(Photo by Erik Jarrigeon) Out now on the VUZ label is an extended reissue of the debut album from Dark Minimal Project, “Cold Black Room”. The release comes out in a deluxe edition digipak with additional tracks and artwork.

Dark Minimal Project was formed in 2022 by the Lille (France) based duo Guillaume Vanderosieren and Ange Vesper. Their first material was produced by the French producer and musician Peter Rainman (People Theatre) and released as a collection which soon sold out.

Their music is influenced by Depeche Mode, Psyche and other darker synth bands. The band recently released a 10-track strong remix album featuring tracks from their 2023 album “Ghost Of Modern Times”. This remix album features remixes by People Theatre, Krieg-B, Front 242 / Patrick Codenys, Ruined Conflict, Dominatrix, XMS, Fatherless Child, Dark State, Ethan Wood and Résilience.

Check out the tracklist of this deluxe edition of their debut album below on Bandcamp where you can download the album or buy the CD version.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. 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 Erik Jarrigeon) Dark Minimal Project is a French electro cold wave act consisting of Ange Vesper and Guillaume VDR, augmented with producer Peter Rainman. They formed in 2022 in Lille (France) and is currently signed to Infacted Recordings.

The band recently released a 10-track strong remix album featuring remixes by People Theatre, Krieg-B, Front 242 / Patrick Codenys, Ruined Conflict, Dominatrix, XMS, Fatherless Child, Dark State, Ethan Wood and Résilience. You can still get the vinyl version on Bandcamp too.

The tracks are taken from the band’s 2nd LP “Ghost Of Modern Times” released in May 2023.

A new video clip was also launched for the track “Ordinary Man” remixed by Ruined Conflict.

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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Out today on all digital plaforms via the Charlottenlund-based Danish label Town & Towers Records, is a new Cold Connection single, “Bright”. “Bright” is actually one of Cold Connection’s very first demos. It is the first single taken from Cold Connection’s forthcoming EP.

The song was originally written by former member Jonas Lindelöf, and with his blessing, brought back to (new) life with new vocals and new music.

“We wanted to create an up-tempo synthpop song, that works on the dancefloor. We kept the original melody line and rearranged the song a bit with a new bridge and instrumental parts. We also made it a bit darker and atmospheric. You might recognize some inspiration from Rational Youth”, says Daniel from Cold Connection. And he adds: “The song is about you, me and everyone else who from time to time just want to leave this earth and all the horrible things mankind is doing to each other… together in a spaceship for destination love”.

Cold Connection is a Swedish synthpop act whose debut album “Seconds of Solitude” was released by Town & Towers Records in 2021. The album was followed in 2022 by a remix album including remixes by People Theatre, Patrick Kambo, ill Humans (Arvid Arays), and a lot of other Nordic synth acts, like Disrupted Being, and Dan and Ole from Vaylon. In 2022 Cold Connection participated on the Andrew Fletcher Memorial Double charity CD called “6122” with a cover version of “My Secret Garden”.

Below you can see the video for the song.

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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On August 8th the German conzoom Records label will celebrate its 15th anniversary. Especially for the occasion two new “electropop.” compilations will be released on that same date: “electropop.25” and “electropop.depeche mode”. Both can be ordered via Conzoom Records.

Side-Line hereby send its congratulations to both Ingo Möller and Annet Möller for their work in the past 15 years!

“electropop.25” will again carry 13 tracks by 13 artists who have not yet appeared on an official compilation. As usual, there will also be a strictly limited “electropop.25 (Super Deluxe Fan Bundle)” with 4 promotional bonus CD-Rs.

“electropop.depeche mode” holds cover versions of Depeche Mode tracks by new bands from the electropop field. The three promotional bonus CD-Rs of the “electropop. depeche mode (Super Deluxe Fan Bundle)” include a remix collection of the latest “Nature Of Wire Remixes Volume 5”, a ten-song retrospective of the work of the Swedish synthpop band Climate Zombies and an exclusive remix album by Birmingham Electric with previously unpublished tracks.

Tracklisting of “electropop.25”:

1. Aeon Rings – Slow Choke (Full Length Version)
2. Blackcarburning – All About You (Olaf Wollschläger Remix)
3. Code 64 – Soundwave (Extended)
4. Eckotrigger – Collide (Extended)
5. Helalyn Flowers – Halos (People Theatre’s Fireball Mix)
6. Jetlag Junction – Hope & Bravery (Dance Remix)
7. Main – End This Game (Full Length Version)
8. Mari Kattman – Is It Really That Bad (Neuroticfish Remix)
9. Neon Space Men – Twisted Mind (Rob #Dust Remix)
10. Rohn-Lederman – We Need A Plan (Mark Hockings Remix)
11. The Grab Society – Outsider (Oren Amram Remix Edit)
12. The Nordic Act – Give Me The Power (Remix 2022)
13. Voltron2 – Catwalk Madness (Extended Mix)

Tracklisting of “electropop.depeche mode”

1. Alphamay – Everything Counts
2. Bt47 – Master & Servant
3. Demokratie – And Then
4. Egoamp – New Dress (Edit)
5. Engraved Garden – Lie To Me (Extended)
6. Kellertechnik Feat. Shelter – Now This Is Fun
7. Maschinengeist – Wrong
8. Neon Space Men – Leave In Silence (Extended)
9. Parralox – Ghosts Again (Extended)
10. Platronic – The Things You Said
11. Royal Visionaries – The Sun And The Rainfall
12. Split Vision – A Photograph Of You
13. Supercraft – My Secret Garden
14. Tycho Brahe – Suffer Well
15. Vainerz – Two Minute Warning (Extended)

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 Belgian dark pop act Psy’Aviah is now closing the “Bittersweet” album chapter in beauty with a collaboration with Tina Forlorn of Sorrow Stories. The new EP is called “Healing”, is available now in an exclusive format on Bandcamp and is one of the most representative songs from the band’s conceptual album “Bittersweet “.

For the occasion of this new EP release, both Yves Schelpe and Tina Forlorn recorded together an exclusive bonus song: “Heaven Is Not Enough”.

Yves Schelpe explains: “‘Heaven Is Not Enough’ mixes metaphorical lyrics, sorrowful atmospheres with more upbeat dark electronics. In the song we played with double meanings and questioning whether dreaming of death to feel alive makes any sense when ‘Heaven is not enough’ and might be your new Hell… a sort of beginning of the finale in a place where there is no conclusion because you need to recreate yourself altogether.”

On the new 15-track strong EP we find remixes from such bands as Aesthetische, People Theatre, Aiboforcen, Eric C. Powell, Eva X, Natures Of Wires, Enemy Infestation, 13th Angel and 11Grams.

