/20 – Parsippany, NJ, @ Dark Force Fest
• 4/27 – Tampa, FL – Supporting Das Ich W/ guest Oberer Totpunkt (Communion After Dark Presents)
• 7/6 – Dallas, TX @ Obituary Festival curated by Lean lane of Rosegarden Funeral party
• 9/7 – Deutzen, Germany @ NCN Nocturnal Cultural Night Festival
• 9/28 – Louisville, KY @ Dark Castle Fest presented by Radio Arcane

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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VampireFreaks announces Dark Force Fest 2024, a 3-day gothic-industrial music festival and convention. Dark Force Fest will be held April 19th – 21st, 2024 in Parsippany, New Jersey.

In addition to live bands on two stages, Dark Force Fest also features drag queen performances, sideshow acts, a live bats exhibit, band meet-and-greets, DJ club events, 100+ vendors, panels, presentations, meet-ups, food trucks, and spooky crafting activities. Dark Force Fest takes place in Parsippany, NJ (1 hour from New York City), where goths from around the world congregate and take over the massive castle-themed Sheraton Parsippany—including 44,000 square feet of event space and all 370 hotel rooms. The castle will be adorned in gothic décor and art installations for an immersive experience. Rooms in the main venue sold out within 2 days of announcing the dates, but there are still overflow hotels in the area.

The festival lineup includes live performances from:

Stabbing Westward, Nitzer Ebb, The Crüxshadows, Leaether Strip, Gothminister, Das Ich, Priest, Vision Video, Vampires Everywhere, Then Comes Silence, Ayria, Ash Code, System Syn, Dawn of Ashes, FGFC820, Moris Blak, Danny Blu, Kanga, Auger, Creux Lies, Angels & Agony, I:scintilla, Ego Likeness. Abstinence, Nite, Al1ce, Astari Nite, Mechanical Vein, The Long Losts, October Noir, Biomechanimal, Eva X, Stoneburner, Oberer and Rabbit Junk.

Activities include:

• Over 100 Vendors
• A drag queen show hosted by Onyx Ondyx
• Sideshow performances
• A live bats exhibit and presentation by NJ Batman
• Dj club events playing goth-industrial music
• Panels and presentations
• Arts & crafts activities
• Food Trucks
• Karaoke

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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The British Synthpop duo Empathy Test will soon officially release their four back catalog albums through traditional retail channels via SPKR Special Services and AMPED distribution in Europe and North America.

The four albums include “Losing Touch“ (2017), “Safe From Harm“ (2017), “Monsters“ (2020) and the 2022 live album “Time To Be Alive,“ all of which will be re-released in a traditional jewel case CD format, on vinyl LP record as well as a colored vinyl pressing (in a limited edition). You can order the re-releases right here from SPKR.

The London-based duo, consists of childhood friends Adam Relf (composer, producer) and Isaac Howlett (singer, songwriter).

The entire back catalog will be available on October 6th in North America and on October 20th in Europe while Empathy Test embarks on an extensive North American Tour of 30+ dates that begins in Tampa, FL on October 7th with the Dallas-based Nite in support.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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The Rockford, Illinois based goth / post-punk act The Funeral March drops an all new EP, “Persephone”, which is inspired by the Greek Queen of the Underworld, Persephone. Included are five new songs.

You’ll clearly hear the influence of The Cure and Siouxie & The Banshees, with blueprints drafted by Neil Gaiman’s “The Sandman”. “Persephone” is available now in streaming, digital download, and compact disc formats. The EP was mixed and mastered by Adam Stilson (Panic Priest, Feral Ghosts, Pixel Grip, Wingtips, Ritual Howls, and New Canyons) with cover art by Greg Rolfes (eleven12 Design).

Here’s the video for “Nite Nite”.

