Oldschool Union was formed in 2009 by Seppo Ahlstedt and Janne Vilen. After self-releasing their debut album “Vanha Koulu” in 2009, the duo signed with EK Product and went on to release three more albums. A defining characteristic of the band has always been their use of Finnish lyrics, which, as they describe it, adds an ‘exotic’ flavor to their sound. Musically, Oldschool Union has always stayed true to 100% old-school EBM. In 2020, Vesa Matti Pekkola joined the band as the new vocalist. This year, Oldschool Union is back on track with their new self-released album “Herra Ja Hidalgo” — a solid piece of EBM with a refreshing Pop touch. In my opinion, it’s also their most accomplished work to date: vintage EBM infused with a distinctive personal style. I got in touch with both members of Oldschool Union to learn more about this impressive new release. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: After the Oldschool Union album “Vartalovasara”, released on EK Product in 2020, it took until this year to release a follow-up. Those years were also quite hellish due to Covid-19, global unrest, and, in your case, EK Product not releasing anything. How do you look back on that period? How did you cope with it, and to what extent did it influence your music?

Seppo: When lockdown started I thought that I would have more time to make music but suddenly I noticed that I had lost all inspiration. I realized that meeting people, seeing other bands to play and overall living is the fuel that we need to be inspired. However, during lockdown I found Unternull kollektiv streams that brought lot of new German minimal and wave music to my attention. After lockdown ended and I started to see bands again, inspiration returned and I sure took something with me with those new music that I heard from live streams. Not necessary the style or even musical ideas but they returned more experimental attitude for music making and kind of a more free attitude for making music.

Vesa-M: It’s interesting to look back and think about that time, and realize that it’s only been a few years. I remember completely re-mixing my another project’s album (Lola Kumtus). Otherwise, I spent time with my family and in my free time, hiking in the woods, skiing, and playing online music quizzes with friends. Covid brought a whole new aspect to being considerate of other people, and I think that influenced my own contribution to the album.

Q: When did you start working on the new Oldschool Union album “Herra Ja Hidalgo”, and what is it about? Were there any new influences in terms of lyrics, music, or the production process?

Seppo: The album title “Herra Ja Hidalgo” is a Finnish expression that refers to a pompous, self-important person who acts superior and doesn’t care much about others. Nowadays, I feel it perfectly describes middle-aged men who look down on the younger generation for example taking part in climate change protests. The best feedback we’ve received was when Elokapina (Extinction Rebellion in Finnish) played our “Herra And Hidalgo” -song in front of the Parliament House during their demonstration.  We of course have some lighter songs as well but as usual we take a stand for many things that are wrong in world today.

Production process and music is constantly changing. With Oldschool Union I constantly seek new ways of doing music, sounds, synths, effects and so on. Not sure if that can be heard by end-listener but to me doing things differently is important even if the end result may be similar. The journey is probably more important than the end result. This album was also first time that was tarted totally with Vesa-Matti so we got kind of an clean start.

Vesa-M: That Elokapina thing was pretty cool. Young people clearly understand good music and they also have a future. It’s mind-blowing to see your own generation’s inability to take responsibility and make the necessary changes for the future.

Speaking of the album, I had more influence on the lyrics and arrangements on this album than on the previous one, which is always uplifting, of course. However, I trust Seppo’s vision and the openness of our collaboration.

Q: Your music remains 100% old-school EBM—raw and powerful—but what struck me is a more refined, almost ‘Pop’ touch that really completes it. How do you see that yourself? Were there any conscious or new emphases on this Oldschool Union record compared with your previous releases?

Seppo: Yes, I did want to try more Pop approaches in this Oldschool Union album as well. I wanted to do couple very Synth-Pop songs that would be driven by EBM. I think it’s good to challenge yourself and put yourself out of your comfort zone. Of course, I was little bit worried if I went too far with but I think it’s better to fail to trying something new than stay stagnant. I have couple ideas for future for that area too but maybe we go little harder next time.  