Note that the Bandcamp release includes an exclusive booklet with lyrics plus 2 bonus remixes by Lectreau (Passenger A from Metroland) and Dynalectric Orchestra.

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 erikj.7) The Lille (FR) based electro synthwave duo Dark Minimal has launched the first single from their upcoming new album “Ghost Of Modern Times” (a hint at the early Depeche Mode track written by Vince Clarke). The single titled “Black Light” was produced by Peter Rainmain (People Theatre) at The Bunker Studio.

Dark Minimal consists of the duo Guillaume VDR and Ange Vesper. They debuted with the “Cold Black Room” album in 2022 accompanied by the twin singles “In Your Eyes (Extended)” and “In Your Eyes (Single)”. The album was followed by 17 concerts.

The new single “Black Light” holds 2 unreleased songs next to “Black Light (Single Edit)”, namely the B-side “New Day” and a remix of the title track by People Theatre. You can check it out below.

Below are the previous singles and the album “Cold Black Room” album from 2022.

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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Echozone announces the single and video release by Hidden Souls’ “Loreley” featuring nine remixes of the song and two versions of a B-side track.

“Loreley” is an 80s synthpop style track originating from the German Loreley myth from the 19th century.

The band precises the sound on the single as follows: “From the very beginning of the song, an analogue synthesizer provides a hypnotic, catchy and warm sound throughout the pop dance beats. From the famous poem / song “Die Lorelei” and the myth to the urban legend from the Rhine, the lyrics were written from the lover’s point of view. The aristocratic man who fell in love with Loreley and who he allegedly betrayed.”

The single contains remixes from Ruined Conflict (USA), L_igh_T (Spain), Elektrostaub (Germany), People Theatre (France), Device not Ready (Germany), Real Eraser (Argentina), VDOC (Germany) and Glasnost (Argentina). The single also features a non-album track called “The Court Of The Beyond” and is offered in two different versions. The original one is a dark synthpop song with a synthwave touch, whereas the alternative version has a goth feeling with an intense dark atmosphere.

The single will be available on all relevant streaming services and download stores.

Here’s the video for the track.

The track is taken from the band’s recently released album “All That We Destroy”. In 2018, the Argentinian band released their debut album “The Incorruptible Dream”. Now, they are back with new material after touring in Europe for the first time.Hidden Souls are Leo Carden (vocals / guitars), Guillermo “William” Pardo Neira (keyboards / songwriter / programming) & Alex Visoná (keyboards / composer). The album was produced & mastered by Fernando Sande Dallas.

Here’s the previous single “I Was There…”.

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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On May 26th, 2022 Andrew Fletcher, founding member of Depeche Mode, died, aged 60. Out via Timezone on November 25th is the Depeche Mode tribute compilation “6122 (To Andrew Fletcher of Depeche Mode)”. The compilation’s title contains the year Andrew Fletcher was born and the year he died.

The aim was to bring together different artists from different decades, old musical companions of “Fletch” as well as known artists across different genres and promising new bands who were influenced by Depeche Mode’s sound.

The 2CD set features artists from all kind of musical genres and 50% of all profits will be donated to a charity organisation for children in UK, and the Children’s Cancer Trust in Germany, who officially partners to the project. Behind this project we find Daniel Gierke of the act The Brute.

Here’s an idea what to get.

Here’s is the complete tracklist:

CD1

1. A Question of Time – The Brute :
2. Never Let Me Down Again – Watershed
3. In Your Room – Nightnight
4. Ice Machine – Renard feat. Mary Ann
5. Broken – Redeem
6. Stripped – Starlights Live
7. Little 15 – Atlantic Popes
8. The Sun And The Rainfall – Apsürde feat. Manoya
9. My Secret Garden – Cold Connection
10. It’s No Good – Oxic Inc. feat. De La Morte
11. Dream On – Roy Jones & Red Beat
12. Should Be Higher – The Rude Awakening
13. Somebody – Toal, The Brute, People Theatre
14. In Sympathy – Bon Harris
15. Heaven – Zentrum Ost 71

CD2

1. Enjoy The Silence – LeBen
2. Personal Jesus – Polly Scattergood
3. Wrong – Kirlian Camera
4. Policy of Truth – Rohn-Lederman
5. To Have and to Hold – Page Of Quire
6. Angel – Tom Meeloo
7. Somebody – Peter Rainman
8. The Sun And The Rainfall – Northern Kind
9. Photographic – Shelter
10. A Barrel of a Gun (El Presidente Peron Yeah John) – Carlos Peron
11. I Feel You – Tin Gun
12. I Feel Loved – Daniel Hall feat. Stephen Newton
13. Oberkorn (It’s a Small Town) – Electrogenetic by Gareth Jones
14. Clean – Neocoma
15. Breathe – The Brute feat. Rachel Delgado

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 Helalyn Flowers launched a remix contest for “Halos”, the last single taken from their “Àiresis” album (available as download and double CD). “Halos” is the opening track of the album and also the most (synth)poppy song of all.

This remix EP holds 13 tracks with remixers reinterpreting this rather addictive song with their own soundpallet. Besides the 6 winners of the remix contest that are Restriction 9, Vdoc, Blue Ant, Digital Shadows, Aggrax Kouture and Luca Truzzo, the Italian artists Noemi Aurora and Maxx Maryan also invited long-time friends and other label-mates in the likes of Aiboforcen, Elektrostaub, People Theatre, Aesthetische, Junksista and Simon Carter to offer their remix skills.

The EP is available right now on Bandcamp and will be distributed on other platforms on October 21st.

For the occasion the band also releases a video for the album edit.

Eldrina Mich

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

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

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

Note that the release is also available as a CD.

Here’s the new single.

And here is the track listing.

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

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, Future-Pop.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: One year after the EP “Wake Up” featuring Henrik Iversen (NamNamBulu), German Electro-Pop project Elektrostaub strikes back with a new EP featuring Patrik Hansson (Vanguard, Uncreated). This new EP is an appetizer to Patrick Knoch’s announced album “Reliance”.

Content: The EP features 12 tracks; “We Are Dreamers” is the title song featuring guest vocals by Patrik Hansson. The song sounds as a pure fusion between classical Electro-Pop and heavier Future-Pop influences. The chorus has something powerful and catchy. Remixes have been made by People Theatre, Spektralized, We The North, Excubitors and Uncreated (solo-project of Patrik Hansson). One song features female vocals by Claudia Uhle (X-Perience).

The other song left “Loneliness” has been accomplished together with !Distain resulting in pure Electro-Pop; catchy and somewhat melancholic. Remixes have been accomplished by Technoir, Digital Factor and also People Theatre while there also is a wafting version without drums as the last cut.