Originally founded in 1987, The Funeral March of the Marionettes (AKA The Funeral March) found a second life when they re-formed in 2017 in the post-industrial city of Rockford, Illinois. The current lineup consists of Joseph Whiteaker (Vocals, Bass, Synths), Darius McCaskey (Bass, Synths, Programming), and Wayne Thiele (Guitar). Their work blends elements of gothic rock and post-punk music, combining a number of new and classic post-punk/gothic influences.

To date, they have released several singles, EPs, and one full-length album. You can check the new EP below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Negative Gain Productions has partnered with Gothic Cruise to celebrate their 25th anniversary with the “Destination: New Orleans” event. The festival will take place on August 25 – 26. There will be two nights of live music and entertainment and up to four days of organized daytime activities, hang outs and after-parties. Tickets can be bought here.

Friday, August 25th at Santos (Doors at 8:00, Bands at 9:30)

• Astari Nite
• Wire Spine
• Carrellee
• Total Chroma

Saturday, August 26th at House Of Blues (Doors at 5:00, Bands from 5:45 – 1am)

• Ivardensphere
• DSTR
• ESA
• Bestial Mouths
• Curse Mackey
• Josie Pace
• Order Of The Static Temple
• Panic Priest
• Aeon Rings

Weekend packages are available through the Gothic Cruise and include: hotel, both NGP showcases and fun New Orleans activities (cemetery walk, riverboat lunch, meet and greet dinner). Gothic Cruise will also be giving away a free cabin on the 2024 Gothic Cruise at the House of Blues showcase.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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(Photo by Agnes Haus) Out on April 14th is the new album from UK based Australian born dark ambient musician Penelope Trappes titled “Heavenly Spheres”.

The 8-track album will be released on the artist’s own label Nite Hive and will also be the label’s first release. All of the releases on the label will be released digitally and on limited-edition cassette tape accompanied by a podcast interview with each artist about their creative process. The first releases will include Patricia Wolf, Pefkin, Karen Vogt, and Madeliene Cocolas.

The label will launch on 14 April 2023 with Heavenly Spheres, an 8-piece album recorded during a two-week residency for Britten Pears Arts at the house where the composer, teacher and musicologist Imogen Holst lived in Aldeburgh, Suffolk. A first track from that release is available now, called “Entangled”.

“Heavenly Spheres” is the result of the artist experimenting with only her voice, an upright piano and an old German reel to reel tape deck.

Trappes explains: “I immersed myself in solitude and often deafening silence, and coexisted with an enormous amount of history and books. I grew to love this unfamiliar space as I recorded sound outside of my normal way of working, took long and sometimes psychedelic walks, channelled ghosts on tape, and ended up with about 35 pieces of music and sound art. This album is 8 of those pieces which I fell in love with.”

About Penelope Trappes

The musician debuted with material written and recorded in 2016 in a small piano studio in East London. Composed of mostly percussionless, reverb-heavy, atmospheres, the LP was released via Optimo Music in 2017. She then signed to the Houndstooth label and released her second album “Penelope Two” in 2018, a minimalist album built around field recordings, meditations, guitars, piano and reverb.

2019 saw the release of “Penelope Redeux” consisting of reworks of songs from “Penelope Two” by Cosey Fanni Tutti, Mogwai, Félicia Atkinson and Nik Colk Void. The “Eel Drip” EP followed in 2020 and “Penelope Three” was released in May 2021.

“Mother’s Blood”, a vocal-free meditative reinterpretation of “Penelope Three” was released on cassette at the end of that year.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Patrik Hansson (Vanguard singer) released the second album of his solo-project Uncreated in November 2021. The opus was released right after a few singles featuring guest singers.

Content: Patrik Hansson got some good company to achieve this work. He asked guest singers to join in. Mark Hockings (Mesh) and Björn Marius Borg (Xenturion Prime) were already featured on the previously released singles while Louise Marchione (Planet R/Thermostatic), Mikael Engström (Covered In Snow), Richard Flow (Machinista) and Arielle Andersson (Octolab) completed the list. Patrik is singing on a few songs as well. The music remains pure Electro-Pop -and still more poppy than Vanguard, driven by hopping sequences, retro sound treatments and danceable beats.

