Genre/Influences: Experimental, Industrial, electro, Noise.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: German sound alchemist Philipp Münch strikes back with a new album under his own name. The work is inspired by the quest for new rituals in times where people are more and more turning their back to rites.

Content: This is probably one of the most diversified works I’ve heard by this artist. It feels a bit like he brought the wide sonic canvas from all his different projects together. From electro-Industrial music driven by a Technoid kick to Experimental and Cinematic music he also touches ground with EBM with haunting vocals on top while getting back to the early years of Experimental/Industrial music. The album comes to an end with Noise waves.

+ + + : You’ll for sure find one or more tracks to your taste; this album being very diversified and collecting an impressive number of influences. It clearly indicates Philipp Münch is and remains an open-minded musician who also feels comfortable dealing with different music genres. Whatever the music path he walks on he remains driven by the taste of creating great sound sculptures. “Still Angry” is one of my favorite cuts for reminding me of Throbbing Gristle elements which have been meticulously adapted into modernism featuring a Techno kick and Acid-like influences.

– – – : The main strength of this work also is its weakest point; a very versatile opus which sometimes sounds like a compilation instead of a compact album made by one and the same author.

Conclusion: Philipp Münch remains first of all a true sonic guru.

Best songs: “Still Angry”, “Violently Psychotic”, “Crystal In A Well”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/philippmuench.de

Label: www.ant-zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official

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: Minimal-Electro, Industrial-Wave.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Creativity has no limits for German duo Synapscape. After having released a great new full length (cf. “The Stable Mind”) Philipp Münch – Tim Kniep are already back on track unleashing four new songs.

Content: This EP is an interesting experiment and is a step forward in the long career of the project. The familiar Minimal/Electro-Wave sound has been mixed with harder Industrial sound treatments and Acid passages. The vocals inject a ghost-like effect on top.

+ + + : The songs are made of retro elements like 80s/Wave-Electronics, Industrial sounds and Acid (which also brought us back to the late 80s) and yet Synapscape never sounds that refreshing. I think it’s all in the mix of influences and the way they bring it together in a flexible approach. “Instructed To Run” is an absolute masterpiece and the perfect exposure of their creative mindset.

– – – : Only the last track “Of Facts And Circumstances” sounds like the less convincing one; kind of B-side song next to 3 smashers.

Conclusion: Synapscape is recycling retro-influences to create new sonic paths.

Best songs: “Instructed To Run”, “Peyote Calls”, “Face On”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.synapscape.org / www.facebook.com/synapscape

Label: www.ant-zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official

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-Wave, Minimal-Electro, EBM.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: The Rorschach Garden is the Electro-Wave project driven for more than thirty years now by Philipp Münch. His newest opus features nine songs.

Content: “Stealth Black” is an album without true surprises, but bringing the 80s spirit of early electro-Wave and Minimal-Electro alive. Most of the songs have a danceable feeling and are carried by pure retro sound treatments. I also noticed a few ‘harder’ cuts carried by solid bass lines and EBM influences.

+ + + : This production is pure magic and that’s mainly because of the analogue sound treatments and effects. It creates a sound, which isn’t comparable with ‘average’ Electro-Pop formations. This is an authentic and powerful sound, which also comes back in the bass lines. This album is no surprise if you know The Rorschach Garden and yet it remains a fascinating production with vocals on top.

– – – : The ‘softest’ parts of the album -like “Blind Passenger” aren’t exactly the best exponents.

Conclusion: A great retro-Electro mix, which remains the trademark of this German project.

Best songs: “Stealth Black”, “Pour Le Progrès Et Le Future”, “The Process”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/TheRorschachGarden

Label: www.ant-zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official

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: Industrial, Minimal-Electro, EBM.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: German duo  Philipp Münch – Tim Kniep strikes back with a new album of their beloved Synapscape sonic brainchild. They accomplished ten new cuts.  

Content: Synapscape have experimented with an endless list of influences during their career. This album sounds a bit as summarizing this impressive career. The work became a melting pot between EBM, Industrial, Minimal-Electro/EBM and Experimental music. Some passages have been mixed with Acid sequences. You’ll notice vocals with harsh vocals next to instrumental cuts.