Q: How important is it for Oldschool Union to keep singing in Finnish, and how does the concept of ‘sisu’ (which is typically Finnish and can be described as resilience and steadfastness) connect to the content and spirit of this new album?

Seppo: It is very important as I think Finnish language is our main driving force. I can play more with language, use Finnish expressions and also we can try to do songs that translate to the people who don’t understand Finnish. If it works, then we know that we have succeeded. We do occasionally some English songs if it demands it. I first tried to “Captain Body” with Finnish language but soon realized that it just worked better in English. Sisu and other things which are quite ‘Fin’ are always part of the Oldschool Union songs.

Vesa-M: In my opinion, music sung in the mother tongue is always more expressive. There is a myth about Finnish as a difficult language, which is probably partly true and which brings an exotic tone to the performance. I personally think about language and the power built into it in such a way that we get our message across best by presenting it in Finnish. I would like to be a little critical of Sisu. The way it is perhaps understood can sometimes also prevent us from seeing things from multiple perspectives and thus appear as a rigidity in examining our own actions and their rationality.

Q: What were the biggest challenges Oldschool Union faced while creating “Herra Ja Hidalgo”? Were there any aspects you found difficult to agree on or to realize as planned? How did you overcome those obstacles?

Seppo: To use most difficult aspect for Oldschool Union in making records is that we live 200 km away from each other. So, when we record or rehearsals, we have to drive 200km. This is little bit problem but the solution is that when we meet, we work hard and really concentrate on doing. We use hard work ethics to go through obstacles.

Vesa-M: I agree. We have a really good work ethic when it comes to what we do.

Q: The Finnish Electro scene isn’t particularly a big one. How do you manage to reach audiences abroad—especially for live shows—now that you’ve released this new album independently?

Seppo: To be honest, previously EK Product did a wonderful job for promotion and it is much harder now when we are independent. We really do not like to promoting and I think most of the promoting has been done by our listeners. We are very grateful for all that support! 

Q: What are the plans for Oldschool Union for the rest of this year and for 2026?

Seppo:  I have started to thinking next releases and how to release them more quickly. Also I try check that if some other form for releases would be more suitable next. EP would give a possibly to release little bit faster and concentrate to certain themes and soundscapes. Otherwise the keep little break from gigs on next spring for personal reason but probably get back in stage in summer. 

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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Five years after their previous release, the Finnish EBM duo Oldschool Union return with their fifth album. While their last three records came out on the Italian label EK Produkt, the label’s hiatus forced the band to release this one independently.

The trademark style and raw power of Oldschool Union remain fully intact. This is uncompromising old-school EBM, driven by their distinctive—and often incomprehensible—Finnish vocals. Apart from one track in English and the occasional scattered word, they stay firmly rooted in their native language. Yet the band also bring a personal edge to their sound: alongside the hard and aggressive framework, they weave in Electro-Pop flourishes and sparse melodic touches, adding nuance to the otherwise raw, unpolished power of their production.

“Herra Ja Hidalgo” will certainly appeal to fans of DAF and Orange Sector, and stands, in my opinion, as their strongest work to date. (Rating:8).

Listen to “Captain Body”:

https://oldschoolunion.bandcamp.com/track/captain-body

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

“Herra ja Hidalgo” is the fifth album from Finland’s EBM act Oldschool Union, with all track sung in Finnish. The new album was mastered by Dirk Steyer at ACSY sound.

About Oldschool Union

Oldschool Union was formed in 2009 by Seppo Ahlstedt and Janne Vilen, The duo performing exclusively in Finnish, embedding the concept of “sisu” – a Finnish term denoting resilience and determination – into their music.

They self-released their debut “Vanha Koulu” in 2009, featuring tracks like “Rasistit, fasistit” and “Grillibileet”, and launched their first full-length album “Älä Ole, Elä!” in 2012 on the now defunct EK Product label.