Nite did a remix of “Hand Grenade” featuring Mark Hockings. The CD version features 2 bonus songs which are extended versions.

+ + + : The concept of working with guest singers is not new but rather surprising for Patrik Hansson who’s a talented singer himself. It however resulted in extra diversity while the artist could probably focus more on songwriting and production. “Hand Grenade” remains an outstanding song, but I also have to mention the other single “Rebuild The Future” featuring Marius Borg and the more aggressive “Alive” featuring Richard Flow. I also enjoyed “One Night In Blue” featuring Louise Marchione’s delicate timbre of voice. Nite also accomplished a cool remix of “Hand Grenade”.

– – – : I only noticed a few ‘softer’ songs which couldn’t convince me but which injected a break to the work.

Conclusion: Uncreated only confirms its immense potential, being next to Vanguard, another great Electro-Pop project of Patrik Hansson.

Best songs: “Hand Grenade”, “Rebuild The Future”, “Alive”, “One Night In Blue”, “Hand Grenade – Nite Remix”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/uncreatedofficial

Label: www.conzoomrecords.de / www.facebook.com/conzoomofficial

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

Dark alternative electronic band Sine to release upcoming album “Desire, Denial and Paramania”, an 11 track collection featuring select songs from the group’s albums, “Insomniæ” and “Injected”, recorded between the years 2016-2020.

The album includes collaborations with Curse Mackey (Pigface, Evil Mothers, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult), producer Sean Beavan (Nine Inch Nails, 3Teeth, Slayer) and Chris Connelly (Ministry, Revolting Cocks, Pigface) with remixes by Jack Dangers (Meat Beat Manifesto), DÐ, and dark pop duo, Nite.

“Desire, Denial and Paramania” will be released in CD form as well as digitally worldwide on October 7, 2021. The release is out via Emergency Hearts, an indie collaborative music label/ media project in Austin, TX founded by author, musician and gallery owner Scott Crow (Lesson Seven, Audio Assault).

Here is a video to check out, “Desolate District” featuring Chris Connelly in a Meat Beat Manifesto remix.

About Sine

Sine is an alternative rock/electronic band created and led by singer and drummer, Rona Rougeheart. She has stepped from behind the kit to create her own female fronted project that weaves dance beats with industrial noise and layers of booming bass, synths and guitars.

Rougeheart, born in New York, grew up as a military child, living all over the U.S. and in Okinawa, Japan. Her father was a musician who taught her how to play keys and guitar. Early in her musical career, she played drums for multiple bands in Austin, TX, catching the eye of Gretsch Drums who, in 2012, gave her her first endorsement. Gibraltar hardware also added her to their roster.

In April, 2019, she landed a direct support slot for Peter Murphy in Orlando, FL for the 40th Anniversary of Bauhaus Ruby Tour with David J. The night seemed ill-fated when Peter was unable to perform, but was revitalized when she joined David J, Curse Mackey, Mark Gemini-Thwaite and Marc Slutsky for an impromptu performance of Bauhaus tunes.

From that night, a new project emerged between David J, Curse Mackey and herself.

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

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: The American duo Brian Belknap – Adam Collier last year released the debut album “Music In A Time Of Uncertainty”. This production by the American BlakLight was one of my favorite Electro-Pop releases from 2020. “Unknown Love” is a song taken from this album. The CD format features ten remixes plus one extra untitled song.

Content: “Unknown Love” was not exactly my favorite song from the album although it’s a great Electro-Pop track with a carrying chorus. The song has been remixed by Nite, Matthias, Sea Of Sin, Darwinmcd, Obsession Of Time and Hallowlove –who made 4 remixes. There’s a great diversity between the different remixes, but all edits remain pretty Electro-Pop driven. The untitled song is a cover version of David Bowie’s “Ashes To Ashes”, which has been transposed into a pure Electro-Pop dimension.