+ + + : The common thread between the diversified tracklist of this work is the global sound intelligence. Synapscape transforms genres like EBM and Industrial into a very own thing. It feels like they’ve put all these influences and styles into a personal sonic mould. Some passages remind me a bit of the EBM-style of Portion Control, but with this little extra Synapscape touch on top. The harsh, shouting, vocals inject extra power, but are totally matching with the sound.

– – – : The first half of the work is absolutely great, featuring a succession of brilliant songs while the second part is less punchy.

Conclusion: I’m not saying Synapscape caught me off guard, but each new album definitely features cool surprises. The creative mind of this duo has no limits and is the perfect equivalent of their talent.

Best songs: “Wastelands”, “Revive”, “Talk To Your Crow”, “Listen”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.synapscape.org / www.facebook.com/synapscape

Label: www.ant-zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official

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: Minimal-Electro, Experimental, EBM, Industrial-Techno.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: This album is the third production resulting from the common efforts between the duo  Brien Hindman – Philipp Münch. This new work is their first album released on Ant-Zen which is a familiar label for the different projects of Philipp Münch. It’s a conceptual work dealing with ‘the more fake news and misinformation is on the rise, the more there is the need to re-establish humanity’s faith in science.’

Content: Behind the concept hides a diversified Electronic composition which is clearly getting us back to the 80s for the irresistible vintage sound treatments and global minimalistic approach. But the work also deals with other influences like EBM and Industrial but also Techno-Trance driven passages. The tracklist is a mix of instrumental- and sung songs.

+ + + : What I mainly like in this work is the creative approach of the composition. It has an explicit vintage approach with a very own and contemporary touch on top. The songs are also varied but creating a coherent entity. I recommend listening to “Future Wasteland” for the intelligent fusion between EBM and Industrial minimalism. This song perfectly illustrates why this album is ‘creative’. I also have to mention the powerful and definitely 80s connected “Watson And Crick”. And in a different genre you’ll notice the more Techno oriented “Nils Bohr”.

– – – : The work sounds maybe a bit versatile but I don’t have any problem with that.

Conclusion: Colony Collapse Disorder strikes back with fully accomplished retro-driven production which sounds however refreshing.

Best songs: “Future Wasteland”, “Watson And Crick”, “Nils Bohr”, “Heat”, “Recombined DNA”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/Colony-Collapse-Disorder-175726989143001

Label: www.ant-zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official

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 Rorschach Garden can be seen as an ‘old’ project. Set up in 1988 by Philipp Münch (Synapscape, Ars Moriendi, Mandelbrot, Rasputin ao) and joined throughout the years by different extra members, The Rorschach Garden has been also put on hold and next reactivated. Philipp Münch remains the single member on board. He this year released a new opus “We Are Vanishing” (Ant-Zen), which is a new exploration of retro-Electronics, getting us back to the golden years of Electro/Minimal-Wave music. I’d a chat with this prolific and talented artist.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: The Rorschach Garden was originally set up in the late 80s. Several members joined in and left, the project was put on hold and reactivated. Can we speak about a turbulent history and how do you see The Rorschach Garden ano 2021?

Philipp: I would not speak about a turbulent history. Most of the time I was inspired and willing to do The Rorschach Garden, but there were times when there was nothing to say or to sing or other music was more important to me. So I announced the end of the project two or three times since I have no masterplan and most things are going to happen.
That was similar with my co- members. We had a good time doing this together, but after a while it was time to move on.

So in 2021 The Rorschach Garden is 33 years old. I do not need anything to prove anymore. If I’m inspired it’s a lot of joy to do this kind of music.

Q: Philipp, you’ve been involved with an endless list of bands/projects, but I always considered The Rorschach Garden  as something different. What does it mean to you and what makes the difference between this project and all the others?

Philipp: The Rorschach Garden always was and still is my musical diary. A blend of everything I notice and feel, of course in my own weird view. It is like a never ending journey. The longing to arrive is always there and gives it a bittersweet melancholic blend.