In 2016 “Perjantai” was released followed by “Vartalovasara” in 2020. That album introduced the new vocalist V-M Pekkola since singer Janne Vilen had left the band after the release of “Perjantai”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Genre/Influences: EBM.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Bagger 258 is a German duo featuring members of the familiar EBM-band Projekt 26 – which released the album “Violets And Violence” in 2017 by EK Product. Bagger 258 released by the end of 2023 the debut album “Ode An Die Arbeit”. Notice by the way the album has been mixed by Daniel Hallhuber (involved with different projects and founder of Young & Cold Records) and mastered by Stefan Poiss (Mind.In.A.Box).

Content: The album is meant as an ode to the ‘pulsating rhythm of work’ but also to old-school EBM. The main sources of influences aren’t that different from their previous project but the global writing- and production process has been seriously boosted and improved. The songs are driven by solid bass lines, 4×4 kicks, metallic sound treatments and German ‘body’ vocals. Both last songs are remixes by Oldschool Union (who already did a remix on the Projekt 26-album) and Projekt 26.

+ + + : Bagger 258 doesn’t innovate but shares with us a mature, professional and fully accomplished production. This is top-notch EBM featuring all essential ingredients to get people into tough dancing. I especially enjoy the impressive, menacing, bass lines mixed with metallic percussion sounds and the few little extra noises and melodic sequences they’re adding on top of the work. Bagger 258 makes me think of an imaginary hybrid between Tyske Lüdder, Pouppéée Fabrikk and Orange Sector. The work features multiple outstanding songs. The album last year reached the highest place in the famous DAC which says enough about this band’s potential -and especially for a self-released album. I would be not surprised they’ll very soon get a label deal.

– – – : Some would say ‘nothing new’ but who cares; this is pure, authentic, old-school EBM.

Conclusion: There’s no doubt about it, Bagger 258 will be the next great big thing in EBM land.

Best songs: “Muskeln Und Maschinen”, “Stalhwerk, Jetzt!”, “Glück Auf”, “Geschafft!”, “Maschinentakt”, “Schlagwetter”.

Rate: 9.

Artist: www.facebook.com/bagger.258

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

Finnish industrial artist Kalle Lindberg aka Protectorate launched itself on to the scene in 2016 with a self-titled debut album “Protectorate”. The new upcoming full length “II” by the Lappeenranta based artist offers eight electro industrial and EBM tracks.

Here’s the artwork of the forthcoming release.

The release was preceded last month by the single “Industrial Action” which holds 3 versions of the title track, the normal version and an Oldschool Union remix and one by Cardinal Noire.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Genre/Influences: EBM, Dark-Electro.

Format: Digital, 2CD.

Background/Info: Three years after the debut-album “The Worst Dream” (2018) Rebirth strikes back with a double album featuring twelve new songs and eleven remixes. Rebirth is Bruno Ruch (Sleepwalk) and singer Olivier Moser.

Content: The main disc reveals solid EBM bass lines, powerful rhythms, carrying choruses and harsh-spooky   vocals. “System:Error” reflects a cold production, which is mainly created by icy sequences and –atmospheres. The vocals are in German and English. There’s one instrumental song somewhere in the midst of the work, which appears to be a break.

The second disc reveals remixes by Atropine, Rotersand, Oldschool Union, Covenant, Struck9, Frozen Plasma, Pyrroline, AD:Key, KIFOTH, Deadly Injection and Onenine.

+ + + : I was not a huge fan of Rebirth’s debut album, but this new work sounds definitely more convincing. Bruno Ruch improved most aspects of the production, but the song writing is just better. The album features several great songs, but I especially recommend listening to “Ultimate Sin”, “Teufel In Mir” and “Streets Of The Damned”. The sound treatments reveal a professional approach. I especially like the fusion between power and haunting atmospheres on top.

The bonus disc reveals great names, but also great remixes. I especially want to mention Rotersand, Oldschool Union, Struck9, Pyrroline and KIFOTH as the most inspired cuts. Onenine is a noticeable feature as this is a solo-project of Axel Kleintjes (formerly involved with Page 12, Cyber Axis, Cycloon, Mindware).

 Last, but not least I also want to say a word about the great and artistic digipak format of this work.