+ + + : The opening remix by Nite is a first attention grabber for its overwhelming and blasting sound production. Another cool cut is the dreamy remix by Darwinmcd. But my favorite cut is without a shadow of a doubt the remix of Obsession Of Time, which is more club-orientated and mixed with retro-Pop influences. There’s also something to say about the Bowie-cover; it’s not an easy job to cover such a legendary track, but BlakLight did it with style.

– – – : I’m still convinced “Unknown Love” is not the best song taken from “Music In A Time Of Uncertainty” and I also expected a bit more from the remixes. I’m still not a huge fan of EP’s with an endless list of remixes from one and the same song. 

Conclusion: BlakLight remains to me a hot newcomer, but I should recommend discovering the band by their great album instead of this EP.

Best songs: “Unknown Love – Obsession Of Time Remix”, “Unknown Love – Nite Remix”, “Unknown Love – Darwinmcd Remix”, “Unknown Love – Matthias Remix”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/BlakLightband

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

Absolution Fest announces it’s return. The festival takes place in Tampa (Ybor City), FL on October7th-9th and they have just announced the line-up.

The Absolution Fest features artists from the Post-Punk, Industrial, Darkwave, and Synthpop scenes. Headlining the festival this year will be the synthpop electro act Mr.Kitty, post-punkers Actors, and electropop duo Korine.

Absolution Fest also features the industrial/pop artist Kanga, and the industrial artist Curse Mackey. Additional artists playing include Rosegarden Funeral Party, Bellwether Syndicate, Astari Nite, The Kentucky Vampires, Kiss of the Whip, Hallows, Death Loves Veronica, SINE, Cold Medicine and Gulf Blvd.

Full day festival passes and single day tickets are available now right here.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Post-Punk/Darkwave artists Twin Tribes are back with a remix album. “Altars” is the follow-up to their sophomore album “Ceremony” and features a myriad of artists from the post-punk, darkwave scene remixing songs off Twin Tribes’ debut album “Shadows and Ceremony”.

Altars features remixes from She Past Away, Ash Code, Bootblacks, Wingtips and more and can be pore-ordered now.

“Altars” will be released April 9th through Negative Gain (North America), Manic Depression Records (France), and Young & Cold Records (Germany) on CD, Vinyl, and digitally.

Select remixes can be heard via the pre-order link.

Tracklist

1. The River (Skeleton Hands Remix)
2. Tower of Glass (Geometric Visions Remix)
3. Dark Crystal (Luz Futuro Remix)
4. Fantasmas (Ash Code Remix)
5. Perdidos (Cult of Alia Remix)
6. Upir (NITE Remix)
7. Exilio (Wingtips Remix)
8. Shadows (Matte Blvck Remix)
9. Still in Still (Dave Parley Remix)
10. Portal to the Void (She Past Away Remix)
11. Avalon (Bootblacks Remix)
12. Talisman (Creux Lies Remix)

About Twin Tribes

Twin Tribes is a Dark Synth / Post Punk duo based in Brownsville, Texas. Formed by Luis Navarro (vocals, guitar, synth, drum machines) and Joel Niño, Jr. (bass, synth, vocals) in 2017.

The band gathers their influences from the period of the dark 80’s. Dark Wave, Post-Punk and Cold Wave are genres that the band summon using analog synthesizers and drum machines. Dark melodic sounds, lyrics of the undead, the occult and parallel universes are what conjure Twin Tribes.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Miami, Florida based gothic rock act Astari Nite have released their brand new song “All Else is a Curse”. You can check out the track below.