Also as a person I remain unfinished. I still oscillate between different states like young, old, male, female, tired, awake and so on. This is reflected in my music.

Q: Let’s talk about the new album “We Are Vanishing”. What did you try to express by the title and what kind of album did you want to accomplish sound-wise?

Philipp: The title is about my fascination for Autumn. I love falling leaves and the smell of rotting organics. Strong fog when everything is blurring engages my imagination. Yes, you can consider me as a romantic and of course I agree with gothic clichés. Back in the 80s I was a New-Wave guy. I still have this in my heart.
Originally this album was supposed to be released somewhere else, but we never really got into a proper way of communication. So I cancelled this when Stefan Alt (Ant-Zen) who also did the artwork, invited me to do it on his label. A vinyl edition would have been too much, so we made a CD album with 4 additional songs which were not on the original album.
Sure you hear my way of New-Wave/Synth-Pop. Some songs are a bit more modern, others very typical. I want it that way and since I’m not bound to success, why should I change this?

Q: How much of the early The Rorschach Garden do you still recognize in “We Are Vanishing” and how do you analyze the evolution of the project –versus your own evolution as musician/artist, throughout the years?

Philipp: In the early days The Rorschach Garden was not bound to New-Wave and Synth-Pop. I also did this, but also a lot of Experimental stuff. Also when I met friends to record some music, The Rorschach Garden was still my vehicle for things I wanted to do on my own. Since my Experimental strains got a home elsewhere, the song oriented styles remained. And yes, there is still something in it you also can find in my early times. Maybe I’m not that desperate anymore…

Q: I noticed more and more artists are getting back to the 80s, using analogue equipment/sounds to compose their music while even famous artists are again releasing their work on cassette format. What do you think about it all and how do you look back at this unique decade when it comes to music and the evolution of Electronic music?

Philipp: It’s good to see young people doing this in their way. The 80s were an intense decade with all the coldness, fear and paranoia. The end of the cold war, the fall of the iron curtain led to the 90s spirit of limitless freedom and life as an ongoing party. It was nice indeed, but those times are gone.
Also today we are aware of eminent major threads and we need to get along with it. So it is a plausible way to express feelings and emotions.

Analog equipment is very handy and I like it a lot, although I record my music into a DAW because it gives me flexibility and total recall. I would not swap that with a 4-track cassette recorder. It astounds me that people are paying insane prices for those. But it’s totally ok.
You can also have all those reissued or cloned analog synths. It never was that easy to dive into this kind of sound. Happy times.

Q: The ongoing pandemic and especially the quarantine has been inspiring and a very prolific period for a lot of artists. What has been the impact on your own work and activities? What did it change for you as musician and human being?

Philipp: It’s still difficult to play some shows and I’m happy to say ‘I had my times’. It is about time to respect the young generation and give the stage to them. I’m not in an urgent need to play on stage. Music will always be important to me like breathing or sleeping.I still feel a bit uncomfortable when I see crowds but I’m also happy to meet friends again. We will see where this all is leading to. Thank you for your questions!

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-Wave, Minimal-Electro.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Originally set up in 1988 by Philipp Münch and disabandoned in 1996, The Rorschach Garden was reactivated twenty years ago now. Münch is one of the most prolific artists from this scene I know; he has been involved with a countless number of projects (Synapscape being probably his most famous one) and now already strikes back with a new The Rorschach Garden album.

Content: The album features 14 songs, which sound in the classical retro-Electro line of the project. The easy recognizable analogue sound treatments bring the 80s Electro-Wave spirit back to life. The artist reminds us that he belongs to this legendary decade of early electronic music. Mixing a few EBM elements with mainly Electro-Wave/Pop, the songs mix danceable passages with pure space-atmospheres. The songs have been sung in English.

+ + + : I remain an absolute lover of good-old analogue sound treatments. Even if these sounds are pure old-school driven it always sounds magic because of the unique sound. And The Rorschach Garden has always been devoted to the good-old 80s spirit although it never has been an emulation. It remains a refreshing experience in sound although a bit cold and sterile, but enlightening. The album also reveals a few sonic pearls like the ‘harder’ “Concrete City Concrete Walls”, the soft “The Great Fog” and cold, danceable and melodic “Rattlesnake”, which clearly sounds like a potential hit.