+ + + : The more you listen to “We Are Dreamers” the more you gone like it. It’s a cool Electro-Pop driven song with a great vocalist on top. It sounds catchy and danceable while we also get a few cool remixes like the one by People Theatre, but also the boosted edit by Uncreated (a project which is maybe better than Vanguard) and more Future-Pop driven remix by Excubitors. The B-side “Loneliness” is another potential title track. It sounds more ‘classical’, but still totally accomplished. 

– – – : I expected a bit more from the remixes of “Loneliness”.

Conclusion: Without setting the Electro-Pop scene alight, Elektrostaub has achieved a new EP, which is definitely more convincing than its predecessor.

Best songs: “We Are Dreamers – Radio Edit”, “We Are Dreamers – Excubitors Mix”, “We Are Dreamers – Uncreated Mix”, “Loneliness – Club Edit”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.elektrostaub.de / www.facebook.com/Elektrostaub

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

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

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Although Elektrostaub’s previous “Wake Up” EP featuring Henrik Iversen is only out since December, the project already kicks back with yet another new collaborative EP: “We Are Dreamers” (available now via Bandcamp). “We Are Dreamers'” is the second EP taken from Elektrostaub’s forthcoming new album “Reliance”.

This time, he joined hands with Patrik Hansson of Swedish Electropop band Vanguard for an upbeat club synth pop song. Alternate remixes of the songs were created by People Theatre, Spektralized, We The North and Uncreated. Elektrostaub on top recorded a totally different version featuring the female voice of Claudia Uhle from X-Perience fame.

For the B-side song “Loneliness”, Elektrostaub aka Patrick Knoch worked again with his good old partners in crime from !Distain. Besides the club mix and the ‘no drum’ edit of this song, we also get more laidback and introspective interpretations of this catchy song by People Theatre as well as from label mates Technoir and Digital Factor.

In total you get 12 tracks which you can check out below on Bandcamp (and other platforms in the next weeks).

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

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop, Trance-Pop.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Implant is back on track! Three years after –what was maybe their best album to date “Oxynose X”, the Belgian duo strikes back with a new EP announcing their eleventh album planned for 2021. This work features three new songs plus six remixes.

Content: “Oxynose X” was a styled and minimal-like album. “Phantom Pain” opens a door upon new sonic horizons, Implant becoming more Electro-Pop than ever before. The title song is something of a Dance-Pop piece featuring female backing vocals by Noemi Aurora (Helalyn Flowers). The song has something 80s-like, but still revealing Trance elements. The other new cuts are diversified. “The Sinner Has Gone” is a minimal-driven track while “The Devil Made Me Do It” is a mix of Hardcore, Gabber and Trance.

Remixes of the songs have been made by True Zebra, People Theatre, Vuduvox and Pre.Emptive Strike 01. Implant accomplished 2 remixes as well.

+ + + : Implant is not repeating themselves; it’s maybe a pity after their great last album, but on the other side this new work reveals different influences. The title track is pretty danceable and that’s what an EP needs. It also is a melodic cut with a great balance between male and female vocals. The song “The Devil Made Me Do It” is the perfect illustration. Implant is a true sonic chameleon, always exploring new ideas and walking on new sonic paths. This song is a weird fusion between different genres, but in the end it simply works. Among the remixes I especially recommend the remix of “The Devil Made Me Do It” by Vuduvox.

– – – : Most of the remixes sound a bit uninspired; and that’s maybe of Implant’s complexity.

Conclusion: I’ve a double feeling with this EP; will it be totally representative to announce the new album or not? Implant however remains an ‘experience’!

Best songs: “Phantom Pain”, “The Devil Made Me Do It”, “The Devil Made Me Do It – Vuduvox mk1 Rmx”;

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.implant-music.be / www.facebook.com/Implantmusic

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

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

The cult Belgian electro act Implant breaks 3 years of silence with a surprising new EP announcing the release of their 11th studio album “Cognitive Dissonance” in early 2021. The EP holds 9 tracks offering 3 new compositions and remixes and is available for download on Bandcamp and also on other digital platforms.

Len: “With “Phantom Pain” Jan and I decided to bring the Implant ship to unexplored electro pop waters, plunging our upbeat electro industrial style into a melodic bath of catchy synth lines, addictive sequences and sensual backing female vocals by Helalyn Flowers’ frontwoman Noemi Aurora.”

This title track received the remix treatment by the band itself, and also by new Belgian upcoming electro act True Zebra and the French techno pop act People Theatre. Next to that the EP holds the exclusive non-album song “The Sinner Has Gone”. The third new track is the cyber industrial / dark elektro oriented “The Devil Made Me Do It”. The track was remixed by Implant themselves and French veteran Vuduvox (aka Buzz) and Pre:Emptive Strike 0.1.

You can check the EP below on Bandcamp and on all other platforms. A video will also be released in the next days.

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.

Background/Info: German duo Digital Energy last year struck back with their first album (cf. “Tempest”) in eleven years. I have to admit I wasn’t that impressed by the album. They now move back to the album with the “Nostalgia”-EP featuring mainly remixes.

Content: Digital Energy is one of those Synth-Pop bands clearly inspired by Depeche Mode. The global approach and some of the treatments are clearly emulating the masters of the genre. Five songs from the last album have been exposed to the remix skills of other artists while there also is a remix of a song from their debut album (cf. “Interemotional”) and one exclusive song.

Remixes have been accomplished by Rob Dust, Wave In Head, Croona, People Theatre, The Psychic Force, AD:Key and S.E.Pell. Notice by the way the band made some alternative edits of a few songs as well.

+ + + : There’s an interesting diversity of remixes thanks to the different artists. One of the best songs however is the exclusive “Take A Ride” revealing a club-orientated format; danceable and catchy Electro-Pop! Another club-friendly song is the remix of “Nostalgia” by People Theatre. In an EBM driven direction you’ll hear the AD:Key remix of “Trust”. Another attention grabber is the “Club Version” of “Unite!”, which sounds much more convincing than on the album. The last song, which is a remix of “Nostalgia / Disease” is an original work by S.E.Spell featuring bombastic treatments and the perfect final song for the EP.

– – – : I’m less convinced by the melancholic pieces/remixes, which are closer in the vein of the original edits. I also expected a bit more out of the remixes from Rob Dust who’s normally featuring great, clubby remixes.

Conclusion: This EP reconciles me a bit with Digital Energy, “Nostalgia” being much more exciting than the album.

Best songs: “Take A Ride”, “Nostalgia – People Theatre’s Mirror Mix”, “Trust – AD:Key Remix”, “Unite! – Club Version”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/digitalenergymusic

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

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: Dark-O-Matic duo was set up in 2017 by Greg Dovas and later on joined by singer Piero Delux. After a few singles Dark-O-Matic has released its debut album featuring ten songs plus four remixes (featured on the CD edit).