Vocalist Mychael provides more details on the inspiration of “All Else is a Curse”: “In essence I fell in love with a lot of laughter and simple conversing during these engagements. Often, I would slide away in thought during these times only to be reminded of voices I might never hear again. Feeling merry and magical, Astari Nite began tracking for our next catalog of songs and in an instant “All Else is a Curse” became my new obsession. As melancholy as I may appear, I am carelessly smiling deep inside. The more I dwell on who or what moment in time this song is about, I like to believe that sadness is an art form and as cliché as it may sound, it meant everything to me.”

More details on the upcoming album will be released in the coming months. “All Else is a Curse” is out today on Negative Gain and can be heard below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Gothic rock act Astari Nite has released the music video for their song “Gloomy Witch”. The track is taken off their new album “Here Lies”, which was released in May. It’s the band’s fourth music video and it was directed by Freyja Lilith and gives a look into the creative aspect of Astari Nite.

Vocalist Mychael explains: “I write sad songs in appreciation to show how happy I really am inside. For those paying attention, they understand that it is the only way possible for me to smile. Taking a day and a night out of my life to create a short film for Gloomy Witch was always the intent for me simply saying thank you, for reading my diary.”

The music video for “Gloomy Witch” can be seen below.

Scheduled Performances

• West Palm Beach: January 22nd (Mass 5-year Anniversary) at Respectable Street
• May 22nd – (Wave Gotik Treffen) Germany

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

Goth Rock/Post-Punk artists Astari Nite have released the music video for their song “Paint the Stars Tonight”. The track is featured on their new album “Here Lies”, which was released in May.

The music video plays on the heart strings of an 80’s-90’s underground film aesthetic. It finds vocalist Mychael, choosing between which immortal is more superior. “Paint the Stars Tonight”, highlights a simpler time in life when Dungeons & Dragons, toys, video games, a summer sleepover and most of all finding out that falling in love meant everything.

Vocalist Mychael: “Freyja Lilith (director) continues to elegantly interpret our songs to tell her own story through film which is terrifying to me. Of course, it has to do with how powerful her spirit is deep within. How she captures me crying and makes it look like I’m smiling will always be a mystery.”

“Paint the Stars Tonight” also features international fetish performer Val Vampyre. Astari Nite’s new album Here Lies is out on Negative Gain. The music video for Paint the Stars Tonight can be seen below.

Scheduled Performances:

• November 21st – (Black Market fest 2020), Miami
• December 12th- Will’s Pub – Orlando
• January 30th – (Communion After Dark presents Astari Nite) Ybor City, Tampa
• March 26th-28th (Dark Side of the Con 4) New Jersey
• May 22nd – (Wave Gotik Treffen) Germany

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: Wave-pop, post-punk.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: The fourth full length album by Astari Nite also is the first one released on Negative Gain Productions. The American formation strikes back with seven new songs plus two remixes.

Content: Astari Nite moves on with their post-punk music exploration, which also has something pretty 80s wave-pop minded. Guitar and electronics create a harmonious match, leading the listener into pure evasion and then into melancholia. The songs are supported with sadness, sometimes reminding me a bit of The Cure. The remixes have been accomplished by Twin Tribes and Wisborg.

+ + + : I like this work for its 80s inspiration, but still for the emotional input. The songs are not just driven by usual sadness and melancholia, but there’s a kind of authenticity and true spirit emerging at the surface. Songs like “Gloomy Witch, “Pretty Something, Never Was” and “Leave The Winter On The Ground” sound right and sensitive, touching your heart and soul. The guitar playing has something magic while the electronic arrangements are accentuating the feeling of evasion.

– – – : An album featuring 7 songs comes rather closer to a mini-album while the 2 remixes don’t really inject a bonus.

Conclusion: Astari Nite is probably an underrated band –and especially in Europe, although it’s a fascinating formation, which is much more than simply an 80s emulation.