– – – : The tracks are somewhat similar while this is not the most recommended album from this project, but in the end The Rorschach Garden will never disappoint you.

Conclusion: A cool retro-Electro sensation.

Best songs: “Rattlesnake”, “Concrete City Concrete Walls”, “The Great Fog”, “Things I Always Wanted To Do”, “A Means To A Start”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/TheRorschachGarden

Label: www.ant-zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official

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-Wave, Minimal-Electro.

Format: Digital, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Active since the late 80s, The Rorschach Garden always remained inspired and driven by good-old Electro-Wave. This EP features three ‘older’ songs plus an exclusive cut.

Content: The EP takes off with “Dangerous Strangers” originally released in 2008 at the compilation “20th Anniversary Gift” and perfectly symbolizing the sound of Philipp Münch. This is pure vintage Electro, which sounds sterile, but melodic. The vocals inject a warmer touch to the production. “Isolation” originally released in 2007 on the album “The Toy Factory” is a similar cut and another dancefloor track for 80s lovers. Both songs left –including the previously unreleased “Sometimes”, are shorter cuts.

+ + + : The EP doesn’t feature that much new material, but will be for sure become a collector’s item for Rorschach Garden fans. The sound remains refreshing, and especially authentic; no tricks and that much effects here, but simply the power and magic of analogue gear creating unique sound treatments. I like the mix of coldness and melodic tunes.

– – – : The single new cut “Sometimes” is nothing more than simply a B-side cut. It’s not exactly a bonus to this EP.

Conclusion: “Dangerous Isolation Site” reminds us of the magic of this old-school devoted Electro-Wave project.

Best songs: “Dangerous Strangers”, “Isolation”, “Holiday Site”.

Rate: 7½. 

Artist: www.facebook.com/TheRorschachGarden

Label: www.ant-zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official

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: Industrial, Trance, EBM, Experimental, Minimal-Electro.

Format: Digital, Cassette.

Background/Info: Philipp Münch –known from so many bands and projects, moves on the recipe he already had been experimented with earlier this year released EP “Über Leben 3” on, which he reworked old songs from his old project Ars Moriendi. This album and its title speak for itself, the artist revisiting twelve songs from Ars Moriendi. The project was set up in the late 80s and mainly active during the 90s.

Content: Philipp Münch doesn’t simply recover the songs from dust by doing a new mastering; he simply reworked and revisited the old songs into a very own approach. This approach is a bit comparable to the influences revealed at the new Synapscape album. It’s a mix of Electronic influences; from Industrial to Trance to EBM to pure Electronic minimalism. Some songs are clearly evoking the early 80s and a band as Throbbing Gristle comes into mind when discovering “Stimulation”. Other cuts are more into heavy Industrial outbursts, sometimes becoming pretty Trance-driven. Both debut songs are there to illustrate this heavy sound. “Splatter Me!” and “Meiner Selbst” both will appeal to open-minded EBM lovers.

+ + + : I think it must be a true challenge revisiting old songs from a project you’re no longer involved with by transposing them into something different. Philipp Münch fully succeeded in his goal and just as on the new Synapscape-work I’m totally conquered by the artist’s way of working; mixing styles and just following his own intuition. But the songs also reveal impressive sound treatments. It’s an overwhelming production that mainly comes through at the beginning. “Bewegung” and “Deeper Trance” both are phenomenal pieces of modern Industrial music. “Stimulation” sounds like a wink to early 80s stuff, keeping the original spirit of the song alive. And even the EBM approach shown at “Splatter Me!” and “Meiner Selbst” stands for sound intelligence.

– – – : There’re a very few pieces that can’t fully convince me, but globally speaking it’s just a detail when listening to this great piece of music.