Content: I’m used to hearing electro-pop releases on the Russian label SkyQode. Dark-O-Matic is for sure a new formation dealing with good-old synth-pop music, but it’s only the basis of their work. The production has been something different, which sometimes reminds me of Moloko. The vocals have something charismatic while the music brings melancholic tunes.

Remixes were created by Unity One, Requiem4FM, People Theatre and Purple Fog Side.

+ + + : Globally speaking, this album features a well-crafted song production. The songs are accomplished and mixed with a clean, but great vocals’ production. The three previously released singles have been featured, but my favorite song is “All We Do Is Wait” featuring great sequences. Among the remixes I have to mention the great job done by Unity One and People Theatre both with a remix of “Zugzwang”. 

– – – : If you already know the previously released singles, the bonus part of the CD edit will be a little bit disappointing as the remixes are familiar ones, and the singles’ title songs unfortunately aren’t my favorite ones.

Conclusion: I can’t say this debut album left me unmoved, I am however missing a few elements in the global production to speak about a complete success.

Best songs: “All We Do Is Wait”, “Authentic?”, “Rather Be”, “Zugzwang – Unity One Remix”, “Zugzwang – People Theatre’s Drifting Remix”.

Rate: (6½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/wearedarkomatic

Label: http://skyqode.com / www.facebook.com/skyqode

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Out on April 17th is a remix album of Boytronic’s latetst studio effort “The Robot Treatment”. Named “The Robot Treatment – Remix Pack Piece Of Entertainment and Dancing Wild for You” the remixes were delivered by such bands as The Invincible Spirit, Ant People, Flemming Dalum, Leaether Strip, and Antoni Maiovvi.

Here’s the tracklist:

• You Can’t Get Fooled By Love – (Flemming Dalum Remix)
• She Gave Me Money – (Antoni Maiovvi Remix)
• No Sad Songs – (Oren Amram Club Remix)
• Venus Covers Mars – (Ant People Remix)
• Bark – People Theatre – (Eternity Mix)
• Smell Of Fire – (Antoni Maiovvi Remix)
• Under The Red – (Leaether Strip Remix)
• You Can’t Get Fooled By Love – (Antoni Maiovvi Remix)
• Wayward Sister – (The Invincible Spirit Remix)
• Venus Covers Mars – (Matt Mancid & Rename Mix)
• You Can’t Get Fooled By Love – (Neil Delta Extended Mix)
• She Gave Me Money – (Mindmodvl Extended Mix)
• All You Can Eat – (Ant People Remix)

If you want to see the band live at work, here are the first confirmed dates.

• 18.04 Golden Krone Darmstadt (DE) (LIVE PA)
• 31.05 WGT Leipzig (DE) (FULL SHOW)
• 31.10 Musikpark Halloween Party – Homburg (DE) (FULL SHOW)
• 14.11 Takt Bizzare Festival – Reutlingen (DE) (FULL SHOW)
• 21.11 Kulturbahnhof – Greifswald (DE) (LIVE PA)

More shows to be announced…

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, ambient-pop.

Background/Info: “Soul Searching” is the seventh official album for Belgian Yves Schelpe aka Psy’Aviah. The composer again invited an impressive list of ‘guest singers’ to put their voice on his compositions.

Content: Psy’Aviah is a project in constant move. “Soul Searching” features typical influences and arrangements, which are into the Psy’Aviah sound, but compared to the previous album –which was more into some dance-electronics, this work reflects maturity and impressive vocal performances. The opening cut featuring one of the most famous and ‘popular’ psychiatrists from the Flemish part of Belgium (aka Dirk De Wachter) you’ll also get songs with Roeland van der Velde, Mari Kattman, Mark Bebb, Alicia May, Kyoko Baertsoen, Saydi Driggers, Marieke Lightband, Addie Nicole, Lis van den Akker and Ellia Bisker.

Sound-wise Yves Schelpe has achieved a work, which sounds like a sonic bridge between electro-pop and ambient-electronics. It might appeal for lovers of Delerium, Conjure One, Lunascape and related bands.

The limited edition features an extra disc with remixes by SD-KRTR, Metroland, Rob Dust, 11 Grams, Mind.Divided, SNVFF, J. Wolf, The Gothsicles, Studio-X, Cosmic Armchair, Noire Antidote, Maarten Pels, Tom Bro, People Theatre, KGProject and French Skies. 

+ + + : Psy’Aviah is back with great stuff and has probably accomplished his most achieved work to date. After a rather disappointing “Lightflare”-album on which Yves Schelpe fall in the trap of easy electro-dance music, this work reflects a more intelligent approach and still a challenge in the fusion between electro-pop and atmospheric passages. The songs have been accomplished by alluring, deep sounding bass lines, elevating leads, down-tempo rhythms and a few Eastern sound treatments on a couple of songs. Yves Schelpe also selected an impressive list of talented singers (featuring some familiar Psy’Aviah guests next to newcomers).

One of my favorite cuts is the more club-friendly “New Times” feat. Alicia May (who already sang on a song of Benjamin’s Plague) while the already familiar “Voodoo Love” feat. Roeland van der Velde is a dreamy, beautiful piece of music. Among the vocalists I also want to mention Kyoko Baertsoen, Saydi Driggers and Ellia Bisker (reminding me of Lana Del Rey).

Among the remixes I recommend the 80s driven “Hold On” remixed by Metroland, “New Times” remixed by SNVFF, the wafting “Dream Fever” remixed by Tom Bro and the trance-orientated “Searching” remixed by French Skies.

– – – : The main difficulty for Psy’Aviah remains the style, which is hard to define for mixing different influences; it remains often too ‘indie’-like for underground music and too ‘dark’ for the indie-stream. It’s not exactly an album for the clubs although it sounds danceable!

Conclusion: Psy’Aviah has accomplished its opus magnum, which however remains an album hard to label and a pure challenge when it comes to ‘sales’.

Best songs: “New Times”, “Voodoo Love”, “Dream Fever”, “Searching”, “City In Flames” + “Hold On – Metroland 7” Remix”, “News Times – SNVFF Remix”, “Dream Fever – Tom Bro After Club Remix”, “Searching – French Skies Club Remix”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.psyaviah.com / www.facebook.com/psyaviah

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

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Out now via the fine label SkyQode is the debut album by Dark-o-matic, entitled “New Hope”. It consists of 10 tracks, including “Zugswang” (which is featured on “Face The Beat: Session 5”), “Make Me Blue” and “Authentic?”. A great band you need to discover pretty fast.

The album can be downloaded via various channels right here! Warmly recommended!