Best songs: “Gloomy Witch, “Pretty Something, Never Was”, “Leave The Winter On The Ground”, “Disease Of The Divine”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/astarinitemusic

Label: www.negativegain.com / www.facebook.com/pages/Negative-Gain/212061438836984

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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Dalles-based electronic rock artists Nite have released their new music video “Hurt No More”. “Hurt No More” is the newest song to be released of off Nite’s third studio album “Sleepless”, which is out April 17th on Cleopatra Records. The Canadian-born twin brothers, Kyle and Myles Mendes, have a sound which reminds of Tears For Fears. Fans will recognize more than one similarity listening to Nite, especially to this song.

Myles Mendes explains in more detail what drove him to write “Hurt No More”: “I wrote this song deep in winter, sick out of my mind, and quarantined in a basement located in the small town of Steinbach MB, Canada. I wanted to create a summer-y vibe with this tune by mashing up my influences of INXS and Amii Stewart. It was a great escape from the 5 feet of snow outside and from the basement that made me feel trapped and claustrophobic. The song is about a new relationship forming, and both people leaving past heartbreaks behind.”

Here’s the music video.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Dream pop/electronic rock twin duo Nite has announced the release of their third album “Sleepless”.

“Sleepless” is a collection of stories about the twins and how they were experiencing different seasons of life. For Kyle, his songs are based around his sense of identity and past experiences that have formed him into who he is now. Myles’s songs focus more on the pursuit of something to come, rather than reflecting on what has passed.

The twins were heavily inspired by classic songwriting and vibes from bands that not only programmed synths but were also more organic in their approach, artists such as Roxy Music, The Blue Nile and The Style Council.

For this new album the duo fully embraced the idea of a more live sound, departing slightly from the programmed essence of their previous album “Reborn”, when recruiting drummer, Phil Helms. After performing with Helms for over a year on the road, Nite recorded his performance at Red Wood Studios in Denton, TX.

“Sleepless” will be released April 17th on Cleopatra Records worldwide. The music video for “All You’ve Ever Dreamed Of” can be viewed below.

Upcoming Shows

• March 6th Dallas TX – Top Ten Records
• March 28th Ft Worth TX Shipping and Receiving – W/ Black Tie Dynasty
• April 17th San Antonio TX – The Amp Room – Album release Texas tour
• April 18th Austin TX – Swan Dive – Album release Texas tour
• April 30th-Houston TX – White Oak – Album release Texas tour
• May 2nd Dallas TX – Club Dada – Album release Texas tour

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Goth Rock/Post-Punk artists Astari Nite have released their new song “Capulet Love Montague”. The song pays homage to one of the most well known and tragic love stories in history, Romeo and Juliet.

Vocalist Mychael explains what inspired them to write the song: “Lyrically, “Capulet Loves Montague” came to life while my 11-year young best friend and I were fooling around with crayons on a rainy evening. Perhaps it was the colors that made it clear, a nursery rhyme was being created. A feeling of innocence came over me when the words “Christmas trees are frozen spiders, Cats are made from snow, terrified by what I think of, petrified in love” were written. I’m obsessed with silliness, which is often mistaken for my sadness, especially when it comes to storytelling.”

“Capulet Loves Montague” is released on Negative Gain (North America) and Danse Macabre Records (Europe). It will also be found on Astari Nite’s new album that will be released late spring of 2020.

You can listen to the song below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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The dark alternative music festival Absolution has announced their festival dates and artist lineup.

After the success of the inaugural edition of the Absolution Festival in 2019, the festival announces it’s return this year as an annual event. Absolution features a line-up of Dark Electronic artists from across globe and will take place again in Tampa, Florida in the historic section of Ybor City on October 8th-10th.

Kicking off the festivities will be a pre-party headlined by Austin,TX based artist Mr.Kitty on October 8th. On October 9th French synthwave artist Hante. will headline day one of Absolution. Day two of the festival features Los Angeles, tragic wave artists Drab Majesty headlining. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here.