Conclusion: “Plays Ars Moriendi” is a great and creative ode to the memory of Ars Moriendi while confirming the genius of Philipp Münch. This album has something schizophrenic, but it sounds better than any kind of madness…

Best songs: “Stimulation”, “Bewegung”, “Deeper Trance”, “Splatter Me!”, “Meiner Selbst”, “Armageddon”.

Rate: (9).

Artist: www.facebook.com/philippmuench.de

Label: www.ant-zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official

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: Industrial, Minimal-Electronics, EBM, Technoid.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Philipp Münch and Tim Kniep are back on track unleashing a new album. The German duo is now active for more than twenty five years and became a true reference at the wider fields of Industrial music.

Content: Synapscape has already experimented with multiple influences. Therefore you can’t say they belong to one specific genre rather than being a sonic hybrid. This new work is the ultimate confirmation; taking off with pure Acid sequences to move on with harsh Electro-Industrial sound treatments to next walk at Experimental paths to some EBM to Techno-driven passages to pure Electronic minimalism and finally getting back to Acid.

The album features 9 songs plus 4 remixes by Cervello Elettronico, Imperial Black Unit, Hypnoskull and Orphx.

+ + + : The previous album “Still” on, which Synapscape reworked earlier songs into a refreshing and modern approach already was a great surprise, revealing the band’s diversity and eclecticism. This totally new work moves a step further, the influences becoming hard to tell, but the result left me breathless. There’s no stop on this project’s creativity. They’re mixing influences together like a master cook preparing a meal with the finest spices. There’s not one single song to throw away, but I’ve a preference for the minimal-sounding “Uprise” and the somewhat EBM-driven “It Ain’t Right”. The songs stand for a great sound production. A great band can be only remixed by great names and the list is impressive! My favorite remix is the one by Cervello Elettronico, which sounds like a sonic climax between Minimalism and Techno.

– – – : I can’t say there’s a true minus with this work, but I just will mention the more experimental driven “Confessions”, which is the single track that left me unmoved.

Conclusion: Synapscape moves on exploring new sonic grounds and mixing genres together. This band is constantly reinventing its sound and yet holding on a very proper and easily recognizable sound DNA.

Best songs: “Uprise”, “It Ain’t Right”, “A Crack”, “Dirty Deal”, “Triturate”, “The Claw – Cervello Elettronico Remix”, “Uprising Confessions – Orphx Remix”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.synapscape.org / www.facebook.com/synapscape

Label: www.ant-zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official

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: Industrial-techno, rhythmic -noise. 

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: The last Synapscape album (cf. “Still”) was already released nearly two years now ago. Philipp Münch and Tim Kniep are back on track unleashing four new cuts of their Synapscape project.

Content: Synapscape explores the harder fields of techno music while holding on to good-old industrial elements. They mixed it all with acid sequences, which are mainly emerging at the surface of the opening cut. Two tracks are featuring harsh vocal parts by Tim Kniep, which are perfectly matching with this kind of production –although not many artists are using vocals when it comes to industrial-techno.

+ + + : When I hear a project like Synapscape, which is already active for more than a quarter Century experimenting with new styles or simply transposing existing genres into a very personal adaptation, I can only, but express my respect. The way they bring industrial (and rhythmic-noise) together with hard-techno and acid music is absolutely phenomenal. But it’s more than simply a fusion between different genres, it also becomes a fully styled, intelligent and accomplished production. The vocals are also adding a nice little extra on top of two songs.

– – – : When I hear such a brilliant production featuring only 4 cuts I can only regret it’s not a full length album. But who knows, this is maybe a teaser for a greater work?!

Conclusion: Synapscape has experimented with different influences during the past twenty five years and they’re clearly not ready to stop with this sonic voyage. “A Mutual Disagreement” is a terrific industrial-techno release!

Best songs: “They’ll All Be Gone”, “What Are We Doing”, “Related Belief”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.synapscape.org / www.facebook.com/synapscape

Label: www.ant-zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official

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-industrial.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Philipp Münch has been involved with an endless number of projects. From Ars Moriendi to Mandelbrot to Rasputin to The Rorschach Garden to Synapscape I here only enumerate some of his most famous projects. “Über Leben 3” sees the artist getting back to some 90s stuff; songs that were originally composed by Ars Moriendi, The Rorschach Garden and  Moata Omen got reworked by Phillipp Münch.