– – – : This work is just missing an absolute hit to speak about a real masterpiece, but we get a real great number of songs instead. I expected a bit more from the Covenant remix.

Conclusion: “System:Error” is a work I fully recommend to all lovers of sophisticated dark EBM.

Best songs: “Ultimate Sin”, “Teufel In Mir”, “Streets Of The Damned”, “Letzte Schlacht”, “R.I.P.” + “Streets Of The Damned – Rotersand Rework”, “Teufel In Mir – Struck9 Remix”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: http://rebirth-music.ch / www.facebook.com/Dr.Tinitus

Label: www.ekproduct.com / www.facebook.com/EKProduct

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 Ossi Viik) Out now is the newest, their third, full-length album by Finnish electro / industrial act Syncfactory: “Man”. The album is released via Insane Records who returns after a year of silence.

All songs on “Man” deal with different aspects of the human condition. The title track “Man” describes a relationship between two humans, while “Astronaut” describes the relation between a human and god. “Nihil”, “Under The Sun” and “Obey The Strain” scrutinize human existence on this ball while “Whispers” examines the unreliability of human communication. And so on.

Next to 11 original tracks the album also includes 2 remixes from projects such as Distoxia and Cyberlich.

Check out the album below.

Finnish EBM

Syncfactory was formed in late 2009 and self-released its first album in 2010: “Rhymes In Minor”. In 2014 Janne Vilen (known for his work with Finnish EBM band Oldschool Union) joined the band and became the main vocalist. By 2016 the band has signed with Insane Records and released the “Demon” EP and the “Panopticon” album.

In 2018 Janne left the band and Mika Mikkola replaced him as the main vocalist. 2018 also saw the release of the single “Talo” which acted as a teaser for their upcoming second full length album called “Meat Stall” released later that 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.

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Finnish EBM band Oldschool Union was originally set up by Seppo Ahlstedt and Janne Vilen. They released two retro- and hardcore like EBM albums on EK Product. But after “Älä Ole, Elä!” (2012) and “Perjantai” (2016) singer Janne Vilen left the band and got replaced by V-M Pekkola. The third full length album “Vartalovasara” has been released earlier this year and holds on all familiar influences of the band’s sound. Solid bass lines and hard-hitting kicks are sometimes achieved with melodic synth lines, but the main characteristic of the band remains the Finnish vocals. “Vartalovasara” sounds like being smashed by the hammer of Thor…

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: The new album “Vartalovasara” features a different line-up. How did the switch from the original singer towards V-M Pekkola happened? What has been the impact of working with a new singer and what have been the reactions so far?

Seppo: I had met Vesa previously and had seen him live with Lola Kumtus. When he offered to cover Janne for ‘Famillien Treffen’ as one time show, I asked him if he could join the band. A new singer is like starting the band from zero so it took a little time to dwell together. I think since both last two gigs, we are in a state we feel confident about what we do.   

Q: Sound wise “Vartalovasara” moves on with the hard, oldschool-EBM style, but what are according to you the main changes and evolutions in the global writing and production of the work?

Seppo: Everything is always evolving when you learn new things, but basically it stays the same. There were a little more hard-ware synths used this time. There were also a few, little experiments with more melodic songs as well.

Q: How did the writing of the album happened? What have been the different stages you went through to compose a song and finally an entire album?

Seppo: I usually have some subject in mind and then I start to write lyrics. That is the most difficult part for me.  As I do a lot of demos it becomes easier to compose the song when the lyrics are ready. Quite often when I feel that a song is not working the way I want it, I completely rewrite it. This happened a couple times on the last album. When I listened to the album in its entirety it sounded too soft. So, I ended making harder versions from a couple of tracks.

Q: You claim that you ‘want to merge the Finnish essence in to their hard hitting old-school EBM’. I think it also explains why you’re still singing in your mother tongue, but what is this Finnish essence all about? What are the main topics we have to know –and maybe learn, about this essence?