The full festival lineup

• Drab Majesty
• Hante.
• Mr.Kitty
• Traitrs
• The Bellwether Syndicate
• Astari Nite
• Rosegarden Funeral Party
• S Y Z Y G Y X
• Sonsombre
• Third Realm
• DIe Robot
• The Purge
• The Kentucky Vampires
• Pass/ages
• Mother Juno
• Cold Medicine
• Gulf Blvd

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Florida based post-punk artists Astari Nite have released a brand new single, “Dearly Beloved”. The track is the first song off Astari Nite’s new album “Here Lies”, which is expected in the Winter of 2020 on the dark electronic label Negative Gain, (also home to Mr. Kitty, Goo Munday, Curse Mackey and Panic Priest).

You can download the track right now from Bandcamp.

Vocalist Mychael explains the inspiration behind “Dearly Beloved”: “This friend of mine sure has a way with words, I’m intrigued by her capability to explain sorrow from afar. I quickly realized that sometimes there isn’t a diary left behind to follow when letting go of someone in the afterlife. I’m understanding that love / affection can pour down at any moment, kind of like the summer rain, in essence “Dearly Beloved” can be described as a funeral – holiday song.”

“Dearly Beloved” was produced by Astari Nite and mastered by Jason Corbett of Actors at Jacknife Sound.

You can check out the song below.

Upcoming Shows

• September 8th Los Angeles,CA – Part-Time Punks with Ash Code and Tearful Moon
• October 5th Tampa, FL – w/ Assemblage 23, Actors, Twin Tribes and more

Who are Astari Nite?

Astari Nite formed in 2007 and released their self-titled debut EP shortly after they emerged onto the local new wave scene. Their debut EP was followed up by EPs “Winter’s Gone” and “Requiem Mass” and established them as a regular live act resulting in opening acts for Peter Murphy (Bauhaus), Cold Cave, Modern English and Apoptygma Berzerk.

After joining up with producer Stephen Thompson (Whitney Houston, Blues Traveler, Korn) Astari Nite hit the studio for months on end to record “Stereo Waltz” which was released in 2013. The band’s first full-length album featured their best known single so far, “Pyramids”.

In 2018 the band released “Midnight Conversations” which was produced by Tom Shear of Assemblage 23.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Cosey Fanni Tutti has reworked the Penelope Trappes track “Carry Me” for Trappes’ “Redeux” album which will be released June 7th on Houndstooth. The track is out as a standalone single.

Here’s some more info on this album. After the release of her sophomore solo album “Penelope Two”, Penelope Trappes and Houndstooth announce “Redeux”; an album of reworks of tracks from “Penelope Two”. On the album you find covers by Scottish post-rock legends Mogwai, Factory Floor member Nik Colk Void, Throbbing Gristle’s Cosey Fanni Tutti, Shelter Press label founder/producer/visual artist Félicia Atkinson, Throwing Snow, Icelandic multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Jófríður Ákadóttir aka JFDR, Poppy Ackroyd with Hidden Orchestra member and One Little Indian signee transposes Kismet on piano, Savages producer Jonny Hostile, Ben Frost and Tim Hecker collaborator and Sigur Ros’ musical director Paul Corley and Swedish techno duo Aasthma (Peder Mannerfelt and Pär Grindvik).

Full tracklist:

1. Burn On (Mogwai Rework)
2. Carry Me (Cosey Fanni Tutti Rework)
3. Maeve (JFDR Rework)
4. Farewell (Johnny Hostile Rework)
5. Night Hive (Paul Corley Rework)
6. Nite Hive (Nik Colk Void Rework)
7. Connector (Aasthma Rework)
8. Farewell (Throwing Snow Rework)
9. Kismet (Poppy Ackroyd Rework)
10. Burn On (Félicia Atkinson Rework)

Who is Penelope Trappes?