Content: The first track “Erste Liebe Neu” was originally composed by the Ars Moriendi gang and reworked by Münch into an electro-industrial approach featuring harsh, spooky vocals. The song is filled with an impressive number of noises and analogue sweeps. The 3 cuts left were originally written by The Rorschach Garden –while one was together with Moata Omen. As The Rorschach Garden was Philipp’s solo-project you in a way can say he remixed the original songs or simply reworked them in a different approach. It remains pretty industrial-like, but still darker than the original versions.

+ + + : I think this EP rather sounds as a production achieved during the lockdown, the artist revisiting some of his early compositions. But Philipp Münch also confirmed his natural talent to switch from one genre till another. He feels comfortable dealing with different projects and very different music styles. The way he reworked “The Drowning” has something visionary, but I also can mention the other Rorschach Garden track “No Story (Not At All)”, which is really sophisticated and yet pretty accessible. 

– – – : All I can say is that I personally prefer the original edits from The Rorschach Garden, but I’ve always been a huge fan of this retro-like project. The work doesn’t really bring anything new, but it’s fun!

Conclusion: When a prolific artist simply reworks some of his very own compositions, you get “Über Leben 3”. This is a cool intermezzo for more work by this musician.

Best songs: “No Story (Not At All)”, “The Drowning”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/philippmuench.de

Label: www.ant-zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Experimental, noise, abstract, industrial.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: There’s less info available about this record. Kaffee Und Kuchen is a Polish noise project, which has performed at some famous industrial festivals such as “Maschinenfest”. This work features 21 songs, but is it all about collaborations with other artists? Remixes? Live takes? Mystery!

Content: The work features 21 songs and a nice selection of artists such as Philipp Münch, Graubrot, Carsten Vollmer, Hypnoskull, Emerge, Beinhaus ao plus Kaffe Und Kuchen. The influences are quite diversified, but the abstract-, experimental- and noise genres are mainly featured.

+ + + : The concept and cover of this work both are intriguing. Sound-wise I’m more into the industrial-like tracks and I again was impressed by the retro-industrial style of Beinhaus. Philipp Münch’s minimal-experimental electro-like cut is also worthy of examination. One of the most surprising and unique cuts of the album is the one by Graubrot, which has something industrial hip-hop like. Gehirn.Implosion might get the award of most original project for their kind of noise-techno contribution. Hypnoskull still stands for exciting industrial sounds. I also noticed a cool rhythmic-noise track by Kaffee Und Kuchen.

– – – : This is extreme music for a very restricted number of music lovers, but the good thing about it, is the diversity.

Conclusion: Some releases have something enigmatic and that’s precisely what I experienced listening to “Sahnestücke”, but it will for sure appeal for visitors of “Maschinenfest”.

Best artists: Beinhaus, Philipp Münch, Graubrot, Hypnoskull, Gehirn.Implosion, Kaffee Und Kuchen.

Rate: (6).

Artist: www.facebook.com/KaffeeundKuchenNOISE

Label: http://krater.audiophob.de /

www.facebook.com/KraterRecordings

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: Industrial, experimental, industrial-EBM.

Background/Info: Synapscape this year celebrates its 25th anniversary. Set up and driven by Tim Kniep and Philipp Münch the duo decided to rework tracks that were originally released in between 1994 and 1999. These tracks originally appeared on “Synapscape” (1995), “Rage” (1997), “So What” (1999), but also on the single “Helix / Merging” (1997).

 Content: If you know the original versions, which clearly deal with an electro-ambient side, you really will be surprised discovering the content of “Still”. The songs have been transposed into a heavy and ultra-danceable fusion between IDM, industrial EBM (which sometimes even reminds me to early Revolting Cocks) and techno. The work also features harsh vocals creating a great match with the music.

+ + + : “Still” is so much more than a poorly inspired ‘best of’ album. This work brings old songs back alive, but especially giving them another dimension. It also reveals the evolution in sound and influences from the German duo. “Still” is an intelligent production and in a way it also has something visionary. It’s not that common a band reinvent its own sound by a total rework of early tracks. “Still” also stands for a modern blend of electronic styles. Last, but not least I also like the effect on the vocals production.

