By the end of 2023 I discovered the album “Ode An Die Arbeit” by German duo Bagger 258. This is a pure old-school EBM project driven by Nico von der Eisenmühle and Tim Schmelzer. Their self-released debut-album stands for a mature, well-crafted and professional EBM sound. “Ode An Die Arbeit” reached the first place from the famous DAC (Deutsche Alternative Charts) which for a self-released production is quite exceptional. But their work is exceptional and is for sure one of the best retro-EBM projects in quite a long time. I got in touch with Nico and Tim to introduce you to the sound universe of Bagger 258.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: How did you come to set up Bagger 258? And what can you say about your music background and connection with Projekt 26? Is Projekt 26 still active by the way?

Nico: Starting from the ground up –Projekt 26 is still alive and kicking, but our singer Timo had to relocate, making it a bit tricky to keep the groove going. The good news? We’re sitting on lots of unreleased stuff, so let’s keep our eyes on the horizon and see where the road takes us.

Tim: We’ve always vibed with the whole harsh and hard EBM scene, but Projekt 26 was more than just that. We were on a mission to resurrect something no one seemed to be messing with anymore –that punchy, in-your-face Anhalt EBM. We spent a good chunk of the last decade trying to cook up tunes together, but nothing really clicked. Then, like magic, Bagger 258 waltzed in, felt damn good, and the songs practically wrote themselves.

Q: Bagger 258 is clearly dealing with old-school EBM. What means EBM to you and what do you try to achieve in your very own song writing and sound production?

Nico: Just like Tim mentioned, we wanted to make music that’s totally us and kinda missing from the scene. Bagger 258 nails it with simple, old-school bass lines but a killer, in-your-face sound. Getting that unmistakable ‘Bagger-sound’ is the key for us. We’ve got some song ideas that just didn’t click, so we ditched them. Bottom line: we’re after basslines that make you stomp, a brutal vibe, and tunes that stick with you.

Q: You last year (self)-released the debut album “Ode An Die Arbeit”. Can you share with us the highlights and main things you kept in mind from the writing and recording of the album?

Tim: We messed around quite a bit, experimenting until we stumbled upon something we liked. There were moments when new samples or playful lyrics had us cracking up, but for the most part, our gut feeling steered us in the right direction, shaping the final drafts of the album. Surprisingly, we drew inspiration from genres way beyond EBM; things like Rock, Metal, or Indie music sparked our creativity.

Q: You asked Daniel Hallhuber (founder of Young & Cold Records) for the mixing and Stefan Poiss (Mind.In.A.Box) for the mastering of the album. What has been their true input and impact on the final result of “Ode An Die Arbeit”? And would you also consider working with a producer?

Nico: Let’s clear the air on this one: we had Gustav and Jonatan from Sturm Café, as our production advisors. And big shoutout to Daniel for weaving his magic in the mixing department. He sculpted the sounds and ideas just the way we wanted them. Major gratitude to him, and you bet we’re teaming up again.

Tim: Agreed. For mastering we were set on having Stefan as our engineer right from the get-go. His own projects are top-notch, and no matter the music vibes, his final mastering is always on point. The awesome back-and-forth communication, with him sending us options, helped us nail down the best results. Stefan, you’re stuck with us –round two is definitely happening!

Q: Did you get the opportunity to get signed to a label to release “Ode An Die Arbeit” or is it a deliberate choice to get active as D.I.Y. (do it yourself) project? Do you’ve further plans/perspectives about working with labels?

Nico: Honestly, starting from scratch was crucial for us. We craved the freedom to shape everything from the ground up, from the tunes to the artwork. The whole album, except for the mix and master, is our baby. We took things to the next level, turning our ideas into reality. Sure, it got challenging, like when we were in the trenches producing and cutting the music video for “Muskeln Und Maschinen”, but the whole experience was a wild ride, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

As for labels, we’ve kept it indie for now. We wanted our debut album to be a solo flight without any external pressure. Who knows what the future holds? Maybe down the road, Bagger 258 will be ready to team up with a label and start something epic. Let’s keep the door open for that possibility.

Q: I noticed “Ode An Die Arbeit” reached the first place of the famous D.A.C. right? This is quite unusual for self-released albums so what does it mean to you and what’s the impact of the D.A.C.? Can you also tell us what you’ve to do and manage (think about promotion, contacts etc…) to get selected for the D.A.C.?

Tim: This question hits the sweet spot. Landing in first place with our album is beyond thrilling, and we’re genuinely honored. Once the creative dust settled, Nico and I brainstormed how to unleash our music on the world. The immediate answer? A legit music video, of course. Surprisingly, it’s not a common move in the scene, probably because it’s a ton of work. But we were up for the challenge.

Nico: Absolutely. The video was a beast to tackle, but we knew it wasn’t the only card up our sleeve. Our solid connections in the music world, thanks to DJ gigs at ‘Melodrom’ and rubbing shoulders with awesome DJs like Clemens and Ric, played a crucial role. They, along with many others, helped us spread the Bagger 258 vibes far and wide.

Oh and not to forget: we do have quite a fanbase in Sweden, thanks to Gustav and Jonatan (Sturm Café) & Ronny (Radio Virus / Container 90).

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: EBM.

Format: Digital, CD.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rate: 9.

Artist: www.facebook.com/bagger.258

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: EBM.

Background/Info: The horror and comic orientated EBM by the German formation Bathead is back on track unleashing its second opus. Vadim H defines his music as ‘dark psycho EBM’. The work features an extra album with remixes.

Content: The sound and global influences carried by horror atmospheres haven’t really changed. This old-styled EBM with something funny on top. The structures and global production are pretty simplistic although a bit more elaborated than on their previous work.

Next to the main disc featuring 14 song you also get an extra disc with 11 remixes. The most noticeable names are Akalotz, Amnistia, Human Steel, Pantser Fabriek and MC1R.

+ + + : If you like simple and totally old-school devoted EBM you definitely will have to discover Bathead. The typical body bass lines and haunting atmospheres both are the main characteristics of this project. Bathead definitely tries to develop their own style and has improved a few aspects of the writing process.

Among the remixes I especially want to recommend these accomplished by Akalotz, Projekt 26 and Bodystyler.

– – – : The main point that already hurts me with the previous work was the lack of professional production. The mixing and mastering are poorly executed resulting in a compressed sound. It all reminds me of the late 80s and early 90s productions, but that was a time there was less professional material than today.

Conclusion: I still believe that Bathead has something apart as EBM formation, but they first of all need more professional equipment and/or joining hands with a producer.

Best songs: “The Vampire Strikes Back”, “Bloodsport V.2”, “Wicked And Wasted” + “Dirty Scumbag, Dirty Whore – Bodystyler Remix”, “Dance The Batusi – Projekt 26 Remix”.

Rate: (6).

Artist: www.facebook.com/batheadebm

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: EBM, body-pop.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rate: (8).

Band: www.facebook.com/p26augsburg

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

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com