Dark-o-matic was started in 2017 by Greg Dovas who was later joined by vocalist Piero Delux. Enlisting the help of sound engineer and producer George Nerantzis, the duo started recording their music, best described as a cross between 80’s wave music and synthpop but with a darker edge to it. The CD version of the album features 4 bonus remixes by Unity One, Requiem4FM, People Theatre and Purple Fog Side.

You can listen to the album 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

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, dance-pop.

Background/Info: Four years have passed since the first chapter “Dare At Dawn”. French producer, composer, producer Peter Rainman strikes back with his solo-project People Theatre bringing us an EP with 8 songs and featuring guest artists.

Content: Among the guests you’ll find Henrik Iversen (NamNamBulu) singing on 2 songs, Operation Of the Sun, Tess Fries, K-Bereit, Krystyna Eller (Tristraum) and Steven Cochran (Eloquent, Royal Visionaries).

The music is quite diversified taking off with an instrumental intro to next experiment with dance-pop. Another cut is driven by EBM vibes while another sounds delicate and sensual-like.

+ + + : From a very personal point of view I have a preference for the most unusual song from the EP, which is the one composed together with K-Bereit and revealing an EMB style. I also enjoyed “Wandering” for the great duo vocals featuring Krystyna Eller and Steven Cochran. Sound-wise Peter Rainman also confirms his great writing- and producer skills. He has this talent to get a song down into a break, which progressively leads towards a pure sonic outburst. It has something transcendental and that’s what you can hear in a song like “Forever” featuring Henrik Iversen.

– – – : Some of the ‘dance-cuts’ have something pretty dance/commercial like, which is not my favorite part of the EP.

Conclusion: This new EP by People Theatre is more diversified than its predecessor, but clearly features several noticeable cuts. Time now for a full length album?!

Best songs: “Ultimate Meeting feat. K-Bereit”, “Wandering feat. Krystyna Eller & Steven Cochran”, “Forever feat. Henrik Iversen”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.people–theatre.com / www.facebook.com/peopletheatreofficial

Label: www.facebook.com/GoMProd /

www.facebook.com/FoundryRecordsUK

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Background/Info: Uncreated is a new Swedish solo-project set up by the singer of Vanguard Patrik Hansson. He released a few EP’s to announce the debut album “Eternal”.

Content: You for sure will rapidly recognize Hansson’s typical timbre of voice so comparisons with Vanguard will be unavoidable, but sound-wise Uncreated reveals a different approach. “Evolve” sounds closer to ‘typical’ electro-pop music although driven by a hard, danceable kick. The title song is melodic, danceable and featuring a chorus you’ll rapidly start to sing along. There also is an “Extended Remix” and a remix by People Theatre.

Other songs are “You Know Nothing”, which is also remixed by Rob Dust plus a remix of the song “In this World”. 

+ + + : Honestly, “Evolve” is a great and accomplished song! This is the kind of track you’ll spontaneously start to listen to again and again. It’s well-crafted, carried by a solid bass lines and an efficient melodic tune plus featuring great vocal lines. The “Extended Remix” is a welcome last track while the People Theatre remix is also a noticeable edit. And if “You Know Nothing” is a B-side cut I can assure you it’s a real great one as well. The remix of Rob Dust is also a highlight.

– – – : I don’t see any minus point here!

Conclusion: I can only say that I’m deeply impressed by this EP and especially its title track! This is great, danceable electro-pop!

Best songs: “Evolve”, “Evolve – Extended Remix”, “You Know Nothing – Rob Dust 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

Out now is “Zugzwang”, the first official single by the duo Dark-o-matic, which recently signed to the fine label SkyQode.

Dark-o-matic was founded by Greg Dovas in 2017. Greg had switched from progressive rock music to electronic music earlier with his other project Neonskylines which was basically instrumental synthwave. In an attempt to expand his experimentation, he decided to add vocals reaching a more synth-pop sound. That was the starting point of his collaboration with Piero Delux from the project Elsehow.

Enlisting the help of sound engineer and producer George Nerantzis, the duo started recording their new music best described as a cross between synthwave and modern synthpop but with a darker edge to it.

The single “Zugzwang” features four tracks including the title track “Zugzwang” as well as remixes by Unity One, People Theatre and N-616. With “Zugzwang”, Dark-o-matic has launched a rather attractive teaser for their upcoming debut album, due later this year. You can order the single right here or below via Bandcamp.

Here’s a video for the title track.

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

State of the Nation (a reference to the 1986 single by New Order) is back with a single and video for “Burden” from the recently released album “Mirage”. The single contains three tracks including two remixes. The first remix was made by People Theatre while the second was executed by The Real Dreamers.

The video for “Burden” was recorded in and around Malmö, Sweden.

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: Future-pop, electro-pop.

Background/Info: Solitary Experiments is a band I’m keeping an eye on since their very early years. The German formation became a recognized band dealing with electro/body-pop. “Future Tense” is their newest studio album, which was released 3 years after “Heavenly Symphony”.

Content: “Future Tense” is an interesting album title for featuring songs and a sound, which clearly bring us back to the past… This work isn’t retro-like, but seems to shout hard and loud that ‘future-pop’ is alive more than ever before. The album reveals a succession of great and carrying future-pop pieces, which will clearly appeal for the fans of VNV Nation and co. Sometimes a bit more dreamy-like, but mainly danceable, “Future Tense” is a noticeable album in its genre.

The second disc features remixes by ES23, Mental Discipline, Empirion, Binary Park, Freunde Der Technik, Mono Inc,  People Theatre, Rob Dust, L’Âme Immortelle, Beborn Beton, Paul Parra, Hartung & Schleinitz and Uniik.

+ + + : You immediately will notice the maturity of this band. They’ve accomplished a major album, which –even if doesn’t bring anything new, maybe is one of their best productions in history. It’s a melodic and danceable piece of work, but still a work filled with sensibility and emotions. There are several songs illustrating the talent of the band. I for sure can refer to the already know “Crash & Burn” (featuring female vocals by Tea F? Thimé from Ashbury Heights), but also “Brace Yourself!”, “Shelter”, “I Am”, the harder sounding “Double Dealer” and my personal favorite one “Every Time”.

Among the remixes I especially recommend the harder and darker sounding remix of “Double Dealer” by Empirion, but I also noticed cool contributions from Mental Discipline, Rob Dust, People Theatre, Paul Parra and a surprising acoustic remix by Mono Inc.

– – – : I don’t see real minor points although Solitary Experiments became a little bit predictable in their composition while a few songs are moving on the ‘commercial’ edge of dance music.

Conclusion: Solitary Experiments have already released great and noticeable productions, but I consider “Future Tense” as one of their best in history. Future-pop is alive and this album clearly symbolizes this fact.