– – – : I can imagine this album also is a kind of challenge. Some fans will maybe get shocked discovering the new edit of early songs.

Conclusion: Recycling is also true in music business and “Still” clearly reveals old tracks that have been totally reworked and transposed into a modern and exciting format. A class-act!

Best songs: “No Fright”, “Helix”, “Rage”, “Dream”, “I Want To”, “No Sin”.

Rate: (9).

Artist: www.synapscape.org / www.facebook.com/synapscape

Label: www.ant-zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official

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: Industrial, IDM, experimental, industrial-rave.

Background/Info: It took 4 years time for Julien Sylvgheist to unleash the fourth full length of his Sylvgheist Maëlström project. I’ll always remember his debut work “Lahar” released in 2010 on Connexion Bizarre, which was a masterpiece of industrial sound intelligence. The next two albums released on Hands confirmed the impressive skills of this French musician.

Both last cuts are featuring collaborations; first with Moogulator and next Philipp Münch.

Content: “Norillag” again is nothing less than a masterpiece. The eclecticism of the artist mixed with his nose to create unique sound treatments is absolutely impressive. He brings music styles together, which will appeal for lovers of progressive industrial music. There’s a fusion between industrial and techno, which resulted in pure trance passages. The electro-minimalism is another main characteristic of this work.

+ + + : The main characteristic of sound wizards is the fusion between intelligent music writing and magic sound manipulations. That’s precisely the trademark of Julien Sylvgheist who once more confirms to be a visionary musician. There’s a subtle approach in the composition and that’s something really particular for an industrial artist. But this project moves much further than simply industrial; it’s a sonic osmosis between different dark related music genres and the hypnotic sensation of trance music. Both opening cuts are absolutely outstanding. I also have to mention “Insanity, which is a brilliant collaboration with Philipp Münch.

– – – : There are several great songs featured at “Norillag”, but unfortunately also a few less inspired tracks. But in the end you don’t hear me to complain.

Conclusion: Sylvgheist Maëlström sometimes sounds as a look into the future of industrial music, but I realize this future has already begun since 2010! That’s probably what we call visionary artists!

Best songs: “Svalbard 290915”, “Trnasition 1 160115”, “Transition 3 Husavik 070115”, “Insanity feat. Philipp Münch”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/Sylvgheist–maëlström-181257448571910

Label: www.handsproductions.com / www.facebook.com/hands.official

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: Dark-ambient, industrial, experimental.

Background/Info: Philipp Münch is one of those sonic enigmas to me. The German artist has been involved with such an endless number of bands/projects while he also started a prolific solo-career under his own name for a couple of years. He has dealt with multiple music styles he became somewhat unpredictable.

Content: This new opus takes off a rather dark and somewhat vintage-style, but rapidly moves towards dark, tormented and somewhat industrial-like sound treatments. Philipp Münch again brings different influences together, creating an imaginary sonic patchwork between ambient-, industrial-, experimental-, technoid- and cinematographic music. Some cuts remind me a bit of the darkest electronics of The Klinik with some extra industrial flavor on top. But other parts are moving into techno/acid experimentation while the last track is even more IDM-like.

+ + + : Philipp Münch is a long-time renowned and highly considered sound genius, which is already confirmed on “Greyscale”. He has a nose to create intelligent music compositions with a great vintage (analogue) touch. “Greyscale” sometimes sounds a bit like the offspring between different projects Philipp got involved with. It first of all remains a dark productions also characterized by German vocals. I like the ‘klinikal’ touch supporting the great “Tier” but also the pure industrial-like “Fangs”. The best cuts are right at the final part of the album and I here especially want to tip the techno-acid minded title track plus the more sophisticated “Keine Tränen”.

– – – : I don’t have real minus points to mention. This album reveals a succession of great and diversified cuts. So I can imagine the diversity and especially some of the featured influences will maybe not ravish all listeners.