Seppo: Language is a big part of it. When I listen to Spanish, Italian, German EBM, the language brings its own flow to it. Beside the lyrics the Finnish essence to the songs is the Sisu. There is probably no good word to translate it, but it is a mental state when you are doing something impossible, but refuse to give up because you’re determined to do it. In Finland we also embrace technology, but we also love to be in nature. Our dream of perfect living is to sit in the middle of nowhere by a calm lake, in front of a sauna and listen to the noises of nature. It is also about laughing and noticing the funny things which makes us Finns.  

Q: The Finnish vocals definitely remain one of the main characteristics of your band, but it’s still impossible to understand one single word from the content. So what’s hiding behind the title of the album and its lyrical content? Is this an album with a message? Pure rebellion? Or something different?

Seppo: “Vartalovasara” means “Bodyhammer”. Long time ago we wanted to make a short film, kind of unofficial home-made sequel to the Tetsuo movies. It would have been called “Northern Bodyhammer” (“Pohjolan Vartalovasara”). The film never happened, but then I wanted to make it as a song. So, it is Tetsuo who inspired me to write this song about a man who turns into a biomechanical body hammer under the pressure of society.  We used primitive Finnish rock paintings on the cover to show how the world would look like after the ‘bodyhammer-man’ has destroyed it.

Q: I think it’s rather unlucky to see the new album being released in times of the Covid 19 pandemic! Do you feel an impact so far and what are you doing –maybe together with the label EK Product, to manage this bad luck? How do you see things evolving?

Seppo: We have a of couple gigs that have been cancelled, but other than that it has no big impact on us. This is a perfect time to build out the studio and make new songs. I feel more sorry about small organizers who had to cancel their events. This kind of cancellations hurt small organizers badly so support them in the future anyway you can.

If we look at the silver lining of this epidemic I hope we start to appreciate more the things we have been taken for granted. Also I think when the epidemic is over both performers and audience will be so full of energy that we will have the time of our lives.

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: EBM.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Finnish duoSeppo Ahlstedt –  V-M Pekkola (the new singer) are back on track unleashing the third official full length album of their Oldschool Union project. The new songs have again been released on EK  Product, which remains an interesting label for EBM .

Content: It took 4 years to Oldschool Union to achieve this new work, but nothing has really changed. The influences remain driven by pure retro-like EBM. It sounds hardcore and all songs are again sung in Finnish, being the main specific of the work. The album features all classical elements of EBM; solid bass lines and hard-hitting linear kicks. Some songs are accomplished with a melodic-minded tune,   but they’re never losing the aggressive power the work has been made of. That’s an aspect which is also reflected in the vocals filled with rage.

+ + + : If you’re an adept of hard and pure old-school EBM, this Finnish duo will give you all what you want. It’s a classical EM  format, but a well-crafted one. I prefer the songs, which are a little bit more elaborated with a tune in the chorus. The language remains the main specific aspect of the band, which makes that you directly recognize –even without understanding one little word, the band you’re listening to. 

– – – : But this language is maybe also the element, which makes some of the songs a little bit less accessible. That’s maybe also the reason why this album is maybe missing an absolute hit.

Conclusion: Oldschool Union didn’t change any single aspect from their previous works and yet “Vartalovasara” is maybe their most successful work to date.

Best songs: “Sydansuruja”, “Teosto”, “Alzheimer”, “Ostovoimayksikko”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/Oldschool–Union-316407271848974

Label: www.ekproduct.com / www.facebook.com/EKProduct

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: EBM, body-pop.

Background/Info: Nico (drums) and Timo T. (vocals) are brothers based in Augsburg (Germany). Projekt 26 was set up in 2013 and now has signed a deal with the Italian EBM label EK Product to unleash their official debut album.

Content: The work is clearly inspired and devoted to good-old EBM. The retro-style is a quite familiar, but still efficient EBM receipt both brothers are practicing with knowledge and efficiency. But even if the basis of all songs is EBM-minded they also seem to be influenced by electro-pop elements. It comes especially through in some choruses, which have been accomplished by melodic strings. The vocals (mainly in English language) are moving from a rather clear way of singing into harder passages.