Best songs: “Every Time”, “Brace Yourself!”, “Shelter”, “I Am”, “Crash & Burn”, “Double Dealer”  + “Double dealer – Empirion Remix”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.solitaryexperiments.de / www.facebook.com/solitaryexperiments

Label: www.outofline.de  / www.facebook.com/outoflinelabel

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

With “Come With Me” a new Vision Talk single is released. It’s the last song the band recorded during the lifetime of their keyboard player Krister Petersson. Besides many different and really interesting and innovative remixes by remixers like People Theatre, Oren Amram or uach Real Dreamers, “Lifeline” is also an unreleased Vision Talk title to enjoy.

Tracklisting:

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, dance-pop.

Background/Info: The sixth official studio album by Belgian Yves Schelpe aka Psy’Aviah appears to be a               very particular work for the artist. The writing of “Lightflare” helped him to exorcise personal demons, which are commonly known as ‘depression’ and ‘burn-out’. Just like on previous releases Schelpe joined hands with an army of female- and male singers.

Content: The singers who have contributed to this new work are Mari Kattman, Ellia Bisker, Marieke Lightband, Addie Nicole, MiXe1, Lofthill, Fallon Nieves, David Chamberlin, Phoebe Stone, Kyoko Baertsoen and Koner. The sound of Psy’Aviah has progressively evolved from underground electronics in the early beginning to electro-pop & dance eclecticism during the recent albums. It becomes rapidly clear that Yves Schelpe is more and more exploring the dance-pop style. Most of the singers are very talented artists that inject a sensual touch to the work while others bring a darker touch to the work.

The limited edition reveals a bonus disc with some extra songs and mainly remixes made by Rool, Sd-Krtr, People Theatre, Alter Future, Assemblage 23, Chaos All Stars, Cyborgdrive, Isserley and Jean-Marc Lederman.

+ + + : Diversity remains one of the main characteristics of this new work. It can be heard in the songs and of course the different vocalists. Yves Schelpe has a real nose to find the right singer for each of his songs. Sound-wise this album is the most ‘commercial’ one or should I say the most ‘dance-pop’ like. It sometimes reminds me a bit of Delerium, but my favorite cuts remain the darkest ones. The song “Reboot Reset Relay” sounds more in the continuation of earlier Psy’Aviah stuff reminding me the albums with singer Emélie Nicolaï. The sound production is absolutely impressive, which more than ever makes me say that Yves Schelpe is ready to switch from a mainly underground scene towards a more indie and commercial scene.

– – – : “Lightflare” is a technically overwhelming album coming from an artist who has lost ground with this scene. Psy’Aviah always has been a kind of antidote to dark-electronics, but he now become a true ‘alien’.

Conclusion: Yves Schelpe can be seen as a visionary artist of this scene; a kind of producer working with guest singers and exploring the most dance-like fields of electro-pop music. The question is if he still belongs to this scene? I’m rather skeptical about the answer however he released a cool work.

Best songs: “Reboot Reset Relay feat. Fallon Nieves”, “In The Sound feat. MiXe1”, “Ghost feat. David Chamberlin” + “Aftermath feat. Ellia Bisker – People Theatre Remix”, “Sound Of New feat. Addie Nicole – Sd-Krtr Remix”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.psyaviah.com / www.facebook.com/psyaviah

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

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Body-pop, electro-pop.

Background/Info: ImJudas is a solo-project set up and driven by Helalyn Flowers mastermind maXX. This is the first EP of the artist.

Content: The title song is a powerful electro-pop creation, which has been accomplished with some EBM influences plus a very own touch on top. The song is carried by a solid chorus. Remixes were done by People Theatre, AD:Key and Inertia. There also is a kind of B-side cut.

+ + + : ImJudas is not a copy of Helalyn Flowers, but a band with a very own approach, which explores the wider fields of electro-pop. It also is an exit for maXX to walk on more explicit electronic fields and that’s a genre he already masterfully experienced with on Helalyn Flowers. I like the title song, which is a muscled pop cut driven by a solid kick, a carrying chorus and cool vocals. Another interesting aspect of the EP is the choice of the remixers, each adding a different touch to the work. People Theatre did an amazing job transforming the original version into a more retro-like style with explicit strings. Ad:Key transposed the electro-pop style into EBM while Inertia added guitars coming closer to the Helalyn Flowers format.

– – – : The B-side cut is nothing more than a… B-side cut and didn’t really catch my attention.

Conclusion: “Tulpa” stands for a cool title song, some hot and sexy remixes and also a poorly inspired B-side track. I’m really wondering what the debut album of ImJudas will sound like!

Best songs: “Tulpa – People Theatre’s Tragedy Mix”, “Tulpa”, “Tulpa – AD:Key Mix”.

Rate: (7½).

Band: www.facebook.com/IMJUDASofficial

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

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

“Lightflare” is the title of the brand new upcoming album by the Belgian electro trip pop act Psy’Aviah. The album was written following a depression where Yves Schelpe literally hit the bottom, but luckily for us it transferred into a new release holding 14 tracks featuring an array of male and female vocalists.

Apart from the live vocalist Marieke Lightband, you’ll also find Ellia Bisker, Kyoko Bartsoen, Michael Evans (MiXE1), Koner, Mari Kattman, Fallon Nieves, David Chamberlin (Entrzelle), as well as the guitar parts signed by Jürgen Brischar of Junksista and by live member Ben van de Cruys.

You can already check out 2 tracks below, or pre-order the album on Bandcamp, you’ll get the 2 tracks as instant download.

The whole was mixed by Mitia Wexler, while the mastering was executed by Geert de Wilde (IC 434).

“Lightflare” comes out as a double-CD carton-fold limited edition with a bonus disc (available here) featuring 4 exclusive meditative / contemplative tracks inspired upon both triphop/ambient and more ethereal Indian and yoga philosophies and sounds. Next to this you get a collection of remixes by Assemblage 23, Jean-Marc Lederman, SD-KRTR, People Theatre and many more.

Below is the album video trailer.

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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After a series of compilation appearances and a cover of Front 242’s “Don’t Crash” on the “Recovery >For You<” tribute sampler, ImJudas, the solo-project by Helalyn Flowers’ maXX launches the debut-EP “Tulpa” which is available now from Bandcamp and in the next days from other download stores.

ImJudas brings dark electro-pop which is deeply rooted in the early 80’s New Wave movement and aesthetic and on the 5-track strong EP you’ll see People Theatre, INertia and AD:keY do a remake of the title track. Next to that there’s also the B-side “Without Us You Are Nothing”.