Conclusion: Philipp Münch confirms his talent as musician, but most of all his sonic eclecticism making him one of the most unpredictable musicians from the industrial scene.

Best songs: “Greyscale”, “Keine Tränen”, “Alter Ego”, “Fangs”, “Nichts Dringt Mehr Durch”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/philippmuench.de

Label: www.ant–zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official

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-ambient, rhythmic-ambient, cinematographic.

Background/Info: Brien Hindman  is an artist involved with video creation (having made clips for bands such as Asche, Morgenstern, Synapscape, Monokrom, Mandelbrot) and music composition. Together with Philipp Münch he released an album under the Colony Collapse Disorder while he also collaborated with a few other artists. Brien Hindman has now accomplished his debut solo-work revealing 6 tracks plus one remix.

Content: Brien Hindman clearly sounds inspired by different electronic ambient formats. His work is mainly cold and even icy-like while driven by slow rhythms. The tracks are slowly evolving mixing refined sound treatments and harsher industrial sounds. Both last cuts are elaborated pieces of music reflecting mysterious moods and nihilistic feelings. The ultimate cut is a remix by his old mate Philipp Münch, which also is the single track featuring ghost-like vocal parts.

+ + + : “Cognitive Buffer Hypothesis” is a work with a bizarre, mysterious sphere with a strong visual content. The icy sound treatments feature a vintage approach, which has been merged with cool industrial components. The slow cadence makes the tracks more accessible. The track “Heterodoxies (Parts 1-7)” is getting the listener away for a grandiose sonic voyage over the 15 minutes.

– – – : The song are elaborated and reflect an intelligent sound approach, but maybe missing a total apotheosis. I’m missing a few little details to speak about a fully successful work.

Conclusion: “Cognitive Buffer Hypothesis” makes me think to an imaginary sonic labyrinth where the listener will have to endure icy and mystifying atmospheres.

Best songs: “Heterodoxies (Parts 1-7)”, “Trophic Cascade”, “Anthrocene”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/brienhindman

Label: www.ant–zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official

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: Industrial-techno, rhythmic-noise.

Background/Info: Mono No Aware is not the kind of project unleashing new work every year. “OTO” is the sixth album since the year 2000 (when the band was still featuring Stefan Böhm). Leif Künzel is now back on track unleashing a new piece of extreme industrial stuff better known as ‘rhythmic-noise’ or ‘power-noise’.

Content: Mono No Aware strikes back without real surprises, but simply gives the fans what they expect: raw, unpolished, brutal and powerful noises driven by distorted rhythms. This artist also illustrates there are not many differences between hard-techno fields and this kind of music. Both genres are based upon- and driven by hard-banging kicks. “OTO” is just much darker and extreme although here and there mixed with a few minimal-like electro treatments. “F12” even reminds me of Suicide merged with an industrial sonic monster.

Notice by the way the album also features remixes by Philipp Münch and Project Erratic.

+ + + : Mono No Aware is one of those artists remaining faithful to hard-industrial formats. The artist likes to experiment with noises, manipulating his sounds till reaching a truly caphernaum. But he also takes care to inject a few more delicate and minimal elements, creating cool cuts such as “Furafurafura” remixed by Philipp Münch and “Red Devils With Blue Eyes”. Another great- and already mentioned cut is “F12”.

– – – : Mono No Aware seems to voluntary avoid any real innovation and that’s maybe a pity, especially after all these years of commitment. You know what the sound stands for and you know what you’ll get. The initial magic is a bit gone. But at the other side it rapidly becomes clear that Mono No Aware is the kind of project you going to like.. or not; there’s no way in between!

Conclusion: I compare “OTO” to industrial ‘art brut’. Somewhat abstract and driven by a kind of ‘free-industrial’ expression this artist doesn’t care about modern hypes and other forms of innovation.

Best songs: “F12”, “Aware”, “Furafurafura – Philipp Münch Remix”, “Red Devils With Blue Eyes”, “72”.

Rate: (8).

Band: https://mono–no–aware.bandcamp.com

Label: www.handsproductions.com / www.facebook.com/hands.official

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