Notice by the way Projekt 26 invited Pantser Fabriek (they already released a split album together) and Plastic Noise Experience to each join in on one song. Last, but not least you get remixes by Oldschool Union, SadoSato and Loewenhertz.

+ + + : This is an interesting and successful debut by Projekt 26. The EBM style they’re dealing with is absolutely not innovating, but the mix with carrying strings and body-pop elements is quite efficient. It resulted in a more accomplished and diversified work, which also makes the difference with the typical retro-like EBM formations. The work stands for great, dry bass lines, efficient strings, diversified vocals, danceable kicks and a great remix by Oldschool Union.

– – – : The body-pop element will maybe not convince all EBM die-hard freaks, but I rather see it as a unique touch of sound. I’m maybe missing a real hit although the title song has the potential to become a DJ’s favorite one.

Conclusion: EK Product has a nose to discover new talented formations dealing with EBM and Projekt 26 definitely is a band that will conquer new souls devoted to this genre! This is a successful debut!

Best songs: “Violets And Violence”, “Stars And The Moon”, “Satellite 2017”, “God Dag”, “Blood For Blood – Oldschool Union Remix”.

Rate: (8).

Band: www.facebook.com/p26augsburg

Label: www.ekproduct.com / www.facebook.com/EKProduct

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

The 76th track on our free download compilation “Face The Beat: Session 4” (featuring 92 tracks) is by the Finland based hard electro act Syncfactory.

Syncfactory was formed in late 2009 in Tampere, Finland as a one man project by Mika Mikkola. Musically, the band sticks to dark electro/industrial combining modern harsh sounds with some influences from the 90’s industrial music movement.

The band’s debut album ”Rhymes in Minor” was released in 2010 and held tracks written in collaboration with lyricist Petri Kiukkonen. In 2014 Janne Vilen joined the band as the main vocalist. Janne was no newbie to the scene as he had already recorded material with the Finnish EBM band Oldschool Union.

A new single ”Demon” was released in september 2016, a teaser for the band’s second album ”Panopticon”. In 2016, Petri Kiukkonen also joined as a full-time member.

You can find the project back on Facebook, make sure to check it out.

Listen to “Demon” below and download it right here.

Check our “Face The Beat: Session 4” page on Bandcamp to discover the other 91 bands. All donations will go to charity.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: EBM.

Background/Info: Oldschool Union is a Finnish EBM duo set up by Seppo Ahlstedt and Janne Vilen. They released their official debut album “Älä Olë, Elä!” back in 2012 on EK Product. They now strike back with this new work revealing 12 songs plus 5 alternative versions/mixes.

Content: The main influence of the band hides in their name: ‘oldschool’! This a rather traditional EBM sounds with a strong retro taste reminding me of formations like DAF, Nitzer Ebb and Orange Sector. It’s a hard-core format of body music carried by dark and dry bass lines, a straight forward cadence and angry vocals reflecting themes like politicians, corruptions and society generally speaking.

The main point –and still main characteristic of the band is that all the lyrics have been sung in their Mother tongue. So it will be hard and even impossible to understand one single word if you’re not Finnish speaking. The typical ‘ahh’ and ‘auw’ shouts reminding me of Nitzer Ebb are more familiar expressions and that is typical for EBM.

+ + + : Oldschool Union main characteristic remains the Finnish language, creating a real particular element. The old-school formula is efficient, but even better when accomplished with some extra sound treatments like on “Henri” and on the “Original Mix” of “Narsisti”.

– – – : “Perjantai” is nothing new and a rather stereotypical exposure of good-old EBM. This album features no real surprises –except the language!

Conclusion: The lapse of time between their previous album and “Perjantai” didn’t really affect the inspiration of Oldschool Union, but the global production becomes more efficient and alluring. This is a cool release in the good-old EBM genre.

Best songs: “Narsisti – Original Mix”, “Henri”, “Kapinaan”, “M-N-T”, “Perjantai”.

Rate: (7½).

Band: www.facebook.com/Oldschool–Union-316407271848974

Label: www.ekproduct.com / www.facebook.com/EKProduct

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