Penelope Trappes is a London based Australian born vocalist, musician and soundscape artist signed to Houndstooth. She spent 2016 writing and recording what would become her first solo album, “Penelope One” in a piano studio in East London. The LP was released via Optimo Music in 2017 on vinyl and as a photo book.

Penelope signed to Houndstooth in 2018 and released her sophomore LP (and photo book) “Penelope Two” in October 2018.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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The post-punk/darkwave festival Absolution has announced their line up and festival dates. Taking place in Tampa, FL October 4th-5th will be the inaugural Absolution Festival. The festival will feature some of the best post-punk and darkwave artists throughout North America.

Headlining the festival will be Vancouver based post-punk artists Actors and Seattle based electro/synth pop artist Assemblage 23. Tickets for the festival will go on sale February 8th. You can already book your hotel here!

The full festival line up: Assemblage 23 | Actors | Bootblacks | Twin Tribes | Panic Priest | Astri Nite | Sleeping Pills | Push Button Press | Korine | Wingtips | Ritual Howls | Cruex Lies.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Genre/Influences: Post-punk, gothic rock.

Background/Info: Third full-length album for Mychael Ghost (vocals), Illia Tulloch (drums), Howard Melnick (guitar) and Danny AE (keyboards) from Miami – Florida, including a cover of ‘Til Tuesday (“Voices Carry”). The first 5 tracks were produced and mixed by Tom Shear (Assemblage 23) while the last 4 tracks were earlier released as an EP “Dreams Of Majesty”, mixed by Rees Bridges.

Content: Highlights: first track and previously released single “Sunday Queen” is a worthly opener full of dark atmospheric vibes. The very danceable and melodic “Unfulfilled Promise” could become for sure a dancefloor classic in goth clubs. “I Am Nothing” is built on a nice synth-bass with a very melancholic and bombastic chorus including piano. The uptempo “Rosary Society” is another dancefloor filler in the traditional gothic rock style. On “Divination” Mychael’s voice sounds very good and deep while on “The Girl Who Tried” especially the synth-melodies play an important role.

+ + + : The sweet and warm voice of Mychael Ghost directly reminded me on the voice of Rozz Williams (Christian Death) and also of Sean Brennan (London After Midnight).

– – – : You might get the impression that after a while all songs start to sound a bit the same because of the way Mychael sings.

Conclusion: Astari Nite brings modern post-punk/gothic rock songs full of sensitive lyrics about love and despair in a soft and fragile way.

Best songs: “Sunday Queen”, “Unfulfilled Promise”, “I Am Nothing”, “Rosary Society”, “Divination”, “The Girl Who Tried”.

Rate: (8) WH.

Band: www.officialastarinite.com / www.facebook.com/astarinitemusic

Label: www.cleopatrarecords.com / www.facebook.com/cleopatrarecords

New Order have unveiled a brand new video for “People On The High Line”. Directed by Jackson Ducasse, the video includes the breakdancing skills of Hakim Saber and B-Girl Lyra. You can watch the video below.

New Order will release their “People On The High Line” 7” shaped picture disc on October 21, featuring Richard X’s radio mix and an exclusive mix from Claptone. This is the latest single to be taken from “Music Complete”, and features Elly Jackson (La Roux) on vocals. The remix package includes remixes from Late Nite Tuff Guy, Claptone, Hybrid and Planet Funk.

“Music Complete” was released September 25, 2015 on CD, download and limited edition clear vinyl. You can still order the vinyl right now on Amazon.

Here’s the video:

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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“Posthuman” is the second album by the Italian electro wave band Ash Code. On the follow-up of their debut “Oblivion” (released October 2014) Ash Code have tried to use different instruments including the theremin and noisy analog DIY synthesizers .

The 12-track album will please all those who love the mix of darkwave, noise and electronic music with a solid drum machine. You can already check out the track “Nite Rite” below, to give you an idea what to expect.

The new album will be released on vinyl and you can place your orders now. Recommended!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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