The self-titled debut album “Imjudas” will be coming out in 2018. For now enjoy the tracks below, or download them immediately from Bandcamp.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

Background/Info: Matt Springfield is a French artist inspired by different artists from the 90s. It’s not that usual that I decide to review an album that was originally released a few years ago, but sometimes you’ve got to give artists a little push. “Erase All Data” indeed was released in 2012 (!) on a so-called crowdfunded label so promotion and distribution is not always an easy thing.

Content: The main sources of inspiration clearly sound 80s-like. The main influence and basis of the work is driven by pop music. The guitar adds a rock touch on top resulting in a few solid rock-pop songs.

The synth parts are often melodic and sometimes moving on the edge of ‘commercial’ pop music. There also is an indie touch running through the songs. The final cut is a club-orientated remix by People Theatre, which remixed one of the main songs (and previously released as single) “Things I’ve Said”. Notice by the way there also is a video of “Things I’ve Said” as little bonus.

+ + + : I especially like the final part of the album revealing more indie-like songs, which reminds me a bit of Big Country for the guitar playing and an offspring between Mesh and The Nine for the great and carrying choruses. “Things I’ve Said” definitely is a great piece of music, but I also have to tip “Haunted” while the remix by People Theatre is a cool, danceable apotheosis. Matt Springfield is a talented singer with the right voice for pop music.

– – – : Some songs at the beginning are easy listening pieces, but they also sound a bit hesitant, just like a band in search of sound identity. These songs are missing the carrying choruses, which you’ll find back on the final cuts.

Conclusion: There are a few interesting ideas running through this album, which sounds refreshing. It’s a perfect symbiosis between 80s influences and a more contemporary production.

Best songs: “Things I’ve Said”, “Haunted”, “Things I’ve Said – People Theatre’s Monologue Mix”.

Rate: (7).

Band: www.facebook.com/MATT–SPRINGFIELD-115474775042

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

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Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Background/Info: Next to the ‘regular’ EP of “Brother” Metroland also released another EP with extra remixes. It’s a concept the Belgian duo adores and already did on nearly all previous EP’s. For “Brothers Remixes” they asked some ‘mates’ next to bands that were chosen from an organized ‘remix contest’.

Content: We first get a new mix called “Soul Mix”, which doesn’t exactly bring that much new although it remains a cool alternative version to the original one.

We next get remixes from rather unknown bands like Cyborgdrive (Spain) and Electrofachbetrieb (Germany). The only familiar and established name is People Theatre that also accomplished one of the best –and vintage sounding remixes of “Brother”.

+ + + : There’s a cool diversity between the different remixes. The more minimal-like remix of Diem Redux and the pretty 80s sounding one by Electrofachbetrieb both are my favorite ones next to the one by People Theatre.

– – – : This EP is clearly meant for the Metroland die-hard fans and lovers of remixes. Remixes can be cool, but they don’t really add an extra compared to the original version of “Brother”.

Conclusion: Metroland is sometimes a bit abusing remixes and that’s a pity especially as they have the creative spirit and talent to compose their own songs like the exclusive one featured on the ‘regular’ EP of “Brother”.

Best songs: “Brother – People Theatre’s Miserere Mix”.

Rate: (6½).

Band: www.metrolandmusic.com / www.facebook.com/metrolandmusic

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

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Peter Rainman is a name you for sure will have noticed as producer from numerous bands and productions or you might have discovered one of his great and danceable remixes. This French artist is a man from many

talents who got involved in multiple projects. This interview clearly reveals a passionate and busy electronic artist.

(by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: When did you get contaminated by the ‘electronic-music’ virus and what are your main influences and criteria you try to put in your own work as composer/producer?

Peter: Threee questions, then…. mh let me see…

I’ve always been fascinated by strange sounds. In the seventies / early eighties, only synths impressed me. I often went at a friend’s basement, he had two or three of these new machines, and I immediately loved them. They ‘talked’ to me… I knew my life would be made around them!

The second time I had such strong feeling about music was when I heard “Just Can’t Get Enough”. The production (aaaaah that kick!) the melody, the leather, everything was perfect and I said ‘that’s what I want to do’!! that’s what I MUST do!’ Vince Clarke is obviously the main influence. He has four albums on my top ten list… Later came the Pet Shop Boys and New Order to name a few.

I guess what touch me, then and nowadays, is the fact that a sound can influence your feelings, touch your very life. That’s what I’m trying to do with my works: making people dance, think, love, laugh or sometimes cry… For me, if the music has a soul, it’s a good stuff… If it’s just to make money, if it’s soulless or a copy from a copy from a copy, it’s useless…

Q: You’ve been involved in numerous bands and projects (People Theatre, Adan & Ilse, Waiting For Words ao). How do you look back at the different projects and what have been the main elements you’ll keep in mind?

Peter: The thing is those productions are clearly very precise in my mind. People Theatre is a synth-pop / future-pop act with a bit of the eighties. Waiting For Words is a band, and I share a lot of my life with the happy couple, it’s more than music, we play what we really feel deep inside. Therefore, the production goes from real instruments, guitars, sometimes organs, to very synthetic softwares. It’s a kind of diary, you know…

Adan & Ilse is a rather old story now, but I still work with Ushersan with pleasure. We set up a kind of laboratory to create sounds and atmospheres and it’s quite fascinating. Right now we are working on distortion for instance. We combine very old devices and little softwares, it’s very impressive. The other bands I work in are all about synth-pop music (Royal Visionnaries and two others that are still secret… huhu!). It’s always cool to work with other people, whatever the style, the distance… I love to learn!

Q: How would you define the ‘job’ of producer and what kind of producer are you?

Peter: Oh I’m a very cool one… hmm, wait, no, it depends! Lol! My inspiration comes from Brian Eno: to me, a producer is a kind of guru: I propose tips, devices or books, records, philosophy, but the band decides. They bring ideas or songs and I show them what is, according to me, not good. That’s 80% of the production I make. The 20% remaining is probably the most interesting but it takes more time: we start from zero and build the whole album together, including the concept, the ideas, the messages. We need to go deep down our personality. Then, I both am a technician and a guide. It’s totally different from making a remix, obviously.

Q: You’ve produced a lot of bands and productions. What have been the biggest ‘challenges’ and productions you’ve been really proud of?

Peter: I love very professional people because they know what they want, we work quickly. !distain are like that. But I also like working with band or artists I discover and tell them ‘look, you have a strong potential but I think you help to start. Trust me, we’ll go higher!’ In a way, Original Band are in this situation, as Nun (my very first production!) were. Waiting For Words are a bit ‘hey let’s try this, if it works, great! If it fails, well never mind, at least we tried!’ I’m also  proud of the work I make for myself, as People Theatre. I try something new on every song! You know, producing or remixing,  it’s never easy, every time is a new BIG challenge!

Q: Less bands are actually working with a producer because they think to have the material and knowledge to do it on their own. How do you see this trend?

Peter: Well they are right and wrong;  they know what kind of sound they want, but will they get it? It depends of the artist’s talent… and the material they have. On the other hand, we all need a look from outside, someone you can rely on and get rid of the big work like mixing or mastering. Even myself!

Q: What might we expect from you during the next few months? 

Peter: Well I’m working on the second EP, to follow my very first, “Dare At Dawn”, surrounded by the love the people send me after a gig or via internet. I’m working on Original Band’s first album, and few other artists like Christopher Anton or Black Egg. Waiting For Words will release a new single soon, probably in May. I’m also working on covers of the French cult band, Indochine, both for WFW and for People Theatre to feature on a Tribute (also to be released in May). The same month, I’ll sing as People Theatre in Lille, a showcase, and Waiting For Words will play live at the ISYNTH festival. We also just reactivated Splendor Projekt with Matt and JM few months ago. I also have very secret projects so the best thing you can do is checking my page on FB of course. Busy, you said? 🙂

Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, dance-pop.

Background/Info: Australian synth-pop sensation Parralox strikes back with a new EP revealing a new title song and the usual load of remixes. Several songs were originally released on the “Aeronaut”-album released during 2015.

Content: “Wildlife” is a happy electro-pop song featuring the familiar catchy and danceable elements of Parralox. The song has been remixed by 4 different artists and I here especially recommend the ultra-clubby sounding “Range Dub And Dance Mix” by People Theatre.

Among the other list of remixes I was mainly impressed by John Von Ahlen in person remixing “Somebody II” a great, danceable way as well. There’s another noticeable remix of “Somebody II”, which has been accomplished by Midnight Resistance. And here again we get a pretty cool dance-pop format.

This EP has been clearly made for the dancefloor and reveals multiple exciting dance cuts. A last one I’ll mention is the somewhat lounge-dance approach of “Do You Feel What I Feel” remixed by Talion Law.

+ + + : This EP is a pure club-minded work featuring some excellent dance-pop pieces.

– – – : Some of the remixes are maybe a little bit too ‘dance’-minded creating a hiatus with the original versions.

Conclusion: If you’re into danceable pop vibes you’re definitely going to like and enjoy the “Wildlife”-EP. This is great ‘Saturday Night Fever’!

Best songs: “Wildlife – People Theatre’s Range Dub And Dance Mix”, “Somebody II – Midnight Resistance Remix”, “Do You Feel What I Feel – The Talion Law Delight Mix”, “Somebody II – John Von Ahlen Remix”.

Rate: (8).

Band: www.parralox.com / www.facebook.com/parralox

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

Genre/Influences: Electro-metal, metal-pop.

Background/Info: Behind this new Hungarian band is hiding ‘Gunhead’ who was previously involved in Impact Pulse and Nothing Nada. After the split of those bands Gunhead was joined by a female singer and a guitarist to set up Gunmaker.

“Headmaker” is the debut album, which was already released a few months ago now.

Content: This band has less in common with the aforementioned formations of their creator. The songs are clearly driven by empowering guitar riffs, which are somewhere in between metal and gothic music. The electronic parts are much softer and even exploring realms of pop music, which is the only link with Nothing Nada.

The result is rough exposure of pop, which is unusual and raped by heavy guitar play. This is an antidote for classical electro-pop music although accomplished by efficient arrangements. The female vocals by Zsófi add some angelic grace to this album.

The work features 8 songs plus 5 noticeable remixes. Gunmaker made an outstanding selection asking great producers and I here especially have to mention People Theatre and Rob Dust bringing the sound into great dance-pop music. I also have to mention a harder, but excellent remix by Dolls Of Pain.

+ + + : “Headmaker” is a pleasant debut featuring a surprising, but exciting mix of electro-pop and metal-guitar music. There are a few noteable remixes at the end of the album.

– – – : I always feel a bit sorry for a band when some of the remixes made by other formations are better than the original songs and that’s exactly what this album is all about. The potential hits have been accomplished by other bands instead of Gunmaker.

Conclusion: This is a new formation showing interesting ideas, which have been transformed into gold with the remixes by People Theatre and Rob Dust.

Best songs: “Love Me – Rob Dust Remix”, “No Chance – People Theatre Remix”, “Shiny Stars”, “No Chance – Dolls Of Pain’s Nicht Unterkriegen Mix”.

Rate: (7).

Band: www.facebook.com/Gunmaker-474227946012195

Label: www.advoxya–records.com / www.facebook.com/pages/Advoxya–Records/265765706059

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: electro-pop.

Background/Info: Behind People Theatre is hiding French producer and artist Pater Rainman. He made numerous remixes for famous bands and got active as a producer while he was also involved in several bands like Waiting For Words and more recently Adan & Ilse.

I also discovered People Theatre by some collaboration EP’s together with Yasmin Gate and later on with Die Puppe.

Content: “Acte I: Dare At Dawn” reveals some of the artist’s main sources of inspiration getting us back to a great, retro sound of the 80s mixed with elements of electro-pop music. The songs are somewhere in between vintage electro-pop and a touch of electroclash music. The sound is a bit into darkness, but quite accessible through a vague groovy dance element and some irresistible synth leads.

The song “Again” (together with Waiting For Words) is one of the strongest components of this record. I also have to tip “Runaway”.

The vocals are sometimes a bit like having a subordinate role although it’s an essential part of the work and I especially like the somewhat half-spoken format.

+ + + : The total production is masterly accomplished, revealing a fascinating and diverse electro-pop format carried by cool vintage elements.

– – – : I can’t get away from the idea that I expected more out of this EP. Peter Rainman is a renowned and talented artist, but I don’t have the feeling there’s a ‘hit’ hiding in the track list.

Conclusion: I’m often disappointed when my expectations are too high and that’s a bit what I experienced again with this EP. At the other side it’s just a ‘first act’ and I’m convinced that the best is yet to come!

Best songs: “Runaway”, “Again”, “Maybe”.

Rate: (7).

Band: www.people–theatre.com / www.facebook.com/peopletheatreofficial

Label: www.facebook.com/GoMProd

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Out now is the debut EP for People Theatre, the project by Peter Rainman you might know from other projects like Waiting for Words / Kick Burst. The People Theatre EP “Acte 1 : Dare At Dawn” holds 8 tracks including “Again” featuring additional vocals by Soe V from Waiting For Words.

The EP comes after hundreds of remixes and production work for bands such as IAMX, Nitzer Ebb, Namnambulu, Apoptygma Berzerk,…. The EP holds tracks that cover various styles, from synthpop to futurepop music, with an 80s touch.

2 more People Theatre EPs are on the way for 2016, with a lot of collaborations so the band says. You can buy the EPCD / download the EP 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